My Little Pony: Equestrian Downfall

by RealityPublishing

Chapters

• Scroll #7 - The Accusation Proclamation [FIXED]
• Scroll #8 - Applejack's Creed
• Scroll #9 - Laugh No More

Scroll #7 - The Accusation Proclamation [FIXED]

I dropped my pen, looking out the open window as the shutters rattled against the glass. I sighed, placing my quill in a jar of ink as I walked toward the window. The trees blew in the calming wind as a small group of bunnies jumped across the grass field. I smiled; it had been a while since I had left the hut. I walked back to my desk, picking up my quill once more and continued to write on a piece of parchment I had been working on for the past few months. A bird whistled from a tree, inviting me to the outdoor woods. I laid the pen down on the desk and looked at the trees. It really had been a while since I left my home; I smiled, it was never too late to have one last adventure. I placed the quill back on the desk; it was a small, wooden desk that was decorated with a single drawer located underneath the desk. I opened the drawer and placed the unfinished parchment inside, reassuring myself that I would finish it when the time was right. I looked around the house, it was a small cabin and very cluttered. I paced back and forth, picking up whatever items out of place before I headed upstairs. I fixed the couch, chairs and other accessories that were begging for attention. I wiped my forehead and continued upstairs. I wasn’t in a rush but I was very excited for what adventures would await me in the near future. I remembered the smell of the open air and the danger that was included. I remembered when I could squeeze out of any troubled situation with ease. Those were the days of old, something that was long gone. I looked around the room, it was my bedroom, my place of rest when not busy writing. Everything around me was made from the trees I had cut down to make the clearing. The style was old, many would agree but I felt it was dependable. I walked to my wardrobe, a small wooden pantry that was located parallel from the bed. I opened it and pulled out an iconic outfit; it was one known to many ponies around Equestria. I had not been one for being famous but the things I had done played a tremendous part in Equestria’s survival. I looked down at the floorboards; I felt I was the only pony keeping Equestria from falling apart. The disastrous events that could have happened were all prevented because of my doing. I put on the shirt; making sure every button was secured as I fixed the collar. I turned around and walked to a mirror on the other side of the room. I giggled at my appearance as I brushed the brilliant streaks of silver in my hair while humming a familiar tune. I closed my eyes as I relived some of the highlights in my life: the meeting with Celestia, the capture of my greatest enemy and the feeling of accomplishment after every adventure. I exhaled, sighing with relief; it really had been a great life, I really did miss the old days.

I stepped out onto the patio, absorbing the sunlight for the first time in months. The warmth I felt refreshed my mind; I felt calmer and stress-free; it was a wonderful feeling. Cold breezes blew through the trees, rustling the leaves gently across the grassy clearing outside my home. I reached inside the cabin one last time before heading out; I grabbed something of great importance, something that could not be replaced under any circumstances; my hat. It was old, but a very iconic symbol of my well-being. I had not worn it in ages; it was a bit tattered but still managed to keep its distinctive shape. It was originally a circular hat but after such a long time the disk inside had become warped. I placed it on the patio and pushed my hooves against it; trying my hardest to bring it to its proper shape. I poked at it several times, but alas; my efforts were pointless. The hat stubbornly remained in its depressing state no matter how many times I would bend it. I rolled my eyes; having lost a battle with an unbeatable force. I picked up the hat and placed it upon my head; it felt good to be back outdoors to enjoy the sunlight. Everything was perfect; the clear blue sky was brilliantly decorated with a bright shining sun; bathing Equestria in its light. The leaves rustled in the wind; blades of grass dancing in its gift as I walked through the fields. The forest was illuminated by the sun’s light; giving life to all plants. I smiled; this part of the woods was not maintained by ponies, but by nature itself. I had only seen one area such as this before in my travels; it was a small forest located west from Ponyville known as the Everfree Forest. I remember hearing rumors about the forest long ago. They said the forest had been growing in its natural state since the dawn of time. I remember laughing the rumor off; it was an unreasonable assumption even for my standards. I sighed; closing my eyes and leaning my head back in the wind. My mane flowed in the breeze freely and without a care. The soft grass rested below my hooves; relieving them of their misery. I shook my head; snapping myself out of the hypnotizing trance nature had put upon me. I looked ahead; seeing the dense forest that surrounded my cabin staring back at me with dark intentions. I smiled; it had been forever than a day since the last time I was greeted with danger. I lowered my hat; feeling determined and ready to destroy any challenges that were put before me. I darted into the woods; dodging bits of shrubbery left and right as I looked for anything that I would find suspicious. I sighed, finding myself unable to run any further; I looked back seeing how far I had come. It was not as far as I had hoped but it was good enough for somepony who had not been exposed to running in over three dates. I sat down on a tree branch; it was moist as if it had recently rained. I looked up at the sky; it was clear as ever. It was an odd phenomenon, the pegasi had claimed to not have a rainfall schedule for the next few months. Equestria was perfect the way it was; no rain would be needed for a while. It was not humid; a pond would not be present for several miles. Puzzled, I continued to rub the bark with my hoof; hoping to get the slightest bit of information from the strangely dampened root. Something about the branch seemed strange; I stood up and walked to another branch found on the opposite end of the tree. It was dry and dusty as a tree should be. Confused further, I walked back to the other branch and felt it once more. It was wet; soaked even. I closed my eyes and brought my face closer to the tree branch. I knew I would regret doing so, but I had smelled the branch and found the most peculiar scent on it. It was fresh water; something you would find packaged and sold at a store. I had once spilled water in the forest, but by this time the water would have dried. It was impossible the two would be a match; it was unreasonable. I turned my head; finding a set of hoofprints that were unlike my own. I smiled; I knew it was somepony else in the forest with me. I looked up at the sky, it was my land; by Celestia’s law, I would be able to defend it no matter the effect it would put upon my reputation. Grinning, I followed the hoofsteps; keeping my eyes locked on each one as the next came forth. The hoofsteps were fresh; whoever had wandered into my forest was still here; I was determined to find them. Within my hat was a simple razor blade; unlike the others, the small blade had not rusted and survived my numerous adventures. Taking my hat off my head; I pulled the concealed weapon out of its hiding place and held it up high. It was very small; smaller than I had expected. I tried to think of ways to use the minuscule blade but alas; none came. Discouraged, I dropped the blade and watched it create a small indent as it hit the wooden tree root beneath my feet. Leaving the razor blade, I followed the hoofprints and began to find myself wandering in circles. I rolled my eye; this was beginning to feel useless. I merely wanted to have a sense of adventure but instead felt as if I were hunting the innocent. This was not how the old me would have acted; I saved civilization numerous amounts of times. Ponies believed in me to protect them; even if it had been interpreted as a mere bedtime story. I could never forget the admiration my followers gave me; I felt guilty that I had to live away just to find peace. I thought about it; why had I left? Would my career be the same if I had stayed in Ponyville? I sighed, sitting down; forgetting about the trespasser for just a moment. I sat thinking about my current life; was I truly happy with the way I was? I hunted ponies who crossed my land for fun; getting absolutely nothing but the pleasure of guilt in return. I sighed, was this the way I wanted to live? Was this the destiny I was to forever be following? My life in the past had been forever full of adventure, hope, dreams and the satisfaction of giving. Ponies all over Equestria admired me for who I was; a hero. I became an idol to many, something that I would never wish to be as a young filly. I was always shy; steering clear from crowds and confrontations. I remember when that all changed; it was a birthday and I was the very special filly. While I had a minimum amount of friends even to this day; I will always remember my relatives who stuck out during my lonely days. There were a few gifts; all of them containing something that I would need as a necessity rather than for recreation. However, one of these gifts caught my eye; it was larger and would not fit me for a while but despite the unfortunate size; the article of clothing truly appealed to me. It was different than from what all the other ponies had. It was special; just like me. My parents always told me I would do great things as soon as I grew up; the hat was a symbol of such events. I smiled; looking up at the hat I was wearing. It began to fit when I dropped out of my schooling. That was the day I received my cutie mark; it was a very significant change in my life. I realized because of it what I was supposed to do in Equestria. What my purpose was and why I was the way I was. I knew in my heart that there was more adventure to be had in the real world rather than in a classroom with other ponies trying to make a better grade. I was never competitive; which led me to a long history of bullying. It was not as bad as it sounded; many other ponies admired the way I could wiggle my way out of any situation. Many of them even gave me a nickname that I kept to this very same day. They called me Daring Do for a reason, a reason which I was meant to accomplish. No matter the circumstances; I could make my way through any situation. It was my special talent and I embraced it.

I stood up; feeling relieved that I had relived some old memories. I tilted my hat forward and continued to follow the lost pony who had wandered into my woods. I would not harm the pony as I did the many others, but I needed to do something to intervene from further exploration. If the pony found my home it would be disastrous to my work. I could not let anypony know of my new plans concerning my series. Keeping my eyes locked on the prints; I continued to walk into a clearing in the woods. I had never seen such a clearing in all the dates I had lived in the forest. It was peaceful; the wind did not dare to move. It was as if it were a gap in time itself. The trees were calm and still; the grass not moving despite the earlier breeze that blew through. In the middle of the clearing was a pond surrounded by what appeared to be beach sand. Sitting in the sand was the pony whom I was looking for. She was a bright neon blue color with her light purple mane tied up in a darker blue ribbon. She reminded me of somepony although I couldn’t quite place it. Around her neck was a tightly fastened satchel; styled in a fashion that I once wore during my previous treks. It was somewhat nostalgic; as if it were taken straight from a family photo album. I walked closer to the weeping pony and put my hoof around her as if she were an innocent child. I eyeballed the bag; wondering its contents and why she carried nothing but the measly pouch. The pony turned her head, staring deep into my eyes with her own set of deep, red irises. A chill ran down my back as I stared into the blackened eyes; each decorated with a blood red color. I stepped away from her, shivering as I backed away. She turned away, facing the opposite direction as if I were the monstrosity. With my hooves over my eyes, I turned back towards the strange figure, bracing during every moment. With all the courage I could possibly muster, I opened my eyes with the simple surprise of seeing nothing there. I walked closer to the sand where she was sitting; finding nothing in her place but the small leather bag. I bent down to pick it up; feeling the textures of the fabric. It was leather, pure leather. It was something I had not seen before; it was illegal in Equestria to have leather as pure as the fabric before me. In awe, I opened the bag and looked through the contents; finding nothing but a small rolled parchment. Curious, I unrolled it against the sand; discovering something of great importance, something I had not seen in a long time.

It was a map; something you would expect to see on shipping or train routes. I looked at the map closely; waving my hooves in the air to block the sun. I rolled my eyes and turned around; feeling as if I were being watched. I shrugged, rolling the map and carrying it back to my cabin. I could not wait to begin discovering new things; this was something that I had not done in the longest time. I smiled, opening the door to my cabin as I laid the scroll on the floor. I looked around, grabbing a table weight and ink container from my writing desk. I unrolled the parchment and placed the items on each corner, holding it in place as I had expected. The scroll was dusty; the map itself unclear and inaccurate to any part of Equestria. I danced around the room; searching for my own Equestrian Map which I had drawn after many years of exploring. I ran upstairs, finding it in the same place as I had left it. I carefully unpinned it from my wall and walked downstairs with what I now called an ancient artifact. I placed my map beside the older version as I continued to draw parallels between the two variations. I sighed, many of the locations from the older version were varied; it seemed as though Canterlot Mountain had been moved several miles in the wrong direction. Many explorers had known Canterlot Mountain to be “The Center of Paradise”. Personally, I used it as a mere compass, nothing more and certainly nothing less. It was useful, although I would not go through the trouble of coming up with a clever nickname for a simple mountain. I continued to contrast the two maps; I was surprised at how significantly more accurate my newer map was. I laughed a bit; feeling that my hard work had finally paid off after all those years in the field. I never thought I would actually be using the map I had crafted with mere tree bark.

The old map was dusty and had clearly seen wear and tear. The geography represented on the map was much different than a modern day Equestria. Many of the lakes had gone completely missing from the map. Many towns and other monuments had gone missing; even Canterlot itself had vanished from the map's view. I brushed my hoof along the map's surface; clearing any dust that may be contaminating the map's accuracy. I looked around for anything suspicious; my hooves trembled with excitement. It was my first adventure in the longest time; I knew this would be a big one. I looked at the map for the longest time, seeking anything that may be of use. Despite a small symbol carved deep within its upper left hoof corner, the map was plain and colorless; something a pony would find in an old scrapbook. I pressed my face against the floor, wondering if anypony had written on the map. I noticed small craters that began to form a line pointing towards what we now call the Galloping Gorge. My eyes squinted in hopes of getting a more precise location. I turned the map to its backside finding nothing of any use. I sighed, it was not as direct as I had hoped, but I supposed it would have to do. I rolled up the parchments and carefully placed them into the parcel I had found the map in. It smelled of leather; a smell that was shunned and caused immediate execution if caught wearing such material. I smiled, I liked the smell; it had a distinctive scent that reminded me of my fillyhood in the strangest of ways. I left the cabin; saying goodbye as if it were the last time I would ever see it again. I sighed, missing my home more and more as I walked further and further away from it. It was a moment I was not proud of; I usually felt more determined. Today, however, I felt more sorrow than ever. Something in me told me not to go, but I was more inclined in listening to my adventurous spirit. I shook my head; leaving my home was a necessary step in this adventure. If I was to ever discover the secrets the map had hidden; I would have to accomplish this task.

I walked through the woods; turning left and right as I avoided branches that were destined to trip unsuspecting travelers. I wondered if I would ever return to my cabin; it was a measly cabin and it really did need to be spruced up a bit. Despite the lowly condition it was in, the warmth it provided was truly compelling. I remembered the nights I spent writing by the fire; the quill in my hoof spilled words against the parchment in perfect rhythm. I sighed; they really were the best of times. I never realized how I took the small cabin for granted; I wished I would return. The forest was dense but short. There were no trails that led to my cabin for privacy reasons. Even so, anypony would be able to discover its location by simply wandering. Outside the forest were beautiful fields that gave way a magnificent view of Ponyville. It was my hometown, a small and simple town that I once was proud to be a part of. After my rising in popularity, I left the town, forgetting everypony I had then come in the acquaintance of. At the time, I had been a very self-centered pony, someone who had not cared for anypony else. It was a trait that I had not been proud of. During my younger years, Cutie Marks were what made a pony a pony. I’m certain it’s the same today, but something about it then was different. It was almost as if it were a necessity to have one. I went to school in Canterlot, my parents were rich and felt that a good education was important for a pony at an early age. Despite the excessive amount of money, they continued to feel that a home in Ponyville was perfect; they admired the significant change in climate and the peaceful villagers that lived there. They didn’t seem to mind the lack of sophistication unlike many of the other high-class ponies who lived in our area. Despite the odd location, my parents were very close to Princess Celestia. While many of the richer residents attended the Grand Galloping Gala and were able to meet Celestia there, many of the ponies never had the honor of knowing her personally. My parents kept in touch with the princess through a strict letter system, one in which would still be in service today if not for their passing. Unfortunately, I myself was not a part of this tradition. I was somewhat deprived of my parents’ approval concerning my adventurous spirit. I remember their deep feelings of disappointment when I returned home with a letter informing my parents of my recent decision of leaving the curriculum. I was given no other choice than to leave my household. I was doubtful upon leaving, but I felt it was a necessary step forward. I was given nothing to hold onto but my hat, a simple notepad, and a quill; I supposed they had expected me to write something while I was away. Although I was one for adventures, I had never thought about writing them down. I knew ink would be hard to come by, so after much practicing, I learned how to pickpocket from other ponies in the area. It was difficult at first, but thanks to my remarkable gift in escaping; I was able to scrape my way out of any situation without breaking a sweat. Eventually, I improved on the subject and was able to steal any item from anywhere. It was a practice that I knew had to be kept under control.

I sighed; Ponyville grew closer and closer with every new step I took toward it. The last time I returned to Ponyville was when my parents had died; it was a tragic event, but I felt no remorse for the lost souls. I could never recall what had happened that day, although it could be nothing to be proud of. The houses grew larger and larger in the distance as I began to drag my hooves. It was hard enough having to return to the burial grounds of my own kin, not to mention my home that was destroyed in the last few years. I closed my eyes, bracing myself for whatever was to come. Ponies around me began to sit and stare as I walked through their town. Many of them whispered about my appearance in an open place while the others walked away, pretending not to notice. Not a single pony said a simple “hello”, shook my hoof or anything else of that matter. I was not greeted formally, or as if I was an old friend of theirs. I kept my head low and pulled my hat down to shade my face from the crowd. Keeping my eyes on the road, I could hear the doors of many ponies’ households being closed at my sight. I had learned to accept this form of greeting; my family had been in a dire situation before and lost their social status within a fortnight. Continuing to keep my head low, I noticed one pony in particular that had not fled from my appearance. She was a bright colored pony who obviously lived on sugary treats; anypony would be able to tell just by looking at her regular behavior. I lowered my hat to cover my eyes as I could hear her hoofsteps walk closer to me. She pointed her hoof at me and said the words,

“Welcome! I’m Pinkie! Who are you?”

Stunned by the different reaction compared to the other ponies, I stuttered,

“I-I’m, Daring. Daring Do.”

She smiled widely, something of a size that was unforgettable to anypony. It was amazing how she could keep a smile like that in control throughout the day. She happily closed her eyes,

“Oh! You must be here for Rainbow Dash! You haven’t forgotten have you? My, it’s been forever since you two have been together. How long has it been? Hold on, let me check my calendar.”

She spoke in rapid flurries of questions; it was very impressive to anypony’s standards. She reached out and grabbed a calendar from a bush located on the other side of town. Astonished, I dared ask a question of my own,

“Um… Where did you get that?”

She chuckled, nudging my shoulder playfully,  

“Calendar emergency! I’ve got them all over Ponyville!”

I looked around, not sure if I even wanted to be around somepony with a mysterious supply of calendars all over town. She flipped through her calendar just as rapidly as she spoke. I didn’t have time for such things; I pushed past her, I had places to go and didn’t have time to mingle. Realizing I had taken no interest in her mindless babbling and left her company; she turned around calling out to me. Annoyed, I kept walking at a faster pace. She began hopping toward me, continuing her abstrusely obnoxious smiling. I turned around,

“Don’t you have other places to be?”

She stopped for a second,

“Nope! I’m off today, everypony is!”

She continued to hop toward me repeatedly asking questions,

“So are you here to visit Rainbow Dash?”

I rolled my eyes,

“No, I’m just passing through.”

“Oh, that’s a shame. She’d really like it if you showed up to her party!”

“Party? What for?”

“Oh, you know! It’s her birthday soon! In a few days actually, oh! I’ve got a great idea, why don’t you show up!”

She began to talk in circles, something I had expected from somepony who’d been living on sugar.

“Have you been eating a lot of sweets lately?”

She smiled and laughed a bit,

“Sweets? Why of course! That’s my whole diet, silly! What kind of questions is that? A better question would be something like. Are you going to show up for Rainbow Dash’s party?”

I sighed, getting a bit more agitated than normal,

“No, I’m just going passing through Ponyville; that’s all.”

“Ooh, that’s really a shame! I’ve got a party I’m planning and was hoping you’d be able to visit! I’ve got a great idea! You should show up for the party! It’s one of your dearest friend’s parties too! It’s everypony’s favorite, Rainbow Dash!”

I had just about lost it at that point. Not only had she asked me about the same party three times, but she didn’t seem to be running out of questions to ask either.

“Don’t you ever run out of questions? You do realize you’ve said the same thing at least three times.”

She stopped hopping and rubbed her chin.

“Hmm, I have noticed that I have been running short on new questions. Oh! You stay here, I’ve got to go brew up some new ones!”

She darted toward what I remembered as the bakery. It was amazing the bakery that I remembered as a filly was still standing tall after all these dates. I wondered if the Cakes were still behind the business there. I wanted to visit the store to see if my assumption were true, but I was afraid I’d run into that pink nightmare of a pony. I thought about what she had said; Rainbow Dash was one fine pony. She was fast and many of her assets reminded me a lot of myself. I laughed; perhaps it would be a good time to visit her. Ponyville had changed a lot since I had last visit it; they even had a castle now. It was all very impressive how the little town had grown. I began to wonder if those things happened because I left. I shook my head; probably not, it was impossible that the absence of a single citizen could ultimately change the fate of an entire town. I looked toward the castle; it glowed majestically in the sunlight brought down by Celestia. It was hard to believe a group of six ponies harnessed the Elements of Harmony and saved Luna from the moon; I had no idea such a thing could be made possible by common pony. I wanted to visit the castle, say “hi” to Rainbow Dash or something, but I didn’t know how I could even bare to look at her. I had been absent all these dates and we had agreed to be friends after that last adventure. She was the only one who knew of my secret, it was inevitable that we would be friends. Somehow, that wasn’t the way it happened. I suppose with the responsibilities of maintaining a castle she wouldn’t be able to visit with any of her other friends. I sighed, walking past the castle and following the map through town. I had no time to visit with anypony; I had to reach my goal and write about my findings. That was my job; that was my life.

I kept my head low; walking with a slow pace. It was a depressing pace, putting one hoof in front of the other because of an oath I had made to myself. I could care less about the journey; I know I wanted to leave my cabin in the woods, but I didn’t want to leave Ponyville. I wanted to visit with the locals; relive some old memories that built upon my life. Perhaps I should join Rainbow Dash’s party, bring some hope in the mare’s life. I sighed, leaving town and venturing into the fields that surrounded the town. I stopped, leaning over and pulling the dusty old map from the satchel. I laid it on the grass, lightly moving my hoof along the fine paper. Remembering my destination, I walked northwest toward the Galloping Gorge. Galloping Gorge was known to the pegasi as the most dangerous place to fly through. The twists and turns that the crevasse contained were nearly impossible to fly through. The constant threat of avalanche made flying through even more a chore. With rumors of monsters living within the gorge walls made sure nopony would ever fly through it again. Pegasi only talk of the gorge when comparing it to something of an equal difficulty, but nopony has ever tried to fly through. I laughed, spreading my wings behind me. It had been a long time since I had used my wings for traveling. I preferred to walk by hoof during my travels, but the consistent urge to use them was simply too tempting.

I had moved from my original home long after the last novel I wrote. My home was destroyed, but not forgotten. I visited the small shack from time to time; remembering the adventures that took place there. I tried to replicate the cabin’s originality but in a different location. I wanted to be closer to Ponyville; it was my home after all. I suppose my absence had a negative effect on me; I needed to interact with others, but I was unsure of how to. I shook my head; waking up from my self-pity. I flew over the fields of Friendship; the name was granted to these fields in honor of the Princess Twilight. Many ponies told stories of her earlier days, the days before she became a princess. They say she used to have gatherings with her friends outside the town’s borders. Many say they still have such meetings; of course, nopony would ever dare to interrupt royalty without a plausible complaint. It was unlike Ponyville to have royalty present with the exception of annual celebrations. It seemed bizarre that a town as small as Ponyville would have its own castle within its boundaries. It was unnatural, unheard of, it was not practical. I was somewhat agitated about the fact that Celestia had made a commoner an Alicorn. In fact, because of the decision, a new ruling has been put into order. It was a shady organization; one that many ponies did not trust. I myself did not trust it either, it seemed different. Equestria had been ruled by the Two Sisters since the nation’s birth. This group was unnamed and held numerous meetings that judged the two princess’ decisions by the hour. Nopony knew who they were and were often referred to as “The Board”. Celestia often took their advice on certain matters, but as far as I know the Board has been very reluctant toward many of her newer decisions. I’ve heard the Board was established sometime before what is known as the Prosperity Era. I rubbed my chin; trying to calculate dates and time. Books record that the Prosperity Era started sometime around 700 A.S.D., after the Alicorn Era. I shrugged, I knew little about Equestria’s History; it was something that was not often taught to the younger ponies. It was a course that was only available to the more prestigious ponies of Canterlot. Even so, the classes often lacked detail and depth. Equestria’s history was always a touchy subject. Nopony knows how it began, or why; it’s something that has been locked away for generations, destined for solitude in the dusty shelves of the Canterlot Archives.

The Galloping Gorge grew as I flew toward it. I looked behind me; checking to make sure nopony was following me. It would be potentially disastrous if somepony were to compromise my search. I always worked alone, everypony knew that. My journeys were something not to be trifled with, it was a necessity that they were to be kept in secret or publicize it as a mere mare’s tale. I flew closer to ground, preparing to land in the fear-infested crevasse below. I flapped my wings with a constant decrease in speed as I lowered myself into the rocky abyss that had consumed so many ponies before me. I closed my eyes, stiffening my legs; waiting for my hooves to kiss the sweet ground that was presented before me. I could feel gravity pull my once weightless body toward the ground with my wings being the things keeping me alive. I slowly grew closer to the ground, the air becoming hotter and denser as I approached my landing ground. I opened my eyes, ready to step onto the ground once more. I placed a hoof forward and pressed it against the ground; I smiled, having successfully flown from Ponyville to the Galloping Gorge without any trouble. It had been a while since I had used my wings; I was a bit worried that I wouldn’t have made the flight.

The gorge looked just as I had expected. Rocks piled against the walls from top to bottom, with the floor as no exception. The floor was somewhat flat, with the occasional pile of stones that usually reached halfway up the gorge. I looked behind me, watching for any monsters that had been rumored to emerge from either the rocks or the crevasse walls. I opened my satchel, pulling the old map from it. I laid it out on the stone floor, examining its markings thoroughly. Nothing about it seemed to have changed; I kept looking, still hopeful that a more precise location would be revealed in due time. I scanned it left and right, top to bottom, finding absolutely nothing that I hadn’t already known. I turned it over hoping I’d find something that I may have overlooked. I rubbed the parchment, expecting to see a symbol or coordinates of some kind. Nothing. I sighed; the map had led me to a dead end for something that was possibly unrelated to anything. I rolled up the map and placed it back in the satchel; I wanted to survey the area before I gave up. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity to visit the Galloping Gorge; I wanted to take advantage of this and sightsee a bit.

The gorge was not a spectacular sight to see. It was but a mere crevasse that had clearly seen one too many avalanches. Large piles of rocks climbed to the surface of the miserable crack in Equestria. It was more depressing than ever; nopony had gone through this for as long as I could ever remember. I thought for the moment; how did the rocks pile without somepony to cause the avalanche? It seemed strange, but a meaningless question altogether. I continued my path down the gorge; admiring the rock formations that were present in both the walls and flooring. I walked through a close, confined part of the gorge where I then examined a line of craters that decorated the walls. I sat down, rubbing my chin; determining the meaning for the strange formation. I looked to my left and picked up a decent sized rock, throwing it into the mysterious craters. I listened carefully as the small rock cracked against the sides of the tunnel where out from the darkness emerged a red eel-like creature. I jumped to my hooves, prepared to battle the monstrous creature only to see it retreat back into its domain. I looked around nervously; adjusting my hat and dusting my clothing. I turned away, walking in the opposite direction of the strange creatures. There, I saw an absurd growth of cacti or other similar plants. They grew along the walls and from the ground in strange patterns; making it impossible to cross through. Anypony ignorant enough to fly through these would need serious medical attention afterward; although, anypony simply thinking about flying through these plants would need medical attention either way. I tried to walk around the plants, but the effort was hopeless no matter how many ways around it. I looked up, realizing the plants did not reach to the surface of the gorge. I spread my wings; admiring my wingspan and lifting off into the sky. I flapped my wings in the wind, gracefully soaring over the hazardous plants and landing safely on the other side. I chuckled, walking away from the offending plants and continuing my journey through the gorge. The rest of the path was self-explanatory with the occasional pile of rocks followed by another pile. I sighed; there was nothing about the gorge that would be any interest to anypony but for those running a rock farm. I laughed, I doubted anypony still ran those; owning a rock farm was old Equestrian thinking. Those traditions ran dry after Zapapples were discovered. I sat down; having seen everything the gorge had to offer. It was pointless to continue; I laid down among a small pile of rocks, one that had been noticeably oddly placed. I gave no attention to the pile, it was similar to the others and me, therefore, rendered it just as meaningless. The rock pierced into the back of my head, but I took no notice. I was tired and disappointed that I had been chasing an imaginary treasure. However, there was nothing surprising about that fact; I had gone after many legendary treasures that turned out just to be rumors or mere stacks of solidified mud that served no purpose whatsoever. I picked up a rock from the pile and tossed it to the other side of the gorge. It bounced once or more and hit a pile across from me. I laughed once and threw another rock at the pile. Once again, it bounced and hit the pile causing a few rocks to fall from the stockpile of stones. It was surprisingly satisfying and extremely fillyish of me to be acting this way but I couldn’t stop throwing the rocks for some reason. Perhaps it was the rocks themselves possessing my excessive amount of boredom or I just that. Bored. I sighed, tossing another rock at the pile, watching a two more rocks fall from it. I sat there for hours throwing meaningless rocks and watching more of them fall from the stack. The sun was beginning to set, I knew nighttime would come fairly soon. I didn’t want to be trapped in the darkness, but I had not moved in hours and the rocks were actually beginning to feel comfortable. They were digging into my skin, but I had still not noticed their existence. I just kept throwing the cursed rocks through the night, thinking about what I was going to do next. I’d probably return home to my cabin and finish writing my parchment or something of the sort. I pulled my hat over my eyes, sleeping through the night on an uncomfortable pile of rocks. It was not my idea of resting well, but with the strange set of circumstances, it would have to do.

I opened my eyes, seeing darkness for as far as the eye could see. I lifted my hoof, the terrain was dark and dead. I looked around, I knew this place. It was the forest around my home. The dirt under my hoof called to me; it told me to walk toward my cabin. Reluctantly, I walked into a dead meadow. The trees were darkened, dry, and dead. The wood looked rotten and capable of falling at any moment. The sky was overcast and the sun seemed almost non-existent. I looked up, finding myself face to face with a lunar eclipse. I had only heard rumors of eclipses, they were something of old-world Equestria. It was something that was never seen again because of the Two Sister’s involvement with the raising of the planets. Had they gotten in a fight? Was Luna refusing to lower the moon again? Why hadn’t this blown over yet? What was going to happen to Equestria if she didn’t lower the moon? What if it was Celestia who hadn’t lowered the sun? I ran through the dead woods; looking left and right for my cabin which I half-expected to be as rotten as the trees. A breeze that smelled heavily of dead rodents consumed the land. I coughed, covering my muzzle as best as I could. I began to feel dizzy as the darkness in the distance grew closer and trapped me in the forest. The roots of the trees began to grow upward, pulling the dirt aside and trapping many of the creatures who lived in those woods. I felt pity for the creatures for some reason. It felt as if I had done this to them, I wasn’t sure why but I felt as if I had brought this destruction to Equestria. I could feel the guilt swelling within me, constricting my heart keeping it from beating. I continued running through the dark woods, avoiding the roots and trees that attempted to grab me as I ran. There, in the distance, I began to see my clearing in the woods. It glowed magnificently in the distance. I ran without fatigue; it was an excellent feeling as if I were pulled toward my cabin. Surrounding the field was a line of thorned bushes; I braced myself, closing my eyes and preparing to draw blood. I waited, still running as fast as I possibly could. Nothing came. Puzzled, I opened my eyes, finding that I had run through the bushes without a scratch. It was merely an illusion. Relieved, I walked toward my cabin, finding the door open with sudden screams of pain coming from within my safe heaven. I could feel my mind spiraling with the bone-chilling sounds of pain. I rubbed my eyes, expecting tears to be falling from them, but instead I found a quantity of blood rushing from my eyelids. I looked toward the house and out from the doorway came the pony whom I met at the pond. The foul smelling air blew in her mane as she smirked at me before vanishing into the thin air. I began to feel sharp pains swelling from my hooves; I looked down, screaming as a rush of pain consumed my whole body. My hooves had gone missing, blood pouring from their nubs as the scratches from my thorns added to the amount of pain. I screamed, my head bursting with pain and drowning in my bloodied tears. I fell to the ground, the nubs, formerly my hooves, grew green with infection as they touched the dirt. The darkness around my meadow closed in; the color of the grass grew yellow with death as I cried upon it. The world had caught fire and I felt as if I were the cause. I did not want it to end like this; I did not want to lose my hooves, no matter the circumstance. I opened my eyes, finding myself sweating and staring deep into a stone wall engraved with a familiar symbol; I had finally found the treasure I was looking for.

I wiped the sweat from my face, standing up and walking toward the wall that was once covered in rocks. I smiled; I knew my instincts were telling me the right things. My absurd rock throwing habit had caused the rocks to collapse against the floor, revealing a symbol that I had seen once before. I pulled out the map, comparing the symbol to that of the wall. It was a match, no doubt about that. I began to dig at the rocks, throwing them aside to see what else was underneath. I stopped looking at the symbol; it was something that if not for the map, it would be unfamiliar to me. The design was odd and somewhat irrelevant to anything. It seemed to be a group of stars that lined in a horizontal formation; something that would be easily overlooked with a pile of rocks blocking its view. I rolled my eyes, not caring about what the stars meant, only that I had found the treasure that I so willingly desired. The rocks tumbled down the pile, I smiled with a psychotic obsession with discovering what the map was pointing to. I dug for hours, eventually coming to what I had dreamed of seeing; a box. It was a rather large box, something that would take at least six ponies to carry. I thought about opening it later, but the temptation of figuring out the contents was too hard to resist. I examined the box, finding it locked and secured with many of Equestria’s best locks. I smiled, I had practiced locksmithing for many dates; I was prepared for anything. I pulled from my shirt pocket a small pin which I proceeded to bend and mold based on the observation I had made. It was an extremely unfamiliar lock formation, but I had confidence that my locksmithing abilities were up to par with the task. I closed my eyes, praying to Celestia that I would be able to perform my duty with ease. I placed the lockpick into the keyhole, wiggling it around multiple times hearing each tooth unlock in the box. I gritted my own teeth; the tension building up within me with every click the box made. Finally, I could feel the last tooth unlock itself as the top of the box sprung open; revealing its contents to my curious eyes.

Within the box was something that I had never expected; it was a collection of parchments that seemed to date long before the Second Demolition. There were seven scrolls within the box, each one relatively old and obviously dormant for the longest time. Out of curiosity, I pulled one from the box, unrolling it on the stone floor. Each one was written with a strange ink, something that would never be sold at a store of any kind. I smelt the paper, I had heard rumors that a pony would be able to tell the date by smelling the parchment. It smelled different from the paper I owned in my cottage. I smelled of ashes, destruction, and tears. I looked at the scroll, reading bits and pieces from each one. Many of them told stories from before the Demolition. I spark was activated within my mind; this was the true history of Equestria. I laughed having found a treasure that had been fought over for generations. I read through one, it spoke heavily of a pony dubbed Archtail and her battles with somepony else’s violent behavior toward the ponies of Equestria. I laughed; I could not accept that fact that I had finally solved Equestria's mysteries. I had completely unaware that Celestia had been behind it all the entire time. I pulled another from the box; this one being slightly more recent than the last, but still smelling of ashes and depression. The second one I read spoke of Celestia’s fillyhood; it was quite the read. I smiled, pulling each of the seven scrolls from the box and placing it into my satchel. This information desired to be read by all. It needed to be publicized; I had to report my findings to royalty as it was my duty. I could not believe that so many ponies had overlooked the chest. I knew the gorge was a dangerous place for anypony and the pile of rocks would be easily categorized as something of the ordinary. I spread my wings, securing the satchel and preparing my journey for Canterlot. My findings would forever change Equestria for the better, I was certain of that.

I carefully flew through the air, flying through Cloudsdale and soaring toward Canterlot. The scrolls were tightly secured in my satchel, waiting to be revealed to the world once more. I glanced at the bag, counting each one that peeked out from it. The weight from the old scrolls weighed me down, causing me to flap my wings harder. I fatigued quickly, but I continued to encourage myself during my flight. I needed to make it to Canterlot no matter the circumstance. It was something that would have to be done, I needed to publicize these so all of Equestria will know of her history. I struggled to keep myself in the air; I flew uneasily through the sky with every gust of wind that blew by. My eyes were glued open, scared of falling and losing an important document such as these was frightening enough to scare even the calmest of ponies. Canterlot could be seen in the distance, it glowed majestically in the brilliant sunset. I looked around nervously, it had been a long time since I had stepped hoof in Canterlot. It was something that I was forbidden to do, not just by Canterlot Law, but by my own standards. It was not the fame or popularity, it was something I had done to cause harm to the Princess. I didn’t want to relive those fantasies; I wanted to forget everything I had done that day. I wanted to leave my subconscious behind and move on. I sighed, flying closer and closer to the regal town that was so magnificently perched upon a mountain. I couldn’t believe the castle had been standing for so long a time, it was impossible that a castle like that could have survived the Second Demolition. I shook my head, ‘They must’ve rebuilt it; that has to be it. That would be the only explanation.’

I flew closer and closer to the mountain with every flap of my wings feeling heavier the closer I got. I never thought I would ever be revisiting the city. I knew Celestia for quite some time, but I never bothered to write to her. I had once been her pupil, but somepony lucky took my place when I had left. It was something that I never talked or thought about. I began to sweat, my place of landing was growing closer; I wanted to fly away, but the scrolls told me not to. I landed on the ground, shaking a bit; it was not an easy landing. I skid across the gravel trying not to look like a fool who didn’t know how to fly. The guards eyed me suspiciously as if I were a threat to Canterlot and her ponies. I smiled nervously, pushing through the anxiety. I walked to the gate, purposely ignoring the guards’ existence. One of the guards used their wings to stop me; I tried to look natural, he guard glared at me,

“What business do you have here in Canterlot, Ms. Do?”

I rolled my eyes; I figured my history would have blown over by now,

“Just doing a bit of delivery service, Mr. Guard.”

He chuckled, clearly eyeballing his comrade on the other side of the gate. I shuffled my hooves, quickly glancing at the guard who was slowly walking toward me. I glared at the guard in front of me; he spoke in a firm, interrogating tone,

“Delivery Service huh? I figured you’d be better than that. I know you’ve got things to do on your agenda, perhaps you should leave and we’ll never speak of this again.”

I sighed; my odds were not so hot right now,

“Listen, I’ve got to see the Princess. That’s all you need to know; now if you’ll please let me through, I’ll be on my way.”

He laughed; I could see the other guard examining my satchel. He nodded to the guard in front of me. I cringed; I realized I was carrying illegal leather the entire time. He leaned into me whispering,

“That’s some mighty fine leather you’ve got there. Mind telling me where you got it.”

My mind spun in circles, I needed to find a way to get out of this if I sat idly I’d be jailed for sure. He had nailed me; I couldn’t believe I had walked into this blindly. I took off my hat and looked at him in the eye.

“A good friend gave it to me; perhaps you’d better have it up with her.”

He gave a hearty laugh; I could tell he was having a field day with this.

“Good friend? Daring Do, don’t lie to me. You have no friends; you have nopony anywhere in the wide, wide world of Equestria. You really should come up with better lies next time. He signaled toward the other guard where the two of them wrapped their wings around me. I tried to flap away but it was hopeless. I called out the first thing that came to mind,

“Shouldn’t I be put before a trial before imprisoning me?”

The guard stopped and began to whisper to the other guard. I smiled; I knew I could pull it off. It was against procedure to imprison somepony without a proper trial and consultant with the current Princess of Equestria. The guard rolled his eyes and pushed me along with contempt. I smirked, it wasn’t exactly how I would have expected it, but I knew I would make it safely to the Throne Room of the two sisters.

The doors burst open as they threw me against the floor. I laughed, coughing out a joke in the meantime,

“Thanks for the escort Gentlecolts!”

I could hear the two of them grumbling insults behind the thick doors. Celestia stood from her throne, glaring at me with disgust. I smiled, bowing down to her Excellency.

“Save your flattery,” she growled.

I stood up, listening intently as she read off her hearing,

“I am to understand that you have in your possession an illegal substance that was clearly banned for the certain cruelty to our neighboring species.”

I spoke in a jokingly voice,

“Mmm, yes princess.”

She continued to glare at me,

“If you continue to speak to me in that tone of voice then those will be the last words that will ever come from your mouth. Am I understood?”

I began to shiver; even if I didn’t care she was still a frightening opponent.

“Yes, Princess.”

She continued her speech,

“You are here for judgment and will be sentenced to death for the murder and cruelty of our neighbors. Am I understood?”

A small group of seven ponies walked into the room; each one wearing black robes and walking in a single-file formation. I smiled; this was my only opportunity,

“Actually, I’m here for a different reason.”

The group of ponies gasped as I reached into my parcel. Celestia’s horn lit a bright yellow color; I could only assume that she was prepared to execute me on her carpet. I pulled a single scroll and unrolled it on the carpet. It continued to unroll toward her; it was long and by far one of my favorites. She withdrew her spell and instead levitated the scroll toward her. The group of robed ponies began to take notes, I looked at them nervously. It was obvious that this was the council that was rumored to judge Celestia.

“Where did you get this?” she asked in a more concerned tone of voice.

I looked at her and pulled the other six scrolls from the bag as well,

“I found these in the Galloping Gorge underneath a thousand stones. They were locked in a chest which I was able to unlock.”

I could see the stress build up in her eyes, they revealed the truth. She had seen these pieces of parchments before, she had been there just as the scrolls foretold.

“I had not seen these since the death of a dear brother. He offered to hide these and protect them for as long as the world was still in order. I thank you for bringing these to me. They will be kept in the Canterlot Archives for safe-keeping.”

She turned away, I blurted out a meaningless question,

“What about my charges? I found this bag by a pond and used it for convenience reasons!”

She looked back at me,

“If your story is true, then guilt will not consume you. If your story is false, then guilt will be the biggest punishment I can bestow. You are free to leave, but be warned that only you yourself will be able to punish you rightfully.”

I bowed once more, feeling relieved that I had rightfully returned the scrolls to their place. I watched as the councilponies left the room. Each of their robes was lined with a different color, indicating a rank. I left the room and walked out of the castle, heading toward the front gate. I was able to keep the leather bag, but I felt bad that I was unable to finish the rest of the scrolls. I had only finished one before returning them. It inspired me to write about my adventure, I would, of course, have to add a villain of some sort. Perhaps I could include some of the scroll’s content into the book, or would that upset the Princess more? I laughed; I was relieved that I no longer had to carry the heavy things. They really did weigh me down, it was impressive, really. I walked past the soldiers and gave them a wink. They rolled their eyes and muttered curses under their breath. I laughed, spreading my wings and launching myself into the sky. I watched as the sun fell below the mountains, greeting the moon on its way out. It was something that I normally didn’t see; it was a pleasure to finally return to Canterlot; even if it wasn’t exactly what I expected. The guard was right, I had no friends, but I really did need some. I thought about the pink pony in Ponyville; had Rainbow Dash really missed me after all these dates? I knew she idolized me, but would we be able to accomplish a strong friendship? Ponies who merely worshiped other ponies never made good friends. I knew that for certain, but would it be different with Rainbow Dash? I wasn’t sure, but I supposed it would be worth a try. I headed toward Ponyville, I would show up for her party. I knew I would be free to do anything I wanted; I figured it would be something neighborly for another pony. I didn’t want it to become a habit, but I knew Rainbow Dash as an acquaintance, I’m sure she hadn’t forgotten me.

“Daring Do! Is that you?”

Twilight opened the doors with open arms,

“What are you doing in Ponyville? What are you doing outside of your cottage at all?”

I smiled nervously, I knew it was unlike me to leave my home, but it was strange to know that other ponies knew what you were up to.

“Oh, uh, this pink pony friend of yours saw me in town the other day and invited me to Rainbow Dash’s party. I was doing a little of trekking at the time so I was unable to drop in and confirm. I’ve got nothing planned for the next few months so I’ll be able to make it.”

She welcomed me warmly and walked me through the castle. It was nice and clean; the floors reflected anything a pony could put in front of it. My eyes glowed as we walked into the throne room. The crystal walls and floors carried the same distinctive light-blue pattern throughout the entire castle. In the middle of the room was a round table that was surrounded with six thrones featuring a cutie mark. Sitting in those chairs were what I assumed to be Twilight’s friends. I couldn’t quite remember all of their names, so I asked for another introduction. Twilight smiled, pointing at each of her friends,

“Of course! This is Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, and I’m Twilight Sparkle. Pleased to see you again, Daring!”

Rainbow Dash jumped from her seat, I could see her drooling over my presence.

“Daring Do!?! You’re here for my party, right? Please tell me you’re here for my party!”

I rolled my eyes and smiled,

“I’m here for your party, Rainbow.”

Her joyful scream echoed throughout the throne room. I watched as Applejack covered her ears,

“Heh, it’s nice ta see you Dar’n.”

I smiled, I somewhat remembered Applejack from when she was outside my cottage.

“You too, Applejack.”

She blushed, pulling her hat down over her face. Rarity walked around me like a cat, examining my clothing.

“How do you prance around in these garments? You must be absolutely miserable walking around in these dusty old things!”

I could feel my face growing redder,

“N-no, they're fine. I’m not one for looking good while running from danger. I would very much rather be looking like a slob and safe rather than looking good dead. It’s nice to see you… Rarity.”

She huffed about,

“Fine. I suppose you’re right.”

Rainbow Dash flew about the room with Twilight trying her hardest to get her down. Fluttershy was the only one who didn’t seem to care. Pinkie Pie walked toward me repeating the same two phrases over and over,

“She’s coming! I told you she’d come!”

I smiled, finally giving off my closing statement, hoping to get out of the mess,

“Thank you all for caring, but I’m just here for the party. I’ll be back in a few days time and we’ll talk all about my trip. Once again, thank you.”

They all laughed and walked me out toward the door. They stepped outside and waved goodbye as I left Ponyville. I noticed something odd, it seemed as though Twilight had not come outside. It was strange, but I supposed that a royal pony has business outside of a fandom. I waved goodbye to the five friends standing outside of the castle as I made my way back to the cottage. I closed my eyes for the moment, remembering all that I had done. I knew I had to keep the promise with Rainbow Dash; she was counting on me to be there at her party. I couldn’t let her down, I just couldn’t. I walked in the woods with my head down as I opened the door to my lonely cabin, sitting down on a small chair I picked up the quill that I had dropped so long ago and continued to write on a new piece of parchment. I began to write the words,

“Daring Do and the Secret of the Forbidden Scrolls”

I couldn’t remember what happened. It was a sudden attack that happened all too fast. I stood up, brushing the dust from my hooves and staining them with the tears of regret. I had lost everything, my home, my plan, my life. I had failed everypony; it was something that I would have to live with for the rest of my life. I rubbed my eyes, crying more as the dust had stung them. I tried to walk, but my hooves did not seem to be functional. I dragged my hooves in the dust using only my front two hooves. The sun scorched the world for one last time, I was aware of this. It had happened before, although I couldn’t quite place where. If only she hadn’t, if only she hadn’t manipulated my friend. I thought she could change but apparently I thought wrong. Lights, I remembered lights of many colors. They seemed to be like rainbows, but destructive. My head began to throb; I held it with my hoof, wailing in pain as I did. My vision was blurred; disorienting anything within three hooves of me. I began to hear voices, they seemed familiar but I couldn’t place them. I tried to call back, but no word came from my mouth; only another set of moans from the pain. I spread my left wing; it was heavily scarred with some parts of it still bleeding. With my eyes still closed, I crawled forward; forgetting the pain for just a moment, figuring it’d give me strength. I could hear rocks rumbling behind me; I opened my eyes, lifting my head from the ground to see who it could be. The voices grew louder as somepony began to walk toward me. I rolled to my back, moaning,

“How could I let this happen?”

Something appeared from the rubble below; I tried to call out to it, but I my voice had broken from screaming. I felt as if Equestria was falling apart below my very muzzle. I had let this happen, didn’t I? If only she hadn’t left, none of this would have happened. She had changed her, it was impossible not to think so, if only the Army hadn’t formed, we’d all be safe. It was treachery, the treaty the Unicorns made with the other races, had that meant nothing to them? The Princess, she needed to know, it was a necessary action. If only I’d known. A small figure appeared below me, I tried to make out who it was but my eyes had been sealed shut. I couldn’t quite make it out; I cried, trying to focus my magic on the ground. A small voice called out to me, I tried to nod my head, but I couldn’t. I began to scream again; what had I done? Whatever the case, I needed to head to Canterlot; if the Canterlot Empire did not form an army of their own, we would be destroyed. The small pony reached out behind me, undoing my chains and releasing me from my bond. I fell to the ground, crying as bits of dirt climbed into my wounds. I tried not to move for the sake of my bloodied torso; I wanted to fight back, but there was nothing I could do at the moment. I needed to leave this place, it served no purpose. I tried to open my eyes and watched as two figures began to walk toward me. I reached out to them; finding my voice and calling out to what I assumed to be rescuers,

“P-please, h-help. M-must get t-to, C-C-Canterlot.”

I watched as the two figures looked at each other, talking in a muffled tone. I rubbed my ear in hopes of improving my hearing. Nothing happened, I closed my eyes. I felt the two figures walked behind me and proceed to pick me up, dragging me along the dirt and pulling me into a house.

“H-How could I let this happen?”

“Everypony, we have a guest!”

Rainbow Dash sat up in her chair, I watched as she eagerly waited to see who it was. I smiled, winking at her; she nodded her head, returning the wink.

“Okay everypony, here she is!”

Daring Do walked in the room; I laughed as Rainbow Dash nearly fainted in her chair. She answered shyly toward the crowd; it was obvious that she hadn’t talked to anypony in the longest time. I put my hoof over her shoulder, trying to comfort her as she introduced herself. She was more delicate that one would think; I couldn’t imagine living alone for so many dates. My eyes lit up as she asked for introductions,

“Of course! This is Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, and I’m Twilight Sparkle. Pleased to see you again, Daring!”

I tried not to sound like an out of control fan while saying those words. I performed Cadence’s calming technique, it worked, but I still thought it needed some sort of improvement as far as when a pony’s favorite character is standing in the room with them. My hooves jittered with excitement; I simply couldn’t believe Daring Do had come to Ponyville! I joined Rainbow Dash in flying in the air, it just something I couldn’t hold it any longer. It was an unstoppable joy that continued to consume my decision making. I smiled, laughed, cried with joy, doing everything to try and stay sane. I began to see that Daring was starting to feel uncomfortable with our behavior toward her presence. She spoke with an unsure tone of voice; I knew then that she wanted to leave,

“Well, I’m glad I met with everypony. I’m sure to make it to the party! As for now, I’ve got to head home and finish some last minute work. I’ll see everypony in a couple of days!”

Everypony stood up from their chairs and proceeded to walk Daring Do out of the castle. I flew down to her side and began to walk her to the door as well. Spike appeared from one of the rooms in the castle whispering my name. I walked toward him,

“Spike, can’t this wait?”

He was holding a letter from the Princess, I knew it was important.

“Sorry Twilight, but the Princess says it’s urgent!”

I sighed, glancing toward my friends who were standing at the door giving their salutations to my idol.

‘Duty comes first,’ I repeated to myself, doing my best to prevent mourning over the subject. Spike handed me the letter as I read aloud to myself.

“My Dear Twilight Sparkle,

A sudden change of events is about to occur, I’m afraid you must make your way to Canterlot as fast as you can. I’m sorry to tell you that your friends will not be able to come to this meeting, in particular, royal business only I’m afraid.

Yours,

Princess Celestia”

I examined the letter’s every aspect, hoping to find a bit more information. It was subtle and quick to the point, but I was hoping to find a better reason to leave my friends behind. I looked at Spike with sorrow; he could see that I would have to go without him. He looked down and walked away into one of the castle rooms, closing the door behind him. I sighed, watching my friends as they walked through the doors of the castle. They stood there, staring at my sorrowed face, I looked at them,

“I’m sorry, but the Princess has ordered that I meet her in Canterlot alone. She says it’s urgent and that I must leave immediately. I’m sure it’ll be over soon, though, I’ll be back soon, I’m certain of that.”

Rarity walked toward me, putting a hoof on my shoulder,

“It’s quite alright, Twilight; we’ll be waiting for you when you return. I’m sure whatever Celestia has for you is important.”

I smiled as they all came to my side,

“Thanks, girls, I knew you’d understand.”

Applejack laughed,

“Why wouldn’t we understand?”

I wasn’t sure how to answer that, I wasn’t sure why they wouldn’t either. We were the best of friends, why would they deny that?

“I’m not sure; I just have a bad feeling about this meeting. It’s a bit sudden isn’t it?”

Rarity chuckled,

“Well, you are a princess, Twilight! Everything won’t be as planned as you would hope it could be!”

I shrugged, I suppose that was true. A kingdom’s problems would be unexpected even if I avoided every problem. My time as princess was beginning to become more serious, I had taken on responsibilities that I never thought I would have to take on. My trips to the Crystal Empire had become more and more frequent with each visit being described as “urgent” and “royal business only”. Every time I left, I would have to leave my friends, it was something that tore me apart. It was as if somepony was trying to make this happen. I rubbed my chin, I really hoped it hadn’t been Starlight, she’d had been a good friend at first, but I have no idea what happened. She changed for the worse and had gone missing from Equestria. Nopony knew where she was, I wondered if she was happy with her decision; if she was proud of leaving her friends.

I walked out of the castle doors, looking back at my friends who were waving at me, smiling and giving me good-byes. I waved back, spreading my wings and preparing for flight. I flapped my wings, soaring through the sky and heading for Canterlot. It would take only a few short minutes, but I felt that the flight would be something important. I wanted to make sure that the moment lasted. I felt as if my meeting in Canterlot would be my last, it was a terrible feeling, almost as if it were foretold before. I sighed, landing on the turf outside of the castle. I walked through the city’s gates; the guards saluted me, lifting their spears for me as I passed through. I winked at one of them and watched as he blushed, I chuckled finding it cute. The streets of Canterlot were bustling with high society ponies; they walked with their heads propped up high. I felt out of place walking through their town. I was a princess, but I was not rich. It was a quality that not many princesses before me had. I walked through the busy streets, many ponies bowing at my sight. I blushed, I didn’t feel it was necessary to bow at my presence; it was something I was not used to seeing. I was royalty, but I was still a mere pony who lived in Ponyville. The small village really did play a part in my life, changing my view of Equestria entirely. I wondered if that was the reason Celestia had put me in charge of it. I rubbed the back of my neck; I chose to be in Ponyville to be with my friends and as an assignment. How had come to ruling the town? The Mayor had died many dates ago in a tragic accident, but how does that make me the ruler of Ponyville? Was Ponyville to be my kingdom? I was the Princess of Friendship with my duties including spreading that magic around Equestria. I sighed, stopping for a second to pay respects to the mayor. I pushed through the castle doors and walked to the throne room where I would be meeting the Princess. It was always an odd place for a meeting, but I no longer cared; I just wanted to return to Ponyville and be with my friends. The guards bowed at my presence as Celestia turned toward me. Sitting at each side was both Princess Luna and Princess Cadence. I looked nervously toward the two of them. Their wings spread out behind them.

“Princess Twilight Sparkle, The Missionary of Friendship and Prophesied Saviour of Equestria, we are gathered to discuss a recent discovery that has put the Kingdom of Canterlot in question.”

I looked at her, confused at what she was saying. I wanted to say something but I knew it was against the meeting procedures to interrupt the current speaker. Celestia paused and glanced toward her sister, Luna,

“The discovery has upset the council’s judgment as well. I warn you, Twilight, this may danger the land of Equestria. It is our duty to inform you of all new developments that will change Equestria’s outcome.”

She paused and looked toward Cadence, she nodded,

“Twilight, what they’re saying is that the council is questioning the origins of our kingdom. A remarkable discovery has been that is endangering the well-being of our land.”

She stopped, I was filled with so many questions, I blurted out as many as I could within the short amount of time,

“What discovery? What discovery could possibly endanger the entire land of Equestria? Is it a weapon? Have we found something that may endanger the other races? Are we to go to war with our neighboring forces?”

Celestia held her hoof at shoulder height; halting my speech. I stopped and awaited answers. Instead, she nodded to Cadence. Cadence sighed and spoke softly,

“Twilight, I think you need to see this. Not only will it explain your questions, but it will change your role as Princess. A ruler must be well informed and educated about her kingdom.”

Celestia nodded at Cadence; I watched as she left the room, leaving me alone with the Two Sisters. The room was silent for a moment until Celestia broke the silence,

“Twilight, you will one day run this kingdom as your own. It is foretold that you will. You must protect and learn about the kingdom and her ponies. It is your duty and it is your destiny.”

Speechless, I watched as Cadence returned carrying a brilliantly decorated box. She opened it and revealed its contents, giving me a single parchment from the box. I unrolled it against the carpet, it was longer than the royal carpet itself; overwhelmed, I began to read from the top. Celestia turned toward Luna, then back at Cadence.

“This may take some time, please come into the backroom when you are finished.”

They left the room and suddenly the entire corridor was silent. I could hear my blood rushing in my ears as I read each word from the parchment. I could not believe what I was reading; it was a documented history of Equestria. The dates on each parchment accurately explaining each of Equestria’s struggles; it described everything from its birth to the event of the fabled Demolition. I read the dates out loud, looking over at the throne where I saw the small box. I opened it and levitated all of the scrolls toward me. I read the dates out loud,

“7091 B.F.D., 270 A.F.D., 330 A.S.D., 100 A.S.D.”

It was impossible; these scrolls spoke of things that happened even before the First Demolition. I read as quickly as possible, trying to finish it as fast as possible. I found myself sitting on the floor until the moon rose. Cadence walked into the room and sat beside me, I looked at her,

“Have you read these? It’s remarkable!”

She sighed,

“Yes, it is. But I’m a bit more worried about the council. They’re threatening to take over the kingdom if we don’t do something about it.”

I looked up from the parchment,

“But this is revolutionary! This should be published publically! Equestria deserves to know the truth about its nation!”

She shook her head, I tilted my head,

“Sorry, Twilight; but this information is entirely confidential and it should be kept that way. This truth does not need to be known by others. It reveals the mistakes and heartbreaking truth of our country sure, but we are at harmony with each other. The last thing we need is to change that.”

I looked down, realizing the error in my view,

“I suppose you’re right, but wouldn’t it be wrong to lie to the public? Would it be wrong to lie in the face of the public?”

She sighed,

“Someday Twilight, you’ll understand as I do. Recall what happened in the Crystal Kingdom those many dates ago, remember the faces of the Crystal Ponies? What would have happened if we told them King Sombra was on his way to destroy them? They would be frightened and we would have been destroyed so many dates ago. Would we want that to happen again and ruin our time of peace?”

I looked at her, she did have a point. I continued to read the parchment, I knew the Equestrian Laws; if anypony knew what Celestia had done those last days, then all of the lands would overthrow her. It was something that I couldn’t let happen. I rolled up the last scroll and placed it in the box, locking it and placing it back in its place next to the throne. Celestia walked into the room and spread her wings,

“We thank you for your understanding of our situation. We will contact you when any other situations arise. You may now return to your business in Ponyville.”

I gave a respectful bow to Celestia and left the throne room, saying goodbye to Cadence on my way out. I left the castle and walked through the kingdom, it was a beautiful place. I knew what was going to happen. I had few encounters with the council myself and they were not ponies that should be messed with. They claimed to speak for the ponies of Equestria but I knew better than that. I knew their sole purpose of forming their organization was to overthrow the kingdom and banish Celestia forever. I hated them the second I saw them, they reeked of deception and dark intentions. It was unavoidable; anypony who saw them immediately received bad vibes from them. The gate guards bowed as I left the Kingdom; I sighed, spreading my wings and preparing for liftoff. I looked back at the castle, I knew what was going to happen, it would be inevitable. I would lead this kingdom one day; it was all a matter of time. And my time was running out.

“Twilight what happened? You missed the party?”

I felt guilty; Rainbow Dash looked at me crossed as ever.

“I-I’m sorry Rainbow, but the meeting took longer than before. I can’t say much about it, but it was as important as the letter had foreseen.”

Rainbow Dash flew around the room, huffing and puffing. Fluttershy flew up to her and tried to calm her down,

“It’s okay Rainbow, I’m whatever Twilight did was important. Besides, you’ll always have a party next date.”

Rainbow Dash stopped sitting down in her throne,

“Yeah you’re right but you’d better make it next date, Twilight!”

I laughed nervously, I wasn’t even sure if there would be another date after this.

“O-of course! I’d love to hear all about Daring Do and what she did during the party.”

I looked around the room trying to act natural. I trusted my friends, but I couldn’t tell them about the scrolls I had previously read. Rainbow Dash sat back in her chair,

“Only the most awesome thing ever! She agreed to sign every copy of Daring Do I owned and told me about her upcoming book!”

I bolted up,

“Really? She’s writing a new one after all these dates? Hadn’t she retired? What is it about?”

Rainbow Dash laughed, straightening up in her chair,

“Oh, I can’t tell anypony, but she said it had something to do with some box of parchments she found in the Galloping Gorge. It doesn’t sound exciting, but knowing her, everything she does is exciting.”

I could feel the blood rushing from my head, she had found the scrolls. I should have known, Daring Do had not stepped hoof in Canterlot for the longest time, why would she start now? Plus, now she wants to write a book informing all the ponies of the discovery, knowing her, she probably read one of the scrolls for source material. I began to hyperventilate,

“Rainbow, when is the book coming out?”

She chuckled,

“Oh, it’s coming out in a few short weeks; she said that she had started writing it a soon as she got back from Ponyville. It’s gonna be great, I’ll tell ya!”

I didn’t know what to say, I needed to stop her from shipping the book. Applejack walked toward me, putting a hoof over my shoulder.

“Are you alright, sugar cube?”

No, I wasn’t alright; I had a catastrophe that was waiting to happen. I looked around nervously,

“Yeah, I’m just fine. It’ll be alright, I just need to think.”

I walked away, leaving my friends standing in the throne room. I walked into the library, hiding in a back corner and crying in my hooves. I had lost hope, I knew I could solve this somehow but I was unsure how. I shook my head, only my friends knew Daring’s adventures were real. Everypony else treated it as a story and nothing more. It was a gamble, but I had faith that things would go my way. I looked up, seeing Spike standing over me. I hadn’t talked to him since I left Ponyville; he had been looking for me.

“Twilight, what happened in Canterlot?”

I hesitated,

“Spike, I-I can’t say. I just can’t.”

He looked at me, I could see that he cared for me, everypony did. I wanted to tell them all, but I was afraid of the outcome that would come afterward. I did not want to be the cause of the separation of my friends. I couldn’t imagine leaving my friends, I thought about the battle with Discord; I had lost faith in my friends and I paid for it. It was Celestia that allowed me to regain hope in them; it was her that showed me that my friends are my life. I fought beside them, and I fought with them. That was friendship; it was a form of bond that was stronger than any other. I of all ponies should have known that I thought about how much I really knew about friendship. Was I really worth for my title? What was the prophecy Celestia was talking about? I had read something about it in one of the scrolls, but I knew nothing else about it. She mentioned me saving all of Equestria, would I be up for the task if it were to arise? Celestia had magic that I could never dream to possess; I know she had visions and other forms of information that haunted her night by night. What about me? What special powers did I possess? My cutie mark defined magic; I was chosen to become the most powerful magic user in Equestria. If this was true, why did I still feel less than others? Starlight Glimmer had more magical know-how than anypony else, I began to doubt my own abilities.

“Spike, who am I to you?”

It was a stupid question, but I felt it was necessary. Spike looked at me in shock,

“Twilight, you’re my best friend! You know that! You are my entire life Twilight, you hatched me and I wouldn’t be here if not for you! Do you doubt your friends?”

I cried as silently as possible but my pouts could still be heard throughout the library.

“Spike, something terrible has happened in the castle and the Princesses believe that I may have to protect the castle very soon. Oh, Spike. I don’t know if I’m ready for something like this!”

He looked at me; I could see that he want to encourage me. Spike believed in me, I had taken care of him since his hatching day. He knew nopony other than me for the longest time.

“Twilight, you’re ready for anything. You are the smartest pony I’ve ever met! I think you could run all of Equestria and beyond! You just need to believe, Twilight. It’s your destiny to inherit Canterlot, you were born ready!”

I looked at Spike, finally lifting my hooves. I looked at him teary-eyed as he pat me on the back.

“Thank you, Spike. I needed that. I’m sorry I’ve been acting so strange lately, it’s the stress. I just need some rest. I’m heading upstairs now; I’ll see you in the morning, Spike.”

He smiled and waved good-bye; picking up a few books that I had left out of place. I left the library and explained to my friends that I would be resting for the rest of the night. They smiled and left the castle; each heading to the homes of their own. I closed the castle door and proceeded upstairs yawning. It had been a long week and I was fatigued more than I had ever been. I jumped into bed and laid my head the pillow. It was soft and plush, I missed the comfort of my bedroom; it was the only part of the castle that wasn’t consistently pressured by responsibility. I closed my eyes, drifting to sleep; trying not to think of the event from earlier.

I couldn’t stop running; I was afraid; it was something that came naturally. I could feel nothing but my hooves hitting against the floor as I ran from my fears. They haunted me continuously, constantly pursuing me as I ran farther and farther away. I tried to open my eyes as I ran, watching as the walls collapsed behind me. A pair of enlarged light blue eyes appeared in the darkness, following me and destroying all that I built. I struggled to keep on my hooves, I felt as if I had been running for the longest time. I knew this pony; she had been a dear friend. I couldn’t quite recognize the eyes, they seemed, familiar. It was as if I had lived or known this pony for longer than a lifetime; I began to feel guilty that I couldn’t remember her face. An image came to view in my mind; she was a pony who was bright and young. She believed in me as well, what had I done to cause an entire line to be against me? I panted heavily, trying to keep my balance as the ground began to feel more and more uneven. I looked down finding both the ground and myself colorless. I looked behind me as I ran, staring face to face with the severed pair of eyes beaming back at me. I choked, losing my grip on the turf as I fell over and rolled into the black limbo beyond the pair of pupils. I began to cry,

“Why? What will my extermination do for your world?”

I could hear laughter emitting from all around me. I stood up in a defense stance. I could hear voices whisper around me, I had no idea what would happen to me if I were to submit.

“Revenge is a sweet, sweet thing, my dear Twilight.”

The laughter grew louder as I gave way, I screamed; falling through unsure of what would happen then. I began to see a stone floor decorated with lines of spikes tipped with the corpses of all my friends. I closed my eyes, screamed once more and braced for my certain death.

I jumped, falling out of bed and hitting my head against my nightstand. I could hear Spike waking from his slumber as he walked over to help me.

“Twilight! What happened?”

I rubbed my head, moaning just a bit,

“Uh, nothing Spike. I just had a bad dream.”

Spike looked at me skeptically; rubbing his chin and leaning in. I looked around the room, he laughed,

“Twilight! Was it a vision? Are we finally going to rule a bigger kingdom?”

I rolled my eyes,

“No, Spike. It was not a vision. It was anything but a vision. I’m sure a vision would be something a little more precise as far as what is going on.”

He began to pace around the room,

“Well, what was it about? You can tell me!”

I turned around; he was staring at me smiling with a wide grin. I sighed,

“I was running from something, I’m not sure what. Then I slipped and the ground broke where I began to fall. That’s when I woke up.”

He continued to pace around the room as if he was trying to figure everything out. I laughed,

“Spike, I’m sure it’s nothing. I’ll send a letter to Princess Luna asking what it could mean. Maybe she’ll have a bit more clarification.”

His eyes lit up as he ran across the room, pulling a quill and parchment from a desk. I chuckled,

“Well, I wasn’t going to send until later, but if you really must know.”

He nodded his head and readied his claw. I cleared my throat,

“Dear Princess Luna, In case you are unaware, I experience a nightmare that I have many concerns about. I will return to Canterlot to discuss these matters privately. Thank You, Princess Twilight Sparkle.”

Spike moaned,

“Aww, I thought you were going to have me write it!”

I laughed walking toward the bedroom door,

“Sorry, Spike; but these matters are private and have a lot to do with my responsibility as a Princess of Equestria. It’s something that I can’t get you involved in Spike, not yet at least. When your time comes, I’ll be certain to let you know of everything that’s going on.”

He looked down, nodding his head and agreeing before sending the letter to Canterlot. I winked at Spike before leaving the room and walking down the hallway toward the throne room. I looked at the Cutie Map, it had been a pleasure spreading the joys of friendship around Equestria for so many dates; I began to wonder how long we would be keeping it up. I sat down in my throne and looked at the other five empty thrones before me. Each one presented something special; no two thrones looked alike. Spike called out from the other room, running and holding a parchment. He gave me the parchment and watched as I opened it.

“Dear Twilight Sparkle,

The dream you informed me of was not a ‘nightmare’ but instead a vision as I had predicted. I’m afraid we cannot meet anytime soon; the council has moved more quickly than usual and if we are to keep our treaties with them then we must comply with their terms. I apologize, but we are afraid some things must be kept a secret from others. We are sending a package to you, keep your servant, Spike, informed of a delivery within the next few days. We may have to use him as a form a transportation. It is of utmost importance that you dispose of this message as soon as you have read it. My sister and I are afraid they will be watching our every move from this point on.

Thank You and stay alert,

Princess Luna~”

Disappointed, I looked toward Spike. He eagerly awaited my next comment,

“Spike, your time has come; I’m afraid you’ve become involved.”

“What? Secret scrolls? Daring Do is an enemy? The council? Who’s the council anyway?”

I sighed, nodding my head, it was all true. He looked at me with disbelief as I tried to convince him that I was not making any of it up.

“Well, maybe I did overreact about Daring Do’s part. She isn’t exactly an enemy, but she did cause this entire catastrophe. Spike, I’m afraid a new era has begun and so far, it isn’t looking too bright.”

Spike rolled his eyes, moaning,

“Aww, does that mean we have to reset the calendar?”

I laughed nervously,

“No Spike, we won’t have to reset the calendar. We could ask Pinkie to that if we needed to. I’m afraid this new era won’t be a pretty one; the council is going to ruin all of Canterlot if we don’t put a stop to this.”

Spike backed away,

“And just what are you suggesting we do? I’ve already got a package coming through and I’m not sure I can even handle something bigger than a piece of paper.”

I laughed and patted him on the head,

“Spike, I’m sure you’ll do fine. I’m not sure what to do, I believe the best thing to do during this time would be to hide and wait. Spike, Celestia spoke of a prophecy; one that came before my coronation, she had foreseen my victories through time; she knows what to expect of me. It’s only right that I preserve my existence until the right time.”

He put his claws on his hips, giving off a small cloud of smoke,

“Hmmf, I was hoping for a little more action, but I guess if that’s what you think it right then I’ve got no other choice than to follow.”

I smiled, placing a hoof on his head,

“Thanks, Spike. I knew you’d understand. You always have.”

He smiled, and then suddenly leaned over. Doing the first thing that came to mind, I began to pat him on the back. It was pathetic, but it was the only thing I could think of. I put him on my back as I walked him to the bedroom where he continued to hurl and distort his voice. It was a terrifying sight and much, unlike the other deliveries he had done. I could see the pain in his eyes as he gasped for air. I couldn’t believe Celestia would put Spike through such a thing. I doubted she’d do something like that on purpose; it’d have to be something of utmost importance for it to be delivered like this. I closed my eyes; refusing to see any more of the horrendous sight. His moaning stopped for a second, where it was all met with a large belch. I slowly opened my eyes, finding him passed out in his bed. I laughed and asked him to stand up. He didn’t move a muscle; I began to feel worried. Spike was one of my best friends, I couldn’t let him die. Not today, not ever. I placed a hoof on his head and laid my head against his chest. His heart beat heavily; relieved, I walked toward the box. It was a strange box made with leather; a substance that was clearly illegal for its cruelty toward other neighboring species. My eyes widened the more I looked at the box. Why would Celestia use this box at all? It was something that was clearly illegal, but yet she had broken her own laws. On top of the box was a note,

“Twilight,

This box contains all that we must hide. I’m afraid things aren’t going as well as I thought they would go. The time has come, it’s time for you to run, do not wait for use to rescue, It’s time for your journey to begin. I have sent a pony to make it to your location. He will arrive in due time, please take care until he arrives. Make us proud and show Equestria your power.”

I pushed the letter aside and unfastened the lid; opening the box as I found to my surprise seven paper scrolls sitting snuggly in the chest. I could feel my hooves shivering; I wasn’t sure what I would do with such treasures. They were valuable and needed to be kept a secret to everypony. I looked toward the unconscious Spike; it was only a matter of time before he found out. I thought about the others, I couldn’t keep this a secret for much longer, but I had to no matter what. I couldn’t let anypony other than Spike get a hold of these scrolls. Who knows what those ponies would do with this kind of information? The council seemed to have no trouble destroying Canterlot’s glory with them, who knew what other damage could be done? I needed to confront the council; I needed to protect Celestia. It was my duty as a Princess to do whatever political actions that may be necessary. I locked the box, placing it under my bed. Determined, I left the castle, walking out and greeting the morning air. I gritted my teeth, spread my wings and prepared for flight.

“Hi, Twilight! What’cha up to?”

I jumped, startled and trying to find where the voice came from. It was Pinkie who was jumping up and down outside of the door.

“Pinkie, how long had you been waiting there?”

She smiled, now jumping around me,

“Oh, since yesterday actually, although, I have no idea why!”

I rolled my eyes, she giggled,

“Hehe, I guess I’ll see you next time. Where are you off to?”

I sighed,

“Canterlot, I’ve got more business there. Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon.”

She giggled again, jumping away as she spoke,

“Oki Doki Loki! I’m going to go check on Applejack!”

I wave her goodbye and once again prepared my wings.

“You know, you really should tell your friends what’s going on.”

I cringed, now officially cross.

“Discord, I’m not in the mood. I’ve got to go to Canterlot.”

He laughed, making himself visible in front of me.

“Oh please, Twilight. I know all about your little, discovery. I must say, I’ve been looking for this for the longest time! Never figured a pony would find it.”

I withdrew my wings, looking up at where he stood,

“That’s no surprise considering you’re in one of them.”

He hesitated,

“Well sorry, Twilight, but I’ve told you, I’ve been around for the longest time. I’m the king of Chaos after all!”

I could see him smiling, proud of his title; one that had not been used since Fluttershy reformed him.

“King of Chaos, huh.”

“Oh please, just because I have friends now, doesn’t mean I can’t have fun,” he snapped. I laughed, spreading my wings once more.

“Twilight, wait. Don’t do this; it’s not going to help any cause.”

I looked at him, staring at him directly in the eye,

“I’m going to save the Two Sisters; I’m doing what’s right.”

With that, I lifted off; launching myself into the air. Flapping my wings and soaring through the sky as I closed into Canterlot. A bright light flashed beside me revealing Discord flying backward. I rolled my eyes,

“Discord, you’re not going to stop me! I need to do this, just because you have a history with Celestia doesn’t mean you can follow me to her throne room every time I visit!”

He stopped; his head down looking at the ground below,

“Uh, you’re right, Twilight. I’ll see you when you return…”

I sighed, relieved that I had eliminated the distraction. I could see the cliff side get closer and closer, I needed to talk to the council; this was wrong, all of it.

I walked through the gate, pushing through the crowds of ponies. I looked up toward the castle and lowered my head. I wasn’t sure what I’d say; I knew I should have thought about this more. I was here, but I was scared. If I messed up in any way, then I would forever be banished; I couldn’t allow that to happen. I tried to calm down, but nothing would work in a situation like this. It was a one time shot, I had to get this right. I opened the door and walked through the castle halls; navigating my way while trying to stay sane with the pressure. I pushed through another door, finding myself in the Throne Room. The large room was empty, everything still and quiet. I looked around, walking toward the thrones. Behind the throne was a door that led to the highest balcony; the sisters used this to raise and lower the sun. I opened the door, walking up the stairs. I could feel my hooves shiver; I had no idea what I would do if I failed. I tried to remember Spike’s reassurance; I never failed a test, why would I start now? I laughed nervously, trying to use Pinkie’s methods. As I walked up the stairs, I began to head ponies cheering, screaming and talking. I walked onto the balcony and looked down onto the kingdom; it was a speech being made by the council. Furious, I ran back down the stairs and made my way to the lower balcony, the one the princesses used during my coronation. Panting, I screamed out to them,

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?”

They were lined up horizontally with one pony standing closer to the edge than the others. Each one wore their distinctive black cloaks as each turned around to face me. I huffed,

“What did you do with Celestia?”

The leader stepped toward me, chuckling slightly as he spoke with a raspy tone of voice,

“Celestia? What do you see in the traitor? She has killed Equestria with her lies and in return, we disposed of her.”

Furious, I cried out,

“And just who do you think you are to banish the sisters? They raise the moon and the sun; they have responsibility!”

He heartily laughed,

“They still perform their duties; the only difference is that we provoke it. You really should lighten up, we’re in charge now. Nopony can deny that.”

The other six laughed, walking closer toward me. I backed away slowly, not sure of what to do.

“Don’t you see Twilight, we’ve won. We’ve kept our eye on Canterlot for the longest time, since its founding in fact; it was only a matter of time before we’d taken Celestia down.”

The leader pony stopped, turning back to the crowd as he shouted with the loudest voice he could muster,

“Take action! We must end this anarchy! Destroy the princesses! We shall rule the government for ourselves without the need of their treachery!”

I widened my eyes as I watched him as he undressed his cloak revealing his identity. The others halted their pursuit toward me; giving their full attention toward the crowd. Each pulled off their cloaks and shed light on their specifics. Each one of them were darkly colored pegasi, it was clear that these were loyal to their respective city.

“Join us pegasi! Together we shall rule a different Equestria! One that is no longer prone to weak perspective! We call all pegasi to join us! Pegasi in every part of Equestria; it is time to fight for your homeland! Destroy all those who offend our honor! We will fall to neither Earth nor Pegasi ponies! We will prevail and crush all those beyond our race! I command everypony to fight for their homeland; to join the Pegasi Army!”

The crowd cheered, it seemed as though they agreed with the lunatics. I ran to the edge, leaning over as I began a speech of my own,

“Everypony! Stop this reign of outrage! Our kingdom has been run righteously with our rulers thinking of everypony in their times of need! The pegasi seek control! Is it really your destiny to become enslaved?”

The leader laughed pushing me aside whispering into my ear before he began,

“My turn, Twilight.”

He raised his hooves in the air as he spoke with fierce determination. It was clear he wanted to end me,

“Do not listen to the corrupted royalty! We are simple ponies who have become more powerful than even the Alicorn! I promise you, we will grow strong together! We seek justice! These Alicorns have been in power for far too long! It was Celestia who destroyed the land! Crafting it with destruction and pain! The blood of thousands of ponies lay on her hooves alone! Destroy the Alicorn for they will become more extinct than the ancestors who died in the Demolition!”

The crowd went wild, cheering for the corrupt pegasi. He winked at me before the council left,

“That’s how you make a speech. It appears the magic of friendship isn’t as strong as you thought.”

He patted me on the shoulder as I watched the audience throwing objects toward me. I turned around; my head down as I walked away from the crowd. I had failed Celestia, I had failed all of Equestria. I wanted to go home, I wanted to cry. I tried to hold my tears in but they continued to run down my face uncontrollably. I spread my wings, lifting off in an explosion of color. I flew over the Everfree Forest, it seemed as though that was the last shred of peace. It was wild, but it was free; hence the name. It would forever be free from havoc, from corruption, from political hell.

I landed outside my castle, pushing through the doors as I went into the throne room to take a seat. To my surprise, I found my friends there waiting. Each was silent and watched my every move. Finally, Rarity spoke up; breaking the silence,

“Twilight dear, we’re worried about you.”

I looked up, noticing somepony was missing. I quickly blurted out the first thing that came to mind,

“Where’s Rainbow Dash?”

I watched as each one of them looked at each other; exchanging faces and looking down. Applejack walked toward me; once again putting a hoof over my shoulder,

“Maybe you should sit down, Twilight.”

I couldn’t believe it, had Rainbow Dash joined the pegasi army?

“Don’t tell me she signed up.”

Rarity and Fluttershy looked around the room; Pinkie Pie was turned away from everything. I walked to her, removing Applejack’s cold hoof from my shoulder.

“Pinkie Pie? What’s wrong?”

She turned around, she began to cry. Startled, I tried her for answers,

“Pinkie Pie, what happened?”

She didn’t say a word, nothing at all. It was strange for her not to say anything. Usually, she was full of questions, comments, and other types of conversation starts. I put a hoof over her, but she deflected it immediately. Feeling slightly offended, I sighed; having a seat in my throne. Applejack pulled her hat down, taking a seat; as did Rarity and the others who had stood up. We weren’t sure what to do; without Rainbow Dash, the Cutie Map would not appear. We looked at each other in the awkward silence; wondering what to do next. We all felt as if we had lost a friend; a good one at that. A loud crash came from the foyer; I jumped, running to a confused Rainbow Dash. She had crashed through the front door, hitting her head against the back wall. I pulled her up with my hoof,

“Rainbow! What were you thinking?”

She laughed,

“Yeah, I’m not sure either. I guess I should have tried that trick when the clouds aren’t so… filled.”

I shook my head, dusting her shoulder,

“No, Rainbow. How could you sign up for the Army?”

She looked down, rubbing the back of her neck,

“Oh, yeah, that. Listen, it’s kind of my duty to protect Cloudsdale; it’s my homeland. They gave me a really good position too! They said my speed couldn’t be matched with anypony in all of Equestria and they gave me a very high honor!”

I stomped my hoof against the ground. The sound echoed through the halls,

“That’s not what I’m saying! How could you leave your friends! I understand it’s your homeland, but have you completely lost your mind? Those Pegasi are trying to destroy Canterlot! Didn’t you hear the speech displayed before the Canterlot ponies?”

She hesitated, not sure what to say next. I was distraught; I couldn’t believe she would do such a thing to her friends. Applejack stepped forth, taking her hat off,

“Listen, Rainbow. This is a hard time for everypony, but fighting your friends, you know better than that. It’s not right; it’s despicable to think that that’s the answer. Those ponies are not friends, they are the ones putting ponies like us in danger! Look at Twilight, she’s been under more stress than I’ve ever seen her in the past seven dates! Do you really want to fight your friends? If you do this, you’re taking sides. You’re splitting the races, Rainbow. Imagine if we joined our own armies and fought with you? I don’t think I’d be able to cross blades with you, I would never imagine doing such a thing.”

Rainbow Dash stared into the void; I could tell she was thinking. Applejack sighed, putting her hat back on; leaving the castle without another word. I coughed, glancing toward Pinkie; she was still crying and rocking herself back and forth. I turned back toward Rainbow Dash, she had her head down.

“I’m sorry, Twilight; but Cloudsdale is my home and I will defend it no matter the cause. I don’t want to hurt you Twilight and I will do everything to protect you.”

She turned around, leaving the castle before I could say another word. Fluttershy followed behind her; she began to sulk as well. Rarity walked past me,

“Rarity? You’re leaving me too?”

She looked around, slowly putting her head down,

“Sorry, Twilight; but it looks like the end for us. I’m going to Manehatten, I’ll see you next time. Sorry.”

She wiped a tear from my face before walking out, closing the door behind her. I looked toward Pinkie; watching her stand up and fixing her hair. She whimpered,

“G-good-bye Twilight. I’m going home, to the farm. My family, they need me there.”

The door shut loudly, echoing through the halls. I was alone, I was the last pony who still cared. Tears ran down my face as I walked toward the other room; sitting next to the fireplace. It was lit and the warmth brought little comfort. Spike walked toward me,

“Twilight, what happened? Did they… leave?”

I cried, burying my face in my hooves,

“Yes Spike, they all left. We’re all that remain of our friends. I’m sorry, but it’s over.”

I jumped to the sound of angry chants coming from outside. I waved to Spike, giving him my cue. He saluted in a joking manner as he walked to the door; using the peephole to see what the commotion was all about. He screamed out to me,

“Twilight! The townsponies have gone crazy! They’ve got pitchforks and everything! We’ve got to do something!”

I sighed, lifting my head for a brief moment,

“No Spike, we can’t do anything; we’ll have to wait this one out. Lock the door, but don’t barricade it; just in case something were to happen.”

He was a bit hesitant, but he eventually walked to the door and locking it securely.

“Do you think this will hold them?”

I myself wasn’t sure, I tried to calm him down while still being level headed,

“They haven’t started banging on the doors yet, we’ll be fine until we can think of something to do.”

It seemed to be enough to convince him; I retreated my head into my hooves, watching through them as Spike walked over to me, grabbing a pillow and rubbing my back. He stroked my mane; doing whatever he could to comfort me. I continued to cry endlessly, clutching the pillow with whatever dignity I had left. I had no control over my emotions; they seemed to run forever and would never tire. I couldn’t understand why. Why would leaving my friends have such a huge impact on me? Why should I care about anything after Rainbow Dash’s betrayal? The castle door burst open; I jumped, but didn’t bother to see who it was and I didn’t care to know either. Hoofsteps echoed throughout the castle’s corridors, leaving memorable sounds imprinted in my mind. Chills ran through my back; I was ashamed of the state I was in, but I had no other choice than to let the emotions get the better of me. A familiar voice called out to me in a calming tone,

“Listen Twi, don’t let these things get you down. Celestia’s in a bit of a bust, I’m sure she’ll get out.”

I looked up, wiping the tears from my face. It was Applejack; I suppose honesty is more loyal than loyalty.

“I just don’t know, Applejack. I just don’t know, everypony’s left, every one of them. Pinkie Pie went back to the farm, Fluttershy disappeared without a word, Rarity’s moving to Manehattnen, and Rainbow Dash is signing up for the Pegasi Arm-”

I saw her face distort as I said those last words. She cut me off,

“She what now?!?”

I sighed, looking down at the pillow I had wilted,

“Yeah, that was my reaction as well. I figured we would all be friends forever, but apparently I was wrong. Pretty soon, you’ll be against me too.”

My face pressed against the pillow once more; trying to suppress my sorrow while Applejack was still here. I kept one eye open, watching her every move as she stood up and walked toward the table. She called out to me,

“Twilight, look. The map’s been turned on; look, your cutie mark is glowing like mine!”

I turned my head, examining my flank as the stars glowed vibrantly.

“So it is; I had hardly noticed.”

I stood up for the first time in hours, watching the Cutie Map as it led me to Canterlot; the place I should have avoided in the beginning. The other five marks seemed to have changed into something entirely different. It was of Apple-Family, so I had no doubt it represented Applejack or somepony else in her family. She looked at me,

“What do you suppose it means?”

I wasn’t sure myself; I had never seen anything like it. It was a mark that wasn’t within our circle of friends. I answered as best as I could, looking at her cutie mark and comparing to that of the one on the table,

“Well, it certainly is different, but it is an apple. Perhaps you should question Granny Smith about this.”

She nodded, leaving the room without a word; just a simple gesture of the hoof and she was off. I stood in her dust as she ran through the halls; it was obvious I had set off some sparks in her imagination. I on the other hoof continued to look after the Cutie Map, examining the marks presented. It was differently illustrated and seemed to be unrelated to any activity that would require using apples. I rubbed my chin; usually cutie marks enabled a pony to perform a task that is necessary to either help themselves or a community. This trend was most common in the Apple-Family, but this mark, in particular, seemed to have no obvious purpose whatsoever. I looked at Spike, who was sitting in his little throne, pretending to be a part of the observation. I sighed, it was a pointless chase after all; I would never hope to see the truth behind the mysterious mark for as long as I lived. I had more important duties to attend to; I had no time to be meddling in a wild pony chase. I turned away from the table and returned to my spot on the floor, pouting the night away.

“We would like to congratulate you on your hard work.”

I looked around the room; it was a place I had never seen or imagined to see in my entire life. I couldn’t believe the opportunity I was given. I tried to humble myself as I spoke,

“Thank you kindly for the offer. I will gladly accept it.”

He smiled,

“I knew you wouldn’t let us down, since when have you ever? We have another proposal that you may be interested in as well.”

He leaned over to his left, pulling a piece of paper from beside him. He showed it to me and watched my reaction as I read it.

“You want me to sign up for… the army?”

He leaned back in his chair, looking as if he was proud of himself.

“Yes, Daring, who wouldn’t? You’ve got the perfect resume for the job, I know you’ll succeed in everything you do.”

I was flattered, but I had no interest in joining an army. Sure, I liked the action, but not formally and in lines of fire. It was not in my interested to be told what to do; I adventure alone and without anypony to guide me on what to do. I shook my head,

“I’m sorry gentlecolts, but I’m not interested in joining the Pegasi Army just for a title. I would love to fight for Cloudsdale in a dire situation, but for me, joining the army is not my way of going about it.”

I pushed away the paper and watched as it fell to the ground. He put a hoof on his forehead,

“Ooh, and you were so perfect too. I suppose we’ll have to find somepony else for the job. Take your reward and get out of here. If you aren’t with us, you’re against us. I’d watch your back if I were you, Daring.”

He began to laugh; I tried to defend myself,

“But I’m not against or with! I’m neutral! I want no part in politics; I want no part in this war. This is your own affair! Treat it as such!”

He rubbed his chin, and then continued to laugh,

“Too late for that, Daring. I’ll see you very, very soon.”

I pulled down my hat, leaving the room. I returned later that day wondering what I was to do next. My book was to be publicized very soon and I was all out of adventure to have. I knew that somewhere in Equestria a pony was in trouble, but I felt the whole “hero” gig wouldn’t suit me. I placed my hat on the coat rack as I took off my jacket and placed it on the couch beside it. I supposed I had better wait for something to happen; there wasn’t much for me to do here. I looked around, spotting a quill on the desk. I could write something, it was a talent that I often gravitated toward. I walked to the desk, sitting down in the chair as I picked up the quill. I held it in place for several minutes, thinking of what to write next. I could make something up, but that would defeat the purpose of the Daring Do name. I sat in the chair and waited for ideas to come to mind, but I was afraid nothing would happen.

I put down the quill and walked outside. The field was lovely, it truly was. I was blessed to have such a place to live after all those dates in the tropics. The cabin took a while to build, but it was worth every second. I walked through the woods, eventually finding the water pool I had found a while back. I thought about going for a swim but then decided that it would be better if I kept my hooves dry for the time being. The water seemed calm and cooling; I sat down in the sand and watched the water. The sand felt good along my backside; it was a feeling I had not felt in the longest time. I closed my eyes, thinking of how great everything was. I sighed, relieving myself of the stress I had been under over the past few days. I had made it to Rainbow’s party but was I really the reason she was happy. I shrugged, it was no matter as long as she was happy and enjoying her special day. I closed my eyes and visualized her face; she was a good friend, I knew she wouldn’t have joined the army; it would be very unlike her to do something like that.

Light pitterpatters could be heard echoing throughout the castle halls. I looked up, Spike began yelling at the top of his lungs.

“Fire! Fire! They’ve got fire! The castle, they’re trying to burn it down!”

I stood up, looking around frantically for anything that would be worth saving. Ponies burst through the doors yelling with their weapons as they grabbed me by my mane. I kicked and screamed about, hoping that would help my case. I could feel the fire burning through my skin as they chanted,

“Judgment! Judgment! Down with her!”

I screamed, I wanted nothing to do with this. I wanted to go home to something peacefully. I wanted no part of politics; I didn’t even want to be a princess anymore. I wanted to leave and forget everything that happened. I wanted to travel past the northern ridge and leave Equestria forever.

My backside burned as they dragged me against the dirt, eventually throwing me down as they began to kick and step on me. I curled into a ball and prayed that it would do something to protect me. I wanted to forget my troubles and leave them with somepony else. I opened my eye slightly, glancing at the castle as they used their torches and burnt it down. I cried, it was my home; the scrolls inside would become burnt no doubt about it. I had failed; I had lost hope in everything I did. It was pointless to resist, I supposed sometimes it would be better to take action rather than sitting around for something to happen. I wanted to do something, but I simply couldn’t. The townsponies stood over me, biting and kicking me as I suffered in the dirt. The commotion could be heard from all over Equestria as the ponies screamed in my ear and yelled curses at me. I cried silently, I didn’t deserve this; I had done nothing wrong. It had to be the Pegasi’s fault; they had manipulated even the Earth ponies. They blamed me for starting the war, for not intervening, for not starting the war first. I couldn’t react to any of this; I simply didn’t have the power to start a war! I couldn’t tell that to the townsponies, they would have killed me on the spot if I started to mutter excuses. I had given up, I was finished; this was the end of Twilight Sparkle and I knew it. My home had been destroyed, my purpose shattered. I waited for a light, but I felt as if none would ever come. I began to hear grunts coming from the ponies as a familiar voice came from the crowd,

“Hold on, Twilight! I’ll save you!”

It was Spike; somehow he had escaped the crowd. He made his way through the crowd, punching the hostile ponies and backing them away from me. He screamed out at them,

“Get out of here!”

Many of them hesitated, but eventually they ran off leaving me with my wounds. I struggled to sit up, I had never taken a beating like that before. I looked toward the castle and closed my eyes, scrolling through my mental list of spells as I tried to extinguish the castle’s flame. In an instant, the flames disappeared, leaving nothing but a burnt form of what had once been my home. It was in poor condition and next to the castle were piles of rubble. I sighed, shuffling through the debris,

“Spike, why hadn’t you come sooner!”

He looked around nervously,

“I was… scared.”

I rolled my eyes,

“Scared? You? Please, I was in danger! You’re a dragon for pony’s sake! You should be breathing fire and unstoppable at everything you do! Isn’t it your code to help when help is needed?”

He snapped his fingers,

“You needed help and I helped! I performed my duty well and you should be treating me as a hero, not a piece of rubble!”

He glanced at the pile of debris behind him, shaking his head. I rolled my eyes,

“OH PLEASE! If you had alerted me before all of this, we wouldn't be in this situation! So stop your whining and help me fix this!”

He stood there, heartbroken. He sat down in the pile, shocked and upset. He coiled into a ball and proceeded to cry. I huffed about, not caring about any of it,

“Fine, if you want to be like that, I’ll fix the castle myself!”

A voice came from behind me, calling my name. I turned around, dropping a piece of debris.

“What is it Applejack? Can’t you see I’m busy in the slightest?”

My eye twitched; Applejack looked at me nervously, glancing at Spike as he continued to stroke his tail.

“Listen, Twilight. I just needed your input on this.”

Applejack turned to her side, revealing a blank flank. My mouth dropped, it was impossible to lose a cutie mark without another replacing it. I straightened up, hearing Spike stand up from his miserable place.

“Whatever, it’s probably Starlight Glimmer’s doing. Go ask her or something!”

She tilted her head, looking at me with a skeptical look,

“Are you sure you’re alright Twilight? We haven’t seen Starlight since she left. I doubt it was her.”

I was fed up with this; I grabbed Spike before he walked away.

“Oh, so you know what it is? Hmm… either way, I don’t care. Alright? Good. I’ll see you whenever!”

I waved her off and watched as she lowered her hat, leaving my sight. I turned to Spike,

“Where do you think you’re going? Aren’t you going to help me fix this?”

He looked at me crossly,

“I was going to go clean the place up and gather whatever was left inside for you. Twilight, you really need to calm down.”

I dropped him, immediately feeling guilty,

“Spike, I-I’m sorry.”

He looked at me from the corner of his eye,

“Uh, huh. Now please, fix the castle.”

I exhaled, stepping back and using all the magic I could muster. Parts of the castle began to levitate as I put it together piece by piece, finally gluing each part together. It was a hard spell to use; repairing was different than making an object appear at command. I grunted, struggling to keep the spell going. I could hear Spike cheering me on as I placed each part together and removed the burn marks from whatever I could see. Streams of tears ran down my face as I tried to focus on each part. I cringed, moaning as every part was put into place. Spike put a claw on me,

“Twilight, I think you’re finished.”

I opened my eyes, blushing.

“I haven’t done that one in awhile. Come on, Spike, let’s try to clean the interior.”

He saluted,

“I’m on it!”

I giggled; I always found it amusing when he did that. I had no idea where he picked it up, but it was a great way to improve anypony’s day. I opened one of the doors, making sure it would still be intact. I was always rusty when using a repairing spell; it was complicated and I rarely used it. I thanked Celestia for even teaching it to me. The door opened with ease; staying connected to the hinge as if it were never broken. Relieved, I walked down the hall; it was dusty and still filled with few ashes. The castle was still burnt and very unstable. It was only the pieces I put together; I didn’t have the skill of turning soot back into complete matter. I was proud to have a castle of my own; when I first was presented with my castle, I knew I was finally ranking up with the other princesses. I had no doubt that I would do great things. Despite the current situation in Canterlot, I felt I could make a change. I felt I could still change Equestria for what it was; to change the way ponies think and act. It was friendship that fueled my inner source of motivation. I was ready to change Equestria, I would rise up above all the ponies in Canterlot and show them my power; the power of Friendship. It ran through all of us and even though my friends had abandoned me and my cause, I would still fight back. I looked at Spike; I still had him and even though he wasn’t a pony, he could still be the last shred of hope in my life. I would live forever and spread my magic or I would die seeing the prophesied end of Equestria. Celestia did what she could to preserve the ancient techniques held by the ponies who came before us and it was because of this that we as a nation thrived on each other. We helped everypony out because of the kindness of our hearts. We left the self-centeredness behind us, triumphing against evil and rising above challenges that would end our friendships. We preserved these feelings and protected each other as if we were family. I was the Princess of Friendship and it was my duty to forgive, love, and tolerate the others who may oppose. My journey began many dates ago, longer than I would ever hope to imagine, I spread the magic all over Equestria. I faced many foes and challenges that I had solved with even my own friends. Equestria had seen a lot over the past few centuries, but she was not dying. She would never give up as long as I lived. My horn began to glow as I slowly levitated into the air,

“I, Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship, swear that as long as I breathe, Equestria shall become prosperous and survive any disaster that may come. And it is by my hoof that I shall watch every moment in Equestrian history from this moment on.”

Spike watched in awe as light flowed from my eyes. I was unsure what possessed me to say those words, but I felt it was right. Spike dropped his broom, forgetting everything that he was told to do for the time being,

“Twilight, d-did you just form a-”

“No Spike, I don’t have that ability, sorry. I was just, thinking aloud.”

Disappointed, Spike continued to work on the castle. My ears rang with the sounds of returning ponies. Spike yelled from the front door,

“Twilight! They’re coming back! Do something!”

I squinted my eyes, preparing a protection spell for anyone within the castle walls. I thought about the spell as I chanted it in my head; changing it to allow only the most honest, kind and loyalest of friends to enter. I could feel my horn vibrating as my light basked the darkened halls of the castle. Spike braced himself as if I were to explode. Within an instant, a large, purple bubble formed around the castle’s walls. It was perfectly circular and would protect me from anypony who had harmful intentions. Spike fixed himself; curious, he asked a question that I had never considered.

“Wouldn’t that spell need to be on as long as you need it? Those ponies could be there for days at a time?”

My eyes widened, this reminded me of the Crystal Empire’s first moments since returning. Cadence had to hold the protective barrier for more than three days. While this was merely a castle rather than an entire kingdom, the modified version of the spell would take more energy to produce. I sighed, Spike was right. I wouldn’t be able to hold the spell for more than a day, two if I was lucky enough.

“You’re very right, but we’re going to try and do our best!”

Spike smiled, feeling a bit better,

“Alright, Twilight! That’s what I want to hear!”

I smiled, feeling redeemed in my actions; I had to live up to my name; otherwise Equestria would have been finished long ago. A knock on the door echoed through the halls. Spike and I halted, looking at each other before deciding to the open the door. We laughed, opening the door surprised to see nopony else but Applejack.  I smiled,

“Come on in! There’s plenty of room for another pony!”

She looked a bit confused,

“The others, are they here?”

I looked down, regrettably saying “no”. I opened the door and watched her walk in, observing how much the place has changed. She wore a fancy cloak-like outfit, something I had never seen in all my days alive in Equestria. She turned her head,

“You certainly did a magnificent job fixing up the place.”

I laughed, still eyeballing her strange outfit. She had definitely changed over the past few hours; she even spoke differently.

“The castle is great now; I just wish everypony wasn’t outside screaming their lungs out”

We walked toward the fireplace; I decided it was the best time to question her costume,

“That’s a new style for you; did Rarity make it?”

She blushed a bright, ruby red color that shone brilliantly on her orange skinned face.

“Yes! In fact, she did.”

I tried not to seem jealous; I was happy that my friends were getting along.

“Well, that’s great! I’m so glad you two are at least getting along.”

She stopped in the hallway while I continued to walk to the fireplace,

“She left for Manehattan shortly after you started rebuilding the castle. It’s fine, though, I’m sure we’ll get together sometime soon.”

I sighed; doubting every word.

“Sometimes perhaps.”

I sat down next to the fireplace, lighting it with whatever magic I had left. My horn began to throb from the consistent use. I rubbed my head; I wished I could stop my flow of magic, but I knew it wasn’t possible; the mob was still outside destroying everything in sight. I buried my head in my hooves as an attempt to relieve some of the pain. I began to cry, I couldn’t stop it. I needed support somehow; I turned to Applejack as she sat down beside me. She looked nervous, but I took no notice to it. I looked up and whispered into her ear,

“You will be there for me, won’t you Applejack?”

She slightly scooted backward; I could tell she was uncomfortable with the question. I tried to calm her down, stroking her hair back. I always loved her blonde hair; it reflected the fire’s light magnificently. She shuffled her hooves as I leaned against her; I began to feel as if I was falling for her. It was strange, but I felt strange around her for the moment. Perhaps it was the fireplace or the conveniently romantic setting that was encouraging my arousal toward Applejack. I closed my eyes as I rubbed my head against her soft hair. I could hear her heart beat faster and faster; it was cute. I glanced at her hooves finding a crusted black substance covering them. Confused I questioned them; I watched as she quickly withdrew her hooves. I took no notice to it; she did work on a farm. I closed my eyes again, feeling the warmth of the fireplace return and comfort me in combination with Applejack’s own. I whispered into her ear something I thought I’d never say,

“I want to be with you, forever…”

I was nervous and I could tell Applejack was as well. I couldn’t think of anything to prove that, I grabbed her hoof, placing it upon my heart. I smiled, looking at the hooves when I noticed a small tint of red in the substance. It couldn’t believe it, it was blood. I jumped, scrambling to the other side of the room and trapping myself within the corner of the room. Stunned, Applejack looked at me, wondering what she had done. I pointed at her hooves; lost for words, I wanted to confirm my assumption,

“W-who was it?” I screamed as loud as I could, hoping Spike would hear me. He had been absent throughout the entire scene, I had no idea what he was doing. She looked down before answering,

“It was… Fl-Fluttershy.”

I could feel my heart sink in both distraught, and disappointment.

“Fluttershy?!? What had she done to deserve such a punishment? I can’t believe it, even you have turned? How dare you keep such a thing like this a secret from me? I thought you represented honesty, but yet you still deceive the ones closest to you!”

She looked guiltier than ever, pulling her hood over her eyes. She sighed, muttering the words,

“I’m sorry, I truly am.”

I could feel my cutie mark pulsating as time slowed down for a moment. She lunged at me as a small metal blade emerged from her right hoof. I slightly stepped to the side, using my horn to parry her blade. She smiled, pulling a second blade from her left wrist. My eyes widened as the second blade cut through the side of my cheek. I fell backward, screaming and sliding against the castle floor. I was scared like never before, I was supposed to live; I was supposed to save Equestria, not die with it. She stood over me, I glared at her. My feelings toward her had changed drastically over the past ten seconds. I loved her until I found out she was not who she really was. I couldn’t believe she would change like this; she wanted to kill me, but I couldn’t let her; I simply couldn’t. I pulled up my legs, bucking her across the room. I could hear her grunting as she hit the back wall. I used a minor teleportation spell; spawning closer to her. She rubbed her head, running toward the other end of the room. I smiled, focusing on the most powerful destruction spell I could conjure up. A tear fell from my eye as the laser blew through the corridor. I laughed as the wall exploded and her limp body flew across the room. I walked closer as her pathetic body laid helpless on the floor, her mouth muttering curses under her breath. She jumped, hurling three small knives from under her cloak. I cringed, closing my eyes as my magic slipped through one of the blades; piercing deep into my left hoof. I struggled to stay on my hooves; focusing on my magic rather than on the excruciating pain pulsating from my leg. I singled out each of the knives, throwing them with as much force as I could muster. Applejack clumsily stood up; running toward me and jumping in a sideways manner, dodging both of the blades; despite this, she landed with all fours on the ground. We stared at each other, out of breath and wondering who would take the next move. I watched carefully as she leaned forward; brushing her hoof against the ground, issuing me a challenge. I smiled, leaning over and returning the gesture. We both waited for the other to move first until we both simultaneously charged at each other. I lowered my head, I was going to win this if it was the last thing I did in Equestria. I tried to watch her eye movement, finding any flaws in her movement, any signs of bluffing. We drew closer and closer within seconds; I watched as she slowly ran to the side. I suddenly realized she what she was planning, but by that time, it was far too late. My eyes widened as I began to feel a throbbing pain growing from my side. I immediately felt weak in the legs; as if all the energy had been drained from me. I slid across the floor, painting it like a paintbrush dipped in my own blood. My vision blurred as I struggled to stand. It took a second to realize what happened; I looked at my hooves, seeing them all covered in my blood. I screamed, my entire body screaming with me. Applejack walked toward me, pulling her hood down and stepping over my body. I cried; screaming out to her,

“WHY? I THOUGHT YOU WERE A FRIEND!”

She stopped, turning around and facing me for what I assumed to be the last time,

“Sorry, Twilight. It was necessary.”

A loud crash could be heard throughout the castle, echoing the halls. I struggled to keep the portal open but the pain was far too much to handle. I could feel magic run dry as the barrier shattered and crowds of ponies poured into the castle halls. They looked around eventually finding my limp body lying on the ground in a puddle of my own fluids. They screamed insults and carried me upstairs, slightly burning my body with their torches and bruising my delicate, wounded sides with their hooves. I could see trails of blood spill upon the stairs as they carried me. I felt as if I were beginning to pass out, it was inevitable that I was going to die. Where had that determination gone? I was the last hope of Equestria and I was being pulled upstairs by my own subjects. My vision blurred the further I traveled. I tried to catch a glimpse of the wound on my side. I could see nothing; the cut was deep and very serious. I needed to tend to it but the ponies around me had their hearts set on murder. I couldn’t move at all, I didn’t even try. It was hopeless, I was going to die, there was nothing stopping that now. They threw me against the balcony and called to one another. I began to crawl to the edge; I needed to escape the scene. I could hear them laughing at me as I pathetically crawled to the edge. I tried to stand up; putting my hooves on top of the railing. I prepared my throat; I needed to tell these ponies to calm down. I needed to calm them down otherwise, my fate would be sealed under the soil. Two ponies came behind me, pulling me up. I looked back to thank them until I realized what they were doing. They were constantly laughing as they grabbed stakes and began to nail me to the front of the balcony. I screamed in pain as each piece of wood dug into my wings. They tied ropes around my neck, I tried to bite at them but I was far too weak to take any action. I was miserable, the pain in my side was excruciating. They began to bring torches close to my face, I screamed as the fire burnt through my coat. I watched as the crowd screamed in rage. In the glimpse of my eye, I saw Applejack leaving the scene. I hated her, she had destroyed Equestria for sure, I needed to end her; although I wasn’t sure how. The fire caught onto my mane, burning it until none was left. I could feel my bloodied tears stain upon my face as I cried. My wings would forever be destroyed; I may never fly again. I had given up, no matter what I would say, these ponies would never listen. I went limp, feeling the pain as it consumed me. My head spun in circles as I tried to think of ways to leave this horrid situation. I began to feel lightheaded as if the world had suddenly gotten a hundred times lighter. I closed my eyes and drifted off to death and beyond.

“Oh, please Celestia. Nopony would ever do such a thing.”

She looked stern; I couldn’t blame her.

“Listen, you are a good pony, but I fear that a new role would be dangerous even to you. You are already the leader of an organization as it is. I know that another would be stressful.”

I shrugged; I could take any level of stress. I just wanted to be like the others,

“I can handle the responsibility, you know that.”

She closed her eyes, shaking her head.

“I’m sorry, but this is a risk I am not ready to take. I cannot lose you as well. I have seen something that I fear may come true.”

I looked up at Celestia,

“Is this about your sister?”

She opened her eyes and stared deep into my own.

“Yes, it is. My sister and I have performed our duties for generations although I fear her lack of power may be what is corrupting her.”

I bowed low,

“I’m certain that you will be able to prevent this from ever happening. In the meantime, perhaps a reconsideration considering my position?”

She glared at me from the corner of her eye,

“As I said, becoming an alicorn is a large responsibility. I am afraid transforming you into one will represent an abuse of power on my part.”

I stood up, glaring at her as I stormed out of the room. I had enough of this; if anything, I deserved that title. It was everypony’s dream and I depended on it.

“Silverhoove! How dare you walk out on royalty!”

The cold air stung against my charred wounds; the bleeding had stopped before I lost consciousness and it seemed as though the attackers had left or had grown tired of my idle state and lack of response toward their assault. I opened my glazed eyes, seeing clearly only from one. Something appeared from the rubble below; I tried to call out to it, but I my voice had broken from screaming. I felt as if Equestria was falling apart below my very muzzle. I had let this happen, didn’t I? If only she hadn’t left, none of this would have happened. She had changed her, it was impossible not to think so, if only the Army hadn’t formed, we’d all be safe. It was treachery, the treaty the Unicorns made with the other races, had that meant nothing to them? The Princess, she needed to know, it was a necessary action. If only I’d known. A small figure appeared below me, I tried to make out who it was but my eyes were still glazed from the fires. When I couldn’t quite make it out, I began to cry. A small voice called out to me, I tried to nod my head, but I couldn’t. I began to scream again; what had I done? Whatever the case, I needed to head to Canterlot; if the Canterlot Empire did not form an army of their own, we would be destroyed. The small pony reached out behind me, undoing my chains and releasing me from my bond. I fell to the ground, crying as bits of dirt climbed into my wounds. I tried not to move for the sake of my bloodied torso; I wanted to fight back, but there was nothing I could do at the moment. I needed to leave this place, it served no purpose. I tried to open my eyes and watched as two figures began to walk toward me. I reached out to them; finding my voice and calling out to what I assumed to be rescuers,

“P-please, h-help. M-must get t-to, C-C-Canterlot.”

I watched as the two figures looked at each other, talking in a muffled tone. I rubbed my ear in hopes of improving my hearing. Nothing happened, I closed my eyes. I felt the two figures walked behind me and proceed to pick me up, dragging me along the dirt and pulling me into a house.

“H-How could I let this happen?”

I looked around dizzily; one of the figures turned toward the other, nodding. I couldn’t quite make it out, nothing seemed clear; everything looked, gray. I tried to call out to them,

“W-who?”

One of them bent down to me, putting a hoof to his lips and giving me a traditional “shh” sound. I felt somepony brushing my coat and another tending to my wounds with a small washcloth. I struggled to stand, but the one who had bent over insisted I stay down. I turned my head to the left and saw Spike beside me; he was the one brushing. He looked deeply frightened; I could feel his claws shaking as he tended to my coat. I looked up, moving my head back to see the one who was caring for my scars. I struggled to keep still as the cold water ran down my face. I could hear the small droplets fall to the floor with minuscule splashes. I began to hear a voice coming from behind me,

“Is she going to be okay?”

I could hear the other sighing with regrets, it was a colt. I was certain of that,

“I’m afraid she’s been through a lot; the damages are extreme. She may never recover from anything this horrid.”

I looked toward Spike; he seemed to be as nervous as I was. I opened my mouth and watched as the ponies around me waited impatiently of what I was going to say.

“W-where am I?”

The colt looked at the other and then looked at me,

“This is Sugar Cube Corner” he turned back toward the other, “We’ve brought you here to prevent further harm from the others.”

I opened my mouth once more, finding my voice as I spoke firmly,

“What happened to the others? Where are my friends? Where is Applejack?”

He turned toward me and bent down to my level,

“I’m afraid we haven’t seen Applejack since she left Ponyville a few hours ago. Pinkie is here with me and as far as we know, Rarity left for Manehattan.”

I struggled to stand, but once again I was brought down by who I assumed to be Pinkie. I knew what my next question would be,

“Who are you? Why did you bother to save me?”

He laughed slightly as if I were supposed to recognize him.

“Why, you know me! Princess Celestia issued me to protect you and from the looks of it, I arrived just in time.”

I turned to him, squinting the only eye that seemed to be working.

“Flash? Flash Sentry?”

He chuckled,

“You know it.”

I didn’t understand, he worked in the Crystal Kingdom, what business did he have here?

“What are you doing meddling in Canterlot business, Flash? I thought you only fought for the Crystal Kingdom.”

He turned toward Pinkie, nodding for her to resume my treatment.

“No, I’m afraid a new order has been put into play” he cleared his throat as if he had rehearsed his lines, “The Crystal Kingdom ceded to Canterlot. They’re working together to bring down Cloudsdale. So far, no actions have been taken, it’s more of a tension period for us, although, with the way things are going, I’m certain that ponies will be put onto the battlefield very soon.”

I turned to Pinkie,

“What are you still doing here? I thought you left for your family’s farm.”

She looked down; it was clear she wasn’t her usual self. Although with everything that had been going on for the past few days, I doubt anypony would be their usual selves.

“T-they didn’t make it.”

I sat up, it was painful but I managed to pull it off. Flash continued to insist that I lay back down, but I waved him off.

“What do you mean, Pinkie?”

She looked away, covering her cowardice to say anything.

“All of them, there was an accident. They didn’t survive the fall. Normally, they would have easily survived, but they were harassed in a similar fashion as you were, Twilight.”

I didn’t know what to say. I couldn’t believe that Pinkie’s entire family had died on the spot. There had to be more to it than that. I thought maybe Applejack had done something about it, but I wasn’t sure. I needed to get moving, I had to go back to Canterlot and protect her ponies. I could not stand to be lying on this floor any longer. I struggled to stand, my knees buckled as I fell to the floor. I cringed as I landed on my wings. I turned toward Flash who was simply standing there with his hooves against his face.

“Need a hoof?” I said sarcastically. He shook his head as if he were sleeping and ran to me. He nodded to Pinkie as she nodded to Spike. Together, the three of them pulled me up as my hooves shook violently. I cringed as the pain from my back continued to worsen. I could barely stand on my own, I looked toward Spike; he nodded and walked toward me, putting my hoof around his neck. I tried to walk but even this didn’t work. I turned toward Flash Sentry,

“W-we need to get to C-Canterlot. I-I need to attend to business there. P-please, carry me upon your back.”

He blushed for a second as I rolled my eyes. It seemed like an odd request, but it was all the more necessary. Pinkie and Spike slowly lifted me onto Flash’s back as I tried to keep my balance. It was uncomfortable, but safely arriving in Canterlot was the top priority. He looked back at me,

“Where to now, Princess?”

I coughed, looking at everypony in the room.

“Canterlot Castle. As fast as you can.”

Spike rubbed his face, wiping away any tears that he may have shed.

“I’ll still be able to go, right Twilight?”

I smiled; it was the first time since the attack.

“Yes, Spike. Of course, you may come. Pinkie, will you be joining us?”

She looked down,

“Sorry, Twilight. I-I need to stay here; it’s personal.”

I sighed, looking ahead with determination. I would end this war if it was the last thing I did in Equestria. I no longer cared if I was to be punished for whatever crimes I was falsely accused of; I merely wanted to destroy the ones who had created pain for those around them.

“Onward” I whispered in Flash’s ear. He smiled and began to walk through the dusty town. I eyed the castle, halting him for one last thing. I turned to Spike who was trailing behind us,

“Spike, under my bed is the chest. I want it to be your responsibility to take care of it. We must protect them with our lives. They carry more secrets than we may think; we cannot let them fall into the wrong hooves.”

He saluted and ran inside the once proud castle.

“What’s he grabbing?” Flash looked back at my limp body. I sighed, it was impossible to hide the truth from him,

“The scrolls. The ones that created this tragedy. It’s a documented history book of Equestria dating back before the First Demolition.”

He rubbed his chin; I knew he wouldn’t understand the specifics. The First Demolition was merely a rumor that started by a pony long forgotten.

“The First Demolition, that’s a rumor, right?”

I shook my head,

“Apparently not, I myself was surprised as well. Apparently it was more disastrous than any other war or demolition after that.”

He continued to rub his chin; I could tell the information was leaving through the other ear.

“Do you mind giving me some backstory? You must’ve read them before, right?”

I sighed; this was going to take a while. I cleared my throat and spoke softly into the pegasus’s ear.

“Despite the name, The First Demolition was not the first. Instead, it was the mark of a new Equestria, one that exists to this day. Many believe it was but a myth because of the lost documentation over the thousands of dates that separate the Second from the First.”

He looked at me, nodding his head as if he understood,

“So there was an Equestria, before Equestria?”

I laughed,

“No, sorry. The First Demolition was the death of a land and the birth of a new one. I haven’t read all the specifics, there is simply too much to study. According to the scrolls, there was a pony war that took place sometime before Star Swirl’s death; it lasted quite awhile. It was the bloodiest battle in all of Equestrian History. Unfortunately, because of the events that took place afterward, none of the artifacts confirming the battles are available.”

He smiled and continued to look at me, I turned around seeing if anypony was behind me. I continued,

“The reason behind this consistent suffering is because of the information was let loose into the world. If it is true that history repeats itself, then Equestria is headed for another demolition.”

He laughed, watching Spike carry a box twice his size.

“And that’s the reason why you’re headed to Canterlot?”

I chuckled,

“Yep, that’s right. Come on, Spike! We can’t be late!”

Flash began to walk along the dirt roads and paths that led out of Ponyville. Spike continued to follow us with the large chest. I sat upon his back and wondered what other secrets the Scrolls held. I turned around, using my magic to grab one of the scrolls from the box.

“The halls narrowed as I continued my path towards the light. I looked around; the walls looked bare as if something was torn off of them. As I walked, the hallway seemed to go on forever, there was no end. I spread my wings, hoping to relieve the stress of walking. Only, there were no wings; my wings had been detached from my body when I fell in. How strange a feeling this was to be unable to use such a privilege; I wanted to turn around, leave my thoughts and return to the outside world; but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t turn around. The air showed thickened as I trotted along, the light began to fade away. Perhaps this was my time to leave; perhaps my isolation would consume me and forever trap me within the dark abyss. I began to see the lives of everypony flash before my eyes; the destruction of our world was once again imminent. We needed a savior, somepony to deliver us from our entrapment. From that moment, I realized what the meaning for my enslavement to this eternal corridor. My kingdom would soon be in danger, the threat was to be in the far future; however, a hero must be found before the dark times could become a reality.

The light shone brighter now; brighter than ever before. I started to believe in the hopes and dreams that we together once did before her betrayal. It seemed like forever since I had last felt her presence, but I knew her aura would soon be known once again. I felt as if a piece of me had been missing since her departure. Nothing had seemed complete, nothing seemed whole. I once believed that she would be there for me no matter what the circumstances. I apparently was proven wrong after what she had planned to do with all of Equestria. Memories flowed through as I remembered the sisterhood we once had. The memories brought tears to my eyes as I looked into the light which continued glowed brighter still. The times we had would forever be imprinted into my mind. My only hope is that the chosen hero would then discover her true destiny and free my sister from her corrupt imprisonment of solitude and treachery.

The light continued to glow, bringing hope to all within its rays. I walked towards the light still, wishing for a closer look. As I walked, the walls filled with memories; basked with the profound hope. I continued with dignity, holding my head up high as my mane flowed with every hoofstep closer. As the passage grew brighter, so did my vision of the future. Memories from which I never had would flood my mind. The knowledge which this light contained was extraordinary; the future of Equestria and soon to be discovered inventions would fill my mind with wonder. The closer I became to the light, the clearer it seemed to be. The symbol appeared to be a cutie mark which I could not place properly. As I looked at said cutie mark, a voice whispered in the distance. I couldn’t make out any of it, so I comprehended it as best as I could. Although the voice spoke in riddles, I used my newly discovered knowledge to decipher the cryptic poem best to my abilities. The poem spoke of a family, forever gifted in the art of knowledge and magical properties. However, despite such diligent learners, one member of the family would forever change their tree. The poem spoke the name, Silverhoove; heir to Timothy, son of Ruben. The rest of the riddled appeared to be a warning, describing an unfortunate turn of events from what could happen if Silverhoove resumes his current course and what could happen if his intentions were to turn villainous. The land would be prosperous but after some time, evil would rise under his reign of glory. In the end, the poem spoke of one more pony. Somepony farther in the future, too far to tell, one whose destiny could not be determined by one vision alone. The scripture spoke of a final hope, one who would become a successor to all of Canterlot and protect the land from all evil. The poem spoke of traits that would determine her well-being, signs to look for when searching for the chosen one, somepony that would then deliver Equestria from a common enemy.

As the corridor dimmed, I knew my time would finally come. The carpet beneath my hooves began to shrivel, and the darkness began to once again consume the light. I observed my surroundings; the ceiling, built with unrecognizable architecture, something that could not be done with mere hooves. Marble pillars seemed to be the only obstacle keeping this magnificent roof from tumbling down. I hadn’t noticed before, but the floor was beautifully polished with some of the finest polish. Although I couldn’t before, I looked behind me as the dimension I was in crumbled around me. Darkness corrupted the elegant hallway behind me; I realized that soon the only light would be me. I was prepared to end this dimension and everything within it. Just like that day 42 dates ago, I felt that sense of destruction for the good of all ponies.

Memories of the Second Demolition began to consume my subconscious. I remembered faces of the ponies we once cared for and ruled under the royal title. Many ponies lost their lives that day, all ponies serving their kingdom; serving me, lost their life, and their loves. I saw a vision of the throne room that the three of us constructed using the magic we had yet to master. Within it, my brother, StarSwirl the One, proposed the ultimate destruction of the world we had crafted. He saw the world as unjust, and evil; while Luna and I saw the world as a beautiful beginning and a new chapter in the history of the world. StarSwirl continued to oppose the idea so we came with an agreement. As a royal majesty, I had my duty to announce to all of Equestria. The voice of the royals could be heard all over the land, this was the way of the Old Equestria. I stood on the balcony, raising my head up high. Preparing my speech, I announced our plan of action:

‘All ponies who wish mercy upon their lives must be within the walls of Canterlot by the third sunrise. Those who oppose the decision are to be destroyed where they stand. From there, may The Ones who Came Before seek pity upon your soul and give you a just judgment.’

After the word was said, we realized that the announcement would never reach the rest of Equestria, but StarSwirl proposed that it was simply too late to call another announcement, and removing all we had done to protect would take far too long and surpass the deadline. The two of us agreed that whoever lived within the walls and came in would live.

I looked into the void with regret. They say everypony makes mistakes, but I felt that this was a mistake that was far too great and could not be forgiven. I stared deep into the darkness consuming everything, I felt the time telling me it was time to raise the sun; a new day had yet to become. I wished to wake up, but before I could. I heard one last word, something that would haunt me for several moons to come. The word spoken in the similar fashion of the one who spoke of the poem; I listened hard, trying my hardest to forget the feeling of vacuum around me. The spoke in a soft tone, it said, ‘Seek Twilight’.

I, Celestia, had awoken from a prophecy that would soon shape the destiny of Equestria, and forever change the world.”

I rubbed my chin, ‘This was part of the prophecy Celestia spoke of.’

I sat up, looking at the brilliant sun as it blazed upon all of Equestria; bathing the land in the star’s beauty. My legs began to cramp; we had been traveling for several days. The wait was unbearable; I needed to find something to say to the council. How would I react if I were to be challenged? I was in no condition to fight anypony. While my wounds were healing rapidly, I feared that I would never be able to fly again. Canterlot Mountain was drawing closer and closer as the day went on. I looked back at Spike and placed the parchment back into the chest, pulling out yet another. I smiled, waving to him and letting him know that I was beginning to feel better. He showed relief and giggled. I sighed, unrolling the second parchment as I began to read.

I walked through the trees in search of my home. I had received a notice from Canterlot that a certain pony was to be eliminated. The bounty placed upon the pony’s head was high; I needed to receive that bounty. I had gone off into the woods to create weapons, traps, anything I could in order to terminate the target. I walked through the woods, eventually finding the clearing. I peered over the bushes and noticed something that I was certain not as it was before. I had closed my door before I left and to my surprise, I found it ajar. The bushes brushed against my coat as if they were telling me not to go. I shrugged, it was my home; what was the worst that could happen? The sounds of cracked wood echoed throughout the forest. Thoughts of destruction rushed through my head. Had they finally come back? Had they been resurrected or was I simply just hearing the branches under my hooves? I shook my head, it was impossible that they were to come back; I had ended their lives long ago, before I moved here, in fact. The sound of the branches under my hooves was soft and could easily be identified. This was something different; this was a louder and more intrusive break. I stopped thinking and ran through the woods, dodging the trees as I made my way to the sound where my worst fears had come true. Somepony had broken into my cottage. I stormed through the fields, forgetting any morality that I had learned in Ponyville. I stopped before the door and peered inside with hopes of finding the perpetrator. I leaned on the door and watched as a clueless pony scavenged through my belongings. I had seen rampages before, but this was pitiful.

“What are you doing in my house?”

She dropped everything and stared blankly at me. I looked at her from top to bottom, finally eyeballing the concealed weapon strapped to her hoof.

“Applejack, was it?”

She stood there staring at me. I laughed; I couldn’t believe that she didn’t recognize me.

“How did you know my name?”

I started to pace around the room in a circular pattern, dropping a small bag which I had been carrying on top of the couch. I smiled; I normally wore my outdoor attire when meeting with other ponies.

“Here, let me put you into perspective.”

I walked around the house and went upstairs quickly putting on my shirt and hat. I revealed myself downstairs where I saw the sad pony’s mouth drop.

“Daring Do?!?”

I laughed; it took a while for her to finally get the point. I continued to walk around the room,

“It’s interesting that I find you here in the same place we met oh so many dates ago” I walked toward the couch. I knew she was going to attack at any moment; it was all a matter of patience now. “I know your family’s history, Applejack; my own family has had enough experiences with your kind, but I simply never expected another to be corrupted by a dead tradition.”

She looked around the room nervously, placing a single hoof behind her neck.

“You’ve got a pretty hefty price on your head, Applejack. I figured I’d do a little decorating when the job is finished and your corpse is turned in.”

She growled, I could see that I was beginning to get to her.

“And just who put the price upon my head?”

I smirked, brushing my hair back,

“Why, the Princess of course!”

She looked confused, it was clear she hadn’t received the news yet,

“Celestia?”

I chuckled, covering my mouth with my hoof,

“No, silly. I can’t believe you claim to be doing Equestria a political favor by destroying the Elements of Harmony without even knowing what’s going on in Canterlot!”

I laughed hysterically; I could see her face grow redder by the second. Her right hind leg moved slightly backward. I had seen this maneuver before; I knew what she was planning. I reached behind me and pulled out a small dagger from within the bag. It was decorated with a small snake-like hilt with a deep black blade; a decoration I was proud of. The small blade flew past her face, cutting deep into the side of her face. She stumbled backward, lunging the small pitiful blade near my face. I laughed as she sluggishly fell toward me with hopes of inflicting pain. I pulled a second blade from the bag and stabbed her directly in the back. She let out a yelp and fell to the ground.

“You’re the next assassin? Please! You couldn’t murder a rabbit even if it sat there and waited for you! I’ve killed your kind in the past, but this is ridiculous! You’re nothing but an amateur who has no idea what she’s doing!”

She coughed out a wad of blood onto the wooden floor. I began to see the stains already; it would take forever to redo the floors.

“Your mother was quite a challenge although I figured you’d be a bit better. I suppose I was wrong! I’ve been in this business much longer than you have! You’ll never be able to kill me.”

She stopped coughing and spoke with a raspy voice,

“I’m not trying to kill you.”

With a large blow to the chest, I was launched across the room and fell to the floor. I reached for my hat and pulled the small razor from it. It was my only hope of winning; I threw it across the room toward her. She mercilessly fell to the ground in an attempt to dodge. I could hear the tissues being torn from her side as the razor impacted. Unfortunately, it was not enough to harm even the smallest of creatures. She pinned me down with her hoof; I struggled to get out using every technique I could think of. I couldn’t believe I had lost the fight; she raised her hoof over my head as I closed my eyes.

“Please, stop! I-I’m sorry! I-I just needed the money.”

Her hoof froze in the air above me; I could see she was rethinking her decisions. She smiled, still having the blade suspended in the air. I could feel my eyes swelling with tears as I knew I had made a mistake. I wanted the money and to feel the joys of revenge, but I knew I could do it some other day. She looked at my squirming body; I wondered what she was thinking, was it mercy? Or was it rage? I screamed as her hoof quickly pounded against my hind legs. The cracks of bones could be heard everywhere throughout the forest.

“HOW COULD YOU? YOU TRAITOR! I WAS GOING TO LEAVE YOU ALONE! WHY DID YOU HAVE TO COME HERE? WHY COULDN’T YOU TAKE YOUR PITIFUL ARTS ELSEWHERE AND LEAVE ME ALONE!” I howled.

I stopped talking and observed her body language. She raised her blade and proceeded to bring it down upon my leg. I screamed in agony as every fiber of my legs were torn apart on the wooden floors of my past life. I knew this was the end; I never thought that novel would be the last.

Canterlot drew closer and closer with every step we took. I smiled back at Spike who was surprisingly keeping up with the rest of us. My wounds were almost completely healed, but vision had not returned to my left eye. I began to worry,

“Flash, I’m worried. I still can’t see from my left eye.”

He stopped and dropped me off on the side of the path. He sat down in front of me,

“That sounds serious; let me take a look.”

He put a hoof on my forehead and opened the dead eye. I knew what was wrong with it, I just couldn’t accept it.

“Is she?”

Flash had a grim look on his face as he turned to Spike, nodding his head. Flash lowered his head and bowed to me,

“I’m sorry, my lady. Your eye I’m afraid is no longer functional.”

I gasped in horror; my assumptions were right. Spike placed the box on the ground and put a claw on my shoulder,

“It’s alright, Twilight. That’s why we have two eyes!”

He chuckled a bit as an attempt to cheer me up. I shot him a worried look and he immediately silenced himself. Flash walked around me, examining any other wounds that I may have received.

“Your wings, how are they?”

I looked at him, struggling to spread them,

“They hurt if that’s what you mean.”

He laughed, and then quickly lifted the right wing, I cringed. I could hear him mumbling under his breath. I knew there was a chance that I’d never fly again.

“It’s not too bad; your wing may heal if given the proper amount of time.”

I laughed, relieved at such news,

“Since when did you become a doctor?”

He folded my wing in place and put his chest forward,

“It’s necessary for every soldier of the Crystal Guard to know basic medicine. It’s all common sense for me.”

I looked to the mountain towering over us.

“How much longer until we reach Canterlot?”

Flash gave off a slight giggle,

“That depends on how willing you are to walk, your highness.”

I let out a half-hearted laugh, standing up. I forced my knees to lock in place despite the pain. I tried to move one hoof in front of the other, taking the process slow. Spike picked the box up from the ground and continued to walk beside me. I looked over to him, my legs wobbling uncontrollably. He laughed, leaning on me slightly so I could keep my balance. I looked at the path ahead; the road was still long. I sighed; moving every joint one by one in the dirt below.

I stood up, feeling the cramps and pain that had long since been overdue. Smelling the air, I could feel the sorrow that came with it. I had not seen my parents since I had left for this journey; I felt as if a part of me had gone missing. There was nopony to gather around me; nopony to comfort me in my time of need. I was alone, but it wasn’t always this way. I had a sister once, two in fact. None of them made it to the cave in time. The sun had destroyed them completely just as it did many others that day. I had only heard stories about the many Demolitions, but I was certain it was not something to gloat about. My parents told me about their parents and how they survived; no document before that has been found. That was why I was here; to find evidence that such events even occurred. The trials leading to this moment were great and often life taking. That was how I lost my sisters; each had tried to perform the tasks as though they were me. Thankfully, I have a purer heart than that of my two sisters. If not, then I would have surely been destroyed. I walked away from the treasures I had found and approached the mouth of the cave. I was greeted by violent rays of sunlight; I looked upon the horizon seeing the deserts that my pony-kind has fought over for generations. We had tried to protect it for so long; we kept our minds sharp in the arts taught to us by our elders, but even that wasn’t enough. I watched as the wasteland consumed yet another victim. I had worked so hard to keep my intentions pure, but I feel as though even that wasn’t enough. My family was out there, somewhere. I needed to leave and return home with the findings I had so desperately fought over. It was my duty to teach others in the arts of which I had found. I walked back~~~

As the mountain grew larger and larger into the distance, I began to wonder how I would respond to the recurring threats. As the last princess in Equestria, it was my new duty to protect her and her ponies. It was just as Celestia had warned me about; I was the new ruler of Equestria. Spike began to walk ahead of me, humming a familiar tune. I began to feel worried that he would go too far but I caught myself; I knew I no longer be protective of him. Flash looked over to me,

“We’re almost there; are you ready?”

I wasn’t sure what to say; in truth, I wasn’t ready. I was everything but ready,

“Yeah, ready.”

I lied; there was nothing else I could say. If I had told him the truth then he would never believe in me; I needed the support. I could hear Spike rambling in the front of the line,

“That’s good to hear. If you didn’t reclaim your throne, then we’d be in the hoof hole.”

He was right, I needed to come up with something and fast. I knew I still had time to think, but after that comment, every step felt like a curse. I breathed in and exhaled; I would solve every problem as they were to arise. While it was not in my nature to do so, it was my only solution. Flash stopped as I spread my wings. They were feeling a bit better than before; I flapped them as hard as I could. The pain was still there, but it was not as bad as it once was. Spike adjusted his pace to match my own; eventually, he walked backward toward me.

“Are you able to fly, Twilight?”

I could see Spike was concerned; Flash continued to stare at me as if something were about to happen. I began to lift off the ground as the air gently blew beneath me. Higher and higher I flew; it was as if gravity had no pull on me. My magic continued to grow stronger with every flap of the wings. I could see Flash and Spike looking up at me from the ground. I started to focus on the direction rather than the height. I began to feel the wind blow in my face as I soared through the sky. I could hear Spike cheering me on as Flash spread his own wings and flew toward me.

“Careful now, Twilight! It’ll be the end for you if you crash!”

I laughed, it was funny that somepony besides Spike would care for me,

“I’ll be fine!”

I slowly flew to the ground where I was greeted by the sweet kiss of gravity once more. The landing wasn’t the smoothest, but I managed to survive. I called out to Spike,

“Come on, Spike! We’ve only got so much time!”

He saluted me and mounted me; I winked back at him. Determined, I spread my wings and flapped a bit harder; I flew toward Canterlot. It was time for me to accomplish my destiny and destroy the council.

I sat on the floor, waiting for something to happen. I felt dizzy like none before. I had passed out only a short while after she had left. The amount of blood I had lost was incredible; I had become a fountain of blood by the end of the day. I tried to move around, pushing my lifeless hooves aside as I tried to walk on dried nubs. I fell to the floor landing flat on my stomach. I wished I had not intimidated that pony; she was not one to be messed with. I struggled still trying to balance on the soft tissues. Again, I fell to the floor with all my hope drained from me. Ahead of me was a chair,

“I have to get to that chair. I’m going to get to that chair.”

I continued to reassure myself that I could do it. I looked at the wooden floors, stained with my own blood. I closed my eyes, opening my mouth as I used my teeth to push me along the ground; I was not far from the chair. I cringed as with every inch, a new splinter appeared. I continued to pull myself along the ground eventually finding myself face to face with the chair. I wiped my forehead and pushed myself onto the chair. I turned around, sitting down on the chair properly. I stared at the door waiting for somepony to enter. I sighed; I knew I would be sitting here for a long time.

“Canterlot is just ahead! Come on!”

It was true; we had almost made it to Canterlot. I could see the landing place just ahead. I looked back at Flash who was struggling just to keep up. The armor he was wearing must’ve been heavy; otherwise, I was certain he’d be waiting beside the Canterlot gate. Spike ran his claws down my mane as I tried to land,

“It’s alright Twilight, you can do it!”

I closed my eyes, flapping my wings slower and slower still. I began to feel the ground press against my hooves with more and more weight. I bent my knees, laughing. I began to feel more confident about myself; I figured I would never fly again after what happened. While Flash Sentry continued to fly closer, I turned to the guards at the gate. I spread my wings and walked to the gate where I was then halted. I shot them a funny look where they then exchanged faces.

“Princess Twilight, right?”

I looked at them puzzled,

“That’s right.”

The guard looked to the other, checking a clipboard,

“Sorry, you’ll have to back off.”

“What? Back off? By Celestian Law, I am the rightful ruler of Equestria!”

“Listen, Twilight. We know the laws by the back of our hooves and as we said, you’ll have to back off. The laws have changed.”

“By order of Princess Celestia, I command you to step aside!”

The two looked at each other, laughing.

“Please, Twilight. You are no longer a princess and you have no right to give our orders.”

I looked at them; I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

“Then who gives your orders?”

They stopped laughing,

“Why, the council of course!”

I looked at his shoulder, finding a small badge of a different clan. It wasn’t until then that I realized they were not one of us. Flash finally landed on the turf, calling out to me,

“Careful Twilight! They’re not for Canterlot!”

The guard grinned,

“If you want in, you’ll have to let us inspect your baggage. We can’t allow anypony take away our capital now can we?”

He pointed toward Spike and the box. I turned around where he then called to me one more time,

“I hope you realize that if you turn around we can charge you for suspicion and legally arrest you!”

I stopped; I knew there was no other way avoiding it. It breathed in and exhaled; it would have been what Celestia wanted. I would have to take action one way or another. I turned around, mentally reciting some of the most deadly spells. My horn glowed brightly; I could see the guards trying to read my eyes. I smiled,

“Sure you can check my baggage.”

A bright light flashed from all over Equestria. Loud groans could be heard from all around the mountaintop as the two ponies fell to the ground before me.

“After you’re dead, of course.”

I laughed walking into Canterlot as Flash followed me, staring at the bodies as he did. Ponies all around me gasped in horror as they saw the condition I was in. I had not been seen in castle grounds since the day of the speech; the speech that turned all the ponies against Celestia and I. I never thought things would this far out of hoof. Crowds gathered around me with the only separation being Flash Sentry. Spike whispered into my ear,

“Why do you suppose all these ponies are crowded around like this? I thought they hated you.”

I whispered back at him, keeping my eyes on the road ahead of me,

“I thought so too. I wonder if they’ve forgiven me.”

Spike leaned forward while making sure he kept a tight grip on the box,

“Perhaps now is a good time to make a speech, huh Princess Twilight?”

I sighed, he was right. If I was ever to be a good leader, then I would have to make something of myself. I needed to announce my plan of action. I walked to a water fountain just outside the castle’s courtyard; I stood on top of the fountain and prepared my throat. The ponies all around me quieted with the raise of a hoof,

“Everypony, these are dark times indeed, but we need to stay strong and prepare for war! The Pegasi Army has already taken control of Equestria! If their dark rule is to continue, then we are lost!”

The ponies around me yelled loudly and cheered for me as I started my speech. I smiled and looked at Spike,

“The past is not a subject we should be afraid of. As a community, we should embrace it! Without our history, we would be nothing. As the Pegasi Army continues to consume, we should learn from our past mistakes and prepare for the future! If are to ever survive these times, then we must work together! We must form an army of our own! We must prepare for battle. For a battle, that has since been long overdue.”

The ponies around me cheered even louder than before; I began to worry the Council would hear me. I pointed to the sun,

“As the days grow darker, so has our land! Forever have we ruled in peace, in harmony! These power rise to challenge us; we must protect our harmony! I have lost many friends because of these events. I was once a princess of friendship with my duties to spread that cause, but as with time, my duties have changed. I ask you today to join in today and fight for what you believe in! To fight for somepony else! Do not fight for me, but yourselves! If we were to fight for each other, then together we can win! Regrettably, we have started a war; a war that can no longer be avoided. I was foolish to believe that these ponies could be reasoned with. No longer will I sit idly, we shall fight them back!”

The crowd roared and began to attack the Pegasi guards around them. I watched the battle unfold as I stood on the water fountain; I was uncertain my decision was the right one.

With every beginning, comes an end. With every birth, comes death. While this has been told many times before, this has not been the case. The date was 300.12 A.F.D., the exact date of the Second Demolition. Many ponies believed it was merely a natural disaster that reshaped Equestria while others believed it was provoked by the discord between the ponies and non-ponies. Those who believed it was natural believed it would return periodically; those who didn’t, figured it would never return. In a sense, both were wrong. It would return but not in the way everypony would have predicted. The demolition did more than destroy; it created life and preserved it. Many have been questioned by the longevity of the average pony. I, myself have questioned that aspect. Never have I found an answer, not even the scrolls speak of it. May it be a mystery covered by the sands of time, forever.

“This has gone on long enough! I cannot let you continue to control these ponies like this.”

The council pony turned around and pulled over his black hood to cover his face.

“I trust you have spoken to the townsponies of Canterlot? It was a pleasantly bland speech; you’ll have to try much harder than that to intimidate the Pegasi Army.”

I glared at him, scrapping my hoof against the carpet floor as if I were preparing for a charge.

“Why are you doing this to Equestria? What have we ever done to your kind?”

He laughed, examining his right hoof before speaking again,

“Equestria has been ruled by the same three ponies for generations. The council and I decided many dates ago that this was not the way a land such as this should be run. The pegasi were the first to arrive in Canterlot and if not for your treasured ‘Starswirl the Bearded’, we would have ruled this land.”

“You know what happened between the three tribes! We’ve all heard that bedtime story!”

I laughed once more,

“How sad; it seems even you didn’t comprehend the scroll as I did. Perhaps you don’t even know the purpose for why they were written.”

I could feel my hooves shaking in intimidation. I wanted to charge at him, but I promised I wouldn’t do so until I had heard what he had to say. I could not believe he was questioning my comprehension; I had read all of the scrolls and understood them to the fullest,

“Of course, I do! They are the documented history of Equestria; nothing more, nothing less.”

He pulled his hood, revealing his identity for the second time. He had a dark blue mane with a bright yellow coat. His face was familiar, but I found it impossible to place.

“Wrong! The scrolls are the key to the future! You know what happened during the Demolition! If we are to let this happen again then all of Equestria will be ruined! We are at a time of peace, a time when ponies of all ages can roam, wander, and be free to all sorts of opportunities. Celestia and Luna are dangerous to Equestria. If we were to let them control any longer then you can expect a Third Demolition.”

He had a point, but as I had said many times before,

“The past may be written, but the future is not! It was because of you that we no longer live in peace! With every turn of the head, a guard is waiting to take our lives! This is no longer a Prosperous Era, this is war. By my name, this is the Downfall Era!”

He waved his hoof at me with disrespect,

“Please, Twilight. You have no royalty! We’ve already won!”

“For as long as I stand, this is MY castle, MY city, MY throne. All Celestian laws apply until the day you’ve won the war. I wouldn’t count on it, though.”

He snorted at me,

“Fine, but you will deeply regret this… Princess Twilight.”

He walked out of the throne room, closing the door behind him before he left. Stunned by how easy it was to convince him, I walked to the throne. It was a strange moment; a moment that I had never thought would ever become possible. I spread my wings in the traditional royal fashion as I walked toward the balcony where thousands of ponies looked up from below. I pressed my memory for the traditional coronation recitation,

“I, Princess Twilight Sparkle, will protect Equestria in its glory for the good of other ponies and not for my own needs. I will guard her ponies now and forever no matter the issue.”

I hesitated, rubbing my head in search for the rest of the words. I sighed, it wasn’t perfect, but I would have to improvise,

“I will protect all four corners of Equestria and forever become one with it. May I fight fire with water and ice with love. May my teachings of forgiveness lead this land out of the darkness and into the light once more. May Equestria’s traditions be forever preserved as time flies. I say this as new royalty, Twilight Sparkle, The Princess of Equestria”

The crowd cheered for their new ruler. My speech was unorthodox, but it was necessary to have something prepared. I hadn’t realized the Pegasi Army would leave so willingly. I waved my hoof casually as I walked into the throne room and took my seat. Spike walked toward me carrying a crown slightly different from my own. I smiled at him and looked toward the crowd of ponies who had poured into the corridor. I bowed my head down to Spike as he crowned me. The ponies around me clapped their hooves against the floor. It was very short notice, but it was all the more necessary. I waved my hoof and waited for them to silence.

“The pegasi have declared war on all of Equestria. They wish to corrupt us one city at a time until all of Equestria is within their grasp. We mustn’t let this happen! Celestia and Luna are to be executed within the next few weeks. If we do not demonstrate our power toward them, then they will know we are not a threat! We cannot let this happen, no matter the cost. From this day forth, I declare an army of our own, The Celestian Collective Infantry! All members of the Royal Guard as of now will immediately become soldiers of the CCI! All Unicorns older than 50 dates will become members of the CCI! So says I, Princess Twilight Sparkle!”

Ponies around the room yelled with Equestrian pride. I leaned over to Spike who was standing still, waiting for any other orders,

“How did I do?” I whispered to him. He leaned over to me, whispering back,

“You did well; I’m just not too keen on the idea of drafting other ponies.”

I looked around the room,

“Sorry, Spike, but we need soldiers for the army! We cannot fight without one!”

He laughed a bit,

“I guess you’re right, but I still think it’s a bad idea. What if that pony doesn’t want to join the army? What if that pony doesn’t want to die in combat?”

I sighed; he was right about a few things,

“Sorry Spike, but I am going to have to take that chance. It’s all for the better.”

It did not take long for everypony to clear the room. I watched as they ran down the streets to their homes. All the ponies left the room but one; instead of leaving, he approached me and bowed. I nodded my head and raised a hoof for him to state his business.

“My dear princess. My name is Ironblade Hilted; I was hoping participate in the war effort.”

A bit surprised about this pony’s straight-forwardness, I smiled and nodded my head,

“Great! Can I get your name?”

He looked around the room, blushing,

“Ironblade Hilted, ma'am!”

It was a silly name, but I could tell he was born for something like this.

“Are you in the Royal Guard, Ironblade?”

He blushed a deeper shade of red,

“Uh, no. I, uh. Failed the admission. They said I was… too… thin…”

I looked at him and scanned his body from top to bottom. He was certainly thinner than most of the ponies in the royal guard, but I felt that wouldn’t become an issue as long as he could pull his weight.

“I don’t see an issue. Perhaps they need their eyes checked” I smiled, winking at him. “Tell you what; we’ve got barracks on the other side of Canterlot.”

I could see him getting excited; it was clear that he had never been admitted into anything like this before. I turned toward Flash, who was standing beside me at attention, opposite from Spike.

“Flash? Would you show this gentlecolt the way to the barracks? We could use all the help we can get.”

Flash saluted and led the young pony out of the room. I waited for the two to leave the room before giggling uncontrollably. Spike looked at me with a puzzled face,

“What’s so funny?”

I waved my hoof at Spike,

“Oh, Spike. It’s nothing; I just needed a good laugh.”

He shrugged, shaking his head as he left the room.

I was alone; the room was absolutely quiet for the first time. I took advantage of the opportunity to raise my esteem.

“I am the Princess of Equestria,” I said to myself, listening to the echoes throughout the hallways. “The Princess of Equestria.”

I stood up and walked down the halls in search of the bedrooms. It had been a long time since I last visited the castle as a guest.

I woke up with a rather large headache. I looked through blurred vision, trying my hardest to interpret the view. The room appeared to be white, with a small blue carpet decorating the floor. A window shone a bright light from the left side of the room. With all my might, I did everything to clear my view. I heard a familiar voice to my left, however, it was not who I figured it would be. My eyes were still foggy, but I managed to make out a pair of wings; it was a pegasus dressed in white.

“You had us worried for a second, sorry for what happened.” said the strangely dressed pegasus. I continued to look into the distance; the damage from whatever had happened disrupted my thought. The pegasus walked closer, removing a pin from my left front leg.

“Can you stand up?” asked the pegasus. I looked around; the ground seemed as distant as I was.

The colors of the stained glass windows glowed majestically in the sun as it rose. I walked down the corridor and took my seat at the throne. I yawned; I hadn’t slept well since I was first called to Canterlot. Spike burst through the door carrying a large pile of papers. I looked at him,

“What’s this?”

He dropped the papers in a stack next to me,

“Homework! You can’t be the ‘Princess of Equestria’ without your fair share of homework!” he winked at me. I knew it was a joke, but I felt matters such as these shouldn’t be messed with.

“How’s the army settling, Spike?”

He shuffled his feet as if he had bad news,

“Uh, well… Flash said it would take a week or so to get everypony from the Royal Guard prepared, another two weeks to make enough equipment for the newcomers and a month to get the newcomers trained for combat. It’ll take a while.”

I sighed; I had nothing to do until then. I would be accompanying the soldiers in battle during the first fight; with my magic skills, I would be a valuable ally.

“Spike, can you take a note?”

He hesitated,

“Uh, sure” he looked around, pulling a parchment and quill from a pile of papers behind him.

I cleared my throat,

“To all ponies on the far reaches of Equestria,

A certain pony has been known to be highly dangerous to Equestria and her ponies. She can be best described with an Orange coat, Blonde mane and often seen with a brown hat. She is armed and dangerous to anypony she crosses. Anypony who finds her and brings her in, dead or alive, will be rewarded with 400,000 bits.

~Princess Twilight Sparkle”

Spike stopped writing,

“Are you talking about… Applejack?”

I coughed,

“Yes, Spike. We cannot have her running about Equestria in search for blood! I have a strong feeling she is after the bearers of the Elements. I fear that without the elements we may not win this war.”

Spike looked down at his work,

“I thought Applejack was our friend…”

I stood up and walked toward Spike,

“I thought so too, Spike. I thought so too.”

Spike walked down the hall and toward the exit. I called out to him once more before he left,

“Spike, where are the scrolls?”

He stopped and patted himself before answering,

“They should be in my room. I haven’t done anything with them, honest.”

I laughed,

“Alright Spike, can you bring them to me? I have a better place for them.”

He saluted and left the room, shutting the door behind him. I never thought I’d ever be the ruler over all of Equestria. It was impossible to imagine such things; the responsibilities included were far too many to count, especially during a time of war. Spike opened the door carrying the large box. I stood up, running to it as if I had lost it a long time ago. I wondered what would have happened to it if I had lost it. Spike dropped the box in front of me before walking out of the room. I sent him a friendly wave as a sign of thank you. He nodded and closed the door. I used my magic to open the box as peered at the contents inside. I counted the scrolls several times to make sure every one of them was there. ‘Seven’, I reminded myself; it was a number that I was forced to remember. I lifted the box and looked around the room; I wanted the box to be close to me throughout the day without being in plain sight. I continued to scan the room, eventually stopping at the throne. I remembered reading something about the throne in one of the scrolls. It used to carry something, something especially valuable. According to the scrolls, the place hadn’t been used for several generations. I carefully placed the box on the ground and focused all of my magic on the throne, slowly moving it aside revealing a small space underneath. My eyes glowed, I picked up the box and slid it into place; it was a perfect fit. I moved the throne aside and enchanted it before I sat back down. I would be the only pony who could move the throne from it’s resting place. Nopony else would be able to see its secrets for the rest of my eternity.

Scroll #8 - Applejack's Creed

Scroll #9 - Laugh No More

1115 A.S.D. - 2507 A.S.D.

“. . .I felt like I hadn’t seen her in forever…”

My end is nigh. Those were the words that ran through my head as the walls grew closer and closer. I could scream, run or cry; I had no other options. Normally, I was different, we all were. What happened to Twilight that day, nopony knows. This was a new future, an unexpected version of our twisted minds. Whether it was real or not was entirely up to them, the ones who believed. I was often laughed at; I was the oddball. I couldn’t answer that question of whether this life was real or not, so I chose the third answer. I chose to leave life, death and everything in between behind. It paid off, but not for long. I soon found the error of my ways; my choice often brought sadness when my goal was to bring the opposite. I made a choice and I planned to stick with it; I would neither live nor die. I looked up, staring deep into the eyes of the pony towering over me. She had been hunting me like the others; I knew what was coming. She had anger on her side, a quality that I would never side with. I closed my eyes,

“I’m tired; just get it over with.”

My name is Pinkamena Diane Pie.

The cold air nipped at my hooves, I smiled; watching the school ponies playing in the yard. It gifted me with warmth; it was a gift that could not be wrapped. I jumped up, walking toward Ponyville. I had no motives, but I knew something was happening there. There was always a funny tingling feeling whenever something was going to happen. It was different from Pinkie Sense; it was something more. The feeling lifted my heart and filled it with eagerness. I wanted to be there, to see what would happen; it was my life’s goal. I ran through the town, scanning each and every alleyway for anything. Twilight had said long ago that this may become an issue, but I never listened. I looked around, finding a small crowd of ponies surrounding the town hall. Ponies around the hall screamed in fear,

“Don’t do it! Stop! Think about the others around you!”

Confused, I pushed through the crowds to get a closer look and found a pony standing on the top of the tower. I giggled; walking up to him. He wasn’t a pegasus or a unicorn; I questioned his reasoning,

“It’s a nice breeze you’ve got here!”

Startled, he held on to the flag pole. I laughed,

“What’cha doin’ up here? Is it the birds? I love watching the birds at this time of year!”

He shook his head and then looked down as if he were guilty of something,

“I-I, don’t want to…”

I shrugged my shoulders, I couldn’t understand why this colt would want to stand on top of town hall,

“Don’t want to what? Got a bad rap, mister? I could write you a good one!”

I grabbed a pen and paper, showing it to him. He shook his head again, pushing the paper away.

“I-I’m… going to jump.”

I cocked my head to the side,

“OH! Are you going to sprout wings? I tried that a long time ago but it didn’t work. I wouldn’t recommend it.”

He shook his head a third time; I was beginning to feel a bit irritated with his lack of cooperation. He began to shiver,

“You just don’t get it.”

I shrugged my shoulders, shaking my own head this time.

“Get what? There’s nothing to get! Wait, you could… get funky!”

He fell; further and further still. I tried to grab him, but I failed. I watched as he fell to the floor with a loud crack. I laughed,

“Told ya! You can’t sprout wings from falling!”

There was no answer. I looked around nervously,

“I get that you’re probably tired after that fall, but I’d really appreciate it if you said something.”

Silence, I began to hear my own pulse; I walked down the tower to listen for his. I press my ear against his chest; nothing. The ponies around me stared blankly with their mouths open wider than I had ever seen them before.

“It’s alright, everypony. I’m sure he just forgot to beat his heart after falling. I do that all the time.”

A pony dressed in white put a hoof over my shoulder; I looked up not understanding.

“It was a nice try, but next time, let us handle it.”

The pony had an orange mane with a brilliantly groomed coat. I wasn’t sure what to say,

“I thought I wa-”

“Think before you say, Pinkie. Like I said, it was a nice try. You can visit him later after the ceremony, assuming he’s got a family.”

Two other ponies gathered around the sleeping pony; I watched as they worked together to pick him up and load him onto a carriage. It wasn’t until then that I realized I was alone,

“Ceremony? What kind of ceremony?”

Rainbow Dash walked up behind me, putting a hoof on my shoulder just as the doctor had,

“It’s to respect him; for whatever he did”

I rubbed my chin with confusion. Why would anypony want a ceremony for them if they weren’t going to attend,

“That doesn’t sound like that fun of a party.”

I could hear Rainbow Dash sighing in my ear; it was clear that she had given up,

“It isn’t a party, Pinkie. It's not supposed to be fun.”

She flew away into the sky by spreading her wings and soaring toward Cloudsdale. I didn’t know what to do next; I was stuck. I stared at the ground as if it were staring back; I was lost. I felt like I had awoken from a long, deceitful nap.

“What happened?”

I spoke out loud as if there was somepony listening; I knew there wasn’t. The sun set as the moon rose and I continued to stare at the ground wondering if the colt was going to be alright. Everypony was always so happy, I had never thought a pony would take their own life; it was foreign to me. The moon shone its brilliant light over all of Equestria; the light left no area unaffected by its breathtaking glory. Every area but mine was affected by this. I stood in the shadow of town hall wondering what else I could have done. I thought about what that doctor had said; I would be able to see him whenever. I wanted to see the pony; I wanted to care for him. I kept my head low despite my innocence. I felt guilty, I looked guilty and in my heart, I was guilty.

I opened the door to Sugarcube Corner, my workplace and residence, where I was greeted by Mrs. Cake.

“Pinkie, are you alright? I heard about what happened.”

“Yeah, I’m fine…”

I walked past her, erasing her from my mind completely. For the first time in my life, I didn’t want to talk to anypony. It was an odd feeling; a feeling that I dreaded. I felt alone, like the others around me didn’t care. Even as they tried to comfort me it all seemed fake, like it was all just an elaborate act put on by my friends. I walked upstairs and sat on my bed. I stared at the ceiling wondering what I was to do next. I felt like I had failed my life’s goal, to make everypony smile. I couldn’t believe such an immediate event could change my entire worldview. Gummy saw on the windowsill, looking out the window. I picked him up and stroked his thick scales, admiring the rain as it hit against the glass. What happened? I reenacted the entire situation in my mind, wondering each time what I could have done that’s different. Nothing would have worked because there was no way to test them. Gummy walked away, leaving me with my guilt. A knock on my door echoed throughout the room. I sighed, standing up and opening the door to see who it was.

“Hi, Fluttershy…”

Fluttershy walked into the room, looking around.

“Hi, Pinkie. I heard about what happened and I wanted to say, you did a good job.”

I looked at her with a puzzled expression,

“How did I do a good job? The pony fell to his death!”

Fluttershy put a hoof over my shoulder; I glared at her as if she were a stranger.

“Oh, but you tried! All the other ponies just watched while you went out of your way and tried!”

She was right; nopony else did anything to prevent the jumper, but I still wasn’t convinced. I should have been there for him before he jumped. I should have been there to prevent him from climbing; I should have been there to care for him before he had thoughts of suicide.

“That doesn’t mean anything, Fluttershy! I should have been there before he jumped!”

Fluttershy whimpered; I knew I had upset her.

“Fluttershy, I didn’t mean-”

She began to cry; I wasn’t myself. I would never make Fluttershy cry, I was not a mean pony;I cared for others. I looked down; if I cared, why would she be crying? Fluttershy wiped the tears off her face,

“Fine! If you think you're guilty then keep that to yourself! Don’t drag others into your misery!”

She burst out of the room bawling; I tried to stop her, but I feared I would only make things worse.

“Pinkie?!?”

Mrs. Cake walked into my room and wondered what was going on.

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Cake. I guess I got a little angry.”

I’ve been aggressive before, but I had never been angry. I didn’t know what to say; I supposed a sorry would be in order, but I wasn’t sure how to go about saying it.

“Pinkie, anger is a natural form of expressing yourself. It requires control, but I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it.”

Mrs. Cake left the room, laughing as she walked down the hall. I stood there in the doorway; alone and confused I went to sleep, trying to forget everything that happened that day.

What was I to do? Should I apologize to Fluttershy? I shook my head; of course, I should apologize! What was I thinking? There was no way I couldn’t; Fluttershy was a great friend and I was certain she’d understand after I explained myself. I grabbed a balloon from one of my bed knobs and left Sugarcube Corner. I smiled having remembered that my purpose in life was to make others smile. I skipped through the muddied streets as I hummed a happy tune,

“Come on everypony! Smile, smile, smile!”

The ponies around me waved as I skipped past them. I felt I had no choice but to wave back at them; they all seemed happy as if nothing happened. I watched as the street roads turned to dirt and the homes of the innocent turned to trees. The ponies’ backyards soon turned into empty flower fields as I happily sang my heart away. I was greeted by a wondrous blue sky and a bright shiny sun as Fluttershy’s cottage grew larger and larger in the distance. I could see the trees grow closer and closer together. I smiled; Fluttershy’s cottage really told a lot about herself. Vines grew on the walls of the cottage as if it were a part of the nature surrounding it. I stopped and flopped my ears a bit, wondering what I was hearing; it sounded like the cries of heartbroken ponies. I looked around, silencing a cricket sitting beside me. The different sounds that played throughout the field fell to a halt as I listened closely. I jumped up, scaring the cricket as I ran to the cottage. I reached out for the door but before I could I was greeted by Discord’s chaotic rage. I rubbed my head having hit against the door,

“Discord? What happened?”

He glared at me with red eyes, then pulled a small handkerchief from thin air,

“Problem? There is no problem here.”

I stared back at him with confusion,

“I didn’t ask about a problem; I just wanted to see what that cr-AZY noise was.”

His eyes squinted with suspicion as he walked closer and closer toward me; I backed away as a natural response,

“Noise? What noise? I certainly didn’t hear any… noise!”

I smiled,

“Maybe you were the one causing the noise. Or maybe you were having FUN and the loud music blocked the sound! OR!”

“ENOUGH!”

I stopped; I could see the fire growing brighter in Discord’s eyes. I backed into Fluttershy’s fence,

“I’m just here to see Fluttershy.”

Without a word, Discord pointed toward the door and stormed away into the flowery fields surrounding the cottage. I smiled, shrugged and knocked on the door.

“Fluttershy?” I sang, hoping for an answer. I had no idea what was going on inside but I was destined to find out. I began to knock on the door a bit louder, expecting a faster response. I sighed, closed my eyes and pressed my ear against the door. I listened over the sound of my heartbeat as I began to hear the pouting of ponies within the cottage. Shocked, I called out to her,

“Fluttershy! I-I, I’m sorry! I-I don’t know what happened! I-I just wanted to apologize… i-it wasn’t like me to lash out like that.”

I pressed my ear against the door once more as I listened for a reply. I continued to wait outside the door until I heard a small voice peep out from the darkness of the cottage,

“Go away…”

My heart sank; I couldn’t believe it, Fluttershy had rejected my apology!

I didn’t want to give up; I wanted to beg for acceptance after what I had done. Everypony was right, it wasn’t my fault that pony fell from the building; it wasn’t my responsibility to save that pony! I held my tongue having realized what I just said. Sitting down, I realized it was my responsibility; I should have done more to help. I turned around, walking away from the cottage as I pondered yesterday’s events.

What was I doing when it happened? Nothing, I was doing absolutely nothing. I stared at the building where the jumper had taken his last leap. I watched as the pony climbed atop the building and held onto the flagpole, looking down at the crowd gathering below. I sighed walking through the crowd as if they weren’t there. The ponies around me cried for him to get down; to leave and forget what happened. I heard many of the ponies begged for the colt to make sense of his actions; they tried to reason with him, cheer him up, and even bargain with him. I watched as the colt’s expression changed from nervous to determined. For a second, it seemed as though the comments were working; he started to slowly slide down the building, but alas, here I came. A small pink pony jumped up and down, running up the building and completely ignoring physics. The colt sprang back up to the flagpole in a sense that he was scared. I could see the pony becoming more and more irritated as the pink pony continued to pester the colt with her absent-minded speech. The colt turned away and stared at the ground as the pink pony continued to run her mouth. I knew what was about to happen and watched as my fears came true. The colt leaped to his death; the sounds of his body hitting the ground echoed throughout my mind as the walls around me collapsed. I shook my head, finding myself face to face with the Ponyville General Hospital. It was amazing that the hospital was still open; nopony ever went in or out. Everypony was usually very careful in what they did, but when that rare chance of injury did happen, the hospital was there to help. I sighed; this was the place that I had hoped to find peace. I didn’t dare skip to the door; too much had happened for that kind of attention. I placed a hoof on the doorknob and slowly turned it. The door opened without hesitation; I peered inside the seemingly empty building.

The lobby was empty with the exception of a parent and her filly with the sniffles. The lobby was a decent sized room with green embroidered chairs and small glass tables. It was not the best match in Equestrian history, but I wasn’t one for judging fashion. I laughed when I thought about what Rarity would say about these. The parent eyeballed me as I pressed my hoof against the chair. Small balls of cotton fell from a small hole in the side. I picked up the cotton and placed on the front desk; the pony behind the desk glared at me, wondering what I was going to do next. I narrowed my eyes,

“You do realize you need new furniture, right?

She looked lazily at me, checking the clock behind her,

“Anything else I can help you with?”

I looked around the room; I wasn’t exactly sure what to say next. I knew why I was here, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go through with it.

“I-I’m here to see somepony.”

I watched as an eyebrow rose on the pony’s face. I could see I was going nowhere with her,

“Anypony, say, I don’t know, specific?”

I began to sweat; I didn’t want to tell her that I was at the incident. I was sure she already heard about it, but I didn’t want to be put on the spot. The filly’s sniffles grew worse with every drop of sweat that fell to the floor.

“I-I was at the….”

I looked around the room; I wanted to shout, to scream and go home but I couldn’t. The pressure began to build up; I was ashamed of what I did, or rather what I didn’t do. I sighed and gathered whatever shards of courage I had left,

“I was at the… incident.”

The pony grabbed a pen and wrote something down a piece of paper beside her. She smiled and pointed to a stairwell leading to the morgue.

“Dr. Scalpal told me you’d be coming; it was really brave what you did.”

I looked at her nervously; I certainly didn’t think my actions were considered brave. I thought they were cowardly and completely useless. I walked downstairs with my head hanging low as I counted each step that came before me. I thought about what Fluttershy had said to me, ‘don’t drag others into your misery’. They were words I was unfamiliar with; nopony had ever said anything like that to me before. The phrase brought confusion every time I heard it; I never thought I would be affected by it. The lights grew dimmer and darker with every step I took; I was afraid. A large metal door greeted me at the entrance of the morgue. I could hear my teeth chattering as the cries of dead ponies called to me from beyond the doors. I placed a hoof on the door, refusing to listen to the paranormal calls. The doors swung open and released a bone-chilling breeze from within the room. I opened my eyes having closed them in fear. The room was lined wall to wall with what seemed to be steel cabinets. In the middle of the room was a single doctor, the one I met in the town square; he had been waiting for me. Behind the doctor was a table made from the same materials as the cabinets and on that table was the body of the pony who took his own life. I slowly walked toward the doctor while curiously looking at my surroundings.

“The atmosphere is nice, isn’t it? It’s peaceful, chilly, and nicely decorated. Wouldn’t you agree?”

The doctor turned around and smiled at me; he towered over me with his head held high. I was embarrassed for being so scared; it was just that I wasn’t used to being surrounded by the dead.

“H-how can you be s-s-so calm?”

He gave a hearty laugh and put a hoof on my shoulder; I could see he was used to this kind of conversation,

“It’s just a body, Pinkie! There’s nothing more to it than that!”

I began to shiver; I looked at him nervously,

“Then why do they still speak?”

He stopped and adjusted his glasses, giving me a series of questions,

“What do you mean? Are you feeling alright? The dead don’t talk, are you hearing things? What are they saying?”

I wasn’t sure how to answer; I could clearly hear them calling me. It seemed like a natural gift that I didn’t want to embrace; it was the pony.

“It’s him; he’s calling me.”

I pointed toward the pony standing on the table; he seemed confused and looked guilty. The doctor’s eyes squinted as he took a closer look at me; I back away in defense.

“That’s the jump victim; you watched him die. Are you having hallucinations?”

I watched as the colt sat down on the table while the doctor continued to pester me. I wanted to answer his questions, but I couldn’t stop stuttering. My heart raced; I took a deep breath,

“Can I have a moment alone with the… dead body?”

I tried to act as though I believed him; my only wish was that he didn’t see through my lie. He backed away from me slowly,

“Of course…”

It was obvious he was suspicious, but he was respectful too. He closed the doors behind him and waited outside. I could hear his hooves shuffling behind the door; I turned toward the colt,

“What do you want from me?”

The colt smiled as if he was awaiting another question. I continued to ask him an assortment of questions hoping that he would answer one of them but nothing came. I slowly walked toward him and continued to ask questions such as, “Who are you?” “Why did you do it?” “Why did you come back?”. The ghostly figure didn’t budge; he continued to sit and stare at him. I glanced at the body he was sitting on; it was his own. Petrified, I looked up and watched as the figure jumped down from the table and put a hoof on my head.

“You know why.”

With that, he disappeared in the thin, cold air. I froze, standing still as though I had seen something I shouldn’t have. The doors behind me opened as the doctor walked through them. He glanced at me and waved a hoof in front of my face, trying to snap me out of whatever trance I was in.

“Are you alright, Pinkie?”

I put my hoof on my head and wiped a small drop of blood from my hair.

“I’m fine. I just need time to think.”

The doctor nervously laughed and wiped a tear from his face,

“Oh thank Celestia! I thought something had happened!”

I glared at the doctor as he laughed at my problem; I left the room without saying a word. The doctor stood there as the doors sealed shut behind me; I could feel a dark energy building up inside me as I smiled. Who was I?

“What do you mean you don’t know! This is CRAZY!”

Zecora gave me a blank expression,

“Just because you saw something strange, does not mean you are derange.”

I rolled my eyes; for all the things Zecora had in her hut, she seemed practically useless.

“But you’ve got to help me! I don’t want to be haunted by a ghost!”

Zecora paced around the room, constantly checking on a certain potion she was busy creating.

“Perhaps what you see is not ghost, but instead, you are thinking as host”

“Thinking as host?” I repeated. She nodded her head, pouring a fine powder onto a wooden plate.

“Uh, Zecora. Dare I ask what you’re making?”

She laughed and opened a small green book with a plant engraved on the cover,

“Does it matter what I am making? I do not ask you what you are baking.”

I rubbed my chin; I suppose she was right, but she never stopped by Sugarcube Corner. A small wooden bowl fell to the ground, spilling a deep blue liquid across the floor. I gasped with surprise while Zecora bent over to take a look at the damage, cursing in the native tongue. I asked if she was okay but she continued to speak in zebra. I looked around the room nervously,

“Is there anything I could do to help?”

Zecora stood up, taking a deep breath,

“Perhaps this is all in your head,” she signaled me toward the counter where she standing, I obeyed, “here, find this and do be a friend”.

I leaned closer as she picked out a small green book and slowly turned each page; she gave one more instruction,

“Pinkie will you be a dear and find this plant, it is important, fail you can’t.”

She held up the book and pointed at a small illustration of a bright orange flower. The flower was oddly shaped and felt as if I had seen it before in Ponyville, but I couldn’t quite place it. I nodded my head; she thanked me and handed me a small brown bag and placed the book inside. She waved me on my way staying suspiciously quiet throughout my visit. It wasn’t until she waved goodbye that she said her final words,

“Hurry with my request, Pinkie! In the end, you will see!”

Confused, I turned back and waved to her. While she didn’t exactly offer the advice I had hoped for, it wouldn’t be too bad to help out a friend. I turned around and wandered deep into the Everfree Forest, ultimately regretting my decision. There had to be at least a thousand different plants growing within the boundaries of the Everfree Forest; it would take forever to find the one Zecora wanted. I opened the bag and pulled out the book she had lent me. Flipping to the correct page, I thoroughly examined every stroke of the illustration but it seemed just too generic; it looked like a simple daisy found in the Fields of Friendship. I began to doubt my sources; I looked around at all the trees as they stared back at me. I couldn’t decide whether I wanted to be here or not. Zecora stated clearly that the flower was here, but I couldn’t help questioning whether or not it could be found in Ponyville. I shook my head and bounced my way to town. I was convinced the flower was the same; there was no other explanation for the odd similarities. I laughed my way to town, how clever I was! It would save me a tremendous amount of time and I would be able to finish the baking I had planned for later in the day.

“A wish” I stared deep into the dark cavern as it spoke to me, “you want me to make… a wish?”

I could hear the voice echoing through my head as I tried to make my decision, “For all the work that you have done, I grant you a wish. What shall it be? Chaos? Revenge? or perhaps even the gift of invincibility?”

I thought harder than ever before; I wasn’t sure what I wanted at the moment. My mind went blank as the questions ran through my head, chaos, revenge or invincibility. My head spun as I tried to make a decision; I had been searching for this spirit since I first heard about it. The spirit could do grant anything in the return of a favor; I had performed the favor, it was time for my reward.

“I-I’m not sure…”

I could hear the anger growing in the spirit’s voice; as each word spewed hatred into my mind,

“What is it you have been fighting for all this time? What has kept you up during so many sleepless nights? I know what troubles you but I cannot act. Tell me! What is it you desire?”

I could feel the tears of distress fall from my face as the words poured into my mind. For some reason, I simply couldn’t decide. It was true, all of it; I had fought for dates and dates just trying to reach this moment, but now that it was here, I wasn’t sure I wanted to continue. I searched my head, my mind, and my soul. I wanted to turn around but another voice told me to refrain from running,

“Why run? You know it is true; you know it is what you want. You have been mocked, attacked both verbally and physically; you have lost all you know. Now you have a choice, do you run or do you hide? Do you fight or do you flee? Do you walk or do you fly?”

My mind snapped at the last question; I knew what I wanted. I began to hear the voice getting more and more impatient as the seconds ticked by.

“If it is nothing you want then leave with your despair! I no longer have time to serve your feeble kind-”

“I know what I want.”

Deep inside the cave glowed two bright yellow eyes that were small enough to be interpreted as mere dots. I questioned my morals and then answered with all the confidence I could muster,

“I want… flight.”

The voice laughed with hysteria; I blushed.

“Flight? You wield wings that do not fly? This is what truly you desire? I knew not of this disparity, but if this is what you yearn for then I have no other choice then to accept your terms on a single condition.”

I could feel my heart racing; I was almost there.

“A... single condition?”

“Yes… If I were to give you wings then you are to show me the world! My soul shall be one with yours and you shall carry me high in the sky!”

I rustled my wings as a nervous habit; it was a simple term that I was willing to agree to.

“I accept”

The voice laughed with an ominous tone that would make even Discord suspicious.  

“Then it shall begin.”

I began to hop home knowing I had done a good deed. I waved goodbye to Zecora as she slowly shrank in the distance. I laughed my way to Ponyville; it was something that made me comfortable. Everything that happened seemed too sudden; I didn’t know why things were changing. I wanted to go back; I wish I had never been in the town square that day.

I shuffled around in the bed. The bed was soft and plush, decorated with my favorite colored balloons. I sat up and looked toward the window; it was sunny outside. How long was I sleeping? I stood up and walked toward Gummy who was still sleeping on the windowsill. Something in my mind clicked; it was time. I ran downstairs as fast as I could, “How silly could I be to forget?”. It was one of my favorite times of the year, Rainbow Dash’s Birthaversary! I simply could not believe I forgot! Mrs. Cake waved toward me as I burst out the door and zoomed toward the castle. Ponies all around watched me with excitement as I zipped past them. I jumped through the castle doors and slid across the floor, surprising everypony in the throne room. Twilight spoke out,

“Pinkie? Is that you? Try to be more careful!”

I smiled and walked as fast I could toward the others. Twilight threw in one more comment before I sat down,

“What’s the big rush, Pinkie? I get that you overslept, but I would take it too seriously.”

My jaw dropped, how could she not remember? It was clear as day; I knew I wasn’t mistaken, but I was certain that Rainbow’s party was within a few short weeks. I looked around the room, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were nowhere to be found. I shrugged it off and explained my sudden outrage,

“It’s Rainbow’s birthaversary! I’ve got to get planning! Say, where is Rainbow Dash?”

Twilight shook her head with a puzzled look on her face,

“I’m actually not sure. I figured she’d show up sometime today, but it’s already noon and she cleared the sky early, so I know she’s not just busy doing that.”

I looked around the room once more and found Applejack sleeping in her chair while Rarity was knitting a scarf with the letters, “M.N.” embroidered into it. I returned to Applejack and tilted my head. Twilight saw my interest and tried her best to explain,

“Oh, Applejack came in earlier. She was up late at the farm and couldn’t help but nap here.”

I nodded my head and looked at Rarity,

“Rarity? Why are you here? You usually work at your boutique.”

She waved a hoof at me,

“Yes, yes darling, but I’ve got Sweetie Bell and her friends over making a mess. I couldn’t work in that environment.”

I rubbed my chin,

“I guess that’s true. What are they up to?”

She shrugged with disgust,

“Crusading business, no doubt. Even with their cutie marks they still manage to find a way to cause trouble.”

I laughed and watched as Spike walked in the room with a large stack of old books. A small spark ignited in Twilight’s eyes,

“You found them!”

Spike rolled his eyes and gave a hearty yawn,

“Yeah, I got them all. You better enjoy that last one; it was a pain to track down.”

She hugged Spike and thanked him over and over. Curious, I asked what the big deal was, she smiled and excitedly clapped her hooves,

“Oh, these are some books from the Canterlot Archives. Originally, I was going to get them myself, but I grew busy when I ran into some trouble with Discord. Spike was generous enough to take a trip there and retrieve them.”

Rarity leaned over and called out to Twilight, “generosity is my thing, Twilight.”

Twilight let out a small giggle as she opened the book and began reading. I sat up and looked at Applejack who was fast asleep. I wondered what she was dreaming about, perhaps I would never know. The sounds of opened doors echoed throughout the halls as Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy made and entrance. Rainbow Dash looked around the room as if she had missed something; in truth, she hadn’t. She flew to her chair and took a seat, but something was odd about Fluttershy. She seemed worried and deeply distressed. I wanted to ask her what the matter was, but lucky for me, Twilight beat me to it,

“What’s wrong, Fluttershy? You’ve got the strangest look on your face.”

She blushed and held the end of her tail, trying to hide her feelings,

“It’s nothing, Twilight. Just a little… confused.”

“Confused?” I blurted out. She shot me a glare; it was clear she was still angry at me. I didn’t want to intervene so I zipped my mouth shut. She sighed and turned back around toward Twilight,

“Yes, confused. Rainbow and I had a little… disagreement.”

Rainbow groaned, rolling her eyes with boredom. Twilight’s face immediately changed with that last comment,

“Disagreement? What happened?”

Fluttershy smiled uncomfortably as she once again tried to hide her feelings,

“Everything’s alright; I just need some time to rest.”

Twilight sighed with relief, “I’m glad to hear that, Fluttershy. Still… what were you two fighting about?”

Fluttershy looked around the room and shot a look at Rainbow who shrugged,

“It’s nothing, just a rogue weather cloud.”

I couldn’t hold my tongue any longer, “WHAT!?!”

Applejack bolted up in her seat, shivering and quickly scanning the room for intruders. Startled, we stared at her for a few seconds before returning to our conversation. Applejack rubbed her eyes while the others continued to question Fluttershy. I could see Fluttershy beginning to feel uncomfortable.

“Please, everypony. Everything is fine, Rainbow and I just had a teensy disagreement” reassured Fluttershy. Although Rarity didn’t seem convinced, she managed to hold her peace. Applejack sat up,

“What’s going on?”

“Fluttershy got in a fight with Rainbow and we’re all trying to figure out why, but she won’t talk so we’re all going to continue to ask her questions” I blurted out. Applejack stared at me blankly and said, “uh… okay, whatever pulls your carriage” before pulling her hat far below her eyes. Each one of us sat down and looked at each other in an awkward silence. Twilight looked around the room nervously as if she had something to say but was afraid to offend anypony. I blurted out the first thing that came to mind,

“Sugarcube Corner is getting a new treat! Dashie, you should check it out!”

She lazily turned toward me. It wasn’t the attention I wanted, but it worked nonetheless. Curious, she asked what kind of treat it was. I was more than happy to answer,

“It’s a new type of cupcake I’ve been specially designing for months! It’s taken forever just trying to collect the ingredients, but I know it’ll be perfect when it’s ready!”

She clutched her stomach and gave an uneasy groan, “I don’t know, Pinkie. I’m not a big fan of cupcakes.”

I laughed, deflecting her concern with a hoofwave, “Don’t worry about it! It’ll be fun! Who knows, maybe you could help me make them! I’d be more than happy to share the recipe!”

She groaned once more, “Like I said, Pinkie; I’m not much into baking.”

Disappointed, I lowered my head. Seeing my distress, Twilight pointed a hoof toward me and nodded her head, “While Rainbow might not like making them, I’m certain we’d all love to try them!”

My heart skipped a beat as I cheerfully expressed my delight, “Really! Oh, I’ll have to find more ingredients!”

With that, I jumped and rushed through the door, leaving Spike in my dust.

I busted through the castle doors and looked left to right for the perfect ingredients for my cupcakes as well as new things for Dashie to do during her birthaversary. It was early in the morning so there was barely anypony around to greet. I began to feel just the slightest bit saddened, but I didn’t want to let it get me down. There in the distance was a single pony, a pony I hadn’t seen before. Naturally, I sprinted toward her and waved a hoof in front of her. She wore a strange hat with a jacket in the same style. Her clothing made her looked as though she’d been through hard times. I didn’t want to impose, but I didn’t want her to feel left out; it was clear she was new to Ponyville. As I walked closer, she drew her hat below her eyes in a similar fashion as Applejack. I began to look around, other ponies were starting their days.

“Welcome! I’m Pinkie! Who are you?”

There was an awkward silence between the two of us, but eventually, she opened up. She had a raspy voice and an unbelievable stutter, but I managed to make out what she was saying,

“I-I’m D-Daring… Daring Do”

I paused, scrolling through my library of faces, eventually matching the face with the name. I smiled in an attempt to show her that I knew who she was, but she simply ignored me and tried to push through. I had to think fast,

“Oh! You must be here for Rainbow Dash! You haven’t forgotten have you? It’s been forever and ever since you two have been in touch. How long has it been? I remember when the two of you, well it was really all of us, went on an adventure! How long ago was that? Hold on, let me check my calendar.”

Her jaw dropped to the floor as I sprinted to a tree on the side of the road and pulled out a calendar. Quickly flipping through the pages, she finally spoke up,

“Where’d you get that?”

I smiled knowing she was finally opening up,

“Oh! It’s for emergencies! I’ve got calendars scattered all over Ponyville!”

Her face suddenly changed to something more serious; I started to back away. She began to speak in a firm tone as I then began to see that I was not wanted here,

“Don’t you have somewhere else to be?”

I thought for a brief moment before answering,

“Nope! I’m off from work! Everypony is!”

She pushed me aside mumbling curses under her breath. I began to panic; I wanted to be friends with everypony in town. Everypony I met was required to feel happy at some point.

“You here to see Rainbow Dash, right?”

She coughed, spitting a wad of saliva on the dirt beside me,

“No, I’m just passing through.”

I tried my hardest to speak softly in an attempt to not feel offended by the rude gesture,

“Oh, that’s a shame. I bet Rainbow would be really happy if you made it to her party!”

She turned around, interested in what I had to say, “party?” she asked. I smiled, knowing my job was one well done,

“Yeah! A party! It’s for Rainbow, her birthday is coming up soon! Actually, in a few days from now! Oh, I’m sure she’d be happy to see you! When do you think you’ll be able to visit? Oh, I must tell Dashie about you coming to Ponyville and for her! She’ll be so happy to hear that I have something special planned for her, but maybe I shouldn’t tell her. She’d be really surprised to see you show up at her party! She practically idolizes yo–”

She cut me off, “have you been eating a lot of sweets lately? You seem to be really running it today.”

I rolled my eyes, “Well… duh! That’s like, my whole DIET! So what’s it gonna be? Are you going to Rainbow’s party?”

She sighed and started walking away, “Sorry kid, but like I said, I’m just passing through.”

“Wait!”

She stomped her hoof down on the ground, “What!?!”

I laughed, “Aren’t you going to at least say ‘hi’ to Rainbow Dash?”

Reluctantly, she rolled her eyes and stomped her way toward me, “where is she?”

“Hehe, she should still be in the castle over there” I pointed toward the bright crystal castle and smiled, “she’ll be really happy!”

I started to hop toward the bakery; I still had many cupcakes to bake. She turned around wondering, “aren’t you coming?”

I smiled, “sorry, I can’t help you there! I’ve got a lot to plan for!”

She turned around and headed toward the castle while I walked into Sugarcube Corner, humming to myself, “Oh this will be wonderful! Dashie is going to have the best birthaversary”

“Daring Do?!?” Rainbow shouted at the top of her lungs as I was happily greeted by everypony standing around me. Many of them shook hooves with me, asked for autographs and other things of the sort. I was stunned that so many ponies showed up for Rainbow Dash’s party; I had no idea she had become such a big star to the citizens of Ponyville. I pushed through the crowds so I could get a better look at Dash; she was astonished that I would have even shown up. She turned to the pink pony I met earlier and whispered something in her ear before Pinkie hopped away. I lowered my hat, clutching a book that I had been working on for the longest time. It was a document that only I knew of and since it was Dash’s special day, I figured I’d do something special. We used to be friends, she and I. I moved away though and she never came back. There was never much loss, but I figured she had moved on.

I bowed to Dash who in return flipped out like the fan she still was.

“Happy birthday, Dash” I smiled, lifting the small scroll above my head. I watched as her eyes glowed, accepting the customary birthday gift.

“Thank you, Daring! I will never forget this!” she hollered, laughing as she did several barrel rolls through the sky. I lowered my hat,

“I know you won’t, Dash.”

I stood in the midst of an afterparty mess; it was a sight that I was well familiar with. Everypony who came to Dashie’s party left in a mob of laughter and funny stories. Daring Do had left with a dramatic exit as ponies all around her hailed her presence. It was a funny sight to see and one that I would never forget. I sighed as I gathered each individual streamer from the ground and every balloon from its resting place. The tablecloths were stained with punch and the stage where Daring Do had her performance was wrecked to splinters. It was a normal party according to my standards but I was still happy that everypony enjoyed it just the same. I walked back and forth as I collected every piece of garbage off the ground when I began to hear the screams of fillies. I jumped and looked around the site, nothing. I began to panic as two fillies ran from behind the stage; each one screamed as I tried to stop them in their tracks. The three of them were familiar and I knew them well. They were the little sisters of

Applejack and Rarity.

“What are you doing this late in the night?” I asked, “and where’s Scootaloo?”

The two panted heavily; it seemed as though they had been running for hours. Applebloom coughed out the only words she could, “Scootaloo! Missing! Left us! Not here! Help!”

I looked around for Rainbow Dash while trying my best to hide my fear for the sake of the younglings. I spat out the first words that came to mind, “We’ll just have to find her. Where was she last.”

The two fillies looked at each other before pointing toward the one place I wish they hadn’t. SweetieBelle stuttered, “T-there.”

My legs began to shake as I walked closer and closer toward the Everfree Forest. I hadn’t been in there since I left Zecora’s place in search for that odd flower. Applebloom called out to me, “Are you sure you want to go in there by yourself? I could go get Applejack to help you!”

I nodded my head, “I don’t want to intrude; I’m sure Scootaloo is just… lost. I’m certain she’ll be easy to find. Don’t worry about it.”

Applebloom looked at SweetieBelle and exchanged faces, “alright then, we’re gonna go home. Uh… let us know what happens.”

I waved them off as they trotted away, “Why did this have to happen tonight? Or at all for that matter.”

The dark forest cast a shadow over me as I walked closer and closer to it. I called out to Scootaloo, “Scootaloo! Where are you?”

I listened carefully; entering the forest was the last resort that I did not want it to come to. I stood at the edge of the forest for several minutes. Waiting and waiting for a reply, but alas, nothing came. I swallowed my fears as I took one step toward my doom. The trees glowed red in the darkness, “Why did this have happened to me?”

I wandered deeper and deeper into the forest as I soon began to lose hope. Everypony would agree that Scootaloo was a special pony. She couldn’t fly, but I thought she knew better than to prove otherwise in the depths of the Everfree Forest. I called out once more, but again I was met with silence. I sighed and hung my head low; I could feel the fatigue taking me over as I walked further and further into the forsaken forest. Only one pony lived in this forest and I wasn’t even sure if she classified as a pony. Zecora always had an answer for everything; I wondered if she solved my issue with the jumper on townhall. I stopped and rubbed my chin to think about what happened, “Where was Zecora?” I thought to myself.

I turned to the left, “You hadn’t talked to her in a while. In fact, she hadn’t shown up in Ponyville for several days.”

I nodded and turned to the right, “I’m sure she’s fine. She’s probably just busy with something more important.”

I smiled and turned back to the left, “But what if the potion you gave her changed something. What if she isn’t okay and could use your help right about now. Why are you sitting around looking for Scootaloo when you could have killed Zecora? Shouldn’t you be checking up on her?”

I began to hyperventilate as I turned to what my right had to say, “That’s a bit extreme, don’t you think? I’m sure Zecora is perfectly fine; she did say that the potion was for somepony else. Didn’t she?”

I sighed with relief as the left called out to me, “No she didn’t. She told you to leave her alone and not think about what she was making. It was for her and you gave a different ingredient! What happens when you mix something else into a pastry? Does it taste the same? Would it have the same effect?”

I shook my head, “No, it wouldn’t.”

The right laughed, “Ha! You have no proof she’s dead! She could be perfectly fine and you’d be upset over nothing!”

I nodded, agreeing with the right. The left spoke out again, “Proof? Why don’t you get the proof? Go on, go check on Zecora and watch in horror as you see her dead body hanging from the doorpost.”

I glared at my left, “that’s a bit graphic.”

Left shrugged, “What do you expect me to do? Sugar coat it?”

I licked my lips, “that would be nice. Would you?”

Right butt in the conversation, “Would you hurry up and get your proof? I’m getting angsty.”

I rolled my eyes, “Fine, fine. What about Scootaloo though? We can’t just leave her alone in this dark forest!”

Left laughed, “We don’t even know if she’s here! Applebloom and SweetieBelle could be lying for all we knew. This could be nothing more than a prank to show how insecure we are.”

I rubbed my chin, “I suppose that makes sense. Still. I want to look for Scootaloo after we’re done with Zecora.”

With that, I ran off into the forest; I really hoped she was alive and well. Avoiding the poison joke, I pushed through the trees and finally found myself face to face with Zecora’s hut. My heart raced as I realized all the lights were out. Not even the soft glow of Zecora’s ominous cauldron could be seen from outside.

“Maybe she’s just… sleeping” I said to myself. My left laughed,

“Yeah, fat chance.” I swatted my left and knocked on Zecora’s door. I placed an ear on the door in search of a response, but as with Scootaloo, I heard nothing in return. I knocked again before deciding to open the door. My right nonchalantly giggled, “Breaking and entering.”

Left shushed right while I slowly opened the door. Nothing seemed out of place and nothing seemed dead. I walked inside the hut and slowly crept toward Zecora’s bedside. There she was, sleeping soundly. I grinned at my left, “see, I told you she’d be fine.”

“What are you doing in my hut? Can’t you see I’m sleeping? How abrupt!”

Stunned, I placed an ear on Zecora; there was no breathing. I panicked, screaming out at the top of my lungs, “I killed Zecora!?!”

A heavy sigh could be heard behind me, “The answer is both yes and no. Now if you would please, go.”

I turned around and found myself face to face with what appeared to be a ghostly apparition of Zecora’s body. It reminded me of the jumper in the hospital. Left whispered in my ear, “Told you.”

I watched as Zecora quickly turned violent with every second I stayed, “Will you leave! Your entire life has become nothing but my pet peeve!”

My jaw dropped; it was something that Zecora would never say. The rhymes, sure; but kicking out her friends who cared was significantly peculiar. I opened the door and walked out to the cold forest beyond her domain. I jumped as she slammed the door behind me; it was clear that I would never be sent an invitation for the rest of my life. I hung my head low knowing that I had committed an unspeakable crime. Right spoke out from the fog, “Shouldn’t we be looking for Scootaloo?”

I sighed and wiped a tear from my face, “What’s the point now? We don’t want her to suffer the same fate as Zecora, do we?”

Left slouched back, “No, I suppose not. Still, we should, at least, try to look for her. Scootaloo’s friends would be worried sick if she never came back. Not to mention she's Rainbow Dash’s pupil.”

I raised my head, “You’re right; we need to stand up for our friends. We’re just ponies and we make mistakes but that shouldn’t hold us back!”

“But I’m left…” mumbled Left.

I rolled my eyes, “doesn’t matter anymore! Let’s go find Scootaloo!”

“If only I hadn’t taken the shortcut”, I moaned to myself. I had been searching for hours and the sun was already starting to rise. The woods had me running around in a circle calling out the same name over and over again, “Scootaloo! Scootaloo, where are you?”

I could feel my eyelids grow heavier the further I traveled, but I knew I couldn’t fall asleep when my friends were in need. Everypony was my friend and it was my duty to make sure that they are safe at all times. I called out to Scootaloo once more before turning around; there were limits to my duties. As I was walking away from Zecora’s house for the second time, I began to hear rustling in a bush nearby. Curious, I checked out the bush and low and behold, there she was.

“Scootaloo? What are you doing in a bush?” I asked politely. She mumbled a bit before she regained consciousness. I placed a hoof on her head; I knew how she felt. It was a long night we were all tired. She coughed once before speaking out, “I wanted to look for the spirits, but I couldn’t find him.”

I tilted my head in confusion; I knew a lot of the legends around this part of Equestria, but I had never heard of a spirit roaming these parts. “Spirit? What spirit?” I questioned further.

Scootaloo wore a small white satchel that had clearly seen better days. It was slightly stained with what I assumed to be blood. From the satchel, Scootaloo pulled out a large brown book,

“I found the legend in here; it was in Twilight’s library. Please don’t tell her; I know how she feels about stealing books.”

I grabbed the book and flipped through it. Scootaloo was right; the book did contain a lot of the popular legends as well as many obscure ones I had never heard of. I glared at Scootaloo,

“Where’s the legend you’re talking about?”

She began to shake and took the book out of my hooves. I watched as she flipped to a bookmarked place in the book and ran a hoof down the page then pointing out a specific paragraph.

“There,” she said, showing me the book while still pointing a rough illustration, “it says that it grants a wish for something in exchange.”

I shot Scootaloo a concerned look, “Why would you want something like this? Don’t you know that all spirits are greedy and unfair? What would you want that could possibly cost your life for?”

Ashamed, Scootaloo sighed and spread her dwarfed wings, “Flight.”

I gave her an uneasy expression and tried my best to calm her down, “Don’t worry about it; I’m sure there are plenty of pegasi who don’t know how to fly.”

“Yeah,” she coughed, “all the newborn fillies; I’m five times older than them.”

“Still, I’m sure everypony who learns how to fly has a hard time,” I reassured, “don’t worry about it. Your time will come; just got to be patient!”

She rolled her eyes and spat at me, “Look at the Cakes’ filly! She learned how to fly a few days after she was born! What about me? I need to be able to fly; I want to show that I can! I’m tired of being a flightless turkey!”

I laughed, “You’re not a turkey! You’re a brave pegasi who just has a little problem. Nothing more to it than that.”

“Brave?” she stood up, “I’m the opposite of that! Everypony would agree!”

I put a hoof over her shoulder, “If you weren’t brave, you wouldn’t be here.”

She held her tongue and looked around at the eerie forest that surrounded her. She knew I had a point; she coughed once more, “Fine. Let’s go home; I’m tired.”

I smiled, “That’s the spirit, so to speak.”

We laughed and walked out of the forest together. Waiting for us at the edge of the forest were Applejack, Rarity and of course, Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow Dash glared at Scootaloo, “What were you thinking? Running through the woods by yourself?”

Scootaloo looked down, shedding one, and only one single tear, “I’m sorry Rainbow Dash. I-I just wanted to… fly.”

Rainbow looked down upon her, “Fly? Flying takes practice, patience, and determination. Without that, you’re lost.”

Scootaloo hung her head low, “I understand.”

Applejack placed a hoof on Rainbow Dash, “Rainbow, don’t you think you’re taking it too hard on her? She’s been up all night; give it a rest, Rainbow.”

Dash rubbed the back of Scootaloo’s head and sighed, “I guess you’re right; it has been a hard night. Come on, Scoot; let’s go home.”

Rarity clapped her hooves, “Thanks for going off looking for Scootaloo, darling. I don’t know what would happen if she never returned.”

I laughed, “No problem, Rarity! It was my pleasure to help a friend in need.”

Rarity headed for the hills and waved good-bye. I smiled knowing I did a good deed; it was the first one in a long time. I thought about Zecora and her situation; what should I do? Everypony had left the scene and I was still curious about Zecora's corpse. I turned toward the forest and took three careful steps forward. I wanted to do something more; I wanted to heal her. I knew I couldn’t; there was no way I would ever be able to do such a thing. I wasn’t a unicorn and even so, there was no way I would ever be able to perform a magic powerful enough to bring the dead back to life. Not even the Element of Magic would be able to do that. I sighed, “What do you guys think?”

Right looked at Left and exchanged supposed faces, “Why don’t you look at the book? Didn’t Scootaloo say something about a wish?”

I nervously looked at the dusty old book still in my cold, cracked hooves. Sitting down, I opened the book and flipped to the marked page. Below was a well researched; the book claimed that the illustration a well-known piece of art in the past, but was long forgotten after the Alicorn Era. I rubbed my chin thoughtfully,

“I don’t know much about Equestrian History, do I?”

I continued reading, “According to the legends, the Everfree Spirit is known for granting wishes of any extreme. Why this is documented is being questioned by the top researchers. One researcher says, ‘We’re not sure how this phenomenon happened, but we are certain it was first recorded sometime around the end of the Silver Era (240-299 A.S.D.).’

Currently, the subject of Everfree Spirit is in heavy debate. Many ponies around Equestria classify and dismiss the subject of pseudoscience, but many still wonder what the ponies of that time were thinking. However, this path of thinking greatly changed during this date of 815 when a researcher found a piece of ripped parchment deep within the Equestrian Falls.”

I stared at the photograph below the passage. It was a rough illustration like the ones in Twilight’s book; the two seemed to be identical in art styles. The painting’s trim was decorated with what appeared to be black rubies, a similar jewel to the ones I had seen in the Crystal Empire. The picture itself was dark and featured a large opening in what seemed to be what I assumed the Everfree Forest. In the middle of the brilliantly painted picture was a small pool of water that, based on the description, glowed a bright baby blue in the dark. I read the caption on the bottom,

“While the original legend concerning the Everfree Spirit is forever lost, many speculate that the spirit can only be seen with an urge to fulfill their deepest (and potentially darkest) desires.”

I held the book up to the reflection and watched as the picture holographically glistened in the moonlight. It was beautiful and contained heavy shades of blue from across the color wheel.

“Darkest desires, huh?” I whispered to myself. I read on,

“Many other ponies discussing the topic speculate that the color of the water may have something to do with the strange disappearance. One researcher, Dr. Heartdust, says that the lake itself may have been either an apparition or a place used for ritual during the olden times of Equestria.”

I closed the book and took a peek at the dark forest that loomed behind me. Standing up, I blindly walked into the forest; I wanted to finish Scootaloo’s quest. She had gone through a lot tonight and I wanted to make her trip worthwhile. I could feel the cold grass under my hooves as I slowly walked toward my undeniable doom. I held the book close to me, repeating what the painting’s caption had said,

“Forever lost… deepest desires…”

I  shook my head and took a step back, “another day…” I thought to myself. I knew entering the forest would be the last of my days; I wanted no part of it. I turned around and watched as the sun slowly broke the horizon.

“It’s late… I should be in bed. Mrs. Cake would be upset with me if I slept in all day.”

I ran toward Sugarcube Corner, my thoughts circling around me,

“What are you doing? Turn around. Finish Scootaloo’s quest, it’d be all well worth it.”

Tears streamed down my face as my mental cries echoed in my ears. I wanted no part of it; I wanted nothing to do with Scootaloo’s devilish spirits and incantations. Twilight always said that hexes don’t exist.

“Another day,” I said once again, creating a promise to myself as I sprinted across the fields of friendship.

“Pinkie? Where’ve you been? How was the clean-up? That sure was some party!”

I smiled, “oh! The clean-up took longer than usual; one of Applebloom’s friends got into some trouble so we all had to sort it out. No biggy.”

Mrs. Cake smiled, “well that’s wonderful; I certainly hope Applebloom is doing alright!”

I smiled and walked upstairs, lying down on the bed in an attempt to mute the voices in my head telling me to go back to the forest. In truth, I wanted to go back and find out what Scootaloo was after, but I knew that it wouldn’t end well. I wanted to find out what happened and what could possibly drive Scootaloo into going to the Everfree Forest; where the legends true? I sat up, looking around the room filled with balloons, “what if I could ask somepony?” I thought to myself, “Twilight, she would know what to do.”

I ran downstairs and said goodbye to the Cakes as I headed toward Twilight’s castle. I knew she had been very busy lately, but I really needed to see her. Even though we had seen each other just yesterday, I felt like I hadn’t seen her in forever.

The streets were bustling with ponies quickly going back and forth to their destinations. I smiled; it was nice to see everypony living in harmony and having a good time at it.

“See, Pinkie. It’s a very normal day in Ponyville. Nothing more to it than that.”

Ponyville shined brightly around Twilight’s castle; I felt Twilight had really made our small little town a better place since she moved here. I was glad Celestia had done what she did then; it was nice of her to give that opportunity to stay. I stopped for a moment,

“Was friendship the only reason Celestia sent Twilight to Ponyville?”

I rubbed my chin and shook my head, “don’t be silly Pinkie. I’m sure Celestia has a perfectly good reason to send Twilight here. I’m sure she was assigned here to both make Ponyville a better place and to be with her friends.”

I knocked on Twilight’s door and called out to whomever was behind it. Nothing; I had a feeling it was starting to become a common theme among ponies these days. Once again, I knew Twilight had been busy lately and probably didn’t want to be disturbed so I sat outside and waited.

“Twilight would come out and greet the morning eventually, right?” I pondered, wondering if waiting was the best solution. I wanted to open the door, after all, the six of us shared the castle as one; it’d be wrong to lock everypony out of something we all shared. I sighed, “Twilight needs time alone; she’s been busy”

I waved to a pony who walked by and smiled, “good morning!”

She waved back and returned the smile; it made me happy. I watched as she turned a corner and disappeared from my view. I could feel that wave of happiness disappear as the feeling was short-lived. I coughed, bored out of my mind.

“How long is this going to take?”

I sat down and laid my head upon the grass, watching a small insect climb up a single blade of grass.

“You go, little dude.”

My eyelids grew heavy as ponies walked around me, wondering what I was doing. I didn’t want to answer them; I wanted to sleep in peace. So I did.

There was a loud clang that echoed throughout the halls. I felt tired as if I had fought for many hours without end; it was as if I had been relieved from carrying a burden for far too long. The hall was lined with an archaic red brick style, something I had not seen in a long time. The walls were decorated with what seemed to be an infinite line of torches that descended into the equally endless corridor. I walked toward the sound I had previously heard and lifted my hoof, finding it stained red by the bricks. Rolling my eyes, I continued to follow the sound down the dark and dreary passage. I noticed, however, that the further I continued down the hall, the darker it became; it seemed as though no amount of torches could brighten the place. As I walked I began to see bit and pieces of a bright pink velvet cloth. Curious, I picked up each piece as I moved descended deeper into the darker end of the tunnel. There lying on the floor, illuminated by a strange white light source coming from the ceiling, was a strange crescent shaped bone. I rubbed my chin, it was strange to see such a thing in Equestria; we were far too civilized to make cannibalism a noticeable practice. I looked down the hall, but that was all there was; the hallway ended in front of where the bone lie. I picked up the bone and looked at it, setting aside the pieces of velvet. Upon the backside of the bone were several small holes that lined up horizontally. I gently scraped my hoof against each one with hopes of closure, but as always, there was no hope and I still didn’t understand. The light from above shone brighter, repelling the darkness and revealing three wall-sized mirrors around me. It was a jaw bone; I was now certain of that. I rubbed the loose piece of flesh dangling from my face. It didn’t hurt and I did not feel a thing; it was numb. I turned around and glanced at the small collection of what I thought to be a velvet cloth and shot it a horrified look as small patches of missing skin appeared upon my body. They came with a slight burning sensation from all around me; I was scared. I placed my hooves over my eyes and cowered over in fear. The light died down as I heard a voice from above,

“Do you understand?”

I nodded my head no; I didn’t understand. The walls around me fell backward like cardboard; I blinked and the flesh turned to velvet. I rubbed my chin and sure enough, it was there. There were nineteen pieces of velvet and thirteen holes engraved upon the bone.

I awoke to the sounds of a very concerned Twilight Sparkle whom had been getting ready for what I assumed to be another flight to Canterlot,

“Pinkie, how long have you been out here?”

I looked up at the sky and watched as the sun rose over the roofs of the houses. I looked at my wrist, pretending I was wearing a watch,

“Since yesterday,” I rubbed my head, traumatized by the vision I had seen in my dream, I tilted my head, “I can’t remember why. . .”

Twilight rolled her eyes; I gave a nervous laugh,

“Heh, I guess I’ll see you later… Where are you off to?”

She gave me a saddened look; I could almost feel the sorrow pouring from her eyes,

“Canterlot, I have some business there” she spread her wings to the fullest, “I’ll be back soon enough, don’t worry about me.”

I smiled, “Oki Doki Loki!” I thought about Applebloom and her friends, “I’m going to check on Applejack!”

With a simple wave and nod, she took off in a cloud of smoke toward Canterlot Castle. I waved her off as she flew away. I turned toward Sweet Apple Acres and walked along the dirt road.

“Why was I going to see Applejack?” I thought to myself as I hung my head low, “did I really want to see Applebloom?”

I shook my head, “of course, I should see Applebloom; she’s a friend and that’s what friends do.”

Applejack was doing her regular day job, bucking apples and collecting them as they fell. I waved “hello” to Applejack, but Applebloom was nowhere to be seen. Applejack called out to me, breaking my blank stare,

“How’s it hangin’, Pinkie?”

I laughed and rubbed the back of my neck, “oh, nothing much. I just wanted to see Applebloom; have you seen her anywhere?”

Applejack wiped the sweat from her forehead as she bucked another apple tree,

“Sorry, Pinkie. I can’t say I do. You’d have to talk to Granny about that one.”

When I asked her where Granny Smith was, she simply smiled and pointed toward the barn. I thanked her and stopped myself before I knocked on the door.

“Are you sure she’s ready for this?”

Placing an ear against the door, I recognized the voice; it was Applejack’s brother, Big Mac. I listened longer,

“Yes, I pretty sure.”

The second voice, it was Granny Smith; I was certain of that. I closed my eyes and listened harder than ever before,

“And how long have you been planning this?”

Big Mac seemed cross; I could tell he was disagreeing with whatever Granny Smith had been planning,

“Big Mac, our family has been planning this since Sweet AppleRaven’s time. I think she’s ready.”

I could hear Big Mac give off a rather hasty comment,

“But how will you know for sure? We’ve had no news from Canterlot concerning another depression!”

I examined the door and looked through a keyhole; Granny Smith leered at Big Mac,

“Are you saying my sources aren’t reliable? AppleRaven had predicted this downfall from over a thousand dates ago!”

Big Mac rolled his eyes at Granny, “A thousand dates is a long time, even after all the things she had done, I’m not sure even she could be that accurate.”

Granny began to pace back and forth as if she were giving a speech to a platoon of ponies,

“Haven’t you seen the signs? This has been our least profitable harvest yet, that only happens when Equestria senses bad things are coming.”

Once again, Big Mac didn’t believe her and stood his ground, “are you sure the land knows something that the ponies don’t?”

I had been crouching throughout the entire conversation and I was finally beginning to feel the consequences. My legs began to burn with fatigue as my hoof slipped against the front door porch. Granny Smith opened her mouth but held her tongue. She walked to the door and opened it, revealing my clumsiness.

“Pinkie? What brings you around these parts?”

I gave an uneasy smile,

“Oh, I’m looking for Applebloom; have you seen her around?”

Granny Smith smiled, but it was short-lived; I couldn’t understand why. Her eyes narrowed as she leaned closer to me,

“Are you the one responsible for what happened to her friend, Scoot’?”

I looked around nervously, trying my hardest not to look guilty,

“Why would I do such a thing?”

Granny Smith gave a hearty laugh, “I’m just jokin’ with ya! Applebloom should be in her little treehouse. If not, you might want to take a look around town; who knows how many ponies she’s pulled out of the dark?”

Closing the door behind her, Granny walked back into the house with a playful chuckle as she went along. I stood up and brushed the dust from my hooves as I made my way to “out back” where she had predicted Applebloom’s whereabouts. Of course, Applebloom was nowhere to be found; I sighed knowing that even I had expected this to happen. Sitting down upon the rich Apple family soil, I stomped my hoof against the ground and wondered what would be next. I missed Twilight; it was something that could not be mistaken. Standing up, I made my way to town where I assumed I would find Applebloom. I didn’t want to find her if it meant going through all this trouble; after all, perhaps Rainbow Dash knew where Scootaloo was and I was just wasting my time. Scootaloo was the entire reason I was going to find Applebloom.

The streets bustled with hurried ponies rushing from point A to point B; I began to feel out of place. Everypony knew where they were going; Ponyville had grown so much since Twilight began to take more and more responsibility from Celestia. Many of the townsponies say she’ll one day be princess and rule over all of Equestria, but I can’t see that happening. Twilight has always been a student and even though it’s nature for the student to be the teacher at one point; I can’t see Twilight being any higher along the scale. I watched as a pony tripped over another pony’s hooves; I laughed. There were a lot of ponies who came from other cities to live here and eventually, we had to start building more homes for them. With one event leading to another, Ponyville started to look more like a city rather than a large group of houses. The inflammation wasn’t too bad, though, many of the ponies moved away to make room for the others while the rest helped build the houses. The newer remodeled homes still look the same with the only difference being a new roof and a higher quantity of residents living within them. The dirt roads still looked like dirt roads, the ponies around me were still civilized and I was still happy to make new friends. I stopped to stare at the town hall, the place where that lonely pony had died and where my problems all began. I never said anything about them because of one underlying reason: they would be impossible to believe for anyone, even for a pony with a fetish for ghost stories. I sighed and continued to comb Ponyville.

“SCOOTALOO?”

I rubbed my ears, “Was I hearing things again?”

I listened harder and tried to follow the voice calling out. Although it was a young and familiar voice, I still couldn’t quite recall it’s origins. As I walked closer and closer toward the Everfree Forest, the voice began to grow louder until I knew immediately who it was. I facepalmed knowing that I should have remembered the second she called out Scootaloo’s name. It was none other than Applebloom and SweetieBelle standing at the edge of the Everfree Forest.

“Scootaloo! Come back! Don’t do it!” Cried Applebloom, wiping tears from her face as she watched her friend descended deeper into the forest.

Watching from afar, I saw Scootaloo shuffle her hooves as she began to hesitate about leaving. Despite the hesitation, I knew in my heart that she would go.

“Applebloom, I need to go. I need to fly.”

Applebloom continued to cry as SweetieBelle put a hoof over her shoulder; she cried out to Scootaloo, “Why would you want to leave your friends? Do you remember what happened last time?”

I nodded my head, Sweetiebelle had a point. Scootaloo moved her hind leg back as she slowly walked toward the darkness behind her,

“I remember what happened; I didn’t get my wings. That’s what happened. Now you could either come with me and help, or run home and take care of yourselves!”

With that, the two fillies looked at each other and thought for a bit while Scootaloo stood there, huffing and puffing away at the anger unleashed within her. Finally, the two looked toward their rogue friend and nodded their heads, walking away and leaving her behind. Scootaloo lowered her head as she half-expected them to follow her. She cried out to them,

“You would leave me to save your skin! How dare you! Fine! I don’t need you anyway!”

She burst into tears as she marched into the forest with her head held high. At first glance, it seemed patriotic, but watching how the tears rolled down her face with her hooves moving at a lazy pace, it was unbearable to watch; she was pathetic. I began to feel sympathy for the lost pony, so I ran after her into the woods. Calling out her name, I cried,

“Scootaloo! Come back! We need you!”

Her small set of hooves began to move faster as she broke into a full sprint toward the unknown. In a way, I envied her for being able to dive head-first into danger without any feeling of consequential guilt. She called out to me,

“I don’t need your help! I can do this on my own!”

I ran after her, “I know you can! I want to help!”

“No, you don’t!”

Trying to think of ways to make her stop, I thought about what I read,

“I know where to find it!”

She came to a dead halt as her ears rang with the lazily thought out lie I had told. She turned around, “is this true? Do you really know where to find the Everfree Spirit? You know how to get my wings?”

I never felt so nervous in my entire life; I didn’t want to lie again, it was not right,

“Yes, I know where to find your wings, but in order for me to help you find them, I need you to go home to your friends.”

She gave me an evil eye, “are you lying to me, Pinkie? I can see through lies you know!”

I laughed and rubbed my hoof against her head, “of course not! I know exactly where it is and I’ll ask it to deliver your wings to you personally.”

Her eyes lit up as she comprehended each word, “you’d do that, for me?”

I gave her a smile and a big hug, “of course I would! You’re a friend and nothing could change that!”

She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, “thank you, Pinkie. You’re a real friend!”

She turned around and began to walk toward Ponyville; I put a hoof out to her,

“Are you going to make amends with your other friends?”

She gave me a puzzled, but deeply saddened look on her face, “Why would I want to do that? Is it them who would have helped me? No, it was you instead. I thank you for that, but I don’t think I’ll be needing them anymore.”

“I can help you earn your wings,” I began, “but I cannot help you apologize. You should learn to forgive your friends; they meant well.”

I could see her sense of pride drain from her face as each word came from my mouth. Her eyes guided away from me as I spoke; she too knew it was the right thing to do. Smiling, she stood in front of me and reached her hoof out, “thank you, Pinkie Pie.”

Rubbing my eyes, I smiled, “it is my pleasure.”

Before she left, she said one last thing. It was something that changed my point of view entirely; nopony would have expected it,

“Oh, by the way, Pinkie. Say hello to Zecora for me! I’ve been really itching to give her a visit. Maybe she’s got method to fix my flight issue… Anyway, I’ll see you later, Pinkie!”

The sky continued to darken as I traveled further and further from my home. I could feel the book grow heavier as my hooves grew sweatier. A cool breeze blew through my mane; I was alone. I knew it to be true, but this was the first time I had noticed it. It was strange knowing this whole time but not thinking anything of it. My eyes began to water with tears of not sadness, but guilt. I fell to my knees crying out to the world and all those who would listen. My mouth gaped open, shouting past regrets,

“How could I! How could have I have ended the lives of others? Who am I really? What have I done?”

My knees gave in as I fell face first into the grass. The trees closed in around me, blocking all chance of escape, but even in a life and death situation, I no longer cared. I sat, I cried, and I surrendered. My legs began to cramp as my head began to throb. Pain was now a welcome guest that I had greeted into my home and I gave in to it. I could feel my thoughts slowly ascend into the heavens as a bright light parted from the trees.

I opened my eyes and was greeted to the world around me with a flood of white light. I looked around at the strange environment around me; dark trees, white sky, black grass… These things puzzled me, but I wasn’t sure how to interpret it. Where was I? What was I doing here? Everything seemed so… colorless. Where was everypony? Was I… dead? As the thought crossed my mind, I noticed a bright blue pond appear in the distance. It glowed and seemed to reflect all that was evil in this new world. I ran to the pond; it was hope that I found. I came to the edge of the water and bent down on my knees,

“perhaps it was a gateway home” I thought to myself, placing a hoof into the water. I watched my reflection as it changed to a phase I was not proud of. In the reflection looking back at me was someone very close but at the same time very distant. It was a side of me I wished I had forgotten but simply couldn’t. I turned away from the water and arched my back, now slumping over on a tree near the pool. To my left was a small red rock that glistened in the pond’s light. Out of curiosity and sheer boredom, I picked up the rock and tossed it into the pool. My vision blurred as the rock bounced on the water, “what was I doing here?” I said to myself, looking at my red-stained hooves. A small light appeared over the pool of water and spoke to me with a deep, raspy voice that would have sounded a lot better with a small glass of water.

“What are you doing here? What brings you here?”

He was as confused as I was; I knew not why I had come. My voice cracked as I tried to please the voice,

“I-I don’t know…” my voice echoed throughout the woods in an unnatural way, “why am I here?”

“What have you done? Surely you must have done something to provoke your death.”

My mind spiraled as I tried to accept my fate,

“I… died?”

There was a grunt of laughter that followed my confusion. I blushed,

“Yes… it does appear that way.”

I began to feel like a corpse myself as I repeated the words over and over again in my head,

“I died… I… died.”

“Yes… yes, you have. But alas, it appears I am no longer alone. Since you are here, why don’t you tell me a bit more about yourself… other than the fact that you and I and in the same situation.”

I sighed; I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to let loose while I was here. I placed my hooves behind my head and yawned,

“I don’t see why not…”

I wandered the caves alone in search of a light, everypony did. The systems of caves went deep underground and swallowed anypony in search of shelter. We had run here in fear of what happened, my dear friend had become something she isn’t. After we saw the lights we knew immediately what would happen. She had warned me about it, Scootaloo did. She told me that on the 5th day of the 3521st date, we were to run as far as we could. I heeded her advice and by the looks of it, so did everypony else. Of course, many ignored the sad truth and was burned from where they stood. No army in Equestria could cause as much damage as this has, it was something else, a force of some sort. We had been wandering these caves ever since then; these caves were once owned by a race known as the Dwellers. They were ponies, yes, but they were considered animals, monsters even. I had heard stories, from Twilight, that the Dwellers were one of the three tribes in Equestria. She mentioned that the Dwellers stayed alone on Stalbon for several hundred dates before following suit and migrating to Equestria. They, however, lived entirely in caves and good ones at that. The cave systems were like ant farms in the mountains, and the Dwellers didn’t seem to mind it. According to Twilight’s history, the Dwellers lived at peace with one another until the early 200’s where the Dwellers decided to split from one another thus creating a feud between the two different tribes. Many of them fought peacefully for they themselves were a peaceful kind. Some, however, did not care about the other Dwellers or what they called, “the Surface Ponies”. Many of them created large battles under Equestria’s surface and it began to show. Earthquakes plagued the land and nopony knew why; it was a mystery to all but one. Twilight mentioned that during this time, StarSwirl the Bearded’s expedition had just begun and he was constantly finding new ways to make life simpler. After banishing King Sombra, StarSwirl took his expedition to explore Equestria and came across a small cave on his way out of what we then called the Apploosian Plains. Out of curiosity, StarSwirl entered the cave and was unhappily greeted by the residents there. With persistence, StarSwirl befriended the residents and learned about their culture, thus documenting it in the Canterlot Archives. However, it wasn’t until StarSwirl’s friends discovered something that made him become restless. StarSwirl’s documents stated that the Dweller’s found a way to reach Equestria’s Core and use it as a weapon against their feuding neighbors. Once StarSwirl heard the news, he immediately faced his demons and requested immediate action that the Dwellers were to all be eliminated. Princess Celestia saw the danger that would soon come to be and sent her top assistant to bring information back from the Dwellers and report them to royalty as soon as possible. After the information was received, she sent the order and thousands of troops were sent to killed every Dweller that lived under those ground.

“Are you reciting that story again, Applebloom?” Cried SweetieBelle. I gave an uneasy smile,

“Sorry SweetieBelle, but I paid attention during Her Time.”

I laughed as she rolled her eyes and spat out whatever came to mind, “please, Applebloom. You couldn’t figure out a Rubix cube even after Twilight showed you how to do it a million times.”

I went silent and SweetieBelle knew exactly why; she continued to dig.

I shook my head, how could I have forgotten? I weaved my way through the tunnel and made my way to another wall, pushing away rocks as SweetieBelle had done,

“How long do you reckon we’ll get out here?”

A shard of uncertainty came from SweetieBelle’s voice as she spoke in a soft tone,

“I don’t know, Applebloom. I just… don’t… know…”

There was more silence following that comment; it was painful, merciless silence that filled my ears. I closed my eyes; we had been searching for a way to leave for three dates and so far it has shown us nothing but the fact that we live in solitude. Even with each other, we were still lonely. I missed the farm, the trees, the sun, but most of all… my sister. From what the other ponies had said, it has been 928 dates since she died and I haven’t spent a breathing moment without thinking of her. Her death gave me strength to excel where all others had failed, but I was still troubled by her sudden disappearance.

“Why did Twilight kill Applejack? Why?” I thought to myself. I didn’t know the story behind it all, the only thing I knew was that I came home to the farm and watched as a large group of pegasus ponies tore down our barn. When asking why they simply shouted at us explaining that Applejack had been eliminated and that they needed to the space to build something. They thanked us for her service to their cause. I remember the funny look I gave them, what happened? I pressured them for further answers, but they just nodded and said Twilight was the one who took her life.

I bashed my hoof into the rock, tears rolling down my face. A hoof was placed on my shoulder, it was none other than SweetieBelle who understood what I was going through. She had forgiven me for what my sister had done. She said it wasn’t her fault and that the hard times were getting to everypony. I still had feelings of anger toward SweetieBelle; she had told me one day that she felt redeemed when Applejack died. At the time, I couldn’t believe what she was saying; I tried to fight her, but she was too quick. She ran her mouth throughout the entire fight, constantly reassuring me that when Twilight died, I too would feel redeemed. I remember lowering my hoof and giving her a hug, bawling out my anger and practically soaking her satin blue cloak.

“Don’t worry about it, Applebloom. We’ll get out of here soon enough.”

“It’s not that…” I coughed, brushing the dust off my sore hoof. SweetieBelle went quiet,

“Oh… I see. Listen, I’m sure she died in the fires, you’ll get over it.”

Something in me snapped, “As the way you did?”

SweetieBelle backed away, cautiously grabbing hold to whatever she could, “now, Applebloom. We’ve all got problems, let’s not be too violent about it.”

“Problems? We’ve all got problems huh? I’ll show you the problem!”

I charged toward her, head first. I could hear SweetieBelle gasping before moving out of the way. I braced as I ran into the pile of rocks. Blood ran down my face as I rubbed my head. Something else came from behind me, something nopony would have expected. Light

SweetieBelle’s jaw dropped to the floor as we examined the strange phenomena. It had been forever since the two of us had seen light in the caves. We rubbed our eyes as they burned with delight; how long had it been? I forgot about the blood running into my ear as the light was too captivating. Nopony would want to resist its warmth. SweetieBelle placed a hoof on the rocks once more and pushed them aside. The light grew brighter; she looked at me with a face that I had not seen since we were just fillies. I quickly jumped to my hooves and began digging alongside her. Together, we dug as fast as we could, shaking with excitement; we had finally found the way out. I watched as the rock fell to the side, revealing a passage just big enough for a pony to squeeze through. SweetieBelle and I looked at each other, proud of what we had discovered.

“You should go first, Applebloom.”

Teary eyed, I turned to SweetieBelle whose eyes glistened in the sunlight,

“No, SweetieBelle, you go first. You deserve it more,” I wiped the combination of blood, sweat, and tears from my face, brushing my hoof off against a rock behind me.

“Applebloom, this is your time. I want you to find yourself; you need it more than I do.”

I knew what was going to happen; I felt as though I had seen it before,

“You’re leaving, aren’t you?”

She sighed and nodded her head, keeping it low and avoiding eye contact,

“I’m sorry, Applebloom, but I have other plans I’ve been wanting to keep.”

“You’re going after Scootaloo…”

She sighed once more; it appeared as though I had her beat. There was no reason to keep secrets anymore,

“Yes, I’m leaving and yes, I’m going to find Scootaloo. I need to find her, wherever she is.”

I bowed my head low, “So this is goodbye, then? Will I ever see you again?”

She smiled and placed a hoof on my head, “of course I will. You know me all too well to leave you for dead.”

Those last words left a long lasting chill down my spine, “I’ll be looking forward to it then.”

A tear rolled down my face and dampened the soil beneath my hooves. I walked out to the light and covered my face as best as I could. The sunlight burned my eyes; it was painfully beautiful. My eyes teared up more than before; I kept my eyes shut and called out to SweetieBelle behind me,

“Are you coming? It’s not that bad!”

I could hear her struggling and tripping over the rocks at the entrance,

“I’m coming! Ngh… Hold on!”

I dragged my hoof along the ground and made my way to her voice,

“Where are you?” I called out again. She coughed,

“Here…”

A hoof patted me on the back; it was her. I smiled and tilted my head toward where I thought she was, “looks like we’re stuck with each other until we adjust, huh?”

She happily chanted, “it certainly looks that way.”

We both laughed and tumbled our way back into the tunnel. The two of us decided that it would be best if we were to stay at the mouth of the cave until our eyes adjusted. Until then, we’d be living together in the safety of the cave. I sighed, I didn’t want to leave her; we had been together since this all started. I laid my head on her side, smiling as I remembered the time when we found each other in these dark tunnels. It was a happy day for the both of us, but I remember seeing her as a different pony. She wasn’t the same as when she left Ponyville. I knew about what happened to Rarity and Applejack; she had told me, but ever since then, she seemed more… determined. Throughout the past three dates, she always spoke of other plans, plans to recover Equestria; it seemed like she had figured everything out and didn’t need me anymore. We had gotten into fights about it, but we always forgave each other. I remember asking her why she hadn’t tried to kill me after what happened to Rarity; she smiled and simply replied, “you aren’t your sister, Applebloom. You’re a different pony and I know you wouldn’t fall down that same path as she did. Learn to let go, my friend.”

It was a strange response as I had not let go as she did. I wanted revenge; I strived for it and I needed it. SweetieBelle was different; she aimed for a solution, and because of that I admired her. SweetieBelle brushed my hair with her hoof as she hummed a song I was more than familiar with. I smiled and closed my eyes, slowly drifting to sleep.

“So what is it that you desire?”

I looked thoughtfully at the bright light that gracefully glowed over the pond. “Want”, it was a word that I rarely used. I always put my friends before myself; I thought again. I was no longer a part of their world; what was the point in thinking of others if there was nopony to think of?

“Want? I’m not sure…”

A the color of the light changed to a warm orange color,

“Not sure? Everypony wants something and you, Pinkie, are no exception.”

I rubbed my chin and recollected on everything that happened, the suicide, the murder, but most of all, my death. It felt like a cycle that had finally come to an end; I was trapped. What was I doing here? I didn’t belong; I was never meant to die. I swallowed my fears and spoke with determination,

“Life, I want my life back.”

The light glowed to a dark red color; what did I say?

“Life… such a precious thing. Unfortunately, it is something that only I can provide once more. You have heard of me, no? Am I not the soul you sought for?”

I nodded my head, “yes… I did search for you and alas, I have found you. Now, how do we begin.”

The light grew brighter, covering the trees around it with its presence,

“Everything comes with a price, my pony friend. I desire something that cannot be found in a cave or atop a mountain. I, myself, desire… happiness”

I choked and spat out at the pond,

“Happiness? You have powers that grant life to those who have met their death. How is it that you need… happiness?”

“Pinkamina, not everypony gets a second chance. You are the lucky one; you are the one to lead them out of destruction. You are the one to make a difference. You were sent to me for a reason and my gift to you will be life in exchange to a small invitation of happiness.”

I sighed, “life, it was a chance to see my friends again. A chance to remember their warmth and be with them. How could I let such an offer down?”

“I will give you... my… happiness,” I stood up, not sure if I made the right call. The light changed to green,

“Good. Shall we begin?”

I closed my eyes and counted the stars; there were many, but none of which that caught my eye. The constellations aligned to match the cutie marks of my friends. It was as if they were trying to tell me something. Perhaps it was the time, their names, my memories, the date. I frowned,

“Where did they all go?”

A bright light consumed the land; a light that was soon followed by darkness. It was a short-lived phenomenon, but I still remembered what happened. I solved it; I solved Scootaloo’s mystery. I was alive. I counted the stars once more; it was the final day of the 1117th date.

Voices ran through the halls,

“What happened to her?”

“We’re not sure, we just found her like this.”

“What’s going to happen? Will she be alright?”

“We appreciate your concern for her; I think in due time, she’ll recover just fine.”

A bright light flashed before my eyes; my head throbbing as the light blinded me.

“She’s coming around. Pinkamena Diane Pie! Are you alright?”

I spoke as loud as I could, but nothing came through. A pony appeared over me; a pony who constantly flashed more lights in my eyes,

“Pinkamena Diane Pie, if you can hear me, blink once.”

I blinked and waited for another response. The pony turned to another beside him,

“She’s still a bit confused; it may take some time before she’s able to leave. I encourage you to stay with her, but I warn you, it will be a long road to recovery.”

A second, more familiar voice came out from behind me,

“We’ll wait for just a bit longer; she is our friend after all.”

The same pony appeared over me once more, this time turning his head to wherever the second voice came from,

“That decision is entirely up to you,” he turned toward me, “as for you, Pinkamena, I want you to blink once for yes and twice for no. Do you understand?”

I blinked once; the pony nodded, “good, now, did you wander in the forest alone?”

I blinked once; the soft sound of a hoof hitting the ground could be heard all around me. Another pony behind me stood up and ran to the other side of the room. The pony introduced himself,

“Pinkamena, I am a doctor. We’re here to help; your friend Scootaloo found you unconscious somewhere inside the Everfree Forest. If I were you, I’d thank her for what she did. She really risked her life going after you; who knows what could’ve happened.”

My eyes drifted to the side; I swallowed hard and closed my eyes, struggling to talk. The doctor walked away,

“I’m sorry Miss Shy, but I believe she needs some time alone. You are welcome to stay as long as you want.”

“It’ll be fine; I won’t be long.”

Fluttershy leaned over the bed and stared at me in the face, “what were you thinking?”

I sighed as best as I could, but Fluttershy shook her head with disappointment, “It’ll be fine Pinkie, but I just don’t know what’s going on with you. You, no, we all seem so different lately. I suppose it affects some more than others.”

With that, Fluttershy left the room, closing the door behind her. I was alone, sad, but certainly alive.

I closed my eyes, drifting off to sleep; I was alive.

“Was it everything you wanted?”

I stood on an empty plain with nothing beneath my hooves. I called out to the voice,

“No, it wasn’t”

“If I got a bit for every time a pony said that.”

A gray pony appeared beside me, together we sat down and stared deep into the white horizon,

“What about you? Did you get everything you wished for?”

The figure sighed,

“Sadly, no. For now, I am nothing but a living figment of your imagination. Nothing more. I should have wished for freedom, but perhaps I’ll save that for another deal.”

“Why did you become a figment of my imagination? What else do you want from me? Didn’t I already pay off my debt?”

The gray pony turned toward me and smiled,

“Sorry, but your debt is never paid.”

My jaw dropped, “why’s that?”

“When a pony makes a wish upon me, I become part of them. It’s strange, but it’s true.”

I turned toward him, looking deep into his eyes,

“What happened to you?”

He lowered his head, “I’m afraid that is a story for another day.”

“Pinkamena, can you speak?”

I opened my eyes; it was the doctor. After blinking once, he placed a hoof over my mouth and unwrapped the oxygen mask. I coughed,

“W-what happened?”

The doctor turned around for a moment, slapped his hoof against the floor and leaned over me once more.

“You had an accident, Pinkamena. It was an incredible discovery and from the looks of it, you’ve gotten better. Despite this, I’m afraid you cannot go back home for a while now.”

I coughed once more and scanned the room for Fluttershy or any of the others. The doctor caught my signs of interest and adjusted his glasses,

“Yes… your friends were here. They left just recent, in fact. If you want, I could give them a call. Would you like that?”

I stared ahead at the wall directly in front, “it’s up to you.”

The doctor stopped and looked around, “well… I’m not your mother, who in fact dropped by earlier.”

I bolted upright in the bed, “what?”

The doctor laughed as he readjusted the bed, “yes, your parents, or at least who they claimed to be, dropped by as well,” he raised a hoof at me, “you were out for a while; you must be hungry, can I get you anything?”

I nodded my head, but my stomach made it fairly clear what it wanted. The doctor laughed once more,

“Well, I’m glad you’re feeling better Pinkamena. What would you like for lunch?”

I glanced at the clock; he was right, it was around noon.

“How long did I sleep?” I thought to myself, adjusting to the room’s new atmosphere, “whatever you’re serving is fine with me.”

The doctor hesitated, “alright, I’ll bring you our recommendation.”

“What happened?” I said to myself, lost in thought, “where is everypony? Should I tell my friends about what happened? Where was Scootaloo?”

The doctor, still trying to comprehend my change of mood, stood there in confusion, “Pinkamena? I may not have known you as well as I should have, but are you feeling alright?”

I looked at him, breaking my gaze into the strangely captivating wall, “yes. I’m perfect. Could I have my meal, please?”

The doctor backed his way out of the room, “sure thing.”

“Pinkie? Is that you?”

Standing at the door were two of my friends, Rarity and Applejack who had taken the time out of their days to see me. Applejack took her hat in respect and made her way to my bedside, taking my hoof. Rarity wiped tears from her face as Applejack rubbed her hoof against mine. Rarity smiled,

“Pinkie, we missed you, darling. How are you feeling?”

I monotonously looked at Rarity, “I’m great. Never been better.”

Applejack glanced at Rarity, exchanging faces. Applejack placed her hat back on her head,

“Really? You don’t look well.”

Applejack placed a hoof on my forehead, a hoof that I immediately swatted away. Applejack backed off, making way for Rarity,

“Applejack’s right, you aren’t acting right.”

I crossed my hooves, “and I feel fine. That’s all that matters.”

Rarity put a hoof around Applejack, “Come on, Applejack. Maybe she just needs some time to… adjust to… whatever it is she’s adjusting to.”

I turned away and watched them head for the door. After a long silence, right finally spoke out, “Pinkie! What are you doing? These are your friends! If you’re going to act this way, at least, do it with the slightest bit of consideration!”

I wiped a tear from my face and stopped my friends, “wait… I’m sorry.”

Applejack stopped dead in her tracks; turning around, she lowered her hat, “Pinkie?”

I cried; I was different. I was nothing more than a broken accident,

“I’m sorry, I did something terrible.”

I wanted to tell them everything about what happened, but I just couldn’t; I was afraid of what would happen to our friendship. I coughed,

“Rarity, where are the Elements of Harmony?”

She turned around and laughed, “The Elements of Harmony? Why? They’re in the Tree of Harmony! How could you not remember that?”

“oh yeah, I forgot about that.”

Rarity’s eyes squinted with suspicion, “why would you ask a question like that?”

My eyes looked elsewhere, “oh, nothing. I was… just curious.”

I gave off a nervous laugh that Applejack pitched in, letting out a more awkward laugh that killed the conversation. Thankfully, the doctor walked in with my meal, shoo-ing my friends out of the room.

I let out a fake smile, “Thank you, doc.”

The doctor smiled broadly, “anything for you, Pinkamena. You are my patient after all.”

“I want it back.”

The gray pony looked up and showed a face of unsurprised rage.

“Back? Want what back? I’m just having fun.”

He laughed; I placed my hooves on my shoulder. He stood up and created a nice little patch of grass for the two of us to stand on,

“You really should fill this place up. Have some imagination, it would be nice.”

I  scraped my hoof against the grass, “I want my gift back; you know exactly what I’m talking about.”

The gray pony danced around on the newly thought up grass plain, “Oh, don’t be like that, you know very well what will happen if we were to undo that wish.”

I sat and thought for a bit, “What would happen?”

The gray pony rolled his eyes and drew up some butterflies to fly around me,

“Everything that I made possible would… disappear.”

“Disappear?” I repeated. He smiled,

“Exactly right my new friend. That means no more Zecora and no more LIFE”

I took a step back, “you would kill me just so you could have happiness?”

The gray pony stopped his dancing, “Well, now that you put it that way, it does seem a bit selfish, but whatever! That’s life! It’s something to enjoy!”

I glared at the prancing fool, “life is something you don’t have, remember?”

He laughed, “True, but life is something that I gave to you, is it not? Either way, whatever I give, I can always take back.”

I coughed, it seemed like my medical condition could reach the farthest parts of my mind, “So what you’re saying is that you would be willing to kill me again?”

He stopped before giving me another pointlessly selfish answer, “I suppose that is what I’m saying.”

I shook my head with disbelief, but he did have a point. Taking back my own traits in exchange for the gift he gave would be wrong. Everypony who was affected by the deal would be changed, I as well. I walked off the island of grass with thoughts of my own; I could hear him laughing as he created more things my mind could not handle. I shook my head and woke up to face reality.

The doctor walked into the room carrying what appeared to be a clipboard,

“Good news, Pinkie! You’re free! Go out and make the world a better place!” He smiled, winking at me, “your mother and father are waiting outside. Go on and give them a hug!”

I rubbed my eyes; it was true, I hadn’t seen my parents in a long time, but at this moment, I didn’t really want to see them. I stood up, pushing the comforts aside as I stepped out of bed. The floor was cold and well polished, a rare sight to see at a hospital. The doctor smiled as he guided me out of the room, I looked toward my right,

“Are you sure this was the right call?” I whispered, keeping an eye on the doctor so not to look like a fool in front of the other ponies.

“Why wouldn’t it be? You’ve got another chance to live! That’s an honor on your part.”

I looked around uneasily, “yes, but I don’t feel anything; I feel so… alone.”

I could almost see my right hoof sigh with disappointment, “Sorry, but was part of the deal, you knew that. Besides, you would have been stuck in that forest if you hadn’t.”

“But I never would have died in the first place if I hadn’t gone looking for the spirit.”

“But you did find it.”

“But at what cost? Eternal sadness? Everlasting sorrows? What’s the point!?!”

Everypony stopped to stare at me; I blushed as the doctor put a hoof on my forehead,

“Are you feeling alright, Pinkie?” He gave a concerned look that I knew well. I tried my best to smile, “everything’s fine, I’m just… talking to myself.”

I watched as his eyes ran up and down before drawing his conclusion, “well if you say so, I guess there’s nothing wrong with that.”

Everypony around me went back to their business, talking to patients, filling forms and answering phones. I began to feel more and more out of place as I walked down the dreary halls, taking turns left and right; I didn’t know when it was going to end. Finally, the doctor pointed toward what appeared to be the main entrance,

“There you go! May you have a healthy, happy day!”

My heart sank; I wished I could tell him but I knew that in itself would be too hard for anypony to understand. He opened the door for me and I thanked him; I felt as though I had been in that hospital forever without end. That was when I saw them, my parents; they had been waiting all day for me to check out all day.

“Pinkamena? Is that you?” Grammy Pie smiled with open arms. I gave them an uneasy grin,

“Hi, Grammy.”

My father was the only one who wasn’t smiling; he never smiled. I only remember him smiling once and that was when I threw my first party. He took off his hat respectfully and bowed,

“Pinkamena, how are you feeling? Are you well?”

I gave a slight giggle, “yes, father, I’m fine. Thank you for asking.”

He placed a hoof over my shoulder, “I pray they treated you as well as we would have; the Pies have heard of your incident and we apologize for not being there.”

I smiled, “it’s alright, Papa. I would never have known it were to happen. There was no way you could have been there.”

“But alas,” announced Grammy, raising a hoof as if preaching to the entirety of the Pie family, “we are here now and that is all that matters.”

Maud, who was poking at the dirt, finally spoke up, “I am glad you are healthy now.”

I stared at Maud and smiled, “thanks, Maud. I’m glad everypony was able to make it dow-”

My head began to spin as I stared at the ground; what was happening to me? Papa Pie noticed my discomfort and quickly called out to somepony within the hospital. I placed a hoof on his chest,

“I’m alright… I think I just ate something bad…”

My legs began to shiver as I walked away from the hospital, my family following me. I shook my head, “What was going on?” I thought to myself. Papa Pie still had his leg around me as we walked toward Sugarcube Corner.

“You are still of residence here?”

I gave a concerned smile to Grammy Pie, “yes, indeed. I never left despite all those invitations to return home.”

I winked at her which she then proceeded to whisper into Papa Pie’s ear. I didn’t care what they thought of it; I knew Sugarcube Corner was where I belonged and nothing could change that. I opened the door and was greeted with the most pleasant of surprises, my friends. They danced around me wearing party hats and singing. They had made it fairly clear that I was home at last. My family stood outside the ruckus, waiting for it to die down. Maud was the only one who didn’t seem to care; I blushed knowing everypony else would be embarrassed with my friends’ behavior.

“Could you tone it down?” I whispered to Fluttershy who was dancing to one of her favorite tunes. The record stopped, Fluttershy’s eyes squinted with suspicion,

“Pinkie? Are you feeling alright?”

I rolled my eyes, “I’m fine… I just want some peace.”

Fluttershy glanced toward Rainbow Dash, who was responsible for stopping the record. Rainbow nodded and put a hoof around my shoulder,

“Pinkie, I think we need to talk.”

I looked nervously at my family who were still standing at the door, their mouths gaping open. Rainbow Dash pushed me along to the kitchen where she proceed to push aside bags of flour with a “bad cop” attitude.

“Pinkie, what’s going on with you?” She pushed aside another bag which I watched as the white substance spilled all over the floor.

“I’m not cleaning that up,” I gave her the lazy eye and turn around. Cross, Rainbow Dash raised a hoof across the doorway,

“You’re not getting off that easily. Fluttershy, get in here,” she demanded as Fluttershy gave off her signature whimper that would make everypony in town feel sorry for her.

“Y-yes, Rainbow Dash?”

Rainbow Dash’s eyes squinted as if she were actually thinking about something for once. Fluttershy tried to hide her face from me as the two talked in a huddle.

“What do you think happened?” Complained Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy looked up for a brief moment before returning to her completely unnecessary huddle,

“Why don’t we just ask her? She’s not a complete stranger.”

I rolled my eyes, getting sick of their continuous debate over a simple situation,

“You do you know I’m standing right here.”

“Oh, uh… sorry,” blushed Fluttershy as she tried to break Rainbow Dash’s undeniably strong grip, “I guess we got a little carried away.”

“A little, huh?” I snorted, lifting my head high and storming out of the room, leaving both Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy in awe. The doors burst open as the rest of my friends’ mouths dropped to the floor. I made my announcement once and I made it as clear as possible,

“Party’s over. Please, leave. I’d like to spend as much time with my family as possible.”

“B-but we threw this party just for you! You can’t just throw us out!” Stuttered Rarity, her mouth full of disappointment. I frowned, “Yes, Rarity. I can and I am.”

As much as I hated seeing my friends leave, I felt as though I could not stop them. I felt as if it was the only thing to do to keep my sanity in check. Then again, “would I even be considered close to sane at this point? I know my friends usually disregard my behavior, but am I sane?”

Fluttershy grabbed my hoof before she pushed me out the door,

“Pinkie Pie, I don’t know what you’re going through, but I want you to be there at the castle tomorrow; Twilight is coming home. Even in your state, I don’t want you to miss that; it’s important to all of us.”

She closed the door behind me as I sat in my silence. My family was present, but alas, they did not care. I wished they could understand and I wanted to tell them everything; I really did, but nothing would come to mind. Even if I did tell them, there would be nothing I could do to help them understand. I wanted to see Twilight; I needed her. Maud put a hoof on my shoulder,

“I understand, Pinkamena. You need time off… we understand. We are going to return to the farm so you can think about what has happened.”

Tears began to flood my eyes, “do you all feel this way?”

Simultaneously, they all nodded. I burst into tears as each walked away with once again, another pony stopping at the door to give her regards, “We are going back home. I hope that one day you will be able to join us.”

I was alone, again. The short-term silence rang in my ears as Mrs. Cake walked downstairs with confusion,

“Did everypony leave already?” She’d say. I looked at her with deeply saddened eyes, but I could already see my own confusion through the eyes of her own, “Pinkie, I’m not sure what’s happened, but I think you need to think about what’s going on!”

The anger boiled within me, “you don’t think I know that? I’ve been trying to figure this out, but I just can’t! There’s no way I can understand what happened!”

“Pinkie, what happened in the hospital?”

“I can’t tell you that! Not like you need to know!” I stormed off upstairs. It was a bad day for everypony. I wanted peace and silence while the ones who cared for me wanted to question. I closed my eyes, I didn’t want any of this; this wasn’t the deal I made or the deal I deserved.

“Then again, you never deserved a deal at all.”

I opened my eyes, finding myself in the same grassy plain as before,

“I see you’ve gotten your imagination back; was it really worth it?”

The spirit flew by me with uncontrollable laughter, “but of course it was worth it! Why wouldn’t it be? You amuse me, Pinkie Pie. You really do. It’s such a shame that you will never be able to feel happiness again considering how much you humor me.”

I cringed as the spirit spawned a dozen balloons to fly around me in a hypnotic manner,

“Why would I want to humor you? You’ve done nothing but cause me pain! You’re toxic! Contagious! Pure poison! Why would anypony in Equestria want to make you laugh? Let alone care about you?”

The spirit laughed and acted as though it were offended, “Words can hurt, you know? You’ve really got to watch that mouth of yours!”

I screamed at the open space around me, “how do I get rid of you!?!”

The spirit laughed again; with my element of laughter, nothing could calm it, “Get rid of me? Why would somepony like you want to do such a thing? To be honest, there is no way you can get rid of me! I’m afraid not even Twilight Sparkle could get rid of me!”

I stomped my hoof at the ground, “how do you know about Twilight?”

“I’m a part of you now, there is nothing you can do about it. I have access to all of your memories too, you know. Not to mention your everyday subconscious.”

“Get out of my head!” I screamed, pulling my hair, ultimately straightening it. I could feel my voice quickly grow course as I shouted at the top of my lungs. It was all for not; nothing I did would stop my nightmare. My heart raced,

“What if I died?”

The spirit stopped to think, “But you can’t; I’ve made sure of that.”

“You gave me a second chance, not eternal life.”

He rubbed his chin, “No, it’s impossible. It cannot be done; I will forever be a part of your mind.”

“I suppose you’re right,” I sighed, “there is no hope.”

The cold morning air blew through my mane as I made my way to Twilight’s castle. We were all expected to show up and I wasn’t going to be the one to back out. I wasn’t until a single piece of parchment rolled down the road the I realized I was alone. All of Ponyville was still asleep in their beds and the sun itself had hardly risen; but alas, my friends were still waiting outside the castle for their fellow friend. Actually, friends, it appeared that Rainbow Dash was absent. With confusion, I turned toward Rarity who had overpacked on scarfs to prepare for the cold morning,

“What happened to Rainbow Dash?”

“Oh,” she shivered, “we think Rainbow Dash slept in so we sent Fluttershy to try and find her, after all, it is quite early”

I nodded, “it did make sense.”

I looked around, hoping to find everypony else, but it just seemed to be Rarity and me who showed. Rarity read my face and turned around, pointing to a bush where Applejack had passed out to take a nap. She laughed and I followed along with hopes of replicating a laugh that seemed believable to anypony. Lucky for me, she believed it and carried on.

As the two of us stood shivering in the cold morning air, I began to wonder what would be taking Twilight and the other two ponies so long. Rarity leaned over,

“Don’t worry about it, darling. They’ll be here soon enough.”

I sighed; Rarity was right and I needed to stop worrying. Applejack sat up, oblivious to the world around her, “what happened? Did I miss Twilight? Is she upset?”

Rarity smiled and laughed, “you didn’t miss a thing, Applejack. She’s just taking her time,” she turned away and muttered, “same with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy.”

Applejack rubbed the back of her head, “say… where’s Rainbow and Fluttershy?”

I rolled my eyes, “Rarity said that Fluttershy went looking for Rainbow,” I checked my watch, “she should be here any minute now.”

Neither of us talked as we waited patiently for any of the three to return. Each of us stared into the distance, watching the townsponies slowly awoke from their sleeping tombs. I shuffled my hooves in the cold grass as I began to hear the sounds of wings ground louder and louder. I turned toward Rarity who had heard the same as I did.

“Is it?” I questioned; Rarity nodded and pointed toward the small yellow pony growing larger as she approached the castle,

“Looks like Fluttershy has finally decided to show up.”

I nodded toward Applejack who was still trying to piece the whole event together,

“If that’s Fluttershy, then where’s Rainbow Dash?”

The thought had struck me as odd; it wasn’t until now that I just realized Fluttershy was flying alone. As she came closer, sounds of weeping could be heard from the castle’s porch; Applejack nodded her head and pointed toward Rarity who immediately denied responsibility. My eyes narrowed as I tried to confirm the strange sounds of sorrow,

“Is Fluttershy… crying?” I concluded, taking a short glance toward Rarity. She wore a worried face, “I believe so…”

Fluttershy landed in a pool of tears as she slid across the dirt; my jaw dropped.

“Where’s Rainbow Dash? What happened to her?” I asked, wiping the tears from her face as she stood up.

“Rainbow Dash is not coming…”

We all gasped simultaneously as our worst fears were yet to be realized.

“Rainbow Dash has decided to join the cause in Cloudsdale,” she cried, “she’s not coming anytime soon. I’m sorry, everypony; I tried to stop her.”

Applejack smiled nervously, “don’t fret, sugar cube. It’s not your fault; if anything, we all should have been there to convince her. Maybe we all could’ve done something to prevent this.”

“I’m sorry,” nodded Fluttershy, “but it was no use; there was no changing her mind after the letter she received.”

“What letter?” I interrupted, puzzled more than ever before, “what kind of letter was it?”

Fluttershy displayed the size of the letter with her hooves; it was a standard sized stationary that I assumed to be more personal than business, “it was a desist letter from the army. They said Rainbow Dash’s parents had formed a contract with the army long ago and were requesting she join to support the cause.”

The more the story came together, the more the story didn’t make sense, “aren’t her parents dead?”

Applejack lowered her hat with sorrow; she had suffered the same fate with her parents long before Rainbow Dash had. Fluttershy rubbed her chin,

“I suppose you’re right, not to mention the army hadn’t even been formed by the time the supposed ‘contract’ was signed.”

“Do you think we could discuss this inside?” Shivered Rarity, fluffing herself in her hoof-weaved scarf.

I looked up at the sky, “I suppose Rarity’s right; it is pretty chilly outside. I’d hate it if anypony were to get a cold.”

Fluttershy nodded and turned to Applejack where she too, nodded in agreement. Together the five of us gathered inside the castle and took our individual seats to discuss the matter at hoof. Rarity was the first to speak,

“How did Rainbow Dash respond to the message? Were you there when she received it?”

Fluttershy nodded her head, “yeah, I was there when she received the letter,” she coughed, “it was the letter that we were disputing about last date.”

We all grunted in unison as I raised a hoof for her to continue; she thanked me and moved on, “I’m not sure how she reacted, but I guess she was more frustrated than anything.”

“But what would Rainbow Dash be frustrated about? Would you be sad if you found out your parents had died and left you to nothing but a bogus contract?” Interjected Rarity. Applejack stood up and started making her way to the foyer; I called to her, “Applejack, where are you going?”

She took off her hat with respect, “sorry, Pinkie Pie, but I wanted to walk Twilight in. It’s kind of… a family courtesy we’ve passed down; all the Apples in our family do it.”

Rarity shrugged, “seems reasonable enough.”

The sounds of closed doors echoed throughout the hallway as the sounds of hooves could be heard on the lawn. I looked down, “does this mean that… Rainbow Dash will never… return?”

Fluttershy wiped a tear off her face, “I think so…”

Rarity began to panic as she looked around the room nervously, “but what about the Elements of Harmony? What will we do without them?”

She sighed, “I suppose we’ll have to fight without them. You know, I was sent one of those letters too.”

Rarity and I both gasped; Fluttershy nodded, “it’s true; the newly formed Pegasi Army is trying to recruit all pegasi big and small, young and old,” she pulled out a piece of paper and read it with haste, “at least I think that’s what it says.”

Curious, I blurted out, “you’ve had one the whole time? What does it say?”

I watched as Fluttershy’s eyes trailed back and forth as she read through each and every individual line, “oh, it’s nothing much. Just a summoning to Cloudsdale for inspection and other things of the sort.”

“Well, come on, darling! Let us see the letter!”

“Oh… well… I suppose so,” hesitated Fluttershy as she threw the piece of parchment across the table, stopping right before our eyes.  

“To the hooves of Faunalas Fluttershy,

We, members of the highest order in the Pegasi Army, politely request that you sign for our cause. During recent events, we have discovered that our Unicorn Allies have betrayed our own and as a response are willing to fight for that cause. One of our former princesses, Twilight Sparkle, has committed crimes against our treaty with their kind; we ask that you report to the Capital of Cloudsdale immediately for inspection and fitting of gear so that you, Fluttershy, may fight for what is right. In the meantime, do not associate with any other ponies other than your own for any other race of pony is now an enemy and should be disregarded entirely. We await your arrival,

Formally,

Colonel Spitfire”

“I don’t believe it!” Declared Rarity, stomping her hoof on the table, “this is outrageous! Why would anypony take this seriously?”

I myself couldn’t believe it, “Rainbow Dash was… gone? What did Twilight do to cause this?”

“Everything; Twilight did everything to cause this.”

The voice echoed through my head even though my friends were still debating the issue; I blushed, “what are you doing? What do you mean Twilight tried to cause this?”

“Don’t you see? Twilight caused this; Twilight is the reason your friend is gone because of her evil deeds. Why else would she have taken the deal so easily?”

“Why are you doing this? How long must you vex on me?”

“For as long as I deem necessary”

The tears that rolled down my face caught Fluttershy’s attention, “Pinkie Pie? Are you alright? I had hardly said anything. What’s going on?”

I went silent and cried without end. Rarity put a hoof around me, rubbing my back with comfort, “Was Rainbow Dash’s letter the same as yours?”

“Well, I’m not sure, we didn’t compare letters. Although, I do know that her letter was significantly longer than mine. Maybe they had blackmailed her into joining using some other methods,” answered Fluttershy. Rarity continued to rub my back as she tried to draw conclusions, “I suppose that’s a possibility, but what about Twilight? How would Twilight have been able to cause such a large rift between our two races?”

“Because your princess is corrupted with evil.”

“Shut up”

“I’m not sure,” began Fluttershy, “but I think we should all ask Twilight what happened when she comes. Are you in, Pinkie Pie.”

I shivered with fear, “n-no”

Rarity back away, “Pinkie? What do you mean, ‘no’? Twilight and Rainbow Dash are our friends and we have the right to know what is troubling them!”

“J-just leave me out of this.”

A beam of daylight burst through the door as none other than Twilight herself walked in the door, stopping as she looked down the hall. I could see her through the tears in my eyes; she was counting.

“Where’s Rainbow Dash?”

Rarity quickly snatched the paper from the table and smiled, “uh… Twilight, we need to talk.”

Applejack walked up behind her and placed a hoof around her neck, “I’m sorry Twilight; I just got the news myself.”

Twilight’s eyes narrowed as she examined the face of each and every one of us; I turned away to hide my watery shame.

“What happened to Rainbow Dash? Did she…?”

We all knew what Twilight was thinking, even if she didn’t say it.

“Do you see the error of your ways? Even you could have prevented this.”

“No, I couldn’t have.”

“Ah… but you could have at least avoided feeling the pain you feel now by not committing to what you desired.”

“Not making that wish would have been devastating to all of my friends; I would never want to hurt my friends.”

“See, that is where you are wrong. You have already hurt your friends and now they doubt you even more. They see that you have changed and now that wish to have nothing to do with your newer self. Is that the way you want to be seen as? A dull, depressed pony with no morals of any value?”

“Of course not, but they do still have the memories that we’ve shared. With those memories, the six of us will always be friends.”

“Five… the five of you.”

My heart stopped, “right… five…”

“My point exactly, even you have changed your views of your friends. It is because of Rainbow Dash’s decisions that you have disregarded her friendship, and now you fear that you will no longer be able to keep your relationship strong with your other friends because of the decisions you’ve made yourself.”

“I never disregarded Rainbow Dash…”

“Oh, Pinkamena, don’t lie to yourself. You and I both know the true hatred you have toward Rainbow Dash. It’s only a matter of time before the others hate you the same way.”

I bawled in my chair, interrupting everypony in the room; my crying even caught the attention of Twilight. Worried, Twilight walked over and put a hoof over my shoulder,

“Pinkie Pie? What’s wrong?”

I didn’t know what to say, so foolishly, I turned around. She tried again,

“Pinkie Pie, what happened to you?”

The tears that ran down my face were a diluted black color as if they had run through a thick eyeliner or another one of Rarity’s makeup appliances. I pushed her hoof away from me; I didn’t want comfort or anything else for that matter. I wanted to sit there and cry until the moon rose; I could hear Twilight’s impatience grow within her as everypony, including herself, took a seat. The thoughts that ran through the everypony’s minds were almost audible as each screamed to themselves. I could only imagine what the others were thinking.

“You know what they are thinking, don’t you?”

“How could I? I’m not psychic.”

“But you have a hunch and that is all that is needed for you to understand what is going on.”

“But if I go with my hunch, how will I know what is really going on? I would end up blaming my friends and turned them against myself; what would be the point in that except for creating more tension between everypony’s pre-existing relationship?”

“True, but you are used to being laughed at, are you not?”

“I am used to being laughed at what I did, not for who I am. There is a large difference between the two. Someday you will understand that.”

“Ha, I see that the student is trying to become the teacher. Very nice.”

“But I am not trying to become anypony’s teacher. You were never a teacher. You are no more than a bug trapped inside the subconscious.”

A loud crash came from the foyer that startled everypony; nopony knew what happened, but we all had a feeling that we knew who caused it.

“Rainbow Dash! How could you?” Cried Twilight, rushing over to see the damage done to her castle. Rainbow Dash laughed casually,

“Heh, it was a new trick that I haven’t quite gotten down yet.”

Twilight shook her head, “no Rainbow, I mean how could you do this to me? What possessed you to sign up for the Pegasi Army? Don’t you know they’re plotting to kill me?”

Rainbow’s eyes looked at each and every one of us as we all stared back, waiting patiently for an answer that we could be satisfied with,

“Oh… yeah… that. Listen, Cloudsdale is my hometown; it’s my duty to protect my family no matter the costs.”

Twilight shook her head again, this time with disappointment, “but Rainbow Dash, your family… they’re… gone…”

Rainbow’s eyes began to water, “w-why would you say that? I know that! T-that’s why I’m doing this; I’m signing up because of my family. If my family wanted me to do this, then so be it! I will fight everypony who isn’t with me until the very end!”

Twilight gasped, “you do know what this means! Didn’t you hear what I said in Canterlot? The Pegasi Army are trying to take over Equestria and overthrow Canterlot! Why would you want to fight for that cause? You’d be fighting against me! Why would you want to hurt any of your friends?”

Twilight pointed toward the group of sad ponies who were still waiting patiently for a reasonable cause that they could all agree on. I could see the hesitation through my watery eyes; it was an unbearable sight to see. Applejack stood up, taking her hat off and placing it on the chair beside her. She walked to Rainbow Dash calmly as if nothing were at stake; I admired the way she was trying to handle things,

“Listen, Rainbow. We are all going through hard times right now, but that just means we need you more now than ever before. Rainbow, you’re like the glue that holds this place together; without you, Rainbow, we’d all be lost. You keep us united; you have a gift of loyalty and I know that you’ll see the right thing to do. Please, Rainbow, stay with us, we all need your help. Look at Pinkie,” she pointed toward poor, miserable me, “Pinkie needs your help, she’s been more emotional now than ever. It’s important for all of us that you stay. I know that you feel you have to serve your duty to your hometown, but this is Equestria and we’re all at home here. I can respect that you want to help out your country, but friends come first and you know that. Please, Rainbow, stay with us and help us stay together.”

Rainbow Dash was speechless; it was a powerful speech that had me in even more tears than before. I thought it could be enough, but I had never been so wrong in my life. Rainbow lowered her head,

“Yeah, I’m the Element of Loyalty and that means I’m loyal to everypony, but you’re wrong Applejack. Family comes before friends and I am expected to honor that.”

Applejack’s mouth opened, “listen to what they’re expecting you to do! They want you to kill all of us in a genocidal war against not just the Unicorns, but all of the Earth ponies as well! Is that what you want? Do you really want to cross swords with me or any of us?”

“Of course not, but I’m not expected to sit idly by as my homeland fights to conquer.”

Applejack nodded her head, “so that’s it? That’s the whole reason why you’re signing up? To fight?”

Rainbow Dash sighed, “it certainly does seem like it, doesn’t it?”

Applejack was furious and everypony knew it. It was a rarity to see Applejack grow so outrageously mad and I myself had only seen it a few times.

“I don’t believe you, Rainbow Dash. After all these dates we’ve been together, this is how you treat us? Your friends, the ones who cared for you, you’re going to stab them all in the back? You better be ready to fight then because I’m not going down so easily.”

With that, she stormed out of the room and left the castle, leaving us all in silence. Twilight stuttered more now than any of us had ever heard before,

“L-listen, R-Rainbow Dash… I’m-”

Rainbow raised a hoof in front of her face,

“I don’t want to hear another word from you,”

With those words ringing throughout the castle corridors, she stormed out of the castle. The small droplets of tears that ran down Twilight’s face could be heard throughout the throne room; even I began to feel bad for her.

“Just as I said it would, do you still doubt me?”

“I cannot say anything else besides… you were right.”

“Your friendships are doomed; there is nothing more you can do to preserve it. I want you to run far away from here and never return for there is nopony who needs you.”

“Where would I go even if I were to leave Ponyville? There is nopony outside the town’s borders that would even give me a second look.”

“Your family might, go to them, seek them out and return. They will need you.”

“Why does it sound as though you are trying to help me? A second ago you tried to convince me to destroy my friends and now that you’ve succeeded, you try to help me by telling me to run away from my troubles? What made you change your mind?”

“I only wish to prevent further suffering, your mind can become a very clouded place without a clean conscience.”

Fluttershy stood up and headed to the door, Twilight gasped, “Fluttershy? Where are you going? Are you going to?”

Fluttershy gave a faint smile, “no, Twilight, I’m not signing up. I’m going away; it’s over.”

Twilight called out to her as she walked away, “no! Fluttershy! Stop! We can work this out!” One by one, we all started to stand up and leave the room, first, it was Fluttershy, and Rarity, then finally it was my turn. Twilight, put a hoof on my shoulder,

“Are you sure? Where would you be going? I heard about what happened to you in the hospital and I’m sorry I couldn’t make it. Please stay, it won’t be the same without you.”

I sighed as another tear dropped to the floor, “I’m… going home. There’s nothing for me here; I need to go…”

As I walked onto the lawn, I looked back at Twilight to see her standing there, speechless. I sighed, it was the only thing I could have done.

“Now run. Run far away and do not come back.”

“Why should I listen to you? Look what you’ve done to Twilight!”

“I did nothing, but you did what was right.”

“Why do you say it was the right thing to do? She’s hurt and I am not there for her.”

“You staying there would have given her a false hope that she would forever cherish. Besides, there are much more important things for her to do in the future where friendship will not be her focus.”

“You know what will happen to her in the future?”

“No, not exactly. I am afraid what I know is mere prophecy and cannot be proven, however, the Pre-Exists have always been correct.”

“The Pre-Exists?”

“Another time, my dear Pinkamena.”

“Pinkie Pie? How did it go? Did you see Twilight? Is she alright?”

Mrs. Cake greeted me at the door as I slowly walked upstairs, “yeah, Twilight’s fine. Everypony’s great; never been better.”

“Hmm… is that so? I heard that some big event happened in Canterlot; everypony’s going crazy over it! I don’t know why, but I do I wish I could’ve been there!”

I stopped, “event? What kind of event? Do you know what happened there?”

She rubbed her chin, “no, I can’t say that I do… It’s a bit odd, though, why would everypony go so crazy over a single speech? Must’ve been pretty powerful! I wonder if it was Twilight’s speech! That’d be pretty good on her part; being able to tell a powerful speech is an important skill for a princess!”

“Yeah… important…” I repeated to myself, “listen, Mrs. Cake, I’m going away for a while. I’m sorry I won’t be able to work here anymore. I’ll try to pack up my things as best as I can.”

Mrs. Cake gasped, “you’re leaving? Where’re you going?”

“Oh… my family’s rock farm; they need me there.”

She tilted her head with confusion, “what about your friends? Are they alright with you leaving? You know, Twilight just returned home and I’m certain she’d be needing your help with returning to at-home life!”

“Yeah… friends…”

She sighed, “it’s going to be terrible without you, but I’m sure you’re leaving for a good reason. If you ever want to come back, I’ll be right here with an open door!”

I smiled as best as I could, “thank you, Mrs. Cake.”

I went upstairs and grabbed all that I could or rather all that was necessary. It was nothing more than a week's supply of food and a coat for if it ever became too cold. Those were the only items I brought, no balloons, confetti or any other party accessory of the sort. With the items I selected, I ventured out into the vast land of Equestria guided only by the night sky. Mr. and Mrs. Cake waved me off as I walked further and further away from their little store. I remember seeing the moon reflect off the tears in their eyes as I walked off.

“You did the right thing.”

“Did I? I’m not so sure.”

“Of course, not very many ponies could have done as you did.”

“But those many ponies would have died by now, considering the fact that should have fallen into that fate.”

“Perhaps, but you survived and that is all that matters now.”

“Why am I leaving my home?”

“Why wouldn’t you? There is nothing for you here; you no longer need anything this place has to offer.”

“And my family’s rock farm does?”

“That is up to you; you choose where you wish to go. I suggested it because it was where you wanted to be; I do not control your actions, only your thoughts.”

“I don’t want to leave my home.”

“But your family is your home; you’ve been away from it for far too long now.”

“But will I truly be happy away from my friends? Or rather, my former friends? I still have many who still look up to me.”

“But you also have many who despise you. Why would you want to fall into their evil hooves and be cast out by their criticism?”

I sighed, “Would it hurt?”

There was a silence that lasted for quite some time; I wasn’t sure if it’d ever give me a response. I was weak and feeble; I needed help. As much as I despised the voices in my head, they were the only ones I could really turn to.

“That is dependent upon you; you choose whether or not to accept the criticism bestowed upon you. However, your actions in response to such words will ultimately change the way you think, act, and believe.”

“How long would it last? Would it ever end if I were to return to my home?”

“Only Celestia could know such things as she has the past, present, and future written upon the back of her hooves.”

I stopped to look back at the tiny speck upon the horizon that was Ponyville. Looking up at the sky I realized that I had been traveling much longer than I had expected; was there a point to moving on?

“What should I do? I need help in deciding.”

“Go home to your family; they need you more than your acquaintances would.”

I sighed, lowering my head and moving on toward the side of Mount Canterlot. I watched as the train whistled by, only to be stopped by a small herd of ponies gathered around the entrance of Canterlot. It was a strange sight to see, but I had a feeling I knew what the commotion was about. I began to feel bad for Twilight as she had done all she could to stop this from happening. Well, at least, that’s what I thought; nopony but her would know the truth about the events that took place in Canterlot. The train came to a halt as the ponies tore it piece by piece and throwing each part down the mountain. I watched as each wheel continued to roll past my hooves and across the hills behind me. They were rusted and well worn; the Friendship Express had seen its last days on the road. I cringed as I tried to make out the screams of ponies perched on the summit of Mount Canterlot. They spoke very lowly of Princess Twilight; they wanted her dead above all else. Turning around, I began to see a large puff of smoke rising above Twilight’s Castle; it was too bad, the castle really was one of the best in Equestria. I remember it shining brilliantly in the sun as we each were called to the map and greeted to a new adventure. Equestria really was a strange and mysterious place; I began to wonder if there was ever a beyond.

“Probably not”

The plume of smoke rose higher and higher as it began to block the moon’s light, leaving me in darkness. Lowering my head and avoiding the debris from the mountain high above, I continued to make my way to what I perceived as home.

“Would I still be accepted there? Has my family moved on knowing that I still held on to the same unorthodox traditions that I so willing desired to be a part of?”

“Of course they will accept you. You are a part of their family.”

I gave a fake chuckle, “What do you know about family?”

“I used to be a part of a family, but just you fear, I fell into a hole I could not dig myself out of.”

“Is that why you are the way you are?”

“Unfortunately, yes. I’m afraid my greed has taken its toll upon my past life. Now I’m here, with you.”

I smiled warmly, “That does sound sweet, doesn’t it?”

“No, it doesn’t.”

The smile melted away as the words echoed in my mind.

“I was only joking, but I guess it’s a talent that I’ve lost, isn’t it?”

“Indeed, it is.”

With that, I watched as the fires outside of Twilight’s castle grew brighter and brighter until I could see nothing but a tiny speck of light which I then assumed to be the sun’s rising.

“You’re home”

I looked up for the first time in hours to find myself face to face with my home, the old worn down shack that I had grown up in. While it brought back memories, it wasn’t the reaction I was expecting.

“Hello?” I called out, waiting for a response; I could see no reason why there wouldn’t be. But again, I fell victim to my own assumptions; there was no reply and I was greatly confused. I weaved back and forth through the soulless rocks that surrounded the shack as I attempted once more to draw the attention of my absent family. I knocked on the door and called out,

“Hello?” I cried, “is anypony there?”

There was no answer; I gave up, pushing the door open as it was left ajar. The house was empty with the exception of a few fallen chairs and a badly damaged table.

“Where had they gone? Were they still visiting Ponyville?” I rubbed my chin and thought for a second, “there’s no way they could’ve abandoned the rock farm.”

I walked around the table; it had been used by my family for years; I had never thought they would leave it behind, “Where is everypony?”

I walked upstairs to the bedroom Applejack had once visited, “It appears I stand corrected.”

My jaw dropped as I gasped with horror. My heart dropped several stories before me as a chill ran down my spine. It couldn’t be, it just couldn’t be, “No… It can’t be.”

There was a sigh coming from the voice in my head, “I’m afraid so.”

“They were just so… normal. How could this happen?”

“It appears the hatred of the few outweighs the love of the many.”

“Who did this? What do you know about this?”

“I’m sorry, but I can tell you this; the marks of the weapons used to harm your family were not made on land.”

“How would you know that?” I shuffled my hooves as I walked around the cold, dead bodies of my relatives.

“I came from an Older Equestria, where the land and ponies were cruel, primitive, and foolish.”

“What happened to them? What is your story?”

The spirit sighed and sat upon an old tree stump he had conjured up, “I was but a young filly…”

“Equestria had been in peril for one-hundred sixty-two dates when I was born. My mother, ShiningStar, had been there since the beginning. She used to tell me stories of her youth; they were always filled with dread and death. ShiningStar had three children, FarLight, StarBright, and myself, Silverhoove. While my mother was never a good role model, her reason behind it was understandable to everypony. The stories she told were, from what she said, true and were always taken from her past. They often spoke of the aftermath to the what is now rumored and studied to be the Second Demolition.”

Tears rolled down my eyes; I still couldn’t believe they were gone, “Why would this happen?” I kept repeating in my mind.

“Time went on between me and my brothers; they continued to pursue their dreams and I was left alone with nothing but my troubles. At that time, I became very skilled at what I did. Little did I know that Celestia had made a prophecy that would forever change Equestria. In fact, from what I’ve heard, it’s a prophecy that is still very relevant today. However, this supposed ‘prophecy’ was by far, one of the more… complicated auguries and was often misinterpreted. Celestia hired the top ponies across the land to decipher its riddles until it eventually fell into my name.”

“How could I have turned them down? I could have changed it; I should have spent more time with them.”

“At the time, I was but a thief and as I mentioned before, I was very skilled at it. Some thought it was my special talent and cursed me because of it. I, on the other hoof, had different plans; I wanted to be something more. Eventually, I pulled a job that landed me in what I assumed to be my eternal doom; I thought they were going to execute me for the crimes I had committed. Instead, I was taken into the hooves of the Graceful Celestia who would relieve me of my crimes if I were to partake in a special trial to retrieve information from a neighboring nation whom we were butting heads with.”

“Help, I want another chance; please give my family back to me. I know you can do it; I’ve seen you do it before.” The spirit ignored me and continued with his story.

“I took the opportunity as a fresh start, a job that I could use to release the stress of my thieving career. The job was a simple and one I had done before with my closer enemies; I was chosen to eavesdrop on the tribe and bring information back to Celestia. The murdering of ponies was excusable, but only if it was for a good cause; I tried to avoid this at all costs. I returned from my job soon after it was finished; stopping only to see my boasting brother who had found his love, Hellanhoove. I despised and murdered him where he stood; leaving his wife alone and bloodied in the roads outside of Canterlot.”

My mind went numb as he spoke of his brother, “How could you do that to your own family? Why would you bring that up now?”

The spirit sighed as he continued his story, “I hated my brother; he would always boast to me about his life achievements and would never leave me be. Eventually, I grew tired of it and did as I did to save my conscience.”

I cried some more before he continued; his story was interesting, but I knew it would never help me in any way.

“I returned to Celestia successfully, lying about the death of my brother and the injuries I had inflicted upon his wife. Surprised that I was not deemed dead, she lifted my burden and in exchange for residence in Canterlot, gave me a second mission to be on one of the support teams that would be sent to destroy the tribe. I thought my options through and chose to go with the teams as a residence in Canterlot was a mighty big change and honor.”

“You chose to cheer for the homicidal destruction of an entire tribe than to stop and enjoy your freedom? Why would you even think of doing such a thing?”

“I did not cheer for them; I killed for them. I had been charged with murder in the past and the princess knew this. What she didn’t realize is that my ego was larger than what she could have ever imagined. I enjoyed murdering of thousand of cave-dwelling ponies; the feeling gave me power. I felt like I could do anything I wanted during those moments. It was something that Celestia should have seen long before she put me in charge. Thousands of ponies died under those grounds with only a few being our own. Celestia saw how high of a success rate I had put upon the other ponies as she put me in charge of all her military actions. Soon enough, I had become her personal hitpony.”

“You murdered thousands of ponies, and you had fun doing it? What kind of pony would do that?”

“As I said before, those were dark times, but my story doesn’t end there; I then became the top royal guard but despised the position. I was not one for armor even if I was respected almost as much as the two sisters themselves. Eventually, I was brought before Luna, who appreciated my work in the night and convinced a Celestia to create an organization held in my honor. Celestia was not fond of the idea but was able to establish such organization in exchange for my title. The group was designed to protect the ponies of Equestria by enabling others who were interested in deep-cover. Ponies across Equestria came looking for enrollment and only a few were selected for their jobs. Many stayed undercover for tens of dates before checking in.”

The spirit yawned with fatigue as it was getting late and my mind would be forever numbed.

“Eventually, things went downhill and I did something that removed me from life itself.”

“What did you do?” I could feel the spirit’s warm smile as it knew I was interested in what he had to say,

“I had a fight with Celestia; it was nothing really. In the end, I lost, but I was prepared to do so. I had saved half of my soul within the leaves of a tree that had been growing alongside a pond deep within the Everfree Forest.”

“Which part of the soul are you?”

“Sadly, I am the part who died, but while my body died, the piece that was left transformed into something horrid. Even in my personal death, I still rose to challenge the Princesses. Last I heard, I lost and was banished from both life and death. Afterward, I was never seen again; even now I cannot recognize myself. I am a lost hope.”

“That’s a pretty tragic story you’ve got there. I’m sorry to hear about it.”

“It’s fine; you’re not the only pony who’s heard about it.”

“Really? Are there other soulless ponies who know about it?”

He chuckled, “Oh, no; of course not. At least, not that I personally have told.”

“Then how could anypony have known your story without you telling it?”

“While I was entrapped in that tree, I wrote a detailed parchment that described every detail of my memoirs. Sadly, I have no idea where it is; I would’ve told you if I did.”

“That’s fine, I don’t think I want to know any more of it.”

The spirit shrugged, “Fine, suit yourself. Anyway, let’s get out of here. I think the bodies here are starting to smell.”

“They are; I’m sorry everypony.”

I paid my respects and left the sad little home; it really was my home. I would never have known how much I really appreciated it if I hadn’t come back to visit, but I knew I couldn’t return. Even for the most heartless of monsters, returning to the resting place of their kin would be devastating for anypony. I sighed, leaving the rock farm for the last time,

“Where should I go now?”

“The only home you have left, Ponyville.”

“What about the others? What will I say to them?”

“Nothing more than the truth.”

With that, I headed toward Ponyville, forever lost in thought.

“What’s going to happen to me? Will I survive this? Will I be prepared to take on whatever the future has to hold?”

I could tell the voice was growing tired of my moaning, but he understood, “I’m not sure what will happen; the future is not written. You’re a strong pony, dear Pinkamena. I know that you will be able to accomplish anything you put your mind to.”

I smiled, “Thanks… I needed to hear that.”

“Don’t worry about it; it’s one of the only good things my mother would tell me.”

“Really? Is that so?”

“Indeed, it is; that saying has a lot of magic to it. It’ll motivate you no doubt.”

While I couldn’t quite see it, I could tell he was winking at me. I blushed and continued to walk toward Ponyville.

“Pinkie! What are you doing here?”

Mrs. Cake was as surprised as I was to see her. Everypony else had either abandoned the town or were rioting outside of Twilight’s Castle. I felt bad for her; I didn’t believe she did anything wrong.

“Oh, hi Mrs. Cake…”

She quickly sat me down at one of the tables in the dining room, brushing the dust off the table tops.

“How did it go with your family? Did you find what you were looking for?”

I sighed; I really didn’t want to tell her what happened, but I knew that she would find out eventually. It was in her nature; she was always prone toward getting her way. She had a certain set of skills that went with seeking information.

“They… didn’t make it.”

She gasped loud for everypony to hear, fortunately, nopony had visited Sugarcube Corner since I left, “what happened?” She exclaimed, jumping up with an unforgettable nervous expression wiped across her face, “where’s your family?”

Tears rolled down my face as I thought about them, “they’re gone, every one of them.”

Mrs. Cake straightened herself out, her tone fixed in the same manner, “Pinkamena, what happened to your family.”

I buried my face in my hooves; she retreated her tone and comforted me by rubbing my back with her hooves,

“I’m so sorry, Pinkie. They were such a nice couple.”

“I know,” I cried out, “I just wish I had spent more time with them.”

She went to the kitchen and whipped up a milkshake, placing it on the table before me. I glanced at it for just a moment before returning to my sorrowed state.

“Pinkie,” she smiled, resuming her rote rubbing, “please drink. It’ll make you feel better, it always has.”

“I’m not sure I want to,” I shook my head and pushed the drink aside, “it won’t do anything to bring back my parents or my sisters.”

Mrs. Cake sighed, “I know it won’t, but I made it just for you; please.”

I lifted my head for the time being and took a look at the glass as a single drop of water dripped from the side. It looked cold, which was perfect for a time like this. She nodded her head and turned away, calling out to her husband, Mr. Cake, to let him know that I would be once again taking residence. I reached over to the glass and took a sip; it tasted of strawberries and cotton candy. It was a somewhat strange, but delightful mixture. I gave a happy smile,

“Thank you, Mrs. Cake.”

She smiled back, taking the glass from me and placing it on the counter, “it’s no problem, Pinkie. You’re a dear friend here; you’ve done a lot to make this place what it is.”

Mr. Cake walked downstairs and gave off a grin large enough for a pony to see across the street, “Pinkie! So glad to see you again! How was your trip?”

Mrs. Cake froze as the tears once again flooded my eyes.

“My trip was,” I choked, “fine.”

Mr. Cake, as confused as he was, immediately understood the second he turned toward his wife who had been giving him the “cut” signal since he walked downstairs. He coughed, “well, you’re more than welcome to stay here for as long as you want.”

“Thank you,” I smiled, “I mean it.”

They stood together like all happy couples; it was the only thing that made me feel the slightest bit of happiness. I longed for a companionship like that as of now; I believed it was important for a pony to find someone before they died.

“Before they died? Why would you think that?”

“Everypony knows it happens eventually, it’s all a matter of time before we all drop to the floor.”

“What changed your way of thinking so fast? If you thought as you do, your parents’ death would not have mattered.”

I choked again, holding back the tears as best as I could; I didn’t want to cry in front of the only friends I have left. Mr. and Mrs. Cake began to show their discomfort as I nervously shook in my chair, “Why would you bring that up? Can’t you see I am trying to cope with such thoughts?”

“It is clearly on your mind, yes, but nopony will never accept you as a friend if you constantly think they will all die in due time.”

“It is nothing but the mere truth.”

“Perhaps, but it is also a sad fate that some ponies would not like to acknowledge.”

I sighed, standing up and making my way upstairs. Mrs. Cake smiled nervously,

“Your room is exactly how you left it. You’re more than welcome to stay here for as long as you want. Feel free to come back down as soon as you get hungry! I’d be more than willing to cook something up for you.”

I silently gave a thankful smile and opened the door to my room; they were right, my room was exactly how I left it. Nothing had changed; not even the bedding had changed. I threw myself upon the bed; it was as comfortable as ever.

“Sometimes it’s best to realize a sad truth than live knowing a happy lie.”

“Yes, but many would like to live that lie until the end. Some would rather prefer to solve problems as problems arise.”

I coughed; it was impossible to win this battle. I would like to have thought I had won it before, but that itself would be a lie. I rolled on my side; I had only been here a day and I was already starting to feel miserable. I wish I had left Ponyville forever, but something drew me back; I could’ve chosen any town in Equestria, but I chose this one.

“Yes… why did you choose to return to Ponyville?”

“You told me to; who am I to argue?”

“You never had to listen to me; you could’ve ignored me and did as your heart desired.”

“I could? Would you not pester me until you got what you wanted?”

“An older me would have done so, yes. But with your happiness within me, I don’t feel cruelty would be the right approach.”

There was a warm glow within me as he spoke. A glow that was soon followed by a bright light coming from my window.

“What is that? Check the window.”

I wanted to try out this whole, “disobedience” idea, but I was the one who agreed with him. I jumped out of bed and ran toward the window, seeing a giant plume of smoke rise from Twilight’s castle. It was the second time I had seen such a phenomena; I wondered if she would be alright. I wanted to believe that she would be so I could stay indoors, but the audible screaming from across town suggested otherwise. It sounded like her; I knew it was her. I ran downstairs and slid across the floor as I burst through the door.

“Leaving so soon?” Asked Miss Cake, “we can talk about this if you want.”

I shook my head, “Twilight’s in trouble; we have to do something!”

Miss Cake looked as worried as I was, “bring her in if you find her! Be careful! These ponies are not the same as when you first left!”

I nodded, acknowledging the knowledge I had just received. I sprinted toward the castle as fast as I could,

“Please be okay… please be okay…”

“Why do you still care for her after what you assume she did?”

“I may be unhappy, but I am not heartless.”

“Fair enough.”

I skid across the dirt as the castle came into view. It was nothing more than a pile of ashes with a few small sparks of fire still dancing upon the dead branches of the fallen tree. I called out to the ponies rioting,

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?”

One of the ponies stopped, “we’ve found one of them! Get her and skin her where she stands!”

My heart dropped to the floor as the mob ran toward me at full speed. I quickly scanned the crowd, “There’s too many; how will I outrun them?”

“You can start by actually running.”

I coughed, “yeah… right.”

I broke into a sprint toward Sweet Apple Acres; it was the only open space I could think of. I weaved through town as I avoided the heavy fire of rocks, pitchforks and other household appliances that weighed more than a couple pounds. I wasn’t sure I was going to make it, but the voice in my head told me otherwise. I had to stay determined for my own sake and survival. Tears streamed down my face as I thought of Twilight’s suffering. I needed to get away from these ponies; I needed to break free. As the farm grew closer and closer, I took as many sharp turns as possible, but they were persistent. They shouted nasty comments that fazed me into slowing down until I came to a dead halt. I was at the edge of Sweet Apple Acres.

“Why would you say these things? What has Twilight done to you to make you hate her so?”

A heavy rain broke out all over Equestria; it poured like none before. A pony stepped forward, it was who I assumed to be the leader. He spoke out,

“She is the one who abuses the Equestrian Laws and denies any credibility! She destroys the relationship between us and our neighboring pegasi. We can’t fight against an entire race!”

I lowered my head as the rain soaked my mane, “no, you can’t fight against an entire race, but it’s always worth trying. Killing the leader of your military force because you can’t fight on your own won’t help you in anything; it’ll make your situation worse.”

Another pony cried out from the audience which was then followed by another and another. Soon enough, the entire mob had fired up again and was now parading past me to Applejack’s barn. I sighed as they all walked past me,

“I failed…”

“No, you didn’t. You were smart enough to create a diversion for you to get to Twilight. Now, run to her. You are right, they cannot fight the Pegasi alone.”

I nodded and ran toward the castle as fast as my hooves could take me. I sincerely hoped that Twilight was okay or at least alive. She had to be; she was important to Equestria. I knew she would do great things for Equestria, she had to. As the mud began to slow my hooves, I eventually made my way to the remains of the castle where Spike could be seen caressing Twilight’s injured body.

“Spike!”

He immediately looked up with teary eyes, “Pinkie? Is that you?”

I nodded and looked at Twilight’s body; she mumbled in her sleep as even I could tell the pain was too much for her. I felt sorry for her; she had done so much to keep this land from falling down, yet here I was standing over her injured body.

“Will she die?”

“Not if you take her and care for her. Bring her back to the house; the Cakes will understand.”

Spike cried out loud as he tried to brush what was left of Twilight’s sindged mane. More tears rolled down my face, moistening the pre-existing dried ones.

“Twilight?”

I turned around as quickly as possible, finding myself face to face with another pony. I didn’t trust anypony anymore. There were too many bad ponies in Equestria to separate the good from evil. As cross as I was, I demanded that the figure states his business.

“I was assigned by Celestia to watch over Twilight. She looks ghastly; will she be alright?”

I held in all my anger; I wanted to blow up in his face, “well? Does she look alright? Come here,” I pushed the pony aside until he was staring at her face to face, “she has a side wound deep enough to fit a small filly inside, her mane is burned to a crisp and her eyes have been completely sindged off. Do you think she’s going to be ‘alright’?”

The pony’s jaw dropped as I examined every scratch of Twilight; she was my friend and it was my duty to take care of her. He, on the other hoof, was speechless. I scanned him up and down,

“What’s your name, stranger?”

He shook his head, leaving the trance I had put him in, “my name? Oh! My name is Flash Sentry and as I said, I was assigned by Celestia herself to guard and protect Princess Twilight.”

I loosened up; I knew the name well. He was the captain of the royal guard up in the Crystal Kingdom. Despite this new piece of news, I was not amused, “you seem to be doing such a great job protecting her! Just look at all the progress you’ve made!”

I pointed toward her miserable soon-to-be corpse. He had an unforgettably guilty expression on his face. His head lowered; I knew as well as he did that there was no way to prevent this.

“I’m sorry,” he stated, wiping a tear from his face, “I wanted no part of this.”

He began to walk away as though he had done all he could. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing; there was no way he was giving up,

“Where are you going? You still have a job to do!”

He turned around with a fiery glow in his eyes, “I’m going home! No, I don’t have a job anymore. This was my last assignment from Princess Celestia and afterward, I’m retiring; no questions asked. I’ve been in this game for far too long, and I want out!”

He threw down his helmet and walked away with undeniable rage. It seemed as though even I couldn’t stop him in his tracks.

“Talk to him; you need him more than you think.”

“Wait…” he stopped as I collected myself, “I’m sorry.”

He snorted, “that’s the first time anypony’s said anything like that to me in a while, but that still doesn’t change my mi-”

“I need help more than you’d think. Twilight is in trouble and we both need your help. You’re the only connection to the royal guard that we have right now. We need you more now than ever. Please, help us.”

He looked around nervously, his eyes stopping at Spike, who was now crying over Twilight’s bloodied body. He sighed, “alright; what do you need?”

I wanted to smile, but even I knew it wasn’t the time for such things, “we need to bring Twilight inside to Sugarcube Corner; I have a residence there.”

Flash held up a hoof and pulled out a large white towel big enough to be a tablecloth from a satchel he had been wearing. I nodded as we elegantly laid it out beside Twilight, rolling her onto it as soon as we deemed it fit. Spike stood up for the first time in about thirty minutes and wiped the tears from his eyes. I nodded toward him as we slowly pulled Twilight’s moaning body toward Sugarcube Corner where Miss Cake had been waiting patiently for us to return. Flash began to look uneasy about the whole situation; it was clear that I wasn’t the only one being affected by Twilight’s moaning. She spoke highly of Canterlot, repeating the name over and over; I began to wonder why she would want to go back after all that happened there.

“She wants to go back; isn’t it clear?”

“It is, but why would she want to go back? She was almost killed there and returning to the jaws of death is a move not even Daring Do would want to take part in.”

“True, it is a bit absurd.”

Mrs. Cake hurried us inside as she desperately held the door open. She quickly ran inside and grabbed a small white handkerchief, wetting it before she placed it on Twilight’s forehead.

“Is she going to be alright?” Curiously asked Miss Cake, “I don’t what would happen if we lost her.”

I nodded toward her, “I think she’ll be fine,” Flash shot me a look of concern; I nervously smiled, “she’s just a little… broken. We just need to fix her up.”

Cries of ponies could be heard outside; I was afraid they had come to look for Twilight. I shot a look at Miss Cake, telling her to close the door as fast as she could, which she understood. The lights in the shop grew dimmer as the storm had grown more serious than anypony could have predicted.

“Was this a plague brought on by the Pegasi?”

“There is no doubt about it. Focus on Twilight’s wounds; she needs you more than the lights.”

I nodded to myself, puzzling both Mrs. Cake and Flash. I turned toward Miss Cake, “get some candles for Twilight; we need as much light as possible.”

She ran into the kitchen, panting heavily as she brought out three small candles made of sweet-scented wax. It was embarrassing to use such fragrances at a time like this, but there were no other options available to us. Out from silence came a scream that showed true pain; it was Twilight. She was conscious but too weak to be mobile. She screamed loudly and all I could think of was to put a hoof on her lips as I spoke in a soft tone,

“Shh, it’s going to be alright.”

Miss Cake, startled by the sudden outburst, began to jitter her hooves, “will she? Based on that scream, I’d say she’s as good as gone!”

Flash, showing all the patience he could, tried his hardest to answer calmly, “I’m afraid she’s been through a lot. The damages she’s encountered are beyond extreme; there’s a chance she may never fully recover from her injuries.”

Miss Cake didn’t seem convinced, “so will she live? Will she die on my floor? I’m not sure I could live with that!”

I snorted; Flash glared at me before calmly answering again, “she will live only if we believe she can. Hope is half the battle, Mrs. Cake.”

My eyes widened as Twilight turned her head toward Spike, who had been gently rubbing her scalp the entire time. Twilight began to mutter words to him, words that were inaudible to us. Spike jumped to his claws as he paced around the room, “she’s awake! She’s awake!” He’d call out, jumping for joy.

The burned body coughed out to us, reaching her hoof toward Spike, which he immediately grabbed, “w-where am I?” Cried the body.

Flash raised a hoof before I could speak, leaning over her body, he spoke softly into her ear, “this is Sugarcube Corner; Pinkie and I brought you here to hide from the rest of the rampaging ponies.”

“Subtle,” I snorted at him; he glared back. Twilight was oblivious to everything in the room; it seemed as though she was blinded by her injuries,

“Where is everypony?” Her voice was raspy beyond belief; she could hardly speak as her mouth filled with blood. She coughed, “Where are my friends? Where is Applejack?”

Flash gave me a nervous look; he wasn’t sure what to say. He carefully bent over her, now kneeling, he whispered into her ear, “Applejack is gone, we haven’t seen her since she left several hours ago. Pinkie Pie is here with me; she helped me bring you in. Rarity as far as we know is gone. I’m sorry.”

Twilight’s legs began to move as she struggled to stand. I quickly ran to her side and held her down, repeating the same words over and over, “don’t move; it’s going to be alright,” and “you need to rest, stay here.”

Twilight cringed as I pressed against the cuts in her legs; she called out to Flash, “who are you? What do you want from me? Why can’t you let me be? Where are my friends?”

Flash tried to act as though he was under control. He smiled and laughed nervously, “heh, Twilight, you know me! I’m, uh, you know… Flash!”

Twilight left eye blinked rapidly; I glanced at Flash who had noticed the same strange phenomena. Twilight’s right eye teared up,

“Flash? Is that you?”

Flash blushed as though he had rehearsed the response, “that it is!”

Twilight shook her head in denial, “Flash? What are you doing in Canterlot business? Aren’t you supposed to be in the Crystal Kingdom’s Royal Guard? Why would you be taking orders to protect me? Who sent you?”

Flash smiled and laughed in his same silly fashion, “one at a time, Twilight. My orders came from Celestia; yes, it’s strange, but I’m afraid with the way things are changing in Equestria it would be more than normal to understand that. Celestia passed a law that Princess Cadence was forced to agree to; it was the unity of the two armies. So now I work for both Princesses; pretty cool, huh?”

She obliviously nodded toward him and turned toward me, who was still holding her down as best as I could,

“Pinkie Pie? What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be on the farm?”

The color in my face drained to my hooves; I didn’t want to answer. I stared at her awkwardly,

“Do I really have to answer this? What would she benefit from me by telling her the truth?”

“She’s worried about you; tell her the truth. She will understand.”

“No, she won’t. I’m certain of that. She doesn’t understand death as I do. At least, not first-hoof.”

“She may not understand death, but she knows suffering more than anypony you know. Look at the state she’s in,” I did as I was told; I stared into her painful eyes. It was a pain that could not relate to; I had no idea what she was feeling, “she knows pain more than you. Of course she would understand.”

I wiped a tear from my face, “t-they didn’t make it.”

Twilight’s face grew more serious as she tried her best to sit up; I didn’t stop her. I watched as the sludge-like blood detached itself from the towel and clung to her wings,

“What?” She cried in disbelief; I didn’t want to talk about it, “what do you mean, Pinkie?”

I looked around, trying to think of the best lie. I knew it would be pointless but I gave it a shot anyway, “there was an accident, they fell off a cliff located beside their home. They didn’t survive the fall.”

She shook her head in denial, “there’s no way…”

“I know; it was a tragedy,” I cut her off before she said my story was unbelievable in a reasonable sense. She shook her head again,

“Your whole family died in a fall? Every one of them?”

I began to cry, “yes.”

Twilight lifted her hoof, crying in pain as she placed it upon my own. She turned toward Flash, who was weeping loudly in his own hooves. She weakly smiled as she tried to stand up; I tried to give her all the support I could. Before she could get a good standing on the ground, she slipped and fell back again in a puddle of blood, sweat and tears. She cringed as the floorboard hit against her wounded wings. She turned toward Flash, “need a hoof?” She cried.

Flash wiped the tears from his face and turned toward me, nodding. I gave a determined smile and nodded toward Spike who had settled down to see what was going on. Together, the three of us lifted Twilight to her hooves as she struggled to stand. Her wings opened as small droplets of blood sprayed across the room. Her knees shook restlessly as she looked toward Flash, who had stood back to see her stand from a distance. She rolled her eyes as best as she could,

“C-Canterlot. W-We need to get to C-Canterlot. P-Please, Flash. W-Will you c-carry me there?”

Flash snapped out of his faze and patriotically called out, “yes, m’lady!” He turned toward Spike and I, “will you help Twilight upon my back?”

I smiled, “of course! Spike?”

He saluted in a comical manner; we both rolled our eyes as we both knew it wasn’t the time for such games.

With much trouble, the two of us lifted Twilight’s struggling body onto Flash Sentry’s back as he marched out of Sugarcube Corner. Spike, of course, trailed along. His duty to Twilight was too great of a responsibility to be matched with any other task. Flash turned around as he waved to Miss Cake,

“Pinkie? Will you be joining us?” He’d ask with wonder. I nodded my head as I knew Canterlot was not the place for me. I had done all I could to help Twilight; I saved her life and that was enough for me,

“I’m sorry, but I can’t come. I’ve had some things to take care of.”

He nodded, understandingly as he made his way to Canterlot. Spike supported Twilight’s body as she nearly fell off balance.

“Why didn’t you go along? Is it really the truth what you say about your duty? You say you are a friend to Twilight, but is that really true? Would a friend stop there to support her?”

I sighed having not thought my decision through, “No, it wasn’t right, but I cannot join them. I have no place in Canterlot. They need to walk their path while I walk mine; I would only slow them down.”

“So that’s how you feel about all of this? Would you simply ‘slow them down’? Surely you must regret your decision!”

“I do regret my decision, but I am afraid it is the only decision to be made.”

I closed the door to the sad little bakery; Miss Cake was already working on cleaning up the bloodied mess on the floor.

“You aren’t going to join your friends?” She asked, pondering the thought. I myself didn’t know why I didn’t want to join the rest,

“how could I possibly explain something I didn’t know the answer to?”

“No, I’m not going; I don’t belong there.”

She gasped, “what do you mean, Pinkie? Of course, you are destined to be with them! They are your friends and you should help them out!”

“No,” I snapped, “no, I don’t! They have their own business to attend to and I have mine!”

I walked upstairs, regretful of the words I had said. I could hear Miss Cake’s regretful sighs as she mopped the floor. She began to whisper to herself as she cleaned, making me feel guiltier than before.

I closed the door behind me as I laid myself into bed,

“Did I make the right decision? Should I really have left my friends to fend for themselves? Then again, would I have been a useful asset in the first place?”

“That was a choice that you made on your own; I had no part in it. All I can say is that you are the only one who can determine whether or not it was right.”

“Perhaps, but how would it have turned out if I had gone along with them?”

“Who knows? You could have helped Twilight regain her throne, you could have succeeded her throne, or you could have died along the road. There is nothing that could have changed that.”

“Why is this all happening to me and my friends? What happened to the ponies who used to be so kind to each other?”

“Things change as time flies by; how a pony perceives them is dependent on you.”

“Is everypony like this? Or is it just my friends and me? What will happen to Cloudsdale? Will they claim victory?”

“Time itself can answer many of those questions. How many answers you expect will depend on how long you wait for them. Cloudsdale is a strong city, but from what you’ve seen, I know that the Unicorn Alliance will be victorious having a strong leader and friendship in charge of it.”

I sat up in my bed; the sun was setting and I was growing restless. I had been having a bad feeling ever since I brought Twilight back to Sugarcube Corner.

“Where are my friends? Where are they as of now?”  

“That is a question that you will have to answer on your own. Fear not, your answer will find you before you find it.”

Puzzled, I rolled out of bed and sat on the floor; there was no point in sleeping now.

“Will you not rest?”

“No, there’s is no point to it. How can I rest when I know that I will be haunted by my family’s spirit? Where would be the sensibility in that?”

His voice changed to a calmer and more understanding tone; he understood as well as I did the meaning of loss.

“If you will not rest then neither will I.”

I laughed, “you don’t need rest; all you need is a host to live on.”

“I have wandered many dates without a host. How is it that only now I need a host but never before?”

“I don’t know how you will respond without a host. Would you then be considered a wandering spirit again?”

For the first time since I had awoken from the hospital, there was silence. I treasured the moment greatly as I smiled and walked around the room with the slightest bit of joy. I felt as though a ten-pound weight had been lifted off my head as I waltz downstairs and greeted the world. Miss Cake, confused now more than ever, tried her best to understand,

“Pinkie? What’s going on? Are you alright?”

My mind was numbed from Silverhoove’s dwelling, I repeated the same phrase over and over, “I can think! I can think! I can think!”

Miss Cake rubbed her chin and fixed her hair nervously, “what do you mean, ‘you can think’? What happened to you upstairs?”

I wanted to explain it all to her; there was no shame in doing so. I took a deep breath and tried my best to word everything out so that she could understand. I watched as her expression changed from confused, to worried, to confused once more. When I finished, I was greeted by acceptance. She smiled and put a hoof over my shoulder,

“Thank you, Pinkie.”

I cocked my head to the left, “what for? I didn’t do anything.”

She nodded her head with disagreement, “no, Pinkie. You did everything; I finally understand what’s been going on with you. If only you told me before; thank you for opening up, Pinkie.”

She gave a hearty laugh, “Pinkie, get some sleep; you deserve it more than anypony in Equestria.”

I walked upstairs but I didn’t go to sleep; I paced about the room wondering whether or not she was being sincere.

“Why would she laugh like that? Does she really believe me?”

I waited, expecting a response, but alas, none came. I smiled and continued to waltz around the room. Jumping into bed, I closed the curtains behind my bed post. For the first time since I left the hospital, I was going to get some real sleep.

It was Ponyville. The Ponyville that I used to live in with happiness; a time when harmony was still a powerful force. I looked at the similar building designs; it was before the massive expansion. There were familiar faces everywhere; I could even recall the names of my neighbors. There I stood, standing in the doorway of what I assumed to be Sugarcube Corner. Ponies walked to and from their destinations with warm smiles as they spoke with one another. I began to feel in my chest, a light, as the sight pleased me.

“Pinkie!” Called Miss Cake. She didn’t show anger, but instead, satisfaction, “Pinkie, we need you at the counter!”

I smiled and turned around, “no problem, Mrs. Cake”

I hummed a happy tune, “was this real?” I thought to myself as Fluttershy walked into the bakery. Surprised, she smiled,

“Oh! Pinkie! How do you do?”

I laughed, “I’m wonderful! You?”

She looked down and shuffled her hooves, “oh, I’m fine.”

My jaw dropped as the room, turned pitch black with the exception of Fluttershy’s beady red eyes glowing with a sense of wonder. Fluttershy tilted her head,

“Pinkie? Are you alright?” She spoke with her signature soft tone; color resumed with the blink of an eye. I shook my head; confused, she tried to answer her own question, “no?”

Rarity charged into the room, holding up a piece of paper, “Pinkie! I need an order!”

I laughed nervously, “of course! What do you need?”

The color drained from the two ponies’ faces as Fluttershy dropped to the ground, limp and gray. Rarity’s arms were lifted with the help of a puppeteer’s key and threads. Her mouth opened with the scent of rotting bread, “your life.”

I blinked, rubbing my eyes furiously as Rarity softly spoke, a hint of concern in her voice, “Pinkie? Did you get all that? I need a triple-layered white frosting cake, decorated with the shiniest looking blue finish you can muster!”

I stared into oblivion, dazed by the order, “how soon do you need it?”

Rarity gasped with horror, “oh! I need it by tomorrow! Please tell me you can finish it in time!”

I couldn’t believe my ears, “A triple layered cake with a full sapphire finish by tomorrow? That was nearly impossible! Even with my set of skills, there was no way I could get it done by tomorrow afternoon!”

“I’d be happy to help you,” coughed Fluttershy, “but if you don’t need me, I’d understand that too.”

I nodded happily, “I need all the hooves I can get!”

Fluttershy blushed as she continued to shuffle her hooves,

“What’s going on in here?” Exclaimed Twilight as she walked into the room, “oh! Hi there, Pinkie! What are you three up to?”

Twilight looked younger and did not have the honor of carrying wings; I looked around the room nervously, still fazed by Rarity’s extensive order, “oh, Twilight! You’re just in time! I need help! I’ve got to fill out this order for Rarity’s party tomorrow and I need to bake a triple-layered, sapphire finished cake! It needs to be done by tomorrow afternoon!”

Twilight looked around the room at her friends; she apologized, “sorry, Pinkie. I’m a bit busy this weekend; I’m afraid I can’t help you.”

I was furious, but in a way, I understood what she meant. She was a very busy pony and even if she wasn’t a princess, she always had things to do. My neck arched downward as my head sank to the floor, “oh, okay. I understand; I can’t keep you waiting then! I’ll see you at the party?”

Twilight graciously smiled, “of course! There’s no doubt about it!”

She left the store without a rush in the world; I was happy for her. Rarity, however, was a different story. I wasn’t mad at her, but I could see her stress levels rising above her limit. She had a million things to plan, her hooves jittered about as she rapidly paced about the room,

“I’ll see you tomorrow, darling! Make sure it’s exactly as I ordered!”

I smiled and waved her goodbye, “don’t worry about it, Rarity! I’ll make sure it’s better than what you ordered!”

She shot me a cautious look before sprinting out of the shop, repeatedly reminding herself of all things she to have planned by tomorrow. Fluttershy calmly smiled, “is there anything you need me to do?” She’d say. I rubbed my chin; I needed to get this finished in a jiffy, but I wasn’t sure how to begin. Beginning a project was always the hardest part of making anything. I glanced at Fluttershy,

“Do you remember what kind of flavor Rarity wanted for the inside of the cake?”

Fluttershy thought for a second before answering, “actually, she didn’t say anything about what flavor. All she said was that she wanted a white frosting on the outside of the cake.”

“Exactly!” I snapped as I darted outside, “what’s better flavor than apples?”

“Um…” she thought about it long and hard, “what about cotton candy? Isn’t that one of your favorites?”

I stared at Fluttershy with disappointment; she retreated into her regular shy self as I glared her down, “oh, uh, sorry.”

I smiled, slapping her on the back as she gave a little yelp, “don’t worry about it, Fluttershy! We just need to talk to Applejack and see if she’ll lend us a few dozen apples!”

“A few… dozen?” There was a hint of concern in Fluttershy’s voice as she spoke. I could see she was dreading the way back, “how are we going to get the apples back to Sugarcube Corner?”

I laughed, “we carry them, of course! How else?”

“Oh… of course.”

Together, the two of us walked past the smiling civilians as Sweet Apple Acres grew larger in the distance. The sounds of apple bucking could be heard from the edge of town; it filled me with excitement knowing I was finally met with a baking challenge. Fluttershy trailed behind me, dreading the heavy load she was most likely going to carry on her own. Applejack stood along the side of the road, counting the apples present on a tree growing behind a fence. Curious, I asked her what she was up to; she smiled, “well howdy th’r, Pinkie! What c’n I do ya’ for?”

From my hair, I pulled out a single piece of paper and presented it to Applejack, her face blushing as she read it. My hoof began to cramp as I held it, the trees changed to a shade of deep red. Applejack looked up from the paper, her mane was a brilliantly colored purple color that Twilight would’ve envied. Her coat was a neon blue and her hair ribbon darker so. Although it wasn’t the hair or the coat that disturbed me, it was her eyes. They were a deep black color that looked as though somepony could get lost in them. Within her eyes was deep, dark red stain that corresponded with both irises. I shook my head as Applejack presented her confusion; I rubbed my eyes,

“Uh, Pinkie?” Questioned Applejack, looking nervously toward Fluttershy, “are ya’ al’ight there?”

Fluttershy expressed her concern, “Pinkie, is this cake thing too much for you? I’m sure Rarity would understand if you want to cancel the order.”

I shook my head violently, “no, it’s fine. I’ll get the cake done before she can ask me again; I’m sure of it!”

Applejack pushed her hat back, “well, if ‘ya want t’ah start bak’n now, I’d suggest ‘ya start now. So what’s it gonna be? Do you want ‘yer apples now? Er lat’r?”

I snapped out of it, “I’ll take ‘em now, if ya don’t mind,” I winked. Applejack smiled and walked through the gate,

“‘Ya comin’?” She opened the gate with a swift wave of the tail; I nodded toward Fluttershy as she sighed with loathful sorrow. Applejack lead us through all the trees in the orchard until we found ourselves standing outside the barn. She opened the door where she then stopped, turned around before she nervously winked. I shrugged as Applejack lowered her hat, “uh… do ya’ mind stay’n out ‘er for a sec’ while I go get the apples?”

I glanced toward Fluttershy; she didn’t seem to have a problem with it, after all, Applejack was willing to grant us several apples use for free. It would be rather rude to expect more from a generous act. We nodded; Applejack smiled and closed the door behind her. Fluttershy and I awkwardly stared at each other, shuffling our hooves in the dirt as a short raspy cry came from above the barn. I raised a hoof above my eyes to block the sun; it was Rainbow Dash who was falling towards us at the speed of light. Fluttershy panicked, pushing me out of the way before the two of us got hurt. During that time where I was suspended in the air, grasped firmly by Fluttershy’s softened hooves, I noticed the trees returning to their reddish state. Rainbow Dash’s fall began slowly as her head impacted the ground. Her neck bent hard against the ground as it slowly arched over, ultimately snapping in half. Rainbow Dash’s eyes grew larger as the pressure began to build up with each on popping out of their sockets like small discolored grapes. The blood poured from her neck as it splashed against the dirt, moistening it like a florist's flower bed. My eyes widened as I watched everything unfold,

“What’s happening?” I thought to myself as I the horrors came to reality. I closed my eyes to shield myself from anything else that could happen only to land upon the ground with Fluttershy atop me. She rolled off and ran to Rainbow Dash who was, to my surprise, alive and well. I rubbed the back of my neck,

“What’s going on? I saw you crash, and, and…”

Rainbow Dash laughed, cracking her back as if it were cool, “heh, don’t worry about me, Pinkie. I’m fine with not a scratch.”

She walked away limping; Fluttershy raised an unconvinced brow. Dash gave an unflattered smile, “heh,” she laughed. With that, she walked off the orchard toward town. Waving goodbye, she called back to us, “I’ll see you on the flip side, got it?”

I cupped my mouth, “see ya’, Rainbow Dash!”

She raised a hoof, leaving it suspended for a second before bringing it back down. Applejack opened the door, but as she opened her mouth, she paused; everything paused.

“Did you enjoy my absence?”

I could feel all the happiness drain from me, “what?”

Fluttershy and everypony around us seemed cold and still. I couldn’t believe it was over, “why would you do this?”

“To see how you would react if I ever left, of course. Once I saw that you were having a pleasant dream, I couldn’t resist dropping by and giving my salutations.”

“Well now that you’ve given them, can you put everything back in their place?”

There was a wild laugh from above me, “What would be the fun in that? Didn’t you miss me? Nopony to talk to, alone in your room with no one but me? Don’t you miss that?”

I thought about it; I actually was starting to miss him. He had a point; I was very much alone.

“Now, that wasn’t so hard was it? Let’s go back to life and leave this land of dread forever. You don’t want to know what was in store for you.”

“Why? What am I missing? Was there more a purpose to this dream than the melted images of my friends?”

“Of course! There is a reason for everything a pony does, but let’s just say that this was a dream you did not want to see the ending to.”

I awoke in a pool of sweat; I sat upright in my bed, alone as always. The room was dark with my curtains drawn. I called out to the spirit,

“Hello? Are you still there?”

I waited for a response, but none came. I heard the front door open and close; I began to panic.

“Hide. I’ll explain everything when you do.”

I looked around the room as fast as I could, eventually looking toward the closet on the opposite end of the room. I dove in, “what is going on?”

“The dream you had was going to tell you your fate; I never imagined it would come this soon.”

“What is going to happen to me?”

The floorboards in the hallway outside my door began to creak as I began to sweat, “was this the end?”

“Your death is soon and no matter where you hide, you will not survive.”

My mind began to run in circles as my bedroom door slowly opened and a single figure appeared from the darkness. I couldn’t think straight; I didn’t want it to.end. I wanted to see Twilight succeed; I wanted to do more; I wanted a second chance. I closed my eyes, covering them with my hooves, “what can I do to prevent this?”

The voice in my head grew quieter as though he was in the room, hiding from the predator beside me, “there is but one solution; you can become like me.”

“Split my soul and wander the trees for an eternity? I don’t think so.”

“Yes, but you will live for another thousand dates; you will live until your host dies.”

I weighed my options, jumping when Mrs. Cake burst through the door, turning on the lights. She yelled at the top of her lungs while I did my best to ignore her.

“If I die, what will happen to you? You’ve wasted your time with me! Now I will die live on and you will forever be in silence!”

“My time was worth it, but you have a duty to fulfill. You, Pinkamena, must take on my task and follow the legends as they were. You will watch Equestria grow into something more! You will get that privilege! Is that not what you want?”

I nodded to what seemed like myself. All I’ve ever wanted to do was help my friends and watch them grow. I wanted to make them smile and remember the good times we had. The catch was that I too wanted to remember those times. I wanted to be a part of the experience; I was always doing out of ordinary activities to show that I was different, that the absurd is the most memorable. Nopony would forget my deeds for as long as they lived. I had done it; I had made my mark in Equestria. Now it was my time to help others grow; I had the chance to show others my true colors for their own good. I could grant the wishes of others; I was ready to uphold that responsibility. I nodded once more,

“I will do the task that will be put upon me.”

“Good, you are prepared. Now, face your fears!”

I stood up, opening the closet door to find myself face to face with none other than Applejack. She was dressed in a dark blue cloak with a small shiny blade pressed against Mrs. Cake’s neck. Mr. Cake stood in the back, behind my bed crying for his life as his wife’s life was in danger. I closed my eyes as I prepared my speech,

“Hello, Applejack.”

Applejack dropped Miss Cake as she scurried toward her husband. Applejack cruelly smiled at me; she readied her small blade,

“Pinkie Pie! How nice to see you! How’ve you been?”

I turned away from her as she slowly walked toward me, “I know what you’re here for, Applejack. Just get it over with.”

She stopped, nodding her head, “no, I want this moment to last as long as possible. You’ve got a long death ahead of you.”

Miss Cake began to cry, “I’m so sorry, Pinkie. We had no idea you were in trouble. If we knew, we would have done more to protect you.”

Applejack turned to glare at her; I stood still to show no weakness, “don’t worry, Mrs. Cake, I didn’t know either.”

“Should I fight back? Would there be a point to it?”

“No, let your fate ride you until the end.”

“Just get it over with,” I sighed, “I want no more of this.”

Applejack hesitated as I turned around and lowered my head. Closing my eyes, I began to cry. The soft droplets that hit the wood echoed throughout the room. Applejack put a hoof on my shoulder as she raised the other above my head. I sighed once more, “is this really what you’re meant to do in this world? Kill your friends? End their lives and walk away as though you did a good deed?”

Applejack viciously jerked my head, “what do you know of purpose? All you do is prance around in your underwear and expect ponies to laugh at you. What have you done to contribute to Equestria? Nothing! You’ve done NOTHING!”

I lowered my head as a sharp click reigned throughout the room, “I’ve done more than you.”

She stopped to process the words before laughing, “is that so? Tell me then, what have you done to change Equestria? What have you contributed to this dying land?”

“I have witnessed a suicide, killed a friend, died only to become resurrected again, saved a friend and now I will live forever as an immortal force. What’s on your resume?”

She laughed it off, “you lie, Pinkamena. You’re really over-shooting your chances of survival. At this rate, you’ll be dead before you know it.”

“I never asked you to stop. I’ve accepted my fate, but what about you? Do you know how you will die? I certainly do,” I bluffed, luckily it worked. I could almost see Applejack blushing from behind me. I asked but one more question before I braced,

“So answer me, is this really what you were meant to do?”

Applejack raised her hoof high above her head and brought it down upon me, puncturing my neck, “yes.”

A stream of tears rained from my eyes, but I did not yell. I could feel the blood pouring from my neck as Applejack walked away from me, leaving the room and the shop with a feeling of “job well done”. Mr. and Mrs. Cake ran to me screaming loud enough for Canterlot to hear them. They had lost someone they loved and I shared their pain. My vision began to fade as they embraced me as tight as they could. Silverhoove was right; there was no way I could survive this. I accepted my pain and I thrived above all else. My tears were unstoppable, but my cries were silent. I closed my eyes knowing I had defeated my enemy.

“So here you stand. Welcome to my point of view.”

It was a starry void that reached to the depths of space. Small shards of light glowed around me as I tried to imagine living here for eternity. I sighed, “how long do you have?”

He sighed and for the first time, I could see him. His looks were indescribable; his face matched no others, his mane was pure silver and his cutie mark was no more than a shadow upon his flank, “I do not have long,” he echoed, “you must now take my place and forever remember your friends. I am sorry I did not tell you about your fate earlier. It didn’t seem like the time to bring up death while you were still mourning about your parents.”

I nodded my head, “I understand; there is no need to apologize. I will take your place and wait under the pool of those unfortunate to find it. There I will serve anypony who finds me and I will then grant them their heart’s desire. Silverhoove, you are relieved.”

Silverhoove bowed to me before fading away into oblivion, “I thank you, Pinkamena Diane Pie. You have taught me more than I could have imagined.”

“Then it shall begin.”