It had been a long time Twilight saved the world. It simply wasn’t in danger as much these days. She’d seen to that.

Nopony smiled at her when she walked down the street anymore. They didn’t like her crown. When she told ponies about how she’d discovered her special talent for magic, they’d correct her. They’d say her special talent was technically for sorcery. Magic was kind of an outdated term.

She didn’t understand why she’d had to apologize on the news for calling Cloudsdale a pegasus city. She didn’t understand why saying everypony should have a few good books was tone-deaf. She didn’t understand why ponies were outraged at cameras in public spaces, then recorded every second of their days and posted them online.

When she told little foals that friendship was magic, they rolled their eyes.

There were good things in the world. She knew better than to think this new generation was just awful. She’d seen them be loving and kind. But somehow, she was never a part of it.

And maybe she’d had a few hard ciders as well.

She stared at herself in the mirror, and held a book to her chest. A modern book. A book that could never have been written in her home era, but that she loved. She wanted to write more like it. She looked in her own eyes, and pictured Ponyville and the old world.

She let go.

Equestria’s princess vanished on a Thursday.