Twilight blinked, her normal bodily sensations suddenly returning her. Yet despite regaining full control of her faculties, she didn't move, merely staring into the space where her reflection should be.

“I’m assuming you found the soul glass during your last battle?” Celestia asked, gesturing to the mirror.

Twilight nodded. “I studied one of the jars in order to discern its soul containment properties and reverse-engineered a mirror that shows individuals and objects that have souls.”

“A commendable invention, Twilight. Do you mind if I bring it back to the castle for study?”

The purple alicorn nodded. “You can, if you answer a question.”

Celestia smiled gently. “Of course, my dear.”

“Do I have… free will?” she asked hesitantly, her gaze falling to her hoof, which she pressed against the glass.

“Sort of.” The alicron sighed. “You have the illusion thereof at least.”

“What exactly do you mean by sort of?”

“You can operate within an accepted set of parameters but to do something truly random is impossible,” Celestia said simply.

Twilight’s heart sank in her chest. “What kind of parameters?”

“Such as the limitation that you cannot do anypony harm unless a refusal to use force would cause more harm.” Twilight’s mind flashed back to the unexpectedly violent reaction she had after discovering that her friends may actually perish. “You also can't harm yourself in any way. There are more, but those two are the most prominent guiding principles that control your actions.”

Twilight stared down at her hoof, conjuring a small blue flame that she moved closer to her limb. Sure enough, the spell dissipated the moment the heat grew too intense, her horn sputtering and the spell falling apart. “This is really happening, isn't it? I’m not a pony, I’m not even alive.”

The alicorn leaned against the sentient spell, extending a wing over her side and pulling her close. “You are alive, Twilight, you simply came into being in a different manner than most individuals.”

White hot anger exploded in the golem’s mind. “I’m not real! Don't you get it! I’m a fake!” The golem lashed out with a hoof, intent on shattering the mirror, only for her hoof to stop an inch before it hit.

“You are not fake. Everything you've experienced since becoming my protege has actually happened and your family does genuinely love you.” Celestia pulled the golem a little closer, squeezing her gently. “Your difference does not define you, Twilight.”

“No!” The golem moved to shove the alicorn back, only to find her hooves lacked the strength to move the alicorn. “I’m nothing! Don't you see? I’m just a thing, an object!”

Celestia sighed, taking a step back to allow the frantically breathing golem the space it desired. “Twilight, please-”

“Don't you dare! You created an entity that is not capable of free will, but gave it enough intelligence to know what its missing. You have no moral high ground here!” Tears of anger streamed down the spell’s face.

The alicorn sighed. “Activate protocol 667, emotional dampening set to twenty-four percent.”

Twilight’s rage bled away, instantly replaced by a growing apathy that clawed at her mind and try as she might she couldn't seem to muster the effort to keep being angry. “Taking away one’s emotions is not the action of a kind pony,” Twilight remarked calmly.

The alicorn winced. “I am sorry about that, Twilight, I will reset it in a moment if you will allow me to speak.” She extended a hoof, which Twilight wearily took. “Twilight, you are like a daughter to me in more ways than you can count, which is why I am giving you a choice, and a moment of clarity to consider such a choice.”

Twilight gripped her former teacher’s hoof tightly, terrified about what she knew was coming next. “What choice?” she asked reluctantly.

“You must decide what you want out of your life. Do you want to continue on with this knowledge of your origin, or would you like me to remove this memory and ensure you wake up never having learned such a secret?” The alicorn smiled, squeezing the sentient spell’s hoof tightly. “No tricks, no programming, you are just as capable of choosing either answer. I promise.”

The deja vu returned with a vengeance, making Twilight consider something she wished she hadn't. With a sigh, she looked up at her creator. “How many times have we done this?”

The alicorn’s features softened. “This would make eight.”

The spell’s features fell slack and she stared off into the distance. “Seven times…” She shook her head slowly. “I choose to forget seven times.”

“You did.” Celestia nodded. “That doesn't mean you can't change that decision now.”

“No.” The golem sighed. “I can't go back to my life knowing what I now know. Even if I did I can't be sure I would ever be happy again.”

The alicorn nodded, pulling the golem into a tight hug, her forelegs squeezing her tightly. “I’m sorry you think that, Twilight, though I know you would find happiness again someday, I will respect your wishes.”

The spell nodded slowly, weakly hugging the alicorn back.

A soft glow began to emanate from the alicorn’s horn, prompting Twilight to close her eyes and wait for the inevitable.

With a flash, the spell fell limp in the alicorn’s embrace. “Activate protocol sixty six. Reset internal clock for forty hours in the past and ready memory for selective erasure.” A solitary tear ran down the alicorn’s face.

Celestia briefly pressed her lips against the golem’s forehead. “Sweet dreams, my daughter.”

A shape stirred in Twilight’s bed, the many covers parting to reveal a bleary eyed purple alicorn. Roused from her slumber hours earlier than usual by a spreading warmth that drew the mare from the confines of her bed. Once free of her too warm blankets, Twilight lay in full view of the morning sun, the light of which felt oddly comforting. The alicorn’s usual dour reaction to waking up early had been dashed, replaced by one of quiet optimism.

Twilight’s smile grew when she glanced out the window, noticing just how beautiful the surrounding countryside was when beheld in the morning light. Memories of the necromancer while still fresh in her mind, seemed to fade as she beheld such a magnificent sunrise.

In the face of such an awe inspiring morning, the alicorn’s smile grew and she knew right then and there, that today was going to be great.

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