The Warm Diary of Twilight Sparkle

by Gweat and Powaful Twixie

Chapters

• The Diary
• The Princess
• The Filly
• The Angel
• The Star
• Epilogue: The Warm Diary of Twilight Sparkle

The Diary

The Diary

The two unicorns passed by shop after shop, far more engaged in each other's company than the worldly fares behind the windows. Rarity had finally convinced Twilight to cut loose and buy something frivolous and unique for herself. However, their conversation soon veered from attainable treasures to fanciful dreams.

"A-a thousand colours...?" Rarity choked out, holding her hoof to her mouth. She scoffed, gasped and generally overreacted, drawing strange looks from nearby patrons. "And you are not just romancing the idea, you truly mean a thousand colours?"

Twilight giggled at her friend as she had an existential crisis over a few stones. "Yes, Rarity, I've seen it myself. That gem looks much deeper than it appears. You can never really see the end of the gem, just more colours and not even just the colours themselves. You see the spirit and life inside each colour. It looks like royal purple from far away, but up close, you see verdant greens, oceanic blues, fiery reds and every colour you can imagine."

"Darling, I can imagine a lot of colours. It's my job..." Rarity said flatly, before resuming her dramatic façade. "But my, oh my, I didn't realize such jewels existed. I suppose the princess would have only the finest stones adorning her royal regalia."

Rarity’s eyes grew wide as she fell into a fantastic reverie. Dazzled by her own imagination, she nearly ran into an oncoming pony.

"An amethyst that glitters the full spectrum as it pours out divine light with only the slightest catalyst.” She swayed. “But to truly know its beauty, one must be dangerously close to it. Oh, the romantic possibilities of such a gem." Rarity blushed a shallow shade of pink from one cheek to another. "If what you say is true--"

"It is," Twilight interjected coolly, breaking her friend’s fall into a self-induced gem coma.

"As I was saying..." She blew off Twilight's minor rudeness. "If what you say is true, I definitely wouldn't mind having such a jewel in my collection."

Rarity scratched her chin. "Dearest Twilight, if it isn't too much trouble, do you suppose you could discover a trivial piece of information for the loving friend who takes you on such exquisite shopping trips? Perhaps to exalt the supplier of such excellence to her Majesty?" She batted her lashes.

Twilight rolled her eyes. "I'll ask, but something tells me they aren't exactly common. The only other gems like it are the ones on Luna's necklace."

"Oh, do tell!" Rarity gave her an enthusiastic nudge.

The store they were passing caught Twilight's interest. "Wait, hold on a second. I want to go in here..."

Rarity approached the store reluctantly. It was nothing like the modern and glamorous stores she wanted to shop. Now that she looked around, she realized they had drifted off the beaten path and ventured into an older, darker part of Ponyville. The area had been condemned by Madame Mayor as part of a modernization project. Some buildings were completely abandoned and were in the process of being demolished. The shops and houses were built more than seventy years ago. Rarity suspected that no pony had made any sort of effort towards its upkeep since.

The store was a simple one story, brick building. Cracks of varying sizes forked from the foundation, fracturing the masonry and crumbling the brickwork.  The single display window was opaque with dirt and sunspots. The entire store was covered in a grime that didn't come from dust, but from decades of neglect. A skinny oak door was the sturdiest part of its construction, as it still actually fulfilled its purpose admirably. For a door, that is.

The dust lingering in the air from recent demolitions cast a hazy shadow over the shop, giving it the grainy quality of an old movie. Rarity peered inside through its dirty window. The dreadful lighting made it difficult to see more than a few feet inside. From what she could see, cobwebs covered most of the merchandise. The wares varied in shape and size, none resembling anything she’d see in a regular day. The candlelight twisted the shadows into nightmarish shapes. A weathered metal sign hanging from a protruding rod read simply, “Antiques.”

Rarity was thoroughly creeped out by the entirety of the scene. After the level of dirt was exposed, she wanted nothing to do with it. "Sweetheart, you can't be serious. This place is filthy! What do you hope to find in such a dreadful establishment?" she protested.

"Something frivolous and novel!" Twilight chimed.

Rarity wanted to draw out the debate further, but Twilight had already climbed the steep steps and wiggled her flank through the skinny doorway. Rarity pouted and whined before realizing she’d rather not be left alone in this ghostly part of town for very long.

Unfortunately, the store’s interior was even more decrepit than its exterior. It took a moment for their eyes to adjust to the dim light. Every item was covered with a layer of dust that not only seemed excessive, but intentional. For a prim pony, this left few options for navigating the tiny store. To make matters worse, everything below Rarity’s chest fell beyond the candles' weak light, covering the floor in a blanket of darkness. She tried to divine a clear pathway, but dusty junk cluttered the floor. Her legs brushed against one unknown object after another.

Most of the 'antiques' were stacked into haphazard piles in the corners in the right side of the store. A long glass counter stood to her left and a few display tables covered the rest of the floor space. The most obscure items were featured in elaborate displays. Were it not for the dust, Rarity would have been envious of the gilded artistry. She saw a wicked dagger whose razor edge seemed to hunger for her fleshy weakness. She gulped hard and turned to a counter that ran the length of the store.

Under the glass were several small, delicate looking pieces on two different shelves. Small candles inside the case were the only source of illumination for a prospective shopper.

An unwritten rule of magic is that the most magical and powerful objects usually fit in one's pocket. There were at least fifty different pieces, each one more curiously haunting than the last. Twilight contemplated the incredible power each one might hold.

Behind the counter were more shelves of junk stacked to the ceiling. It was clear that not a single inch of space had been wasted unless absolutely necessary.

The store itself was silent as a graveyard, as if nothing dared to move. Even the candles’ gentle flames failed to breathe life into the store. The stillness of the air betrayed them, and for a moment they considered leaving. There was no one here.

They felt alone, but soon realized they weren’t.

The owner sat at a workbench, behind the far end of the counter. His shadowy mass blended so well with the darkness that he was but a specter. Rarity's breath was taken away when she spotted him, only aware of his presence by the slight rise and fall of his from. His darkness immediately loomed over them, creating an atmosphere of doubt that could quickly turn to terror. They expected some sort of noise from the creature, but he sat in a perfect, eerie silence.

The feeling of being alone quickly transformed into a sense of being watched, setting their nerves on edge.

The only sound came from the light squeak of the wooden floors under their hooves. With every noise they made, his exasperation grew and the tension thickened. Each step, no matter how light-hoofed, was agonizing. Rarity did her best to minimize the noise, but her friend wasn’t helping.

Twilight acted like a foal in a candy shop, pressing her face against the dirty glass case, trotting from one display to another. She blatantly broke the unspoken, “Don’t make any bloody noise!” rule. She just made as much noise as her little heart desired.

Rarity admitted there was a sense of novelty to the place as she found more intricate pieces in the case. Brooches, rings and a fabulous hairpin caught her attention easily. Being a connoisseur of the small and valuable she knew the value of such trinkets. Her excitement swelled as she marveled over their wondrous pasts.

Part of her wanted to ask what they were, but remaining silent and not provoking the owner was far more appealing. Hopefully they'd get out of there before Twilight knocked anything over or talked or did something to aggravate him further.

"Ohmigosh ohmigosh! Rarity do you know what this is?!" Twilight cried out, oblivious and pointing to a small medallion in the case.

Rarity facehoofed at her hopeless friend, an eye glued to the owner. He tensed up and shifted in his seat, pressing hard into the loose floorboards. The resulting creak left Rarity silent and still. If they made it out of this alive, she was going to have a talk with Twilight about the value of silence.

He went back to his work. Tension still hung, but no trouble had stirred. There was still a chance to escape.

"Twilight, do you know how dusty it is in here? We are going to be wheezing for weeks if we stay in here too long," Rarity whispered desperately. Her voice was so quiet, she could barely hear herself. “I elect to vacate the premises as quickly as possible.”

"It's a bit from the pre-classical era. It has to be worth hundreds now..." Twilight whispered back, enthralled to the point of ignorance.

"I don't see the big deal. It looks like a rusty hunk of scrap--"`

Snap.

The owner crushed one of his tools in bitter frustration.

After a few moments of agonizing silence, he let out a loud and irritated sigh. The unicorns stood there, frozen and silent. Rarity wanted to briskly and properly flee for her life, but fear stayed her.

He got up from his stool and the loose floorboards revealed his heft. His mass seemed to grow beyond the ceiling as he stood to his full posture, becoming a giant of shadow. He turned around and took heavy, powerful hoofsteps towards them.

As he walked into the light, they both took a nervous step back. He was dark brown, with two jet black horns growing from the side of his head and a bronze ring in his nose. They immediately recognized him as a minotaur. He wore an undersized monocle that suited his old, wrinkly face. Despite the years behind his eyes, he was a rippling mass of muscles who stood a few feet taller than the girls. With the added height of the counter, he barely fit in his own shop. His gravelly voice spoke clearer than either of them expected.

"Can I help you?" he growled.

"Heh... heh… we're just browsing," Twilight squeaked.

"Harrumph..." His glare froze them solid and drained their courage. "Ponies do not come to my shop to browse. They come to my shop because they seek something I have." They stood like deer in headlights as he angrily snorted a huff of dusty air into their faces. "What do I have that you seek?"

"Books...?" Twilight smiled timidly in a completely misguided attempt to lease the tension.

“I have many books. Is there one you seek in particular?” His glare pushed her lower into darkness.

“Heh… not… exactly…?” she said with the same smile.

Reluctantly, he motioned to a bookshelf in the corner almost sarcastically slow. It held all of his dusty old books.  He turned to Rarity next.

"Gems...?" she piped, following Twilight's lead.

He narrowed his eyes and figured this unicorn knew even less than the first. He motioned to the farther side of the display case which housed old and cloudy gems.

Less interested in the rocks and more interested in putting some distance between her and the owner, she went to check them out.

The collection broke Twilight's heart. Each book on it looked like it hadn't been moved, let alone read, in years. She hated seeing books go to waste like this, especially books so old. Books needed proper care and love and it was clear that this monster was giving them no such attention. She made a little vow to come back and read all these books someday.

Yet, she was afraid to actually move one. Saying the owner was intimidating was an understatement. Twilight didn't intend to do anything to disturb his display or damage anything she wasn’t going to buy. Every book must have been at least a hundred years old.  Such books should only be handled when absolutely necessary. They were expertly shelved and moving one would displace others, potentially damaging them

She spotted a loose book in the corner of the shelf. It was thinner and she managed to pull it out without disturbing its neighbours. It was an old diary with a faint blue cover and faded gold accents on the corners. She futilely blew the dust off and opened it to the first crusty page. Twilight read the date of the first entry before shoving her hoof in her mouth to quell her natural outburst.

It was dated from over seven hundred years ago.

Her mind raced with the sort of historical insight a diary could provide about this time period. This was a snapshot into the life of pony during a time that was considered lost to documented history. It could overturn dozens of the leading theories about this particular age in an instant.

Even if it didn't, it would still be incredibly interesting to look into one pony's life and learn his or her story. Plus, acquiring at least one ancient book in one's library was considered a rite of passage for aspiring librarians.

Rarity had also found something that piqued her interest.

"Excuse me gentlefellow, can you tell me the relevance of this piece?" She pointed to a small, deep looking gem in the case.

He heaved a short annoyed huff and leaned on the counter, belittling the only white thing that dared to defy the dirt in his shop. To him, she was an insect.

"This...? Why this is a just a useless old rock," he snarled mockingly. All Rarity could do was giggle nervously. He gave her the most hateful stare before continuing reluctantly. "It's a depleted soul gem. Once it held the soul of an unnamed pony, but the soul escaped and the stone lost its luminosity."

Twilight's ear perked at the mention of a soul gem, but remained silent. It was relatively harmless as long as it was depleted.

More nervous laughter followed. He talked about it like he wanted to suck Rarity's soul out and stuff it in the rock himself.

"Heh... you don't say... How much?"

He chuckled and then fell into a sarcastic, rollicking laughter. In his fit, he slapped the counter with his meaty palm, shaking the entire display. Sickening cracks of splintering wood and glass sounded with each hit, and she swore she saw him break the hairpin she was going to ask him about next. She could only tremble as she watched the monster laugh maniacally.

"One does not simply buy a soul gem." He glared maliciously at her ignorant stupidity.

Rarity’s eyes grew wide and innocent. This monster was mad. He may have just broken a hundred bits worth of product and didn’t seem to care.

He growled again, evoking a trembling whimper from the pony. These ponies were treating treasures they barely understood as novelties, charms that could ruin someone’s life in an instant as toys. And he hated it. "I’m guessing that you want to trade me some arbitrary amount of bits for it?"

She nodded her head, almost crying in fear, barely daring to choke out a few more whimpers.

A disconcerting smile cracked over his face when he saw a few sparkling drops fall from the terrified pony's eyes.

"Thirty bits... take it and never bring it back here," he commanded.

Twilight knew that there was never a better deal in Equestria.

Rarity obediently levitated the money on the table without even moving. In her fear she accidentally misjudged the height of the counter and bumped the sack against the glass three times. Each failed attempt reminded her of just how panicked she was. He smiled at her.

He was starting to like this pony.

She finally rolled the sack of coins onto the table. She watched, still as a statue, as he recovered the piece from the case, reached over the counter and placed it in her saddlebag himself. He fondly patted her on head, eliciting more whimpers and a case of fearful shaking. Somehow, more colour had drained from her white complexion.

Twilight closed up the diary and got in line. The alabaster customer in front of her quickly removed herself and trotted gingerly out the door without a peep. He just smiled as he watched her leave.

"How much for this one?" she asked, setting the book on the table with giddy excitement, still oblivious to his intensity.

He narrowed his eyes at Twilight, scorning her cheerful disposition. He preferred ponies who feared him.

"How much of it have you read?"

Twilight bit her lip. "I only read one line," she admitted.

He broke her gaze and turned back around slowly, nodding and mumbling a few things to himself. He quietly went back to work in the exact same position as when they entered.

A full minute of restless silence passed. Twilight shifted awkwardly. It was clear he was ignoring her. Normally she would have backed off, but she really wanted that book.

Against her better judgment, she forced herself to say something, "Uhmm..."

"Fifty bits." He cut her off.

Fifty bits was nothing to laugh at, but she considered it an investment of prestige. If this minotaur’s old books proved to be historically relevant, she could request additional funding from Canterlot to buy more and start some in-depth research. The idea of having her own royal research project tickled her fancy.

And honestly, the book could be worth hundreds based on its age alone. This minotaur obviously didn't know any better.

Twilight quickly threw the money on the counter and happily bagged her new treasure.

After the young customers left him in the silence of his old store, he just shook his head and gathered his bits.

*

"Hey Rarity, guess what I got? A 700 year-old diary! Can you believe it?!"

Rarity was still shaking and whimpering. She struggled for words with the pony who was still somehow unaffected by their brush with terror.

"T-twi... Twilight... J-just stop talking." She was searching for a way to forgive her clueless friend. "Give me a moment, please...?!" Rarity took in a huge, dramatic breath and held it.

Moments later she exhaled, holding her hoof up to Twilight’s mouth while bowing her head.

Twilight started to say something, but Rarity just shook her hoof at her, shushing her. Twilight held off until Rarity looked up with her usual spirit.

"I apologize for being terse with you, but I needed to compose myself." She trotted forcefully back to their original path, chin held up high.

She was not going any farther into the old town.

"You know darling. There is an extremely valuable lesson about the appropriate use of voice inflections, volume and silence for various scenarios that I simply must share with you one day," she scolded.

Twilight blushed in confusion as she followed her friend. Next, they were off to the cafe for lunch.

"So, you bought an old diary...?”  

*

Rarity did not understand.

"But what exactly does it do…?" Rarity continued, a bit agitated. The tiny gem rolled from hoof to hoof as she talked.

Twilight had been too distracted to pay much mind to the rock. As much as she loved spending time with her good friend, the possibilities of the diary took a reasonable precedent in her thoughts. She did her best to push them out to answer her friend's question.

"A soul gem is not actually a gem," Twilight explained, missing the question for the second time. "It's made of a magical substance called aether. Somepony took the raw magical energy that powers all magic and transformed it into crystalline form. The only way to do that is to use somepony's soul as a binding agent. It's funny that they say the gem traps the soul, when the soul actually binds the gem."

Understanding did not present itself on the perplexed unicorn's face. She forced the question one more time.

"So what does it do exactly?" She repeated again. She had done her best to polish the stone, but nothing could clear the inner haze clouding its sparkle.

"I'm not entirely sure to tell you the truth. Soul gems are considered taboo magic by most, so information about them is rare." Twilight thought she already answered this question.

"Yes... Thank you..." She held the rock up to her eye to examine the misty interior, "Pray tell, how does one's soul become trapped inside this?"

Twilight shifted anxiously. "I'd rather not share. The less anypony knows about it, the better." In reality, Twilight didn't feel Rarity was qualified to own, let alone touch, a soul gem.

Rarity took a chunk of polish off and wiped it down again to no avail. Despite having little sparkle, she adored the power it held.

"Oh Twilight, you do trust me, don't you?" She gave her a begging, hurt look. "I promise I won't do anything too drastic. I just would like to know how to get its sparkle back." She pawed at the air.

"Rarity, no. We are not going to use it for that. It's far too dangerous. If you are truly interested in capturing a soul in it, then I'll have to ask the princess. It's just not something I feel comfortable doing without close supervision and consultation,” Twilight explained.

Rarity pouted.

"Ok, I'll ask her, but please, don't do anything to it. Magically speaking..."

Rarity’s expression brightened a bit.

Twilight finished up her hay shake and stood up. "Well, thank you for inviting me on this lovely shopping trip. We need to do it again real soon."

"Oh, of course! It was a pleasure!”

*

The sun was getting low in the sky when Twilight got home. She had planned on running a few magical experiments after finishing with Rarity, but she hadn't anticipated finding a 700 year-old diary that could revolutionize history. The experiments would have to wait.

"Spike, you wouldn’t believe what I bought!" she called out through her miniature library. She let loose a bemused giggle as the future of her library filled her imagination. The princess would probably allow her royal requisitions after she sent her a full report. Maybe her tiny library would grow into the University of Ponyville and she’d become the youngest dean in Equestria. At the very least, she could start that history club she’d always dreamed of.

“Spike? You home?”

Silence.

She found the dragon peacefully dozing off in his tiny bed next to hers. She decided it was probably best to leave him be. She didn't want to be interrupted in her newest venture. More importantly, she didn't want any passing dragon sneezes to turn her into a murderer.

Twilight gently placed her saddlebag on her bed, using excessive caution to avoid upsetting its precious contents. She lit her horn for light and opened the bag, meticulously peeling it away from the relic. She neatly folded the bag and flew it off to its resting place by the door. Her eyes gleamed.

Even in the face of care and caution, she failed to suppress an asinine giggle, hugging the book and rolling around on her bed for a bit longer than necessary. Nothing made her happier than old books.

Finally, she rallied herself and resolved to begin the journey into the past. With the utmost care she opened the book to its first page.

*

April 18, 331 CE

Dear Diary,

Forgive me. You were probably expecting the heart and soul of some young filly in the throes of love and not the rambling of an old mare such as myself. I'm no lovestruck writer of hearts, but I'll do my best to keep you entertained.

I'm not sure where exactly to begin or why exactly to begin. Rosetta was surprised when I asked for a diary of all things. She called it childish and unbecoming, but what does she know? Nothing says a pony can't have a diary if she wants one. It will make me feel better and that's all I want.

Now that I have you, I'm starting to wonder why I asked for you in the first place. I had so many ideas that I couldn't explain, that came and went in a flash. I thought if I could write them down, then I'd finally get this pressure off my chest, but now I draw blanks. The pressure is still building, always building, but the inspiration is gone. Oh well, it’ll come back like it always does. I hope you don't mind me writing whenever it comes to me. It might be every few hours or not for a fortnight before I return to these pages. I hope this helps.

Stella

*

Twilight pondered the names and implications of the text. The name Rosetta stuck out to her for some reason, like she had already learned of her. It wasn't coming to her, though. Well, it didn’t matter, because she’d soon find out.  Sleep wouldn’t be on the schedule if it so required. She’d have to completely rewrite all her schedules now. This was too important.

Twilight excitedly turned the page, but the diary rudely interrupted her with a complete lack of words or anything else for that matter. It was blank. Not a single line of text rested on the page. She flipped through the entire book and found the same truth for every page. It was filled with blankness, glorious blankness.

A few moments passed as she lay there, dumbfounded. There was only one entry. Who'd preserve a journal with only one entry? No, this must be a mistake.

Unless it was a scam. The minotaur could have magically aged a book, written a single journal entry and waited for the one gullible pony who never read anything but the first page before  buying it. That explained why he asked her how much she read. On the contrary it could have been real, but the lack of information in it made it just as worthless.

Either way, she had paid fifty bits for what was essentially a really old notebook.

Such dishonesty sparked an angry glow from her horn. It was completely wrong and infuriating and Twilight was just too trusting a pony to ever consider such underhoofedness. She wanted to  obliterate the book and then do the same to him.

She stared down the diary, fury charging her spell as it strained to be unleashed. Soon there would nothing but a smoldering pile of ash left. She huffed angrily before her big ‘book-biased’ heart got the best of her. She couldn't destroy a helpless book. It wasn't its fault. it was just in the wrong situation at the wrong time.

Also, disintegrating minotaurs probably wasn’t legal. She’d just have to get her money back.

She gave the diary a loving, apologetic hug, which seemed to hug her back. That minotaur had artificially aged it, stealing its young life away and then placed it on a dusty old shelf for who knows how long? It had been wrongfully neglected. Twilight actually felt more sympathy for this single book than for the snakes whose homes had been flooded during the last Winter Wrap-Up.

“Poor defenseless book... Momma will write in you and make sure you’re loved, ok?” she cooed quite crazily while stroking the book.

As she hugged it, she noticed a strange detail. A detail that hadn’t been there when she had hugged it earlier.

The diary was warm.

Twilight could feel an undeniable heat emanating from it that wasn’t there moments before.

"This book isn't enchanted... is it?" she wondered.

In her eagerness to read it, Twilight had foolishly forgotten to cast a preliminary magic detection spell. A book so old couldn't have survived the centuries without some sort of enchantment. Now, it seemed so obvious.

She scooted back and cast a spell on the notebook. Her spell's magic was stolen from her horn, and swirled in a shimmering, ivory ball over it. The magic slowly dripped from the ball like water, falling to the empty pages. Each drop turned to smoke and evaporated as it touched the book. It was all very showy and stylistic, far too showy and stylistic for basic magic. Twilight watched with skeptical terror.

"Oh my goodness... You're a very special book, aren't you?" her voice quivered.

Never before had she experienced such a strong reaction to a simple, unobtrusive spell. This book wasn't just seven hundred years-old, it was also heavily enchanted by what would have to be a master unicorn. She knew the kind of magic it took to produce such an effect and her mind spun as it tried to comprehend.

Weaving together an enchantment that automatically absorbs the aggressor's magic to create an effect is almost impossible. To also make that same effect artistic was something she’d be surprised if Celestia could accomplish without diligent practice. Such an enchantment would have to be repeated for each spell in existence, with some sort of living magic embedded in it so it could to adapt to future magics.

In other words, it was completely excessive and Twilight could imagine few ponies could be so vain as to desire such stylish security. An enchantment of this magnitude would take years to complete.

What laid before her was not just a diary. Nor was it just a diary lightly enchanted to avert the casual reader's curious eyes. It wasn't even the diary of a powerful pony who had secrets that were well worth keeping. The magic was far too complex to be practical protection. This was the diary of a legendary enchanter, most likely a princess. This particular princess expected it to be stolen and wanted to send a message to the thief.

A message like 'Go ahead and try to read it.'

But who could realistically steal the diary of a princess? Another princess?

Even if it was a princess trying to steal another princess's diary, it was still too much. Such a conflict would have to be heated and aggressive, enduring for years, and this diary would have been the center of it all. To put so much time into just the enchantment, the owner would have to know they couldn’t keep it safe.

Twilight froze as a fleeting thought seeded in her mind.

"Were wars fought over you...?" she whispered darkly.

Twilight tried to push the idea out. It was preposterous, a war over a book. Yet, the more she thought about it, the more sense it made. As it lay helpless in front of her, the old diary had eerily turned from a dusty old book to a dangerous relic. She didn't even she want to touch it anymore. She became light-headed as her head filled with questions. Did somepony really fight over it and if so, who? How did it fall into that minotaur's hands? Who's Stella? Who's Rosetta? How old is it really?

What was written in it?

She expected no less than the complete list of all the most powerful magics, sacred artifacts, titanic legends and terrible secrets. The sorts of things that could redefine history and send Equestria rocketing into the future.

And she got it for fifty bits.

Maybe she should just send it to the princess. She barely understood the magic at work. Celestia, however, could uncover its secrets without a hitch and extract the information all the same. Twilight would never forgive herself if she wound up destroying or damaging the book by accident.

But on the other hoof…

This could be the sort of challenge she’d been looking for. Magic has evolved a lot since the book was allegedly written. Perhaps it wasn't as powerful as she thought. She rushed to a lot of conclusions based on one spell alone. If it was as truly protected as she thought, then there was no way she could do any real damage to it. If it wasn't, then she didn't need to bother the Princess with it. She'd just crack it herself.

It never hurt to do a little preliminary work anyways.

*

In the depths of the night, Twilight was on the verge of making her first breakthrough. Long hours of dead ends and useless experimentation were about to pay off. Experimentation defined by casting every non-destructive spell she knew on it in alphabetical order.

The first thing she needed to know was if the thing was completely magic proof. If one spell made it through, she might be able to manipulate it to remove the enchantments from the inside out.

"Instantaneous recovery. Check. Next is invisibility." Twilight charged her horn for what felt like the hundredth time this night (she knew it was actually attempt number 83).

The familiar magical aura around her horn, followed by the dispersion of light, set the spell in motion. Every other spell she used had just invoked that artsy visual effect and then fizzled, but she had high hopes for invisibility.

The book was shrouded in secrecy and security. Invisibility only made sense for something that wanted to remain hidden.

Unfortunately, it failed. That ball of magic draining into the book had become her hated sign of failure. Twilight groaned.

"Invisibility. Check. Next is invisibility with a state-based trigger." Twilight said quietly to herself. She'd used the book in its open position as the trigger. Whenever it opened, it would go invisible and whenever it closed, it would reappear.

A flash of light and glowing horn later, Twilight found herself staring at the empty space where the book sat. The spell had succeeded. Her grin grew wider and wider. That was it. State-based invisibility was the first step in the puzzle. Now all she had to do was undo her spell and start backdooring the rest of the enchantments on it.

Her attempt at removing her own spell just resulted in that ball of magic pouring liquid. She tried two more times, ignoring each failed attempt. She watched the magic evaporate off the invisible surface for the third time before the reality of her spell set in. She felt around for the invisible book and closed it, causing it to appear in her hooves. Upon opening it, it became invisible again.

She stared at it stupidly, frustrated tears beginning to well up in her eyes as she realized her idiotic mistake. She made the book completely unreadable and she couldn't remove her spell because of its enchantments.

She frantically open and closed it over and over again, hoping that she was just imagining it or that the spell would wear off. After it was clear that she'd have no such luck, she sat on her rump, feeling like the dumbest unicorn in Equestria.

Now the diary was either closed or invisible. It was almost comical how simplistic her mistake was.

As fast as it came into her life, it seemed to rush back out. She had so many hopes for the diary. She imagined learning the untold stories of the past, but all she learned was her own stupidity. To think, a lowly student deciphering so complex a challenge. It wasn't even an easy mistake to #make. She could have done that same spell a thousand different ways, but she chose the one way that made it unreadable.

She'd have to send it to the princess and tell her how she messed up. Twilight cringed as she imagined the disappointed look on her mentor's face. She'd probably let her down easy, laughing, saying 'Oh, it's no big deal. It's almost sort of funny, isn't it?' But Twilight knew what that meant. Magic kindergarten.

That was what hurt the most.

Not a sound escaped her as she came to her realization, only a solemn silence followed by a few silent tears. She hugged the book and cried quietly on her bed. The diary wasn’t warm enough to make her feel any better.

*

Twilight woke up in a room both familiar and unfamiliar. It was her library, but the wood of her tree home had been replaced with polished, white marble. The books on her shelf looked brand new, as if they have just been printed that day. Her candles were replaced by some contraption, emitting light by an unknown mechanism. As she looked out her window, she saw nothing but blue sky. No ground, no trees, no ponies walking by. Just endless blue sky.

Normally she would have freaked out for various reasons, but something about the atmosphere told her she was in a lucid dream. The imagery had a surreal, idealistic haze about it and she was certain that she could will whatever fantasy she wanted into her dream’s reality.

It was an extremely vivid and imaginative dream, but a dream nonetheless. That odd sense of complete control pushed her to explore it fearlessly before fate decided to end it.

She got out of bed and walked towards her front door. Curious as to how much control she actually had in the dream, she willed herself to hear her favourite song. After a moment of imagining, she heard the familiar tune, but not in perfect rhythm. Each of her clops against the marble played a different note that all harmoniously blended into the impromptu serenade. A great smile came over her face as she tried her best to replicate the rhythm with each step.

She danced merrily until she got the rhythm just right.

Her success brought her a blissful satisfaction. The dream reflected the happiness she could only know from reliving foalhood memories, as sunlight filled her usually dull library with a matching warmth and comfort.

She wasn’t sure if she was dreaming, and part of her hoped she wasn't. Being able to imagine anything she wanted into existence was a lovely ability to have. Unfortunately, stepping outside confirmed her suspicion and conjecture.

She was definitely not awake.

Wonder forced her hooves forward. Far off into the distance above her, she saw an enormous floating castle the size of the mountain from which Canterlot itself grew. It was made entirely of the same white marble of her house and radiated in the sunlight. It had a perfectly round base and around its outer edge sat a small defensive wall. Sprouting up from its thick core was a forest of spires and towers that dwarfed the wall to obscurity. The thing was at least six times taller that it was wide. The towers were so numerous and densely packed together that Twilight couldn't see though the titanic structure. From her vantage point, she could barely see the entire thing in one monoramic view. It hung effortlessly in the air at a skewed angle that defied gravity.

It rested on a perfect half sphere of pure marble and held just the slightest spin. As it turned, each tower momentarily reflected the shining sun and reflections upon reflections brought the spire city rollicking to life.

It was like somepony took the blazing white comet that would end the world and suspended it in time.

Spinning around various levels of the keep were floating rings that each held a bustling city. They were all the same marble, but their varied shapes added an appropriate accent to the grandeur of the spectacle. Their individual city skylines gave each ring a peculiar depth that elongated them, much like the towers of the main keeps. That, in turn, gave the comet a sonic appearance. The cities were mere ripples as the comet broke sonic speed. Given their relative size, each one of those rings could have held all of Manehattan.

Even more spectacular were the six massive rings surrounding the central castle, each one on a different, random axis. These rings matched and surpassed the entire metropolis in size. They didn’t have the same complete whiteness as the keep or its inner rings, instead holding a speckled granite complexion of grey and white. They were wider and held cities in their inner area as they slowly turned like thin wheels.

The monstrous city rings caged and contained the white fireball, leaving no patch of sky too open.

Twilight's house sat on just one of the outer rings, and now that she thought about it, she was the one who was upside down, staring down on the keep from an ever changing angle.

Twilight almost fainted as her mind instinctively tried to compute all the magic at work. The sheer scale of the object was enough to send her into a month's worth of calculations, to find the theoretical expenditure of magic on the levitation alone.  

She so was caught up in the majesty that she almost didn’t notice the pony gracefully sitting at the edge of the balcony. Her upper body and flowing mane eclipsed the lower half of the distant keep.

Her coat was a flawless, pristine white, but unlike the city, it held the visage of the moon's silver rather than the sun's gleam. She looked out of place, a sore spot to the sunny city as she sat there stoically watching the rings turn.

Her mane was a long sparkling auburn, trimmed and kept, with flat bangs that rested just above her eyes. Her tail shared the same hue, but was longer and reminded Twilight of her mentor's. Both blew in an unseen wind, gently rippling. Twilight could feel the wind as she approached the pony. More peculiar was that her dream sense told her the wind carried the emotion that stirred within the pony.

Sadness. With every breath Twilight took she could feel a dull, but growing sadness in her heart.

Twilight recognized the signs of royalty about her. She held the gifts of both a pegasus and a unicorn. The neck pieces and hoof ornaments she wore were of expert craftsmanship, perfectly sculpted to the pony and forged of the highest quality materials. Although Twilight couldn’t see the front of her golden crown, she was sure it held a gem of infinite depth.

At  loss for a better plan, she approached the pony.

"Princess Celestia...?"

"Who?" rang out a voice that, in itself, condemned the unwitting accusation. Instead of the motherly and warm voice of her mentor, her ears endured a harsher, sadder sound.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you were my mentor, Princess Celestia…" Twilight shied away.

"Ah yes, Celestia..." She reminisced. "No, my dear."

The pony turned around and as she did, she transformed.  The solemn silver left her, restoring her to a more fitting butterscotch tint. Her voice was warm and inviting now. Her soft, emerald eyes sparkled with a mother’s longing. They beckoned and urged Twilight closer. Twilight felt the emotional wind flowing through her change from sadness to adventure and wonder.

The majesty of the distant castle, set ablaze by the sun, provided a glorious backdrop, shadowing her face lightly.

With a warm smile, she corrected the unicorn.

"I am Princess Rosetta. Tell me, are you hungry?"

The Princess

The Princess

Am I hungry...? What sort of question is that?

The more Twilight tried to make sense of the situation, the more confused she became.

First, she had awakened in an extremely vivid dream that felt exactly like real life; with the minor exception that she could manipulate reality. While having a dream like this wasn't impossible, she had never experienced anything of this intensity before. Secondly, she was thinking unusually clear. That in and of itself was something that she wouldn't expect in a dream state. Being able to deduce that she's dreaming, theorize about and then meta-analyze that theory without waking up went against her knowledge of the regular dreaming mind. Then there was this Princess Rosetta, a pony mentioned in the enchanted diary she had bought earlier that day.

It was a reasonable conclusion to assume this was all connected, but in what ways she wasn't sure. The possibility that she was just dreaming could be the most incredible coincidence, but something told her it wasn't so. She wanted to think that this was the key to unlocking the diary and the knowledge it held.

“Am I hungry?”, Twilight responded quizzically.

"Yes, do you seek food?” Her voice carried the same aura as Celestia's and yet it had a few differences. This pony didn't quite have the same raw power as her mentor, but exuded a ringing confidence in her tone.

Twilight didn't know a dreamer could be hungry. Her sense of hunger seemed so foreign, but as soon as she found it, she startled herself. She was in fact hungry, very hungry. Food sounded wonderful at the moment.

"Actually yes, but first, where are we?" Her head still spun a little from the logic-defying spectacle.

She smirked. "Why this is Paradisium, the grandest skycity in all the world!" She made a sweeping gesture, framing and showcasing it. Twilight had already feasted her eyes on the city and would continue to. She couldn't argue, it may be the grandest thing she'd ever seen.

"It's magnificent..." she said, acknowledging the Princess's pride. The wonder in Twilight's eyes spoke volumes to the Princess. Her smirk transformed into a big, toothy grin.

"Shall we be off then?" Rosetta suggested merrily.

"Am I to attend a dinner with her Majesty, Princess Rosetta, Lady of Paradisium?" Twilight asked coyly. If itt was a dream, she might as well have fun with it.

"Breakfast actually, but you are far too formal, dear." Her gaze fell to the door behind Twilight. The grin slowly turned to a grave concern. She spoke severely.

"You know, I'm sorry I have to cut this wonderful conversation short, but we need to put as much distance between ourselves and this library as possible. Please follow me."

With that, Rosetta side-flipped off the balcony and flew into a nose dive towards the ground. Twilight ran to the edge in shock, looked over and immediately backed up, heart pounding. She was hundreds of feet in the air and now that she looked around, she noticed no other buildings were anywhere close to the same height. The only object in the distance was the band of the great ring they sat on, stretching far beyond the clouds. She looked back down over the ledge and gulped.

Might as well try it...

Trusting the dream, she cried out and jumped over the balcony after Rosetta.

Twilight was still above the main skyline as she began her freefall. She could feel herself screaming at the top of her lungs, but the sound was muffled as she reached terminal velocity. The wind deafened her, with the white noise following suit. Without any eye protection, Twilight struggled to see. She could barely squint before it felt like her eyelids were being ripped open. She conjured herself a pair of goggles and pulled them on. As soon as she opened her eyes, all she could see was Rosetta's form on a collision course towards her.

Oomph!

Rosetta had flared her wings to slow her descent so Twilight could catch up. She was trying to get Twilight to land gently on her back, but Twilight had chosen to flail wildly and induced many miscalculations. Instead of a graceful landing on her back, Rosetta was thrown completely off balance. The instability of her flight coupled with a mess of thrashing hooves sent both of them spiraling to a nearby rooftop at lethal speed. Rosetta screamed.

Twilight teleported them both just before impact and broke their fall. Twilight landed upright and neatly brushed herself. Meanwhile, Rosetta was on the ground screaming in terror until she noticed the unicorn giggling at her. She stood up and narrowed her eyes.

"I hope you're not too hungry. I think you could stand to lose a few pounds," she grumbled. "So, this time, just fall with me and then teleport us so we don't die. Got it?"

Twilight gave her a cross look. She was skeptical of Rosetta. What sort of princess doesn't know how to teleport or right themselves from an unstable flight?

Also, I’m not fat!

"Got it. But Princess, what are we running from?"

Rosetta walked back to the edge and sized up the fall. "Remember your library? Well, in about five sec--"

She was interrupted by a sickening explosion above. She tossed up her hooves in futility and shouted something before making a face. Twilight couldn't hear her over the continuing explosion.

Twilight looked straight up and saw a black writhing mass erupt and consume her library from the inside out. The blob had an initial burst of growth and then pulsated, expanding slightly with each unnerving beat. Drops of the blackness oozed from the blob, leaving every bit of perfect white marble stained and soiled.

Several large disgusting cyst-like bulges formed on its surface, filling with some sort of bile or venom. They kept growing and growing until finally the first one popped. And then another and another after that. Each one that did threw thousands of gallons of black bile in wide arcs.

Rosetta watched the incoming bile rain and gulped. Her confidence broke for a moment. "Yeah ok, time to go..." she said shakily.

Rosetta side-flipped off the building again and went into her dive. Twilight wasted no time in following her lead. They plummeted back through the air, getting as vertical as they could to maximize speed. Since they couldn't be more aerodynamic than something with no definite shape, they'd have to use the small lead they had to outrun the fast approaching bile.

Twilight maneuvered the air a little better than her last free fall. Now she was able to keep up with Rosetta and dropped side by side with her, instead of flailing wildly. As they approached the main skyline, she used her dream sense to focus her aim, using her legs to direct her fall and avoid obstacles. Running into a building would force her to teleport, breaking her momentum and slowing her descent.

For some reason, her dream sense felt a need for drama as some dodges would only barely miss the roof of one building or another. As she passed them, she swore she moved in slow motion just for dramatic effect. The air in her lungs would thicken and she could barely breath. At least she hoped it was just her sense being dramatic, and not losing her grasp on the dream.

In a way, it was invigorating to barely miss death so often. She wasn't an outdoorsy, adrenaline junkie, but right now she felt like Rainbow Dash. Awesome.

As they fell deeper and deeper into the city, the spacing became denser. The bile had caught up to them and smaller blobs of it had begun peppering the surrounding buildings. Seeing Twilight struggle to fly and almost hit five too many buildings, Rosetta gently grabbed her and together they flew.

Twilight wondered how long it would be until they hit the ground. After falling through the initial level, the scenery became extremely monotone. Everything was just a dizzy, white chaos around them. The spinning world fogged her mind and dulled her senses.

The amount of light never seemed to diminish as all of the marble just reflected off each wall. The result was a blazing, mind-numbing whiteness all around her. In a way, she welcomed the bile because it gave relative definition to her surroundings, alerting them of obstacles that blended with the scenery.

However, she did not want to learn what happened if she touched the bile. She wasn't sure if she could feel pain in this world and didn't want to risk the sensation of acid burning through her. There was also the chance that it might wake her up, which was something she wanted to avoid as long as she could.

Eventually, Twilight was sure they had entered the undercity as some of the passing houses or shops started to look less idealistic and more realistic.

The city above had grand looking establishments strung along brilliant highways and streets that followed the ebb and flow of an artist's paintbrush. Multiple interweaving layers of roads stood to create a chaotic and indisputably insane city layout. Physics wouldn't allow such designs, but the implication of magic was strong enough to disregard that criticism. Twilight couldn't imagine navigating such an area, as it would be more akin to entering a labyrinth.

Yet as they fell through the various layers, it was clear there was a tiered system  In the undercity, cracks upset the flawless marble. In some buildings, even large chunks were missing. Against Twilight’s expectation, dirt had made an appearance, grime and non-descript garbage covering the streets. The more brilliant architecture of the upper city was nowhere to found. No more towering skyscrapers and sweeping highways. Instead, the roads fell into a more practical grid and the establishments were simpler and less inspired.

As Twilight watched the the city fly past her, she noticed something was missing. Something that didn't surprise her, but still haunted her.

“Princess?! Where are all the ponies?!” she shouted over the wind.

No response. The princess just kept looking ahead towards the ground.

Before her mind had the chance to wash over the implications of being alone in this world, Rosetta screamed something unintelligible in her ear. Twilight hadn’t even seen the ground and barely teleported in time to break their fall.

She was still clumsily getting to her hooves when Rosetta was already halfway down the marble street galloping at full speed. Twilight looked after her oddly. She didn't know what the hurry was for. They had put at least six layers between them and the bile. The chances of any bile making it through to this level would be almost nonexistent.

"Hurry, Twilight Sparkle!" Rosetta called back. Worry deeply inflected her voice.

A giant blob of the black bile splashed on a fairly wide street only a hundred feet directly above her. It had crashed at a velocity that sent huge waves spilling off the side. The surge threatened to surround Twilight and cut her off from Rosetta. With the looming mass of incoming black death, she dashed towards the princess and teleported to close the distance as quickly as she could.

She was safe before the bile had even made it halfway to the surface, not even fazed, though  just a little out of breath.

She huffed a bit. "What in the hoof was that thing?"

"Well, it's kind of hard to explain. We still have more running and falling to do, though. The words are coming," Rosetta said with a grin.

"Words...?"

Rosetta just grinned more before galloping off. Twilight let out a heavy sigh before following suit.

Darkness peeled itself away from the bile's stains, creating a stringy, writhing form that floated after the two ponies. As they ran, Twilight saw the aberrations come from every dark house and distant shadow. They moved slowly at first,  but worked up a pressing speed, keeping after the two without rest. She stayed close behind Rosetta, who led the way. They could easily outrun them, but not forever. As long as they stayed behind her, she wouldn't have that problem for awhile. They'd be able to find a hiding spot and wait for them to give up after getting far enough ahead of them.

Unfortunately they had that problem. The black creatures weren’t going to stay behind them.

The writhing things came at them from far in the distance and cut them off, sandwiching them. Rosetta spotted a side street and changed course with Twilight in close pursuit. The ever-present darkness forced them down an even smaller side street after cutting them off again. And then it forced them into a skinny alley. A pattern was emerging.

These weren't mindless drones following orders, they had a plan. It was clear that they didn't have omnipotent knowledge of the area, as they made some mistakes. However, they were doing their best to actively cut off the ponies and force them down smaller, more cluttered streets. They were trying to get either of the ponies to trip up and make a mistake. Twilight could only guess that running them into a dead end was also part of their plan.

The two ponies dived over trash cans, under tarps, slid around turns and flipped over walls. Rosetta seemed to be enjoying herself for some bizarre reason. She'd do unnecessary flips and showy moves that almost made Twilight question the sense of danger. But as she turned around to confirm the huge mass of encroaching darkness, she nearly tore into an old, rotting fruit cart. She was forced to teleport herself back to balance, losing speed and momentum while falling further behind Rosetta. She was getting exhausted.

"Princess, we need a plan!" Twilight shouted. With the alleys narrowing, darkness found a greater home around them. New threats peeled away from an ever growing number of shadows. "We can't keep this up forever!"

"Almost there!" the princess called out.

As they were cut off yet again  they slid onto their last street. Twilight bit her lip in a desperate anxiety as she saw no other outlet. They had finally hit a dead end. It was a strange dead end, though. It was a perfectly circular plaza that was much larger than the passages they had spent the last five minutes running down. No stores or houses lined the courtyard, only a smooth featureless marble wall surrounded it.

"Hug me when I jump up!" Rosetta commanded.

“What?!"

Rosetta jumped up over the plaza, turning half way in mid-air with her legs stretched out to Twilight. The wind of Rosetta's mane told her to just jump, so she did. Twilight leaped with all her might and soared through the air, latching onto Rosetta. She managed to look up just before the monsters were on top of them. She saw that the circular shape of the plaza cut through every layer of the city, ending in a tiny speck of light at the end.

Rosetta's horn flared and beneath them the plaza slid open, revealing a tunnel. She spread her wings and a torrential wind from above caught them, sending them hurtling backwards. Twilight’s stomach heaved with their sudden drop. She couldn't see what they were falling into, but what she could see was the black mass in front of her catch the same wind and shoot out after them.

The tunnel turned pitch black as the monsters cut off all light in front of them. With no light coming from behind them, she wondered exactly where they were going. Perhaps Rosetta had gone crazy and was just prolonging the inevitable. Maybe she was always crazy.

As they flew through the pitch darkness, Twilight noticed two unnerving things. One, they were slowing down. The feeling of falling left her and soon it felt like she was merely floating in a featureless room. And two, Rosetta started to laugh maniacally. Her chuckle slowly turned into an inane giggle. Twilight would have commented on how attractive and melodic her laugh was if the situation was a tad lighter and she was being less creepy about it.

Even in the total blackness, she could feel the nightmare edge towards her. The dream sense told her that the void would catch up with her and take her from this world. She was still and the monsters were slowly inching towards her in this long, dark void.

She almost welcomed it. For reasons she will always understand, but never be able to explain, she reached out to the mass and she knew it reached out for her. Her hoof extended, she felt herself about to touch it. About to wake up. The smell of Spike's cooking filled her nose...

Just as she was about to embrace it, light entered the tunnel from behind her in a dazzling display. In an instant, all the speed and velocity returned to her. Time seemed to stand still and, for a half-second, the light illuminated its shape. Unlike before, it had a definite shape. The shape haunted her dreams and she was sure it would haunt her waking hours, too.

It was her.

She was reaching out to herself, ready to embrace this dark Twilight. She looked scared. Maybe she was mirroring the terrified look on her own face. She mouthed one word to her.

Run...

The two ponies exploded out the other side of the great ring. A blast of fresh air rushed them and popped Twilight's ears as they depressurized, ringing them. The beautiful sunlight returned triumphantly as Rosetta soared up and away from the tunnel, flying opposite of the ring's rotation. Behind them, the blackness sprayed out of the hole as the ring turned, throwing them in an arc deep into the sky. The shadows flew weightless, lost in space.

Rosetta laughed merrily as she watched the distant darknesses. "Good show, Twilight Sparkle! Good show indeed!" She spun and flipped through air in bliss. Twilight barely hung on as she lifted her goggles up.

Her heart was pounding and she was getting dizzy from all this flying. She wanted to throw up. "Princess, what were those things!?" she shouted, barely able to hear herself.

Rosetta was still laughing at the helpless blackness as it tumbled through the sky. "Oh those were just words, my dear!"

"Words...?!"

"Correct! A whole swarm of them from the looks of it," she replied, laughing and watching the last of them fly out of view behind a cloud. She looked incredibly satisfied.

"I'm not sure I understand...!"

Rosetta gave her a look, half excited, half confused.

"You've never dealt with words before?" she asked with the traces of laughter.

"I mostly read words. Sometimes I write words. I almost never run for my life from words. Correction, I never run for my life from words, period."

"You don't say...?" Rosetta's smile dropped slightly. "Well, words here are dangerous and should be avoided at all costs. Never write one. If you can read one, you should stop and run away."

Twilight was starting to understand. "So, what happens when you write a word?"

"Well, you saw it. Your library was chock full of books with words written all over them."

Twilight's expression widened in disbelief. A world where books were the enemy? This dream was turning into what should be her worst nightmare. Yet, something about such a dramatic adventure exhilarated her. She was growing weary of the princess, but Rosetta had saved her, so Twilight had little to complain about.

"Books, bad? I never thought I'd hear that one," she said flatly.

"Indeed, they are quite the danger. Are you still hungry, my dear?"

"Yes...?" Twilight had again forgotten about the fact that hunger existed. But after that workout, she was ravenous. "Yes, please!"

"Good, there is somepony I'd like you to meet..." Rosetta let the words trail off and stared off pensively at the keep. Twilight followed her gaze to the peak.

*

They soared past the remaining outer rings, swerving wide around the looming, monster circles. Twilight squinted her eyes and saw something discouraging. The speckled texture of the rings were neither natural nor stylistic, it was the product of the words. Each sordid imperfection were one of those black masses.

They left the outer cage far behind them, flying endlessly towards the peak. They could have passed an entire sky’s worth of clouds on their way there. The air was light and clean and the clouds, gargantuan. Each of the floating mountains served to add context and a real sense of scale to the distant castle.

At first, the keep looked like a living painting. It was so immensely large that nothing could move it. It was a sovereign object and every minute of flying seemed to take them no closer than the last. The picture in front of them never changed. Yet Twilight found herself at the tallest point of it some time later, her stomach roaring for food.

As they flew past the inner rings, Twilight could barely make out the details of the structures. From what she could see, every ring had a unique style that influenced its architecture. In one, the roads were angular and its landscape seemingly obsessed with physics illusions like the endless staircase. In another, everything held a sleek, fluid quality and she couldn't find a harsh corner if she looked all day.

As they gained altitude through the keep, the spires below shot up from what looked like a glimmering web of spiky death. Countless bridges connected spires of varying thicknesses. Every single one ended with a sharp point. With no clear beginning to any single tower, the  detail melded into a single, blaring, convoluted mass.

“So, how do you like the city now that you’ve seen it up close?” Rosetta asked, mistaking Twilight’s dizziness for awe.

“It’s really... marbley.  Ever consider getting an exterior decorator to spruce up the monotony? My friend Rarity would be happy to--”

Twilight had almost forgotten that she was in a dream.

“She’d be happy to what? Finish your thought, Twilight Sparkle.”

“Oh, I was just thinking she could maybe give you a few ideas on choosing colours.”

Rosetta smiled shyly. “You should invite her over... Maybe I could have a dinner party and we could play some board games.”

How quaint...?

The tallest tower sat a hundred feet taller than the next. When Twilight saw it, it almost looked lonely. The solitude wasn't unfamiliar though. Twilight still had yet to see another pony and was starting to think that Rosetta and, potentially Stella, would be the only two in the city. The isolation loomed over them heavily. The only other signs of life in Paradisium were the 'words' and she hardly considered them company. Two or maybe three ponies with an endless horde of black death chasing after them didn't sit very well with her, leaving a feeling of isolation.

Rosetta landed on the balcony of this tallest structure. It was a large, but simple, circular railed balcony. It was slightly elevated with stairs leading to the door. The railing was a bit high for Twilight, reaching up to her nose, but she assumed it must have been designed for the taller princess. On the floor was an emblem that looked like a simplified version of the city. It was embellished with polished onyx and gold. In front of them, almost as if in defiance of the luxurious monotony, was a simple wooden door that led into the tower.

Twilight's stomach groaned ravenously. The smell of baked sweets drifted out to meet their noses.

"Well, Twilight Sparkle, I don't know about you, but I'm absolutely starving. Care to join me for breakfast?" Rosetta hummed as she waltzed through the door.

Twilight followed her into a completely underwhelming room. Twilight had expected something grand to fit the rest of the city. Instead, she found herself in a small half-circle room with simple wooden floors and matching wooden walls. A fire crackled in the hearth on the flat left wall with two beds flanking it.

There were some cushions surrounding an undersized wooden table in the center of the room. Bookshelves lined the circular right wall. A window directly opposite of the fire and a shaded lamp on the table were the only other sources of light. Under the lamp were a few rolls of parchment and an ink and quill.

A plate of donuts, scones, bagels and other confections that Twilight didn't recognize sat on a platter on the table, all of them looking equally delicious. She stared at them with hungry, puppy dog eyes.

Rosetta had already taken a bagel and began munching on it, letting the hearth fire take her pensive eyes' attention. Twilight followed her lead and took two doughnuts, an apple fritter and something that looked like a flower crossed with a hairball. She noticed the books.

"Uhh, so, what's with all the books? Shouldn't we be running now?" she mentioned, trying to keep up with the ways of this peculiar world.

"Oh, those books are fine. Stella wrote them," Rosetta replied matter-of-factly.

Bingo, that was the name she was waiting to hear. In all the running for her life, she had almost forgotten why she was there. She need to unlock that diary and Stella was the first pony to talk to about that.

"Stella? She's here? Do you know where she is?" Twilight asked purposefully.

"She's sleeping right now," Rosetta deflected.

"Oh, when will she wake up?"

"Probably in a few hours."

They sat there in a comfortable silence as they continued to scarf down the confections at an increasing rate. Twilight noticed they were eating at almost the exact same speed. She waited a moment and levitated a new treat alongside Rosetta’s as soon as the princess finished. Rosetta took notice and together they took parallel bites, eyes locked weirdly.

With each sweet they finished simultaneously, their gazes grew fonder and their smiles bigger.

Rosetta giggled. “So, how are you enjoying your breakfast with the Lady of Paradisium?”

“Well, she keeps staring at me oddly, but besides that, it’s been lovely,” Twilight giggled back.

They both blushed again as they finished their current sweet. A moment of mutual hesitation came over them as they decided if they were both going to do the exact same thing for the fourth time now. Without breaking their sheepish eye contact, they levitated yet another item off the plate and slid it into their mouths before cracking up and laughing heartily.

“This is really weird,” Twilight admitted.

“It is, Twilight Sparkle, but in a wonderful way.”

Something about that last statement bothered Twilight, but she couldn't figure it out what it was. It wasn’t of great concern, though. Rosetta would ask the next question, she broke her gaze and went back to the fire.

"So, how do you like my city?" The princess asked again. Her tone was sadder, radiating through her mane's wind. The change was sudden and sinking. The momentary breakfast happiness had vanished.

In the fire, the city formed in the flames. In perfect detail, it floated and spun. Rosetta smiled sadly, as if admiring a forgotten memory. Twilight felt like the princess had conjured the image as if to show her Paradisium for the first time; like she didn’t just spend the last hour flying, running and falling through it.

"It's amazing, Princess." She gazed at a sight that she'd never willingly take her eyes from. The vision of a flickering flame in the shape of a city of infinite depth was mesmerizing.

"I've been waiting forever to show somepony it..." her voice cracked in an alarming way like someone just punched her in the throat. Her colour fell flat, back to the silver when Twilight first saw her. The city flared up and was gone in an instant. A grimace came over the princess’s face.

Rosetta went limp and lifeless as if held up only by strings tied to her head, shoulder, and flank. Twilight watched in horror as Rosetta’s horn lit and a spectral needle and thread appeared. Slowly the needle sewed its way in and out of Rosetta's lips, sealing her mouth shut. The needle did its work as though somepony was actually pushing it through and pulling it out the other side, tugging it tightly for a closed seam. The expression drained from her face with each new stitch.

Slowly, the needle worked its way around her mouth. Twilight could do nothing but stare at the terrifying scene. When it finished, the thread was cut by unseen scissors. The needle poofed out of existence and Rosetta's eyes glossed over into plastic.

Twilight screamed as the invisible strings holding Rosetta up were cut loose one by one and she fell limp to the floor like a rag doll. Her horn lit again and spectral strings pulled her up like a puppet, slowly dancing her up into the shadow of the ceiling. All scrunched up in the corner of the ceiling, she came to rest in an awkward, unnatural position. Her legs folded over themselves and her neck fell limp. Her toy eyes stared at nothing in particular. It was like she had been thrown in the corner like an old plaything.

"R-rosetta...?" Twilight squeaked.

Silence.

Twilight looked around desperately from the books to the table to the door and back up at Rosetta. She eep'd when she saw that Rosetta's head had turned to stare straight at her. Fear and panic set in. The princess' bone breaking position and sinister face struck a dissonance with Twilight's nerves. She didn't know where she'd run, but in about ten seconds she was going to start.

"R-rosetta?" she piped once more.

A quiet, motherly voice called out. "Oh, stop being such a drama queen, Rosetta. You're scaring the poor thing."

"BWAH!" Twilight screamed, and raced under the covers of the nearest bed. At first, she thought the creepy pony doll in the corner had said something, but after regaining her senses, she realized the voice was coming from the desk.

"W-who are you? Where are you?" she called out from under the blanket.

"I'm right here on the desk. I'm the light in the lamp," the lamp replied. "Now who are you and where are you?"

Twilight shook. "I'm a pony, under the covers and very afraid."

"Oh, don't be afraid hon. Come on out, I won't hurt you," it coaxed warmly

Twilight peeked out from under the covers, trying to ignore Rosetta, who wouldn't stop staring at her. She approached the desk warily, her head hung and eyes shifting. The voice seemed friendly enough, but she didn't know what it meant by being 'the light in the lamp'.

"Hello there,darling. Would you be a dear and take my shade off so I can talk to you face to face?" the light asked warmly.

Twilight skeptically complied and removed the lamp shade. Sure enough, in front of her was a small talking ball of light  that yawned and wiggled on the metal stand. It had a pair of ethereal eyes and an ethereal mouth. The way it was moving, it looked like it was stretching. It smiled at her.

"Why hello there ‘scared pony under the covers’. Why aren't you the most adorable thing?" It said warmly. The wisp eyed the platter at the end of the table and licked its lips. "Oh my, would you mind getting me a little piece of that jelly doughnut darling? I’m famished."

"Uh sure..."

Twilight looked over at the plate and picked up the doughnut in question, then obediently tore a bit of it off and levitated it right up to her mouth.

"Oh, I have it dear. No need to spoon feed me."

Twilight watched, curious out of her mind, as the wisp's magic took hold of the piece. Unfortunately it was too heavy and sank almost immediately without Twilight's help. It fell to the parchment under it and stained it marmalade purple.

"Ohmigosh, I'm so sorry!" Twilight picked the piece back up gently and tore the piece in two.

"It’s fine dear, just... Yes, yes. That's perfect," it coached. It popped one of the pieces into it's mouth and then took the other from Twilight's magic and gobbled it up too. It burped cutely. "Mmmm... delicious. Sorry, my magic isn't what it used to be."

"Oh, it was no trouble at all." Twilight watched the happy little light. A crazy hunch crossed her mind. "Your name isn't Stella, is it?"

"Please excuse my manners, but how did you know that?" she replied skeptically.

"Rosetta told me about you," she half-lied. Twilight curiously examined the being, walking around it and looking at it from every angle. All the attention brought a blush of pink light to its cheeks.  

"So, what are you exactly?"

"I actually have an entire book written about what I am, but the shortest, simplest answer is that I'm a star." It grinned.

If there was a book on it, then Twilight wouldn't waste her time asking her any more about it.

She'd just read the book, since the book was always better anyways. She looked to the back wall.

"So did you write all these books?"

She puffed out her figurative chest. "Why yes I did! Every single one! Spellbooks, history books, books about enchantment, even some fiction if you're into it. Why? Fancy yourself a reader?"

Twilight's eyes sparkled with Stella's reflection. If Stella was the thing that enchanted that diary, then she needed to read every single book Stella wrote.

"Yes! Yes I do!" Twilight giggled and squee'd. "Do you mind if I read some of them?"

"Well--" she mused coyly.

"Or ALL of them?!" she asked with anxious begging eyes.

"I don--"

"Pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease?!" Twilight jumped around in a circle around the table,.

It laughed heartily. "Okay, okay! But first, you should at least introduce yourself dear, it's only polite."

Twilight blushed and rubbed the back of her neck. "Oh, sorry! Heh, I'm Twilight Sparkle."

"It's alright. It's nice to meet you Twilight Sparkle. I can see you must really love reading. Well, that's what they're here for, but before you dive into them--"

Twilight froze in her tracks. She already had half a dozen books picked out and lined up to read. She blushed madly again as she set them lightly on the table in a neat stack.

"We need to get Rosetta back." Stella looked to the eerie mass in the corner.

"What's wrong with her?" Twilight had somehow forgotten that detail. Rosetta was still looking at her.

"You saw that big city outside? Poor Rosetta built the whole thing by herself and is sad that no one else seems to care about it. It's heartbreaking really. She put her heart and soul into making Paradisium and hasn’t been able to show it off yet."

Twilight stared up at her with sadness and pity now. It seemed like her suspicion was true. They were the only two friendly beings in the city. The loneliness of being the only pony in such a big place tugged at Twilight's heartstrings. Now that she saw the pony doll, she looked very much like an old plaything, thrown in the corner and forgotten.

"How do we get her back?"

"You'll need to go up there and cut her loose. After that, just let me do the rest," Stella instructed.

Twilight nodded and tried to levitate Rosetta down, but she'd only barely budge. She redoubled her efforts and still could only move her about a foot before she just bounced back into place. Twilight poofed a magic ladder into the room so she could climb up and see what she was attached to. Upon further inspection she found tiny little threads of magic tying her lifeless body to the ceiling.

Twilight conjured magical scissors to try and cut them, but they bent against the deceptively hefty bonds. She tried teleporting Rosetta down but that just fizzled. Disenchantment also failed and so did her best attempt at a counterspell. A dozen spells later she was still staring at Rosetta's sad, lonely face. She wracked her mind for more ideas while examining her further. She identified the spell binding her as a rather powerful magical rope spell. When she tried to find the spell's source she facehoofed.

Rosetta's horn was still glowing lightly.

Even though she looked lifeless, she was still doing this all to herself. Twilight decided she'd just have to out-muscle her. She took a moment to charge up an augmented disintegration spell and let it loose on the bonds. Dust exploded from the resulting air blast and Twilight held her breath. When it the dust settled and the bonds were still there she let out a frustrated groan.

"Hoofing Rosetta. Stop doing this to yourself... I want to read those books..." she mumbled to herself. For a lack of a better idea she lightly smacked Rosetta on the head. The bonds flickered for a moment. Twilight saw an opportunity.

"Hey, can I hit her on the head to break her concentration?!" Twilight called down.

"Oh no dear, she'll wake up with the worst headache, can't you find some other way?"

Twilight thought for a moment before striking genius. This world didn't make sense so only a nonsensical solution would work. She had a comically absurd idea.

"What's her favourite thing for breakfast?" Twilight hollered again.

"Let's see, I do believe she fancies an apple scone the most!" Stella replied.

Twilight scoured the plate and pulled the aforementioned treat off it, bringing it right up to Rosetta's nose.

"Mmm, look at this delicious apple scone. I KNOW it's Rosetta's favourite, but since she's being such a little filly, I guess I'll have to eat it all by myself," Twilight taunted before taking a bite of it.

Rosetta's bonds broke and her limp corpse fell to the floor like a rock. She indirectly knocked Twilight off her ladder and sent her tumbling to the ground. That part about feeling pain had been confirmed. She rubbed her throbbing flank.

"Well done, Twilight Sparkle. Now, the next part is easy. Simply throw her into the fire,” Stella continued.

At first, Twilight gave her a suspicious look, but her dream sense told her to continue. She hardly understood anything that happened so far and was understanding less and less as time went on. But she trusted the dream so far and saw no reason to stop.

She skeptically levitated the toy Rosetta into the fire and in one massive flare she disappeared. Twilight bit her lip as the princess was incinerated and looked to Stella for reassurance.

"Thank you dear." Stella levitated the quill and dipped it in the inkwell. She scribbled a few words down on the parchment and then set it back down gracefully.

Twilight trotted over to see what she wrote. Worry washed over her.

Princess Rosetta

The words slowly peeled away from the page like the shadows from earlier that day. It daintily drifted and floated up right in front of her face. They swirled and writhed like the ones that attacked them before. Stella hit them with some spell that Twilight had never seen before and the words immediately turned from black to technicolour. Sparkles fell gently from each letter giving it a very showy, theatrical look. Just as quickly, they rolled up like a piece of paper and poofed out of existence.

Stella had a look of satisfaction and they shared a silence. Twilight chewed her lip as she looked from Stella to the fire to the paper. Eventually she had to say something.

"Where did--?"

"Patience child," Stella reassured.

A few moments later, a filly came crashing through the door. She was white with an auburn mane and tail.

“Huh...” was all Twilight could choke up.

It was a younger Princess Rosetta. She tumbled about after her crash, but seemed unharmed. Her royal regalia had been shrunk to an adorable size for her and the wind of her mane still lapped Twilight’s heart, emanating her current feeling. That feeling being complete filly euphoria and nonsense.

She stood up and shook her head. "Lala! You didn't take the last apple scone did you?" she whined.

Stella dropped a silent cue and pointed the quill at Twilight. Rosetta turned to her and glared.

"You!" she snarled.

Twilight backed away slowly. She was still unsure of what happened to the Princess and thought that she may not be entirely safe. While she was busy contemplating, little Rosetta playfully tackled her to the ground.

"You big meany! I wanted the last apple scone!" Rosetta lightly kicked her, but her flailing hooves just ended up tickling Twilight.

She burst out in laughter. She smiled at the filly and tickled her back evoking an almost melodic laughter from the her.

"Heehee! Come on! Stop it!" Rosetta cried out.

"I'm sorry. I didn't eat all of it!.You can have the rest."

Rosetta's mane brought warm memories of Twilight's foalhood rushing back to her.

She remembered playing with her brother and Cadance the same way as a filly. Sunny afternoons spent playing tag, practicing magic, eating ice cream and of course, tickle fighting, flooded her thoughts. Rosetta’s windy mane seemed to intensify her sweet memories. In a single moment her entire foal-hood exploded in her heart, swinging her to the edge of tears.

And in that moment, Twilight made a deep connection with Rosetta. She had only met her a few hours ago, but she felt like she had regularly foal-sitted her for years now. Rosetta had become a part of her.

Rosetta stopped her flailing long enough to spot the scone on the floor where Twilight dropped it. She hopped off and closely examined it, levitating it and walking around it slyly. She examined it from every angle. Twilight rolled to her side and watched her scrutinize the treat fondly.

She eyed Twilight’s bite mark. "You're gonna hafta to break off the part you bit."

Twilight took it and tore her bite mark off, much to the happiness of Rosetta. She jumped up and snatched it out of mid-air with her mouth.

"Thanf you my royal affistent," she said with cheeks full of scone.

"You're welcome!'

"You're welfcom yer majefty," she corrected.

"Oh my, I had forgotten my place! You're welcome your Majesty." Twilight played along with a deep, respectful bow.

"Lala! I'm finished with breakfast can I go out and play?" she begged, turning to Stella after swallowing the last piece.

"Of course you can. Do you promise to stay away from the outer rings?" Her face was filled with a slight concern.

"Mmmhmmm!" she chimed.

"Have fun Rosy, make sure to get back before dark!"

Rosetta jumped around blissfully before running out the door, her musical giggles haunting the air.

Twilight watched her go with worry, but Stella's confident expression reassured her.

Now that Rosetta was seemingly okay, she started inching towards the books on the table with an ever growing smile.

"Oh Twilight, you have fun too..."

Twilight squee'd and swiped the first book neatly titled, Enchanting the Masses. She plopped on the bed with her new book, giggling in very much the same way when she first opened the diary, rolling around and bear hugging it for a bit too long. Stella smiled.

Rosetta always had a way of bring out the foal in everypony.

Twilight opened the book and began the journey she loved to take so very much.

*

A few hours later, Twilight had learned more about enchanting than she learned in the last five years. The techniques described, while technically difficult and even requiring a certain level of artistry, were truly brilliant. With them, she saw the possibility of creating the skycity in Equestria. Not like she would, but the potential would be there with further reading.

What was strange was after the initial techniques were described, the book started becoming more poetic. It encouraged an extremely artistic approach to enchanting and seemed to just be offering food for an artist’s thought. It offered meditative phrases, viewpoints and imagery to complement the abstract theory of the book.

She was certain that it was all connected now, though. The dream had been going on for hours now and such dreams could only be magically induced. The techniques in this book were nothing she'd ever be able to imagine in her life, so it only made sense that the diary was somehow transferring its knowledge to her. She learned about some of the enchantments on the diary, the enchantments she had thought impossible to cast, but more importantly.

She learned how to remove them.

The Filly

The Filly

”How long was it before I came along?”

“Really, really long...”

The tiny foal held her friend tight.

“Please, don’t leave me...  I don’t wanna be alone anymore.”

  *

Twilight had never found herself so enthralled in a book before. Every line of text was a puzzle, cryptic and thought-provoking. She brought the full weight of her critical mind to decipher the true meaning behind the manuscript. The poetic lines would flirt and tease her, straining her to her breaking point over and over again.  But every time she was about to give up, she’d strike genius and unravel something new and groundbreaking. A new spell, a new method, a new description of magic, whatever it was, another piece of knowledge was hers.

An hour ago, Twilight could have left the dream with the knowledge to decode the diary with ease. Now, she could have enchanted the diary herself. What laid beyond the last page of the book couldn’t be anything situated in the reality she knew. Not even Starswirl the Bearded was known to have such powerful magic at his hooftips.

Enchanting the Masses was a legendary tome that could revolutionize Equestria. It stood as one of maybe a hundred books that sat on the shelves around the small room. Twilight looked to some of the other books she selected and squee’d. Spellbound, Hyperthetical Conjuration and Associated Theories, Altering Alteration.

The exponential rate at which she was learning brought her to a new conclusion.

The contents of the physical diary she found no longer mattered. These books authored by Stella were what mattered. She originally bought the diary to learn something, but never did she imagine having exposure to such knowledge. Such knowledge that would take months to read.

She couldn’t wake up from the dream before she had absorbed every text. If she did, she might never be able to return to this dream and forever lose Stella’s work. For all Equestria, she wouldn’t let this opportunity slip away. It’d be a long holiday.

A worrying thought passed through her head.

There was a slight chance that she’d stay asleep for the same amount of real time that she dreamed. It wasn’t likely that this was the case, but if it was, it would effectively leave her in a coma until she pulled herself out. She sighed heavily at the thought. Twilight imagined her friends standing worried around her, unsure of her fate, as she selfishly read her books.

She made a deal with them them though.

I hate to do this to you girls, and I hope that you can forgive me, but this is for the good of all Equestria.

Please, take care of me if I need you too and I promise to bring back something worthwhile.

I love you all.

Unbeknownst to Twilight’s total enchantment in her literature, the oblivious star, Stella, wrote torrentially at her desk. She penned with six quills at a time, none of them scratching nor touching the parchment. Instead, in a stylish, fluid rhythm she levitated them just barely above the desk, ghostwriting onto thin air. A stream of black ink left the tip of each quill, morphing to the form of each letter. The letters gathered in the space just under the quills’ tips, swirling chaotically, before assigning themselves to their intended place.

She delicately, and almost melodically, dabbed her quills in the inkwell as they ran dry. Never once did she break her perfect flow. She scribed several parts of her page at once, piecing together the entire script from scattered bits and pieces. When she finished a page, she’d twirl the quills around her and blow the page neatly to a stack beside it. Stella’s expression was pure focus.

She lifted all the quills from her page and rapidly refilled them. She flourished them underneath the parchment like wings, flapping the paper closer to her light for her to read.

“How does this sound?” Stella asked. “A caster must draw aether as its form is spread upon a canvas. This is the beginning of magic. Where some may objectify a stroke to something tangible, remember, magic in itself is intangible. That is the very definition of it.”

Twilight perked her head up.

“Heh... I don’t think I’ve gotten that far. I’m still on, ‘enchanting is like having a relationship.” Twilight flipped through to some of the upcoming chapters. “I’ve noticed you don’t use a lot of hard evidence or facts to illustrate your points. More analogies and abstract metaphors. I’m not saying these books are bad by any means. They are actually quite amazing. I’ve never learned so much about magic so quickly.”

Stella fanned the quills in front of her face to hide her pink cheeks from Twilight’s flattery.

“Oh, stop it! They are no such thing!”

“Oh, but they are!” she insisted. “Just this one has made me completely rethink my approach to enchanting. You break down its structure, and instead insist it’s more like an art form. Some magicians from where I come from have tried to make that argument for years now, but none of them have accomplished it quite like you have.”

“Twilight, dear, I advise you stop before I lose all my humility! You are being far too kind.”

“Fine, I won’t give you another ounce of praise.” Twilight smiled slyly and flipped a few pages of the book. “So, greatest magician in the known universe, I was wondering if you could answer some questions.”

Stella’s entire form turned light pink.

“Yes, what is it you silly pony?” she asked flustered.

“I was actually wondering about the city itself and Rosetta.”

“What is it you want to know?” she coaxed.

“So, let’s pretend that I like to take a lot of notes when I read. And let’s also assume, for the sake of argument, that I really love book reports,” Twilight asserted playfully. “In this city, what would be my life expectancy?”

Stella eyed the unicorn skeptically. “If you’re asking about the words, then I have bad news for you. Anything you write will come to life and attack you, so very short.”

Twilight’s ears drooped. Maintaining such knowledge without notes wouldn’t be easy. “Ok,  I figured. And my other question. What happened to Princess Rosetta?

Stella sighed and thought for a moment, looking for the right words. “In this world,’ she started,  “There is magic that you can know and magic you can feel. My little Rosy has been very sad and very lonely for a long time now. You saw what that did to her.”

“All I did was help her forget about the things she’s lost.” Stella’s pensive eyes gazed aimlessly at the paper in front of her. “Unfortunately, she remembers more and more each day and sometimes I fear that she may remember the one thing she shouldn’t.”

“And what is that?”

“A Cloudy day.”

*

A few hours later, the tranquil sounds of Twilight’s page turning was interrupted by Rosetta as she came crashing back through the door. The princess tumbled around, landing flat on her back. The initial bang followed by filly giggles and the pitter patter of tiny hoofsteps piqued Twilight’s attention.

Rosetta righted herself and searched the room for the unicorn, her smile momentarily falling.

“Hey Lala, where did Twilight go...?”

Stella completely ignored her as she wrote. The princess looked expectantly at the star before, seeing her enrapturement in her own task. A familiar sadness seeped through the air.

Twilight waved. “I’m right here on the bed, Rosetta.”

Rosetta’s smile came beaming back upon spotting her friend. She leapt up at her, buzzing her tiny wings before landing on the unicorn.

Oomph

“Hey Twilight! I made you something! You needa come see it!” she jumped up and down excitedly.

“Okay, okay!!” Twilight grimaced with each jump. She levitated the filly off her stomach.

Rosetta scurried in circles around her, weaving in and out of Twilight’s legs. She grabbed Twilight and yanked her from her cozy spot. Twilight stumbled as the surprisingly strong filly tugged her out from under the warm covers.

“‘Kay, but you hafta close your eyes! Just follow me!” Rosetta exclaimed.

Twilight waved farewell to Stella as they left. She closed her eyes and let herself be led out the door. The cool breeze had returned her to fresh memories of endless freefalling, heated pursuits and invigorating danger. Her mind spun as she began to imagine what sort of things awaited her.

“Wait, no, you hafta peek, cause we gotta get there first...”

When Twilight opened her eyes, she was somewhere completely unexpected. Instead of marble, her hooves touched grass.

Lush, rolling hills, meadows and wild flora spread across the scape. For as far as she could see, a rainbow of soft colours blanketed the fields with vibrant floral life. Fresh, natural scents filled her nose and the sound of breezy hillsides filled her ears. Eerily, there was no sun in the sky, but Twilight found herself preferring it over her expectation. Without a glaring star, she was free to gaze at the blue sky wherever she liked. The clouds were the shapes of ponies playing tag, kicking a ball or playing hopscotch.

“Wha...? Where did the city go...?” Twilight stuttered.

“Whatya mean?” Rosetta replied.

Twilight looked back at the door. It was surrounded by a modest, wooden cottage with a simple chimney. A few, charming windows eerily portrayed an interior that wasn’t the same as Twilight had known. There was a small, unpainted picket fence around it, with a cutting stump and axe. Despite the windows, the establishment fit the room she just came from far better than the endless marble. The door closed itself behind them.

Twilight smiled.

“Heh... Nevermind,” she said, gently shaking her head. She should probably stop trying to make sense of this dream.

“Let’s play follow the leader! ‘Kay, you hafta follow me and do everything I do!” Rosetta exclaimed.

“Uhh, ok, sure...”

Rosetta hopped about in circles with Twilight loosely following her lead. The unicorn shied away from some of the more exuberant actions. Rosetta trotted about, rolled around and somersaulted, giggling happily as she frollicked across the deep grass. Twilight awkwardly followed Rosetta, choosing to supervise her rather than fully mimicking her moves. Upon noticing the unicorn’s half-hearted attempts at her game, Rosetta whined.

“Twilight!” she pouted. “Come on! You hafta... do it... like...” Rosetta smashed her face in the ground and weakly pushed off with her tiny back legs. She kicked off several times before finding the momentum to get her legs and body over her head. She hung there for a moment before falling flat on her back with a worrying thud.

“Like this!” she said, smiling up at the unicorn.

Twilight hesitantly looked at the ground in front of her. Doing her best to follow Rosetta’s lead, she tucked her head forward. She pushed off the ground a few times with her back hooves and stood up on her head. Unsure of how to follow through, she fell flat on her back into the soft grass. It knocked a little wind out of her.

“Ok! Time to do fifty bajillion more!” Rosetta exclaimed upon seeing Twilight’s success.

After doing eight more somersaults and running in tight circles, both of them were thoroughly dizzy and disoriented. Despite herself, Twilight was having fun. The wind of Rosetta’s auburn mane pervaded her chest and lapped her heart with warm memories of her own foalhood. The idealistic looking scenery, the tiny filly, the warmth of it all, she would never willingly leave it..

“So, what were you saying about that thing you wanted to show me?” Twilight mentioned.

“Oh yeah! I forgot! We have to go down to the train station so we can get a ride! I’ll race you there! Three, two, one, go!” she replied quickly.

Rosetta darted off down into the meadow. For a small foal, she was fast. Twilight hastily galloped up behind her. She did her best to keep up, but Rosetta wasn’t holding back any punches. She went into a full blown sprint that looked unnaturally fast. A confident grin came over Rosetta’s face as she looked back to her struggling competition.

Through the meadows and hills they ran. As they covered more distance, Twilight could feel the chore of running getting easier. Her body was lighter, her hoofsteps were swifter, and her speed, greater. Her dream sense carried her on an unseen wind. The colours of the flowers raced by her, blurring into a pastel, rainbow chaos. As they trampled through the meadows, each crushed, shredded flower left beneath their hoofsteps tingled with magic. In a flashy burst, they rejuvenated themselves in a swirl of rainbow light. Behind both of them, a wake of magic hoofsteps illuminated their trail.

Rosetta had reached the top of the next hill first and called out. “I see it! It’s there! We better hurry up or we’re gonna miss it!”

Twilight saw the filly disappear over the hill, then climbed it herself. In the distance, she saw a simple tram sitting next to a wooden platform. There were no buildings, signs or roads leading up to it. Just a red, two-car tram, the track it rested on, and the wooden planked platform.

Rosetta called out to it. “Hey, wait! We’re coming! Don’t leave without us!”

Luckily they closed the gap in time. They reached the tram breathless from the dash. The door open and they stepped in. Simple, cushioned seating, a few hoofrails and some overhead luggage compartments adorned the interior. The ponies found two seats next to each other and sat down.

*

The rolling hills soon turned to dense pine forests, the towering trees cutting them off from the sky. The familiar scent of pine slowly penetrated the tram. The further they went into the forests, the closer the trees got to the tram and the thicker the foliage became. Eventually the greenery covered the windows to the point that not even the wood of the tree trunks could be seen.

Rosetta’s spirit had shifted greatly since boarding the tram. While they were running through the fields, she looked so carefree, laughing, giggling. After sitting still for a while, she had become passive, almost nervous. While she hadn’t lost her warm summery hue, her mane hung over her face and she fidgeted her hooves anxiously. They hadn’t really talked since getting on the train.

Twilight broke the long silence. “Are you okay Rosetta? It seems like something’s bothering you.”

She jumped at Twilight’s voice, startled that she was being addressed.

“Yeah...” she said quietly.

Twilight put an arm around her. “Well, I’m really excited to see what you made me.”

The unicorn smiled, but it didn’t seem to raise Rosetta’s spirits. Something sad surfaced as the silence sustained.

“Hey, Twilight...?” Rosetta squeaked.

“Yes?” she replied, concerned.

“C-can we be friends?” she asked nervously

Is that what’s bothering her?

“Of course. We’re already friends, aren’t we?” Twilight replied matter-of-factly.

It was true. Twilight had found a deep connection with the filly that was strangely familiar. It was like the love she felt towards her brother or another pony had somehow transmuted to a love for this little pony. Maybe that made it artificial and maybe it was just the dream’s magic, but she couldn't ignore how she felt and she wouldn’t ignore a friend.

Rosetta looked up at Twilight, her eyes enormous. “You sure? I don’t want you to be sad if I go away...”

“Yup, we are the best of friends right now. Even if you go away, we’ll still be friends forever.”

She gave Rosetta a tight hug. The filly just hung her head over Twilight shoulder. She whispered in Twilight’s ear, her voice only audible by the tiny squeaks in her cracking tone.

”I c-can’t believe I have a friend... It’s been so long...”

Those words resonated endlessly in Twilight’s mind. Around her the overhead lights of the train dimmed and she was left surrounded by tiny, wispy stars of green, blue and white light. They daintily drifted through the air, flowing to the same windy current Rosetta’s mane waved in.

”Y-you’re my b-best friend...”

Twilight felt the filly shaking. She was sobbing quietly. Instead of tears, the small specks of light, similar to those in the air, drifted from her eyes. Each new star floated out, seamlessly joining the rest. The unicorn squeezed her lovingly.

“You’re my best friend too, Rosetta,” Twilight said compassionately.

“You mean it?!” Rosetta cried. Her enormous eyes reflected and filled the starry space around them. “I don’t have to be alone anymore?!”

“No, of course not. You’re never alone if you have a best friend.”

Rosetta’s lips trembled and her face scrunched up as she struggled to decipher Twilight’s words. She patted Twilight on the chest a few times, not daring to believe to was real. It would have been just another disappointment. Upon concluding that she was, Rosetta sniffled loudly, a grin curling up her cheeks.

“Tag, you’re it!” Rosetta finally exclaimed.

She jumped up and ran out the door of the moving train. Her giggles resonated in a haunting melody. The trees were still passing by in an emerald blur. After shaking her head, Twilight ran through the door after her.

What she found on the other side of the door brought her a small smile that grew and grew.

She was on a beach.

Twilight had only ever seen the ocean a few times in her life and each time had been more memorable than the last. As a young foal she built sandcastles and collected seashells, oblivious to the great, romantic wonder in front of her. Yet as she grew older, she was able to appreciate it more for what it was. Something indescribable. Something that could never be explained, only felt.

She loved the beach.

The warm, tangy air filled her nose with with the unforgettable smell of the ocean. Surrounding her, lush, tropical vegetation grew from the door and opened up outwards, presenting the ocean. The calming sound of the tides meeting and the low afternoon sun, shimmering across the water, filled her with serenity.

Peace slowed her heart and each breath she took was deep. Here, before the great ocean, she could ponder her destiny. It would never be easier to find nor would they feel so insignificant in the presence of the deep blue maw.

“Hey, you’re peeking!” Rosetta said. “I was gonna show you what I made, but then I forgot and now you’re peeking!”

“You... made this?”

“Yup! It took forever, but I like you so much I made you an ocean! Isn’t it adorable?!”

“I think beautiful is a better word...”

“I call it the Twilight Ocean! Ok, here is the fun part! Time to make today the best day ever!”

Rosetta’s horn shone brightly and the distant sun shifted. In the center of it, a magical aura grew, revealing fantastic effects.

The sun turned into a familiar shape that Twilight recognized instantly. It was her cutie mark crafted out of a combination of diamonds for the central star and ambers for the outer one. Light refracting off the cuts into rainbow light prisms that littered the horizon with various geometric shapes. Slowly, the magic spread out and covered the sky.

The wispy, white clouds sheened over and reshaped themselves, turning into distant, snowy mountain. The sight of such immense mountains on the other side of an ocean alluded to a scale of perspective that was too large to comprehend. Even on the warm beach, Twilight could feel a hint of their frigid air with every breath she took.

As the magic spread to the ocean the water fell perfectly still, the waves flattening to a smooth surface. The boundless, watery expanse became a mirror, reflecting the sky and creating a visual duality.

Twilight took a step back as the magic reached the shoreline, but curiosity filled her as the shore came to life. The sand took the form of the ocean. Tiny waves surged across the sand, crashing harmlessly against her hooves. Tiny islands and even entire continents sprung up in the grit, creating an alien world map with its own sandy ocean.

A brilliant display of greens, blues and purples shone faintly from behind her. Twilight turned to find the luminescent source. Instead of the soft shades of green covering the vegetation, it sparkled and twinkled cool colours. Upon closer inspection, Twilight found that all the greenery had been turned into precious gems and metals. The exotic fruits from the tall palm trees were replaced by dining ware, quills and inkwells.

“I wanted to make you the biggest, bestest thing ever so maybe you’d stay and play with me...” Rosetta said shyly, digging her hoof in the sand. “And thanks for being my friend...”

Twilight didn’t know what to say to Rosetta. She had genuinely made her something extraordinary. It wasn’t exactly what she had in mind when she thought of the beach, but it was her ocean. And she loved it.

“I only have one thing to say,” Twilight smiled.

“What’s that?”

“Tag! You’re it!”

*

The distant sun had nearly set. The two laid sprawled out across the sand, letting the waves massage them. An afternoon of running and playing had left them pleasantly exhausted. Around them were sandcastles, sand drawings, holes for burying and countless hoofprints from running. Every effect was slowly being washed away by the sandy ocean.

“And then there’s Rainbow Dash, she’s also a pegasus and probably the fastest flier in the world. She can go so fast that a rainbow explodes behind her,” Twilight explained grandly.

“Wow...” Rosetta replied in awe. “You sure have a lotta super awesome friends...”

“I know... I’m really lucky to have them in my life.”

Rosetta smiled at her hopefully.

“Do you think I could ever meet them...?”

A lump swelled up in Twilight’s throat.

She didn’t know exactly how to answer that question. She knew that Rosetta just wanted a few more friends. There were some games that just couldn’t be played with only two ponies. Yet, Twilight was still in a dream and bringing her friends into it wasn’t something she considered possible.

She didn’t want to say no, but lying and leaving the foal with an empty promise would be infinitely worse.

Twilight tried to gather herself to let her down easy, but Rosetta’s huge, sparking, hopeful eyes caught the words in her throat. She had already said over and over that today had been best day ever because of Twilight.

“I uh... don’t know... they’re very far away,” Twilight said, scratching the back of her neck.

“Can we go visit them? If you’re with me, I think Lala will let me go.”

“Well, I...” she choked.

“Pleaassssee?!”

She really wished Rosetta would stop pushing the question. Eventually the truth would come out. Twilight couldn’t hide the way she felt, nor the reality she knew.

“I-i don’t think so...” Her wavering voice betrayed her. “They’re too far away.”

“I promise I’ll be good!” she pleaded.

“I’m sorry...”

Rosetta really didn’t want to take ‘no’ for an answer.

“Royal assistent! I c-command you to!” she attempted.

Twilight looked her in the eye and shook her head.

Rosetta sunk down, heartbroken. To her own surprise, her eyes watered. She fluttered her lashes and went cross-eyed trying to keep her tears in. Her face scrunched up and she sniffled loudly in a pathetically cute, heart breaking attempt to not cry like a baby. A few stars drifted into the air.

Twilight watched as the filly instinctively lifted a  small patch of sand in front of her and shaped it into some sort of tower. The grains rolled over themselves until it resembled one of the spires of the city. Rosetta levitated a single, starry tear from her cheek and infused it with the small sculpture, instantly turning it to marble.

A bittersweet smile came over the foal’s face as she admired the tower.

What did she just do? Did she create that with her tears?

Twilight was beginning to see the extent of Rosetta’s loneliness.

That entire city... is tears?

“Promise you’ll stay and play with me at least one more time...?” Rosetta whimpered, at the cusp of a full break down.

“Of course I will!” Twilight exclaimed in protest of her sadness. “I’m actually gonna stay here for awhile. Not forever, but until I finish all the books in Stella’s library.”

Rosetta sniffled. “A-all of them...? That’ll be like forever then!”

“Mmmhmm! And since you can’t meet my friends. I promise to play with you every single day. Deal?”

Twilight held her hoof out to shake. Rosetta had never been given a better deal in her life.

“Deal!”

Rosetta just latched on and hugged Twilight’s dangling hoof, oblivious to the concept of a formal hoofshake. Twilight tried to shake the filly off, but she held on too tight. She nuzzled Twilight’s hoof lovingly.

Part of her knew it wouldn’t be that long, but she could definitely drag the days out. She could always take breaks from studying. Still, it didn’t feel like enough. Eventually she would have to leave and at the rate she was falling in love with this foal, the separation would be too much. Seeing Rosetta go back to her complete loneliness would crush her. Twilight had to make sure that never happened.

Twilight had an epiphany. In that moment, Rosetta’s mood changed her and Twilight felt true magic in her heart. It was an indescribable feeling of freedom, inspiration, anxiousness and hope. Every breath she took filled her with the ardor for life and she knew she had the magic to make dreams come true.

The epiphany came from a question born of a flurry of emotion inspired by the princess. It was a question that was forged in her heart and seared her mind. It was a question that would challenge the realities she thought she knew.

What if I can save this filly from her loneliness?

What if she could get Rosetta back to Equestria? What if she could give her a world full of friends? What if she never had to leave her behind?

She didn’t know how she’d do it or where she’d even begin, but it was her duty to the magic of friendship to try. Never had she thought that magic would be able to bring a pony’s dream into reality, but now she knew with all her heart that it was possible. She didn’t know how or why it was possible, but just that it was. Something within had spoken to her.

Twilight didn’t care what happened after she helped Rosetta escape this lonely world. But first thing was first, Twilight would show her the one thing she’d never had, the magic of friendship. Twilight had all the time in the world and the greatest reservoir of knowledge to accomplish her goal. It may be a great task, but she might as well use her time here to do something extraordinary.

She’d save Princess Rosetta.

Twilight wouldn’t say anything. She wanted to surprise Rosetta one day. She imagined the filly princess waking up in Equestria one day, surrounded by ponies; by friends. Twilight could see the look on her face. She smiled as the thought of Pinkie throwing her a party crossed her mind.

“Hey, best friend?” Rosetta piped, still hugging Twilight’s hoof.

“Yes, best friend?”

“I have something else I want to give you...”

*

It was nearly dark when the two left back through the door. Twilight found herself back in Paradisium on the balcony of one of the many spires in the city’s center. They were near the outer edge of the perimeter as only a few other towers came between them and the violet, scarlet sky of dusk.

The city glowed amber in the twilight. The glaring, monotone sheen had left, letting the contrast of golden light and shadow define the details of the city. It felt warmer, despite there being a slight drop in temperature. Twilight thought this weird, as there was no celestial star in the sky warming, or absently cooling, the city. She wondered if Stella had something to do with that. Regardless, Paradisium followed a basic day and night time cycle and Stella had told them to be back by dark. All day, Twilight had dreaded the thought of being out after dark in such a city.

Now, she knew why.

On the balcony before them stood a tall, ominous figure. It was a white, masquerade mask with a pink feathers surrounding its edges. It was old, with grime and dirt spots tarnishing its once plaster perfection. The mask levitated atop a jet black cloak falling just short of the ground. There was no emotion written on its haunting face, but sinistry and malice were its explicit intent. It hung there silently, watching them.

Rosetta cowered at its sight and hid behind the unicorn, clinging to her leg.

“It’s the Angel...” she whispered. “She wants to eat me...”

Rosetta’s words held a dark weight to them. Twilight wasn’t sure if that was figurative or literal, but she wasn’t about to find out. This thing was clearly an enemy.

It floated there, stoically watching the two. It was still as a statue and for a moment, Twilight wondered if it was inanimate until its mask jerked slightly to the side. The subtle motion drained her courage. She gulped hard, trying to find the heart to stand up to the creature. Rosetta’s tiny, terrified grip on her leg reminded her of what she needed to protect.

“Angel, please go away. You’re scaring Rosetta. She’s been a good filly today and doesn’t deserve to be eaten,” asserted Twilight.

It said nothing.

It slowly floated forwards, pushing both of them back to the wall. With only the door behind them, they were running out of places to escape. They could go back through the door, but since that was the only way in, the Angel might just wait them out. They’d be trapped forever in that beach, which suddenly felt a lot smaller.

“Can we go home please?!” Rosetta cried. The apparition closed in on them. “Twilight, I’m scared...”

The Angel saw Twilight’s hesitation and screamed towards them, the shriek tearing into their bravery. On her fastest reflex, Twilight threw up a protective, pink barrier. The creature silently smashed into it, its face coming no farther than a foot from her own. It burrowed its way through the pink bubble, sending a web of cracks coursing around them. Twilight braced herself as the spell shattered and shocked her. Magical backlash blurred her vision.

Adrenaline kicked in and Twilight screamed out, bringing to life a flurry of magical lightning . Each bolt glanced the creature, but failed to make any visual signs of damage. The barrage did give them a momentary second of relief. Twilight took that moment for and ran with it, teleporting the two of them off the edge. They fell through the sky once again.

Twilight hadn’t noticed Rosetta crying, but she quickly grabbed the filly in mid-air and hugged her tightly. Rosetta looked up at her saviour and smiled weakly. Together they fell towards a nearby tower and balcony. Unlike the other ones, this one didn’t have a door. Twilight teleported to break their fall.

Behind them the Angel pursued relentlessly, screaming in agony.  From the edges of its cloak grew long, spindly arms. Each one ended with razor sharp claws. The claws left behind inky, bleeding streaks, as the fabric of the world was sundered. Between the cuts in reality, Twilight glimpsed something odd. Old, hoof written texts, scribbles and thoughts. A few lines stuck out.

I can’t stop writing.

I makes me sicker, but I feel better because of it.

It might kill me in the end.

“Rosetta! I need you to make a door that’ll takes us straight home!” Twilight shouted over the screams of the impending death.

Rosetta tried to focus her magic, but the screams of the Angel shook her resolve. “I’m... I’m not sure I can!” she cried hysterically.

“If that thing catches us, I’ll have to go home and I really don’t want to! Please, try!” Twilight rationalized frantically.

Rosetta cried pathetically at the mention of Twilight going home. Twilight teleported them from one balcony to the next, hoping to lose the Angel in the thick forest of spires. She did her best to gain altitude and distance towards the center with each spell, but she was quickly becoming exhausted. She had already given herself magical backlash with her attack, and each new spell drained her energy. She knew how big the keep was and trying to teleport the entire distance would leave her mind in mush.

Twilight thought back to the book on enchantment, desperately trying to apply the principles she learned to her teleportation spell. Stella mentioned that the truest magic comes from within. She felt that feeling earlier when she decided to save Rosetta from a life of loneliness. The feeling of knowing anything is possible would let her cast magic she once thought impossible.

However, Rosetta’s panic and fear suppressed her will to focus on anything positive. Twilight would need to fill Rosetta with hope before she could have it herself.

“Rosetta! uughhn... I need you to listen to me,” Twilight grunted as she cast one of her last spells.

She had teleported them far enough away to lose the Angel momentarily. It dashed around aimlessly in the distance, searching for its prey. It’d only be a few moments before it found them again.

“I need you to think of the happiest moment of your entire life,” Twilight explained dizzily, trying not to pass out. She may have one or two spells left in her before her mind gave out.

She cast a sound proof bubble around them so Rosetta wouldn’t hear the Angel’s shrieks. “The Angel is gone now and we’re playing a new game. Ok?”

Rosetta wiped the tears from her eyes, sending few stars around them afloat.

“Think of the best thing that’s ever happened to you. Whatever it was, you need to think of it, ok?” Twilight smiled as convincingly as she could.

“O-o-ok...” she stuttered.

“Tell me all about it,” Twilight provoked. “I want to hear every detail.”

“I-it was when you played with me today...” she admitted.

Twilight could feel the winds change. Her heart was growing heavy for this filly. Words escaped her. She didn’t think that it had truly been the best day of this filly’s life. Rosetta had only known her for so long. Surely there must have been another day.

“It... it was...?”

“I already told you like a bajillion times... Today was been the best day ever. You’re my best friend... I gotta spend a whole afternoon with my best friend...”

The Angel had had spotted them and was now rocketing at them with violent fervor. The world behind it tore apart into the text of the diary.

The filly did a familiar dance.

Sunshine, sunshine

Ladybugs awake

Clap your hooves

and do a little shake...

Twilight had never taught her that, yet she knew it. She blinked and looked down at her hooves to see gold horseshoes and a pink coat. She flexed a pair of pink and purple tinted wings and saw white and lavender locks draping down the side of her face. Twilight took a nervous step back. In front of her was her, a young Twilight Sparkle.

Behind the filly was an all-consuming darkness whose countless prying hands reached out for her and tore the world apart. Twilight was being pulled out of the dream.

Voices were heard, but neither of their mouths moved.

”But you’re a princess. I’m just a regular old unicorn...”

“You’re anything but a regular, old unicorn...”

Somewhere far away, Twilight Sparkle screamed out and chained together a legendary series of teleport spells, pulling the two from their bubble. The scream was an eternity in the past, centuries old and hidden deep inside herself. The world burst into light and they fell through an endless number of balconies as the spell ran its course.

At the end of the line, Twilight and Rosetta crashed through the door of the peak, knocking it clear off its hinges. They were back home with Stella.

Twilight bounced several times, up and over the table as she came to a stop. She landed in an open chest at the far side of the room. It was filled with old junk, quills, ink and trinkets. She winced and groaned with each bounce. Rosetta wasn’t carried so far. Instead, she rolled head over hooves into a chair at the table, knocking it over and breaking one of its legs.

“Hey, Lala! Guess what we saw?!” Rosetta exclaimed from under the table.

“What was that dear?” Stella asked quite calmly.

“The Angel!”

Stella gasped. “Oh, my! Darling, are you alright?”

“Yeah, Twilight saved me from her!”

Stella looked to the still dazed unicorn in awe, her mouth slightly agape. Twilight smiled awkwardly. She had a newly acquired lampshade over her head and some beaded necklaces on her horn that hung in front of her face.

“Yup, big creepy mask thing? No problem,” Twilight replied coolly, still a little dazed.

She pulled at the beads on her horn to take them off and heard a click. Her horn lit up, illuminating the shade. She tugged them again and heard another click, turning her horn off.

“What the...?”

She was a lamp.

Stella gave Twilight a moment to click herself on and off. The unicorn giggled with purest sense of curiosity, pulling the beads faster and faster, producing a strobe effect. The faster the light flashed the more ridiculously she giggled. The filly and the star watched their new friend endearingly. After the eightieth time in a minute flat pulling the bead, she peeked out from under the lampshade and blushed.

“Enjoying yourself, Twilight?” Stella smiled.

“Heh, a little...” she said, scratching her nose bashfully.

“Well, before you go back to your fun, I’d like to properly thank you. I would never have asked you to do what you did, but thank you. Thank you for saving my little Rosy from the Angel.”

*

The days passed quickly in Paradisium. Twilight suspected that falling asleep might return her to Equestria. Yet, when she awoke in the middle of the night by a small, whimpering Rosetta nestling up close to her, that suspicion was laid to rest.

They started off the night in different beds, but Rosetta had snuck over to cuddle after Twilight had fallen asleep.

Twilight later learned that every time Rosetta saw the Angel, she always have a terrible episode the following night. It’d be an unholy combination of a nightmare, panic attack and hallucination that’d leave her screaming senselessly for hours. Stella shared the feeling of helplessness grimly with Twilight. The worst part was that Rosetta would remember every second of it in vivid detail, letting it haunt her for almost a week afterwards.

That night, Rosetta had a nightmare, but it was much milder and she didn’t remember it in the morning at breakfast. She was aware of the fact that she should have had an episode and after waking up next to Twilight, she bashfully denied any causal relationship between the two. Instead, she blamed it on Twilight’s complexion.

“I’m actually closer in hue to lavender... Anyways, what do you means it’s because I’m purple?”

“Maybe it’s because Twilight was there to make you feel safe Rosy,” Stella suggested sensibly.

Rosetta held her chin up. “Nope! It’s cause you’re purple and my favourite colour is purple! And my royal decree is that you hafta be purple forever!” she said proudly with her eyes closed. “And, and...also... you also gotta... eat this scarf!” She giggled.

Before Twilight could protest, the filly had shoved a scarf in her mouth. Twilight skeptically chewed before realizing how delicious it was. She scarfed down the scarf in no time at all.

What had been a special occasion, soon turned into routine. For a week straight, Rosetta snuck  into Twilight’s bed to cuddle her at night. She denied that she did it on her own free will, blaming it on everything from nightmares, to wetting the bed, to being forced to by a talking turnip. Twilight knew she sought comfort, though.

Twilight decided to turn it back on the filly. If Rosetta wanted to share a bed with her, there needn’t be any cloak and dagger. Twilight liked having a little warm body to cuddle, even if it kicked and snored a bit. She could’ve just said something, but where was the fun in that?

She concocted a plan and waited for Rosetta to fall asleep to put it in motion.

“Psst! Hey Rosy!” Twilight hissed with her blanket and pillow slung over her back. She poked the filly.

“Oh, hi Lyley,” she yawned.

Twilight blushed. “I wet my bed. Like, super bad. I might not be able to sleep in it for weeks.”

The unicorn had thrown ten gallons of water on her bed, drenching and soaking it through. Twilight wasn’t worried because she enchanted it into living water and it wouldn’t rot the bed, but it made for dramatic effect. Rosetta perked her head up and saw the dripping mess.

The water snaked itself out of the bed and gathered into a small cube on top of it. Two eyes popped out the side of the water creature. It innocently took in its surroundings before bouncing around blissfully.

“Eww...” the filly giggled.

“I know. Anyways, I was wondering if I could bunk with you bed tonight...”

Rosetta shifted awkwardly, a squishy, sloshy sound coming from under her covers. She was going to use the same excuse tonight.

“Uhh...”

Eventually, they both admitted to liking the extra body while they slept and to not having a bedwetting problem. Twilight figured that Rosetta had gone her entire life without the loving touch of another pony. The sensation of having something warm to hold that loved her must had done wonders to heal her. Twilight still saw countless signs of her loneliness throughout the days, but she dismissed them with every new breakthrough she made in her studies.

Her research into Stella’s text had ran into a few obstacles, but progress was being made. She hadn’t figured out a solid way to save Rosetta, but the scope was narrowing. She’d have her method in a few weeks and have its execution down faster than that.

*

“Nononono... Chest up, neck straight!” Twilight commanded, tapping the water monster twice in the aforementioned spots. “Her Majesty, Princess Rosetta of Paradisium demands only the most steadfast guard!”

The water elemental of the wet bed was doing its best to replicate the complex shape of a pony, but it lacked a certain grace. It walked without the rigidity of a skeleton, fluidly bending its legs in equal parts creepy and endearing ways. Its eyes were also never in the right spot, usually sinking down to the mouth or cheeks.

The two stood in a grand mahogany throne room before the little princess.

“Royal Assistent Lyley, what art taking thee so longest?!” Rosetta called out.

The water form looked innocently from the filly to Twilight, its eyes floating around its forehead

“Captain of the Guard, Pete, hath not assumed the correct form yet. He tries still,” Twilight saluted, throwing a glare at Pete.

“Well, that be-ith ok.” The filly had a bored look on her face. “I guess...”

It had taken them ten whole minutes to get Pete to look almost like a pony and she still didn’t have a guard. She looked around lazily, before being struck with an idea to spice things up.

“Except...a bunch of huge meteors are coming down to destroy us all, and Pete is the only one who can stop them!” Rosetta exclaimed, throwing her crown up and and running around screaming.

The ceiling disappeared, turning into a shadowy, black void. A few enormous balls of fire appeared in the distance beyond it. There were four of them, all coming from different directions. They approached quickly and, much to Twilight’s surprise, the wooden hall around them started catching on fire. Pete looked at the meteors and fires, determined. He sluggishly morphed over to one of the smaller fires and stomped it out.

“What the hay!? Rosetta! These are real meteors!” Twilight panicked. Rosetta was too busy running around, screaming, to hear her.

Beads of sweat formed on Twilight’s forehead from the rising heat. She took her own liberty to douse a few of the flames, but the closer the meteors got the more futile it became. Twilight tried blasting some of the distant rocks to varying degrees of success. Now, instead of four big meteors, she had two big meteors and about twenty little ones. They peppered the ground around her, sending burning wood splinters exploding across the room. The deafening noise knocked her on her rump.

In the madness, Twilight dodged and evaded the plummeting rocks. Her own heart was ablaze with adrenaline as she navigated this terrifying new scene. She galloped through the thickening smoke after the filly, with only her screams alluding to Stella’s true position. More than a few times she subtly shielded the princess as one of more flaming balls of death aimed to end her reign. Rosetta scurried back up to the throne.

Rosetta saluted as she watched her two servants scramble about. “The princess will go down with her castle!”

Twilight bit her lip, trying to dissect the chaos.

Pete was preoccupied, flopping around, trying to stomp out one measly flame after another. Rosetta was being silly. Meanwhile, three huge flaming rocks were less than a minute from impact.

A typical day of play in Paradisium.

“No, she won’t!” Twilight overruled.

She levitated the filly and Pete, and bounded over the debris. She shielded them from a smaller meteorite and flipped over a rather large fire, making a charge for the door.

“Hey!” protested the princess.

With the meteors on her tail and the unusual feeling of spontaneous combustion climbing up her back, she heroically dashed through the fire storm. She smashed through the door, tumbling back onto the gleaming streets of Paradisium.

Once clear of the door, she kicked off Rosetta to push them out of the way of the resulting explosive blast that roared out the doorway. After it subsided, Twilight could hear Rosetta giggling happily as she rolled across the ground.

The filly sat up. “That was fun! What do you guys wanna do next?!”

Twilight blinked stupidly at the filly before smiling weakly and rubbing the back of her neck.

“How about the ‘Let’s-not-put-everypony-in-mortal-danger-game’?” Twilight suggested.

Pete just waved it off. He stood up and saluted, looking to Rosetta for his next, life-threatening assignment. Twilight sighed, her ears drooping in defeat.

“Nah! We’re gonna have a tea party!”

Twilight perked back up. “That doesn’t sound so ba--”

“With laser whirlpools!”

*

Stella was livid.

“It was an accident! You never told me not to!” Twilight protested.

“You think it’s a coincidence that we’re the only two living beings in Paradisium?” Stella asked bitterly. “No, I specifically do not bring anything to life because each time I do, she seems to remember the Cloudy days.”

“Well, I’m sorry, but she seems happy enough. Now she has another friend to play with, so I don’t know what your problem is.”

The argument was intensifying.

“Did you ever consider that maybe she doesn’t want friends?”

Twilight almost laughed. “No? You said it yourself, she’s lonely. Making friends for her seems obvious. I was actually wondering why you didn’t do it yourself.”

“Because what happens when she loses that friend and she’s left mourning them? All that pain and suffering for what?”

“That’s no way to live! The fear of losing something you love should never stop you from loving it with all your heart,” Twilight rebutted. The star was delusional.

They glared each other down, neither of them giving an inch of ground. Then it clicked in Twilight’s mind.

“Is that why you won’t let anything come alive? Because you’re afraid she’ll get attached to it?” Twilight bit back.

“No, and It’s not like I never did. I made her a living cloud she named Cloudy. She’d ride around on him, he’d tickle her with his thunder and lightning. She loved that cloud, probably more than she loved me.” Stella’s words were bitter. “After the words got ahold of Cloudy, I listened to her cry for days on end. I promised to never make that mistake again.”

Twilight sat in a silence of complete disbelief. Never in all her life did she think she’d hear someone argue against having friends.

“So, you won’t let her have friends cause you’re afraid they’ll die or leave? That makes no sense. Are you sure you’re not just jealous that she found something else to love?”

“How dare you...” the star challenged angrily. “Don’t talk to me like you know what’s best for Rosetta. Not until you see the pain she’s gone through.”

Twilight couldn’t even hear her words. “What if I have? You wouldn’t know because all you do is write. Let me guess. You wish I never came to Paradisium, because when I leave, she’ll be heartbroken. Or is it because you think she likes me more than you?”

Stella’s arrogant silence spoke the truest answer.

Rosetta listened, pretending to sleep at the unicorn’s side. She wanted to cry, but not now. She’d cry herself to sleep later, when no one else was awake.

Like she did every night.

*

Pete was allowed to stay and eventually it fell out of conflict. Rosetta wasn’t remembering the aforementioned “Cloudy days” that the star feared so much. She was actually coming to like Pete much in spite of Twilight’s argument. Stella and Twilight remained hostile for some time though, neither refusing to concede their viewpoints. Around Rosetta they were agreeable enough, but besides that they carefully skirted around the subject and kept their relationship strictly mentor-disciple.

Twilight’s time was solely spent reading, and playing with the filly. The weeks passed by in a flash and before she knew it, she had been in Paradisium for three months. Everything was always so fast and new, the rate at which she learned magic, the adventures she’d go on. She couldn’t remember a dull moment if she wanted to. Twilight would never complain about a lack of excitement in her life, but now she regretted not going on more adventures.

Still, not a day passed where she didn’t wonder about her friends. After reading up on spells she suspected herself to be under, she came to the conclusion that she wasn’t in any mortal danger. Most likely, she’d wake up the following morning at the time she normally would have.

That peace of mind let her focus on the question.

Twilight had read every relevant text on the problem. The search to find a way to bring Stella and Rosetta back to Equestria was as complete as it would ever be. She had come up with a few explanations about where she was and and even more theories about how to get them back home. Yet, none of them were complete in the slightest. One question still had to be answered. A question so simple, but so complex.

What were they?

Rosetta was simple to describe, being a pony and all. While Stella could be any number of things, all of them fell within the parameters of the majority of the spells she planned to use. The real issue was that she didn’t know the nature of the dream or the ties the two had to it. In order to have even the faintest chance at success, she’d have to know what she was dealing with. All she knew was that she was potentially dreaming.

Were they trapped souls? Figments of her imagination? Something darker and more complex?

What dimension do I need to cross?

Rosetta clearly didn’t know, but the same couldn’t be said for Stella. Stella definitely knew a lot more than she let on. She played an innocent role, but Twilight knew she was central to the world and given the circumstances, she might have created it. However, Twilight had been hesitant to share her plans with the star. It would paint her as an outsider with a radical agenda. She was already one because of Pete and being offered to change dimensions was definitely radical. Maybe Stella would like it, maybe she wouldn’t, but Twilight couldn’t wait any longer. She had exhausted every other resource and talking to Stella was the only other way forward.

The first step would be to see if Stella knew anything about the diary. Even if the contents of the diary were no longer important, it was still the only connection to her world she knew of.

Rosetta was fast asleep in her arms. Twilight had told her a story from Stella’s collection, but she dozed off in the middle of it. Twilight smiled at the filly as she snored lightly.

“She’s asleep...” Twilight said softly to the lamp.

“Good,” Stella replied flatly, absorbed in her own writing.

“Hey, Stella. I want to talk with you about something.”

“Yes, what is it?”

“I want to talk about something I found in my world. I think it might have belonged to you.

“”Did you now? What was it?” Her eyes remained glued to her writing.

“I found a seven hundred year-old diary back in my world. The first entry was dated April 18, CE 331. The owner described having a pressure building in their chest. They wanted a diary because they thought that if maybe they could write their thoughts down, the pressure would go away. Sound familiar?”

Stella didn’t look over at her, but her quills froze. She listened intently. Clearly she knew what Twilight was talking about.

“I found your diary in Equestria. I tried reading it, but only one entry was visible. At first I thought it was a fake, but now I know it was a ruse,” Twilight explained. “When I went to sleep, I woke up here. To me, this is a dream. A very long dream, but still a dream.”

“Eventually, I’m going to wake up and go back home and I want you and Rosetta to leave Paradisium behind and come back with me.”

Twilight fondly stroked the mane of the peaceful filly next to her. “She’s special and deserves more than a life alone with nopony to play with...”

Stella finally looked at the unicorn. Her eyes were hurt and innocent, her voice wavered. “You have it? I’m... I’m sorry. Pl-please... Give it back to me. Give me my diary back...”

Twilight was shocked by Stella’s sudden lack of composure. “I... I don’t have it...”

The star glared at her. “Then tell me where it is... Now.”

Stella’s tone changed to something darker. An unwarranted harshness laced her words, leaving Twilight without a response. Twilight waited as if it wasn’t her place to make the next move or to have the next word.

The entire room started to creak as though being crushed in the palms of a giant. The air thickened to lead. Twilight choked and gasped as she struggled to find the will to breathe. The glare of the star pierced her with a primal fear, and under those eyes, she dared not move.

A demonic voice sounded.

“TELL ME WHERE YOU HID MY DIARY YOU FILTHY HARLOT!” the star exploded.

Stella grew from a soft, glowing cotton ball to a spiky, red ball of malice. Her eyes were fierce and her teeth, jagged. She shone so brightly that it painted the small room a crimson, blood red. Her quills melded into her back, forming makeshift wings. The feathers shriveled away into thin, skeletal frames.

For the first time, Twilight saw Stella move from her stand. The star rose into the air and behind her a ghostly apparition appeared.

It was the Angel.

The Angel

The Angel

“If I don’t come back, take care of her!” Cadance shouted across the chasm. “Don’t ever leave her alone!”

The water elemental spared one last glance as he led the filly away.

“I’m counting on you, Pete”

Tears in his eyes, he left his friend behind.

*

In the deep red glow of the star, Stella, Twilight met the face of horror. The Angel’s gaze stole away her courage and with it, her senses. She washed numb all over. Her silent breath stammered and her eyes shrunk to pinpricks. Every bit of her sank to the floor as her eyes connected with its. Pete froze up when he saw it, promptly falling over and rolling across the floor. Then, all of a sudden, it began its relentless assault.

The creature charged them. It ghosted through the star, but plowed through the table and chairs, sending Stella’s desk and lamp stand flying. Its long flowing cloak blasted air up behind it and exploded the bookshelves. Some books were tossed up into the air, others were crushed and flayed apart by its cloak.

Twilight screamed. She reflexively teleported her and the filly to the far side of the room, letting the Angel smash directly into the wall. The bed was unnaturally cut into long, uniform pieces as the wicked cloak grazed it. However, the frozen Pete was unscathed and sent rolling across the room.

“Angel!? Back down! This doesn’t concern you!” Stella roared.

The spirit’s face had smashed itself stuck in the wall. Its cloak flailed madly in frustration. Twilight watched as hundreds of dark claws appeared first from the cloak and then from every shadow in the room, even her own. The shadowy ceiling transformed into a nightmare forest of writhing, grasping hands.

Some of them clawed at Twilight and Rosetta, but others ignored her. They opened books and read them, tearing out page after page. Other broke legs off the wooden table and beat each other with them. The door had been blocked off by a net of hands growing from the threshold, grabbing themselves in a weave.

In Stella’s blood red light, Twilight had never seen such a nightmare.

Quickly, most of the hands began pulling on the cloak, sometimes pulling on each other if they weren’t close enough. The only ones that weren’t, were busy destroying the library one page at a time. Twilight didn’t bother stopping them. She raced over to the hands covering the door and blasted it with her horn to no effect. She levitated a chair and tried beating the hands off it. Nothing was making a scratch.

“ANGEL, DON’T YOU IGNORE ME,” Stella raged.

Twilight spotted her frozen, icy friend being fondled by a few claws, crying a terrified tears. Pete shot her a look of distress. She tugged him away from the prying hands, and he began melting in relief. Before he had a chance to liquefy completely , Twilight proceeded to bash the door open with him. He froze back up and a few ice cube tears trailed through the air after him as he flew back and forth.

Strangely, that seems to work quite well. The creature screeched and howled with each hit. Twilight enthusiastically beat it a few more times, watching the arms claw crazily around her. They tore mindlessly as the floors, walls and furniture, ruining the small, comfy home. But worst of all, they shredded, mutilated, eviscerated and devastated the books. Tatters of the literature surged the air like a bloody blizzard.

Twilight only turned around once to see the literary carnage.

Scraps of the most powerful books in the universe rained down around her in Stella’s blazing red glow. It was a bloody massacre. Decades of work, the most advanced magical library in existence, destroyed before her very eyes.

All in less than two minutes.

She nearly cried. No more books meant anymore reading, and that meant no more quiet nights of study with Rosetta snoozing in her arms. There wouldn’t be anymore academia or tutoring by the star. Studying had been primary reason for being staying in the dream and without it, all that she had left was Rosetta and her promise to save her. Soon she would know if she could keep it.

Her stay in Paradisium had entered its final act.

With one final swing, the door broke open. She heard several sickening cracks as the hands and their adjoining arms bent out of shape. The monster screamed bloody murder. It thrashed wildly, punching holes into the floor and walls until it was finally free.

Stella’s voice was deep, monstrous and rang from every corner. “CEASE VILE CREATURE,” she screamed, her glow growing crimson then maroon. “TWILIGHT SPARKLE, YOU DARE RETURN WITHOUT THE DIARY AND YOU SHALL REGRET EVERY BREATH.”

Neither of them wasted a second paying any attention to Stella’s rants. Twilight quickly ran for the edge of the balcony while the Angel searched the literary bloodstorm for the unicorn. Despite all the commotion Rosetta had only just started to stir from her sleep. Twilight put a sound proof bubble around them.

“Lyley...? What’s going on? Where are we going?” she asked lazily, trying to peek at the action over Twilight’s shoulder..

Twilight levitated the filly lower to keep her curious eyes away.

“We’re uhh! Just going for a midnight dive! I thought it’d be fun!” Twilight lied.

“Oh... ok... I’m kind of sleepy, maybe we can do it tomorrow?”

“It’s called ‘midnight’ for a reason,” Twilight replied quickly as she threw all of them off the side of the balcony.

Twilight no longer hesitated at the edge of a fall anymore. More often than not, in order to get the day’s playroom, falling was involved. Twilight had gotten use to it to the point where ‘diving’ was synonymous with playtime.

Air rushed Rosetta’s mane, bringing her bursting to life. She didn’t exactly know what to make of the unusual hour, but she always welcomed time with her best friend.

Behind them, the Angel shot out from over the balcony and flew in a wide arc after them. Red bits of paper trailed behind it. Rosetta hadn’t noticed the monster and Twilight did her best to block her view of it, but eventually she fell free of Twilight. She twirled through the air, giggling, before falling silent.

Her eyes grew wide.

“Angel! The Angel is behind us!” she cried, spotting the deathly mask.

Twilight bit her lip. “Yes, yes she is! We need to run away from her now!”

“B-but! That’s where I live! What happened to Lala!?” she asked frantically.

“Lala is okay, but she’s not coming with us!” Twilight lied.

Her lips trembled. She rubbed her eyes and tried to hit herself awake, but she already was.

“This is the worst midnight dive ever!” she sobbed.

Rosetta reached out for Twilight and the unicorn held her close as they dropped into the deep, dark city of spires. The faint light of her horn was all Twilight had to dodge the pointed towers in the complete darkness. More than a few times, her dream sense barely helped her evade one or another.

Behind her the Angel’s claws tore at the world yet again, revealing the stark, white pages of the diary. Instead of the crisp text from before, the words behind the world were bleeding. Twilight looked back to and saw one haunting line. She gulped.

She can never leave.

“Rosy, I need you to tell me what slows the Angel down. Stella told me that if you ran into her there was something you could do to get away,” Twilight said loudly over the rushing air.

“I-i... The lights... The lights can help us get away.”

“Where are the lights?”

Twilight looked around and saw dark, prying claws closing.

“Rosetta!” she pressed. “I need to know where the lights are!”

“They’re everywhere! Just...”

Rosetta squinted. Her tiny horn ignited and the world flashed gold. For a moment, she was blind.

The glare quickly dissipated leaving behind hundreds, if not thousands, of thin threads of light. It was a magnificent tangle of rainbow lines that was omnipresent and nearly mind-numbing. So densely cluttered were they, that they couldn’t fall ten feet without passing through one or more of them.

They were threadlike and thin, shining green, blue, red and every colour of the spectrum. In sections, the lines pulsed collectively, brightening and dulling every few moments.Their light reflected brilliantly off the marble, adorning the city in a shimmering, technicolour coat.

The Angel’s many claws were caught and tangled in the surprisingly pliable lines. It slashed at them, but its claws bounced off helplessly. It screamed out after the friends in great frustration. With their pursuer preoccupied, Twilight, Rosetta and Pete could continue diving with peace of mind. The lights would keep it busy, but not forever. Eventually in a few days it’d claw its way through, but hopefully, Twilight could find a way to end the dream before that happened.

“There! I made the lights!”

“Excellent work!” Twilight nuzzled her. “For your next trick, can you get us somewhere safe?”

“Umm... Can’t we go home?”

Cracks of lightning and thunder beat Twilight to her response. Far above them at the peak, a storm brewed. Ominous, black clouds materialized over their home, downpouring an inky, black rain. Every drop sizzled as it touched the marble and, like a living shadow, spread out to cover the castle completely.

Rosetta was quiet.

“I might be able to make everything better again, but first we have to get away from the Angel. Is there anywhere we can go?” Twilight asked.

“Mmhmm...” she sobbed.

“Where?”

“The outer rings...”

“Seriously?”

“Mmhmm... Follow me,” the filly replied sadly.

Rosetta looked around. She wiped a starlit tear from her cheek and smushed it between her hooves. Faintly, they began shimmering gold. She held her hooves out to a passing line and instead of falling through it, she caught on it, abruptly breaking their fall.

Twilight felt her stomach jump into her throat. Somehow Rosetta’s tiny arm managed to break their fall and hung on so they could swing under and over it. After being slingshotted around the line, they popped up and an unseen force pulled them to light line. They came to a rest, comfortably floating just above it. Another unknown force pushed them along the magic thread, sending them sliding down it like a mine cart on its rail.

Along the line, they swerved in and out of the many spires, putting an ever safer distance between them and the Angel. The dizzying mesh of towers and rainbow light eventually broke free to the night sky. Out in the open, the lights weren’t so overbearing and the deep blues and purples of Paradisium’s painted night sky peeked through.

“You’re sure that the Angel can’t follow us to the outer rings?” Twilight asked hesitantly. It wasn’t clear if she actually preferred fleeing the words of the outer rings over the Angel.

“Mmhmm....”

*

They spent the next four hours traveling along the line slowly making their way to the outer ring. Rosetta went back to sleep in the comfort of Twilight’s diligent levitation, but Pete stayed up with the unicorn. She told him every plan and laid down every piece of relevant information, hoping to come to some sort of conclusion. Pete lazily watched his arm meld to the passing wind, finding it far more interesting than the unicorn’s endless rants. She had repeated the same three plans for the eighth time in a row.

Pete stopped paying attention after the jargon started.

The unicorn laid down the facts. “If I can meta-manipulate her essence, then one could deduce that intra-dimensional magic is possible in a second dimension. However, that’s only if she is a trapped soul and not a construct.” Her face twisted in a logical scism until she nearly knocked him off the line in outburst. “That’s it Pete!”

He metaphorically raised a brow at her.

“I have come to the conclusion!” She paused dramatically.”That I have no idea what’s going on...”

She was quiet for the first time in hours.

Twilight looked back at the castle and the growing storm. The thunder had died down, but lightning still cackled in the depths of the clouds.The mountainous, overbearing clouds have grown tall to enclose a part of ring just above the peak. After only a few hours the rain had covered almost half of the main city in a black ichor. It’d only be a few more until the castle was completely covered. The room that had become her home must have been flooded with ink by now.

“I wasn’t born here Pete,” Twilight said, her eyes pensively fixed on the darkening castle. “I don’t know what I’m doing and if I can’t figure it out, I’ll have to go home.”

Pete gave her long, understanding hug.

*

By the time they reached the outer rings, Rosetta had grown to Twilight’s size. Maybe even bigger. Minute by minute, there was never a noticeable difference in the foal. When Twilight finally looked down to check on her and noticed her change in size, her heart almost stopped. After a dozen doubletakes and a series of baffled grunts, Twilight finally choked out something.

“I-is she okay?”

Pete shrugged.

Twilight poked her and winced as if Rosetta were going through something painful. She was still breathing and seemed to be sleeping peacefully, but Twilight wasn’t convinced. She poked, prodded, inspected and assessed the filly.

Her friend hadn’t changed technically speaking, but she wasn’t the same Rosetta. The wind coursing through her mane was changing. Instead of the whimsy of a foal, Twilight felt the complex emotions of a full grown mare lap her heart. Every inch taller the princess grew, the more estranged Twilight became. She half dreaded the exchange she knew she’d have when her friend woke up.

Twilight stepped off the line and set the sleeping pony down, rubbing her aching horn. Normally, she wouldn’t have been able to maintain levitation for so long, but Stella’s teachings had made her a much more capable magician.

The magical threads across the entire city disappeared as she stepped off, vanishing in a wave that started from her last hoof step. Far above her, the magic coat over the world evaporated into thin air. Twilight watched the spectacle with a weak smile. Her tired eyes didn’t have the strength to appreciate the show. She was sure it would have taken her breath away with a few more hours of sleep. Twilight poked her friend in the side.

“Hey, Rosetta, time to wake up,” she cooed.

Rosetta fluttered her lashes and yawned.

“Oh, good morning Lyley,” she replied casually.

Twilight scratched the back of her neck. “How are you feeling?”

“Pretty good.” Her eyes lazily took in her surroundings, clicking her tongue and yawning some more. Eventually she set her sights on the dark storm and castle. “Woah... what’s wrong with Lala?”

“I think she’s mad because she lost her diary,” Twilight explained, unsure of what to make of the situation herself.

Rosetta sighed. “She lost it?” she asked rhetorically. “Of course she did... Lala, why is it that everytime you lose something you have to make sure everypony knows it?”  

Rosetta’s stomach rumbled loudly. Her face fell flat and unamused.

“And OF COURSE it has to happen before breakfast. I’m hungry Lala! Very! Hungry!” she whined, bouncing with each outburst. “What am I supposed to eat all the way out here?”

Pete nudged her and formed the shape of a doughnut.

“Heh, I appreciate the gesture, but I’m not going to eat you, you weirdo,” she teased. Her stomach rumbled again.

He melted sadly before leaping back up and taking the form of another kind of doughnut.

Rosetta stood up and grumbled as she walked off down a street, ignoring him. Twilight hurried after the cranky mare and smiled to herself. Rosetta hadn’t changed a bit. Maybe she was a bit older and extremely grumpy, but she was still the filly she knew. Pete continued to pester her, taking the form of greater and more delicious breakfast items as she ignored each one.

“Pete! You’re not helping!” Rosetta yelled, her stomach rumbling more.

He melted back down, looking at her wide eyed, his pupils huge and innocent. He took another shape.

“Oh... you didn’t...” Rosetta replied with horror.

Pete was a scone.

Her eyes watered and her lips trembled. “It’s not apple, is it?!” she cried.

The scone elemental nodded, evoking pathetic rumbles from her belly.

“Pete! You are so mean! If you weren’t my friend I’d so eat eat you!”

Rosetta looked like she was about to have a fit, before stomping away from him loudly. She continued her rant to Twilight. “This happens every time, by the way. Whenever Stella loses something she does the same thing. She did this when she lost her favourite quill, her favourite shade, our kettle, every book ever...” she listed.

“What does she do?” Twilight.

“Always makes me go out and find it!” she complained. “Come on Lyley, we have a diary to find.”

Pete was now a complete tray of apple scones that rolled like a wheel next to her. He hopped up and down, trying to get Rosetta’s attention.

“Pete, you really should probably stop before I do decide to eat you.”

Twilight skipped after her. “So, it’s here in the city?” she interjected.

“Yeah, it should be. I don’t know where else it would go,” Rosetta replied. “Oh, by the way, if you ever lose something, try and do it after breakfast. Please!”

The hope that maybe there was one last book to read brought a smile to Twilight’s face. “I’ll try and remember that. But where is it?”

“What? The diary? How would I kn--”  Rosetta paused alongside a timely stomach moan that seemed to speak to her. “Wait... I do know where it is... That’s funny...” She paused again as her stomach rumbled, genuinely shocked by her own knowledge. Her eyes fell to her hoof. She turned it over, investigating it like it held the answer.

“You do? Where is it?”

Rosetta stared off into the void of her hoof, searching far beyond it for the source of this knowledge. “It’s sort of hard to explain. It’s somewhere really dark, but I can feel it.”

“Did you eat it?” Twilight played. “Is this dark place your stomach?”

“No... I....”

Her gaze drifted skyward to the looming city overhead. She spun around a few times before locating it. It was on another ring, but relatively close.

“You see that one spot with all the words?” she said, pointing to a dense, black section of a separate ring.

Twilight swallowed hard. “You’re kidding, right?”

“Nope. It’s over there.”

Despite the mortal danger she was going to put herself in, Twilight smiled. The presence of the diary meant she had been given one last chance. Nothing else could hold the information she sought besides it, and with it, she hoped to bring Rosetta home. Absolution filled her. This would be her last vie for her friend’s happiness.

By the end of today, she’d know if really could make dreams come true.

*

Twilight, Rosetta and Pete held their backs to the wall, almost too afraid to  breathe. They were holed up in a small nook of a building that really only had enough space for one of them to stand comfortably.

But they made it work. Even if Rosetta had to shove her flank in Twilight’s chest and Pete was forced on her back, they fit in the tiny crevice. The water elemental’s slobber dripped over the Twilight’s face as he tried to peek over the ponies at the creatures.

A group of words drifted by them, slowly scanning the streets. They were intensely close to them, the dark mass coming less than a yard from Twilight’s nervous nose. The scent of fresh ink wafted in as they passed. Never before had Twilight been close enough to decipher what they said, but now she could read them intimately. The ones nearest to her read, homestead, curtain and ravenous. When they were clear, Rosetta poked her head out of the conjured camouflage and waved the signal to her companions.

Twilight exhaled. Pete mimicked her movements, wiping bits of himself from his brow.

“Why are there so many of them now?” Twilight complained.

So far today, they had encountered a dozens of vigilent patrols, searching the city. The friends had been forced into hiding, wasting almost an hour waiting out their stalkers.

Rosetta smiled. “Either Stella is looking for the diary or us...”

Twilight gulped.

“She must be livid to be using the words like this,” she continued.

The princess waved both of them back into hiding as yet another group of words floated by.

“She controls them?”

“Sort of. I mean, where do you think they all come from?” Rosetta asked. “Some of the newborns still listen to her, but the older ones think they’re better than her. It’s true, too. Anyway, it’s not like they won’t attack us on sight regardless.”

“Interesting, ” Twilight replied “Another question, why are we taking the streets when we could just fly?”

“It attracts a lot of attention. Also, there is this cafe I want to try out just up ahead.” Rosetta looked anxiously down the street.

“With all these words around? Are you sure it’s the best time to go and sit down somewhere to eat?”

Rosetta put her hoof to Twilight’s chest and shook her head. “Lyley, Lyley, Lyley, there are two things I ask out of life, a hot shower and breakfast. Since I didn’t get the first one, I’m going to get my breakfast.”

Twilight stared her down, but Rosetta ignored her. Twilight hadn’t gotten either of those things, but she wasn’t foregoing the safety of the whole group in their pursuit.

“Is that so? Well, one way to fix that. Pete, execute plan eighty-seven.”

Rosetta turned around and glared at him.

“Pete, don’t you even...” the princess threatened.

Twilight nodded to the water elemental.

Rosetta tried to fly away, but Pete pounced on her. He morphed up and around the flailing princess, encasing her in his watery prison. She tried to cry out in protest, but Pete covered her head, muffling her. Twilight cast a heating spell on him, bringing him up to a comfortable temperature. She went to stand guard as Pete worked his magic. He rocked Rosetta about, turning her over, cleaning her and washing off any grime. Eventually she gave up and let herself enjoy it, sighing in comfort. After a few minutes, he set her back down, patting her on the head.

Rosetta was too lost in the warmth of the makeshift shower to be coherent, purring happily. She lazily played slapped at Pete’s body, splashing herself with warm water. Noticing his friend’s desire he splashed himself on her.

All at once, Rosetta’s pleasure turned to narrow eyes and pursed lips.

“Lyley, I hate you so much...” she said simply.

“False, you love me,” she corrected.

“Fine,” Rosetta conceded. “But we’re still going to the cafe.”

Twilight stood her ground. “You had a shower so now--”

A very timely, very verbal stomach rumble cut her off. That stomach rumble was followed by one from the princess and then a strange, unrelated, gurgling noise from Pete. For a few awkward moments, their stomachs went back and forth, almost talking to each other. Rosetta smirked knowingly, ready to utilize the ultimate leverage over the unicorn. Her own stomach.

“You were saying?’” Rosetta said smugly.

“Fine.”

*

They sat at the end of a long communal, feasting table. It was one of three in the enormous room. The interior was mostly, and unsurprisingly, marble, with uniform pillars spaced evenly between the tables. The walls were decorated with an unorthodox combination of stained glass windows and horizontal fountains.

The crystal water streamed and splashed every direction. It flowed from fountain to fountain, gathering in invisible, floating reservoirs just over head. The miniature lakes and rivers spread up towards a high ceiling, giving an unfathomable depth to endless waterworks. Bright, colourful light poured in through the stained windows and turned the water into a brilliant, twinkling rainbow.

The two ponies surveyed the menus that had been mysteriously placed before them. Pete stood next to them in his usual, blobby form, dressed in formal attire, awaiting their orders.

“Lyley, what’s the Strawberry Breakfast Bruschetta Finis?” Rosetta asked, watching the menu more than actually reading it.

“Uhh, I think it has something to do with yogurt.”.

“Yes... I suppose that sounds... Wha...? What even is this--” Rosetta cut herself short as she tried to decipher another item on the menu.

She turned the menu sideways, and then turned her head sideways before giving up. She would have no luck finding something to eat from this enigma of a menu. She leveled with Pete.

“The Crown Princess, Rosetta of Paradisium, does not desire bruschetta or yogurt! She instead would like the finest waffles! I want them to be fluffy, full of blueberries, smothered in syrup and potentially deep-fried,” Rosetta commanded regally.

“I’d like the Pain Perdu Ensemble with fresh strawberries and pomegranate,” Twilight followed politely. She shot the princess a smug, but composed, look as she delicately unfolded her napkin. In reality, she just ordered the one thing she recognized. French toast.

Pete nodded and hurried off to a back room somewhere. He had become their personal chef over the last few months. After reading Stella’s book on cooking, he had taken a liking to the culinary arts. Stella would never admit it, but Pete’s cooking was the main reason why she let him stay. Being a water elemental, he could work intimately with the food and served up meal after meal with resounding success.

As long as he had ingredients and a stove, he could fabricate almost any dish.

“How are you holding up Lyley?” Rosetta asked.

Currently, Twilight was maintaining an exceptionally powerful barrier spell that encompassed the greater majority of the restaurant. Naturally, they had attracted a lot of attention, but it wasn’t anything Twilight couldn’t handle. Stella’s teachings had made her into a magical prodigy beyond what she was already. Maybe in an hour the shield would come down, but that would be more than enough time to enjoy a meal.

“It’s not that bad. There’s just... I don’t know,” Twilight took a moment to count. “A few hundred vile, devilish entities of death constantly pecking my mind like a flock of crows,” she shrugged. “I basically do this in my sleep.”

“Trust me, the food is worth it,” Rosetta assured nonchalantly.

“So says the pony who can’t even pronounce half the menu.”

Rosetta smirked. “I’m not afraid to throw my best friend out.”

*

About twenty minutes later, Pete brought out their food. He held two huge steaming plates of waffles and french toast, expertly prepared. Warm butter and thick syrup were poured luxuriously over their entrees with fresh fruit neatly placed around the edges. Both the ponies eyed the food hungrily as he approached, the alluring aroma filling their noses.

Pete placed the plates on the table and they wasted no time with their meal. Only the busy sounds of their eating and running water broke the silence.

Rosetta wasn’t well mannered as a filly, and it looked like she hadn’t improved since then. She stabbed the waffles and lowered her mouth to the plate, tearing off mouthfuls of food sloppily.  Twilight sat with proper posture and displayed every point of etiquette she could remember.

“Well, aren’t you fancy?” Rosetta observed, still chewing a large chunk of buttery waffle in one cheek.

“Why certainly! I am in the presence of royalty! One must always put their best hoof forward when dining with a princess.” Twilight took a small, dainty bite of her food.

Rosetta chewed a bit slower, narrowing her eyes.“Hey Lyley, what’s that in your mane?” she retorted.

“What’s what? I haven’t the slightest clue what you’re talking about,” she denied properly.

Rosetta pulled at a small scrap of paper with her hoof, leaving behind a bit of grease in the unicorn’s locks. It was a piece of the book slaughter from the night before. It was singed around the edges and had an eye drawn on it.

“Shan’t a unicorn in the presence of royalty at least groom one’s self?” Rosetta mused, turning the paper over. “Ah, it seems like Lala is spying on us. She’s making sure we’re actually looking for the diary.”

Rosetta stroked her chin.

“How about we have a little fun with her?” the princess suggested. “Are you listening Lala?” she said to the paper. “For kicking me out without breakfast and making me find your diary, we’re gonna play a little game. If we find the diary first, we’re gonna read it and tell everypony your deepest, darkest secrets. If you don’t want us to, you better hurry up and find it yourself!”

Rosetta incinerated the scrap in a blue flare, a grin on her face. She went back to her meal, satisfied.

Moments later, Twilight toppled over, knocked out.

Something shattered her protective shield. Unlike the tiny buzz of the words barely scratching the surface, something unleashed a blaring scream that pierced her mind. Conjuring such a strong barrier had forced her to overextend herself and she wasn’t used to such sharp strikes.

The result was equivalent to being bucked in the head. The white noise rang in her ears. Her vision had gone blurry and she could scarcely remember her own name.

She awoke to the concerned faces of Rosetta and Pete. Apparently it wasn’t of too much concern to Rosetta, as she levitated another fork full of waffle to her mouth nonchalantly.

“What happened? You’re not falling asleep on us, are you?” she blurted out.

“The magic... spell thing ... It’s gone... Something broke it...” Twilight replied groggily.

Rosetta locked eyes with her friend and slowly levitated another fork full of waffle, eating it blankly and closing in on her. Twilight backed up a little, slightly unnerved by her closeness. The princess then magically prodded Twilight’s grip on her own fork full of french toast. Twilight looked at the floating fork, astonished. Somehow she had maintained her levitation on it.

Rosetta threw her eyes at the fork and Twilight skeptically handed over control to the mare. Upon receiving the fork, Rosetta ate Twilight’s french toast.

“So, that’s what that tastes like...” Rosetta said, chewing it through. “I think I might get that the next time we come here. We should probably start running now.”

“Running? Why...? What happened?” Twilight asked, baffled.

Rosetta face remained blank and clueless.

“I have no idea...”

The princess slowly backed away before slipping into a full gallop for the door. Pete bounced after her agilely. Twilight cast a healing spell to help with the drilling migraine the magical backlash had given her. Despite her best efforts, she remained a bit fuzzy, but thankfully still cognizant. She teleported after the princess.

They flanked the entrance, ready to face whatever horrors waited on the other side. Rosetta rounded the door slowly.

What was immediately unusual was that it was suddenly dark. Without the presence of any sort of lighting, the city may as well be a pitch black maze. After closing the door behind them, Twilight couldn’t see farther than a foot in front of her face.

“Well, this isn’t fair,” Rosetta’s voice rang out next to her. “What the hay Lala! How are we supposed to see?”

Rosetta’s horn shimmered faintly, shedding a candle’s light over her own face. Twilight briefly saw that Rosetta had grown to her full height. She was exactly as Twilight remembered when she first met her, tall, confident and powerful.

“Fine, Stella, two can play at this game...” her deep, mature voice declared.

In a blinding gold flash, the lights appeared around them again. The countless, rainbows threads of light illuminated the dark world, revealing swarms of words idly floating about. Despite a few being dangerously close to them, they hadn’t moved or acknowledged their presence. The friends hadn’t been seen yet and Twilight suspected a stealthy approach could keep them hidden. Obviously these words had a sensory blind spot they could exploit to bypass them with ease.

Twilight whispered, barely moving her mouth. “They haven’t seen us y--”

Ignoring the unicorn, Rosetta quickly scanned for a specific line and grabbed Twilight by the flank. With a great heave, she sent Twilight soaring through the air on top of it.

“BWAH!!”

Rosetta followed the unicorn up with Pete, and then herself. The words caught on to their movement and darted after them. Once on the glowing thread, its magic brought them up to a breathtaking speed. At this pace, they were sure to get away until Twilight realized there was something different about these words.

As they sped down the line, the darkness consumed the world behind them. No matter how quickly they fled, the words steadily closed in, suffocating their grasp on reality. Almost in a sphere around them, the words slowly encased her. It wasn’t that they were being chased, but that they were losing their connection to the world. The words were already on top of them and taking them somewhere else. Twilight caught sight of a very familiar set of black claws in her peripheral vision.

She called on her dream sense to carry her faster, but it wouldn’t come. Thinking she wasn’t willing herself hard enough, she tried again with no luck.  

Now, Twilight was stuck to this line as the darkness crept up around her, slowly covering the last bit of vision she had left. As soon as it did, Rosetta and Pete faded away as though as they were never there and she had just been hallucinating.

Paranoia set in, and for a few moments there was silence, save the intensity of her own breathing. The total depth of the darkness had found her. Maybe the words had finally caught her. Maybe it was the Angel. Or maybe she was dead.

In the darkness, she lost herself.

*

Cadance woke up on the flowery fields of the small cottage. Rolling meadows and endless skies, the shining sun and clouds in the shapes of ponies surrounded her. A breeze blew waves over the fields. The cloud ponies moved in still frames, changing every few seconds. They played ball, tag and games Cadance remembered playing as a foal. She released a longing sigh as she watched them.

At first the idealistic scene felt so familiar, so comfortable. She had just woken from a nightmare and the flowers helped her forget it. She drew the fresh air deeply into her lungs, exhaling the tension of her nightmare. She closed her eyes to clear her mind. Images of a Twilight running through the fields flashed before her.

She watched her favourite little filly run through the same fields she laid in right now. Twilight looked happy to her and she smiled.

When Cadance opened her eyes, the world was falling quickly to dusk. The shadows of the flowers quickly spun around them and the golden light of sunset flooded the skies. The ponies in the clouds went to bed with blankets of scarlet and pillows of indigo. The sun was setting.

Cadance looked up to the celestial sphere. Something was odd about it. It wasn’t nearly bright enough to be a sun and it was falling rather fast. Taking a closer look, she realized something horrifying.

It was a city, and it was plummeting from the sky.

“Twilight...!” she called futilely.

She watched it fall. Something that large would end the world if it hit. She wondered if she’d actually woken up or if this nightmare was of the tricky sort, only waking up into another nightmare. She picked a flower from the field and chose to watch it instead. Her hooves trembled as the moment of impact grew closer. The flower wilted up and died. Thankfully the impact never came. Instead the city just fell below the horizon, silently leaving the sky. Darkness fell in its absence.

Cadance looked around to the wondrous, warm glow of the fields.

Each flowers radiated a dreamy light that matched its colour, permeating the air around her. The colours of the flora blended together seamlessly, lightening the princess’s face. Tiny fireflies drifted lazily about. A strong breeze blew in from the direction of the fallen city. She faced it.

She had a feeling that Twilight was in the city. Cadance stood up and looked down the long road ahead of her. The city was far off, but if she hustled she could make it there in time. Before she could take her first step, a flurry of light came racing towards her. Two separate pairs of hoofsteps were illuminated by magical, self-repairing flowers.

“I see it! It’s there! We better hurry up or we’re gonna miss it!”

“Twilight...? No... Who is that?”

Cadance instinctively turned around and took to the skies after the hooves’ trail of trampled flowers.

A memory of a train flashed through her mind’s eye. Twilight sat next to a little, summery white filly with an auburn tail and mane. Twilight was apparently this filly’s friend. Her best friend, in fact. Cadance smiled knowing that Twilight had made time to be this foal’s friend. The foal was shy and nervous and in obvious need of a good friend. When Cadance saw Twilight hug the filly, a giant, gushy grin came over her face.

Cadance saw, from her vantage point, Rosetta and Twilight running towards a train. However, one set of hoofprints was falling behind. Cadance flew down under the lagging hooves and lifted them up a little, carrying them on an unseen wind. Twilight’s hooves rushed forward and caught up to the filly.

“Hey, wait! We’re coming! Don’t leave without us!”

Helping Twilight left Cadance weary and tired. After seeing the unicorn off, she collapsed to her knees. It had taken a lot of energy to pick Twilight up and carry her forward. She watched as the two friends flew themselves to the train. She sighed as the train left without her.

Cadance laid there, panting lightly in her exertion.

“Twilight... What have you gotten yourself into?” she asked.

Cadance couldn’t explain it, but there was an evil and malice about this place. A nightmare rarely wakes up into a pleasant dream. The shadows, the falling city, the haunting voice of the filly, all of it unnerved her. Twilight was somewhere in this world and if she wasn’t careful, the unicorn would be lost or trapped.

“That filly, who is she?” Cadance asked.

In the darkness slept a unicorn. She was tired because she hadn’t slept the night before. Her dreaming self spoke out to her foal-sitter.

“Her? That’s just Rosetta. She’s my best friend.” Twilight said from the void.

Cadance smiled weakly. “She seems really sweet.”

”She is...” Twilight reminisced. ”I met her in a dream and I want to bring her back. I was hoping to introduce her to you one day.”

They shared a silence of growing tension. Cadance’s hesitated with her response. Twilight could feel her old foalsitter judging her from afar. Almost a minute passed. Twilight replayed her last statement in her mind to try and find the source of Cadance’s discomfort. After hearing it enough times it sounded silly, mad even.

Twilight broke the silence.

”Cadance...?” Twilight peeped.

“Yes, sweetheart?” Cadance replied quietly.

“I’m scared.”

“Don’t be Twilight. None of this is real. You’ll be back home soon.”

“It’s not that. I’m scared for Rosetta. She’s all alone here. She has no other friends besides me. I’m trying to bring her home, but what if I can’t? What if I have to leave and she spends her whole life alone?”

Cadance’s face grew innocent as she heard those familiar words. Many years ago she had met a little unicorn without friends. That unicorn was a bit of a shut-in who disliked the notion of having friends, but Cadance knew that she needed at least one. So, she became that friend.

“You have to keep trying. I helped you find friends. I know you can do the same for her...” Cadance said quietly.

There was further silence as Twilight chew on that.

“Why do you think I care so much about her?”

“What do you mean?”

“Ever since the first day, it felt like I foal sat her for years. Despite never knowing her before, I’d probably give my life for her.”

“Heh, that’s funny. Me and Shining were just talking about that the other day. ‘Who would we give our lives for’ was the questions. Your name came up.”

“Oh?”

“Shining and I both would,” Cadance said matter-of-factly. “You’re pretty special to us.”

Twilight’s entire body warmed over in the darkness. Cadance knew the essence of love and despite talking casually, she meant every word she said.

”I miss you a lot Cadance. Sometimes, I play some of the same games with Rosetta that you used to play with me and I end up thinking about you the rest of the day... The things you taught me.” Twilight paused. “Kind of feels like I’m turning into you sometimes.”

Cadance chuckled. “Looks like it. It seems like a very special, very rare pony has entered your life. I like to call those kind of ponies, ‘Twilight Sparkles’. Now, ‘Twilight Sparkles’ are very special ponies, so when you find one, never let go of her,”  she lectured.

Twilight’s heart melted. “I’m not going to... I’ll figure out something...” she promised shakily. ”Am I really that special to you...?”

“You are.”

Twilight sniffled from the sentiment. Her heart was bursting for her old foalsitter, but her words had cut her deep.

“Cadance... I’m not like you... I’m not an amazing foalsitter...” Twilight cried. ”I’m gonna lose Rosetta because I can’t figure out what she is.”

“That’s easy Twilight. She’s somepony in your heart. No matter what you see, or what anypony else tells you, she’s in your heart.” Cadance cried a single tear and levitated it into the air. It shone and sparkled in the light. “I’m going to give you something. When you find it and it becomes a part of you, you’ll never have to leave her. Ok?”

“Really? Thank you Cadance.”

Somewhere in the darkness, Twilight saw a light. As she entered her last dream of the night, her connection to Cadance was severed.

Cadance took a deep, heavy breath that ended on the beginnings of a quiet sob.

“I’m so sorry Rosy... I tried...” Cadance whispered to herself. “You might have to settle for just one friend... I don’t want to give up my Twilight, but you need her more. Please, take care of her and tell her I love her and that I’ll miss her.”

The Princess of Love wept amidst a myriad of glowing flowers, her tears clung to her cheeks and sparkled in the soft colours. The sound of her own mournful howls only drove them harder. She’d sealed Twilight’s fate and only after coming to understand the situation she knew it was the only option. It didn’t make the decision or their consequences any easier to live with.

She had lost a friend.

After a few minutes of crying, she realized she wasn’t alone. The Angel was casually staring down at her.

“Who are you? What do you want?” Cadance asked bitterly.

The Angel emitted a muffled, high-pitched grunting. It lifted up one of its claws and drew a finger through the air, spelling out its thought. The finger left behind a glowing, white tracer.

You’re my best friend.

Cadance laughed sarcastically, tears streaming her face.

“Oh yeah?”

It mumbled some more, writing out another line.

I’m lonely and scared. Please, I need you. Don’t give up on me.

“I don’t even know who you are. I’m trying to help my friend and she’s going to get stuck here. Maybe you should go ask your mother to help you out because I’m not really in the mood,” she jeered.

Lala isn’t my friend. She hurts me.

Cadance sighed and shook her head.

“Whoever you are, you’re asking the wrong pony. I can’t even save the filly I foal sat. Sorry, you might have to deal with that.”

It opened its cloak.

Floating in the center of it was a filly Princess Rosetta with her mouth sewn shut. Spectral threads ran in and out of her delicate lips. Her eyes were puffy and red and she had scraped up and dirtied. Rosetta’s eyes pierced her best friend, tearing her apart.

“Rosetta...?” Twilight replied, mouth agape

Her frail voice mumbled futilely against the bindings in her mouth. She winced with pain.

Lyley, I want to go home.

“R-rosy... I-i...can’t...”choked the unicorn.

Don’t leave without me, please.

*

Twilight woke up in the middle of the street next to Pete. He was shaking her rather strongly and upon seeing her stir, threw himself over her, splashing about.

It was still dark and the lines around her still shimmered. She stood up and did a quick scan. The streets were barren of life, save the unicorn and Pete.

“Where’s Rosetta? she asked quickly.

Pete formed into a pony running and then a book.

“She’s running...? To the diary?” Twilight guessed.

Pete jumped up and down happily. Then he formed into a pony with three heads. Charades was always his favourite game. He prodded her to guess his next shape.

Twilight looked up into the city, trying to remember where the black spot was. After finding it, her  chest tightened up. It had grown to almost twice its original size. Pete jumped in front of her.

“Not now Pete, Rosy’s in a lot of trouble. We need to save her,” she explained.

He sunk a little, one of his three heads falling off.

“Fine, you’re Cerberus.”

Satisfied, Pete saluted Twilight. Together they hopped on a line and darted down it.

*

After almost two hours of travel, Twilight hadn’t seen a single word. Only after flying over the black mass did they reappear. Legions of them migrated towards the center, crawling and climbing their way over each other. She took a few deep breaths and cleared her mind.

The red demon, Stella, flew down next to her with her skeletal wings, landing on Twilight’s shoulder. Upon contact, she was absorbed into the line’s motory magic and heaved a few heavy pants. Beads of bright teal sweat dripped down her face. Twilight just ignored her.

“Finally, I found you!” she huffed. “Where’s my diary?” she puffed.

“I don’t know,” Twilight replied shortly.

“Don’t lie to me. If you don’t have it, then who does?!”

“Have you asked Rosetta?”

“The fool doesn’t have it either!” she raged. “Tell me where it is, NOW!”

Twilight gave the star a deadbeat stare. Enraged the red spines along Stella’s body grew. The tentacles began wrapping around Twilight’s neck, shoulders and face. Stella threatened to choke and constrict her, but she refused to flinch.

Stella’s face was pure frustration. Her eyes and cheeks bulged, her teeth fanning out jaggedly. Her crimson red complexion was turning hot pink and sweat poured from her fat, little body.

“Stella you’re never going to get what you want if you act like such a foal,” Twilight scolded.

Stella’s face twisted in anger, but she eventually returned to her crimson hue and retracting her spines. It was no use. Twilight wasn’t budging and besides, she was too tired from flying.

“I ought to kill you...” Stella huffed. “But it seems like you know where the diary is. You’ll take me to it if you know what’s good for you.”

“I have a pretty good idea. We’re actually pretty close,” Twilight replied.

Twilight scanned the ground and located the center of the mass. She jumped to another line to get in closer. Below them, a figure under was tied down in the middle of one of the city’s many intersection, spotlights tantalizing it. Twilight teleported the three of them to a vantage point atop one of the tall buildings overlooking the scene. Words swarmed the streets around the figure. Luckily the words were far too fixed on the lone creature in the center to notice.

Twilight could barely stomach what she saw, choking on each breath.

In the center of the rioting words was the Angel. Its cloak had been pinned down and words rushed up it, defiling and flogging its innard. It shook violently, thrashing madly against its restraints with every bit of energy it had. Like a trapped animal it senselessly tried to escape its torture, but it was useless. The Angel was helpless to protect the precious package hidden beneath its cloak, to protect Princess Rosetta. The words tortured and assaulted the filly mercilessly.

Every word on the ring had gathered to find its way up the cloak. Starry tears poured out from the the mask’s eyes like a fire hose. The endless stream was unrelenting, unnerving and unstoppable.

“So, that’s who has the diary,” Stella chimed with a smile. “Good riddance. I’ve hit two birds with one stone today. I’ll finally have my diary back and I’ll be rid of the Angel. Lala loves you darlings, teach that Angel a thing or two!” she cheered.

The Angel looked up at Twilight and Pete, struggling to even keep its mask still amidst the torture. The tiny cries of the filly echoed in Twilight’s mind. She shook her head and turned away before a faint but audible whimper sounded behind her. Rosetta was in there, being tortured to death. Twilight’s instinct kicked in and she rapidly analyzed the situation,  formulating a split-second rescue.

Unfortunately, Pete beat her to it. He had heard the tiny screams too and knew who the Angel really was, his best friend.

He heroically leapt from the building and froze himself over, bashing a good chunk of words as he came down hard on them. He melted himself and swung out a long arm that froze solid again, arm-barring a crowd of words high into the sky. Toxic ink burned into his being with every contact he made, but he kept fighting. He dramatically swung around his long, frozen arms, doing his best to crush the words and knock them away from Rosetta.

Stella shouted at him. “Pete! What the blazes do you think you’re doing?! Don’t you interfere!”

After clearing a few feet of space, the words backed off for a moment, sizing this new enemy up. Pete looked up to the Angel and saluted quickly before swiftly working to cut the ropes that held it down. After freeing a small section of the cloak, Rosetta rapidly began spelling out a message with the Angel’s cloak.

I love you Pete.

Before she could even finish the message, Twilight could feel a burning heat leave her shoulder and strike Pete.

He was vapourized instantly.

Sitting atop an overlooking building, on Twilight’s shoulder smirking, was Stella. Her eyes were ablaze and her mouth was smoldering. For a moment the world stood still as Pete’s vapour rose to the sky. All eyes fell to Stella. Even the words looked back momentarily to see where the fireball came from.

Twilight slowly turned her head to confirm her unbelievable suspicion. Shock left her without breath. She couldn’t speak, but words wouldn’t have come to her anyways. At this precise moment her mind was doing everything its power to assure this wasn’t real. An innocent filly was being tortured to death and her friend had given his own life to save her. It was too much to handle.

Stella had just killed Pete.

“Three birds, one stone. That must be a record,” Stella said proudly, floating up and away from Twilight to survey the fruits of her spellwork.

The shock soon passed to hatred. Twilight hadn’t noticed them welling in her eyes, but now silent, seething tears ran down her cheeks. Just as the first drop was about to leave her chin, it turned into a small wisp of purple light. Every falling tear lifted from her coat immediately into either a lavender or magenta star.

The stars shone brighter and brighter as her anger piled on. Soon, they were nearly blinding. She trembled and shook. Every muscle in her body tightened and her horn instinctively lit up. She was only barely containing every senseless urge to mutilate and lash out at the star. In her anger, something became clear to her.

She hated Stella.

Stella had neglected Rosetta, refused her any friendship and now she was a murderer of friends. It didn’t matter if she was a great magician, nothing came before friendship. The fate of the star was made up in Twilight’s mind, but her spell hesitated. Murdering a murderer wouldn’t bring Pete back. As much as she hated Stella, more death couldn’t be the answer. Her horn began powering down until Stella’s smug face tipped her over the edge.

“Be a dear Twilight and go fetch my diary after the Angel has been dispatched.” Stella began to fly off towards the keep.

Twilight’s mind went white. The stars around her became truly blinding, hiding the unicorn in glaring ball of pink and magenta.

”You monster...”

“Mind your tone Twilight. I don’t want to make it four birds today.”

Twilight didn’t even hear her.

“I will take Rosetta from this nightmare. Far away from you...”

“She can never leave, you stupid unicorn.”

Twilight screamed out, recklessly swinging her horn around as a rainbow beam erupted from it. She almost hit Stella, but it ended just above the broken Angel. She teleported to the Angel and around her a column of blinding, white light shot skyward.

From the column appeared hundreds of jumping, bouncing, living books. They were the shapes and colours of animals. Wave upon wave of colourful, animal books poured out from the unicorn’s spell.

The books preyed on the words. Cats pounced on the words, absorbing them in their empty pages. Frogs shot out papery tongues, snatching the words up and chewing on them nonchalantly. Groups of leeches teamed up and sucked the words dry. Her spell continued and even more book monsters were brought forth. Flocks of birds, herds of elephants, insect swarms, leopards, ponies and every animal imaginable charged out in an endless stampede.

The books forced the army of words back, trampling, eating, dismembering and bashing their way through without contest. Trees and vegetation sprouted up, giant venus fly traps, snapping words off the ground and out of the air.

In the vortex of pages and writing, Twilight found herself alone with the Angel. Despite the glaring white light it emitted on the outside, the inside of the pillar was a dark mirror. Only the stars in the air shone any light on the two.

The cloak and mask fell to the street, tired and tortured, but still clinging to life. The Angel weakly looked from Twilight to the shivering bulge in its cloak. Under it stirred a small, whimpering filly. Twilight pulled the surprisingly soft cloth back. It was Rosetta.

“Lyley...?” she squeaked quietly.

Twilight’s forgot all her anger at the sight of the little filly. Rosetta was scraped up and dirty, blood freshly oozing from a few spots. The innocent gleam in her eye struggled to outlast the unspoken horrors she’d seen. She was hurt and afraid and all Twilight wanted to do was make her feel safe.

“It’s ok Rosy. Lyley’s here, nothing can hurt you anymore,” she embraced the little filly, swiftly taking her in her arms. She was icy cold and trembled terribly, clenching onto her friend tightly.

Twilight did her best to warm her up. After a loving reunion, Rosetta had warmed up a little and only shook from her weeping. Their starry tears mixed together and even with the war that raged on outside the pillar, the the only sound was their collectively crying.

“I’m gonna get you out of here,” Twilight announced shakily.

“Wh-what happened to Pete...?” she cried.

Twilight threw together an answer instinctively.

“He’ll be alright...” she promised. “He’ll be better than alright! When I get you out of here, you’ll see him again, so don’t you worry...” the unicorn wept.

“Lyley! You’re big, you can’t cry! Only foals cry!” Rosetta protested, finally noticing stars that fell from her friend’s eyes. “Please don’t cry...”

Rosetta had tried to choke her tears back, but Twilight’s breakdown only renewed her own. They spent the next few moments crying in each other’s arms. Twilight looked up to the mirror surface of the inner pillar and saw something unusual.

The pillar was like a mirror room with several different reflections. In some she saw herself and Rosetta hugging, but in others she saw herself and Cadance. Just seeing the two reflections, side by side gave her hope. They were no different when it came down to what really mattered.

This little filly was counting on her to bring her brighter days.

“Stella’s a big, dumb meanie! I don’t want to go home with her anymore!”

“You won’t have to,” Twilight replied, caressing her small friend’s face and nuzzling her. She buried her tears in her tiny mane. “I’m gonna take you home with me...” she whispered

“I’m gonna read her stupid diary and tell everypony who she has a crush on!” Rosetta exclaimed defiantly, pulling out a familiar book from underneath the Angel’s cloak.

Twilight’s heart leapt at the sight of book. It was a faded navy blue with gold accents on its edges and corners. It was the book that brought her to Paradisium, and it was the one that would take her home. She once thought that the contents of this book no longer mattered. Now she knew it was the only book that mattered.

Every single emotion she knew surged through her as she placed her hoof on the diary. The hope that she could save Rosetta, the fear that she wouldn’t, the love that brought them to this point and the loss of a friend that it cost them.

All of that realized in this one, last, warm diary.

The Star

The Star

Cadance paced the wooden floors of the warm cottage, contemplating their predicament. It was still dark outside and would probably remain that way forever. Without the shining city, the world had fallen into a deep slumber. Princess Luna sat regally atop a cushion, watching the hearth. She held a warm cup of tea to her muzzle and silently sipped it.

“But why me?” Cadance asked. “Why not just do it yourself?”

Luna sighed. “Perchance, thou findest thyself in peril most grave, who wouldst thou have come to thine aid? Thine friend or distant royalty?”

Luna levitated two sugarcubes from a tray on the table. The sugary stuff was alive, each one with a tiny, snoring face. She pushed them down into the cup as tiny screams of death squeaked across the room. Luna sipped her tea again, sighing in comfort.

“I am not to Twilight, what thou art to Twilight.”

Cadance nodded her head and went back to pacing.

“Well, you were right. Twilight was in danger. A lot of danger. I can’t put my hoof on it, but there is something wrong about this world.”

Luna never tore her pensive eyes from the fire.

“Aye, these aged wood walls hath seen decades of malice. I pray thine’s spoken peril hath passed. I know Twilight Sparkle dreameth no longer. She hath awoken?” she asked quietly.

Cadance hesitated.

“Not exactly...”

Luna pursed her lips. She had sent Cadance to save Twilight, not push her farther away.

Her form rose and fell quickly in a sharp sigh. “Princess Cadance, I expected greater results from thou. Thou hast asserted thyself fatally over Celestia’s prized pupil. She passeth beyond my domain now.”

Cadance chewed her bottom lip.

“Where did she go? Can’t we can go after her?” she asked.

“Nay. I lack the talents to fulfill thine’s foolish desires. I also must refrain from sending a crown princess to her demise,” Luna replied sardonically.

Cadance glared at the back of her starry mane. ‘Since when did saving Twilight become foolish?’ she thought.

“Excuse me, but that wasn’t exactly a request, your highness.”

Luna’s eyes slighted.

“Tis not a humble request? Pray, hast thou forgotten that we are peers and colleagues? I share thine regret, but do not let thyself become brash and bull-minded,” Luna lectured. “I iterate simply, my hooves are bound.”

“You’re telling me that in all your magic, there is nothing you can do?” She made a grand gesture. “You can raise the moon and the heavens, but you can’t figure out a way to help Twilight?”

Luna turned around, the fire shadowing her face. She spoke quickly and angrily. “Thou accuses me of being helpless in thine’s doing? Dost thou rememberest not whom sealed her?” she retorted. “I can conjure further spellwork, but I shall not commit thy folly. Is not the loss of a single friend enough for thou or dost thou hunger for further tragedy?” She raised her chin at and spoke down her nose at Cadance. “Pardon my manners for not salting your appetite for recklessness.”

Cadance gawked at her, barely resisting the urge to yell.

“So, you can do more, but refuse to. Fine. Great! So she’s stuck without any other help.” Cadance tossed her hooves in the air. “I guess I can also assume that you’re no hero and won’t endangering yourself to save her any time soon?”

Luna blinked. “Thou truly darest such words...?” She spoke so quietly, Cadance strained to hear. “Do not take me for some merciless tyrant. My duty is to all of Equestria’s ponies, not just one. Need I remind you of your own duty too, your highness?”

Cadance was silent, but she met Luna’s intense eyes head on, refusing to back down an inch.

“Tis only a guess that my own sealing left me distant from the hearts and minds of ponies, but assume not that there is one moment where this gives me reprieve. Twilight Sparkle’s fate is regrettable, but she is strong. Twas there ever a way home, she will findeth it.”

“Regrettable?! Is that all you have to say?!” Cadance had deteriorated to shouting. Luna opened her mouth to protest, but Cadance cut her off, walking to the door. “Maybe you’ve given up on her, but I won’! If I don’t come back at least I won’t spend the rest of my life wondering what could have happened!”

Cadance left, slamming the door behind her.

“Take thine recess from sanity and good riddance!” Luna called out after her, stamping her hoof.

Her words bounced off a closed door.

Left alone, the stoic princess went back to watching the fire dance in front of her. Her peer’s words replayed endlessly in her head. If Celestia woke up one morning to find a crown princess and valued magical scholar sealed away for eternity, Luna wouldn’t be able to explain herself. She’d regret having to tell her sister that she did nothing to help.

And eternity was a long time to regret something.

*

Rosetta laid flat on her back staring blankly up at the endless mirror column while Twilight read the diary. She watched the tiny stars of light float about quizzically. She tried to swat at one, but her hoof just passed through. She swatted at it again for the effect. Unsurprisingly, that effect held constant for the eight time as well as the forty-fifth. The Angel watched her, almost drunkenly, swaying slightly in mid-air. It offered a bit of its cloak for comfort.

Rosetta kicked the cloak away. “I’m not even sleepy!”

“Who is Orion—?” Twilight mumbled quietly to herself. “And why is he dusting off the road? And why is she writing about it...?”

Rosetta perked her ear up and looked upside down at Twilight. “Have you found any deep, dark secrets yet...?”

Twilight’s face twisted and curled over the hidden meanings. At first, Rosetta could barely contain her excitement to read the diary, saying something about ‘finding where she hides the scones’, but that quickly wore off. It was thick reading and after seeing the phrase, “pervasive economy,” she gave up, opting to do absolutely nothing in the meantime.

“This is either some sort of genius way over my head or some old mare’s rantings. I can’t even tell anymore...”

The diary was nothing Twilight had expected. To be honest, she hadn’t even known what to expect, but there were things she definitely considered out of the question in terms of content. Perhaps a story or notes on magic or something not completely beyond sanity, like this book. So far she had encountered subpar, surreal, fantasy description and a love story between an eraser and a pencil. There were diary entries, but ones from the perspectives of a doctor, a homeless pony, three foals at once and a timed explosive set to go off in a few hours. Admittedly, those latter entries were pretty interesting and well written, if not completely irrelevant.

“She’s just—” Twilight scrutinized the text further. “Like... writing random stuff!”

Rosetta had switched to kicking at the light with her rear legs. “Like what?”

“Like, ‘I leave her station. Through space I am propelled by plastic tubing affixed to my back, the rotors pushing thoughtlessly against the vacuum. Hundreds of trees are my companions and guides, parting in front of me as I make my way back to shop.”

Twilight squinted. “And then she starts listing how many flavours of tea are in the shop and which ones can be burnt as incense.” She paused, nodding her head. “This is ridiculous. Why in the hoof would she even write this?!” she said, slapping the book.

Twilight turned it over and examined the cover.

“This is her diary... I mean, the first entry was the same, but right after it, it just derailed into this nonsense.” She shook her head. “I’m afraid there is nothing I can do with this...”

She noticed the Angel reading over her shoulder.

“Do you know anything about this?”

The Angel was expressionless as always. Twilight looked suspiciously at it, stroking her chin. It returned her interest, it mirrored her movements. Together they moved in perfect unison, turning around each other playfully. After almost a minute of the nonsense she gave up and went back to her book.

Then it hit her.

“Wait a second...” she muttered. She looked back at the Angel. “I’m just gonna go out on a limb here and guess that I probably need to wear your face to read this. I base that conclusion on absolutely nothing tangible. Sort of like this silly book.”

It refused.

“No, seriously. Give me your face,” she demanded. “And you might as well let me wear the robe too while you’re at it, because it’s very soft and I like it.” She held her arms out to it, hooves up. “Also, if you have any food hidden, gimme.”

For the first time ever, the mask looked scared. Twilight didn’t think it was possible, but this usually terrifying creature was now shrinking away from her. It inched away from her grabby hooves and flew under its cloak, peeking out from its hiding spot.

“Look I was just kidding about the cloak, but I do need your face.” She folded her arms and waited. “Come on Angel, I don’t have all day...”

Twilight reached in the cloak for the mask, fumbling around for it. The shroud came to life and covered Twilight’s head. She screamed and flailed as it bagged her. The mask gently drifted out from under its own cloak and watched her struggle. Rosetta merely glanced over at her friend and went back to swatting lights. Twilight finally ripped the cloak off her head and glared at the mask.

“Angel! Give me your face! This is very important!”

“Lyley, that’s not very nice. You should say ‘please’ when asking to borrow something,” Rosetta lectured. ”Now say you’re sorry.”

Twilight’s cheeks grew bright red and glared at Rosetta. Never before had she regretted teaching the foal manners.

“Go on, say you’re sorry, Lyley.” Rosetta’s face lit up, vaguely amused. The mask looked at Twilight expectantly, folding a pair of claws.

“I’m sorry Angel...” she spat while grinding her teeth. “May I please borrow your face to read this diary?”

The Angel looked to Rosetta. After receiving a nod from the princess, the mask turned around and presented itself to the unicorn. The back of it was lined with purple felt and was unusually damp. Twilight gently grabbed it and fit it to her face. She looked around and found herself somewhere else entirely. She watched the scene play out in front of her through another’s eyes.

*

In a hallway a marble-coloured stallion waited in a chair. The stallion had been silently crying the entire time, a grimace over his face. Bags hung beneath his eyes; he wasn’t groomed and he clearly hadn’t slept well in a few weeks. A dark blue stallion left a nearby room. He gently closed the door behind him and approached the sitting stallion. The marble pony looked up to the doctor, but he wouldn’t meet his eyes. The doctor just flipped through paper after paper of his clipboard. Twilight watched them from behind a corner at the far end of the hallway, stealthily hidden.

“How is she?” asked the marble one quietly, making sure to keep his voice from the pony just inside the door.

“You know, you ask me that every time...” The doctor nervously tapped his clipboard with his pen. “Always the first thing you ask...” His face fell grave thereafter. “We still don’t have any idea what’s afflicted her. We only know it’s magical and because of that we can’t prescribe a treatment. Because of the sensitive nature of magic, if we tried anything and it went wrong, there’s a good chance it would kill her. She’s deteriorating fast and at this rate she won’t last too much longer.”

The marble stallion just nodded his head reluctantly, adorning a painfully forced smile. The doctor made contact with those desperate eyes. He knew that this pony needed something more, something promising, but giving false hope never helped anypony. Still, he forced out the only answer he could stomach.

“I mean.She could recover by herself. It’s always possible...”

The marble stallion nodded some more, listening intently.

“Yeah? Ok, so if you were to give me the probabilities of that, what would they be?” He sat forward at attention, absorbing the doctor’s every word.

“I...” The doctor sighed. “If I were you, and it was my wife, I’d spend as much time with her as possible. Just in case she doesn’t have a lot of time left, I’d want to make sure that her last moments are filled with family. Nopony wants to die alone.”

The marble stallion’s face wrinkled up in pain, yet he kept nodding and smiling. He fought the tears welling up in his eyes. The doctor saw enough heartache in this one pony to last him the better part of a week. He looked back down to his clipboard, still aware of the broken gaze upon him.

“Just fair warning. The condition’s worsening,” he added distantly. “You may be startled when you see her. It may not seem like she notices you, but I’m sure she’ll be glad to see you.” He patted the stallion on the shoulder. “You can go in whenever you like, but don’t keep her waiting too long. She doesn’t have much time left...”

The blue stallion left down the hall opposite of Twilight. The marble stallion spent a few moments sniffling hard before taking a deep breath to compose himself. He walked in the direction of Twilight.

“Rosy?” He called out with a faint crack in his voice. “Lala wants you to come see her.”

The short body that Twilight seemed to be attached to backed around the corner out of view and walked around it a second later. Twilight recognized the voice and immediately knew whose eyes she saw through.

“Hey daddy! Look daddy! I got the part in the play I wanted!” Rosetta hopped about.

Her dad’s face hadn’t changed since the doctor first spoke with him, he still forced that smile.

“Oh did you?!” he replied, straining his smile. “Hey, look at you, is that your costume?”

“Mhhmm! Pretty neat huh?” Rosetta showed off her cape and mask.

“Very neat! I like the pink feathers a lot. I want you to tell Lala all about it, ok?”

Rosetta’s face fell at the mention of the name. She stared down at her hooves, a scowl on her face.

“Hey, don’t be like that. Lala doesn’t need any of your bad attitude,” he scolded.

“Lala doesn’t play with me anymore...

“I know sweetie, but she’s very sick right now. Even if she doesn’t show it, she likes to hear about you...”

Rosetta exhaled sharply and looked away. His good will was already wearing thin and an ounce of cooperation would have gone a long way.

“Look, when you were sick, Lala took care of and spent time with you. You owe it to her to do the same.”

Rosetta crossed her arms and sat on her rump. He almost snapped. Every second he wasted arguing with his daughter was another second his wife would be alone.

“Fine, you know what? I’m not really in the mood for this. I’ll buy you ice cream if you spend five minutes talking to her, but it has to be five whole minutes, ok?”

“Promise?” Rosetta raised a brow at him.

“I promise. And you have to show her your great costume,” he said crossing his heart.

A small smile came over Rosetta’s face.

They walked into the small room together. There was a simple bed, a nightstand next to it, and a desk in the corner. On the desk was just one, small bouquet of flowers. Above the nightstand was a four pane, sliding window.

Outside were grey, cloudy skies. Rain was in the forecast, but had shied away until just now. A few drops speckled the window.

Her father gasped and Rosetta’s eyes grew wide.

Before them, a sickly, flat rose unicorn with a violet mane laid lifeless in a hospital bed. Her eyes were bloodshot and glazed over, her mouth hung open and drool covered her entire chin. The colour had nearly drained from her face, leaving her ghostly white. Her dead eyes were glued to the book on the table next to her. A quill she levitated quickly wrote line after line. Besides the quill, the mare in front of them may as well be dead.

Yet, that had all become regular since she contracted the ‘Writing Disease’.

The doctors had no idea what it was, but every so often, she went into a trance-like state. For days on end, she would write senselessly into the diary, ignoring everything else. She seldom spoke or reacted to outside stimuli. After each writing spell was over, she’d return to normal and go about her life. At first it only seemed like she had found a new hobby. Soon after it became something of a manageable condition and eventually, a debilitating, chronic disease. That was a year ago.

Now, she was a shell of her former self. As time went on, even when she wasn’t writing, the mare had died little by little on the inside. She stopped caring about her family, life and even the diary. Most days she’d wake up only to shuffle from one room of the house to another and back again. The glimmer in her eyes had been reduced to the vibrancy of ash and she was permanently exhausted. If they were lucky she’d speak enough words to technically make a conversation in a given day.

This most recent outbreak had been going on for almost two weeks now and the signs shows. She was skin and bones, the bags under her eyes had grown inflamed and puffy, and she was sweating profusely despite being ice cold to the touch. She also carried a heavy mustiness about her.

However, they both entered the room knowing they’d see a slightly skinnier version of the pony they saw yesterday.

What wasn’t expected were the tendrils of soft, rainbow light that slowly snaked their way out of her mouth and eyes. With each passing second, she grew paler and the light grew brighter.The magic auras swirled into the quill, illuminating each word she wrote.  

The stallion’s lip trembled. He had anticipated something much different when the doctor said ‘she was getting worse’. Something tangible, something he could relate to or at the very least, understand. Seeing her now brought him to question just how much of her was left inside that corpse. Nothing remained of the mare he knew and loved.

It was hard to think that this was even a pony anymore.

“H-hey there sweetheart,” he said weakly. “Guess who got the part she wanted in the school play!”

Rosetta looked up at him, lip trembling. She refused to ignore the obvious truth.

“Daddy! What’s wrong with Lala?! Make those lights go away, they’re sucking her soul out!” she cried.

The stallion gawked at his daughter, horrified. Words escaped him. He quickly looked from one spot of the floor to another, fear still holding him. The facade-shattering outburst of his daughter only added to the surrealness. He told himself that she had to come out of this and that this wasn’t happening. The mare he fell in love with, built a family with, couldn’t just waste away like this. He took a stumbling step backwards in shock.

Rosetta didn’t hesitate. She ran towards the book and quill and raised her hoof to slap it away.

“Don’t...” Stella whispered.

Rosetta stopped and looked longingly at her mother. It had been a week since she last spoke. Just hearing the voice of her mother made her quiver with anticipation.

“I’m almost done...”

Rosetta looked back and forth between the quill and her mother. Her face scrunched up.

“Lala! Please, stop writing!”Rosetta cried. “It’s not even fun! Nopony likes writing!”

Stella set the quill down. Her eyes finally moved to meet her daughter’s.

“Lala...?” the foal choked in disbelief.

Stella had acknowledged her. Rarely did Stella speak during an outbreak. It was a good sign though, she only looked away from her writing right before she came back. Rosetta almost afforded a smile.

“You... what’s your name...?” Stella said meekly.

“Wh-what?”

“That’s the last part to my story... your name... I can’t seem to remember it.” Stella’s eyes were far and distant.

“Rosetta! I’m Rosetta! Don’t you remember Lala?!”

“Is it...?” She ran her hoof through the pink feathers of rosetta’s mask. “No... You’re my angel... Here to take me away to Paradise.”

The very last of the light had left Stella, infusing into the quill. She went to levitate it again, but before she had a chance to write, her magic died. The quill fell lifelessly to the open face of the book. Rosetta trembled as her mother forced out one last breath. The stallion went to grab Rosetta, but it was too late. She had picked the quill back up and written her name into the diary.

“I’ll finish your story Lala!” Rosetta fatefully declared.

After drawing her line through the adjacent T’s of her name, rainbow light flashed in Rosetta’s mouth and eyes. Instantly, she fell limp to the floor, now grey and silver. By the time the stallion had his hooves around his daughter, she no longer drew breath and was instantly cold to the touch.

*

Twilight thrashed across the floor trying to find the mask and rip it from her face. After chucking it at the wall, it floated back upright and shook itself. She gasped for air and her heart pounded. She patted her face and body, making sure she didn’t have wings and she wasn’t a filly. After sitting up to see Rosetta boredly swatting at the stars, she flopped back down and let out a heavy sigh.

Living through the eyes of a dying pony have been scarring to say the least.

She closed her eyes and swallowed hard. “Rosetta...” she panted lightly.

“So, didja find out any secrets?” Rosetta said rather flatly.

“Is Stella your mom?”

“No, she’s my Lala...”

“But is she your mother?”

“I dunno.”

“What do you mean? Either she is or she isn’t.”

“Do ya think we can do something fun today? I’m sooo bored...”

“Rosetta, focus! This is very important! Do you remember writing your name in a diary?”

“No, Lala says writing words is bad...”

“Have you ever tried?”

“Yeah...”

“What happened?”

“Words came out and I had to run away, duh.”

Twilight ran her hoof through her mane in exasperation. Rosetta was no help at all. She stared up into the void of the endless ceiling. She was convinced that somewhere in the memory she had found the answer she was looking for. It wasn’t an unlikely conclusion that this magical disease that Stella caught was the culprit for this dream, but it was Rosetta’s last action that was puzzling.

Twilight picked the diary up and flipped to the last page. She looked to the bottom and read the last sentence.

As I go, I know where my sands will fall, for she will be my lady, my ruler in Paradise,

It wasn’t complete. Despite looking like it was, the last marking was clearly a comma and not a period. More was meant to be written. Specifically, Rosetta’s name. Twilight thought back to the memory.

“When she wrote in it, she died... This version of the diary doesn’t have that...” Twilight inferred. “... That means... She’s a trapped...”

Twilight’s eyes grew to the size of dish plates. A moment of realization became a moment of celebration. Twilight stood up confidently, a massive toothy grin coming over her face.

She had read of this exact curse in a book and she was prepared for it.

“Yes, YES!” she jumped around excitedly. “YESYESYESYESYESYES!”

Rosetta smiled in reflection of Twilight’s sudden outburst. Her eyes grew bright and alive. Twilight continued jumping about and was soon followed by Rosetta who jumped in her trademark cheer behind her.

“YESYESYESYESYES!”

“What!? What happened Lyley?!” she exclaimed.

Twilight stopped hopping around and blinked. Rosetta rammed into Twilight’s posterior and was knocked to the floor. Twilight picked up the dizzy filly and hugged her tightly, spinning around with her.

“I’ve got a wonderful surprise for you Rosy!”

“Really?! What is it?!”

Twilight put the filly down, trotted in place and giggled. She forced herself to calm down though and take a few deep breaths. This was a moment three months in the making. “A home... and friends...” she said warmly.

Months of diligent study were finally realized. Not only would she bring back enough magical knowledge to push Equestria into a golden age, but she’d also bring back something far more precious.

She stood proudly, formally raising her horn and igniting it with purple light. Dipping her head, she touched the filly with it.. A spell circle materialized beneath them, runes and magical markings glowing white with lavender hues. As the spell began Twilight raised her horn and smiled at Rosetta. She hugged the unknowing filly as brilliant purple light surrounded them.

This was last spell she’d ever cast in Paradisium.

*

When the spell finished the column had disappeared. The light of the dissipating spell revealed a sore sight, the gleaming streets of Paradisium. Twilight blinked and rubbed her eyes with a hoof. She looked skyward and saw the blackened keep looming over her like a dark moon. On the ground in front of her was the red demon, Stella.

She blinked. “What...? That should have worked...”

“Lyley...?” Rosetta squeaked.

Stella leaped up from her resting spot on the ground and rushed Twilight’s face. Twilight took a step back as the star circled her. “Finally! You’re done! Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for you?!” she scolded.

“Quiet, you murderer. I’m trying to think...” Twilight brushed her off and backed away from her. Remnants of her anger from before had returned.

“Yeah, you murderer!” Rosetta parroted meanly. “Lyley is tryin’ to think!”

Stella chased after her but stopped as soon as she heard Rosetta.

“Rosy! Don’t speak to your Lala like that!”

“You’re a big meany face! You made Pete dead! Now, we’re gonna go somewhere else! Just me and Lyley and you can’t come!”

“Is that so?” Stella turned to the unicorn. “Is that true Twilight? Are you going to foalnap Rosetta from me?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know...”

“Why would you take Rosy away from me?!” the star demanded. “Take her away from a loving home and family!? Is that what this is all about?”

“You’re a murderer, you lie, you ignore her, you won’t give her a single friend to play with...” Twilight wore a smug face. “Need I go on? Actually, I’m not going to bother. You’re not worth my time.”

Stella snarled. “I open my home to you, teach you everything I know and this is how you repay me? By taking away Rosy?!”

Twilight ignored her. “Come on, Rosetta. Let’s go. We’ll get you out of here one way or another.”

“My, my. You’re a very rude unicorn...” Stella flew up to Twilight’s ear. “Good luck getting her back...” the star whispered menacingly.

Twilight backed away from Stella suddenly as though she had just yelled in her ear. The star lit up red with magic. Twilight sensed a hostile spell being cast on her, but it came in too fast to resist. She lost control of her body, her mind left trapped inside.

“What? Lyley’s not rude!” Rosetta asserted.

Twilight was forced to whisper something into Stella’s ear. Stella faked a gasp.

“Twilight! You should be ashamed!” she feigned. “She just told me that she doesn’t want to be your friend anymore Rosy. She doesn’t even like you.”

Rosetta almost burst out into laughter. “Pfft! Nuh uh! Lyley’s my bestest friend! Isn’t that right Lyley?” The filly smiled up at Twilight expectantly.

Something heinous forced terrible words from Twilight’s mouth.

”I’m not your friend... I hate you, you devilish monstrosity...” she said bitterly.

Twilight tried to cover her mouth, but she couldn’t lift a hoof. Stella was controlling her every movement. Upon realizing this, Twilight began desperately dismantling the curse.

“Wh-what...? Lyley—y-you said we’d be friends forever—” stuttered the filly. “Wh-why do you hate me?”

”Why wouldn’t I?”

Then Twilight cracked the filly across the cheek hard, sending her rolling back.

”Get out of here! You’re worthless! I can’t believe I was ever friends with you!”

Rosetta sat up, rubbing her cheek and looking longingly at her best friend. Her innocence couldn’t comprehend the shock of Twilight’s actions. Her silence soon gave way to whimpering and streams of real tears that fell down her cheeks. Her best friend wasn’t her best friend anymore.

She lost her warm hue and fell to the silvery white of the moon.

Twilight shouted over and over again in her mind, calling out to Rosetta and cursing the star. She pounded away at Stella’s spell, utilizing every technique she could. A deep, black and violet bruise formed on across her friend’s face. When Twilight saw it, she was only driven harder to destroy the spell holding her.

Twilight took a menacing step forward. Rosetta fearfully scooted back and scrambled to her hooves.

“L-lyley!!! Why’d you do that?! Now, I don’t have any friends!” Tears streamed down her face.

Rosetta turned tail and flew off, wailing. Only after she was out of earshot did Twilight break Stella’s hold. Desperately she called after the foal.

“ROSETTA!” Twilight bellowed. “ROSETTA! I’M SORRY!”

Stella floated about lazily, laughing.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk... That’s some strong mouth you have Twilight,” Stella mocked. “And a strong hoof...”

Twilight still felt Rosetta’s soft cheek against her hoof. Immediately, her horn flared with magic and she took an offensive stance.

“What is your problem?!” Her eyes watered, but she blinked it away.

“Oh, Twilight... What were you hoping to accomplish here?” she smirked, winding down from her chuckle.

“No, you shut up! You shut up before I make you regret every second of your miserable existence, you monster! Why did you do that?!”

“Don’t talk to me like that,” she snapped.

“I’m gonna talk to you however I want! Now, give me five reasons why I shouldn’t incinerate you right here, right now!”

“Are you ill? You’re going to kill me because I’m not letting you just take her away from me?” Stella’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “Darling, you can go ahead and try incinerating me whenever you’re ready,” she gloated.

Twilight stared down the star and growled. A head to head to duel with Stella wouldn’t end well for Twilight, but she didn’t care. On the verge of trying her luck against the greatest magician she knew of, she reconsidered. She looked down at the Angel and saw the diary just under the corner of the the cloak. She quickly picked it up.

“How about this? You care about this?!” Twilight snapped a flame to life under the book.

It edges began to singe and catch fire.

“Get your grimy, filthy hooves off that this instant!” Stella ignited with magic, but Twilight caught on and dispersed the appropriate counter spells. They both knew if Twilight fought defensively, a dual between them could last hours.

Satisfied by her position, Twilight lowered the flame and extinguished the lit book. Glowing red embers lent an unreal density and durability to the diary.

“If you want your stupid diary, you’re going to do two things for me, got it? You know I can incinerate this whole book in a second, so don’t test me.”

Stella scowled at the unicorn, listening intently.

“First, I want you to tell me everything you know about the essence of Rosetta, magically speaking. You’re going to tell me exactly how to get her back to Equestria.”

Stella cocked her head in a half-scowl, half-confused look.

“Twilight, darling, perhaps you should tell me where that is first.” She continued to pile on the sarcasm, batting a wing at her. “I might be more inclined to answer if I actually knew at least one detail of this wretched place.”

“Don’t lie, just tell me what I want to know or the book is toast!”

“I’m not lying. I don’t know where that is, how am I supposed to tell you anything about it?” Stella seethed quietly. “Here’s an idea, why don’t you just teleport her?”

Stella held her wing up to her mouth in a fake gasp. “ Oh, dearest me! Did I just unveil the great solution to your miserable errand of foalnapping?”

Twilight flashed the flame about the entire book, chalking it black, but leaving it intact. The flare pushed Stella forward.

“Less attitude, more you-tell-me-what-she-is-before-I-get-angry-enough-to-murder-a-book.”

“What do you think she is?” Stella sneered.

Twilight promptly enlarged the flame again. The cover actually caught fire before Twilight blew it out.

“Ok! Ok! I’m sorry! We don’t need to be wholly uncivil! Let’s just calm down and take a deep breath.” Stella took in and let out a great breath. Twilight remained rigid, eyes glaring at Stella. “Excellent, I’m glad we both are being sensible... Just promise you won’t tell her what I’m about to tell you.”

Twilight loosened up a bit. “I’m listening...”

Stella took a deep breath and sighed. “She’s a word...”

“What...?! What does that even mean?!” she protested.

“For goodness sake, calm down Twilight. Yes. She’s a word. Just like the others. She just happens to be the first one I ever wrote. Honestly, I’m surprised you didn’t figure that out earlier...”

Twilight stood there blinking dumbly. Stella sighed again.

“That’s why Angel here hunts her down so mercilessly. Angel eats words and keeps them on the outer rings, so the inner city stays safe.” Stella motioned to the cloak and mask. “Look at her, she could care less about you. She only chases Rosetta.”

Twilight looked down to the rather docile creature of nightmares. It picked its nose with a claw and pulled out a small bit of dirt. It flicked it off and went straight back to picking.

“The only reason she isn’t chasing Rosetta is because she’s so darn full. She did just eat all the words on the ring.”

Twilight’s head spun with questions. Suddenly this was a lot to take in.

“Wait... Rosetta. Princess Rosetta. Rosy... She’s a word? Did I hear that right?”

“Yes, she’s a word. Just a very old and very tame one.”

The memory of her first day in Paradisium flashed through her mind. She had seen Stella write down Rosetta’s name after which, the small filly had come bursting through the door. She supposed that mystery was solved.

“And the Angel eats words to keep the inner city safe? Didn’t you want her dead a bit earlier?” Twilight asked.

Stella leveled with the unicorn. “Well... she did destroy my entire library. I might forgive her though...”

Twilight’s mind snapped over these new revelations. She didn’t care about the Angel, but Rosetta being a word had thrown her for a loop. The spell before she used was a powerful, transdimensional spell had failed without reason. She read it in one of Stella’s book and most of her plans had involved that spell during one step or another. It was the one key spell she needed, and worked diligently to make sure it could affect every type of life she could imagine. She was baffled earlier when she wound up back in Paradisum and not Equestria, but now she knew why.

Rosetta was a word and something about being a word had interfered with her spell. Unfortunately, without that spell, taking Rosetta back to Equestria wasn’t possible.

Quickly, she reassessed every single spell in her arsenal and all their possible combinations. She made a mental list of every relevant spell, but it was a hopeless effort. There were only a  few basic spells she knew of that worked on Rosett. There was the idea of running experiments on her to find a new solution but that didn’t seem all that appealing.

Rosetta had just flown off crying because of her and that heartbreak was stifling her will to go on. The last thing she wanted to do was subject Rosetta or herself to any more pain. That meant she was out of options.

“But... if she’s a word... Then she can’t leave...”

Again, she felt the softness of Rosetta’s cheek against her hoof, only now it felt like she truly hit her.

“I tried to tell you, dear.”

“I see that now...”

In a moment of silence, Twilight sunk down to her rump as a realization slowly came over her. She had spent months studying for this moment. Almost like a final exam, she imagined herself demonstrating all of her knowledge in this one great finale, this one last test. Yet, this wasn’t just a test.

She had also spent months living for this moment, growing beside a filly and making memories with her that they both hoped to keep forever. Twilight led her on a journey for true friendship that she aimed to make last a lifetime, not just three months.

Now, their journey was over and there was only one thing left to do.

“I’m... I’m going to go home now...” The unicorn sniffled quietly. She tried her hardest to silence herself, but failed miserably. Every breath forced out a long, mournful squeal.

“Didn’t you have something else you wanted?”

“Just... Just t-tell R-rosetta that I’ll m-miss her...” Twilight replied tearfully.

Twilight looked from one spot on the ground to another, each one somehow reminding her of another memory of Rosetta. Suddenly, all at once, memories flooded in and she lost control.

“Oh... g-g-goodness...” Twilight squeaked out before breaking down and crying deeply into her hooves.

The floodgates had unleashed and in them, Twilight drowned in her own sorrow. Memory after memory forced its way into her mind. In every single memory she had, she remembered Rosetta being so happy, happy to be with her and happy to be alive. Rosetta would go on for hours about how great of a friend Twilight was. The unicorn would smile along with her and think, ‘You haven’t seen anything yet.’

That dream had been crushed.

The Angel diligently wiped the tears from her eyes and blanketed her. She grabbed at the cloak and childishly rubbed it against her cheek.

Stella watched the unicorn cry for almost a minute. She had watched Rosetta cry hundreds of times and it never bothered her before, but seeing Twilight was different. There was something almost painful about just how hard she was crying. The primal wailing, the steady stream of tears, if this was all over Rosetta, she had grossly underestimated their relationship.

Guilt hit her like a train.

“You silly, pathetic unicorn! Go tell her yourself! It’s only proper!” Stella nearly cried herself.

Twilight ignored her, weeping in self-pity. Stella searched for a solution, thinking of anything to get this pony to stop crying. After a moment of inspiration she conjured an ink and quill. With them she scribbled a few words onto marble pavement. Satisfied she looked up desperately to the unicorn and back at the words.

Princess Rosetta

The words peeled up from the street, writhing and squirming. The Angel immediately loomed up over it, but Stella hit it with a spell. The words turned to shimmering technicolour hue before poofing out of existence.

“There. She’s here,” Stella said finally. “You see that door over there?”

Stella tapped the unicorn on the shoulder, but Twilight didn’t move. She sighed.

“I’m sorry Twilight. It was horrible of me to make you say those things and I feel horrible, but it was also horrible of you to try and take Rosetta from me.”

Twilight snorted loudly and looked up.

“That said, I don’t want you or Rosetta to end on hard feelings, ok?”

Twilight nodded, wiping her eyes clumsily.

“You see that door over there?” she said, pointing to a nearby door that lead into a small, marble house. “She’s waiting inside. Go on in when you’re ready dear.”

Twilight got up and tossed the diary aimlessly at Stella. A trail of starry tears followed her as she turned from bright lavender to a flat, royal purple.

*

Through the door Twilight found the beach from the first day. The filly was crying at the edge of the water, the mirror ocean.  She was silver and her mane radiated a suffocating sadness. Her real teardrops sent tiny ripples gliding across the smooth water, each one going on forever. Twilight steeled herself, despite knowing she was the cause of those tears.

“What do you want?!” Rosetta shouted crossly after hearing the unicorn enter.

Twilight didn’t waste a second. Rosetta heard galloping footsteps across sand and before she could even turn around, Twilight had already grabbed her, almost tackling her over. They came sliding to a rest with Rosetta held tightly in the unicorn arms. She rocked the filly lovingly in her embrace.

“Hey! Hey... Stop it! Don’t cry Lyley...” she whimpered. “What’re you even cryin’ about?! Dumb Lyley!”

“I-i’m s-so sorry Rosy...” she sobbed. “I didn’t mean anything I said... You’re my best friend in the whole wide world...”

“Yeah, well I don’t care! You’re mean!” she protested. “Get offa me! Go away!”

Rosetta hit her friend hard, kicking and cutting her with her hooves, trying to get her off. Twilight winced with each hit, but held onto her friend, letting her strike her. For a few moments they struggled against each other. The filly tried her hardest to beat Twilight away, leaving some nasty bruises and cuts behind, but Twilight held on, taking the punishment. Each of them gave it everything they had, but eventually Rosetta won. She finally balled up and kicked Twilight square in the jaw, sending her sliding across the sand.

Beaten and bruised Twilight laid there. She tried to lift herself back up, but was too weak. Still, she desperately tried to get up but each push off the ground left her weaker and weaker. Finally she gave up. She slowly rolled up in a ball and cried hysterically. Her body ached all over and her heart was broken.

Rosetta huffed and puffed angrily, tears streaming from her eyes. She scratched at the sand, ready to charge, but then she came to her senses. Seeing her friend crying, unable to even lift herself, turned her to regretful mush. She fell to her rump as she surveyed the damage. Across Twilight’s side were scrapes, welts, bruises and one small gash across her cutie mark from Rosetta’s hoof.

“Lyley, why are you so dumb?” Rosetta said choking her own sobs back. “Why’d you let me hit you so hard?!”

“B-because I wanted to give you a hug...” she replied weakly.

Rosetta hesitated. Twilight’s terrible words were still fresh in her mind, but now she couldn’t ignore what she just did. Blood was oozing from the gash, her friend was crying like a foal and it was all her fault.

“Y-you can have a hug Lyley... you d-don’t hafta ask...”

She slowly walked over to Twilight and lifted her arm up. Finding her usual spot at the unicorn’s side, she slid in and nuzzled her apologetically. Twilight instinctively closed her arms around her friend like she had done so many nights before, and buried her nose in her mane. She shakily kissed the filly on the forehead, sobs still sounding through her attempts to remain silent.

In the distance, the sun grew brighter, white light flooding the sky.

“I-i’m sorry Rosy...”

“It’s ok Lyley... I hit you too.”

“...”

“I love you Rosy...”

“I love you too Lyley...”

“I just want to let you know... You’re the most wonderful, most special little filly in the whole world...”

“You’re the bestest unicorn ever too Lyley...”

After a few moments of comfortable silence the glare from the sun grew brighter. It was beginning to sheen out the rest of the world. Twilight could feel herself being pulled from the dream. She tensed up and held the filly tighter. Tears threatened to make another appearance.

“Rosetta, listen, there isn’t a lot of time. I need to tell you something.”

“Why? What is it?!”

“I’m going to leave soon. I have to go home...”

“What?! Nuh uh! You’re my Lyley! You can’t go! Not unless you take me with you!” Rosetta chimed happily.

“N-no I can’t take with me...”

“Wh-what? Why not...?

“I just can’t... I tried really, really hard, but I can’t...”

“But you said you would...!” she cried. “A-and what about the friends?!”

“I know I did... but I can’t... I’m sorry. I’m so sorry Rosy.”

“B-but, I wanted you to be my Lala and play with all your friends...”

Twilight was left speechless by those words. Only now did she realize what Rosetta had become to her, a daughter.

“P-please don’t make me go back to my old Lala! She’ll be mean to me now!”

“I’m sorry sweetheart... I’m so sorry I did this to you...”

Around them, the sand and ocean slowly burned up to blinding whiteness. They tried to be quiet and composed, but whiteness scared them. Slowly they began to lose feeling of each other. They clenched as tightly as they could, digging into each other’s sides. Their hearts raced and they began panting in anticipation.

“Don’t leave me Lala...! I don’t want to be alone again! Take me with you!”

“I can’t, but look at me.” Through the whiteness, Twilight found Rosetta’s face and held it up to her’s. The foal’s fading green eyes met her own. “Can you hear me?” Rosetta nodded her head quickly.

“I love you, okay? You’re my best friend and nothing’s going to change that. Not Stella, not Angel, not anypony. Even after I leave, it’ll be like I never even left!”

“B-b-but... Can’t you stay one more day...? Please...? I p-promise to let you have the last apple scone!”

“I’m so sorry Rosetta!”

“Please Lala! Just please stay! I’m so scared I can’t even breathe!”

Twilight couldn’t bare the thought spending one last day with Rosetta, knowing it would be her last. The final departure would only be that much harder. Yet, even if it hurt, she should do it. Nothing could mean more than giving her one last day of friendship and happiness. One last memory to hold on to all of eternity with.

The end was almost upon her. The white noise had suddenly grown loud, ringing in Twilight’s ears.

“Please! Just stay right here with me! Wait with me until the end!” Twilight cried, hoping Rosetta would hear.

Her last moments with Rosetta were spent clenching her tightly, feeling her terrified trembling and knowing she’d never be able to make her stop. The world had become a searing, white void.

The uncomfortable burning of whitest snow filled her nose and lungs and exhilarated her.

*

Twilight somberly awoke in her own bed. Her pillow was damp and as she wiped a few tears from her eyes, she knew why. The moon was still risen and her library was silent and still in the darkness. Spike’s peaceful form rose and fell in the little basket next to her. Twilight didn’t bother looking to see where she was, she already knew.

She was back in Equestria and even though she was back for the first time in months, her mind was entirely on Rosetta.

The feeling of her small body against her own was fading fast. Twilight held perfectly still, pretending the princess was still there. She tried to commit the exact feeling to memory, knowing it would be the last time she’d feel it.

It faded all too fast and soon Twilight was alone.

She lowered her arms to the bed, passing through the emptiness that Rosetta once filled. She replayed memory after memory of Rosetta in her mind, trying to keeping them fresh. A bittersweet smile came over her face as she recalled each one. They were fuzzy, but she felt an undeniable happiness from them. She remembered her time at the beach, her time on the train, Cadance, and something about a hospital room.

She remembered being scared sometimes as well. Many times she thought she wouldn’t wake up, but somehow, Cadance, and Luna had helped her escape. She never knew more than that, but she felt closer to both of them because of it.

Soon, she remembered the magical knowledge and the many tomes of Stella’s library. Already, she couldn’t remember some details she once knew. Her duty to save that knowledge came before reminiscing; there would be time for that later.

Twilight crawled out of bed and rummaged around for an ink and quill. Despite having organized her library on a bi-daily basis, it had been a while since she’d seen her library. She tore drawers open and made a commotion, but the baby dragon stayed soundly asleep.

Eventually she found her writing instruments, but only about fives rolls of parchment to write on.

“Darn it, Lawn Chairs and Parchment won’t be open at this hour,” Twilight cursed quietly to herself.

Then she remembered something. She looked back to her bed, where the blank diary was. She thought about writing in that. The idea came across her as almost fateful. She had entered the diary to learn its secrets, but now she’d write those secrets in it.

As her memory of the dream rapidly evaporated from her mind, she was forced to juggle all the important parts to keep them fresh, but it was futile. Soon she realized her dilemma.

Three months was a lot to remember, especially in a dream. There were just too many things to keep in her active memory and not enough time to commit them to long term memory. She was rapidly forgetting both the magical knowledge and her memories of Rosetta. There wouldn’t be enough time to write both and focusing on one would leave the other forgotten.

Rosetta or the magic, she could only pick one.

She took a deep, painful breath as she made her decision.

She quietly trotted back to her bed and peeled away the covers. There the diary laid. Twilight picked up the warm book and recollected the first book, Enchanting the Masses. She dabbed her quill in the ink and pushed Rosetta from her mind.

The only thing she committed to memory was the feeling of Rosetta’s warmth against her side and the tiny rise and and fall of the foal’s breathing. She vowed to keep that feeling the whole time she wrote.

She opened the book. On the inside, hardcover of the book was writing and it looked familiar.

This diary is the property of

Twilight Sparkle

“What the...?”

On the opposite side was an old folded up letter. Twilight trembled as she lightly held the page up to her horn’s light.

Dear Lyley,

Remember that one time when I told you the best day of my life was when you came and played with me? I remember It. I remember how surprised you were when I said that. I’m sure you must have thought that there had to be another day, but there wasn’t. Before you, I never had another friend and even though I was a weird, little filly, you didn’t care and told me we were best friends. For that, I want to say thank you.

You then told me that no matter what, as long as you had a best friend, you’re never alone. I remember how sad you were when you had to leave. I cried for a long time after that, but I noticed every single time I did, the bed next to me would be warm. I think it was you.

I never knew, but I think what made you saddest was thinking I’d be alone after you left or that our time together wouldn’t be enough. Even in that one day on the beach, I had so much fun. Enough fun to last me a lifetime. Then I asked you to stay just one more day and you gave me a hundred. I remember them, I remember every single day.

I love you Lyley.

Your best friend,

P.S. I found your diary and thought I’d send it to you.

P.P.S Yes, I read it and now know your deep, dark secrets.

Twilight turned the page and was met with a firsthand account of her magical, first day in Paradisium. Her hooves trembled as she ran them over her own writing.

Chills ran up her spine as she relived her time with the foal she came to know as more than the filly she foal sat. The way she wrote, it stayed true to her feeling that Rosetta had become her daughter.

She tearfully read through her playful bath time with Rosetta, the messes they made eating s’mores and falling asleep, whispering things all night long. She read their adventures and how they’d explored every part of the world, her Rosy always leading the way. Even the daily account of cuddling next to the fire was there in every entry.

This book of memories broke Twilight’s heart. The second she pushed Rosetta out, she instantly regretted it. No amount of academic magic was worth losing a friend and she should have known that. Losing the filly was a painful, but inevitable, yet the guilt from knowing she picked magic over friendship tore into her.

She spent the next two hours reading and rereading some of her favourite entries until finally she came to the last page. On it was a picture of them sleeping by the hearth.

A real, physical picture of the two of them together. They were bundled up in their blanket and while Twilight slept peacefully, Rosetta was strawn out all across the floor, her mouth wide open and drooling. Twilight hugged it to her chest, crying deeply.

As she hugged it, she went back and reread the letter over and over again until she could recite it from heart. She noticed it was incomplete. It could have been signed as just ‘Your best friend,’ but the presence of the comma alluded to the need for a signature.

She picked up her quill to complete it herself and noticed a single, starry tear floating in front of her. It was Cadance’s gift.

She stopped crying and smiled weakly. She waved the quill over the light, letting it infuse into the feather. It glowed brightly, but rapidly dulled thereafter. Twilight quickly finished the letter.

Your best friend,

Rosy

She set the quill down and closed the diary. She held it to her chest and slowly the warmth disappeared. She closed her eyes and awaited the morning.

*

Twilight woke up. She fluttered her eyes as the smell of Spike’s cooking filled her nose. She yawned and stretched, still groggy from the restless night. She followed the aroma hungrily to the kitchen. The baby dragon was whistling cheerfully. Twilight went to sit at the table and poured herself a cup of tea.

“Good morning Twi! Got some fresh apple scones for ya.”

“Good morning Spike!” Twilight chimed cheerfully. She sniffed the air. “Mmm, smells great. Good thing too, I’m gonna need a big breakfast today. Rarity has some crazy shopping trip planned for me and you know how demanding that can be.”

“I wish Rarity would plan long, demanding shopping trips with me...” Spike mumbled.

“I’m sorry? I didn’t quite catch that,” Twilight said, snapping a newspaper open.

“Oh, nothing. Just don’t go and buy something crazy.”

“Like I would go out and buy something like that...”

They shared the solitary tune of Spike’s whistling for a few minutes before he remembered something of questionable importance.

“Yo Twi, I should probably let you know that somepony broke in last night,” Spike said nonchalantly, pulling the treats out of the oven.

Twilight took a sip of tea.

“Like in the library that is...”

“WHAT?!” Twilight blurted out, tearing her face cleanly through the newspaper and spraying Spike with tea.

Spike wiped his unamused face with his apron.

“Yeah, this little kid broke in...  have no idea how she got in. I found her trying to sneak out of your bed this morning. Super weird if you ask me, but she seemed nice enough.”

“Did she take anything?! Is she still here?!” Twilight slammed the table, the newspaper hanging loosely around her neck. “Why didn’t you wake me up and tell me?!”

“Relax, she’s outside rolling around on the ground. Didn’t seem like a big deal. Said she just wanted to talk to a ‘Lyley’,” Spike shoveled the scones onto a serving plate. “I’m guessing that’s you.”

“Yeah ok!” Twilight said, pulling the paper off neck with a blush. She folded it, set it on the table slowly and got up. “I guess...! I guess I’ll go see what she wants...”

Outside, a summery white, pegasus filly, with an auburn mane and tail played. She was busy smashing her face in the ground and somersaulting through the grass.

Epilogue: The Warm Diary of Twilight Sparkle

Epilogue: The Warm Diary of Twilight Sparkle

Twilight sorted through yet another shelf. ‘Nope... no.... already read that one... too adult....’ she thought as she passed each title in her fiction section. She picked up an old, navy blue book with gold trim along its corners.

“Huh, what’s this?” Twilight muttered to herself.

“Lala?” a voice rang out from the ledge above. “Didja pick out a story yet?”

“Yeah, pick a good one Twi.” Spike cleared his throat. “Ahem, not like I need a bedtime story anymore. I just uh... appreciate good literature.”

“Just don’t pick a scary one....”

Twilight opened to the first page and quickly read.

“What the...?”

It was diary, but something about it was surreal. It had her name on it and had such crisp, clear detail despite never remembering doing any of these things.

Rosetta had shown up on her doorstep one day and without another home to go to, Twilight took her in. She insisted that they were best friends and Twilight eventually bought into that notion. As odd as it was, stranger things happened to her on a monthly basis.

Yet, here was an impossibly detailed, second account of meeting the same Rosetta. Twilight flipped through it, trying to find deduce an explanation.

“Laaaaaaaalllaaaaaaaaa...” Rosetta groaned obnoxiously.

“Twiiiiiiiiiilllliiiggghhtt...” Spike parroted.

“I’m dying....” Rosetta hacked and coughed.  “Now I’m dead.” She stuck her tongue out the side of her mouth. “Please use a revive spell that involves storytime.”

With the constant badgering of her adopted daughter and number one assistant, she snapped the book shut and decided to just use it. She’d have time later to figure it out. Using her and Rosetta as main characters would be fun and she particularly liked the change of Rosetta being a princess. It made for the perfect bedtime story.

As she climbed back up to the beds, the book in her arms grew warmer.

“This is the— what the...?” Twilight stuttered as the book heated up. Both of the children looked to Twilight expectantly.

“What’s it called?” they piped in unison.

“It’s called umm... The uhh, The Warm Diary of Twilight Sparkle.”