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. Next Chapter: The Angel Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 21 Minutes