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Full Moon
(To Majin S.)
Full moons weren’t really Sunset’s favourite nights, and this one made no exception. She kept rolling in her bed, unable to find sleep until, at the end of her tether, she decided to get up. She weaved her way along the castle’s empty corridors to the rooftop of the astronomy tower. She opened the dome and aimed the old, dusty telescope towards the blazing satellite.
Through the eyepiece she could contemplate flat expanses or low ridges, spattered with many craters, some large, some tiny. Would she see her? The moon was close and the telescope was big, but surely not big enough to spot pony-sized details. Even if it were, it would take nights of systematic survey to locate her, assuming she was locked up on the near side.
‘You won’t find whom you seek’, whispered a voice behind her.
Sunset almost jumped in shock. She spun round and saw a smiling, purple filly, just a couple of metres away.
‘Who are you?’ Sunset asked in a fluttering voice. ‘How did you enter? Who gave you permission?’
The purple filly giggled. There was something weird about her, Sunset thought. Something ethereal. Her silhouette was glittering. Sunset blinked several times, but she didn’t vanish.
‘My name is Twilight Sparkle’, the filly finally said. ‘Quit looking for Nightmare Moon, Sunset. She is not where you think she is.’
‘How do you know?’ Sunset protested. ‘And how do you know my name in the first place?’
‘I know much about you,’ Twilight Sparkle answered.
‘You’re not even real!’ Sunset said. ‘I bet you’re a ghost. Or a figment of my mind!’
Twilight Sparkle giggled again.
Sunset grunted. A bolt of energy shot from her horn right towards Twilight Sparkle. It passed through her body and smashed on to the wall behind. Twilight didn’t flinch.
‘See,’ Sunset said. ‘You’re incorporeal. Go away, evil spirit!’
‘You can’t touch or hit me’, Twilight explained, ‘because I’m not from your time frame. I come from the future.’
Sunset’s eyes widened and she almost stumbled backwards. ‘What?’ she blurted.
‘You heard me fine.’
‘Time travel is impossible,’ Sunset declared after recovering her balance. ‘It breaks causality, which is the one infrangible rule our world is built on.’
Twilight pouted. ‘How can you be so cocksure?’ she answered. ‘Time travel is definitely possible, as long as the traveler doesn’t cause time loops. Which is why you can see me but not touch me.’
Sunset shrugged. ‘Hogwash!’
Twilight blinked and stifled another giggle. ‘Here. Look what happens if I try to tell you what comes next. In about…’ Twilight’s shape suddenly blurred and the words she spoke morphed into meaningless garbage. ‘… Now you know your fate.’ She paused. ‘See? It can’t get through. The spell doesn’t allow it.’
‘Then why did you come, here and now?’ Sunset asked.
‘As your next-in-line, I was curious to see you, before…’ Twilight hesitated and bit her lips. ‘I’m sorry, I can’t say more,’ she apologised.
‘So you will take my place alongside Celestia,’ Sunset said. ‘How can you tell me that, given—’
‘It doesn’t matter,’ Twilight interrupted. ‘At this point, you have already decided to part from her, and figured out somepony else would come after you. I or another one, it won’t change anything.’
‘So we won’t meet ever again?’, Sunset asked.
‘I’m afraid I can’t comment on that,’ Twilight answered.
Sunset lowered her head and sighed. ‘She hides the truth from me. She doesn’t trust me, so I can’t trust her any more either. Part of her story doesn’t click, but she would not discuss it. She won’t let me do my own research either. But I have to. I have to go to the bottom of this. I have to know.’
‘She hasn’t come to terms with it yet,’ Twilight said.
Sunset raised her head and looked straight at Twilight. ‘Will she one day?’ she asked.
Twilight didn’t answer, and a hush fell.
‘My time is up,’ Twilight said. ‘Goodbye Sunset. Godspeed!’
‘Wait!’ Sunset exclaimed. ‘Before you go, do you have any advice for me? I’m so lost.’
Twilight smiled. ‘I can say you that,’ she answered. ‘Don’t try and pretend you’re tougher than you are. And beware of mirrors. Some are reliable, but many are treacherous. Adieu!’
Sunset was alone on the rooftop. What is the meaning of all this?, she mused, lost in thought. Then she sighed, closed the dome and ambled back to her bedroom.
Full moons weren’t really Sunset’s favourite nights, and this one made no exception. She kept rolling in her bed, unable to find sleep until, at the end of her tether, she decided to get up. She weaved her way along the castle’s empty corridors to the rooftop of the astronomy tower. She opened the dome and aimed the old, dusty telescope towards the blazing satellite.
Through the eyepiece she could contemplate flat expanses or low ridges, spattered with many craters, some large, some tiny. Would she see her? The moon was close and the telescope was big, but surely not big enough to spot pony-sized details. Even if it were, it would take nights of systematic survey to locate her, assuming she was locked up on the near side.
‘You won’t find whom you seek’, whispered a voice behind her.
Sunset almost jumped in shock. She spun round and saw a smiling, purple filly, just a couple of metres away.
‘Who are you?’ Sunset asked in a fluttering voice. ‘How did you enter? Who gave you permission?’
The purple filly giggled. There was something weird about her, Sunset thought. Something ethereal. Her silhouette was glittering. Sunset blinked several times, but she didn’t vanish.
‘My name is Twilight Sparkle’, the filly finally said. ‘Quit looking for Nightmare Moon, Sunset. She is not where you think she is.’
‘How do you know?’ Sunset protested. ‘And how do you know my name in the first place?’
‘I know much about you,’ Twilight Sparkle answered.
‘You’re not even real!’ Sunset said. ‘I bet you’re a ghost. Or a figment of my mind!’
Twilight Sparkle giggled again.
Sunset grunted. A bolt of energy shot from her horn right towards Twilight Sparkle. It passed through her body and smashed on to the wall behind. Twilight didn’t flinch.
‘See,’ Sunset said. ‘You’re incorporeal. Go away, evil spirit!’
‘You can’t touch or hit me’, Twilight explained, ‘because I’m not from your time frame. I come from the future.’
Sunset’s eyes widened and she almost stumbled backwards. ‘What?’ she blurted.
‘You heard me fine.’
‘Time travel is impossible,’ Sunset declared after recovering her balance. ‘It breaks causality, which is the one infrangible rule our world is built on.’
Twilight pouted. ‘How can you be so cocksure?’ she answered. ‘Time travel is definitely possible, as long as the traveler doesn’t cause time loops. Which is why you can see me but not touch me.’
Sunset shrugged. ‘Hogwash!’
Twilight blinked and stifled another giggle. ‘Here. Look what happens if I try to tell you what comes next. In about…’ Twilight’s shape suddenly blurred and the words she spoke morphed into meaningless garbage. ‘… Now you know your fate.’ She paused. ‘See? It can’t get through. The spell doesn’t allow it.’
‘Then why did you come, here and now?’ Sunset asked.
‘As your next-in-line, I was curious to see you, before…’ Twilight hesitated and bit her lips. ‘I’m sorry, I can’t say more,’ she apologised.
‘So you will take my place alongside Celestia,’ Sunset said. ‘How can you tell me that, given—’
‘It doesn’t matter,’ Twilight interrupted. ‘At this point, you have already decided to part from her, and figured out somepony else would come after you. I or another one, it won’t change anything.’
‘So we won’t meet ever again?’, Sunset asked.
‘I’m afraid I can’t comment on that,’ Twilight answered.
Sunset lowered her head and sighed. ‘She hides the truth from me. She doesn’t trust me, so I can’t trust her any more either. Part of her story doesn’t click, but she would not discuss it. She won’t let me do my own research either. But I have to. I have to go to the bottom of this. I have to know.’
‘She hasn’t come to terms with it yet,’ Twilight said.
Sunset raised her head and looked straight at Twilight. ‘Will she one day?’ she asked.
Twilight didn’t answer, and a hush fell.
‘My time is up,’ Twilight said. ‘Goodbye Sunset. Godspeed!’
‘Wait!’ Sunset exclaimed. ‘Before you go, do you have any advice for me? I’m so lost.’
Twilight smiled. ‘I can say you that,’ she answered. ‘Don’t try and pretend you’re tougher than you are. And beware of mirrors. Some are reliable, but many are treacherous. Adieu!’
Sunset was alone on the rooftop. What is the meaning of all this?, she mused, lost in thought. Then she sighed, closed the dome and ambled back to her bedroom.
Pics
This interaction is very mysterious. On the one hand, if filly Twilight is not allowed to create a time loop, then her presence with regard to ‘causality’ is something like an epiphenomenon, or something Sunset really believed she imagined; on the other hand, supposing that Twilight really did go back into the past to satisfy her curiosity, to what motivation? Why would anyone have ghostly desires? I enjoyed getting a glimpse into these questions.