Twilight Sparkle's Anguish

by Trailblazer Rocker

Indecisive

All seven ponies got back on the train to get back to Rautsong. It was a tiring trip for them. They got to Mt. Terabolt and got the Sacred Star in it, all in one day.

As the train stopped in Rautsong, they all got out and ready to call it a day.

"Well, we'll sleep good tonight," said Trailblazer. "It's been a long day for us today."

"Yeah, I'm tired too," said Pinkie Pie.

"You ARE?"

"Well, it wasn't easy bouncing UP the ledges..."

He opened his mouth to speak, but he stopped and thought something else. "Well, I guess that makes sense. It's easier to go downhill than uphill in, almost everything."

All of them got back into their rooms, ready to go to bed. As usual, AppleJack and Trailblazer shared their room.

"Hey, Trailblazer?" AppleJack said. "Thank you for savin' me back at that volcano."

He chuckled at this. "I can't lose my favorite mare, can I?"

AppleJack smiled and laughed at this. "Stop!"

"No, I mean it. I'm sure you still know how I feel about you."

"Yeah, Ah know that. Same here."

The others still found it strange that they were sharing a same room along with the same bed, but nothing suggestive came from either of them.

Twilight caught one last glimpse of the couple before going into her room for the night. Rather than them resting with their heads on the pillows, Trailblazer was laying on his side taking up both pillows, asleep. AppleJack was also lying on her side, and was using Trailblazer's belly as a pillow. Together, they were lying perpendicularly to each other on the bed. Twilight Sparkle left the room without disturbing either of them, and also without any reaction on her part. She got into her room and hit the hay.

However, during that night, Twilight began to dream about the unicorn he met in the research facility.

Rock Solid.

It was one of the best things that happened to her recently. Just today, those two had some things in common right off the bat; booksmarts, common knowledge, and similar studies. She was even wished a safe return from the volcano, something that the rest of her friends had long before she did.

Then, she realized that she didn't say good-bye when they had to leave. Immediately, she felt as if she rudely brushed him off. Her dream started to turn into a nightmare, putting her back in the cycle of rejection she almost became accustomed to.

The next pony that showed up to her in her dream was Trailblazer. Again, like before, she found herself in tears, all alone. He walked by, to wonder what was going on. Again, she asked to snuggle with him, to which Trailblazer considered going and hiding stuff behind AppleJack's back.

Then, she recalled the time that she hung on a ledge, trying to keep herself from falling into the pit of spikes. Trailblazer came to her rescue, and kept her from getting skewered. To this, when they got rid of Hat Trick, she kissed him on the cheek. Going further back, he made her feel comfortable and wanted on her lonely nights.

The next colt that showed up was the foal she used to play with, Mineral Mage. Again, he was almost a carbon copy of Trailblazer, yet a bit more mellow.

And then, his face morphed into the visage that was the unicorn they encountered at the lab. Steel Sword. The verbal lashes they made at each other was still fresh in her memory; the most vivid being his motive. "The world contained no fun nor joy without his 'Twilight' pony..."

Her mind became flooded with What If questions. "What if that was REALLY Mineral Mage?" "What if it was another pony who's name started with the word "Twilight"? What if it still WAS Mineral Mage, yet he didn't bother to recognize her?

At this moment, she immediaty woke up. She was breathing a bit rapidly, and her body was a little sweaty. She wiped her brow and paused, still thinking some more about her dramatic ups and downs.

Rarity was in the adjacent room, hearing some pounding on the wall. She got up and wondered what the noise was, but quickly put her head back down on the pillow. Upon the noise continuing, she got up and walked over to that room. Using her unicorn magic, she walked into the hall and slid the card key into the slot on the handle. Once confirmed, she opened it and walked inside. There, she saw Twilight Sparkle banging her head against the wall Rarity's room was adjacent to. This startled Twilight, and she looked up at Rarity.

"I think we're all trying to get some rest here," she said, irritated. "Would you please stop?"

"I... I just can't..." said Twilight.

Rarity raised an eyebrow at her. "Yes, you can."

"I wish I could... All this is just bottling up inside, and I just can't think straight."

"Like what?"

"I'm sure you've noticed by now that I'm the odd one out in terms of relationship status."

The ivory unicorn stopped to think. "Oh, well, I have."

"And now, I just can't decide."

"Decide?"

"I just can't... I mean, it's just..." Twilight groaned. "I have a feeling that Steel Sword is a pony I knew a long time ago. And that means that I'm fighting a friend that I once cared for."

"He DID call you by name... I think..." Rarity tried to put the pieces together. "But he just said 'Twilight'... Maybe he could be referring to another mare, like, Twilight Glitter, or, Twilight Starburst."

"Well, how am I supposed to know for sure?"

Rarity bit her lip. "What about the others?" she asked, trying to get moving in the discussion.

"Rock Solid. We seemed to get along almost instantly. He even wished me to stay safe, something I couldn't have before."

"What about Princess Celestia?"

"She wants the best for all of us, not just from somepony I could live with and marry or something."

Rarity grimaced. "Okay then..."

"And the third..." Twilight shook her head and banged it lightly against the wall again. "No, NO, it just isn't right!"

"Would you cut out the headbanging?" she scolded. "You'll wake the rest of us up."

"I'm sorry, it's just..." Twilight let out a small cough. "I just can't see myself being forgiven if I say this..."

"By whom?"

"AppleJack, Trailblazer, and, even myself."

"Why? ...Oh no, it involves them, doesn't it?"

Twilight Sparkle silently nodded. "Can you keep a secret?"

Rarity recoiled. "Well... You know how I feel about keeping things from friends."

"Please, Rarity. I... I really think I need to vent."

She sighed. "If you insist..."

"Okay, here goes..." The young unicorn struggled to spit it out, but she pulled through. "You see, Trailblazer has been around for me every time I've been feeling bad."

Rarity was confused. "Okay, but... That's, really not something either of you should be ashamed of. You are in need, and he helped you."

"That's not it, Rarity. Every time I was feeling alone at night, he was there to comfort me. When I just about lost my life back at Mutait, he saved me. I'm... Starting to grow attatched to him..."

"Hmm? How so?"

"I... I think... All he's done to make me happy, and to show that I shouldn't give up hope... He's been taking care of me, and... I think..." But she found the last part hard to say.

"Twilight, this had better not be what I think it is..."

Her pupils shrinked, and she swallowed hard, looking more worried than before. "I think... I'm in love, with..." Then, she whispered, "Trailblazer."

"Twilight, no!" Rarity jumped her, forcing the other to back away. She got a hold of Twilight Sparkle and shook her a bit violently. The distressed unicorn's ears became floppy again. "You CANNOT be saying things like that. It's just not right!"

"What am I supposed to do?? He's there when I need him, and he takes care of me."

"Even if that IS true, it doesn't work! You should NOT be saying, or even THINKING of that. You know just as well as the rest of us that Trailblazer is far too committed into his relationship to turn his back towards AppleJack."

Twilight looked down. "I'm not saying that I want him to break up with AppleJack so he can be with me..."

"I'm not saying you are. But if you keep these feelings up for him, it WILL happen."

"But he's just the only one readily available for me. Why can't I...!" Twilight covered her head with her hoof and shook her head. "Oh, I'm so confused!"

"Twilight, you just have to accept the fact that he won't love you back. Like I said, he and AppleJack are together, and you shouldn't change that. You could jeopardize both of your friendships with them if you admit your secret towards either one of them."

Twilight looked down at the floor, a bit ashamed of herself. "I'm sorry that I even bothered to try to get it off my chest..."

"I'll keep this secret, but you have to keep it to yourself from the rest of us, understood?"

"...Yes..."

"Good. Now, go get some sleep. I'm quite certain that you need it."

Rarity left her room and got back into her own to continue sleeping. Twilight Sparkle stayed up for a little bit, pondering on all of the things that went on. She was emotionally bombarded with thoughts of loneliness and then acceptance. She couldn't make heads or tails out of which was going to keep going. Eventually, she fell asleep, but still not feeling well.

Outside her room below the window sill, Hat Trick was levitating below it. He heard the entire discussion about Twilight's dilemma, and then smirked.

My! He thought. Those two had quite a deep discussion. Clearly, this could involve Steel Sword in some way. Now, I wonder if he'll have just as deep as one.

He vanished into thin air, and made his way back to their castle.

"Where is Red Rover?" asked Steel Sword, seeing that only Pack Rat and Hat Trick were around when reported, along with Clear Night, who was always by his side.

"You don't think he was, killed, do you?" she asked.

"Oh, dear, you know Red Rover is a burly one. I highly doubt that possibility."

"Hat Trick, you know just as well as any other pony that there are things out there that can instatly kill us. Point-blank shotgun blasts, getting necks cut..." Steel Sword informed.

"Well, where would he have to be in order for that to happen?" asked Hat Trick.

Steel Sword used his unicorn magic to try to find out. "He's at Mt. Terabolt!"

"Well, then, I shall go and retrieve him. Won't that sound good?"

"Actually, have him still go after those seven Sacred Star hunters."

"Well, your wish is my command then." Hat Trick motioned to leave, but he stopped and placed a hoof under his chin. "Say, by the way, before I go, do these two names ring a bell? 'Mineral Mage', and, 'Twilight Sparkle'?"

Steel Sword nearly jumped. "What?? Whuh- uh, why do you ask?"

"Oh, I was eavesdropping on them, trying to get some useful info on what they were trying to do next, when I heard about the purple unicorn saying something about, herself, and some other pony by the other name..."

The gray unicorn remained silent, and a bit shaken.

"But, I guess I should'nt be paying attention to the ramblings of such trivial topics. Anyways, I shall be on my way." With that, Hat Trick left the room in a flash. Pack Rat also left the room, leaving Steel Sword and Clear Night alone.

"You know, maybe that really IS the unicorn you cherished when you were younger!" she said. "I don't think it's too late. You can reverse the Sario Hole if you'd like."

He simply shook his head and hung it. "She is gone, I am certain of that. And the Sario Hole cannot be closed, not even by me."

Clear Night looked down. "Yeah, um, I guess I just forgot about all that for a moment."

"It's all right. You're excused." Steel Sword disappeared in a shadowy swirl, and left. Clear night let out an unhappy sigh, and walked out of the throne room.

"My my, that was QUITE deep for a small discussion."

Hat Trick reappeared in the room as he talked to himself. "So, you two WERE connected a long time ago. Well then, I guess I should prepare for our little finale, and to get rid of those pests for good. THIS is going to be good!" He disappeared again, leaving the castle and going off to Rautsong.

"You're all back so soon?" Merlow asked as the group walked into his place. "THAT was quite quick!"

"Yeah, but it was a close shave there." Trailblazer pulled out the next Sacred Star and showed him the jewel.

"All right then, one more to go!" Merlow took the blue Sacred Star and held it above his crystal ball. From what he gazed at, the center of the region showed up. An underwater cave appeared, and a white gleaming Sacred Star appeared to him.

"Hmmmmmm..." said Merlow, trying to get the message on what he was shown.

"What is it?" asked Pinkie Pie.

"The last Sacred Star is in the underwater cave of Lake Oxpow."

"An underwater cave?" Pinkie Pie still was curious.

"Well, yes." Merlow paused. "To be honest, I really don't know much about that lake, never mind the cave..."

"But we're going underwater for it..." Twilight grew uneasy. "Oh no..."

"What's the matter?"

"I'm not a good swimmer... I almost drowned a few months ago."

"Oh, well..." Merlow cleared his throat. "What to do?"

"We'll find a way down there so all of us get there," said Trailblazer. "We've made it this far. So let's all get it."

"Good thinking!" Merlow replied.

"So, how do we get there?"

"You'll have to go there on foot. There's some woods that surround the lake all around it's perimiter."

"So, we could just go from here and to that lake?"

"Absolutely. Now remember: it's not exactly a tourist attraction. You're on your own when you're trying to get it up there."

"Are we all okay on this?" Pinkie asked.

"I'm game," said Trailblazer.

"Why, yes," Rarity answered.

"Sure, let's do it," AppleJack said.

"So, you're all going now?"

"Yeah!" Rainbow Dash, covering the other six's answers.

"All right then. Good luck!"

After that, they left his house and took off to head for Lake Oxpow. Fluttershy stopped before completely leaving his place. She turned around and looked at Merlow, almost glaring at him.

"What?" he asked.

Fluttershy did not respond. She slowly turned around and walked away, keeping eye contact on him until the house blocked her field of view.

"Wait a minute, we didn't bring no tents with us this time, did we?" AppleJack asked as they all left Merlow's place.

"Aw, nah. Ah reckon we didn't," answered Trailblazer, imitating her southern accent.

"Now, is there a store we could all take a gander at here?"

"There ought to be," said Rainbow Dash.

"Found it!" shouted Pinkie Pie.

The rest of them looked off in the direction they all heard Pinkie. On the other side of the street, a few buildings away, an outdoors store was available.

"I guess that's Pinkie for you..." Fluttershy said.

There was a good selection of tents for them. With the money they made at Mutait, they bought tents for themselves and headed off for Lake Oxpow.

Hat Trick showed up to Red Rover back at Mt. Terabolt. He was still lying in the crater on one of the upper ledges, out cold.

"What do we have here?" he asked upon arrival. He touched down next to him, and then used his magic to wake him up. Red Rover opened his eyes and shook his head in an effort to wake himself up.

"Hat Trick?!" he raised his voice. "What are you doing here?"

"What are YOU doing HERE?" Hat Trick asked back.

"Enough with the parroting and answer my question!"

"Well, I came here after you failed to report to us the other day, and I see that-"

"Wait... How long was I out of it?"

"At least 24 hours."

Red Rover looked around to see that he was still in the crater of Mt. Terabolt.

"I'd say that they beat you good."

The colt growled back at the unicorn.

"Now now, I'm not here to pick on you. Rather, I'm here with a message for you, from Steel Sword."

He paused. "A message from the boss, huh...? Okay, shoot."

"He wants you to find them again and try to ambush them once more."

"Hmmm... Well, I would, but there's one small problem."

"And that is?"

Red Rover turned around and looked at the crater walls. "I have no idea where they're headed next."

Hat Trick laughed. "Oh, Red Rover, do you really think I would let you go on your mission cluelessly?"

"Honestly, I do."

"Hm! Surely you jest! I snuck into the town they tend to stay in overnight, and learned that they're headed for Lake Oxpow, in the center of Inyomaid."

The red stallion cocked his head to his left side. "Huh. Good intel there... Well, if that's Steel Sword's order, I'll go do it."

"Yes. Now, would I lie to you?"

Red Rover shot an unsure look at the unicorn. "Well, maybe you haven't, but, you sure are strange..."

Hat Trick scoffed. "That's just your own opinion."

"Pfft, whatever..." Red Rover climbed out of the crater and headed down the volcano. He cut away from the town and started to head through the moderately thick woods that surrounded Lake Oxpow. Hat Trick disappeared again and reported back to their castle.

"Do any of you know how long it's going to take for us to reach this lake?" asked Rarity.

"Well, if I were to guess, if it took us an hour for us to get from one town to another by these trains at 60 miles per hour... And if Lake Oxpow is in the center of this region... And assuming that our walk speed is 3 miles per hour..." Twilight said, thinking out loud.

"...Then it'd be faster for us to reach the lake by flying." Rainbow Dash slowly flew behind them all, annoyed that she had to wait up for the other six.

Twilight paused after she finished her interruption. "...Yeeeaaahhhh, or that."

There was no set path for any of them to follow. A vast area of spaced out trees was what they had to walk through. The woods got a little bit thicker as they progressed through them though.

"Where in the hell are we..." said Trailblazer. He looked around at the surroundings, but didn't see anything else in the area except for more trees. "Well, just like Merlow said, it is really vacant... Wait, are we the only ones in these woods right now?"

"Well, it looks like it," Fluttershy said as she walked along with the others.

A trunk snapped. All of them heard the noise, but couldn't locate where the source was.

"You think that was just a coincidence?" asked Rarity.

"Yeah, must've been."

They continued into walk forward, but another trunk falling noise was heard. This time, it was closer.

"Okay, where is that coming from??" Trailblazer looked around to see where the falling trunk was.

But as he looked around, the falling trunk that they were all looking for showed itself. It was a standard-sized trunk, with a 2 and a half-foot diameter. It crashed down, landing right on Trailblazer.