//------------------------------// // Twilight // Story: Fate After Failure // by Antisocialtwilight //------------------------------// Fate After Failure Chapter 2: Twilight Okay, Twilight, you’ve got nothing to worry about. The purple unicorn filly re-assured herself, waiting in the front of the classroom for her entrance exam to arrive. It had only been a week since she had witnessed the regal Princess Celestia raise the sun at the Summer Sun Celebration, and ever since she saw that, she had been inspired to learn magic. She had studied day and night, on multiple subjects, and she felt confident about taking her exam, and the reward was one of her dreams: entering the esteemed Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns! But her own reassurance went away when the pony entered with her exam: hatching a baby dragon egg. “Well, Ms. Sparkle?” one of the four judges said. Twilight chuckled nervously in the silence of the classroom. That silence was broken when all four of the judges began to scribble on their clipboards with malice on their faces. Okay, Twilight thought. Time to get to work; I need to concentrate. She focused her magic into her horn, grunting as she did so. She felt sparks spurt from her horn, but they quickly faded. Did it work? She thought, opening her eyes to glance at the egg. She tried again, sticking her neck out towards the egg, but still nothing happened. The judges looked at her, as if they were annoyed by her not being able to do it quickly. “We don’t have all day.” The judge on the far left said condescendingly. This can’t be happening! Twilight began to panic. You’re blowing it, Twilight!! She focused, and tried again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and once more, but nothing more than a few sparks came from her horn, despite her desperate situation. In her last attempt, she had actually fallen on her stomach from concentrating too hard. As she started to get up, she felt no other option than to admit defeat. “Sorry I wasted you’re time…” she said, on the verge of tears. The four judges didn’t seem to care, as they began to write on their clipboards, undoubtedly writing her off. Suddenly, something happened to Twilight; she felt something she hadn’t felt in a while, it was so unfamiliar, and it surprised even her. For the first time in a long time, Twilight felt anger. Tears welled up in her eyes, but her pride forced them to stay put as she prepared herself to speak. “I think this one is done. Nothing special, just like I thought” One of the judges whispered to the other, but loud enough that Twilight heard. “Shut up! I don’t need your stupid school, you…you…meanies!” Twilight yelled “How dare you talk to us like that, you little reject! This is one of the most prestigious schools in all of Equestria!” one of the four judges spat at the filly. “Well your school is lame! I can learn magic from books; I don’t need your school!” Twilight said with venom and truth in her words. I’ll show them… she thought, her head reeling with anger. “I already learned something from books that I didn’t need your stupid school to teach me…” She said. “And what might that be?” one of the judges said “The teleportation spell!” Twilight said, snatching the baby dragon egg, and disappearing in a flash. “Guards! After her! She’s stolen a dragon egg!” One of the judges exclaimed. “What guards? This is a school! Besides, what can guards do? She’s already teleported away!” A judge said to her. “We can’t let her get away with that egg!” Another judge said. Meanwhile… “We can’t let her get away with that egg!” Twilight heard a judge say. She didn’t have much time, but Twilight felt she’d earned a pat on her back for her quick thinking. She had been able to teleport to the ground floor, just outside the classroom she was in. Now, not only did she have the egg, but she also had a head start to get home. Then the thought hit her: What do I do then? They’ll look for me and I just stole a dragon egg-I JUST STOLE A DRAGON EGG! Twilight stifled a short scream of terror. They’d be looking her, and she couldn’t stay at her home, that’s the first place they’d look. And her parents! They’d be furious with her! There’s only one thing I can do now, she thought sorrowfully. I’ll have to run. End of Chapter 2 To Be Continued…