The Mysterious Case of Twilight Sparkle

by Buckseed

A New Day

Spike stood on the small stool he used to reach things that were too high for him, he was a baby dragon after all. At the moment, he was standing in front of the stove in the new crystal kitchen. Everything was made of crystal and, sure it looked pretty, but you try living in a place that magnifies the sun's rays whenever the windows are open. Let’s not even mention the fact that the beam of light always seems to hit him in the eyes.

Anyway, it was breakfast time and the young dragon was hungry. Sure, he loved gems like nobody's business, but they didn’t provide the nutrients a growing dragon needed to grow. The vegetarian diets of his pony friends didn’t really cut it for him either, he was a carnivore after all, it was just how it was. He would always try his best to avoid eating meat around his friends though, so it was rare that he got the chance to enjoy it, but, now that Twilight has been busy and the castle was empty aside from him, he had his chance.

A call to a specialized restaurant was all he needed to do to get what he wanted, and his shipment of various meats and poultry arrived late last night. At the moment, a juicy piece of chicken breast was being grilled and Spike couldn’t help but let his mouth water. The smell rose up into his nose and a shiver went down his spine, it felt like he was finally pleasing an addiction he had ignored for too long.

As Spike plated the succulent meal and placed it on the table, he realized he was missing one crucial thing, a drink! As he opened the refrigerator and reached for some apple cider, he heard a sudden clinging sound behind him, as if his fork fell from the table. Sure enough, when he turned around, both his fork and knife were on the floor, as well as a few stray purple feathers. Slowly his eyes trailed upwards, revealing a very familiar figure to him. There sat Twilight Sparkle, hair a mess and coat covered in dirt, hungrily gnawing at the meal he had prepared for himself. Usually he would roll his eyes with some frustration and make something new, because he knew his friend went long periods without eating when she was busy with something, but this was different. Twilight was a pony, she was strictly and herbivore, but here she was eating meat with a look of satisfaction plastered upon her face.

“Uh, Twilight.” Spike said, raising his claw up towards the table and gesturing towards the plate. “That wasn’t for you.”

Twilight gulped down the meat in her mouth and looked down at her oldest friend. “Oh, Spike! I’m sorry, I was just fine a minute ago, but then I smelled this...this…” she looked down towards the plate once more, which held only a few bites of chicken now, and licked her lips hungrily. “What exactly is this?” she asked, not even waiting for an answer as she ravaged the food once more, leaving nothing behind.

Spike shivered, there was something wrong and he didn’t like it. The way Twilight looked at him just now, her eyes were different. She wasn’t looking at him, she was looking through him, as if he didn’t exist.

“I-it was chicken Twilight. Meat.” he said, lowering his arm back down to his side as he waited for some kind of negative reaction from Twilight when she realized she just ate what was once another living animal.

Twilight looked down at her assistant once more and smiled, a smile different from the usual that sent a bad feeling into the pit of Spikes stomach. “It was delicious. You should make more for later.” she said before stepping down from her seat and walking away, leaving a confused Spike behind.

As Twilight left the room and made her way down the hall, she felt a wave of dizzying nausea crash over her. Her head felt like it was being spun around over and over again, and her stomach felt bloated and hot. She had to stop and lean against a wall to balance herself.

‘What’s happening?’ she thought to herself. Suddenly a fierce pain shot through her brain, and she had to clamp her jaw shut to restrain the cry she wanted to let out.

‘Weak! She’s so weak! How can this be the host? She’s weak!’ A foreign voice seemed to call out.

“What? W-who are you?” she asked audibly, looking around, searching for the pony or being this voice came from.

‘Your better half!’ the voice rang out once more before Twilight was hit with another surge of blinding pain. She fell to the floor, writhing in agony, before she was greeted with darkness as her own consciousness gave out.

Trixie awoke from her slumber, eyes wide as she leaped from bed, mind racing with thoughts on who the mysterious stranger that visited her last night could be. She still felt the fear, as if her mind had moved on but the rest of her being was stuck in that moment of time. It was a dark anxiousness that made her feel sick to the pit of her stomach, but Trixie wouldn’t let it get the best of her. She knew, better than most ponies out there, that the show must go on.

“Trixie must find Twilight Sparkle.” she said to herself as she used her magic to place her hat and cape upon herself. She was a showmare after all, and her costume was a form of advertisement. Surely she could benefit somewhat from this meeting, if the locals saw their new princess talking with The Great and Powerful Trixie!

She gave her head a few shakes. ‘No!’ she thought, ‘Now isn’t the time to think about my show, I came here to make amends.’

Trixie huffed at herself,looking at her reflection in the mirror, and made her decision. Utilizing her magic once more, she removed the hat and cape, becoming nothing more than a citizen.

‘Now,’ she thought, as she turned and began to exit her cart, ‘the princesses in Canterlot have guards posted all around them at every given time of day. I can only imagine the amount of security a lone princess like Twilight might have, especially when living in a place that attracts as much trouble as Ponyville.’

Trixie could see the glistening castle off in the distance. She felt a slight pang of jealousy as she saw the rainbow lights gleaming from the crystal branches of the artificial tree. Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself. Those feelings were in the past, Twilight had offered her friendship before, and now she was the princess of the subject, she would almost be obligated to forgive her and her past actions. Right?

Without realizing it, Trixie had already reached the front door to the castle, her hoof reaching outward to knock on the door. Realization struck and she gave her surroundings a glance.

No gate.

No guards.

No safety.

“Just what exactly is this?” she asked aloud to nopony in particular. “What sort of royalty has no guards posted for their protection? Should princess Twilight be attacked, her only means of defense would be...a door!”

She was absolutely flabbergasted. This had not been what she expected at all. Was Twilight considered a lesser princess compared to the other rulers of Equestria? The sisters in Canterlot had an entire army to defend them, and the prissy princess of Love in the Crystal Kingdom at least had a large squadron. But what did Twilight have? Nothing!

Trixie felt her ears perk up as she heard a voice come from the other side of the door.

“Hey, who’s making all that noise out there?” the voice said, before the door swung open, causing Trixie to take a few rapid steps back or else she would have been hit by it.

Trixie eyed her would-be assailant for a moment before she realized who it was and breathed a sigh of relief at finally seeing a familiar face.

“Ah, it’s you! Twilight’s assistant, the dragon! Spork was it?” Trixie said innocently, with a smile on her muzzle.

Spike stared uneasily at Trixie. “Uh, no, it’s Spike. And what are you doing here anyway Trixie?” he asked before pointing one of his sharp fingers at her. “Come to challenge Twilight again now that you’ve heard she’s a princess? Even if you can come up with a challenge you can beat her in, that won’t make you a princess too you know.” he crossed his arms over his chest and looked at her expectantly.

Trixie could feel her ears droop as Spike words saddened her. Yes, she had a one track mind before, and only cared to defeat Twilight, to prove she was the better unicorn and magic user, but she had come back to change all that. She came back to start anew.

“No.” Trixie stated, with a stomp of her hoof. “The Great and Powerfu…” she stopped for a moment before continuing. “No, I have come here to apologize to Twilight for all I have done to her. I would like to speak to her if that’s possible.”

Spike eyes Trixie for a moment longer before he let out a sigh and nodded his head. “Fine, come on in. I’ll call for Twilight.” he said as he stepped into the castle and closed the door after Trixie made her way in.

Twilight slowly rose from the floor, her head ached and she had no idea what happened to her. “What was that voice?” she asked herself.

“Twilight, you have a visitor!” Spike’s voice rang from downstairs.

Twilight groaned as she forced herself to turn around and walk. Her body protested against every motion, but the metaphorical cloud in her head was beginning to lift. She made her way down the stairs and into the foyer where she would usually greet tourists and the like that wanted to meet her. She was met with a sight she didn’t expect though, as she spotted Trixie, sans her flashy apparel, standing with Spike.

“Trixie? Is that you? What brings you here?” she asked, confused. She had thought they reconciled after their last encounter, although no words had been exchanged. She thought they had a mutual understanding. Yet, here Trixie was once again. Except, this time she didn’t look smug as usual.

Trixie stepped forward, looking Twilight in the eyes before calmly bowing before her. “I apologize for my sudden appearance princess, but I have come to apologize and beg for forgiveness for my past discretions.” she said, head still bowed to the floor.

Twilight looked down at Trixie, confusion plastered on her face as she looked to Spike, her eyes pleading for help in this situation. Spike looked back at her and simply shrugged.

Twilight looked at Trixie once more and gave a soft sigh. She used her wing to cradle the mare's head and lift it up, allowing them to see each other eye to eye once more.

“Trixie, while I do appreciate the effort, there was no need to go through all this trouble. I forgave you a long time ago, and I was looking forward to the day where I might be able to call you my friend.” Twilight said with a smile. “I can tell you’ve grown, and don’t only think of yourself anymore. Maybe that day is finally here.”

Trixie smiled brightly at Twilight. “Princess Twilight, I would be honored to call you my friend!” she said happily as a warmth spread throughout her heart.

“First thing’s first then.” Twilight said, holding up her hoof to silence Trixie. “Drop the whole princess thing. I’m still Twilight, just say my name.”

“But what good is a title if you don’t use it?” Trixie asked, legitimately confused about the situation.

“Just because I was crowned as a princess of Equestria doesn’t mean I’ve changed as a pony. I grew wings, but that’s about it. I still study, I still meet with my friends and I still live in a way that makes me happy. That’s all I ask for in life.” Twilight said as she looked around at her new castle. “All of this was truly unexpected, and it’s all been thrown at me so fast that I really haven’t had time to deal with it all, but I’m working on something right now that will get my name known, not as a princess, but as a scientist.”

Trixie perked up at this. “So you’re working on a science experiment? Can Trixie....can I help?” she asked.

Twilight mentally slapped herself. Nopony was supposed to know about what she was doing!

“I don’t know about that Trixie, it’s pretty intense stuff.” she said, hoping to make the mare give up.

“If a 2.34 g substance at 22°C with a specific heat of 3.88 cal/g-°C is heated with 124 cal of energy, the new temperature of the substance would be 35.7°C.” Trixie said as she sat on her haunches and looked expectantly at Twilight.

Twilight could feel her jaw drop. “Trixie, where did you learn that?!” she exclaimed.

“Just because my career is a flop and I live out of a run-down cart, it doesn’t mean that I’m a dummy.” Trixie replied with a smile. “My parents paid for me to go to a very prestigious school, and I am actually qualified to work a career in thermodynamics. I just followed my passion is all. It was what my cutie mark was telling me.” she said, as if it were the most obvious thing of all.

Twilight just stared, jaw hanging loosely.

“Alright, I’m leaving. This is too much for me.” Spike said as he threw his arms up in a huff and left the room.

Twilight stared at her new friend for a few moments longer, before she closed her jaw and made her decision. Walking over to a nearby table, she grabbed a paper, a quill and some ink with her magic and wrote something down really quickly.

Levitating the paper to Trixie, she said “Follow these directions and meet me at my secret place tonight. Don’t tell anypony.” she emphasized that last order and Trixie nodded her head in understanding.

Twilight led Trixie back to the door and opened it for her to leave. The two exchanged farewells and she closed the door soon after.

“I don’t know if I just made things easier, or harder.” Twilight said with a sigh, before she began walking back up the stairs. She needed some rest before she got back to work.

Comments

[The Warmaster]

I hope this gets continued. The possibilities for it, the possibilities already in place.....
It. Is. GLORIOUS!
Mwahahahhahah!
I love this story already!

[Buckseed]

6951558 Firstly, thank you for your kind comments. I'm glad you enjoy the story so far. As you asked previously, that totally was "Alive" that she was singing, glad somebody understood that reference!

Secondly (lastly?), I do plan to continue this story but, as of now, it requires too much time to conduct the story in the way I want to with a bunch of other things going on. I'm hoping to work out a once monthly update though.

[The Warmaster]

6955325 Sounds fine by me! I definitely understand.
Good luck in your story writings!

[The Warmaster]

6955325 Also, I've decided to introduce your story, as well as two other Jekyll and Hyde based stories, to the people who follow me! Trying to get this story more noticed!
Because it's great!

[Buckseed]

6957164 Wow, thank you! That's very kind, and much appreciated!