I'm (Not) Great
Alright, let's see. I need to extend the metal casing by a few inches to accommodate the higher powered battery. That should extend the life by ten times! I'm so brilliant!
Oh, hello there! Who am I? I am Twilight Sparkle; scientist extraordinaire and one of Equestria's brightest scientific minds! Oh, and I'm also brilliant at magic, but I prefer to apply magic into scientific pursuits. Everypony makes too big of a deal of magic onto itself. I have made a multitude of inventions that will one day revolutionize ponykind, and ensure my place in the history books as one of the best ...as soon as Princess Trixie stops sabotaging me with her position. Huh? No, I've never seen her do it, but why else would all my grant requests be turned down? Besides, she has never been able to stand the fact I'm smarter than she is.
Thankfully she mysteriously disappeared from the public eye shortly after she ascended to Alicornhood and lost a fight with the evil Princesses! Rumor had it she was in the hospital, but I think she's just too humiliated to show her face again!
Oh, what am I doing right now? My laser pointer broke earlier...Rainbow Crash related. So I decided to not only fix it, but upgrade it! Now it has a more intense laser projector to go much further and a far larger battery, increasing the life considerably! I probably won't have to replace the battery for another year! Now all that's left to do is test it!
AH!
Alright. Apparently increasing the intensity and boosting the power drastically makes it a powerful laser instead of a harmless laser pointer. Interesting! Though there is now a hole in my ceiling. Rainbow Crash? Don't worry, she decided a long time ago to sleep above Fluttershy's room and not mine. Now, should I try to convert this to what I intended or explore the possibility of lasers...
“Twilight!” called Spike, crossing his arms. “There's bits of ceiling all over the place! Pinkamena's right, this place might have lead in the paint.”
Spike? Oh, he's my assistant! He does his best to keep me on track and help me in my experiments!
"And you better clean this place... I don't want any weird machine parts on the floor. You could hurt yourself with them.”
"Oh Spike don't be... ouch!" Why did I have to step in the heat regulator crystal?
“Told you so.”
And he also sometimes acts like he's my mother. It's very annoying. I mean I hatched him!
Hey look, there's that flux capacitor I lost!
What am I working on? I'm glad you asked! I'd love to enlighten you on my brilliance! Well one of my newest inventions is a machine designed to manipulate the climate! I got the idea from when I tried to fix our air conditioner and it ended up causing the living room to freeze for a few weeks! It was an accident at the time, but I wondered if I could use that intentionally to help speed things up! Well it has flooded the entire house on several occasions, but that's just trial and error! It's part of scientific progress!
Oh, not impressed? Then let me show you my greatest creation so far! I call it a Mana Collector! Yes, I made it into a convenient and portable necklace, amazing isn't it?! What does it do? It's intended purpose is to gather ambient mana from the surrounding area. You see for the last thousand years, ponies have been fascinated by magic since its applications were introduced by a wizard said to come from another world. While ponies have always had magic, we just didn't really think much about it or what it could really do before then. While legend has it we never reached the versatility with magic that the wizard's world had, we have taken leaps and bounds in it over the centuries. Technology wasn't forgotten, it's just seen as less fascinating and more mundane. I of course am good with both, I was so good at magic the School for Gifted Unicorns rejected me for being too powerful and talented! And because they were afraid of me overshadowing their star pupil who they like to put on a pedestal. Uh, what was I talking about? Oh right! Science! I just prefer to focus on technology because imagine how much recognition I'd get if I made it super relevant again?!
But I got to thinking. If technology is a big benefit to ponykind and magic is a big benefit, why not find a way to merge them more seamlessly? Now, unicorns can enchant certain objects with spells to power devices and Pegasi can use lightning to power generators, we've never been able to gather or use ambient mana directly. My device will do just that! Think of the possibilities! Converting mana into energy, using the ambient mana to revitalize the damage done by the Princesses, or even theoretically a pony absorbing it to revitalize or increase their own power! There are so many uses!
Though I'm still trying to get the ambient mana to be absorbed as effectively, right now it merely absorbs mana from other things like flowers and such (normally leaving them withered). But proof of concept!
Oh I can't wait for it to be finished! I'll be famous! Mom and dad will be so proud!
“Twilight, don't forget to check the mail,” Spike reminded me. He's good at that, I can lose my train of thought sometimes, but who doesn't?
“Oh, right! Thanks for reminding me!”
I need to see if the science section for new advancements! Yes, there's a science section. Fluttershy's got it, I'll just borrow it. She won't mind, she never minds anything.
Alright, so what page is it on? Wait was that Trixie's name in that paragraph?! Ugh, great. She's coming home! Why?!...Wait, why? Hmm, 'Evil Princesses Turn Over a New Leaf?!'
“What the...how? That...Fluttershy! House-meeting! Now!”
________________________________________
House-meetings served many purposes. I shared my many experiments with the house and showed them my latest breakthroughs. Huh? Okay, maybe that's why our meeting room is in need of cleaning up, but science is trial and error!
What mattered was it was our time to share whatever we wanted to...mostly me, but Pinkamena could do some really good presentations!
Oh, Pinkamena? She's my closest friend in our little group! An intellectual like me, and the first one I ever met! We can talk over facts and figures! And we both agree that our siblings are massive disappointments! She's even the one who helped me find this place! It technically belongs to the Apples, but her family is are their fourth cousin twice removed by a fifth cousin! You know, it's weird, Applejack asked us if it was alright for her to stay here, but it belongs to her family. Hmm, will have to question her about that later.
“'Evil Princesses Turn Over a New Leaf?!'” Applejack exclaimed.
Oh! Right! Focus! There's just so much to think about I can get a tiny bit distracted sometimes!
“How?! What happened?!” Rarity wisely questioned.
That's a good question! The Princesses have been evil for all of recorded history! How can they suddenly just change?! Oh right, I can read the paper.
“It says they were both purified of evil when-oh! Look, the price of milk went down!”
We haven't been able to afford milk in ages! Milk prices have been up for the last four years after the cows demanded an increase pay in exchange due to having less food to eat during the famine! It's actually rather logical when you think about it, I mean if the Princesses have turned good then Princess Celestia is no longer scorching the crop-
“Twilight, focus!” Applejack yelled.
“Sorry! Just it's been awhile since I had milk!”
It's not my fault they put a big picture of milk right beside the paragraph!
“It says they were purified of evil when some objects from another universe called 'the Elements of Harmony' were used by King Sombra to pull all the evil out of them...and into himself.”
“Wait, wait, wait, so now King Sombra's the BAD GUY?!” Applejack asked, all of us looking logically upset.
King Sombra is...bad? Not logical...not logical...
“...No, according to this, King Sombra had the will power to force himself away from civilization...the Princesses are good guys now, and they helped King Tirek and the other heroes imprison Lord Scorpan back in Tartarus. Captain Goodguy, Duchess Chrysalis, Princess Trixie, and Starlight Glimmer are all returning home as well now that they don't need to keep watch all over the whole kingdom all the time.”
So that's why Princess Trixie is coming back! UGH! Why couldn't she have stayed away forever and let somepony else get a chance?!
Hmm...Wait... So evil is possible to be sucked out of somepony? That's highly illogical! It's far more likely dark or black magic was sucked out! Oh? What do I mean?
Well you see dark and black magic has a tiny habit of promoting the emotions it operates on, such as greed, envy, jealousy, hatred, anger, and so on and so forth. Spike says that's why he never lets me near it (and burns any books on it I bring home), but do I look jealous to you? No, of course I'm not! I just feel Trixie doesn't deserve a thing she has! Plus I have other ways to get my research done Spike doesn't know about! But my point is simple: in theory if somepony lost complete control of certain emotions and gave in completely to the influence of dark magic, they may lose themselves in it and fully embrace their negative emotions with their positive ones numbed!
But, and I've never heard of it happening, removing the dark magic the person is using could be the equal of a detox spell or stomach pump! That's about the only way this makes any kind of logical sense! But still...
Oh, everypony's looking at me to continue reading! ““It says here that King Tirek is sending his Centaurs to begin restoring the damage they caused. He's also attending a ceremonial party happening today to celebrate the end of this whole mess and to explain the restoration efforts,” I read, then gasped! By King Sombra's mane, think of the possibilities! King Tirek will be there! THE King Tirek! “Oh! If King Tirek is there, maybe I can go impress him with my knowledge of science!”
Oh we had to talk about the weather and how Rainbow Crash caused another natural disaster, but that's old news! All that matters is I have a chance to make a big splash!
Think about it?! If I impress Equestria's greatest and most well-known people, and the ruler of one of our greatest allies, it'll be a surefire way to make a big impact and really put my name on the board! I can finally be somepony and show everypony how great I am! Then everypony will want to be my friends! I'll bring respect and admiration back to the Sparkle family! Trixie had a whole coronation to herself, let her take a backseat to somepony who needs recognition!
This was my big moment! My chance to shine and show everypony how brilliant I really am! My chance to finally make sure no pony ever looks down on the name Twilight Sparkle again!
Now where are my notes? Oh, right they're all over my bedroom floor. This could take a while.
Oh? What do I think about the others? Well, Applejack is a bad girl, and statistics show bad girls are considered 'hot' and 'in' by most of today's youth. That's one of the big reason I enjoy being here, who doesn't like a bad girl! Just look at the ratings for that show my friends' sisters are on! And I can't say I don't sympathize with having family who have made choices without considering how it will affect you!
Rarity listens to what I have to say and keeps Spike distracted quite often for me. She's also good for drawing the eye to you at a party. Oh, and we both know the importance of standing out and attracting attention! I can actually talk to her about that and she gets it!
Rainbow Crash is a curiosity. It's quite scientifically stimulating to try and figure out the many, many, many ways she's managed to fail despite all the odds! Still, she's a willing test subject (don't worry, I don't do anything too severe) and the good thing about science is if something fails, you still learn something! She's also good as a case study of the effects of bullying on foals, given what Spitfire did to her. It's a shame she tends to have panic attacks when anypony mentions her. That said, I have contemplated capturing Spitfire and using her as a test subject, contemplated. I have standards. What? I have a history with bullies who were jealous of you trying to ruin your life, so I know where Rainbow's coming from. Though that doesn't mean I won't banish her to the roof for our own safety if needed.
Fluttershy is a fascinating case of bystander syndrome, but I am quite curious about how her connection to animals works. Unfortunately she won't tell me unless I pay her. She also resonates with Rarity and myself, she's brilliant at managing to get attention when she wants it. She also is understanding that science is trial and error and a few explosions are nothing to get worked up about.
And having five ponies in the house is very handy for research! Especially that time I needed samples for my cloning experiments! What? I needed to go to multiple science expos and parties at once! Sadly all I ended up creating was bacteria with our color schemes and nuclei in the shapes of our Cutie Marks, but they were pretty! I'm still keeping an eye on them in case they develop sapience, though they could make intriguing designer pets!
Now where are my experiments? Which should I bring?
“Twilight, are you sure this is a good idea?” Spike asked, keeping his arms crossed.
“Of course it is Spike! What could possibly go wrong?!”
“You could get arrested...again...or you could blow up the entire building. Or unleash a giant rampaging cheese monster.”
I roll my eyes. Your enhanced microwave brings dinner to life one time and you can never live it down.
“Don't worry, Spike, all I need to do is get the proof of concept across and everything will go perfectly fine!”
“...I'll get the bail money in order.”
“You worry too much.”
“Only because you give me a reason to.”
________________________________________
While I was doing the beta testing on my experiments (and found out how to make my weather machine generate lightning for dramatic effect!), apparently we got visited by Starlight Glimmer and no pony bothered to tell me! I could have showed her my inventions! There are so many things I've invented that could have proven me a great value to Our Town and helping training ponies! Not that I need any training myself, I'm already amazing!
Oh and Rainbow Crash left with her...I can't say that's the worst choice somepony I know has ever made. Jealous? No! I'm not jealous! Why would I be jealous? And besides, if she succeeds I'll have a friend who's a graduate from Our Town! She'll come back and everything will be great...yeah...
“Want to come with us, Applejack?” I asked.
“...Nah, have fun. Enjoy all the attention...”
Alright then. Onward to fame and recognition!
________________________________________
This will be so great! I've got a wagon full of inventions! And of course my Mana Collector just in case! I mean there are centaurs all over the place using magic to transfer mana, so this is sure to impress King Tirek!
Oh, where's Spike? Well he kept nagging me, so I left without telling him. He won't be too mad. No it's not mean, he's a baby dragon! He wouldn't get what you need to do at a party anyway! Probably go asleep halfway through.
Rarity is...well, Rarity. I'd expect nothing else from her.
Ah, here we are, the ballroom...and there she is! Standing right there as the center of attention! Showing off those fancy wings like they make her so much better than everypony else! Well they don't! I've made mechanical wings and they looked so much cooler! What happened? I lost control and almost fell to my doom and had to be rescued by Rainbow Crash, but they still got me airborne! Last I checked Trixie hadn't learned to fly yet either!
Oh, you mean what happened between me and Trixie? Simple, she's jealous of me and keeps trying to keep me down, simple as that. I'll just go rub it in her face how much better I am than she is!
“Hey! Let me go!” Get out of my way you stupid guards! Can't you see I'm trying to confront my nemesis here! Why is everypony always trying to hold me back?!
“Twilight Sparkle...”
Ha! Figures! She has her guards here to prevent me from overshadowing her with my genius!
“Too afraid of finally being upstaged by your rival?!”
“...Twilight, I'm sorry, but you are trying to bring a large suspicious looking device into the building. The guards are merely doing their jobs.”
“A likely story!”
“...What IS this machine? If you don't mind.”
I smile proudly. “This is my climate controller! It's intended to make weather creation easier!” It generates a blast of lightning. “It also creates lightning for dramatic effect!”
Ha! She looks impressed! In your face!
“That would actually be quite helpful, how does it work?”
“Like I'll tell you! You'll steal it! Just like you've done everything else!” I growl. What do I mean? She's jealous of me and steals everything that should be mine! Just like she always does!
“Twilight, you know I'd never do anything like that. The guards won't allow you in if you don't explain your invention...especially after past...events, and I can't ether.... Just explain how it works and I can get you an audience to propose it here tonight. I promise.”
“Liar!”
“Twilight, stop being so paranoid, please...I'm only trying to help you, just like Sunset always...”
“I don't want your help!” I yelled back, glaring at her.
“...Fine...but if you need it, just ask...sorry, Twilight...”
“No, you're not! You never are!”
“Princess Trixie!” called Duchess Chrysalis, waving. “I need to talk to you for a moment, please.”
“...Sorry, Twilight, I have to go...”
“Come back here! I'm not done with you! Hey, stop it! I'm an Equestrian citizen!”
AHHH! Ow...is my machine okay?! Good!
Of course, she even admitted my machine was brilliant! Stupid guards! This always happens! Maybe I can sneak past them...Ugh! Now Gilda is there! Why don't I ask her? Because she's Rainbow Crash's friend, not my friend! She's arrested me before! Besides she's Captain of the Royal Guard!
Ugh! Why?! Why does the world give everything to her?! I'm smart, I'm talented, so why?!
And I didn't even get to show anypony my Mana Collector! Speaking of which I hope it's not broken! It's composed of a very rare metal! I totally didn't get it off the black market.
Looks okay, though the lock might have been damaged, but it still seems to be work-GAH!
Turn-it-away! Turn-it-away! Ow...Okay...Note...note to self...accidentally draining some of your own mana makes you very woozy...Wait! But that means that if it can take magic out of a pony it can put it back in too! Proof of concept!
Huh? The guards? Oh...Oh crud! Close it! Close it! Good... Alright, I may have just drained several Royal Guards and Gilda of a bit of magic. It was an accident! I didn't mean to! And they're okay, mana naturally replenishes over time...wait, they're still stunned from it...
________________________________________
Alright, I may have a slight headache from a minor case of mana drain and should probably eat some high energy food to replenish it, but I got in before they could recover! And they'll be perfectly fine once the mana drain wears off, I swear! Now where's the food so I can recover myself?
Huh? Why are there no sweets? It said there would be sweets! Oh, there's still the cake! Why is it being guarded? Oh well, apples will do and there's plenty of them. Oh! They have daisy sandwiches! My favorite!
So what do I do now? Simple find somepony to show my inventions to! This party is the biggest party of the year! I just need to impress one of them and I will finally be recognized for the brilliance that I possess!
“Excuse me?”
Oh! It's Derpy the Wise! Perfect! Surely the wisest mare in Equestria will understand!
“Oh! Hello Miss Hooves!” I replied. “My name is Twilight Sparkle, inventor extraordinaire!”
“I have heard of you, but I recall it being something involving mind control.”
“That was an accident, I was intending to make a virtual reality game! It was just supposed to hypnotize the user into seeing a visual representation of what's going on in the game surrounding them!”
It wasn't my fault it worked TOO well. Like that time I tried to make three dimensional game and it ended up putting a hole in our wall while we tried to play a racing game!
“I see...” She looked over my climate controller. “And what is this device?”
“A climate control device! It's a prototype, but I feel it works as a proof of concept!”
“Hmm...I don't believe it'd be wise to demonstrate it inside. Perhaps we can take it outside la-”
“Oh! Well if you don't want to see it now, maybe this would be easier!” I replied, going through my wagon and producing my laser pointer. “This is an upgraded laser pointer with an enhanced battery!” I explained. “It's now a functioning laser!”
“...We're inside, once more that seems too dangerous to...”
Ugh! This is harder than I thought! Okay, big guns before she loses interest! “Alright, how about this?” I quickly produce my Mana Collector.
“And what is that?”
“A Mana Collector, it's primary intention is to absorb ambient mana for a variety of uses.”
She blinked and looked at it. “Mana?”
“Exactly! Magic being used to directly enhance technology could be a major boon for all of Equestria!”
“Miss Sparkle...Can this draw magic from ponies?”
“Yeah! I did it to myself earlier and it's perfectly safe! Only a mild headache!”
Alright, so I almost passed out and I felt a little ill, but that qualifies as mild! Plus she was actually interested in it! I've managed to get on the good side of an important pony!
Derpy directed me to the side and found a flower, putting it in front of us. “Could you show me? I may have a use for this in an important endeavor myself and the Duchess are planning.”
“Certainly! Behold the brilliance of Twilight Sparkle!”
I opened the Collector and began draining the flower, causing it to wither and transfer the mana into it.
“Don't worry, flowers have much less ambient mana than a pony!”
She looks impressed! Derpy the Wise is impressed! Maybe she'll want to be my friend now that she's seen how brilliant I am! Then we can revolutionize Equestria with our combined brilliance and go down in the history books! And imagine what mom will think when she finds out I befriended Derpy the Wise!
“Fascinating. If there was a way to focus it on a specific wave length of magic, maybe we could...”
“Could what?”
Oops! I may have just turned the device on her on accident! Ugh, it's a little harder to close this time! There!
“I didn't mean for that to happen, I just turned too quickly!” I covered, certainly the wisest pony in Equestria would understand a simple mistake, right? Right?
“Halt!”
“Miss Hooves, are you alright?!”
No! Stupid guards!
________________________________________
Alright, I think I lost them! Stupid guards! Can't they see I made one little mistake?! Why would I try to attack somepony I'm trying to impress?!
Huh, you know it was weird for some reason there was an odd color to Derpy's magic, Gilda's too. I wonder. Is it because they're not unicorns? Fascinating! Hmm...I wonder what would happen if somepony absorbed a type of magic from the other tribes...
But now what? The guards aren't going to let me near Derpy again! I'll just find somepony else! Then when I impress them they'll vouch for me with the guard and I'll have made two famous friends instead of one! I'm brilliant!
“Twilight? Is that you?”
That voice...
I turned around to see an old “friend” of mine.
“Oh...hello Sunset....”
Sunset Shimmer looked me over, probably finding something to pity me for.
“...So...uh...how you doing?” she asked.
“Fine. How's Trixie's company?”
She gave me a frown. “...It's good to see her again. Are you still living in that run down shack?”
“It's not run down, it's rustic!” I replied. “It's a perfect, isolated, and quiet place for my experiments! Like these!” I explained, pointing to my fantastic inventions.
“...I see... Do you need anything?”
I rolled my eyes, here we go again! She's always doing this! Always trying to pity me! “No.”
“You sure? Crops are growing again, so I can spare some food...”
“What makes you think I NEED food?”
“Because I can see your ribs.”
“Well I can see pity!” I replied. “And the Great Twilight Sparkle is her own mare! I don't want your pity!”
“Twilight, it's not like that! I just know life's been hard...since...you know...Shining-”
“DON'T MENTION HIS NAME!” I yelled right in her face. “NEVER mention his name!”
“Sorry...Just I know you've had a rough time and now that things are looking up, I want to he-”
“And keep your food! I'm going to be somepony on my own and make my mark!”
She's done this since we were fillies! She always acts like I'm a baby who needs somepony to hold her hoof just to get by! I'm smarter than her! Where does she get off?!
“Twilight, you're living in something that barely qualifies as a house, eating almost nothing, and you've been arrested like nine times in the last two months...you need help...”
“NO I DON'T!”
What's the difference between accepting help and having famous friends? You EARN friends! And when you earn something, that's YOUR legacy! No pony can claim it'stheirs! It belongs to you! If you accept help, then the one who helped you can take credit!
Huh? The damaged latch came undone?! Ha! That should teach her to pity me! Wait, stop! I don't want to take too much! I just want her to be sorry, not hurt!
I forced the locket closed (it was a bit harder) and she looks like she's going to faint...I...It wasn't my fault!
“Twilight...what did you...”
Ah! Guards again! Run!
________________________________________
Stupid Sunset and stupid guards! Why is everypony trying to get in my way?! This was supposed to be MY time to shine, they had theirs already!
I managed to get away when the lights went out and some parasprites were set loose, convenient distraction. Given parasprites have a habit of munching food up, I'm assuming Pinkamena had something to do with this, not that I care.
The Mana Collector? It's fine, the latch is just a little weak. Though it does seem to be getting harder to actually close. But I'll get the chance to meet with Derpy the Wise again, so why shouldn't I hold onto it? It'd be a waste not to!
So now the guard are probably really looking for me. It's a big ball room, I can handle this! I'm the smartest pony here after all! I just need to sneak my way to Duchess Chrysalis or King Tirek and then I can impress them and get them to pardon me! After all with King Sombra...gone, then one of them must be in charge now! They're both good rulers, surely they'll see reason and understand it was an honest mistake! Though I might have to hide my climate control device...
Speaking of which, Maud Pie is currently checking it out...Why does she look like she's been crying?
“Uh...hi...”
“Oh! Hey,” she said, regaining her characteristic smile. That's better, much more logical coming from the renowned rocker of Good Cheer! “Sorry, was just checking out your...what exactly is this thing?”
“A climate alteration device!”
“I don't know what that means, but I am digging that lightning,” she replied, watching it go off. I hope the guard didn't see that, but they seemed distracted by the Parasprites and whoever let them loose.
“Thanks! I added that for dramatic effect!”
“I gotcha, that'd rock as a special effects system!”
“Want to use it as one?” I asked quickly. Yeah, it's a secondary feature, but it's still an intended feature! And she's impressed with it! Now's my chance!
Her face lit up! Good! “Can I? Sure! It'd be great for the closing act!”
“Awesome! I've also tried giving it a fog setting!” I announced, climbing onto it and messing with the controls. “And I have a few laser projectors and stuff that could help!”
“Thanks, that'd be great! Hey, wait, you're one of Pinkamena's friends, aren't you?” she questioned.
“Yeah! Best friends!”
“...Can you tell her I'm sorry next time you see her? She'll know what I mean...”
“Huh, what?”
AHHH! Ow...Okay, I may have gotten distracted and accidentally set the device to send off lightning. Huh, why can you see your own skeleton when you're electrocuted? AHH! Another bolt!
Huh? I think my pendant just opened on it's own and swallowed the lightning bolt up! Fascinating! Perhaps it absorbed the weather manipulating qualities of Gilda and Derpy's magic when it siphoned off some of theirs?! This could be amazing!
“Whoa! You okay?!” Maud asked, rushing over.
“Yeah! I'm fine! I have a very high pain threshold from explosions! That totally were my assistant and roommates' faults!”
“Glad, wouldn't want to see one of my sister's friends get-GAH!”
Oh no, I forgot to close the Mana Collector! Stop!
Come on, close, close! Stop!
Okay, got it closed, why is it getting harder to close each time...and Maud just screamed and I set off a thunderbolt just before that...
“Ugh... did I accidentally drink too much salt?” Maud questioned, rubbing her head.
No, no, why is everything going wrong?!
________________________________________
THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE MY NIGHT! WHY ISN'T ANYTHING GOING MY WAY?!
The Mana Collector? Yeah, it's acting up a little, but Derpy said she could use it! I'd be a fool to not keep it! I can handle it! I can close it! And this is just more proof of concept of what she wanted from it! It can absorb more than just Unicorn Magic!
What I can't handle is fate conspiring against me! I'm in a room with the biggest ponies in Equestria and can't seem to hit it off with one of them! And now I've lost my climate manipulator! Knowing Trixie she'll probably claim I stole it and take all the credit for herself! Of course it's something she'd do! The universe hands her everything on a silver platter! Especially when it should be mine!
Okay, just find somepony to vouch for me and everything will be fine! Sir Discord was here, where'd he go? He's got a lot of pull...he's nowhere?! Okay, find Duchess Chrysalis and explain what happened! She's the most loving being in the entire country, she'll listen!
“Twilight?”
I turn to see Princess Celestia...she sounds...weird when she's not evil...
“I didn't know you came back,” she asked.
“Huh? You know me?” I asked, cocking my head. How does she know me?
She blinked, looking me over. “Well I was still...lost last time we met...you don't remember?”
“I don't think so...” What was she talking about?
“Oh...you must be our...”
“Attention ladies and gentlecolts!”
Oh, Princess Luna has something to say.
“Let's hear my sister...then we can talk more about this,” Celestia said. Good! I can explain this! Even if she is still evil she's playing nice, so she'd have to humor me to keep up a good impression!
Luna smiled. “Please give your full attention to Princess Trixie Lulamoon, acting ruler of Equestria!”
“What?!” I asked out loud. Acting ruler?! How can she be acting ruler?! I heard nothing of this!
“Oh, you didn't know?” Celestia whispered. “Myself and my sister...decided we were not the best option for Equestria's leadership after our past transgressions, that left Trixie as King Sombra's official heir...so long as he's lost in darkness, she's acting ruler of Equestria... why is your eye twitching?”
Trixie took the stage, looking down at her hooves, trying to act all 'humble'. Humble, what humble person would accept that! “Hello...everypony...I...am not good with speeches...But thank you all for coming...King Sombra would not want us to be in low spirits when he gave so much to bring fertility and peace back to Equestria. Rest assured, we're doing all we can to save him if at all possible. And until then, I will do my best to be a good ruler, because that's what you deserve...”
“YOU?!”
Now everypony is staring at me, GOOD! Oh, and I may have burst into flames, but I don't care!
“Twilight, how did you?”
The guards are coming, get away! Whoa...did I just...I teleported...I can do that?!
I ended up on stage with Trixie...with perfect, 'gets everything in the world' Trixie!
“Why do YOU get to rule Equestria?! You've not even had those wings for a year!”
Trixie took a step back. “Twilight, calm down, you're making a scene!”
“GOOD! At least now they'll actually treat me like I exist!” I screamed. I teleported again to dodge the guards. I'm not trying to, it's just...happening. Oh, and Trixie has to turn around to face me. Luna just seems stunned. “You always get everything! Tonight was my chance to actually show my inventions to everypony! To finally let everypony appreciate what I can do! Why does nothing ever go right for me but everything does for you?!”
“Twilight, you know it's not like that,” that Alicorn brat replied. “I never asked for any of this! And I certainly never meant to make you feel-”
“THEN WHY DO YOU ALWAYS GET IT?!” I roared, having to teleport again. The crowd is booing, I don't care. At least they're ACKNOWLEDGING me! “Why do you have the spotlight without even trying and I can't even get noticed?! WHY?! I'm just as good as you are, so what's different?!”
“...Twilight...you've hurt ponies by being careless...your experiments are...”
“SO?! EXPERIMENTS ARE ALWAYS DANGEROUS! WE'RE JUST AS STRONG, I'M SMARTER THAN YOU! I TRY HARDER THAN YOU! I NEED IT MORE THAN YOU! SO WHY DOES THE UNIVERSE LIKE YOU BEST?!”
Duchess Chrysalis shoots me a death glare and tries to get between Trixie and me. “That's quite enough, Miss Sparkle. Trixie is a wonderful young mare, that's no way to talk to somepony who's never done you wrong at all.”
I teleport at random again to dodge the guards, this time ending up outside in the fountain on accident before teleporting again and ending up right next to Trixie. “Never done anything wrong?! Then why did she get to be King Sombra's personal student while I got thrown aside like trash for being the same as she is?!”
Trixie's eyes went wide. “Twilight...I...I didn't...”
“I SHOULD BE YOU! EVERYTHING YOU HAD SHOULD HAVE BEEN MINE! WHY DID YOU GO FROM RAGS TO RICHES WHILE I LOST EVERYTHING I HAD BEFORE I KNEW I HAD IT?!”
I may have blasted her and Chrysalis with a beam of magic stronger than I thought I could do...I'm done holding back. I don't care! I'm not letting her get away with this! Equestria handed to her on a silver platter and me left eating her scraps! I wish I could just take those wings for myself!
Huh?
Unleash The Magic - Piano Transcription
The Mana Collector floats up between us and opens on it's own, beginning to drain Trixie's magic!
Did...did it react to what I was thinking? Wait...is it going to take her Alicorn power and give it to me?!
Is...Is this...
“TRIXIE?!” Chrysalis screamed. “NO!”
She...NO! NOT YOU! GET OUT OF THE WAY!
NO! NO! NO! STOP! SHE'S NOT THE ONE! LEAVE CHRYSALIS ALONE!
It won't close! STOP!
I manage to turn it away from her and she collapses...
King Tirek jumps between the audience and me and puts up a force field to protect them from the Mana Collector...but it just starts sucking his force field into itself! I see the plants in the room begin to die, it's drawing magic from them too?!
“No! This is all wrong!” I scream, trying desperately to close it. Where's Captain Goodguy when you need him?!
“Twilight stop this!” Trixie yelled, checking on Chrysalis.
“I CAN'T! IT WON'T CLOSE!”
This was supposed to be my night! Why can't I just have this?! Why can't I have one day in the spotlight?!
Trixie tries to help me close it...I throw her off.
“TWILIGHT?!”
“I don't need your help!” I screamed in her face.
“It isn't always about you!”
“It's never about me! That's the problem!” I replied, Tirek's shield failed and I'm draining magic from HIM now! It's not wanting to close! Maybe I should...NO! Not from Trixie! NEVER from Trixie! I'm not giving her one more thing!
The Mana Collector won't close! Why?! Could it be it's having trouble containing all the magic? I knew I should've found a way to make it create a pocket dimension inside it, but I didn't have any dimensional magic!
Gah! Trixie...she just tackled me and closed it?!
Tirek...he's all scrawny now...how much magic did I steal from him?
Now they're cheering...for...for HER?! NO!
“WHY DO YOU HAVE TO RUIN EVERYTHING?!” I screamed, grabbing my Mana Collector back.
“You could have killed somepony!” she yelled back. “Chrysalis is hurt because of you!” Her expression changed suddenly, like she saw something scary. What could she have seen? We're looking each other in the eyes! Then her eyes go down to my neck and she gasped. “Twilight, your machine!”
I blinked, looking down at it.
My Mana Collector...it's cracking apart?! How?! The internal shell is made of Orichalcum! Magic shouldn't be able to break it! Just...just how much did I...
No! It's going to-
Ugh...where...the Mana Collector exploded...Am I in Heaven? At least I went out with a bang in front of everypony. At least my obituary will be noteworthy...No, wait...I...I'm in the magic...
How...how could everything have gone so wrong? I...I just wanted to win for once...to be better than Trixie for once...Why can't I ever be better than she is? Why can't anything go my way just once? Why can't I ever just be the one in the spotlight for a change? Everypony always judged me before they got to know me! They always got the rotten tomatoes ready to throw before I could even start my act!
Wait...am I...absorbing the magic? I...I feel...stronger...this power...I was right! A pony can absorb the collected mana! HAHA! I WAS RIGHT!
Wait...If...if I absorb it...if this magic was strong enough to destroy the Mana Collector...would it be enough? Enough to finally prove I'm better than Trixie? To finally show the world I deserve their attention as much as she does? No...I deserve it MORE!
The world's been unfair to me, so it's only right! Life decided to take everything away from me when I was too young to know I had it, so it's only fair! If no pony will GIVE me respect, then I'll just TAKE IT! Trixie doesn'twant it, so that means she won't mind if I take it, right?! That's what she always said!
With all this power, I could do ANYTHING! Ponies pay attention to the one with the most power! Because they HAVE to! Because when you have power they have to take you seriously! When you're the strongest no pony can ignore you, no pony can look down on you!
When you're the strongest, you're the star and no pony can tell you different!
Science, magic power, popularity, stardom, what's the difference? They're all just a way to get ponies to pay attention and respect you! Respect, that's all I've ever wanted. For ponies to take me seriously! To finally have the spotlight for once in my life! No pony will laugh at Twilight Sparkle anymore! HAHAHAHAHA! It's SHOWTIME!
________________________________________
Lunar 2: Eternal Blue – Zophar's Arrival
Twilight...I watched from next to the Flim Flam Brothers...her little pendant exploded, throwing us all away! Twilight!
Wait...what's going on? That big sphere...there's so much magic in it I can feel it from here, darlings...Twilight, is she okay? Why...why is it turning black? I...I don't think that's a good color...I can feel it, it makes me sick...what's going on?
It exploded upwards into a pillar, ripping through the roof! The blast...it's forming a curtain of energy between us and the stage?! The ground is shaking?! What's going on?! Twilight...
A number like an old fashioned film projector forms in front of it out of black magic, each number giving off a tick.
Five...
________________________________________
“What the Tartarus?!” Ah yelled. The roof got plumb blown off the ballroom by some black energy! Why is everythin' bein' lifted inta the air?! The ballroom and everything around it! They're forming into somethin'?!
“Applejack!” Spike yelled, running over and jumping on my back. “That's where Twilight and Rarity went!”
“What?! Twilight?! Rarity?! They're in the middle of that dreadful mess?!”
Granny...you're there too...
________________________________________
Four...
________________________________________
Me and Goodguy were eating ice cream at some parlor...I...Rainbow Crash...I...I still have a lot to think about...
Then the ground started shaking. We saw the Canterlot ballroom and the buildings around it start lifting into the air!
“That's where the party's happening!” Goodguy yelled. “The chaos readings are off the charts! Might need bigger charts...”
“The party?! Twilight, Pinkamena, Rarity! They're in there!”
________________________________________
Two...
________________________________________
Okay...peaceful thoughts....Calm peaceful thoughts...No stress...Just remain calm...
UGH! Pillars of darkness and an earthquake aren't peaceful! Wait...that's the ballroom, isn't it?!
Maud....
________________________________________
One...
________________________________________
Me and Starlight were on a train heading out of Canterlot towards Our Town...I...No ponies ever believed in me but Gilda...but...I don't want to let her down, but...can I actually...I want to be better but...
“Don't worry, Rainbow Crash, everypony in Our Town is very nice and kind,” Starlight explained...then gasped. “What's that?!”
I looked out the window...whoa! Why's everything back in Canterlot floating?!
“...That light...I think it came from the Canterlot Castle Ballroom...the party...”
The party...Oh no...
“It looks like the buildings are...forming a stage?” Starlight asked.
Twilight, Rarity, Pinkamena...Gilda...
“Rainbow Crash, wait!”
________________________________________
The curtain flew up, before exploding into magic that rained down around us.
The hole in the roof looked like a spotlight...shining down on...Twilight?!
Undertale OST – burn in Despair! Extended
Where Twilight had been...was now a dark lavender Alicorn... No....she had a dragon's eyes. Her mane and tail seemed to be made out of purple starlight. She was wearing a flowing purple dress that made me think of a lady...except the black highlights...Normally I'd say they were gaudy (or does that depend on the season...I think 'being terrifying corrupted Alicorn outclasses that!), but here I think they just made me scared. They did go with her fancy black horseshoes though...Her tiara looked like Trixie's, only made of black metal with a dark, almost blood colored jewel in the center. Her glasses had been replaced with magic that seemed to be imitating a masquerade mask.
Her cutie mark...I...it's covered but she has a necklace with it on her dress. It was inverted, and now it looks like the big star is projecting a spotlight down from it...
I...I'll admit...It took a great deal of effort not to wet myself right now...
“No... It can't be...” I heard Celestia say, backing away in horror. “Sister, we have to do something!”
“But the civilians in the other buildings!” Luna replied. “They could fall!”
They fly off...Twilight...what's happened to you?
________________________________________
“HAHAHAHAHA!” I laughed. This power...Well, all eyes are on me now!
I grabbed Trixie in my telekinesis, Chrysalis and Tirek are too weak to do a darn thing about it!
“Hello Trixie! Sorry for the wait, but I had to switch into something more comfortable!” I said, grabbing her and flying up high above. I use bits of rock to form a defense grid around us, simple enough to do with this much power and the proper knowledge of physics! Add a few crystals and a little magic equal's instant laser grid! I knew that laser pointer from earlier would inspire me later! Why not just make a wall? Simple, because what good will this be without an audience? And I can angle the lasers to act as special effects!
“Twilight...what...what's happened to you?!”
I laugh. It feels so good to see her FEAR me! Finally taking me seriously, now Trixie?! “Like it? I had theorized the magic from the Mana Collector could be used to power up a pony, but I never realized it could do THIS much!”
She looked around, seeing how high my grand stage was. “Stop this! Ponies are going to die!”
“So what?” I asked. “I've been ignored for this long, so why should I pay them any mind?”
“...This isn't you, Twilight, you're not this oblivious!”
“Hmm... You're right, I'm not invisible old Twilight Sparkle anymore...” I replied. After all, this IS a new me! So a new name would make sense! Who would want to be dumb old Twilight Sparkle?! “Hehe...everypony's worst nightmare is to be overshadowed, so that must make me a big one for everypony! How about Nightmare Spotlight, the Ever Rising Star?!”
Trixie tries to get away from me, but I grab her by the leg, give her a quick kick to a very painful part of her anatomy to stun her, and throw her into a piece of floating rock with just enough force to break it, then form some magic chains and tie her down to it. She's not going anywhere, they're made of Orichalcum! Yes, I can make that now, I know the recipe and can now rearrange molecules on the subatomic level! “Now, now, why run? The show's just starting!”
I use my magic to levitate cameras being used to broadcast the party and hovered them around us, forming a podium in front of Trixie. I fed my magic through them, managing to hijack the broadcast, something I'd picked up this one time I tried to upgrade our TV to get more channels only massively amplified! I can't believe I'm able to apply all this knowledge I've gathered with a thought! Amazing! Oh yes, I'm going to enjoy this!
“Hello everypony!” I call, waving into the cameras. “This is your new idol, Nightmare Spotlight, coming to you live from my stage in the sky! If you're in Canterlot, you can probably see it! In fact you can probably see it everywhere, which is the entire point! And today we're going to be playing a little guessing game! Today's special guest is Princess Trixie!”
Trixie finally caught her breath and gave me a glare. “What happened to science, Twilight?”
“Oh, I plan to do that too! Science, magic, shows! Everything! By the time I'm done, Equestria will take notice of me!” I replied. “Now, ready for some questions, Princess? Better answer them well! Your life depends on it! The more questions you get wrong, the more of you I'm going to freeze! Won't this be fun?!”
I hear the crowd below gasping. Good, they're reacting! I make them some seats to sit in, whether they want to sit down or not!
“Alright, first question...why did I get kicked out of the School for Gifted Unicorns?” I questioned, giving a smirk, letting her see my new, sharp, pointy teeth! Hmm, am I a carnivore now?
She looked shocked. “I...I heard it was destruction of property.”
“Ha-ha! Of course! Of course that's what they'd say!” I laughed.
You want to know my backstory? I think everypony else does too, so let's let everypony know it, shall we?! Origins stories always get attention!
“No...That's not what happened at all...well, from a certain point of view...” I gave a laugh. Wow, my laugh sounds intimidating...I like it! “You see, Trixie, back then I was a very knowledge happy filly, very magically talented. My family were nobility, so I was never overlooked...but everypony expected so much from me as a result! I mean I was a Sparkle! My family line has been big names in Canterlot for ages, my parents are nobles, I had all the reasons to be a great mare!...Then my brother flunked out of the Junior Guard for being a coward with no backbone, so my parents naturally put a lot more weight on MY shoulders. After all, somepony had to carry on the family name, didn't they? And that somepony was me. I was fine with it, I mean all eyes would be on me, what could be better? Except for one thing...”
“...You got kicked out...” Trixie said, eyes going wide.
I got close to her face, my long horn knocking her crown off in the process. “Hehe...I wasn't kicked out. You see, when my parents naturally signed me up for the School for Gifted Unicorns, I got the same test as everypony else: hatch a dragon egg...and at first I couldn't do it. Well, I thought, it must be a simple matter of amassing more energy! So I charged and charged and charged...and then a loud noise came from outside! The sound of...oh, I don't know, a little unicorn filly practicing a fireworks spell in a magic exercise?!”
Trixie's eyes go wide as dinner plates. “I...I didn't know...I'm...I had no idea...They moved my test to the next day because of the damage, I...I didn't even see you...”
“No, you didn't...But point is, I got distracted and lost control. My magic went berserk! And guess what the judges' reaction was when my power finally burned out?”
Naturally I'd turned them into fruit during my magic surge, but they got fixed! And I did hatch Spike, so that's a plus! Hmm, I wonder if dragons can become like this...
“I...I don't know...”
“Too bad!”
She screams as I freeze her up to her ankles.
I looked Trixie right in the eye. “They said 'that much power in the hooves of somepony without proper focus is dangerous' and tossed me out the door! Here's my question, about that, Trixie: isn't TEACHING the right focus what a school is FOR?!”
I floated back, looking to the camera. “Isn't a child with a talent that needs refining the entire point of the School for Gifted Unicorns? If I had all that power and no focus, wasn't it your job to teach it to me?! I was a FOAL! Of course I couldn't control it!”
Bitter? Oh yes. But doesn't the story of a little filly getting screwed over get everypony's recognition?
I gave a happy chuckle. “Oh, and by the way? If my judges are watching this: you're my next guests!” I've had so many fantasies! Too bad I have to pick one now that I can make them a reality! I turned back to Trixie. “And guess what, Trixie? My parents weren't happy! Not at all! Another failure in the family! Another disgrace to the family name! So I dedicated myself to studying science if magic wouldn't get me in. Science would get me to the top, right? But then we get to question number three: who became King Sombra's personal student not long after my test?”
Trixie gave that timid little look everypony finds so endearing. Maybe I should try it. Oh, is that guilt I see? “...Me...”
“Right, you! The little nobody from nowhere who came out of nowhere and somehow got the king's good graces after distracting me at my chance! Despite having JUST as much raw power as I did! Who was just as capable of everything I was, and who was just as young!” I didn't break eye contact. “So let me get this straight: they took YOU in and not me because I was MORE WORK than you were?! Because you had focus I was too YOUNG to have?! Tell me Trixie, is that FAIR?!”
Little Miss Humility looked down. She was silent for a few moments.
“...No answer counts as a wrong answer!” I exclaimed and she screamed as I froze up to her knees. “So next question, Princess,” I flew around her and landed next to her. “What happened when I was barely a teenager? You know with my brother?!”
Trixie rose her head and looked me in the eye. “...He ran off and eloped with Empress Cadenza.”
“Right, right, and another question,” I give a dramatic laugh. “What happens to the family of a traitor?”
She looks horrified. Good. “...They're treated like them too...”
“Exactly! Our family name got ruined by what my brother did!” I replied. “We're the laughing stock of Canterlot! Thanks to him! And guess who had to 'redeem' the family name?”
“...I'm sorry you went through all that...” Trixie replied, still looking down. “I'm sorry my practice caused that...I never meant to...”
I just laughed. “See?! Now you respect me, because I'm a threat!” I turned to the cameras. “And now the whole world will respect me!”
“...But...”
I turned to her. “But what?”
Trixie looked up at me with a sad look. “I'm sorry that happened to you, you're right, they should have tried to do more for you...but ever since then ponies have tried to help you...you keep turning them down. I've tried, Sunset's tried, everypony else has tried!”
I snarled in rage. How dare she!
“Help? If you need help to get somewhere big it doesn't count! The one who helped you can say you owe them! That THEY'RE the ones to thank!”
“...And just because you're hurt...doesn't mean you have a right to hurt ponies, Twilight,” she replied, struggling against her chains and...How did she break the ice?! She's not an Earth Pony! “...And I admit, sometimes even I don't think I'm worthy to lead...but I'm not going to let you hurt my subjects!”
Gah! She just blasted me in the face! Ugh, whatever, it didn't hurt that much!
Ah! Where did those boulders come from?!...Maud?! How did she get up here?!
“How did you get through the laser grid?!”
Maud gave a smirk to me. “Derpy figured out the trajectory...even if I didn't get a thing she said!”
WHAT?! She broke the chains?! “How?! Those are made of Orichalcum!”
“Rock farmer!” she replied, giving a smirk. “I may not know mathematics, but you bet I know how to find imperfections in anything! Let me guess, mass produced with magic from a sample ya got?”
“UGH! Fine, no more Miss Nice Mare! It's showtime!”
Oh, you still want to hear my story? With this much power I guess I can multitask!
You see, after my sorry excuse for a brother tarnished the family name and it fell on me to restore our honor, I set out to do just that. I studied so much, I tried to make myself a well-known scientist. I made so many inventions and ideas...but none of them got me anywhere. They were always “too dangerous” or didn't work like they should.
So, I admit I tried to go and get my brother to come back and dump his “wife” to the curb. Of course that'd restore our family's honor, why wouldn't it? Big mistake. I can't say he didn't get what he deserved, Empress Cadenza is the very antithesis of a loving wife. You reap what you so, don't you?
But of course, the “Tyrant of Broken Hearts” decided I'd make a fantastic slave! Thankfully, I was smart enough to escape, but my brother still loves that devil and tried to help her catch me when she asked! I don't know why. Guess he chose whose side he's on. I'll have to have them on for an episode some time, a very special one. After all, wouldn't the defeat of Equestria's biggest remaining threat get great ratings!
So now I faced an impasse: what to do? My parents where naturally ashamed of me at home, my brother couldn't be talked out of his bad choice, so what next?
Well I decided to travel the world, studying everything and anything I could! Learning everything I could about science and technology. Trying to develop everything I possibly could! I made so many inventions, so many ideas...but none of them worked. Something always went wrong! It's not my fault I ended up making my inventions too well! It's not my fault there's so many interesting things I can't focus on one at a time!
Gah! Nice shot, Trixie, have a boulder!
Where was I? Oh yes. My life. I admit, at first...I honestly didn't care about Trixie, I only knew her from seeing her practicing her magic outside the school when I got booted out. Oh I was mad, but well we were foals, I had more important things to go after...but then she kept showing up in the newspaper. She kept becoming more and more well-known and famous. She got wings! And all without seeming to CARE! She had the life I always wanted, the life my parents wanted me to have! And she didn't care! She just took everything like it was the most normal thing in the world! You could say I may have gotten a little bit bitter.
Ugh! Maud just punched me in the stomach, why does she hit so hard? Well I can too! Enjoy being embedded in the wall!
I felt insulted, slighted...Everything my family wanted from me, she was able to do. Everything I NEEDED she had without wanting after she ruined it for me! I felt like this was some cosmic trick!
Humility. That's what she's so famous for. Being humble. And yet for some reason the one who wanted nothing gets everything!
It burned me up inside. And then my parents... They never stopped. They always wanted more and more while everypony worshiped the ground she walks on! And it should have been me! Those rotten judges, if they hadn't kicked me out, it would've been me! Is it so wrong to want to be special? Well now I AM special! And all of Equestria will know it!
Huh, what's that rainbow explosion in the dist-GAH!
[=Undertale OST – Battle Against a True Hero Extended=]
Maud just tackled me through the window! Maud and Trixie try to follow me, but I just slam them both into the ground that was pulled up along with my stage. I'm barely bruised, they're both barely able to stand.
I converge all my cameras. “I'm bored with this, and I'm pretty sure so is the audience. Time to say goodbye to Princess Trixie!”
She tries to fight back against my beam, but I'm clearly stronger than her, after all I have so much more magic than her!
“Twilight, I think you need to chill! I get you had a rough go of things, but there's always a silver lining!”
Maud...Maud is bracing her? Where did that blue beam in Trixie blast come from?! Why did it just get stronger?!
I pull my laser grid projectors to me and have them converge on my beam, pushing back!
No matter. I'm still so much stron-gah! Who's hanging onto me?!
“Twilight, stop! I'm the one who's supposed to screw everything up!”
“Rainbow Crash?!” But she's supposed to be half way to Our Town by now!
Oof! What-
“Twilight, darling! The evil overlord look doesn't look good on you! Stop this!”
“Rarity?!” But she'd be too frozen about rules to do something like this!
“Twilight!”
Gah! Anoth-
“That much evil magic in you can't be healthy!”
“Pinkamena?!”
“Twilight, stop this right this minute!”
“I am supposed to be the rotten apple on purpose, Twilight! Not you!”
“Spike?! Applejack?!” But they were back at the club house!
“Stop it egghead!”
Gah! Wait...it can't be...
“Fluttershy?!”
“The truth is...I've always felt like you were hurting yourself with this mad scientist stuff, but thought it was YOUR problem...I'm sorry...”
Fluttershy...apologized? Not...not logical!
________________________________________
How did we all get up there? Let's just say my new friend with a cape was happy to give us a lift.
...I...Twilight...Now her problems became my problems...I'm sorry...
________________________________________
They're...they're fighting me? Why? They're my friends!...wait...Trixie. She's trying to steal them just like she steals everything else from me!
"I'LL DIE BEFORE I LET YOU STEAL THEM TOO!" I screamed, intensifying my beam. I'm not letting her steal my friends too!
Ow!
"Wake up already egghead!" Fluttershy yelled, grabbing onto my neck. "We're doing this for YOU!"
"What?!"
"This can't be good for you, Twilight," Pinkie yelled, hanging from my leg.
"I don't have many friends, Twilight, I don't want to lose you!" Rainbow Crash admitted, looking...scared as she hang onto my back.
"And if I don't try to pull you back, who will?!" Spike questioned.
"The rules changed, Twilight...the world isn't dog eat dog anymore..." Rarity called, looking like she was trying to breakdown a wall in her own head. "I was told the rules are flexible! I...I don't care if a lady wouldn't help you, I'm your friend!"
"And...and...you're one of the only ponies that make me feel important! I do not want to lose you!" yelled Applejack, hanging off my hind legs. We all looked at her in shock. "Well...I...Ah got pulled away from Uncle Rich! Ah ain't gettin' pulled away from yah too, Twilight!" Was she crying?!
They...girls...
“Maud, it was unwise to engage her before we could catch up!”
Wait, Derpy?!
“I'm sorry, Miss Sparkle, I love you...and everything, but you have to be stopped!”
Chrysalis?
“Trixie, let me help you! And Twilight too!”
Sunset?!
“Rainbow, keep holding her! But be careful!”
Gilda?!
Where did...they must have come to help her while my friends had me distracted...why...
They brace Trixie, each one causing another color to join their beam! It's a rainbow now!
No, no, no! Stop! I can't lose! This was my moment! Stop!
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
No...No, no, no...
I'm now in a crater...No wings...and...no dark magic...just reality...
I...I'm sorry...I...I never meant for anypony to get hurt...I never...I could have...
I just wanted to be somepony for a change...to finally make my parents proud, that's all...why? Why did everything go so wrong? Why...By King Sombra, what have I done? What did all of Equestria see me do?!
I'd always fantasized about stuff like that, but...they were just petty little fantasies...I...I never meant for them to come true...maybe deep down I always wanted them to and didn't want to admit it...I wasn't a big pony...I was just a five year old living out her power fantasy...they're not as fun in real life...
Huh?
“Twilight, you gave us quite the scare,” Rarity tells me. She looks...less confused...
“...Actually helping...feels good for a change...” Fluttershy admitted. “Glad you're okay, egghead...”
Pinkamena was too busy checking me over to see if I was hurt to say anything...
“Don't ever scare me like that again!” Spike yelled...he's...he's crying...
“Yah were doing too good of a job being the bad guy, even fer me, Twilight,” Applejack stated, giving me a look of...is that concern? “Glad yah snapped out of it...”
Rainbow Crash just hugged me.
...They care about me? Yeah...we're...we might take our shots at each other...but...
“I'm...I'm sorry...I'm so sorry...”
I'm...crying...it's been so long since I let myself cry...
My stage starts falling without me to keep it up...but Captain Goodguy and King Tirek (back to normal thanks to whatever that was they used to snap me back to reality) caught it and lowered it back...then Captain Goodguy snapped his fingers and put the parts back where I got them from.
“Alright, North Canterlot is where South Canterlot was and half of Canterlot is now orange, and I'm pretty sure Healthnut Joe's is now in the upper class district, but no pony died,” he explained. “But oh boy that was a doozy! I may also have misplaced a bit of stone, still some repairs you're going to need to do by hoof.”
I...I...my parents live in Canterlot...I could have...Canterlot would have collapsed with everypony in it...I...
Applejack's grandmother comes over and says something to her...and....hugs her?!
Ah! Starlight Glimmer?! She just teleported in here!
“Rainbow...Rainbow Crash...” she panted. “I think...I think you broke the sound barrier!”
Rainbow...she blushes. “Uh...I...I don't know...I...”
“I think you just forgot you were 'supposed' to fail...”
She...she actually broke the sound barrier?!...At least she'll be happy...
… I didn't resist when the guards came for me...I...I never wanted THIS...
“Twilight Sparkle?”
Trixie?
________________________________________
Celestia and Luna watched the events before them. “...This didn't end as intended...but...they did come to her aid...” Celestia said, the duo having saved the ponies caught in Spotlight's rampage from falling to their doom. “Do you think they can really change?”
Luna smiled. “Sister...the link between worlds is no more...the merger caused many unexpected changes...but now that it's gone, those six...their future is theirs. As is ours...”
The Day Princess gave a small smile. “Indeed...then may it be a bright one...for everypony...”
End of Tales from the Dark Side of the Mirror.
To be concluded in Legends of the Dark Side of the Mirror. See the heroes' side and the full battle.
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Awesomely beautiful. You basically had Reflection Twilight go through Humanoid Twilight's story arc, only more intensely. You brought tears to my eyes at the end, too.
I have to say, you did a darn good job on this story as a whole. All the background stories are well-done (emotional enough where we can see where they were all coming from, but just humorous enough to avoid being too dark) and this one was no exception. Mirrorverse Twilight, in particular, had a background story where, yeah, you could definitely sympathize to some extent (trying to live up to near-impossible standards from an early age has to be rough). At the same time, however, it still makes it clear that her stubborn refusal to accept help, even when it's clear she needs it, is just as much to blame for her circumstances as anything else.
There's no shame in admitting when you need help. I mean, even Batman isn't smart enough to handle EVERYTHING on his own, nor is even Superman powerful enough to handle everything on his own.
Sorry about that. Got carried away for a second.
Anyway, great job on this last chapter. Not only are the exchanges, emotional content, action and humor all well done in all the right areas, it even leaves good material for a possible sequel (i.e. the mention of Empress Cadance). Anyway, as I said before; job well done. :-D
Heh.
Err...
Possibly...
Heh.
Oh dear.
Whoa wait WHAT?!
Riiight.
She has a point.
She is ridiculously paranoid.
What bit her the wrong way?
Uh, not sure if that's such a good idea...
This is like what she did in Friendship Games but worse.
What?
Yes, but you still shouldn't, not safe.
Oh boy.
Here we go...
Whoa there!
I see...
Guess she's got experience with this.
Oh yeah.
Not sure...
If only.
This is gonna end poorly.
Uh, Twilight...
Oh hell.
Oh this will end poorly...
Oh shit...
To be fair, it IS a prototype...
A lot...
That's why.
Too much.
Oh, oh no...
Twilight, don't do this!
Never have those words sounded so sinister...
Agreed. I'm just glad Twilight didn't get YOUR magic.
Arise, Midnight Spotlight.
Can't believe I got the name right.
Oh boy. WIth your now twisted mentality, how is she gonna answer right?
That's actually a good question, I'd imagine they're more for intimidation than actually eating meat but, eh.
Then what was it?
Ooh...
Again, she didn't know you were taking the test, how she was she supposed to answer?
I have to admit, I side with her here.
She's nuts.
Oh dear...
No, she's an alicorn, ie part Earth Pony.
Yep.
You're insane.
A LITTLE?
Ironic, isn't it?
The Elements...
For once, she's right.
She's really gone off the deep end.
I'd make the meme, but, it's more sad than epic.
I can only imagine how much it's got to suck to be hit by the Elements like that, the weight of your mistakes crashing down on your suddenly clear head.
They're really not.
I suppose so, yes.
Who knows?
Sequel, yay!
6680710
I'm really glad you enjoy it.
6680710
She was stabbed in the back by her own brother.
6669723
Interesting eh?
6804575
I certainly think so -- I've been following this.
...............I didn't expect this story to get serious to the point the lives of everyone in Canterlot were in real danger, nor did I expect the Cerberus Syndrome to be in full effect. Then again, there were a couple of foreshadowing that hinted SOMETHING was gonna happen in this party, I just did not expect Twilight to go One Winged Angel and try to kill some people through her insanity. I am happy that the characters us readers have been following have started to do the right thing and were able to help stop Twilight from doing something COMPLETELY worse.
And Maud Pie is such a kick*ss in this fight. Kudos to her.
And I'm especially happy that Applejack's, Rainbow's, Fluttershy's, and Rarity's futures are looking bright from here on out. Twilight and Pinkie's are still ambigous, but I'm optimistic.
6680710 The sequel is actually out now.
Wow. That sure was something else.
I came here for curiosity and laughs. I got emotional drama. I am quite happy with this.