• Published 6th Dec 2011
  • 38,675 Views, 789 Comments

Your Best Shot - PotatoJoe



The Elements of Harmony misfire against Discord, altering Twilight into something new.

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Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes!

“Necklace, necklace, necklace, necklace, and big crown thingy! Come on, everypony, let’s go!”

“But Twilight, aren’t you missing somepony?” Spike protested desperately, little legs hurrying to keep up with the frustrated Twilight Sparkle.

Twilight turned and glared at him. “Nope. We’ve got the liar, the grump, the hoarder, and the brute.” Twilight scowled at her gray-tinted friends, who were acting strange—Fluttershy and Pinkie were arguing, Rarity was practically making love to a boulder, and she hadn’t been able to get a straight answer out of Applejack yet. “That just about covers it.”

“But what about Rainbow Dash?” Spike said, looking puzzled. Twilight paused, thought, then smiled briefly before frowning again.

“Congratulations, Spike, you’re the new Rainbow Dash!” Twilight magically grabbed the fifth necklace, preparing to slap it around Spike’s neck—

“That loser? The new me?”

With a burst of broken glass, a discolored Rainbow Dash burst through Twilight’s window, landing in the middle of the group.

“Finally—here’s your element!” snapped Twilight, putting the necklace on Dash instead. “Thank Celestia you were loyal enough to finally show!” She toned the word “loyal” to dig at the pegasus, but this didn’t seem to affect her. “Alright, everypony! Let’s get going! We’ll finish off Discord, and then we never have to see each other ever again!”

“Fine with me,” said Applejack, glancing down and to the right.

Grinding her teeth, Twilight led her “friends” outside into the chaotic streets of Ponyville. At the moment, they were made of soap, and the buildings around them were floating away, making them rather pointless. From the center of town, an iconic cackle echoed, drawing her attention. She supposed she was lucky that her friends followed at all as she led them.

“Oh, this is soooo overdue!” laughed Discord, sitting on the bottom of a upside down flying throne, tearing strips of a box of popcorn apart and eating the cardboard, the popcorn falling to the street below. Mayor Mare went flying past, a tornado of hydro-electric dam safety inspection notes whirling around her. “And right on cue, Twilight Sparkle and her little friends! Come to do away with big bad me once and for all!”

“You’ve got that right!” shouted Twilight, feeling rage and tears build up in her.

“Well, by all means, friend me,” said Discord, throwing the eagle’s paw arm over his eyes and magicking a target onto the front of his body. With laughter in his voice, he spoke again. “If, that is, you can. See, without all of your precious elements—“

“Stop laughing!” shouted Pinkie Pie. As each of the Elements of Harmony focused, so did the gems on the enchanted jewelry. Discord smirked, opening an eye to watch—an eye which bulged as his gaze fell upon Rainbow Dash.

“W-wait, she’s not supposed to be here!” he said in alarm, throwing his hands up to wave them off. “W-we can make some sort of deal, right? You’ve got me, you’ve beat me—“

“Dust this bitch!” shouted Fluttershy.

A moment later five beams of light shot out, striking Discord. They seemed to hold him in place, though he thrashed about in fear. A moment later the sixth beam projected from Twilight, joining the others—but something went wrong the moment they struck.

When they had used the Elements against Nightmare Moon, the beams had harmonized into a single magical force. This time, they fought and crackled, the energy contesting its own presence. Twilight focused, adding her own magic to try and stabilize it. Despite her monumental magical power, she could tell she wasn’t up to the task; the Elements of Harmony were magic of a magnitude that only Discord—or the Princesses working together—could even hope to match.

But then, as Discord flailed, she saw it—a spark of lightning loosed in panic. Discord was no match for the Elements, but if she added a mite of his power to hers, she might be able to control them. She focused, catching the magic and absorbing it into her own.

Everything changed.

Magical power like she had never known flooded into her. It was like a dam bursting upon a desert—pain and warping wracked her body. She collapsed, the Element flying from her as chaotic pink, green, and brown lightning began to flood from Discord into her.

“Twilight!” Her name came in chorus, but she could barely understand it. She felt the world slipping away as Discord’s magic devoured her.

“Ha! Bit off more than—Celestia! No no no, don’t pick that up!” It had been Discord’s voice, at first confident and then terrified. Twilight didn’t know how she found the strength to open her eyes, but was glad she did. She could see her friends, returned to normal, looking at her with fear and mouthing something as sound faded from Twilight’s world. Celestia was there, terror in her eyes, the Element of Magic atop her head. There was a blast of rainbow light that blinded Twilight.

And then the world was gone.


“I’m telling you, this will work!”

That was Spike’s voice. It was nearby, perhaps muffled by a door. Her nose twitched, feeling strange but recognizing a certain smell—black tea and oatmeal with cinnamon.

“It’s her favorite breakfast; she’ll wake up the moment she smells it!” Twilight let out a weak chuckle—Spike knew her well. Twilight went to sit up, feeling awful—she itched and tingled strangely—but was confused to feel something dragging on her back. She was about to call out for Spike to open the door when a thought struck her groggy mind—who was he talking to?

“I’m sorry, familiar, but we cannot allow you to see your master.” That tone was familiar, if the voice wasn’t—it was the one the Royal Guard were instructed to speak in. “Unless accompanied by Celestia—“

“You know what? Try and stop me.”

There was a burst of fighting sounds with grunts, kicks, and scratching filling the air. Opening her eyes and finding her way to the edge of the bed, she was surprised to find she was in her old room in the palace of Canterlot. She’d cleaned her things out back when she’d left for Ponyville, but the scorch marks near where Spike had slept still marred the floor, and she could see some scratches on the wall she’d made banging her head into it in frustration during exams. She stumbled to the door, wincing at the strange tingling going up her legs, and found she was too unfocused to even magic the knob open. Biting down, she twisted and opened the door.

“Um, hey, I’m awake,” she said sleepily, resisting the urge to yawn for only seconds before succumbing. As she re-opened her eyes, she found eight Royal Guards in a pile in the hall, their eyes wide with fear as they looked at her in perfect stillness. Spike struggled beneath them, a tray with the ruins of her breakfast a short distance away. “Um, sorry about him. Uh, Spike, you don’t need to make me breakfast.”

“Twi! Twilight, you’re awake!”

There was far too much joy in the little dragon’s voice. Memories of what had happened before she’d woken began to filter back into her mind slowly. She’d been fighting Discord with her friends … something had gone wrong …

… was she hurt?

“Twi!” shouted the little dragon, bursting from the pile of guards. His eyes widened in fear as well, but he ran to her side and hugged her. “Twi, I thought you’d never wake back up!”

How long had she been asleep?

“What’s happened?” she asked, very confused. “What happened to me?”

She looked to the guards; they began to stumble over themselves to get away from her. She remembered that she’d felt her own body warping from Discord’s magic—had she become some sort of monster?

“I-I need a mirror,” she said, nudging Spike to let her go. He did and ran inside, grasping the wheeled dressing mirror and pushing it over. She felt herself flush with fear, dreading what she was to see. She flinched as Spike turned it to face her.

Her horn was gone.

In its place were two bony dragon’s horns, mismatched to each other. From her back sprouted two wings, one a pegasus’s and one a bat’s. Her tail was that of a lizard, though the rest of her body was still a pony’s. From her lips several small, pointed fangs sprouted, changing her smile from a herbivore’s to a carnivore’s.

The last thing she noticed were her eyes—one was still the same, the other was the color of Discord’s.

She stared in wordless shock for several seconds.

“Uh, you did something while fighting Discord,” said Spike quickly, running to her side. “You started draining magic out of him, but you collapsed. Celestia showed up and took the Element as everypony raced to help you and had them finish off Discord—but, uh, it was like squeezing a sponge. The more they hit him the more of his magic seemed to flow out into you. T-they had just turned him to stone when it stopped.”

“Is she worried about me?” asked Twilight softly.

“Everypony is. I am too,” said Spike hastily. “W-we didn’t know if it was going to be you, or Discord, or something else when you woke. It’s been three days. C-celestia wouldn’t let anyone see you because she was worried, but we’ve all been trying—and she’s not doing very well either. Luna’s been handling the sun for a few days because she can’t focus.”

“T-tell everypony I woke up, Spike,” said Twilight, her mind numb. She didn’t know how to react. “Tell them I’m okay. Tell them I’ll find a way to fix this, so they don’t have to worry.”

“Uh, Twi … ”

“P-please,” said Twilight, the numbness vanishing in an instant as she began to cry. She felt an impossible pressure forcing her to her knees as she seized up, sobbing uncontrollably. “I-I d-don’t wa-want them to wo-wo-wo-”

“Worry? Darling, we ain’t worried no more.”

Blinking, Twilight turned towards the door. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were there, balancing a cake between them while Rainbow Dash and Rarity shooed off the guards. Applejack was there, an envelope in her mouth.

“Least, long as you don’t turn us into cabbages or sumthin’,” said Applejack with a nervous but hopeful grin. “Uh, so, um, how’re the, um, horn-s?”

Twilight found herself laughing and crying at the same time as her friends waited for her.

“I-I don’t know,” she said, wiping her cheeks with a hoof. “I just woke up. I’m sorry, I don’t—Spike told me, but I don’t know what’s going on.”

“You are still you, right?” asked Rainbow, not waiting for an invitation and flapping in.

“I-I think so,” said Twilight weakly. “I don’t feel evil, I guess.”

“Well, that’s a good sign,” Applejack said with a laugh, trotting in. Pinkie and Fluttershy entered, putting the cake on the side table. It had been decorated to look like Discord’s face, but with a large red X through it and the words “Mission Accomplished, Meanie Demolished!” were written on it in Twilight’s colors.

“Oh, but I must apologize, Twilight!” said Rarity, rushing to her side. “It is all my fault! Had I not been entranced with that ridiculous stone—“

“Rarity’s been tearing herself apart,” said Applejack with a shrug. “Drama queening it up, truthfully—we all got got by Discord, just the same. Least, all but you, Twi.”

“And you did come out with a really cool story!” said Pinkie Pie energetically, jumping in front of Twilight’s face. “You can go into some bar where all the stallions are talking about how tough they are and wait for them to tell a story about fighting a dragon or a hydra or something, I don’t know, and then say ‘Oh, you think that scar’s impressive? I got wrecked by a evil god and still took him down!’ If you were a colt, every mare in Equestria would be after you!”

“… uh, one moment,” said Twilight, eyes bugging out. She ran into the bathroom, her friends watching in confusion. Twilight, now that she had privacy, made a quick check of her nethers. “Ooooohhh, thank Celestia! Nope, Pinkie, not a colt!”

“Oh, woah, that would been gross!” laughed Rainbow Dash, making a screwed up face as Twilight trotted back out.

“Dang, I was hoping for a mature rating,” said Pinkie with a sigh, but then she smiled again. “Oh, well, it’s not like every story has to have futa in it!”

“W-what are you talking about?” asked Fluttershy, looking to her in confusion.

Anyways,” said Applejack, cutting Pinkie Pie off before she could explain the concept to Fluttershy. “We were real worried about you, Twi. Spike and the poor ol’ Princess have had the worst of it.”

Twilight felt her stomach churn, noting with glee that she still only had one—she could feel two different heartbeats.

“H-how is the Princess?” she asked gingerly. The thought of her beloved mentor worried disturbed her.

“Well, uh, not good,” said Applejack, kicking a hoof against the stone floor awkwardly. “You could say really bad, if’n’ ya wanted to. In fact, she’s, um, downright crummy.”

“She’s been so worried about you she’s barely eaten,” said Fluttershy quietly. “Luna’s been trying to console her, but it hasn’t worked. She’s scared you’d wake up and go crazy and she’d have to have us turn you to stone.”

“I-I’m not crazy,” said Twilight, looking to them. “I-I’m still me. I just don’t look like I normally do. You can tell, right?”

“Uh, well, you seem normal enough,” said Applejack with a weak smile that turned into a wince. “But, uh, Twi, understand where everypony’s coming from on this, we just don’t honestly know if you are.”

“T-tell her I’ll … tell the Princess I’ll let her bind my magic,” said Twilight, feeling her hearts both skip a beat as she said the words. Rarity gasped—for a unicorn, magic was everything, and to give it up was like asking a pegasus to give up their wings. “It should still work on me. I won’t fight back at all—that’ll prove I’m still me, right?”

“Uh, Twi, this don’t sound safe.” said Applejack, looking to Rarity’s frightened face.

“It isn’t!” said Rarity insistently. “It’s like having your leg broken! They might be able to repair her magic someday, but you can’t risk it!” Her friends looked alarmed, Fluttershy drawing her legs closer to her body.

“T-the bigger risk is me having the magic,” said Twilight, feeling afraid. “I absorbed Discord’s magic. I don’t know how to use it—if I tried to cast a spell, I don’t know what could happen! It would be like the first time I cast a spell, and that time I turned my parents into potted plants!”

Her friends winced.

“This time, it’d be a million times worse!” Twilight began to feel herself hyperventilating. “W-we need to hurry!”

“There is no need to be hasty.”

Twilight felt her worries melt in a moment. Celestia strode into the room, looking almost as radiant as normal—though there were, stunningly, small lines under her eyes. Twilight bowed her head as her mentor stood in front of her.

“Twilight, I am glad you … are you,” said Celestia, nuzzling Twilight with a little difficulty—the horns got in the way. “And to offer such a thing fills me with confidence that we have nothing to fear from you.”

“ … I don't..,” said Twilight, feeling her heart—hearts—melt at the Princesses touch. She didn’t look up, fearing Celestia’s gaze. “I-I don’t want to risk making a mistake. We don’t know what it would do—I s-still have nightmare about turning my pa-parents into plants and I don’t want to do something like that again.”

“Twilight, your control has improved—“

“But if it’s Discord’s magic, which we know it is, will that matter?”

Celestia was silent for several moments.

“Twilight, if you are afraid, we can dampen your magic. It is less drastic than sealing it and may be far safer.”

“B-but if it’s just dampened—” said Twilight, finally looking up. Celestia was gazing down, her wise, sad eyes showing the shine of tears.

“—it may be as risky to seal Discords magic as it is to use it,” interrupted Celestia. Twilight realized she was correct and bowed, accepting the decision. “But know this, Twilight—I have no fear of you misusing this power.”

“I promise I will not, your majesty.”

Celestia turned and led her from the room, five friends and Spike in tow.