Twilight and I were finally out of Oscorp and out in the town, thanks to Cinch allowing us to, in her words, get all of our tension out...
Any reason works, I suppose.
We made it to the street of the theater when I was tempted to ask Twilight something personal...
“So, Twi...” I started.
“Y-yeah?” Twilight asked, turning slightly to face me.
“I’ve been meanin’ to ask you somethin’-- and if you don’t wanna answer, that’s fine.” I said, nervous to ask.
“Oh, come on—I can take it.” She said, with more of a pep in her step.
I sighed, turned to her, and grabbed her hand.
“Are you... bipolar?” I awkwardly asked.
Twilight then understood why I was so hesitant to ask.
“Yes... I am. B-Bipolar 2, to be specific. My mother has schizophrenia, that’s why she had that episode with that arm last night...” She said, looking down slightly.
That made sense—I stayed up late doing research on Bipolar Disorder to see if my theory lined up, and needless to say, it did—schizophrenia came up from the symptoms I searched and that lined up with Cinch.
“Geez... okay, that kind of makes sense now...” I said.
“Yeah... you should see her on her bad days.” She said, tugging on her shoulder, wincing slightly.
That caught my attention—if Cinch laid a hand on her...
“Did she... hurt you?” I asked her.
Twilight saw that I noticed her shoulder and sighed, revealing a bandaged wound that went up her shoulder and down to her tricep.
“Yeah... she had an episode again—a bad one.” She recalled.
I refused to let go of her hand.
“If you want a place to stay... just let me know, okay?” I said, assuring her.
Twilight chuckled and set her hand on top of ours...
“Pip... It’s alright—she and I usually have it under control, but we weren’t able take our meds this morning... as soon as we take them, we’ll be back to normal. Just put up with us for one night, okay?” She asked me.
I chuckled and pulled her in for a peck on her forehead.
“You say that like puttin’ up with you is a bad thing.” I smiled.
Twilight seemed to enjoy that as she rested the front of her head on my chest.
“Careful... you know the symptoms of Bipolar, right?” She asked, her voice slightly muffled.
“Yeah... I do.” I said.
Twilight then did a cute nuzzle.
“Is that a challenge?” She whispered, looking up at me with adorable eyes...
I then moved my hand and ran it through her hair.
“Possibly.” I whispered back.
The then remembered that we were going to miss the movie with all of our PDA and kept walking, never releasing our hands...
If I was dreaming, I never wanted to wake up.
Yeah, Rarity was never really like that—she was more aggressive than anything else, and to tell the truth, part of me missed her—the aggressiveness. I’ll tell you this—there was no guessing with Rarity, no beating around the bush. If she wanted something, she was going to get it... I told that part of me to shut up when we entered the theater, paid for our tickets (after a fight on who paid), and took our seats, in the far back...
I know what you’re thinking and I assure you it didn’t happen.
Twilight scooted over to me and rested her head on my chest, only for me to wrap an arm around her waist for the entire movie.
Not that the movie was bad, but I was more focused on Twilight.
We were walking back to the Oscorp building, laughing and talking about random things...
“Wait, wait! So, Principal Luna used to be a... heavy metal performer?” Twilight asked, probably trying to picture it.
“You bet—Nightmare Moon, she was called... she has some wild stories from those days, most of ‘em I don’t even know.” I chuckled.
Twilight then stopped for a moment, holding my hand to pull me back. I sighed and wrapped one arm around her and used my other to caress her face.
“I had fun, today.” Twilight said, setting one hand on my chest.
“Yeah... I did, too.” I said, rubbing my thumb down her cheek.
At that moment, there wasn’t a street, no cars down then roads, no buildings around us...
No Rarity, no Sunset, no Cinch...
Just us.
We slowly leaned in and our lips met. The kiss was short as Twilight pulled away, me doing the same.
“I love you, Pip.” Twilight said with a tear in her eye.
I pulled her in for a hug and kissed her cheek.
“I love you, too... come on, we should head on back there.” I said, kissing her head.
We continued heading home, Oscorp’s skyscraper in the distance. Twilight’s phone rang and she pulled it out to see a text from her mother and I, being nosey, decided to take a peak.
I take it all of your tension is gone? The text read.
We looked up at each other and Twilight then smirked, texting back.
Just enough for now.
She pulled me in for another kiss that I returned. Twilight then pulled away suddenly, looking around for... somewhere.
Her phone rang again, and she pulled it out to read.
In your spare time, there’s an Oscorp-owned hotel down the street adjacent to you. Tell them I sent you, and they’ll give you a room. But for tonight just settle with what you have.
By the time I finished reading that text, I felt how red I had become. I looked back at Twilight and saw that she was red, too...
“Well... we’ll have to keep that in mind for next time.” Twilight pulled me in for a quick kiss as we both headed back home.
With the project so close, and now, us... what can go wrong from here?
Two weeks had passed since Twilight and I started dating... and this was it. The project was finished, and now all we had to do was test them. Twilight volunteered as a test subject, something that I was against, until she said that it was their creation, and Twilight had faith in it.
Cinch had no idea what we made—she wanted it to be a surprise...
“So, do you think she’ll like it?” I asked her.
Twilight scoffed as she put on some finishing touches, mainly in the form of LED’s at the bottom claws, which were also made to serve as ‘legs’, capable of lifting its user off the ground.
“I think she’s going to love it.” Twilight said confidently.
Cinch entered the room and glanced at our project, emotionless... until...
“What... is that?” She asked.
All that confidence that Twilight had that night and throughout the entire project... gone.
“It’s uh... it’s meant for... enduring high temperatures, the manual labor field...” She started, the rest was lost in mumbles.
“This... is science-fiction, not the future of this company. But... because I admittingly agreed to this... I will see this project out until it’s end. So, where is the volunteer?” Cinch asked, looking around.
“I am the volunteer.” Twilight said, setting up the neural link.
Cinch then seemed concerned, if not intrigued. I went over to her, desperate to make sure she was okay with the volunteer.
“Are you sure about this, Twi? I don’t doubt our project, it’s just...” I started, sighing.
Twilight set her hand on my shoulder.
“It’s alright, Pip—it's like my mom says: The only future is the one you create.” Twilight said, attaching the arms to her back through a belt-like harness.
The device securing the link whirred to life as Twilight suddenly stopped—it was almost like she was possessed.
“Twi? Twi, you alright?” I asked, trying to get her attention.
“It’s... incredible.” She whispered, suddenly being lifted off of the ground.
The arms began extending, carrying Twilight’s weight without fail... She then lifted one arm off of the ground, using her mind to open and close the claws.
“Wow...” Cinch whispered, somewhat impressed.
Twilight then looked at a ball on the table, part of the testing equipment.
“Throw that to me.” She said, calm and collected.
I obeyed and picked up the ball, tossing it at Twilight. The arm caught it and she then pulled up another one to begin juggling it, other scientists whispering and chit-chatting while she did so.
Cinch still wasn’t too sold yet, so I had an idea.
“Okay... let’s try walking.” I said, backing up slightly, hoping Twilight would follow me.
Sure enough, Twilight moved one arm and brought it down, doing the same until she developed a basic form of motion. Cinch was now back to somewhat impressed... and then I had an idea.
“Try climbing!” I said, now moving along with Twilight.
Twilight then jumped up and landed on the other arms, doing pull-ups, laughing with shock and pride. The other scientists gasped when Twilight managed to remain on the wall by activating the claws’ electro-magnets in the pincers—where the LED’S were.
“This is incredible!” She said, now using the arms to move up the ceiling, launching two out, jumping off with them, and landing on all four, almost like a graceful gallop.
Cinch now began to enjoy the sight.
“Manual labor, construction, otherwise dangerous conditions... now meaningless... these arms could be the future of Oscorp’s labor field!” Cinch realized.
Suddenly, the computer began blaring. I ran over to see what the screen read...
“Oh, my God... Twilight! Come back, now!” I said, desperately typing away.
Twilight landed and moved over to me, now reading the screen.
“What’s going on, what’s wrong?” She asked.
I then pushed a switch, deactivating the neural linking device.
“No! Put it back on!” Twilight said, now going back to the ground.
Cinch then came over.
“Why did you shut it off?! Those arms were... I-incredible!” She said—almost like it hurt to admit-- then reading the screen with us.
“The neural link is blocking Twilight’s motor neurons-- it could have other negative effects on her brain. But we did it...” I said, now remembering the last time there was a glitch in our system...
I half expected her to go on another rampage, demolishing the new arms like she did that prosthetic...
“Okay... and? All that’d need is a few more tweaks. You guys-- great job on this, and Twilight... for the first time since you were 10, I can gladly say that I’m... I’m proud of you.” She said, almost like it meant nothing, but at that moment, Twilight’s eyes lit up.
“And Pip... I tolerate you.” She added, walking away and shutting the door behind her.
Twilight instantly turned to me, the former smiling from grin to ear.
“Pip... come here and kiss me right now before I do it for you.” She said.
I didn’t need any other excuse and I ran over and did exactly what she said, savoring every second of her excited, happy nature. While our last kiss was short and equally motivated, this one was overwhelmed by Twilight’s ambition, and as I tried to match it, Twilight then pulled away, leaving a small trail between us.
“We’ve done it, Pip... Now it’s time to improve.” Twilight said, wiping her mouth, taking and reactivating the link, reattaching the arms and activating them.
“Whoa, whoa—Twi, take a minute. Those arms aren’t safe yet—just a few more tests, and--”
Twilight then slammed a claw down, putting a crack in the floor.
“We have done enough testing! Did you hear what she said, Pip? My mom is proud of me... for the first time in my life, I’m not a failure!” She said, rising with her claws while monologuing.
“Twi, you were never a failure, just... please, give us just a few more days to perfect them, and they’re all yours... I promise.” I said, hoping to get through to her.
Twilight stopped and seemingly made a decision. She sighed and disabled the mental link, removing the chest harness.
“We’re close, Twilight... we’re almost there.” I said, setting my hand on her shoulder.
Twilight nodded and then set the linking device down, glancing at it for a moment.
“Yes... we’re so, very close.” Twilight said.
Twilight set her hand atop mine and pulled me in again for a quicker kiss. As she pulled away and left the room to the bell, I turned and opened a smaller compartment, revealing my side project...
Strong liquid rope that becomes like tensile rubber once introduced to oxygen, and a mask that allows me to scan my environment, almost more so than my heightened senses can.
I smiled and put them in my pack, not wanting to leave them there any longer.
Later that night, I was back in my dorm, going over the events in the last few days—Cinch's violent rage suddenly replaced with optimism, Twilight’s personality change, and our success of the arms...
I reflected on it all until I grew too tired to think, and as I began nodding off...
The sudden sensation of being kissed woke me right up.
I opened my eyes in shock but once I saw Twilight, I sighed and returned it, finally matching her excitement. She pulled away and looked at me, caressing my face with her hand.
“Are you even going to ask how I got up here?” She asked.
I knew how—I saw my window open and I could’ve sworn that I heard whirring in my dorm...
“I know how... but that can wait ‘till tomorrow. Now, I assume you aren’t here to talk...” I said, setting my hand on her waist.
Twilight glanced down and smiled, reaching into her pocket and tossing something at my chest.
I knew what it was—almost too well.
“I checked in at that hotel, and he gave me that. Sure, I could’ve brought you there, but...”
Twilight moved up to my ear, ready to whisper.
“I wanted you where you felt safest. Because I wanted to feel safe, too.” She said, nibbling on my ear.
I grunted slightly and pulled Twilight in for another kiss—this one much more intimate than any of the others, our tongues finally thrown into the mix. A short fight for dominance, that I won, was cut short by Twilight’s impatience.
She pulled away and whispered more than a few sweet nothings in my ear, and as I took control, pinning her to the bed, there was a violent knock on the door.
“Hide.” I told her, getting up to answer it.
When I opened the door, Cinch let herself in, pushing on the door, knocking me to the ground.
“Where is she?” Were the first words out of her mouth.
I got up and decided to play dumb.
“I don't know, why—what happened?” I asked her.
Cinch was clearly having another “episode”, because she began searching the room with a form of manic rage.
“I know she’s here... she checked in at the hotel, then went somewhere to find you...” She mumbled, going into another side of the room.
I looked around as well, finding the lavender-haired girl cowering under my bed.
“Twilight Catrina Sparkle! Where are you?! Get out here right now!” Cinch screamed at the top of her lungs, undoubtedly waking the entire floor, if not the entire building.
I began backing away to try and hide Twilight, but Cinch noticed me by the bed and shoved me away, right next to my backpack...
As Cinch violently flipped the bed over and grabbed her daughter by the hair, I reached in and grabbed my ‘webbing’, ready to shoot it through the small wrist device I made.
“Twilight Sparkle... I thought I raised you better than this!” Cinch broke my window and held Twilight out of it, worrying me so bad that I put on the shooter and pointed it at her.
“Let go of her!” My screams fell on deaf ears.
Twilight struggled to reach her neck, where the neural device was clearly located, but Cinch grabbed her and held her by the hair to face the outside.
“Look out there, Twilight! Want to know what I see? Failures—drugs, starvation, murder, rape... all of them because of wastes of valuable oxygen that do not deserve to walk this dying Earth! It’s up to people like us, Twilight, to restore perfection to this rotting world!” Cinch proclaimed, almost monologuing.
Twilight turned to me, trying to whisper for help, but Cinch then violently pulled on Twilight’s hair, taking a few strands out.
“I will not lose my daughter to some ruffian who wants to ruin everything I worked so hard for!"Cinch pushed Twilight to the wall, turning to me with a murderous rage.
I didn’t hesitate to shoot a glob of my webbing onto Twilight’s neural link, which was met by a yellow glow under the thick webbing.
As Cinch grabbed my collar, a claw took Cinch’s hand, which stunned her as we both turned to see Twilight with the arms again, setting another claw around Cinch’s torso, trapping her.
“All those years... of me putting up with your insanity... tell me—what do you feel? Scared? Helpless?” Twilight tightened her grip on Cinch, causing her to gasp in agony.
I hesitated to put down my shooter, but I did.
“That is only a smidge of what I felt, every day, waiting for you to become some animal at the drop of a dime... but no more!” Twilight, went to throw her out the window, but multiple sirens broke the silence.
“Abacus Cinch! Come to the window, and drop any weapons you have!” The megaphone ordered.
Twilight went ice-cold as she released Cinch, who now ran over to the window.
“She tried to kill me!” She screamed out.
My blood began going boiling hot as I clenched my fists in pure rage that she’d accuse her own daughter of trying to kill her.
“Hey, mom... how’s the view?” The megaphone asked.
Shocked silence filled the room—since when did Twilight have a brother?
“Shining...” She whispered, turning to see Cinch’s stunned face.
“Now, we’ve been called in because of reports that their principal broke into a student’s dorm and was, in their words, ‘screaming like a maniac’. My boys will be at the room and less than 3 minutes—when they get there, put your hands behind your head and walk out slowly.” Shining ordered.
Cinch turned to me and roared, grabbing my collar and shoving me to the window.
“Shining Armor, I would like you to meet your sister’s soon-to-be ex-boyfriend!” Cinch threw me out of the window, sending me plummeting down.
I, of course, shot out a web and pulled myself back to the building, much to the shock of everyone down in the open field.
I then began crawling back up, hearing screaming and some scuffle up in my room... I reached the window to see my room completely destroyed, and Twilight tearing her way through the halls, her arms swinging rapidly. The whole time, her vocabulary was limited to one sentence, and she screamed out that sentence again and again...
“You killed him!“
I almost made it inside as Cinch’s body flung past me, falling to the ground below.
Shock wasn’t able to set in as I jumped off the building, shot a web at Cinch, and clung to the wall, all before we got close to the ground. Cinch looked up at me and I nodded to her, and let her go, softening her fall as the police put handcuffs on her.
I went back upstairs to consult Twilight, who was still having a meltdown, flailing the mechanical arms through room after room, screaming violently. By the time I got to her, the entire floor was open—walls separating the dorm rooms were now rubble as Twilight stopped her havoc to loudly sob as the police arrived. They went to talk to her when I stopped them, walking up to her.
“Twi... Twi, look at me—I'm okay.” I said, trying to catch her attention.
She looked up to me and turned, her face covered in rubble that her tears were now cleaning.
“Pip... I... I...” She started, unable to finish as she ran into my arms.
“I know, Twi... I know.” I held her as I disabled her neural link and removed her arms, them clanging to the ground, Shining not too far behind.
“Twily!” He called out, running over to her.
Twi looked up and ran to her bigger brother, holding him in a death-hug.
“Is she... did I kill her?” She asks in horror.
Shining looked up to me, still slightly bewildered by what he saw.
“No... we caught her.” He said, nodding to me.
I knew that meant he’d keep my secret and I nodded back, thanking him for doing so.
I looked out the window and saw that the police car Cinch was put in had driven off, giving me a sigh of relief. But then I turned to see the destruction that Twilight caused, and the fact that she tried to kill her mother...
The ordeal was far from over—if anything it had only begun.