Meanwhile, in King Sombra’s Castle…
“Stay alert Princess Twilight, we will be calling you soon. Ta, ta.” Professor Screw said as he deactivated the crystal globe.
As the Professor finished his talk with the ponies, he put the crystal globe away with his magic. As the Professor left his room in the castle, he walked over to the rest of the Rogue, who were just walking around or laying on the floor from their injuries. Flim and Flam were badly hurt from their scuffle with Applejack and Rarity. Iron Will had lots of bruises on his face from Rainbow Dash. Lightning Dust had also taken quite the beating from Rainbow Dash, as well as her wing being broken by Twilight. Discorded Whooves had also taken some hits when he fought nearly all of the Mane Six. Of course, Professor Screw had also attained his fair share of injuries, mainly from his battle with Twilight and his fight with Pinkie Pie.
Ahh… Pinkie Pie… Yes… soon, you will be mine… you will be my greatest experiment yet…
While Professor Screw continued to think of every possible experiment, he could put the pink party pony through, Discorded Whooves lowered himself to the ground and walked over to him, tapping him on the shoulder and snapping the Professor out of his thoughts. Feeling the hoof touch him, Professor Screw turned around to face the Doctor. However, before he could say anything, one of the mechanical arms grabbed ahold of him and slammed him down to the ground, keeping him pinned.
“Oof! Hey! Doctor, let go of me this instant!” Professor Screw yelled as he tried to shove the arm off of him.
Realizing that he wouldn’t be able to overpower the arm, Professor Screw attempted to use his magic to teleport away, but he was stopped when another arm reached out and pinched the tip of his horn, preventing his magic from working. Now completely trapped and unable to do anything, Discorded Whooves let out a chuckle. Meanwhile, the rest of the Rogue did nothing but watch, as they were too exhausted and too afraid to interfere with whatever was happening.
“You know, Professor, you pulled some pretty nasty stunts back there… (Chuckle) I certainly was not impressed.” Discorded Whooves said as he raised another of the arms up, bringing out its long spike, intending to stab the Professor.
“(Grunt) King Sombra will not be pleased if you kill me.” Professor Screw said as the arm’s grip became tighter and more painful.
“(Chuckle) Perhaps not, but King Sombra’s not here right now, is he?” Discorded Whooves asked with a cold stare. “I could just kill you right now and tell him that you were accidentally killed by those ponies.”
“And you really think that is going to fool me, Doctor?” Sombra asked as he emerged from the shadows, surprising the Rogue.
“What!? What are you doing here!?” Discorded Whooves asked.
“This is my castle, this is our base, why wouldn’t I be here?” Sombra asked.
“What about getting that Storm Creature army that we need for our plan? Shouldn’t you have been doing that?” Discorded Whooves asked.
“Let the Professor go… now.” Sombra ordered, completely ignoring the Doctor’s question.
“(Grunt) You got lucky, but he won’t always be around to protect you.” Discorded Whooves whispered into the Professor’s ear before releasing him.
“The rest of you, gather around. I have some words for you all.” Sombra said to the other members of the Rogue.
Once all of the Rogue had gathered together and awaited Sombra’s orders, Sombra nodded and then spoke.
“I watched the entire thing, from the moment you all arrived at the village, to when you returned back to base.” Sombra said as he saw most of the Rogue cringe in fear, terrified that they had failed. “You surprisingly did well enough.” Sombra said, shocking some of the Rogue.
“Wait, hold on. I enjoy being complimented and praised like everypony else, but we didn’t even kill any of those Mane Six or whatever.” Lightning Dust said.
“That was never the goal of this mission, Lightning Dust. However, I appreciate your willingness to admit your mistakes. Your task was to serve your purpose for the plan, and you did well. However,” Sombra said as he turned to look at Professor Screw and Discorded Whooves. “A couple of you have some explaining to do.”
“Don’t look at me! This old fool was the one who stepped out of line!” Discorded Whooves yelled as he pointed at the Professor. “You assigned me as the leader of the Rogue! Then this fool comes along and starts trying to act like he’s in charge!”
“I only did so because I wanted to give Princess Twilight the illusion that I was behind everything.” Professor Screw said.
“Fair enough, I suppose I can look over this little issue. However, there is something else that bothered me. Doctor, what exactly happened with your arms seemingly rebelling against you?” Sombra asked.
“I don’t know what happened! These damn arms just stopped working and then they turned on me after Fluttershy fed them lies!” Discorded Whooves yelled.
“I see, Professor, I trust there is something you can do to ensure this doesn’t happen again?” Sombra asked.
“As a matter of fact, there is. I actually had a back-up plan in case a problem with the intelligence of the arms occurred. It’s not finished yet, but I had worked on a special device that would take away the free will of the arms and they would only do as they were told.” Professor Screw said.
“That is very interesting. It’s also interesting that you didn’t think to install this little device of yours onto the arms when you modified them, Professor.” Sombra said, narrowing his eyes a bit.
“I was pressed for time, your majesty.” Professor Screw said as he caught spotted something out of the corner of his eye.
By some sheer dumb luck, Professor Screw happened to see that one of the arms had brought out its spike and was actually about to strike at either him or the Doctor. The arms had gotten their fight back and they were going to rebel once again. The Professor reacted quickly as he used his magic to take out the remote and pressed the button, electrocuting the arms as well as the Doctor.
Discorded Whooves screamed in pain as he was electrocuted for a good thirty seconds before the Professor finally ended the horrible pain. Once he had recovered and he no longer sensed any rebellious intent from the arms, Discorded Whooves attempted to use the arm with its spike out to kill the Professor. However, before he could, Sombra stopped the arm from going any further with his magic.
“Professor, explain yourself! NOW!” Sombra roared.
“The arms were trying to take control again, your majesty. I prevented that.” Professor Screw answered quickly.
“Like hell they did! I think the old fool has gone mad!” Discorded Whooves yelled.
“Enough! Professor, you will fix those arms as soon as we’re done here, understand?” Sombra asked.
“Yes, your majesty.” Professor Screw replied as he bowed to his king.
“Good, now back to business. Now that Twilight Sparkle and her friends are aware of the Rogue, it is time we commence forth with the rest of the plan. In the morning, I am going to find Tempest Shadow and I will offer her a deal. When I return, I will assign you all your next mission and then-.”
“No.” Iron Will suddenly said.
“…………What?” Sombra asked, slowly turning his head to face Iron Will.
As Sombra’s gaze landed on the minotaur, the rest of the Rogue stepped away from him, knowing that he was in big trouble.
“Iron Will, will not do this anymore! Fluttershy told Iron Will that Iron Will is being lied to! Iron Will is not going to hurt any more ponies! Iron Will is going home!” Iron Will said as he took off his gauntlets and threw them down on the floor in front of Sombra.
“Is that so? Doctor, restrain him.” Sombra said as Discorded Whooves ran up behind Iron Will and used all four arms to grab ahold of Iron Will’s arms and legs.
“HEY! Let Iron Will go!” Iron Will yelled as he fought to break out of the Doctor’s grip.
“You know, Iron Will, I don’t take too kindly to being betrayed. Just ask Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow. I would have trapped you in your worst fears like I did to them, however I am far beyond giving second chances to those who betray me.” Sombra said as he slowly but menacingly walked towards Iron Will. “I would just kill you, however instead I think I’m going to make an example out of you.” Sombra said as he turned his head to face the rest of the Rogue.
“Oh! D-Don’t worry boss! We’re not thinking of betraying you!” Flim quickly said as he saluted Sombra.
“Y-Yeah! Exactly what my brother said! We’re the Flim Flam Brothers, and we stick together!” Flam added, beads of sweat running down his neck.
“You won’t have any problems with me. I’m not stopping until Rainbow Dash is dealt with and even then, I’ll never stop until all of Equestria accepts that I am the greatest flier that ever lived!” Lightning Dust said as she gave Sombra a nervous grin.
“Hmph, somehow, I don’t believe any of you. You three can earn my trust again during your next mission. In the meantime, you will learn what happens to anypony that even thinks of betraying me.” Sombra said as he turned back to look at Iron Will. “Professor, is there something you can do to make Iron Will more… obedient?”
“But of course, your majesty. Although it may take a day or two.” Professor Screw replied.
“(Chuckle) That works just fine for me.” Sombra said before Iron Will shouted out, continuing to struggle.
“Let Iron Will go! Iron Will, will not-!” Iron Will yelled before Professor Screw used a sleeping spell to silence the minotaur.
“Hmph, now as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, tomorrow I will go to the Caves of Conundrum and discuss business with Tempest Shadow. You will all remain here and await my orders, understood?” Sombra asked.
“Yes, King Sombra.” The Rogue replied as they bowed to him.
“(Chuckle) Professor, tend to their wounds and make sure that they are ready for my return.” Sombra said, gesturing to the rest of the Rogue.
“Of course, your majesty.” Professor Screw replied with a bow.
“Good. I have things to attend to. Remember, all of you, do not fail me.” Sombra said, giving the Rogue a threatening gaze before vanishing into the shadows.
As soon as Sombra disappeared from the room, Discorded Whooves turned to face the Professor, the arms still keeping the unconscious Iron Will in their grip.
“Let me make something very clear to you, Professor. You’re not in charge, I am! You better not forget that, or else.” Discorded Whooves said, glaring at the Professor.
“If you say so, Doctor.” Professor Screw replied, not scared in the slightest by the Doctor’s threatening stare. “Now, if we’re done with the pointless threats, would you be so kind as to follow me to the lab? Iron Will is due for his experiment.”
“Fine.” Discorded Whooves said.
Professor Screw just nodded as he turned around and used his magic to summon a large portal that would lead to his laboratory. As the two exchanged another glance of hatred, Discorded Whooves walked through the portal, the arms carrying Iron Will’s body, keeping him raised in the air. Once the Doctor and the minotaur had walked into the portal, Professor Screw turned to the remaining Rogue members.
“Come along all of you.” Professor Screw said, gesturing for them to follow.
“Uhh? Yeah, I don’t know if you’re going deaf because you’re old or whatever, but King Sombra literally just told us to stay here.” Lightning Dust said, looking at the Professor like he was crazy, which he was.
“Would you like to remain with a crippled wing, Lightning Dust?” Professor Screw asked, picking Iron Will’s discarded gauntlets up with his magic.
“(Scoffs) Obviously not. But I also don’t want to find out what happens if we disobey King Sombra.” Lightning Dust said.
“His majesty tasked me with tending to your wounds. I intend to follow through on my master’s orders. Now, come along all of you. There’s no point in wasting any precious time.” Professor Screw said as he walked through the portal.
After Professor Screw had walked into the portal, Lightning Dust looked at her broken wing, took a deep breath, and walked through the portal as well. Only the Flim Flam brothers remained as they watched the pegasus go into the portal. The two brothers looked at each other and took a moment to think about their current situation.
“Brother, I think we may have gotten involved with something too much for us to handle.” Flam said before Flim jabbed him in the side.
“Shut up! You’re lucky the boss wasn’t here to hear you say that! And you and I both know that there is no leaving.” Flim said, looking around to make sure Sombra wasn’t lurking around the area. “Remember why we’re doing this. If we follow our orders, we’ll be rich beyond our wildest dreams! Applejack will finally pay for ruining our lives!”
“You’re right! Ever since that Friendship Journal or whatever that book was, came out, it was very difficult to get anypony to trust us.” Flam said, nodding in agreement.
“I didn’t want to bring this up, but you and I both know that book is the reason mother… disowned us.” Flim said.
“The day… we lost the love of the only family we had left…” Flam said, his mind filled with horrible memories of that horrible day.
“I know we agreed to forget about that, but when Applejack asked why we were doing all of this, the memories came back to me. I didn’t say anything because I knew how much that day hurt you, brother.” Flim said as he placed a hoof on his brother’s shoulders.
“Applejack will pay for taking our family away from us.” Flam said, as the two brothers shared a glance before walking into the portal themselves.
Professor Screw had been waiting patiently, wondering what was taking the Flim Flam brothers so long. He was just about to go check on them, when the two unicorns finally stepped through the portal, allowing the Professor to close it behind them.
“Well, you two took your time. What, you guys having trouble walking or something?” Lightning Dust asked.
“Ha! Of course, not you silly filly! We were just giving each other a good pep talk!” Flim said as he gave the pegasus a large grin. “Isn’t that right, brother?”
“Of course, it is, brother! A good pep talk always gets us back in the game!” Flam replied, giving Lightning Dust the same large grin.
“Pfft, yeah clearly.” Lightning Dust said as she rolled her eyes.
“If you three are finished with your little chat, I would like to get down to business.” Professor Screw said, getting the attention of the trio. “Excellent, Doctor, would you be so kind as to secure Iron Will on the table for me?”
“Do it yourself, you old fool.” Discorded Whooves said as he dropped Iron Will’s unconscious body onto the floor.
“Hmph, very well.” Professor Screw said as he walked over to the sleeping minotaur, placing the gauntlets off to the side.
Professor Screw lifted Iron Will up with his magic, levitating him over to the table where he had strapped Doctor Whooves to before turning him into Discorded Whooves. Professor Screw laid Iron Will onto the table, with his back facing upwards, before strapping the minotaur’s arms and legs down. With Iron Will safely secured, the Professor turned to face the others.
“As his majesty said, all of you are going to learn what happens to anypony who tries to betray him. Since Iron Will has so kindly offered himself up to be the example, the lesson can be taught.” Professor Screw said.
“Ugh! Can you stop talking like some over the top movie villain already!? It’s getting annoying!” Lightning Dust said as she put a hoof to her forehead in disappointment.
“What exactly are you going to do with the big guy?” Flim asked, pointing to Iron Will.
“I’m very glad you asked, Flim. I am going to build a special device that will rewire Iron Will’s brain that will effectively turn him into a mind slave, whose only purpose is to follow his orders. Since the device has to be attached to Iron Will’s brain, I will have to cut his head open. However, this won’t be any problem for me.” Professor Screw explained; the smile on his face making the rest of the Rogue extremely uncomfortable.
“Hold on, if you’re going to attach this device to his brain, wouldn’t that cause some serious brain damage?” Flam asked.
“If we’re lucky, yes.” Professor Screw replied.
“Okay, how are you even able to make some of this stuff!? I don’t remember Equestria having this kind of technology.” Lightning Dust said.
“Perhaps you are right about that. However, I have been to other worlds where the technology is much more advanced than you could’ve imagined. It truly is incredible just how far science and technology has become.” Professor Screw said.
“I don’t remember the Professor telling us that he can travel worlds, do you, brother?” Flim whispered to Flam.
“No, I don’t think so, brother. But if he did, we must have forgotten.” Flam whispered back.
“Now, as his majesty ordered, I will make sure you all are fixed up from our encounter with Princess Twilight and her friends, then I shall work on the device. In the morning I will begin Iron Will’s experiment.” Professor Screw said as he looked at the crippled pegasus. “Lightning Dust, I am most certain that you don’t wish to remain with one of your wings broken. Come, and I shall fix it for you.”
“What exactly are you gonna do? I’m not about to have some advanced tech stuff put on my wing, am I?” Lightning Dust asked, her broken wing ruffling a bit.
“(Chuckle) No, as I do not have the time to build anything of the sort right now. Instead, I will use a more… physical way to fix your wing.” Professor Screw said, beckoning her over with a hoof.
“Okay… sure…” Lightning Dust said as she cautiously stepped towards the Professor.
The closer Lightning Dust got to Professor Screw, the more uncomfortable she became, as the look he was giving her sent chills down her spine. Once Lightning Dust got close enough, the Professor reached out a hoof and touched her broken wing, causing it to instinctively flinch in pain.
“Ow! What the hay was that for!? Your eyes must be going bad or something because my wing is very obviously broken you idiot!” Lightning Dust yelled as she backed away from the Professor.
“My eyes are just fine. In order for me to fix your wing, I need to examine it and see just how broken it is. Unless of course, you want me to just forcefully fix your wing.” Professor Screw said, giving Lightning Dust a smirk and a raised eyebrow.
“Fine, just get it over with. And you better only be examining my wing and not trying anything stupid.” Lightning Dust said, narrowing her eyes to the Professor as she walked closer to him.
“(Chuckle) If you think I have some sort of infatuation with you, then you are gravely mistaken. I have higher standards than that.” Professor Screw said.
As Professor Screw examined Lightning Dust’s wing, he took note of the damage she had sustained. Every time the Professor would touch and prod at Lightning Dust’s wing, she would wince in pain. When Twilight broke her wing, she thankfully didn’t cause any severe or permanent injuries, however she had pulled the wing bone out of socket. Along with the bone being pulled, the wing had also been slightly twisted. This wouldn’t be too hard to fix, although it would be very painful for Lightning Dust; not that Professor Screw really cared or anything.
Once Professor Screw had finished his physical observation of the wing, he stepped back and cleared his throat, signaling for Lightning Dust’s attention.
“Well, your wing is not in any critical condition, and I can fix it. Naturally, the process will be slow and very painful for you. Now, if you would please lay down on that table over there and we can get started.” Professor Screw said as he gestured towards another worktable that had some restraints on it, clearly meant for a pony.
“Why would I do that?” Lightning Dust asked, her wings flaring a bit.
“Because I need to ensure that you don’t move around too much when I am fixing your wing, as doing so could cause further damage to the bone.” Professor Screw explained.
“Yeah, well how about you-.”
“Ugh! ENOUGH!” Discorded Whooves yelled as one of the arms grabbed Lightning Dust and lifted her up in the air.
“GAH! HEY! WHAT ARE YOU-OW!” Lightning Dust cried as the arm slammed her down onto the table, keeping her pinned in place.
“(Chuckle) You know, Lightning Dust, I must say you look rather… enticing in this position.” Discorded Whooves said as he creepily admired the way the arm was pinning the helpless pegasus to the table.
“LET GO OF ME, YOU FREAK! STOP! DON’T YOU DARE!” Lightning Dust screamed as Discorded Whooves started coming closer and closer to her, a look of hunger in his eyes.
In response to this very creepy situation, Flim and Flam were about to put a stop to what was happening, but when the Doctor had the two lower arms snap at them, the brothers had no choice but to stand there and hopelessly watch whatever was about to happen to their partner. As Discorded Whooves got closer, Lightning Dust was able to kick him with her back leg, which thankfully wasn’t being pinned by the arm. Discorded Whooves chuckled a bit, enjoying seeing the fear and anger in Lightning Dust’s eyes. He was about to continue his unwanted advances when the Professor cleared his throat.
“Doctor, what do you think you’re doing?” Professor Screw asked, his head tilted, and his eyebrow raised with curiosity.
“What does it look like I’m doing? I’m keeping this bitch still so you can carry on with fixing her wing.” Discorded Whooves replied, scowling at the Professor.
“That’s not what it looks like to me.” Professor Screw said.
“Whatever, just hurry up and get it over with so you can fix these traitorous arms! I don’t want these arms trying to mess things up again!” Discorded Whooves said.
“Let go of me! Or I’ll-!”
“Shut your mouth! If you say one more word, I will tear you, limb from limb and leave you for the maggots! GOT IT!?” Discorded Whooves yelled, giving Lightning Dust a death glare.
As much as Lightning Dust wanted to protest, she decided to just shut up and listen, even though she really didn’t want to. After all, if the Doctor killed her now, she wouldn’t be able to get her revenge on Rainbow Dash.
“Very well. Do try to stay as still is you can. This is going to hurt, a lot.” Professor Screw said as he started to use his magic to fix Lightning Dust’s wing.
The moment the Professor’s magic encased itself around Lightning Dust’s wing, she screamed in pain. She wasn’t sure what kind of method he was using but it was almost as if the Professor was purposefully going slow to make the pain last longer. This was exactly what Professor Screw was doing as he relished in hearing the screams of agony. After a very painful and unnecessary twenty minutes, Professor Screw finally popped Lightning Dust’s wings back into place.
After giving the pegasus a few seconds to recover, the Professor immediately started the process of untwisting the wing bone, making sure to take his time with it. After another egregious and unnecessary twenty minutes, the Professor had finally fixed Lightning Dust’s wing.
“There, all finished. You can let go of her now, Doctor.” Professor Screw said, nodding to the Doctor.
Despite what the Professor had just said, Discorded Whooves completely ignored him as he kept Lightning Dust pinned to the table, intending to continue his previous distasteful acts. Professor Screw really didn’t care what the Doctor clearly wanted to do to the pegasus, but he was in no mood to deal with it, and he knew he had a schedule to follow. He would not fail his king just because this mad Doctor wanted some… action.
“Doctor, we are on a tight schedule here, and I would appreciate it if you let Lightning Dust go so, I can continue with my work.” Professor Screw said.
“Fine.” Discorded Whooves said as he picked Lightning Dust up with the arm and gently lowered her to the ground.
With Lightning Dust back on the ground and free from the arms grasp, she turned to look at the Doctor. She was about to start shouting and insulting him, but she was stopped when she felt a hoof on her shoulder. Lightning Dust turned around to see who had stopped her from justly giving the Doctor a piece of her mind. It was then that she saw Flim and Flam looking at her with concerned expressions; their eyes giving her a visible warning, almost a plea, as to not try anything stupid. Lightning Dust was actually taken by surprise when she realized that these two unicorns were actually concerned for her safety, and she obliged to their visual pleas and kept her mouth shut.
“Now, who’s next?” Professor Screw asked as he looked at the Flim Flam brothers with a sinister grin.
Ponyville, the next morning…
It was only a mere five seconds after the sun had risen over Ponyville when all twenty of Twilight’s alarm clocks went off at once, waking the princess up almost immediately. As soon as her eyes opened, Twilight jumped out of the bed, accidentally throwing her blankets at the wall. The first thing Twilight did was rush over to where she had kept the crystal globe Professor Screw had given her. She checked it multiple times, tapping it, flipping it over, looking at it from every angle, desperately searching for any signs of recent activity. To Twilight’s relief there was nothing indicating that the Professor or anypony from the Rogue had tried to contact her while she had slept; for the little amount of sleep that she actually got.
“(Exhale) Okay, no word from the Professor or anypony else! That’s good, that’s good, very good! Excellent in fact!” Twilight said as she laughed like a crazy pony.
Ever since the previous day, when Professor Screw had spoken to her from the crystal globe, Twilight had been greatly on edge. Princess Celestia was able to help Twilight, reassuring her and reminding her that she needed to stay strong for the sake of her friends and Ponyville. When Twilight had calmed down, Celestia told her to only tell everything they had discussed in their meeting to Starlight, Spike, and Mayor Mare, as she didn’t want to cause Ponyville to stress over all of the details regarding the Rogue, especially Professor Screw and Doctor Whooves. Twilight didn’t quite agree with this as she didn’t want to lie or leave any important information out. To compromise, Luna suggested that Twilight only tell the citizens of Ponyville the bare minimum about the Rogue. Despite Luna’s demeanor, Twilight could tell that Luna secretly agreed with her.
As per Celestia and Luna’s advice, Twilight would only tell the citizens of Ponyville about Professor Screw Loose; simply describing him as a crystal unicorn mad scientist who had turned Doctor Whooves evil, as well as being the pony responsible for the actions of the Rogue. Naturally everypony had questions, especially Derpy, who pleaded with Twilight, asking how the Doctor could have been turned into such a cruel pony. Seeing the desperate look in Derpy’s eyes hurt Twilight as she lied, telling the distraught pegasus that she had no idea. Twilight’s answer caused Derpy to run off in tears and some ponies were suspicious that Twilight wasn’t telling them the whole truth. After seeing Derpy break down as well as the suspicious glances from the other ponies, Twilight knew she had to do something that she hated doing and almost never did; she would have to disobey Princess Celestia. When the time was right, Twilight planned to tell everypony the whole truth about the Rogue.
After Twilight had explained the half-truth of the situation, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna told the citizens of Ponyville that due to the threats given by the Rogue, they would have to go back to Canterlot. However, they assured the citizens that they would do everything they could to keep them safe. Celestia promised to have some of her royal guard stationed in Ponyville, as well as the other cities and towns in Equestria. In addition, Luna promised to have her own royal guard stationed with Celestia’s royal guard to keep them safe during the night. Cadance also promised to have Shining Armor send out some of their royal guards throughout Equestria. For the safety of the students, all four princesses agreed to send word out that the School of Friendship would be closed until the Rogue were taken care of.
As Twilight continued to look back at the events of the previous day, her ears perked up as she heard the sound of somepony calling her name from outside her room.
“Twilight? Twilight?” A voice called as Twilight’s bedroom door opened, revealing a tired and concerned looking Spike.
“Uh, Twilight, are you okay?” Spike asked as the purple alicorn slowly turned to look at him.
“Oh, don’t you worry about me! I’m perfectly fine!” Twilight said with a very creepy yet innocent smile.
“You… didn’t sleep last night, did you?” Spike asked, already knowing by the bags under Twilight’s eyes that she didn’t sleep.
“What? Pfft! What are you talking about? Of course, I slept.” Twilight said, rubbing her eyes as if trying to get rid of the very obvious bags under them.
Spike just kept staring at Twilight, waiting for the inevitable confession and admittance of the truth.
“(Sigh) Okay, you got me. But for the record, I did sleep… for about two or three hours.” Twilight said as she looked at herself in the mirror.
Twilight’s mane was all messy and in serious need of brushing, with loose ends sticking up nearly everywhere. The bags under her eyes were very noticeable and even the veins of her eyes were visible.
“Why did you stay up?” Spike asked, walking up next to Twilight.
“I was worried that if I fell asleep, Professor Screw or one of the other Rogue members would call to tell me something important. I didn’t want to risk not being awake in case that ever happened.” Twilight explained.
“So… did they call?” Spike asked as he examined the crystal globe.
“No, not that I know of… but for the sake of having a good state of mind, I’m just going to say that they didn’t.” Twilight said with a confident smile.
“Okay, well that’s good to hear.” Spike said with a smile. “So, uh, do you want me to make some breakfast?”
“You know what, Spike, I would very much appreciate that. If it’s not too much trouble or anything. I can always make something myself.” Twilight said before Spike started laughing. “What’s so funny?”
“(Laughs) And when was the last time you cooked something that was halfway decent or even edible?” Spike asked.
“Wha-Hey! My cooking’s not that bad!” Twilight said.
“Oh yeah? How many frying pans did we go through when you tried making fried eggs?” Spike asked.
“(Sigh) thirty-two.” Twilight admitted, looking away from Spike as he laughed some more. “Spike, can you just go make some breakfast, please?”
“(Laughs) Yeah, sure, no problem. I’ll get you when it’s ready.” Spike said as he left the room.
While Spike was preparing breakfast in the kitchen, Twilight took the time to fix herself up, brush her mane and wash up a little. Once she had finished, Twilight walked over to the crystal globe and put it away with her magic. With the crystal globe temporarily out of her way, Twilight nodded to herself. Twilight then looked over to her nightstand and placed her golden tiara with the Element of Magic on her head, using the spell she used on herself the previous day during her battle with Professor Screw. About ten minutes later, Spike had walked back in to tell her that breakfast was about to be finished. Twilight told Spike that she’d be there in a minute as she had forgotten to fix her bed up from her dramatic wake up. Once that was finished, Twilight left her room and headed to the dining room, where she saw Spike had prepared a delicious looking breakfast of pancakes and a couple pots of coffee.
Meanwhile, Starlight had finally left her room and was making her way to the dining room as well, drawn by the smell of Spike’s cooking. Starlight had awoken earlier than she would have preferred, mainly because of Twilight’s alarm system. Much like Twilight, Starlight also didn’t get much sleep. She had spent most of the night feeling nothing but guilt and sorrow over the events that had transpired in her old village. The fact that she hadn’t been able to do anything to help her friends just devastated her. Never before had Starlight felt so useless when she found out how many ponies had been killed by the Rogue in the village.
As Starlight entered the dining room, her thoughts were immediately put on hold as she watched Twilight down an entire pot of coffee in a very unbefitting manner of a princess. It was quite a bizarre sight, and Starlight couldn’t help but laugh a bit as she and Twilight’s eyes met.
“Oh! Starlight! Hi! Good morning! How did you sleep?” Twilight asked, placing the coffee pot down and wiping her mouth with a cloth.
“(Laughs) Much better than you did, it seems.” Starlight said as she sat down next to her.
“Starlight, I really hate asking this but, Sugar Belle, Double Diamond, and Night Glider… are they going to be, okay?” Twilight asked.
“(Sigh) Sugar Belle’s fine. Just a couple bruises. Double Diamond’s legs are in really bad shape, but the doctors say he’ll get better in time. Physically, Night Glider will be fine. Mentally however… it’s not good, Twilight.” Starlight said, looking at the alicorn with serious eyes.
“How bad is it?” Twilight asked.
“She hasn’t spoken since yesterday and she’s just depressed. Though, I guess I can understand why. For a pegasus to lose their wings and their ability to fly, it must be devastating for their psyche. She’ll be treated by a lot of psychologists.” Starlight explained.
“Starlight, I’m so sorry… if only we had known about the attack. We could have stopped it.” Twilight said, shaking her head in frustration.
“There was no way for any of us to know this was going to happen, Twilight. So… what was with all of those alarms?” Starlight asked, quickly changing the subject.
“Well, Cadance told me that I could go find out more about Professor Screw at the Crystal Empire today. I wanted to get up early so I could have more time to research everything I can about the Professor.” Twilight explained.
“Uh, you do know that it takes about a day to actually get to the Crystal Empire by train, right?” Starlight asked.
“I know that, but with a little help from Discord, we can be there in seconds.” Twilight said, pouring herself a cup of coffee, as if she hadn’t just drunk from the pot earlier.
“I’m honestly surprised Discord hasn’t been complaining about being used as a fast travel provider or something.” Spike said as he placed a plate of pancakes in front of Starlight. “He got pretty annoyed with Big Mac and I when we wanted him to speed up the process of baking a pie for Sugar Belle.”
“It’s probably because Fluttershy is the one asking him. After all, it’s pretty obvious that he has a huge soft spot for her. You should have seen how mad he got when he found out that Fluttershy was captured by the changelings.” Starlight said as she began eating her breakfast, while Spike sat down next to her with his own plate of pancakes.
As Twilight, Starlight, and Spike ate their breakfast, a sudden thought came to Starlight’s mind. She had recalled that very… interesting time when she had switched the cutie marks of the royal sisters, and how Twilight was easily able to teleport to her exact location.
“Wait, Twilight, can’t you just teleport yourself and the others to the Crystal Empire? I mean, you were able to teleport to Canterlot back when I had… accidentally switched Celestia and Luna’s cutie marks.” Starlight said.
“Well for one, Canterlot is much closer to Ponyville than the Crystal Empire is. I haven’t really had much time to increase the range for my teleportation spell. Not only that, but it would take a ton of magic for me to teleport all of my friends at once. I’m good with magic, but I still have plenty of room for improvement.” Twilight explained.
“Well, maybe I can help you with that. I can always give you some of my magic.” Starlight offered.
“Oh no, I couldn’t have you do that, Starlight.” Twilight said, holding her hooves up.
“It’s fine, don’t worry Twilight. I’ve got plenty of magic to spare and we both know that.” Starlight insisted.
“How about instead of giving me some of your magic, you just increase the strength of my teleportation spell? Is that possible?” Twilight asked.
“Well, yeah, I could just do that. But considering what you’re up against, it really wouldn’t hurt to have some extra magic.” Starlight said.
“I appreciate that, but I would really prefer if you just gave me a little power boost to my teleportation spell.” Twilight said.
“(Sigh) Alright, if you say so.” Starlight said as she prepared to use a spell before Spike spoke up.
“Hold on, wouldn’t this be considered helping Twilight? Which is what the Rogue told us not to do?” Spike asked worriedly.
“The way I see it, if the Rogue are fine with letting Discord help Twilight and her friends get around, then I’m pretty sure they won’t care if I give Twilight a little power boost.” Starlight said.
“Huh, I didn’t think of that. In that case, fire away!” Spike said as he sat back in his chair, waiting to see a huge spectacle of magic.
With that, Starlight looked over to Twilight to make sure she had the all-clear signal. As Twilight gave her a confirmative nod, Starlight nodded back as they both closed their eyes. After a few seconds, Twilight’s horn became encased by Starlight’s magic as the unicorn began the process of increasing Twilight’s teleportation ability. The spell only lasted for a few moments, but the job was complete. Seeing this, Spike slumped down in his chair, a bit disappointed.
“That’s it? Oh, I was expecting a bit more of a light show.” Spike said.
“Sorry to disappoint you, Spike. But hey, at least it worked. Right, Twilight?” Starlight asked.
“Well, I definitely feel like something has changed.” Twilight said as she rubbed her head a bit before letting out a yawn.
“Great! Well, let’s finish our breakfast and then you can get a bit more sleep before it’s time for you and your friends to head to the Crystal Empire.” Starlight said.
“More sleep? Oh no, no. I’ll be just fine.” Twilight said as she suddenly passed out, her head falling onto her plate of pancakes.
“Yeah, I figured that would happen sooner or later.” Starlight said with a giggle.
A couple hours later, Twilight woke up, seeing that she had been moved to her bedroom. Spike was in her room, reading one of his comic books when he heard Twilight wake up.
“Good morning again, Twilight. Feeling better?” Spike asked, placing his comic beside him.
“(Yawn) I guess I feel a little better. Still a bit tired, but not super tired anymore at least.” Twilight replied as she got out of bed. “Where’s Starlight?”
“She’s downstairs having breakfast with the rest of your friends.” Spike said.
“Wait, my friends are here? How long have they been here?” Twilight asked.
“Relax Twilight, they only got here like fifteen minutes ago. It’s not like you kept them waiting or anything.” Spike said.
“Oh, okay. Thank Celestia for that.” Twilight said.
“Yep. I made you some more breakfast since you didn’t exactly finish yours earlier. You can join your friends.” Spike said as he walked over to the door before Twilight called out to him.
“Spike. I’m really sorry for having you take care of me like this. It seems like that’s all I ever have you do. I’m sorry, Spike.” Twilight said.
“Twilight… look at me.” Spike said as he walked over to Twilight. “You have nothing to be sorry for. I may not say it all the time, but I am more than happy to take care of you. It’s because of you that I’m alive right now. It’s because of you that I got to meet so many amazing ponies and creatures. It’s because of you that I have a good life. You’re my family Twilight, and family takes care of each other. Don’t ever be sorry for that.” Spike said as he gave Twilight a hug.
“Oh, Spike, what did I ever do to deserve you?” Twilight asked as she hugged him back.
“You passed an important test by summoning a dragon egg.” Spike replied with a chuckle.
“I love you, Spike.” Twilight said.
“I love you too, Twilight.” Spike said as they continued to hug for a few moments before separating. “Well, come on, your friends are waiting.”
“(Giggle) Alright, let’s go.” Twilight said as the two made their way out of Twilight’s room and down to the dining room.
“Well, look who finally decided to wake up.” Rainbow Dash jokingly said as Twilight and Spike entered the dining room.
“Hey girls, I hope I didn’t keep you all waiting.” Twilight said, noticing that all of her friends had their Elements of Harmony equipped with them.
“Don’t y’all worry, Twilight. We ain’t been here for very long anyway.” Applejack said, beckoning her over.
“Starlight told us that you had woken yourself up a bit too early. That crystal globe must have really had you stressed. Are you alright now, darling?” Rarity asked, looking at her with a concerned expression.
“Oh yeah, don’t worry Rarity. I’m perfectly fine, all be it a bit tired, but fine otherwise.” Twilight replied with a smile as she sat down in her chair. “More importantly, how are you girls doing?”
“Oh, don’t worry about us, Twilight. Pretty much all of us are okay now. Even Rainbow Dash and Applejack.” Pinkie Pie said as she pointed over to the earth pony and pegasus.
“The doctors gave Rainbow and I some medicine to help with the pain and once we got some sleep, we were fine and dandy.” Applejack said.
“Well, I’m glad that you’re all okay.” Twilight said, sharing a smile with all of her friends.
“So, what’s the plan, Twi?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Thanks to Starlight, I should be able to teleport the six of us to the Crystal Empire. I figured that once we’re done here, we can go to the empire and find out anything we can about Professor Screw.” Twilight explained, before putting on a concerned look. “That is if you’re all okay with this, of course.”
“Are you kidding? Of course, we are! Right, girls?” Rainbow Dash said, asking the other mane six.
After getting positive responses from all of them, Rainbow Dash nodded and looked back over to Twilight.
“See, told you.” Rainbow Dash said with a smirk. “We’ll always be ready to help you, Twi.”
“Well in that case, let’s finish our food already! The Crystal Empire awaits us!” Pinkie Pie said as she scarfed down the rest of her food. “Once we find out what we need to know about the Professor, we can focus on taking down the rest of the Sinister Six!”
“Pinkie, we’re not going to call them the Sinister Six.” Twilight said.
“But why not? There’s six members on the Rogue, and one of them is basically Doctor Octopus.” Pinkie Pie said.
“Pinkie, I don’t care if Mysterio, Sand Mare, Electro, or any of the other Spider-Mare villains were part of the Rogue; we’re not calling them the Sinister Six.” Twilight said.
“Aww okay… but can I still call them that?” Pinkie Pie asked hopefully.
“(Sigh) Yes, Pinkie, you can call them whatever you want.” Twilight said, rolling her eyes a bit.
Hearing this, Pinkie Pie leaped from her seat with a happy cheer as the rest of her friends laughed at the whole situation. Once the eight friends had finished their breakfast, they all got up from their seats and the Mane Six prepared to go to the Crystal Empire.
“Okay, is everypony ready?” Twilight asked, as all of her friends nodded in response. “We’ll be back as soon as we can.” Twilight said to Starlight and Spike.
“Don’t worry about us, just go find out what you need to know about that Professor guy.” Spike said with a thumbs up.
“Try not to get distracted by that Flash Sentry this time.” Starlight said with a mischievous grin.
“Wh-What!?” Twilight cried as her wings flared while the rest of her friends did their best to hide their laughter.
“(Giggle) I’m just kidding, get out of here.” Starlight said.
“Right! Alright! Here it goes.” Twilight said as she took a deep breath before starting her teleportation spell.
After a few seconds of gathering as much magic as she needed, Twilight was finally able to teleport herself as well as all of her friends away. Once the Mane Six were gone, Starlight looked over to Spike.
“Well, come on, Spike. Let’s clean up a bit.” Starlight said as she began to clean up the plates before they both heard a knock at the door. “Huh? Who could that be?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll get it.” Spike said as she quickly headed to the door.
As Spike walked over to the castle doors, he wondered in his mind who could possibly be visiting Twilight’s castle at this time. His question was answered as he opened the door, his eyes landing on a blue unicorn wearing a long cape as well as an oddly shaped hat.
“Greetings young Spike! Is Starlight home? If so, please tell her that the Great and Powerful Trixie has arrived!” Trixie said as she tipped her signature hat at Spike.
“(Sigh) Oh boy…” Spike said as he shook his head.
The Crystal Empire…
Twilight breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that she had successfully teleported herself, along with her friends, to the Crystal Empire safe and sound. Looking around, she saw that she had teleported everypony to the Crystal Empire’s train station. The few crystal ponies that happened to be close by were temporarily shocked, but their fear quickly went away when they saw it was just Twilight Sparkle and the rest of the Elements of Harmony.
“Phew, glad that worked out.” Twilight said as she swiped a hoof across her forehead.
“I wonder what would have happened if it didn’t work.” Pinkie Pie said, pondering the consequences of a failed teleportation spell.
“So, what’s the plan, Twilight?” Applejack asked as she walked over to her. “Are we just gonna ask everypony if they know anything about the Professor?”
“We could do that, but I was thinking first we should-.”
“Twilight? Twilight! Over here!” A mare’s voice called from the train that had just arrived in the station.
Twilight turned to see who had been calling to her. Twilight gasped, as she wasn’t expecting to see her parents, Twilight Velvet, and Night Light.
“Mom!? Dad!?” Twilight cried as she teleported herself to her parents and gave them a hug. “It’s so good to see you both!”
“(Giggle) It’s good to see you too, sweetheart.” Twilight Velvet said as the three parted from the hug.
“What are you two doing here?” Twilight asked.
“(Chuckle) We could ask you the same thing. Although since all of your friends are here with you, I’m guessing you’re all here regarding this Rogue or whatever they’ve called themselves.” Night Light said as he patted Twilight on the head.
“You two know about that?” Twilight asked, trying to remember if she had even told her parents
“That’s kind of the reason we’re here. Your brother sent us a letter telling us about what had happened in Appleloosa and that village where you met Starlight. He insisted that we both moved here until the Rogue were captured.” Twilight Velvet explained.
“We were just about to head over to the palace. Apparently, we’ll be staying in one of the spare rooms there.” Night Light said as he chuckled a bit. “Your mother and I insisted that we could just stay at the hotel in the Crystal Empire but (Chuckle) your brother wouldn’t hear it.”
“Why don’t you come with us? I’m sure your brother and Cadance would love to see you. Oh, and of course, Flurry Heart would be so happy to see you.” Twilight Velvet said.
“(Giggle) Of course! We were actually going to go the palace anyway, so this works perfectly. Come on, everypony, let’s go.” Twilight said as they all began to make their way to the Crystal Palace.
While everypony was walking through the streets of the Crystal Empire, Rarity suddenly remembered Starlight’s earlier teasing about Flash Sentry. She wasn’t sure if Twilight’s parents knew about him or not, but now was the perfect time to find out.
“Mrs. Velvet? Mr. Light?” Rarity said as the two unicorns turned to look at her.
“Yes, Rarity?” Twilight Velvet asked.
“Are you aware that your daughter has taken a bit of an interest in one of the guards’ ponies here in the Crystal Empire?” Rarity asked with a smile.
“What!? Rarity!” Twilight cried.
“Oh, has she now?” Twilight Velvet asked as she looked at her daughter.
“Who is it, Twilight? Who do I need to have a serious talk with?” Night Light asked.
“(Sigh) Dad, you don’t need to talk to anypony. Rarity’s just making things up.” Twilight said.
“Oh, I doubt that. I think that it’s a good thing you’ve found yourself a stallion, Twilight. It’s about time you gave me some grandchildren.” Twilight Velvet said.
“But Shining Armor already gave you a granddaughter.” Twilight said.
“Yes, and now it’s your turn to give me grandchildren.” Twilight Velvet replied with a smile.
“What? Mom, I don’t think that’s how this works.” Twilight said as she shook her head before her eyes landed on the Crystal Palace. “Look, here we are! It’s time to get serious. Let’s go.” Twilight said as she flew towards the entrance.
“There’s definitely a stallion she’s taken an interest in.” Night Light said, looking to his wife.
“Oh, absolutely. There’s no denying it.” Twilight Velvet said, nodding to her husband before looking to Rarity. “Thank you for telling us about this, Rarity.”
“(Giggle) But of course.” Rarity replied.
“Can you tell us who it is?” Night Light asked.
“Heh, look, if Twilight runs into him, which she probably will, you’ll know. Trust me.” Rainbow Dash said with a grin.
“(Chuckle) Alright, we’ll take your word for it. Come along now, everypony.” Night Light said as they followed Twilight to the entrance.
While all of this was happening, Cadance and Shining Armor were having a slightly heated debate over whether it was safe to send more of their guards throughout Equestria to protect its citizens from the Rogue. Despite how long the empire had been restored, there were not a lot of guards. Sixty guards’ ponies had been sent out already, leaving only fifteen guards in the empire.
“Cadance, I cannot let you do this. I can’t let you to send out any more of our guards.” Shining Armor said as he followed Cadance out of their throne room.
“Shining, the ponies of Equestria are in danger. They will need protection in case the Rogue show up to attack. You heard what happened in Appleloosa and in that village. We can’t let that happen again.” Cadance said.
“You think I want that to happen!? Cadance, it hurt me so much knowing that for two whole days, ponies were being killed! And what were we doing? Trying to open some stupid door that probably has nothing important behind it!” Shining Armor said as he stomped his hoof in frustration.
Cadance said nothing as Shining Armor took some time to calm himself down.
“Cadance, we’ve already sent sixty of our guards out. Sure, we still have thirty more guards, but only fifteen of them are fully trained. The rest are still in the training process. If we send out more guards, we’ll be left with almost no protection. If an army were to suddenly appear, or if the Rogue launched an ambush attack during the night, hundreds of lives would be lost before we’d even know what was happening. I don’t want to put the lives of the crystal ponies, my parents, you, or Flurry Heart at risk.” Shining Armor said.
“(Sigh) You’re right, I’m sorry Shining. I’m just so worried about the rest of Equestria. I don’t want any more ponies to die.” Cadance said as Shining Armor placed a hoof on her shoulder.
“The love and the worry you have for the ponies of Equestria is a good thing, Cadance. It’s what makes you an incredible princess. It’s one of the many things I love about you.” Shining Armor said as he gave her a loving smile.
“Oh. Shining…” Cadance said as the two shared a loving kiss.
As the two parted from their kiss, they were about to continue their earlier discussion, when they heard the palace doors open. With guests now arriving in the palace, Cadance and Shining Armor gave each other a nod and a look that said, ‘We will talk about this later’. One of the guards approached them, bowing to them before he spoke.
“Captain Armor, some ponies have arrived, your parents are among them.” The guard said.
“Excellent, let them in.” Shining Armor said as the guard bowed in response before heading back to the palace doors.
Moments later, Shining Armor saw his parents, as well as Twilight and her friends approaching them. Cadance had told him yesterday that they would be coming to the Crystal Empire, but neither of them had expected them to be here in the morning. Nevertheless, they were both happy to see their family and friends.
“Hello everypony. Welcome to the Crystal Empire.” Shining Armor said.
“(Chuckle) There he is!” Night Light said as he and Twilight Velvet rushed over to their son.
“Look at our baby boy.” Twilight Velvet said as she gave Shining Armor a hug and kiss.
“Ugh, mom.” Shining Armor said as he saw Cadance giggle a bit out of the corner of his eye.
“Ah, Cadance! So nice to see you!” Night Light said as he gave Cadance a hug.
“How’s everything been going with you and Shining? Oh, and how is my precious granddaughter, Flurry Heart?” Twilight Velvet asked as she hugged Cadance as well.
“(Giggle) It’s wonderful to see you two as well. Shinning and I have been doing great. Flurry Heart is just fine, still being a cute adorable little baby. She’s taking her nap right now.” Cadance said as she hugged her in-laws.
“Oh, that’s so good to hear! I can’t wait to see her!” Twilight Velvet said as she turned back to her son. “It was awfully thoughtful of you to have us move here with you, Shining. But we really didn’t need the luxury treatment.”
“I know, but I want you two to be safe. And Cadance and I would feel much better if you were close to us. After all, you’re both so important to us and not to mention you’re Flurry Heart’s grandparents.” Shining Armor said.
“You both really raised such a wonderful son.” Cadance said as she leaned up against her husband.
“(Chuckle) We certainly hope so. We’re both so glad that our son has somepony to keep him in check. I’ll never forget how troublesome your teenage years were, son.” Night Light said as he jokingly poked Shining Armor’s shoulder.
“Oh, come on, dad! I wasn’t that bad.” Shining Armor protested.
“Shining, you know you shouldn’t be lying. Especially not in front of your beloved wife.” Twilight Velvet said.
“Mom!” Shining Armor said as everypony shared a laugh.
“(Laughs) By the way, look who your mother and I ran into when we got off the train.” Night Light said as he gestured over to Twilight and her friends.
“Twily! It’s so good to see you again!” Shining Armor said as he and Cadance walked over to the Mane Six.
“You too, B.B.B.F.F.” Twilight said as she hugged her brother.
“And of course, it’s always nice to see all of you.” Shining Armor said as he gave a smile to the rest of the Mane Six. “Well, I hate to be the buzzkill here, but I’m pretty sure you’re all here on serious terms. Mom, dad, come with me. I’ll take you to the room you’ll be staying in. Cadance, you got this covered?”
“Yep, I’ll take care of things from here.” Cadance replied with a nod and a smile.
“Wait, Shining Armor.” Twilight called as her brother looked over to her. “Did anything come of that door you’ve been trying to open?”
“No, we called it off. Besides, there’s more serious stuff happening in Equestria right now. We’ll worry about it once the Rogue is dealt with.” Shining Armor replied.
“Oh okay.” Twilight replied with a nod.
“Well, it was nice to see you again, sweetheart. If you need us, you know where to find us.” Twilight Velvet said as she gave Twilight a hug and kiss.
“That’s right. Now, go and make us proud. You always do and always will.” Night Light said.
“Thanks mom and dad. I love you both.” Twilight said as she hugged her parents tightly.
“We love you too, sweetie.” Twilight Velvet said as she and Night Light began walking off with Shining Armor. “Oh Shining, there’s something you should know about your sister.” Twilight Velvet whispered.
“What’s that?” Shining Armor asked as he opened a door for his parents.
“(Chuckle) We’ll tell you once we’re out of sight from our princess.” Night Light said as the door closed behind the three ponies.
Once Shining Armor, Night Light, and Twilight Velvet had left, Cadance walked up to Twilight and gave her a hug.
“Come here you.” Cadance said as she hugged Twilight tightly.
“I’m so glad to see you, Cadance.” Twilight said.
“As am I, Twilight. Though I must admit you’re all here earlier than I expected. Are you all okay?” Cadance asked, looking at Twilight’s friends.
“Don’t y’all worry about us, Princess. We’re all much better now.” Applejack said with a smile.
“Yeah, even though I hate hospitals, they took care of us and let us know that we were totally fine.” Rainbow Dash added.
“We all got plenty of rest, just like you wanted us to, Princess Cadance.” Fluttershy said.
“Well, I’m so glad that you’re all okay. You certainly look much better compared to how hurt you all looked yesterday.” Cadance said, relieved that she couldn’t spot any serious injuries on any of the ponies. “Well, let’s not waste any time, shall we? You’re all here to see if you can learn more about Professor Screw?”
“Yep! That’s why we’re here!” Pinkie Pie replied with a bounce.
“I’m sorry to ask, Cadance, but were you able to find out anything?” Twilight asked.
“There’s no need to apologize, Twilight. Yesterday, Shining Armor and I asked the guards if they knew anything about the Professor. They told us that sometime before King Sombra took over the Crystal Empire, Professor Screw was arrested and thrown in the dungeon for serious crimes. However, when we asked the guards what crimes he had committed, they said they couldn’t say because it was too sickening to remember.” Cadance said.
“Well, considering how much he talked about experimenting, it must have been some sort of crazy messed up science project.” Pinkie Pie said.
“You know what, that reminds me. Pinkie, what in the hay is going on between you and the Professor?” Rainbow Dash asked. “If you ask me, I think he’s developed a weird obsession for you.”
“(Giggle) Well of course he has, silly! It was pretty obvious that he has a crush on me.” Pinkie Pie said.
“Pinkie, darling, considering how creepy and evil he is, I don’t think you should be happy that he's taken an… interest in you.” Rarity said.
“I never said I was happy about it. I’m just stating the facts.” Pinkie Pie said with a smile.
“Anyways, did the guards say anything else, Cadance?” Twilight asked.
“No, they didn’t know anything else. However, they said that if we wanted to learn more about the Professor, we could talk to Amethyst Maresbury.” Cadance said.
“Amethyst Maresbury, the librarian?” Twilight asked.
“Yes, apparently she knows more about Professor Screw than anypony else in the Crystal Empire.” Cadance replied.
“Well in that case, she’s our pony to go to.” Twilight said.
“Um, Twilight, do you really think it’s a good idea to ask her about the Professor? If the guards were too scared to talk about him, how would she react if we mentioned him to her?” Fluttershy asked.
“I see your point, Fluttershy, but she’s the only pony in the empire who can tell us about the Professor. We have to at least try. If she’s not comfortable talking about it, we’ll leave her alone. I promise.” Twilight assured her.
“There’s just one thing that I don’t get, Twilight. I get why you want to find out more about the Professor, but like, why all of a sudden has he become like your main focus or something?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“(Exhale) I guess I’m just trying to use it as a way to keep myself distracted from wondering when the Rogue is going to call us. I read that sometimes it’s best to yourself busy, so you don’t get overwhelmed by the stress of other things going on.” Twilight explained.
“Well come on then! Let’s go get what we need so we can focus on something else to distract us! Like how awesome I am!” Rainbow Dash said as she flew up and took off towards the entrance of the palace, only to come back a few seconds later laughing nervously. “Heh, so uh, which way is the library?”
Everypony just rolled their eyes and smiled.
“(Giggle) Follow me, everypony. I’ll take you to the library.” Cadance said as she led the Mane Six in the direction of the library.
Amethyst Maresbury was in the middle of tidying up some of the bookshelves, when she heard the doors open. She turned to see who had entered the library and she was pleased and a bit surprised to not only see Twilight and her friends, but also Princess Cadance. The earth pony mare finished with the bookshelves and walked over to the ponies.
“Princess Cadance and Princess Twilight, oh it’s so good to see you both. To what do I owe this honor having all of you here today?” Amethyst Maresbury asked as she bowed to the two princesses.
“Come now, Ms. Maresbury, there’s no need to bow, you know that.” Cadance said with a smile.
“Oh, but there is. You’re both royal princesses after all. And Cadance, you’re our beloved princess. All of us here in the Crystal Empire are very grateful that you and Captain Armor are watching over us. I’m sure that if Princess Amore were still with us, she’d be more than delighted knowing that we are in good hooves. So, what can I do for you ponies?” Amethyst Maresbury asked.
“Well, Ms. Maresbury, we were just wondering… w-we were wondering if you perhaps… um…” Twilight said, her words caught in her throat.
“What’s the matter, dear? Come now, I don’t bite.” Amethyst Maresbury said with a smile.
The joyful expression on Amethyst Maresbury’s face had made Twilight stop to think if this really was a good idea. The poor mare looked so happy, and Twilight really didn’t want to ruin her day. Eventually, Twilight managed to power through and finished her question.
“We were wondering if you ever knew a pony by the name of Professor Screw Loose.” Twilight said, cringing a bit as she prepared herself for whatever reaction she’d get.
Twilight’s question hadn’t caused any sort of loud outburst or any kind of extreme reaction, however everypony saw a look of fear spread across Amethyst Maresbury’s face at the mention of the Professor. After a few moments of silence, the old mare’s fearful expression changed to that of a serious one as she looked back up at Twilight.
“Why do you want to know?” Amethyst Maresbury asked.
“I’m so sorry, Ms. Maresbury. You see, this Professor Screw is part of the Rogue.” Twilight quickly said, hoping she hadn’t just crossed a line.
“The Rogue? The group that you and Captain Armor told us about?” Amethyst Maresbury asked, looking over at Cadance.
“Yes, that’s right, Ms. Maresbury. Professor Screw is one of them and from what Twilight and her friends have gathered, he is a very dangerous and powerful pony.” Cadance said.
“He told me that King Sombra cursed him to live over one thousand years, ever since the Crystal Empire disappeared. Cadance told us that the guards said you knew about him.” Twilight added.
“I see… That certainly explains how he’s even alive and causing problems with the Rogue. Sit down at that table, all of you.” Amethyst Maresbury said as she walked over to the entrance.
“Oh, miss, it’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it. We understand.” Fluttershy said as they all sat down at one of the large tables.
“No, no, dear, it’s quite alright.” Amethyst Maresbury said as she flipped her library’s open sign to close, before walking back to the rest of the ponies. “To answer your question, Princess Twilight, yes, I knew a pony named Screw Loose. What do you wish to know about him?” Amethyst Maresbury asked as she sat down across from Twilight.
“Well, everything, I guess. B-But like Fluttershy said, you really don’t have to tell us anything if you don’t want to.” Twilight said.
“Don’t worry, I will tell you everything I know.” Amethyst Maresbury said as everypony listened intently. “Screw wasn’t always the evil professor you see now…”
*Flashback: over a thousand years ago*
Screw Loose and I were neighbors, our families were close, and we often played together as fillies. He was quite the character, always smiling and cheerful. Rarely even cried or threw a fit. His mother was the pure definition of a loving and nurturing mother, what a sweet and loving mare she was. Screw’s father wasn’t too keen on showing his emotions, but he loved Screw very much. He really had such a loving family. Screw always did have a-.
Rainbow Dash: Let me guess, his parents were killed, which made him become a crazy villain? Pfft, cliché.
Twilight Sparkle: Rainbow Dash! Don’t interrupt her! I’m so sorry Ms. Maresbury, please continue.
Amythest Maresbury: (Giggle) It’s quite alright, dear. As I was saying:
Screw always did have a passion for science, he would never stop talking about how he would become a brilliant scientist one day and how his inventions would change not just the Crystal Empire, but all of Equestria. I always admired him for his determination. Our early foalhood went just about as normally as any other foal in Equestria. As we grew, so too did Screw’s knowledge and love for science. However, just as Screw’s love for science grew as we got older, so too did my love for him.
Pinkie Pie: Aww! That’s cute! Did you two go out together?
Twilight Sparkle: Pinkie, hush!
Amethyst Maresbury: No, no, it’s quite alright, Princess Twilight. And, yes, Screw and I did get together.
Pinkie Pie: Oooh! Tell us more!
Rainbow Dash: (Whisper) Why is she so interested in that specifically?
Applejack: (Whisper) Don’t look at me.
When we entered our teenage years, I asked Screw to be my very special somepony, as you all call it now, he accepted, and we became a couple for quite some time. Our parents happily accepted our relationship. (Giggle) I can still remember the times when my mother would ask when Screw was going to take my hoof in marriage. We were so happy together. In fact, we would have gotten married… if weren’t for… that day…
Pinkie Pie: What happened on that day?
Well, before I tell you that, I should tell you more about Screw first. When we were both little fillies, Screw was always so curious about the world around him; always so eager to learn. Because of this, he was quite intelligent for his age. At school, he was always at the top of his class. I’ll admit, I wasn’t really all that into the sciences and things to that nature, but I was always willing to listen and learn about it with Screw. As we got older, Screw had started to become less active and became more of a quiet pony. This unfortunately led Screw having a lot of run-ins with bullies who would pick on him, calling him a ‘shut-in nerd’. I wish I could say it was simple name calling and typical bully teasing, but there were times where the bullying got physical. Screw was never the type of pony to fight back when he was being picked on. There were times where Screw would be being hit, and he would just remain completely calm and take it. I, however, wouldn’t put up with Screw’s bullies. I put those ponies in their place many times.
Science was like therapy for Screw, especially his experiments. Whenever Screw was stressed or upset, he would go off and work on one of his countless science projects that he made himself. Screw had loved experimenting since we were fillies. When we were little, his first experiments were very simple, such as planting a flower or experimenting with watercolors and other things that fillies could do for fun. As we got older, his experiments would improve and get more complex. I always did enjoy watching Screw work on his experiments and projects. However, there were a couple that I never did like, mainly the dissections.
Fluttershy: D-Dissections? You mean like when you cut into a poor little animal?
Amethyst Maresbury: It seems we have the same opinion on the matter. I never could understand how one could cut open an animal so easily and call it a science.
At first, Screw respected my opinions on things like dissection and other similar experiments. However, a couple years after we had become a couple, he started to pressure me into understanding the process of these experiments. He seemed to get offended if anypony took a disinterest in one of his projects or about science in general. I never liked this new side of his personality.
“Come on, Amethyst, you’re just not understanding the bigger picture here.” Screw Loose said as he tried to pull Amethyst back to his experimenting table.
“Screw, I told you already, I don’t like these dissections and you know that. Why can’t you respect my opinion?” Amethyst asked.
“What’s the harm in it? The animal is already dead, it’s not like I killed it.” Screw Loose said.
“Well, I certainly hope you didn’t. But that’s not the issue here, Screw. Look, I understand science fascinates you, I completely respect that. But I don’t want to observe projects like these. They’re just gross.” Amethyst said.
“Gross? How dare you say something like that! Science is not gross! Science is a wonderful thing! If you can’t see that, then you can just leave!” Screw Loose suggested as he turned back to his experiment.
“Fine then, I will! Besides, I came here to spend time with you! Not your science projects!” Amethyst said as she stormed out of the room.
Despite how bitter Screw could be at times, I still loved him, and he still loved me. I wish I could say I was able to help him with his behavior, but unfortunately, it got worse. At the time, I didn’t blame Screw as something terrible had happened to him. Screw’s mother and father disappeared one day, and they were presumed to be dead. The loss of both his parents really hurt Screw. He became more bitter and fussier about pushing his love for science on others. Don’t get me wrong, he could still be kind and respectful like he’d always been, it’s just that his bad behavior and attitude got worse. A few months before Screw’s parents disappeared, Screw had also gotten his cutie mark. I’ll admit, when I first saw it, I was worried. I’m guessing that you have already seen Screw’s cutie mark.
Twilight Sparkle: Yes, a single beaker with a black skull on it.
Rainbow Dash: How does a pony, let alone a crystal pony, end up with a cutie mark that looks so evil? It’s like he was destined to be a crazy bad guy or something.
Amethyst Maresbury: That leads us back to Pinkie’s earlier question about that day. The day I lost my beloved Screw Loose…
It was a foggy night in the Crystal Empire. By this hour, most ponies were already inside, tucking their little ones into bed. The streets were relatively quiet apart from the occasional late-night walkers. Among them was Amethyst Maresbury, who was on her way to check on Screw Loose. She hadn’t spoken to him for the past week due to an argument they had. It was one of the few arguments they had that didn’t involve Screw’s experiments. Amethyst had decided that maybe she had gone too far during their last fight, and she wanted to apologize to her friend and make sure he was okay.
Along the way, some of the crystal ponies had advised Amethyst to head home as it wasn’t safe for any pony, especially a young mare, to walk out at night by themselves. It wasn’t always like this in the Crystal Empire, in fact it was never like this. However, things changed when recently eight ponies went missing. Despite this however, Amethyst was determined to check on her friend.
Since their fight, Screw hadn’t shown up to any of his classes and his professors were on the verge of failing him. Amethyst knew how much Screw’s studies meant to him and she didn’t want him to lose his chances at becoming a brilliant scientist.
Oh, Screw, I hope you’re okay…
After trotting through the streets of the Crystal Empire for some time, Amethyst finally arrived at Screw’s house. Ever since Screw’s parents had disappeared, the house seemed as if though it was losing its charm. Every time Amethyst had come over, the house gave off a really strange and uncomfortable atmosphere. Amethyst shook her head as she reached out a hoof and knocked on the door. When no pony answered the door after a couple moments, Amethyst knocked once again.
“Hello? Screw, it’s me, Amethyst Maresbury.” Amethyst said as she knocked again.
After waiting a couple more minutes, Amethyst decided to try and see if the door wa possibly unlocked. She pressed her hoof against the doorknob and as she did, the whole door suddenly glowed with a bright green aura. Amethyst instinctively backed away as the door mysteriously opened by itself with an eerie creaking sound. As the door opened, Amethyst didn’t see any sign of anypony having opened the door, which made the whole situation even more unsettling.
“Um, h-hello? Screw?” Amethyst said, once again getting no response. “I’m coming in.”
As Amethyst walked into the house, the door closed behind her, making her jump a bit.
“Hello!? Screw, if you’re trying to scare me, please stop it. It’s not funny… Screw?” Amethyst called, once again getting no reply.
Taking a deep breath, Amethyst somehow found the courage to keep venturing through the house. Since it was nighttime, the lights were obviously off, but there were lots of candles scattered throughout the house, each one of them lit with a dancing flame. The further Amethyst explored the house, the more terrified she became. What was scaring her the most wasn’t the dark, the mysterious door opening, or even the way the candles were seemingly organized. It was the eerie silence that really terrified Amethyst. The only sound that could be heard was the sound of her hoofs hitting the floor.
Amethyst continued to call out for Screw, but she never got a response, making her wonder if anypony was even home. Eventually, Amethyst found herself standing just outside of Screw’s bedroom door, which was closed. She couldn’t put her hoof on it, but Amethyst felt that just had to open this door. With another deep breath, Amethyst opened the door, which surprisingly wasn’t locked. With the door now open, Amethyst was immediately taken back by the sight of Screw’s room.
“What? What is all this?” Amethyst asked as she looked around the room.
Screw’s room looked so much more different and messier than the last time she had seen it. Empty beakers and flasks were scattered all over the floor, along with a concerning number of medical tools. One of the trash cans was nearly filled to the brim with potion recipes and pages from a notebook. The bookshelves were so stuffed with spell books that some of the books had begun to pile up on the floor. On Screw’s workbench, beakers and test tubes were neatly placed in a rack, each one containing a bright colored liquid. Notes of data and research were placed in a very organized fashion on one of Screw’s desks. On the walls, there were posters that depicted the anatomy of lots of different animals, ranging from small rodents to birds and even dogs. Near the corner of Screw’s room, was a large cauldron that was filled with a glowing green liquid, which was still bubbling and boiling. Next to the cauldron, there was a small desk, with two large gothic looking candles on top. There was something on the desk which had caught Amethyst’s interest.
With her mind solely focused on the object on the desk, Amethyst walked further into Screw’s room and over to the strange desk. When she reached the desk, Amethyst looked at the strange object and saw that it was a spell book. However, this was no ordinary spell book, the demonic and gothic designs on the cover of the book made it clear that this was a spell book of dark magic. Dark magic was strictly forbidden and practically nonexistent in the Crystal Empire. Seeing this book, along with everything else, made Amethyst extremely worried. She knew she had to leave and tell Princess Amore about this. However, before Amethyst could leave the room, something caught her eye.
On the wall beside the desk with the dark spell book, there was a picture frame that was slightly tilted to the side. As she examined the picture, Amethyst could see that it was a picture of herself along with Screw Loose and his family. The picture almost made Amethyst feel happy, but the rest of the room killed any good feelings that could have been there.
“(Sigh) I hope we can find your parents one day.” Amethyst said as she reached a hoof out towards the picture.
As Amethyst’s hoof touched the picture, it suddenly straightened itself and then a rumbling sound could be heard. Amethyst stepped away from the wall and watched in awe as a magical aura began to take the form of a door. A few seconds later, a door had completely materialized on the wall, and it opened up, revealing a flight of stairs. There was an inscription on the door that read, ‘Laboratory’. Amethyst figured that the source behind all of the creepy events was behind this door. One the one hoof, her mind was telling her to just leave and get help. But on the other hoof, she really wanted to know what was behind this door.
“Oh, Screw Loose… what are you up to?” Amethyst asked, as with one last boost of confidence, she walked through the door.
Just like when she first entered the house, as soon as Amethyst passed the door, it closed behind her, without the creaking. The walls on the sides of the stairs all had torches as if it was part of some ancient castle or something. The sounds of Amethyst’s hoof steps echoed as she walked down the stairs. As Amethyst continued to walk down the stairs, she started to hear sounds. She couldn’t quite put her hoof on it, but she could have sworn she was hearing the sounds of somepony talking. The further down Amethyst went, the more apparent it was that the voice was coming from none other than Screw Loose himself. Amethyst was relieved and she was just about to call out to him, when she stopped to actually listen to what Screw was saying.
“(Chuckle) I know, I know it hurts. But trust me, soon, you will go down in the history books as one of the greatest pieces of science.” Screw’s voice said.
After hearing this very odd line come from Screw, Amethyst suddenly found herself slowing down her pace, as to not make any noise. As Amethyst neared the bottom of the stairs, she heard what sounded like painful moaning and groaning noises. Along with these muffled sounds, she could also hear what sounded like squishing and snipping of some sort of chunky fleshy material. Amethyst was suddenly hit with a putrid smell of rotten meat. The sounds grew louder, and the smells became stronger. As soon as Amethyst reached the bottom of the stairs, she stopped. What she saw… would haunt her for the rest of her life…
At the bottom of the stairs, there was a huge open room, like a basement or safety bunker with torches and candles adorning the walls. The lights on the ceiling of the room were bright and made it seem like it was daytime. In the room, there were ten tables… and on seven of the tables… were the dead bodies of seven crystal ponies. All seven of the bodies were cut open, with their internal organs exposed to the harsh ceiling lights. Some of the organs and intestines were flayed out and on metal trays next to the tables. Some ponies were missing their legs, hooves, and some were even missing their heads. Some of them seemed to have been cut open, while others looked to have been ripped open with brute force. On the walls of the room, the dissected bodies of critters were nailed up. Birds, rodents, frogs, cats, dogs, and even a whole sheep.
What was really sickening was the fact that some of the body parts of a pony were forcefully attached to the body of another pony or even one of the critters. Bones were twisted in a way to connect to the bones of a different body part. Some organs had been placed into glass beakers with the strange glowing liquid like Amethyst had seen upstairs. At the end of each of the tables that had bodies on them, there were tags that labeled each body. After reading some of the tags, Amethyst realized that these were the bodies of the seven out of the ten ponies that had gone missing in the Crystal Empire. It wasn’t until Amethyst heard the sound of slicing that she looked ahead at the far end of the room, only to see somepony wearing a large black robe. On the wall in front of the robed pony, was the nailed up and dissected bodies of Screw Loose’s parents. Amethyst screamed at the sight, causing the pony to turn to look at her.
“(Chuckle) Hello, Amethyst…” Professor Screw said as he removed the robe, revealing his blood-soaked fur and mane.
“Sc-Screw L-Loose… what is this!? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?” Amethyst screamed.
“You know, it’s quite rude and not to mention against the law to break into somepony’s house. Not to mention that you’re interrupting me while I’m in the middle of an important experiment.” Professor Screw said, completely ignoring Amethyst’s question.
“Screw, it was you! You’re the reason all of those ponies went missing! Y-Your parents… Screw Loose, why!? WHY!?” Amethyst cried as tears fell from her eyes.
“I’ve finally figured it out, Amethyst.” Professor Screw said.
“F-Figured out… what?” Amethyst asked.
“What my cutie mark means. My special talent… it’s all so clear now.” Professor Screw said as he stepped to the side, revealing another table. “The dark side of scientific experimentation; Scientific Torture.”
As soon as Professor Screw moved out of the way, Amethyst screamed as she saw the body of the tenth pony that had gone missing. The stallion had also been flayed open and his stomach had been removed. However, it seemed like Professor Screw had taken the stomach of another pony and attached it to the body of the pony. The wings of a crystal pony pegasus had been surgically attached to his body as well as the horn of a crystal pony unicorn. His eyes were two different colors as neither of his eyes belonged to him. The worst part about this whole thing, that poor stallion was still alive.
“Help me… p-please…”
“(Evil Chuckle) My experiments, my purpose, my journey, it’s only just beginning…” Professor Screw said as he smiled at Amethyst.
I could no longer stand to be in the same room as him, so I ran. I ran out of the house, and I didn’t stop until I made it to the Crystal Palace. I told Princess Amore of everything I had seen. She rounded up a few of her guards, and they went to the house. She told me to stay in the palace and not to follow them, but I disobeyed. I’m not sure why I went back. I guess… I guess I was desperately trying to cling to whatever hope I had left for Screw Loose. I really wish I never went back to the house. Going back only confirmed that I had truly lost somepony who had been so special to me since I was a filly. I’m not sure exactly what happened when the princess confronted Screw Loose, but I think I have a good enough of an idea…
In a matter of minutes, Princess Amore and a few of her royal guards arrived at Screw Loose’s house. Deep down, Princess Amore really hoped that what Amethyst Maresbury had told her wasn’t true. This was the Crystal Empire, a kingdom that was all about love. The fact that any of the crystal ponies could’ve committed the deeds that this Screw Loose had been accused of, was just unfathomable. Despite the time of night, the appearance of the princess of the Crystal Empire caused a commotion and soon enough, ponies were leaving their homes to see what was going on.
“Guards, stay out here and don’t let any of our citizens get any closer to this house.” Princess Amore said to her guards.
“Yes, your highness.” The guards responded as they took their position, making sure that none of the other crystal ponies got too close.
“You two, with me.” Princess Amore said to her two personal royal guards.
“Yes, your highness.” The guards replied as they walked over to the door.
Princess Amore’s personal guards kicked the door of the house down and rushed inside, making sure it was safe. After getting the all-clear signal from her guards, Princess Amore walked into the house. It didn’t take long for them to find to entrance to Screw’s secret bunker. Princess Amore went down the stairs first, followed by her personal guards. As they walked down the stairs, they were hit by a horrible smell. The closer they got to the bottom; the more worried Princess Amore became that Amethyst Maresbury’s claims were indeed true. Eventually, Princess Amore and her guards made it to the bottom of the stairs and as soon as they saw what was at the bottom, their blood ran cold.
“O-Oh my… n-no…” Princess Amore said.
“What the?” one of the guards said.
“Stars above, it can’t be…” the other guard said.
The sight of the bodies terrified the princess as well as her guards. However, what scared them the most, was the fact that Professor Screw was still working on his experiment that was still alive. Hearing that he had company, Professor Screw turned around and grinned.
“Ah, Princess Amore, have you come to oversee the process of my newest experiment. (Evil Chuckle) I’m sorry, you just missed it.” Professor Screw said as he stepped to the side, revealing his newest experiment.
The crystal pony that had been horrifically turned into some sort of chimera hybrid like creature, actually got up from the table he had been strapped to. The stallion took a few steps forward and looked up at Princess Amore. Despite how horribly disfigured and mangled up his face was, the look in the stallion’s eyes shattered Princess Amore’s heart.
“P-Princess… help…” the stallion pleaded as he fell to the floor.
As soon as the stallion hit the floor, his whole body fell apart, leaving him a bloody mess. He was dead. After seeing his experiment die, Professor Screw just snorted.
“I guess he wasn’t as perfect as I thought he was. Oh well, back to the drawing board I suppose.” Professor Screw said as he laughed maniacally.
“S-SEIZE HIM!” Princess Amore ordered as her guards charged at the Professor.
“Get down on the ground, you maniac!” the first guard yelled as he and his partner pinned the Professor down.
As Professor Screw was getting pinned down, he attempted to use his magic to escape, however the second guard saw this coming.
“Oh no, you’re not getting out of this that easily!” the second guard yelled as he used a special spell to crystalize Professor Screw’s horn, preventing him from using any kind of magic. “What shall we do with him, your highness?”
“Take him outside, I do not wish to remain in this awful place any longer than I have to be.” Princess Amore said as she walked back up the stairs, with her guards following her and carrying the Professor with them.
As Princess Amore and her guards exited the house, they were greeted by a crowd of crystal ponies, with Amethyst Maresbury among them. The sight of the bloodied up and mad-looking crystal pony caused the crowd to panic and ask a bunch of questions. After some of the guards had managed to calm the ponies down, Princess Amore looked at the Professor, disgusted by his smile.
“Screw Loose, for your horrific crimes, you will face immediate incarceration. Guards, take him to the dungeon.” Princess Amore said.
“(Evil Chuckle) What? I don’t get a proper trial, princess?” Professor Screw asked with another sadistic smile.
“Unless you can change your ways, you will never see the outside of a dungeon again. Take him away.” Princess Amore said.
As the guards were taking the Professor away, his eyes landed on Amethyst. The look on her face was that of disgust, but more so sadness.
“So… you ratted me out, Amethyst?” Professor Screw asked.
“(Sniff) Screw… I… goodbye, Screw Loose.” Amethyst said as she turned to leave.
“(Chuckle) Oh, don’t worry, I’m sure we’ll see each other again.” Professor Screw said as he was taken away, laughing like the insane maniac that he had become.
*End Flashback*
“That was the day my beloved Screw Loose died, and Professor Screw was born.” Amethyst Maresbury said as she finished her story.
As Amethyst finished telling her story, everypony just sat there in complete and utter shock. Of all the different ideas they had about the Professor’s possible origins, the truth was far beyond anything they could have imagined. Twilight and her friends all looked at each other, having fully grasped just how sick Professor Screw really was.
“Sweet Celestia…” Twilight said, regretting that she had made this poor old mare tell this awful tale. “Oh, Ms. Maresbury! I’m so sorry! I never should have asked you about Professor Screw!”
“Princess Twilight, please, it’s okay. It’s a good thing you did. Because now all of you know just how dangerous Professor Screw is.” Amethyst Maresbury said as she placed a hoof on Twilight’s own. “Princess, you mentioned earlier that King Sombra had cursed Professor Screw, yes?”
“Y-Yes… I’m so sorry to ask but, do you know anything about that?” Twilight asked.
“Unfortunately, I don’t know why King Sombra would curse Professor Screw to live for so long. To be honest, I didn’t even know King Sombra cursed him to begin with. All I know is that Professor Screw remained in prison for years until King Sombra took over the Crystal Empire and broke him out.” Amethyst Maresbury said.
“Do you know why King Sombra had set the Professor free?” Twilight asked.
“I have no idea; none of us have a clue as to why King Sombra would set him free. All we knew was that Professor Screw was extremely loyal, obeying King Sombra’s every word. He was one of the only two ponies that King Sombra didn’t enslave. The other being a young unicorn mare named Radiant Hope, although I don’t know too much about her. When King Sombra took over the empire, Professor Screw would take the ponies who had become too weak to continue working and experiment on them. The ponies he took, we never saw them again.” Amethyst Maresbury said.
“Oh goodness me… I knew that the crystal ponies suffered greatly under King Sombra’s rule, but I had no idea that some of you were… oh Ms. Maresbury, I’m so sorry.” Cadance said.
“It’s alright, Princess Cadance. There’s no way you would have known. The day after Professor Screw was arrested, Princess Amore told all of us to try and forget about him and what he had done. His house was torn down the same day and his secret bunker was sealed off with a spell. Please understand, Princess Amore wasn’t trying to make us pretend that the incident never happened, she just didn’t want us to be tormented by the memories. We all agreed it was for the best.” Amethyst Maresbury said.
“It must have been really difficult to suppress those memories about Professor Screw.” Cadance said.
“It took time for all of us to move past it, but we eventually did. Most of the ponies that were around during the incident are gone now, I’m one of the few left that was there for it. The reason the guards knew about Professor Screw is because Princess Amore made a policy that every guard had to know about what happened. In order for them to help keep the peace and make sure that ponies were reminded not to talk about him. They were never to speak a word of the Professor unless asked by royalty, which is why they told you about me.” Amethyst Maresbury said.
“I… I see…” Cadance said.
“Yes, now, is there anything else I can help you with?” Amethyst Maresbury asked.
“No, that’s everything. Thank you so much for your time, Ms. Maresbury.” Twilight said as she walked over and hugged her. “I’m so sorry for making you remember those events.”
“Now, dear, I already told you, it’s perfectly fine. I’m just glad I was able to help all of you.” Amethyst Maresbury said.
“Thank you. Come on, everypony, let’s go.” Twilight said as they all got up to leave.
As Twilight, Cadance, and the rest of the Mane Six left the library, Amethyst Maresbury smiled and waved to the ponies. She just hoped that Twilight and her friends would be able to defeat the Rogue and stop Professor Screw from hurting anypony else.