[My name is Twilight,] she declared and tilted her head. [Are you okay? That punk must've really rattled your brain, huh?]
I blinked and closed my mouth. It didn't make sense for her to be in such a pristine condition, but there she was. No dents, dings, scratches, or scrapes. As clean as the day I built her. And yet, clearly still showing signs of mental degradation.
Less than ideal.
"Just a broken arm, mainly. Possibly some bruising. Thank you for your assistance," I grunted and rolled to a sitting position, scanning the floor as I did. My talismans were still scattered around, as well as my pistol. "Could you help me gather my tools?" She blinked and glanced at the floor before trotting up to me, completely ignoring my things.
[We should get you patched up first,] she said once she was in front of me. [Say my name.]
I grimaced. "Listen-"
She stamped her hoof at me. [Say. My. Name.]
I ran my good hand over my face. "Maybe I am suffering head trauma, 'cause last I checked you were blown to pieces," I leered at her between my fingers. "Same as the rest of this place."
She wasn't capable of facial expression, but her eyes told me plenty about how she was feeling. Her head twitched and she sat down. [Yeah, it was pretty rough. But you know what they say! Friendship is Magic,] she leaned forward. [And I had plenty pumping through my veins all those years ago. But, as the Element of Magic, it was easy for me to adapt.]
She gestured to the hall around us. [I managed to hide my soul inside the Crystal Mind and then find a cozy little gem assembly to sleep in. It had enough power in it to keep me alive even after I cut it off from the rest of the Citadel,] she shuffled her hooves and looked off to the side. [Of course, I didn't really have a plan for how to wake back up.] I rubbed my chin as she spoke.
[Then, one day, a pulse shook the whole place and that woke me up,] she turned back to me. [Wasn't easy, but since I was effectively just a loose cluster of magical energy at that time, I was eventually able to start interacting with my environment.]
"When did that pulse occur? Do you know?"
She stared at me for a moment. [I'm pretty confident it was when you remade the Crystal Mind and got the satellites in the air.] I hummed at her words and raised an eyebrow when she scooted forward and lay on my lap. [I'm also pretty confident you did that on purpose for me. I know it in my heart.] Another grimace worked its way onto my face.
[After all that, I managed to rebuild a body for myself and start getting this place up and running again,] she rolled to look up at me. [Then I called your new Crystal Mind, and saw all the wonderful advancements you made.]
I snorted. "So, you're our hacker, huh?"
[I'm your friend. I wanted to know what you managed while I was asleep.]
"Of course," I rubbed my eyes with a sigh before smiling at her. "Well, it's great to see you operational again and to know we weren't dealing with a traitor."
I gently pat her on the belly. "Let's get you to the new Citadel, hm?"
She tilted her head. [Why?]
I forced a cheery grin. "Because it's our new home." She looked into my eyes for a few moments before humming and nodding.
[Okie dokie,] her eyes flared red for a moment. [Say my name first.]
I clenched my teeth but held my smile. "I'm working with a broken arm right now, so we should really-"
[Say. My. Name,] she leaned up and glared into my eyes. [Or I'll break your other arm.]
I recoiled for a moment before my expression hardened. "Who do you think you're threatening?" We held each other's gaze for a few moments, even as she slowly rolled to her hooves, with her head rotating to stay focused on me. I slowly rose to my feet and held my good hand on my hip while glaring down at her.
[Say. My-]
"Your name is KS 6."
She let out a screech and stomped her hoof. [MY NAME IS TWILIGHT.]
I swept my hand down and grabbed her by the horn. "NO, it ISN'T!" She seemed shocked at my action, allowing me to hoist her up onto her rear legs. "It's KS 6. I MADE YOU. IN A LAB." I dropped her and clutched at the air before breathing into my clenched fist. She recoiled from me as I struggled and finally jabbed a finger at her.
"Your skin is an alchemically blended SHEET of papyrus and steel, treated with oils and potions to maintain its flexibility, durability, and longevity," I spat, panting. "Your bones, all of them, are made from gemstone-studded steel rods."
I pinched my fingers together to enunciate my words. "Between your skin and your skeleton is an impact-resistant gel we concocted that turns kinetic force into energy your gemstone brain responds to. Like pain! But without any debilitating side effects," I took a shallow breath and continued. "Your mane and tail are made from strands of a plant-based fiber we cultivated and treated that safely disperses most magical energies that strike you." She shuddered and raised a hoof to stamp at me, but I cut her off.
"Your eyes are seven layered gemstone LENSES, enchanted and charged to present the illusion of a mobile set of pupils and irises," I leaned in and hissed at her. My reflection was visible in her eyes. "You don't even have a mouth. You produce noise through a vibrating gem in your throat that has six sound-enhancing spell stones around it."
I huffed and glared down at her before chuckling darkly. "And there is no heart in your chest. It's a gem," I spat. "A large piece of GLASS I MADE using alchemy and magic that responds to arcane electric pulses and lets you function and think."
I loomed over her and jabbed a claw-like hand at her. "YOU ARE NOT Twilight Sparkle. YOU are Killer Six, Unit 6," I panted and heaved as she wilted under my glare. After a moment, I knelt down and firmly grabbed the side of her face. "And you. Are. Beautiful."
I finally caught my breath and gently caressed her. "Look at you. A machine I made, that can walk, talk, and think," I murmured. "You can stand up to a petty god and lock him in stone."
My thumb ran over her ear. "You're as close to perfection as I've ever gotten," I took a breath and scowled. "And what do I do with you?"
She blinked and I narrowed my eyes. "I bring you down to my level and push you lower than that. I make you everything I wanted her to be. On my side no matter what," I shuddered and gulped. "I shackle you, and make you live in her shadow, because I can't get over the fact that in her eyes, just like Dad's.."
I sharply inhaled. "I am a failure, and always will be," I clenched my eyes shut. "I hobbled you because I needed to prove to her one way or another that I'm not just some bum living on her couch. I can make it on my own."
I dragged my hand down my face with a shivering moan before I looked at her with stinging watery eyes. "And for that, all of that, I am so sorry." Silence held the hall for a minute or two before she finally blinked. As she did, the lights flickered and she took a step to the side.
[Man, he must've really knocked your head around, huh?] I flinched and groaned.
"KS-" My words were cut short and replaced with a prolonged heaving groan of pain as my other arm was twisted at an awkward angle by a violet bubble of magic.
[My name is Twilight.]
CRACK
I didn't know whether to bemoan the fact the adrenaline shot had worn off around then, meaning all the pain came rushing at me at once, or to celebrate the fact it had worn off.
Because in the latter case, I at least fainted after a minute or two of agony.