"Alice, there you are. What are you doing in that alleyway?" he asked, looking in the alleyway and then at his sister.
Everything collapses around Spark and the dark creature, burying them in the rubble. An arm shot of the debris, pulling the figure out and overlooking the destruction.
"Friends..." said the dark creature, finally looking and seeing the impossible space within the tower. Prism glitches could be seen within the impossible space, and she slowly opened her wings, ready to go after the Snake and the others, but she could feel a shake around herself.
The creature watched as a rainbow aura shot out of the rubble. Hovering was Spark, who glared at her as she landed.
"I'm sorry," Spark said, her rainbow aura disappearing and wiping her tears away. "I'm sorry for what happened to you."
The creature's face filled with rage and hate as it screamed at Spark with all its might. "FRIENDS! GONE!" she rocketed toward Spark, tackling her again, but this time, unleashing dark magical energy from its body, hurting Spark as they flew up in the air. "I'M ALONE! NO FRIENDS!" it continued to scream as it kept pushing Spark toward the glitching prism in the sky.
Spark fought through the pain, stopping herself from being pushed, and held the creature tight, trying to calm it down.
"I know, I know you lost everyone! Friends, family, and those that you love deeply, but please, listen to me!" the dark creature didn't listen to her, as it kept releasing more of its dark energy but with its dark mist now, burning Spark slightly.
Spark let go, and rainbow energy gathered in her fist; she was going to punch the creature, but she froze as she could see the tears in the creature's eyes. She couldn't bring herself to punch the beast.
"Please, I don't want to fight you anymore."
"FRIENDS, NO MORE!" shouted the dark creature, unleashing a beam right at Spark, making her shield her face and brace for impact; as it hit her and sent her flying back to the destroyed floor, on impact, it created a giant cloud of dust.
The dark creature was breathing hard, its hooves shaking and tears streaming down its face. However, it could still see the rainbow aura in the cloud of dust.
"Friend," it said, charging at the cloud, ready to kill Spark and end this.
Spark felt her body hurting as she lay on the ground. The creature was coming at her, ready to finish her off, but she didn't give up. Her rainbow aura became much more robust as she rose, almost blinding the creature. Spark shut her eyes, feeling something within her, making her remember something as the creature slammed into her...
static
A young, purple, short-boyish-haired girl wearing a purple jacket fell to the ground, bleeding from her forehead as a rock landed near her. She could see a crowd laughing at her and mocking her.
"What's the matter, dyke? Is little princess going to cry and have her big brother come and help her!?"
The girl held back her tears, refusing to let them fall. She did not want to be bullied by the mean girls in her school anymore. She just wanted to go home and not be bullied like this anymore. She tried to get up but quickly felt a kick to her ribs, causing her to grunt and groan.
"What's wrong? Can't stand up anymore? Oh, no, is poor, little princess going to cry!?"
The girls laughed, mocking the purple-haired girl as she struggled to get up.
"Please, stop," she pleaded, coughing and feeling her side hurt.
"Oh, what's the matter, dyke?" asked the leader of the group, getting close and forcing the girl's face up. "Don't like us showing how much we care about you, princess?"
The leader spat on the purple-haired girl and walked away with the rest of the girls, laughing loudly as they walked out of the alleyway, leaving the poor girl alone as she broke down and cried.
"Why? Why is my life like this?"
The girl placed her arm over her eyes, covering her face and revealing her bare arm as the jacket sleeve slid off. She could see cuts all over her arm and her wrist.
"Why do I need to suffer so much? Is it because..." she trailed off as she shut her eyes and cried her eyes out while placing her other hand over her arm, scratching it hard as she cried.
A few hours later, it was getting dark, and the girl just sat and leaned on the brick wall, her knees to her chest and her eyes puffy. She felt so miserable. She was so tired and wanted to go home and sleep forever, but a voice caught her attention.
"Alice? Alice, where are you?" called out an older male voice from the street at the end of the alleyway.
The purple-haired girl, known as Alice, quickly got up and hurried out of the alleyway. She saw her older brother walking down the street and finally noticed her.
"Alice, there you are. What are you doing in that alleyway?" he asked, looking in the alleyway and then at his sister.
"Nothing," Alice replied, avoiding her brother's eyes. "Can we go home?"
"Sure," the brother said, ruffling his sister's hair, causing her to giggle and smile. "Come on, sis."
The brother and sister started to walk home, not saying a word, but Alice's brother slowly eyed her, remembering seeing a cut on her forehead when he messed up Alice's hair. He couldn't tell her, or she would have a mental breakdown. He didn't want his baby sister to hurt like that, and he knew she wouldn't want him to worry. So he kept his mouth shut and walked his sister back home, not saying anything, and Alice was glad. She didn't want her brother to know that she was being bullied.
They walked down a rundown street, people drug out on the sidewalk, and hookers trying to sell their services.
"Come on, sweetie. One hour, and you can have a good time~"
"I'm not interested," said Alice's brother, walking by.
The hookers eyed the older man, seeing how well and built he was, and started to follow him and Alice, begging him to join them, some were even giving him discounts, but he stood his ground and told them no.
"No, thank you. I'm just walking my sister back home. Sorry, ladies."
"You can't just say no. You have to show us what we're missing~"
"Yeah, I can," the brother said, annoyed.
Suddenly, a loud clap could be heard ahead of them; standing there was an older woman, the same age as Alice's brother. She lowered her arms and smiled at the hookers.
"Fuck off already, you dumb bitches, or else."
The hookers rolled their eyes and went back to the streets, letting Alice and her brother pass by, but the older woman stopped them.
"Yo, Knight!" she looked down and saw Alice looking away. "Yo, Alice! How's my favorite little tomboy doing? Are those bitches picking on you again?"
"Nope," Alice replied, shaking her head.
"Oh, okay then." she could tell she was lying. "Don't be afraid to tell me, okay? I'll go over there and beat their asses," the older woman said, patting Alice's head, but Knight grabbed her arm, stopping her.
"Casey, stop. She doesn't want to talk about it."
"Come on, man, she needs to tell someone, or else she's going to explode," Casey argued, trying to pull her arm away, but Knight was holding her tightly.
"Please, not right now, okay? She doesn't want to talk about it," Knight explained, hoping to stop Casey, who looked at him and sighed.
"Fine!" she joined them in the walk, and for some reason, the hookers glared at her like they were jealous. "You're so lucky, Alice. You have a hot older brother who will protect you from the scary world."
Knight groaned, knowing what she was doing.
Casey placed her arms behind her head and leaned into Knight's face. "Who works out a lot, and you can tell because of his shirt. You can even see his abs, Alice. Oh, I wish I had your brother as my brother."
"Oh, please, Casey. Don't flatter me so much, as I have a girlfriend," said Knight, chuckling.
Casey leaned away and stood right; she grunted and slowly looked over to Alice, who kept looking at the ground as they walked. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever," Casey replied, sighing.
As they walked down the rundown street, Alice slowly grabbed her arm, rubbed it as she felt her old scars, and slowly eyed her brother, who was just annoyed as Casey kept hitting on him. Alice looked away, scratched her arm, and whispered something.
"I'm sorry..."
static
static
Spark opened her eyes, and her aura had grown tenfold. The dark creature was pushing her back, but her aura stopped her and made her look into her eyes.
"I know it hurts being alone without friends and family." Spark touched the creature's cheek, making it look surprised. "I know that feeling, not having family or friends."
The dark creature just stared at her.
"It's okay. I'm here, and I'll never leave you. No matter what, I will always be here." she smiled, using her thumb to wipe away the tear from the creature's cheek. "I'll save you, like I promised you."
The dark creature looked surprised and then angry as she remembered why she was like this.
"YOU MADE ME LIKE THIS!" the dark creature unleashed another powerful beam at Spark, who shielded herself and took the attack.
Spark straggled back, feeling the powerful beam hitting her arms, as she hadn't had time to put on a shield. She felt something within her, making her remember something again.
static
static
Alice finally arrived home with her brother and Casey. They stood before an old rundown apartment complex, having seen better days.
Casey sat on the rusty railing and spoke to Knight. "So, how are you on food this week? I can give you some cash if you need it."
"We're fine, Casey. It's not that bad, so don't worry about us," Knight said, ruffling Alice's hair, but Alice stayed quiet.
Casey looked at him with an eyebrow raised. "Oh, really now?"
"Really," Knight insisted.
Casey eyed him until she turned to Alice and saw her rubbing her arm, which made Casey sigh and hop off the railing. "Fine, but you owe me for protecting you from my co-workers."
"And I'm grateful for that, but I can take care of myself," Knight stated.
"No, you can't," Casey stated, crossing her arms and leaning forward.
Knight blushed. "I can."
Casey smirked, gave him a middle finger, and walked off, saying one last thing to him.
"Keep telling yourself that, you muscle head."
Knight rolled his eyes and walked into the apartment building, followed by Alice, and went upstairs. The piss and rotten odor could be smelled as they walked up the stairs, passing by the drug-out tenants.
"Hey, Knight, you want to join our party for a few games? We have a new game," a tenant called out, holding a bag with something inside it.
"Sorry, dude, but I have to make dinner for my sister and myself," Knight said, not stopping.
Alice could hear the tenants upset that her brother wouldn't join them until one yelled at them.
"Come on, dude! It will make the pain go away! We know what happened to you two from the old hag, so relax and have some fun."
"I'm fine, but thanks for the offer," Knight replied, not stopping to look at the tenants and going up the stairs.
"Are you sure, bro?"
Knight stopped and looked below, clearly mad. "FUCK OFF ALREADY!"
Alice started to rub her arm even harder as Knight walked up the stairs again.
"We're fine. I don't need anything. I don't need money, food, or 'medicine.' We're fine."
When the brother and sister reached the third floor, they walked through the hallway, seeing how awful it was, with stains and peeling wallpaper, but it was better than the other floors. They stopped at their apartment door and unlocked it. As they entered, they were met with a foul and burning odor.
"Fuck!" Knight exclaimed, shutting the door and running into the kitchen, grabbing a few paper towels.
Alice watched as Knight quickly covered his nose and ran into the bathroom with a pot, opening the window and turning on the fan. Before Knight exited the bathroom, Alice could hear something thrown out the window.
"Well, our dinner is gone," he said, walking to the stove, turning it off, and putting the pot on it. He opened the windows and looked for anything in the cabinets to make something, but most were empty. "Let's see..."
Alice started scratching her arm as she realized she was the reason the food was ruined. If she had just returned home after being bullied, her brother wouldn't have needed to leave the house and leave the pot on the stove. She started to think about what would happen if she had never been born. Maybe her brother would have a life.
"I'm sorry," whispered Alice, scratching her arm like crazy.
Knight heard and looked at her, noticing what she was doing to her arm. He didn't react right away like he was preparing himself. He shut the cabinets, walked up to her, and kneeled to her. He grabbed her wrist, stopping her from scratching herself, and rolled back her jacket sleeve. Knight saw the old scars on her arm and the new bleeding scratch marks. He gently grabbed her arm.
"Alice, you know that's bad," he said, looking at her.
Alice looked down, avoiding his gaze, but Knight grabbed her chin and pulled her to him.
"Please, Alice, don't do this to yourself. It's not good."
"I'm sorry," Alice whispered.
Knight's eyes saddened when he saw his sister in pain, but he forced a smile, grabbed her head, and pulled her to him, kissing her on the forehead.
"It's okay, Alice. Don't be sorry."
"I'm a bad sister," she whispered, closing her eyes.
"No, you're not."
Alice started to cry. "But I am! It's my fault we're living like this!" she finally looked at him, her face making him hurt more. "You were doing so well in college, but you dropped out because of what I did!" she started to dig her fingernails into her arm, causing it to bleed a little. "If I wasn't so smart, then maybe-"
"Alice, stop!" Knight yelled, grabbing her wrist. "Don't say that!"
"BUT IT'S TRUE!" she pulled away from her brother's hand, stepping back and holding her head in sadness. "If I weren't fucking smart, Mom and Dad would still be here! And you would still be in college!"
Knight could feel his heart hurting from seeing his baby sister in such pain. But what she did next filled him with so much guilt.
"IT'S MY FAULT THEY ARE DEAD! IT'S ALL MY FAULT LIKE YOU SAID THAT DAY!" Alice cried out. "IT'S ALSO MY FAULT THAT S-"
"Stop, please," said Knight in the most defeated voice he could ever muster. "Just stop already, Alice. Please."
Alice stopped, seeing her brother looking so sad. She hated this, and she hated her life. She just wanted to end her life already. She was too bright—too smart for her own good. She returned to scratching her arm but ran toward her room, slamming it shut.
Knight stood up and sat at the kitchen table, tired of doing this daily with Alice. He sighed and looked at his sister's door, seeing the old and torn purple star that hung off the door.
"Alice..."
Alice leaned against her door, sliding down it, crying and scratching her arm. She wished her life would end already, but her brother would always be there, keeping her alive. She didn't want to burden him anymore. She was such an evil sister, but her brother told her otherwise. That slight feeling within her kept her going, just for him, but she couldn't let go of the guilt, the pain, the suffering she had to endure. She looked at her room, which was a big mess, with clothes, books, and papers everywhere. She looked at her dresser and saw a photo of her and her parents and brother, who were smiling.
"Mom...Dad..."
She got up, approached her dresser, and grabbed the picture. She looked at it and smiled sadly.
"I wish you were here...to help me and my brother. I wish we could be together as a family again."
She put the photo back, went to bed, and sat down. She finally looked at her bleeding arm and put her hand under the bed, pulling out a first aid kit and taking out bandages, wrapping her arm, and stopping the bleeding.
"There." She put the first aid back under her bed. She sat there, looking at the ground, thinking about what would have happened if she wasn't such a burden to her brother. She didn't want him to be sad, worry, or care about her anymore. "I need to disappear to make him happy again."
Alice slowly looked up, looking back at the dresser and remembering something in the drawer.
"That's right."
She got up, approached her dresser, pulled out the second drawer, and moved some shirts out of the way. She grabbed an object hidden behind her clothes and sat on her bed, staring at the object in her hand.
"I need to finish it..."
She set the item on the floor, sat near it, and took out stuff from under the bed: a tool belt, blueprints, and a device. She put on her belt and started away on the device for hours until she thought she heard something and could hear a knocking on her door. She didn't answer; she just stayed quiet and listened as Casey's voice came from the other side.
"Yo, Alice. How are you feeling?"
Alice said nothing still, only sitting there and looking at her device.
"Alice, I got you and your brother some pizza. It's on the table, okay?"
Alice looked at the crack underneath the door, seeing the shadow of Casey's feet.
"I hope you are okay."
Alice looked back at her device, hearing footsteps walking away and a door closing, which made her think that Casey had gone out with her brother. She just sighed and continued her work.
It had been another hour before she felt hungry and went to her door. Peeking outside, she did not see anyone in the house. She walked toward the kitchen but saw the light coming from her brother's door. She could hear something and leaned against the door to listen.
Alice's eyes slowly went wide, and then the life in them just went out, making them look lifeless and dead. She kept listening, and still wearing her tool belt, she pulled out a screwdriver and started slowly going toward her arm...
static
static
Spark's heart felt so heavy, remembering Alice telling her backstory.
"It's okay," Spark assured, pushing forward slowly as the beam didn't stop one bit. "It's going to be okay. It's why I'm here! I gather different versions of folks across the multiverse to help you!"
Spark kept pushing forward, almost reaching the dark creature, and stopped shielding herself, letting the beam hit her, but she reached out to the beast, touching its face once more.
"You don't need to suffer! You can move on; just let them help you!"
The creature stopped its beam and smacked Spark's hand away, its face becoming mist as it screamed out to her. "NO ONE WANTED TO LOOK AT ME!"
Spark could see half of the mist's face becoming Twilight's normal-looking face. Spark wanted to reach out again, but the fog engulfed her, floating around her and burning her body. She could hear the creature screaming out again but mixed with tears.
"I'M A FAILURE!"
Spark fought through the pain, reaching out again and feeling the same feeling as before.
static
Static
Celestia walked through Cantorlot City, waving at her subjects as the Summer Sun Celebration was being held this year. Her guards protected her as they marched in front of her. At her side is the captain of the guards, Shinning Armor, who looked around all nervous-like. Celestia noticed this and shoved him, getting his attention.
"What's wrong, princess!? Oh no, is she here!?"
Celestia patted his back, calming him down. "Armor, it's okay. It happens every year, and I don't mind it."
Armor stopped, making Celestia stop as well but still waving at the ponies.
"But princess, she keeps making a mess like she always does! Why aren't you mad about her?"
Celestia stopped waving and turned to him with a sad smile. "Because I was wrong about her. I-" she didn't finish as the guards in front of them stopped a crazy-looking mare from getting close.
"TEACHER! TEACHER! I DONE IT!"
Celestia sighed softly, not looking at the mare. "I gave her too much hope, hope that she was something special." she put on a brave face and turned to the mare. "Twilight, my faithful...student." Armor could hear the sadness and regret in the princess's voice, but he did nothing.
Twilight Sparkle, with her mane and tail in a messy look, smiled as she heard that. She glared at the guards, telling them to let her go, as she was the princess's student. The guards looked back and saw Celestia nodding, making them step aside.
Twilight happily jumped forward and hugged her teacher, making the princess uncomfortable.
"Princess, did you see my work!?"
Celestia didn't look her in the eyes. "Y-Yes, I have! How can't I when you keep sending reports about it..." Celestia remembered how she had to order the mail service to burn the letters rather than send them back, as Twilight had just sent them daily.
Twilight looked so happy that she could hug her teacher again after so many years, and she never let her go. She just smiled and kept her grip on her.
Celestia didn't hug her back. Instead, she teleported Twilight a few meters away.
"Twilight, thank you for your reports, but can you not send them anymore? You are wasting the post office's time," Celestia said, her smile becoming increasingly fake.
Twilight, hugging air, quickly realized she was moved and coughed. "Don't worry, teacher! I won't need to send any more reports after this!" Her horn started to glow, but it began to spark and fizzed out, making her freak out and sweating. "GIVE ME A SECOND! PLEASE! IT'S ALL I ASK, TEACHER!"
Celestia closed her eyes and just nodded, calming Twilight down, and started to try again. Armor couldn't watch this anymore and wanted to stop it, but Celestia stopped him.
"Let her have this, Armor. Just let her have this," she said calmly and defeatedly.
Twilight's horn started to glow, but this time, she could summon a basket with a blanket over it, a box filled with things, and a scroll. She opened the scroll and began to go over her research.
"As you know, magic comes in different forms and shapes and is not limited to unicorns. The earth pony's magic is their connection to the land." She stomped on the ground like a crazed person but stopped as she realized she was going too far. She continued. "Pegasus magic comes from their wings, which also comes from the sky around them!" She pulled out purple cardboard wings and put them, jumping all around, all silly-looking. Armor and Celestia could hear laughter from the crowds and ponies laughing, pointing, and making fun of her.
"Twilight," said Celestia, making Twilight turn to her.
"Yeah?"
"You're doing great, but can you-"
"To the point!?" shouted Armor, feeling the secondhand embarrassment.
"Yeah, yeah, to the point! I'll skip a few pages."
Celestia didn't look forward anymore. She couldn't believe the little filly; she gave so much hope back in the day to grow up and become like this.
"As you know, princess, magic is not limited to unicorns like us! All other ponies and creatures have a connection to magic!" she pointed to everyone in the crowd with a crazed look on her face, making them feel awkward. "Even objects can channel magic!" Twilight tossed her stuffed animal, only to fall on the ground. "See! Now I believe there is another way to channel magic!" she threw the scroll away and picked up the basket, which made Armor whisper his sister's name, making Celestia look at Twilight and recognize the basket.
"Twilight, so it was you who stole the," but Celestia couldn't finish as Twilight removed the blanket, revealing what was underneath it.
In the basket was an old dragon egg that had never been hatched. Twilight set the basket down and felt worried as she could see Celestia's upset face.
"Teacher, I have a theory, but I needed the egg! With it, I can finally pass my entrance exam!"
Ponies and other creatures started to whisper among themselves while Celestia finally walked toward Twilight.
"Twilight, the exam happened years ago. You aren't a filly anymore."
"BUT I CAN TAKE IT AGAIN, TEACHER!" shouted Twilight.
Armor couldn't hold himself back, so he grabbed Twilight's shoulder. "Listen, Twily! You failed that exam! You have to let that go!"
Twilight started to freak out when she heard that; she pushed her brother off and turned to Celestia.
"I haven't failed it, as long I can retake it! You said so yourself! As long as I keep trying, I won't fail!"
Celestia could only sigh and nod, making Twilight calm down. Twilight smiled and went on, but she and everyone could hear someone calling out to her,
"Huh? Mom and Dad?" said Twilight, seeing her parents pushing through the crowd.
Celestia saw a very concerned look on Twilight's parents' faces. Twilight could only smile and wave at them, making them look at her in horror.
"I DONE IT! MOM AND DAD, I CAN FINALLY ENTER THE SCHOOL OF GIFTED UNICORNS!"
The two parents got closer, but the guards stopped them. Armor ordered them to let his parents through, allowing them to rush toward Twilight.
Twilight looked at Celestia and was going to continue her speech, but her father jumped on her, stopping her.
"DAD!? WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"
Her father pushed her face into the dirt and bowed to the princess while his wife bowed and explained themselves.
"We are so sorry, Your Highness! We thought she finally gave up and acted normal these last few days! We didn't know she was planning this!"
"Planning what!? Let me go, Dad!" shouted Twilight, pushing her father off, only for her mother to grab her.
"Please, forgive us, princess, but our daughter isn't a bad pony!" shouted Twilight's father, bowing and sweating with fear.
"Please forgive my failure of a daughter for her actions!"
"WHAT!? What are you talking about, Mom and Dad!? I did nothing wrong! Please, princess, please let me prove myself to you! I can be a student at the School of Gifted Unicorns!" she almost got her mom off. "I CAN BE THE STUDENT YOU ALWAYS SAW IN ME!"
Celestia's sad face didn't change; instead, she just sighed. "Twilight, please, it's time to stop. Please leave. I was wrong about you, and you aren't gifted."
Twilight froze when she heard that, and she started to smile with a creepy expression.
"TEACHER, WHY DO YOU TREAT ME LIKE THIS!?"
She broke free from her mother's grip, grabbed the egg, and her horn started to glow.
"YOU SAID YOU SAW A SPARK WITHIN ME! SOMETHING THAT WILL MAKE ME DIFFERENT FROM THE REST! WHY ARE YOU TREATING ME LIKE THIS!? DON'T YOU CARE!?"
Armor, her parents, and Celestia could hear the crowd and other creatures mocking her.
"Wait, isn't she the blank flank weirdo?"
"Yeah, it's her! She always does every chance she gets or during this year."
"Man, what a creep; she can't get over not passing a test."
Twilight could hear the talking, and her breathing became heavier. She looked at her flank, seeing no cutie mark. She started to laugh as she continued her research speech.
"HAHA! LIKE I WAS SAYING, THERE IS ANOTHER WAY TO CHANNEL MAGIC AND THAT'S BY EMOTIONS! HAHA, IT'S LIKE YOU TOLD ME! YOU SAW A SPARK IN ME, WHICH MEANS EMOTIONS CAN BE CONVERTED TO MAGIC!"
Twilight started to panic, and the magic around her became unstable.
"TWILIGHT, YOU ARE GOING TO HURT YOURSELF!" shouted Armor, trying to rush toward her with their parents.
Twilight closed her eyes and quickly opened them, showing her eyes glowing dark purple. She slowly rose to the air with the egg. Her magical aura glitched out as it covered her body and the egg.
"HOPE, TRUST, LOVE, AND BELIEF! YOU SAW THEM IN ME, AND I SHOULD HAVE FAITH IN MYSELF, AS YOU SAID, TEACHER! IF I BELIEVE ENOUGH, I'LL SHOW YOU!" screamed Twilight as her aura glitched out and increased in size. "I'LL SHOW YOU THAT OUR FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC!"
Everyone watched as the magic around Twilight was getting worse, and they started to back off and panic. Twilight's parents were the first to run away, but Armor stood his ground, as did Celestia.
"TEACHER, PLEASE, HAVE FAITH IN ME! I CAN DO IT!"
Armor looked at Celestia, but she did nothing; she only watched.
Twilight unleashed her glitching magic into the egg, but something happened: the magic went back into Twilight's horn, causing magical feedback and an explosion.
Armor couldn't see the blast, and the shockwave was too strong for him. He was blown away, but luckily, his armor protected him. He stood up, coughing out dust, and saw Celestia in the sky, creating a shield to protect everyone from the blast. She slowly returned to the ground, and both watched as the smoke cleared and Twilight on the ground, crying her eyes out.
"I thought for sure this time, but I am nothing," cried Twilight as she hugged the egg, her head bleeding.
Celestia slowly walked toward her, and Armor followed.
"Twilight, are you okay?" asked Celestia, her voice seemed caring yet filled with anger and sadness.
Twilight turned around, still holding the egg. "I'm okay, princess. I'm sorry, but I failed again."
Armor approached her and looked at the egg, which had a crack. He lifted the basket and let Twilight put it in it.
"Maybe next tim-" Twilight stopped, as Celestia placed her hoof in her face. "Teach-"
"I'm not your teacher, Twilight; I was and never will be your teacher. You aren't my student either; I only played along because I felt it was my fault that I gave your hopes up and scattered it as you failed your exam that day." Celestia lowered her hoof and pointed all around them, yelling in anger. "I GAVE YOU TOO MUCH HOPE! TOO MUCH! YOU NEED TO GROW UP! YOU'RE NOT A FILLY ANYMORE, BUT YOU ACT LIKE ONE! MY FAITHFUL STUDENTS LIKE SUNSET WILL NEVER HAVE DONE THIS! YOU COULD HAVE HURT EVERYONE HERE, AND YOU STILL WANTED TO BE MY STUDENT DESPITE NOT PASSING THE TEST! YOU STILL WANT TO CLING TO THE PAST AND NOT MOVE FORWARD IN YOUR LIFE!" she was breathing hard, returning to talking calmly. "Twilight, if you keep clinging to this unhealthy obsession and never moving forward, you won't have a future. You are nothing but a-"
Twilight started to cover her ears, not wanting to hear it, but her parents returned and made her listen as they wished this tiring nightmare to end.
"You are nothing but a failure."
The spark within Twilight finally burned out in the darkness, making her sit down and look so empty inside. Celestia had enough and walked away while Armor approached his sister.
"Twily, are you okay?"
Twilight didn't reply, not even moving, as her eyes were lifeless.
"I'm a failure," said Twilight, her voice sounding dead.
Armor wanted to say something, but he, too, was tired of this endless cycle. He turned and walked away.
"I'm sorry, sis. I'll send you some money, but don't spend it on any books," he said, leaving.
Twilight could only look around her and saw nothing but mocking eyes as she heard laughter. She returned, looking at the dirt ground, while her parents picked her up, along with her things, and took her home.
static
static
Spark hated hearing how this version of her mother had such an awful life growing up that it broke her heart so much.
"Just let us help, please!"
The creature couldn't believe Spark was still pushing forward, walking through the burning mist to try to reach her.
"I have no purpose, and I'm a failure. The world would be a better place without me." screamed the normal Twilight side, while Alice's face appeared on the other side, crying as she screamed. "It's better if I just ended my damn worthless life!"
Both sides unleashed a giant tide of dark mist, engulfing Spark. "YOU CAN'T SAVE US! WHY SHOULD WE LISTEN TO YOU!? TO THEM!?"
Within the darkness of the mist, a bright rainbow star appeared and wiped away the sea of mist.
"Why? Why? Why, why, WHY!?" screamed both voices, seeing Spark walking to them.
Spark raised her hand, remembering what they told her when they explained their story.
Static
static
Twilight was in her messy room, filled with nothing but papers on the theory of magic and how to channel it. She could hear her parents fighting among themselves in the living room, fighting over whose fault it was that she was like this. Twilight could see the egg on her dresser and looked away from it. She could hear her parents yelling even more.
"SHE'S A FAILURE AND IT'S YOUR FAULT!"
"BLAMING ME!? SHE HAS ALWAYS BEEN A FAILURE AT THINGS! SHE CAN'T GO WITHOUT HAVING A PANIC ATTACK OR HAVING A FREAK OUT ABOUT THE SIMPLEST OF THINGS!"
Twilight didn't move; she only listened to her parents yelling. She let it all sink within her, finally coming to terms with the fact that she was nothing but a.
"Failure. That's all I am. I couldn't have friends when growing up. I can't be a student at the School of Gifted Unicorns, and I couldn't even pass a simple entrance exam."
She could feel tears falling from her face.
"I'm worthless. I'm causing so much pain for everyone around me. Maybe Celestia was right? I don't have a future at all." she stood up and looked up at the night sky, seeing the mare on the moon. Twilight used her magic to recreate the magical feedback but focused it all on her horn, creating a sizeable glitched-out aura. "Maybe it's time to let go? End it all?"
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Alice felt the blood oozing down her arm as she kept hurting herself while listening to her brother as he cried and did something with Casey in his room.
"CADENCE! CADENCE! WHY!?"
In the room, Casey stood under the blankets, looking at the crying Knight.
"Ssh, it's okay." she leaned in and kissed him on the neck.
"I lost everything that day, Casey. My parents and my girlfriend." cried Knight, grabbing Casey and feeling her hugging back.
Casey kept kissing him. "I know, my sweet broken knight. It's why you wanted me to look like her, right? To make the pain go away. Just relax."
Knight did as he was told and did what his brain told him. "Please, it hurts so much. It's so cold without her here."
"I can make the pain go away. Just keep focusing on me and the sound of my voice." She placed her hand on his cheek. "I never left you, Knight. I'm right here."
Alice kept listening, her eyes nothing but dead inside, as she heard her brother crying over his dead girlfriend, the one she killed along with her parents on that day. But what she heard next made her feel so hollow inside.
"Alice is right, and it's all her fault! Why couldn't she be normal!?"
Alice stepped back and headed back to her room, ignoring the blood she had left on the floor. She quietly closed the door and began working on the device. Within her mind, she cursed at herself.
"You said you wanted to be loved, to have friends who don't care if you act like a tomboy and have a family again, but look what you did! Done to your brother! You destroyed his happiness and left him empty and alone. What a monster you are; you cause nothing but pain and grief."
Alice kept working, not feeling her tears fall.
"But, at least, he has her. He won't be alone when I'm gone." Alice whispered as bright purple light emitted from the device.
She held a switch in her hand, looking at the device with a purple glowing star within a tube, acting like a power source. She pressed the switch, making the star glow black and twisted, filling the whole room with blackness as Alice could feel her body start to rip apart.
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"WE SHOULDN'T BE SAVED! NOT AFTER WHAT WE DONE TO THE PEOPLE AROUND US! WE DESERVED TO SUFFER!" they screamed as Spark stopped and looked at them. "BUT IT'S NOT FAIR; WHY DO WE HAVE SUCH AN AWFUL LIFE, BUT OTHER VERSIONS OF US ARE LIVING SUCH A HAPPY AND PERFECT LIFE!? HUH!? HAVING FRIENDS, BEING HAPPY, AND BEING NORMAL, WHY DO THEY GET THAT WHEN WE DON'T!? IT'S NOT FAIR! WE WERE CREATED WITH SO MUCH PAIN, SUFFERING, AND TORTURE!" the creature fell to the ground, as both Twilight and Alice's faces were crying.
Spark just at them, remembering this suffering...
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"Kill me. I need to die." shouted a very familiar voice to Spark as she stood in the darkness.
"Don't let me suffer anymore!"
Spark could see a small cyan filly being covered in black slime. It was her sisters.
"Did I break everything again?" Softly asked Blitz as she sat on the floor and started crying again. "I need to die. I shouldn't exist."
"I...can't...forgive myself...for all those...deaths," sobbed Braver's voice, coming from the black slime.
Spark slowly walked up to the filly, still listening to their voices.
"I CAN SEE ALL THE LIFE I ENDED THAT DAY! I REMEMBER KILLING MY MOM! BOTH OF THEM! I CAN REMEMBER STABBING HER! BURNING HER!"
"I KILLED BILLIONS! I'M THE REASON MY UNIVERSE DIED!"
"I CAN'T FORGIVE MYSELF! How can you ever forgive me?"
"I AM A MONSTER! That's how everyone needs to see me! KILL ME!"
"NO! I CAN'T! I DON'T WANT TO OVERWHELM YOU! ALL OF YOU! TO SEE YOU SCARED OF ME! I'M A MONSTER! I'M BREAKER OF WORLDS AND STARS! NO MATTER HOW HARD I TRY! IT WON'T EVER BE ENOUGH!"
"Why do you care? I'M NOT WORTH SAVING!"
"NO! I DON'T WANT YOUR PITY! I NEED YOU ALL TO HATE ME! MAKE ME PAY FOR WHAT I DID!"
"I'm not strong..."
Spark finally stood in front of the slime-covered filly. She lowers herself, still listening to their voices.
"But I can't face them. I hurt them. I killed them! I can't ever let that go!"
"No! Don't say that! My hooves are covered in blood! NOT YOURS! NEVER YOURS! IF YOU SAY THAT, THEN THAT WILL MAKE YOU THE MONSTER, AND I'D RATHER BE THE MONSTER THAN SEE YOU BLAMING YOURSELF!"
Spark remembers seeing all of this, seeing her sisters suffering and blaming themselves but never each other, as they wanted to spare the other from the pain and suffering they had caused. She placed her arms around the filly, holding them tight.
"That's why, deep within you two, I made you search for others that could save you and help you move forward in life, which not only did that but also gave you new family, parents who loved you so much."
Spark was now crying, hearing the voices slowly die down.
"You have a wonderful family and friends. They are the proof that you deserve to live. No matter how painful the past is or the things you did, they love you and see you as their daughters and friends." Spark could feel the filly melting away into nothingness, making her look at her empty arms. "But I took that away from you two, making you two take away your own lives..." She hugged herself and cried harder. "For me...the sister who's the one who doesn't deserve to live..."
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Spark finally reached them and placed her hands on both sides of their faces. "That's why I'm doing this."
"Doing what?" they both asked in unison, making Spark smile.
"I won't let another spark burn out like that again. You two can be saved and deserve happiness, no matter how bad or good your life is. The past can hurt you, but you should never let the pain consume you, but instead, learn from it and use it as fuel to grow."
The creatures couldn't believe what they heard and wanted to back away, but something glowed within them. On their chest glowed Twilight's cutie mark.
Spark unzipped her puffy jacket as it glowed, revealing her cutie mark, which glowed on her chest.
"All it takes is just a spark. A different kind of spark." Spark gave them a big smile, but another voice interrupted, finishing her sentence.
"The spark that resides in the hearts of all." said the voice, coming from with Twilight's cutie mark, making the sides faces spread open and revealing another Twilight underneath the mist.
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As rain and thunder could be heard outside the church, a cloaked figure looked at the five elements of harmony ponies as they were stained glass windows, those who saved Equestria and helped others. The figure looked down, listening to the magical tune playing through the holy building.
"I miss you all so much," she said, holding a candle with her magic. "I loved being on my own, but..." she started to cry, the weather outside worsening. "But living every day, knowing I won't see any of you again, I don't know what to do anymore..." The weather blew the doors open, pushing the figure's hood off, revealing it was Twilight, tears in her eyes. "It's so lonely..." the candle blew out, but a rainbow-glowed star appeared within the darkness, making this Twilight turn to it.
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"...Friendship." Smiled the cloak Twilight, looking at Spark. "Save them, Spark. Don't let Fayth have her way with them..." she pleaded as the mist started to cover once more. "I can't stop it, It's too strong!"
Spark nodded. "I will, and not only them, but you too, Twilight." Spark could see the dark creature taking over, 
but instead of attacking, it teleported away, leaving behind only its tears. Spark looked up, seeing the prism glitches, making her clutch her hand into a fist.
Snake and the others made it to the fourth floor and watched as the spiral stairway fell, leaving them no way back down, only forward in the tunnel. They walked through the tunnel, not noticing the yellow pony carving on its walls as it started to glow.
As they traveled down the tunnel and finally reached the end, they saw a vast forest and wooden creatures walking around and staring at them.
In this forest, a young teenage girl wearing a skin-tight suit smiled as she petted the wooden creatures.
End of Chapter 5