//------------------------------//
// Action for a Reaction 
// Story: Purity Corruption 
// by TheBlox 
//------------------------------//

Altruise was at the door of the entrance to their home with her parents, packing the last of her things into her saddlebags.

“Okay, so you got your books, your pencils, your—”

“Yeah, I got it, Mom.” Altruise rolled her eyes with a playful smile.

The mother sighed, licking her hoof and rubbing it through Altruise’s head to fix her mane. “You sure you’re going to be alright today?”

“Bah, she’ll do fine.” Her father snickered, re-fixing her mane so that it was back to the way it looked before her mother fixed it.

“You sure you don’t want us to walk you to school?” The cyan mare questioned.

“I know the way. I’ll be fine.” Altruise exclaimed with confidence.

“Well, okay. Have a good day, okay?” Her mother beamed.

“Go knock ‘em dead!” Her father burst with enthusiasm.

Altruise squinted at that last remark as she stepped out the door. She tried to ignore it. “Bye Dad, bye Mom.”

The filly trotted to the street and turned west. The view of the castle furrowed her eyes with disastrous thoughts. Attempting to shake it off, she moved westward, and passed Mila’s house. Mila was just trotting out the door at that moment with saddlebags of her own, and she skipped toward Altruise with a bright smile.

“Good morning, Altruise!” The pink unicorn beamed, trotting up beside her.

“Hi, Mila.” Altruise smiled back at her, and the two started walking toward Canterlot beside each other.

“I’m so excited!” Mila chirped with a few bounding skips.

“Well at least that makes one of us.” Altruise bluntly replied. Mila slowed her bounding to glance at her with a raised brow.

“Aw c’mon, you’re not worried about your magic, are you?”

“Well, yeah. I am.” Altruise replied, looking back at her, “Except not in the way that you think I am.” Her eyes squinted and she glanced passed her friend, avoiding eye contact. “I shouldn’t be going to school.”

Mila was puzzled at this. She blinked a few times, and a few hoofsteps down the path later she finally questioned back at her. “Why not?”

Altruise bit her lip and looked ahead in silence, ignoring the question. The pink unicorn kept glancing at her with curiosity. Mila kept noticing the mysterious expression on Altruise’s face that was filled with what appeared to seem rather ominous to her.

“You are so not yourself this morning.” Mila exclaimed.

“I haven’t been myself since two nights ago.” Altruise admitted, “I’d rather not talk about it though, okay? I don’t want you to worry about me.” She tried to smile at her.

Mila raised a brow at that, “Well it’s too late, you’ve worried me. Now what’s wrong?”

Altruise stopped walking for a brief moment to groan, “I couldn’t even tell my parents. I can’t tell anypony what happened to me.”

“What? Something happened to you?”

Altruise bit her lip, realizing she had said too much.

“Altruise, you can tell me.” Mila pushed further, “I’m your best friend. I won’t tell anypony else.”

“Mila, this is serious.” Altruise leaned forward to express herself, “I can’t tell anypony; not even my best friend.”

“Why not?” Mila blinked.

“I… I…” Altruise let out a loud sigh and slouched closer to the cobblestone path, “It’s nothing.”

“Oh come on.” Mila continued to push, “Tell meeee.”

“No.”

“Please? I’ll be your best friend.” Mila jokingly grinned.

“You are my best friend!”

“So then tell me.”

“I—it—you—ugh!” Altruise threw her hoof into her noggin and put her hoof back to the cobblestone with a new annoyed expression on her face. “Alright, fine, fine, but!” She leaned in to emphasize just how strictly important this was to her, “Promise me, that you will not tell anypony. Not your parents, not your other friends… Nopony.”

“Yeah, I promise, I already said I wouldn’t.” Mila expressed her honesty with a smile.

“You might also think I’m crazy.” Altruise exclaimed, “So please don’t run from me.”

“Why would I do that?” Mila raised a brow again.

“Okay…” Altruise glanced left, then right, and then back at Mila with a serious and concerned look on her face, leaning in for secrecy. “Two nights ago, the night after your little party with your friends, I er…” She stopped herself in mid-speech briefly, then continued, “…I cast a spell.”

“You did?” Mila beamed and bounded in place, “That’s great!”

“No, Mila. It isn’t.” Altruise frowned.

“What?” Mila stopped bounding briefly, “Why wouldn’t that be? That’s what you wanted. Right?”

“Mila, you don’t understand… This is bad. This is very, very bad.” Altruise looked at her with very deep concern, “I… uh… Were you awake during the storm that night?”

Mila blinked and nodded, “Yeah, that was one crazy storm! Normally I like falling asleep to a little thunder shower, but that was creepy!”

“That was me!” Altruise almost sobbed as she blurted that out, “I did that! And I had no control, I couldn’t stop!”

There was a moment of silence, and Mila just stared at her.

“You made that storm?” She finally asked to confirm if she heard right. Altruise didn’t respond, but Mila investigated Altruise’s serious expression. She took a few trots back and flinched, “That’s impossible, no pony, let alone a filly our age could create such a spell.”

“I didn’t say it was easy to believe.” Altruise winced, “I can’t even believe it myself…”

“Prove it to me?” Mila requested.

“I… What?” Altruise was dumbfounded, “But I… No, I’m not doing that again!”

Mila shrugged, “Then how do I know if you’re telling me the truth.”

“Mila, I’m your friend. I wouldn’t lie to you about something like that!”

“Yea okay.” Mila rolled her eyes and continued sauntering toward Canterlot, “Well let’s keep going or we’ll be late.”

“You don’t believe me…” Altruise murmured in a cold tone, trotting beside Mila to keep up.

“Sorry, Altruise, that’s a bit far-fetched. Like I said, nopony can do that.” The pink unicorn glanced ahead, “Only a goddess could make a storm that great. If a mere unicorn were to try a spell like that, they’d probably need a whole army of unicorns to assist the magic.”

Altruise squinted at that, but she knew she couldn’t blame Mila for disbelieving her; even if she was her friend. For the moment, it occurred to Altruise that perhaps it was better that Mila didn’t believe her. If she did believe her, Mila would likely have an entirely different reaction about it, which likely would’ve turned out bad.

“If you say so.” Altruise sighed as they continued westward.


*          *          *          *          *


Trotting into Canterlot, Altruise and Mila took a couple of turns through the streets until they arrived at the school. They entered through the main double-doors and pressed on through the halls of lockers and classrooms. There were several other unicorn fillies and colts all across the length of the hall from ages five all the way up to roughly nine years that filled the air with chatter.

“So which classroom was ours?” Altruise asked, glancing over at the pink unicorn beside her.

“Um…” Mila’s horn glowed, and her right saddlebag opened up. From within the saddlebag she levitated a piece of paper and held it in front of her. Enlisted on this sheet of paper were all of the spell categories they were going to learn from throughout the year. At the top of the form it disclosed her room number, G1B.

Altruise reached into her own right saddlebag with her snout, and pulled her own form out with her teeth. She gripped it in her hoof and held it up to read it. It had identical information on her form as Mila’s.

“Looks like we’re in the same classroom again.” Mila smiled as she peered over at Altruise’s form.

“Wow… That’s a lot to learn throughout the year.” Altruise winced uncomfortably at the list, “A lot more than in Magic Kindergarten.”

“Eh, a few of these aren’t so hard…” Mila exclaimed, pointing at a couple of the categories on the list, “I can kinda do these already…” She looked up at Altruise, who looked back at her with a lack of enthusiasm. “What? They’re not that hard.”

“Uh huh.” Altruise murmured with sarcasm.

“Oh Altruise, you’ll be fine.” Mila patted her on the shoulder with a hint of a chuckle, “I mean if you can summon a storm, these should be a breeze for you, eh?”

Altruise gave her a squinting look in response. “That’s not funny.”

Mila just snickered at that last comment and carried on forward. Altruise raised a brow and followed her down the hall. On their way to their classroom, they recognized a few unicorns from Magic Kindergarten. There were also many new fillies and colts roaming the halls, the younger ones with their parents.

“E-excuse me?” A voice called to them in a nervous manner. Altruise and Mila turned to the filly speaking to them. She was a purple unicorn of no cutie mark, with a dark blue mane that had a pink stripe through it, and she appeared to be a year or two younger than them.

“Can you tell me where room K1C is?” The newcomer asked politely.

Altruise smiled at the younger filly and nodded, “It’s on the east side. That was my classroom last year.” She exclaimed with serenity, “Would you like me to show you the way there?”

“That would be nice of you.” The filly exclaimed with a smile.

“Should I go on ahead and meet you in class?” Mila directed her question at Altruise.

“Sure. Reserve a desk beside you.” Altruise replied.

Mila giggled and trotted to their class. “I will. See you in a couple minutes.”

“See ya, Mila.” Altruise bid her goodbye, and then turned to the purple filly beside her. “Okay, follow me.” That said, she trotted through the halls with the smiling purple filly following her.

“Thank you.” The younger one exclaimed.

“It’s the least I could do.” Altruise beamed, “I remember coming into school my first time, I was so lost!” She turned to the purple foal with her friendly smile, “My name’s Altruise by the way. What’s your name?”

“Twilight Sparkle.” The purple filly replied happily.


*          *          *          *          *


The two ponies trotted through the eastern halls where the younger students were. Altruise lead Twilight to a door near the end of the hall that had a tag on the door which read K1C in a large bold font. Approaching this door, Altruise already started picking up some unpleasant memories from last year. Shaking it off, she turned to Twilight, keeping her smile. “Well, here it is.”

“Thanks!” Twilight beamed and reached up for the door handle, turning the knob. She trotted through the door and turned back to Altruise. “I’ll see you later then.”

“Alright, have a good day.”

With that, Altruise turned away from the kindergarten classroom and sauntered back down the halls to get to her own class.

“Well, well, well! If it isn’t the Fake Unicorn!” She heard a familiar, irritating voice that made her eyes squint and her ears drop to the sides. Altruise slowly turned her head to a blue filly of violet eyes and a silver mane. “Did so bad last year you’ve gone back to the kindergarten hallways, huh?”

“Hi, Trixie…” Altruise rolled her eyes and continued onward down the hall, making the attempt to ignore her.

“Hey, where do you think you’re going?” Trixie illuminated her horn, and with a jolt of magic, she forced Altruise to turn around and face her with a quick levitation spell.

“I, er… Shouldn’t you be going to class?” Altruise backed away from her in a slump.

“Pfff.” Trixie shook a hoof in the air as if she didn’t care, then noticed the heart on Altruise’s flank. Her eyes widened with a mocking grin. “Nice cutie mark.”

“Th-thanks…” Altruise replied, uncertain if she meant that or not. She then noticed Trixie’s cutie mark; a symbolic silver wave pattern with a star-tipped wand. “I see you got yours too.”

“Yeah at least mine represents something useful.” Trixie laughed menacingly, “What does yours mean? It’s probably fake like your horn.”

Altruise frowned at that. “What?”

“Can you do magic yet?” Trixie grinned.

“I-I…”

“Hahaha!” The blue filly burst out in more laughter, “Seriously, what are you doing in this grade?”

“I should be asking you the same question.” Altruise frowned, “Act your age, Trixie.”

Trixie ignored that statement. “Magic Kindergarten is that way.” She pointed a hoof down the eastern hall. “That’s where broken unicorns belong.” She put her hoof back down and stood tall and proud, “I on the other hoof have done so well last year, they have moved me up a grade.”

“You’re kidding, right?” Altruise’s eyes squinted at that, “One of these days, Trixie, I bet one of those kindergarteners will show you up. Then we’ll see who’s broken.”

“Pffff.” The blue filly boasted with a hoof to her noble chest, “No pony would ever dare challenge the Great and Powerful Trixie.”

“The great and powerful…?” Altruise’s ears twitched, “Really? Did you just come up with that now?”

“Yes, in fact I did.” Trixie proudly glanced at her elegantly postured hoof, “I think I might just use that from now on.” She put her hoof down and grinned, “And what do you have to show for yourself?”

“Well… I—” Altruise was suddenly cut off when the school buzzer went off. “Aw, oats! I’m late!” With that, she turned and galloped down the hall, completely disregarding Trixie’s laughter behind her.

“See ya around, Fake Unicorn!”


*          *          *          *          *


“So you all remember the basic levitation from last year, right class?” A blue mare stood in the front end of the class by the black board, holding up a piece of chalk with her magic. She had a light blue mane and scarlet eyes; her cutie mark was a simple wand with sparkles. The lesson introduction was cut short when there was a knock at the door. She peered over at the door, and with a levitation spell, she opened it up from her distance, seeing an aggravated white filly at the door.

“Ah, Altruise.” The teacher raised a brow, “Late I see.”

“Sorry about that…” Altruise let herself in and trotted over to the empty desk next to Mila’s seat.

“It’s your first day back, that’s fine. Just don’t make that a regular habit.” The teacher turned back to the black board, “Now where was I…”

Mila leaned in toward Altruise. “Where’d you disappear to?” She whispered.

Altruise rolled her eyes and whispered back. “Ugh… Trixie…”

“Oh. Ouch.” Mila squinted, “Well at least she’s not in the same class as us this year.”

“Yeah, well, it seems that isn’t going to happen any more anyway.” Altruise exclaimed.

Mila blinked, “What do you mean?”

Altruise rolled her eyes again, “They moved her up a grade this year.”

“What? That’s ridiculous.” Mila raised a brow and sat up straight, “Perhaps we can look at this as a good thing. We won’t have to worry about her again.”

“Yeah, I suppose you have a point there.”

“Altruise! Mila!” The teacher spoke up from among the classroom, “Stop talking while I’m teaching!”

“Sorry.” Altruise and Mila sat up and made eye contact with her simultaneously.

“Now… Where was I…?” The teacher turned back to the board, clearing her throat.

“Too bad we have to put up with her…” Mila pointed her snout at the teacher with emphasis.

Altruise blinked, “What about her?”

“You don’t recognize her similarities?” Mila pointed at the teacher’s cutie mark, her mane and features.

Altruise glanced at the teacher, and took a moment to figure it out. “Wait… She’s Trixie’s mom?” Her ears sank to her sides with that sudden realization and she slumped back in her seat, “Well, this day just seems to be getting better, doesn’t it.” She leaned in closer to Mila, “Well I suppose that explains why Trixie gets the spoiled benefit of skipping a grade.”

“Altruise! Mila!” The blue mare snapped, eyes twitching. “Are you two done?”

“Sorry.” The two fillies sat up straight again. “Yes ma’am.”

“Good.” The teacher’s eyes squinted at them, and then looked back at the rest of the class with a renewed smile. “Now, for our first day back, why don’t we show each other what types of spells we already know?”

There was some enthusiastic chatter among the class, save for Altruise who slouched lower in her seat.

“Who would like to go first?”

Several fillies and colts raised their hooves. The teacher looked over the class and picked a student at random.

“Okay, Dyno, why don’t you come up here and demonstrate what you can do?”

“Yes ma’am.” The orange colt nodded his frizzy red-maned head, and slipped off his seat, trotting to the front of the classroom.

“What type of spell are you going to perform?” The teacher questioned the colt.

Dyno’s right saddlebag opened up, and a red apple levitated out of the pouch with an orange aura of magic around it. “I’m going to make this here apple explode!”

“Uhm, Dyno?” The blue mare jumped and nervously chuckled, “Maaaybe we should do something a little less… Messy.”

“What, you don’t like applesauce?”

“No, that isn’t what I mean, Dyno, I—”

“Cus I could make my orange explode if you’d prefer—”

“Dyno!” The teacher’s eyes twitched, “Different spell.”

Dyno blinked a few times, nodding nervously. “Okay, uhm…” The colt took a moment to think about a different spell to try. His horn sparked a beam of magic at the apple, and it turned the red skin on the apple green. The rest of the class applauded.

“That’s much better!” Trixie’s mom exclaimed, “Good for you, you can take your seat.”

The orange colt put his green apple back into his saddlebag, and trotted back to his desk and sat down.

“Anypony else?” The teacher peered over the class, looking for more raised hooves. “Okay, Mila.” She pointed at the pink unicorn. This got Altruise’s attention, and her ears perked questioning herself how the outcome of her friend’s magic would turn out.

Mila smiled and got up off her seat, opened her saddlebag and levitated a red apple of her own out and placed it on her desk. She then trotted over to the front of the classroom.

“Alright, what are you going to do?” The teacher asked the filly.

“Levitation magic from a distance.” Mila declared, and her horn illuminated. From across the classroom, the apple on her desk was surrounded by her magic pink aura, and lifted into the air. She gracefully levitated the apple over the heads of the other students, and brought it in front of her. The class applauded, and she put her apple back in her saddlebag.

“Very well executed.” The blue mare smiled.

“Thank you.” Mila smiled and trotted back to her desk. Sitting in her seat, she turned to Altruise, noticing that she was behaving nervously. “Altruise, you’ll be fine.” She reassured her.

“Whatever you say.” The white filly murmured with slumped ears.

“Come on, I’m sure you could get it if you’d give it a try.”

“And risk the safety of the rest of the class?” Altruise corrected that statement, “Or the entire school for that matter? I don’t think so.”

“Altruise, I think that whole storm spell was all in your head.” Mila suggested, “Perhaps you were dreaming when that storm hit and made you think you’re responsible.”

Altruise frowned at that, “Mila, you don’t understand, that really happened. You have no idea how dangerous my magic is…”

“Altruise!” The teacher snapped, causing both Mila and Altruise to sit upright in their seats again. “Well, since you’re all chatty, why don’t you come up and have a turn?”

The white filly’s eyes widened, and she felt a wave of heat from nervous stress. “Uh… N-no ma’am I think I’m good.”

“That wasn’t a request.” The blue mare’s eyes squinted, “Come up here, now.”

“I-I…”

“Altruise.”

The nervous unicorn gulped, and got off her seat. Slowly, she sauntered to the front of the class, glancing at the other students around her who were all staring at her, a few giggling. When she got to the front of the class, she turned to face the students, then looked over at the teacher with a nervous gulp.

“And, what kind of spell are you going to do?” The teacher asked her with expectation.

“I-I um…” Altruise turned her neck to her left side, and with her teeth she opened her saddlebag, and pulled out her own apple with her mouth. She put the apple in her hoof, and noticed the class was silently chuckling at her.

“Class, don’t be rude.” The teacher snapped, and then turned back to Altruise. “So?”

Altruise stared at the apple in front of her. She was entirely clueless, and had no idea what to do. “Uhm…” She kept her eyes on the apple, and suddenly an aura of magic surrounded it. Her ears perked, and she twitched, confused. The apple levitated out of her hoof, and that’s when she caught onto the pink aura. Altruise peered over at Mila from across the classroom, who smiled back at her with an illuminated horn. Altruise smiled back at her and looked back at her apple, feeling much of her stress relieved.

“Okay, I uhm…” Altruise tried to come up with something simple that Mila would obviously know how to do. She then thought of something she and Mila practiced together when Mila first learned levitation magic last year.

“I’ll peel the apple.” She declared, leaning her horn forward. The apple then levitated to her horn and pressed against it, puncturing the skin of the apple. It began to slowly rotate, and the peel on the apple was being scraped off by the pointed tip of her horn like an apple peeler.

With the apple peel properly scraped off, she held up her hoof, and the peeled apple levitated back down into her hoof, and the magic aura around it vanished. The classroom applauded.

“That was very clever, Altruise.” The teacher applauded herself, “Well done. You can take your seat now.”

Altruise smiled and nodded. She put the apple in her mouth, and trotted happily over to her desk. She sat down in her seat, pulled the peeled apple out of her mouth and put it on her desk, and then leaned over to Mila to whisper. “Thank you…”

Mila smiled back at her. “Don’t mention it.” She quietly said.


*          *          *          *          *


After class was over, the students were all dismissed for recess. On their way out into the hall, Altruise and Mila walked beside each other, heading for the school doors to go outside to the playground.

“You totally saved my flank in there.” Altruise murmured, “I had no idea what to do.”

“Hey, I’m sure you would’ve done the same for me if I was in your hooves.”

Exiting the doors out into the playground, the two fillies trotted outside. “So what should we do?” Mila asked, “You want me to help you practice your magic before next class?”

“No.” Altruise gave her a look.

“What? I’m only trying to help.”

“I know, and I appreciate it.” Altruise sighed, “I’m just worried something bad will happen like the other night.”

“Altruise, nothing happened the other night.” Mila rolled her eyes, “There was a storm, and you were likely dreaming.”

“Mila.” Altruise’s eyes furrowed, “I don’t want to discuss that.”

Suddenly a loud voice was echoing through the air, catching all of the ponies on the playground’s attention.

“Come one, come all! Witness the amazing magic of the Great and Powerful Trixie!”

There in the center of the playground was Trixie, wearing a purple cape and a wizard hat from cutout fabrics. She was shouting with a voice amplifier spell, and fillies and colts from different age groups were all gathering around her in a circle to watch her perform. Altruise and Mila stayed where they were, staring with a lack of enthusiasm.

“Watch, fillies and gentlecolts, as I magically turn this apple into an orange!” Trixie levitated the apple in front of her, and stood back, waving her hooves at it. After a few moments, like she declared, the apple turned into an orange. Her audience around her applauded, and she bowed boastfully.

“Pff. I can do that.” Mila rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, well there’s nothing spectacular about showing off magic.” Altruise exclaimed, “Magic is supposed to be used for the purpose of pursuing our talents, not making other unicorns look bad because you have stronger magic.”

“Well, well, well!” Trixie noticed Altruise there beyond her audience. “If it isn’t the Fake Unicorn.”

Altruise’s eyes winced, and she slumped lower where she stood. “Ugh, why me?”

The rest of the audience all turned to Altruise, many with mocking grins. Most of the grinning faces came from the unicorns who knew her from last year as the only student who couldn’t cast a spell.

“Why don’t you come up here?” Trixie waved her hoof, gesturing her over.

“I’d rather not, Trixie.” Altruise said aloud.

“What’s the matter? Horn still broken?” Trixie laughed.

“I—What the—? Hey!” Altruise was suddenly lifted into the air surrounded by Trixie’s blue magic aura. Trixie levitated the white unicorn over the crowd of ponies toward her. Altruise struggled, but she couldn’t fight herself out of Trixie’s magic.

“Trixie, put her down!” Mila yelled.

“It’s the Great and Powerful Trixie.” The silver maned filly boasted, and deactivated her aura of magic around Altruise, who then fell from the air a couple of meters, and landed in the grass in front of her with a thump.

“W-why do you always have to pick on me?” Altruise limply stood back up from in the grass, glaring up at the blue filly in front of her. “I’ve never done anything to hurt you.”

“You make the rest of us unicorns look bad.” Trixie frowned at her, “You’re a burden to this school, what do you think you’re doing here?”

“What…?”

“Come on, prove me wrong.” Trixie dropped her orange into the ground and gently kicked it toward Altruise; it rolled and stopped at her hooves in the grass. “Show me a trick. Let me see you do magic.”

“B-but I…”

“Show us all what you’re made of.” The blue filly grinned.

“Trixie, stop picking on her!” Mila galloped forward through the audience, and stood in front of her. “You don’t need to be such a jerk all the time.”

“Hey, this doesn’t concern you.” Trixie cast a telekinetic wave of magic, which pushed Mila over onto her back. She then turned back to Altruise and pointed a hoof to the orange in the grass. “Okay, let’s see some magic. Cast a spell on that orange.”

Altruise took a few steps backward, eyeing the blue filly. “No, Trixie.”

“Aw, can’t do it, can ya?” Trixie mocked her, peering over her audience with a grin, “What’s she doing at a magic school if she can’t cast magic?”

Laughter in the crowd echoed through the air, piercing Altruise’s ears with offending chanting.

“Fake Unicorn!”

“You’re a disgrace to all unicorns! Go home!”

“She’s broken!”

Mila was just getting up, peering over at Altruise who was looking into the grass. Tears were rolling down the white filly’s cheeks, and her cries were drowned out by the laughter of the ponies all around her. The pink unicorn slumped lower where she stood, unsure what she could do. Then she noticed a sudden change in Altruise’s facial expression.

Altruise’s saddened eyes turned into a frown, she gritted her teeth, and she started growling.

“Ooooh, somepony’s getting mad!” Trixie laughed.

Stepping back a little to give herself some room, Altruise pointed her horn at the orange in the grass. At first she was very hesitant. She knew what the possible outcome could be.

“Perhaps it won’t happen like it did last time…” She thought to herself, “I can do this… I am a unicorn…”

More chanting was heard from the audience.

“Come on, Fake Unicorn!”

Tensing her legs, she suddenly began pushing hard, attempting to cast a spell. She pushed so hard that her body trembled, and her head began to throb in pain, but that didn’t hold her back from trying even harder.

“I… am not… a Fake. Unicorn!”

Then suddenly, all at once—just as she feared—her horn exploded of loud, magical energy like lightning that echoed back down at them from the sky like roaring thunder. All of the ponies watching buckled their knees and their ears fell back in terrified shock. Directly above Altruise, funneling black clouds began to take formation in the sky, spiraling larger in size by the second.

Altruise dropped low to the ground, painfully holding her throbbing head from her outburst of magic. “No! No d-don’t! Not again!” She cried, “P-please! Celestia, help me!”

Surrounding her were screams of terror. Fillies and colts ran in every which direction, terrified of her magic. Even the Great and Powerful Trixie was running for cover. Trixie galloped as fast as her hooves could carry her toward the school, and she ran through the doors in a panic.

“Ooagh, goddess, it hurts…!” Altruise clenched her teeth, wincing in immense pain. The thunder from the sky grew louder, and clashes of lightning began to bolt from the clouds. Through her tearful eyes, she saw several teachers come out of the school to investigate what the sudden havoc was all about.

“S-somepony help me!” Altruise reached out a hoof in their direction, sobbing. “Please! It hurts—AHH!!” Lighting erupted from her horn, and a radius of uncontrollable energy spread around her, randomly blowing craters in the ground with highly intense electrical discharges.

“Everypony stand clear of her!” One of the teachers yelled with authority, “It’s too dangerous!!”

The students on the playground didn’t need to be told twice; they all stepped far away from her.

“W-what’s happening to me…?” Altruise gasped, slumping into the ground, thunder and lightning erupting in the sky that was now black of storm clouds. Wind started to pick up, and it began to rain. “Ohh, why can’t I stop it…!?”

Altruise limply tried to stand, looking at all of the terrified faces staring at her; even Mila was afraid. It hurt to see those faces look at her like that. It was just in like her nightmare. “W-why won’t anypony help me…?” She sobbed and collapsed back into the ground, unable to keep herself on her hooves.

More lightning emerged from Altruise’s horn, blowing more craters in the ground. Lightning bolts also clashed from the sky, and one struck a taller point of the school, blowing a hole in it. The stone debris from the hole in the school came crashing down, barely missing the ponies on the ground, who scampered away from the crashing rubble.

“AH!—OW!” Altruise then felt a strange energetic feeling in her horn that she didn’t sense the first time this happened. It was like her magic was trying to escape her. “W-what’s going on—AH!” Suddenly her horn illuminated as bright as the sun, and a bolt of lightning jolted from her horn directly into the wall of foals. With a loud clash, the lightning struck one of the fillies in the crowd, striking her directly in the horn.

Immediately, the rest of the crowd of ponies backed away from the filly who had been struck. What was strange, this bolt of lightning wouldn’t cancel itself out; it continued to jolt into this unicorn, as if their horns were channeled together.

“Twilight!” One of the fillies in the crowd of ponies shrieked, watching the purple unicorn taking the intense blow of electricity to the horn. She trembled from the blast of lightning, and slowly the channeled bolt of electricity began to lessen. A few moments, and the connection of lightning between their horns completely died off, and Altruise’s horn slowly began to dim back to its normal state once again.

The clouds in the sky gradually faded away, the rain slowed to a stop, and the thundering echoes silenced. Altruise was back to normal again, her magic explosion had come to a close.

She stared wide-eyed at the purple filly who was now lying on her side, sparking of electrical energy at the horn. Altruise’s ears fell to the sides, and she limply stood up to her hooves, slowly trotting toward the downed unicorn.

“T-Twilight?” She whimpered as she approached closer. As for the rest of the crowd, they all backed away from her as she moved closer.

“Altruise, stay away from that pony!” One of the teachers hollered in a threatening voice. Altruise was so focused on the wounded pony in the grass that she disregarded everything the teachers were trying to tell her.

She stepped up to the purple filly and stood over her, looking down at her motionless body. Twilight’s eyes were open, glowing white, and her horn was still sparking. Apart from that, she was completely still.

“Twilight?” Altruise knelt lower to her, “T-Twilight, are you okay?”

The purple unicorn remained lying there, motionless. Glowing at the eyes, and sparking at the horn. One of the teachers jumped into the scene and put a hoof in the way to enforce her to back away from Twilight.

“I said stay away from her!” She snapped, “You don’t need to cause any more damage than you already have!”

“I-I… I didn’t…” Altruise backed away slowly, whimpering. The teacher turned back to Twilight to check on her.

Twilight’s horn soon stopped sparking, and the glow in her eyes went away, exposing her violet irises again. She blinked a few times, then clenched her eyes shut, and raised her hooves to her head, letting out a loud painful groan. “M-my head…”

“I-I’m sorry.” Altruise whimpered, backing away further. She looked around her at all of the staring faces. “I-I’m so sorry everypony… I… I didn’t…” She hiccupped and wept a few times, “I didn’t mean for this to happen, I…”

All of the ponies on the playground—both foals and teachers—just stared at her, feared her. Their piercing eyes filling her with guilt. Altruise took one last glance at the staring ponies, and at the destroyed playground around her, and she turned and ran away in a trail of tears.

“Altruise, you need to stay here!” A teacher called out to her, but the filly didn’t respond. Nor did she even look back. Running off into the eastern distance, she disappeared beyond the haze of her own destruction.


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