//------------------------------// // Opening // Story: From a Sparkle to a Spark // by Infernity Zero //------------------------------// Chapter 1: Opening Fire. She could feel the flames all around her, reaching out towards her skin in anticipation. Trying to pull her into their all-consuming mouth. Smoke. She felt its grimy little fingers grasping her poor neck, trying to squeeze out more of her precious oxygen. The air around her was hot and dry, of no comfort to the haggard girl. "Help...help me." Her hoarse whisper couldn't even raise an echo. Through the deafening roar of the flames, she could barely hear voices around her. Unlike the frantic fire, the voices were lower and softer, but just as emotional. Was someone crying? She didn't have time to think about that now, as something else pulled her attention away. "SPARKLE!" In front of her, the flames parted, and the newcomer walked through them. It was a horrible reptilian beast, the slight of which made her skin crawl. Unlike herself, the blaze around them didn't affect it at all. Reaching down, it hoisted her by her neck, licking its lips as the heat intensified. "You're weak! Just like the ideals you represent. Your friendship couldn't save you, your teacher, or even yourself. You've failed, Sparkle, them and yourself." "No...please." "And now, you DIE!" "No. No!" "CELESTIA!" Twilight started awake. Hyperventilating, she wrapped her arms around herself until she could calm down. Another nightmare. Another awful nightmare. In the three weeks that she'd been in the human world, she'd been having quite a few of those. Sometimes, she was choking in a fog of green haze, sometimes she was watching her friends attacked, and sometimes she was being chased. The most recent ones were the worst, however. She kept reliving her near-death at the hands of Adagio Dazzle. The Siren had withstood her most powerful attacks and even broken her pony form's horn. It had only been thanks to Sunset Shimmer's intervention that Twilight was still alive to have these nightmares. Sunset Shimmer. If someone had told her a few months ago that that girl would end up saving her life, Twilight probably would have laughed it off. But no, Celestia's first pupil had made a remarkable turnaround between Twilight's two visits. From high school mean girl to hometown hero in just six months. Upon seeing the progress she'd made, Celestia had even allowed her to return to Equestria and forgiven her faults. Twilight just wished she could have been there to see it. With her horn broken, she couldn't go through the portal without hurting herself and was therefore stuck on the other side until it healed. That was what she hated the most about this, the waiting. Absentmindedly, she reached up to her forehead. It had been a bit jostled in her sleep, but her crown was still there. Pinkie and Maud had commented on the strangeness of sleeping in her regalia but had been ignored. The crown was a reminder of her home in Equestria; keeping it with her kept her hopeful that she'd soon return there. Already getting drowsy again, she repeated a mantra she'd adopted in response to these night terrors. That's it, Twilight. You're okay. You're okay. You'll make it through another day. The next morning, Pinkie had been nice enough to make breakfast for her, something Twilight really appreciated. With no school on a Saturday, she was left to her own devices. So, she decided to browse the nearest possible source of literacy, the morning paper. Curious Anomalies Strike Canterlot High: Band competition held at the school left several students traumatized due to unknown circumstances. Secondary sources report bizarre changes occurring all around the city. The Foal Free Press offering monetary reward for any information explaining these events. It wasn't very surprising. With two mystical events taking place in half a year, all the leftover magic wouldn't just vanish into thin air. And if she wasn't so hard pressed to get home, it would have made an interesting observation of how a non-magical world would react to such a concept. Of course, that's assuming they don't freak out about it first. While there had always been stories of humans in Equestria, most of them were said to have existed even before the time of the Wendigoes. As such, they remained flights of fancy, restricted to the mindset of either the drunk or the obsessed. And if the discovery of magic in their own world was revolutionary enough, how would one of them react in Equestria? Probably the same way I did when I met my future self. She giggled at the memory. In any case, it was something to take her mind off of her horn. She began scouring the paper, looking for more information on the changes. If she was going to be stuck here, she might as well help out. Later that afternoon... The application process had been simpler than she'd expected. She didn't know whether that was because of her remarkably high intelligence or the low standards of the school. Regardless, it meant she was one step closer to figuring out the mysterious events, she'd been keeping track of. Although the school obviously wasn't open on weekends, she was still allowed to explore its grounds. To the untrained eye, Canterlot High looked fairly ordinary. Standard white building, standard classrooms and requirements, even standard people. But she was hardly untrained. The air reeked of an unfamiliar scent. The outside plants were growing rather too well. The atmosphere around her was far too energized for such a mundane establishment. She could feel it. There was something here. Her brain sparked, already formulating possibilities when someone bumped into her. "Oof! Oh, sorry about that." A purple-haired girl helped her up. She gave what she thought was a pleasant smile and straightened her clothes. "Quite...all right, thank you." "I haven't seen you around before. Are you new here?" She groaned inwardly at the question. Small talk was not her forte by any means, and she loathed pointless inquiries. "Yes, I am." "Then let me be the first to welcome you to Canterlot High." The girl offered an handshake. "I'm Mystery Mint. And you are?" She merely nodded back, slightly flustered by the thought of touching that no-doubt filthy hand. "My name? Very well then. My name is Twilight Sparks."