//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 - The Little Things // Story: Tamed // by PiercingZen //------------------------------// Act 1 - Broken Chapter 3 – The Little Things ***** Realizing your own weakness can bring unto you a greater strength. ***** “Twilight Sparkle…” That warm, familiar voice made the purple mare jump with glee. She closed her book with a hoof and turned to find a large white-coated alicorn smiling down at her. “Princess Celestia!” She couldn’t help but feel intimidated by the large mare. No other pony had that towering presence. That glow and that power could make even the strongest pony bend to her will. But she pushed all of that away for she knew, as her number one pony, that a visit from her could only mean something special. “How is my esteemed protégé?” The alicorn peeked at the book she was reading. “Wanting to learn magic this early, Twilight Sparkle?” The unicorn blushed and sunk her head. She fiddled with grass beneath her and giggled. Grass? No…I was… “Hm, Twilight?” The unicorn looked around her. She was in her personal library given to her by the Princess. She was standing on stone flooring. “I know I can do it, Princess Celestia! All of the other ponies can do magic already…” Her voice softened gradually as she trailed off. The glowing mare let out an amused chuckle. Twilight looked up at her hurt at the alicorn’s enjoyment. “Those ponies you study with are at least two years older than you, Twilight Sparkle.” The alicorn slowly lowered herself onto the floor so she could be eye-level with the unicorn. “All in good time, my beloved student. You must be patient.” Her voice soft and warm to the unicorn’s ears. “But watch this, Princess! Hurgh!” Twilight shut her eyes and focused all of her power into her horn, which shone a soft amethyst. The room began to darken and it began to rain. BOOM! The alicorn’s eyes flashed white. “NOOO!!” The Princess screamed in a demonic voice. Rain? No…it was… “Oh?” She could hear the alicorn giggle, which provoked Twilight to open her eyes. The unicorn gasped. “This is…interesting, Twilight.” She had just given the most powerful pony in all of Equestria, the being that could literally raise the sun and moon at will…a moustache. “Oh, no! I’m so sorry, Princess Celestia! I did what the book told me! It was supposed to make you a pair of sunglasses! At least…I think that was it.” The unicorn picked up the book again and opened it with her hoof. CRACK! A flood of color burst from the book in a brilliant halo. The power of the ring shattered the glass-like walls around her. Frightened, she looked up at Celestia for answers. “What’s going…?” Celestia was gone. In her place was a bleak void with a single mass of white in the distance. A solitary ray of light shone through the center and hit her directly in the face. Suddenly, a figure rushed right up to her face. Her vision completely obscured by two large magenta eyes. “Twilight…?” A whisper… ***** “Waaaah!!” Twilight sat up and screamed. She had no time to collect her thoughts. She was dripping with sweat and breathing heavily. She fumbled out of what she gathered was a bed and began reaching at the ground to get away. “Twilight! Twilight!” Somepony was calling her name, but she wasn’t listening. A large pressure pins her to the ground and the unicorn begins to panic and cry. “Let go of me! Celestia! HELP! I need your…your…” Twilight felt a pain in her left thigh and the world faded to darkness… ***** Voices…they were so distant she could barely hear them. “Is she gonna be all right?” A voice with a suspicious country accent. Twilight could barely feel her hooves. Groggy was an understatement. Her vision was a complete blur of bright lights. “She should be fine for now…just don’t let her out of your sight. She seems to have suffered a very traumatic experience.” An unfamiliar voice spoke with a sense of duty and was very blunt. “Traumatic ain’t the half of it. Ah’ve never seen a pony get so worked up.” My forehead is killing me…what…? What did they hit me with a hammer? Applejack…is that you? “Twilight?! Are you okay? Can you hear us?” Barely…speak up a little. We’re not in the library… “How…how she doin’ that?” Applejack asked with a tone of bewilderment. What? What was she talking about? “I have no idea…” Another familiar voice…it sounded closer, but softer. What are you talking about, Applejack? She felt a pressure on her chest. “Stop doin’ whatever is yer doin’, Twilight.” “I’ll handle this, Applejack. Alright, Twilight Sparkle. I just need you to stay calm…and slowly raise your left hoof.” That voice…only one pony she knew had that voice…Celestia? The pressure on her chest disappeared. “Princess she won’t be able to mo…” The unfamiliar voice was suddenly cut short. “Raise your left hoof, Twilight.” Celestia commanded. My left hoof…? She dug around her consciousness to retrieve such a simple command. She secured it and put all of her energy into it. Th..there! “Try again, my student. I know you can do it.” Twilight was distraught. She knew she had done it right. How could she have not lifted her hoof? The unicorn let out a stressed sigh. She strained as much as she could to lift it. In her mind, she was punching a hole through the sky. She could only hear a sigh. Twilight was frustrated beyond reason. I don’t know what you want me to do! The unicorn screamed as she sat up in bed. Her vision suddenly and completely returned, and she found herself in a white room…a hospital room? She could see Princess Celestia, Applejack, and another pony, an orange stallion wearing a doctor’s coat staring at her with looks of shock on their faces. Twilight was panting with tears in her eyes. Celestia smiled at her student and moved closer to comfort her. “Well done, my student. You are quite talented.” Talented? At what? Raising my hoof? “How? How is this even possible, Princess?” The doctor asked in disbelief. The alicorn turned to answer him. “Magic has its ways of bending and skewing anything imaginable. It’s only a question of how far reality is willing to allow it.” Twilight could tell the orange pony didn’t understand. She herself wasn’t grasping it to well herself. What’s going on exactly? Why is the Princess here? What is she… “Twilight, I need you to listen to me carefully.” Celestia interrupted her thoughts, “I require that you remain as calm as you can manage because what I’m about to tell you is very important, and it may shock you.” She knew to trust Celestia and nodded immediately. Of course, Princess Celestia. Twilight glanced at Applejack who was standing a good distance from her and giving her a funny look. Was she…afraid? What’s wrong with Applejack? “Twilight!” Celestia again popped. “I need to you to concentrate on me.” Twilight didn’t know what to think. This was all confusing her immensely. “Now don’t…get…upset. Your horn…has been broken.” Twilight’s eyes widened. What?! She reached up to touch it, but her hooves were suddenly bound by magic. “Twilight! Don’t touch it. I’m not lying to you.” The unicorn’s eyes began to well up. Is it true? Is my horn…gone? “It’s only broken in half, my student. Now a unicorn’s horn breaking is incredibly rare. It takes a great deal of force to remove one much less break one. In fact, I’m not certain how you’re still alive, Twilight.” The purple mare could only choke, unable to form questions. Her hooves were released, but the temptation was still there eating at her. She couldn’t stand to look at Celestia, the bearer of the worst news anypony could possibly give her. Her eyes darted around the room. She wanted to escape to get away from this horrible nightmare. Then something she had forgotten had finally hit her. Where’s Rainbow?! Is she okay?! I don’t know exactly what happened. Applejack nodded to her. “She’s fine, Twilight, but I reckon’ you should see her fer yerself. She’s been wantin’ to see ya.” The orange mare smiled weakly. Twilight read her like a book. Why couldn’t she just see me herself? What’s wrong with… Crackle! Sparks flew from her broken horn. Ow!! The unicorn yelped as a searing pain overwhelmed her forehead. She lifts her hooves to reach for it again, but Celestia stops her. Celestia spoke up, “Twilight, before you go see Rainbow, I have a very important piece of advice…no an order. You are…forbidden to use magic for whatever reason. The state of your horn is dangerous. From what I’ve seen, the damage to your horn has put your powers in a permanent state of flux. You see…a unicorn’s horn is merely a catalyst for the raw magic you have inside you…and when that catalyst is damaged, so is your ability to safely use that magic.” Twilight felt like she was in school again. She already knew all of this. “Also, you may not have noticed, but haven’t been speaking to us…at all. At least, not with your mouth, my student.” Celestia’s implications perplexed Twilight. Of course, I’ve been speaking. How else would they be talking back to me? Why is Celestia being so weird? “Weird, Twilight Sparkle? Hardly the way to talk to your mentor.” Celestia smiled as she watched Twilight finally realize the situation. I’m…talking to you with my mind?! Then…what else have I been doing without realizing it? The pony in the white-lab coat spoke up, “Well, you broke through one of my strongest paralytics for one. Never seen a pony do that.” Twilight was slightly perturbed. They…I mean…you paralyzed me? Why would you do that? Applejack came closer to the unicorn, feeling safer to approach the mare. “Well, you woke up in such a fit. We figured you’d break down these here walls to get out.” “Actually, Twilight is still paralyzed.” Celestia smiled. All ponies turned to her in confusion with a simultaneous, “What?” “Naw, I reckon she’s moving fairly well, yer Highness.” Celestia shot an amused look at Applejack. “Has she? She can’t speak. She hasn’t been moving THAT much. She’s simply using magic to move herself. Now, the fact that she’s been doing this unintentionally is what frightens me.” Twilight gasped, but then again, she didn’t. She was realizing it. She couldn’t move anything. It began to frighten her as tears slid down her cheeks. “Now try not to get upset, Twilight Sparkle. It’s when you’re upset that you begin using magic inadvertently. That’s why I provoked you earlier when I told you to raise your hoof. Starting to make sense now?” I…I guess. I…I just want to see Rainbow. I want to know if she’s okay. Celestia put a hoof on the unicorn’s chest and slowly pushed her back into a resting position, “In good time, Sparkle. Just rest for now until it wears off, and then you can see your friend.” The alicorn turned and stepped towards the door. “Now, I have an important event I must attend to in Canterlot. So I bid you all a fond farewell. Oh, and Twilight. Do take my order to heart. Even the smallest use in magic could be disastrous. I’m saying this for your safety and the safety of everypony around you.” Can it be fixed? Will I get my horn back? The look in Celestia’s face was one of doubt, and it immediately sliced short any hope the pony had. “Not that I’ve seen…but don’t let that discourage you. You may find an answer if you put your mind to it. I’ve seen you overcome greater odds, Twilight.” The alicorn left her with one final closed-eyed smile before she departed. The tears continued to run down her cheeks. She didn’t even want to think any thoughts right now lest her horn spilled them to her friends. She just concentrated on the lights overhead. Recalling everything she knew about them. “We should leave her alone for now. It will be about an hour before the paralytic wears off.” The orange stallion motioned Applejack towards the door. She didn’t object. Applejack, tell Rainbow I said “hi”…or rather thought it. No…don’t tell her that. Just… “I’ll let you tell her, Twilight. She’s only one room to the left. No doubt she’s overheard us anyhow.” The pony took the chance to give the unicorn a tiny embrace before she headed towards the door. Ah…All right. Thanks, Applejack. She heard the door shut soon after. She wanted to burst out into a full cry, but her body wouldn’t let her. This is horrible! How could this get any worse?! How did it come to this?! Crack! Bang! The lights above her shot out. Ah! Her vision was plunged into darkness. She could feel her heart race in her chest. It was night outside so there were no other light sources. How…how am I gonna do this? ***** The next room over. Rainbow was in bed with the blankets up to her neck. She was lying on her side and staring out a nearby open window. There was a tiny blue bird cleaning itself on the window sill. After about a minute, the bird had caught onto how long Rainbow’s been staring and it jumped inside to investigate. It wasn’t a grown bird. Probably only a few days out of the nest, ready to explore the world and its splendor. The bird hopped onto the pillow next to Dash and gave her a curious eye. “Lucky you…” The pegasus turned over to face away from the bird. Her mind turned to that fateful moment. The event kept playing over and over in her mind. She wasn’t aware of what happened to Twilight yet. She could only speculate. She’s broken her back! I know it! Ah, come on, Rainbow. That’s a little grim…she’s probably perfectly fine….maybe just a little traumatized. I would be if I fell that far from the ground with no wings. But…did I really save her? ~ Twilight! Hang on! ~ She could remember the rain stinging her face as she dashed for Twilight. That familiar warp in the air around her just before she broke the sound barrier. She tried as hard as she could to remember if she actually caught her. Well, she is alive, Rainbow. You did something right. Did she? Her mind was now fixed on the argument they had last night. ~ I…I enjoyed the night you came over. Felt like you chose me… You’re the town spirit! Screw them. I’m going with you. I’d miss you! Selfish. I…I don’t know, you stupid pegasus! ~ Rainbow groaned and covered her head with a pillow. I’d rather suffocate than have to face her again. I’m selfish? Look who gave up flying to save your pretty purple butt. Rainbow swallowed and removed the pillow. Did I just think that? She sighed. The consequences of a tired brain. This place is sooo boring! I never thought I’d be stuck here again. At least last time I had Daring Do to keep me company. But now I have nothing, but this stupid bird. She turned to face the bird which hadn’t moved since. “Well, what are you looking at, featherbrain?” Of course, the creature didn’t answer. It just gave her that same dumb look. “Got any good jokes?” No reaction. “Got anything at all?” Still no reaction. “Awesome…” The door creaked open and Rainbow jumped up, scaring the bird out the window. She was careful to cover her body with the blanket. “Hey, have you ever heard of kno…Twilight!” A wave of glee seemed to hit the pegasus as the unicorn entered the room. “Rainbow!” She galloped over to the cyan mare and jumped onto the bed into a soft embrace. “I’m so glad you’re okay!” However, the pegasus was immediately distracted by what was on the head of the unicorn. “Twi? What’s with the hat?” The mare had fashioned or rather stole a surgeon’s cap. “You look ridiculous.” She giggled. “I thought Rarity told you…these hats are the latest trend!” The unicorn playfully adjusted the green-domed cap. The pegasus laughed and rolled her eyes. “Wow! You are such a horrible liar, Twi!” She quickly reached up and pulled the cap off. “Wait! NO!” Twilight had been too late. Her secret was revealed. The pegasus’s face was almost a perfect mimic of Twilight’s when she had discovered the truth. “Twilight…” She backed up into the headboard and put her hooves over her mouth. Her eyes began to water. However, Rainbow’s motions had revealed something else, a set of wings in complete casts except…there was something more wrong with them. The mare quickly realized her state and covered herself up. She wanted to fly away. “Rainbow?! What’s….what happened?” Twilight’s expression was beyond horrified. “Your wings…they’re…” Rainbow’s face tensed and blurted out, “Pinioned! Is that what you want to say?” The pegasus bursts into tears. “I’ll…I’ll never fly again!” The pony covered her eyes. Twilight backed off to give her space. “They told me the bones had been completely shattered…you know…beyond repair! Then they offered to remove them…just told me they were dead weight.” That conversation with them…it took me almost a full three hours of crying to get over that. Flying…that’s my passion…that was my life, but…considering the alternative…what would have happened if I didn’t bust my butt to save her. Tears had collected in the unicorn’s eyes as well. She didn’t know what to say or do at this point except… “I’m…I’m so sorry, Rainbow…” The pegasus uncovered her eyes and could see the guilt. She obviously had taken the fault, but Rainbow wasn’t having any of it. Not again…I won’t see her like this again! “No, Twilight! You would have died if I didn’t come! Wings or no wings…I couldn’t have lived knowing that there was a chance to save you…and I didn’t take it.” The unicorn let out a quivering sigh. The determined mare jumped up and practically tackled the unicorn. She embraced her and pressed her nose into her neck. “I don’t want you saying sorry to me. I made my choice…and…I’m most definitely, positively sure!” She looked up into Twilight’s eyes. “That I made the right one!” The two stared at each other nearly nose to nose. “Now…stop crying…you don’t know how much it hurts me to see you this way!” ***** Twilight couldn’t answer. She could only feel the hot, heavy breathing against her face. She’s so…brave and…infallible… “What the…who said that?” The pegasus turned her head and the magic of the moment had been killed. The unicorn internally cursed her broken horn. “I-I said you’re right, Dash, and…I’m grateful…eternally in your debt. You saved my life…” The pegasus’s stare had returned although it wasn’t as intense as before. “For somepony who said they’re not a saint…you have a really poor way of displaying that.” Rainbow let out a laugh, “Ha! You’re as snarky as ever…egghead.” She smiled, but it went away quickly as her attention returned to the horn. “You’re horn, Twi…is it…” “It’s definitely broken. But I can still use magic…to some degree. I just have to be careful apparently. It’s having a lot of weird side-effects that I have to learn to control.” Rainbow tilted her head. “What kind of side-effects?” Well, we have this one… Rainbow shot back slightly and looked around. Weird, huh? “So you were the one who said that…how are you doing that?” The unicorn shrugged. “Hey…is it like when Daring Do got a hold of that skull thing and it started talking to her? Are you speaking with your skull-mind powers?!” I guess? She tilted her head and chuckled. The pegasus’s face brightened up. “That’s totally awesome! You could totally trick ponies with that! Like one those ponies that can do the thing with the puppets…what was…” Twilight sighed and sported an annoyed grin. A ventriloquist? “Yes! A venturquest!” Rainbow’s butchering of the word irking the poor mare. “Look, Dash…It might be all fun and games to you…but the fact that I can’t think of anything without everyone hearing me is going to be horrible! I’m not even sure I want to go out in public anymore because of this.” “Well, there has to be a way to control it, Twi. If anyone can figure it out, it’s you.” The mare gave her a reassuring hug. “Until then…I’m going to enjoy being called brave and infallible…among other things.” She giggled. The unicorn flushed and cleared her throat, “Well, I’m glad one of us is enjoying themselves.” Rainbow poked the mare’s chest with a hoof. “It’ll be fine, Twilight.” How can she be so optimistic? Ah, horseradish! I mean uhh…hi, Dash. Ugh… The pegasus burst into laughter. “What’s so weird is that you sound so different when you talk that way! It’s so deadpan!” Rainbow held her sides as she fell onto her back. “Har har, Rainbow Dash, the blue ostrich.” Her insult immediately silenced and upset the pegasus. “Hey…low blow…” Twilight grinned and chuckled. Rainbow followed suit as they both laughed away that cloud of grief. ***** The two mares walked out of the hospital side-by-side. Both were sporting a smile despite their injuries. Twilight may not have felt as optimistic as Rainbow, but the pegasus’s faith in her was all she needed to carry forward. “So are you sure you don’t need to stay?” The purple mare queried about the condition of her wings. The rainbow-maned pony sighed. “Can you believe this, Twi? They actually said that “I should be fine if I wanted to return home.” Easy for them to say! How in Ponyville am I supposed to get up there now?!” She hung her head. “Well, we can always take the balloon or I could always give you those monarch wings…oh, wait.” Had I forgotten so quickly? Don’t use magic for any reason! As the smallest spell could be disastrous! “That serious, huh, Twi?” Twilight had also forgotten again that she could hear her. “Well, don’t worry about it. I’ll find a quick way to get up there soon enough. Even if I have to build a mountain of dirt!” She raised a hoof to illustrate her plan then smacked it back down on the ground. She could stay with me, I guess…oh! Not again! Twilight collapsed to the ground and held her head between her hooves. “I’ll never get used to this, Dash! It’s too easy to think!” The horn crackled. “Ow!” She shot back up to her hooves. Her face bewildered. “Twilight! Are you hurt?!” She rushed to comfort her. “Yeah! It’s just…” Crackle! “Gah! Grrr!!” The horn sparked again. “Stop it! Stop it! Ahh!!” Twilight wrenched her head from side to side. “Wha…What’s going on?!” Rainbow stepped back slowly. “Stupid…guh! Horn is…hah!” Twilight desperately search for the answer. ~ Now try not to get upset, Twilight Sparkle. It’s when you’re upset that you begin using magic inadvertently. ~ “Just calm…zzttt!! Down…zzttt!!” She slowed her breathing as the shocks slowly weakened. It took a great deal of self-control, but she managed to stop it completely. “Are you…okay, Twi?” The pegasus had slowly inched forward toward the purple mare. She was very soft when speaking, “Yeah…I think so. It’s another side-effect. I can’t get upset…apparently…or to be more accurate…angry.” She closed her eyes and stood there silently for a moment. “Well, this is going to be very tough for you, Twi.” She closed in and nudged the unicorn under her chin. You’re telling me…Anyways, I’m going back to the library. I’m starving. “Sounds like a plan. Can I join?” Rainbow stepped back and smiled. Twilight could recognize that false giddiness in her demeanor again, but she almost instantly brushed the thought away. “Ah…of course, Dash! You’re always welcome!” She gave Dash a cheesy smile with her eyes shut. “Awesome!” ***** The two had returned to the library and they were just finishing up with their meal. Twilight had a book on her mind she wanted to look over. Where’s that book you took, Dash? Twilight had walked over to one of the shelves and was trying to reach a book, but it was just out of her grasp. “It’s probably still at my place. But you don’t need that book anyway, Twi! You got me!” She boasted from across the room. Yeah, but still…I need to check something…ugh…I can’t reach…grr! She gave up and flared her horn in attempt to grab the book. … Ringing…in her ears. She quickly realized she was on her back. She couldn’t hear anything. She slowly flipped over and turned to face what had happened. … Both ponies’ eyes were wide. She just created…an enormous hole in the library.