From Scratch

by Silent_Witness

Episode 2: Picking Up the Pieces

Episode 2: Picking Up the Pieces

Twilight groaned. A light that was far too bright shone on her face- she rolled over, trying to turn away from the light, but it seemed to shine on her face no matter what direction she turned. So in frustration, she sat up, and opened her eyes.

At first, all she could see was a bright light. But as her eyes adjusted, she began to see colors and shapes that became more defined with each blink. And after blinking a few more times, she could see her friends standing at the foot of her bed. But it wasn’t just her friends; Princess Celestia, and Discord were there too. And every one of them wore a look of deep worry on their face.

“Where…?” Twilight began.

“You’re in the Canterlot Royal Hospital, Twilight,” Celestia replied.

“What am I doing here?” But then she remembered- the stranger, the paralyzing spell, the crystal… Twilight shot out of bed, wobbling slightly as she stood on her own hooves, and looked back at herself.

She couldn’t see her wings, or her cutie mark. She spun in a circle, trying to get a better view, but still, she saw nothing.

“Twilight, stop.” the Princess ordered. Twilight did just that.

Celestia then looked back to a guard standing by the door and said, “Bring in the mirror.” The guard saluted and left the room. While he was out, Celestia looked back to Twilight and said, “We’re going to show you exactly what happened to you, Twilight. But in return, you have to do something for me: whatever you see in this mirror, you have to promise me that you will. Not. Panic. Can you do that?”

If the Princess was more-or-less ordering her not to panic, it must have been very bad. But still, Twilight said, “…I promise.”

The guard reentered the room, pushing in front of him a mirror on a wheeled stand. Celestia stepped aside, allowing Twilight passage; the lavender unicorn stepped up to the mirror, and gazed at her reflection within it.

They were gone.

Her wings. And her cutie mark.

Both were gone.

Twilight began to hyperventilate. Almost immediately, Celestia put a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder and turned her so they were face to face. “Listen to me,” she said. “I know that this is all very shocking for you, but I need you to listen to me very carefully. Breathe, Twilight. I need to you to breathe.”

Twilight’s breaths slowed down, until they returned to normal. Once that was done, Celestia then said to her, “Okay. Now Twilight, we need you to tell us exactly what happened to you.”

Twilight took a deep breath and concentrated, trying to remember the events of the day before. “Okay… I teleported everyone back to Ponyville from the negotiations, and I was walking home when I ran into a stallion. He cast a paralyzing spell on me, and then he used some kind of black crystal to… drain my magic out of me.”

Fluttershy asked, “A black crystal?”

“A void crystal,” Celestia said.

“What the heck is that?” Rainbow asked.

“It’s a… special kind of crystal that can absorb and store magical energy,” Twilight replied. “Prisons in Equestria use them to drain the magic power from their unicorn prisoners, and store it until they’re released.”

“Their sale and trade is also very illegal, if I remember correctly,” Discord added. “Which means our guy either stole it from work, or got it through some kind of black market.”

Rarity then said, “Please, we should let Twilight continue.”

The others fell silent. So Twilight continued, “After that, he shattered the crystal, which I think somehow transferred my power into him. Then he flew off… and that’s the last thing I can remember.”

“I see,” Celestia said. “You should also know that the Ponyville Castle was destroyed that same evening. I assume the stallion who stole your magic also destroyed the castle.”

Twilight’s attention snapped to Celestia. “What? Was anyone hurt?”

Celestia shook her head. “Thankfully, no. And Discord has been hard at work rebuilding it.”

“I’ve been working on it all night,” Discord said. “I should be finished in a few more days.”

“A few days?” Applejack asked, looking to Discord. “Ya aren’t finished yet?”

Discord scratched his head. “I’m… still looking for all the pieces. And it takes time to put the pieces I do have back together.”

Suddenly, the door flew open. “Twilight!” Spike ran into the room, tripping and falling onto his face. He quickly stood up again and ran to Twilight, embracing her. “Twilight, are you okay!?”

She embraced him hesitantly for a moment, before gently pushing him away. “I… I’m just fine, Spike.”

“I can’t believe this happened!” he cried. “I should’ve been there! I could’ve protected you!”

“Spike, there was nothing you could have done,” Rarity said. “It’s bad enough that this stallion stole Twilight’s alicorn power- the last thing we need is a criminal with the power of both an alicorn and a dragon.”

“Agreed,” Celestia said. “We have no way of knowing if void crystals are limited to draining magic from unicorns. But setting that aside…” She looked to Twilight again. “I’m going to need you to provide a description of the stallion who stole your magic, Twilight. That way, I can issue a lookout bulletin to all members of the Royal Guard, and begin distribution of wanted posters.”

“Alright.” Twilight thought, trying to remember as many of the stallion’s details as he could. “…He’s a unicorn, with green magic. He had a… a light grey coat, green eyes, and a black mane. His mane also had a green and white streak, but I don’t know if it’s natural, or because of the magic he stole.”

“What about his cutie mark?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“I… I didn’t see it. I’m sorry.”

“You mentioned that he flew away after stealing your magic,” Celestia said. “Does he have wings?”

Twilight nodded. “Yes, he does.”

“Thank you. I’ll have this information distributed amongst the Guard immediately.”

“Well, if he’s an alicorn now, he shouldn’t be that hard to find,” Rainbow said.

“In a nation with over six million residents, finding even an alicorn can be difficult,” Celestia replied. She then turned to the others. “Now I do apologize, but I must ask for everyone except Twilight to leave this room.” The others filed out of the room, and the guard closed the door behind them. Celestia then looked to Twilight. “Twilight, I must ask you to do one last thing.” Her horn glowed, and she brought out a small crystal orb, before resting it on the floor. “Please try to lift this orb.”

Twilight recognized the orb- it came from Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. Specifically, it was used to teach young unicorns proper control of their telekinesis magic. It was a simple test Twilight had performed hundreds of times, and this time would be no different. Twilight widened her stance, and focused her energy on the orb.

Nothing happened.

She concentrated even harder, gritting her teeth, feeling pressure building in her temples.

But again, nothing happened.

Twilight stopped focusing. “I don’t understand. I should be able to lift this just fine, so why…?”

Celestia touched her chin with a hoof. “I was afraid of this.”

Twilight turned. “Afraid of what?”

“I believe this stallion has taken more than just your alicorn magic, Twilight. I’m afraid he’s taken… well, everything.”

“What do you mean ‘everything?’”

“I mean just that- this stallion has not only stolen your alicorn power, but he’s also taken your normal unicorn magic, and possibly your rainbow power as well.”

Twilight looked up to her mentor in disbelief… before shaking her head. “…That’s alright. The wings were nice, but to be honest… I never really cared much for my alicorn magic. And none of us have used our rainbow magic since the battle with Tirek.”

Celestia raised an eyebrow. “You’re surprisingly calm about this. Aren’t you at all worried? And what about your unicorn magic?”

“Of course I’m worried, but… The crystal was broken. My magic isn’t sealed away anymore. And I’ve had my magic drained before. As part of the Academy’s tests. And it’s always come back. Why wouldn’t it come back this time?”

Celestia was silent.

Twilight leaned forward. “It will come back… won’t it?”

Celestia was again silent for several moments, before she replied, “…I don’t know. Normally, a void crystal will retain a unicorn’s magic indefinitely, until it is returned. But if what you said is true, then this is the first instance of a pony ever using a void crystal to transfer another’s magic into themselves.”

Twilight’s jaw dropped, and her eyes widened in horror. “Then, does that mean…”

“It’s entirely possible that unless we capture your assailant, your unicorn magic will never return.”

Twilight strode to the door. “Then what are we waiting for! We need to find him, now!”

But then a bright golden glow surrounded Twilight, holding her in place. “Twilight,” Celestia said, “I promise you that we will have every guard we can spare working around the clock to find the stallion who did this to you. But in your present state, you would only hinder our investigation. The best thing for you to do right now is to go home and rest. As you said, it’s possible that your unicorn magic may return of its own accord.”

Celestia then released Twilight. “I’ll have a carriage prepared to return you and your friends to Ponyville. But before that, I have one last thing to ask you.”

“What is it?”

“Your assailant… did he say anything to you?”

“He did, actually,” Twilight replied. “He said… he was taking back what I never earned.”

“…I see. Thank you. And be sure to notify me if you remember any other details.”

---

The carriage ride to Ponyville seemed to take much longer than usual. Twilight simply sat in silence, trying not to think about anything at all. The others had tried to speak with her at first, but after receiving no response, they left her alone in her silence.

But then, Pinkie Pie called, “Look over there!” She and the others crowded in the front of the carriage, looking at whatever Pinkie had spotted. Slowly, Twilight looked as well.

Pieces of the destroyed castle floated through the sky ahead- occasionally, two pieces would meet, and merge together to form a single large piece. And sometimes, a piece would float down to the ground, and merge with the castle’s base. Although a large part of the castle had completed, it was clear that the reconstruction was far from finished.

The carriage began to descend, and a moment later, landed on the road leading up to the castle. The others disembarked; Twilight climbed out as well, before following her friends down the road. Up ahead, Discord stood outside the castle’s main door, moving his arms as though he were conducting a symphony.

Discord must have seen them approach out of the corner of his eye, because he looked back. “You’re back already?” he asked. “I thought Celestia would’ve kept you in Canterlot for a little longer. But I guess it doesn’t matter. I’ve always preferred to have an audience watch me as I work.”

The group watched Discord reassemble the castle for a few moments, before Applejack began to turn away. “Sorry ta leave ya like this, Twi,” she said, “but Ah gotta head home. Granny Smith’s gonna give me an earful fer not helpin’ out today.”

“I should head home too,” Fluttershy said. “Angel’s probably worried because I wasn’t there to feed him this morning.” He turned and left as well.

“I’m terribly sorry, Twilight, but I must be off as well,” Rarity then said. She added, “But if you need a place to stay for the night, I would be more than happy to have you and Spike as my guests.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Discord said. “She can stay in the castle- it is at least partly done. And don’t mind me. I’ll keep at it, but I promise to keep things quiet until morning.”

“Uh, Discord?” Rainbow said. “Twilight can’t live in there. You’re not finished fixing it yet.”

Discord frowned. “Oh, fine. I suppose I could do this for the Princess.”

He snapped his fingers, and a small seed appeared in his claw. He set it on the ground and stepped back, before he snapped his fingers again.

At once, thick green roots sprouted from the seed. They spread across the ground in a circle, covering themselves in a thick layer of bark, before reaching upwards and forming a short dome made of tightly-interwoven branches. A door and a number of round windows sprouted from the branches like the buds of a flower. Discord snapped his fingers one last time- there was a flash, and the dome was now a small dome-shaped cottage.

“There you go,” Discord said as he opened the front door. “Now I’ll admit it’s a bit too tight for me, but it should work just fine for you and your dragon friend.”

Spike stepped inside and looked around- the inside of the cottage was already furnished with a small table, some chairs, a pair of beds, a stove, and an empty bookshelf. “Not bad,” he said, and looked back. “Thanks Discord.”

“You’re welcome,” Discord replied. He then looked to Twilight. “And what about you, Twilight? Do you have anything you want to say?”

Twilight stepped into the hut without a word. “…I… I'd like to be left alone for a while.”

Discord leaned in. “I’m not hearing a ‘Thank you.’”

“Come now, Discord, leave her be,” Rarity said. “This has been a hard day for Twilight.”

Discord looked down on Rarity, crossing his arms. “I’ve had my powers stolen, too. And I wasn’t so bent out of shape about it.”

“That’s not what I remember…” Rainbow said.

Their conversation was silenced when Spike closed the door of the cottage. He sighed, before looking back to Twilight- she was still standing in the center of the cottage, motionless. “…Are you okay, Twilight?” he asked.

She slowly made her way to one of the beds, and fell on it. “I don’t know…”

“…do you want me to leave, too?”

She buried her face in her hooves. “No…” she stammered. “I… I just… you…”

She couldn’t go on. Without another word, Spike sat down on the bed and put a claw on Twilight’s shoulder, as she cried harder than she ever had in her entire life.

Comments

[DX-1118 C]

I didn't read, but I may later. There are several things that can go wrong without her magic. One, say the elements are needed. Two, she can't pick things up with her hooves. Hell, for all we know, magic granted the ponies sapience. Three, she may lose her coloration. Four, she may lose the ability to stand ob two legs, as normal horses would break their legs. That might be magical. Five, you know that cartoon barrier that covers reproductive organs from the public? Toss that out the window. Its gone. She may lose her ability to even see it on other ponies, so yeah. Imagine a dude walks in front of her, and all she's focusing on is his balls. Another, she is magic dependant. So she wont know what to do with herself for at least a month. Hell, she may not even be able to speak for a good bit. Another, she has dead weight wings. Si either they grow super big to fit her body, or they just shrivel up and fall off.

That is only a few of the things that should go wrong. And that would make this a hilarious yet sad story. Any normal unicorn would kill thenself. Hope twilight can get over it.

I have spoken. Peace be with you

[DX-1118 C]

Also, remember tirek? She wont be able to even stand properly. Loom at what it did to celestia! She looked ready to pass out! Twilight will also lose her cutie mark, as well as her power.

[DX-1118 C]

I'm adding this to blacklights library (my library) for potential.

[Metal Hoof]

This is some good progress, more please :)

[Fareseed]

Some spelling mistakes thacan easily be found during final edits of the story were found. Some he instead of she, not much from what I can see.

I wonder who that stalion is. I wont belive my wildest guess until I know more about him.

[JFalk]

Very intriguing concept... and Poor Twilight!
I really hope that you continue this story!

[Patata1312]

This story is awesome!!
Please continue it, its really good.

[Valeria cadena]

I think the stallion who stole Twilight´s power might come to overthrow Celestia and Luna, he might have a dark past and might be a blank flank so he stole her cutie mark and altered it to be his own