From a Sparkle to a Spark

by Infernity Zero

Science Club

All right. I've kept everyone waiting long enough. Time to go back to school.

Once the test results confirmed she was healthy enough to leave, Twilight wasted no time in packing up her things. Thankfully, the fact that they hadn't done any actual procedures meant she didn't have to pay any bills. Dressed once more in her school clothes, she headed to the lobby to check out.

"Ow!"

"Oops. Sorry about that." And bumped into Sweetie Drops on her way out.

"No problem Twilight." Sweetie took the offered hand. "I heard you weren't doing so well, so I thought I'd stop by. Though from the look of things, I see I'm too late."

"Not at all, Bon-Bon. I just appreciate your concern."

"Well actually," Sweetie scratched her head. "It wasn't just concern that brought me here. I found this on the floor last time I was here and wanted to give it back."

It took all of Twilight's willpower not to flinch. "My crown."

Part of her wondered if Searing was lurking inside it again; part of her wondered if the nightmares would return if she put it back on; and part of her wanted to just throw that stupid piece of metal away and never see it again for the rest of her life.

She tried to sound as disinterested as possible. "Eh, that old thing has seen better days. You can keep it if you want."

"Wow! Really?" By contrast, Sweetie suddenly became more interested. "Thanks so much. I can't wait to show Lyra." Popping it on her head, she turned on her heel and dashed out. Twilight stared after the retreating girl for a moment before giving a heaving sigh.

Ugh. Maybe I'm not completely better after all.

Even though she'd driven the demon away, the planted doubts in her mind weren't so easily uprooted. Just like before, Twilight had nearly been broken through her friends. Adagio had dangled the danger they faced and left her to stew on their fate while Searing had questioned her worth without them. To her building frustration, both attacks had succeeded, and having her emotions crippled twice was two times too many.

They're too easy of a flaw to exploit. That's why I need to keep them safe.

Once again, she found herself lacking, needing to help them but not knowing how. Stumped again, she decided to just head to school and figure it out later.

I have to hurry. If Searing does find a new body, then they'll be her first target.

---

.

Upon entering the school, Twilight Sparks felt the hair on her skin stand up. CHS's magic was much more palpable now; though she didn't know if it was because she was growing more accustomed to it or because the overall amount had increased. The students had noticed too. Word had spread fast about Muffins and Vinyl, and the magic was spreading as well. All throughout the school, people were either gushing about magic or showing off their own transformations.

How do I get in on the action?

Would she have to get one of those mutations in order to use it? Or was that just a side-effect from when the magic activated itself? Every new discovery just led to more questions. The five girls could probably answer some of them, but they'd clammed up when she'd tried to ask earlier.

They probably think I'll go Dr. Frankenstein on them.

She had to admit the idea was appealing. Though at the same time, it was also impractical. Too many ethical roadblocks involved. Plus, she'd learn much more from live subjects than she could from cadavers. But regardless of what she did, the question still remained.

She still didn't know what to do with it. Changing her physique seemed too small for something so powerful; plus, she could get the same result just from exercising. Her studies and work ethic needed no improvement. She'd seen to that herself. Increasing her stamina was another option, but that still felt underwhelming. If she was going to experiment with physics-defying magic, then she wanted to do something BIG.

The question is "what?"

She had to force herself not to just settle for more knowledge. While being able to understand the foreign force would normally left her content, Vice-Principal Cinch had beaten into her head that knowledge alone was worthless without a purpose, a way to apply everything she had learned.

Well until she figured out what that purpose was, she'd just have to settle for continuing her research. And now that she knew what she was looking for, she could start getting samples. The pencil and paper that Vinyl had left her were covered in magic residue, and there were plenty of discarded feathers lying around. That combined with what she'd already learned would finally give her a chance to isolate the magic.

And THEN comes the fun part. She thought with a grin. Experiments. And the school science lab will help me do just that.

For the briefest of instants, her eyes flashed blue.

---

Sparkle didn't want to admit it, but part of her was glad her friends weren't waiting for her when she got to school. She didn't think she'd be able to handle more badgering about her condition. Of course, they'd be worried. They had every right to be. She'd been knocked unconscious for two days with no plausible explanation. But worrying now would only waste time; and right now, time was precious.

I can't just sit around and wait anymore. I need my magic back.

Even after everything, her magic wasn't working. So from now on, fixing it was her highest priority. With that in mind, she activated her transformation.

"Yep, still cracked." But there was more to it than that. Unlike her wings, which still felt charged with energy, her horn was cold and lifeless to the touch. Closing her eyes, she concentrated, trying to at least make a spark, but nothing happened. She couldn't feel it at all. Two more attempts yielded the same result.

That wasn't right. Damaging her horn would naturally disrupt her body's magic flow since she couldn't release it as fast. But if it wasn't activating at all, that meant something else entirely. Somehow, the magic was being blocked before it could reach the horn.

That must have been how Searing got her power back. She siphoned my magic so it would heal her instead of me. But she's gone now, so why is it still not working?

Well if the hospital said she was perfectly fine, then the only other option was to figure it out herself. That meant she'd have to run some experiments. Fortunately for her, the school's science lab would help her do just that.

---

Later that afternoon.

Ah, Canterlot High's Science lab. Personally funded by the superintendent himself, the area took up most of the building's top floor. Inside was everything a scientist could ask for: test tubes, operating tables, beakers, burners, flasks, electroscopes, microscopes, and more. On one side sat monitors and equipment meant for scanning and measuring the human body. Another wall held bookshelves filled with textbooks and instructions on scientific procedures. And at the far end was a crate filled with spare parts for anyone interested in building their own devices.

Twilight Sparks stood in front of that very lab, barely able to contain the maniacal grin on her face.

This. Is. PERFECT! Just look at all this stuff. I can spend entire days running experiments, devoting every fiber of my being to such wonderful research. The plants, the wings, the demon, the horns, I'll solve all those mysteries right here. There's a brand new world at my fingertips, a world FILLED with magic! And with these machines I can understand it all.

"Excuse me, can I help you?" Her delusions of grandeur came to a screeching with the tap of a hand on her shoulder. Turning around, she saw one of the school's staff members with a concerned look on her face.

"Oh! Uh, sorry." Twilight grinned sheepishly and adjusted her shirt. "I was just looking to use the Science Lab. Twilight Sparks, nice to meet you."

"Clover." The woman cocked her head. "Was that 'Sparks'? Not 'Twilight Sparkle'?"

So that's her name.

"Nope, just Sparks."

Clover shrugged. "Well, you need to use the sign-in sheet to mark when you go in and out. Have fun."

"Sure thing." She wasted no more time and dashed into the room.

---

Before throwing herself into studying, Twilight Sparkle decided to eat a late lunch first. The way things were going, she needed as much energy as she could get. The girls were sitting in their usual spot, thought she couldn't tell what they were talking about. She was sorely tempted to just walk over there and surprise them with her new-found wellness.

"Hey Twilight, here's an idea." She muttered to herself. "If you want to keep them safe so badly, just TELL them about Searing. We beat her once, and we can do it again."

"So I tell them and then what? What good will that do? We still have no idea where Searing is or how to stop her from finding a new body. Not to mention that we can't use Earth's Elements of Harmony as long as I don't have my magic! So all that would lead to is unnecessary paranoia."

"So you're gonna do their worrying for them? Brilliant plan. Do you want a repeat of the Ms. Smarty Pants incident?"

"Of course not. Don't you think I've moved beyond that by now, Twilight? I'm just trying to do as much as I can on my own without asking for help."

She gaped for a moment, surprised by the words that had come out of her own mouth. "That's stupid. Why would you do something so stupid? You know perfectly well that you need your friends. You always have. Why are you depriving yourself of something so important?"

"I-I-I just want to do this alone. To prove just this once that I can handle myself."

"And you're willing to risk their lives to prove that? If they don't know about Searing, then they won't see her coming."

"They won't need to know about her, because I'll stop her as soon as I get my magic back."

"Why is it so hard for you to just admit to yourself that you need them?"

"BECAUSE THEY DON'T NEED ME!"

Heads turned in her direction; looks of concern abounded. Quickly covering her face, she grabbed the rest of her lunch and retreated to the hallway. Bracing herself against one of the lockers, she slid down to the floor. It was true. They didn't need her. And judging by what happened with the Sirens, she'd likely just make things worse if she tried to help.

She felt so trapped. If she sought her friends for aid, then Searing would use that to further her previous argument that Twilight was worthless without them. If she didn't, then they'd be walking into danger completely unawares, and anything that happened to them would be on her hands. A no-win situation.

With no solution in sight, she'd just have to cross that bridge when she came to it. For now, she would go back to fixing her magic. Which meant it was time to head to the lab.

---

Upon reaching the top floor, Twilight noticed something odd. All of the upstairs lights had been turned off; the only source of illumination came from the lab itself, a weird, eerie green glow. She found a second oddity when she reached the door. Her name was already on the sign-in sheet. The last name was slightly different but it was still her handwriting. Just to be safe, she wrote her name again; and taking a deep breath, entered the lab.

There was someone else there. And whoever she was, she seemed quite infatuated with a pile of feathers. It was hard to tell from across the room, but it looked like she was trying to charge them. Suddenly nervous, Twilight took a few steps in her direction only to trip over an unseen chair leg.

"Hey!" The girl whirled around and marched toward her. Twilight stood up all ready to explain herself, only to stop slacked-jawed and stare at her own face.

The other Twilight looked equally stunned, and the two just gaped at each other, unable to say anything. Other than different clothes and hair, the two were perfectly identical. And after sizing either other up for several minutes, both girls came to the same conclusion.

This is the strangest thing that's ever happened to me!

Author's Note:

Remember, at this point, Twilight doesn't know ANYTHING about her human counterpart.

I wanted to emphasize here that one successful confrontation doesn't make Twilight A-okay. If anything, it just makes her more worried about what Searing will try next.

Had to make a slight revision to an earlier chapter when I realized I made a mistake. Outside of me, you readers, and Solaris, no one's supposed to know about Agent Sweetie Drops. They know her as Bon-Bon. And I accidentally had Rarity refer to her as SD earlier.

The way I imagine unicorn magic to work is that the cutie mark is the body's main magic supply. Whenever a unicorn or alicorn uses magic, they draw from the cutie mark and channel it through the horn. When the spell is complete, the excess magic is also released through the horn.

And we also have the scene with Twilight arguing with herself. Now, we've seen her do that before (and heck, I've done the same thing on occasion); but in this case, I wanted the argument to be played seriously.

Some would think Sparks getting all maniacal here is out of character, but we've seen our Twilight go gaga over new possibilities on several occasions.

And here are a few inklings of a certain SOMEONE. Is this foreshadowing or a misdirection? You decide.

Comments

[Jakomi of the Rose]

This is the strangest thing that's ever happened to me!

Not the second strangest?

[Infernity Zero]

6674288 This Twilight hasn't gone through Season 5 yet, remember?

[Admiral Q Ponyform]

you didn't need to include Cinch you know.

[calinjc]

FINALLY!!!!!

[Jakomi of the Rose]

6674296 I was joking about how they met at Friendship Games.

[calinjc]

I'm sorry, Zero. I have to do this:

[Infernity Zero]

6674334 I know I didn't have to. I choose to do so.

[narusakufan]

Oh boy. So Human and Pony meet face to face. I'm glad you finally updated. Did I see a hint of Midnight Sparkle from the human Twilight or am I seeing things?

[Emperor]

It seems rather twisted, but in a sense, Cinch left human Twilight better prepared than Celestia left pony Twilight. Pony Twilight seems to enjoy reading for reading's sake, while human Twilight, Sparks, has had it beaten in her head that the pursuit of knowledge should not be for knowledge's sake, but for the application of that knowledge. Cold, calculating, but a more pragmatic mindset.

Also...

She found a second oddity when she reached the door. Her name was already on the sign-in sheet. The last name was slightly different but it was still her handwriting.

If Sparks writing was anything like Sparkle's, who's only spent a few days in the human world and basically has to have chicken-scratch writing when using her hands, how the heck did Sparks ever pass anything in life? Her teachers would've given her all 0s for being unable to read her assignments!

[Infernity Zero]

6690282 When formulating Crystal Prep, I took some inspiration from Paul in Pokemon Diamond and Pearl. That is: his methods are far more cruel and inhumane but they do WORK. He only loses three times in the entire season.

Also, despite using the word handwriting, I'm comparing Twilight's writing in Equestria to Spark's. I just didn't want to detract from the scene by using a pony term.

[josue]

6690592 is Equestria Twilight going to return home

[josue]

6690592 good story

[Infernity Zero]

6748430 Thanks.

[Infernity Zero]

6748427 That's the question of the day.