Twilight's Choice
The two Twilights said nothing for several long minutes as each one sized up the other. One of them had heard tales of what her other could do and seen her power in action, but was completely unprepared for meeting her in the flesh. The other one knew absolutely nothing about her own counterpart since she hadn't spoken to her friends beforehand; and therefore, she was completely in the dark. After an even longer silence, Sparks spoke first.
"It's you." She tried to keep her voice from trembling. "You're the Twilight everyone here keeps talking about."
"Uh, yeah I am." Sparkle gave an awkward grin. "But I don't know who you are."
"I'm Twilight. Twilight Sparks."
Sparks huh? So she's the Human World's version of me? Where exactly does that put us then?
"And I'm Twilight Sparkle. But you knew that already. What brings you to our school?"
What do I want to say here? If she's connected to those other five girls, then they'll probably tell her all about me. But wait a minute. If she knew that, then she wouldn't have asked me. This could be my chance to learn more about the magic. All right Sparks. Gently now.
"I was investigating the strange events happening at this school. Something about this place is different from the rest of the city."
Well, she's just as curious as I am if nothing else. Which probably means that she won't stop until she knows everything there is to know. Okay Sparkle, you need more information. Time to probe.
She gave a innocent look. "And what have you found out?"
Sparks bit her lip, suppressing the urge to gush about all she'd learned. If this girl disapproved of the magic being studied, then nothing was stopping her from blasting Sparks like she had with the demon.
But how am I supposed to lie about something like this? Genetic alterations like this can never be classified as 'normal.' Okay, don't outright lie. Stick with the obvious until you can't.
"Well the students here are definitely different. They have wings, horns, and super strength."
Hmm. That doesn't necessarily mean she knows about the magic. I'll have to narrow it down.
"And what do you think caused such bizarre changes?"
Once again, Spark's small taste for small-talk was proving a fatal flaw, and she couldn't keep the irritation at bay.
Ugh. She's playing dumb. It'll take forever to get to the point at this rate.
But at the same time, she couldn't reveal the ace up her sleeve just yet. That would leave her at the other Twilight's mercy.
I got it. Use secondhand information.
"Well, from what the other students tell me, everything that's happened here is connected to this...what was the word they used?" She stroked her chin. "Ah yes, magic. So naturally, I wanted to understand such an oddity."
Twilight couldn't help chuckling at the situation. Without even intending to, they'd turned a simple conversation into a battle of wits, fighting hard for each piece of information. This was fun.
"So, is that what you're doing right now?" She pointed at the lab equipment.
"That's exactly what I'm doing." A scowl appeared in response to her smile. "I'm analyzing this magic. Your magic."
"What makes you think it's--"
'Ah, ah, ah," Sparks raised a hand, cutting her off, "Now it's your turn to answer a question."
"All right, shoot."
"What are you?"
"Excuse me?"
She put her hands on her hips. "The universe hasn't exploded, so you're not me from a different time period. So you're either a clone, a replica, a robot, or you're from an alternate universe. Which one is it before we go any further?"
Oh, where's Pinkie Pie when you need her? This would be so much easier if she was here.
"Uh bear with me, okay? This might sound a little weird."
"Can't be any weirder than what I've already seen."
Twilight sighed. "All right. Well, I'm from an alternate world where instead of people, ponies are the dominant species. I myself am one of these ponies. As a whole, we are divided into three races: Unicorns, which use magic, Pegasai, which can fly, and Earth Ponies, which have incredible strength. There are also alicorns, of which I am one, that have all three of these traits. Are you with me so far?"
To her surprise, Twilight was hanging on to every word instead of gaping. "You know. That explains a lot. And to think, I just thought this school had an obsession with horses. But why are people transforming here?"
The ball was in her court now. "I'll answer that as soon as you answer this question. Where do you come from?"
The girl tilted her head. "I used to go to a private school across town called Crystal Prep Academy. But I don't see what that has to do with anything."
This world's Crystal Empire, no doubt. Which means Cadance and my brother are probably there too. And since this Twilight isn't a quivering wreck or mindless slave, we can assume Sombra's not in charge. Principal Cadance has a nice ring to it.
"Eh, it's not really that important. I was just curious." Sparkle shrugged. "And to reply to what you asked before, people are transforming because this school is a hotbed of magic. And since the students come here every day, it's only natural that they've started absorbing it into their bodies. After that, they just need a catalyst to activate the dormant magic and boom, transformation."
"So in theory, an exposure to a large amount of magic could jump-start a transformation."
"Well technically yes, but I wouldn't recommend it." The thought brought back memories of one of her adventures. "If Spike's comic books have taught me anything, it's that what you just described is a quick path to becoming a super-villain."
"Super-villain?" The girl cocked her head. "That's ridiculous. I'm not doing anything villainous."
"Uhh, I never said you were." Now it was Sparkle's turn to look confused. "You okay?"
Sparks, you idiot! Now she thinks you're a threat. Change the subject. Change the subject!
"So, how does this magic work?"
Her other noticed the attempted misdirection but decided not to comment on it. If nothing else, this would finally let her talk about a familiar subject. "That depends on what you're trying to do. In my world, magic controls everything: from the weather, to the sun and moon, to the ponies that live in it. You're gonna have to be more specific."
"Fine. What sort of magic do you know?"
The Princess couldn't help puffing her chest a bit. "As the former protege to our nation's monarch, I can safely say I've learned quite a lot: transmutation, transformation, teleportation, shadow magic, elemental spells, cloud-walking spells, memory spells, spells to give others wings, energy beams, mustaches, fireworks--"
"Wait-wait-wait, back up for a second." The Scientist waved her arms in front of her. "What was that about memory spells?"
"Memory spells?" Twilight rubbed her chin. "That was back when my friends and I were corrupted by a mischievous spirit of chaos. Once my teacher snapped me out of it, I used the memory spell to remind my friends of the connection we shared. It restored them to their senses."
For the first time since they'd started talking, Twilight Sparks was at a loss for words. Her eyes shifted back and forth, mulling over her next words in her mind. After a moment she looked up; her face shifting from a suspicious scowl to a genuinely pained expression.
"C-can. Can you...teach me?"
The sudden vulnerability in her voice caught Sparkle off guard. Curiosity changed to concern. Taking care not to move too quickly, she moved to address this new subject.
"'Teach you'? You want to learn magic?"
The girl nodded though her eyes stayed downcast.
"I'm sorry. But I can't."
Sparks's face fell. But before she could get upset, Twilight kept talking.
"A few weeks ago, my friends and I got in a fight with a creature from my world, and she ended up breaking my horn. Until it heals, I can't use my magic without hurting myself."
"Oh." As expected, the mask of apathy returned. "I see."
"Why did you want to know about the memory spell?"
"It's nothing. Just forget it." She slumped down and resumed working. Silence reigned once more.
A world that's defined by magic instead of scientific principles? And they control it instead of the other way around? That's incredible. They don't just defy the laws of physics, they MAKE them. Sure, there are probably rules and limits as to what the magic can and can't do; but put that kind of power in our world, and you're basically a god.
That thought made the hair on her skin rise. Once more, her simple mind had been thinking too small. There really was a WORLD of magic at her fingertips. Experiments were all but pointless now. The lab equipment that once seemed promising now felt woefully inadequate. Sure, some knowledge would definitely be gained, and there was still value in studying the enhanced humans; but at that rate, even a lifetime of measurements would merely scratch the surface. That left the most salivating prospects far beneath her grasp. The weather magic alone would no doubt take years to decipher.
It was too much work for too little gain. It wasn't fast enough. It wasn't enough period.
I need MORE! She felt like a shark that had just sniffed blood. Everything I've seen so far is just the leftovers from Thanksgiving Dinner. Why should I waste time with these puny scraps when I can go straight to the source? But... She paused. But how do I do that? I can't ask her, or she'll DEFINITELY think I'm a threat. And if she tells those other girls, then they'll likely blast me into another dimension.
Another dimension.
Another...dimension?
Wait a minute. The wheels started turning.
She said she came here from her world. And since all of the magic is centered around this school, then that means her port of entry must be somewhere here too. Now obviously the citizens of her wouldn't be to happy about an uninvited guest; but if I can find the portal, I can work directly on the hardware. Until then, I think I'll put this lab to good use.
Meanwhile, Twilight Sparkle was lost in thought as well.
That brief flash of pain before. I know I didn't imagine it. Is she covering something up with all this studying? And why does she want to learn a memory spell of all magic? Does she want to remember something? Does she want to help someone else remember something? Ugh, I don't know. And that seems to be a sensitive subject for her so prying's no good now. Ugh, I want to help, but there's nothing I can do.
Not without her magic anyway. Even though Sparks was using part of the lab, Twilight noticed that the body scanners were still unoccupied.
Meh, might as well get a baseline reading.
Not expecting much, she started up the machine. It gave a low hum while it slowly warmed up. Across the room, the other Twilight glanced in her direction upon hearing the sound, then shrugged it off. Once it finished booting up, she checked the interface. A red ring of lights on the ground told her where to stand, and an on-screen diagram demonstrated the correct position. When the ground lights changed from red to green, she stepped into the circle and held her arms out. The device gave a series of whirs and beeps as a laser grid moved over her body, first horizontally, then vertically, and finally diagonally. The sensation made her shudder for some reason; her body temperature felt warmer too. After a few more minutes, the scan completed, and a readout printed with the results. She took the page in hand and examined it closely.
"Let's see. Normal. Normal. Normal. Normal. Norm--wait a minute." She checked again. "That can't be right."
"What can't be right?" Curiosity overtaking her interest in her experiment. Sparks set her work aside and walked over to her.
"This thing must of malfunctioned or something."
"What do you mean?"
"Look at this. If my brain activity really registered this high, I'd fall unconscious at any moment. And this. My metabolism's at about double from where it's supposed to be, and it's showing two heartbeats instead of one. If that's not a malfunction, I don't know what is."
"Let me see." Twilight Sparks reached over to have her own look.
That was a mistake the entire school would regret.
Their hands had just made contact; when without warning, an electric shock enveloped their bodies. Originating first from Sparkle before moving to Sparks.
"AAH!"
"OUCH!"
The surge slammed their palms together and stuck them there like the opposite poles of a magnet. Struggling to break free, all they accomplished was getting their other hands stuck too.
"What's going on?!"
"I have no idea!"
The shock increased in intensity, flowing between the two of them. Both of them felt like the room was on fire. Stray bolts of electricity singed their skin and shocked their bones. One Twilight felt as if someone was tearing out her soul; the other felt like something was boring into her body. The machines around them all went haywire, sparking and beeping into a deafening crescendo. Hundreds of sparks rained down around them. The fire alarm started blaring.
"Make it stop! Please!"
"I can't!" The charges kept growing. Too much higher, and they both would die.
And then everything went white-hot.
"What's happening?"
"Is it another magic attack?"
"Is Adagio back for revenge?"
"Oh not again!" The students were in an uproar.
"ATTENTION EVERYONE," came Celestia's voice on the loudspeaker. "THIS IS NOT A DRILL. PLEASE EXIT THE BUILDING IMMEDIATELY IN A CALM AND ORDERLY FASHION WHILE WE ASCERTAIN THE PROBLEM."
Without hesitation, everyone turned and left, even the Rainbooms. All of them wondered what on Earth was going on.
Pain.
It was a sensation that Twilight was all too aware of by now. Upon reaching maximum voltage, they'd both been flung backwards, slamming into the opposite walls. Fortunately, the emergency-shut off system had kicked in right before that, so they didn't have to worry about exploding machines. Even the lights had gone out except for the harsh glare of a red warning light that cloaked the whole room. Feeling herself over, Sparkle was relieved to feel no serious injuries. Another trip to the hospital wasn't needed. On the other side of the room, Sparks groaned and pulled herself to her feet.
"Are you all right?" Sparkle brushed herself off.
"I'm a bit frazzled but uninjured. What WAS that? A magic spell?"
She shook her head. "I have no idea. I've never felt anything like that." Despite of or perhaps because of the severity of the situation, she found herself chuckling. "Though I don't think either one of us wants to experiment on that."
"I'm crazy, but I'm not THAT crazy. Random electric charges out of nowhere aren't meant to be studied, they're meant to be...." Taking another look at Twilight, her voice trailed off. Her eyes scanned over the girl in front of her as if seeing her for the first time.
Sparkle tilted her head. "Are you all right?"
"You...you...Your Majesty." The girl gave a small gasp and knelt on the ground. "Why didn't you tell me you were a Princess?"
"Wait WHAT?!" Twilight's jaw dropped. "How'd you figure that out without me telling you?"
"I-I don't know how I know, b-but I do."
Sparkle stared at the girl, trying to make sense of it all. And as she kept looking, she felt a series of unfamiliar images storm into her mind. There was another school and people she didn't recognize. Except one.
"Oh my. Oh my goodness. You're as close to this world's Cadance as I am to mine." More images appeared. "And she's just as close to your brother."
Sparks looked up absolutely mortified. "We're seeing each other's memories or something. Did that zap cause this? And who is 'Searing'?"
Both of them were equally embarrassed as their laundry went on display. And yet, both of them couldn't help commenting on what they were seeing.
"So that's what ponies look like."
"You change your leader every four years?"
"Your holidays all have different names."
"So many different languages."
Then the visions became more personal. The comments weren't really directed at each other now. Rather, they were trying to understand what they were seeing.
Sparks winced at the next one. "You...You spent so much of your life without friends; that now that you have them, you're terrified of being alone again."
More pictures of Cadance appeared. "Oh no. I'm so sorry. I-is that why you left?"
"You can't go home until your horn heals? That's awful."
"Crystal Prep tried to tear you away from your friend?!"
"You saw a mirror that showed you your worst fear?"
"Years of working at Crystal Prep made you even more afraid of failing than I am."
"Searing told you you friends don't need you anymore?"
"So that's why you wanted to learn the memory spell."
Tears ran down their cheeks as the connection between them faded. Neither one could think of anything else to say. For a brief moment, they'd understood each other perfectly. Two souls that had endured so much pain. It was almost unbearable. Wordlessly, they each packed up their things and left, humbled by the experience.
Neither one of them noticed the second readout on the body scanner machine. Unlike all of the others, it was designed to work even at low power in case someone got injured. During all the confusion, they'd missed it.
The readout showed the same information as before; but this time, for the OTHER Twilight.
I know what I want to use the magic for now. All this time, I was thinking just about me and how I could use it. But...I don't really need to use it, do I? Physical alterations don't really mean anything in the long run. Neither do study applications. I don't need those either.
But there is one thing I do need. Something I kept pushing away, because I thought I didn't. Cinch said it was completely unnecessary, that I could work just as well with it as without it. But I can't. I need it. I need her.
I need my friend back.
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Sorry.
REALLY need some feedback here, guys. This is the turning point of the whole story, so I need to make sure it works.
Well, that's a way to (mostly) neutralise Sparks as a threat by sharing memories. Of course, at the same time, if Sparks continues to press on in the pursuit of knowledge it just makes her even more dangerous than before. It's a good thing she can't take Twilight's place in Equestria then since she won't have wings...or will she?!
Also, it looks like Principal Celestia is finally learning from the last two magical attacks on her school by having quick evacuations
Nice. Is this going to continue?
8833739
It will be completed, but Shine's rewrite needs to be finished first.
8834503
Oh yeah you're rewriting the whole thing I forgot.
10707899
You'd be surprised what educational facilities can get away with "for the sake of the children!"