Purple Batteries

by Xutiepops

Some Wise Pony

Out in Canterlot, the princesses sun shown down on the cobble stone streets and the shingled rooftops. A casual pony flew by in a smock and one casually walked by in a new dress with a new necklace or earrings.

Canterlot was divided up to poor and rich, of course laws were set in to correct this, but corruption and bribery let things slide. The princess fought against it for a while, and soon gave up as she was needed more and more in the Crystal Empire or in Saddle Arabia. Smock and apron wearers were poor, working day and night, cleaning chimneys, wiping windows, helping the baker or bartender.

They worked to keep their families alive, fillies trusted at schools for much longer than they should've been. Mothers and fathers separated and came home to barely enough bits for the night after rent. Still, they were the ones that could eat at the dinner table and laugh about days. The families who could rustle their kids hair and smirk as they let the fillies stay up another hour. They were the families that could tell bed time stories and celebrate weekends.

While jewel and fabric flaunters whose whole income came from trade fought and bickered. They'd yell and fight, throw items and act as if their filly didn't know what was happening. They were given everything, but money and popularity blinded their ability to love. Before they knew it, wives stole money and took the filly out from the husbands nose and left him with nothing. Something many smock wearers called evil, but then again, they knew it had to happen, so that filly didn't have to watch families fall apart.

Of course, Celestia would have cared more if there was a serious poverty issue. To make up for her lack of order keeping and stopping corruption, she simply helped the fillies in need by building orphanages or making the council order food to those poor. Of course, if she didn't do something first hoof, it was corrupted.

Twilight was neither a smock wearer or jewel flaunter. She was a pony, as was everyone else. If only everyone thought that way, Twilight would sigh. She simply wore a cloak to hide her metal shell, even if every pony in town knew what was underneath, she thought it was polite to hide it.

As she walked through town, taking in the senery, a filly ran up to her with a smile and a book levitating in an aura of green magic.

"Twilight!" The filly cried happily and ran up to hug the mare, the fillies parents following. "I can finally do magic, see!" She circled the book around her until she put her hoof to her temple in pain and dropped the book.

She had a white coat with pink and purple hair, usually covered in swirls and curls. Her eyes sparkled with happiness and Twilight looked at her happy parents. Her father wore a red cloak and her mother wore a fancy dress. A truly happy family, Twilight thought.

"How's Spike?" The filly asked happily and jumped. "Can I see him? It's been so loooong."

Twilight only chuckled at the fillies innocence and pleas. "Sorry, Sweetie Belle. We've been pretty busy lately." She had a warm smile and couldn't help but -at times- see the filly as her own. Even if the thought only made Twilight sad and reminded her she'd never have a filly, it warmed her imaginary heart.

The fillies eyes sparkled with excitement and glee that Twilight already knew what she was going to ask. A question that would push at her head and only when it was to late would she regret her decision.

"You're doing myths again? Mom helps me read through most of it, since I don't know a lot of the big words you used. I still enjoy it though! I've learned so many words and," she whispered the rest to Twilight, "Just between you and me, I show off to the other fillies at school."

Twilight chuckled sadly and shook her head. "I've been studying electricity and physics, though I do dislike the former."

"Will I learn that stuff? Seems boring," Sweetie Belle pouted and looked at her parents. They only nodded. Sweetie Belle jumped and turned to Twilight with a bright smile. "Can I go along with you today? My parents are going off to do boring things and we haven't talked in a while so we should catch up!"

Twilight could almost see the wings fluttering on her back. Yet she only saw a spiky mane and determination in her eyes. She blinked and saw the curly haired, excited filly in front of her.

"If it's okay with your parents, then sure," Twilight smiled and the filly jumped in the air with a bright smile. Her body encased in a green aura and she was floating, for only a second though. Her parents gasps and scared eyes stared up at the levitating child as she soon fell and clunked against Twilight's metal shell.

"Emotion will lead your magic while your young, so be careful," Twilight smiled at her as the filly climbed off her back bashfully. Twilight could see the filly was scared she was in trouble. Twilight only smirked, "Though it is surprising to see a filly levitate, good job."

Sweetie Belle smiled and jumped up, excitement back to her eyes. Though her parents only giggled and her mother turned to Twilight.

"You sure know how to handle fillies, Twilight. Couldn't have been prouder myself," the mother only giggled. "Have you ever thought of adopting? A filly would be happy, especially with the labyrinth first floor Sweetie Belle has told us all about. Did you know she's determined to map out the whole thing?"

Twilights wings strapped to her back and her eyes widened a bit. She shook her head and smiled, ignoring her want to tell the mare her death date. She decided it would be best to not say it in front of Sweetie Belle, much less tell her for the next several months.

"I think Spike would only get jealous," Twilight smiled and the giggles she earned only showed it had worked.

"Well, we'll be on our way. We can meet at your study, but do what you need to do, we'll be out a while," the mare said and kissed her daughter on the forehead. "Now, you be good. Behave, miss chaos," she smiled and trotted off with her husband who gave Sweetie Belle a tight hug.

"So!" Sweetie Belle smiled and turned to Twilight. "Where ya going?"

"Why are you so determined to hang out with me? You know I'm simply going to the library and a few stores, don't you have any fillies to talk to from school?" Twilight asked and continued her walk. She looked around and saw ponies walking on either side of the road as a carriage rode through the middle of the street. It was a shimmering black that sparkled in the sun, she saw her book from the small glimpse she got from the inside.

Her stomach churned and her and Sweetie Belle crossed the street.

"Oh ... I don't have any filly friends at school... Except Button Mash! He's cool, but he always hangs out with Thunderlane and Rumble, he never wants to spend any time with me," Sweetie Belle pouted and she notice she lagged behind and ran to catch up with Twilight.

Twilight only chuckled and sighed, "He's just scared of you."

"Why would he be scared of me? Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon are much scarier than me!" Sweetie Belle tilted her head in confusion as she moved out of the way for a hat cart walking by, pushed by a grumpy old pony who glared rudely at her. She hated the streets. It was full of bustling ponies in bad attitudes. Just like Manehatten nowadays, Canterlot used to be nice and friendly -from what Twilight told her- now it was full of ponies from Manehatten who hated others with a passion simply because they didn't get their coffee or some pony cut in line.

"Have you and him ever talked before?" Twilight asked, full of certainty that she was correct. She always felt like a mother or big sister around Sweetie Belle.

Sweetie Belle nodded to the question. "All the time! But every time I offer to hang out after school he stutters something about playing a game with Rumble and jets off. He never does that to Diamond Tiara or Silver Spoon, he must like one of them or something"

Twilight only chuckled at the fillies assumption, enough to bring tears to her eyes. "Oh Sweetie Belle! It means he likes you! He's too nervous to talk to you outside of school, he's afraid he'll make a fool of himself. He has no interest in Diamond Tiara or Silver Spoon so he's fine with it."

Sweetie Belle pouted as a pony pushed into Twilight, who had simply ignored it. Her blood boiled but she shook it off. She looked around and saw she was near the bakers shop and the taverns lane -as all the school ponies call it. She smiled as the town started getting clearer and clearer, no carriages, no dress wearers. Just happy couples, fillies, and families. A man and woman sharing a chocolate milkshake. Three fillies playing ball, one was dark magenta with a magenta mane. A family eating at a restaurant and the filly and wife were laughing as the man silently ignored them, only to fall victim to their laughter.

She finally thought about what Twilight said as a bell tolled it was noon exact. "What? But Diamond Tiara's family is rich! So is Silver Spoons!" She looked around frantically, fearing she would run into the three colts who she didn't want to see. Rumble and Thunderlane lived around here, and their games constantly entered the town. Button Mash was a rich pony, that's why him and Diamond Tiara got along so well. "Why would he want a pony like me? His parents must've taught him not to go beneath his own standard, well... not too far at least."

Twilight rolled her eyes. "What's the fun in a pony whose exactly like you? Or well, that thinks they're the rulers of the world because they are rich. Look at Button Mash and Diamond Tiara, what's the difference between the two?"

Twilight noticed a poor pony. The pony looked up at her with pleading eyes. Once she saw it was Twilight she was looking at, she ducked her head down and looked away, waiting for her to leave.

Twilight smiled and looked through her satchel, a sack of bits floated out and landed in front of the pony. The pony looked up at her with a surprised look and her mouth wide open.

"If you ever need anything, you can come by the study. I have plenty of room," Twilight smiled down at the pony who shook her head.

"I doubt your one for debts, but it just feels wrong to take so much. I got myself into this mess, I should get by with no ponies help," the ponies voice was rasp and sharp. Clearly from Manehatten.

Their coat seemed dead and was unsaturated, it was clearly too short for her to survive out here with just it and nothing else. Her eyes seemed beaten and hurt, as if everything pinned against her at once and she had no choice but to live outside. The body was skinny and her ribs were clearly visible through the opening of the thin black cloak she wore. Her hair was tangled and strands stood un-brushed.

The sack of bits pushed back to Twilight. "I ain't takin' no twenty something bits from some pony like you. Get on."

Twilight stood there and noticed the withering cloak around the mare. Something inside her told her to move on and let the pony be, that was her head. Telling her the logical thing to do.

Twilight's pushing look softened and she smiled. Her cloak levitated off of her and around the pony, who had her eyes closed and her hooves crossed, looking away. She suddenly opened her eyes to the cozy, thick cloak around her.

"I told ya I didn't want nothin'..." she trailed off at the look of the metal shell that looked almost black in the shadows of the overhang above them.

"Whether you want it or not, your taking it. You won't survive winter without it with your thin fur," Twilight said, acting as if she wasn't even metal. Suddenly, the poor pony smiled.

"So you got lifes hard end too, huh?" She smirked cheekily and hugged herself in the warm coat. Twilight could see her standing furs to the cold fall with warmth.

"No," Twilight shook her head, much to the mares surprise. "I was given another chance, maybe you should keep these bits and take my offer as the start of your second chance. You can't build something from nothing."

The mare only stared in shock as the purple metal pony walked off. Her stare turned to a warm cackle. "Your some wise pony Twilight Sparkle! Some wise pony."

---

Twilight opened the doors to her book-ridden study, letting the cold air blow loose papers and letting the little filly dash through the maze. Twilight only stood in the foyer as Sweetie Belle went down the wrong path.

Seconds later she heard a 'yay' of accomplishment, only to see the filly walk up to her. Her proud, defiant smirk turned to a disappointed, beaten one once she saw the smug Sparkle in the foyer.

"I thought I had it!" Sweetie Belle cried and only then slouched. "I don't even have my map so I could map it out," she pouted and Twilight chuckled as she walked down the hallway right in front of them. "That one! ... that .... that makes sense... I was only testing to see if you knew it!"

Sweetie Belle chased after Twilight to see her enter the big room that was the 'writing cabinet' room -again, courtesy to Spike. Sweetie Belle stared in wonder at the tall shelves above her and stared to feel dizzy and sick. She turned her attention to in front of her and saw the glorious cabinet... next to it lying a pile of used notebooks in a hideous, unorganized pile. The filly didn't believe Twilight could do a thing so messy and unorganized.

The mare even had her book walls organized for crying out loud! Yes, the hallways were messy, but there was a overall organization and want to fill up space to them. This was just a way to save space and not care about the hard work.

Sweetie Belle suppressed the urge to look through every one and see if they were worthy of such an arrangement. Then, her heart disagreed as logic stepped in. It didn't matter if she found them worthy, of course she would. She would find anything done by Twilight worthy of anything because she admired the alicorn. The problem was that Twilight didn't see the worth in every page she had wrote. Sweetie Belle remembered when she came in she'd see stacks of almost filled ones laid open on the wooden table.

Now, they had one page filled and half the pages were torn out.

What made these different than the others? Were these about the myths her mother had read with her night after night? No. Then she started getting a glimpse at the open pages. If electricity was at the top then the page had a lined fill and the book had only a few pages. If the page started with science or math it was half filled, but the book still only had a few pages. If the page started with physics then it was fully filled, still only a few pages per book. Then she saw one open to a page of a fluffy manned, bouncy mare. A drawing.

She didn't now Twilight could draw.

Much less think of it. Then she saw a resemblance in her memories, because she had done the same thing. The mistress from the future, cotton candy, Madam Future. Anything, just whoever this mare was, she was down on paper, in one of the only books that had more than a few pages. It even looked as if only one or two had been pulled out.

The page was covered in notes and arrows, Sweetie Belle saw true want to write and study this. The other subjects looked tiring, as if it took hours to get a simple page done, even if only one sentence was written.

Twilight noticed her staring and adverted it from her view, "If you want any of those, you're free to take them." Sweetie Belle turned in shock and saw Twilight leave the room and go down a distant hallway.

Sweetie Belle sat in thought for a second, then she jumped up with the notebook with the drawings in her mouth. She ran down the hallway that led to the foyer, jumping over books and being careful not to slide on papers. She turned to the door and swallowed.

She had been outside so much that she knew every street corner and avenue of Canter Lot. But she'd never been outside alone, and whenever she tried to guess where they were, her father corrected her a few times. She stared up at the big doors and looked down at the evening sun creeping through.

Could she really expect to go outside alone? With the sun setting? She was out of her mind. But as her hooves slowly crept towards the door, she burst into a gallop and ran out, hearing the door quietly shut so Twilight wouldn't chase her.

She cursed herself as she ran further and further. Twilight would surely get in trouble if her parents came by and she wasn't there. She would worry her dear friend and take up her time searching for her. But as Sweetie Belle galloped over a bridge and crossed a street, she started to focus more and more on her task.

She turned and saw the streets not as busy, the air lightened, and no carriages ran through the streets. Happiness and laughter filled the air as families ate out with their extra bits, thinking of today and not tomorrow.

Sweetie Belle ignored her feelings and ran into a pony. She looked up and saw a ragged mare with a dead coat, hurt eyes, but at least her mane was brushed. Sweetie Belles heart froze in place as she looked up at the cold stare that only made her want to run with fear. Yet, this was who she was looking for.

The notebook she had been placed back into her lap and she looked up at the mare who smiled gently.

"You were that filly with Twilight, right?" The mare asked and helped her up. "A bit late for just a filly ta be out, but oh well, more and more fillies think they run the world these days." She turned to walk away when Sweetie Belle tugged on her cloak that layered over the thin black one that had holes in it.

"What'cha want kid?" She asked and her cold stare returned. Her smile was non-existent and Sweetie Belle just wanted to hear her life story, not about myths.

"Oh! Um.... h-how did you know Twilights... um... name?" Sweetie Belle asked nervously and started following the mare once she nodded towards the corner she was in last time. She sat down and patted the ground next to her. Sweetie Belle sat down on the cold stone and suddenly felt even worse for the mare. Especially when a breeze ran through.

"Doesn't everypony know Twilight Sparkle? So why ya asking me that?" The mare asked, no more motherly than harsh, but still motherly. The mare noticed the breeze and moved the cloak around Sweetie Belle and moved her closer.

"B-because she's a recluse that sits in her study all the time!" Sweetie Belle said, snuggling into the warmth of the cloak and the mare.

"She had her book, didn't she? Did you think I was poor before it came out and never read it?" The mare asked suspiciously. Sweetie Belle bit her lip and blushed with ignorance. She still nodded, she couldn't lie, not when she suspected this mare has heard harsher lies than she would ever hear.

"Well you're right," the mare relaxed into the corner with a smirk towards Sweetie Belle's nervousness. She ruffled the fillies mane and laughed once it popped back in place. "I never read it, I've only heard others talk about it. Though, I always hear how it isn't for foals and blah blah. Well, let's just say I disagreed with a lot of the things I hear."

The cold picked up and Sweetie Belle practically hugged the mare in cold. The mare wrapped her hoof around the filly and pulled the cloak farther over her. "I know a lotta old mares tales. I grew up hearing 'em, I told them to fillies, so I never liked the idea of ponies critizicing her book. Besides, I hate most of the ponies in this town any who."

"B-but the ponies on this end of town are happy a-and nice!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed, surprised any pony could hate this end of the town. Even as she said that she saw two fillies laugh with their parents. Who could not love the air in this town? Or the general easiness of it? Everypony was near the same level, all poorer than the other side of town.

"This town's to happy. I see fillies and curse the world, I see mares and stallions exchange gifts for random days and want to rip out there throats. I get so jealous of 'em all, at least north in the bad part of town I got the worst end of the stick along with literally every other mare. But no ones nice there, so its either not be jealous or survive.

"So all I get to do I endure and endure 'cause without it... I ain't gonna make it. I still suffer, even on the best end of Canterlot," The mare looked up and the sun and growled, then turned to see a family laugh and hug. She turned away from everything and too Sweetie Belle. "What's in that book of yours?"

"Oh!" Sweetie Belle said, being snapped out of her trance. "I-it's Twilights, she said I could have it. I guess I wanted to see if you knew anything I didn't know about the old mares tales."

The notebook was pulled out of her hooves and into their laps, one pony having one side of the book. The mare turned the cover open and turned to the next page since it was blank. It was a sloppy ink sketch of a unicorn with a wizards hat, a detailed cloak, and a long beard. At the top of the page the words, 'The sorcery,' was written.

"One of them pillars, ain't it?" The mare checked her memory and nodded once Sweetie Belle nodded and flipped the page.

The page was a sloppy ink sketch of a pony with jagged, short hair, she had tinted glasses that hid her face and a smirk. Music notes beamed around her. That's when Sweetie Belle noticed the bat-like wings and the fluffy ears. And the fang that sat in precision as the rest was sloppy and messy, full of construction lines.

"Vampire pony, says that can love. Never believed it, then again ... when are mares tales ever believable?" The mare asked and turned the page.

"Don't you believe some of the though? Like the Madam Future one?" Sweetie Belle asked eagerly and with anticipation in her eyes. The mare smirked and nodded.

"The future mare exists because her fortunes came true, meaning she had to exist to give em," The mare smiled and looked at the page.

The sat in silence through the next few pages. The beauty, a tall unicorn that had radiant beauty and wore a long dress. The hope, a Egyptian-like pegasus that looked up with determination and a powerful smirk. The maiden of Discord was a page full of mares, though all were either earth pony or unicorn, they were all pretty basic. The truth teller, a unicorn with shoulder-length mane that was spiky, a cutie mark of a lyre sat on her flank as she played a harp, with a goddess like expression.

"What other ones do you believe?" Sweetie Belle's voice pierced the silence that was just page turning. She noticed the mare next to her tense.

"Not many of 'em, they're just made to scare fillies on Nightmare Night. Though I gotta feeling that fast one is real," she said, trying to keep her confidence.

"What are you scared of?" Sweetie Belle looked up at the mare and saw the tears in her eyes. Her question hung in the air and they held the others stare until the mare stood up and stared walking off.

Her dark purple mane sparkled in the sun and her deep orange coat finally got some life to it. Before she got to far away, she turned back to Sweetie Belle and said. "I know that fast one is real, wanna know how I know?" A small smirk cut through her tears. Sweetie Belle nodded.

"I met her, I was her best friend. Until they whisked me away, she lives in the Everfree, I hear. I saw every bit of her in my little filly," the mare bowed her head and let her tears fall. The word saw finally cut into Sweetie Belle and she slowly walked towards the mare. Before she got her mouth open she heard her name being called and turned to see her parents and Twilight.

Once she turned back. The homeless mare was gone.

---

Once Sweetie Belle was back home safe, Twilight trudged home, fatigue taking hold of her body. She walked through the labyrinth as her hooves wanted to buckled underneath her. It took so much willpower to simply raise them over a book or to avoid slipping on a loose piece of paper.

As she walked down the corridor that the bookshelves made on the towers, she noticed a green and purple catch her eye in the in-betweens. She took a few steps back and turned to see Spike curled up to himself. She stared in confusion once she realized he was sleeping -peacefully at that- in the creepiest in-between. Twilight was too tired to think so she walked down the corridor and picked him up.

Though, as she left, she felt something weigh Spike down on her back and he suddenly got lighter. As if someone was holding on and didn't want to let go.

Comments

[Nuhri1995]

The premise is intriguing but, this seriously needs an editor's touch.