Friendship is Failure #17: Nine & Eleven

by DakariKingMykan

Act 2: Dead Ends

ACT TWO

Twilight made it to the Las Pegasus borders, and she could see the city up ahead with its tall high rises, and she could hear all the sound of all bustling from afar.

Still, what she was looking for was just ahead of her; a very tall high-rise factory and worldwide headquarters of Silver Nickle’s business.

Near the site of the building was a large sign which read: “AUTHORIZED PERSONAL ONLY”

“All Visitors Check in by Appointment Only.”

So, Twilight marched right up to the front gates, and was immediately rejected by the guards.

“You don’t understand, I must speak with her.” she insisted.

“I’m sorry,” said the guard “Silver Nickle is currently out. If you wish to meet with her, please make an appointment.”

Even as Princess of Friendship, Twilight had no authority to insist or push her way through, but even still, when she asked for Silver’s latest opening.

“… Two months from now!” she cried in shock.

“I’m sorry, but Silver Nickle is a very busy pony, and so am I.

I’m afraid you’ll have to leave now.”

Twilight sighed, but left peacefully. However she was still determined to find Silver Nickle and at least talk to her about all those fired applicants.

Her stomach growled, realizing she had forgotten about lunch, and decided to head straight into town for a bite.

She enjoyed a small sandwich and lemonade at an outdoor café, but her mind was never off of her mission.

Suddenly, she could hear a load of commotion in the streets that started with a huge crash.

Two wagons had run into each other in the street, and one of which belonged to Silver Nickle’s industry as was labeled on the side of the broken woods.

The two drivers of the wagons were arguing furiously with one another, and as Princess of Friendship, Twilight wouldn’t have this and poofed her way over.

“ENOUGH!!” she shouted, which made the two drivers and all the ponies in the immediate area hush up.

Then they bowed to her respectfully.

“Princess Twilight Sparkle,” the industry driver said nervously.

“What happened here?”

The other driver grouchily stated, “I was turning, I had the red go-sign, and he just popped in out of nowhere and ran to no-go sign.”

“I couldn’t slow down,” the industry driver protested “This coach is full of supplies and things that Silver Nickle wants in the office an hour ago, or I’ll lose my job!”

Twilight whistled, telling the two ponies to quiet down.

“I’m sure we can fix all this, and I’m sure if you explain to Silver Nickle, things can work out.”

“…Think again!” growled a voice that made the industry driver’s blood turn cold.

Many ponies went silent and gawked in fear, and Twilight turned round and saw HER!

Silver Nickle: A light grey unicorn with a shoulder length white mane with grey streaks. She wore a pair of red thick-framed glasses, a light blue shirt with a purple tie, and a red suit.

Her cutiemaek was a picture of silver coins all piled up high.

“B-B-B-Boss,” whimpered the driver.

“Save it!” snapped Silver “…You’re fired!”

The crowd gasped, and the driver was heartbroken, while Twilight’s features hardened.

“He just had an accident.” she protested “He’s lucky he wasn’t hurt. You can’t just take his job like that.”

Silver gave her a stern stare, “My decision is final!”

Then she turned to walk off to a big silver coach that was waiting for her.

“Wait!” Twilight called as she chased after her, but two large, burly bodyguards stood in her way.

“I want to talk to you, Silver Nickle!”

Silver paid her no mind and climbed into her seat, followed by her guards who rode in back.

“Drive!”

The coach began to move.

Much as Twilight could had used her magic to halt the coach, she didn’t wish to make an even bigger scene than there already was.

She also felt upset for the pony that was fired.

“This is exactly what I was afraid of.” he sobbed “Silver fires any-pony for even the slightest mistake.

A friend of mine last week got axed just for saying “Hi” to her, or maybe he was late coming to work.”

Either way, he was still upset for losing his job, and the other driver felt sorry for him and wanted only to help him now. “You know, my company’s always looking for new transport drivers. I can help you.”

What, five minutes, ago were two bickering hot-heads now seemed to becoming the best of friends, much to Twilight’s pleasure.

Now, she had other things to deal with and decided to leave all the friendly ponies to help each other out.

Silver’s Coach had not pulled up too far ahead, and she flew way up high after it, but kept well out of sight.

She could see it was heading out of the city and in the direction of the industry high rise outside in the open fields.

Twilight decided to confront the witchy pony there, on her own turf, with the help of a little magic or deception.

Though these methods were usually not in her best interest, she had to get to the bottom of Silver’s behaviour.

Silver stepped out of her coach and walked into the building.

Many workers in the main entrance parted ways to let her pass, but they didn’t even greet her fearing of her wrath. Not that it mattered anyway!

“GET BACK TO WORK!!” she thundered, making all the ponies jump and then scramble back to their duties.

Silver growled and muttered insults to them all under her breath as she entered the elevator and took it to the top where her office was.

There she sat down at her desk and folded her front limbs and sulked, but she took a moment to reach into her drawer, and pull out what appeared to be a small medicine bottle with no label on it, and she took a large swig from the bottle, which nearly made her gag, and seemed to make her cringe in deeper anger.

Then, she heard a soft tapping at the window.

She looked out and saw Twilight hovering there and waving to her.

She couldn’t hear her speaking through the glass, but could read her lips as she called, “I’d like to talk to you.”

Naturally, Silver was uninterested and used her magic to shut the curtains.

Twilight, as stubborn or determined as ever, just proofed herself inside.

“I’m not going to leave until you talk to me.”

Silver only pressed a large red-switch on her desk, which opened a trapdoor, causing Twilight to fall down, down, a long and steep tunnel slide and ending up falling into a garbage dumpster.

Twilight groaned and gagged as she picked the bits of trash off of her, only then to realize a big bunch of security guards were there too, ordered by Silver to ensure she was ejected from the premises.

Seeing as she was badly outnumbered, and it wouldn’t do good to make a scene.

“I’ll go quietly.” she said to the guards, and willing left through the gates which slammed shut behind her.

Twilight had never known such a pony, and was now more infuriated with her than ever.

Much as it would have been tempting to ignore the whole thing, she was convinced that Silver was horribly insane and needed help, and after all she had seen and witnessed, as well as the treatment she herself had been given, Twilight was not willing to let other innocent ponies suffer the wrath of this tyrannical monster.

Yet, she was still determined to get to the bottom of all this and at least find out why Silver was such a creep to others, or at least have her charged on harsh and unforgiving actions-- firing ponies out of pettiness.

When she got back to the School of Friendship, she immediately began to consult her law books, or anything that could help her come up with a case to have Silver face an inquiry.

At least by putting her on trial she could finally get a word in with her.

She worked, and studied, and concentrated, even long after school was out, and she looked frazzled and sweaty, but that was mainly due to her falling into the dumpster.

Her friends were deeply concerned about her.

“Twilight,” Applejack said “Put down the books, and let’s get you some vittles.”

Twilight only half heard her, “Yes, vitals!” she said with a crazy tone “Vital points, key notes. These will work.”

Rarity then used her magic to snap the books shut.

“Darling, please, you need to eat.”

She then covered her nose at the stench of garbage, “Ooh…! And a bath too it seems.”

Rainbow and Fluttershy helped Twilight up and out of her chair.

“Come on, Twilight,” said Fluttershy “This isn’t doing you any good.”

“Yeah, and besides, how do you know it’ll even work?” added Rainbow.

Twilight snapped up right and glared at her. “What do you mean “won’t work?”

“I’m just saying, maybe you won’t be able to get a case.”

“I hate to say this, Twilight,” said Starlight “…But Rainbow may be right. From what you told us, Sliver seems to fire many ponies, but why haven’t any of them tried to fight back?”

Pinkie Pie raised her hoof, “Because they’re too scared to sue her? I know I’d be.”

Spike actually agreed with her, “That could be why.”

Even Starlight agreed, but the real reason she was hinting at, “…I’m saying, maybe they can’t fight her back.”

Twilight refused to believe that.

“There’s always a way. There has to be, especially for something this huge.”

The scene then changed to Twilight at Town Hall to try to make her case.

“What do you mean “there’s no way?” she whined.

“I’m sorry, Princess,” replied Mayor Mare, and she pulled out a large file containing many reports filed by other ponies that Silver had fired, and it was always the same story:

While it seemed that Silver was mentally in a fit of unstable rage or no concern when she fired the ponies, and even more so as she seemed to be firing them more out of spite, or person discontent, it was also noted and taken into account by every law firm that the employees were still constantly late, slacking off of work and goofing off, or just like the driver of the carriage, lost or damaged value company property and goods needed to farther projects and work at the company, causing fallbacks by several months and damaging schedules and budget.

“This is outrageous!” shouted Rarity.

“It’s horrible.” added Fluttershy.

Mare agreed with them, but had to dismay them all, “Outrageous or horrible as it is, I’m afraid it’s no use.

The legalities of Silver’s actions are legitimate, and are completely uncontestable. You haven’t a legal leg to stand on. Not even Princess Celestia can do anything to help you.

Unless Silver Nickle actually commits an illegal action, there’s nothing that can be done.”

Twilight couldn’t believe this, but it was starting to look more and more hopeless.

“Twilight?” said Spike, and as much as he couldn’t believe himself for what he was about to say, even he couldn’t stand it that some angry nutcase was firing ponies like disposable pawns on a chessboard, and giving nothing but her wrath and scorn wherever she went.

“We’ll think of something, I promise.”

Twilight looked down on him and smiled, and it was surprising that he was going along with this for once.

“I’m sorry you’re all going through this.” said Mare “Believe me, Silver wasn’t always like this-- mean, and harsh, and loud… very loud.”

“You knew her once?” asked Applejack.

Mare nodded, “She and I were like sisters when we were little. She was the happiest and most playful pony I knew.”

And she gathered the gang around to tell her story…

Author's Note:

No, Silver's not meant to be sympathized with, she's just here to smash Twilight and her "Improvement" methods and attempts to smithereens because she can't take "No" for an answer.

If Silver even tried to change, or improve herself by giving into friendship, and smiling, and putting her past behind (Like people DEMAND I make Beast Boy do) It's the flame pit for her.

This is my fiction. The characters are not here to be developed, or improved.

They are here to be punished.

Comments

[wertyui]

No, Silver's not meant to be sympathized with, she's just here to smash Twilight and her "Improvement" methods and attempts to smithereens because she can't take "No" for an answer.

knowing this, I did a bit of a rewrite for that reason

“All my life I wanted to live a carefree joy existence with nonesuch care for work. I never liked working even back then, no matter how important it was, or how much money I could make, that was not my concern, after all, I was only five.

But my parents who a bloodline of great nobles and geniuses, wanted to rid me of such thoughts and insisted I join their laboratory and become a scientist like they were.

So they began to drill me, work me, enslave me like a dog, all day and night, but still, they didn't convince me.

So being the nutty professors they were, they took to experiments, they hooked me into a machine intended to alter my brainwaves and change my way of thinking.

so without a second thought or test, They put me onto a metal chair and begin to stick those goddamn electrodes in me. to them, i seemed nothing more than a lab rat.

they switched it on and instantly I was overcome with a shockwave of electromagnetic currency, I couldn’t even scream that's how powerful it was, it was there the wires began to short out and the whole machine went kablooey, all that was left was me and pieces of scattered schrapnel. how I managed to come outta there alive let alone uninjured ill never know.

the dust settles and all I remember was My head felt as if a ton of bricks had landed on it.

nevertheless, The experiment seemed to work. I could no longer think the way I used to-- imaginative, playful, I didn’t even seem to like it anymore.

I felt a great urge that compelled me to buckle down and work, but deep down I still didn’t like it, if anything I resented it more than ever.

Worse than that, those currents and waves altered my body in a horrific way, into a state that slowly made me weaker, harder to lift my limbs up, my insides ached constantly, and I had constant strokes and seizures. one time I had a heart attack so bad that my heart seemed to burst through my pelt!

I had to replace these forelegs with robotic limbs JUST TO MANAGE!!!

…All this would very well have killed me if it weren’t for my parent’s elixir, untested, of course.

the medicine barely keeps me going, and it still brings me great rage and misery either from the bottle, or the fact that I have to take it just to keep going! it, therefore, compels me to hate and loathe everything from work, to play, to life itself!

After my very first dose, I went as mad as they were, I turned on the ones who had ruined my life before it could be started. with one blast of my horn, they were no more, from there I destroyed they’re life’s work, so enraged I hardly thought to use my horn, primal instincts kicked in”

Twilight gasped, at the fact that Silver killed her own parents, and no pony ever knew.

The two mad scientists had created a workaholic, life-loathing monster!

Silver continuex.

“with no trace of my crime and no reason to stay, I left home."

I started a laboratory in order to recreate the elixir my parents made. I needed to take it at least once a day or the attacks would kill me!

no potion could cure me No doctor could ail me, and no faith or bond or unity could bring salvation to my pre-damned soul. i can't even kill myself because my mind won't let me.

so I just kept on working, and building, making more money, running from myself and everything else, until finally, I have the empire that stands.

How I loathe and despise it all!

this is not my kingdom, this is not my empire, this is not my legacy, it is the runoff of psychotic parents with more magic than common sense

I was robbed of my dignity, my pride, my dreams, and my happiness! All for THEIR goals and THEIR legacy

and you know its funny, had they not have broken me the way they did, I might've actually pulled up my bootstraps and got a job, but ill never know because they never gave me a chance!

…so now it has to come to an end”