• Published 6th Nov 2012
  • 15,386 Views, 3,316 Comments

The Abundance - defender2222



Sequel to Faith and Doubt. Twilight must save Equestria from her friends who've become alicorns

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Taunts

Regrets, I've had a few
But then again, too few to mention
I did what I had to do and saw it through without exemption
I planned each charted course, each careful step along the byway
And more, much more than this, I did it my way

-Frank Sinatra, My Way


Scootaloo.

The warrior standing in front of the inn was Scootaloo.

It was like she had been struck in the gut. Twilight just kept staring at the tall, elegant mare, trying to make her brain lock onto the fact that this was Scootaloo. Twilight could see the little filly so well in her mind's eye: her spiky purple hair, her tiny little wings buzzing as she rode her scooter around, a look of determination that seemed to be forever on her face.

None of that could be found on the mare before her. Oh, her mane was purple and her coat orange but the attitude and the body language was all wrong. This mare that wore Scootaloo's face was more likely to sneer than she was to roll her eyes. The youthful joy had been cut out of her and replaced with a determined look that spoke of a hard life and a harder will. It was… a perversion, a twisting of something small and innocent into something horrible.

Rainbow Dash and her friends had experimented on her, using banned magic to accelerate her growth and make her their loyal attack dog. Now, the orange mare stood before the inn, shouting at the window. She knew Twilight, Shining and Spike were holed up in there, demanding the stallion come out before they ripped him out.

"We need to run," Shining whispered, creeping towards the door. "We can't take on Scootaloo."

The baby dragon gave Shining a cold look. "Come on, it's Scootaloo! I think we can manage!" Spike complained.

"The Queens altered her... she is different from the rest. They gave her strength and endurance. Her armor is enchanted too, to resist spells. I saw one of the unicorns from Celestia’s school take her on… a powerful one and… Scootaloo just crushed him. Laughed as his spells bounced off her and then stomped him into the ground till he couldn’t move."

“But that’s why you came to get us, remember?” Spike prodded.

Shining Armor was by no means a coward but he had been trained to understand his limitations. He had seen first hoof the terrible power wielded by the converted Cutie Mark Crusaders and he knew that against even one he stood little chance. Even though he knew in his heart of hearts that Twilight by herself could easily take on this version of Scootaloo and together with him it would be no contest… the memories of all the horrors he had seen the queens and their guards perform had left him with his flight or fight response firmly entrenched in ‘flight’. He knew this… he understood this… and yet he couldn’t fight the reaction. It made him sick to his stomach but… but he was scared. Scared he would be wrong and Twilight would fall just as all others had and he would have to watch them convert his baby sister.

"She'll take us down. We need to fall back and prepare-"

"No."

"Twilight?" Shining asked.

"No," Twilight repeated. Her body trembled with rage. "They don't get to do this." Her left eye lost all color while the right darkened into the deepest of obsidian. Her magic began to flare around her and the feathers on her wings shifted from purple to black and white. Her mane extended and the stars that were braided through the darkening strands began to streak across it. Dark and light magic swirled around her horn as Twilight set her jaw. She seemed taller, more noble, and in that instant the fear Shining had felt was chased away; the alicorn of the stars was on his side. "This is my home too... and no pony is driving me away. Spike."

"Right," the baby dragon said, clamoring onto his friend's back, his own face grim and determined. Something flashed in his eyes and Shining Armor was startled by the power that seemed to lay hidden within their depths.

"Shining, stay behind us. Don't interfere." Before the stallion could protest Twilight surrounded them in an orb of darkness. When it popped Shining flared his magic, backing away from the smirking Scootaloo. He had faced many dangers and was braver than most ponies... but he remembered well the terrible things Scootaloo and her boys had done to his fellow soldiers and he had no desire to get anywhere near her. It was a war of fear and bravery… Scootaloo vs. Twilight.

Twilight... smiled.

"Hello Scootaloo..." Twilight said, utterly polite. She might as well have been greeting the enchanted mare at the side of the road. She took a step forward and nodded to the guards. "I'm back."

Scootaloo was genuinely surprised to see Twilight standing there, though she did well to school her features before anyone could call her out on it. "We'd forgotten you were coming. All of us knew you would return... but we thought we had time." She took a step forward, keeping her wings spread wide as she spoke. Twilight could sense the wards woven around her armor, protecting the orange pegasus from anything Twilight might throw at her.

It was weird… Scootaloo seemed to suddenly find her gameplan altered and she was struggling to find her footing. Twilight had seen flashes of shock, fear, and… admiration? Yes… yes. Scootaloo had looked at her for the briefest of moments like so many had looked upon Princess Celestia.

"Twilight Sparkle... you have been found guilty of corruption by the rogue abstract known as Doubt.” Twilight raised an eyebrow at that. “But you are not to blame for your actions or your fall. My stallions and I have been commanded to bring you before the queens, so they might purify you and open your eyes to the glories of harmony once more. Then, and only then, will you be allowed to take your place as the 6th queen and help in ushering in the golden age of Equestria." Scootaloo’s gaze drifted onto Shining Armor. “Your brother… has betrayed Equestria… once you are cured you will decide his punishment. Then, you will help the queens hunt down Doubt.”

"Sorry, but no. On so many levels and on so many of your comments... no." Twilight said. She flashed a dark smile and for a moment Scootaloo felt a sense of dread. "And by the way, I kicked your favorite Queen's flank across the night club, so you aren't going to be much of a challenge."


"Uh, Twiley... could you maybe not taunt the guards that want to beat me up?" Shining hissed.

"Don't be a fool," Scootaloo snapped. The dismissal had clearly stung and now Scootaloo was pissed. Though she was several inches shorter than Twilight she still managed to hold her head up and find a way to look down her nose at the purple alicorn. "You have no hope of defeating us. We have harmony and justice on our side... what do you have? A baby dragon and a traitor. Even with your wicked powers you will not be able to stand up to all of us. You are truly alone."

"Is that so?" a voice purred in Scootaloo's ears. “How interesting.”

The orange mare looked about, trying to spot the intruder that had spoken. It had felt as if the voice were coming from her very soul, taunting and teasing her. When she found no pony standing at her side she turned back towards Twilight, glaring at her. "Your cheap little tricks don't mean a thing to us! They are nothing compared to the power of the queens!"

"Oh, it's no trick," Twilight said with a slightly bemused look on her face.

"Indeed," the voice whispered. "My dear Scootaloo, you have made so many mistakes... so many missteps in your short life. Would you like to hear about some of them? We have the time."

Scootaloo began to whip around, searching out the mysterious voice. A bit of her old self leaked out, like light shining through a crack. "Show yourself, lame brain! Show yourself and I promise I won't hurt Twilight!"

"Oh, resorting to threats now?" the voice teased. "My sad little Scootaloo... always trying to prove herself... always biting off more than she can chew. You are always so blind to what is around you. You are much too focused on what lies in the distance that you can not see what is right in front of your nose!"

Scootaloo looked down her snout, expecting her heckler to be standing on the tip of her nose, waving. Instead she found nothing at all.

"I was referring to other things, my dear," the voice said drolly. "Though… I am not surprised you fell for such a cheap joke. You weren’t very bright as a child and now it is clear when the queens grew your body they left your mind very small. Now then, hold that cross-eyed pose for a bit... it so reflects your natural mindset."

"I am going to kill you... I swear by the queen I am going to kill your lame, annoying behind!"

"Gasp!" the voice taunted. "So many have tried... so many have failed. But let us not forget our main topic of discussion: your many failings. I can't help but notice you remain a blank flank." The entity clicked his tongue, chiding her. "Poor, poor Scootaloo... you have been made an adult and still you fail to find your true talent; such a pity."

"I know my talent!" Scootaloo shouted. "I serve Queen Rainbow Dash, the most awesome queen ever to exist! I am her number one fan and her number one soldier! I will have your head on a spike and-"

"She'll finally notice you?" the voice whispered. "That's it, isn't it? You are so desperate to win her approval that you go against your very nature. You try to be like her but even you, in your heart of hearts... know that it is a poor imitation." That one hit home. “Oh yes… such a poor job. Like a wolf trying to pretend to be an ewe. Or perhaps the other way around, considering who you are, my little chicken, and who you long to be.”

"Shut up," Scootaloo whispered. Twilight swore she saw a tear fall from Scootaloo’s eye. "You don't know me."

"Not all of you, I will admit. I do know what you fear... and more than that... I know your doubts."

"Enough of this!" one of Scootaloo's stallions called out. "The corrupted element is using some parlor tricks to influence the captain." The armored guard took a step forward, wings flared. "Strike Twilight Sparkle down and knock her out... we only need her alive-"

The guard let out a cry of pain as a silver bolt of energy crashed from the heavens, striking him down where he stood. He pained and wheezed, falling to his knees and all looked to the sky.

"But the gravest of your mistakes..."

There was a great whoosh and from the sky a gray alicorn slammed into the ground, his white metallic wings shining as he slowly stood up. His black and white mane hung down his brow and his long horn gleamed in the sunlight. The new arrival took a step forward and silver magic began to swirl about him.

"...was believing Twilight was alone," Faith said darkly. Twilight moved to stand beside him. "She is NEVER alone... and for threatening her I will show you the TRUE power of an element of harmony."

"About time," Twilight muttered. "I thought you were never going to stop talking."

"I love to monologue... a holdover from my more villainous days."

"I thought you were more of an anti-hero," Spike said.

Scootaloo shook her head, the despair Faith had infected her with draining away as she came to her senses. "It's Doubt!"

"Faith, actually, but I can see where you got confused. Doubt was more stallion like…" He blinked, considering something before casually turning to Spike. “Is Faith a girl’s name?”

“Maybe a little,” Spike admitted.

“Bugger.” The silver alicorn looked at all the angry stallions that stood before him and the rest of the group. "Always getting in trouble, my dear Twilight."

"Well, I did learn from you," Twilight said sweetly.

"Gag me," Spike muttered. “Could you two not flirt?”

“We aren’t flirting,” the two said at the same time.

"Kill them!" Scootaloo screamed.

"Well then... talk later?" Twilight said.

"But of course," Faith said, wings flaring out as he prepared for battle.

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