In the Hospital
Needless to say, Nightmare Moon lied when she said the Alicorn Amulet was designed to turn a pegasus into a unicorn. The amulet's main purpose was to increase a unicorn's magical power, by amplifying their innate magic. Many unicorns would love to have a charm which made their magic more effective, but the increased magic came at a high price. The dark magic which allowed the Alicorn Amulet to work corrupted the mind of its wearer, slowly turning them evil, irrational, or both.
When Twilight first put on the amulet, the dark power that had been building up inside it for decades overwhelmed her. In general, Twilight was a good pony, but her heart was not pure enough to overcome the Alicorn Amulet's corrosive influence. Twilight would never admit it out loud, but the betrayal and rejection she had experienced caused a small part of her to develop an urge for revenge. The evil in the amulet happily seized upon this, her darkest desire, and brought it to life in an out-of-body experience that Twilight would never remember.
The good news, if you can call it that, was that Twilight's body had begun to adjust to the Alicorn Amulet. Her conscious mind once again reasserted control of herself. While the evil occasionally broke through small cracks in her behavior, most of the time, Twilight was her normal, loveable self. She could once more do normal things, like send letters to Princess Celestia.
"And it will never, never, never, never, never happen again," Twilight dictated. "Your sorrowful friend, Twilight Sparkle."
"Hmmm..." Spike said, writing down Twilight's letter. "Was that four nevers, or five?"
"Better make it six," Twilight decided.
Spike finished the letter with a flourish, then used his flame breath to send the letter to Princess Celestia.
"Good," Twilight said. "Now what did you want to tell me?"
"Um..." Spike said. He reached into the satchel he had brought with him and pulled out a few things of paper. "The princess sent three letters to you this morning."
"WHAT?" Twilight shouted. "Why didn't you tell me?!"
"I tried!" Spike said. "But you wouldn't let me say anything until you finished your apology letter!"
"Spike—that's not—RRRRRGH!—I—" Twilight shook her head, took a deep breath and calmed herself. "Sorry. Could you please give me the letters now?"
The first letter was an apology from Celestia, for not telling Twilight the whole truth from the beginning. She reiterated the fact that she had not been trying to manipulate Twilight in any way. Celestia explained that, while Twilight was in Ponyville, the Princess had been conducting her own search for a pony who could be the Element of Magic.
The letter ended on a hopeful note, suggesting that Trixie could be the Element of Magic. Celestia asked Twilight to befriend Trixie and introduce her to the other Element Bearers.
The second letter was about Scootaloo. Celestia had gone through a few of the laws, and the situation was not ideal. No matter what happened, Prince Blueblood had the legal right to claim (or reject) Scootaloo as his daughter at any time, seeing as he had never been consulted when she originally put up for adoption.
Trixie, meanwhile, was not legally recognized as Scootaloo's mother. It would be possible, but somewhat difficult, for Trixie to regain full custody of her child. Scootaloo's birth certificate, showing that Trixie was her biological mother, would help speed the process along.
Princess Celestia recommended that Trixie apply to the orphanage, for the right to act as a temporary guardian for Scootaloo. That way, Scootaloo could stay with Trixie for up to five hours at a time (and overnight, with the prior permission of the orphanage's director).
A copy of the form which would allow Trixie to act in loco parentis was included with the letter. Twilight looked it over, then borrowed a pen from Spike and added her own name to it. If Trixie could watch over Scootaloo, then so could she.
Princess Celestia's third letter was the most recent of the batch. It expressed her concern, upon hearing that Twilight had been hospitalized. She asked for details as soon as possible, and she promised to visit, if necessary.
Oh, sure, she comes all the way to Ponyville when Trixie appears, but when I get sent to the hospital, suddenly Celestia is too busy to visit, Twilight thought nastily. She can take her fake concern and shove it up her...
No! Augh! What's wrong with me? Where are all these mean thoughts coming from?
Twilight handed the second letter (and form) to Spike. "Here," she said. "The Princess wants you to pass these along to Trixie."
Spike tucked them into his bag. "I think I'll go visit her in person," he said. "I want to talk to her about hatching me from my egg."
Twilight wasn't sure what Spike meant by in person, but she let the remark pass. "I guess we should send a second letter to the Princess, updating her about my current condition," Twilight said. "Write this down, Spike. Dear Princess Celestia..."
All of Twilight's friends came to visit her in the hospital. Fluttershy agreed to look after Spike in her cottage, and Rainbow Dash agreed to continue Scootaloo's flying lessons. Remembering how helpful her two pegasus friends had been when Applejack's orchard needed harvesting, Twilight asked both of them to travel to the library and pick up the gray orbs in the display case. There was a good chance one of them was the Element of Kindness.
In fact, now that Twilight knew the Elements of Harmony orbs worked by touch, she felt rather foolish for spending all that time, trying to find the right ponies. It would have been so much simpler to have everypony in town line up to touch the orbs, and find the correct five ponies that way.
There was still the question of who the Element of Magic was, but Twilight had no doubts that wielding this Element was her destiny.
I've been wearing the amulet for a day now, which means I'll be a unicorn tomorrow, Twilight thought. And the Summer Sun Celebration is the Monday after this one. That gives me nine or so days to master my new unicorn powers.
Won't Princess Celestia be surprised to find out that I'm the unicorn student she's been looking for? Not that stupid faker Trixie.
Earlier, Trixie stopped by the hospital to talk to Twilight. The conversation had not gone very well, even though it started with inoffensive business matters.
"Have you ever heard of the Elements of Harmony?" Twilight asked.
"No," Trixie said. "What are they, some sort of band?"
"No," Twilight said. "It's...well, it's kind of complicated, but it's what the princess asked me to study. Celestia thinks that you can complete the elements."
Trixie nodded. "If you need help with your project, I'd be glad to lend a hoof," she said. "After all, I'm sure we'll see a lot of each other in the future. The princess said we're both going to be her students from now on!"
"...She didn't mention that to me," Twilight said. Is she still keeping secrets?
"She was probably too worried about the fact that you're in the hospital," Trixie said. "I was surprised to hear that. What happened to you?"
"I got attacked by a monster last night," Twilight said. "That's not important right now. The important thing is your cutie mark."
"My...cutie mark?" Trixie asked. She turned to look at it. It was a six-pointed star, surrounded by five smaller stars. "What about it?"
"I've been looking for a pony with a magic star for a cutie mark," Twilight said. "How did you get it?"
"Oh," Trixie said. She looked somewhat embarrassed. "Actually, it's not really a magic star...I mean, it sort of has to deal with magic, but that's more of a coincidence."
"What are you talking about?" Twilight asked.
"Here, let me show you," Trixie said. "I probably shouldn't do this inside, but...well, this is what my cutie mark means."
Trixie reared up on her hind legs and cast her signature spell: a series of fireworks. They appeared in a circle around her body, making her look rather impressive.
Twilight's jaw dropped. "Your cutie mark represents fireworks?" she asked.
"Yes," Trixie said. "I got it, when I cast that spell for the first time. There was one big explosion in the middle, with five smaller ones surrounding it."
"So your cutie mark doesn't mean that you're a magical genius?" Twilight asked.
"Well, I am the Great and Powerful Trixie," Trixie said, putting her hoof on her chest. "But that's mostly just for show. Don't tell anypony, but the spells I use in my act are all very simple. They just look difficult."
"Right," Twilight said. "You didn't have time to study real magic, because you dropped out of school to become a showmare."
Trixie wrinkled her nose, as she didn't like Twilight's tone of voice. "I became a travelling magician two years ago," she said. "I wanted to visit every town in Equestria, so I could find out what happened to my daughter."
Twilight's eyes started to burn. "Don't try to use that as an excuse," she said. "I've done more parenting for Scootaloo in the past two weeks than you've done in your entire life."
"Excuse me?" Trixie asked. "I love my daughter!"
"She's not your daughter!" Twilight said. "You gave her up, as soon as you possibly could!"
"That was the biggest mistake of my life," Trixie said. "I was sixteen, I had no money, I was scared of Blueblood and—"
"And you think you can get away with what you did, by pinning all of the blame on Blueblood!" Twilight said. "I hate him as much as the next pony, but I'm not buying it! You're just as guilty as he is! Both of you wanted to get rid of Scootaloo!"
"I didn't!" Trixie protested. "I had to give her away, but I never in a million years wanted her gone!"
"Oh, quit lying!" Twilight said. "You didn't have to give her away! You could have gone to Princess Celestia and gotten help at any moment! Instead, you turned your back on everypony and ran away from town!"
"I didn't want Celestia to know," Trixie said. "You saw how she reacted last night. She's ashamed of me."
"Ashamed that you're such a tramp?" Twilight asked. "Or ashamed that you threw your daughter away like a piece of garbage?"
Trixie's eyes narrowed, as she stared at Twilight's cold, red eyes. "I don't have to stay here and listen to you insult me all day," Trixie said. "I'm leaving."
"Good! Run away from your problems again!" Twilight said. "You know what? I think maybe it's a good thing you gave Scootaloo away! If you had kept her, she might have grown up to be just like you!"
Twilight's odd behavior did not escape the notice of her concerned friends. After their second visit with Twilight, Cheerilee and Rarity consulted with Dr. Fren Allogee, a craniologist who had been brought to examine Twilight's skull.
"What's wrong with Twilight, Doctor Fren?" Rarity asked. "She's not acting like her normal self at all. Ever since she accident, she's been acting a little...nasty sometimes."
"It sort of reminds me of the story of Dr. Buckall and Mr. Hyde," Cheerilee said. "Did Twilight develop multiple personalities?"
"My examination of Twilight was...inconclusive," Dr. Fren said.
"Inconclusive?" Rarity and Cheerilee asked.
"Twilight has developed localized amnesia, surrounding her near-death experience," the doctor said. "That can happen, after extremely traumatic events. But as things currently stand, I can't tell for certain whether her problems are physical or psychological."
"Why not?" Rarity asked. "I thought you were a head specialist."
"I am," Dr. Fren said. "I examined Twilight's skull carefully. She has three separate head wounds. The two on either side of her forehead are so severe that they only could have come from a creature pony-sized or larger."
"What about the third wound?" Cheerilee asked.
"That one is on the back of Twilight's head," Dr. Fren said. "Quite clearly, it came from somepony who was wearing a horseshoe at the time. The indentation is unmistakeable."
"But that would mean she had a hoof fight with another pony," Rarity said. "I can't picture Twilight doing something like that."
"Could it be that she fought a minotaur?" Cheerilee asked. "That's a monster which has hooves. Perhaps it was able to kick her in the head."
"That's certainly possible," the doctor allowed. "But I haven't gotten to the strangest part of my examination. The magical scan of her skull revealed a large concentration of magical power in her forehead."
"Magical power?" Rarity asked.
"It's gathering in a circle, at the base of her horn," Dr. Fren said. "Or at least, it's gathering where her horn would be, if she was a unicorn. I've never seen anything like it."
"Is that why she's having headaches?" Rarity asked.
"I believe so," Dr. Fren said. "It also appears to be giving her phantom limb pains, in her non-existent horn. It's almost like her body is convinced that she should be a unicorn, and it's trying to shove the magic out of her. I have no idea why this—"
"Dr. Fren, there you are!" an angry voice said.
Cheerilee, Rarity and the doctor all turned around to see Prince Blueblood standing in the hallway, with guards on either side of him. His hair was combed low, over his forehead, and he was wearing a nasty expression, as if he'd rather be anywhere else than Ponyville.
"Prince Blueblood!" Rarity gasped, recognizing him instantly.
"I've been waiting for two minutes!" Prince Blueblood said. "Do you treat all your patients this way? I should sue for malpractice!"
"My apologies, Your Highness," Dr. Fren said. "I was discussing Twilight Sparkle's condition with her friends."
Blueblood smirked, upon hearing Twilight's name. "Yes, I got your report," he said. "So she's faking insanity in order to avoid prison, eh? I always knew she was a filthy pegasus."
"Prison? Twilight?" Rarity gasped. "What are you talking about?"
"You don't know?" Blueblood asked. "A warrant has been issued for Twilight's arrest. She is accused of committing a number of crimes in Canterlot, on Wednesday night."
"Wednesday...that's the night she was hospitalized!" Rarity said.
"She was injured here in Ponyville," Cheerilee nodded. "So she couldn't have committed any crimes in Canterlot."
"There is no need to worry," Prince Blueblood said gallantly. "I will personally oversee the case and have her released if she is innocent."
Prince Blueblood smiled to himself. This was a trick he had done before, on two different occasions. First, he would arrest a pony under false pretenses. Then, he would blackmail the pony into doing whatever he wanted, in exchange for him dropping the charges. If Twilight was really innocent, Blueblood would get a new blackmail victim, and he'd come out of the affair looking like a paragon of justice. A win-win scenario.
Blueblood paused for a moment, so the two mares would have enough time to gush and fawn over him. He was slightly surprised to see them looking at him suspiciously. His hoof immediately went to his forehead and patted down his hair, ensuring that his tattoo was still covered.
"In any case, I am here to meet with Dr. Fren," Blueblood said. "It's a, uh, rather personal matter, so we'll need privacy. You ladies should move along."
Around the time this was happening, Twilight was talking with Scootaloo. The young filly brought out the good side of Twilight, and the two of them talked amicably.
"I can't believe you told Princess Celestia to go to Tartarus!" Scootaloo said. "That is so cool! You must be the bravest pony ever!"
"No, no, no," Twilight said. "It was wrong, and I shouldn't have done it. Promise me that you'll never say that to anypony."
"Even Diamond Tiara?" Scootaloo asked.
"Yes, even her," Twilight said, in her best responsible adult voice.
Scootaloo sighed. "I promise," she said. "But still, you're the best! I mean, if you didn't take me to that magic show, I wouldn't have found my mother again! Thank you so much for that!"
"Scootaloo, about your mother..." Twilight said.
"Yes?" Scootaloo asked.
"She...she's..." Twilight said. She bit her lip, as she looked into Scootaloo's smiling face.
"What is it, Twilight?" Scootaloo asked.
The Alicorn Amulet flashed, as a nasty thought crossed Twilight's mind. You need to stay away from your parents, because they are horrible ponies who won't hesitate to break your heart.
With some effort, Twilight suppressed the urge to slander Scootaloo's parents. "You...you know that it doesn't matter who you're related to, right?" Twilight asked.
"Uh huh," Scootaloo said. "That's what they teach us at the orphanage. My real family is the ponies who I care about, like Miss Cheerilee and Sweetie Belle and you."
"Me?" Twilight asked.
Scootaloo drew back slightly. "You've been so nice to me," she said. "You've been teaching me how to fly and watching me after school. I like being under your wing, and I was kind of hoping...you could be like my big sister, or...something."
"You want me to be your pegasus mentor?" Twilight asked. "But what about Rainbow Dash?"
"She's always too busy to do things with me," Scootaloo said. "I mean, she's super-cool and everything, but...I dunno, it feels likes I can count on you more than her."
"Well..." Twilight said. "Yes. Yes! Of course I'll be your big sister! I've always wanted another pegasus in the family!"
"REALLY?" Scootaloo asked. She jumped up next to the bed and tried to wrap her arms around Twilight.
"You're going to be the best little sister ever," Twilight said, giving Scootaloo a hug. "You know, my brother and I have a best friends song. We should make one for you."
Scootaloo paled a bit. "Having a sister means you have to sing?" she asked.
Twilight laughed. "Not necessarily," she said. "My big brother song goes like this:
My big brother,
Best friends forever,
Like two peas in a pod, we will always be together.
He's never very far away,
And he will always stay...
Twilight paused. "Oh," she said. "I guess I need to update the lyrics, now that we don't live with our parents anymore. Anyway, you get the idea."
"I guess so..." Scootaloo said. She opened her mouth and sang:
My big sister
She's um...mister?
Like two wings on a bird, we will always be...heard?
Big sister Twiliiiiight
Goes to sleep at niiiiiight...
"Okay, the first thing I'm going to teach you is how to sing," Twilight said.
She and Scootaloo burst into a fit of giggles. It was a sweet and happy moment, the last one Twilight Sparkle would have for quite some time. The happiness ended no less than five minutes later, when Prince Blueblood entered the room with his guards.
"Hello, there," Prince Blueblood said. "Long time no see."
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Kill Blueblood.
Good chapter. As always.
Isn't anyone noticing or concerned about how Twilight is wearing a powerful magical artifact enchanted with an anti-theft spell around her neck at all times? Shouldn't at least the doctor be suspicious of this, considering the odd magic he detected in Twilight's forehead?
2232153 No killing him would be too easy... he must suffer slowly and painfully until he begs for death.
Hooray for evil scheming Blueblood! You go, girl!
... What? No, I don't have a crush on Prince Blueblood, why would you think that?
OH SNAP! Things just got bad, also SHAME ON YOU CHEERILIEE: Cheerilee asked. "That's a monster which has hooves, you hurt Iron Will's feelings...
A mentally unstable Twilight Sparkle caused by the corrupting effects of the Amulet and a a**hole prince trying to black mail her. This is the equivalent to playing "Hot for teacher" on a drum set with nuclear warheads for drums and hammers for the drum sticks.
Well, it was nice knowing this alternate universe.
2232153
is there anyway i can give this comment about 10,000 more thumbs up without making that many accounts to do so
Ohhh dear...
Depending on this plays out (and knowing Twilight's previous grievances) this could very well be the make or break moment for Twilight in regards to her trust with Celestia. If Blueblood does decide to pull what I think he's going to do, the a Dark!Alicorn!Twilight may very well become a reality.
Also, the whole singing Scootaloo was adorable. (Even though her lyrics made me cringe and laugh at the same time}
Blueblood must die.
What will the Amulet turn Twilight into? Can she be saved before it's too late?
Just once, I would like to see Blueblood as something less than a ridiculously evil douche.
But I'm glad it's not this time!
2232273 My original plan was to have a scene, where Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash visit Twilight. Fluttershy notices the Alicorn Amulet, but she is too timid to raise much of an alarm. I ended cutting this scene out of the chapter, replacing it with a brief summary.
2232671 There seems to be some debate over whether Iron Will is a monster or a minotaur.
2232153 Your request has been duly noted. I'm going to have to come up with a special punishment, just for him...
From who? I highly doubt anyone would allow an established monster to just walk around pony towns, which he clearly does. 2243263
... Wow, that is a unbelievably horrible thing to say. No wonder why she's not the element of kindness. As for the injuries themselves, they confound me. This is what I can only assume happened: Twilight went to Canterlot, committed crimes, got in a fight and was injured by Blueblood's guards, attacked Blueblood, and flew home... on broken wings somehow. How?
4119618
Well, it's not out of character. Ponies all through the first few seasons just had this subtle xenophobia rampant in their society.
Like where ponies assumed Dragons were just wild animals and weren't intelligent enough to talk, like in the first episode where Fluttershy reacts as though Spike's an animal, and then in the greed growth episode where Twilight has to take Spike to the vet instead, and then in the dragon migration episode where the mane 6 all rock up to watch it as though the dragons are just birds or something, or where everypony in Ponyville hid from Zecora, or during the Iron Will episode where Rarity kept calling him a monster.
Gilda was kind of the exception but I think that was so she could be a dick to the ponies instead.