The sun had already begun its slow descent toward the western horizon.
All across Equestria, shops were closing, friends were bidding each other farewell, and ponies were returning to their homes, to rest and begin the cycle anew the next morning.
And six friends in particular were no exception.
In the small town of Ponyville, near the Mayor’s office, there was a brilliant flash of light. As the light faded, it revealed six ponies standing in a circle, facing towards one another: a lavender unicorn with wings, another, regular unicorn, two pegasi, and two earth ponies. The lavender pony lifted a foreleg to wipe her brow and said, “Phew! That really took a lot out of me.”
One of her companions, the white unicorn with a carefully coiffed mane and tail, replied, “But we made it all the way to Ponyville, at least. And, none of use we’re left behind this time.”
Another of the lavender pony’s companions, a blue pegasus with short rainbow-colored hair, shot into the air and said aloud, “Big whoop. With all the preparations Twilight had to do, I could’ve flown here myself and still got here before the rest of you.”
One of the earth ponies- orange and wearing a Stetson hat- waved the pegasus off, replying, “Yeah, yeah. Ah’m sure ya could, Rainbow Dash.”
The rainbow-haired pegasus swooped down to bring herself to eye level with the earth pony. “What, you want me to prove it?”
But before either of the two could say anything else, the white pony interrupted, saying, “Applejack, Rainbow Dash, please. It’s been a long day, and I’m tired and want to go to bed. You can have a boasting contest some other time.”
“I still can’t believe the negotiations were interrupted by those giant spiders,” the other pegasus said. This pegasus had a pale yellow coat, with a light pink mane and tail.
“It definitely made things move along faster!” the other earth pony said excitedly, bouncing up and down- this one had a curly pink mane and tail, and a pink coat.
The rainbow-haired pegasus took to the air once again. “Definitely.” She then looked down at the group, noticing one of its members was absent. “Where’s Spike?”
“I teleported him to Canterlot, remember?” the lavender pony replied. “I thought Princess Celestia would want a report about what happened at the negotiations today. He’ll have to spend the night at the palace, but the Princess should be able to send him back here tomorrow morning.”
There was silence for a moment, before the orange earth pony said, “Well, Ah gotta be headin’ back ta the farm. Ah’m sure Apple Bloom’ll wanna know all about the Zebra Kingdom.” With that, the earth pony turned, and headed home.
“I’m heading out too,” the rainbow-haired pegasus said as well. “I’m beat. Who knew listening to a bunch of old zebras talk in rhymes at each other for four hours could take so much out of you?” She sped off.
One by one, the other ponies said their goodbyes and headed home, leaving the lavender pony alone. With no other business to attend to, she turned, and began to head home as well.
The castle that was the lavender pony’s new home was the tallest building in Ponyville, and could be seen from nearly anywhere in the small town. It’s location at the outer edge of town made for quite a walk, but the pony didn’t mind- she could probably do with the extra exercise. Unfortunately, the path she presently walked on took her past…
She looked to her left. There, set apart from the other buildings, was the crater where the Golden Oaks Library once stood. It had been her and Spike’s home ever since they had first come to Ponyville. But just a few short weeks before, the library had been completely and utterly destroyed in the battle with Lord Tirek. Sure, the rainbow power she now carried with in her had created a caster for her and her friends, but a fancy new home could ever replace the possessions and mementos that had been lost along with the library. Plans to rebuild the library were being discussed, but-
“Princess Twilight Sparkle,” a voice suddenly said. “I’ve been waiting for you.”
Twilight turned to the source of the voice- from an alleyway across the street, a pony wearing a hooded grey cloak emerged. From his height and voice, she could tell the stranger was a stallion, but little else- the cloak obscured his features.
Wary, Twilight braced herself and began to focus, saying, “I’m sorry, but I’m not taking any visitors today. But I’ll be available tomorrow.”
The stranger began to stride toward her. “I’m afraid this is something that can’t wait.”
Twilight’s horn began to glow brightly. “Don’t take another step!”
The stranger stopped. “Only using your power to protect yourself. How typical.”
Suddenly, a green flash shot out from under the stranger’s hood and struck Twilight- she tried to spread her wings and take flight… but she suddenly realized that she couldn’t move. “What did you just do!?”
He stopped, right in front of her. “You’re supposed to be the magic expert. You tell me.”
“A paralysis spell?” She strained, to no avail. “What’re you planning to do!?”
Another green glow lit up from under the stranger’s hood. “I’m going to take back what you never earned.”
From within the stranger’s cloak emerged a black crystal, surrounded by a green glow. He held it up in front of Twilight.
At once, a substance resembling a brilliant white fog began to flow from Twilight’s horn, into the crystal. She strained, she tried to turn away, she did everything she could think of, but her body simply would not move. All she could do was stand, feeling as though her very life were being sucked out of her.
There was a flash. Twilight fell to her knees, the paralysis spell finally broken. She tried to stand… but again, her body would not obey. She was suddenly exhausted- simply staying awake was a struggle.
The stranger looked down at the crystal- a white glow now shone from within. “All this power, wasted on the likes of you,” he said. “But don’t despair, Princess.” He spat the last word. “Your power will be placed in much more capable hooves.” He then placed the crystal on the ground… and crushed it under his hoof.
There was another brilliant flash. Twilight struggled, and looked up just in time to see the stranger throw off his cloak- he was a unicorn with a light grey coat, with strange green and white streaks running through his black mane. But then, there was yet another flash as he flared a pair of wings out from his sides. Then, with a flap of his wings, he shot into the air, leaving a green-and-white streak in his wake.
Twilight tried to rise, to chase after him. But her body wouldn’t move. She tried to spread her wings to take flight, but they wouldn’t obey either. She couldn’t even feel them. And with that, the last of her energy was expended; she collapsed onto her side, unconscious.
The stranger stopped high above Ponyville, flapping his new wings to maintain his altitude. Even this high, the castle at the edge of town stuck out like a sore hoof. “The castle,” he said in disgust. “Yet another thing you don’t deserve. But I’ll correct that.” His horn began to glow brightly, and a brilliant beam shot out, slicing through the castle’s support column.
For a moment, all was still. Then, the castle began to slide off its base, along the line he had cut. And then, the air was filled with a deafening thunder as the crystal castle fell to the earth, and shattered into a million pieces.
He looked on at the ruined castle for a moment, before saying aloud, “Serves you right.”
The stranger then turned his back towards the sun and sped across the sky, to the east.
The edge of town was littered with wreckage from Twilight’s now-destroyed castle. Shards of crystal gleamed in the setting sun, and walls of brick and metal cast eerie shadows over the wreckage, making it resemble the surface of some strange, alien planet.
But then, a large piece of debris shifted aside, revealing a creature seemingly made up of numerous mismatched parts. He had a few cuts on his body, but was otherwise uninjured.
“Excuse me!” Discord shouted. “I was taking a nap! Twilight, I hope this isn’t your idea of a practical joke, because it isn’t very funny!”
There was no answer.
“Twilight?” he called.
Still, no answer.
“Twilight!” He snapped his fingers- at once, the castle’s wreckage flew into the air and spread out. There was lots of brick and crystal, some personal effects… but no Twilight.
Discord snapped his fingers again- the debris began to spiral through the air as though caught in a tornado, reassembling themselves piece-by-piece. “So, if you’re not here, then where are you, Twilight?” She couldn’t be too far - most likely she was just a few yards away, waiting to jump out and yell, “Gotcha!” He’d have to check every…
…Wait, what was he thinking? He snapped his fingers, and Twilight appeared at his feet. “Alright Twilight, be honest- was this whole trip just a ruse to play some kind of…”
Discord stopped when his eyes fell on Twilight. He picked up the unconscious pony and looked at her. “Oh,” he said, “this… this isn’t good, is it?”
Suddenly, the sound of galloping caught Discord’s attention. He looked- sure enough, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy were galloping toward him, with Rainbow Dash flying above.
“What in the hay is goin’ on here?” Applejack demanded.
“I don’t know,” he replied earnestly. “I thought one of you might know.”
“Don’t give us that!” Rainbow shouted. “What did you do to the castle!?”
“Nothing! I was housesitting, just like Fluttershy asked me to! I decided to take a nap, and when I woke up, the castle was falling down on my head!”
The others, save Fluttershy, glared, less than willing to believe him.
“It’s true!” he continued. “I thought Twilight might’ve been playing a prank on me, but she wasn’t here. And when I summoned her to me… well, look.” He bent down, so the others could get a better look at Twilight.
They gasped at her condition.
“We need to get her to Canterlot,” Fluttershy said. She then looked to Discord. “Discord, can you take us there?”
“I can.” He lifted up his claw. “Everypony, get close.”
The others gathered around Discord. When they were in place, he snapped is fingers, and the group disappeared in a brilliant flash of white light.
From Scratch
By: Silent_Witness
Episode 2: Picking Up the Pieces
Twilight groaned. A light that was far too bright shone on her face- she rolled over, trying to turn away from the light, but it seemed to shine on her face no matter what direction she turned. So in frustration, she sat up, and opened her eyes.
At first, all she could see was a bright light. But as her eyes adjusted, she began to see colors and shapes that became more defined with each blink. And after blinking a few more times, she could see her friends standing at the foot of her bed. But it wasn’t just her friends; Princess Celestia, and Discord were there too. And every one of them wore a look of deep worry on their face.
“Where…?” Twilight began.
“You’re in the Canterlot Royal Hospital, Twilight,” Celestia replied.
“What am I doing here?” But then she remembered- the stranger, the paralyzing spell, the crystal… Twilight shot out of bed, wobbling slightly as she stood on her own hooves, and looked back at herself.
She couldn’t see her wings, or her cutie mark. She spun in a circle, trying to get a better view, but still, she saw nothing.
“Twilight, stop.” the Princess ordered. Twilight did just that.
Celestia then looked back to a guard standing by the door and said, “Bring in the mirror.” The guard saluted and left the room. While he was out, Celestia looked back to Twilight and said, “We’re going to show you exactly what happened to you, Twilight. But in return, you have to do something for me: whatever you see in this mirror, you have to promise me that you will. Not. Panic. Can you do that?”
If the Princess was more-or-less ordering her not to panic, it must have been very bad. But still, Twilight said, “…I promise.”
The guard reentered the room, pushing in front of him a mirror on a wheeled stand. Celestia stepped aside, allowing Twilight passage; the lavender unicorn stepped up to the mirror, and gazed at her reflection within it.
They were gone.
Her wings. And her cutie mark.
Both were gone.
Twilight began to hyperventilate. Almost immediately, Celestia put a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder and turned her so they were face to face. “Listen to me,” she said. “I know that this is all very shocking for you, but I need you to listen to me very carefully. Breathe, Twilight. I need to you to breathe.”
Twilight’s breaths slowed down, until they returned to normal. Once that was done, Celestia then said to her, “Okay. Now Twilight, we need you to tell us exactly what happened to you.”
Twilight took a deep breath and concentrated, trying to remember the events of the day before. “Okay… I teleported everyone back to Ponyville from the negotiations, and I was walking home when I ran into a stallion. He cast a paralyzing spell on me, and then he used some kind of black crystal to… drain my magic out of me.”
Fluttershy asked, “A black crystal?”
“A void crystal,” Celestia said.
“What the heck is that?” Rainbow asked.
“It’s a… special kind of crystal that can absorb and store magical energy,” Twilight replied. “Prisons in Equestria use them to drain the magic power from their unicorn prisoners, and store it until they’re released.”
“Their sale and trade is also very illegal, if I remember correctly,” Discord added. “Which means our guy either stole it from work, or got it through some kind of black market.”
Rarity then said, “Please, we should let Twilight continue.”
The others fell silent. So Twilight continued, “After that, he shattered the crystal, which I think somehow transferred my power into him. Then he flew off… and that’s the last thing I can remember.”
“I see,” Celestia said. “You should also know that the Ponyville Castle was destroyed that same evening. I assume the stallion who stole your magic also destroyed the castle.”
Twilight’s attention snapped to Celestia. “What? Was anyone hurt?”
Celestia shook her head. “Thankfully, no. And Discord has been hard at work rebuilding it.”
“I’ve been working on it all night,” Discord said. “I should be finished in a few more days.”
“A few days?” Applejack asked, looking to Discord. “Ya aren’t finished yet?”
Discord scratched his head. “I’m… still looking for all the pieces. And it takes time to put the pieces I do have back together.”
Suddenly, the door flew open. “Twilight!” Spike ran into the room, tripping and falling onto his face. He quickly stood up again and ran to Twilight, embracing her. “Twilight, are you okay!?”
She embraced him hesitantly for a moment, before gently pushing him away. “I… I’m just fine, Spike.”
“I can’t believe this happened!” he cried. “I should’ve been there! I could’ve protected you!”
“Spike, there was nothing you could have done,” Rarity said. “It’s bad enough that this stallion stole Twilight’s alicorn power- the last thing we need is a criminal with the power of both an alicorn and a dragon.”
“Agreed,” Celestia said. “We have no way of knowing if void crystals are limited to draining magic from unicorns. But setting that aside…” She looked to Twilight again. “I’m going to need you to provide a description of the stallion who stole your magic, Twilight. That way, I can issue a lookout bulletin to all members of the Royal Guard, and begin distribution of wanted posters.”
“Alright.” Twilight thought, trying to remember as many of the stallion’s details as he could. “…He’s a unicorn, with green magic. He had a… a light grey coat, green eyes, and a black mane. His mane also had a green and white streak, but I don’t know if it’s natural, or because of the magic he stole.”
“What about his cutie mark?” Pinkie Pie asked.
“I… I didn’t see it. I’m sorry.”
“You mentioned that he flew away after stealing your magic,” Celestia said. “Does he have wings?”
Twilight nodded. “Yes, he does.”
“Thank you. I’ll have this information distributed amongst the Guard immediately.”
“Well, if he’s an alicorn now, he shouldn’t be that hard to find,” Rainbow said.
“In a nation with over six million residents, finding even an alicorn can be difficult,” Celestia replied. She then turned to the others. “Now I do apologize, but I must ask for everyone except Twilight to leave this room.” The others filed out of the room, and the guard closed the door behind them. Celestia then looked to Twilight. “Twilight, I must ask you to do one last thing.” Her horn glowed, and she brought out a small crystal orb, before resting it on the floor. “Please try to lift this orb.”
Twilight recognized the orb- it came from Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. Specifically, it was used to teach young unicorns proper control of their telekinesis magic. It was a simple test Twilight had performed hundreds of times, and this time would be no different. Twilight widened her stance, and focused her energy on the orb.
Nothing happened.
She concentrated even harder, gritting her teeth, feeling pressure building in her temples.
But again, nothing happened.
Twilight stopped focusing. “I don’t understand. I should be able to lift this just fine, so why…?”
Celestia touched her chin with a hoof. “I was afraid of this.”
Twilight turned. “Afraid of what?”
“I believe this stallion has taken more than just your alicorn magic, Twilight. I’m afraid he’s taken… well, everything.”
“What do you mean ‘everything?’”
“I mean just that- this stallion has not only stolen your alicorn power, but he’s also taken your normal unicorn magic, and possibly your rainbow power as well.”
Twilight looked up to her mentor in disbelief… before shaking her head. “…That’s alright. The wings were nice, but to be honest… I never really cared much for my alicorn magic. And none of us have used our rainbow magic since the battle with Tirek.”
Celestia raised an eyebrow. “You’re surprisingly calm about this. Aren’t you at all worried? And what about your unicorn magic?”
“Of course I’m worried, but… The crystal was broken. My magic isn’t sealed away anymore. And I’ve had my magic drained before. As part of the Academy’s tests. And it’s always come back. Why wouldn’t it come back this time?”
Celestia was silent.
Twilight leaned forward. “It will come back… won’t it?”
Celestia was again silent for several moments, before she replied, “…I don’t know. Normally, a void crystal will retain a unicorn’s magic indefinitely, until it is returned. But if what you said is true, then this is the first instance of a pony ever using a void crystal to transfer another’s magic into themselves.”
Twilight’s jaw dropped, and her eyes widened in horror. “Then, does that mean…”
“It’s entirely possible that unless we capture your assailant, your unicorn magic will never return.”
Twilight strode to the door. “Then what are we waiting for! We need to find him, now!”
But then a bright golden glow surrounded Twilight, holding her in place. “Twilight,” Celestia said, “I promise you that we will have every guard we can spare working around the clock to find the stallion who did this to you. But in your present state, you would only hinder our investigation. The best thing for you to do right now is to go home and rest. As you said, it’s possible that your unicorn magic may return of its own accord.”
Celestia then released Twilight. “I’ll have a carriage prepared to return you and your friends to Ponyville. But before that, I have one last thing to ask you.”
“What is it?”
“Your assailant… did he say anything to you?”
“He did, actually,” Twilight replied. “He said… he was taking back what I never earned.”
“…I see. Thank you. And be sure to notify me if you remember any other details.”
The carriage ride to Ponyville seemed to take much longer than usual. Twilight simply sat in silence, trying not to think about anything at all. The others had tried to speak with her at first, but after receiving no response, they left her alone in her silence.
But then, Pinkie Pie called, “Look over there!” She and the others crowded in the front of the carriage, looking at whatever Pinkie had spotted. Slowly, Twilight looked as well.
Pieces of the destroyed castle floated through the sky ahead- occasionally, two pieces would meet, and merge together to form a single large piece. And sometimes, a piece would float down to the ground, and merge with the castle’s base. Although a large part of the castle had completed, it was clear that the reconstruction was far from finished.
The carriage began to descend, and a moment later, landed on the road leading up to the castle. The others disembarked; Twilight climbed out as well, before following her friends down the road. Up ahead, Discord stood outside the castle’s main door, moving his arms as though he were conducting a symphony.
Discord must have seen them approach out of the corner of his eye, because he looked back. “You’re back already?” he asked. “I thought Celestia would’ve kept you in Canterlot for a little longer. But I guess it doesn’t matter. I’ve always preferred to have an audience watch me as I work.”
The group watched Discord reassemble the castle for a few moments, before Applejack began to turn away. “Sorry ta leave ya like this, Twi,” she said, “but Ah gotta head home. Granny Smith’s gonna give me an earful fer not helpin’ out today.”
“I should head home too,” Fluttershy said. “Angel’s probably worried because I wasn’t there to feed him this morning.” He turned and left as well.
“I’m terribly sorry, Twilight, but I must be off as well,” Rarity then said. She added, “But if you need a place to stay for the night, I would be more than happy to have you and Spike as my guests.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Discord said. “She can stay in the castle- it is at least partly done. And don’t mind me. I’ll keep at it, but I promise to keep things quiet until morning.”
“Uh, Discord?” Rainbow said. “Twilight can’t live in there. You’re not finished fixing it yet.”
Discord frowned. “Oh, fine. I suppose I could do this for the Princess.”
He snapped his fingers, and a small seed appeared in his claw. He set it on the ground and stepped back, before he snapped his fingers again.
At once, thick green roots sprouted from the seed. They spread across the ground in a circle, covering themselves in a thick layer of bark, before reaching upwards and forming a short dome made of tightly-interwoven branches. A door and a number of round windows sprouted from the branches like the buds of a flower. Discord snapped his fingers one last time- there was a flash, and the dome was now a small dome-shaped cottage.
“There you go,” Discord said as he opened the front door. “Now I’ll admit it’s a bit too tight for me, but it should work just fine for you and your dragon friend.”
Spike stepped inside and looked around- the inside of the cottage was already furnished with a small table, some chairs, a pair of beds, a stove, and an empty bookshelf. “Not bad,” he said, and looked back. “Thanks Discord.”
“You’re welcome,” Discord replied. He then looked to Twilight. “And what about you, Twilight? Do you have anything you want to say?”
Twilight stepped into the hut without a word. “…I… I'd like to be left alone for a while.”
Discord leaned in. “I’m not hearing a ‘Thank you.’”
“Come now, Discord, leave her be,” Rarity said. “This has been a hard day for Twilight.”
Discord looked down on Rarity, crossing his arms. “I’ve had my powers stolen, too. And I wasn’t so bent out of shape about it.”
“That’s not what I remember…” Rainbow said.
Their conversation was silenced when Spike closed the door of the cottage. He sighed, before looking back to Twilight- she was still standing in the center of the cottage, motionless. “…Are you okay, Twilight?” he asked.
She slowly made her way to one of the beds, and fell on it. “I don’t know…”
“…do you want me to leave, too?”
She buried her face in her hooves. “No…” she stammered. “I… I just… you…”
She couldn’t go on. Without another word, Spike sat down on the bed and put a claw on Twilight’s shoulder, as she cried harder than she ever had in her entire life.
