The First Loser

by Chowatron

Rating: everyone
Tags: Twilight Sparkle, Sad, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Sunset Shimmer, Slice of Life
Length: 2185

Second place is just the first pony to lose, and she certainly felt second.

No matter how good you are at what you do, there is always somepony better. It's a tough fact of life, but who decides who's better?

Maybe Twilight just has a little something she didn't. 

Published 2013-11-08 20:00:04 UTC
Last updated 2013-11-08 20:00:04 UTC

Second The Best?

Twilight steadily lifted of the ground, wings fluttering. There were much better flyers, but she need not go far or fast.

Only seconds after the start of her flight, she lost some control as she clipped her wing against the rather old bookshelf. This sent an instant bout of light curses into her mind as some of these books were first, or even only editions of books both hoofwritten and printed. Then there was also the fact about what Celestia would say to her being so reckless in the royal library. Twilight knew this was just as much hers now, but it didn't feel it.

As she recoiled away from the bookcase, a small collection of books became loose and began to fall, wishing not for irreparable damage to befall them, she quickly used magic to keep them steady, being careful not to use too much force.

Of course magic and flying were not something for a relatively new alicorn to attempt simultaneously, regardless of the aptitude in one of the two. Twilight's attention being diverted by performing magic was enough to send her flight path backward into another bookshelf, causing both herself and more books to fall. She kept afloat them all afloat by expanding her telekinetic field. The books slowly began to to find their way back to the shelves in all the right places, or at least as she remembered them, not possessing eidetic memory was something that saddened her.

She pushed herself back up, the slight frustration making her feel more tired than the actual exertion. It was as she rose that she felt something uncomfortably shaped move underneath her. Turning her head, she saw a book that she had unwittingly fell on. After a momentary panic as to its condition, she began to inspect the book further.

The cover had held a rather nice binding, a yellow and red adorning the front, reminding her of a certain ponies mane. She had had a lot of interesting thoughts about that pony since meeting her, an old student of Celestia's. Twilight didn't know why, but she felt slightly betrayed there were ones before her, despite having read of some former students accomplishments in books. She knew that was the problem, they were so close in age, at least relative to past personal students, and she was first, it was almost like she was just a replacement for her.

When she had tried to bring the subject up with Celestia, she reassured her that was not the case, but it fractured Twilight's heart a little that she knew she couldn't trust her second mother to be completely forthright. She had tried to ask Luna about how her sister saw her, but she was of little help. Cadence had no idea as to how close she and Celestia were either. It was an infuriating spot to be in.

Twilight opened the cover of the book, slowly by hoof. In a neatly scribed writing at the top of the page.

Sunset Shimmer
General Notes/Diary

Twilight scowled at the name, but turned the page again. She noted the date on the page, around the time she first started as Celestia's student, third day of the school year, only around four years prior to her entrance exam.

There were some things like timetabling and a library code for any books she would need from any of the royally funded libraries- 1007 - which was only a handful of numbers lower than her own.

First real day today, Celestia says she sees a lot in me, something about that makes me feel good. I've just got to show ponies that she is right.

Anyway, I followed Celestia's instructions exactly and managed to get a pretty good grip on a book searching spell so I could find the ones I need in the library.

This was only the first entry and Twilight already felt a small hit to the gut. It had taken her days to get used to the library's sorting system, and yet in one day she got used to it? Maybe she was bragging about false achievement, but to who? The alicorn shrugged it off, some ponies found certain things easier, everypony being different and all.

She turned the page again, and again, then used magic to flip through a few pages before stopping.

Short range conjuration was a breeze thanks to my studies on magical mechanics, I don't even have to be looking directly anymore. There are a few ponies that teachers think can keep up with me,but they are sadly mistaken. A few of them tried to coerce me into teaching them how to do it, but I couldn't teach them to be naturally brilliant, could I?

Sighing, Twilight turned yet another page, but every single one was the same. It didn't matter if it was days weeks, hours, or minutes, She did everything first.

Twilight shook her head at that thought, as well as any like it. No, not everything; she wasn't anywhere to be found when Nigh-

Celestia was very serious today, not the usual facade which does little to fool a ponies unlike me, but genuinely serious. There was no lesson today, at least not pertaining to my current studies. She started with something curious, explaining to me magical entries, a subject of very few books given their danger and elusiveness. She then began to mention one type specifically, one of the darker kinds. These entities were symbiotic, but could only thrive in a host that willingly took them. To achieve their end goal they would give offers of power and status, not like they were things I was in particular need of, so I wondered why her words had a warning tone to them. Although not as quickly as it normally would, it clicked; she had lost a pony she knew to such a thing. Heh, they can't have been worth the high echelon status they had.

The topic shifted rather oddly to folklore, she spoke of how the tales of Nightmare Moon were linked with The Mare in the Moon. It was nice to hear the way the stories were told, but ultimately useless to me. The Princess then went on to say Nightmare Moon was real, that the old tale about the mare in the moon was true. Were she not so straight-faced in her telling, and if it were not so far from the time of year for such jokes, I would not have believed she was telling the truth.

Apparently, in just a few more years, the seal on Nightmare Moon would break. If she tried, it could be possible to banish the evil with her newfound strength and me at her side. I can't tell anypony this of course, but I need not do, for their adoration is something I already posses.

I don't see why she had to turn to somepony else about this, but she did come to the right pony. I told her this, and she answered with:

“Being powerful does not make you immune, weakness can draw from many aspects of one's being. Even you and me are just as imperfect as anypony else.”

I thought it was a ridiculous sentiment, and expressed it as such. She didn't seem very pleased at this, taking up that motherly scowl that list it's effect on me years ago, she is doing a lot more often these days. I apparently need to be more humble, but whoever got to the top by doing that?

Twilight felt very offended, her eyes looking for something to magically rend, but there was also a little relieved. She wondered how she could so brashly clash against the princess like that. The relief came in that, no matter good she was at, sports, everything, she would never flaunt her talents for show, or to try and place herself above ponies.

Except she didn't need to try, didn't have to force them to bow their heads, they just did. And as much as she hated to admit, as much as she acted otherwise, she enjoyed it. Enjoyed it in the same way she did. They both felt no guilt in making other ponies their lesser, consciously or otherwise.

Twilight closed her eyes, moisture forming on her lids, not quite ready to cry yet. She knew she had to face the reality, she was just an inferior replacement for her. If she was around Twilight knew she would have gotten no special treatment. Her and Celestia would have fought Nightmare Moon side by side, she would have been there reseal Discord, to save the crystal empire. Not to mention the countless disruptions to Ponyvillie that would never have occurred.

I caught a glimpse of what Celestia saw in me at my entrance exam today, and I found it just a little hard to believe. A pony of my talent was obviously destined for something great, but what I saw confirms one of many theories.

As Princess Celestia attempted her to convince me the values of friendship once more, we walked to a part of the castle I had never been. It may have been easy for another to get lost, but not for me. I never remember the actual words of her talks, I do however have a firm idea of how boring they are.

As I finally gave up trying to talk back to the princess and began to exert the art of yes Princess, no Princess, just to move things along. The fact she is so insistent for me to make friends is annoying, nopony can compete with me so why should I go out of my way to please them?

She led me into a room with one object dominating it, a standing mirror, tall enough for Celestia to view herself fully if she desired. She to told me to look into it, taking the lessons on humility into account. I complied, painfully thinking less of myself in order to follow through with the exercise.

Something began to take shape in the mirror, my reflection was there but there was something more. I saw myself with strong outstretched wings and an elongated horn. The Princess quickly pulled me away, saying we shall be back another time, but in the brief moment I got to look into the mirror, I saw an alicorn; a pony powerful enough to one day rule Equestria! I inquired about the mirror later on, but Celestia was adamant that whatever I saw was a trick of the light. I'm going to ask again during my next lesson.

Twilight flipped forward a few pages. That mirror was unnatural and should never have been made, she was glad she had never been shown it, she wasn't sure how well she would be able to take it. She didn't like extra responsibility, more could go wrong, but disappointing the Princess was another thing she didn't like. The thought of being a pony powerful enough to rule Equestria was a great amount of power, and Twilight had seen how power corrupted, causing a cascade regardless of the starting intentions. Twilight knew well her own fallibility though, could she really succumb to such things in the same way she had? Her heart closed the door to that idea, but the mind stuck its leg out to keep it open.

I inquired about the mirror again today, but the only answer I got was that I would learn when I was ready, it took a lot to contain myself at that statement; I was always ready, how could I not be? Am I not first in class for a school for the gifted? Do I not have ponies who desire nothing but my acceptance?

One of the things Twilight had learnt from reading was how similar they were. Had she not have been pushed out of her comfort zone, and as a result, not made friends, she could have quite easily took the same path, but not like that mattered now. Her world had opened further than her's ever would thanks to her friends. Maybe even greater things were in her future, maybe she had already surpassed her.

She closed the book, placing it on the shelf it had fallen from. She made a note to come back to read the book one day soon. She was smart and she was strong, so there had to be something of use inside the pages, possibly some original magical research. Would it be plagiarism if the writer didn't technically exist in this dimension? Maybe she could finish the work off, like she did that one spell of Starswirl's. What pony did know for certain what was to happen in the future the future though?

As Twilight turned and began to walk from that section of the library, a thought was in her mind. The mirror had shown a pony's destiny before...