Rediscovery

Rediscovery – By Cstgeorge

Prologue – To Dance With The Devil

Twilight moaned, utterly stricken and beaten to the ground. Defeat. Pure, utter defeat. The monstrous draconequus loomed over her, cackling wickedly and gleefully at her pain. She looked about wildly for her friends. Nothing. There was nopony there to help her.

Discord leaned down at her menacingly, his face split with an insane smile. “Awwwww, wooks wike widdle Twiwight needs to take a widdle nap…!” he cooed. His eyes suddenly narrowed and his expression turned to that of hatred as he whispered out a word menacingly. “…Forever…”

The unicorn mare struggled to get to her hooves, but with a quick snap of the claws looming above her, the ground beneath her quaked horribly and she tumbled to the ground again. Discord yanked at his head, popping it off and letting it roll to Twilight’s ear, where it sat with disconcerting calmness.

“You know, Twi-Twi,” —Twilight grimaced, despite the circumstances— “If you would just let go of that stubborn pride, I might be willing to cut you…How shall I say it?...A deal.”

Twilight simply stared at him, obvious distrust in her eyes. Well, you couldn’t really blame her, could you? Last time they made any sort of deal, her friends had gone full loony on her and nearly plunged Equestria into eternal chaos.

The disembodied head began to grow the rest of Discord’s body…

…Somehow…

And rolled its yellow-and-red eyes. “Oh, come now, Twilight, in all seriousness, this is a deal with no strings attached. Just give me one itsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny little thing, and you and Equestria get a free pass this time. No more chaos for at least a few more centuries. Like I said, all I need is for you to do a single…TINY…thing.”

Twilight finally spoke, her voice unsteady from the constant shaking. “W-w-what d-d-d-do you w-w-w-w-w-want?”

All at once, the earth stopped moving. Twilight fell to the ground, moaning. The horrifying amalgamation smiled like a wolf moving in for the kill. “Oh, that’s very simple, Twilight. All you need to do is give up your special talent. You get to become a blank-flank and experience the thrill of finding yourself AGAIN!” he chuckled sarcastically before transforming into a jeering image of a familiar pink filly. “Won’t that be fuuun?” Conjuring up a monocle and top hat, he began to read off a sheaf of paper that he had also conjured up. After the first few sentences, everything seemed to blur together for Twilight. She didn’t even have the will to get up, let along wield her Element, even if it hadn’t been completely shattered, and even if her friends were here with her.

She was alone in the dark.

Discord cleared his throat and muttered something under his breath. The unicorn blearily turned towards him. He smiled the wolf-smile again. “So, Twilight III of the House of Sparkle, do you accept my terms?”

Twilight’s mind sluggishly compared the pros and cons of each choice. On one hoof, eternal chaos reigning. On the other hoof, peace in Equestria and a lack in magic, which she could just earn back anyway. She smiled to herself. Obviously, Discord hadn’t thought of that. Outwardly, though, she sighed.

“Fine. I accept.”

The draconequus instantly banished all of the summoned objects and returned the area to a natural state, bowing deeply. “Very well, Twilight Sparkle. As per our agreement, you may never practice magic again—“

Twilight nearly choked. “But…You never said anything about that! I—“

Discord chuckled maliciously, briefly reforming the sheaf of paper before floating it over to Twilight. As she read it, her eyes grew wider and wider, until finally they simply rolled back into her head and she collapsed into a faint. The ethereal papers floated down in the still air.

Terms and Conditions

Whosoever agrees to this contract is henceforth bound to these terms. They may never practice magic again, nor shall they be permitted to gain their previous special talent again. They must successfully rediscover themselves and find a new calling within one year, or their soul will crumple in on itself and they will die.

It went on, but none of it concerned Twilight, her mind already struggling with an inevitable truth, and the purple starburst on her flank slowly fading into nothing, its place taken by undisturbed lavender fur.

/-/-/-/-/

Twilight wanders through the familiar halls of Canterlot Castle, waving at ponies she passes. Suddenly, she notices that none of them are even taking any notice at all. She looks down at herself and staggers backwards when she realizes that she is completely incorporeal; She passes through ponies and pillars alike as her transparent form glides among them. Finally, she ends up in a familiar room, the room where she took her test and where she got her Cutie Mark, and sees a familiar filly crouched in front of a dragon egg. She smiles to herself. She knows how his plays out.

A rainbow blast splits the sky and she looks for the magic surge that brought out her potential, but nothing happens. No Spike. No Princess Celestia. Not even a purple star. Suddenly, she remembers the deal she made with Discord. Staring straight ahead in shock, she notices an unpleasant feeling in her hooves and looks down, starting backwards as she sees her hooves gradually fading away. Now it’s up to the middle of her legs, now her barrel. She takes off running in terror as the not-existence reaches her withers. Her entire body is numb now, barring her neck and head, and eventually, even they fade.

She is left staring into eternal blackness, her eyes gone. She hears shouting, but instead of turning to find where it’s coming from, she allows her eyelids to grow heavy. The numbness is being replaced by a calming warmth and she smiles sleepily. She yearns to sink into the comfort like a nice hot bath. Just as she begins to drift away, a flash of light blazes in front of her, and the darkness pulls back. She smiles again, this time more happily than sleepily. The waking world awaits.