Final Draft's Rough Draftsby Final DraftChaptersSweetie-Bot-Pocalypse (Teen)The Madness Inside (Teen: Dark)Sentry Down! (Teen)The Feature Box (Teen: Comedy)A Fight For Life and Freedom (Teen: AU Tragedy)Swan Song (Everyone:Sad)A Fluffy Heart (Teen)Sweetie-Bot-Pocalypse (Teen)Author's Note Started off as satire, then I found I wanted to turn it into a Terminator adaption. Sweetie-Bot-Pocalypse (Teen) Twilight had spent the entire day studying the art of kung-fu and decided she should grab a bite to eat. As she left the library, she fully expected an opportunity to arise where she could demonstrate her new found knowledge. But, with Ponyville being a dull and uneventful place, such a chance was very unlikely. She took a seat at her favorite restaurant and ordered a daisy salad. As she waited for her order, she hoped to see a defenseless mare being mugged or a hoard of ninjas leap from the darkness. Sadly, no such events occurred. A waiter Twilight had never seen before approached her table with a silver platter. He was a handsome earth stallion with five o’ clock shadow on his chiseled-from-stone face. His muscles rippled as he trotted and his long, golden mane flowed behind him. “Did you order the daisy salad?” he asked with a deep voice. He looked down at her with radiant blue eyes and a smile that could only be achieved through extensive dental work and teeth whitening procedures. Twilight nodded dreamily and stared at her waiter, batting her eyelashes. “Well then, here you go,” he said, winking and lifting the lid on the silver platter. Where there should have been Twilight’s meal, there was an AK47. Her eyes darted from her waiter to the weapon and she flipped her table. The waiter grabbed the AK and began firing at the table. Twilight did six consecutive back flips, all the while dodging a flurry of bullets. The restaurant patrons screamed and tried to exit the building in a panic. The waiter’s eyes lost sight of Twilight and frantically scanned through the chaos. Suddenly, a single fork collided with his hoof, sending the AK47 flying out of his grasp. He looked up to see Twilight levitating a collection of silverware. “I had no idea you’d put up such a fight,” he said, ripping off his waiter outfit. He wasn’t wearing anything beneath, but for some reason, he now had an eye patch. He stood on his rear hooves and signaled for Twilight to approach him. She sent the silverware flying at him and he expertly deflected them with his hooves. Twilight screamed and lunged across the restaurant while performing a flying kick. The stallion did the same, and they collided half way. They exchanged kicks and punches; each countering the other’s attacks. They performed identical back flips and stood panting and looking at each other. “Who are you? What do you want?” Twilight asked angrily. The stallion took a step forward and Twilight readied herself again. “The name’s Casings. Shell Casings,” the stallion said coolly. “And I want you.” He leapt into the air and performed roughly seventeen bicycle kicks. Twilight held her forearms out to deflect the kicks, all the while backpedaling until she was against a wall. With one final kick, Shell Casings sent Twilight through the brick wall of the restaurant. She crashed through to the streets and lay in the dirt. A shadow was cast over her and she looked up to see Shell standing above her. Just as he was about to say something condescending, a metallic blur smashed into him. Whatever it was sent the stallion through the wall of the restaurant with a crash. The building’s structural integrity was now non-existent, and the roof collapsed, leaving the building nothing more than a pile of rubble. Twilight stood up and watched as a pile of bricks slowly began to stir. A metal pony with glowing green eyes climbed out of the debris, and it did a scan of its surroundings. When its eyes rested on Twilight, she tensed up and got ready to fight. “Threat detected,” the robot said in an adorable, pitched voice. It took several steps toward the purple unicorn. Twilight tried to cast a spell on it, but her magic simply didn’t work, so she did the next best thing. She levitated two large rocks, and smashed the robot between them. All that was left was a smudge of motor oil and a few pieces of scrap metal. Quite proud of herself, Twilight approached the destroyed restaurant and began searching the rubble for her original attacker. When she found him, he was unconscious, so she carried him back to the library. “Oh, you’re awake! Good!” Twilight said as her groggy guest slowly stirred. She trotted over to the stallion and smiled into his face. He tried to reach out his hooves to cause her harm, but found he was entirely bound by a length a rope. “Let me out of here!” he shouted. “Nope!” Twilight said. “Not until I get some answers.” The stallion grumbled and looked away from his captor. “Alright, I’ll be upstairs if you change your mind,” Twilight said, walking toward the basement’s staircase. “Wait.” “Yes?” “What do you want to know?” “Well,” Twilight began, “for starters, why did you attack me in the restaurant?” “Because I have to kill you,” Shell replied. “Okay…” Twilight said, raising her eyebrow. “Why?” “Because you’re responsible for a robotic apocalypse in the distant future, and I’ve been sent back in time to stop you.” Twilight stared at her captive and started laughing. He didn’t see the humor and started resisting against his restraints harder. “It’s true!” he shouted. “You saw that robot! It followed me from the future!” “Let’s put this paradox to rest, shall we?” Twilight said smugly. “I won’t build any robots, I promise.” They stared at each other for a moment and the smile from Twilight’s face slowly started to fade. “Huh,” she said. “What?” Shell Casings asked angrily. “Well, you should have disappeared. See, if I never build robots, you would have never had a reason to go back in time, and so you wouldn’t be here right now.” “Well, then you lied,” he replied. “No I didn’t lie!” Twilight defended herself. “Why in Equestria would I build robots anyway?” “You built the first one when your sister died.” Twilight just looked at him in confusion. “My sister? I don’t have a sister?” This time, Shell returned the confused look. “Y-yes you do.” “No. I don’t. I think some facts may have been lost over time, and you—” “HER NAME IS SWEETIE BELLE!” Twilight stopped and stared at Shell. “That’s Rarity’s sister,” she said quietly. The Madness Inside (Teen: Dark)Author's Note This one is about Twilight suffering from a chronic mental condition that robs her of coherent thought. Her friends must cope with this. Inspired by Dream Theater's Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence. The Madness Inside (Teen: Dark) One day, Twilight woke up to find the purple mare had lost her mind. Her studying had slowly driven her insane, and she began pulling out clumps of her mane. Voices rang out, screaming her name, all insisting she was the one to blame. Everything was garbled, nothing was clear, all she felt was pain, all she knew was fear. She tried to get control to no avail, and she let out a long and ghastly wail. She rolled on the floor, crying aloud, trying to break out of the fog and the cloud. Through it all, she could hear a voice; apologizing, and saying it had no choice. She felt herself lifted and carried away, but she resisted and struggled, wanting to stay. Spike held her tight, a tear in his eye as she writhed in his arms, screaming, “WHY, CELESTIA, WHY?!” The signs of her condition had been painfully clear; she’d outlasted expectations by nearly a year. The day had come, as they knew it would. Everypony was calm, because they understood. She was gone, never to return; It was a lesson they didn’t want to learn. Her friends stood outside as Spike carried her out. They listened to her cry, and listened to her shout. It pained them to see their beloved friend come to such an unpleasant end. Celestia was there, trying to stay strong, looking at her student, wondering what went wrong. With all of her power, and all of her might she still couldn’t help poor little Twilight. Perhaps it was her doing, and she was to blame; In addition to sorrow, she now felt shame. Two stallions stepped forward and took the mare from Spike’s claws with the utmost care. She flailed and twisted and felt a sharp pain when the tip of a needle punctured her vein. The sedatives kicked in and the mare went limp, and the two stallions carried her to the waiting blimp. “She’ll be safe, you can all rest assured.” And Celestia departed without another word. She got in the blimp and it took to the sky, the others below simply waved good-bye. Meanwhile, inside of Twilight’s head, she was still at home, safe in her bed. But all too soon, the dream gave way to nightmares that put all her fears on display. She tried to run, she tried to hide, but she couldn’t escape the madness inside. Sentry Down! (Teen)Author's Note Yet another poem I could not stretch to 1000 words. It was supposed to recount the events of a confrontation between Flash Sentry and Shining Armor. After their shift, they head to the bar and get to better know each other. After a few drinks, Flash starts talking lewdly about Twilight, not knowing his captain is her older brother. They fight similar to Johnny Cash's "A Boy Named Sue". Kicking and gouging in the mud, and the blood, and the beer. Sentry Down! (Teen) Shining was in jail and Flash was a mess. What were the reasons? Just take a guess. All it took was a little alcohol To incite the feud, to start the brawl But this is not where the story starts I’ve skipped over all the important parts Let us go back to the start of their day And find out how things wound up this way Flash the rookie stood at his post Taking his job more seriously than most He did not budge, nor did he move Standing statuesque like he had something to prove Shining, the captain, watched for a while The rookie’s integrity making him smile. He trotted over and stared into his eyes The rookie tried desperately to hide his surprise He straightened up more, swallowing hard Trying to appear as the perfect guard He saluted his captain, awaiting command Wondering just what the unicorn had planned. “At ease, Sentry,” Shining said at last And he took up his post right beside Flash “Thank you, Captain,” the rookie replied And he cracked his neck from side to side Minutes passed by and neither stallion spoke Until at last, Flash decided to crack a joke The punchline fell flat to Flash’s dismay He wanted more than anything to fly away The captain laughed just to be polite It was almost funny, but not quite. They both fell silent, Flash stared at the ground Keeping his lips shut, not making a sound The captain suddenly stood up straight Noticing Celestia approaching the gate Flash mimicked his captain, looking ahead Adjusting his hooves so they were evenly spread That’s when he noticed Celestia wasn’t alone The problem starts here—if only he’d known. A purple mare with wings and a horn (Princess Twilight Sparkle, the newest alicorn), Accompanied Celestia on her daily walk Flash wanted to say hi, but didn’t dare talk Guards were meant to be seen and not heard Protecting the grounds without saying a word Instead, he let his mouth fall agape As he admired her curves and admired her shape She took no notice of his awkward stare Even if she did, he didn’t care In his mind, they were already together Two peas in a pod and birds of a feather. Reality was different as he soon found out Because the purple alicorn gave a joyful shout “Shining! I missed you!” the mare exclaimed Is that his wife? I should be ashamed. Shining didn’t budge through the whole embrace No sign of emotion appeared on his face “At ease, guards,” Celestia commanded the two Now Flash could turn his head for a better view He saw his captain holding the mare Signs of love were clearly there The Feature Box (Teen: Comedy)Author's Note This is definitely not a metaphor for FimFiction.net. The Feature Box (Teen: Comedy) The residents of Ponyville were going about their daily duties when a covered wagon slowly made its way into town. Guided by invisible forces, the wagon rolled through the streets, finally resting in front of Sugar Cube Corner. Several ponies crowded around it while others scoffed and kept their distance. “What now?” one disgruntled mare asked loudly. “This better not be another Great and Powerful Trixie.” “Or another Flim Flam brothers,” a unicorn stallion added. The wagon shook slightly as the occupant moved around inside, causing the bells and ornaments hanging from the sides to chime. After a few moments, the chiming stopped and the crowd looked on in curiosity. Rainbow Dash just happened to be flying by, and swooped down upon seeing the gathering. “Hey, what’s going on?” the blue pegasus asked, landing next to one of the onlookers. “Nothing yet. It just showed up a few minutes ago,” the pony replied. Again the wagon shook, but neither pony nor creature emerged. “I’m gonna check it out,” Rainbow said, pushing through the crowd. When she got up to the wagon, she rapped her hoof against the door loudly. Flakes of the wagon’s red paint chipped off and something creaked loudly. Rainbow Dash took a few steps back, fearing the wagon would collapse on top of her. Her fears were well founded, for the wagon began shaking violently. Steam poured out from beneath it as mechanisms within sprung to life. Several other members of the crowd stepped back as the side of the wagon expanded outward, forming a stage. A red unicorn stallion walked out of the wagon and onto the stage, smiling at his audience. “Greetings, one and all! I have traveled here to change your lives!” the unicorn shouted in a deep voice. He removed his top hat and took a bow. “I am Nighty Night!” he shouted, placing the top hat back over his black mane. “What are you selling?” a member of the audience asked impatiently. The rest of the audience mumbled, wondering the same thing. Nighty looked around and sized up the audience, his eyes stopping on Rainbow Dash. “You there!” he shouted, pointing at the pegasus. “Would you like to be recognized for everything you’ve ever accomplished?” “I already am,” Rainbow Dash scoffed, and several members of the crowd laughed. “Ah, but how well recognized are you? Does everypony in Canterlot know of your exploits? Or what about Manehatten? Trottingham?” “Well, maybe not that recognized,” Rainbow replied, shifting her hooves. “What if I told you that I have created a device that will showcase you for everypony to see?” Nighty asked, grinning slyly. He pulled from thin air a small, glowing box, and held it in his hoof. “I call this, The Feature Box!” A murmur went through the crowd as the unicorn displayed the device. “What does it do?” several audience members asked. “It’s very simple,” Nighty said, setting the box down. He tapped on it with his hoof and it expanded to twenty times its size. An image of a unicorn mare appeared with a wall of text beside it. “My associates and I strive to find the most interesting individuals and get them the attention they deserve! If you make the cut, we feature you in The Box!” “I want to be featured!” “Me too!” Soon, the whole crowd was pushed up against the stage. Nighty smiled and held the box just out of the ponies’ reach. A Fight For Life and Freedom (Teen: AU Tragedy)Author's Note This was supposed to be a gladiator story where Twilight is forced to compete in an ancient Roman style Colosseum. Before her first ever match, she meets Rainbow Dash: a long time veteran to the Colosseum. She imparts such advice as, "Don't make friends and do whatever the Empress commands." A Fight For Life and Freedom (Teen: AU Tragedy) Bits of dust fell from the ceiling of the cells as the crowd above stomped their hooves. Whatever contender had gone out must have been putting on quite a show for the audience. Their cheers could be heard even through the several foot thick stone the coliseum was constructed from. The caged ponies tried not to listen, and instead focused on remaining calm. It was easy to tell the veterans apart from the newcomers. The veterans usually sat in silence, thinking about past fights, or the ones yet to come. The rookies typically asked questions or paced nervously, not sure what to expect. Two guards stood watch over the prisoners, wielding large spears they liked to bang against the cell bars every now and then. A large cheer went through the stadium above and the sound of hooves against stone became deafening. Minutes later, there was a knock on the large wooden door of the chamber, and one of the guards stepped forward to open it. A severely wounded pegasus mare was carried in by two more guards and thrown into one of the empty cells. Those that knew the pegasus scoffed and looked away. The cyan pegasus with the rainbow mane had been a contender for longer than most, and she always came back with new injuries. If asked about them, she’d simply brag about her victory in the arena, and that the other pony was much worse off. Well, of course they were; if they didn’t come back, it meant they were dead. The newest arrival, a purple unicorn mare, pushed her face against the bars to look at the wounded pegasus. “Are you alright?” she asked, looking at the mare’s clearly broken wing. “I made it back in one piece, didn’t I?’ the mare asked. She took a large strip of cloth and began bandaging her wing. She glanced up from the task to look at the rookie. “You’re new here, aren’t you?” she asked. The purple unicorn nodded and continued staring. “How long have you been here?” “Long enough to get a nickname,” the pegasus replied. “Not many make it that long.” “Have you killed a lot of ponies?” The pegasus went quiet. She turned away from the unicorn and finished wrapping up her wing. “What did you say your name was?” she asked at last. “My name is Twilight Sparkle,” the unicorn replied. “Okay, listen, Twilight,” the pegasus said, turning back around. “If you want to survive here, there are only two things you need to know. One: no pony is your friend. Two: you do as the Empress commands, and you may live to fight another fight.” Before Twilight could say anything further, a spear smashed against the bars next to her head. The guard responsible looked at the unicorn in disgust, bringing the point of his spear toward her neck. “Silence, the both of you!” the stallion shouted. The guard stared an additional moment before returning to his post by the door. Aside from the occasional cough or shuffle, the cells were quiet. The pegasus that Twilight had been speaking with had turned her back and laid down on the cold, cobblestone floor. Twilight looked at the scars covering her body and then eventually to the cutie mark on her flank. The cloud with the rainbow lightning bolt seemed almost foreign on the battle-worn pony. Twilight began pacing her small cell, glancing around at her fellow inmates. They were mostly stallions; either big and burly, or thin and lank. It was clear which would survive in the arena. At that moment, Twilight began thinking about if she could survive. She’d never fought before, and she had no desire to take another life. Her magical knowledge was all she had on her side, but she could already sense powerful binding spells all around her; ones that would prevent her from casting most any spell. The crowd above began roaring again and the hoof beats pounded against the stone. Once again, the wooden door opened and two guards trotted in. Their eyes scanned the cells, and one of them pointed in Twilight’s direction. She closed her eyes and heard the sound of a cell door being opened. “No! Please! Not me!” a stallion’s voice shouted. Twilight opened her eyes to see the guards dragging one of the small stallions out of the cell behind hers. The poor stallion looked young enough to call a colt, and he was crying like a foal. The guards dragged him out and the wooden door slammed shut behind them. “Five minutes,” a voice grunted from somewhere in the back. “I think you’re overestimating him,” a hoarse voice replied. The two stallions went back and forth, ultimately deciding on three minutes. How long was three minutes? Twilight listened carefully, trying to judge what the audience’s reaction meant. There was a faint amount of hoof beats followed by silence. Shortly after that, a deafening roar sounded from above, and the hoof beats made the whole earth shake. “Ha! Make that two and a half minutes!” the hoarse horse cackled. “Against The Destroyer? Ha! I give him one minute!” the other stallion laughed. “Who’s The Destroyer? And how do you know it’s him?” Twilight asked. The two stallions stared at the unicorn, and went back to looking at the ceiling. “Her," the cyan pegasus corrected. "The Destroyer is a mare." Twilight looked over to see the pegasus still laying on her side with her back turned to her. “Okay, well how do you know it’s her?” she asked. “Listen.” The hoof beats were thunderous, but in the chaos was a distinct, repeating beat. Boom. Boom, boom, boom. Boom. “How long has The Destroyer been here?” Twilight asked. “As long as me,” the pegasus replied. “Have you two ever fought?” “No, and I hope we never do.” “Why? Are you afraid you’ll lose?” The question made the pegasus stand up and put her face right up to Twilight’s. “I’m not afraid of anything. Do you got that?” She turned her back to the unicorn and sighed. "We go back before all this, okay?" "I'm sorry," Twilight said quietly. She sat in silence and looked around into the other cells. (Twilight's first match pits her against Applejack: another rookie to the Colosseum. They fight valiantly and Twilight ultimately comes out on top. With her sword to AJ's neck, Twilight looks up to the stands. Empress Celestia (Essentially Julius Caesar) gives her the nod to kill AJ. Twilight sheaths her sword in defiance. Both the crowd and Celestia look at Twilight in shock, for none had ever defied the Empress. AJ is taken out of the arena and Twilight is left to deal with three chimeras. With moderate difficulty, she defeats them and stands before the crowd. She allows herself to be escorted back to her chamber where she has a brief conversation with Rainbow Dash. Celestia shows up and demands to speak with Twilight. Something about being her student, blah, blah, blah, and she allows her defiance to be overlooked. Twilight subsequently faces, defeats, and befriends each of the mane six, until her fight with Rainbow Dash. Celestia is aware that RD and Twilight are close, so she commands that only one of them leave the arena alive. Twilight comes out victorious in their duel and stands above her friend. The crowd watches in silence while Rainbow Dash begs for death. Twilight slays RD and vows Celestia's blood will flow across the arena floor before she dies.) Swan Song (Everyone:Sad)Author's Note A 1st person fic from the view of Rainbow Dash. Doctors find that she has a heart defect; one that could threaten her life if she exerts herself too much. This prevents her from doing everything she loves; most specifically, flying. Rainbow Dash tries to comply with the doctor's orders, but soon finds that her new life is not worth living. She goes on one final flight. Her swan song. Had to cease this one, because I'm no doctor, and I feared having all my mistakes pointed out. Swan Song (Everyone:Sad) Congenital Heart Disease. That’s what the doctors all said. Bunch of over-paid, eggheads in their stupid white coats, what did they know? So what if they had fancy, medical degrees and shiny plaques they hung on their office walls—they still don’t know what they were talking about, saying that I, the great Rainbow Dash, would die from some stupid “condition”. They kept using that term: condition, like it meant something to me. All I really heard them say was my heart was too big (well duh; Element of Loyalty). The black and white slides were all fuzzy, and I just couldn’t see what they were all concerned about. The only thing I saw were a bunch of organs and bones in a perfectly healthy pegasus. I left the clinic and went to talk it over with Twilight. If it was one egghead I could listen to, it was her. She’d known about my fainting, and the dizziness, and all the other things, and she was the one who told me to go to a quack in the first place. As soon as I knocked on the door, she opened it, as if she’d been expecting me. “So, how did it go?” she asked, stepping aside to let me in. I walked into the library and set the envelope I’d been carrying on the table. With my mouth empty, I replied, “Bunch of amateurs don’t know nothin’. They told me I had a ‘condition’.” Twilight looked at me with concern and it only made me more upset. She used her magic to levitate the envelope off the table and brought it to her face. “Are these the results?” she asked. I nodded and took a seat on one of the large cushions lying on the floor. The flight from the clinic was only five minutes, but I felt like I’d flown from Canterlot and back…twice…with lead wings. I tried to hide my tiredness from Twilight as she continued to look at me. “What? I’m fine! Go ahead and look for yourself!” I said with agitation. Finally, she stopped looking at me and undid the seal on the envelope. Five pieces of paper and a transparent photo of my insides slid out, suspended in Twilight’s magic. It must have been about five minutes she stared at those darn things. I couldn’t see her face, but I could tell she didn’t enjoy what she was reading. “Rainbow, I…” “What?” I asked when she still didn’t say anything. She just stood like a statue with those papers in front of her. I struggled to get off the pillow and walk up to her, but all four of my legs had gone to sleep. They tingled painfully as I tried to wake them up, and I finally managed to approach Twilight. “Rainbow, this is serious,” Twilight said, looking away from the papers at last. “How have you not had problems before now?” “Hey! There’s nothing wrong with me, do you hear me? Those papers are all wrong!” I swatted at the papers, and Twilight’s magic aura disappeared from around them. They drifted gently to the floor, but Twilight brought them back up with her magic. “Yes, there is something wrong, Rainbow. With your lifestyle and habits, this is a big problem,” Twilight said calmly. “Your aorta and left ventricles are—” “Don’t you start using their words!” I interrupted. “Tell me in normal-pony talk.” Twilight stopped to think for a moment, obviously thinking of a phrasing I could understand. I didn’t want to hear what she had to say, regardless. “Your heart is too big.” “Yeah, I got that much.” “Only certain parts of it are too big. Those parts have a hard time pushing blood through your arteries,” Twilight said in a painfully slow voice. “That doesn’t make any sense,” I objected. “If they’re bigger, doesn’t that mean they’re stronger?” “No, it means that when you were young, they were weaker. More muscle grew to compensate, narrowing the pathways the blood flows through. This also makes them beat out of rhythm with the other parts of your heart. A Fluffy Heart (Teen)Author's Note A poem I was working on during Valentine's Day that I just couldn't seem to finish. Sorry it ends abruptly. A Fluffy Heart (Teen) Hearts and Hooves Day comes once a year, and ponies celebrate, far and near by finding their very special somepony, and displaying their feelings for all to see. But on this day, not all rejoice; they would if they could, but have no choice. Changelings only know of love as food, and one queen in particular wasn’t in the mood to deal with a fluffy pony’s advances, constant gifts, and seductive glances. Every time Chrysalis tried to explain she found the task to be a royal pain. Flufflepuff was simple, and that was fine, but her interest in the changeling crossed a line. The Queen knew something was wrong when the pony drew pictures of her in a thong. Chrysalis didn’t know how to feel, but the pony’s love made an excellent meal. The feelings, though, she could never return; she’d said it before, but Flufflepuff didn’t learn. Then came the gifts; odd things, like socks, or the pony herself, wrapped up in a box. The gestures were nice, and it made the queen smile, but they were too frequent, and after a while, the showering of gifts had to end. It was killing her trying to pretend that she cared for the pink ball of fluff. So she made a stand, enough was enough. Chrysalis decided to make her stand on Hearts and Hooves Day, though it wasn’t planned. She was oblivious to the holiday Blah blah blah, rhyme with holiday.
Sweetie-Bot-Pocalypse (Teen)Author's Note Started off as satire, then I found I wanted to turn it into a Terminator adaption. Sweetie-Bot-Pocalypse (Teen) Twilight had spent the entire day studying the art of kung-fu and decided she should grab a bite to eat. As she left the library, she fully expected an opportunity to arise where she could demonstrate her new found knowledge. But, with Ponyville being a dull and uneventful place, such a chance was very unlikely. She took a seat at her favorite restaurant and ordered a daisy salad. As she waited for her order, she hoped to see a defenseless mare being mugged or a hoard of ninjas leap from the darkness. Sadly, no such events occurred. A waiter Twilight had never seen before approached her table with a silver platter. He was a handsome earth stallion with five o’ clock shadow on his chiseled-from-stone face. His muscles rippled as he trotted and his long, golden mane flowed behind him. “Did you order the daisy salad?” he asked with a deep voice. He looked down at her with radiant blue eyes and a smile that could only be achieved through extensive dental work and teeth whitening procedures. Twilight nodded dreamily and stared at her waiter, batting her eyelashes. “Well then, here you go,” he said, winking and lifting the lid on the silver platter. Where there should have been Twilight’s meal, there was an AK47. Her eyes darted from her waiter to the weapon and she flipped her table. The waiter grabbed the AK and began firing at the table. Twilight did six consecutive back flips, all the while dodging a flurry of bullets. The restaurant patrons screamed and tried to exit the building in a panic. The waiter’s eyes lost sight of Twilight and frantically scanned through the chaos. Suddenly, a single fork collided with his hoof, sending the AK47 flying out of his grasp. He looked up to see Twilight levitating a collection of silverware. “I had no idea you’d put up such a fight,” he said, ripping off his waiter outfit. He wasn’t wearing anything beneath, but for some reason, he now had an eye patch. He stood on his rear hooves and signaled for Twilight to approach him. She sent the silverware flying at him and he expertly deflected them with his hooves. Twilight screamed and lunged across the restaurant while performing a flying kick. The stallion did the same, and they collided half way. They exchanged kicks and punches; each countering the other’s attacks. They performed identical back flips and stood panting and looking at each other. “Who are you? What do you want?” Twilight asked angrily. The stallion took a step forward and Twilight readied herself again. “The name’s Casings. Shell Casings,” the stallion said coolly. “And I want you.” He leapt into the air and performed roughly seventeen bicycle kicks. Twilight held her forearms out to deflect the kicks, all the while backpedaling until she was against a wall. With one final kick, Shell Casings sent Twilight through the brick wall of the restaurant. She crashed through to the streets and lay in the dirt. A shadow was cast over her and she looked up to see Shell standing above her. Just as he was about to say something condescending, a metallic blur smashed into him. Whatever it was sent the stallion through the wall of the restaurant with a crash. The building’s structural integrity was now non-existent, and the roof collapsed, leaving the building nothing more than a pile of rubble. Twilight stood up and watched as a pile of bricks slowly began to stir. A metal pony with glowing green eyes climbed out of the debris, and it did a scan of its surroundings. When its eyes rested on Twilight, she tensed up and got ready to fight. “Threat detected,” the robot said in an adorable, pitched voice. It took several steps toward the purple unicorn. Twilight tried to cast a spell on it, but her magic simply didn’t work, so she did the next best thing. She levitated two large rocks, and smashed the robot between them. All that was left was a smudge of motor oil and a few pieces of scrap metal. Quite proud of herself, Twilight approached the destroyed restaurant and began searching the rubble for her original attacker. When she found him, he was unconscious, so she carried him back to the library. “Oh, you’re awake! Good!” Twilight said as her groggy guest slowly stirred. She trotted over to the stallion and smiled into his face. He tried to reach out his hooves to cause her harm, but found he was entirely bound by a length a rope. “Let me out of here!” he shouted. “Nope!” Twilight said. “Not until I get some answers.” The stallion grumbled and looked away from his captor. “Alright, I’ll be upstairs if you change your mind,” Twilight said, walking toward the basement’s staircase. “Wait.” “Yes?” “What do you want to know?” “Well,” Twilight began, “for starters, why did you attack me in the restaurant?” “Because I have to kill you,” Shell replied. “Okay…” Twilight said, raising her eyebrow. “Why?” “Because you’re responsible for a robotic apocalypse in the distant future, and I’ve been sent back in time to stop you.” Twilight stared at her captive and started laughing. He didn’t see the humor and started resisting against his restraints harder. “It’s true!” he shouted. “You saw that robot! It followed me from the future!” “Let’s put this paradox to rest, shall we?” Twilight said smugly. “I won’t build any robots, I promise.” They stared at each other for a moment and the smile from Twilight’s face slowly started to fade. “Huh,” she said. “What?” Shell Casings asked angrily. “Well, you should have disappeared. See, if I never build robots, you would have never had a reason to go back in time, and so you wouldn’t be here right now.” “Well, then you lied,” he replied. “No I didn’t lie!” Twilight defended herself. “Why in Equestria would I build robots anyway?” “You built the first one when your sister died.” Twilight just looked at him in confusion. “My sister? I don’t have a sister?” This time, Shell returned the confused look. “Y-yes you do.” “No. I don’t. I think some facts may have been lost over time, and you—” “HER NAME IS SWEETIE BELLE!” Twilight stopped and stared at Shell. “That’s Rarity’s sister,” she said quietly.
The Madness Inside (Teen: Dark)Author's Note This one is about Twilight suffering from a chronic mental condition that robs her of coherent thought. Her friends must cope with this. Inspired by Dream Theater's Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence. The Madness Inside (Teen: Dark) One day, Twilight woke up to find the purple mare had lost her mind. Her studying had slowly driven her insane, and she began pulling out clumps of her mane. Voices rang out, screaming her name, all insisting she was the one to blame. Everything was garbled, nothing was clear, all she felt was pain, all she knew was fear. She tried to get control to no avail, and she let out a long and ghastly wail. She rolled on the floor, crying aloud, trying to break out of the fog and the cloud. Through it all, she could hear a voice; apologizing, and saying it had no choice. She felt herself lifted and carried away, but she resisted and struggled, wanting to stay. Spike held her tight, a tear in his eye as she writhed in his arms, screaming, “WHY, CELESTIA, WHY?!” The signs of her condition had been painfully clear; she’d outlasted expectations by nearly a year. The day had come, as they knew it would. Everypony was calm, because they understood. She was gone, never to return; It was a lesson they didn’t want to learn. Her friends stood outside as Spike carried her out. They listened to her cry, and listened to her shout. It pained them to see their beloved friend come to such an unpleasant end. Celestia was there, trying to stay strong, looking at her student, wondering what went wrong. With all of her power, and all of her might she still couldn’t help poor little Twilight. Perhaps it was her doing, and she was to blame; In addition to sorrow, she now felt shame. Two stallions stepped forward and took the mare from Spike’s claws with the utmost care. She flailed and twisted and felt a sharp pain when the tip of a needle punctured her vein. The sedatives kicked in and the mare went limp, and the two stallions carried her to the waiting blimp. “She’ll be safe, you can all rest assured.” And Celestia departed without another word. She got in the blimp and it took to the sky, the others below simply waved good-bye. Meanwhile, inside of Twilight’s head, she was still at home, safe in her bed. But all too soon, the dream gave way to nightmares that put all her fears on display. She tried to run, she tried to hide, but she couldn’t escape the madness inside.
Sentry Down! (Teen)Author's Note Yet another poem I could not stretch to 1000 words. It was supposed to recount the events of a confrontation between Flash Sentry and Shining Armor. After their shift, they head to the bar and get to better know each other. After a few drinks, Flash starts talking lewdly about Twilight, not knowing his captain is her older brother. They fight similar to Johnny Cash's "A Boy Named Sue". Kicking and gouging in the mud, and the blood, and the beer. Sentry Down! (Teen) Shining was in jail and Flash was a mess. What were the reasons? Just take a guess. All it took was a little alcohol To incite the feud, to start the brawl But this is not where the story starts I’ve skipped over all the important parts Let us go back to the start of their day And find out how things wound up this way Flash the rookie stood at his post Taking his job more seriously than most He did not budge, nor did he move Standing statuesque like he had something to prove Shining, the captain, watched for a while The rookie’s integrity making him smile. He trotted over and stared into his eyes The rookie tried desperately to hide his surprise He straightened up more, swallowing hard Trying to appear as the perfect guard He saluted his captain, awaiting command Wondering just what the unicorn had planned. “At ease, Sentry,” Shining said at last And he took up his post right beside Flash “Thank you, Captain,” the rookie replied And he cracked his neck from side to side Minutes passed by and neither stallion spoke Until at last, Flash decided to crack a joke The punchline fell flat to Flash’s dismay He wanted more than anything to fly away The captain laughed just to be polite It was almost funny, but not quite. They both fell silent, Flash stared at the ground Keeping his lips shut, not making a sound The captain suddenly stood up straight Noticing Celestia approaching the gate Flash mimicked his captain, looking ahead Adjusting his hooves so they were evenly spread That’s when he noticed Celestia wasn’t alone The problem starts here—if only he’d known. A purple mare with wings and a horn (Princess Twilight Sparkle, the newest alicorn), Accompanied Celestia on her daily walk Flash wanted to say hi, but didn’t dare talk Guards were meant to be seen and not heard Protecting the grounds without saying a word Instead, he let his mouth fall agape As he admired her curves and admired her shape She took no notice of his awkward stare Even if she did, he didn’t care In his mind, they were already together Two peas in a pod and birds of a feather. Reality was different as he soon found out Because the purple alicorn gave a joyful shout “Shining! I missed you!” the mare exclaimed Is that his wife? I should be ashamed. Shining didn’t budge through the whole embrace No sign of emotion appeared on his face “At ease, guards,” Celestia commanded the two Now Flash could turn his head for a better view He saw his captain holding the mare Signs of love were clearly there
The Feature Box (Teen: Comedy)Author's Note This is definitely not a metaphor for FimFiction.net. The Feature Box (Teen: Comedy) The residents of Ponyville were going about their daily duties when a covered wagon slowly made its way into town. Guided by invisible forces, the wagon rolled through the streets, finally resting in front of Sugar Cube Corner. Several ponies crowded around it while others scoffed and kept their distance. “What now?” one disgruntled mare asked loudly. “This better not be another Great and Powerful Trixie.” “Or another Flim Flam brothers,” a unicorn stallion added. The wagon shook slightly as the occupant moved around inside, causing the bells and ornaments hanging from the sides to chime. After a few moments, the chiming stopped and the crowd looked on in curiosity. Rainbow Dash just happened to be flying by, and swooped down upon seeing the gathering. “Hey, what’s going on?” the blue pegasus asked, landing next to one of the onlookers. “Nothing yet. It just showed up a few minutes ago,” the pony replied. Again the wagon shook, but neither pony nor creature emerged. “I’m gonna check it out,” Rainbow said, pushing through the crowd. When she got up to the wagon, she rapped her hoof against the door loudly. Flakes of the wagon’s red paint chipped off and something creaked loudly. Rainbow Dash took a few steps back, fearing the wagon would collapse on top of her. Her fears were well founded, for the wagon began shaking violently. Steam poured out from beneath it as mechanisms within sprung to life. Several other members of the crowd stepped back as the side of the wagon expanded outward, forming a stage. A red unicorn stallion walked out of the wagon and onto the stage, smiling at his audience. “Greetings, one and all! I have traveled here to change your lives!” the unicorn shouted in a deep voice. He removed his top hat and took a bow. “I am Nighty Night!” he shouted, placing the top hat back over his black mane. “What are you selling?” a member of the audience asked impatiently. The rest of the audience mumbled, wondering the same thing. Nighty looked around and sized up the audience, his eyes stopping on Rainbow Dash. “You there!” he shouted, pointing at the pegasus. “Would you like to be recognized for everything you’ve ever accomplished?” “I already am,” Rainbow Dash scoffed, and several members of the crowd laughed. “Ah, but how well recognized are you? Does everypony in Canterlot know of your exploits? Or what about Manehatten? Trottingham?” “Well, maybe not that recognized,” Rainbow replied, shifting her hooves. “What if I told you that I have created a device that will showcase you for everypony to see?” Nighty asked, grinning slyly. He pulled from thin air a small, glowing box, and held it in his hoof. “I call this, The Feature Box!” A murmur went through the crowd as the unicorn displayed the device. “What does it do?” several audience members asked. “It’s very simple,” Nighty said, setting the box down. He tapped on it with his hoof and it expanded to twenty times its size. An image of a unicorn mare appeared with a wall of text beside it. “My associates and I strive to find the most interesting individuals and get them the attention they deserve! If you make the cut, we feature you in The Box!” “I want to be featured!” “Me too!” Soon, the whole crowd was pushed up against the stage. Nighty smiled and held the box just out of the ponies’ reach.
A Fight For Life and Freedom (Teen: AU Tragedy)Author's Note This was supposed to be a gladiator story where Twilight is forced to compete in an ancient Roman style Colosseum. Before her first ever match, she meets Rainbow Dash: a long time veteran to the Colosseum. She imparts such advice as, "Don't make friends and do whatever the Empress commands." A Fight For Life and Freedom (Teen: AU Tragedy) Bits of dust fell from the ceiling of the cells as the crowd above stomped their hooves. Whatever contender had gone out must have been putting on quite a show for the audience. Their cheers could be heard even through the several foot thick stone the coliseum was constructed from. The caged ponies tried not to listen, and instead focused on remaining calm. It was easy to tell the veterans apart from the newcomers. The veterans usually sat in silence, thinking about past fights, or the ones yet to come. The rookies typically asked questions or paced nervously, not sure what to expect. Two guards stood watch over the prisoners, wielding large spears they liked to bang against the cell bars every now and then. A large cheer went through the stadium above and the sound of hooves against stone became deafening. Minutes later, there was a knock on the large wooden door of the chamber, and one of the guards stepped forward to open it. A severely wounded pegasus mare was carried in by two more guards and thrown into one of the empty cells. Those that knew the pegasus scoffed and looked away. The cyan pegasus with the rainbow mane had been a contender for longer than most, and she always came back with new injuries. If asked about them, she’d simply brag about her victory in the arena, and that the other pony was much worse off. Well, of course they were; if they didn’t come back, it meant they were dead. The newest arrival, a purple unicorn mare, pushed her face against the bars to look at the wounded pegasus. “Are you alright?” she asked, looking at the mare’s clearly broken wing. “I made it back in one piece, didn’t I?’ the mare asked. She took a large strip of cloth and began bandaging her wing. She glanced up from the task to look at the rookie. “You’re new here, aren’t you?” she asked. The purple unicorn nodded and continued staring. “How long have you been here?” “Long enough to get a nickname,” the pegasus replied. “Not many make it that long.” “Have you killed a lot of ponies?” The pegasus went quiet. She turned away from the unicorn and finished wrapping up her wing. “What did you say your name was?” she asked at last. “My name is Twilight Sparkle,” the unicorn replied. “Okay, listen, Twilight,” the pegasus said, turning back around. “If you want to survive here, there are only two things you need to know. One: no pony is your friend. Two: you do as the Empress commands, and you may live to fight another fight.” Before Twilight could say anything further, a spear smashed against the bars next to her head. The guard responsible looked at the unicorn in disgust, bringing the point of his spear toward her neck. “Silence, the both of you!” the stallion shouted. The guard stared an additional moment before returning to his post by the door. Aside from the occasional cough or shuffle, the cells were quiet. The pegasus that Twilight had been speaking with had turned her back and laid down on the cold, cobblestone floor. Twilight looked at the scars covering her body and then eventually to the cutie mark on her flank. The cloud with the rainbow lightning bolt seemed almost foreign on the battle-worn pony. Twilight began pacing her small cell, glancing around at her fellow inmates. They were mostly stallions; either big and burly, or thin and lank. It was clear which would survive in the arena. At that moment, Twilight began thinking about if she could survive. She’d never fought before, and she had no desire to take another life. Her magical knowledge was all she had on her side, but she could already sense powerful binding spells all around her; ones that would prevent her from casting most any spell. The crowd above began roaring again and the hoof beats pounded against the stone. Once again, the wooden door opened and two guards trotted in. Their eyes scanned the cells, and one of them pointed in Twilight’s direction. She closed her eyes and heard the sound of a cell door being opened. “No! Please! Not me!” a stallion’s voice shouted. Twilight opened her eyes to see the guards dragging one of the small stallions out of the cell behind hers. The poor stallion looked young enough to call a colt, and he was crying like a foal. The guards dragged him out and the wooden door slammed shut behind them. “Five minutes,” a voice grunted from somewhere in the back. “I think you’re overestimating him,” a hoarse voice replied. The two stallions went back and forth, ultimately deciding on three minutes. How long was three minutes? Twilight listened carefully, trying to judge what the audience’s reaction meant. There was a faint amount of hoof beats followed by silence. Shortly after that, a deafening roar sounded from above, and the hoof beats made the whole earth shake. “Ha! Make that two and a half minutes!” the hoarse horse cackled. “Against The Destroyer? Ha! I give him one minute!” the other stallion laughed. “Who’s The Destroyer? And how do you know it’s him?” Twilight asked. The two stallions stared at the unicorn, and went back to looking at the ceiling. “Her," the cyan pegasus corrected. "The Destroyer is a mare." Twilight looked over to see the pegasus still laying on her side with her back turned to her. “Okay, well how do you know it’s her?” she asked. “Listen.” The hoof beats were thunderous, but in the chaos was a distinct, repeating beat. Boom. Boom, boom, boom. Boom. “How long has The Destroyer been here?” Twilight asked. “As long as me,” the pegasus replied. “Have you two ever fought?” “No, and I hope we never do.” “Why? Are you afraid you’ll lose?” The question made the pegasus stand up and put her face right up to Twilight’s. “I’m not afraid of anything. Do you got that?” She turned her back to the unicorn and sighed. "We go back before all this, okay?" "I'm sorry," Twilight said quietly. She sat in silence and looked around into the other cells. (Twilight's first match pits her against Applejack: another rookie to the Colosseum. They fight valiantly and Twilight ultimately comes out on top. With her sword to AJ's neck, Twilight looks up to the stands. Empress Celestia (Essentially Julius Caesar) gives her the nod to kill AJ. Twilight sheaths her sword in defiance. Both the crowd and Celestia look at Twilight in shock, for none had ever defied the Empress. AJ is taken out of the arena and Twilight is left to deal with three chimeras. With moderate difficulty, she defeats them and stands before the crowd. She allows herself to be escorted back to her chamber where she has a brief conversation with Rainbow Dash. Celestia shows up and demands to speak with Twilight. Something about being her student, blah, blah, blah, and she allows her defiance to be overlooked. Twilight subsequently faces, defeats, and befriends each of the mane six, until her fight with Rainbow Dash. Celestia is aware that RD and Twilight are close, so she commands that only one of them leave the arena alive. Twilight comes out victorious in their duel and stands above her friend. The crowd watches in silence while Rainbow Dash begs for death. Twilight slays RD and vows Celestia's blood will flow across the arena floor before she dies.)
Swan Song (Everyone:Sad)Author's Note A 1st person fic from the view of Rainbow Dash. Doctors find that she has a heart defect; one that could threaten her life if she exerts herself too much. This prevents her from doing everything she loves; most specifically, flying. Rainbow Dash tries to comply with the doctor's orders, but soon finds that her new life is not worth living. She goes on one final flight. Her swan song. Had to cease this one, because I'm no doctor, and I feared having all my mistakes pointed out. Swan Song (Everyone:Sad) Congenital Heart Disease. That’s what the doctors all said. Bunch of over-paid, eggheads in their stupid white coats, what did they know? So what if they had fancy, medical degrees and shiny plaques they hung on their office walls—they still don’t know what they were talking about, saying that I, the great Rainbow Dash, would die from some stupid “condition”. They kept using that term: condition, like it meant something to me. All I really heard them say was my heart was too big (well duh; Element of Loyalty). The black and white slides were all fuzzy, and I just couldn’t see what they were all concerned about. The only thing I saw were a bunch of organs and bones in a perfectly healthy pegasus. I left the clinic and went to talk it over with Twilight. If it was one egghead I could listen to, it was her. She’d known about my fainting, and the dizziness, and all the other things, and she was the one who told me to go to a quack in the first place. As soon as I knocked on the door, she opened it, as if she’d been expecting me. “So, how did it go?” she asked, stepping aside to let me in. I walked into the library and set the envelope I’d been carrying on the table. With my mouth empty, I replied, “Bunch of amateurs don’t know nothin’. They told me I had a ‘condition’.” Twilight looked at me with concern and it only made me more upset. She used her magic to levitate the envelope off the table and brought it to her face. “Are these the results?” she asked. I nodded and took a seat on one of the large cushions lying on the floor. The flight from the clinic was only five minutes, but I felt like I’d flown from Canterlot and back…twice…with lead wings. I tried to hide my tiredness from Twilight as she continued to look at me. “What? I’m fine! Go ahead and look for yourself!” I said with agitation. Finally, she stopped looking at me and undid the seal on the envelope. Five pieces of paper and a transparent photo of my insides slid out, suspended in Twilight’s magic. It must have been about five minutes she stared at those darn things. I couldn’t see her face, but I could tell she didn’t enjoy what she was reading. “Rainbow, I…” “What?” I asked when she still didn’t say anything. She just stood like a statue with those papers in front of her. I struggled to get off the pillow and walk up to her, but all four of my legs had gone to sleep. They tingled painfully as I tried to wake them up, and I finally managed to approach Twilight. “Rainbow, this is serious,” Twilight said, looking away from the papers at last. “How have you not had problems before now?” “Hey! There’s nothing wrong with me, do you hear me? Those papers are all wrong!” I swatted at the papers, and Twilight’s magic aura disappeared from around them. They drifted gently to the floor, but Twilight brought them back up with her magic. “Yes, there is something wrong, Rainbow. With your lifestyle and habits, this is a big problem,” Twilight said calmly. “Your aorta and left ventricles are—” “Don’t you start using their words!” I interrupted. “Tell me in normal-pony talk.” Twilight stopped to think for a moment, obviously thinking of a phrasing I could understand. I didn’t want to hear what she had to say, regardless. “Your heart is too big.” “Yeah, I got that much.” “Only certain parts of it are too big. Those parts have a hard time pushing blood through your arteries,” Twilight said in a painfully slow voice. “That doesn’t make any sense,” I objected. “If they’re bigger, doesn’t that mean they’re stronger?” “No, it means that when you were young, they were weaker. More muscle grew to compensate, narrowing the pathways the blood flows through. This also makes them beat out of rhythm with the other parts of your heart.
A Fluffy Heart (Teen)Author's Note A poem I was working on during Valentine's Day that I just couldn't seem to finish. Sorry it ends abruptly. A Fluffy Heart (Teen) Hearts and Hooves Day comes once a year, and ponies celebrate, far and near by finding their very special somepony, and displaying their feelings for all to see. But on this day, not all rejoice; they would if they could, but have no choice. Changelings only know of love as food, and one queen in particular wasn’t in the mood to deal with a fluffy pony’s advances, constant gifts, and seductive glances. Every time Chrysalis tried to explain she found the task to be a royal pain. Flufflepuff was simple, and that was fine, but her interest in the changeling crossed a line. The Queen knew something was wrong when the pony drew pictures of her in a thong. Chrysalis didn’t know how to feel, but the pony’s love made an excellent meal. The feelings, though, she could never return; she’d said it before, but Flufflepuff didn’t learn. Then came the gifts; odd things, like socks, or the pony herself, wrapped up in a box. The gestures were nice, and it made the queen smile, but they were too frequent, and after a while, the showering of gifts had to end. It was killing her trying to pretend that she cared for the pink ball of fluff. So she made a stand, enough was enough. Chrysalis decided to make her stand on Hearts and Hooves Day, though it wasn’t planned. She was oblivious to the holiday Blah blah blah, rhyme with holiday.
