Twilight Sparkle: Doctor Frankenstein

On a large, rocky plain far from any town stood an old mansion. Parts of the great stone walls cracked and crumbled, and some had even collapsed to expose what had once been inside. Patches of moss and vines of ivy grew, working to engulf the once great building.

If the few ponies that lived nearby -- most of them farmers -- were asked, most would know very little about the place. For most of them, the old place had been abandoned for as long as they could remember. There were stories, of course, most of which included death, blood, and monsters. Some claim that a wealthy stallion built the place for his family, only to later kill them all with an axe, and now their ghosts haunt the place. Others tell tales that the mansion had been home to a cult that worshipped some ancient evil entity along the lines of Nightmare Moon, Discord, or Tirek. According to the ponies that share this story, the cultist managed to conjure something that then tore them apart and ate their flesh, and now continues to linger with a dark energy among the ruins.

Whatever the case, practically no pony dares to go near the once majestic mansion. More so at night, and especially on dark and stormy nights.

And yet, word had spread that something new was going on there. None would dare to go near enough to find out what, exactly, but stories of lights being seen through the windows and at least one pony (and something else) coming and going had spread among the neighbors.

On this particular night, practically all ponies were in their homes. Even if there had been a moon out, it would have been impossible to see from the ground. A massive storm had been scheduled for tonight, with heavy rain, strong winds, and massive amounts of lightning.

It was this last part -- the massive lightning -- that had Twilight Sparkle so excited. Tonight was the night. Everything was in place. It would be the perfect opportunity to bring her greatest experiment to its final culmination.

Her horn glowed bright with power as she worked. The needle moved quickly, pulling the thread through the skin and muscle that made up the constructed creature's chest. Scissors waited in her magical grip nearby. It was a bit irritating for the process, slowing down to tie off each stitch, cut the thread, and repeat the process. Still, it was the method that was used in stitching by medical professionals, and it had the additional benefit that if one were to burst or tear, the others would remain unaffected.

It was the last part that she had to do. The heart and lungs that she had collected the night before had been inserted into the chest cavity and attached to the necessary parts. She had also wired the rib cage shut.

With a grin, Twilight Sparkle brought the scissors close and snipped the thread.

"Finished!" she announced. Smiling, she studied the culmination of all her work before her. Each part had been carefully selected and scanned, finding the healthiest, best developed, and proportionally appropriate pieces. It was almost perfect. If this worked, then the next time, Twilight would practice removing the skin of a pony in a single piece. Once that was done, she would be able to apply the skin over the muscles and tissue of her next creation, giving it a uniform fur pattern.

"Spike!" Twilight shouted, listening to the echo for a second.

"SPIIIKE!"

"SPIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIKE!!!"

"WHAT?!" Spike shouted back.

"How's the storm looking?"

There was a massive kaboom of thunder, echoing throughout the old mansion.

"Does that answer your question?" Spike called out.

"Yes," Twilight shouted back. "Now open the roof and raise the platform."

"Work, work, work," Spike grumbled, moving to stand up. "Not even a 'thank you, Spike,' or 'good work.' No. It's just 'Spike, pass me that tool,' 'Spike, clean this up for me,' 'Spike, drink this experimental potion for me. You probably won't explode.'"

Grabbing a handle, he started to spin a large wheel. Each movement let out a click as gears turned and chains pulled. Inch by inch, large doors lifted, pulling up to reveal the heavily clouded night sky above them.

Lightning flashed and flickered above, thunder booming and rumbling. Droplets of rain fell through the air.

Once the roof was open, Spike stopped cranking the handle. He then moved to step into what was pretty much an over-sized hamster wheel. The young dragon moved forward, pushing hard with all his weight before the thing finally started moving. Once it had started, it was easier to keep going. Spike found his pace, making the wheel turn and turn. With each spin, the platform that held the table and Twilight Sparkle rose further up into the air.

Twilight grinned, her hooves tapping with her excitement as she found herself being raised higher and higher. Her horn glowed with power as she set the final pieces into place, getting ready for the climax of her planning.

A dome shield encompassed the platform, blocking out the rain to keep her dry. The protective barrier had been built to flow around a lightning rod, allowing it to pierce through and reach high above them. Taking a hold of the wires that were attached to the rod, Twilight began to attach them to strategic points on the body, focusing around the brain and heart.

After the ride up, Twilight and the table stood on a platform above the mansion, making it the tallest structure in the area. Lightning continued to flash high above, followed by the echo of thunder. The rain struck against the shield, pooling into droplets before rolling down along the barrier and falling to the ground far below.

Twilight Sparkle cast another spell, wrapping her magic around the wires and lightning rod. The metal glowed and pulsed, shifting with the magic energy engulfing it.

Perfect, she thought to herself as she looked up at the sky. Now we just need to have the lightning.

So she waited, and watched. The lightning flashed and jumped, in blinding bright colors of white, blue, and purple. Each was marked with the boom of thunder.

Minutes passed. Twilight shifted as they did, chewing her lip and trying not to pace. She continued to stare up at the sky.

"Come on," she whispered. "Come on, come on, come on. If this was a book or movie, it would have happened almost instantly."

After a total of nearly fifteen minutes, it finally happened. Numerous bolts of lightning struck the waiting rod, sending massive amounts of electricity through it. As it did, the lightning -- and remnants of pegasus magic from the storm -- mixed with the unicorn power, fusing together before reaching the body.

The patchwork pony on the table tensed and twitched as massive amounts of magical and electrical energy pulsed through the prone form. Limbs flexed and moved. The spine pulled and twisted.

The heart pulsed.

The lightning came to an end, the body dropping limply onto the table.

"Lower the platform!" Twilight Sparkle announced.

With a huff, Spike turned to face the other direction and started to turn the giant hamster wheel again.

The creature on the table gasped, it's chest swelling as it breathed in air.

"It's alive," Twilight whispered before shouting. "It's alive! IT'S ALIVE!"

The creature opened its eyes.

It opened its mouth, and screamed.