Surprise Days

To My Readers:  My apologies for how long this took to come out.  See the Afterword for a full explanation.

~ Surprise Days ~

by NoGiantRobots1983

~ Walking a Tightrope ~

Part Two

~ Let's Begin! ~

Three o'clock, the sun high in the sky, and a crowded lot in front of Town Hall.

To the east, Surprise the pegasus, a pony who had already become known around Ponyville both for her eccentricies, and for her bravery in confronting danger.

To the west, Many Me, who some of the ponies recognized as the three-time winner of the Canterlot Fighting Championship.  She was also known by another name...

"The Grand Duchess of Lavender Falls," Twilight read aloud from The Who's Who of Equestria:  Important Ponies You Should (Pretend To) Know.  "The title is unofficial, but it refers to the fact that Many Me and her husband bought out the entire town of Lavender Falls and now run it like their own private duchy, or dukedom if you prefer.  Canterlot all but recognizes the town as a separate country."

Apple Bloom had been in the library at the time.  She whistled, "Whew-wee!  They musta been some pretty fancy folk if'n they could buy out a whole country!"

"Actually, it says here that it costed Many Me and her husband almost everything they had, but then Lavender Falls turned a profit almost overnight!"

Surprise had rubbed her chin.  "That sounds a little too lucky if you ask me."

"It says here that Canterlot thought so too, and has been investigating Many Me for years.  But they've never found anything!  As far as the law is concerned, she's an upstanding citizen!"

"An upstanding citizen that goes around beating up little girls?"  Rarity had sounded offended, and had cast a worried glance at Scootaloo.  The little pegasus had a bandage wrapped around her head, but the doctors said she was gonna be fine.

Twilight had made a hmm, and glanced at the cover of her copy of Who's Who.  My edition is a few years out of date.  Maybe they've found something since?

Surprise got up.  "Well, you let me know.  I've gotta get going."

"Go where?"

"To find a sparring partner.  I wanna get in shape for the big match!"

And so she had.  Surprise had spent the hours since then at Sweet Apple Acres, where Applejack agreed to spar with her.  However, the farm girl hadn't been without worries.

"Ya'll sure this is a good idea?"  Applejack asked.  "Ah mean, if'n ya'll got a duel coming up, maybe ya oughtta save yer strength?"

"I'm sure.  My fight with Many Me will be easier if I'm already in fighting gear.  Besides, I think I'm getting a little soft."

"All righty then."

"And remember!  Don't go easy on me!"  Surprise added as a last-minute thought.  "After all, Many Me sure won't!"

"If'n ya say so, but don't blame me if yer too bruised up to fight!"

Applejack had been true to her word... for awhile.  But then suddenly she made distance, and called a halt to the training.  "We need to stop, Surprise."

"Why?"

"Take a look at yer wing.  It's got a nasty red spot on it that t'weren't there earlier."

And so she had.  Applejack repeated her earlier fear that Surprise would be so roughed up by training that she'd be unable to fight for real, and refused to practice any further.  Instead, the pegasus had been forced to take a meal and rest as much as she could before the hour struck.

Many Me noticed the spot and smirked.  "Are you sure you don't want to simply issue a written apology and call the whole thing off?"

"I won't back down," Surprise said firmly.

She couldn't.  Not in front of all these ponies.  Somehow, word had gotten around about the duel, and so many ponies had gathered to watch.  The Mayor of Ponyville sat up on the stage, clearly uncomfortable with the spectacle but unwilling or unable to call it off.  Surprise knew, also, that her pet human was sitting on top of that one cottage, watching from a high vantage point where he could see everything.

Many Me scooped with her forehoof, and snorted.  Surprise did the same.

Then the battle began!

Going to the library had not been easy for Tightrope.  The moment he stepped in there, he had a terrible flashback.  The library of Ponyville took on a different aspect, not the slightly-dirty and uneven library carved out of the innards of a large tree, but a cubical upstairs room of the strongest oak, with the straightest tables all polished to a mirror shine.  The colt had to avert his eyes, and he had to get away.  So he ran into a room he didn't realize was Twilight Sparkle's bedroom.

"Who the hay are you?"

Tightrope was forced to look up.  It sounded like a little colt had spoken to him, but he hadn't seen any boys besides himself.  Tightrope's eyes glanced around, going from inkwells to pillows to a plush doll of a baby dragon to--wait, that plush doll just moved.  In fact, it didn't look like a plush doll at all.

"Did you just talk?"  Tightrope blinked.

"What's the matter?"  The dragon answered, "Never seen a baby dragon before?"

Tightrope came towards the critter, for his curiosity had taken over.  He had heard about dragons, of course, but never thought he'd see one up close!

"Whoa!"  the dragon put up its small arms. "Personal space!"

"Sorry," Tightrope backed away a step.  "But... who are you?"

"I asked you first."

"Sorry!  My name's Tightrope.  I'm living with Surprise right now."

"I'm Spike, Twilight Sparkle's number one assistant!"

"Do you two... live in this place?"

"Yeah," Spike had caught a slight note of apprehension in Tightrope's voice.  "Is there something wrong with it?"

"It's... nice," Tightrope tried to sound complementary, "It's just... all those books."

"Yeah, and they always have to be in order too!"

"I don't like books," Tightrope admitted.  "I thought once I got away from my mom, I'd never have to see a book again."

"Your mom a big reader?"

"Worse than that.  She sits me in a room for twelve hours a day, forcing me to study or do lessons!"  Tightrope sighed.  "I don't want to be super-smart, I just want to have fun!"

Spike seemed a little confused at that sudden outburst, but he perked up at the mention of fun.  "Well, there's plenty of games around here!  Come on, I'll show you!"

Both ponies clutched at each other, each had their forehooves around the other's neck, and pushed with their hind legs.  Surprise pushed hard, trying to topple Many Me, but as the struggle went on she began to realize this was futile.  Surprise swung her free forehoof back--

All the sudden Many Me dropped and shot out a hind leg, sweeping Surprise off-balance!  No sooner had the pegasus hit the ground, then Many Me had brought both her fores to bear on Surprise's stomach!

Many Me lowered her face to Surprise's ear, and whispered sinisterly, "Looks like I got the first clean strike.  There's still time to surrender.  What do you say?"

Surprise said nothing, but her hoof to Many Me's chin conveyed the message better than words ever could.  The pegasus rolled aside and bounced back onto her hooves, and quickly considered her next move, even as she saw Many Me come running...

The baby dragon hadn't been kidding about games!  The kinds of games Ponyville had were different than what Tightrope had seen at Surprise's place, but that somehow made them more interesting.  He got the idea that "bounce the ball into the goal on the other player's head" was the kind of game Tightrope felt was most special... the kind of game normal foals played.  Him and Spike got so engrossed in this and hide-and-seek and I Spy that Tightrope barely heard it when Twilight came into the room and spoke.  Yet his inner mind told him she had said something he needed to hear, and Tightrope asked Twilight to repeat it.

"I said Surprise left to find a sparring partner.  She told me to keep you here and not let you go outdoors without somepony to protect you."

"Protect him?"  Spike asked with astonishment.  He asked Tightrope, "Is someone after you?"

Twilight explained, "Yes!  There's a pony claiming to be Tightrope's mom who tried to make off with him earlier!  Surprise is fighting her in a duel this afternoon."

"A duel?  Awesome!"

"We can't go watch, Spike."

The baby dragon looked very disappointed.

Twilight explained, "Many Me has the power to clone herself.  Her earlier attempt to kidnap Tightrope was interrupted by Surprise and Rainbow Dash, and Rainbow Dash thinks that she's trying to keep everypony busy with the duel so another of her clones can make off with him!"

Spike stood at attention, and gave a soldieresque salute.  "Well she won't get past me!"

"Me either!  I'm not leaving the library until Surprise gets back.  You shouldn't either, Tightrope!"

Tightrope gulped.  "But... I'll be surrounded... by all those... books."

"I thought you liked books!"

"No, I don't!  I don't want to be stuck at a desk studying until Surprise gets back!"

Twilight raised an eyebrow.  "Who said anything about studying?  Scootaloo said you liked The Ninja Hamsters.  I've got almost the whole series!"

The Ninja Hamsters, the mere mention of that name brought a warm and fuzzy feeling to Tightrope.  He immediately asked, "Where are they?"

"Come, follow me!"  And so he and Spike did.  Twilight Sparkle led them out of her room and to a shelf near the back of the main room.  This was marked as "Foal's Books."  Tightrope did not resist the urge to pull out Ninja Hamsters #1 as soon as he saw it, and let it plop to the ground, and let the image on the front cover stare up at him.  It was probably a cliche image, four hamsters in different-colored masks holding ninja weapons, while a villainous pony with claws loomed threateningly behind them, and yet the sight of it stirred something deep in Tightrope's soul.

He barely realized he was crying.

"Is something wrong?"  Twilight asked.

Tightrope lay on his belly, and looked at the cover.  His mind was so overwhelmed with a warm thought that for a moment he didn't answer.  "I... used to have a Ninja Hamsters poster in my bedroom.  When I was three.  I think my dad bought it for me, but... I don't know.  It looked just like this.  Then... then one day, it disappeared."

"Did somepony steal it?"  Spike asked.

Tightrope shook his head, but then reconsidered.  "I mean, I guess so... last year, mom had... left me in the library to do my lessons.  And it... it was one of those days.  I didn't want to do them.  So I explored our house.  And... I found our attic.  And in the back... there was my Ninja Hamsters poster, and some of the books.  And all the sudden, I remembered that it used to be in my room.  I don't know how I remembered, but I did..."

Twilight stroked Tightrope's mane, as the little colt reached out and opened the book.  The motion was smooth, automatic, as if Tightrope was driven by something deeper than a simple search for amusement.  Even as he flipped pages, his eyes watered, and at chapter one, he said, "I started reading this book... but... I never finished.  Mom found me in the attic.  She was furious... she whipped me, forced me to do double-lessons... and made me go to bed hungry.  But that wasn't even the worst part... I woke up in the middle of the night, and smelled smoke... and I looked out the window... there was this huge fire... and in the morning, the attic was empty."

Tightrope sniffed, and turned the page.

Many Me came almost too fast for Surprise to think.  In times like this, the pegasus really felt her age--had she been but a decade younger, she would've won by now!  But stiff joints and a mind that increasingly refused to work were handicapping her severely, and it wasn't until almost the last possible moment that Surprise decided on a course of action.

She dived under Many Me in a corkscrew turn, so she faced up at the spotted mare's belly.  Even this hadn't been pulled off without a hitch, for the mare in question had grazed her chin.  Yet the desired position was attained:  As Many Me flew over her, Surprise lashed out with all four legs, launching Many Me into the air!

The earth pony landed gracefully.  If she felt any pain from the attack, she did not show it.  Instead, Many Me was smiling!

"It's too bad you refused my generous offer," Many Me remarked, "I shall strive to settle this as painfully as possible!"

As Surprise took a deep breath, the pegasus realized something:  She was sure getting tired of playing on the defensive side.  Fine then!  Time for a change of tactics.

Surprise slowly approached Many Me, waiting for the three-time Canterlot Champion to actually do something, but the mare found this move suspicious.  Just as well.

When Surprise threw a punch, Many Me ducked under and bit at Surprise's knees!

Oh, so you wanna play dirty, do ya?

Surprise tackled the mare, and they rolled around on the grass, biting and clawing like a pair of dogs fighting over the last scrap of meat.  Many Me gained the dominance and brought her weight down upon Surprise, but the pegasus threw one quick punch so powerful it very nearly broke Many Me's neck!  It was at least enough to stun the spotted pony, and Surprise jumped up and lunged at her!

Almost before Surprise had time to register it, Many Me placed a forehoof on the ground and pivoted off it, doing a continuous spinnning kick that forced Surprise to step away.  Then Many Me launched from this directly into a flying tackle which knocked Surprise on her back!  Even when the pegasus countered with a roll that placed her, for once, on top of Many Me, the spotted mare seemed to have counted on this and used the exact same four-hoof strike that Surprise herself had used earlier!

A strange taste came to the side of Surprise's mouth, and she just barely had time to realize it was the taste of her own blood.

Tightrope's tears had run dry by the time he finished Ninja Hamsters #1, and he was about to hit up the second book when all the sudden four new books landed right next to him.  Tightrope glanced at Twilight, who seemed eager that he should look at them, and he gave their covers a glance.  The Fairy Tales of Daydream Believer, The Myths and Legends of Daydream Believer, The Fantasies of Daydream Believer, and The Collected Letters of Daydream Believer.

"Who is Daydream Believer?"  Tightrope asked, looking at the back covers, each of which showed the same handsome, ivory-white unicorn stallion with a mane like chocolate silk, whose smile seemed somehow beyond the cares of the world.

"Why, he's your father!"  Twilight answered.  "I looked him up in the Who's Who.  Seems he was a realtor before helping your mom buy out Lavender Falls, and he used his free time writing.  He's actually very highly acclaimed!"

"Oh," Tightrope let out an uninterested sigh, and pushed the books aside to go back to looking at Ninja Hamsters.

Twilight cast the colt an uncertain glance, and left him alone.  Yet she decided to leave the books by his side, should Tightrope change his mind.  She was pleased when Sweetie Belle came to investigate, and started reading one of the Daydream Believer books.

The pegasus staggered in her step, but managed to balance herself.

If only she were younger!  In her twenties, even in her tens, someone like Many Me would've been no problem!  Her patterns, her strategies... they were so obvious!  Surprise wondered, briefly, if she should use... that.  Then she remembered the encounter with the Beezoid Queen, and how it had gone so badly.  No... she mustn't put all her cards on the table too soon!

Many Me was already in front of her, turning to deliver a kick which caught Surprise square on the nose!  As the pegasus got back up, she told herself Think, dagnabbit!  How can I be doing so poorly?  Surprise tensed up, and told her brain, we're going to fight and we're going to win!  Don't you dare abandon me!

Her brain seemed to get the message, for at just that moment Surprise became aware of another strike coming from the side, and somehow was in time not only to duck under it, but to come back up ramming her head into Many Me's chin!  Surprise felt her energy slipping, and chose to press her advantage.  She jumped forward, and threw punch after punch, some hit, some didn't.  She had nearly pressed Many Me into the crowd when Surprise put her forehooves down and spun upon them, whipping her hind legs around to grab Many Me by the neck, then carry her through the air to ram her head into the ground!  If only the ground hadn't been so soft, Many Me might've been finished then and there.

Running short of breath, Surprise decided now was her best shot, and she grabbed Many Me around the neck... and then suddenly, something tackled Surprise from the side!

"Wow," Scootaloo commented, "You go through those Ninja Hamsters pretty fast!"

Tightrope smiled.  Each book would've probably taken a normal kid an hour or two to read, but for him they went by in half an hour, an hour at most.  He glanced up at the walls, and then asked, "Anypony know the time?"

"It's just past three," Twilight told him after glancing into the kitchen.  "Surprise is probably fighting her duel now."

Rarity nodded, "We shall all pray for the best!"

Sweetie Belle beamed, "In the meantime, why don't you check out some of your dad's Fairy Tale books?"

"No thanks," Tightrope sighed and looked away.

Sweetie Belle arched an eyebrow.  "But why?  They're such pretty stories!  Actually... I read the foreword too.  Your dad makes me think of Surprise."

Tightrope had tried not to pay attention, but he slowly found himself regarding Sweetie Belle and taking in her words.  Interest must've been written in his face, for Sweetie Belle turned the pages and said, "Here, I'll show you.  This part says that in one of his letters, Daydream Believer wrote:  I don't think of my stories as fantasies.  Faith, trust, and pixie dust are all real, we just don't want to see them.  And here, your dad says Youth is strength.  To be young is to be you at your best.  If people say I act like a child, that's a compliment.  And here he says, I love--"

"Those are all very pretty words."

Every pony's head jerked towards the doorway, almost of their own accord.  Their ears had to be deceiving them, but those were backed by the testimony of their eyes.

Rainbow Dash flew down in front of Many Me and raised a challenging hoof, and demanded to know, "What are you doing here?"

"I came to fetch my son, of course!"

"I thought you were fighting a duel!"

"I am, right now!  And that old vagabond is doing quite poorly, she's already bloodied her lip!"  Many Me chuckled in self-satisfaction, and glanced towards the volume Sweetie Belle held.  "Ah, yes, my dear husband's silly little stories.  Tightrope, isn't it ironic how a stallion like him could write such naive fertilizer?"

Tightrope gulped.  "Y-yeah..."

Rarity asked aghast, "What do you mean, 'a stallion like him?'  Surely he must've been the ideal husband!"

"He was... for a few years.  But the strain of having a son to take care of was too much for him!  Tightrope is too young to remember, but his father would fly into drunken rages!  Bottles breaking all around the house, hoofs slamming on walls!  I would beg and plead with him not to harm my defenseless little baby!  And he didn't... he'd beat one of my clones to death instead, and leave me to feel the psychological pain of death..."

Many Me attempted to hug her son, but Rainbow Dash plucked the colt from her grasp, stared at her suspiciously.  Tightrope glanced up at Rainbow Dash, then nervously bit on his hoof and turned around with eyes wide.  "Mom...?  Did you really... do that for me?"

"She's lying, kid!"  Rainbow Dash accused.

"Of course I did!"  Many Me said with a voice like an angel.  She blinked briefly, and smiled sweetly with a sigh.  "Tightrope, everything I've done in life has been for your benefit.  I even chose your father because he had strong genes and no family history of illness!  The day you were born, I said, 'he will be the perfect child.  Some day, he will be the perfect pony'.  Then when I'm gone, you will take over Lavender Falls!"

Tightrope's eyes teared up.  His heart argued with his mind, the one being wary while the other wanting to entirely give in to the woman who had given him life.  Rainbow Dash whispered something, but Tightrope didn't hear it.  He had just about reached his hooves out to his mom--

"I took Tightrope to the circus today.  We looked at the lions, saw the clowns--Tightrope loves clowns--and then we watched the flame juggler.  He was a very well-behaved child, always stayed near me.  I think he was happiest most when we saw the show in the tent, with the acrobats.  I told him 'that's where your name comes from, my boy'.

"The Missus didn't like it.  My wife spent half the evening giving me a piece of her mind.  She told me I would spoil and corrupt the boy.  Many Me is like a woman from a military academy.  I agree that he needs a formal education, but for Celestia's sake woman, he's only two years old!"

Before anypony knew what was happening, Many Me ripped the tome from Sweetie Belle's magic grasp and flung it across the room.  But the spotted mare was not done, she felt an overwhelming compulsion to smash that book, to tear it to pieces!  The other ponies watched aghast, for Many Me was no longer suave and refined.  She was like an animal, lost in the red haze of anger.  Her way of attacking the book and tearing it to shreds was that of an angry dog killing a defenseless little kitten, a power and brutality that they never suspected a pony could possess!  Rainbow Dash hugged Tightrope a little tighter, but whether this was for the child's comfort or for her own was anypony's guess.

Surprise rolled across the grass until she came to a stop.  Her sides ached, and the breath had been knocked out of her.  She struggled to get up, to see what had happened.

It somehow didn't surprise her to see two Many Mes.  The one was still struggling, but the other... the other was fresh as a daisy!

Surprise finally came to her hoofs, panted.  "Is this how you won the Canterlot Championships?"

Many Me smirked and shook her head.  "I just thought, seeing as this is a private duel, that the ponies here deserved a show!"

"That's cheating!"  A mare cried out from the audience, inciting roars of agreement.

Yet Many Me seemed unperturbed by these cries.  Her focus was entirely on Surprise.  The pegasus was doubting now.  She had barely managed against Many Me when she herself was fresh.  Could she hope to defeat her when Many Me is fresh and she herself was already in pain?

Many Me seemed to have the same thought.  The strides she took towards her opponent were bold, confident.  She grabbed Surprise's chin like it was a bauble she was holding up for her perusal.  And Surprise made up her mind.

"I'm not gonna lose."

And then the pegasus bit Many Me's hoof, and when the spotted mare drew back Surprise launched at her, flew under her and struck one concentrated blow in the belly.  She didn't stop there, as she forced her forehooves around the mare's form and fought to put Many Me on the bottom.  Surprise had one plan.  Break her neck.

It was a valiant struggle, but Surprise couldn't keep her grip.  Many Me jumped away, and then came darting back and turning just in time for a classic bronco buck.  Somehow, by some miracle, Surprise read the signs and saw this coming, ducked under it and pushed the legs up from beneath, forcing Many My to roll hooves-over-head onto her back.  Was this Surprise's chance?  The pegasus readied a strike aimed at Many Me's neck.  She struck!

She hit dirt.  Many Me had rolled away, was getting up--

All the sudden a bang rang out.

When Twilight Sparkle got over the awe of what she had seen, she approached Many Me and said, "You're going to pay for that book!"

But something about those deep breaths made Twilight want to back away.

Tightrope clutched Rainbow Dash tightly, his eyes still on his mother.  But now, they were not scared eyes, nor were they watery eyes.  They were questioning eyes.  They were wondering eyes.

"I think I remember the circus," Tightrope said to himself, not realizing he had spoken aloud until he saw Sweetie glance at him.  "Yeah... there was this elephant, and they painted its face white.  Except it's trunk, that was red.  And for some reason, some ponies wore these really tight green suits.  It was a lot of fun..."  Tightrope's eyes wandered back over to his mother, and he stopped talking.  There was something about that look in her eyes...

"Fun."  Many Me almost laughed out the word.  "Fun is an addiction.  Ponies work their fields, sell their wares, make their crafts, all day and all night.  Any one of these ponies could be rich and powerful now!  But they aren't.  Because they spend all their earnings on cupcakes or fairy tale books or visits to the opera.  That is why I never allowed you to have fun, Tightrope.  I didn't want you to become an addict!"

"Hold on!"  Twilight Sparkle raised her hoof.  "I agree studying is important, but he can't do nothing but study!  How is he going to learn how to deal with life if he never lives?  How is he going to learn to deal with ponies if he never meets any?"

"I'll train him!  It's all a matter of routine, isn't it?"

Rainbow Dash quipped, "Yeah, I see you've got your 'routine' down pat."

Tightrope watched his mom as she argued with the ponies.  He noticed her every glance, the shake of every hoof.  And there was this strange feeling, like his mind was expanding, and he was suddenly aware... more aware than he had ever been.  The way his mom's fore-left hoof twitched like that... it reminded him... of something... an image was coming to his mind.

"You twitched like that before,"  Tightrope mumbled, again unaware that he was speaking at all.  "And... before that, you grabbed your head, and cried out in pain... I think that was a brusselsprouts night... you rolled on the floor... I ran to your side... you lay there... I thought.... you... you stood up... and you twitched your hoof, just like that... and then you looked at me... and said, 'Dad's not coming home tonight'."

Tightrope only became aware he had said that allowed because Rarity picked up, "And in the park, Surprise snapped your clone's neck... and then you screamed with pain and started grabbing your neck..."

The silence in the room felt like a drum roll that was building to an explosive crescendo.  Tightrope felt a new force taking over his body.  A power he had never known before.  A feeling.  He was... for the first time in his life, he truly hated someone.  Not just disliked or felt threatened by, but hated, so much so, that...

"Rainbow Dash, take me to the duel."

Many Me reached out a hoof, but the pegasus was too fast.  The last thing Tightrope heard, before he flew out the window in Rainbow Dash's grip, was Many Me declare "He would've ruined you!  Tightrope!"

Many Me and Surprise both glanced aside, even though Surprise knew immediately where the shot had come from.  There was only one person she knew who owned a gun, and that was her own pet human.  Sure enough, Raydence had drawn and aimed his magical delirium-inducing Marle-gun!

And what had he shot?  Why... the Many Me who had fallen earlier!

Surprise quickly pieced the story together in her mind.  Obviously, she had been about to get up and interfere, but Raydence had decided it was time to call shenanigans on it and put her down.  The Many Me on the ground was rolling on the grass, seeming in a haze of not pain, but rather comfort and joy!  And it seemed even to spread to the one still standing, for that one said, "I've... never known a rapture like this..."

The one still standing shook her head, and seemed almost as if she cut herself off from the feelings of the other.  In that moment Surprise realized she had a chance, and jumped on the Many Me who was doing her best Pinkie Pie impression, grabbed it by the back and broke its neck!

It was only dead for a second, and then it became a ball of light that wisped into the one that was still standing.  This visual took all of a half-second to play out.  Then, the Many Me that remained cried out in pain.  Her eyes went wide with horror, and she grasped her neck.

Surprise was about to use this moment to attack, but the crowd held her back.  One mare whispered, "Don't!  Can't you see she's in pain?"

"It's psychosomatic!"  Surprise explained, "Give her a moment and she'll separate the clone's memories from her own!"

"Yes..." Many Me exclaimed in a gasp, "Yes, all I need is a moment!  Ah!"

It was clear to all that the pain was gone.  Her wide eyes returned to normal, with a look of greater confidence.  Her hooves returned to the ground.  She flicked her mane as if she were a supermodel posing for a beauty shot.  She glanced at Surprise, and at the crowd, and said, "Looks like you missed your chance, Surprise."

"That's enough!"  One of the crowd ponies cried.  "She killed you first!  She wins!"

Many Me smirked.  "I don't think so.  You see, this isn't a formal duel.  This is a street fight.  And in a street fight, the battle is to the death.  As long as one of my selves lives, Surprise can never win!"

"So Surprise whupped you so hard you had to call in a clone, huh?"

Many Me and Surprise whipped around, Many Me surprised and Surprise delighted to see Rainbow Dash in the center of the battlefield!  Surprise asked, "What's this about?"

"Why," Many Me declared gleefully, "My son has come to cheer me on, isn't that--"

Many Me reached out her hooves to hold her son in a loving embrace.  The boy wrestled his way out of Rainbow Dash's grip... and smacked Many Me hard in the nose!  Everypony gathered could see how her mind went blank in that very moment.  The child's blow could not possibly have hurt, but... but who expects to be attacked by their own flesh and blood?

Tightrope gave Many Me a derisive hmph, and then walked over and hugged Surprise, very lovingly.  Surprise, wounded and battle-worn as she was, seemed to become warmer, stronger somehow as the child silently lavished her with affection.

Then Tightrope glanced up at her, and said, "Mom?  You'll win, right?"

And then Surprise's mind also went blank.  Her eyes saw the world.  Her ears heard the world.  Yet her mind didn't think of the world.  Her mouth answered, "Of course I will!"  And yet it felt almost as if her mouth had spoken on its own accord.  For as she noticed Tightrope nod, saw Many Me get up, saw Rainbow Dash carry Tightrope to the safety of a housetop...

Even as the battle resumed, and Many Me lashed out with a greater fury than before, and Surprise saw each blow and dodged them almost by magic...

Even as Surprise found an opening and attacked with all her might, uppercutting Many Me into the air...

Even as Surprise stood on her hind legs, readied her forehoofs, and yelled "POWER--"

Her mind was consumed entirely by one thought, the happiest thought she had ever held in her entire life.

He called me "Mom."

"--GEYSER!"

Surprise drove her forehooves into the ground, and all around erupted a fountain of energy from the very magic of the Earth itself, lashing up like a beautiful blue fountain.  Was it fire?  Was it electricity?  Was it some other kind of energy altogether?  Who knew.  All that mattered was that Many Me was caught in it, and the explosive blast burned her, fried her, and sent her flying through the air and over the heads of the crowd.  When she landed, it seemed almost that she hit the ground in slow motion, bounced once with a resounding thud, and then came to a complete stop.

Rainbow Dash and Tightrope came down, and the little colt jumped out of Dash's hooves and onto his real mom's back.  And even though Surprise was scratched up worse than a cat toy, and had that nasty-looking red stain on her wings, and blood dripping from her lips... she somehow didn't feel that bad.

Dear Princess Celestia,

We had quite a big deal going on here in Ponyville!  I missed all the good parts because I was here in my library, but I'm sure it'll all be in the papers before long, about the duel between Surprise and the Grand Duchess of Lavender Falls, who it turns out is also a horrible mother and even a murderer!  One of her 'selves' (as she called them) who we captured in my library outright confessed that she killed Daydream Believer, for being a good father.

You see, their house in Lavender Falls is--sorry, was--located on a big hill, with a high cliff.  All Many Me had to do was go for a walk with him one day, and then push him off with her.  But she can make clones of herself, so she sent a clone on the walk, and fell with him, to make sure he didn't grab any branches or do anything that might save him.  It's so sad, that somepony whose stories gave hope and joy to foals all over the world had to end up with a crazy like her.  At least he can rest well knowing that his son, Tightrope, has found a good home.

I never thought about it before, but it really shows you that there's a difference between a real family, and a biological one.  I wonder how many foals out there are born to parents who are like Many Me, who don't really love them but just see them as trophies of some sort, or perhaps future slaves.  That's just the wrong way to raise kids.  Kids should be treated with the same respect and attention that you'd treat anypony else.  They shouldn't be seen as inferior.  Less educated and more innocent maybe, but they're still individuals, and not playthings!

Your faithful student,

Twilight Sparkle

P.S.  I've been told to advice a watch.  The real Many Me is still out there somewhere, and nopony knows how many of her clones there are.  Nopony save Many Me herself.

Far east of Ponyville, in the desolate loneliness of the hills, there stood a house.  Those who saw it would say its remarkably well-maintained, and rather luxurious for being so removed from civilization.  It almost felt like a house more suited for the city.

In this house, in a bedroom on the upper floor, sat Many Me, deep in thought.  Sitting, waiting, plotting.  In the next room, another Many Me busied herself with dusting, and yet elsewhere, one was cooking dinner.  All over the house were Many Mes, each busying themselves with a self-chosen chore, and none of them knowing who the "original" Many Me is.  Yet they all wanted the same thing.

A son, who they could raise to be the perfect child.

But Tightrope had been corrupted!  Should they give up and simply bear new seed?  They immediately rejected this thought, after all the first seed is always strongest, and besides the only perfect candidate for fatherhood had been thrown out with the trash a long time ago.  Besides, the only thing keeping them from their firstborn was a podunk little town of country hicks, and a silly old pegasus who by all rights should be dead.  It was simply a run of bad luck that had kept Many Me from achieving her objective.

Yet, even as Many Me thought of this, she realized that sooner or later, Ponyville's luck had to run out.

She longed for the day when she would hold Tightrope, and force him to look at the crushed and gutted body of the pegasus he considered his mom...

The battle against Many Me continues in the final Surprise Days story

~ Miracle Road ~

Hitting the Internet in 2013!

~See you next Scene!~

Afterword

As I promised, here's the explanation for why I broke my word and posted Part Two a few days late.

What happened was, as I was writing in the BBCode markup, I realized... the original draft of Part Two kinda sucked.  Originally, it was mostly a ton of exposition, followed by the duel.  The duel, in that version, consisted basically of Many Me trying to overwhelm Surprise with her clones, but Surprise effortlessly saw through it and kicked her flank.

It's funny how that worked out.  I talked it over with a friend, and wondered what I could do to make the fight more exciting.  We knew one thing... it had to go much harder for Surprise.  I felt like I could do more with Many Me.

It finally hit me through discussion that my whole problem was, I was overplaying the whole "Many Me can clone herself" thing.

I don't like Superpowers, to be honest.  It's way too tempting to make the power the be-all end-all of everything, and... to a large extent, it sometimes comes off as cheap writing.  "Urr, this villain so threatening cuz her poop is nuclear!"  is a very easy way to establish a threat, and easy just isn't my style.

Then I realized, Many Me is a martial artist.  In Part One, Many Me claims that Surprise only drove her off the first time due to a lucky shot.  What if that was literally true, and in a real fight Many Me could actually hold her own against Surprise?  It makes Many Me more convincing.  It also makes her cloning powers that much scarier.

I realized I had my answer.  And over the next few days, I revised the draft, and today, I finished it.

I'm aware there are a few problems with the posted draft--I kinda think the "Surprise's half, Tightrope's half" thing might get confusing--but I knew that if I don't post it now, I'll never post it, so I said "no more revisions, it's go time!"

And here we are.

Now that you have your explanation, I hope you enjoy the story, raw though it may be.  Surprise will see you again in 2013!