Chapter 1 - Twilight's Rising; Rewritten
"It appears we are at an impasse. How about a trade, Princess Twilight? Their release for all the Alicorn magic in Equestria.." Offered Tirek.
Tirek snapped his fingers, and six bubbles appeared. Twilight gasped. The bubbles contained Fluttershy, Rainbow, Pinkie, Rarity, and Applejack. Twilight looked at the last one. Inside it, was Discord. Twilight did not know what to do. If she didn't take the offer, her friends would be endangered. If she did, however, Tirek would be in full control of Equestria. "Don't do it, Twilight..!" Fluttershy persuaded. Twilight, forced to make a decision that would determine the fate of Equestria, looked to her friends for guidance. She wouldn't sacrifice Equestria. No, she couldn't sacrifice Equestria. Yes, she would listen to her friend's advice. More importantly, she would keep Equestria out of danger.
Twilight growled, taking a step forward.
"No." She spat.
Growling, Tirek took a step forward. "I guess you leave me with no other choice, then." He chuckled darkly.
All of a sudden, Tirek slammed Twilight into a tree. The flora snapped upon impact, and Twilight's back snapped. Twilight grunted, falling in a pool of her own blood.
Back when Twilight took residence in Canterlot, Twilight was constantly harassed. In fact, the only ponies that she took a liking to back then were Shining, Cadence, and Celestia. Twilight had no other family, or friends for that matter. Twilight's parents never really payed attention to her or Shining, to involved in their social life to notice their children. Twilight spent most of her time in the Canterlot archives, choosing to read over socializing. Then, they came along.
Her friends.
When Twilight had left Canterlot, she'd expected it'd be another one of Celestia's futile attempts to get her to make friends. Celestia was always like that. It was always friends this and friends that. She would've been right, if the attempt was anything near futile. As it turned out, Twilight really did like having friends. It wasn't only having ponies to talk to, it was the moments they shared, the bonds they formed, the elements, the good moments, the bad moments, and all in between.
Tirek.
Twilight remembered, she remembered it all. She remembered the pain she felt from having to keep secrets from her friends. She hated him. Twilight hated how he always had that smug look in his eyes, seeming to think that stealing magic was justified because of a creature's race. She hated how he thought that he should be in a role pf leadership, when his brother had thought more than him about what they were doing. Twilight hated everything about him.
The fact that he had the nerve to mess with her, to capture her friends, and manipulate Discord. The fact that he had THE GALL to not only blackmail her, but to destroy her house as well. The fact that he had THE AUDACITY to steal not only her friends' magic, but Shining, Celestia, and Cadences' as well. Twilight wanted to see him die. No, that was too merciful. She wanted to see him die in the most slow, most painful, most gruesome, most horrific way possible.
Oh, yes.
And the last thing he'd see would be her staring at her. She imagined how satisfying it'd be to just crush his windpipe, tear out his organs one by one, or sew his mouth closed. Twilight growled, her eye twitching. No more magic stealing for you, mister Tirek. Then, Twilight remembered how all of Equestria had no magic, how he stole it. He was about to get away.
She would NOT let that happen.
Twilight's mane was engulfed in flames, as was her tail. Her fur coat was a sleek, burning white color. The back edges of her wings caught fire, making them look like Phoenix wings. Twilight's eyes seemed to go ablaze with rage, going from a dark purple to a bright orange. Twilight's cutie mark had turned a red-ish orange, the stars around it gone.
Twilight launched herself into the air, diving towards Tirek. Her horn glowed a red-ish orange aura. Screaming in fury, Twilight unleashed a torrent of red flames upon the centaur. Tirek was blown into a mountain, and he got up. He coughed a few times, feeling dizzy.
"B..buck.." He mumbled, hacking and wheezing from Twilight's previous blow.
Twilight flew past Tirek, taking a full, complete U-turn. She charged her horn up, preparing to deliver a devastating blow. Tirek, growling, hopped up from the ground. He launched himself up into the sky, diving towards Twilight. She dogged, but not completely. There was a deafening crunch sound, and Twilight grunted in pain.
He had broken her wing.
Twilight plummeted towards the ground. Desperate for a way to land softly, she shot a beam at the ground. It turned into a lake of water, almost as crystal clear as the sky.
Almost.
Twilight plummeted into the lake, all of her injuries being healed simultaneously. Then, her horn lit up. Twilight gritted her teeth.
How DARE he.
The moon rose into the sky, covering the sun. The sky was enveloped in darkness, and so was the duo's battlefield.
One by one, the stars started to enlarge themselves. And second by second, the sky got brighter and brighter. Tirek looked up, squinting at the bright sky.
"What the..?"
SLAM!
All of a sudden, Tirek was hit by an ongoing meteor. (Or, at least something that looked like said object.) Upon further inspection, it turned out to be a shooting star. The grounds were ablaze with fire and fury, and smoke dominated Twilight's line of sight. Star after star hit the ground, and second after second the atmosphere grew more tense.
Tirek's hand shot out from the rubble, and he let out a long, low pitched growl. The debris floated upwards, floating in the air before being thrown to the side. Tirek hoisted himself up, glaring at the newfound princess with hatred and annoyance.
All of a sudden, he charged towards the princess.
Luna sighed.
Back when she was a little filly, she didn't think much about death. She was too innocent. But something told her Twilight wouldn't be able to handle the task of defeating Tirek. Still, she would have faith in the young one.
For now, at least.
There were sounds. Loud sounds. Sounds that sounded like.... crying? Gasping, Luna turned around in search of a rescuer, but only found Cadence.
She was sobbing.
"Not Twilight..! Anypony but Twilight..!" She cried, head in her hooves.
"Uh, why are you crying, Cadence..?"
Celestia shot a glare at her.
"Because she's scared for Twilight. That's why. I suggest you think through any stupid questions."
Luna snorted. "Oh, sorry. I didn't know that asking why a pony is crying is that stupid.
"I suggest you shut your muzzle now before I-" Celestia started to growl, but was interrupted.
"Hey! Shut up in there..!" Said a guard, walking towards the trio of princesses.
"I think it's you that should shut up. Thou should learn who he is speaking to before using such disrespectful language."
The guard walked closer, growling at the three princesses. When he turned the corner, he was shocked at what he saw.
"You're....You're not supposed to be here...!" He said in shock, bowing.
"We would really appreciate it if you would unchain us, Guard." Luna spoke.
"Oh, uh, yeah... Sure." The guard's horn lit up, and the chains vibrated. The wobbled and wibbled, until finally snapping off the princesses' arms. Celestia looked at the guard.
"Wait a minute... This makes no sense..! You're guarding in, well... Tartarus..! How do you still have magic..!?" Cadence asked, looking up.
"Yeah, I was about to ask that myself. How do you have magic..?" Celestia questioned, looking at the guard suspiciously.
"Well, it all started when Tirek broke out. When he broke out, he stole almost everypony's magic. You see, in situations where you have, you know, an entire land attacked, there WILL be survivors. When Tirek attacked, I escaped my town and survived. Since there were such a low amount of survivors, I was called to go check if Tirek was still there. And that's my side of the story, Your Highness."
Luna snorted. "Well, you know, we have no time. I'll speak with thou later." She mimicked, Cadence giggling behind her.
"Insensitive." Celestia jeered.
"Cake eater." Luna retorted.
Just as Celestia was about to lunge, Cadence stood in between the two.
"Ladies..! We have no time..! We have to find Twilight..!" Cadence yelled.
Sighing in exasperation, Celestia flapped her wings. It was a wonder they could still fly. Flying had to do with the anatomy of a pony, not their magic. This is what made the princesses, as well as many pegasi able to fly. Sadly, they could not walk on clouds, nor could they use their magic to teleport. Or anything else for that matter. Sadly, flying without magic made the process significantly more difficult.
Panting from exhaustion, the three princesses began to fly.
-
Tirek charged, and Twilight prepared a spell to intercept it.
Twilight gasped as a voice echoed from the heavens.
"Cadence..! Look out..!"
All of a sudden, a pink alicorn was hit by Tirek instead of it's intended target. A loud snapping sound could be heard, and Twilight gasped.
It was Cadence.
Twilight ran towards her, feeling even more shock and hatred towards Tirek.
What was I expecting..? Really, Twilight, Really..!?
When Twilight finally near Cadence, she looked are her injuries.
"It's okay Twilight.. I-I'm alive.."
Hmm...Intriguing..
Looking at the alicorn, Twilight spotted a broken wing. Lighting up her horn, Twilight was about to heal her. However, before she could, the other three princesses were levitated off the ground. "Listen to me, Twilight. If you don't, the Princesses will pay."
"But... But who's gonna rule Equestria..?!" Twilight pleaded, sniffing.
"I think I know somepony who is willing to.." Tirek shot back.
"What do you want..!?" Twilight barked.
"Your alicorn magic." Answered Tirek casually.
"And you're going to give it to me." He growled darkly.
Tirek snapped his fingers, and Celestia exploded. Blood stained the castle walls, and a single drop hit Twilight's cheek. Twilight whimpered. "Every second you spend contemplating is another dead princess." Tirek snapped his fingers a second time, and Cadence fell to the ground. "So, what's it going to be, Princess Twilight?"
Twilight didn't awnser, seeming to be in some sort of trance. Tirek shouted in frustration, shooting a beam of energy directly at Twilight. Said pony jumped out of the line of fire, and the beam hit Luna instead. Luna grunted, then, after a few seconds, fell to the ground. Her body was charred beyond recognition.
Twilight, devastated and afraid, disappeared in a flash of magenta.
-
When Twilight reappeared, she was in Ponyville. She had to find her.. Her friends..! Startled, Twilight stared at the cage in the distance.
Twilight trembled.
She couldn't focus.
She couldn't see.
Tears were blocking her vision.
Twilight slowly inched toward the cage that held her friends. And Discord.
"Twilight!?" Fluttershy called, narrowing her eyes.
"Is that you, darling..?" Rarity questioned.
"Yes...Yes, it's me.." Twilight replied, shivering. "I'm gonna get you guys outta here.." Said the alicorn, looking intently at the lock. Twilight's horn glowed faintly, and the lock undid itself.
All of a sudden, a voice could be heard.
Twilight immediately cast an invisibility spell, vanishing without a trace. Tirek walked up to the cage, placing his hand on one of the bars.
"Hehheh... For a second there, I thought Twilight was here..." Tirek stopped, sniffing the air. He slowly walked forward, towards Twilight. When he was about an inch from Twilight, he lifted his head in disappointment. "I guess she's not here. Well then, I'll see you ponies later."
Then, without a second glance, Tirek disappeared. When Tirek was gone, Twilight reappeared.
"That was amazing..!" Commended Pinkie.
"Amazing!? It was awesome..!" Rainbow complimented.
"Thanks, guys." Twilight replied, trying to hide her pain.
"Twilight, are you okay..?" Pinkie questioned.
"Yeah, I'm fine" Twilight replied.
Pinkie, not wanting to press the subject further, stopped talking.
Rarity slowly opened the cage door, checking to see in anyone was there.
"That was simply divine..!" She complimented. Twilight looked at Discord, and saw an ashamed look on his face.
Discord walked up to Twilight, sighing.
"Tirek lied to me when he said this was a sign of our friendship." He said, holding up the medallion Tirek had given him. "You six offered me something I most likely never had. Our friendship means something. I see that now. Like I said, Tirek lied to me when he said this was a symbol of our friendship. But when I say it is, I am telling the honest truth." Discord apologized, putting the necklace on Twilight.
Immediately, her eyes went glossy. "T-That means a lot to me, Discord..." Twilight stopped, looking at him directly in the eye. "Thank... Thank you..." She thanked.
"Anytime." Discord said with a smile.
"Do 'ya think that might be the seventh key..?" Applejack questioned.
Twilight nodded.
"Good. I've had enough adventure for one day." Rarity said, laughing out of awkwardness.
"Okay, follow m-"
"TWILIGHT..!" Tirek shouted, galloping towards the seven of them.
Fluttershy looked at Tirek, glaring daggers towards him. "I'll hold him off. You go with them, okay..?" Fluttershy said, gesturing to Twilight.
"B-But.." Twilight protested, but Fluttershy shoved her away.
"F-Fine.. But be safe, alright..?"
Fluttershy nodded.
Twilight looked up, and saw Tirek. Immediately, she teleported her and her friends away.
Tirek looked down at Fluttershy. He snapped his fingers, and she began to sink into the grass. Fluttershy struggled, but she couldn't get away. Tirek laughed a psychotic laugh, giggling with madness. He shot a magical beam at her, and she screamed.
As Fluttershy's body became fully submerged, Tirek began to walk away.
Twilight, Rarity, Rainbow, Pinkie, Applejack, and Discord walked up to the chest.
"Okay, what now..?" Asked Rainbow. Twilight put her medallion in front of the chest, and a purple aura surrounded it. It suddenly shifted into a key, it's form twisting and bending. The chest pulled the key closer, until it was inside the keyhole. Discord turned around, and saw that Tirek was dangerously close.
"On three, everypony.." Lead Twilight glumly. Everypony put their hoof on their respective keys, except Discord, who put his claw on Fluttershy's key.
"3..." Tirek was at the edge of the forest.
"...2..." Everyone tensed.
"...1..!"
Everyone turned the key they were holding at the same time, and the chest glowed. All of a sudden, Tirek grabbed all six of them.
"You really thought you could defeat me..!?" He spat.
"What happened to Fluttershy..!?" Twilight snarled.
"She's dead. Don't worry, it doesn't , matter. You'll all be joining her." All six entity's gasped, Discord the loudest. The pony that had nurtured him, that had cared, that he betrayed; she was gone now.
The chest glowed, and a beam hit Tirek. He dropped the entities he was holding, and yelled. All of a sudden, a rainbow shot out of the chest.
The beam hit Tirek, disintergrating him immediately. An aura shot out of the chest, flying outward. "I can fly again..! Awesome..!" Rainbow exclaimed.
A orange ball of magic stood where Tirek was, and it flew over to the chest. It flew down onto it, and the chest floated in midair. It flew over to a field in Ponyville, and sunk into the ground. A castle rose from the ground, seeming to come from nowhere. It rose until it was high enough that all ponies could see it, then stopped growing. It was made of crystal. A guard came running to the scene, panting slightly. "Twilight..! The Princesses..! They're.." The guard heaved, unable to get the words out.
Twilight choked back a sob.
"D-dead, I know.." Twilight sniffled. "T-Tirek killed them.." Everyone looked at Twilight in shock.
"Well, seeing as how the princesses are gone, you're going to have to come with us." Another guard walked up to the first, whispering something in his ear. "Well, nevermind. It seems that you now have a castle in Ponyville, so you can stay here. However, we're going to have to move everything from her castle to yours. Is that okay..?" Twilight, shocked and afraid, didn't move. Slowly, she nodded shakily.
The orange guard walked up to the alicorn, hugging her.
"I'm Flash Sentry, by the way. Remember me..? I'm so sorry for your loss.." He said nuzzling her. Shaking, Twilight began to sob.
It had been a week since Twilight had became the new leader of Equestria, and Twilight was walking through her castle.
All of the Castle's objects had been moved, that is, except for the public property.
Twilight walked through the halls, stopping at a very familiar sight. The mirror to the human world. Twilight walked up to it, stepping inside of it.
If she could get some information on how computers worked in their world, then Equestria could make computers. If they could make computers, Twilight could add to public knowledge. Twilight stepped onto the pavement, jumping when she heard people calling to her.
"Hey, Twilight..! How's it been going in Equestria..?" Asked Sunset Shimmer, her friends behind her.
"O-oh, I-it's fine. I..I know you've m-made friends here t-too..! T-tell me...!"
Sunset frowned. "Are you okay, Twilight..? You don't seem that well.." Sunset questioned, concerned. Twilight's head fell, and Sunset hugged her.
"Tell me what's wrong... I won't be mad.." She comforted.
"Celestia, L-Luna... T-they're d-dead.." She sobbed.
"Wha...What..!? Twilight, shhh.. no, it's going to be alright." Sunset cooed. Twilight lifted her head, smiling slightly.
"I..I was wrong when I said you were heartless.. I'm so sorry for what happened at the fall formal.."
"It's okay, Twi... I forgive you..."
Twilight got up, standing apart from Sunset and wiping her tears.
"Thanks.. I needed that.."
"Anytime." Sunset reassured.
Finally, one of Sunset's friends spoke up.
"So, Twi, why are ya here..?" Asked Applejack. Twilight frowned.
"Oh, right. I wandering if you had any books that might advance Equestrian technology." Sunset smirked.
"You mean, like, computers, electricity, and internet..? Yeah, we've got books on those. C'mon."
Twilight fell through the mirror, a bunch of books about human technology in her hooves. The books scattered across the floor, and Twilight sighed, levitating them with her telekinesis. A guard ran into the room, helping her up.
"Princess..! Are you alright..!?" Twilight sighed.
Now she got why Cadence loved unpredictability. This was hard to put up with constantly, even for her. "Oh, my Celestia..! You must have broken a bone..! Here, let me-"
Immediately, Flash walked into the room.
"That's enough, Swordwielder. You may return to your station." Flash stated exasperatedly.
"But, the Princess..! She's hurt, and-"
Flash sighed, interrupting Swordwielder. "Twilight, are you hurt..?" Flash asked.
"Nope. All fine."
Twilight stated. Rubbing his temples, Sword ran to the door.
"Fine. But don't come crying to me when you're hurt." Flash flew over to Twilight, smiling apologetically.
"I'm so sorry you had to go through that. Sword, he's-"
"It's fine. Really, it is. Anyways, I need you to go take these and make them public knowledge. Also, ask ponies to make machines based on these things. Remember, I want these public knowledge." She repeated.
"Order obliged." He said, taking the books.
It had been a week since Applejack has last seen Twilight, and Spike was living on the farm with her. Applejack had notified the guards that Spike was practically Twilight's sibling, and they said they would notify the princess.
Still, she hadn't heard back from them.
Applejack walked up to the newly planted seeds, smiling. Though Spike couldn't do much, he had still helped a lot. Spike had used his knowledge that some trees grow after fires, creating a contained fire and planting seeds there. Spike had also helped them cook food.
Walking into town, Applejack stopped when she saw a device that looked like a book on it's side. It had some buttons that you could easily press with your hoof, and it had a shiny glass screen that shined. "What's that..?" Applejack asked, looking at the clerk.
"A laptop.." She replied nonchalantly.
Twilight sighed heavily, eyes searching the book she had obtained. It had been several months, and she had been having a hard time keeping Equestria going, due to lack of motivation. That, combined with her grieving the loss of the ponies she'd known for years, had taken a very weightful hit on the alicorn's emotions. Because of this, Equestria seemed to be withering away from malnourishment.
The doors to the castle squeaked and slid open, five mares intergrating themselves in. Twilight raised her head, seeing five of her dearest acquaintances walking in, along with her loving companion Spike. Rainbow shot over, assisting Twilight in standing up on all fours.
"Darling, what happened..? You look... Slightly pessimistic, if I do say so myself."
"Well, duh..! Twilight's lost her old teacher and babysitter..! How could you not see that..? No offense, Rarity." Pinkie emphasized, looking at Twilight sympathetically.
"Having trouble leading, sugarcube..?" Applejack spoke, smiling at Twilight comfortingly.
"Yeah..." Twilight muttered, not doing so much as to glance at Applejack as she replied.
"Well, we suspected that might be the case. We'd be mighty happy to take your place until you've finished your grievin'. " She replied, smiling.
"How'd you get in..? , Not to be off topic or anything, I just thought I'd ask."
"Well, we sorta had Shining Armor's permission to." Whispered Fluttershy, and Rainbow groaned.
"Do you even know how long it took us to get his consent..? He refused to talk to us before he knew who we were..!" She complained, her body sagging a bit compared to her wings.
Twilight looked up in curiosity, tilting her head.
"Um.. What..? Shining always replies to his subjects..!" Twilight replied, a bit startled her brother would do such a thing.
"Well, he was pretty devastated..." Muttered Fluttershy, and the others nodded.
"Ugh, it's too bad you can't modify us to be better leaders or something... I've lead before, and it wasn't pretty."
Suddenly, something clicked in Twilight's head. The other princesses may have been dead.... But she held their destinies. Twilight raised her head, then smiled.
"I have an idea, but it might not be easy. Follow me, girls."
Twilight walked into the library, her friends following close behind her. She turned around, then nodded.
This was it.
She then motioned for her friends to come in, telling them to form a circle.
"So, uh... Twilight... What's this "plan" of yours..?" Asked Rainbow, and Twilight turned around.
"You'll see..! Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh..! can't believe I'm practicing this..! This is so cool..!" Twilight replied, hugging the book. She quickly recomposed herself.
"Pinkie, stand next to Rarity, please. Applejack, please stand next to Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy, please stand equally in between."
Twilight continued to toss orders until everything was perfect, theoretically speaking. When it was, she motioned for Spike to exit the circle. Twilight's horn lit up, and a blinding white light poured spread through the room. Dark magic coursed through Twilight's veins, and bolts of electricity zapped and crackled around her Twilight concentrated, merging Applejack and Rainbow Dash. She did the same for Pinkie and Rarity. Twilight took Fluttershy's magic, exchanging it for a small chunk of Luna's magic. Finally, a shockwave of rainbow shook the room, plunging it into a state of chaos and disarray. Books fell, vials shattered, and tables flipped.
Finally, the blinding light dissipated, revealing three ponies. The first looked like Pinkie, except her eye color, coat color, and mane hue had all been exchanged for Rarity's colors. Her cutie mark was the crystal heart, as a balloon. The second looked liked Applejack, except her mane and fur coat colors had been inverted. Her cutie mark was the sun, with a comet racing past it. The third looked like Fluttershy, but her hair was tied up in a tight bun. She had glasses, and like the other two, her colors had been changed. Instead of yellow and pink, her color scheme was exchanged for Luna's. Fluttershy's cutie mark, was actually replaced with Luna's cutie mark. All three, freshly transformed ponies were alicorns.
"What happened..?" Asked Rarity and Pinkie's fusion. Her voice sounded like Pinkie's voice, except for having a British accent. Twilight would call her "Rose" for the time being.
"Yeah... Ugh... My head hurts..." Muttered Applejack and Rainbow Dashes' fusion. Solar sounded like a good name. Her voice sounded exactly like Rainbow's.
"Is anything wrong, Girls..?" Asked Fluttershy. Like the other two, Twilight would give her a nickname. How about... Moonshine. That sounded right.
Upon seeing themselves, along with their neighboring pony, they stared at Twilight, a little freaked out.
"Hmm... That's sort of weird." Rosa muttered, and the other two ponies murmured in agreement.
"Twilight-" Spike started, but Twilight was too busy looking at her friends.
"Rose, you'll be working in the Crystal Empire with Shining Armor." Twilight stated, looking at Pinkie and Rarity's fusion. Twilight knew Rarity was a good leader, and Pinkie was full of love.
The perfect combo.
"Solar Comet, you'll be working in Canterlot." Twilight spoke, looking at Applejack and Rainbow's fusion.
"And, finally, Moonshine. You'll be working along with Solar in Canterlot." Twilight concluded, looking at the pony that was previously Fluttershy.
Finally, Twilight couldn't hold it in anymore. She ran up to the trio, pulling them into a group embrace.
"I love you girls..." She stated, sniffling back tears.
"We love you too, Twilight..." Responded Moonshine, pulling away with the other two. Finally, the three ponies exited the castle, leaving Twilight and Spike.
"Twilight..."
"Yes, Spike..?"
"You do realize the spell you used was permanent..."
"Y-yes..?"
"And that it could make it so that the Elements of Harmony are defective, right..?"
Twilight gulped. She didn't read that part. Hopping up behind Spike, she looked at the book he was reading. It read:
"And any magic binded to the pony this is cast on will be removed. Remember, this spell is permanent, so be extremely cautious while casting. All misfortunes while casting are not my fault, so cast at your own risk..!"
Finally, Twilight snapped. She banged her head against the table, repeating the word "stupid" over and over. Finally she stopped, looking up.
"Shit."
Author's Note
I hope this was better than the last chapter.
