Author's Note

With the successful (at least, successful to me :V) start of Fractures in a direction that I'm actually happy with, that leaves a little something that otherwise would've been fated to fade into obscurity:

Fractures mid-2024 edition.

This previous version of the story was posted on July 5th, 2024, almost a full half a year before the version that is out now. It is a very, very different take on Fractures compared to every other version I have written before or since, and in fact was a direct attempt to carry on the story of Splintershard given that I left the door open for a sequel story when I completed that fic.

However, it was far too radical of a departure from the Fractures that I wanted to write, and felt too much like I was trying to force a story that I wasn't prepared for nor had the drive to write. But I'm not the kinda person that likes to unpublish stories and leave them to rot, hidden away forever, so here we go! The two chapters of Fractures (mid-2024)! Only one of these chapters was ever posted (not counting Crumble, which was PE#2), but the second was never published since I made the decision to scrap the story and return to the project's roots in the middle of writing it.

It was only a little over a month later when I started posting my Project Emphenom mini-anthology here within What If, and by how excited I've been to keep this story moving now with the running start I've given myself across all these experimental chapters plus the beginning of a full fic, I think it was one of the best decisions I've made in my writing hobby in quite some time.

Anyway, let's do some more archival-type stuff now to round things off. Gotta have everything, y'know?

(I'd even picked another nice story ID of 550055 for it! The live version of Fractures carries on the tradition as ID 550066 instead since I didn't want to fully nuke the old story. Call my a data hoarder.)

(Also because I do plan on re-integrating some ideas from that version of Fractures into the current live version as well. Maybe perhaps watch out for the next chapter whenever that drops.)

Fractures

[MLP: FiM] [Violence] [Dark] [Adventure] [Slice of Life] [Alt. Universe] [Twilight] [Other]

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What happens when the world falls apart beneath your hooves?

"You find your footing."

Twilight stared at the unending sea of abstract shapes before her. Friends, family, places--all lost. It only took a single moment for everything to flip on its head.

Finding her way back wasn't going to be easy.

But she wasn't going to do it alone.

A standalone sequel to Splintershard. No prior reading is necessary. There also likely will be very little relation to the eventual original fiction release.

---

A coin for your lowly wordsmith?

Project (Not Really)Emphenom #20: Fractures: Flicker

Bzzt.

Twilight blinked. What was she doing again? She stared down at her hooves, then at the rest of her body. Why was she so... roughed up?

More importantly...

She winced. It stung. More than anything she'd ever felt. A growing headache clenched down like a vice on her skull.

"Spike?" she cried out, pressing her good wing against her pulsing wounds.

She had a good wing? Er--

Twilight lifted her left wing--or at least, tried to--eliciting pain beyond anything she'd felt before. Her yelp echoed out all around her. All around... the...

The...

She grit her teeth. This wasn't Ponyville. Nor was it Canterlot. Drab, grey buildings towered around her, some leaning precariously as if preparing to pounce should she turn her back. A damp wind gurgled through the street she found herself in.

A drop of rain landed on her muzzle. Another.

"Oiiiii!" a voice shouted through the rain. Twilight lifted her head.

The mare beckoned her inside. "Whatcha doin' out there in the rain? Come in, it's dangerous out this time of day. You'll catch a cold too if you keep standing out there the way you are."

Thunder rolled overhead. Twilight slowly approached the mare. "Do... you know where we are?"

"Mmm-hm," she raised a hoof to her chin as Twilight entered. "Memory loss, huh? You bonk your head somewhere out there?"

"Did not!" Twilight spun around.

"Uh-huh. Just like how that barely-there stump of a horn is perfectly fine."

...What.

Wait, what?

Twilight reached a hoof up to where her horn... used to be. There was hardly anything left! She slowly lowered her hoof, trembling at the sight of her own blood.

"Your wings don't look like they're in any good of a shape either," the mare hummed as she circled around Twilight. "Just from the angle, I can tell that you at the very least broke that one."

"Wait, wait--" Twilight yelped as the mare lifted her wing. She winced through her words. "You...'re not surprised by me... urk... being an ali--aah!"

The mare jerked away from Twilight's flailing. "Nope. You could have a second head for all I care. Now settle down so I can set your bones."

"Why..." Twilight seethed through her teeth at the continued movement of her wing. "All of this?"

The mare began wrapping her wing in a splint. "Well for starters, you're injured. And I'm a nurse. It's the least I can do. Apologies for not having anything to dull the pain this whole time. Take a seat if you need to."

Twilight watched as she retreated through a doorway. Her gaze turned to the beat-up couch to the side. She approached it, warily eyeing the deep gashes and stains ingrained into its finishing. If this and the buildings around them were any indication, it meant--

The mare returned with another piece of wood. "Secondly, if an alicorn--an injured one at that--was spotted in the alley, I'm sure they'd be hauled away to who-knows-where, never to see the light of day again."

"You've seen other--"

"No, I haven't. But I've seen plenty of neighbors vanish without a trace. Stay still now."

Twilight closed her eyes.

A distant crash reverberated across the structure, followed by shouts. Twilight's eyes shot open. First in the direction of the noise, then to the mare.

"Sounds like it happened again," she pulled back. "There. How's that feel? Too tight?"

Twilight shook her head. "I've been meaning to ask. Who are you? What happened here?"

The mare whistled. "You really wanna know, huh?"

A nod.

"Redheart. Lemme get you something for that poor forehead of yours. I'll--"

"Wait, Nurse Redheart?" Twilight shot up. "Is this Ponyvil--"

"Sh--" Redheart shushed. "I was a nurse up until a couple years ago. I don't know what this Ponyville place is that you're talkin' about though."

A knock came at the door.

"Stay here behind the corner. I'll answer it."

Twilight crouched against the couch. Redheart approached the door. Whoever it was behind it knocked again. Harder.

She opened the door. "I'm so sorry for leaving you waitin--"

"Is this your house?" the stranger growled. They placed a hoof between the door and the frame before peering in. "You there, behind the wall. What were you doing outsi--"

"She has nothing to do with this," Redheart tried to pull the door shut. "If you don't have any business here then please leave." She looked over her shoulder with a stern glare. Though she didn't say a word, Twilight could read it on her lips.

"I thought I told you to hide."

"I know you're hoarding wealth, miss," the gruff voice continued. "How else would your family be able to build a new house like this? You've grown bold, harboring such a suspicious pony on top of all of that. I see that remnant of horn on her."

"Please understand sir, we constructed this place by our own effort. That mare you saw has nothing to do with us. I simply saw that she was injured and--"

A distinct click caught Twilight's attention. Carefully, she peered around the corner again.

"I'll only say this once," the stallion forced his way inside, revolver pointed squarely at Redheart. "Sign this building over to us, and neither you or your family will be hurt. Give us that mare, too. If she has nothing to do with you then I'm sure you have no issue in letting her come with us."

"We both know this is illegal. So, my response to that is no."

The stallion lifted a brow as he flashed a badge. "If I say it's legal then there will be nothing to report. Just another moneybag being eliminated for the good of the--"

"Excuse me!" another voice came from behind the uniformed stallion.

"What?" he turned.

It was only for a moment, but it was enough time for Redheart to scramble behind the wall. She slammed the window open, mouthing for Twilight to follow.

"Get back here!" the stallion charged into the room, pointing his gun at the two. "You have three seconds before I shoot."

Twilight looked between him and Redheart, who was currently dragging her through the frame. She grit her teeth and lifted her good wing. It wouldn't be much against a bullet, but--

"What are you doing, officer?"

Yet another unseen voice. This one visibly shook the stallion's resolve.

"A-apprehending a suspect in the name of our people, sir!"

"By stripping them of the very home they built with their own hooves and throwing them to the streets? You should be ashamed of yourself. Do you see the room you stand in? This family has no riches to speak of. They are like us."

"But their family name! This house belongs to a descendant of one of the wealthiest businessowners in the city! Would you dare overlook that? And what of the mare with both wings and a horn?"

"And I ask you again--" the owner of the voice finally stepped out from behind the wall. He peered at Twilight first, then Redheart beneath her. "--do these ponies look wealthy to you? You can rip up their floors and their walls. You can empty their drawers and their cabinets. And I can assure you that you will not find a thing of value. That purple mare is of no interest to us anyway. You claim she has both wings and a horn, but I saw only wings and head wound. Come with me. We need to talk."

"Hmpf. Very well then," the stallion with the gun stomped out. "Know that I will be watching you and your family closely. Just as I do your neighbors, your friends, and everyone else in this district."

The door slammed shut. Twilight felt Redheart push on her now. She tumbled from the windowsill to the floor with a pained groan, with Redheart climbing back in after her.

"Those corrupt officials," she grumbled under her breath. She brushed herself off. "Er--sorry about the unexpected excitement, you..."

"Twilight," Twilight picked herself up. She winced at the pain radiating from her left wing. "What was that all about? Who were those?"

"Nothing you need to worry about. They already said all you needed to know about me," Redheart sighed. She sat down on the couch and let herself sink in. "Open the door and let them. I know they're waiting outside and I know they're friendly."

Twilight stepped past the couch and around the corner. She could sort of see the silhouette of someone outside through the window beside the door. She reached out, trying to grasp the handle with her magi... right. No more horn.

She opened the door. The mare and filly standing outside rushed in. "Redheart!" the mare gasped. "Are you alright? I saw what happened and tried to distract him. It's a miracle that that higher-ranked official that showed up with him happened to be one of your family friends. I picked up your daughter from school the moment I heard that they were coming for your home."

"Yeah, I'm good," Redheart waved off her friend. "Thanks for that. I'm not sure if I would've survived if it weren't for you two."

"We scared away the bad ponies!" the filly standing beside the mare cantered up to Redheart. "That means we're safe now, right?"

"For now, yes," Redheart stroked her daughter's mane. "Right. Everypony, this is Twilight. I found her outside in the rain covered in wounds and brought her in just before the house raid happened. Twilight, this is my friend, Blossomforth, and my daughter, Serenity."

Twilight gave an awkward wave.

"How's that?" Redheart tightened the wrappings on Twilight's head. "It'll help keep out infections while also hiding what's left of your horn."

"You really don't have to do so much for me--urk--" Twilight nudged Serenity away from her broken wing. "If that first officer was even a little more stubborn against his higher-up regarding my existence, you likely wouldn't be alive right now."

"But here I am, right?" Redheart sat back. "Listen. I don't know where you came from or who you are, but even though I'm no longer a nurse I will do whatever I can to help as many ponies as possible."

"Mm-hm! My mom is very brave!" Serenity squeaked.

"Sometimes too brave," Blossomforth added. She stroked Twilight's good wing with a hoof. "Same goes for her husband in a way. He spent so much time helping to manage the chaos of that inheritance struggle that in the end, nothing was left for himself. The two of you need to be more careful these days. Especially with another kid on the way. How's your son doing?"

Redheart hummed. "He gets by. Pretty sure he knows we aren't planning on staying here for much longer."

"But you just built this house. What do you mean you aren't planning on staying?"

Redheart glanced at the window, then at the door. She leaned in closer. "I thought you'd known by now why I left my profession to open that cafe with my husband."

Blossomforth lifted a brow. "That dingy place? You've got, what? Two? Three cans of coffee grounds on those shelves of yours in there? I don't think... oh. Oooooooooh."

A smirk grew across Redheart's face. "Exactly. If you can chip in, we can maybe get your family aboard as well. We'll all sail far away from this place to that beautiful land across the sea."

"Is there anything I can do?" Twilight lifted a hoof. "I know I'm probably not in much if any shape to do much, let alone help in whatever it is that you have planned. But where I came from, I..." she paused. It wasn't exactly a card she liked to play, but in this situation it really seemed like anything would help. "I am, or maybe was, a princess. One of four that ruled with care over our citizens. I can help manage your orders, maybe--o-or attempt to negotiate with those government officials so that you don't have to worry about being raided like you were earlier anymore."

Redheart snorted. "Mythical being or not, you certainly don't look the part of a princess. But I'll buy it for now. You seem pretty decent of a mare so far. Keep that trust between us up and I'll get you a spot on the boat too."

Twilight glanced at her wings. Then back at Redheart.

"Don't even try. They shoot down anyone unauthorized to fly the moment they spot you." She stood up. "Rest for now. I'm opening tomorrow. I'll explain you to the boys when they get back. We'll see how you do tomorrow at the cafe. Blossom, you should head home now too. Leave too late and you'll look suspicious."

And here we are, once again. The beginning of something new.

Fractures has been a long-existing project of mine that I've worked on and off on for years. At least from a conceptual stance, it can trace its roots all the way back to my old Wielder of the Orb project. Yes, that one. The script-formatted source material that became it, I mean.

I still intend to revisit the world of original fiction with Fractures soon. This story will serve as a sort of prototype for the final story--somewhere where I can test out and play with ideas ahead of time, and see how you, the readers, like them. The plot between this fic and the original fiction version will likely end up differing drastically in the long-run, but I'm sure many of you would prefer to read something that isn't just a direct-from-fanfiction adaptation into original fiction anyway.

That being said, let's have a little discussion of the plot and what's to come.

This version of Fractures is far, far different compared to the version I'd been posting in blog posts last year following a successful NaNoWriMo. I decided that, going into rewriting the story once again, it might be interesting to draw from some aspects of my parents' experiences. They were children caught up in the center of the Vietnam War, living in a majority Chinese enclave within the former South Vietnamese city of Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh city).

Much of this chapter is directly influenced by a story my mom told of how her own mother, my grandmother, had once been visited by a corrupt government official who demanded that she sign over the house that they'd just built. Just like in this chapter, a family friend and a connection with a higher-ranking official were what let my grandmother get away safely.

Moving forward, this story will settle down into a more slice-of-life-y arc as Twilight begins to explore this parallel world around her, and what it was that sent her here in the first place.

Beyond this city, Fractures will dive deep into the worldbuilding that I've been revising constantly for the past five or so years. For now, I want to explore the possibility of drawing from my parents' war stories. The early arcs of this story will use those experiences as a framing device to introduce the wider world.

I hope you've enjoyed this chapter, and as always, thank you for reading.