It had all begun on a seemingly simple sunny afternoon. "You're going down," the warrior wielding a broadsword and blue cloak stated, huffing and puffing with a broken hoof, "You will not defeat me."
His opponent, a bald stallion with an eyepatch over his right eye, and scar covering his face, sneered at him. "You've done well so far, but I haven't even warmed up yet!" He punched the stallion with great strength, knocking him back. The audience could only watch on in tension, uncertain of who was going to win.
"RAHH!" The injured said, gathering light to heal his wounds. He knew he had only one more try at most. As he gritted his teeth in determination, he swung his sword at his enemy. For the sake of him and his ponies.
"Plot twist." The other stallion declared, as he grabbed the wrist, disarming and knocking the warrior unconscious. As he smirked, he was received with silence.
The audience could only stare in awe as the warrior looked like he had nothing left.
Then the crowd cheered for Twist Stallion! He had won another incredibly close battle. He had pretended to be the antagonist, and also given the illusion that he was only using brute force, while in reality he had excellent technique. "I don't know how you do it," a guard said, "but you saved the day from that corrupt so-called 'hero'. He kept abusing his holy powers, and stallion, none of us could stop him."
"It's just part of my job," Twist stallion said, walking home. But even as he calmly trotted away, nothing was ever so easy. He felt a presence behind him. Some kind of... magical aura?
"Did you really think that was all?" His main rival, a malicious witch taunted him from behind. "I wanted to see in person what you were capable of. And I think I finally understand your power. Now that we've got you trapped with no preparation, you can't win!"
"I wouldn't be so cocky if I were you," Twist stallion said, beginning to fight her, but he was at a clear disadvantage. With no scene to take out of context, he had no way to set up a brilliant turn of events.
"You have no idea how much power I have, do you," the witch teased at his brute force. As the witch cackled, casting endless spells, Twist Stallion dodged and weaved. He knew that the spell "Sparkalia" was faster than a hunter's arrow, but he could predict it. Despite the tricky ricochet of the projectiles, he managed to close in on her. But she laughed again, as she summoned a flying broom, with speed much faster than him.
He could only look up in futility. Damnit! Wasn't there anything to use nearby? He desperately looked near him, dodging into an alleyway, but there were only some littered pots and pans, useless weapons and trash. The witch, seeing his cowardice, clicked her tongue in annoyance. Wordlessly, she sent numerous seeker spells that curved and exploded into the tight corner, where he would have nowhere to run.
As the smoke cleared and Twist stallion stumbled out, it was clear that the witch severely harmed Twist stallion. "That's ... Explosivo, the flame creation spell...isn't it," Twist stallion struggled to say, collapsing to his knees, looking down at his wound. More and more burns were forming on his body, as the witch came down, walking confidently towards Twist Stallion.
"That's right... even though you know my spells, you can't stop them, can you?" She laughed some more, putting her hoof to Twist Stallion's cheek. "Now... say goodbye." Tears fell down Twist Stallion's face.
"Goodbye, my rival." She heard, as she felt a stab to her heart. She looked on in astonishment, as what she thought was Twist Stallion slowly disappeared into thin air. As she choked on her own blood, the real Twist Stallion smirked as he put his shoulder on her. "It's unfortunate that you had to face a Battle illusionist like me... I gave you a chance, told you that I knew your spells. No mere warrior would be able to identify that from casting alone. I suppose this is... plot twist, again."
As the witch fell to the ground, the real Twist Stallion whistled on, adjusting his eyepatch over his right eye which glowed with magical power. Another day, another win. He was excited to fight the next enemy.
It was night time, when bats roamed, the monsters hidden in the forest, and uncertainty all around. A mare was talking with a mysterious hooded figure in a bar. Fortunately, there were security measures that deactivated magic and powers, preventing big brawls and incidents occurring. Hushed tones spread throughout as secrets were discussed. "So...you're telling me you have some information on the Power Pony known as Twist Pony?" The stallion asked, holding onto his bag of gold.
The mare nodded in response, as the bartender looked at them interestedly. He had a stout face and a strong body, but even he felt like he would lose to Twist Pony in a battle. That power pony fought dirty, fought with tricks, more than any other hero. Nobody wanted to face him. But this crucial information, if true, could potentially turn the tides against him. He prepared a bottle of scotch as he listened on their conversation. The mare ordered extra ice, and he did the same. "Yes... as we all think, his power must be related to a plot twist, an unexpected result from the story. That's his trademark. But what if his power was something else entirely?"
The mysterious figure caressed his cheek with his hoof, then gave the mare a gold coin. "I've investigated one of his battle scenes recently," she spoke, "it seems based on the witch he managed to defeat, he must be some kind of unicorn who hid his horn and his magic..."
"Oho?" The stallion responded, smirking, "and did you discover his weakness overall?"
The mare rolled her eyes, holding out her hoof. The stallion reluctantly gave out another gold coin.
"I suspect he's some kind of illusionist," she explained, "the remnants of magic strongly resemble one of a kind."
The stallion nodded, drinking some of his cider. As they continued talking, he discovered much about Twist Pony, how he might've hidden a different power in the guise of an unbeatable "plot armor" idea. Both him and the bartender were very intrigued by how much the mare knew. And her incredibly riveting discoveries kept them on the tip of their hoofs, as the stallion kept ordering more cider, even as the mare grew so excited with run-on sentences that she forgot to touch her drink. As other ponies left and they grew tired, the stallion shook the mare's hoof, thanking her, even while his bag was now nearly empty from bribing her.
As the bartender excused himself off to tidy the shop, reminding them to leave quickly, the two exchanged final words.
"Aren't you afraid that he'll end you? Twist Pony is known for showing up at the most unlikely places," the stallion spoke, "hell, I half suspect it's the bartender himself."
But as he was about to finish his sentence, he found his vision blurring, himself struggling to stay conscious. Did he drink too much? He was certain he had only a few mugs, and he could handle much more. The mare looked unconcerned. "No. I'm not afraid at all. You know why?"
The stallion gulped in anticipation, fearing he already knew the answer. "Because I am the plot Twist pony. And you just fell for the oldest trick in the book. Poisoned ice. I'm surprised you didn't notice I stopped drinking."
As the stallion slumped against the table, desperately calling out with his heart to the bartender, he looked out, both in admiration and in fear, as Twist Pony smirked, walking away with another victory. "Nobody ever expects a mare to pretend to be a thug..."