Frantic running could be heard from nearby the Carousel Boutique.

Starlight called out a certain snow-white unicorn’s name before knocking on her door.

As Rarity opened the door, she saw an exhausted, utterly fatigued Starlight Glimmer, panting as she sprinted all the way from Ponyville to here alongside Spike, who was on her back the entire time.

“Oh darling! What brought you here so late? And you brought Spike with you?”

Starlight quickly tried calming herself down to explain everything to Rarity, taking deep and heavy breaths while doing so.

“Look, I came here to tell you some bad news. Twilight got possessed by a strange amulet and I need everypony to help counteract the spell she's in.”

“WHAT?!” -Rarity’s face went pale.

“Yeah. Don't worry though, I've got this under control. I already told Pinkie to go get Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash while Spike and I go get you and Applejack. I brought Spike with me because it's dangerous for him to be near Twilight in the state she's in.”

Starlight tried appearing as if she knows what she's doing, but deep down, she's extremely anxious. She now has this big responsibility to bear as her mentor was now corrupted with dark magic and she fears that she'll fail. She doesn't know exactly what will happen next, but whatever will happen if Twilight's let loose like this, it can't be good. Yes, she's fought Twilight before, but this? This was different. Now the roles have been reversed. And, on top of being mind-controlled, the alicorn she fought many moons ago was probably now also magically enhanced.

She sighed, trying to reassure herself in her mind. “I'll admit it to you, I don't know if we'll be able to do this. This whole situation has me so worked up that I start doubting myself and-”

Rarity puts her hoof on Starlight’s shoulder. “Darling, we're all in this together. We will always have each other no matter what. Now, let's go get Applejack.”

Starlight sighed once more and moved her chin upwards, trying to make a brave face. With her spirits being lifted, she and Rarity set their sights on Sweet Apple Acres.

Starlight Glimmer made a serious mistake.

With nopony looking after a possessed alicorn princess entranced by a magical device from another world, she started enacting the next part of her evil plan.

Well, it would be her plan if it weren't for the aforementioned state she was in. Twilight had zero control over her body and mind now, listening to the voice in her head telling her what to do, controlling her like a puppet on a string. The spell she was in had more of a chokehold on her more than ever before, intoxicating her very being like wine.

As she trotted through the castle halls, quietly giggling at the ideas in her head, she thought of how she could drain as much magic from other ponies as the amulet possibly could. She had the amulet yes, but in what place would she do it? Think, Twilight, think!

Then, she had a grim idea. Why not teleport high up in the sky, right in front of the castle? Why not show everypony just what you and this amulet are truly capable of?

Let everypony know who you are. Let them witness your true power.

This... this was perfect! This plan was a spectacle to behold! And after that, who knows what she could use this unlimited power for. The corrupted Twilight's eyes beamed with curiosity and excitement at the thought of it all.

But she had to act quick. Starlight may be gone for the time being, but she will come back soon to thwart her wicked schemes.

Meanwhile, near the outskirts of Ponyville, Starlight, alongside the rest of the Mane Six and Spike, had just all gotten together and were now on their way to the castle. They're currently discussing plans to free Twilight from the curse put on her, as well as what to do if everything goes south.

“Alright, so here's the plan. We enter the castle then head towards the library where Twilight is. I'll be using a curse-breaking spell on her while you guys guard the place and help me break the spell. I kept the amulet hidden in a pile of books so that we're not harmed in the process. Applejack, make sure that once you find the amulet, you destroy it. Fluttershy, you'll be taking care of Twilight once she's free. Rarity, you'll be taking care of Spike.”

Fluttershy raised her hoof.

“Yes?”

“Um, Starlight. Are you sure that she's even still inside the library?”

“Yeah, good point. Did you think of at least leaving somepony to look after Twilight while you were looking for us?” Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow, almost judging Starlight.

“I- uh. I didn't think of-”

Suddenly, a wicked cackle could be heard from across town. It came from a very, very familiar alicorn. Starlight’s eyes widened in fear as she looked up and saw the possessed princess flying idly in the sky.

Starlight had this under control.
Starlight had this under control.
Starlight had this under control.

“Nonononononononono NO!”

Starlight started panicking, hard. Just when she thought she was doing alright, everything goes horribly wrong. She didn't think this as well as she thought she did.

She could hear the others frantically getting closer to her, trying to get her out of her train of thought, but she was so caught up in her own mind that everything they said got muffled. Her heart was racing, she felt like she couldn't even breathe. Every sound she heard was instantaneously fading away, now being replaced with an ear-piercing high-pitched noise. The sound was so insufferably loud it made Starlight wince and cover her ears. However, no matter how much she tried muffling the sound, it somehow got louder. She couldn't bear it much longer. The stress got to her and she was now panicking like it was the end of the world. She felt like she was about to die at any moment now.

Then, she suddenly snapped.

“QUIET!”

Suddenly, the ear-shattering noise disappeared. Her world, once blurry and muffled by the sheer anxiety taking over the very fiber of her being, was being rebuilt back into place. It felt as if the universe itself went quiet after it warped and twisted itself in horrifying and ghastly ways.

The rest though, were taken aback by Starlight’s sudden shift in her tone of voice. They understood why, but it was still so shocking. Memories of when they first met Starlight steadily flooded their thoughts, but tried to not think of those days since, well, this was a different situation.

Starlight felt remorse for raising her voice at her friends. She knew she had to do it, but seeing how her friends were now looking at her, the guilt got to her.

“I… I'm so sorry..”

“It's okay sugarcube. We understand. But what matters most right now is tryna’ save Twilight.”

“Yeah! We're still counting on you no matter what!” Pinkie replied a little too excitedly for the situation they were dealing with.

The others all gave similar hums and replies of agreement, reassuring Starlight that there is a chance to save their friend. After all, there is nothing that the magic of friendship can't do.

Starlight then got to thinking, brainstorming different plans in her mind. What could she and the others do? She hastily thought of a new plan. It isn't perfect, sure, but given the circumstances she and the others were in, there was no other choice.

“Okay,” Starlight organized her thoughts and took a short breath. “Plan B: Go and stop Twilight before she does anything dangerous. And we better be quick, otherwise this might be the last time we'll ever see her.”

She teleported in front of the castle, flying high up so that her back could face the balcony. She looked down at the rest of Ponyville, thinking of how her subjects were now going to witness what her precious little trinket can really do. Now, there was nothing stopping her from learning about magic and seizing it for something more.

The amulet was glowing like crazy. It was sensing all the magic present in Ponyville and it was now ready to drain everything to its last drop. All Twilight needs to do is open the amulet and let it do its thing.

The possessed husk of an alicorn looked at the amulet, then at her view of Ponyville. She really wanted to do this, she really did, but something was holding her back. What was that? Was that the real Twilight fighting to take control of her body and mind again? Or was it something else?

Suddenly, the voice in her head breaks her train of thought by giving her little words of encouragement. All thoughts of the real Twilight Sparkle disappeared within her mind like a stain of breath upon a mirror.

“Do it. You want to understand magic, don't you?”

She lingered on what that voice said, but ultimately made up her mind.

“Yes. I want to.” -she mumbled.

Twilight then made a dastardly grin. “I want to understand it all!”

She slowly opened the amulet, ready to drain as much magic as it can and will. She didn't care about the consequences. She didn't care that her supposed friends were rushing over to her trying to stop her from what she's doing. She saw them hastily sprint, but she wasn't worried, because what she was about to do would halt them in their tracks.

The amulet was now fully opened. All the magic it sensed from every living creature residing in this quaint little town, every last drop of magic, drained, captured and contained. Every trace, every microscopic hint of magic was completely drained by a little other-worldly device that was now tenfold more powerful and dangerous than ever before.

The alicorn stared wickedly as she saw this terrifying spectacle before her. She loved every second of what she saw. Nothing could really stop her now with this amount of magic. What were they going to do? Fight her? Oh please.

Everypony else felt as if their soul was being ripped away from them. It's as if the energy they once had was now completely gone, zero, zilch, nada. Some looked for the source of what's happening, tracing the little trails of magic like hoofprints. What they saw surprised them, to say the least.

Starlight and the others were halted in their tracks as the magic they had was sucked from their bodies. This was the second time that Starlight had to experience this, but it felt ten times more horrifying than last time. Because now, what was Twilight gonna do with all the magic she's contained? She's possessed! Who knows what she's about to do next? What does she even intendto do with it once she's done capturing all the magic from every pony, every creature living here?!

The amulet closed automatically. The danger once filling up the air turned into an awful silence. The only thing you could hear now was the cool breeze and the crickets chirping in the night. It was clear to Starlight that things were gonna get worse from here and that she couldn't give up, no matter how weak she felt, no matter the condition she was in, she had to move forward.

She tried standing up and regained her composure so as to not fall. “C-come on everypony, we have to stop her..” -she almost tripped in her steps as she walked towards the rest.

“But how? Did you even see what she did?!” -Rainbow Dash, even with the little energy she had, yelled frustratedly. Her voice almost sounded hoarse.

“But she's right, y’know!” -Pinkie struggled to stand up, but she tried nevertheless. “We can't give up, Twilight is our friend and she needs our help!”

“Exactly, we have to save Twilight at all costs. It's now or never!” -said Applejack.

“...Right. We can first take small steps, then we can progressively start running so that we can catch up.”

The rest of the Mane Six also tried standing up to the best of their ability. Starlight and Pinkie did their best to help the others. The effects of the amulet’s magic-draining may leave a considerable toll on their bodies, but it couldn't stop the bravery and perseverance in their hearts.

They galloped their way to where Twilight was, slowly but surely gaining speed..

This is it. She's successfully collected all the magic she needed.

The possessed alicorn steadily hovered herself back into the ground, landing almost perfectly. She didn't see any of her friends running towards her, which was a relief, sure, but she admits that it made things a lot more fun if they were there. Maybe she just can't see them because they're far away from her field of vision. On the other hoof, the curious residents who traced the trails of magic coming from them back to the amulet made their way to Twilight, with other ponies following suit. They were all so confused and wondering why she did that. Why would the princess of friendship suddenly do such a thing? Some knew about what happened to Twilight, since Starlight Glimmer told them earlier about the fight that ensued inside the castle, but now they were even more puzzled because didn't she tell them that everything was under control?!

Then she began to think. Okay, now what? What was she going to do with all this magic?

Suddenly, the voice in her head speaks to her once more, suggesting another idea in her head.

“Unleash it.”

…Unleash it?

But, wouldn't she lose all the magic she's gathered? All the work she put into this devilish plan, all this time and energy, just to be wasted and thrown away by such whim?!

But then, she started really considering the idea and trying to visualize it in her mind. What would the magic do?

The voice in her head started whispering repeatedly.

“Unleash the magic, free the magic now.”
“Unleash the magic, free the magic now.”
“Unleash the magic, free the magic now.”
“Unleash the magic, free the magic now.”

Twilight looked at the amulet, it was flickering uncontrollably once more. She then looks at the ponies approaching her. She's already drained their magic, so why is the amulet glowing? Unless the amulet is telling her to release all the magic inside it.

“Unleash the magic, free the magic now.”
“Unleash the magic, free the magic now.”
“Unleash the magic, free the magic now.”
“Unleash the magic, free the magic now.”

The possessed Twilight took off the amulet from her neck. She was unsure but really, really excited to try this. The citizens of Ponyville, now in front of Twilight, were asking questions. They were looking at each other, distraught and confused. The chaotic murmurs from the crowd would then be silenced by Pinkie Pie shouting from the top of her lungs.

“TWILIGHT!”

Starlight Glimmer, alongside the rest of the Mane Six and Spike, were now going through the confused crowd as hastily as they could. Multiple “excuse me”s could be heard as they tried getting into the front row, ready to confront the corrupted princess of friendship. However, as they successfully made their way through the crowd, Starlight felt a sense of pure dread running down her spine as she saw that her mind-controlled mentor had taken off the amulet from her neck, observing it with unbridled curiosity. Whatever Twilight was about to do, Starlight had to act quick and stop it.

At first, Starlight tried reasoning with her mentor, the same way Twilight did to her back when she messed around with time itself, that way the mind-controlling curse would be lifted from Twilight and she would go back to normal.

“Twilight… I know you want to learn more about magic, but you can't just force your way out of understanding it and drain everypony’s magic like it's nothing.”

The possessed alicorn looked at her with a mix between confusion and disgust. She then gazed at the amulet once more, still glowing frenziedly. The voice in her head went from whispering to chanting repeatedly as it tried to muffle what Starlight was saying in its host’s mind, and continued encouraging her to release the magic contained inside the amulet.

“Unleash the magic, free the magic now.”
“Unleash the magic, free the magic now.”
“Unleash the magic, free the magic now.”
“Unleash the magic, free the magic now.”

Twilight, still staring at her amulet, made a psychotically evil grin. She was really ecstatic, only this time she realized the potential of opening the device again. It was now or never, she thought. At this point, she was too far gone, not even Starlight Glimmer’s words could find a way to convince her that there's another way. Starlight’s eyes widened in shock, she then realized just what Twilight was about to do. Everypony else got even more confused and worried.

The corrupted princess clears her throat.

“Listen up everypony, I know you may be confused by what's happening, but it's simple really. You see, I have collected a lot of magic in this device. You may have figured by now that that magic comes from all of you. And now, I'm going to USE IT!”

“Unleash the magic, free the magic!”
“Unleash the magic, free the magic!”
“Unleash the magic, free the magic!”
“Unleash the magic, free the magic!”

Twilight opened the amulet once again, though this time for a completely different purpose. Starlight fleetingly ran towards the princess, trying to stop what's going to happen if she doesn't close the amulet. The other members of the Mane Six shuddered in pure fear when they saw Starlight get closer to Twilight, fearing that she might get hurt. They also darted towards the two, worried about what would happen to their friends.

“NO! DON'T DO IT!” -they all shouted in terror.

“Now!”

The amulet was now fully open.

Author's Note

• i apologize if the rest of the mane six are kiiiinda written like dookie. giving these girlies some lines is hard as hell for a beginner writer like myself

• yes, i did the "OMG THEY SAID THE THING!!!" thingy. i just couldn't resist 😭

• also there are wayyyy less jekyll and hyde musical references sprinkled in here but they're there