Sparkles on the Spectrum

by Shieldmaiden of Luna

Rating: everyone
Tags: Slice of Life, Alternate Universe
Length: 667

Twilight Sparkle grows up differently. Why? She's autistic!

Twilight Sparkle has always known she was different. Other little fillies and colts don't have her vocabulary. They also don't have to worry about losing their rational thought processes just because the street they're walking on has too many moving ponies. It is considered unbefitting and uncivilized just the way she moves, let alone rolls on the ground to produce an even pressure to self soothe when she's stressed. The only pony who watching for longer than a few seconds doesn't bring torture is the Princess, and Twilight wants to know her. But Twilight is a defective little pony in her own eyes, and it's going to take a very special, caring teacher to get her out of this mindset. Will Celestia be able to teach her and care for her as she would have for a more normal little Twilight, or will she fall victim to an all too familiar prejudice as Twilight's parents have?

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2013-03-16 20:42:54 UTC

Magical Meltdown

Little Twilight Sparkle was extremely upset. A bright multicoloured flash had offset her extraordinarily sensitive visual system, and caused her to imbue her immediate area with magic. Her eyes were glowing as her small body shook in sheer sensory pain. She felt a large hoof touch her back, shocking her system with more unevenness. She flailed her upper hooves about, striking something big. Uh-oh! It moved! Twilight fell way out of balance! She rolled about on the floor in an effort to sooth herself.

Princess Celestia was a little bewildered. It had been about 457 years since she had seen a little pony act like Twilight was acting. The magic bubble had vanished with a pop, the instructors had fallen in an ungainly heap, and two house plants had turned into ponies, bowing and apologizing before her. She spoke in an attempt to soothe them before turning her attentions to the filly.

“Don’t worry about it, Mr. Light, Mrs. Twinkle, your little one isn’t offending me, though she is the reason I’m here,” said Celestia, lying down before Twilight, looking at her with concern. “Twilight? Are you alright, little one?”

“I’m really, really sorry, Princess,” said the still shaky little filly as she looked down, very definitely not looking at the Princess. “I guess I’m just not normal.”

Twilight felt contrite and extremely sad, though it didn’t show to anyone not extremely familiar with her expressions. Her dream was broken. She couldn’t attend school here, and she wouldn’t get the associated advantages. Even worse, she had shamed herself in front of the one pony so beautiful and bright, Twilight couldn’t help but want to know her. Wait! She spoke!

“Twilight, may I ask you a question or two,” Celestia asked her, to which she agreed. “Would I ask a normal little pony to be my apprentice?”

Twilight Twinkle and Night Light gasped at this, and started looking at each other. Worry, love, hope and pride shone on their faces. They waited with bated breaths for their daughter’s response.

“No, but I don’t suppose you’d want a defective apprentice either, Princess.”

Celestia smiled reassuringly at Twilight’s parents.

“I don’t suppose I would either, Twilight,” said Celestia kindly. “Would you like to be my apprentice? I’d like it if I could teach you.”

Twilight Twinkle and Night Light were aglow with a powerful delight.

“So, you…” Twilight breathed deeply for a few seconds, her little hoof rubbing the floor. “You want to be my teacher, and you possibly don’t consider me defective? Why? How do I say yes? What did I do to make you want me? Sorry if I’m asking too many questions.”

“You’re not defective, my little pony, because you have been chosen to learn from your very own Princess. You’ll be my very special student, because I care about you, and want the very best for you. You have a very special gift, Twilight, and you are extremely powerful with your magic. You showed me this when you hatched the little dragon, grew him so tall, turned your parents to potted plants, and levitated your testers. Don’t worry. I’m not going to hold the accident against you, but these are signs of a very great ability which needs to be honed by focused study, Twilight. So, will you accept?”

“I will, Princess! And I’ll do my very best not to humiliate or upset you!”

“You won’t, my little Twilight, but one more thing. You might want to check your flank!”

Twilight looked around at her cutie mark, seeing the stars emblazoned on her flank. She put her head to one side, making a perplexed noise at her flank.

“What does it mean, though? Stars mean magic, right?”

“But of course,” said Princess Celestia. “Stars can also represent our potential for friendship and loving relationships. It looks as though you have a very bright future ahead of you, Twilight.”

And so Princess Celestia took in a Sparkle on the Spectrum to love and educate.