Ow… My head, throbbing in pain, ow… When I find that Mork who hit me, I swear, NO! When I find Midnight, I’m gonna give it to her good. Everything’s so blurry, where am I anyways?

“Hello Twilight,” a wicked cackle breaks her train of thought as she tries to focus her eyes on the black figure, “welcome to my palace.”

“Midnight…”

“Sorry for my methods of bring you here, luckily my stallions haven’t seriously injured anything in that pretty little head of yours.”

“You monster,” Twilight yells before pulling herself up off of the ragged carpet of what is now the throne room, “take this!” The small alicorn, now filled with anger, then magically pulls down a chuck of the mossy ceiling. She fires it straight at the metal pony. Midnight grabs the rock mere centimeters from her face and crushes it in between her claws. A barrage of purple-glowing spears follows, catching Midnight off guard. Several spears stab into the armour as she tries to deflect most of them with her growing wing flaps. The empress then leaps into the air, bounces against the back wall, and rapidly glides towards Twilight. The heroic mare grabs the outstretched wings with her magic and buries them into the floor, sending boulders of granite flying out the shattered windows.

“Ha, well played.”

“I’m not done with you yet!” Twilight then prepares fires a beam of magic, but Midnight quickly recovers from the dramatic pull and launches her rival against the wall, pinning her still.

“You, know, we are not so different, you and I.”

“Like how?”

“We are both alicorns, both mares, we both like books, we are masters of and all magic, we have similar magic frequencies, we both were misled by the corrupted teachings of Celestia, and we both have been mistreated and abused by our so-called friends.”

“Not true, Celestia’s a kind leader and my friends are the most honest, loyal, kind, generous, and friendliest as they come.”

“I also know you have a great uncle by the name of Boris G. Sparkle. I know you had a stuffed doll by the name of Smarty Pants. I know that in your spare time, you like to read ‘Hooves and Peace’. Shall I continue?”

“But how did you- Wait, this is a hallucination, isn’t it?”

“No, you are unable to slip into my illusions like the other morons out there. You are also the only one that can actually grab me and my minions without being shocked.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Midnight then pulls a small book from behind the spiked throne, similar to that of the almanac inside the RAEM.

“Know this?”

“My family ancestral records, but where did you get this?”

“Same way I was able to get my world’s version before you stole it, deep inside Boris’ laboratory.”

“What’s so special about it?”

“Take a look at this,” Midnight opens the book to the page that Twilight discovered was covered. “There’s a special glue holding a slit of paper between you and what the old foal’s been hiding from you this entire time.”

“He said it was typo.”

“Is that REALLY what he told you? I don’t know what’s funnier, him saying such a bogus lie, or you actually falling for it.”

“Then what’s really behind the paper?”

“I did some early tearing and, you just have to see for yourself.” Midnight then rips the paper off of the book, revealing a picture of a filly right in between Shining Armour’s and Twilight’s pictures. The foal has white fur and silver eyes...

“That’s who Boris was describing in his journal, Isabelle’s real?!”

“More than you know. I’ve tried my best to free her from the mountains, but Chaos Ice is nearly impossible to break once settled into the caverns.”

“You just want to use her uncontrolled powers to get rid of the RAEM.”

“That is partially true, but that wasn’t my main intention. My main intention of freeing her was so I could finally connect with a lost member of the legendary Sparkle family.”

“What do you have to do with my family?”

“Maybe this will help connect a few loose ends…” The large alicorn then pulls Boris’ journal from her back.

“How many books do you have back there?”

“A few, now shut up and listen to what he has to say;”

Dear Boris,

What have I done now? Oh Celestia, what have I done? Sorry, had to recollect myself after what happened last week. My great niece, Twilight Sparkle, was visiting my laboratory since her foalsitter, Mi Amore Cadenza, was busy being educated on princess duties. My sister-in-law was out looking for a retirement plan for me and was going to be away for a week, so I took this opportunity to officially start anew with the help of Night Light as I was finishing my long-awaited project, the Alicorn Amulet.

“Wait, Gruncle Boris made the Alicorn Amulet?!”

As I was showing Twilight my lab and less dangerous side projects, she managed to slip from my eyesight and was wandering towards the amulet. She wasn’t even in magic school yet, but she was able to use telepathy and put on the necklace WITH the charged Sparkle Blood Diamond installed to it. At that moment, all Tartarus broke loose. Twilight, the cutest and gentlest thing I have ever seen in my fifty-or-so years, has transformed into a destruction craving psychotic. When I first saw her wearing the necklace, she was tearing down wooden block towers I used for balance, so I merely assumed she was playing around and returned to preparing to show her how to extract a tongue of a frog and put it back before the frog passes out. Later, I heard a large explosion from behind and then saw her tearing down the walls of my cavern lab. I tried to remove the Alicorn Amulet off of her to see if it was causing this destruction, only to realize it would not budge. The filly wasn’t giving any resistance and even panicked as I tried with all my might to help her. She then blasted me into the corner of the room, clear signals that the amulet is doing something to her, something dark. After seeing what she just did, Twilight tried to apologize, but the amulet instead caused her to corner me in a wall of fire. The wall of fire closed in closer and closer to me as I was unable to find anything to douse the flames. Just before I was going to scorched, the flames instantly died down and I look to see Twilight shivering in a corner with the Alicorn Amulet on the floor. I comforted the sorry foal before sending her back to her parents, horn-swearing not to tell anypony about this and forget the whole ordeal. As she was leaving, I secured this promise by casting a slight amnesia spell, causing her to actually forget what has happened.

“You didn’t…”

As of the Alicorn Amulet, I’ve only been able to draw a few conclusions after it’s first ‘test run’. The amulet seems to make the pony wearing it exponentially more powerful in the field of magic. However, it seems to have a corrupting effect, currently undetermined by age, gender, and initial magic range. It also seems to stick to its user and can only be unattached by the user’s will. Finally, it also seems to create an unbreakable attraction to the user after taking off the amulet. Over the following days after the incident, Twilight was becoming more and more interested by the necklace, despite my efforts of hiding it and even removing all memory of it from her mind. I am now currently writing a reference guide on the dangers of this weapon before selling it and the guide to the black market, finally ridding decades of research and struggle from my life. Hopefully, it’ll be lost in the bowels of trade and far away from Equestria. I can’t bring back my brother, but maybe I can round up enough bits to fund my family for years to come and pull them out of the lower class. The black market is safe right?

Right,

Boris G. Sparkle.

“…”

“You see, one of your own family members betrayed you. Erasing your memory and hiding the fact that you have a sister, a villain nonetheless.”

“He had his fair reasons to do those things, and how does this relate to you?”

“Untapped power, think about it. Have your ‘friends’ been acting, distant around you.”

“Maybe…”

“They fear you, you’re an alicorn, one with an unimaginable pool of potential raw magic. Trust me, I know.”

“I may be the element of magic, but that doesn’t give them any reason to fear me.”

“I used to think like that, until they betrayed me.”

“That pity talk may have worked on Rarity, but not me.”

“I don’t know, you play a more significant part in this story of travesty and corruption.”

“Fine, bore me.”

“I was an alicorn like you, Twilight, with Celestia as my tutor, practically raised by royals, and made many friends in the most unlikely of situations. However, a day came along when something happened, I discovered a new way to use my magic, a way unimaginable by most unicorns and even the princesses. This magic has enabled me to open doorways from your world to mine. For this, I was set in line to become a princess like my tutor. Unfortunately, I was unsure on how to use this magic, and with my upcoming coronation, my friends began to distance themselves from me. They feared I was becoming too powerful for me to control, I sensed them talking behind my back for weeks. Even the royals disrespected me, I wasn’t able to sharpen my political skills with them since they always sidelined me to doing things one guard can do. They all underestimated my responsibility and control, so I had to find a way to prove it to them that I was capable. So I snuck into Zecora’s hut and borrowed the Alicorn Amulet hidden inside. For the entirety next day, I practiced with my enhancements made by the amulet. The next morning, I ran to the center of Ponyville and displayed my potential power to all of the ponies. My friends however, they became jealous, afraid, and blind to see I had everything under control. They tried to pull the Amulet off of me, causing me to lose control and destroy Town Hall. Soon, Celestia, Luna, Cadence, and all the citizens of Ponyville came and saw the aftermath of my accident. I tried to explain my actions and resisted against their accusations and attacks, but they didn’t listen to a thing I said. After a long struggle, they torn the Alicorn Amulet off of me, ripping some of my fur and skin off of my chest. I was then exiled into the cold reaches of the mountains of North Equestria, far beyond the Crystal Empire. There, I spent many restless nights in the cold and dark caverns, wondering, what did I do wrong? It then hit me, it was a corrupt government. Celestia has bought everypony’s love and respect through centuries of lies and propaganda, raising them to love her and her magic, but fear those who may be able to parallel or even surpass her. I then contemplated a plan of revenge and liberation, coming across an odd bunch of ponies that lived in several distant caves. They gave me the Mork armour and helmets, my armour, and even replaced my weak wings with my current ones, all for the price of a sliver of my magic. I came back to Ponyville and took siege, creating a small Mork army. From that point on, I grew, I was able to utilize the true potential of my magic and overthrew Celestia’s corrupt politics. And now here we are, in a soon-closing war with my enemies and an upcoming campaign to liberate all the worlds from corruption.”

“And I’m supposed to take pity for that, where was I in that story?”

“You’ve read your great-uncle’s journal, you’ve been outcasted as a dangerous freak, you have untapped power held back by the royals. We are one in the same, join me, and I can show you the magnificent pony you could be!” Midnight softly sets Twilight to the ground and extends her right claw in front of her, motioning for her to shake it.

“We are not one in the same,”

“What?”

“We are not the same, you are merely another cliché villain from every story book ever written. I’m supposed to take pity in your story and join your side, well guess what Midnight? This is reality, and we will never be the same! As long as I’m here, I will keep fighting you and avenge the Twilight of this work for whatever you did to her!”

“Oh, hahaha, you speak of knowing all before you, and yet you don’t truly know the reality of the situation right in front of you.”

“What is it, you monster?”

“You really need some self-respect,” Midnight pulls her arm back and the two hooves grab Midnight’s helmet, pulling it off. A mane of dark blue, purple, and pink hair droops down to her shoulder, waving slowly from the drafts of the castle. Twilight’s face enters complete shock upon seeing the exposed purple fur of Midnight.

“You’re…”

“You.” Right in front of Twilight Sparkle, stands another Twilight Sparkle, one dressed in black armour and has metallic arms for wings.

“This can’t be true!”

“It is,” a voice speaks from the back corner of the room, Twilight looks over to see the ex-marshal.

“You and the RAEM didn’t tell me or my friends?”

“We had to, we were worried that if you knew, you’d end up becoming another Empress Midnight. However, now I think it’s best for you know and be taught by Midnight.”

“Is that what you’re saying, or is that what Midnight’s making you say? Do you want the ponies you loved and care for to be killed or turned into monsters? What would your sister say?” The unicorn doesn’t reply and instead looks at the floor in shame, causing Midnight to roll her red eyes in annoyance and replies.

“Face it Twilight, friendship is a lie, all it does is make the pain of reaching who you are destined to be and making the correct decisions in life all the more painful.”

“Not true, this is not true! I would never become you Midnight, I just can’t!” Midnight’s voice descends from its scraggily and demanding tone to a gentle and pitiful tone, sounding strikingly similar to Twilight’s,

“That’s just how I felt after being betrayed, I was seen as a monster by both the ponies of Equestria and myself to an extent. But I accepted my fate and now look at me, a strong and just leader, who will do what it takes. I can help you, if only you accept my offer. Leave all that you falsely knew and loved and join me, together, we can do great things.” Now sobbing, Twilight sits against the wall, unable to reply or even comprehend the emotions swirling inside her. “Fine then, if you won’t take my offer, it’s clearly evident that you’re too loyal to their lies to even contain the thought of leaving them without entering a mental-breakdown. I’m afraid that you are now an enemy, and I must contain all that shall oppose me and the future.” Midnight grabs Twilight in her claws and turns to her ‘powerful ally’. “If you continue to doubt me, you will also be considered an enemy Rarity.” The empress then slowly walks into the lab under the castle, tossing Twilight to the wall next to the chained princesses and Twilight’s true Gruncle Boris. Midnight then flies back up to the throne room to find the mare she left there absent. “Rarity?” The alternate Twilight then searches high and low throughout the castle, slowly realizing that she has left her for her friends back at the resistance. “You’ve made your choice miss, and now you are going to pay the price… Morks!”

“Yes your majesty?” A large collection of the possessed stallions call out to her from separate chambers across the castle.

“Get ready to set out! For tonight, our little resistance will be dining in Tartarus!”

“Yes ma’am!”