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Organised by
RogerDodger
Word limit
400–750
Twilight Sparkle
THE YEAR WAS 1005, and everypony was finally equal. Nopony was smarter than anypony else. Nopony was better looking than anypony else. Nopony could fly or do magic any better than anypony else. Following the return of Nightmare Moon, Celestia’s banishment assured that Harmony, in all aspects of pony life, would prevail. The NM Corps made sure of that.
A few ponies tried to resist. Night Light and Twilight Velvet’s daughter, Twilight Sparkle, disappeared in the middle of the night. Even with the passing years, they gave it little thought.
Twilight Velvet had perfectly average intelligence, her memory retention little more than a goldfish. For his above average skill, Night Light was required to wear a Harmony Element. It rattled his brain sending small bursts of energy through his horn every thirty seconds or so. He could never focus on anything for longer than it took him to think about it between jolts.
The happy couple went about their lives, oblivious to the fact that they even had a daughter, much less a son.
Twilight Velvet remembered from time to time that she liked to read. She couldn't remember very well seeing as there were no books left to read in the entire kingdom. Staring out the window was her current favorite pastime. Night Light joined her on occasion when his headaches allowed. From their little window, they watched the world pass by.
All sorts of ponies lived in the city, and most traveled past that window as they went about their business. Pegasi would normally have one wing plucked, sometimes both for the exceedingly gifted fliers. Most unicorns wore the same kind of Harmony Element as Night Light. The more skilled mages had a portion of their horns physically removed just to level the playing field. A number of ponies wore heavy saddle bags or terrible mane styles to counter their strength and beauty. The prettiest among them had the full red and black dye treatment.
The only ponies that differed were those of the NM Corps. They were the enforcers. They carried orders straight from the head mare herself.
It seemed somewhat natural when Night Light and Velvet looked out their window one fine, average morning and saw a NM pony barking his orders across the square. What they noticed on the other end of the orders was anything but.
A red and black unicorn with a horn so short it barely registered from her head stood opposite the stallion. Another red and black unicorn with a much longer horn and matching Element stood by her side. There was one pony with impossibly bulging muscles weighed down by twenty or so leaden saddle bags. Another crouched low to the ground with both wings plucked down to the bare bones. A second pegasus with her full wings intact stared at the ground with her mottled patches of black and purple fur against the bright streak of orange mane closely cropped from her neck and remnants of a half-plucked brown tail. The last, pink pony in line wore a bridle that seemed to keep her tongue from moving at all.
The buzz from Night Light’s suppressor went off, and he had to wait a moment for his vision to clear. Shaking his head, he wasn't sure he understood what was happening.
The mares did the unthinkable: they started removing their Harmony Elements. Horn suppression and coat dye fell away as the primary unicorn threw sparks of magic from her stub of a horn. Near a ton of weight fell from the earth pony’s back. The pink pony’s bridle snapped in half as she chomped through it with a single bite.
Screams echoed across the square with innocent bystanders running for cover. More NM Corps kept arriving to bolster the original stallion as he faced off against the motley mares.
Within two minutes, Nightmare Moon herself descended on the square. Not wasting a second, her horn roared to life. A focused beam of dark light drilled across the square hitting the lead unicorn. The little pony’s stub horn proved no match for the power of Nightmare Moon, and she fell to the ground in a smoldering heap.
“You all have one minute to get your Harmony Elements back on!” Nightmare Moon yelled at the rest of the ponies.
Twilight Velvet reached up and closed the curtain. “I think it would be nice to take a nap,” she said.
Night Light winced and nodded. “I think I would like that very much.”
A few ponies tried to resist. Night Light and Twilight Velvet’s daughter, Twilight Sparkle, disappeared in the middle of the night. Even with the passing years, they gave it little thought.
Twilight Velvet had perfectly average intelligence, her memory retention little more than a goldfish. For his above average skill, Night Light was required to wear a Harmony Element. It rattled his brain sending small bursts of energy through his horn every thirty seconds or so. He could never focus on anything for longer than it took him to think about it between jolts.
The happy couple went about their lives, oblivious to the fact that they even had a daughter, much less a son.
Twilight Velvet remembered from time to time that she liked to read. She couldn't remember very well seeing as there were no books left to read in the entire kingdom. Staring out the window was her current favorite pastime. Night Light joined her on occasion when his headaches allowed. From their little window, they watched the world pass by.
All sorts of ponies lived in the city, and most traveled past that window as they went about their business. Pegasi would normally have one wing plucked, sometimes both for the exceedingly gifted fliers. Most unicorns wore the same kind of Harmony Element as Night Light. The more skilled mages had a portion of their horns physically removed just to level the playing field. A number of ponies wore heavy saddle bags or terrible mane styles to counter their strength and beauty. The prettiest among them had the full red and black dye treatment.
The only ponies that differed were those of the NM Corps. They were the enforcers. They carried orders straight from the head mare herself.
It seemed somewhat natural when Night Light and Velvet looked out their window one fine, average morning and saw a NM pony barking his orders across the square. What they noticed on the other end of the orders was anything but.
A red and black unicorn with a horn so short it barely registered from her head stood opposite the stallion. Another red and black unicorn with a much longer horn and matching Element stood by her side. There was one pony with impossibly bulging muscles weighed down by twenty or so leaden saddle bags. Another crouched low to the ground with both wings plucked down to the bare bones. A second pegasus with her full wings intact stared at the ground with her mottled patches of black and purple fur against the bright streak of orange mane closely cropped from her neck and remnants of a half-plucked brown tail. The last, pink pony in line wore a bridle that seemed to keep her tongue from moving at all.
The buzz from Night Light’s suppressor went off, and he had to wait a moment for his vision to clear. Shaking his head, he wasn't sure he understood what was happening.
The mares did the unthinkable: they started removing their Harmony Elements. Horn suppression and coat dye fell away as the primary unicorn threw sparks of magic from her stub of a horn. Near a ton of weight fell from the earth pony’s back. The pink pony’s bridle snapped in half as she chomped through it with a single bite.
Screams echoed across the square with innocent bystanders running for cover. More NM Corps kept arriving to bolster the original stallion as he faced off against the motley mares.
Within two minutes, Nightmare Moon herself descended on the square. Not wasting a second, her horn roared to life. A focused beam of dark light drilled across the square hitting the lead unicorn. The little pony’s stub horn proved no match for the power of Nightmare Moon, and she fell to the ground in a smoldering heap.
“You all have one minute to get your Harmony Elements back on!” Nightmare Moon yelled at the rest of the ponies.
Twilight Velvet reached up and closed the curtain. “I think it would be nice to take a nap,” she said.
Night Light winced and nodded. “I think I would like that very much.”