//------------------------------// // Departure // Story: The Fugitive Draconequus // by Ironskull //------------------------------// Nothing is ever simple with ponies, is it? Here I am, ready to go, right now, but noooo, my purple accomplice has a few 'last minute things' to take care of, like, 'I need to find someone to take care of Spike and Owlicious while we are away,' and 'I need to let all of my friends know that I won't be home for a little while.' Good grief, girl, I bet if you gave him a chance, dragon boy could take care of himself just fine. And Owlicious doesn't need a pet sitter, of that I am absolutely certain. Those birds are born with survival instincts, and I know for a fact that he comes and goes as he pleases. I knew that friendships were annoying. I never realized just how annoying, however. It's so bad that she can't do anything without taking the time to stop and tell her friends about every little thing! Com'mon, they don't need to know everything! But, of course, Twilight disagreed and disappeared with a promise to not linger. At least there is that. But, here I am, wishing she would hurry it up. The tedium never ends! Now I'm in the library all by myself once again. And no amount of complaining to myself about this stuff is going to change anything at all by this point, so I may as well suck it up and focus. This picture that I am sketching is coming along quite chaotically, if I do say so myself. I was somewhat surprised to discover a box of colored pencils in Twilight's stuff, but they are certainly handy right now. It's much easier to get those shades juuuust the way that I want it with these than with paint. I wasted no time with grabbing a giant sheet of paper from Twilight's lab (apparently she keeps giant paper on hoof so that she can depict large and complex designs in detail on them) and get drawing. I have never had the obscenely gigantic power required to create entire real worlds. I can add to an existing world easy enough, sure, but I can't create a completely new one from scratch, nor can I fill in all of the empty space in any amount of time that I am actually willing to spend. The visual arts provides an acceptable substitute. I have always toyed around with the idea that by drawing these worlds, I am truly creating that world which I see in my mind, and my picture is in fact a still frame taken out of my creation. It could be that it is so. I mean, you look at a well made picture, and you can just tell what's about to happen, and sometimes you can even deduce what has happened up until that point in time that results in the image that you are seeing. What if time flows for the inhabitants of that little world in the picture, but you don't see it, because you are not subject to the time in that world, you're stuck in a different world and subject to its time instead! Maybe the inhabitants of the other world even make little pictures of your own world, and they didn't even know it! In my picture, there is a draconequus, one very much like me, only not at all because I specifically jumbled up all the parts of his body to correspond to a random assortment of creatures, non-fictional and otherwise. This draconequus has power too, but his power is a bit different from mine. His power comes from his secret ability to have the artist of his world (me), draw in whatever he wants. Oh, my little draconequus, you're so lucky to have me around. Look around you! You're better off than I am, that's for sure! The world is upside-down, covered in plaid, and you're loving it! Your rule of your world is absolute, and it is all thanks to me! Enjoy it while it lasts though, because in a minute, a certain pony is going to come along and pull me away from this little project, and your mighty powers will be stripped from you. ... Yeah yeah, I know. The irony of this isn't lost on me. Maybe the draconequus in my picture is more like myself than I will ever know. Thought provoking. I sigh to myself and just stare at my picture. This is a picture of a happy little draconequus. There is nothing about this image that doesn't scream 'happy'! And yet... When I look into it, I just feel sad. And maybe just a little bit of jealously for the little guy. This is what you call art. I don't know. Maybe something is missing from the picture. If something is missing, I don't really know what it could be. I guess I never actually gave the draconequus a name, but then again, that's not my job, is it? It wouldn't change a thing about how the picture looks, no matter what his name is. Well, how about this: If I really am peering into another world as real as my own, then I'm sure that they can all handle their names without my help. He can take care of himself. I would know. This picture isn't bad. Why, strictly from an artistic perspective, it's excelent. But... I don't know. I don't know what to think. Maybe I'll destroy it later. At least then I won't have to explain it to Twilight. Suddenly, I hear the front door of the library open. "Uh, hey, Mister Spirit Dude, or whatever..." says an unsteady voice. I turn around in suprise, as this is clearly not who I was expecting. "Umm... yeah, this is awkward, are you in here?..." My unexpected visitor is none other than Rainbow Dash. What in Equestria does that girl want from me? She obviously knows that she can't see me, and she's still trying to get my attention? And is it just me, or does her voice sound uneasy? As if she is afraid that I'll actually answer her... "I mean, am I just talking to nopony here?" Rainbow continues. "Um, maybe, you know, give me a sign or something that you're in here?" Hmm... Would that even actually work? I decide to humor the mare for the sake of a little experiment. I want to know exactly how effectively I can interact with somepony who can't perceive me. Unfortunately, any communication would have to be indirect and therefore vague. But it would be a start. I remove one of the colored pencils from the box and toss it at Rainbow Dash's hooves. The moment it hits the floor, she jumps slightly and turns to look straight at it as it clatters on the ground. To her credit, she managed to avoid screaming. "Okaaaaay," she says hesitantly. "So, that was you, right? I'm not just crazy and there's pencils jumping off of shelves now? You're Twilight's... friend?" I walk up to her and dump the whole box of pencils at her feet, causing her to actually jump and suspend herself in the air for a moment before hesitantly coming back down. "Uh, yeah, okay, I'm just going to assume that was you and that I'm not crazy. I mean, crazy things didn't start happening around me until I walked in here, so I'm pretty sure that it isn't me." Something in the Dash's voice gives away her discomfort, despite her rather good job of acting like she's keeping her cool. Something has her on edge, and I wouldn't be surprised if she suddenly decided to get out of here as fast as her wings will carry her. I'm not sure why she would be acting like this, considering that she should be oblivious as far as recognizing me. She's just standing there, silent. Just before I was about to decide to scare her into action, she finally began speaking once more. "Okay, so, talking to you is, like, super weird. I mean, I can't even tell where you are. You could leave the room and I would be left talking to myself here like an idiot." Rainbow suddenly fell silent again and put on a suspicious expression. "You better not have left the room just now. I swear, if you're laughing at me, I'm going to be really mad." "Meh," I respond apathetically. "Are you still in here?" she continues. "I know I keep asking that and it's probably driving you crazy, but it just drives me crazy that I always don't know-" At this moment, I simply place my paw on top of her back. A very simple action, and yet it causes quite the extreme reaction. "Yeargh!" she yelps as she suddenly jumps several feet into the air. "Ohhooo-kaaaaay," she says in a half laughing voice, letting herself fall back to the floor. "Not going to lie, that was kind of scary. Especially since I can't tell if you were... trying to hurt me, or what... I don't even know what that was I just felt because I've never felt anything like that before and it felt super weird..." She lets out a frustrated groan and launches into a tirade. "Okay, I have to say this before I get scared out of my wits. You are terrifying. I actually hesitated for, like, ten minutes at the door before I could build up the nerve to come in here. And this is me that I'm talking about, so you know that means you're definitely super scary. I mean, the fact that I can't tell if you're about to hit me or something is just horrible. I could totally take it, of course, but, you're... invisible. That's... cheating, or something. I know that I'm being silly. If I was walking down the street and I met a new pony, would I be scared that he or she is going to hit me? Of course not! You see a pony, you think to yourself, 'hey, this is probably a pretty nice mare!' Or stallion. But... I don't know how to explain it, the fact that you're a complete mystery? Suddenly I'm... I'm shaking in my horse shoes! Even though you are just as likely to be a pretty nice guy the same as any other stallion I would pass on the street, right?" Rainbow stops talking long enough that I feel that I should give her an answer, regardless of the fact that she won't hear me, as always. "Yeahhhh..." I say. "Maybe that's what probability would suggest, but I think you might have beat the odds on this one. Probability is unreliable at best in any case." "Look," says Rainbow Dash. "I don't know if you're trying to comfort me and assure me that you're not going to hurt me or if you're just really mad that I came in here like this and won't go away, but I can't hear you if you're doing either one of those things. I'm just going to say what I came here to say and get out of here before I get scared out of my mind. Twilight doesn't know that I'm here. She came up to me a while ago and told me that she is... is going to go off, gallivanting with some...body that we don't even know. You can't expect me to not be concerned about that. So, I came over here to find you so that I could... ... I... I don't know. Look, if you're screaming for me to get the hay outta here, could you... I don't know, do something! Like, throw that red pencil!" As she says this statement, I suddenly feel intrigued by the suggestion. She actually did it! She suggested a method of communication! Due to the circumstances, it had to be her to suggest it, but she did it and now, in an admittedly limited and indirect way, I can actually get even her to acknowledge me! I suddenly stop my celebrations as they are replaced with annoyance. I could throw the red pencil like she asked and make her run out of here. It would be mildly funny, but then this little experiment would be over. I could also ignore her. But doing nothing would make me feel like... like I'm failing at this. Or something. I have to. I have to do nothing. And so I do nothing. "Um," says Rainbow after a bit. "Are you saying that you're not mad at me, right? You haven't left the room, have you? I keep asking that, and I hate it! But I can't- WHAHOAH!" Rainbow Dash launhes herself away from me at my slightest touch. "Whoa!" cries Rainbow again. "Whoa. Okay, I was kind of expecting it and that still freaked me out. Whoa. My heart is racing right now. You could totally run a super successful haunted house, you know." "What the heck is a haunted house?" I ask. Rainbow naturally ignores me and continues on. "Alright, so this is what I was trying to get at here, and I'm also totally sorry that I keep acting super weird about it, but I can't help it. I really wanted to go with you guys. I want to make sure that Twilight stays safe. But, because of some craziness that is literally impossible for me to understand, apparently, everypony else is actually incapable of going with you. To do whatever it is that you're going to do. Twilight is a smart pony. Actually, that was the biggest understatement ever. Twilight is the smartest pony. I really really want to trust that she knows what she's doing here. But it's hard when you're left in the dark, you know? So... I want to make you promise me something. I know this isn't as binding as a Pinkie Promise, but... if you promise to keep Twilight safe during your little 'trip'... then throw that blue pencil." Well... Why not? I was planning to do that already anyway. I go through the motions and the blue pencil goes clattering across the floor. "Oh, good!" says Rainbow, apparently letting out a held breath. "Good, good! Ugh, that was stressful. You must think I'm so dumb for getting so freaked out... And I'm totally sorry, but I still think I had a pretty good reason to. I didn't mean to come off so confrontational. I really hope Twilight can help you fix your problem, I really do. It must suck for ponies to not be able to see you. I mean, if that happened to me, that would be the worst thing ever. Although, come to think of it, maybe Fluttershy would actually enjoy it. No, actually, forget I said that. "Soooooo... I guess I said everything I came here to say, and I can't really hear you say anything back to me, so... is this the part where I just leave or... You're still in here, right? GAGHHAGH!" Rainbow once again jumps like a rocket at my prodding. "Holy ponyfeathers, that makes my heart pound!" cries Rainbow. "And I'm not even flying right now!" ... "Um, hey, uh, do that again," she says. Now I start staring at Rainbow Dash in confusion. But I ultimately decide not to question her and poke her once more. She actually doesn't fly off this time. She does scream again though. "YAHHHAAHhhhhwhoaaaaaa..." she cries, trailing off. "Hah!..." she huffs. "There you go. You see? I'm totally not a wuss! Ohhooo whoaaaa this feels sooo weird." Oh yeah? I say to myself. You think you can resist me? I start my clawed hand crawling up her back like a spider and she cringes away, and yet still does not fly away. "Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa-ho!" she cries as she starts swinging her legs around. "What's happening here! Hhhho-oooo-oooooo-oly ponyfeathers, what's happening to the library!? What- Where am I...?" Ooookay then, this is suddenly getting really weird. I'm just going to let go now... I stop touching this crazy mare and right away she seems to come back to the real world. "Whoa. Okay, it's over. That was so crazy! I don't know what the heck your weirdness is doing to my head, but that was... a little bit scary, but also, aweeeeesooooome. So. Much. Adrenaline." I'm staring at this mare with my mouth wide open at this point. I am utterly dumbfounded. "Do that again, seriously! Whatever you did, do more of it! Do it! Really!" This is taking a major turn for the weird. And that's coming from me. I don't even know what to think right now. I feel... I don't know, like, this isn't the way things are supposed to be happening right now. This... this really doesn't feel right. I suddenly don't want to touch this crazy friend of Twilight's any more. I don't know if I could handle it. But... some part of my brain just can't help but find out what will happen if I indulge her. Suddenly, I get an idea, and as a compromise, I take the giant sheet of paper that I was doodling on before and then throw the thing over Rainbow's body, with the drawing on the inside. Unless I miss my guess, this mare's whole world is about to become completely incomprehensible, seeing as she'll be completely surrounded by something of my own creation. Rainbow Dash immediately starts shouting but almost instantly switches to something more like voicing her wonder at the incredibleness that is the inside of my sketch. Her legs seem to be kicking at the air in slow motion, as though uncertain whether they would touch anything or not. "Duuu-uuuu-uuude, what in Equestria did you just do to me?" Holy chaos, all I did was drop a piece of freakin' paper on her! "Whoaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa... Whoa, WHOA! It's getting smaller! What is that color even? Red? Blue? Green... what the heck, why can't I tell? Those don't look anything close to alike! What am I even looking at? Why do I feel like I'm moving? Whoaaaaaaaaa, whoa whoa whoa! Suddenly, Rainbow managed to kick the paper off of her and regain her vision. She looks all around her in complete bafflement. Her eyes are actually misaligned, just like that other pony in town. Fortunately, she manages to pull herself together and her eyes go back to normal. Right up until they suddenly grow wide. "Oh. Uh, Twi." Confused, I turn to look in the direction Rainbow is looking and I behold Twilight standing at the open door, carrying something in a couple of saddlebags and staring back at us both in so much confusion. Rainbow's face instantly turns an impressive shade of crimson and she suddenly blurts out "Gottagobye!" before rocketing for the door. Which she completely misses. Instead, she slams into the wall beside Twilight and falls to the floor. "Hugh, ow," she complains, rubbing her head with a hoof while sitting on her rear. "Everything... so dizzy right now..." She then looks up toward Twilight, her head swaying slightly. "Heh, hey there Twilight. I'm totally not on medication right now, I swear. I just saw something totally crazy is all... So. Indescribable! It was so awesome! I mean-! I'm fine! I'll be fine, I promise!" Rainbow makes another attempt at flying out the door, and this time manages it. And, just like that, I've lost her. Twilight turns her head to me and stares at me. "I can explain," I lie. "You... you actually don't have to..." says Twilight uneasily. "I've been watching for a while now. Since before you started doing... whatever that was. I feel bad for listening in on what was supposed to be a private... one way conversation, but I wanted to make sure that you two didn't get into a fight or anything, and then it just got... weird. I thought for sure that she was going to explode at you with anger, but then she started... asking for more and I just... lost my ability to think." "You're telling me?" I answer back. "That friend of yours has just managed to achieve something incredible. I am officially creeped out by a pony! I have had many different kinds of reactions to my work over the eons. Most ponies despise it, some try to ignore it, some try to fight it, a small few actually like it, but I can't remember anypony reacting to me like... that." "Well, at least we have learned something from all of this, I suppose. Forcing prolonged exposure to yourself or anything affected by your condition appears to alter the victim's senses in such a way that they perceive their surroundings as something alien and incomprehensible. Understandably, this would frighten just about anyone quite badly... However, it would appear that Rainbow Dash's enthusiasm for a good scare and adrenaline caused her... unusual reaction. If it wasn't for the fact that she was literally asking you to do what you did, I would have put a stop to it." "I was pretty close to putting a stop to it myself, actually..." "Yes, well, I guess nopony got hurt... aside from dizziness and a sore cranium from crashing into my wall that is. Annnnyway, um, I saw the picture. It was... nice?" "You don't have to lie to me, I know it's a pony's worst nightmare." "Well, living in it, yes, maybe. But I know how much you like it, and, well, looking at it from an outside perspective... it's sort of... interesting? I just wish that our ideas of a good place to be were not in such conflict." "Well, that may be true, but this country you ponies have set up for yourselves isn't sooo bad. It just leaves me with more than ever to do!" "I... guess that's a good thing?" "Possibly." A moment of silence falls over the library as we run out of things to say. Twilight is the one to end it. "Rainbow Dash can be so weird sometimes." "Your brain is still stuck on that too, huh?" "Yep." "She certainly gave the pink one a run for her money." "Yeah." "So then," I blurt out, obviously attempting to change the subject. "Let's go get that Princess, what do you say?" "Oh! Um, yes, I'll just grab the rest of what I packed and we can leave at once!" "Finally!" I cry aloud. "I'm going to get into the machine while you have fun doing that." "Very well then." I quickly run out the door and eagerly rush to my hilariously offensive blimp. I don't have to wait for very long for Twilight to come after me, carrying even more luggage. "I hope you can find somewhere for all of that junk," I observe. "This isn't a cargo train." "Well, the machine has several nooks and crannies where I can tuck things away in the area behind the seats. Besides, I'm going to cast a spell to keep it all from spilling. Also, I'm going to use that spell on myself to prevent me from falling out of my seat. And also just a couple of general fail-safe spells. Can't be too careful." "That isn't going to restrict your movement, is it?" I ask. "No, it will just ensure that all parts of my body stay inside the seating area at all times. And if need be, I can dispell it in a second." "Fair enough. All ready?" Twilight sighs a little at this. "As ready as I'll ever be. I just hope everything works according to plan." "We've already run a couple of test runs," I remind her. "Everything works fine!" "It works fine for the short term, at least," Twilight admitted. "I've triple checked everything, and after our minor alterations, everything does honestly seem to be about as safe as one could hope for. Long term problems though, who knows what problems might arise? I suppose we can handle whatever is thrown at us though, right?" "Of course we can!" I declare in a voice that let her know that this fact should have been obvious. "You are traveling with me!" Without any further word, I activate the machine and start ascending. "Oh dear. I hope I didn't bring too much," Twilight suddenly says. "Come now, Twi. If this thing can lift Celly's girth," I say, pointing above my head, "then it can lift anything." "Discord, 'Celly's girth' is whats lifting us in the first place." I put my paw to my chin as though surprised by this revelation. "Oh yeah. Who'd've thunk it? We seem to be fine though. Just a little extra gas into our good ol' balloon is all. What have you brought with you in those bags of yours, anyway?" Twilight looks surprised. "Oh, of course! I was going to tell you before, but I completely forgot about them because of- well, you know. Well, you see, when I went to Fluttershy's cottage to let her know where I'll be, she insisted that I take some sandwiches for the road. Her words, not mine, we're not going to be traveling by road, but still, it was very thoughtful of her and I'm sure that I'll be thankful to have them." I give Twilight's rather hefty looking bags a doubtful glance. "She made you that many sandwiches?" "Oh, no, actually. So, then, when I went to Pinkie Pie, she loaded me up with more sweets than I can shake a stick at. I hope you will help me eat them, it won't be good for my health to devour so many sweets." "Have no fear!" I declare loudly. "I have no problem at all with relieving you of your delicious baked goods! The pastries from that bakery are impeccable I tell you!" "You really like them that much?" asks Twilight in surprise. I make a show of being nonchalant as I twist a knob and pull a lever and start the blimp moving forward. "Well, don't go advertising it, but yes, I very much do. Somehow, the goods sold at that store are irrefutably tastier than my own technically perfect treats that I would once upon a time summon. Which reminds me, I have need of that scientific mind of yours when we are done with the 'get my powers back' thing." "Huh? Why?" "I need you to help me analyze Sugar Cube Corner's baked goods and identify the reason that they are so delicious!" "Why not just ask Pinkie Pie when it comes to it?" asks Twilight. "I'm quite sure that most of their baked goods don't use a secret recipe, so I'm sure she would tell you." "No..." I whisper back to her suddenly. "We must discover it ourselves, mein freund! You and me! Else our reputation shall forever be forfeit!" "... How did you come to that conclusion?" "It matters not! Also, just so you know, I already snuck a peek at their recipes. There was nothing out of the ordinary, which is highly disappointing. There must be something special about one or more of the ingredients!" Twilight actually seemed to consider this. "I suppose it's possible. Alright then, We can analyze it later." "I can't believe Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie gave you that much free food and Rarity the element of generosity did no such thing." "Don't make assumptions. I actually I wasn't finished telling you everything I brought. Rarity also gave me something for the road. Nothing terribly fancy, just salad." "A salad?" I cry out. "You've got a salad crammed in there?" "It's sealed," Twilight defended. "By chaos, girl, I was perfectly content with lone vegetables to eat! Just so long as it's not nasty, I will eat whatever we have without complaint! We have more important things to worry about." "Well, all of the girls wanted to help me somehow, how could I say no?" " 'All of the girls'?" I repeat back to her. "Don't tell me that that apple farmer gave you a feast as well! What am I saying? Of course she did! So, we're going to have apples for breakfast lunch and dinner every single day?" "Not everything that Applejack gave me is made with apples!" Twilight insisted. "Just... a whole bunch of it." "I see... So, what did Rainbow Dash give you then?" "Actually, she didn't give me any food. I think she was more concerned with trying to have a word with you. I do mean trying. You wouldn't want any food that Rainbow Dash has anyway, it's all specially made to keep her perfectly fit." "And by that, you mean gross, right?" "I don't care for it, anyway. I guess some ponies like it... I wouldn't define it as gross. I mean, what is the definition of the word 'gross'? I don't think it's a word you can precisely define." "I believe the word 'gross' means one hundred and forty four." I answer. "That means that Rainbow Dash eats food that makes her look like she is one hundred and forty four." Twilight lets out a snort. "Seriously?" she complains, unable to hide her amusement as she does so. "She's still doing a lot better than those two princesses of yours. They look like they're, oh, a few thousand years old?" "Well, I think there are many ponies who would say that you look like you are even older than they." "Well, those ponies are wrong." "Discord! You can't just force your opinion on others!" "I'm not forcing my opinion on others. They are entitled to their opinions. And they are wrong ones." "You... You..." Twilights voice unexpectedly lightened up with the second 'you' she spoke. And then suddenly she started laughing. "Oh my goodness!" she exclaimed. "I can't even tell if you are being serious or not!" "Good. I like my air of mystique." "Oh, don't pretend you have an 'air of mystique.' I think I have a pretty good idea of what to expect from you. I don't think you were being serious, and I also don't think you were being not serious. I think you were just saying words in order to provoke a reaction!" I hesitate. "Oh yeah?" I challenge. "Well, you're purple!" Twilight actually lost her grin and did a double-take at me. "Fine," she admitted. "Clearly, you win." "What?" I cry out, actually a little upset that Twilight gave up the argument so quickly. "No I don't!" "Are you now saying that I am not purple?" "... That's exactly what I am saying. You are actually a very rare shade of the color poi-ple," I insist, intentionally mispronouncing the word. Twilight gave me one quick look and burst out laughing again. "Anyhow," I continue, not even waiting for Twilight's laughter to die away, "I can't believe that you've managed to manipulate almost every single one of your friends into giving you free stuff. And all you had to do was leave town? Are you sure they aren't paying you to make yourself scarce?" "Of course they aren't! They're trying to be helpful!" "Hmm... So. Downside of friendship: You can't go anywhere without wasting a lot of time telling all of your friends about it." Twilight gives me a look. "Upside of friendship: Your friends will apparently give you free stuff all the time!" "Discord!" cries Twilight in a laughing manner. "Well, it is true. Can I do that too? Can I make you give me free stuff?" "Hmm, maybe, but not with that attitude," says Twilight, suddenly giving me an eerie smile. "What then," I say bemusedly. "Let me guess. Instead, I should be all 'nice' about it and say please and thank-you and all of that sappy garbage." "Actuuaally..." says Twilight slowly. "Strictly speaking, no, you don't have to do that." If anything, Twilight's smile grows even bigger. "If you promise not to tell anybody, I'll tell you the secret method to making ponies give you lots of free stuff." She can't be serious. There's no way that this secret method actually exists. Not without using magic, surely. I can't help but feel like I'm falling into a trap. But I can't stand it. I have to hear this. I have to know if she's being serious here. "Alright, I'll bite, what is this secret method?" I ask doubtfully. "You have to promise!" "Alright, I promise I won't tell anybody!" I say. "If your 'secret' actually has any truth to it, I'm not going to want to tell anybody else anyway, I'd much rather keep it to myself." "Good!" says Twilight cheerfully. "The secret... is this: Every time anypony gives you a present, pretend that you don't want to take it." I stare at the mare for about five seconds, and then blurt out, "I knew you weren't serious, do you really expect me to buy that?" "I'm being super serious!" she insists. "This is basically how it went with Rarity: 'Oh Twilight, you simply must allow me to provide you with a decent meal or two for your trip!' 'Thank you Rarity, but I can't accept this! I'll be just fine without it.' 'Oh, no, Twilight! You are far too modest! I insist you take this!' 'Oh, well okay then, Rarity, if you insist, I guess I have no choice but to accept your gift!' " Twilight finishes her sarcastic dialogue and looks at me, clearly expecting a response. I just let out a quick laugh. "Ridiculous!" "Well, it works a heap better than greed. If you want to know where that will get you, ask Spike about it sometime. When he can see you again, that is. But you just do what I told you to and ponies will shower you with presents. Ponies love giving gifts to those who are modest. It's as though they want you to be modest. Even though their mouths are telling you not to be modest. It's all nonsense, really. Nonsense!" "So..." I say slowly. "What you are saying is that modesty... is a lie that you tell to get what you want?" "Well, not always..." Twilight admitted. "I myself am actually completely genuine when I say such things. Everypony around me expects me to be some kind of super-pony with all of the answers, mostly because of my education under Princess Celestia, but I really just am not, and I constantly feel like I've only gotten this far because I've been very, very lucky. But in your case? Just go ahead and lie! The other pony gets to think that you're actually a nice guy, and you get what you want, so really, no harm done, right?" I start shaking my head violently. "No. I absolutely refuse to believe anything you are telling me right now. What ever happened to almighty honesty?" "I just thought I would relax the rules a bit in your case. I deduced that you might be more receptive to what friendship has to offer if I did. And if it works, it is worth it. Anyway, complete and total honesty was always more Applejack's thing." I stare deep into Twilight's eyes, trying to see her true intentions. And, as I was expecting, I do indeed see mischief in those eyes. But, no, hold on... Why, she is being serious! And laughing about it! "You're serious!" I cry out loud. "I told you I was serious!" she responds with a grin. "Just don't try that little trick I taught you with me, because I'll see right through you, you silly liar." I'm taken aback at that. And then I suddenly am very impressed. "Why, you crafty little pony..." I say softly. "Mmm hmm!" "Fine. You got me there. But back to the original topic here," I say. "Is everything in those bloated bags of yours really just food?" "What? No, of course not. This one here is a book bag." "... Alright, this one is on me. I should have known." "You are making fun of me... Again..." Twilight says with a sigh. "Oh, I would never!" "Sure... Anyway, other than that, I have this one last one here with a few essential toiletries, such as my toothbrush, a towel-" I let out a huge gasp. "Hah, really?" I cry. "Me too!" "I could do without the sarcasm, Discord, I really need this stuff." "No, you don't understand!" I cry happily. "I brought my towel too!" I have my arm plunged inside the bag that Rarity sold me, searching, until I find it, and then I pull it out triumphantly. "You see?" Twilight examines the mess of colors in my paw. "What in Equestria did you do to that thing?" she asks in concern. "And where did you get it?" "Oh, I didn't do anything special. I just put a bunch of different colored paints on a dinner plate and then stuck the towel in and spun it around and around and around... I like the swirly." "Okay, but where did you get it?" "I bought it from a spa in the crystal empire." "Oh. Um, did you bring anything else?" "Eh, I have all of that stuff that Rarity sold me, but a lot of that stuff would be way more useful in a cave than way up in the sky. Probably. Unless I can think of some other creative uses for this stuff." "Hold on. You're really telling me that the only thing that you brought with you besides caving gear... is a towel?" "Of course it is!" I cry out. "Don't you know that a towel is just about the most massively useful thing any hitchhiker can carry?" "What?" cried Twilight, bewildered. "What are you going on about now? We're not hitchhiking!" "Irrelevent," I answer back. "With the sheer versatility of the towel, I will make this journey a success!" "What?" "Look, I want to embarrass Celestia, but the real trick will be to get her without her suspecting that somebody is actually messing with her, otherwise she may grow too suspicious and cut her vacation short. Celestia is going to be doing sports stuff, right? That means that she is going to be outside. And we have this fabulous blimp. So, naturally, a towel is just what I need!" "You're going to embarrass Princess Celestia... with a towel?" "More or less. Drive her a little crazy would also be accurate," I say with a grin. "You're not going to hit her with it, are you?" asks Twilight in horror. "Of course not! I don't care for anything resembling violence. Besides, we won't be getting close enough to hit her, we'll be in the blimp, remember?" "Then I have no idea what you are getting at," says Twilight in confusion. "Your intent couldn't be to write something embarrassing on the towel and show it to her from the air. She wouldn't see it." "Then I get to suprise you! Oh, I do hope you will be impressed with the sheer genius of this idea!" Twilight hesitates. "Alright, if you say so, then I'll trust you. I expect it to be a good suprise." "Well, it will be extremely funny." "I... I hope so." We both go silent for now. I decide to take in the scenery for now, seeing how conversation seems to be suspended. I can't really explain it, but the world looks different from the blimp than it did flying with my wings. Also, this is actually the highest in the sky I have been since losing my powers, and the blimp is more steady than I might have guessed, being propelled by shooting air and all. Twilight has already dragged one of her books out. I take one glance at it and I can tell already that it's a spell book. "Really?" is all I say to her. She says even less back. She just smiles to me. In response, I just shake my head and make a gesture of apathy. Actually, we are making pretty good progress. Before long, we'll be flying over Canterlot and then we can redirect our path to fly over the route Celestia should be taking. And Twilight seems to have noticed what my attention was drawn to, judging from her next sentence. "Somewhere in that city is your powers." I look over at her with my eyebrows raised. "Do you often state the obvious?" "No, I was just wondering... We have the opportunity to go and get your powers, right this instant. We could give up on chasing Celestia to Manehatten and just go... figure out where they are first, but then go and get them. It's not like Celestia will be capable of telling us where they are even if she wanted to. She won't remember. And I know how badly you want them back, so... Why? Why are you putting it off?" I don't answer right away. Twilight allows me some time to muse this to myself. "A fair question," I finally declare. "And one that deserves an answer. You see, unlike what my experience with the mushrooms might lead you to believe, it is definitely impossible to destroy my power. It is intangible, wild, and simply must fundamentally exist. If it didn't exist somewhere, somehow, there would definitely be something fundamentally wrong with the world. So, ultimately, it doesn't matter how long I wait, my powers will definitely still be waiting for me in the end. "But, as for why I don't want them back right now, even though I could go and get them right away... I don't know. It's much harder to explain. I guess part of it is because I want to show Celestia proof that she doesn't control me even without my powers. But, there is more to it than that. I... I guess..." I trail off. Twilight just gives me a wide eyed stare and says, "You guess what?" "You're really going to make me say this aren't you?" I ask in slight irritation, but also slight amusement. "I guess I've discovered that... I'm really enjoying myself lately, especially ever since you decided to come 'round and assist me with all of this. I... I guess I'm just a teeny bit afraid that things will go back to the way that they used to be, and I'll never get the opportunity to see how all of... this plays out. I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little curious." "I don't think things can go back to the way that they used to be," says Twilight. "No matter what happens." "By chaos, you sound sappy." Instead of a proper response, I suddenly hear Twilight let out a rather large gasp. "What is it?" I ask, turning to her to see what has caught her attention. But her nose is still buried in that book. "What could possibly be so shocking in between the pages of that spell book?" I ask. "Oh, its nothing! Nothing you need concern yourself with, I was just surprised is all." The fact that she clutches the spell book to her nose does not escape my notice. "Oh no you don't," I say back to her. "You've got my attention now. Spill it." "Well, um... Okay. I suppose you do deserve to know. You've been so open with me, after all." She slowly removes the book from her face and holds it out to me with the pages wide open. "The thing that I was so surprised by... is... that," she states. I halfheartedly glance over the pages, but, as expected, this doesn't do me the slightest bit of good. "Twilight, I don't do the 'scholar' thing," I say. "What am I looking at here?" "Um... This is... This is..." "This is...?" "It's... Well, I mean, it was... The backup plan." "What?" I cry in frustration. "What do you mean? Twilight, what in Equestria is this spell?" "It's the backup plan for how I could fulfill Princess Celestia's wish and reform you. You know, once you came back from running away from us, and only as a last resort, I assure you! And I have decided that it is unnecessary at this point, so I promise you I'm not actually going to use this! It's... it's a reforming spell!" I squint at her, trying to read her expression, but forcing myself to not jump to conclusions. "Explain," I command. "I know what you're probably thinking!" says Twilight hurriedly. "But this spell does not force the target to change in any way. What it is is actually a sophisticated communication spell!" "What? I don't understand," I say in confusion. "You were going to reform me with a communication spell? How could that possibly achieve anything?" "I believed that it would be useful because what it does do is establish a mental line of communication between the caster and the target. I was afraid that you would simply shrug off any attempts we made to reason with you and simply disregard what we said without actually considering our words. With this spell, you wouldn't be able to do that nearly as easily because it causes the target to understand the casters point of view and the caster in turn understands the target's point of view. Actually, I used a low power version of the spell to reverse the effects you put on my friends in that maze." "Huh?" I exclaim, now quite shocked. "You undid my magic by sharing your mind with your friends?" "Well, yes, actually. Your magic essentially altered their personalities and then also created mental barriers to keep their minds from self-correcting themselves and removing your tampering. By uniting my mind with that of my friends, I was able to help them do what you prevented them from doing and remind them of not only who they were, but also show them why they are who they are. In turn, I understood the turmoil you placed on each of them... but ultimately, it failed to affect me because it was all nothing but flawed logic and lies that you forced them to accept with magic. Actually, because of this unstable foundation that your deception was built upon, undoing it all was actually quite easy, and it was actually unnecessary for me to use the spell to its full potential. While my friends were incapable of seeing those flaws, I was, and that is why I was able to unravel your illusion." Twilight fell silent and simply stared at me nervously. "Well?" she asked after only a moment. "Please don't just sit there saying nothing. What do you think of all of this?" "You care far too much about what others think, Twilight Sparkle. Never the less... In my opinion, you found quite the clever solution and managed to find a crack in my defenses. While I am disappointed that the key to restoring your friends minds was relatively simple, I do admire you as a strategist." "You... You approve of my decision?" said Twilight in shock. "But what about my plan to use the spell on you, if necessary?" "Twilight, consider this: You said that you only needed to use the spell in a low power form, and never needed to use it's full potential, and the reason for that is because your friends were not truly horrible ponies at their core. However, unlike your friends, I have no spell cast upon me that causes me to act or think the way that I do. Changing me would doubtlessly be far more difficult than changing your friends back. So tell me this: what does the spell do differently at it's full potential?" Twilight's ears pulled back against her skull. "The more power put into the spell, the deeper the caster and target see into one another's minds, and the more they understand the other's way of thinking. I theorize that the deeper the two are interconnected, the stronger the conflict between them would become, until it turns into a contest of will, and one side or the other may be forced to understand things through the eyes of the other before the conflict is resolved. Metaphorically, that is. Essentially, there is a significant chance that either you would be made to think more like myself... or I might have been made to think more like you." "Then I'm sure that you have more than one reason that you were determined to not use that spell," I answer her. "I imagine that the idea of being forced to be more like me isn't so attractive to you right now." "To put it bluntly, yeah... I'm not sure that I would have been willing to go through with it even if I did feel that it was the only remaining option." "Well, I say it's definitely a good thing that you are so opposed to it and never used the spell. Personally, I'm convinced that it would have backfired on you, and I wouldn't have appreciated it any more than you would have. Sounds like a terrible way to come to an agreement, regardless of which way it would have played out. But if you want to know why I'm not more upset... the spell seems to be fair. It doesn't cheat, and it doesn't force anything. Which, yes, I know, is completely hypocritical of me considering that I cheated you and forced things to be my way like crazy, but to be fair, I saw absolutely no reason why I should care whether you were angry with me in the first place. I assumed that that was the way things always had been and always would be. Ponies would always hate me, and I would always hate ponies. Playing dirty didn't matter if the ponies were going to hate me no matter what anyway because of what I am. However, it would appear that things might not be as they seemed. I haven't figured out whether you are just an anomaly or if I have misjudged ponies altogether and made false assumptions, but I'm going to find out. And when I do find out... I don't know what I will do. It depends on exactly what I find. In any case, it would appear that you found a better way of dealing with me in the end anyway, which was what you say you hoped for all along, and I can honestly say that I appreciate that. It is far more than I could have achieved, or even would have wanted to." Twilight was already blushing by this point. "I... Wow... You never cease to surprise me Discord, and in more ways than one. I wonder what my friends would think if they could see you now." "If your friends could see me now, then all of my problems would be over, I should think." "You know what I meant!" "But what has me really interested is other applications of that spell of yours," I say. "Magic can be used to read the minds of others, as much as you surely despise the fact, but your spell goes beyond that, it would seem. And I know that you have spells that can be used to share memories, as complicated as they are. I do as well. But can that spell of yours teach skills? Because if it could, ponies could learn complex ideas in far, far less time than the traditional way." "Theoretically possible, but extremely dangerous in practice," said Twilight quickly. "Interconnecting two minds together so closely would once again result in a conflict of minds, only as an unintentional side effect, and once again, one or both subjects could potentially be changed forever by the experience. There would be other dangers too. Unless special care is taken to maintain focus on the subject at hoof, both parties also risk accidentally exposing their deepest and darkest secrets to the other. So, in short, it technically is possible, but the price for doing so is far, far too high to do it under any but the most dire of circumstances." "Hmm. Interesting. But probably for the best." And so my co-pilot and myself ceased our conversing once more, content to leave one another with our own thoughts. But I know that this will not last forever. Soon enough, we shall be upon the Sun Princess. If she's smart, she remembered to bring a towel.