//------------------------------// // Breaking Point // Story: My Little Pony: The Brothers of Discord // by mr.myxsiple //------------------------------// CHAPTER 27 BREAKING POINT As Flash and another royal guard flew over the library during the evening patrol, Twilight yawned and closed up the book she was engrossed it. Spike was already snoring away in his basket, and she couldn't wait to join him. "Finally glad today's over..." she muttered as she went up the stairs to her bed. What with Psych and everything he did, the whole day had been completely exhausting. She was glad when she finally slumped over on her bed, drew her blanket over her body and closed her eyes waiting for herself to finally drift off... Knock! Knock! Knock! Twilight groaned in annoyance and covered her ears with her pillow. The knocking however continued keeping her from drifting of to sleep. "Whoever you are, can't it wait 'till morning?!" she groaned trying to block out the annoying sound. "T-Twilight? Could you please let me in?" Upon recognizing the voice, Twilight's ears perked up. She slowly raised her head. "Twilight? Please let me in..." She seemed worried and tense which bothered her. Twilight finally rose and galloped downstairs; she pulled the door opened feeling a slight gust of cool evening wind, hearing the distant hooting of her pet owl and seeing her friend all alone in the middle of the night. "R...Rarity...?" Her friend looked...well, better than she did earlier that day when she was trembling and sobbing. Still, Rarity showed signs of trauma; her frame still trembled slightly, and her eyes were slightly wide. Speaking of her eyes, Twilight noticed several bags under them; Rarity would freak if she saw those. "I can't sleep." she choked out shaking a little. "I try...I close my eyes, but all I could see is that claw. And-and those ants...they were everywhere...They were eating me Twilight! The crawling and-and gnawing and-and-" "Shhhh." Twilight extended her hooves and pulled Rarity into a hug. As the latter sobbed and trembled while Twilight stroked her back gently. "There there...It's OK Rarity..." He did this...she thought. Rarity was a mess, and it was all the doing of the pony she was keeping locked up in her basement. Psych said his life's purpose was to inflict pain wherever he went, and Rarity was a victim of it. No...She put her thoughts on Psych aside instead focusing on her friend. "Listen Rarity, you can here for tonight." Rarity sniffed and looked at her. "Don't worry about it. It'll be like that sleepover we had remember? I'll get the smores and the pillows...We could give each other makeovers and tell ghost stories..." A small smile slowly spread on her lips. "Th-That sounds wonderful Twilight but...I'd really love some sleep." "That's OK Rarity." Twilight replied. "C'mon, I'll go get my second bed up." Grateful for her friend's offer, Rarity pulled away from Twilight and entered her home. Twilight led the way upstairs and pulled out her spare bed careful not to wake Spike up. Rarity settled down and got herself comfortable as Twilight approached. "I know a spell that'll allow you to have a calm, dreamless sleep." she told her earning a nod from Rarity. With her approval, Twilight lit up her horn and placed it on Rarity's forehead. Almost immediately, he eyes began to droop, and her body felt heavy. She shifted a little and let out a yawn as her vision clouded. "Th...thank you Twi..." With that, she finally found peace within the realm of sleep. Satisfied with her work, Twilight worriedly looked outside the window toward a place far away from the library where somepony else who Psych hurt lived. "I sure hope Applejack's doing OK..." *KLANK!* "Another one!" "B-But AJ...that's your fifth cider!" "I can still feel the knives cuttin' me up Big Mac...Another one!" Applejack and Rarity however, weren't the only ones having a bad night. Far away from Ponyville deep within the Everfree Forest, Blues ran about the woods weaving around tree after tree as he did. Once that area had been checked, he moved on to another one. He eventually came to a stop and stood panting for a moment after checking several more areas. Anything? he thought desperately. Still nothing. Scar's voice replied. What about you Ironhead? Same here...Damn it... Father? No sign of him...where could he be? Blues sighed as he ran a hoof through his mane. Solstice, have you found anything? ... Solstice? ... H...Help... Solstice? Blues thought alarmed. S...Somepony...HEEEEELP! The silence of the night was suddenly interrupted by a massive explosion that was all too familiar to Blues and the brothers. Blues jumped a bit and turned in the direction it came from; judging by the sound, it didn't seem that far away. I think I'm the closest to him. Blues thought as he ran through the trees. I'm heading towards him at the moment. I hope I'm not too late...He kept that last thought to himself. Worried like hell for his eldest brother, Blues galloped past trees and branches. He eventually heard a familiar voice letting our strangled gasps and moaning out in pain. He instantly recognized them as Solstice's and quickened his pace fearing the worst. Eventually, he emerged into a clearing where the cries originated. Solstice was on the ground, clutching his head as he writhed around in agony. "Solstice!" Blues galloped to his side stepping on something small, most likely Solstice's glasses. He went closer, but a sudden jolt coursed through his body. The force of it knocked him into the air and sent him crashing into a nearby tree. Blues then crashed against the forest floor; his head dizzy from the impact, he struggled to stand. "N…No! Blues, get back!" Solstice cried out as his brother approached. His body made a suddenly violent jerk. "Run! I…I can't…I can't hold it much longer!" He let out a long scream of pain. As he let out more, arcs of teal electricity raced across his body; his back arched at a painful angle. Not caring about the danger, Blues rushed over to him only to receive another powerful jolt to his system. He was once again launched into the air. This time however, he suddenly stopped mid-flight and was set down gently on his hooves. "Father?" Blues asked. "F…Father! Please help!" Solstice cried out in pain. Blues stepped aside as Equinox rushed over and held Solstice up. He cried out as a power jolt coursed through him but stood his ground. The trembling and hyperventilating unicorn looked up at his dad and let out a cry of pain as he clutched his head even tighter. "F...Father!...I...I can't...Please...Help!" The rest of his words were drowned out by several screams of pain. Solstice's horn then began to glow unusually brighter than usual; it was only a matter of moments before it went off. Alarmed, Equinox lit up his own horn. All of you get back! he screamed in his head. Blue quickly ran behind a nearby tree and, for good measure, used his own magic to create a navy blue barrier around himself. His horn brimming with silver magic, Equinox touched it to Solstice's and instantly felt a sudden surge of magic course through it, almost overwhelming him. Refusing to yield, Equinox channeled his own magic and fought against Solstice's. The magic he was releasing grew stronger and stronger despite Equinox's efforts. Fearing the worst, the alicorn amplified his own magic and managed to overwhelm Solstice's. Before it could intensify even further, he cast a simply sleep spell which managed to reach the panicking unicorn. Solstice, who had been crying out in pain, suddenly felt extremely drowsy. As the glow in his horn diminished, he swayed to the side and suddenly collapsed. Equinox hastily caught his son before he could hit the ground. Upon seeing Solstice snoring away peacefully, he let out a relieved sigh. It's safe to approach. Upon hearing his dad's thought, Blues lowered his barrier. He gingerly stepped out of his hiding place and made his way towards Equinox carrying the slumbering Solstice. He then heard somepony touchdown from the air and a set of hoof steps near them. "What happened?" Ironhead asked worriedly. Equinox sighed as he hoisted Solstice on his back. "Solstice almost had a surge. I've managed to calm him down before things could get out of hoof." His three other sons looked at Solstice with worry. "I still can't believe this is happening…" "First Ash, then Psych, and now Solstice…why the hell is all kinds of crap happening to us?!" Ironhead complained. "Ironhead please calm yourself. It's most likely the stress of this whole situation that almost caused Solstice to have a surge in the first place." Blues told him. Ironhead nodded but still felt upset about everything. "Still no sign of Psych?" Equinox asked. Their somber faces gave their answers. "Where could he be? I understand that he's just as worried about Ash as we are, but why did he have to run off? He could be seriously hurt or lost or worse!" Equinox exclaimed fretting over where his son was. "Wherever he is, I don't think he's in the forest. We've been searching like, all day and there's no sign of him." Scar added. Blues picked up his brother's glasses and gave them to his dad. "We can discuss our next course of action back home. Beside, Solstice is in no condition to continue searching." He sighed and looked into the distance. "I suppose...We'll have to hope Psych has found somewhere safe to spend the night." Feeling defeated, the family began their trek home, their hearts heavy with worry. Groggy and slightly disoriented, Solstice slowly opened his eyes and rubbed his face. He felt that he was lying on something soft and familiar, most likely the bed in his room. Judging by the book case at the far right corner and the desk right next to it, he concluded that he was indeed in his own room. He groaned a little feeling a slight headache. "Solstice, I'm glad to see that you've finally woken." He looked at the side and saw Blues sitting in a chair by his bed. The latter handed over his glasses. He thanked his brother and gently placed them back on. "Blues." He quickly shot up on his bed and checked his brother for injuries. "Are you hurt? I saw you crash whenever you approached." "I'm fine, and so is father. None of us are seriously hurt." Solstice sighed and fell back on his bed. "What happened?" he asked. "I could ask you the same thing." Blues responded. "It's been almost half a year since you last surged." Solstice sighed and covered his face. "It's nothing to be ashamed of Solstice. I, as well as every unicorn in Equestria, had my fair share of surges when I was young." He quickly uncovered his face. "But Blues, those occurred when you were young. I am past that time, and yet I still surge. How many unicorns my age still continue to?" Solstice asked depressed. "If my surges were similar to young ponies' then I would be less worried, but they are not. My surges are far more destructive than yours or any young unicorn's...They don't know what it feels to be a ticking bomb that could go off just because of a little stress..." "Solstice," Blues laid a hoof on his brother's shoulder. "You and I both know that your surges aren't your fault. You know what happened when father saved your life all those years ago, how special the circumstances were. This is something even he didn't foresee. Nopony can be blamed for this." Still feeling depressed, Solstice sighed and placed a hoof on his chest. Besides his own heartbeat, he could practically feel it inside of him, the real reason he still had his surges. "I know Blues...But still...I did everything I could to stop myself from stressing out, but...but it was just too overwhelming. Ash is a mess, and now Psych has gone missing! Not to mention the Light that's still building up in Ponyville's soil and could go off in a matter of-" "Shhh." Blues said sensing his brother was going to go off. Solstice too a nervous gulp and closed his eyes tightly. ...1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10... He opened his eyes and turned away from his brother. "Forgive me Blues. I am still feeling distressed." Blues paused for a moment before a navy blue magical aura enveloped his horn. "I had a feeling you'd say that." For a moment, there was silence. And then, Solstice heard a low, beautiful note being played. He quickly turned and saw his brother, his saxophone in his hooves. He watched as Blues began to play a slightly upbeat jazz piece which soothed Solstice's agitated heart. As the music slowly swelled into a much louder and upbeat tone, Solstice felt the same thing happen to his heart. He gently closed his eyes and let the notes flow through him. Blues's performance lasted a little over two minutes, and by that time, Solstice was feeling much more relaxed. Blues lowered his instrument and smiled. "Feeling better?" "Much...That was beautiful Blues..." Solstice praised quietly. "Thank you..." "Anything to help a brother of mine." he replied setting his saxophone on the floor with his magic. "You know I'd gladly do anything for any of you...Even Psych..." Solstice sighed. Now that he had calmed down, he could once again think rationally. "I trust that you all headed home once father subdued me?" "We did. Afterwards, the four of us discussed our next move." Blues began. "We tried consulting Ash, but as you know, he's in no condition to answer us. We talked once again and thought of where he might go. Psych isn't foolish enough to spend the night in the forest on his own even with his powers." "He wouldn't leave unless he had a reason." Solstice did some thinking. "It it very late; he must have thought of a place to spend the night...He must be in-" "Ponyville." Blues finished. "Father reached that conclusion as well. I've no idea why Psych left, but if he'd have to spend the night somewhere besides here, the town would seem like his best option." "Agreed. Tomorrow, we shall-" "Forgive me Solstice, but there is no 'we'." Blues interrupted. "Father has assigned me to act as a mediator between us and the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. I'm leaving for Ponyville tomorrow not only to search for Psych, but also ease the tension you three caused." "I see…So…Ash remains…?" Solstice asked hoping for an improvement on the pegasus's state. He was answered by a heavy sigh from Blues. "Still as uncooperative as ever." He shook his head and continued. "But you mustn't worry about him for the moment. Get some rest; this night hasn't really turned out well for you." Solstice nodded and levitated his glasses over to a bedside table. Blues rose and, carrying his saxophone with his magic, made his way to the door. "Blues, wait." The beige unicorn stopped. "Tomorrow…would you mind giving Twilight a message from me?" For a while, Blues remained silent as he pondered the request. Finally he answered. "No." Astonished, Solstice watched his brother turn around. "I will apologize for your actions, but I believe that anything you would like to say to her should be said in person. I'm sure she would appreciate that more than hearing it from me." The latter sighed and closed his eyes. "Good night Blues…And thank you…" With that, Blues left his brother's room and made his way to his own, his heart heavy with worry. His family was in disarray, and he felt almost powerless to fix it. Solstice could easily be cheered up, but Psych and Ash were, and have always been, difficult to reach. With Psych being cold and heartless and Ash being depressed and angry, they were just as distant, misguided and miserable as ever. They had no idea that every night, he dreamed of the day they would finally be free of their suffering, no idea of what he'd do or give to make that dream a reality.