Gifts and Curses

by flamevulture17

8. Connections

[Chapter 8]

Connections

---

To his surprise, Andrew felt a little something that made him open his eyes and break full concentration. He took a deep breath, shut his eyes, and tried again. It took a little longer than before, but he replicated that same eerie feeling that in turn broke his focus once more. He started to wonder what it was that he felt or what kind of emotion intervened, something he could never do before. The confused and tired look on his face had never been more difficult to detect from the human sitting in front of him.

Dale had been watching Andrew try over, and over, and over, till they were almost ready to give up. He thought that since there is absolutely nothing genuine on the subject of magic (if you can call it a subject), there was no manual on how it was done to get it right. Neither of them considered unicorns to have special powers (even though they are deemed as magical creatures of pure myth) nor did they think the horn to be the primary source of said powers. Dale understood why emotion was the strongest among special abilities, so he wondered if that applied to unicorns as well. Most of the fictional books they've read that included magic either got it all wrong, or this was something else entirely. Dale wasn't really a fantasy kind of guy, he was more of the action and adventure type. Andrew was more of a science fiction enthusiast in TV shows and movies. Though none of that were able to help them in their fruitless struggle to figure it out themselves.

Andrew was getting exhausted of all his thinking, more than a usual day at school. It hurt his brain, especially now that his brain may have gotten significantly smaller. It certainly didn't feel like his head was any different, so he assumed his brain was the same as yesterday. He needed a break.

“Come on, Dale, this might not work at all,” he said.

“How can you be sure? What about that time we weren't paying attention?” said Dale.

“What if it wasn't me?”

“Who else would it be?”

“I don't know, maybe it was a ghost?” Andrew shrugged.

“Yeah right. You know ghosts aren't real.”

“Okay then, who are you talking to right now?”

“Talking to you.”

“And what am I?” said Andrew, getting his point across.

“You're a- … oh yeah; but you can't just assume that every other myth and legend are real. Next thing you'll know, you'll be saying that a pegasus is real, or a phoenix, or gryphons, or dragons.”

“Hey, I can dream can I?”

“What are you trying to say?” Dale lifted his head back while keeping his eyes fixed on his friend.

“I'm just tired, dude. All I wanted was to-”

“Give up?”

“No, no, try again later. You're not the one thinking of everything.”

“Alright alright. I just think we should never give up on this. It's much too important.”

Moments after Dale was finished talking, Andrew put his head down on his hooves and tried to relax. The position that he tangled himself in was rather uncomfortable, almost like laying on bubble wrap. To ease the slight pain, he shifted in different positions in attempt to relieve the discomfort. Nothing really made it any better. For a minute of so, Andrew shuffled around in his baggy clothes, moving every limb and muscle into place. He even moved his tail which continued to be a weird sensation. He couldn't quite find the proper sleeping stature that an equine uses, so he sat up to lay back like a normal person would. Unaware that there was no bed frame at the end of the bed, Andrew lost his balance and fell backward off the bed.

*thud*

Dale stated laughing when his friend hit the floor in comedic fashion.

“Be careful dude, you might send yourself to the moon,” he joked, as if it was a real possibility. He wished it wasn't. It would be very stressful for them if anything major happened that would leave Dale alone in his friend's room while a turquoise colored unicorn suddenly disappears into thin air. There be no telling where Andrew would end up next. Hopefully not in a crowded place, as that is the worst place to be, except for maybe the moon. Again, a real possibility.

“Ouch,” Andrew voiced, unamused.

While upside down, the hairs on his tail fell in front of his face. As odd as it may sound, his tail smelled vastly similar to mint candy. A particular scent that you find in minty ice cream. He hadn't washed his hair the night before, nor did he own mint-scented shampoo, if there was such a thing. One more thing to put in the small list of things he's discovered about his new body, not like he wanted to stay a unicorn forever.

Once he cleared his face of his tail, he noticed he was stuck in that position. He could not move. He was looking straight at the floor, eyes barely an inch away from the blue carpet fibers. The blood began rushing to his head just slow enough to let him think, then it hit him.

“Hey Dale?”

“Yeah?”

“I think I jammed my horn in the floor.”

Dale broke into small laughter.

“You serious dude? Man, you never stop being funny.”

Dale was not too fond of Andrew's jokes anymore. After a few awkward seconds of silence with his unicorn in the same position, he knew it to be true and got up off the bed to help him out. Andrew looked funny with his head on the floor and the rest of his body laying against the end of the bed. All of Andrew's limbs were squirming, which made Dale chuckle as he pulled the fairly light unicorn from the floor.

“Dude, how much do you weigh?” Dale asked.

“Like one fifty.”

“Not anymore. You lost like half that.”

“Should I be concerned?”

“Are you?”

“Not really. So I guess it's not importa-”

*Knock knock*

Before Andrew could finish, the both of them froze. No footsteps were heard from outside the door, nor did they bother to lock the door. They couldn't anyways since it was broken from the door frame, but it could still close properly. They stared at each other for a second and quickly reacted by acting fast. Dale slowly made his way toward the door to block the way and Andrew quickly jumped in the closet. Somehow this scenario sounded familiar. Then a voice came from the other side of the door.

“Hello Andrew? Are you in there? I heard voices,” said a voice of a woman.

To their relief, it was only Andrew's mother, but to their concern, they were in another sticky situation. Andrew popped his body halfway out the closet door to utter a response. Dale sat in front of the bedroom door to keep it closed.

“Yeah mom, I was just talking to Dale,” Andrew replied.

“I thought you were at his house?” she asked.

“We came over to, uh... do... stuff.” He stumbled over the right words, but just made it vague.

“Okay then, are you sure you're fine? Nothing I should be worried about?”

“Nope. All fine here.”

“If you need me, I'll be in the basement sorting out some things.”

“Hey mom?”

“Yes dear?”

“Do you know where Alex is?” Andrew was eager to know if it was a problem.

“He's on his way back here now. He said on the phone that you disappeared, but he probably made it up. Your father went downtown on jury duty.”

“Thanks mom!”

No other response came from Mrs. Fera. Both Dale and Andrew did not hear her leave, but they did hear the front door open. As faint as that sound was, it could have been none other than Alex when they heard his voice cry out to the whole house.

Andrew put his hoof to his mouth to think for a little. Dale, on the other hand, was trying to come up with a plan that wouldn't involve another forced entry or tripping hazards. He ignored Andrew's lack of panic and looked around the room for something to brace the door with. Andrew's dresser was near the door, so it was worth a shot. As he began to push it aside, Andrew spoke.

“No wait!”

“Wait? Your brother is coming.” Dale continued his efforts to brace the door.

“Just hold on a sec.”

Dale ceased with his plan and panic, but remained concerned. His impatience fed into his inability to keep calm. He stood in place with a clueless expression.

“Open the door,” said Andrew.

“What!? Are you crazy? Why?”

“Because, my brother has a right to know.”

“Know what? That you're like this. No way dude.”

“I showed YOU, didn't I? I trust you. I'm not going to keep running from him anymore. Besides, I trust HIM too. He knows something is up. I can't hide forever and you know it.”

“What about your parents?”

“They don't know anything, only Alex. He's gonna find out eventually whether we like it or not. I'd rather have it be now. You can use force if he tries something on us again.”

Dale stopped to think of that plan for himself. He tried to think of many scenarios on how this could go down. Most of them weren't that bad, like trying to control the kid's temper. With little time to think, he agreed to Andrew's plan and nodded his head.

“Okay, open the door after I shut myself in the closet. When Alex comes, just act natural. Then I'll give you the signal,” Andrew continued with little hesitation.

“What's the signal?”

“I'll tap three times from in here.” Andrew gestured his plan.

“Fine. You owe me one then.”

“For what?”

“Acting innocent is not easy for something like this.”

“Fine.” He was not too accepting of his attitude, but had not time to argue.

Andrew backtracked into to the small, dark closet. Dale pushed the door closed and took a deep breath to clear his head. Inhaling to bottle up all the he was feeling, then letting it all go to get this plan over with. Once he regained his composure, he opened the bedroom door. Cool air rushed in and as Dale suddenly turned his head to where that air came from, Alex was standing right where the door used to be.

“Whoa.”

Dale snapped back a step. His heart began racing. He was not expecting to find Alex already standing there all creepy like. It startled him enough to scare Dale out of his natural act and into a disorganized state of mind. He didn't know how to start. Alex just stood there looking into his eyes, staring directly into his soul. Whatever the case, it freaked him out.

“Oh hey there, you... guy..., wassup?” Dale said with a fake wave, shaking all over.

No response. Alex stood with a stink eye directed at the teen who moved side to side, trying to break free of his evil gaze. Then, out of nowhere, Alex darted toward Dale. He retreated as fast as he could. The little boy pointed his right index finger at Dale and yelled.

“I know something is up, Dale! Where is he!” he shouted.

“Whoa dude, calm down.”

Alex had him pinned against the desk. Even though Dale was almost twice his size, he cowered away from the angry kid. He didn't want to cause any trouble by hurting him or fleeing the room. This is one scenario that had not crossed his mind. Escape was not the answer. Keeping his cool and getting Alex to chill out was his best option.

“How did you get here!? I know he's in here! I heard you two talking!” Alex hissed once more.

“I ain't gonna tell you nothin' until you stop yelling at me,” Dale said in the most relaxed tone he could muster.

“Just tell me already!”

“Just chill out already.”

After a devious staring contest between both of them, Alex let loose. He backed up to give Dale some space to breathe and sat on Andrew's bed with his head buried in his hands. There was a bit of confusion that surrounded Alex and it was shown through his apparent breakdown. Dale didn't move. He was afraid that he might have hurt the boy's feelings. All he wanted was to know was the truth, but this is not something you can just easily tell someone straight up.

To make him feel better and to go ahead with Andrew's plan, he started toward the bedroom door. He closed it carefully and put his back up against the closet door right next to him on the adjacent wall. Dale slid his back down the side of the door till he reached the floor and sat uncomfortably. Alex noticed that Dale was pointing behind with his thumb.

“He's in here,” he whispered.

Alex wanted to charge in the closet after his brother, but as long as Dale was in the way, he didn't stand a chance. The guy weighed twice as much and couldn't handle himself in a struggle. His only other option was to wait.

“You wanna know why?” Dale continued.

Alex nodded. He had some reasons in mind, but none could explain recent events. Andrew and Dale's disappearing act ten minutes earlier was getting to his head. So, he felt compelled to explain his day so far.

“I've had the weirdest morning ever. Andrew avoids me all day. He leaves out his window for some reason. I find him later at your house. You guys hide something from me. Then you disappear and I find you here. Why are you guys doing this to me?”

“I'm sorry, dude. This isn't your usual day,” said Dale. “I promise, this has been much for me, too.”

“How?” Alex looked at him.

Dale took one long deep breath. He still thought this plan was stupid. He stopped talking, waiting for Andrew's signal to come up. The room drifted to an awkward silence. For several seconds, they just stared at each other, hoping for something to happen. Alex was growing impatient with every second that went by, but was still waiting for an answer.

As a full ten or fifteen seconds went by, Dale grew suspicious himself. Not at the boy sitting on the bed in front of him, but at Andrew's apparent inability to tap on wood. He made a face at Alex that resembled true innocence. For a few more long seconds, he lifted his hand and knocked on the door.

Nothing. Nada. Zip. Silence.

He tried again and still nothing. Now Dale started to feel like this plan wasn't going so good, or Andrew was deliberately messing with him. He knocked one more time, this time banging hard enough to break a window. Still nothing.

“Come on out Andrew,” Dale said. “Your brother is waiting.”

He looked back at Alex, who was eying him like this was some sort of game. Tired of growing weary, Dale got up off the floor and opened the closet door. He turned on the light that was hanging on the ceiling and revealed that it was empty.

“That explains it,” Dale said to himself, trying hard to conceal his panic.

“Explains what?” said Alex.

“Oh, um... … it's not what it looks like.”

“Is this some kind of joke?” Alex squinted his eyes at him.

“No no I swear! Andrew was just in here,” he said, worried and confused, pointing furiously in the closet. “Here, right here.”

“Well, he can't be anywhere else. I heard him talking to you.”

Dale began shuffling through the stuff in the closet, trying to find his friend. Knowing that the size of Andrew's pony body couldn't possibly hide behind the clothes and stuffed animals, it was a useless effort from the start. His heart rate escalated from the possibility that he teleported someplace else.

Alex crossed his arms and impatiently tapped his finger on his arm.

“Where is he then?”

“I don't know. The moon maybe.”

---

It was nearing the third hour after noon and Luna finally arrived back in Canterlot. Instead of heading directly for the castle, she made her way somewhere near the center of the city. Careful not to be in anypony's way as she approached her general destination and descended vertically at a slow and steady pace in the middle of a street. It made her look more formal, rather than unroyal, as Celestia had come to call it. For this visit, she would not have to sneak around like she did in Ponyville. Most every pony out on the streets gave her a friendly wave and went about their day. Very rarely, a pony would bow to pay more than just their respects to Princess Luna. After all, everypony saw both Princesses almost every day now. Luna waved back.

Luna stood at her landing site for a few moments, studying her surrounding. Even though she was knew the city like the back of her hoof, she didn't quite know where each pony lived. It was a big city and she did not want to spend all day searching for Lyra's parents. So, she decided to ask.

- - -

A cold feeling rushed down Twilight's spine as she thought of the somepony in danger Celestia told them about. She couldn't help but keep her mind on that somepony, whomever it may be. Lyra had similar feelings on the helpless pony that might be in need of their help. She thought for a while on how these two things can be connected. A distressed pony and a magical surge didn't really add up to anything more than a coincidence, especially when there was significant distance between the two. Plus, what did her family have to do with this situation? So many things that still need an explanation. Time seemed to grind slower from that moment on.

Princess Celestia asked the two unicorns to be left alone for a minute, while she attempted to gain more insight on the mysterious pony in need and the whereabouts of her sister. Whichever came first, all four of them (including Spike) would act accordingly.

A few instances, she almost fell asleep because she was so exhausted. She kept her thoughts and feelings focused on the two entities. She was getting no luck on the troubled pony. The only thing she felt in the last ten minutes was a stronger connection with her sister. That came to the assumption that Luna returned from her little excursion. Luna's presence in Canterlot was clear and Celestia really wanted to talk to her. What struck her as odd was that Luna did not directly return to the castle, but stopped somewhere in the city.

Twilight was first to stop what she was doing as Princess Celestia got up from her temporary isolation and slowly walk towards the door. She was hoping for something to do other than read a whole bunch of books with unhelpful information. Lyra followed suit as Celestia spoke.

“Come on girls, lets give my sister a visit,” said the Princess.

“She's not coming back here?” asked Twilight.

Before Celestia answered her question, she opened the door, directed Twilight and Lyra outside (with Spike snoozing on Twilight's back), locked the door behind them, and continued walking down the spiral staircase. Celestia explained.

“I believe she is mildly avoiding us. She has been oddly quiet about this whole excitement since she first notified me about it the previous night. I have been up all night helping her on this investigation, but she hasn't given much enthusiasm in it as I have. It is as if something has been bothering her ever since the event. The next thing I know, she takes off and doesn't run it by me first. Then she returns to take her time to visit the city instead of returning here. I get the feeling that she doesn't want us to know something.”

“That doesn't seem like Luna,” said Lyra, now interested what was to come of this. “I mean, it does seem rather unusual and unfortunate that she whatever she knows may be controlling her judgment.”

“Do you know her intentions Princess?” Twilight added.

“No. It is the reason why we must confront her and find out. I am just a little worried, that is all.”

For the rest of the journey down the castle, through the main halls, and through the courtyard, they group was silent and pondering.

- - -

Most of the buildings looked the same throughout the city. There were a few exceptions that stood out, but all of those were not residential. It seemed like it was gonna take forever to find the right place, but Luna was finally on the right path. Only a few more houses and she'd reach the one house she'd been looking for. For the longest time, Luna felt uneasy about this. Rather than guilt, she was unsure if how this visit was gonna go in her head as she thought about what she was going to say. She also wondered if Lyra's parents were aware of their short family heritage that only traced back four generations.

For next few moments, that was all she could think about. With her mind in a mist, Luna temporarily lost track of time and didn't notice she had arrived at her destination.

“There you are!” said a distant voice.

Luna turned her gaze to find Celestia, Twilight, and Lyra walking in her direction. It took her mildly by surprised, but enough to freeze her from her next move. Although she was embarrassed to be found wandering around Canterlot, Luna quickly snapped her head to face her avid sister.

“Oh, uh, hello sister. What- uh... what are you doing here?”

“I was going to ask you the same thing,” Celestia said looking at her surroundings, then back to Luna.

The amount of secrecy that Luna had bottled up inside her became more tense now that she isn't the only one wanting the same thing. Almost everything she knew was not ready to be told and almost everything she was going to try to do cannot be done. This put Luna in an unfortunate mindset of confusion and indecision. She looked at the worried bunch before her, then held her head down in dishonor.

“I'm sorry for being like this. I was going to tell you, honestly. It's just that I thought I could do it on my own and I'm not quite done yet. This was going to be my last stop before I can put all of the information together.”

“At my parents house?” Lyra asked.

Lyra recognized her childhood home instantly, but wasn't expecting it to be on Princess Luna's to-do-list. At first, she just thought it was a coincidence. Now she knew why, oddly enough.

“You mean you found something?” Twilight asked.

“Well, yes,” she replied, as all three perked their ears up. “That's what I've been doing since I left. I don't really want to give the full story yet until I take care of one last thing.”

Luna attempted to imply that she wanted to be left alone to finish her solo run on this case till the proper time came to explain it all in one take. It didn't work. The mares in front of her were determined not to let her do anything else alone, for her own sake.

“Can we help you on that?” said Celestia. “After all that we've accumulated in the past several hours, I think it's fair that we work together and collaborate, instead of racing to see who figures it out first. Though it seems that you know more that we do, so I only ask you to accept our aid. You don't have to do all of it on your own. I know I've been a little bossy lately, but since you have been more successful at this that I am, you lead the way.”

“Please let us help you Luna,” begged Twilight. “We won't let you down.”

Twilight's enthusiasm and eagerness made Celestia smile and nod in agreement. Lyra, on the other hoof, was still puzzled, but regardless, was eager to help. They stood alongside Luna, waiting for a response as she closed her eyes to make a decision. She hadn't thought this scenario through to the last detail because she didn't have a lot of time to think what to do if it came to this. The event has been the bane of her day and just wished for it be over with as soon as pony possible. Besides, she could leave her friends hanging, as Rainbow Dash would say. Luna took a deep breath through her nose and exhaled out her mouth.

“Okay, you may come along.”

The mood surrounding the group went from contested to compassionate. After all, they we all in this together now, even if each one of them was on a different path.

“Thank you, Luna,” said Celestia. “Now, where to next?”

“Right here.”

“Um, Luna?” began Lyra. “If I may ask, why are we at my parent's house?”

“Oh, yes, I am here to talk to them.”

“About what?”

Trying to stall her answer, Luna turned around to face the house in front of them and looked up to the second floor, then back down again.

“Come, that's what we're here to discuss.”

The warm air and mild winds were ironically soothing for Luna, but it was messing up the waviness of her mane. She paused for a second, then took two steps forward. Unlike most homes in Canterlot (and even Equestria), the front door had a working doorbell. Knocking was usually the only way to get the attention of the ponies inside, but apparently that is a thing of the past. Doorbell's were only around for a few years, but she had enough time to brush up on the modernization of the country since her return. Luna placed her hoof on the button and delicately pressed it. Immediately, two tones of sound rang throughout the structure, with the first at a higher pitch than the second.

The four mares remained silent and waited patiently for the owners to answer the door. Lyra became even more persistent to know everything Princess Luna knew. Ever since the start of this intellectual quest, they had to work on an old period of history with ambiguity surrounding it. She started to wonder if Luna didn't tell Celestia everything from the event because she was faking her innocence when she last her in the tower. It was not obvious enough for Twilight and Princess Celestia to notice Luna's lack of her own personality, but Lyra caught on almost immediately. There wasn't enough time to chat as she was quick to leave the tower before they could start a conversation. For the last few hours, it has bothered Lyra like an itch on the back of the neck.

A faint sound came from the handle of the door as it rattled. The door swung slowly inward and a shadowed pink face peered around as if hiding from strangers. Then, out of nowhere, the pony bounced out from behind the shadow of the door.

“Hi everypony!”

It caught each pony by surprise that made them recoil backward a little bit, except for Luna. Lyra's eyes grew wider, Twilight and Celestia had confused looks on their face, but Luna just cocked her head slightly.

“Pinkie Pie?” said Luna. “What are you doing here?”

“I heard you were coming here. So I came, too.”

Luna was not expecting to find Pinkie Pie at her destination, but apparently the pink earth pony overheard that part of the conversation with Bon-bon when revealing her next move.

“Pinkie!?” exclaimed Twilight from behind Luna.

“Oh hi Twilight, there you are,” Pinkie said as she bounced outside to give her a hug. Twilight wanted to resist, but couldn't say 'no' to a hug from Pinkie Pie.

“How did you know I was here?”

Pinkie glanced over to Princess Luna, who looked away as soon as they made eye contact. Princess Celestia noticed her sister shy away from her glance, as if trying to hide her guilt.

“You told one of her friends her location?” Celestia asked.

“Well I, uh... thought is was, um, in her best interest to know.”

Celestia looked at Luna with disbelief, but was confused rather than upset. She began to think to herself, how many other ponies did she come across that wanted to know where Twilight had gone to? It could only raise a lot of questions that could lead to undesirable interrogations.

“Pinkie Pie? Are Lyra's parents home?” asked Luna, trying to move things along.

“Huh, oh yeah, I was talking to them before you guys got here.”

That got Luna's heart racing. She was not sure how long into the conversation Pinkie overheard with Bon-bon, nor did she want to ask out loud in front of everypony. She was still trying to keep most of her daily activity under wraps. So instead, she played along with her mistakes.

“Why don't Celestia and I talk to them in private, and you three wait for us to finish?” suggested Luna.

“Hang on, you mean the four of us,” said Spike for the first time in all this mix up. He had been awake and silent since they finally found Princess Luna.

“Of course. I only ask the four of you to give us a moment.”

The blue alicorn looked back at her twin, waiting for her approval. As much as she was not fond of the idea, Celestia decided to go with her sister's plan, even if it meant a temporarily exclusion of Lyra and Twilight from further investigation. She also didn't understand why they weren't needed for the conversation with Dewey and Cirrus. It seems the bit fair to have Lyra join in at least. Because Luna was now the boss of this entire inquiry, it is best to let her make the decisions.

Celestia nodded her head.

“We'll follow Luna's plan.”

“Great.” She turned back to the small group of ponies standing in silence. “Where will you be Miss Heartstrings? Miss Sparkle? Miss Pie?”

“We can wait in my old room,” complied Lyra. “If that's okay with you, Princess?”

“Sure. Just remain there for the time being. If you need anything, I'm sure you're familiar with your old home, correct?”

“Yes.”

“We won't be too long.”

Luna turned around and entered through the open door that Pinkie Pie opened for them. Celestia followed after her, then Lyra, then Pinkie, then Spike, and finally Twilight. The two Princesses branched off to the main room and the others headed up the stairs. Lyra didn't have enough time to greet her mother and father, but was in no hurry to. She could just see them later now that she is home again, temporarily speaking. Her excitement for this investigation rose as it apparently led her to her own house, according to Luna. Lyra remembered the chat she had with Twilight about her work and humans back in the tower. Most of her resources were back in Ponyville, but she still had a few things of value in her old bedroom. Maybe this was the perfect time to enlighten Twilight on her personal interest in human beings.

“Hey Twilight! I wanna show you something.”

Comments

[theepicartists]

i don't mind one bit

[Northwest Brony]

If he's not in the closet and he's not in Equestria, where is he?

[spritefan10]

1301453

Nobody said he wasn't in Equestria, and considering that a number can expand as far as infinity (never ending), so does the universe, let alone the multiverse, so he could be anywhere.

[The Slending Angel]

1302945
1301453
Not just anywhere, but anywhen.

[fullemp]

So Granny Smith is over 150 years old. I know going along with the cannon of the show she is supposed to be to be old but she knew lyra's great grandfather. This means that O'l Granny Smith over here has a lifetime roughly four to five times greater than the average pony.... Also that means that at most the average pony would live to roughly 35-40 years..... Ouch

[KvAT]

5607908
It's my headcanon that ages in Equestria varies wildly, but most stays between the 70-140 range.