Chapter 25
Asylum
Chapter 25
Twilight tucked her legs up beneath her and continued to stare, wide eyed, at the door to her room. She’d lost track of the time. The constant glow of the artificial light that usually filtered through the small observation window told her nothing. There was precious little of it to see anyway. There was a pony standing outside her door, a broad hat haloed in the light, leaving all but the end of a white beak shrouded in shadow.
Twilight suppressed a shiver as she felt his empty eyeholes staring at her. There was no mistaking who her new observer was, even at that distance. She pulled the blanket a little tighter around herself; a foal’s protection against monsters in the dark. It made her feel a little better, regardless.
Every so often the light would flicker and dim for a few moments, the only cue that time wasn’t frozen still. Locked in mutual and silent observation, the shock of an early and unwelcome awakening began to take its toll. Erratic questions passed like shooting stars through Twilight’s mind, bright but fleeting. How long has he been there? Why is he here? Where are the nurses? Am I even awake?
The last thought repeated itself a few times in Twilight’s mind. It should have been disconcerting, being unable to tell what may or may not be reality, but the corner of her mouth twitched upwards in manic amusement. She felt like crying.
The frozen nightmare was broken without warning when he turned away from the window, the sudden movement clawing a strangled yelp from Twilight’s throat. Trembling, Twilight tugged her blanket up higher, watching him like a hawk as he rooted around in his saddle bags. When he turned back to face the window, something glinted in his hoof.
It was a key.
The air turned to ice, her blankets doing nothing to keep the chill from digging into her bones. Her muscles clenched tight, freezing her in place and leaving her unable to draw in the breath she needed to scream for help. Petrified, she could only watch impotently as the stallion stooped down low and vanished from sight. Her ears strained to detect the inevitable creak of a retracting bolt.
The silence was broken by the faint tinkle of metal as something small was shoved beneath the door. It danced and twirled across the tiles before coming to rest in the center of the floor, the brass surface reflecting what little light there was.
The stallion reappeared in the small window as he stood back up, returning to his previous position. He made no other motion as he resumed watching her, the only movement from a thin strand of shadow that leaked out of his beak.
It was only after her lungs began to burn before Twilight realized how long she had been holding her breath. Her eyes darted from the door to the key and back again. She licked her lips, her heartbeat deafening in her ears. She did her best to ignore the dread worming its way up her spine as she swung her legs out over the edge of her mattress. Cursing her curiosity, she stood up.
His head turned to track Twilight as she moved at a glacial pace to the center of the room and paused there. She kept one eye on him as she bent down to retrieve the key, half expecting it to dissipate into shadow and mist. It was cool to the touch, and bore the scratches and blemishes of a long life. The slender handle ended in the shape of a flower, showing a flash of craftsmanship on the otherwise featureless form. She lifted her gaze. “W-What is this for?”
The lightbulb outside flickered as small wisps of some dark gas leaked from the nostrils of his break. She wilted beneath the stallion’s silent scrutiny.
Swallowing the lump in her throat, Twilight crept forward until she was only an arms-length from the door. He was just as she remembered him: legs wrapped in dusty bandages, body covered in a heavy cloak, and a pair of crude and well worn saddlebags hanging heavy on his back. He was an anachronism given life, a scene from a manuscript about the Great Pestilence able to move about freely, a Nightmare Night celebrator with a costume pulled from the history books. Truly, there was nothing to fear from something so mundane and comical.
Twilight forced a smile to her lips, careful to avoid meeting that empty gaze. Yes. Comical.
Steadying herself, she held the key out in front of her. “Why did you give me this?” she asked, barely keeping her voice from cracking.
He continued to stare back at her as the unanswered question echoed around the room. Twilight’s expression hardened. “What is this for?” she repeated. “Tell me why you gave me this key.”
A streamer of smoke escaped from the nostrils of his beak, a black stain on the air itself that lingered for too long. Twilight was about to repeat herself again when his head snapped to the right faster than she could blink. More smoke bled from his mask as he stared off down the hallway. Silently, he turned from Twilight and began to march away.
Twilight pressed her nose against the glass, trying to keep him in her sight. “Wait! Stop! What is this key for?” she shouted.
The lights flickered again, and the stallion was gone.
Twilight continued to stare out the tiny window for a few desperate moments before she finally exhaled, fogging up the glass. “What are you up to?” she asked softly, a hint of irritation creeping into her voice. “Just another distraction?” Twilight gave the key a squeeze, feeling the weight in her hoof. She turned away from the door and began the slow trek back to her bed.
She took a few deep breaths, reining in her emotions. She was too tired to be irritated. After sliding the key beneath the Smarty Pants doll resting on the nearby shelf, she climbed up onto her bed and wrapped herself in her sheets. After a quick glance at the door to make sure she was unobserved, Twilight closed her eyes. She would hide the key tomorrow morning. Until then, she needed her sleep. She needed her mind clear if she was going to avoid upsetting Rainbow Dash.
Lunch was as chaotic as always, the nurses and orderlies just small islands in a sea of hungry ponies. Despite the press of bodies, Twilight was quick to locate Rainbow Dash amongst the crowd. She didn’t return Twilight’s cheerful greeting, just sparing a momentary glance before turning her eyes forward again. “What do you want?”
Twilight winced. “Well, I just wanted to say hello and see if you wanted to sit with me.”
“WWWhy would I want to spend my lunch with an egghead like you?”
“I wanted to talk to you about the Wonderbolts some more. You know, pick your brain a little. Plus, I wanted to introduce you to my friend Pinkie Pie. She’s keen to meet you.”
There was a pause. Rainbow shrugged her shoulders. “I guess. Just try to keep her on a short leash. She gets irritating real fast.”
The line shuffled forward two steps. “I will. So, how is Fluttershy doing?”
“Good. Now that I’m back out of solitary, nnnopony is gonna bother her. They know I’ll mess them up if they even try.”
“You really look out for her.”
Rainbow nodded. “Ever since we were foals.”
“What, here at the hospital?”
“No, back in Cloudsdale. We came out of the same home.”
“Don’t tell me you two are related now.”
Rainbow turned to glare at Twilight. “Foster care, doofus.” She laughed as Twilight’s cheeks flushed pink.
“Oh. Right.” Twilight cleared her throat and reached into her pocket. “Well, I have something for her. I think she’ll enjoy it more than one of my, ah, sub-par drawings.”
There was another laugh as Twilight handed the gift over to Rainbow Dash. “I totally knew it was gonna be a book.”
“She’ll like it,” Twilight said defensively. “It’s about tropical birds, and she loves birds.”
Rainbow slipped the book into a pocket and turned away. “Sure. Just don’t ever get me any lame books.”
As the line shuffled forward, Twilight rolled her eyes. “I’ll resist the temptation.” It was a risk, allowing Rainbow to deliver the book to Fluttershy, but it was the best way to pass on the note squeezed between the pages without drawing any attention to herself. And if anything, her bibliophobia means it is a very acceptable risk.
The rest of their slow march to the lunch counter was spent in idle chatter. As long as Twilight kept the conversation amongst a few narrow topics – and resisted the urge to finish Rainbow’s words when she began to stutter – she found herself able to draw Rainbow into longer conversations. By the time they had gathered up what passed for the day’s meal, Rainbow Dash was as animated as ever.
There was the clatter of dropped trays and raised voices from across the room. Twilight and Rainbow slowed their pace, lifting their heads up to try and see over the ocean of seated ponies. Twilight spotted Lyra quickly, remembering the last time she’d seen the mare – screaming her head off as a group of orderlies had stuffed her into a straightjacket. The stallion she was shouting at was just another patient this time, but Twilight could see a pair of orderlies moving through the crowds like sharks on the trail of some wounded animal.
“She’s gonna end up in a lot of trouble if she doesn’t shut her mouth.”
Twilight gave Rainbow Dash a curious look. “What do you mean?”
“That mare. She’s been in solitary a few times. I heard her the last time they locked me up, through the door, screaming about some conspiracy and how they’re all hiding something.” Her expression soured. “The staff are a bunch of bullies here. They don’t really want you to get better. They just want you to lay down and obey.”
Twilight’s response was forgotten when the stallion reared back and struck Lyra, the crack of his hoof hitting her horn loud enough to pierce the hum of a hundred background conversations. Lyra stumbled and collapsed as an orderly tackled the screaming stallion to the floor.
“Yeah! You show them who’s boss, Timber!” Rainbow shouted as the stallion bucked the orderly off and tried to regain his footing. A few other patients began shouting encouragement, but their cheers were cut short when the second orderly slammed his truncheon into the stallion’s side, knocking the wind out of him before the two orderlies piled atop him.
It was over as quickly as it had started. The stallion’s screams grew softer before fading away into unintelligible murmurs. A nurse stood up, an empty syringe levitating in the air.
Rainbow smirked. “He’s gonna be gone for a ww… wwhile. Still, he got in some good hits.” She mimed throwing a few punches.
Twilight ignored her, watching the nurses gather around Lyra. While the orderlies cleared space around the downed mare the nurses reached up to examine Lyra’s forehead. A trickle of blood leaked from a cut at the base of her horn, staining the fabric on her dampener a dark burgundy. They shared a worried glance. Through the wall of onlookers, Twilight watched as one of the nurses removed a ring of keys from a pocket and insert one of the many identical keys into the lock at the base of Lyra’s horn.
She gave a small twist, and the magical dampener slid off Lyra’s horn.
It took Twilight a few heartbeats to realize Rainbow was trying to get her attention. “Yo, egghead! You alright?” she asked, waving a hoof in front of Twilight’s face.
Twilight blinked, her hoof falling away from the vest pocket where it had been unconsciously gripping the hidden Smarty Pants doll. "Huh?”
“You were totally spaced out there.” She gave Twilight a once over. “You’re nnot one of those ponies that gets all weird around blood, right?”
“What? No. I’m fine.” Twilight glanced back at the group of staff, but the circle of curious onlooker were being pushed back by the orderlies, the wall of bodies blocking her view. She looked back at Rainbow. “You’ve been here a while. Have you seen the nurses remove the arcane dampeners from unicorns before?”
“Arco whatsits?”
Twilight gestured to the metal and canvas cone strapped to her horn.
“Oh, those. Yeah, I’ve seen them take them off a few times.”
“And all they have to do is use a key? No deactivation spell?”
“Well, the rumor is that if you try to take it off without a key it will make your horn explode, or catch on fire, or something.” Rainbow grinned. “You thinking about trying it? Because I’ve been hearing that since I was a little filly and I’d love to know if it was true.”
“Of course not. I was just expecting there to be another step. I didn’t think they’d make the key pull double duty for the magical and physical locks.”
Rainbow’s smile sharpened. “Sounds like you’ve put a lot of thought into how you’d get one of those things off.”
“Maybe,” said Twilight, keeping her expression neutral.
“Look Twi, I hate it here. It’s run by bullies who do everything they can to keep me from getting better. And if I can’t get better then I can’t join the Wonderbolts. So if you come up with some brainy scheme out of one of your books that lets me to get a little payback, then I want in.”
Slowly, Twilight nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
Rainbow laughed and clapped a wing on Twilight’s back. “You know, for an egghead you’re nnnot half bad.”
“Thanks. I guess I… just hope I can be as cool as you someday.”
Rainbow puffed out her chest as they made their way to their table. She continued to chatter away as Twilight gave the occasional murmur of agreement, but it was all background noise to Twilight. It took all her self-control to keep her emotions in check. Every time they’d opened or closed her bedroom door they’d been flashing the answer to her problems on their keyrings. She didn’t know whether to laugh or curse. Sitting down with care, Twilight contented herself with a slow, predatory smile. Weeks worth of plans had been distilled down to one single goal: finding the right key.
The smile vanished as that last thought echoed in Twilight’s mind, causing her brain to come to a screeching halt. Her hoof jumped back to the pocket on her vest, grasping the Smarty Pants doll through the fabric. “No,” she whispered. “It can’t be.”
Rainbow paused in mid-sentence. “What did you say?” she asked, spraying stale sandwich crumbs across the table.
“What? Nothing! I just, ah, need to go to the bathroom,” said Twilight as she shot out of her seat. “I’ll be right back!” Twilight took off before Rainbow could respond. She felt the weight of the doll thump against her side as she weaved through the crowds, moving as close to a gallop as she could manage. She needed solitude. She needed answers.
Logically, it was impossible. There was no clear rationale for the masked stallion to give her the means to free herself and escape the shadow’s prison. Still, as she engaged one of the orderlies to escort her to the restrooms, her heartbeat pounded with excitement, her thoughts dominated by a single question: but what if…?
Only once she was safely sequestered away inside the bathroom did Twilight manage to calm herself enough to take stock. After double-checking to ensure she was indeed alone, Twilight rushed to the nearest sink, withdrawing Smarty Pants from her pocket as she moved. Holding it steady, she carefully bit down on the loose thread beneath the doll’s left arm before lifting her muzzle, pulling the stitching apart to reveal Smarty Pants’ cottony innards.
Twilight shoved her hoof inside and began rooting around like an uncaring surgeon. There wasn’t much space inside the old doll, and soon enough she slid her prize free with a triumphant snort. It was the folded up documents she’d stolen from Doctor Rose’s office, and she took care to set them on a dry piece of counter before shoving Smarty Pants back down into her pocket, already forgotten.
She unfolded the papers delicately, not wanting to risk any further damage. There was a glint of brass in the bathroom’s chemical light as she pulled the last pages apart, the key sitting in the center like a pearl in a folded paper shell. “Ah, there you are,” Twilight said as she lifted the key up with borderline reverence. The lock on her horn beckoned.
The key wavered as Twilight glanced up at her reflection. Despite the rapid beating of her heart and the sweat still dripping off her chin, Twilight’s excitement began to cool. She gazed at the key with a clinical eye. Despite the better lighting her examination was no more revealing than the previous night’s, the hollow flower at the end of the handle the only decoration of note. There was nothing to suggest the key’s purpose, no hint that it was meant to free her horn. Doubt settled over her thoughts as her natural caution reasserted itself.
She rolled the key over in her hoof. “An unidentified key from an untrustworthy donor that opens an unfamiliar lock with unknown consequences,” she said aloud. “It seems I’m at an impasse.”
Casually, Twilight lifted her gaze and stared directly into the mirror. She smirked. “I knew you’d show up eventually.”
Her reflection chuckled. “We can’t all be as unpredictable as you,” it said, favoring Twilight with an uneven smile. “Besides, you’re obviously in need of some assistance at the moment. And as much as you want to deny it, I am trying to help you.”
“Of course you are,” said Twilight with a derisive snort.
“If you don’t believe me, then why did you come here? You could have made a decision about that key anytime and anywhere. Instead, the moment you realized it could be something more than a minor distraction, you went and grabbed the biggest mirror you could find. You want my help.”
“No, I just want answers,” Twilight said, putting force behind the words. She held the key out in front of her. “What is this for?”
There was a sparkle of amusement in her twin’s jaundiced eyes. “And why would I know anything about that?”
“Because your friend with the bird mask gave it to me, that’s why. You both are playing the same game for the same master, so answer my question already. Does it unlock my horn?”
The reflection stared back in silence, tapping a hoof against its chin. “I know what you’re thinking, Twilight. You won’t believe anything I say. There’s no room in your delusions for honesty. You lie to your friends, to your family, and to anyone you meet.”
“That isn’t necessarily true,” said Twilight stiffly.
“Stop lying!” the reflection snarled as it leapt forwards and gripped the edges of the mirror, causing it to shake in its frame and sending a surprised Twilight stumbling backwards. Its face was contorted in rage, gnashing its teeth and sending spittle flying from the ear-to-ear wound it called a mouth. “You lie and lie and lie and lie and hurt and hurt and hurt and hurt and I’m sick to death of it!”
The reflection dropped back onto all fours and retreated a few steps, allowing its face to regain some modicum of normalcy. When it spoke its voice was once again light and cheerful. “You can’t deceive me, Twilight. I know what you really think.”
Masking her disquiet, Twilight moved back up to the sink, keeping her eyes on her twin. “If you know what I’m thinking and what I’m going to do, then how come I’m still resisting you? Why haven’t you broken me yet?”
“You can’t break what’s already broken.”
“Stop talking to me like that. It won’t work on me. And if you’re not going to give me anything concrete to use, then you’re just as worthless as your silent friend,” Twilight said with a sniff before she turned to leave.
Her reflection gave a wet sigh. “No. The key doesn’t unlock your horn.”
“Much better. Now, I’ll just do a little experiment to see if you were telling the truth,” she said with a smirk. Gripping the base of her horn, Twilight guided the key up to the brass lock at its base. The soft scrape of metal on metal taunted her as Twilight tried to fit the key in blindly, her false reflection offering no assistance. She ground her teeth together as the key refused to go in, popping out of the hole once, twice…
“Aha!” Twilight declared as it slotted itself into place with a faint click. “I guess my opinion about you was entirely justified.” She gave the key a twist.
There was a hint of amusement on her reflections face, but it remained silent as Twilight struggled to turn the key. Only when she feared snapping it in two did Twilight finally relent. “Just because you weren’t lying that time doesn’t mean I can trust you. Not when you’re dedicated to destroying all that I hold dear,” she said as she wiggled the key free.
“I have never lied to you.”
“Horse apples! You’re still up to something. Why else would your compatriot give me this, if not to distract and confuse me?”
Her reflection ran its tongue along its rancid gums. “You are sick and he is a doctor. Logic dictates that he believes it would help cure you.”
“Logic?” Twilight gave a short, dry laugh. “I’m stuck in a fake world talking to my reflection about a key given to me by a mute ghost pony from antiquity. Logic doesn’t enter into it!”
“Deny it or not, that is the truth of the matter. You are just too caught up in the lie that is Twilight Sparkle to see it.” It paused. “For someone who prides herself on being a scientist, you have a terribly narrow view on the events in your life. Haven’t you considered that this all could just be in your head?”
Twilight narrowed her eyes. Reaching out, she tapped the key against the mirror once, and then again, letting the tak-tak echo around the room. Tilting her head slightly to the side, she paused a moment before violently jamming it into the glass. Her reflection grabbed the sides of its head and screamed as Twilight gouged a deep furrow into the mirror’s surface, lacerations forming wherever the key passed over its body. The other Twilight’s voice mingling with the screech of metal on glass until they were one single discordant note.
When she stepped back to admire her work, Twilight was smiling. “I don’t know. You tell me.”
The reflection hissed back at her, thin runnels of black sludge oozing from its ears and the cuts across its torso. There was malice in those yellowed eyes, but before it could say a word Twilight pointed the key at the mirror like a duelist offering a challenge. “There is something else about this key, something you’re not telling me. Now what is it?”
The other Twilight’s tongue darted out to lick up some of the gunk leaking from its wounds, all the while glaring back at her like a caged animal. “Yes, there is something else,” it admitted, paying no attention to the way its flesh began to knit itself back together. “But you won’t like what I have to say. What I know carries a price, and it will be painful.”
“I will be the judge of that,” said Twilight, not even attempting to hide the scorn in her voice.
The other Twilight continued to regard her carefully, but the hatred bled into something close to pity. It gave a single nod, and the mirror was consumed in the searing light of a newborn sun, causing Twilight to yelp and raise a protective arm to shield her eyes. Spitting out curses, Twilight blinked rapidly to clear away the spots and circles dancing across her vision. Once she could focus her gaze, what she saw in the glass was enough to leave her chosen rebuke unspoken.
Gone was the monster with the axe-wound smile and mismatched eyes. In its place was a figure that could have been mistaken for an off-color Princess Celestia at a cursory glance. It was Twilight Sparkle in the mirror, but… not. She was taller than before, filling up more of the mirror, standing with regal grace on what looked like the battlements of Canterlot castle. A pair of wings were tucked in against her sides that, like the rest of her, were bedecked in an assortment of gold jewelry that caught the light of the sun. It was the Twilight of a little filly’s dreams, a princess that was adored and respected and utterly perfect in every way.
“That key protects the truth, Twilight, and it is locked away for good reason,” the false princess declared with all the stern force of a parent educating a stubborn child. “One lock, two paths, each with a price – one you will not be able to pay yourself. You will have to choose which door to take, when the time comes. Both will save your friends, even as you sacrifice them. Both will destroy the lies, creating truth in their place. Both will give you what you want, not what you need.”
Twilight tried to speak, to question her fantasy self further, but was struck silent as the impostor began to melt like a candle in an oven right in front of her, skin and feathers and jewelry falling away in clumps of liquid flesh. Despite the mutilation there was no pain in her reflection’s unblinking eyes, only a deep and growing sadness. It’s voice echoed long after it had dissolved away into nothingness.
“And both will kill you.”
There was another flash of blinding light which faded just as quickly, replaced with a wide-eyed Twilight Sparkle. She blinked, and the reflection blinked with her. Her expression hardened. Methodically, Twilight gathered up her things, folding up the key into the papers before returning them to their hiding place. The knots in the stitching meant that it only took a single pull of the string to seal them away inside the old doll. She slipped Smarty Pants into her pocket before turning around and, with a face set in granite, marched out of the bathroom without a backwards glance.
Pinkie gasped when Twilight dropped herself down on the bench beside her, interrupting whatever conversation she’d been forcing upon Rainbow Dash. “Woah! What’s the matter, Twilight? You look like you just found out someone threw away one of your books.”
Twilight flinched. “What? Nothing. I’m just fine.” She plastered a grin onto her face. “How about you?”
Rainbow and Pinkie Pie shared a glance. “Uh, I’m good,” said Rainbow, her eyes lingering on Twilight.
“Really, we’re just peachy. We were talking about the Wonderbolts, and how hard school can be, and what our favorite lunches are. It turns out Rainbow’s not as grumpy as she seems, once you get to know her a little bit.” Pinkie ignored the glare from across the table. She gestured at the sandwich sitting ignored on Twilight’s plate. “So, are you gonna finish that?”
Twilight slid the tray over to Pinkie, who attacked the sandwich with a muffled thanks. Looking over at Rainbow Dash, Twilight caught the mare’s uncertain stare. “Rainbow, remember that thing we were talking about earlier?”
“Yeah. What about it?”
“Do you still mean it?”
“Me?” Rainbow checked around herself before giving Twilight a cocky grin. “One hundred and ten percent. I’m no coward. Why? Come up with some brainy scheme while you were in the bathroom?”
“Something like that,” she said. “I was given a crucial piece of the puzzle, and I think I know where to use it. But…” Twilight let her voice trail away into silence as she glanced around the table. Both of her friends were watching her closely, hanging on to her every word. She took a deep breath. She had to know. “How far would you go to save the ponies you care about?”
“As far as I had to,” declared Rainbow Dash. “There isn’t a pony alive that could stop Rainbow Dnn… DDash!”
Pinkie Pie glanced away. “Too far,” she whispered.
Twilight studied them both. “Even if someone threatened you, and you couldn’t be sure whether you could believe them or not?”
“I don’t back down from anypony!” Rainbow said, banging the table for emphasis.
Pinkie Pie bobbed her head in agreement. “Yeah! There isn’t anything more important than being there for your friends, no matter what some grump might say.”
A thin humorless smile spread over Twilight’s face as she regarded the other two mares. She nodded before standing up. “Thank you. That’s what I was hoping to hear.”
“Does this have to do with the, ah, really big meanie you told me about?” Pinkie asked, her furtive glances towards Rainbow Dash making it clear she wasn’t sure how much she could say.
Twilight patted Pinkie on the shoulder before standing up. “Don’t worry. I’ll tell you – both of you – more tonight,” she said. She glanced over at the far wall, picking out Applejack amongst the rest of the staff trying to grab a quick meal. Twilight gave the doll in her pocket another squeeze. “There is someone I have to meet with first.”
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Yay Update!
*devours with a voracity to rival Pinkie*
>“Sure. Just don’t ever get me any lame books.”
lol
>Rainbow Dash was as animated as ever.
this reminds me, I’ve never understood why Twilight and Rainbow Dash are friends beyond “Rainbow Dash is friends with the other four, so by association she’s friends with Twilight”
I love how Lyra is the one who can see through it all
>She gave a small twist, and the magical dampener slid off Lyra’s horn.
I believe this hit me with the exact impact you intended it to. I think I’ve just realized exactly what that key Twilight received is for. My smile couldn’t get much wider.
After reading: Well, I was wrong. Nicely done, fooling me like that.
Rainbow Dash. Check. Now for Flutters , Applejack and Rarity
The angels sang, and the very earth quaked.
Asylum has updated.
Also, possible typo.
Shouldn't that be somepony? I don't remember there being a non-pony in the story yet.
Resisting urge to read.. Must wait until dark....
It returns!
…Huh. That was odd. Now, will the key still be there later?
"Because I’ve been hearing that since I was a little filly and I’d love to know if it was true."
I don't recall, but was it previously said that Rainbow had been in here since foalhood? If not, looks like it just has been, albeit implicitly…
Assuming that that key is even real… it seems rather decorative to be for a utilitarian arcane dampener.
And indeed it isn't. And since Twilight hasn't shown it to anyone else, we still don't even know if it exists outside her head.
Interesting… "Both will destroy the lies, creating truth in their place" sounds like it might be talking about the two possible realities here.
And no mention of whether even she saw the scratches still on the mirror when she left.
And a somewhat ominous ending to the chapter…
Achievements Unlocked!
[Not The Key You're Looking For]: Attempt to use the Shadow Key on your magic dampener. (10 Asylum points)
........... there is definitely something supernatural giong on. unless she is majorly hallucinating something she can physically itneract with.........
though i am left confused. what was that entity in the mirror, the alicorn tiwlight? i am left pondering what is going on. and what is the true purpose of that 'key' nayway? truth locked away?
and what did it mean that both will kill twilight? is that solely in a sense of metaphor, or is it literal?
damn you have left us something that has left me reeling a bit.
I know you're going to get a lot of people unhappy about the slow updates, but if you keep turning out chapters like this one, leading me on and then turning everything around, I'll keep following. Just as long as you actually do finish it, and reveal what the truth is.
5279405 perhaps it is both real and in her head?
5279456 pregnant threat, or pregnant metaphor. must try and understand what is going on here.
5279414 Perhaps it will kill her soul, her will to live, or maybe one will kill her literally, and one will kill her metaphorically or perhaps something that we would never expect, which I think is probably most likly, authors have a good habit of doing that. Perhaps perhaps perhaps.
5279489 or perhaps this twilight we have been following is something like a shell, something holding the actual twilight back? something happened that caused the actual twilight's mind to leak out.........
damn this chapter has thrown it ALL for al oop
5279531 my brain is le breakin'
The changelings did it.
Either that or it's all the dream of an autistic kid with a snow globe of Ponyville.
(The problem with mind-fuqing too much is you create so much doubt that ANY ending becomes inherently plausible, since NOTHING can be real.)
Considering how messed up Twi has gotten, I'm starting to both anticipate and dread these new chapters as much as those of Shattered.
5279435
What do you mean?
Ah! Too short... or not, I don't know, IU just love this story so much that each chapter just seems to get shorter and shorter.
Suffice to say, I am scared for Twilight. The mirror monster was never so helpful before and I don't like it... also more evidence for my theory on the nature of the mysterious stallion. My theory remains that he is one of the ponies still fighting the darkness, but he has either been given or has found a suit that allows him to travel inside the shadow world but not become a part of it. Still that is just a theory for now.
Anyway, I still love Dashie and Pinkie and I'm very concerned for Twilight's future meeting with Applejack. Sweetie Belle needs more hugs because we all know that the magic of hugs can fix anything. I suppose that last sentiment comes a bit late, but whatever.
Alright, I'll see you at the next chapter.
5279584 ultimately this world is sitl equestria, whatever different paths they have taken. metaphor holds essence in equestria. it well could be that twilight is manifesting things despite her bound horn.
5279591
I'd be highly amused if it turns out to be Luna. No one else is as much a planewalker as her after all.
That mirror scene reminded me so very much of Evil Dead.
Also, I will continue to refer to the bird-mask pony as Darkness until he's given a proper name, just so you know.
5279435
Maybe all that is real is in her head? Cue the solipsism.
5279720 is it luna........ or nightmare moon?
what if it turns out this entire time it was nightmare moon trying to influence twilight, trying to get an ally?
so far we know for a fact celestia and alicorns in general exist. so likely nightmare moon does as well
5279759
Eeeeeh, so far this story hasn't involved any of the villains. And considering the progress so far of making friends it seems kind of late in the game to do so. Entirely possible, but seems unlikely to me. Plus it'd be a massive letdown if Nightmare Moon was the cause of all of this.
For the record, I also don't think it's Luna, I'd just be amused if it were.
5279720 You know I was so stuck on the Stallion part that I didn't even think of Luna... I agree though, Luna makes a lot of sense when you consider her planeswalker powers. After all why not hide your identity to such an extent from your enemy.
I wonder when we get to call her Kira.
You made it through all of the comments and added a new chapter! For that, you have earned a Purple Reading Buddy:
i.imgur.com/Fy4tj3R.jpg
NB: This Purple Reading Buddy may not be suitable for this particular work that you're writing
Anyway, keep up the good work! I was kinda hoping the key was to the suppressor as soon as I read about it, by the way :P
5279612
Hm. Twilight a reality warper? Interesting hypothesis, but it doesn't seem to me especially likely.
Welcome to where time stands still,
No one leaves, and no one will.
Feel free to continue if you know the song.
5279985 maybe not literally warping reality but the things she is visioning, might actually have legitimate presence.
5280002
Moon is full, never seems to change,
just labeled mentally deranged.
5279355 I wonder if Lyra is in the same situation as Twilight; waking up in a unknown place and expected to believe a story laid out for her. I kinda want to see Lyra and Twilight have a chat now...
Only 3 more to go! Oh yeah and as always, UPDATE QUICKER!!!
My head hurts. Reading this is like thinking deeply about paradoxes at times. I'm gonna hit the hay before my head cra... ERROR... ERROR... SYSTeM CraSH
5280134 Wait... three more?
Th-th-three?
Noooooo!
*collapses*
You're kidding... right? D:
But of course the key isn't for her, it's another of Checkov's guns!
So it seems this Twilight won't survive? Interesting......
Keep going! ;)
5280134 i know want daemon of decay to update quicker, i do too but this person might have a buzzy life and might only get a few moments to work on it
Why do I get the feeling that Lyra knows the truth...
oh i know reading this is going to hurt my head fuck i hate mind fuck storys that and time travel storys
5279374
The show uses "someone" as well as "somepony," it's really "somebody" that is replaced by "pony," which I believe is referenced in the first EqG movie.
A key that will save and sacrifice her friends, destroy lies and reveal truth, give her what she wants, but not what she needs, and kill her.
I think she's being given the option to kill herself. It might be what she wants at that point, but it's certainly not what she needs, the reflection always calls her a liar, and her suicide would reveal the truth of her madness all along. That, or some parts were metaphorical. Killing her could be her giving up hope, saving her friends could mean like she's already doing, helping them get better, and sacrificing her friends could mean letting go of her Ponyville friends, and accepting her new life.
This is quite the puzzlement
Ever since the notification for an update popped up in my feed for this, I don't think I'll be able to read it as ponies but rather to the effect of "The Evil Within"
Man, every time I see this is updated I get a little smile.
When you are such a bad liar that Rainbow Dash thinks of calling you out on it, you KNOW you are a bad liar. A dirty, filthy, horrible LIAR.
STOP LYING TWILIGHT. EVEN YOU'RE CONSCIENCE CAN NO LONGER LIVE WITH YOU.
Especially when you stab it with the gifts it gives you, like a...a...betrayer.
Why do I get the feeling things will end very very very badly for Twilight?
How far would you go to save the ones you love the most..
To the ends of the earth.
i.imgur.com/sx14k.gif
just.......
fuck you god dam hitchhikers guide to the galaxy reference
5280733
I like the juxtaposition of that image. The shades snapping into place change his expression from "I'm going to kill you" to "Hello, my name is Adam Jensen, and I have a new product from Spishak!" *teeth sparkle*
5280707 it wont no sad tag it will be more likly she accepts it and wakes up
Alright chapter done, see you in a few months guys!
Jk, but seriously the suspense is killing me and now you put a riddle into it? You sick bastard <3
This might be a scenario with two opposite sets of lies where she should believe neither.