//------------------------------// // 239. The Loss of Faith - Part 20: Loss of Reflection... or Reflection of Loss // Story: Blaze the Pony Tale // by Wolven5 //------------------------------// "Ugh... huh?" Twinken blinked his eyes and perked his ears to find himself in Canterlot! For a horrid moment, he feared, Did something go wrong?! Did-did I teleport out or- Wait minute... Taking a closer look to his surroundings he saw that the streets were a’bustle with ponies going to and fro, and the City of Unicorns seemed oddly more friendly. Nobles weren't walking around with their noses in the air, showing off their fancy clothes or expensive jewelry, and even stopping to say how-do-you-do to passerby. There was no evacuations going on, no tense atmosphere, no sign of an impending crisis. "Everything seems... okay?" Twinken was confused when he suddenly felt an uncomfortable force... go right through him! He got the wind knocked out of him as he was knocked off his hooves and grunted as he fell onto his back, groaning and then seeing a unicorn walk away. Growling, Twinken got to his hooves and shouted, "YOU COULD'VE SAID 'EXCUSE ME'!" The unicorn showed no signs he'd heard Twinken but then the little colt gasped as he recognized him! "Midnight...?! MIDNIGHT!!" Twinken hurried after his brother, carefully weaving around other ponies, saying the customary excuse mes and pardon mes though for some reason nopony really seemed to acknowledge his presence, but he didn’t have time to worry about that. He could see Midnight was getting further and further away! "MIDNIGHT! WAIT! It's me, Twin-" Twinken shouted when he noticed out the corner of his eye... a couple large stallions pulling a huge wagon! "AAAAUUUGGGHHH!!!!" Twinken ducked and covered, it was too late to dodge, he only hoped they would stop or their hooves wouldn't crush him... But then he felt that same unpleasant sensation. Like... something was going right through him! Twinken opened his eyes again, and turned around to see the cart barrel down the road as if he wasn’t even there. “What the hay is going on,” he droned on to himself, shocked, yet relieved he wasn’t turned into a work of modern art on the road. Shaking his head, the colt regained his determination to follow his older brother down the street. So what if the cart had seemingly phased through him? He had a mission to accomplish and he was going to do so, even if he had a hundred carts go through him! Unfortunately, it seemed as if Midnight had left him in the dust, Twinken felt like an eternity passed walking down the streets. But now that he knew solid objects didn’t seem to affect him normally, he was able to push forward at a steady pace without any more incidents. Why even bother talking to ponies that didn’t seem to notice he existed? Not to mention, they were just figments in this dream Midnight was caught in. Eventually he came to a large house in a more retro-looking neighborhood in Canterlot, a big and comfortable estate with walls painted a glossy black that shimmered colors in the sunlight. On top of the house was a pair of steeple-topped towers. A marble fountain and rosebushes surrounded the giant house, and stained glass windows completed the modern-day “castle” but giving off a more humble vibe. Twinken just barely caught his older brother entering the home out of the corner of his eye. The gate around the house looked like a solid object to him, but after making sure his hoof passed through it without being blocked, he stepped through the bars, putting up with the strange feeling it produced in his guts. Of course, with his ability to phase through walls, Twinken found it equally trivial to get through the front door of the mansion as well. The inside was far more decorative than the outside, with carpeted floors, paintings of relatives and honored ancestors, as well as some fancy-looking antiques were set on pedestals or hung on the walls, which oddly included a shovel with a winged helmet in front of a very old-looking portrait of a big and brawny earth pony stallion with soft turquoise fur and a bright orange mane and beard, and seemingly endless hallways tied to all the essential rooms. “Whooaaa,” marveled Twinken, his eyes growing wide, “It’s amazing!” There was a vast, open kitchen with black polished stone countertops and modern cooking surfaces, a master bathroom with a tub so big Twinken thought he might be able to swim laps in it, and a library with shelves stacked to the top with both ancient tomes and modern day magical study materials. All to be expected, given Midnight’s nature. The little unicorn thought he could spend hours exploring the house, but he heard Midnight’s voice from down one of the hallways, and followed it into the home’s living room. “Again, thank you so much for purchasing this home for us,” said a strangely familiar and grateful voice. Twinken entered the room and discovered that Midnight was talking to… their parents! Indeed, Faerie Tail and Ignitus Enflame, both were sitting on a large blue sofa in the vast living room. Midnight had gotten a fire going in the tall brick fireplace with a manticore head mounted over the mantle that Twinken knew at a glance was a total fake, but completed the feeling of the room. A few other odd pieces of furniture filled the tile floor, along with some fuzzy carpets. But the main concern was the fact that his parents were standing right there, not noticing him! “Mom…? Dad?” Twinken gazed upon them, shocked at the very sight of them. “You guys deserve it,” said Midnight, not even slightly aware of the intruder of his perfect fantasy. “I thought it would be nice if you could retire in comfort. Plus Twinken will have a bigger room where he can fit all his stuff and textbooks he’s gonna need for his internship.” “Well hopefully you’ll bring Penny over, right?” asked Ignitus, smirking, “You wouldn’t want to waste all this home on just us, Midnight.” “I’d be happy to bring Penumbra,” he answered with a happy smile, “and maybe even some of her friends too!” Twinken was jumping around the living room, waving his hooves in his parents’ and brother’s face, but to no avail. He’d tried levitating objects to get their attention but his magical aura couldn’t touch anything either! “Come on! Answer me!” he yelled, “It’s me, Twinken!” “We’re so proud of you, becoming a great father,” Faerie Tail couldn’t help but beam, her eyes softening in delight, “It’s the biggest adventure you’ll ever undertake!” Twinken stopped trying to draw his attention for a moment, and watched his brother melt into a pile of putty on the sofa. “I… I know,” he sighed happily, “after all the crazy and the bad and the hard we went through, we’re finally getting to enjoy our lives in peace. I love you, guys.” “We love you too, son!” Now the little unicorn colt felt a bit ashamed, and his ears sank back as he thought about the situation. I… How can I take him away from all this? …He’s happy now, Twinken thought, slinking down onto his bottom, hanging his head, he’s got his own family… It is a dream. Twinken had no idea why, but those words suddenly filled his head and he looked up in dawning realization as he whispered, “A dream…!!!” Of course! This was a dream, and dreams, no matter how good or bad they were in the moment were not reality. Dreams are merely places to take a break from the troubles of the waking world, offering much-needed rest for the weary. Even their counterparts, the nightmares, are merely a way for those with problems to face them head-on in the form of vivid, scary imagery to provide the motivation necessary to tackle the issue. Nonetheless, neither is truly real. They offer a break, time to think, and sometimes a place to let the imagination run wild, but they ultimately end and force one back into the real world, with real problems... and real opportunities. For while the real world offers opportunities with others, in a dream... one is alone. You can see those you love and care for, but they are but pale semblances to your loved ones and their touch. You can fly among the stars, swim the deepest oceans, do the impossible as easily as breathing the air… but these experiences are not experiences at all. Like… climbing to the summit of Mount Everhoof in a dream? It might be nice to do it in a dream, but to accomplish such a feat, to truly experience it… there was no contest! I can’t leave him like this! Twinken realized, He’s still a prisoner of the changelings, and he’ll never be safe! “Well, it’s almost time,” Midnight spoke, snapping Twinken out of it. “I have to pick up Penny so we can catch our train.” "Penny, who's that?" Twinken wondered aloud, before recalling what his father Ignitus had said, "Ohhh, he means that 'Penumbra' name I keep hearing..." “Go on ahead, dear,” Faerie Tail shooed him off, “your dad and I will meet you two at the train station to see you both off.” “Okay, see you both later,” Midnight called as he hurried out the door, Twinken following after. Twinken cursed his tiny legs as he struggled to keep up with Midnight, and still wondered, Who’s this Penny or Penumbra pony? Why’s Midnight going to see her? He shook it out of his head as he focused on staying on Midnight’s tail, grateful that he didn’t have to weave through obstacles and just walk through them. It was strange though, that Twinken couldn’t physically interact with Midnight’s dream other than walking, so he assumed whatever it was involved whatever the changelings had done to keep Midnight asleep like this. Finally, to Twinken’s relief, Midnight slowed down and was granted passage through the castle gates. He approached a guard standing vigil and asked, “Good sir, would you be so kind as to send word that I’m here to pick up my daughter? And please hurry, we have a train to catch.” “Yessir,” the guard saluted before hurrying off, leaving Midnight to wait patiently in the entry hall, unaware that he was not alone. That his brother – His real brother! – was there with him, looking at Midnight with an expression unreadable, as a tangled knot of conflicting emotions tugged and pulled at his insides, and Twinken finally spoke. “…You lied to me. From that very first day during the Sibling Revelry, you’ve lied to me. You didn’t tell me how we’re real brothers, you never said a thing about Mom or Dad or even Uncle Joe, who wouldn’t tell me one thing about where they are now or if they’re even alive, and that I had to hear the truth from you! “Do you know what it’s like? Growing up in an orphanage? Surrounded by other colts and fillies who don’t have families of their own for some reason or other? Wondering every day if some stallion or mare who comes will even look at you and think you’re worthwhile? To be ignored? To be looked over because there’s too many other foals who want just as much attention as you do? And then there’s the ponies outside the orphanage…” Twinken felt his stomach twist up as he finally let out what he’d been keeping buried ever since he first opened the locket. The picture of his mother and father and brother and of himself as a baby, it had filled him with such joy but then the moment passed and a cold bitterness had taken root. Something that had made him feel so angry and detestable that he’d shoved it aside and forced himself to focus on the joyous discovery of his parents and then meeting his uncle. Then he’d heard Midnight was in trouble and his worries and concern and determination to help had continued to allow Twinken to ignore these bitter feelings that he was finally allowing to bubble to the surface. This dream in which he found Midnight was cruel and while Twinken had every intention of helping Midnight to escape it, now that he was right next to his brother and yet could not be seen or heard, Twinken was angry, and whether or not Midnight could hear him now the colt was going to have his say. “Do you know what it’s like to be looked upon as an orphan? All those ponies looking at you with pity, and those pick on you, and say the most awful things! Diamond Tiara once said to me that there must be something wrong with me so my parents threw me out like trash! That I was so stupid and worthless my own parents didn’t want me! It hurt… It hurt so badly I hurt her back and got in trouble for it! “And I wouldn’t have had to go through all that… if it weren’t for you! Which is why I… I… I wanna hate you!” Twinken was so wrapped up in baring his soul and shedding tears, he didn’t notice Midnight, who’d been standing there waiting the whole time, begin to look… sad and shift uncomfortably as he felt something. Anger, bitterness, heartache, sadness, pain… where was all this pain coming from?! “I want to hate you and scream and hit you and-and I just want…” Twinken began to sob with a shaky voice, tears streaming down his face, “I just… As much as I want to yell at you, I… I want to understand! “I want to understand why I w-was alone! Why weren’t you there?! Why our parents weren’t there! What happened that I had to go to an orphanage and you weren’t there and why you didn’t tell me who you really were when we first met!?!” Midnight stood there, so confused and trying to make sense of this mess of emotions he was feeling. He knew they weren’t his own but he felt them in such a way that it resonated with something deep inside, some kind of… guilt? What did he have to feel guilty about? He was married to the love of his life, had a beautiful daughter, ran a successful business, was a national hero, everyday he was surrounded by his friends and his family and yet… why did he feel this… this gut-twisting guilt and this heart-wrenching hurt?! “But d-despite all that,” sniffled Twinken with a shaky voice, “I-I love you, Big Brother! You were the first to ever look at me and see something special! Something worthwhile, and you always found a way to make me smile and be happy, and-and… “As much as I want to be angry, I… I still want you back! I want you back home, safe with all of us, and I have so many questions you have to answer for me, and I want to understand how things were the way they were, and… That’s why you gotta realize that none of this is real, Midnight! “Whatever it is about this, it’s just a dream! No matter how much it makes you happy, no matter what you think or feel, this is nothing more than a dream, so… “YOU GOTTA WAKE UUUUUUUUUUUUPPPP!!!!!!!!!” “Mmmmuuhh…” He stirred, no longer asleep but not really awake, drowsiness and fatigue called him back to the sweet relief of slumber as his eyes creaked open by little more than a hairsbreadth… and he felt unusually snug, as though he was entirely wrapped up, but… Why did everything look green and… were those little bubbles? He looked past them and saw… wait, recognition began to light up in his mind as he saw the halls of what could only be the décor of Canterlot Castle! “Oh no, no, no…” spoke a slightly muffled but strangely familiar voice as a figure stepped into his line of sight, eyes glowing a poisonous green! “Back to beddy-bye with you… and out you go, you meddlesome interloper!” The scenario had dimmed, color had started turning opaque as Twinken had realized somehow his words had reached Midnight! The fading dream had indicated he was waking up, and then, to Twinken’s amazement, an oval-shaped window had appeared in front of him… and he’d seen and heard what he could only guess had been through Midnight’s eyes and ears! However since the dream had not entirely faded away, Twinken could only guess Midnight had not really woken up, his mind and body still partially asleep, but Twinken had recognized the halls of Canterlot Castle, which had baffled him… when he’d seen the figure and heard its voice! “Who was that?! And whaaaaAAAAAUUUUUGUGGGGGHGHG!!!!!” Twinken screamed as he was sent hurtling skyward, out the door, out the castle gates, out of Canterlot until…!!! “AAUGH!!!” Twinken screamed as he woke up, gasping,  and found himself surrounded by Luna, Twilight, Shining Armor, and Thorax, all of them looking concerned and worried. “Twinken, hush! It’s okay, you’re okay!” Twilight placed a comforting hoof on Twinken’s shoulder as the little colt realized- “You are awake, Young Twinken,” Luna declared, “What happened in there? All of a sudden, you just started crying even while you slept!" All eyes looked anxiously at Twinken as he cleared his thoughts and got a grip on himself, trying to steady his breath, until finally, he said: “He’s… he’s here!” “He who, Twinken? What did you learn?” pressed Shining Armor. Twinken looked up at all of them, his eyes wide and frantic as he softly spoke, “Midnight… I think he’s here! Somewhere in the castle!” “AAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGHHHH!!!!” “Sweetheart, what’s wrong?!” “Calm down, little filly!” “Elytra, it’s okay, we’re here!” Velvet, Night Light, and Spike were looking fearfully at Elytra as the four of them hunkered down in a safe room that was furnished and stocked for prolonged periods in case of emergency, and they’d been enjoying stories told by Spike of some of the adventures he’d shared with Twilight and their friends… when all of a sudden Elytra had frozen up and the started clutching her head as though in pain. Night Light and Velvet tried to comfort her and pull her into a hug when suddenly Elytra jumped out of their hooves, sought refuge in a corner, and had started screaming at the top of her lungs! “AAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!” Elytra continued to scream as though she were in agony, the unicorn couple and little dragon at a loss of what to do… when the screaming suddenly stopped. They looked in rising suspense at Elytra, as she shivered, her eyes full of terror, until finally Spike gently tried again and asked, “Elytra… what’s wrong?” … … … The agonizing moments of silence came to a head when Elytra gave them a look of chilling terror and spoke in a quivery voice: “She’s here… Mother is here!!!”