Disclaimer: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and all associated characters, settings and stories are the rightful subjects of Hasbro, the HUB, Studio B, and Lauren Faust.
Chapter 13
"Rise and shine, girls!" shouted Applejack. "We're gonna find our Twilight today."
The girls slowly woke from their pleasant slumber in the cave. It had been a while since they had been indoors so they were enjoying its comforts. None of them wanted to head back into the cold and unforgiving winter.
Noticing the darkness still remaining, Pinkie asked, "Are we ever going to see the sun again?"
"I hope so," said Fluttershy.
"They better," said Rainbow Dash. "I'm not spending the rest of my life flying in darkness."
"Oh, I agree," added Rarity. "This darkness will certainly ruin my chances of showcasing my gems in my dresses."
"Girls!" shouted Applejack. "Can ya'll forget about the sun and focus on clearing camp. We gotta find Twilight today. It may be our last chance."
"Oh, Applejack," commented Rarity as she began disassembling camp. "You make it sound like it's the end of the world or something. I know you're excited about Twilight, we all are, but there's no point in rushing and doing sloppy work. We'll find Twilight."
"Ah'm just really worried 'bout her. That's all."
"And we are too, Applejack," said Rainbow Dash. "There's just a lot to worry about besides our friend."
Applejack sighed, "Ah guess you're right. Still, let's finish up and find Twilight."
They did so and when everything was thrown into Rarity's bag she looked over her map.
"Hmm…well it looks like this cave is on the map right here. So, since Twilight was here a few weeks ago and assuming the weather was worse, she probably made it only two to three miles a day. I don't know if there's another cave that close but we'll find out."
"Hopefully Twilight is still alive," said Pinkie.
"Pinkie! How can you say that?" exclaimed Fluttershy.
"It's…nothing."
"Pinkie, I know you're upset but Twilight is alive. She has to be," said Rainbow Dash.
Pinkie nodded and looked over at Rarity who simply shook her head.
"Alright, if everypony is ready then let's go."
They made their way back outside into the cold and windy snow. The cave had been so much nicer than this weather and walking along the narrow ledge for miles again did not look or sound anymore fun than it had been when they first started. They moved cautiously in the same order as yesterday but they tried to pick up their pace when they could. The fires of hope were burning brighter than ever thanks to real evidence that they were on the right track. Twilight was here and they would find her.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
"So, Magicon, can you describe what happened?" asked the psychologist earth pony as Magicon lay down on the velvet couch.
"Doctor, are you sure this is really necessary? I've got things to do."
"Weren't you the one that came down here on your own?"
"I came at Shining Armor's request."
"Well then, you must respect him since you voluntary obeyed him."
"Well, yes…alright, fine. I'll do it for him. All of this is confidential, right?"
"Every word."
"Alight, well, doctor, it went like this. Last night, Shining Armor arrived back in Canterlot. He immediately came to my room and he caught me umm…err…talking to myself. We then talked which quickly turned into an argument and then it changed directions to a very different topic. We both kind of…umm…admitted our feelings toward each other."
The earth pony was silent, except for his calm breathing, as he sat across and watched Magicon recant his story.
"Then we 'did it' that night. Afterwards I returned to my chamber and slept through the rest of the night. I was awoken the next day by The Doctor returning from a favor I had asked him to do, followed by Shining Armor. But he looked very different from the previous night. His mane was ruffled and he looked like he had been in a fight or long journey of some sort. I told him about his appearance and he said that was because he just arrived from his journey and he had not been in Canterlot last night.
"I was stunned by this and didn't know what to do. I told him what had happened, minus the sexual relations, and he said that I'm having hallucinations or a changeling came and visited me. But I have a new thought now that perhaps the Shining Armor I saw earlier today is the imposter. Oh, doctor, what's wrong with me? What can I do?"
The psychologist was silent as he took in Magicon's story and closed his eyes as he tried to make sense of it and solve it.
He spoke slowly, "Were there any other ponies that saw Shining Armor?"
"Well last night, the guards outside my room would've noticed him but when Shining Armor questioned them this morning they said that they had not seen him up until that point."
"Were those the same guards that were there the night before?"
"Umm…I wouldn't know. My guess is a 'no' since we have day guards and night guards but with no sun or moon it's much harder to keep track of time. I haven't really been involved with the routine of the guards."
"Well, I suggest you talk to those night guards and see what they say but I think we have a real mystery ahoof."
"Doctor, am I having hallucinations?"
"Hallucinations can occur in overly stressed ponies but very rarely do they involve sexual acts. In the cases that they do occur it's usually either do to intense desire for sex or uncontrollable urges/actions. Do you have either?"
"I…I…don't know."
"Magicon, this is completely confidential. I will not say a word to a living soul. If you want to figure out the truth you must be honest with me."
Magicon sighed and looked at the doctor with uneasy eyes. "Well, I do have feelings for Shining Armor, though not as much as I did when he was single, and I do have the tendency to lose control over some of my magic and my words when I'm emotionally stressed."
"Very good. Alright, if it was a hallucination then you wouldn't be able to vividly recall every detail from last night. Can you recall every detail from your experience with Shining last night?"
"Yes, I can. I can remember the sights, the smells, the tastes, the touches, and the sounds."
A wave of pleasure crashed against Magicon as he shuddered and closed in eyes in remembrance.
"Oh, yes," he whispered.
"Magicon, Magicon," exclaimed the doctor as he clopped his hoofs together brining Magicon out of his pleasurable flashback. "I don't want to go there. I can see that you really enjoyed it last night but I would rather not see or hear about it in detail, thank you. Now, I'm going to try something. It's a form of hypnosis and I want you to completely relax, close your eyes, and listen to every word I say."
Reluctantly Magicon did so. The psychologist went to his phonograph and began playing soothing music before returning to Magicon. His voice was gentle and mystical as he spoke.
"Now, I want you to completely relax and stretch out your forehoofs directly in front of you. Keep your eyes closed and just stretch out your hooves."
Magicon obeyed.
"Keep your hooves out in front of you but relax yourself. Relax every muscle in your body. Relax your head. Just relax. Now think of the sun. Imagine you are staring directly into the sun, but you are completely relaxed."
Magicon saw it, the bright sun, its warmth, its radiance and the relaxation that it held over him.
"Keep your mind focused on that sun and relax. Now, inhale with your nose, like your smelling the wonderful aromas of clean air and a garden."
Magicon did as instructed and made a loud but slow sniff.
"Now, take deep breaths. In through your nose, out through your mouth. Go slowly."
Magicon did and continued smelling the fresh gardens of springtime and the warmth of the sun. He felt completely relaxed and at peace.
"Now, Magicon, when I clop my hoof one time, you will lower your hooves to your side."
The psychologist clopped his hooves together and Magicon's arms fell to his side, his eyes still closed and breathing deeply.
"When I clop my hooves two times the sun will disappear and you will open your eyes."
He did the same and Magicon blindly and silently obeyed.
"If I touch your shoulder you will immediately close your eyes, stretch out your hooves, and relax. Now, when I ring this bell you will sit up and tell me what happened after your sexual episode last night."
The doctor rang the bell and Magicon rose and leaned his lower hoofs over the side of the couch. His eyes were dull and lifeless as he spoke in a monotonous voice.
"After having sex we fell asleep in each others arms. I was awakened by a few whispers from the window. I slowly and stealthy climbed out of the bed, making sure that I would not wake Shining and walked over to the window. Hiding in the shadows next to it I jumped in front of the window but saw nopony there. I opened it and still say nopony. Assuming it was my imagination I returned to the bed but accidentally woke Shining Armor.
"We talked about what we just did, how good it felt, and how much we changed. We then agreed that we should return to the palace separately so as not to avoid attention. We opened the door to exit the room and we found a swarm of pony reporters and photographers taking every single picture and asking hundreds of questions at us. Shining Armor and I were shocked and couldn't make sense of anything and I panicked. In the panic I shot an uncontrollable memory erasing spell that erased the memories of everypony within fifty feet, including Shining Armor. It made them forget the events of the day, including my affair with Shining Armor.
"As for Shining Armor, I knocked him out and teleported him to some random dark alley and walked back to my own. I fell asleep in my bed and woke up to the sound of knocking on my door."
Magicon felt a touch on his shoulder and reverted into his relaxed state.
"That will do, Magicon, now I'm going to ask you a few questions. When I say 'number' after every question you will open your eyes, sit up, and answer the question directly."
Magicon made no movement and remained in his state of relaxation.
"Question one, are you Magicon, number?"
Magicon opened his eyes, rose, and said, "Yes."
The doctor touched his shoulder again and asked, "Did you have sex last night, number?"
"Yes."
"Did you have sex with Shining Armor last night, number?"
"Yes."
"Were you caught by other ponies for having sex with Shining Armor last night, number?"
"Yes."
"Did you cast a memory spell to protect yourself, number?"
"Yes."
"Did you cast that memory spell under your own will, number?"
"Yes."
"Did you have control of the spell once you cast it, number?"
"No."
"Did the spell rebound and affect you, number?"
"Yes."
"But you remembered some of it. How is that possible, number?"
"The spell had already affected the other ponies when it rebounded and was considerably weaker when it struck me. I only consciously forgot what had occurred in the last minutes."
The doctor clopped his hooves and Magicon's arms lowered to his side, his eyes closed, and his mind focusing on the sun.
"Alright, Magicon, when I count to three you will exit the hypnotic state. You will resume your normal personality and you will remember everything from last night and what just transpired here in this room. One, two…three."
Magicon immediately opened his eyes, color flushing through them, and stared wildly about the room. He quickly rose and stood up while the doctor remained seated directly across from him.
"D…doctor…did I really do that?"
"Your subconscious says so and that tends to pick up information that the conscious forgets."
"Oh…my…Celestia. I can't believe it. Oh, I'm such a bad pony," Magicon put his head in his hoofs and sat down, tears welling up in his eyes.
"Oh, Magicon. You had urges. Urges that you suppressed for a long time. When the chance came to release them you jumped at the chance, even when your conscious said 'no', your subconscious said 'yes'. I'm not saying what you did was wrong but someponies will find it morally reprehensible."
"But…look at what I've done because of these damned urges. I abandoned my duties, had sex with a married pony, erased the memories of two dozen ponies, including my lover, and erased part of my own. I should've said no. I should've just ignored it. I should've…"
Tears now streamed down Magicon's face as shame overcame him.
"There, there, Magicon," said the psychologist as be brought over tissues to the crying unicorn. "It's not the worst thing that could've happened. Your alive, your reputation is fine, and you did the right thing by coming to me."
"Doc…doctor…what do I do now?"
"That's your choice to decide. You can restore their memories or not, but I'm not going to sway your decision with my own thoughts."
Magicon was silent as he continued his crying, albeit quieter than before.
"Doctor, is it my fault for giving in?"
"Absolutely not, Magicon. We all need release sometimes and you've been stressed for the past few weeks ever since Celestia's death. It's amazing you withstood it for this long."
"So, it's not my fault?"
"No way. You're a good pony, Magicon. You've done good for all of Equestria and you will continue to do more."
The fire of hope was rekindled inside Magicon. His tears dried and felt himself filled with strength.
"You're right, doctor. I am a good pony. It's not my fault that I fell, but I'm rising up again and will do good for Equestria. I will be remembered for my work. Speaking of which I better get working on raising the sun."
He rose and made his way toward the door.
"Thank you, doctor."
"You're welcome."
Once Magicon closed the door behind him, he wiped the hopeful smile from his face. His heart wasn't full of hope, it was full of bitterness. He slowly began walking back to his chamber.
"Well he was most helpful. Instead of a changeling taking my love I make love with the real stallion and then erase his memory. That's just great. The doctor was right. I had urges and I gave in. I am weak. It wasn't my fault that I gave in; it's Shining Armor's. He knew I liked him and he played on that. He took whatever measures he could to weaken me. With me weakened he can have greater chances of removing me from the throne. Well, I won't have it! No way! He thinks he made me weaker, well he's wrong. I am only stronger!
"I have learned. I can't trust anypony. It's truly for fools. Shining Armor knows I was involved with Celestia's and Luna's deaths and now he has an advantage over me that he can use against me and ruin me. Well, that won't happen. I will ruin him. He will rue for what he did last night. He will rue it!"
With those words, Magicon stormed off to his room determined to make Shining Armor pay.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Uh, Rarity, how much farther?" shouted Applejack, barely able to see a foot in front of her. The weather had seriously taken a turn for the worst. The wind was howling and snow was gusting everywhere. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were grounded and Applejack had to remove her hat in order to prevent it from blowing away. The cold stung their eyes and the snow was getting higher and heavier with each step. If they didn't find shelter soon, they might freeze up here and nopony would know.
"I don't know, Applejack," Rarity shouted back. They had already passed up a cave in their hope of finding Twilight today but that hope was quickly fading with this weather.
"If we don't find shelter from this blizzard soon," yelled Rainbow Dash, "We'll freeze to death."
"How's everypony holding up?" yelled Rarity as she attempted to turn around at the group behind her.
"We're alive," said Pinkie. "But I don't know how much longer we can handle this cold."
"Fluttershy back there?" asked Rarity.
"Yup, but she's struggling."
"We need ta find someplace ta rest until this here blizzard ends," yelled Applejack.
"And abandon Twilight? She could be out here in this blizzard!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash.
"We have no choice, Rainbow," responded Rarity. "Either we find shelter, wait, and then go find Twilight or we look for her and freeze to death."
Grumbling, Rainbow Dash knew they were right she just hated wasting time when they could be looking for Twilight. Just then she felt a pull on her tail. Turning around she saw Applejack firmly clamping on her tail with her mouth.
"Applejack. What are you doing?" yelled Rainbow Dash.
Between her teeth Applejack managed to shout, "If we don't hold on ta each other we're gonna lose each other. Ah'm not takin' that risk."
Rarity managed to hear it and with a bit of hesitation grabbed onto Applejack's tail, instructing Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy to do the same. With all of them secure they moved forward, struggling to keep their eyes strained on the pony in front of them. The wind howled ceaselessly, like the endless night that hung behind the clouds above them.
They continued their march through the deepening snow. It now climbed higher than their knees and reached halfway up their forelegs. Each move was more exhausting and more disheartening. Their pace slowed with each step until they were moving slower than a snail's pace. The cold was getting to them and they felt drained and tired. Icy breaths were beginning to penetrate their coats and they were all turning into snow-ponies.
Suddenly Rainbow Dash, despite her desperate and hardest efforts, collapsed. Leading the pack had just been too much and her body just couldn't handle it. Though she was the most athletic and toughest of the group, the blizzard was too much for her.
Applejack rushed up to her followed by the rest of the group. Rainbow Dash struggled to keep her eyes open as Applejack rolled her over and sat her up in the snow.
"I'm…I'm…sorry," was all she could say in a weary voice.
"No, Dashie. Ah'm the one who should be sorry. Ah should've taken the lead. Ah should've put mahself before ya'. Ah'm such a stupid pony." Tears were welling up in her eyes as she said these words.
"AJ?"
"Yes, Dashie? Ah'm here."
"Pr…promise me you won't…leave me."
"Ah promise."
"Pinkie Promise."
"Beyond a Pinkie Promise."
A delicate smile appeared on Rainbow Dash's with those words. She motioned Applejack closer to her face.
"I love you, AJ," she whispered before kissing her.
Applejack returned the kiss with the same affection and love. "Ah love ya' too, Dashie. This ain't good-bye. You're stayin'. You're gonna live. You're gonna be a strong girl for me. You're gonna be that pony I fell in love with. Dashie? Rainbow Dash! DASHIE!"
Rainbow Dash closed her eyes and her body was turning limp.
"RAINBOW! NO! NO! NO! Ah won't accept this, ya' here? Stay with me! Don't go! Don't leave me!"
Tears now cascaded down Applejack's face and froze even before the reached the bottom of her cheeks. She hugged Rainbow Dash's body tightly, determined to keep her alive. She wasn't going to let her best friend and her lover go this easy. Rainbow Dash was stronger than any weather in Equestria. She had to be. She just had to be.
The other three watched the scene with dismayed and horror-struck faces. Their friend couldn't go like this. They faced greater and deadlier enemies than a blizzard. They were here for a good reason, why should Rainbow Dash go now and like this? It was impossible; simply impossible.
Rarity's and Pinkie's eyes unleashed waterfalls of tears while Fluttershy remained motionless and lifeless, still retaining her horrified expression. This was it. Their best friend had succumbed to the weather. She was a goner.
Turning to Rarity, Applejack asked in a croaked voice, "There's gotta be somethin' in that bag for Dashie! There has to be!"
Rarity ceased her crying and tore through her bag, searching for anything that would help Rainbow Dash. She pulled out blankets and coats and tossed them to Applejack who tightly bounded them around Rainbow Dash. Other than that she found nothing other than what they were already wearing. They were all wearing full winter clothing and it still had not been enough to protect them from the cold. Layers and layers of the warmest clothing could not keep out the cold that was now claiming Rainbow Dash.
Like countless ponies before her, she would perish here on the high mountains. Her dreams, her ambitions, her hopes would end here. It was the end of the line for Rainbow Dash. It would end here.
Just then, the gusty winds died down just enough to allow the girls to see a small outline of a cave slightly further up the trail. Grabbing Rainbow Dash, the girls charged through the deep snow until they reached the cave.
Once inside, Rarity magically sealed off the entrance while Applejack laid Rainbow Dash down while Pinkie began working on a fire. Fluttershy inspected the cave for any creatures. The cave was smaller than their last one, but with Rarity's barrier it would trap the heat in and keep all of them warm. Once Pinkie started the fire Applejack brought Rainbow Dash's frozen body directly next to it. The marks of the storm were now clearly visible in the light.
Her cyan mane was barely visible, buried against a thick layer of snow and ice. Her Rainbow Mane had lost its color and was just as motionless as her. Her eyes remained closed; shielding their magenta color as the fire slowly melted the snow and ice on her.
"Fluttershy," called Applejack. "Com'ere and see if she's alright."
Fluttershy did so and examined Rainbow Dash, placing her hoof on various points in her body carefully listening for pulses and heart beats. A relieved smile dawned on her face as she spoke.
"Well, umm…I'm sorry, but I have good news and bad news."
"What's the good news?" asked Rarity.
"Rainbow Dash is alive."
All of them let out a long sigh of relief while Applejack thanked Celestia and hugged Rainbow Dash tightly.
"And the bad news?" asked Pinkie.
"Rainbow Dash is really weak, and may not be able to go outside in this weather for a while."
"Well that's not too bad," commented Rarity. "I thought you were going to say something like 'she's in a coma' or the like."
"Oh, I'm sorry."
"Oh no, Fluttershy. That's a good thing. Better her to be alive and conscious rather than just alive."
"Okay."
"Come on ya'll, we better get unpacked," said Applejack who remained clinging to Rainbow Dash whose breathing was becoming audible.
"Who goes there?" asked a loud voice towards the end of the cave. Fluttershy screamed and jumped behind Rarity while the rest of the gang remained motionless, whether it was from fear or shout nopony could say.
"We could ask you the same question," responded Pinkie.
"You have entered the realm of the Great and Powerful Celestia, state your business or leave at once."
The girls looked at each other with confused expressions. The voice didn't sound like Celestia. It was cold, croaked, and harsh. Though it was a female voice, it sounded nothing like Celestia's warm and caring voice.
"Who are ya'?" asked Applejack.
"I shall be the one to ask the questions, now let me ask you again, what is your purpose here?"
"We're lookin' for our friend, Twilight Sparkle."
"I know nopony by that name."
The girl's confusion only continued.
"Begging your pardon, Great and Powerful Celestia, but Twilight Sparkle was a student of yours and your most talent student at that," said Rarity.
"I do not have students. I do not teach. I do not have the time. I only have time to rule Equestria. Now do you have anything further?"
"Well, we were hopin' that we could stay here the night. Ya' see, one of our friends has been injured by that there blizzard outside and she can hardly breathe. So we would like to rest and take care of her," said Applejack.
"No!" Celestia's voice boomed.
"Beg your pardon?"
"I said no. My kingdom is a land of healthy and tidy ponies; not one of the sick and dying. Everypony is happy in my kingdom. No, I demand that you leave my kingdom at once."
"Please Celestia, see reason," begged Rarity. "You can't expect us to go back out in that storm with an injured pony?"
"I can and you will. For all I care, you lot can to Tartarus. Now leave at once or I will banish you all to the moon forever."
The girls were speechless. It didn't make sense. How could Celestia do this? How was she even alive and why was she here in these mountains. Nothing was adding up.
"We're not going anywhere," said Pinkie defiantly.
"Yes, you will."
"Our friend is injured and we're staying by her side. We're not leaving anypony. If you don't want us here then you're going to have to remove us yourself."
"Very well, you damned ponies, don't say I did not warn you."
The walls and ceilings began to shake violently as small rocks began tumbling down. The girls quickly huddled together while Rarity casted a shield to protect them.
"What's going on?" asked Fluttershy.
"I don't know," said Rarity. Just then the rocks stopped tumbling and the cave quieted down. At the end of the cave the girls could see the silhouette of a single pony stepping forward. While they watched her in curiosity, they saw her horn glow a dark magenta and shoot a beam directly at them dissipating Rarity's shield and knocking them to the floor.
Rarity quickly rose and cast a defensive spell to shield them from the attacks.
"I can't hold this for much longer," she said. "Somepony needs to stop her."
Just as Rarity said that, Pinkie sprang forward dodging spells until she jumped into the air and hesitantly tackled the pony straight to the ground. There was no fight, no yelling, and no struggle. Pinkie just sat on top of the pony that had attacked them, ashamed of what she had just done.
The others joined her and with their lights saw a pony that made them all scream. Right in front of them was a barely-awake, bone thinned, and purple coated pony named Twilight Sparkle.