//------------------------------// // Chapter 8: The Key // Story: Dissonance: A Hidden World // by Braininthejar //------------------------------// music link “So, here you are, Twilight Sparkle. Past the simple security spell placed here ages ago and channeling the visions of my precious seering flower. Does it mean you have grown past your limitations and are ready for the secrets of this place? No, of course not. You have foolishly tried to use the Amaranthine alone, with nopony to watch your back and now you are about to die.” Twilight felt the staff approaching, but was too numb to even feel scared. The blow wasn’t nearly as strong as last time, more like an annoyed thwack, but the jolt of energy it brought snapped the magical connection, sending Twilight toppling onto the floor, like a puppet with its strings cut. She stayed there for a while, her mouth and eyes open, her breathing slow and shallow. Obsidian walked towards the flower to make sure it wasn’t damaged. Once he was satisfied, he leaned over the unicorn and breathed into her face. Twilight’s eyes widened as she suddenly recovered clarity. She tried to jump up and say something, but all she achieved was getting tangled in her own, wobbly legs, and landing back down in a confused heap. “Look at your hooves,” said Obsidian. As Twilight did, her eyes widened again, this time in horror. She could feel her leg in front of her, but through it she could faintly see the stones of the floor. Obsidian sneered. “See, this flower takes more from you than just the magical energy. We’ve tried to just feed it magic and it worked, but it didn’t get us the visions we wanted. To find what you seek, it needs to know your heart. It needs a bit of who you are, to sample, and if you aren’t careful, it will keep taking.’ Twilight looked down her front leg again. “So, will I…” “No,” said Obsidian. “As you recharge your magic, your being too will recover. Just don’t get anywhere near it anytime soon. Not that you’d want to. The Amaranthine is not for happy visions. It was created as a tool for war. Its petals are stained deep red with the suffering it has seen… no, really, it was white when I first received it. It saved me back then, then it nearly killed me, just like you now. It changed and grew, turning into something its creator had not foreseen. And all the time it stayed a source of bad news.” “So,” said the stallion, looking down at Twilight again, “was it worth it at least? What did you see?” Twilight gave him a confused look and then closed her eyes in concentration, trying to remember. Obsidian stood over her sending more power into her, the unicorn’s body becoming more and more solid until finally an expression of understanding flashed on her face, followed by panic. “It was Dash!” she shouted, “I saw Rainbow Dash! She was in the void!” Obsidian frowned. “The Element of Loyalty, huh? That’s bad.” “Bad? She’ll die there!” shouted Twilight. “Why is she there!?” “Not necessarily,” replied Obsidian, looking down on her. “If she’s in the void, that means the Void Passage spat her out. This happens when one fails a test, but doesn’t die, that’s the simplest way to do it. That also means that the seal had to be opened for a moment. If that was enough for Verba to receive my message, he should fish her out before she exhausts herself to death. I can’t guarantee her good health though. Your mind is very ordered, especially for one gifted with such magic. It kept you stable, even if the cost almost killed you. But lesser minds don’t do so well.” Twilight had recovered enough to get up. She was now in Obsidian’s face, staring into his eyes. “What are you saying?” “She’s experiencing the same as you, but not doing such a good job at keeping the chaos away. You can do nothing about it, so stop panicking.” “How can I not panic!?” yelled Twilight. “There must be something we can do!” Obsidian turned away and walked out of the chamber. Twilight stumbled after him, trying to keep up. “Hey, come back here! Where are you going?” “Back to the ground floor. Talking is wasted on you,” responded Obsidian without turning back. “I can’t just sit and wait,” said Twilight as she chased him up the stairs. “I told you, I’m trapped here,” said Obsidian. “Don’t you think if there were a way out, I’d have figured it out in all those centuries?” “Well,-” Obsidian stopped at the entrance to the staircase. “Fortunately for me, there is a way in. I was about to tell you when I found you using the Amaranthine. I’ve figured out how you managed to enter the tower.” “Why does it even matter?” asked Twilight in an exasperated tone, “We don’t want to get in. We need to get out.” “Well,” said Obsidian,”We won’t be able to do it in time to help your friend, but I know I can have Verba duplicate the magical conditions that allowed you to leak in through the wards. As long as the bearer of Honesty survives her trial, we can bring her in to unlock the spell.” Twilight stopped next to him, the gears in her head turning as she figured out the implications of his statement. “You mean,-” “Yes!” shouted Obsidian, “After thousands of years of being trapped here, I can finally be free! But... for that... Honesty needs to survive, and Loyalty’s failure doesn’t bode well for your friends… I…” He stopped and turned around, pacing in place. “It is now I who needs a distraction. Come, follow me.” He started again, trotting into the stairwell, the tip of his staff lighting up to provide illumination. Twilight looked warily at the place. “Wait,” she said. “Why can’t you fix these stairs?” Obsidian stopped, turning his head back at her. Twilight took a couple hesitant steps. “You said this place can be formed with will, didn’t you? When I tried to learn to do magic again, I transformed one of the rooms into pieces of my memories. It had all the books on magic I remembered reading. And you are so much more experienced. With the time you had, you could have done so much more. So why didn’t you?” The stallion stared at her, then turned away, his shoulders moving up and down. It was only when Twilight caught up with him that she realised he was chuckling silently. “Why, you ask?” he said, grinning, the light of his staff glinting off his canines. “Why not turn the Tower of Lost Thought into a place of light and luxury? It is because…” He took a deep breath and shouted at the top of his lungs,”BECAUSE I HATE THE PLACE! It deserves to remain the useless, forsaken ruin it is, mocking me with its useless books I could find nothing in, and useless open door I can’t exit through! Do you know how much suffering could have been avoided if I wasn’t... stuck here... for ages!?” His staff swung and hit a bannister over his head, sending bits of shattered wood falling sideways. Twilight instinctively ducked for cover as the weapon kept flailing, demolishing the structures around her. A stairway collapsed, then another. Twilight felt an urge to bolt, but didn’t really have where to. Instead she focused her powers, the magic staff stopping as it was encased in a purple bubble of force. Slowly, Obsidian turned his head to look at her. “You do know I can kick and bite too?” he said calmly. When Twilight stepped back from him, he smiled. “No, actually I should thank you for that. I’m not supposed to behave like this. Millennia of solitude or not, I should be the smart one, the level-headed one, a mentor that can be trusted. This shouldn’t have happened. Shall we continue down now?” “What for?” asked Twilight, raising an eyebrow at him. “Well,” said Obsidian, trotting down the stairs, “since you’ve got to the Amaranthine and tried to stop my staff,” at this he stopped to look at the weapon still suspended in Twilight’s field, visibly struggling to pull free, “I can only assume that you have been practicing. I’m eager to see the full results.” Twilight released her spell and followed Obsidian down. For some reason getting to the ground floor didn’t take nearly as long as she had expected; either Obsidian’s eagerness made the path shorter or, it suddenly occurred to Twilight, the staircase felt sufficiently intimidated by his violent display. It wouldn’t be the strangest thing that happened to me here, she thought. “So,” she asked after reaching the ground floor, “do you want me to pick up those big pieces of rubble again?” Obsidian shook his head. He turned around to face Twilight, the staff twirling around his neck and withers before stopping in the air at his side. “No. I told you, I need a distraction. So I’m going to see if I can teach you to fight.” Twilight took a low stance, aiming her horn at him, but still moving slowly away. “What do you think you’re doing?” she said through clenched teeth. Obsidian grinned. “Oh, do not worry. Beating you with a stick until you learn to dodge is out of the question. Even with just the phantom injuries, you’d soon be too twitchy to be of any use in real combat. This will be a proper lesson. Still, do not expect me to go easy on you. War doesn’t coddle anypony.” *** music link The day was cloudy and cool. Rarity looked through the window and sighed. It doesn’t look like I’m going to have any customers today. Everypony must be at the fashion show. Sighing again, she covered the window and returned to her study. As she walked, her eyes fell on the key left on the work table. I must remember to return it tomorrow. I don’t want to get anywhere near the town hall today. This whole affair is… I think I’ll have another tub of ice-cream. There were several tubs already empty by her chaise-longue, the remains of the previous evening. Rarity frowned. I should stop doing that. It must be horrible for my weight. It’s childish too. I eat more than Spike when I’m upset. She looked at the mess, then towards the kitchen door. Perhaps next time. I’m still unhappy, and there is still one left. Then I think I’ll go to the spa and try to forget the whole- music link The ground shook, and then the windows vibrated from a powerful roar. Rarity almost fell over. It… it’s coming from the Town Hall! What is Celestia’s name is happening there!? Forgetting about the ice-cream, Rarity ran to the front door, unlocked it and looked outside. There was a cloud of black smoke coming from the direction of the town hall. Suddenly some pieces in Rarity’s mind started connecting, things she hadn’t considered before. “R...Reginald! He’s there and he’s angry. I knew the shabby stitchwork would offend him!” Rarity’s eyes went wide as saucers. “He really will eat them alive!” Without thinking what she was doing, the fashionista galloped through town, heading towards the center. She reached the town hall just in time to see the windows explode outwards, streams of black smoke bursting out. The roar sounded again and the whole building started collapsing. A part of Rarity’s mind realised that she didn’t see anypony running away and that thought chilled the blood in her veins. music link Suddenly, everything went silent, as if Rarity had been hit by an invisible wave that swept all sounds away. She stomped her hoof to no effect and it was only when she coughed nervously that she knew she wasn’t deaf. She looked at the town hall and found the smoke stopped still, bizarrely, like a photograph. As she watched, everything started to unravel, pieces of the buildings, the sky and even the earth under her hooves fading soundlessly into the background until she was left standing in a vast, empty, white chamber. “Rarity!” called a familiar voice from behind her. “Applejack” she shouted, turning around. She could also see Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy sitting there on the floor, all of them looking a bit confused. The four mares ran up to each other, meeting together in the middle. Applejack was the first to speak “Are ya all alright?” “I...think so,” said Fluttershy, looking herself over. “I just had a very... strange dream, I think. But where’s Rainbow Dash?” At that they all looked around with worried expressions. As if on cue the walls around them faded again, revealing the now familiar void. The girls found themselves standing on a stone island just like in the beginning, except now it seemed to be made of white marble. Then their ears caught a faint sound getting closer. Simultaneously recognising the tell-tale jingling, the four mares formed a half circle, ready to defend themselves. It was obvious that there was nowhere to run. A stream of glowing runes floated onto the island, wrapping around itself to form a pony-like shape. It extended a hoof and a series of larger runes made of purple light appeared in the air in front of it. The girls kept looking at it, tense and ready for an attack. The construct tilted what passed for its head. Then it uncoiled and lashed out, a single sigil shooting out and hitting Applejack in the forehead, causing the other mares to yelp and scatter. For a moment, the farmpony was standing still, both the sigil and her eyes glowing purple. Then the symbol returned to its master, leaving Applejack swaying and confused, but not visibly hurt. “Applejack, are you ok?” shouted Rarity. Pinkie Pie started approaching the strange creature. Rather than wearing an expression of fear or anger, she was squinting at it with suspicion. “What do you want, mister? And what did you do to Twilight and Rainbow Dash?” The strange pony reformed briefly before pointing a hoof again. This time the symbols that appeared were ones the mares recognized. S T A Y And then the creature was gone, a string of symbols flying off into the void at astounding speed. “What was that about?” asked Applejack, shaking her head to clear it. “I think, it wants us to stay here,” said Fluttershy. Rarity looked around. “It’s not like we could go anywhere else now, could we?” “Nope,” said Pinkie Pie, staring off the edge of the island. “No bridge this time.” “So, all we can do now is wait?” asked Applejack. “Shush, and just when I thought I did save ya all.” “Save us all?” asked Rarity. “Well, I had that weird dream about climbing the mountain where the dragon was sleeping…” said Fluttershy. The others looked at her. “Me Too!” exclaimed Pinkie. And you were there too, and Dash. Except there was something weird going on. You were all angry at me. But I’ll make it up to you. That reminds me, I need to find Octavia and apologise for ruining her concert.” “I assure you, Pinkie, I wasn’t climbing any mountains,” said Rarity. My… dream, was it? It had a dragon in it, but it was a fashion critic. His name was Reginald and… well, it was not a good dream. I’d rather not talk about it.” “So, what do ya think happens now?” asked Applejack, looking around. Right then, Pinkie Pie jumped up in excitement. “Hey, look! Alphabet Soup’s coming back!” “Alphabet Soup?” Rarity looked to where Pinkie was pointing and then raised an eyebrow at her. “What kind of a name is that?” Pinkie Pie shrugged. “Well, he didn’t tell us his name and we need some way to call him.” “How d’ya know it’s a he?” asked Applejack. “Well, duh. Just look at how he moves,” said Pinkie. Her friends turned to follow her advice, but as they took a closer look at the approaching creature, they saw that there was something different about it. The shape was much more defined and clearly pony-like now, as if there was an actual pony inside all the symbols. “Dash!” they all cried at once. The cloud of symbols unravelled, spitting the pegasus out onto the stone floor. The four friends instantly surrounded the mare to look for injuries; she didn’t have any more than a couple bruises, but her body was cold and there was a streak of much darker blue through the forelock of her mane. She breathed silently and then started crying, her eyes pressed shut. “Hey, wake up, Rainbow Dash!” shouted Pinkie, prodding the prone pegasus with her hoof. “What’s wrong, Darling?” asked Rarity with worry. Then she turned towards their captor, “What have you done to her, ruffian?” Now that she looked at the silhouette, it really did look like a stallion. A series of purple letters sprung into existence between the two of them. C H A O S “Chaos? what does that mean?” asked Rarity frowning. “Maybe it’s like what Discord did to ponies?” said Fluttershy. She was now sitting next to Rainbow Dash and trying to nuzzle her awake. The cyan pegasus started to stir. Then her eyes snapped open, staring into Fluttershy with a mix of confusion and utter despair. “My… my child!” she sobbed, “She’s dead! I couldn’t do anything! Why didn’t you stop her!?” Fluttershy recoiled with a soft gasp. The other mares just stared. “Hey, snap out of it, Rainbow! Ya had a nightmare!” started Applejack. Rainbow Dash looked at her with wild eyes, her face twisted from despair to fury. She tried to pounce, but was too weak to, falling to the ground in front of the earth pony. Fluttershy ran to Rainbow’s side, grabbing her in a tight hug, Pinkie Pie catching her from the opposite side. “Raindow Dash, please wake up. You’re Rainbow Dash, the fastest flier in all of Equestria.” said Pinkie, her smile slightly forced even though her words were quite sincere. “And you’ve never had… I mean…” started Fluttershy. “You, Alphabet Soup, why has this happened to her!?” shouted Applejack, pointing her hoof at the pony construct. It took a moment for the creature to formulate the response. During that time Applejack kept staring at it, while behind her back Rainbow Dash kept sobbing, struggling weakly against the restraining embrace of her friends, who were trying in vain to comfort her. T H E  T E S T “What test?” asked Applejack. F A I L U R E “What? You mean she was hurt, cause she failed?” continued Applejack. “Can’t ya talk in full sentences?” L O Y A L T Y  F A I L E D The farmpony stared, not understanding. “Yes, she’s the Element of Loyalty, but…” Then her ears perked up. “Wait, you mean to tell me... those weird, dream-thingies were tests for the Elements? And how did she ever failed at Loyalty?” She turned around when she heard a yelp of pain. As it turned out, Rainbow Dash had tried to break free from Fluttershy by biting her in the shoulder. “Let… me… go!” she half screamed through choked sobs. Applejack turned away from the sight, her expression darkened. “Can’t ya at least help her!?” she shouted. There was another long pause. M A Y B E The stallion walked forward, several of his symbols detaching to float around Rainbow Dash. One of them landed on her forehead, while another two split away to touch Pinkie Pie’s and Fluttershy’s. There was a flash of purple light in their eyes and when it faded, all three mares collapsed to the ground. “What did you do!?” shouted Applejack. Rarity just watched the three friends with a worried expression. M E M O R I E S Pinkie Pie was the first to stir. She shook her head, her mane slightly puffier than it had been a moment before. She then smiled at Fluttershy. “You were right! It is like what Discord did! And he did that memory thing Twilight did to help us. Now Dashie will remember how we remember her!” Fluttershy too was getting up. She smiled at Pinkie Pie, but wasn’t nearly as enthusiastic. Finally, Rainbow Dash rose to a sitting position. She was no longer sobbing and the foreign streak in her hair was gone, but her eyes were still red and the fur on her face still matted with tears. “I’m… I’m ok, I’m ok,” she said weekly. Fluttershy hugged her again, this time joined by Rarity. Applejack and Pinkie Pie watched them intently. “So… all that deal with the dragon was a test of Honesty,” said Applejack. “I kind of felt that it was weird. I bet I wouldn’t -” she stopped abruptly, her head snapping towards the construct. “Wait. You didn’t answer the most important question. Where is Twilight?” This time the answer was instantaneous. T H E  T O W E R “And where, pray tell, is that?” asked Rarity, briefly letting go of Rainbow Dash. The stallion nodded, then turned around, walking towards the edge of the island. F O L L O W He then unravelled, the flying symbols swirling in a large circle, which then started to glow, a bank of bluish fog forming in the middle of it. Pinkie Pie approached it cautiously. “I remember those. This is how we got lost before. Wait, does it mean he wants us to go inside?” “I don’t know, darling,” said Rarity. “I wouldn’t like to lose sight of you again.” “He did help us cure Rainbow,” said Fluttershy softly. She was supporting Rainbow Dash who had just managed to get back on her hooves. “It’s not like we have a choice, do we?” said Rainbow Dash, staring at the ground. She then started trudging towards the mist. “Well, yea, we need to find Twilight and make sure she’s alright,” said Applejack, walking at her side. Staying as close to each other as the size of the entrance allowed, the four mares walked into the mist. As soon as they were done, the cloud started shrinking, the runes swirling around it faster and faster as it rose into the air and started flying away. The last sound that could be heard over the sigils’ melodic jingling was the startled voice of Rainbow Dash: “Wait, did I bite Fluttershy!?” *** music link "They're here," said Obsidian, pointing at a blot of color in the distance. Twilight turned to look in that direction. It was a swirling vortex of runes filled with pulsing light. It flew towards them, above the ruin of the outer walls and into the remains of the central tower before unravelling rapidly, sending the five ponies inside rolling on the stone floor. As Verba returned to Obsidian, the symbols wrapping around his staff, Twilight ran towards her friends. They all looked slightly dizzy, but didn't seem to have any serious injury. However, Rainbow Dash was visibly shaken, her eyes more unfocused then the others'. "Girls! Are you alright?" asked Twilight. Her friends all looked at her, instant relief visible on their faces. "Twilight! We were so worried!" shouted Rarity and a moment later the whole group wrapped around Twilight in a group hug. A couple seconds passed before they were interrupted by the sound of Obsidian's staff tapping on the stone floor. The runes had already faded, but Obsidian’s eyes were still slightly aglow, a sign that his mind had gotten linked to the construct. "So, these are the current Elements of Harmony," he said. "And just as I hoped, the bearer of Honesty has survived.” He then gave them all a critical look. “Twilight claims you're already attuned, but you don't look like great heroes. And Verba here tells me you've had some serious difficulties with your tests. One of you failed and another was about to." The group broke the hug, but remained close together, now eyeing Obsidian with suspicion. Applejack cleared her throat. "Ok, now that we're together, can somepony tell me what that whole weirdness was all about? And who are you?" Twilight looked at Obsidian nervously. His staff twitched, but after a moment of silence he just looked back at Twilight. "Would you be so kind as to introduce me?" “Uh, girls, this is Obsidian. He’s the original bearer of Honesty,” said Twilight. Nodding his head, Obsidian stepped forward. “We are in Dissonance, the void outside the world, where all magic comes from. The place you found yourself in was the Void Passage, an ancient testing ground for those wishing to bear the Elements of Harmony. The visions you went through were a testing ritual designed to weed out those too weak to be proper bearers. Defending ponykind is not a task to be entrusted to just anypony, even if they have the right qualities for the Element focus to accept them.” Dash took a wobbly step towards Obsidian. “But we are the Elements of Harmony. We’ve saved Equestria more than once!” Obsidian shot her a disdainful look. “Yes, so has your friend told me. Lucky for Equestria then that the dangers it faced were nothing like what ponykind had to face in the old days. You’re…” he turned towards his staff and looked at it intently for a second, “apparently loyal enough for Loyalty to accept you, but you’re not good enough. The Void Passage was set up specifically to prevent ponies like you from binding to the Elements.” Rainbow Dash’s jaw dropped. Behind her, Rarity’s ears went flat against her head. The rest of the girls just stared at Obsidian in silence. “But enough of that,” said Obsidian. “Beggars can’t be choosers and all that. At least some of you did pass and I will work with what I have available. There is something strange happening in Equestria and I intend to expose it. For that purpose, I will follow you home. But first I will need the current bearer of Honesty.” “It’s me,” said Applejack. “But first, how did we get here? I’ve never heard of that void passage thing.” “I didn’t summon you here,” said Obsidian. “I’ve been… out of touch with the world. It’s surprisingly easy to lose one’s track of time here. Anyway, unlike me, you’re not physically here. Your bodies are still in the waking world. Once you help me open the sealing spells that bind us here, it should be simple to guide you back to your bodies. Then you can try to learn who sent you to this place.” “Sealing spells?” asked Applejack. “But I know nothing about magic. And what ‘us’? Are you saying we’re trapped here?” “Yes,” said Obsidian. “This tower was once used for powerful magical experiments. It had powerful wards to hold off anything unwanted. Long ago I modified the protection spell to act as a prison. Verba can come and go, since he isn’t really a pony anymore; more like a spell filled with bits of memories. But any entity that comes here will be held inside. That includes you, now that Verba has brought you here.” “You… trapped us here?” asked Fluttershy. “Not at all,” answered Obsidian. “You’ve brought the key with you, haven’t you?” his staff turned in the air, its tip pointing at Applejack. “Wait,” said Rainbow Dash. “How do we know you’re who you say you are? And why are you trapped here in the first place? How can we trust you?” Obsidian smiled. “Ah, you may yet be smarter than your leader. Trust is a thing in short supply. You’re smart not to give it freely. You cannot trust me. Any pony who could confirm my identity is either long dead or has since turned into something you wouldn’t trust either. In fact, you wouldn’t be entirely wrong to say Obsidian is long dead. After all, if what our prize student here says is true, then I have already been forgotten by the living. For every breath taken in the waking world as a proper mortal, I have taken a hundred and more here. I’m more a creature of the Dissonance than a pony. All the same, I still have all the memories of once being Obsidian, the bearer of Honesty. Hay, it still makes me unable to tell a lie. It’s a wonder I can do sarcasm. By the way,” he pointed at Applejack “Your element should empower your ability to discern lies. If you can’t already, your training must have been non-existent.” “As for why I’m trapped here, it’s because I imprisoned myself.” Silence fell, buzzing with questions waiting to be asked. Obsidian didn’t wait for any. “You see, the spell that bound the six foci together to create the Elements of Harmony was something nopony had attempted before. It tore the sky asunder and unleashed the raw magic of Dissonance upon the world. To say it didn’t go exactly as planned would be an understatement. I was a victim of one of the unintended results. First there were nightmares, then my truespeech power would fail me seemingly randomly, confusing rather than convincing. By the time I figured out the problem, it was the time for screaming, thrashing and scribbling on walls. When I realised I’d become a threat to others, I sealed myself away, combining the power of Honesty with the leyline the tower stood on to send my prison to the Dissonance.” “It was a disaster. I didn’t learn it until Verba died and found me here, but when the focus of Honesty was found in what was left of the tower, the blame for my disappearance was… misattributed. Things quickly spiralled out of control. Friend turned against friend and kin against kin. An entire empire was turned into a scorched wasteland, thousands upon thousands burned to cinders.” “And that of course is not the end of the story. As you can see by looking at me, my mind has cleared quite a bit. It looks like breaking my link to Honesty solved the problem of raving madness. Too bad the same Element was the key I had thrown away to lock myself in. Me and Verba spent centuries trying to break the spell, but it seems that I had accidentally done a better job with it than anypony could expect. And this is where you girls come in. Thanks to Twilight’s arrival I managed to figure out how one can slip through the protections to get inside the tower. With you here now, the bearer of Honesty can command the binding spell to unravel. She lacks the focus, but since we’re in Dissonance, the source of all magic, this shouldn’t be a problem. I will be able to guide her mind.” “And if we decide not to trust you?” said Applejack. “You said you can’t lie, but what if it’s a lie too?” “Then,” said Obsidian, “you will be heroically stuck here with me. I’ve been told I’m a bad host though. Sooner or later your bodies in the waking world will die and you’ll have nowhere to return to. Then you can just keep me company here until you erode enough to slip through the wards and meld with the swirling memories outside. Also, you might never learn how and why you got here. We have tried to see it from here, but the force responsible was able to hide from the best of seering spells. Aren’t you curious as to who it was and what they might be up to in Equestria while you were stuck here?” “So what you’re saying,” said Twilight, “is that either we decide to trust you and open the tower,” “Or,” replied Obsidian, “You stay here with me for the rest of your lives and hope that it will work better for your friends, than it did for mine when I did that.”