//------------------------------// // Chapter 13 // Story: Spyra // by angelofrombelow //------------------------------// The four spies made their way through Canterlot castle's corridors, with Lyra and Berry Punch walking side by side while Carrot Top rolled Noteworthy's wheelchair behind them. Princess Celestia had summoned them as a matter of urgency, so soon after Twilight's disappearance that only Noteworthy had heard about it by the time of contact. Lyra couldn't see the point of coming all the way to the castle – she wanted nothing more than to join the search parties and try to find her friend. They had had to sneak out of Ponyville to avoid having to excuse themselves from the task. They greeted the guards outside the princess's throne room, then moved past them and went inside. It was a long walk through that large, open chamber. Celestia watched them approach, looking down from her elevated position on her throne. As they came near, she descended the stairs to greet them. The four ponies held themselves upright like soldiers awaiting inspection, growing increasingly uncomfortable as the silence stretched out. The princess regarded them, in no hurry to get on with business. Finally, she spoke: "When I decided that Twilight was to become the leader of the Elements of Harmony, I had a small, nagging doubt. She had spent much of her life studying and was lacking in social awareness. Not cripplingly so, but just enough that her behaviour would sometimes earn her strange looks. "She was also more powerful than she realised, and this gave me cause for concern. What if her naivety led her into trouble? What if somepony upset her and she overreacted without thinking about it?" She pointed to Lyra and Noteworthy. "To this end, I assigned you to watch over her. Keep her in line. Ensure nothing untoward happened. Make certain that she was emotionally stable." She drew herself up to her full height, her expression turning angry. "You both assured me she was fine. You both told me there was no need to worry. Yet in the past 24 hours, she has completely lost her mind. It started with her erratic behaviour, simply because she was late with a friendship report. I understand that she hassled a number of ponies in town – that should have been your cue to step in. "Instead, the matter escalated to the point where she caused a riot. A riot, mind you, that both Lyra and Berry Punch took part in." "Princess, be reasonable," said Berry, "We were under the effects of a spell. There was nothing we could…" "And now comes this latest development," said Celestia, raising her voice. "This morning, after I debriefed her, Twilight went into the garden. You are obviously well aware of how Discord is imprisoned there, frozen as a statue. It should not surprise you that other villains from Equestria's past are also held there in much the same manner." It didn't come as a total shock despite the fact the idea had not crossed most of their minds - though Noteworthy had pondered on it before and was unfazed to hear the truth. He was, however, growing increasingly nervous due to the acerbic tone of the princess's voice. "Twilight, for reasons best known to herself, cast a cockatrice remedy spell on one of the statues – a stallion known as Krastos, who invaded Canterlot castle many centuries ago and almost killed my sister. In fact, it was his attack that set the events in motion that led to her becoming Nightmare Moon. "Fortunately the spell did not succeed, but Krastos's head became unfrozen for a time. I know this because it has changed position. There is no knowing what he told her – the only thing I am concerned with is that she has gone on the run. Her dragon assistant reported that she was absolutely terrified. "And all of this has happened because the two of you failed in your duty," she said, indicating Lyra and Noteworthy. "You were supposed to ensure she was stable and this is the result. Congratulations." Her voice took on a bitter, mocking tone. "Fantastic work, all told. Let's give these two ponies a round of applause." She slowly clapped her front hooves together, the sound echoing through the chamber as the four spies squirmed in discomfort. Celestia had never behaved like this before. Never. The level of her vindictiveness frightened them. "Princess?" said Lyra timidly, "What would you have us do?" Their ruler fell silent for a moment. "Find her!" she shouted, "I want you to find her before she succeeds in causing somepony serious harm. Given her increasingly dangerous behaviour, it's surely only a matter of time. Find her and bring her to me so I can ensure she doesn't do any more damage." Lyra winced. She couldn't miss the inherent threat in Celestia's order. "Your wish is our command, princess," Carrot Top said humbly, bowing as she did so. "But first, if you would pardon me, I would like to ask why you set us our previous mission. Why did you tell us to pursue each other?" She tutted. "What a trivial question. Surely the answer is obvious. I have less need for you now Equestria is largely at peace, so I thought it would be nice for you to find out about each other. The missions I set you were a game, nothing more. I knew you would find out the truth soon enough." "You could have just told us," Berry muttered. "And where would be the fun in that?" she asked, "Besides, you are closer now than you would have been if I had just told you the truth. My actions forced you to speak with each other, which you may not have done otherwise." "That's… that's quite true," said Noteworthy, keen to grab onto anything that sounded like a reasonable explanation. His loyalty to the princess was still strong, despite her recent behaviour. "We are appreciative your efforts in getting us to meet each other," said Carrot Top, "Although – and please excuse me for this, your highness – we are a little disconcerted by your anger. We understand your concern for your student, but we have never seen you like this before." Celestia hesitated, taking in what she had said. "That is because you have never before given me reason to reprimand you for failure. All I want is for you to find Twilight. Nothing else matters." She turned her head away. "Perhaps I have been unduly harsh on you. For that, I… I…" She hesitated, as if fighting some internal struggle. "I apologise. I have not been feeling myself recently – I am a little tired." She looked back at them, readopting her regal stance. "I have arranged for a chariot to take you back to Ponyville. It should be ready to leave shortly. Now go." The four spies bowed their heads and exited the throne room, leaving Celestia alone. They went into the courtyard while they waited for their ride. The statue of Krastos had clearly changed, it was there for everypony to see. His face was locked in a grimace of pain and fear. "Poor Twilight," said Lyra, "What must she be thinking? The princess has been acting out of sorts lately and Twilight was distraught last night. If I saw something like this without knowing the full story, I'd probably panic too." "I didn't realise she was so emotionally vulnerable," said Berry, "You saw her yesterday, freaking out over the smallest thing. I hate to think what sort of a state she's in now." Noteworthy didn't say anything. He was sitting back in his wheelchair, looking up at the frozen face of Krastos. A royal guard called out and they saw that their ride home was ready to go. They turned and trotted towards the chariot, then Carrot Top stopped as she realised Noteworthy wasn't with them. He was several yards behind her, his wheelchair still parked by the statue. She couldn't fully see what he was doing, but he was leaning over and had his hooves placed at the point where Krastos's hind leg touched the statue's base. "Noteworthy? It's time to leave, come on," she said. The stallion pulled himself back into a sitting position and rolled over to her, using the metal hands attached to his hooves to move his wheels. "What were you doing back there?" she asked, as the guards helped him into the chariot. "I was just checking out the statue," he said, "It's hard to believe he was once a pony. There's no indication of it. He felt like stone. That's all." Carrot Top frowned in bemusement. Noteworthy was a kind stallion and she was starting to really care for him, but she couldn't help but think that was an odd thing to say. **** When the four spies returned to Ponyville, the town streets were largely quiet. Anypony who didn't have their own jobs to carry out had been sent to try to find Twilight. The friends headed towards the library and saw Spike sitting out on the balcony, his legs dangling over the edge as he looked forlornly into the distance. Lyra called up to him. "Oh, hi guys," he said quietly, "If you're not doing anything, would you mind joining the search party?" "Has nopony seen any sign of her?" asked Lyra. Spike shook his head, then didn't respond any further. It was clear he was in no mood to talk, so they moved out of earshot. They had already discussed their plan of action on the journey back to Ponyville. Lyra knew Twilight best, so she would team up with Berry and lead their search. As Noteworthy was less mobile, he intended to ask around town to try to learn more about Twilight and whether there was anywhere she was more likely to go. Carrot Top would join him after she had spoken to Zecora. "Noteworthy, if you find anything out then get Spike to send us a message," said Lyra, "In all honesty though, I'm certain the other Elements of Harmony are going to find her first." "You're right," said Carrot Top, "She was last seen heading into the Everfree Forest and if she's still there, one of the pegasi will spot her. At the moment, finding Twilight is going to depend on luck more than anything else." "I get the feeling Celestia only called us in because she needed somepony to shout at," said Berry, "There was nothing she told us that she couldn't have said in a letter." "Oh, come now," the yellow-coated mare said disapprovingly, "I'll admit she's been out of sorts recently but she has been under a lot of stress, what with Discord breaking loose and this latest problem. Her top student is on the run, scared out of her mind. Celestia called us because she wanted to explain exactly what was going on – when we find Twilight now, we can tell her the truth about that statue." "And how do we do that without revealing our close ties to the princess?" asked Berry. "We're wasting time," said Noteworthy, "We've already been delayed too long." Berry had more she wanted to say, but she relented and the ponies began their hunt. She and Lyra walked into the Everfree Forest, down the path Twilight had taken inside. They were soon frustrated, however – her trail was impossible to pick up. Other ponies had gone in before them with the intention of following her tracks and they had trampled over them as they went. The two friends turned their attention to thinking about where Twilight might have ended up. Carrot Top was already heading to Zecora's house, so they decided not to take that route – no point in duplicating work just yet. However, there was nowhere else in the forest that Twilight was likely to go. Whenever she needed any herbs or other ingredients for spells, she would just ask her zebra friend. Fluttershy would sometimes go into the forest while tending to animals but, for the most part, ponyfolk stayed well clear of the area. It was dangerous and there was no point putting themselves at risk without a very good reason. If Twilight had come in here to find a hiding place, then she had ample choice and it would be near-impossible to track her down. The forest was huge. Berry and Lyra sat in a clearing to debate their options. They couldn't be sure Twilight was even still here, but where else would she go? Her family was in Canterlot but she would be too terrified of getting caught to consider that. There were other towns near the Everfree where she could have sought refuge, though Lyra was uncertain whether the formerly asocial unicorn would trust strangers to help her. But there was no harm in the two of them going to another town and asking around. Given the absence of any other leads, they decided that was the best course of action. Rather than risk going deeper into the forest, they walked out from under the trees and followed its perimeter. As they went, they kept a watchful eye for any sign of Twilight. After about half an hour they spotted Rainbow Dash, who was hovering a short distance above the forest canopy looking very sorry for herself. Her attention was focused on the ground below her, though she occasionally raised her head to look around nervously. They were debating whether to call out to her when she noticed them and quickly flew over. "Oh, thank Celestia," she said, her voice strained. "You guys have to help. I've, I've found Twilight." Lyra was instantly worried – Dash was clearly upset. "Oh no. Is she alright?" "She's not hurt. She's refusing to speak to me. I found her a little while ago, hiding under a fallen tree, and I went to talk to her and she freaked the heck out. She kept saying she was in danger and my life was at risk just being near her, then I lost my temper and tried to grab her and she just teleported away. "She must be weak though, because she didn't get that far. I found her again a couple of minutes ago but I need you guys to help me talk to her because, well…" She scraped her hoof on the ground, reluctant to admit to one of her faults. "Let's just say I'm not the most diplomatic pony in Equestria." Lyra placed a hoof on Dash's shoulder. "Just lead the way. We'll calm her down." The two ponies followed her as she flew into the forest, slowing their pace as they neared the spot. Twilight was kneeling on the ground amongst some hanging vines, her head leaning forward slightly as she struggled to stay awake. Lyra stepped forward tentatively, afraid of startling her. "Twilight?" Her voice was quiet as a whisper but it still gave the unicorn a fright. She leapt to her hooves, eyes wide. "Heartstrings? Dash! Get away from me, you're just going to try to grab me again!" she cried, rearing up on her hind legs. "Twi, wait! I'm sorry, alright?" said Dash, "Please don't do a disappearing act again. I want to help you. We're all worried about you." She shook her head, backing away. "It's too late for me. Stop searching for me. I'm going to be gone soon, I know that, and I don't want anypony else sharing my fate. Leave me be." "Twilight, what are you talking about?" asked Dash, "I can't abandon you. I won't. You're my friend. But there's nothing I can do if you don't tell me why you're in trouble." The unicorn squeezed her eyes shut and remained quiet. Lyra stepped forward – Twilight sensed her coming nearer and jumped back. "Woah there. Easy girl. Easy," she said softly, then looked her frightened friend right in the eye. "This is about Celestia, isn't it?" Twilight bit her lip, just about ready to turn tail and run. Rainbow Dash lowered her body to the ground, ready to give chase if she tried to escape again. Berry Punch tapped her on the side and shook her head, causing the pegasus to relax her stance. "Listen to me," said Lyra, choosing her words carefully. "I don't know what you did wrong, but I'm certain we can help you through this. Princess Celestia is a kind and just ruler – no matter what's happened, she can be reasoned with. She's not a monster." "You don't know." Twilight's voice cracked. "You don't know the truth. You don't know the things I've seen." "Can you be so certain of what you think you saw? You're tired. You're frightened. You're not thinking straight. There could be a simple explanation. You may not actually be in any trouble at all." Twilight looked at her warily. Though she was far from convinced, part of what Lyra said hit home. She realised she'd been too consumed by fear to think of anything else other than getting as far away from Celestia as possible. "We can talk to the princess. A whole bunch of us, together," said Lyra, "She can't do anything to us then, can she? Everypony would find out. And that's going on the assumption that she intends to cause you harm, and you must know that's not the case. Come on, Twilight. I've always looked out for you. You can trust me. Let's go back to Ponyville. We'll get through this. Together." Twilight hesitated. She desperately wanted to believe that everything was going to be alright. She dearly hoped that there was a legitimate reason why her mentor had turned that poor pony into stone. Above everything else, she wanted to go home. But in her paranoid state, she had latched onto something that Lyra had said, something that anypony else would have readily accepted. She raised her leg defensively, regarding the mint green-coated unicorn with a suspicious eye. "What do you mean, you've always looked out for me?" she said. Lyra frowned. "What do you mean, what do I mean? I'm your friend, Twilight. Friends take care of each other. They look out for each other." "But we've only truly been friends for a short time," she said, "Before you came to live in Ponyville, we barely knew each other. And yet you say you've always looked out for me." Berry and Dash shared a bemused look. The pegasus spoke up: "Come on Twilight, you're being paranoid." She pouted unhappily at that comment, but it seemed to calm her down a little. Then another thought struck her and she became aggressive again. "Why did you come back to Ponyville?" she asked, "On the night of the Canterlot party, you were adamant that you were staying there. Yet the very next afternoon, there you were, back in Ponyville. What happened to make you change your mind like that?" Lyra was concerned now. "I decided I'd miss my friends too much," she said immediately. "You'd miss your friends too much," she repeated, "Ok. I see. You'd miss them so much that you didn't tell them you were leaving until the night before. You'd miss them so much that you didn't visit to tell them you were back into town. You're lying to me. What are you hiding?" "Look, I spoke to Whooves that morning and he reminded me of the good times I had in Ponyville, so I decided to stay. It's really not such a big deal." "So you came back for Dr Whooves, eh? Is that how it is?" Twilight's voice rose in volume and her nostrils flared in anger. "Heartstrings and Whooves. I never stood a chance with him, did I? You set me up with him for a joke, didn't you?" "Woah, woah, woah. Twilight, calm down," said Dash, flying in between the two unicorns. "You're acting crazy." "Crazy?" she said, "First you attack me, now I find out Heartstrings is hiding something from me, and you say I'm crazy?" "Twilight, I'm not hiding anything from you," said Lyra, "Take a minute to cool off. You're upset. It's going to be okay. Celestia doesn't want to hurt you." "And how exactly do you know what Celestia wants?" she demanded. Lyra hesitated for just a second but that was all it took to tip Twilight over the edge. "I knew it!" she cried. Her horn sparked and Lyra felt her body stiffen as a magical aura enveloped her. "Hey, what are you doing?" said Berry, stepping forward. "Twilight, let her go!" "No! She's not telling me something, and I'm going to find out what it is!" The want-it, need-it spell was only an offshoot of a branch of magic that allowed for mental manipulation. Lyra could feel Twilight's spell taking hold of her mind, weakening her self-control. Rainbow Dash looked back and forth between the two unicorns. Twilight had crossed the line into deep-set paranoia and there was no clear way of pulling her back. Physically dragging one of the two mares away would probably make matters worse. The only way to resolve was with words, but she couldn't think of anything to say. Lyra whimpered as she felt her mental defences breaking down, no match for the other unicorn's superior power. She clenched her teeth together as she fought the pain. "Stop it. Please!" she said, "Twilight, I'm your friend. What else do you want from me?" "What do I want? I want the truth!" Twilight said, "Why did you come back to Ponyville? What's the deal between you and Whooves? I want the truth, Heartstrings!" "My name isn't Heartstrings!" she cried, finally succumbing to the mental assault. The area fell deadly quiet. Twilight, her eyes wide with shock, stumbled backwards and fell onto her haunches. Berry Punch's face blanched and she held her hoof to her mouth, unable to speak. Dash stood stock still, staring at Lyra as she remained frozen within the magical aura. "It's Lyra," she said weakly, her voice trembling. She watched Twilight fearfully as the mare struggled to process the information. Finally, Twilight spoke: "Who are you? Who are you really?" Lyra was compelled to answer, but still had enough control to delay giving a truly damning answer. "I was born in Canterlot, in the town outside the castle grounds. I grew up wanting to be a musician, so I…" "I don't care about your life story!" cried Twilight, a sudden burst of rage causing her eyes to water. "Your name. Why did you lie about your name?" Lyra winced as the spell increased in intensity. "I'm a spy for Princess Celestia," she said, "I changed my name to keep my family safe. Canterlot is a peaceful place but it's not completely free from crime. I helped to catch anypony who the royal guards needed extra assistance in tracking down." "You're a spy? You mean, you were…" Twilight tried to swallow past the growing lump in her throat. "You were spying on me?" Lyra closed her eyes, unable to reply with anything other than a simple, whispered "yes". The purple unicorn looked down at the ground – the dirt was darkened by the spots of her tears. Her voice was dangerously quiet, barely restrained. "Princess Celestia sent you to spy on me? Why, why would she do that?" Her spell's power began to dissipate and Lyra regained control of her speech. "Twilight, please. I can't, I can't even begin to imagine how you feel right now but I have to tell you, you are not unique. Celestia has spies in every corner of Equestria, not for any nefarious purpose but because she can't be everywhere at once. She needs us to be her eyes and ears to ensure peace is maintained. Places such as the Everfree Forest and the Tartarus Gate have spies posted to keep watch over them." "But why me?" she said, her voice cracking. "Why would she need to spy on me? I'm her student. I'm one of the Elements of Harmony. Didn't she trust me?" "It wasn't a case of trust," said Lyra, "It was a safeguard. One of her many checks and balances that she uses to…" She trailed off when she realised Twilight's body was shaking, now not from sorrow, but anger. There was no warning, no time to react. The spell suddenly spiked in power, changing from mere mental manipulation to a violent attack. Twilight's eyes glowed white with power even as tears streamed down her cheeks. Lyra screamed as her mind burned with pain, her entire body going rigid. "Why? Why were you spying on me? Why did Celestia send you after me?" Twilight shouted. "Celestia's been keeping watch over you ever since the day of your entrance exam! Ever since you lost control of your magic and almost brought the school down! She'd never seen a filly as powerful as you and she was afraid of what would happen if you ever lost control again." Lyra shuddered in agony. "She was worried it could be dangerous." "Dangerous? Celestia thinks I'm dangerous?" Twilight snarled through gritted teeth, her rage taking over. "Stop it!" cried Berry, putting herself between the two unicorns in a vain attempt to protect Lyra. "You're hurting her! Let her go!" Twilight could no longer hear her. She had lost control of her emotions and was psychically lashing out, unwittingly purging her pain the target of her spell. Rainbow Dash flew up to her friend and started shaking her, trying to force her to release her grip on Lyra. "Twi! Stop it!" she cried. That served only to enrage Twilight further, though it diverted her attention. She turned to face Dash, who cowered in terror. Fortunately for the pegasus, Twilight saw the effect she had on her friend and it hit her to the core. Her eyes reverted to normal and the aura around her horn faded. Lyra collapsed, gasping from the pulsing migraine in her head. Berry rushed over to her. "What did I… what did I do?" asked Twilight, severely shaken by the ferocity of her own attack. A wave of shock and fear rippled through her as she saw the other ponies' frightened stares. It was too much for her to take. There was a flicker, then a flash as she teleported herself away. "Twilight, no!" cried Dash, diving too late at the spot where her friend once stood. She hovered for a moment, unsure of what to do. Then, with a venomous glance at Lyra, she flew up and away, above the trees, to try to track her down. Berry watched her go, nuzzling against a tearful Lyra who was on the brink of unconsciousness. Princess Celestia's concern that Twilight would end up hurting somepony had been proven right. What would have happened if there had been nopony to stop her?