//------------------------------// // Session C4 - Verdant Vines- May 8th // Story: They're Never Coming Back // by Flashgen //------------------------------// Transcription of Session C4: Verdant Vines Date: May 8th Time: 8:34 a.m. Interviewer: White Clover Vines came to me early, just after sunrise. She wanted to speak before the day began in earnest and she wanted it recorded. After setting up the recording equipment, we started. White Clover (WC): Alright, that’s everything, Vines. What’s so urgent? Verdant Vines (VV): I think… They’re coming. They might already be here. WC: You mean the ones Twilight wrote about it? Are you sure? She leaned forward, taking a few moments to collect herself. VV: I don’t know for sure. I had a dream last night. It was like Lantern’s. Floating, flying, like looking through a window. But it wasn’t Ponyville or the camp. It was… nothing. VV: Black, formless, empty nothing. VV: I couldn’t see or breathe and there was this feeling like being noticed, felt or sensed but not found. VV: Then I heard voices. Not like two talking to each other. It was like a thousand screeching over one another, begging to be heard. It was noise and pain. Then it came to a halt. VV: “Almost ready.” One voice, cutting through the fog and the haze. There was something about it though. It was calm and collected and soothing. It almost sounded like singing. I knew I wasn’t awake but I felt like sleeping, resting. She went silent, looking down at the floor. WC: And you remember it clearly now? I know some of the others, Twilight, didn’t remember— VV: I do. I remember more pain. Anguish. Screeching cries. And then silence. A light. Crying. “I’m sorry.” Over and over again. VV: Just before I woke up, it stopped for a moment. “I failed you.” WC: We’ll have to see what Twilight thinks, if she’s noticed anything peculiar. Vines took a few deep breaths and sank back into her seat. VV: I think it was her, at the end. I could hear this suffering in her voice. Like she had the world in her hooves, and then let it shatter. I got up, taking a seat beside Vines and wrapping a hoof around her shoulders. WC: We still don’t know what it all means, if it’s true, when it will end. But we’re in this together, Vines. We all are. Her, the citizens, the team, the Princess. We all have some stake in this, we all feel like we might fail. That one misstep means… who knows? WC: Maybe she does and that’s why she wants so badly to help. Why she’d feel so… distraught to fail. WC: Maybe— The entrance to the tent was thrown open and Shining Armor stood there. Shining Armor (SA): Urgent news from the Princess! Someone wrote in Twilight’s journal. They threatened her and the town. Princess Celestia wants all patrols delayed. Vines stood up quickly, whatever doubt she had falling away. I knew the look on her face. VV: Inform Princess Celestia that we’d like to speak with her. We’ll make sure that the patrols are delayed. Shining Armor nodded and ran out of the tent. WC: Vines, I’ll get— VV: No, I’ll handle it. You have the information Celestia will need and you’re the higher authority. I’ll spread the word around camp and warn Blue Sky to start preparing for evacuation. I was left alone for a few minutes, taking the time to collect as many logs and records as might be pertinent. When the entrance opened again, it was Princess Celestia with Shining Armor and the journal at her side. Princess Celestia (PC): Clover, where is Vines? WC: She’s informing the rest of the camp, Princess. The patrols will be stopped and the medical personnel will prepare for an evacuation if one is needed. PC: Has something happened since the message? I don’t know when it was written, but it had to have been before sunrise. WC: It’s possible, yes. Vines… had a vision, potentially. She’s worried that They are coming. Princess Celestia opened the journal, showing me the words written overnight. PC: She knew of this before being told? WC: Yes. She dreamt it, though that may not exactly be what it is that allows these glimpses. I was prepared to take her words under advisement, but if we’ve received this threat, then— PC: Then we must consider it credible. I must leave you both for a moment. I will fetch Luna and we’ll return to protect this camp if at all possible. PC: Shining Armor, keep Vines and Clover safe if any threat arises. Clover, please keep the journal safe. Shining Armor saluted, and the Princess passed me the journal before vanishing in a vibrant flash of golden magic. SA: Is there anything I can do for you, Clover? WC: For the moment, I think just the Princess’ orders. Vines should be back soon. SA: Understood. I… Is Twilight in danger, really? WC: We have to assume. Whatever They have become, in this other place, They seem to mean her and many others harm. While she’s been helping to return survivors to Equestria, that’s likely only exacerbated Their malice. WC: And looking at her reply to Celestia, it’s only made Twilight more anxious. SA: What is this other place? WC: We still don’t know, but Twilight learned a great deal about it, even if… even if it’s not been corroborated. We’re dealing with an enemy we can’t see coming and who has already kidnapped an entire town at the least. SA: Then an evacuation should be the priority. WC: If Twilight is to be believed, it would only delay the inevitable. She had some plan to push this place away, but… I don’t know if she can complete that now. We weren’t given any details. I can try to— Vines ran back into the tent, along with Doctor Blue Sky. VV: The patrols are called off. We’ve set all guards and investigators to protect the perimeter. Blue Sky (BS): And I’ve made sure that evacuation preparations are underway. It may take an hour or two to have all the patients prepped, but we’re focusing on the high risk ones first. I don’t think we’ll have a train here until noon, but the airship is still on-site. VV: Where’s the Princess? WC: Celestia left to get Princess Luna, to assist in protecting the camp. VV: Any idea when she’ll be back? SA: I’d give it a few minutes at the most. Celestia’s not one to delay. VV: Clover, anything in the journal of note? WC: For today, there’s a few. Someone wrote a threatening message to Celestia. It mentions that “We” are coming, which means your visions might hold more weight. Twilight wants to rush the rest of her rescue, but Celestia wants her to exercise caution and care. There’s been nothing from Twilight since then. VV: Then we had best let her know that there aren’t any patrols in town. Any survivors she tries to send could be in danger. I grabbed a quill, writing in the journal: Twilight, this is White Clover. Celestia has left, momentarily, for Canterlot to summon her sister. We’ve pulled patrols from the town. I have to ask that you please not send anyone else back to Equestria for the time being. We are not prepared to recover them and that may make Equestria more dangerous than the place they are. WC: There. Hopefully she hasn’t discarded it completely. VV: I doubt she would. She knows it’s her only line of communication, at least that we can clearly receive. BS: Given her likely level of stress, it’s still a possibility. WC: It’s the only hope we have. We still don’t know how she intends to push this place away or if it can be done while she’s opposed. We also don’t know if there’s anything at all we can do, besides leave. VV: Perhaps we should take Twilight’s lead. SA: What do you mean? VV: I mean we don’t delay. As soon as the patients are ready for evacuation, we move them. However many ponies are needed to care for them will travel with them and the rest hoof it. BS: Even with the patents prepared, it’s a potential danger to move them. Especially when we don’t know the risk they’ll pose to others or if the hospitals they’ll be taken to are ready to care for them. VV: I understand that, but sitting here is worse, isn’t it? BS: These are ponies’ lives, Miss Vines. There are not easy probabilities to consider here. Something that benefits half of them and harms the other will still leave many harmed in the end. WC: We’ll need to make that choice, Doctor, unless things manage to settle. There was a flash of gold and purple light within the tent; Princess Celestia and Princess Luna appeared among us. Princess Luna (PL): My sister has informed me of the situation. We are prepared to assist however we can. PC: Has there been any escalation, Clover? Has Twilight replied? WC: Not yet, Princess. We are prepared to evacuate if need be. Princess Celestia took the journal up in her magic, frowning as she checked the surrounding pages. VV: We’ve assigned those that would have been on patrol in Ponyville to guard the perimeter of the camp. PC: Is there any sensation here, Luna? Like something out of place? Princess Luna considered it for a moment, before shaking her head. PL: No. When you asked me to assist with Lantern and Pendant, I couldn’t sense their dreams, but there was still a feeling. It was like an empty spot in an unfinished canvas; it was obvious that something should have been there, but was absent. Here, in the waking hours, there’s nothing at all. PC: I feared as such when I could not sense it. Still, we will do all we can within our power. Even if it cannot be sensed, we may still be able to fight it. BS: I should leave to assist with the medical preparations. I’ll be in the triage area if you need me. He nodded to each of us, and bowed to the Princesses before leaving. BS: Miss Vines. Miss Clover. Princesses. VV: What do we do now? Wait for Twilight’s reply? PC: It may be our only course of action, until the survivors are ready to be evacuated. PL: I would have to agree. If neither my sister or I have the capability to detect this strange place’s effects on ponies and Equestria, then we must be careful. Any attempt to combat it without proper precautions could only incite these “They.” PC: Wait… Twilight is writing. I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me PC: It is her mantra. Something must be happening. Twilight, this is Princess Celestia. We’re here and ready. Please, if we can do anything to help, tell us. I am Me I am Me I am Me I am ready I have to I must it has to be now it has to be Me I have to stop Them PC: She wants to act, now. VV: We still don’t know what her plan involves or if it can be done alone. We don’t even know if it will work. Twilight, are you certain you can do what needs to be done? Can you at least tell us about your plan or if we can help? WC: This may be out of our control, Vines. a bridge a HOPE one connection long enough to save long enough to help long enough to lure then break away into void into nothing SA: If Twilight has a plan, it has to have some logic to it. She’s not the type to run headlong into something without thinking it through. VV: Even after she’s been isolated for what she says is years? Are you really sure of that? SA: I… I am. PL: Sister? PC: I think Twilight means to save all the ponies that she can and then throw this place and Them away. VV: That certainly matches what she’s said before, but how? If They are being actively malicious now, is there hope she can wrest control of it from Them? Can you still do it when They are working against you? quick enough enough time time to act has to be now has to be Me acting before They do only HOPE PC: If she acts now, she thinks that she can. There was a commotion outside the tent, of ponies galloping about and shouting, followed by a howling wind. I am sorry HOPE LIGHTs the way HOPE for Me As the wind picked up, the entrance to the tent was thrown open by the gusts. We left the recorder behind. All that followed on it was garbled static. It had grown dark outside, as if storm clouds were overhead, but the sky was completely clear. It was as if the sun had been dimmed. All of the lights in Ponyville shone in the distance, flickering in windows, and from even miles away I could make out shapes moving within them. Even Sweet Apple Acres was fully lit, despite the fact that the lights which adorned its orchards on the arrival of Vines and her team to the town had long since been taken down. Above Town Hall, a swirling mass of black clouds began to form, and as it expanded the light dimmed until it was completely gone. I felt a chill seep through my body as I stood still in that darkness, with only the soft light in the distance to keep me oriented. The horns of several unicorns lit throughout the camp, but it was the light of Celestia and Luna that brought my surroundings back into focus. Vines and I began to give orders to have the lights in camp turned back on. Warmth returned in the light. We waited. Guards on the perimeter held their positions after they were given lamps to light their way. Doctors continued to focus on preparing the patients for evacuation. I simply watched with Vines and Shining Armor, eyes fixed on the horizon. In the vast darkness between us and Ponyville, I could see something moving, blocking our view for moments at a time. The shapes were undefined, and I couldn’t tell how close or far away they were. Casting a glance over my shoulder towards Canterlot, I saw nothing. In the sky above, Celestia and Luna waited. I do not know what they thought. I did not know what the guards or the doctors or the conscious survivors thought. I only hoped that what Twilight had planned would work. I held onto it. I held onto Vines. The lights in town grew brighter and I heard shrieks in the distance. They sounded strange, echoing from ahead and behind and above with metallic tinge. In the rare moments they faded, they sounded like the cries of a wild animal, a predator fought back by weapon or cunning. Amidst the light’s glow in the distance, I could no longer see the dark clouds above the town, but I saw the swirling vortex of something around it, between us and the town. It began to spin faster and stronger. The gusts of wind picked up, and I heard the flapping of tents and the taut tension of ropes holding them down behind us. There was shouting from behind. I turned to see Rainbow Dash being held back by Spanner, and Sugarcane shortly afterwards. I couldn’t hear her words over the gale, but I could see the expression on her face. Vines and I had seen it enough. It said more than whatever words she shouted into the wind. Turning back to Ponyville, the lights in town grew brighter and brighter still with every second. It was like the beating of a heart as their glare pushed back the miasma that swirled about Ponyville and our camp. Then, one by one, they went out, blinking into place above Town Hall. When they were all together in a massive ball of light, they started to dim and move into the sky. The vortex of darkness swarmed the dying light, wrapping about it until all but one or two rays managed to reach us. Celestia began to fly out with Luna close behind, but it was finished. As the last ray of light was obscured, the miasmic clouds ascended and the sky was rent in two. Vibrant golden sunlight shone through the gap, giving way to a bright, clear blue sky. It was just enough to see the swirling clouds in perfect light for a moment. Strange shapes grew and shrank and shrieked on its mass. Faces came into formation before fading with screams. It vanished into the shadow of the formless sky, and the crack in the sky expanded wider and wider. Soon, there were no shadows left to hide in. It was normal. It was Equestria once more. Ponyville, as it was that morning with lights off and abandoned, lay in the distance. From the sun in the sky, it appeared to be the afternoon. Off to the east, the day’s train of supplies had arrived, and the airship was left docked and ready. When Celestia and Luna landed, they ran to collect the journal. There was no new writing. Twilight, are you there? Twilight, did it work? Please, say anything. No reply came. With the danger seemingly passed, I volunteered to lead a team with Vines into Ponyville. This included myself, Vines, Shining Armor, Sugarcane, and Spanner. Rainbow Dash pleaded to go, but Princess Celestia was able to convince her to stay. By the time we reached the town limits, we had an answer for if Twilight’s plan had worked. A lone earth pony walked slowly out of a nearby house and collapsed in the street. I assisted with checking them while Shining Armor ran back to camp. Over the next two hours, we located the rest of the survivors within the town. There was no sign of either Twilight Sparkle or Fluttershy. No survivors exhibited any strange markings or signs of infection. All were conscious, though still malnourished or exhausted. By nightfall, Solace had awoken, followed shortly by the other unconscious patients. No word of the strange phenomenon we saw and experienced was reported in any part of Equestria.