//------------------------------// // Turning a Blind Eye // Story: My Little Caboose: Blue is Magic! // by DarkWing //------------------------------// "I was thinking eventually we could set up a bunch of targets, or maybe ask Rarity is she has any mannequins or whatever she calls them laying around." Tex said, sitting at the table with the Necronomicon out. "Why?" Spike asked. "We need to see how fast you could take out a group of horses." "I thought we agreed I wouldn't hurt anybody." Spike mumbled. "You're not. You're hurting mannnequins. It never hurts to be prepared, right?" "I guess so." Spike shrugged, scribbling some words down on a piece of paper. The door to Church's room swung open and Twilight came down the stairs, where she saw Tex talking with Spike. She smiled weakly at them and trotted up to the table. She bit her lip as she climbed onto her chair, where she nodded politely at them. Tex made eye contact with her, but Twilight looked away almost instantly. Tex then made eye contact with Spike and they nodded at each other "How's he holding up?" Tex asked. "Not so well." Twilight replied honestly after a few seconds of deliberating. "His headaches are getting worse. Almost every time he speaks it hurts him. I'm going to schedule an appointment with Doctor Stable in an hour when his clinic is open for anyone without an appointment." "I didn't mean to hurt him." Spike said quietly. "I know you didn't, Spike." Twilight sighed. "It's not your fault." "It's mine." Tex laughed sadly. "It was an accident." "Yeah, an accident caused by me." Tex muttered, then saw Twilight frowning at her. "I know you're trying to make me not blame myself, thanks for that, but I know when things are my fault." They sat in silence for a few minutes, occasionally staring up the stairs as if they were expecting Church to come out at any moment. Eventually, Tex grunted and got out of her chair. "Where are you going?" Spike asked. "I'm going to talk to him." "But what about-" "It can wait a few minutes." Spike and Twilight nodded at her and Tex trotted up the stairs. Once the door to Church's room shut, somebody knocked on the front door. Twilight opened her mouth to ask who it was, but she was cut short when they answered her before she could say anything. "Delta." "Come in." Twilight said loudly, but Delta had already opened the door and was in front of her within a second. "Hello." Delta smiled. "How is it going?" Twilight asked as Delta took a seat. "It is going well. O'Malley seems to be doing well, so I asked Applejack and she said that she wouldn't mind if I went to go grab Theta and Sigma, but I needed to stop by here first before I did so." "To check on Church?" "No, he is in proper care already. I know if anyone were to look after him it would be best if it was you." "Oh, thank you." Twilight said appreciatively. "What I needed to come here for was to ask if I may bring the Necronomicon with me." Twilight's eyes flickered and she took a step back, not wanting to let anybody read it unless they had to. "I understand your concerns, but I cannot let you have such an insightful book and let it go to waste. I know you wish to understand it more, and I believe Epsilon would as well." "Why would he? If he wanted any questions answered he knows he could come to me." "Of course, but you do not have the answer to everything." "Well-" "I am not remarking your intelligence, merely bringing up the fact that the Necronomicon has been around much longer than you have. He understands this world better than you, and possibly more than any living pony or sentient being. With his help I could learn so much. Certainly you of all ponies can understand that?" "Yes, I know that feeling." Twilight nodded slowly, eyes shifting towards the Necronomicon. "Trust me when I say I have no desire to use it for ill intentions." Delta bowed his head. "I don't know. We were far away from civilization when Church first used it." "Your concerns match up with mine then. I was planning on bringing the Necronomicon with me to the ruins with Church, but-" "Why?" Twilight asked quickly, not wanting Church to go out in his condition. "I wished to attempt to bring back some more of the fragments." "Uh, just going to chip in before Twilight answers." The Necronomicon coughed. "No can do on that part. Bringing back a spirit requires a host to take over. Those statues that were in the catacombs? Yeah, those were real ponies turned to stone, not just something put there for decoration. They were really quite the evil and violent type too." "And you didn't mention this when we used a revival spell near them?" Twilight asked. "It... slipped my mind." The Necronomicon muttered impishly. "You have to admit, you would have liked and meeting ponies from the past." "Not if they're sociopaths!" Twilight said loudly. "I've only ever had to deal with two semi-sociopath ponies, but one, Trixie, was just a showboat and the other, Tex, is now a friend." "What are you talking about? You have been looking after a sociopath for months! You and the other girls!" The Necronomicon stated abrasively. Twilight's face became blank and she looked at Delta. "He does technically have a point." Delta shrugged. "We all know Epsilon isn't the most innocent of ponies, nor is he the most stable. You were the only pony that he has ever truly confided in, Twilight, so naturally because of his past you believe his antisocial behavior is well deserved, and while that may be true, you cannot say flat out that he is inclined to talk to many others without becoming angry." "I know Church can be a little rough around the edges, but he would never willing hurt somepony unless they really deserved it." "You give that stallion too much credit." The Necronomicon laughed. "I think he would willing hurt somepony who didn't deserve it, you just have to press the right buttons." "You're wrong. Church may not be completely sane. He may not be the most likable stallion either, but he look at him. He's been through everything this world as well as his own had to offer, and he still hasn't hurt anyone. If he hasn't done it yet, I don't think he is able to." "Not so." Delta said with a slightly saddened tone. "Epsilon is far more docile than the Alpha. The Alpha is-" "But he isn't the Alpha." Twilight said flatly. "He also has friends he knows he can count on now." "That is true. In the past, someone he could trust is one thing he didn't have when he needed it..." Delta said quietly, thinking of this. "I suppose you are correct in a way. The chances of him becoming violent are significantly lower than they were before he came here. But I believe if something happens to him that happened in the past, it could reopen certain wounds." "Then why do you want want to bring the Necronomicon with you?" "You did not let me finish. I meant to say but, because of what I just said, I wish to take the Necronomicon with me, away from Epsilon." "What's wrong with me?" The Necronomicon snapped harshly. "You are powerful. I believe Epsilon may eventually wish to use you more. He is, as others put it, broken. His mind is missing certain memories. It would take something extremely powerful to bring those memories back to him, but I fear remembering those memories would be more or less bad. Not as catastrophic as metastability, but his mind could very well collapse. You have enough power to do so." Delta said adamantly, making Twilight bite her tongue nervously. Delta noted this and smiled feebly at her. "But that is if we let him uncover those memories." "Fine. If it helps him, do what you have to." Twilight nodded her head hesitantly. "Hey, don't I get a say in this?" The Necronomicon hissed as Twilight levitated him and put him in a bag. "Guess not..." "I thank you for entrusting me with it." Delta smiled as Twilight strapped the bag on Delta's back. "I will try to bring him back in a few hours. I would also recommend you bring Church to a-" "Walk in clinic today in less than an hour." Twilight nodded gratefully. "Ah, that is good news." Delta nodded as he walked out the door. "I will be back with the others soon. If all goes right, then their presence should be easily explained without expecting them to turn a blind eye to them." Twilight opened her mouth to ask what he meant, but he had already closed the door and would be unable to hear her.