//------------------------------// // Lying Under Oath // Story: Double Solitary // by Casketbase77 //------------------------------// Twenty-four hours earlier Twilight Sparkle, reigning monarch of Equestria, moved well for a pony whose soul was sick. Up the palace's front staircase she trod, mindful to lift only one hoof off the ground at a time. This precaution served her well when she lurched and paused irregularly, mind fogging up and limbs seizing to lock her in place. Then her ironclad force of will would push back the blankness, reclaiming her legs and managing to ascend a few more steps. "Luster Dawn," she reminded herself as she climbed. "Give scroll to... Luster Dawn." At the top of the stairs now, she pushed on the door and, despite her seizing up again, the momentum of her push had opened the way and revealed the foyer. It also, to her chagrin, revealed Gallus. "Princess!" The captain of the Royal Guard had a chipper expression but a tight voice. He'd been rehearsing his greeting while waiting for her. And since he didn't know that Twilight's speed was... currently compromised, he'd been rehearsing for several hours. "Good morning," Twilight rasped. "At ease, Cap-" she wiped some spittle from her lower lip and cleared her throat. "At ease, Captain. I'm looking for Luster Daw-" "I visited Cadance last night. Like you asked." Twilight clenched her teeth, and not due to her ailment this time. "How bad is she?" "Doing worse, ma'am. A lot worse. Still having memory problems and those weird muscle spasms. Oh, and I also did what you asked me to. Looked at her mouth when she talked, I mean. You were right: her spit is a really light purplish color. So light you wouldn't notice unless you were looking for it. How'd you guess that?" Twilight didn't have the dexterity to tilt her foreleg away. The one she'd used to wipe her own mouth earlier. She prayed the stain was camouflaged on her purple fur. And that her trusted but clueless captain couldn't see very well out of his comically oversized helmet. "Thank you... for letting me know, Gallus. Anything... else?" "I uh..." he shuffled uncomfortably from paw to talon. "I wasn't able to look at Flurry. She was away, at work. Had been all week. So I don't know how she's doing in comparison." Twilight shut her tired eyes. She'd wanted more of a sample size than just herself and Cadance. She'd been counting on Flurry Heart, since the junior ex-princess cared more for her mother than her job. Still, the ailment also affected one's personality. Twilight was spacey. Cadance was forgetful. And if Flurry was suddenly a workaholic, then Twilight could make a fairly confident conclusion that Flurry was also in the early stages of the illness. "Ma'am?" Twilight reopened her eyes, which took a lot more physical exertion than it should have. She saw Gallus. And not Gallus the brave, decorated leader of Equestria's peacekeeping force. Gallus the former Friendship Student, with his worried tail coiled around his legs like a security blanket. With his shoulders hunched from armor and responsibilities too heavy for his young heart. "Is it happening again, Ma'am? The alicorn virus thingy from when magic was still around?" "Not necessarily," Twilight lied. "Cadance is the only one s-s-sick right now. And not to be my regular pedantic self, but Destabilization Syndrome wasn't a virus. It wasn't contagious. Just a neurological condition that manifests when a magic-attuned pony starts to unrav-" "Its not fair!" Gallus clearly wasn't listening to her. "The Unity Crystals stopped this! They stopped all magic and kept everyone safe! It's not fair that ponies are getting sick again! Its not fair, its not fair, its not fair!" Twilight steeled her balance and wrapped her velvet wings around Gallus in a gentle hug. She knew doing this risked her healthy facade. If she spasmed again, if she tipped over, the cat was out of the bag. But she didn't. For Gallus's sake, she held steady. And as he hugged her back, she knew the risk had been worth it. "I'm sorry, Ma'am," Gallus mumbled. "I'm sorry I lost my cool. Its just... Cadance was so sick, and I couldn't do anything to help. I don't even know what's wrong with her." "I underst-st-stand," Twilight cooed. She wanted to say more, but her convulsing jaw told her she was already pushing her luck. Gallus finally pulled away, readjusting his helmet and managing a nervous laugh. "Well, uh, like you said Ma'am, I'm probably overthinking it. The viru- I mean the condition probably isn't back. I mean, it can't be, right? Not while the Unity Crystals are still suppressing Equestria's magic." Twilight didn't say anything. "And as long as you're all good, there's nothing to worry about." Twilight's eyes wavered. From emotion and muscle strain. The scroll rustled in her regalia's pocket as she swallowed what she knew to be a mouthful of purple saliva. "Excuse me Gallus, I... really need to go find Luster Dawn." The highest tower of Canterlot Castle was also its most central. It lacked windows, but still emanated a tangible radiance in all directions. In Equestria's farthest reaches, the effect was barely tactile on one's skin. To ponies in surrounding towns, the magic suppression aura felt like a thick, form-fitting turtleneck on the soul. And inside the tower itself, tri-colored prismatic light was so thick it made the very air heavy. The differing colors came from three uncut gemstones orbiting together in the center of the room. Suspended in a pillar of arcanum, the Pegasus crystal revolved around the Unicorn one. The Earth Pony crystal traced lazy circles around siblings. The trio never stopped their mercurial motions, never repeated the same formation, and above all they never ever touched one another. They were the Unity Crystals, a genius work of alchemy that had kept Equestria safe since their forging ten years ago. And Luster Dawn, Twilight's Faithful Student and architect of the Unity Crystals's creation, lay curled up in their cozy glow, peacefully asleep. It wasn't a planned sleep. More of an exhausted stupor cause by a night of studying, charting, and searching for answers. Observation notes, messy diagrams and etched parchment all composed her makeshift bed. The squeak of the opening tower door was her alarm clock. "Lu...ster?" "Princess!" Luster sat up urgently, or as urgently as she could manage. Faust alone knew when she had finally collapsed last night, but it was definitely after the sun crept up. So perhaps calling it 'last night' was a misnomer. It didn't matter, since Luster didn't share her teacher's taste for pedantry. She was direct and concise in her thoughts. Her words even moreso. "Did you climb the tower stairs all alone, Princess? You shouldn't do that! Not when you're..." Luster bit her tongue, suddenly worried Twilight did have an escort. She'd sworn to keep her teacher's sickness a secret. Twilight mirthfully smiled and knelt beside her student. "Good morning to you too, Luster Dawn. How are... you feeling?" "Unproductive," Luster lamented. "I was tracking each Crystal to see if maybe their lattices were decayed, and that was hard to do given their unpredictable orbits. But I didn't find any changes. I don't know what's different now compared to ten years ago. I don't know why Destabilization Syndrome is back, or how to reverse it, or how to stop it, or even why the ward that the Unity Crystals have isn't working anymore because no other magic is back as far as I can tell, its just Destabil-" "Remem...ber to inhale once in awhile, Luster." Luster Dawn obeyed, sucking several lungfuls of the balmy tower air. After reaching a relative level of calm, she began again, pacing around the central light column. The home of her confounding crystals. "I don't know what's wrong with them, Princess. They've worked for the past ten years. As far as I can tell, they're still working. But here you and Cadance are, getting sick again. If things progress like they did last time, the first Unicorns will start to Destabilize within a week." Twilight nodded knowingly. She still had the scroll she'd brought. The one that would put a plan in motion that her feverish, foggy mind hoped was worth the risk. She wanted to present it, but was still working up the strength. And not just physical strength. "Nothing but dead ends everywhere I look," Luster was saying. "If Starswirl were here, may he rest in peace, I could ask him about that spell he used to seal Stygian. But he's not. And there's nopony left in Equestria who knows more about suppressing magic than he did." "Yes there is." It was now Twilight's turn to practice calming inhales. "Huh?" Luster Dawn's pacing had stopped. "I said there is. A living pony who... knows more about anti-magic than anyone. Her... name is Cozy Glow." Not even the calming rays of the Unity Crystals could quell Luster's sudden excitement. "Then we have to- I mean, I have to talk to her! Is she missing? Or far away? Do I need to track her down?" Twilight shook her head, finally levitating the scroll from pocket. "Not far..." Twilight slurred out. "In Manehatten..." In any other circumstance, Luster would have berated her teacher for spellcasting. Destabilization Syndrome did reenable the patient's horn, but using said horn just accelerated the decay. For now, Luster let it go. She simply snatched the scroll eagerly, eyes scanning the pictureless information. "A pegasus, wow! Mages really do come in every shape and subspecies. And you're right, she's close! Cozetta "Cozy" Glasgow has a residency with a Manehatten area code!" Her excited attention left the page for a moment. "She'll help us, then?" Twilight sighed. "No. She won't." Luster Dawn looked like she'd just been slapped. "No?! But if she doesn't, every magic user in Equestria will die!" Twilight looked grave. "She'd certainly... be happy to hear that." Never the type to tolerate mystery, Luster returned to reading Cozy's file. Just like the Unity Crystals, she knew there must be a critical detail that escaped her notice. And unlike the Unity Crystals, Luster's studying detected the detail immediately. "Manehatten Penitentiary" she bemoaned. "Cozy is a criminal." Twilight spasmed again, so she was unable to nod. She didn't need to though. Luster had resumed pacing. "I could... try to appeal to her inner good nature," Luster spitballed. Twilight managed a guffaw at that one. Luster growled and paced faster. "I could try... bargaining." Twilight's silence told Luster that there was nothing Cozy could want. "I could..." the Faithful Student was getting desperate. "I could..." "Trick her." "Huh?" "You'll have to trick her. Cozy Glow is a pony from a different age, and even in her own age she was... what I mean is..." Twilight's eyes were glazed and a strand of purple drool oozed from her lip. "P-Princess!" Luster's plea pierced Twilight's fog and the ruler of Equestria wiped her mouth. "Sorry, my little pony. I... I'm trying to ask you to do a very frightening thing." Luster Dawn understood. She palmed the forensic scroll in her hoof. It was full of details. Every documented moment in the eventful life of a living relic from a time long gone. But Luster's life had its own impressive batch of documented moments. One was her decision to minor in improvisational theater while attending the School For Gifted Unicorns. "To trick this evil pegasus, this... Cozy Glow," Luster reasoned, "I probably shouldn't introduce myself as your Faithful Student." Twilight approval was wordless but clear. "And I should probably act as disarming as possible. Everypony pities an emotionally stunted idiot marechild." Twilight finally smiled. Luster Dawn had always been sharp and decisive. Already, it seemed the Faithful Student had made up her mind. "Okay, Princess," Luster was speed-reading the scroll again, ideas forming with every line she read. "I can do this. I can trick the trickster and learn how to cure you." "Cadance too." Twilight's reminder was fatigued but firm. "Okay, yes. Sorry. I'll learn how to cure everypony. But first, I need a warrant for my arrest in Manehatten. Second, I need an express ticket for the next train there." Luster rolled her shoulders, still stiff from sleeping on the floor. "I'd appreciate a ticket in luxury class, if its not too much trouble." The Queen of Equestria was certain Gallus could fulfill both of those requests. She was not certain however, that her sheltered student could pose as a convincing prisoner. The fog was rolling in again, filling her with disorientation and doubt. This idea was outrageous. She'd only thought it up this morning. What if Luster's lies were seen though? What if the gambit didn't succeed in time? A pink hoof stroked Twilight's cheek, bringing her back. Luster Dawn had a familiar fire in her eyes. The same that spurred her to forge the Unity Crystals ten years ago. "I'm not afraid of Cozy Glow, Princess. Now get some rest."