//------------------------------// // Interlude 5: YOU STILL HAVE TO STEER // Story: Oh to be Old Again // by Minalkra //------------------------------// The low roar of a crowd leaked in faintly through the closed window. If she strained, Twilight could distantly hear the sounds of laughter and happy conversation. Twilight perked her ears forward, subconsciously trying to make sense of the sounds - yet meaning eluded her. She could 'hear' different words - yet she knew they were not really there. Like a Rorschach test for hearing - a mirror to her own mind. Freak, weirdo, failure. Nothing but bad memories. Despite the jovial rumble from below, Spring's office was terribly quiet. Quiet and ... bland. Twilight noted the lack of ornamentation wryly. A grey rug on plain white tile and blank white walls. In most cases such an office would speak of a control-obsessed personality. Perhaps a pony that felt as if control was required or lacking in their lives. Maybe even psychosis. Of course, Twilight knew of Spring's more used area - full of bright paintings and happy knickknacks. The counselor much preferred a less aggressive environment and because of that just didn't use her office unless pressed. Like how she was now. Just moments ago, the Elements of Harmony had been marched out of Bruce's room by the red-faced counselor. Now the six friends were sitting in a semi-circle as the green pegasus faced away from them across an empty desk. Not that Twilight blamed her, of course. With the way her wings were twitching and her withers were rising and falling slowly, Twilight could tell the counselor was practicing the same deep-breathing exercises she had ironically taught the panic prone purple pony. It was much easier to do them without distractions however, so Twilight kept her muzzle shut. She knew that regaining control of one's emotions could be taxing. Her friends on the other hoof were not so inclined. "Fluttershy, darling. I want to apologize for leaving you 'hanging,' as i'twere," Rarity whispered far-too-loudly to her yellow pegasus friend. Twilight's ear twitched as the closer conversation mercifully drowned out the imagined sounds from outside. "That was very rude of me." "It's ok, Rarity. I haven't had an 'episode' in months. It's just, the thought of being watched all the time - oh my. Oh my, oh my, oh my -" Twilight could hear Fluttershy begin to quiver at the thought. Twilight almost turned to comfort her friend - an act she should have done before - but stopped with only a small twitch. Twilight was their unofficial leader and needed to address whatever Spring had to say. Besides, Rarity was there and Twilight trusted her. Twilight trusted all her friends. "Fluttershy, deep breaths. Deep breaths. There's a good girl." Just so. The whimpering Fluttershy and softly cooing Rarity seemed to have broken the nervousness that had kept her other friends silent and Twilight's ears swiveled to catch whispers on the other side of her. "Hey Rainbow? Uhm, was what Bruce said true? Did you really start swapping numbers out like that?" Pinkie was rarely one to really whisper - or even keep many secrets despite having created the 'Pinkie Promise' - but there were always 'exceptional exceptions' in both cases. "Uh, can we talk about this later?" Rainbow huffed, her voice full of irritation. And fear. Twilight once again almost turned to look at her chromatic friend but managed to keep herself from doing so. Rainbow was afraid. It wasn't the first time Twilight had seen Rainbow's 'armor of awesome' crack. There had been many times the seemingly unflappable pegasus had found herself fighting back her own worries and fears. But each time it had been all of them together that had helped the brash flier conquer those fears. Twilight hoped that Pinkie could - no. She trusted her friends. "... I'm sorry." A shuffling of hooves followed her quiet apology as Pinkie adjusted herself. "Huh?" Rainbow's response was as confused as Twilight felt. "Bruce knows about, uhm, the episode? With the turnips? And the rocks?" Twilight blinked at Pinkie's assertion. Episode? Rocks? She hated to eavesdrop but this was the first time Twilight had heard about this. Every friend keeps some secrets but this sounded serious. "Wow, he knew that?" Rainbow almost-whispered as she struggled to keep her voice down. "Yeah. I, uhm, didn't think the same would happen to all of you girls. Mine was in private too, so I feel super-bad." "Hey, it's alright Pinks. I mean, if we hadn't been so focused on not believing him, he wouldn't have had to air our dirty bridles right?" Before Pinkie could respond, the green pegasus heaved her withers one last time, clearing her throat. "Ladies." The thing that turned was not the Spring they knew. The Spring they knew was happy, kind and caring. The thing that turned had a fire in her eyes and her quivering wings held at her sides in barely contained outrage. Had Spring any less control, Twilight was sure they would have been flared as wide as possible. "What in the name of everything that is holy and pure in the world is wrong with you? "What possessed you six - heroines all - to start a hooffight in front of a traumatized nine year old colt?! I mean, I can't - not even - the most ridic - " As she spoke, Spring's wings slowly extended until they were flared in just the way she had been trying to stop. A territorial display, a display of anger. It wasn't ineffective and the six friends lowered their heads and ears slightly as Spring's voice rose in volume until she was drowning out even the loudest cheer from outside. Spring stopped speaking, biting off words as she tried to formulate something - anything - to say to the mares scuffing their hooves in front of her. "Spring-" Twilight nervously tried to speak, only to be cut off as Spring's rant continued. The counselor started to pace behind her desk, clearly feeling contained and needing a physical expression of her anger. Twilight's analytical mind mumbled to itself in the back of her brain as she winced at every stomp. As she spoke, the counselor waved alternating hooves in an attempt to bleed off some of her anger. "Not only that - not only that - but why in the name of Tartarus were you in his room to begin with?! You are not his parents! You aren't even his temporary caregivers! There was no reason - no reason at all - that you should have even been in his room! I - I - I have no words." The anger in Spring died, subsumed by shock. Numbly, she sat where she had stopped pacing, facing one of the walls and staring in complete astonishment. "There are no words." "Spring, he asked to see us-" Twilight tried again, drawing a bitter laugh from the counselor. Her hackles rose a bit at the sound. Twilight hated being laughed at - before, it would have sent her scurrying to her books for solace. Times had changed and now Twilight narrowed her eyes as Spring shouted over her. "Asked to see you?! So what?! He's a foal! A hurt and traumatized colt! Does that not click in your heads?!" Spring spun back to face the six, hefting herself halfway up onto her desk. An aggressive act from a normally non-aggressive pony. Twilight didn't fold her ears like her friends did at this, though. Instead, she stood her ground and frowned up at the overtly-emotional mare. "So, what, are we not supposed to help?" Twilight's voice was very loud in the enclosed room but she couldn't tell if that was because of the small size of Spring's office or if she had resorted to shouting. She stepped forward, head lowered slightly - her own mind betrayed her, clearly categorizing the rising tension in both parties. Her mouth had ended in a near-sneer but Twilight fought it back into the shape of a frown. "Help? Help. Help?" The counselor blinked at her, dumbfounded once more. "I'm sorry, Doctor Sparkle, please educate me on how having a hoof fight in front of your patient - a patient that is obviously from a broken herd and has been abused in the past - is supposed to help said patient." As Spring's voice began to become laced with sarcasm once more, Twilight backed away and lowered her ears. She raised her leg defensively - and unconsciously - to her chest. As much as she hated to admit it, Spring did have a very valid point. Spring rolled her eyes as the unicorn's mouth worked soundlessly. "Please. I'm waiting." "... things got out of hoof," Twilight eventually managed to mumble, looking away from Spring in slight shame. Her eyes found Rarity sheepishly blushing and frowning at the floor. Twilight doubted Rainbow looked quite the same though she knew her pegasus friend was feeling just as embarrassed. "Oh, well, let me just go and pat him on the head - I'm sure he's not a bawling mess right now, trying to hide from any mare that walks by, desperately afraid of being smacked around!" Spring's voice dripped with venomous sarcasm. And Twilight found herself looking at the floor along with her friends. Things had gotten out of hoof but that it had become an actual fight was something unique. Fights among the six of them weren't unheard of but they rarely became physical. Spring sighed loudly - at the situation, the mares in front of her or how easily her own aura of calm had dissipated, Twilight couldn't tell. The noise drew Twilight's eyes upwards and she found the pegasus massaging her temples. With another sigh - deeper this time - Spring looked at each pony in turn. Her eyes were no longer seething with anger. Instead, they looked ... sad. "Ladies. I know you want to help. I know you do. You six have helped so many. But right now, he needs a stable life and having your ... particularly interesting lives around him is not going to do a thing. Please, just let me work. Please." Spring gave the group a sad, pleading look and it took all of Twilight's conviction not to acquiesce. She looked so sad ... "Spring, there's somethin' you should know," Applejack said in a low voice. Had the situation been normal, it might even have been considered a whisper. But as Twilight looked at her friend, the fear in the mare's eyes showed how strange the situation was. Applejack - a mare that had stood bravely against two gods, dragons, mad unicorn mages and every threat to Equestria for two years - was afraid. She was so stubborn that Twilight could think of only a few times when the farm pony had let fear show on her face and they all revolved around her family. "He knows ... things." "What are you-" Before Spring could continue, Twilight snapped her head around and interrupted as Applejack sunk into an almost sullen silence. "Blame can be discussed later, Spring. He knows things - about the six of us - that, uhm, aren't exactly public knowledge." The counselor rolled her eyes, waving her hoof as if to dismiss everything. "He's a fan," Spring said, blithely waving off her concerns. Twilight laid her ears back in irritation at the tone. Before she could object, however, a quiet voice piped up from the back. "He knows about my episodes, Spring." Pinkie's uncharacteristically quiet voice caused the entire room to stumble into an awkward silence. The sounds of muted festivities from outside once more asserted themselves but Twilight was more interested in Pinkie's admission than imagined ostracization. Spring blinked, her ears dropping slightly. "D-did you tell him?" Springs voice had dropped as well and - though Twilight saw only confusion - the counselor's shaky voice pointed to surprise ... surprise or sudden fear. "Nuh-uh. I don't want anypony to know about them." "He knows, well, certain things about my - shall we say, private life? - that are, well, not exactly flattering," Rarity added with a toss of her mane and a slight blush to her cheeks. "He knows things, Spring," Twilight said, stepping forward once more towards the desk. This time, however, her pace was more controlled. And much less antagonistic. Her voice had lost the edge as well as the aggression and Twilight felt a twinge of sadness. She did what was necessary for the good of all. And she hated every moment of it. "And while what he related to us isn't dangerous, well - the fact that he knows of them raises a big red flag." "What are you saying, Twilight?" Spring Meadows looked at her with creased brows, the dying flame of anger hidden just beneath the surface of her eyes. Twilight internally winced. She hated the responsibility sometimes. The fact that so many ponies were relying on her. The fact she had the power to turn any situation into a crisis. The fact that this hurt and scared little colt was now at the center of something potentially big. She hated it - but she would never shirk from it. With a deep breath, Twilight steeled herself for what she had to do. What must be done. "As of now, this case has become a National Security issue." "What." All six other voices - from the quiet voice of Fluttershy to the loud exclamation of Rainbow Dash - asked the question that was on everypony's mind. Twilight swallowed the sudden lump in her throat but forged ahead. Hated, hated, hated. "There are ways of spying on other ponies. It's possible that Bruce was, eh, used as a focus to spy on the six of us and until we can find out the extent of his knowledge, that colt is a threat to the safety of Equestria." With the proclamation - well, proclaimed, Twilight prepared herself for what she knew was coming. "Oh my ..." Except she didn't expect Fluttershy to break down again. As Rarity gathered the quivering pegasus - and stared in wide-eyed surprise at the back of Twilight's head - Spring shook herself from her shock. "Are you saying that he's a - a tool somepony used as a way of gathering information on the six of you?" Spring looked at the lavender unicorn as if she was mentally ill. Or as if Spring was about to become physically ill. It was hard to tell with how green she was normally. "Spring, we're heroes - what better way of spying then to use something we can't destroy?" Pinkie Pie whimpered behind her as Fluttershy continued her descent into a self-induced neurotic fit. Rarity had not lessened her glare of death and Twilight was dimly aware of Applejack and Rainbow just staring at her as if she had suddenly sprouted wings. "Spring, this case is a Ministry case but, well," with a sigh Twilight drew herself to her full four feet three inches. This was going to hurt everypony. "I'm authorized to investigate any and all threats to Equestria and until we can figure out how this colt knows these things-" "Don't do this Sparkle!" Spring knew what was coming. It had never been done around her but she knew the stories, the rumors. A mixture of fear and anger laced her words. Twilight silently wished that they could be friends again one day. "-I'm labeling him as a possible threat to Equestria." Silence - save Fluttershy's whimper. The butter-yellow pegasus hated confrontation. "Aw come on Twi," Rainbow shouted from behind - the first time the normally brash pegasus had spoken. Twilight turned to face her friend, her eyes hard. "No Rainbow! You - of all ponies - know how important we six are to the safety and security of this country! Until we can figure this colt out, we have to treat him like a threat." A stomp of her hoof emphasized her words and Twilight turned back to face the fuming counselor - her own face dark. "Oh really? I don't care if he's the reincarnation of the Nightmare Moon in foal form, you have no authority to take this case without a Court Order or a Royal Decree." Twilight narrowed her eyes as Spring narrowed hers in response. "Girls." Rarity's voice was lost as the two mares squared off against each other. "Fine, maybe I'll have to send a letter out via Spike-mail and yank you off this case as you're obviously emotionally invested!" "Emotionally invested?! I'm not the one getting into shouting matches with a nine year old colt!" "Girls, ugh," Twilight could barely hear Rarity above the pounding in her head. This entire thing was one headache after another. Stupid colt, stupid responsibility, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid useless unicorn. "Girls, please ..." "GIRLS!" Fluttershy's shout drowned out anything Twilight had begun to say, reverberating in the small space and causing everypony to clutch their ears. Twilight and Spring both snapped their eyes to the pegasus, her face slightly red in irritation. "Rarity has something to say." "Yes. Thank you Fluttershy." Rarity backed a bit away from her friend as she found every eye on her. She fluffed her mane once with a hoof - a nervous habit Twilight noted - before clearing her throat. "Ahem, let's calm down, take a few deep breaths and look at this rationally." Twilight opened her mouth to speak - she was looking at it rationally! - but her white unicorn friend interrupted her. "Twilight, what exactly do you intend to do with Bruce?" Twilight gaped a bit as her mind shifted from indignant to planning. She didn't want him to be locked away, she didn't want him to be sent to Canterlot and away from where his family might be, she definitely didn't want him herself. He needed to be watched and studied but ... Rarity noted how long Twilight was thinking. "Please, take your time," she assured her friend as she polished a hoof against her chest, inspecting it every few seconds. "Don't feel rushed." "Uhm ... I hadn't gotten that far yet, Rarity," Twilight admitted, with some amount of embarrassment. She had gotten so caught up in her growing fight with Spring that she hadn't even begun to plan what to do with the colt. Perhaps she could ... no, Spike had started to become such a hoofull. Maybe - no, her friends were often so busy with their own lives. And the Princess had been preoccupied for some reason lately. "You hadn't 'gotten that far yet?' Why ever not, dear? That is the crux of your issue, is it not? What do you plan to do with him? Lock him in a cage? Throw him out of Ponyville? Put him in the Canterlot dungeons?" Twilight pressed her ears against her skull as Rarity's lightly-spoken words sunk in. "... point taken," the lavender unicorn mumbled. With a nod to her friend and a beaming smile, Rarity turned her attention to the smugly smiling counselor. Twilight noted that her smile never reached her eyes. "Spring, what exactly is the problem with Twilight?" At Rarity's question, Spring's smile faded and she looked at the fashionista with incredulity. "Excuse me? She's already gotten into a fight with him - a fight! A grown mare in a fight with a child! I mean-" the counselor's rant was cut off by a stomp of Rarity's shining hoof. "An argument," Rarity clarified, "and Bruce is antagonizing the entire world - ah!" Rarity held up a hoof as Spring began to protest. "You have to admit it's true, Spring. That little colt is a bundle of issues beyond the regular. He's at best trying to be around and Twilight rubs him the wrong way, I suppose. Other than her lack of control-" "Hey!" Rarity ignored Twilight's shout of indignation. "-what is the problem with Twilight?" For a moment, the Elements of Harmony watched as the counselor wavered a bit, her mind clearly going through all that had happened in the past few days. Finally, after a few seconds of contemplation, the counselor deflated slightly. "... that's it, really. Bruce needs a stable and gentle life right now. He needs healing to get over these delusions, not some government spook-team watching over his shoulder or locking him in a dungeon." Twilight winced at the subtle jab as well as the slightly dirty look the counselor shot her way. Rarity ignored it however and looked between her and Spring, her face filled with faux confusion. "So, what's changed? As it stands, we have an Element watching over him," Rarity waved towards Pinkie Pie as she spoke, "and he has a relatively stable life. We just need to - very carefully and with Ministry oversight," the white unicorn looked between Twilight and Spring pointedly, causing both to flatten their ears slightly, "prod him for information as to how he knows what he does." "Pinkie is not the best influence right now," Spring said with a winced look of apology towards the pink party pony. Or at least where she had been, the counselors eyes searching the room in growing confusion as Twilight blinked at her admission. Surely she couldn't know - "Hey!" Pinkie herself jumped up from ... somewhere between Twilight and Spring, her face filled with anger and hurt. Both ponies leaned backwards as quickly as they could, though Pinkie was nowhere near either of them. "I'm a perfectly good influence!" "Pinkie, you think he's a human," Twilight replied, Spring blinking in surprise. So that hadn't been shared with her. Pinkie, for her part, looked at Twilight as if she had grown wings ... and a second head ... and had just gotten transformed into a human child herself. "No I don't." "Huh?" Five voices - and Spring's sigh of relief - filled the room as Pinkie switched her confused look over to her friends. "Well, it doesn't really matter what he was - or even is, to be honest." Pinkie shook her head. "No, what he needs is somepony to connect with him, to sympathize with him and to talk to without being judged." "I'm not judging him!" Twilight's indignant shout was met with a quirked eyebrow from Pinkie. For a moment, the room was silent as Pinkie seemed to stare right through Twilight - right into her soul. Burning, blue eyes. Twilight broke eye contact first, shaking her head to clear it of those silly notions. "Maybe not intentionally but you kinda are Twilight. You were really accu-achusi ... uhm, forceful when you and him were arguing at the party." Pinkie met Twilight's flabbergasted stare with a smile, waving a hoof as if it didn't matter. "Anyway, just because I think he's somepony super special that we need to talk to doesn't mean I'm loco in my coco." Pinkie waved her hooves around her head, spinning her eyes counter each other in a way that made Twilight's eyeplates hurt. "I might like the human stories but I'm not crazy. They're just stories." "It seems settled then." Rarity broke in between the pink party pony and her fellow unicorn - physically and verbally - before Twilight could respond. "Pinkie will watch over him for now, the rest of us will begin to, well, inquire as to this 'show' he claims we're a part of while Spring will continue to do her amazing job with him and everything will turn out just fine. And of course - if worse comes to worse - I'm a," Rarity shuddered before continuing, "registered foster mother myself. I can -" Before Rarity could finish, the door to Spring's office burst open and one of the nurses - Nurse Redheart - stumbled into the room panting. "Spring, uh, you need to come downstairs. We have an, uhm, issue?"