Stellar Lionheart was never sure himself: how he came to trust the mare known to them as the 'deceased' Harmony Peridot, the mare ostensibly involved in the downfall of Pendant Lakes. Was it a matter of security for the rest of them or was it his sympathetic, aging heart, he would never know; what he knew was that she had more experience in these ruins than all of them combined, especially of the dragon of the group.
They say the stare of those magnificent, reptilian creatures can strike down even the most gallant spirits of the noblest stallions. If it were true, then Jovern's would have smashed through a hundred of them. The fact that he was so mysterious, black and possibly as old as the night sky, combined with his gleaming red eyes and his deep-end knowledge of ponykind from the past up 'til now being well over all of theirs, was already enough for those who never saw him before to see him as a living nightmare, and sometimes Stellar had wondered how in the world Princess Celestia could put up with him after all these years.

Their eyes were soon focused on Harmony, the mare perched at the edge of a cliff, her chained white blades hanging from her hooves as she stared down into the shattered valley before her: a mournful aperture of desecrated buildings jutting out like tombstones; the only reminder of the memories buried here. No doubt, she was reminiscing of her own, thus her private moment when she would've been bandaging her wounds with the help of Caduceus.
"I don't believe it would be easy to turn over a new leaf, especially in her case," Jovern murmured.
"You saw her state the last time we were here. Her mind isn't stable."

"She was possessed by an incubus, my friend," Stellar reminded.
"I know for a fact that even a dragon couldn't withstand it when being ravaged by a demon. She was doing it all to save the stallion she loved, yet still the Palgiots perished. Janus was using Morteoro -- the devil nesting within her -- as a distraction to get what he truly wants, which was the essence of the Dreamscape machine. He just needed the chance to execute his plan."

The colt had never seen Jovern being so doubtful before. It was only half an hour ago when they stumbled out of the morose tunnels of the asylum to see the dragon waiting for them, his shock evident once Harmony came into his view, the mare stifling a smirk at their colossal associate in response. Ever since they stopped for a rest on the cliff, Jovern had been asking questions about it, particularly from how she was still alive and what her current intentions were, to the information she gave them about the walking dead: the ones wandering in the midst of the ruins.
For one of them to be a Palgiot was a dark revelation for both Stellar and, soon afterwards, Caduceus as well. The doctor couldn't fathom the possibilities of how the family they once served might've become the monstrosities they abhorred, especially that of Autumn Palgiot, sister of the last Patriarch and the only one of the siblings to have been courted too many times for them to remember due to her renowned resplendence in the whole of Northern Equestria.

Even Harmony knew her personally, the both of them sharing the passion of beauty and grace in the arts as well as forming a close connection through two ponies: Winter Palgiot and his cousin, Gypsum Palgiot. Stellar had seen them together before, usually conversing about their past and discussing about their respective relationships, usually over a cup of tea or even when they were doing sketches of dresses, but that was in life.
Now, the only connection they could've had was the fact that they were dead, with Harmony still retaining her looks and Autumn apparently losing it all. It seemed strange though, for the former mare to still possess her body and the latter to become... whatever she was, seeing how Autumn had sifted through their bodies with ease back at the orphanage.

"Harmony know what's best, and for that I trust her judgement," Stellar finally replied, a rustle from behind making them turn to see Caduceus stumbling out from the ruins, carrying what seemed to be a few first aid kits.
"But I'll make sure she doesn't do anything behind our backs; even I have my limits of trust with somepony such as her."

"It isn't simple being her, you know," the doctor replied, wiping his forehead free of sweat from all the lifting.
"You've said it yourself, Stellar. She wanted to save our Patriarch from Janus's grasp. For her to fail that, with the murder of her friends, the betrayal of the Princesses, the downfall of the Palgiot family and the destruction of the whole of Pendant Lakes included, and still be alive to see it... none of us would know the weight of the guilt she's feeling now. Especially that of lost love."

Jovern nodded understandingly, crouching down as he set his sights towards the mare, who had already seated herself at the edge of the cliff, her chain-bladed bouncing about her hoof over the desolate sight before her like a yo-yo. All of them could heard her quiet, pained sobs beneath the overwhelming hollow air of the caves, though only the doctor was coaxed to being the only one of them approaching her, the others heading back to get the rest of their supplies.
Harmony was definitely surprised once Caduceus settled down next to her; being the most merciful of the trio, whether from his experience as a doctor or from his true heart, it didn't matter. What mattered was that he made the decision to keep her company and to trust her like how they had once did so, to which she could only return it with a weak smile. She had never been more disappointed in herself in her whole life.

"Miss Peridot is alright, I presume?" Caduceus asked, ripping a few bandages from the roll.
"Past memories catching up to you?"

"You could say that, Doctor," she solemnly replied.
"Pendant Lakes would not be without nostalgia, just like a foal would not be without childhood."

Caduceus raised an eyebrow with interest at her words, stifling a smile that brightened up hers as well. The mare just strode past him, chuckling lightly and heartily as she tossed to him a small file, the colt opening it to find, much to his surprise, his examination results back when he was in fifth grade!
"Excelled in all language subjects, particularly for creative writing," she continued with a sly smirk.
"Just goes to show that you can find many interesting things even in the most desolate ruins. What else is there... surprisingly strong in science and shows little regard only for... Equestrian general history, am I right?"

"It's nothing," the mare replied quietly.
"Just the results of training my memory years ago. I wanted to remember what I can. To get everything I saw down in my head and fix everything back up to its original place when it all comes down... just like Winter did. I never knew how he did it, that he can remember every single little detail, from how which hair of my mane sticks out to the dance steps for our little routine in accordance to the balls he hosted. I... I wanted to be like him, in that sense."

"Winter was Eidetic, Miss Peridot," Caduceus muttered, stuffing the file into his satchel.
"His memory capacity was phenomenal, meaning that he could remember nearly everything was from the beginning of his existence. You couldn't easily replicate somepony's memory of such a high degree."

"So he's just like Pinkie?"
His nod only made Harmony ever the more doleful, and he doesn't need a hint to know why. Pinkie Pie was, after all, closer to Winter Palgiot in a faster span of around five months, overcoming what she was trying to get to in two years. Aside from being envious, he knew Harmony wanted to be in her hooves; to be the mare that sees all the brightest sparks in life that many others would've missed.
"I've learnt of her... predicament. Stellar told me," the mare spoke suddenly after a moment of silence.
"That's all that matters to me. That she's still alive."

"Then let me die along with her," Harmony answered sternly, wrinkling her snout.
"I was the cause of all of this. It would be wrong of me to idle by and watch her go without another word. Especially even when I idle still in the hooves of death."

Silence came swiftly once she was done, due to the doctor's inability of giving a response. With a bemused sigh, Caduceus resumed his bandaging of her hooves, the mare sitting back down to ease his job. She couldn't feel it: the grotesque pain that would've been with her gaping, red wounds; instead there was a sort of tingling numbness, like the tip of grass brushing against her skin, serving as a reminder of her abominable state.
Despite that, Harmony did look back and reminisce at the things she did in the past, particularly of the incidents that led to her fallout with Winter and Pinkie, which led to her supposed 'death'. She had no one to hear of her confessions back then, but now... at least somepony was listening to her.

"A-About what I've done last year..." she began, the doctor perking up immediately.
"I'm... I was..."

"The Princess never blamed you."
Harmony was blatantly surprised at his words, almost wanting to question them, though his warm expression was enough to tell her it was the truth. She never knew Celestia to be merciful for something so severe: the alicorn did say she'll die if necessary for the safety of everypony else.
"Princess Luna had no opinion of it, though I believed she forgave you as well," the colt continued.
"For Miss Pie, she would do the same if she were here. Sir Winter as well."

Caduceus blinked at her dreary response, the mare glancing away once again.
"Is anything the matter?"

"N-Nothing... just..." she stopped to let out a brief sigh.
"It seemed pointless when I think about it. How I was trying to make Winter love me over Pinkie. I mean, they just seemed so... perfect, being with each other. Sometimes I ask myself: what the hay was I thinking? Doing all of that to split them up and... in the end? They've got nothing. I've got nothing. Everypony loses when I could've watched and congratulated them happily from the sidelines. I could've done something, but now? It's all too late..."

"Please," she cut in, suddenly wearing a grin.
"No need for the formalities. Just call me Harmony."

A loud, grandiose rumble suddenly echoed throughout the caves, scattering swarms of screeching bats from the crevices around them and even making some of the derelict ruins below the valley collapse with a boom. It was perpetual, recurrent, almost as if it were an earthquake; a possible factor Caduceus wanted to question, though the faint sound of hissing steam and whirring metal made him more doubtful.
Even Stellar and Jovern clambered out from behind, glancing worriedly at the rivulets of dust trickling from the cave ceiling. It wasn't unlike anything even Harmony had heard before in these depths, before it slowly faded away, the trembling of earth ceasing to a halt in an instant.

"I don't know," Harmony answered Jovern's question.
"But whatever it was... it's nothing I've ever heard before. What might be worse, at least for the Princesses..." she stopped, turning to them with a grave look at her assumption; one she was certain about it.

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

Pinkie Pie's stare remained taut at the plantation farmhouse overlooking the orchards, the open doors inviting her, Velvet and Phoenix back into its bleak, decrepit interior. Never mind its desolate state, she told herself; what mattered is her final revelation into the past through the acrimonious, perilous method of the Firewalker's Mirror. What are the risks, she asked herself: to engulf oneself into a bonfire just to figure out what she had forgotten. What are the risks?
Velvet's friend, Saturn, had especially warned her to only come if she were ready, and after spending hours yesterday of pondering over the subject, up to the point where it worried Selena when the pegasus found her roaming throughout the hotel corridors at midnight, she felt it was the time. She felt she was ready.

"Don't think too hard about this," Velvet assured, leading them forward.
"Just follow what your gut tells you. I trust my gut every single time, Pinkie, and it seems pretty good to be true, but it helped me get more than half of the ponies I've managed to assassinate in my lifetime! I'm serious!"

"Not helping, V," Phoenix replied with a smug look, to which the black stallion just rolled his eyes at. Pinkie was less enthusiastic about it, only looking ever the more appalled by his words, though the aforementioned stallion was quick to make it up.
"You know you can always back down if you want to. I'm not forcing you and anything, alright? And if you aren't comfortable we'll find another way."

"But this is the only way..."
Pinkie never told them, but she did a little sneak peek at Velvet's book collection last night, mostly to figure out on other alternatives to delve into her past memories. She had hit the jackpot a few times, but those rituals were darker, if not bloodier, than Saturn's spell of choice. That was it: the Firewalker's Mirror was the only option.
"Who knows?" she said, trying her best to spur out a grin.
"It might turn out alright in the end..."

Her voice faded once they reached the door, with Velvet giving it a firm knock, prompting a rushing of hooves from within. It wasn't long before the familiar face of Saturn Lithehoof poked out curiously from the crack, the sight of the trio prompting him to unlock the door and welcome them in with an open hoof.
"I've been expecting your return," he declared gleefully, waving his cane.
"So... is Miss Pie ready for the Firewalker's Mirror?"

"Alright then. Now, to get things started..."
Despite the silver stallion's excitement, all of them could see his hesitation as well. No doubt his past experience with the black magic ritual became a traumatizing scar in his memory; an extra weight he had carried for the sake of knowing his past. Then again, Saturn never mentioned anything about him being burned as a result. Perhaps it was a near-death experience? Well, whatever that happened to him -- she gulped -- she was about to find out.
"Got the oil and stuff down before you guys were here," he said once they entered the study.
"All it takes is a spark and a pony to walk across it, and we're done."

Phoenix knew it was the third time he asked this, but he still felt that strong urge to.
"Are you positively sure about this?"

"Yes, I am," Pinkie answered firmly.
"And if anything goes wrong... just... try to get me out of it, alright?"

With a flick of Phoenix's tail, the familiar symbol of the pentagram, complete with malignant, stark-looking runes drawn along the circle, lit up almost immediately, forming dancing, leering shadows attached to their hooves like puppets and small flickers in the center of their pupils. Despite the moderate heat, all of them could already feel beads of sweat crawling down their necks, almost as if they were squeezed out by anxiety, though there was none in the room that could compare to Pinkie's gushing rivers of them.
"Just relax, Miss Pie," Saturn assured, striding to her side with one hoof extended outwards, guiding her into the hungry, gulp-inducing flames.
"Follow my instructions carefully, and nopony ends up getting hurt, alright? Now, close your eyes..."

"O-Okay..."
With a deep, trembling sigh, Pinkie did as she was told, vision quickly seeping into black. Her ears started to pick up even the slightest sound; the whistle of wind flitting through the cracks in the leaves, or the humming of the earth moving underneath her hooves, but it all soon faded, plunging into the deepest lake of silence she had ever heard, with only the soft, calm and steady thumping of her heart against her chest to guide her through her deaf state.
Voices traipsed languidly into her mind, the mare recognizing them as belonging to the rest, apparently discussing the next step of the ritual. Apart from that, she could feel herself sifting like sand, almost as if the whole universe was shifting beneath her hooves. There was a slight sting of heat, however; no doubt the result of her being so close into the flaming pentagram. At least, she assumed it to be.

"Can you hear me?" Saturn's voice rung through her head, to which she gave a nod. It came out in some sort of a distant echo, morphed as such with the queer, accompanying twinkle reminiscent of a wind chime, yet it sounded a little... mechanical; the clicking of tumblers and cog wheels perhaps? Even if it was, it doesn't seem right for it to be an ancient ritual such as this.
"Okay, now slowly step forward..."

Pinkie did as she was told, heading forward blindly with only the voice of Saturn to guide her. Every step closer, the sounds started to dim into fizzling white noise, the stallion's voice fluctuating rapidly along with her descent into the unknown. Even when she could feel the heat sizzling from the flames underneath her, there wasn't any pain, as if it had been swallowed up by her subconscious.
"Once I begin the incantations, all you have to do is just empty your mind," she could barely hear Saturn's voice over the crazed amalgamation of sounds.
"Get ready..."

"Y-Yeah?" she replied. Something told her it wasn't Saturn talking; she had a hunch it was Phoenix instead.

Everything started to warp together: her vision, her hearing, even her emotions, all tangled up no lesser than a mound of spaghetti. Pinkie held her breath, her ears perking as a booming chant pierced into her head:

Burn thy body, free thy mind;
Lose thy soul, free thy binds.
Let the past be known, to be brought to light;
Let t'was wrongdoings be redone right.

A flash of light erupted, the mare feeling herself being shot forward so suddenly, even the hairs of her mane flew back from the whooshing wind. Every sound except her hurried breathing died down to silence in an instant as Pinkie opened her eyes to find herself standing in a domain so white, it would've blinded her eyes!
Upon closer inspection, she found out it was a hallway, where everything, to the walls reaching endlessly above, the tiled floor she was striding across and even the stone potted plants placed as decor alongside the columns, was smooth as glass. At the end of the hallway, Pinkie could make out the distinct cracks of a pair of doors, one of them ajar to reveal a yellow glow on the other side. Whatever that was behind those doors was calling out to her; she could hear its soft, mellow voice, chirping sweetly like a nightingale into her ear:

Pinkie couldn't help but follow it, her curiosity making it too tempting of a request to resist. There was a certain calmness to that voice, as if it soothed her heart and alleviated her fears somehow, like an enchanting lullaby. Above all of that, she couldn't help but find it a little familiar, as if she had heard it before, but she couldn't possibly have... could she? Was the owner of said voice a pony from her fractured past?
Opening the door, she soon found herself on a balcony, equally as white as the room before it. Beyond the banisters, there was a gigantic white void instead; one she believed if she fell over she would never hit a landing. With a gulp, Pinkie stepped forward, noticing a table and a pair of chairs that seemed to camouflage with the backdrop, along with an ethereal looking pony -- a stallion, judging from his stature -- staring down beyond the balcony. He soon turned to her, his glowing blue eyes immediately striking her in the core of her heart, her jaw dropping with shocked realization.

It was the stallion that led her through the fog back at Princess Terra's shrine!

"You've finally arrived, Pinkie," he spoke, gracefully extending a hoof towards the other chair.
"Please. Have a seat."

Still bewildered at her revelation, Pinkie settled herself onto the glass chair, draped in a fine white sheet complete with a fluffy pillow. Whoever the stallion was had the heart to guide her away from the deceptive fog towards the stairway to the shrine and invite her while she's stuck in some strange, baroque world filled only with an empty white, as if the colors of life in this world had melted away. Was he always here; an inhabitant of her mind? He must get bored in this emptiness, she surmised to herself.
"It's been awhile, hasn't it?" he asked suddenly, to which she could only shrug.
"Oh, of course, of course. You lost your memory."

"You're here to recover them. I, however, am here to tell you that it is not an easy task."
The stallion rose (or did he float up?) from his seat, prompting her to do the same. All Pinkie could do was follow him towards the edge of the balcony, watching him as he stared forward with a deep sigh.
"What do you see?"

"What do you see?" he repeated his question.
"Beyond the balcony we're standing upon, what do you see?"

The mare just blinked, utterly confused by his question. Sure, there is something beyond the balcony that was dominating her vision the entire time she was out here: a big patch of white nothing, that's what! She wanted to slam his face down against the banister for asking what seemed to be another one of those complex questions, and would've done so if he wasn't so... ghostly.
"I don't see anything," she blurted out the honest truth.

"That's because you haven't looked hard enough," the colt answered, much to her annoyance.
"Try again. You'll see something eventually."

With a suppressed groan, Pinkie did as she was told, this time squinting her eyes deeper into the big blotch of white that she was supposed to see. She swore to herself, if it were a trick question, she would try her best to hurl him over the balcony and probably toss the furniture along with him. Her eyes determinedly scan across the expanse, trying her best to at least catch a hint of something, anything, that could help her with her condition.
"I'm sorry," she finally said with a sigh of defeat, throwing her hooves up into the air.
"I tried my best, okay? Even if there is actually anything down there, I can't see... whatever it is, at all--"

You spoke too soon, Pinkie Pie, was the first thing that came into her mind when she saw what seemed to be the shape of a fountain placed in the middle of the void, the cascading domes of water forming minuscule rainbows across its surface. Slowly, her jaw fell once the sight of stately buildings faded into view, complete with slate, maze-like roads interjecting between them and even lampposts and trees aligned along the path, all of it frozen in a splendor of white, baroque marble.
"It seems you've found what you were seeking," the stallion said, wearing what she think was a smile.
"Well then. Care to tell me about your compelling discovery, hmm?"

"I'm only a mere figment of your imagination, Pinkie," he replied smugly.
"I exist only in your subconscious as the pony who prances around this empty place, and I can tell you, it is not the best profession in the world. Your presence makes it ever the more... exciting, so to speak."

"W-Well... whatever you say..."
Pinkie never understood what he meant; a figment of her imagination? Her imagination? As in, she conjured this strange little ghost out of nowhere in the shrine as well? How can her imagination be so powerful for it to actually become real? It might be a hallucination, right? Then again, now's not the best time to question it.
"It's a town," she answered, glancing across the field of bleached slate roofs and chimney stacks.
"Slightly large one, to be honest...... I don't know what else to say about it, really."

"Is that so?" the stallion asked, to which she nodded.
"Hmm... interesting proposition. Queer, yet... interesting..."

"Patience, Pinkie," he replied, making her roll her eyes.
"Now that you mention it, this town, indeed, has a lot of relevance about your past. Perhaps somewhere in life, you stumbled upon such a town. Perhaps it was the first place you've visited, or perhaps it was your last. Nevertheless, what's important is that you figure out which town it was, alright?"

"What about you?" Pinkie asked, puzzled.
"Don't you know what this place is? Couldn't you tell me if you do?"

"Things don't work that way, Pinkie. If they did, reality would be too simple."
The stallion let out a troubled sigh, clearly upset by her predicament as much as her, though for what reasons she never knew. He settled back down onto the chair, glancing up at her with a look of sympathy, blue eyes flickering dully, if not lifelessly, at her.
"Remember, Pinkie," he began, placing his hooves onto Pinkie's shoulders, the mare tensing up in response.
"One day, you'll realize who you were meant to be. Trust me, I really want to help you with all of this, but I'm forbidden to. Who knows? Maybe one day you'll discover the truth. At that point, you'd probably--"

It was distant, the echo of something collapsing, which was quickly followed successively by two more similar ones. Both ponies immediately turned towards the balcony, though when Pinkie whirled back to ask the stallion about it, she stopped at the sight of his frozen face of terror.
"Listen to me closely, Pinkie," he spoke sternly and suddenly, pushing her away from the edge of the banisters as another rumble shook the entire place.
"Run. Just run. Don't stop. Don't ever look back. Don't ever think about anything else. Just run."

"Go, Pinkamena Diane Pie!" he shouted, though not before wearing a weak smile.
"I'll be safe. Trust me."

All the mare could do then was nod, before turning back and starting her frantic gallop down the hallways from whence she came. She didn't had even the slightest idea of what she was running from, yet already her heart was frantically drumming in her chest, her sweat beads dripping hastily from her face. Her hooves were already starting to sting from something, by what she wasn't sure.
A loud snap cracked through the air, prompting Pinkie to look down and see, much to her horror, a large, gaping chasm starting to open its hungry jaws beneath her. Gritting her teeth, she took off, trying her best to run down without getting caught, yet it only grew ever the wider, ignoring her anxious condition. Sounds of maniacal laughter echoed from behind, almost as if something out of her most morbid of nightmares was chasing her ecstatically, with even its limbs reaching out to brush her mane, yet that wasn't enough for her to steer her away from her course.

A scream rushed out her mouth once she felt herself falling, the black chasm swallowing her as it swallowed the world of white, her head screeching through a strange montage including the ethereal stallion, a clanging tambourine, blood splattering from a hacking pickaxe, a burning room of wood and a pair of purple, beady eyes, among others. Flurries of sensations burst through her like whizzing fireworks that made her clench her eyes shut, though she noticed there was one that started to grow like a parasite from within: the feeling of intense heat.
Sound came crashing in like a rogue tidal wave, just as she was dragged backwards, her stinging hoof scraping across the wooden floor. Vision growing obscure, she could see the frantic, blurred faces of three ponies standing above her, one of them having knelt down with utmost concern and terror. Severe pain followed the indistinct shouts revolving around her head, though she could make out a familiar one: none other than Phoenix Mellow.
"Just look at me, Pinkie!! Don't you dare close your eyes, alright?!!"

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

"A little harsh, thanks to the storm outside, but I'm good."
Twilight never intended for her, Rarity and Spike to stay at Inkie's house for the night, though the violent storm outside and the gray mare's own insistence persuaded her to do as such. Despite being different from Pinkie, the lavender unicorn could see that Inkie possessed her sister's charming hospitality, as well as her enthusiasm to make ponies happy, making her wonder why she had a cross-section of some ore as a Cutie Mark instead.
Rarity and Spike were already up before her, eagerly waiting for their brewing breakfast to be placed onto the creaky, square table they were seated around. Taking a whiff, the librarian couldn't help but lick her lips, watching Inkie Pie in her apron stirring the delicious mixture of a tomato casserole with a wooden ladle.
"That looks tasty," she remarked.
"Is everypony in your family a good cook?"

"You could say that," came the delighted answer.
"Mother taught each of us on how to cook, though I think Pinkie was the only one who stuck herself to focus only on making the desserts, to be honest. Even Father could cook like a gourmet if he wasn't so focused on farming all those rocks on the field."

It wasn't long before Twilight settled down with the rest, exchanging greetings with the others just as Inkie started to pour the casserole into separate bowls, before proceeding to serve them with her hooves wrapped in damp cloth. One by one, they began to savor her creation, the dragon being the first to chow down before kicking back his paws with a satisfied, fulfilling sigh.
"That was the best," he proclaimed, giving the mare a thumbs up.

"I second that," Rarity said, her grin widening.
"You should really consider a job in the culinary world. This is absolutely scrumptious!"

Inkie managed to giggle at their praises, her cheeks reddening a little.
"Aw, it's nothing really," she replied.
"Just treating my guests the way they should be treated."

Twilight couldn't help it but smile wider when her heart was flushed with warmth at her response. It seems she also inherited her older sister's humble modesty as well, which made her feel as if Pinkie was back in their lives again. All she needs is the pink mare's hysterical randomness to become the perfect carbon copy of Pinkie herself; to reignite the dying spark that their bubbly friend was always fond of keeping it alive.
Of course, to get Pinkie back would be better, for her friends and for Inkie. Neither of them could forget the reason they were really here in the first place: to have Inkie's help to solve the complex, puzzling riddle found in Professor Page's diary. To figure out what it means would be progress and, in a way, success.

"Interesting..." Inkie said, pondering over the diary page once Twilight had the chance to hand it to her after they finished tidying up. All four of them were settled onto the couch then, studying the tattered parchment carefully, the words echoing in each of their heads:

To quench the thirst of a bleeding fox;
Close to death, parched and lost.
To maim the woodpecker's beak in twine;
For feathers becometh wood, naught in its mind.

The rest of them just looked at her, baffled by her revelation, to which she explained:
"Basically, these verses are part of a group of poems whose origins were traced back the earliest days of ponykind, where they were used and reenacted in theaters and speeches. To solve them is a different matter; you'll have to think in the most simplest way possible, meaning you'll have to use commonplace logic."

"But the riddle isn't logical," Twilight protested.
"To quench the thirst of a bleeding fox... why quench its thirst when its already dying of blood loss?"

"You're thinking too far already," Inkie replied.
"It's not a matter of possibility; rather it's about the meaning and concept behind it, built for the reader to visualize. In this case, the first verse is actually talking about a recent event. I'm sure you would not believe the answer but trust me, it's the perfect truth."

The jaws of both unicorns and dragons dropped immediately in disbelief at her answer, and the gray mare would've laughed at their faces if they were actually dealing with more trivial matters instead. With a shake of her head, Inkie soon gave her explanation:
"Alright, so the fox is bleeding and he's thirsty, right?"

"Um..." Spike began, shuffling in his seat nervously once the three mares turned to him. He felt like an idiot to have such a strange answer, especially in front of Rarity and all, but Inkie did say to think in the most simplest way.
"Wouldn't the closest source be... himself? Cause he's bleeding and all..."

"That's correct, actually," the mare replied, much to their surprise.
"Think about it: the fox was bleeding, meaning he couldn't move, probably. For him to be thirsty, he needs to find something to quench his thirst and, as a last minute resort, decides to drink his own blood up instead. You might say it prefers death over suffering."

"Good question, Rarity," Inkie continued.
"This verse actually means that the fox is unintentionally committing suicide; when the fox drinks down more blood to quench its thirst, it is actually losing more blood as a result or, you could put it, to be destroyed from the inside. For Princess Celestia to be betrayed by one of the Voyager Six... wouldn't you say she was in a similar scenario; that she sent out the Voyagers to seek out and prevent corruption, yet be defeated by the only one of them that succumbed as a result of her actions to exploit the Palgiots?"

"But this poem is centuries old!" came Twilight's argument.
"There's no way ponies that time would've known that Pendant Lakes was about to be destroyed by Harmony, right? This was written way before last year, Inkie. And what about the second part of the poem?"

"This isn't just a poem."
Again, her answer was met with disbelief; it was typical in her line of work, mostly from the fact that it was associated with ancient, long-forgotten knowledge, the supernatural and the unknown. She had expected Twilight herself to possess knowledge along the lines as well, but it seems she was mistaken.
"If I am correct, this might be some sort of prophecy."

"I have a hunch... but I can't be sure..."
With a sigh, Inkie carefully set the parchment down onto the table, the disappointed faces of everypony else a little disheartening of a sight to take in. She really has a hunch, no doubt; it's just that she needed more evidence to prove the bearer of the prophecy, if it is one at all.
"If I find anything about this, I'll let you guys know," she said.
"After all, you guys have to head back to that camp of yours, right?"

"Yeah... come to think of it..." Twilight began, stopping to think before asking:
"Why not come back with us?"

"Come back with us! To Canterlot!"
It was an abrupt suggestion that suddenly clicked into her head, albeit a suggestion that was worth a shot. After all, it has been a while since the gray mare last stepped into the elegant capital of Equestria and with her aid and expertise, they might at least be able to delay Janus's plans.
"Think about it, Inkie," the lavender unicorn continued.
"We need all the help we can get to stop Janus before it's too late. Plus, if Pinkie comes back, you might be able to see her after all these years! Then maybe you two could find Blinkie together and finally reunite the Pie family! Wouldn't you want to do a thing like that?"

"This is all for your sister, Inkie," Rarity added.
"Believe me, as a friend of Pinkie's, the only thing I genuinely want now is for her to return safely to Ponyville and make our days brighter again like she always do. I concur that with your help, we might be able to track her down faster! Wouldn't you want to see your sister back again?"

"Do this for Pinkie," Spike bluntly put it. He would've kept silent if it wasn't for Rarity's nudge.
"Do this for her, and Blinkie as well. Do this not for us, but for your family."

Inkie Pie was unsure of the choices laid out for her: to stay behind and watch the unfolding events from afar, or to head back into the heartland of Equestria and get tangled up in the brewing chaos. She was no fool; she knew the consequences each choice could bring, yet the sight of Pinkie's smile -- a memory she had always cherished -- was too grand of a reward to resist. If only Blinkie were here to join her...
"Seems nostalgia is a temptation you might have to give in to. Sooner or later."

Spike just scratched his head at her response, watching as she hastily climbed up the rickety staircase and disappearing from his view. He just turned to the remaining two unicorns, his puzzlement at her statement prompting him to ask:
"What's she talking about?"

"Oh, Spike..."
Rarity giggled as she clung onto Spike's claw, her eyes sparkling at the gray mare's answer. She couldn't imagine herself, to be given a chance to reunite with a sibling that had disappeared for so long from her life. If she were under the same circumstances as Inkie, she would've done the same thing.

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

"No 'but's, dear," her mother's voice nagged at her.
"You can't just go wandering off! Who knows what would've happened to you if you left our sight!"

"But Mom, Ah'm just gonna look at the television displays! The channel it's on is showing one of m'ah friends--"

"I understand you're eager to see her performance, dear, but we simply do not have the time."

For young mares, the modern scenery of apartments, skyscrapers of Manehatten was the most intriguing if not wondrous place for the opportunity to start a new life and thrive in the prosperous, growing city that some say had replaced Canterlot as the most advanced and fast-progressing city of Equestria. Everypony knew about Manehatten's brilliant, mesmerizing neon billboards and the zooming underground subway trains; just a portion of what a pony from the countryside would call living the luxurious life.
No doubt, she had seen young mares come here to find a place for their future, though she had suspected that most of them turned out to be illegal and lecherous workers in the end. Her mother, fortunately, was an exception; she worked as a real estate dealer that sells apartment rooms, and was always keen on the controversial fact that yes, young mares can find many bright and brilliant opportunities here.

The mare, now a teenager, was never fond of the bright lights, just like her 'cuz'n Applejack' when she was young. Ever since she had been picked on in school, she grew a profound hatred for the city and its ignorant community. Every time they had the chance to go on a vacation, she would make sure to live every moment of it, especially if it's another trip back to Ponyville to have fun with her favorite cousin, Apple Bloom.
They had been keeping in touch: pen pals, just like Princess Celestia and her student, Twilight Sparkle, sending letters back and forth to tell them about their feats. There was one time where Babs was congratulated by Apple Bloom on getting her Cutie Mark: three golden seeds, after helping the school in a little bit of gardening, and she did the same thing when Apple Bloom got hers. It was from the most recent of these exchange of letters that she found out about Sweetie Belle's contest in Canterlot, and though she wanted to see the performance as much as the rest of the Crusaders, her mother, however, had other ideas.

"Remember that we'll have to go to the barber's tomorrow," came her mother's reminder again. Yes, she wanted to leave her mane long just like Applejack and Apple Bloom's, though her parents did tell her it looked uncouth and messy, mostly because she didn't have the time to comb it. Then again, there were some of her friends in school who commented she looked more beautiful with a long mane, and that itself was a good thing already.
"After that, we'll have to make an appointment with the dentist for your cavity--"

"It's still a dental problem!" was the anxious reply.
"But for now, you'll have to visit that psychiatrist of yours."

Babs could only groan at the thought. Ever since her mother decided to sign her up for a little monthly counseling after she fought back a few bullies (they asked for it! Honest!) from some of her friends, she has to spend a mundane hour listening to the droning yapping of this old, senile colt about rectifying her behavior and such. She was never at fault to begin with and, despite protesting in front of all the teachers about it, was still suspended as a result. Her mother did no different by signing her up for this mind-numbing appointment.
Sure enough, they've reached one of the taller apartments in the district, where her mother would give an embarrassing kiss on her forehead before crossing the street to her workplace, leaving her alone standing on the sidewalk. Well, better listen to the old man than the loud traffic, she told herself with a sigh.

Heading through the revolving doors, her throat lurched at the elevator doors opening, beckoning her inside while ponies stepped out from within, glancing down at her curiously as they passed by. With a gulp, Babs slowly trotted into the box, the first beads of sweat crawling down just as she pressed the button for the sixteenth floor, prompting the doors to close shut.
She never told anyone about this except Apple Bloom: she was claustrophobic, and had been so ever since she was locked shut in the bathroom in her previous school overnight by some ponies whom she wished would never want to see again. Elevators were no exception as well, though she had been trying her best to confront it.

Exiting into the hallways, the teenager soon reached the abode of the psychiatrist, to which she knocked on the door. A scurry of hoofsteps from within approached her, before the door opened to reveal a new face. It was a she; a unicorn with mane striped pink and azure, hooves slender almost like Princess Celestia's, with violet eyes sparkling at the prospect of a new visitor.
"Babs... Seed, right?" she asked, to which Babs nodded blankly.
"Come in, come in! I've been expecting you!"

"He's taking a week off, so for now I'll be your psychiatrist."
The mare beckoned her towards the couch, settling herself down as she picked up her clipboard before glancing up at Babs with keen interest. Despite the enthusiasm she was clearly showing, the teenager was a little nervous, wondering if she should be the one treated by a psychiatrist instead of her.

"Uh, miss...?" she spoke up after a minute of constricting silence.
"What's your name?"

"Oh, how silly of me! Forgot to introduce myself!"
Clearing her throat, the mare stood up, smile widening as she spoke:
"The name's Fantasia. Just Fantasia. None of that Miss or Missus stuff that these Manehattan ponies do nowadays. Anyways, cup of tea?"

"No thanks," the teenager replied, shaking her hoof.
"Just... here for the checkup, then Ah'm off."

The checkup was somewhat usual, though with Fantasia's energetic personality, Babs could barely fall asleep, unlike what happened with the other psychiatrist. Adding to that, there weren't any interruptions from the psychiatrist; many of the adults, including her mother, ignored her stories, and for a random stranger she just met minutes ago to be so attentive as she recounted the tales of her standing up against the bullies seemed too good to be true.
"All I could say," Fantasia began after she finished.
"Is that you did the right thing. In fact, I don't even know why your mum bothered to send you here."

"That's what Ah tried to tell her!" Babs retorted.
"But she just... she keeps saying no and no and no, almost as if she knew what happened to me... sometimes, Ah don't understand why all these ponies just do that..."

"They're just afraid of getting tangled into your teenager problems."
The psychiatrist just sighed, glancing out at the fabulous scenery of skyscrapers outside the large glass window. Perhaps she faced something similar before, Babs surmised, or perhaps she was just expressing her disappointment of the relationship between a parent and a child these days.
"The most I could help you is to tell your mother that you don't need to come here anymore," she said, making the teenager widen her eyes in disbelief.
"It's the least I could do, for a brave mare such as you. It takes a lot of courage and heart to stand up for your friends, you know. Even counseling can't teach you that."

Babs nodded earnestly, quickly being served one from Fantasia. Rising from the couch, the older mare strode across the room and to the large glass window, looking down at the busy streets and colossal skyscrapers the city was famed for. It reminded her of her former home not too far, yet the nostalgia of it tingled in her heart, especially at the mention of parent and child. She only had but a few disputes with her parents, and not very major ones either, which goes to show how much they love her. It was still fresh, how her father had always called her by her nickname: Frou-Frou.
Her thoughts were shattered when she spotted, in the distance, a bunch of black figures soaring through the sky, made more evident by the faint whirring. Squinting her eyes, she immediately stifled a gasp, stepping away from the window with mouth gaping and eyes widened in fear.
"Babs," she called for the teenager.
"Get under the table."

Babs quickly did as she was told, confused at the psychiatrist's suddenly harsh reaction. She could only watch Fantasia carefully stepping backwards, though she too soon spotted the shapes in the horizon. As they got closer and closer, she couldn't help but feel her heart sink to the floor, but it skipped back up when the older mare suddenly ran to her, hugging her tight with her head buried in her shoulder.
"F-Fantasia?" she stammered.
"What's the big dea--"

Everything that came next was a blur: loud explosions rang throughout the skies, rendering her ears near-deaf as she could only watch in horror at the abrupt assault. Houses blew up underneath the merciless hail of nukes, smoke pouring out in grandiose clouds from the nestling, ravaging fires within. The glass window even shattered as a bomb struck the floor below them, sending furniture flying across the room and smashing through everything in its path.
Babs just clenched her eyes shut, she and Fantasia cringing underneath the table as the loud explosions rocked the ground, collapsing buildings joining the fray. Fires were already eating away the floor from below, with portions of plaster from the ceiling smashing onto the floor, only forcing them further into the corner.

Eventually, the loud whirring of engines faded away, leaving in its wake a path of destruction. Babs was the first to crawl out from their hiding spot, despite Fantasia's quiet protests, only to be mortified at the hellish sight of a burning Manehatten below her. Everything she knew was now being torn apart by blazing flames, and she could spot some ponies scrambling out of the debris, no doubt horrified as her.
"Mom?!! MOM?!!" she yelled, glancing out of the broken window with tears at the collapsed buildings all around, wanting to hear a response. Fantasia pulled the teenager away from the shattered pane of glass, hugging the sobbing mare as she examined the desolate, distant scene below her in shock, multitudes of siren-wailing trucks bursting through the road with some of the pegasi guards zooming towards the debris.
"M-Mom..." Babs whimpered, to which Fantasia hushed her.

"Your mother will be fine, alright Babs?" the unicorn said, trying her best to repress her own tears.
"S-She'll be fine, alright. She'll be p-perfectly fine... I promise..."

Diprosopus

by WritingSpirit

Lose Thy Soul, Free Thy Binds