//------------------------------// // Polypresent // Story: Prevention // by Mind Matter //------------------------------// Dear Twilight Sparkle, I was displeased to hear about Broken’s lapse so early into his return; I will rearrange his Oath when he awakes to account for any violent intent during use, not just with the magic itself. Also, the revelation of another of his past actions is welcome, if quite disturbing. I shall be sure to inform Dr. Path of this event alongside the regular report. That said, I’m glad to hear that he was able to be stopped quickly, and that it took such a vexatious comment from Pip to push him into the violent mindset once again. I would suggest that you account for Pip’s tendency to ‘rile Broken up’, if I was not sure that you have already done so. I can support your ideas for the reasons of Rarity’s and Pinkie Pie’s support of Dawn; We already know that Rarity was both bribed and coerced using Sweetie Belle, however hypocritically Broken fails to account for the love of a family member as a justification for one’s actions, while Pinkie Pie’s support of Dawn without such coercive elements can be accounted for with Rainbow Dash’s presence, as well as (as Pinkie herself noted, by your account) a warped view on sacrificing some to save others. Rainbow herself is the Element of Loyalty; I cannot imagine her betraying Dawn for anything less than Pinkie’s murder. I wish you well, my faithful student. Princess Celestia Twilight Sparkle, Element of Harmony-Magic, Princess of Ponyville (abdicatio), I had sensed your event whilst in session with a decidedly disagreeable noblepony, but was unable to away to your aid before it vanished (much to My dismay). I am pleased to hear of your conquering the event unaided, irrespective of its semipresence. Should any of these events occur in the future, the knowledge that you gleaned from this victory should hopefully aid you in fully defeating the monstrous construct. Upon this knowledge, I believe that I may have found a cause for the appearance of the events; they share a common link in that Broken Shield is always acting in what you perceive as a threatening manner towards yourself or one of your close allies, though why your mind and magic would choose to enact such fantasies during such dangerous times as Broken Shield’s violent phases is beyond my comprehension. If you wish to avoid these events again, it would be advisable to avoid allowing Broken into threatening situations – or, in My and likely My Sister’s opinion the better option, simply avoid interaction with Broken Shield whatsoever. Please note that I am aware that you will not adhere to this latter recommendation. In response to your questions about Pip, I must inform you that he does not dream, or he does so so sparingly that I cannot detect even the smallest residue of dream-magic in his mind. As such, I cannot aid you in understanding his psyche (and, in response to your inquiry, I would do this only to help Pip as I have done with other such tortured souls – fear not that I would expose him so otherwise). I wish you luck and share your hope to meet a more amiable Pip in the future. Peace and Harmony, Princess Luna Twilight drove her eyes over the letters again before folding them and slipping them into the desk. Both what Celestia and Luna said made sense, Celestia about Rarity and Pinkie, Luna about the events. Twilight still had a sour taste in her mouth, and a small throbbing pain beneath her horn. “You alright, Twi?” Spike asked. She turned her eyes to him, noticing his somewhat worried expression. “I’m fine, Spike. Just… thinking, is all.” “I’m wondering what you were thinking when you left me behind yesterday…” Spike grumbled. Twilight gained a small, wry grin. “Well, I wouldn’t have if you hadn’t set my mane on fire for trying to wake you up so early.” Twilight replied, flicking the few burnt strands that had been hit by the young dragon’s sleepy snort. Spike blushed and grumbled some more, but also began smiling. “Milady?” A voice from behind them. Spike rolled his eyes as he turned; Twilight simply stood, glancing at the stoic stallion. “Yes, Pip?” “There are five ponies walking up to the front of the library, two adults and three foals. Shall I greet them?” Twilight brought her hoof to her head, rubbing at the base of her horn. A thin knocking could be heard, followed several seconds later by two louder thumps. The unicorn quickly left her room and crossed the floor to the library’s entrance. A crop of air whipped past her, and the door was suddenly open, Pip holding it with one hoof and observing the ponies standing on the porch. “Hi, Pip!” A bright voice came from around the door. Pip glanced down. “Hello, Sweetie Belle.” His eyes raised slightly. “Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Applejack, Rarity.” He nodded at each in turn, stepping back to allow them entrance. Applejack watched him warily before turning her eyes to Twilight. “Ah’ve got… questions.” The farmmare said, after a pregnant pause. Apple Bloom groaned and rolled her eyes. “C’mon, sis…” “You don’t know the whole thing’a what went on with him, Apple Bloom. An’ you ain’t gonna know, either.” Applejack sighed. “Twilight, Ah trust you, y’know that, but Pip-“ “-could be incredibly dangerous. I know, Applejack.” Twilight took in a breath. “But this could be huge for him. He needs to be around somepony who isn’t me, and the Crusaders are just about the only ones I know of who know enough about him to get along and aren’t either suspicious of him or ponies that he’s hostile towards. Or Pinkie.” The three adult mares all shuddered. “Getting to interact with ponies who are at least close to his ‘age’, who can show him the kind of life he should have had as a colt, could be very important to his recovery.” “Did Dr. Path send’ya a letter sayin’ all that?” “Nope. Got it from Lost Youth: Healing Traumatized Foals. It’s a rather old tome, but you never know what’s hiding in the past.” Applejack clicked her tongue. “Have y’talked t’Dr. Path at all ‘bout this?” “I sent a letter... but I’m going to be there the entire time, I’ll be watching, with Spike, to make sure that they don’t do anything that could get them hurt more than sticking themselves together with tree sap, or anything that might get out of their control. Pip won’t hurt them, I’ve already directly ordered him to keep them out of harm’s way. I can do it again, if you want.” “No, that’s fine, Twi.” Applejack sighed. “Ah’m just…” “You’re worried about your sister. From what Shining’s said, it’s a perfectly reasonable reaction.” Twilight gave a small smile as the farmmare nodded, then turned to Rarity. “I’m presuming you have the same worries?” “Now now, dear, I know full well that you can handle whatever the Crusaders throw at you, and Sweetie wore me down enough that I’m not going to say that bringing Pip is a bad idea for them.” Twilight’s ears fell. “You think it might be bad for Pip?” “Oh, it’s… you want him to become less dependent on you, move more into being his own pony, yes?” Twilight nodded. “Have you considered Pip’s opinion on this?” “Right now, Pip would do whatever I want him to do. That’s not exactly something I want to keep going.” “Well, yes, but…” Rarity bit her lip. Applejack gave her a soft look. “If y’want, Ah can-“ “No, no, it’s fine…” The white unicorn glanced at the younger ponies present. “Though I’m not sure that you need to hear it, girls.” “Oh, great. They finally remember that we’re here and it’s to shoo us away.” Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “C’mon, Crusaders.” She flicked her eyes at Pip. “That means you, too.” “I cannot until her Ladyship-“ “Pip, do you want to go with them?” Twilight interrupted. Pip blinked. “I believe so, Milady.” “Then go. But I want you to stay near the library, okay?” “As you say, Milady.” Pip nodded. He dutifully followed the trio out the door, shutting it quietly. Applejack moved to the window as Rarity addressed Twilight again. “Frankly, Twilight, I think that he may actually want to be with you, to maintain the relationship that he has with you right now.” “You mean the obsessively protective and sycophantic pseudo-maternal-sexual thing he has going for me? That ‘relationship’?” Twilight tilted her head. “…I never said that it was a healthy relationship…” Rarity muttered. “But yes, that is what I’m referring to.” “I really don’t see how getting him away from that wouldn’t be helping him.” “I didn’t mean- oh, let me just start over. I don’t think that you’re taking Pip’s view into account as much as you should.” Rarity raised a hoof as Twilight moved to speak. “That does not mean that I think you’re doing wrong by him, dear, but from my limited understanding it seems that you’re pushing him in a direction that he might not yet wish to go.” “I’m aware that he doesn’t want to move away from ‘Dawn is perfect and Broken is evil’ and all of that. Dawn has him too programmed-“ “That’s my point, Twilight.” Rarity quietly cut the other unicorn off. “Dawn has him programmed. You must remember, dear, she was the major focus of everything he did for somewhere between eight years and a decade. In that time she was a motherly figure, a protector, a powerful leader… she likely supplanted his actual mother in his mind, especially given his age and the probably-recent deaths of his parents. He sees her as having saved him, saved everypony, from the ‘horrible evils’ of Celestia’s leadership; she’s a hero to him, Twilight, and one that personally interacts with him and allows him to aid her in creating her ‘perfect’ world. He, and I mean Pip himself, not just what he’s been Raised to, might actually, genuinely love Rising Dawn.” Rarity tapped her hoof on the floor. “And now, being told that his entire basis for existence is fundamentally wrong, that the mare who has held him for years is irrevocably evil, even by a pony that he sees as being her equal… “ Twilight brought a hoof to her head. “He’s going to panic. Be extra resistant, dig in and try to hold on to the ideas he’s been raised with. Buck!” She cursed. Rarity gave her a soft smile. “Well, I can say that you have made progress with him; he went out with the Crusaders of his own accord, even if you prompted him somewhat, and I’m sure that there’s been plenty that I haven’t seen. I’m just worried that you may be rushing him a bit.” “I’ve been trying to avoid pushing him too hard, so I did know this, but it’s just… frustrating to hear it out loud, what Dawn probably did to him.” Twilight shook her head. “Spike, could you send another letter to Dr. Path, tell him we really need to book Pip for a meeting as well?” “Got it.” The young dragon nodded, turning and moving to the library desk. Twilight turned back to Rarity, who cleared her throat. “Well, hopefully my next concern will be less awkwardly-spoken…” “What would that be?” Twilight asked. Rarity levelled a gaze at her. “Twilight, I’m sure that you’re aware of the Crusaders’ propensity towards rather (unintentionally) destructive activities in their pursuit of cutie marks. With the addition of a stallion that rivals Big Macintosh in size and strength to their arsenal, do you really think the town is less likely to be damaged in some way?” Rarity wore a wide smile, clearly speaking on this in less-than-serious terms, but behind her eyes there hung a somewhat frantic worry. “They’re doin’ somethin’ with a lamppost.” Applejack added, hastily moving to the door and slipping outside. Rarity and Twilight both perked their ears at the door, but nothing particularly frenetic- or scolding-sounding made it into the library. “Yeah, I can see your point with that. I’m going to be there, though, and I’ve disallowed Pip from letting them get hurt, and Spike can send a letter to the proper authorities if something goes seriously wrong.” Twilight gave a wry grin at this last part, and the mentioned dragon coughed loudly. “I don’t think Celestia would appreciate a letter saying ‘DEAR FAUST THEY GOT INTO PINKIE’S STASH’, Twi.” “Bite your tongue!” Rarity admonished, as Twilight began choking on the air in her mouth. Spike gave her a confused look. “What? I can’t imagine the town would do well if they found one of Pinkie’s ‘Emergency Party Supplies for Super Special Emergencies or Dashie Dates’. Those things can do some damage if you’re not careful.” Rarity blushed, and Twilight began giggling. “Oh, I… Spike, I thought you meant-“ “What?” “Nevermind, Spike, just…” Twilight gave a few more snorts. “…get your bag ready. We’re going soon.” “Alright, Twilight.” Spike gave Rarity an odd look before running to the bedroom. Rarity gave a light glare at the other unicorn, who proceeded to start up laughing again. Rarity sighed. “Well, we seem to have everything squared up about the Crusaders... Oh, when Broken comes back, make sure to bring him to the Boutique. I need a few final points for his cloak.” “You’re still doing that? I kind of thought, after everything that happened…” “Twilight, I may not like the stallion, but he is, technically, a customer. One who has access to a not-insignificant amount of material wealth, if his casually paying a one-hundred-bit bill with three-thousand-bits worth of platinum is any indication.” Twilight nodded, but her brows were furrowed. “I’m not sure you should rely on him, Rarity…” “Oh, I’m not actually expecting payment like he did with Applejack; this is as much from my Element as it is from my own interests.” Rarity tilted her head, one ear flicking towards the door. “But I’ve kept you too long, I think. We had better leave before the Crusaders get bored.” She gave a theatric shudder at the last word. Both mares laughed before they opened the door and stepped outside. “Ready, Crusaders?” “Ready!” “All set!” “I am as prepared as I can be.” “Right!” The young pegasus clapped her hooves together. “Three, two, one, pull!” The three fillies shot forward, each with a rope tied around her barrel on one end and an old, dead tree on the other. Each of them pulled at an angle away from the tree’s fall path; Pip, who held his rope between his teeth, stood directly in its way. His eye stared at the wobbling-yet-solid trunk before flicking to each of the fillies in turn; Apple Bloom was already digging grooves in the earth as she tugged, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo making similar efforts. His gaze shifted again, to the older unicorn watching from a small distance away. She locked his gaze with her own before nodding. Pip took two steps back, drawing the rope taut. He looked to the sides, ensuring that the other three Crusaders were out of the range of debris, before taking another step and giving the rope a sharp tug. There was a wet ripping sound as the ground near the tree erupted, and a mix of cracks with a deep groan beneath as it tipped over. Pip quickly grabbed the three fillies and leapt to one side, as the tree was slowed severely by several ropes of magic. Twilight’s horn glowed as she eased it to the ground, tilting it further away from Pip and the Crusaders until it impacted the ground. She sighed as she released the magic, her ear tilting towards the fillies and their larger compatriot. “Anythin’?” “Nope.” “Nada.” Pip simply blinked. Scootaloo shook herself. “Right, CMC woodsponies is out. How about…” “…you okay up there, Pip?” Sweetie called. The stallion didn’t respond, digging his hoof into the face of the cliff and pushing himself upwards, the rope looped around his barrel connecting him to the three fillies directly below him. The rope also stretched upwards, tied to a rock on a plateau about thirty metres above the base of the cliff. Twilight watched a small distance from the base, watching for slips with horn subtly glowing in anticipation. “You stare any harder at them, your eyes are going to pop out.” Spike mentioned dryly. “I promised Applejack and Rarity that I’d keep an eye on them.” “I don’t think they meant it literally.” When Twilight huffed, he continued. “Seriously, Twilight, the CMC’s done more dangerous stuff than rock climbing. Yeah, you should make sure they don’t fall, but-“ “Spike, think about what you’re saying. You’re advocating that I keep less of a watchful eye on the Crusaders.” Twilight watched as his face changed from mild confusion to dawning horror. “…Faust, you’re right. I’ll help, you keep watch Pip and Apple B-“ “Too late.” Twilight nodded her head to the plateau, where Pip was helping Scootaloo scramble over the edge. The four stood in a group for about half a minute; Twilight could hear the voices, but not distinctly enough to understand them. Scootaloo was pacing and flapping her wings as she spoke; Pip carefully stepped around her to put himself between her and the edge, apparently answering a question she had posed. She stared at him and said something else. Pip shook his head. Scootaloo tilted hers. Sweetie said something, to which Pip replied. The three fillies stared at each other for a few moments before collectively nodding. Two seconds and a small dust cloud later, Pip was standing beside Twilight. “The Crusaders have suggested that we attempt ‘base jumping’ as our next cutie mark attempt, Milady. While I advised against it, they appear set on the activity.” “Told’ya they’ve done more dangerous stuff.” Spike said. Twilight’s eye twitched before she closed both and sighed. “Tell them no, Pip. Nothing that risky.” “As you say-“ “WAAAAAH!” The three on the ground shot their eyes to the cliff just as a small orange pegasus left the edge of the plateau, her two friends staring at her in horror. Twilight’s horn glowed as she gathered magic, her mind racing as she watched the filly fall. Bucking Faust and Celestia’s pinfeathers she’s going to hit the ground die cripple herself can’t stop her quick break her back neck need slow make pillow grow ropes fall In the half-second that it took her mind to run through those thoughts, her eyes had recognized Pip launching towards the cliff, jumping and slamming into a point on the rock wall just as Scootaloo passed it, twisting around and launching himself down towards her, grabbing her and pulling her into his barrel as the leftover momentum spun him around just in time for him to impact the ground spine-first. Scootaloo was sent flying a small distance as Pip’s body splayed, tumbling in the grass but leaving nowhere near the crater her protector had. “Pip!” Twilight bolted towards the stallion. He laid still for a few seconds before coughing and standing, shaking the dirt off of himself and glancing at her. “I am uninjured, Milady.” He coughed, wetly, and spat a not-insignificant amount of blood onto the grass. Both ponies stared at it. Pip coughed again, quietly. “I am mostly uninjured, Milady.” Twilight sighed, turning her attention to the younger pegasus a few yards away. “Are you okay, Scootaloo? Why did you-“ “DID YOU SEE THAT?!?” The filly shrieked, eyes wide and wings buzzing. “Pip was up on the cliff and then he just boom down there and-“ “Scootaloo!” The pegasus cut off. “Are you okay?” “Pff, yeah. Pip caught me, all I got was a scrape or two.” Scootaloo blinked, leaning around Twilight. “You okay, Pip?” “I’m mostly uninjured, Scootaloo. I should be healed soon.” “Good, good... That was so awesome, though! How do you teleport if you aren’t a unicorn?” “I think a better question is why you left the plateau.” Twilight said. Scootaloo stared at her, eyebrows furrowed. “I fell off.” “Pip said you wanted to try base jumping-“ “Yeah, with parachutes and you or Rainbow Dash to catch us if something bu- er, gets messed up. I’m not stupid enough to just jump off a cliff like that.” Twilight gave a relieved sigh. “Good.” “…now can we talk about Pip teleporting?” Scootaloo asked, as the other two Crusaders ran up to the group. “How’d you get down?” Spike asked. “We climbed, duh. How did’ya teleport without magic, Pip?” Apple Bloom echoed her friend’s question. “I do not teleport.” Pip responded. “I simply run very fast.” The three fillies stared at him. “That was you running? You ran down from the plateau?” Scootaloo asked incredulously. “Essentially, yes. The actions that I took to travel down the cliff face are related to my stepping, though applied to the vertical plane rather than the horizontal one.” The three fillies glanced at each other. “That…” “…is…” “AWESOME!” Pip stepped back slightly as the younger ponies rushed him, bouncing around him and chattering excitedly. “Can you show us how to do it?” “Does it hurt more when you hit something?” “Do you see everything in slow motion normally so you can still see everything when you’re moving really fast?” “How long can you run without stopping?” “Can you run fast enough to catch stuff on fire?” “What happens if you trip?” “Do you have to hold your breath when you do it?” “Have you ever run into somepony?” “Can you run upside down, like on ceilings and stuff?” “What happens if you run like that when you’re carrying somepony?” Pip sent a nearly panicked look at Twilight. She slid a barrier between him and the younger ponies, a small grin at the corner of her mouth. “Let him breathe, girls. He’s a little uncomfortable when he gets swarmed.” “Oh, sorry, Pip…” Sweetie said, wincing. Pip shook himself. “Do not worry, Sweetie Belle.” He took a breath. “No, yes, no, I don’t know, no, I fall and roll until I stop, no, yes, no, I don’t know.” “…What?” “You asked me a series of questions. Those were the answers.” Pip blinked, glancing at the sun. “If we are to continue Crusading, I would recommend that we do so closer to Ponyville. The sun’s fall will draw the Everfree’s dark creatures from their slumber.” “It’s not that late, Pip. Hardly even afternoon.” Twilight said. “I’ve been listening to a cockatrice peck its way through the brush fifty metres to the north for the last two minutes.” Pip replied. The group very quickly found themselves heading back to town. “…so I was thinking, if you run like that, and you tug us behind you on my scooter, then we can get a huge buildup of speed, and then you run up a ramp and let go of the rope at the top so we go shooting up into the air, and if we get a bunch of wooden planks we can make wings so that we can glide, and we might get cutie marks for speed or jumping or some other kind of stunt we could do in the air.” Pip levelled a glance at Scootaloo as the group walked down one of the larger Ponyville streets, Spike and Twilight slightly beside and behind the others. “Would such an endeavour truly be an attempt at a cutie mark, or would it be an attempt to experience flight before the development of your wings?” “…it can be both…” the pegasus filly grumbled. “I did not intend to belittle the idea, Scootaloo. Such attempts simply do not appeal to me.” Sweetie’s ears perked at this. “Oh no, that’s right! We forgot to ask what Pip wanted to do!” “You do not need to modify your behaviours to my presence, Swee-“ “No, we do! We’re supposed to be helping you get back to normal!” The young unicorn rounded on Pip, stepping in front of him. “Is there anything in particular that you would like to do, Pip?” The stallion blinked, not speaking for several seconds. “There is… something. A…” He blinked again. “I am oddly unable to explain it, but there is a shop in Ponyville that has stuck in my mind as particularly interesting in its focus. If we were to investigate it, we may come across possibilities for cutie mark acquisition.” Twilight’s brow furrowed, but she simply watched as Sweetie grinned. “Good! Do you remember where it is?” Pip nodded. “If her Ladyship would allow the excursion…” “I’ve got no problem with it, Pip. Lead the way.” “As you say, Milady.” The stallion glanced at the closest street sign. “This way.” The group walked in a sort of silence as they passed through the town square, going down the main road for almost half the town’s width before Pip suddenly veered down an intersection. Several more turns followed, each road narrowing and Pip’s movements becoming slightly more urgent at each crossing, until the group reached one of the smaller trading streets. Pip stalked down the road at an ever-increasing distance from the group; Twilight wasn’t sure if the ponies in the road moved out of the way because of the group or because they took one look at him and didn’t want to risk getting in his way. Just as Twilight was going to call him back, he stopped, his head shooting to the right, the rest of him freezing in place. Twilight followed his gaze. A small shop was nestled in-between two larger buildings, its window displaying a variety of mechanical goods. Above its door hung a simple sign TINKER’S TOYBOX And slightly below Trottingham Parts at Local Prices “Pip wants t’be a tinkerpony?” Apple Bloom rubbed her chin. “Never thought’a small mechanics as a cutie mark…” Pip moved, after a minute of stillness, taking a halting step towards the shop. Twilight approached as well, coming up beside Pip; something was familiar about the sight of the store, and she could have sworn she’d heard Princess Luna talking to Pipsqueak abo- Twilight’s stomach fell through her hooves. In the same moment, the door opened, a small pinto-coated colt stepping out. As he turned, his eyes fell on Celestia’s student and the older stallion, his gaze swapping between them several times. “Hello, Miss Twilight.” Pipsqueak said, his voice light. “Do you need something?"