— Chapter 10 : Reprieve —
As she hid behind a tree, holding her breath, Twilight Sparkle almost wished that this would be it, that the beast would find her. She would end here, in the forest, and she wouldn’t have to continue her existence. Deep down, she felt that while this would be a painful, violent end, it was a cheaper price to pay than answering for her actions.
The thought almost brought her to tears, but the notion vanished when the tree behind her exploded. The beast’s swing made contact, showering her with splinters. It had found her.
Her mind blanked and she lunged blindly right, as hard as she could, hoping she’d pick a direction that held safety. When she landed, she held her breath for just a moment, laying frozen on the ground. When she wasn’t immediately grabbed, she dared to look over her shoulder. It was still there. The beast of a pony, its several over-sized arms swinging in its gait, turned and spotted her. She felt its eyes.
She ran, the beast right on her tail. It reached out, with claw after claw, to yank her and pull her in, to devour her, but branches kept blocking its reach. Twilight dared not look back, and kept running, ignoring the scratches the same branches left on her face.
A hoof snagged on an upturned root, and Twilight was tumbling. She rolled several times, coming to a rest on her side. Immediately the beast was on her. It brought it’s mouth right next to her head and roared, making her insides quake from the volume.
She screamed in terror in return, but for who she didn’t know. She willed herself to teleport away, hoping to be lost on the other side. She saw her vision fill with the familiar light, then darkness, of her teleport spell. Twilight poured herself into her jump, hoping to disappear completely, navigating on the back of her magic.
*crack*
Her jump occurred instantaneously. She reappeared on her hooves. She looked up from her standing place, and paled when she saw her jump took her less than ten yards away. She was still in the beast’s line of sight.
It roared, letting its hunger and irritation be known to the forest, and was upon her again before she could react. It wasted no time lashing out. She felt the sharp claws grab her legs, then her torso, then her neck, dragging her.
Twilight struggled and cried out, more to herself than the beast. She searched her options of escape, but with each passing second her available lifelines were diminishing.
The monster brought Twilight up to eye level, its mouth opening. Her mind spun like a roulette looking for a way to save herself, and landed a spell. It was one of the old ones, from Luna’s book. Basic. Quick. Brutal. Exactly what she needed.
“L-Leave me alone! I don’t want to do this! I never want to hurt again!” Looking up, she saw its mouth descending and knew, despite her hidden wishes, she couldn’t let herself die. Not yet, at least.
“Don’t! Please!”
As the its mouth was closing she screamed, and fired the spell off from the tip of her horn into the mouth of the beast.
For an instant a bright, red light pulsed throughout the forest. A loud whine like steaming water filled the air as the spell blew the beasts’ face apart from the inside out.
The monster wasn’t prepared for its meal to fight back, making no move to shield itself and eating most of the spell. Its head jerked back with a loud crack, beyond an angle Twilight thought it could survive. Blood exploded from the creature. Most of it sizzled and evaporated before it traveled far.
Twilight felt the blast too, and hot magic washed over her face from the close impact. She could feel her face burning, both from the heat and the raw magic pouring from her, and was sure she singed her mane. As the the whine died out, she found herself cackling from the huge discharge of magic. In that moment, her pain barely registered, and Twilight felt what it was like to fight for one’s life, and then survive. Or, so she thought.
She dared open her eyes, and through the beast’s shredded mouth she saw meat, bone and sunlight. She caught a glimpse of what was surely the creatures brain and gagged and giggled simultaneously, in awe of herself.
Twilight was dropped painfully on the ground, and the beast swung blindly through its pain. One of its claws made contact, and Twilight shrieked. She flew past several trees before striking one and landing hard on the ground. Twilight coughed, expecting to spit up blood. Focusing hard to keep her eyes open, she rolled onto her stomach, wincing at the pain, and fought to drag herself away.
Everything hurt. The air was knocked from her lungs, and she was wheezing, trying to fill them. From the burning lines of fire on her back and belly, she could tell the attack was serious. She didn’t know pain could be this intense, and her eyes opened to tears. Through her coughing, she could hear the monster thrashing about.
On second thought, that is pain.
She began to chuckle, but snatched the laugh back down her throat. Her eyes widened. “Rarity,” she whispered to no one. She shook herself, and began to stand.
With her first step, the effect of casting the spell descended upon her. Twilight felt empty, hungry, and exhausted. However, she could still feel her magic running, still buzzing and bubbling inside her. She hadn’t cast since the night she left Ponyville, and its absence was poignantly noted. It felt good. It felt like she was visiting a familiar friend who had been forgotten.
Twilight hated the feeling, and hated herself for enjoying it.
Behind her, the beast continued to writhe around. Twilight could feel the vibrations under her hooves. She moved faster. Her body and brain was screaming for her to quit and just lie where she lay, but she resisted. As the beast tore holes out of the ground and destroyed trees nearby, in rage Twilight Sparkle dragged herself around the trunk of a nearby tree, out of sight.
Twilight collapsed on herself, heaving, still fighting to stay conscious and focused. The buzzing was beginning to be a distraction. She listened to the destruction on the other side of the tree. The fight wasn’t over. Before she could rest, she had to rid herself of her pursuer.
She swallowed hard, and weighed her options. Another jump was out of the question. Besides not having enough strength to cast it, her last jump didn’t take her anywhere. Twilight filed the problem for further research, in case she made it out the forest alive.
I need a distraction.
Twilight reached inside herself and touched her magic, which was vibrating with energy, but she had trouble holding on to it. She pulled at it, hard, and forced it to one point. She molded the spell into something useful. Opening her eyes, a purple unicorn greeted her.
Her doppelganger looked as if she had been drawn by a foal. Twilight laughed— a choked, heaving sort of sound. She couldn’t help but sigh. It would do.
She peeked around the tree, and saw the monster searching for her, apparently done with its pain. It sniffed the air, and snapped its head toward her. Twilight pulled back behind the tree quickly, but she knew the beast saw her. She waited for a beat, then sent her familiar left, into the woods.
The beast nearly tipped over itself as it bolted after the image. Twilight felt its thunderous steps get right on her as it approached the tree. She shut her eyes tight, and held her breath.
Then, the footsteps become quieter and quieter as the monster veered off into the forest, chasing the doppelganger. She held on the spell as long as she could, and then some more, to ensure the beast was as far away as possible. Finally, as she felt the last ounce of her magic fade, she let the spell go. Wherever it was, her familiar was most likely nearly faded due to the range, but now it was certainly gone. Twilight hoped the wild goose chase would lead the beast far astray, as far away from her as it could.
Finally feeling safe, Twilight sunk in on herself. She was in the crook of the roots of some great tree, and it started to feel very comfy. She felt starved for air, and tried to drink it in. The forest began to slowly rock around her. She looked down, and saw streaks of red on her belly. Twilight wanted to panic, but she was too tired. Her eyes closed, and the last thing she remembered was the feeling of rising up, weightlessly. Gently. She smiled. It reminded her of her teacher.
***
Twilight woke as she felt the gentle touch of magic.
Everything hurt. She grimaced, but kept her eyes closed, hoping to drop back into unconsciousness, but a bright light shining through her eyelids held sleep at bay. She turned away from the intrusive light, and snuggled deep into the sheets that wrapped her. She was beginning to drift when the pleasant smell of food arrived at her nose. It smelt like hay, apples, and spices. It reminded Twilight she had a stomach, and that it was empty.
Someone was in the room with her. They said something. She didn’t catch it. Twilight wasn’t sure they were even talking to her, so she ignored it. She snuggled deeper into the sheets and stuffed her hunger down, seeking refuge from the shimmering light, and the deep, thorough pain.
Sheets. So soft. But… But what about the…
...the monster?
The monster!
Twilight bolted up in bed and screamed. Immediately, hooves held her down and covered her mouth, and it only made her scream louder.
“Shush, miss!” urged a voice.
The bright light shone in her alert eyes, and as it quickly faded, Twilight looked up to see an earth pony holding her. He had a brown coat, and even darker brown mane. He was smiling, so much so that Twilight felt nervous, on top of already being confused. Even his eyes were smiling. His collar and tie hung loosely around his neck. Everything about him carried levity. “Please hush, miss. You’ll wake the entire inn.”
Twilight scrunched up her eyes, and reluctantly looked around. Sure enough, she was inside a room, which she assumed was inside the inn he spoke of. The floor, ceiling, and walls were all made out of planks of wood. To her left was a window to darkness, and to her right a door and a nightstand with a lit lamp and the source of the delicious smell, a bowl of soup. In front was another door and a chair and desk. The earth pony, who was now loosening his tie even more, was sitting next to the bed.
A bed! She didn’t expect to sleep in one so soon, if ever again.
A thought bolted through her mind, and she looked frantically all over the room, and then back at him. “The monster—!”
“—is gone,” he responded.
“The forest—!”
“—is where I found you, and I’m glad I did.” He chuckled softly. He walked over to his suitcase and placed his tie inside. “You weren’t pretty in the slightest.”
“Where?” She sat, waiting an answer. This time the pony did not cut her off, but it was all Twilight could say.
He approached the bed again. “This is the Darkwood Inn. You are in the recently settled Darkwood,” he said plainly.
Twilight could tell that, despite his pleasant demeanor, he was studying her thoroughly. She didn’t like being read. She began to speak, but he cut her off again.
“–I know you have questions,” the pony said, “but you’re safe. That’s what matters. You will live to see more days, and to ask more questions. Thanks to me, I might add.”
Twilight held his gaze, then looked down. She shuddered. Her entire torso was covered in bandages. She moved the blankets, and found her legs were wrapped as well. Now that she noticed, it hurt to move anything. Even returning her gaze to the pony hurt her neck. Tears stung her eyes, but she held them with a scowl.
She finally found her voice again. She had many questions, but the one she felt was most important bubbled to the surface first. “Who are you?”
The pony nodded, and replied. “I’m Doctor Whooves. It’s flattering that you ask me my name, but are you sure you remember yours? You took a nasty beating.”
Twilight stared at the pony, trying to get her mouth to work. She couldn’t be herself. She couldn’t be Twilight Sparkle ever again, to anyone. Still, she couldn’t let go of everything at once. Slowly, she replied mechanically, “My name is Velvet. Velvet Shine.”
Her heart ached as she said it.
Velvet, her mother’s first name.
Shine, her father’s last.
Doctor Whooves stared hard at Twilight, who gulped. He remained silent, and showed little emotion. Suddenly he nodded, and laughed. “Of course it is. Well, Miss Velvet, you were involved in a dreadful, vicious attack. A multi-armed monstrosity, one I’ve never seen before, assaulted you, and left you for dead. I watched it all, and collected you after the ordeal. You’re tough, you know. I almost thought I was going to walk up to your corpse. Your familiar looked atrocious, but it was clever.”
“How long have I been out? Has anyone been to see me?” Twilight asked, rapidly firing off questions as she finally came to.
“Not as long as I expected. It’s been over twenty-four hours. You sure put a damper on my travel plans, that’s for sure. I didn’t expect to stop here,” he gestured with his hoof, looking about the room as if outside. “I honestly didn’t even know this village was here until I stumbled upon it. It’s actually quite the lovely little village, even if at times— Please don’t get up now, miss, you’re still injured!”
Twilight had tried to sit up on her legs, but she gasped and collapsed. She felt wooden, like a puppet without a master. She looked dumbly at Doctor Whooves, who laughed again, cheekily. Her face flushed.
“You’ll need about a week’s rest in your condition before you even think about leaving this room. Oh, don’t look like that,” he added after seeing her face fall.
“But you don’t understand!”
“No, you don’t! You’re very hurt, ma’am.”
“I have to leave! I can’t be here!”
“I’m sure the innkeeper is just fine with you staying—”
Twilight was half screaming now. “No, Equestria! I have to—”
“—Just calm down, miss.”
“I have to—!”
“What is wrong with you, Twilight Sparkle?”
Twilight stopped speaking. She looked at the Doctor with wide eyes, mouth agape. She trembled. Doctor Whooves looked at her the way a parent looks at a child when it disappoints them.
Twilight was breathing hard, waiting for his next move, anticipating hers. She felt for the buzz deep inside. Faintly, it was there.
Doctor Whooves was about to speak, when there was a knock at the door. Another earth pony stepped through.
“Why hello there, Doctor. I see my guest has awaken.” A very dark pony stepped into the room. His coat was coal-colored, his mane near silver. He looked older than Doctor Whooves, but his years had made his tone much warmer. While his smile didn’t radiate like the Doctor’s, it was an easy one. “It’s about time, too, I was getting worried.”
The new pony closed the door behind him and approached the bed. He glanced at Twilight and clearly saw something that worried him on her face. He snapped his head back to the Doctor’s. “Is everything alright? I thought I heard raised voices, but I wasn’t sure.”
Doctor Whooves laughed. “You worry too much, sir.”
The pony waived off the comment. He turned towards Twilight, whose eyes were burning holes into the Doctor. “What’s your name, hun?”
“My name is, uh…” Twilight drifted off. She had come too far for this Doctor to reveal her. She was already thumbing through her mental spellbook. Nothing too dangerous. Just… Just in case.
The Doctor gave a sideways look to her, then returned to the new pony. He cleared his throat, and spoke as if introducing royalty. “Her name is Miss Velvet. Miss Velvet Shine.”
Again, within the span of seconds, Twilight was caught off guard. She looked at Doctor Whooves and tried to say or ask something meaningful, but all that was came out was ‘Guh?’
“Ah, Velvet Shine. Nice to meet you! I’m Night Watch.” He stepped up to the bed, and gave a slight bow. “I own this inn. I hope you, and your room, are just fine now.”
Twilight remained silent, staring at the Doctor. Night Watched leaned over and whispered, “I guess she’s not all there yet.” Doctor Whooves nodded in agreement, a smirk on his face. A silent joke that Twilight picked up quite clearly.
“Well that’s alright, deary,” said Night Watch. His voice had a slight growl to it, as gruff as a friendly voice could be. “You can rest here as long as you need.”
Twilight protested. “I can’t stay! I… I don’t have any bits. I can’t pay you.”
“Miss Velvet, if you think I’m going to kick a hurt young mare such as yourself on the streets, you’re crazy. Besides, we’re hardly busy, being a new town and all, so I doubt we’ll even have to kick you out.” He and Doctor Whooves laughed, but Twilight already had a question.
Slowly, she asked “New… town?”
“Village, really,” the Doctor said.
“We’ve only just begun building. There are a few houses, an eatery doubling as a grocer, and city hall. And then, there’s this here inn. We’re looking to become a new spot on the map of Equestria. You’re actually our first customer.” He paused for a second. “Well, occupant.”
With Doctor Whooves’ hooves on her face fresh in her memory, Twilight shot him a dirty look. “‘Wake the whole inn’, huh?”
She wasn’t acknowledged. “I was surprised myself to stumble upon this village—”
“—Town—”
“—Village as I was transporting you. It made my intended trip a whole lot shorter. Well, intended trip to save you. Actual trip, much delays,” said Doctor Whooves.
Twilight sat silently. She was only half-listening to them. She instead focused on the dull, aching streaks across her back. She guessed it was where the beast struck her. Quietly, she asked, “How long will it take to for me to heal?”
Doctor looked at Night Watch for a second, and then back to Twilight. “You’re not going to like the answer. As I said, It would be an entire week before I’d let you out this room, and yet another before I let you back on your journey, and several more before any doctor worth his license would consider you a healthy little unicorn.“
Twilight remained quiet, her eyes stern.
Doctor Whooves rubbed the back of his unkempt mane. “However, feel free to use your magic as crutch. Nice perk of being a unicorn, it is. Cheer up, kid, this won’t be as bad as you think.”
There was more silence from Twilight. Night Watch and Doctor Whooves exchanged glances again. Finally, she spoke.
“Thank you,” she said quietly. She offered no more resistance. She laid down on her side, staring through the door.
The Doctor clamped his mouth shut, and Night Watch looked down, both unsure what to say. Moments passed in silence, until the Doctor coughed.
“Ahem, it’s about time I left. I see that you’ll be fine, Miss Velvet— relatively speaking, I mean— so I must continue on my journey. Night Watch, thanks for being an upstanding chap. I bid you farewell. Good luck with your village.”
As Night Watch stood by her beside, Twilight watched Doctor Whooves bow out, around the door. As it was about shut, Twilight noticed the suitcase still sitting up against the wall
The door nearly closed, Twilight tried to call out. A tiny ‘suitcase’ is all that came out her mouth.
His head popped back in. “Oh, thank you Miss Velvet. Where would I be without it?”
The suitcase glowed shimmering white, and zipped through the door. It happened so fast, Twilight wasn’t so sure she saw it. She glanced at Night Watch curiously, but Night Watch had only been looking at her.
“Toodles,” he said with a wink, and the door closed behind him.
“What a strange stallion,” said Night Watch. “And how dare he call this town a village. It’s only a matter of time before we’re getting a train station.” He glanced back at Twilight who was still agape.
“But, how? What? What! That doesn’t make any sense!”
Night Watch just laughed. “It’s not that serious, Velvet Shine. Just relax, maybe take a sip of that soup, and sleep easy. I’ll see you in the morning.”
He left Twilight alone, opening and shutting the door as gently as he could. With no one to talk to, and nothing to do, she took a sip of the soup, finding it was delicious. Despite its taste, and her hunger, she found she didn’t have an appetite. She forced herself to take another sip, then blew out the lamp and turned to look outside.
***
Hours later, Twilight was still awake. She stared into the darkness. She was tired, and still in pain, but she fought to stay awake. Her mind churned.
A whole week here, she thought. That was simply unacceptable. She didn’t even have a single book. A couple day’s bed rest, sure, but until Twilight was completely confident of how far she was from Canterlot, true rest would escape her. If she was honest with herself, she wouldn’t sleep peacefully until Equestria was behind her. She hoped that, in the morning, she’d find it a lot further away than she was dreading.
All of that may not matter, though, depending on the actions of Doctor Whooves. He knew me. He knew my name, and he just walked away.
Twilight rolled over. On one hoof, she was glad. Twilight didn’t wanted to leave a trail to follow. Every scrap of information, from her name to her appearance, was proof of her travels, proof that could flow back to Canterlot. The Doctor playing along helped her escape immensely.
Escape? I'm... I'm really running away. I'm never going back. Not ever.
She never expected this to happen. Canterlot was her life until recently, as she rarely strayed outside its walls until her move to Ponyville. Even there, she always felt Celestia's watchful, loving eye from the nearby mountaintop.
On the other hoof, Twilight wasn't safe. A handful of ponies knew where she was. One knew her name, and possibly who she was, and where she was from. Worst of all, this pony was walking away. Twilight had no idea where he was going. She shuddered, and wiped the sweat from her forehead.
He could have played nice with me now to run free to Canterlot. He could find my parents.
He could go to Celestia!
He will find her and and tell her what I did! That... That fiend! Why did I do that? I have to, I've got to get up. I should get up, right now. Help my legs with some spell, storm downstairs, and… And… M-Make sure he doesn’t talk and tell them.
Twilight sucked in a huge breath, and exhaled slowly. She couldn't bring herself to cast any magic. Her body was aching. There was no way she was getting out of that bed tonight. Besides, Doctor Whooves didn't know what happened in Ponyville. He didn't know Rarity was in a million pieces in the wind. He didn't know she was on the run. All he knew is she didn't want to be identified.
“I just have to let him go.”
Instantly she recoiled. “‘Let him go?’ Since when do I say things like that?”
She was scared, unsure of what he was up to but mostly of herself. These were thoughts and fears Twilight never expected to have. She needed the comfort of the pursuit of knowledge. She stirred as she trained her mind onto a different aspect of the mysterious Doctor Whooves. Particularly, the light.
Twilight couldn’t believe she was about to ask this, but she couldn’t ignore what was in front of her face. Was that… Magic?
It looked like it. She only caught the end of it as she opened her eyes, but she wasn’t sure what else it could be. The shimmering, swirling light was the signature of any unicorn casting magic. Twilight was aware that earth ponies and pegasi had their own magic, but it didn’t manifest itself visually, at least not in the visible light spectrum. The Doctor’s light was very faint, but it came from his forehead.
It was unlike anything Twilight had ever heard of. Never had Twilight read about earth ponies using unicorn magic, or about mixing magic from any of the pony clans. Celestia had never said anything about it, either in one of her personal lessons or even in passing, ever being remotely possible. Discord could certainly manage it, but Twilight was confident he was still frozen in Canterlot Castle’s garden.
Twilight hit a dead end with her knowledge, so she filed it away for later when she had more time and resources.
Her breath caught in her throat at the thought. She had no idea when ‘later’ would be. The three greatest sources of knowledge she knew about would be inaccessible from now on.
She’ll never step hoof in her library again. Her heart out went to her books, whose pages she would never read again. Her favorite books will probably remain unread for decades. She briefly wondered who would become the next librarian.
It went without saying that the castle’s library would also be off limits. She had less attachment to the capitol’s library, as all her special books resided in Golden Oaks, but it did have a wide berth of knowledge, wider than what she could fit inside the treehouse.
The last one hurt the worst. Celestia, and all of her great knowledge, would be forever lost to Twilight. In a past life, when her friends were only the written words in her textbooks, Celestia was a shining light in her life. She was the first pony with more knowledge than what Twilight could get her own hooves on, sometimes even having first-hand accounts of events that piqued Twilight’s interest. Twilight was in constant awe of her as a filly. Truth be told, she was more so as an adult.
Memories flooded Twilight. The first time she met Celestia for private instruction, bringing with her ten pads of parchment, six pens and ink, and her favorite history book, and when Celestia brushed them all aside and began to simply talk to her. The first time Celestia took Twilight to her tower and showed her her personal collection. The first time Celestia nuzzled her with pride of her accomplishments. The times Celestia read Twilight to sleep, wrapped in her wings.Her mentor, one of her oldest and greatest friends. Her princess. Her sister. In some ways, even her moth—
NO! thought Twilight, but her mind was already hooked, and was yanked further down into the dark.
Her mother. Her father. Her brother, and her new sister-in-law she’ll never get to know as an adult. Spike. Her ponyville friends.
Dear Celestia, it’s all over.
She raised her hoof to cover her face, and she was crying.
We were only just beginning. I was just starting too…
She grabbed a pillow and pressed it into her face. No more fangirling over new Daring Doo novels. No more modeling for new clothing lines. No more perfect parties all throughout the week. No more hard work under apple trees, and no more quiet, tranquil afternoons listening to the birds chirp without a care in the world.
It was all gone. Her only solace would be her fragile memories. Her unfinished stories. Their tourniquet history.
But at least they will continue. At least they will still grow without me.
Twilight choked again. She shuddered, and gathered the covers tightly around her as she rolled onto her side. Everything fell away. Celestia, her family, friends, one by one the pillars toppled until the last one loomed above her, impossibly huge and expanding to block out the light.
She was crying for the life she chose to leave behind, and it disgusted her. Twilight chose. She still had the ability to choose, to have a choice, even if it was a hard one, but her new destiny was still hers. She was still on a path, and it wasn’t fair. She was a thief.
Because Rarity has no destiny.
Twilight had snatched it away. She ripped and plied it from Rarity’s soul, leaving nothing but a room painted red and charred black flakes fluttering in the wind.
She cried. She didn’t know how long. The ache went deep. The white lines along her belly burned less than the gult. She cried for Rarity, and she cried for herself.
If Celestia ever finds out… When Celestia finds out… What would she say? Do?
“Thrown in a dungeon in the place you were banished to,” she said quietly to herself. Twilight couldn’t help but chuckle. It was ugly and wet, more a hiccup in the middle of a sob. How could it not be funny, at least a little bit?
Staring her guilt in the face, embracing her sorrow in the dark room, Twilight found out what kind of pony she was, and she hated herself. She hated how she was turning her back on her friends, and her life. There was nothing noble in her quest for self-exile. There would be no closure for anyone, and it was so unfair.
I’m not brave enough. I’m not strong enough to go back there, and answer. Simpy their faces, it’ll destroy me. I… I just can’t.
She moaned, and cooed. “I’m so sorry. I’m sorry, I love you all. I do, I promise. I promise! I just can’t be the better pony. I’m too scared.”
Twilight knew she was alone, and it would be crazy to hear anyone respond, but the silence of the empty room still hurt.
She lay there, in the dark, and allowed herself to drown in her own contempt.