-*-Cain (Diamond Tiara)-*-
I don't know what they say about one's first flight, but I do believe that generally they're referring to a plane trip. Lucky me that my first experience would be from the back of Equestria's greatest flier.
"AAAAAAHHHHHH!!"
Oh right, heights...yeah, me and heights don't get along well. Neither does yelling at the top of one's lungs while going over a hundred miles per hour.
"Would you shut up already! Its hard to fly with you screaming in my ears!"
Easier said than done RD, no wait I'm out of breath. You got lucky this time, mad pony.
I spent most of the flight with my eyes shut tight, not wanting to know how far away the ground was, nor how much time I'd have to relive my life before I went splat. The last few seconds of it wherein RD was kind enough to not demonstrate how she had acquired the nickname 'Rainbow Crash', I opened my eyes and saw to my delight the giant tree that housed Twilight Sparkle.
Which also meant this nightmarish pony-ride was nearly over.
RD touched down just outside the door, smiling as she folded her wings in. "See, that wasn't so bad no-"
I didn't give her a chance to finish as I promptly launched myself onto the ground and cried out, "LAND!! Dear sweet solid land!!", I promptly kissed and hugged the grass beneath me with all my might, promising it that I'd never ever allow that mad pony to take me into the unforgivable, death filled sky.
RD scoffed, and I didn't need to look up to know she was rolling her eyes. "Alright alright I get it, sheesh. Now would you stop making out with the ground? Its kinda freaking me out."
I stopped, smirking at that as I got up. "Heh, that's kinda sad if that's enough to freak you out. Now if you really want to be freaked out, I can fix that..."
RD smirked at that. "Says the kid who was scared of a short hop in the sky."
"If thats your definition of a hop in the sky, I don't want to find out what you consider to be a real flight." I replied, turning my attention away from her towards the library. "So Twilight really got the Princesses to show up for this?"
"Actually, she said Luna was staying in Canterlot to take care of Celestia's duties while she's gone. And Celestia did say that anything involving Discord is worth investigating." Dash's eyes got a bit of a distant look to them, as if recalling something.
"Considering how messed up he made things before we sealed him back up, I can understand why the Princess would be willing to look into this."
That made sense, after all if he could get out once, there was always the possibility that he could do so again. And besides, as a brony watching the show, like every other brony I got but a glimpse of all the trouble the Spirit of Chaos had caused. The fandom had come up with plenty of ideas, ranging from the tame and harmless to the psychotic and savage, of all that he had done while Twilight was busy restoring her friendships.
"Right then...well, after you. No offense, but I'm not in a big rush to meet her royal shininess."
That got RD’s attention. “Hey, are you making fun of Princess Celestia?”
I thought about it for a moment. “Welllll….”
Before I could say anything one way or the other, a bright flash of light, followed by a bang and a shriek from within the library drew our focus. In an instant, RD had forgotten about what I’d called Celestia and was throwing the door open and racing in, looking ready to bash in someone’s face. I quickly followed after her, taking in the scene before me.
And my, what a scene it was.
The library was a mess, with books, quills, and scrolls scattered all over the place. Fluttershy was just peeking her head out from the stairwell when I walked in, surveying the damage, while Rarity was busy using her magic to remove ink that had gotten into her mane. Pinkie Pie's head popped out of a surprisingly neat pile of books which, upon closer inspection, had been turned into a fortress.
And at the center of it all were two ponies. Twilight was busy picking herself off the floor with the help of Spike. She looked rather ragged, and her horn seemed to be on the fritz as tiny sparks of magic popped from it.
Next to her-that left just one pony-was busy straightening out an elegant dress that perfectly matched her eyes.
"I'm sorry Twilight, but I really do think we should wait for her highness to get here." Applejack said as she trotted over to help her friend up. "I know all of you find my behavior and mannerisms today a bit, surprising, but there's no need for you to work yourself to exhaustion trying to fix this."
I just stared. This...this couldn't be Applejack. The pony before me looked as gussied up as Rarity was for formal gatherings, and her good old country accent was gone, replaced by one that wouldn't have sounded out of place in the streets of Manhattan.
RD sighed, her limbs loosening as the tension drained out of her body. "You’re still working on this problem? What's the matter with you Twilight?"
"Uhh… give me a break Rainbow, this isn't as easy as you think it is." Twilight replied, groaning and rubbing her head. "This isn't like what Discord did to all of us last time."
"Twilight dear, I'm as worried about Applejack's behavior as the rest of us, but draining yourself with the Princess on the way isn't going to solve anything." Rarity added, joining AJ as she tried to comfort her friend.
Shaking myself out of my stupor, I cleared my throat. "I don't mean to interrupt… but could someone explain what the heck is going on here?"
Every eye in the room turned to look at me. Pinkie's head popped out of her book fort as a wide smile spread across it. "He's here, he's here!" She quickly bounded out, spilling some of the books and nearly running into Fluttershy as she drew closer.
Twilight smiled as she saw me, before looking to Rainbow Dash. "Well, I'm a bit surprised to see you two here so soon. I take it Cheerilee didn't have any problems with you picking up Diamond Tiara?"
Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to say something, then stopped, looked at me, and slapped her face. "Oh horse apples... be right back!"
She sped back out the door, heading off in the direction of the school, leaving everypony staring at the spot she had been floating. Twilight smacked a hoof to her face. "Tell me she didn't just take you from the school..."
I chuckled. "Yes and no...its a bit of a story. I can explain when she gets back." My attention was then drawn back to the pink form that was bounding happily in front of me.
"Now, is there a reason Pinkie Pie is so bouncy today, besides being Pinkie Pie?" I gave her an odd look as she stopped in front of me, peering at me from just about every direction imaginable, and a few that weren't.
"Oh don't mind her, she's just excited about this whole story surrounding you." Rarity said as she gently placed a hoof on Pinkie's back to stop the bouncing. It worked, but then Rarity started bouncing in place instead.
Twilight rolled her eyes, half in amusement and half in irritation. "I told you Rarity, it’s not a story. I fully and honestly believe what Cain has told me, and I know what I saw wasn't some sort of freaky dream!"
"And I understand that. But I wasn't there to witness it, and you have to admit, it is a big stretch to accept that Diamond Tiara is 'possessed' by an alien spirit."
"I resent that notion, I'm not possessing her. Not by any choice of mine anyways..." I muttered, attempting to glare at myself and failing miserably.
Twilight nodded. "I don't think possession is the right word Rarity. Regardless, I do believe what he says, even if I still have many questions for him." She sent a glance my way, and it wasn't hard to get the gist of the look.
If I had any hope of getting everypony on my side, honesty would be my ally. Not that I had any intentions of lying, it would serve no purpose here. That didn't mean I was going to simply play the role of open book right then and there.
"And I will answer all of them, in due time. But before we get to any of that, could somepony please explain why AJ is acting like some gussied up Manhattenite?”
“Oh, oh I know that one!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, hopping up and down again as Rarity stepped back in surprise. “Its cause the lines between the universes are blurring, and the AJ from another universe in which she didn’t go back to the farm and stayed with the Oranges in Manehattan is blurring into our AJ, thus making her act like Orangejack but with AJ’s memories! Soon we’ll all start acting strange as our alternate selves merge with our current forms!”
Everypony in the room just stared at Pinkie Pie for a moment, who had finally stopped bouncing and had a wide smile on her face. Then the smile vanished as she put a hoof to her chin and tapped it. “Or is that the plot of that comic-book I read last Tuesday…?”
“As interesting a theory as that is,” Twilight said, attempting to bring some measure of normality to the conversation, “I believe that this has something to do with Discord as well. In fact, with what AJ told me and what I learned about your situation Cain, I believe that the two are linked.”
I frowned at that. "What exactly do you mean? Do you think I had something to do with AJ being… well, this?"
"Of course she doesn't mean that, darling!" AJ butted in before Twilight could speak up. "You see, the other day when you came by to help out at Sweet Apple Acres, I noticed something off about you, but at the time I thought I was just imagining things."
I was about to ask what tipped her off about that, considering that when I thought back on it I hadn't really acted much like Diamond Tiara, but what she said next caught me off guard.
"Right before you left at the end of the day, your eyes changed. Just for a second. For one brief moment, they were the same colors as Discord's eyes. It took a while before I started feeling anything abnormal, but Twilight thinks that Discord left something inside of you when he brought your spirit here to Equestria."
So not only had Discord spirited my consciousness away from my home on Earth, he was using my-err-Diamond Tiara's body as a vessel to sow chaos? If it was someone else, I would have found it funny, but since I was involved, it ticked me off.
It must have shown on my face, because AJ came over and put a hoof on my head as she ruffled my mane. "Oh don't worry about it Cain, its not your fault that this is happening." The others nodded in agreement.
"That doesn't mean I like it..." I muttered to myself, closing my eyes for a moment as my anger intensified. "Ohh... if I ever get my hooves on Discord, I'm going to smash his face in for all this!"
I was going to stomp my hooves on the floor for good measure, but the gasps from the girls and the look of surprise on Twilight's face stopped me. "... What? Too violent?"
"Not at all Dia-Cain. Personally, I share your desire to give that ruffian of a chaos spirit a good thrashing." Rarity replied, her eyes transfixed on me. "Its just that… well, when you said that..."
Pinkie interrupted her as she zoomed over, looking deep into my eyes. "Wow that's a neat trick Cain! I didn't know ya could make your eyes change like that! Do it again!"
Come again? "Wait, are you saying my eyes changed again? Like how AJ saw it?"
All five of them nodded and added sounds of acknowledgement. Which did nothing to help my mood. Even the bubbly presence of Pinkie Pie next to me wasn't soothing my frustrations. "There they go again! Boy, with that scowl and those eyes you look really mean and scary!"
"Hold on a sec..." Twilight said aloud, a contemplative look on her face as she studied my face. "Cain, why don't you try thinking of something happy?"
"Huh? Uh sure..." I wasn't sure where Twilight was going with this, but I took a moment to think of things that might boost my mood: Watching MLP FIM, chatting with friends on Facebook, cool cloudy days…
"Alright, now try thinking of something that makes you angry."
At that I harrumphed, shaking AJ's hoof off my back. "Think? Thinking isn't necessary, I can tell you something that makes me angry." I took a moment to look around at everyone, and then myself, and felt anger beginning to boil within me again.
"Every time I open my eyes, I'm reminded that I'm stuck inside a body that isn't mine, in a world that isn't mine, and for all I know, my family thinks I'm in a coma or dead. Each and every single waking moment is a reminder that I'm not me, that I'm not on Earth with the family I love!!"
I hadn't really raised my voice, but if the looks I was getting were any indication, I looked ready to maul something. Venom dripped with every word I said, and I could see Fluttershy was almost cowering behind the remains of Pinkie's book fort.
I stood there a moment, glaring at everything and everypony in the room. A part of me wanting to keep going, list every single thing that I missed back home and every single thing that had bothered me since I woke up in Diamond Tiara's body.
But I had already let my anger get out of control once today, and I'd vented enough today. So instead, I closed my eyes and took some calming breaths. Slowly, I felt the anger shrink back down to mild annoyance, and with that I opened my eyes and sighed.
"I'm sorry everyone, it’s just… it’s just not easy and I've been holding all of it in..."
I closed my eyes once more and simply continued to breath, trying to keep my anger from regaining any strength. We did NOT need me to end up hitting anypony else or putting a hole in Twilight's library.
Silence reigned over the room, no one saying anything. I for one was thankful for it, as it helped calm me down some more. But it was soon broken, not by someone speaking up, but instead by the soft sound of a pair of wings flapping.
The sound drew closer, and then stopped right in front of me. And then, without any warning or notice, I felt a pair of hooves pulling me forward into a hug, as a soft voice filled my ears.
"There there, you don't need to be sorry… and you don't need to worry anymore. We'll help you out."
I opened my eyes and looked up, finding myself pressed against the body of Fluttershy. Her eyes shined with sympathy and determination as she let her words soak into my head.
That look, the fact that Fluttershy was hugging me, and what she said, was apparently too much for me to take in my current emotional state. My anger vanished, and I felt my heart seize up as my eyes watered. An instant later I had buried my face into Fluttershy's coat, tears streaming down my face.
I couldn't see anything, but as I let everything out I heard the sound of hooves walking over, and I soon felt more bodies pressing in against me, one of them was even nuzzling the back of my head as I let out all the stress, all the pain I had been holding back. All the feelings that I had told myself I couldn't feel at that moment because they wouldn't help my situation one bit.
In the embrace of five of the six characters that had helped make me a happier and better person, I let it all go.
I'm sure it lasted only a minute or two, but it certainly felt longer. Like all good things though, it had to come to an end. And it did so when Rainbow Dash said "Woah, I was only gone a few minutes. What the hay did I miss?"
"A nervous breakdown." I commented dryly, pulling my face away from Fluttershy and trying to clear my eyes. "I think I needed that...thanks girls."
Rarity smiled at me. "Oh dear, there's no need to thank us. I must say though, after that little outburst, I can declare that any doubt about your claims have vanished."
I shrugged, though inwardly a part of me felt a bit better at such information. "Well, that wasn't my intention, but thank you for that Rarity."
Twilight meanwhile, had turned her attention to Rainbow Dash. "So I take it Miss Cheerilee is now aware that Diamond Tiara is here?"
"Yeah yeah, I told her ya’ needed to talk to her about the work she did here last night." Rainbow Dash said, waving Twilight back. "Its no big deal, Miss Cheerilee just said she was glad we'd found her in the first place."
Twilight sighed in relief. "Oh thank Ce-Wait, 'found her'? What do you-"
Before Twilight could say anymore, light began to stream into the room, and everypony turned to watch as a bright, golden orb floated towards the library. It passed through one of the windows, and soon alighted upon the floor, where it shifted into the form of Princess Celestia herself.
Twilight quickly forgot about the question of how exactly Rainbow Dash found me, and instead ran up to her mentor. "Princess Celestia! I'm so glad you were able to come!" She chuckled a bit, running a hoof through her mane. "Though I wasn't expecting you here so soon."
Celestia gave Twilight a gentle nuzzle, gracing the rest of us with a radiant smile. "It is always a pleasure for me to pay you a visit Twilight. And with the nature of your letter, I felt it best to leave the less pressing matters to my sister and some of my court."
“Well, I don’t know whether to be happy to hear that, or worried.” Twilight said, turning back to gesture at me, and then Applejack. “But I’m afraid the problem might be a bit bigger than I first thought.”
“Is that so?” Celestia murmured as she turned to watch us both step forward, her eyes examining us critically as we both fidgeted under her gaze. Its not that I was intimidated by Celestia...I mean sure, she was the ruler of all of Equestria and essentially an immortal for all I knew, but unless this Celestia was secretly one of the other estia’s, I doubted I had anything to worry about.
Besides, not like there was anything worse that she could do to me, given my current situation.
Twilight nodded her head. “I wish it wasn’t Princess, but it seems Diamond Tiara is not the only one who has been affected by Discord.”
“I still find the idea that Discord could be behind any of this to be rather nonsensical…” Rarity muttered aloud. I felt myself rolling my eyes as a hoof smacked into my face.
“Rarity, he’s the king of madness and the lord of insanity. Not making sense is exactly what Discord is best at.”
“This is indeed true, though if what Twilight’s letter told me is true, I am curious as to how you would know this.” Celestia said, and this time I did feel intimidated. It felt like she was using those eyes of hers to stare into my soul. I gulped, but did my best to stand my ground, willing the shaking that was starting to build in my legs to cease.
Thankfully, she turned her attention away from me a moment later and began to ask “But what is this additional problem you have? I’m not sure I understand-” She was interrupted by Pinkie Pie zooming over next to her and giving her an apologetic smile.
“Sorry Princess, but we already did this, so you get the short version. We think Discord’s made Applejack act more like Rarity, right down to the embellished accent!”
“My accent is not embellished…” Rarity pouted, gaining a hug from Pinkie Pie who popped up next to her.
“Of course not! But point being, AJ isn’t acting like herself, and this is way WAY WAY out of the normal for her.” Pinkie declared, rising up on her back hooves and gesturing at just how out of line this was for everyones favorite apple farmer. And promptly falling backwards into a pile of books.
“Um… Pinkie?” Fluttershy asks as she hovers over her friend, who giggles in response, “I think Princess Celestia gets it now.”
Pinkie Pie places a hoof to her chin, looking to the Princess of the Sun who now had a bemused twinkle in her eyes, even if her mouth remained in a passive line. “Okie dokie lokie then, carry on Princess!”
Twilight coughed, bringing the focus of things back onto her. "As Pinkie Pie so eloquently explained...I think...Applejack has also been altered, and I believe Discord is to blame. My attempts to dispel the magic haven't worked, but the spell does feel like the same magic that Discord used to make us all act like mirror opposites of ourselves."
"I see." Celestia said, turning towards Applejack and giving her the same look she had given me but a moment ago. This time however, her horn began to glow softly as magic surrounded it. The same glow surrounded AJ, who began to squirm a bit, eyes closing in discomfort.
"Don't worry Applejack...I am not going to hurt you." Celestia murmured, her focus completely on AJ. Twilight and the others shared a brief look of concern at this, before Twilight walked up and asked,
"Umm...Princess...what exactly are you doing?"
"Testing a theory, you could say." Was her only response as the glow intensified, and with it her eyes narrowed as she whispered "You can't hide in there forever..."
"Who said I'm hiding?"
A gasp rang out from the assembled Ponies, save for myself and Celestia as all attention became focused on Applejack, who had opened her eyes, only now...rather than AJ's warm and welcoming emerald eyes, red and yellow glared out at us as a dark chuckle dripped out of AJ's lips.
"So a part of you did escape… Discord."
The smile that formed on AJ's face was definitively not one from everyone's favorite apple farmer. "Duh, I'd have figured you'd have noticed that by now dear Celestia, you must be losing your touch."He looked at the other girls, eyes full of contempt as he inquired,"Did all of you really think that after having been bested by the elements before, that I wouldn't have a back-up plan? Did none of you really ever bother to look at my statue? Or were you too busy being fawned over as the saviors of Equestria to notice that I was missing a spine on my delightful tail?"
Rarity huffed. "Considering what you did to each of us, I would have been more than happy to see your statue smashed into a fine powder and scattered to the four winds then to ever have it's sight inflicted on me again... but Celestia wouldn't let me."
"I'm afraid as soothing to your psyche as that could have been, it would only have played to Discord's advantage." Celestia replied, her eyes never moving away from her old foe, who was smirking at their exchange. "I can only assume that you're planning on breaking the rest of you free."
Lifting AJ's hoof and giving it a bored look, Discord declared "Oh, at some point, certainly, but I'm in no hurry. If being petrified for over a millennia has taught me anything, it’s that patience does have it’s uses."
Celestia seemed to consider this, and then a smirk of her own crossed her face. "You discovered you couldn't just use one of the bearers connection to the Elements to break yourself free, didn't you."
Now it was Discord's turn to harrumph. "Don't be absurd, I can break the rest of me free whenever I feel like it."
Rainbow Dash flew over and hovered before AJ's face. "Oh yeah, Dissy? Then prove it, so we can kick your sorry flank again!"
Discord glared defiantly at Rainbow Dash. “I don’t have to prove anything to you Traitor Dash.”
RD smirked. “Heh, are silly insults all you got left Discord? I thought you were the king of chaos, surely you could do better than that.”
My mouth curved up in amusement as I watched Rainbow Dash stare Discord down, her expression clearly daring Discord to make good on his word. A munching sound from my right briefly drew my attention to Pinkie Pie, whom was now sitting next to me munching on a bag of popcorn. She mumbled something and held the bag out to me. Shrugging, I took a hooful and turned my head back to contest of wills.
Finally, Discord had AJ sit on her haunches as he crossed her hooves and said "Oh fine, so I can't do it right now. But don't worry, I'll find a way to break free soon enough. And then I'll make sure I can't be beaten again."
"Not if Celestia blasts ya to bits." I said, glancing at Celestia as I asked "You do intend to get that piece of him out of Applejack right? Frankly, one pony acting like someone else is enough for everyone I believe."
Discord stuck AJ's tongue out at me. "Oh my little mistake, do be quiet would you." My response was to glare at him, but he waved it off as he returned to glaring at Celestia. "Miss Sunbutt here isn't foolish enough to try and pluck me from one of her subject's minds. I could turn honest Applejack into nothing more than a thoughtless vegetable if she did that."
"Turn AJ into a vegetable?" Pinkie asked. "That'd be silly. If you turned her into anything, it should be a fruit!"
"I think what Discord means is that he could render Applejack brain-dead." Twilight replied.
Fluttershy glanced between AJ and Celestia, hooves rising to her muzzle. "Oh my, that's not true is it Princess?"
"He could." Celestia nodded, drawing gasps from the girls and a smug grin from Discord. "But only if he was facing me a millenia ago."
She took a step forward as the glow around her horn intensified, soon moving to encompass her whole form as the air began to be filled with magical energy. I could feel it thrumming around me as the light gathering from Celestia became bright enough to cast shadows across the room. I saw the others wincing, but I had diverted my attention to AJ.
To say that I wasn't taking a small amount of perverse pleasure from the look on AJ's face would be an outright lie. Discord's pupils shrunk, and AJ's head was looking about for some sort of possible escape. Purple magic quickly surrounded the windows and doors as Twilight cut off potential escape routes. Rarity, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash surrounded him and were keeping him pinned down, unable to break out.
"I'll do it Celestia! I’ll ruin her mind!"
Celestia shrugged. "I am confident in my abilities to repair any damage you may inflict upon her." With that, her horn flared and light filled the room. I shut my eyes just in time to keep it from trying to blind me, and I heard Discord shout out and then...a soft groan, belonging to Applejack herself.
"Uhhh...mah head...why does it hurt so much-P-Princess Celestia! What are ya doin' here? And why in Ponyville am I dressed like Auntie Orange?"
Before AJ could respond, her friends quickly pounced on her, hugging her and saying how happy they were that she was fine, that she sounded like herself and whatnot. Having already been part of one big group-hug thing today, I wasn't all that interested in watching as I instead turned my attention to Celestia, whose horn was still aglow with magic as she lifted up a small petrified dragon spine.
"Well, that escalated quickly." I said, walking over to her and taking a look at it myself. I found it kind of odd that such a small piece of Discord could pull off all that it had managed, especially if Discord really was behind my being stuck in this pint sized pony. Or maybe there was more going on than meets the eye…
"Yes, it did at that." Celestia said, conjuring up a small pouch and placing the spine inside it before glancing down at me. "Which just leaves your part in all of this to solve."
I felt a tad nervous when I heard her say that. Did she think that maybe I was some thrall of Discord or some sort, and was going to lock me away? I did have to remind myself that this WAS the ruler of the land, and that thus far when it came to dealing with potential threats to her ponies, she took such things seriously.
It must have shown on my face, because she gave me a warm smile in an effort to calm me down. "Do not fear Cain, from what Twilight's letter told me you are but an innocent victim of Discord's games." This did make me feel better...but what she said next didn't. It was something I was not looking forward to.
"But that doesn't mean that I am going to simply help you without some questions being answered."
I sighed, looking over to the girls who were now walking closer to join the two of us. AJ was now looking much more like herself, her hair back in its usual state courtesy of Rarity, and she had removed the dress, though she was still lacking her hat. "Ah'm up to speed on what's going on Princess...though Ah think its all crazy, but then again Ah was just possessed by a piece of that dang varmint Discord, so Ah guess Ah can't say much."
I looked at everypony that was around me, and it looked like it was time for me to spill the beans. To truly tell them everything. I knew that this could potentially backfire horribly, but frankly not telling them would just make my case look bad...not to mention serve no purpose on my part.
"How about I just tell you everything I know, and we'll go from there. It'll be much faster that way, and should answer any questions ya'll have."
Twilight beamed, pulling out a long scroll and a quill. "Certainly! Just give me a sec...Spike where's the ink?"
Spike rolled his eyes, smirking as he said "On your writing desk...where it always is."
"Oh. Right." Twilight muttered as she grabbed it and set it down next to her, dipping her quill and getting ready for my confessions. I shook my head, wondering if she'd be able to keep up with what I was about to drop on all of them.
"Well...here goes nothing..."
-*- Silver Spoon -*-
Silver Spoon spent the trip back to the school house thinking about the events of that day. First Diamond Tiara hit and threatened Scootaloo, now she was hiding herself in a tree to keep away from them. Both of these actions were VERY out of character for Diamond Tiara… well, maybe not the threatening bit, but she never threatened to physically hurt anyone.
That itself scared her more than her best friend running away from herself and the CMC. The way Diamond Tiara had stood there, the look of rage that was blazing in her eyes, even her tone...it was like someone had taken somepony else and placed them in Diamond's body.
At least she had the fortune of not being the only one who was confused by Diamond's actions today. Even Scootaloo, who really hadn't wanted to apologize and had taken some cajoling from Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle to even consider it, was taken aback.
They spent the rest of recess talking near the swings, Silver having decided the other day to try and make amends with Sweetie and Scootaloo.
"I just don't get her! One moment she's miss high and mighty, the next she's trying to be nice, and then she's turning around and hitting me!" Scootaloo shouted as she sat brooding in the swing opposite her.
Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. "Scoots, ya hit her after she tried to help ya up."
"She insulted me before that you know." She replied, before looking over at Silver as she asked "You know her pretty well, right? Has she always been like this? I wouldn't know, we've always tried to avoid Tiara if we could help it."
Silver shook her head. "Actually, she's been acting differently for the last two days, ever since she apologized for that whole newspaper fiasco."
Sweetie looked up from the book she had been reading, eyes wide. "She apologized for that? From what I remember overhearing, it sounded like she didn't want anything to do with you after that."
"She didn't. We hadn't even so much as talked to each other for over a month. We'd had arguments before, but nothing like that." Silver frowned for a moment, as she thought back to that day. "In fact...when I called Apple Bloom a Blank Flank, she told me not to call her that."
"What?!" Sweetie and Scoots asked, looking visibly surprised. They glanced to Apple Bloom, who nodded sagely.
"Eyup, it surprised me too. Ah almost thought she was a different pony for a moment...she certainly hadn't been acting how Ah figured she would when she was at the farm to work."
Apple Bloom then explained how Diamond Tiara had been acting when she came to the farm, what she'd overheard between her and Granny Smith…
"Wow...she does sound like a different pony." Sweetie Belle murmured, looking off in the direction they had gone off to chase DT down. Apple Bloom was glancing that way too, but Scootaloo looked rather uncertain about all this. Whether it was because she doubted DT was wanting to change, or because she thought it was some sort of ploy, Silver didn't know.
What she did know was that hearing that from Sweetie and Apple Bloom made her wonder if something was up with Diamond Tiara. Diamond had never really shown any guilt or remorse at teasing or bullying others, so her wanting to change that didn't exactly make sense. Especially considering her history back in Canterlot…
"Alright my little ponies, recess is over!" Cheerilee called out, getting a bunch of sighs from the various fillies and colts. Silver looked out towards the surrounding fields, wondering if Diamond Tiara was heading back or if she was still hiding out in that tree.
"Well, Ah guess we can try again after school. Maybe she'll have calmed down by then." Apple Bloom said as she got up and made for the school house.
Silver hopped off the swing as Sweetie and Scoots were about to follow them, when Scoot's face suddenly brightened. "Hey, its Rainbow Dash!!"
Indeed, it was Ponyville's best, and laziest, flyer around. Scoots raced after her as Silver and the girls watched Rainbow fly over to Cheerilee, where they struck up a conversation. Curious as to why Rainbow Dash would be visiting the school house, Silver trotted on over with the two crusaders following along.
"...So I'm afraid she may be unavailable for a little while, you know how Twilight can be."They heard her saying as she ruffled Scootaloo's mane, flashing her #1 fan a wide smile before returning her attention to Cheerilee.
"Well, I must say that this is rather sudden...but I suppose it might do Diamond some good to be away from the school for a bit. Which reminds me...Scootaloo, did you apologize to her like I asked?"
"I tried, honest, but she ran off before I could say anything."
Cheerilee sighed. "Well, at least you made the effort. Maybe when Diamond Tiara is done talking with Twilight Sparkle you can try again."
"Wait-What's going on?" Silver Spoon asked, confused as to why Diamond Tiara would need to be talking with Twilight Sparkle during the middle of a school day.
"Oh, well as I was telling Cheers here, Twilight needed to talk to her about the job she did working at the library yesterday. Ya know, part of that whole punishment for the newspaper gig." Rainbow replied quickly, eyes flitting to each of them as she shifted about.
Before anypony could say anything more, she stretched and added "Well, my jobs done, I'll tell Twi you don't have a problem with it, then I've got things to do. See ya kids!"
And with that, she launched herself off into the air, speeding back towards Ponyville.
"Well, come along girls, its time to get class started again." Cheerilee said, turning around and walking back in. Silver Spoon looked at where Rainbow Dash had flown off to, questions forming in her mind as she thought about what Rainbow had said...or more specifically, how she had said it.
"Silver, Apple, what are you two waiting for?"
Silver glanced back at the door, noticing that Sweetie and Scootaloo had started following Cheerilee in, but Apple Bloom was still standing next to Silver, looking at the ground, eyes closed in thought.
"Ah don't know...it's just...didn't none of you notice how Rainbow Dash was acting? Ah hate to think this...but Ah think she was lying."
Scootaloo instantly flared up at that. "Rainbow Dash wouldn't lie!" Sweetie was a bit more practical in her skepticism though.
"Why would Rainbow Dash be lying about that? She doesn't even like Diamond Tiara, and there's nothing Diamond could do to make Rainbow Dash tell a lie...is there?"
"Ah know, Ah just had a feeling something was up. She seemed nervous..." Apple Bloom said, obviously conflicted by what she was thinking.
"I agree with Apple Bloom." Silver declared suddenly, drawing the crusaders attention. "Rainbow Dash was nervous, and she was certainly quick to get out of here before anything else could be said."
Scootaloo rolled her eyes. "Maybe she was just worried she'd be late! She is the head of Ponyville's weather team. And she's always doing something with Pinkie Pie."
"Would Rainbow Dash ever be late meeting with her best friend in the whole wide world of Equestria? And from what I've seen, she never really worries about the weather, not unless its something unexpected from the Everfree." Silver replied evenly. "No, I think something is up...and I'm going to find out!"
The crusaders all gasped as Silver took off running, heading for the road into town. "Silver Spoon! What the hay!" Apple Bloom called out, giving chase, Sweetie and Scootaloo soon following after her.
Silver Spoon didn't try to stop them from following her. She was sure they were just as curious to know what Diamond was up to, but she was also concerned. Something told her that something was going on, and that she needed to know.
She just hoped she wouldn't get into too much trouble for ditching class…
-*- Cain (Diamond Tiara) -*-
"...and that's the gist of things, really." I finished, sipping on a glass of tea that Spike had been nice enough to bring me during the big reveal that I had just thrown upon them all. Surprisingly, they were handling it rather well...in the sense that they weren't getting overly panicky or anything.
Mostly.
"Rainbow Dash, I am positive that there are not any invisible magic camera's following us around now, or ever. I'm not going to spend all day canvassing Ponyville with my anti-invisibility spell."
Was only one of the reactions my news had garnered from the Mane Six, Spike, and Celestia. To make things short though, the rundown was as such:
Celestia seemed...well, like Celestia and was keeping her thoughts to herself. Spike seemed to approve of this, as it meant that he was famous, even if he was considered more of a sidekick. Twilight had noted everything I said down, and had already mentioned that this was proof of Starswhirl’s theory of the Multiverse. Fluttershy surprisingly took it well, after I did elaborate that we bronies didn't see EVERY moment of their lives, though she was a little bothered by the fact that people had seen her not being herself before.
Rarity had fainted at least once, especially after the knowledge that those monstrosities from Suited for Success had been seen by millions. Well, that and the whole 'Tom' thing. AJ was still trying to get over the fact that Discord had taken control of her, so I don't think her head was all there. Pinkie and Rainbow however took it pretty bad.
"S-So that means that when I thought my friends weren't really my friends, and when Discord made me hate laughter..."
"Yes." I had replied, but before I could allow her to break down at this, I had added "But thanks to you, alot of people have smiles on their faces, some who had trouble smiling and laughing, and some who wouldn't even be able to if not for Ponies like you. All of you, in fact."
That had helped calm things down at least. I could see each of them swell with pride and joy knowing that the virtues of the elements they represented were being spread, and not just to the ponies of Equestria.
The only real question left...was Celestia. What did she think of it? All this hinged on Celestia not viewing me as some crazy mad-pony, or secretly some thrall of Discord or some such.
"Well Princess, what do you think?" Twilight asked, turning to her mentor and gazing up at her. "His explanation is the only one I can think of that makes any sense with what he knows."
"It is certainly hard to disprove what he has said." Princess Celestia replied neutrally, but my hopes were already starting to dwindle. One didn't say something like that when one thought one was being honest. "However, I believe I will need something a bit more substantial to ascertain truthfully whether what you say is true."
I cursed under my breath, stomping a hoof on the floor. "Why? What more can I give you to make you believe?"
Celestia looked ready to answer, but Twilight stopped her. "Princess...you aren't thinking of-"
"I am indeed. A Mind Delve is the only way to be absolutely certain, and it may give us answers to more than just the truth of his claims."
That...I did not like the sound of that. Granted, this came from the fact that the stories I'd read involving such usually didn't end well, but also because anything involving minds and magic was just ASKING for something to go wrong.
Twilight seemed to share this sentiment. "But Princess, the Mind Delve is still considered a dangerous spell to use, even for beneficial purposes. The risks of doing damage to the patients mind is seven out of ten!"
"What?!" I shouted, turning to glare angrily at Princess Celestia. "By the gods, what are you thinking?"
Celestia raised a hoof to stop us from going any further. "I understand the possible risks, but I believe they are worth it. As much as I would like to believe you Cain, there is always the possibility this is somehow a ruse by Discord. Doing this will allow me to be absolutely certain that you are not somehow a threat to my subjects. But that is not the only reason I am doing it..."
"You want to check and see if Diamond Tiara is in there." I finished for her, to which she nodded sagely.
"Indeed. Regardless of her past actions, she is still one of my little ponies," She smirked slightly when she said this, and it spread to everyone else in the room. "And so long as I draw breath, it is my duty to protect and help them. Besides, I'll have my greatest student, and dear friend beside me to help ensure nothing goes wrong."
Twilight beamed, gulping down her anxiety as she said "Alright Princess...if you think its the best thing to do, then I'll do everything I can to make sure you and Cain come out of this alright."
"Well, I suppose if my mind isn't the only one at risk..." I mumbled, before looking up to Celestia, a thought coming to mind. "Before we do this though, I want a promise from you Celestia." She inclined her head, and I stood up as tall as I could, boring my own gaze into hers as I said "If something does happen to me, and you don't end up a vegetable in the process, promise me you will find some way to let my family back on Earth know what happened."
She sat back in thought for a moment, no doubt going over whether she could keep the promise. I wasn't an idiot...if she knew there was no way she could tell them, then I would just have to live with that.
"On the honor of my family, I swear that I shall do so." She said, finally looking back to me. Her eyes were enough to tell me that with every fiber of her being, she meant it.
"Good. Right then, so what do we do? Hopefully nothing too complicated or convoluted."
"Oh no, its rather simple actually. I will begin channeling the spell, and then all that is required is a simple tap upon the forehead." Celestia replied, her horn already glowing.
I mused over that a moment. "So wait, does that mean Twilight did a Mind Delve with me the other day when I was freaking out?"
Twilight shook her head. "Not a traditional one at least. I think that was something Discord initiated anyways."
"If you are ready Cain..." Celestia said, horn ablaze with magical energy. I took this moment to ready myself, not quite sure what would happen. Though I knew death was a fact of life, that didn't mean I looked forward to the end of my existence, which with what Twilight had said, was a possibility.
With a steadying breath, I nodded. I took one last chance to gaze upon the ponies who had helped to change my life, the ponies I never thought I'd get to meet.
Here's hoping I'm able to come back and get to know ya'll a bit better. I'm gonna have to have a stern talking to with whatever runs the universe if this ends up being the end.
I felt something press upon my forehead, and then the world spun, and I felt like I had been dropped into a pool of ice cold water. And if that wasn't bad enough, the next feeling I had was one I am not very fond of.
Falling.
The sensation of air rushing past me continued on for what felt like an eternity until finally, I hit something. It was soft, and felt like a pillow. Very warm too, and a tad bright…
Hmm...why do I have a feeling I just landed on-
"Forgive me for disturbing you, but if you wish this to be over with quickly, you must get off my back."
I opened my eyes and saw that my face was indeed laying upon Celestia's backside. I quickly scrambled off, and then, to my utter delight, shouted out,
"I'M ME!!! Oh by the great gods and spirits of the Earth, I'm me!"
Indeed, I did appear to be in my own human body. Dirty blonde hair upon my head, peach colored skin. I was still wearing my clothes from working at Wal-Mart, though thankfully I didn't seem to smell.
I hugged myself in glee, I had missed being me after all. Even the annoying wart on my left hand's index finger was something I had missed.
Celestia was watching me with a bemused expression, but got my attention with a quick cough. "Sorry Princess, its just good to be in one's own body, even if its only cause of the Mind Delve. So, where are we?"
Celestia and I turn to look down what appears to be a hallway...of sorts. There is only a single path, with doorways on the sides every few feet. Around us is a swirling and shifting landscape of distorted colors. Frankly, it was a bit painful to look at.
"We are in a representation of your mind, specifically where you store your memories. It is here that I will be able to determine the validity of your claims to the fullest extent possible. I do not believe that even Discord has the power, or most importantly, the attention to detail, to be able to create a fully fleshed out mind with the life experiences of an adult."
That made a certain amount of sense. Still, I wasn't keen on walking around here for long, the place was giving me the creeps. "Is it supposed to look like this?"
Celestia chuckled. "It is your mind Cain...you can freely shape its appearance to look as you wish."
"Really? Hmm, well then..." After a moment of thought, the world around us dimmed, and was soon replaced by a different hallway, one that could have easily been taken out of any Starfleet ship, circa 24th Century.
What can I say, I'm a nerd.
"So, now that the background isn't making my stomach twist, I guess its time for the royal tour. Please keep your hooves to yourself at all times, and no flash photography."
Celestia raised an eyebrow at my comment, but said nothing as I lead her up to the first doorway. It whooshed open, and a rush of memories flowed out and around us. They were shaped like small balls of light, and within these orbs glimpses of my life could be seen.
This door seemed to contain most of my earliest memories, many of which I had forgotten due to the passage of time. I wasn't sure exactly what to do, but Celestia didn't have this problem. Her horn lit up and she grabbed one of the passing orbs, bringing it closer as it grew into a large portal.
"Oh...I remember that, a family game night. We were playing a board game based off one our favorite shows..."
"I couldn't have guessed." Celestia said, glancing at the design of the hallway around us before watching as my family played the Star Trek Interactive Board game. I couldn't see myself, but then these were my memories, seeing myself in them would have been a problem I'd bet.
She looked through several more, some of which were bright and clear, others which were dull and dim until she poured some magic into them.
"I take it those are the memories I've mostly left by the wayside?"
She nodded. "We all develop new memories each day, and as time passes many of them will fade to obscurity. Even I do not remember the events of every single day of my life. And I have a very long life."
"And yet you don't even look a day over 100." Slipped from my mouth, and I briefly smacked myself for saying something like that. I didn't even know how long Equestrians lived, let alone Alicorns.
She smiled however and said, "Thank you, such words are always nice to hear."
We viewed a few more memories, which included some bad ones that I had mostly moved on from. Such as the night when my dad pushed me and my mom down our porch stairs, giving me a scar on my scalp. Or the time I burned my hand making breakfast for me and my sister because dear ol' dad was passed out in the bathroom after a night of drinking and doping.
"Are such things typical for children in your world?" Celestia asked as we moved away from the door and walked down the hallway, making brief stops to check the other ones.
"Define typical." I said, and at the look she gave me, I shrugged. "I'm serious, Earth is a big place, with alot of people. When you have a population of 7 billion, I think its kind of hard to say what a typical childhood is like...especially when not all parts of the world are in the same situation."
She didn't push any further, likely thanks to the fact that my memories were providing the answers far better. It wasn't just images that were being shown. Thoughts, information, everything was displayed before us. If I saw it and absorbed it, it was here.
We were soon nearing the end of the hall-way, where most of the memories were bright and easy to call upon. Which also happened to be the point where Celestia finally started to see my memories involving MLP FIM.
I will freely admit that having the Princess of the Sun viewing some of these did bring some embarrassment...it shouldn't be too hard for you to figure out what ones were responsible.
"My my...your kind certainly do have interesting imaginations. And you certainly have excellent tastes. Its rather flattering to know that I am considered desirable across space and time."
"Not another word..." I grumbled, my face a brilliant crimson as a smile and grimace fought for dominance upon my face. They eventually settled for a tie as I took to examining my fingernails. Celestia simply giggled, and continued viewing my memories.
As she was finishing, I moved to look at the door at the end of the passage. It wasn't opening when I stepped near it, and it was then that I noticed a control panel next to it. "Odd...wonder what's behind here..." I murmured to myself, tapping it idly and getting an Access Restricted message in response.
"Well, this has indeed been enlightening." Celestia declared, closing the last of the memory doors and drawing near. "I believe I can safely say that what you say is true Cain. I do apologize for not taking your word for it."
"Understandable, I suppose. Now, you wouldn't happen to have any guesses as to what is behind here would you?"
She tilted her head and looked at the door. "I am unsure, but if I was to make a guess, it may be that-"
Before she could finish her sentence, the silence of the hall was pierced with a shrill scream. A scream that belonged to only one person.
"Diamond Tiara!" We both exclaimed, the sound coming from behind the door. I turned and smashed at the controls, but it wouldn't open. A glow from behind me told me that Celestia was planning on going for the old fashioned way of getting in.
I quickly dashed past her and threw myself against the wall as she launched a bright lance of energy at the closed portal. It crackled with magical energy, briefly resisting before being overwhelmed by the raw magical power of Celestia. Buckling, it soon blasted inward, and Celestia rushed in, with me following after.
The room we stepped into resembled that of a theatre, only the rows of seats in front of us were empty. Upon the stage itself however, was none other than Diamond Tiara, who was busy crying into her hooves as a scene played out before her.
"Your daddy may have money, but that doesn't make him important!" A little foal declared to a younger, cutie markless Diamond Tiara. The foal was a butter cream Unicorn with a very fancy mane style, and noble looking clothes. Another unicorn, a dark blue colt, laughed.
"Yeah, and your mother, pfft, well she may work for the Princess, but she isn't anything big. Lots of Ponies work for the Princess, and no one remembers any of them."
"That's not true! My daddy is a very important Pony! Mommy is too!"
They both laughed at this, shaking their heads. The look they gave the younger DT was like that of an adult looking down upon a child.
"Silly filly, that's not true at all. Your daddy might have been able to buy you a place in this school, but here in Canterlot, you’re never going to be anything. Don't be too sad, its not like you can do anything. Being somepony special is something that runs in the blood...something you don't have."
"Well come on, lets go. We got better things to do than hang around nopony like you."
They turned and walked away, laughing all the way. Soon the laughter's tone changed, becoming darker and far more malevolent.
"Ah yes...poor wittle Diamond wiamond. What a horrible thing to say to one so young..guahahaha."
There was something off-putting to that voice, and yet something oddly familiar about it. I wasn't able to focus on it much though, as I could feel my anger boiling at what I had just seen.
"And yet that wasn't all, was it deary. No, that would have shown mercy, and when you’re a nopony, you don't get that luxury now do you."
"S-Stop...p-please...I don't want to see it anymore..." She squeaked out as the Princess and I stalked towards the stage. The voice only laughed.
"And end such a wonderful and delicious performance? I think not. I've not yet been satisfied, perhaps I'll pull up that one where everypony in school ignored you for a week, even the staff."
This caused renewed sobs to come out from Diamond, and I couldn't stand it any longer. "Alright, this has got to end."
"Indeed." Celestia said, rearing back and launching herself into the air, aiming for the stage. Since I lacked wings, I made for the conveniently placed set of stairs nearby.
Celestia beat me to Diamond Tiara, placing herself protectively in front of her while I scooped her up in my arms and started trying to comfort her.
"Oh? What's this? It seems we have some...uninvited guests. Didn't you know this was a private showing?"
"I will not allow you to torment this foal further." Celestia replied evenly, horn aglow as she readied herself for the invisible entity. "If you wish to get to her, you will have to get through me."
"And me." I declared, standing up in support next to the Princess. I wasn't sure what kind of monster would torment someone in such a way, but I was ready to give it a thrashing.
"Well now, that's rather amusing. The Princess I understand...but you? You would defend her? And here I thought you believed that those who are cruel to others, deserve cruelty in turn."
"I...well..." Actually...that was somewhat true. I did tend to believe that to fight cruelty you had to be cruel right back...but I hadn't really had such thoughts recently.
"Besides...I'm the reason she hasn't taken control, and I'm sure you don't want that. Would make it rather hard for us to get back home, wouldn't you say?"
"Us? What in hells name do you mean by that?" I asked, and at first, the only response was mad cackling. When it calmed down, the voice replied,
"Oh...I think you know who I am...your the one who just recently gave me a name after all. I suppose with all that's been going on, it would be easy to forget about little ol' me."
No...there was no way what the voice just said could be possible. That...that was supposed to be part of me, it couldn't have been-
The laughter bellowed out across the room as a form began to emerge from the shadows. It was hard to discern at first, but soon it took on the form of a human. With each step it took towards us, I felt a mixture of horror and amazement.
Finally, it stood before us, mere feet away, and as my eyes looked upon a darker, twisted caricature of myself, I couldn't find anything to say.
"Hello and Welcome, to the home of your neighborhood monster...the one and only..."
"Strife."