//------------------------------// // Twin Blades // Story: From The Depths // by Pen Stroke //------------------------------// From The Depths By Pen Stroke Preread, Edited, and Reviewed By Illustrious Q, Batty Gloom, El Oso, Alexstrazsa, JustAnotherTimeLord, Hidden Brony ===================================================================== Chapter 6 Twin Blades ==================== “Hold it! Hold it! I think I feel something happening. Yes, I think... wait... oh no! Keep it together, girls! Keep it togeth-ah!” Rarity’s yelp of panic was the final sound before the pyramid of five mares collapsed into a heap on the floor of the ballroom. Guards, who had been watching hopefully, rushed forward to help the mares back to their hooves. Rainbow Dash, however, had no patience for assistance. By the sheer force of her own frustration, she pulled herself free of the pony pile before looking back at her friends. “That’s the fifth time we’ve tried that stupid pyramid, Rarity. It doesn’t work!” “Well, I don’t see you coming up with any bright ideas,” Rarity snapped back. She offered a quick smile and quiet thank you to the guard who had just aided. The moment the polite pleasantry was complete, however, her brow furrowed, and she glared at Rainbow Dash. “And, before you say a word, doing a sonic rainboom in the middle of the castle ballroom is still not a good idea.” “I wasn’t going to say that,” Rainbow Dash argued, glaring at Rarity with her forehooves crossed, hovering just above the ground. “But since you mentioned, yeah, I still think one of my rainbooms would work.” Rarity slapped her hoof against her face. “Oh, of all the thickheaded things.” “Hey, are you saying I have a thick head?” “Oh, no darling, I’d never say that,” Rarity replied with a smile, her voice sweet. A growl then entered her voice, pent up frustration flowing venting like the heat released when opening an oven. “I’m just saying there’s a reason that, when you crash, everything seems to break except your skull!” Dragging her hoof across her face, Applejack turned away from her friends as the argument broke out. Rarity and Rainbow Dash went at it. Fluttershy kept trying to calm the disagreement while Pinkie Pie flip flopped over who she agreed with. It was the same thing that had happen just ten minutes earlier, the first time their frustration had reached a boiling point. “Any of y’all having better luck than we are?” Applejack asked as she approached what had been the refreshment table for the castle’s party. The guards had been picking at it since the search had began, using the snacks to try and keep their energy up. Most of it was gone at this point, but there was more than enough punch left. Applejack poured herself a cup before turning to look at Shining Armor. He was holding his own cold, ice-filled cup against his forehead. “No, all we’ve managed to find are more spell runes,” he answered. He took a drink from his before pressing the cup back against his head. “The detector spell Spike sent has been really helpful. The runes are littered across the castle. Somepony’s been planning this for a long time, but we still haven’t been able to find any clue that could tell us where everypony went. What about you? Have you gotten anything out of the Elements?” “Not even a twinkle. Twilight’s always made it look so easy, but I don’t know if we’ll be able to do this without her and the Element of Magic. We’ve tried standing in every kind of shape Rarity can think of. We’ve tried shouting. We’ve tried singing. I just don’t know what else we can do.” “It’s okay. We knew from the start that getting the Elements of Harmony to work with a piece missing was going to be a long shot.” Shining Armor swigged down the remainder of his punch before tossing the paper cup into the nearby garbage can, which had been pulled in from the kitchen. “We’ve finished checking the west side guest rooms for spell runes. There’s lots of open beds if any of you want to get some sleep.” “Thanks, but I think we’ll be able to go a little bit longer. After all, Rainbow and Rarity still have enough energy to argue.” The small, verbal jab at the situation made Shining crack a smile for a brief moment before his lips fell back into a worried frown. He turned away, returning to the bandstand which had become the nerve center of the search efforts. Applejack lingered by the refreshment table, refilling her cup and taking another deep swig. A bit of punch dribbled from her lips, dripping down to her Element of Honesty. Cursing under her breath, Applejack set down her cup and grabbed a napkin, trying to wipe off the punch before it got sticky. As she tried to clean the necklace, Applejack looked at the Element. The irritating orange, stubborn, refusing-to-work, apple-shaped jewel. That was one thing that had confused her right from the start. Yes, she was orange, but the apples on her cutie mark were red. Why wasn’t her element a red apple or even a green apple? The gem looked more like a tangerine than an honest apple. Some of Applejack’s frustration vented as she let her mind wander and wonder why her jewel was orange, but the jewel also brought back memories. So much had changed since they had first used the unassuming jewels. As crazy as Pinkie Pie was, Twilight was the one that seemed like a magnet for trouble. Ponyville was never quite the same after that brainy unicorn moved into the library. Yet, even with all the trouble Twilight brought in her wake, Applejack wouldn’t have wanted a thing to be different. They had gotten through thick and thin as friends and had become better friends because of it. And that was what mattered. Twilight was their friend, and they’d find their friend even if they had to search every mile of Equestria themselves. It didn’t matter if they never got the Elements of Harmony to light up again. It was then a glint caught Applejack’s eye, a small sparkle that preluded a weak but warm glow. Her jewel of her necklace was lighting up just a little. The metal parts grew warm against her fur. Her element was awakening, and as it did, Applejack smiled while wiping the napkin one final time across the gem’s surface. “Greatest power anypony’s ever known, yet yer as simple as biting into an apple. It ain’t about trying to get ya to work. It’s about finding Twilight,” Applejack said to herself as the glow from the gem grew brighter, as if responding positively to her words. She tossed the used napkin into the trash then walked back to her friends. Rarity and Rainbow Dash were now giving one another the silent treatment. Fluttershy was trying to convince Rainbow to apologize while Pinkie Pie was acting out an apologetic puppet show, trying to inspire Rarity to do the same. Applejack whistled, drawing the attention of the four mares and several of the guards in the room. “Girls, I think I’ve figured it out.” ~~~ Twilight laid on the bed of the disheveled guestroom, resting on her side as she stared into the distance. She looked at the bare wall of the room, where Twin Blades continued to scratch at the stone with her sword. The same wall where the words, including the phrase “Luna Lies,” stared back at Twilight, as if silently mocking her. Her mind was fractured on whether or not to believe the words. On one hoof, it fit with some of the discrepancies she had faced in her original understanding of the situation. On another, she couldn’t think of any creature that could do this much except Discord. Who else could warp reality to such an extent? Who else could make monsters out of ponies she cared about? On still another hoof, there was a chance the words were another part of the game. Discord could be trying to dissuade her from snuffing the final light, to question herself. But on her fourth and final hoof, she could have misunderstood everything from the beginning. After all, when she and her friends first met Discord, she had been so sure the Elements of Harmony had been hidden in the Canterlot Castle maze. But she had been wrong then. Could she be wrong now? There was no way to know what was fact and what was lie. Even physical evidence had to be questioned when you were dealing with Discord, if she was dealing with Discord at all. If she wasn’t dealing with the believed-to-be-reformed spirit of chaos, then there were so many other questions to be asked. If it was someone else, how did they do it? More importantly, why did they do it? She wished she could talk to somepony, to get another opinion on all the thoughts rattling around in her head. She wanted to talk to Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Cadance, her friends, to hear them say it was going to be okay. She also wanted to talk to Twin Blades. If the words scratched into the wall truly belonged to the solar guard, then Twin Blades knew something. In her mind could be a single fact that could help clear up Twilight’s own thoughts. If only she knew a spell. Sure, Twilight knew several charms that were close to the effect she wanted. Her memory spell could make a pony remember who they are, but that’s not what she needed. She needed to know what Twin Blades knew, or at the very least, she needed to be able to view Twin Blades’ memories. She knew no spell for that, and trying to guess at it would put Twin Blades at risk. Twilight needed to do research, but for that she needed a library. The castle had one. Luna had mentioned it, and Twin Blades had scratched the word “Library” into the wall in several places. But Twilight also remembered Luna’s rules. The library and the halls surrounding it was were Princess Celestia’s territory. To go there would be putting herself at risk. She would also be ignoring the single remaining light. If Luna’s words were true, if what Twin Blades had scratched on the wall was just another part of Discord’s game, this could be what Discord wanted. Perhaps he had planned for her to get caught by Cadance or Philomena. Perhaps now he was trying to prevent her from finishing the game as it was intended. But to snuff the final light, when there was a possibility that was the wrong thing to do... Twilight cursed, getting up from the bed. Though she was still mentally exhausted, her body had rested. The aches had eased and wounds had scabbed over completely. She couldn’t fly—her wing was still too injured—but she wouldn’t let that stop her. She didn’t know what the right decision was, and when that happened she needed to trust her instincts. And right now, her instincts were telling her to go to the library, find a spell, and get more information about what was going on. She needed to know more, or risk making an irreparable mistake. ~~~ Inching her head to the side, Twilight peeked around the corner. She cast out her magic, her tiny orb of light floating slowly through the air. She scanned the corridor ahead of her with the illumination spell. There was no sign of Princess Celestia, no sign of the Headless Horse, and no sign of some yet unencountered horror in the dark. That was good, though Twilight didn’t let her guard drop. She had scouted the hallway, and now she had to scout the connecting rooms. She licked her lips as the magic from her horn grew stronger. A rectangular shape, a magically conjured mirror, joined the sphere of light. Twilight then directed the two spells, using them in tandem to check the rooms adjacent to this particular hallway. She opened each door, using the light and mirror spells to check the rooms, working with the same finesse as a dentist with her tools. This had been Twilight’s procedure since departing from the room where Twin Blades remained, still scratching words into the wall. It was a time consuming procedure, but Twilight knew her next encounter with one of the castle’s horrors might be her last. Her escape from Princess Celestia and the Headless Horse had been luck. If her blind teleport had gone even a little bit differently, she could have injured herself and been unable to defend herself. Her extra caution also came from one simple fact. She knew she was treading into dangerous territory. If there was any truth to be taken from Luna’s rules, Princess Celestia’s hunting grounds surrounded the library. That meant that, if the princess got away from the Headless Horse, she’d likely return to her territory. So Twilight knew she had to be cautious but also move with some efficiency. The longer she dawdled, the greater the chance she’d run into Celestia, or the princess might pick up on her scent. She had to keep moving, and for the past several hallways she had just done that. She was being as systematic as possible in her search, mentally mapping her path. She had to be sure she wasn’t going back over places she had already searched. She also had to be sure she could find her way back to Twin Blades. The search for the library and the appropriate memory spell would be pointless if she was unable to get back to that particular room. For all that to work, Twilight had to maintain a detailed map in her mind. She could leave no marks in the path or track her progress with lit candles and torches. No, the castle’s nature prevented that. Once she got too far away, the lights would be snuffed and any marks would be erased. It was so nerve-wracking, like the castle itself was erasing every trace of her existence. Twilight couldn't focus on that mystery, though. She had the plan ahead of her. Find the library, find the spell, see Twin Blades’ memories, and then use that new information to decide if snuffing the final light was truly the right thing to do. And it seemed she had finally accomplished the first step of her plan. At the far end of the corridor, she had been using her light and mirror spell to explore stood a pair of large doors. Her magic had opened those doors, and with the combination of her two charms, Twilight was able to see inside the distant room. She saw shelves filled with books. Without a doubt, Twilight knew a library when she saw it. There was an urge in Twilight just to rush to the library, but she held herself back. She had to stick to her procedure. It had kept her safe so far, and she wasn’t about to abandon it. She rounded the corner, entering the hallway. She pulled shut all the doors she had opened, then returned to the end of the corridor from which she had entered. There she laid down a spell, a trip wire that would make a very unique, unignorable sound if it was triggered. It was her early warning. Yes, she could not know for sure the spell would remain when she went into the library. But so far the castle’s nature of undoing her changes didn’t occur unless she got too far away. A single hallway’s length seemed to be a short enough distance where her spells would remain. She had to hope that would remain true once she went into the library. Otherwise, she would have no warning should some dark horror start following her trail. The setting of the tripwire spell was the last step though. With a small sense of safety, Twilight now turned and trotted to the library doors. She stepped through, eyes quickly scanning for some new nightmare. When she saw none, Twilight promptly turned, shut, and locked the doors behind her. She was in the heart of Celestia’s territory now. For all she knew, she had entered the den of her snake-mouthed mentor. There was no telling when Celestia could return, but a locked door would at least slow her down. Tripwire in place and doors locked, Twilight felt it was safe enough to really take in her new surroundings. The library was an impressive sight. Not as grand as say the Crystal Empire’s or Canterlot’s library, but the sight of bookshelves stretching from the floor to the ceiling was like a warm blanket for Twilight. She was in her element in this place. The library itself, from the perspective of its main entrance, was lopsided. To Twilight’s right was the majority of the shelves, stretching out into clean rows and columns like soldiers of literature. On the left was a reading area. The room was capped with a half-circle wall striped with tall, thin windows. Comfortable chairs and tables, intended for reading, stood surrounding a cold fireplace at the crest of the wall’s half-circle. Twilight approached that fireplace. Lighting a nice, warm fire appealed to her, and a stack of firewood next to the hearth made the opportunity too inviting to resist. She checked the flume, stacked the logs, and ignited a bit of kindling with a spark of magic. A few moments of magical nurturing later and the fireplace crackled and popped with flames. Immediately the warmth washed over Twilight, and she soaked it in as she let her eyes wander. “Doesn’t look like there’s a card catalog,” she muttered, though she was the only one to hear the observation. “It must be a private collection. That’s okay. There’s not that many, and I’m sure they’re organized by subject. I just have to find the books on magic.” Despite Twilight’s attempt to reassure herself, other thoughts swirled in the back of her mind, whispering and clawing at her optimism. The books could easily have no rhyme or reason to their placement. If that was so, she doubted she’d have enough time to check even this relatively small library before something or someone came pounding at the door. Shifting to warm the other side of her body, Twilight turned her head away from the rows of shelves and looked to the fireplace. There was a mantel above the hearth, on which sat a line of what Twilight could only describe as glass cases. Empty wooden stands of varying shapes and sizes stood contained within rectangles of glass. There were no labels to indicate what might have been there, though one of the six display cases was occupied. It held a single scroll, carefully rolled and supported by a pair of Y-shaped wooden poles. Twilight’s vision, however, soon focused on the wall behind the mantel. The ambient light from the fireplace revealed a painting hanging on the wall. The portrait was huge, as wide as the chimney was across and twice as tall as Twilight. The frame looked like it was on the verge of collapse. Its wood was brittle, partially burnt, and pulling apart at the seams. The painting, however, was pristine. The delicate brushstrokes depicted a summertime scene atop a hill. A tall pony posed with wings spread grandly while, in the background, a castle stood amidst a dense forest. White coat, pastel mane, and a gentle, motherly smile Twilight knew all too well. “Princess Celestia,” Twilight whispered, the words escaping her mouth like thieves in the night. She couldn’t help but stare at the painting, baffled by its mere presence. The portrait was too flattering to be part of Discord’s game. Maybe it was an antique, something the castle’s true owner had bought at an auction. It didn’t seem that old, but she had seen some impressively restored artifacts in Canterlot. Through the running confusion in her mind, a smile crawled onto Twilight’s lips. It was really a good portrait. It was helping her remember the real Celestia while burying recent memories. That was the real Celestia, the way she was supposed to be. Whatever this game, whether it was caused by Discord or not, Twilight knew she had to figure this out. For Cadance, for Philomena, and for Princess Celestia. “Don’t worry, Princess. I promise I will figure this out. I just need that—” A cacophony of snaps and thuds, like the rumble of thunder, made Twilight jump. She spun on her hooves. Her eyes first moved to the door. She expected it to be broken down or buckled from the weight of something smashing against its far side. The doors, however, stood tall. Her eyes then scanned the room. She looked for some figure, some beast looming in the dark she had previously missed. All the while she was mentally scolding herself. She had let her guard down for a painting. Who knows what could have crept up behind her while she had been staring at the wall. Yet, there was no evil librarian or creature made of book pages. She was still the only living soul in the library. What she did see, however, was a pile of fallen books next to a splintered shelf. Like the frame of the painting, the wood on the shelves showed their age. One shelf had given up the ghost, snapping under the weight of the books it supported. The timing was unsettling, and Twilight’s eye continued to scan the room for something that could be blamed for the collapse. She began taking tentative steps, eyes and ears shifting back and forth. Almost like she was crossing several dozen streets in quick succession, Twilight formed a rhythm. She took a few steps, looked left and right, and then repeated as she moved towards the collapsed shelf. Every ten steps she stopped to look back at the library’s door, checking to be sure it was still closed. It felt like the books were bait, luring her into some trap, yet everything continued to remain as it was. Twilight reached the fallen books unharmed. She could see the broken shelf and lingering bent nails. She tried to see some sign of foul play. She used a charm to try and detect some kind of magic and looked for some evidence of tampering. Yet, there was nothing. The shelf looked as if it had simply failed from age and a lack of maintenance. And, once more, it was a strange dichotomy. The books were pristine, as if they had been freshly printed, unlike the aged shelves. Time seemed only to ravage the furniture that held such precious knowledge, leaving the wisdom within the book pages unharmed. Without even thinking about it, Twilight began to pick up and stack the books. She couldn't just leave them on the floor after all. She began forming stacks, placing titles that looked like fictions in one pile while organizing the others by subject matter. There was a book on cooking and another on modern weather control concepts. It was as Twilight feared: The library seemed to have no organization. Books of such different topics were just thrown on the shelf next to one another. A book entitled Fine Teas and Coffees of the World was sitting right next to Whispered Songs, a piece of classical fiction. Next to both of those was a spellbook: Spells and Enchantments of the Mind. Twilight paused on that tome, cracking it open. She checked the table of contents, and then quickly turned to a specific page. There, written in fine lettering across the top of the page in question, were the words “Advanced Memory Viewing.” It was the spell she needed, laid out before her in clear and concise instructions. The pony whose memories being viewed had to be willing, and it was not a perfect recollection. You get bits and pieces, mostly blurred visuals and muffled sounds except for the things that the mind had been focused upon. It was relying on the subject’s recollection, not like some other memory spells she had seen which were, in truth, mixed with temporal spells to get a more accurate result. It was not perfect, but it was what she needed. Twilight couldn’t help but smile as she shut the book. She finished quickly stacking the other books into a single tall pile, forgoing her usual orderly tendencies in favor of haste. She then turned and trotted back towards the door, carrying the book in her magic. Twilight left the library, pausing only momentarily to ensure the hallway beyond was safe before slipping outside. It was a rapid departure, one that had been watched by a pair of keen, unblinking eyes. ~~~ Retracing her steps flawlessly, it did not take long for Twilight to return to the room where Twin Blades sat, still scratching at the wall with her sword. The Solar Guard had etched a few more words into the stone and was now working on the third letter to a new one. It was the one difference Twin Blades had compared to the other mindless sleepwalkers in the castle. The others performed acts ad nauseum without yielding any result. Twin Blades was, somehow, being productive. She was trying to get a message out. And now, Twilight felt she had a way of receiving that message was. She prepared the spell quickly. First, she shoved the bedrooms dresser across the door. To perform the spell would involve her entering a hypnotic state. She didn’t want anything intruding into the room when she couldn’t defend herself. Second, she had to position herself. She had to sit back to back with Twin Blades, a thankfully easy step since Twin Blades was facing her wall etchings. Twilight borrowed a pillow off the bed and got comfortable, using the books guidelines to position herself at an ideal distance away from Twin Blades. The third step involved casting preparatory spells. A tether between her mind and her own body, so she would not get lost in the memories and be unable to return. Then, a tether between herself and Twin Blades, which would act like a conduit between their two minds. After that, only one thing remained. Twilight had to project her consciousness out of her body. It was, to a degree, like the astral projection spell she had learned from Luna. Her mind had to leave her body and travel to Twin Blades’ thoughts. Then, if her presence was welcome, she would be able to look into Twin Blades’ memories. If she was rejected, her mind would be driven back into her own body. It was all relatively safe, according to the book. Of course, that was all assuming she got the spell right the first time. Still, Twilight knew she had to at least try. So she took a cleansing breath and shut her eyes. She called on her magic, forming the spell while reciting the book’s mantra in her head. It was part self-hypnosis, part magic, and part just going to sleep. The body rested while the mind wandered. Her mind was a cloud, drifting away from her earthly body but still connected, as if tied together by a string. Her mind could wander to wherever it wanted but would never get lost. She was a leaf of the breeze, being blown from a tree to a nearby pond. From the home she knew to a new place, with its own feelings and nature. Her mind was calm. Her body was sleepy. Her consciousness was slipping away, pouring out of her head like a graceful waterfall. She was stepping into another plane of existence. She was entering a place few ponies had seen with their mind’s eye. The astral plane, where flesh and material things were transparent. There was no moon, no sun, just the calm darkness and the twinkling lights of minds and souls that, together, formed a place with the same beauty as a pristine night sky. The spell began to take effect, a tingling sensation creeping across Twilight’s body. It was a kind of paralysis that occurred naturally when a pony was sleeping. The muscles in her body were turning off. They were relaxing, regenerating, and that was okay. This was what Twilight wanted. Her body was peaceful, calm. Her mind was ready to wander. The door was open; she just had to move through it. There was no stepping. Her consciousness had no hooves. She was a balloon on a string, floating wherever she wanted to. She could go anywhere. She chose to float out the door of her mind. In a blurry shift of colors, like watercolors flowing across a paper canvas, the astral plane came into focus. A field of stars, each one representing the mind and soul of a pony. It was a familiar sensation, like being submerged underwater on a pristine summer night. Twinkling stars, a sea of lights that were beautiful both in appearance and in the lives they represented. But there were differences to the astral projection spell, sensations that were not like the other times she had cast it. For one thing, she felt the magical tethers on her consciousness. It inspired thoughts of her library. The smell of the books. Spike’s smiling face. The simple warmth of having a place to call home. The other tether was pulling on Twilight gently. She could not feel anything from this tether, but knew it was her link to Twin Blades’ mind. She let her consciousness be pulled by that tether, seeing she was being drawn closer to one star in particular. It was a dim star, weak... but it was constant and unwavering. It did not twinkle as other stars did. She would be in Twin Blades’ memories soon. Until then, she let the focus of her consciousness wander. She could see the clusters of lights that represented distant towns and cities. There were a lot of stars above her, though. It was like a city in the sky. Were they near Cloudsdale? Or was Cloudsdale near them? It was hard to say for sure when the city of pegasi could move as easily as a boat on the water. There were also several stars nearby. A few hundred points of light surrounded Twilight’s consciousness. It was hard to judge distance, but she picked up on a feeling of fear as she focused in on the nearby lights. Were these the stars of the ponies trapped in the castle? They seemed too close, yet Twilight could think of no other explanation. Perhaps they appeared closer because of the differences between the memory spell and a standard astral projection charm. The proximity of the other stars, however, wasn’t the only thing out of place. The other stars were tethered. Like the charms Twilight had cast on herself, every other nearby star had a tether connected to it. Some were thin, like spider’s thread. Others were thicker, like kite string or yarn. Yet, no matter the difference in diameter, all the threads had some commonality. They were all the same color, a steely gray, and they were all connected at the same point. One star in particular was the linchpin. That one light twinkled a great deal, like it was a candle struggling to stay lit in the face of an unforgiving wind. Even as Twilight’s consciousness was drawn closer and closer to Twin Blades’ mind, she could not take her attention away from that one light. There were a few broken tethers hanging limp from that central light, four in total if Twilight was counting correctly. There was also one tether that was a different color. Instead of gray, one of the lines was purple. Twilight’s eyes began to trace the path of the off-color tether, watching it weave amongst the others before reaching a single star. Twilight’s consciousness began to enter Twin Blades’ mind. The astral plane began to fade. But before the spell could complete, Twilight was able to see where the one off-color tether went. The purple line connected her own star to the central one. And, from her own home star, she saw the dangling remains of a steely gray tether that had been broken. ===================================================================== Questions, Comments, Concerns? pen.stroke.pony@gmail.com My Little Pony, Friendship is Magic © Hasbro I do not own the intellectual properties this fan-fiction is based on. =====================================================================