//------------------------------// // Postulation // Story: Prevention // by Mind Matter //------------------------------// Twilight’s ears flicked back as she took in their surroundings. The trees were dense, but scraggled; most were already dead and rotted, and the few that weren’t had withered leaves that seemed more likely to catch fire from the sunlight than absorb its energy. She ducked around a particularly sinisterly-hooked branch, the motion shaking the young dragon she’d put on her back. “Are you sure we aren’t there yet?” Spike asked, yawning. “It’s been… two hours, at least.” “One hour and fifty-seven minutes.” Pip said. “Yeah, that.” Broken stopped to swing a glare at the young dragon. “No. Like I said, it’s nearly identical to its surroundings. We might have passed it already. There was a single defining feature of it, apart from the doors and those were hidden anyways, and that feature might not exist yet.” Broken gave a mix of a cough and a laugh as Pip marked another tree, a large portion of the former plant disintegrating into a cloud of grey dust. “Faust, we’ve already passed by a few outposts, though those were just repurposed bear and manticore dens.” “You didn’t mention them before now.” Twilight said. “I didn’t need to. Not sure if they even were. Most of the bases had no idea where the others were; Applejack and I were the only two who knew most of them, and each of us had twenty or so locations that the other didn’t.” Twilight gave the stallion a confused look. “Why would you need to keep secrets like that?” Broken actually stopped walking, turning to stare at the mare as if she’d just asked him why the sun rose. “…I… in case one of us was compromised. Captured.” His mouth drew tight when she didn’t respond. “So that they couldn’t rat everypony out.” “Oh.” Twilight blinked, her eyes softening. “…I’m sorry.” she said quietly. Broken blinked, shook himself, and scoffed. “Nothing to be sorry about. Come on.” The stallion pushed forwards, shoving trees out of his way instead of moving around them. Twilight hurried herself, but slowed slightly when Pip appeared beside her. “Do not worry, Miss Twilight – the base that Broken Shield was stationed at was in a small clearing with a sheer hill towards one side. We have not yet reached it.” Twilight sighed. “I’m not worried about the place, Pipsqueak.” Her eyes shifted towards the sound of wood cracking and several half-shouted curses. Pip turned his head slightly. “You do not need to apologize to him, Miss Twilight. You did not intend for him to become angered, thus you are not culpable for his state.” “He’s not angry, Pip, he’s scared. And scarred…. Do you know how many of those are from, from torture, that he suffered when he was Dawn’s prisoner?” Pip was silent for a few seconds. “If my memory serves correctly, approximately sixty percent. Forty from direct interrogation, twenty from Lady Gaia’s ministrations.” He blinked. “The majority of the rest came from his second apprehension into our custody.” Twilight had to fight both the bile rising in her throat and the desire to violently meet her hoof to her face. “That was rhetorical, Pipsqueak…” “My apologies, Miss Twilight.” The earth pony shook his head. “In point of fact, that estimate may be incorrect. When I think back… there are easily discernable points in my memory that I am unable to recall. Blank spots that are surrounded by clear memories.” His mouth thinned. “To think that I did not notice them before…” “You probably did, and just didn’t realize what they were.” Spike hopped off of Twilight’s back, having to jog to keep up while he moved to poke Pip in the shoulder. “Dawn messed with you. That’s nothing to be ashamed of.” “I am not ashamed of my lack of recognition of these areas, but my lack of relation of them to Miss Twilight. Had she been aware of them sooner, she may have been able to provide me with her aid in a more secure and sound fashion than my actions forced her into. And the information that I’ve lost from them could be greatly beneficial in ensuring that Lady Dawn does not succeed in her tyrannical attempts.” “Pipsqueak, please don’t worry about it.” Twilight leaned so that she could stare the other pony in the eye. “I probably wouldn’t have done any better even if I had known, and there’s really nothing we can do about it now.” When Pip didn’t respond, Twilight pressed on. “How about we focus on what you can remember, then when we find a blank spot, we try to fix it or fill it in with the surrounding information. Even if we’re missing some pieces, your recollections are probably better than Broken’s.” “Yeah. Better to have a chess set with some missing pawns than one that’s been used as a dragon’s teether.” Spike said, panting slightly from keeping up with his longer-legged companions. Twilight re-placed him on her back as Pip slowed, looking almost contemplative. “I… believe that I understand the comparison.” he said, blinking. “Is there anything of particular interest to you at this moment, Miss Twilight?” “Er, a few things to start…” Twilight took in a breath. “Why was Dawn an alicorn?” Pip took several seconds to reply. “I… believe that it was due to the idea that it would be easier for the common pony to follow an alicorn during the transition from a diarchy to a democracy, as well as that the Draconians and the Gryphonians would be more willing to deal with an alicorn than a ‘common stock’ pony.” He shook his head rapidly, as if to get water out of his mane. “I recall her speaking to Rarity and Rainbow Dash about it, although I cannot recall the specific words used.” “Do you know what she did? To become an alicorn again?” “I do not. She performed the required actions between Luna’s death and the assault on Canterlot, but I was…” Pip blinked. “My apologies, Miss Twilight. I do not recall anything between Luna’s death and a point several days before the assault, at which time Lady Dawn had already returned to alicorndom.” Twilight sighed. “Don’t worry about it, Pip, we can get that one later. Do you know how Dawn moved the sun and moon after she killed Celestia and Luna?” “Yes, Miss Twilight.” Pip’s reply was quicker for this topic. “Lady Dawn, to the best of my knowledge, utilized the magic of many of the former nobility, as part of their punishments for their actions against the common pony, to power a continuous spell that regulated the movement of the moon.” “And the sun?” “No, Miss Twilight.” Pip cleared his throat, glancing in the direction of Broken’s cussing. “Lady Dawn stated that, especially in light of the intense magical energy required to move the moon, moving the sun would be incredibly impractical. Instead, she created a spell that would cause the planet to spin at an approximate speed to match the twenty-four-hour day-night cycle, such that it would resemble the sun’s continued movement.” Twilight blinked. “So it was easier to just let the sun sit where it was and move Equestria instead?” “Apparently, Miss Twilight. According to Lady Dawn, the only other option was to place a spell similar to the one between Equestria and the moon, but in reverse.” Both Spike and Twilight gave incredulous looks at the stallion. Spike spoke up first. “Dawn would have made Equestria rotate around the sun?” “The entire planet, in fact.” “Wouldn’t everypony have noticed that they were moving all of a sudden? The tides and clouds would get messed up by that, right, Twilight?” “One would think so…” Twilight’s brow had furrowed, trying to process all of the differences in the world had such a near-blasphemic system been in place. “While I agree that both options sound fairly unrealistic, I can assure you that there was no noticeable difference in the movement of the sun and moon after Celestia’s death.” Pip’s ear tipped. “Were there any other points, Miss Twilight?” Twilight started to shake her head, then blinked. “Was Dawn aware of the timeline spells? What could be done with them, I mean?” “I… believe so, Miss Twilight.” Pip took a breath. “While the modern research into the theory was kept fairly quiet, especially in regards to actual transportation between timelines, Star Swirl’s reason for suicide was relatively well-known. It is likely that the Twilight Sparkle of my timeline was tested for aptitude in regards to timeline viewing during her tutelage under Celestia, but I can assure you that she did not possess any ability herself.” “How can you be so sure?” Pip blinked. “If she had the ability, Miss Twilight, I doubt that she would have employed-“ The stallion seemed to freeze, cutting off his speech and stopping his step in the same moment. He began moving again within a second, stumbling almost imperceptibly as he adjusted for his bizarre action. “Pip?” Twilight asked. The stallion blinked again, glancing at her. “Yes, Miss Twilight?” “…is everything alright?” “I am… not sure, Miss Twilight.” He shook his head. “I cannot recall the last minute of our discussion.” Twilight quickly moved over to him, motioning for him to lower his head. A quick tap of her horn showed a bright – and rather thin - thread coursing along his brain. Twilight swore rather loudly. “Miss Twilight?” Pip asked, his ears tilting. The mare glanced at him and took a few breaths. “I- ergh. We... might have just put another thread on your mind, Pip. Or activated an old one. Sorry.” “Oh.” Pip blinked, then shrugged. “Do not worry, Miss Twilight. I have lived with them before.” “Yeah, but-“ Twilight cut off with another angry growl, taking another few breaths. “Pip, you said something about why you knew Dawn couldn’t do timeline magic.” “I may well have, Miss Twilight.” The stallion nodded. “But-“ “You said something about employing. Somepony, by how you were saying it.” At this, Pip shifted. A small flex in his neck, a stillness beyond his normal. “I… I may have, Miss Twilight…” “Do you have any idea who you might have been talking about?” Pip swallowed, his breath somewhat strained. Spike tapped Twilight on the shoulder. “I think you’re getting into bad territory, Twi…” The mare stared at Spike before she blinked and shifted her eyes between the dragon and the stallion. She shook herself before tapping Pip on the side of the head. “Pipsqueak? Don’t worry about it. You don’t need to answer if you’re having trouble.” The stallion exhaled in what Twilight could have quantified as a sigh. “Thank you, Mil- Miss Twilight.” “It’s not a problem, Pip.” Twilight gave him a soft smile, which – much to her surprise – he returned. It fell with hers, however, as she felt an idea click. “Pipsqueak, I’m going to ask you a few questions. Tell me if you can’t answer them.” “As you say, Miss Twilight.” “Do you know who Dawn ‘employed’?” “Yes.” “Can you tell me?” “…no.” “Can you tell me who they are if I say their name?” Pip blinked, squinting. “I… do not believe so.” “Are you sure?” “Thinking about that suggestion gave me a headache, Miss Twilight.” “Buck.” Twilight muttered, tapping her hoof to her chin. “Okay, don’t worry about that. New topic. I want you to list off everypony you know of that worked closely with Dawn.” “Miss-“ “Ah-ah!” Twilight held a hoof up. “Don’t think, just do.” “As you say, Miss Twilight…” Pip’s brow was furrowed, but he nonetheless followed her instruction. “There was Sir Spike, Rainbow Dash, Lady Thalia, Lady Gaia, Rarity, Sir Crimson Lash, myself, Pet, President Writ Note, Prime Minister-“ “Hold it!” Twilight put a hoof on the stallion’s snout. “’Pet’?” “Erm, yes, Miss Twilight. I believe that I’ve mentioned her before…” “I haven’t heard about her, though.” Twilight narrowed her eyes. “Who was she?” Pipsqueak tilted his head. “Pet was a mare that Lady Dawn employed as a personal assistant, ostensibly to allow me to better perform my primary duty as First Guard. She typically served in a role similar to a hoofmaiden, although she also aided Lady Dawn in her experiments and was sexually involved with her.” Twilight could feel her cheeks flush, and she heard Spike groan. She shook herself before asking her next question. “What was her name?” “Miss Twilight?” “I’m pretty sure that she wasn’t actually named ‘Pet’. Do you know what her real name was? Can you give me a description of her, what she looked like, acted like, what her cutie mark was?” Pip blinked, several times, and Twilight could see the muscles in his throat tense. She quickly put her hoof on his shoulder, catching his attention to her before his attack could worsen. “Remember, if you can’t answer, that’s okay, Pipsqueak.” “My… apologies, Mi-” An exhale and an inhale. “There is a… a very sharp blank spot… surrounding Pet’s identity. Miss Twilight.” Twilight tilted her ears. “Okay, don’t worry about it, we can-” “The buck’s taking you?” Broken’s voice called a few seconds before the pony himself appeared. He glanced at the ponies (and dragon) with a scowl. “We’ve wasted enough time-“ “Broken, who was ‘Pet’?” Twilight overtalked the stallion. He cut off with a strangled sound, his eye widening slightly before it turned to focus on Pip. “What the buck did you tell her?!?” “Nothing significant, Broken Shield. My memory regarding her seems to have been… censored.” The scarred stallion let out a sigh. “Oh, thank Faust…” “Hey!” Twilight shouted. Both Pip and Broken turned to her. “Who. Was. She?” Pip glanced at Broken. Broken shrugged. “Pet was the… pony, I guess, that Dawn kept around as her personal plaything. Completely broken, heh, worse than Pip, wouldn’t even talk about herself properly; it was ‘Mistress says Pet is this’ or ‘Mistress is mad that you won’t talk to Pet’ or ‘Pet isn’t allowed to do that’… Dawn had taken her and bent her, tortured, until she was entirely dependent on the bitch.” Twilight could hear Spike give a small growl. She squared her gaze on Broken. “Keep going.” “Dawn ‘got’ her around four or five years in. I met her during my second stay in the dungeons, about three years later.” Broken scoffed angrily. “Dawn had sent her down as the ‘hugs and alcohol’ good cop to Cotton Candy’s ‘cut out your ribs and mark a roadmap on your hide’ bad cop.” He licked under his lips, feeling over his dentures with his tongue. “Gaia and Lash replaced her after a few months, but she came to visit every once in a while.” “Do you know what she did?” “Besides act as a living sextoy? She was Dawn’s guinea pig. Every time I met her she looked different. Blue coat, green coat, horn, no horn, wings, no wings…” Broken trailed off. “Her cutie marks had been burned off, but other than the scars everything seemed to be changeable.” “She was an alicorn?” “Unicorn with wings.” Broken corrected, almost casually. “She had wings and a horn, usually, but she was not an alicorn. The wings weren’t even functional half the time, and her magic ability was pitiful the few times it was present.” Twilight glanced at Pip. He swallowed, blinking, but held his tongue. Broken tapped his hoof on his eyepatch, letting out a rough sigh. “The only thing she could do properly, in regards to magic, was the timelines.” “Excuse me?!” Twilight’s eyes bugged out, and both she and Spike were glancing between a stone-faced Broken and a suddenly-breathing Pip. The latter coughed and spoke. “Pet was the pony that enabled Broken Shield’s, and my, transfer across the branches of time, Miss Twilight.” “I got that, Pip, but- Ju-just… what the buck?!” The mare shouted. She could see a red haze in the corner of her eyes. “Neither of you thought she was important enough to tell me about her?!” “In my case, Miss Twilight, you hadn’t asked about her, she was insignificant in the areas of discussion that I was involved in prior to this point, and I seemed to have been disabled from informing you on her status until just now.” Pip glanced at Broken. “Broken Shield, on the other hoof-“ “I was actively avoiding talking about her, I sincerely hoped you didn’t know who she was, and I was more focused on ensuring that you couldn’t hop to another branch over giving you information on the pony that would allow you to do so.” Broken shrugged as Twilight’s glare darkened. “Broken, you know can’t do that.” “Why not? Seems to be a pretty good idea to me.” Broken’s eye spasmed in Pip’s direction. “The less you two know about how to destroy this world, the better.” “I-“ “But, given what I promised Celestia…” Broken sighed. “I’ll tell you when we get to the clearing.” “…and how long will that take?” Twilight asked cautiously. Without taking his eye off of her, Broken’s horn glowed; the path he’d made coming back to them had a tube of magic formed through it, crushing the foliage and leaving a rather flat path to a treeless area not fifty metres away. “Oh would you look at that isn’t that convenient.” The unicorn stallion said, monotone and grinning at Twilight and Spike’s surprise. He twirled rather theatrically, letting his cloak give a small flutter before starting down the newly-cleared path. “Come along, kids.”