//------------------------------// // Chapter 09 – Parents // Story: Fragments of Memories // by Starwin //------------------------------// Fragments of Memories By Starwin Chapter 09 – Parents Madness had finally taken hold of Twilight Dash. Without any control they galloped down the street. Or maybe they were flying since they seemed to be much taller than everypony else. Yet, at the same time it didn’t feel like they were doing anything at all. Not galloping, not flying, just… sitting – perfectly still and completely motionless – while the world raced past. They didn’t know when they had started to gallop. They couldn’t remember trying to fly. And the more they tried to think about it, the less they seemed to know about how they were moving at all. It felt like they had a big, empty hole in their head where all those answers should have been. When they gazed into the emptiness in their mind it felt like the nothingness stared back. The world jumped abruptly. Reflexively their front hooves reached out for support. They felt the touch of cold metal and quickly pulled back. At last they forced their eyes away from the road and looked down. It took them a moment to realize what they were seeing. It took even longer for the realization of what was happening to sink in. They weren’t galloping. They weren’t flying. In fact, they weren’t doing much of anything besides sitting. They were being pulled in a chariot. Hesitantly, they touched the dark blue metal again, making sure it was real. Where was this thing going? Where were they going? Twilight Dash did not have to wait long for the answer. They began to slow as the chariot reached a massive stone bridge. On the other side was a golden gate; closed and locked and guarded. At the moment, there wasn’t much in their head that made sense, but they did know at least one thing; this was wrong. That gate should always be open. There should be dozens of ponies going in and out. Save for them, the ponies that pulled the chariot – which they had just noticed were there – and the guards at the gate, the bridge was deserted. The guardsponies exchanged no words. As the chariot approached the gate was unbarred and pushed open. They passed through with the pegasus guards watching them silently. The moment they were past, Twilight Dash heard the scrape of metal on stone and the loud heavy clunk of the bar falling back into place. However, they hardly had a moment to spare for the gate. The great majesty of Canterlot Castle rose up before them. Somehow, they had forgotten just how beautiful its white marble towers were. Vibrant green grass, with beds of blue and white flowers lined either side of the path leading up to the castle. And high above banners of the sun and moon flapped gently in the breeze, while crystal glass windows glinted like gems under the sun. The chariot came to a stop in front of the main entrance. The ponies that had been pulling them looked at Twilight Dash expectantly, waiting for them to depart. However Twilight Dash didn’t budge. In addition to forgetting the grandeur of the castle, they had also neglected to remember another important detail. They still couldn’t walk very well. Their eyes swept across the castle entrance before them. Nearly two dozen long marble steps lay between them and the massive gate that led into the castle. They would never be able to make that climb, not without tumbling back down. “We could always fly,” suggested Twilight Dash under their breath. They didn’t answer, silently agreeing with themself. There might be no other option but to fly. And honestly, how bad could it be? They didn’t have to go far or fly very high. Twilight Dash was just about to give flying a go when a second set of guards emerged from the main gate. One had a dark gray coat and the other chestnut brown fur, and both were pegasus. The two of them glided gracefully down the steps, carrying something odd between them. It was a sort of flat cushioned platform, like a medical stretcher but wider and more firm. They stopped beside the chariot. “The Princess has sent us to assist you, miss,” said the gray pegasus. “If you are, uh, unable to make the walk.” They felt both embarrassed and ashamed. “No, we’re totally fine,” lied Twilight Dash. They stood abruptly, took one step, and toppled face first out of the chariot with a yelp of surprise. The guards looked down at them with worry. “Maybe we should just let them carry us.” “No way! We can fly! We’ll be fine!” “I think you should listen to yourself,” said the brown pegasus. “You don’t seem like you’re in any condition to walk. We don’t mind carrying you.” “Fine, whatever,” said Twilight Dash in a huff, pushing themself up and trying to brush off some of the dirt. “Oh, don’t be like that. We don’t mean it. Thank you.” “Uh, you're, welcome?” answered the slightly confused guard. The brown coated guard helped Twilight Dash climb onto the carrier before helping hoist them up. It wasn’t the easiest of tasks. Twilight Dash found themself briefly wondering why the Princess had sent pegasus. Magic would have made the whole thing much easier. Even without magic, the guards seemed to do just fine. At first, they thought the guards might have just flown them up, but they chose to take the more traditional route of walking instead. Despite the steps, the carrier stayed mostly level the whole way up. It wasn’t even that bouncy either. The guards carrying them moved with such grace that Twilight Dash felt almost like they might have been on a stationary bed, rather than being carried. The castle seemed oddly empty as they were taken down the main entryway. With its tall vaulted ceilings and extremely wide walkway, they felt somehow small, with no other ponies there. Normally, at this hour, there were dozens and dozens of ponies swarming the halls, conducting official business or waiting to see the Princess. But there was none of that today. Save from a few guards stationed at some of the doors, Twilight Dash hadn’t seen another pony since they had arrived. For a brief moment, they wondered if this was perhaps deliberately done, to give them some privacy. After all, they weren’t exactly ready to show themself off to the world if they didn’t have to. They had also never been carried like this before, riding on a cushioned platform. It was… weird to say the least. But part of them sort of liked it. They could get used to being carried around. Maybe. Twilight Dash felt a jolt of surprise as they saw the large double oaken doors to the throne room. The dark wood doors were closed but something important was completely absent from in front of them. It wasn’t the two pegasus guards standing at either side of the entryway. It wasn’t the deep red carpet against the polished white marble. It was something else completely. “There aren’t any ponies,” whispered Twilight Dash to themself. “Yeah, we can see that.” “No, we mean there aren’t any ponies waiting to see Celestia. We don’t think that’s ever happened, ever! At least, not that we can recall.” The two pegasus on either side of the doors pushed them open with a great effort. Slowly the massive doors moved. When they were halfway apart, Twilight Dash spotted yet another thing they had not been expecting. “Princess Luna?” asked Twilight Dash in surprise. It was the middle of the day, Luna should be fast asleep by now. They glanced around the throne room. It too was uncomfortably empty. Not counting the two guards carrying them, there were only two other guards in the whole room. The court gallery was vacant. Celestia’s throne unoccupied. The guards set them down at the foot of the throne and Twilight Dash crawled off, before managing to stand shakily in front of Luna. They tried to bow, but their legs wouldn’t have any of that, so all they could manage was a tip of their head. “What happened? Where…” began Twilight Dash. However, they hadn’t even gotten through their words before Luna came down off her throne and hugged Twilight Dash in a somewhat awkward embrace. “I am so glad that you decided to come to Canterlot,” said Luna. “I was afraid you would decide to stay in Ponyville, or worse, forget that you should even be here.” At last she released Twilight Dash, who stared at the moon princess like she had just raised the sun. “I apologize,” said Luna hastily, upon seeing the look on their face. She took a small step back and looked away. “I was just… worried for you.” “She is not the only pony worried about your well being,” said a new voice from somewhere behind Luna. Twilight Dash turned their head to see a golden unicorn emerging from a small door that they hadn’t noticed. The pony looked familiar, but they couldn’t place her name. It either began with a D or a W… or maybe an H? “I’m glad that you decided to accept our offer,” said the almost familiar unicorn. “Do you remember who I am?” Twilight Dash shook their head slowly, trying to look apologetic. “I’m Doctor Wild Heart. I came to see you last night, in Ponyville. Do you remember any of that?” This time their head shake was half nod. Her name did sound sort of familiar and she might have been in the library last night. The golden unicorn smiled. “It’s alright,” continued Doctor Heart. “The important thing is that you’re here. I have some ponies waiting to meet with you, if that’s alright.” The golden unicorn held out a hoof towards the door she had entered through. However, Twilight Dash didn’t move towards it. “You do not need to be afraid,” said Luna reassuringly. “No,” said Twilight Dash with a shake of their head. “We, uh, can’t really… you know…” “What we are trying to say is we can’t walk on our own.” “We were getting to that.” “That’s shouldn’t be too much of a problem,” said Doctor Heart with a half smile. She reached out a hoof and tapped their front leg. Much to Twilight Dash’s surprise, their leg moved reflexively, taking a step forward. “Woah! How did you do that!” gasped Twilight Dash in awe. “Well, I saw Spike helping you last time,” explained Doctor Heart. She tapped their other leg and they took another step forward. “I figured I might be able to reproduce the results.” She tapped them again, then again, each time moving Twilight Dash a little more. “That’s pretty neat, but, uh, who is Spike?” asked Twilight Dash. The golden pony frowned. “I think you arrived just in time,” said Doctor Heart, the faintest note of concern creeping into her voice. “I just hope it’s not too late.” She continued to tap their legs, helping Twilight Dash move across the room until they reached the door. “It might be best if you wait here, Luna,” said Doctor Heart. Luna frowned a little but did not argue. Using her magic, Doctor Heart opened the door for them and continued to lead Twilight Dash through it, tapping each leg one at a time. As they moved, the Doctor continued to talk to them, but her questions became… well, boring. She asked about the weather. She droned on about some inane report she had to file. And she told them some long winded story about a rather dull play she had seen. After a very brief moment of polite attentiveness, Twilight Dash found their thoughts starting to drift off. Their answers became little more than ‘yes’ and ‘uh-huh.’ They weren’t really paying too much attention until Doctor Heart turned to look back at them with a sly smile on her face. For some reason, this action made them feel uneasy, but they weren’t sure why. She trotted ahead a little faster, and they had to hurry to keep up with her. At last, she stopped at another door down the hallway. Twilight Dash was panting slightly with the effort it had taken to keep up with the Doctor. “Very good,” complimented Doctor Heart. “Very… what?” asked Twilight Dash in confusion. The unicorn held up her front leg and smiled at them from ten hooves away. It took Twilight Dash another moment to realize what had just transpired. Somewhere, during their walk and talk, the strange unicorn had stopped guiding their movements. In fact, they were pretty sure they had walked most, if not all of the hallway. “We… we did it,” said Twilight Dash in astonishment. “We can walk!” They took a step forward and stumbled, threatening to fall. Doctor Heart’s horn glowed and caught them mid-fall, as if they were held in place by a giant invisible rubber band. “You’ve always been able to walk,” explained Doctor Heart. “But you stop yourselves from doing it properly. I don’t think it’s the only thing. Part of what I want to do, is help you find a balance, a middle ground. Something that neither of you have to focus on, but both of you can accomplish.” “So, you brought us to Canterlot to walk around?” asked Twilight Dash uneasily. “No,” said Doctor Heart she started to shake her head but caught herself. “Well, yes, walking is part of it.” She looked at them seriously. “But that is not the only reason. I’m not going to lie to you. This next step is going to be… difficult for you. You aren’t ready for this. I know you aren’t. But it cannot wait. You, cannot wait.” Doctor Heart put her hoof against the door. They felt suddenly uneasy. Whatever was behind that door was something they weren’t going to enjoy. Something terrible and unpleasant. Something… With a light push, Doctor Heart opened the way and motioned for them to walk through. “Don’t think about trying to walk,” explained Doctor Heart. “Just walk.” They took a step and swayed. Sparkling magic flickered around them, keeping them upright. They took another step, and another and another. The magical aura shimmered with each step, keeping them steady whenever they lost their balance. After a minute or two, they found themself in some kind of waiting room. The walls were very drab and there were no windows to the outside from here. Apart from the door they had entered through, the room had two other doors, one to the left and one to the right. In the center of the room were four couches arranged in a circle with walking space between each. It looked like each seat had enough room for two ponies to sit side-by-side. Doctor Heart led Twilight Dash to one of the couches and helped them get seated. Sitting was much easier than walking. For a brief moment they half expected for the Doctor to sit beside them. However, she sat on the couch next to them instead. Doctor Heart gave Twilight Dash a reassuring smile and then her horn began to glow again. The two doors on either side of the room creaked open. And then, the worst thing Twilight Dash could imagine emerged from either side of the room. They had been looking left first. That had been a mistake. Two unicorns, a mare and a colt, entered from that door and looked directly at them with uncertainty in their eyes. Twilight Dash looked away, trying to hide her face. This wasn’t happening, this wasn’t happening! They had to struggle against the urge to try and escape into the air. Their wings twitched ready to flee. Then they looked to the right and things went from bad, to far, far, worse. Two pegasus, a colt and a mare, were trotting across the room from the far right door. They looked confused and angry. “No, no, no, no,” whimpered Twilight Dash to herself, hiding behind her hooves. This wasn’t happening! This was just a bad dream! Any moment they would wake up, back in their bed in… wherever that place they had a bed was called… and that – whatever his name was that took care of them – would tell them it wasn’t real. The ponies took their seats across from them. They hadn’t woken up. This wasn’t a dream. They couldn’t do this. They couldn’t face these ponies! Not now, not ever! “Breathe and relax,” whispered the golden unicorn beside them. “It will be alright.” “What is this?” demanded the pegasus colt, holding out a hoof towards them. They cringed and curled themself tighter, trying to vanish into the couch. “Is this some kind of sick joke?” His fur was a lightish blue and he had a ruffled mane of rainbow colored hair. Unlike him, the mare sitting at his side had a snow white coat. Atop her head was a curly mane of shimmering silver and hidden behind the long curls across her face were the most beautiful pink eyes. “Sky, calm down,” urged the pale white pegasus with the beautiful eyes. She took hold of his outstretched leg and gently pulled it down. “Please,” said Doctor Heart. “Everypony be calm. I will explain as much as I can, but before I do, perhaps everypony should introduce themselves, as that will help make things much clearer. I’ll go first. “My name is Wild Heart,” said Doctor Heart. “I am a doctor from the Canterlot Magical Emergency Medical Center.” Doctor Heart looked towards the unicorn mare that was sitting closest to her and gestured for her to go next. “Ah, hello, everypony,” said the grayish mare. She had a stripped mane of white and lavender. “My name is Twilight Velvet and this is my husband, Night Light. Oh, wait, was I supposed to let you introduce yourself?” “It’s alright,” said Wild Heart with a nod. “And you are Twilight Sparkle’s parents, correct.” “Oh, oh yes of course,” said Velvet. “I meant to say that, didn’t I say that?” “It’s alright, Velvet, deep breaths,” said Night Light, putting a reassuring hoof around her. The mare seemed to be shaking slightly. Even though she was smiling, there was something forced about her expression. “We are just…” his eyes flicked to Twilight Dash briefly. “We aren’t sure what this is all about or what it has to do with our little girl.” “I know,” answered Wild Heart with a nod. “I will explain in just a moment.” She looked to the two pegasus sitting across from Twilight Dash. “I’m Rainbow Sky,” offered the pegasus gruffly. “And I’m Winter Breeze,” said the mare sitting beside him. “We’re Rainbow Dash’s mom and dad.” “And this…” began Wild Heart, at last turning her attention to them. Twilight Dash felt a sudden rush of terror wash over them as everypony looked in their direction. There was nowhere to hide, no way to escape. “This, is Twilight Dash. They are your daughters. They are Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash fused into one pony.” Twilight’s parents looked slightly confused at this announcement. However, Sky looked almost angry. “The Princess promised I would get to see my daughter!” growled Sky. “Not, not… this thing!” He jabbed a hoof at them. “Sky!” protested Breeze. Even still, she looked at them with apprehension. Oh how Twilight Dash wished they could just disappear. They wanted their magic to work, to take them anyplace that wasn’t here! But not even the slightest magical reaction came to their aid. “They are your daughters,” repeated Wild Heart calmly. “And certainly not some thing.” There was a note of disappointment in her voice. “They survived a terrible accident, which resulted in the two of them merging together into a single pony. “It has been very hard on them,” continued Wild Heart, cutting Sky off before he could speak again. “They have endured a great deal of hardship, and the road ahead will be long and difficult. “They were afraid to even tell you what had happened,” explained Wild Heart. “They weren’t ready to see you and they thought you weren’t ready to see them. But the truth is that when faced with something like this, nopony is ever ready. The longer you wait the worse it will be in the end. Right now they need all the support they can get, from family and from friends.” The room fell silent as Wild Heart stopped talking. Everypony seemed to be considering her words and none of them appeared to know what to say next. Twilight Dash had heard some of it, but mostly she was still trying to figure how to get out of this room. “That’s really our Twilight?” asked Night Light, staring at Twilight Dash uncertainly. “You said you were from the CMEMC,” said Velvet. “Does that mean you are trying to undo the spell that made them like this?” “Not exactly,” said Wild Heart. “But isn’t that what you doctors do?” asked Sky. “Don’t you just magic ponies back to health?” “No,” answered Wild Heart with a shake of her head. “Magic is not a cure all, if it was, why would anypony become a doctor in the first place? The CMEMC exists to help undo accidental magic. But it also exists to help ponies deal with the long term effects of traumatic spells. That is my department, the Traumatic Spell Recovery Division.” “What do you mean you aren’t working to cure our little girl?” asked Night Light. “Many spells can be removed,” explained Wild Heart. “Curses or accidental miscasts. In cases like those, the spell is the problem. However, that is not true with Twilight Dash. For them, the spell is the cure.” “And what would happen if you removed the spell?” asked Velvet quietly. “I… I am not entirely sure,” answered Doctor Heart, somewhat reluctantly. “This particular case is not well documented.” “So they might be completely fine?” asked Winter Breeze. “The possibility of that seems… low,” concluded Doctor Heart. “Then what is the worst that could happen?” demanded Sky. “You haven’t even considered it. I say we give it a try, as soon as… “NO!” shouted Twilight Dash. “No! You’re just like them!” They pushed themself backwards, climbing up and over the couch before tumbling down behind it. These ponies were going to vote. To pick who got to live and who had to die. It was all happening again. Terrible images of the last time they had heard this conversation whirled around in their head. Twilight Dash hugged themself, wishing for all of these ponies to go away, to leave them alone! Perhaps the other ponies had left. For a long while now the room had been completely silent. The only sound was their own uneven breathing. Even still, they did not leave their hiding place and they did not dare open their eyes. “It’s alright,” whispered a soft voice from beside them. “You don’t have to be afraid, no pony is going to harm you.” They curled tighter. There was another lengthy pause before a different voice spoke. “Are you… are you alright?” asked the familiar voice. They knew that voice, they knew the pale white mare the voice belonged to. They could see her, even with their eyes closed. “Twilight… Dash?” Ever so slightly, they peeked towards the voice, afraid for a moment that it wasn’t real that the voice had only been in their mind. Through the mists in their eyes they could see the hazy orange glow of the lamplight. It washed out all the colors of the room, except for a shimmering white mare. She stood in the center of their gaze, shinning like a full moon in the last hours of twilight. She looked down at them with the slightest worried frown of concern upon her face. They felt their body react without their command. It wasn’t Dash or Twilight but their very being that moved them. It was something primal and instinctual within them. It was a need, like breathing; stronger than breathing. Stronger than anything they had felt in… since they couldn’t remember. “Mommie!” cried Twilight Dash, their hooves wrapping around the snow-white mare. They wanted to say more, they had so many things to tell her, to ask of her, to beg from her. But instead, all they could do was cry into her mane. When Rarity, Pinkie and Spike had departed the train platform the streets of Canterlot had been packed with ponies. It had been hard to walk in a straight line without bumping into somepony else. However, as they got closer to the castle, the amount of street traffic dropped off dramatically. On either side of them were shops of all sorts. One was a fine dress shop. Another was an eatery that had gourmet sandwiches. Yet there was hardly a pony to be seen. Spike had visited the castle many times and he had never seen so few ponies heading towards it. In fact, they seemed to be the only ones. “Are you sure we shouldn’t go look for them?” asked Pinkie Pie, not for the first, second or even the tenth time. “No,” answered Rarity shortly. Her voice was oddly gruff and she didn’t look at Pinkie as she said it. “They know where to find us,” said Spike. Absently he kicked a loose pebble off the street and into the nearby bushes. “If they even come back “Of course they will!” exclaimed Pinkie, but even her usual enthusiasm was lacking from her words. “Won’t they?” Spike just shrugged. The three of them continued up the main road towards the castle. This was not the only entrance. There were many other streets and paths they could take. Some of them that Spike knew about were even supposed to be secret. However, this was the one that most visitors were expected to use. The wheels of Pinkie’s trunk clattered noisily over cracks in the road. The eerie sound echoed through the vacant street. If they hadn’t seen ponies just a few blocks ago, Spike might have sworn that all of Canterlot had been abandoned. “Something’s not right,” said Spike apprehensively. He glanced at the few ponies he could see, waiting inside their shops for customers that were not coming. All of them seemed to be watching the friends’ small procession. “Humf,” grumbled Rarity. Since Spike’s shouting match back at the train station, Rarity had hardly said a word. She had hardly even given Spike a second glance. He wasn’t sure if it had been something he’d said, or she was just mad at Applejack and Fluttershy for leaving. Part of Spike wanted to ask what was wrong. While another part, a louder, more insistent part told him to keep his mouth shut about it. At last the shops ended and a wide bridge joined the end of the main street. Beyond the bridge, so close they could almost reach out and touch it, was the sparkling white Castle of Canterlot. However the moment they took their first step onto the stones of the bridge, Spike was completely certain that something bad had happened. There wasn’t a single pony crossing the bridge. Nopony was entering the castle and nopony was leaving the castle. The great golden gates that always stood open, even at night, were closed and barred. As the three of them began to cross, two pegasus guardsponies made their way across the bridge, long pointed spears at their side. The two groups met halfway, stopping in the center of the bridge, with the rapids of the river churning below them. “Halt!” called one of the guards. “The castle is currently closed to visitors. A notice will be posted once the gates are open again.” “Closed?” asked Spike in an uncertain whisper. “But our friend is inside,” said Pinkie. “You know, Twilight Dash? You know, lavender fur, horn on her head, wings on her…” “Do you have an invitation?” asked the other guard, stepping forward. Spike had never realized just how tall the guards were before. Or just how armored they looked. Or just how menacing they seemed to be. “We… we don’t…” answered Rarity. “I’m sorry, but invited guests only at this time, orders of the Princess,” explained the guard. “But, our friend!” exclaimed Pinkie. “I’m sure if your friend requires your assistance she will send for you,” said the first guard. “Now I’ll have to ask you to move along please.” “But…” protested Spike. "I'm Spike, the dragon! And this is Rarity and Pinkie Pie! You know who we are!" The guard took another step towards them, his passive expression darkening. “I don't care who you are," said the guards pony threateningly. "My orders are entry by invitation only. Now, I said, move along,” repeated the guard, his voice indicating that this would be the last warning he would give them. “Fine, we’ll leave,” snapped Rarity. She turned and marched off, looking angrier than Spike had ever seen her. Pinkie and Spike hurried after her. Behind them the guards watched until they were a safe distance away, then they returned to their posts in front of the gate. “So, what do we do now?” asked Spike, running a little to catch up to Rarity. “We can’t just give up and go back to Ponyville.” Rarity let out a laugh. Something about the sound of it sent a chill down Spike’s spine. “All for nothing…” mumbled Rarity. “We did all of this for nothing…” “No we didn’t!” exclaimed Pinkie. “We came here to support Twilight Dash! And that is totally what we are going to do! We just need to send a message to Celestia and get an invite into the castle!” “But I sent her one before we left,” said Spike. “She knew we were coming and the guards still sent us away. But I guess it’s certainly worth another try…” “What’s the point,” said Rarity, looking away from the others. “We can’t just give up,” said Spike. “We’re almost there!” “Then stop talking about it and just send her a message,” snapped Rarity. Spike recoiled slightly from her, he had never seen her like this. “Hey, don’t look at me,” said Spike with a shrug. “I don’t have any pockets. I’m sure there must be a supply store here someplace… Ah, there!” They didn’t have to go far to find a quill and parchment shop. It was fully stocked, floor to ceiling with every kind of paper that Spike could possibly imagine. They had quills of every shape and size. There was even a very expensive Roc feather quill behind thick glass that Spike stared at for a few minutes. Spike gathered up the supplied. He didn’t need much, just a few rolls of parchment, an ink well, a standard, boring raven quill, some red wax to seal the message and a purple ribbon to tie the parchment. Rarity stood by the door, looking completely disinterested. Pinkie was excitedly shuffling different colored note paper, exclaiming that each one was preittery than the last. “That’ll be five bits,” announced the shop keeper as he tallied up Spike’s items. “Uh,” said Spike, he glanced back at Rarity. “Could you, uh, get this one?” Rarity glared at him for a long moment before speaking. “I don’t have any bits on me,” said Rarity at last. “We left in such a hurry, I didn’t have time to grab my purse or anything else for that matter.” Her glum expression suddenly turned to worry. “You… you don’t have any money with you?” “Hey, I already told you I don’t have any pockets!” said Spike, holding up his hands. The shopkeeper looked like he was starting to get annoyed. “Pinkie!” called Spike, a note of distress in his voice. The pink pony poked her head around the corner to find everypony in the shop staring intently at her. She smiled brightly at the sudden attention. “Pinkie… please tell me that you brought money with you!” cried Spike in near exasperation. “Of course I did silly!” exclaimed Pinkie. Rarity and Spike both let out a sigh or relief. “But I used it all to buy us tickets to Canterlot!” “Wait, all of it?” cried Spike in horror. “Well, not just us, there were these other ponies at the station that didn’t have enough to get where they were going, so I got them tickets too. And there was another pony at the station who was down on his luck, so I gave him all my change…” “Pinkie,” interrupted Spike, closing his eyes and trying to keep himself calm. “How many bits do you have left?” “None?” asked Pinkie, her eyes squinting and her tongue sticking out slighting in concentration as she tried to recall how much money she had left. “Uh, do you take I.O.U.’s?” asked Spike with a shrug. The shop keeper glared at him. “I… I guess we’ll just get going then…” “Well, this is just great!” cried Rarity angrily as they trotted away from the shop. “We are stuck in Canterlot, half our friends are missing, Twilight Dash is off all on her own, and between the three of us we don’t have even a single coin!” “Well it could be worse,” said Pinkie. Spike and Rarity both glared at her. “It could be raining!” “Oh, don’t be ridiculous,” offered a passing pegasus. “It’s Wednesday, it never rains on Wednesdays. Thursday is rain day, everypony knows that.” Luna paced impatiently back and forth in front of the throne. She was all alone in the big, empty hall and for some reason that made her uncomfortable. She should have gone with Twilight and Doctor Heart, she should have been there for support. Somepony should have been there for support! A strange sudden realization seemed to dawn upon Luna. Just where were Twilight’s friends? Not even Spike had bothered to come with, but perhaps he couldn’t leave the library unattended. Somehow, that didn’t seem right. For a moment, Luna briefly considered calling for the guards, to ask them to go to the train station to see if Twilight’s friends had indeed come with, but somehow managed to get lost. However, before she could decide one way or the other, the door leading to the smaller waiting room opened and Doctor Heart emerged. She returned alone. “Is everything alright?” asked Luna feeling worried. “The outcome is… debatable,” answered Doctor Heart with an uncertain expression of worry. “Perhaps it was as well as could be expected given the current situation. I don’t want to leave her for too long. “However, I have something important that I wanted to speak with you about,” explained Doctor Heart. She looked at Luna seriously. “The survivor, the one who made it through this spell the last time, I want to speak with them.” “Impossible,” said Luna much too quickly. “Impossible because the pony is…?” pressed Doctor Heart. “Because he is not a pony, and he is currently imprisoned for his crimes against Equestria,” explained Luna. Doctor Heart raised an eyebrow at Luna but didn’t say anything. For a long moment they just stared uncomfortably at one another until at last, Luna spoke. “Do you really believe this can help Twilight?” “And Dash,” added Doctor Heart with a nod. “Yes, I do believe the more we know the better equipped we will be to help them. If there is somepony else with first-hoof experience…” “Discord,” interrupted Luna. Doctor Heart’s eyes widened and she frowned with worry. “Discord?” asked Doctor. “The Discord? The God of Chaos? That Discord?” “Yes,” answered Luna seriously. “Even if he could answer us, why would he?” Doctor Heart hardly seemed to hear. She appeared to be deep in thought, working something out like a complex puzzle before her eyes. “Is it safe to free him?’ asked Doctor Heart. Luna was taken aback by the question. Of course it wasn’t. “Or make it possible to speak to him without setting him free?” continued Doctor Heart upon seeing Luna’s expression. “It might be possible,” said Luna apprehensively. “But even that carries a risk. What do you hope to learn from him?” “If he ever used to be Aurora Winds or Silver Stars. If he remembers what it was like to be them. Or if he was a completely new voice in their head,” answered Doctor Heart. “And if there is any hope of bringing Twilight or Dash back.”