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// chapter 9: Of consorts and pink tiarawearing problems 
// Story: Of Consorts and Thestrals 
// by cealdra 
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The mare behind the bar had actually been very helpful. Instead of forcing Dreams to choose between all those delicious fruits and flavor combinations she had simply whipped up about half a dozen foal sized cups of the most ordered smoothies. For a reduced price even!

Now Dreams had argued that it was no need for that. A little voice in her head told her that it might have to do with the wedding. But the mare, who as she learned swiftly was the owner Berry Punch herself, insisted on it. Claiming something about how a thestral's sense of taste regarding fruits is much more sophisticated than any other type of pony. Miss Punch had even gone as far as claiming that she had heard that Dream's kind could taste even the faintest trace of spoil. And to have a thestral sample her best works would be an ideal way to test how good they really where.

Dreams did not have the heart to tell the mare that she had only been fed low grade fruits for almost all of her life.

Now having seated herself at a remote seat in the small barlike shop she was keen to try the deliciously smelling liquids. Though she was a little hesitant about them, many contained things she had never heard of before. Fruits imported from as far as the Tauren lands. Miss Punch had also offered her the Everfree special, made from fruits bought from a zebra shaman living in that forest, but after her most recent experience with that accursed place Dreams had opted not to take that one.

The first sip taken from a randomly chosen cup took Dreams straight into heaven. Not even the salads and drinks given to her on the cruise or made by the chefs of the castle could compete with it. It was the perfect blend between sweet and sour, not even a single hint of the bitterness of seeds. And the viscosity had been juuuuuust right. She was able to taste the fleshiness of the fruit itself but it was still completely liquid.

Miss Punch had proven herself a true master of her craft. The second cup had even been better, or that was maybe because she was still on a high from the first.

Her bliss was short lived, not noticing that the chatter of inside the parlor had died down completely. Nor did she notice how two fillies had stood in front of her table. One looking like a meek follower while the other was standing there with a murderous glow in her eyes.

That glow was directed in a startling creepy glare towards Pleasant Dreams. It did not stay at a glare alone. The leader of the two, a pink filly with a tiara on her head poked Dreams on her shoulder.

“I said, get out from OUR booth you damned freak of nature! Are you deaf besides plain creepy?”

Dreams merely looked at the two, finally noticing them. Blinking a few times before returning to her meal. If that filly had wanted her to move to a different seat she had merely needed to ask politely. Acting like a spoiled little brat would not achieve much, she had seen far too much of that behavior to be affected by it in any way.

That earned her a second poke, this time a fair bit harder before stating the same order again with a lot more venom in her voice. But it was not the poke which raised all kinds of alarms in Dreams head. It was the fact that she actually felt compelled to stand up and walk to another booth.

Something was wrong, terribly wrong.

Slowly she turned her head, still with a smile on her face. She truly looked at the two for the first time.

Well groomed coats, more so than most who she had seen so far in Ponyville, perfectly done hooves and a poise not unfitting of Canterlot itself, but the gaudy jewelry and somewhat still common speech patterns made Dreams come to the conclusion that these two where some of the local brand snob. Meaning they were either new money or old money gone dry.

Still smiling a bit, though revealing her fangs in the progress for that slight intimidation factor, Dreams spoke to the would be snob.

“Ooh I am sorry, I was not made aware that reservations could be made in this fine establishment. I will be sure to remember it for the next time I visit. This is really an excellent seat.”

That had done the trick, just like every noble Dreams had ever the displeasure of serving, this filly did not take kindly to being rejected. They simply don't seem to accept that their not the centre of the universe.

“Now listen here freak! Do you have any idea who I am? Leave right now and I might not make you regret it!”

This time Dreams noticed the effect before the words had even been spoken. A powerful compulsion washing over her to stand up and leave. Powerful enough to override almost any other thought in her mind.

The scraping sound of seats behind pushed back from all tables around her told Dreams all she needed to know. Those around her had also been affected and where complying to the demands.

Not Dreams, though affected she had managed to stay clear headed and remain seated. It did dug up a painful memory.

A unicorn stood before the small class of fillies. His sickly green fur and obese figure clearly stood out in a room filled with rather cute fillies.

His name tag made sure the class understood that he was a tutor. Doctor Brainwave, that was how he had introduced himself.
Gentle Breeze often brought in ponies like him, to teach valuable skills to the prospects.

“Well then, with introductions over let us begin with our lesson. Mental manipulation, who here can say what it is? Nevermind best I simply show you yes?”

With those words the unicorn flared his horn and Dreams had blacked out.

Over the course of several weeks the good doctor had returned every other day for one of his sessions. Sometimes the spells had been cast on the entire class, other times only on a select few. But the end result was always the same. They always ended up doing exactly what the unicorn wanted, even if they at first had utterly refused his commands.

Dreams and all of the other prospects were wondering just what the training was all about. It was completely different from any other training they were receiving. It simply did not make any sense.

Yet as time went by Dreams started to feel something when the spell had been casted.
Something strange, something deep within her mind. A small nagging pulse of discomfort. As more and more classes passed by she could feel the effects of the spell upon her. And at the end of the year she had finally been able to shake off the effects completely.
It was then that it had hit her. Previous trainings had all warned them about the devious tricks many of their masters-to-be's enemies would use.
This training was simply a way of training them all to recognize when their own thoughts or emotions were being tempered with.

It also signalled the last time she had seen about 60% of the other prospects. Miss Breeze had explained that they had unfortunately failed the test set out for them and had been terminated from the project.

It would take Dreams nearly seven more years to learn just what the mare had meant with being 'terminated from the project.'

It had been years since those classes, and since had last felt the throbbing presence of manipulation on her mind.
And now that she was free from that life, free from having to use what has been brutally bashed into her brain as 'training' some snobby foal steps up and thinks she could just do that?

Dreams took a deep breath to calm herself. Willing her anger and frustration down, it would not do to make a big scene right now. She knew that. Because whether she liked it or not her behavior would negatively impact an innocent in this dilemma. Twilight did not deserve the potential backlash from assaulting a snobby little foal.

Her smile remained, but it never reached her eyes. The leader of the two was actually looking a bit confused, the other was shaking on her legs simply from seeing the suppressed anger in Dreams' eyes.
Her voice was still sweet and gentle, but if one would listen closely they would hear the venom behind the words.
“Ooh really? Do tell, what are you going to do to make me regret staying put?”

The filly wanted to make a snarky reply, it could be seen on her face but somehow the words failed to form correctly. It was almost as if this was the first time anypony had ever said no to her.

A thought occurred to Dreams, with what she had felt earlier it was quite possible that it was the first time this filly heard no.
“Well then, I guess I'll just have to wait and see. But might I give you a word of advice little missy? In the future do try and be respectful to others. Because your little gift may very soon come to bite you in the flank.”

The look of utter shock and confusion the prissy pink filly was pretty much worth all potential disasters she could cause for Dreams. It felt good for her to finally be able to speak her mind.
Without even saying a single word the two fled the store.

Returning to her meal she did not notice the peaceful atmosphere around her, her mind still to occupied by what just had happened. Not even a single pony had seemed to be completely aware of their surroundings. For a place that had a rather heavy scene moments before it almost seemed completely peaceful and calm.

Dreams was sure that there would be some kind fall-out from it. There always was. But this time she was not forced to stay on the sidelines.

A thought entered her mind, Twilight had been one of the most well renowned mages before her ascension. Perhaps if she would beat the snobs to Twilight and explain what she had felt. Surely she would side with her. Maybe, just maybe she could even prove Dreams' suspicions.


*Meanwhile in the library*

Twilight was a mess, to say that was an understatement. A little while after Pleasant Dreams had left on her adventure Twilight had almost a complete 180 turn in mental stability.

She had casually been studying 'Wally'. Just a light study, mainly observing the parasprites behavior and comparing them to her notes on its more aggressive cousins.

The first thing was the obvious difference. Its lack of legs and on closer inspection slightly larger wings. It was a clear cut sign of some sort of mutation. But whether 'Wally' was the mutation or the original kind was unknown and an intriguing subject to Twilight.

The second thing she had noticed was the distinct lack of interest in food of any sorts, unless it was made in bite size chunks. Even with those it seemed to be limited to its own weight.
Nothing like its ever hungry cousins. And according to Fluttershy's notes it was like its altered cousins it: not limited by normal food. As long as it was organic and of the right size 'Wally' could gain sustenance from it.
It simply prefered normal food to much to eat something else unless absolutely nothing else was made available.

All in all it proved a nice puzzle. If she could crack it, then it could revolutionize the entire pet market!
A smile came to her face just thinking about it. A cute, huggable pet who ate just about anything organic yet left no waste to clean up!
Parents would flock to whoever sold them.

Twilight would have liked to conduct a more invasive investigation. Nothing major, just a few screening spells. The little critter would most likely not even feel a thing. There was only one thing stopping her.

'Wally' was not hers, it was Dreams' pet. And from what she had learned about the thestral it was clear that Dreams would not take kindly to that without her permission and presence.

Without meaning to Twilight's mind started to wander to the mare. During their little bonding time on the air yacht it was clear that she was true to the first part of her name. She was rather pleasant to be around.
(Secretly Twilight had to admit that the thestral was also a dream for the eyes. But she would never admit that, well atleast not until the chance would present itself for an actual relationship and not the fake one they had right now.)

The more Twilight started to think about Dreams the more she started to worry. She knew next to nothing about the mare.

No, that was not true. She knew a few things about her. But Dreams had shown herself to be an expert in hiding things from others. Twilight had seen a completely different pony underneath the, for the lack of a better word, shield which had been thrown up.
So far everything revealed about the true Pleasant Dreams had been positive and even a little endearing.
But what about the other things? Things Twilight had not seen or noticed.

Realisation hit that she had been sleeping, even cuddling, with a complete stranger for the past week.
A stranger with a potent psychological trauma.

From that point it had spiraled out of control, she had not reached a 'lesson zero' state of mind. But the fact that Spike had left the library with a pathetic excuse should have been a clear cut indication.
The realisation that her typical approach, research and books, would not be much help did not do much to improve her state of mind.

Luckily for Ponyville a small voice inside her head was helping her rationalize the situation. Had Twilight been in any better state of mind she would have never listened to such a voice. But it sounded so familiar, like she has heard it atleast a few times before.

It whispered soft reassurances, telling her to calm down. That everything was going to be fine.
While it did not calm Twilight completely, it did have the effect of reducing the breakdown by a large degree. Well not only this voice, the relaxation methods taught to her by the Spa twins after her last breakdown had been significant in their help as well.

As time passed Twilight had managed to get a better grip on herself. Her reasoning was pretty simple. Dreams had so far not done anything wrong to her, not abused her in her sleep or done anything more than the occasional nighttime snuggle.

It just wasn't right to accuse Dreams of anything. After All she had made some of her best friends in less than a single day. Why not being able to do the same with another mare in a little more than a weeks time.
And besides it felt nice to have the thestral around. Having her wander about seemed to clear a little fog from the brain. Sharpening the mind so to speak. And besides she seemed quite intelligent.
Would be nice to have somepony to talk with on a higher level, sure Rarity and Fluttershy are nice to talk with. But Rarity just isn't well read in anything besides fashion and geology and Fluttershy is just too kind to ever have a good discussion with.

Twilight knew she left Zecora out of the equation on that one, but she just found it too frustrating to discuss with one who only spoke in rhyme and riddles.

It was at this time that the source of Twilight's worries stepped into the library. But the happy smile Dreams had when she had left was gone. Instead it was replaced with a troubled expression, a clear indication that something had gone wrong.

Before Twilight could ask anything Dreams had already spoken.
“Twilight? Do you know anything about a pink filly with a silverish tiara?”

A sigh and an intense feeling of pity was the initial reaction of Twilight. She had hoped to atleast give Dreams a few days of peace and tranquillity before that rather obnoxious piece of filly would be encountered.
Especially due Dreams' past experience with ponies like Diamond Tiara. That filly proved too much for even Fluttershy's world renowned patience to wilter.
“Yes, that would have been Diamond Tiara. She's the heir to the 'barnyard bargains' chain. I hope she did not cause too much troubles?”

The unspoken sentence was that Twilight had expected Dreams to be the one who might cause some serious problems with the filly and her father.
But to Twilight's surprise Dreams shook her head.
“No, not really. She threw a small tantrum when I refused to get up for her and her friend but that was all. Though that is not the issue here. Let me be blunt right now. Did you ever feel anything when she speaks.”

Dreams took a few moments to gather her thoughts. Probably to explain herself a bit better. All she had done right now was be confusing. What did she mean by feeling something when Diamond Tiara speaks? All everypony does is tuning that brat out when she opens her mouth.

“Nevermind, I thought you might know what I was talking about. Maybe I was mistaken.”

What Dreams did not know was that Twilight heard the soft muttering that followed.
' Or maybe its just due Doctor Brainwave's training that I picked it up, perhaps a normal pony simply can't grasp it yet.'

Twilight wanted to comment that Dreams was a normal pony, that she just needed to find it inside herself to forget the past and be happy for the better future. But that comment got stuck in her throat as she thought about the name Brainwave.
A name that set up all kinds of alarms inside her head, a name which had been on the top of the most wanted list for nearly 25 years. A name tied to some of the most gruesome and unethical research projects of the last 700 years.

Research into mind control.

It was as if a lightbulb went off in Twilight's head, it started to make sense. Dream's comment about a funny feeling after hearing Diamond Tiara, the way the little brat seemed to always get away with anything and the comment of being 'trained' (or rather experimented upon) by Brainwave.

Was Dreams implying that Diamond Tiara somehow was able to manipulate or even flat-out control what others thought? What if Pleasant Dreams could do the same?
Her voice came out unintentionally cold, but she needed to know.
“Dreams? Did you just mentioned being trained by one of THE most wanted unicorns of this millenia!?”

Alright it was not just cold, the last bit came out as a teensy tiny bit of a shout at near RCV sound levels. And it did have a visible effect on the target.
For the first time since that incident back in the castle Dreams had actually been cowering before her, almost shaking in fear.

Twilight could almost hit herself for quite possibly setting back the poor mare to how she was that first day. If not worse: there was now a possibility that the fragile friendship they had managed to built over the past week.

Awkwardly Twilight gave the shaking mare a slight hug, nothing intense just trying to be comforting.
“I am so sorry, I did not mean to shout at you. Its just, well its just that the guard has been looking for Brainwave for nearly 25 years for his research into mind control. And now to hear that you and who knows how many other foals had been subjected to his experiments. It’s just a little too much for me.”

Twilight did not voice out her other concern, that she was unsure of how Dreams was affected by the experimental spellcraft of the good doctor. It pained her that even with all her knowledge and power she was powerless to help the thestral.
Though she did remember to send Doctor Hooves a message to make an appointment. Nothing invasive, not even for therapy or anything like that. Just to talk, and maybe in the future being able to help Dreams overcome her past.
But for now, all she could do was embrace the trembling mare until she calmed down.

Half an hour and a generous dosage of Zecora's special tea blend later Dreams had finally calmed down enough to recall her tale of the day.
It was of no surprise to Twilight to hear about that pink demon's behavior and how many simply cowered before her.
But what Dreams had said struck a strange note.

At first Twilight had believed that everypony was simply either ignoring her or obeying her because she was the daughter of one of the biggest property owners in the village. Filthy Rich did own nearly 40% of all the business locations and a good 30% of all other property. And angering his little 'angel' would surely mean trouble.
Twilight herself had been on the receiving end of one of his preaches when she had kicked the ill mannered filly out of the library. (which was co-owned in a 50/50 split by Filthy Rich and the town itself.)
But she had managed to convince the stallion of her right, and had threatened to move ALL of her books to her private rooms, meaning nearly 75% of all the books in the library would be unavailable for the public. Including many of the most sought after novels and the subscriptions to all magazines like the rare and elusive Golden Trends magazine (only 300 prints per issue because it contains sensitive economical information) which he so liked to read.
Needless to say no amount of whining from Diamond Tiara could convince daddy dearest to follow up on his threat.

But what Dreams was saying was true then there was something infinitely more foul at play. A special talent in one of the most illegal arts of magic known. An inert ability to instill obedience, or maybe even worse to plant a suggestion so powerful it can override rational thought. There was one thought that haunted Twilight's mind if Diamond Tiara actually did have this ability then why had it never been used on her?

Unless, unless it had been used but she had been unaffected by it. And if that was correct then it would go a long way prove Crackpot Theory's hypothesis on superior strength. That if one is to influence another you must be atleast twice as strong as the intended victim. And even when she was still a unicorn she had no rival in raw power other than an alicorn.

Or if that was not the case, then perhaps it was her connection to the elements. That would also explain why the little brat avoided the bearers as the plague.

Now the only way to see what was correct was to speak with the filly herself. To see if what Dreams had felt was actually true. And she had the perfect idea to arrange this. Now she only needed to have the thestral on her side for this. No doubt it would be a feat much harder then to prove or disprove of her theories.

*Three hours later*

It had taken Twilight only a very little time to convince Dreams to go along with it. She had been more than eager to assist in potentially putting the little brat in her place.

The plan had been simple. An invitation for both Filthy Rich and Diamond Tiara to come to the library to talk about what happened at the Punchbowl. Something neither of them would be able to resist because it would allow the stallion to worm his way into favor with nobility and the filly would most likely get revenge.
Meanwhile Twilight would have casted a manipulation-detection spell upon herself, set to such a fine detail that she would notice instantly if anything would be wrong.

As the hour of fate arrived the two visitors had arrived exactly at the time it had said on the invite. Not a second sooner or later. Punctuality at its finest, something Twilight had to give the stallion points for.

As they were leaving for the common room, to have a little privacy of course, where Dreams was waiting for them Twilight levitated the book she had been reading back into its proper place. Diamond Tiara had not been shutting up, seemingly riling up her father about the great injustice she had been the receiver of.

Throughout the entire speech the spell had been going off like a heat sensor fire-alarm in an active volcano.
It had shocked Twilight beyond measure, she had thought that if anything it would be subtle. But this, this had all the subtlety of a sledgehammer to the face. It amazed her that none had ever even noticed something like this.

Sitting down next to Dreams it was obvious that the thestral had difficulties keeping herself in check.
“Alright let's get started then. I assume that you are wondering why I asked both of you to come here. Well, the reason is...”

Twilight did not come far before Diamond Tiara spoke up.
“Yeah, you called us so that no good mutant could apologize right?”

The glare the filly shot at Pleasant Dreams had not been friendly, one could even say hateful. It angered Twilight more than a bit. But something held her back, something allowed her to remain atleast some semblance of calm. It was the velvetlike bat wing draped across her back, and the slight shaking of the head from the mare it belongs to.

The message was clear, its not worth it. But something had to be done. It was not up to her to decide the fate of this young filly, a filly who probably knows no better. But it had to stop right now.

Without warning Twilight looked at Diamond Tiara, her eyes brilliant white and blazing with the raw potential she was known for.
“You will do well to remain silent.”

A look at Filthy Rich combined with a slight flash of her horn caused his eyes to shine a little more. As if he had woken from a deep slumber. His eyes betrayed absolute confusion, but he had enough instincts as a business stallion to shut his mouth at the sight of an angry alicorn. Even if its still a very young one like Twilight.

“I called you here based upon suspicions brought to me by my wife. Who I might add has been trained to notice and resist manipulations of the mental state.”

That got a small gasp of shock from both Filthy Rich as Diamond Tiara, though the latter was starting to show more than a little fear.
“Diamond Tiara, for abuse of your special gift I am placing you into custody. I will place a sealing charm upon you until such time the true effects and problems your gift has caused by an unaffiliated council.”

Twilight's horn started to glow, a spell circle formed of raw mana appeared beneath the filly. The pink demon that had been the scourge of many ponyvillians could only scream in fear as tendrils rose up and attached themselves on the key parts of her inner laylines.

A few seconds later the circle was gone, and so where Twilight's glowing white eyes. But there was evidence of the spell which had just been performed. Six glowing runes, each symbolising one of the elements of creation, flickered in arcane might arround Diamond Tiara's cutiemark.

“I am sorry, you left me no choice. But you lashed out with your gift at me so strongly that I would have to be a fool not to notice even without a special detectionspell. The sentence for lashing out at a princess with forbidden magic in hostile attempt is removal of access to magic.”

The normally so brash filly was at lost for words, not even a single sound of objection or a 'what have you done to me' was heard as Twilight continued.
“But you are young, I will make sure that the council will take that into account.”

Diamond Tiara fainted before she could hear her father's confused questions or the sound of the guards coming for her.

As the duo saw father and daughter being escorted to a more secure location Twilight looked at Dreams. There was hurt and betrayal in her eyes.
“Can you please say my spell was wrong? Can you please tell me I messed up a spell again?”

Pleasant Dreams could reply with a confused and a bit fearful look.
“What do you mean? You sensed it right?”

It was now that Twilight's eyes started to water, a tear fell down to the ground.
“Because Dreams, I sensed a second source in the room.”

Another tear fell, and Dreams could guess what came next. It did not take a genius to do that.
“That second source was you.”