//------------------------------// // Discoveries // Story: Blackest Knight // by D34dly F1ng3r //------------------------------// Blackest Knight Chapter 17 John stood by the door, saying goodbye to the departing ponies. Cloud Kicker had invited him to her home, but he politely declined. He closed the door behind the last pony. Only he, Twilight, Pinkie, Applejack, and Rarity had stayed to clean up. Pinkie had already done … something … with the bouncy house. John looked around for some sign of it, but found none. “So John,” Pinkie began as they began to clean, “You said that the changeling from the wedding was named Mimic right?” “Yes,” John answered. Pinkie’s friends tried to stay close to the conversation. “Were you friends with him?” The pink mare asked. “Not really, I only knew him because he was on my team.” “Were you friends with any of the changelings?” John thought for a moment before replying, “Well, I guess I was kinda friends with my trainer, Halberd, and the medic Ditto. Maybe friends with my caretaker Versa, and his friend Vice.” Pinkie began to laugh, “Their names were Vice and Versa?” John and the other ponies looked at her. “Get it?” She asked, “VICE VERSA!” Silence fell over the group before they all started chuckling. “I never thought of that,” John said. They continued cleaning and were nearly done when Rainbow Dash burst in the door. They froze at her sudden entrance and she walked right up to John. “I know about Morning Dew,” she said simply. Three ponies were confused, while another pony and human were shocked. Rainbow stared into John’s eyes, but it was not a look of hostility. It seemed to be one of understanding. John sighed and lowered his gaze. “Come,” he said, “all of you, I guess I have something to tell you. Twilight, make sure Spike is sleeping.” The purple unicorn nodded and went upstairs to check on the sleeping dragon. John led them to the sitting room where he had discussed the same thing the night before. “How come Twilight isn’t coming?” Pinkie asked. “She does not want to hear this again.” He paused before starting. “You all know of the filly that went missing from the resort town a few days before the wedding?” Five ponies nodded their heads. They had a bad feeling about this story, both from Rainbow’s reaction, as well as Twilight avoiding hearing it. John took a deep breath and began, “Her name was Morning Dew.” As John finished his tale, three ponies looked at him in horror. Rainbow looked at her hooves, remembering how it felt to not be in control of her actions. John looked down at the scar on his arm. He had told them everything, the enhancements, his execution of Morning Dew, and the changelings implanting the filly’s horn in his left arm. Rarity and Pinkie Pie were crying, their tears streaming down their cheeks. Applejack had taken off her hat and held it over her chest. Rainbow looked up at John as he finished. John could only look at the scar on his left arm. The permanent reminder of his failure to save the filly. He heard one of the ponies get up, and he figured that they were going to leave. He did not expect to feel a pair of forelegs wrap around him, and felt tears upon his shoulder. John looked up and saw that Rainbow was hugging him, crying into his shoulder. Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie stood up as well and they hugged him as a group, the mares were still crying. The group stayed like this for a few minutes before Twilight entered. The mare stayed back as the group parted and the ponies sat down again. “Rainbow,” Twilight asked, “How did you find out about Morning Dew?” Rainbow wiped her eyes, “She came to me in a dream. I was having a nightmare, where I was stuck in John’s body as Chrysalis made him … kill her.” She paused for a moment, “Then she came and told me about the curse. Having felt the curse myself, I understood.” “She came to me as well,” Twilight admitted. “She was the reason I wanted to help John so much.” “She came to me as well,” John said, “the day after the last enhancement, Halberd was trying to teach me magic. I couldn’t use magic at all, but that night she visited me and said she gave me the gift of her magic.” There was a pause before Rarity asked, “If a filly gave you her magic, shouldn’t that mean that you have the magical capacity of a filly? Or the magical knowledge of one?” John realized he did not know the answer to her question, but Twilight added to it. “Yes, in fact last night, you cast a muffle spell around us. It’s an easy enough spell, but draining if not cast right. It’s very easy to mess up, but you cast it perfectly, so it barely took any energy. I barely know how to cast it perfectly.” John thought about it. For some reason he knew many spells, but he realized he had no idea why he knew them. He was trying to remember how he knew the spells when an image flashed before his eyes. It was Morning Dew saying the word ‘memories.’ “I think I am drawing spells from Morning Dew’s memories.” John said. Twilight looked at him skeptically, “Fillies aren’t taught the muffle spell, because its risk for magical backlash is high.” John tried to think again, another image flashed in his mind. It was of an old unicorn. “I think Morning Dew is trying to say something to me. I just got a picture of an old unicorn I’ve never seen before.” Rarity asked, “Is she trying to say that you are learning spells through the memory of another unicorn?” John was suddenly filled with a feeling of confirmation. “Yes.” “Who?” Twilight asked. John saw an image of a moonless night. “I see stars.” Another image, “I see a cup, being stirred.” Another image. “A … beard?” Twilight gasped, “Starswirl the Bearded?” John felt a wave of confirmation. “Yes.” “Why is he giving you his memories?” Twilight’s eyes were twice as wide as normal. John saw an image of science experiments. “Scientific … research? I think he is giving me memories in exchange for studying me.” Rainbow started laughing, “Even in death, Twilight’s idol is still an egghead.” Twilight ignored the jibe, “Why is he studying you?” John waited for another image, but none came. “I don’t know, I’m not getting any images.” Twilight glared at Rainbow, “He probably got angry about your comment.” Rarity interjected, “Or maybe it’s because his reason is too complex to describe with an image?” Twilight let it go, but turned to John, “Can you tell me some of these spells?” John felt a wave of negativity. “I don’t think he wants me to.” Twilight’s jaw dropped. “Why not?!” John chuckled at the next image, “You look a little insane in that image. And I’m getting a slight feeling of fear, intimidation. Then an image of an evil Twilight.” “What is that supposed to mean?” Twilight glared at him. John replied. “I think he’s trying to tell you that normal ponies shouldn’t have access to these spells. It would drive them mad with power.” He got a wave of confirmation. “He just confirmed that.” Twilight harrumphed and let the issue go. “I think it’s about time we should be going.” Applejack commented, the moon was at about a quarter of its rotation. The other ponies agreed and they departed. John and Twilight retired to their beds. Rainbow was flying back to her home when she suddenly got the feeling that she should see Fluttershy in the morning. Fluttershy awoke the next morning and walked to her mirror. She brushed her mane quickly and went downstairs for breakfast. She fed her animals and settled down for her own meal. She ate and was about to wash the dishes when she heard knocking on her door. Fluttershy quickly remembered that John and Twilight would be visiting her today. She suddenly grew nervous. She did not know why she was nervous, because it wasn’t fear. She cleared her head and opened the door to reveal Rainbow Dash. She invited the cyan pegasus inside. “Hello Fluttershy,” Rainbow stepped inside and Fluttershy closed the door behind her. “Sorry for dropping by, but I just suddenly got the feeling that I should come talk to you this morning.” Fluttershy tilted her head as she and Rainbow sat down on her couches. “What did you want to talk about?” Rainbow hesitated while she thought about why she came over. “I don’t really know myself, but last night I was visited by a little filly in my dreams. I think that she wanted me to come here. Fluttershy’s eyes grew. “Morning Dew visited you?” Rainbow took a double take at her friend. “How did you know about Morning Dew?” Fluttershy answered, “She visited me at the wedding. When John captured us and took us into the wedding hall, she appeared beside me and told me not to worry.” Rainbow’s eyes grew as Fluttershy spoke. “When the changeling grabbed me, Morning Dew told me that no harm would come to me. She told me to look into John’s eyes, and when I did, I saw something.” “John was wearing that helmet though,” Rainbow said, “we couldn’t see anything in there” “I don’t know why, but I think the light hit him just right, and I could see into his grey eyes.” There was a pause before Rainbow asked, “What did you see in John’s eyes.” Fluttershy tried to think about what it was, “I don’t know, but it made me feel safe.”