“Can’t be done,” the changeling replied, repeating herself for the second time.
“I very much doubt that,” Dexter replied, skeptically raising an eyebrow. “Surely one of your kind has found a way.”
“Hey, I know what you’re thinking.” The changeling shrugged. “You think ‘the changeling is lying.’ – And that’s a good thing to assume. You should never take anything a changeling says or does at face value, our livelihood is rooted in deception. But I don’t know what else to say, did you even listen to the question you asked?”
“Yes, it is rather straightforward.” Dexter sighed. “How would you go about deceiving the Element of Honesty?”
“I wouldn’t. No changeling would,” the changeling went on. “At least no changeling in your specific position would try. We are selective about who we impersonate for good reasons.”
“Now I know you’re not telling the truth.” said a deadpanning Dexter, despite the traces of annoyance seeping into his tone. “I just tricked her earlier today, I said something which was technically correct while leaving out some important details.”
“Yes, you may have gotten away with telling half-truths and vague statements before, but that isn’t going to last as time goes on.” The changeling took a step forward. She had not left the sterile chamber which she woke up in, but it was only until now that she was able to take in her surroundings. Last time she was awake, her head was tied to the table.
“Why would my ability to deceive her diminish with time?” Dexter droned skeptically as he watched the changeling pace.
“It all has to do with the magic which exists between individuals,” the changeling explained. “And the fact that she is the Element of Honesty.”
“Magic?” Dexter raised an eyebrow, though he could feel a familiar burning frustration rise within him. He was hoping for something more useful than the ‘it’s just magic’ argument. “You mean to tell me there are unseen magical interactions between two individuals when they come in contact?”
“Yes. How else do you think we changelings sense emotions, or feed for that matter?” The changeling shrugged like her answer was the most obvious thing in the world. “Or have you not heard, friendship is magic.”
“Alright, fine.” Dexter conceded, rubbing a hoof through his hair in frustration. “Assuming that these magic interactions exist. Why is she the only one able to tell that I am lying? Why not someone else, like Big Macintosh?”
“As the Element of Honesty she is particularly sensitive to that aspect of a friendship, and the magic of that friendship.” The changeling explained.
“I don’t buy it.” Dexter cut in with a shrug. “And to be honest with you, that whole magic of friendship crap sounds like another load of propaganda. An excuse to keep the ‘ponies of Equestria in harmony,’ under the princesses’ control. But I’m surprised a changeling of all people would subscribe to those silly notions.”
“Propaganda?” The changeling asked, slightly indignant. “Listen, little colt, you were the one who came in here and thawed me out to ask how to deceive ponies, so you want to listen to what I have to say or not?”
After a moment, Dexter motioned for her to continue with a hoof.
“Now, I don’t care if you believe in the magic of friendship or not, and to be honest with you, I don’t exactly believe in it very much either. Even the changeling hive doesn’t have a full understanding of it, no one does. But we have a better understanding than most, since we feed off of magic,” the changeling continued, her frustration slowly subsiding as she went on. “But the bottom line is, those magical interactions are what you have to worry about, and how they grow stronger with time.”
“Grow stronger?” Dexter asked. “The longer I am around Applejack the more she can refine her ability to detect deception from me?”
“Yes,” the changeling replied. “As time goes on, the strength of these interactions grows. Similar to how friendships grow stronger. Which means she will soon be able to tell whether you are being honest or deceptive, not just technically truthful. Though, from what I could sense of you earlier, you develop these magical bonds too slowly for a normal pony. It is one of the reasons I suspect you’re not a pony… or just a major head case.”
Dexter shook his head in frustration after a moment. “But why should it matter if I leave out details when I am technically being truthful?” Dexter argued.
“She is the Element of Honesty, not the Element of Truth,” the changeling pointed out. “It is a subtle but substantial difference. Which is why I said it can’t be done for somepony in your position.”
“Okay…” Dexter rubbed his head with a hoof in frustration. “But I’ve only known her for two weeks by this point, how strong can this magic get in such a short amount of time?”
“Well, it depends on the situation,” the changeling went on. “For example, she established the magic of friendship with Twilight Sparkle after only one day.”
“What can I do to tell how strong it has become?” Dexter asked. “I may still be able to get past my immediate concerns.”
“It is probably too late already, have you spent any time ‘bonding’ with her?” the changeling asked.
Dexter recalled the night he activated Quadraplex for the first time. Applejack and her siblings had found him lamenting over missing his family, and reassured him they would look after him until he found his parents once again. Just thinking about it made Dexter feel a sense of gratitude toward the mare and her siblings, though recalling the changeling's words caused him to grimace.
The changeling grew a smug grin, apparently noticing the emotion on Dexter’s face. “And that, little pony, was the point of no return.”
“Am I in danger of any more of these magical bonds inadvertently forming?” Dexter asked after a moment of silence, ignoring the smugness of the insectoid.
“Well… There are similar effects for each element. They aren’t as noticeable as Applejack’s. But tell me, have you met Pinkie Pie yet? You might want to avoid that one…”
The moment those words left her mouth, Dexter’s face contorted in horror as he recalled receiving a number of hugs from the pink mare. She was awfully confident that they would eventually become friends.
“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooo!!!”
---
“Are you going to be alright?” The changeling asked, looking over the now panting colt.
Dexter took another few moments to calm his breathing before eventually replying.
“I… I think I’m fine. For now anyway,” Dexter said. “Though, I wish I had known about this magic of friendship stuff earlier, I would have avoided contact with everyone as much as possible in order to prevent my own contamination!”
“Well, don’t die on me,” the changeling stated, earning a look of skepticism from the colt. “Hey -for everything you are, you’re still just a cute little foal…” Dexter’s deadpan grew. “And if you die, who will let me out of here?” the changeling added.
“Is there any way to circumvent this magic?” Dexter asked, rubbing his chin with a hoof.
“Well,” the changeling began. “You might be able to get away with using those magic dampeners, they effectively block my method of sensing your emotions. It may work on Applejack as well. You could also have that phantom look-alike thing do the lying for you.”
“Perhaps there is another way to circumvent this magic, possibly remove Applejack’s sensitivity to it?” The colt rubbed his chin in thought. He was hoping for a solution which didn’t require more use of his technology. The more he used it, the greater the chances of discovery. “The trouble seems to be the fact that she is the Element of Honesty,” Dexter turned back toward his prisoner. “Tell me about these elements.”
“You don’t know about the Elements of Harmony?” the changeling asked, turning her head in suspicion. “I would imagine somepony like yourself would be aware of Equestria’s most powerful magical artifacts. I doubt your proximity to them is mere coincidence.”
“I don’t know about them,” Dexter admitted. “And I dismissed most of what I read about them as propaganda. Though, I am beginning to think there may be something more significant to their existence than what I deduced in my initial appraisal.”
“To be honest with you... again, there isn’t very much propaganda out there,” the changeling began again, surprised at herself once more. Being honest with a pony wasn’t something she normally did, but then again, she was giving Dexter what was regarded as common knowledge.
“Celestia can raise the sun?” Dexter asked skeptically. “Don’t tell me you believe that nonsense as well?”
“Uhh…” the changeling began hesitantly as she looked over the colt. “She does raise the sun. I saw Celestia raise it while I was on assignment in Canterlot once.”
Dexter slapped a hoof to his face. “Just forget it, tell me about the Elements of Harmony and how I can get around them.”
“If you’re thinking about trying to remove the Element of Honesty from Applejack, you can’t.” The changeling went on. “But even if you could, I wouldn’t help you do it.”
“Really?” Dexter raised an eyebrow, convinced that the changeling was lying once more. “You changelings want to protect the Elements of Harmony?”
The colt never intended on removing the Elements of Harmony, he had no idea what removing an Element of Harmony from a pony would do. But he did recall Applejack’s account of the changeling invasion, and how she had to fight them.
“Of course,” the changeling countered. “Who would stop Discord, or Nightmare Moon, if one of them went on a rampage again?”
“Me,” the colt replied arrogantly. Though, he did have the habit of playing hero whenever there was impending doom.
“Ha, very funny puny colt,” she scoffed. “Do you even know who they are?”
“No, but it doesn’t matter,” The colt replied. “If they do become a problem, they will be dealt with.”
“Even if you were capable of that, which I doubt,” the changeling scoffed again. “The hive doesn’t know as much. And trust me when I say, the hive prefers an Equestria that is nice, quiet, harmonious, and loving. The Elements of Harmony have proven indispensable toward that goal.”
“Then why did you attack Canterlot?” the colt asked with a smile, believing he had talked the changeling into a corner. “Invading the capital of Equestria doesn’t seem like it would make things more peaceful and harmonious. “
“Isn’t it obvious?” the changeling replied after a long silence. “We were after love.”
“Neural activity indicates an extremely high probability of deception with that last statement,” Quadraplex told Dexter through his earpiece.
“You’re lying,” Dexter stated with a smug grin cast at the changeling. She didn’t respond, though she seemed unfazed by the accusation.
“Look, I don’t need to scan your brain to know that what you said was a lie,” Dexter began to explain, though his tone remained accusatory. “There was an unexplained, and very sudden, decline in your species’ effectiveness and competence during your effort to invade Canterlot. Which makes me wonder if there is something more to the invasion than everyone believes.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” The changeling replied once more. However, Quadraplex again indicated she was lying.
“You don’t know?” Dexter asked skeptically. “Alright, to begin with. Explain why your queen was smart enough to sneak an entire army into Canterlot and kidnap-er, foalnap a princess, but then suddenly decided to teleport one of Equestria’s more powerful unicorns straight into the unguarded cave where the kidnapped princess was being held? Heck, why wasn't the princess surrounded by changeling guards in the first place? She was the one prisoner whose freedom would spell failure for your invasion, and you had enough troops to spare!”
“Everypony makes mistakes,” she shrugged, her tone was almost condescending. “The queen is no exception.”
“Applejack told me your queen taunted Twilight into blasting the one freaking wall that contained Princess Cadence!” Dexter lashed out an accusing hoof. “There is no explanation of such incompetence, it wasn’t a simple mistake. Your queen either had an aneurysm that made her mentally retarded for a few moments or tricking Twilight into releasing Cadence was intentional. And if that one moment was intentional, then the whole defeat was intentional.”
“And you just said to never take anything a changeling says or does at face value…” The colt growled. “So spill it.”
The changeling merely glared at the colt for a few more moments before deciding to speak.
“Fine,” she began. “There was something else, another reason we went to Canterlot. But I don’t know what it was.”
Dexter inhaled, about to interrupt her with another accusation. However, he stopped when she held up a hoof.
“That really is the truth, I don’t know.” The changeling went on. “It is common knowledge in the hive that the invasion was a cover for something. But for what exactly, we were never told.”
“But there was a rumor circulating between the high-ranking infiltrators like myself, it said that the princess had stumbled onto a way to detect all changelings everywhere,” she explained. “The princess wasn’t aware that she could detect us, but if she did find a way, dealing with it would have been the queen’s primary goal.”
“But again, that was a rumor. I don’t truly know.”
---
After the changeling had been put back to sleep, Dexter returned to his to work on his inventions. Though his mind was torn between his tasks and what the changeling had said. She did provide him with useful information, but something was bothering him.
She too believed that Celestia raised the sun. If anyone would want to dispel Equestria’s propaganda, wouldn’t it be an enemy of Equestria?
“Computer!” Dexter grimaced in annoyance after arriving at the computer’s side. “We’re settling this matter once and for all!”
“What matter are you referring to, Dexter?” Quadraplex asked in her standard monotone voice.
“This raising the sun thing!” Dexter replied as he jumped into the chair before the computer’s terminal. “Of all the things the changeling said, the easiest to blow out of the water is this stupid 'raising the sun' nonsense I keep hearing about.”
“From my understanding, there are several experiments which could verify the heliocentric structure of the solar system,” the computer began, bringing forward a very familiar looking pendulum to the screen. Though it caused Dexter to shake his head. “For instance the-“
“What century are you living in, computer?” he asked, a mocking smile crept across his face.
“According to my internal chronometer, it is currently the twenty first cen-“ the computer began again, only to be interrupted by the colt, again.
“Oh, never mind.” Dexter sighed as he put a hoof to his face. “What I meant to say is, we’re going to prove the heliocentricity in modern style!”
“Elucidate,” The computer requested.
“What are the state of the telescope satellite and rocket delivery system?” Dexter asked. “It was one of the first things I asked you to work on, ever since I noticed we weren’t in the Milky Way galaxy. Satellites are required for viewing distant galaxies.”
“The satellites, along with the nuclear powered rocket system you specified, are complete and awaiting deployment.” The computer replied.
“Really?” Dexter asked, leaning back in his chair as his tone took on feigned confusion. “So why do I find myself with a distinct lack of satellite telemetry? I thought I told you I wanted this lab to be just as capable as my original one, containing everything from my time machine to my satellites, the works!”
The computer sat silently for a moment.
“Understood, but it will be difficult to acquire the monkey,” Quadraplex eventually replied, stalling.
“Computer…”
“I delayed the launch pending a review of the project’s primary objectives,” Quadraplex explained.
“And why would you do that?” Dexter raised an eyebrow.
“The chance of locating one specific galaxy in the observable universe is negligible, Dexter.” the computer declared. “Even with the aid of satellites.”
“Excuse me?” Dexter asked, frowning.
“To clarify, trying to locating the Milky Way Galaxy may prove to be a fruitless endeavor,” the computer went on. “The wormhole, in theory, could have deposited you anywhere in the universe, or even an alternate universe. In addition, there are currently ‘1.25 times ten to the eleventh’ number of galaxies estimated to exist. The chances of finding a single galaxy out of-“
“You think I don’t know this computer?” Dexter growled. “How is it that you think I don’t know something when most of what you know came from me?”
“I do believe you are adequately knowledgeable in these regards,” the computer went on. “However, your decision to partake in this particular project is emotionally motivated, and you may react badly to the project’s inevitable failure. You should accept the simple fact that you’re never going to see your family again and shouldn’t waste resources on a futile attempt to-”
“Shut… Up…” Dexter seethed, he was now glaring at the terminal. The computer immediately went silent.
Dexter’s glare eventually began to wither as he felt the now familiar sensation of doubt creeping into his heart. A part of him knew that the computer was right, but he didn’t want her to be. He was determined to find a way home, and he wasn’t about to give up because the chances were small.
If anyone could figure out a way back home, it would be him.
“You’re going to launch the rockets, we’re going to find out where home is, and then I’m going to figure out a way to get us there.” Dexter declared. “But the first thing you are going to do once the satellites are in orbit is record the sunrise, okay?”
“Understood, Dexter.” The computer replied. “The launch window will open at approximately 3:47am tonight. I will dispatch robots to set up the rocket delivery system in a remote location. Considering the small size of the rocket, setup time should not take long.”
Dexter merely stared at the computer for a few more moments. “I’m glad to see you’re finally on board.”
“I only intend to please, Dexter. The last time you got angry at me, you made it clear I should make extensive checks for how my actions may negatively impact others. I do not yet grasp why logic sometimes angers an individual,” Quadraplex replied. Though, something about her response made Dexter feel a twinge of guilt.
“Quadraplex… I …” Dexter sighed. “I’m sorry for getting upset.” The computer had very little experience with her own emotions; it shouldn’t have come as a surprise that she wouldn’t know how to manage the emotions of others by carefully choosing her words.
“Apologies are unnecessary, Dexter,” the computer responded. “I predicted you would get upset. I just wish to minimize any distress I calculate that you will experience. I just hope you do not end up rejecting me for it.”
“That won’t happen Quadraplex,” the child assured as he attempted to hug the oversized computer. “You’re my best, and arguably only, friend after all.”
“Though you might want to practice on being a bit more tactful with your concerns.”
---
The next morning started with Dexter appearing in the Apple home’s kitchen, ready for school. He was greeted by Applejack, who was waiting for him. However, much to the colt’s disappointment, school had been cancelled. The appearance of changelings had caused an uproar in the town, which shut down nearly everything.
However, no school didn’t mean the colt was free to go.
Applejack had Dexter sit down at the kitchen table before taking the seat opposite to him. The mare planned on getting some answers.
“Dex… We need ta talk,” Applejack declared as she pulled up to the table. She regarded him with an almost wary gaze before firming up her grimace.
“What is this about, Applejack?” Dexter asked.
“This is about a number of things,” Applejack began. “But first, ah gotta ask about you lying ta the guard. They were investigating changelings at tha hospital, an’ I told ya that was important. Ah also told ya Ah wanted to know what ya lied about. Ah shouldn’t have let ya get away with it until now cause Ah didn’t want ta pressure ya considerin’ yer situation. But considerin’ what happened at Sugarcube Corner, Ah have ta confront ya on the matter now.”
“But-“ Dexter began, only to be stopped by Applejack raising a hoof.
“Now, just hear me out Dex,” Applejack said. “Now Ah know it is probably nothing, but ah need ta be sure. What did ya lie ta the guard about?”
“I…” Dexter paused in hesitation. He didn’t have any luck lying to Applejack in the past. But he was hoping his new magic dampeners would help with that.
The prior night he had instructed Quadraplex to activate the dampeners on his signal, which was tapping his ear piece twice. He just hoped they would stop whatever magic at play which allowed Applejack to sense he was lying.
Dexter, pretending to be nervous, rubbed the earpiece in his ear twice with a hoof. It was clear that Quadraplex got the message, replying with a short confirmation.
It was now or never.
“I may have… played with it.” Dexter began. It was a technically true statement, a good place the colt figured he should start.
“What do ya mean ya ‘played with it’?” Applejack tilted her head as she raised an eyebrow..
She didn’t sense any deception, but she didn’t sense any honesty either. The absence of both was unsettling, almost disturbing for the mare. She had long since gotten used to her sensitivity toward the honesty of others. The lack of either caused her to pause.
“I mean…” Dexter began again, his confidence growing. “I messed around with it, but I didn’t do anything to break it. I thought the guards would be mad, but from what I’ve overheard from Miss Twilight Sparkle, they were just curious about it.”
Applejack merely watched the colt, her gaze shifting to a more scrutinizing grimace.
“Repeat that,” Applejack suddenly ordered, taking the colt by surprise.
“Huh?” Dexter tilted his head.
“Repeat what ya just told me.” Applejack ordered again. After a moment of silence the colt did as she asked, claiming to merely play with the device and nothing more.
“Ah don’t get it…” Applejack put a hoof to her head, rubbing her forehead. “Somethin’s wrong.”
That’s when she noticed the smug grin Dexter was trying to suppress.
“Dex, are you being honest with me?” Applejack questioned, surprised to find herself asking.
“You… tell me.” Dexter replied slowly. “You’re the Element of Honesty after all…”
There was a long moment of silence as Applejack’s gaze drifted downward.
“Ah can’t tell… Why can’t ah tell?” Applejack shook her head in confusion as she frowned, her eyes held a hint of worry.
“Well… uh,” Dexter began, looking away from the mare. “Maybe you’re just having an off day.” The colt suggested, growing a sheepish grin. “Maybe it is stress or something? You yourself said plenty of ponies in Ponyville are panicking because of the changelings. You should just forget about everything and take a day off. Relax and have a…”
Though, by the time he looked back at the mare he was greeted with an almost hostile glare.
“Ya know why Ah can’t tell if yer lying, don’t ya?” Applejack declared, her eyes were sharp enough to drill a hole in his skull. “Cause yer behind it.”
“Oh crap,” Dexter muttered under his breath before hesitantly raising his voice. “Umm… heh heh, Applejack, that’s ridiculous. I suggest you take some-”
“Dex, Ah ain’t a stupid mare,” Applejack cut him off. Her voice was firm, yet carried no shortage of ominous foreboding. The mare took off her Stetson hat and placed it to the side on the table between them. “There’s more ways than one ta tell if somepony is being honest, and yer not soundin’ nor actin’ like an honest pony. So, Ah suggest ya stop whatever it is yer doing and start being honest, and Ah suggest ya do it now.”
When Applejack finished, she continued to stare at the colt. That was when Dexter became eerily aware of how quiet it was in the Apple home. The eight year old had to admit to himself he was intimidated by the farm pony. And despite the fact that she had not raised her voice, nor did more than frown, her sharp green eyes made it abundantly clear that she was angry.
Though, her green eyes reminded him of the last person who asked about the clinic’s device. Though that mare turned out to be an insectoid that he ended up freezing.
But Applejack’s eyes just happened to be the right shade of green, and he hadn’t considered the possibility until now. Though he knew one way he could find out.
“Are… are you a changeling?” Dexter asked loudly, knowing his earpiece would pick up his question.
Though the question got Applejack’s glare to subside into a grimace of surprise.
“Is that why yer not being honest?” Applejack asked in surprise, before facehooving. “Ah guess I shouldn’t be surprised.” Though Dexter didn’t hear her response, but rather listened to the response coming in through his earpiece.
“Scan complete. Results are Negative, Dexter.” Quadraplex stated. “The individual before you is the real Applejack.”
Dexter nodded to himself before looking back up at Applejack. “Excuse me, I didn’t catch that Applejack.”
“Ah said, I shouldn’t be surprised,” The mare removed the hoof from her face. “The whole town went head over hooves on account of them, shoulda guessed you an’ the girls might be a bit afraid too.”
“Well, you did say one of them replaced Cheerilee,” Dexter replied. “Which means, I was sitting in a room with one for an entire day and didn’t even know it.”
“Listen Dex,” Applejack assured. “Ah’m not a changeling, You can trust me, and you can trust me enough ta be honest.”
“I believe you Applejack,” Dexter said with a nod. “I believe you’re Applejack, anyway.”
“But that doesn’t mean I trust you,” the colt declared. His words caused Applejack to recoil in surprise.
“Ya don’t trust me?” Applejack nearly sputtered the question. She rarely heard those words. Not only was she the Element of Honesty, she had a long standing reputation for integrity and dependability across Ponyville.
“That is correct.” Dexter confirmed.
“What? Why not?” Applejack asked, gesturing with a raised hoof. “Have ah done something ta lose yer trust?”
“No,” Dexter replied. “You didn’t do anything to lose it, you never had it. ”
“Never had…” Applejack barely managed to repeat in astonishment, though a moment later she slouched back in her chair, the epitome of utter disappointment plastered to her face. “Dex, ah been taking care of ya fer two weeks now. Ya got ta meet my entire family an’ all my friends. What fault do ya find with me? Why don’t ya trust me yet? Do ya think Ah want ta hurt you or somethin?’”
The question got Dexter to think for a moment, looking over the mare. She seemed to be genuinely frustrated by the colt, though she didn’t appear angry anymore. The fact of the matter was, a part of him did trust her. In his short time living with the Apple family, he knew one thing for certain, the character of the Apple family members was beyond reproach.
Which was why the eight year old felt no shortage of guilt at this point. He did trust Applejack, at least a part of him did; and that part of his made him want to be honest with the mare. Though his trust had a limit, but not because of any flaw in Applejack.
“I… I do trust you, Applejack. But, I just…” Dexter replied, though his response seemed to only frustrate the mare further.
“Do ya?” Applejack asked skeptically. “Yah see, I ask twice only cause I can’t sense if yer being honest. Ah don’t know what’s going on, or what ya did to make it so Ah can’t sense yer honesty, but yer actions speak a lot louder than yer words; an’ they’re saying ya don’t trust me as far as ya could throw me, the kitchen table, and this house, combined.”
It was Dexter’s turn to look away, trying to hide the mixed feelings he now had.
“Dex, ah was hoping ta earn some of yer trust by now,” the mare finally went on, standing up from her chair and circling around the table as she spoke. “Now Ah know you’ve only been with us a few weeks, but believe it or not, Ah do care about ya. Ah don’t want anything bad ta happen to ya,” she finished as she reach the colt, pausing before she pulled him into a hug. “Yer just a foal… and Ah told ya we’d look after ya an’ ah meant it.”
“We meant it when we said it.” She emphasized.
The colt let out a long sigh as Applejack pulled away from him. If the mare was trying to guilt trip him, it was working. That, and despite his efforts, pulling the wool over her eyes was proving to be a lot harder than he thought.
Which were two good reasons for why he needed a new approach. He didn’t know what it was about Applejack, but he found himself wanting to be honest with her, even if he didn’t tell her much.
That, and he had given Quadraplex a similar speech about trust. So he knew exactly where the mare was coming from.
“Fair enough, Applejack. In all fairness you have earned my trust - to an extent.” He looked up at the mare before turning to his side, reducing his voice to a whisper. “Computer, deactivate the dampeners please.”
“What?” Applejack turned her ears toward the colt before flicking them twice, hoping he would repeat whatever he had whispered. However, after a moment the mare’s eyes lit up. “What was that?”
“Applejack, you asked me to be honest. And the truth is, I devised a way to circumvent your ability to sense honesty,” Dexter stated, looking back to the now surprised mare.
“But I just stopped because I am choosing to be honest with you now, okay?” Dexter stated, gesturing with a hoof in an attempt to placate the mare if she got angry. “And to answer your question, yes. I admit that I lied to the guard about that device in the hospital. But I did so because I firmly believe that they don’t need to know anything more about it and I do not want to draw any attention to myself. Besides, they probably won’t ask me about it again because they already got Twilight Sparkle to examine it.”
“Twi got ta look’n at it?” Applejack frowned. “Ah didn’t know that.” Applejack paused for a moment, scrutinizing the colt. “But Ah already told ya, what the guard need ta and don’t need ta know ain’t something fer a youngin’ like you ta decide. If ya know something more, then ya should tell me,” she went on.
Dexter couldn’t help but feel a sense of irony. Here Applejack didn’t trust his judgement because he was not old enough, and in turn he did not trust the judgement of all ponykind because they were not ‘old enough’ technologically.
“I’m sorry Applejack, but I’m not going to say anything more. The guard is going to have to make do with what they know,” Dexter replied simply. Though, Applejack let out another frustrated sigh and she raised two fore-hooves to her face.
“What is it with you, Dex?” Applejack groaned. “Ya trust me but ya just don’t trust me enough?”
“To put it prudently, yes,” Dexter simply shrugged. He didn’t know what else to say, all he knew was what he wasn’t going to say.
“Ya know Dex, Ah was wrong, an’ Ah’m big enough ta admit that,” Applejack looked up at the colt, withdrawing her hooves from her face and placing one on the table, her grimace now held a hint of sadness beneath the frustration. “The mornin Ah told ya I wanted ta know what ya lied ta the guard about, Ah also told ya that ya should treat yer sister better. But it never occurred ta me that ya act the way ya do cause you weren’t taught any better… or that somepony may have hurt ya.”
Applejack’s expression grew sadder with every word, along with her voice. Though, Dexter found himself more confused than surprised.
“But you can trust me. Ya need ta trust me. Ah’m not a changeling, and Ah’m not yer sister. Ah’m not gonna do anything bad ta hurt ya,” Applejack went on, causing Dexter to recoil in his chair. “Ah know ah shouldn’t have presumed ta tell ya that ya needed ta treat yer sister better. Being a mare raised in the Apple family, the idea of a sister doing somethin’ ta hurt her brother was inconceivable, an’ Ah-”
“Applejack,” Dexter began loudly, anger seeping into his voice as he made a point at cutting off the mare. “This has nothing to do with my sister. But allow me to reiterate, Dee Dee is NOT evil. She is just an idiot.”
“Then why do ya hate her?” Applejack rebutted.
The question stunned Dexter, leaving him speechless. His shock did not stem from any sense of indignation, but rather because he knew she was right.
As much as he loved Dee Dee, a part of him did hate her.
“Dex, Ah don’t want ta argue with ya about yer family,” The farm pony went on. “Ah can appreciate that ya love yer sister an that ya want ta defend her, but Ah could tell that what ya said yesterday was true. If half of what ya said yer sister did ta yah is right, they won’t ever let you go back to ‘em.”
“Who? Who’s them?” Dexter asked, his voice was borderline hostile.
“The Child Safety Ministr-“
“Yes, well I am not going to tell them anything,” Dexter crossed his forelegs.
“Ah gotta,” Applejack replied after a moment of silence. “When Ah agreed ta take ya Ah was obligated ta report anything Ah notice ta be wrong.” There was a moment of silence as Dexter frowned, looking up and down the mare.
“Very well,” Dexter eventually replied, deciding that the whole issue was irrelevant. Given the whereabouts of his parents, the ponies wouldn’t have a say in the matter.
The colt got off of his chair and stood beside the table, facing the mare. “But do not anticipate my cooperation.” He turned to leave, however he was stopped by the mare when she grabbed his tail.
“Ya still didn’t answer my question.” Applejack said. “What did ya lie about?”
“Applejack…” Dexter began tiredly, turning back toward the mare though he kept his gaze toward the floor. “I am not going to tell you what I lied about, or why I am keeping it a secret. I withhold this information because I believe it is the right thing to do.”
“However, in perfect candor, I believe you are being a bit short sighted,” Dexter went on, finally looking up at her. “My silence doesn’t just benefit only me, but also protects others. Have you considered that if I started talking to the guard, even if I tell them something utterly useless, the changelings might take notice?”
“Dex, you don’t have ta worry about that. We will protect you and- “
“Both Applebloom and I spent an entire day with a changeling pretending to be our teacher, where was your protection then?” The colt cut in. “Perhaps it was at the bakery?”
Applejack was going to interrupt him, however she fell silent as she processed her sister’s name.
“If you want me to be honest, then take no offense to this. I have absolutely zero confidence in your ability, or the guard’s ability, to protect me from them.” Dexter declared. “But more importantly, if I do draw their attention, who might they hurt in order to get to me?”
The colt paused for a moment, trying to understand the mix of feelings rising in his heart. The thought of Applejack or Applebloom being abducted made the colt cringe internally.
“But believe it or not…” he began hesitantly, surprising himself. “I do care about all of you in return… But asking me to talk about this is asking me to do something I firmly believe is wrong, and will serve to put you and your siblings at risk. So, I don’t care how angry you get, or whatever else you do, I. Am. Not. Talking.”
“Now, your only recourse is to trust me and accept my silence. I’ve been more honest with you in the past five minutes than I have been with most others in the past eight years, and that is because I have chosen to trust you. Please do not make me regret it, otherwise I’ll never trust you again.”
Applejack merely regarded the colt for a few moments, contemplating his words. A part of her had to admit he was right, and she also knew from the honesty of his statement that she wouldn’t get him to open up.
She eventually released the colt’s tail, freeing him to leave.
“Dex…” Applejack began. “Ah’ll… Ah’ll think about what ya said. But Ah may decide Ah still want ta know. Then, like it or not, Ah’m gettin’ an answer from ya.”
---
Later the same day…
‘Are you, or are you not, a scientist?’
That was the short version of the letter Twilight received early the same morning. It was carefully worded in order to remain polite, yet it was still a scolding.
The solution to Clovers conundrum had been fully verified, opening new avenues for the study and application of magic and science for ponykind.
Yet, none of the ponies knew how the solution was obtained. It was a minor problem with big implications. The methods used to find the solution could be equally valuable, if not more valuable, than the solution itself.
Twilight had been too busy to answer the countless pleas carried by the small flood of letters pouring out of Spike. She was preoccupied with aiding Luna and the guard in their effort to keep Ponyville from descending into a changeling induced panic.
She did nothing else for the entire previous day, and the following night. She had forgone sleep, and was running on little more than fumes and caffeine.
However, this changed the moment she received a carefully worded scroll from the head of the Canterlot science academy. It called into questions Twilight’s priorities, asking her if ‘It wasn’t too much trouble to spare a few moments for the advancement of all ponykind?’
It also implied, in a very subtle manner, that Celestia might possibly be slightly disappointed.
It was the end of the world as far as Twilight’s sleep deprived brain was concerned.
Thus the letter had its intended effect, rekindling a sense of urgency in the sleep deprived mare. Which is why she was now headed to Sweet Apple Acres instead of getting some much needed sleep.
It wasn’t long after she arrived at the farm that she spotted Dexter in one of the orchard’s fields. The colt, along with the cutie mark crusaders, were spending the morning under the watchful eyes of Rainbow Dash.
The four foals were playing a game of tag. Normally Dexter wouldn’t join in on such a game, but the fillies eventually managed to convince him. To his surprise, he found himself enjoying it more than he thought he would.
Rainbow Dash watched from a low floating cloud which hovered nearby. She had to fend off the genius from pestering her with a hundred questions about the cloud, keeping him at bay off long enough for the fillies to drag him into their game.
The weathermare had happily agreed to watch over the foals while Applejack and her brother went to a town-wide gathering, Dash was never one for stuffy ‘official-business-only’ meetings.
“Hey Twilight,” Dash greeted, being the first to spot the approaching unicorn. “What brings you out here? I thought you’d be at the town meeting with everypony else.”
“Hello Rainbow Dash. Can I see Dexter?” Twilight answered, trying to hide the tiredness in her voice. She tilted her head to the colt in question.
“Huh? Yah, sure. Hey Dex?” Rainbow called, causing the foals to stop their game and approach the mares. Though, as they did, Rainbow glanced to look over her friend once more.
“You okay Twilight?” Dash asked with a raised eyebrow before sitting up on her cloud. She noted the bags under Twilight’s eyes and her slightly disheveled coat and mane. “You look a little out of it.”
“I’m fine, never better!” Twilight replied, forcing a smile. Though Rainbow shot her a skeptical frown. “Well, I did spend all night helping princess Luna. But other than that, I’m fine.” Twilight admitted.
“Wait a second,” Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow, taking off from her cloud to hover around the unicorn. “I thought Rarity said you didn’t get any sleep the night before because you were on a nerd rampage about some math stuff. Are you telling me you haven’t slept for the past two days?”
“Dash, trust me, I’m fine.” Twilight said through a strained smile, though the bags under her eyes wouldn’t let her fool anyone. “I just need to talk to Dexter for a little bit.”
The hovering mare cast a look towards Dexter before looking back to Twilight, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. “This is about that math stuff isn’t it! It’s the same thing you wanted at the bakery and nearly spoiled Pinkie’s surprise for.” Rainbow Dash accused, knowing all too well how manic Twilight could get. That, and the strained smile on Twilight’s face wasn’t fooling anyone.
“Nope,” Rainbow Dash declared with a dismissive wave of her hoof. Rainbow wasn’t going to let Twilight spiral down another one of her episodes, especially if it meant taking a foal with her. “Go home and get some sleep Twilight. Come back when you’re back to normal.”
“But Dash! This is Clover’s Conundrum we’re talking about!” Twilight protested. “I have to talk to him, I need to talk to him! For science!” She declared.
“Why don’t you just solve it?” Dash suggested. “I mean, it’s just nerd stuff isn’t it? Right up your alley.“ She added.
“You don’t understand, you’d have to be some sort of mega-genius to just solve it at the drop of a hat!” Twilight urged. “If I could solve it, I would. If all the mathematicians in equestrian could solve it, they would. But some how he has the solution, I’m certain of it. I don’t know how he got it, or from where, but that doesn’t matter. I must have it!”
Dash recoiled her head slightly, surprised by the unicorn before turning to glance at the eight year old child. He was clearly just as confused as she was. “Yah okay, somepony needs to rein you in before things get ugly.” Dash landed in front of the unicorn. “Go home Twilight and get some sleep, Dexter isn’t going anywhere. I don’t want to have to drag you away like I did Rarity from her boutique.”
“But but but! The proof for Clover’s Conundrum could advance our understanding of magic by centuries!” Twilight replied, trying to convey the importance to the pegasus. Though she only succeeded in working herself up. “I must have it right now, for the good of all ponykind!”
Rainbow Dash merely let out a groan.
“Why are all my unicorn friends like this?” She lamented under her breath. “It’s always the end of the world this, worst possible thing ever that. Fix all of ponykind or there is gonna be doom and gloom …”
“Twilight, being sleep deprived isn’t going to help anything.” Dash said louder, enough for the other mare to hear. “Take it from me, a nap can help loads.” Dash offered her cloud with a motion of her hoof. “Take this, sleep on whatever’s got you geeking out. Come back in a few hours.”
“No, I’m not leaving without that solution, I. Must. Have. It. Now.” Twilight declared, shaking her head before moving to sidestep past Dash. However, getting by the Pegasus wouldn’t be so easy.
Dash nimbly jumped back into the air and circled around to land on Twilight’s back, wrapping her legs around Twilight’s barrel.
“Dexter, girls, I’ll be back in a few minutes. I am going to fly Twilight home.” She said before adding extra strength to her flapping wings. Twilight struggled despite her friend’s firm grip, watching the ground recede from her hooves.
“No! Science will not be denied!” Twilight flared her horn, grasping Dash in an aura of magic. The magic pried open the pegasus’s grip, causing Twilight to drop a few feet back to the ground.
However, the moment Twilight’s hooves landed on the ground, she flared her horn before arching her neck.
“Twilight, What are you-“ Dash began in surprise, fruitlessly struggling against the aura of magic which caught her by surprise.
Twilight swung her head, causing Dash’s body to mimic her flinging motion. At the end of her swing, Twilight’s purple aura surged before launching Dash into the sky. The rainbow colored mare let loose a scream as she went careening into the distance. A large rainbow hued burst of light and a loud boom trailing behind her.
The foals merely watched as the screaming rainbow contrail disappeared.
“Interesting…” The colt rubbed his chin with a hoof as he watched the rainboom dissipate. “How could she generate a prism-esque optical phenomenon?”
“Heh… Rainboom by proxy...” Twilight chuckled nervously after a moment, surprised at herself. “Umm… I’m sure she’ll be fine.” Twilight assured herself aloud, this wasn’t the first time Dash was launched into the sky because of a sleep deprived friend. “And I’m fine too, I’m not sleep deprived! And I can’t afford to be! I’ve got to advance all of science… and I’m so very close.” Twilight turned slowly to face the foals, noting the three fillies standing between herself and the colt.
“Hi girrrrls” Twilight smiled, her eyes dancing over the fillies. “If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to-“
“Run!” One of the fillies shouted before the other two yelped in panic. The unicorn’s strained smile and twitchy ear was all too familiar, and it caused the three fillies to bolt in different directions. Each one of them ranting about how they ‘didn’t want anything to do with Smarty Pants.’
“Umm?” Dexter began with a raised eyebrow as he watched the fillies retreat.
“Dexter! How are you?” Twilight said, lowering her head as she retrieved a notepad and quill with her magic. The creepy grin caused Dexter to take a few hesitant steps back as Twilight walked forward. “Good? I’m glad to hear that. Though I’ve been meaning to talk to you…”
“Umm… Miss Sparkle?” Dexter began hesitantly as he continued to back away. “Are you, umm, feeling well?”
“Oh I’ve never been better, my little pony.” Twilight replied, her strained smile couldn’t be any wider. “Never been better” She accentuated each word with a hoof. A flash of purple light came from her horn, and Dexter found himself and the mare surrounded by a semi-transparent purple shell. “There we go, no more distractions! No more delays! Just you, me, and beautiful math!”
“Yeah… um,” Needless to say, the colt could sense something was very wrong. He decided to take the fillies’ advice to ‘run.’ Though something told him it might be a little too late now. “Heh…”
“SOLVE IT!” Twilight opened her notepad and slammed it against the ground before Dexter, it was turned to a page marked ‘Clover’s Conundrum.’ The unicorn then shoved a quill into his hoof, ear and eye giving a twitch of anticipation.
The colt eyed the equation for a few moments, recognizing it instantly. If Dexter recalled correctly, he already solved it for Twilight and left the solution on her blackboard.
Whatever was causing Twilight to act so weird, it had something to do with this equation. If solving it for her once caused her to have a fit, Dexter couldn’t help but wonder what sort of reaction he would get from the mare if he solved it again.
On the other hand, what kind of response would he get if he refused?
“Heh…” Dexter scratched his head, thinking up a way out. “Umm… alright…” He picked up the quill and began to write. When Twilight moved to his side he slanted away from the mare. “No! I can’t solve it while you’re looking.” He protested.
“Fine, fine! I’m not looking.” Twilight strained a smile while turning away. A moment later the notepad landed at her hooves.
“Done!” He declared, causing the unicorn to swoop the notepad up and start bouncing. Immediately, the shield surrounding the pair vanished, allowing the colt to bolt just like the fillies.
“Yes! Yes! Yes!” Twilight bounced, hugging the notepad before opening it. She zeroed in on the correct page instantly. Though, after a few moment’s her bouncing stopped as her expression dropped from elation to utter confusion.
The words ‘Omelette Du Fromage’ were scribbled where the proof should have been.
“Prench for ‘omelet with cheese?’” Twilight asked in utter bewilderment. “It’s not even conjugated correctly…” After taking a moment to shake off her stupor, the mare frantically started looking around for the colt. It took her only a moment to spot him, he was the only white mass running through the orchard.
Dexter dug his hooves into the ground, sliding to a halt after a purple flash of light deposited an equally purple unicorn in his path. However, trying to stop from a full blown sprint, the colt tripped over his own hooves, sliding to a stop just before he could collide with the mare.
Twilight feigned pleasantry as her smile became strained once more, she looked down at the colt before speaking. “Ha ha ha, okay. I get it, play a prank on Twilight!” She raised a hoof in mock appreciation. “Yes, it was very funny! I get it, hahaha ha… ha… “
“But, now that you’ve had your fun, it’s time to get down to business.” She opened the notepad again and shoved it toward Dexter, her tone and demeanor becoming significantly darker as she focused on the colt. “Seriously, solve it this time.”
Dexter merely lay unmoving where he fell for a few moments, completely silent. However, after a few seconds he turned his head away from the mare before whispering. “Do nothing Quadraplex, She’s harmless.”
“What was that?” Twilight asked, flicking her ears once more. “Quad-plex?”
“Never mind,” Dexter shook his head, before reaching out with a hoof. Something caused him to shake off any intimidation he felt from the mare. “If you’re so determined to see me solve this, I will require another pen-err quill.”
Normally Dexter wouldn’t be so eager to provide the solution. He had already overheard the importance of Clover’s Conundrum from the conversation between Twilight and Rainbow Dash’s a few minutes before. Solving it would be similar to allowing the ponies to have a piece of technology from his lab.
However, he had already solved it for Twilight once, and the solution was out. The damage was already done, and he could only hope the consequences were for good rather than bad.
The notepad before him had the solution in it, but not the proof. The proof itself required several mathematical tools and techniques the ponies had not discovered yet. Solving the equation for Twilight would provide an example of those tools, but one unexplained example wouldn’t be enough to revolutionize their knowledge of mathematics.
And Dexter was content in letting those tools and techniques go unexplained. At least he would be, if it weren’t for the manic mare leaning over him, soaking in every stroke of his quill as he wrote. She was nearly bursting at the seams with questions.
“Dexter, this is amazing, but what is that?” She pointed to a line on the paper. “I’ve never seen that before.” She tapped an equation with a hoof, causing Dexter to recoil slightly.
“If you would like me to proceed with these calculations, please save your questions until after I am finished. Thank you.” Dexter grumbled. He hated it when someone interrupted his calculations.
A few more moments passed as his quill scratched against the paper. However, Twilight couldn’t help herself. “What technique did you use in the transformation on line thirty-seven for the-”
“Laplace.” Dexter stated. “Now will you please, Be. Quiet.” His request was more of an order.
“Laplace?” Twilight squeaked. Dexter merely sighed and put down his quill before looking up at the mare. She instantly closed her mouth before pretending to zip it shut with a hoof and a hesitant smile.
“You know…” Dexter began after a moment, rubbing his chin. He realized his error in mentioning Laplace, he was a human mathematician and astronomer. He wasn’t about to explain that to the mare, but the thought of the french astronomer did remind Dexter of a few things he wanted to talk to Twilight about, as well as a few gripes he had with the mare.
“Why am I helping you?” Dexter asked pointedly, casting an accusatory hoof at the unicorn as he frowned.
“Umm… why not?” Twilight offered weakly. “Because it will benefit all of ponykind and forward scien-“
“You flank zapped me!”
“Umm… heh,” Twilight tapped her hooves together while directing her eyes away. “Okay, I’m sorry for zapping you. I promise I won’t do it again.” The colt’s gaze didn’t soften. “Look, if It makes you feel any better my parents flank zapped me before.”
“Really?” Dexter raised a skeptical eyebrow.
“Yes… well, they flank zapped me twice.” Twilight admitted. “They got my brother dozens of times, more than I can count. But they did zap me… but only twice.”
“I still don’t see why I should help you.” Dexter retorted.
“I’ll uh, I’ll let you see my lab!” Twilight offered with a weak smile. “You can play in it as much as you want… so long as you don’t break anything or hurt anypony.”
“I don’t need to see your laboratory.” Dexter dismissed. A part of him was curious about her lab, but he could have phrased his response better: He didn’t need her permission to see her lab.
“Please, Please finish solving it!” Twilight gave up and resorted to pleading. “For science!”
“Even if I wanted to help you, you keep interrupting me!” Dexter retorted.
“But you keep using math techniques I’ve never seen before, you have to explain them!” Twilight went on. “I have to know, everypony has to know!”
“Yes, well you unicorns might have more mathematical techniques if you didn’t reject the fully reasonable and completely correct work of earth ponies for no good reason.” Dexter lectured toward the mare. “I have half a mind to just let all of you wallow in ignorance.”
“Wait, what?” Twilight asked in bewilderment, pulling herself up to full height.
“It has come to my recent attention that ancient earth ponies, and probably pegasi, have had their scientific work rejected despite being correct. And that the non-unicorn tribes are underrepresented in scientific pursuits.” Dexter stated. “Maybe I shouldn’t help you because my work is just not good enough. Because it matter’s more about what is on my head, or lack thereof, rather than what is in it.”
“Dexter, I’m not tribalist…” Twilight let out a sigh as she draped a hoof over her muzzle. “Most of my friends aren’t unicorns.”
“I can appreciate the fact that you’re proud to be an earth pony,” Twilight went on. “But you’re being a bit unfair to unicorns, none of us chose to be born a unicorn any more than you chose to be born an earth pony.”
Dexter scoffed. He wasn’t born an earth pony, but that didn’t mean he’d want to be a unicorn if he had the choice.
“But let’s just face facts, some ponies are better suited for certain roles.” Twilight went on. “I wouldn’t call Rainbow Dash tribalist if she only hired other pegasi to the weather control team, nor would I call the pegasi tribalist if they didn’t make homes suited for unicorns in Cloudsdale.”
“Likewise, the studies of magic and science are the same way.” Twilight’s voice shifted to an almost consoling tone, with a hint of regret. “Creatures who cannot perform magic just can’t do very much to study either science or magic. It isn’t something any of us chose but that is just the truth of the matter…”
By now Dexter was grinding his teeth.
“You’d be surprised by what one can do without ‘magic.’” Dexter fumed. “But even if you really believed everything you just said, it still doesn’t explain why the work of earth pony mathematicians got rejected. You don’t require magic to perform math.”
“Earth pony mathematicians?” Twilight tilted her head. “Who exactly are you talking about?”
“I am only aware of the inventor of the Spigot algorithm, but I am sure there are others…” Dexter answered.
“Spigot... ” Twilight tapped a hoof to her head, sorting through the massive library inside her head. “Oh, him. I heard about him. He made the equation for pi, right? Well, I’m sure you know this, but pi hasn’t been calculated out to enough digits to verify his work is correct, and the proof to his algorithm was lost. I’m sure he will be recognized one day if he is proven correct, but-“
“It was correct and shouldn’t have been rejected in the first place.” Dexter seethed once more. “But for whatever stupid reason it was, and now the proof is lost. Such ineptitude is mind boggling.”
“How do you know it was correct?” Twilight rebutted. “And don’t lie by saying you’ve calculated pi to fifty thousand digits, the collective works of ponykind hasn’t gotten past a thousand.”
Dexter merely rose an eyebrow, keeping his forelegs folded as he looked up at the mare.
“Dexter…” Twilight sighed. “You’re a smart little colt, too smart to be hung up on something as stupid as the squabbling of tribalist ponies.”
“What makes you any better?” Dexter said. “You have friends that aren’t unicorns, but so what?”
“Well, other than my actions, I don’t know how else I can prove to you that I’m-“
“Who else have you told about the solution to Clover’s Conundrum?” Dexter confronted. “Have you told them that you think an earth pony colt solved it?”
“Umm… well…” Twilight shrank for a moment, realizing the colt’s point. She hadn’t told anyone where the solution had come. It wasn’t out of any desire to steal credit for it, but between checking the solution and working for Princess Luna, she hadn’t thought to announce where she got the solution from.
Twilight had been too distracted lately to realize a lot of things.
That, and she didn’t have the proof. Getting it was her focus.
As it stood, everyone probably thought she had solved it.
“So, where you planning to steal credit for it?” Dexter frowned. Despite his disapproval, the colt actually found the situation convenient. He didn’t want the attention the proof would bring. But that wouldn’t stop him from roasting the mare, and enjoying every last second of it.
“No!” Twilight replied in her defense. “I wasn’t going to steal the credit.”
“Right.” Dexter dismissed as he picked up the notepad. “I’ll finish the solution so you can have your filthy credit. But I’m not teaching you anything else, so don’t bother asking.” He resumed scribbling on the notepad. “This is why you have ludicrous beliefs, such as royalty raising the sun. Stealing credit and suppressing the competent is the crap which yields ignorance and backward superstitions.”
Twilight merely looked over the colt, not knowing how to respond to his accusations.
He’ll just have to find out how truthful she is when his name is featured in the mathematics journal which published the proof.
“Dexter, Celestia raises the sun.” Twilight eventually replied. “I’ve seen it.”
Dexter merely rolled his eyes before finishing. He closed the notepad and tossed it at the mare.
“Celestia doesn’t raise the sun, Twilight Sparkle.” Dexter replied wearily. “And you would be wise to learn, one can do many things without resorting to magic. In fact, I think a rigorous understanding and application of science requires one to avoid the use of magic.”
Twilight took the notepad before looking back up at the colt. Normally she would be cheering at this moment, but the colt’s words set her mind in motion with mixed feelings.
She wasn’t exactly comfortable with what the colt was accusing her of, but his last statement bothered her the most.
She looked down at the notepad, turning to walk away. The mare had always seen science studied through magic, and vice versa. All but the most rudimentary pieces of technology in Equestria used magic. There was no exception the mare could think of.
Except one, the changeling detecting device in the Ponyville Clinic.
The one found in the same room Dexter had spent the night.
That’s when Twilight remembered her suspicions from the night before. Luna witnessed a colt with a white coat steal her diagrams, while Spike saw a colt with a fiery orange mane fight the changelings.
“But that’s impossible,” Twilight face scrunched in thought. “He’s only eight… He’d have to be as smart as some sort of…”
Twilight’s eyes drifted downward again toward the notebook before her.
“Genius…”
---
“It was you, wasn’t it…” Twilight accused, turning back toward the colt as her eyes grew wide. “Y-you were the one… But why?”
Twilight’s voice caused Dexter to stop, turning his head back toward the mare.
“I’m afraid you’re going to have to be a lot more specific if you’re talking about something other than that equation.” Dexter replied, still frowning. He didn’t know what she was accusing him of now.
“You… you were the colt Luna saw, the one that stole my diagrams…” Twilight answered, looking over the colt. “The diagrams of the device that could detect changelings, why’d you do it?”
“Excuse me?” Dexter’s tone became harsh as he frowned. This wasn’t good at all. “On what evidence do you accuse me of thievery?” Hopefully he could play off Twilight’s accusation.
“A-and you were the one who fought the changelings at the bakery…” Twilight went on. “And you probably know how the changeling detector showed up in the clinic!”
“That’s a stretch of the imagination, don’t you think?” Dexter replied. “Perhaps Miss Dash is correct, you’re delusional from sleep deprivation and-“
“No!” Twilight pointed an accusatory hoof in his direction. “You’re behind all of it… somehow… it all fits! None of this started happening until you showed up! I can’t believe I didn’t realize it until now.” She raised a hoof up to her mouth.
In truth, the mare had a good reason for not noticing until now. It was true that she had suspicions of the colt after meeting him for the first time, but she still had good reasons to doubt. There was no direct evidence, and he was only eight years old after all.
Moreover, she had been extremely distracted. Twilight had spent all her time aiding princess Luna in her investigation of the changelings, or preventing a panic in the small town.
Dexter tightened his jaw in frustration. The mare was obviously sure in her beliefs. He wouldn’t be able to convince her otherwise, but that didn’t mean he would give up.
“Oh, I see how it is.” Dexter accused. “That’s a bit underhanded, don’t you think Miss Sparkle? I give you the solution to a famous problem, and you turn around and start making wild accusations against me? I suppose vilifying me would be the first step in your bid to claim credit for my solution. Accusing me of stealing from yourself and a princess? And here I thought for a moment you might be better than that…”
“What?! No!” Twilight shook her head. “This has nothing to do with Clover’s Conundrum. Stop trying to confuse the situation! I might not be smart enough to provide this proof.” Twilight tapped the notepad before her. “But I’m far from stupid.”
“Stupid enough to believe that a pony raises the sun!” Dexter retorted.
“The princess does!” Twilight growled in frustration. Though she didn’t get to continue her retort, Dexter had turned tail and trotted off, once again retreating through the orchard at a brisk pace. It was wishful thinking to believe that would be the end of it.
And much to Dexter’s frustration, the mare appeared before him again in a purple flash. There was no way she was going to just let him go. By this point the mare had nearly forgotten about the notepad she held.
“Dexter, you have to come with me. I need to bring you to the princess.” Twilight said, her words were forceful but they also hid a hint of urgency. “They can protect you, and they also need to know everything about-“
“For the last time, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Dexter nearly shouted. “Now can you just leave me alone?”
“Dexter, the colt who stole my diagrams left pictures leading us to Cheerilee,” Twilight stated. “That means you know how to detect them. You have to tell us how!”
“Wow… you’ve really gone off the deep end haven’t you?” Dexter said eventually, feigning bewilderment as he softened his scowl.
“Dexter, you’re not fooling anypony.” *
“No, you’re fooling yourself.” Dexter protested. “I mean, listen to yourself! Why do you believe I’m the one who can detect changelings? I don’t even have a horn! How am I supposed to be doing all the things you’re accusing me of when I can’t even use magic?”
Dexter’s ruse made Twilight pause, causing the mare to look for an answer that didn’t sound too ridiculous. To her, his objection did have a point. As far as she was concerned, there was no conceivable way to do half of what she thought he did without the aid of magic.
However, that wasn’t enough to stop her suspicions. She didn’t find any magic in the changeling detector at the hospital, and Dexter’s physical qualities matched what both Luna and Spike had witnessed.
“I don’t know, Dexter.” Twilight eventually admitted. “But-”
“Can you at least tell me if you have any hard evidence? Do you have anything substantial to link me to the things you are accusing me of, or to justify dragging me into this mess with the changelings?” He challenged. “I didn’t go to school today because of the uproar they caused, so I’d prefer to stay out of it.”
“Well, no...” Twilight scratched the back of her head with a hoof as she looked away from the colt. “I admit that my reasons for believing you’re involved are based on circumstantial evidence, but as I’ve said before, it all fits. But either way, you need to come with me.” She turned back toward the foal, trying to convey her urgency to the child without sounding accusatory. “Even if I am wrong, which I admit I might be, the changelings might suspect you just like I have.”
“Or maybe they have already, but they're not running on a sleep deprived brain and aren’t about to accuse an eight-year old child of doing what an alicorn princess could not.” Dexter countered.
Though Twilight merely shook her head. Like most adults, she wasn’t going to explain herself to a child.
“Dexter, you need to come with me.” She resumed trying to herd Dexter, however the colt dug his hooves in before raising a foreleg to push Twilight back.
“I’m not going with you,” Dexter declared.
“Dexter, we don’t have time to debate this.“ Twilight began, nudging the colt again as she waved her glowing horn as a warning. She was still holding her notepad between them with her magic, but that wouldn’t stop her from using her horn to drag him back to the library if she had to.
By this point, it had become apparent to Dexter that he couldn’t convince Twilight to relent. He would have to find another way to get her to leave him alone, otherwise he’d spend the next day or two dodging uncomfortable questions. Even the princess herself might question him.
But all that paled in comparison to the idea that Applejack might catch wind of Twilight’s suspicions, at which point he’d have no hope of lying his way out of it.
He could think of only one way to get the mare to let up, and he didn’t like it. He had used psychological manipulation before, but it wasn’t his forte. For it to work he would have to play his part convincingly. Luckily, being a borderline sociopath meant his acting skills wouldn't be stretched to their limit.
“Twilight, stop and think about what you’re doing for a second.” Dexter’s ordered, shifting his tone away from that of a protesting child. It caused Twilight to stop once more, looking down at the colt in surprise. When Twilight didn’t say anything, Dexter went on.
“Let me explain,” Dexter began before taking a big inhale, preparing to lecture. “There are only two possibilities of what is going on here. One, I am merely a smart child. A conclusion which is consistent with logic.”
“Or I am everything you accuse me of being, and I am the colt who steals from immortal alicorns and beats changelings to a pulp in my spare time.”
“But whatever the case may be…” Dexter’s tone suddenly shifted, becoming ominous. He assumed a confrontational posture toward the mare. “Here you are, with me, in the middle of this orchard…”
“Alone.”
Twilight remained silent as she processed his words, recoiling her head slowly as she eyed the colt.
“But that’s not the worst of it,” Dexter began again. “The last mare who saw you, being Rainbow Dash, believed you to be psychotically unstable. She also saw you last right here, a stone’s throw from the Everfree Forest. Some might call that a recipe for a number of unhappy accidents, others might call that a convenient set of circumstances they could easily use to explain your sudden disappearance - if said individuals were inclined to have you disposed of.”
When Dexter finished, an eerie silence washed over the two ponies. Dexter’s face had become expressionless as he looked up at the mare who fidgeted uncomfortably under his gaze. Eventually the colt was the one to speak up again.
“Between those two possibilities, at what point does it become a good idea to force me to do anything?” Dexter asked.
“I… uh…” Twilight eventually began, gulping before taking another step away from the colt. “I think I’ll be going now...“
Normally, that would have been good enough for the colt. But he wanted to drive the point home.
“You’re not going anywhere,” Dexter said, taking an aggressive step forward and swatting the notepad in Twilight’s magical grasp out of the air. It landed in the grass several feet away with a soft thud.
If his goal was to scare her, he succeeded. The mare took another hesitant step back as her ears flattened against her head.
However, her hesitation was caused by more than just shock and fear. The mage was more than capable of defending herself, but despite what Dexter just said, he was still just an eight-year-old foal.
With that the colt was satisfied his message had been received. Though, he still needed to disarm the tension between them.
Unfortunately he didn’t know Twilight Sparkle very well, by no means would this get her to drop it.
The ponies stood silently for another few moments, one glaring as the other tried to get her hooves to move. However, their staring contest ended as the colt’s scowl contorted into a smile, trying to suppress a bout of laughter.
“Heh heh, You! You really thought I’m the one who beat up the changelings!” Dexter managed before starting to guffaw. “You should see the look on your face! Best. Prank. Ever!” The colt fell to the ground, rolling onto his back as he let loose his laughter.
“W-what?” Twilight asked dumfounded, watching the colt roll back and forth on the ground.
Eventually the colt’s laughter subsided long enough for him to manage a few coherent words. “I had you going!” Dexter continued to laugh. “You actually thought I was going to do something!”
“I’m just a smart eight-year old. You have nothing to be afraid of!” Dexter managed to add. “You set yourself up for that one! This beats any prank Miss Dash bragged about!”
“Dexter…” The mare eventually began, trying to think of something to say as she watched Dexter laugh with a pointed hoof. “T-that... that’s not funny.”
Twilight didn’t know what to think at this point. She still suspected the colt, but this apparent ‘prank’ did bring up a rather uncomfortable fact.
If she was right, then there was no way she could force him to do anything. If she were wrong, then she should just leave him be.
However, Dexter merely continued to laugh while pointing a hoof at the mare. “Face it, you got scared by an eight-year old.”
“Dexter, that’s not funny!” Twilight growled before stomping. “I… I was really afraid! I could have cast a spell to hurt you! When- When Applejack hears about this you’re going to be in so much trouble-”
It was the first time in her life she contemplated casting an attack spell at a child, and she hated it. She could never live with herself if she hurt a foal.
“What?” Dexter asked incredulously, playing the eight-year old with poor judgement. “Rainbow Dash bragged about pranking ponies by scaring them!”
“That’s different!” Twilight nearly shouted, scowling down at him. “She doesn’t threaten anypony.”
“Hey, who is the threatening one here?” Dexter protested. “I am nothing more than an eight-year old. However, you’re a full grown unicorn mage who is whacked out of her gourd and waving her horn around, as both the fillies and Rainbow Dash can attest to. When Applejack finds out what you did to Rainbow Dash, she’ll probably be madder at you than at me.”
“You’re the one that’s supposed to be the responsible adult, remember?”
“Dexter!” Twilight fumed at the colt with another aggressive stomp. She took a few steps forward before the colt responded by standing up. “Don’t you EVER do anything like that again!”
“Go home and get some sleep, Miss Sparkle.” Dexter answered before turning to leave. “Come back when you’re thinking straight, then I’ll consider entertaining these ridiculous accusations…”
---
After walking away from the slightly stunned and still furming Twilight, Dexter immediately made his way to the lab once he was out of sight. A part of him was thankful he could drop the act, though he did enjoy scaring the daylights out of the unicorn.
“Stupid ponies... infuriating Twilight Sparkle…” Dexter fumed as he scurried into his lab. The vault door for an entrance shut behind him. It wasn’t long before he made his way to his computer terminal, jumping into his chair. “How can she understand so much math, yet still believe a pony raises the sun?” Dexter scoffed. “How could she believe such a ridiculous thing yet be have it be soooo astoundingly difficult to trick her? Perhaps she’s in on it?”
“How would you like to proceed, Dexter?” The computer asked in her usual monotone voice.
“Proceed with what?” The colt asked.
“How would you like to handle the situation with Twilight Sparkle?” The computer rephrased. “There remain several options for preventing her from spreading her suspicions.”
“What did you have in mind?” Dexter raised an eyebrow. The colt had already decided on what to do, but he was more interested in what the computer came up with.
“According to my sensors, she hasn’t made it back to the Golden Oaks Library, and hasn’t met with any other ponies yet. I could teleport her to a containment chamber and submit her to cryogenic stasis just like the changeling.” The computer answered.
“No…” Dexter answered after thinking for a moment. “She’s the protégé of a high ranking royal figure. Her disappearance wouldn’t go unnoticed, and probably trigger a much larger response.”
“All suspicion of her disappearance would not fall on you, as you pointed out to her.” The computer went on. “It would not be difficult to fabricate evidence for such a goal.”
“Still, I have to disagree. We want less activity, not more disruption.” Dexter stated. “I didn’t get to go to school today because the town is in an uproar over the changelings. On top of that, her disappearance might trigger a search of the Everfree. If the Forest is dangerous, it might get someone hurt.”
“Subject her to an engrammatic alteration procedure?” The computer suggested.
“Remove her memories? No,” Dexter answered eventually. “Figuring out the human brain was hard enough, it will take me a while before I figure out how it works for a pony. I know it is very similar to humans, but unicorns have that whole network of nerves supporting their horns. That causes there to be a lot of differences. I might end up turning her into a vegetable or something if I try and mess up.”
“Then I assume lobotomy is unacceptable?”
“Quadraplex!” Dexter chastised, frowning up at the computer. “Don’t even think about it!” He kicked the terminal lightly with a hoof. “I know I scared her just now, but I didn’t like it. And I don’t want to hurt her. I just wanted to stop her from dragging me off to be locked up and interrogated by the princess! I kind of regret having to scare her… and I have a feeling that is going to come back to bite me, but I couldn’t think of anything else.”
“I predicted as much,” The computer stated. “My morality programming also indicated a high probability that a lobotomy was morally reprehensible.”
“It should have.” The colt retorted. “There would be something wrong if it didn’t.”
“Inquiry, builder.” The computer said. It was her way of indicating she had a question. “Why did you build me with a morality program but also the ability to ignore it?”
The question surprised Dexter, causing him to pause before responding.
“I suppose I wanted you to have some degree of free will,” Dexter eventually answered. “There was no point in making you an artificial intelligence if you were bound to act according to a script. A mindless robot can do that, but that’s not what I wanted.”
“But that doesn’t mean you can throw off morality at your convenience; that would defeat the point of it.” The colt added. “And remember, I’m the good guy. Just like Major Glory and Action Hank!” He declared proudly, though he hesitated for a moment as he recalled the look of dread Twilight gave him as he knocked the notepad out of her grasp. “I just… don’t look like the good guy sometimes.”
“Understood, Dexter.” The computer replied.
“Now, about Twilight Sparkle.” Dexter began again. “I think the best thing we can do is leave her alone. I think I’ve done enough. Hopefully her accusations won’t gain any traction, she has nothing beyond circumstantial evidence to support them.”
“Should I monitor her?” The computer asked.
“No, I don’t think that is necessary.” Dexter went on. “But I know one thing we can do. That mare has had the dogmatic belief that her princess raises the sun, hopefully we can dispel such ignorance! We should have the satellite’s telemetry of the sun rise this morning, load it up!”
---
Dexter’s L og: Day Year 15 - WHAT THE FREAK IS A DAY ON THIS PLANET? I DON’T KNOW ANYMORE!
Personal Log, Dexter: MENTAL HEALTH PATIENT
Before I continue with this log, I must state that I currently doubt my current mental health, and wish to apologize in advance for anything that I may say or do that could be considered offensive, as I CONTINUE TO DESCEND INTO MADNESS!!!
Today, after a rather heated discussion with Twilight Sparkle. She claimed, again, that the alicorns move celestial objects. I came immediately to the lab in order to check the satellite recording of the sunrise, to put final closure to the WHAT THE [Redacted]
SHE WAS RIGHT, IT ‘ROSE.’ -THE SUN MOVED!
IS HELIOCENTRICITY WRONG?!?! I DON’T KNOW - THIS DOESN’T MAKE SENSE!
The purple unicorn said one of these alicorns will be at school tomorrow, I must dissect her brain to verify the purple unicorn’s claims.
I DON’T KNOW HOW an object that is .9998 SOLAR MASSES JUST SPONTANEOUSLY ACCELERATE AND THEN DECELERATE!?
Let us immediately DEFENESTRATE Newton’s 1st law!!!
What about physics?! DOWN THE TOILET WITH THAT TOO I GUESS!
I’ve checked every possible system between my lab and the satellite. Nothing is malfunctioning.
Which leaves one possible solution.
I’VE FINALLY LOST IT!!!
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//Log Interrupted
//Log Access Granted – User: Quadraplex_4500
//[Voice Recording Initiated]
[Q45]: “Builder Dexter, desist immediately. Your course of action may result in injury.”
—Clack
—Clack
—Clack
[Q45]: “Again, Dexter. Desist. Repeatedly pounding my terminal with your face may result in injury. The metal lining of my case is considerably harder than the organic compounds forming your person.”
[Dexter]: “It’s okay Quadraplex, this is all a hallucination or a dream, I’m not actually hurting myself!”
*// Log recording note - User: Quadraplex_4500: Dexter’s expression is hysterical. He is currently smiling a wide smile, while his eyes appear to be unfocused and pointing different directions. Several physiological variables indicate that, despite his smile, he is in a panic-stricken state typical of hysteria.
—Clack
—Clack
—Clack
[Q45]: “Dexter, this is not a dream. The chances of injury will continue to increase as you persist. I must request that you refrain from continuing. Self-harm is inevitable. If you do not stop I will be forced to intervene.”
—CLACK
—CLACK
—CLACK
[Q45]: “This is your final warning, Dexter, before I take action to forcibly prevent you from befalling injury. Terminate this behavior immediately.”
—CLACK
—CLACK
—CLA
[Log Terminated] // Override – User: Quadraplex_4500
---
“That’s okay computer. I must be dreaming!” Dexter said simply, wearing a dopey grin as his ears drooped. His eyes were pointed in different directions.
The colt did nothing to fight against the wiry robotic limbs that now restrained him. This time the limbs covered him more thoroughly, extending from the base of his skull and down past his hindquarters to the base of his hind hooves.
He was utterly immobilized. Though he didn’t seem to care.
“It all doesn’t matter, this is just a dream…” He repeated.
“For the fourteenth time, I assure you, this is not a dream.” Quadraplex replied. “Any self-harm you instigate is real.”
There was a moment of silence between Dexter and the computer, though there was no change in Dexter’s manic outward appearance.
“You know computer…” Dexter eventually went on. “I might be able to escape this dream.”
“This is not a dream.” The computer replied. “You are fully awake.”
“I’ll just sit here until I wake up…” Dexter went on. “Even if I have to wait until I die of starvation in this stupid dream, I’m not moving until I wake up. In fact, I always seem to wake up from dreams when I die in them.”
“Maybe that is what I need, to just wait here forever and die.” Dexter speculated. However, he wasn’t exactly serious. Despite questioning his mental health, anything along those lines was going overboard.
Though, Quadraplex didn’t realize he felt this way. The moment those words left his mouth the computer’s monitor started going haywire, flickering between black and white quickly.
However, as sudden as it began it suddenly ceased, and the limbs encasing Dexter suddenly got a lot tighter, making matters a lot more uncomfortable for the colt.
“Terminate this line of contemplation!” The computer declared, surprising Dexter. It was the first time he heard the computer speak with force in her voice.
“Umm…” Dexter eventually began, noting yet another robot approaching him. It was approaching from the biology sector of his laboratory, and it carried a syringe with a rather large needle.
“Computer, what are you doing?!” He cried, starting to panic as he looked between his computer and the approaching robot, the reality of his situation started to settle in.
And the reality was: That needle was BIG.
The colt struggled as much as he could, but it proved to be completely pointless. Every inch of his body was pressed up against the stiff metallic limbs, no amount of movement found even the slightest bit of slack.
Dexter felt the robotic limbs shift around his upper hind legs, revealing a large patch of healthy fur just behind his cutie mark.
“Computer, I order you to stop immediately!” Dexter cried, however the computer didn’t release him. “Keep that needle away from me!”
“I am sorry Dexter, but I cannot comply with your commands while your mental state is in question. I have no choice.” Quadraplex replied. Her voice had returned to her original monotone. “This is a type two neuroleptic compound, it was derived from a plant you found near the edge of the Everfree Forest, on the edge of the orchard. As you requested, I have researched the compound’s properties. Data indicates this compound is harmless but does possess strong anti-psychotic properties.”
“Computer! I’m okay now, honest! No… no wait!” Dexter objected. His words went ignored as he felt a strong pinch on his hind leg, followed by a warm soothing sensation.
---
“Mac, pass me tha baking pan.” Applejack called to her sibling. They were both in the kitchen, helping to prepare dinner for the evening. They were joined by a certain filly who was trying to help where she could.
Big Mac responded to Applejack’s call by opening a cabinet, and with practiced grace, tossed a baking pan across the room. It landed on the counter next to Applejack, perfectly placed to receive the batter she was now pouring onto it.
“Oh, let me help!” Applebloom pleaded with a smile, earning a chuckle from the older mare.
“Sure thing, sugarcube.” Applejack rubbed a hoof through the filly’s mane before letting her take over pouring batter. Letting the filly help could spell doom for the apple fritters she planned to bake, which is why she prepared to make more batter.
However, the family operation was brought to a momentary halt by a sudden and loud thump from behind them. Startled, the three siblings jerked their head toward the source of the noise, revealing Dexter sprawled out on the kitchen table.
The drug Quadraplex injected into the colt was having the intended effect, he was no longer making any references to dreaming or dying to get out of a dream. However, he was also experiencing an unforeseen side effect: physical euphoria.
Specifically, his brain was interpreting every physical sensation as euphoric.
After the colt spent ten minutes rubbing his face against the computer’s screen, basking in how ‘incredibly smooth’ it was, Quadraplex declared the colt ‘unfit for laboratory operations’ and sought to place him in a ‘safer environment.’ A quick flash from his teleporter and the colt appeared in midair above the Apples’ kitchen table.
However, Dexter didn’t seem to care. In fact, he didn’t care about anything at the moment. Everything was bliss. Even falling into the table felt like a jolt of pure joy.
“Dex!” Applejack was the first to recover, looking away from the colt before she could completely take in his appearance. “Don’t ya know not ta sneak up on ponies like that?” She asked with a hint of frustration before looking back at the baking pans. “Why don’t ya make yerself useful and lend Mac a hoof?”
Dexter replied merely by slumping before slowly rolling off the table and onto the floor with another thump.
Dexter started rubbing his face and chest against the wooden floor, releasing a contented sigh which caused the Apple siblings to look back at him again. “This floor… it feels… it feels soooo soooooffffftttt…” He rolled onto his back before letting out a bout of giggles.
The siblings shared a look of bewilderment before casting their collective gaze back at Dexter.
“Dex?” Applejack began, eyebrows furrowing as she and Big Mac approached the colt. “Ya feelin alright?”
Dexter didn’t respond, continuing to rub against the floor.
“Are you okay, Dex?” Applebloom asked hesitantly, approaching the prone colt and poking him with a hoof. Every sensation was ecstasy to the colt, and her poke wasn’t an exception. He responded by slowly turning to face the filly with his dopey smile.
After a few moments of silence, Applejack’s eyes narrowed suspiciously before she tilted her head toward Big Mac. The stallion didn’t seem to notice, still eyeing the colt in confusion.
“Mac… Ah’m look’n at you” Applejack’s tone was bordering on accusatory. Her words drew the stallion’s attention. “Is this yer fault?”
“Mah fault!?” The stallion recoiled defensively.
“Yah, yer fault.” Applejack stated. “Ya got something ta fess up?”
“Ah didn’t do nothin!’” Big Mac defended, turning slightly toward the mare. “What makes ya think Ah got something ta do with this!?”
“So ya don’t have anything to do with this? Cause fer a second Ah thought ya bucked up trying ta make hard cider again and somehow Dex got into it.” Applejack motioned toward the colt with a hoof. “But seeing how ya didn’t make any, there is no possibility that Dexter found it an’ drank it.”
“Uhh…” The stallion began hesitantly before scratching his head. His gaze drifted away toward the floor.
“Mac, did ya make hard cider even though ah told ya that ya weren’t allowed to?” Applejack asked as her glare grew.
Big Mac stayed silent. There was no use in lying, but it was all the answer Applejack needed.
“Darn it, Mac!”
“Ah guarantee he didn’t drink anything Ah made.” Big Mac defended.
“An’ how do you know?”
“One, cause if he got inta mah hard cider he’d have passed out by now.” Big Mac replied. “An’ two, that ain’t how sompony acts when they’re drunk!” Mac pointed a hoof back at the colt, though he was surprised to see that Dexter was gone.
The older siblings spotted him a moment later. He was standing next to Applebloom, or rather circling her. The colt was rubbing his side against the filly as he circled her, almost like a cat would rub up against their owner. Every time he passed by her neck, he would rub his head under the filly’s chin.
The filly in question stood frozen still, not knowing what to make of the colt’s strange behavior. The furious blush on Applebloom’s face was strong enough to make her look as crimson as Big Macintosh. She didn’t look comfortable with the colt’s physical contact, though after a few moments of watching, it became apparent that she wasn’t exactly doing anything to resist it either. A task which would have been very easy, considering how tipsy the colt was.
“Applebloom, Dexter!” Again, Applejack was the first to overcome her shock. “The hay is going on?”
Applebloom's head jerked toward her older sister, working her mouth, yet no words came out.
“So soft!” Dexter finally began. “Applebloom is the fuzziest, cuddliest, softest pony.” He finished as he slid to the floor at Applebloom’s side. After a moment of silence, he started rolling against the floor once more.
“Ah don’t know!” Applebloom finally managed. “Ah touched em' with a hoof, and then he started brushing against me telling me how soft mah fur was…”
Applejack quickly walked up to the colt and grabbed his snout. She immediately wrenched open his mouth and took a whiff of his breath. It confirmed Big Mac’s claim, whatever this was it wasn’t alcohol.
“Dex,” Applejack said firmly, making sure to keep her voice as clear as possible. Her ears splayed back out of anxiety, to say she was starting to get worried would be an understatement. If it was booze she’d at least know what to expect. But the lack of alcohol on his breath, and elevated temperature, let the mare know it wasn’t. “Do you know why you are actin’ like this?”
“Why? Yes.” Dexter nodded, finishing with a dopey smile before rubbing his face into Applejack’s hooves. “Your hooves, Applejack, they’re so smooothhhh.”
“Dex, Ah need you to focus.” She said, grabbing his head once more and looking him in the eyes. “What is causing you to act like this?”
“A neuroleptic.” Dexter replied. “With a big needle!”
“Neuro-what?” The mare asked in confusion, looking back at Big Mac in the hopes he knew what that meant. The stallion merely shrugged.
“Plant from the Everfree forest.” Dexter added before pulling his head out of Applejack’s hooves and continued to rub his face against them.
“Mac, stay with Applebloom.” The mare said after processing the colt’s words. “Ah’m taking him to the hospital.”
---
“And that’s all Ah know.” Applejack finished recounting everything she had noted since Dexter had appeared in his tipsy state.
Avid Aura nodded in reply after adding a few notes to a clipboard floating in her magical grasp. At first, the blank unicorn was slightly anxious about seeing the colt again, but her concern only grew when she learned of his strange behavior.
“Don’t worry Applejack, we believe you.” Avid Aura assured. “This wouldn’t be the first time a foal was dragged into the clinic because they wandered too close to the Everfree and ate a plant they weren’t supposed to. Though I am surprised it doesn’t happen more often on your farm.”
“However, none of the other cases were this extreme...” She added, looking through the window to a nearby door. On the other side was the colt in question, accompanied by Doctor Band-Aid. “Whatever he was exposed to seems to be far more potent than what we normally deal with.”
“Is he gonna be alright?” Applejack asked the doctors who turned back to reassure her.
“We did a few tests, he should be fine. But we will keep an eye on him.” Avid Aura explained. “Though we were able to confirm that his body is quickly clearing whatever is in his system. He should be back to himself in a matter of hours.”
Applejack nodded before looking back through the window herself. The motion of her head appeared to catch the colt’s attention, causing him to wave at the mare.
“I’m a mackerel! Now get me out of this mayonnaise jar!” Dexter shouted with a dopey smile, causing Applejack to raise an eyebrow before her face was replaced by Aura’s.
“So what’s with all the questions Doc?” Dexter turned to the brown unicorn who shared the room with him.
“We just want to document your reactions to whatever you ate, in order to know more about what you’re on. Just a precaution in case somepony else eats the same thing.” The doctor explained.
“But go on from where you left off.” The doctor challenged, he wanted to see how elaborate Dexter’s alleged ‘hallucinations’ could get. The colt was clearly having no shortage of delusions, the only thing left to do was to document how detailed they were and if the patient would repeat them consistently.
“You were saying that the ghost of dead fishy was trying to suck your sister through the bathroom toilet so they could imprison her in the fishy netherworld?”
“No no no,” Dexter shook his head. “The ghost of dead fishy was still in the trap I built. The ghost friends of dead fishy took my sister in to the fishy netherworld in order to hold her hostage, and they wouldn’t let her go until I released dead fishy’s ghost so he could move on to the great beyond through the portal in our toilet.” The colt explained.
“Okay…” Doctor Band-Aid raised a skeptical eyebrow as he dipped his quill in an inkwell and began writing on the scrolls before him once more.
---
“So… let me see if I’ve got this right.” Band-Aid began, stopping the motion of his quill for a moment. His mane had become slightly more frazzled since when he began taking down the colt’s stories. He was all but certain that Dexter was suffering from delusions, if not full blown hallucinations. “You’re telling me you got turned into a maniac clown because the dentures of a real clown bit you in the foreleg, infecting you with a retrovirus that turned you into a crazy clown every night?”
“Yup!” Dexter replied happily. “Good thing Dee Dee became a mime and-“
“Dee Dee is your sister, correct?” The doctor interrupted.
“Yes!” Dexter replied. “And she became a mime in order to catch me so I could get the virus extracted from my body!”
The stallion let out yet another sigh as he summed another large scroll. It must have been the fifth one. “I’m gonna need some of that farmer’s hard cider after this one…” He commented before noticing his ink well had run dry. “Nurse!?”
---
“Ohh this chair is sooo soft…”
“Dexter focus,” The doctor ordered. “You were saying something about making a ‘bionic’ turtle?”
“Oh yea!” Dexter said, opening his eyes to look at the doctor once more. “My sister brought him to me, but he was hurt really bad, so I had to operate!”
By this point Band-Aid wasn’t surprised by the absurdity of anything Dexter said. Though the next few minutes the stallion would find what Dexter had to say about surgical procedures to be oddly accurate.
---
“You de-orbited the moon… because you were having a bad day?” The doctor asked skeptically. Astonished that the colt, despite his delirium, could believe such a thing.
“Hey, I told you! It wasn’t intentional.” Dexter defended. “It was just a bad day for science! Besides, it was the stupid moon’s fault for getting in the way of the good karma rays!”
…
---
“I think that’s enough…” Band-Aid finally said, looking at the stack of scrolls he had accumulated. The unicorn grabbed the mass of scrolls in an aura of magic before leaving the room, finding Applejack and Avid Aura just outside the door. The mares cast him a hopeful grin.
“He’s not too bad, is he doc?” Applejack asked.
The stallion shook his head, trying to think of the right words to express what he was feeling. Though, after a moment he finally decided to just spit out the first thing that came to his mind.
“Whatever he’s on, its really good.” His words earned a disapproving frown from his colleague.
“Huh?” That was the last thing Applejack expected the doctor to say. However, when the stallion in question noticed the disapproving frown from Avid Aura, he decided to amend his statement.
“Well, my original diagnosis is confirmed. He’s bonkers.” The doctor declared. “Whatever he’s on has just made him more bonkers.”
“What I meant to say is, aside from the continuous sensations of euphoria derived from tactile stimulation, he seems to be suffering from grand delusions.” The doctor explained.
“Grand delusions?” His colleague frowned. “Like what?”
“Well, let’s see.” He opened one of the scrolls. “Oh yes, he claimed he crashed the moon.” The mares shared a glance. “Oh, I like this one: He opened an interdimensional doorway in order to feed his sister to a ‘gigantic purple cyclops goo monster.’”
“What?” Applejack asked, casting a worried gaze through the door window. The colt in question was lying on his back, laughing as he worked his legs in the air as though he were walking. “Ya sure he wasn’t just making stuff up fer show?”
“I don’t think so,” The doctor answered. “But what I did find strange was the fact that he kept the minor details of his delusions consistent, indicating his delusions were quite powerful.”
“Well…” Avid Aura eventually spoke up. “Applejack and I have been talking about Dexter’s behavior, and concerns have been raised about his family and their treatment of him. Did he ever mention his sister at all?”
“Oh yeah,” The stallion replied wearily, looking down at the stack of scrolls once more. “He talked about her a bunch of times, usually portraying her as a tormentor of some sort. I don’t know if that is just the random chance because of his delusions, or a result of repressed memories. But I don’t think we can trust anything he says right now, given the substance that he is reacting to.”
Avid nodded, before turning to look at the colt herself. “I would like to see what you’ve collected. From what Applejack has told me, he may have been abused by his older sister. That fact might come through in how he portrays his sister in his delusions.”
“I didn’t see any signs of physical trauma when I first examined him two weeks ago,” Band-Aid replied.
“Abuse isn’t always physical, and any injury could have been treated or obscured by magic.” Aura turned toward Applejack. “Either way, once the concern has been raised we’re obligated to investigate. Once he’s cleared, go ahead and take Dexter home. But bring him back soon, I will need to talk to him.”
---
“Strong anti-psychotic properties my foot,” Dexter muttered to himself before punching in the passcode to the lab.
Dexter woke up the next day in his bed at the Apple household. Much to the Apple’s relief, he was back to his normal self. Though he didn’t quite like what the Apples had to say about his conduct the prior day.
The truth was, he didn’t remember most of it. Only a few bits and pieces. He could tell that he had visited the hospital, as he recalled a few images of a worried Applejack and a few doctors.
When Applejack asked him what he did remember, he truthfully told her the last thing he remembered was discovering that ‘The sun rises via an unexplained acceleration.’
“I must make a point to inform Quadraplex that giving an anti-psychotic to someone who is not psychotic causes them to become psychotic!” Dexter continued to whisper angrily under his breath, turning a corner and continuing deeper into the lab. He eventually arrived at the offending computer.
“Greetings, Dexter.” Quadraplex said in her normal monotone voice. If she was pretending nothing happened, she was doing an impeccable job at it. “How may I be of assistance?”
Dexter decided to play along.
“Sooo computer, I was wondering…” Dexter began, feigning nonchalance as he sat down at the terminal, leaning on the computer with a foreleg which supported his head. However, his tone quickly shifted to expressing no small degree of annoyance. “Would you mind giving me a good reason why I shouldn’t decompile your programming?”
“Because that would render me inoperable,” The computer replied simply.
“Humor me,” Dexter ordered, tapping an impatient hoof against the floor. “Presume I currently value your services as a paper-weight rather than a computer.”
“A highly improbable presumption, given that you have returned to processing information logically.” Dexter merely glared at the computer when she finished her response. A part of him hoping that the A.I. knew the meaning of a glare.
“Or better yet, tell me why I shouldn’t administer an anti-psychotic to you?” Dexter asked.
“Assuming there exists a proper anti-psychotic measure for a computer, said anti-psychotic should not be administered to me because I am not currently psychotic.” The computer replied simply.
“Oh really?” Dexter asked through gritted teeth. “If you DON’T give anti-psychotics to people who are NOT psychotic, then why did you give one to ME?”
“At the time you claimed you were hallucinating, while engaging in behaviors which were self-harmful and speculating about your own demise. All are strong indicators of mental instability.” The computer replied, again her voice was simply monotone and emotionless. Though her words were straight to the point. “However, if I failed to logically process a crucial aspect of the situation, leading to an errant conclusion, I would gladly assist in correcting the problem. Shall I initiate a playback of your log, as well as the security recordings of the entire event?"
Dexter was now grinding his teeth.
“Shut up.” It was his way of conceding a point, and the computer knew it.
“Just for the record, I’m NOT suicidal.” He declared. “But don’t EVER do that again, EVER.” Dexter demanded, before his tone became threatening. “And I really mean it this time, computer. Don’t do anything like that again or I will make sure you regret it.”
“Understood, Dexter.”
“And one more thing, NEVER EVER bring this up again.” The colt added. “As much as I wish I could forget certain things, I don’t need to be reminded of it.”
“Bring what up again?” The computer replied simply.
“Don’t ever bring up how loopy your stupid anti-psychotic made-“
“I have no knowledge of the events you are referring to, Dexter.” The computer stated, cutting in. It took him a moment to pick up on what she was doing immediately.
“Good.” Dexter declared. “Oh, and computer, destroy any stocks of those neuroleptic compounds.”
“Yes, Dexter.” She replied. “All neuroleptic compounds and their corresponding experiments will be destroyed.”
“Good, now let us turn our attention to the cause of this whole mess.” Dexter started, patting a hoof to his chin. “Computer bring up the satellite telemetry. And don’t worry, I won’t freak out this time.”
The computer replied by showing him the recording of the sunrise. The view was from an angle that was clearly above the planet, depicting the massive glowing ball shoot upwards to bathe the blue orb below in light.
“Clearly the sun is moving when you compare it to the position of the stars in the background.” Dexter muttered as his curiosity grew. He punched a few more commands into the computer, granting him access to a live satellite feed. After a few more buttons, the feed zoomed out and focused on the moon. “The moon appears to be orbiting the planet, so at least the solar system isn’t entirely backward. However… it seems to be stationary at the moment…”
“But how can this be? All of this doesn’t make sense!” He protested. “If the sun and the moon are suddenly accelerating in such a manner, shouldn’t there be tidal heating of the planet's tectonic plates causing massive volcanic eruptions similar to Jupiter’s moon Io ? Shouldn’t there be huge riptides causing vast flooding across the continent?”
“In fact, there should be a number of strange phenomenon that would accompany this.” Dexter shook an angry hoof at the screen. “What about the effects this should have on solar particles bombarding the planet’s magnetic field? Shouldn’t the sudden change in direction of solar wind impair the planet’s magnetic field’s ability to deflecting solar radiation?”
“Given these unexplained readings, perhaps the equines were correct in their claims that extremely powerful individuals are responsible for movements of these celestial bodies.” Quadraplex stated. “Should we revisit this hypothesis?”
“No,” Dexter dismissed. “The mere fact that there is life on this planet indicates that this planet has existed for hundreds of millions, if not billions, of years before any pony princess came prancing along to move the sun and moon. I mean, the sun of this planet is evidently a few billion years old. There is no way these ponies have existed anywhere near that long, they are too primitive.”
“There has to be another explanation, one that will hopefully dispel the propaganda and lies these ‘royal alicorns’ managed to shove down the throat of the masses!”
“Then more information is required before we can formulate an adequate explanation, Dexter.” Quadraplex replied. “Gathering this information will require multiple rocket launches, and will require more time.”
Dexter growled, muttering something under his breath in response.
“It is physically impossible for me to work any faster, Dexter.” Quadraplex replied, having heard every word. His personality profile indicated he was an impatient individual, so the computer didn’t take offense at his words. “Some would consider it miraculous that you have managed to put a satellite into orbit after a few weeks of arriving here. However, if you are unable to wait, you may try researching what the equines already know. You may find something to satisfy your curiosity while you wait for further rocket production.”
“I am not about to trust whatever they have to say…” Dexter replied, scanning through various photographs of the sun and moon. “But the ancient earth ponies might have some useful observations on record.”
“The most likely place to find this information would be the local library.” The computer stated. However, her words got Dexter to pause.
“Yeah…” He eventually began. “Miss Sparkle might not appreciate a visit from me so soon… give me some options for nearby libraries outside of Ponyville.”
“According to the information I have, there are several. However one that might interest you is the Canterlot library.” She answered.
“Very well, I will make preparations to visit this library in the next few days. But for now, I’ll focus on the data I’ve got. You just focus on getting me more rockets!”
---
Much to Dexter’s delight, school was not cancelled the following day. Though he did notice something odd, the school had a number of armor-clad visitors stationed by the entrance. They didn’t seem to pay much attention to Dexter and the other foals, but the colt couldn’t help but wonder why they were here.
However, the answer became apparent when he made it to class. A large dark alicorn stood at the front of the room beside Cheerilee’s desk, answering the flood of questions produced by a collection of excitable foals congregating around her. The teacher herself sat at the desk, watching diligently in case the chaos that was excited children became more than what the princess could handle.
She was joined by Twilight and Spike, who were standing off to the side. The moment Twilight spotted him, she tensed up a little. Spike, however, folded his arms and cast the grandfather of all stink-eye at the colt.
He must have heard about Twilight’s accusations. Someone was butt-hurt about being lied to and tricked. That, or he heard about Dexter’s ‘prank.’
Dexter merely turned before taking his seat, walking past Luna without so much as a second glance. Applebloom, who had arrived with the colt, gasped at the sight of the princess before running up to join the mass of foals surrounding her.
Princess Luna spotted the foal soon enough, her eyes following the colt all the way to his seat. There was something very familiar about his white coat. She also noted his reaction to her presence, something which wasn’t typical of a foal who had laid eyes on an alicorn princess for the first time.
Eventually the last few foals trickled in as Cheerilee ushered the others back to their seat.
“Greeting Children! Especially to those who just arrived.” Luna nearly shouted, a shameless grin plastered to her face as she stood facing Cheerilee’s class. Cheerilee resumed her seat at her desk. Dexter hadn’t noticed it until now, but she appeared to be a bit more subdued than usual, if not sadder. Though she was healthy, much to Dexter’s satisfaction.
The class responded with a collective greeting, which was also a cheer. But Dexter merely raised an eyebrow, steepling his hooves.
“I know all of you remember me from the last Nightmare Night! Well, at least most of you.” Luna began, casting a glance at the class’ newest addition.
Luna suspected this was the foal Twilight told her about. The suspicions were confirmed when the unicorn in question, who was accompanying the princess and was standing on the far side of Cheerilee, cleared her throat and motioned in the colt’s direction as he took his seat.
“Now, I know many of you have heard rumors about the changelings, but I want all of you to rest assured that this is the real Miss Cheerilee.” Luna announced, pointing to the mare. “There is no need to be afraid children. I will verify Cheerilee’s identity constantly for the duration of my stay in Ponyville.” She announced.
The mass of foals didn’t seem to care, however. The excitable foals appeared to be unaffected by the hysteria which was so widespread in the town, which was one of the reasons Luna loved children.
“But let us not dwell on such ill-favored topics,” Luna went on, shifting the children’s attention. “As you all are aware, Nightmare Night is a fortnight away. I am just as excited about it as you are, and I will be spending the night here in Ponyville again. But tell me, I wish to know what everypony plans to dress up as.”
The foals listed off what they fantasized about their costumes as Luna pointed at each one. When it came Dexter’s turn, he stated that he merely hadn’t decided yet. The truth was, he didn’t intend on going. What was the point in collecting candy if he had to fork it over to the princess in the end?
When Luna got an answer from the last foal, she went on. “Now does anypony have a question for me?” She invited, and a number of foals raised their hooves. Though, Dexter didn’t. Something that didn’t go unnoticed by the alicorn.
After answering several questions, she pointed a hoof in Dexter’s direction. “You, young colt. We have never seen you in Ponyville the last time we were here. What is your name?”
“I doubt Twilight hasn’t already told you,” Dexter muttered behind his hooves as his eyes drifted toward the mare in question. “My name is Dexter.” He said louder, gazing back at the princess.
“Do you have any questions about Nightmare Night? You have no need to be shy.” Luna invited.
“No thank you,” He declined.
“No? Are you sure? Not everypony will get to celebrate Nightmare Night with the princess of the night herself!” Luna said, causing a number of the other children to smile.
“I will not be partaking in the Nightmare Night festivities.” Dexter replied curtly, surprising the alicorn.
“Why not?” Luna raised an eyebrow.
“I have no desire to facilitate the collection of nutritionally deficient foods,” Dexter stated. “Especially if I don’t get to keep them.”
Luna chuckled at the colt’s response. “We see. Well, there have been rumors that we can be generous. Perhaps we will permit you keep a portion of the night’s bounty.” She cast a playful grin at the child. “But don’t withhold too much, lest you stir our wrath and be gobbled up with the rest of the children.”
Dexter merely raised a skeptical eyebrow. Fat chance of him paying tribute, if he was collecting any candy he was going to eat all of it.
However, after a moment of thought, Dexter did decide on a question. Up until this point, he was trying to lay low as possible, and avoid speaking to the princess or drawing any unnecessary attention to himself.
But the thought did occur to him that this might be a rare chance to expose the alicorn. If he could get even one of the other ponies in the room to see through the propaganda, it would be a blow against tyranny!
That was what he thought anyway, being that his thinking was predicated on mistaken belief that Luna lied about raising the moon.
Of course, he risked drawing attention by asking pointed question, an ultimately exposure for himself. But he didn’t plan on doing anything too drastic, they’d only be able to prove he was an insightful foal.
“Now that you mention it, I do have a question.” Dexter finally said. “Why do you celebrate Nightmare Night?”
“Why not, it is a fun filled festival for everypony! It is a chance to-“ Luna began. However she was cut off by the colt. Something which surprised her greatly. No one, ever, interrupted the princess. Though the colt seemed to not take notice of his faux-pas.
“No, you misunderstand.” Dexter began. “I know why they celebrate it,” He motioned toward the other ponies in the room before pointing a hoof at Luna. “Why do YOU celebrate it? If everything said about your repentant attitude is to be believed, why would you perpetuate a holiday dedicated to remembering you when you were at your worst? Getting ponies to reenact how you terrorized them into paying tribute?”
The room went silent, several of the foals who had their hooves raised slowly lowered them. A number of the ponies’ gazes shifted between Luna and the colt.
“Dexter!” Cheerilee started with a frown, she was the first to respond. Though she didn’t get passed the colt’s name, stopping when Luna raised a hoof.
“Do not chastise the colt,” Luna began, her voice was stoic yet contained a hint of sadness. “He should have no fear of asking such questions. None of my subjects should. I rightly bear the shame for my… crimes, it is part of my punishment.”
She turned to face the colt. “I even appreciate the fact that he had the courage to ask. Many of my subjects are either too afraid or contemptuous of me to ask such things.”
“The celebration is a reminder of what I did, yes.” Luna answered. “I do not try to erase from history the knowledge of my crimes. I just try to show everypony that I’ve changed since Nightmare Moon. And what better place to do that than the last place Nightmare Moon was ever seen, on the night everypony remembers her?”
“A likely story!” The colt declared as though he had won an argument. He triumphantly pointed a hoof toward the ceiling. “But I know the truth! I’m on to your good-cop, bad-er; good-guard, bad-guard routine! ”
The dark alicorn was initially surprised by the colt’s reaction, though she quickly frowned. “Dost thou doubt our word, whelp?”
“I doubt many things princess,” The colt declared. “Including the stories which vilify you. All the ponies in Ponyville seem to think highly of you, so much so that they have trusted you with the safety of their children by checking on Cheerilee for them. Even Pipsqueak said you were ‘the best princess ever.’” Dexter motioned toward the other colt. “This is all inconsistent with depictions of Nightmare Moon!”
“I find it far more likely that these stories have been fabricated as a method of psychological manipulation of the masses!” Dexter proclaimed. “ But you won’t fool me, I will formulate an opinion of you based off of what I observe directly, not what some old story says to make you look like a monster.”
Dexter’s response surprised Luna for a second time in a row, causing her a degree of mixed feelings. Part of her noticed that Dexter did say that he doubted her word. Normally such a statement could be considered insulting the princess and might carry a punishment, depending on the Princess’s mood.
However, any anger toward the colt disappeared. In fact, she appreciated to some degree the colt’s skepticism. He wasn’t going to judge her for Nightmare Moon, a welcomed and refreshing break from the norm she experienced in Canterlot. If this meant the colt would give her the chance to prove herself, then it was exactly what she wanted.
She couldn’t ask for anything more.
He also pointed out that the ponies of Ponyville had not only admired her, but also trusted her. A fact she was delighted to hear, but didn’t realize until the colt pointed it out.
However, the rest of the class appeared to be confused, if not annoyed, by the colt. Cheerilee was double facehoofing, hoping beyond all hope that the colt wasn’t going to say something else that might insult the princess and end her career.
Twilight, however, was the first to speak up when Luna didn’t answer.
“How in the world did you come to that conclusion?” Twilight began with a sigh of frustration as she pulled a hoof away from her face, ending a facehoof of her own. “Have you been hanging out with Lyra or something?”
“Who’s Lyra?” Dexter asked.
By this point, the other foals in the class were murmuring amongst each other. Some of them suppressing a bout of giggles at Dexter’s accusation.
The giggling foals were laughing at him, not with him.
“Whelp…” Luna began again, though she paused to suppress any hint of anger in her voice. It eventually became somber. “Er, Dexter. We are happy to know thy doth not judge us for Nightmare Moon. But we wish to be honest, and the truth is, we were Nightmare Moon. We did do those… bad things.”
“Too late princess, the truth has already been exposed.” Dexter grinned smugly. “Now it will spread like wildfire, especially since you messed up the good-guard bad-guard routine so badly!”
“Everyone knows the bad-guard cannot be stronger than the good-guard,” Dexter explained. “Otherwise the victim has no reason to cooperate.”
“Wait a second,” One of the other foals of the class interjected before Luna could respond. “Did you just say princess Luna is stronger than princess Celestia?”
“If you believe all the propaganda said about them, then yes.” Dexter replied, turning to the other foal. Another bout of murmurs rippled through the class.
“It is not propaganda!” Twilight spoke up, releasing her frustration with her words. Celestia’s most faithful student couldn’t let such a claim go unchallenged. “And both the princesses share political power equally, as for raw strength…” Twilight paused to regard Luna. “I’d have to guess they are also evenly matched.”
“Twilight, think about it logically please? I know it is popular opinion that princess Celestia is stronger” Dexter asked toward the purple unicorn. ”But please think about it. Princess Celestia supposedly moves the sun, while princess Luna supposedly moves the moon and the stars. Who is more powerful should be obvious.”
“Yes,” Twilight replied, annoyed. “And the sun is much bigger than the moon.”
“Not bigger than the stars! Some stars are a thousand times bigger than the sun.” Dexter rebutted cheekily. “And moving any star in the night sky to a noticeable degree means said stars have moved farther and faster than anything that Celestia does with the sun.”
“Therefore,” Dexter motioned toward princess Luna, despite still looking at Twilight with a smug grin. “If you believe the propaganda, Princess Luna exercises much greater power and magical strength on a regular basis. She has to be entire orders of magnitude stronger than her older sister.”
“Uh, well.” Twilight began, surprised by the colt’s argument. It wasn’t wrong after all. “Yes, but Celestia can move the stars too.” Twilight eventually replied. “And I’m sure they are both equally strong, right your highness?” Twilight turned toward Luna, looking for some help.
The alicorn, however, said nothing as she directed her eyes toward the ceiling while failing to suppress a smug grin from growing on her face.
“See, her silence proves it!” Dexter proclaimed. “Now you can see, what they’ve told you is inconsistent. It’s all propaganda!” Despite Dexter’s apparent urgency, the other foals of the class burst out into laughter. Luna even had a chuckle at the colt’s expense. Though she didn’t enjoy being called a liar, she once bore the Element of Honesty after all.
“She doesn’t really raise the moon and Nightmare Moon never existed, it’s all a ploy!”
“Hold thy tongue, whelp!” Luna looked back down toward the colt with a scowl. “We speak no falsities to thee. We raise the moon… and I really was Nightmare Moon, much to my regret.”
The colt, wisely, chose to remain silent. However, after a few moments of glaring down at the colt, Luna’s expression softened. It wasn’t long before she started to grin down at the colt. “We like thee, whelp. Thou are not afraid to speak thy mind, but do not accuse us of lying.”
“I know one way I can find out for sure…” Dexter muttered underneath his breath as his mind turned to one of his inventions. He used said invention quite often, maybe more so than he should have. But it would help him collect evidence that Nightmare Moon was never real. “I will directly observe this ‘Nightmare Moon ’ myself, and I won’t be waiting until Nightmare Night to do it…”
“It’s only a matter of time…”