//------------------------------// // Privity // Story: Prevention // by Mind Matter //------------------------------// Six voices and a dragon’s hug met Twilight as she entered the main room of the library; she wrapped one leg around Spike as she sat down, casting her eyes over her friends. “So how’s everything going out here?” the unicorn asked. “Well, yer brother left fer the Everfree a little while ago.” Applejack said. “Said that the changelin’ Pip an’ the guards found gave ‘em enough info t’pinpoint where th’hive was, so he gathered up just about every guard around here an’ went to go root ‘em out.” “He also said that we weren’t allowed to come kick their buggy plots with him.” Rainbow huffed, her wings beating in quick, harsh arcs. “I mean, last I checked, we’re the one’s who’ve actually fought those things before! He did that big shield-orb thing and blew them all out of Canterlot, sure, but that was a bit different from actually fighting them!” Twilight couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “Rainbow, he’s spent a good deal of time hunting down and capturing the changelings that didn’t get thrown completely out of Equestria. He probably has at least as much experience as us at fighting them, if not more. And we haven’t actually assaulted a hive before, like he and a good deal of the Royal guards that were down here have.” The unicorn blinked. “That, and this is kind of the kind of thing he and the rest of the guardsponies are supposed to do so that we don’t have to…?” “Yeah, yeah…” Rainbow grumbled. Pinkie popped up from out of nowhere behind her, throwing herself loosely over her marefriend despite said mare being a good two metres in the air. “Aw, Rainbow’s just a little antsy ‘cause the guard told her there were changelings around and she got all worked up for kicking their plots and then Shining said ‘Nope!’ and she complained to Celestia and Celestia said ‘Nope!’ and then Pip said that he wanted to go and Shining said ‘Nope!’ and Pip said ‘Too bad.’ and ran off and kinda left a really clear trail of hoofprints in the road leading to the Everfree Forest.” “Pip did what.” Twilight asked flatly. Applejack gave a mix of a grin and a grimace. “Yeah, that’s part’a the reason why yer brother’s already gone. Y’should’a seen th’look on his face when Pip disappeared an’ all those hoof-shaped holes started poppin’ into the cobblestone.” Despite her hoof making a rapid connection with her face, Twilight couldn’t help as the corners of her mouth pulled upwards. “That… that was rather foalish of him, wasn’t it.” As everypony else (plus Spike) nodded, her brow furrowed. “Wait. Celestia didn’t go with them?” “Nope. Said she was gonna keep a watch on th’town until the regular guards got back. Then she flew up int’the air an’ Royal Canterlot Voiced a ‘request’ fer everypony to stay indoors until otherwise notified. Less than a minute later, nopony outside but her an’ the guards.” Applejack shrugged. “Though Ah honestly doubt she’d mind if y’went t’see her.” “Yeah, I think I’ll do that. Sorry for all of you getting brought here only to have to sit around like this.” “Oh, please, darling. We’re happy to help in any way we can. Even if that does mean just providing moral support whilst a mentally unstable stallion stares at you hard enough to curdle milk.” Rarity swept her hoof at the other unicorn. “Go on, dear. We likely won’t be discussing anything you don’t already know about.” Twilight nodded, crossing the room and waving a quick goodbye before stepping outside. Her eyes roamed across the empty streets around the library, feeling her brain sending up warning flags despite her mind knowing the reason for their lack of population. The only flag she actually paid attention to was the one that noted that even Celestia was missing. Putting a few seconds of thought into her potential location, Twilight decided to look up. Ah, there she is. “Princess!” Twilight called, magically amplifying her voice to ensure that Celestia could hear her. The alicorn turned from her vigil over the deserted paths of the town to glance beneath her, gaining a small smile as her eyes found the purple mare below. The Princess descended slowly, alighting on the ground and greeting her student with a nod. “Hello, Twilight. I’m glad to see you unharmed.” Her smile pulled further back on one side, turning into a soft smirk. “By your escape from the library, should I assume that Cadance’s plan has succeeded?” “I’m honestly not sure, Princess. She didn’t exactly explain much.” Twilight felt herself frown. “She certainly got a reaction out of him, though.” “Do not worry, Twilight. Cadance would know if she was causing him to lose love – to grow hatred – for himself or others. No matter the pain he might feel at seeing her, I’m certain that, once his current feelings have settled, he shall notice that a great weight has been lifted from him.” Twilight sighed. “I’m aware of that, Princess. I trust her to know what she’s doing, and I trust that this is going to help him. But…” Twilight shook her head. “He was terrified of her, Princess. He’d been so angry at Shining, at you, over the changelings still being alive, but as soon as she stepped in the room? It was like a switch flipped. He started crying, shaking, he wouldn’t look her in the eye, he kept muttering ‘no’ like he was denying that she was there. Just the sight of her made him break from rage to horror, and seeing him like that, seeing anypony like that…” Twilight trailed off, swallowing around the lump in her throat. Celestia leaned forward, one of her wings extending and reaching around the unicorn, pulling her into an embrace with her mentor. “I know that you fear for him, Twilight, and that you do so after all he’s done speaks to the strength of your heart. I assure you that your concerns are understandable, but I promise you that they are unfounded. Broken Shield is one of my little ponies, regardless of his actions; if I thought that meeting Cadance would harm him more than it would help him then I would have denied her request.” Twilight felt Celestia stiffen a small amount as the alicorn’s smile shifted. “And if she does cause him harm, knowing what she knows and with her abilities… then she shall answer to me.” Twilight blinked at the subtle shift in the Princess’ demeanour. “Is something wrong, Princess? You seem… bothered.” Twilight shook her head. “I mean, I totally understand if you’re just on edge over the changelings or-“ “Are you afraid of me, Twilight?” The question stopped the unicorn cold. She glanced up at Celestia once more, finding that her mentor’s smile had shifted again. The alicorn’s eyes weren’t on her, having moved back to the still-deserted streets. “I-I…” Twilight tried to move her mouth past that first sound, that first word, but for some reason her mind had locked up. Swallowing, she made to shake her head, but Celestia spoke before Twilight could start moving. “I did not order these ponies to stay inside. There was no demand, no threat of punishment if they decided to continue along with their day. I just asked them, if they would not be inconvenienced by it, to go indoors until the guardsponies returned.” Celestia paused for a moment, a small, sardonic laugh escaping her lips. “It was as if I’d told them that anypony who stayed outside was going to be killed. There was a mad rush, ponies sprinting to and fro to escape whatever fate they imagined lay in store for them should they not take shelter. How much damage was wrought in their haste? How many sick or injured ponies are going unaided? How many were hurt in the panic itself? All because I thought to simplify my watch over the town.” The Princess shook her head. “I forget, sometimes, how the ponies I interact with are used to me, or have prepared themselves for my presence. How terrifying I must be to the average Equestrian.” Finally, Twilight managed to get her mouth working. “But you aren’t terrifying, Princess! You’ve done nothing to make anypony afraid of you!” “Haven’t I, Twilight?” Celestia put her eyes back on the smaller mare. “I am the ruler of the most powerful nation in the world, with much of said power being ascribed to the simple fact of my presence here. I am claimed by many to be the most powerful single being in existence. The first thing that foals are taught about me is that I control the sun. Would my presence not scare you, if you were not my student? Even as my student, are you not afraid of what I might do should you invoke my wrath?” When Twilight didn’t answer, Celestia continued. “I am not worried about the fact that my ponies fear me, Twilight. It would be rather difficult to rule if one’s subjects did not fear one’s ability to punish them. But I want to ensure that my ponies follow me out of their love for me, not their fear of my power. That my requests are acknowledged because they want to make me happy, not because they wish to avoid my wrath.” Twilight gained a sudden suspicion for the Princess’ mood. “Did all this start because you’re worried about how Broken’s Celestia did things?” Celestia blinked, staring at the unicorn for several seconds before she gained a wide grin. She tightened her wing’s grip on the smaller mare as she shook her head and laughed, speaking when she finished. “No, Twilight. I will admit that that madmare has inspired a great deal of introspection on my part, but this did not ‘all start’ because of her. I have been thinking on this for a very long time; seeing the response to my request has simply inspired me to actually take action. To reveal something about myself that I’ve held hidden since the day I ascended to the throne.” “A… and what, exactly, would that be?” Twilight asked, eyes wide. Celestia’s smile shifted, though not to the distant or unhappy ones she’d worn earlier. “I’m afraid that I cannot yet make the revelation, my faithful student. There are certain things that must be arranged first; once everything is prepared, I shall call you to Canterlot to observe it.” Twilight’s brow furrowed, but she nodded. “If you’re sure, Princess.” “Of course. You’ll be the first to know of it.” Celestia shrugged after a moment’s pause. “Well, other than Luna, but she’s known since before our ascension.” “Does it have to do with her too, then? Or-“ Twilight cut off with a grunt of pain, the area behind her eyes suddenly feeling like it had caught aflame. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to cut out the agonizing light of the sun, and brought her hooves up to cradle the sides of her head. Celestia’s wing withdrew from around her, and the shockwaves of the Princess stepping around to in front of her sent incredibly unpleasant pulses up to her head. “Twilight? Twilight, are you alright?” The Princess asked, her voice openly concerned. Twilight’s only response was to curl up, her hind legs giving way as her spine arched to push her chin into her barrel. She felt Celestia light up her horn, the magic palpable in the air around them, and then the pain behind her eyes shrieked and Twilight could feel her jaw straining as she crushed her teeth together tight enough to draw blood- And then the pain stopped, as suddenly as it had begun. Twilight opened her eyes as she gasped in a breath, falling on her side and then rolling to her back, throwing her hooves wide and splaying out on the road. Celestia’s head, horn still weaving the magic of a healing spell, interrupted the unicorn’s view of the very-slightly-reddening sky. “Twilight, can you hear me? Twilight?!” Twilight blinked at the urgency in her mentor’s voice. “Ahm. Yes. I-I’m fine, Princess. Just a headache.” The unicorn blinked again, noting that she still had a dull aching around the area of her frontal cortex. Above her, Celestia’s mouth had thinned to a very fine line. “In my many years, I have never once seen such a reaction from ‘just a headache’. Are you sure that-“ “Yes, Celestia. I promise, I’m fine.” Twilight nodded, barely noticing that she’d just interrupted the Princess of the Sun. “That was the first time that ever happened to me, I swear. I’ve had a somewhat stressful day, as I’m sure you can imagine; that might have just been my brain catching up on all the panicking I should have been doing.” The magic slipped from Celestia’s horn, but her expression remained concerned. “Still, Twilight, such a sudden and intense pain as you apparently experienced… that is not something to simply dismiss. Have you seen a doctor since you awoke from the coma Broken placed you in? There may have been something, some injury or problem that’s only now making itself known.” Twilight opened her mouth to reassure the Princess that she was fine, but the clear worry in the latter mare’s face, and the chance that she was correct, caught the unicorn short. “I… haven’t, actually. With everything that’s been going on…” Twilight sighed. “You’re right, Princess. A check-up couldn’t harm me; I’ll make an appointment when things get back to normal.” “I would greatly appreciate that, my dear student.” Celestia smiled, reaching her hoof into the space above Twilight; the unicorn took it, and her mentor lifted her upright. Twilight blinked and rubbed her temple as the blood came down from the back of her skull. “I… think I’m going to go inside, Princess. Make some catmint tea, try to head off any aftershocks from that.” She gave a halfway wry smile to Celestia, who returned it and nodded after a moment’s pause. The alicorn turned to stare at the sun as Twilight turned back to the library, opening the door as thinly as she could and slipping inside. The scene that greeted her did not do much to alleviate her headache. “Um, Fluttershy?” Twilight asked of the only pony not involved in what she was watching. “Why is Pinkie strangling Rarity and Applejack?” The latter two kicked their hind legs on the floor as the jabbering pink pony squeezed them tighter, Spike and Rainbow’s attempts to pull her away from them going apparently unnoticed. The addressed pegasus quietly moved to the unicorn before responding, apparently afraid that making noise might turn Pinkie’s attention on her. “Um, well, a little while after you left, Rarity walked over to Applejack, kissed her, pushed her into a sitting position, then told her that she hadn’t proposed properly the first time and that she’d better get on with it.” Fluttershy paused as Twilight blinked. “Then Applejack sat there for a few seconds before saying some really really sweet and beautiful things about Rarity, and then she asked Rarity to marry her and Rarity said yes and they hugged, and then Pinkie tackled them and started talking about wedding plans.” “…andwecaninviteallofApplejack’sfamilyandRarity’sfamilyandmyfamilyImeanIknowtheydon’tknowyouexceptMaudbutthatdoesn’treallymatterwe’refarmersandtheApplesarefarmerssotheyshouldgetalongandOHMYFAUSTYOU’REGETTINGMARRIEDEEEEEE…” “I’m kind of surprised that they didn’t see that coming.” Twilight said, her eyes still caught on what most uninformed ponies would probably call a murder attempt. Fluttershy glanced at her. “I’m more surprised that Rarity didn’t wait for everypony to be here.” Twilight blinked and turned her eyes to the pegasus, who was giving her a scrutinizing look. “Did you happen to know about them already?” In response, Twilight uttered three simple words. “It’s Broken’s fault.” Fluttershy stared at the other mare for a few moments before closing her eyes and nodding. Twilight sighed, rubbing the side of her head. “Do you think you could make sure she doesn’t actually hurt them? For some reason, my brain decided to get a migrane while I was talking with Celestia, so I need to take something for it before it decides that pain is normal.” Fluttershy nodded again, this time in affirmation rather than acceptance. “I’ll see what I can do, but I don’t really think she’d hurt them; after all, if she did, the wedding might need to be postponed.” The shy mare gave something that almost looked like a smirk at the end of her statement, drawing a quick laugh from the unicorn beside her. “That’s true, that’s true…” Twilight spent the next minute carefully edging her way around the fracas in the centre of the room; like Fluttershy, she wasn’t exactly keen on gaining the attention of (the still talking) Pinkie Pie, what with her headache and the inevitable strangling and shaking that such attention would bring. Soon enough, she’d made it to the kitchen door, and she took great care in opening it just enough to slip noiselessly inside. As soon as the door was once more closed, she allowed herself a sigh and a wince at the throbbing behind her eyes. Right. Catmint, catmint, where are you? She began dully searching through the cabinets, not quite willing to work up enough brainpower to actually remember where she’d put the painkilling tea leaves. “Upper shelf, by the sink.” Twilight’s voice intoned, slightly deeper and more tired than she remembered it being. “I always liked to keep my teas above the kettle, and somehow I doubt we differ enough for that to have changed.” Twilight blinked, cluing in several seconds late that she hadn’t actually been speaking. She turned towards where she’d heard the voice coming from, her eyes finding herself standing there; only a few differences – slightly taller, slightly longer horn, slightly different hairstyle, the presence of wings – allowed her to safely conclude that she wasn’t currently undergoing an out-of-body experience. Of course, such a conclusion only sent a larger spike of adrenaline-fuelled panic through her limbs and up her spine than would have been had she been somehow divorced from her physical form. She winced again as the jolt aggravated the painful pulsing in her brain, and she forced the many, many signals screaming at her to flee, to attack, to scream, to cry, and other such currently useless activities into the back of her mind. Instead, she moved to the location that the other her had specified, withdrew a bag of catmint, placed it in a cup, then filled the kettle that was sitting by the sink and set it on the stove. Then she turned, moved to the table, pulled out a chair, and sat down, watching the stove and waiting for the water to boil. In the side of her vision, the her-that-was-not-allowed-to-be moved to sit on the chair opposite her. “I must admit, I expected a little more screaming.” Her voice, her wrong voice, spoke. “I know my brother’s told you about me.” Twilight didn’t respond, didn’t even glance in the direction that all of her senses told her another pony was. If she acknowledged it, it would just get stronger, feel more real. She wasn’t ignorant enough to indulge a hallucination. She hadn’t thought that she was deranged enough to have one, the magically-induced ‘events’ notwithstanding, but current events seemed eager to discount her confidence in her own sanity. Wait a minute- Quickly, she shifted her eyes to the corner of her vision, trying to catch the encroaching darkness that seemed a constant in the aforementioned magical ‘dreams’. She cursed, silently, when she saw everything as clearly and brightly as normal. Her eyes shifted back to the stove, still steadfastly ignoring the hallucination on the other edge of the table. “Giving me the silent treatment, hmm? Trying to ignore me, to make me disappear like I’m some bad dream of yours? Some phantasm spawned out of the darkest pits of your mind, given shape by your fears of what you’ll one day become?” Her voice laughed, a bitter, resigned sound. “Trust me, it doesn’t work. And I have a good few extra years of experience on you to be sure of that.” There was silence for a few more seconds, and then the spectre in the corner of her vision shifted away. “But if you don’t want to talk, I’m not going to make you. There are plenty of others to see around here; how do you think your friends will react when I enter the main room? Or Celestia if I happen to simply walk outside?” Twilight couldn’t stop herself from taking a sharp breath in. A small snort issued from a spot near the door. “Or, of course, I could always just head down the hall, pop in and say hi to Broken an-“ “Stop.” Twilight’s voice was harsh and hot, the pounding between her ears becoming more pronounced as blood rushed to her brain. The other voice did as she demanded, a few seconds passing before the hallucinatory mare once more appeared in the edge of Twilight’s eye. The kettle started to whistle, and the unicorn nearly fell out of her chair in her haste to reach it; she moved to fill the cup on the counter, but paused for a moment, placing two more bags of catmint in before filling it to the brim. Holding the darkening drink securely in her magic, she took a breath and turned around, allowing her eyes to fall across the table and on the pony that sat there. Onto Rising Dawn. “Ah, there’s the rising panic of recognition I expected.” The winged unicorn chuckled. She tilted her head when Twilight glanced at the door. “Oh, you can run if you want. Again, I’m not going to force you to talk.” Twilight swallowed an empty mouth before she took a drag of her tea, the still-scalding liquid burning both her mouth and the cloying fear that had been threatening to lock it shut. “You’d let me go?” She asked of her near-doppelganger. “If I went out that door, I could have Celestia in here in seconds. You’d be willing to take that risk?” “Oh, of course not.” Dawn shrugged, gaining a smirk. “If you did choose to hide between Celestia’s legs, I’d be gone by the time she got in here.” “And if I didn’t leave? If I stayed here, and just called her in? Blocked you from teleporting, held you-” Dawn disappeared. There was no magic, no light nor sound nor any indication of teleportation. She was simply there one moment and gone the next. And then she reappeared, as instantly as she’d vanished, the smirk still on her face. Twilight immediately lashed out, several ropes of magic swinging at the winged unicorn. Dawn didn’t move, didn’t flinch, didn’t even blink as the ropes phased through her as if she wasn’t there. Twilight switched tactics, forming a magical block to cut off whatever spell Dawn was using. She felt her stomach drop out as the only source of magic the block could find was her own. “Ah, so now you fully realize your… predicament.” Dawn clapped her hooves together, the lower parts of her limbs seeming to phase through the table. “Sure, you could try to convince them that I was here. Applejack can only tell when somepony knows they’re lying, so you being so solid in your knowledge of my presence would tell her that you think you’re telling the truth… which would only put you under further suspicion of instability.” “’ Further suspicion’?! My friends don’t think I’m crazy!” “You honestly believe that? That they don’t have the slightest notion that the mare whose brother came back in time to kill because she went mad might already be somewhat unstable? Knowing what they know about you, your personality, your obsessions and proclivities?” The smirk disappeared as Dawn’s eyes narrowed. “No, they might not think you’re mad, but they certainly think you could be, and they would see your claim of me as a demonstration of your fracturing mind, a warning sign of just how unstable you are now that you’ve been exposed to what you could become. One of no-doubt many hallucinations and visions you’ll be experiencing as you become further and further detached from reality.” Twilight felt a chunk of ice break off the back of her head and slide down her spine. “You… you’re the one who’s causing those things. Those visions. That’s why Luna felt my magic in them.” The look in the other mare’s eyes shifted for a few moments, becoming mutedly confused, before returning to a smug calmness. “Oh, you’ve just managed to figure that out? I honestly expected better of you. What else have you missed, I wonder? How many of Celestia’s flaws and lies have slipped through your net?” The mare sighed, her voice sounding weary. “I do apologize for this, by the way. I’d planned on simply watching and waiting for as long as I could, perhaps even never interfering if you managed to figure things out correctly. However, I suspect that Celestia intends to pre-empt your reactions, to control your responses by exposing herself before you yourself realize the extent of her deceptions-” “Wait, wait, just-“ Twilight held up a hoof, taking another hard drag from her cup before continuing. “You, you’ve been watching me? How? For how long?” “With my eyes. And from three days after Broken and Pip’s arrival.” “But how? Broken said he’d planned to kill Pet-“ a sharp breath from Dawn caused Twilight to pause, only continuing when the winged unicorn didn’t actually speak “-and Pip saw… saw what Broken did to her.” “Pip, as diligent and useful a tool as he is, is only aware of what occurred up to the point that his memories were copied to the body in this Line. Broken would be aware of even less than that. Neither would know the actual conclusion to the events in that room, and they are not something that I am… able… to speak of.” Dawn’s voice, for the first time in the conversation, was overtly hostile. Twilight backed down from the topic, taking a sip of her no-longer-scalding tea as she felt her headache slowly start to fuzz away on the edges. “Alright, then…” The unicorn sighed. “What did you mean when you were talking about Celestia’s ‘lies’? What has she been lying about?” Dawn barked a laugh. “Oh, no. I’m not going to tell you about her lies just so that you can excuse them before she even tries to. I only wanted to warn you about them, that she was going to try to justify her mendacities to you before you could fully understand how deeply and severely they affect Equestria and its citizens.” “So you wanted to warn me that she’s going to try to make excuses for lying to me on… however many topics she’s lied to me about, but you can’t tell me what she’s been lying about because I might start justifying said lies myself?” At the winged unicorn’s blithely satisfied nod, Twilight took another swig of tea. “Okay, why? If the lies are so evil and so horrible, why in Faust’s name would I try to excuse them?” “Because you heard them from me.” Dawn said flatly. “You can’t trust me, you won’t trust me no matter how true my claims. If I tell you what her lies are then the simple fact that I told you is going to make you think of them as less horrible.” “But wouldn’t you telling me that they’re bad already be making me think of them in a better light, by that logic?” “Yes, but by keeping things non-specific on my part, your shock and horror at their revelation should be enough to wipe away any blanket good feelings you have towards them.” “And what if they aren’t as bad in this Equestria as they were in yours? The Princesses and the doctors, they’ve noticed-“ “Yes, yes, I’m aware of the three-twentieths extremity difference between our Lines. I’m willing to assume that your gentler mind will be shocked in equal measure to Celestia’s gentler-but-still-evil falsehoods as mine was to my Celestia’s, even given whatever knowledge you think you have on ‘how much worse’ it could be.” Dawn snorted. “In fact, the biggest and cruelest of her falsehoods is absolute. There’s no degree of extremity involved to affect, so it should be constant between our Lines. That one alone should convince you of her maleficence.” “…and what if I don’t think they’re as bad as you do?” That question seemed to catch Dawn cold. She stared at Twilight for several seconds, plain shock blasting past the visage of calm collectedness she’d held before. “…excuse me?” “What if I don’t think that her lies are so bad? What if I think her lying might be better than allowing the knowledge of whatever she’s covering up?” A rotten taste formed in the back of Twilight’s throat at the look on Dawn’s face; she glanced away, draining the rest of her tea before continuing. “I don’t like the idea, Faust knows, but I can think of a dozen things that Equestria would be better off not knowing about except for a few key ponies. The Alicorn Amulet, necromancy-“ “NO!” Twilight whipped her head back forward at the sudden shout, watching as the winged unicorn stalked towards her, moving through the table as if it (or she) wasn’t there. The unicorn quickly stood, her chair falling over in her haste to back away from the other mare. “You, you can’t- you wouldn’t dare- don’t you understand what would happen!?” “No, I don’t. That’s why I asked.” Twilight answered, her voice much smarter and more confident than she was currently feeling. Dawn stared her down for a few seconds, breathing heavily, before her eyes seemed to move somewhere far away. “…if you accept her lies, her excuses, then you’ll bury the knowledge just as you have every other flaw of hers that you’ve seen.” The apparently-incorporeal mare raised her hoof, pulling her bangs back along her head. “But these ones, they don’t just get subsumed into that morass of worship you call your relationship with her. They get stuck in the back of your mind, festering, and one of those little voices in the back of your head that you’re never, ever supposed to listen to picks up on them. That voice starts poking at them, spreading the infection as it constantly reminds you that they’re there. And you don’t have a choice to just ignore it, not once it gets so loud that it drowns out everything but your own conscious thoughts. It makes you listen, no matter how much you fight it, and no matter how desperately you try to keep your thoughts your own it warps them, pushing you along paths that you never would have gone down, and eventually it gets to a point where it is in control and you can’t even tell because it’s your own fucking voice telling you to-“ The winged unicorn cut off with a wet coughing sound, both hooves now raised and holding the sides of her head. Twilight stared at her in unbridled shock, one of her own hooves rising of its own volition, reaching for the other mare’s shoulder. It fell in what should have been a reassuring pat, but instead was a motion through the now-definitely-incorporeal mare that sent her slightly off balance. Said mare at least seemed to notice the attempt, her head rising and hooves falling. The look in her eyes was closer to haunted than anything. “…is that what happened to you?” Twilight asked, feeling a great deal more sympathy for the mare in front of her than she would have ever believed herself capable of. The winged unicorn froze, her eyes locking on Twilight’s own. She sat still for several seconds before suddenly shouting a single word. “PIP!” Twilight had half a second to notice the slight brush of air along her back before everything went dark. Miss Twilight? Miss Twilight, are you-“ “Gah!” Twilight awoke with a start, her head shooting up and whipping around the room. She blinked several times at the lack of her winged doppelgänger before settling on the pony who’d replaced her. “Pip? What’s going on?” She winced as she felt her headache return. The stoic stallion tilted his ear. “I returned from my reconnaissance of the changeling hive in the Everfree after reporting what I had found to Shining Armor and evading his attempts to restrain me. Once back at the library, I found Miss Pinkie Pie being held down by Miss Rainbow Dash, Miss Fluttershy, and Sir Spike after having apparently attempted to strangle Miss Applejack and Miss Rarity over their engagement.” His voice had taken a more-than-subtly confused tone for the latter part, but returned to normalcy as he continued. “Miss Fluttershy claimed that they had her under control, and that you had been in the kitchen for substantially longer than she had expected you to be. I came in here to check on you and found you seated at the table, unconscious.” “Do you know how long I was out?” Twilight asked. Pip shook his head. “Alright. Thanks, Pip.” “You’re welcome, Miss Twilight. Would you like me to make you a new cup of tea? Yours seems to be both cold and oversaturated.” Twilight glanced at the cup on the table, finding it full to the brim with incredibly dark liquid. She blinked at it before deciding that that particular incongruity was less than important for the time being. “I’d appreciate that, Pip.” She blinked again as he took the cup. “Pip, was there anypony in here with me?” The unicorn could hear Pip freeze. “Miss Twilight?” “Just… did you see or hear anypony other than me when you came in? Any odd voices? Any evidence at all that there might have been someone else in here with me?” “…no, Miss Twilight.” The stallion answered after a second’s pause. “To the best of my knowledge and observations, you have been the only pony in this room within the last hour. Did you see somepony before you fell unconscious?” “I thought I might’ve…” Twilight sighed, rubbing the rising bump on the back of her head. “I thought I might’ve.”