//------------------------------// // Chapter 6 // Story: The Last Agate // by Bluetree650 //------------------------------// 1 Hendricks wandered through the caste, passing maids lighting candles, sifting through the dinner line at the mess hall, and climbing flight after flight of stone stairs, his mind spinning as he made his way to Celestia’s room. He threw his coat out one of the castle windows near the final staircase before reaching Celestia. Can’t meet the ruler of the land with blood stains on your linen. Blade and Sword had raced him. They easily won, and met him at the door to the inner sanctum. As the Head Surgeon, Hendricks was one of the few ponies allowed into this sanctum, the one where Celestia had her monthly check up.  He bowed to the guards before entering. Celestia was on her bed, fireplace lit, with a book in her grasp. There were three stacks of documents on her desk, along with quill and ink. To Hendricks, she looked worn out and he debated waiting a little, but pushed on. It must be done. “What took you so long, Dr. Needle?” Hendricks turned to see Twilight sitting on a purple pillow, Crystal asleep against her stomach. She glared at him, near hissing. “Twilight?” Celestia spoke, looking up from her book. For a moment the only sound was the crackling from the fire, but Hendricks felt the dagger like glare coming from the personal student. “Hendricks Needle is a member of my family just as your are. I thought I told you to respect your siblings.” Twilight flinched, “Sorry, Princess,” she lowered her neck, eyes dropping before she glared at Hendricks again. “What is the meaning of this interruption, Fair Needle?” Celestia turned to get up, setting the book aside. It was the first time in a while he’d seen Celestia without her chest piece. Her pristine white fur still looked like a fluffy cloud he wanted to lay his head on.  “my check up isn’t for another week. And why do you look so restless?” “You’re one to talk, Princess,” Hendricks bowed respectfully, noticing his Princess’s frown. “but I have come to bring news of an act of assault on your trusted student, Twilight Sparkle.” “She was stressed!” Twilight spat, getting up, she bowed her head, horn pointing directly at one of Hendricks eyes. “Just leave it alone, I already dealt with her. She cried herself to sleep for Celestia’s sake!” “Twilight,” Celestia shouted, shaking Twilight out of her reverie, “Doctor Needle has come with information for me. Unless you want me to kick you to the curb, I suggest shutting up until he is finished.”Hendricks watched with a twisted sense of satisfaction as Twilight whimpered, curling back up on her pillow. “Thank you. Go on Doctor Needle.” “Okay,” he straightened himself, trying to keep the chittering fear from taking control, like a rat inside his mind, it’ll just eat away until he’s nothing but a puddle on the ground.  “Crystal Agate, under the care of your student, Twilight Sparkle, hid under her blanket with a nine inch knife, waiting for Twilight to return.” he gulped, “ when she did, she stabbed her in the left arm, precisely between the radius and ulna.” Celestia’s eyes widened, she looked at her student. Muscles tensing, she hyperventilated for a second before pulling herself together. “Twilight, come here.” Twilight paused, looking between her mentor and her sister. “Crystal will be fine, Twilight, get over here before I get the armor.” “Yes, Princess!” Twilight yipped, memories of lying face first in carpet for three hours straight coming up. Celestia took her student in her magic, examining the left forearm. The muscles felt intact, fur straight and undisturbed; Twilight winced when Celestia pinched her forearm. “There is nothing here, Hendricks,” even she could hear the anger in her voice, “tell me you’re not wasting my time.” The hairs on the back of Hendricks neck stood on end and he could swear the tip of a spear was pointed right at the back of his head. “Of course not, your highness, I have honed my magic over the years to leave no traces of previous injury. You know this.” “That doesn’t answer my question.” Celestia snapped, eyes locking on the doctor, watching him crumple. “How do I know you are not lying to me? You know how I care about Twilight? Lying about her well being will take you on a short trip to the back of a soup line.” The same twisted amusement flashed in Twilight when she saw how Celestia tore through Doctor Needle like a piece of loose leaf. She watched him back up, arms shaking, barely able to hold him upright. She’d once see him doing brain surgery on a newborn earth pony, Celestia invited her as a crash course on surgery, and he performed flawlessly, didn’t even break a sweat, but here, with Celestia boring down, he cracked and broke. “He’s not lying, Princess,” Twilight said, her amusement turning into worry. He was her favorite doctor. Celestia’s gaze shifted. Twilight was more experienced under it, but she crumpled as well. “Your words ring true, Twilight, but answer this.” she raised her student’s chin, “if Crystal hurt you, why? Why would you cover for her? Make excuses for her?” Her expression changed into one Twilight recognized. It was the face of a concerned mother, the one that showed after every nightmare. She looked back, closing her eyes, then sighed. “Princess, yes, Crystal stabbed me, and I protect her because I,” she bit her tongue, unable to get the words out. “Hendricks, leave us. You have delivered your message, now head home.” The statement came with such sharp intensity Twilight thought she had whiplash. “Of course, your majesty,” Hendricks bowed before gratefully leaving the inner sanctum. There was a faint click of the lock latching before Celestia turned back to Twilight. “Now then, why do you cover for Crystal on such a drastic act?” Twilight turned away and Celestia noticed the tear rolling down her cheek. “Twilight?” Suddenly this was getting personal. Her student never cried unless it was either dire or embarrassing. “You can tell me anything, you know that.” “I covered for Crystal because… I feel responsible for her actions.” Twilight bowed in defeat, head hanging low in Celestia’s magical grasp. For a moment, the only sound was the crackling of the fire and Crystal’s soft snores, then Twilight fell. Celestia pulled her into another wing hug, looking directly into her eyes. “Tell me what happened.” Slowly, Twilight explained what she did after picking Crystal up from Layer B. The shower, Crystal’s homesickness, the blandness of her home, going into extreme detail with Crystal’s interaction with Spike. She told Celestia how she took Crystal’s actions as aggression towards her number one assistant and punished her before hearing her side of the story, then, blushing, she admitted to reacting how Celestia would after being stabbed. “I didn’t know I had such an influence on you, my student,” briefly, Celestia nibbled Twilight’s ear, getting her to yip and turn away, blushing. She giggled, enjoying herself for the first time since Crystal showed. Twilight was good for that. “Messing around aside, knowing this, I must agree that you are part of the problem, and have devised a proper punishment for the both of you.” Twilight shuddered, looking up at her mentor with fear she could only imagine what she planned. “You two will spend three hours alone in Layer A, where you shall communicate and create a plan to keep this kind of miscommunication from happening again.” “B-But, she stabbed me? Assault is normally taken through Layer B at minimum,” Twilight couldn’t help but protest, she expected three weeks in Layer C at best, the gallows at worst. “shouldn’t we at least see what Crystal’s mother says first?” Celestia pushed Twilight off her bed where she landed with an unceremonious thump, “I am the ruler of this country and you are all my children. You are in good health, Twilight, so this entire charade is but common kerfuffles between sisters.” A purple hoof rose above the bed before grasping, Twilight pulled herself up and looked at Celestia, a gast. “I’m sorry, did you just say that getting stabbed by your little sister is common behavior?”   “Are you questioning my authority, Twilight?” “No, I’m questioning your logic. I want to protect Crystal yes, but what she did was not common behavior. It signifies a need the likes of which,” Twilight paused, “the likes of which are unhealthy and… oh yeah,” she looked down, red tinging her cheeks, “you told me about this.” “Yes,” Celestia settled down in her bed, book put aside, “I told you everything earlier, now take Crystal to Layer A and have Blade lock you in for three hours. Talk this out with her. If she can’t trust you then she’ll never be able to handle the news.” Twilight thought Celestia was overreacting, but she kept her mouth shut. Smiling, she agreed, ever weary of what Celestia meant by, ‘the news’. “Good, now take her away. I’m at my wits end.” Twilight moved quickly, hoping Celestia’s mercy wouldn’t run out before she found Blade.       2          Hendricks walked down the stairs at an aggravated pace. He kept his lips pursed, trying to hide both his embarrassment and ever building rage from the maids. Reaching the bottom, he picked up his lab coat, briefly wondering why no one screamed ‘murder’ at the sight of blood before putting it on and heading out. “What is wrong with her?” he said aloud the moment he left the castle gates. “Why would she give such leniency to her student’s charge?” It has to do with the mind meld, his mind answered. Hendricks had done extensive research on the history of the Agates, comparing it to what he learned from Tarmogoyf and the results scared him. Everytime an Agate died, the records record the date, he just had to spend twenty minutes looking through the A section to find each one, and looking those days up, it was proven that those days were the same days as massacres. The Goldview massacre, the Estuary Massacre, even the Strawberry massacre, all happened on the day an Agate died. Even more strange were the reports Celestia herself hid from the world, (it took a lot of bits to get his hooves on those) that depicted the culprit was a monster pony shrouded in a blackness that burned everything it touched. And the number killed always ranged between three hundred and four hundred. Connections were made in Hendricks mind, he found a reason for Celestia to be so stressed she’d verbally attack her student. A reason she was so lenient on Crystal, and a reason to be scared. He had to make a move. 3     The hallways in Canterlot castle were all but bare, ponies asleep in their beds, gentle crickets playing their melodies in the dark. Twilight realized as she walked with Blade that it was, actually night. Her mind had been spinning so fast for the past hour that she forgot, but now it seemed like a ticking bomb. To her, being outside her room after the sun went down was near sacrilegious. Yes, she’d stayed up well beyond sunrise the next day, but this was without somepony clinging to her like glue. If Crystal was crazy enough to stab her with a kitchen knife, sane, what would she do without sleep? Isn’t it past her bedtime? Briefly she turned around, blankly registering the soft, steady breathing. “Oh,” Twilight blinked, the sight of Crystal sleeping clear as day, “she’s asleep.” “Yes, she is,” Blade said. Twilight actually jumped at the sound of his voice. For being twice her size, he could really melt into the background. “And she also stabbed you in the shoulder, and was nearly killed by my partner.” he turned, Twilight noticing wrinkles in the candlelight, “care to explain?” Even to Twilight, who was terrible as social cues, it was obvious he expected her to say no, and, had Sword been there she might have, but something about him: his age, the way he said it, whatever, made her feel he could be trusted. So she told him. “That’s unhealthy,” Blade said when Twilight finished, “maybe she should see a psychiatrist. Attacking her sister over misunderstood anger. That’s a mite too far in my book.” “I…” Twilight paused, could she do that? Take Crystal to a doctor? She imagined Celestia’s anger after her dark secret was revealed by a magic scan done by the wrong pony. “No, I don’t think that’s a good idea. Imagine her mother’s reaction?” “I wouldn’t know,” he looked at Crystal with a wise eye and Twilight briefly thought he was about to touch her when he looked up, “something’s not right about her. I heard what she did to Sword and… I just can’t put my hoof on it, but something is definitely off.” They turned down the stone stairs to Layer A, warm air gently blowing across their manes. “I… wait, what happened to Sword?” Twilight had just noticed his absence. She turned to Crystal again, a tendril of fear slithering down her throat. “She slammed his head into the third stair to your room, backed herself against the wall then fainted at the sight of his nosebleed. Celestia gave him the rest of the day off.” The two stopped in front of an iron door. Unlike layers B and C, Layer A used doors instead of bars. There was also a lot more rooms, twenty to Layer B’s ten. Each had their own air conditioning that doubled as a sort of baby monitor. Another difference between the other two layers was that the last room was a security office where a pony, like Blade, would sit and listen. All of the air vents connected to that room and any sound produced by the inmates was traced there. “Really?” Twilight said opening the door to room three, bracing herself against the cool air oozing out, “that’s the third time today, actually, maybe the fourth.” Blade wordlessly raised an eyebrow and for a moment; Twilight thought he could be her father. He motioned them forward into the white padded room with a hoof. She walked in then turned. Blade flashed her a smile before pointing up, “I’ll be in the room for three hours, but I might leave early, don’t tell Celestia, but seeing Crystal is making me want to visit my daughter. Last I checked she runs her own daycare,” Blade seemed to beam with pride, “I’ll tell you if I go.” Twilight nodded, then watched as he closed the door with a faint keesh.   4 Twilight lay on the cool foam padding. She set Crystal down then walked to one of the walls, memories of her time here coming back. She punched the wall, feeling it sink as sparks of magic floated carelessly off it. “Magic’s still as strong as ever,” she mused, “Hey Blade, you there yet?” The air ducts acted not just as a one way system. The prisoner could actually talk to the warden. Twilight didn’t know how, maybe a spell? Maybe it was the ducts themselves? There was a brief silence before, Blade’s voice came clear overhead, “Of course, Twilight what do you need?” “I think I’ll spend the night here, mind telling Spike and grabbing mine and Crystal’s blankets and pillow? Oh and could you grab a few of my books as well? One Daring Do, two of your choice and one on medicine? Please?” She had been worrying for a while about walking back upstairs in the pitch black, possibly hitting a wall, scaring Crystal awake and having to deal with angry nobles. You don’t want to have a crying filly and deal with angry nobles, you’re gonna have a bad time. There was another pause, “I’d have to talk to Celestia about that?” “I wouldn’t bother, she’s under a lot of stress right now. You can visit your daughter, I promise not to tell.” This time the response was almost immediate, “Yeah, I haven’t seen her this stressed since that Cross kid came by ten years ago… kind of like Crystal…” Twilight felt that tendril again ”nevermind, I'm probably just overthinking things. If you promise not to tell anyone I’ll have them in a half an hour.” “Promise!” “Okay, I’ll be back then.” Twilight settled down on the padding, its cool touch taking her out of her thoughts. “It’s colder then I remember.” She giggled before looking at Crystal. She knew exactly what she was. A relic of times gone by. A filly with a curse. One no one wanted. One that lead to their meet up. Twilight liked Crystal. She knew this, yet the thought persisted. She liked Crystal. Before her the only other pony she really talked to was Sword. Blade was in the background and Spike was a dragon. Despite her emotional instability leading to unnecessary pain, something shined through like the sun burning away the morning fog. Crystal could deal with such a dreary and debilitating home, never leaving, never wanting to. With her life shattering after Celestia kidnapped her, her surroundings changing for the first real time in her life (she slept through school so that didn’t really count). She still found her smile. With everything she’s been through, everything she’s done, her smile never faded. Resting her head on the padding, Twilight wondered if that smile would still be there after she learned what she truly was.    5 Celestia watched Twilight leave. It was like she feared her. A lot of ponies knew she considered Twilight her daughter, that’s no surprise. Yet, no daughter should ever have to fear their mother. She shoved her pillow against her face and screamed; her magic flared, turning the relatively clean room into a disaster zone. This was the third time today that happened, but this time she could care less about cleaning it. Eventually she just turned sideways, clutching her pillow like she was choking a cat. It had been a week since Sterile was locked in Layer B, a week of visits from Crystal, asking to go home, yet, despite fourteen of the previous Agates falling pray, she still refused to accept the offer. “Why?” Celestia half shouted, “why would she not agree to working eight to three? Bucking why?” she groaned, slamming the pillow against herself again. “It worked on Patty Agate, KoKo Agate, even the poorly named Agatha Agate, why won’t Sterile do the same?” She suddenly shot up, blanket flying off her body, “is she hiding something? No, I know everything in her mind, I made it for Mother’s sake.” She fell back, magicking the blanket to its spot on top of her.   The past week had been harrowing to say the least. Her mind was at war with itself. One side not caring about her other problem while the other wanted to take careful steps to save the filly’s sanity. Crystal, what to do with her? Celestia troubled herself to finding the best way to tell the news that she was but a product of a dark magic spell. That it’ll end up killing her. That all her brothers, uncles, even father were all killed because some stupid spell rejected them. Yes, on the second day she submitted herself to the thought of going head first, throwing all caution to the wind, but, that was five days ago! That’s a lot of time to let your mind stew with words like murderer, suicide and regret. Yes, oh yes, Crystal was the last filly she’d ever have to tell, but that doesn’t make it any less painful. “Maybe some sleep will help clear my mind.” Celestia shut off the lights, knowing full well it didn’t work the last four times. 6 Twilight sat, patiently reading What to do if someone pulls out a sword by Jill Carrion. The other book Blade brought was a weapon’s guide, depicting each and every weapon in use, giving detailed reasons why, and those that were decommissioned, again, giving a very detailed reason why. Crystal had been sleeping soundly against Twilight’s stomach ever since she wrapped her in her pale white blanket. Twilight thought she’d be out until morning. After finishing all her books in the span of two hours, she decided to look at her. Just like the morning she decided to use the magic scan, Crystal looked so small, so innocent, the way her chest rose and fell made her look so vulnerable, yet, she wasn’t. There have been countless incidents where she nearly killed a pony. The park with Abra, literally chomping on Celestia’s jugular, and her latest incident with Sword. Twilight knew it was her words that kept Sword alive. Crystal could have easily crushed his skull against that step. Twilight gently rubbed Crystal’s chin. The filly mewled at the touch, leaning into Twilight’s hoof. For a moment she believed this was just a normal filly, a child in the world of blissful ignorance, her only want, fun, her only method, annoying mother until she got it. She didn’t know what to think, Twilight, for the first time in a long while, drew a blank. She loved this filly, yet feared her. She cared for her, yet wanted her gone. But what she felt most was pity. Sure she had great conversations with her on the magic of medicine, magic itself and the world around them, but those were just words. Talk is cheap. What she truly felt was pity. This was a filly with a bad hand at life, thrown into a world no child should be… with only one pony still able to be called a child at her side. “Crystal, wake up,” Twilight steeled herself. Sure she was moved by pity, but the fuel doesn’t always matter, it’s the destination, and for her, the destination was a happier Crystal. “Crystal, we need to talk,” she shook her hoof, gently waking Crystal. The filly groaned and turned over, tightening the blanket around herself. Finally after a few more nudges, she woke.   Crystal stirred, yawned then looked up with dreary eyes. “Is it morning already?” she said, sleep evident in her voice. “No, it’s only been about three hours since you hit, Spike,” Twilight said, putting an arm around Crystal’s small white body. “Who’s Spike?” Twilight had to blink, “you don’t remember? The purple dragon that said he killed your sister. My number one assistant. The only other person I consider a good friend.” Crystal mulled this over. The sentences didn’t float around her, she was too tired to get all that, but individual words like ‘other’ and ‘assistant’ did. Suddenly her eyes widened and she hiccupped, body freezing. “Crystal? You remember. Don’t feel too bad.” “SHUT UP!” Crystal shouted. She pulled away from Twilight’s arm. Crystal got up and ran to the other wall, cowering like Twilight magically turned into a six foot spider. “Just… Shut up!” Twilight fell to the soft padded floor, floored at Crystal’s sudden outburst. Could it have been her fault? Did she do something wrong? Crystal crouched so her back faced towards Twilight, her mind racing, parts of her body becoming black, she punched the wall. She not only broke through the near expert level barrier, she put a divot into the iron wall itself, like a crater after a meteor impact. Inside, Crystal’s mind was in nuclear war, panic coated her mind like red on a brick. Anger and utter despair peppered in. She punched again and again; like popping bubble wrap. Twilight had been slow to recover. By the time she had, the spell’s code had about ten holes. Quickly she lit her horn. She grabbed Crystal, pinning her down. Her eyes pointed at Crystal’s head like spotlights. It pained her to see her squirm, limbs shaking like they were charged with raw electricity. “Crystal! Calm down and tell me what’s going on.” Something happened. Normally it was only Crystal’s front hooves that went black. But this time her back hooves joined in.     Crystal reared up, defying the one principle that helped Twilight feel safe around her, and kicked the purple pony in her gut. Twilight launched against the far wall. She landed with a thump onto the padding. That could have killed me, Twilight thought, shaking herself. But just like with Sword. Crystal held back, unable to deal fatal damage to someone she loved. Twilight didn’t even bleed. Crystal started punching the wall again, virtually murdering the barrier spell. “Crystal, calm down,” Twilight opened her hooves, “come here, I’m your sister, tell me what’s wrong. We can work though-” suddenly it hit her. The way she attacked her, how she tried to run away, like a tiny ant facing a giant pony. No chance of surviving. Crystal wasn’t angry or frustrated like before, this time she was scared. “Crystal, please come here, there is no need to be scared.” Twilight pleaded. Crystal didn’t listen, she sputtered words that didn’t make sense before assaulting the shield spell again. Something else hit her. A pony’s response to fear is delegated the flight or fight response. Crystal wasn’t attacking anything so she’s… “trying to get out.” Celestia’s words rung for a moment; Agates are able to quickly find the quickest and easiest method of solving any problem. To Crystal, the problem was fear, the solution, get some air, but to do that she needed to get out. The spell was nearing its limits. If it breaks, the door will open. Crystal will run out and into the sleeping castle. Like a scared tiger let loose in the circus crowd. She won’t hold back for ponies she didn’t know. “Crystal! Come here!” Twilight tried to sound demanding, but she couldn’t. She too was scared. Think Twilight. think! Twilight pressed a hoof to her head, rubbing it as if trying to spark that stupid lightbulb. Celestia said Crystal reacts one, no two ways to losing control; the hooves are one, but the other is? There was a crash as one side of the spell broke. Twilight jumped and looked ahead to see the far wall peppered in impact craters. It wasn’t the one with the door though, that was good, but losing one side meant the others were easier to break. Restrain her, get more time. Wordlessly agreeing, Twilight jumped to her hooves and ran head on. Crystal turned to see a purple train heading right for her. She had enough time to make feeble eye contact before she was tackled to the ground. The other response it what??? Coughing, no, Celestia! How could I forget something like this! Quick, go back in time, what happened? She was passed out… wait, Twilight blinked just noticing that she had all four of her hooves on top of Crystal’s, their foreheads touching. Twilight looked straight into Crystal’s shell shocked eyes, simple dots on a dart board they seemed to shake violently. She passes out! Faints, whatever you want to call it. But why isn’t she doing it now? She needs to feel safe. It was just a passing phrase Celestia said, and Twilight associated it simply with being by her side, but that had been before mindless fear had been added to the equation. Who get’s scared when the all powerful sun God is literally two minutes away? Crystal seemed to sense Twilight growing anger, and squirmed under her sister’s pin, whimpering. Twilight eased herself. That didn’t matter now, what did was calming Crystal down. If she needed assurance to do that then so be it. “Shhh, it’s alright,” she used the softest voice she could muster. What would Celestia do? “You’re safe here, no one will hurt you,” Twilight released her grip, using her hooves to pull Crystal into a strong embrace. “You’re safe with me. I’ll make sure nothing hurts you, little sister.” Crystal’s shakes diminished a little, but she still shook, yet the black disappeared from her back hooves. Twilight waited, gently stroking Crystal’s mane, continuously reassuring her that she was indeed safe here. “I will always love you” The words seem to come out of nowhere, but when they did the blackness vanished from Crystal’s forehooves. The filly looked into Twilight’s eyes, almost begging for confirmation. Twilight nodded and the filly’s eyes rolled back and she fell limp in the embrace. Her breathing slowing Crystal unconsciously pressed herself against the bigger pony.       Twilight sighed, levitating Crystal’s blanket she turned her into a little white burrito. Setting her down, she laid a hoof against Crystal’s back, even more assurance that she’s still there. She decided to ask why she thought she’d kill her own sister tomorrow. If Crystal reacted like this the first time, Twilight didn’t want to know how bad she’d get the second time. She waited until the spell recovered to top form. Someone would have to explain how fifteen three inch divots appeared beyond an expert level shield spell, but Celestia could handle that. With the final crack sealed, Twilight had no reason to stay awake. She yawned, grabbing her own blanket, she wrapped it around herself before snuggling close, sighing as she let sleep take over. “Twilight?” Time didn’t matter anymore, Twilight could have been asleep for ten minutes or ten hours, a feeble voice could pull her back to reality. And just as she was about to tip over into the sleeping realm. Groaning, she lifted her head, noticing Crystal looking teary eyed at her. “What is it Crystal? You need to go to the bathroom?” Crystal pressed in close, refusing to look into her sister’s eyes. Twilight sat up and put another arm around Crystal, “You’re safe here little sister.” She rubbed her back, hoping to sway Crystal’s fear before it got control again. Suddenly Crystal wrapped her arms around Twilight’s stomach and bawled. She cried loud raspy sobs, soaking Twilight’s gut with snot and tears.   What would Celestia do? What would Celestia do? Twilight tried to think what her mentor and guide in this world would do, but her brain only farted in her face. Sleep depravity and the simple shock of someone crying into her stomach out of nowhere all but broke her. Time passed with Twilight’s hoof frozen against’ Crystal’s back; the only thing she could do is mindlessly open and close her mouth like a goldfish. She didn’t even know if she should be appalled at the sticky feeling of face juices on her fur or not. Eventually, though, the tears slowed though and Twilight finally broke out of her stupor. She quickly decided to not care and pulled Crystal into a tight hug. “What’s wrong?”   “I-I… I… sorry!” Crystal whined, burying her face, “I’m sorry for hurting your assistant, I… I was being selfish.” Her words seemed to taper off, leaving an awkward silence broken only by the occasional sniffle or hiccup. “Selfish?” Twilight pulled Crystal back, resting her head on the smaller one she gazed into Crystal’s eye with the softest expression she could muster. Which was a cross between a bed ridden mother and a lunatic. “I…” Crystal tried to pull away, but Twilight kept her still, “I… I’ve been having this dream, a nightmare about Cross. I’m in this tunnel and… and…” “Take your time, Crystal, I’m not going anywhere,” Twilight took no chances, reassure her now or risk her losing it again. “Th...Thanks, I… Cross looks at me with those warm eye that always made me feel safe. I run to her, as fast as I can, but she never gets any closer.” Twilight saw the tears prickle up again. “You can tell me tomorrow if you want?” “NO!” Crystal shouted, backing away and tripping on her blanket. She fell into a heap. Surprisingly she picked herself up before Twilight got to her side. “No, I have to tell you.” This time she pressed her forehead against Twilight’s, “The dragon comes, and I see Cross protecting three other fillies, but before she dies, the only thing I say is ‘she’s supposed to protect me’. Over and over again that’s what I say, and… I learned after you said Spike was your assistant and only other person you talk to that I was being selfish for thinking you would always be by my side.” Twilight could only marvel at the maturity oozing from Crystal’s young body. To admit a fault, at her age. She pulled her into a tight hug. This is why she liked her, Crystal was so mature, and for a fleeting second, the pity all but washed away. “I see you like I did Cross,” Crystal said, “and under the blanket, I thought those exact same words. You’re supposed to protect me, you’re supposed to protect me, and I really, honestly thought you were going to kill me because I hurt your friend.” “I can tell you that that will never happen, Crystal,” Twilight said, her tired mind moving on its own, “Spike egged you on, I should be apologizing for taking his side before even hearing you out.” “No,” Crystal yawned, resting her head on Twilight’s chest, “you aren’t really part of my family. I know Celestia put you up to becoming my sister. I’m really not your problem. My being here alone is a selfish act. I’m taking away from your time, from your studies. Twilight, I’m taking you away from your life.” Again, the maturity left Twilight speechless, “I learned that my sister and you have lives that don’t revolve around me and eventually I’ll have to live on my own.” Crystal squeezed tighter, “but I'm scared.” briefly her words melted into sobs, “Twilight, I’m scared that you’ll leave me for stabbing you. I'm scared my selfishness will push you away. I… I don’t want to lose you” she started to cry again, this time softly. Twilight couldn’t think at all; the room buzzed around her, swirling and whirling. She lit her horn, barely registering Crystal tensing, as if expecting a blow, and turned off the lights, “Sleep… now” Falling to the ground, Twilight was able to pull a blanket around the two of them before passing out. Crystal quietly cried herself to sleep, comforted more by Twilight’s lack of action than anything else. 7 Over the next couple of days, Twilight did what she did best and made a schedule for Crystal and herself. After breakfast they went to the park for an hour to help get Crystal more used to other children. From there they went back to the castle to spend four hours studying, followed by lunch and a one hour session in Layer A to talk about what’s happening. Then there was a two hour exercise session in the courtyard, running around and breaking a sweat. Twilight also used this time to help Crystal interact with others, but normally they’d have the field to themselves. Afterwards dinner, then study, then bed. Crystal went through this process for four days straight, but still couldn’t talk to anyone else without having a panic attack. Multiple times she lost control of her emotions, but passed out before anything could really happen. Twilight could tell that she was working really hard, too, learning, then pushing her limits, but despite the effort, it took her two full days to get used to Twilight merely talking with Spike. To her credit she only punched him once. One day at the park, Twilight walked along the path. A small crowd surrounded a cello player, the soft soothing melody brought a calm atmosphere to the place. Crystal was able to walk on her own after the first day, but she needed to stay by Twilight’s side both for comfort and so she didn't get lost in the crowd of ponies. She reached her bench, expecting Crystal to slither underneath. The shady underbelly of the bench had become a sort of safe place for her. Like Layer A, it was a place no one could touch her, but this time when she looked down, there were no blue eyes looking back. A sharp spear of utter panic stabbed Twilight in the gut, “Crystal? Crystal, where are you!” the spear thrust out the other side as the thought of Crystal wondering the streets alone, and scared. “I shouldn’t have agreed to letting her walk besides me today! Oh Celestia is going to kill me.” To add to her fear, Crystal never reacted well to others, and there was a high chance someone could die if she wasn’t found soon. A real chance. “Crystal!” Twilight shot up and ran around, looking at each and every filly in the park with near deadly focus, “no, no, no… Crystal!” “Twilight!” “Crystal?” “No, it’s Abra, did you lose your sister?” The green filly calmly walked up before greeting her apparent idol in her own fashion, by licking her leg. The only reason Twilight put up with it was because Abra didn’t shy away from Crystal after her near death experience. That, and she was more than willing to help Crystal get over her shyness, waiting patiently for her to leave the safety of under the bench, even going as far as to slow her enthusiasm so she didn’t overstimulate her. “Abra, can you rally all of your little friends? Crystal’s lost somewhere, scared and possibly in tears, oh and get their parents to help.” “I… uh…” Abra chuckled nervously before standing firm, “I’m on it boss!”  Saluting, she rushed off in the other direction and Twilight did the same. “Crystal!, Crystal where are you?” Twilight checked bushes, under every bench, anywhere a small filly could hide. She even looked up the trees, shouting as loud as possible. It wasn’t until she passed the crowd of spectators that someone stopped her.   “Is that Crystal?” A blue stallion said pointing to the musician. The crowd seemed to fan out and Twilight immediately recognised the pony as Octavia Philharmonica, youngest member of the Canterlot Orchestra. Her brown coat and dark brown mane and tail seemed to flow as she gently bobbed and weaved through the music. The tiny red bowtie latched on her neck remained starch still the whole time. Behind her cello, asleep and looking at peace, was Crystal. “She made her way through the crowd and climbed on the bench. Next thing we knew Octavia had somepony sleeping on her leg.” the stallion said. “She took to her like a sister,” an elderly mare added, “didn’t even flinch. I think it was the music.” “It does draw ponies from all around,” Octavia said, catching them all off guard. Twilight didn’t even realize the music stopped. She'd been too busy dealing with the endless relief. “The song I just played was in fact a lullaby so I'm not surprised she fell asleep. It is however a bit odd that she fell asleep on me, like she thinks I'm her sister or something.” Twilight blinked, Octavia’s words passing over her. Crystal fell asleep on someone else’s leg. Two days ago she punched Spike in the face for talking to her… talking! Now she can waltz up and fall asleep on some stranger and not freak out… “Well?” Octavia said, making Twilight scream, “sorry, didn’t mean to scare you. Is she the one you’re looking for? Crystal? You were shouting that name, am I right?” Octavia blinked, her eyes going blank for a moment. “Yes, that’s her, thank you so much. She’s my sister. A wanderer if anything, drives Mom insane with worry. Sorry if she gave you any trouble.” Ponies nodded, the last piece of the puzzle found, yet others questioned Twilight having a sister, most said nothing. “My apologies if I'm being too brash, but may I ponder how she is your sister?” Octavia looked right into Twilight’s eyes, worry barely marking her face. “Oh, my mom adopted her after I left for Celestia’s school for gifted unicorns.” Twilight told the lie she and Celestia made without a hitch, levitating Crystal’s sleeping form onto her back. “Now I must go, thank you for not yelling at her. She’s really shy, and wouldn’t take it too well.” “Miss Sparkle, before you go, may I ask one more question?” Twilight turned back, smile faltering only a little, “sure, Octavia, what is it?” Octavia forgave Twilight for using her first name. She knew the unicorn didn’t learn too much on formalities. Either that or she’s stressed about something. “What was Crystal’s last name before your mother adopted her?” “Agate” Twilight said before running back to the castle. There were things to talk to Celestia about. 8 Celestia sat at her desk, stacks upon stacks of paperwork sitting in front of her like sycamores to a lumberjack. Everyone says being a princess is the ticket to an easy life. They couldn’t be more wrong. Being a princess meant working with other nations, keeping ties strong to prevent war, making sure payments were made on time, and on top of that you have to work out problems in your own nation. That meant one thing. A LOT of paperwork. No, being a princess isn’t fun. With Crystal here, she had been slower to complete it all, taking more time to herself in order to keep her sanity in check, like a caged rat trying to escape and eat at her. One time that rat escaped and her ponies had to rebuild the entire west portion of the castle. Crystal wasn’t the only one with emotional issues. In the middle of the loan request for a new boutique in the town of Ponyville, Celestia heard the door open. She mindlessly agreed to the proposal like she had the past thirteen and set it in the OUT bin to the right of her desk before moving a stack to see who entered. “Princess!” Twilight said as she near pranced to her mentor. “Something incredible happened!” If one thing helped keep that rat under control it was Twilight. Children had that effect on ponies, brightening their darkest hour. Celestia let Twilight’s boundless energy wash over her for a moment. “Where is Crystal?” “Asleep,” Twilight said taking a second to calm herself. She didn’t know to be excited or worried, “she fell asleep on Octavia Philharmonica’s leg! I think it was the music, and… oh, she believed our story of my mom adopting her!” “Did you use the last name we agreed on?” Celestia said, watching Twilight dance around like a cat before settling on her pillow. “I…” her smile died, “no. I said Agate. I was just so excited to see her react to someone other than me.” Celestia sighed, putting a hoof to her forehead, “Twilight, you know my ponies aren’t stupid. They’ll eventually get curious about what happened to Crystal’s real mother. They’ll soon come to me for answers.” Twilight remembered the paper Nurse Redheart had been reading. I'm glad she's finally taking time for herself she'd said, or something like that. “I’m sorry!” She all but pleaded to Celestia, desperate as always for forgiveness even after the most simplest of mistakes. “It’s fine, I made a backup plan. You can forge your mother’s signature, right?” “What?” Celestia chuckled, something she hadn’t done in a while, “I’m only kidding, but I will need your mother’s signature. I’ll just have Sword summon her.” Celestia laughed a little, like she remembered a good joke,  “Does she know you have a sister?” “No, I haven’t even told Shining yet, but Mom’s a smart pony, Dad too! They’ll take to her like a cat to catnip.” “Yes, very true,” Celestia nodded before opening one of the many drawers in her desk. She floated a small sack to Twilight, “I’ve decided to give you a little raise in your allowance. Buy Crystal something nice.” “Oh really!” It was like she was six all over again. Celestia watched Twilight bound up and down, dancing a little before running up and hugging her leg. She in turn messed with the purple filly’s mane. Yes, children definitely brighten up her day. “Okay, sit down. There’s one last thing I need to tell you.” “Oh, wait, Princess, you left five hundred bits at Pennywise. I used some to get Crystal, Blade and myself some ice cream the other day. Please don’t be mad.” “Twilight, I’m worth a few billion bits, five hundred is nothing to me, but if you want to pay me back,” she leaned in close, her muzzle mere inches from Twilight’s ear, “make some friends. You can use that money to treat them every now and again. I assume Penny made a fund for you.” “Oh yes! There are four hundred and seventy three bits left.” Celestia nodded before levitating Twilight to her pillow. She took a second to pull herself together. Resting her head on her hooves, she looked right at her ever faithful student. “Twilight, listen closely. I have one last thing to tell you about Crystal.” She hesitated after seeing Twilight tense, “don’t worry, it’s nothing dark like last time. It’s about her cutie mark.” “Oh, I read something about that in Tarmogoyf. How’s the search going by the way?” “I’m going to send the guard out tomorrow if I don’t find it. It pains me to invade my children like this, but it’s what I must do. I can not give whoever stole it time enough to learn its dark magicks. It could mean the end for us all.” Twilight shuddered, “So I assume you’re going to tell me Crystal’s cutie mark, oh, good luck with finding it.” “I’ll need all the luck in the world, and yes.” Celestia paused, she closed the drawer and took a sip of her tea before settling on Twilight again. “There is a reason Crystal fell asleep on Octavia’s leg. It’s something I just figured out recently. Music has the unique ability to change a pony’s emotions. Crystal reacted strongly to whatever Octavia played, and she evened out so to say. Twilight, Crystal’s special talent is in music.” 9 Octavia marched home, her wallet thirty bits heavier. She planned to thank Lyra for giving her the idea of playing at a park. Ponies really do loosen their purses at the sound of skill. She headed inside, dropping her cello on the small couch before heading to the kitchen. There was some leftover pizza from Vinyl party last night, and playing for three hours straight left her with a mighty hunger. Then she noticed the letter. On the counter, just besides the refrigerator lay a rolled up piece of scroll, the royal seal evident. Hoof shaking, Octavia broke the wax and read the scroll. Its message was short, but the point was as clear as a gunshot.  Dear Octavia The time has come to fulfill your part of our agreement. At week’s end, at 2pm, meet me in the castle garden. Bring Lyra. Enclosed are two tickets with my signature, show them to the guards and they’ll let you in. Princess Celestia P.S. I learned from my faithful student that you have met your charge, Crystal Agate. Please do not tell anyone outside those you trust her last name.   Octavia closed the scroll. She couldn’t tell if it was excitement or fear coursing through her, but she dropped the thought of pizza and ran to Lyra’s house. Planning had to be done.