I awoke from a fitful sleep, sunlight already slashing across the bedsheets. I groaned as I kicked them off with my rear hooves. I hated sleeping late, especially with all the work that the boutique would have with the wedding coming up in another day.
I yawned as I stumbled out of bed and into the bathroom, frowning at the vision of my disheveled mane in the mirror. It would take more time than I really had to get it into shape, but where I now assisted Rarity by dealing with customers directly, she would accept nothing less than me looking my best. I sighed as I heard Sweetie Belle's distant voice followed by the back door closing. So I wasn't going to have my little sister around today to hear my laments.
I took as quick a shower as I could, and after drying my hair, it had transformed from a disheveled mess to a poofy mess. I had only just applied the brush when I heard the front door open. A customer already? I hadn't even had breakfast yet!
I frowned and wandered out of the bathroom, still moving the brush in broad strokes through my mane. I glanced at the wedding invite on the bureau and froze. "What the hay?" I muttered as I levitated the ticket and held it before me. "Today? The wedding is today?!"
I looked at the calendar. I distinctly had the next day marked. I could not have made that serious an error. With a frustrated growl, I slapped the invitation down and turned, intending to head to the door and call down to Rarity to see if hers had the same error.
My gaze swept over the book shelf, and all thoughts of the wedding were shattered.
I tossed the brush aside and grabbed the chess piece that had been a question mark the night before. It no longer appeared as such, but I didn't know what the hell it was. It looked a bit like a large, ferocious bear, but with odd markings and an extra set of arms. And ...
... wings.
Oh, shit.
"Candy! Get down here at once!"
Rarity's yell startled me so badly I nearly dropped the chess piece. I galloped down the stairs, skidding to a halt in the front room as I saw Rarity standing with Twilight.
Twilight stepped up to me. "Candy, my wards tripped! Sevfivtoo is back!"
My heart thundered. "That's not the only thing you have to worry about!" I thrust the chess piece towards her.
Twilight's mouth fell open, her pupils shrinking to points.
"Oh, dear Celestia, this is exactly what you were worried about, Twilight!" said Rarity.
Twilight narrowed her eyes. "We'll deal with this."
"But the wedding is supposed to be today!" I cried. "At least that's what the invites say."
"Yes, and that error may be to our advantage."
"What are you talking about?" Rarity demanded.
"Cadance and Shining Armor are already here," said Twilight. "Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are about to arrive soon. That makes the wedding hall the safest place in Equestria for Candy right now."
Despite hearing this, I felt no sense of relief. This was simply the opening act of a larger play. I had to hope that it didn't turn out to be a tragedy.
Twilight turned to Rarity. "I have to warn the others. Meet us near the clearing by the bridge as soon as you can so we can discuss strategy. If that bugbear is about to attack, that will be the most likely approach."
"What about the changeling?" Rarity said.
"Right now, she's keeping her distance. We'll have to figure out some way to lure her in or pinpoint her location. She's avoiding using magic right now, but I'm betting that will change." Twilight turned away. "I need to go, we don't have a lot of time."
"I'll be along shortly!" Rarity called out as Twilight galloped out of the boutique. Rarity swiftly closed the front door and locked it. She drew the shades down as she turned to me. "Candy, go to the wedding hall right now."
"Let me get my mane sorted out first," I said in a shaky voice.
"You shouldn't delay even a second! You'll be safe at--"
"Sevfivtoo isn't even close yet! You really want me to appear in front of all of Ponyville looking like this??"
Rarity face-hoofed. "Of all the times you could have picked to finally acquire some of my fashion sense."
That's not what had happened. I hated lying to her, but I didn't have time to argue. The game had only just started. This could not have been simply a setup to warn of the danger of the bugbear, as Rainbow Dash had already stumbled on that threat the other day.
Everything that had happened over the past few days exploded in my head into a roiling mass of disjointed imagery, and I had to calm down enough to sort it out. "Look, this won't take long. I'm not going to do anything fancy. I just don't want it to look like it's about to fly off everywhere."
"Fine," Rarity said. "But don't dawdle! Brush it out and get going!"
"I will."
Rarity pulled me into a tight hug before galloping towards the back door of the boutique.
I swallowed hard and took a deep breath, but it did nothing to calm me. I was surprised Rarity had not felt my heart pounding when she hugged me. Or maybe she had and assumed it was just normal fear. I stared at the chess piece as if to will it into giving me a clue as to what to do next. Instead, my next hint came from a place I had hoped it never would.
Candy, please, I need to manifest. Sevfivtoo is growing near.
My heart lurched, and my eyes misted. "How do you even know that? Has that stupid avatar broken the privacy shield?"
It cannot block all magic. We can still sense when Sevfivtoo is near.
I frowned. "I-I'm not letting you do this."
Thou hast no choice.
"The other alicorn Princesses are here. They can protect me. Protect us."
Yes, they can, but then this cycle will continue on. Sevfivtoo will not stop. She will pick another place, another time. Eventually, thy luck will run out.
I wanted to scream. I stomped a hoof, but it did nothing to vent my anguish. I clenched my teeth until I heard them grind. "A-and you think I can just let you go, let you project yourself to Sevfivtoo? You think I can send you off to your death?!"
It is no longer that simple.
"What are you talking about?"
Perhaps thou dost not know. Twilight placed an additional spell upon the pendant. It inhibits how far I can project. She paused, my heart hammering into the uneasy silence. I need thy help to get closer to Sevfivtoo.
My legs felt weak. The chess game played out in my mind again. The very thing I had feared had come to pass: I would have to actively participate in Michelle's demise. I had to make the sacrificial move.
Or I could do as Rarity said, and shield myself behind a phalanx of alicorns. Then we do this again and again. The nightmare would continue, and maybe this time Discord will tire of the game and give me no further clues.
Something shimmered out of the corner of my eye. I turned my head, and my eyes widened. The chess piece had changed. It was a question mark again, but it had changed in color from black to white.
A clop of hooves against the door of the boutique interrupted my thoughts, and a male voice inquired with some desperation, "Rarity??"
I trotted over to the window and peeked under the shade. A brown earth stallion stood outside the boutique. Part of an hourglass-shaped cutie mark was covered by a suit on a hanger hooked to his collar. He pounded on the door with his fore-hooves and called out Rarity's name again before making a frustrated noise.
I turned away from the window and stared at the piece again. What did this mean? Another unknown, but ... on my side?
Candy, please, I beg of thee.
"Shh!" I hissed. "Let me think!"
I remembered what Twilight had said about tracking Sevfivtoo. I thought about the chess game, where the question mark piece had forced me to occupy the Rarity, Fluttershy, and Twilight pieces; the sacrificial move, which set off Discord's temper; Discord's conversation to me when ...
When he said ...
~~~
Discord gave me a sly smile. "Keep your mind open while your opponent makes a ruckus." He paused. "Or fracas."
~~~
My stomach twisted, and I staggered. No, he couldn't have meant that. The cards would have to land just right. Either that, or Discord had indeed set up a winning move, and I had to play it through. If I was wrong ... I would be as dead as Michelle.
I glanced out the window again. The stallion was talking to a unicorn wearing headphones. I dashed away from the window as fast as I could without the clop of my hooves alerting him that somepony was still in the boutique. As crazy as it sounded, I actually felt a little guilty; I likely could have done whatever tailoring he needed for his suit.
I tucked the chess piece into my mane and headed into my workroom. "Cherry, you need to listen to me. You have to do something before I'll let you manifest."
Candy, there is little time left.
"Then you better decide in a hurry!"
Michelle hesitated before responding in a reluctant tone, What is it thou wishest of me?
"You're going to make me a Pinkie Promise," I said. "That you will not attempt to attack Sevfivtoo without my permission."
I cannot make that--
"Yes, you can! Because if you don't, you're staying in that pendant, and I'll gallop right over to the wedding hall. I'm not giving you a choice here!"
A long pause, then: I promise.
"Not good enough. Say the whole thing."
I Pinkie Promise I will not attack Sevfivtoo without thy permission, said Michelle. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in mine eye.
I let out a ragged breath. I really hoped Twilight had not been kidding when she said a Pinkie Promise had real magic associated with it. "Okay. Manifest."
My horn blazed, and Michelle materialized before me, giving me a sad look. Before I could open my mouth to speak, my horn glowed brilliantly a second time, and the avatar of Starswirl appeared as well, his face creased into a deep frown. "What nonsense art thou up to with this ludicrous promise thou extractest from--"
I marched up to him. "Shut up. I don't want to hear it from you. And I never gave you permission to manifest."
The avatar snorted. "Thou gavest thy friend permission. That was good enough."
I glared at him. "You interfaced with my horn, didn't you? Just like Twilight said you might do!"
"Of course." He narrowed his eyes. "But I could not get completely around requiring thy permission."
"Yeah, thank Twilight and her 'alicorn bag of tricks' for that."
"And it remaineth as such! Given enough time, I am sure I--"
"Starswirl, stop, please," said Michelle. "We do not have time. Candy, willst thou help us? We cannot do this alone."
Starswirl grunted. "We could if Candy would give permission for me to use her horn to break the inhibiting charm on the pendant."
"Like Tartarus I will," I snarled. "Listen to me, both of you. I'll help you take out Sevfivtoo, but you're going to do it my way. You got that?"
"Why should I listen to a mere child?" the avatar scoffed.
"Because this 'child' knows a lot more than you do about what's going on."
The image of Starswirl smirked. "And how dost thou come by this knowledge, hmm? Discord, perhaps?"
I hesitated, my gaze flicking between him and Michelle. "I don't have to tell you that."
"No, thou dost not!" proclaimed the avatar. "Because I already know thou hast!"
I frowned at him. "How the hay would you know anything about what's going on with the privacy shield in place? You can hear me only when I address you two directly!"
"And that, my dear child, is why thou knowest far less than thou believest. Did not Cherry tell thee how certain magicks cannot be blocked? No mere shield can stop chaos magic from being felt. I know thou hast spent time near Discord."
Michelle's eyes widened. "Candy, is this true? Didst thou consort with Discord for thy plan?"
My heart pounded. "What if I had?! It doesn't matter! What matters is he--"
"I will tell thee what matters!" the avatar thundered. "What matters is Discord was responsible for the pendant appearing in thy world in the first place!"
My mouth worked, but no words came to me at first. When they finally did, I had to force them out. "Y-you're lying. You have to be."
"He is not lying, Candy," said Michelle in a somber voice. "Starswirl remembers everything which transpired with the pendant."
I had no response. I had talked about the cards landing just right. Now it appeared my plan was a house of cards, and this had been the breeze to destroy it.
The avatar took a step closer. "Dost thou wish to know exactly how it came to be in thy world? He found the pendant during his first reign, when he knew the alicorns Celestia and Luna were plotting to end his rule. He wished to use it against them, but I would not allow it. In his anger and frustration, he opened a portal and hurtled the pendant into it."
I trembled as my heart sank.
"If thou dost wish to know where to place the ultimate blame for the death of thy friend," Starswirl said. "Then place it squarely at the hooves of Discord! If it were not for him, it would never hath appeared in thy world!"
I squeezed my eyes shut. My emotions wanted to swallow me up in a miasma of doubt and shame. Had I been so stupid? Had I let myself be fooled? Was this just like Chrysalis all over again?
I went over everything in my head yet again. I thought I had been right. I thought I had figured it out. Was I just too dumb ... or too emotional ... or ...
~~~
"Then let me say this instead: don't underestimate yourself."
I couldn't quite meet her eyes. "I guess I'm not sure what you mean."
"You're smarter than you give yourself credit for. Don't fall into the trap that because you are 'just' a teenager that you're too emotional to be useful."
~~~
I took a deep breath, letting Rarity's words repeat in my head. I lifted my gaze squarely into the avatar's eyes. "Fine. Discord sent the pendant to my world. I'll deal with that later. I'm still in charge here, and we're going to do it my way!"
The avatar glared at me. "Thou art the most stubborn pony I have ever met."
"Flattery will get you nowhere. Now, I'm cutting this off, as I have to get to Twilight's castle as fast as I can. We'll talk again then."
I willed the flow of magic to the spell to shut off before they could protest, and both images faded from sight.
I had taken only a step when I heard a thunderous boom, and the floor shook. I galloped out the back way. As I turned around the side of the boutique, my eyes fell upon a sight that made me recoil and nearly fall back on my haunches. My ears flattened, and my legs trembled with the urge to bolt.
The bugbear sat on the ground at the end of a long furrow, the creature looming far larger than I had ever conceived it would. I caught sight of Twilight in time to see her fire a blast of energy from her horn at it, which only seemed to enrage it further. Rainbow Dash buzzed it a few seconds later before it launched itself back into the air with frightening ease in hot pursuit of my friends.
My heart skipped a beat as I saw Rarity among them. Worry and pride rose in equal measure at first, but when the creature launched another attack, the former won out when I witnessed Rarity leap away from its stinger at the last moment.
I had to focus. She had her battle, I had mine. Fortunately, they lured the creature in the opposite direction from where I needed to go. I galloped towards the castle, fighting down the twinge of guilt for disobeying Rarity.
I once again wished the Equestrian language had more swear words when I discovered that the shields around Wuntusix's room worked both ways. She couldn't get out, but I couldn't get in. I guessed Twilight had feared a situation similar to the townspeople storming the place with torches and pitchforks to confront the monster.
I took a step back from the door. "Cherry, Starswirl, get out here. I need your help."
Brilliant light reflected from the walls, and the two figures stood side by side. The avatar wore the same sour expression as before. Michelle had her arms folded, and a frown marred her face. "And just what doth the child need from us?" said the avatar.
I had thought Michelle angry with me until she turned and glared at the avatar. "Stop calling her that. We have discussed this."
"Thou didst much shouting. I would not call that 'discussion'."
I pointed a hoof at the door. "I need to get in there. Can you dispel Twilight's shield if I let you use my horn?"
The avatar narrowed his eyes and said nothing.
"And you call me a child?! You're acting like a brat that got denied a treat!"
"Thou assumest I intend to help thee--"
"I'm trying to help you, you idiot!"
"Candy," Michelle said. "What is it thou wishest to do?"
I turned to her. "You want to find Sevfivtoo, right? That's what I'm trying to do."
"I can lead thee to her as far as needed for--"
"And would you lead me to her precise location? Would you bring me right up to her?"
Michelle looked taken aback. "Absolutely not. I need only to be close enough to--"
I frowned. "Yeah, that's what I thought. You're still not getting it. We're not doing your plan. We're doing mine. But I need to get to Sevfivtoo, and for that I need the changeling that's in that room."
The avatar's eyebrows rose. "Thou dost not mean Wuntusix?!"
"Yes."
"Thou art truly mad!"
"Candy, Wuntusix is a follower of Sevfivtoo," Michelle said.
Maybe she didn't mean it, but her tone sounded like a parent trying to instruct a wayward child. I tried to ignore it, but impatience edged my voice. "She isn't anymore. I don't have time to explain the whole thing to you. And why should I? You never explained anything to me until my friends and I practically dragged it out of you!"
I knew that sounded petty, and from the way the avatar sneered, it likely played right into his idea that I was nothing more than a foal throwing a tantrum.
I stepped up to Michelle. "I'm going to say the same thing to you that you said to me. You have to trust me."
Michelle averted her eyes and uttered a forlorn sigh. She glanced at the avatar.
"Do not look to me for guidance," said the image of Starswirl in a low voice. "I had not wished the fate upon thee that thou hast chosen for thyself. And thou knowest thy friend best." He paused. "And perhaps I am not the best judge of what it means to be a good friend."
Perhaps I could have done this without Wuntusix. Michelle seemed on the verge of agreeing with me, and she could lead me there just as precisely as Wuntusix. Yet the chess pieces I had been given included her. If I left her out, I feared I would disrupt whatever cosmic forces were guiding me.
And as much as it pained me to admit it, I still could not trust that Michelle would not refuse at the last minute.
Michelle sighed. "Help her, Starswirl. Give her what she needs."
The avatar frowned. "Very well."
My horn erupted with light. The flow of power felt different, more forceful and direct, as if I were sensing some of the personality of the caster. Forks of energy shot out from my horn and played along the outline of the door, until the door itself pulsed with purple light that abruptly flickered out.
"It is done," said Starswirl as my horn quiesced. "Thou mayest proceed with thy breaking and entering."
I rolled my eyes and cut off the manifestation spell. I watched them vanish before I lifted a trembling hoof to the latch.
My heart raced as I pushed open the door, and I froze as my gaze fell upon the creature. She lay bundled in the covers, shivering slightly as if all she was suffering from was a bout of the flu. She hardly looked threatening despite her insect-like features. Had this really been the same creature I had thrown against a tree in a rage?
I stepped forward slowly. Despite the carpeted floor, my hooves clopped loudly enough in the quiet to rouse the creature. She rolled over with a soft moan, and in a weak, raspy voice she said, "P-Princess? Are you back already?"
Wuntusix uttered a sharp gasp as her eyes fell on me. She pulled the blanket around her tighter and shook like a leaf in the wind. Why did I expect she would greet me with anything but abject fear? She likely viewed those bars at the jail not as protecting everypony from her, but protecting her from everypony, and from me especially.
I stopped approaching. "Um ... I ... I'm not going to hurt you."
She just stared at me, not moving a muscle save for her trembling.
I averted my eyes for a moment. "I'm sorry if I did hurt you before. I was just ... I wasn't myself. I'm not like that."
Wuntusix relaxed her grip slightly on the blanket and slowly nodded once but said not a word, her wide eyes still fixed on me.
What exactly had I planned to do? Had I expected I could just grab her and use her like some sort of tool? That made me no better than Sevfivtoo. Maybe I couldn't quite show her as much sympathy as I wished I could, but I didn't have to subject her to more abuse. I took a deep breath. "Wuntusix ... I need your help."
The changeling lowered her gaze. "I wish I could. The Princess asked me about this. I cannot sense Sev from here."
"I know, but I have a means to get close enough to her so you could lead me the rest of the way."
"Wh-what? What of the Princess' wards? They--"
"Twilight and her friends are a little busy right now!" I snapped, struggling not to yell despite my impatience. "Your partner ... former partner sicced a monster on Ponyville, and they're all busy fighting that. I've got no other choice. It's us or nothing!"
Wuntusix whimpered softly and clutched the blanket to her again, her wings quivering. Only then did I realize what I was asking her to do. Maybe the castle couldn't feed her enough, but here she would endure longer. Outside its environs, I had no idea how long she would last, and that was assuming Sevfivtoo didn't kill her on the spot. The move was still a sacrifice, I simply had shifted it to another piece.
I was treating Wuntusix like a pawn.
"I'm not going to make you do this," I said in a quavering voice. Did that really make it any better? Would giving her the choice absolve me? "You really don't have any obligation to my friend."
"But I do!" Wuntusix cried. "I failed to stop Sev from draining her."
I could indeed easily blame Wuntusix, but I didn't want that be the basis of her decision.
"I wish I could bring her back," Wuntusix said in a miserable voice, her gaze falling on my pendant.
I didn't have time to debate this any further with myself. I had to forge ahead and hope I could live with my choices later. When I spotted her eyes on the pendant, I gambled I had a chance to get through to her. I stepped closer and lifted the pendant with my hoof. "Twilight understands this thing now. She got further than even Starswirl! She might get further still, but she needs a lot more time. But none of that will matter if Cherry isn't kept safe. Don't you see how important this is?!"
Wuntusix continued to tremble as she stared at my pendant. I had no idea what she was thinking, other than she looked even more scared than before.
I couldn't do this. I had no right to do this. What the hell had I been thinking when I came up with this idea? That she was "just a changeling?" That nopony would miss her if she died?
I sighed and let the pendant drop, lowering my gaze. "N-never mind," I said in a weak voice as I started to turn away.
"Wait!"
I stopped. I did not dare say a word.
"I-I'll do it. I'll go with you. I'll help you find Sev."
I winced when Wuntusix slid out of bed and hit the floor like a pile of wet rags. She grunted as she rose to her trembling hooves. She fluttered her wings, panting as if it were taking all her effort. She flew maybe half the length of the bed before crashing to the floor with a whimper.
I took a deep breath. Wuntusix gasped and tensed when I enveloped her in my magic, as if steeling herself. I lifted her, hesitated, and gently placed her on my back.
What exactly had I expected? An alien coldness? Just some general ickiness? She was warm, like any flesh-and-blood pony might be. I felt her shiver as her legs wrapped around my barrel and neck to steady herself. Her breathing was labored.
I trotted into the hallway. "Cherry, I need you, and bring Starswirl with you."
Wuntusix flinched when my horn blazed, and she trembled as the figures materialized before us. The avatar raised a single eyebrow and fixed his critical gaze at my passenger but said nothing. Michelle wore a neutral expression that was obviously forced.
I stepped up to the image of Starswirl. "You've already proven you can do magic through my horn. I need you to do something like that later, but I want to make sure you can actually do it."
"Hmph," the avatar scoffed. "Only now thou considerest the implications of--"
"I didn't invite your commentary!" I exclaimed. "Can you do a shield spell against mind magic?"
Michelle uttered a small gasp. I felt Wuntusix's grip tighten, and her breathing become more raspy.
The avatar's eyebrows rose. "It is not can I do such a spell, but will I do it. And if thou canst handle the power through thine immature horn."
"Candy, please, don't do this," said Michelle. "Canst thou see this is suicide?"
"And how many times did I say that to you?!" I shouted. "Only to find out that's what you intended all along! Well, guess what? I have no intention of sacrificing myself." I paused and glanced down at the changeling's fore-hooves wrapped around me. "I-I don't want to sacrifice anypony."
The avatar frowned. "I cannot maintain such a spell indefinitely. Either thy horn will burn out, or our store of energy will be expended. Or didst thou not consider what thou wouldst do if thy plan fails?"
I resisted the urge to stomp my hoof. I really did need to stop doing that. He was right, I had not considered what to do if I failed.
"Candy," said Michelle softly.
I forced myself to meet her eyes.
"I ... I wish to support thy plan, but--"
"Art thou insane?!" the avatar hissed. "When thou hast little clue as to what it is?!"
"Like the copious information we gave her on ours?" Michelle said in an acid voice.
The image of Starswirl grumbled something under his breath and looked away.
"I was wrong to keep thee in the dark, Candy," said Michelle. "I cannot be forgiven for that."
"No, please, don't say that," I said in a quavering voice.
"But I also cannot in good conscience allow thee to come to harm and have all our plans come to naught. Thou must promise us." She paused. "Thou must Pinkie Promise us that, if thy plan fails ... we will revert to mine."
I tried to fall back on all my old protests: I couldn't be asked to send her to her death; I was not capable of making this sort of choice; I was not the kind of pony who could ever contemplate this. Yet I had a changeling on my back who I likely had just consigned to death. That she had agreed of her own volition meant little; I still felt like I had guilted her into it.
And Michelle had been right. We couldn't keep doing this. If we gave up this opportunity to defeat Sevfivtoo, she would find another way to attack my friends. For all I knew, any number of them could be badly injured already in their battle with the bugbear.
"All right," I said in a shaky voice. "I Pinkie Promise to allow you to d-do what you originally intended if my plan fails. Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."
Never had words that had sounded so silly when I had first heard them hold such terrible import.
"Now that we have that out of the way," said the image of Starswirl. "What exactly is thy plan?"
"You already know it," I said. "Shield me against Sevfivtoo's magic."
"And?"
"Just do that as long as possible. I'm ... I'm expecting help to arrive."
The avatar narrowed his eyes. "Dare I ask who?"
I touched the chess piece in my mane with my magic, just to feel its shape. It remained a question mark. "It's not important. I should cut this off. I don't want you two expending any more energy than you have to."
"I hope thou knowest what thou art doing," the avatar grumbled.
I terminated the manifestation spell and watched them fade. "So do I," I whispered before I galloped away.