Scattered Thoughts

by Coyote Mustang

A Brief Teleport Later

A large swirl of magic made its way from the floor of the library and as it reached the ceiling, the shadows of 6 ponies could be seen inside it. Another thunderclap of sound burst forth in the confines of the room and the 6 ponies plummeted to the ground. Each of them lay in an awkward position inside the library and each of them seemed to be shocked at the sudden disorientation and movement.

Rarity was the first to stand, her hair having been mushed up against one of the bookshelves in the library was quite livid at Twilight's interruption. Her eyes held a glow of hatred as she approached Twilight.

“Twilight, how dare you warp me to your home without warning. Me and Sweetie Belle were having a good time baking one minute and the next I’m smashed against a bookcase and my hair is ruined.”

“Yeh, Twi’ what’s the big idea?” the southern drawl of Applejack came from behind the ruined couch in the back of the library.

Rarity and Applejack made their way around Twilight’s figure, as it sat in a heap on the floor. They looked for answers to her warp, but her figure only sat there, her breaths shallow and ragged.

Applejack made her way to the others, pulling their bodies out of walls and the plants they fell on when they were warped. They all stood in front of Twilight's form, their eyes looking side to side, as they didn't know what to do with her. Unfortunately they didn’t have to do anything for her, she could do it herself.

Twilight’s magic slowly seeped its way out from her form, grasping the legs of each of her friends with a pink tendril. Twilight looked up from place on the floor, Her eyes aglow in magic and anger, and she looked on to the 5 of her former friends scare nearly out of their minds.

“You all tried to have me committed to a mental hospital!” Twilight screamed at her former friends, Her magic starting to wrap itself fully around their lower legs.

“Twilight, we were only doing what we thought was best for you, You obviously need some help and we were only helping you get better.” Rarity stuttered as she watched Twilight's magic root her in place.

“Yeh Twi’, we was only trying’ to help. Ah’, in the beginning, thought this was nothin’ but bull patty. But when yah told the doc yah heard voices, I only thought of you and how he could help,” Applejack yelled frantically as she felt the magic of her friend make its way slowly up her calf.

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy gave similar accounts of their experience with the Psych doctor, but nothing seemed to calm Twilight.

“None of you know what's going on with me, what makes you think you have the right to tell some quack that I need mental help. This problem is not mental, it’s a physical problem and now all the doctor’s at this hospital can see of me now is some... some... Crazy Pony!” Twilight’s anger boiled over in a single shout, her magic overtaking her friend’s legs and bodies. Twilight’s friend found themselves being levitating in the air within the grip of Twilight's magic, and were soon being held against the ceiling of the library.

Fluttershy let out a soft squeak as she struggled against the magic grasp on her. Rarity tried to repel the magic with her own, but the power she found was something she had never seen before. It was like Twilight's magic had found a new source and she was using it all to keep her friends confined.

“Twilight, you’re hurting us!” Rarity yelled down, the pressure on her legs growing heavier as the tendrils that surrounded them began to constrict.

Twilight sat on her floor, her eyes still aglow with magic and she gave a wicked smile. “Good, now you will all know the pain that your betrayal has caused me.”

The pressure steadily grew against Rarity, and she knew that the rest of them were probably feeling it too. Rarity began searching her memories for something to calm Twilight, a memory she knew would bring her down from the magically enhanced state. The sound of wax cracking under pressure began to resonate throughout the room, Rarity feared she was listening the breaking of bone in her friend. But all at once the magic that was holding them up released and they plummeted again to the floor.

Rarity looked over to where Twilight was standing previously and only found a small black scorch mark in her place. Rarity knew all of Twilight's spells, and the crack she had heard was not one that she remembered her using. Rarity made her way around the room, making sure her friends were OK before she went to study the black mark. The magic glow it left behind as residue shimmered in the light of the library. The opalescent color and slight gold hints lead Rarity to only one conclusion.

“Twilight, I just got a message from Princess Celestia!” Spike yelled as he ran into the room. He stopped cold when he saw the carnage wrought by the warp spell he had missed not more than a few minutes ago. He looked around the room and settled his eye’s on Rarity.

“Rarity, weren't you supposed to be home with Sweetie Belle today?” He asked as she pulled some debris from her mane.

Rarity looked at Spike with a soft smile, one that’s used when you’re hiding important information from someone you didn't want to hurt. She walked over to him and pulled the parchment roll from his hand.

“Thank you Spike, I think the message is for all of us, not just Twilight specifically.” Rarity unfurled the letter as 5 tickets fluttered down from the folds. The note simply read,

Come to Canterlot Castle, I’ll explain it all when you arrive.

P.C.

Rarity scooped up the tickets from the ground and walked over to her friends. She told them of the note and with a silent nod, they all made their way out of the library, each to go pack for what they thought would be the last time they would see Twilight for a while.

They all arrived at the train station early; each of them held the solemn expression of a friend under stress had when they didn’t know the future of their friend’s life. Rarity had spoken to Spike the previous night, spending the night over, if only to comfort the young dragon.

She knew Princess Celestia didn’t want Spike to see her in the condition she would probably be in, but she also knew the princess highly underestimated the young dragon’s loyalty to Twilight. Spike had spent the night in a mixture of emotions, from depression and a lot of crying into Rarity’s coat, to anger at the princess for not letting him have a ticket, and ending in acceptance that he really shouldn’t see her like this, explaining it to himself that she could be fix and she would be back better than ever. Rarity smiled lightly at his optimism, if only so she could try and leech some from him.

Rarity hadn’t slept at all, her mind focused only on getting to Canterlot and figuring out what was wrong with her. She and the rest of her friends made their way aboard the train. After a short delay they set off for the castle and hopefully to Twilight’s salvation.

The train ride there was another solemn affair, not a single one of them wanted to talk about what they thought was going on with Twilight. They all knew they had screwed up, that they should have trusted Twilight to figure it out for herself. But they again thought they knew better than her. Applejack had sat next to Rarity the entire trip, her head resting on her shoulder, like a child seeking comfort in the parent. They knew they had done the worst of the damage to her and they were the two that wanted to apologize to her the most.

The train arrived in the station ahead of schedule, a first for the Ponyville Express. Rarity however thought that maybe it was divined for them to arrive early. The princess herself was waiting on the platform of the train station, this job too important to be left to a few guards. She greeted them with a sad smile, her tears staining the opalescence she radiated slightly. They swiftly made their way to the castle grounds and into the hospital on the campus of the school.

Twilight lay asleep on another hospital gurney when her friends arrived. Her hooves had been strapped down to the sides, and her bed lay under a strong magical shield. Rarity made her way over to Twilight's side, or as close as the shield would let her. She looked upon her with wonder, how a unicorn like her could contain such powerful magic. Her eyes made their way down Twilight’s body, noting the bruises that lined her hooves and body her struggles shown in top form.

Applejack made her way to Rarity’s side, the two of them shared in a collective sigh before they made their way back to their friends. Princess Celestia was waiting for them to return, her eyes fixed on the bed in the room.

“Princess, Your note said you would explain what is happening, so what exactly is happening?” Rarity asked her eyes fixed on the princess.

Celestia’s eyes lingered on Twilight's frame for a few more seconds before she turned and brought her focus to Rarity.

“It’s my entire fault.” Celestia said as she hung her head low. The 5 ponies around her gave confused looks to their ruler, but before they could ask how, Celestia continued on. “I shouldn’t have done that spell on Twilight, I knew the risks, but I still did it anyways. Oh how could I be so stupid?”

“Princess, what exactly do you mean, how could you have caused this and what spell?” The questions spewed out of Rarity, her composure crumbling a little every second she watched.

Celestia’s gaze made its way back to Twilight, her eyes beginning to tear up. “Oh Twilight I’m so sorry.”

Celestia brought the five remaining elements of harmony to her chamber and explained how she believe all of this was her fault. She explained the spell Twilight had asked her to cast on her, the explosion that had knocked her out and how she could explain the symptoms she was suffering from.

“So you’re saying that the spell you cast on her may have created a separate personality in Twilight's mind? And that all of this is a result of the explosion? And you cast it on her because she said she understood the side effect? Celestia, She had just heard of the spell’s existence a day before you did it, how could she have known? Did you even think about that before you cast it?” Rarity yelled at Celestia, her eyes gave of a glow of fury.

“Rarity, don’ you be yellin’ at the princess, she did what Twiligh’ asked and it’s not her fault, Twilight's got as much blame as she does.” Applejack yelled at Rarity. She knew this was an accident, the princess had no idea that this could occur. She stepped in between Rarity and Celestia, guarding the two of them from each other. Applejack took a deep breath before she looked at Rarity, her eye’s full of sympathy and of understanding.

“Look sugarcube, ah’ know what the princess said has you mad, but yelling at her ain’t solvin’ anything. Now I think the four of y’all should go visit Twi’ for the time being, I want to talk to the princess alone.”

“Oh, no you’re not, We want answers just as much as you do.” Rarity yelled back, and received the support in a unanimous yeah from the rest.

“I know y’all do, but Celestia can’t take any more abuse from this. Y’all know that Twi’s just as at fault so if y’all can’t handle that notion, I suggest y’all leave.” Applejack said as she looked over her friends.

Rainbow Dash looked on with disdain. But Applejack was right, she knew it wasn’t the princess’s fault, but she still didn’t like it. Rainbow and Fluttershy gave each other a look of agreement and made their way back to Twilight’s bedside. Pinkie Pie was soon to follow, if only so she could see Twilight again. Rarity sat on the floor, her eye’s held the anger she had, but her calm nature soon won out. Applejack and Rarity both stood in front of Celestia and listened to what the princess thought of the situation fully.

Celestia explained that although the spell may have left this second personality in her, she postulated that the spread of its influence was slow enough that they could block it from growing more and Twilight wouldn’t be affected much. She also knew that if they did stop it, Twilight would never be one hundred percent ever again. She knew that the episodes would still happen, but she assured them that the episodes would be kept to a minimum. She moved on to treatment options and the risks they entailed. Celestia believed that with the use of the same spell, she could find the division and lock it up inside Twilight’s mind.

She offered the two of them a choice in Twilight's treatment, the first option entailed a lengthy magical surgery to remove as much of the alternate personality as possible. this would reduce her relapses to the bare minimum, but it could harm or even kill Twilight in the process.

The second option was just as dangerous and just as risky. This option entailed the use of a magical barrier that holds the other personality a bay, keeping the effects to a minimum. This option’s risks were just as bad. Celestia explain that the barriers were not permanent, and that she would need to have a new one placed every year for the rest of her life. Not only that, but if the barrier was placed incorrectly it could stop Twilight’s functions for breathing and heart rate causing her death.

Celestia also let them know that a third option was available, but it entailed letting Twilight have the second personality and institutionalizing Twilight for the rest of her life. This would keep her risk of death to near zero, but she would lapse in and out of it for the rest of her life, essentially leaving the situation to grow worse by the day.

Rarity and Applejack thought the three options over, their minds focused on how Twilight would react to the situation. The third option was dismissed right away, as Twilight deserved to have a relatively normal life, not one stuck in an institution with regular hours and visits only. That left them with brain surgery or magical barriers.

The first option seemed the most appealing, as it was a one shot thing, she’d be in and out and back to her normal self in no time, but it did require lengthy surgery to fix it, brain surgery nonetheless.

The second option was appealing as well. this option left out the hazard of rooting around in twilight’s head to get it and instead, leaving it in but keeping it under wraps so to speak. but it did have the risk of killing her slowly and painfully if they did that and the multiple visits could affect her as well.

Princess Celestia noticed the discomfort of the two of them in thinking and deciding on a plan in such a short time was not something to take lightly. She could see the impact of the decision was having on them and decided that this problem was something the rest of the elements had to know about. Princess Celestia gave the two of them a soft smile and presented them with a solution. Celestia knew that the faster they act the better her chances are at recovery, but She reasoned that they could have the night to discuss it and think it over, as long as they had to have an answer by morning. The two of them gave her their thanks and made their way to Twilight’s bedside.