• Published 27th Jul 2013
  • 9,857 Views, 430 Comments

Twilight's Dollhouse II: Lyra's Quest - Kaidan



Thirty ponies remained trapped in plastic shells as Twilight’s dolls. Lyra left them behind without a second thought. She joins Scootaloo to help rescue them, lest they be trapped for eternity as the last of Twilight’s sanity slips away.

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VI. The Search Begins

“I know it seems a bit sudden, Lyra, but I’m actually kinda happy we’re on our way at last.” Scootaloo walked down the dirt road clad in fine black armor. It’s made from dragonscale, which is rarely donated by dragons to Celestia as tribute. This set of armor was custom made for her, in the hopes she’d have some luck finding Twilight. It would deflect magic, though she would still be vulnerable to a well-placed shot. On her back was a long bladed sword, and her armor hid other weapons such as wrist blades.

“I just wish I’d had a little more time in Canterlot with Soarin. I understand her wanting us to leave before the trail from Apple Bloom to Twilight gets cold, but we only had one day to get ready.” Lyra walked down the road in her grey travel cloak. It bore Luna’s cutie mark as a symbol of her authority as an agent of the crown. Beneath that, Lyra had some slim saddlebags and supplies for their journey. They would largely rely on what they could scavenge to eat during their journey.

“Well, do you really think we’ll find anything? Twilight isn’t the kind to forget the details.”

“New Harmony is a town made entirely of ponies from Ponyville, who couldn’t bear to live in the town anymore. If anyone has a lead to Twilight, it’ll be there.”

Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I’m sure they’re all dying to relive that chapter of their lives. I say we just go into the forest and smoke her out, then kick her flank.”

“I wish it were that easy to find her and help her get better.”

They walked down the last stretch of road towards New Harmony. The town was barely a year old, yet already was buzzing with activity. Families from Ponyville such as the Cakes, and bachelorettes such as Cheerilee, had taken up residence here. Ponies from the extended apple family had come to help the construction efforts, with a revitalized Granny Smith to serve as mayor. Since the loss of her grand-children, she’d received a second wind and looked as alive now as ever.

Once the town came into view they headed over towards some ponies in the park. “They seem to be looking at something,” Scootaloo said.

As they got closer and passed by the last of the trees, they realized the ponies were gathered in a cemetery. Granny Smith recognized Lyra, and headed over towards her. “Ah didn’t think ah’d be seein’ you again. How are ya?”

“I’m good,” Lyra said. “What’s going on here?”

“Cheerilee died in her sleep a few days ago, darn shame. Since y’all are here, figure it’d be fittin’ for you two to pay respects too.”

“Yeah, I’d like that,” Scootaloo said. She hadn’t paid much attention in school, but that didn’t mean Cheerilee was any less important to her. As she got closer she recognized some of her classmates, like Peppermint Twist and Featherweight.

Lyra hung back with Granny Smith as Scootaloo caught up with her friends. “You say she died in her sleep? Did they find a cause of death?”

“No, Doctor Stable been so busy lately and he didn’t find anything strange. Released her after just a couple days to bury.”

“Hmm. There’s two more stones there, who were they?”

“Oh, a darn shame. Lotus and Aloe Blossom. Seems they had a heart attack, both of ‘em, and so young too.”

Lyra raised an eyebrow. “Same day?”

“Nah, week apart. Then Cheerilee two weeks later. It’s the darndest thing, for them to die after spendin’ a whole year helpin’ us build the town.”

“It sure is.” Lyra thought about it and chewed on her lip a little. Already she was planning to come back after dark with Scootaloo to do a little digging.

Scootaloo realized that he'd forgotten to share a very important fact with the aging mare. "Granny Smith, you should head to Canterlot, Applebloom is alive and well."

"What?" Her legs wobbled and Scootaloo thought for a moment she'd fall right over in surprise. "One... of my grandkids came back?"

"Let's pay our respects real quick and I'll fill you in."


Fluttershy walked up to the frozen doll in town square. As the Element of Kindness it had fallen to her to welcome new ponies to the town. It was the least she could do for the poor souls.

With a deep breath, she stood up straight in front of Cheerilee. “Hi, Cheerilee. I’m so sorry we had to meet again like this, and I hope it’s okay but I was sent to explain Twilight’s rules to you.”

It was a very one-sided conversation, and aside from a few ponies peeking out of their homes across the street, the town square was empty. Aside from the small decorative fountain featuring an alicorn Twilight wearing a crown, and a bulletin board, there wasn’t any decorations in the square.

“So, I know how horrible it was… being captured, but Twilight is really nice if you behave, and it’s not really her fault after all the heartach—”

“Yeah, I suppose she slipped and fell and accidentally captured us all,” Dash spat. She was laying on the roof of Town Hall, looking down at Cheerilee and Fluttershy.

“Please, don’t do this again. I just want to help her understand.”

“Understand that you’re on Twilight’s side? That she should be a good pony or the warden will punish her like a prisoner? It’s not to late, Fluttershy. You can still do the right thing, like I did.”

“Dash, that was so long ago.”

“Yeah? Because I seem to recall you were my best friend. I seem to recall quitting flight camp to come live with you in Ponyville. I would have graduated with honors and been on track to be a Wonderbolt in four years, but I chose you, Fluttershy.”

She looked down, kicking at the dirt. “That’s not the same… my parents kicked me out for fooling around, with you, Dash. I appreciate you didn’t want to leave me alone, but that has nothing to do with Twilight. Why can’t you just be nice to her?”

“For the same reason I can’t be a Wonderbolt, or teach Scootaloo stunts, or sneak into the barn without Applejack knowing to fool around with Big Mac. Because of Twilight. Because she took our lives away from us.”

Fluttershy had turned her mane so that neither Dash nor Cheerilee would see her tears start to flow. “Cheerilee… Twilight will be back soon. Just… Just don’t antagonize her, the other rules aren’t important.”

With a beat of her wings, she flew off towards her cottage to escape the confrontation with her old friend. Dash stretched and flew down to the ground, landing in front of Cheerilee. “Meet me behind the schoolhouse after Twilight unfreezes you, if you want to help us escape. Or, you can go play for the other team, but don’t think she won’t go crazy and kill us all before long in the name of science.” Dash shrugged. “Your call.”

Dash flew off towards her cloud house to re-read the Daring Do books Twilight had given her. She’d read each one fifty-two times now, as she literally had nothing else to do when she wasn’t planning sedition and treason against Twilight’s regime.


Twilight’s Diary, Page 2.

She’s dead. She’s dead. She’s dead. She’s dead. She’s dead. She’s dead. She’s dead. She’s dead. She’s dead. She’s dead. She’s dead. She’s dead. She’s dead. She’s dead.

Dead.

And she called out to me to join her.

Lyra looked at Twilight’s journal and closed it. It had taken Luna a long time to convince Celestia to let Lyra keep the journal and read it. Yet, for all that effort, Lyra still hadn’t made it past the second page of the journal.

There was something about the way Twilight had written that last line that haunted Lyra. It could have been something in the hoof writing, the way the ink flowed from quill, and how the thickness of the lines wavered. It could have been the red tint, as if the entry had been penned in blood.

Whatever it was, Lyra still wasn’t ready to move past it. She kept telling herself there would be plenty of time to read the journal, to steel herself for whatever horrors of logic flowed forth in the following pages, rationalizing Twilight’s actions.

She kept telling herself this, but still hadn’t convinced herself of it. Looking at the clock, Lyra saw it was half past midnight, and woke Scootaloo up with a rough nudge. “Time to get going.”


“I can’t believe you’re serious about this, Lyra,” Scootaloo said.

Lyra ignored her, walking to the freshly packed dirt above Cheerilee’s grave. “Look, I mean her no disrespect but this has Twilight’s hoofprints all over it. What better way to start turning ponies to dolls again? She practiced with all those poisons, she could fake a death and then turn them to dolls after they’re buried! Or maybe even before.”

Scootaloo walked up beside the grave, setting her shovel down. “Next you’ll tell me she is raising dolls from the dead.”

“Is it that far beyond her, the former Element of Magic? Arguably the most powerful spell-caster alive?”

“Hah! Celestia kicked her flank, I still wouldn’t be surprised if Twilight’s dead and Cheerilee’s laying in her casket down there.” Scootaloo picked up a bouquet of flowers that had been left at the grave and set it aside.

“There’s a difference between knowledge and power, and If that were true, how’d Apple Bloom come back?” Lyra used her magic and a shovel to start scooping dirt out, making rapid progress. The dirt began to pile up behind her. The tombstones cast an eerie shadow under her green aura.

“Yeah, well if she isn’t dead, I’ll fix that right quick.” Scootaloo took the shovel and began to dig. It was designed to be used with mouth and hoof, and for each one scoop she took, Lyra took three.

“I wish you’d stop saying that, Scootaloo.”

She spit the shovel out. “I wish you’d stop taking her side. Just because I want to break her horn off doesn’t mean I will. Sensei taught me better than that. I just realize that she might not leave me a choice, and I’m not gonna hesitate if I get a chance to take her down. That’s the difference between you and me, Lyra. You’ll hesitate, and you’ll wind up her prisoner again. I won’t ever let that happen to me.”

Lyra’s shovel hit wood, making a loud thud. She pulled it out of the wood, and began to clear the dirt around it. “Whatever happens, I hope we end this soon. Celestia’s starting to worry me, and if Twilight could go south so fast—”

“Hey,” Scootaloo interrupted. “She’s off the rails but she’s Celestia. She’s had like, a bajillion years experience and she wasn’t really gonna hurt Apple Bloom or anything. She’s just stressed.”

“Well, I’m done digging up the dirt. Thanks for the help,” she quipped. Next to Scootaloo was a tiny pile of dirt one-tenth the size of the pile next to Lyra.

“Yeah, well I can’t be awesome and shovel at the same time. Pop her open.”

Lyra nodded and pulled at the lid of the coffin with her magic. Nails slowly loosened and the wood creaked, until finally the lid popped off in a quick motion. Lyra tossed it to the side and looked down into the empty coffin.

“Shit, Celestia isn’t going to take this news well. Better check the other two graves to be sure.”


Soarin laid on his sofa looking at the ceiling wistfully. Lyra had only been gone a few days, but he already missed her. They’d formed a special bond in what little time they had and he felt so powerless now that she’d gone off on her own to face the Dollmaker.

Everypony on the Wonderbolts called Twilight that now. The name had been spreading, along with rumors of ponies both escaping, or being abducted in their sleep. They were campfire stories, but the Dollmaker rumors still bothered him.

Lyra assured him he’d be putting her in danger if he came. Soarin rolled over and kicked one of the pillows off the sofa, causing it to hit the far wall of the room. He thought it was bullshit. Without Dash around, he was arguably the fastest pegasus alive. He could have at least tried to help with the search.

Unfortunately, Luna had backed Lyra’s decision and ordered Soarin not to run off and put himself in danger. “Lyra loves you, and Twilight will use that against her,” Luna had said. Soarin couldn’t argue with the logic, and in the end, had stayed behind. He had even gone so far as to let Luna put a tracking spell on him, in the unlikely event something bad did happen.

There was a whistling from the kitchen as the water in his kettle began to boil. Soarin used to be able to go to bed as if a light switch was flipped. Eight hours of flight practice did that to a stallion. However, lately he needed some chamomile tea in order to fall asleep without worrying.

Soarin finally reached the kitchen, letting out an exhausted sigh. He carefully lifted the boiling water off and set it aside. Next he reached into the cupboard and pulled out a packet of freshly-cut tea leaves, and stuck it in a ceramic cup.

The final step was to pour the boiling water in and let it steep for three minutes. The aroma of the tea filled the air and was already calming his nerves. Soarin set the egg timer and let his mind wander to practice that day.

Spitfire had been pushing the team hard lately. Ever since the incident in Ponyville, she took the Wonderbolt’s status as Auxiliary Equestrian Air Reserves very seriously. In addition to practicing new stunts, they did strength and stamina building drills daily. Soarin never thought he’d need to know how to use wingblades, but now he could cut the stems off an apple in mid-air with them. Granted, several hundred apples had been sacrificed to learn that kind of accuracy.

The timer dinged, and Soarin pulled the tea bag out of the cup and threw it away. He left the excess hot water on the stove top and carried the tea into his bedroom. He sat down on the bed and took a sip of the tea, then put it on the nightstand. Soarin rolled over and pulled the blanket over him, and propped himself up on the pillow to finish his tea.

Soarin closed his eyes, saying a quick prayer for Lyra’s safety. He looked out at the full moon and yawned, then took another sip of his tea. Glancing back down at it, he swirled it around and blew on it. Taking one more sip he put the cup down and sank under the bedsheets.

He felt an odd twinge in his chest, as if his heart had skipped a beat. Soarin, sat there, staring awkwardly at his covers, wondering what it was.

Another beat was missed, then another. Soarin sat up, worried he might be having a heart attack. He didn’t have any pain in his left foreleg, but there it went again: another skipped beat. Soarin realized if this was a heart attack, and he didn’t make it outside to where someone might see him, he was as good as dead.

As he rolled over to get out of bed, his heart seized. He clutched his chest as crushing pain hit him like ten tons of bricks. There was a single beat in the chaos before his heart fell silent again, and paralyzed his entire body.

Soarin slumped down in bed, mouth open, drooling on the pillow. He couldn’t move a muscle. He could only wait to die.

And yet, he did not die. He was forced to endure the pain as he lay there, unable to move even the tiniest muscle in his body. Soarin felt like he jumped out of his skin when he felt another one of the odd heartbeats. All alone, that single beat repeated a few minutes later. Somehow, something refused to let him die.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw a steaming tea cup float over to his night stand, identical to the one he had made himself earlier. The old cup floated away, a purple glow surrounding it.

Magic washed over Soarin. “Hmm, tracer spell. How juvenile. I’ll be back for you after the funeral, Soarin. Maybe this will win Dash back over.”

Without another word, the voice vanished and the door to his room softly clicked shut.


Author's Note:

Twilight's Dollhouse. Population: 71