Surge

by Zvn

All's Well That Ends Well

Chapter Eight

All’s Well That Ends Well

I watched patiently as the nurse coddled the stallion with encouraging yet empty words. After, she lifted the tray with her magic, and addressed me on her way out.“I’ll be back in thirty minutes for a checkup; otherwise you can buzz me in if I’m needed, Princess.”

I watched the nurse’s hoof hover just above a button next to the patient’s bed.

“Thank you for letting me see him.”

The mare smiled at me as she pushed through the door and trot into the hall. After the door closed, I turned towards the sickly stallion lying in the bed, staring lifelessly at the outside world, only a thin sheet of glass keeping him from experiencing it. My hoofsteps seemed significantly louder than they normally did, as I approached the earth pony slowly.

“Hello Chestnut. I’ve come to talk.”

Chestnut remained silent.

“...Your assault on Cloudsdale; that wasn’t a spontaneous impulse at all, was it?”

The stallion turned his head to face me, but remained quiet.

“I want the other names.”

Chestnut submit.

“There weren’t no other names… don’t take a genius to make a couple explosives.”

“I know that. I also know that the city of Cloudsdale is enchanted to only be accessible to pegasi…”

The earth pony narrowed his eyes as I went on.

“Which means you either attacked the stadium with a proxy agent, or you were using a counter-enchantment. Either way, it’s not possible that you did this alone.”

“I ain’t tellin’ you shit, and you’re a loose screw if you thought coming here would change that.”

“No? Well how about this. Shortly after getting out of the hospital you’ll be transported to a correctional facility, on account of the act of terrorism you performed, in addition to the attempted murder of two Royal Guards. I can alleviate your fate; for the right information.”

Chestnut laid back in his bed and chuckled. My patience dwindled.

“Look at me. It don’t matter if they send me to prison or let me go scot-free; the rest of my life’s gonna be miserable… your friend made sure of that.”

It was unbelievable how stubborn the stallion was. I placed my left hoof on Chestnut’s desk.

“Let’s try a different approach.”

I cast a field of energy around the two of us, then slowly moved the emergency buzzer to the back edge of the desk.

“Who were you working with?”

Chestnut jerked his arm up, only to be restricted by the finite length of hoofcuffs. He made no comment. I stared coldly into his eyes, hoping the fear would be enough.

But it wasn’t. I laid a telekinetic blanket on the pony’s throat.

“If what you said is true, it’d be mercy for me to end your life here.”

The stallion began to struggle in his bed.

“Don’t—”

I pressed down, and watched as the monitor’s pulse climbed. Chestnut attempted to reach for me with his free hoof, but I stood just centimeters away from his grasp. It was like this for several short moments, before I relaxed my magic, and again confronted him.

“Who?”

Chestnut recovered in panicked bursts of breathing, burying his free hoof into the sheets. He grimaced, then began screaming intolerably.

“HELP! PLEASE!”

I again applied pressure on his throat. He returned to thrashing maniacally, as I felt my own heart rate increase.

“Don’t bother screaming. You’d have to cause a small explosion to be heard outside of the field.”

I averted my eyes as the torture began to take a more visual toll on Chestnut, tears rolling down the side of his face. I drowned out the pony’s suffering, and instead imagined myself back at the library, casually reading through the many tomes. Eventually, I again silenced my magic. Chestnut took several seconds to regain his breath.

“You can make this easier; just give me a name.”

The stallion faced me with bloodshot eyes, mouth hanging open. I laid a hoof on the edge of Chestnut’s bed, and hoped desperately that he had broken. He seemed so close.

My horn began to glow once more.

“Well we’ve got about twenty more minutes before the nurse comes back, so we—”

“NO! No, no, no… don’t…”

I snuffed out the magic, and let him talk between sobs.

“...T-the enchantment was from a c-charm… I never saw the enchanter…”

“Who gave you the charm?”

“...A unicorn… Honeysuckle, was her name…”

I leaned back from the bed, and furrowed my brow.

“Honeysuckle?”

Chestnut violently nodded his head.

“She gave me the charm and some bits… said there was more for me when the job was done…”

I leaned in close to the earth pony.

“Is she in charge? Is she with the Purists?”

The stallion looked confused.

“Purists? No, Honeysuckle works alone…”

I was conflicted. Chestnut seemed to genuinely not know about the Purists, but it was impossible for Honeysuckle to have been working alone, or at least without connections. Was this just an entirely isolated case, as Chestnut was suggesting?

“T-that’s all I know, I promise… that’s all I know…”

I stared down at the form on the bed, blanketed in fear. It was evident that he was at his limit. I reached into my pouch, and obtained a small vial I had ‘borrowed’ from Zecora. I held the potion next to my chest, and watched the restless pony as a sense of sympathy snuck up on me.

“Rainbow Dash feels terrible about what happened, you know.”

Chestnut continued to silently watch me with wide eyes. Before he could muster a word, I forced the pony’s mouth open with my magic, and poured the contents of the vial into his throat. He struggled for a little while, then eventually fell into a deep sleep.

I lifted my hoof to my chest, and steadied my breath. I hadn’t gotten as many answers as I had hoped for, but this was a step in the right direction nonetheless. The field around us dissipated, and I pushed the buzzer back within reach of Chestnut’s arm. When I felt everything was again in perfect order, I quietly left the room.

* * *

The stillness of my chamber allowed my mind to rest easy. Natural light flooded the room, and a soft breeze kept the place at the perfect temperature. I rested on the bed, ready to push forward with my investigation. I gasped as I sat up, a grand figure standing at the foot of my bed.

“My apologies, Twilight. I did not mean to scare.”

I began correcting my mane on impulse.

“Not a problem Princess, I’ve just been a little on edge lately.”

Celestia nodded gently before eying my mane.

“Where is your crown?”

I instinctually lifted my hoof to my head, groping for the metal.

“Ah, I must have left it in the library again.”

The Princess tactfully moved on.

“Things have been moving a lot faster, as of late. Are you aware of the recent events involving Rainbow Dash?”

More aware than you could know…

“Yes, I heard. What did the Council think?”

“There was no need for this to go that high up, I’m sure her actions will be found justifiable.”

An uncomfortable silence settled between the two of us, before Celestia went where I hoped she wouldn’t.

“Why don’t we enter the White Room, and look into it?”

I had no intentions of returning there.

“I’d prefer if we just talked here.”

Part of me expected Celestia to push it. Part of me wanted her to. An understanding look was all I received.

“Very well. Do you think Rainbow Dash’s actions were justified?”

“She was threatened, it was self-defense.”

“And killing the mare, was that appropriate?”

A loaded question.

“You know that wasn’t her intention—and why do you have to prod like this, right after the fact?”

“I care for you, I only wish to see you grow; in the right direction.”

“And why is it that you decide what the ‘right direction’ is? I’m not your student anymore, I’m as much of a ruler as you are.”

“You don’t trust me?”

“I trust you will always do what you believe is right, even if it means withholding truths.”

“I’ve been as honest with you as I could.”

“Disregarding the truth about our nation being a—parody of a dead one.”

“Would it be better for ponies to always have the ability to destroy everything we’ve built towards?”

“It would be better for ponies to choose for themselves.”

Celestia seemed genuinely upset, quite the accomplishment.

“Why are you so defensive of a race you’ve never met? You don’t know them…”

“I know us. I’ve seen it up close.”

Celestia’s expression returned to its neutral pose. I knew she understood.

“You’re talking about that night, before you came to Canterlot…”

I walked to the edge of my bed, and looked down at the framed photo on my desk. I gingerly placed a hoof against its surface, while responding to Celestia.

“...I am.”

Princess Celestia made a large stride towards me, her mane occasionally colliding with my back. I allowed my hoof to slide back to the floor as I explained further.

“We didn’t need the ‘evils’ of the vault. Nature can not be buried, nor bent.”

I heard Celestia turn around slowly.

“No; it would seem it can’t be bent at all.”

And with that, she walked proudly out of the door. I watched the wild hues of her tail shrink into the distance, her hoofsteps resounding throughout the hall. Once she was out of sight, I closed the doors to my chamber, and turned back towards my room. I was offput by the conversation’s resolution, and carefully analyzed Celestia’s words as I stared at the sad pony in the mirror. Then I returned to the desk, and lifted the picture frame with my magic.

In the frame was a faded picture of a younger Twilight, hugging a small purple dragon.

* * * * *

Long, dark, clouds loomed over the town. I was aware there was a storm being produced that day, but until then, I had no comprehension of its magnitude. I turned my head to again face the gravel, and continued my trot to the top of the hill.

Just as it was getting dark, I reached the library. The lights were all out, which was strange considering the time of day. I found my key and unlocked the door; only to discover the library in utter ruins. Books had been shredded and strewn across the floor, and curtains hanging over a broken window rose and fell softly with the wind. I stepped back in shock, realizing the floor was covered in shattered glass. My gaze rose from the floor to the end of the room. ‘Gryphon Sympathizer’ was barely legible on the wall just beneath the stairs, drawn crudely with white spray paint.

There was a crashing sound coming from upstairs. I ran up to the second story to investigate, nearly falling as I pushed through the wooden door to my bedroom. It was entirely still, except for the figure in the center of the room. Upon my entrance, the pony turned to face me, a sliver of metal in her mouth shining in the small amount of light that was leaking into the room.

My heart sank when I realized she wasn’t alone, but instead holding Spike tightly against her chest, the metal pressed up against his neck. My legs began to tremble.

“...I understand that you dislike me, but this doesn’t involve him…”

The pale mare spat her response around the crude weapon in her mouth.

“I despise you.”

I was fixated on Spike’s eyes.

“We can work something out, I’m sure… just let him go and—”

“DO YOU EVEN REMEMBER ME?”

I finally looked up from Spike to the mare behind him.

“I…”

The unicorn nodded her head. I could catch glimpses of her horn in the dim light; it appeared to be cut straight through, halfway down.

“Why would you? Celestia liked you from the moment you met her, all the way up through the moment you placed that crown on your head, eager to ruin our country,”

“I can help you—I can look the other way…”

“I DON’T WANT YOUR FUCKING HELP!”

Tears began to impede my vision.

“How is it fair? How is it fair that you’ve lived the life you have, and I was left crawling in the mud like everyone else. I’ve been through hell—you haven’t even tasted it...”

Spike whimpered as the mare tightened her grasp on him.

“P-please, just—”

“I want you to say that it’s your fault; tell me you believe it.”

Blood seeped around the edges of the mare’s weapon. I reached to the furthest corners of my memory for a name, but simply couldn’t place the unicorn.

“FUCKING SAY IT!”

I hung my head as tears began to pour uncontrollably down my coat. Staring into the wooden flooring helped ground my spinning vision, and slowly my tremors ceased. I then raised my head to again face the mare, and spoke softly.

“...It’s my fault.”

“Louder.”

I clung desperately to the calm appearance I presented.

“It’s my fault.”

The unicorn stared at me for a short while, before nodding, and replying.

“That’s right…”

I straightened my posture.

“Now, please let—”

The blade sunk into Spike’s neck with a sickening noise. I froze with my mouth open as he fell to the ground, and the unicorn began sprinting towards the window. I fired several concussive spells at her, the third hitting her in the back of the neck as she fell through the window.

I rushed over to Spike as he flailed sporadically on the floor, blood pouring into a pool around him. Instinctually, I attempted to stop the bleeding with my levitation, but the wound was great. I pulled Spike close.

“Spike, look at me; look at me Spike…”

His small glazed eyes focused on my own. I could feel his claws pressing into my skin. Panicking, I clumsily pressed as much telekinetic wrap against the wound as my magic would allow.

Don’t...

“I love you… Spike I’m so sorry…”

His grasp slowly relaxed as I continued to rock him steadily back and forth.

Don’t do this.

“Please…”

I sobbed uncontrollably as I struggled to again feel the tiny beating of his heart. I desperately applied shocks to his chest, amplifying the pulses of electricity until smoke began to curl from my horn, and a searing pain began to make its way throughout my head. All the while, tears fell relentlessly down onto the small form I cradled.

“I’m so sorry…”

I couldn’t remember how long I stayed down on that floor.

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