Being of Two Minds

by cosmofur

On a Train

Chug chug bump!

“Uhhhh!”

Chug chug bump!

“Spike! Stop it!” Twilight cried out, not opening her eyes, but somehow sure the noise had to be from her dragon assistent.

Chug chug bump!

“Huh what’s going on?”, Bleary eyed Twilight slowly opened her eyes.

She looked around and realized she wasn't in her bedroom and Spike was not the source of the odd noise. Her eyes took a bit of time to focus on the unfamiliar scenery.

“Wha?” She asked herself, “Where am I?”

The room she awoke in was narrow, with hardwood walls, with padded red velvet bumpers between twin rows of round windows. She was laying on a rounded couch, somewhat similar to Rarities fainting couch, but larger and built into the sidewall. There was a few tables and other smaller furniture, all high quality but all of it attached to the walls or bolted to the floor, sort of reminded her of a fancy cabin one might find on a private yacht, where everything had to be bolted down to keep from moving.

Speaking of moving, now that she was more awake, she started to feel the swaying and clicky clack vibrations from moving. “Oh I’m on a train!” She told herself. Twilight looked around again, this definitely wasn't the ‘Friendship Express’ Even the few times she had gotten a private cabin on that public train, it never had been this fancy. She knew that some of the more stuck up nobility, in order to avoid the ‘common rabble’, owned their own private train cars. She suspected this was one of those.

The last thing Twilight could remember was feeling faint on the bridge outside Canterlot Castle. Even if she had fainted, it did seem odd to wake up on a train. Why wasn't she taken to her room? Or perhaps the hospital. “One way to find out” She said and stood up from the couch.

She was momentarily dizzy, but quickly got her hooves back under her. She looked around the large train car, and saw that there was more traveling couches along the length of the car, all of them showing signs of recent use, with wrinkled blankets and scattered papers around them. There were more papers and cold cups of tea and coffee on the desks. She didn't want to take too much time to read the papers, but a quick glance identified them as typical government reports. The ones on top where about train schedules and warehouse supplies. She saw Luna’s signature on most of them.

“Luna?” looking around to see if somehow the Moon Princess was hiding in the shadows somewhere, but Twilight was still alone. “She must be on the train somewhere.” Twilight decided, and headed forward to the vestibule leading to the next car.

She was about to walk on through to the next car, when she realized that standing on either side of the vestibule where two guards, a Pegasus and a familiar unicorn guard.

Once Twilight opened the door, the guards stood straighter and saluted. “Good day! Princess Twilight!” Spring Kicker called out. “I hope you are feeling better. Do you wish for me to summon the doctor?”

Twilight blinked at the question, “No thank you Spring, I feel fine, if anything I’m a little stiff from sleeping on the couch. How long was I asleep?”

“You fainted at the end of the battle, two days before yesterday. Princess Luna has been attending you.”

“Two days? Sigh! Well I had been nearly magically exhausted, twice on the same day, I guess I dug a little too deep into my power reserves.” Twilight looked out the nearby train window and saw the sun was low in the sky. “Nearly three days going by the sun. You said Luna was here?”

“Yes, Princess Luna has been holding a press conference in the cafe car, all the Element Bearers are with her. I think the yellow, uhh Fluttershy? wanted to stay with you, but Princess Luna wanted them all with her to help calm the public.”

“I better go see them now, then. Which way is the cafe car.” looking over her shoulder at the fancy private car she just exited, not sure if the cafe car was behind or ahead of her.

“It’s a bit of a way, about eighteen car ahead of us. Plus most of the cars are very crowded, it will be slow going to get up to her. I’d suggest teleporting but that’s probably not safe until you made the trip by hoof at least once. Some of the guards are patrolling on the roofs, just because it easier to move around up there.” Spring Kicker pointed forward.

“Eighteen!? The Friendship Express is never that long!” Twilight exclaimed.

“Princess Luna ordered an evacuation of all hospital patients, and about a third of the doctors and their families. There is close to a mile of cars on this train. Nearly every train car in Canterlot was put to the job, Even Prince Blueblood’s Pullmare Car was commandeered. Then even with three engines pulling, we’re only going a walking pace.” Spring pointed out the window, and Twilight realized they were moving much slower than usual for the train.

“The train is that overloaded? We’re still evacuating Canterlot? I thought we got the cultists?” Twilight was confused.

“I’m sorry Princess, You’ll have to ask Princess Luna about that.”, Spring Kicker shrugged.

Twilight was about to move forward, when another question stopped her. “If the train is so overloaded, why was I given an entire car to myself?”

“Technically you’re sharing it with Princess Luna and the Element Bearers. Princess Luna wanted it to be used to hold more refugees, but Prince Blueblood got the guard commanders to insisted that the VIP’s be housed together for safety sake. I think she agreed mostly because you, Princess were still unconscious and the doctor’s said you needed peace and quiet to recover.”

Twilight felt a little guilty, literally sleeping away the time while the others organized an evacuation. “I’m feeling fine now. If Luna doesn't object, I’ll see if we can move some of the elderly or younger refugees into Blueblood’s car.” Twilight smiled to herself, thinking how Blueblood would react when he hears that his precious velvet couches were besmirched by allowing commoners to sit on them.

“Thank you Princess.” Spring nodded.

Twilight started forward, noting that Spring followed close behind while the unfamiliar pegasus guard stayed to guard the empty Pullmare Car. Once in the next car, Twilight saw immediately what Spring had referred to, the car was very over crowded. Seats designed to hold two ponies comfortably, were packed to three or four and sometimes more when one counted the young colts and fillies clinging to parents laps or backs. Moving down the normally adequate aisle ways, she found that nearly every step required her to shuffle, squeeze or limbo around other ponies standing in the way.

“Eighteen cars? This is going to take hours!” she thought to herself after getting only about half way down the first car. Then looking up, she got an idea.

Turning to Spring Kicker who was still trying to make his way through the crowd, she said, “meet me up at the cafe car, I’m going to take a short-cut.”

Spring Kicker tried to object, “Princess, I’m supposed to stay with you, plus even a powerful unicorn as you, shouldn't teleport under these conditions.”

With a smile Twilight answered, “I’m not.” The row of seats she was passing was slightly wider than the majority, because it’s windows were also larger, with an emergency exit sign on it’s frame. Twilight sidestepped to the emergency exit and with a tweak of her magic opened it, gave a polite nod to the earth pony family that was sitting on that row, then Twilight hopped through the open window.

In a panic, Spring Kicker dashed to follow, looking down through the open window, he expected to see smashed pony bits on the ground, but nothing like that greeted his eyes. Rather the flapping motion of Twilight's wings caught his attention and Spring could see she was flying quickly forward. “Oh right, I forgot she can do that.” he said to himself embarrassed.

Meanwhile Twilight quickly skipped past eighteen slow moving train cars and looking through the windows she found the cafe car. She hovered next to the car’s window for a moment, seeing through the glass Princess Luna standing with her back towards Twilight, and facing a crowd of reporter ponies.

Twilight fretted, “How do I get in? I didn't think this through, I can’t just open the window, I’ll interrupt Luna! Maybe I can knock? No no that would be worse. The reporters would become distracted and they would write about me interrupting the press conference! The press would have a field day! And then they’ll forget about all the injured ponies on the train! That will mean no one will have time to unload the train as we’ll have to deal with the press! And all the poor injured ponies will be stuck on the train forever! and it will all be my fault! ” Twilight's eyes shrunk to pin pricks as she started to panic about the world shaking calamities caused by her interrupting the press conference.

She was still ruminating the consequences to world economy and the peace treaties with the gryphons when a pair of pink forelegs reached out the window and with a yelp Twilight was pulled suddenly into the cafe car. (She hadn't even noticed Pinkie opening the window.)

Suddenly Twilight was in the middle of a group hug, her six closest friends and Luna were all surrounding her. Of course Twilight was still in full blown panic mode and cried out, “Pinkie! Let me go or the dragons will claim Dodge Junction before we can secure the badlands from the Diamond Dogs!” Her eyes were spinning with a familiar disregard of sanity.

Applejack pulled Twilight to her hooves and holding Twilight’s shoulders firmly, she gave the princess a wry look with one eyebrow raised. “ OK calm down Sugarcube, no dragons are going to be attacking Dodge. Yo’ll working yourself up in to a fit.”

“Indeed Princess Twilight,” Luna interjected, “unless you are privy to news I am unaware of. Thank the stars, the borders are currently calm and peaceful. And if you do have such news, please allow us to retire to a more private venue, as this is not the appropriate time and place for such speculations.” At this Luna nodded her head to the crowd of reporters standing just a few lengths away.

Suddenly realizing how foalish she had been acting, Twilight blushed red and in a more normal clear voice, “I’m sorry Princess Luna, Everyone, I was just … I’m sorry. No there is no dragon attack.” Twilight coughed into her hoof and tried to regain some sense of order again. Then as formally as she could while still being hugged by three of her five friends, as Applejack was still giving her the stink eye and Pinkie Pie was setting off balloons and streamers. “My apologies Princess, I didn't mean to interrupt your press conference.”

Luna smiled down at the smaller Princess, “Nonsense, no apologies required, for we have nearly completed these proceedings and was about to release the assembled fourth estate to do their duty.”

Luna gave Twilight a meaningful look, “I have already informed these fine gentle colts and mares that your absence from the public eye, these last few days, was due to your efforts to organize such a massive evacuation which has been going off without a hitch.”

It took Twilight only a second to gather that Luna didn't want the public to know she had been unconscious and out of the loop since the battles in Canterlot. Once she realized the moon princesses intent, Twilight brightened up and nodded in understanding.

Continuing to talk to the gathered press ponies, “So if there are no further questions, I hereby declare these proceedings at an e….”

Of course it wasn't that easy, and before Luna could finish declaring the press conference closed, she was blasted with dozens of cries, “one more question!”, “come on!”, “Princess please!”

One stallion’s voice stood out, in a bucklyn accent “Oy! Princess Luna, let the little princess answer at least one question!”

Luna stood there for a long moment, it was true that Twilight was no longer a neophyte with the press and probably could handle herself, but it was also true she had not had time to be briefed on the current status of Canterlot and the royal guards.

During this pause Twilight stepped forward and made the decision for her. “I need to have an urgent meeting with my fellow Princesses and can not take the time for questions now.”

There was a loud groan from the press ponies.

Twilight continued, “BUT, instead of taking questions I do have an important statement I wish to make.”

Luna looked at Twilight curiously, not certain she understood what Twilight wanted to make a statement about. “Are you certain?” she whispered.

Twilight nodded back to her, then stepped forward. She paused to look at the press ponies and took a moment to gather her thoughts. The subject of her statement came to her as she was hugged by her friends. The warmth of their embrace reminded her that not every pony had that pleasure, and some she had stood with just days before would never again have that opportunity. She had to say something, but words were slow to come to her.

As the silence stretched on, somepony coughed in the back, then Twilight found her voice. “I’m sorry I am late making this statement, it should have been made a few days ago, and I should be making it directly to the affected families and friends. But we are in a time of crisis and as a Princess of Equestria I must first do my duties, and now I find myself tardy with one of the saddest duties any leader must do.”

A number of the press ponies looked confused. What was she talking about? Sad duty?

After a soft cough, or perhaps sob, to clear her throat Twilight continued, “During the battle for Canterlot, I stood side by side with some of the bravest ponies in all the land, the City guards, the Wonderbolts and yes even the Royal guards, some of which were not corrupted and fought bravely. Every one of them, fought the hardest possible battle, a fight against former comrades in arms. Made worse because those comrades were victims themselves, and were being forced against their will to betray the values we all hold dear.

“Even now, I do not know the full extent of the loss but I know for certain that every pony that was lost to us was a great tragedy and they need to be hailed and remembered!”

Putting her hoof in the air Twilight called out, “Call out, everyone of you, Call out for the City Guard!”

The normally cynical pres ponies and her friends cheered out as Twilight rose her hoof up.

“Call out for the Wonderbolts, both the famous ones and the axillaries who gave their all!”

The crowd cheered.

“Call out for the loyal royal guard!” Twilight joined the cheering as she remembered Solid Star who had given his life so Princess Celestia could escape.

When the cheering nearly died down, Twilight added, “We also need to remember the royal guards and castle functionaries who lives were lost for no fault of their own, but being at the wrong place as the wrong time as they were as much victims as the others were.”

It took some effort to raise voices for their enemies, as many of the ponies still thought of the mind controlled guards as traitors, but Twilight had a determined look in her eyes and held her arms high until everypony there had given the fallen a cheer.

Then slowly Twilight lowered her hooves and said, “Thank you.” and turned away from the press and back to the embrace of her friends.

Luna gave Twilight an approving look and whispered, “That was well done. Come let us find a private space to talk. There is news, both good and bad, that you must hear.”

Leaving the rest or her friends in the cafe car to escort the press to their seats, Princess Luna led Twilight to a quiet corner of the car and put up a sound proof barrier spell for additional privacy.

Once they were alone Luna first said, “It would be amiss of me not to first ask about your health, considering how dangerously low you drained your magic. So how are you feeling Twilight Sparkle?”

She had drained her magic to a dangerous level? Twilight had suspected as much, she answered, “Considering that I’ve been asleep for more than two days, I guess I’m feeling like a book that needs to be rebound. Still I’m back on my hooves and that’s something.”

Luna smiled at Twilight, “Rebound indeed? Well you will have more than enough quills for the job, considering the number of feathers I’ve molted these last few days.”

Twilight looked up at Luna and saw the stress in the older alicorn’s eyes. “Tell me what’s happening, apparently I’ve been so busy organizing this evacuation I have no clue about what’s going on.”

Luna for a brief moment looked confused, “Organizing the evacuation… Oh yes, the story, err cover story, we told the hipoulous to avoid undue panic. You need not worry, for that duty has been handled, quite admirably I must add, by your personal assistant, Spike the dragon. Please pardon the deception, but we did not wish to get word out that more than one of the Princesses has been taken ill.”

Twilight did the mental math, and picked up on the “more than ONE Princess.” reference. “Celestia is ill? Right, I nearly forgot she was attacked first, she was going to be treated by the doctor, how is she?”

Luna frowned and her brow creased, “The doctors tell me she will make a full recovery and has already gone through four of the treatments. Apparently in their eagerness to subdue her, the brainwashed guards that attacked her did more physical injury than what most of the other victims experienced. Perhaps her larger size made them incorrectly assume she also required greater force to be subdued. So in addition to the magical treatments to break the grip of the Cults evil spell, she has had to have surgery to repair some internal damage.”

Twilight gasped at that. “I knew she was feeling bad, but I thought it was all the spell in her head. She was bleeding internally?”

Luna shook her head in sadness rather than in disagreement. “The chirurgeons did not tell me the details, but from the reports I have received the injuries were repaired with skill and she is now on the mend. Resting in the medical clinic in Ponyville, which is also our destination.”

Twilight nodded, she would of course ask the doctors once they arrived but perhaps it was wise not to press a close kin like Luna about clinical details of her own sisters rape. “Yes, evacuation...right this may sound like a strange question, considering that it was one of Celestia’s last orders to me, to organize this evacuation, but my last memories was that we had just won that fight. Isn’t the castle secured now? Why continue to evacuate canterlot.”

Luna answered, “We won a battle, but the war continues. We were successful in securing the castle, mainly due to your own heroic efforts and more importantly we believe none of the brainwashed royal guards escaped away to the Cults strongholds to expose our innermost secrets. For that was the greatest immediate risk from that battle. But that was not the only risk and the Cult showed that they have a much stronger force than we had originally thought they could muster. You may not have noticed in the heat of battle, but a large number of non guards, true cult members, skilled with some of their most evil spells, joined that battle. Their exact number is unknown but was at least two score and maybe more. Not all of them were accounted for and their new much faster way of spreading their evil, even after this loss, their numbers could quickly rebound.”

Luna continued, “I consulted with my sister when she was between treatments, and she agrees that we must spread the knowledge on how to treat the Cults mind control magic, far and wide. Not all the doctors and patients on this train are going to Ponyville, for many their destinations are all over Equestria to educate others doctors and spread the knowledge, otherwise we will have no hope of beating the army the Cult has been raising. We are temporarily moving the seat of the government to your own castle in Ponyville until we can be sure Canterlot is secure again.”

Twilight asked, “How fast is the Cult spreading?”

“We do not know for certain. Clearly they were able to infect an entire barracks of guards in a single night and did so right under our very nose. We hope, but can’t be certain, that there maybe a limit on how much of their evil brew, the potion infused pills they mocking call ‘The Blessing’ they can manufacture. Until we know more, we have to assume the worse and expect new armies to soon rise up against us. Armies made from our own little ponies turned against us.”

“This is horrible! Did none of the captured prisoners know anything? Most of the first wave must have gone through several treatments by this time.” Twilight asked.

Luna shook her head, “No, all the brainwashed guards which have been treated, could only report the instructions they were given, where were very general in nature. None even know where the Cult has their base, having received their orders from a chain of other brainwashed victims.”

Twilight was confused, “None of them? But I was so certain that there were some real cult members in that first batch, the civilians mixed in with the guards we rescued from that fishing village.”

“I interviewed several, and they all were recent victims taken from that village. None knew more than the guards did.” Luna told Twilight.

“Wait! I know there was at least one long term Cultist there!” Twilight injected.

“There was?” Luna asked confused.

“Red Wood’s wife! She was in the room when Red Wood told me about the bombs.” Twilight told her.

“She was? In the confusion of the battle, I was not informed of this. Red Wood’s wife died ten years ago! I was told… wait she was only assumed dead because her horn was found.” Luna looked frustrated. “There is just too much going on at once, this oversight should not have lasted this long!”

Twilight quickly injected, “We have to find Red Wood’s wife, she been in the Cult for ten years, she will know where they are based out of, we can attack their base before they get the chance to regroup. Where is she?”

Luna looked thoughtful and unhappy. “I guess she is with Red Wood, he was in one of the first trains sent to Ponyville, on the same train as Celestia was sent on.”

“That’s great! That’s where we’re heading and I’m sure Red Wood will get her to cooperate.” Twilight beemed.

Luna looked troubled, “If her cooperation is dependent on Red Wood’s health, then we may have a serious problem. The last report I was given said he was not responding to treatment and was in critical condition.”

“But he was just fine before the battle.” Twilight was shocked at the news, Red Wood had helped her disarm those bombs, and while part of her knew he had collapsed in the hospital, her attention was mostly directed at Celestia at the time. She had no idea the situation was that serious.

“Unless they find a way to reverse his condition, Doctor Somnolence does not expect him to live.” Luna replied solemnly.