4 - The Form of a Question
“--and that brings us to the present.”
Twilight Sparkle paused to catch her breath. Behind her, the Great Hall of the palace at Canterlot was teeming with every research material she could think of that might have the slightest relevance. The backs of her friends were still smarting from the load, and the palace attendants, though they strived not to show it, were less than pleased with toting about what felt like the entire contents of the palace library. The chalkboard Twilight had wheeled in was a disaster of equations and theorems that culminated to the less learned as gobbledygook run through a colander.
Before Twilight stood her bewildered audience. Rarity, who had returned to the Palace of Friendship later in the day in hopes of checking up on her royal friend, now stood before the presentation at a complete loss. Her left eye was twitching slightly, as though a passing freight train had just blown her mane completely off. Beside her stood Starlight Glimmer, who was only slightly less the worse for wear - she was squinting at some of the smallest bits of text that had been crammed on the board, while making vain attempts to silently mouth any words she could pick out. Spike had given up entirely, and was rummaging under some papers for a scone he nabbed from a vendor cart on the way in (and subsequently dropped) that served as his only connection to lunch. The royal sisters of sun and moon, their everflowing manes waving patiently in the still air, bore synchronized expressions of bewilderment that only siblings could manage.
Starlight dared to raise her hoof. “Can I...ask a question?”
In true educational fashion, Twilight pointed to her student with a floating ruler. “Starlight Glimmer! Go ahead please!”
Starlight pointed at the board. “Is that squiggle there the part where I went back in time and bucked your friend in the face to ruin your friendship, or...something?”
Twilight slapped her forehead so hard she nearly staggered herself. “Ugh, no...we’ve been through this. That event, which should be the catalyst for you even being here in the first place, seems to have been altered too because you’re still here, even though it apparently never occurred.”
“But that,” Rarity spoke up, “what you described anyway dear, is not the reason why Starlight came to live with us.” She touched Starlight’s withers affectionately. “We all know that our dear friend saw the light after you, myself, and Pinkie Pie set what was happening at her village straight. She came to us of her own accord after wandering in the mountains alone for a time.”
Starlight blushed and hung her head. “Yeah I...you know, when you’re all alone, you have...a lot of time to think, I guess.”
Princess Luna, who had been silent since the group had exchanged greetings, finally added her voice to the discussion. “Twilight Sparkle, might I also point out that the events you described in the past represent a considerable accusation against Starlight Glimmer, without any manner of evidence to back it up.”
Twilight tossed the bit of chalk she had been holding in her magic upon a pile of books. “But that’s not even the point! It doesn’t matter what happened in the past - it matters what’s happening now! And it’s not just localized to Ponyville. You all told me yourself that the total population of Canterlot is only around two-hundred and fifty ponies--”
“One hundred and fifty,” Luna corrected.
“--one hundred and--and that’s even worse!!” Twilight shouted with exasperation. “There should be more than three times that, but in the time it took me to explain all of this two you, a hundred more disappeared!”
The other two princesses shared a glance that Twilight was becoming all too familiar with seeing. Incensed, she pressed her point.
“If there were only ever a hundred and fifty ponies living in this city, how do you account for all of the extra space? Why have street after street of empty businesses and vacant homes?”
“Well, that’s not to say that there was never a greater population.” Luna searched for words, spinning her hoof in a circle as she searched for a way to explanation the obvious. “Those structures may have been put to use in the past, but the fact remains that ponies enjoy creating something that is their own. Many of the constructs of which you speak were built by previous generations, and as they are in no state of disrepair, there has been little reason to demolish them. They do come in handy at times, as well. Examples include the housing the entourages of visiting dignitaries, hosting of key sporting or cultural events, the provision of shelter for ponies who have fallen on hard times…”
“More than three-quarters of the city is set aside for just for that?” Twilight replied incredulously. “Isn’t that a little, I don’t know...ridiculous!?”
Princess Celestia spoke, her presence alone instantly commanding attention from the entire room.
“Twilight, may I speak with you for a moment?”
“Yes?”
Celestia cocked her head towards the small chamber behind the throne. “In private, please.”
Twilight’s ears drooped. “Y-yes Ma’am.”
Celestia hustled her student into the chamber and shut the door. The room was small and plainly-adorned, concerned mostly with ensuring whatever princess used it had their crown on straight and was spared a few moments to practice their smile. None below the rank of royalty ever set hoof in it, aside from those attendants who were trusted enough to supply and maintain the area. Both sequestered princesses could hear murmured conversation as it rose from the throne room, but a certain subtle enchantment on the little chamber they were in ensured they would not be eavesdropped upon in turn. Twilight whirled on her teacher the moment the door was secured.
“Y-you believe me right?” Twilight asked hopefully. “You haven’t forgotten? I can’t be the only one who remembers, and if anypony would have the wisdom and...and the fortitude...and…”
Celestia’s expression was not what Twilight had hoped.
“...and...you...you don’t believe me either, do you...”
Celestia shook her head. “It is not that, Twilight. It’s just--”
“--it’s just that you think I’m crazy, because this city being almost empty and half as many Elements of Harmony as there should be is all perfectly logical to you,” Twilight completed the thought.
Celestia actually scowled. Cowed, Twilight hushed herself.
“That is not what I was going to say, my student. I do believe you, insofar as I believe that you believe in what you are saying. But you have explained the events of the past day in detail, and not once have I heard an instance in which you turned to your friends for help. Quite the contrary, what I have observed is a considerable amount of shouting and carrying-on, as though we are all playing the fool to you.”
Twilight wilted. “I...I didn’t mean…”
“Answer me truthfully, Twilight. Have you been attempting to solve this problem, that you claim is so critical to the entire survival of our nation, all by yourself?”
“...yes Ma’am.”
“And is that what the Princess of Friendship does?”
“...no Ma’am, b-but that’s why I called you all here. I thought once I explained it all, m-maybe we could work together to--”
Celestia held up a hoof, and again, Twilight fell silent. “I trust you Twilight, and I don’t believe you would come up with such a complex story if there were not a kernel of truth to it. I’m not trying to shame you - I merely wish to bring to light your recent behavior, because I’m worried for you. Spike mentioned that you didn’t sleep last night, and you have admitted to having been under considerable strain lately with your duties.”
“I...I only want to do something...b-before everypony vanishes…”
Celestia continued. “Your friends, myself included, will most certainly forgive your outbursts because they understand the stress that you are under. But Twilight...look at me.”
Twilight raised her head and met her teacher’s eyes with great hesitation. Celestia smiled as warmly as she could.
“As my student, my friend, my fellow princess, and a pony I care deeply for...I want you to consider the possibility that it is you who have been tampered with. Not reality.”
Twilight swallowed hard. The eyes of her mentor, that had long been a free and clear path to her soul, now felt like the web of a spider. She steeled herself and stuck to her guns. “...I can’t do that. That would take time, and everypony is vanishing so fast, we have to act now, or we may not be able to act at all.”
Celestia sighed. “Is there nothing I can say, my student, that will stay you from this course?”
Twilight stubbornly shook her head.
“Very well,” Celestia replied. “You are a princess now, and as such I cannot simply order you to abandon this course. So I will instead strike a deal with you.”
“A...deal?”
“I want you to submit yourself to an examination of your subconscious. Clearly you believe what you believe, and that means something is going on here, whether or not it is confined to your own head. The procedure is not new to Princess Luna, and she would conduct it via entering your dreams. You need sleep besides, and thus two positive goals will be accomplished.”
“B-but there’s no ti--”
Again Celestia’s hoof went up. “The bargain is this. If the examination turns up no evidence that you have been compromised mentally, then I will believe everything you say, despite my own and everypony else’s memories to the contrary. I will therefore ensure that all of the resources of Equestria shall be at your disposal to find the solution to this problem.”
“There may not be an Equestria by then…”
Celestia stood tall. She loomed over her student, her pastel locks fluttering in the nonexistent breeze. “Twilight, this is the best I am able to do. But you have my absolute word as your teacher, I will maintain my end of the bargain. Will you submit to the examination? It is not a lengthy procedure, given my sister’s millennia of skill with dream interpretation.”
For the first time since Applejack’s disappearance, Twilight began to doubt her course. She stepped backwards until her rump came in contact with a freestanding oval mirror that prevented any further retreat. “What if...what if she does find something wrong?”
Celestia’s voice softened. “Then I will do everything in my power to help you. At the very least, you can then be assured that Equestria is not actually in the peril you believe to be, can you not?”
Twilight glanced over her shoulder. The pony that looked back at her from the mirror was haggard and gaunt, her brow heavily weighted with worry. Her stomach was in constant complaint; the meal provided by Fluttershy had apparently winked out of existence along with the chef. Twilight was on her hooves by mere force of will alone. She stared into her own eyes, searching them until the indomitable sparkle of determination for which she was named showed itself.
“Alright. If it will convince all of you to help me, and maybe lead to finding an answer to all of this...I’ll do anything.”
Celestia stepped to the side and nodded at the door. “I know you will, Twilight. Fear not. Your friends will always be by your side.”
For the first time since she had made friends with anypony, Twilight doubted that very much.
* * * * *
Ten minutes later, Twilight Sparkle found herself not only in the private chambers of the Princess of the Night, but in her bed, with Luna’s dark blankets pulled up to Twilight’s neck. Luna had insisted on the locale because of the privacy and the subdued atmosphere, but Twilight couldn’t help feeling like an invader. Her friends stood around her, encircling the bed with expressions as though she were in traction and unlikely to pull through.
Rarity glanced at Luna, who had settled herself upon the bed to Twilight’s side. “This won’t hurt her, will it?”
“Rest assured that there are no ill-effects to anticipate,” Luna explained, her hoof stroking Twilight’s mane as it pooled upon the pillow. “This procedure is one of passive observation, in which I will seek any anomalous information that may be present. Dream imagery may seem disjointed and nonsensical to the casual dreamer, but there is a method to it, that is inherent to each unique individual.”
Starlight spoke up. “So, you’re saying that my weird dreams are weird in my own way, and because they’re mine, they actually makes sense when you compare them to, say...Spike’s dreams, that are weird in a completely different way?”
Spike huffed and folded his arms from the high stool he was sitting on. “I guess if you call eating endless piles of gems and saving the world as a masked crimefighter by night weird, ‘cause I wouldn’t.”
Rarity batted her lashes and coyly touched her chin with the tip of a snowy hoof. “Is that really all you dream about, Spikey-wikey dear?”
Spike’s scales flushed a deep purple, and his back went rigid. “N-no...I mean yes!! Totally all there is, yep!”
Rarity giggled. “Boys will be boys, be they stallion or dragon~”
“Precisely,” Luna replied to Starlight. “Your imagery, strange though it may seem, is still consistent with regards to you as an individual. If there is something within Twilight’s imagery that does not fit her personal pattern, I will find it, and I will focus my observational efforts upon it.”
Twilight rolled her head towards Luna and glanced up at her. “What exactly are you going to be looking for?”
Luna shook her head. “I have said as much as I can in your presence, Twilight Sparkle. As the subject of the investigation, it is necessary to limit the amount of detail you are exposed to before the fact, lest it influence your subconscious to create unintentionally misleading images. You need only sleep normally. It is possible you may not even notice I am there. I will use a spell to assist you in achieving deep sleep, though I suspect that your body, in its current condition, will require little encouragement.”
Twilight absorbed this information and acquiesced to it with a nod. “How will I wake myself up?”
Luna hesitated. Celestia, knowing what her sister intended to say, said it for her:
“Twilight, you’re exhausted. You need to sleep properly. Your body will wake up just like anypony else’s once you’ve had enough--”
Twilight shot up to a sitting position in bed. “No! I can’t sleep for eight hours! There might be nopony left by then!” Her eyes went around the room, “It will happen to you eventually, to all of you! You’ll see!”
Only Celestia met Twilight’s eyes. “Twilight, all we want is for you to get some--”
The Princess of Friendship fixed her mentor with an accusatory stare. “You said you would help me...you promised!”
Backed into a verbal corner, Celestia sighed deeply and gestured to her sister, bidding the moon princess to speak for her. Luna took the cue and spoke.
“Before you fall asleep, Twilight Sparkle, envision an object or place that is dear to you. When I have made the link between us, I shall endeavor to place this object in such a conspicuous way as to remind you, when you see it, that flying or galloping towards it will wake you immediately.” She appended: “Bear in mind however, that if you wake yourself before I have completed my investigation, we will have gained nothing. I entreat you not to use this venue until I have given the signal that we are finished.”
“How will I know what the signal--”
“You will know,” Luna patted the pillow. “Please, lie down. I give you my word that I will signal you as soon as I am done, and not a moment later.”
Twilight settled back into her place. The midnight blue quilt spread over her, and for an instant she got the image of a great sea as it came to bear her away into the oblivion in which so many of her friends had already been consigned. She glanced at each face, prompting them to address her as placatingly as they could.
“Darling, we’re just worried about you,” Rarity said gently. “Just relax...if something really is wrong with the world, we promise we’ll do whatever we can to help.”
“I-I’ll make sure you don’t oversleep,” Spike added. “If...if that’s what you really want. You know me. The last thing I’d ever want is to let you down.”
“You’ve done so much for me,” Starlight smiled honestly, “and you’ve made me proud to call myself your student. I won’t leave you hanging. Not ever.”
Twilight felt an odd tingle over her form. The magic of the night seeped into her being, and though her own power was sufficient to resist it, she allowed her eyelids to become heavy under its influence. Quickly they closed, and she felt the tranquil sea drawing her down into its depths.
“We’ll be waiting,” Celestia’s distant voice said. “Have faith. And have fun.”
Twilight perked at the strange sentiment, intending to question it, but it was too late. The sea was all around her. For a moment she was taken by panic - the endless, dark blue space, where creatures great and small swam freely, some pushing their size to the limits of her perception. An impossibly huge beast, one that seemed to dwarf the entire city of Canterlot, swam past her, it’s wake enough to send the princess spiralling and squealing with fear through the water out of control.
Twilight shut her eyes tightly and bade the monstrosity to vanish, only to find the sensation of weightlessness to be gone. Now she was falling, and before she could open her eyes, she impacted with something that felt like a bush. Flailing, she scrambled to her hooves and stuck her head out from a leafy mound near the ground to take in her surroundings.
Sweet Apple Acres stood proudly in the light of the afternoon sun. Twilight nearly forgot what was going on and wondered how she had gotten there, before the image of the sun itself brought her back.
The sun. Luna had told her to focus on a familiar, comfortable image. The sun was Celestia’s grace, and in her formative years Twilight had known no greater support. The wrongness of it was subtle, but it was enough to meet the ‘conspicuous’ standards Luna had told her about. The sun’s position was at high noon, but the long shadows cast by every object were those of a sun that was in the process of dipping below the western horizon. The direction of the light made each shadow impossible, and that was enough to bring the princess back to herself.
Disentangling herself from the bush, Twilight strode towards a group of ponies who were gathered around a collection of tables that had been set out in the front yard. There was a banner hanging from poles above, and she read aloud from it:
“‘Happy Birthday...Applejack.’”
“Why thank ya kindly Twi!” replied a voice Twilight thought she might never hear again. The princess started at the approach of the newcomer, who sported a handsome Stetson and a wide grin. “Glad y’all could turn out for my special day!”
“A-Applejack? Applejack!!” Twilight nearly burst into tears on the spot, and flung herself into the embrace of her friend. “Oh, I thought you were gone forever! I’m so happy to see you!!”
Applejack chuckled and patted her friend’s head somewhat condescendingly. “Whoa now, heh, you’re gonna squeeze the juice right out of me sure as a fresh crop at cider makin’ time!”
Twilight stood back, but held Applejack firmly by the shoulders. “Just let me look at you, just for a moment…”
Applejack tilted her head. “Gotta be more interestin’ things to look at than just me. Like the paint, for example.”
“...what?”
Applejack nodded towards the barn. “The paint, a’course. Most interestin’ thing around these parts nowadays is that.”
Twilight turned to glance at the barn, and let out a small gasp. The red paint on the structure’s walls was running, creating a thick, dark pool that had spread out on the grass. What was more, the amount of paint never seemed to lessen - like an open wound, the redness just kept bleeding from the structure in slow waves, making the entire building look as though it was melting.
“Wh-why…?”
“Hey Twilight!” Another voice called. “So you finally showed up, huh? I was starting to think you’d never get here!”
Rainbow Dash swooped up on her wings and hovered before the princess, looking no less the worse for wear than ever she had been. Twilight smiled, but the gesture tapered off when she noticed the general lack of reaction to the bleeding building.
“This...right, this is a dream. I miss you all, but...you’re not really here…”
A hoof touched Twilight’s withers from behind, followed by a meek voice.
“Oh, hello Twilight,” Fluttershy said softly, decked out in the same clown suit she had worn to the original party. “Gee, it’s awfully nice to see you again.”
“You’re all here,” Twilight mused, her attention cycling between them. “But what does it all mean? What’s happening?”
Applejack scratched the back of her head and pondered. “Well, it’s kinda your fault, all this. On account’a what ya done.”
“M-me?” Twilight balked. “But I haven’t done anything...it’s that pony that’s been doing it, the one in the coat. Is that...are you saying that’s me from another reality? A-am I getting pushed into alternate realities?”
“Wayyyy off base,” Dash waved her foreleg dismissively.
“Then what is it!?” Twilight cried. “Please, I have to know while there’s still time!”
“Well, you see, the thing is,” Fluttershy chittered, “we can’t exactly tell you that, because, you know...we’re just part of your dream. You don’t know, so we don’t know.”
“Then how do you know I’m wrong about the shadow pony being another me?” Twilight reasoned. “And how can you say this is all my fault?”
“Becauuuuuse,” Dash chimed in, “you know that’s ridiculous and you don’t believe it yourself, do ya?”
“...well, it is pretty preposterous so...you’ve got me there…” Twilight mused. “B-but at this point I might be willing to believe anyth--”
“--and you’re already blaming yourself for everything that’s happening anyway, and making it all about you, just like always,” Fluttershy added. “So saying it’s all your fault is perfectly natural, isn’t it?”
Twilight shrank under the uncharacteristic harshness of her softspoken friend’s comment. “I...that is…”
“So enjoy the party, Twi!” Applejack was walking towards the tables. “Sit a spell and wait till it’s time to head on back to reality. Everypony’s here, after all!”
Twilight blinked.
Applejack’s words were an understatement.
The buffet tables and layout were the same, but the number of patrons was beyond what the farm could manage. Hundreds, possibly thousands of ponies dressed in garb from nearly every city in Equestria were suddenly milling about everywhere, filling up so much of the land that there was barely room to wade through them. Twilight didn’t know most of the attendees, but among them were a few more that the princess was quite certain had already vanished from reality.
In the center of the tables, upon a rickety wooden dais, was a podium with a microphone. Behind it stood Mayor Mare, who swept her foreleg towards the barn and addressed the audience.
“Welcome, fellow citizens of Equestria, to Applejack’s big day! We’re so glad to see so many of you in attendance! While we await our special guest, may I direct your attention to the most fascinating spectacle ever to grace our society - the paint wall, which promises to eventually dry!”
Twilight attempted to get a word in, but the collective ‘oooo’ noise from thousands of ponies all at once drowned her out. Every eye turned to the barn; a number of foals were mucking about below, getting themselves coated in a rather baleful red that made Twilight feel sick to her stomach. Twilight stood on her hind legs and waved her hooves, desperately trying to draw attention to herself.
“Mayor Mare! Why is the barn bleeding?? Who is the special guest!?”
The mayor perked, but not at the princess. “Ah, and here we are now, our very special guest!”
Twilight froze. Upon the podium strode the trench-coated pony, whose features were again well hidden by the impossibly long shadows. Only the blueness of the pony’s eyes gave icy light to its gray clothing, and wherever it glanced, another group of ponies winked out of existence. Whenever this happened, the remainder of the audience burst forth with thunderous applause, loud enough that Twilight had to hold her ears.
“Excellent, excellent!” Mayor Mare shouted into the microphone, her voice amplified by speakers from nowhere. “Now it’s time for--fun!!”
With that, the entire assemblage of ponies began to leap about in random patterns, echoing the last word of the mayor over and over. There was no room to move, but they were vanishing so fast that there wasn’t a single collision.
Twilight shouted, screamed; demanded attention as best she could. She lit her horn and attempted to teleport herself to the dais, only to materialize further away. From every direction a bouncing pony, lost in glee, flew at her, until she had no choice but to throw herself to the ground and cover her head, hoping that she wouldn’t be trampled under the stampede.
“No...no stop...stop, please!” Twilight shouted, her words inaudible even to herself. “Stop, just...just STOP!!”
Obligingly, the cacophonous noise and thundering vibrations from the earth instantly ceased. When Twilight dared to look up again, there was no evidence, aside from the ransacked buffet tables, that another soul had been there at all. Even the birds and insects were absent, and the entire landscape was as silent as a tomb.
The princess rose and walked about the dais. The only sounds were the snap of the now tattered birthday banner that billowed in the breeze, a plastic cup as it rolled from one of the tables, and her hooves as they rustled through the grass. The drooling paint was also gone - Twilight observed the barn, it’s original coat of red now dry and cracked, as though decades old.
“P-Princess Luna…?” Twilight called in vain, climbing upon the dais to make use of the podium and microphone. “Anypony?”
The eerie stillness came alive with the sound of one pair of hooves clapping.
“H-hello…?”
“Hello, Twilight,” A deep voice replied. “My, you’ve managed to make quite a mess of things this time, haven’t you?”
A presence appeared, floating in the air just above the buffet tables. The princess’s brows knit.
“...Discord.”
The unmistakable image of the draconequus twirled about in midair, a cup of punch in his grasp. “That’s my name, don’t wear it out! Isn’t that what they say? Why, if you were to use it too much--” he began to fade away, “--just imagine what might happen…”
“Wait!” Twilight cried without thinking. “Don’t leave!!”
Discord instantly phased back into existence, albeit in a flashy sequined dress and holding several bouquets of flowers. “You don’t want me to go? Does this mean you like me? You really like me!? Ah, my public!!”
Twilight was startled by flashes from a score of nonexistent cameras, and gritted her teeth as she watched Discord blow kisses at the trees. “Are you a part of my dream?” She asked directly.
Discord’s accoutrements vanished, and he was back to lounging in the air, sipping on some punch.
“Cutting right to the chase this time, eh? I like that. Howeverrrrrrr--” Discord pondered, stretching his chin out down nearly to the ground with one elongated arm as she scratched it, “--I’d have to say…no.”
Unconvinced, Twilight asked her by now ponderous, probing question. “How many Elements of Harmony are there?”
“How nice of you to ask!” Discord pronounced. In a moment, he was Applejack, and he spoke with a ridiculously over-exaggerated drawl:
“Welp pardner, ah reckon there was once six of ‘em up here in this ol’ pig sty, but then--”
Discord became Rainbow Dash: “Then there were totally five, because five is totally an awesome number, and because I’m totally awesome!”
Discord became Fluttershy: “Oh my, but...then there were only four, because, um, oh dear, I mean, i-if that’s okay with you, there were only four…”
Discord became Rarity: “But darling, then there were only three fabulous elements, because you see--”
Discord became Pinkie Pie: “Because three is more than two, but if you don’t find out why there are only three soon, then there might be only two, and then maybe there will only be one, unless maybe there will be more instead of less, and then there would be four again, but that’s not as good as five, so maybe there will be five again, or maybe just--”
“Alright!” Twilight shouted, “I believe you! Just tell me why you’re doing this!!”
Discord, himself again, paused. He moved not a muscle, floating with one claw over his chest and a kink in his brow. “You wound me, Twilight. You think this is my doing? Have you forgotten your little friend Pony Sinatra, with the zoot suit hat and the ol’ blue eyes schtick? Isn’t that just so mysterious?”
Twilight let out a breath and dipped her head menacingly. “How do I know that pony isn’t you? I didn’t see a horn, and even if I had, there’s no magic I’ve ever heard of that can just make ponies wink entirely out of existence, just like that. But I bet it’s something chaos can do.”
Discord matched Twilight’s exhale. Suddenly he had a mass of monogrammed luggage all around him. He turned away. “After all I’ve done for Equestria and for our friends recently, you’re going to baselessly accuse me like that. Well, I never! I think I will be going after all, since you’re doing oh so well on your own. Ta-ta!”
“W-wait--!” Twilight held up her hoof. She swallowed her cry and softened her countenance, forcing the ragged emotions from the past day into remission. “...I-I’m sorry. Please don’t go.”
Discord glanced behind himself by rotating his head 180 degrees. “And?”
“A-and I shouldn’t just accuse you of being behind all of this out of the blue.”
“Aaaand?”
“B-because you...because you did a wonderful thing for all of us, and for the changeling kingdom.”
“Aaaaaaaaand…?”
“And...a-and…” Twilight hung her head. “...and I need your help. Please help me, Discord.”
“There now-” Discord appeared an inch from Twilight’s face, and promptly reached out to pinch her cheeks, “-was that so hard? Helping is what friends do, oh Friendship Princess.”
Twilight, shamed, didn’t bother to brush off the draconequus’s machinations. “I...I know. I’ve just been under a lot of stress lately. Will you help me?”
“Oh, most certainly.”
“You will?” Twilight brightened, and for the first time since Applejack’s party, she felt like smiling. “Then let’s get to it! Tell me what’s going on if you know, please!”
Discord was over by an apple tree. He swatted it with his cloven hoof, the leg wrapped in a brace that read ‘Kicks Something-or-Other’, held out his claw, waited for an apple to fall into it, and took a large bite. “Well, ponies are ceasing to exist.”
“Tell me something I don’t know,” Twilight sighed.
“It’s all your fault.”
Twilight circled around to the front of the podium, defiance on her face. “But how can that be? I wasn’t messing around with powerful magic at the time, and I didn’t do anything that could have caused this to start happening!”
Discord shook his head, clucking his tongue. In a moment he was clad differently - this time in a white hazmat suit with the helmet pulled up. “Twilight, Twilight, Twilight...you’re not thinking fourth dimensionally! Is that the only way a pony can be at fault for something?”
Twilight’s ear flicked, and she took in the sounds of clocks ticking all around her. “Uh...I’m pretty sure the only way I can be at fault for something is to do the something in question, isn’t it?”
The hazmat suit was gone, and Discord silenced the ticking noises with a wave of his arm. “You know, I had much higher hopes for you in all of this. But I can see we’re going to have to start at square one. After all, if you don’t figure this out soon, your entire world might end up in...Jeopardy!”
With a snap of Discord’s talons, Twilight found herself in an entirely different environment. The sun still loomed above and the shadows were still wrong, but the farm had been replaced by something that resembled a filming studio. Twilight was again behind a podium, but it had split thricely; to either side of her she found copies of Discord, each of the three podiums marked with either her name or his respectively. Bleachers were set off to one side, populated by dozens of other Discords who were wearing foam fingers, silly hats, jerseys with her name on them, and purple facepaint. They cheered and waved tiny banners on sticks featuring Twilight’s cutie mark.
Before the princess was a large wall of what she knew from her time in the human world to be television monitors, stacked up in a square pattern. Each depicted a blue screen - the top row featuring words, while all the others had monetary values in bits. Another Discord, this one with a suit, tie, and a gray mustache, stood before them; in his grasp a thin microphone and a claw full of cue cards.
“They’re all rooting for you Twilight,” The Discord before the monitors announced. “Just make sure you phrase all of your answers in the form of a question, but remember - miss three and it’s game over!”
Twilight tried in vain to take in the entire scene all at once. “Discord, we don’t have time for games! Who knows how many ponies are disappearing at this very moment, I have to--”
The mustached Discord grew to three times his size in the flash of a second. His neck was long enough to reach all the way over to the podium, where he touched muzzles with Twilight, gazing into her eyes.
“Do you want to go stumbling back to what’s left of your world? Or do you want answers?”
Twilight actually shivered. She relented, and host-Discord returned to his own size and position.
“Very well then, let us begin!”
There was a chime, and all of the monitors glowed brighter. “Discord,” Host-Discord said, glancing at the one to Twilight’s left. “As you are our returning champion, you sly dog - how about you start us off?”
Left-Discord clapped gleefully. “Oh, I would be delighted! Discord, I’ll take ‘Slapstick’ for two-hundred bits.”
The monitor listing the number ‘200’ suddenly ejected a pie from its screen, which flew out with the speed of a canon and struck left-Discord in the face.
“Ah!” Host-Discord cried. “That’s a daily double!”
Another pie flew out and smashed into the same target. Spatter ended up on Twilight’s hoof, and instinctively she tasted it. “Wh-what is…lemon meringue?”
“Correct!” the host yelled. “Two hundred bits for Twilight Sparkle!”
“Wait, what?”
The crowd went wild, and Twilight’s podium, itself fixed with a small monitor, lit up the number ‘200’.
“That makes it your turn, Miss Sparkle!” the host announced.
Twilight examined the monitors and began to read the categories aloud: “...questions I’ve already asked…”
“Indeed!” The host said. “For two hundred!”
“W-wait, I didn’t choose--!”
“The answer is--” host-Discord interrupted as he read from the ‘200’ monitor. “‘No!’”
“No?” Twilight repeated. “What kind of answer is that? How can I come up with a question with an answer so ambigu--”
There was a buzzing noise, and the Discord to Twilight’s right held up one arm. “Oh! Oh! I know! What is ‘Is this your fault, Discord?’”
“Very good Discord!” the host shouted. “Two hundred bits for you! And you control the board!”
“Wait!” Twilight implored. “I need to know--!”
“Oh thank you Discord,” right-Discord replied. “I’ll take ‘Potent Potables’ for four hundred, please.”
“You will indeed!” host-Discord, who had suddenly come into possession of a bell-rope suspended from the ceiling where the sun was, yanked hard on it. “We have the most potent potables of all!”
The Discord to Twilight’s right was engulfed in a torrent of amber liquid from above, followed by the cask it had resided in. Again there was spatter, and again Twilight couldn’t help but taste that which landed in her face.
“Pffft! What is this!? Hard apple cider!?”
“Correct, Twilight Sparkle! You’re in the lead, and the next choice is yours!”
The crowd burst into catcalls and hooting. Twilight wiped cider from her eyelids, opened her eyes, and brought the board into focus.
“I-I’ll take…‘questions I ought to be asking’, for...eight hundred!”
The crowd let out a collective ‘oooo’ noise. Host-Discord, who was now the only one remaining besides the audience, grinned.
“Now we’re cooking with hay!” Discord declared. “Let’s see...the answer is…‘Pony Sinatra’.”
Twilight felt her confidence building. “Who is the pony behind this!”
“Correct!”
“B-but, who is that pony…? That’s not a name…”
A buzzer went off. Discord sighed.
“I’m sorry Twilight, but you can’t question an answer that hasn’t been asked.”
“...what?”
“One wrong! Next!”
“Uh...um…” Twilight perked. “The same category for...for nine hundred!”
“Excellent choice! The answer is--‘Yes, but not in the way you think!’”
Twilight asked the first question that came into her head. “What is...are you involved in this at all?”
“Correct!”
The princess scowled. “Wait, you said this wasn’t your--”
“BEEP!” Discord shouted, as he touched his nose and gave rise to the sound of an air horn. “Your speculation isn’t in the form of a question! That’s two wrong!”
An urge to complain about the lackluster ‘rules’ entered into Twilight’s mind, but she thought better of voicing it. Instead she let out another sigh and went with the flow. “...give me the same category for one thousand, please.”
Discord grinned. “The answer is - ‘Because that pony needed me - which is more than they could say for you.”
Twilight swallowed. “What is...how does this involve you?”
Discord tossed the cue cards over his shoulder. The crowd vanished, and the rest of the studio slowly faded from existence, until there was nothing but Twilight, the podium, Discord, and a field of endless blackness.
“Correct,” the draconequus replied. “The next answer is - ‘Blue.’
Twilight hesitated. “...but I know that already. What is, what color are the eyes of that pony…”
Discord twirled in midair. “Indeed. And what does that tell you?”
“I...blue eyes…”
“How many Elements of Harmony are there, Twilight,” Discord threw the princess’s boorish question back in her face.
“Six.”
“How many Elements of Harmony are there….now, Twilight?”
“...three…”
Discord snapped his talons like a lighter, generated a small flame, and used it to light the end of a cattail reed, which he began to patiently smoke like a cigarette. Eventually, the inevitable (and quite literal) lightbulb appeared over Twilight’s head.
Twilight glanced up at the light, and just as quickly looked sharply away. “...Pinkie Pie…?”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Rarity...Rarity also has blue eyes…”
Discord puffed on the reed, tapped some of the ash off of it, and then promptly ate it. “Well, I’m afraid that’s all the time we have for today. We’ll have to save your one more wrong question for later, as I’m afraid we’ve reached the end of what my employer will allow me to hoof over to you on a silver platter.”
“But they’re not the only ponies I know with blue eyes!” Twilight insisted. “My best friends wouldn’t hire you to destroy reality just to get back at me for something I did, or teach me a lesson! And you wouldn’t do it anyway, so even that doesn’t make any sense! None of this helped at all!”
“Wouldn’t I?”
“No,” Twilight said with determination. “No you wouldn’t. Because that would mean hurting Fluttershy.”
Discord’s constantly-maintained grin finally vanished. “We’re finished, princess.” With that, he snapped his talons and the lightbulb above Twilight’s head grew to the size and luminescence of the sun high above. Its radiance did nothing to dispel the blackness, but it shown like a huge, flashing ‘Exit’ sign. Discord waved his paw at the sky.
“Get out of here, princess. Maybe you’re right. Maybe I’ve just been wasting your time. Maybe I’m even being helpful - maybe I’ve just been trying to keep you distracted and asleep on purpose, so Princess Moonbutt can finish her term paper on your gray matter. Or maybe...maybe you’re the one who’s been wasting time, and if you don’t act fast...it will be too late for all of us.”
“B-but if you helped to make this happen, you can stop it…”
“It’s not that easy. Now that things are in motion, only you can bring them to an end. Better hurry up. Haven’t you wondered why you haven’t seen head-” Discord’s head turned into Luna’s, “-or tail-” Discord grew Luna’s tail, “-of everypony’s favorite melancholy nighthorse?”
Twilight gasped. Without another word, she closed her eyes and launched herself into the air, flying directly towards the sun - her cozy image that would ensure her escape from the absence of dreaming. A moment later she was flat on her back, blinking the sands of sleep out of her eyes. The ground below her was too hard to be a bed. She rubbed her eyes feverishly and sat up.
“Spike? Princess Luna? Princess Celestia? Hello!?”
Around her, Twilight found the quiet center of Ponyville. Everything was eerily as it ought to be, save for the presence of any living thing beyond flora. Twilight called again, her voice echoing down the empty alleys - until another sharp gasp took her. The mountain above was pristine...untouched by pony hooves.
Canterlot was gone.
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Fantastic timing with your cryptic reveals.
8599628
I can't tell if I detect a note of sarcasm
Ok, this has gotten heavy. Somepony Twilight knows asked Discord to help them with this... erasure. Somepony with blue eyes. For something Twi did. Or more likely, will do in the future. Considering Discords reaction to bringing up Fluttershy, I'm not sure if this is the temporal version of Discord Twilight knows.
Anyway, is this all some bizarre scheme to teach Bookhorse a lesson, testing her to destruction so she is ready for a future disaster with even worse outcomes? Man, too many of the chapter I'm reading are ending on massive cliffhangers, I'm liable to have a nervous breakdown if this keeps up.
Aww -- why does it have to end??
*Impatiently waits for next chapter*
Firmly in thriller territory now, bordering on horror.
Who are we missing?! Someone with blue eyes, who knows Twilight. Pinkie Pie has blue eyes, but she's gone. Fluttershy has blue eyes, but she's gone. Rarity and Princess Luna have blue eyes, but they're both gone now, too.
Shining Armor, Sunset Shimmer and Flash Sentry all have blue eyes....
Eeee, I love speculation!
8599674
8599718
Don't worry, there will be more, soon. Guarantee it, this story will go to completion on schedule!
8599737
Are you certain that all of the characters you listed are definitely gone?
8599784
All I have is what I can see, and what I can see is that they are gone.
But I also have what I believe, and I believe in Twilight Sparkle! You can do it! Knock that witch's block off!
8599784
8599811
Well, we only have Twilights PoV on this so far. What she is observing might not be what is happening. Applejack might be nearby, mighty confused as to why nopony can remember her and she can't interact with anything, wandering around seeming like she's out'a step with Equestria. She could also be wondering why Twilight is taking so long to get out of whatever this is. We don't know for sure that Twi is in Equestia anymore. Since the other alicorns aren't "immune" there has to be some reason Twilight isn't forgetting as well. Gah! Why can't I just read complete stories!
Well, the actual bearers aren't responsible. That would be just ridiculous.
But who with blue eyes would want to mentally torture Twilight and take everything away from her to let her suffer? Whoever is responsible deserves more than a mere "talk", much more. Erasing countless lives from existence and torturing Twilight on this way is beyond cruel, it's just fucked up.
There is no excuse that could make such actions less bad.
8599784
Have you dropped hints elsewhere in the story so far? I should go check.
...
I'm shivering in anticipation for what happens next.
I need a time machine! I can skip to next Friday then!
8599811
Are you sure that's what you sawwww tho
8599844
Oh there's definitely a reason Twilight isn't forgetting. And it's not a fever dream, I promise
8599850
It is pretty fucked up, isn't it? And yet, Discord went along with it. Whatever would make him do that...
8599917
Oh yes, there has most definitely been hint-dropping. I would point out where, but...it might give things away.
8600473
Twilight wakes up and finds out it was all a dream.
...no wait I promised this is not a fever dream. Darn. I have to come up with a new ending.
This has definitely hooked me, and while I haven't seen the TNG episode that inspired it, I know enough about it to enjoy it even more.
...But if this is really building up to being karmic retribution for some fault of Twilight's- especially when the beginning of the story didn't even hint at her feeling or acting like the center of the universe- I'm going to be kind of ticked.
8600921
Twilight has a habit for making everything all about her, but her other issue is not always trusting in her friends enough to help her with a problem. Celestia hits her with some of that, but that specifically isn't the root of what's happening to her here. If that helps at all to know
8600901
Pretty sure. Just like I'm pretty sure that when we first saw the Mystery Pony, Pinkie and Rarity were both accounted for.
...
No more speculation out loud. I've reached my conclusion; now we just wait to see if it's correct.
What could make a pony just disappear? Maybe a spell that somehow works on them as well as fakes?
Hmmmm......are we sure ALL the Pinkie clones are accounted for?
8601363
Odd, isn't it?
8601396
8601160
Alas, but I must not say too much! I want to tho, this is fun. I might have some of Pinkie's genes when it comes to surprises
8601396 8601496
And just like that, I’m back to not knowing what to think.
...
Huh, never mind. I’ve reached a better conclusion now.
...Is that foreshadowing? Will they come back? That sounds too... Simple, too easy. If they do, then there will certainly be something wrong... Something even more wrong than their disappearance.
Who has blue eyes? Even if they are among the erased... Such may be the equivalent of faking their own death. You can't be a suspect, if you are a victim.
Why would someone do this? Are they even a pony? Or just pony like? Changelings come to mind, as they can have blue eyes at will.
Maybe I'm overthinking this, maybe I'm not thinking enough, or maybe I'm just thinking on the wrong track. In any case, I'm on the edge of my seat.
8601992
Maybe? It might also have been Discord's interpretation of harmless pinkie gobbletygook
Well, I'll point out that if it were somepony (or something) who can change the color of his/her/its eyes at will, it wouldn't do much good to drop 'blue eyes' as a hint to Twilight. Unless Twilight is used to seeing this pony/creature with that eye color.
There are a few hints that nobody (at least nobody who has commented) has pointed out so far, too
8602972
Hmm... Even then, Discord/Pinkie didn't specify what Elements of Harmony would return... Who's to say that, if there would be some elements coming back, they would be the originals?
And why... Just why does the dream sequence remind me a bit too much of too many Pinkies?
Wait. The capital of the country only has a regular population of 450? And Ponyville’s is over 400? Methinks the warp bubble universe has been affecting Twilight more than she thinks.
8603712
8604141
The census is a many splintered thing.
8604598
That Halo above your head looks suspiciously fake...
In any case, your silence, which is the opposite of your reaction to my previous thoughts, shows that I am perhaps heading in the right direction here.
Also, that extremely low number of dislikes here is very odd... Wishy, are you by chance, doing something to the extra dislikers? Making them disappear, for example?
8604627
All I'll say is take care who you assume is gone. As for the neighsayers, you know what happens to them.
8605006
Welp, I should reread this before Friday, see what else I can catch.
8599654
Haha no! I meant it. At least for my taste, exactly the right suspense-to-payoff ratio
to
8605019
8605021
Glad you're both enjoying
Damn it. Of all the ponies to still be there, of course it's the Twi-clone OOC.
8600998 Well, given that she's the only one who remembers everything, and that implies she's the only one immune to what's happening... it kinda is logical to assume that she IS the center of this.
There is one small pony with blue eyes... but it does make more sense that it'd be that one surviving Pinkie clone from "Pony Point of View" wanting revenge on Twilight for murdering all her sister clones.
Though, this only doesn't reflect VERY badly on Discord for agreeing to take part unless Twilight's trapped in a simulation. What exactly will happen if she doesn't figure it out on her own?
Hmm, I fear no matter what the outcome, I shall have to send this Discord to be ravaged by furries for a week in punishment. (Alondro is the best at cruel and unusual punishments)
8606662
It's been established that this story is influenced by the TNG episode "Remember Me", yes