The Ties that Bind

by the7Saviors

A Drastic Change

Fell Wind tried once more to pull the double doors open, and failed once again.

"What the buck?" she muttered, repeatedly pulling on the doors in a futile effort to get them open, "these doors don't even lock, so why can't I open them?"

Trixie, who was standing a little ways away, winced as she remembered the words of the Mare of Dreams. Though the ego existed as its own entity in the mind and could mentally separate itself from a memory, it couldn't escape its confines.

Not without help anyway.

Thus, Fell Wind was currently trapped within that hallway. After all, an ego couldn't access a memory it didn't have to begin with, and Fell Wind had no memory of leaving this room with Trixie.

Within Fell Wind's mind, Trixie herself had the power to alter or remove memories -- something she did just by being there. If one had the know how, they could even add completely new memories without affecting the old ones through a Mind Magic spell known as Memory Weaving.

The Memory Swap spell could also be used to implant false memories, but -- while more stable than Memory Weaving -- false memories implanted by a Memory Swap spell were fairly easy to circumvent by any unicorn with a decent knowledge of how Mind Magic worked.

On top of that, the process put a lot of pressure on the caster, as they had to do all the work of creating the memory on top of transferring it to the one the spell was being cast on. Memory Swap was a spell that was far more suited to simple transfer of existing memories rather than the creation of new ones.

Memories created through Memory Weaving were less stable during the creation process, but once that was done, they were much harder to remove or overwrite. The spell also put a lot less strain on the caster and the process was less risky overall, though it was by no means an easy feat.

Unlike the Memory Swap spell, Memory Weaving could only be done during a Mind Walk and it relied more on the ego itself rather than the caster to work properly. The magic towed the line between memory manipulation and dream weaving -- ergo the name of the spell.

The fact that it was the ego creating the false memories rather than the caster is what made them so difficult to dispel in the first place, as they were being created directly within the subconscious mind by the pony's own subconsciousness.

For all intents and purposes, the memories being created by the ego were as real as they came to the one being affected by the spell.

Essentially, Trixie would hoof the reins of memory creation to Fell Wind's ego and while Fell Wind was creating her own memories, Trixie would more or less act as a stabilizing force, making sure the memory didn't unravel.

It was a difficult piece of Mind Magic, but it was doable so long as Trixie could maintain at least a modicum of focus on keeping the memory stable. If there was one major flaw of the Memory Weaving spell, it was the ego itself -- or rather, what memories the ego chose to create.

While the spell was limited to Fell Wind's existing knowledge and didn't allow for events outside the realm of possibility, that still left any number of things that could happen.

Trixie couldn't use her magic to influence the memory while the Memory Weaving spell was in effect. She'd have to rely on her words and actions within the memory to create a desirable outcome.

The azure filly may have had all the power within Fell Wind's subconscious mind when it came to altering and erasing existing memories, but she found a strange sort of solace in the fact that she had no real control over newly created memories outside of dropping the spell altogether.

She also took solace in the fact that if a memory did end up unraveling at the seams, or if she decided to end the spell, the ego would be no worse for wear. It would simply just forget the memory even existed at all.

Still, Trixie wanted to avoid that if she could. Repeated creation and erasure of a memory over a long period of time would eventually have a possibly permanent negative effect on the mare's already questionable mental state.

With all this information in mind, Trixie pushed down her nervousness and concentrated again. Rather than her horn glowing with her normal pink aura, her entire ethereal body briefly glowed a bright pink.

"Oh... it's open," she heard Fell Wind say in confusion, "that was... weird."

Trixie opened her eyes to see Fell Wind poking her head outside the doors. After a moment, the mare motioned for Trixie to follow before quietly stepping through the doorway.

Trixie let out a quiet sigh before trotting out after Fell Wind. Once the filly was in the previous hallway she began to feel a noticeable pressure weighing her down slightly, as though something was trying to compress her into a smaller size.

It wasn't too bad, but she had to focus somewhat on that feeling to keep it at bay. Her momentary distraction caused her to fall behind and she hurried to catch up with the pegasus.

She looked around the hall and saw nothing but metal doors on either side of the wall. The two of them passed by the entrance of the hall Trixie had initially appeared in and kept going towards the opposite end of the hallway.

"Looks like we're safe for the moment," Fell Wind muttered as they turned a corner and proceeded down another lengthy hallway, "if Moon Gazer's shadowy goons aren't here, then they're probably patrolling the halls in the second building."

She let her gaze wander over each door they passed and Trixie was content to let her do so while she concentrated on that strange pressure.

"So... about that kid of Moon Gazer's..."

Trixie looked up to see that Fell Wind had fixed her eyes on the path ahead, her face set with a grim frown.

"You said she used to be nice, but not anymore?" Trixie asked with a curious tilt of her head, "what happened?"

"Her mother happened," Fell Wind replied with a look of disgust and anger, "she changed the filly just by bringing her here, and not in a good way. I'm also pretty sure she did it on purpose."

"What do you mean?" the filly pressed, "what did she do?"

The weakened pegasus sighed and looked at Trixie with an indecisive frown. She looked as though she wanted to say something, but instead just turned her gaze back to the path ahead as she told her tale.

"It was around the time I was first brought to this Tartarus forsaken pit that I saw the filly." Fell Wind explained, "back then, she was just a nerdy filly with super thick taped up glasses.

"Apparently, Moon Gazer initially brought the filly here under the pretense of a 'bring your daughter to work day' event. Told all of us here to 'show her little satellite how much of a joy it was to be part of such a groundbreaking project'."

She snorted and shook her head.

"We all did it of course," Fell Wind said bitterly, "we disobeyed, we got signed for an extra 'appointment' with Doctor Moon Gazer," she shuddered, "just one of her 'appointments' is bad enough to make you beg for a quick death, and when I say beg, I mean beg."

Trixie felt her stomach turn though she didn't currently have one. The way Fell Wind had uttered the word uneased the filly greatly. Fell Wind herself paid Trixie's discomfort no attention as she pushed on with her story.

"So we all put on a big old smile and acted like we cared whenever the filly came around," the pegasus allowed herself a small smile as she remembered the filly, "at first I found her annoying, with her thousands of questions and happy-go-lucky disposition, but after a bit, the kid grew on me, y'know?"

Her wistful smile dropped into an angry frown.

"She was really the only one I talked to around here," Fell Wind said quietly, "and the kid didn't show it, but I think she knew how annoying everypony thought she was. She was a smart kid, and I don't think her mother did her any favors by bringing her back here again and again.

"Eventually I realized she was starting to catch on that something wasn't right around here, because one day she asked me a question I didn't expect to hear."

The pegasus went quiet for a moment and Trixie gave her a nervous frown.

"What... did she ask?" the filly finally asked in a tentative voice.

"She asked me if 'her mom was a bad pony'," Fell Wind let out a mirthless chuckle, "the look on her face when she asked that nearly broke my heart, kid," she slowly shook her head, "I couldn't do it. I couldn't tell the filly her mom was a monster that locked up and brutally tortured mares, stallions, and foals for the sake of her twisted 'research'."

Fell Wind suddenly stopped and hung her head. Trixie, couldn't see her face from where she was standing, but she could see that the mare was shaking.

"That right there," Fell Wind continued in a voice suddenly choked with emotion, "that was my biggest mistake, kid. I... should've told her... I should've just told the kid the truth about her mother then, but I felt too bad for her and I was too scared of getting punished by Moon Gazer."

She stomped a hoof in frustration.

"I told her not to worry about her mom," the mare said through gritted teeth, "I told her she was only trying to create a better future for all the ponies out there... and she believed me."

Trixie wanted to say something to comfort the hurting pegasus, but Fell WInd moved on before she could, both physically and verbally.

"That was when things started to change for the worse," Fell Wind said in a grave tone, "that was when she started to change for the worse."

"How?" Trixie asked, a hint of trepidation in her voice.

"Moon Gazer started bringing the filly in more and more, and each time I saw her, she looked a little more... tired? Weary? Haunted?"

Fell Wind grimaced as she struggled to find the right words. Eventually she gave up and shook her head.

"I don't know, the filly just looked absolutely miserable, and whenever I asked about it, she'd just clam up until I talked about something else," Trixie saw the mare shudder again, "then things started getting creepy."

Trixie was afraid to ask, so she didn't -- not that it mattered, because Fell Wind pushed on regardless.

"Whenever she came to visit me, she had that same tired look, but this time when I asked, she'd smile and talk about how interesting a pony's body was. She'd talk about the amazing untapped potential hidden within the veins of mana that ran through earth ponies and pegasi.

"She was starting to sound more and more like Moon Gazer, and with each visit, she looked and acted more and more off. Within a month, she went from being a complete sad sack to her normal happy-go-lucky self again, but it wasn't right.

"She still had that tired, haunted look, but now she'd just smile while she happily told me how great her mom was for doing so much to help ponies. She told me that she had started helping her mom with the project... as an assistant."

Trixie looked at Fell Wind with a horrified expression, but Fell Wind didn't notice. She was staring straight ahead as she walked, her jaw set and her movements stiff.

"I broke down then and there, kid," the pegasus continued, "consequences be damned, I told her about how terrible her mother really was, and you know what? She didn't believe me," she chuckled again, "that two faced, heartless nag somehow convinced her daughter that she was doing right by all of us with her experiments."

"Did you tell her exactly what she was doing?" Trixie asked in a horrified whisper, "did you tell her what she did to you?"

"Oh I tried, kid," Fell Wind replied, "I got punished... bad. But I told her anyway, not that it helped. By then she'd already seen for herself what Moon Gazer was doing to the ponies here... and in some cases she had even helped do it."

"No..."

Fell Wind gave a single slow nod.

"One day, she came to visit me covered in blood and grinning like a madpony," the pegasus let out a shaky breath, "she was talking about what a great job she had done that day and how her mommy was so proud of her work..."

She turned to Trixie with a look of cold fury in her eyes and tears flowing freely down her face.

"That was the day I completely gave up on Moon Dancer... and also the day I swore to kill that mare with my own hooves."

Author's Note:

That... actually turned out a lot darker than I expected it to...

Anyway, I know there was a lot of technical magical babble going on in the beginning and if anyone is confused or has any questions about what the hell I'm talking about, feel free to ask and I'll try to clear things up.

We'll find out just where the hell they actually are in the next chapter.

Comments

[Venerable Ro]

A fascinating concept in mind magic, going to leave some strange inconsistences in the memory though. If she ever meets Trixie undisguised she's going to have some very strange questions.

In other news, hello Dr Mengele. Of all beings to posses extra-dimensional counterparts...

Aiet, I have no words. not even angry somehow, just... tired. Funny isn't it? How much meaning carries through an empty silence? It shall all fall to dust, and let that be the end of it.

[Dark Feather]

Right behind you Fell, but take heed that you don't become a monster your self.

[prism heart]

Moongazer..... hope she lands face first in Tartarus... that is all

[badninja]

Poor Moondancer. Now I am wondering is this Equestria going to be worth saving? Or will have Celestia bungled it so bad that it kills everyone on the table?

[Kichi]

Take your child to work and make crazy experiments

[Titan Commander Sebaste]

Finally caught up and good lord.... Poor Evergreen...

[Birribi]

she changed the filly for the worst just by bringing her here

Althogh not grammatically wrong per se, 'for the worse' is the usual idiom.

She was really the only I talked to around here

Missing 'one', 'pony' or 'living creature' etc.

That was when things started to change for the worst

Again

that was when she started to change for the worst