362
Three Hundred and Sixty-Two days until the next Summer Sun Celebration
“Good mornin’ Mia!” The very pleasant drawl woke Cadance from her slumber. Shortly after her conversation with Luna, Cadance’s world had turned to white. She didn’t feel any different, not really. Well, her head felt a little lighter, like a great weight had been removed from her mind. It felt nice. She lifted her head to greet Applejack but was met with a horrified expression. “Sweet Celestia, yer horn fell off!”
Cadance’s eyes went wide as her hooves went to her head. Indeed, her horn was no longer on her head. In fact, it was laying on the ground where she had been resting her head. The lightning rod that connected her to the magical world, that thing that could alter hearts and minds...it looked like a toy laying there, a prop used in a play.
“Yes.” Cadance said, thinking as fast as she could on her hooves. “It was a disguise hiding who I really am.” The cloak was resting on the ground, revealing her wings to her earth pony hostess. “My aunt, who was keeping me there, she wanted to make sure nopony would recognize me.” Half truths were still truths, she supposed.
“Well ain’t that a barrel of pickle brine.” Applejack huffed. “The nerve of some ponies, huh?” Considering the evidence laying there on the floor and the absolute nonsensical notion that a pony could change species overnight, Cadance guessed that Applejack was believing her eyes more than anything. “Well anyway, I brought y’all some oatmeal, a glass of fresh milk and a bucket of water to wash up if you need to. Just come up to the house when yer done, alright?” Cadance’s puzzled expression must’ve caught Applejack’s eyes. “What, y’all didn’t think you were gonna stay here for free, didja?” The mare guffawed at the idea. “Naw, yer helpin’ out ‘round the farm as long as y’all are here.”
The two exchanged goodbyes and Applejack was on her way, leaving Cadance alone once again. Wondering if anything else had changed about her appearance, she trotted over to the bucket of water left by the door and leaned over to look into it.
Her horn was gone, leaving that blank space on her forehead that looked so alien to her. It had been, what, thirty years since she didn’t have a horn? It was so odd. And her mane, it was no longer the triple layered purple, pink and gold. Instead it was all that pale gold of her youth. It was also much shorter, something about alicorn powers made manes grow longer than usual. She also seemed a bit shorter, but not much. Not enough height was lost to really tip anypony off.
She looked so different.
“Okay, Cadance. This is your chance to be a normal pony…” She took a deep breath, staring into the eyes of the stranger in the water. “No…not Cadance.” That’s who she was before all of this, that’s who she was when she wore the crown. That wasn’t her anymore. “Mia.” That’s who she would be from now on, that’s the pony she would try to be. Cadance was far behind for now.
Part of that, she knew, was rationalization. After all, Cadance had just enabled the greatest threat since Discord to return to Equestria sooner than anticipated. So maybe she was just trying to distance herself from that particular event in her future.
She ate her food and was pleasantly surprised at what seemed to be fresh honey and apple slices topping the, what she assumed was going to be bland, oatmeal. It was actually quite delicious, not to mention filling. After, she washed up the best she could with the rag and bar of soap left for her. It wasn’t exactly the showers back in Canterlot, but it was better than what she had back in the Everfree.
And dear sweet Celestia, she had forgotten how absolutely frustrating it was to do things without magic. Even a simple cleaning turned into a whole ordeal, complete with gripping things with her wings and teeth. Soap did not taste good, was something she learned quickly and repeatedly over this time.
Bringing that tray up to the house was no small feat, either. It took a lot of stretching and balance that she hadn’t put into practice in years., but she did it. When she got up to the house, she was met with the pleasant sounds of domesticity. Something was sizzling on the stove, hooves were tapping over hardwood floors, and even a little spat between what sounded like Applejack and a filly somewhere upstairs.
She pulled the screen door open and stepped inside. The home itself was so cozy and lived in. Pictures of the family decorated the walls, trinkets and heirlooms decorated the mantle of the fireplace, and old reliable furniture made this place truly feel like a home.
Cadance, or rather Mia, followed her nose to the kitchen so she could deposit the dishes where they belonged. Sitting at the kitchen table, a pot of something delicious simmering slowly behind her, was a very very old mare. Mia assumed this was ‘Granny’ that Applejack had mentioned last night.
“Excuse me, ma’am?” She tapped the elderly mare on the shoulder and put on her best smile.
“Huh, wha?” Granny’s head jerked up as she looked around. When her eyes met Mia, she squinted and studied her. Mia could tell that this mare had a bit of character to her and wasn’t the typical grandmother she always pictured, but she did have kind features and wrinkles around her mouth from a lifetime of laughing and smiling. “You mus’ be the stray AJ brought home last night, huh?” Mia nodded in response. “Well ah hope the barn wasn’t too bad, ah know how itchy hay can be.”
“It was fine, ma’am.” Mia smiled and did her best to look as friendly and grateful as possible. “Thank you for taking me in on such short notice, and thank you for breakfast. It was delicious. Where should I put the dishes?”
“Sweetie, call me Granny. Everyone in this town does, ain’t gonna offend me any and will be less confusin’.” Mia nodded, a small embarrassed blush crossing her features. “And whaddya mean ‘where should you put ‘em?’ Ya think ah’m gonna do ‘em for ya? Sink is right over there, Missy.” Granny pointed a hoof at the sink right below the window caddy corner to the stove. “Actin’ like ah’m a maid or somethin’...” The mare muttered as she turned back around.
Mia moved to the sink unloading the little platter onto the counter by the sink and putting the bowl in it. She was about to start washing it when the rapid approach of hooves caught her attention.
“Granny, will y’all quit bein so grumpy?” Applejack came in, sans the hat she was wearing earlier and gently pulled the alicorn-turned-pegasus away from the sink. “Mia here has been through a lot, and she’s already gonna be helpin’ out around the place today. Washin’ one bowl ain’t gonna kill ya.” Granny grumbled in reply, standing up with several cracks in her knees as she moved to the sink. “Thank ya, Granny.” Mia was met with a knee to her ribs from Applejack, nodding at the matriarch of the Apple family.
“Yes, thank you, Granny. I appreciate it.” Mia looked to Applejack for direction, and was met with the sturdy earth pony already turned around and heading back into the living room. She matched her companion’s trajectory and caught up with her. “So what will I be doing today, Applejack?”
“Well first, y’all ain’t gonna be workin on this farm with yer mane all hangin’ everywhere. It’s gonna get in yer eyes all day.” Applejack went to a coat rack that had been hidden behind the door and fetched her trusty, dusty cowpony hat from it. “So y’all are gonna head upstairs and get my little sister Apple Bloom to put it up for ya, then yer gonna take the little troublemaker for school fer me. Macintosh and Ah ain’t got the time to do it today, we gotta tend to the East Orchard.” Mia was busy making a list in her head as AJ spoke. “Finally, y’all are gonna go yell at the head weatherpony and help her bring some rain clouds out to the West Orchard.”
“Um, how will I know who the head weatherpony is?” Mia knew approximately four ponies in this town, five if she counted Skyward Glory who was up in Ponyville General. So just saying ‘the head weatherpony’ wasn’t exactly helpful.
“Her name is Rainbow Dash, ya can’t miss her. Bright blue coat, rainbow mane, head full of rocks and enough sass to fill a holler.” AJ’s voice rose as she made her way outside, yelling as she finished. “Jus’ get mah little sister to school first!”
“Okay…” Mia said under her breath. “Sounds easy enough.” She looked around, finding the stairs and traversing every creaky step. When she was at the top she found only one open door with a little yellow filly with a bright red mane in it. “Apple Bloom?”
“Oh, howdy!” The filly, with an outrageously big red bow in her mane, turned to greet Mia with a smile and curious amber eyes. “You must be Mia, right? The pony AJ rescued from the Everfree?” That was going to be what she was going to be known as, wasn’t it?
“That’s me.” She responded, pushing down the little part of her that died when she remembered her prison out there. “Applejack said I need to take you to school today, but first she wanted you to help me put my mane up?” To Apple Bloom’s credit, she took the task of helping a stranger without a fight. Mia guessed that trait ran in the family.
“Sure thang.” The filly went to a desk pressed against the far wall, a small mirror on a stand right in the middle. “Y’all want a bow like mine or a ribbon like AJ?” Mia sat down on the floor in front of the desk, her height just enough so that she could see into the mirror. Apple Bloom pulled a stool close so she could stand on it and reach Mia’s mane.
“A ribbon, please. I don’t think I can pull off a bow as well as you can.” The last time she even had her mane up was back when Celesita made her go to public school, but even then she remembered what she liked. “And please not as low as hers, I like them a bit higher.”
“Ya ain’t even got enough mane to do one like AJ.” Apple Bloom retorted, making Mia nod. Right. Her mane was much shorter now, nowhere close to its original length or even Applejack’s for that matter. “And nopony can pull off a bow like me. Ah make it look good.” The pegasus giggled at that little display and watched as the filly produced a red ribbon that looked exactly like AJ’s. With careful and practiced precision, the little earth pony used her mouth and hooves to manipulate the ribbon and eventually get it snug around the base of Mia’s mane. After fiddling a bit with the position, making sure it was centered and not too high or low, she pulled the ribbon tight. “Unicorns sure do got it easy, I reckon. They ain’t gotta use their mouths for nothin’.”
“That they do.” Mia turned her head to the left, looking at her profile in the mirror, then doing the same with the right. It wasn’t her style usually, but she looked okay with her mane up. The red of the ribbon beautifully contrasted the pale gold mane it contained. “Thank you, Apple Bloom. I appreciate it.”
“It ain’t no problem.” The filly scurried away, picking up her saddlebags and slinging them over her back. “Now c’mon and hurry up or Ah’m gonna be late for school!” Mia stood up from her spot and watched the filly gallop out of the room with a smile.
This all felt so nice, so right. Nopony was treating her as some kind of perfect being, or expecting only the best from her. She was just a normal pony right now, expected to do chores and earn her keep. She wasn’t handed anything.
It was refreshing.
She followed behind her little charge, down the stairs and to the kitchen. Apple Bloom gave her Granny a kiss on the cheek and a hug as she got ready to depart. Mia gave Granny a small wave and a smile as she took her first steps into a truly new Equestria for her. This was her first time going out in public as somepony other than Cadance in years.
The pair made their way through the orchards, which Apple Bloom had informed her was called Sweet Apple Acres, with mostly small talk. The filly told her a bunch of small things about her home, about Ponyville and some of the places in it. This wasn’t a place that Cadance had ever heard much about, nor had she ever visited it. It seemed lovely, though.
“Do you know a pony named Lily, Apple Bloom?” Mia interjected her diminutive friend’s rant about pastries at the local bakery to ask a question that had been weighing on her mind. “Flower for a cutie mark, pink with a yellow mane? Kind of like me, actually.”
“You mean the flower pony?” Apple Bloom cocked her head to the side, thinking. “She works at that shop with her sisters.” Well that struck Mia as odd. Lily couldn’t be more than fifteen years old and she was already working?
“Isn’t she still in school?” The response to her question was a raspberry blown at the idea, something that caught Mia extremely off guard. What was so ridiculous about that question?
“What, like a secondary school thing? We ain’t got those here in Ponyville.” Cadance had gone to a secondary school, at the behest of Celestia of course. It was uncommon for Canterlot youth not to go to secondary school, most saw it as a chance to refine special talents. More importantly, it gave young ponies a chance to spend their formative years with ponies of their own age instead of spending it in the workforce. “Only pony Ah know that went to one was Rarity, but she’s fancy like that.”
The rest of their trip was in silence on Mia’s part. Apple Bloom still talked, speaking about her school and classmates, and her impending cutie mark and what it might be. They made their way through the hamlet, ponies going about their days, enjoying the pleasant weather and going to the stalls set up all over.
Apple Bloom lead Mia to the complete opposite side of town, where a little red schoolhouse sat on a hill. Ponies around Apple Bloom’s age congregated all over, forming little pockets of noise and laughter.
At the door of the schoolhouse was a mare with a coat of dark pink, her mane two tones of light pink and emerald eyes. She looked over the foals with an amount of joy and pride that Mia had never honestly seen. The teacher, she guessed.
“-and that’s Miss Cheerilee, my teacher.” Apple Bloom finished whatever sentence she was saying, just in time for Mia to hear that. She was just about to address her little filly friend when she bounded away upon seeing a friend. “Twist! Hey Twist, wait up!”
“Well...okay then.” The newly re-minted pegasus muttered as she was left all alone, a stranger in this strange land.
“Applejack was busy this morning?” That pink mare, Miss Cheerilee, had somehow moved from the door of the schoolhouse to Mia’s side without her noticing. Maybe she was just more than a little space-brained today. “Family friend?”
“Oh.” Mia cleared her throat. “Yes, to both, she was and I am. Something about tending the east orchard.” It was hard to make Mia lose her composure, exceptionally so when it came to public settings. Even though she was surprised by the sudden appearance, she didn’t let it show. That royal pedigree had some useful things in it.
“I’m sorry if I’m, y’know, encroaching on your personal space.” Cheerilee laughed and rolled her eyes. “I love my foals, I love all of the time I’m around them, but sometimes I just need some contact with somepony my age.” That made Cadance crack a smile, she could more than understand the need for a change of scenery when it came to company kept.
“Oh no, it’s fine...Miss Cheerilee, correct?” The schoolmare nodded. “A pleasure to meet you, Miss Cheerilee, my name is Mi A-...Mia.” Mia bowed her head a little. “I apologize if I seem a little caught off guard, I’m afraid I’m just a little out of sorts today.” Cheerilee’s eyes were wide with a curious wonder as Mia spoke.
“You are extremely well spoken.” Of course the teacher caught onto that fact. As soon as Mia praised her royal upbringing, she cursed it just as fast. “No offense to the Apple family, but are you sure you’re a family friend?” Well now, this was an opportunity for Mia to do an extremely rare thing from now on and tell the full truth.
“Truth be told, Miss Cheerilee-” Mia turned fully towards the teacher with a shy smile. “-I was in a rough spot in my personal life and the Apples extended their seemingly endless kindness and hospitality to me. I am from out of town, but I am hoping to just...start anew here.” Cheerilee’s gaze turned from curious to sympathetic in an instant, her smile warm and kind.
“That sounds like the Apple family.” Cheerilee turned her eyes back over the foals and her school. “Well, Mia, if you ever get some free time stop by after school sometime. I would love to get to know you better.” That sentence warmed Mia’s heart more than Cheerilee would ever know. A pony genuinely wanted to get to know her better, not get close to her and exploit her position, not to attempt to take her hoof in marriage for titles and fame, but just to get to know her.
“That sounds wonderful, Miss Cheerilee.” Mia’s emotions laid well-hidden under a practiced facade of politeness and warm indifference. “I will definitely take you up on that, believe me. But for now, I have things I must attend to for Applejack and you have your foals.”
“That I do.” Cheerilee began to wander off, but looked back one last time. “Have a wonderful day, Mia. Have fun at Sweet Apple Acres.” There was a very sarcastic tone to the last part of the farewell. Something told Mia that Cheerilee had experienced helping AJ with her work before.
“I wish you the best, Miss Cheerilee.” Mia headed her own way as well. In the distance Cheerilee called for her students to join her in the schoolhouse for the day. “Now…” Mia muttered to herself, sure she was alone now. “...where is this Rainbow Dash?”
Her first instinct was to walk around with her head up and on a swivel, but then she remembered she had wings. Flying was very taboo when it came to the elite and the highborn in Canterlot, and considering Princesses were considered the elite of the elite and the definition of highborn, she just did not do it very often. Not to mention her wings had been magically bound to her sides for seven years, she was going to be just a tad out of practice.
Surprisingly, she wasn’t too rusty at flying. It took her just a minute to get her wings in perfect rhythm and a minute more to generate the amount of lift necessary to even get up to the clouds. But once she was up there, she had it down. It was something so ingrained in her, that she couldn’t really forget it. Deep down those instincts still existed.
It felt nice to be in the sky again, it felt...well, it felt like she was walking on air. She closed her eyes, letting the sunlight bathe over her as she just soaked in the experience. Below she could hear the townsponies chattering and going about their business, in the distance she could hear some pegasi talking about the weather, and there was a light breeze coming in from the east.
Now all she had to do was find this Rainbow Dash pony and get clouds out to Sweet Apple Acres. That couldn’t take too long.
----
Shining was currently sitting in a doctor’s office waiting room with Vinyl Scratch. Usually Vinyl would be able to liven up any room she was in and make it seem less dull, but waiting rooms were just a black hole that no fun or joy could exist in.
When he had gotten home last night, he relayed to Vinyl what had happened. Needless to say, it didn’t go over well. Hence the visit to the place where patience came to die. Normally they would’ve went to Celestia or Twilight with this matter, but the former was missing and the latter was still out cold. So they had to resort to a doctor.
Vinyl’s hoof was resting worriedly on his foreleg, her eyes darting around the waiting room. This was getting to her much more than she would ever truly admit. Yes she had said that she was worried, but Shining knew it was deeper than just that. There was fear in her eyes.
That in turn worried Shining even more. Vinyl wasn’t fearless, not at all, but she rarely let her fear show at all. He would love to say that he was not worried about the situationtoo, but that would be a blatant lie. The thought of one day, at random, he could blackout and miss more than just hours. What if next time he lost days? Months? It was an absolutely terrifying concept.
“Could this take any longer?” Vinyl fidgeted in her seat, her rear hooves twitching and tapping against the cushion she was sitting on. “Seriously, we’ve been here for an hour and a half. Ponies who got here after us have already been called back.” Well, that was expected when going to the doctor that all of the guards and DEqI employees went to. So many nagging injuries came with both of the positions and so this place always featured a steady stream of patient, and as the sign by the check-in desk reminded everypony who was here, ‘On duty guards are treated first.’
“Armor, Shining.” Came the call from the door on the far end of the room. A pale blue mare with dead looking gray eyes and a slightly frazzled white mane stood there with a clipboard held in one wing.
“Speak of Discord and he shall appear, Scratch.” Shining smiled the best he could at Vinyl. He stood and helped his marefriend up. All he got back in return was a half-hearted grin as they followed the nurse through the door and along labyrinthine sterile white corridors. They finally reached an open door with a little green marker above the door.
“In here.” The nurse ushered them in. “A nurse will be with you in a few minutes.” And with that, they were waiting once again. ‘Hurry up and wait’ was a very practiced skill of most ponies who ever wore armor in Canterlot, so Shining wasn’t too annoyed, but Vinyl…
“Oh c’mon! She’s a nurse. Why couldn’t she just do whatever it is the other nurse is going to do?” Vinyl sat down angrily on a stool with a huff and looked around. There wasn’t much to say about the room, it was certainly a hospital room. An uncomfortable plastic bed with white tearable paper covering it, a counter with a sink and cupboards filled with medical things and such, and of course it was all either shades of very pale blue or white. “Just complete nonsense.”
“Vinyl, I have a question.” While they had a semi-private moment, he figured he would get this out of the way. Vinyl turned to him, waiting. “Why didn’t you tell me the truth about Ray?” That caused his counterpart to blink, obviously taken aback by the forwardness. “I’m not mad or anything, it’s fine.” That was a lie, he was a little peeved, but he didn’t want this to turn into a thing.
“She came to our door with a bag I left on the train, alright? She saw the address and returned it. We talked, she told me who she was and what she was and that she was staying the city for awhile with her dad.” Vinyl rubbed her temples with her hooves, closing her eyes and fighting off what looked to be a headache. “Her dad pretty much doesn’t like her, doesn’t like her to be...y’know her. I felt bad, I told her she could chill at our place for a few days to just unwind, let her hair down.”
Shining could empathize with a noble relative not liking how you were born. He had fought his grandmother most of his life on that front. To be a smear on the family name, and to be told that you were, it wasn’t good. It didn’t do a lot for self-confidence either.
“I understand.” It was all he could say about that at the moment. “Next time, don’t lie to me, please.” And that was all he could ask for the future. “I don’t mind guests, I just like to know who they are first.”
“Wait…” Scratch opened her eyes and shot a glare at him. “..how did you figure out I was lying?” Shining opened his mouth to say, but evidently Vinyl already guessed his reply. “You used DEqI stuff, didn’t you? That’s abuse of power or something, Twinkle. You can’t just go and pull files on ponies whenever you want.”
“She was staying in our home, Vinyl. I had a little bit of a right to know who was sleeping in the room next to us.” He hated having to defend himself on this, in his mind there was nothing really to defend. It had been a reasonable reaction.
“Okay. Whatever.” Vinyl huffed, clamming up instantly on the subject. It hadn’t necessarily been a productive conversation, but it had been a needed one. Better to get that he knew out in the open rather than letting it stir and boil into something much worse.
“Knock knock!” Came a cheery feminine voice from the other side of the door. The pony didn’t even wait for the very deadpan ‘who’s there?’ that was in Shining’s throat before opening the door and coming in. It was a bright red unicorn mare with golden eyes and a once pink but now graying mane. “Hello Shining Armor.” She was looking at a clipboard as she came in and sat on a stool right next to Vinyl. Shining hopped up onto the bed and just waited patiently. “So! Tell me, in your own words, what’s the problem?”
“Well…” Shining started, unsure of how he was going to tackle all of this. “About seven years ago, maybe a little more, somepony messed with my memories. With magic. They did a lot of damage and I was lucky to have a lot of it fixed.” He sighed, pushing the many emotions that threatened to overtake him back. “Ever since then I’ve ran into some trouble. At first it was just trouble recalling things, but then I started having blackouts. A year or two ago it was just losing a few minutes here and there it got worse since then, but yesterday I blacked out for eleven hours.”
The nurse was scribbling furiously on the clipboard as Shining spoke, looking up only occasionally to acknowledge him and keep him talking. He wished he could see what was being written, just to know.
“Is there anything that lets you know a blackout is coming? A tingle? A sense of dizziness? Loss of balance? Loss of control of any of your bodily functions?” The nurse put her quill in her mouth and chewed on the frayed end as she waited to write more.
“No, nothing.” Shining admitted with a shake of his head. “It’s just seamless. One moment I’m one place, the next somehwere else. Words blend, ponies and places. It’s like a switch. I’m just left there, disoriented.” That feeling of vulnerability after his episodes, of not knowing where he was or what had happened, it was just demoralizing at this point.
“Tell me what happened immediately before your most recent episode. What you were doing?”
“I was with my little sister, Twilight, and a friend.” He had to be careful here, he couldn’t just tell her exactly what he was doing. He sure as hell couldn’t tell her why. “Twilight was getting ready to cast spell, a strong one. She lit up her horn, y’know, I could feel her gathering the magic. Then nothing. It was eleven hours later and I was in a completely different place.”
“The one before that?”
“I was on a train back home from Ponyville.” Shining was having a bit of a hard time remembering this one. “We were headed up the mountain and there was some sort of problem with the train and the conductor had to hit the brakes really hard, I think.” He caught Vinyl in the corner of his eye. Her face paled and she froze up at the mention of that. He had completely forgot to tell her, or maybe he just realized he shouldn’t. “Then I wake up the next morning in bed with a splitting headache.”
“Before that?”
“Summer sun celebration.” He recalled this one. Celestia had just got onto the stage and she went to raise the sun, then i was in a different part of the city.” The nurse nodded, intensely writing on her notepad. “Then the one before that was the night before, I was at Vinyl’s-” He motioned to the still terrified looking pony sitting by the nurse. “-concert. It was the set just before hers. Some giant fireworks display went off, If I remember. Then I was on the opposite side of the city almost an hour later.”
“Okay, Thank you, Shining Armor.” The nurse stood and addressed him with a smile. “You two just wait right here, the doctor will be with you shortly.” Once the door closed he could feel a set of cold magenta eyes drilling into the side of the head. Slowly and reluctantly he turned to see just that.
“You didn’t tell me about the train.” Her tone was level, distant and detached. That scared Shining more than any temper flare up would have. He wanted to tell her that there was a reason he didn’t. A very good one. This one.
“Because it was nothing, Vinyl.” He stood up and went over to her, pulling her into a hug. “Nothing bad happened, I’m alright.” He would do his best to smooth this over.
“I hate that fucking train…” She muttered. It was the same track that got her parents, so he could sympathize. THen this whole blackout situation probably didn’t help her stress or anxiety at all. It was all just one big maelstrom of bad memories and shitty situations.
“Shining Armor!” The door opened suddenly, a rather rotund unicorn stallion in a white doctor’s coat barging in. His thinning white mane was not helped by the comb over he was attempting, and his white coat did little to distract from the hanging black belly beneath him. “You ol’ so and so, it’s been awhile. Though I guess that’s a good thing considering my profession, right?” The bulky pony laughed a very full bellied laugh at his own joke.
“I guess, yeah.” Shining quietly pulled away from Vinyl, rubbing her back just a little as he stayed by her side. “Vinyl Scratch, this is Doctor Hairline Fracture. He treated me when I broke my leg back in the academy. Doctor, this is my significant other, Vinyl Scratch”
“Ironic, right? My name is Hairline and mine went away when I was twenty!” Again, another laugh at his own joke. “But yes, it is nice to meet you, dear.” The stallion’s demeanor changed rather quickly as he pulled out his glasses, put them on and brought the clipboard to his face. He sat down on the stool beside Vinyl, the seat groaning in complaint. “So it looks like you’ve been in a bit of trouble lately, hmm?”
“Something like that, Doctor.” Shining wasn’t going to elaborate unless asked or told. The doctor had all of his information in front of him, so there was no reason to.
“Now, based on what you told the nurse-” Doctor Fracture shifted with a grunt. “-my initial belief is that you’ve developed a magic sensitivity.” Shining closed his eyes, wincing at even the notion. “Now now, there are ways to fix it if that is indeed the case. It’s just your mind trying to protect you when it sense a...a mass output of magical energy near you. My guess from this memory trauma you brought up.” The Doctor sighed and looked at him. “Considering your exceptional natural sensitivity to magic, it most likely just exacerbates the problem.”
“Okay, well how do we make sure that it is what’s really happening?” Shining didn’t want this. He had been tasked with a job that was all about being around high-powered magic. Anything that could prevent him from doing that job would just put Canterlot, and Equestria in even more danger.
“Well, we could run tests here. I would have to order the tests, and they probably wouldn’t be available for a week or two.” Shining went to open his mouth, but the doctor must’ve sensed his urgency and cut him off. “But if you’re looking for something more immediate, I can get you a device that we place at the base of your horn. It will cut off all magical feelings sensations and signals from your horn to your brain and vice versa.” Shining understood what he meant, but he needed to hear the doctor say it. “Essentially, you would be without magic for about a week. You come back and report if you have had any more of these episodes. If not, we’ll run a few tests to make sure that is indeed the problem. If so, well then we’ll be back to square one.”
“Can you go without magic for a week, Shining?” Vinyl was the first of the duo to actually say something. “I mean, you have a pretty big job to do right now that requires it, and not to mention when was the last time you went without it for any period of time?” The only response he could give was a resigned sigh.
“It will be disruptive, most definitely.” The doctor removed his glasses. “Just as disruptive as your leg was, but you dealt with that very well.” That put it into perspective for Shining. This was a week. He was off of that leg for almost two months, the full recovery had set his entire life back a year. This was a week without a convenience that two thirds of ponies on the planet didn’t have. It might even stop these blackouts, he would be able to make up for all of that lost time.
“I can do a week.” Shining finally spoke after a few minutes of internal deliberation. “I can do it.”
“Okay, just wait here and I’ll be back in a bit with it. We’ll get it fitted and you’ll be on your way.”
----
Galea was quite the opposite of a happy pony right now. In fact, she was downright furious. Her and a small contingent of guards had made their way to Ponyville during the night, then waited until just before daybreak to go into the Everfree. They had found the castle Celestia had mentioned in her diary, where Cadance was supposed to be.
Cadance was not there.
She had escaped, Galea had figured, with help from some of the locals. The makeshift bridge had tipped her off to that. So now, not only was Celestia missing, but the backup alicorn was as well. She had left her guards behind and ordered them to keep an eye out for the alicorn or anypony who would be harboring her.
Equestria needed Cadance for once, and where was she?
Nowhere to be found.
Galea growled and threw the diary of Celestia’s she had been reading against a wall. There was nothing in it as to where the monarch was. It was all so much dribble; feelings, thoughts on mundane day to day activities, and endless complaining. There were no large secrets, no secrets to her power, no insights. It was all so normal.
The only standout passage came from the day of the Summer Sun Celebration. It only told her one thing, but it was the only thing she needed to know.
They had a year until Nightmare Moon came back. One year until the biggest threat Equestria had ever faced was back,, and as of right now Galea had no idea as to whether either Princess would be back in time to do anything about it.
Celestia had told her that Twilight Sparkle was her secret weapon to defeat Nightmare Moon, that it was her destiny. But could Galea simply sit back and wait for fate to work? Could she put that much faith into something she could touch or feel? Could she believe in Twilight Sparkle?
No.
As always, she would have to figure out her own solution. She would have to save Equestria herself.
----
Shining and Vinyl were back home now, alone. Radiance had said she needed to go to her father’s and retrieve some belongings for her stay. It was nice to be alone again, but Shining just couldn’t enjoy it fully.
Ever since the Doctor had placed that slim, barely noticeable metal ring around the base of his horn, he had felt disconnected from the world. He didn’t realize just how much he relied on his magic not just as a tool, but as a sense. He could feel other ponies with it, he could feel changes in weather, he could pick up on little subtle changes in mood if he really concentrated, and he could tell when the sun rose and set. Now, the world felt silent.
This silence was deafening.
“You doing okay, Twinkle?” Vinyl flopped beside him on the couch, her head laying against him. He blinked away his melancholy and gave her a very forced smile.
“It’s just going to take some getting used to, Vinyl. That’s all.” Honestly, he doubted he would ever grow accustomed to it. On their way home he already tried to open doors and move small things with his magic, to no avail. “I should probably check on Twily at some point today, huh?”
“Nah, she’s probably taking the day off. Same as you.” Shining wished he could believe that, but Twilight didn’t take days off. She was as tireless as a pony could be, kind of like him when he was at one-hundred percent. “Send a letter to the castle and ask or something, but stay here. With me. Please?”
“How can I say no?” Shining’s smile turned genuine at the prospect. “We’ll order out tonight, alright? Maybe a pizza?” A little night in never hurt anypony, and it certainly wouldn’t hurt them.
“Sounds great, Twinkle.” Vinyl closed her eyes and moved her head to his chest, pressing her ear right over his heart. He wrapped a hoof around her and held her close. “I love you.”
“I love you too, Scratch.”
He appreciated the sentiment, but deep inside he still felt useless. Tonight as he tried to eat without magic, he would feel useless. Tomorrow, as he had to get help to get in uniform, he would feel useless. When he needed to help Twilight with the spell, he would feel useless. If he needed to defend himself, he would be useless.
A unicorn without magic? What kind of life was that? Even for a week, it was so much.
He prayed that wherever Celestia was, she would lend him a little strength. He needed it now more than ever.
----
Mia collapsed on the couch in the Apple Family’s living room. Sweat drenched her entire body, her mane was stuck to her face and every muscle in her body ached. She let out a pained groan as she rolled onto her back. Her wings were splayed out, each one hanging off of the couch.
“Yeah, a hard day’s work’ll do that to ya.” Applejack sat down in the rocking chair beside the couch, setting a glass of water on the table for Mia. Somehow, the earth pony didn’t seem even a little exhausted. There were little droplets of sweat dotting her forehead and neck, but nothing like what Mia was dealing with. “Ya get used to it, though.”
“Rainbow Dash…” Mia groaned out the name of that insufferable pony. “I asked her about the clouds, and she said that if I could beat her in a race she would do it...but if I lost I had to do it all while she supervised.” Mia guessed she didn’t have to explain the outcome to AJ, because the barely hidden smirk on the farm mare was enough.
“That shyster’ll do anythin’ to get outta work.” AJ pushed the glass of water closer to Mia. “Can’t let ‘er getcha like that. She’s faster’n a rabbit runnin from a hungry mutt and just about as clever.”
“Thanks for the warning…” Sarcasm wasn’t something Mia would usually use, but her current beatdown state was enough to let some barriers down. “I don’t think I’ve done that much work ever in my life…” She slowly sat up, wincing at the pain in her back and joints as she reached out for the glass and took a large healthy gulp.
“Felt good, though.” Applejack stated, taking off her hat and tossing it with deadly precision onto the rack by the door. “Ah thank Celestia every day that ah getta wake up and work with my hooves. Ah’m lucky enough to put mah hooves in the dirt, do somethin’ with ‘em. Ah’m not stuck in a buildin’, ah’m not doin’ paperwork, ah don’t have to worry about manners high society or nothin’. Just me an’ mah work.”
“You really like doing this, don’t you?” Mia admitted to herself that it did feel nice to do something useful and see results. Most of the time in Canterlot, she was only told that what she was doing was useful and never really ever saw any benefit for herself.
“Course ah do.” AJ sat her cup on the table. “When ah was little ah thought ah didn’t. Went to the big city with mah Aunt and Uncle for a spell, tried the whole fancy thing. That ain’t me.” Mia so admired the mare’s openness and honesty about herself, it was just so refreshing from the two-faced ponies on that mountain. “This is who ah am. Ah know it ain’t for everypony, but what I do know is that everypony could stand to do a little of it from time to time. It ain’t always good for the wallet, ain’t always good for the body either...good for the soul, though.”
“I think I could use a little of that…” Mia was being honest, both with herself and Applejack. Her spirit had been broken, rather quickly with the Shining Armor episode all those years ago, then slowly over the last seven. Alone, doing nothing, just stewing. A little rehabilitation of the soul sounded good right about now.
“Tomorrow.” Applejack started. “Yer wakin’ up when Ah do. Ah know that don’t sound too appealin’ right now, but trust me. It’’ll be good for ya, Sugarcube.”
“That sounds wonderful, Applejack.”
Mia could get used to this, to all of this.
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So how long until Cadance is returned to being an Alicorn then, I think she will still be needed to rule the Crystal Empire when it returns after all, her cutie mark IS the Crystal Heart.
9532689
Hmm...maybe fate and destiny will be a big factor in this story. Maybe.
We'll have to see.
Magical sensitivity causing memory blackouts is... bad. Really, I hadn't made the connection, but as he was describing the situations I saw the pattern. Which is pretty well done, there.
Has Shining cast anything difficult lately? If he tried to, would it cause bigger issues?
Anyway, things are now moving somewhat badly. Cadance let Nightmare Moon out early, although it seems she is aware this is a potential issue... which I suppose is very Cadance in this verse, huh? Celestia is still noping off without telling anyone.
And Shining's alrightness with the authoritarian surveillance is pretty disturbingly realistic. "I don't like it, but I guess it's not too bad as long as nothing bad happened."
Holy shit, I did not know there was a sequel to my absolute all time second favorite fimfic in the site! Just finished up to here right now, thanks for continuing the story!