They're Never Coming Back

by Flashgen

Witness Interview - Twilight Sparkle - May 5th

Transcription of Witness Interview: Twilight Sparkle
Date: May 5^th
Time: 1:16 a.m.
Interviewer: Doctor Blue Sky, PhD

After Solace was recovered, I asked Miss Vines if I could speak to Twilight. She allowed it and I retrieved the journal, but I took my time in starting this interview. I regret making Twilight wait so long for a reply, but I was afraid. I feared that there would be some catastrophe in opposition to our success once again. I stayed with Solace and the medic, Tourniquet, to make sure that he was recovering well, and waited.

I dozed off for a while, but awoke sometime around midnight. I excused myself to one of the other rooms and found the below after my previous goodbye, in addition to a few more lines of Twilight’s “I am Me” mantra. Her writing grew more scattered with each line of her mantra, letters tilting and lines askew, but it eventually returned to her previous, if jagged, style.

---

I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me
I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me
I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me
I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me
I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me
I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me
I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me
I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me
I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me
I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me I am Me

I am Me I am Me

goodbye
Sky

I am starting
soon

Solace
will come

he is not
strong
resolute
willed
enough to move

resting
exhausted
worse
getting worse

he will come soon
please
be ready
help
doctors
water
food

did it work?
is he there?
the office
mayor’s
please look

I am sorry
I reached
grazed

I know
he is safe
recovering
sleeping
resting
waiting

(I recalled an odd dream from when I was resting. It was dark for a few seconds and deathly cold.)

Hello, Twilight. I’m here. I’m sorry for making you wait so long and not informing you of your success. I feared something worse might still happen to Solace, like what happened to Pendant when she found this journal. Please, don’t take it as a lack of confidence in you or your work. It was merely superstitious caution based on what we’ve already experienced.

(The reply took many minutes to come. I assumed that, were the effort draining, Twilight may have been sleeping.)

it is
fine
Sky
thank you
I HOPE
my intrusion
did not
unsettle
disturb
dissuade you

No, I slept fine, Twilight. Tourniquet, one of the medics working here, is looking over Solace now. He’s in bad shape, but she and my colleague agree he is stable. Given the massive amount of wasting, muscle atrophy, dehydration, and exhaustion he seems to have experienced, I would say that’s a miracle. Him even being here with us is a miracle.

no
it is
chance
luck
penance

(Twilight still seems to feel blame for her actions, some of which she cannot likely recall.)

What did it take from you? Some sort of spell? I believe you talked to Miss Vines about willing the world you’re in to move, but how did you send Solace back?

no spell
I pushed a part
a piece
Solace
towards Equestria

it took
strength
concentration
will
the others
will take so much
more

always more

One of Miss Vines’ superiors is coming tomorrow, along with Princess Celestia. They’ll all want to speak to you about your plan and how they can help.

I am

glad

I HOPE Celestia
is well
not worried

Luna as well

I’m certain they’re fine, except for their worry about you and your friends. Their worry for all of the ponies that were here, that are here.

(I started to wonder why I had truly wanted to speak with Twilight. My first concern seemed to be her well-being, especially if this act took a good amount of strength from her, or to congratulate her on her success. However, I still had a nagging feeling of curiosity, a need for answers, just like Miss Vines and her team.)

It’s a worry that I share. We received word about Lantern and Pendant’s condition from Canterlot. Pendant remains comatose, but Lantern seems to be improving.

that is
good
to hear

However, there has been a peculiarity. I’m not sure if you can explain it. Other patients at the same hospital seem to be reporting the same strange dreams that Lantern experienced, along with White Clover.

that is
troubling
but maybe
expected

How so?

this place
the influence
spreads
mind to mind
dream to dream
nightmares
to reality
it is not strong
when
disconnected
severed
away

it passes
fades
but it can still
spread
grow
infect
malignant and strong

So if the world, that place, is close to Ponyville, those in Canterlot may be far enough away and could recover with time?

it is
difficult to say
I assume
but cannot
verify
guarantee
ascertain

it is
a VIRUS
but it cannot
live forever
in the LIGHT

Thank you, Twilight. Do you know why Princess Luna would be unable to see these dreams as well?

I
do not
cannot know
for sure

shrouded
concealed
separate

impossible to say
to know
for now

Lantern mentioned seeing Solace in one of his dreams after coming here, walking in what may have turned out to be the hallways connected to Town Hall. Perhaps the dreams take a part of the pony’s consciousness there?

possible
Doctor
I cannot
do not
will not
know all of this

I have studied
researched
searched
so hard
for answers

but they elude Me
always

it does not
want
to be known

But these creatures, these “others,” do. I’m sorry, Twilight. I know you don't know everything about these events. You’re just our only concrete lead. I’m sure Miss Vines must be thinking the same things I am, even if she’s resting now.

I suspect
she is

Sky
thank you
again
for speaking with me

it helps
it gives HOPE
HOPE gives LIGHT

I pray
I
the others
We all
are
accepted

cured

redeemed

saved

You’ve done everything you could to atone for your supposed failings, Twilight. That speaks volumes about who you truly are, and ponies will be willing to forgive you, accept you and help you. Everypony wants to help.

I am
not so sure
I should rest
more
hide
They
Her
may have found
a piece
a clue

goodbye
Sky

Goodbye, Twilight. Be safe.

---

Twilight may never forgive herself. I hope that we all can, however. No one should have to suffer from their past forever.

Comments

[2Merr]

Twilight still seems to feel blame forher actions, some of which she cannot likely recall.

Found a thing.

[Flashgen]

10268918
Much appreciated <3

[Seahorn]

Really good story so far. Whenever it begins to feel a little slow, the action snaps the mind back into focus.

Crap, I remembered something though. At the beginning of Twilight's journal. She was experimenting with an herbal mixture of poison joke. In the Legends of northern equestria, the creatures are connected with certain herbs. Lantern went mad when he was prescribed an herbal medicine by Blue Sky.

This leads me to think that this whole debacle could have been caused by Tiwlight messing with poison joke, and that is why she thinks noone will forgive her.