Sisters of Willowbrook

by Starscribe

Chapter 38: Aggressive Memory

Lilac was alone in her cell.

Some part of her had hoped, however distantly, that she would at least get to stay with Charlie. But doing that would also mean spreading more of the responsibility around. There was no need for Charlie to be locked up when she hadn't been the one to fail.

Let the cult believe she was the one responsible for everything, and maybe she could keep suspicion off her friend. One day they would have to cast that spell again, but far more powerfully. There was a vast gulf to cross, one that would require far greater strength than she had used this time.

But how can I ever do that again, if a monster like Derek Ashsen is waiting for me?

The cult could only be so strict with her—after all, she was one of the True Gods, meant to rule Equestria as she had done in the ancient days. That myth meant the hammer couldn't come down too hard.

Even the cell was comfortable, with a padded four-poster bed, fine wooden furniture, and a shelf full of spirits. A few years ago her old self would probably be tempted by those fine bottles and strange-colored liquids. But she'd seen their like behind glass so many times at Vale manor that they were boring old people things to her again. Just part of the background, barely worthy of notice.

But Lilac couldn't be alone with her thoughts, not now. Waiting too long would cast her back to a place without dimensions, without light or order or sense.

The cultists had taken almost everything from her—her saddlebags were locked up somewhere, along with all her magical tools. She'd kept only a single acorn, tucked behind her ear. Something so insignificant the unicorns searching her would probably think it was a snack she was saving for later. They couldn't possibly understand.

My spell worked. Under all her pain there was a sense of pride, enough to keep her from despairing completely. A scry might not be a proper Gate, but it was still a crack between worlds. If information could travel from Earth to Equestria, then matter was only a few steps away. Maybe I can get Iris to check my spell and tell me what went wrong. There have to be other ponies who tried to cross before.

As if her thoughts had summoned her, a heavy metal lock clicked, then the wooden door creaked open. A figure appeared in the space beyond, wearing her mask but no more of her formal Lightless Star attire. It did nothing to conceal her identity when Lilac could see her cutie mark so clearly.

"Hello, Lilac." She stepped inside, then levitated the door shut behind her. There was no click, so she wasn't being locked in too. She levitated the mask up off her face, depositing it on the empty table.

The unicorn was a perfect example of refinement and grace, the kind mares would look up to. For the first time, Lilac found something of kinship between them. The unicorn too looked like a bedraggled mess. Her mane was matted, her eyes puffy and bloodshot. Her ears and tail sagged.

She looked as bad as Lilac felt, if not worse. She approached her cautiously, then held out a hoof.

Lilac rushed over to her, embracing her with all the strength she could. All she dared to use, without risk of harming her adoptive mother. The lies she'd rehearsed with cultist after cultist melted away on her tongue, and she broke down into agonized sobs.

The unicorn held her there, stroking down her back with a single hoof. For several minutes she said nothing at all, just repeated that constant, comforting motion. When she finally spoke, it was in a gentle whisper. "Lilac... Lilac... what have you gotten yourself into?"

She said nothing of course—there was no answer that would satisfy. Given how badly the consequences had been, it was hard to argue with Iris. "It wasn't supposed to happen that way," she whispered. She wasn't arguing with the unicorn, she was arguing with the stars themselves. The rules of magic made so much sense, yet here they defied her expectations and left her baffled.

The unicorn released her, and something stern took the place of understanding on her face. "What, precisely, were you expecting, sweetheart? I am told you reached below into outer darkness. You summoned an Unmade into Equestria. Was that what you planned?"

"No!" Her voice cracked in a girlish squeak, and that only made her embarrassment grow. Her ears folded, her tail tucking between her legs. "And you forgot the important part. I killed it! I didn't just make a mess, I cleaned up after myself!"

The unicorn sat back, her mouth hanging open. Had they not told her the details of what happened?

"The Watcher was right. You have no idea the enormity of your actions. The Unmade aren't simple trifles to be overcome, like errant fire sprites that escape from their summoning circles. Even the greatest spells are dross before them. Order is unwrit, stars fall from their appointed places. I know the True Gods were once the greatest champions against them, but you don't have that power right now!"

She had increased her volume so gradually that Lilac barely noticed until she started screaming. She whimpered, cowering from before Iris as she had never shied from the monster. "The last time a creature like that got loose in Equestria, dozens of ponies died before the Tyrant intervened! You may be gods, but you're infant gods, Lilac! If one of the Unmade got its tentacles around you, it could erase you completely."

She stopped shouting, breathing heavily. Her horn still glowed with her emotion, bright enough to overwhelm the single candle they'd given her. She leaned against a dining chair, and said nothing for almost a minute.

Lilac had never heard the noble unicorn raise her voice, not once. She'd never been struck, never been anything more than mildly scolded, or been forced to get new dresses as punishment. It was so completely outside the realm of her experience that she just sat there, afraid to open her mouth.

"Most ponies don't last more than a few minutes. Even the ones who live are usually damaged for life. There are psychological wounds that come from even being exposed to the Unmade. The lucky ones just forget, but your memory seems clear."

She should keep her mouth closed, not give Iris any more rope to hang her. But she wouldn't be in this situation in the first place if her common sense was anywhere as strong as her curiosity.

"I was trying to scry the place I came from. I needed to know it was real, that my memories weren't just... dreams. I've been in Equestria for so long that I've started to forget. But it was there, Iris! My home, the forest I used to hike in, my old office. No people, but... that's probably just a variable out of phase in my calculations. I probably dropped an exponent in the time slide."

The mare took another few steps back from her, her flank against the cabinet now. "You looked?" So clearly she hadn't been told about the details of the spell yet after all. It would take only a brief examination of that diagram to guess what she was doing. "You looked, and you're talking to me like nothing happened?"

She took a few deep breaths. "You saw Below Equestria."

Lilac nodded absently. "It's not like the place you think—the place I was banished a long time ago in all those stories. My home was a place. It has predictable physical laws familiar to Equestria. Gravity, electromagnetism, the strong—what holds atoms together in Equestria? I don't actually know if you have those. We could test for them though! We'll just need a few tons of copper wire, some gold foil—"

"Enough!" Iris smacked her hoof down sharply, stopping Lilac before she could go completely out-of-hand imagining ways to repeat the old atomic structure experiments. Too bad, she could remember them all so clearly. Strange what aspects of living on Earth stuck with her after all these years.

"The Watcher has decreed the need for consequences from your actions, Lilac Empathy. Don't think of it as a punishment, precisely. We don't have the authority to do that. But I share his worry over your future."

She lowered her voice to a whisper, glancing once at the door. "Lilac, you can't tear the tapestry without Equestria noticing, even if you put it back. The Tyrants have already reacted. Our contacts in Canterlot inform us that she has dispatched her apprentice to investigate what happened. I do not know how much they understand—but I know this. If that unicorn discovers who you are, she will kill you without hesitation. You and Firefly are a threat to Equestrian orthodoxy that the betrayers will never permit."

"What do we do?" she asked, all confidence gone.

Iris paced around her once, expression grim. "For Firefly, nothing. She hasn't been tainted by this magic the way you have. Besides, two ponies vanishing at exactly the moment of this disaster would tell the investigators everything they need to know."

There was more there, words she wasn't saying. Lilac didn't need to hear it to know what she was thinking. The unicorn thought she was giving Lilac preferential treatment. Only one of them could have the safety of her other plan, and she chose it for her own daughter. Selfishly, perhaps.

What would Lilac do if Firefly got killed?

"My family has a number of zeppelins we operate for trade across Equestria. It would not be beyond belief that you decide to apprentice on one for a few months. When the danger is passed and suspicion fades, you can return to living here. But not before."

The weight of those words hit her like a blow from the demon. Leaving town for weeks, maybe months. She wouldn't have access to the library. She wouldn't be able to spend time with Firefly. She wouldn't be able to study her magic or plan future variations of the transportation spell.

All and all, it was a harsher punishment than the one she'd imagined. Even worse, it wasn't something that the cult could strictly control. Equestria was sending their investigator either way. If she got caught, she was dead.

"Will you be there?"

The unicorn shook her head sadly. "There are few casters with enough talent to misdirect somepony sent by the crown. I will be required here to divert attention away from our other work." She glanced over her shoulder, expression wistful. "We will need to demolish the entrances to the lower caverns, or else invite the inspectors to discover the low place. That and many other tasks lie before me. For you... a flight."

She patted Lilac on the shoulder with one hoof, her previous fear fading again. "That was some incredible spellcasting, Lilac Empathy. Remember the lessons of Starswirl the ancient. Power without control is a fire in the forest, consuming all before it. When you return, we will discuss changes to your training. There are those among the Lightless Star who would see your practice ended altogether. I know the impossibility of that suggestion. You need an outlet with less destructive implications. If summoning is so interesting to you, we will channel your interest to realms that don't drive their sorcerers insane."

Lilac tried to smile, but the gesture didn't reach her eyes. "I might not be insane, Mom. But it did hurt me. It took... something." She touched up against her chest with a hoof. There was still no wound there, no matter how many times she felt at it expecting the injury. "I would like to know how to... not do that again."

The unicorn squeezed her, holding her tight. "For now, that answer is easy. Keep your hooves in Equestria. We'll deal with the other consequences later."

Comments

[TheCommunistDog]

hmm so they will try and split them up... interresting let's see what Lilac will do

[Level Dasher]

Oof. So after that flight we won't be seeing a narrative with Lilac and Firefly together for a while. At least Iris didn't go completely 'strict-mom,' just followed (and seemingly agreed with) the Watcher's orders.
Now waiting to see what Twilight has to say about the whole situation…

[Solaris Owl]

Lilac is referring that unmade as Derek Ashsen I’m screaming
This is why you need to have several names

[Raistlin]

11172181
11172189

The Council was very lenient, even if they believe Lilac to be a god. In the Desdenverse, summoning a outsider like He-Who-Walks-Behind would be a capital offense worthy of decapitation.

I cannot imagine Twilight Sparkle going along with a "kill on sight" order, even from Celestia. Pre-reformation Sunset Shimmer however....

[minibox]

Derek's separation from Charlie maybe more painful than the demon's attack. Still, it is the best way to keep the sisters safe just in case Equestria doesn't tolerate their presence.

If that unicorn discovers who you are, she will kill you without hesitation. You and Firefly are a threat to Equestrian orthodoxy that the betrayers will never permit.

There are reasons to doubt that. But there are also reasons not to.

Besides, two ponies vanishing at exactly the moment of this disaster would tell the investigators everything they need to know.

Risk and River were in proximity to the demon and they're regular ponies. Any serious effects on them might be noticed by Twilight or whoever is Celestia's apprentice.

"My family has a number of zeppelins we operate for trade across Equestria. It would not be beyond belief that you decide to apprentice on one for a few months. When the danger is passed and suspicion fades, you can return to living here. But not before."

It is an opportunity to somewhat get out of the cult's eye and watch Equestria from a safe position. Determine which side is better for her and Charlie.

"I would like to know how to... not do that again."

The unicorn squeezed her, holding her tight. "For now, that answer is easy. Keep your hooves in Equestria. We'll deal with the other consequences later."

There's no denying Derek will try it again. But maybe next time Iris will be there to support.

[Gavier]

But how can I ever do that again, if a monster like Derek Ashsen is waiting for me ?

oh fuck that can't be good

[Nez12213]

"I was trying to scry the place I came from. I needed to know it was real, that my memories weren't just... dreams. I've been in Equestria for so long that I've started to forget. But it was there, Iris! My home, the forest I used to hike in, my old office. No people, but... that's probably just a variable out of phase in my calculations. I probably dropped an exponent in the time slide."

Shit. On top of losing her name she also forgot that she did see humans. But not complete ones.

[The Illusive Man]

Ah shit that’s bad…

[KMCA]

11172290
nice catch. I missed that.

[ADrunkChangeling]

Poor Lilac. I winder what Twilight/Shimmer will do when they find out the terrible old gods are a couple of lost fillies wanting to go home.

[ponepony]

11172189
Derek is probably considered long dead back home anyways, time to use Lilac as their new identity.

If summoning is so interesting to you, we will channel your interest to realms that don't drive their sorcerers insane."

I'm really curious what they usually see that drives them insane.

Please don't tell me they all saw humanoid creatures like Lilac did, or tentacle monsters

Lilac tried to smile, but the gesture didn't reach her eyes. "I might not be insane, Mom. But it did hurt me. It took... something." She touched up against her chest with a hoof. There was still no wound there, no matter how many times she felt at it expecting the injury.

When your character stat drops in a game, and no one knows what it does nor why it exists.

[FanOfMostEverything]

But how can I ever do that again, if a monster like Derek Ashsen is waiting for me?

Yeah, that's an issue. Even if Lilac gets back to Earth, she doesn't have her original name anymore. Which may impact her appearance and biology should she return.

The Unmade aren't simple trifles to be overcome, like errant fire sprites that escape from their summoning circles. Even the greatest spells are dross before them.

"That's why I dropped a few tons of rock on it. Nothing magical about gravity."
"That is not my point and you know it."

Stick the homesick earth pony on an airship far from everyone she knows for a few months. I'm sure that'll go over great. At least Iris recognizes that her daughter will continue her magical studies no matter what. This could develop in a wide variety of ways. We'll have to see which one.

[ponepony]

Yeah, that's an issue. Even if Lilac gets back to Earth, she doesn't have her original name anymore. Which may impact her appearance and biology should she return.

No more student debt. No more sleepless nights worrying about rent. No more real life obligations. Only pony.

[tsaukpaetra]

Oh shards, her identity was stolen. Saw the hint but now it's confirmed. Chances of successful return have drastically reduced.