Chapter 54: United
Lilac lay sprawled on her bed, body limp and all the lights off.
She wasn't sure how long she had lain there since getting home—maybe minutes, maybe hours. The sun no longer glowed through the window to her left. Servants had brought suitcases of her belongings, unpacked them in her wardrobe, then left just as quickly.
How much could one little mare go through in a day? She'd been with a stallion for the first time in her life, and discovered that actually it wasn't something that should make her feel sick. Then she'd blasted a pony with dark magic, and discovered she could do it because her first big spell had actually poisoned her soul and she was doomed to die.
Eventually the stress became too much, and she just sorta gave up.
Lying here would not make any of her responsibilities go away. The Grove waited for her, with its fairy creatures increasingly agitated from her absence. Her friends would be worried about her, and there was the whole “dying” thing she should probably research. And of course there was Amaranth, whose research to the sorry state of Keen Focus might point back at Lilac any second now. Maybe an Equestrian police team would arrive to drag her away.
They didn't, though. For a long time, nopony at all did. She heard Iris shouting down the hall once, and servants brought a meal for her a little later. There was some talk of returning to Whispering Willow, but even that was quiet.
Were the ponies of House Vale afraid of her again? Had they forgotten everything she did to save Risk's life?
She should be with Copper right now, experiencing things that she craved to understand. She still wouldn't put on dresses for him, that was too much. Copper was not even capable of understanding the nightmares that tormented her, but he would probably still listen.
That was what she really needed, somepony to talk to.
Something knocked against her window. The sound was soft, quiet enough that she thought it might be a bird at first. Feathers tapping up against the glass, quiet but insistent.
That was an extremely determined bird—after a full minute of knocking, the sound grew louder. Maybe the poor creature was stuck.
She lifted her head from the pillows, and finally turned.
Charlie stood outside, balanced on the railing. She tapped with one wing, repeatedly sounding against the glass. She saw Lilac, and a goofy grin split her face.
She could barely even remember what this pony had been like, a world apart. But she was pretty sure Charlie made all the same silly faces that Firefly did. She just couldn't use her wings to be annoying, because she didn't have those.
Lilac wasn't feeling strong enough for this. She forced herself to get up anyway, rolling out of bed, sulking over to the window. "You just... flew over?" she asked, keeping her voice down. "Aren't you afraid the house guard will see you?"
"Vedette?" Firefly repeated. She hopped down off the fence, facing her through the glass. "You're joking. It's dark, he's probably already drinking by now. He wouldn't see me flying in unless I brushed his face with my wings on the way."
Lilac reached the door to her balcony, then stopped. She turned back the way she'd come, trotting to the bedroom door. She pushed it closed, then hopped up to push the lock into place.
Either of her parents could magic it open from the other side, but doing so would take a few moments of extra time. But that would be quite unusual for either of them—Iris was too respectful, and Amaranth had never visited her in the bedroom, not once.
Only when she had it shut did she cross back to the balcony. Her friend tapped one hoof impatiently, watching with annoyance. "Something wrong, Lilac?"
Was something wrong? Could she even narrow down the answer into a list that would make sense to her friend? At least she wouldn't lose her mind and forget their conversation.
"A f-few things." She pushed the door open. Tears streamed down her face, splattering onto the carpet. Since when was she so bad at controlling her emotions? How long had she hid her research from her adoptive family? Now here she was, bawling like a foal. "Y-yeah."
Firefly slipped inside, then wrapped a wing around her back. The pegasus always felt light against her, like she might blow away in a stiff breeze. Even so, the comfort she gave was genuine. She guided Lilac through the bedroom, over to her window seat. She joined her there amid the cushions and stuffed toys.
"You're growing out your mane?" she asked, oblivious. There was no trace of recognition in her face. This pegasus couldn't understand the pain she was in. She couldn't understand the damage she had done. One spell, one bucking spell, and she was dying.
"No." She pawed weakly at the cushions under her forelegs. "I had a tutor on the airship. She said my mane was too short, and threatened me if I—I cut it."
Charlie hopped down off the seat, pacing into Lilac's bathroom. She returned with a hairbrush and a pair of scissors. She jumped back up onto the bench, then curled up against her, shoving toys out of the way to make room.
Her old human self twitched in embarrassment at the closeness. No humans would do this, particularly boys. But she was neither of those things anymore. Hadn't she learned that, when a real boy was with her aboard the Magna Vale?
"Tell me what's bothering you," Firefly said. "I was going to tell you about what happened while you were gone, but it sounds like—maybe more happened to you than me. Do you want me to cut it how you had it?"
Lilac shook her head once. "N-no. I'm not sure what I want to do with it anymore"
Her friend nodded. She brushed Lilac's mane with her wing, dislodging the little cloth bands that held it in place. She had to brush it with her mouth, since neither of them were unicorns. Her friend didn't seem to notice the physical contact, or care.
Lilac wanted to feel uncomfortable, but that was a losing battle. The contact relaxed her, soothing away her discomfort in something simple and physical. "You'll never believe e-everything that happened," she finally said. She wasn't sure how long. "But you should know—my father is upset with me. You'll need to hide if he comes in."
Firefly nodded. "If that happens, I'll be gone before he can blink. Right out the window, a blur gone without a trace."
"Maybe a few traces." Lilac nudged something on the bench beside them—an orange feather, shed from the underside of her wings. If keeping a mane brushed was bad, doing that for two more organs would be so much worse.
She still resented not being a unicorn, considering all the amazing things she would be able to do with magic if she could use it natively. But at least she wasn't a pegasus.
"I stopped noticing those a few years back," Firefly admitted. "I think that's part of the reason pegasus ponies like living in clouds. You can't shed if it just falls right out of the floor. But my dad always keeps his room spotless, so I have to do the same." She picked up the brush again, and went back to what she was doing.
How much could Lilac tell her? "I know... I know I promised to get us home," she began. "When I dragged you here with me all those years ago, you were counting on me to reverse this. I know how much your old life matters to you. Your girlfriend, your career, everything."
With a brush in her mouth, Firefly didn't interrupt her. She just watched her seriously, never more than a few inches away. She could smell her fresh perfume, the slight fire of ozone around her. Pegasus magic, wild and powerful.
"I hurt myself scrying. I think you saw that—I told Iris about it. You wouldn't understand the magic, but the important thing..."
Firefly just watched, expectant. Waiting.
"If I can't stop it, I'll die. She doesn't know how, but she thinks there might be—" She was crying now. Even her own thoughts didn't make sense yet. But at least she had someone to listen.
Firefly wrapped one wing around her in another hug. "How do we treat it?" Her friend didn't argue, or press trying to understand things she was unqualified for.
"I don't know yet. Only how to not make it worse. I can't... do anything that would expose me. That means I have to put all my research on hold. All my planning, getting back to Earth—I don't think I can do it."
The pegasus dropped her brush. Her mouth opened and closed, as though she were trying to say something. She shook her head once, frustrated. "Y-you said it! The planet we came from, how did you do that?"
They had spent years with the same blocks on their minds. They were so ingrained that they believed it was something inherent to the way they'd come between worlds. It didn't stop them from thinking of an idea, just from saying or writing it. Except now she could.
"The force that stopped me is gone. I guess maybe the demon did that too. But that's not the important part, Firefly! Were you listening? I can't keep experimenting with magic to get us home. I have to put it on hold. Maybe for months, maybe for years—or maybe longer. I don't know."
Charlie watched her closely. She could probably read her emotions from scent alone, that was hard to hide when her feelings were this powerful. "When you were gone, the investigation team came to Willowbrook. I spent two days with them, helping."
Maybe Firefly saw the shock on Lilac's face, because she sped up, speaking faster and faster so she couldn't get interrupted. "It wasn't that bad, everypony scared of them blew it way out. Listen, they were smart. Their leader was a mare named Twilight Sparkle."
"Apprentice to Celestia herself," Lilac whispered, awed. "She was with you? You survived that?"
Firefly rolled her eyes. "Yes. They're not evil like everypony says. Lilac, I think the Lightless Star lies to us. I think they lie a lot, about everything. I think maybe... they tell us things to keep us close to them, dependent. But that's not what this is about.
"Equestria wants to find the pony who summoned that demon. They're going to keep hunting, so they can make Willowbrook safe from danger. But we can make Willowbrook safe ourselves. All you have to do is stop trying to make portals to our old home."
She hesitated, then lowered her voice to a whisper. "All we have to do is... accept what we both probably figured out a long time ago. There's no way back home. We're never seeing our old lives again. We have to move on, just like our loved ones probably moved on from us. Then Willowbrook isn't in danger."
The weight of those words bore more heavily on her than layers of makeup and dresses at Keen Focus's hooves. Admit that she could not return to Earth. "You want me to... give up on magic? Make it so my last years of research were for nothing?"
Firefly whimpered, avoiding her eyes. "I mean—only a little! You love magic. When we were still tall and weird, you seemed really interested in magic. You talked about it with more passion than you did about your doctor's office. You can keep learning it, just not the kind that makes portals back home. That way, Twilight doesn't need to hunt the sorcerer. Let me tell you, she's way off the trail. We give her no more leads, and Willowbrook is safe."
How was one mare supposed to deal with all this in a single day? Meet and give up her first love—learn she was dying—now give up on the only goal that had driven her last years of life?
While she struggled for an answer, someone else spoke. Or more precisely, it laughed. Tiny, high-pitched, and bitter. "Willowbrook, safe?" Saffron said. He landed on her shoulder, as always utterly unconcerned with the danger of his small size. "You think so? You summoned one Unmade by accident. What happens when your cult friends bring a whole civilization here on purpose?"
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OK pixie, start talking. What do you know?
I'm guessing they get this fic?
https://www.fimfiction.net/story/513304/dont-bug-me
Well Saffron, you've certainly kept a lot of secrets to yourself. It's time to spill the beans.
Easier than I thought it would be. Though yes, the sooner the problem is addressed the sooner it can be solved.
It might be if recalling memories of Earth strengthens the demon's hold over you.
I thought Firefly would suggest going to them for help. Though I guess even if they aren't evil, there are still reasons not to get their attention.
That power scan on Firefly earlier still makes me think that Twilight at the very least is on the right path.
He didn't necessarily said the civilization was a human one. At least not yet. And they seem to know enough to avoid bringing more demons to Equestria. We might finally be getting context on the reality of the world. Whether humanity is the true target of the cult or the Alicorn civilization lies deeper and everything so far was a test run. The sisters being revered by mistake (or by deception) due to being residents of a world below.
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I'd say humanity would have more of an advantage this time being naturally more robust than normal ponies. Then again, it's quite possible Willowbrook is about to be inundated with a lot more fillies.
Try explaining that on the next census.
Yeah, I been there.
Ooooh, I feel plot! Damn you and your cliffhangers! : )
Oooh, nice cliffhanger!
So, Firefly's seen through the cult's deception in full at this point... The only thing keeping her in Willowbrook is Lilac, and any friends she has 'here'. Great!
Hmmm, I think he's probably talking more about leaving ripples for Equestria to find than anything else. Then again, what else will be sucked through to meet them? They may expect the 'gods' to be able to defeat the Unmade that are pulled through with them, but considering that humanity has no idea what the hell's going on...
I don't think I'd realized that Lilac and the kid on the airship had been that intimate, but it seems to be implying that they'd hit all the bases.
Really loved that last bit with Saffron btw.
Why didn't you mention this before?
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A fertility Festival that went too far?
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The gyre brings strange things.
Oh, here we go. Time to betray the cult.
Or probably just think about how to go about doing that first. That might be smarter.
That is certainly worrying and I hope that they can prevent the cult from going that far. Firefly should still be able to contact Twilight but I think they avoid doing so until they have no other choice. That would risk exposing Lilac after all. Still I'm curious to figure out what Saffron meant.
Welp, time to flee while you can.
On the other hoof, fighting the cult and their new 'soldiers' would improve relations with the crown.
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And her dad, she actually considers him, her father, pretty sure she'd bend steel beams in half for him if given the chance.
Yes, thank you.
Another good point, and I'm glad to see Saffron calling them a cult (though maybe he did that before and I just don't remember).
That is an excellent point. Looks like the Lightless Star are about to take on their role as the antagonist.
Entering a new phase of one's life is rarely easy, but friends help. Well, a friend and a faerie. Assuming the Fair Folk are unequivocally on your side rarely end well.
Ok, first things first, I just want to say I'm not trying bash the story in any way, I like it a lot, it's well written and the concept is awesome but something is really bothering me.
I'm sure it's important to the story and I'm sure I'll find out how later but the seemingly random extreme intimacy and connection with Copper seems so out of place.
Like, when it happened I had to re-read the section several times to make sure what I thought happened, happened and one of the reasons for that was how out of the blue it was. Not only has Lilac not once shown interest in anypony that way but the best we can tell she was a straight guy for at minimum 25 years and has been a pony for seemingly 3 or 4 and yet for some reason she gets with a colt she has known for a week and shown only basic friendship with up till that point with no lead up to that kind of relationship between them, at all, and now talks about it like it was this unreal experience that might become an addiction?
As I said, I assume it's for a reason but it just feels kind of rushed and like it's supposed to be a notch on her "stay in equestria" list (other than the soul eating not quite human demons lol).
To clarify, it's not that she likes colts now, that's totally fine, it's just the speed that it happened and the way she is talking about it that's sitting oddly with me.
But yeah, please don't take this as me trying to be negative about the story, it's great and I'm really enjoying it, it's just that one part seems out of place to me and just feels odd with the rest of the story.
Thanks Saffron for helping everyone remember why there are two fillies from beyond in the first place. They're really deep in this, even though they pretend to be in the background...