After surviving a spell that merged Twilight and Dash into a single being, the two mares are still struggling to get back to as normal a life as they can have. Except, didn’t they used to have more friends? Why is it so hard to remember…
After surviving a spell that merged Twilight and Dash into a single being during the story Veil of Thoughts, the two mares are still struggling to get back to as normal a life as they can have. Except, didn’t they used to have more friends? Why is it so hard to remember…
The boundaries of reality are starting to crumble apart. Half dreams haunt their waking world. Memories of another life seep through their mind. What they were is quickly becoming little more than Fragments of Memories.
Friends, family and even enemies will come together to save Twilight Dash before it’s too late and there is nothing left to save.
The long awaited, highly anticipated, sequel to Veil of Thoughts. Don't forget to remember.
Twilight Sparkle was afraid. She could feel her muscles tense, as if begging her to run. Her stomach tightened up like it was trying to hide inside her. Every fiber of her being trembled as she stood transfixed by the ominous sight before her.
The massive golden sun stretched from one horizon to the other, filling all of her view. Yet, it was not the sun she feared. At its heart, there was a tiny point of absolute darkness. A darkness, that was coming for her.
Twilight tried to step away, but her legs would not move. It was as if she had forgotten how to walk.
The dark spot grew larger as it approached, until there was more shadow than sun. Then, what it had nearly eclipsed the golden-white disc, the darkness began to take shape.
It moved and shifted, twisting like nothing alive. At last, it settled upon a shape both familiar and foreign. Pony, yet, monster. Mentor and enemy.
"Twilight Sparkle," said a harsh voice. The words reverberated through Twilight, echoing like a shouting inside her mind. "For your crimes you are hereby banished from Equestria. From this day onwards, you shall no longer be welcome here. Your name shall be wiped from our history. Your memory erased from our minds. It will be like you never existed at all."
Twilight tried to move, to kneel before this shadow shape and beg for forgiveness for what she had done. However, the heavy chains around her hooves and neck kept her pinned in place.
The dark and terrible form moved forward, the sun blazing at its back. It looked down upon Twilight, its eyes filled with the most terrible expression the unicorn had ever seen: disappointment.
"Please!" begged Twilight, her voice finally coming to her aid far too late. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! Please don't send me away!"
However, the shadow was no longer listening. It was moving away. Not walking, but slowly becoming more distant, retreating back into the sun from which it had come. Soon the shape was nothing more than a faint line, then a distant dot and finally nothing – like it had never been at all.
"Please!" cried Twilight desperately. The heavy chains tightened and pulled at her, dragging her back towards the dark abyss. Twilight collapsed to her knees, unable to continue standing. In the distance the massive sun began to set and soon even that was gone.
Twilight Sparkle was left behind in darkness. She was completely alone. Chained, trapped and abandoned. She felt cold tears come to her eyes. She deserved to be here, to be like this.
"No, you do not, Twilight," said a soft, kind, voice. Twilight looked up, her face wet with freshly fallen tears.
The soft white glow of the Moon now filled the sky in place of the blazing sun. It cast its light upon Twilight, bathing her in shimmering silver. Standing in front of the Moon, looking down at her, was Princess Luna, although there was something odd about her. She flickered in and out of existence, like a ghost.
“So, I find you here once more,” whispered Luna quietly. The tall mare lifted a hoof and lightly touched the chains that bound Twilight. The links broke and dissolved into smoke before being whisked away in the wind. Yet Twilight remained where she was. “Why do you punish yourself?”
"I don't deserve to be free," whispered Twilight, looking away from Luna. "Not after what I did."
"I do not believe that to be so," said Luna kindly. "Your actions were noble and true, not selfish and corrupt. What you did, you did for all the right reasons. You have sacrificed more than anypony could have asked of you."
"But not what anypony would have wanted!" exclaimed Twilight, a bite of anger in her voice. Luna’s shape became more out of focus at the harsh words. "I gave up everything! I sacrificed everything! And I failed…" Twilight looked at her hooves as though seeing them for the first time. "I failed everypony…"
"That remains to be seen," said Luna, her expression impassive. "For now, the only comfort I can give you is this." Luna lifted her hoof into the air. Twilight watched it with wide eyes. Luna shimmered away and a moment later the moon suddenly exploded with light. The world around Twilight burned away into the glow of the morning sun.
Slowly, one eye opened to the soft pink light of the dawn. The purple iris contracted slightly against the rays of light streaming in through the window. Gently the lid half closed against the glare. The pony attached to the eye tried to lift a hoof, to shield against the day, but the leg wouldn’t move. The limb was paralyzed in place.
Yet this was nothing new, nothing to be alarmed about. Mornings almost always seemed to start like this, trapped inside a motionless body. Unable to do anything but look, the eye turned away from the sunlight.
Overhead the ceiling was moving slowly past. A faint memory played across their mind remembering back to the first moving ceiling they had encountered. Now, moving ceilings were normal. They saw it every morning. The eye closed and the ceiling vanished.
In the moment of waking, things were still disconnected. Twilight was awake, but they were also asleep. Half of their thoughts were filled with the morning Sun, while the other half was lost in distant dreams.
They were flying, looping high above a crowd who oh-ed and ah-ed. They were in both places, awake and asleep, in dreams and reality.
A cloud wall suddenly loomed in front of them. With a yelp that carried from the realm of dreams and into the waking world their other eye, with an iris of pink, snapped open. Their body became stiff, shaking slightly with an impact that had existed only in their mind. Then they settled back down, coming to terms that it had only been a dream.
"Yeah… a dream," they said, their voice dull and tired. "Are you awake then?" "We are," answered the exact same pony, talking to herself. "Just five more minutes?" "No. We should get up," they answered. The pink eye closed tiredly. They could feel the edge of sleep attempting to return. "Dash! Come on!" complained the pony, lifting a hoof to shake themself. The pink eye snapped open.
"Okay, okay, we're up!" they said. Stretching with both hooves they let out a long yawn. Then, slowly, carefully, they sat up.
Around them was a somewhat odd sight. There were in a multileveled room, with a loft on one side and bookshelves on the other. From their perspective however they were right in the center, except much higher off the ground than they logically should be.
This was an upper room in the public library, which had been built inside a living tree. The room had once belonged to Twilight Sparkle. Now, it was their room. They shared it because there was simply no other choice. They had to share it just like everything else. It was their room now.
While the room hadn't changed too much from when Twilight Sparkle had lived there, a few things were indeed different. It was slightly more messy than usual, yet that mess didn’t’ include any books. Some of the furniture seemed to be made from clouds, rather than wood, like one of the bookshelves. However, the most drastic of the changes was that the bed had been removed. In its place, at least some of the time, was a bed made from clouds. The cloud bed hovered near the roof of the room. It liked to float around during the night.
They gave it a gentle tap with a hoof and it descended slowly to the floor. They hadn't made the bed, flying and weather control were still too difficult for the moment. Their friend Fluttershy, with the help of two other pegasus, had made the bed for them.
Softly, the cloud mattress bumped against the floor and the pony with the mismatched eyes, rolled out of bed. The moment they were off, the cloud floated away once more. They watched with a slight frown as it drifted back to the ceiling above.
"We really should work on our flying," said the pony to herself. "Walking first," the pony answered. "But flying is so much cooler annnd faster! Come on, just try!" "No, we've been over this. Walking first! Now come on, we should wake up Spike." "Aw, do we have to? Can't we let him sleep in?"
They paused for a moment, their argument with themself halted as they thought. Deciding things wasn't like it had been. It was more… complicated now. What they wanted wasn't always what they actually wanted. It wasn't like voting, or weighing the options, it was more like… finding the right answer in a stormy sea of possibilities… more like… guessing.
At last, they finally came to a conclusion, together.
"Okay, we can let him sleep a little longer," said the pony to themself. "We guess we can manage a few things without a checklist." The pony rolled her eyes. “What?” exclaimed the pony. “We didn’t say anything.” “Having a proper checklist is important, especially now! It helps us stay on track and keep focused!” “We didn’t say anything!” they repeated. “Now let’s get a move on before Spike gets up!”
The pony took a deep breath, preparing for the great challenge ahead of them: the walk to the bathroom.
It was odd, before they had fused together simple tasks, like walking, had hardly ever been thought about. Now, however, things were more… complicated. A term they had repeated endlessly in recent memory.
"Left hoof first," said the pony. They nodded. Carefully, they took a step forward with their left hoof. They remained standing. A good start that usually went quickly wrong. "Okay, back hoof next." And it was going wrong. The hoof on the same side lifted and they felt themself toppling sideways. "Steady! Steady!" they cried, but it was too late.
They stumbled across the floor, their hooves moving automatically beneath them, catching them with each step before they could fall. They slammed into a bookshelf, causing it to wobble dangerously. Books toppled down out of it and the pony stumbled away, in the opposite direction, narrowly avoiding being hit.
They couldn't seem to get their hooves under them or stop themself. They collided with an end table and knocked the lamp off. It fell to the floor with a crash of glass. Their direction changed again, they were almost galloping forward now.
Their head moved far out in front of their body as they charged across the room. The wall loomed up in front of them, but they tripped on their hooves and toppled forward. They slammed into the floor before sliding to an uncomfortable stop. Their face was planted against the ground while their rump was sticking up in the air.
"We said back hoof!" complained the pony to themself. "That was our back hoof!" retorted the pony.
"Uh, Twilight?" asked a groggy voice from the top of the stairs. On the ledge of the upper level of the room was Spike. He had been Twilight Sparkle's assistant and friend since before she had come to Ponyville. Now he was… it was complicated. "Are you alright?"
"We're fine," said the pony. They put their hooves under them and tried to push themself up, only succeeding in rolling over to their side. "And it's Twilight Dash now!" they insisted.
"Sorry," apologized Spike. "I'm still not… I'm sorry." He hung his head.
"Oh Spike, it's alright," said Twilight Dash with a smile, looking up at him from the floor. "We're sorry, we weren't trying to wake you." Spike descended down the stairs.
"Yeah, I can see," said Spike looking around the mess of the room. He let out a sigh. "It's not like I'm not used to cleaning up since… you know." Spike stopped beside the pony lying on her side. "Here, let me give you a claw." With a great deal of effort, he helped the mare back to her hooves. She stood, slightly wobbly for a moment.
"Thank you Spike," said Twilight Dash with a smile. "We should be able to manage from here."
"Are you sure Twilight?" asked Spike, his eyes swept over the chaos strewn across the floor.
"Yes, WE are sure," said Twilight Dash. "Dash!" exclaimed the pony. "Sorry," they apologized to themself. "He just keeps forgetting that there are two of us!"
"I'm trying," apologized Spike again. "It's hard for me too, you know?" They could feel a retort come to their lips, words that wanted to say he had no idea what hard was. However, they were able to stop the hurtful sounds before they could make it. "Come on, let's get you to the bathroom. Left hoof first."
Slowly, Spike helped them make their way across the room. Together the three of them had worked out a system. Spike would touch each leg in turn as it needed to move. This was a very slow way to travel but it worked. It certainly had less crashing in any case.
After a few minutes, they reached the bathroom. They stopped in front of the sink first, to brush their teeth, which Spike had to help them with. When they had just been Twilight… no, when she had been Twilight Sparkle, she had used her magic to do it. Now magic was… complicated.
They looked at their reflection in the mirror, the unfamiliar, yet completely as they expected it to be, face looked back at them. Their fur was lavender, with the slightest hint of blue shine in the right light. One eye was vibrant pink, while the other was a dark purple. They had a unicorn horn atop their head, surrounded by a mane of rainbow colors.
Although they couldn't see them, they also knew that there were wings on their sides. And that they had a mismatched tail of deep purple, with a pink highlight.
Silently, they looked at themself in the mirror, while Spike brushed their teeth for them. They felt… sad, seeing how they looked now. Only a few days ago they had been two separate ponies, Rainbow Dash, a fearless, sky loving, daredevil pegasus. And Twilight Sparkle, a book smart, checklist obsessed, egghead, unicorn.
"Egghead!" cried Twilight Dash indignantly, drooling out some of the toothpaste onto themself. "Sorry," they apologized to Spike as he gave them a strange look.
After the brushing was done, Spike helped them to the shower. He closed the bathroom door behind him, to give them privacy - or at least as much as could be expected, with a second pony in their head. They sat, as it was much easier than standing, and turned on the water. It took another five minutes of fiddling with the knob before they could agree on a temperature setting.
Dash was not used to showers. Rain clouds and waterfalls had always sufficed before. The feeling of standing in a very small enclosed space and spraying water on themself was an odd, uncomfortable notion for her. A feeling that they both felt now as they sat under the spray.
As they sat, their mind began to wander. At first it drifted over the simple events of the morning. They recounted parts of their faded dreams, the feeling of flying, the look of disappointment in the shadow pony's eyes, the cheers of the crowd, the glow of the Moon.
Slowly their mind began to travel further back, to the day before that they had spent with their friends trying to comfort them. And the day before that when their friends had tried to help them remember how to walk. And the day before that when… when they had given up the element of magic.
An uncontrollable shudder trembled through their body. At first they hadn't felt anything, perhaps a little less warm. But as time had passed, as they went on, the sensation began to grow worse. It was like a hole within them had been opened. A hole that was getting larger and deeper. They wrapped their hooves around themself.
"Twilight Dash?" asked Spike from the other side of the door. "Are you alright in there?"
Their eyes snapped open and they shut off the water. Their hoof was shaking slightly and their breathing was uneven. They swallowed hard. How long had they been sitting here? They had completely lost track of time.
"Fine," came their shaky voice, sounding more of Dash than Twilight and not sounding fine at all. "I'm fine."
Spike had once again helped them to dry off before escorting them down stairs. Stairs were the trickiest part of all. They descended sideways, their jaw clamped tight around the railing with each step.
At last they made it down to the kitchen and were seated at the table, while Spike prepared food for them. They sat, still lost in their own thoughts, although they were hardly thinking about anything.
"Breakfast is served!" announced Spike, placing a bowl of oats, topped with lemon grass and dandelion petals, in front of them. They looked at it, both hungry and disinterested. Spike's smile slowly faded as he saw their expression. "Do you not like it? Do you want me to make something else?"
"No, no it's good," said Twilight Dash. "Thank you Spike." They put out a hoof and rubbed his head. He tottered off before returning with his own bowl of food, crushed rubies. Spike began to eat, but Twilight Dash just stared at their food, not really seeing it.
"Are you sure you don't want something else?" asked Spike when they hadn't moved. His voice startled them.
"Sorry, what?" asked Twilight Dash. "Oh, no, it's good."
"You already said that," replied Spike. "But you haven't even touched it." They looked away. "Maybe a checklist would help?" suggested Spike. "I can go get one if you want?" They nodded but didn't speak. "Okay, stay right there, I'll be right back." The baby dragon hurried off.
Twilight Dash looked down at the bowl in front of her. This had been one of Twilight Sparkle's favorite meals. Yet, Rainbow Dash had never really liked oats all that much. It was one of the many strange sensations that they had been feeling as of late, liking and disliking the exact same thing.
They lowered their head and sniffed. Instantly a war broke out in their brain. The fresh smell of oats made them both hungry and nauseous at the same time.
"I'm back!" announced Spike. They sat up straight in their chair, as though they had been caught eating something they shouldn't have been. Spike didn't seem to notice. "Alright, checklist, what do you want to put first? Eating breakfast?"
"Uh, sure," said Twilight Dash.
"Okay, eat… break… fast," said Spike, jotting down the item. "Okay, what next?" Twilight Dash looked away. What next indeed.
"I… we… don't know," said Twilight Dash. Spike frowned. "Fly!" said Twilight Dash suddenly, a little more of Dash's voice creeping in this time. "Dash! We've been over this! Walking first!" they said to themself, although the words sounded most like Twilight. "Oh come on! We've been stuck in here for three days! Let's at least go outside!" "No! Not yet, we aren't ready! They aren't ready for us!"
The room quieted into silence, the last of the argument lingering in the air a moment longer.
"I'm sorry Dash," said Twilight Dash to herself. "But… please… not yet." They hung their head.
"I'll… I'll make you something else," said Spike setting down his quill and parchment and retrieving the bowl off the table.
They didn't protest as he carried it away. He returned shortly with an apple salad to which neither had any reservation about eating this time. Spike sat back in his chair and waited until they had finished.
When the table had been cleared and the dishes cleaned, Spike returned to the checklist.
"Okay," said Spike. "So, breakfast, check."
"Do we have 'double-check' the checklist?" asked Twilight Dash hopefully.
"Uh, no," said Spike, looking over the single item on the parchment. "We only have one task…"
"Oh, yeah," said Twilight Dash, her face falling slightly. "I don't know what else we are supposed to do today…"
"Weren't you going to meet up with your friends?" asked Spike. "We can add that."
"Okay," said Twilight Dash with a slight smile. "Sure."
"Have… fun… with… Applejack, Pinkie, Rarity and Fluttershy," said Spike as he wrote out the list.
"Wait, who was that last one?" asked Twilight Dash.
"Fluttershy," repeated Spike.
"Oh, yeah," said Twilight Dash with a nod. "Flutterhigh."
"Shy," corrected Spike, a small frown of concern creeping across his face.
"That's what we said," said Twilight Dash. "When are they supposed to get here?"
"Around lunch I think," said Spike, looking up at the clock on the wall. "So, in like five minutes?"
Twilight Dash's eyes flicked up to the clock on the wall, it was only five till twelve, when had it gotten so late? They attempted to scramble up from their chair, only to land flat on their face. Spike let out a cry of distress and hurried to help them back up.
"We're fine," assured Twilight Dash, trying and failing to stand. They could feel tears of frustration starting to form at their eyes. This was easy. Foals could do this, yet they could hardly manage it!
At last Twilight Dash made it back to their hooves, with Spike's help. Just as they were standing there was a knock at the door.
"I'll get it," said Spike. "Wait… just wait here, okay?" They nodded, fighting the urge to follow. They could hear voices of greeting out in the main room. They longed to walk out there on their own. They lifted their left front hoof.
"What are we doing?" hissed Twilight Dash to herself. "Spike said stay!" "But we want to go!" "But we can't go!"
"Uh, hey, Twilight Dash?" asked a concerned voice from the doorway. They looked up to find Applejack standing their, smiling a strained smile at them. "Is everything alright sugarcube?"
"Nes," they answered, the words mixing together. Applejack looked sad but the smile stayed on her face.
"Do ya'll want a little help?" asked Applejack. No words this time, instead they both nodded and shook their head, making them dizzy. "Uh, I'll take that as a yes." Applejack trotted over to them. She reached out a hoof, but stopped. There was something in the expression on her face, something that almost looked like fear.
They stood there, silent and motionless. Applejack looked like she genuinely wanted to help. Yet at the same time it seemed as if the last thing she wanted to do was touch Twilight Dash. Applejack opened her mouth to say something.
“Pardon me,” said Spike, nudging his way past Applejack. The orange earth pony took a step back, moving out of the way.
Carefully, Spike repeated the hoof tapping process and escorted Twilight Dash out into the mane library room, while Applejack just stood and watched.
There three of her friends were waiting for her, Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Spike. However, there was also another pony there, one they didn't know. Twilight Dash was sure they had never seen this fourth pony before… and yet… there was something strangely familiar about the butter yellow pegasus that they just couldn't place.
Twilight Dash couldn’t help but smile at the sight of the ponies before them. All of their friends had come to spend the day at the library. They all had busy lives, so Twilight Dash looked forward to every moment the group could spend together. Today would be filled with fun and excitement along with activities that would help take their thoughts off the current situation.
Except, why had their friends brought somepony new?
The unfamiliar yellow pony gave them a strange shy sort of smile. At the same time she also tried to hide behind her long pink mane. An odd sensation flitted through their thoughts. For a moment, just a moment, they could almost remember the pony. There was a strong sense that they had met her before, like they knew her. A name balanced on the tip of their tongue but they couldn’t get it out.
The moment passed and the feeling faded. It was a stranger that stood before them once more. And yet… “stranger” was the wrong word for her. If only their friend Fluttershy had come along, maybe she knew this new shy pegasus.
“Today is going to be super-duper-looper fun!” exclaimed Pinkie, interrupting their thoughts. She threw her front hooves into the air. “First, we’re going to have a –
- bye TD! See you tomorrow!” Pinkie’s hoof waved goodbye before she stepped through the open door and out of the library. The happy chatter of four ponies was abruptly cut off as the door swung shut with a soft click.
Their friends were gone. Twilight Dash stopped waving their hoof as confusion spread across their face.
“What… what just happened?” asked Twilight Dash, lowering their hoof back to the ground. There was a loud buzzing in their brain along with distorted images, muted sounds and mixed-up words. They looked down at Spike.
“What?” asked Spike with a raised eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
“Why did our friends just suddenly leave!” cried Twilight Dash, feeling a little hurt and confused. “They only just got here! We didn’t even do…” “Anything…” Their words trailed off as a rapid flash of moments tumbled before their eyes.
They were sitting and talking… They were eating some kind of cake made by… Now there was a game in front of them, no, two games, blurred together with mismatched pieces moving in different directions. Somepony was laughing, another cheering. Now there was pie… and… and … their friends were leaving…
The memories twisted and bent into incomprehensible nonsense. The more they tried to remember, the more the events became jumbled up into gibberish. Each moment slipped away, becoming unrecognizable, impossible to ever see again. Faster and faster the minutes of the morning vanished from their mind. They had to stop thinking before the whole day was gone!
Twilight Dash shut their eyes. Their head was spinning. They forced themself to think about nothing, to let their mind go completely blank. The task was easier than expected. They became still and silent.
At last the images stopped. They were alone in their head. Only the faint murmur of another pony whispered in their thoughts. All they heard was the soft sound of their uneven breathing in their ears.
“Uh, TD, it’s been hours since they got here,” said Spike, his voice drawing them back out of their own head. The merged pony opened their eyes once more to find the baby dragon looking at them with a confused expression on his face. “I guess Pinkie was right, having fun really does make time fly by.”
“TD?” asked Twilight Dash, before working it out in their head. “When did you start calling us that?”
“You suggested it, don’t you remember?” asked Spike looking slightly worried. “During the party?”
“Ye… yeah,” said Twilight Dash trying to play the moment off as if it were no-big-deal. “Of course…” They gave Spike a weak smile. “What a great, uh, nickname…”
“Are you feeling okay TD?” asked Spike, looking them over. “Maybe I should go get Doctor Cross. He did say I should let him know if there was something wrong.”
“No, no,” said Twilight Dash trying to sound casual but failing. “We’re fine. I just…” “We mean, we just…” “Need some rest, that’s all.”
“Well, okay,” said Spike, not looking convinced, but not seeming to want to press the point. “I’ll go get dinner started. Why don’t you sit down TD?” They gave him a nod and Spike helped them over to one of the reading couches in the corner of the room.
Once Spike made sure they were comfortable, he hurried off to the kitchen.
“We don’t remember, do we?” asked Twilight Dash the moment the kitchen door closed behind Spike. “One second Pinkie Pie was talking about all the fun things we were going to do today and then our friends were walking out the front door.” “Maybe the party just wasn’t that fun?” “Are you kidding? Since when has… has… what’s-her-name ever thrown a party that wasn’t fun!”
There was a clatter from the kitchen and they went silent. A moment later Spike called out that he was okay and that Twilight’s favorite bowl definitely wasn’t broken.
“What is her name anyhow?” asked the mixed-up pony after a moment. “Who?” “The party one!” “Oh. Party-something, wasn’t it? Don’t we know her from some place?” “Of course, she’s our friend!” “What, no way, we just met her today. That’s why we were having a party.” “I thought the party was for that new pony, the yellow one…” “Yeah… I think we know her from some place…” “Maybe Pinkie Pie would know who that pony was?” “Maybe… why didn’t Pinkie come over today?”
Their thoughts trailed off and once again they tried to remember the events of today. They found some of them to be more whole than others. Waking up seemed to all be there. Even some of that morning’s dream – the one with the shadow pony standing in the Sun – was there. They could also recall stumbling around their room and crashing into things, although they wished they had forgotten that. Breakfast, that was there too. Then Applejack and Rarity arriving to spend the day with them…
Except, there had been two more ponies. Two new ponies that Twilight Dash had never met before. A yellow pegasus, whose name they apparently hadn’t gotten during the party, or at least they couldn’t remember having been told. And the pink one, that had organized the party. What had her name been? Had she even mentioned it to them?
“Dinner is served!” announced Spike, appearing with a tray. Twilight Dash gave a little jump, but settled back down when they saw Spike. “I figured it might be easier for us to have dinner in here tonight,” said Spike, setting the tray down in front of them.
There was something odd about the expression on his face, almost like he was trying to hide something. Maybe it was their odd behavior making him uncomfortable. Or perhaps they had said something at the party to offend him. If only they could remember.
The smell of dinner drew their attention away from their current problems. The scent of fresh carrots and crisp lettuce wafted up to their nose. Twilight Dash reflexively licked their lips. They dug in, savoring every bite.
Many things about their new existence together might be unpleasant or not work the way they wanted, but there was at least one benefit they had found so far. When they ate something they both really, really, liked, it tasted amazing. Carrots just happened to be one of those things that both Twilight and Rainbow had very much enjoyed.
“Better?” asked Spike as they finished the last bites of dinner. They nodded slightly. “Do you want to talk about it?” They made to respond, but Spike continued before they could. “I know it might not be something you want to talk about, but you should, you can’t keep it inside TD.” They closed their mouth. Spike knew them too well, or at least the part that had been Twilight. “Also… I might have broken your favorite bowl.”
“It’s… it’s okay, Spike,” said Twilight Dash, unable to help but smile a little. With all the stress in their life at that moment, a bowl was the last thing on their mind. Although they did feel a little sad, they were going to miss that bowl. “Do you remember the party today?” Spike nodded.
“Of course, it was tons of fun…” answered Spike. Then he looked suddenly concerned. “Did something happen at the party?” They shook their head.
“No… not exactly,” replied Twilight Dash. For a moment they toyed with a lie, to tell Spike that it had been great, the most fun in days. But no, they didn’t want to lie to him. Not about this. “We… we don’t remember it.” Spike didn’t seem to know what to say. “The more we try to think about it, the more it slips away.” “And it’s not just the party. It’s other things too. Names and ponies and places…” They looked away. “We thought everything was supposed to be better now…”
“Princess Celestia said you had accepted how you are,” said Spike. “But that you still need to accept who you are… whatever that means.”
“But we have!” protested Twilight Dash. “We are Twilight Dash! We are two ponies merged together!” “Yeah! What else do we need to do? Why couldn’t Celestia just tell us!”
“I… I don’t know,” said Spike, putting up his arms in a gesture of surrender. “She always talks like that.”
“Look at us!” continued Twilight Dash, rapidly becoming more upset. “We can hardly even walk anymore!” “Let alone fly…” “Now isn’t the time!” “It’s never the time! If we want to really accept this than we have to embrace all of it, not just part of it!” They sat up suddenly and spread their wings. “We were made to fly and we haven’t even tried!” “Fine! Fine we’ll try!” shouted Twilight Dash.
The room went silent as the echo of their last words faded. Spike looked at them with a shocked expression. Twilight Dash glanced at him before turning slightly red at their outburst. They shrunk back down into the couch and lowered their voice so that Spike could hardly hear it.
“Seriously?” asked Twilight Dash to themself. “… Yes…” they answered after a long pause. “You’re right… we’re right. We… I mean ‘I’… have been trying to do this my way for the last three days and look at us, we just keep getting worse… Tomorrow, we’re going to fly. Or at least try.”
After taking the dishes back to the kitchen Spike helped them back up to their room. The stairs didn’t prove as tricky as they had on previous days, or even as bad as that morning. In fact, everything seemed a little easier. They were even able to brush their teeth without relying too much on Spike, although he had to take over right at the end.
Even walking felt easier. It was hard to explain. They certainly couldn’t do it on their own. Each leg that Spike touched was the one they thought they would need to move next. The connection they seemed to be lacking felt so close, like it was almost in reach.
They trotted slowly through the lower half of their room. The cloud bed was still hovering up near the ceiling, like some escaped party balloon – the buzzing suddenly returned and thoughts tumbled through their head. The face of a pink pony they could almost remember danced before their eyes. What had her name been. They were sure they knew it.
“TD, are you okay?” asked Spike when he tapped one of their legs and they didn’t move. The face swam away and the name dissolved. Everything about the pony vanished.
“Hummm? What? Yes,” said Twilight Dash a little distracted. “We think we are…”
“Now where did that bed get to?” asked Spike. He glanced around searching for the floating mattress in the small space. They looked up at the out of reach cloud bed. If only they could fly now! Perhaps a regular bed would have to do for tonight, or at least until their cloud decided to come down.
They turned their attention to the bed that they had yet to sleep in since taking this new shape. It had been moved from the upper part of the loft to the lower section, meant now as a guest bed. They took a step towards the old bed and stumbled, falling forward.
“No,” said Twilight Dash to herself. “We are not sleeping in that! We agreed on this house, but a cloud bed!” Spike helped them back to their hooves, looking slightly concerned. The feeling they couldn’t place suddenly returned. Everything felt not as right as it had a moment ago. “How are we going to get to it?”
“I can just get the bed down for you if you like,” suggested Spike. Twilight Dash turned to stare at him in surprise.
“What? How?” demanded Twilight Dash. Had Spike suddenly learned magic or could he somehow fly? How much time had they really missed?
However, the answer was much simpler. From a low shelf on the wall, Spike picked up a length of rope. He swung it overhead, spinning out a lasso above him as he twirled the rope in his claw. Then, with a flick of his wrist he sent the loop flying high, up towards the ceiling. The rope snagged around the cloud. Spike gave a quick tug and the cloud floated down to land neatly beside Twilight Dash.
“Spike,” said Twilight Dash softly. “How did you do that?” “That was totally awesome!”
“Oh, well,” said Spike blushing slightly. “Applejack showed me. It’s how I’ve been getting the cloud down for you these past few days. Do you really not remember?” They shook their head. “I guess we can talk about it later, when you’re ready.”
“Okay,” said Twilight Dash a little despondently. They made to climb into bed, but Spike hurried forward and helped them.
They snuggled down in the soft, fluffy, cloud. Twilight Dash had to admit to herself that clouds were much more comfortable than hay stuffed mattresses.
Spike undid the lasso before giving the bed a light tap with his foot. The cloud floated softly along the ground before starting to rise. It stopped midway up lingering in a spot that wasn’t too warm or too cold.
“Goodnight Dash,” yawned Twilight Dash. “Night Twilight.” They answered. There was a long pause before they spoke again. “Do we really want to try and fly tomorrow?” Another long pause. Then the same voice answered. “Yes.”
Excitement flitted through them, making their body tingle with anticipation.
“You’ll see,” continued Twilight Dash, still talking to herself. “Tomorrow is going to be awesome!” They didn’t answer, but chose to nod instead. “Alright, let’s get some sleep. We have a busy day tomorrow.” “Yeah, sleep,” they mumbled to themself.
They let their eyes close while thoughts still tumbled in their head. Books and flying and clouds and… then nothing. The stream of thoughts echoed into complete silence and Twilight found herself alone inside their head. Dash wasn’t gone, she was simply asleep and Twilight was still very much aware of her presence.
Twilight let out a sigh. It was very stressful to continually be in somepony else’s head. Or was it them in her head? She didn’t really know anymore. It was so strange to hear foreign thoughts like they were her own. Not only that but it was also becoming harder to sort out what belonged to whom.
But when Dash was asleep, there was just Twilight. When she listened all she heard were her own thoughts, like she was the only one there. Even if that wasn’t really true and she was just pretending to be alone.
She did have to be quiet though. Not in voice but in thought. It was kind of like whispering with another pony sleeping next to her, which was indeed the case. She might not be able to hear Dash thinking in their mind, but her presence was still prominent.
Twilight tried very gently to move their body on her own but found it resistant to the effort. It almost felt like she was paralyzed. Yet, she knew that if she tried hard enough, the body would move and most likely wake Dash in the process.
Shared movement was strange to say the least. When they had come to terms with themself the way they were now, walking has seemed so easy. But unlike everything Twilight had ever practiced in her life, the opposite seemed to be true here. The more they tried to do things together, the worse they became at it.
Twilight was unsure how well flying would go tomorrow. She couldn’t see anyway that it wouldn’t end in disaster. Why had she agreed to try?
It was so strange. Now that Dash was absent, something that had seemed so clear, so right, felt almost wrong. It was as if she had been coerced. She felt like they had made the decision in a dream, where her thoughts worked differently.
However Dash wanted it, needed it, so badly that Twilight did too. They weren’t two separate ponies anymore, they were one combined mess. And Dash’s desires were becoming Twilight’s as well.
Awake, they were Twilight Dash and their thoughts were Twilight Dash. But asleep, or at least with one of them asleep, Twilight found her thoughts to be much different. If only she could study this somehow, understand…
Their body shifted restlessly and Twilight had to quiet her musings. She had been ‘thinking’ too loudly. It was a strange notion to know that her thoughts could be loud enough to wake another part of their shared mind.
For a moment, just a moment, Twilight’s focus strayed towards Dash and half blurred dreams spun in hazy shadows around the edges of Twilight’s thoughts. Disjointed sensations flitted through Twilight’s mind as she felt consciousness reawaken inside her. It was once more them, instead of just her, as Dash briefly stirred awake.
Then silence returned and the images of dancing dreams replaced the unfocused thoughts. Twilight could feel Dash fade away back into the whirling images of her dream. She thought it might have something to do with flying, although it was hard to tell.
They might be fused together in body and mind, but there were still two of them. Unless Twilight really focused, really tried, she couldn’t hear Dash’s thoughts, nor could Dash hear hers. The most Twilight ever saw was an echo of ideas. It was difficult to explain, even to herself, and even more difficult to make heads or tails of.
Talking was the best way to communicate, even if it was cumbersome and awkward. While their friends understood, they were unsure how everypony else would view them. What would other ponies think if they walked, or at least stumbled, down the street mumbling to themself.
Dreams were slightly different. The boundaries of dreams felt less defined than their waking thoughts. If Twilight tried to ‘look’ right at Dash’s dream it would twist away, like it didn’t want to be seen. But, if she wasn’t looking for it, if she was just there, then sometimes she would slip inside and see the other pony’s dreams. Something Twilight was not fond of.
Twilight struggled to stay awake. She could feel sleep threatening to pull her under. She didn’t want to lose the sensation of being almost like she used to be. It was too tantalizing for her to pass up.
She had to hold out just a few minutes more. Sure she couldn’t do the things she really liked to do – such as read or study – but it was nice to just listen and hear only her own thoughts.
In the quiet of their room her mind started to wander. Resisting sleep became more difficult. Images of Dash’s dream were more prominent in her mind. Twilight tried to pull herself back, to wake herself up! She wasn’t ready for sleep yet!
Awake! She wanted to stay…
The darkness before her eyes melted away into bright colors. Twilight forgot about her efforts to keep herself in reality. In fact, she forgot she was even asleep. Yet, there was still a small part of her that knew this was a dream, that she was observing in somepony else’s mind. Even her dreams couldn’t be normal anymore.
It took Twilight a few moments to realize where she was. It was a place she had only been once before. And yet, it was so strangely familiar. It was as if she had spent her life here, grown up here.
The endless white clouds of Cloudsdale spread out around her. She was at Nimbus Field, an open public area where young fillies often came to play before they could fly. She remembered coming here many times when she was younger and trying to fly before she was ready.
“No flying,” called a voice directed at her. It was a middle aged pegasus who was glaring at her from across the way. She was tapping a sign that read ‘No Fly Zone’. Twilight felt oddly frustrated. She was the best flyer in all of Equestria! Not some foal that…
Yet, no sooner had Twilight thought that then she became acutely aware that she was indeed a young filly. For a moment she could see herself from outside her body. She had shrunk down, changed back to the way she used to look when she was younger: Lavender fur with a wild mane of rainbow hair.
Twilight shook her head. No. This wasn’t right. This wasn’t how it had been. She had never been here. She had never looked like this. These weren’t her memories.
Canterlot, she had grown up in Canterlot!
The clouds around her shook and no pony except herself seemed to notice. The white rolling tuffs parted and from beneath them a structure of stone rumbled up from the clouds, rising tall into the air. The building was enormous, with many sets of sloping stone steps and a dozen tall columns lined up along its front.
It was the Canterlot Public Library, a place that Twilight had spent countless hours. That was where she belonged. She took a step towards it.
“What did I just say!” scolded the older mare, tapping the sign.
“But I wasn’t…” protested Twilight.
“She’s not even a pegasus!” cried a nearby filly.
Twilight suddenly realized that was true. In horror she looked down to see her hooves suddenly pass through the clouds below. Twilight began to fall.
The world tumbled away above her. The ground rushed up below her.
“I wasn’t here! I wasn’t here,” chanted Twilight to herself. “I wasn’t…” She suddenly stopped falling and found herself sitting at one of the many desks in the Canterlot Public Library.
The clouds were gone, the other pegasus were gone, and the older mare had been replaced by the kindly librarian. This was more like it. This was where she really belonged.
Twilight smiled as she looked around at the familiar sights. She was at her favorite desk. It was made just for one reader and placed in the back of the library. The location was also secluded, surrounded on all sides, except the front, by books
She missed this place, its smell, its quiet. It had been too long since she had come to read here.
Her eyes moved down to find an old book in front of her. The title had worn away with age leaving only a brown faded cover. With a hoof, she opened the book, eager to read its contents.
However her smile faded as she saw the first page. There was only one word upon it, in thick bold font. It was a word she didn’t want to read. Something she didn’t want to think about.
Quickly, Twilight flipped the page. But the next page had the same single word. This time the letters were darker, more menacing. Again she flipped the page, again, and again, and again.
Yet she could not escape the word. It was on every page, bigger and bigger and bigger until even the book could not contain the word anymore.
In desperation, Twilight slammed the book closed. The chair toppled backwards and Twilight fell with it, making a horrendous crash. Sounds of shushing came from all around her and Twilight turned bright red in embarrassment.
However, before she could apologize one of the bookcases across the library exploded. Books were sent flying in all directions as pages rained down out of the air. A light blue filly with a dark purple mane, highlighted with pink, charged across the library, dragging what seemed to be clouds in her wake.
“I said no flying!” shouted the older mare, chancing after the filly. “Your parents are going to hear about this ------ Dash!”
A loud buzzing filled Twilights thoughts as the mare shouted out the filly’s name.
The clouds the filly had brought into the library were spreading through it, turning tables and chairs and bookshelf into clouds. Even ponies didn’t seem to be safe from the touch. As the clouds rolled over them, they changed from unicorns to pegasus. Their attention turned from books, to the galloping filly.
Suddenly, the floor beneath Twilight’s hooves fell away and she found herself falling yet again. Except this time she wasn’t alone. The blue filly called Dash was falling right along side her. The older mare that had been chasing her was looking down at them from above, terror upon her face.
Then something was swooping through the air and Twilight felt herself being caught. She looked up to see her rescuer only to find the face of her father. Or rather, fathers. The pony who had caught her and Dash was half Twilight’s dad and half Dash’s. His face was a strange mixture of the two, the features blended together in an overlapping manner that made it look as if they had been meshed together.
The knocking from downstairs was what woke them up the first time. For a moment everything was fuzzy and unfocused. They remembered lifting their head and mumbling something about five more minutes before drifting back into unconsciousness.
The second time they woke was to the sound of a voice calling their name. At first the name was nothing more than a sound, echoing in the farthest reaches of their awareness. But whomever was saying their name, kept saying it.
“TD!” the voice called again. “Hey! Wake up! Twilight, Dash!” They shifted in their cloud bed, turning their head away from the sound. “Come on! Get up, your friends are down stairs!”
“Five more minutes,” yawned Twilight Dash.
“You’ve already said that, a bunch of times!” cried Spike. “And nopony knows the joys of sleeping in like I do, but I thought you wanted to fly today!”
As if the word ‘fly’ had been some kind of alarm, Twilight Dash was suddenly wide awake. Their eyes flicked to the window. It was well into the day. They had overslept and were now completely off schedule! Or, at least they would have been had they actually prepared a schedule. Part of them really wished they had at least a checklist to give them some direction and structure.
“Spike!” cried Twilight Dash, turning in the cloud bed so they could see him. “Why didn’t you get us up earlier!”
“I tried,” protested Spike. “But you kept saying five more minutes. And it’s not like I could really reach you all the way up there.” Indeed, their bed had decided to float up near the ceiling again.
Twilight Dash gave the bed a kick and it dropped like a stone. With a thud and a cry of surprise, the bed slammed against the floor. Luckily, the cloud absorbed most of the impact, but they sunk into it, like a deep mattress.
The two of them struggled to get their body free but they were all tangled up in the soft tufts. All they managed to do was wrap themself deeper in the cloud. The floating bed bumped against the ground as they fought their way out. They kicked their hoof, hoping to buck free. However, the sudden motion sent the bed skidding across the floor instead.
Twilight Dash let out a cry of surprise as the cloud dragged them helplessly along. With a wail of distress, Spike turned and ran as the bed chased after him. At the last moment he leapt out of the way. The cloud zoomed over his head before colliding with the wall a moment later.
With a spring-like sound the cloud bounced off the wall before sailing back to the center of the room. The bed flipped over and unceremoniously dumped Twilight Dash onto the floor.
“Ouch! Stupid bed!” shouted Twilight Dash, shaking a hoof at the uncooperative cloud as it floated away. “It’s not the bed’s fault. We should have waited for Spike.” “But we’re late! We should have been up hours ago!”
“Are you guys okay?” asked Spike, approaching with an outstretched claw.
“Yeah, nothing broken,” answered Twilight Dash. “At least we don’t think so.” They flexed a wing, it seemed to be fine. “Help us up.” “Please.”
It took some doing, but eventually, Spike managed to get them back on their hooves. They could hear the upbeat voices of ponies down in the main library and their sense of urgency returned.
Their morning tasks would have to be cut short. Brushing their teeth would have to wait until later. They could shower when they got home. And combing their mane could be put off… They spared a quick glance towards a mirror hung on the wall between two shelves.
Yeah, it was just the way they liked it, wild. The front was swept upwards like the swish of a cloud, while the back cascaded down like a waterfall.
“Absolutely not!” cried Twilight Dash in horror. “What, it looks cool.” They ran a hoof over their untamed rainbow mane. “Besides, I like it this way.” “Well I don’t!”
Their eyes moved to the hairbrush sitting on a nearby dresser. They stared at it for a long moment, half expecting it to zoom up into the air and fix the mess atop their head. And yet… at the same time, they didn’t seem to expect it to move at all.
“Are we going to do this, or not?” scowled Twilight Dash impatiently. “…” “Fine, if you don’t want to, let’s just…”
“I can do it,” offered Spike. He hurried to pick up the wooden brush. “I’ve seen Twilight comb her mane every morning, except when she’s studying… or reading… or taking notes… or organizing her notes…”
“Spike,” warned Twilight Dash, a note of irritation in their voice. He grabbed the brush off the dresser, blushing slightly in embarrassment.
“Hehe, sorry,” apologized Spike. He hurried over to them. They lowered their head so that he could run the brush through their tangled mane.
It took a few minutes of fighting to get the stubborn strands into place. As it turned out, rainbow-streaked hair was much more difficult to style than other manes. Trying to organize the colors proved to be an unexpected challenge.
Twilight Dash could feel themself starting to grow impatient as Spike muttered to himself about the colors not matching up. They were just about to tell him to give up… or to finish… or maybe to keep going… the important part was... something… important…
“All done,” announced Spike. They glanced at the mirror. It was… dozens of thoughts collided in their head. It was great, it was weird, it was okay, not quite right, perfect, strange… The opinions kept coming, overlapping into a jumbled mess of half realized ideas. “So, what do you think?” asked Spike eagerly.
“It’s fine,” said Twilight Dash after a moment. “Yeah, it’s fine. Now, come on. We’ve wasted enough time!”
Spike’s excited expression faltered slightly. He returned the brush to its place before helping them make their way across the room.
It was still slow going. Whatever harmony they had found the night before seemed to have completely left them this morning. Their balance was all off and they felt like they might tip over at any moment. Everything was out of whack again. Each leg that Spike indicated for them to step with was a surprise. Finally, they made it to the bedroom door. It felt like it had taken forever to travel the short distance.
They stepped out into the main room. From the upstairs landing they could see all of the library below. A group of four ponies were gathered near the door, talking quietly with one another as they waited. Among them were her friends Applejack and Rarity, but they didn’t know the others.
“Today, we are going to fly!” announced Twilight Dash, drawing the attention of the group below. “Also, good morning.” “Yeah, that too, I guess.” Spike continued to help them make their way down the stairs.
“You’re gonna what now?” cried Applejack in alarm.
“Darling, I’m not sure that’s such a good idea,” added Rarity. “I mean, you are still having some difficulty walking. Flying might be just a bit much.”
“Well, I think it’s a great idea!” cried a strange pink pony they had never seen before. “Flying is just what TD needs!” She even knew their name, their nickname no less… had they met her somewhere? There was something almost familiar about her.
The fourth pony in the room remained silent, not seeming to have anything to add. She was a pegasus and also a new face. Maybe she was here to give them flying instructions? But if any pony was going to help them, why wasn’t it Fluttershy? Granted she wasn’t the best flyer, but she was still a good friend.
And for that matter where was Pinkie Pie to cheer them on? Were they both too busy to stop by? It felt like they hadn’t seen them in ages. In fact, Twilight Dash couldn’t clearly recall the last...
A sudden panicked alertness yanked them out of their thoughts. They felt the world slip sideways as their hoof missed the last step. With a yelp, the mixed-up mare toppled forward, unable to steady themself. Feebly, Spike grabbed their tail trying to hold them up, but he simply wasn’t strong enough.
They all tumbled forward, landing in a heap at the foot of the stairs.
“Oh my are you alright!” cried Rarity, hurrying forward. The other ponies had also come to their aid.
“Just a little bump,” said Twilight Dash, looking up from the floor. All the ponies above them were dancing slightly. They shook their head and the ponies stopped moving.
“Maybe this really isn’t a good idea,” suggested the yellow pegasus in a very soft voice. “I don’t want them to get injured. And flying can be very dangerous.”
“Look,” interjected Spike, still laying across Twilight Dash’s back. “I agree they might not look like they are in the best shape at the moment. But I think TD really needs this. They need to get out of the house and they need to start flying again. And I think we should at least try.”
“But what if they hurt themselves?” asked Rarity. As she spoke her horn glowed and she lifted Spike back up. “I mean, themself… is that even a real word?” She tapped her mouth thoughtfully with a hoof.
Spike helped Twilight Dash back to their hooves.
“Oh, don’t worry about that,” answered the strange pink pony happily. “If anything goes wrong, we’ll be there to catch them! Just like Spike!”
Applejack and Rarity exchanged uncertain glances.
“Uh, he didn’t exactly catch them,” said Applejack hesitantly. “But, I guess gettin out of the house is a good thing. Just ain’t gotta push too hard. If it don’t work, it don’t work. You don’t need ta force it.”
“Maybe we should go to the meadow just outside of town,” suggested the unfamiliar yellow pegasus. Her voice was soft, almost like she didn’t want anypony to hear her suggestion. “The grass there is really soft, and there aren’t very many trees to crash into. That’s where I take baby birds to fly when they’re just learning. I mean, um, if that’s okay with everypony else.”
“I think that’s a fantastic idea Fluttershy,” said Rarity exuberantly.
A sharp pain made Twilight Dash wince. For a moment they felt dazed, like something had struck them in the head. What had Rarity just said? They could remember the words but somehow it didn’t seem to make any sense. They knew the word, they had heard it. And yet, when they tried to repeat it to themself they found the letters to be hollow and the meaning absent.
Rarity had called this new pegasus… something, but the name was impossible. This pony didn’t look anything like Fluttershy. She was more like… and her mane was… and…
Nothing. There was nothing attached to the name. It was like looking at an empty picture frame that had once held their favorite photo. They could almost recall details, but when they tried to remember specifics the image would slip away.
“Are you alright sugarcube?” asked Applejack. Twilight Dash was suddenly snapped out of their internal dilemma. Everypony seemed to be looking at them with concern.
“Uh, yeah, just nerves I… we, guess,” replied Twilight Dash.
“Alright,” said Applejack, not looking entirely convinced. “Let me go grab a cart so ya’ll don’t have ta walk.”
Twilight Dash barely heard Applejack and they hardly registered her departure. Their attention was fully devoted to the new pegasus. They looked at her, really looked at her. So much was familiar about her and yet... the moment they looked away, they found they simply couldn’t recall anything about her.
“Um… is everything alright?” asked the pegasus. Twilight Dash felt a sudden rush of embarrassment. They had completely forgotten anypony else was there.
“Did you… uh… do something with your mane?” asked Twilight Dash quickly trying to shift the focus to something else.
“Oh, yes, thank you for noticing,” said the shy pegasus, blushing slightly. “I brushed the end a little to the left today instead of the right. I didn’t think any pony would notice…”
“It looks great,” said Twilight Dash with a half-hearted smile.
A loud whistle from outside signaled Applejack’s return. The group made their way out the door, with Twilight Dash bringing up the rear. Spike guided them outside with careful taps on each leg. When they reached the cart, he helped them climb in.
The pink pony hopped in too. She claimed it would make the trip more fun and also that she loved riding in carts. There was just enough room in the back for two ponies, so Spike decided to walk with the rest of the group.
The cart bumped forward as Applejack began to pull. They were on their way. This was really happening. They were going to fly! All the other worries, doubts, and clutter in their mind was abruptly pushed aside and forgotten.
Soaring through the clouds became the prominent thought in their head once more. Excitement raced through their body like a bolt of electricity. At the same time, a cold sensation settled in their chest. Both feelings had the same result, fear.
All the things that could possibly go wrong flashed through their thoughts. All the things that might happen were laid out in horrible detail. All the things their friends might think when they flapped their wings and nothing happened weighed heavy on their heart. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all.
“Wow! It sure looks like it’s going to be a great day for flying!” cried the strange pink pony that had climbed in with them. Her voice seemed to oddly put them at ease. If Pinkie Pie couldn’t be here today, at least they had this very enthusiastic pony to take her place. “Although, I’m not really sure when wouldn’t be a great day for flying. A cloudy day really doesn’t change the ‘greatness’ of the day. I guess if you had a giant storm, with hail, and lightning, and wind, that might not be a great day. Maybe just an okay day?”
Twilight Dash was sure the pony hadn’t taken a breath anywhere in her rambling. Even now she was still going, although they weren’t paying as much attention to her.
Casually, they glanced around. Of course Applejack was pulling the cart, although she did glance back to smile. They returned the gesture, glad that she had come along. Rarity was walking alongside Applejack. The two of them were talking to each other about something but Twilight Dash couldn’t make out what.
Rarity too spared a smile for them when she noticed they were watching her. Spike was walking just a few steps behind Rarity. He didn’t seem to be able to look anywhere else other than upon the white unicorn.
Behind the cart, trotting along at a safe distance with her head down and her pink mane partially hiding her face, was that quiet new pegasus. What had her name been? The pony had told them yesterday…
No. That was wrong. They had only just met her this morning… hadn’t they? Yet… they felt like they had met her long before that. They almost felt like they almost knew her.
The pony looked up and smiled bashfully at them, before looking away quickly.
“… and cakepie!” exclaimed the strange pink pony. The sudden break in the cadence of her long winded story made Twilight Dash jump with a little start.
“Wha?” asked Twilight Dash, suddenly realizing that she hadn’t heard a word the pony had been saying.
“I made cakepie for lunch,” answered the earth pony. “I’ve been trying to figure out how to make it ever since I first tasted it! It’s the most amazing, the most astounding, the most super-fantastical-terrificical thing that has every existed in the history of everything!”
“Please tell me you brought more than just desserts!” exclaimed Rarity in alarm. “Some of us have a figure to maintain!”
“Well, I did bring along some apples,” answered Applejack. “In case we want a snack.”
“Cakepie is a snack!” cried the pink pony happily. In one quick moment, the pony consumed the mixed baked good whole.
“So,” interjected Applejack, looking back over her shoulder at Twilight Dash. “Are y’all feeling nervous?”
“What? No, I’m not feeling nervous at all,” answered the pink pony before they could speak. She popped another cakepiemuffin into her mouth. “These cakepies came out perfect! What a strange thing to ask. If anypony is feeling nervous, it should be TD!”
“I was asking TD,” said Applejack, rolling her eyes.
“Oh, well, I guess that does make a lot more sense,” said the pink pony thoughtfully. “So, are you guys feeling nervous? Are you?”
“A little,” answered Twilight Dash. However, that was an outright lie. Nervous didn’t even begin to describe the feelings inside them at that moment. Something akin to complete and utter terror felt like it might overtake them any second. And yet, there was a feeling of excitement and anticipation. The familiar conflicted feeling of both wanting and not wanting the exact same thing.
“I’m sure you’ll both do fine,” said Rarity, trying to sound reassuring. “After all, Dash was the winner of the best young flyers competition. And Twilight… uh, reads a lot of books. I’m sure you must have at least browsed through one on flying.”
“Ha!” came Dash’s laugh more strongly than Twilight’s. “We’ve read every book in the library about flying!” “Some of them twice.” “Yes, some of them twice. But flying isn’t something you can get from a book, you just have to do it, you have to feel it! And we totally feel it!” They spread their wings in anticipation. “I can’t wait to get out there!”
“You mean ‘we,’” corrected the pink pony, raising an eyebrow at Twilight Dash.
“Yeah, that’s what we said,” answered Twilight Dash. The cart jerked to a halt, throwing them slightly off balance. But the pink pony reacted and kept them from toppling over.
“Alright, this looks like the place,” announced Applejack.
Spike helped them climb down from the back of the cart. The touch of the soft grass on their hooves sent a shiver up their spine. They had forgotten what grass felt like. Or maybe they had never really known. They had been inside so long that the outdoors almost felt foreign to them.
The field was large and flat, with only the slightest hills at its edges. Tall wild green grass danced in the warm afternoon breeze. There were only a scant few trees scattered across the plain and a small winding river that cut across the far edge of the area.
In the distance they could see the cloudy purple mountains. Atop the tallest one they could just barely make out the white glint of Canterlot. It had been so long since they had been there and…
Another thought crossed their mind. It was something they hadn’t figured out how to deal with yet. Something they hadn’t decided on doing. Something they just couldn’t think about right at that moment.
Later, when they were ready, when they were fixed. Then they would tell them.
Applejack had pulled the cart a safe distance away, leaving plenty of room around them. The gentle breeze blew again, as if urging them on.
The group gathered around Twilight Dash.
“Now remember, nice and easy,” said the yellow pegasus encouragingly. “You don’t have to fly very high.”
“And if something goes wrong, which it won’t, we’ll all be ready to catch you!” reminded the odd pink pony.
“Alright, we can do this,” whispered Twilight Dash to themself. “Just a gentle flap, nice and easy.” They nodded.
They spread out their wings from their sides and closed their eyes. They focused on their body, on their wings. This first motion was not meant to lift them off the ground. They were just going to get a sense for how the stroke of their wing should feel.
They let their wings flap.
The world suddenly rocketed away below them as they blasted up into the sky, the wind roaring in their ears. Then a boom like thunder echoed out behind them. They couldn’t turn their head but they could see the wake of a sonic rainboom rippling out across the sky below them. And still they were racing upwards, past the scattered clouds. They could feel the air becoming icy cold and thinning with each breath. The sky turned dark above them as clear blue became black.
Control, they had to get control. They lifted their left wing. The force of the air grabbed them like they had deployed a parachute. They were suddenly spinning sideways. Twilight Dash tumbled through the air with sky and ground and mountains all turning into an endless blur.
Their wings flapped again. They felt the force of uncontrolled acceleration. They still didn’t have any control over their flight path. Everything they tried seemed to make their situation worse.
They were falling again. At least the world had stopped spinning. However they were dropping like a rock out of the sky. This was an experience they had felt before and something they weren’t keen on going through again. Last time Fluttershy had come to their rescue.
Despite plummeting out of the sky a strange feeling of joy welled up inside Twilight Dash. They had remembered something about their friend! It wasn’t a face, or a fact, but it was at least something.
They were so overcome with the sensation that, for a moment, they completely forgot they were tumbling towards the ground. Yet Fluttershy didn’t seem to be anywhere in sight. She hadn’t even come with them today.
The wind screaming in their ears – or maybe it was them who was screaming, they couldn’t tell – brought their attention back to the current problem. They needed a solution so as not to crash. For a moment they considered flapping their wings again. Although, pointed down, it seemed like this would only carry them faster into the ground.
A dozen ideas and plans raced through their brain. The messages collided with each other and one thought bled into another, resulting in a jumbled mess of half crafted solutions.
The ground was getting closer, yet their mind was getting further from anything remotely helpful. They were going to crash. Any moment they were going to slam into the earth at full speed and…
Twilight couldn’t think about it. She not only closed her eyes, she closed her mind, not wanting to envision their horrific fate.
In that moment, something strange and unexpected happened. Something Twilight had never felt before. She became a spectator in her own mind. Thoughts that were not hers raced past. She got glimpses of ideas, of commands, but it was like watching a galloping pony from the sidelines, she couldn’t make out very much before it had gone past.
Twilight Dash pulled up… or was it just Dash… it was hard to tell… They leveled out and slowed to a reasonable speed.
“We… I, did it,” said Dash, a slight note of surprise in her voice. Twilight was hardly aware of the words. Instead, she was more focused with what had just happened. The feeling was almost the same as to when Dash had fallen asleep, leaving Twilight alone in their mind.
This felt eerily similar and yet wholly different. It was backwards, like she was the one who was asleep. She was there, but not. It was complicated.
Twilight knew that if she thought too loudly, or tried to concentrate on flight, things would go wrong… like they had the last time Twilight had interfered with Dash flying indoors.
She hadn’t wanted it, but Twilight suddenly recalled the terrible memory. The effect was like somepony toppling over a cabinet full of fine china.
Their control faltered, their body wobbled and they began to lose altitude. They beat their wings erratically, only making the situation worse.
“Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!” shouted Twilight Dash to herself. The moment of calm and separation, was shattered. They were both thrust back into the same space and their mind began to conflict with itself once again.
They managed a long, unsteady turn. Below, they could see Applejack, Rarity, Spike, and two strangers down on the field. Both their thoughts lined up with getting back to their friends, but how to do that seemed to be the conflict. As one suggestion would pop up, so would a second, changing part of the plan.
Such that they had: fly towards their friends and crash into them. Or lift the left wing higher so they could do a loop to impress the ponies below with their flying skills. Or their least logical, fly up to get back down.
Twilight Dash tried to find their moment of clarity. They wanted to reach back into being Dash and Twilight for just a little longer, just until they were safely on the ground.
However, whatever they had done before to focus their thoughts, they couldn’t seem to do it again. At nearly full speed, they dropped out of the air, hurtling towards the ponies below. It seemed like ‘crash into their friends’ was the winning option.
Yet, the sudden painful impact they had expected did not come. A softly shimmering aura of magic cushioned their fall, slowing them almost to a stop. The light faded and they landed softly on the ground next to their friends. The new pink pony had been right. Their friends were indeed there to catch them, at least the two that had come out to watch them.
So far, the day had been extremely busy. Non-stop emergencies, priority meetings and an all-hooves-on-deck surgery kept Doctor Wild Heart at nearly a gallop. From the moment she made it through the front doors she had been dashing around the office as though the place was on fire. At this point, a fire wouldn’t surprise her.
It was only as the day grew late and the sun began to set that she finally made it to her office. She paused for a moment in front of the fogged glass door. Even though her reflection was distorted in the murky surface, she was able to catch a glimpse of her slightly disheveled appearance. Her normally straight silver and gold mane was all tangled up and matted against her head. Tufts of golden fur stuck up in odd places along her back. If there was time, she might give her coat a good brushing down.
With a sigh, Wild Heart pushed open her office door and stepped into the dimly lit room. The last rays of daylight lingered in the sky beyond her window. Orange, red, and the slightest hint of silver, played along the wispy clouds. Pockets of deep shadows hid in every corner of her office. And, in the very center of the room, was an ominous dark mound, shaped like a sleeping dragon.
The horn atop Wild Heart’s head glowed briefly with a pinkish light. Four gas lamps that were bolted to the walls flickered to life. The dark frightening shape was washed away to reveal something truly terrifying: paperwork. Stacked taller than a pony, the whole center of the room was piled high with towers of unfiled documents.
Much of what made up the enormous pile were patient records, medical reference texts, and neglected office forms. Somewhere under all that mess, hidden completely and nearly forgotten, was her desk.
Wild Heart sighed again. There was always so much work to be done and always more work to do after that. If only there was more time, she might have devoted some of it to paperwork, although that seemed unlikely. She certainly couldn’t ignore it forever. After all, it was part of her job.
Wild Heart worked for the Canterlot Magical Emergency Medical Center, or CMEMC. Part of the reason she was so busy was that her group was woefully understaffed and severely over tasked. This was because very few applicants qualified for her specific line of work. Much to her frustration, even fewer believed in what she was trying to accomplish.
Most doctors at the CMEMC dealt solely with treating magical injuries. This meant finding a way to disenchant, decurse, or reverse a harmful spell. But when that was completed, the patient was sent on their way, with no regards to any lasting impact.
For many, many years the task of treating magic-related mental injuries had fallen on the Canterlot Central Hospital. However, they were ill-equipped and lacked the training to tend to patients recovering from symptoms brought on by spells.
The body healed the body. Magic could heal magic. But only the mind was able to heal the mind. And, just like the other two, sometimes it couldn’t do it on its own.
It had taken much convincing for the other doctors to even listen to such a radical idea. Magic, after all, could always fix magic, and therefore fix all the damage caused by magic. She was told over and over that once the curse was removed, everything would be fine.
Wild Heart did not agree.
Had it not been for Celestia that would have been the end of her career. The Princess had been willing to listen and, even more astoundingly, try. Wild Heart had seized the opportunity and was able to prove the effectiveness of treating the body, the magic, and the mind.
Far beyond what she had expected, Wild Heart had been given her own team: the Traumatic Spell Recovery Division. There was still very much for her young group to learn but they were learning. This was a new field and she was its only expert.
Her days were always jam-packed with bizarre magical accidents that stumbled in through the door. Her nights were filled with emergencies of those that waited too long to seek treatment, believing they could fix it on their own. But, every now and then, she managed to get a few minutes to herself and just... read.
To be precise, she had seven minutes to herself. Then, it was off to the Intensive Curse Unit to help with a particularly nasty spell that had gone wrong. Wild Heart didn’t know all the details. From the brief description she had been given, it sounded like a timeloop spell. The result of which caused the pony to relive a small section of time over and over again. The pony claimed this was the fifth time they had gone through this day.
However, Wild Heart hadn’t even made it to her desk, wherever it was actually located, when there was a tapping at her window. She was on the fourth floor of the building, second office on the left, and there was no balcony. A pegasus was hovering outside, waving to be let in.
Wild Heart’s horn shimmered with an aura of pink and the large floor to ceiling window unlatched itself and slid open. The pegasus landed inside, his wings sending a few of the papers from her hidden desk spinning up into the air.
“Sorry about that,” apologized the pegasus. The words sounded more formal than apologetic. He was dressed in spotless white armor, with the crest of the sun upon it. This pony was a messenger from the castle. “The Princess urgently requests your presence at the palace,” explained the messenger, confirming what Wild Heart had already guessed.
“Can it wait?” asked Wild Heart. “Today is extremely busy.”
“Her Highness insisted that it was very urgent,” he repeated.
“Yes, of course it is,” said Wild Heart with a slight frown. “I’ll be there as soon as possible.” Something had to be wrong, but what? What could be so important that Celestia needed to see her right away? Wild Heart didn’t know, but it most likely wasn’t good news.
“I shall inform the Princess that you are on your way,” replied the pony with a slight bow of his head. His wings extended to carry him off, but he paused before glancing around the document filled room. “Perhaps it would just be better if I used the door?”
“If you don’t mind,” answered Wild Heart with a tired smile. The pony bowed again, then made his way to the door, carefully avoiding the towering stacks. He gave the room one last glance, not seeming to know what to make of it, and then departed.
With a final sigh at her unsorted room, Wild Heart also made her way to the door. Except for the few disturbed papers, she left the office nearly untouched. Tomorrow. She would definitely get back to reading tomorrow.
Before departing, she informed her head of staff that she would be gone for a few hours. He took the news quite well. Or, at least as well as anypony could, considering how short staffed they already were. They would make do without her, although the time-looped pony might have to wait just a little longer to be unlooped. In any case, if they couldn’t get him out today, he could always try again the next time around.
Wild Heart made her way through the darkening streets of Canterlot and up towards the palace. It was quite some distance away, although not more than a few minutes trot. Teleporting would be faster, but… she shivered at the thought. No, the Princess could wait a few extra minutes.
As the sun set, Canterlot came alive with activity. It was a city of magic and when the sun went down, the lights came on. Ponies here never seemed to sleep. There was always something more to be done.
In every direction, magic lit up the air. Flashing signs depicting dancing ponies filled the entire wall of a nearby building. It was a party club that Wild Heart had never been to. Nopony had ever invited her to join them and it seemed awkward to simply go alone. In any case, the line for the club was already around the block and she would never find the time to spend on waiting.
On the opposite side of the street was a fancy restaurant, packed with diners. Food, tables, and guests were all levitated high above the street by a dedicated service staff. This allowed the ponies to enjoy a spectacular view with their meal. Wild Heart had never eaten there, but she heard that the food was fantastic! No place else in Canterlot could beat the view, so long as you didn’t mind everything being extremely expensive.
Flashing shop windows further down projected a cascade of bright lights into the street. The glass was enchanted to glow purple, then blue, then orange, before transforming into a dancing array of rainbow colors. The display was meant to catch the attention of those passing by and it looked as if the lightshow had done its job. A group of giggling mares stopped at the shop window to look inside.
Wild Heart paused, staring somewhat longingly at the group of mares across the street. They all looked so happy, talking and laughing with each other. From where she was standing, Wild Heart could see her reflection in the shop window. And for just a moment, it looked like she was part of the group.
Then the ponies moved on. Wild Heart and her reflection stood alone once again. She shook her head before continuing on her way.
She wasn’t sure what silly notion had come over her. She didn’t have time for stuff like that. Shopping and clubs and… friends. Her career came first. She had a job to do, a very important job. She helped heal others.
Even still, Wild Heart couldn’t help but think those mares looked like they had been having a lot of fun together. It was hard to remember the last time she’d had fun. Work wasn’t exactly fun. Rewarding and fulfilling yes, but not fun.
The lights of the city began to fade behind her. Wild Heart had been so lost in her own musings that she was slightly surprised to see the eastern path in front of her. This winding, narrow dirt trail would lead her up to the castle. Scattered slabs of worn down stone served as steps up the very steep slope. The stones were beaten with generations of travel but they still proved to be very stable.
The last edge of the sun on the horizon gave her just enough light to climb the hill safely. At the top of the incline, she could see the torches that marked the gate at the border of the castle grounds. She was almost there.
This path was her favorite way to reach the castle. It had two very enjoyable aspects to it. First was the spectacular view of the sprawling lands below. She could only just make out the silhouette of the distant town of Ponyville between the rolling hills. Further out, she could also see the dark green forest that stretched out across the golden grass to the horizon. Her favorite feature was the magnificent blue river. It cut across the countryside from the base of Canterlot all the way out to the ocean. It sparkled as if it was filled with stars in the last light of the sun.
The other reason she liked this path was that she seemed to be the only pony who ever used it. Most visitors going to the castle traveled to the main gate via a wide, well-lit, brick path. It was always packed with hoof traffic and carts. She didn’t care for either the noise or the copious amounts of other ponies.
At the top of the hill was the outer wall. The torches she had seen from afar now blazed brightly before her. Between the flames stood two unicorn guards and between them was the open gate that led into the castle grounds.
The guards nodded to her, indicating that she could pass, but they did not speak.
She made her way across the outer garden. The evening sky overhead had become dark, with the first stars of night glittering across it. The garden walkways were lit by hanging lamps illuminated with magic. Each lamp had been set on a tall metal post and placed a dozen hooves apart.
The flickering lamp light cast dancing shadows across some of the more prominent garden features. One of those was the large multi-tiered stone fountain. The water overflowed into six smaller stone basins, arranged around the fountain like points of a star. Each basin had a waterfall that flowed into an irrigation stream that carried water to a different section of the garden.
Wild Heart trotted over the tiny wooden bridge in the path. She could hear the babble of the dark water below her, although she couldn’t see it in the low light. She knew this stream flowed off into the deep garden, which had large fields of flowers, groves of trees, deep ponds of fish and a massive hedge maze that was currently off limits.
Following the path, the garden fell away behind Wild Heart. The massive shape of the castle obscured the sky ahead of her. The building’s many windows glowed with a warm yellow light. The shadows of ponies hurrying about inside played on the glass.
Another set of guards stood at attention beside the small castle entrance ahead of her. The firelight flickering above them made their faces hard to see. Like before, these two nodded her past, although the guard on the left did at least push the wooden door open so that she could enter the castle.
The wing Wild Heart had entered was quiet for the moment. This section wasn’t often traveled, which was why she liked to come this way. Her hoovesteps were muffled by the heavy velvet carpet in this hallway.
It wasn’t long before the busy sounds of voices and trotting hooves broke the silence she had been enjoying. As she left the eastern hall, the corridors began to fill with more and more ponies.
Ponies in different colored robes and tabards rushed this way and that, looking very important as they went. Some were envoys from other nations while others were palace staff attending to the needs of state officials. Wild Heart even passed by a griffon who was talking in whispers with a nearby pegasus.
She zigzagged through the hustle and bustle, eager to slip past. To her right was a long orderly line of castle visitors. Some looked anxious, while others appeared very calm. They were all waiting to speak with princess Celestia.
Throughout the day, the Princess held court in the main throne room. Along with the matters of state, ponies from all over the kingdom were invited to come and speak. Each wanted to have their problems heard and hopefully solved.
Wild Heart avoided the line to the throne room. That was not her destination. Instead, she made her way towards a small waiting room just down the hall.
She had been here before, many times in fact, so she knew her way around quite well. She also knew that whatever the Princess wanted to talk to her about, it was unlikely to be suitable for the ears of the court.
There was a page standing at the waiting room door. He was dressed in a drape of white and gold. His fur had a silver-ish quality to it that made him almost look like he was bathed in moonlight.
“I will inform the Princess of your arrival,” said the page as he pushed open the wooden door for her. Wild Heart smiled and nodded, but did not say anything. She trotted inside and heard the door close with a soft click behind her.
The waiting room was exactly as she remembered seeing it the last time. The walls were lavishly decorated in the blue and white colors of both princesses. Three elaborately carved waiting benches, furnished in soft white cloth, had been placed in the center of the room. Two large portraits of Luna and Celestia hung opposite each other, with a fireplace in-between them. One low dark marble table, with a selection of various fruits and vegetables, had been placed before the benches.
It was unlikely that Wild Heart would have to wait very long. The setting of the sun meant that Celestia would adjourn the court at any moment. If it was really urgent, this room would be her next stop.
As it turned out, Wild Heart was only half-right. She hadn’t even made it to the benches before she heard the door burst open behind her with a loud thud. Wild Heart turned her head and was surprised to find Princess Luna trotting quickly across the room.
“Doctor Heart! I’m very glad you were able to come so quickly,” said Luna, an undertone of relief in her voice. She hurried forward to give the slightly confused Doctor a hug. There was a worried expression upon Luna’s face. Something was definitely wrong. Why didn’t Wild Heart ever get invited up to the castle for tea instead of emergencies?
“Luna!” exclaimed Wild Heart in a half-greeting, half surprised reaction at seeing the mare. Wild Heart had been expecting to meet with Celestia. Sometimes having two Princesses really did complicate things. “I… I was expecting to meet with your sister. But it is certainly nice to see you again.” A sudden terrible thought flitted through Wild Hearts mind. “Is everything alright? Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m… fine,” said Luna somewhat hesitantly. Something about her tone seemed to indicate that Luna wasn’t being entirely truthful. “This issue is not about me.” Wild Heart felt a wave of relief wash over her. Luna had made so much progress. There hadn’t been an incident with her for months now.
“This is about… about somepony else,” continued Luna. “A friend… friends, maybe that’s the better term, that need your help.” Luna’s horn glowed and a scroll magically appeared in the air above her with a soft pop.
The seal on the parchment had already been broken, but Wild Heart recognized it as the symbol belonging to Ponyville General Hospital. She took hold of the parchment with her own magic and unfurled the letter within.
Dear Princess Luna, read the first line. Wild Heart thought she might recognize the writing style. As you have requested I took the liberty to visit the Ponyville Public Library today and check-in on Twilight Dash. That name sounded vaguely familiar, did she know a Twilight Dash? Didn’t princess Celestia have a student by that name? No, that was Twilight Sparkle - were they related?
At first I believed her situation to be improving, and her recovery progressing nicely. While her tendency to use ‘we’ and ‘us’ when talking about herself is still a bit odd, she was much more coherent than in previous discussions.
She informed me that she had just returned from her first flight, which I initially believed to be a good sign. However, as our conversation continued, it became increasingly apparent that you were correct. Everything is not fine.
The most worrying aspect came up early on, when Twilight Dash mentioned that only two of her friends, Applejack and Spike, had accompanied her. Yet, this was not the case. Spike – the dragon that lives with her – informed me that all of her friends had in fact been there to support her.
When I questioned Twilight Dash further, my insistence about her friends’ presence seemed to upset her. Even the mention of their names resulted in a visible reaction of discomfort.
I then asked her to describe the ponies that had watched. Yet, she was unable to give more than the most basic and non-descript details about the other ponies. Although she had no trouble telling me about her friend Applejack or her dragon Spike.
My concern grew worse as we talked about the flight itself. While she was able to recall some parts of it with great detail, much of her recounting of events worries me. Twilight Dash claimed that she was able to reach an extreme altitude with just a single wing flap.
Yet, again, Spike corrected her. He claims that she started with a slow take off. After hovering for a moment she gave a cry of excitement and then launched herself up into the sky. Once she was high enough she started performing complex acrobatics while her friends cheered her on.
The only part Spike and Twilight Dash are able to agree on is the landing, or rather lack of one. It seems that her friend Rarity was able to use a spell to catch her just before crashing. Although, Twilight Dash was unable to recall the name of the pony that saved her.
I also asked about her magic. But Twilight Dash was exceptionally reluctant to say anything on the subject. All I could get out of her was that she hadn’t attempted even a single spell. In the end I had to drop the line of questioning.
This whole thing has me very worried. While they appear to be in good physical health, their mental state appears to be deteriorating. Unfortunately, this is beyond my area of expertise. I highly recommend engaging the doctors at the Canterlot Magical Emergency Medical Center.
In particular, if she is still there, I think a young mare by the name of Wild Heart might prove very helpful. She had the idea in her head that not all magical ailments could be fully remedied with traditional magical means. If she is still there, then seek her out. Hopefully, she will be able to help.
Sincerely,
Doctor Red Cross M.D. Head of the Magical Cures Group of Ponyville General Hospital
“This letter arrived only a few hours ago,” explained Luna urgently the moment Wild Heart lowered the letter. She could hear the need in Luna’s voice. This wasn’t just some friend. This was a good friend, an important friend. “My sister has said that Twilight Dash needs time to recover and that things will be fine. But I do not believe that is the case!”
“I’m not sure I understand,” said Wild Heart. “This letter talks about flying and magic and memories… what exactly happened to this pony?” Luna seemed hesitant to answer.
“The matter is… complicated,” said Luna after a moment’s pause. “But that is what you are best at, is it not? Helping those that nopony else knows how to help! Will you help them? Can you fix them?” Wild Heart felt her face cringe at the word ‘fix.’ She hated that word.
“Luna, you should know it isn’t as simple as that,” answered Wild Heart. Luna’s hopeful expression fell slightly in disappointment. Clearly the Princess seemed to have been expecting Wild Heart to proclaim everything would be solved instantly, as if by magic. “Something like this takes time. I would have to meet her, talk to her, get to know her. Just like I did with you.”
“A meeting can certainly be arranged,” said Luna with a slow nod, some of her lost confidence returning to her. “Tonight, if possible.”
“Tonight?” asked Wild Heart in surprise.
The letter had come from Ponyville which was nearly a half day’s travel by train. If they left right now they might make it there tomorrow morning. But there was no possible way that Wild Heart could spare the time. She was already planning to work through the night, which didn’t even include making it back to her neglected paperwork.
“Yes,” answered Luna with an emphatic nod. “We can take my personal chariot. If the skies are calm it shouldn’t take more than an hour to reach Ponyville.”
“Alright,” replied Wild Heart. “I’ll see this pony tonight and do what I can for her.”
“Excellent,” exclaimed Luna, sounding almost excited. “We shall depart at once!” Her horn glowed, flinging the door to the waiting room open. Without another word, she turned and hurried out into the corridor. Wild Heart trotted after.
They moved quickly through the castle halls, taking the passages that were seldom used. Wild Heart wasn’t sure where they were headed, but she did think that there must be a quicker way to get there. For a moment it almost felt like they were sneaking around.
They took a left, down a corridor that Wild Heart had never traveled. It was narrow, with only slits for windows. Without stopping, Wild Heart couldn’t get a good glance outside to get her bearings. She didn’t recognized this part of the castle at all. Where exactly was Luna taking her?
Luna led them upwards, ascending a spiral staircase that wrapped around the inside of a tower. Wild Heart was just starting to feel slightly dizzy as they reached the top. They had come out upon a small balcony that overlooked the city of Canterlot below.
The sun was completely gone now and the sky glittered with a cloud of stars. There were no torches this high up and the lights from the city below looked like a smaller version of the night sky above.
Luna continued onwards, vanishing into the dark. Wild Heart had to cast a light spell to see the way. A beam of light stretched out from her horn, illuminating Luna standing a dozen hooves away.
“My apologies,” said Luna. “I often forget that others cannot see as well in the dark. Watch your step, the path ahead becomes very narrow.” Luna trotted onwards and Wild Heart hurried to keep up.
The Princess hadn’t been kidding about the narrow path. It was hardly wider than Wild Heart and only a low stone wall separated her from a nasty fall into the darkness below. The path wrapped around the outside of the tower, leading them away from the lights of Canterlot. In a few steps more, they moved around the tower and the lights of the city vanished.
Wild Heart’s light beam revealed another set of stairs ahead of them. Just how many steps did a castle need anyhow? The stairs curved around the outside of the tower and went up in a very steep incline. Worse still, the low wall ended abruptly at the foot of the steps. On one side there was the solid stone tower and on the other side, empty black air.
Luna did not even pause at the stairway. She hurried forward, climbing the steps with a practiced hoof. However, Wild Heart proceeded with slightly more caution. Soon, Luna vanished around the curve of the tower as she climbed ever higher. Wild Heart was unwilling to go any faster, but it seemed she didn’t need to travel much further.
The steps ended as they reached the flat stone top of the tower. Wild Heart had never been up this high before and she wasn’t entirely sure she liked it. They seemed to be at the top of the tallest tower in the palace. From way up here, the lights of Canterlot seemed smaller, dimmer, somehow.
Sitting in the center of the tower was a black, blue, and silver chariot. It was drawn by two armored pegasus that were already harnessed and ready to depart. Wild Heart had the feeling that saying “no” to this trip had likely never been an option. Luna seemed to already have her mind made up about all this.
The Princess climbed into the chariot first. It was fairly large, easily able to accommodate three ponies of Luna’s size. Yet, it was still sleek, with a trim form and an elongated compartment.
Wild Heart stopped for only a moment. She had never flown before. After all, she was a unicorn and it was magic, not air, that came most naturally to her. She considered the vehicle. If this was to be her first time flying, at least she supposed she was doing it with style.
With a sigh, Wild Heart climbed in to stand alongside Luna. The moment all her hooves were in the chariot, the pegasus leapt from the ground and sent hurtling into the sky.
Oddly, the force of the acceleration didn’t cause Wild Heart to slide out the back, even though she hadn’t been holding on. It was possible that this vehicle was enchanted to keep passengers from falling out, or perhaps the pegasus pulling them were just extremely skilled.
Even with their speed, they were shielded from the wind – which would make talking a lot easier since they wouldn’t have to shout. A good thing too, as Wild Heart had lots of questions for Luna about the pony they were going to meet.
“You still haven’t told me what happened,” said Wild Heart a minute or so after they had departed Canterlot air space.
The Moon was barely above the horizon now. In Canterlot, the Sun had set, yet they were high enough that it was now daylight once more. From here they could see just the tiniest sliver of golden light out over the distant ocean. The clouds overhead were orange on one side and silver on the other as the chariot sailed through the last moments of twilight.
“It is difficult for me to talk about it,” answered Luna after a long while. “It brings up… bad memories of a time I thought I had forgotten.”
Wild Heart waited for Luna to continue, but the mare did not appear to have anything more to add. They flew in silence through the night sky. Far below the dark hills and forests rushed past before vanishing behind them unseen.
“Luna,” pressed Wild Heart again. Her voice was soft and her tone understanding, not demanding. “I know it must be painful for you to talk about. But if I am to help your friend, then you need to tell me what has happened to them.”
Luna turned her head towards Wild Heart. There was sadness in the princess’s eyes. For a long moment, Wild Heart thought that Luna might remain silent the whole trip, but at last she spoke in a dry detached sort of voice.
“There was an accident,” explained Luna quietly, as if hoping the wind might blow them away. “A pony named Rainbow Dash was gravely injured and near death. With few options available, my fri… my sister’s protégé… Twilight Sparkle, did the only thing she could.” Here Luna paused again, seeming to be unable to finish her recounting of events. Wild Heart remained quiet, there was a time to urge somepony on, and there was a time to let them continue on their own. This seemed to be the latter.
“She… she used a spell,” said Luna. “A spell that no pony should use on another living being. A spell that made her and Rainbow Dash into one pony.”
Wild Heart felt slightly confused. That was all? A merge spell? Wild Heart had mended more accidental merges than she could count. It wasn’t that uncommon of an injury, often resulting in two ponies being joined together at leg or tail. Maybe she would have this all sorted out tonight.
But Luna continued.
“They weren’t Twilight or Dash anymore,” said Luna. “They were something new… something like before…” Luna’s thoughts seemed to trail off. She shook her head. “Twilight Dash, that’s what they called themself. Two ponies existing inside a single body. Struggling to find a balance where they can both coexist.”
“Wait, what?!” exclaimed Wild Heart. That didn’t sound like any merge spell she had ever treated. “Are you saying they’re still merged? No pony has treated them yet?”
“No, that is not it at all,” said Luna shaking her head. Wild Heart felt a sigh of relief. Long term merges could have unforeseen side effects. “They weren’t merged, they were fused. Every part of one body joined to the other.”
For a moment it was as if Luna had said something in a different language. Wild Heart knew what she had heard, knew what it meant, but for some reason it didn’t make sense. What Luna was describing was… impossible. No pony could perform such a spell and survive it!
“From what my sister has told me,” continued Luna, not giving Wild Heart a moment to absorb all she had been told. “Dividing them back into two ponies would mean that Rainbow would…” Luna couldn’t finish the thought. “So my sister had to leave them as they were. In the end, all they needed to do to survive was accept how they were, instead of fighting against it.
“I thought everything between them was better, but then I got Red Cross’s letter. Now I fear we might have made things worse for them.”
“You made things worse?” asked Wild Heart her mind still reeling from what she had just heard. How could they have possibly made things worse? There was a shocked expression of surprise on Luna’s face, then she quickly looked away. “Luna, every detail is important. If there is something you’re not telling me…”
“My sister and I,” explained Luna. “We took something from them. A part of who they were. For the moment it is kept safe in Canterlot. My sister says it will be returned to them, once they figure out who they are.” This only confused Wild Heart further, what could the princesses possibly have taken? A part of “who they were?” What did that even mean?
“Uh, okay,” said Wild Heart, not sure how to respond. The more she was told about this pony, the more unsettled she was starting to feel. The Princesses had taken something from this injured pony? Why? And why was Luna so reluctant to say what?
“We are approaching our destination,” said Luna, pointing a hoof to the dark town below.
Wild Heart had never been to Ponyville before, she could never find the time to travel, and besides, she could see it from Canterlot. Unlike the city they had just left, this town was a lot less bright. There were firefly streetlamps that dotted the streets, but otherwise, the town was dark. If there were ponies out in the streets, Wild Heart couldn’t see them from way up here.
The chariot circled around the town. Obviously the pegasus up front had a very good idea of where they were going. They most certainly had some great night vision, Wild Heart had no idea where the ground was!
With a soft bump, they landed on the road below. They rolled to a gradual stop before the chariot turned and the pegasus continued to pull them on hoof. The part of town they had touch down in appeared to be on the outskirts. There were few street lamps here and the buildings were spread sparsely around them. There was even a huge tree directly in front of them now. Were they in some kind of park?
However, it appeared the tree was their destination. Wild Heart hadn’t noticed it before - thinking it must be some kind of trick of the eye - but there were windows in the tree, and light coming from those windows.
The two stallions pulling the chariot came to a stop at the front of the tree-building, parking close enough so that their passengers wouldn’t have to go very far. There was a sign above the door that read “Library” and Wild Heart remembered the mention of a library in the letter she had read earlier. This pony lived at the library?
Luna got out first and Wild Heart followed. She couldn’t help but stare at the giant tree that had been turned into a building, a library no less. The mare had never seen living architecture before. She knew of it, of course, but such things weren’t done in places like Canterlot. It was earth pony magic that had made this place and she couldn’t help feeling curious about it.
Without hesitation, Luna strode right up to the front door and knocked. A voice called from inside, although Wild Heart couldn’t make out the words. As she trotted the last few steps to the door, it opened. A small purple dragon looked out at them. He glared at her as though he couldn’t fathom why she was knocking on their door at such a late hour.
“Sorry, the library is closed to… day,” said the dragon, his words trailing off as his gaze slowly shifted up towards Luna and his eyes widened in surprise. “Princess!” cried Spike. He gave a little bow. “I… what… can I help you?”
“Yes,” answered Luna. “We are here to speak with Twilight Dash.”
The chilly night air made Wild Heart shiver a little. She and Luna stood in silence before the enormous tree that contained the Ponyville Public Library. It looked much warmer inside, except, they hadn’t yet been invited in.
The young dragon continued to block the entry way, holding the door in one claw and the frame in the other. He stared at the two ponies with a strained expression of uncertainty. He clearly didn’t want them to come in, but he also appeared unwilling to send them away.
“Spike! Who’s at the door? Is it somepony coming to borrow books?” called a voice from somewhere inside. “Tell them we’re closed! No! We’re open!” The voice seemed to stir the dragon to life and his suspicious gaze fixed on Luna.
Spike’s lips stretched in a strange, unpleasant, sort of way. Wild Heart thought it was something between a smile and a frown, not really either, but both. He stepped outside and pulled the door closed behind him. The latch didn’t click and a narrow beam of yellow candlelight still shone through a crack at the edge, casting his small shape in half shadows.
“What are you planning to do to her this time?” snarled Spike at Luna. Wild Heart was taken aback by his sudden change in tone. From the letter she hadn’t imagined him like this at all, especially not towards a Princess!
“We, are here to speak with them,” answered Luna. Spike’s eyes snapped to Wild Heart, sizing her up. She didn’t know exactly what he was searching for but he finally looked back at Luna.
“The last time you and Celestia were here, you—” began Spike.
“I know what we did,” interrupted Luna, a note of warning in her voice that made Wild Heart feel uncomfortable. Luna had told her much about the pony they were coming to meet, but she hadn’t told her everything. And it seemed that perhaps Luna’s last visit had not ended on pleasant terms. “You do not need to remind me. Now, we are going to speak with Twilight Dash.”
“No,” refused Spike flatly. “The library is closed. You can come back tomorrow.” He moved to go back inside.
“We shall not!” shouted Luna. Her hoof slammed down into the ground and Wild Heart was sure she felt the earth shake a little. “We have not come at such an hour to be turned away like some common book borrowers.” Luna’s fur began to darken as her anger flared. Smoke-like shadows rolled off her body. “You cannot tell me what to do! Thou dost not command us!”
Spike stumbled backwards. His foot caught something on the dark ground and he toppled over with a wail of terror. The baby dragon scooted away as fast as he could, until his back collided with the solid wooden door and he could go no further.
“Luna!” cried Wild Heart. The Princess’s eyes widened in surprise. The frightening visage was washed away in an instant, leaving an upset looking Luna in its place. The royal mare shrunk backwards slightly, looking as if she wanted to turn and run.
“I’m… I am sorry…” apologized Luna. “I did not mean…”
“It’s fine,” whispered Wild Heart, placing a reassuring hoof on Luna’s shaking shoulder. “Calm down, everything’s okay.”
“What… what was that!” cried Spike in distress. He was still pressed against the door, an expression of horror fixed upon his face.
“That was a shadow of the past,” explained Wild Heart. Spike did not look like he believed her.
“That was Nightma…” began Spike.
“No,” interrupted Wild Heart. “It was not.” Wild Heart sighed. “It is… difficult to explain. And personal. And private.”
“Just who are you?” demanded Spike. Before Wild Heart could answer, the door Spike had been leaning against suddenly opened. With another cry of surprise, he toppled backwards.
“Spike,” asked the mare now standing in the doorway. “Why didn’t you answer us? And why are you laying on the ground?” She tilted her head slightly to the side in confusion as she stared at Spike sprawled out across the entryway.
Wild Heart wasn’t truly prepared for the reality of it. Luna had explained the strange situation of Twilight Dash. Yet, not until that moment, when the mismatched pony stood before her, did Wild Heart really see what Luna had meant. Wings, a horn, two different colored eyes, a contrasting mane and tail, and of course a different cutie mark on each flank. Wild Heart could see one pony that had not so long ago been two.
“Oh, hello,” said Twilight Dash with a genuine smile towards Wild Heart. “Did you come to—Princess! Princess? That doesn’t even make any… Oh, Princess Luna!” Twilight Dash bowed.
“Hello my friends,” answered Luna with a small smile. Wild Heart could see Luna relax slightly at the sight of her friend. “I am glad to see that you are up and about.”
“Huh? We are?” asked Twilight Dash in confusion. Her eyes suddenly widened. She looked down in surprise, then back behind her and finally to her guests standing at the front door. “Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! We… we did it… we walked… Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! We don’t even… Oh my gosh! Would we stop that?! Sorry.” The pony blushed a little in embarrassment as she rubbed her front hoof shyly.
All Wild Heart could do was stare and make sure her mouth wasn’t hanging open. This… this was going to be more challenging than she had thought.
“Do you mind if we come inside,” asked Luna, her tone implying that it was hardly a request.
“I guess,” mumbled Spike as he pushed himself up off his back.
“Oh! Oh! Of course!” exclaimed Twilight Dash her voice someplace between complete hysteria and sheer panic. “Please, come in Princess!” She stepped aside, wobbling slightly but staying upright.
Luna went in first, her head held high, yet with the slightest air of unease about her. Wild Heart thought it likely that the confrontation with Spike had unnerved her a little. Hopefully the Princess would be able to keep herself in check. Twilight Dash already seemed like more than a hoofful for the night.
Spike rolled back to his feet. He gave Wild Heart one last sizing glance, and then waddled inside to stand beside Twilight Dash. He seemed very protective of the mismatched mare, almost like a younger brother might be.
At last, Wild Heart stepped over the threshold herself and into the library tree. The structure hadn’t been hollowed out, but rather crafted into a building. There were doorways and bookshelves, stairs and a second floor. These things weren’t carved into the tree, they had been grown like that. It was very impressive.
“We’re actually glad you came by, Princess,” said Twilight Dash as she pushed the door closed behind Wild Heart. “It feels like all our friends have been staying away from us lately.”
“TD, we were just hanging out with your friends a few hours ago!” cried Spike. “You went out and flew and they all watched. And you had dinner with them!”
“Oh Spike, don’t be silly,” said Twilight Dash, as she motioned for them all to move towards a sitting area. Luna and Wild Heart made their way over to the couch and chairs, but Spike stayed behind, still standing next to Twilight Dash. “We like those ponies that came out to watch us today, but they’re no replacement for our friends.”
Twilight Dash moved to take a step forward, but the moment she lifted her hoof she began to lean dangerously to one side. Wild Heart felt her horn tense with the anticipation of casting a spell to catch the falling pony. However, there was no need.
It seemed that Spike had been anticipating this very thing. As Twilight Dash began to fall, Spike steadied her, and helped keep her upright. The mare smiled at him, and he smiled back.
“Thank you Spike,” said Twilight Dash as he helped her regain her balance. He then began an odd series of taps upon each of her legs. It took Wild Heart a moment to realize what was happening. He was helping guide her movements. Interesting.
“We still think it would have been a lot more fun if Fluttershy could have come to cheer us on,” said Twilight Dash a little sadly as Spike helped her across the room.
“But… but she did!” cried Spike desperately. “She was right there, shouting as loud as… well, as loud as Fluttershy!”
“Twilight Dash,” interjected Luna. “That is what we are here to talk with you about.” The pony came to a stop in front of them. While they had moved to a sitting area, no pony seemed inclined to actually sit.
Twilight Dash looked from Luna to Wild Heart and back to Luna, an expression of confusion upon her face.
“Just who are you anyhow?” asked Spike, pointing at Wild Heart. “And what do you want with TD!”
“Spike! It’s rude to point!” scolded Twilight Dash. “And hello! We’re standing right here!”
“Spike, Twilight Dash,” said Luna. “I would like to introduce you to a friend of mine. A pony that helped me… control… myself. Her name is Wild Heart, she is a doctor with the Canterlot Magical Emergency Medical Center. I have asked her to come and help you get better.”
“Another doctor?” asked Spike suspiciously. “TD already has one here in Ponyville. He was here just before you showed up.”
“Yes,” answered Wild Heart, finally stepping into the conversation. “And Doctor Red Cross believes that whatever is happening to… TD… is beyond his ability to help. That is why I’ve been asked to come here.”
“And what do you plan to do?” asked Spike a little bitterly. He moved in front of Twilight Dash, holding out his small arms as if he were a shield. “Are you here to take something else from them?”
“Spike!” said Twilight Dash and Luna at the same time, both… all?... of them sounding angry. Wild Heart however, smiled.
“You are protective of TD,” observed Wild Heart, her voice calm and reassuring. However, Spike’s face remained stern. He stood his ground between Twilight Dash and the guests. “You are a good, loyal friend to her—”
“Them,” corrected Spike.
“Pardon me, them,” said Wild Heart. “Things must have been very difficult as of late. I will not pretend I know what it’s been like for you. But I can tell you that I have experience with many ponies injured by magic. I have helped dozens recover against terrible odds.
“I promise you,” pledged Wild Heart. “All I am here to do, is help your friends in any way that I can.”
Spike’s harsh expression softened slightly but he did not move back.
“How are you going to help TD?” asked Spike at last.
“Partly with words,” answered Wild Heart, “and partly with magic. You see, I am an Aetherialist.” Spike stared at her obviously having no idea what she had just said.
“Oh!” said Twilight Dash in a moment of realization. However, just as quickly her expression changed to one of confusion. “What the heck is an Arthritis? No, an Aetherialist. Yeah, I have no idea what that is. An Aetherialist is a mind healer. Oh… I still don’t get it.”
“Allow me to explain,” offered Wild Heart with a small smile. “If you are injured, you go to a doctor that can tend to your injury and help you heal. If you are cursed by a spell, then you go to a magical doctor to reverse the spell.”
“Yeah,” mumbled Spike, rubbing his arm as if the mention of magical doctors had made him remember something unpleasant.
“But some injuries happen to the mind instead of the body,” continued Wild Heart, tapping her head with a hoof to emphasize her point. “In those cases you might need a psychologist to help you heal the injured mind. And sometimes spells can damage the mind too. That’s when somepony like me, an Aetherialist, can try and help heal the injury.”
“So why not just go to a psychologist?” asked Spike.
“Because they are best at treating disorders stemming from non magic origins,” answered Wild Heart. “When you introduce magic, things become more… difficult… to treat through traditional means. If you were stuck in a permanent levitation spell, what good are some bandages going to do? Maybe help tie you down so you don’t float away? The same thing is true here. The help that Twilight Dash needs is more than a psychologist can give.”
“So… so what are you going to do to us?” asked Twilight Dash.
“I would like to help you,” answered Wild Heart kindly. “But only if it’s what you want.”
Twilight Dash was silent for a long moment, then she started talking to herself in low whispers. Wild Heart couldn’t make out all the words, but it sounded like the mare was arguing about something. At last, the looked up at Wild Heart.
“So you’re going to what then? Split us apart?” asked the pony. Her tone and voice sounded a little different. “Dash, be nice! She said she was here to help. Yeah, lots of ponies say that.” Her eyes traveled to Luna.
“For the moment we’re just going to talk,” answered Wild Heart. She took a step closer, trying to catch the pony’s eye and draw her attention away fromLuna. “There is magic involved as well. But, as I’ve told so many others, I don’t undo spells, or fix curses. I heal.
“And the best way for me to do that,” continued Wild Heart, “is to know you. We will take it slow and see how you do. So, do you think you would like me to try and help you?.”
Twilight Dash turned away a second time and started talking to herself once more. This self discussion took much less time. After a minute or so, Twilight Dash turned back to the group and nodded.
“Alright,” answered Twilight Dash. “We don’t see any harm in just talking.”
“There might be more than talking,” said Wild Heart. “Depending on how you do with the questions, there is also a spell I would like to preform. It will help me know how to help you.”
“Uh, okay?” answered Twilight Dash, unsure how to respond.
“Perhaps… I should wait outside,” suggested Luna.
“No, I think it would be fine if you stayed,” said Wild Heart. “For support, and I may require your help later with the spell. I would like you here as well, Spike. I think a second perspective on events will be very helpful.” Wild Heart turned her attention back to Twilight Dash. “If you don’t mind them staying, of course.”
“No, it’s okay for them to stay,” answered Twilight Dash.
“Good. I would like to talk about you first,” began Wild Heart. “If you don’t want to answer any of my questions, you don’t have to. I won’t press any subject you aren’t ready to talk about yet. Are you okay with that?”
“Yeah… we think so,” said Twilight Dash.
“Let’s get started then, shall we?” said Wild Heart with a smile. “What is your name?”
“Twilight… …Dash,” replied the pony, looking a little caught off guard by the simple question.
“Good, good,” said Wild Heart. “What is your favorite color?”
“Blue,” answered Twilight Dash, sounding a little surprised. “Really? You too? I didn’t know that.”
“Okay,” continued Wild Heart. “How long have you lived in this library for?”
“Fivyeardys,” answered Twilight Dash, their words coming out in a jumble. However, Wild Heart simply nodded. Not asking them to try again, she moved on.
“Where did you grow-up before you moved to Ponyville?” asked Wild Heart.
“Canterdale,” said Twilight Dash. She shook her head. “No, we mean, Cloudslot. I mean… What was the question again?”
“And what was my name?” asked Wild Heart. Twilight Dash looked at the pony for a long moment before answering. It was as if she believed Wild Heart’s name was written someplace on her body.
“Love… …Free?” guessed Twilight Dash, a note of uncertainty in her voice.
“Do you have any desire to fly?” asked Wild Heart. At the mention of flying, Twilight Dash’s wings twitched slightly, but she did not leave the ground.
“Yes,” answered Twilight Dash firmly.
“Do you want to fly?” asked Wild Heart.
“Isn’t that the same question?” interjected Spike. Wild Heart smiled at him but looked back to Twilight Dash expectantly.
“Maybe…” answered Twilight Dash. “Maybe? Of course we do! I don’t know, after today… do you really think we should try again? Um, hello! Wings! You bet we are going to try again! But I’m not sure we…”
“And how about magic?” interrupted Wild Heart. “Have you tried casting any spells yet?” Twilight Dash looked away and mumbled something that Wild Heart didn’t hear. “A bit louder, if you could.”
“No!” said Twilight Dash, her words icy and her expression dark. “We haven’t tried any magic.”
“No desire to or…” began Wild Heart.
“We haven’t!” shouted Twilight Dash, looking a little flustered. Both Spike and Luna jumped slightly, but Wild Heart remained still.
“Let’s go back to flying,” said Wild Heart calmly. The pony’s expression brightened slightly at the subject change. “Can you tell us about the flight you took today?”
“We… we don’t really remember it,” said Twilight Dash, glancing away uncomfortably. “Parts of it are more… there… than others. It was just flying. What is there to say about it?”
“What if I told you there was a way you could show us?” suggested Wild Heart. Twilight Dash looked perplexed by the suggestion. “As I said, an Aetherialist’s job is part talk and part magic. We are going to try some of the magic part. It may feel… odd at first. I don’t want you to panic. Just relax and stay calm. Can you do that?” Twilight Dash nodded slowly. “Excellent.”
The horn atop Wild Heart’s head began to radiate an eerie pink light. Waves of magic rippled outwards. As the spell reached Twilight Dash, her horn began to glow as well. The same thing was true for Luna.
“Part of the reason I asked Luna to stay is that this procedure, sometimes called the dive, requires at least three unicorns,” explained Wild Heart. “One to focus, one to guide, and one to project. Luna will focus, I will guide, and you will project.”
“But… we can’t,” protested Twilight Dash. “We… please don’t make us cast…”
“You misunderstand,” said Wild Heart. “I’m casting the spell. Your role will simply be to help the spell come to life.” The mixed up mare still looked very nervous. “If you do not want to, we can stop. But it may give me some valuable insight on best to help you.”
“No,” replied Twilight Dash at last. “I think we should keep going. But you can stop it whenever, right? Yes. I was asking her! Oh, well, I’m sure she can, can’t you?”
“Yes,” answered Wild Heart with a soft smile. “Any of us can end the spell at any time. You simply have to want it to stop, and it will.”
“Okay,” said Twilight Dash with a nod. “I think we are fine to continue, right? Yeah, I guess.”
“Prepare yourself,” instructed Wild Heart. “The early stages of the spell are… disorienting.”
A low humming filled the room as the pink waves of energy coming from Wild Hearts horn increased in frequency. The walls seemed to wash away, like they were a watercolor painting. Everything began to lose focus. The ponies shifted and moved, bending around themselves while they all stayed perfectly still.
“This is really weird!” exclaimed Spike. “Everything looks kinda funny. You all look like some kind of funhouse mirror.”
“The distortions are a normal part of the spell,” reassured Wild Heart. “Remember that it’s not real. Just stay calm and take deep breaths.”
“Hornonic resonance,” mumbled Twilight Dash a note of wonder in her voice as she looked curiously around the room. “What? It’s magic spread across multiple unicorns. Our horns act as amplifiers and—Actually, I wasn’t really that interested. I’m sort of wondering why the ceiling is melting though. Yeah, that is a little odd…”
Shapes and blurry images began to wander into existence around them. The indistinct blobs floated out of the walls before sliding into the floor, or simply turning inside-out and vanishing.
“This is a spell I have used to help others in the past,” explained Wild Heart. “It’s like having a waking dream, or maybe a vivid hallucination is a better description, except we are all experiencing the same thing.”
“And how exactly does this help?” demanded Spike.
“Right now, it is jumbled, and unfocused,” explained Wild Heart. “Twilight Dash’s thoughts are in turmoil. And there are four of us, all projecting at once. That makes things murky and hard to view, but when Luna and I quiet our minds…” The shimmering effect began to retreat and the library reemerged around them, books and all.
“Don’t worry,” continued Wild Heart, “you control the projections. You only have to show what you want us to see and you can stop them at any time. I want you to listen to my voice and try as hard as you can to bring the memories forward. Do you think you can do that?”
The pony both nodded and shook their head, moving around in a strange sort of circle.
“That usually means at least one of them thinks so,” interpreted Spike.
“Okay. I want you to think back to your flight,” instructed Wild Heart. “I want you to remember it, and project it. Let us see it.”
The air around them danced and flickered with light. Suddenly the library was gone. The floor beneath their hooves had become empty blue sky. Behind Twilight Dash was the ground, which was racing away, and a giant ring of color rippled out across the sky.
Spike, Luna and Wild Heart all stood exactly where they had been a moment ago in the library. Except, now they were floating out in the sky. The ground hadn’t appeared below them, but rather behind Twilight Dash, as though they were seeing events from her perspective.
“Good,” commended Wild Heart. “An excellent projection. I want you to tell us about your flight. But not starting here. Go back to the ground, before you took off.”
Everything flickered away. The sky vanished into black for a moment. When the world returned they were all standing back on the ground, with it firmly placed beneath their hooves this time.
There were four ponies standing around them in a sort of half circle. Three of the ponies were out of focus, blurry and indistinct. If Wild Heart stared at one too long it would vanish. She couldn’t even tell what color they were or grasp a single detail about them. The only pony she could see properly was an orange earth pony with a blond mane.
A second Spike also stood nearby, a few steps from where the real Spike was located. He waved a claw through himself.
“Okay, that’s kinda weird,” said Spike.
“Take us through what happened,” instructed Wild Heart. Twilight Dash nodded.
“We were standing here,” said Twilight Dash. As she spoke, parts of her became more prominent. Her lavender coat, her purple eye, the horn atop her head. Even her mane seemed less rainbow like and more dark purple. “Preparing to take off.”
“I said we should start easy,” continued Twilight Dash. While her voice remained the same, her features shifted. The rainbow hair returned, the wings became sharper and her coat shimmered blue. “Just a simple flap, just to test and make sure everything was working.”
Their wings flapped and the projected world suddenly zoomed away. They were back in the sky, up where they had started. The ground was once again falling away behind Twilight Dash, the waves of rainbow washing across the blue.
“But things weren’t going so well,” explained Twilight Dash. The lavender features returned to the forefront. “We couldn’t get control. Our body wouldn’t respond the way we wanted it to. We… we began to fall…”
The world started to tumble around them. Wild Heart felt herself sway with the disorientation. Spike put a claw to his mouth, looking like he might be sick. Luna seemed oddly unaffected.
“We were going to crash,” continued the lavender mare. “I couldn’t watch… I… couldn’t…”
This time, the features of Twilight didn’t just dull, she vanished entirely. Her horn shimmered away and wings sprouted from her sides. Blue fur rippled across her body. When the transformation was completed, it was only Dash that stood before them, recounting the events.
“Suddenly, everything felt right,” said the hornless powder blue pegasus. “I was in control of my wings, of my body. I could move, and fly just like I wanted…”
The room suddenly darkened. The sky and ground vanished. They stood in complete fathomless black. The pony before them changed again. The blue fur flashed lavender, the wings faded away and a horn appeared atop Twilight’s head.
“Then I remembered something,” said the wingless lavender unicorn. The pony shivered as she grimaced. The darkness pressed in even tighter, making her hard to see. “I don’t want to remember it. Please don’t make me talk about it.”
“It’s alright,” said Wild Heart, trying to make her voice sound comforting. “I want you to go back to the start, back to the ground.” The pony nodded and as she did, her appearance returned to that of Twilight Dash.
They were once more back on the ground with the empty field of green grass stretching out to the infinite horizon. The blurry ponies were standing around them, staring without eyes. Spike eyed his doppelganger with apprehension, although the memory of Spike wasn’t paying him any attention.
“Can you tell us about these ponies?” asked Wild Heart, waving a hoof at the unseeable memories encircling them.
“Uh, that’s Applejack,” said Twilight Dash, pointing out the only solid pony.
“I sure am!” replied the memory.
“I don’t think she actually said that,” interjected Spike.
“It’s alright. That’s very good TD,” encouraged Wild Heart. “How about the others, do you recognize any of them?”
“That one is Spike,” said Twilight Dash pointing at the real Spike, instead of the memory, before shifting her hoof slightly to the right. “And… Spike… again…”
“Yeah, I’m a little confused by that one too,” said Spike, looking apprehensively at himself, who was looking back at him with uncertainty.
“What about this pony?” asked Wild Heart, indicating a colorless flickering shape beside Spike. “Do you know this pony’s name?”
“No,” said Twilight Dash. “We’ve never met them.”
“But you met them today,” said Wild Heart. “Surely you can tell me something about them? How tall they were? Mare or colt? What color their coat was? Unicorn, earth pony or pegasus?”
“I… We… don’t…” said Twilight Dash, shaking her head.
“Spike, what are your friend’s names again?” asked Wild Heart.
“Fluttershy,” began Spike. As he said the name, one of the indistinct outlines solidified into a butter yellow pegasus with a pink mane. Then as quickly as she had materialized, the memory pony dissolved again as Spike said the next name. “Pinkie Pie and Rarity.”
Each name he listed caused a different outline to shimmer into existence. But the effect lasted only a moment.
“Twilight Dash, can you tell us any of the names Spike just listed?” asked Wild Heart. Twilight Dash opened her mouth but closed it again, then shook her head, looking almost ashamed. “It’s okay. Just relax. We’re almost done.
“I want you to take us back up into the sky again,” requested Wild Heart. “Where we started. Can you do that?” Once more they were whisked high into the sky, with the sonic rainboom rapidly expanding. “Now, this time I want you to fly backwards.”
“What?” asked Twilight Dash. Everything froze around them. “But, we didn’t do that. How can we remember something we didn’t do?”
“I know. I just want you to pretend that you did it,” explained Wild Heart. “I want you to imagine what it might have been like.”
For a long moment nothing happened. Then, very slowly, things began to move backwards. The circular rainboom that had been speeding out across the sky began to shrink back in on itself. The ground was moving towards them. But everything stopped once again.
“It’s alright,” said Wild Heart. “You’re doing fine, just keep going, keep flying backwards.” The world inched a little more and stopped again.
“Something… something is wrong,” said Twilight Dash. “We don’t… we can’t… I…AHHHHHhhhhh!” Twilight Dash let out a terrible frightened scream. The projected world suddenly lurched violently. When it reformed they were no longer outside in the sky, nor standing on the field below. They were back in the library. Yet, a different section of it, nor were they were actually standing in reality.
“My friends have just arrived,” explained a low monotone voice.
“Twi… Twilight?” asked Spike in a raspy whisper.
Wild Heart looked at the pony standing across from her. The shape that Twilight Dash had taken was unlike any representation she had seen so far. This pony was taller, her wings slightly longer, and her horn a little more pointed. Both mane and tail were translucent rainbows, flowing in an invisible wind. Her eyes were no longer mismatched but glowed with rainbow colored light.
“Pink-Party wanted to throw a celebration for me,” continued the pony. As she spoke, four very solid ponies galloped into existence around them. “I think she was trying to cheer me up.”
“Can you tell us when this is?” asked Wild Heart, her voice sounding a little dry even to her.
“The library, a day or so ago,” said the tall pony.
“And can you tell me your name?” asked Wild Heart.
“My name,” repeated the pony, her swirling rainbow eyes locking on Luna. “Is Rainbow Sparkle.”
There was a name whispered to her through the darkness. Even though she couldn’t understand its meaning, the words made her angry. It always forgot her and she didn’t like that. It spoke again - shouting this time - but still the wrong name.
“Twilight, are you alright? Can you hear me!” cried the panicked words.
“No,” she grunted back. Her voice raspy and quiet, rather than the shout she had intended.
Slowly, her awareness was returning, but something felt wrong, empty somehow. It felt like an important piece of her was absent. Yet, without it, she couldn’t give the missing thing a name.
“No what?” asked the words. “You aren’t alright, or you can’t hear me?”
“I’m not Twilight,” she said at last. She could hear hurried steps back away from her. No other words spoke… no, that was wrong. No other voices spoke but she could feel an ominous tension in the air around her.
In truth, she wasn’t entirely sure who she was. She wasn’t Twilight, that much she was mostly, almost... sort of…? sure about… maybe. But, if she wasn’t Twilight, who was she? She searched her thoughts for a name, but all she found was silence. Even the name she’d known a moment ago - the name she was not - had slipped away from her.
There would be time to remember her name later . For now, she needed to focus on… something… All her thoughts felt slow and disoriented. It was as if she had just woken up.
A realization flickered to life in her mind. She was waking up. She had been asleep! That’s why everything was so mixed up!
The pony opened her eyes and winced against the glowing firefly light. The brightness softened after a moment and she was greeted with a very strange sight. Perhaps she wasn’t really awake after all.
Three figures were hanging from the ceiling right in front of her. The ceiling, of course, she should have known. Briefly she wondered if the missing names had been taken by the ceiling, but the silly idea was cast away before she could properly rationalize it.
Her attention returned to the impossibility standing… hanging…? before her. The group was just waiting there, defying gravity and apparently fine with it. They looked very concerned, but somehow, she didn’t think it was about being upside-down… nor did it seem like their worry was about the ceiling.
Her brain gave a sharp kick and she tilted her head to the side. Suddenly the three were back on the floor. It was her who was upside-down, lying on her back. She could feel the bouncy springs of a couch beneath her. Somepony must have moved her because she didn’t remember going to sleep here. Although, she didn’t remember going to sleep at all.
She turned her attention back towards the small group watching her. The nearest one was… the name was there, but she just couldn’t reach it. In any case, she was sure he had been the one calling out for... the pony that she wasn’t.
Behind him by only a few steps was the silver and gold maned doctor - she couldn’t recall her name either. And standing in the very back, was… She knew this one! She really and truly knew the tall dark pony’s name! She just needed to remember it first.
“What happened?” asked the nameless pony at last. Trying to reason out her situation seemed to be getting her nowhere. Even her own thoughts were just running her around in circles. Somepony needed to tell her what the hay was going on!
“You passed out,” answered the little dragon. “But I caught you! Sort of. Twil…” His words trailed off into a heavy silence as the expression of worry on his face deepened.
An uncomfortable pause lingered in the air, with nopony seeming to want to say anything. She didn’t know what to say herself. She had so many questions and yet… she didn’t want to ask even a single one. She didn’t want to hear whatever terrible answers the others might have for her.
“Do you remember your name?” asked the golden coated doctor. Her voice sounded odd, like she was shouting from very far away. But her words made sense and something in their meaning stirred a troubled feeling within the disoriented pony.
Yes, she remembered her name. Most of it. The important part of it.
“Dash?” answered the pony sounding a little unsure of her own words. Until she had said the name Dash hadn’t realized that it was her name. It was like it had slipped her mind. But her name was back, fixed firmly in her thoughts. Even if it was the only name the pony could remember.
The nagging feeling that something was still missing returned. It was stronger this time, bigger too. There was another name she was supposed to know. An important name.
It was right in front of her, on the tip of her tongue, but just out of reach in her thoughts. The feeling was so aggravating! Why couldn’t she remember it!
“Just Dash?” asked the tall dark pony, a slight quiver of uncertainty in her voice.
Dash wasn’t entirely sure how to answer that. What did the tall one mean by just…
Twilight!
The name slammed back into her mind. Yet, it was more than just a name. it was thoughts and colors, memories and emotions. The void that Dash had felt was abruptly filled with another being.
Dash felt groggy all over again as new thoughts poured into her head. Dozens and dozens of names began to fill her mind. No, their mind. It wasn’t just her anymore, it was them.
That was Spike who was standing nearest to them. And behind him, Luna! And the third one doctor… something… okay, well, two out of three wasn’t bad.
“Uhg, what happened?” groaned a groggy voice that was part Dash and part somepony else. Dash was aware of it and yet not really part of it. She was an observer of her own incomprehensible thoughts and uncontrolled words. “Why are you all upside-down?”
Dash felt a momentary jolt as she experienced waking up a second time from the strange position of already being awake. An overwhelming cacophony of thoughts exploded within their mind. They were Twilight Dash once again as both halves of them were finally awake.
“They aren’t upside-down, we are!” answered Twilight Dash. “Why are we upside-down?” “We have no idea, why are we asking us?” “We aren’t, we’re asking them!” “Why are we upside-down?!”
“Uh, Twilight… Dash?” asked Spike.
“Oh, now you remember that I’m here too,” said Twilight Dash, rolling their eyes. “Dash! Don’t be mean to him!” “He keeps forgetting about me! And why were you calling out for Twilight anyhow? And why are we laying on the couch!”
“You passed out!” blurted out Spike. “First you turned all funny, and started calling yourself—“ for a brief moment Spike’s words were silent. He hadn’t lowered his voice but the when the sound reached their ears it was like it hadn’t existed at all.
“—then,” continued Spike, as though nothing strange had just happened. “You started talking about the party we had yesterday with our friends. And you remembered them! Sort of… But you just kind of passed out halfway through talking about one of Pinkie’s party games and—”
“Thank you Spike,” interjected the golden mare. Her tone was soft, yet stern. “I think smaller, more direct, explanations may be better at the moment.”
Twilight Dash had caught maybe half of Spike’s ramblings. He had nearly been talking as fast as Pinkie, which they hadn’t thought possible. He had mentioned the party they couldn’t remember, and their friends being there, and… passing out?
“Twilight Dash… TD. Can you tell me the last thing you can clearly recall?” asked the doctor pony… Wild… something… Brain? No, Wild Heart… that sounded right.
“Um… we were flying,” began Twilight Dash. “But not really flying.” “Yeah, just remembering that we were flying.” “And you asked us to fly backwards.” “Or to remember flying backwards.” “And we did!”
“Anything else?” asked Wild Heart, the slightest frown upon her face.
Twilight Dash thought for a moment. After the sky had moved backwards, the next thing they could remember was waking-up, upside-down. There was something else, like a lingering dream, but it had faded away almost completely now.
“Not really,” answered Twilight Dash uneasily. “What happened to us?”
“Spike is correct. You did indeed faint during your recounting of events,” explained Wild Heart. “But I’m not entirely sure it was you we were talking to when that happened.” Twilight Dash looked at the doctor in confusion.
“I cannot be certain,” continued Wild Heart. “We are in uncharted territory here as your case is extremely unique. To my knowledge, there is no precedent for it.” Twilight Dash noticed Luna’s gaze shift uncomfortably to Wild Heart, but she didn’t say anything and the doctor did not see.
“I think that we might have spoken with another part of your mind,” suggested Wild Heart. “One that you, yourselves are unaware of.”
“What?!” exclaimed Twilight Dash in alarm. “You’re saying there is another us, inside of us?” “That’s… what? How?” “How did something like this happen?”
“I do not know yet,” answered Wild Heart with a slight shake of her head. “As I’ve said, there has never been anything like this.” She let out a sigh and looked down at the floor briefly. Somewhere, in the back part of their mind, they recognized this as bad news.
“I’ll be honest, I am unsure that I can… fix… this,” said Wild Heart, wincing slightly at her own words. Her eyes finally moved up to look at Twilight Dash with all seriousness. “Yet, I do not believe this is something that will resolve itself on its own. You may never go back to the way you used to be.”
“We… we know,” answered Twilight Dash softly.
“But I still want to continue to try and help,” said Wild Heart. “If you’re willing to let me. I think it may be best to relocate you to Canterlot, so that you can be treated at the Canterlot Magical Emergency Medical Center.” Spike started to protest, but Twilight Dash cut him off.
“You want us to leave Ponyville?!” exclaimed Twilight Dash, nearly toppling off the couch in surprise. “But our friends are here!” “Our home is here!” “Where would we stay?” “Who would look after the library?” “And Tank!” “And Owl—”
“I know there are many things you believe need tending to here,” interrupted Wild Heart. “But if you continue to deteriorate, there will be nopony to look after those things. I’m sure arrangements can be made to handle your affairs while you’re away.”
“Will… will our friends come along?” asked Twilight Dash, unable to hide the note of hurt in their voice.
“I am sure that they will want to be at your side,” said Luna reassuringly.
“They haven’t so far,” mumbled Twilight Dash.
“Well, I’ll be there for you!” exclaimed Spike excitedly.
“I suppose, if you think it is best,” said Twilight Dash after a moment.
“Both of you?” asked Wild Heart.
“I don’t know,” answered Twilight Dash. They felt conflicted. They knew something needed to be done but they were still unsure as to what. Did they really need to leave Ponyville? Did they really have to let this doctor tinker around in their head? And did they want anypony else to talk to other parts of their mind? “Can you give us time to decide?”
“Of course,” replied Wild Heart with a kind smile. “But do not wait too long. I fear the more time that passes, the more difficult our task ahead will become.”
Twilight Dash wrapped their hooves around themself and turned away from the others, so that they wouldn’t have to look at the upside-down ponies anymore. There was another part of them. Something that had taken over when neither Dash nor Twilight was there to stop it.
“We… we would like to go to bed now,” said Twilight Dash, not turning back over to look at their guests. A new, terrible sensation had spread through them. They were afraid of themself.
“Yes, perhaps that is enough for tonight,” agreed Luna as she looked upon the curled up pony. The princess’s horn glowed softly with a ghostly blue magic. From a door upstairs, a soft white cloud-bed emerged before drifting down to a gentle stop beside the couch. “I think sleep will do the both of you a great deal of good. We will await your answer when you are ready to give it.”
Spike helped Twilight Dash move from the solid furniture to the cloud bed. The cloud started to drift upwards as the mixed up mare settled down, but Spike grabbed it and held it down.
“I’ll take them to their room,” said Spike, giving the cloud a little tug.
“We will see ourselves out,” said Luna. “Good night Spike. Sleep well, Twilight Dash.” Luna led the way out, not waiting for Spike to return. Doctor Heart followed close behind without a word. The younger mare looked like she was lost in thought.
The two of them climbed back into the waiting chariot. Wordlessly, Luna signaled for her guards to take them home. Their wings flapped and the chariot raced up into the glittering night sky.
For a long while, they flew in silence under the stars with only the wind whispering in their ears. Doctor Heart still seemed to be considering the events of the past few hours. But Luna felt compelled to talk about it.
“What do you think is wrong?” asked Luna. Doctor Heart stirred slowly from her thoughts.
“It’s hard to know for sure,” answered Doctor Heart. “As I said before, there has never been a case of anything like this. I honestly do not know what to expect. It seems like their mind has been fragmented and put back together. But not all of the pieces are in the right spots.
“However, the brain is very adaptable,” continued Doctor Heart. “I have seen amazing recoveries from things I’ve believed to be impossible to recover from. As to Twilight Dash… I simply do not know enough yet to be able to give you an answer.”
They lapsed back into silence. Luna looked up towards the stars, hoping they might give her some guidance, but the sky was quiet as always. She kept her gaze fixed upwards as she spoke her next words.
“This has happened before,” said Luna softly, hoping the wind might carry her words away.
“What? Who! When?” cried Doctor Heart in shock. “Are there documents about the incident! Anything we have might help, even if the doctors of the time did not think the notes were valuable!”
“No,” answered Luna sadly with a shake of her head.
“No there aren’t any notes?” asked Doctor Heart, sounding slightly puzzled.
“I shouldn’t have told you that,” said Luna. “I shouldn’t have brought you to Ponyville! When my sister learns what I have done...”
“Your sister does not control you,” reassured Doctor Heart kindly. “She does not desire to control you, Luna. It is you who see the expectation where none exists. She cares for you, she will understand.”
“Not in this matter,” answered Luna with a shake of her head. “She forbade me from taking any action towards Twilight Dash without her direct consent. I gave her my word that I would not…
“But I could not stand by and do nothing! I watched night after night as they punished themselves. And now, seeing them – speaking with them – it is far worse than I imagined.”
“You must tell your sister,” said Doctor Heart. “She may be upset with you, but she will forgive you. And perhaps she does not know things have gone so wrong.”
“Perhaps…” mused Luna. “But unlikely.” Her gaze shifted back to Doctor Heart. “I cannot give you the documents you seek. They are sealed within the Eternity Vault. It can only be opened by both my sister and I together. However, there may be one with a first hand account…”
“A pony who survived this?” exclaimed Doctor Heart in shock.
“No… not exactly,” said Luna. “However, for that I must consult my sister. Such information will come with both great risk and a high price, of that I am certain.”
Luna let the conversation slip into silence once more. She could see the lights of Canterlot ahead of them now, faint, but growing brighter. It would not be long now before they were home.
“Did you learn anything else about Twilight Dash?” asked Luna, looking to move away from the previous, uncomfortable, subject.
“Much,” said Doctor Heart cryptically.
“And?” asked Luna when the doctor did not elaborate.
“Oh, of course, sorry I was lost in thought for a moment,” said Doctor Heart, shaking her head. “Beyond their apparent inability to remember their friends, I noticed several other things that may be important. Their difficulty walking and flying for example.
“And the names that Rainbow Sparkle used to describe her friends at the party. Apple-Hat, Uncommon, Pink-Party and Really-Shy. All variants on her friends’ names and traits.
“It’s like the connections are all hooked up wrong. Or, like their unconscious mind simply isn’t there. Whatever the case, they have two very active minds competing with each other, even if that’s not what they want.
“However,” warned Doctor Heart shaking her head. “That is purely speculation. I don’t know for sure. There are so many possibilities with the brain. I need time and more information to really be able to help. But, at least their connection to magic appears to be just fine.”
“But they said they hadn’t cast even a single spell,” offered Luna in surprise.
“True, but not due to any damage or disability with their horn,” explained Doctor Heart. “My spell would not have worked if they were unable to channel magic. While we were connected I could feel their energy. It is very strong and very healthy but… odd…”
“Odd how?” asked Luna.
“I can’t explain it in any rational terms,” answered Doctor Heart. “Odd like smelling a flower you know should have a particular scent, but tasting the color blue instead. Like I said it is difficult to put into words.
“Ah, seemeck is just ahead,” said Doctor Heart pointing a hoof towards a building in the distance. It glowed with light, like many of the others but it also had the letters CMEMC across the top. “If you could drop me off, I have several things that need attending to.”
“Certainly,” said Luna. Without a word and only the slightest gesture, her pegasus pulling the chariot changed direction and headed towards the hospital.
“How do they do that?” asked Doctor Heart in amazement.
“Lots of practice,” offered Luna simply. “Also, they can hear us.” One of the pegasus from up front gave Wild Heart a wink over his shoulder.
They landed on the nearly empty street in front of the medical center. The wheels touched down with only the slightest of sounds against the smooth stone street. With expert skill, the chariot came to a stop less than a dozen hooves from the brightly lit front entrance of the building.
“Thank you again,” said Luna as Doctor Heart stepped out of the chariot. “For all that you have done.” The mare smiled.
“Goodnight Princess,” called Doctor Heart with a wave as she made her way towards the main doors to the medical center.
Luna watched her enter and walk across the lobby to the stairs. But even after Doctor Heart was gone, Luna continued to stare, almost as if she expected the mare to reappear at any moment. For a long while the night passed around Luna and the empty streets sat silently.
“My Princess, is everything alright?” asked one of the guards. They had been waiting silently for her to give them an order, yet she had not moved for… Had it been minutes? Hours? She was unsure herself. Her guards were here, yet, she felt alone.
“I will fly myself back to the castle,” instructed Luna, stepping out of the chariot. “Please take this back to the stable, then you both have the rest of the night off.”
“Yes, your highness, thank you,” answered the other pegasus with a bow. Then they were off, soaring high above a building and in a moment more they were out of sight completely.
Luna took one last glance back at the front doors of the CMEMC, but she saw no ponies inside. At last she flapped her wings and flew high up into the sky. In seconds she was far above the sleeping city of Canterlot. All around her were stars both in the sky and on the ground.
She closed her eyes. Even more stars flickered into her vision. But these were a different kind of star. These were minds burning brightly with dreams. Streams of glowing mist flowed between them, like unseen rivers made from fireflies. The streams twisted and moved, snaking throughout the town and across the darkened landscape below.
Slowly, reluctantly, Luna turned her closed eyes towards Ponyville. Many tiny stars glinted there as well, but they were almost impossible to see against the massive ball of fire that twisted and churned like the sun brought close.
It was that mind that she now so often visited. That mind that was so prominent against the others. She could sense the makings of bad dreams there, stronger than any other mind. But she had to resist the urge to go to their aid once again. There were others that needed her help, others that needed their nightmares quelled.
Luna let her eyes open and the dream-stars flickered away. She turned her body and dove down towards the castle below. She would tend to a few matters that needed her attention, then make her rounds through the most troubled dreams, excluding perhaps Twilight Dash, if she could stay away. And then, when the sun was ready to rise, she would tell her sister what she had done. That was something she wasn’t looking forward to.
The castle rushed up at her out of the darkness. Its many glowing orbs of magical light made it easily visible from the front and sides, but not so much from above. However, Luna’s night vision was superb and she had no trouble seeing the spot in which she wished to land.
Gracefully, she touched down softly on a balcony that connected to a main hallway. This was her favorite entrance. It was usually quiet, had a great view of both the castle and the city and was very close to her room.
However, much to Luna’s surprise, there was a pony waiting for her on the balcony. For one terrible moment she thought it might be her sister, but no, the colors were all wrong.
It was a guard pony that waited for her. A captain of the Nights Lookout. He saluted her as she landed.
“Princess,” said the captain gruffly. “A visitor is waiting at you quarters to speak with you. He has been here for several hours.”
“Thank you captain, I will see him at once,” answered Luna. “Are there any other matters that need attending to?”
“No my princess, your sister has dealt with all the urgent matters of state,” answered the captain. Luna let out a sigh.
“Of course she has,” mumbled Luna, low enough that the captain couldn’t properly make out her words.
The guardspony thankfully did not follow Luna as she trotted back towards her room. A visitor, she so rarely got those. Very few, if any ponies ever came to see her, or spend time with her. Really, beyond the guards, her sister was almost the only pony she ever saw anymore… except for maybe Doctor Heart… and Twilight Sparkle…
Luna felt a jolt of surprise as she saw the pony waiting in the hall for her. It was not completely unusual for visitors to call upon her during the night, though it was rare. Most ponies went to see her sister during the day and those that often found themselves at her door were either desperate or lost.
What had surprised Luna was the way this pony looked. He was a pegasus, middle aged with dark blue, almost purplish fur. But it was his mane and tale that really caught Luna’s attention, for they were the color of rainbows.
“Princess,” said the pony with the slightest of bows. “I must speak with you at once! Something has happened to my daughter!” There was an urgency in his voice that suggested both desperation and frustration.
“Of course,” said Luna with a nod. “We may speak in my chambers.” The guards at her door pushed open the two tall wooden panels for Luna and her guest to enter. Luna made her way over to a sitting area, where food and drink had been laid out for her and any guests that came to join her. Mostly, it was just her.
The stallion stayed at the door, looking extremely anxious. His eyes wandered around the room, like he expected something to jump out at him.
“Come, sit,” offered Luna, holding out a hoof towards a spot across from her. “And we shall talk.” The pegasus nodded and walked slowly towards where Luna waited for him.
Luna’s chambers were decorated in crystal. When it was dark, with just a little bit of light, the walls and ceiling shimmered with faint reflections that looked like stars. The carpet was dark blue and patterned with silver stars. Her bed sheets matched the carpet, and the chairs, and the curtains, and her pajamas. Although, the last one was out of sight in her closet.
The pony came to a stop in front of Luna, his eyes finally making their way to her. Luna waved a hoof for him to be seated. They sat at the same time, laying upon soft, comfy floor pillows.
“I am unsure where to begin,” said the pony.
“Perhaps, we should start with a name,” suggested Luna kindly.
“Oh, of course! My apologies Princess,” said the pony, bowing his head awkwardly. “My name, is Rainbow Sky. I’ve flown a long way from Cloudsdale to speak with… You…” he finished lamely. He had obviously meant to say Celestia.
“It is alright,” said Luna, trying to hide the disappointment in her voice. “Speak your mind. What brings you to me at such a late hour?”
“I know that you and your sister are busy,” explained Rainbow Sky. “I would not have come if it wasn’t important. I tried to see the Prin… I mean, Princess Celestia. But there were so many others gathered there as well that the guards had to turn me away. They said I could return tomorrow, or…” his eyes lifted to Luna.
“Or, you could speak with me,” finished Luna. She smiled, but it was a false smile. She was never the first choice to seek for aid. They always went to her sister. Luna tried not to dwell on the thought. “You mentioned your daughter, what has happened?”
“That’s the thing, uh, your highness,” said the pegasus.
“Luna is fine,” suggest Luna with a smile. “There is no court here, you can relax.”
“I’ve never asked a Princess for help,” said Rainbow Sky. “I’m not really sure what to say, or how to say it.”
“I would imagine it is much like asking anypony else,” said Luna warmly. “Now, tell me, what is wrong.”
“My daughter,” explained the pony at last. “I have not heard from her in nearly two weeks. It is really unlike her.” Luna remained quiet and listened. “So I went to her home, in Ponyville. But she wasn’t there! Her house was deserted. It looks like she hasn’t been there for a while.
“I asked around town if anypony had seen her, but none of them had,” continued Rainbow Sky, his words becoming more upset the longer he talked. “At last, a pony told me that there had been a terrible accident and that she had… she…” His voice broke and Luna could see tears on his face. Quickly he wiped them away.
“I went to Ponyville General Hospital,” continued Rainbow Sky. “But they said they couldn’t tell me what happened to her. I told them I’m her father! But still they refused me. Her records have been sealed…” his eyes finally came back up to meet Luna’s and there was something like anger in them. “…by royal order.”
“Sister!” bellowed Luna in outrage. A torrent of swirling magic leapt from her horn and flung open the ancient oaken doors to Celestia’s chambers with an ear splitting crack. Luna didn’t even slow down as she entered. “What is the meaning of this?”
“Luna?” asked Celestia sleepily. She rose slightly from her gold and white sheets to squint at the angry mare charging across her room. “What is wrong, my sister?”
“You know what is wrong,” shouted Luna. A cloud of dark mists began to swirl into existence behind her, forming like an ominous storm. “How could you conceal the truth about Twilight Dash from their families?”
“Be calm sister,” commanded Celestia, a powerful authority coming to her voice. With a flap of her wings she sent her sheets flying, soared from her bed, and landed lightly upon the marble floor, all in a single graceful motion. Luna came to an abrupt halt. The swirling darkness broke upon her back and dissipated out into the air.
Standing before her much taller sister Luna felt small and filly-like. Her fury became fear; fear that her sister would cast her away. Fear that her sister would lock her within the moon for another thousand years. Fear that her sister had lied to her.
Luna’s bravery returned and she glared up at Celestia.
“I have not lied to either you or Twilight Dash,” continued Celestia calmly. “Nor have I hidden them away from anypony.”
“But you had their medical records sealed,” explained Luna, presenting the evidence she had heard from Rainbow Sky. “And you have not informed their families!”
“You are correct on both accounts,” answered Celestia, her expression stern but her voice calm.
“Then you admit to hiding the truth!” exclaimed Luna, her eyes widening in shock. She thought she knew her sister, knew what she was capable of, but that didn’t seem the case. How much else had her sister concealed from her.
“No,” said Celestia with a slight shake of her head. “I have not hidden anything. The medical records - in addition to being private - are a matter of state security, where my protégé is concerned. They still exist, but are just not readily accessible.
“As to informing the families, I left that up to Twilight Dash. I did not forbid her from contacting her parents or siblings. If she has said nothing, then that is her choice.”
“Their choice,” corrected Luna. “You seem content to do nothing for them. To abandon them when they need us the most! But I have done my best to help…” Luna suddenly broke off , realizing that she had said too much. The briefest flicker of something that Luna thought might be anger moved through her sister’s eyes. It took all of Luna’s willpower not to take a step away.
“It would seem that it is you sister, not I, that has not been honest about your involvement in their life,” said Celestia dangerously. Her eyes narrowed and her tone sharpened, indicating that she was not pleased by what she was hearing. “You promised me that you would stay away from Twilight Dash. We were to let her come to us when she was ready.”
“They were never going to be ready!” cried Luna at last taking a step towards her sister so that they were face to face. “You have not seen the things I have seen. Their dreams, their nightmares, grow worse every night. What little coherence is left in their waking world slips away from them with each passing moment. Soon there won’t be a Twilight or a Dash or anything else!”
“I did not know it had become so bad,” said Celestia. Her voice was much softer and her intense gaze faded away to be replaced by a look of sorrow. “Even still,” continued Celestia, her collected calm tone returning, “you should have spoken with me first. We could have faced this together.”
“I’m not sure how Twilight Dash would have reacted to seeing the both of us again,” whispered Luna, turning her head away in shame and breaking eye contact with Celestia. “The last time we stole away the element of magic.”
“We did not steal it!” exclaimed Celestia loudly. Her hoof struck the ground, sending out a shower of sparks. She closed her eyes briefly and gathered herself before speaking again. “For the moment, we are simply safeguarding it for her. When she is ready, it will be returned.”
“Will they ever be ready?” asked Luna.
“That is up to them,” answered Celestia. “Turmoil in the heart of an element bearer can be incredibly dangerous, as you well know.”
“Yes,” replied Luna thoughtfully. “But I kept three elements, not two. And things only started to go bad when Silver Aurora—”
“Princess!” exclaimed a voice from the door. Although not as loud as Luna’s entrance, the pegasus hurried into the room without knocking. “And, uh, Princess.” He added, nodding to Luna, obviously not expecting to find her here. “An urgent message has just arrived.”
“From Ponyville?” asked Luna, fearing that something terrible had happened after her departure.
“No, your majesty,” replied the guardspony with a shake of his head. “From the Southern region of Equestria, the messenger only just arrived.” He turned his head and fished out a rolled up parchment from his saddlebag. Princess Celestia’s horn glowed; she took hold of the scroll, broke its seal and unfurled the message.
“No,” whispered Celestia, a dark expression shadowing her face as she read the words before her. “The crystal mist… has returned.”
“What!” exclaimed Luna in horror. All the troubles of Twilight Dash were whisked away in five simple words. Celestia looked up from the parchment, a worry deep upon her brow. “Sister, they must be mistaken. We destroyed that abomination of magic and shadows centuries ago. Surely it cannot have come back!”
“We can only hope it is a mistake,” said Celestia quietly. “However, we cannot assume that. I must ensure our kingdom’s safety. Such a thing could not have come at a worse time. Our greatest defense is unusable. And if it is truly the crystal mist…” her words trailed off and her eyes moved to the pegasus that had brought the message. “Wake the unicorns.”
“Which ones?” asked the guardspony.
“All of them,” instructed Celestia. “Have them assemble in the courtyard as quickly as possible, we will depart at once.”
“Yes, your highness,” said the pegasus with a slight bow. He charged off to carry out his orders without delay.
“Come,” commanded Celestia. She hurried out into the hall, making straight for the courtyard. Luna followed.
“What will we do sister?” asked Luna.
“I will take an army to hold it back,” said Celestia. “Hopefully, our combined magic will be enough to destroy the crystal mist once again.”
“And… and if it is not?” asked Luna timidly.
“Then you, my sister, must stand your ground here,” answered Celestia. They emerged from the castle into the main courtyard. Already it was filling with unicorns, dressed in golden armor.
It was still night but the enormous white disc of the moon blazed in the sky like the sun. It cast its bright light down upon them, making everypony glow slightly with a halo of soft white.
“And, Twilight Dash?” asked Luna, she felt almost silly asking about it at a time like this.
“As you have taken an interest in her, I suggest you continue to guide her,” replied Celestia. “She, and her friends, may very well be our last hope… if I fail.”
“But what if they aren’t ready?” asked Luna.
“My sister,” answered Celestia. She came to a halt and looked seriously upon her younger sister. “I have faith in you and in them. I know you will find a way to do what needs to be done. To safeguard everypony, to defend our kingdom and our home.” She turned her attention out towards the ranks of unicorns gathered before her.
It did indeed seem to be every unicorn in the palace. The whole courtyard was filled from front to back with huge groups standing in file. There was a low whispering among them, asking if anypony knew what was going on.
“My loyal soldiers,” said Celestia, her voice carrying through the still night air and silencing everypony. “A threat approaches from the South. A dark shadow called the crystal mist returns to our lands…” a mummer passed through the unicorns. “Magic, is our only defense against it. I will need every one of you to defeat it.
“I shall contact you when I can,” said Celestia more quietly to her sister. “I can only hope we are not too late already.” Celestia’s horn glowed with radiant golden energy. “The kingdom is in your hooves until I return. I know you will keep it safe.” A field of magic spread out over the courtyard. As Celestia’s light touched each unicorn, their horns hummed with golden energy.
All Luna could manage was a nod but this seemed to be enough for Celestia. The princess of the sun raised her head high, looking into the sky. Her eyes flared with blazing white magic that shone brighter than the moon. In an instant, she and all of the gathered unicorns were swept away in a torrent of intense whirling sun light. The spell swirled upwards into a roaring ball of energy that tossed Luna’s mane with a powerful wind.
A thunderous boom shook the ground. Luna flinched as a wall of air slammed into her. The enormous glowing orb spun faster and faster until at last it blasted outwards, racing across the sky. It moved so fast that within moments, it was little more than a dot upon the distant horizon.
The wind died into an unnatural silence. No crickets chirped, no owls hooted. There was simply complete and utter silence - with Luna at its center.
“Good luck, my sister,” whispered Luna.
Applejack woke well before the morning sun. Out her window, the stars glittered in the veiled black sky, but the moon had already set. She jostled the firefly lantern beside her bed and the little bugs sprung to life, casting the room in a greenish glow. The ticking clock drew her attention and in the dim light she read the very early morning hour.
Perhaps it might be too early to be called morning for most ponies, but not for Applejack. She was always the first one to wake and the last one to sleep in this house.
Still, it was earlier than she was used to. She was planning - yet again - to spend most of the day at the library, being with her friends. While she knew the library was where she needed to be; she couldn’t help but feel slightly guilty about piling her chores onto her brother.
Rolling out of bed, Applejack started her morning routine. She straightened her bed sheets before heading to the bathroom to wash up. Absently she went through the morning motions of brushing her teeth and combing her hair.
She paused, gazing at her own worn-out reflection in the mirror. Applejack could feel her thoughts trying to wander back into the strangeness of the past week. She shook her head. She didn’t want to think about it. She didn’t want to relive it.
Her hair half brushed, she turned and left the bathroom. She didn’t really feel awake. It was like all of this, all that had happened to her - and her friends - had just been some terrible dream. One that she tried to wake from every morning, only to be greeted by more of the nightmare.
Applejack lifted her hat from her dresser and placed it upon her head. She closed her eyes for a long moment, listening to the sound of her own breathing in the darkness. She could do this, she could face this. Her friend… friends, needed her. She wouldn’t let them down, no matter how much it hurt to...
The clamor of falling pans and raised voices interrupted her moment. Abruptly, she was forced back into reality.
“What now?” grumbled Applejack under her breath.
It had come from downstairs. Nopony else should be awake at this hour. That either meant intruders, varmints or her brother rummaging for a morning snack. And just now, she didn’t care to find any of those waiting for her.
Turning, she left her room and made her way downstairs. The voices got louder as she approached. A strange sugery smell wafted through the air. Somepony was cooking.
Breakfast was usually Applejack’s job. Of all the chores she had to do on the farm, breakfast was the one she enjoyed most. There was nothing quite like seeing her little sisters joyce smile or hearing her brothers emphatic ‘yep’ when she asked if they liked their meals.
Apparently somepony else had decided to try their hoof at it this morning. And Applejack had a pretty good idea who it might be.
As she entered the kitchen, her front hoof planted itself in a bag of flour. She was indeed correct, somepony else was attempting to make breakfast… or possibly start a war. It was hard to tell.
“Good morning sis!” cried Apple Bloom. The filly was currently standing on the back of her friend so that she could reach the cast iron pan atop stove. Scootaloo was working the bellows, hopping up and down as her tiny wings buzzed, with an excited grin upon her face. Sweetie Belle, on the other hoof, didn’t seem to be too pleased about her role as a stool.
Applejack navigated her way across the disaster of the kitchen, trying not to look angry at the mess all around her. Her little sister was obsessed with earning a cutie mark. She desperately wanted to discover what she was meant to do. However, she always seemed to go about it the wrong way.
“Just what is going on here?” demanded Applejack.
“We’re making breakfast!” exclaimed Scootaloo, as she cannonballed onto the bellows, sending a rush of flames around the pan.
“Careful Scootaloo!” cried Apple Bloom. “And we ain’t just making breakfast! We’re making pancakes! Apple pancakes! From our own recipe!” The filly held out a hoof, pointing to a very tall stack of pancakes placed in the center of the table.
“Is that… is that right?” asked Applejack, eyeing the pancakes with suspicion.
“Yeah! I bet they taste amazing!” chimed in Sweetie Belle.
“Then ya’ll haven’t tried them yet?” asked Applejack a little nervously, taking a step back from the table as if she half expected the food to suddenly lunge at her.
“Nope, we were going to let you have the first bite!” said Scootaloo proudly, hopping on the bellows again and sending up another jet of flame.
“Terrific,” mumbled Applejack, taking a deep breath to give her courage. Carefully she made her way around the table and sat before the towering mountain of breakfast.
They sure had managed to make a lot of pancakes. But Apple Bloom and her friends rarely ever did anything halfway. The group’s plans never seemed to work out how they wanted.
Today cooking seemed to be their goal - or mess making - it was hard to tell. Most days their plans ended with things exploding. Applejack was really hoping this would not be one of those days.
Apple Bloom flipped the top most pancake off the stack. It land neatly on Applejack’s plate with a soft thump. The three fillies waited at the edge of the table, with just their hooves and heads peaking over the edge. They watched Applejack expectantly with eager eyes.
Applejack smiled uneasily at them before turning her attention to the uncertain breakfast that sat before her. The small round cake looked fine. She could see bits of sliced up apple poking through the top and sides.
Cautiously she sniffed at it. It smelled fine too.
She looked back to the three fillies who smiled and nodded encouragingly at her. Well, this thing wasn’t going to eat itself. Not delaying another moment, Applejack took a big bite out of the pancake.
“Hey, that’s actually not bad at all,” said Applejack after a few chews. She swallowed. “I recon you three did a pretty good job with these.”
“Yay! My sister likes it! She likes it!” cried Apple Bloom exuberantly.
“Yes! We are totally going to be Cutie Mark Crusader Chefs!” exclaimed Scootaloo.
“Wait, you said that like you expected them to be horrible,” pointed out Sweetie Belle.
“Daw stavs on fur,” said Applejack, her mouth full with a second bite.
“What?” asked Apple Bloom, looking to her friends who both shrugged. Applejack lifted a hoof and pointed over their heads to the stove. They had left their pan unattended and flames now blazed from it. “AH! The stove’s on fire!”
In a panic the three fillies sprang into action, running in circles and colliding with each other. Scootaloo managed to break away from the others and resume her post at the bellows, however, her efforts only made things worse.
Calmly, swallowing the last of her breakfast, Applejack made her way over to the stove. While the three fillies panicked and shouted, Applejack pulled the fire blanket from the shelf beside the stove and tossed it over the flames.
The panic died as the fire was smothered under the heavy cloth. A moment later she pulled the blanket off. The fire had been extinguished, but nasty black smoke still rose from the pan. Inside the pan, only the smoldering ashes of their final pancake remained. The three fillies looked at it as though they had lost a dear friend.
“Well, you all did a great job cooking,” said Applejack. “Right up until the end there. But now comes the real challenge.”
“Finding something even better than pancakes?” asked Scootaloo eagerly.
“No, cleaning,” answered Applejack with a shake of her head. “I’ve gotta get going, but when I get back, I expect this kitchen to be spotless.”
Applejack was not the first to arrive at the library. Despite getting up before dawn, she had been delayed by her sister-and-friends’ antics. It was also a fair hike from Sweet Apple Acres to town.
Fluttershy and Rarity were already waiting inside, talking quietly with each other. They turned to greet Applejack as the tinkle of the door chime sounded.
“Spike says that TD will be out shortly,” said Rarity with a little wave. “Apparently they had quite the late night after we departed.”
“I thought they said they were going to turn in early after all that flying around,” said Applejack in confusion.
“Oh, they were, but one visitor after another kept showing up,” chimed in Fluttershy. “At least, that’s what Spike said before he ran off.”
“I guess we’ll just have to wait and ask them,” said Applejack. “Hey, where’s Pinkie at anyhow? I thought she would have been the first one here.”
“It’s funny you should say that,” said Rarity. “She and I arrived at the same time. But just as we walked through the door she raced off, shouting something incomprehensible about packing enough sweets. I honestly can’t understand what gets into that pony sometimes.”
“It’s just Pinkie being Pinkie I suppose,” answered Applejack with a shrug.
A noise from upstairs drew their attention away from their conversation. Ever so slowly, a pony emerged from the upper bedroom. Each step directed by Spike, each step shaky.
After what felt like several minutes, Twilight Dash at last reached the landing at the top of the stairs, where she could easily see the ponies below her. She opened her mouth to speak, but Spike cut her off before she could.
“Hey, wait a minute, where did Pinkie go?” asked Spike, looking around the room, as though he expected her to be hiding behind something.
“I don’t—“ began Rarity.
“I’m back!” cried Pinkie. “Sorry that took so long!” She was lugging behind her what looked like a large pink travel trunk, covered in stickers of smiling flowers, balloons and of course candy. She dropped it by the door before bouncing over to the rest of the group without an explanation.
“Do I even want to ask?” asked Applejack, glancing over at the trunk.
“Ask about what?” replied Pinkie, tilting her head to the side in honest confusion.
“The trunk, Pinkie,” said Applejack.
“Yeah, that’s my travel trunk! It can fit all kinds of awesome stuff, including party stuff,” said Pinkie.
“No, I mean… you know what, never mind,” said Applejack shaking her head.
“Spike, I can’t do this,” came a whisper from the top of the stairs, drawing the attention of the room below. Spike whispered something back that Applejack couldn’t quite make out.
"And you’re sure?” replied Twilight Dash. She shot a nervous glance at Applejack and the others. “Because they don’t look like my friends.”
“They are,” whispered Spike more loudly than he probably intended. “Look, they need to hear it from you. Alright?”
“Alright,” said Twilight Dash with a nod. Finally she raised her voice to address the others. “We’re glad you could all come.” “We have something important to tell you.” “Yes, we were getting to that.” “Last night, Luna came to visit us.”
“Luna!” cried Applejack in surprise. “What did she want now? She didn’t come to take away your other element did she?”
“What? No, no nothing like that,” answered Twilight Dash. Something about the way she looked at Applejack made the earth pony feel… uncomfortable. “Luna has been watching our dreams and—“
“Watching your dreams!” exclaimed Rarity in horror. “She’s been spying on you?”
“No, well, yes,” answered Twilight Dash uncertainly. “But that isn’t the point.” “Yeah! You guys keep interrupting! Just let us finish!”
“Oh, oh, oh!” cried Pinkie waving her hoof in the air exuberantly. “Have you decided where you want to stay?” Applejack gave Pinkie a strange glance. What was she on about now?
“Uh… no,” answered Twilight Dash. “We—“ “Wait, how did you know about that? Spike, did you tell her?”
“No,” protested Spike raising his claws. “I didn’t even get to talk to her this morning.”
“Just what are y’all talking about? What happened?” demanded Applejack, the frustration in her voice making the room silent.
“Like we were saying. Luna came to see us last night,” explained Twilight Dash. “Not long after Doctor Red Cross left.” “But Luna didn’t come alone, she brought an Aetheralist with her.”
“What is that?” asked Fluttershy.
“Not what, who,” corrected Twilight Dash. “She’s a doctor, from Canterlot. A specialist in… uh… our sort of problem, we guess.” There was a long silence in which no pony seemed to want to ask the unspoken question.
“What problem is that?” asked Pinkie, raising her hoof again as though she was in school answering questions. Although she wasn’t waiting to be called on. Rarity gave the pink pony a disapproving shake of her head at her tactlessness.
Twilight Dash took a long breath, trying to delay the moment of having to answer. Then she whispered something so quietly that by comparison Fluttershy sounded like an air-horn. The mixed-up pony looked away embarrassed.
“Um, could you speak up a little please?” asked Fluttershy.
“We,” began Twilight Dash. They shut their eyes so they wouldn’t have to look at the ponies while they said it. “We don’t remember you!”
A shocked silence pressed down on the room. None of them even dared to breathe. Applejack’s mind was still attempting to process what she had just heard.
“You don’t… remember us?” asked Rarity, her tone indicating that she didn’t quite believe what she had heard.
“No,” answered Twilight Dash, still not able to bring herself to look at them. “We see you, standing there, and Spike says that you’re our friends…” “But when we look at you, you’re strangers.”
“But… but… how can you not remember us?!” cried Pinkie, still waving her hoof in the air. “We’re all going to Canterlot together!”
The unsettling feeling of the moment was eased slightly by Pinkie’s odd statement. What did Canterlot have to do with anything? None of them were planning to go to… A sudden strange realization flitted through Applejack’s thoughts. She suddenly understood Pinkie’s strange behavior, even if Pinkie might not know it yet herself.
“That’s why Luna was here last night, wasn’t it?” asked Applejack softly. “She wants you to move to Canterlot.”
“Yes” “Well, not Luna—” “But we’re sure Luna does want us there—“ “It was actually Doctor Heart that asked us,” explained Twilight Dash. “She thinks it will be easier to treat us there.”
“And you think she can fix whatever is happening to you?” asked Rarity. “That she can help you remember us again?”
“She doesn’t know,” answered Twilight Dash. “But she wants to try.” “So we’ve decided, we’ll only go, if you want us to.” “And we want you all to come with us.” “If you want to that is.” “Even though we don’t… you know… know who any of you are…”
“Of course we’ll go with you,” said Rarity.
“Absolutely,” agreed Fluttershy. “We’ll be right there beside you.”
“I’m already packed!” cried Pinkie. “Wait, where are we going again?”
Applejack retrieved the cart they had used the previous day from its resting spot behind the library. As she arrived, Twilight Dash and the others emerged from inside. She wasn’t entirely sure, but by the looks of it, Twilight Dash seemed to be arguing with, herself.
“We could just fly to the train station,” said Twilight Dash. “Don’t be ridiculous, we barely managed to land the last time.” “That was just a minor hiccup, because I—we—haven’t flown in such a long time.” “No, we take the cart, like…” her eyes turned to Applejack, studying her, looking for some clue that wasn’t there.
“Applejack,” said Applejack with a weak smile.
“Yes, like she said,” finished Twilight Dash. Then she rolled her eyes. “What?” “We didn’t say anything!”
Applejack pulled the cart up next to them and she heard Pinkie offer to help them climb into the back. She could feel the cart move and shift with the weight of her passenger before settling as the pony seated herself.
“Are we all set then?” asked Applejack, looking back over her shoulder.
“I really think I should pack something,” said Rarity in a worried tone. “I mean, we are going to meet with Celestia. Oh, no! No! I must go grab a few of my finest dresses before we depart!”
“But the next train to Canterlot departs in fifteen minutes,” said Pinkie. “You’d need some kind of pinkie-powers to make it home, pack and get back to the train station on time! Also, I already packed some of your dresses.” She tapped the large trunk she was pulling along behind her.
“Wait,” said Fluttershy. “We are still waiting on Spike.” As if on cue, the young dragon emerged from the library, flipping the sign on the door form open to closed, before locking it behind him.
“Alright,” said Spike. “I’ve sent the letter off to Celestia, so she should be expecting us when we arrive. But we really should get going, TD is going to need some extra time to get aboard the train.”
“We’ll be fine!” said Twilight Dash, sounding a little irritated.
“Off we go then!” said Applejack. She pulled the cart forward with only the slightest strain and quickened her pace to a fast trot.
The train station wasn’t far from the library, and they reached it in nearly record time. Pinkie bounced on ahead to buy them all tickets while Rarity and Fluttershy helped Twilight Dash out of the cart. Once the pony was clear, Applejack found a spot to leave the cart where it would be out of the way before returning to her friends.
Spike was helping Twilight Dash slowly climb the stairs to the platform, while Rarity and Fluttershy waited above. They were only two steps from the top when things went sideways. Twilight Dash lost her balance. She swayed dangerously to one side. Spike tried to adjust and catch her. But it was no good, he simply wasn’t strong enough to hold her up.
Applejack stood frozen in place. Her brain screamed at her to move, to help, to do anything but watch! She was close enough to hurry forward and catch her friend. But that also meant she would have to touch her. And the last time that had happened…
Applejack shook her head, throwing off the fear. She made to rush in. However, she hadn’t taken even a single step towards the falling pony, when Twilight Dash suddenly halted mid fall.
A light-ish blue aura wrapped around the pony, holding her aloft.
“Woah, great catch Rarity!” complimented Spike. The white coated mare smiled at him under the strain of keeping Twilight Dash from falling over. Carefully, she set her friend upright once more.
“Yeah, we have enough problems without adding a sprained hoof to our list,” said Twilight Dash. “If we had just flown—“ “Then we might have crashed into a building instead!”
Spike helped them the last couple of steps up to the platform. Applejack hurried up behind them just in time to see the train roll into the station.
“I’ve got our tickets,” sang Pinkie happily as she hopped towards the train.
Excitedly Pinkie led the way. Twilight Dash followed at a much slower pace. Rarity and Fluttershy trotted along on either side while Spike helped her along. Applejack brought up the rear, keeping her distance.
It was a slow, painful process getting onto the train. They hadn’t even made it to their seats when the train began to move. Twilight Dash wobbled unstably as the floor jerked beneath them, but managed to stay upright, with the help of Spike, Rarity and Fluttershy.
After a minute or so they finally reached their seats. Each bench could only seat two across. Fluttershy, Rarity, Spike and Twilight Dash all sat facing each other. Applejack and Pinkie sat right across the isle.
Pinkie was oddly quiet for a long while, which Applejack was thankful for. She liked Pinkie, but sometimes, she just didn’t feel like talking. Their friends across the way didn’t seem much chattier. After all, the train wasn’t a great place to talk about many of the things they wanted to talk about.
Hills and trees and towns and lakes all passed by outside the window, one after the other. Applejack watched them without really seeing them. Her thoughts were elsewhere, thinking about the things Twilight Dash had told them.
How could her friend, one of her best friends, not even remember her? How much else was missing from their mind? And how much more would go missing? Applejack didn’t know, but it was all leading towards a question she had been trying not to think about. A question, she didn’t want to answer.
There was something terrible outside the train. It darted through the shadows of the trees and hid beneath the rocks in the fields. She hadn’t been able to see it. She didn’t even know what it was. But it was there, it was following her.
At first she hadn’t been paying any mind to the passing scenery. She had been lost in thought about things that no longer seemed to matter. However, a flicker of movement in the glass had drawn her attention. The strangest sensation overtook her. She felt like she had neglected to notice the most important thing in the world.
She had been watching relentlessly for the better part of an hour. So far she was no closer to finding whatever was chasing after her. It was fast, moving from one hiding spot to another before vanishing completely in the open daylight. And when the shadows of the trees returned, so did her pursuer.
Yet, as near as she could tell, there was nothing out of the ordinary outside the train. Nothing she could see, nothing she could find. Even still, the feeling simply wouldn’t go away. She knew it was there. She knew she was looking right at it and that it was looking right back at her. Whatever ‘it’ was though, she still had no idea.
Not knowing what it was didn’t stop her from searching for it. Again, her eyes swept over the landscape trying to spot the thing she couldn’t see. The sky was a clear blue, with the lightest wafts of clouds spaced like tiny islands. A great mountain filled most of the distant horizon and rolling green hills filled the space in-between.
At the moment, it was hiding again. It hadn’t gone away, that much she knew. But somehow its presence felt diminished.
She pressed her face against the glass as if this might somehow give her a better view. All she accomplished was making the glass all smeary and she was no closer to finding whatever it was. ‘It’ was right in front of her, hiding in plain sight – invisible but smoldering like an ember in her thoughts.
Darkness suddenly engulfed the sky. The mountain, the fields, the trees, the sun; they all vanished in an instant, consumed by pitch black night. She tumbled backwards from the window, her eyes wide with fear. This was… this was… a tunnel?
The moment of shock passed. It was just a tunnel. A silly, silly tunnel.
She let out the breath she had been holding and shook her head. She almost wanted to laugh. Nothing was following her. There was no danger outside the train that was fixated on her. She had simply imagined it, worked herself up… over…
Her thoughts trailed off as panic overtook her once more. Her breath caught in her throat. Her mind scrambled to make sense but failed. Only a jumbled mess of noise echoed in her head.
She had seen it. She had seen the thing that had been relentlessly pursuing her. It had truly been right in front of her the whole time. How it had taken her so long to realize seemed almost unfathomable, and yet, how could she have known? Only the darkness of the tunnel had at last revealed the truth to her.
A pair of unfamiliar mismatched eye stared into her from just beyond the darkened glass. They were looking at her just like she had been looking at them. She realized what the impossible sight she had been searching for actually was. It was her! That was her reflection in the glass! That horrible, twisted monster was what she looked like?!
It couldn’t be! It was wrong – a mockery of… them… self?
She opened their mouth to scream but only terrible absolute silence came out. It was like the whole world went suddenly and completely quiet. Sound stopped existing. The world stopped existing. She stopped…
“Are you… alright?” asked an impossible voice from the silence.
The words poked a hole in the heavy emptiness. Gradually, muffled noises began to return. At first they could only make out the faintest of sounds. They felt the rhythmic clatter of the train wheels against the metal tracks before they heard it. They could make out the low constant whistle of the air rushing passed the train. And they could also sense the unsettling quiet of the cabin around them.
Twilight Dash blinked, bringing a hoof up to shield their eyes. The light inside the train seemed unusually bright for a brief moment. Slowly the glare receded. An uneasy feeling made them shiver. They had the oddest sensation, almost like they were being examined from every angle.
The most unsettling part was that they were.
Nearly every passenger in the train car was looking at them. Some were whispering behind their hooves. Others simply stared with wide accusing eyes.
“Is everything alright, young lady?” asked a conductor that had come over to the seats.
“Yeah, we’re…” began Twilight Dash. They couldn’t bring themselves to say ‘fine.’ “We’re okay.”
“Alright everypony, you can stop stare’n,” said an orange mare with a cowpony hat. She had been sitting across the isle but now stood on her seat, trying to wave away attention. It seemed to work as most of the passengers finally went back to whatever they had been doing. However, some still snuck uncertain glances in Twilight Dash’s direction. The orange mare that had shushed everypony came over before she spoke to them in a low whisper. “You okay TD?”
“Why does everypony keep asking that?” demanded Twilight Dash. They couldn’t understand why every single strange pony they had come across today thought it perfectly okay to come over and talk to them!
“Darling,” said an unfamiliar white unicorn beside them. Twilight Dash jumped with a little start. They hadn’t even realized somepony was sitting there. They didn’t recognize her at all. Perhaps she had joined the train at the last stop? The mare next to them had a well groomed deep violet mane and immaculate white fur. They were surprised they hadn’t noticed her sooner.
“TD? Are you listening?” asked the radiant white unicorn sitting beside them. She had a discontented frown upon her face — as though she was upset that they hadn’t been hanging on her every word. In truth, they hadn’t heard any of it.
“Well, I said you scared us all half to death,” explained the white unicorn again.
“What? What are you talking about?” asked Twilight Dash in confusion. They pulled away slightly from the half-crazy unicorn. Desperately they searched for a familiar face, or a place to escape from the insanity around them.
At last they found Spike sitting in the isle seat across from the white unicorn. They leaned forward to whisper to him. They didn’t want the others around them to hear. That strange orange earth pony hadn’t left yet and now a pink earth pony was coming too.
“Spike, what’s going on?” whispered Twilight Dash. “Who are all these crazy ponies?”
“These are your friends TD!” cried Spike, much more loudly than Twilight Dash would have liked. “You… you screamed…” said Spike, looking extremely worried. “Don’t you remember?”
“What? No we didn’t!” insisted Twilight Dash. “We were just looking out the window at the… something…” They trailed off as they glanced back out the window. What had they been looking at? They felt like they could almost remember it. There had been… a something…
Their eyes traveled across the barren rocky landscape. There were no trees outside. Oddly, for some reason, they had expected to see trees. Instead, patches of early snow and dark gray mountain boulders made up most of the nearby scenery.
“Wait, that’s not right,” mumbled Twilight Dash to themself. They pressed their face against the glass, trying to look behind them and back down the tracks. “When did we get all the way up here?”
“We’ve been on the mountain for over an hour,” said Spike. “Maybe you just drifted off to sleep and had a bad dream?”
“Sure…” replied Twilight Dash in an uncertain murmur of agreement.
They must have just fallen asleep. Yes, that had to be it. After all, the train was boring. Looking out the window was boring. And they really hadn’t been sleeping all that well anyhow. A nap made perfect sense.
Except, they knew that wasn’t true. They hadn’t drifted off. It didn’t feel like sleep at all. It felt like the missing party all over again. One moment they were doing one thing. The next moment, they were someplace completely different, left with no recollection of the time in-between.
There had been something, but it wasn’t the same as sleep. And it had not been like waking up at all. It felt more like… more like they hadn’t even existed a moment ago.
A shiver ran down their spine and they wrapped their hooves around themself as their body trembled. They closed their eyes, trying to think back, to remember just what had happened between the trees and the mountain. But there was nothing there, just empty memories of darkness.
“Spike, did we, uh, do anything before we screamed?” asked Twilight Dash. Spike thought for a long moment.
“No,” answered a butter yellow pegasus sitting in the window seat beside Spike. Twilight Dash gave the mare a strange look. What was it with strangers butting into their conversations today? First that orange mare across the way, then the white one sitting next to them and now this pegasus too? The pegasus shrank into her seat a little at Twilight Dash’s intense glare.
“I mean… you were just… sitting…” her voice trailed off into an incomprehensible whisper as she put her hooves up over her face.
“Uh, yeah, what she said,” answered Spike. “I think. I kind of wasn’t paying attention.” His eyes shifted unconsciously back to the white unicorn sitting beside them. They felt shocked by his behavior.
He had been sweet on Rarity ever since they had arrived in Ponyville. Now he was ogling this complete stranger? What would their friend think if she was here? What would she… They glanced at the white unicorn beside them. Now that Spike mentioned it, she did seem familiar somehow…
The thought slipped sideways as the train whistle blew. A moment later a voice spoke over the speakers.
“We are now pulling into Canterlot Station,” announced the voice. “This is our final stop, all passengers must depart…”
“Oh I need to go get my trunk!” cried the pink pony. She leapt into the air and zoomed off with a little puff of smoke that hovered in her outline for just a moment longer.
“…and hope you have enjoyed your ride with us. Thank you,” finished the announcement.
Canterlot, they were at Canterlot? So soon?
All over the car, ponies were getting to their hooves. The platform of the station took the place of the mountain landscape. Steam billowed across the wooden platform outside. It made the dozens of ponies that were waiting to meet their loved ones appear as if they were standing on clouds.
Ready to get off this train and get away from all these ponies that were crowed around them, Twilight Dash turned away from the window. However, the others that had been seated next to them did not move. They gave each of the ponies an uncertain glance, but they all just looked at her and smiled – somewhat awkwardly.
“Well… this is it,” said Twilight Dash, hoping they would catch on and leave. “Last stop.”
“Yep,” answered the orange earth pony. She didn’t move.
“Time to get off,” pressed Twilight Dash.
“Yes, at last,” agreed the white unicorn beside her. None of the ponies moved.
“I guess we should all, uh, get off now…” hinted Twilight Dash, trying to get them to go away. All the other passengers seemed to have taken the hint, the car was nearly empty now, save for the four ponies hovering around them.
“We’re waiting to give you a hoof,” said the shy pegasus sitting in front of her… Really-Shy, that… that was her name… wasn’t it?
“Got my trunk!” shouted Pink-Party, waving a hoof at the group. “Come on you slow-pony-pokes!”
“I don’t need a hoof,” she said at last. “I’m fine.” She got to her hooves a little unsteadily but she managed to stay upright. There was a buzzing in her brain and her thoughts felt unfocused. “I just need to get off this train.”
Clumsily, she pushed past her friends and stumbled towards the exit. The others didn’t pursue her and she didn’t look back at them. She rushed past Pink-Party, who simply blinked at her in surprise.
“She… she walked!” cried Apple-Hat from somewhere behind her.
However, in the next moment their voices were all lost in the noise of the crowd. She had made it outside, onto the station platform. It was packed with those departing the train and those waiting to meet them.
But who was she here to meet? Why had she come to Canterlot?
The crowd swept her up, carrying her like a stone in a river. She could hear voices shouting, but it wasn’t her name that they were calling.
And yet… she almost wanted to turn and look. It wasn’t her name being shouted but all the same, it felt like it was her name. She couldn’t explain it.
She was just about to turn and look for whoever was calling for not-her, when she bumped into two very tall, very armored, ponies. They were standing at the edge of the platform and they were glaring down at her.
“The Princess has been expecting you,” said one of the ponies. “We have a chariot waiting to carry you to the castle.” He stepped aside, holding out a hoof to reveal a dark blue chariot, adorned with sparkling silver stars.
A little uncertainly, she made her way towards it. A princess? Had sent a chariot? For her?! Why? She wasn’t anypony special. Surely they had confused her for some… pony… else…
“Twilight Dash!” called a voice way back in the crowd. There it was again. That strange name that felt like it belonged to her.
“Are you ready to depart, miss?” asked one of the pegasus guards.
“Yes,” answered Rainbow Sparkle.
“I don’t see them anywhere!” exclaimed Spike as he desperately searched the crowd from the vantage point of Applejack’s back.
“Me… ne… ther…” said Pinkie between bounces as she tried to jump higher and higher with each one.
“How could we have lost her?” cried Rarity. “How far could she really have gotten?”
The crowd was starting to thin as groups of ponies left the platform. Soon it was just the four of them standing beside the doors of the train. Only a few small groups remained, but Twilight Dash didn’t appear to be in any of them.
“Wait, where is Fluttershy?” asked Applejack, glancing around. “Don’t tell me we lost her too!”
“No, I’m here,” answered Fluttershy. She descended slowly before landing gently on the platform. “I thought being higher might give me a better view.”
“Well, did it?” asked Spike, leaning forward and pushing Applejack’s hat down over her eyes. “Did you see TD?”
“Yes, she was leaving in a chariot pulled by some guardsponies,” answered Fluttershy. “I think they were headed towards the castle. I tried to call out to her, but I guess she couldn’t hear me.” Applejack tilted her head to the side so she could peek out form under her hat.
“Spike, do you mind getting off’a me?” asked Applejack.
“Oh, right, sorry,” apologized Spike. He straightened her hat first before hopping down to the ground.
“TD left?” said Pinkie, her ears drooping slightly. “Without us?”
“Maybe she just thought taking a chariot would be better than walking,” suggested Spike with a shrug. “She hasn’t really been doing so well at that lately.”
“I dunno, she looked like she was doing just fine without our help,” said Applejack, sounding a little annoyed.
“Applejack!” exclaimed Rarity. “They are our friends!”
“Are they? Is she?” snapped Applejack. “Do we even know that pony anymore? Does she even know who we are? She just left us, standing here like fools.” Rarity covered her mouth in horror. Pinkie’s eyes widened in shock and Fluttershy hid whatever she was feeling behind her mane.
“I don’t think I shoulda come along,” continued Applejack after a moment. “I thought it was the right thing to do. Ya’know I support my friend and all. But that pony… she looks at me, and she don’t even know who I am. She don’t even know who she is…”
“She… she looks at me the same way,” said Fluttershy softly.
“What, Fluttershy, not you too!” cried Spike. “Come on you guys, you can’t turn your backs on her now!”
“Applejack is right,” continued Fluttershy staring intently at the ground. “We don’t know that pony anymore. We call her Twilight Dash, but she really isn’t either of them. I know we all want to help our friend… but that pony isn’t Dash.”
“You’re absolutely right,” snapped Rarity, a bitter, angry note in her voice. “They are Twilight Dash! Both of our friends! You can’t just abandon them. Not when they need our help the most!”
“It don’t seem like they really want or need us,” said Applejack solemnly. “I’m sorry. I just can’t… I can’t do this no more… I can’t pretend that I look at her and see my friends there. I’m sorry.” Applejack turned away from her friends. Determinately, she began to walk away. Fluttershy gave her friends one last look, then hurried to catch up with Applejack.
“Wait!” cried Pinkie holding out a hoof. "You guys can’t just leave! We came here together! On a mission!”
“Let them go,” said Spike, his voice oddly calm but his whole body shook with rage. “It’s not like Applejack ever really wanted Twilight back anyhow.” Applejack stopped in her tracks. She shot a dangerous glare back at Spike.
“What’d you say?” growled the earth pony. Her eyes narrowed, as if daring Spike to say one more word.
“You heard me!” bellowed Spike. His sudden change in volume caught everypony by surprise. There were rage filled tears starting to water at the edges of his eyes. “I heard about the hospital. I heard how you voted for Dash to live and Twilight to die!” The almost empty platform went completely silent except for Spike’s seething anger. “You guys didn’t even tell me what was going on! You didn’t even ask me to be there! Do you have any idea what it was like for me?! Not knowing what was happening to Twilight at all! You didn’t even think to tell me! I didn’t even matter! Do you have any idea how important she was to me!”
Applejack’s hardened expression melted away into shame. She turned and galloped away as fast as she could, with Fluttershy hurrying after her. But the sound of Applejack’s hoofsteps couldn’t cover up her sobs.
Madness had finally taken hold of Twilight Dash. Without any control they galloped down the street. Or maybe they were flying since they seemed to be much taller than everypony else. Yet, at the same time it didn’t feel like they were doing anything at all. Not galloping, not flying, just… sitting – perfectly still and completely motionless – while the world raced past.
They didn’t know when they had started to gallop. They couldn’t remember trying to fly. And the more they tried to think about it, the less they seemed to know about how they were moving at all. It felt like they had a big, empty hole in their head where all those answers should have been. When they gazed into the emptiness in their mind it felt like the nothingness stared back.
The world jumped abruptly. Reflexively their front hooves reached out for support. They felt the touch of cold metal and quickly pulled back. At last they forced their eyes away from the road and looked down.
It took them a moment to realize what they were seeing. It took even longer for the realization of what was happening to sink in. They weren’t galloping. They weren’t flying. In fact, they weren’t doing much of anything besides sitting.
They were being pulled in a chariot. Hesitantly, they touched the dark blue metal again, making sure it was real. Where was this thing going? Where were they going?
Twilight Dash did not have to wait long for the answer. They began to slow as the chariot reached a massive stone bridge. On the other side was a golden gate; closed and locked and guarded.
At the moment, there wasn’t much in their head that made sense, but they did know at least one thing; this was wrong. That gate should always be open. There should be dozens of ponies going in and out. Save for them, the ponies that pulled the chariot – which they had just noticed were there – and the guards at the gate, the bridge was deserted.
The guardsponies exchanged no words. As the chariot approached the gate was unbarred and pushed open. They passed through with the pegasus guards watching them silently. The moment they were past, Twilight Dash heard the scrape of metal on stone and the loud heavy clunk of the bar falling back into place.
However, they hardly had a moment to spare for the gate. The great majesty of Canterlot Castle rose up before them. Somehow, they had forgotten just how beautiful its white marble towers were. Vibrant green grass, with beds of blue and white flowers lined either side of the path leading up to the castle. And high above banners of the sun and moon flapped gently in the breeze, while crystal glass windows glinted like gems under the sun.
The chariot came to a stop in front of the main entrance. The ponies that had been pulling them looked at Twilight Dash expectantly, waiting for them to depart. However Twilight Dash didn’t budge.
In addition to forgetting the grandeur of the castle, they had also neglected to remember another important detail. They still couldn’t walk very well.
Their eyes swept across the castle entrance before them. Nearly two dozen long marble steps lay between them and the massive gate that led into the castle. They would never be able to make that climb, not without tumbling back down.
“We could always fly,” suggested Twilight Dash under their breath. They didn’t answer, silently agreeing with themself. There might be no other option but to fly. And honestly, how bad could it be? They didn’t have to go far or fly very high.
Twilight Dash was just about to give flying a go when a second set of guards emerged from the main gate. One had a dark gray coat and the other chestnut brown fur, and both were pegasus. The two of them glided gracefully down the steps, carrying something odd between them. It was a sort of flat cushioned platform, like a medical stretcher but wider and more firm. They stopped beside the chariot.
“The Princess has sent us to assist you, miss,” said the gray pegasus. “If you are, uh, unable to make the walk.”
They felt both embarrassed and ashamed.
“No, we’re totally fine,” lied Twilight Dash. They stood abruptly, took one step, and toppled face first out of the chariot with a yelp of surprise. The guards looked down at them with worry. “Maybe we should just let them carry us.” “No way! We can fly! We’ll be fine!”
“I think you should listen to yourself,” said the brown pegasus. “You don’t seem like you’re in any condition to walk. We don’t mind carrying you.”
“Fine, whatever,” said Twilight Dash in a huff, pushing themself up and trying to brush off some of the dirt. “Oh, don’t be like that. We don’t mean it. Thank you.”
“Uh, you're, welcome?” answered the slightly confused guard.
The brown coated guard helped Twilight Dash climb onto the carrier before helping hoist them up. It wasn’t the easiest of tasks. Twilight Dash found themself briefly wondering why the Princess had sent pegasus. Magic would have made the whole thing much easier.
Even without magic, the guards seemed to do just fine. At first, they thought the guards might have just flown them up, but they chose to take the more traditional route of walking instead. Despite the steps, the carrier stayed mostly level the whole way up. It wasn’t even that bouncy either. The guards carrying them moved with such grace that Twilight Dash felt almost like they might have been on a stationary bed, rather than being carried.
The castle seemed oddly empty as they were taken down the main entryway. With its tall vaulted ceilings and extremely wide walkway, they felt somehow small, with no other ponies there. Normally, at this hour, there were dozens and dozens of ponies swarming the halls, conducting official business or waiting to see the Princess. But there was none of that today.
Save from a few guards stationed at some of the doors, Twilight Dash hadn’t seen another pony since they had arrived. For a brief moment, they wondered if this was perhaps deliberately done, to give them some privacy. After all, they weren’t exactly ready to show themself off to the world if they didn’t have to.
They had also never been carried like this before, riding on a cushioned platform. It was… weird to say the least. But part of them sort of liked it. They could get used to being carried around. Maybe.
Twilight Dash felt a jolt of surprise as they saw the large double oaken doors to the throne room. The dark wood doors were closed but something important was completely absent from in front of them. It wasn’t the two pegasus guards standing at either side of the entryway. It wasn’t the deep red carpet against the polished white marble. It was something else completely.
“There aren’t any ponies,” whispered Twilight Dash to themself. “Yeah, we can see that.” “No, we mean there aren’t any ponies waiting to see Celestia. We don’t think that’s ever happened, ever! At least, not that we can recall.”
The two pegasus on either side of the doors pushed them open with a great effort. Slowly the massive doors moved. When they were halfway apart, Twilight Dash spotted yet another thing they had not been expecting.
“Princess Luna?” asked Twilight Dash in surprise. It was the middle of the day, Luna should be fast asleep by now. They glanced around the throne room. It too was uncomfortably empty. Not counting the two guards carrying them, there were only two other guards in the whole room. The court gallery was vacant. Celestia’s throne unoccupied.
The guards set them down at the foot of the throne and Twilight Dash crawled off, before managing to stand shakily in front of Luna. They tried to bow, but their legs wouldn’t have any of that, so all they could manage was a tip of their head.
“What happened? Where…” began Twilight Dash. However, they hadn’t even gotten through their words before Luna came down off her throne and hugged Twilight Dash in a somewhat awkward embrace.
“I am so glad that you decided to come to Canterlot,” said Luna. “I was afraid you would decide to stay in Ponyville, or worse, forget that you should even be here.” At last she released Twilight Dash, who stared at the moon princess like she had just raised the sun.
“I apologize,” said Luna hastily, upon seeing the look on their face. She took a small step back and looked away. “I was just… worried for you.”
“She is not the only pony worried about your well being,” said a new voice from somewhere behind Luna. Twilight Dash turned their head to see a golden unicorn emerging from a small door that they hadn’t noticed. The pony looked familiar, but they couldn’t place her name. It either began with a D or a W… or maybe an H?
“I’m glad that you decided to accept our offer,” said the almost familiar unicorn. “Do you remember who I am?” Twilight Dash shook their head slowly, trying to look apologetic. “I’m Doctor Wild Heart. I came to see you last night, in Ponyville. Do you remember any of that?”
This time their head shake was half nod. Her name did sound sort of familiar and she might have been in the library last night. The golden unicorn smiled.
“It’s alright,” continued Doctor Heart. “The important thing is that you’re here. I have some ponies waiting to meet with you, if that’s alright.” The golden unicorn held out a hoof towards the door she had entered through. However, Twilight Dash didn’t move towards it.
“You do not need to be afraid,” said Luna reassuringly.
“No,” said Twilight Dash with a shake of their head. “We, uh, can’t really… you know…” “What we are trying to say is we can’t walk on our own.” “We were getting to that.”
“That’s shouldn’t be too much of a problem,” said Doctor Heart with a half smile. She reached out a hoof and tapped their front leg. Much to Twilight Dash’s surprise, their leg moved reflexively, taking a step forward.
“Woah! How did you do that!” gasped Twilight Dash in awe.
“Well, I saw Spike helping you last time,” explained Doctor Heart. She tapped their other leg and they took another step forward. “I figured I might be able to reproduce the results.” She tapped them again, then again, each time moving Twilight Dash a little more.
“That’s pretty neat, but, uh, who is Spike?” asked Twilight Dash. The golden pony frowned.
“I think you arrived just in time,” said Doctor Heart, the faintest note of concern creeping into her voice. “I just hope it’s not too late.” She continued to tap their legs, helping Twilight Dash move across the room until they reached the door.
“It might be best if you wait here, Luna,” said Doctor Heart. Luna frowned a little but did not argue.
Using her magic, Doctor Heart opened the door for them and continued to lead Twilight Dash through it, tapping each leg one at a time. As they moved, the Doctor continued to talk to them, but her questions became… well, boring. She asked about the weather. She droned on about some inane report she had to file. And she told them some long winded story about a rather dull play she had seen.
After a very brief moment of polite attentiveness, Twilight Dash found their thoughts starting to drift off. Their answers became little more than ‘yes’ and ‘uh-huh.’ They weren’t really paying too much attention until Doctor Heart turned to look back at them with a sly smile on her face. For some reason, this action made them feel uneasy, but they weren’t sure why. She trotted ahead a little faster, and they had to hurry to keep up with her.
At last, she stopped at another door down the hallway. Twilight Dash was panting slightly with the effort it had taken to keep up with the Doctor.
“Very good,” complimented Doctor Heart.
“Very… what?” asked Twilight Dash in confusion. The unicorn held up her front leg and smiled at them from ten hooves away. It took Twilight Dash another moment to realize what had just transpired. Somewhere, during their walk and talk, the strange unicorn had stopped guiding their movements. In fact, they were pretty sure they had walked most, if not all of the hallway.
“We… we did it,” said Twilight Dash in astonishment. “We can walk!” They took a step forward and stumbled, threatening to fall. Doctor Heart’s horn glowed and caught them mid-fall, as if they were held in place by a giant invisible rubber band.
“You’ve always been able to walk,” explained Doctor Heart. “But you stop yourselves from doing it properly. I don’t think it’s the only thing. Part of what I want to do, is help you find a balance, a middle ground. Something that neither of you have to focus on, but both of you can accomplish.”
“So, you brought us to Canterlot to walk around?” asked Twilight Dash uneasily.
“No,” said Doctor Heart she started to shake her head but caught herself. “Well, yes, walking is part of it.” She looked at them seriously. “But that is not the only reason. I’m not going to lie to you. This next step is going to be… difficult for you. You aren’t ready for this. I know you aren’t. But it cannot wait. You, cannot wait.”
Doctor Heart put her hoof against the door. They felt suddenly uneasy. Whatever was behind that door was something they weren’t going to enjoy. Something terrible and unpleasant. Something…
With a light push, Doctor Heart opened the way and motioned for them to walk through.
“Don’t think about trying to walk,” explained Doctor Heart. “Just walk.” They took a step and swayed. Sparkling magic flickered around them, keeping them upright. They took another step, and another and another. The magical aura shimmered with each step, keeping them steady whenever they lost their balance.
After a minute or two, they found themself in some kind of waiting room. The walls were very drab and there were no windows to the outside from here. Apart from the door they had entered through, the room had two other doors, one to the left and one to the right. In the center of the room were four couches arranged in a circle with walking space between each. It looked like each seat had enough room for two ponies to sit side-by-side.
Doctor Heart led Twilight Dash to one of the couches and helped them get seated. Sitting was much easier than walking. For a brief moment they half expected for the Doctor to sit beside them. However, she sat on the couch next to them instead.
Doctor Heart gave Twilight Dash a reassuring smile and then her horn began to glow again. The two doors on either side of the room creaked open. And then, the worst thing Twilight Dash could imagine emerged from either side of the room.
They had been looking left first. That had been a mistake. Two unicorns, a mare and a colt, entered from that door and looked directly at them with uncertainty in their eyes. Twilight Dash looked away, trying to hide her face. This wasn’t happening, this wasn’t happening! They had to struggle against the urge to try and escape into the air. Their wings twitched ready to flee.
Then they looked to the right and things went from bad, to far, far, worse. Two pegasus, a colt and a mare, were trotting across the room from the far right door. They looked confused and angry.
“No, no, no, no,” whimpered Twilight Dash to herself, hiding behind her hooves. This wasn’t happening! This was just a bad dream! Any moment they would wake up, back in their bed in… wherever that place they had a bed was called… and that – whatever his name was that took care of them – would tell them it wasn’t real.
The ponies took their seats across from them. They hadn’t woken up. This wasn’t a dream. They couldn’t do this. They couldn’t face these ponies! Not now, not ever!
“Breathe and relax,” whispered the golden unicorn beside them. “It will be alright.”
“What is this?” demanded the pegasus colt, holding out a hoof towards them. They cringed and curled themself tighter, trying to vanish into the couch. “Is this some kind of sick joke?”
His fur was a lightish blue and he had a ruffled mane of rainbow colored hair. Unlike him, the mare sitting at his side had a snow white coat. Atop her head was a curly mane of shimmering silver and hidden behind the long curls across her face were the most beautiful pink eyes.
“Sky, calm down,” urged the pale white pegasus with the beautiful eyes. She took hold of his outstretched leg and gently pulled it down.
“Please,” said Doctor Heart. “Everypony be calm. I will explain as much as I can, but before I do, perhaps everypony should introduce themselves, as that will help make things much clearer. I’ll go first.
“My name is Wild Heart,” said Doctor Heart. “I am a doctor from the Canterlot Magical Emergency Medical Center.” Doctor Heart looked towards the unicorn mare that was sitting closest to her and gestured for her to go next.
“Ah, hello, everypony,” said the grayish mare. She had a stripped mane of white and lavender. “My name is Twilight Velvet and this is my husband, Night Light. Oh, wait, was I supposed to let you introduce yourself?”
“It’s alright,” said Wild Heart with a nod. “And you are Twilight Sparkle’s parents, correct.”
“Oh, oh yes of course,” said Velvet. “I meant to say that, didn’t I say that?”
“It’s alright, Velvet, deep breaths,” said Night Light, putting a reassuring hoof around her. The mare seemed to be shaking slightly. Even though she was smiling, there was something forced about her expression. “We are just…” his eyes flicked to Twilight Dash briefly. “We aren’t sure what this is all about or what it has to do with our little girl.”
“I know,” answered Wild Heart with a nod. “I will explain in just a moment.” She looked to the two pegasus sitting across from Twilight Dash.
“I’m Rainbow Sky,” offered the pegasus gruffly.
“And I’m Winter Breeze,” said the mare sitting beside him. “We’re Rainbow Dash’s mom and dad.”
“And this…” began Wild Heart, at last turning her attention to them. Twilight Dash felt a sudden rush of terror wash over them as everypony looked in their direction. There was nowhere to hide, no way to escape. “This, is Twilight Dash. They are your daughters. They are Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash fused into one pony.”
Twilight’s parents looked slightly confused at this announcement. However, Sky looked almost angry.
“The Princess promised I would get to see my daughter!” growled Sky. “Not, not… this thing!” He jabbed a hoof at them.
“Sky!” protested Breeze. Even still, she looked at them with apprehension.
Oh how Twilight Dash wished they could just disappear. They wanted their magic to work, to take them anyplace that wasn’t here! But not even the slightest magical reaction came to their aid.
“They are your daughters,” repeated Wild Heart calmly. “And certainly not some thing.” There was a note of disappointment in her voice. “They survived a terrible accident, which resulted in the two of them merging together into a single pony.
“It has been very hard on them,” continued Wild Heart, cutting Sky off before he could speak again. “They have endured a great deal of hardship, and the road ahead will be long and difficult.
“They were afraid to even tell you what had happened,” explained Wild Heart. “They weren’t ready to see you and they thought you weren’t ready to see them. But the truth is that when faced with something like this, nopony is ever ready. The longer you wait the worse it will be in the end. Right now they need all the support they can get, from family and from friends.”
The room fell silent as Wild Heart stopped talking. Everypony seemed to be considering her words and none of them appeared to know what to say next. Twilight Dash had heard some of it, but mostly she was still trying to figure how to get out of this room.
“That’s really our Twilight?” asked Night Light, staring at Twilight Dash uncertainly.
“You said you were from the CMEMC,” said Velvet. “Does that mean you are trying to undo the spell that made them like this?”
“Not exactly,” said Wild Heart.
“But isn’t that what you doctors do?” asked Sky. “Don’t you just magic ponies back to health?”
“No,” answered Wild Heart with a shake of her head. “Magic is not a cure all, if it was, why would anypony become a doctor in the first place? The CMEMC exists to help undo accidental magic. But it also exists to help ponies deal with the long term effects of traumatic spells. That is my department, the Traumatic Spell Recovery Division.”
“What do you mean you aren’t working to cure our little girl?” asked Night Light.
“Many spells can be removed,” explained Wild Heart. “Curses or accidental miscasts. In cases like those, the spell is the problem. However, that is not true with Twilight Dash. For them, the spell is the cure.”
“And what would happen if you removed the spell?” asked Velvet quietly.
“I… I am not entirely sure,” answered Doctor Heart, somewhat reluctantly. “This particular case is not well documented.”
“So they might be completely fine?” asked Winter Breeze.
“The possibility of that seems… low,” concluded Doctor Heart.
“Then what is the worst that could happen?” demanded Sky. “You haven’t even considered it. I say we give it a try, as soon as…
“NO!” shouted Twilight Dash. “No! You’re just like them!” They pushed themself backwards, climbing up and over the couch before tumbling down behind it. These ponies were going to vote. To pick who got to live and who had to die. It was all happening again.
Terrible images of the last time they had heard this conversation whirled around in their head. Twilight Dash hugged themself, wishing for all of these ponies to go away, to leave them alone!
Perhaps the other ponies had left. For a long while now the room had been completely silent. The only sound was their own uneven breathing. Even still, they did not leave their hiding place and they did not dare open their eyes.
“It’s alright,” whispered a soft voice from beside them. “You don’t have to be afraid, no pony is going to harm you.” They curled tighter. There was another lengthy pause before a different voice spoke.
“Are you… are you alright?” asked the familiar voice. They knew that voice, they knew the pale white mare the voice belonged to. They could see her, even with their eyes closed. “Twilight… Dash?”
Ever so slightly, they peeked towards the voice, afraid for a moment that it wasn’t real that the voice had only been in their mind. Through the mists in their eyes they could see the hazy orange glow of the lamplight. It washed out all the colors of the room, except for a shimmering white mare. She stood in the center of their gaze, shinning like a full moon in the last hours of twilight. She looked down at them with the slightest worried frown of concern upon her face.
They felt their body react without their command. It wasn’t Dash or Twilight but their very being that moved them. It was something primal and instinctual within them. It was a need, like breathing; stronger than breathing. Stronger than anything they had felt in… since they couldn’t remember.
“Mommie!” cried Twilight Dash, their hooves wrapping around the snow-white mare. They wanted to say more, they had so many things to tell her, to ask of her, to beg from her. But instead, all they could do was cry into her mane.
When Rarity, Pinkie and Spike had departed the train platform the streets of Canterlot had been packed with ponies. It had been hard to walk in a straight line without bumping into somepony else. However, as they got closer to the castle, the amount of street traffic dropped off dramatically.
On either side of them were shops of all sorts. One was a fine dress shop. Another was an eatery that had gourmet sandwiches. Yet there was hardly a pony to be seen. Spike had visited the castle many times and he had never seen so few ponies heading towards it. In fact, they seemed to be the only ones.
“Are you sure we shouldn’t go look for them?” asked Pinkie Pie, not for the first, second or even the tenth time.
“No,” answered Rarity shortly. Her voice was oddly gruff and she didn’t look at Pinkie as she said it.
“They know where to find us,” said Spike. Absently he kicked a loose pebble off the street and into the nearby bushes. “If they even come back
“Of course they will!” exclaimed Pinkie, but even her usual enthusiasm was lacking from her words. “Won’t they?” Spike just shrugged.
The three of them continued up the main road towards the castle. This was not the only entrance. There were many other streets and paths they could take. Some of them that Spike knew about were even supposed to be secret. However, this was the one that most visitors were expected to use.
The wheels of Pinkie’s trunk clattered noisily over cracks in the road. The eerie sound echoed through the vacant street. If they hadn’t seen ponies just a few blocks ago, Spike might have sworn that all of Canterlot had been abandoned.
“Something’s not right,” said Spike apprehensively. He glanced at the few ponies he could see, waiting inside their shops for customers that were not coming. All of them seemed to be watching the friends’ small procession.
“Humf,” grumbled Rarity. Since Spike’s shouting match back at the train station, Rarity had hardly said a word. She had hardly even given Spike a second glance. He wasn’t sure if it had been something he’d said, or she was just mad at Applejack and Fluttershy for leaving.
Part of Spike wanted to ask what was wrong. While another part, a louder, more insistent part told him to keep his mouth shut about it.
At last the shops ended and a wide bridge joined the end of the main street. Beyond the bridge, so close they could almost reach out and touch it, was the sparkling white Castle of Canterlot.
However the moment they took their first step onto the stones of the bridge, Spike was completely certain that something bad had happened. There wasn’t a single pony crossing the bridge. Nopony was entering the castle and nopony was leaving the castle. The great golden gates that always stood open, even at night, were closed and barred.
As the three of them began to cross, two pegasus guardsponies made their way across the bridge, long pointed spears at their side. The two groups met halfway, stopping in the center of the bridge, with the rapids of the river churning below them.
“Halt!” called one of the guards. “The castle is currently closed to visitors. A notice will be posted once the gates are open again.”
“Closed?” asked Spike in an uncertain whisper.
“But our friend is inside,” said Pinkie. “You know, Twilight Dash? You know, lavender fur, horn on her head, wings on her…”
“Do you have an invitation?” asked the other guard, stepping forward. Spike had never realized just how tall the guards were before. Or just how armored they looked. Or just how menacing they seemed to be.
“We… we don’t…” answered Rarity.
“I’m sorry, but invited guests only at this time, orders of the Princess,” explained the guard.
“But, our friend!” exclaimed Pinkie.
“I’m sure if your friend requires your assistance she will send for you,” said the first guard. “Now I’ll have to ask you to move along please.”
“But…” protested Spike. "I'm Spike, the dragon! And this is Rarity and Pinkie Pie! You know who we are!" The guard took another step towards them, his passive expression darkening.
“I don't care who you are," said the guards pony threateningly. "My orders are entry by invitation only. Now, I said, move along,” repeated the guard, his voice indicating that this would be the last warning he would give them.
“Fine, we’ll leave,” snapped Rarity. She turned and marched off, looking angrier than Spike had ever seen her. Pinkie and Spike hurried after her. Behind them the guards watched until they were a safe distance away, then they returned to their posts in front of the gate.
“So, what do we do now?” asked Spike, running a little to catch up to Rarity. “We can’t just give up and go back to Ponyville.” Rarity let out a laugh. Something about the sound of it sent a chill down Spike’s spine.
“All for nothing…” mumbled Rarity. “We did all of this for nothing…”
“No we didn’t!” exclaimed Pinkie. “We came here to support Twilight Dash! And that is totally what we are going to do! We just need to send a message to Celestia and get an invite into the castle!”
“But I sent her one before we left,” said Spike. “She knew we were coming and the guards still sent us away. But I guess it’s certainly worth another try…”
“What’s the point,” said Rarity, looking away from the others.
“We can’t just give up,” said Spike. “We’re almost there!”
“Then stop talking about it and just send her a message,” snapped Rarity. Spike recoiled slightly from her, he had never seen her like this.
“Hey, don’t look at me,” said Spike with a shrug. “I don’t have any pockets. I’m sure there must be a supply store here someplace… Ah, there!”
They didn’t have to go far to find a quill and parchment shop. It was fully stocked, floor to ceiling with every kind of paper that Spike could possibly imagine. They had quills of every shape and size. There was even a very expensive Roc feather quill behind thick glass that Spike stared at for a few minutes.
Spike gathered up the supplied. He didn’t need much, just a few rolls of parchment, an ink well, a standard, boring raven quill, some red wax to seal the message and a purple ribbon to tie the parchment.
Rarity stood by the door, looking completely disinterested. Pinkie was excitedly shuffling different colored note paper, exclaiming that each one was preittery than the last.
“That’ll be five bits,” announced the shop keeper as he tallied up Spike’s items.
“Uh,” said Spike, he glanced back at Rarity. “Could you, uh, get this one?” Rarity glared at him for a long moment before speaking.
“I don’t have any bits on me,” said Rarity at last. “We left in such a hurry, I didn’t have time to grab my purse or anything else for that matter.” Her glum expression suddenly turned to worry. “You… you don’t have any money with you?”
“Hey, I already told you I don’t have any pockets!” said Spike, holding up his hands. The shopkeeper looked like he was starting to get annoyed. “Pinkie!” called Spike, a note of distress in his voice.
The pink pony poked her head around the corner to find everypony in the shop staring intently at her. She smiled brightly at the sudden attention.
“Pinkie… please tell me that you brought money with you!” cried Spike in near exasperation.
“Of course I did silly!” exclaimed Pinkie. Rarity and Spike both let out a sigh or relief. “But I used it all to buy us tickets to Canterlot!”
“Wait, all of it?” cried Spike in horror.
“Well, not just us, there were these other ponies at the station that didn’t have enough to get where they were going, so I got them tickets too. And there was another pony at the station who was down on his luck, so I gave him all my change…”
“Pinkie,” interrupted Spike, closing his eyes and trying to keep himself calm. “How many bits do you have left?”
“None?” asked Pinkie, her eyes squinting and her tongue sticking out slighting in concentration as she tried to recall how much money she had left.
“Uh, do you take I.O.U.’s?” asked Spike with a shrug. The shop keeper glared at him. “I… I guess we’ll just get going then…”
“Well, this is just great!” cried Rarity angrily as they trotted away from the shop. “We are stuck in Canterlot, half our friends are missing, Twilight Dash is off all on her own, and between the three of us we don’t have even a single coin!”
“Well it could be worse,” said Pinkie. Spike and Rarity both glared at her. “It could be raining!”
“Oh, don’t be ridiculous,” offered a passing pegasus. “It’s Wednesday, it never rains on Wednesdays. Thursday is rain day, everypony knows that.”
Luna paced impatiently back and forth in front of the throne. She was all alone in the big, empty hall and for some reason that made her uncomfortable. She should have gone with Twilight and Doctor Heart, she should have been there for support. Somepony should have been there for support!
A strange sudden realization seemed to dawn upon Luna. Just where were Twilight’s friends? Not even Spike had bothered to come with, but perhaps he couldn’t leave the library unattended. Somehow, that didn’t seem right. For a moment, Luna briefly considered calling for the guards, to ask them to go to the train station to see if Twilight’s friends had indeed come with, but somehow managed to get lost.
However, before she could decide one way or the other, the door leading to the smaller waiting room opened and Doctor Heart emerged. She returned alone.
“Is everything alright?” asked Luna feeling worried.
“The outcome is… debatable,” answered Doctor Heart with an uncertain expression of worry. “Perhaps it was as well as could be expected given the current situation. I don’t want to leave her for too long.
“However, I have something important that I wanted to speak with you about,” explained Doctor Heart. She looked at Luna seriously. “The survivor, the one who made it through this spell the last time, I want to speak with them.”
“Impossible,” said Luna much too quickly.
“Impossible because the pony is…?” pressed Doctor Heart.
“Because he is not a pony, and he is currently imprisoned for his crimes against Equestria,” explained Luna. Doctor Heart raised an eyebrow at Luna but didn’t say anything. For a long moment they just stared uncomfortably at one another until at last, Luna spoke. “Do you really believe this can help Twilight?”
“And Dash,” added Doctor Heart with a nod. “Yes, I do believe the more we know the better equipped we will be to help them. If there is somepony else with first-hoof experience…”
“Discord,” interrupted Luna. Doctor Heart’s eyes widened and she frowned with worry.
“Discord?” asked Doctor. “The Discord? The God of Chaos? That Discord?”
“Yes,” answered Luna seriously. “Even if he could answer us, why would he?” Doctor Heart hardly seemed to hear. She appeared to be deep in thought, working something out like a complex puzzle before her eyes.
“Is it safe to free him?’ asked Doctor Heart. Luna was taken aback by the question. Of course it wasn’t. “Or make it possible to speak to him without setting him free?” continued Doctor Heart upon seeing Luna’s expression.
“It might be possible,” said Luna apprehensively. “But even that carries a risk. What do you hope to learn from him?”
“If he ever used to be Aurora Winds or Silver Stars. If he remembers what it was like to be them. Or if he was a completely new voice in their head,” answered Doctor Heart. “And if there is any hope of bringing Twilight or Dash back.”
The streets of Canterlot were crowded with ponies. Some were selling things, calling out to passers by to stop and look at their wares. Others simply trotted along with a smile on their face or a spring in their step. Nearby, a pack of young mares were giggling over beautiful new dresses prominently displayed in a shop window.
Everypony seemed happy, like they didn’t have a care in the whole wide world - everypony, except for two. There was no carefree grin upon their faces, no sparkle of hope in their eyes. They walked with a slow, defeated pace through a world of vague shadows without meaning.
Other ponies who saw the two leapt aside, avoiding them like they carried something foul with them. Whispers followed in their wake. Accusatory glares were the only thing that dared touch them. And Applejack hardly noticed any of it.
At the moment she simply felt… empty. There wasn’t a thought in her head. It was like she had been hollowed out. Like she was a shell of a pony, wandering aimlessly through the streets.
Gradually, the other ponies began to thin. The tall buildings shrunk. Beneath her hooves the paved road turned to dirt with sparse clumps of grass.
Applejack might have kept on walking forever had there been any place left to walk. She comt to the farthest reaches of Canterlot and here, she had found the edge of the world.
A sheer stone cliff dropped sharply in front of her. The only path from here was straight down, with the open sky in front and the world far, far below. Her hooves stopped right at the edge, sending a small stream of loose pebbles and dirt cascading over the side.
For the first time since she had left the train station she was aware of something. Her whole body still felt numb but her thoughts were slowly coming back to her as she looked out over Equestria.
Spike was right. Everything he had said was right. Every piercing word he had hurled at her… She felt like crying some more, but her tears had run dry long ago. Her gaze drifted out over the sight before her. At any other moment, this view would have been breathtaking. However, right now, it was simply there and she was simply here.
Wispy silver clouds dotted the world below, drifting lazy on the breeze. Sparkling blue rivers stretched across the patchwork of golden fields. The sky at the horizon had become the brightest orange that Applejack had ever seen. The sun sank slowly into the distant ocean as the day drew to a close. Twilight.
It hurt to even think the name. Even if it had been for the time of day and not her… them… whatever… What was that pony now? Was she still a friend? Was that even the right word anymore?
“Applejack?” asked the soft whisper of the wind. Applejack closed her eyes and felt the breeze blow gently across her face. It was easier not to think about anything while she had been walking. There was just the feeling of walking and nothing else. Now she had run out of places to walk and all she had left were thoughts.
“Applejack,” said the wind again. Except, no, it wasn’t the wind, it was a voice, a familiar voice. It had come from behind her.
She turned her head, opening an eye just enough to see the yellow blur of another pony standing nearby. Her eyes snapped open. Fluttershy. She had followed her all the way out here.
“What… why?’ asked Applejack. “What are ya’ll doing here? Why’d you follow me?”
“I… I don’t know,” said Fluttershy, looking away from Applejack’s stare. “I didn’t know where else to go.” The wind blew between them as the sky darkened above them. “Do you know where to go?”
“Not… not really,” said Applejack, finally looking away. “I wasn’t thinking of no place to go. I just had to get as far away as I could. Look’s like this is as far as I can go.”
“As far away from Spike?” asked Fluttershy. Slowly, Applejack shook her head.
“No, no Spike was right,” said Applejack, not looking back at the pegasus while she said it. “I deserved every word he said to me. I had to get away from something else…”
“From… them?” asked Fluttershy quietly. She hadn’t said their name, but Applejack knew who she meant.
“From myself,” said Applejack at last. “From what I am… what I’ve become.” She laughed. It was a strange humorless sound, dry and dead in her throat before it even came out. “How do you run away from yourself?”
Only a sliver of the sun blazed on the horizon. The land below had become shadowed in night and the sky deepened into the darkest blue. Overhead the stars twinkled like distant gems.
“I don’t know what to do now,” said Applejack after a very long silence. “I know they’d take me back if I went to them. I know they’d forgive me. But what good is that if I can’t forgive myself?
“It don’t matter how much I want it, that ain’t Twilight and it ain’t Dash. It’s like watching the most terrible thing I can imagine. Seeing my friends slip away and there ain’t nothing I can do about it.
“And I don’t want this new pony they're changing into. I know that sounds terrible, but it’s the truth. It’s how I feel. I just want my friends back!” Her eyes burned, trying to give her the tears she wanted so badly.
Applejack heard Fluttershy approach but the other pony didn’t say anything. Then she felt a hoof wrap around her as Fluttershy hugged her and let Applejack sob dry tears into her mane.
Twilight Dash woke with a start. For a moment the unfamiliar surroundings unnerved them. They didn’t recognize this strange room, or this strange, uncomfortable - yet oddly familiar - bed. This was her bed - Twilight’s bed - or at least it used to be.
Slowly, they started to find other parts of the room that they knew. The desk that she - Twilight - had spent so many hours at. The bookcase that she… they… them… us!!!
They pulled a pillow over their face in frustration.
“Us,” whispered Twilight Dash’s muffled voice into the pillow. “Not me. Not I. Us…” “Yeah us, but we don’t remember this place.” “Yes, I do… we do! Ahhh! This is my room in the castle. It’s where I stayed.” “Where we stayed.” “No, me, when I was just Twilight.” “Well, WE’RE not just Twilight anymore, are we?”
They closed their eyes trying to find calm. After a long moment their thoughts settled. They pushed the pillow off, took one last calming breath and opened their eyes. It was their room, well, their old room anyhow.
There was a bookshelf, crammed with books. It had so many that several great, heavy tomes overflowed into piles on the floor. In the corner was an old beat-up dresser that had come with the room. And just next to the bed was a small round window through which golden sunlight poured in.
Celestia had left it just as Twilight had left it. Untouched, waiting for her student to return to the life she had left behind. That would never happen now.
“This is so strange to be back here,” said Twilight Dash absently playing with the bed sheets. “Yeah, we know, we went over that last night.” “It’s still strange.” “It’s still uncomfortable is what it is.” “Yes, well, Luna said she would look into getting us a cloud bed.” “I still don’t understand why we couldn’t have stayed with my parents?” “You mean our parents?” “We know what we mean! They brought their whole house with them!”
They used a hoof to part the curtain on the window. While this room might be small, it certainly had quite the view. From here, they could see most of the castle grounds below. Floating out near the mountain was a cloud house. Memories came flooding back to them as they looked at it.
They smiled at the memory of all the times they had leapt off the roof. They had been trying to fly and scared their parents half to death. They could recall all the fun they’d had playing hide and seek with their dad. They could remember sitting in their room reading some old boring book about Equestrian history.
“Ick, no!” cried Twilight Dash. “Sorry, it just sort of… wait, what do we mean ick?”
Their eyes moved off the cloud house and down into the gardens. They had rarely visited the grounds around the castle. Study had been far more important than stopping to smell the flowers. Even still, it seemed like such a shame to have not spent more time outside. The sprawling gardens would have been such a great place to play hide and seek with…
“With who?” whispered Twilight Dash, resting their head on the rounded windowsill. Absently, their eyes drifted up the tall mountain beside the castle. The sun was just making its way over the peak.
“It’s afternoon.” “Oh no! It’s afternoon!” cried Twilight Dash. “We way overslept!” “We were going to meet our parents for breakfast!” “Maybe there’s still time for brunch?”
They tumbled out of bed, landing in a heap on the floor. They tried to force themself up but only succeeded in getting halfway before losing their balance and toppling backwards.
A knock came at the door, followed by a slightly muffled voice.
“Are you alright? Do you require assistance?” asked the voice. A guard. They remembered the princess had posted a guard outside to help them if they needed it.
“No,” said Twilight Dash determinedly as they struggled back to their shaky legs. “We’re fine, thanks.” They took a wobbly step and threatened to fall again, but caught themself on the edge of the bed.
“See, normal beds make for great support,” said Twilight Dash. They rolled their eyes. “Cloud beds are always running off.” “Great support, we have to be kidding, do we feel how stiff our back is? And our wing feathers are all ruffled.”
After a few minutes, they at last made the long, six-ish hoof walk to the door. Although, upon opening the door they tumbled out into the hallway, landing flat on their belly. There were suddenly many voices speaking at once. The light out in the hall was much brighter, between that and the fall, it was hard to make out was happening around them.
A hard blink and a shake of their head brought things into better focus. Apparently, the guard had not been the only pony waiting outside their room. Four other ponies were gathered around them as well.
“I don’t think she should be left alone!” said the first pony standing beside them. It was their dad, Rainbow Sky.
“They’re our daughters, not prisoners,” said the pony in the middle, Winter Breeze. Their mother, well, one of their mothers. They couldn’t remember which one at the moment.
“And it might perhaps be a little odd watching them sleep,” offered their other dad, Night Light.
“We can hear you, you know,” said Twilight Dash, working their way back to their hooves.
“Are you alright sweetie?” asked Velvet gently as she moved closer. Reflexively they took a step backwards. Velvet halted her advance looking a little hurt. For a moment they hadn’t known who she was. But they were fairly certain she had to be their mother… they did have two of those too… right?
“Perhaps breakfast will help,” offered Breeze. “Or, well, whatever meal it actually is.”
Twilight Dash nodded and their tummy rumbled in agreement.
“Do you want to try walking on your own?” asked Night Light.
“Of course they do!” said Sky. “That’s my daughter you’re talking about!”
“Mine too!” said Night Light, sounding a little perturbed.
“Boys,” warned Velvet.
“Sorry,” mumbled both colts before glaring at each other.
“Couldn’t we just fly instead?” asked Twilight Dash. “In here? We have to be joking!” Their eyes darted around. One wall was solid stone, hung with ancient, irreplaceable paintings and tapistries. The other wall was lined with ornate glass windows that had expensive looking dark red drapes, trimmed in gold. “Maybe walking would be safer.” “Pfft, you’re no fun.” “This isn’t meant to be fun!”
“Walking should be fine,” interrupted Breeze. “I’m sure flying will come naturally, just like before.” There were slight tears in her eyes which she hurried to whip away.
Uncertainly, Twilight Dash extended their front leg. It stayed extended without touching the floor, like the ground was lava or something. At last they lowered their hoof down shakily and took a step. Immediately they began to topple sideways.
However, they hadn’t even really started to fall before their dad was at their side. Their, other dad. Dash’s dad. No, Twilight’s dad too. What were they supposed to call him?
“Try again,” encouraged Sky as he held them. They were overcome with a very strong feeling of déjà vu. They could remember those words, remember their dad helping them back up when they had first tried to fly. They leaned on him for support, just like they had when they were younger.
They moved their back hoof and started to fall in the other direction. But again, they hardly even started to fall before their father was there to catch them. Their other father?
“Don’t worry my little-light, I’ve got you,” said Night Light. Twilight Dash nodded their thanks. Then they stepped again.
It was kind of like training wheels. They kept wobbling back and forth with their fathers on either side keeping them upright. However, just like the previous day, the less they thought about it, the easier it seemed to get.
Their mothers walked ahead of them, glancing back every now and again with encouraging smiles upon their faces.
It was a quiet walk. Maybe there wasn’t much to say, or perhaps their parents didn’t want to distract them. Either way, they couldn’t help but smile as they felt the love all around them. They just wished that their… the thought scurried away mid creation. It was odd. It had been there, important and clear. Then it was gone in an instant. Like it had been stolen away.
They were so focused on the missing thought that Twilight Dash didn’t even notice they had reached the dining room. It seemed that food had already been prepared for them, and set out buffet style. Twilight Dash was helped to their seat first, before their fathers went off to get them food.
Wild Heart also entered the room. She smiled at Twilight Dash before taking a seat across the table from them. Their mothers sat on either side, each giving Twilight Dash a hug before sitting down.
“You both did very well just now,” said Wild Heart. “Near the end you were almost doing it completely on your own.”
“You were watching?” asked Twilight Dash. They weren’t sure how to feel about that.
“Only part of the way, you passed by my room,” explained Wild Heart. “I am staying in the castle as well, barring any major emergencies.”
At that moment both their fathers returned with plates full of food. They eyed each other accusatorially.
“I think your daughters are hungry,” said Wild Heart motioning for them to set the plates down. “And grateful to both of you for getting them something.”
“Uh, yeah,” said Twilight Dash, they hadn’t even noticed. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome champ,” said Sky, setting down his plate first, right in front of them, before ruffling their mane and making them giggle.
“Here you are my little-light,” said Night Light, setting his plate right beside the other one. He leaned in to give her a kiss on the cheek but thought better of it at the last moment and gave them a hug instead.
“Dad,” moaned Twilight Dash, trying to squirm out of the embrace. They looked down at the plates. The odd like and dislike sensation ran through them again. One plate was piled high with some of Dash’s favorite breakfast things, like pineapple and raspberries. While the other plate had Twilight’s favorite foods, such as broccoli and cauliflower. They opted not to touch either.
“Where’s Luna?” asked Twilight Dash. They glanced around the dining hall. It was a very large room with more than a dozen large tables. But at the moment, only their table was set and they were the only ponies here.
“I’m unsure,” said Wild Heart. “I would expect her to be sleeping at this hour, but with her sister away…”
“Oh yeah, where is Celestia anyhow?” asked Twilight Dash as they shoved one of the pineapple rings into their mouth. It tasted amazing.
“Away,” said Wild Heart vaguely. “On important business I’m told. Luna is looking after things here at home. I don’t think she has gotten much sleep.”
“You are correct,” said Luna. The guard bowed as the princess entered the dining hall. “I am sorry to have kept you all waiting.”
“It’s alright, we just arrived,” said Velvet. “Our little-light had a bit of a lie-in this morning.” Luna smiled briefly.
“Would you care to join us?” asked Breeze, offering a seat.
“No,” said Luna with a shake of her head. “I… cannot.” Something at Luna’s side moved slightly as she spoke, catching Twilight Dash’s eye. It was a bag of the deepest blue, lined with silver trim. It was bound with many straps and locks. They couldn’t look away from it.
“Doctor Heart, if I could have a word with you?” asked Luna. “About what we discussed?”
“Of course,” said Wild Heart. “If you’ll excuse me.” She pushed her chair back and followed Luna out of the room. Twilight Dash watched the bag. It felt… familiar, important… like… like it belonged to her.
“You mean us, right?” asked Twilight Dash to herself. They were snapped out of their daze and a moment later Luna and Wild Heart vanished. “Something in that bag…” “Yeah, we know, we felt it too.”
“So,” asked Velvet from across the table. “Did you sleep well dear?”
“Eh, it was okay,” said Twilight Dash absently. “The bed isn’t so comfortable.”
“It’s no cloud bed, that’s for sure,” said Sky. “I asked the Princess if you could stay at our house, since it’s just outside, but she seemed to think you would be better off in the castle. As if you wouldn’t be safe with your own parents.”
“Some of her parents,” reminded Night Light, glaring at Sky. “As we are all her parents.”
“Oh will you two give it a rest,” said Breeze. “Yes, we are all her parents, so maybe we shouldn’t be acting like children.” That shut the two colts up. They both looked slightly embarrassed.
“Twi… uh, I mean, TD,” asked Velvet. “Do you mind if I ask you something personal?” They looked at her uncertainly. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”
“Uh, okay,” said Twilight Dash. “We guess?”
“What is it like?” asked Velvet gently. “Are you okay in there?” That was not the question they had been expecting. No pony had really asked them that. It was hard to put into words.
“It’s… strange,” offered Twilight Dash simply.
“Strange… how?” asked Breeze. Apparently, this question wasn’t just on Velvet’s mind, but everypony sitting around them. They all seemed to be looking at Twilight Dash with interest.
“It’s like, having two minds, thinking at the same time,” explained Twilight Dash. “No it isn’t, it’s more like a lot of noise.” “Hey!” “Well it is! Sometimes everything is quiet and I can think, but other times it’s all noise and we can hardly hear ourself.” “We guess that’s true.”
“So, you can hear each other’s thoughts?” asked Sky.
“No, not really,” answered Twilight Dash. “Well, maybe a little. Not like thought, thoughts. Sometimes we think with each other’s thoughts.”
“So… who are we talking to right now?” asked Night Light. “Twilight or Dash?”
“Both, sort of,” offered Twilight Dash, struggling to put their mixed up thoughts into words. “Sometimes,” “-not often-” “we’re both in sync. Thinking the same thing. Other times,” “-most of the time-” “Yes, thank you, we are thinking different thoughts. It’s not like one of us controls it, we both sort of do. Talking is the easiest. I don’t know why.”
They smiled. It hadn’t felt bad to talk about it at all. In fact, it actually felt pretty good. Their parents seemed genuinely interested.
“You keep saying we,” pointed out Night Light. “But sometimes, not often, you say ‘I.’ Why?”
“We don’t know,” said Twilight Dash honestly. “I guess it’s just whatever part of us feels more strongly.” “We can’t really control it, it just kind of happens sometimes.” “Yeah, to us, they sound almost the same.”
“Do you… do you want to go back to how you were,” asked Sky. They felt the bottom of their stomach drop out. They set the piece of broccoli they had been nibbling on back on their plate, their appetite completely gone.
“Sky,” hissed Breeze angrily.
“What,” said Sky. “I want to know the truth. I want to know what they want. Not what somepony else tells me they want.”
“We do,” said Twilight Dash softly. “But we can’t.” They could feel tears. They tried to fight them back. “It isn’t possible. We’re stuck like this! Forever!” Both Breeze and Velvet wrapped their hooves around Twilight Dash.
The others finished breakfast, but Twilight Dash did not want anymore. Wild Heart rejoined them at the end, but Luna did not come back. The rest of the meal passed in silence and Twilight Dash was thankful when they were finally able to get up and leave.
With their fathers at either side, they made their way back out of the dining area and into the hall. Twilight Dash was only half paying attention to the conversation that had started up again.
It wasn’t until a few minutes had passed that they started to wonder where it was they were heading. This didn’t seem like a route back to their room.
“Where are we going?” asked Twilight Dash.
“We are meeting Luna out in the garden,” answered Wild Heart. She paused as though she didn’t want to discuss the next part. “I believe there is somepony that can help you. Possibly better than I can. But it might be dangerous.”
“Dangerous how?” asked Sky, narrowing his eyes.
“He is currently a prisoner,” explained Wild Heart. “Placed there by none other than Twilight Dash and their friends.” Twilight Dash felt like they could almost remember who Wild Heart was talking about. “This is not the first time a magical fusion like this has happened. Luna has told me a story of another pony who long ago fused herself with somepony else.
“There is one survivor from that incident,” continued Wild Heart. “And right now, he is here, in Canterlot. If anypony can give us insight into helping Twilight Dash, it might be him.”
“And who is this pony?” asked Night Light.
“Ah, well, that’s sort of the catch,” said Wild Heart. They stopped at a door leading outside. “Discord is the survivor.” Breeze and Sky both looked unhappy at this pronouncement. Velvet let out a gasp
“Discord!” exclaimed Night Light.
“I had a similar reaction,” said Wild Heart. “But the princess has assured me she is taking every possible precaution.”
“Even still, why does our daughter have to come!” exclaimed Sky. “Shouldn’t it just be you and Luna? Aren’t you just going to ask him questions?”
“We think he will be more… responsive to Twilight Dash,” said Wild Heart. “They have a history. But I won’t force them to do this. If you don’t want…”
“We’ll go,” said Twilight Dash, the determination in their voice surprising even to them. “If there is even a chance he can help, we’ll at least listen to what he has to say.”
“If you’re sure,” said Wild Heart, looking them in the eye. “This isn’t our only option.”
“Yes it is,” said Twilight Dash. Wild Heart frowned but didn’t argue the point.
Luna was waiting for them at the end of one of the lesser traveled garden paths. She had with her twelve pegasus guards, all clad in armor, all carrying long pointed spears. They stood a dozen hooves away from the entrance of what appeared to be a huge hedge maze of some sort. It was almost familiar to Twilight Dash.
“You must all stay close to me,” cautioned Luna. “This maze is designed to turn you around and keep you trapped inside. Do not wander off and do not attempt to fly. It’s dangerous to go alone.” Luna looked at each of the ponies and they all nodded that they understood.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Luna turned and walked right into the outer wall of the maze. However, instead of crashing into the branches she passed through them as if they weren’t there.
As Twilight Dash moved closer, still with the help of her fathers at either side, they could see how Luna had done it. From every angle, except where Luna had been, the wall appeared solid. But in truth there was a very narrow opening leading into the maze.
It seemed that even the entrance into the maze was a secret to everypony.
As they stepped inside, the light seemed to dim and the sound became quiet. There were no birds chirping, no breeze blowing and no leaves rustling. It was eerie. The sun was high overhead, yet the path they walked seemed oddly dark. The world felt unnaturally still.
Even with their parents at their sides – literally – and Princess Luna, and twelve of the finest royal guards, Twilight Dash still felt uneasy. They wished their friends had… come…
The thought drifted sideways again, like it was trying to escape. They tried to pull it back, to hold onto it, to focus on it. Their… friends… they wanted their… what had they wanted?
“Are you sure you want to do this?” asked Night Light form beside them. In an instant the focus lapsed and the thought scurried away into the nothingness. “This can’t be the only way.”
“We… we aren’t sure,” answered Twilight Dash. “We want to get better…”
“There is no guarantee this will help,” said Night Light. “Perhaps…”
“Perhaps it will help,” interrupted Sky. “I want my daughter back.”
The group marched on, with Luna leading the way. Twilight’s eyes slid slightly and they found the blue and silver bag once more. There was something in that bag. Something powerful. They could feel it, calling to them. They wanted it. They needed it…
Luna turned a corner and their eye contact with the bag was lost. They shook their head, unable to recall what they had just been thinking about.
On and on they went. Left, right, left, straight. They couldn’t remember the way anymore. Even the sun overhead offered little help; it seemed to be stuck at noon.
“It’s a spell,” whispered one of the guardsponies walking close by who had noticed their interest. Twilight Dash was suddenly aware that there were other ponies around them. They had forgotten anypony else was there. “In the maze, it’s always noon, so that you cannot tell the direction by the sun.”
It truly was an intricate maze of hedges. They had no idea where they were, or how to get back out. How much further was Discord anyhow? It felt like they had been walking for hours and…
“We are here,” announced Luna as she came to a stop at a dead end. Wherever here was, it certainly wasn’t where Discord was. The path simply ended into the hedge, with no left or right or… back? The way back had closed behind them.
A sudden terrible panic overtook Twilight Dash for a moment. What if they were lost in this maze forever!?
Twilight Dash felt their wings twitch at their side.
“Oh, right,” they whispered to themself.
Luna’s horn began to glow and the bushes in front of them shivered. The leaves trembled and began pull apart, slowly opening like the mouth of some hidden shrubbery monster.
Twilight Dash half expected something to jump out at them, as if Discord had just been standing on the other side waiting to shout “surprise!” A wave of nervousness washed over Twilight Dash. This was a bad idea, a terrible idea. Why had they even considered it why had they even…
Warm sunlight poured in from the opening. Twilight Dash felt the sun melt away their fears. They could do this. Their families were with them. Luna was with them. If only their friends…
“Enter quickly,” instructed Luna. “The way will not remain open long.” Twilight Dash was urged forward, letting the thought slip free once more.
For a moment all they could see was the sunlight making a great wall of white, but as they passed through it their surroundings came into sharper focus. They stood at the edge of a small beautiful flower garden. The garden was a picture of balance and order. It was evenly divided by two small streams. The water flowed out from tiny waterfalls placed at opposite ends. Both streams pooled up in the center around a small island.
From the color of the flowers, arranged in an intricate rainbow, to the placement of the stones that made the path, everything had been carefully designed to present order. For this was no simple garden, it was a prison.
At the end of the pebbled path, on a tiny island with no bridge, at the exact center of the garden, was an ugly stone statue. Everything about it was chaotic. Its limbs were mismatched, its pose unnatural and the expression on its face was a twisted mix of fear and happiness.
The rustle of the bushes signaled that the maze had closed behind them. From here, the only other exit appeared to be the sky above them. Why hadn’t they simply flown here?
The twelve guards that had come with, spread out around the garden, each positioned like the hours of a clock. It was only now that Twilight Dash noticed that none of them were unicorns. None of them were even earth ponies either. All of them were pegasus.
“We must be cautious,” instructed Luna. “Discord is bound by powerful magic, both in chains of stone and his prison of flowers, but that does not mean he isn’t dangerous.” Luan looked to Wild Heart, who nodded understandingly. Then her gaze moved to Twilight Dash, who turned their eyes away shyly.
Luna’s horn glowed. The clasps and locks on Luna’s blue and silver bag unfastened themselves. Radiant purple light spilled out over the clearing. Twilight Dash felt their eyes widen in astonishment.
Slowly, the pulsing purple gem lifted into the air, hovering above Luna.
“It was long ago bound to me,” said Luna. “It still remembers my touch, though it is reluctant to let me use it again.”
“It… it’s alive?” asked Twilight Dash in surprise. She had never heard any pony talk about the elements like that before.
“Not in the way you are thinking,” said Luna. “But now isn’t the time. We must focus on the task at hoof.
“At the first sign of trouble,” announced Luna. “I am turning him back to stone and we will leave immediately. Am I understood?” Everypony nodded. “Guards, stand ready.” There was a shuffling of spears as the points were lowered to within striking distance of Discord’s frozen form.
Twilight Dash pulled her eyes away from the glowing element of magic to focus on the stone statue. There was no turning back now.
Luna’s eyes flared with silver-white light and the element of magic began to spin rapidly. The garden darkened slightly as the purple light increased in intensity. The air felt like it was charged with energy, like a bolt of lighting waiting to be released. The element hummed softly as it spun faster and faster. Then a thunderous crack rent the air and a bolt of white fire lashed out across the garden, blasting the statue right in the face.
A creeping fire crawled across the stone where the magic had hit. As it spread over the statue’s face stone flakes peeled away revealing living flesh beneath. The head of the statue turned and moved, its jaw opening, its mismatched eyes rolling in its head.
“Ouch! Do you have any idea how much that stings!” cried the living statue. Then its focus snapped to Twilight Dash and the thing inside the stone smiled a twisted, terrible, smile
“Rainbow Sparkle,” said the monster of stone made real. There was a grin of delight in his voice. “I simply adore the new look. Incidentally, you are the last pony I ever expected to see again. I thought I would be waking up in another thousand years and you and your friends would be long gone. Unless it has been a thousand years and you’ve somehow survived! Or worse, you’re her great, great, great…”
“What? That’s a terrible name! It doesn’t work at all!” proclaimed Discord. “No, you need a much better name. I’m sure I can think of one.”
“No Discord,” said Twilight Dash sharply. “We didn’t wake you up to argue about our name!” “Yeah, we don’t need a different name! Although I do kind of like Rainbow S…” “Dash!” “Sorry.”
Discord raised an eyebrow at them for a moment, his expression becoming puzzled.
“Mr. Discord…” began Wild Heart.
“Oh, please, just call me His High and Mighty, Ruler of All the World, the Great and Powerful, Supreme Master of All Things, Discord,” interrupted Discord. “Mr. was my father’s name.” Wild Heart didn’t seem to know how to respond to this.
“Look!” snapped Twilight Dash, taking a few steps closer to Discord and glaring at him. “We just want to ask you some questions! So are you going to help us or not?”
“Oh well, I know that expression, you are the real Twilight-Dash-Thingy! Well, at least some part of you is. It’s so good to see part of you again. And that part. And that other part.” Discord made to move forward but only his neck jerked against the stone. “Oh, you seem to have forgotten to remove the spell on the rest of me, if you could just…”
“No,” said Luna flatly.
“Oh, how delightful, the whole gang is here,” said Discord as his eyes swept across the ponies gathered around them. “They all seem to look a little different too, don’t they? I don’t remember Rainbow Dash being so coltly… well, you know what I mean…
“We are her parents,” growled Sky.
“What was that?” asked Discord. “I can’t ‘ear’ you from way over here!” His left ear grew very slightly and flapped back and forth. He smiled at his own pun. Everypony continued to look at him seriously.
“Oh! I get it. ‘Ear’ him!” chuckled one of the guards, before snapping back to attention at the glares of his fellows.
“Huh, tough crowd,” mumbled Discord. He struggled against his stone prison again. “How do you possibly expect me to talk like this if I can’t work any magic! How am I supposed to express myself?”
“I’m sure you will survive,” said Luna, the element of magic still floating above her head. Discord’s eyes lingered on it for just a moment before looking back to Twilight Dash.
“I suppose, but what’s the point,” said Discord with a slight shake of his head. “You can’t see it, because I’m trapped in stone, but I was going to turn myself into a giant pin just now.”
“Discord,” tried Wild Heart again, attempting to get them back on track. “We would really appreciate it if you could answer some questions for us.”
“All of you want me to answer?” asked Discord, his eyes locked on Twilight Dash. “Or just some of you… or should I say, just part of you?” Twilight Dash looked away. “Before you start asking your questions. Let me ask the most important one of all. Why, should I tell you anything? Will you set me free when you’re all questioned out?”
“No,” answered Luna before anypony else could speak.
“Tsk, tsk, not even attempting to lie,” said Discord in disappointment.
“If you would rather go back to being stone…” said Luna the element magic above her head began to spin once more.
“Ah, you make a very persuasive argument,” said Discord, his eyes fixed on the glowing element. “Very well, limited though this freedom might be, I will play your game for a time. But only because it amuses me to do so. Not, because you want me to.
“Now tell me, Sparkle Dash, what is so important that you risk unleashing chaos upon Equestria?”
“We want to know what happened to Aurora Winds and Silver Stars,” asked Twilight Dash. “After they were split apart.”
“What?” exclaimed Discord, his usual air of aloofness and humor vanishing for the briefest of moments. If Twilight Dash didn’t know any better they might have sworn that Discord had been honestly surprised by the question. But the shock was quickly replaced with Discord’s usual carefree smirk. “What makes you ask about...”
His eyes swept over Twilight Dash once more, as though seeing them for the very first time.
“Oh-ho-ho,” chuckled Discord in amusement. “It hadn’t even occurred to me until just now! I never thought the good and pure Twilight Sparkle would stoop so low…”
“Discord,” warned Wild Heart. However, Discord ignored her. His neck lengthened slightly, stretching like a snake so that he could move closer to Twilight Dash and look them in the eyes. The points of the spears followed him but he ignored them.
“You cast unforgivable magic on one of your best friends,” whispered Discord. Both Breeze and Velvet rushed forward, putting themselves between their daughters and Discord.
“Guards!” commanded Luna. The guards jabbed their spears into Discord’s neck. However, instead of piercing his scaled fur the points sparked with blue magic. Discord let out a yelp of pain. His head jerked suddenly, reeling back into his body with a snap. His eyes rolled around for a moment before finally coming to a stop.
“I guess I really should have held off on using my ‘point’ pun so early on,” mumbled Discord as he stretched his neck around in slight discomfort.
“Attempt that again, and I will return you to stone,” warned Luna.
“Fine, fine,” answered Discord dismissively. “I’ll tell you what. Why don’t you go first. Tell me what you think you know about them and I’ll fill in the blanks.”
Twilight Dash looked back at Luna, who nodded reassuringly.
“Well, Aurora Winds was Celestia’s top student,” began Twilight Dash.
“Right so far,” said Discord, his smile growing slightly.
“But, she wanted power, more power than Celestia could teach her,” continued Twilight Dash. “So she used forbidden magic and fused with another pony, Silver Stars.” “But it didn’t work. Something went wrong and instead of getting stronger, she got weaker. Silver Stars was fighting back.”
“Oh, she was?” asked Discord trying to sound surprised. However, his smile was now actually larger than his face and the corners of his mouth floated in the air. He looked anything but surprised.
“Eventually, Celestia had to split them apart,” said Twilight Dash. “Only Silver Stars survived.” “And from all that chaos, you were brought into the world.”
“Well, the best lies always have a little bit of truth to them,” said Discord smugly, his mouth snapping back into place.
“What do you mean?” asked Wild Heart, moving slightly closer to the pond.
“Why would Celestia tell you the whole truth?” asked Discord.
“Why would you tell us even a half truth?” asked Luna.
“Oh dear princess, you wound me so,” said Discord dramatically. He struggled against the stone for a brief moment. “Well, I supposed I can’t really do that gag either…
“I could tell you lies,” explained Discord. “But really, where is the fun in that? You see, Celestia got most of the details right, but she neglected a few, minor, but important parts.”
“Like?” asked Twilight Dash.
“Like, the fact that there were three ponies merged together, not two,” said Discord. He paused for a long moment before looking around as though expecting something. “Oh, I guess we aren’t going to leave on that as a cliffhanger. Right then…
“After Queen Aurora fused with the Princess of the Silver Stars…” explained Discord.
“Well, yes,” answered Discord in mock surprise. “Aurora Winds was Queen of the Unicorn Empire. And Silver Stars the Princess of the Sky.” Discord looked around at all the ponies gathered before him. “Don’t any of you read your history books? I mean, I don’t, because I was there, but certainly you should.”
“Before Equestria,” whispered Twilight Dash. The thought hadn’t even occurred to them. But of course, it had to have been that long ago.
“Anyhow,” continued Discord dismissively. “They called themselves… Silver Aurora or something? No, that doesn’t sound right. In any case, it doesn’t really matter. Their power grew quickly. But it wasn’t enough. Two beings fused together had not done the job that Aurora Winds desired. She couldn’t make the sun dance across the sky. She couldn’t bend the ground to her will.
“So, there was only one thing to do. If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again,” explained Discord. “After all, there are three pony tribes. I don’t expect it was that hard to work out.
“Even still, Aurora Winds had always considered earth ponies beneath her, so to speak. But she realized the key to becoming a god required not just one or two aspects, but all three.
“So she merged once again, with the King of the Great Plains. A party-hearty pony by the name of Stamped,” said Discord.
“Impossible,” interrupted Luna. “The spell can’t… she couldn’t have… My sister…”
“Lied to you,” said Discord in delight. “It was a truth too terrible to pass on. Knowledge too dangerous for others to hear. After all, what is there to keep somepony else from giving it another go?” His eyes fixed pointedly on Twilight Dash before shifting up to the element of magic floating behind them. The garden fell into an uneasy silence.
“The most powerful goddess the world has ever seen was born into existence, Eternia!” proclaimed Discord. “An ironic name, really. She didn’t last more than a few hours. While she was busy making the earth ponies cower before her, Celestia arrived. The sun goddess tried to talk her former student out of her madness, but I’m afraid there was only madness left within her.
“In the end, Celestia had no choice, she split Eternia apart.” Here Discord paused again and this time, he had the darkest, most terrible grin upon his face. “Except she did it wrong. Like you, she thought there were only two merged together when there were actually three.
“When she divided us,” said Discord, his words filled with glee. “It was the best moment of my life, well, the first moment of my life really.”
“And… and the other… one?” asked Wild Heart, her voice dry. Discord’s eyes snapped to her, there was no smile upon his face.
“That would be my sister,” said Discord, his voice seething with loathing. “Harmony.”
“Your… sister!?” exclaimed Twilight Dash. “You have a sister?”
“Of course,” said Discord dismissively. “I’m sure I’ve mentioned her before. Haven’t I?” He looked almost pensive as he tried to recall having talked about his sister. “God’s are always born in pairs. That’s just how it works. And here I thought you were supposed to be the clever one?”
“Wait, if you were a pony once, why don’t you really look like one?” asked Sky, jabbing a hoof at Discord’s twisted form.
“Me? Oh, I was never a pony,” said Discord, making air quotes with his eyebrows. “I was born a god! But if you were referring to my body, well, I’ve made some modifications to it over the years. Some of these parts were donated to me and others… well, let’s just say their original owners won’t be missing them anymore.”
“You’re a monster,” whispered Velvet with a disdainful shake of her head.
“Did you know about Harmony,” demanded Twilight Dash angrily. They ignored the conversation Discord was currently having and turned to face Luna. The moon Princess’s eyes widened slightly at Twilight’s abrupt change in tone. “Did you know about all this?”
“I knew of Harmony, yes,” said Luna flatly.
“And were you ever planning on telling us about her?” asked Twilight Dash. “Or were you just going to wait until she showed up?”
“Harmony isn’t important anymore,” said Luna, shaking her head. “What’s important is you! Discord still has yet to answer our most important question.”
“Yes, let’s not talk about my sister,” interjected Discord with a frown. Discord’s head twisted around. It turned upside down and rotated in a way that should have been impossible. “Let’s talk about something else, anything else. How about Fluttershy? Or that Apple-loving-pony - you know, the one with the hat.”
“Aurora Winds, Silver Stars and Stamped…” pressed Wild Heart, attempting to redirect the conversation.
“Oh no, I don’t think that was her name. I’m pretty sure it had something to do with apples,” interjected Discord.
“What happened to them?” demanded Wild Heart, ignoring Discord’s mock question. She moved even closer to the pond so that she was only hoofsteps away from its edge. Discord glanced down at her with a bemused expression upon his face.
“Gone I’m afraid,” said Discord feigning remorse. Twilight Dash could almost feel the pained wince on their mothers’ faces. “The sacrifice to make a god takes a lot out of you. Well, everything out of you really. The moment Eternia was born, they ceased to exist.”
“So no part of them survived inside of you?” pressed Wild Heart. Discord rolled his eyes.
“Look, I’ll be honest, this conversation is starting to bore me,” said Discord. “It was fun and all to see your shock and surprise, but now the questions are getting a little more personal than I would like.”
“Answer her,” growled Sky. He too advanced forward. His wings lifted him up so that he could glare Discord right in the eyes. For a long moment, Discord glared back, and then his eyes suddenly bulged and grew five times the size of his body. Sky tumbled backward in alarm. Discord let out a roaring laugh.
“Okay, that was pretty amusing,” chuckled Discord. A single tear of laughter started down his cheek. One of his horns bent around like a tiny finger and wiped away the drop.
“So what about us?” asked Twilight Dash. “If we slip apart… will we…”
“Become like me?” asked Discord. “Oh, hardly. There can only be one of me. Besides, there are only two of you in there. I expect you would just go back to how you were… unless…”
Discord’s head surged forward once again, knocking Wild Heart out of the way. His long, snake-like neck coiled several times around Twilight Dash. Their parents tried to approach but Discord easily pushed them away.
“Discord!” bellowed Luna angrily. The element of magic began to whirl rapidly above her. Purple streaks of energy swirled in the air around the element as the ground vibrated with the low hum of power.
Then Discord spoke. His words seemed to carry a silence with them. The other ponies were shouting, calling out to them, but Twilight Dash couldn’t hear anything except Discord.
“Unless this is what you want,” whispered Discord in their ear. “Do you want to be a god, Twilight Dash? Is that your goal? You know what you have to do. Just one more pony. That’s all it takes.”
“Guards!” commanded Luna. Her words were muffled in Twilight Dash’s ears, the small sound seem to almost pull them back out of the silence. Discord’s face moved even closer to theirs and the soundless world pressed in again. With only a hoof between them, Twilight Dash felt extremely uncomfortable. They tried to take a step back, but bumped against Discord’s entangling neck.
“I can guide you, I can show you what true power is,” whispered Discord, his mismatched eyes mirroring Twilight Dash’s own. “You just have to let me in.”
“Let you… what?” asked Twilight Dash. Their thoughts had dissolved into complete chaos. They were hardly aware of anything beyond Discord. They felt fear petrifying them in place. Adrenaline telling them to fly. Spells surging to their horn ready to cast. But Twilight Dash did not move - could not move.
Discord smiled a terrible twisted smile. Someplace behind his head blue sparks cascaded into the air as the guards drove their spears into his neck. He hardly even noticed, or cared.
A tiny misshapen arm sprouted from his head and poked Twilight Dash hard in the chest. They let out a yelp of pain and surprise as they plopped onto their haunches. For a brief moment it had felt like their whole body was on fire. No, not just their body, more than that. It had felt like their thoughts had been on fire.
A chilling laugh echoed through the air as the spears finally did their job. Once more Discord’s head reeled back into his stone body. His mouth hung open while the awful sound still lingered in the air. His insane pupils pointed outwards, seeing everything and nothing. Then a blast of purple energy crashed into him and Discord was once again simply a statue.
Twilight Dash felt their legs go weak. Their body felt like it had lost all its strength. Their head was spinning like they had been tumbling through the sky. A darkness closed in around their vision and they felt themself fall. There was lots of sound around them, voices shouting and their name being called. But there were only two voices they could hear.
“Twilight!” cried Velvet, hovering over them.
“Dashie! Oh my little Dashie!” cried Breeze.
The voices slipped away. A sort of fuzzy darkness at the edge of their vision rushed across their eyes. Their head stopped spinning. Then everything stopped.
Rarity sat alone on a small grassy hill, looking towards the distant castle. She wasn’t really seeing it anymore. The thoughts inside her head were slow, crawling through her mind like molasses. She didn’t want to think them, but it didn’t matter they were still there.
How could they have failed so badly? Not even five minutes in Canterlot and they had lost nearly everything. Fluttershy and Applejack were gone. Twilight Dash was off on her own. Bitless, homeless and stuck in this city with no means of communication. How could it possibly get worse.
The sky above her rumbled as clouds rolled overhead. Thursday. Rain day… of course.
“Rarity,” asked a small voice from behind her. It was Spike. She felt her body become ridgid. Her muscles tightened as if ready to run. It took all her effort to just sit there.
She bottled up the thoughts in her head, hiding them away like they might suddenly be seen. Rarity tried to put on a smile, to act like nothing was wrong. But there was so much wrong that even her fake smile didn’t want to come out.
“Are you… are you alright?” asked Spike. The small dragon had come to check on her again.
“Yes,” answered Rarity flatly, trying to give nothing away. She didn’t turn to look at him, but kept her gaze locked on the castle.
“Uh, okay, good,” answered Spike. “Look Pinkie is out…” Rarity heard the words, she really did. But she simply wasn’t listening to them.
All throughout the morning Spike had stopped by, staying for a few minutes at a time to fill her in on whatever he was off to do next. She had hardly heard him any of the previous times and even as he was speaking now, she didn’t hear him.
“…somepony finally let me have a sheet of parchment,” continued Spike. “So we just need to find a quill and…” Rarity couldn’t help her eyes as she half looked back at Spike. No. She didn’t want to see him right now. She didn’t want to talk to him, knowing at any moment she might be forced to confess. Her eyes snapped back to the castle.
“Isn’t that great?” finished Spike.
“Yes,” repeated Rarity. There was a long moment of silence but she didn’t hear any retreating footsteps, or Spike telling her that he was leaving.
“Are… are you sure you’re okay?” asked Spike. “You’ve been sitting here all morning. Wouldn’t you rather be in the tent? It’s supposed to rain soon, maybe you want to come inside?”
“No,” answered Rarity simply. She just wanted Spike to leave her alone. To go off and do whatever pointless thing he was going to do. She didn’t want to talk to him. She didn’t want to tell him… No, she didn’t even want to think about it.
“Uh, okay, I’ll… I’ll be back later,” said Spike.
Rarity could hear his hurried steps in the grass as he ran off. She let out a sigh. He hadn’t asked her. The one, terrible thing she was dreading and he hadn’t asked her.
But he had said he would be back. What was she going to say then if he asked the one question she didn’t want to answer, the truth she didn’t want to tell? Was she going to lie to him?
Rarity didn’t know yet. She just knew she couldn’t tell Spike that like Applejack, she too had voted against Twilight.
Spike returned to the campsite felling a little deflated. He thought they had made great progress so far but Rarity just didn’t seem to care.
After all, they had found this campsite last night. Canterlot Central Park was free for any pony to stay in. It had clean running water and an orchard of various fruit trees. It wasn’t the High Hoofton, but it was nice all the same. And cheep. That was the important part right now as they were completely broke.
At first Spike thought they were simply going to have to sleep on the dirt. As it turned out, one of the things Pinkie had packed in her enormous trunk was a tent, well, three tents actually. And six sleeping bags.
Two of the tents were large enough to sleep three ponies each. The last tent was just big enough for Spike. When Spike had asked why she had brought them Pinkie just smiled and said, “You always need to be prepared to go camping, even when you don’t think you’re going to go camping!”
They had still setup all three tents. Rarity had wanted her own and Pinkie had pointed out that she wouldn’t fit in Spike’s tent. When Spike tried to point out that he would fit inside her tent Pinkie just looked at him in confusion and pointed out that he already had his own tent. Spike had been too tired to argue with her.
In addition to their small campsite, they now also had fifty percent of what they needed to write a letter to Princess Celestia and get this whole situation sorted out. Parchment, which a bird sketching pony a few tents down had been kind enough to provide to Spike. They also had ink, that Pinkie had acquired from a passing student. In truth, the young pony seemed more eager to get Pinkie to leave him alone than to give her his extra ink pot.
Now all they needed was a quill and a ribbon to tie it.
Pinkie was busy hanging streamers around their camp, trying to cheer it up a little. Or maybe she was trying to cheer herself up. She smiled at Spike as he approached.
“So, what did Rarity say? Does she want to help us yet?” asked Pinkie. Spike shook his head.
“I don’t know,” said Spike. “She, uh, really doesn’t seem like she’s in the mood to talk. I wonder what’s wrong with her?”
Pinkie looked off in the direction where Rarity was sitting. From the campsite, she couldn’t see her, but Pinkie squinted her eyes like she could just make out the distant pony’s shape.
“I have no idea,” said Pinkie casually after a moment. She turned and bounced away, returning to her streamers.
Spike sat down at the wooden table next to the fire pit. They hadn’t use the table, as they hadn’t brought food, other than Pinkie’s bags and bags of party candy. And they hadn’t used the fire pit, as they didn’t have any wood, nor were any of them really in the mood for sitting around a fire.
Absently, Spike rolled a pointed twig back and fort on the table as he watched Pinkie continue to hang her streams. Where in Equestria was he going to find a… quill… his eyes suddenly locked on the stick and he lifted it into the air like it was a great magical sword.
“Of course!” exclaimed Spike. “I don’t need a feathered quill, I just need something with a point!”
“You’re going to use a stick as a pen?” said Pinkie with a raised eyebrow. “Wi-erd.” With that she snapped a pointed pink party hat onto her head and blew on purple paper party horn.
“Pinkie, what are you doing,” asked Spike in confusion.
“Pity party,” said Pinkie, blowing the party horn again with much less enthusiasm. She trotted back into her tent and zipped up the flap.
Spike shook his head. He pulled out the parchment and the small ink bottle and dipped the pointed end of the stick into the ink. He hoped this would work.
As it turned out, sticks were not made to be the best writing implements. Ink dripped and blotted on the parchment as he wrote. Several times he pressed too hard and the tip poked a hole right through. All in all, it was a mess. But it was legible and it did get the message though.
Taking down one of pinkies streamers he used it to tie the parchment. He didn’t have any sealing wax to bind it, so a knot would just have to suffice. He held up the paper and blew his magical flames onto it.
Green fire engulfed the paper, changing it into a sort of magical green cloud. It raced up into the sky but turned sharply and sped away from the castle.
“Wait!” shouted Spike as the magical message zoomed off. “You’re going the wrong way!” But the fire was already long gone. “Well, that’s just great!” Huffed Spike. What are we suppo- wha- *cough*”
Spike grabbed his throat and covered his mouth, but a moment later he let out a huge burp of green flames. He reacted without thinking, snatching the parchment out of the air before it could fall. He had never gotten a response so quickly before.
Carefully, Spike broke the seal on the immaculate parchment and unfurled the message within. He looked at the words with a slightly perplexed expression on his face.
“The horn you are trying to reach is currently busy,” read Spike aloud. “Please try your message again at another time? You have to be bucking kidding me!”
Everything felt a little… odd, disconnected somehow. They felt stretched out and spread thin. The sunlight above them was blurry and out of focus, but they could feel it. Their perspective was low to the ground, they could see each blade of grass as they crawled over it.
There were also voices shouting someplace ahead of them, but they couldn’t make out the words.
Ever so slowly, they crawled onwards. There was something ahead of them. Ponies. Their speed quickened, racing along the ground. More shouts. They lashed out, striking like a snake.
But there was fire. Invisible and terrible blocking their path.
“Hold the line!” shouted one of the ponies. Magic. This was magic.
They didn’t feel like they had eyes, but they could still see. They could see everything at once. And there. Small, tiny and unnoticed by these blind ponies was a crack.
They did not wait. They seized the opportunity, pouring through the hole left unguarded. The unicorn on the other side let out a yelp of surprise. But his words were frozen in his throat as they swept over him.
More shouts, from behind them this time. No. There was no behind.
A line of unicorns stretched out across the field. All were casting together. The closest pony turned, trying to redirect the wall of fire. But she was too slow. And they swept over her, and then the next one and the next one.
Finally, a pony further up the line did what the others had not. She turned before they could reach her, trapping two of her fellows outside the wall. They were able to take the sacrifices, but they could go no further.
That was fine. Six. It was fine. They could wait. They had waited five thousand years. They could wait.
Twilight Dash shuddered awake, the last lingering bits of their terrible dream slowly fading from their mind. They had been a snake… or something… they had attacked other ponies. They shivered again. It was just a dream. A bad dream.
They felt a damp cloth press against their forehead. The waking world sudden became real to them and their eyes snapped fully open.
They didn’t recognize this room. It wasn’t either of their bedrooms in Ponyville. Not their parents’ houses… either of them. Not…
“It’s alright, calm down Dashie, you’re safe,” said a reassuring voice. It was their mother sitting beside them. Or their other mother. They weren’t sure.
“What…” rasped Twilight Dash. Their throat felt dry.
“After Discord attacked you, you fainted,” said their other-other mother, Velvet. “We were so worried for you, but Doctor Heart said you would be okay. She said that you just needed to rest.”
“Where, where are we?” asked Twilight Dash, glancing around at the unfamiliar walls and staring to feel uncomfortable.
“This is your room,” said Night Light. “It’s where you stayed last night, don’t you recognize it?” Now that their dad had said something, they noticed just how cramped the space was. Their parents were all packed into the tiny little room. Their room. They recognized it.
“How?’ began Twilight Dash.
“Luna teleported us here right after turning that monster back to stone,” answered Breeze.
“How are you feeling?” asked Sky.
“Water?” asked Twilight Dash.
“Of course,” offered Breeze, taking a cup from beside their bed and holding it up for them. It had a straw, which made it easier to drink. “We were so worried for you. What did he do to you?”
“We don’t… know,” said Twilight Dash, feeling a little light headed. “I didn’t do anything.”
“Well there wasn’t time,” said Night Light. “We are just lucky Luna reacted as quickly as she did.”
“Luna?” asked Twilight Dash. “Where?” “Yes, I simply must thank her for this opportunity!” “Is she alright? Can we see her?”
“She had to…” began Velvet. Night Light nudged her into silence and shook his head very slightly.
“What?” asked Twilight Dash uncomfortably.
“Oh, it’s nothing,” said Velvet quickly, attempting to hide her words. But there was something in her eyes. Something they thought might be… fear? “She said she would be back to check on you.”
“Where did she go?” demanded Twilight Dash, rising slightly from the bed. Their body still felt weak.
“You need to rest,” said Night Light, resting a gentle hoof on their shoulder. “We can talk later.” They reluctantly lay back down. “Try and get some sleep, we’ll be right outside.”
Night Light gave the others a stern look. There seemed to be some kind of unspoken agreement between them. Their parents began to file out of the room, but Velvet snuck in a single hesitant kiss on their forehead before she left as well.
The door closed with a soft click, but it wasn’t thick enough to completely muffle the voices on the other side. Twilight Dash could hear what sounded almost like an argument break out the moment the door had closed. They couldn’t catch most of the words, but their name was definitely being spoken.
“What happened to us,” asked Twilight Dash to themselves as they rested their head against the pillow. “What did Discord do?” “You keep thinking that I did something, why is everything my fault?” “I didn’t say it was your fault Dash.” “Uh, Twilight, that wasn’t me.” “… Well it wasn’t me…” They were silent for a long moment with only the muted sound of their parents arguing outside their door and the thundering noise of the blood pumping in their ears. “… Discord?” “Surprise! Oh, we’re going to have so much fun!”
“Get out of our head!” screamed Twilight Dash. They pressed their hooves up against their temples as if trying to squeeze the unwanted presence out. “Is that any way to talk to your new roommate?”
“No, uh-uh, no way!” “We want you gone! Right now!” “There is hardly enough room in here for us as it is!” “Yes, it does feel a little cramped. Do you mind if I move some things around?” “Don’t you dare!”
The door to the room burst opened and Twilight Dash froze mid struggle. They were hanging half out of bed with the blankets wrapped around their hind legs. Sky, their father – they couldn’t remember whose father - stood at the door. His eyes were wide in panic and he looked at them as though they had gone completely mad; which, at this point, might be true.
“Is… is everything alright in here?” asked Sky sounding unusually concerned. “We heard shouting.”
“No!” “Yes!” “Maybe?” answered Twilight Dash.
“I’m going to get Doctor Heart…” interjected Night Light. His horn glowed and the door swung quickly closed. The arguing outside resumed, although the tone was much lower and Twilight Dash could no longer make out any of the words.
“Great, now look what you’ve done,” said Twilight Dash to themselves. “What we’ve done? This is your fault!” “Oh, how can it be my fault, isn’t it our fault?” “No, YOU aren’t US. Now get out!” “Sorry, no can do!”
Twilight Dash’s front leg suddenly jerked sideways. They quickly grabbed it and held it tight. The leg struggled in their grip. It felt like their muscles were spasming out of control.
“Stop that!” cried Twilight Dash in distress. “It certainty isn’t easy to get around, is it? None of your limbs want to behave!” Their left eye suddenly started blinking, or maybe it was winking, and one of their back legs bucked at the mattress.
“Is there a manual for this thing? What if I try…” they grunted in concentration. A moment later one of their wings began to flap, buzzing like a humming bird. They lifted very slightly out of bed before crashing back down on their side. They panted, slightly out of breath.
“Well, this body just doesn’t seem to work at all!” declared Twilight Dash at last. They shot themselves an angry look. “And you looked so promising from the outside. You two really haven’t been trying very hard, have you?” “Yes we have!” “And it’s none of your business! Now get out!”
A broad smile spread across their face. At the same time a terrible shiver ran down their spine. Their arm stopped trying to move on its own and their wing ceased its buzzing. However, the eye twitching continued, although less frequently and their leg continue to buck on its own every now and again.
“Oh no, I’m not going anywhere,” said Twilight Dash matter-of-factly. “My old body is stone. Completely and totally worthless. Sure we had some good times, and I’m going to miss it. But this body, oh! What power! What potential! And true delightful chaos! We just have to work out some of the kinks. But I think I am going to be here for a very long time. How does forever sound?” “WHAT? No way!” “Because forever sounds like fun to me! By the way, how long do ponies tend to live again? I always forget. It’s in the thousands of years, right?”
“When Luna finds out what you’ve done…” began Twilight Dash threateningly. “Ha! You’re not going to tell her!” “And why wouldn’t we?! WE don’t want YOU here!”
“Because it’s not that simple to remove me,” explained Twilight Dash to themselves. “As I’m sure Twilight would be all too happy to explain. Oh, that is strange, I can feel her thoughts turning, wanting to answer, you really can’t help yourself, can you.” “What, yes I can. And stay out of my thoughts!” “Anyhow, Luna can’t just pull me out. So, the only other choice she has is to turn us to stone! We would make quite a set, sitting motionless in my garden prison.”
“Fine,” said Twilight Dash. “What, Dash, you can’t be serious!” “It’s better than having this maniac loose in our head.” “Oh, no, we totally agree with you… us… That wasn’t me, I mean us, we mean… Discord, that was Discord… We would rather be stone then let him run around in our head.”
“ARG! This whole thing is making our head hurt!” cried Twilight Dash. “Just get out of…!”
They were abruptly cut off as the door to the room opened once more. For the briefest moment they expected to see Doctor Heart – and for some reason they also expected a talking watermelon. But it was not the doctor pony (or the watermelon). It was somepony that, at the moment, made them shiver.
“Guards, ensure that we are not interrupted,” said Luna sternly. The two pegasus guardsponies nodded. Luna made to enter but stopped. “Unless it is Doctor Heart.”
“Of course, my princess,” answered one of the guards.
While Luna stood in the open door, Twilight Dash had just the briefest glimpse of their parents looking almost completely terrified. Then Luna entered and the door swung shut behind her. A flicker of magic sealed the door, as it had no locks. Her focus turned to Twilight Dash.
“I am thankful you are not inj… what are you doing?” asked Luna with a raised eyebrow.
They had been so caught up in their internal argument that they hadn’t considered how odd they might look. The blankets were tangled up around them. One of their wings still twitched slightly, not to mention their eye’s constant winking. And they were still tightly clutching their arm as though it might try and escape at any moment.
“Nothing,” said Twilight Dash in unison. “Stone for sure,” they whispered to themselves. “Shut up!”
“Is… is something wrong?” asked Luna with genuine concern. She moved closer as if to examine them. “What did Discord do to you?”
“I didn’t… I mean HE, yes, he didn’t do anything to them-us, yes, us,” said Twilight Dash. They scowled. Luna didn’t seem to know what to make of this strange new behavior.
“I am reluctant to burden you with anything more,” said Luna. “If this were anything else, I would say it could wait. But it has waited too long already, and you have a right to know where my sister is and true reason I asked that you come to Canterlot.”
“Wait… sister? You have a sister!” cried Twilight Dash in surprise. Luna frowned with concern. “First Discord and now you?”
“You… you don’t remember Celestia?” asked Luna quietly.
“Of course they… we, yes, we do!” said Twilight Dash. “Now I want to hear about… what’s-her-name.” “Wait, you don’t know it either?” “Of course I do.” “Oh yeah, then what is it?” “You know, it’s that sister-pony-something…” “Ha! You don’t know either!”
“Maybe this isn’t the best time,” interjected Luna. She looked towards the door. “Perhaps I should wait until you’ve had some more rest.”
“No,” begged Twilight Dash. “Please don’t go.” “Why did you want us here in Canterlot if not to help us?”
“That is what I want,” answered Luna firmly, leaving little doubt that she had any other motives, until she spoke her next words. “But there are other reasons we need you here… You asked me about Harmony before. Do you still want to know who she was?”
Twilight Dash nodded, forcing their mouth shut and choking down the comment that was trying to escape them. They resisted the very strong urge to shake their head. They silenced the voice that wanted to say ‘no.’ Discord might be here, but he was just a guest. They could feel his annoyance with them, but there seemed to be little he could actually do when they put their hoof down - so to speak.
“I have… met her before, a long time ago,” said Luna.
“Ha, met her,” sneered Twilight Dash, as they let their guard down. They forced Discord to be silent once more. Luna seemed taken aback. Quickly they tried to cover up the unbidden comment. “Why did you never tell us before now?”
“I have met many… unpleasant… creatures over the long millenniums,” said Luna. “To tell you of each would perhaps take your entire lifetime. But there is another reason I have never mentioned her before. I thought her destroyed, thousands and thousands of years ago.”
“Des… destroyed,” said Twilight Dash. Something like a smile spread across their face.
“Yes,” said Luna. “She was a terrible enemy who struck at a time when my sister and I were… not speaking. In that era, we did not call ourselves princesses. We traveled the land bringing day and night to all the world and helping where we could.
“And then, one day, something came down from the northern mountains,” recounted Luna. “It moved slowly at first, crawling across the landscape, consuming it, changing it.”
“Changing it into… what?” asked Twilight Dash.
“Crystal,” said Luna. “The Crystal Empire was not always as it is now. Its landscape and its denizens were once normal ponies, until the Crystal Mist came.”
“The… what?” asked Twilight Dash. “Sounds made up to me.” “Shsshhh” “Don’t shush us!”
“It was a weapon, made by Harmony,” explained Luna. “She was consumed with making the world perfect, balanced, ordered. When ruling over every aspect of the ponies’ lives beneath her was not enough, when even her powers could not make things fit her order, she decided instead to freeze it. To make it perfect, forever.
“I did not arrive for many weeks,” said Luna sadly. “When I did, the mountains, the cities, the ponies had all become motionless crystal. I sought out whatever had done this. Yet I found someone I had not intended to meet.”
“Oh, oh this is the really good part!” said Twilight Dash. “Shusssh!” “Humf, well I never.”
“Discord,” said Luna darkly. “At first I thought the spell was his doing. But he seemed as angry and revolted as I was at what we had found. It seemed that the one thing he disliked more than anything else, was order. Not surprising really.”
“Well it goes against my… I mean, his, very nature,” said Twilight Dash.
“With his help, we found and destroyed the weapon,” said Luna. She went very quiet. A sad, hopeless expression spread over her face. “We also found Harmony. Before I could decide what to do with her, Discord… he…”
“Killed her!” said Twilight Dash with an almost gleeful tone.
Luna seemed taken aback by their words. “Yes,” confirmed Luna with a small nod of her head. “However her death was not the end of her magic. Six-hundred years after her passing, the Crystal Mist returned. It came from the western shore, sweeping over what is now the Glass Sea. Nine-hundred years after that, it appeared again in the east, changing the whole of the Amber Cloud Empire.
“Each time my sister and I have used the elements to push it back, to restore… chaos, to its order. But whatever it touches remains crystal. Forever.” Luna paused taking a long, deep breath. “The mist has returned again. My sister is holding it back right now in the south, but without the Elements… without you… we cannot hope to stop it.”
“What about Discord, his magic could stop it,” said Twilight Dash. They clamped their hooves over their mouth.
“We cannot trust Discord,” answered Luna, shaking her head. “His treachery the last time… his actions with you.” Luna shook her head. “No, we need the elements. Only they have the power to stop the Crystal Mist from covering the entire world. That is why you are here in Canterlot. Not just to get better, but to save us all.”
“So… no pressure then,” mumbled Twilight Dash. “Wow, you guys really do get a raw deal!”
“Are you sure, that everything is alright?” asked Luna. “Your behavior has been most… odd, all throughout our conversation.”
“Fine!” said Twilight Dash. “Everything is perfectly, completely…” “Fine?” “We have to tell you something too!” “Yes, you’re a big poopy head!” “What, no! That’s not it!” Luna’s eye narrowed with concern. “What we want to say is…”
A loud knock came at the door and words sounded like a name. Luna’s horn glowed and the door swung open. Wild Heart stood just beyond.
“Please come in Doctor, I believe you have arrived just in time,” said Luna. Wild Heart stepped inside and the door sealed once more behind her. “Twilight Dash was just about to tell me something very important.”
“No we weren’t,” said Twilight Dash very quickly. “Oh, look at the time. I think we had better go to bed, why don’t…” “Can it! Princess we have to…” “La-la-la-la-la they can’t hear you.” “Something-“ “EVERYTHINGS FINE, NOTHING IS RUINED!” “DISCORD! HE’S HERE! INSIDE OUR HEAD!”
The room went suddenly silent as the last words hung in the air.
“Oh, well, great, now look what you’ve gone and done,” said Twilight Dash waving a hoof.
“Discord,” whispered Luna, her eyes fixing on Twilight Dash. “Discord!” She growled and leaned in very close to them. Luna glared into them as though she could see the god of chaos deep within their eyes.
Twilight Dash felt suddenly very afraid. All of them. Perhaps Discord had been right. Maybe telling Luna was the worst thing they could have done. What if she actually did turn them to stone?
Oddly, the seemed to feel okay with that.
“Now you’ve done it,” whispered Twilight Dash.
“But how is this possible?” asked Wild Heart. “Are you saying… Discord’s mind is inside you?” They nodded, shook their head, nodded some more and finally lay back down, feeling very dizzy. “TD…”
“Actually, we were thinking of DTD now,” said Discord Twilight Dash. “No we absolutely were not!” “Don’t be ridiculous.” “Look, I’m just saying I’m here now too, so maybe I need a little more recognition.”
“Twilight Dash,” reaffirmed Wild Heart sternly.
“Well that’s just rude,” mumbled Twilight Dash under their breath.
“Does it actually feel like another mind is in there with you?” asked Wild Heart. “Does it feel like it did when you two first merged together?”
“No,” said Twilight Dash in surprise. “Actually, we don’t really ‘feel’ Discord here at all. Not the same way I can feel Dash.” “Yeah, it’s like there is a fly buzzing around our head or something.” “Did you just call me a fly?” “Yeah, I did! What are you going to do about it?” Their hoof suddenly leapt up and slapped them across the face.
“DISCORD,” roared Luna. The room became very dark, like Luna had scared away all the light. “Don’t you dare ever do that again!”
“Ha, a slip of the hoof,” said Twilight Dash. “Jerk.” They rubbed their slightly red cheek. “Look, I’m just getting used to my new body. It doesn’t react the same way.” “Well don’t get too used to it, you aren’t staying long! Right, Doc?”
Wild Heart did not answer right away. She paused for a long moment, looking them over as if considering her options.
“Right?” pressed Twilight Dash desperately.
“I do not know,” said Wild Heart at last. “I need to know more about the magic involved before I can say for sure.”
“And then you can get rid of this guy, right?” pleaded Twilight Dash, before they stuck their tongue out at the golden unicorn. Quickly their hooves reacted covering up the rude gesture. “Sorry.”
“It’s alright,” said Wild Heart with a slight nod. She turned towards Luna. “I think we should try and speak with Discord again.”
“I’m right here,” said Twilight Dash waving a hoof. “You can ask me anything you like! Ask about my favorite color, it’s pokidot.” “That’s not really a color.”
“The other Discord,” said Wild Heart sternly. “The one frozen in stone.”
“Oh you won’t get anything out of him, me… it? This really is confusing isn’t it,” said Twilight Dash. “You have no idea,” they grumbled to themselves. “Well, I guess we better get going then? Don’t want to keep me waiting!”
“No,” said Luna flatly. “You will be confined to this room until we can remove Discord.”
“What?! But this room is so boring!” exclaimed Twilight Dash. “Yeah I agree. There is nothing in here except books! And not even fun books!” “Dash!” “What, it’s true, just cuze we don’t want him here doesn’t mean he can’t be right.” “Thank you.” “You stay out of this!”
“This is no joking matter,” said Luna sounding a little irritated. “Promise me that you will not attempt to leave.”
“Of course we’ll stay here,” said Twilight Dash with a bow. “I guess,” they added lamely. “I promise that I won’t not maybe probably leave this room.”
“I will leave the guards outside,” said Luna. “If you need something, they can get it for you.”
“And our parents?” asked Twilight Dash. “Oh yes, I so want to keep talking to mommie and daddie!”
“I think for the moment, it might be best if they stayed away,” said Luna. “At least until we know more about the situation.” She turned to leave. “But I will be back to check on you later.”
The door shimmered with magic once more before opening to let Wild Heart and Luna out. Twilight Dash could see their parents standing just outside, eagerly awaiting any news. Whatever Luna told them, Twilight Dash did not hear as she closed and re-sealed the door behind her.
“Well, this is just great,” whined Twilight Dash. “I’m soooo glad we came to Canterlot.” “We could always play a game of…” “Discord, shut up.”
Spike balled up the pristine parchment in his hand. His whole body was shaking very slightly with anger and frustration. All that work, all that time, wasted. The Princess hadn’t even bothered to give him a proper answer or help them get into the castle!
With a roar of frustration, Spike lifted the crumpled up reply in his claw and incinerated it with his fiery breath. Flakes of ash tumbled out into the air before being swept off by the breeze.
“That’s it,” said Spike angrily. “I’m done waiting!”
Spike marched over to Pinkie’s tent. Faint music was coming from inside and whirling colored lights flashed across the fabric. Spike could just make out the party ponies outline against the lights. It looked like she was dancing, sort of.
Her head was hanging down, and her front legs – instead of their usual flailing – were swinging slowly back and forth at her sides. It looked sort of like a slow dance but something about it seemed almost… depressing.
“Pinkie,” called Spike as he knocked a claw against the fabric. “What are you doing in there?”
She didn’t answer right away but after a moment the flap to the tent unzipped and she stuck her head out. Strobing party lights flash behind her from within the tent. It was like she had some kind of night club in there or something. The paper party horn that she had blown earlier was still in her mouth, but even it seemed to have lost its luster.
“Just finishing up my pity-party,” said Pinkie half-heartedly. “I think it’s starting to wind down.”
“Please tell me there aren’t any rock ponies or sugar-bag party goers,” said Spike rubbing his eyes with a claw.
“Nope, just me,” said Pinkie. “Unless you want to join.”
“No,” said Spike shaking his head. “Look, this party’s over. Pack up. We’re leaving.”
“W…what?” cried Pinkie. Somehow, the music suddenly stopped playing, as though somepony had bumped the record player. “But, we can’t abandon Twilight Dash! They need us!”
“We aren’t,” said Spike. “Start packing up the campsite. I’m gona go get Rarity.”
Without arguing any further, Spike marched off towards the spot that Rarity had been sitting all day long.
Even though the day had start with just the faint wisps of white, the sky now swirled with ominous gray clouds. The air had become chilly and a breeze that usually proceeded a nasty storm had started blowing through the camp. As Spike marched along the main trail, he noticed that almost everypony had gone back into their tent. The storm was coming.
Rarity was indeed sitting just where Spike had left her last. She was still looking at the castle in the distance. Briefly, he wondered what it was she was looking for. A sign of Twilight Dash perhaps? Surely she couldn’t see Twilight from here.
“Rarity,” said Spike. The white unicorn shivered slight as though Spike had startled her. However, she didn’t answer. “Rarity, come on, we’re leaving.”
“I’m staying here,” said Rarity.
“What?” asked Spike in confusion. A tiny drop of rain splashed on his snout. “It’s about to rain and you are just going to sit out here?” It took a long time for Rarity to answer.
“Yes,” said Rarity at last. Spike waited, but she didn’t elaborate. She didn’t move. She didn’t even look back at him.
Spike frowned. He knew there was something wrong with her. There was something on her mind she didn’t want to talk about. Ever since the train station she had been distant, disinterested and oddly short worded.
He didn’t have time for this. He had given her space all day long and she hadn’t even so much as looked at him!
Spike marched forward. He could see Rarity visibly stiffen as he approached. For a moment, he thought she might suddenly bolt, or shout for him to keep away. But she just sat there.
At last, Spike stood in front of her, looking at her tear soaked face.
“Ra… Rarity,” stammered Spike in surprise. His momentary annoyance at her behavior evaporated away in an instant as he saw her. “Have you been crying out here all day long?”
Rarity shook her head, but even as she did new tears were rolling down her cheeks.
“What’s wrong,” asked Spike. “Why won’t you tell us, tell me, what’s going on with you?”
“There’s nothing to tell,” replied Rarity much too quickly. By the tone of her voice and the look in her eye, it was clear to Spike that whatever was bothering her, it had to do with him.
“Rarity,” said Spike, taking a step forward. She flinched. “Tell me what’s wrong!” Rarity shook her head.
“No,” said Rarity. “You’ll hate me.” Spike stopped in his tracks, arm outstretched and eyes wide in confusion.
“What? I could never hate you,” said Spike. “I will never hate you. There is nothing you could say that would make me…”
“I voted for Dash,” said Rarity suddenly. Her eyes widened in fear and she clapped her hooves over her mouth as though she had let slip the most terrible secret.
Spike didn’t answer. He just stared at her in shock. The faintest boom of thunder echoed through the sky as Spike and Rarity looked at each other in horror and said nothing. A light drizzle began to sprinkle on them.
“You… voted… for… Dash?” asked Spike after a very long while. Rarity didn’t say anything. She didn’t even move to confirm that she had heard. “Why? Don’t you like Twilight?”
“Yes of course I do! You know I do!” cried Rarity, unable to stop herself.
“Then, why?” asked Spike shaking his head.
“I love them both!” cried Rarity. “It was an impossible choice.” She looked down at the ground. “A horrible, unfair, choice. Spike, please, you have to believe me. I wanted them both back. But Celestia made us choose. Spike, I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!”
She reached out towards him. Very much to her surprise, he didn’t push her away. He didn’t sneer or shout. He stepped forward and embraced her as she embraced him.
“I’m sorry,” she chanted. “I’m so, so, sorry.”
“I know,” said Spike at last. “I’m sorry too. I’m sorry I made you feel this way. I was just so angry with Applejack that I didn’t think about anypony else. I didn’t consider…”
Another set of legs suddenly wrapped around Spike and Rarity, crushing them in an even tighter embrace.
“Awww group hug!” cried Pinkie. “I love group hugs!”
“Pinkie,” said Spike. “You’re squashing me!” Pinkie gave one last squeeze before finally releasing them. Spike staggered back, slightly out of breath.
“So… so you aren’t mad at me?” asked Rarity. Spike shook his head.
“Like I said, I could never be mad at you,” said Spike. “Besides, you didn’t abandon us. You didn’t abandon them. You’ve been watching over them all day long.” Rarity smiled weekly but didn’t protest. “Pinkie, did you pack everything up?”
“Yep,” said Pinkie, patting her trunk.
“Wait, we aren’t going back to camp?” asked Rarity in surprise. Spike shook his head, flinging water droplets off in all directions.
“Nope,” answered Spike. “We’re sneaking into the castle.”
The rain was really starting to fall now. The once crowded streets quickly emptied, leaving behind a muffled silence under the soft patter of rain. Most ponies had already made their way home, back to nice warm fires and comfy beds. Unfortunately for Spike, Rarity and Pinkie they currently didn’t have a home to seek shelter in.
The party of three was currently huddled under a vacant overhang. It wasn’t warm here, it wasn’t even really dry, but it wasn’t out in the open. They were standing in front of an empty shop. All of the lights inside had been extinguished and a “CLOSED” sign hung in the window. The shop across the street was the same, as were the shops on either side. It almost felt like the city was abandoned.
“We can’t keep going in this weather, we’ll freeze!” said Rarity with a shiver. “I already feel soaked.”
“Hold on!” said Pinkie. With a quick flick of her hoof, she popped open the top of her trunk and ducked her head inside. A moment later she reappeared with three bright yellow rain coats.
“I… but… how?” asked Spike in confusion. She tossed him one of the coats and he caught it in surprise. It seemed to be just about his size. A moment later matching boots and a pinwheel striped umbrella hat landed at his feet.
“Uh, it’s Canterlot,” said Pinkie rolling her eyes. “It rains on Thursdays.”
“Oh, yeah… right,” said Spike absently. He pulled on the coat. It wasn’t very thick, but at least it seemed to be waterproof. The boots also felt nice as he slipped his clawed feet into them. “You couldn’t have given these to us sooner?”
“And open my trunk in the rain?” said Pinkie wide-eyed.
“Yeah, okay, good point,” said Spike as he fastened the buttons on his new coat. He was still thinking about what Rarity had said to him, what she had done to Twilight. He had told her that she was forgiven, that he wasn’t mad at her. But that wasn’t completely true.
When she had told him he simply hadn’t felt anything, like her words had hollowed him out. Now that emptiness was starting to fill back in, but with what, he couldn’t yet be sure.
Spikes eyes drifted towards Rarity. She was in the middle of slipping into her own yellow rain coat. She had it half way on. Her damp fur glistened from the rain and somehow the mist seemed to make Rarity sparkle. Spike couldn’t help but stare at her, his mouth hanging open.
“So how are we going to do it?” asked Rarity. She flicked her head so that her perfect mane shimmered in the late afternoon light. Spike blinked at her in confusion.
“I… what?” asked Spike. He could feel his heart suddenly pounding erratically in his chest, as if it were set to explode at any moment. Pinkie stepped between them blocking Spike’s line of sight. She lifted the umbrella hat that Spike had neglected to put on and fastened it to his head.
“How are we going to get into the castle?” repeated Rarity. Pinkie moved to help Rarity with her umbrella hat. “Thank you dear.”
“Right,” said Spike with a nod. “The castle… Back when I lived there with Twilight, I used to have a lot of time to just wander around, while she was in class. I know the castle grounds pretty well but there aren’t really lots of ways in an out.
“We already tried the main gate, its one of four. But I don’t think any of the gates will be open, or unguarded. So, we don’t have a lot of options. Since none of us have wings, we can’t just fly over the walls. Unless…” he looked towards Pinkie, “You have some kind of flying machine in there, or a grappling hook, or something…”
“No, don’t be silly,” said Pinkie with a wave of her hoof. “Why would I ever need a grappling hook?”
“With you I can honestly never tell,” answered Spike. “So, going over the walls is out. That really only leaves us one other way in. The main sewer pipe…” Rarity’s eyes widened in horror.
“You must be joking!” cried Rarity in alarm. “A sewer?”
“It won’t be guarded,” said Spike. “And it’s our best way to get into the castle.”
“We could always try asking nicely?” suggested Pinkie. “Explaining the situation and maybe offering them some candy?”
“I don’t think so,” said Spike with a shake of his head. “Those guardspoines weren’t willing to budge. Guards follow orders and without orders to let us in…” Spike shook his head again. “No, we would just be wasting our time.”
“But a sewer!” cried Rarity. “Aren’t we already damp enough as it is? We might freeze trying to get in that way. Or be washed away!”
“And we would stink afterwards!” said Pinkie. “And I didn’t bring any bubble bath!”
“Well, I guess there is maybe one other way,” said Spike thoughtfully. His eyes returned to Rarity. She suddenly looked uncomfortable under his gaze.
“What?” asked Rarity.
“If we can’t go over the walls, and we can’t go under…” said Spike.
“OH! OH! We can go through them!” exclaimed Pinkie in excitement.
“But you just said we can’t get past the guards,” said Rarity, not following.
“Yes, but Rarity, you’re a unicorn,” explained Spike.
“So you can use that horn and we can spin you like a drill and make a hole through the wall into the castle!” cried Pinkie. Both Spike and Rarity looked at the pink pony with apprehension. “What?”
“Uh, no,” said Spike. “I was thinking more… magical. Rarity, do you think you can teleport us?”
“Tele… port?” said Rarity in shock. There was a long moment of silence while Spike and Pinkie both waited for Rarity to go on. “I suppose if it’s the only way…”
“We can always try the sewers,” reminded Pinkie.
“Yes. Yes I can teleport us,” said Rarity determinately.
The raincoats made the trek through the downfall much more bearable. They did eventually spot a few other ponies out and about, but for the most part the streets were empty.
If Spike hadn’t been so high strung about what they were about to attempt, he might have found the rain almost peaceful. That is, until a flash of lightning lit up the sky and the boom of thunder made him jump.
The trio approached the castle from the east side. The same river that ran along the southern entrance continued along here, dividing the city from the castle grounds. They avoided a path that crossed the river and led straight up to the east entrance. That way was no good, they didn’t want to be spotted.
So instead they had to travel much further east, almost to the edge of the city. Here they found the last bridge that crossed the river. No more than a dozen hooves beyond the bridge the waters flowed over the side of the mountain, cascading down in a brilliant waterfall. The friends made their way across the bridge and trotted back towards the castle.
They stayed off the cobbled stone path, moving through the cover of the trees and bushes instead. Pinkie was still dragging her trunk behind her. Spike had tried to get her to leave it behind, but she insisted that it was important. The large wheeled box didn’t seem to fair as well in the damp grass as it had on the stone paths, but it didn’t slow their progress too much.
After a few minutes of walking, the group reached the furthest point of the other wall. They couldn’t see the eastern gate from here, and there seemed to be no other ponies around. In a storm like this patrols would be minimal and lookouts would have limited visibility.
“Alright,” said Spike. “Just on the other side of this wall are the gardens. Once we are in, I can keep us out of sight and get us to the castle. Then we just have to find Celestia or TD and explain what happened.” Rarity and Pinkie nodded. “Rarity, are you ready?”
“Ye… yes,” said Rarity looking a little hesitant.
“You don’t have to go too far, just a dozen hooves or so,” reminded Spike. He waved the group to move closer so that the three of them stood in a tiny circle beside the wall. “And you just have to wait until there is another lightning strike. That will help hide the flash and the sound.”
“Right,” said Rarity with a nod. “Right, wait for the lightning…”
“Uh, Rarity,” said Spike. “You have teleported before, right?”
“What? Yes, oh, yes, of course dear,” said Rarity nervously with a hesitant little laugh. There was something about the way she was looking around that made Spike feel like she wasn’t being entirely honest.
“Pinkie,” said Spike. “Do you get and ‘sense’ about lightning? Like a tingle or something?”
“Oh yeah,” said Pinkie. “I can totally tell when there is a lightning strike.”
“Good,” said Spike. “Just let Rarity know so she can time our teleport.”
“Okie-dokie-pokie!” said Pinkie with a grin.
“Rarity, get ready,” instructed Spike. Rarity nodded and closed her eyes. “Focus and be prepared to go when Pinkie gives you the…” The sky lit-up blue with another lightning strike and an instant later the boom of thunder rolled over them.
“Lightning stri-mrhpf!” shouted Pinkie, just before Spike clapped is claw over her mouth to keep the pony quiet.
“Pinkie, what the hay?” asked Spike in frustration. He pulled his claw away. “I thought you said you could predict lightning strikes?”
“What, no, I never said that, I can see and hear them, just like everypony else,” said Pinkie with a smile. “It’s not like I can…” a shiver ran up Pinkie’s whole body. “Now Rarity! Teleport now!”
Rarity’s horn sparked with magic just as another blast of lightning raced overhead.
Spike felt the spell take hold of him in a strange, unpleasant sort of way. Teleporting had never felt like this with Twilight. Everything seemed to slow down, to stop. He was able to look up and see the bolt of lightning frozen in the sky above. He could see the sound waves rippling through the clouds down towards him.
Then a moment later something gave him a sharp tug and he was thrown completely into darkness. He felt his body slide through the space between spaces. He twisted and bent moving in ways that were impossible as he squeezed through the stones in the wall.
Then just as quickly as it had started, it was over. He was abruptly shoved back into the world. Except it was still dark. And the world was tumbling all around him. Something hit him in the shoulder, then the face. He was pelted by dozens of small objects from every direction.
There was a shout of alarm that hadn’t come from him but beyond that he couldn’t make out any other sounds. The world around him was tumbling in a mess of things, packing him in, smothering him. He couldn’t see anything.
With a sudden thud, everything finally stopped moving. He was pinned flat on his stomach, with a mountain of stuff piled on top of him. It was pitch black but at least it seemed dry.
Above him he could hear the soft patter of rain. It wasn’t falling on him, it sounded like it was falling on some kind of roof. Just where was he?
A muffled voice was saying something above him, but he couldn’t make out the words. He tried to say something but he was packed in so tight that he could hardly breathe.
He lay still and listened, trying to hear past the rain. There were voices speaking but not to him.
“… do you think it came from?” asked one of the voices. Spike only caught the last bit. When the next voice spoke he could hear it much better, much closer.
“I have no idea, but it nearly took my head off,” replied somepony else. “Should we report it?”
Spike struggled to move but he was still trapped under… something sticky? He couldn’t see what it was. Whatever stuff had landed on top of him he couldn’t get out from under it. If he stayed silent he might be trapped forever!
Before Spike could decide one way or another a loud startling clunk echoed all around him. He didn’t know what to do. All he could think about was…
Rarity reacted as Pinkie shouted for her to go. Magic was not her specialty. Sure, she could do many simple spells. And yes, she had teleported a few times before, when she had been younger… by accident.
But she was a unicorn! Magic was innately within her. She could do this! And at first, it seemed like everything had worked just like she had intended. She felt the teleport spell release. Time began to slow and stretch as reality was warped around them by the spell. The magic expanded to Pinkie and Spike and then… something else. Something heavy. Something unexpected.
Rarity strained under the added burden, she hadn’t accounted for this ‘thing’. It was like an anchor, weighing her down, holding her back. She was attempting to teleport herself, Spike and Pinkie. Yet, her spell had latched onto something else. Now she felt like she was being pulled between their destination on the other side of the wall and being yanked back here. And she could feel herself starting to panic.
They began to slide through reality, teleporting across the boundary of space and time. But they weren’t moving like they should. Instead they were being stretched, torn apart while half of them went one way and another half stayed right here.
Any moment the spell might complete and if Rarity didn’t do something quickly, they would be ripped to shreds. Then her eyes finally found the cause of the problem. She could have kicked herself, if she had been able to move.
The trunk. Pinkies enormous trunk. It was only partly caught in the teleport. Half of it was still stuck in reality, anchoring them there while also attempting to come with.
Unable to stop her spell, Rarity did the best she could. She tried to force the trunk out, and let the rest of them move on. And much to her surprise, it worked. The trunk popped out of the teleport.
That’s when everything really went wrong.
It was like a bomb had gone off between them. Spike and Pinkie and the trunk were all flung out of the spell. Rarity felt the magic carry her, jerking her through pockets of empty space as she soared upwards into the sky.
She felt herself twist like she was a leaf being carried in a hurricane. Up was down and in was out. She had no idea where the spell was taking her.
Then, an instant of an instant of an instant after she had first cast the teleport spell, time resumed its normal flow. The magic ended and Rarity felt herself pop back into reality.
Something hard caught her under her front legs and nearly knocked the wind out of her. For a moment she felt like she had been falling but the hard thing had caught her. Now she held tightly to it, slightly out of breath.
Her momentary disorientation passed and Rarity found herself several dozen hooves above the ground, hanging from a tree branch. But she was the only one. Spike wasn’t here. Pinkie wasn’t here. Where had they gone? Were they okay?
There was a flash of light out in front of Rarity that wasn’t lightning. A second later Pinkie’s trunk burst back into existent, falling out of the sky. It narrowly missed two pegasus guards that were flying past.
It hit the ground with a thud and tumbled end over end before finally coming to a stop. The guards came down, landing next to the trunk and looking at it in confusion. One of the guards gave the trunk a kick with his hoof.
A muffled cry came from inside the trunk and both guards looked at each other in surprise. At last, one popped open the trunk and a moment later, Spike emerged out of it. Rarity couldn’t help but feel relieved that he had made it.
“Well, well, well, it seems we have a second intruder,” said a voice from just behind Rarity. She turned to see who had spoken but as she did, she lost her grip. With a yelp of alarm Rarity felt herself slide off the tree branch.
However, the impact with the ground never came. Instead, she felt hooves catch her and lift her up, carrying her towards Spike. Rarity felt her heart sink as she at last got a good look at the guard that was carrying her.
So she and Spike and Pinkie’s trunk had all made it inside, even if they had been caught, but where was…
Pinkie had felt the sudden tingle in the air. It was coming. Lightning.
“Now! Rarity! Teleport now!” shouted Pinkie. There was a brief flash of light above from the strike, followed by the brilliant glow of blue magic from Rarity. Then a moment later, Pinkie felt tingly all over. Something was about to go wrong. She tried to move, but her whole body was stuck, as if she were submerged in delicious sweet molasses, or taffy, or caramel. Yum.
She tried to talk but her mouth wouldn’t open, like it was stuck together with… no. She had to focus, she had to warn her friends. But it was too late. The spell had already gone wrong.
She felt the funny way the magic moved. She felt the unpleasant sensation of being stuck in place and tugged with a terrible might. She couldn’t explain it, and she couldn’t do anything about it.
The world slid away under her. Pinkie felt like she had been shot out of a giant party cannon. Everything raced past her as she zoomed forward. Briefly she could see the wall race past, then the gardens, then the mountain. Now she was out over the northern desert, she passed over Cloudsdale, the crystal empire flew away beneath her.
And still Pinkie zoomed forward unable to move as the world sped past below.
Now there was an ocean under her and a new continent she didn’t recognize. Hills, towns, lakes and then another ocean. A field of ice as far as she could see. And back to ocean.
Then more land, sparkling and glistening like crystal. Then rivers and hills and towns that she recognized. And… Ponyville? Had she just sped past Ponyville?
Canterlot sprung up in front of her, the mountain, the city, the river, the walls.
All at once, the teleport spell ended and Pinkie popped back into existence. She was standing a half dozen hooves back from where she had started. However it wasn’t Spike or Rarity that stood waiting for her, it was two guardsponies who looked less than pleased to see her.
“Let nopony in or out of this room, under any circumstances,” whispered Luna to her guard as she magically sealed the door behind her. The guard nodded with understanding.
“You mean our daughters,” corrected Breeze. There was a slight hint of annoyance on Velvet’s face, but she nodded without arguing or apologizing.
“They are as well, as anypony could be in their situation,” answered Doctor Heart before Luna could respond. Luna felt slightly relieved that she wasn’t forced to lie. “The incident with Discord in the garden has left them shaken. For now, I think it would be best to give them some space, and let them rest.”
“So we should just wait out here?” asked Sky.
“If you like,” answered Luna. “But you must not disturb them for the time being.” The parents all shared uncertain glances.
“Is she… I mean they, are they really alright?” asked Night Light.
“As Doctor Heart said,” repeated Luna. “They are as well as can be expected. Now, if you will excuse us.” Luna turned to leave. “We have other important matters that need attending to.”
“About our daughters?” asked Sky quickly, he moved in front of Luna, blocking her path. For a very brief moment Luna felt… anger. How dare he speak to her like this! Who did he think… Luna stopped herself, calming her thoughts. This was no time for that. “Do you want to share it with us?”
“No,” answered Luna shortly. Technically this was true. Their next task didn’t have anything to do with Twilight Dash. Nor did she wish to tell any of them about what she and Doctor Heart were about to do.
“No it’s not about our daughters or no…” began Sky. Luna glared at him as her anger got the better of her for a moment. Sky went suddenly silent. He took a step backwards, looking almost fearful of her.
“You may wait here if you like,” said Luna, deliberately not answering the question. “Or you may return to your rooms. Now, if you will excuse us.” She stepped around Sky and continued walking away. A moment later Doctor Heart hurried to catch up.
“You might have been a bit too hard on them,” said Doctor Heart after they had traveled far enough out of earshot. “After all, they are only concerned about their daughters, and rightly so.”
“Yes, but we could not spare the time for that conversation,” answered Luna. “We must act as quickly as we can. I do not wish Discord to remain within them a moment longer than is necessary.”
“Of course,” said Doctor Heart.
The two of them reached the door leading outside. Luna opened the way, but Doctor Heart paused.
“Don’t you need the Element of Magic?” asked Doctor Heart. “To free Discord’s body so that we can talk to it?”
“No,” answered Luna, shaking her head. “We are not going to talk to his body. We are going to look within his mind.”
Without arguing her point further, Luna stepped out into the rain. The sky was dark gray. It was well after noon but it felt like dusk. Light drops of chilly water sprinkle down on her and Doctor Heart as they made their way along the garden path.
It didn’t take them long before Luna and Doctor Heart found themselves once more at the garden hedge maze. This time however, there were no guards waiting for them. In fact, there were no other ponies in sight at all.
“Are you sure we shouldn’t have brought at least a few guards along?” asked Doctor Heart.
“I think whatever risk there is, my guards would be unable to protect us from it,” said Luna absently. “Besides, we are very short hoofed just now. All of our unicorns currently accompany my sister. And I have sent all the remaining earth pony guards out of the city.” Luna frowned slightly. “I should have put more guards at Twilight Dash’s door. What if Discord tries something? Will they be able to stop him?”
“From what I could see,” said Doctor Heart. “Discord seemed more like an annoyance than a threat. The best thing we can do right now, is gather more information about their situation as quickly as we can.”
“Yes,” said Luna with a nod. “I agree. Come, let us hurry.”
Luna slipped into the maze once more, moving through the hidden entrance beside the real one. The moment they were within the hedge, the rain stopped completely and the bright, afternoon sun shined above them.
Except, Luna could still feel the rain. She couldn’t see it anymore because of the illusion spell but she could still feel it.
“Oh that is strange,” said Doctor Heart. Luna’s horn glowed briefly and an umbrella of blue magic spread out above them. The soft patter of falling rain tapped on the magical barrier, but it remained invisible.
Quickly, Luna hurried her way through the maze with Doctor Heart following close behind. There were no indicators to direct them, but Luna didn’t need to know the path, that wasn’t how this maze worked. She and her sister had designed this place in a very special way. The paths would constantly change, moving whoever was in the maze in one direction, the center. After all, it was a prison built not for keeping others out, but for keeping them in.
The hedges moved and shifted as the two ponies trotted quickly through the maze. It wasn’t long before the clearing opened before them, leading to the heart of the maze. Once more they stood in the garden that was Discord’s prison. The statue, now uglier than before, laughed silently at them from its little island in the center.
Luna approached the tiny island, with Doctor Heart following behind. The maze shifted once more and their way out vanished, trapping them inside.
“Now,” said Luna. “Let us see what has really happened. Are you ready Doctor?” asked Luna. Doctor Heart nodded. Luna’s horn began to glow, as it did, Doctor Heart’s horn also joined in. Atop the head of the statue, both of Discord’s horn shimmered with magic as well.
In an instant the world was washed away to be replaced with a sky full of stars. The distant points of light flickered in all directions, although most were very dim. Luna and Doctor Heart stood in a skyless, groundless world.
Luna had seen it many, many, many times. It was the place between the waking world and dreams, the place where she could travel to enter the dreams of other ponies. Doctor Heart on the otherhoof had only ever caught glimpse of it, mostly while working with Luna and helping her through the issues of her past.
“It’s so beautiful,” said Doctor Heart in awe.
“Yes,” answered Luna with a nod. Her eyes were searching through the stars, looking for the right one. Where Doctor Heart could only see the tiny sparks of light, Luna could see much, much more. She could see every dream rushing through the sky around her. Some were true dreams, others day dreams. Thoughts, ideas, hopes.
Her eyes fixed in front of her, on the faintest silver outline and the tiniest, most insignificant point of light within it. The light felt familiar and she knew it belonged to Discord. Yet, it was different than she remembered, its shape, its size, its color. Discord but, not Discord.
Luna lifted a hoof. Doctor Heart’s eyes widened in surprise as she looked at Luna.
“Luna,” whispered Doctor Heart. “You’re… you’re beautiful!” Luna stopped, feeling slightly confused. Then she realized that Doctor Heart had never really seen her for what she really was. That the Doctor had only every treated a pony, albeit a Princess. But this was the first time she had ever seen a goddess in her true form.
Here Luna was her true self, made from the very fabric of existence, from the stars. Her outline glowed with a billion-billion tiny glinting stars. Her body was insubstantial, made from the deepest black of the night sky. And her mane flowed out in silvery dust gathered from across the whole of the cosmos.
“Thank you,” said Luna softly with a smile.
Her hoof touched Discord’s star. The whole of existence suddenly jerked away around them. With a sensation much like falling the two of them were pulled forward. Yet their hooves never left the ground.
Then, as quickly as the odd sensation had started, it stopped. Luna glanced briefly down at herself to see that her normal dark blue coat had once again returned. At least to Doctor Heart, she would look just like she always did.
“Where are we,” asked Doctor Heart. Her voice had an odd, slightly muffled quality to it.
Luna searched through the unfamiliar darkness before her. They were no longer standing in the infinity of space, nor the small round garden of Discord’s prison. They were some place new. Someplace… empty.
“We are within Discord’s mind,” said Luna.
“I’ve never seen anything like this before,” answered Doctor Heart. “It feels so different, it feels real, like we are really somewhere else!”
“Yes, you only project others thoughts when you help them,” explained Luna. “But I can physically enter the minds of others. Our bodies are not standing out in the garden while we are here. We are actually within Discord’s mind. Or what little is left of it…”
The light here was dim and a thick still mist, like the tops of clouds, covered the ground. Luna couldn’t tell if they were meant to be outside or inside, high up in the sky or deep underground. The landscape she could see was flat and plain.
This place was vacant and empty. This was not the mind she remembered. This was not Discord. It was a hollow shell.
“Something is wrong here,” said Doctor Heart after a moment. “I have never seen a mind like this. It is… empty and yet… there is something here.”
Luna could sense it too, creeping through the darkness, just beyond their vision. At the very edge of Luna’s sight, the mist churned. A wave spread out like a ripple. Luna stepped forward, putting herself between whatever was out there and Doctor Heart.
“Hello?” called Luna out into the darkness. “Is anyone here?” Although she had tried to speak loudly, her words didn’t carry, sounding more like a whisper.
The something in the mist moved, perhaps reacting to her voice. Luna watched intently but she could not make out a form. It did not answer her, or make even the smallest sound.
“We need you’re help,” shouted Doctor Heart so quietly that even standing beside her, Luna could hardly hear the pony’s words.
The something in the mist stopped. Then it moved again. It was circling them, moving like a shark under the mist.
“Perhaps we should go,” said Luna as she watched the waves in the mist.
“Not yet,” said Doctor Heart. “We do not have what we came for. Twilight Dash is depending on us to get rid of Discord!”
“Dissssscorrrdddd,” hissed the mist so loudly that it sounded like the boom of thunder. Both Luna and Doctor Heart jumped. Doctor Heart moved a little closer to the Princess.
Now there were other shapes in the mist, many other shapes. They circled around the two ponies, gradually coming closer.
“Disssssscoooorrrrddddddd!” hissed the mist again. This time it wasn’t just a single voice but dozens of them. The voices sounded angry.
Luna didn’t like this. She had been in enough minds and enough dreams to know danger when it was right in front of her.
Without even a word, her horn blazed with light atop her head. The mist was suddenly swept away revealing a cold black featureless floor. The light also outlined the things in the mist, making their shapes distinguishable, if not recognizable, for a moment.
And there was something else. It wasn’t something Luna could see, it was something she could feel. Thoughts and memories. These shapes in the mist weren’t monsters. They were parts of a whole, shadowy images of past lives. Luna understood what they had found here, what Discord had left behind.
The light spell faded and the mist slowly crept back towards them. However, Luna could now see dozens of glowing eyes that belonged to whatever was still trapped in here.
“What are they?” asked Doctor Heart, stepping a little closer to Luna and bumping into her.
“Fragments of memories,” said Luna softly. “Other lives, other minds that Discord has taken over the long years. He didn’t just take their body parts, he also stole something else from all those creatures that make up his twisted form.”
“Dissscoorddd,” the fragments hissed again.
“Perhaps they can understand us,” said Doctor Heart. “They seem to know Dis...”
“Dissssscccooorrdddd!” cried the fragments in unison, moving slight closer.
“Yes, him,” said Doctor Heart with a nod. “What can you tell us about what happened to all of you?” The fragments did not respond, they simply stood and stared at the two ponies. “Do you understand us?” Only the silence responded.
“Where is Discord?” demanded Luna her voice carrying for the first time. The fragments did not echo the name. “We might be able to help you, to free you, but we must know where he is first.”
There was a whispered murmur that ran through the air around them. It wasn’t like talking, it was like thinking. Luna could hear the thoughts. She could see them, feel them. It was a confused mess full of fear and distrust.
After a moment, the sounds died down and one of the shapes in the darkness pressed forward. The mist parted around it as it moved. Luna’s horn glowed once more, but softer this time.
The black, shadowy shape of the fragment was outlined in silvery light. It was a pony, or it had been once. Its mane was black, its coat was black, even the cutie mark was black on black. Only its crystal green eyes had any color to them.
“Wha…” rasped the thoughts whirling around Luna. It wasn’t just words, it was emotion, sadness, hopelessness… guilt? It was almost too much to take in.
Luna focused herself. She had guided many ponies through nightmares before. This was no different. Or at least, that was what she told herself.
“Do you understand us?” asked Luna. The shadow pony nodded weakly, like it took a great effort to do so. Its shocking green eyes slid off Luna and found Doctor Heart.
“Do… you have a name?” asked Doctor Heart. For a moment, the shadow did not react. It just stared at the golden unicorn as if it had not heard her. Then its mouth opened and the smallest, tiniest whisper came out.
Wild Heart’s gaze was locked on the dark pony standing in front of her. From horn to hoof the shadowy pony was featureless, covered in an impossible darkness that Wild Heart couldn’t fathom. It felt – that wasn’t the right word for it – like this pony in front of her was empty.
The only part of the pony that wasn’t dark was its bright green eyes. Something about those eyes, about the way they moved, the way they glanced over Wild Heart. This pony was wrong, unnatural.
An empty silence hung in the air. If somepony had dropped a pin, it would have sounded like thunder. The long moment lingered as though the world was holding its breath.
“Aurora Wind?” asked Luna at last, her voice soft. Somehow, Luna’s words dispelled the unpleasant sensation. Wild Heart hadn’t realized until that moment that she too had been holding her breath.
“No,” whispered the pony with a slow shake of her head. She was looking at the ground as she spoke. “That name is wrong. Just Aurora… Wind is gone…”
“Gone?” asked Wild Heart, finding her voice at last. It felt easier to speak. “Gone where?”
Aurora simply shrugged. She seemed disinterested in the conversation.
“Is Discord here?” pressed Luna, displaying no emotion. The murmurs in the darkness returned at the mention of the name. Wild Heart felt a distinct sense of fear surround her. She could feel it in the air like it was something physical.
“Not here,” said Aurora. The shadowy mare took a slight step back. Her eyes fixed on Luna as if she had just now realized the celestial princess was there. “But not gone.”
“What do you mean?” asked Wild Heart in confusion.
Again, Aurora simply shrugged, although she could not pull her bright green eyes away from Luna.
“How many of you are trapped in here?” asked Luna, glancing around. Wild Heart followed Luna’s gaze, trying to see whatever it was the princess saw. Yet, Wild Heart could only see shifting shadows, not distinct shapes.
“Don’t know,” answered Aurora.
“Have you always been here?” asked Wild Heart. “Are you aware of how you are? Do you know where you are?” Aurora looked confused by the question.
“You are asking the wrong pony,” said another voice from the dark. The words were clear and strong in a way that none of the voices had carried thus far. A second shape emerged from the darkness, moving towards where Luna and Wild Heart stood.
The shadows hugged its body, making the thing appear much like Aurora; at least, at first. However, after a few more steps it broke free of the dark mist and a red-ish colt, with an even darker red mane, trotted towards them.
Aurora seemed to shy away as he approached, although she did not return to the shadows. The colt gave her only the slightest glance and she froze in place.
Both Wild Heart and Luna watched as the newcomer came to a graceful stop beside Aurora, he smiled at them and then bowed.
“Ah, Goddess of the Night, it has been far too long,” said the red coated colt. Wild Heart felt confused. “Forgive us,” said the pony, seeing the expression on Wild Heart’s face. “We should introduce ourselves, you may call us Stamped, that used to be our name, long ago.”
Wild Heart felt her eyes widen in shock. Two! There were TWO ponies still in Discord’s mind!
“Not two,” corrected Stamped, turning to look at Wild Heart. But, how did he know? She hadn’t said… “Anything?” finished Stamped. “Dear little pony, you are in a world of the mind. Did it not occur to you that thoughts and words are precisely the same thing here?”
“Uh, no,” said Wild Heart. “I guess not. You’re the third pony that Aurora Wind fused with.”
“Yes, we were, long ago,” said Stamped. “But, as we were saying; there are not just two minds in here, but dozens in the darkness. Usually, things are bit more lively but, well… You both already know, or at least suspect, why this place is so drab. Although the princess still has her doubts I see.” Stamped smiled at Luna but she simply glared at him and said nothing.
“But, you’re alive!” cried Wild Heart in excitement, unable to let go of her discovery. Stamped rolled his eyes but Wild Heart hardly even noticed. “This is the best possible news! The best possible outcome! There’s hope! There’s a chance! We can still help Twi…”
Stamped shook his head and held up a hoof.
“No, child,” interrupted Stamped at little sadly. “No, we all died long ago. What you see before you are echos, left over fragments of what we all used to be. It is true, I am a part of Stamped, but we are Discord. We are the voices in his head. The thoughts in his mind. You mistake my shape for an individual, when I am simply an idea, an afterthought.”
“And Silver Stars?” asked Luna, breaking her silence at last. Stamped smiled at her, obviously pleased by her acknowledgment, even if it wasn’t directed at him.
“She, is not here,” said Stamped. “It is hard to say where she went, but if we had to guess…” He paused for a long moment, appearing to want either Wild Heart or Luna to finish his thought. Neither spoke. “Half of Aurora ended up here. We would say there is a good chance the other half of her, and our missing pegasus, became Harmony. One and a half ponies to each form.”
“So… you’ve been in here all this time,” said Wild Heart. “Trapped inside of Discord?” Again the voices echoed the name in the background
“Yes… and, no,” said Stamped with a shake of his head. “You are still under the misconception that Discord and ‘I’ are two different things. But that is not the case. We are Discord.” Stamped lifted a hoof and motioned to the shadows.
“This shape, this voice, these memories. They aren’t Stamped. Not really,” explained the pony. His eyes turned towards Aurora. “That isn’t Aurora. We are memories, illusions… ghosts.” Stamped trailed off into silence. “You believe I am real. When Discord is absent, perhaps I am. But when he wakes, I fade away, like a forgotten dream.”
“There must be something we can do,” said Wild Heart. “I’m a doctor I specialize in cases like this!”
Stamped laughed in a genuine tone of amusement.
“You will pardon us for saying,” said Stamped with a little cough. “But we very much doubt you have ever had a, case, like ours.”
“We still might be able to help you!” said Wild Heart desperately. Stamped shook his head sadly.
“No pony can help us,” said Stamped. His eyes turned to Luna. “There is no freedom from this.” His eyes turned to Luna and his expression became very serious. “There is only peace.”
“Aurora said that Discord was not here,” said Luna, ignoring the stare and his words. “But she also said that he was. What did she mean?”
“Aye, Discord is here, you’re talking to him,” answered Stamped. “He is all around us in the darkness.” The colt scooped a hoof through the swirling shadows that clung to his legs and lifted out some of the mist. It twisted and evaporated as he held it. “He is this body, no matter how much he might despise it. He may be absent for the moment, as if in sleep, but he is still here, if only in the faintest sense.”
“Thank you,” said Luna. “It is time we left.” Stamped nodded slightly.
“But…” protested Wild Heart. Luna put a hoof on her shoulder and kept her quiet.
Wild Heart tried to say more but when she opened her mouth no words came out. The shadows shifted and swirled and vanished. The whole world was yanked out from under her and for a moment, the pony felt like she was falling.
Then, as quickly as it had started her hooves were back on solid ground. Icy cold rain splashed on her back and she shivered. It felt like she had just woken from an exceptionally vivid dream, except, she could remember all of it. And it hadn’t been a dream.
Wild Heart turned towards Luna in outrage.
“Why did we leave?!” cried Wild Heart. The umbrella shield appeared above the two ponies. The rain beat softly against the glowing blue shield. “There was so much we could have learned from them!”
“We have everything we need to know,” said Luna, her eyes fixed on Discord’s statue. “The mind cannot exist without its body. To remove him, we simply need to destroy him.”
Dawn Chaser was captain of the watch. That meant anything that happened on his watch was his responsibility, or his fault. For the last few days the watch had been relatively quiet. Since the barring of the castle gates patrols had been increased and the number of visitors had been reduced to just six.
Normally such a small number would have been easy to take care of. But without any unicorns and with all earth ponies guards ordered out of the city, he was very short hoofed.
Fortunately there had been no major incidents. A few ponies complained more loudly at the gates but that had been all. Things had been, and he almost hated to think it, quiet.
He was currently on patrol around the castle. The rain made it difficult to see, but his eyes were sharp, and he’d had plenty of practice flying in stormy weather.
He flew around the far tower and made his way along the back side of the castle. His eyes scanned the ground as he flew, but he gave the occasional glance towards the rooftops. Other guards were watching the skies but that didn’t keep him from checking when he could spare it.
A sudden sound from somewhere below made him come to an abrupt halt. He thought he had heard a voice in the rain, like somepony else was flying just below him. He glanced around, but there appeared to be nopony in sight.
Then, something in the shadows caught his eye. It was a shape that seemed wrong, a shape that did not belong. Slowly he descended, trying to get a better view under the edge of the roof.
He was only a half dozen hooves away when the gem in his helmet suddenly began to warm. There had just been a magical intrusion. Somepony was attempting to breach the castle with a spell! He felt a strong sense towards the eastern wall as the gem guided his focus.
Then the gem warmed again. A second attempt. Just what was going on?
He looked back towards the roof, searching for the shape, but there wasn’t anything there. For a third time he felt his gem give him warning. Three attempts so close together? They must be under siege!
He could delay no longer. With a powerful flap of his wings, he raced skywards, soaring towards the eastern walls.
Even as he approached the source of the magical alarm he could already see they had hooves on the ground. Lieutenant Bolt had one white unicorn already in custody. Two other guards, Airpony Windy and Airpony Fields appeared to have surrounded a box of some sort. It was hard to tell in this weather.
Captain Dawn landed with a running gallop, stopping nearby as Windy and Fields pulled out something from inside the box. For a moment, the Captain didn’t recognize the small form, but as it got to its clawed feet he realized who it was.
“Spike?” asked Captain Dawn. He had seen this dragon on several occasions with Twilight Sparkle, the princess’s protégé. “What are you doing?” The two pegasus that had pulled Spike from the box moved up along side him. The small dragon started to open his mouth to explain but before he could, Windy snapped handcuffs around his wrists.
“Hey!” complained Spike.
Two more pegasus guards came over the wall carrying a pink pony between them. She seemed to very much enjoy the ride, up until she too was cuffed.
“Dawn!” cried Spike. “We have to see the princess! This is a huge mis…”
“Were you not just attempting to break into the castle,” asked Captain Dawn.
“Well, technically…” began Spike.
“Technically, yes,” interrupted Captain Dawn sternly.
“And literally,” added the pink pony.
“Not helping,” whispered the nearby unicorn.
“Our standing orders,” said Captain Dawn. “Is that no pony is permitted to enter the castle without a formal invite. I am afraid that includes all of you, friends or not. We have been ordered to hold any such trespassers until otherwise instructed.”
“But we are just trying to see our friend!” cried the unicorn.
“Yeah! Twilight!” pleaded Spike. “You remember her! She’s in trouble and she needs us! She’s confused, we need to be there for her.”
“I’m sorry,” said Captain Dawn. “But I have my orders. For the time being you will be kept in the holding cells until the princess can attend to your sentencing.”
“No, wait!” cried Spike as Airpony Windy forced him forward. “Please! Please just tell her that I’m here! Hey, stop pushing!”
Lieutenant Bolt stayed behind as the four other pegasus led the prisoners off, dragging the chained up trunk behind them.
“Not an easy choice sir,” said the mare. Dawn grunted but didn’t say anything. The rain fell on the two for a long while. They could still hear the dragon shouting in protest.
Discord was bored. Bored, bored, board, plank, wood, log! His new body wouldn’t listen to him at all! It wouldn’t move at his command, it wouldn’t cast spells, or fly or do anything!
Now, even worse, it was asleep! He couldn’t even open his eyes… or their eyes… or whatever it was now.
He could feel their dreams mixed up and tangled in a web of incoherence, but he ignored them. He had dreamed long enough, he was ready to be awake! To have fun! To do SOMETHING! ANYTHING!
His body still remained motionless and out of his control.
With all his might, he reached out through their mind. He could feel their wings, his wings. He could sense their legs, his legs. He could feel the power in their horn, HIS POWER!
He pulled and tugged and commanded. But the body lay just as still.
The master of chaos glanced back at the swirling dreams. Maybe he should have a little fun, mix things up, make some nightmares. Perhaps the chaos might wake them up and he could convince them to give him a turn at the wheel!
However, before he could decide, he felt a very odd sensation. There was something… in his head. Voices, quiet voices. Voices that weren’t his, that didn’t belong.
He had noticed them earlier, but his thoughts often did strange things and he had ignored them. But this was different, this was something new. He had mistaken the foreign thoughts as Twilight or Dash, but they weren’t. The new thoughts weren’t here, they were…
Discord smiled. At his body. Luna, of course. How delightful. She had paid his statue a visit. He wondered what she hoped to discover there. He had lived inside his own head for a very long time now and he’d never learned anything from it.
In any case, he couldn’t just let her have free reign of his thoughts. He was just about to force her out, when something strange and marvelous happened that made him forget all about the intruders in his distant mind. Their eyes opened.
Discord felt himself squint, or, at least try to. His eyes remained wide despite his best efforts to control it.
Wonderful! This was wonderful! They were awake! They were going to have so much fun!
What should we do first? asked Discord. Except… something was wrong. He had tried to speak. Just like he had before. Hello? Nothing. There were no words coming out.
Discord listened, he could hear sounds. Their breathing, the rain on the window. He tried again. Testing, testing, one, two, three? Hey is this thing on?
Still nothing, it was like he was talking to himself. Well, he was. He always had.
They lay there for a long while, doing nothing… And yet, Discord could sense something, a distant connection of sorts.
At last, he felt their legs move. Their weight shifted and they rolled gently out of bed landing lightly on the floor with a dexterity he wouldn’t have thought possible for this body.
How are you doing that? I thought you, we, us, whatever this is, couldn’t walk! Hey! Are you even listening to me? ANSWER ME!
Their body paused and for the first time. Discord had the distinct feeling that he had been heard without words. They glanced around the room looking for the source of the sound and Discord felt a flitter of uncertainty pass through them.
It was at that moment that he realized both Twilight and Dash were still asleep. He could see Twilight Dash’s dreams dancing above him. The body… was moving on its own!
Rainbow Sparkle stood completely motionless in the center of the unfamiliar room. There had been a voice in her head, a voice that wasn’t hers. Although she had not understood the words, she could sense anger in them. She listened for the voice to speak again, but she heard only silence in her thoughts and the drumming of the rain upon the roof.
Distantly, she could sense murky dreams tumbling around in the shallows of her mind. Twilight Dash was asleep, their thoughts like reflections in the surface of a pond. Perhaps the words had come from them? Rainbow Sparkle pressed the dreams deep into the depth of her mind. She didn’t have the power to make them go away completely but she would. Soon.
Her eyes wandered across the strange room. Waking up someplace she didn’t know was nothing new for her but it was the first time she had even been alone. There had always been friends, other ponies or Spike, around whenever she had managed to emerge.
Now, however, there was just her. She liked that.
Her absence had been much longer this time. The train was the last thing she could clearly recall. She had managed to escape her ‘friends,’ she had even found a way into the castle. But she hadn’t been able to hold on. She had slipped away, back into the silence.
Of course she had vague memories of the missing time in-between but the images were blurry and colorless. It was like she was remembering them through somepony else’s eyes.
With any luck, that would be the last time she would be pushed out. If everything went according to plan, after tonight, there would only be Rainbow Sparkle. And every morning, she would wake up in the same place she went to sleep.
While she had been smothered beneath the other minds in her head there had been little she could do. She had watched as if through a pinhole and waited in the void, listening to empty echoes.
Yet she had not been completely powerless. When Twilight Dash had tried to think of their friends for strength, Rainbow Sparkle had taken those friends away, one-by-one. They were her friends now.
She had taken other things too. At first it was simply out of necessity to exist. But as she took, the more real she began to feel. She liked that feeling. She liked being more than a passing thought.
Rainbow Sparkle’s eyes fixed on the simple wooden door across the room.
Quietly, she moved towards the door. The planks of the wooden floor creaked at the touch of her hoof. She froze, and held her breath, listening intently for any sign that she had been heard.
The relentless rain beat upon the roof above. A cough came from the hallway. However, after a long tense moment, nopony came in to check on her. Carefully, she backed away.
She closed her eyes, searching through memories that weren’t hers. She didn’t like these memories, they reminded her that she wasn’t in complete control. For now, she would endure, because she needed them. Soon the memories would become her memories and her’s alone, not just glimpses of somepony else’s life.
Images rolled through her mind as she stole the past from the sleeping ponies. There were guards outside the door. Luna had posted them there, but why? The Princess should trust her completely by now.
Perhaps they were there to guard her? Or, rather Twilight Dash? No, it didn’t seem that way.
She tried to look deeper. There was something else… that part was... disorganized, mixed up, almost… chaotic. She frowned. The little she could make out seemed to be of that Doctor and the Princess. They were talking to… she couldn’t tell, not Twilight Dash. Somepony else in the room? Yet, there didn’t seem to be anypony else in the memory besides the three of them.
With a shake of her head, she let the foreign thoughts slip away. They were unpleasant and she did not wish to feel them any longer then was necessary.
Her eyes fell back on the door. With the main exit blocked, she would have to use an alternate route. The window.
Twilight’s memories of the castle told Rainbow Sparkle that, at present, she was four floors up. The wall outside was sheer. There would be no possible way to climb down.
Luckily, she didn’t need to climb.
Reflexively her wings spread out and she couldn’t help but smile. She loved flying. She hadn’t been able to stop herself when she had taken control out in the field. It had been a foolish thing to do, but it was her body after all. She should be able to enjoy what it could do.
She put a hoof against the glass of the window. The opening wasn’t much larger than her, so she couldn’t just fly out. It would be tricky, but doable.
Gently, she pushed open the glass and it swung outwards on its hinges. She began to climb into the small round opening.
WHAT ARE YOU DOING?
She froze for a third time as though she had looked a basilisk right in the eyes. There had been a voice! She had heard it, even if she couldn’t make it out. It had spoken. It had come from her. But it hadn’t been her. She listened to her own thoughts.
Distantly she could sense both Twilight and Dash. They were deep within the thralls of sleep. It may have been them and yet… it didn’t feel like it. It felt like…
Rainbow Sparkle shook her head. She didn’t have time for this. She would just have to sort it out later. She put her front legs through the window, hoisted herself up onto her belly and dangled out the small opening.
Cold rain poured down only a hoof or two from her face. The overhang of the roof gave her some cover, but once she was out, she would be exposed. That was alright, the rain would make it harder for somepony to see her.
She nudged her wings through the opening and commanded them to flap. They did. She felt suddenly weightless. With a little shove she was free of the window. She hovered out in the rain, the dark room still empty behind her and the door still closed.
Carefully she pushed the window back into place. Nopony would know she was gone until it was too late.
She knew where she had to go — where they must be keeping it. She stayed close to the castle hoping she would be harder to spot. She just had to keep out of sight and…
“Oh, out for a flight in the rain, how delightful!” exclaimed Rainbow Sparkle. She clamped her hooves over her mouth and dropped into the shadows of the roof.
A moment later a pegasus guard appeared overhead. His white coat was easily visible, giving him a ghostly glow against the rain. She recognized this pony, or rather, Twilight’s memories recognized him. Dawn Chaser, a captain.
He was very strict, always following the rules. If he caught her, she would lose her chance, possibly forever!
He hovered high above her, his head sweeping back and forth searching for the source of the sound through the downpour. While she could make him out against the gray clouds, she hoped that she was harder to spot, partly covered by the roof and hidden in its shadow.
He moved in her direction, slowly closing in. His eyes continued back and forth, passing over her hiding spot several times. Rainbow Sparkle felt a sudden panic in her chest. She wasn’t sure what to do, there was no way to escape without being spotted.
Suddenly the gem in Dawn Chaser’s helm began to glow. It pulsed with light and for a brief moment he looked away. She seized her chance. Magic swirled around her horn and she felt invisibility wash over her as she held her breath.
This kind of magic took a lot of focus. She couldn’t hold it for very long. She couldn’t move, she couldn’t escape. She just had to hope that the pegasus would give up his search and fly away.
The Captain was now level with her. He looked right at the spot where she was, only a half dozen hooves from her face. Then his eyes moved on and a moment later, he hesitantly flew away, off to deal with whatever distraction had caught his attention.
Rainbow Sparkle let out a sigh of relief. The invisibility spell evaporated.
What was going on, why couldn’t she just keep her mouth shut?!
Shaking off her doubts, she resumed her course. She was eager to abandon the hiding spot and reach her goal.
She stayed close to the walls, trying to keep beneath the overhang of the roof whenever possible. If there were other guards flying around, she didn’t bump into them as she made her way along the outside of the castle.
At last Rainbow Sparkle came to an uncovered walkway that ran between two upper levels of the castle. She landed lightly on the stone walkway a dozen hooves from a door leading inside.
Cautiously, she approached, as if the door might bite her at any moment. Her hoof reached out for the latch and stopped. Even with the rain pattering around her, she could still hear voices beyond the door. Voices getting closer. Somepony was coming… guards!
The latch clicked and moved away from her hoof. As the door swung open, Rainbow Sparkle leapt into the air, her wings carrying her up. She had to tuck in her legs to avoid being hit by the opening door. She hovered there, hopeful that the guards would not glance up.
A moment later, two pegasus emerged from inside. They were talking about something as they walked beneath her, but whatever they were saying, she couldn’t hear over the sound of her heart throbbing in her ears.
The guards continued on, casually glancing left and right as they walked, but seemingly more engrossed in their conversation than their patrol. They reached the far end of the walkway, and continued on inside, into another part of the castle.
Rainbow Sparkle let out a sigh. They hadn’t seen her. That had been too close.
“I love a good game of hide and seek,” said Rainbow Sparkle to herself again. “And here I didn’t think you would be any fun.”
She hadn’t imagined it. It wasn’t Twilight. It wasn’t Dash. It was her. She was talking to herself.
She double-checked that the guards were indeed gone before responding.
“What… what do you want?” asked Rainbow Sparkle.
“Oh, well that’s easy! I want to have fun!” answered her voice.
“But this is impossible,” mumbled Rainbow Sparkle, hovering above the walkway. “I can’t, there shouldn’t be… two of me!” She chuckled to herself.
“And here I thought you didn’t have a sense of humor, Twilight Dash,” said the voice that wasn’t her.
“Wait,” whispered Rainbow Sparkle. “Who… who are you?”
“Oh come now, have you forgotten me already?” replied her words. Rainbow Sparkle didn’t answer herself. “Pretending you don’t know who I am won’t make me go away you know.”
“I really don’t know who you are!” cried Rainbow Sparkle in frustration. She clapped both hooves over her mouth. Instinctively she glanced around. There were no other ponies in sight, just the relentless fall of the rain.
This was wasting too much time and making far too much noise! She hadn’t planned for something like this. There would be no way to get close to her goal now if she couldn’t shut this annoying voice up!
“Fine, fine, if you want to play this game I guess I can indulge you,” said her voice. “But telling you would take all the fun out of it. How about twenty questions?”
“No,” said Rainbow Sparkle flatly. She lowered herself back down on to the walkway once more. Carefully, she opened the door and peeked inside. For the moment, the coast was clear.
She hurried inside as quietly as she could. One long passage stretched out before her, with doors on either side spaced evenly every twenty or so hooves. This hallway also had several statues.
“How about ten questions then?” asked the voice. She stopped in her tracks as she heard her voice. The words did not echo and she continued on without answering. “Five? Hey, wait, weren’t you having trouble walking? And flying, and casting magic! When did you fix all that? Were you just lying to me?”
She darted down the last few steps of the hallway before coming to an abrupt halt at intersection. Hoofsteps. She hurried behind one of the statues, a massive carving of Princess Luna, painted in blue and silver. A guard appeared a moment later. He looked up and down her hallway, however he continued on without a word.
“So?” asked the voice in slight annoyance after the guard had departed. The sound made her jump. “Were you just lying to me about walking? You can do that just fine. And I saw some magic out there as well. And you didn’t seem to have any problems flying. And how come I can’t move your legs.”
“That’s it!” growled Rainbow Sparkle. “Whoever you are! WHAT-ever you are! Shut up! Just shut up!”
“Is that anyway to talk to your head-guest!” said her voice, sounding hurt.
“Head… guest? I don’t understand…” said Rainbow Sparkle in confusion.
“You know who I…” began the voice.
“Just tell me your name!” demanded Rainbow Sparkle.
“Fine, fine! There’s no need to get so bossy,” said her voice. She could almost ‘hear’ it roll its eyes. “Discord. You would think that would be an easy name to…” She began to laugh quietly. “Hey, what’s so funny?”
“How… interesting,” said Rainbow Sparkle.
“Interesting?” said Discord, sounding slightly annoyed. “That’s all you have to say about it? I think I am far more than simply interesting!”
“I guess I should have figured you might show up sooner or later,” said Rainbow Sparkle. She resumed creeping down the hall.
“And what should I call you?” asked Discord.
“You will address me as Rainbow Sparkle,” she answered.
“Oh, well, see, that’s a much better name,” said Discord. “I’m glad you took my advice and decided to change it.”
“It’s not my original name,” explained Rainbow Sparkle. “Not the name you used to know me by. But this is a new life and I had to borrow some things …”
“I have the distinct feeling that I’m missing something important,” said Discord. “Just how many ponies are in this head anyhow?”
“Soon, there will just be one,” said Rainbow Sparkle with a dark smile. She paused at another intersection and listened. All quiet, she turned right and continued on. “Soon there will just be me.”
“I think you are forgetting someone,” said Discord. “I’m here too you know.”
“Not for long,” whispered Rainbow Sparkle. She could feel Discord try to speak, but she pushed him away.
“Do you know where a god goes when they die?” asked Rainbow Sparkle. She felt a sudden uncomfortable shift in her thoughts. No, not her thoughts, Discord’s thoughts. She could feel them now, sense them… suppress them. “They go to the same place that everypony goes. Death.
“I was stranded there,” explained Rainbow Sparkle bitterly. “Lost between worlds. I couldn’t move on. I couldn’t stay. I couldn’t go. I wandered an empty void for five-thousand years. Hating you every moment of it.”
“Well, if it’s any consolation, I haven’t thought about you at all,” interrupted Discord sounding disinterested.
“Then she came. Shining like a beacon in the dark,” said Rainbow Sparkle with an evil grin.
“Who?”
“Twilight,” said Rainbow Sparkle. “Not dead, not alive. Trapped, just like me. I followed when her friends came for her and they unknowingly pulled us both back into life.” She paused again.
A just ahead was a solid oaken door, bound in rivets of iron. It was guarded by four armored pegasus. This had to be it.
“I was little more than a whisper in their mind then,” explained Rainbow Sparkle softly. She surveyed the path before her and weighed her options.
“When Celestia showed up,” continued Rainbow Sparkle with a frown. “I thought she was there to destroy me. I thought that she would fling me back into death to waste away forever. There was nothing I could do, I was an echo of nothingness, clinging on for life. I had no power, no control.
“But I was lucky,” continued Rainbow Sparkle. “Celestia had not come for me. Instead she took the element of magic and I remained, unnoticed. But I had so little of my former self left.
“So, bit-by-bit I stole parts of Twilight Dash away. A name. Their friends. Their memories. Their abilities. With each passing moment I grew stronger and they became weaker. I unified the chaos of their mind into a single perfect being. Me.”
She could feel Discord trying to speak, to be heard. But she made him silent. She could sense his rage, his struggle. She smiled the broadest smile of all.
“You do not seem to understand the most important thing of all, I am in control now. And the one thing you don’t know anything about, God of Chaos,” said Rainbow Sparkle coolly, “is control.”
Her horn burned with rainbow colored magic. Pink mist flowed into existence, summoned by the spell. The mist wasted no time, it raced across the floor. Every inch it touched turned to pink crystal.
None of the guards had a chance. All too late they saw the swirling mist rush towards them. The mist wrapped around them, transforming their bodies into motionless transparent crystal.
“Disgusting,” sneered Discord. She frowned at having let Discord speak.
“I forgot how much you despise that brand of magic,” said Rainbow Sparkle. “You hated it enough that you would destroy your own sister over it. How delightful it is that you get to see it one last time before I do the same to you.”
“Ha, the joke’s on you,” laughed Discord. “You can’t turn me to crystal, I’m already stone!”
“No,” said Rainbow Sparkle as she approached the heavy door ahead of her. “I meant that I will destroy you, just like you did to me so long ago.” Discord tried to retort but she forced him into silence once again. That was the last time she ever wanted to let him speak with her voice.
Her horn glowed as she pressed against the door with all the strength she had left. Despite her confidence she could feel that she had used too much magic too quickly. This weakened body was almost at its limit. Without the element of magic, each spell took a greater and greater toll on her.
The doors whined one last time before they splintered and broke, buckling inwards and scattering across the room.
Luckily, she wouldn’t have to wait much longer. Floating in the room before her, spinning gently in the air and glowing with a soft purple light was the treasure she sought. With its power harmony would be restored.
Luna galloped back towards the castle. She neglected protection from the cold rain as its hard droplets pelted her. She felt anger. She felt rage and hate. She felt it all for herself but she couldn’t decide why. Was it because she hadn’t done what she knew needed to be done? Or did she feel this guilt because she had even considered doing it?
Doctor Heart galloped only a few steps behind her. Whatever words she was trying to speak were lost in the downpour. Luna let herself believe they were words of comfort, or maybe forgiveness. But they were just as likely to be blame and disgust.
Ahead the walls of the castle loomed up out of the storm. Torches behind the windows flickered and Luna could make out shapes waiting for her at the door. She didn’t slow even a step.
Discord had been inside Twilight Dash’s head long enough. Now he would leave or she would go back to his statue and shatter him.
Her gallop slowed just enough for Doctor Heart to pull along side her. For the briefest of moments Luna considered going back to the garden right now. Perhaps he did not even deserve the chance to leave on his own. She looked behind her, the maze was well out of sight, but she knew exactly where it was.
“Luna!” called Doctor Heart. Over the galloping and the rain, her words were fait, but Luna heard them none the less. “You made the right choice.” Luna turned her gaze back towards the Doctor, seeing her reassuring smile. Luna nodded very slightly.
The two mares slowed into a trot as they reach the door. A small group of guards stood just out of the rain, waiting for their arrival.
Luna frowned. Something must have happened while she was away. It had to be Discord.
“Princess,” called one of the guards. Luna recognized his white coat in the dim light. Dawn Chaser, Captain of the watch. Luna felt slightly relieved, something hadn’t happened to Twilight Dash, or else it would not be Captain Dawn waiting to meet her. Luna did not stop for him, she continued on into the castle. The guards filed in behind her.
“Unless this is about Twilight Dash, it can wait,” said Luna as she hurried down the hall, dripping water on the carpet as she went. Captain Dawn hurried to catch up to Luna.
“It sort of is,” said Captain Dawn. Luna slowed her steps but did not stop and at last spared him a glance.
“Sort of?” asked Doctor Heart.
“Yes,” confirmed Captain Dawn. “Earlier this evening we apprehended three intruders attempting to break into the castle. They tried to teleport past the walls. However, the spell was sloppy and the detection wards alerted us to the spell. The ponies are lucky that none of them were injured, or worse.”
“Get to the point Captain,” said Luna as calmly as she could manage. She continued forward, picking up her pace slightly. She was hardly paying attention now. Discord was the real threat here. If the guards had caught the ponies, she would deal with the trespassers later.
“Well, the three in question, claim to be friends of Twilight Dash,” said Captain Dawn. Twilight Dash’s room came into view. The guards that Luna had left there were still posted outside. Twilight Dash’s parents waited across the way. “I recognized one of them, Spike, Twilight Sparkle’s dragon assistant.”
Luna stopped dead in her tracks only a few steps from Twilight Dash’s door.
“Spike is here? In the castle?!” cried Luna. Of course they were! Of course! How stupid of her! They wouldn’t have let their friend come alone. Spike wouldn’t have let Twilight come alone! “Bring them here, at once!”
“Yes, Princess,” said Captain Dawn with a bow. He turned to fetch them at once but didn’t take even a single step before the Princess spoke again.
“Wait, you said three intruders?” said Luna. “Who are the other two?”
“A unicorn by the name of Rarity and a pink earth pony calling herself Pinkie Pie,” answered the second guard. Luna recognized the other pony as Lieutenant Bolt, Captain Dawn’s second in command.
“Only the three?” asked Luna.
“Yes, Princess,” said Captain Dawn. “Just the three. Do you still want me to fetch them?”
“As quickly as possible, Captain,” said Luna. Captain Dawn saluted before galloping away.
“Where do you think her other friends are?” asked Doctor Heart. Luna shook her head.
“For the moment, it does not matter. We must attend to Twilight Dash,” said Luna. Doctor Heart nodded.
Using her magic, Luna unsealed the door to Twilight Dash’s room once again. She would make Discord leave. She would force him out. And if he would not go, she would do what needed to be done.
The door opened and for a moment, Luna was confused by what she saw, or rather, what she did not see. Her eyes darted around the small space, from bed, to desk and every inch of the floor in-between.
“No,” whispered Luna. She backed out. “No pony has left or entered this room?” demanded Luna. The guards exchanged glances.
“No, Princess,” said one of the guards.
“What is wrong?” asked Velvet.
“Twilight Dash is gone,” whispered Doctor Heart as she poked her head in behind Luna. “How did they get out?” Luna gave her a knowing glance and Doctor Heart seemed to understand. “It would seem our fears are confirmed.”
“What fears?” asked Night Light. “Where is our little girl?”
“Discord has…” began Luna. A cold shiver ran down her spine and a painful tingle resonated in her horn. At the same time, Velvet, Night Light and Doctor Heart all winced.
“What? What’s wrong?” asked Sky.
“I… I don’t…” began Velvet, she looked woozy like she was about to faint. Night Light moved to her side, but she waved him off. “I’m fine, it’s alright.”
“No,” said Luna to herself. “It is not alright. Somepony is trying to steal the element of magic.”
They had been out here all night long, sitting in the grass, at the edge of a cliff. Behind them, the brilliant white spires of Canterlot rose into the sky. Before them, the sprawling fields and forests stretched out towards the distant ocean. And up until this morning, the dark sky above them had been dotted with millions of sparkling stars.
In the hours and hours since they had first arrived at this spot, Applejack had said very little beyond her initial outburst. She had cried herself into a long silence before collapsing to the ground and remaining in that spot.
She had just lain there, staring off into the distance, hardly seeming to see anything. Fluttershy had stayed right beside her, all through the chilly night. At some point the pegasus had drifted into an uneasy sleep, unable to keep her eyes open.
Throughout the night she had woken many times, always to find Applejack in the same spot and always to drift back into uneasy sleep. She was sure she must have dreamed some of it, but at the moment she couldn’t separate the two.
When the rays of the morning sun had finally awoken her, she felt cold all over. Her eyes had found Applejack, just as she had been the whole night long. She was awake, laying in the same spot, staring into the distance and seeing nothing.
Fluttershy had wanted to say something to her friend. However the words would not come out. She couldn’t find the courage to make even the slightest whisper. The only sound was the gentle blowing of the wind and even that seemed to be louder than her.
For a short while the morning sun had been able to warm her. It had felt very pleasant. However, as the afternoon grew late, dark gray storm clouds began to roll over the bright blue sky. The gentle breeze became a chilly wind that nipped at their backs. And the gathering clouds above seemed less than promising.
Fluttershy wasn’t a weather pony, not by a long shot. Of course, she still understood the basics of weather, every pegasus did. She had been able to feel the change in the winds. She could sense the drop in pressure. She knew that it was going to rain.
They didn’t have to wait long for the drizzle to start. Applejack didn’t even seemed to notice. She simply kept looking out into the distance, as if longing to be someplace else.
Yet, the earth pony had not left the city. Sure they were on the outskirts, about as far away as they could be from the castle without actually leaving the mountain. But they hadn’t gone back to Ponyville, either by train or hoof.
The rainfall increased. It wasn’t just an afternoon shower, it was pouring now. The view in front of them was rapidly fading into a curtain of rain.
The soft ground below had been mostly dirt. Now, as the rain continued to fall, it was turning into mud. Rivulets of water ran past them before streaming over the edge of the cliff.
Fluttershy stood. The spot where she had been was dry for only a moment before water washed across it, turning the ground to mud. Applejack continued to look out over the cliff, but what she was seeing now, Fluttershy couldn’t fathom. Perhaps she had never been looking at anything.
Extending her wing, Fluttershy deflected some of the rain pouring down on her friend. Still, Applejack simply lay there.
“App…” whispered Fluttershy, the word stuck in her throat. She felt her vocal cords tighten with her nervousness. She tried again, trying to gather up her courage. “Apple…” her words trailed off, but the sound made the earth pony stir.
Applejack blinked, looking confused. She shivered.
“It’s… it’s rainin!” said Applejack in surprise. Fluttershy nodded but still couldn’t find words to respond. Applejack scrambled to her hooves, slipping a little in the mud. “We need to get to cover! Come on!”
With a tug, she grabbed Fluttershy by the leg and pulled her towards Canterlot. However, Applejack took only a step before stopping. There was a strange, distant look in her eyes. It was the same stare that Fluttershy had seen all of yesterday and all of this morning.
“Applejack…” managed Fluttershy at last. Applejack looked back at her.
“I… I can’t go back,” said Applejack. “But we can’t stay here…” her eyes looked past Fluttershy and down at something hidden in the clouds, “and not to Ponyville. What… where should I go?”
At last Applejack’s gaze fixed on Fluttershy. The pegasus felt the familiar twinge of discomfort, she didn’t like to be the focus of any pony. She especially didn’t like being put on the spot, or being asked to come up with the plan. But more than any of that, she didn’t like to see any of her friends in pain.
For the last day and a half that was exactly what she had seen. She had watched Applejack lose herself. And it had been painful for her to watch her friend like this.
Fluttershy hadn’t left the others because she had given up on Twilight or Dash. She had left because she couldn’t stand the idea of Applejack going alone.
She didn’t know what to say, or what to do. She just knew that she had to be there. And when the time came, hopefully she would know how to help. And the time was now.
“I know where we can go,” said Fluttershy, more determinately than she had ever thought possible.
Rarity couldn’t even imagine how things could possibly get any worse. Ever since they had arrived in Canterlot, it had all spiraled out of control.
First they had lost Twilight Dash. Right after that, Applejack and Fluttershy had left them too. Then she and her few remaining friends, Spike and Pinkie, had been forced out onto the streets! Getting into the castle had gone horribly wrong as well. The only bright spot being that none of them had been injured by her miscast spell.
Now they were being led down into the dungeons, clad in chains. She might never see the light of day again! Or worse, have to sleep on some filthy straw bed! The very thought made her shudder.
“But I’m telling you!” tried Spike again for the umpteenth time. “We’re friends of the Princess!”
“And I’m telling you I have my orders!” retorted the guard yet again. “I don’t care if you’re friends with… Captain Dawn!”
“That jerk! No way!” protested Spike.
“I can understand your dislike,” said an all too familiar voice. Rarity followed the gaze of the others to see the pegasus captain hovering in front of the group, blocking their path. She gulped. What could they possibly be in for now?
“Release them at once,” commanded Captain Dawn. Without hesitation the guards moved into action. A moment later Rarity felt the click of the lock and the loosening of the cuffs. She could hardy believe it. “The Princess has requested your immediate presence. Please, follow me.”
The Captain did not wait for a response. Instead of galloping, he launched himself into the air and began to fly ahead at great speed. Rarity, Spike and Pinkie all shared an uncertain glance. This seemed too good to be true, but what other choice did they have.
With a slight glow from her horn, Rarity hoisted Spike onto her back. They needed speed to keep up, and Spike didn’t move very fast on his own. Without waiting another moment, both Rarity and Pinkie broke into a gallop, hurrying to try and follow the Captain.
Rarity felt Spike’s claws expertly take hold of her shoulders as she bolted off. He’d had a lot of practice with Twilight. While Rarity had carried him at least once before – she was pretty sure she had – she didn’t expect his touch to be so gentle. He wasn’t even that heavy to carry. Actually, it felt kind of nice, reassuring somehow. With Spike holding her, things didn’t seem quite as bad.
“What do you think happened?” asked Pinkie as they galloped down the hallway. Rarity was pulled out of her thoughts. She hadn’t even considered that something had happened. She just assumed that Princess Celestia had finally been informed of their arrival and had set them free.
Yet, this urgency. Perhaps something else had indeed gone wrong. Something with Twilight Dash?
Rarity frowned, she pushed herself harder, galloping faster. She could feel her legs burn in protest, but she wasn’t going to let that stop her.
“What do you mean?” asked Spike as Pinkie pulled back up along side Rarity once again. “Why do you think something happened?”
“I don’t know. I’ve just got this weird feeling,” said Pinkie.
“Like… a sense?” suggested Spike.
“No, not really,” said Pinkie with a shake of her head. “More like, a hunch? It’s not like a twitch or an ear flick or anything.”
The world around Rarity sudden vanished. For an instant, everything was darkness, like she had accidentally been pulled out of reality. Her horn felt like it was tingling all over and she experienced a sensation she would have never thought possible. For an instant, just an instant, she could no longer feel the touch of magic.
Rarity skidded to a halt. The world was spinning. Spike was saying something, so was Pinkie, but Rarity couldn’t hear either of them. She had felt it, she knew what it was, and yet she couldn’t put the pieces together.
Two Pinkie Pies spun back and forth in front of Rarity’s eyes. She looked away, but the floor was doing the same thing. There was also a buzzing in her ears. That was why she couldn’t hear any words.
Captain Dawn had returned for them. He looked upset, trying to get them to continue on, but Pinkie was pointing at Rarity and speaking silent words.
“I’m fine,” said Rarity, still unable to hear anything, or focus on the world.
What had just happened? It had felt like… like magic had been changed somehow. Twisted, tangled, distorted. Rarity felt suddenly like she might throw up.
Then, just as fast as the feeling had come, it receded. It didn’t leave her, but its impact lessened substantially. The sounds in her ears echoed slightly, but at least she could hear them. The world was still a little out of focus, but it wasn’t spinning anymore.
“I don’t know what it was,” explained Rarity. “But it felt like the world was… out of balance.”
“We must hurry,” repeated Captain Dawn. “Can you walk? Do you need me to carry you?”
“I think I can manage,” said Rarity. She tested taking a step. The floor stayed still and she didn’t topple over. A good sign. “How much further?”
“Not far,” said Captain Dawn. He didn’t take to the air again, but galloped on ahead. Pinkie waited for Rarity to go before she too galloped up to speed.
“Are you sure you’re alright?” asked Spike, whispering in her ear so that Captain Dawn wouldn’t hear.
“Yes,” answered Rarity.
“What happened?” pressed Spike.
“I’m not entirely sure, but I think I may have just had my first Pinkie Sense,” said Rarity. “Or, something like that.”
“No, you had a Rare-it-E-sense,” corrected Pinkie. “You have to be Pinkie Pie to have pinkie sense.”
“You mean, you have to be you,” said Spike sarcastically.
“Yep, you’d have to be me!”
They had only been galloping for a minute or so when another pegasus guard appeared in front of the group, flying as quickly as she could towards them. Rarity recognized the pegasus as the one that had brought her down from the tree, after the backfired teleport spell. She didn’t recall the pony’s name.
“Captain,” cried the pegasus. She landed into a hard gallop, charging towards them, forcing the group to stop or collide with her. Dawn slowed, Rarity and Pinkie did as well.
“What's wrong Lieutenant?” asked Captain Dawn.
“I am to deliver the prison… guests… to the upper vault in the north tower,” explained the Lieutenant. Captain Dawn seemed taken aback, but before he could say anything, the Lieutenant pressed on. “The Princess says it is an emergency. She has asked that you rally all the guards on patrol and surround the tower in the air. No pony is to leave the castle grounds.”
Captain Dawn’s expression became very hard, then he nodded solemnly.
“I leave them in your hooves,” said the Captain. He took to the air and zoomed off past his Lieutenant.
“Follow me,” said the Lieutenant, as she trotted past Rarity and Pinkie. “The fastest way to the tower is back the way you came.”
“Excuse me, but just what is going on here!” exclaimed Rarity.
“I honestly do not know,” said the pegasus with a shake of her head. “The Princess did not elaborate, but she did say it was extremely urgent.” Without arguing further, the Lieutenant broke into a gallop.
Rarity and Pinkie glanced at each other again. Why did there have to be so much running?
They galloped as fast as they could manage, backtracking only a little ways before taking a new path. They were in a section of the castle that Rarity was not familiar with. However, she had noticed something odd. Ever since they had come inside, Rarity hadn’t seen a single other pony beyond their escort.
There were no other guards in the halls. No diplomats. No castle staff. It was as if the castle was deserted… or evacuated… that last notion trouble her. Also the uncomfortable sensation in her horn was growing stronger, the further in they went.
At last, the Princess came into sight ahead of them, yet, it was not the pony Rarity was expecting. Luna stood a good ways back from what seemed to be some sort of large, pink, reflective wall.
Luna turned to look at them as they approached. She held up a hoof, halting their gallop as they drew near.
“Rarity, Spike, Pinkie,” said Luna, looking to each of them in turn. “I am relieved that you have arrived. My apologies for the miscommunication. As you may have noticed, we are extremely short hoofed at the moment and the danger is very great.”
Rarity’s gaze wandered away from Luna and onto the shimmering wall of pink behind her. From a distance, Rarity hadn’t been able to tell what it was. Now she could see it was some sort of crystal formation. It looked as if it had grown up into the stone, causing fractures.
Around the base of the gem-wall was a ominous pink mist that lingered in an unnatural way. In the mist were for transparent pegasus statues that seemed very out of place. All four statues had been carved in terrified poses. Rarity was starting to suspect something ominous about them. A thought too horrible for her to really comprehend lingered in her mind. They weren’t statues.
“Miscommunication!” cried Spike, drawing Rarity’s attention back to the Princess. “We were nearly thrown in the dungeon!”
“Yes,” said Luna. “And again, my apologies. We face a very significant threat…”
“When do we not,” grumbled Spike under his breath. The Princess narrowed her eyes slightly but continued.
“Steps needed to be taken to protect the castle, and Twilight Dash” explained Luna.
“I’m not sure how well those steps actually worked!” said Sky. “From what you’ve told us, our daughter has been abducted right out from under your nose!”
“We were all standing right outside her room,” said Night Light. “If it’s any ponies’ fault, it’s ours! We were right there!”
“It is no ponies’ fault,” said Doctor Heart.
“She’s right you guys!” cried Pinkie almost excitedly. “Blame isn’t going to get your daughter back! By the way… who are you?” Pinkie zoomed over to Sky and poked him in the chest.
“I’m – Hey! Quit that!” demanded Sky as Pinkie raced around him, poking and prodding him.
“Heyquithat? What a funny name!” said Pinkie. Breeze couldn’t help but stifle a laugh.
“We are Rainbow Dash’s parents,” said Breeze. “I’m Winter Breeze and this is Rainbow Sky.”
“Wait! Twilight’s been ponynapped!?” exclaimed Spike. Rarity felt his weight on her back shift and suddenly he was standing on her. It was far less comfortable as his clawed feet press into her spine.
“It is more complicated than that,” said Luna. “Discord has taken hold of them. At this moment he is attempting to seize the Element of Magic. I can only guess that it is not going as planned. I can still sense the disruption of magical energy all around us, which means the Element of Magic has not passed to a new owner yet.”
As Luna said it, Rarity realized that this must be what she was feeling. Not just in her horn, but in her whole body. An imbalance of magic.
“Why are you so against Twilight having the Element of Magic!” exclaimed Spike. “Ever since you took it away, things only seem to have gotten worse!”
Luna hesitated for a moment, obviously contemplating something. She glanced across Pinkie and Spike and finally Rarity. Then she nodded very slowly as if coming to a conclusion.
“Very well,” said Luna. “I believe you all should know the full truth.”
“Full truth?” asked Rarity, “About… what?”
“My sister and I decided long ago that all the facts surrounding Discord’s creation should be… obscured,” explained Luna. “My sister did not give you the whole truth. Aurora Wind merged with two other ponies, not one. She became a goddess, the goddess of Order and Chaos.
“When my sister divided her, it was not Aurora, nor Silver Stars that came back, it was Discord and his sister Harmony.”
“Sister!” exclaimed Pinkie. “Discord has a sister!”
“Great, another ‘bad-guy’ we have to take care of,” said Spike, rolling his eyes.
“He had a sister, yes,” said Luna. “However, order and chaos are forces against each other, opposites if you will. When the opportunity arose, Discord destroyed her.”
Rarity was too shocked to do anything but gasp. Discord had done away with his own sister? She had thought him a monster before, but now… he was even worse than she had imagined. And he was inside Twilight Dash’s mind, controlling them! They had to act now! But Luna continued.
“My sister, and I, both fear what Twilight Dash might become, should they merge a third time,” continued Luna.
“They wouldn’t do that,” said Spike and Pinkie at the same time.
“Jinx!” cried Pinkie.
“I do not believe they would either,” agreed Luna. “But even still, the risk is too great. The last time, a pony that brought great chaos to the world and created her own order by merging with others, brought forth order and chaos. However, as Twilight Dash was born out of… death… we fear what she might unleash.” Her last words hung heavy in the air.
“My sister has suggested that should they merge a third time, it will be the God of Life and Death that emerges into our world. A power so great that it should never be given physical form.
“That is why we took the Element of Magic away. That is why we must stop Discord now, at all costs!”
“What are we standing around talking for!” shouted Spike. “Let’s get in there!” He leapt from Rarity’s back and charged headlong towards the door. However, he made it only two steps past Luna before she lifted him into the air with her magic and pulled him back. “Hey! Put me down! I have to save Twilight! We have to do something!”
“Spike,” said Luna very seriously. “We are going to do something. But rushing in is not that thing. Do you see that wall of crystal? And the pink mist on the floor? Touch either of them and you would be instantly turned to crystal, just like those poor ponies there.” Spike stopped struggling.
“So what are we going to do?” asked Rarity. “Can you reverse the spell that made the wall and the mist?” Luna shook her head.
“No, not without the help from all of the elements,” answered Luna with a shake of her head.
“Then what are we going to do?” asked Pinkie.
“I am going to combat the source of the problem,” said Luna. “I am going into their mind.”
“You mean, like before?” asked Spike. “When the Doctor did that window thingy into TD’s mind?”
“No,” answered Luna. “I can physically move within their thoughts. I have gone within their dreams before… well, Twilight’s nightmares really…”
“Nightmares?” cried Rarity in alarm. “They’ve been having nightmares?”
“No, just Twilight,” answered Luna. “My sister… asked me not to interfere. She wanted me to just let Twilight Dash be, until they were ready for our help. But I could not stand by night, after night, and do nothing while Twilight tortured herself.”
“So what good is this going to do?” demanded Sky. “You’re going to go inside their head and do what? Give them good dreams?”
“I am going to make Discord leave,” said Luna.
“We are going to make Discord leave,” added Spike. “If you’re going in, so am I!”
“Me as well,” said Rarity. “We have come too far to be left behind now.”
“Oh, oh! Me too! I’ve always wanted to see what Dash dreams about! I bet it’s dancing!” cried Pinkie excitedly.
Luna looked at each of them in turn and for a moment, Rarity thought that she would argue with them. That she would say it was too dangerous, or give them some excuse. However, she did not.
“Very well,” said Luna with a nod. “Doctor, you as well?”
“No,” said Doctor Heart. “Somepony with expertise in this matter should stay behind. Twilight Dash may need my assistance when they are freed of Discord’s presence. I will attempt to monitor your progress from here. Without Twilight Dash actively participating it may be difficult.”
“Do the best that you can, Doctor Heart,” said Luna. “We will return as soon as possible. Are the three of you ready?” Rarity and Spike nodded, while Pinkie jumped into the air with a battle cry.
“Let’s get this party started!” shouted Pinkie Pie, jumping excitedly into the air.
“Very well,” said Luna with a nod.
Her horn began to glow with soft eerie blue light. The aura of magic expanded beyond Luna and spread outwards to Spike, Rarity and Pinkie. Slowly the magic around them began to spin. Gradually, the light picked up speed moving faster and glowing brighter. Then, with a flash and a soft pop, the four of them vanished, as if they had teleported away.
“So how are we going to help them from out here?” asked Night Light, breaking the silence left in the wake of the spell.
“That’s the easy part,” answered Wild Heart. Her own horn illuminated with sparkling pink magic. The air in front of her shimmered and a swirling portal of light spun into existence. It was like looking down into a well filled with stars. “I can open a window into Twilight Dash’s mind. From here we should be able to keep an eye on everypony.”
A thin winding path of rainbow light spread its way out across the stars. Wild Heart gently touched the sides of the magical window. As she did, their view zoomed forward coming to a stop just above the path. A moment later four figures trotted forward along the rainbow bridge. Luna took the lead while Rarity and Spike kept just behind her. Pinkie brought up the rear, her head excitedly darting back and forth as she tried to take in all the wonder around her.
Words floated out from the other side of the window. The tones had an odd whisper quality to them that made it sound as if a ghost were speaking.
“Stay close,” instructed Luna. Each step she took made the rainbow bridge shimmer with light. Pinkie seemed to also have noticed the effect. She started hopping from hoof to hoof to make the rainbow around her pulse with light.
“All of you must remain focused,” explained Luna. “Remember that we are searching for Discord. Do not let your thoughts wander, or you will be carried away by them.”
“This is AWESOME!” cried Pinkie as she bounced around the rainbow beneath their hooves.
“But this is just a dream, right?” asked Spike. “Can’t we just imagine ourselves finding Discord?”
“We are not within their thoughts yet,” said Luna. “This is the space between spaces. A universe of thought, rather than things. And no, we are not going into their dreams. We will be entering their mind. The two are very different. In fact, we should avoid their dreams at all costs.”
“Why?” asked Rarity. “What happens if we enter their dreams?”
“It will be similar to your own dreams,” answered Luna. “You will lose your way. You will forget your task and your reality. You will become their dream; lost within thoughts and memories that aren’t yours. So you must stay focused.”
“This is really weird,” whispered Breeze. Wild Heart jumped slightly, she had forgotten the other ponies were standing around her watching.
“As Luna said, it is the realm of thoughts,” explained Wild Heart. “You are seeing thoughts. Each one of those distant stars is the mind of some pony.”
“No, I meant spying on them,” said Breeze shaking her head. “I feel like we should have gone too.” Wild Heart frowned.
“Honestly, I think Luna should have gone alone,” said Velvet before Wild Heart could answer. “Our daughters have enough voices in their head already, they don’t need four more!”
“Luna knows what she’s doing,” said Wild Heart, trying to sound reassuring. Yet, she couldn’t help but inwardly agree. What did Luna know about these three that Wild Heart did not? Was bringing them along really worth the risk? Perhaps she should have gone…
“So we’ll be able to watch them through here?” asked Sky, jabbing a hoof at the shimmering window into the stars. Wild Heart nodded. “Can they hear us?”
“No, at least not in the same way that we can hear them,” explained Wild Heart shaking her head. “We would have to connect with…” the stars suddenly blinked out of existence. The rainbow bridge trembled and the ponies walking across it froze.
“What was that?” cried several voices from beyond the portal, as well as a couple from their side.
“The connection felt like it was… interrupted,” said Wild Heart. It was that same strange sensation she had felt back at Twilight Dash’s room. Except, this time, it had been stronger.
The stars shimmered back into existence. Spike and the three ponies were now hurrying forward. It took Wild Heart a moment to realize why. Then, she saw it. The rainbow bridge was crumbling apart behind them.
“What was that?” asked Sky.
“I’m… not sure,” answered Wild Heart, hardly paying the pony any mind. She was intently focused on what was happening beyond her portal. The view flickered again.
“Hurry!” called Luna. She was a good dozen hooves ahead of the others now. “We are almost there!” As Luna said it, Wild Heart could make out a great glowing purple star, with blue lighting bolts for points, materialize ahead of the group. The rainbow path led directly into its center.
“Hurry,” whispered Wild Heart, watching the crumbling path chase at their heels. They were almost there, they were so close.
A sharp pain made Wild Heart wince. Velvet let out a cry of distress. The rainbow path shattered and the group was flung outward. Sparks surrounded Spike, Luna, Rarity and Pinkie as they all fell like tiny comets towards the great glowing star below them.
Each crashed into a different section of the star and a moment later, the portal went dark.
“What… where did they go?” asked Night Light, his voice the same strange volume as the whispers they had heard through the portal. He looked towards Wild Heart, but she didn’t seem to have any answers for him.
Spike woke with a sudden start. He had been dozing off again. For a long moment, things seemed fuzzy and slightly out of focus. A voice was calling to him, saying his name. It sounded so distant.
“Spike!” said a very clear, very sharp voice. At once the world snapped into place and his drowsiness faded away. He was in the upstairs study, sitting at his desk.
Twilight was staring at him sternly in that sort of disappointed look she often gave him when he wasn’t paying attention. She had been saying something to him, but her words had washed over him without meaning.
He looked down at his notes, but they were mostly illegible scribbles. When he looked up, Twilight was trotting away. He tried to apologize, but, she was walking too fast. He hurried after her, stepping through his desk without noticing it vanish. He couldn’t keep up. He called out for her to slow down, but she did not.
Without hesitation, Spike broke into a run, his notes flying into the air around him in a storm of paper. Swinging his arms, he managed to bat the stray parchment out of the air. His way now clear, the young dragon found himself standing at the edge of a busy street. Ahead he could just barely make out Twilight’s mane moving through the crowd.
Pushing his way past the dozens of ponies, he followed after Twilight. He could hardly see her anymore. Every now and then he caught a glimpse of her head, or the swish of her tail. But a moment later she would vanish as some other pony blocked his view.
“Spike,” said one of the ponies as she passed by him.
Spike stopped, had he just heard his name? No, he had to stay focused on Twilight. He could no longer see her. This crowd seemed endless in all directions, nothing more than an infinite sea of strangers.
Another pony bumped into him, spinning the dragon about. He tumbled down to his claws and knees. A forest of impossibly tall legs surrounded him.
“Spike!” shouted one of the ponies. The colt that had spoken glanced briefly at Spike as he called his name. Then he continued walking before becoming lost in the crowd.
Spike worked his way back up. Something… didn’t feel right.
“Spike! Can you hear me?” demanded a different pony. Spike turned to find another stranger who was looking right at him in the most uncomfortable way. Then that pony also walked off as if she had said nothing.
Spike shook his head. No, he couldn’t get distracted. He had to find Twilight, that was his mission. He had to find her! Without thinking, he broke into a run, charging between the legs of the towering ponies around him. From every direction he heard his name.
“Spike. Spike? Spike!”
He closed his eyes, trying to block them out. Twilight, he needed to find…
Spike opened his eyes again. The other ponies had gone and he was all alone. He was walking down some kind of darkened hallway. Gradually it became lighter and now he could make out some details of his surroundings. And what strange surroundings they were.
He was in a library, yet this was like no building he had ever been in before. It was nothing but book shelves, floor to ceiling. In fact, even the ceiling and the floor were bookshelves. He was walking across books right now.
He slowed his pace. He had to be quiet here, it was a library.
“Spike!” said one of the ponies nearby. The pony was made from books too.
“Shhh!” hushed one of the other books with a moving picture of a pony on its cover. “This is a library!”
“Spike, you have to listen,” continued the book pony. “You have to remember what the Princess told you!”
“Quiet! This is a library!” shouted a shape growing out of the books. It waved a massive hand and smashed the book pony apart, sending pages flying in all directions. One of the books from the pony skidded to a stop at Spike’s feet.
“Remember, this is a dream! Focus! Remember!” said the pony on the cover of the book.
“THIS IS A LIBRARY! LIBRARIES ARE QUIET!” the voice boomed from all directions.
Books began to tumble off their shelves, raining down all around Spike. The ground gave way, rolling out from under him. He began to slide with it, caught up in an avalanche of books.
Spike managed to hop on top of a rather larger tome. The book supported him and he road it like some kind of strange book-board on a wave of literature.
In front of him, towers of books loomed up into the sky. He leaned left, shifting his weight and maneuvering around the first tower. The next one rushed up towards him. Then another, and another. Expertly he dodged each of them.
Gradually the book wave began to die down and at last, his surf-book came to a stop, sliding out across an empty wooden floor. He stepped off the book before looking behind him to see an insurmountable mountain of books behind him.
Just where was he? And where was Twilight? And did he have to clean all that mess up?
“Spike!” cried a voice again.
“Go away!” said Spike, trying to shoo away the air. A shimmering image of something familiar rippled where his claw swiped.
“Spike you have to listen,” said the voice. “It’s important.”
“Only Twilight’s important,” said Spike.
“I know where Twilight is, but you have to stop, and you have to listen!” cried the voice. The shimmering light had returned, floating in front of Spike like a golden window. There were fuzzy shapes beyond it, but he couldn’t make any of them out. It was like looking through foggy glass.
“Who are you?” demanded Spike
“Wild Heart,” said the shimmering window of gold. “You remember me right?” The light seemed to become more pony shaped for a moment before snapping back into its rectangular form.
“No,” said Spike shaking his head. “But… yes, kind of…”
“I know it’s hard, but you have to focus,” said the golden light. “You’re lost. I want to help you get back on track. Try to think back. Try to remember why you’re here.”
“I’m here… to find Twilight,” said Spike. Something felt wrong when he said those words. “I… have to…”
“Remember,” said the golden window. “Re…”
“Spike?” said another voice from behind him. “Who are you talking to?”
Spike turned away from the light to find a faceless Twilight looking at him with disappointment, or at least he thought she was. He was once more sitting at his desk, his notes in front of him.
“You’re alright!” cried Spike. He leapt up, pushing the papers aside and wrapping his small arms around her front leg. “I found you!”
“Spike, no!” cried the light. “That isn’t her! It’s just…”
Not-Twilight raised a hoof and with a swing of her leg, the golden light vanished.
“I won’t ever lose you again,” said Spike holding the false memory as darkness closed in around him.
The demand for dresses was insane. Rarity couldn’t possibly imagine how she had let herself get talked into this! Furiously she fashioned dress after dress, tossing each into the ever growing sky high pile. However, the moment she finished one, another pony would rush into the shop and request a dozen more!
Fabric flew through the air, thread spun off its spool before instantly refilling.
“You’re not listening to me,” said one of the customers. “Do it over but make it red. It isn’t blue enough!”
“Yes, of course,” said Rarity.
“Sis, come on, I want to help!” cried Sweetie Belle from someplace in the growing pile. “Look, I made capes out of your dresses!” She and a thousand of her friends were cutting apart the already completed orders.
“No!” cried Rarity. “Sweetie, you stop that right now!” She hurried towards her sister, but each step she took made the pile move further away into the distance. “Sweetie! You bring those back here!” But her sister just waved goodbye as the dress pile got further and further out of reach.
“What a mess,” said a voice that drew Rarity back to her waiting line of customers. Rainbow Dash was standing right in front of her. “Maybe I should just come back later.”
“No! No!” exclaimed Rarity. “What can I do for you darling?”
“I want something sleek! Something fast!” said Dash, pushing her hoof through the air as though it were flying. “I need to win at the dance competition tonight!”
“Yes, of course!” said Rarity, grabbing a hoof full of fabric and mashing it into her machine. The fabric clumped up, building bigger and bigger, overflowing into the shop. A wave of the fabric caught Dash and began to carry her off.
“Wait! It’s almost done!” shouted Rarity. She leapt over the counter and broke into a gallop. However, she hadn’t taken more than a dozen steps before one of the other customers grabbed her by the leg. She tried to pull herself free, but the faceless pony held tight.
“Rarity, focus!” said the customer.
“I’m sorry, I have to go rescue my friend or her outfit will be ruined!” cried Rarity. She couldn’t seem to shake off the surprisingly strong pony.
“Remember what the Princess said, don’t lose yourself. Remember why you’re here!” said the pony.
“Yes, yes, of course,” said Rarity dismissively. At last the pony let her go. She rushed to the door and flung it open. The empty sky greeted her. She began to fall, tumbling through the clouds down towards the ground below. She screamed.
“Rarity!” shouted one of the clouds. It was glowing gold. “You’re lost, you have to focus. You have to find them. You have to remember! They need you! Your friends need you!”
Rarity smashed into the golden cloud and it popped out of existence. She continued to fall, with the ground getting ever closer. She tried flapping her arms, but it did no good, she continued to plummet like a stone.
Dash rushed down from above, soaring next to Rarity. The blue pegasus smiled at her.
“Hey, how’s my thing coming?” asked Dash.
“I’m working on it!” cried Rarity, finding her sewing machine back in her hooves as she fell. She shoved more fabric through and an instant later the outfit was complete. She held it up for Dash to see.
Without hardly even looking at it, Dash snatched it up. She pulled it down over her head and easily slipped into the full body suit. It was a very shiny blue, with glittering rainbow lighting bolts down each front leg.
“Awesome! I love it!” cried Dash. “This should totally let me win!” She blasted off towards the enormous stadium below. It was packed with cheering ponies. They ‘oohed’ and ‘aahed’ as Dash soared overhead.
A moment later she landed in the center of the stadium and began to dance, to much applause.
“Well, at leas they like the outfit,” said Rarity with a smile. She glanced down just in time to see the ground rush up at her. She moved her hooves in front of her, expecting to crash. However, she hit something soft instead.
It was a mountain of dresses. She was still falling, well, sliding, down its side. She couldn’t make out where it ended. She glanced back up to see Dash taking a bow to a roaring crowd.
Rarity’s hooves collided with the floor and she landed upright, back in her shop. A moment later her sewing machine crashed through the roof, landing right in front of her. Trails of dust trickled down around her.
“Hey! Is my dress ready yet!” shouted one pony.
“Sorry!” apologized Rarity. Quickly she resumed her dress making.
“Yeah! Hurry up! We don’t have all day!”
“I’m going as fast as I can!” exclaimed Rarity as she finished another dress and tossed it into the pile behind her.
“Remember, Rarity,” said the golden dress she was pushing through her machine. “Remember what Luna told you!”
“Yes, yes,” said Rarity as she pulled the completed glowing dress out before tossing it away. “Just after I finish doing this.”
Rarity faded away into shadows inside the shimmering portal. Wild Heart’s horn glowed again, trying to reestablish contact, but the portal stayed dark.
“It’s no good,” said Wild Heart in frustration. “I just can’t get them to listen. They aren’t willing to accept that their dreams aren’t real.”
“And you still can’t get through to Dashie, or Twilight?” asked Breeze. Wild Heart shook her head.
“Rarity and Dash are sharing the same dream,” explained Wild Heart. “But for some reason, Dash simply won’t answer. Possibly because it’s her dream, while Rarity is just sharing in it? I’m not sure.
“Spike is lost in his own dream though,” continued Wild Heart. As she spoke her magical portal switched from darkness into a split image of Spike — hugging very tightly to a faceless pony meant to look like Twilight — on one side, and Twilight — sitting beside a nice warm fire chatting happily with Princess Celestia over hot coco — on the other. “And just like Dash, I can’t seem to get Twilight to hear me either.”
Wild Heart focused the portal’s gaze upon Twilight once more. On the mantel above the fireplace, one of the pictures came to life. It glowed gold for a moment as Wild Heart projected herself within Twilight’s dream.
“Twilight!” shouted Wild Heart through the portal. “TWILIGHT!” If the purple unicorn heard, she didn’t react at all. Wild Heart shook her head and the glow faded from the picture.
Swiping her hoof across the portal the images changed once more, now following Dash. The pegasus was doing some sort of extreme dancing that utilized her wings like legs. Wild Heart lingered on her for only a moment before moving on.
“Still no sign of Pinkie or Luna,” mumbled Wild Heart. “I can sense them but… I can’t find them.”
“So what do we do now?” asked Velvet. “Do… do we go in after them?”
“Even if I had that kind of magic, I don’t think that would be a very good idea,” said Wild Heart. “For the moment, we just have to keep trying to get through to somepony and help them get back on track. They need to find Discord and put an end to this!
“I just hope Luna and Pinkie are both alright…”
“Helloooo!” called Pinkie out into the empty whiteness. Not even an echo came back to her. She tapped the completely white floor beneath her hooves. Tiny, nearly invisible dots vibrated into existence at the touch of her hoof, before fading back into white. It was solid, but she couldn’t feel it. It was like the floor wasn’t even there. Even though she knew there was a floor there,
She looked around for Luna, or Rarity, or Spike. But she was all alone here. Wherever here was. And here was… strange, even for her. Streaks of long gray lines raced across the white sky like cloud trails. Enormous fields of shimmering gray dots would pop into existence before floating away.
“HEEELLLLOOOOO!” shouted Pinkie again. Only the silence answered back.
She tried walking forward. She could see her hooves moving. With each step, the gray dots returned, although always in a different shape or pattern. She knew she was moving. But without something to move towards, she might of just as well been standing still.
It didn’t feel like it was a dream. Her dreams usually had candy and streamers and balloons and party hats and presents and cakes and… She glanced around hopefully, but none of those things appeared.
Perhaps this wasn’t her dream. But she didn’t see anypony else. What if she was dreaming about dreaming that she was dreaming about a dream?
“Oh, no, you aren’t dreaming,” said a voice from overhead. Pinkie glanced up. A collection of gray lines and swirling dots were slowly coalescing into a familiar shape.
“You!” shouted Pinkie accusatorially. The lines condensed, the dots filled in the blank spaces and Discord appeared as if somepony had painted him in. He floated lazily above her, as if he were on some invisible cloud. He lay there nonchalantly hardly seeming to be interested in Pinkie at all.
“Me? Yes me!” said Discord dropping down to land beside Pinkie. “Do I look like a you?” He changed shape, transforming into a mirror image of Pinkie. “Or a Yew-Ewe?” He changed again, becoming part tree, part sheep. “Or a U?” he transformed once more into a large purple letter ‘U.’
“Very clever!” said Pinkie with mild amusement. She poked discord with a hoof. “But that isn’t going to stop me from stopping you, from stopping me! You let Twilight Dash go right now!” demanded Pinkie.
“Let her… go?” repeated Discord in surprise. With a pop, he returned to as normal as he ever was. Then he let out a boisterous laugh. “Oh, how funny. You think I have control over them?”
“Of course you do!” said Pinkie, although she felt a little less sure now. “Don’t you?”
“Look around you,” said Discord waving his clawed hand at the whiteness that extended infinitely in all directions. “What exactly do you think I have control over?”
Pinkie glanced around. This wasn’t at all how she imagined the inside of Twilight Dash’s mind to look. She had expected some books at the very least, or perhaps a cloud or two. Or, maybe a whole wall filled with trophies, that would be more Dash than Twilight… She shook her head, returning her focus to Discord.
“But you’re in their mind!” cried Pinkie.
“As are you my dear little pony,” replied Discord. “How in-control do you feel?”
Pinkie had to think about it for a long moment. Experimentally, she waved a hoof around, trying to see if it did anything. But she felt more or less the same as before. This place was empty.
“Oh, no,” said Discord with a shake of his head. “It’s not empty at all. It’s packed full of stuff, you just can’t understand any of it. You don’t know how to see it.”
“Wait a second,” said Pinkie. She glared at Discord. “How did you know I was thinking that! Oh my gosh! Can you read minds now too? Or, is it because we are in another ponies mind that you can hear my thoughts, because here, thoughts are thoughts and we are all thoughts!”
Bingo, thought Discord with a smile.
“Aright, so if you aren’t controlling Twilight Dash, who is then, huh?” demanded Pinkie.
“It’s a long story,” said Discord with a sigh. Pinkie glared at him. “Somepony that isn’t me. A pony I thought I destroyed long ago.”
“Annnddd?” said Pinkie.
“That’s another, long story,” said Discord with a dismissive wave of his pawed hand. “Needless to say, with her in control, things aren’t looking good for Equestria. The last time she was here she tried to bring order to everything.”
“That doesn’t sound so bad,” said Pinkie.
“You don’t know her the way I did,” mumbled Discord. “Her idea of order is… well, so orderly. I just wanted to have a little fun, but with her in control, who knows what will happen. She’ll probably turn the whole world to crystal by the end of the day.”
“Oh no she wont!” cried Pinkie. She reached up and grabbed Discord pulling his head down so that she could look him right in the eyes. “You’re going to help me stop her!”
“Easier said than done,” answered Discord. He vanished in a poof of dots, leaving Pinkie coughing for a moment. He reappeared a dozen hooves away, floating lazily in the air. “You can’t exactly leave this place.”
“That’s because I haven’t tried hard enough!” shouted Pinkie. And with that she galloped off with a battle cry of determination. Her voice faded into the distance before suddenly returning from the opposite direction. She came to a halt next to Discord, back exactly where she had started.
“Hey, stop moving,” said Pinkie.
“Oh, you can’t get out like that,” said Discord with a shake of his head. . “Do you even know where we are?”
“You know exactly where we are. Twilight Dash’s mind,” answered Pinkie. Discord shook his head.
“No, where are we?” pressed Discord. Pinkie looked around again but didn’t answer. “We are in their unconscious mind. The place without thought, memories or control. I was forced to hide down here by… the pony in control.”
“So then how do we get out of here?” asked Pinkie.
“I’ll share a little secret with you,” said Discord gleefully glancing around. He motioned for Pinkie to come closer so that he could whisper to her. She moved up to him leaning in close. “I'm not going to tell you.”
Luna felt the rainbow bridge quiver beneath her hooves. She galloped onwards, focusing her thoughts and her magic on their destination. Giving it everything she had, Luna forced open an entrance into Twilight Dash’s mind.
This wasn’t the way Luna had wanted to enter. The bridge would have led them there had they simply followed it to its end. But there was no longer time for that. In fact, forcing her way in was easier than she expected. There was hardly any resistance to the intrusion at all. It was as if… as if they were asleep.
The bridge trembled again and Luna felt it shatter beneath her hooves. Spike and Rarity let out cries of distress as they were flung outwards. Pinkie let out a ‘weeeeeeeeeee!’ of joy as she soared past overhead.
There was little that Luna could do for them. She just hoped they would be able to find their way to her. And if not, that they wouldn’t lose themselves forever within Twilight Dash’s fractured mind.
Luna focused her thoughts once more on the enormous blazing star ahead. Her horn began to glow and a great circular opening expanded in the center of the star. With a flap of her wings and a light touch of her hooves, she landed softly at the edge of Twilight Dash’s consciousness.
Streams of silvery thought flowed all around her. She caught half formed glimpses of whispered words and shapeless ideas still in the making. Carefully, Luna moved herself onwards, gliding through the murkiness of another ponies mind.
She could make out sounds now, the crackling of magic, muffled voices from the next room, her own breathing. She could feel the marble floor of the palace beneath her hooves. And she could see the element of magic embedded halfway in her chest.
She now shared the conscious mind of Twilight Dash. It had been a very long time since she had experienced shared thoughts with another pony. So long had she lingered in dreams and nightmares that Luna had forgotten what it was like to be somepony else. She did not like the feeling and the sooner Discord was expelled the better.
And yet, there was a different presence here than she had expected; one wholly focused on the task at hoof. From what Luna could sense, the thoughts she now shared weren’t Discord’s. She had seen his unorganized mind enough to know how he thought, even from afar.
This mind was… structured and organized. It was very similar to Twilight and yet… there was a confidence in the current task that Luna had never seen in Twilight’s dreams.
Whomever had control of Twilight Dash, Luna was going to put an end to it. She would return the element of magic to its rightful place. And if she had to, she would make this pony walk all the way to the dungeon.
“I command you to stop,” said Luna aloud. Luna felt a shiver of fear go down her spine as the other pony in Twilight Dash’s mind realized it was no longer alone.
Luna felt thoughts race frantically around her, trying to find where Luna was in her mind. But Luna was ready for this. She had entered the dreams of other ponies for thousands of years. If she wanted to stay hidden, she knew how to do that.
Frustration built in the mind around Luna.
“I will not stop,” said the pony. Its attention returned fully to the element of magic. It had abandoned the search for Luna for the moment. “And you cannot stop me. The element has already partially bonded with my body.”
Luna was able to see through the ponies eyes. Less than half of the element of magic now extended out of their chest. Luna could feel it. The warmth and the pain. The element was resisting.
“You’re not Discord,” said Luna, speaking with Twilight Dash’s voice. She needed to keep this other mind distracted, to delay the bonding as long as possible. “Nor are you Twilight or Dash. Tell me your name and what you want with this body?”
Luna could feel the mind searching for her once more. She slid between the thoughts, listening to them, seeking answers. Words drifted in and out of her mind in a garble.
There was little that Luna could make out as the thoughts rushed by. But there was something she gleamed in their passing. A connection… to Discord. Brother… It couldn’t be…
“Harmony,” whispered Luna out loud. She felt Twilight Dash’s body stiffen. A new wave of panic surged around Luna and it was all she could do to keep from succumbing to it. Shared mind meant shared emotions. She had to be very careful not to let them overtake her.
“That isn’t my name anymore,” answered the pony. “Harmony died a long time ago. I’m Rainbow Sparkle now. A new name, a new body, a new pony.”
“A stolen body,” corrected Luna. “And it would seem your goals are still the same as ever. It was you that let loose the crystal mist in the south. You haven’t changed at all.”
“No!” cried Rainbow Sparkle. Luna could feel another wave of genuine emotion rush over her, too strong to block out. Confusion, fear, panic; all mixed together. “The mist was just a distraction, to get Celestia and all the unicorns out of the castle.”
Luna could sense that she wasn’t lying. There was no deception in her thoughts.
“When Princess Luna invited me here, I knew this would be my only chance to get the Element of Magic,” explained Rainbow Sparkle. “I didn’t intend for the mist to hurt anypony. In a day or so, it should be gone.”
“Well it has harmed other ponies,” said Luna. She could feel her own emotions starting to leak out. Her anger at this pony for putting Twilight Dash through this ordeal. Her guilt for letting this happen.
“Letting this happen…?” whispered Rainbow Sparkle. Luna hurried to pull her thoughts back in. She had overextended, let her emotions get the better of her. But it was too late, she had been seen, her thoughts shared. “Luna…?”
The fear surrounding Luna began to return. She could see it now, manifesting as horrible dark shadows. Memories of another life were flashing before Luna’s eyes.
Discord was hovering over her, his hands blazing with fire while horrible wicked laughter poured from his mouth. And standing in the back, partially hidden in shadow, watching without emotions… was Luna.
The memory evaporated. Harmony’s last moments before Discord had destroyed her. Luna had not thought about it for a long time. It had been her first step down the dark path towards becoming Nightmare Moon. Doing what needed to be done at any cost.
“Will you do it again?” whispered Rainbow Sparkle. “Whatever needs to be done…”
Luna closed off her mind. She had been too open with her thoughts.
“That depends,” said Luna, speaking through Twilight Dash. “On what you are planning to do with the element of magic.”
“I want to restore myself,” said Rainbow Sparkle. “You and Discord took away everything I once had. I’ve spent the last five thousand years in Death. Wandering without purpose. Having so little of myself that I was less than a whisper.
“Until Twilight Dash brought me back. From them I took memories, knowledge, names and friends. But there’s the problem,” explained Rainbow Sparkle. She lifted a hoof to examine it. “I’m just a soul, in a body that already has too many of its own. So I need the element of magic to finish what Twilight started and fuse one more time.
“When that happens, I’ll be able to pick the best parts. The only parts. Twilight and Dash will be nothing more than fragments of memories. And I will at last be whole.”
Pinkie simply wouldn’t take the hint that running as fast as she could in one direction wouldn’t lead her to an exit. Discord sat and watched as the pink pony galloped into the distance, screaming at the top of her lungs. Gradually, her voice faded away as she vanished from sight. There was a long moment of silence before the screaming returned from the opposite direction, along with Pinkie, still galloping as hard as she could.
“I don’t think that is going to work, no matter how many times you try it,” said Discord as Pinkie zoomed past him again. She skidded to a halt.
“Well at least I’m trying something! You’re just sitting there! Aren’t you even going to try helping us get out of here?” demanded Pinkie.
“Help?” asked Discord in surprise. “Since when have I ever been helpful?”
“You must have helped some pony at some point in your life,” said Pinkie.
Discord furled his brow as he tried to recall a point in his life where he hadn’t made things more difficult. As he thought, images spun into existence around him. Each image was comprised of flittering dots, but Pinkie could easily make them out. They were memories, deeds long past.
Pinkie frowned as she watched. Mostly the projected thoughts consisted of mischief or random acts of randomness. Mixing up ponies. Changing things around. Turning an entire town pokadot — although, admittedly, she liked that one. There didn’t seem to be a single act of helpfulness anywhere in there.
“Okay,” said Pinkie. “So, maybe you’ve never been helpful before. But now would be a really great time to start!”
“I guess I could give it a try. What exactly does it entail?” asked Discord excitedly, leaning up from his invisible resting spot.
“Finding a way out of here so that we can rescue everypony!” answered Pinkie.
“Oh,” said Discord with a tone of disappointment. He lay back down, looking away from Pinkie, completely disinterested. “Sounds like too much work. If it’s all the same to you, I think I’ll just lie back and listen as you run hither and thither through the unconscious.”
“You haven’t had many friends, have you,” said Pinkie softly. Discord stirred abruptly from his laid back position.
“What? Of course I have! I’ve had loads of friends,” said Discord defensively.
“Then how come I didn’t see any of them in those memories,” asked Pinkie as she poked at a stray thought that Discord hadn’t managed to tuck away.
The memory showed him sitting all alone in the center of a completely empty town. For some reason – most likely Discord – all the buildings had been turned into various fruits. The memory of himself looked extremely lonely.
Discord waved the image away with a paw. The memory dissolved as the little dots scattered into the empty white void like butterflies.
“Well, I just wasn’t thinking about them that’s all,” said Discord. “Let’s see, there was that time I met… no… I turned him into a spotted owl. Oh, how about that group… no, no, I rearranged all their colors… they really didn’t seem to like that.”
Pinkie just shook her head in a disapproving sort of way.
“Fine, I guess none of those really count as ‘making’ friends,” said Discord, his face falling. “So I’ve never really had any friends before. So what. I’ve been fine on my own!” He lay back down, floating in the air. “No pony to pester me about having tea with them. No pony to share my jokes with. No pony to listen to my problems…”
“I’ll be you’re friend,” offered Pinkie. Discord looked at her with wide surprised eyes, as if she had just offered to go get him the moon.
“You? Why would you want to be my friend?” asked Discord.
“Because you don’t have any,” said Pinkie. “And it’s always better to have at least one friend than none.”
“You don’t really want to be my friend,” said Discord with a disbelieving tone. “You’re just trying to trick me into helping you.”
“Friends don’t trick each other,” said Pinkie seriously. “Unless it’s a fun trick and everyone likes the surprise at the end!”
“Is this a fun trick?” asked Discord. Pinkie shook her head before extending out a hoof.
“Nope, this is for real,” answered Pinkie. “I’m happy to call you my friend. And when we get out of here, I’ll even throw you a new friend party.”
“I… I don’t know what to say…” said Discord. “I’m not sure what to do… should I turn you into something? Maybe the color blue?”
“Nope,” said Pinkie with a little bounce. “You don’t have to do anything. But if you want to help me figure out how to find the rest of my friends, I’m sure they would want to be your friends too.”
“Really?” asked Discord. The prospect of going from zero to many friends was very enticing. “Alright, I’ll help. As long as I get to pick the flavor of the cake for the party. Spoilers, it’s going to be strawberry peanut butter.”
Spike didn’t want to let Twilight go. Not having her had been the worst thing to happen to him in… well… ever! He wasn’t just her assistant, or he friend. She was his family, the only one he’d ever had.
Since the day he had been born she had looked after him, taken care of him. Not like a pet, which so many other ponies at the School for Gifted Unicorns had implied, but like a little brother. And Twilight had always thought that way about him too.
But when she had merged with Dash, she had slipped away. Spike hardly recognized her, hardly knew her. She didn’t look at him the same, she didn’t treat him the same. He wasn’t her assistant, he was her pet.
Spike hugged her leg tighter. He didn’t want to let go of this memory of her, of how she used to be. He looked up at the faceless Twilight standing over him and she stared blankly back.
“But you aren’t real,” whispered Spike. She didn’t answer. “You’re just a dream. Just something I want that I can’t have." He let go of not-Twilight and took a step back, bumping into somepony else.
It was another not-Twilight, staring facelessly down at him. He staggered away, colliding into another not-Twilight and still another. Every direction, all around him, were not-Twilights, all looking at him, all expecting him to embrace them.
“What’s wrong Spike,” asked all the not-Twilight’s at once. “Isn’t this what you want? Don’t you want to hold on to us forever?”
“No,” said Spike shaking his head. “I want Twilight back. But none of you are Twilight. None of you are real.”
Spike turned to run, but more not-Twilight’s blocked his path. He dove under their legs, sliding along the floor as they sped by above him. He continued to slide faster and faster such that the passing Twilight legs became nothing but purple blurs.
“Spike? Spike. Spike!” said each of the not-Twilight’s, slightly out of sync with each other as he slid past them. “Don’t you want to stay with us forever. Don’t you care about us?”
Spike closed his eyes, trying to block them out. But, even with his eyes closed he could still see them. Now their voices were even louder.
No! This isn’t what I want! thought Spike. I want to find Twilight, I want to help her! I have to save her!
The floor suddenly dropped out from under him, and Spike began to fall. The not-Twilights stood high above, watching as he plummeted down into the abyss. Faint voices called after him, but none of the false ponies followed.
Gradually, they grew dim, becoming the stars of the darkened night sky overhead. And still he fell, watching the glinting points of light as he went. He couldn’t help but feel sad about leaving them behind… but it was better this way.
With a thud, he crashed into an enormous mound of something soft. He felt around him and found that he had landed on some kind of giant pile of dresses. He recognized the style.
“Rarity,” whispered Spike. Carefully, he crawled over to the edge of the mound, looking down its sheer side. Far below, Rarity was hard at work, rapidly fashioning a never ending line of dresses, each sown into the previous one.
Spike felt oddly aware of his surroundings. It was as if he could suddenly tell that things weren’t quite right. It was like… he was dreaming. He knew he was dreaming!
“Yes!” cried a nearby glowing dress. Spike reached out a claw and picked it up. The dress changed, shifted and shrunk, becoming a tiny golden figurine of a pony. It moved and spoke just like a real pony, although it was made of plastic. “Spike, can you hear me?”
“…Yes?” answered Spike hesitantly. Something about this tiny golden pony stirred something within him.
“Thank Celestia,” said the golden pony with a sigh. “I’ve been trying to contact the others, but they don’t realize they are lost in their dreams. Spike, you have to help them. You have to get them free so that you can stop Discord.”
“Uh… How exactly?” asked Spike.
“You have to get them to understand that this isn’t real,” explained the golden pony. “You need to make them see that this is a dream. That they might be part of it, but are separate from it.”
“Can’t you tell them?” asked Spike. The tiny figurine shook its head.
“They can’t see me,” said the gold pony. “Not like you can. To them, I am just outside noise incorporated into their dreams. But you. You somehow managed to jump dreams. Right now you are in Rarity and Dash’s shared dream. You have to make them understand that this is just a fantasy.”
“I guess I could try,” said Spike with a nod. He lifted the tiny golden pony and placed it on his shoulder. Then he began the long climb down the pile of dresses.
It felt like it took forever. Yet, sometimes, it felt like it hadn’t taken any time at all. When he looked down, all he could see were clouds and the world far below him. Other times, Rarity seemed to be just within his reach.
“We aren’t getting closer,” said Spike as he continued down. He looked again, seeing that the problem appeared to be that Rarity was adding dresses to the bottom of the pile as fast as he could descend.
“The distance is in your mind,” said the golden pony. “You just have to realize that you are only as far away from her as you want to be.”
“So, I just have to want to be closer,” asked Spike, blushing slightly. The golden pony shrugged. “Closer to Rarity? I think… I think I can manage wanting that.” Spike closed his eyes and imagined himself standing beside the pony of his dreams — who was currently lost in her own nightmares.
When he opened his eyes again he found that it had worked! Sort of… He was indeed much closer to Rarity, except, instead of moving to her, she had come to him. Rarity was floating out in the air in front of him, still working away at her dresses and completely oblivious to her current impossible situation.
That isn’t right, thought Spike. She shouldn’t be floating in the air like that. The moment he thought it, Rarity began to fall. She let out a scream of distress as she plummeted towards the ground.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Spike leapt from the pile of dresses and soared down after her.
“Spike!” cried Rarity, extending out a hoof towards him.
“Don’t worry! I’ve got you!” shouted Spike, reaching for her with his tiny clawed hand. No, that wasn’t good enough, not for Rarity!
Spike felt his small body grow much, much, larger. He felt his muscles bulge with new found strength. Great leathery dragon wings sprouted from his back.
Rarity let out a gasp of surprise.
With one powerful flap of his wings he swooped in and caught her. The two of them soared across the sky, as the distant sun blazed on the orange horizon.
“Oh, Spike,” whispered Rarity. Her eyes were sparkling with tears. “You came to save me!”
“Yes I did, my lady,” said Spike, his voice deep and reassuring.
“Ah-hem, and Dash, and Twilight,” reminded the golden pony.
The orange sunset suddenly shattered. Pieces of the sky rained down like bits of broken glass to reveal the normal blue sky behind it. Spike felt his body deflate back to its normal size.
With a thump, they landed in what appeared to be some kind of amphitheater. There were other ponies around them and the soft murmurs of the crowd. Spike thought he also heard some kind of music playing in the distance.
Spike hadn’t let go of Rarity, but he was no longer able to pick her up in his big strong arms.
“You just had to ruin the mood,” grumbled Spike at the golden figure on his shoulder.
“Sorry, but you can fantasize later,” apologized the miniature pony. “You still need to wake her up, before she loses herself in dreams once more.”
“How do I do that exactly,” asked Spike.
“Try pinching her,” suggested the golden pony, although, its voice was oddly different. Spike glanced at the pony on his shoulder and saw that a second head had sprouted out of its neck. “Ouch, hey.”
“No, don’t do that,” corrected the first head. “Sorry, some ponies don’t know when to keep their mouths shut.”
“It was just a suggestion,” replied the second head. “I thought we were all supposed to be helping.”
“We are helping,” chimed in a third voice. A third head grew from between the other two.
“Whoa, whoa, guys, come on,” said Spike. “You’re making my brain hurt.”
“You should ask if Rarity can see us,” suggested the golden pony’s third head.
“Us?” asked Spike in confusion.
“Just ask her,” said a fourth voice. Thankfully, no new head accompanied this voice.
“Uh, Rarity,” said Spike, tugging at the mare standing next to him. She glanced down at Spike with a raised eyebrow of curiosity.
“Yes, what is it, Spiky-wiky,” said Rarity.
“She calls you Spiky-wiky?” blurted out a fifth voice, complete with matching head.
“Spike… what is that… thing?” asked Rarity poking at the multi-headed golden pony on his shoulder. She blinked as she touched the golden pony and its many heads popped back into being just one. Rarity shook her head vigorously. “Spike? Where, where are we?”
“Rarity… are you… you again?” asked Spike.
“I’ve always been me, darling,” answered Rarity. “But I was having the most terrible dream where I made Dash the most ugly blue… EEEEEKKKK!” Rarity let out a shriek of horror as she pointed to something out in front of them.
At first, Spike thought it might be Discord, come to attack them. However, as he saw what Rarity was pointing at, he relaxed. It was only Dash, doing some kind of… tap dance? She was wearing a very shiny blue outfit.
“Oh no! Oh no!” cried Rarity. “I really did make it! Oh, it’s so awful! Don’t look! Doonnn’t looo-oook!”
“Rarity!” shouted Spike. “Calm down. It isn’t real. This is all just a dream… maybe a nightmare… That doesn’t matter. We have to get to Dash, and wake her up.”
“But that outfit!” moaned Rarity. “It clashes with her mane so badly! How could I have dreamt of anything like that?”
“We can worry about the outfit after we get to Dash!” exclaimed Spike. He gave Rarity an indignant tug and pulled her forward.
They moved up to the stage, where Dash was just ending her previous set. She finished the tap with a knee-slide across the stage. The crowd broke into thunderous applause and roses flew into the air from all directions.
Dash stayed there, back legs tucked under her, front legs spread wide to the crowd, smiling in triumph and enjoying every moment of all the attention she was getting.
Dash looked down as Spike and Rarity approached her stage. She smiled broadly at them.
“Hey guys! You made it just in time!” exclaimed Dash, slightly out of breath. “You get to see the best part, the part where I win!”
“Uh, yeah,” said Spike. “The thing is, we have to get you to the next… uh, contest, yeah.”
“Alright, another competition!” cried Dash. “I’m totally pumped for that! What is it? Fastest racer? Best flyer? Super-awesome-pony-of-all-time?”
“Yeah, sure, that last one,” said Spike.
“Alright! I’ve always wanted to win that!” said Dash. She hopped off the stage, but the moment her hooves touched the ground beside Spike, the audience began to boo.
“Encore!” shouted a pony in the crowd. “More! We want more!”
“Look guys!” said Dash calmly to the ravenous crowd. “I’ve got lots of places to be, and other things to win so you’ll just have to…”
SPLAT.
A tomato exploded against the stage only a hoof or so from Dash.
“Hey!” shouted Dash. But she hardly had a moment to be angry before she had to duck. A rotten apple soared past overhead. “What is with these guys!”
“Uh, I think we might have bigger problems than bad fruit,” said Rarity, tugging at Dash to get her attention.
The shadow crowd was no longer individual ponies. They had merged into one massive shapeless blob of darkness, all except for their eyes. Glowing red dots were spread across the mass, looking at the ponies with terrible intent.
“MOARRRRRRRR!” roared the monster greedily.
“I think it's time to go,” said Spike, taking a step back and bumping into the stage wall.
“You think?” replied Dash sarcastically.
“But the outfit is so horrid!” cried Rarity.
“Nah, it’s not that bad,” said Pinkie. Spike, Rarity and Dash all turned to look as one. There, in the middle of the stage, was Pinkie Pie. She had come up through a trap door in the floor. White light was flooding out of it.
“Pinkie!” exclaimed Spike.
“That’s my name silly!” giggled Pinkie. “Can I interest any of you in a quick exit? Stage down?”
“Yes!” cried Spike. He took hold of both Dash and Rarity, pulling them up onto the stage and hurrying as fast as he could towards Pinkie.
The monstrous crowd bellowed angrily behind them. It moved like shadows, spreading out along the floor, walls and ceiling. Spike could feel it closing in around him.
The darkness reached out for them. Spike leapt towards the door but they were still too far away. They would never make it.
And then, if possible, things got worse.
Emerging from behind Pinkie, rising out of the trap door like some kind of hideous snake, was Discord. He reached out for Spike with his mismatched arms.
There was nothing Spike could do. The shadows were at his heels. Discord blocked the way forward. They had lost. It was over. What would happen to Twilight? What would happen to all of them?
“Boy this is one tough crowd,” said Discord as he took hold of Spike. “Maybe I should give you a hand!” Discord pulled back and both his arms popped off. “Oops, that’s one too many hands, and a little too much arm.”
A new arm sprouted out of his head and took hold of Spike as well. Then, with a tug, he pulled them all through the trapdoor in the stage and into the blinding white light beyond.
Spike landed on something that felt like the ground, but wasn’t. He turned quickly to see the shadows reaching out, trying to come through the trapdoor – that was now oddly on its side, like a regular door.
Pinkie pulled it shut with a snap. The door became fuzzy before spreading out into millions of tiny flittering dots that drifted away like sparkly leaves in the wind.
“Pinkie!” exclaimed Spike. “You’re alright!” He hopped up before rushing over to hug her. A moment later, another set of arms wrapped around them. Discord’s arms, still detached from his body were also embracing them.
Spike struggled free and yanked the creepy limbs off before tossing them to the ground. He stood protectively between Pinkie and Discord.
Quickly the arms crawled back to the God of Chaos. As the disconnected limbs reached him, one of them leapt up off the floor. It reattached itself to his body before picking up the other arm and snapping it back into place, with an audible click. In dreams or reality, Discord seemed just as strange as ever.
“Alright Discord!” shouted Spike. “We’ve come to stop you!”
“Oh, this again,” said Discord with a dismissive wave. “I thought we were past all that. I just saved all of you! Can’t you show a little gratitude?”
“You saved us from a dream,” pointed out Spike.
“From a nightmare, Spike,” added Dash with a slight shiver. “And what am I wearing?”
“Darling, you're back!” cried Rarity giving Dash a great big hug with one hoof, and ripping off the horrible outfit with the other. “You remembered Spike’s name! Do you… do you remember who I am? Do you know my name?”
“Of course I do, Rarity,” said Dash with a nod. “Why wouldn’t I?”
“Because you were forgetting everypony,” said Pinkie. Dash put a hoof against her head.
“I don’t remember that,” said Dash. “Everything that’s happened over the past couple of days isn’t so clear. The last thing I sort of remember was this really bad dream about being forced to dance, over and over and over… And you were there,” she pointed to Rarity.
“Yes, I know,” said Rarity. “And I deeply apologize for making you such a terrible outfit. I promise, when we get out of here, I’ll come up with something much better.”
“Uh, where exactly is here anyhow?” asked Spike. “Do you know… hey, where did it go?” Spike had tried to ask the golden pony that had been on his shoulder, however, it had vanished.
“Where did what go?” asked Pinkie. “Did you lose something? I bet’cha we can find it!”
“No, I… Pinkie… where are we?” asked Spike again. “And what is Discord doing here?”
“Welcome to the unconscious!” cried Discord, throwing his arms into the air, but thankfully not literally this time. “And as I’ve already said, I rescued you.”
“Yeah, well, if it wasn’t for you, we wouldn’t even be in this mess to begin with,” said Spike. He glared at the mismatched monster standing in front of them.
“I just wanted to have a little fun!” retorted Discord. “None of you, except Pinkie, seem to have any sense of humor in the slightest. And besides, it’s not my fault. I haven’t hardly done anything. I couldn’t even wiggle my tail around, let alone perform simple magic in this body. Dash must have broken it.”
“I did not!” exclaimed Dash indignantly. “And you get out of here! Right now!”
“As much as I would like to, I can’t,” answered Discord.
“I bet I can make you,” growled Dash as she moved menacingly towards him. Discord held up his hands in surrender as he backed off. Pinkie hurried in-between them.
“Discord’s right,” said Pinkie. “Whatever trapped you in your bad dreams is controlling you right now!”
“Wait… something is controlling me?” said Dash. “Like, walking my body around and doing stuff like they’re me?”
“Yeah… I guess maybe we should have started with that,” said Spike. Dash looked a little pale.
“So… so who is controlling my body right now?” asked Dash. She looked like she didn’t really want to hear the answer. “And what… what are they doing with it?”
“Well,” said Rarity, looking to the others for guidance before she continued on. “We thought it was Discord that was, uh-hem, mucking about in your mind, as it were. But apparently, that isn’t the case. I’m not sure who, or what, has taken hold of you, but we came here to put and end to it.
“As to what they are doing,” began Rarity, she looked towards Spike or Pinkie to help out.
“They are trying to steal the Element of Magic,” chimed in Discord.
“How do you know that?” asked Spike accusatorily.
“I was there, right when she was trying to steal it,” said Discord. “Right before she shoved me down here into limbo, as it were.”
“Twi… Twilight was trying to steal the Element of Magic back?” asked Dash in confusion.
“Twilight?” laughed Discord. “Oh, no, no, no. My sister is the one that’s taken over your body and is trying to steal the Element of Magic. Did I forget to mention that she’s the mind that’s taken over your body?”
“Yes!” cried Spike, Rarity, Pinkie and Dash all together.
“Oh, well, I can’t be expected to remember every little detail,” said Discord with a shrug. Lightning fast, Dash rushed up into the air and grabbed Discord roughly by his horns. She yanked him forward so that their faces were only a breath apart.
“What else did you ‘forget’ to tell us,” growled Dash.
“Well, I haven’t told you about the river that I put loop-de-loops in,” said Discord. “Or the mountain that I made light as a feather…”
“About me!” demanded Dash. “What else haven’t you told us about ME and what your sister is doing to ME!”
“And Twilight,” interjected Spike pointedly.
“Alright,” said Dash rolling her eyes. “What is she doing to US?”
“Oh, you mean like how my sister, Harmony, is planning to use the Element of Magic to fuse for a third time so that she can get rid of you and Twilight and make herself perfect?” recounted Discord. Dash let go and drifted away slightly, her face frozen in shock and horror. “I think that’s really the only thing I haven’t mentioned yet.”
“She is going to WHAT?” cried Rarity. “She can’t possibly… No pony would ever even consider…”
“Well, my sister isn’t a pony, is she,” laughed Discord. “She’s my other half – literally. She’s bent on fixing things, making them perfect and exact. If you ask me she has a little bit of OCD.”
“What… what’s going to happen to me?” asked Dash quietly. Rarity moved forward and put a hoof around Dash.
“Nothing, darling,” comforted Rarity. “We’ll find a way to fix this. Together, I know we can stop her.”
“Well, I imagine that if she succeeds, all of us, will cease to be,” explained Discord absently. Rarity shot daggers at him as Pinkie tried to wave him off from saying anymore. “What? She asked. I thought you wanted me to tell you everything! Ponies are so confusing sometimes.”
“We still have a chance,” said Spike. “Luna brought us in here. Maybe she has already found Harmony…”
“I believe she prefers the name Rainbow Sparkle,” interjected Discord helpfully.
“…I’m not calling her that,” continued Spike. “And she is confronting her right now.” Spike looked pensive for a minute. “We need to get to Twilight. Maybe with all of us, we can find a way to help Luna stop Harmony.”
“Oh, you need to find Twilight?” said Discord. “Well why didn’t you just say so!” He put both his hands to his mouth and blew a very loud, very painful whistle.
“Ah, why did you…” began Spike. But he found himself speechless as billions of tiny glittering dots began to rain down from above, forming an image of Twilight. And in the middle of the enormous image, glowing with radiant purplish light, was a door that Spike knew would lead to the real Twilight.
Twilight simply couldn’t help but sigh contentedly. This was everything she had ever wanted, everything she had dreamed about. She was sitting with her mentor – well technically, they were laying, not sitting – in front of the fireplace and talking!
They had passed away the hours over hot cocoa, that never seemed to empty. Twilight told stories about her adventures. For some reason, they always seemed more exciting than she remembered. Celestia would let out a little laugh of amusement or a smile of approval whenever Twilight paused.
It was perfect. Too perfect.
“Celestia,” said Twilight, as she concluded another one of her tales about her friends – although she couldn’t recall any of their names, or any details about the story itself. “Is any of this real?” Celestia laughed lightly in mild amusement at Twilight’s question.
“Twilight, you must remember my title. I am a Princess after all,” said Princess Celestia.
“But, you didn’t answer my question, Princess,” said Twilight. A growing doubt was building in her stomach. “Are… are you real?”
“Of course I’m not, my dear little pony,” said the Princess.
“I want it to be real,” answered Twilight quietly.
“Well, what you want and what you get aren’t always the same,” said the Princess.
“Oh,” whispered Twilight, her happy expression falling into a frown.
“Did you think that I would ever have time to waste on you?” continued the Princess. “To sit here, sipping this filthy drink and listening to your rambling stories?”
“I… I guess…” began Twilight a little teary eyed.
“You’re just the pony I send off to do things for me. You’re my messenger, my delivery girl,” chuckled the Princess cruelly. “I don’t care about you, Twilight. Why would I? Your magic will never be as strong as mine. Your deeds will be forgotten. You are nothing, not even fit to say my name.”
“I… I have to go,” mumbled Twilight getting up to leave. However the Princess now stood in front of her, blocking her path.
“Oh, no, I’m afraid it isn’t time for you to leave,” said the Princess darkly.
Twilight felt heavy chains suddenly snap around her legs and neck, pulling her down. The fire in the hearth died into cold embers and the room dimmed into shadows.
“You haven’t answered for your crimes yet,” explained the Princess as she towered over Twilight. “The horrible things you’ve done to your friends. Not to mention all the ponies you’ve failed. No, you aren’t going anywhere.”
“No, no, no!” cried Twilight. She tugged at the iron chains, but they held her fast. “Not again. This has to be a dream.”
“This is no dream,” said the Princess, lifting Twilight’s chin so that she could look her in the eyes. “This is a nightmare, your final nightmare. For what you have failed to do, I pronounce eternal imprisonment upon you. You will be trapped within your own mind, forever!”
“Not if we have anything to say about it!” shouted a booming voice that carried across the room. Weakly, Twilight managed to glance behind her. She couldn’t help but gape in surprise.
Two great gilded doors, with sparkling gems, stood wide open. Bright white light poured through, although the shadows of the room held it back. Framed in the doorway, posed heroically, were several shadowy outlines. At the front of the group was a small purple dragon. Standing just behind him was a pink earth pony, a white unicorn and Dash and… Discord?
“You let Twilight go right now!” demanded the pink pony. She stood up on her back hooves while raising her front legs into a fighting position above her head.
“If you so much as touch her, you are going to have to answer to me!” exclaimed the white unicorn, trotting slightly forward and lowering her head into a charging position.
“You mess with her, you mess with US!” shouted Dash
“Hello Twilight!” called Discord with smile and a casual little wave.
“All of you shall be punished!” shouted the Princess. Her coat washed over with black. A long ugly red horn twisted out of her head. Flames burned along her wings as she charged at the group. In her wake, heavy iron chains sprung up from the ground, reaching out towards the friends.
Quickly the ponies – and the small little dragon – sprung into action. They leapt aside, scattering out of the way of the charge. Dash batted some of the incoming chains out of the air, while the pink pony leapt at the nightmare-ish Princess with a flying kick and a scream of battle – or maybe, excitement? Twilight couldn’t tell.
The small purple dragon and the white unicorn hurried forward to Twilight. They each took a leg and tried to work the chains off her.
“You have to go!” cried Twilight. “I’m dangerous! This is my fault! I let this happen!”
“That isn’t true,” shouted the little dragon as he ducked a flaming hoof that barely missed his head. “This isn’t real! It’s just a bad dream.”
“I know,” said Twilight. “I know it is. I made it a bad dream.” The dragon halted for a moment looking at Twilight in confusion. The unicorn kept working, her horn glowing with magic. She seemed to have almost gotten the first chain off.
“What?” said the little dragon in surprise. “You… you know it’s a dream?”
“What I did to Dash,” said Twilight. “What I turned her life into… it’s my fault… I took everything from her. I messed everything up.” More chains began to slither up from the ground. They wrapped around the white unicorn, clamping down on her neck and dragging her away towards the hungry darkness.
“Rarity!” shouted the dragon as he reached for her. But it was no good, a maniacal clamped around his wrist, pinning him down beside Twilight.
“Twilight, you have to stop,” cried the little dragon. He was so familiar. She could almost remember his name.
Dash charged by overhead, the blazing princess rushing right behind her. The pink pony appeared to be wrapped up in chains too as she struggled against them. Discord was still standing at the open door, observing the chaos with keen interest, but not getting involved himself.
“It’s you, Twilight,” said the little dragon. “It’s you making these chains. It’s you punishing yourself.”
“I deserve it,” said Twilight quietly to the floor.
“NO YOU DON’T!” roared the little dragon. With all his might, he ripped apart the chains that bound him. Every link along the line broke free, scattering into the air. The broken links rung like tiny little bells of freedom as they fell.
For a moment, the curling chains along the ground backed away from Spike. They kept their distance as if they were afraid he might try and rip them apart as well.
“You didn’t do anything wrong,” said the dragon. In one swift motion he tore the manacles off Twilight’s front legs. New ones tried to replace them but he roared at them and they slithered away. “You SAVED Dash. YOU saved her.”
“But at what cost,” mumbled Twilight. “Look what I’ve done to her. Look what it’s done to us.”
“Believe me, Twilight,” continued the dragon. He tore the back chains away too, only the heavy collar around her neck remained. “No one understands how difficult it’s been for you more than I do. I’ve had to watch as everything you had slipped away from you. Your speech, your magic, your memories, your friends.” Twilight looked away in shame. “But that doesn’t mean you aren’t still Twilight. That doesn’t mean you aren’t my big sister… or my mom…
“I love you, Twilight,” said Spike, his eyes watery with tears. Twilight looked back at Spike in surprise, her own tears returning. “I can’t go on without you… I can’t lose you…” He fell to his knees, wrapping his small arms around her.
The collar around Twilight’s neck shimmered away. The raging nightmare Princess evaporated into glinting trails of smoke. And the writhing chains all around the floor melted away into shadows.
“Spike…” whispered Twilight, she put her hoof around him, returning the hug. “I… I’m so sorry. I didn’t want to forget you, or anypony else.” All of the others were walking towards her now too. Pinkie, Rarity and Dash. How could she have ever forgotten any of them? “I tried to hold on, but all of you kept slipping away…”
“Ah, yes, well that was most likely my sister’s doing,” offered Discord from the door. “I think she has been, uh, borrowing things from you.”
“You mean stealing!” retorted Dash.
“Stealing, borrowing without intending to return, what’s the difference?” said Discord with a dismissive wave.
“There isn’t one,” replied Rarity flatly.
“Oh, well, I guess that actually explains why so many ponies have been so mad at me,” said Discord thoughtfully.
Twilight worked her way back up to her hooves. She glared at Discord.
“What do you mean your sister has been stealing things?” asked Twilight.
“Look, you don’t really want me to recap everything again do you?” answered Discord. “I feel like I keep repeating myself every time I meet somepony new. Can’t we just wait until we find somepony else as well so that I don’t have to keep saying the same thing over and over?”
“Somehow, his sister Harmony ended up in our head,” explained Dash, rolling her eyes and looking away from Discord. “She’s the reason we’ve been forgetting our friends. She’s why we’ve been losing memories. Why we can’t fly and why our magic doesn’t work!”
“And she stole your name!” exclaimed Pinkie. “She’s calling herself Rainbow Sparkle! AND she wants to use the Element of Magic to cast the fusion spell again!”
“What!” cried Twilight in alarm. That was possibly the worst thing that anypony could have told her. “She can’t. Not a third time! That would… me and Dash… We have to stop her!”
“And how exactly are you planning to do that?” asked Discord. “Are you just going to saunter up to her and nicely ask that she stop existing? I’ve already tried that, and as you can see it hasn’t worked out so well.”
“Maybe Luna can banish her someplace?” suggested Dash.
“Well, she isn’t staying here,” said Rarity.
“Maybe we could use the Elements of Harmony against Harmony,” suggested Pinkie. The group all turned to look at her in surprise. “I mean, if she is really taking the Twilight’s element back, then we’ll have all of them again.”
“Except, Applejack and Fluttershy left us!” pointed out Spike bitterly. “They could be back in Ponyville already.”
“Oh no, they haven’t left the city yet,” said Pinkie with a shake of her head.
“Did your pinkie senses tell you that?” asked Rarity.
“Nope, I just know that they wouldn’t abandon us,” said Pinkie confidently. “Well, I guess they did abandon us, but they wouldn’t abandon abandon us.”
“Either way it doesn’t matter who those ponies are,” interrupted Twilight. “We are stuck in here. Without a way to contact some outside pony we could never get our gems to use the elements.”
“Doctor Heart!” exclaimed Spike. “Wild Heart! Can you hear us?” His voiced echoed in the cold empty room.
The fireplace had gone dark and it was deep night outside the windows. The only light came from the white glow beyond the door where Discord stood. Then, a second golden glow began to emanate from just above the fireplace.
Spike hurried over. The other ponies trotted up behind him. They all watched curiously as one of the framed pictures radiated golden light. As they looked on, the pony in the frame came to life. It hopped out of the picture and onto the mantel before leaping down into Spike’s open claws.
“Spike, you’re alright!” cried the golden pony. It hugged his thumb. “When you all vanished, I thought… Never mind what I thought. What’s going on in there?”
“We found Twilight,” explained Spike. He held the golden pony up so that it could see Twilight and Twilight could see her.
“And she remembers all of you?” asked the golden pony curiously.
“Yes,” said Twilight with a nod. “Also, I’m standing right here.”
“I’m sorry,” apologized the tiny glowing pony. “The return of your memory so quickly is… odd.”
“It isn’t all back,” said Twilight. “I still feel like things are missing.” She looked towards Dash, who nodded.
“I can remember our friends,” said Dash. “But… but it feels like I’m not the pony remembering them. Like it’s some pony else’s memories… that I’m remembering, if that makes any sense.”
“You are all sharing the same mind,” suggested the glowing pony. “It is possible that you only remember your friends because they are there with you. Do you remember, say, Fluttershy, for example?” Twilight shook her head. Dash shrugged.
“They were stolen!” said Pinkie. “Or, they still are stolen I guess? Maybe borrowed without the intent to return?”
“Our memories can wait, they aren’t important right now,” interrupted Twilight. “It wasn’t Discord that took us over, it was Harmony.” The expression upon the tiny golden ponies face darkened, as did her glow. “We think we can stop her with the elements, but you have to get them for us.”
“I can try,” said the little pony with a nod. The pony paused for a moment, then continued, sounding slightly concerned. “What are you planning to do with Harmony?”
“We can figure that out once we’ve stopped her,” said Twilight with a shake of her head. “But I have no idea how we are going to do that! I don’t even know how we are going to find her!”
“Fear,” said Discord, his one word bringing silence to the room.
“Fear?” asked Spike. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“Well, come on in and I’ll show you,” said Discord, taking a step back from the doorway into the world of white. He bent over slightly and held out his arms inviting them to enter.
“It’s alright,” said Pinkie. “He’s better now. All he really needed was a friend to bring him around. He helped me rescue Rarity, Spike and Dash. And he helped us find you.”
“I still don’t trust him,” mumbled Dash under her breath.
“I’m not sure I do either,” said Twilight shaking her head. “But what other choice do we have? We have to stop Harmony.”
The group trotted back towards the large double doors that led back into the realm of the unconscious mind. As they got closer, the golden pony began to flicker in and out of existence.
“Spike, the connection is weakening,” said the golden pony. “Wherever you’re going, I cannot follow. We will find the elements and we will bring them…” With one last step, she winked out of existence. Spike closed his claw around the misty essence left behind, than he too passed through the doors.
“How exactly did you save us anyhow?” asked Dash as she hovered beside Discord. With a soft click, Discord pulled the doors closed behind them. Like the door before it, this too shimmered away into swarm of tiny dots.
Discord started to answer, but Twilight cut him off.
“Where is this place?” asked Twilight glancing around.
“The unconscious,” offered Rarity.
“Wait, what? How’s that even possible?” asked Twilight in confusion.
“Well, we’re asleep, so I guess we’re unconscious,” suggested Dash.
“No, that isn’t what the unconscious mind is…” began Twilight.
“To answer all your questions,” interrupted Discord. “Fear, is how I found both Dash and Twilight. Raw emotions and reactions. This place doesn’t have memories, or thoughts, it has actions and reactions. Things you don’t think about, that you can’t think about.
“I was able to latch onto your unconscious fear and follow it back to its source,” said Discord. He lifted up a pawed hand. As he did, thousands of tiny dots shimmered into existence, as though he had put his hand into a stream of sparkling water. “That’s how I found all of you.”
“And that’s why we found you when things got bad!” cried Pinkie excitedly. “Because that was the scary parts of your bad dreams!”
“And Harmony,” asked Twilight. “Is she afraid?”
“Oh, more than you can possibly imagine,” said Discord. “I’m surprised you can’t feel it. It’s so strong that it’s overflowing all around us. But I guess all your minds are too organized to see the chaos in plain sight.”
“So you can take us to her?” asked Spike.
“I can,” answered Discord. “But…” he glanced towards Pinkie, seeming to struggle with something for a moment. “I guess I should warn you. You’ve only faced dreams and nightmares so far. Whatever my sister is now, whatever she calls herself. She is still a goddess. And she will be drawn towards her true nature, no matter the cost.
“Just as Celestia must raise the sun, so must Luna bring the moon. I spread disorder and chaos. Harmony creates order and predictability.”
“Actually, that… doesn’t sound that bad,” said Rarity. “I think we could do will a little organization after the mess of these last few days.”
“Except, that when taken to its extreme, anything can be harmful,” said Twilight. “Look what happened when Luna refused to set the moon. What if Celestia did the same with the sun? A little order might be nice, but I have a feeling that, like Discord, she won’t stop at just a little.”
“Hey!” exclaimed Discord in indignation. “I heartily agree with that remark! I really can’t control myself.”
“So what are we waiting for,” said Dash, pounding her hooves together. “Let’s go stop this name thief and take our body back!”
Luna felt the last of the Element of Magic absorb into Twilight Dash’s body. There was nothing she could do to stop it. Her only chance now was to wrestle away control, or to make Harmony stop.
“You do not have to do this, Harmony,” said Luna. “We can find another way.”
“That isn’t my name,” growled Rainbow Sparkle. “And there is no other way.”
“We can help you, my sister and I,” said Luna. She could feel the body tense around her, Rainbow Sparkle was preparing to cast a spell. A teleport spell. No.
With all her focus, Luna reached out and interrupted the magic. The spell fizzled and died, sending a cascade of sparks trickling down.
“Get out of my head!” demanded Rainbow Sparkle, shaking her head back and forth as though to fling Luna from it..
“This is not your head!” answered Luna. “This isn’t your body. Stealing is not the way. Nor is fusing with another pony! You would be no better than Discord, taking what ever he wants from whom ever he wants!”
“I am nothing like Discord!” shouted Rainbow Sparkle. She tried to teleport again, but it was even less focused than the previous attempt. Luna easily blocked her once more. “He is a monster! A demon!”
“And how are you any better?” asked Luna calmly. “Look at what you are doing right now. Tormenting these two ponies, taking away what little they cling to. How are you not a monster?” Rainbow Sparkle did not answer.
“You take and take, but your have not tried the simplest of options,” continued Luna.
“And what… is that,” whispered Rainbow Sparkle. Luna could feel sadness, shame and guilt behind her words. The pony had lost control over her emotions once more, or was no longer trying to hold them back.
“You have not asked for help,” said Luna.
“From who?” retorted Rainbow Sparkle bitterly. Luna braced herself against the new wave of emotions. Terrible, seething anger and hate towards her and Discord, engulfed. “From you? Is that what you meant? My judge and jury, who stood and watched my own brother as he… he… No, you’re the monster here.”
Luna felt suddenly taken aback. All of Rainbow Sparkles emotions focused on her. It was like being under a blazingly bright spotlight. It felt like she was burning.
“You think you’re high and mighty, but you’ve done horrible things too,” said Rainbow Sparkle. “Some of them worse than anything I ever did. I can see your memories.”
Luna felt the other pony shifting through her thoughts, looking through her past. Awful moments replayed before her eyes. The sun worshiping village she had destroyed while it inhabitants had fled from her wrath. The nightmare ponies she had created to serve her during the time of her darkness. The children she had stolen away in the night when her sister had refused to hear her out.
Luna struggled to close her mind, to shut Harmony out.
“MY NAME IS RAINBOW SPARKLE!” shouted the pony. Luna was frozen, locked in by her own fear and sorrow. “You’re the last pony that would help me. You would just as soon send me back into exile as you would extend a helping hoof.
“There is no other way,” repeated Rainbow Sparkle, half to Luna, half to herself. “This is the only path you’ve left open to me. I have to do this.”
She turned her magic upwards. Her horn began to glow with rainbow colored light. The Element of Magic surged within her. With an earsplitting roar, her horn ignited and a hugely powerful whirlwind of magic blasted away the roof above. It pushed back the rain outside, and even the clouds.
With the Element of Magic, she was stronger than she had ever been before. Luna couldn’t stop her. Even Celestia would be powerless before her. With any luck though, she wouldn’t have to put that theory to the test. All she had to do was fuse one more time, than she would get as far away from Canterlot, from Equestria, as she could.
Rainbow Sparkle lifted her wings, preparing to fly.
“You think…” grunted Luna. The pony froze. “You think I will just let you do this? Do you really believe that if you complete your plan, I will just let you go? These ponies are my friends.” Rainbow Sparkle could feel something dark welling up within her, something that wasn’t hers, an evil without limit.
“Do you really think, I would allow you to continue to exist?” said her own voice speaking with foreign words. “You are an abomination that never should have been made. You are nothing! Not even a faded memory.
“But my power… my power is eternal. I am darkness. I am nightmares.”
“Luna… stop,” whimpered Rainbow Sparkle. She could feel an icy cold corruption flowing through her, bleeding out of the Element of Magic as Luna’s fear and anger set it against them. “Is this… is this what it did to you the last time? The dark power of an element misused?”
Luna did not answer. Rainbow Sparkle could no longer sense the other pony within her mind. Everywhere she looked, there was only terrible darkness reaching out for her.
Her own thoughts turned against her. She could feel what little sanity she had gathered slipping away. She wouldn’t stop at fusing with just one pony. She would fuse with everypony that defied her. She would be order. She would be darkness. She would be Nightmare Harmony.
The rain was really coming down now. It pelted the roofs in an endless clatter and it drummed upon the streets in freezing waves. Even under cover it wasn’t dry as the relentless wind pushed the droplets sideways.
Fluttershy and Applejack were already soaked, so a little more rain didn’t really make things much worse. The two seemed to be the only ponies brave enough, or perhaps, foolish enough, to be out in this storm.
Applejack still didn’t know where they were headed. She could hardly see anything much beyond Fluttershy’s yellow coat. The tops of the buildings around them were lost in low hanging clouds. The sheets of rain made the shops across the street nothing more than shadowy shapes.
But, she did have to admit, it was hard to keep struggling about her feelings towards Twilight Dash, when she couldn’t even stop her teeth from chattering. If they didn’t get out of this rain soon, they were going to freeze.
“Flu-flu-flutter-shy,” stammered Applejack. Her whole body was shaking now from the chilly rain. “We have’ta get indoors!”
“We’re almost there,” said Fluttershy, her words hardly audible over the constant pounding of the rain.
It wasn’t very long at all until the sidewalk ended. For a very brief moment, Applejack thought they had left town again. But where the sidewalk ended, a well kept stone path took its place. The path became a large familiar bridge. Beneath it the river rushed with an almost overflowing torrent of water from the rain. And at the far end of the bridge were…
“The gates to the castle!” cried Applejack. “We’re going to the castle?!” She came to an abrupt halt.
“Yes,” said Fluttershy, she turned to face the soaked earth pony.
“Haven’t ya’ll been listening to me,” said Applejack. “Twilight Dash is the last pony I wana see right now!”
“She is the only pony you need to see,” answered Fluttershy. “Until you confront her about whatever it is you are feeling, you’re never going to feel better.”
Apprehensively, Applejack stared at the locked gates behind the pegasus. She couldn’t see the castle, just a dim outline through the curtain of rain.
“We can’t even get in. Now come on, let’s get outa this storm!” shouted Applejack, louder than she needed to be heard. She started to turn away.
“No!” said Fluttershy in the loudest, possibly most determined tone that Applejack had ever heard her use. Applejack halted. “If you don’t want to be friends with Twilight Dash, that’s fine. But you’re the one that needs to tell her that! Not anypony else!”
“She doesn’t even remember me!” shouted Applejack. “They, whatever it is in there! That ain’t Twilight! And that sure as hay ain’t Dash!”
“That still doesn’t give you the right to abandon them!” shouted Fluttershy. Applejack couldn’t tell if those were tears or just the rain streaming down her face, most likely both. “You can’t just run away from your friends-” Applejack opened her mouth to protest, but Fluttershy kept going “-you have to be there for them. Always. No matter what!
“You think it doesn’t hurt me to see Dash like this?” continued Fluttershy. “She was my best friend. I’m not going to give up on her. And neither are you. Now come on! We’re going in there, and all of us are going to be there for her!”
She tried to tug Applejack forward, but the cowpony managed to yank her hoof away before retreating several steps.
“I’m scared of them, okay!” blurted out Applejack. Whatever Fluttershy had been expecting, it wasn’t that. For a moment she seemed to have lost her voice.
“You? You’re… afraid of Twilight Dash?” asked Fluttershy in surprise. “But you aren’t afraid of anything.”
“That ain’t true, there are lots of things I’m afraid of,” said Applejack. She looked away, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes to gather her strength. It was time for the truth she hadn’t wanted to admit. “You remember back in the library, when TD was all whirly magic thingy?” Fluttershy nodded. “And you and me flew up and touched them and got sucked into, I dono, their mind or something?”
Again, Fluttershy nodded, although, she looked slightly pale, obviously not remembering the memory very fondly.
“Did’ya… feel anything strange when you got pulled in?” asked Applejack.
“I guess I felt a little tingly all over,” said Fluttershy. Applejack shook her head.
“No, did you feel like… you weren’t supposed to leave?” asked Applejack. Fluttershy shook her head, not understanding. “It was like I was drawn to them. Like… like I just had to touch their hoof and everything would be alright. Except, when I did, I felt as if I was losing part of myself. Like I was becoming part of them…
“I didn’t think too much of it at the time, but… ever since, I’ve had a dream… a nightmare really,” continued Applejack, she gulped, finding her throat oddly dry. “Where I would wake up and Twilight Dash would be standing over me… and then they would pull me in too…”
“Dash would never do…” began Fluttershy, but Applejack interrupted.
“That’s just it. That thing ain’t Dash or Twilight,” said Applejack. “There is no telling what it’ll do. They make me uncomfortable. They make me… afraid. I’ve been trying to be as nice as I can. But…. I’m scared of them.” She looked towards Fluttershy for some kind of argument, but the pegasus just stared at her with an unreadable expression. “You think I’m being stupid…” Applejack looked away ashamed.
Fluttershy moved closer to Applejack before embracing her in a hug. The rain continued to pelt them, but somehow, it didn’t feel as cold now with Fluttershy pressed against her.
“Of course I don’t think you’re being stupid,” whispered Fluttershy. “I’m afraid of things all the time. But I know that my friends are there to help me. To be there with me when I am afraid. And when I remember that, things don’t seem as scary.
“I’m sure that whoever Twilight Dash turns out to be, she can still be our friend and that she isn’t that scary.”
“I gu—” began Applejack.
However, her words were cutoff by a thunderous boom that made the very ground shake. The rain abruptly stopped falling. A blazing pinnacle of rainbow light spun upwards through the clouds, tearing them open into a great wide circular gap. The bright blue sky shone through overhead, with the sun nearly at its zenith.
“Oh no,” whimpered Applejack. “Oh no, oh no, oh no…”
Charging down from the light, riding on rainbow fire, was Twilight Dash, her eyes ablaze with terrible magic.
Discord moved about the unnaturally white space of the unconscious mind, his hands searching through invisible folds. Every now and then his arm or head might suddenly vanish as he peaked into a spot that looked like nothing more than empty air to everypony else.
“I’m not really so sure I like him poking around in our mind,” whispered Dash. “How do we know we can trust him?”
“First of all,” said Discord, his head currently invisible. “We’re inside your mind, so whispering doesn’t make your thoughts any quieter. And secondly, you don’t know that you can trust me. But you trust Pinkie, and she trusts me. So you should trust her, trusting me to help you trust in me!”
“That doesn’t even make sense!” retorted Spike. Dash nodded in confused agreement.
“It’s not like we have much of a choice,” added Twilight. “Without Discord we are stranded here. And who knows what Harmony is up to…”
“Well it’s only been a few minutes, darling,” said Rarity. “I hardly think there is very much that she could have done.” Twilight shook her head.
“We have no idea how long it’s been,” answered Twilight. “We don’t have any reference to time in here. What feels like minutes to us might be hours in reality.”
“Are you saying we could have been trapped in here for days?” exclaimed Pinkie. “But… but… I had a party planned tomorrow!”
“Pinkie,” said Dash. “You have a party planned nearly every single day.”
“Of course I do, silly! But that doesn’t make tomorrow’s party any less important,” explained Pinkie.
“I doubt it’s been days,” said Twilight. “But there’s really no way to tell…”
“Wild Heart,” said Spike suddenly remembering her. “I should have asked her. But she popped out of existence when we came in here. Maybe if we went back into a dream she could tell us?”
“No time for that now!” called Discord. He looked like he was tugging at something, but whatever it was, nopony but him could see it. “I think I found our way to… umf… Har… Can somepony lend me a hand please?”
“You mean a hoof,” corrected Pinkie.
“Or a claw,” continued Discord with a jubilant smile. “Or really anything. This thing won’t budge!”
Pinkie trotted over and took hold of Discord’s waist. She tugged at him, but neither of them moved.
“Whatever it is, it’s really stuck!” cried Pinkie. “Come on guys! We need everyone!”
“Everypony,” corrected Discord.
Twilight and Rarity glanced at each other before trotting over and taking hold of Pinkie. Spike also took hold. Reluctantly, Dash hovered down grabbing onto Discord as well.
“Everyone holding on?” asked Discord. “Here we go!”
With a sudden jerk, all of them were yanked forward, pulled by Discord. Twilight and Rarity let out a cry of surprise. Dash shouted some name at Discord that was lost in the tumult. And Pinkie screamed with joy!
The group was pulled down through the white into a space of whirling colors and shapes. A tunnel made of starlight formed around them as the companions all sped through it.
It wasn’t like falling. Nor was it flying. Everything simply stayed still while they rushed by.
Clusters of lightning flashed in enormous cobwebs. Shooting stars arched back and forth overhead. And billions and billions of tiny sparkling dots filled every direction.
Then, as suddenly as their abrupt ride had started, it ended. Unceremoniously, the group tumbled out into someplace new, or rather the same. The world of white had returned.
“Discord! What the hay!” shouted Dash angrily, getting back to her hooves. “That didn’t do… any… thing…” she trailed off as she saw that the others were all looking up into the black sky. It wasn’t white, not all of it. “Oh horse apples…”
The floor was the same bright white as the realm of the unconscious mind. However, the sky was the darkest, most terrible black that Dash had ever seen. Floating between the land of light and dark, was a horrific looking pony.
Four great wings of black fire were spread open upon its back. A mane of dark blue sprinkled with glittering star dust danced behind its head, parted in the front by a long pointed horn. Its coat was smooth white crystal that twisted the world behind it, while its eyes of blazing rainbow light were fixed upon the ponies below. And in the center of the pony’s chest was the twelve pointed purple star of the Element of Magic.
“What… what is that?” asked Spike, pointing a claw up at the ominous form above them.
“I am Nightmare Harmony,” spoke a thundering voice. “I will consume you, bringing you order, and darkness.”
“That can’t be good,” said Pinkie.
“Nightmare Moon and Harmony,” said Twilight. “Somehow, their minds have mixed together.”
“Wait, wait,” said Dash. “Are you saying that they fused together?”
“No, I don’t think so, not like how our body did,” said Twilight, with a shake of her head. “It’s more like their thoughts are tangled up in each other.”
“So, very, very, not good than,” said Pinkie.
“Enough! All of you will be silent,” said Nightmare Harmony. Her eyes glowed with a terrible darkness. Her horn ignited with swirling rainbow magic before a beam of black energy blasted out towards the friends.
However, instead of traveling in a straight line, the beam bent sharply, taking a wrong turn. It deflected off to the side and vanished into the distance. Nightmare Harmony looked surprised, until she saw what had done it.
Discord stood at the front of the group, his arms held up in the air. He had used his chaotic magic to redirect the spell.
“So, once again the great deceiver stands before me,” said Nightmare Harmony coldly. “And once again he finds others to help him fight. What lies did he whisper in your ears? What promises did he make to you?”
“He’s our friend,” said Pinkie, stepping forward. The dark goddess let out a cold laugh that sent a chill down everyponies’ spine.
“Your friend?!” laughed Nightmare Harmony from above them. “Discord has no friends, he doesn’t even know the meaning of the word. It is his nature to turn on you, to toss you aside when something else suits him.
“He was born evil. He will always be evil. You cannot change him. There is no gift, no reason great enough to make him any different. Even now, look how he plots against you.”
From high above, Nightmare Harmony waved her hoof and Discords thoughts spread out across the sky for all of them to see. In several of the images, he stood atop Nightmare Harmony’s motionless form in triumph over her. But, in several others, it was Twilight, or Rarity, or… Pinkie, who was underfoot.
“But… I thought…” stammered Pinkie, slightly teary eyed as she looked towards Discord.
“What can I say, my sister knows me best,” said Discord with a shrug. “I was going to make it a surprise, maybe after the party you were going to throw for me. But I guess the cat’s out of the bag early.”
“You lied to me,” said Pinkie, shaking her head in disbelief.
“No, I simply told you what you wanted to hear so that I could use you to my own ends,” explained Discord.
“There isn’t a difference,” said Rarity coldly.
“Enough!” shouted Nightmare Harmony, her voice booming across the landscape of black and white. “You have all said enough. Now, you will say no more.”
Her eyes glowed once again and her horn burned with magic. However there was no black beam this time. Instead, Nightmare Harmony seemed to shimmer away, replaced by a whirling portal of darkness.
The friends began to slide towards it, pulled by some unseen force. Twilight tried to dig her hooves into the ground, but there was no real ground to dig into.
“If you will not be silent,” echoed Nightmare Harmony’s voice from all around them. “Then I will simply have to lock you away someplace else, until I can be rid of you.”
Spike was the first to go. He was pulled off his little feet and yanked up into the air. He fell helplessly towards the darkness, his claw outstretched towards Twilight, but he was well out of her reach.
Before anypony else could even call out to him, Dash leapt into action, her wings buzzing. In a flash, she raced up to Spike and took hold of him, keeping him from falling in. However, she was fighting a losing battle too. No matter how hard she flapped her wings, both of them continued to move slowly towards the darkness.
“Do something!” shouted Twilight, looking at Discord.
“I guess for now it is still in my best interest to help,” said Discord, stroking his chin in thought. He seemed oddly unaffected by the draw of the ominous black portal. “After all, my sister is still a threat to me.”
“Do something already!” cried Rarity. She had all four legs braced against the draw but still continued to slide forward.
Discord snapped his fingers and for a moment, Twilight felt herself stop existing. It wasn’t like going to sleep, or forgetting something, it was like… like there had been nothing, forever and ever. Then, as suddenly as she had vanished, Twilight was pulled back into being.
Existence resisted her return at first. It pushed back, trying to force her out, but something else kept her anchored. Another mind pulled her back from the brink of not being anything.
Awareness and other senses began to return to her. She could smell the fresh air after the rain. She could feel the cold wind across her body. And she could see the world around her.
She was flying up above the castle. The clouds overhead parted in a great circle around the city and the bright blue sky hung high above.
Except, she wasn’t just Twilight. She was Dash, and Pinkie, and Rarity, and Spike. And all of them were Nightmare Harmony.
All of their minds – except it seemed for Discord – had merged together into a mess of insanity. Thoughts collided and reformed into a hodgepodge of half completed nonsensical ideas. They had to work together. No, they had to stop this! A new outfit when there was time. They were flying! They didn’t like this at all!
“What, what have you done?” demanded the pony that was all of them. “All of you should be silent.” “Silent? Why would we want that?” “I said be silent!” “No, we said be silent!” “Hey, can we land? I’m not so good with heights.” “Silence! This is not possible. None of you should have the power to resist my will.” “Our will.”
Twilight was aware of both her physical senses, although they were duller than she remembered, and her mind. She could see what thoughts looked like. They didn’t have a single shape, but were always changing, moving and twisting.
At times she was sure she could see what the thought was, words or images or something. But the moment she could see it, the thought would change and become something different. It was like the thought knew that she was watching it and it didn’t want to be seen.
At the center of all the thoughts, its ominous darkness in sharp contrast to everything else, was the dark portal that Nightmare Harmony had created. Twilight could still feel it pulling on her, trying to suck her in. Yet, she felt another force, pushing her away from it, spinning her around it.
Twilight had never experienced anything like this before, not even with Dash. She was herself, sort of. But she was also them. All of their thoughts were turning in her head. Their memories overflowed in her mind. She could think everypony else’s thoughts, if somewhat dulled and fuzzy, like her senses.
Yet, she could also feel the outside world through her body, except, it wasn’t her body. And she could see her own thoughts as if they were real tangible objects. She existed in all these places at once, equally divided between them and unable to focus on any one of them.
It was too much being everypony at once. Twilight withdrew herself. She found the tiniest part of her mind and hid deep within it. The other minds tumbled around helplessly. They crashed together and spun apart creating sparks of lighting and echoing booms of chaos. But Twilight snuck away.
She found the place she had gone when Dash had been flying. The place where she only half existed. She could hear the others, but not understand them now. She was still part of them, but apart from them.
As she withdrew, Twilight found that her sense of the outside world became sharper. She could see the castle below her, the sky above her. She couldn’t move her body, but it felt more like it was her body.
“So, Twilight, do you like my help?” asked Discord. Twilight was pulled back in by his words. She was still in the tiny corner of her mind, but the outside world became nothing more than shadows once again.
She couldn’t see Discord, but, she could, in a strange way. She was aware of him, floating around in their head. He wasn’t like the others. He was completely apart from them.
“What did you do?” asked Twilight in the tiniest voice she could manage.
“What else, exactly what my sister wanted,” said Discord. “All seven of you are now Twilight Nightmare Dash Harmony Rarity.”
“What about Spike?” asked Twilight.
“Oh, I’m sure he’s in there too, but his name just doesn’t work. I mean TNDHR, doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue as it is,” said Discord. “But don’t worry, my magic will keep all of you, you. At least for the moment.”
“YOU WILL OBEY ME!” demanded Nightmare Harmony. Twilight felt the mixed wills of her friends weaken. Discord shimmered away. Twilight was partly pulled back into her mind, as the outside world blurred away almost completely. Other minds zoomed past Twilight, narrowly missing her. “All we need is one more body. One earth pony. Then you will all be silent forever.”
She could sense Nightmare Harmony’s frustration and confusion. Dash—at least, Twilight thought it looked sort of like Dash, it was more like a blue bolt of lighting—and Pinkie were both racing around a silvery cloud that sort of looked like Nightmare Harmony. They were attempting—or again, at least that’s what Twilight thought they looked like they were doing—to distract her from her task. The dark pony was trying to fight them off. Spike and Rarity had also joined in, adding their own thoughts and making things more difficult for the pony.
Nightmare Harmony pushed them all back. Images, colors and smells, whirled up like a shield around her, tossing the other thoughts away. For the moment she had blocked them out, but Dash was already looking for a way back in.
Seizing her moment of control once more Nightmare Harmony commanded the body to move. Twilight followed after her, becoming more aware of her body than her mind. They soared through the air, gliding down towards the great golden gates at the front of the castle.
There was something beyond the gates, waiting for them. At first, Twilight couldn’t make out what it was. But as they got closer she could see a pony. No, two ponies. NO! A pegasus and an earth pony!
They had to get control! They had to stop this!
As she was now, Twilight was hardly aware of her thoughts, or anypony else’s thoughts. She could sense the chaos playing out in her mind, but she couldn’t tell exactly what was happening. The only thing she could understand was that their battle was not going well.
If they could not stop Nightmare Harmony, than she had to warn these ponies! She had to do something!
Run, thought Twilight, trying to call out to the ponies below, but they did not move. They were frozen in horror as Nightmare Harmony flew ever closer. RUN! shouted Twilight, but her voice did not speak outside of her thoughts.
“Twilight!” cried the orange earth pony. “What happened to you?”
Twilight could not answer. She could feel the turmoil in the back of her mind. If she got swept up in the chaos with the others, she might lose herself. She had to keep trying to get through, she had to keep trying to regain control!
“I am Nightmare Harmony,” said Twilight Dash’s voice. The earth pony stumbled backwards. The yellow pegasus let out a squeak of fright. “I have come to take you, Applejack.” Why did Twilight know that name, it sounded so familiar…
“RUN!” shouted Twilight, and this time, it wasn’t just a thought. “GET AWAY FROM ME!”
Twilight felt Nightmare Harmony’s focus suddenly upon her. With the smallest of thoughts, she flung Twilight into the depths of her own mind. The little focus on reality that she had found was ripped away. She could no longer see nor hear the outside world.
It was like being swept up in a whirlwind. Narrowly, she soared past the dark portal. She could feel its icy cold draw, however, Discords protection kept her from falling in.
Thoughts spun past her like a silver wind as she tumbled without form through other minds. For a moment, she was Pinkie and she felt like screaming out in joy. Then a part of her intertwined with Rarity, and she felt like she would give up everything, just to save her friend’s.
However, Twilight stayed mixed with neither of them for very long. After a moment more of tumbling, she was caught up in the storm of thoughts and yanked in another direction.
It was hard to focus, but Twilight could vaguely sense what was happening in the real world, what Nightmare Harmony was doing. A spell, she was casting a spell, the fusion spell. Twilight could feel the magic welling up within her. They had to stop it!
“EVERYPONY!” shouted Twilight, both with her thoughts and with her voice, though it did not carry beyond the world of their mind. “We have to focus, we have to work together. Think about your horn…”
“We don’t have horn’s,” countered Pinkie as she zipped past, shaped like a muffin.
“We do,” said Twilight. “Reach out, feel it. We must disrupt the magic flowing to it!”
Twilight focused, finding her way into the flow of magic that was coursing through her. She could feel her horn gathering energy. With all her might, she redirected the magic, sending it away.
Ever so slightly, she felt the spell weaken, but it was not enough to stop it. Then, something very odd happened. She felt, herself, no, another her — no, Rarity, it was Rarity she was feeling – stifle the flow of magic too.
The spell quivered losing power. Twilight could feel the gaze of Nightmare Harmony upon her once again, trying to banish her into darkness and nothingness.
A third sensation reached into her horn, Spike. Twilight felt him pull with all his might. The spell sputtered and died.
Twilight could hear the words! No, they could all hear it because she could hear it. And Dash could see it, so they could all see it. And Spike could smell it, and Rarity could feel it and, Pinkie could taste it.
“Applejack,” cried Pinkie with Twilight’s voice. “Nightmare Moon and Harmony have taken over!” “Be silent!” “We have to stop them!” “YOU MAY NOT SPEAK!” “The others are here, inside their mind, but we need your help!” “Enough! All of you will obey me!” “We have to use the Elements of Harmony against us!”
“But, we don’t have them,” said Fluttershy.
“You have nothing that can stop me!” roared Nightmare Harmony. Rarity felt the dark force try to push them apart, but she held fast to her friends. Their horn ignited with magic again. “This time, you cannot fight me!”
Twilight tried to take over her horn, but something blocked her. She couldn’t reach it. None of them could. Nightmare Harmony had blocked them out, given them her senses to distract them. There was nothing they could do.
“This, ends, now!” shouted Nightmare Harmony. She lowered her horn to point at Applejack.
The spell erupted from her, but as it did, something swooped down from the sky knocking her out of the air. Both Nightmare Harmony and the white pegasus that had collided with her tumbled out across the bridge. The spell fizzled out of existence.
“How dare you!” shouted Nightmare Harmony, as she struggled to throw the pony off her. She lashed out at him with a hoof but he did not relinquish his hold.
“Uhmf,” grunted the pony. “As Captain of the Guard, I hereby place you under arrest.” Nightmare Harmony kicked the pegasus again, but he held fast. “You two should get clear,” said Captain Dawn, looking towards Applejack and Fluttershy. “I don’t know how long I can—“
A blinding flash of light erupted around Nightmare Harmony as she cast a powerful spell. It blasted the Captain off, tossing him clear across the bridge. He smashed into the gates with a heavy thud before falling limply to the ground.
The bridge beneath them trembled slightly. The spell had broken part of the railing away and cracks crisscross the stonework below their hooves.
“You have only delayed…” began Nightmare Harmony, getting unsteadily back to her hooves. The bridge trembled again, with part of the section connecting to the castle crumbling away. “… the inevitable.”
“We will stop you,” said Applejack sternly.
“I’m sure you will continue to try,” answered Nightmare Harmony. “But you are running out of ponies to come to your aid. Your friends have gone silent and Celestia is far, far away.”
“She isn’t the only pony that can help!” shouted a voice from the direction of the castle. A large group of pegasus guards were swarming through the air. And running along the ground below them were five ponies, each carrying something gold and shiny.
“The other elements,” whispered Nightmare Harmony. “Yes, bring them to me… with their power I shall become unstoppable.” Her horn glowed again with Rainbow light.
“No! Turn back!” shouted Applejack. “Get those as far away as—”
Magic lashed out across the distance, snatching the five elements from the on coming group. The golden necklaces flew through the air, racing to Nightmare Harmony.
One by one, each element attached itself to her. The Element of Loyalty snapped in place around her neck, while Laughter and Generosity changed to bracelets that fashioned themselves around her front hooves. And in the center of her chest, the Element of Magic glowed deep within her.
However, the last two elements flew right past her. The golden necklaces soared overhead before they snapped firmly around Applejack and Fluttershy’s necks.
“Now!” shouted Twilight Dash. The elements all began to glow. Rainbow light raced out of them, encircling the three ponies in a shimmering ring. The group from the castle stopped in their tracks, shielding their eyes against the light. Wild Heart and the parents all halted in their path as the blazing light engulfed the bridge.
“It’s over!” shouted Applejack. “We’re gona send you back to wherever you came from!”
Nightmare Harmony did not scream. She did not beg for mercy. She… laughed. A low, humorless laugh.
“Really?” asked Nightmare Harmony. The elemental rainbow light flowed through her, completely engulfing her, but she seemed unaffected by its power. “Did you really think the Element of Harmony would have any effect on me? I bear the Element of Magic. I AM HARMONY!”
Her eyes pulsed with rainbow light. The magic around them faltered and broke, than each element went dark.
“For its power to be strongest,” whispered Nightmare Harmony to herselves. “I need all of the bearers. I had planned only to fuse with Applejack, but it seems I will need you as well, Fluttershy.”
Her horn began to glow once more.
“There is nopony that can stop me, no magic that can defeat me,” said Nightmare Harmony. “Soon, all of you will know what it feels like to be a god.”
It hadn’t worked! The most powerful thing they had, and Nightmare Harmony had simply shrugged it off as though the strongest weapon in all of Equestria was nothing more than a fly buzzing about her head.
Their senses were becoming dull, Twilight and her friends were being forced away once more. She struggled to hold on, to listen, but there were no words to be heard. Only the sound of magic crackling upon their horn and the rushing water in the river below.
None of them had the strength left to fight. They could not overtake two goddesses working against them, their power was simply too great.
“Well,” said a calm voice that echoed through their thoughts. “I think I’ve done all I can here. Now it’s time to make my exit.”
“Discord! You’re abandoning us!” cried Spike, his voice echoing from someplace high above.
“Don’t think of it as me abandoning you. Think of it more like… Okay, yes, I’m abandoning you,” said Discord. “But look, hey, I don’t want to get sucked in here. I would much rather be stone.”
“But I thought you were my friend!” cried Pinkie, her words floating around as if they were part of a breeze.
“Oh, yeah, I almost forgot,” said Discord. A clawed hand reached out through the whirling thoughts and took hold of Pinkie, pulling her away from the others.
He was gone. He really had left them all behind, running away like a coward, taking Pinkie with him.
Twilight could feel the chaos that Discord had shielded them with fade away. They slipped from the magical whirlwind, falling upwards towards the swirling ball of shadowy black light.
Applejack stood frozen. The elements had not worked.
“Do not be fearful,” said the cold voice of Twilight Dash. “Soon, you will know peace. You and your friends will be united, together forever. Even now, they abandon their struggle against me. They have given in to their inevitable fate. Just as you will.”
“Ah won’t,” said Applejack defiantly. Part of the triumphant smile upon Nightmare Harmony’s lips faded away. “No matter what you say, or what you promise, you ain’t gonna convince me that this is a good thing. You wana take away who I am, what I am. Just so you can feel better.”
“It is more complicated than-” began Nightmare Harmony.
“Horse apples,” swore Applejack. “It’s all about you. I’m just a stepin stone on your way.”
“It… it does not matter what you think, you will not think it for much longer,” said Nightmare Harmony, struggling to regain her composure. “Prepare yourself.” Her horn blazed with magic. Applejack closed her eyes tightly.
“AHHHHH!” came the loudest, most enraged angry cry that Applejack had ever heard in her life. Her eyes snapped open just in time to see Fluttershy slam into Nightmare Harmony and carry them both over the edge of the broken bridge.
“FLUTTERSHY!” shouted Applejack, racing to the bridge’s crumbling walls.
The heavy rains had filled the river to its bursting point. The water below was swift, the current relentless.
Two dozen hooves down river both Fluttershy and Nightmare Harmony’s heads reemerged from beneath the churning water. Applejack watched as Fluttershy struggled and kicked, trying to keep her head above the surface. However, she was only visible for a moment before she vanished once again.
Without any a second thought, Applejack leapt in after her friend. She felt the water pull her under and hold her down. Her hooves bumped against the rock lined bottom. She bucked as hard as she could and her head broke the surface.
She had lost track of Fluttershy and Nightmare Harmony. They had to be ahead of her, but Applejack couldn’t tell how far, or where. She let out a yelp of fear as the water pulled her back under. Her front leg slammed painfully against a flat stone, but she managed to push herself back up.
She gasped for air. For at least a moment, she was in a calmer part of the river.
And then, amazingly, there they were, right in front of her! Nightmare Harmony had her hooves wrapped tightly around Fluttershy’s unmoving form. Harder than she ever had in her life, Applejack swam, front legs lashing at the water, letting the current propel her like a torpedo.
“You let go of her!” shouted Applejack, her words hardly audible over the tumult of the river. Nightmare Harmony did not release the pegasus, but continued to cling to the yellow pony. Fluttershy didn’t struggle, in fact, she didn’t seem to be doing much of anything. Either she was too afraid or unconscious.
“Out!” shouted a voice that Applejack could hardly hear. “You have to get out!”
‘Out?’ she didn’t…
Applejack tumbled beneath the surface once again as she entered into the strongest rapids she had encountered so far. Up and down became sideways. She bucked and her hooves hit nothing. She bucked again but she couldn’t find the surface, she didn’t know which way was up!
The air in her lungs burned, the water choked her. She needed to cough, she needed to breathe!
Then, suddenly, she was yanked upwards, at least, she hoped it was upwards. She flew out of the river and kept rising up into the air. Reflexively she began to cough, spitting up water. There was a pinkish glow of magic around her, coming from somepony on the river bank.
Hooves reached under Applejack’s front legs from behind. The spell ended and a pegasus hovering on eiher side held her aloft. They were carrying Applejack towards the edge of the river.
The pony that had pulled her out was apparently not waiting for her. Now that the guards had a firm grip, the golden unicorn galloped off. There was a large group of ponies following behind her as they all hurried down river.
“Flutter…” said Applejack weakly. She looked at the treacherous rapids ahead but could no longer see either her friend, or the pony that held her captive.
Twilight didn’t understand. She felt like… like herself. There were no voices in her head, no thoughts that weren’t hers. She didn’t see any strange images or memories that she hadn’t made.
And even stranger than all of that, was where she was. The Moon.
Above her, the black sky was filled with stars. A great glowing planet colored in blues and greens, hung in the sky. It was beautiful.
“Isn’t it?” said a voice from beside her. Twilight looked towards where the voice had come from, but there was no pony there. “Down here.” Twilight glanced down to find a very small, very young, Luna sitting in the dark gray dirt.
“Luna?” asked Spike. Twilight was slightly startled by his voice so close to her ear. She hadn’t been aware that Spike was here with her until he had spoken up. It was only then, as she noticed him, that she felt his weight upon her back. “Why are you so small?”
“You see only the smallest part of me, the part that isn’t evil…” said Luna quietly, looking away.
If Spike and Luna were both here, did that mean that Dash and… that other unicorn… were nearby as well? Glancing around, Twilight scanned the lunar surface, searching for a sign of anypony else. However, it appeared to be just the three of them.
“So, where are we?” asked Spike.
“The Moon,” answered Luna simply.
“Yeah, I kind of figured that much out on my own,” said Spike. “But where are we really? I mean we can’t really be on the Moon… can we?”
“No, of course we aren’t,” said Twilight. Although, she wasn’t as certain as she made her words. “This has to be a memory, or something.”
“It is,” answered Luna, drawing Twilight’s focus back to her. “This is my memory. Or maybe, my fantasy is a better term for it. This is not how I remember it. It is just how I wanted it to be. I was imprisoned within the Moon, becoming part of it. I never actually walked upon its surface. But I do remember the view.”
“Wait, Luna.” said Twilight. “Are we in your mind, inside of Nightmare Harmony’s mind, inside my mind… that I’m inside of?” Luna let out a quiet little laugh, unable to help but be slightly amused. She shook her head.
“You seem to think that those are all different things,” answered Luna. “No, we are all of us in the same place, your mind. Or I guess, Twilight Dash’s mind is maybe more accurate. And at the moment, we are all part of you and Dash. It is a little like being in the same house, but just in different rooms.”
“So what now?” asked Spike. “If you’re here does that mean Harmony is here someplace too?”
“Yes,” said Luna. “And, no.”
“Oh not this again!” moaned Spike in frustration.
“Harmony is not that much different from myself,” explained Luna. “I am Luna, Princess of Equestria, Goddess of the Moon.” Her expression darkened as she continued. “But I am also Nightmare Moon, the Bringer of Eternal Night, Queen of Darkness. Even when you used the Elements of Harmony against me, I never stopped being Nightmare Moon.
“But the part of me that was Luna, the way I am now,” she gestured to her small self. “This is who I returned to being, what little of me was left. And Nightmare Moon was locked away inside me. I could still feel her, trying to get back out. Ever since my return, I’ve had to be mindful of my emotions and hold back the evil inside me.”
“What does that have to do with Harmony?” asked Twilight.
“Unlike me, Harmony was born… evil,” said Luna, cringing at the word. “From the very moment of her creation, she was a corruption of her own power, fixated on ordering the chaotic world around her. She never got the choice not to be Harmony. Until she met you, Twilight.”
“Wait, wait, wait! Are you saying that deep down Harmony’s really wants to be good?” asked Spike, a tone of disbelief in his words.
“Perhaps ‘good’ is too strong a term,” answered Luna. “But yes, Rainbow Sparkle is the ‘good,’ or least less-bad, side of Harmony that never was before.”
“But she is going to fuse us again! If she hasn’t done so already!” cried Twilight. “How can you even consider that good?”
“I am currently sharing her mind,” answered Luna softly. “I can feel what she feels. I can hear her thoughts and see her memories.” Luna closed her eyes. “While I agree her methods have been awful, I can at least understand her desire. Discord took everything from her, and I let him do it. All she really wants is another chance.”
“But, we still have to stop her,” said Spike. “Right, Twilight?” The purple unicorn didn’t answer for a long moment as she pondered Luna’s words. She tried to see things from another perspective, from Rainbow Sparkle’s point of view.
“I don’t know,” said Twilight with a shake of her head.
“Well I do!” said Spike, leaping up to stand on Twilight’s back. “It doesn’t matter how good she wants to be, the fact is she’s evil! We have to stop her!”
“How?” asked Twilight. “We were powerless against her last time. Even the elements had no affect! How does that even work?”
“Well she is named Harmony,” pointed out Spike.
“That’s just a name, Spike. She doesn’t have anything to do with the elements,” said Twilight. “Order and harmony are not the same things.”
“I am unsure why the elements did not affect her,” said Luna. “However, there is another way to… stop her.
“Although she does not want to admit it, Rainbow Sparkle truly is just a guest within your mind, no different from myself, or Spike,” explained Luna. “While you cannot force her out, at least not without significant damage to yourself, you may be able to convince her to leave, willingly.”
“Oh yeah, like that’s going to happen,” said Spike sarcastically. “Maybe we just need to ask her nicely enough.”
“And… and what will happen to her if you leave?” asked Twilight.
“Nightmare Harmony only exists while we share your mind. Once we are apart, there can no longer be such a pony…” explained Luna. “So, if I leave, there can be no more Nightmare Harmony.”
“Well, what are you waiting for!” cried Spike. “You can go at any time right?” Luna shook her head.
“At the moment I could only take you with me, Spike,” explained Luna. “Rarity would be trapped here. Worse, it is possible that either Harmony or Nightmare Moon may continue to exist, even when we are divided.”
“So we would be facing both of them,” mumbled Twilight to herself.
“If it is Harmony that leaves,” continued Luna, “I should return to being myself. But without a body Rainbow Sparkle would fade away, gone forever.”
“So, we just need to trick her into…” began Spike.
“No,” interrupted Twilight, shaking her head. “I won’t do that to anypony, evil or not. There must be another way.”
“I am sorry, Twilight, but there is no other way,” apologized small little Luna. “If she stays here, if she is allowed to fuse again, there will be no power strong enough to ever overcome her. All of us will be lost forever, merged into her mind as broken memories. Harmony and my darker half will freeze our world in never ending night.”
“I’m not going to destroy her,” objected Twilight.
“But Twilight!” cried Spike.
“I’m not Discord!” shout Twilight bitterly. “I don’t abandon ponies.”
“Than what will you do?” asked Luna.
“I think I might have a plan,” said Twilight seriously. “But first, we have to find Dash and Rainbow Sparkle.”
Pinkie watched helplessly as her friends were pulled away from her. They spun out of her reach, fading into tiny points of light, and then, nothing.
She fell, racing through darkness and lightning. The world felt oddly elongated, stretched almost to the breaking point. Along side her, Discord sat back, legs crossed, humming to himself in some off-key tune.
“What did you do!” demanded Pinkie. She zoomed across the space between them, coming face to face with the God of Chaos.
“I thought I made that fairly clear,” said Discord defensively. “I abandoned them!”
“No!” shouted Pinkie angrily. “Why did you take me with you?! My friends need me!”
“Oh, no they don’t,” said Discord, waving a paw. He scooted slightly back, trying to move a more comfortable distance away from Pinkie. She scooted forward, keeping the uncomfortable close. “In any case, they probably don’t even exist anymore. If that makes you feel any better.”
“WHAT?!” exclaimed Pinkie in outrage. “HOW COULD THAT POSSIBLY MAKE ME FEEL BETTER!”
“Well,” continued Discord, still trying, unsuccessfully, to move away from the enraged pony. “I mean, it could have been you. I saved you. I helped you out!”
“YOU! YOU!” stammered Pinkie, at a complete loss for words. For a moment, she looked like she might explode. Then she shook her head and finally moved away from Discord. Her anger, her rage, simply faded away, replaced with heartbreak and grief.
“Pinkie,” said Discord, moving towards her. He extended a claw to touch her shoulder, but her head snapped around and her icy eyes found him. Discord pulled his hand back.
“I hate you,” whispered Pinkie. “You’re a horrible, awful friend.” It was Discords turn to be at a loss for words.
The black space between thoughts and reality continued to whirl around them. It was silent, with only flashes of flickering colors spinning in and out of existence.
“Look,” said Discord, rubbing the back of his neck. “I know I might have done some things we both regret. That’s just how I am. Aren’t you supposed to accept friends for who they are?”
“I don’t want to be your friend anymore,” said Pinkie. “There is nothing you can say that will ever make me trust you.”
“You don’t need to trust me,” answered Discord. “You just need to help.”
Before Pinkie could ask what he meant, Discord snapped his fingers. Abruptly, Pinkie felt herself burst back into reality. She was transformed from thoughts and made real once again.
Her hooves slammed into the dirt with a thud. A chill rolled across her back. And in the nearby river, she saw Fluttershy being carried away by Nightmare Harmony.
Dash hadn’t been sure what to expect as she had fallen into the portal of darkness. She didn’t remember what fusing with Twilight had felt like, but she imagined that it must have been similar.
The strange thing was, she hadn’t felt anything when they had been pulled into Nightmare Harmony. In fact, she didn’t feel any different at all. Wherever she had ended up, whatever had happened, she was still herself, and not part of some power mad goddess bent on making everything perfect… or nighttime forever, or whatever it was they wanted.
Actually, now that she was looking around, this place seemed more memory-like than mind-like. When they had confronted Nightmare Harmony and she had tried to absorb Dash and her friends, things had become very… fuzzy; intangible. She had been there but less as herself and more as pure thoughts.
But, whatever this place was, it felt more like a dream. She didn’t recognize the location. It seemed to be some kind of wide open meadow with only a single leafless tree in the distance. The sky high above was cloudless. Dash also noted that it was oddly Sun-less too, yet, still bright blue. The wild golden grass was chest high and it swayed softly in a breeze that did not blow.
“Where do you think we are now?” asked Rarity. Dash jumped up into the air, her wings reflexively trying to carry her away from danger. However, it did not work and she simply toppled over onto her side, falling into the soft grass. “Darling, are you alright?
“Yeah, fine,” mumbled Dash, climbing slowly back to her hooves. She had not noticed Rarity was with her until the pony has spoken up. In fact, Dash was sure that until she had said something, Rarity hadn’t existed at all. “Some kind of field I guess? I don’t know, it’s not my memory.”
“Well, it isn’t mine,” said Rarity. “I don’t see Twilight or Spike.”
“They might be someplace in the grass,” suggested Dash. “Let me get higher up. Maybe I can spot them.”
Dash flapped her wings. She always felt more comfortable in the air. However, much to her surprise, nothing happened. She stayed firmly planted on the ground. Dash tried again, straining herself, using much more force, but still she remained firmly planted on the ground.
“Is something wrong?” asked Rarity, watching her friend with apprehension.
“I can’t fly,” said Dash. She did a little hop, trying to gain some altitude, but she simply landed again. “How about your magic, does that work?” Rarity’s eyes turned upwards towards her horn.
“I’m not sure,” said Rarity. She closed her eyes in concentration, but not even the faintest glow came to her.
“I guess we just have to walk then,” said Dash.
Frowning slightly, she took a step forward instead. She wasn’t entirely sure where she was supposed to go, or even if she was supposed to go some place at all. Everything here looked the same, except for the distant skeletal tree.
“I guess we’re headed that way,” said Dash, pointing a hoof towards the tree. Rarity nodded, but offered no advice.
Dash led them on, moving through the grass. As she walked, Dash became aware that she couldn’t actually feel the grass brush against her. She might be able to see it, but it was like the field wasn’t even there.
She sniffed, she couldn’t smell it either. This place might be a memory, but all the details about it had been lost.
It was then that Dash finally heard something. Not the breeze, because there wasn’t any. It was more like… sobbing?
“Do you hear that?” asked Rarity. Dash nodded.
The two of them trotted towards the noise, it was coming from the tree. Gradually it got louder and at last, the short grass parted into a tiny clearing with a big round oak at its center. Both the ground and the tree were completely bare. The tree was in the exact center of the circle and laying at the base of its trunk, curled up in a little ball, was a small white filly with an untidy rainbow mane. She had neither a horn, nor wings, but apparently, she was source of the sobbing.
Dash didn’t recognize her and yet…
“YOU!” shouted Dash, pointing a hoof at the small little pony. The sobbing filly sat bolt upright, looking towards Dash with terrified eyes. Then, she scrambled to her hooves and galloped away as fast as she could. She was headed towards the edge of the circle and the safety of the tall grass.
However, Dash was far faster. She leapt at the filly, catching her just before the edge. The two of them tumbled across the dirt, before coming to a stop with Dash on top, pinning the filly down.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” pleaded the little pony.
“Dash,” cried Rarity. “What are you doing?!”
“This is her!” said Dash, keeping the filly in place. “This is Harmony!”
“I’m not! I’m not!” cried the pony, trying to wriggle out from under Dash with no success.
“Look at her, she’s terrified of you,” said Rarity. “What’s your name dear?”
“Rainbow Sparkle,” answered the scared little filly.
“No,” said Dash, pressing down on the small pony. “Part of that’s my name! And the other half belongs to Twilight! I knew you were Harmony!”
“Dash, I don’t think there is any need…” began Rarity.
“Any need?” growled Dash. “Have you seen what she’s done to do to us?”
“That’s not me!” cried the filly. “That’s not who I want to be!”
“Be quiet!” shouted Dash, pushing on the filly again and causing her to whimper into silence. Rarity just shook her head in disgust. “What!” demanded Dash.
“Look at you,” said Rarity. “Look at what you’re doing!”
“You can’t be serious! You’re taking her side?!” exclaimed Dash. “Do you have any idea what this… this monster has done to me and Twilight?”
“That may be so, but at the moment, all I see is what you’re doing,” said Rarity. “The Dash I know would never be so cruel.” Dash couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
“But she…” began Dash.
“But she did bad things,” interrupted Rarity, finishing Dash’s thoughts. “She hurt you so now you get to hurt her back? Is that the kind of pony you are?” Dash looked down at the silently sobbing filly below her.
Dash wanted to hate this pony for everything that she had done. Dash wanted her to pay for all the pain that she and Twilight had suffered. But… but Rarity was right… not like this.
Dash let go of the filly and got off of her. The small pony curled back into a ball, laying there, crying into the dirt.
“So,” said Dash, her voice dry in her throat. “What do we do with her?”
Fluttershy could hardly believe what she had done. The fear in Applejack’s eyes had simply been too much to bare. She couldn’t just standby and do nothing! The only thing she could come up with was knocking Nightmare Harmony over, disrupting her spell like the castle guard had done.
However, she hadn’t expected for them to go over the side of the bridge. When she had hit the water, her mind had gone blank. She couldn’t even comprehend what she had just done. All she could think about just now was not drowning.
Her back collided with a hard stone as her hind legs flipped over her head. She caught a mouth full of water as the rapids dragged her down into the depths. Her legs flailed futilely, kicking at the surface where her head should have been. She could not right herself. Blackness crept at the edges of her eyes.
And, just as all was lost, a hoof grabbed her from above, yanking her to surface.
Fluttershy coughed and sputtered. The river still pulled at her, but somepony was now keeping her afloat. For the briefest moment, she thought it was Applejack, but she quickly realized that was impossible. She had just seen Applejack leap off the bridge, diving into the river after her.
The pony held her tight, she was almost afraid to look, but curiosity overcame her. In the splashing water, and the dark light, she could make out the terrible features of Nightmare Harmony.
Fear overtook Fluttershy. She couldn’t move, she couldn’t struggle! Any moment the dark pony would cast her spell and merge them together. Fluttershy was trembling, both from the icy water and the terror.
Fluttershy felt the impact of another rock, except, it hadn’t hit her. Nightmare Harmony had collided with it. They bounced off the rock, the current catching them and spinning them about.
Another big rock loomed ahead of them. Fluttershy wanted to close her eyes, but she couldn’t. But, at the last second, she spun away from it. She felt Nightmare Harmony’s hooves push off the river bed and turn them. Again, Fluttershy felt the impact of the rock, and again, it was Nightmare Harmony that had hit it.
Fluttershy felt the ponies’ grip begin to loosen. Reflexively, she grabbed the other pony’s front legs and pulled them tight.
Nightmare Harmony wasn’t trying to drown her. She wasn’t holding Fluttershy hostage, she was… saving her? Fluttershy didn’t understand.
Her immediate concern of drowning fading away, her eyes sought out Applejack, who had vanished from view. With all the twisting water Fluttershy couldn’t see very well at all. Everything was colored in a dark gray with no sign of orange anywhere.
The river kept them moving, turning them around in circles, but somehow they managed to stay afloat. Fluttershy kept looking for her friend, but what she found, made her heart stop.
She heard it before she saw it. Was afraid of it before she knew what it was. And was approaching it without any way to stop herself. It was a waterfall. A big roaring waterfall.
“Fluttershy!” shouted a voice from the bank. It took all of her strength not to close her eyes and wish it all away. It took more strength than she ever thought she had, to turn her head and look for the pony calling her name.
Pinkie. It was Pinkie Pie, galloping along the river bank, just out of reach of the water. She bounded over boulders in her path and kept up with ease.
Fluttershy tried to call for her friend, but her voice wouldn’t come to her.
“Ahead! I’m going to get ahead of you! You need to grab me!” shouted Pinkie. Fluttershy didn’t respond, but Pinkie didn’t wait for any answer. She charged on, vanishing from Fluttershy’s sight.
Another larger bolder jutted up in their path. Standing over the left side of the river, front and back legs braced between two large rocks, was Pinkie, waiting to grab them. However, the current had other ideas. It pulled them, twisting them to the right, away from Pinkie. Nightmare Harmony tried to push them towards the other side, but the force of the water was simply too strong.
They veered away from Pinkie, who watched helplessly, waiting for the ponies that would never come to her.
At the very last moment, Nightmare Harmony shoved Fluttershy towards Pinkie’s waiting grasp. The river struggled against Fluttershy, trying to carry her away. She hit the rock, but as she rolled Pinkie grabbed her. Before she even knew what was happening, the pink pony was dragging her out of the water, coughing and shivering.
Then Fluttershy turned her head, her eyes followed the bobbin shape of the other pony still in the river. And a moment later, Nightmare Harmony vanished over the edge of the waterfall, without even a scream.
Twilight was starting to feel… odd. She, Luna and Spike were currently walking across the surface of the moon. Yet, trees had begun to spring up all around them. Twilight recognized some the features of the Everfree Forest in the newly grown trees.
She even recognized the path they were following. This was the same path that she and her friends, although they hadn’t been friends at the time, had taken on their very first adventure together.
Her eyes swept up and she saw, looming ahead of her, the Castle of the Two Sisters. It was the ancient home of Luna and Celestia, destroyed long ago by Nightmare Moon’s wrath. They had found the Element of Harmony there. They had come together and built friendship in that ruined palace.
But of course, this wasn’t really that place. This was just a memory, although, who’s memory it was, Twilight couldn’t tell.
“So what are we doing here?” asked Twilight.
“I do not know,” answered Luna. “You brought us here.”
“I thought that was you,” said Twilight. Luna simply shook her head and let out a small cough, that became a hack.
“Luna, are you… alright?” asked Spike, still riding atop Twilight’s back. Luna held up a hoof to her mouth coughing several more times.
“We… should hurry,” said Luna.
“Of course,” agreed Twilight. She pressed them forward.
They weren’t galloping, but their pace seemed to quicken. Before Twilight knew it, they stood at the entrance to the long abandoned castle.
Much of its roof had been blasted away, some of its walls had tumbled down and thick vines grew over its sides. The building had a hollow empty feeling to it, like it was a graveyard of sorts, although no pony had actually perished inside it. A least, none that Twilight knew of.
Carefully they made their way up the steps, with little Luna having slightly more trouble climbing over them.
The door to the castle was ajar as Twilight approached. With a hoof she pushed it open. The ancient wood creaked in protest, swinging only a short distance. However, the opening was large enough for all of them to enter. Without hesitation, they trotted into the dark.
Inside, it was completely still and quiet. Streams of light cascaded down through whirling dust in the air, giving the interior an otherworldly feel.
“Man, it sure is creepy in here,” whispered Spike. “Do you really think we are going to find Dash in this place?”
“And Rarity, and Rainbow Sparkle. I hope,” said Twilight.
Luna coughed again, making both Twilight and Spike jump at the loud noise as it echoed. She continued coughing for a good thirty second before at last it subsided and she stood panting.
“Luna… what’s… what’s going on out there? What’s wrong?” asked Twilight.
“Water,” said Luna between pants. “I can not see much, but…” she shook her head, “We must stay focused. And we must move quickly. We cannot waste any more time. Where do we go now?”
“The chamber where we found the elements,” said Twilight. “I think that’s where we’ll find the others.” Luna nodded, but she waited for Twilight to lead.
They hurried through the corridors. While it seemed like they were walking, Twilight was becoming more and more aware that they weren’t moving at all, but that the world was moving around them. Passageways zipped past in a blur. In only a moment, they were in the empty chamber where they had found the Elements of Harmony.
“I don’t understand,” said Twilight, glancing around. “They aren’t here. But I thought for sure…”
As if on cue, the doors on the far side of the room swung open. Two ponies, one pale blue and the other pristine white, stood on the other side.
“See! I told you!” said Dash excitedly. They galloped forward, hurrying to meet Twilight in the exact center of the room.
“Yes, and I agreed with you!” protested Rarity. “Twilight, darling, it’s so good to see you again! And… Luna… you’ve gotten so… small…” Rarity tore her eyes away from Luna to look at Twilight with concern. “Spike… isn’t with you?”
“Up here,” said Spike, standing on Twilight’s back and hanging off her side so that Rarity could see him. She smiled in relief.
“And Rainbow Sparkle?” asked Twilight, her eyes searched the doorway from which Rarity and Dash had come. There was no pony there.
“Also riding along,” said Dash, she turned slightly to reveal the white ball of fur curled up and shivering on her back.
“Huh, I kind of thought she’d be taller,” said Spike.
“What’s wrong with her?” asked Twilight. “What happened?”
“We have no idea,” said Dash, shaking her head. “One minute she was fine, and the next she just started shaking and shivering. I had to carry her the rest of the way.”
“How did you know we’d even be here?” asked Spike, his eyes still watching the shivering ball of white.
“We didn’t,” said Rarity. “But we also didn’t know what to do with, uh, her. We thought finding you was the best option, and we obviously couldn’t leave her there. So we just started walking and before we even noticed, we found ourselves walking down the halls of this castle. And Dash said…”
“I know this place!” continued Dash. “And I bet I know where Twilight would be! And here you are!” Dash paused of a long moment, the triumphant smile fading from her face. “So what do we do? Cuze, I’m all out of ideas.”
“I think I have an idea… but… I don’t think you are going to like it,” said Twilight with a frown.
Luna coughed again, the worst thus far. Rainbow Sparkle let out a yelp of pain, tumbling off Dash’s back and falling to the floor.
“But I don’t think I have time to explain it,” said Twilight desperately. “We need to regain control of our body! Luna,” Twilight gaze snapped to small little Luna standing beside her, “We have to risk it. I need you to leave.”
“What?!” cried Spike, Rarity and Dash all at once.
“There isn’t time,” said Twilight. “Take Spike and Rarity with you!”
“Nuh-uh, no way!” said Spike, grabbing Twilight’s mane. “I’m not abandoning you!”
“Neither am I!” said Rarity defiantly.
“You aren’t,” said Twilight.
“Twilight is right, there is no time,” said Luna. She looked at Twilight very seriously. “This may not work. Harmony might remain in control when I leave. I may emerge as Nightmare Moon when I return to the physical world…” warned Luna. “And when you wake, you will be in danger…”
“I know,” said Twilight. Luna nodded.
Despite Spike and Rarity’s protests, Luna pulled them away with her. The three of them stretched, their voices still calling out. Then, they vanished and the castle began to crumble.
Spike, Rarity and Luna all popped back into existence. They condensed down from intangible thoughts to physical beings once again. For a moment, everything felt unreal to Spike. He had legs and a tail, along with little clawed hands. He could move all of them, but he felt disconnected from them.
There was a raging river nearby. At their backs and up a slight incline was the castle wall. He didn’t recognize the exact spot, but he knew the general area. They weren’t that far from where they had tried to sneak into the castle, and failed horribly.
Dimly Spike became aware that somepony was speaking to him. No, shouting to him. The words were hollow in his ears, until they repeated.
“Spike!” called the pony, galloping towards him. He blinked and she seemed to close the distance almost instantly. It was Doctor Heart. “Spike! Rarity! Princess! You’re all back! And not a moment too soon! Please we have to hurry!”
A large group of guards, Twilight’s parents, and — Spike assumed — Dash’s parents were being led by Doctor Heart. They were galloping and flying towards them at an alarming rate.
The group did not slow as they ran past and flew overhead. Both Luna and Rarity stayed still only a moment before joining into the stampede.
Spike tried to hurry after them, but his short little legs couldn’t move him anywhere near as fast as the ponies. Then, somepony grabbed him from behind, lifting him into the air and tossing him onto their back. He let out a cry of surprise, but managed to hold on.
“Hey thanks for the…” Spike trailed off as orange pony with the blond mane spared an unhappy glance back at him.
Applejack.
The two of them had not departed on the best of terms last time. And he still had a few more choice words to shout at her for abandoning Twilight Dash. But right now, he couldn’t waste time being angry at her. Other, far more important things were at stake.
“What’s going on?” shouted Spike over the thundering hooves around him. “Where is Twilight Dash?”
“In the river,” said Applejack. “Her and Fluttershy both.”
Spike glanced towards the dangerous water only a dozen hooves away. In the river?
“No,” whispered Spike. “Faster! We have to go faster!”
Much to his surprise, Applejack did indeed go faster, passing several other ponies. She neared the front of the pack where Luna, Rarity, Twilight Dash’s parents and Doctor Heart all were.
“We are almost at the waterfall,” shouted Luna. “I only hope that we are not too late!”
Ahead, Spike could see two ponies sitting not too far ahead of them. They appeared to be at the edge of a cliff, looking down over it.
“There!” shouted Spike, pointing towards the shadowy shaped. One of them was a pegasus for sure, but he couldn’t tell if she had a horn. And the other was… Pinkie? And that was Fluttershy beside her.
The group came to trotting halt, stopping within a stride or two of Pinkie and Fluttershy.
“Where’s Twilight Dash?” asked Rarity, panting slightly from the run.
Sadly, Fluttershy looked back towards them, tears were streaming down her face. She opened her mouth but nothing came out.
“They’re… they’re gone,” said Pinkie, her gaze fixed on the emptiness below.
It wasn’t like waking up. It was like… like, becoming real. Like they had vanished and been replaced by somepony that looked and spoke like them. For the briefest moment, nothing made sense. Not the cold, not the sound, not the feeling of motion.
The lingering world of the dream drifted in and out from their vision. The crumbling castle, the fields, the moon, the river… It was all there, mixed up with reality and they couldn’t tell which one they were in.
In one jarring moment, Twilight Dash was fully awake; a nightmare made real churning all around them. The lower half of their body was freezing. They were in water, a river. The sky was dark with clouds, or perhaps night. And in their forelegs, trembling uncontrollably, was Fluttershy.
Their very sore hind legs kicked, trying to maneuver them, but it did little good. They tried flapping their wings, but they couldn’t get any lift from under the surface. They tried their horn.
THUD.
Something hard slammed into their back, nearly knocking the breath out of them. The impact sent them spinning in the rough water.
Fluttershy was whimpering in their grasp, she was afraid of them. They held her tighter, trying to reassure her. They tried to speak to her, but their words were lost in the roar of the rapids.
THUD.
There was pain this time, and dizziness. Their thoughts swam unfocused in their head, while their body struggled to stay afloat.
As they spun, they noticed a pink pony galloping along side them on the river bank… they knew her, but they couldn’t remember her. She was shouting at them, trying to say something… She was going ahead to catch them.
They watched as the pink pony hurried down river. She hopped expertly across the rocks, bridging herself over a spot that Twilight Dash and Fluttershy were headed towards.
As they approached, the current caught them, pulling them away from the pink pony. She couldn’t reach them and they couldn’t get to her.
Twilight Dash flapped their wings, trying to use them like paddles. But it was no good, the current was simply too strong. The waters pulled them right, dragging them away from their would-be savior.
They remembered Fluttershy, clenched in their arms. The divide drew closer. They pushed, shoving the pegasus as hard as they could towards the far side of the river. She hit the rock as they were sucked past it.
As they rounded the rapid, they could see that the pink pony had caught… the yellow one… what had been her name?
In one terrible moment, the sound of the river changed. It was no longer simply the tumult of water slamming into rocks, or rapids tumbling over each other. This was a roar. A roar like the edge of the world.
They spun in the water and saw where the river ended and the sky began. There was nothing they could do as they were swept over the edge into the nothingness below.
Their wings flapped uselessly, one faster than the other. The motion sent them spinning, rather than lifting. Far below, they could see the points of the jagged rocks rushing up at them. Teleport, they could teleport to safety! Yet, their magic would not come.
Still they fell. With each passing moment, time felt like it was getting slower and slower. They half expected their lives to flash before their eyes, yet, it was simply emptiness. Their lives had been stolen from them. There was nothing left to remember.
No pony was coming to save them. They had no friends to rescue them. Their wings wouldn’t work, their magic wouldn’t cast. This… this really was the end…
And yet, something strange was happening around them. The falling drops of river tumbled down but the water appeared almost frozen in time.
“I can save you,” said a voice. As it spoke the waterfall vanished. Twilight and Dash were standing back in the Castle of the Two Sisters. The ground trembled beneath their hooves. The walls tumbled down around them.
Standing in front of them, just a small as ever, was Rainbow Sparkle. She was looking up at the two ponies that stood before her.
“You mean save yourself?” said Dash. The small pony shook her head.
“Look, I’m sorry,” said the little filly. “I really am. I know I’ve gone about this all wrong. But I really can save you. And I know I can’t say anything that-”
“How can you save us?” interrupted Twilight. The imaginary castle continued to shake and collapse all around them.
“You have to let me merge with you,” said Rainbow Sparkle. “From here, the best I’ve been able to do is speed up your thoughts, making time seem like its going slower. But if I merge with you then I can order your thoughts, I can help you focus. Where the two of you are in chaos, I can bring you structure.”
“No way!” said Dash. She looked at Twilight. “Come on, we just got her out! Now she wants right back in? What if we become Nightmare Twilight Harmony Dash?! And why is my name always last!”
“Luna’s gone, so we won’t be a nightmare anything,” said Twilight, looking over at Dash. Twilight glared seriously at the white filly. “But why should we trust you? What’s to stop you from trying to fuse with anypony else?”
“I won’t be in control,” said the filly. “Both of you will still be you. When you’re safe… when we’re safe… I guess it’s up to you what happens to me.”
“We want our friends back,” said Dash. “And our memories. AND my name!”
“Our names,” corrected Twilight. “But if you can help us, I think I know a way we can help you.”
The filly nodded.
“Alright,” said Dash, nodding to Twilight. “Let’s get this over with.”
The filly shimmered away. Then Dash vanished as well. A moment later Twilight felt her thoughts waking back up. She could feel a third mind spreading throughout their head. They were no longer Twilight and Dash, but Twilight Dash and Rainbow Sparkle, all feeling, all existing, as one.
The crumbling stone walls of the castle changed. The dream world melted away into falling water. The ground beneath their hooves became air, and they continued to plummet downwards. Time resumed its normal pace as they were forced back into reality.
“As one,” said their voice and their thoughts together. “Flap our wings.”
All together they moved their wings. They felt their feathers catch the air, their body became light. Their wings beat in sync, their thoughts aligned. They were thinking like one pony.
They pulled up. Yet, it wasn’t enough! They weren’t going to make it! They had acted too late!
The jagged rocks raced towards them and in a flash of purple light, the whole world vanished.
In the distance around Canterlot, the rain continued to fall. But overhead the sky remained clear. The clouds stretched from one horizon to the other, save for directly above. Here, an enormous circle of bright blue sky held the clouds back and the rain refused to fall.
Far below, on the edge of a cliff, beside a waterfall, a large group of ponies waited in silence. Some stood, some sat, but no pony spoke, no pony moved.
Pinkie was at the very edge, watching intently for any motion, or any sign of their friends.
“Maybe they’re okay,” suggested Spike. He still stood atop Applejack’s back. “Maybe they were able to fly away!”
“No,” said Pinkie. “I watched them fall… they didn’t…” Fluttershy put a hoof around Pinkie, while the pony continued to sit there in shock.
“It… it can’t end… not like this,” said Applejack.
“Do not be sad little one,” said Luna, looking up into the sky. “This is not over yet.”
Spike followed her gaze, as did several other ponies. The dark gray storm clouds overhead swirled menacingly, but they did not close the gap in the sky. Other than the sun however, the sky remained empty. Then — Spike was sure he had seen it — there was a bright flash of purple light. And a moment later, from the center of the sun, flying down towards them, was...
“TWILIGHT!” shouted Spike, leaping off Applejack’s back. Cheers and cries of relief went up from all around them as the pony descended. Pinkie bounced for joy, hugging Fluttershy tightly, Rarity wept and Applejack smiled sadly.
“Uh, I don’t think she’s slowing down,” said Applejack. A soft distant voice came down from overhead…
Rarity, Luna and Doctor Heart all reacted before anypony else. Their magic reached up and caught Twilight Dash mid fall, stopping her a dozen hooves above the ground. Carefully, they lowered her down.
She stood on wobbly legs for only a second before Pinkie charged the pony and wrapped both forelegs around her. Rarity and Spike both hurried forward as well, followed by both Twilight and Dash’s parents. Even Fluttershy managed to add herself to the group hug. Only Applejack and Luna stood apart.
“Pinkie,” interrupted Rarity. “Perhaps you should let her tell us what happened.”
“Oh, right. What happened?” asked Pinkie. “How did you guys make it out?”
“It’s kind of hard to explained,” said Twilight Dash.
“First,” interrupted Luna, drawing the attention of everypony. “I think we should ask who they are.”
Standing around the friends, was a wall of palace guards. A group of pegasus also circled above, preventing any escape by air.
“She’s Twilight Dash,” said Spike, stepping forward to stand between Luna and the mare. The other ponies that had been tangled up in the hug looked outward at the guards that surrounded them.
“Harmony’s gone,” said Twilight Dash. “I mean, sort of.” “She’s not really gone so much as not really Harmony, at the moment.” Applejack looked confused. “She only existed while Nightmare Moon was in our head.” “I’m just Rainbow Sparkle now.”
“Wait… You’re… what? What the hay are you talking about?” asked Applejack. Luna held out a hoof for silence.
“What have you done,” asked Luna seriously.
“We went over the falls, we couldn’t fly, we couldn’t cast,” explained Twilight Dash. “We were falling and there was nothing we could do.” “They, we, them… us…? Couldn’t focus. Their thoughts were everywhere, so, I merge with them and helped them fly and teleport away.” Luna had a dark expression across her face.
“So what will you do now?” asked Luna. “Have you decided to remain joined with Rainbow Sparkle?”
“No, you’re right,” said Twilight Dash after a long pause. “She can’t stay, not with us.” “They don’t want me here anyhow.” “But we aren’t going to just kick you out either. Twilight… has a sort of compromise.” The pony was quiet for a long moment. “And, you’re really okay with it?” “No. Not really.” “Then we can find an-” “But like you said, what other choice do we really have?”
“What are you talking about?” asked Spike, turning to face Twilight Dash again. “Twilight, what are you going to do?”
“Celestia once separated three fused ponies into two,” explained Twilight Dash. “I think that I can do… the opposite. I think I can split the two of us into three.”
“What?” cried Spike and Rarity together. Fluttershy could only gasp and Pinkie’s mouth simply hung open.
“I… how… is that even possible?” asked Applejack.
“When Dash and I fused together, the parts of us that didn’t end up on the outside were transformed into energy,” explained Twilight Dash. “So my awesome blue coat is in there someplace.” “Well, sort of, I mean, it could be. It’s just energy at the moment, floating around inside us. It’s indistinguishable from my mane or anything else that used to be part of either of us when we were separate.”
“So… so you’re giving her Dash’s body?” asked Spike. Twilight Dash shook her head.
“No, we’re giving her part of our energy, from the both of us,” said Twilight Dash. “We’re going to make a new body for Rainbow Sparkle.” “Wait… really?” “Yes.” “I… I can’t believe you would do that for me…”
"Wait, wait, wait," said Spike, waving his small arms in the air. "I thought that if you and Dash went back to the way you were... wouldn't Dash... uh... go back to how she was before you fused?"
"Well," said Twilight Dash. "Not exactly how we were. Two divided by three isn't two. So we are going to be a little different than how we were before we fused together." "Wait, how different?" "Uh, shorter... maybe?"
“But you'll both be separate, right? You and Dash?” asked Fluttershy quietly.
“Yes,” said Twilight Dash. “I think.” “You think?” “Well I said it might work!”
“Nothing like this has ever been tried before,” said Twilight Dash. “Celestia is the only pony that has ever attempted a similar spell…” “And even she couldn’t get it right.” “Dash! Or… wait, was that Rainbow Sparkle…?”
“You are correct,” said Luna. “My sister’s gift of magic is strong. But such a task as this, even for her, I fear would be impossible.”
“That’s why we need all of you,” explained Twilight Dash. “I think we can use the Elements of Harmony. Together, I believe we can do it. I know we can do it.” “And with my help they should be able to focus the spell and the elements at once.” “Yes, that’s a key part. With three minds working our magic together, I think it should be doable.”
“I don’t think this is a good idea,” said Applejack shaking her head. Spike glared at her. “What! You can’t all just be going along with this!” The others were quiet for a long moment. “I mean, what if something goes wrong, what if it all goes wrong? What happens to you then?”
Twilight Dash didn’t answer, but the expression on their face told Applejack that nothing good would be the result of failure.
“Perhaps… perhaps Applejack is right,” agreed Rarity. Spike turned on her too, shock and disbelief in his eyes. “There must be another way besides this. Maybe just get her to leave?”
“If she left our mind, she would have no body to go to, no physical form to take,” said Twilight Dash. “She would vanish,” whispered Twilight Dash, her eyes focused on the ground before moving up to Rarity. “She may have done bad things to us. But you were right. I don’t want to hurt her back. Pushing her out, making her disappear forever. That doesn’t fix anything. And that’s not the pony that I am.” “That we are.”
Rarity nodded slowly but said nothing.
“Anypony else,” asked Twilight Dash. “It really is now or never.”
“Why?” asked Applejack. “Why would you do this? You don’t even know this pony. She took you away from us. She took us away from you! And you want to give her everything and let her go?”
“Not… not exactly,” said Twilight Dash. “Twilight thinks that when we split, everything that Harm… uh, Rainbow Sparkle, has taken will be able to return to us.” “It will.”
“And you trust that she’s going to do that?” asked Pinkie, adding her objections for the first time. “Hello! Were you paying attention at all when Discord betrayed us! Why should we trust her! She’s his sister!”
“I’m not Discord!” cried Twilight Dash, before clapping a hoof over her mouth. “Sorry I didn’t…” “It’s alright.”
“Do you really think you can trust her?” asked Fluttershy quietly.
“We don’t know,” said Twilight Dash. “I’m not lying.” “We just have her word.”
“So… so you want to risk everything, just so you can remember us?” asked Applejack. “Just to have a shot at getting back all the good times we had together.”
“And the bad,” said Twilight Dash. “Err, not specifically the bad.” “We just meant, everything.” “We want to remember you. We want our friends back.” “…” “We are trusting you to do the right thing.” “I… I will.”
“I’ll help you,” said Applejack. “If you think this is really the best way.” Twilight Dash nodded.
“Oh! Oh! Me too!” said Pinkie. “I love helping! And when you remember us, I’ll bake you a cake-pie!” Pinkie wrapped her hooves around Twilight Dash’s neck and hugged her tightly. Twilight Dash looked towards Rarity and Fluttershy.
“I will help however I can,” said Rarity.
Fluttershy simply nodded, but didn’t say anything.
“And all of us will still be here to support you,” said Doctor Heart, motioning to their parents, Spike and Luna. “No matter the outcome.”
“Thank you,” said Twilight Dash, teary-eyed. “Ready girls?”
The four ponies nodded. The friends spread out, standing in a very small circle around Twilight Dash. She shut her eyes tight and bit her lip as she willed magic to flow to her horn. Sparks flittered and crackled as she tried to force the spell out.
For a moment, it seemed like nothing was going to happen… then the elements began to glow. The gems around Fluttershy and Applejack’s necks ignited with light. The two golden bracers leapt from Twilight Dash’s front legs and sped through the air before clicking into place on Rarity and Pinkie. The Element of Loyalty around Twilight Dash’s neck glowed with a red light and the Element of Magic emerged from within her chest.
Twilight Dash’s eyes snapped open and magic pour from her horn. The power of the elements flowed in a rainbow spiral, engulfing the friends in blinding light. Some of the ponies gathered nearby had to shield their eyes, while others took a step back.
The rainbow light raced through Twilight Dash. Her eyes glowed white and her body shimmered as if she were fading away. An orb of white light wrapped around her, spinning with blazing magic. The orb spun, intertwining with the rainbow magic of the elements.
After what felt like minutes, but was really only seconds, a portion of the orb broke off. It spun faster than a top, but floated gently like a leaf through the air before landing a dozen hooves away. As it touched the ground, the orb burst softly, dispersing into tiny golden shards of light that were swept away in the breeze.
Where the orb had been was a small silver filly, not much bigger than Spike. She had a silver and gold mane, but didn’t seem to have either wings or a horn.
The larger orb continued to spin and twist. It too began to pull apart into two halves. However, just as the parts were about to separate, the rainbow magic faltered. The two orb violently smashed back together. The reformed orb began to wobble as the hum of the magic changed in pitch to an almost earsplitting screech. The rainbow light flickered and the spell broke.
White hot energy exploded out in all directions, flinging out shards of sunlight. The elements stopped glowing and the magic evaporated in a bright flash, forcing Spike to look away.
When the glow faded, Spike frowned at the sight before him. The spell… hadn’t worked… Twilight and Dash were still fused together, although, something about them looked… different.
“Twilight,” cried Spike, hurrying towards her. Twilight Dash did not answer, instead she looked towards the little filly laying peacefully only a few hooves away.
“What happened?” asked Applejack. “Why didn’t you two separate?”
“Couldn’t…” said Twilight Dash, her voice strained. She swayed on her hooves. Spike, Rarity, Pinkie, Fluttershy and even Applejack all hurried forward to catch her. But who actually managed to catch her, Twilight Dash did not see.
There were voices chattering away in their head. Strange, unfamiliar sounds that spoke in a language they couldn’t understand. The words were hollow and floaty. They couldn’t distinguish one voice from the other.
“Are her eyes going to stay like that?” asked a pink pony hovering in front of their face.
Reality suddenly snapped into place. About a dozen ponies were gathered around them, looking at them. At first, Twilight Dash wasn’t entirely sure where they were. The room was hung with dark swaths of blue that glittered. They were on some kind of enormous draped bed with a blanket patterned in stars…
Luna’s room! This was Luna’s room! This was Luna’s bed!
Twilight Dash felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment. They tried to get up, but instantly felt their head spin and a hoof gently coax them back down.
“It’s alright, don’t try to move,” said the golden unicorn at their bedside. There were a lot of unfamiliar ponies here. Just beside the golden unicorn was a pink earth pony, and beside her, a white unicorn. Further back there were two more unicorns, one a soft lavender and the other a light blue. They wanted to call them mom and dad.
On the other side of the bed was a small purple dragon, hanging off the side. Next to him was a yellow pegasus and an orange earth pony. Just, behind them were two pegasus, a silver one with wispy clouds for hair and a sky blue one, with a rainbow mane… they also wanted to call them mom and dad.
And at the end of the bed, watching them with keen interest, was Princess Luna… and Princess Celestia.
“Princess!” cried Twilight Dash, sitting up a second time. “Ouch!” and then laying back down.
“Rest now, my dear little pony,” said Princess Celestia. “As my sister tells me, you have had quite the adventure these past few days.”
“How long have we been asleep,” asked Twilight Dash. “And what am I doing here?” Twilight Dash felt themself blush again.
“A few hours,” said the golden pony by the bed side. She was a Doctor, but they couldn’t remember her name… “I considered transporting you to the Canterlot Magical Emergency Medical Center. However, you simply appear to have fainted from exhaustion and were in no immediate danger. So Luna insisted that we bring you to the castle instead and this room was the closest.”
“She is unharmed,” said Celestia. “Although under heavy guard for the moment. When you… attempted to divide yourself, her magic in the south faded away. The Crystal Mist is gone and I returned home at once to discover what had happened. However, those ponies that were touched by the spell still remain frozen.”
“Please don’t turn her to stone,” begged Twilight Dash. Princess Celestia frowned.
“I did not think you believed me to be so heartless,” said the princess softly. “Like you, I took the actions I thought were best. Harmony has no magic. No power. She is not a threat to anypony. But she has still broken our laws and harmed many ponies, yourself included.
“However, my sister agrees with you,” continued Princess Celestia, quickly throwing a glance towards Luna, who looked away. “For now, Harmony will remain on the castle grounds, not a prisoner, but… a guest.”
Twilight Dash nodded, feeling too exhausted to argue just now. They guessed that was as good as they could have hoped for. They settled back on the pillow behind their head, closing their eyes.
“TD,” asked a voice off to their right. They turned their head, glancing towards the orange earth pony that looked at them with sad eyes. “Do ya… do you know who I am?”
They looked over the pony’s freckle dotted face, her blond mane, her bright green eyes. She was so familiar and yet… they felt like they almost knew her name… like they had met her in a past life… at a farm… tasting pie… and… a race… may the best pony…
“Applejack…?” said Twilight Dash. Applejack let out a choked cry of joy. Part laugh, part tears.
Their eyes moved on towards the yellow pegasus. She had found her conducting a choir of birds and hiding at her approach. They remember the small filly being tormented by bullies as she stood up for her.
“Fluttershy…” whispered Twilight Dash. Her eyes shifted to the baby dragon that had been her companion her whole life, her baby brother… “Spike…”
“OH ME! DO ME NEXT!” cried Pinkie from the other side.
“Pinkie! Hush!” said Rarity.
“I remember all of you,” said Twilight Dash, smiling at her friends. “Rarity, Pinkie. Mom, Dad… and uh, Mom and Dad.”
Twilight Dash held up a hoof, looking at it as though they had never seen it before. Something about it was… odd.
“We feel… different,” said Twilight Dash. “But still the same…”
“Well you look different!” said Pinkie. Rarity nudged the pink pony in the side.
“Different… how?” asked Twilight Dash with a frown. The ponies gathered around them seemed hesitant to answer.
“Perhaps a mirror might be the easiest way for you to see,” suggested the Doctor pony. “Do you think you can stand?” Twilight Dash nodded.
This time, they sat up slowly. They still felt a little groggy, but the world didn’t spin so badly. The Doctor moved aside, so that they could slide themself out of bed. They paused at the edge. With both legs hanging over the side, their hooves weren’t even close to touching the ground. This bed really was huge.
Rarity offered them a hoof as they hopped down onto the floor. For some odd reason, Rarity seemed… taller than normal.
“Over here,” said the Doctor in a soft tone, motioning to a very large, silver etched, wall mirror.
With careful steps, Twilight Dash moved towards it. Their legs felt shaky, but their coordination much improved over past attempts. They didn’t have to think about every step. They didn’t stumble, trip or fall. Walking felt like walking again. Like they had done it all their lives.
They stopped in front of the mirror. Something… something was odd, but they couldn’t but a hoof on it. Not until their friends appeared behind their reflection. Everypony had gotten taller.
They trotted around in a circle examining themself in the mirror. Their legs were shorter, their body smaller and their wings weren’t as big. Thankfully, both cutie marks, Dash’s on one flank and Twilight’s on the other, remained. But the most striking feature of this new form was the pointed patch of slightly darker purple on their chest, shaped like the Element of Magic.
“How did we get younger!” exclaimed Twilight Dash, their eyes still glancing around their body in confusion. “Well…” “Twilight! What did you do! I thought we were supposed to be separated!” “I tried! I really did! I was able to split Rainbow Sparkle off without too much trouble, but once she left… things got… tricky. I tried to get you out too, but it didn’t work! It was like… like…”
“Like she did not want to go,” suggested Celestia, trotting into view behind them. She was now much, much taller than they were. Yet this felt oddly familiar. Twilight had met the Princess when she had been very young and somehow, she had always thought of Celestia this way.
“What do you mean?” asked Fluttershy softly.
“When I divided Discord and Harmony, they were two very different thoughts within the whole,” explained Celestia. “They may have been one pony at the time, but even then I could sense how different they were. They wanted to be separate, to be apart from each other.
“I suspect that… Rainbow Sparkle… was much the same when you gave her part of yourself,” continued Celestia.
“A little more than I would have liked,” mumbled Twilight Dash.
“She was ready to no longer be a part of you. But I do not think that is true for the both of you,” said Celestia. “I think that you did not want to be split apart. That you want to stay the way you are.”
“That’s ridiculous,” said Applejack. “Course they want to be back to their old selves! Don’t ya?” She added, seeing the frown on Twilight Dash’s face.
“We… sort of,” said Twilight Dash nervously. Applejack looked at them in confusion. “This is the way we are, we’ve kind of accepted that.” “Plus, I didn’t really want to be a small filly again anyhow! Could you imaging what Scootaloo would think? She might explode from the excitement of being the same age as me.”
“So you want to stay like this?” asked Fluttershy quietly.
“Honestly, we aren’t sure yet,” said Twilight Dash. “We know the elements have the power to split us apart. But we just aren’t ready, not yet.” “Besides, we can always try again later.” They turned again, looking at their smaller body in the mirror. “Seriously though Twilight, you couldn’t make our mane and tail match?” “What’s wrong with my tail?”
Pinkie, Rarity and Fluttershy giggled.
“I think your tail looks fine, darlings,” said Rarity. “And if this is how you want to be, we support the both of you in whatever decision you make. Although, others might not be as… happy with it.” Rarity glanced back at Rainbow Sky, who had been frowning most of the conversation.
Twilight Dash turned away from the mirror, seeing all four of their parents. Twilight’s parents, Night Light and Twilight Velvet were smiling, although weakly. However, Dash’s parents, especially Sky, did not look happy.
“Dad,” said Twilight Dash softly. “I know it’s hard to accept. But, it’s how I am. How we are.”
“But you don’t have to be,” said Sky. “You have a choice. You said you can be normal again, just like everypony else.”
“We are normal,” said Twilight Dash a little defensively. “I’m still your little girl on the inside. But we’re also more than that. I’m not gone, just different.” Sky shook his head before turning and trotting off. They started after him but their mother, Breeze, gently stopped them.
“He isn’t ready,” said Breeze. “Trying to force him to change his mind will just push him further away. Just because he doesn’t understand your choice though, doesn’t mean he doesn’t love you.”
“And you, mom,” said Twilight Dash, unbidden tears at the edges of their eyes. “What do you think of us?” Breeze smiled sadly.
“I miss my little Dash,” said Breeze. “But I’ll always love you, no matter how you look on the outside. But I do want you back, the real you.”
“This is the real me,” said Twilight Dash. Breeze just smiled and gave them a light hug.
“We will always support you,” said Velvet, drawing their attention away from Breeze. “In any choice you make.” She and Night Light both hugged Twilight Dash, who was caught off guard. They relaxed and hugged their parents back.
“Thanks,” said Twilight Dash. “I know not everypony is going to be happy with how we are...” “Or even accept it.” “But we’re fine with it.”
“So what are you going to do now?” asked Celestia. “Will you return to Ponyville? Can she?” The princess looked towards the Doctor.
“I see no reason that Twilight Dash cannot return home,” said the Doctor. “But I would still like to come and check in on you from time to time.”
“Sure,” said Twilight Dash.
“And me as well,” said Luna. “If you want.”
“We’re always happy to have you visit,” said Twilight Dash. “Just, uh, do it outside of our dreams, okay?”
The friends said their goodbyes to parents and princesses before departing the castle. Rainbow Sky had offered only a mumbled farewell, which made Twilight Dash feel both angry and sad at the same time.
Their dad had always supported them. Having him so firmly against them now made Twilight Dash feel like they had done something terrible to him. Right now, he didn’t want to listen, but maybe as time went on they could help him understand.
Princess Celestia had suggested they might like to stay the night in the castle, but Twilight Dash was not eager to return to her old room. They wanted to get back to the library in Ponyville. They wanted to sleep in their own cloud bed. They also wanted to get back to a normal life. Well, as normal a life as they ever had.
The group caught a taxi carriage to the train station, so that Twilight Dash wouldn’t have to walk. While they had little trouble walking, now that Harmony was no longer mucking about in their head, the magical ordeal had left them exhausted. And the Doctor, whose name they had remembered only after they had left, had suggested they take it easy for a few days.
The train was waiting for them as they arrived. Fluttershy went off to buy the tickets as neither Spike, Rarity or Pinkie had any money left on them. The friends found their seats as they waited for Fluttershy to return and the train to depart.
Applejack and Spike sat on opposite sides of the train car, their interest in speaking to one another still tenuous at best. Twilight Dash wondered what had transpired between them to make the two so bitter towards each other, but they decided that could wait. For the moment, just having all their friends around them, and knowing their names, was enough.
Fluttershy returned with their tickets and passed them out before taking a seat beside Applejack. It wasn’t long before the whistle blew and the train began to pull away from Canterlot station, bound towards Ponyville.
“It looks like we made it just in time,” said Rarity with a smile. “I can’t say how glad I am to finally be heading back home. Why my shop… MY SHOP!” cried Rarity in a moment of panic. “I didn’t tell Sweetie where I was going! Oh, I hope she’s alright!”
“Rarity, I’m sure she’s fine,” said Spike, reaching out a claw to touch her hoof. However, he stopped himself before he did, putting his claw awkwardly down on the table instead. “Apple Bloom and Scootaloo are probably helping her out.” Rarity’s eyes widened in horror.
“Oh no! You’re right! We have to make the train go faster!” cried Rarity in distress.
“Don’t worry silly,” said Pinkie with a giggle. “I took care of all that before we left, Sweetie Belle is staying with the Cakes at my place. And I let Big Mac know that Applejack was going to be away and I asked if he understood and he said yep.”
“And my animals?” asked Fluttershy.
“Oh, don’t worry about that, I got that covered too,” said Pinkie. “I asked the cutie mark crusaders to look after them.” Fluttershy’s face went pale with horror.
“Maybe we should ask if they can make the train go faster!” suggested Fluttershy.
The other ponies giggled and Applejack put a supportive hoof around Fluttershy.
“Don’t worry, I’m sure your animals are fine,” said Applejack. “And we’ll all give you a hoof with any, uh, clean up.”
The group fell into a long silence as the train chugged down the mountain. The view out the window was amazing, with green fields and sun touched rivers. The Canterlot Weather Patrol had cleared most of the clouds and only a few stragglers dotted the otherwise brilliant blue sky.
Twilight Dash watched the scenery pass by absently. They saw it, but really, they were looking at their own reflection in the glass. It made them sad. It wasn’t how they looked that made them feel this way, because they looked cool. It was a memory that didn’t seem to really belong to them that flitted through their mind. The unfamiliar reflection.
“So Harmony is really gone?” asked Spike from beside them. They jumped slightly, and their reflection slipped out of their view.
“Yes,” said Twilight Dash.
“And there are no other crazy things hiding inside your head?” pressed Spike.
“Spike! No,” said Twilight Dash.
“Just making sure,” said Spike. He paused for a long moment. “She really gave you everything back?”
“More than I thought she would,” said Twilight Dash. “But, not everything. There are still things we don’t really remember. We guess she did the best she could.”
“But that just means we can make new memories!” said Pinkie. “And have new adventures! Together! I can even throw you a new friends’ party all over again!”
“I… we, would like that,” said Twilight Dash with a smile.
“Are you sure you do not wish to come, sister?” asked Luna. Celestia shook her head.
“I think it is better if you go alone, for now,” said Celestia. “Besides, it grows late, and I must set the sun soon.” Luna bowed her head slightly. Celestia began to leave. “Oh, and I believe that once you are done, Doctor Heart has requested your assistance with the crystallized ponies. She seemed to think that even frozen as they are, you may be able to enter their minds. As you did with Discord… and Twilight Dash.”
Luna frowned looking away from her sister. Celestia sighed.
“You know your own magic best,” continued Celestia. “But I urge caution my sister. Do not lose yourself in dreams. And do not forget who we are. We are leaders of a nation, not its soldiers or its heroes.”
“I will help who I can,” answered Luna. She looked up at Celestia with a defiant gaze. Celestia nodded, before trotting off. Luna let out a sigh.
There had been no argument between them, but she could tell her sister was not happy with her. Luna had defied her elder sister’s wishes. She had ventured into the minds of other ponies, of other gods. And the chaos that had almost been unleashed was too terrible to even consider.
Luna shook her head.
She had felt the dark path once again, the power of Nightmare Moon. It had almost consumed her, buried her in shadows. Her fear had come so close to taking her once more. Had it not been for Twilight and her friends, Luna was sure the whole world would be covered in darkness and frozen in crystal by now.
Luna shook her head again.
She stood before a great wooded glade. The waning sun made the shadows of the trees long and deep. This place was new to her. While it was in the castle gardens, she had never set hoof inside before. That was because up until a few moments ago, it had not existed.
Luna and Celestia had worked together to craft it, to grow it with magic. A small voice called out to Luna from deep within the trees. Luna smiled sadly and trotted forward.
Had it not been for her excellent vision, it would have been completely dark. However, she could see just fine.
She admired the work of her and her sister. It had been a long time since they had crafted anything in the gardens together. The last thing they had built was a prison, the hedge maze used to contain Discord. Of course, they no longer needed a prison for Discord. That was why they had removed the maze and built this grove atop it.
Luna couldn’t help but feel sad. As different as it looked, its purpose was all but the same. A prison without walls.
All of the trees were perfect. The spacing, the trunks, even their roots and leafs were all exactly aligned and ordered.
Ahead of her, Luna could see the soft glow of firefly light. The small voice called to her again.
“Luna, hurry up!” cried the filly. Luna quickened her pace slightly, following the perfect stone path beneath her hooves.
Ahead, the trees parted into a clearing. Luna slowed to a halt, stopping beside the silver filly. The small pony’s eyes were open wide in wonder.
“Woah…” said the little pony. “This… this is all for me?”
“Yes,” said Luna with a nod, looking at the finished structure.
At the center of the clearing was a tree, far larger than the rest. It had windows and doors grown right into it.
“It looks like Twilight Dash’s library,” said the silver filly. “But, smaller.”
“There are also no books inside,” said Luna. “It is a living house and it will continue to grow. For now, it should have more than enough space for you.”
“It’s awesome!” said the filly, galloping forward to look inside. Luna followed after. The small pony was already dashing around the downstairs area checking the different rooms. There was a stairway leading up to a loft above, but the interior was indeed much smaller than the Ponyville library.
While the filly examined her new house, Luna’s eyes settled on the large stone column that sat in the center of the structure, its exact center. They had changed its shape, but its contents were still just as bad. Luna frowned slightly.
“What’s wrong?” asked the filly, breaking Luna out of her worries. She glanced towards the perfectly round column of stone. “What’s that thing?”
“The foundation,” lied Luna. “It helps keep everything in balance.”
“Neat,” said the filly. Her face fell slightly. “Am… am I supposed to stay here? Alone?”
“For now,” said Luna. “Although, I shall try to visit you every night.”
“And… and Twilight Dash, and my… their friends?” asked the silver filly.
“I do not know, Rainbow Spar-” began Luna.
“That isn’t my name anymore,” interrupted the filly. “I gave that back. I gave everything I could back to them.” Luna nodded slowly. “I hope they can forgive me…”
“I am sure they will,” said Luna. “In time. So, what shall I call you then, little pony?” asked Luna. “Surely not Harmony…” the filly shook her head vigorously.
“No. I was thinking, maybe… Silver Stars?” suggested the little pony.
“I think that is a very good name,” agreed Luna with a smile.
