Twilight's Dollhouse II: Lyra's Quest

by Kaidan

Rating: teen
Tags: Sad, Lyra, Princess Luna, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Soarin, Scootaloo, Adventure
Length: 39502

Thirty ponies remained trapped in plastic shells as Twilight’s dolls. Lyra left them behind without a second thought. She joins Scootaloo to help rescue them, lest they be trapped for eternity as the last of Twilight’s sanity slips away.

Thirty ponies remained trapped in plastic shells as Twilight’s dolls. Lyra left them behind without a second thought. She joins Scootaloo to help rescue them, lest they be trapped for eternity as the last of Twilight’s sanity slips away. . .

Scootaloo will have to get past thoughts of revenge and her anger. Lyra will have to move past her guilt of failure. Once they have learned the skills they will need to defend themselves they will set out to find the Dollhouse and rescue their friends.

Unfortunately, time waits for no pony.

Pre-readers / Editors: Selbi, Abcron, Jaestring, TypewriterError, Breath of Plagues

Published 2013-07-27 01:00:01 UTC
Last updated 2021-09-21 03:29:36 UTC

II. Master

“You’re kidding me, Spitfire,” Scootaloo said. She looked at the steps in front her that ran all the way to the top of the mountain above Canterlot.

“Nope. If you want him to teach you martial arts, you have to climb to the top of the mountain,” Spitfire explained. “He’s one of the few samurai left in Equestria who knows the oldest ways of war.”

“And we can’t fly up there, because it’s some sort of test?”

“See, you do understand,” Spitfire said. “He’s teaching more than self-defense, he’s teaching self-control, patience, and other things. Trust me, if you want to find Twilight, this is the pony to teach you how to do it and get out alive. Do whatever he says, no matter how ridiculous it sounds.”

Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I don’t understand. Still, I better get started.”

“You won’t need those saddlebags.”

“What?” Scootaloo sighed and shrugged the saddlebags off. “This is the worst day ever.”

“And don’t try to fly halfway or anything, he’ll know.”

“But there’s like a thousand fucking steps!” Scootaloo threw up her forelegs in exasperation.

“Hey, it’s this or a lifetime ban from the Wonderbolts. Sorry, squirt, but this is tough love.”

Scootaloo mumbled to herself as she began to trot up the steps towards the top of the mountain. She found it ridiculous to have to walk anywhere when she could fly, much less up the side of a mountain, but Spitfire forced her hoof, so she bit her lip and continued up the mountainside.

Lyra relaxed in her peaceful glade again, talking with her newest friend, Soarin. She had found a pony who was willing to listen, and she was quickly growing attached to him. It felt like years since she had really talked with another pony openly.

“So what do you think happened to all those dolls?” Soarin asked.

“Twilight had a plan in case she got caught. She teleported everypony somewhere. I hope for their sake Celestia didn’t mortally wound Twilight. I may never be able to find them. . .” Lyra sighed and continued to stare out towards the Everfree.

“Are you going to take Luna up on her offer to teach you magic and go find them?”

“Of course I want to, but look at me, Soarin.” Lyra stared into his eyes, and then pointed down at her cutie mark. “My talent is music not magic. As much as I want to learn self-defense spells or a way to track Twilight, I can’t. . .”

Soarin reached over and held her hoof. “Hey, I believe you can do it. Us Wonderbolts don’t get cutie marks in stunt flying. Most of us were weather team, but with hard work and determination, any pony can do any job. If you want to learn magic, then you’ll be able to.”

“Thanks, that means a lot.” Lyra smiled and squeezed his hoof, then got up. “I guess I should head off to see her.”

Luna hardly noticed the door open or the unicorn that entered shortly after. Before her on a table lay the Elements of Harmony. One of them was clearly inert—the once golden apple now black as obsidian. The Element of Magic thrummed softly, yet its purple glow was cloudy. Luna could sense it was still active but it was searching for something.

“Luna? You asked to see me?” Trixie asked.

Luna snapped out of her thoughts and turned around. She smiled at one of the few ponies who had walked out of the Ponyville incident alive. “Trixie, please have a seat. Would you like some tea?”

Trixie’s eyes went wide and she stuttered something in response.

Luna smirked before breaking her facade and laughing. “And Celestia says I have no sense of humor.”

“Trixie—I mean I don’t really find that funny.”

“Well I suppose that’s fair.” Luna took a seat across from her at the table. “So, have you made up your mind on my offer?”

“I still can’t believe it. I mean, why me? Why would you want me as a pupil?” Trixie played with her cape under the table, nervously fidgeting with the cloth between her hooves.

“You are a skilled magician, Trixie, and I have decided to be prepared for the day Twilight returns. Can you think of a unicorn more gifted than yourself?”

Trixie blushed slightly. “No I just—you’re serious? You trust me enough to teach me everything you know about magic and ruling not one month after Celestia’s pupil snapped?”

“That is all the more reason I need your help. I can not study how to fix the Elements of Harmony while ruling in my sister’s stead. She needs time to come to terms with what has happened. I need somepony who can not only help in my own research, but be prepared should Twilight Sparkle return.”

“That explains why you’re starting your own school. Alright, I’ll do it. So what do we do first?” Trixie asked.

Luna gestured at the elements. “We don’t fully understand the Elements of Harmony. They can be used like any tool, and yet to harness their full power requires a special connection that only the Element can make.” Luna lifted up the Element of Honesty. “Applejack is dead. I know from experience the element is only inert when it has no bearer alive. They were in this state when we used them on Discord, fueling the Element with my own Honesty.”

“So if you don’t need bearers, why’s it important to fix them?”

“Neither Celestia nor I have the strength to power six elements, especially as often as they’ve been used lately against Discord, Chrysalis, and to save me. When Celestia used them to banish me to the moon she fell into a coma for months to recover. I must find a way to link the elements to new ponies, because we do not have the strength to constantly wield them.”

Trixie picked up the Element of Magic, and watched it pulse slightly. “So let me get this straight. We have to find six new elements, break the bond to Twilight, and then find Twilight and use them on her?”

“I’d settle just for getting them working again, but yes. In fact, I was going to attempt to bind the Element of Magic to you.”

Trixie set the tiara down on the table and scooted back. “Wait, but you just said they choose a bearer. You’re telling me you can just force it on me?”

“The Element of Magic is a special case,” Luna explained. “Since Twilight last used it, it has been. . . in a state I am not familiar with it. Not inert, not active, almost as if it’s searching for a bearer. I hope to influence its decision.”

Trixie shrugged. “Well then, I just put it on?”

“Yes.”

She reached forward and lifted up the Element of Magic as if it was going to bite her. When nothing happened, she levitated her magician’s hat off and put the tiara on. After a few moments of silence, Luna’s horn glowed briefly and then faded.

“So, looks like it didn’t work?” Trixie asked.

Luna sighed. “It looks like you can not become the next Element of Magic.”

The door to the chamber swung open as Lyra trotted in. “Luna, I hope I’m not interrupting but I came to accept your offer—”

Her eyes scanned the room and landed on Luna and Trixie. Between them the elements sat on a table. The Element of Magic was rattling on the table and glowing brightly

“Oh crap! Sorry to interrupt!” Lyra quickly backed up out of the room, swinging the door closed. The glowing tiara fell to the table and the light faded from the six pointed star.

“Wait!” Luna shouted.

Lyra gulped and peeked her head back in. The two ponies were still glancing between the elements and her. “Yes, Princess?”

“Lyra, come sit down.”

She walked in, letting the door close behind her. As she got closer, the Element of Magic began humming again and glowing green. Lyra stopped halfway. “Is it supposed to do that?”

Trixie could only stare in shock as the tiara bathed the chamber in magic. She had to shield herself from the raw power being given off by it, and it amazed her Luna wasn’t more concerned. Instead, she sat there with a surprised smile on her face.

“Yes, Lyra, it’s perfectly safe to approach the Elements.”

She walked up to the table, her eyes mesmerized by the tiara. As she reached a hoof towards it, the tiara fell to the table glowing a cool mint green. The other elements also stopped rattling.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Luna said. “At least, not since the night of my return from the thousand year banishment. Lyra, I believe you’re the next Element of Magic.”

Lyra gasped. “No! There must be some mistake, I’m just a lyrist! I’ve never even tried to do more then levitate.”

“Then it’s a good thing you accepted my offer to be trained.”

Trixie slapped a hoof on her shoulder. “Hey, it’ll be easy. Why, I bet we’ll have you teleporting in no time, and if you’re lucky, you won’t lose all your hair the first time you try it!”

Lyra gulped and smiled, chuckling nervously.

Nine hundred seventy-two, nine hundred seventy-three, nine hundred seventy-five. . . wait, I skipped one. Was it seventy -wo? No wait, I was higher. Nine hundred. . .

“Fuck.” Scootaloo stomped a hoof and looked behind her. She had really wanted to find out if it was really a thousand steps to the top. She was nearly to the peak of the Canterlot mountain and had been climbing up the cursed steps all day long.

She stopped briefly to catch her breath but was careful not to lay down. Her legs felt like lead and she was convinced she would fall asleep if allowed to rest. Her wings twitched in irritation, as if signaling her brain that they were—in fact—still there. Scootaloo could use them to fly to the top of the mountain any time she wanted.

Scootaloo felt her anger from earlier resurfacing. She was angry at Twilight for destroying the lives of her friends and taking Dash from her. She was angry at Spitfire for telling her to hike up the side of this damn mountain. And most importantly, she was mad at whoever the hell this master was that wanted all of his students to hoof it up a freaking mountain in the first place.

She licked her teeth and spit on the ground. There had been nothing to drink as she hiked up the mountain, and at one point she had considered eating some of the permafrost off the ground. Scootaloo was probably higher up now than Cloudsdale. She closed her eyes for a moment to feel the air currents and gauge how high she had hiked.

With a sigh, she began walking up the rest of the steps. Scootaloo focused on the anger to help move her exhausted legs. She didn’t notice when she reached the last step, and she stumbled.

Looking up, she saw a short stone fence running around an ancient wooden building. There were pieces of equipment of various design littered around, with a large central courtyard, and a pit of sand with several large smooth stones in it. All around the stones, lines had been drawn in the sand.

Scootaloo smirked. She had seen sand gardens before and thought it was funny to see Pegasi flying around raking dirt. She didn’t have time for that artistic crap, she was here to learn how to track down and bring Twilight down.

She trotted forward into the courtyard looking around for the master. Scootaloo saw an aged grey pegasus sitting in the middle of the sand garden. He was perched on a smooth stone surrounded by concentric circles. His gaunt face was framed by short white hair and his eyes were closed in contemplation.

Scootaloo walked to the edge of the garden. She looked around and tapped her hoof, waiting for the pony to acknowledge her presence. After only a couple minutes she began to crack—fidgeting around and clearing her throat loudly.

The aged pegasus made no sign that he saw or heard her. He sat perfectly still on his rock.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me, this is so stupid,” Scootaloo muttered under her breath.

“Then why did you walk up my mountain?” the pegasus asked.

“To learn how to fight, and free my friends—not have a staring match with an old man.”

The pony showed no emotion as he sat there, and simply moved one hoof to gesture at the rock next to him. “Then come and sit.”

Scootaloo spread her wings to fly over to the rock without disturbing his sand garden. Without opening his eyes, the pegasus spoke a single word. “Halt.”

Scootaloo rolled her eyes, “What?”

“You must not fly or you’ll disturb the sand.”

She huffed and retorted. “So I should walk in it?!” Scootaloo took a step forward into the sand. her hoof sank a few inches into it.

“You will get the rake, and clean up your hoofprints behind you.”

“Are you out of your mind?” Scootaloo barked. She looked down at the sand and swirled her hoof in it. “I’m outta here.” She turned and walked towards the opening in the fence.

“Dash would not have quit so easily.”

Scootaloo bit her lip and spun around, glaring daggers at the old man. She wanted to fly over there and knock his smart ass off the rock. “What did you say?”

“Do you expect to find your friends and defeat one of the most powerful alicorns who ever lived in under an hour? Or are you always this impatient?”

She could feel the familiar anger welling up in her gut. Ever since being turned back into a pony, Scootaloo had become known in the bars throughout Canterlot for her short fuse and left hook. She was barely able to control herself as she stood there and trembled, but recalled Spitfire’s advice.

Trust me, if you want to find Twilight, this is the pony to teach you how to do it and get out alive.

Scootaloo counted backward from ten in her head and took a few deep breaths. The pegasus on the rock smiled as he heard her steady her breathing. Finally, she turned and found the rake that was used to create the intricate patterns in the sand garden.

She moved to the edge and fixed the spot she had stuck her hoof. Scootaloo pondered for a moment how to get over to him in a straight line, however the sand had been arrayed in circles. She took a few steps in and tried to cover her tracks, but she couldn’t get the rake at the correct angle without flying.

Scootaloo looked behind her at the pegasus, and slowly spread her wings. He cleared his throat, somehow sensing her intent before she had flapped once. She growled and walked back out of the sand garden.

Finally she figured out how to get to the old man. She began walking backwards along one of the spirals, towards the center. As she walked the rake was dragged behind her, covering her footprints. She smiled, realizing she had won his little test. Scootaloo looked towards him, and realized she would have to circle the rock several more times to reach the center.

Finally, after what felt like hours of carefully working her way to the middle she reached the smooth stone. She climbed up onto the stone and spit the wooden rake out. “There, I made it.”

The pegasus smiled and opened his eyes, which had also gone grey with age. “Good work, Scootaloo. You may call me master or sensei. Now, I’m rather tired so I will leave you here until morning when your training begins.”

Master picked up the rake and flew towards the small building that was his home. His wingbeats did not disturb a single grain of sand as he left Scootaloo trapped in the middle of the sand garden.

“What? You’re just gonna leave me here? Are you fuck—”

Master cleared his throat loudly. “You will not use such language again while staying at my house, or on the stairs leading to it. Now you will sit there until morning, at which time you will tell me what you learned. If you want to run away—well you know the way down the mountain.”

Scootaloo was overcome with anger, but also determination. She had to prove this pony wrong, and beat his silly challenges. Scootaloo was stronger than he gave her credit for and with a fierce stare at him, she made herself comfortable on the rock. It took several deep breaths as Master walked into the house before she had calmed down.

The sun was slowly setting and it was framed by the opening in the fence. Beneath it far in the distance was the Everfree, a vast sea of untamed wilderness. As the stars came out she began to count the rings in the sand garden out of boredom.

Looking up at the moon she groaned. “Why am I here again, Luna?”

Luna looked back once she had finished raising the moon. “What, Lyra?”

“I said, why am I here again, Luna? You wanted to see me once you raised the moon.”

Lyra stood there, wearing the uncomfortable tiara on her head. She was a musician who had gotten turned into a doll, and now was a key piece of Equestria’s most powerful weapon. She tried not to think of how she’d soon have a household name as the Element of Magic, and the weight of a nation depending on her to protect it from Twilight.

“I have a gift that will help you learn magic. I want to share some of my memories and knowledge of spells with you. The gift may help somewhat with your lack of a formal education in magic. You will still have to work hard, study, and you’ll still be limited by your own unicorn physiology. There is a risk, however.”

“What kind of risk?” Lyra asked.

“Have you heard of wolfponies?”

Lyra laughed. “Yeah, they’re an old wives tale, a story to scare fillies around a campfire.”

“Not entirely.” Luna looked her in the eyes, fixing her gaze squarely on her. “During the Nightmare Wars, some of my most gifted warriors were known as the Moon Touched. I had bestowed upon them some of my knowledge and power to give them an edge on Celestia’s troops.”

Lyra gulped, not liking where this was headed. Before she could protest, Luna continued. “The memories and power I offer you may easily drive you mad. Deep within me still lies the emotions of jealousy and rage that lead to my fall. Each pony I gifted with my power was also tested. Half of them turned feral and had to be. . . put down—giving rise to the legend of wolfponies. The other half became some of the most powerful unicorns of their time, such as Starswirl the Bearded.”

“Wait, Starswirl was Celestia’s student,” Lyra corrected.

Luna grinned. “Only after I was banished, and he surrendered my forces. They do say to keep your friends close and enemies closer.”

“Maybe this isn’t such a good idea then. . .”

“The choice is yours, Lyra, but know this: as a musician there is only so much you can learn—advanced levitation, maybe a beginner’s shield spell. if you truly want to study magic, I have to alter your destiny and unlock the new power being fed to you by the Element of Magic. And—” Luna looked down towards the floor. “There is a risk it will drive you mad.”

Lyra thought about it for a moment, feeling the Element of Magically tingling above her horn. “It’s my best bet to find Twilight and save the others, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

She thought about the possibility of saving her neighbors, and most importantly, finding the strength deep inside so she could save Twilight from herself. Lyra smiled. “I’ve come too far to turn back now—do it.”

The moon grew brighter in the sky as Lyra was bathed in its light. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them, she was no longer in Canterlot.

Scootaloo nearly fell off her rock as the moon flared in the sky. For a fraction of a second, the bright moonlight cast long shadows across the sand garden. She felt something awaken inside her, and knew that Lyra was in trouble. Her pulse quickened as she contemplated quitting her training to check on her friend, yet she sensed something else too.

She closed her eyes and could feel Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. The moment passed quickly and Scootaloo cried out in frustration. For that brief moment she knew they were okay and had been there with them, trapped underground in a damp cave. She had been so close to reaching out to her best friends, yet now the sensation was gone.

Author's Note

I ~~hate~~ love my fans so I posted this chapter one day early. It may have more grammar errors then you can shake a stick at, but if you're shaking a stick at my story, you should ask yourself where you got a stick from in the first place.

III. Fool's Paradise

Lyra had stared up at the scattered clouds on that warm sunny day. Birds chirped and a gentle breeze brought the rich smells of wildflowers to the bench she was leaning back on. For the first time she could remember, Lyra felt at peace.

“Quit sitting like that. You’re embarrassing me,” Bon Bon said.

“What?” Lyra looked to her side, startled out of her tranquility. “Come on, I heard this is good for my spine.”

“Really? Because it looks like you’re about to slide right out of the bench to me. Could you sit like a normal pony, please?”

Lyra laughed and leaned forward to take on a more normal posture. She crossed her hind legs and leaned over them. “Okay, but I want to hear you say it again. Tell me what a wonderful job I did at the Gala.”

“Lyra, you’re the best lyrist I know.”

She huffed. “I’m the only lyrist you know!”

“Yes, but you’re good at more than just the lyre, aren’t you?” Bon Bon leaned over and kissed her.

Lyra wrapped her hooves around her to prolong the moment. Finally she broke off when she heard the sound of fillies approaching. She was getting excited, but it wouldn’t be good to get caught by the children like this.

Bon Bon wrinkled her nose and chuckled. “You’re insatiable, Lyra. Why don’t we head home and you let Bonnietake care of your needs?”

“That’d be wonderful!” Lyra got off the bench and looked at it. She attempted to wipe a small stain off with her hoof, and quickly gave up. “Let’s go!” She was blushing as she lead Bon Bon back towards their bedroom.

“Slow down. It’s not a race, Lyra.”

Lyra trotted ahead and held her tail up high. Surely her marefriend could see her excitement. She was so caught up in her display that she ran into Twilight’s side.

“Oomph!” Twilight fell over and looked to the side at Lyra, who had also fallen. “Oh, sorry, Lyra. I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

“Twilight?!” Lyra stood up and rubbed some of the dust from her front legs.

“Yes?”

“What are you doing here? I thought you were—” Lyra choked on the words. There was something itching at the back of her mind, something not quite right.

“I was what? I’m actually on my way to see Applejack. Cider season starts tomorrow and we’re going to taste test some new batches.”

“Applejack?”

“Oh dear,” Bon Bon said. She caught up and looked between the two mares. “I hope Lyra didn’t hurt you. She’s been incorrigible lately.”

Lyra took a step back from them, suddenly frightened by the pleas from her mind. “Bon Bon, but I thought she was dead, and Applejack and. . . and you. . .”

“Oh, sweetie.” Bon Bon walked up and hugged Lyra tightly. “You’ve been having nightmares again, haven’t you? It’s okay. Twilight and Applejack are fine, and I’ve never loved you more.”

“I. . . I love you too, Bonnie.”

“Sorry, Twilight,” Bon Bon whispered. “Now, Lyra, let’s go home and put you to bed. I promise to make it worth your while.”

Lyra was pushed towards her house by Bon Bon, trotting along as she had little choice. Something was still nagging at her, but a familiar complacency was creeping over her. Everything was just perfect the way it was. Nothing ever went wrong here in Ponyville.

“Ah don’t like this, Pinkie,” Big Mac said. “She’s been layin’ there nearly a month now.”

Pinkie and Fluttershy sat on the ground, their colorful plastic forms dwarfed by the Big Mac the plushy. Behind them was a replica of Ponyville, full of frightened dolls and mares hell-bent on escaping. However, that concerned them less then the condition of their jailor.

Twilight lay against the wall, moving only when absolutely necessary, such as to eat, drink, and use the restroom. She had teleported the dollhouse to a cave in the Everfree. She had brought along enough food and hygiene supplies to live comfortably for a year. The dolls expected her to capture more ponies, or threaten them. None of them had expected her to wallow in pity.

“She looks like she’s still in shock,” Fluttershy explained. “I’ve seen animals get depressed before but never a pony like this. And look at her shoulder, that wound from Celestia looks like it’ll never fully heal.”

“There must be something we can do to cheer her up,” Pinkie said. “If she just keeps laying there, she’ll die!”

“Good,” Dash said. She had snuck up behind the trio and stood there defiantly. Her wings were still trapped in a small plastic sleeve Twilight had banded around her to prevent her escape. “The quicker she dies, the quicker we get out of here.”

The mares gasped and Big Mac looked back at Twilight. “Dash!” Fluttershy stood up and walked towards her. “She’s our friend, how can you wish for something so horrible?”

“Pfft, my friend died with Shining and Cadance. She’s a monster, trapping us all here in this eternal hell. I only wish Celestia’s sword had hit her heart and not her shoulder.”

Pinkie walked up to Dash until her muzzle was directly in front of her. “Oh yeah? And what happens after she dies? You’ll still be stuck here and live your whole life regretting it! I thought you were the Element of Loyalty, and yet you want to murder Twilight! Look at her! Does she look like a monster?”

Dash looked past them to Twilight. An occasional breath was the only movement coming from her. Dry stains left by tears had formed streaks down her cheek. “Look at her! She’s pathetic. Crying for a whole month because she got caught. She could have turned herself in. Celestia would have been gentle and kind. Instead, she tried to kill Celestia and Luna like the mad mare she is!”

“There’s nothin’ more important than family, Dash, and ah reckon she’s the closest thing y’all have to a sister,” Big Mac observed. “How can ya show no pity?”

“Hah! She’s not my sister.” Dash marched over towards the giant. “My sister is Scootaloo, and Twilight took her from me just like she took Applejack from you. Who knows if Scootaloo is alive or dead? I don’t, because she just lays there crying like an upset foal!”

“Please, Dash, calm down,” Fluttershy said. “This isn’t like you.”

“Well, apparently you don’t know me as well as you thought. I didn’t spend the last month cooped up in this cave playing pattycake like you three. I’ve searched every inch for an exit with Vinyl and Octavia. I’ve helped Sprocket come up with plans. Now we only have one plan left and it’s time to implement it.”

Dash walked past them towards Twilight. “What do you mean, Dash?” Pinkie asked.

They followed her towards their captor and saw several ponies carrying over dental floss, thumb tacks, and other toiletries. “We’re gonna tie Twilight up and force her to surrender. It took a while but Sprocket finally made a magic limiter. And, if that doesn’t work we’ll. . . do what needs to be done.”

Fluttershy flew in front of Dash, stopping her with a hoof. “No! I won’t let you hurt her.”

Dash growled and hooked a leg around her wing, using it to pin her to the ground. “You and your fucking wings! She took those away from me too because I tried to escape. And you guys, you get to do whatever the hell you want because you’re her friends. She’ll kill us all if she can’t keep us here forever. Is that what you want?”

Fluttershy struggled to lift her muzzle out of the dirt. Her forelegs were also pinned and she found herself crying into the soft soil. Tears fell down her cheeks as she whimpered.

After a moment Dash let Fluttershy go. “Flutters, I’m sor—”

“No,” Fluttershy said. “No you’re not. You’ve become just as bad as you claim she is. Just. . . go away, Dash!”

With a loud huff, Dash turned and stomped away towards Twilight. She shouted back over her shoulder “Fine, be that way! But don’t you try and stop us!”

Pinkie came over to hug Fluttershy and comfort her. Big Mac sat down next to them and watched as the mob of dolls surrounded Twilight. They began unspooling dental floss and tying her forelegs and hindlegs together.

“Why ain’t she movin’?” Big Mac asked.

“Maybe she wants to die,” Pinkie said.

Fluttershy wiped the dirt off her face. “No, I think she has just given up. She thinks nopony loves her or wants to be her friend. She has nothing left since she let Lyra go.”

Twilight continued to stare blankly ahead as if the wall she stared at held the answer to her predicament. She had been foolish to attack Luna and Celestia, she wasn’t strong enough yet. Twilight had ruined everything, and lost everything, and would now die of old age, alone in this cave, surrounded by her former friends that hated her.

Maybe dying wouldn’t be so bad after all.

Sprocket walked up to Twilight’s horn alongside Vinyl, and was soon joined by Dash and Octavia. “So, Sprocket, you sure this’ll work?” Dash asked.

“It’s the last of the conductive metals I could find around town, but this horn limiter should cut off her magic,” Sprocket said. “Assuming I built it well enough.”

“We won’t need it for long,” Vinyl stated. “Just long enough to force her to give in.”

A dozen ponies continued winding dental floss around her legs, binding them together. They began anchoring the floss to the ground using pins, nails, and whatever else they could find to dig into the ground. It was beginning to look like a large spider web was laid over her, trapping her in a net.

The commotion had caused Spike to leave the replica library. He spent most of his days organizing it, hoping that perhaps his routine of normalcy might give him back the sister and friend he had lost. No matter how hard he tried, he never felt the library was clean enough to present to Twilight. Spike assumed that getting the library just the way she liked it might cheer her up.

He was followed shortly after by Rarity, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom. They all took seats next to Big Mac to watch the show.

“What’s goin’ on, brother?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Y’all fillies stay here until this is over. Ah think they’ve finally gone mad from bein’ trapped down here,” Big Mac said.

“Quite the opposite,” Rarity explained. “We’ve come up with a way to block her magic and force her surrender. We have planned for any contingency to get my sister, and all the others, out of here.”

“You’re in on it too?” Spike asked. “Rarity, Twilight needs our help!”

“Hah, don’t be naive, Spike. It was endearing when we met but this isn’t the kind of situation kind words can fix.”

“Oh yeah? How would you even know? Name one nice thing you’ve done for Twilight since you got here.”

Rarity grinned wickedly and looked over at them. “Nice? I’m not down there tying her up with the others. It’s more than she deserves.”

Fluttershy began bawling again as Pinkie tried to comfort her. Both mares were hurt at how quickly their friend’s hearts had hardened. The more time they spent with the other ponies, wallowing in their bitterness, the more determined the town became that Twilight was the devil.

Sprocket lifted up the horn limiter and with the help of the nearby ponies began to force it down her horn. Twilight looked up for a moment and tried to shift her weight. The dental floss had turned her into something looking like a ball of twine and she couldn’t move. Twilight just sighed and relaxed, not caring what they were up to.

With the horn limiter in place, Dash and the others walked in front of her. “Time to talk, Twilight,” Dash ordered. “You’re going to let us out, or else!”

Twilight licked her dry lips and swallowed. “Or else what?” she whispered hoarsely.

“What?” Dash asked.

“Or else what? How can you make this any worse?”

Vinyl stepped forward and stared in one of Twilight’s eyes. It was larger than the dolls and gave the impression of facing down a dragon, even if it was currently hog-tied. “Twilight, if you don’t let us go we could kill you. You’re trapped now, at our mercy.”

“Mercy? Death would be a mercy.” Twilight chuckled weakly as she fixed her gaze on Vinyl. “No friends, abandoned by my mentor, so stupid. . . I ruined it all, and for what? I didn’t account for all the variables. I didn’t expect you all to hate me. So, go ahead, do it.”

Dash and Vinyl looked at each other before consulting the other ponies nearby. “What do you guys think?” Dash asked.

“Well, I trust Vinyl and Sprocket. If they think her death might reverse the spell. . . let’s just do what needs to be done and put this horrible task behind us,” Octavia said.

“Without her to sustain it, the magic will fade,” Sprocket said.

“Death or freedom, I’ll take either over imprisonment,” Vinyl stated.

Dash frowned and shook her head. “Then we’re in agreement. It. . . it should be me to end her suffering. I owe her that much.”

The ponies split up and carried their weapon of choice over. Dash walked up to Twilight. “If you won’t free us, Twilight, you’ll leave me no choice.”

“You’re all horrible ponies! I did what I thought was right, what was best so we could all be happy! You ruined it all, stomped on me while I was down, and threw away our friendship! For what?”

“For what? You kidnapped us and trapped us against our will in your basement! You poisoned most of us, and why? For fun? You turned Vinyl without poisoning her, so why’d you have to give Rarity and Sweetie ricin? Does our suffering bring you joy?!” Dash screamed.

“I-I had to know what would work best on Celestia. . .”

“Listen to yourself, you’re insane! The new Nightmare Moon. I’m sorry, Twilight, but there is no other way to end this if you won’t listen to reason.”

Vinyl handed the end of a small plastic bag to Dash, and held the other end. She walked forward with Dash, sliding it over Twilight’s muzzle. Octavia and Sprocket came forward in case she started to struggle. Dash held the bag over her nose and stared into her eyes.

“No!” Pinkie shouted. “They’re gonna kill her, how could they?”

Pinkie started to run forward only to feel Rarity tackle her to the ground. “Pinkie, it’s the only way!”

Fluttershy made it further, gliding over the mob of dolls who had been whipped into a frenzy. One of them grabbed her hoof, causing her to smack down into the ground. She squealed in pain. “Big Mac!” she screamed.

Twilight smiled and closed her eyes. Her body began convulsing as it fought for oxygen. Her breath fogged the bag. As her lungs burned and she realized she was going to die, images of Cadence came back to her. The thought of what lay beyond—the unknown—was too horrifying.

Twilight changed her mind; she didn’t want to die. Not now, not ever. She began to struggle against the dental floss. Several of strands attached to the ground broke, but the strands wrapped around her legs held them tightly together. She couldn’t move enough to get free.

The giant plush Big Mac barreled through the crowd of ponies, kicking them aside with ease. The ground would have shook under his hoofsteps were he not made of cotton and polyester. He finally got up to Twilight, and with one swipe sent all the ponies but Dash flying.

“No!” Dash screamed. “She has to die!”

Big Mac frowned, and then kicked Dash with all his might. She spiraled through the air, flailing, until she hit the far wall and fell to the ground. Mac pulled the plastic bag off Twilight’s face, and she took a deep breath of air.

With renewed strength, Twilight began to break more of the bonds surrounding her. The dolls were in a panic. Half of them scattered and headed into town to hide. The other half were hanging onto the floss, trying to tie Twilight up again. The lead conspirators were over with Dash, trying to figure out how to salvage their plan.

Across the damp cave, the wall began to rumble. Cracks formed in the ceiling as the air resonated with a deep rumbling. Small pebbles and sand fell from the roof, landing inches above the floor and hovering there.

Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Spike joined Big Mac at Twilight’s side just in time to realize they might want to back up. Her eyes opened and were glowing white. Her hair was standing on end as a sickening greenish-purple glow surrounded her body.

All the dolls still out in the open, except Big Mac, were light enough to start floating off the ground. They dangled in the air alongside all the rocks and pebbles, vibrating as magic coursed through the cave. The protective wards Twilight had put in place began to hum with energy, attempting to contain the torrent of arcane energy.

The limiter around Twilight’s horn exploded, and seconds later the dental floss had been violently ripped apart, freeing her.

Big Mac did his best to scoop up Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Spike. Finally, he managed to gather them up and huddle over them to protect them.

At this point Dash was struggling towards the Everfree in a last ditch attempt to escape. Octavia had already been sucked up into the magical aura and was flailing in mid air. Sprocket was hanging onto a root, and Vinyl was straining to force magic past the block that Twilight had cast on her horn.

Just as Dash thought she’d make it to safety, there was a deafening pop, and she felt the ground slip away. She opened her eyes to see a furious Twilight, her mane and tail standing on end.

“You tried to kill me!” Twilight bellowed.

Dash cursed her luck. She had been so close to freeing everypony. “Yes! It’s what Applejack would have wanted!”

The cave trembled, causing a chunk of ceiling to fall down and crush the replica barn on Sweet Apple Acres. “You dare speak her name to me? You dare imply Applejack would try to murder me like you?!”

“Do your worst!” Dash screamed. “None of us wanted this, and we’d all rather be dead! Just do it, you whore!”

Tendrils of magic snaked out from Twilight, seeking out and strangling every doll they could find. Dash was choking, and felt like she couldn’t breathe. Despite being a doll, Twilight’s magic was mimicking asphyxiation to kill her.

“If I can’t have you, nopony can!”

Twilight’s magic had found almost every pony. It finally fell upon Fluttershy, Pinkie, Spike, and Big Mac. She found something different, and paused to look over at them.

Big Mac was shielding them with his body, and she lifted him up, not wanting to hurt her last friend. Beneath him, Fluttershy and Pinkie were crying uncontrollably. As soon as Spike saw Twilight, he started to run towards her. He didn’t make it far before tumbling into the air.

Twilight could see them speaking and focused on their words. As Pinkie turned to face her, she heard her speak. “Please, Twilight, don’t hurt your friends! We’re still your friends, but don’t hurt anypony!”

She felt her anger surge through her magic, and fought the urge to turn Dash into dust. The sheer audacity of the stunt pony, one of her closest friends, to try and murder her was too much. As Twilight struggled to reign in her magic, she continued to listen.

“Please, Twilight, I straightened up the library, just like you like it!” Spike pleaded. Even Big Mac was looking at her in shock—or disgust.

Twilight felt a twinge of guilt. She realized she still had friends, that perhaps she hadn’t messed everything up. A larger part of her was still filled with anger at all of her former friends and neighbors agreeing to murder her.

Fluttershy, Pinkie, Spike, Big Mac, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom fell from Twilight’s magic grasp.

The rest of the ponies began to scream in pain. “I’ll spare your lives, for them, but you will all suffer for your insubordination!”

Scootaloo was fighting to keep her head upright. It had been exceptionally cold last night, yet she had not moved from the rock in the middle of the rock garden. Finally, after what seemed like years, Sensei came out of his house carrying a bowl of food.

“Thank Celestia, it’s about time!” Scootaloo shouted. She watched as Sensei came to the edge of the sand and sat down, and began eating his oats. “Oh, you’ve gotta be kidding me!”

Sensei sat there eating his breakfast, testing Scootaloo. His wings folded against his side, helping keep him warm. Though he showed no outward sign of expression, he was pleased the pony had caught on quickly and learned to do as he said. So many students lately were too impatient to make it through the first couple days.

The wind was still cutting through Scootaloo’s feathers, chilling her to the bone. She wanted to warm up and stretch her wings, yet she had been tasked with waiting patiently on the rock. I swear I’m gonna let Spitfire have it when I get done with this training. Who in their right mind learns anything sitting on a damn rock?

Once he had finished eating, Sensei glided over to the rock next to Scootaloo. “Not bad for your first day, my student. You may want to be more careful what you are thinking though. You wear your anger like a badge on your shoulder.”

Scootaloo bit her cheek and grinned slowly. “Anger? What anger?”

“You’d also do well not to lie to me, at least until you learn to hide your tells. Truly, Celestia mastered that skill better than anypony.”

“Fine, I’m angry. Twilight is a fu—” Scootaloo remembered his instruction to never swear again. “She’s a psychopath! She has my friends, my family!” Scootaloo shouted, letting her anger out in a loud burst. “She has to pay for what she’s done and I’m the only pony that cares enough to do anything about it!”

“Honesty and patience will be important to help you master your emotions. Furthermore, you will not raise your voice at me again. Am I clear?”

Scootaloo started to roll her eyes but stopped, feeling his gaze upon her. She sighed and slumped in defeat. “Yes, Sensei.”

“Good. Now, there are three aspects to your training: mind, body, and soul. Only in perfect unison will they allow you achieve the level of prowess you would need to combat an alicorn. And I will only teach you such skills when I am convinced you will use them for the greater good, and not petty emotions such as revenge or greed.”

“Alright, so let’s hurry this up. It’s damn cold out here.”

Sensei sighed and stood up on his rock. “I can see you’ll need more time to think about what I’ve said.”

“No, Sensei, I’m sorry! Please, it’s really cold out here. Can I just come inside? I’ll be patient.”

“I’m not looking for you to say you’ll be patient. Words are cheap; meaningless. You can learn all you need about a pony by how they act, for words—by their nature—were built to deceive.”

It took her a moment to process and make sense of what he said. Finally, she made herself comfortable and sat back down on the warm spot in the center of her cold rock. “Yes, Sensei.”

He smiled as he left her on the rock and flew to the edge of the rock garden.

Scootaloo felt a twinge of pain, and got another one of the disconcerting images of Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom in trouble. She didn’t understand how she knew, or how she was connected to them, but she felt it deep inside. There was definitely a connection, and Scootaloo knew beyond all doubt that they were in trouble.

In a flash, she had flown to the gate of the dojo and was prepared to run off in search of them. Looking back, she realized Sensei was watching her with a frown on his face. Scootaloo flew over to him and kneeled down in respect. “Sorry, Sensei, but my friends are in trouble. I will never abandon them.”

Sensei let the silence linger a moment before speaking. “Loyalty. It is a powerful emotion, Scootaloo, one that can give a pony much strength. To seek strength in revenge leads only to suffering, yet if you can feel this strongly for your friends then there is hope for you.”

Scootaloo looked up at Sensei and saw something different about him. His stern features seemed almost inviting, as if she had passed some unspoken test and been deemed worthy. Scootaloo smiled, and was about to turn to leave when he spoke.

“If you leave now, you will not find, let alone defeat, Twilight Sparkle.”

“How do you know so much about me, Sensei?” Scootaloo asked.

“Spitfire is not the only pony who cares greatly for you and wants to see your anger controlled. I promise you, your friends will be alright. You must stay and complete your training. If you can keep your focus on the inner strength loyalty gives you and avoid the instant gratification of feeling angry, you will see your friends again.”

Scootaloo’s jaw had fallen wide open. “H-how can you know that they’re o-okay? I keep seeing images of them. . .”

“It is the way of the world, Scootaloo. There is far more to our existence than the eyes can see. Even a non-unicorn can learn to sense the ebb and flow of magic, to feel the spell being cast before the unicorn casts it. This is what I will teach you; it is what I have taught Celestia’s elite personal guard in for decades.”

She smiled, realizing this crazy old pony actually did know what she needed to learn to rescue her friends. Scootaloo flew over to the rock and sat back down, swallowing her fears for her friends. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, ready to stay on the rock for another day.

“Come, Scootaloo,” Sensei said. “There is breakfast inside and you must be starving.”

Lyra woke up smiling, still feeling warm under her blankets and happy that Bon Bon had just satisfied her needs in the bedroom. She tried to roll over and curl up under the blankets, only to find her legs unable to move.

As her groggy mind caught up to current events, she felt thick leather straps holding her legs spread eagle to the corners of the bed. “What?” she asked the empty room. “Bon Bon?”

Lyra pulled against the restraints uselessly, and then tried her magic. Her magic was blocked by something on her horn, and she started to shout for help. “Bon Bon!”

Finally the door opened and Bon Bon walked in, dressed as a French maid. “Lyra, I’m glad you’re awake.”

“Bon Bon, why am I tied up?” Lyra asked.

“Why, this is your fantasy, your paradise,” Bon Bon stated.

“No, let me go!”

“You wanted me to ravage you for days. You said it yourself. Tied up and hopeless, the object of all my twisted desires. . . this will be a week to remember.”

Lyra struggled and began to cry, realizing how hopeless her situation was. Bon Bon was supposed to be dead, not dominating her in the bedroom. She tensed her muscles in shock as she realized what this meant.

The itching in the back of her mind, the silent warning her brain had sent her: Bon Bon was dead. Whoever this was, it couldn’t be Bon Bon. Lyra felt her marefriend’s hoof caressing her.

Even if it wasn’t Bon Bon, Lyra did miss her so much. Would it be so wrong to enjoy her company here, in this illusion? Lyra moaned and whimpered, torn between her fool’s paradise or reality. Did she want the world with Bon Bon, or the one without?

“Lyra, honey, you’re crying? Do you want to use the safeword and have me let you go?” Bon Bon asked.

“It’s—I can’t. . .” Lyra looked at Bon Bon who had a concerned look plastered on her face. “You’re dead. This isn’t real—it never was.”

Bon Bon stepped back in shock. “What? Lyra, I love you. Did you find another mare?!”

“No, Bonnie. . . I love you, but you’re not real. I’m sorry, I need to go now.”

Lyra focused on that itch in the back of her mind, on all the forbidden truths that had been hidden there. Bon Bon and Applejack were dead. Twilight was lost or dead after trapping dozens of ponies as dolls. Lyra had become the new Element of Magic.

The realization dawned on her and she felt the ring around her horn shatter as arcane energy seeped into her body. Lyra felt the straps vanish and the room around her flicker and swirl away.

She bolted forward in bed breathing heavily from her nightmare. Looking around revealed that Lyra was in a large bedroom in Canterlot castle—judging by the ornate designs. At a nearby table sat Trixie, who rushed over to check on Lyra.

Trixie scanned her with her magic and felt her forehead with a hoof. “I think you’re okay!”

“What happened?” Lyra tried to bat the hoof away.

“After Luna gave you her gift you went into a coma. She said I had to watch you in case you. . . turned into something evil.”

“I was in a dream. Bon Bon was still alive. . .”

Trixie levitated over a piece of paper with her instructions on it. “She wrote that you’d face some sort of challenge or inner demon as you came to grips with your new power.”

“New power?” Lyra asked.

“Well, you are attuned to the Element of Magic now. Also, from what I’ve gathered she basically gave you a blank check on your destiny. You’re not just a lyrist anymore, you can study any field of magic you want just like a pony with a magic cutie mark.”

Lyra chuckled and pointed a hoof at Trixie’s flank. “Well, looks like you magic unicorns are going to be given a run for their money then.”

Trixie looked between Lyra and her flank, then. “I guess so, but you’ve got a lot to learn.”

She noticed Trixie was missing most of her tail, and that it appeared singed. “Say, Trixie, what happened to your tail?”

“Oh, it was nothing, just a teleporting accident.”

“I’m glad you’re alright! Teleporting sounds like difficult magic.”

Trixie tilted her head in confusion. “Huh? Oh! I didn’t teleport myself. I teleported Luna’s cat.”

Lyra scratched her head. “Then what happened to the cat?”

“If I ever find it, I’ll let you know. As for this,” Trixie pointed to her tail, “That was Luna’s reaction when I told her what happened to her cat.”

Laughter filled the room as Lyra fell back in bed, rolling around. All the stress and worry evaporated and she knew that she was back in the real world. It wasn’t perfect, and she’d never see Bon Bon again, but she had new friends and a new destiny now.

Dash dragged her hooves down the streets of the replica Ponyville. The ghost town was much quieter than usual. Whole days would go by without seeing another pony. Just when Dash thought this hell couldn’t get any worse, Twilight had doubled their suffering.

As part of their punishment, Twilight had used her magic to remove the wings and horns of every pony in town. Then, she had removed their mouths by sealing them shut. They could no longer talk and conspire against her, fly, or use their magic for their misdeeds and inventions.

There was no telling when, or if, Twilight’s new group of ‘friends’ would convince her to end their punishment.

Dash happened to glance down an alleyway and see a small scooter. Curious, she walked in and found a small shack that contained Scootaloo’s scooter, helmet, and a few other belongings.

This must be where Scootaloo lived as an orphan, and Twilight had recreated every detail. Dash wanted to scream in anger at her loss. She loved that little filly, and had lost her before she had even gotten to really know her.

Dash curled up in Scootaloo’s bed of cardboard and pulled the threadbare blanket over her. She cried herself to sleep, lamenting all the bad choices in her life that had lead up to this moment.

Author's Note

My editor pointed out the third chapters of all my stories always take the longest, and are often what makes or breaks my stories. It's sort of like the Curse of the Ninth, only for me it's the Curse of the Third.

I hope you enjoyed and that it's a return to form. Lyra still needs a better internal conflict, but I think Scootaloo, Twilight, and the new direction Dash is headed are an improvement.

A free cookie to the first one who figures out the connection between the CMC.

IV. Twilight's Journal

One Month Later. . .

Scootaloo had been training with Sensei for five weeks, and had finally started training with live weapons. Instead of the wooden practice sword and hoof blades, she had been given a beaten-up metal sword and dull blades to train with.

Thick wooden pillars were scattered around the training yard, full of nicks and scratches courtesy of her attacks. Sweat was dripping off her wings and legs as she stood perched on one such cut tree trunk, awaiting the command to start again.

“You’re still striking too hard, as if you’re angry. It only takes a few pounds of pressure to break skin. If you waste energy delivering your blows you will fall victim to the beasts of the Everfree. There are worse creatures than hydras in that forest.”

“Yes, Sensei,” Scootaloo answered. She took a deep breath and got ready to go again. Her sword was tucked into a scabbard on her left shoulder, allowing her to draw it and attack in one swift motion.

“Again!” Sensei shouted.

She drew the sword with her mouth and leapt forward, beating her wings hard to gain lift. The sword nicked the crossbeam in the target in front of her. Instead of fighting the impact and straining her neck, she let the blade be pushed back and glide over the beam, cutting deeply without getting the blade stuck.

The next target was nearly ten feet below her to the right. She was aiming for the underside of that beam in a narrow gap between the ground and the wood. Her sword would not have room to strike, so she brought it to a ready position that allowed her to fly without being encumbered. With the blade out of the way on her left side, she dove and turned upside down.

As she bent her forelegs, the training blades shot out, each half the length of her forelegs. She slammed them into the wood, allowing the blades to bury into the wood, getting stuck. Her speed towards the ground shifted as it pulled her in a loop beneath the log. Her momentum had changed to allow her to fly away from the ground. At the end of her arc beneath the beam, she tugged her legs forcefully, withdrawing the blades, then orienting herself to be right side up again.

She nearly flinched and hit the next target, as she had two runs ago. This time she rolled to the right to dodge it, instead of trying to strike it with the sword. Just after she’d cleared the obstacle, she stopped and spun in mid air, hitting the backside of the target and leaving a long gash.

The next two targets ahead of her should have been easy, and she withdrew the hoof blades and prepared to strike them both in quick succession. She pictured Twilight in her head, imagining the target was her and not some beast from the Everfree. Scootaloo struck the target and her head was snapped sharply to the side.

Tumbling in mid air, Scootaloo managed to orient herself but had left the sword buried to the hilt in the wooden target. The last target was closing quickly and she knew her hoofblades would not extend and lock in place in time to strike it.

She tucked her head down and rolled in mid air, folding in her hind legs. Once she was upside-down, she bucked her hind legs hard, and heard wood splintering. Scootaloo fell to the ground, unable to gain her bearings in time to avoid the crash.

She got up and groaned, not from the pain which she had learned to ignore, but from yet another failure on the obstacle course. Her sword was buried to the hilt, her hooves probably cracked, and she had left one target standing.

“Good work, Scootaloo. Unorthodox, but they say one must adapt or die.”

Scootaloo looked back at him and saw the foot thick wooden beam had been cleaved in two. The top half lay a good thirty feet away and looked like lightning had split the trunk in two. “I did it?”

“Yes, you’ve cleared the obstacle course. Yet your self-control leaves much to be desired. I’ll put the weapons up. You are to go meditate on why you are still letting anger power your strikes when finesse and dexterity are far more lethal.”

“Yes, Sensei.” Scootaloo unstrapped the hoof blades and scabbard then bowed on her forelegs to her teacher. She flew over to his small dojo and headed into her room. After drying off most of the sweat with a towel, she sat down at a small workbench in the corner.

To teach her dexterity, Sensei had bought her a small sewing kit designed for unicorns. The needles were thin like blades of grass, as was the string. At first Scootaloo was insulted, for no pegasus or earth pony could sew with such tiny needles. She had stuck herself countless times attempting to master it just to spite her Sensei.

After gaining a little proficiency, she had been provided a thin cyan headband. It was of high quality, and some day she would ask Sensei how he had acquired it. For now, she focused on the small emblem in the middle of it. Scootaloo had spent the past week slowly stitching six colors into it. Today she would put the final streaks of red in it, and complete the rainbow icon that reminded her of what she fought for.

Scootaloo deftly clasped the needle between her two hooves and began pushing it through the cloth over and over again, using her mouth to flip the headband over between each stitch. Her mind cleared as she focused on the task and she found her anger fading away.

She knew Sensei was right, and that her thoughts of revenge would often appear at the wrong moment and ruin her training. Scootaloo felt it was only natural to want to get back at the pony who had ruined the lives of an entire town. Still, a single slip-up would result in the jaws of a predator or the offensive spells of a crazed alicorn to hit her.

Scootaloo gasped and drew her hoof back. She hadn’t been paying attention and pricked herself in the delicate frog inside her hoof. The blood-filled area of her foot trickled steadily and she examined it closely. Despite the small size it was aching and bleeding, the small strike against a larger beast. She had not needed to strike hard to wound herself, and Scootaloo realized there was merit to Sensei’s school of thought.

“Luna, you asked to see me?” Lyra questioned. She walked across the princess’s chambers and stood next to the table she was seated at.

“Please, join me,” Luna instructed.

“Yes, Luna.”

“Do you know what this is?”

Lyra sat down and saw a simple tome sitting in the middle of the table. Two simple words had faded into what looked like a leather cover. They read Twilight’s Journal. “Was that written while Twilight was capturing ponies? She used to take notes in a book.”

“Yes, though Celestia and I have had no luck opening it. She is worried what might happen should we allow you to open it, yet I have trained you long enough to know you will not fall victim to delusions of grandeur. The speed at which you’ve been learning almost rivals Twilight, and I believe that is what gives Celestia pause.”

“She’s worried I’m turning out just like her former pupil?”

“Indeed, though I can see you are two completely different ponies. Try to open the journal for me, and do not worry. I will not let you come to harm.”

Lyra chuckled and reached out with her magic towards the book. She knew Twilight, and if Twilight wanted to place a trap on a book there was little even an alicorn could do to bypass it. As she pulled the book over the cover lifted easily. “That wasn’t so hard.”

“Celestia believes Twilight left you this journal so you could pick up where she left off. I, on the other hoof, believe she left it so you would know why she did what she did. We were not able to risk opening the tome without triggering an enchantment designed to incinerate it.”

Luna looked over at the book as Lyra flipped through the pages. “Looks like all pages but the first are blank.”

“What was written on it?”

Turning back to the front page revealed the first stanza to a lullaby. A chill went down Lyra’s spine as she recognized it. “This is the lullaby I had intended to play Twilight the night she captured me.”

“It may be a further protection. Can you play it for me?” Luna asked.

“I don’t have my lyre.”

Luna smiled and levitated a lyre out from under the table. The frame looked like a flawless marble, housing silver strings between it. They caught the moonlight and sparkled, and the gentle breeze in the room caused faint notes to sound from it. “I expected you might need one.”

Lyra laughed and lifted up the lyre. “Always one step ahead of the rest of us? Well, I’ll play the song but if it turns me back into a doll you have to promise to play with me every day.”

Now it was the princess’ turn to chuckle. Her horn began to glow as she prepared to intervene if any enchantments were triggered.

The notes of the lyre started softly and beautifully. The light of the moon pouring through the window flickered and danced across the floor, matching the rhythm of the lullaby. For a tense minute they sat there, listening to the beautiful serenade. Once it was done they both looked at the book expectantly only for nothing to happen.

“I suppose that would have been too easy,” Luna intoned.

“Yeah, unless. . .” Lyra chewed on her lip and looked between the book and the lyre. If Twilight had wanted to ensure only Lyra could read it—for whatever reason—she would have needed a better enchantment than playing a simple melody. Something only Lyra would remember would be best. “I think it has to be played in the room of the library where Twilight captured me.”

“You can’t be serious! You want to walk back into her library with an enchanted book and play that song?”

“What’s the worst that can happen? I’m starting to think you’re right, she wanted me to find and read this. She needed something only I could open. The exact place, musician, and song would be a perfect key.”

“Very well then, I’ll fetch a carriage for us.”

“That won’t be necessary, I’ve been dying to try out long distance teleportation,” Lyra said.

Luna’s eyes went wide in surprise. “That requires a great deal of energy, and you’ve barely mastered teleporting across a room.”

“I have a feeling that this book may hold clues to her whereabouts. If I’m going looking for her, I need to know I can get out if I absolutely have to.”

“Alright, after you.”

Lyra smirked and put a saddlebag on, inserting the lyre and book inside. Her horn glowed and she let her mind go blank, taking extra time to ensure the spell formed properly.

In her mind’s eye she pictured the room she was in, then the atrium of the library in Ponyville. She imagined a doorway joining both rooms that she could step through, to travel the distance in one step.

The most challenging part came next. She imagined the various arcane sigils and drew upon magical conduits to open the door. As soon as the door opened she could see and smell the library, as if it were inches in front of her face. Her energy was draining quickly, as opening a teleportation spell required manipulating several dimensions at once.

Lyra struggled to take a step forward, feeling as though her body was surrounded by molasses. She could feel her horn shutting down as it ran out of energy and began to protect itself from the spell when her magic depleted. At the last second, Lyra dove forward and felt her entire body get stretched and then smashed back together.

The wooden floor of the library appeared and she landed face-first on it, toppling into the nearby wall. Her muscles ached in protest, yet in her mind she was already celebrating. She got to her hooves and stood up, only to feel so exhausted she fell onto her haunches.

Lyra focused on her breathing and letting the magic flow back into her, to deplete her energy stores. In front of her the oak flooring had been scorched black where she’d teleported in..

Luna materialized a moment later as well. She looked around with unease because the library was exactly as they had left it. By royal decree, it was not to be disturbed and was still considered an active crime scene.

“Amazing, Lyra. You nearly got flung across my room when at the last second you pulled it off.”

Lyra rubbed at her nose, seeing a little blood trickling from it. “Yeah. Well, I hit this end pretty hard. At least I know if I get into trouble in the Everfree, I can fling myself towards Ponyville or Canterlot to get out.”

“You make teleporting sound like a trebuchet.”

“And I’m not wrong, from what I’ve seen so far. Distance is easy, but accuracy may take a lifetime to master.”

Lyra levitated out the lyre and book and placed them in the middle of the room. In front of her was the table she had sat at with Twilight. “Well, no time like the present.”

Luna nodded and the lyrist began to play the lullaby in the room. Immediately the book floated off the ground and was engulfed in a purple hue. It sparkled and cracked as the song progressed, and Lyra noticed it shared none of the green tint that Twilight’s magic had taken on. She had no time to ponder the significance of this when the song stopped and the book fell to the floor.

“Fascinating, I thought for sure that would work,” Luna said.

Lyra walked up and opened to the second page. “It did work. See?”

Luna walked over and shuffled through a few pages. “It still looks blank to me.”

“I can read it as plain as day.” Lyra turned back to the first page. “Here, allow me.”

Dear Diary,

Celestia suggested I start a diary to express my emotions, as if they were something I could scientifically quantify. My brother is dead, forever, because I failed to act. I could have gone on the boring mission with him as an Ambassador. Instead, I stayed here to research the long-term effects of earth pony magic on growing crops.

It’d be bad enough losing him, but the pain hasn’t faded one bit and it’s been weeks. Applejack is the only one who I think understands; since she lost both her parents as a filly. Still, it’s applebuck season so she can’t make it over much more often than once a week.

The others are. . . well, they’re living their own lives now. Dash is finally trying out for the Wonderbolts and practices sixteen hours a day. Pinkie has been throwing parties from here to the rock farm she grew up on. Fluttershy is sheltering three times as many animals now as when I came to town. Rarity is trying to open a boutique in Canterlot.

I should be happy that they are moving on with their lives and being successful, but all I can think about is why they aren’t here for me. Is that selfish?

It hurts so much and I feel so guilty laying it on Spike every day. He always listens, but I can’t help but wonder where my friends are. Nightmare Moon, Discord, Sombra, Chrysalis. . . my friends have always been here to help me face every obstacle in my life.

Now when I need them most, they all have different schedules and can hardly visit. What worries me more is that this was just one tragedy. How will I cope with death after they’re gone? Me and Spike are the only ones who will live as long as the princesses.

I’ll have to ask Celestia during my visit tomorrow how she handles loss, having lived several millennia and lost thousands of subjects.

During that I’ll be there to attempt to comfort Cadence. As horrible as I feel, I can’t imagine how she must. Her domain is love, and she loved nopony as much as Shining. I’ve heard rumors she can no longer cast her signature magic to mend broken hearts.

She’s more than a foalsitter or sister-in-law, she’s my closest and only family. Her and I will face eternity together, and I’m determined to hide my own sorrow long enough to comfort her.

-Twilight Sparkle

Luna sat silently for a few minutes, processing the journal entry. Finally Lyra broke the silence. “I, uh, need some water.”

She got up and walked into the kitchen and pulled a glass out of the cupboard like she was in anypony else’s house. Lyra walked to the fridge and pushed it against the water dispenser. It was set to ice, and instead of water a torrent of ice cubes shot out, knocking the glass to the floor.

“Perhaps we should get water somewhere else?” Luna asked. “I still feel so much negative energy here.”

“I guess so. Let me just grab that glass from under the fridge.” Lyra leaned over to find the glass and couldn’t see where it had gone too. She used her horn to illuminate the underside of the fridge. Amidst the scattering cockroaches and glass cup she had dropped was a colorful object towards the back. It took Lyra a moment to realize the familiar sight of a pony turned into a doll, yet covered by a layer of dust was the old dental hygienist of Ponyville, Crest.

Lyra pulled the doll out and held it in the air in front of Luna. “Look, somehow she missed a doll. This is horrible.”

“I can’t believe it.”

Crest stared out at her newest hallucinations. She had thought of a million ways she’d been rescued and been wrong a million times. Her favorite was how the cute mail stallion would rescue her. Swift Package, the one pony she had always wished would ask her out on a date. He would find her and break the curse with a kiss. They would start a family and live happily ever after.

She laughed inwardly as she watched the two ponies talking. She couldn’t hear them, nor did she care. Crest would wake up back under the fridge, just like every other time. She was just a toy, and her dreams of being a real pony were just that: dreams.

“Luna, allow me. I’d like to know I’ve got the transformation spell mastered,” Lyra said.

“After the teleport, do you have that much energy left?”

Lyra nodded to the open window and the moonlight pouring through it. “With the full moon and your gift? I think so.”

Crest felt funny. This had never happened before in her hallucinations. All she had ever felt was the bite of the cold and the tickling of the dust that settled onto her side. For months she had wanted to sneeze but been unable.

All those sensations fled her as Crest felt the most alien and painful sensation of them all: warmth.

Crest felt like she was on fire. It was too warm, and her body felt like jelly. She froze in terror, wishing it would stop. It was a lie, another trick. The pain hurt more than the realization she’d never be found by anypony.

Luna fired up her horn to scan her and find out if the spell had worked.

Crest wanted to cry but knew she couldn’t. There were painful movements in her chest as her body convculsed. It shouldn’t move. It wasn’t supposed to move. Toys don’t move. The thudding of some organ inside her burned in agony. It was responsible for the warm tingling she was feeling in her limbs. It was the organ torturing her with lies and false hope of an end to the cold lonely nights.

“She’s perfectly fine, but not moving,” Luna explained.

“Crest, it’s me, Lyra? Are you okay?”

She heard the pony talk to her and felt her chest stop moving. Her eyes and ears rotated towards the unicorn. She began to feel another pain in her chest which only stopped once she allowed it to start moving again.

“Crest?” Lyra put a hoof on her shoulder and patted her.

She felt the hoof push into her tender, soft flesh, and lost control. She was plastic. Plastic is hard. Plastic doesn’t move or talk or feel.

“Get back! This is another trick!” Crest screamed. She spasmed and found her alien limbs moving beneath her. Seconds later she had scurried towards the fridge. She was too big to fit under it, but tried anyway. Crest was stuck out here, vulnerable, the safety of the fridge forever out of reach.

“I don’t think she took her imprisonment well,” Luna said. “We best get her to medical attention.”

“Lies, lies! Twenty-three years and twenty-three days of lies! Come back in twenty-three hours!” Crest kicked out her hind legs and managed to slide her head a little further under the fridge. “The sandman isn’t coming for tea, stallions need larger spoons for their oatmeal!”

“Lyra, hold on. I’m teleporting us to the throne room,” Luna explained.

There was a brilliant silver flash, and the three ponies, the lyre, and the book were teleported into Celestia’s room in Canterlot.

The princess of the sun woke up immediately, finding three ponies standing at the foot of her bed. “Luna?” she asked, groggily.

“Sister, we have rescued another pony and opened Twilight’s journal,” Luna explained.

“They keep talking, they don’t know. They can only hear the colors they have been given,” Crest said. She dove under the bed, vanishing beneath it before anypony could stop her.

“What the hell?” Celestia said. “Did you botch the spell?”

“She’s been trapped for months, Tia. I fear she needs medical attention.”

“Very well. And what’s this about the journal?”

“Lyra unlocked it, though it is still enchanted only to allow her to read it.”

“Luna!” Celestia got out of bed and frowned. “I told you not to let her near it!”

“And I told you we are of equal rank, and having tried every other option I would take responsibility for showing Lyra.”

“Lyra, get out. I’m going to have some words with my sister.” Without waiting Celestia turned to face Luna. “You had no right, Luna!”

“Lyra is not Twilight! Now, let us sleep and talk of this on the morrow—”

“Oh no, you don’t!”

“Tia, please. I’ve been covering the day court, giving you time to mourn, but you’re still irrational.”

Celestia’s horn glowed, causing the sun to rise early. “Me? Irrational? Oh no, I’m just fine!”

Lyra had inched her way to the door and backed up through it, closing it behind her. She looked over to the two guards in golden armor.

“Ma’am,” the guard said, “they okay?”

“Yeah,” Lyra said. “Still some old wounds festering, but I have faith Celestia and Luna will get past them together.”

Twilight poured some more tea for Fluttershy. “Please, tell me if you can taste this one. I worked hard on the spell to restore more of your senses.”

Fluttershy no longer had a plastic shell of a body, and instead had individual strands of plastic hair. They mimicked her old mane and tail perfectly. An artificial peach fuzz covered her body, replacing the fur. As reward for their good behavior, Twilight had chosen to test her ever-improving grasp on immortality magic on her closest friends.

She took a sip of the tea and was able to taste a hint of bitterness and sourness to it. “It, um, worked. I can taste bitter and sour in it.”

“And you can still taste sweetness?” Twilight asked.

“Yes, that only leaves, um. . . salty?”

“This is great news! Soon you’ll have a full sense of taste. I’m sure everypony will be happy if I can make them feel more normal.”

Beside Fluttershy sat Pinkie and Big Mac. This trio, along with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, had become the first of a new group of ponies to embrace Twilight as a friend. While their captor still held reservations about them, her mood had improved considerably.

Unfortunately, the rest of the town was still being punished for their attempt of escape and murder. Twilight left them wandering around without their mouths, unable to talk to one another and thus conspire against her. She had also forbidden them to be outside their houses at all during the artificial night time. The small gem in the ceiling would simulate sunlight during the daytime to help them mark the passage of time.

Pinkie walked up to Twilight and hugged her foreleg. “This is super duper! And with how tiny my cupcake oven is and how much flour you brought, I can now bake cupcakes for every single pony for years! They’ll be so happy to taste cupcakes!”

Twilight grinned and pet Pinkie. “Yes, but I’ll only improve the doll spell for the good ponies. The bad ponies can stay as plastic, barely able to taste or feel. The good ponies will get nicer and nicer, until I’ve preserved you all in mint condition.”

“Can you make me bigger so I can give you a superific hug?” Pinkie asked.

A frown crossed her face as she considered whether or not a life-size Pinkie could overpower her. “I, uh. . . only trust Big Mac to be that big. Sorry, Pinkie, he’s the only one I know would never hurt me.”

Pinkie’s mane straightened out. “Aww, shucks. I’d never hurt you, Twilight. I feel really bad that I didn’t make you happy all those months ago in Ponyville. I bet if I had tried harder, you would never have turned anypony into dolls.”

“Pinkie, we’ve been over this. You’re not allowed to talk about the real Ponyville, Celestia, Luna, Cadence, or Shining,” Twilight warned. “They put me in a bad mood, and you wouldn’t like me when I’m in a bad mood.”

Pinkie backed up and sat next to Fluttershy. “Sorry! I Pinkie promise to be more careful. So, now that us three are super-dolls, are you going to do the crusaders next?”

“I guess so. Where are they anyway?” Twilight asked.

Fluttershy blushed and looked away. “They, uh. . . are playing with their friend.”

“Oh really? Which friend?” Twilight asked. “There aren’t many fillies in town, I kept meaning to capture some more for them.”

"It's Silver Spoon."

Twilight moaned. “Oh? I’ve been wondering what they did to her.”

“It wasn’t them, but Rarity threaded strings through Silver to turn her into a puppet. She’s been, um. . . Well, I don’t really like to hang out with Rarity anymore.”

Rarity was asleep at the boutique while Sweetie and Apple Bloom sat in the basement, watching Silver dangle from the ceiling by half a dozen threads.

“Ah don’t know why we keep debatin’ it, look at her. She killed my sister!” Apple Bloom exclaimed. “She deserves what she gets.”

Silver hung from the strings, flailing her legs occasionally but getting nowhere. Her mouth had also been sealed shut by the spell that swept over the town. She had spent her days since being captured as a piñata for Rarity, Dash, and Apple Bloom to take their stress out on. They were the three least forgiving of her role as co-conspirator and murderer of Applejack.

“Look at her,” Sweetie said. She pointed to the filly who was whimpering pathetically. “Your sister was honesty, and since she’s dead I bet you’re the Element of Honesty now. So tell me, is this what Applejack would have wanted? You think she’d have done this to Silver?”

“Well, ah ain’t gonna just forgive her. Besides, she’s not even a real pony anymore, so I can treat her however I want. . . right?”

Sweetie pulled out a pair of scissors and dropped them in front of Apple Bloom. “Look, all we’ve got is each other. I’m not saying you have to forgive her, but we can’t just keep torturing her for fun. Otherwise we’re no better than Twilight. You’ve seen the others: Rarity is no longer generous, Dash no longer loyal, your sister is dead. . . Twilight is the one who is truly tearing everypony apart.”

Apple Bloom sighed and looked at the scissors on the floor. After a minute of thinking carefully, she took the scissors in her mouth and went over to Silver, then cut her down.

She thudded to the floor, then grabbed Apple Bloom and hugged her. Wet tears stained her cheek as Silver cried, glad to have finally been spared her torture yet unable to voice the words.

“This don’t mean ah forgive you, but ah can’t honestly justify anypony suffering,” Apple Bloom said.

“That was very generous of you. Now, why don’t we take her to the clubhouse where she’ll be safe, and maybe we’ll have another one of those dreams about Scootaloo tonight?” Sweetie asked.

“Yeah, those flashes are strange. Remind me to ask Twilight if we’re s’posed ta be dreamin’ or not. Let’s go before Rarity wakes up.”

Lyra was back in her favorite meadow, overlooking the vast reaches of forest beneath Canterlot. Earlier today Celestia had confiscated the book, though agreed that it was a good thing Lyra had unlocked it. They would look for clues in the journal once Celestia was convinced it was safe enough.

Now, Lyra’s hoof was curled around the foreleg of her special somepony, Soarin.

“Celestia calmed down after Luna explained. They both tried to help Crest, but the doctor said he had no choice but to commit her to Broadhoof Asylum,” Lyra stated.

“At least you found her. I can’t imagine being stuck as a doll, unable to move, for months. Please, Lyra, are you really going to go looking for Twilight when your training is done?” Soarin asked.

“You know my answer. The second I’m confident in my abilities, I have a duty to all those ponies we left behind.”

“Including Twilight?”

Lyra sighed. “Yeah. Someone has to, she is the victim as much as the villain: all alone out there without a friend in the world.”

“Well, if I can’t change your mind then I want you to make me a promise.”

She rolled her head to the side to look into his eyes. “Yeah? What’s that?”

“Promise me, no matter what, you’ll make it back alive. I’ve never planned to do more than be a Wonderbolt, but since I’ve met you I’ve been a much happier stallion. I can’t stand the thought of losing you.”

Lyra began to blush, then leaned in to kiss him. She parted his lips and probed his mouth with her tongue, enjoying the taste of his saliva. Once she withdrew, she answered him. “I’ve never been as happy as I am now with you. Not even with Bon Bon. . .”

Soarin saw her mood shift as she looked away, remembering a long-lost best friend. He nuzzled her side and hugged her. “Hey, let’s just enjoy this lovely sunset.”

“You’re right.” She cuddled up next to him and looked at the setting sun. “And after that you can come back to my room in the palace for some hot coffee.”

“Hmm.” Soarin looked off into the distance. “It’s awfully late for some coffee.”

“Seriously?” She poked him in the ribs with her foreleg. “What about some of my pie?”

Soarin couldn’t hide his grin any longer, and looked back at Lyra. “Well, I do love pie.” As he kissed her the wind rustled through the wildflowers beside them.

Author's Note

It's been too long... I'm focusing on better writing habits, to write something every day. It's so easy to get complacent, and when you have multiple stories that turns into monthly updates. With luck, this will update weekly alongside Dash of Humanity.

Thanks for patiently awaiting the next chapter.

V. Opening Old Wounds

“I’m glad you could join us for dinner,” Luna said.

Lyra led Soarin over to their seats at the banquet table. They appeared to be the last couple of ponies arriving to the nearly-full table. Eight chairs were set around a large ebony table. The dark-black hardwood provided a nice contrast with the redwood floor. The flooring ran up against the red-brick walls. Candle holders were spaced evenly along the sides of the room, with large tapestries depicting famous events in Equestrian history placed between them.

At the front of the room was a display case housing the Elements of Harmony. Three of them were still stuck glowing dimly, while the other three shone strong. At the foot of the room were large stained glass windows of darker red hues portraying a rich sunset.

It was breathtaking each time Lyra entered it. Celestia had this room built during the past year, as it offered her a warm and inviting room in which to eat or lounge about. The massive hearth even had a fire going in it right now, adding to the ambience.

“We’re honored to be here,” Lyra said. She glanced over at Soarin, squeezing his hoof briefly.

“Keep him away from my pie,” Scootaloo said to him. “Sensei hasn’t let me near junk food since I started training under the nut.”

“I’m a nut now, am I?”

Scootaloo jumped out of her chair in fear, eyes wide as her wings began to flap. She hovered in mid air over the table, slowly turning to see Sensei behind her. “What?! No! I just—when did you get here? I just meant your training is, well—unorthodox. I still have nightmares about that deep tissue massage that was supposed to fix my dislocated shoulder!”

“Luna invited me, as did Celestia,” he explained. The wizened grey pegasus sat down at the table. He carried himself as if her were light as a feather, sitting down without making a noise. “As for your training, if you let me sneak up on you that easily I fear you’re in for more dislocated joints.”

Celestia stifled a giggle and sipped from her tea. The gathered ponies watched her intently, not used to getting much of a reaction from the pensive ruler. “Pardon me, it’s just refreshing. Seeing you all here—it makes me feel like I have family. It’s hard to believe only a year has passed since Twilight vanished, and yet I feel the wounds have faded.”

“The Great and Powerful Trixie proposes a toast!” She levitated up her glass, expecting the other ponies to do the same. Instead, those assembled at the banquet table just rolled their eyes and moaned. “What? I thought it was funny.”

“Here, here,” Lyra said. She levitated her cup up into the air. “What wise words does the pupil of Luna have for us?”

Trixie gulped, having not given much thought to exactly what she would say. “Well I uh. . . I’m grateful we’re all here today. I believe we are all given a second chance, even when we don’t deserve it, and I am surrounded by some of the most honorable ponies in Equestria.”

“Speak for yourself,” Soarin said with a grin. “I’m only dating Lyra because she’s the Element of Magic.”

The table broke out in laughter, and Lyra punched Soarin in the wing, causing him to flinch. “Watch it, buddy,” she scolded. Everypony tapped their glasses together in toast. The unicorns made sure not to leave the Pegasi out, floating their glasses over so they could reach them too.

Servants had begun to bring out bowls of soup for each pony and made sure everyone’s wine glass remained full. As they began to eat they were all thinking about Celestia, yet none wanted to ask what was really on their mind. She had seemingly reversed roles with Luna since the incident with Twilight.

Now, Luna proudly ruled as the public figurehead, allowing Celestia to perform all her own duties and responsibilities in the peace and quiet of her study. Rumors circulated that she still wasn’t over the loss of her pupil.

“So, I managed my first long-distance teleportation yesterday without any side effects,” Lyra said to Trixie.

“Really? How far?”

“A hundred yards.”

Trixie smiled. “Impressive. You've come a long way since flinging yourself to Ponyville.”

Scootaloo had already eaten her soup and was now gulping down the broth. She wiped her mouth with a foreleg and burped. “A hundred yards? That’s not that far, I could fly that in two seconds.”

Lyra sighed. “Really, Scootaloo, you run your mouth faster than you fly. I might have to show you how far a hundred yards really is.” She stuck her tongue out, drawing some laughter out of Soarin.

“Hah, I’d like to see you try,” Scootaloo said. “Sensei here taught me this cool—” She turned to look at her teacher and saw the unamused look on his face. Her smile vanished in an instance, and her demeanor changed to a somber one. Scootaloo turned back to Lyra. “I’m sorry, please excuse me.”

Soarin leaned in until he was shoulder to shoulder with Lyra and whispered. “Wow, Sensei taught her a cool trick. You should ask him to teach it to you.”

“It’s fine, Scootaloo.” Lyra smiled, and shot a glance at Sensei. “Everypony needs to cut loose and relax once and a while. Perhaps you three would be up for a friendly race after dinner?”

“A wise man does not flaunt his speed for the amusement of others,” Sensei answered. He glanced at Scootaloo, who seemed to deflate a little at hearing they wouldn’t get to race. He smirked, before glancing back at Soarin. “Besides, I’d hate to shame a Wonderbolt in front of his marefriend.”

Scootaloo looked up and watched Soarin’s mouth fall open in shock, soup dribbling down his chin. “What?! No disrespect, sir, but you’ve got to be at least sixty. There’s no way you could keep up with a Wonderbolt.”

“Yeah right!” Scootaloo said, flaring her wings. “It’s on now, I’ll beat you both with two hooves tied behind my back.”

“Well, I suppose after dinner I’ll try this cutting loose you mentioned and teach these fillies and colts to respect their elders.” Sensei smiled, then turned to face the door.

A second later, a pony threw the door open with his magic. The royal guard rushed inside, dressed in his ornate golden armor. “Princess Celestia!”

“Flash Sentry, what is so important that you’d interrupt our meal?” Celestia asked.

“It’s uh. . . well, you’re not gonna believe this. . .”

“Spit it out, or I’m putting you on the moon until the feast is over,” Luna said.

Several ponies stifled their laughter as the guard’s eyes darted around nervously. “I uh. . . it’s Apple Bloom. She came back.”

Celestia leveled a stare at the guard, causing him to take a step back. “Everypony out.” She did not yell, but her tone carried more weight than the Royal Canterlot Voice.

Nopony moved at first, each considering what this meant. Finally, Luna slid her chair back, causing a harsh screeching against the floor in the quiet room. “What’s your name, guard?”

“F-Flash,” he replied.

“Bring Apple Bloom here and notify my advisor that any appointments I had today are canceled.” Luna glanced at her sister, who continued to stare at the guard as though he were Twilight herself. The uncomfortable guard snapped a quick salute and left to retrieve the filly.

“The rest of you may leave,” Celestia said with more control over her voice. She smiled gently, showing a hint of her pearlescent teeth. “I’ll question Apple Bloom alone.”

“More like interrogate Apple Bloom,” Scootaloo said with a hint of venom. “No offense, Princess, but I’m staying to make sure my friend is okay.”

Celestia rubbed her hooves against her temples, trying to prevent an oncoming headache. She closed her eyes and answered calmly. “I will not be interrogating anypony, but I will be throwing somepony in the dungeons if they try to interfere with me following the necessary leads to bring Twilight to justice.”

Sensei and Soarin were heading quietly for the door, with the Wonderbolt gesturing to Lyra and trying to get her to join them in their hasty retreat. “We have a vested interest in this,” Lyra gestured around. “We should all be here to greet a fellow survivor warmly.”

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you? Twilight’s little pet and spy—”

“Tia!” Luna barked. “I will not have you lapse into this quest for revenge again. What happened to Twilight is not your fault, and you will not treat our guests poorly on account of it.”

Celestia turned to stare at her sister, who seemed all the more imposing now that she was confident in her abilities and not afraid to take charge of the nation. “You’re right, Lulu. I’m sorry, my little ponies. You may stay.”

Scootaloo picked up her chair and sat back down. She glanced over at Lyra who had a pensive expression and stared down at her plate.

“You know, Celestia, I blame myself about Twilight too.” Lyra wiped her cheek and continued talking. “Maybe I could have done something different to prove to her that her friends, that all of us, cared about her. However, I can’t go back and change any of that.” She looked up at Celestia to make sure she had her attention. “If I spent every day thinking about the pained look in Bon Bon’s eyes as I chose Twilight over her, thinking about how she died thinking her best friend hated her. . . I’d. . .”

Lyra couldn’t finish and had to return her gaze to the silverware in front of her. Luna shot Celestia a sharp frown, nodding at Lyra.

“Lyra, please forgive me for what I said. I know you had no more control over the situation than I did. At least you tried to reach her, and I thank you for it.” Celestia sighed, having calmed down from her outburst. “It is a wound unlike any since I banished Luna. For a time, I even thought Twilight might have to replace my sister, if the Elements banished her again. To have all my hopes and aspirations, my star pupil, torn from me. . . I fear that wound will never heal.”

There was a knock at the door as Flash led a frightened yellow filly into the room. Apple Bloom looked around, not yet sure why she had been brought here. Her eyes spotted Scootaloo quickly. “Scootaloo!”

All pretense of playing it cool flew out the window as Apple Bloom ran towards her. Scootaloo jumped out of her chair and met her halfway, hugging her tightly as Apple Bloom began to sob. “I’m so glad you’re all right.”

“What happened?” She sniffled and tried to choke back her tears long enough to talk. “Ponyville was empty, and ah looked everywhere! Applejack, Big Mac, and Granny were all gone!”

Scootaloo rubbed her back with a hoof, calming her down. “You’re safe now, she won’t turn us back into dolls.”

“Dolls? What do ya mean?” She shivered, pulling herself closer to Scootaloo. “Last thing ah remember was talkin’ to Silver and goin’ for some cookies at Twilight’s house.”

“You don’t remember Twilight capturing the town, turning everypony into dolls?” Celestia asked.

“N-no, but ah did get a little nap on the way here and. . .” Apple Bloom began trembling so much that Scootaloo wrapped both wings protectively around her. “Ah had these horrible nightmares. Ah was trapped in a box and couldn’t see or move and. . . and. . .”

“Shhh, it’s okay now.” Scootaloo kept her wrapped up as she looked over at Celestia, using her wing like a barrier to protect Apple Bloom from the temperamental ruler.

“Amnesia. Why would Twilight send her here if not to deliver a message? To taunt me? To flaunt her power?” Celestia asked. She got up and started to walk towards Apple Bloom. “Some trap to injure me when I explore her mind for answers?”

“Sister, she escaped. Is that not enough? We now know why we never found a body: Twilight and the other trapped ponies are still out there, we need only find them,” Luna stated.

“And this filly holds the answers. Twilight’s location, the number of victims, the status of the Element bearers,” Celestia loomed over Scootaloo, staring at the filly sobbing beneath her.

Scootaloo grimaced and stared at Celestia. Beneath her wings, her legs we coiled and ready to leap into the air and take flight, with Apple Bloom in tow, at any moment. She had at least learned enough from Sensei that Celestia actually seemed to not notice her defensive posture.

“Celestia, I know better than anypony what obsession can do to an alicorn. It can give rise to great evil and cast the land to darkness. I fear you are too close to this to question Apple Bloom.” Luna got up and walked over, finally putting herself between her sister and her prize. “I will watch her dreams closely and find what truth I can. Even the most powerful alicorn hasn’t succeeded in eliminating memories entirely. It is her subconscious we will need to question, not the frightened filly beneath your hooves.”

“You’re right.” Celestia seemed to relax, turning to head towards her room. “I think it best that I retire for the remainder of the day. I need. . . time.”

“Take care, Tia, and do not do anything rash. If you run off into the Everfree searching for Twilight again, I will make sure you don’t see another slice of cake for a year,” Luna threatened.

Celestia chuckled softly as she walked through the far door, closing it behind her. Everypony in the room visibly relaxed after she was gone, and came over to check on Apple Bloom.

Lyra and Luna sat down as Scootaloo folded up her wings. “D-did ah do somethin’ wrong?” Apple Bloom asked.

“No,child, you did not,” Luna observed.

“L-Lyra?” Apple Bloom looked up at her in disbelief. “How come you and Scootaloo didn’t disappear, what does she mean about dolls?”

“Twilight is very sick, and Celestia is filled with so much grief she can’t think clearly all the time,” Lyra explained. “Everypony and your brother are still trapped with Twilight.”

“And my sis?”

The three looked at each other uncomfortably, not wanting to tell her Applejack was dead. “We’re still searching for all the ponies,” Luna stated, dodging the question.

Apple Bloom finally lifter her face from Scootaloo’s shoulder and got a good look at her. “How come you’re so much bigger than me now? Ah couldn’t of been gone more than a week.”

Scootaloo smiled and put a hoof on her shoulder. “It’s been a year since you disappeared.”

“How? What about my family? Why won’t you tell me about my sister?”

Luna’s horn glowed as her aura encircled Apple Bloom. “Sleep now, my little pony. I will watch over you and you will feel much better in the morning.”

She yawned, finding her eyelids to feel as heavy as concrete. A wool curtain seemed to fall over her body, dragging it down into Scootaloo’s lap. Apple Bloom felt warm and cozy and began snoring lightly, snuggling against her friend.

“I have to tell her about her sister, she has a right to know,” Scootaloo stated.

“If that is your wish, yet you will tell her tomorrow before you leave,” Luna said.

“Leave? Just where do you think I’m going?”

“To look for Twilight, of course,” Lyra replied. “That is why you’ve trained with Sensei, is it not? To find your friends, just as I have learned magic in the hopes of doing the same.”

Scootaloo nodded. “Well, yeah, I just thought I’d have finished the training by now. I can’t just run off into the Everfree alone.”

“Which is exactly why you and Lyra are traveling together,” Luna explained. “Surely you two did not find it mere coincidence that you spent this last year pursuing the same goal. It has always been my intention to aid you in your quest when you were ready.”

“Shouldn’t we wait until you get a location from Apple Bloom?” Lyra asked.

“I would not count on that. Twilight would have known to cover her tracks. Just the fact she erased all her memories for the past year, and not just those of how or why she was released, shows how serious Twilight is. It is up to you to continue examining her journal for clues.”

“We only just convinced Celestia to let me have it back, I'll get started during our journey.”

“I’ll have to tell Sensei I’m going,” Scootaloo stated. “Hopefully he’s got some old gear he can loan me; also he said I probably had six months left of training minimum.”

Luna nodded, and levitated Apple Bloom away from Scootaloo and onto her back. “Do not worry on your journey. No harm will come to your friend.”

“Thanks. Celestia sure seems more. . . intense, ever since Ponyville,” Scootaloo said.

“Mortality is one of many challenges alicorns must face. It is our first rule that all that lives must die. Yet sometimes it is the simpler problems that corrupt us: jealousy, regret, or fear.”

Scootaloo stretched, popping several joints loudly, as she stood up. Luna and Lyra gave her puzzled looks. “What?”

“That’s bad for you, Scootaloo,” Lyra replied. “Popping your joints gives you arthritis.”

“Bah, that’s an old mare's tale.” Scootaloo started to walk towards the door while tilting her head sideways to pop the joints in her neck. “Besides, Dash always used to do it—”

She paused as she stared at the Elements of Harmony, where one was glowing brightly in the display case. The red stone which embodied Loyalty had begun to shine as if it was a piece of the sun fallen to Equestria.

Scootaloo couldn’t help but feel drawn to it, walking towards it slowly. Something inside her clicked as she stared at it, coming to an epiphany as her purpose in life was made clear. Since the first time she had met Dash and started emulating her, to the year she started training, to this very moment.

Her purpose was to be loyal to her friends, to ponies she didn’t even know, and free them from a tyrant.

The Element of Loyalty stopped glowing, and the feeling of loyalty settled in her mind. She had proven her self worthy by standing up to Celestia, and felt her connection to the Element strengthen.

Lyra was the first to make it over to Scootaloo, pulling her in for a hug. “Congratulations. You just got promoted.”

Luna came second, more slowly, because as she approached the case the orange stone of Honesty was beginning to glow more brightly. “It couldn’t be. . .”

Lyra and Scootaloo glanced at her, following her gaze to the display case.

“Could it be that simple? The Elements passing to family members?” She turned to the side so that Apple Bloom was as close as she could get to them while asleep. The Element of Honesty, inert and black since Applejack’s death, was now pulsing a rich orange hue.

“I wasn’t Dash’s family,” Scootaloo pointed out.

“You two were very close, and Loyalty just chose you,” Lyra countered.

They stood there for a moment, wondering if there would be a sign that the Element of Honesty accepted Apple Bloom as its new host. Instead, it just continued to steadily pulse.

“Perhaps she isn’t ready,” Lyra observed. “For all that we have studied the Elements it would seem they have a mind of their own.”

“Indeed, this is very promising. If it passes to Apple Bloom, and we can rescue Sweetie Belle. . . perhaps we are well on our way to replacing the Element bearers, and turning them on Twilight to free her of her curse.”

“Sounds like wishful thinking,” Scootaloo said. “I’d rather help Twilight out by knocking her unconscious, rescuing everypony, and letting Celestia sort her out.”

“I hope there won’t be a need for violence. What must have gone through her mind to make her free Apple Bloom?” Lyra pondered.

One Day Ago. . .

The Dollhouse was bustling with life, almost like it had been before Twilight’s capture of the citizens of Ponyville. All over town, ponies were carrying on their normal lives to the best of their abilities to avoid Twilight’s wrath. They had quickly learned a happy jailor meant a happy life. When their jailor got unhappy, mouths would vanish, wings would cease to function, and household comforts like electricity or running water would be revoked.

Twilight had been improving the doll spell substantially in her free time. Ponies could now eat and taste, though the food served no real purpose in their plastic bodies. Behaved unicorns could levitate objects, Dash could manipulate small weather clouds that Twilight created to keep her from being too bored, and Earth ponies could grow plants. They had a full sense of sight, smell, and touch to go with their hearing.

Were it not for the fact she could freeze them instantly, you might mistake them for a miniature living pony.

Yet all was not as it appeared.

Though Dash, Vinyl, and Octavia would play nice, there were still leading a resistance movement. Pleasantries such as tea time with Twilight covered up their activities as they slowly, methodically, and secretly worked on new plans to escape over the past year.

Several times Twilight had tried to force them to admit their plans. When Town Hall caught fire, she had frozen them all for two weeks under a heat lamp, threatening to increase the temperature another few degrees to pass their melting point. Yet, nopony caved in and snitched.

It was a problem she hadn’t been able to solve, until an old piece of advice from Big Mac came to mind. Most of the ponies here had family, friends, or lovers in the dollhouse. Twilight might be able to buy compliance, or convince ponies to turn on each other, by freeing their loved ones.

Having fewer ponies in the Dollhouse wasn’t ideal, but it was better than constantly freezing the town and threatening them to force them to act the way Twilight wanted them to act. Forced friendship isn’t really friendship, as gratifying as it might have been to her. Besides, she had been able to carefully acquire a few new ponies over the year.

“Twilight?” Big Mac asked.

“Hmm?” She looked up from her journal and set down her quill.

“Today’s the day.”

“Yes, I was just reflecting on the past year and our deal. Despite our rough start, you truly have been my closest friend since I let Lyra go free. The ponies may not be happy with you, but we should go get this over with.”

Twilight got up from her desk, taking a moment to stretch her wings out. Since she lived in a cave they didn’t see much usage. Visiting town would prove a nice oppurtunity for a daisy sandwich, since she mainly ate nutrient-rich survival rations or dry grains now.

Big Mac walked to the edge of the table where a set of bookshelves and books acted as his impromptu staircase. Twilight could change him to any size she wanted, and lately was comfortable leaving him almost the same size as her. Mac was a little smaller, so that he was more comfortable to cuddle with, but she rarely had reason to shrink him to the hoof-tall height of the other ponies.

Mac followed over as Twilight walked towards town, taking note of how much Twilight had improved the cave. Hoof-carved crystals simulated the sun, moon, and stars in the ceiling of the cave. Right now it was early morning, and Apple Bloom would no doubt be hanging out with Sweetie Belle and Silver Spoon at the farm.

“Attention everypony!” Twilight’s voice echoed through the Dollhouse, getting everypony’s attention.

At Carousel Boutique, Dash and Rarity were having a low-key discussion about smuggling Sweetie Belle out of the cave when Twilight went for supplies. They believed they could find a way to sneak her past the anti-magic field to the alcove that had Twilight’s bed and supplies.

“Great, what do you think she wants this time?” Dash asked. She walked over and looked out the window, seeing her towering over the edge of town.

“We better go see, darling, or we could wind up without mouths for another month,” Rarity answered.

“Yeah, let’s all pander the crazy mare so she doesn’t snap. I’m getting tired of this.”

Rarity opened the door, gesturing for her to come outside. “I understand why you three are looking for a way out, but is it worth the constant punishments? Why not relax and bide your time for a little while?”

Dash walked by her, shaking her head. “You don’t get it. That’s not the kind of crazy you can fix. Pinkie, Spike, Fluttershy, and Big Mac are all sympathizers and look where it has got them: nowhere.”

“I wouldn’t say nowhere.” Rarity closed the door and followed Dash out into the street. Ponies from all over town, and some travelers who were unfortunate enough to try to take a shortcut through the Everfree, poured out of their houses. Rarity estimated there must be seventy or so ponies in the town by now. “She hasn’t tested out any spell modifications on those four sympathizers. When Town Hall ‘mysteriously’ caught fire, they weren’t held under a heat lamp.”

“How’s that make us any different than prisoners? We do what she says, we get to live life in a gilded cage. We misbehave, she threatens and tortures us. That isn’t the Twilight I remember,” Dash stated.

“Citizens of Ponyville!” Twilight shouted out, her voice filling the entire cavern without increasing in volume due to her magic. “Today is a special day. As you all know, Big Mac has been a kind, gentle, and caring soul to me this past year. Some of you have behaved, some of you have rebelled, yet he has always been a true friend.” She glanced down at Dash, adding some venom to her voice. “Unlike some of you.”

“Pfft,” Dash mumbled. “If I was her size I’d knock that smirk off her face.”

“Don’t antagonize her, darling.” Rarity put a foreleg over her shoulders to keep her from flying off and doing anything rash.

“While it pains me to say goodbye to any member of my community, nearly a year ago today I made a promise to Big Mac. Depressed and hurting from my. . . misunderstanding with Celestia, I promised to set his sister free if he held to the tenets of true friendship: honesty, loyalty, laughter, kindness, and generosity.”

Twilight surveyed the crowd and her horn began to glow. There was a squeal from Sweet Apple Acres, and soon Dash could see Apple Bloom levitating over towards Twilight. Like most of the fillies that had been captured, she was scared of Twilight and her constant mood swings.

Apple Bloom hadn’t always been that afraid of her, yet one of the newer fillies captured while on the road with their parents had some interesting campfire stories to tell. Across Equestria, Twilight had become the new ‘boogie mare’. Ponies had created many colorful campfire stories about how ‘The Dollmaker’ could steal a pony’s soul through their nose, or cause them to freeze to death so slowly they never truly died. They told their children if they misbehaved, they’d be lucky if all she did was turn them into a doll.

After the initial shock of being levitated out of the Cutie Mark Crusader clubhouse, Apple Bloom had calmed down somewhat. Despite never forgiving what Twilight and Silver had done to her sister, she wasn’t about to pick a fight.

“Yeah, Ms. Sparkle?” Apple Bloom asked, hiding her fear and anger behind a paper-thin smile.

“Oh, please call me Twilight.” She returned the smile, then froze Apple Bloom so she couldn’t move or speak. The doll rotated around in the air to face the crowd. “Apple Bloom is being set free, as a show of good faith. If you accept your place here, if you are true friends,” she shot a glance at Dash and Rarity, “then I may let you bargain for your loved ones.”

“Sweetie,” Rarity whispered. She had always known that her little sister deserved to be free, even if it meant Rarity had to suffer the punishment for the escape. Now, Twilight was offering to set Sweetie free for good behavior.

“Don’t buy it,” Dash muttered. “This is the same murderer who killed Applejack, Diamond Tiara, and Filthy Rich.”

“I’ll be back by tomorrow morning. While I am gone, do not cause trouble. If you need anything, see Big Mac.” Twilight walked over to the smaller room cut into the side of the cave, where her bed was. She walked through the magic barrier that prevented ponies from getting nosy and invading her privacy, and put Apple Bloom into her saddlebag.

Twilight put on a thick travel cloak, the saddlebags, and an amulet she had crafted to help ward her from detection outside the Everfree. She couldn’t be certain that it worked, yet she had not been caught so far.

Dash watched in amazement as Twilight walked out of the cave. “She can’t be serious? If she just starts letting ponies go, then everypony will want to go. No, this is all some sort of lie. I have to warn everypony before they sell out the resistance!”

Rarity tightened her grip around Dash as the pegasus tried to take off and call Twilight’s bluff. “Please, Dash, think! You can’t contradict her in front of everypony. I don’t want to spend another month wondering if you’re dead or alive, having dreams each night of what horrible things she might be doing while she interrogates you.”

The tones of worry in her voice were enough to make Dash stand down and exhale. After a moment she nuzzled Rarity’s neck. “I. . . I know. She already hates us enough without me adding to it, but I can’t just sit here and do nothing.”

Rarity squeezed her shoulders then let go. “Visit Vinyl and Octavia then, make plans and resist, but do it safely. . . for me.”

Dash chuckled and smirked. “Hey, you’re not gonna get rid of me that easily. I’ll kick Twilight’s flank if that’s the only plan we can come up with.”

“Fair enough, but do try to warn me this time before burning any buildings down.”

She flew up into the air and turned around. “And ruin the surprise? Where’s the fun in that?” Dash flew off towards the resistance safe house, leaving Rarity alone in the street. With nothing else to do, she headed off to check on Sweetie and Silver.

Rarity was not pleased they became friends, still holding Silver responsible as an accomplice. Yet there were so few fillies Sweetie’s age that Rarity tolerated it. The fact Silver was terrified of Rarity helped her make sure there was no trouble.

Halfway to the farm she heard Derpy and Sprocket talking.

“Do you think I can get Dinky out? I know where one of the safehouses is,” Derpy explained.

“Please, be quiet,” Sprocket warned. “You know I’ve helped them in the past, and if anypony suspects either of us of snitching to Twilight. . .” He frowned and shook his head. “I wouldn’t put it past Vinyl to make us both disappear.”

“If Dinky got to leave her and live her life, it’d be worth any punishment,” Derpy stated.

Rarity stopped walking, turning to approach them, “Derpy, I couldn’t help but overhear.” She watched the grey pegasus step back, unsure if Rarity would report her to the resistance for planning to snitch. “Twilight is unstable. Any promise she makes to free Dinky, no matter how tempting, is likely a pipe dream. The best thing you can do is spend as much time with your daughter as possible, and enjoy the time we all have left.”

Without waiting for a response, she shook her head and left. It truly was tempting for her to try and buy Sweetie’s freedom, but Rarity just couldn’t tell who to trust anymore.

Lyra followed Nurse Redheart down the hallway of the Royal Hospital in Canterlot Castle. It was reserved for the Princesses, royalty, emissaries, and the like. Only ponies of important standing, or related to the Princesses were treated here.

Redheart had been offered a job here, choosing to work in Canterlot where she felt safe. She realized how easily she could have been captured and quickly agreed to join a team focused solely on treating survivors of Twilight’s rampage.

There was one pony that Lyra wanted to check on before spending one last night with Soarin. After several minutes had gone by they reached a custom suite at the end of the hospital’s mental ward. This would be her fifth visit to the first pony she had truly saved from the Dollhouse.

“I can give you half an hour tops, but we’ll have to medicate her for bed after that,” Redheart explained.

“May I know what you’re medicating her for?” Lyra asked.

“Luna’s been appointed her legal guardian so I can’t disclose her medical information without consent.” Redheart sighed, looking down at the floor for a minute. “I can tell you her recovery hasn’t been easy. Remember, Lyra, do not corner her as she has severe claustrophobia and do not use magic due to her severe rhabdophobia. Try to avoid topics related to the incident.”

“Thanks.” Lyra opened the door and walked inside, letting is close behind her.

Crest sat in front of a massive window that overlooked Canterlot. The plexiglass wall stood in place of the much more common magical windows, which offered a much clearer view. Lyra also noticed that the ceiling, which could have had a simple enchantment to show the night sky, instead had small sparkling gems embedded in it to create the illusion of stars.

Despite the obvious efforts to help Crest feel like she was outdoors, the deep green floor and light blue walls were covered in thick foam padding. The bed and cubby’s for her belongings were made of lightweight plastic, which wouldn’t be able to be used as a weapon.

“Crest, how are you?” Lyra asked.

She smiled, but continued to look outside. “It’s beautiful.”

Looking out the window Lyra saw that the sun had already set. “What’s beautiful?”

“The Hotel Fillyfornia. In the distance, you’ll see a shimmering light.”

Lyra came over and sat near her, but still out of hoof’s reach. Moments later, a hotel below the balcony and outside the castle walls lit up, as timers in each room turned the lights on.

“It seems so much more welcoming when the lights are on and the windows are open. I want to visit someday,” Crest said.

“I’ll take you there when you’re better, if you like,” Lyra offered.

“I would. Maybe we’ll meet Colgate there.”

A moment passed in silence, as Lyra could not remind her that Colgate was still a prisoner without agitating her.

“She still visits me, when I’m sleeping. I don’t think Redheart likes it when I dream about them. She gets this look in her eye, like when I first got here, like I’m an animal. Am I an animal, Lyra?”

“Of course not, Crest. May I hug you?” Lyra asked.

“Yes.”

She got up and as she walked over, Crest reached out to let Lyra get under the blanket with her. “Thanks.” Lyra wrapped the blanket over her shoulder and felt Crest lean against her. The mare seemed emotionally distant, perhaps still trying to rationalize the actions of an irrational mare, or face her own demons.

“You’re going to find them, aren’t you?” she asked.

“Who?” Lyra knew she was asking about the Dollhouse, but still was unsure it was a safe topic for conversation.

“Colgate, Rarity, Big Mac. . . her.”

“I am about to leave, and won’t be able to visit again for a while. Did an orderly tell you?”

“It’s all I can dream about, that’s why they don’t like when I dream, but they can’t make me not dream all the time. They try, but I can still hear them screaming. Frozen in horror, trapped in a shell, their mouths gone and their wings and horns as heavy as lead.”

“Crest, they’ll be fine, don’t think so negatively.”

“They’re not fine!” Crest screamed, causing Lyra to flinch. “They’re not, I want them to be, but they’ve been trapped over a year. I barely lasted months. Gone. . . my friends, my neighbors, all gone. . .”

Lyra felt Crest collapse into her side, sobbing. This was more emotion than Lyra had seen from her in previous visits, and did the only thing she could in a situation like this: comfort her friend.

Redheart had entered the room when she heard the scream along with two orderlies. When Lyra turned to address her, the nurse simply smiled and whispered “take as long as you need.” She motioned to the orderlies and left.

Crest continued to cry into Lyra’s shoulder, trapping her here for now. Soarin would have to wait. If there was one lesson Lyra had learned more than any other, it was to never abandon a friend in need.

Scootaloo returned to her room atop the mountain at nearly midnight. Despite the fact Sensei had not forbidden her to fly to the top, Scootaloo still took the stairs every time she went up or down the mountain. It served to remind her of the discipline she had lacked when beginning her training.

Once she got to her room, Scootaloo was not surprised to find Sensei waiting for her. “Come to tell me I’m not ready?”

“You don’t intend to listen, so why tell you what you already know?” Sensei asked.

She took off her saddlebags, which she had filled with some provisions from town. Scootaloo went to the nightstand and sat on her bed, lifting up the headband she had stitched. It was cyan blue with a rainbow sphere in the middle.

“I don’t have a choice. Ponies are counting on me, I thought I could just train and wait and it’d be easier. However, Apple Bloom showing up reminded me what it was like, what every day must be like, that Twilight would wipe her entire memory of it.”

“Every day your friends will suffer, yet what of your rescue attempt? Go too soon and you will fail, to join them for eternity. It is a mark of wisdom to wait until you attain the rank of master to embark on the journey,” he explained.

“Well, it’s my duty to try.” Scootaloo really hoped she could make him understand that this was something she had to do. Even if she wasn’t ready, even with some self-doubt, she had to try.

“Impressive, but words do not make you ready.”

She turned to face him, “but what’s in here,” she tapped her chest, “does.”

Sensei smiled and stood up off the floor. “And I suppose you’ll want me to find some old armor and weapons for you to use?”

“Yes, Sensei.”

“I did not have as much time as I wished to train you, yet I can see the difference in you like night and day. You have a strong sense of loyalty, replacing the thoughts of revenge you had when I first met you. Thoughts of revenge will continue to tempt you, so remember this, Scootaloo: the best revenge is to be unlike the pony who injured you.”

Sensei turned and bowed to Scootaloo, catching her off-guard. He had never paid her that sign of respect as it was a courtesy a master would only give to an equal. She quickly hopped off the bed and bowed back to him, at a loss for words.

“Now, I believe I had something set aside for this occasion. I will have it ready for you in the morning.” Sensei ended his bow and smiled. “Get a good night’s sleep, Scootaloo. Your true test of character starts tomorrow.”

Author's Note

Long overdue update.

The time skipping is done now. The entirety of the story now takes place one year after the Ponyville incident. Also:

Twilight's Dollhouse. Population: 71
(Yes, Twilight has been busy during that year.)

VI. The Search Begins

“I know it seems a bit sudden, Lyra, but I’m actually kinda happy we’re on our way at last.” Scootaloo walked down the dirt road clad in fine black armor. It’s made from dragonscale, which is rarely donated by dragons to Celestia as tribute. This set of armor was custom made for her, in the hopes she’d have some luck finding Twilight. It would deflect magic, though she would still be vulnerable to a well-placed shot. On her back was a long bladed sword, and her armor hid other weapons such as wrist blades.

“I just wish I’d had a little more time in Canterlot with Soarin. I understand her wanting us to leave before the trail from Apple Bloom to Twilight gets cold, but we only had one day to get ready.” Lyra walked down the road in her grey travel cloak. It bore Luna’s cutie mark as a symbol of her authority as an agent of the crown. Beneath that, Lyra had some slim saddlebags and supplies for their journey. They would largely rely on what they could scavenge to eat during their journey.

“Well, do you really think we’ll find anything? Twilight isn’t the kind to forget the details.”

“New Harmony is a town made entirely of ponies from Ponyville, who couldn’t bear to live in the town anymore. If anyone has a lead to Twilight, it’ll be there.”

Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I’m sure they’re all dying to relive that chapter of their lives. I say we just go into the forest and smoke her out, then kick her flank.”

“I wish it were that easy to find her and help her get better.”

They walked down the last stretch of road towards New Harmony. The town was barely a year old, yet already was buzzing with activity. Families from Ponyville such as the Cakes, and bachelorettes such as Cheerilee, had taken up residence here. Ponies from the extended apple family had come to help the construction efforts, with a revitalized Granny Smith to serve as mayor. Since the loss of her grand-children, she’d received a second wind and looked as alive now as ever.

Once the town came into view they headed over towards some ponies in the park. “They seem to be looking at something,” Scootaloo said.

As they got closer and passed by the last of the trees, they realized the ponies were gathered in a cemetery. Granny Smith recognized Lyra, and headed over towards her. “Ah didn’t think ah’d be seein’ you again. How are ya?”

“I’m good,” Lyra said. “What’s going on here?”

“Cheerilee died in her sleep a few days ago, darn shame. Since y’all are here, figure it’d be fittin’ for you two to pay respects too.”

“Yeah, I’d like that,” Scootaloo said. She hadn’t paid much attention in school, but that didn’t mean Cheerilee was any less important to her. As she got closer she recognized some of her classmates, like Peppermint Twist and Featherweight.

Lyra hung back with Granny Smith as Scootaloo caught up with her friends. “You say she died in her sleep? Did they find a cause of death?”

“No, Doctor Stable been so busy lately and he didn’t find anything strange. Released her after just a couple days to bury.”

“Hmm. There’s two more stones there, who were they?”

“Oh, a darn shame. Lotus and Aloe Blossom. Seems they had a heart attack, both of ‘em, and so young too.”

Lyra raised an eyebrow. “Same day?”

“Nah, week apart. Then Cheerilee two weeks later. It’s the darndest thing, for them to die after spendin’ a whole year helpin’ us build the town.”

“It sure is.” Lyra thought about it and chewed on her lip a little. Already she was planning to come back after dark with Scootaloo to do a little digging.

Scootaloo realized that he'd forgotten to share a very important fact with the aging mare. "Granny Smith, you should head to Canterlot, Applebloom is alive and well."

"What?" Her legs wobbled and Scootaloo thought for a moment she'd fall right over in surprise. "One... of my grandkids came back?"

"Let's pay our respects real quick and I'll fill you in."

Fluttershy walked up to the frozen doll in town square. As the Element of Kindness it had fallen to her to welcome new ponies to the town. It was the least she could do for the poor souls.

With a deep breath, she stood up straight in front of Cheerilee. “Hi, Cheerilee. I’m so sorry we had to meet again like this, and I hope it’s okay but I was sent to explain Twilight’s rules to you.”

It was a very one-sided conversation, and aside from a few ponies peeking out of their homes across the street, the town square was empty. Aside from the small decorative fountain featuring an alicorn Twilight wearing a crown, and a bulletin board, there wasn’t any decorations in the square.

“So, I know how horrible it was… being captured, but Twilight is really nice if you behave, and it’s not really her fault after all the heartach—”

“Yeah, I suppose she slipped and fell and accidentally captured us all,” Dash spat. She was laying on the roof of Town Hall, looking down at Cheerilee and Fluttershy.

“Please, don’t do this again. I just want to help her understand.”

“Understand that you’re on Twilight’s side? That she should be a good pony or the warden will punish her like a prisoner? It’s not to late, Fluttershy. You can still do the right thing, like I did.”

“Dash, that was so long ago.”

“Yeah? Because I seem to recall you were my best friend. I seem to recall quitting flight camp to come live with you in Ponyville. I would have graduated with honors and been on track to be a Wonderbolt in four years, but I chose you, Fluttershy.”

She looked down, kicking at the dirt. “That’s not the same… my parents kicked me out for fooling around, with you, Dash. I appreciate you didn’t want to leave me alone, but that has nothing to do with Twilight. Why can’t you just be nice to her?”

“For the same reason I can’t be a Wonderbolt, or teach Scootaloo stunts, or sneak into the barn without Applejack knowing to fool around with Big Mac. Because of Twilight. Because she took our lives away from us.”

Fluttershy had turned her mane so that neither Dash nor Cheerilee would see her tears start to flow. “Cheerilee… Twilight will be back soon. Just… Just don’t antagonize her, the other rules aren’t important.”

With a beat of her wings, she flew off towards her cottage to escape the confrontation with her old friend. Dash stretched and flew down to the ground, landing in front of Cheerilee. “Meet me behind the schoolhouse after Twilight unfreezes you, if you want to help us escape. Or, you can go play for the other team, but don’t think she won’t go crazy and kill us all before long in the name of science.” Dash shrugged. “Your call.”

Dash flew off towards her cloud house to re-read the Daring Do books Twilight had given her. She’d read each one fifty-two times now, as she literally had nothing else to do when she wasn’t planning sedition and treason against Twilight’s regime.

Twilight’s Diary, Page 2.

She’s dead. She’s dead. She’s dead. She’s dead. She’s dead. She’s dead. She’s dead. She’s dead. She’s dead. She’s dead. She’s dead. She’s dead. She’s dead. She’s dead.

Dead.

And she called out to me to join her.

Lyra looked at Twilight’s journal and closed it. It had taken Luna a long time to convince Celestia to let Lyra keep the journal and read it. Yet, for all that effort, Lyra still hadn’t made it past the second page of the journal.

There was something about the way Twilight had written that last line that haunted Lyra. It could have been something in the hoof writing, the way the ink flowed from quill, and how the thickness of the lines wavered. It could have been the red tint, as if the entry had been penned in blood.

Whatever it was, Lyra still wasn’t ready to move past it. She kept telling herself there would be plenty of time to read the journal, to steel herself for whatever horrors of logic flowed forth in the following pages, rationalizing Twilight’s actions.

She kept telling herself this, but still hadn’t convinced herself of it. Looking at the clock, Lyra saw it was half past midnight, and woke Scootaloo up with a rough nudge. “Time to get going.”

“I can’t believe you’re serious about this, Lyra,” Scootaloo said.

Lyra ignored her, walking to the freshly packed dirt above Cheerilee’s grave. “Look, I mean her no disrespect but this has Twilight’s hoofprints all over it. What better way to start turning ponies to dolls again? She practiced with all those poisons, she could fake a death and then turn them to dolls after they’re buried! Or maybe even before.”

Scootaloo walked up beside the grave, setting her shovel down. “Next you’ll tell me she is raising dolls from the dead.”

“Is it that far beyond her, the former Element of Magic? Arguably the most powerful spell-caster alive?”

“Hah! Celestia kicked her flank, I still wouldn’t be surprised if Twilight’s dead and Cheerilee’s laying in her casket down there.” Scootaloo picked up a bouquet of flowers that had been left at the grave and set it aside.

“There’s a difference between knowledge and power, and If that were true, how’d Apple Bloom come back?” Lyra used her magic and a shovel to start scooping dirt out, making rapid progress. The dirt began to pile up behind her. The tombstones cast an eerie shadow under her green aura.

“Yeah, well if she isn’t dead, I’ll fix that right quick.” Scootaloo took the shovel and began to dig. It was designed to be used with mouth and hoof, and for each one scoop she took, Lyra took three.

“I wish you’d stop saying that, Scootaloo.”

She spit the shovel out. “I wish you’d stop taking her side. Just because I want to break her horn off doesn’t mean I will. Sensei taught me better than that. I just realize that she might not leave me a choice, and I’m not gonna hesitate if I get a chance to take her down. That’s the difference between you and me, Lyra. You’ll hesitate, and you’ll wind up her prisoner again. I won’t ever let that happen to me.”

Lyra’s shovel hit wood, making a loud thud. She pulled it out of the wood, and began to clear the dirt around it. “Whatever happens, I hope we end this soon. Celestia’s starting to worry me, and if Twilight could go south so fast—”

“Hey,” Scootaloo interrupted. “She’s off the rails but she’s Celestia. She’s had like, a bajillion years experience and she wasn’t really gonna hurt Apple Bloom or anything. She’s just stressed.”

“Well, I’m done digging up the dirt. Thanks for the help,” she quipped. Next to Scootaloo was a tiny pile of dirt one-tenth the size of the pile next to Lyra.

“Yeah, well I can’t be awesome and shovel at the same time. Pop her open.”

Lyra nodded and pulled at the lid of the coffin with her magic. Nails slowly loosened and the wood creaked, until finally the lid popped off in a quick motion. Lyra tossed it to the side and looked down into the empty coffin.

“Shit, Celestia isn’t going to take this news well. Better check the other two graves to be sure.”

Soarin laid on his sofa looking at the ceiling wistfully. Lyra had only been gone a few days, but he already missed her. They’d formed a special bond in what little time they had and he felt so powerless now that she’d gone off on her own to face the Dollmaker.

Everypony on the Wonderbolts called Twilight that now. The name had been spreading, along with rumors of ponies both escaping, or being abducted in their sleep. They were campfire stories, but the Dollmaker rumors still bothered him.

Lyra assured him he’d be putting her in danger if he came. Soarin rolled over and kicked one of the pillows off the sofa, causing it to hit the far wall of the room. He thought it was bullshit. Without Dash around, he was arguably the fastest pegasus alive. He could have at least tried to help with the search.

Unfortunately, Luna had backed Lyra’s decision and ordered Soarin not to run off and put himself in danger. “Lyra loves you, and Twilight will use that against her,” Luna had said. Soarin couldn’t argue with the logic, and in the end, had stayed behind. He had even gone so far as to let Luna put a tracking spell on him, in the unlikely event something bad did happen.

There was a whistling from the kitchen as the water in his kettle began to boil. Soarin used to be able to go to bed as if a light switch was flipped. Eight hours of flight practice did that to a stallion. However, lately he needed some chamomile tea in order to fall asleep without worrying.

Soarin finally reached the kitchen, letting out an exhausted sigh. He carefully lifted the boiling water off and set it aside. Next he reached into the cupboard and pulled out a packet of freshly-cut tea leaves, and stuck it in a ceramic cup.

The final step was to pour the boiling water in and let it steep for three minutes. The aroma of the tea filled the air and was already calming his nerves. Soarin set the egg timer and let his mind wander to practice that day.

Spitfire had been pushing the team hard lately. Ever since the incident in Ponyville, she took the Wonderbolt’s status as Auxiliary Equestrian Air Reserves very seriously. In addition to practicing new stunts, they did strength and stamina building drills daily. Soarin never thought he’d need to know how to use wingblades, but now he could cut the stems off an apple in mid-air with them. Granted, several hundred apples had been sacrificed to learn that kind of accuracy.

The timer dinged, and Soarin pulled the tea bag out of the cup and threw it away. He left the excess hot water on the stove top and carried the tea into his bedroom. He sat down on the bed and took a sip of the tea, then put it on the nightstand. Soarin rolled over and pulled the blanket over him, and propped himself up on the pillow to finish his tea.

Soarin closed his eyes, saying a quick prayer for Lyra’s safety. He looked out at the full moon and yawned, then took another sip of his tea. Glancing back down at it, he swirled it around and blew on it. Taking one more sip he put the cup down and sank under the bedsheets.

He felt an odd twinge in his chest, as if his heart had skipped a beat. Soarin, sat there, staring awkwardly at his covers, wondering what it was.

Another beat was missed, then another. Soarin sat up, worried he might be having a heart attack. He didn’t have any pain in his left foreleg, but there it went again: another skipped beat. Soarin realized if this was a heart attack, and he didn’t make it outside to where someone might see him, he was as good as dead.

As he rolled over to get out of bed, his heart seized. He clutched his chest as crushing pain hit him like ten tons of bricks. There was a single beat in the chaos before his heart fell silent again, and paralyzed his entire body.

Soarin slumped down in bed, mouth open, drooling on the pillow. He couldn’t move a muscle. He could only wait to die.

And yet, he did not die. He was forced to endure the pain as he lay there, unable to move even the tiniest muscle in his body. Soarin felt like he jumped out of his skin when he felt another one of the odd heartbeats. All alone, that single beat repeated a few minutes later. Somehow, something refused to let him die.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw a steaming tea cup float over to his night stand, identical to the one he had made himself earlier. The old cup floated away, a purple glow surrounding it.

Magic washed over Soarin. “Hmm, tracer spell. How juvenile. I’ll be back for you after the funeral, Soarin. Maybe this will win Dash back over.”

Without another word, the voice vanished and the door to his room softly clicked shut.

Author's Note

Twilight's Dollhouse. Population: 71

VII. A Midsummer Night's Dream

Author's Note

It's been about 8 years since the last update, so this chapter is special. It includes a slice of life inside the Dollhouse to remind everyone what was going on. But feel free to re-read the original if you'd like to take the journey again as I work on finishing the sequel.

Twilight's Dollhouse. Population: 71

VII. A Midsummer Night's Dream

It was a well done simulation of a sunny day in Ponyville. Fluttershy sat outside her house having a small picnic with Angel. Around them were some of the other animals who had been unfortunate enough to be turned into living replicas of their former selves. Several small clouds dotted the sky, drifting lazily in a circle around Ponyville, the Everfree, and even the recently added scale model of Canterlot.

Angel tapped a foot impatiently until Fluttershy noticed. “Oh you’re out of carrots?” she asked. He nodded his head, and after fishing around in her saddlebag for a moment, she located another carrot for him.

The bunny looked just like Fluttershy remembered him. Twilight’s magic had improved to the point that most of the animals, and the ponies who behaved, had a fine peach fuzz of fur. Angel had taken to the captivity well, as Twilight had little reason to torment the animals. They followed their natures, rising in the morning to forage for food as if nothing had changed. Perhaps for them, their lives had improved greatly. There were no longer predators for them to fear, eating was optional, and there were no illnesses.

Fluttershy smiled as she looked over to the chicken coop where her animals went about pecking at the ground. She had been apprehensive at first after Twilight had kidnapped her. She had lost every animal she had cared about, plus most of her friends, as she was one of the last ponies to be captured by Twilight.

Twilight had comforted Fluttershy when she had found her alone and heartbroken, and showed her the kindness of a painless transformation. Fluttershy had later found out that most of the ponies had met more brutal ends, as various poisons, spells, or just sadistic outbursts led to their new life of “immortality.”

Perhaps it was for that reason that she had quickly sided with the ponies often referred to as the sympathizers. Here in New Ponyville life could be peaceful and almost as full of joy as their lives had been before their capture, at least for some. For Pinkie, Fluttershy, Big Mac, the foals and fillies, and a few other ponies, this life was one without sickness or worry. It was sad at times to think of their lost friends, but it was a scale replica of their homes to the smallest detail in a land that would never know famine or sickness.

“You look lost in thought, want another cupcake?” Pinkie asked. She was smiling widely as she sat at the picnic with Fluttershy.

“Thanks, I was just thinking about how nice it has been here.” Fluttershy took one of the cupcakes off the plate.

“I’m just glad Twilight has been expanding the food stores, though I guess now that we eat less than a small mouse it’s gotten a lot easier!” Pinkie grabbed two of the cupcakes and tossed them up into the air, catching them in her mouth. “They’re really good, I was thinking of throwing Twilight a welcome back party when she returns. I wonder how many of these mini-cupcakes would be enough for somepony her size?”

Fluttershy looked towards the entrance to the cave. She couldn’t see it, in fact the spell that prevented them from remaining animated if they fled would also make it look like a normal sky until you got near it. She knew it was in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres though. The replica continued to expand, but so far had only expanded in other directions. At this rate it could reach griffonstone or the ocean in a few months. Somehow Twilight had found a way to continue carving out new sections of cave in her misguided quest to recreate all of Equestria.

“I’m not sure, I think she will just appreciate a gesture of kindness. It’ll also mean more new ponies to welcome, and the last group was less than thrilled…” Fluttershy frowned and looked back at Angel, trying to take her mind off it.

There were a few reactions she had come to expect as the unofficial welcoming committee. When Fluttershy failed to calm the often painfully murdered abducted ponies, there were repercussions. The most common was ponies running their mouths until they forced Twilight to make a demonstration. Depending on the severity of the insults a punishment would vary. Perhaps a pegasus would try to fly to freedom and be punished by losing its wings for weeks, or a colorful epithet would resolve with their mouth being removed.

Twilight had gotten so tired of ponies promising not to tell if only she would make an exception and let them go, that she’d once removed a pony’s mouth and nose. The punishment left them to feel like they were suffocating for a week. Fluttershy shuddered as she remembered the pony flailing about for a few days, before finding enough composure to walk. It was only after Fluttershy had put in a good word for her a third time that the pony was returned to normal.

“Don’t worry about it, Fluttershy, you’re getting really good at it! Plus this time they’ll have cupcakes.” Pinkie tilted her head in thought. “Twilight’s never been gone this long before though, the ponies she brings back may have been frozen and hidden in her saddle bags for days…”

“You don’t think she got caught, do you?” Fluttershy felt a rising fear in the pit of her stomach. “If… she messed up and got captured, do you think she’ll tell them where we are? What if we’re like this forever, without rescue.”

Pinkie gave her a hug and rubbed her back. “Don’t think like that, she’ll be back and she’ll get better and things will go back to the way they were. Just… without AJ, Shining, or Cadence.”

“Are you sure?” Fluttershy asked.

“Totally! She’s already gone through denial and anger, there’s only a few stages left until she accepts her grief. I was thinking, maybe I can get her to sit in on one of the counseling sessions I’ve been having with the ponies that are having the hardest times here.”

Fluttershy raised an eyebrow “you… want to give Twilight group therapy?”

Pinkie laughed and nodded her head. “My group therapy has the best sweets, plus I do a stand up routine at the end. Sometimes laughter is the best way to help the medicine go down.”

“Thank you, Pinkie.” She smiled and continued, “I’m glad you didn’t change like Dash and Rarity… I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Dash muttered under her breath as she tapped a hoof impatiently. It was almost six and only half the residents in New Ponyville had showed up for the important meeting she had called. There was also a storm cloud hovering right over Carousel Boutique that had been bugging Dash for a couple days. The weather system here was barely under control by some amateurs that hadn’t had their wings clipped.

She extended her wings and looked at them. As part of her last punishment, and to ensure there were no escape attempts while Twilight was gone, each of her primary feathers had been cut to prevent Dash from flying. While the feathers looked, felt, and even smelt real, they were useless to her now. She couldn’t do something as simple as fly up to that storm cloud and buck the lightning out of it.

“Are you okay, darling?” Rarity asked.

“Yeah, fine,” she huffed.

“Have you thought about what Twilight said? If you’d just make a few concessions to her, you’d get your wings back. She’d even get rid of that outfit.”

Dash looked down at her hooves. She was still wearing the Wonderbolts flight suit she had been wearing when she had been turned into a doll. Or rather, it was painted on to her mostly plastic doll body. “First off, I love this uniform, it reminds me every day of what I had before Twilight took it away. Then, she took Scootaloo away! Who knows if they’re even still alive, or trapped out there somewhere, a tiny inert doll, for eternity!”

“I’m sure Scootaloo is fine,” Rarity said. “After all, Luna and Celestia came for Twilight, we all heard the fight. You saved your little sister, even if she wasn’t one by birth. You meant everything to Scootaloo and were willing to lose it all for her. That took a lot of loyalty.”

“I’ve still got seventy-something ponies left to save, and we’re not gonna get free by making concessions. No that’s how it starts, tea parties and donuts, snuggling with that monster in bed. Next thing you know, you’ve gone full Stockholm like Lyra!”

Dash paced back and forth in front of the town square, looking over to Rarity and Octavia. They were helping lead the resistance, the group of ponies dedicated to defeating Twilight and freeing everypony at all costs. Several ponies had sacrificed to aid them, but none more so than the other ponies at the head of the movement.

Dash had sacrificed her biggest fan, and briefly adopted sister, Scootaloo to send her on a fool’s errand to get help. Rarity had been tortured harshly and often, since she had the most to lose. If Twilight ever thought Rarity was holding back from her, she would threaten Sweetie Belle. Given her propensity for melting ponies on hot plates, Rarity had to walk a fine line to help the resistance get Sweetie Belle to safety.

Sprocket, the inventor Twilight had captured, may have been unimposing but had built several devices to aid the resistance. Vinyl had been willing to do anything to escape, almost costing her life before she could tell Octavia how they felt. Octavia, for her part, was essential in planning and coordinating. Like Sprocket, Octavia was often overlooked by Twilight as just an Earth pony.

Together the five of them had scattered safe houses throughout the replica town. Each had one of Sprocket’s faraday cages built out of salvaged wiring and pipes to protect them from Twilight’s scrying and freezing spells. Lately they had been dividing up knowledge of safe house locations at Octavia’s suggestion, to ensure no one head of the resistance could flip and give away all the locations. They also rarely met as a group, keeping at least one of the five in a strong room at all times.

Perhaps the most important hiding place was under Sweet Apple Acres. It was here that they had been tunneling to freedom. Once they got past the spells keeping them confined to the town, they could send another pegasus for aid.

The clock chimed six times, and Dash looked up to see that most of the ponies in town had arrived. Among the ponies, even Pinkie and Fluttershy had come. In the distance, loomed the plushie of Big Mac, and Dash scowled. He had fallen as far as Lyra in his pathetic attempts to appease Twilight, though it had resulted in Apple Bloom being freed.

Dash jumped up onto a wooden platform and cleared her throat as the clock tower finished ringing. “Thank you everypony for coming. We just wanted to talk to you today about why you shouldn’t snitch. Twilight’s gonna be back anytime, she usually is gone a day each week max, so expect her to barge in anytime in one of her moods!”

She looked at Mac, wishing her eyes could shoot lasers. “Our latest plan is proceeding, but thanks to some ponies we can’t discuss that freely anymore. Octavia here is going to explain why if you do overhear something about our plans, you should keep your mouths shut.”

Octavia took the steps up onto the wooden platform and nodded, “thank you, Dash.” She looked out at the crowd, noticing that Berry Punch was still locked into a small wooden set of stocks. She couldn’t quite remember what she was being punished for, and looked back to the crowd.

“As you’re all aware, Twilight claims she has taken Apple Bloom and freed her as a reward for Big Mac feeding into her delusions of friendship. She’s also offered a similar reward to each of you to free yourself or loved ones if you provide her enough useful information. This is a lie.”

“I’m sure some of you have heard of the prisoner’s dilemma. A guard captures two ponies but doesn’t have enough evidence to send either to prison. If neither confesses then both will go free. So the guard offers each of the ponies a deal.” Octavia looked over the crowd and was pleased to see most paying attention.

“The two ponies are kept isolated from each other. The guard then talks to each. If the first pony confesses all the details of the crime the second pony committed, then the first pony goes free and the second is tossed in prison. If the second pony snitches on the first pony, then the first pony goes to prison and the second goes free.”

Octavia tapped her hoof on the platform to ensure she had everyone’s attention for the next part. “But if both ponies snitch on each other, then they both get sent to prison.”

She waited a moment to let that sink in before continuing. “Twilight knows that we all want to free ourselves. She knows that we will be all too happy to snitch on another pony to see them punished while our own life improves. It’s pony nature… And that’s why it’s so important that when she gets back, no matter what she does to us, we do not give her truthful information. We do not turn on one another. If we do, then we will only all be trapped here longer.”

“If we can just be patient a little longer, then instead of selling each other out, we can all escape together when we finish our latest plan.”

Dash looked out at the crowd of assembled ponies. She paid particular attention to Derpy and Dinky, and to a group of school-aged foals and fillies standing near their relatives. “I know some of you would be willing to sacrifice anything to save somepony close to you, especially for the foals and fillies. So I just want to let you all know, Sprocket’s built an energized coil thingy he says gets hot enough to melt a doll. So either you’re all gonna do what Octavia says, or I’m gonna have to start setting an example you can understand.”

Several of the ponies began to grumble and a few began to leave as closing remarks were made. Towards the back of the crowd, in the relative safety of the large plush Big Mac, stood Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Sweetie Belle.

“Dash has to be bluffing, maybe I should go talk to her,” Fluttershy said.

“No, we best not bother them when they are worked up into one of their moods,” Pinkie answered. “Let’s stick near Big Mac until we’re done finishing the surprise party. I have a feeling Twilight will be back soon.”

“Eeyup.”

Luna and Trixie were walking down a long row of apple trees. Each was about thirty feet high and threatened to completely cut off the light from the noon sun. Finally in a small clearing they found the clubhouse they had been looking for, looming almost twenty feet tall ahead of them.

“I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to seeing the world through another pony’s dreams,” Trixie said. “I mean, I know the trees aren’t this tall, but it feels real.”

Luna nodded, “It’s real for Apple Bloom. This is the world as seen through her eyes, relived in her subconscious when she dreams. Every pony’s face, every crusade, tree, flower, animal, and house is in her memories. From that set of… building blocks, her mind has built this dream out of her perceived reality.”

Trixie and Luna began to climb up the steps to the clubhouse. “So, you’ve been teaching me to dream walk so I can explore Apple Bloom’s dreams for pieces of her reality as a doll?”

Luna smiled widely, “You’re very astute, my pupil. Yes, though Apple Bloom has been blocked from consciously remembering the Dollhouse, the memories must still exist, and will present themselves if we encourage her gently. However, her fears, anger, guilt, and more will also manifest themselves.”

The two stopped at the door to the clubhouse, and Lyra looked back. From here the winding staircase descended through some clouds and to the ground hundreds of feet below. The sun had set and the sky had darkened to reveal the stars and the full moon. “Trixie thinks she has a fear of heights.”

“Are you ready? Apple Bloom should be inside.” Once Trixie had nodded, Luna knocked on the door and pushed it open.

The room expanded as they stepped inside, revealing a cluttered mess of books, toys, and crusader capes. Near the podium Apple Bloom sat, drawing on the wall a series of checkboxes and small figures as she muttered to herself.

“Cutie mark for playing dead? They say if you play dead predators leave ya alone… but Twilight is smarter than that.” Apple Bloom crossed it off her list. “Hmm, maybe when she comes for me again Ah can offer her a deal? No, that’s silly, Big Mac already made a deal… Maybe Ah need to learn to use a knife for self-defense? Ah’ve always wanted a self-defense cutie mark.”

Luna whispered to Trixie, “Go ahead and introduce yourself and try to guide her to remember about the Dollhouse. Try to guide her away from anything too traumatic.”

Trixie nodded and stepped over some open books, each one a journal for the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Instead of stunts and cooking, they were now filled with images of mostly dead purple alicorns. She reached Apple Bloom and put on a smile. “Hey, Apple Bloom. How are you?”

She looked up to Trixie, and then to Luna. “What are you doing here?”

“We came to check on you and to ask you to do something very important. I promise to keep you safe, I am great and powerful after all.”

“What is it?” she asked. She seemed to shrink slightly as the sound of rustling leaves outside vanished.

“I need you to show us the Dollhouse after Twilight moved it.”

There was a loud thundercrack outside that rattled the windows and nearly sent Trixie leaping into the air in shock. The walls had begun to fall back, expanding the room rapidly, as everything not near Apple Bloom receded into the distance.

The filly looked up and shook her head, “No… no you don’t want to go there, it isn’t safe. She’ll see us. She’s always watching.”

Trixie stepped back in surprise as a pair of eyes appeared in the floorboards, quickly fixating on her as the pupils shrank. All around her in the darkness glowing purple eyes appeared, a sickly green swirling from them as it fell towards the floor. Trixie could hear Luna nearby, though she couldn’t see her. “You can do this Trixie, remember to guide her and help her shape the nightmare so she can confront it.”

Apple Bloom looked past Trixie towards Big Mac, he was missing an eye and had fluffy white cotton spilling from his side.

“You’re safe, Apple Bloom, I won’t leave you.” Trixie looked over to the red pony, “did Twilight hurt your brother?”

She shook her head as the image stumbled across the floor, slowly pulling itself back together until it loomed over them, a dozen feet tall. “No… she promised not to hurt him, or me. She keeps her promises. Even when she didn’t want to”

Big Mac stepped on one of the eyes in the floor and the ground shuddered, before vanishing in a wisp of smoke. The floor shook again, accompanied by a loud clopping noise, then another. Above them towered a mare with frazzled hair and fur matted from not being well maintained.

The two looked up, but could only see up to the pony’s neck. Above that a pair of glowing green eyes looked down at the two of them.

Trixie gulped, and spoke as much to soothe her own nerves as Apple Bloom’s. “It’s going to be okay, this is a dream. Luna and I are in control…”

“She had to take me, she didn’t want to, I think, but she didn’t know what else to do.” Above the eyes a cone began to glow deep shades of oily purple and black, dancing in the darkness and highlighting the pink streak in the alicorn’s hair.

”A promise is a promise, one year. Ah was as true a friend as Lyra, and you let her go.”

Trixie looked toward the source of the voice, seeing Big Mac again at Twilight’s side. The foreboding glow faded a bit as the pony loomed over Apple Bloom, who had taken to clutching Trixie’s leg.

”I’m… not sure, how do I know you won’t just turn on me once she’s safe? I can’t get hurt again, not like when I let Lyra go… if I lost you too, if you changed your mind…”

”See her safe to Canterlot, she still has Granny Smith and our relatives. Ah won’t leave you Twilight, not until the day ah can finally die and see my AJ again…”

There was a commotion they couldn’t see, and the floor began to move beneath them. There was an echoing laughter in the darkness causing Apple Bloom to tremble.

“What happened next? Did you see anything? Why is it so dark?” Trixie asked. She could smell that the air was damp and a bit musty, but so far had not seen any hints as to their location.

“She kept her word, she took me home. She had us hidden in her cave near the—”

Before she could finish, Apple Bloom let out a scream as she tightened her grip on Trixie. The two ponies floated up into the air together, closer to the ominous pair of eyes and horn that were glowing brightly.

“Luna!” Trixie shouted in a moment of panic. They were nearing the eyes and suddenly shot to the side, landing inside a large leather saddlebag alongside a book and some large baked oat snacks.

“That’s all I saw for days,” Apple Bloom stated. She hit a hoof on the leather and dust shot up into the air. The bags were jostled as a pony climbed stone steps.

“Thank you, Apple Bloom, but what were you saying? Where was the cave?” Trixie asked.

“Ah don’t know… it was so dark, the others kept the fillies away when she was angry, we never got to see the good stuff.”

Trixie patted her on the back to comfort her as the dream suddenly vanished, and the pair of them landed back in the clubhouse with a loud thump. It had returned to its normal size, with the gentle breeze outside and the full moon illuminating the club house.

“Thank you, Luna,” Trixie said.

“We’ll still need to work on your ability to not get caught up in the moment, but that was well done. Until I stepped forward to help, and the memories appeared to vanish…”

“What could cause that to happen? Do you think it is some sort of spell to keep you out of her memories?” Trixie asked.

“Anything is possible, perhaps we can try again if Apple Bloom is—”

Luna tilted her head and looked up to the moon, lost in thought. Trixie sat with Apple Bloom for a minute before finally asking “What is it?”

She frowned and looked back at her. “I placed spells on some ponies I considered high risk, I just realized that one of them has failed. It’s Soarin.”

Trixie shot to her hooves, startling the filly who had been leaning against her. “How long ago since the spell failed?”

“I don’t know,” Luna answered. “We perceive time differently in dreams, no more than a night but perhaps I noticed in time to catch her in the act if I leave at once. She’s finally made a mistake after all this time…. Trixie, you know the spell to exit the dream world. If you have trouble, stay with Apple Bloom and wait for dawn.”

“Wait—” Trixie shouted, already seeing where this was going. In a flash of moonlight, Luna was gone. “—I haven’t done that spell on my own before…”

She sighed and sat down next to Apple Bloom, who began to rub Trixie’s back. “Ah’ll be fine, and so will you. Go, help our friends”

Trixie smiled and hugged the filly. “Thanks, I’ll head out in a bit and return to the waking world. But first, why don’t we find a nice safe spot in the clubhouse to tuck you in for the night?”

Luna snapped awake in her bedchambers and glanced over at Trixie on one of the royal sofas, offering a quick “Sorry” as she headed off to get her royal regalia on.

The tracking spell was currently located near the Canterlot graveyard, likely in the nearby morgue. Luna was shocked to realize that Twilight would boldly barge right into Canterlot, and a wave of dread washed over her. Both Luna and Celestia had placed spells to detect if Twilight entered Canterlot, and both had failed.

The air popped with energy and Luna was standing in a sterile brick room with an acrid smell of disinfectants. She stood across from a wall of metal doors, inside each a pony could be stored until burial. Luna began to walk towards one of them when a door opened and a pony walked in, dropping a tray that contained what had likely been their dinner.

“P-princess Luna?!” The pony adjusted his lab coat and began levitating his meal back to a nearby desk. “You gave me quite a shock, most of my visitors are a lot less… teleporty.”

“Quickly, a pony was brought in here recently, who was it and who brought them in?” Luna demanded.

“It’s uh… Soarin, in 3B there. It’s all on the clipboard. His next of kin said he was to be cremated,” and he nodded his head to his right towards the orange glow coming out of three slits in a locked furnace.

Luna bit her tongue to avoid saying anything rash. This mortician was just doing his job and probably didn’t realize how close he had come to being murdered and trapped as a toy for eternity.

She took the clipboard off 3B and opened the door to peer inside, just to make sure it was empty. Luna looked down at the clipboard and began to read aloud. “Soarin, heart attack, no signs of trauma … no pulse detected by first responder ponies… family requested cremation.”

The mortician went over to check the furnace, “It doesn’t look like it’s been used. I’m sorry if there was a mistake but it’s too late now. Soarin’s not here, so where is he?”

Luna continued reading to herself as she reached the end of the forged document, coming across the name of the doctor who had ordered Soarin’s cremation. “Signed by Dr. Echo…”

There was a cracking noise as the clipboard splintered and fell to the ground. Luna felt a darker side of her stir with hunger and feed upon her pain. Echo had been her closest confidant, the one pony she had opened up to without holding anything back. That Twilight would invoke his name to flaunt her victory led her mind down many dark paths. After a few moments she regained her composure and got the nightmare under control.

She glanced over to see the mortician looking white as a ghost. “My apologies, you have done nothing to offend... but somepony else most certainly has. These medical forms were forged by Twilight Sparkle.”

At the mention of her name, the mortician paled further, making his white lab coat look gray in comparison. “Oh my, and … she was in here? Poor stallion would have been better off in the oven.”

“Yes, truly her hubris knows no bounds. She redirected my tracking spell here, then flaunted it.” Luna sent a spell out to end the fake tracking spell. “Luckily, she will not fool me twice.”

Her horn glowed and she sensed the second spell she had placed. Soarin was Lyra’s lover, and as such Luna had placed a backup tracking spell in the hopes that, should the worst come to pass, Twilight would overlook it.

Intuition paid off as she detected the spell near the edge of the Everfree Forest. Luna felt a knot in her throat. Once Twilight entered the Everfree, the wild magic of the forest would decrease the accuracy of the tracking spell. Instead of knowing the location of Soarin to the nearest yard, she would only know the direction of the pony, turning it into a game of hide and seek.

She had a decision to make. Luna could teleport immediately and might catch up to her in time, but be left to confront Twilight alone and without backup. The other option was to let her escape, regroup, and make a more coordinated attempt with the help of Celestia, Lyra, and Scootaloo.

“For Celestia’s sake—” Luna made up her mind and with a loud pop she was gone.

VIII. She's Back

Trixie closed the door to the Cutie Mark Crusader clubhouse quietly, and walked down the stairs into the apple orchard. She had just finished putting Apple Bloom to sleep, inside the filly’s own dream.

The nearest apple tree would be as good a place as any to cast her spell. The tree began to ripple and expand outward slightly, sparkling in the moonlight. A moment later, a small doorway appeared and Trixie stepped through it.

On the other side of the door lay a vast starfield, lit by the moon. From here all the ponies in Equestria who were dreaming could be reached.

Trixie tapped her hoof on the floor, sending out ripples into the endless puddle. The water was black as obsidian and only an inch deep, the stars shimmering as they were reflected in the expanding waves.

As she walked along to enjoy the ambiance for a bit, the silence was broken by the sounds of ponies dreaming. By focusing her attention on a voice, a large wooden door appeared. It was white and looked freshly painted, and gleamed in the moonlight. She wasn’t sure whose dream it was, as she had cast no spell to summon it.

Trixie wondered if it was possible to browse dreams or get lost in this vast emptiness, and debated casting the spell to wake up. “Well, I’m already here and I’m really curious who might be in there,” she said to herself. A light blue glow formed around the door as Trixie pushed it open. As she did, a wind picked up and pushed her through the door, slamming it shut behind her.

Trixie landed on her back in some bushes in Ponyville, staring up at a familiar looking building. It only took her a moment to get back on her hooves and adjust her familiar hat and cape. Then she looked back in surprise, she hadn’t worn this outfit since she was doing her magic show in Ponyville. Perhaps this was how the pony having this dream remembered Trixie.

She stepped out into the road to look around, the town was surprisingly empty, and clean. Something moved in the corner of her eye and Trixie turned to see a pony rushing into a Boutique and closing the door.

“Hello?” Trixie went over to the door and knocked, only for it to open and the pony inside to grab her and pull her inside.

“Quickly, she’s coming!” The pony rushed to the window and pulled the curtain back just enough to let in a glimmer of light, so she could see outside.

“Rarity?” Trixie was surprised to see her. “I thought you were captured by Twilight.”

As if on cue, a shadow loomed over the boutique, and Rarity closed the curtains. “Shh! She’ll hear you!”

The walls trembled and there was a scream from outside. “Oh, right, I’m Trixie and you’re dreaming.” Her horn lit up as she used her magic to assist Rarity into a lucid state.

The sound of loud hoofsteps outside got a little more distant as something crashed into another building. Rarity looked at Trixie from her head to her hooves a couple times in disbelief. “It’s… you? Why not Luna?”

Trixie motioned over to a nearby table and went to take a seat. “Luna has tried but hasn’t been able to find your dreams, or any other dolls. She assumed that dolls were incapable of dreaming, but if it’s really you then maybe it had something to do with Twilight’s defenses?”

Rarity sat down at the table and started pouring some coffee into a couple of cups. “I hope you’re not here to discuss magical theory, darling, but to rescue us?” She dropped a sugarcube into her cup and began sipping at it.

“Oh, well we’re doing our best to rescue you, in fact, Luna was just tracking a spell on Soarin. She may have already captured Twilight.” She took the cup of coffee offered to her and took a sip. There was a rich flavor to the drink for a dream, Rarity must have really loved coffee back when she was a pony.

“Or been killed by her, she’s already escaped Luna and Celestia once, has she not? She’s not the mare we remember, Twilight’s as powerful as she is damaged,” Rarity explained.

“Do you have any idea where you are?”

“No, we’re making our own attempts to escape but haven’t been able to breach the spell holding us all captive. If I could at least get Sweetie Belle out it would be worth it, but I can’t reason with Twilight anymore.”

Trixie nodded. “Don’t give up hope, if I can find a way to visit you again we can start passing information back and forth. Just don’t do anything to let Twilight find out we’ve spoken or that we’re getting closer to tracking her down. She could fix whatever fluke allowed me to find you.”

“Understood.”

“Why don’t I try to return tomorrow, I should really talk to Luna and Celestia and figure out what to do. I’m new to this whole saving the world thing.”

Rarity was about to speak when Trixie noticed she had become transparent. Waves were passing along the walls, the floor, and the ceiling. The dream was getting blurry and Trixie jumped out of her seat. Rarity was saying something but Trixie couldn’t hear it as the world vanished, replaced by the vast dark gateway world between dreams.

Rarity woke up with a start, Sweetie standing on top of her and shaking hard. “Wake up! Twilight’s back!”

“Oh, buck me…” she sighed and sat up, using her hoof to push Sweetie aside. “I had better go see what fresh hell awaits us this time. And you had better get into the safe room downstairs.”

“But sis! Pinkie is throwing a party, every pony is going to be there!” Sweetie complained. She jumped down from the bed and walked over to the dresser, pointing to a small pink flyer that Pinkie had been passing out.

“I know, and I promise to bring you back some cupcakes, but there will be adult business to deal with and we can’t be certain something bad will happen. I’d do anything to free you, like Apple Bloom, you know that right?”

“Yeah, I know.” Sweetie sighed, “You’d even hurt other ponies to do it, but I don’t want you to!”

“Hurt?” Rarity finished making her bed and sat down in front of her sister. “I hope it doesn’t come to that, but if I have to hurt somepony to rescue everypony, I will. And if that proves unattainable, I’ll at least save you. So I need you to do as I say and not take any risks. Twilight would use you against me in a heartbeat to get her way, that’s—”

“Why I can’t go outside, or have a life.” She sighed and headed out of the bedroom. “I know! I’ll be down in the basement.”

Rarity had always butted heads with her sister, but she knew the ends would justify the means. With the knowledge that Trixie could reach her dreams, she even had the advantage on Twilight for once.

Twilight walked into town via the road outside Sweet Apple Acres. She was smiling and appeared to be in a great mood after capturing several ponies and outsmarting Luna. The magical defenses of Canterlot had proven difficult to circumvent, but Twilight felt encouraged with the knowledge she could do it again and again if she wanted to.

For now, she needed to find everypony and announce the good news. She stopped in surprise when she saw all of the dolls waiting around in the town square. Nothing was on fire, every tree and bush seemed in its place. She even saw Dash chatting with Fluttershy and instantly knew something was up.

She cleared her throat, getting the attention of any of the residents of the Dollhouse who hadn’t already seen her looming over them. “I’m back, what are you all up to here?”

“Surprise!” Pinkie jumped out from one of the trees as confetti shot into the air. “It’s a ‘Welcome home’ party!”

Dash muttered, “it’s also a please don’t go insane and torture anypony party.”

Fluttershy shushed her, “please just let us have this.”

“I told you, we weren’t planning anything, and I meant it.” Dash sighed and kept her voice down. “She’s ten gallons of crazy in a two gallon bucket, doesn’t need my help to snap.”

Twilight, oblivious to the conversation, had approached Pinkie and levitated up a tiny platter of muffins. They were stacked in a pyramid, about two dozen cupcakes total. “You baked me cupcakes Pinkie? That’s… very sweet!”

She giggled and ate the cupcakes. Pinkie wouldn’t have had access to anything to poison them with anyway. It was more akin to finishing up some crumbs of toast than a meal, but the frosting was rich and her teeth ached slightly at the sweetness.

“Thanks, Pinkie, you did a good job. And what perfect timing, because I brought gifts!” Twilight cackled and opened her saddlebags.

“Oh presents? Awesome!” Pinkie shouted. “Hear that everypony?”

A moment later a tiny doll-sized oven with baking implements was set down next to Sugarcube corner, followed by bits of new furniture which she distributed around the homes. “I tried to get something for everyone, so apologies if I forgot anypony.”

She noticed the ponies didn’t seem too happy, instead they were mostly staring at each other in confusion. Unsure what they were apprehensive about, she focused on her gifts instead and started to recount her trip.

“So I know we’ve had more colts and fillies lately so I got a school teacher.” She levitated a frozen Cheerilee out of the bag and set her down over by a small group of children. She didn’t see Sweetie, but Snips and Snails were there with some other kids Twilight couldn’t be bothered to remember the names of.

“And I know how much you’ve all missed being pampered, so I got us a couple spa ponies.” She set down Lotus and Aloe in the middle of the town square.

“I had a personal errand to attend to, and I know we don’t really need medicine, but maybe you’ll be able to enjoy some good campfire stories.” Twilight set down Zecora.

“And the best gift I saved for last. Dash?” Twilight looked over at her.

“Uh, yes Twilight?” Dash kept her legs bent, ready to dive for cover.

“I got you the new daring do book, and your favorite Wonderbolt!” She set down the book and the figurine of Soarin near Dash.

The shock on her face wasn’t easy to miss, and soon it had turned to anger. “Why would you kidnap him for me? I didn’t ask for this!”

Fluttershy grabbed Dash’s tail before she could stomp off and start a fight.

Twilight either didn’t notice, or care, still giddy from the eventful weekend. “Oh you wouldn’t believe how much Equestria has changed. It was so good to get out again, I even out-smarted Luna! And then I get back and you’ve thrown a party just for me? This may be the best day ever!”

She finished passing out a few gifts while watching Pinkie passing out cupcakes. She levitated another doll out of her pack, setting it down in the Ponyville prison.

“Who was that?” Fluttershy asked. “Don’t you need me to welcome them?”

“Oh her?” Twilight chuckled. “We best let her have some time to think. Can you believe she tried to steal my cutie mark?” She laughed again. “I mean, who does she think she is? I’m the mare that makes Celestia afraid to answer the door!”

She looked at the assembled ponies who seemed to be inching backwards slowly. “Oh don’t be like that! Now why don’t I unfreeze these ponies so you can welcome them to their new home? I need to chat with Big Mac and see how everypony has been while I’m gone anyway.”

Magic washed over the ponies, allowing the newly captured ones to move. Twilight turned away and went to talk to Big Mac, who had been waiting just outside of town.

It was about half an hour later and the party was still going. Big Mac didn’t have anything big to report, mostly the usual escape attempts. Ponies digging basements, threatening each other, and so on. Twilight would have to have some words with Dash and Rarity soon, but she had learned from the past escape attempts. They could dig all they wanted, the cave consisted mostly of rock, so there was no going down and under.

Twilight looked down and found Dash talking to Soarin, and decided to check in. “So, Dash? Aren’t you glad I got you another Wonderbolt to hang out with?”

Dash huffed, and flared her wings. “Yeah, a pony to do stunts with and my wings are clipped.” She rolled her eyes. “How lucky am I?”

“Really?” She sighed and her horn lit up. “You haven’t been insufferable so I guess you can have your wings back, don’t make me regret it or next time I won’t just clip them.”

It took her a moment, but finally Dash muttered “Thanks, Twilight… now uh, you meet me later Soarin I better go make sure my stuff is still in my house now that I can fly.” She turned to leave, giggling under her breath as she went.

“What’s she laughing about?” Twilight asked.

Soarin walked over to her and shrugged. “I don’t know, I was telling her about the past year and she seemed pretty interested until I mentioned Lyra. Seemed to think you’d be interested to hear that part, before you came over.”

Twilight nodded. “Oh yes! How is Lyra doing?” She kneeled down to get closer to the tiny doll pegasus.

“Pretty good, I think, until you kidnapped me…”

“Oh, don’t pout, we were having such a nice party.”

“It’s not that,” Soarin corrected. “It’s just, well, Lyra was convinced she could get through to you as a friend, and I told her it was too dangerous. We’d been dating for months and Lyra convinced me to let her go look for you, saying it’d be safe and well…” he gestured a leg around, “I end up being the one caught.”

Twilight’s pupils narrowed and the air temperature seemed to drop. Behind her several of the ponies were already being directed by Rarity into their homes to hide.

“What did you say?”

“That uh, Lyra was trying to find you?” Soarin replied. He smiled weakly as he stared up at the alicorn’s horn, which was dripping a sickly green magic.

Her voice was monotone as she bore down on the pegasus. “The. Other. Thing.”

“That I was dating Lyra?” Soarin started to back away, but bumped into a building.

“No no no!” Twilight stood up and looked around frantically. “This can’t be happening! She’ll hate me for sure now? How long were you dating? Was it serious?!”

Soarin gulped and looked up at Twilight. “I… I loved her, and I’d do anything to get back to her.”

“Celestia damn it!” Twilight looked over and shot a bolt of magic at Rarity, knocking her over frozen. “They put you up to this, didn’t they? They wanted to hurt me!”

“No, it’s not like that.”

“I promised Lyra she was free, she was my only friend! And now I’ve kidnapped her coltfriend?” She sent out a pulse of magic in all directions, then grabbed Soarin and rushed out into her lab.

As she rushed past, Big Mac fell onto his side, frozen with the others.

Twilight had placed Soarin in a vice to keep him still while she asked him some questions, and reanimated him. “Answer me honestly and I won’t hurt you, much.”

“Twilight… please, you don’t have—”

She cranked the vice, forming indents in the side of Soarin’s plastic body and making him gasp in pain. “To do this, seriously I need a sign… How much does Celestia know?”

Soarin gulped, he was still a bit shocked at the course of events that had led him here. His wings felt so real that he could feel the feathers cracking and poking into his sides. “I don’t think she knows much! She sent Lyra and Scootaloo out to find you.”

“Scootaloo?” Twilight wrenched the vice tight, causing the metal to whine out as it strained against the hard plastic doll. She heard him screaming and released the pressure, “sorry, I just really hate that pony. Her escape was the start of everything I’d worked so hard to achieve!” She glared at Soarin. “What does Luna know?”

“Not much more than…” he panted for breath as he tried to unpin a leg that was stuck against his side. “Not much more than Celestia I think. We were just living our lives, it was mainly Lyra and Scootaloo who were determined to find you, most ponies thought you were dead.”

“Dead? Oh no, I’m not, but I’ll make them wish I was. Do they know where I am?”

“No, not until we found Apple Bloom at least. They think she might know. Look, maybe you can just let me go back to Lyra and explain it was a mistake?” Soarin gulped as the mad mare stared at him. He’d been filled in by Lyra on the entire chain of events from the moment she had been captured, until she was freed by Twilight. “Lyra won’t forgive you if you kill me like Bon Bon.”

Twilight grit her teeth and barely kept her hoof steady on the vice. “I… I wouldn’t do that to Lyra, but I can’t let you go either. I was reckless, Luna came closer to catching up with me than I’d care to admit to the others. I can’t take you back right now.”

She paced over to a corkboard and began examining some notes. Soarin could do little more than move his head as the two metal halves were digging into his sides. “How about letting me down, then?”

After a few more minutes, she released the vice and carried him back into Ponyville. Twilight sent out a pulse to reanimate the dolls, and grabbed Big Mac. She then hurried back to her room before anypony could see her crying.

Once she’d gotten into bed and gripped Big Mac close, she began to sob. After a few minutes, he spoke. “You didn’t know you were stealin’ somepony special to Lyra, she’d understand.”

“How? How can I make friends when I keep screwing it up?” She wiped at her cheek with a hoof. “I just wanted to do something nice for Dash, and I hurt Lyra. What if I screw up our friendship too?”

“You can’t, ah got nopony else but you.” Big Mac sighed and hugged her, rubbing her back slightly. “Ah am sure you’ll figure it out.”

“Luna? Luna, where are you?” Celestia opened the door to her bedchambers and walked in.

The bedchambers were painted in dark blues and purples, helping to keep the room dark during the daytime when Luna would be sleeping. The large bed was empty, then she saw Trixie on a sofa, just waking up.

“Ah, Trixie Lulamoon. Where is Luna?” Celestia asked.

Trixie rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. “I was just coming to see you,” she yawned. “One of Luna’s tracking spells went off, she thinks Twilight is alive and kidnapped Soarin.”

“What?!” Celestia shouted in the Royal Canterlot Voice. “Twilight is alive and Luna went off after her alone?”

“I, uh… think she just went to check on Soarin,” Trixie explained.

There was a loud pop and Celestia vanished.

Trixie rubbed her head in confusion, before getting up and walking out of the bedchamber. There were two royal guards in the hallway who briefly saluted Trixie. “Hey fellas, so who’s in charge when Luna and Celestia both run off to get themselves in trouble?”

The guard shrugged, “I guess you are, and dawn is in an hour. There will be petitioners in the throne room an hour after that.”

“Great.” She rubbed her temples and let out a long sigh. “Things were so much simpler as a traveling magician.”

Author's Note

Twilight's Dollhouse. Population: 71 77

IX. Twilight's Journal Part 2

Lyra sat in bed as she levitated Twilight’s Journal in the air to read a few excerpts. The sun had just come up, and Scootaloo had gone to get some breakfast. The New Ponyville inn was furnished with two twin beds, and she had spread out her saddlebags and belongings across her own mattress after waking up.

She had been putting off reading more of the journal since there had always been more pressing matters. The recent discovery that several ponies had gone missing after apparently dying of natural causes would certainly come as a shock once they headed over to inform Mayor Mare. They would need to send a letter to canterlot soon to inform the Princesses too, but it could all wait until after breakfast.

Twilight’s Diary, Page 3

I haven’t had time to write a new entry for some time. Rarity says I’m still in shock. I teleported her out of the library and bolted the door.

I don’t need ponies telling me how I feel. How could they know what it is like to lose a brother, and find their sister dead in a pool of blood? How could they know what it is like for your parents to be wracked with grief, unable to offer any comfort?

And how could they know what it was like to be ignored by the one pony they’d looked up to their entire lives? The one pony I wanted more than anything to comfort me, too consumed by her own grief to do it.

It’s because she blames me. At the time, Luna cautioned me not to be silly with such notions, but Luna is naive. Celestia knows I could have gone with Shining. I could have visited Cadance a day sooner. I could have lived up to the pony she wanted me to be, and I didn’t.

I could have saved them all, and I failed Celestia.

Twilight’s Diary, Page 4

According to a book I read on dealing with grief, working with my hooves might help me begin to heal. I was skeptical at first, and bought a small modeling kit. But after a few hours I was able to sculpt and paint a decent replica of my library.

It is about the size of a doll’s house. As I was painting the tiny words onto the books and shelving them, I realized for the first time in weeks my mind was not wracked by guilt and grief. My friends even seem to approve, pestering me less, and saying I look ‘happy’ again when I work on the miniature replicas.

I think I will get some more, perhaps recreate the main street of Ponyville with them.

Twilight’s Diary, Page 5

If this ordeal has taught me anything it’s that my friends can’t understand my pain. They try to comfort me as if death is something every pony experiences.

But I won’t experience it.

I’m immortal now, and if this grief can render me so helpless now, what will I do when I’m a full fledged Princess? When Dash dies, or Rarity, or Applejack…

Will I comfort Apple Bloom with stories of what a great mare her sister was? When Apple Bloom grows up, will I attend her wedding, and watch as she marries some stallion and has children. Will I comfort them too?

If only I could make my friends immortal, then they would understand that eternity is just a long expanse of misery, of watching everything wither and die until the heat death of the universe.

They’d understand… if they were immortal?—

Twilight’s Diary Page 6

My friends have been constant distractions, wanting to comfort me while I’m trying to research. At least Spike knows me well enough to know when I’m busy studying.

Immortality.

Many ponies have attempted a spell to halt the aging process, some almost succeeded. None of them were an alicorn and the Princess of Magic.

If all my friends were immortal, we would never have to lose each other.

I’ve converted the basement into a workspace where I can study my formula and calculations. I believe the flaw when ponies like Starswirl attempted this research is they weren’t willing to sacrifice enough. They didn’t know my pain, and weren’t willing to go far enough…

My first theory is that if I can convert my friends to inanimate objects, they will cease to age. Of course, that would kill them, so first I have to separate their consciousness from their body… Maybe I could recapture it right at the moment of death?

I will need to research this lead, and stockpile the ingredients to begin clinical trials. I have other theories to test if this first one fails.

But the only way to know it works will be to test on a live pony. Somepony that nopony would miss. And once I begin, if it does work, I will have to move quickly. Who could I test it on, a pony that doesn’t have enough friends to be missed, but is naive enough to come over on short notice in secret? Maybe one that travels for work.

Perhaps the lyrist?

Lyra put a bookmark into the journal and closed it. She had felt empathy for Twilight, up until the end of the last page. The words stung, had Lyra really been chosen because she was meaningless enough to not be missed?

Twilight had always seemed unstable to Lyra. One moment she was in unfathomable pain and in need of just a single friend to comfort her. The next moment, Twilight would kill a pony as if they were just some toy in her scale model of Ponyville and not a living being.

The journal painted a grim picture of the mare’s war against her own grief so far. After taking a moment to gather herself, Lyra opened the journal again to see if the next entry would describe Twilight’s plan to kill her and turn her into a doll.

Instead, there were several complicated diagrams explaining the magical spells used to turn a pony into a doll. Lyra didn’t recognize most of the spells, but they were excellently annotated describing what they did and what pony had discovered them. With this, any pony with a talent for magic might be able to accomplish what Twilight had done.

The door shut and Lyra jumped up in surprise.

“Oh, I didn’t mean to startle you.” Scootaloo was carrying a tray with some bowls of oatmeal and fresh fruit balanced across her back and wings. “I got some breakfast for us.”

“Thanks,” Lyra replied. She closed the journal again

“Travel rations still making you nauseous?”

“Yeah, I suspect they're made of the same stuff as bricks.” She levitated the tray to an end table, then brought the oatmeal over to herself. It was strawberry and cream, and the fruit in it looked fresh.

Scootaloo had started eating her own breakfast and swallowed. “Yeah, I guess I’m just young enough to eat anything with impunity.”

The two ate quickly, having a busy day ahead. By the time Lyra was done, she saw Scootaloo sitting on the bed and meditating

Scootaloo had gotten a lot better at entering a trance quickly. As she controlled her breathing, she began to sense the aura of magic around her.

It was like looking at a world being animated on a canvas with oil paints. Everything was constantly being painted over and shifting, the wet paint never allowed to dry.

Lyra was nearby, sending out gentle swirls of a mint green energy. They mixed with the ambient magic in the air, which was a deep rich purple. As Lyra levitated an apple up to take a bite, Scootaloo could see the ripples happening before the apple moved. She knew before it happened that Lyra had cast the levitation spell.

Scootaloo found it a bit unsettling, if not beautiful, to observe the world in this state. The magic seemed to transcend time, existing in a constant state of harmony where every action caused a chain of reactions. Instead of having to wait to see the reaction — the apple being lifted to her mouth — Scootaloo could see the actions that preceded it. If she could maintain this focus while awake, she could dodge a spell before it was cast like her Sensei claimed to be able to do.

The inky black floorboards of the room had small wafts of yellow, pink, and orange energy coming through them. Downstairs two unicorn mares and a stallion were eating breakfast. Scootaloo got a subtle sense that one of them had a talent for potion making, and that another was agitated.

The room began to swirl frantically with a deep blue energy, a void appearing that seemed to suck all the color out of the entire room. She had never sensed something like this before, and without thinking had already rolled backward off the bed, grabbing her sword on the way. By the time Scootaloo’s hooves hit the ground, she had drawn the sword and grasped the hilt in her mouth.

Lyra didn’t seem to have noticed anything yet. Faint wisps of the swirling energy were still visible even after Scootaloo had opened her eyes, and she turned to look at the shimmering void of energy.

A second later, Luna appeared with a loud pop. Scootaloo saw a flash of magical current shoot out from Luna to Lyra, silvery like the moon. The connection seemed to be some sort of tracking spell that pulsed back a band of energy.

And then the trance state was gone. Scootaloo lowered the sword to the floor once she saw who it was, and her view into the hidden world of magic was gone. She made a mental note to thank Sensei some time for teaching her such a cool trick.

“Luna!” Lyra shouted, knocking her oatmeal off the bed.

“Lyra, Scootaloo, I’m glad I found you.” Luna walked between the bed, and gave Scootaloo a curious look. The pegasus didn’t seem at all surprised to see her.

Lyra nodded, “we have some news on Twilight.”

“Go ahead,” Luna answered.

“Well, we found that ponies have gone missing from the town, usually around the time of their deaths. They look like natural causes, but the bodies go missing as soon as the casket’s are closed, and before their burial.”

Luna sat down on the bed next to Lyra, and Scootaloo noticed a hint of sadness in her eyes. Her face was too neutral, as if she were in a poker game, but a small tear glistened at the corner of an eye.

“Lyra… Twilight is indeed alive and well, and she was in Canterlot.”

She gasped in surprise, “Really? Shouldn't you two have caught her if she got that close to the castle?”

Luna sighed, “Yes, but she has yet again surprised us. And she came for a reason. She… she took Soarin.”

Scootaloo looked back to Lyra who seemed to be frozen like a still life painting, but only for a moment. She could feel the anger flaring, and sense the magic building into her horn.

“What?!” Lyra tensed her muscles as she struggled to maintain composure. “How? Why? She wouldn’t…”

“I do not know why, I doubt she knew you were seeing Soarin. I put a tracking spell, and a backup, on him just in case because I knew he was important to you,” Luna explained.

“I’ll save him,” Lyra muttered to herself, though she sounded unconvinced.

Scootaloo jumped over her bed and with a couple flaps of her wings, landed next to Lyra and hugged her. “We’ll save him, I promise you.”

“She’ll have to let him go, she promised to let me live my life…” Lyra said to herself. “Or, I’ll make her. I’ll show her I’m not somepony in the background that nopony will miss.”

There was a brief flare of emotion that Scootaloo picked up on, something dark enough to make her release the hug and look at Luna. They could both sense for a brief moment as Lyra’s motivation to help her friend had wavered, replaced by a desire for revenge.

“Lyra, do not feed that anger. We will rescue Soarin and everypony that we can. If you rush in blindly for vengeance, like Celestia or I did, then you’ll likely leave empty hoofed.”

Luna leaned forward and nuzzled her, and Lyra seemed to calm down a bit. Scootaloo began to rub a hoof on Lyra’s back. “I guess we better get headed into the Everfree then, but how will we find her?”

There was a surge of magic as Luna lit up her horn and touched Lyra’s horn. “I have given you the spell I am using to track Soarin. He will be our secret weapon, as long as Twilight has him, this spell will guide you in his general direction.”

“I thought magic was chaotic in the Everfree,” Lyra stated. “Will this really help?”

“Yes and no. It can show you the direction, but not the distance. If you continue to follow it into the Everfree it should act as a compass and eventually, get you close.”

Lyra nodded and began to pack her saddlebags, shoving the journal and her belongings off the bed and back into them. “Well then I guess we’ve got our work cut out for us.”

Luna levitated a quill and some parchment out of a recess in the armored regalia she was wearing. “Take this. It has been enchanted so that anything you write on the parchment with this quill, will also be written on the matching parchment in my bedchambers. You can keep me updated during your search, and I can reply in kind.”

She took the quill and parchment and put it in her saddlebags. “Thank you.”

“One more thing, should you find yourself in dire straits, head for the Castle of the Two Sisters. It is enchanted to keep out the wild surges of magic in the Everfree. If you need to teleport in or out of the Everfree, it is the only safe place for a pony to do so.”

Scootaloo saw that Lyra was almost done packing, and went over to grab her own bags and sword. “Sounds like we’re all set then? One flank-kicking to be delivered to Twilight with all due haste.”

Lyra chuckled as she stood and put her gear on. “Yeah, unless there is anything else Luna?”

“No, I’d best get back to the castle before anypony does something rash. I’ll teleport over and tell Mayor Mare about the missing ponies so that you can head straight for the forest.”

“Thanks,” Lyra said. “We’ll be in touch.”

Luna got back to the castle about an hour later, walking into the throne room expecting to find Celestia holding court. There was a large crowd of petitioners gathered around. They were pushing forward towards the throne, only held back by the guards. Atop the throne sat Trixie, her mane disheveled.

“For the last time, Celestia and Luna are taking an impromptu decisive vacation! There’s nothing to worry about and they’ll be back soon.”

“But does this mean Twilight is back?”

“Are the Princesses dead?”

“Did you crown yourself the Great and Powerful ruler of Equestria?”

“Quick! Somepony contact the press, there’s been a coup!”

”Enough!” Luna shouted in the Royal Canterlot Voice. The entire room got quiet in an instant. The only sound heard was somepony dropping a pen and it clattering across the floor.

“When and where I choose to vacation is not your concern, now everypony get out. If I get even a whiff of those crazy theories in the tabloids then I’ll give the whole lot of you nightmares for a week!” Luna commanded.

The ponies shrank back, and started flowing out of the room. They were careful to stay far away from the angry princess.

By the time the room was empty and just Trixie and the guards remained, she went over to find out what happened. “Where is Celestia?”

“Oh thank goodness you’re here! Celestia took off when she realized you were gone and Twilight was back!”

Luna grit her teeth and felt the beginnings of a headache. “Where would she get an idea like that?”

Trixie smiled sheepishly. “Well, once I woke up, she asked where you’d gone, and I hadn’t come up with the lie about a vacation yet so…”

“So you told her I’d gone to check on Soarin and chase down Twilight?” Luna sighed. “Well you weren’t far off from the truth, and I should probably have told Celestia before I ran off.”

“Are we going to look for her?” Trixie asked.

“She’ll be fine, if she’s not back in a few hours I’ll have to go track her down. It is almost certain she is flying around the Everfree starting forest fires and otherwise venting her anger.”

Luna stared at Trixie for a moment as if expecting something. “Oh, sorry, did you want your seat back?”

She smirked. “Actually, I want a couple pots of coffee. You can keep the throne warm, and handle my noon appointment to plan this year’s grand galloping gala.”

“But… I’m just an apprentice,” Trixie complained.

“Yes.” Luna began walking towards the kitchens and shot back a look at her. “And I haven’t had to banish an apprentice to the moon in twelve hundred years… so you better pick a good theme for the gala.”

Trixie chuckled nervously as the Princess departed. “She’s gotta be joking, right?”

She looked over to the nearby pair of guards. They both shrugged.

“Right?”

Author's Note

Twilight's Dollhouse. Population: 71 77

multiple point of view characters, new story arcs popping up, and more loose threads than a half-finished tapestry. I may need a little extra time to plan before the next chapter so ponies don't keep falling through the cracks (like Spike, what's he been up to the last 9 chapters?)

I. Prologue

One month after the Ponyville incident.

Lyra was awoken by a guard knocking on the door to her chamber. Part of her wanted to ignore him until he went away, but she knew it didn’t work like that.

“Come in,” she shouted.

The guard opened the door slowly causing it to squeak. The light from the hall glimmered off his obsidian armor, which gave away who sent him before he had spoken. “Lyra, Princess Luna has requested your presence in the throne room.”

“Thanks,” she groaned. Lyra carefully slid out of the comfortable indent in the mattress so she didn’t collapse. She recalled how weak her muscles had been after being turned from a living toy doll back into a flesh and blood pony. Everything from her appetite to her magic returned slowly over that first week as she realized how much she was missing out on as a doll. Now she appreciated every little thing: brushing her teeth, stretching her legs, or the feel of a gentle breeze.

Lyra walked out the door and towards the throne room, wondering what was more important than a good night’s sleep. She stepped into the room only to find it dark and deserted. “Luna?” There was no reply. “Celestia? Scootaloo? Anyone?”

“Aren’t you forgetting someone?” a voice asked. “Or, have you forgotten me just like everypony else?”

A chill ran down Lyra’s spine as she froze in place. Twilight stepped out of the shadows with her disheveled mane and a large wound covering her entire left shoulder. Blood was trickling down from her shoulder and pooling on the floor. There was no joy in her narrow eyes as she glared directly at Lyra.

“You failed me, Lyra. I’m not just upset you lied to me—your actions led to Bon Bon’s death. You said she was your friend, just like you said I was.”

Lyra felt her legs shaking. “T-Twilight, I—”

“You left over thirty ponies behind. . . of course they all hate me. I’ve had to kill several of them after you left me to die in the Everfree.” Twilight grinned from ear to ear. “Now, I don’t need you anymore. I’ve finally made new friends and I’ve come to punish you for running away.”

“But y-you set me free! I’m s-sorry, Twilight, I t-tried!” Lyra blurted out.

“It’s too late for apologies. I survived everything Celestia threw at me after you left. You aren’t worthy of my gift of immortality or having your life back.”

Twilight’s horn glowed, and Lyra gasped as she felt her muzzle solidify into plastic. Her mouth and nose were sealed shut as she struggled in vain to breathe. She tried to pry the plastic off by hooking her hooves under it. It had melted into her skin and wouldn’t budge. She then tried to use her magic to tear it off. Nothing happened, and Lyra realized she couldn’t feel her horn. She felt the plastic dripping down onto her eyelids. Instead of hardening like wax, it was seeping into her pores.

“You said you were my friend. You promised you’d never leave me.”

Lyra’s legs went limp and she collapsed onto the ground. Twilight cackled as she made Lyra’s legs twist around her chest and stomach like a straight jacket. She tried again to force a scream past her solid plastic lips as her joints popped out of socket. Soon the feeling turned ice cold as they morphed to plastic The only warmth in her icy prison passed briefly as her legs fused to her skin, melting into a permanent embrace.

“An eternity as a rubber ball seems fitting for a traitor.”

Lyra felt her mane and tail encase her and tighten up while pulling her head down to her chest. She tried to scream and struggled as the plastic fused her into a mint green ball. Lyra continued to thrash and weep inside her prison until she was sealed into a solid sphere. A few seams were the only indication of where her limbs and head had once been.

“Don’t let the guilt eat you up,” Twilight mocked. “Eternity is a long time, and we’re just getting started.”

As she lost the last of her senses, Lyra felt a comforting presence. She began to notice the moonlight as her body reverted to normal and began to tremble. She found herself whimpering like a foal in the middle of a soft cloud. All around her was the night sky, far darker and more pristine than would be visible from the ground.

“It’s alright, you’re dreaming.” Luna trotted over and pulled Lyra against her side and placed a wing over her. “You are okay, Lyra. It was just another nightmare.”

She continued sobbing. “It’s a-all my f-fault. I’m s-sorry, Luna, I’m sorry. . .”

Luna lifted Lyra’s chin to look at her, and smiled. It was something Celestia insisted made ponies feel better, and after a few seconds, Lyra managed a small smile of her own.

“You must stop blaming yourself for what has passed. It pains me to see you going through the guilt I once passed through. Many nights on the moon I wish I had just one pony to comfort me, like I am comforting you.”

Lyra nuzzled against her flank, afraid that if she moved from under that wing she would see Twilight, Bon Bon, and the others watching her. “T-they all needed me, they treated Twilight l-like a monster. She j-just wanted one friend to comfort her, b-but I ran away.”

“She let you go. Twilight valued your friendship enough to let you go.”

“Then why do I feel so horrible?” Lyra sniffled. “Why won’t the nightmares stop?”

“Don’t worry,” Luna said. “Just lay down your head and close your eyes. When you do, I’ll make sure you have no further dreams tonight.”

Lyra continued to mumble apologies until she calmed down enough to close her eyes. She had lost count of how many times Luna had stepped in and helped her control the nightmares. They haunted her almost nightly, ensuring she could not escape what had happened. True to her word, Luna eased her into a deep sleep and blocked Lyra’s ability to dream.

Luna sighed, remembering how hard it had been for her to get past her own guilt, before she vanished from Lyra’s dream.

Lyra picked a spot in the tall grass and laid down, letting it cushion her. She was finally able to put the past couple of months of nightmares out of her mind. Ever since she found this serene glade to spend her afternoons in, she had found peace of mind. Luna no longer needed to dream walk and protect her. Instead, Lyra now spent her days wondering what had happened to Twilight and her friends.

From her new sanctuary just outside Canterlot she could lay on the gentle slope of grass and look out over the Everfree and the distant speck that once was Ponyville. From her private spot amidst a few scattered trees she could be alone and focus on relaxation techniques she had learned. She had spent every day navigating her emotional issues and trying to sort out her thoughts.

The sound of hooves touching down reached her ears. Scootaloo would visit her here once or twice a week. Lyra turned around and to her surprise, saw Soarin instead. She just glared and didn’t even bother to get up. This was her place of solitude, and he was intruding.

“Uh, hi,” Soarin said. Lyra groaned loudly, and he gulped and kept what he hoped was a respectful distance. “You know, I see you out here every day, and Scootaloo said we should give you some space. . .” He glanced away and poked a hoof in the grass.

“Why is such a nice mare always out here alone?” Soarin asked. “Do you. . . need somepony to talk to?” He had seen Lyra soaking up the sun every day for months while he practiced. It bothered him that she was always alone, and at the same time, he couldn’t deny wanting to get to know her.

Lyra tilted her head back to look over the Everfree. For several moments she listened to the wind rustling through the grass.

“I don’t need anypony to talk to.”

Soarin lowered his eyes and frowned. “Okay, well uh, see you later.” Soarin turned and spread his wings to take off.

“Wait—” Lyra took her own deep breath. “Maybe you could stay awhile and not talk?”

Soarin smiled and walked over, laying down several feet away from her to leave her some personal space. “I’d like that.”

The two lay there, staring wordlessly out at the clouds. As much as Lyra wanted someone to talk to, she couldn’t quite put it into words. Neither Luna, Scootaloo, or her doctor seemed willing to just listen. She wasn’t sure who Soarin was, aside from knowing he was famous.

After a couple of hours, Soarin found himself nodding off to sleep. He had stolen a few glances at Lyra to see if she was still awake. He had no problem enjoying a relaxing day in the sun. However, the fact she hadn’t spoken was starting to worry him.

“It’s my fault,” she stated.

Soarin looked over, not sure if she expected a response.

“Nopony seems to understand. I thought being Twilight’s friend would be enough, but I failed everypony. I don’t know what to do, and Scootaloo doesn’t understand. Luna is still working on her social skills, and Celestia is always off scouring the Everfree. I almost talked to Trixie about it, but she’s busy working with Luna to restore the Element of Magic, and well. . . she’s Trixie.” Lyra let out a loud sigh. “Twilight wasn’t evil, at least not at first. She was so depressed she shut everypony out, and the loneliness ate away at her. She let me in, but I couldn’t fix it.”

Soarin took a moment to gather his thoughts. He knew what he wanted to say, but wasn’t sure if she wanted him to talk, or just to listen. As he looked into her golden eyes he noticed her lip quivering slightly. “You can’t blame yourself. You just said you reached out, you were her friend. I bet you did the best you could.”

Lyra turned her head and stared at him. “If you’ll stick to listening, I’ll start from the beginning.” Soarin caught on, and gestured with his hoof to zip his lips and throw away the key. If just laying here and listening would make her smile, it would be worth it.

“I never imagined so much military tradition existed in the Wonderbolts,” Scootaloo said. “It’s only been a few months and I’ve already learned so much!”

She was walking down a main street in Canterlot alongside Spitfire. They weren’t in their uniforms, having just finished practice and showered.

“Well, now you know. Pegasi have always had a strong belief in the military and protecting the flock. It’s a tradition we share with the Griffins, and in times of war, we are the first ponies to respond.” Spitfire turned a corner and walked towards a cafe with Scootaloo.

“Still, all that tradition when there hasn’t been a war in a hundred years?”

“A hundred and forty two,” Spitfire corrected. “You know, it’s tradition that builds the camaraderie and trust between us. Sure, most think we’re just stunt ponies, but formation flying and air-to-ground combat are key. If you’re serious about finding Dash, you’re going to need all the training you can get.”

They walked into the outdoor seating at the cafe. As they were talking, a stallion wasn’t looking where he was going and ran into Scootaloo, knocking her down.

“Oh, sorry,” he said and reached a hoof down.

“The hell is your problem?!” Scootaloo batted his hoof away. “Open your eyes next time!”

He took a look at the two of them before walking away with a grimace. Spitfire gave Scootaloo an apologetic smile. “It was an accident, you know.”

“I’m tired of putting up with all the idiots around here.” Scootaloo pointed around. “These aren’t my friends, they’re a bunch of strangers.”

Spitfire looked at her and rubbed her chin. “These angry outbursts are starting to concern me. Is there something you want to talk about?”

Scootaloo climbed into a chair at the cafe and watched as Spitfire sat across from her. “I’m going to find Dash and rescue everypony. And if Twilight tries to stop me, I’m going to snap her neck.”

Spitfire raised an eyebrow. “This isn’t something you can do for revenge, Scootaloo. We can teach you self-defense and how to fight. We do not teach ponies how to murder.”

“She deserves whatever she gets—”

The waiter walked up and interrupted. “Ready to order?”

“Hay fries, double tofu-burger with extra cheese, and two orders of deep fried onion rings,” Scootaloo said. She saw Spitfire staring again. “What? You wouldn’t believe how good this stuff tastes when you spent months as a doll.”

“I’ll take a salad and tomato juice,” Spitfire said. “Some of us don’t have that youthful metabolism and have to stay fit for flight.”

“Coming right up,” the waiter replied as he left to get their food.

“Scootaloo, I think I know a pony who can teach you to fight as well as control your anger. I get that you’ve been through a lot, but if you go out looking for revenge on Twilight, you’ll end up having to dig two graves,” Spitfire said.

“Ugh,” Scootaloo rolled her eyes, “ I’d only need one grave for that jerk.”

“It might be your own if you can’t control yourself. Ever since you came back you’ve bitten off just about everypony’s head but mine. I guess I’m lucky to be the hoof that feeds you.”

“Well, I really appreciate you taking me in and standing up to that smelly old hag they sent to homeschool me. I’m not a kid anymore.”

Spitfire chuckled. “That’s true, you’ve seen more horrifying things than most of the royal guard. You can’t just rush in to save Dash blindly, however, she’d never forgive me. Perhaps if you see this friend of mine you can go from honorary to full-time Wonderbolt when you get back from your rescue mission.”

Scootaloo bit back a witty remark and relaxed her tense muscles. “Fine, I’ll see this pony, but it better not take too much time.” She licked her lips as the waiter hurried back with their food. “But first, I need to show off my youthful metabolism.”

As soon as her plate touched the table, Scootaloo shoved half the burger in her mouth and began stuffing her face. Spitfire smirked as she recalled seeing Dash eat in much the same way at the Gala when she thought no one was looking. Dash and Scootaloo were more alike than they realized.

Celestia landed on her balcony and stumbled over to her bed, collapsing on it from exhaustion. She would have gone to sleep if Luna hadn’t been sitting in the room, waiting for her.

“Six days. It was six days this time, Tia. I assume you haven’t slept either or I would have sensed you dreaming,” Luna said.

“Lulu, not now,” Celestia whimpered. “I’m very tired.”

“And I’m very upset, Tia! You are a ruler, not a vigilante. You have to stop searching for Twilight personally. Our responsibility is to rule. Dispatch the guard if you wish, but your place is here.”

“This is not a conversation I want to have again. . .” Celestia buried her head under the pillow. “I will find her. . . I just. . . need a nap.”

“Tia, of course I do not wish to argue. I have stepped up to rule, I have generously raised the sun so you could spend more time searching. . . but it has to stop.”

“She’s still out there.”

“Please, be reasonable. There is no need to run yourself ragged. Look at you, gone for days at a time, scouring the one place in Equestria where magic still runs wild. You won’t find her there unless she wants to be found, or if her diary holds clues.”

“No!” Celestia barked. She tossed the pillow aside. “I will not have Lyra corrupted by that foul book. Twilight’s legacy ends now! Only once I find her body will we put this behind us. She had a reason to enchant it so that only Lyra could open it. Once again, I order you to destroy it.”

“And as your sister and your equal, I will not incinerate our only link to your pupil. She might still be alive, and either way, our subjects are trapped as dolls. It will remain locked up until we reach an agreement,” Luna said.

“Fine.” Celestia got up just briefly enough to get under the covers.

“And you will no longer search for Twilight,” Luna added.

“I. . . fine. I’ll delegate it to the guard, and to you.”

“I will not spend weeks looking for her either.”

Celestia felt herself melting into the mattress, barely able to stay awake. “I’m closing the School for Gifted Unicorns. I will not repeat my mistakes. If you want to continue teaching skilled unicorns to control their abilities, you will have to open a school.”

Luna chuckled. “Tia, I don’t know the first thing about running a school.”

“Well, it’s time you learn. I need a break, Lulu. A thousand years ruling alone, my pupil going crazy. . . why don’t you take that unicorn you like so much to be a pupil? What was her name? Trixie? It’d be good for you. You’ve come this far in learning to rule. Take over for me and let me handle the Twilight problem myself.”

Luna sighed, deciding to accepting greater responsibility for her sister’s own good. “Fine, you will no longer vanish for days to search, and I will do as you’ve suggested.”

She waited for a reply, but instead was rewarded with the sounds of Celestia’s boisterous snores.

Lyra sighed as she slowly recounted her story to Soarin. It had taken most of the day and the sun was setting. From the glade, they had a wonderful view. The sky had turned orange as the red sun sank below the horizon.

“Well, that’s the whole story. Twilight set me free, and did something to modify her spell. Celestia and Luna were able to reverse it easily, yet it took me nearly two weeks of bed rest to get my strength back. It took them a few days to reverse the spell for Scootaloo. . . Twilight hadn’t left them an easy way to break her spell.”

Soarin lay there in silence until he was sure she had finished. “I still say it’s not your fault. You tried your best to reach her. Yes, you may feel guilty for escaping when the others didn’t, and I agree, it’s a tragedy what happened to Twilight, but none of that is your fault.”

Lyra shrugged. “I wish it were that simple, Soarin. Every day I’m out here trying to make sense of the events and replaying them in my head. What I did wrong, how I could have saved them. . .”

“Well, maybe it’s time you got out of this glade and let somepony buy you dinner,” Soarin said.

“It was really nice to have somepony just listen—” Lyra finally realized what he had asked. She turned her head to look at him in surprise. “Are you asking me out on a date?”

Soarin’s eyes went wide. “I uh—yes—I mean if you want—or you know, just some coffee.”

Lyra slowly grinned and began to giggle as she watched him stutter. There was something liberating about feeling an emotion other than sorrow and guilt. The soft chuckling soon turned into rambunctious laughter. It was wonderful to finally let her guard down and let her worries slip away.

For several minutes Soarin could do little more than sit there blushing, as Lyra rolled around in the grass in a fit of laughter. Of all the responses he had received when asking a pony out on a date, this was a first.

Crest had lost count of the days. From the moment Twilight had walked into the dentist’s office, she had known something was off. The mare’s smile just looked wrong. Twilight had come to the dentist’s office looking for Colgate. Seconds after telling her she would be back in fifteen minutes, Crest had been turned into a miniature doll.

Now, Crest had nothing to do but replay the events of that day in her head.

She had been separated from Colgate and kicked under Twilight’s refrigerator when somepony walked into the kitchen. Twilight never came back to retrieve her. Since then, she had stared uselessly out at the sliver of light that came in from under the fridge.

Not long after, there had been loud noises from outside and a crew came through to investigate and clean up. Crest heard them discussing the poisons in the pantry, and the missing dollhouse downstairs. She struggled and screamed but to no avail. Crest was completely frozen, hopelessly stuck in her prison of plastic.

Eventually the crew finished investigating and cleaning. They spoke for a while about how Ponyville was rapidly turning into a ghost town. They even lamented the ponies trapped as her living dolls for eternity.

Eternity.

As the workers left the house, Crest realized rescue may never come.

She would be trapped here forever.

Crest could do nothing but wait. She had time to piece it together, realizing Colgate and other ponies must be trapped just like her. She imagined the other ponies in the same nightmare: frozen solid, trapped in the shell of their bodies, and Twilight playing with them like toys. She wanted so badly to move, scream, or feel the touch of somepony. Being trapped within her mind was starting to eat at her, like a small itch that was growing.

The sun was setting and the light flowing under the refrigerator vanished. Crest tried to recall how many days it had been, and decided it had been twenty-three. Surely, somepony would find her soon. It mattered little to her that yesterday had been twenty-three days, and that tomorrow would be twenty-three days. It had always been twenty-three days.

Crest knew on the twenty-fourth day, somepony would finally free her from her eternal prison. She giggled in her head and knew she only needed to wait until the day after twenty-three.

Author's Note

The sequel to Twilight's Dollhouse is finally here! Expect the updates hard and fast, except while I'm at BronyCon.

Not excited enough? I have plans to continue this story, possibly farther out than 4 more sequels. If I don't, Twilight says I'm next.