The Visitor

Everything felt strangely surreal as Twilight clung to the athlete’s back, watching the landscape melt away beneath her. Her steady wing beats seemingly unhindered by the additional weight, Rainbow flew them faster than Twilight had thought possible. The boutique lay on the south-east edge of town, making it the closest building to Fluttershy’s in all of Ponyville. Rainbow’s two minute figure had probably not been an exaggeration.

“Are you serious about this, Twilight?” Rainbow shouted over the sound of the wind. “Can you really do this?”

“I have no idea,” Twilight shouted back, trying to keep the fear in her heart at bay. “But I’ll be damned if I don’t try. Why did you visit her?”

Instead of responding, Rainbow seemed to beat her wings even harder, as if Fluttershy’s life depended on those few seconds. She delayed the answer until they reached their destination; breathing heavily, she allowed Twilight a safe slip off her back before she shuffled forward, halting beside a motionless body in the grass.

“I don’t know. I wasn’t going to hurt her. I just wanted to... talk.”

Twilight nodded. A lump was forming in her throat as she followed Rainbow to the figure that lay beside the small bridge leading across the stream they’d just flown along. A simple spell answered the most pressing question.

“She is dead.” Biting her lip, she lifted Fluttershy up, searching for injuries. “If an animal did this, then it must have gone quite far outside of the forest. It seems unlikely, but I’m sure it wasn’t-”

She interrupted herself as her eyes caught what she’d been searching for.

“Look.” She made a gesture for Rainbow to come closer.

There, on the backside of the dead pegasus’ left hind leg, were two tiny red dots. Out of each, reaching to the tip of her hoof, had emerged a derisively narrow trickle of blood.

“She’s been bitten.” Twilight put the body back down, closing her eyes, shielding herself from the sight. “It must have been poisonous... a snake. Or an insect.”

“So if she didn’t do this on purpose, then whatever did it could still be sneaking around here?” Rainbow’s gaze flickered across the ground, her body tense. “Gosh darn’...”

“Listen.” Twilight tried to hide her weakness, but inside, she felt close to resignation. “Pretend she’s not dead yet, alright? Pretend she’s... struggling to stay alive or something. Until I... fail to-”

“And how long will that be?”

“A few hours.”

“Really? Why?”

“It has to be fast. If we don’t... if we can’t do it now, then... it’ll be impossible. The...” A sob she couldn’t hold back came over her lips. “The pony body decays too fast when... you... might not smell anything for a few days if it’s cold, but...” She broke up. “Eight hours is as much safe time as we have. Five if we want to make sure she won’t be hindered if she...” Her muscles tensed, and she had to prevent herself from striking something. She had to save her energy.

“All ponies have magic in them, but it leaves us quickly upon death, and once it does, she’ll...” She broke up again, pulling herself together. “She can’t have been here for longer than two or three hours. That gives us another two to try... and... look. We have to take her to the library. Can you fly her there? Make sure not to touch the wound.”

“Can’t you just teleport her?”

Twilight shook her head. “I want to save my strength.”

For a few moments, Rainbow just looked at her. Then she nodded.

“Should I carry you both?”

Twilight shook her head. “Avoid other ponies if possible. And... get Applejack afterwards. Rarity will have gone to Pinkie first.”

Rainbow nodded again. “Whatever you want to do,” she murmured as she ascended with Fluttershy in her arms, “I hope it works.”

A shiver ran down Twilight’s neck as she watched her figure disappear.

“So do I,” she whispered.

Never before in her life had Twilight wanted to cry so badly. But it had also never been so important to resist the urge.

She needed to stay collected. If she was going to fail, then she’d have enough time to mourn her loss. But not now. As long as there was still hope, she was not allowed to cry.

The walk home was spent at war with her restless emotions. Twilight kept her head low, pushing back everything she felt, until she was filled with a cold determination. Calculating, rational, and quick. That was what she needed to be.

If only for a while.

When she entered the library, all of the others were already waiting for her. Rainbow Dash was pacing, but stopped as she saw Twilight. Rarity was sitting on the floor, comforting a sobbing Pinkie Pie, whose mane was as flat as it had been at their last meeting. Applejack and Spike just stood there, staring at the figure in the center of the room.

“T-... Twilight.” Spike made an admirable attempt to appear calm. “This just came for you.”

Her eyes flickered toward the item in his grasp, and her heart sank. Of course. Of course the princess would know. She was lucky that she hadn’t come personally. Not yet, anyway.

But she couldn’t explain things. This time, this one time, she would act by herself.

Licking her lips, she unrolled the letter, taking a brief glimpse at what was written. It was short, and essentially what she had expected.

“Here is what I need you to do,” she said, stuffing the letter in between two books without another look. “I might be able to bring Fluttershy back, but I can’t cure her. We don’t know what bit her. Even if she came back right now, we don’t know if it would kill her again, which means that-”

“Twilight,” Applejack interrupted her. “Twi. Are ya just gonna ignore the letter?”

Twilight turned her head towards the farmpony.

“Yes.”

“Twi... listen. With what Fluttershy did-”

“Let’s make one thing clear,” Twilight said, stepping beside Fluttershy’s cold body. “What Fluttershy did, and what happened to her now, those have nothing to do with each other. You want to be angry at her? Fine. Be angry at her. But be angry after we bring her back. What she did had nothing, nothing to do with how she died, and you all know you’d have forgiven her anyway, sooner or later. We got to get her back.”

“Sug- ... Twilight. I know you dun wanna believe that it was suicide, but what if yer wrong? What if-”

Twilight stomped at the ground in frustration. They didn’t have time for this.

“If it was suicide, then... I’ll...” But it was when she said this that she realized she had no idea what then. For a moment, she considered the possibility. What if was suicide? What if they brought her back, but... no.

No.

“No. It wasn’t suicide. I just know it.”

This, of course, was a lie. She didn’t know it. All she knew was that she had connected with Fluttershy on that day on the beach, and now...

But Applejack didn’t speak up further, and so Twilight continued.

“Get a doctor to look at her. Get her to do whatever necessary to ensure that she’s... she’s...” She paused, not knowing which word to use. “... that she’d be okay if she were alive. Or if it’s impossible, then find that out. We’ve never used our reputation as elements. Use it now. Tell her that we’re on a secret mission from the princess, that Fluttershy has fled into the element to survive, and that her body needs to be cured so she can return.” It was a story she had come up with on her way here. “Most ponies don’t know the first thing about how magic works, or the elements. The doctor will buy it. Even if she doesn’t, she’ll do what you ask. And make sure to have as few ponies hear about this as possible.”

“Twilight.” Rarity stood up, leaving Pinkie alone for the moment. “What if you can’t bring her back? What will-”

“-they think?” Twilight felt her anger blazing up, and it took all her restraint not to direct it at Rarity, who wasn’t the reason for it, who had done nothing wrong. “I don’t care. I don’t care what they think. We have a chance to get Fluttershy back. Nothing. Else. Matters.”

Even though Twilight had done her best not to raise her voice, it was clear that Rarity had felt her anger. But she didn’t say anything, she just nodded.

“I ain’t sure about this.” Applejack seemed to be intimidated, but she didn’t back down. “Death’s final, Twilight. I know that none of us wanted her dead, but-”

“If you want her to come back,” Rainbow said in an icy cold voice, “you’ll do what Twilight says.”

“But what’re ya gonna do? Nothin’ can bring a pony back, Twilight. Nothing. Everypony knows that. And... if we do this, if you want us to lie to others, then at least we gotta know...”

Twilight closed her eyes. Nopony said anything to take the burden off of her. And she had no excuse. There was no reason not to tell them.

Maybe she was just afraid to hear herself say it.

“Alright.”

Her eyes flickered over the pegasus’ face. Was this all, all of it, just a false hope she had given herself to?

The answer was that it did not matter. Whether her chance was big or small, she had to try. Even if it was one percent, she still had to do everything she could to make it possible.

“Phoenixes.” Twilight kept her gaze at her dead friend as she spoke. “The... the laws that are being taught in magic. The models we use. They are all false. We use them because they work, they work for all magic ponies can do, even alicorns, and for everything animals can do, too. Not for phoenixes. They deform the world without using the magical plane, and we have no idea how they do it. And they can come back from the dead. They are the answer. If there is a way, then it’s through them.” She drove her tongue over her lips, still not looking up. “There is almost no literature on them, so little that I’ve already wondered... well, that doesn’t matter. But I’ve read everything that I’ve found, and... some of the things they’ve done...” She shook her head, not finishing the sentence. “But there’s one thing I’ve understood over the past months. Their race; it’s a collective. I don’t know if there’s one... thing that controls... or lives for them all, or if it’s just one of them who can somehow get into the others’ minds, or... but there is something. Something... someone who looks over them. After everything I’ve found out, that is clear. And...”

She made a pause, looking up. Five faces were turned towards her, but no-one spoke.

“I... I didn’t start the study because of this. But... it’s not like we don’t live dangerous lives. Rarity almost fell to death. Applejack almost drowned. Pinkie almost got eaten. I wasn’t blind, I knew it could happen, and I knew that this might... might be a solution. And then... well, then Spike brought one of them here, and suddenly it wasn’t just a wild idea anymore, but something that I could actually try.”

“Y-you mean...” Spike’s stunned gaze met hers. “Peewee?”

Twilight nodded. “I’ll have to use him to get to... to her. It. Whatever it is, I’ll have to reach it through him. I’m sorry if you expected more,” she added in a weak murmur. “But that’s all I have. I’ll use Peewee to try to contact... it, and ask. Maybe it could also cure Fluttershy. It probably could. But for the biggest chance, we need the smallest request. Just her life. Are you with me?”

The moment that she finished talking, Rainbow flapped her wings, landing next to her.

“I am.”

Slowly, Rarity nodded. “So am I.”

“I can’t!”

Everyone’s head turned towards Pinkie. A feeling not quite like anything she’d felt before ran through Twilight’s heart as her gaze fell onto the pink pony. It was easy to forget sometimes, but Pinkie was different in more ways than just being enthusiastic and hyperactive. She had never seen her cope with loss before, but now it dawned on her that it must hit her harder than anyone else.

“It’s okay,” she said quickly, releasing her from the obligation to come up with an answer. “We don’t need everypony. Just...” She fought with her words for a moment, debating whether to be quiet, but then she continued. “... what’s important is that we have somepony whom everyone will trust...”

“You know I hate lyin’, Twilight.”

“I know.”

Applejack sighed. “‘Course I’m in, anyway. I know you’re bein’ honest when you say there’s a chance, so... not much of a choice.”

“Alright.” Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. ”You, uhm.” Her eyes flickered back toward Fluttershy’s dead body. “You can take her with you, or talk to a doctor first. Or anything. It’s up to you. You have two hours. And... Spike? Can you bring Pinkie Pie home?”

“Why can’t she stay here?”

“Because... I’m not sure how the... resurrection process would work, but there’s a chance that... let’s just have no-one around, just in case. Okay?”

“But... we don’t have to leave... right now, r-right?”

“No, you can stay for a bit longer.”

Without throwing another look at the group, Twilight ascended the staircase, practically fleeing onto the first floor. Maybe... it could have been foolish not to have tried this first, before she asked the others... there was a decent chance that she would simply not be able to reach it, and then that would be that. But on the other hoof, if she wasn’t successful at first, then she’d keep trying anyway... and if they delayed, then... no. This was the right order. The order to maximize their chances.

They didn’t keep Peewee locked up; after looking around the place for a few moments, she saw him sitting on her desk. Despite having tried to figure it out, Twilight still had no clue how much of what was going on he understood. Sometimes, he seemed to be as intelligent as Owlowiscious, other times it seemed as if he didn’t even register her when she was addressing him. Either way, he had never attempted to leave the house, nor had he ever made a mess of things.

Her mouth felt dry as she frantically thought about what to do. Should she resort to magic right away? Or should she talk to him first?

The latter seemed like a more reasonable option.

“I know there is someone watching over your race,” she said, her heart beating fast. “I want to talk to her. I want to ask her something. Please?”

Peewee’s head turned towards her, his face giving away no hints as to what went on in his mind. For a while, they just stared at each other, then a twitch went through his wings, and he turned back towards the window.

Twilight gulped, reaching out with her magic. She felt for his body, his feathers, his skin, and then she dove deeper, touching around the corners of his mind, careful not to cross that invisible line. Exploring other being’s thoughts was difficult, it was unlawful without explicit permission, and it was dangerous. And that was true for ponies, of whom it was known that their minds were always compatible. For a phoenix, on the other hoof...

Twilight had left that part out; it would be of no use for the others to worry about her, given that, in the end, she was going to do it anyway. But there was a chance, a possibility for permanent damage or worse if she dove too deep into this being’s mind, a mind that was composed in a way she did not understand.

There was no response from the phoenix, nor from the entity she was trying to reach. Twilight continued to search along the edges of his mind, to poke against them every once in a while, hoping to attract its attention whilst avoiding the danger. But no.

A drop of sweat ran down her brow, and it was the perception of this fact that broke her concentration. With a sigh full of frustration and fear, she retreated her senses, and she began pacing around the place, walking upstairs towards her bed, lying down for a few moments, standing back up again, telling herself that she had to have at least a ten minute break before trying again.

But a sense of recklessness washed over her, and she retook her position in front of the phoenix, her eyes closed. Once again she reached out with her mind, retaking that familiar path around the edges of his, feeling... touching... poking with increased resolve.

Did it know? Could it sense that one of its many parts was being pursued; did it feel the visitor who was so eagerly demanding entrance?

Twilight’s heart paused for a moment while her resolve made the decision to act before her mind could stop her, and without a moment of hesitation, she stepped beyond the border, piercing into the unknown.

And her mind was lit on fire. For a moment she could see that it was true, that there really was something lingering beyond the phoenix’ thoughts, and that it was watching her. Within that moment she screamed her request into the void, but then everything was ignited in a blazing red light that swallowed the room, swallowed her thoughts, swallowed everything. She felt a force entering her mind, and she felt it being rejected, bursting out of her skull in a thousand different directions.

Numb and pain, red and light, Fluttershy and pain and red and Fluttershy, light and numb, Fluttershy and red and pain, Fluttershy and red, red and pain, pain and Fluttershy, pain and red and red, and red, and red, and red, and red, and red and red and red and red and light and then a change of seasons. The sea was no longer at flood, merely sprouting random fountains that would occasionally send her mind towards places she no longer understood, on pathways where she could no longer see the beginning nor the end nor grasp the ground on which she was standing, the random spot amidst an ocean of nothing.

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