To Feel Is To Understand

Some people say when you die, you'll be reincarnated.

It depends on how good of a person you were. If you were a good person, when you come back, you have a good future. But if you were bad, it is the complete opposite.

This made me think. Not about reincarnation itself. No, it was the idea of life after death. It opened my eyes, changed how I thought. I put other people’s needs before my own. I started caring more.

“Arthur. Still with us?” Moon asked as he shook Arthur’s shoulder.

“Y-yeah.” After snapping back to reality, Arthur crossed his arms, making sure his knuckles weren't showing. “I was just thinking.”

The van drove through a pothole, causing the duo to hit their heads together, making them both shout out in pain.

"Damn, P! What did you hit?!" asked Moon as he massaged his skull.

Potato smirked in the rear-view mirror at the two men. "Sorry, guys."

Moon scoffed. “Yeah. As if!” The driver flipped him off.

After the duo's brief exchange, Moon took the time to admire the passing scenery of a spring-fresh forest outside. He asked, “What were you thinking about, man?”

Arthur lowered his head. "The future, Moon." His eyes watered. Swallowing past the lump in his throat, Arthur continued, "We almost died on that last one." He exhaled a shaky breath. "We shouldn't be doing this."

Moon abandoned his admiration of the forest and looked back to Arthur. Seeing his pain, Moon put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "We shouldn't." Arthur could only guess what Moon was thinking, his face was expressionless. He continued, "But, we have to. You know? I mean, how else will we live in peace? Don't forget, money makes the world go 'round."

"Yeah, and I hate that. My mom didn't need to be caught up in all of this."

Moon gave his friend a knowing look before saying, "At least you don't have to worry about money after this."

Arthur nodded, yet his hope was extinguished quickly after remembering an important fact:success is based on completion. His train of thought was disturbed by the booming of the driver's voice as she shouted, “Museum's up ahead!”

Moon gave her direction a glance. He removed his hand from his friend's shoulder and relaxed them both in his lap. “Can you do this?” His gaze returned to Arthur.

Without turning, Arthur said, “Yeah. This job's important. You know we have to do this.” He uncrossed his arms and rubbed the back of his hand. “We have to.”

Moon chuckled. “Damn right! And you thought I wouldn't help you.” He bumped his friend's arm. “We're bros, man.”

After Arthur massaged his arm, he looked at Moon, smiling. “Then let's bring home the bacon.”

Fear ripped at Arthur's mind, tearing through the hope that made itself known. Arthur shifted in his seat as the museum came into view, his eyes darted from a passing building to the floor of the van, his breaths came quicker, yet he miraculously kept his anxiety from cracking the calm demeanor on his face. Still, it didn't stop him from trembling.

He could never let a crew member sense his fear, he knew what it could do. Which was damn near impossible, considering every job was a nerve-wracker. This one seemed no different. He pressed on regardless. It's too late. There's no other way to get the money in time. You can do it.

As the van entered the property, Arthur started panicking. Oh, God. Oh, God. His heart pounded in his chest. I can't. I can't do this! Moon took a glance. Get it together! We are doing it! Remember why you're doing it! Remember! His eyes slammed shut. Breathe, Arthur. Just. Breathe. Remember why you are doing this. In his mind, Arthur counted down from ten, inhaling deeply.

Ten. Arthur inhaled as much oxygen as his lungs could take, waited a few seconds, and exhaled at a relaxed rate. A crew is as good as its leader.

Nine. He breathed again. A good leader gets the job done, no matter the cost. An unwanted memory flashed through his mind. No matter the cost.

Eight. He had to force it. You are doing this for a reason. Remember it.

Seven. It was getting harder to breathe. No civilian casualties.

Six. His breathing slowed. The take is the most important thing.

Five. Keep it clean.

Four. Any death is on you.

Three. Cops have lives, don't end them.

Two. Survive.

One. A crew is as good as its leader. A good leader gets the job done. This job is for a good reason. Remember this all.

The passing street lamps slowed down as the van approached the destination. The crew became restless, Arthur distracted himself by securing his pack. Moon took this time to triple-check the electronics, Uyada was fascinated by what he was doing. Can't say I'm surprised she was silent the whole ride. She kinda gives me the creeps, it's like she's waiting to make a move. His gaze drifted. Wow, she makes black look good. Damn. Uyada noticed Arthur, he immediately looked away, blushing. Shit. Ugh! God, this won't be awkward at all.

The van made an abrupt, yet mostly silent halt. The strapping of belts, the zips of bags and the sounds of steel hitting steel filled the van. After a moment or two only one thought was in the leader's mind: We are ready. With that thought, Arthur exited the van first, confident as ever.

The night was pitch black as if the crew were surrounded by voids. At least our outfits are dark, damn Moon. He could've gotten me a size that fits! Streetlamps dotted the street and floodlights illuminated a small portion of the area.

Wow. I'm surprised this place still stands. Last time I came here I was a kid. It's so old. Despite that, the building looked quite modern. If the cracks in the sidewalk weren't any indication, you'd probably think the building was finished just last week. It was well-maintained, not a single patch of paint was missing, where other buildings in this neighborhood had graffiti, this one bore a single huge painting above its main entrance. Almost how I remembered it. Must be a bitch to keep clean. Still, it’s a nice touch. Wonder what gave the artist that idea. Arthur squinted, barely making out the portrait of a magnificent castle that rested on the side of a mountain in the dim light. I guess the art is meant to distract you from noticing how old the place actually is.

Arthur stared at the building in front of him. Why did it have to come to this? he thought. Right, 'cause a maniac threatened me. His gaze drifted downwards as he sighed. I wish I could go back…

Uyada tapped Arthur’s shoulder, he turned to face her. “Here,” she passed him a miniature horseshoe, “for luck.”

Moon approached the duo, stating, “Luck’s the last thing we need right now.” He pointed to his handheld. “What we need is that camera feed! Come on, U! Supposed to be fast, aren't you?” He clapped his hands. “Chop chop!”

Uyada glared at him.

“Still relying on luck, U?” Potato asked before Uyada passed her a horseshoe, she declined the offer. “I don't believe in that stuff anymore.”

Uyada placed the horseshoe on her hat. “Luck is not 'stuff’. Luck is real, and should be utilized when it is needed.”

“You know what they say about luck? You can only have so much.” Moon looked at his handheld. “West wing's clear.” His smug expression dropped. “Nope. There's a squad of four. You're up, guys,” he said, as he nodded to his leader and teammates.

The girls left the van's vicinity, leaving Moon and Arthur to talk.

Moon was about to shut the side door, until he noticed his friend. "What's up?"

Arthur didn't meet his gaze. Instead, he took interest in the ground below his feet. "It doesn't feel right." He crossed his arms and looked back up. "Usually you don't drive off."

"I don't like it either. But, you guys don't know how to use this." He waved the device a bit. It didn't amuse Arthur. "You know we got this, man. Come on. Clock's tickin'."

Arthur sighed. “Anything we should worry about?”

Moon said, “Just Glocks. Other than that, uh…” He tapped his chin, pretending to think. He shrugged. “You should be fine.”

Easy for you to say. Arthur gave his friend a straight-faced look, saying, “Great.” He looked to Potato. “Come on, P.” He nodded to the direction of the building.

"Hey, Arthur," Moon shout-whispered. Arthur and his partner turned. "Don't do anything stupid until I get back." Arthur flipped him off and ran toward the building, hearing the chuckling of his friend behind him.

Moon started the van and drove off.

The plan was relatively simple. Uyada gets the attention of the guards while Arthur and Potato grab as much as they can. What could go wrong? Yeah, I probably shouldn't have thought that.

Arthur and Potato sprinted to the glade on the east side of the building. They both hid behind a wide spruce tree, and peeked out on either side.

A guard appeared in a window of the building, wielding a flashlight. The duo hid quickly.

"Shit! Did they see us?!" Arthur whispered, looking over to his partner.

Potato peeked out, her voice raised a notch as she said, "They're gone."

The duo resumed their run. The grass rustled at their feet as they sprinted through the knee-high blades.

Not a few seconds later, Potato fell.

“Dammit! Can you not trip over your feet?!” Arthur asked.

“It's not my fault! I can barely see! And for your information, it wasn't my feet!” She stood, dusting herself off. “Did we have to choose a new moon night?”

“We had to rush it! Just… try not to slow us down!”

She practically glared daggers at Arthur, but she nodded anyway.

The duo continued their run, Potato was breathing heavily.

Arthur noticed and asked, "You alright?"

"I'm fine, just dying," she said, panting. "Don't mind me."

"Good, 'cause we still gotta carry the take." Potato visibly sagged. Arthur chuckled.

Eventually, the duo reached the outside wall.

Arthur looked to his handheld, seeing no movement in the room he was planning to breach. “Okay, looks clear. All we have—” There was the sound of glass shattering.

Potato broke the closest window. She was struggling to get her upper body inside it, failing at lifting one of her legs to the ledge. Arthur cut her off by grabbing her shoulder, saying, “Wait! We have to wait for Uyada’s signal!” She climbed back out. “I knew you were an amateur, but you could at least follow the plan!”

She glared at him as she balled her hands into fists. “Amateur?” She pointed to him. "You—" She froze, blinked, averted her eyes and let her arm fall. “Yeah. You're probably right. I'm sorry.” She sat in the grass.

Arthur looked around to make sure no guard was near. He claimed his seat next to her. "I know how you feel. The rush of breaking into a place and stealing is intoxicating. But let me tell you something. I barely held myself together on my first few." He grimaced as his first job popped into his mind. "Always remember: living is always better than dying." Po gave her partner a scared look. Arthur couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Bad joke. Stick to the plan, we'll get through this. Hell, when we're finished and the heat is off, I might even throw a party." As if on cue, Arthur’s phone vibrated. He picked up the call, asking, “All clear?”

“The guards are distracted, you are good to go.”

Arthur nodded to Potato as he ended the call.

Potato entered the window first, with Arthur following after her, the shattered glass crunching upon their entry.

“Damn. You know how to make an...” after Arthur regained his footing, he looked up and saw a dimly-lit room filled with gold-plated artifacts, “...entrance.”

Potato’s jaw dropped. “Jackpot!” she said as she reached for the closest artifact.

“No! Look.” Arthur pointed to a motion sensor in the cabinet. “Moon has to cut the power. Don't you remember anything about the plan?”

"I'm sorry. Okay? I don't have the need to break into places as much as you do."

Arthur gave her an ugly look. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Po crossed her arms. "It means all you care about is money. I know guys like you, alright? It doesn't take much to convince me."

"I'm sorry you feel that way." With his voice stern, Arthur said, "But money isn't my only motivation."

Po looked slightly puzzled. "Then, why do y—"

The lights shut off, plunging the room into almost complete darkness. Arthur’s phone vibrated. He checked the message, then nodded, saying, “Power’s out." He put his phone in his pocket. "What were you going to say?” Just as Po was about to speak, he cut her off, "Nevermind. Let's just get this done."

“Remind me again how much these are worth,” Potato said, breaking the creeping silence.

“Roughly around five hundred grand,” Arthur said as he placed yet another artifact in his now full duffel bag, barely zipping it closed.

“Five hundred grand?!” Potato huffed as she slung her bag over her shoulder. "It's like carrying one of those old box TVs!"

Arthur’s phone vibrated, he answered the call. “AP! You guys gotta get going! The fuckin' Feds know we're hitting the museum!” Moon shouted.

"What?!"

"The feds know! They got James, man! Fuck! We gotta meet somewhere else!"

"Plan C?" He started pacing.

"I don't think we have enough time for Plan C."

"Fuck. Okay. Just come pick us up. And tell Uyada.”

"Alright, man. Stay safe."

Arthur stopped pacing and hung up the phone, then said, “We gotta get going, P.”

"What's going on?"

"This whole job just got burnt. The feds know everything, our plan, our backup plans. They got James. I have to figure something out."

A beam of light shone through the broken window. "I'm on the east side of the building, there is a smashed window," a man outside with a deep, grumbly voice said.

There was static, then another voice replied, saying, "Hold your position. We need to cover all of the exits in case there are more suspects. Damn kids."

The man outside chuckled. "Copy that."

Arthur grabbed a bag. "Let's go. Quietly," he whispered.

Potato nodded once and turned. As she turned, the edge of her bag knocked over a pedestal, inevitably shattering it.

Arthur grimaced. God. Fucking. Damn it!

"Oops," was all Potato could say.

Arthur just facepalmed, shaking his head. He looked at the shattered window and saw no movement. Keeping it in his sight, he slowly reached for the doorknob, until he heard it jiggling.

Potato's hands went to her head. "Oh, fuck! What do we do?!" she mouthed.

"Hide. Quickly."

With a worried expression on her face she nodded frantically. "Okay."

Arthur ran to the opposite side of the room, where he tucked himself in between two giant display cases. P vanished within the shadows hiding most of the right side of the room.

There was crunching at the shattered window. "Nate, where the fuck are you?" the cop whispered. There was static, then dead silence.

The door opened slightly. A blinding sliver of light shone through the crack in it. It slowly scanned the room, going past the display cases on the left side.

Arthur eyed the sliver that grew wider. He scooted right, making sure not to make Potato's mistake and hit another pedestal. He could hear his heartbeat in his ears. The light was not slowing down. Arthur moved a few more inches until a wide display case stopped him from going further. Oh, shit. Oh, shit!

Right before the sliver reached Arthur's foot, the door was kicked in, filling most of the room with light. Arthur quickly hid behind a pillar.

The light from the door vanished, revealing a much larger cop. "Shit, Daniels! You nearly gave me a fucking heart attack!" he said as he held his chest.

The smaller cop from the window looked at him in disbelief. "I almost gave you a heart attack?! I thought I was here alone, until I heard something break!"

"You heard it too?"

"Yeah. I thought I w—"

"This is Smith. I've just lost visual of a suspect in the west wing going to the main exit. All units cover all exits." There was static, then silence filled the room yet again.

"Think it's the same one who cleaned out this room?" the smaller cop asked as he scanned the room.

The bigger cop took off his cap and scratched at his head. "It couldn't have been. I would've seen them."

"That means they're still here."

Arthur threw a stone tablet out the window. Both cops ran over to it, drawing their pistols.

"Run!" Arthur shouted.

The duo sprinted out of the room and into the hallway, ignoring the cops' protests.

The lights flickered on and off for a few seconds. What the hell? Arthur thought.

"Stop!" a voice from behind them shouted.

"Keep running!" Arthur yelled.

Potato breathed heavily. “I don't think I can!"

Arthur looked back and saw the officer gradually gaining on them. He grabbed Potato's shoulder and pulled. “Keep running!”

"This is Officer Daniels! I'm in pursuit of two suspects in the east wing!"

They stopped at a door. Potato tried to open it, jiggling the handle. She growled in frustration. “It's locked!”

"Get back!"

Arthur kicked the door as hard as he could, it broke open, leaving shards of wood on the floor. “Let's go!”

They ran to a window straight across from the door. Potato broke it and attempted to crawl out.

"Hurry! I think I can hear him!" Arthur yelled.

The cop ran into the room. He aimed his pistol at Arthur. “Freeze!”

Arthur slowly turned around. "Okay." He placed his hands behind his head. "Let's all calm down."

"Shut up!" the cop shouted. He turned his attention to Potato, who was currently halfway outside. "You! Get in here! Now!"

“Okay. Okay, I—Fuck!” Potato slipped out of the window.

The cop aimed at Arthur and opened fire.

A bullet ripped through Arthur's left arm. He screamed as the heat of the bullet burned within. He grabbed his limb. "Please."

The cop shot again. Arthur recoiled against the window, shattering the rest of it. He fell backwards out of it and onto the ground.

Looking at his body, Arthur discovered a bullet wound somewhere in the right side of his rib cage and another in his left bicep, both wounds bled, a lot, enough to make him gag. "Ah, shit." He put pressure on both and shouted in pain. “Fucking pig!” He coughed, instantly regretting it, as the force jolted his right lung with stinging pain. “F-fuck!”

He resorted to breathing shallow, each intake of air leaving a lingering pain. He felt very lightheaded.

Po approached him. “Come on, AP! Stay with me!” her voice echoed, as his vision came in and out of focus. “You're going to be okay!”

The cop appeared in the window, he aimed his pistol at the duo, yelling. “Stay there! You are under arrest!” He pulled out a radio. "This is Officer Daniels. I have incapacitated two suspects at the north side of the building. Requesting back up."

"Roger that, Daniels. This is Smith. I'm on my way. Do not let the suspects out of your sight."

"10-4."

"Take…" Arthur gasped, "t-take… the bag," he said, dragging the bag with his good arm. "Please… take it."

"Daniels! A suspect is running to the northeast side!" an officer shouted over a radio.

Uyada ran from the surrounding shadows to the duo. She held her gut with her left hand, and a Glock with her other one, aiming at the cop in the window.

She shot at him, hitting his chest with the first couple of bullets. Daniels shouted as the rounds met its target.

She ended him with one shot to the head. He went limp. The top half of his body dangled out the window, the gun dropping from his grip. Her face was expressionless.

“You made it!” said Potato.

“I have,” Uyada said, limping over to the dead cop's gun.

“Not... supposed... to kill... cops!” Arthur wheezed in between breaths.

“Arthur, I had no choice,” Uyada said, grabbing the gun and tucking it in her belt. "Put his arm behind your neck."

Two more officers ran from around the corner, drawing their pistols at the crew.

Uyada shoved the duo to the ground.

One of the officers shot at them. Uyada was quick to return shots. She gunned down the first one with three bullets to the chest.

The second cop charged and tackled her, knocking her on her back and the gun out of her grip. He gave her a hook to the jaw, then went for his gun and aimed it straight at her forehead. Uyada didn’t even flinch. The cop reached for his handcuffs. "You are under arres—" A gunshot stopped him. He fell forward.

Arthur threw the gun away. Uyada glanced at him and pushed the cop off of her. "I shouldn't thank you for taking a life, but I should thank you for saving mine."

Arthur was breathing heavily. He glared at the pistol lying on the ground. "Never thank someone for taking a life."

"Guys?" Potato asked, her partners turning. She was holding her stomach. “I-I think…” She lifted her hand and saw it was covered in blood. "Shit."

Uyada stared at the wound. Her eyes widened as she said something in Japanese. “No, no, no! Not you too!” She ran to her friend.

"F-fuck. What the hell happened?" Arthur asked no one in particular as he stared at the ground in front of him.

"This is Unit 72! I'm in a high-speed chase with a grey four-door! We're entering the road to the museum!" shouted a cop on Daniels' radio.

Sirens could be heard approaching as flashing red and blue lights lit up the main road.

“It's Moon!” Potato shouted.

With a wince, Arthur said, "Y-you two—" he coughed. "You… gotta go."

“But—”

“Go. I'm not—”

"No! We can carry you!" said Po, rising. "Come on! Put your arm around me."

"P… you have to… leave." Arthur pushed the bag. Tears formed in his eyes. "F-finish…" he drew a sharp breath, "finish the job. P-please."

The girls looked at each other. Uyada put a hand onto Potato’s shoulder.

Moon pulled up in a car, the tires screeched to a halt. He unbuckled his seatbelt and opened the passenger door. “Get in!”

Two cop cars swerved around the corner with their sirens blaring. Moon saw them and shouted, "Hurry!"

"Grab his legs!" yelled Uyada as she pointed to them. Potato nodded and obeyed. "Lift him up, help me get him in the back!"

Uyada hooked her arms underneath Arthur's armpits and pulled him towards the car. Just as Uyada reached for the door, a voice shouted, "Open fire!"

A barrage of bullets were unleashed upon the crew. Potato dropped Arthur's legs and took cover on the ground. Bullets ripped at the car, several whizzed right by Arthur's ear.

Uyada shouted out in pain, but pulled Arthur harder. "P! Open the door!"

She was on the ground, crying, covering her ears with her eyes shut.

"Open the fucking door!" yelled Moon. "We're getting hammered!"

Potato shook her head frantically.

The barrage continued for another few seconds, then a voice yelled, "Cease fire!" The bullets stopped. "Come out with your hands in the air!"

The crew were a panting, bleeding mess. Arthur shook heavily, slowly turning pale. Potato ran her hands through her hair repeatedly.

"Come out with your hands up!" a cop repeated. Thunder rumbled, and helicopter blades could be heard. A few drops of water landed on Arthur's forehead.

"Fuck. Fucking cops!" Moon crawled out the passenger door. "Is Arthur okay?" He looked over to see him lying limp in Uyada's grip. He gasped.

"He tried to open the door. He failed," Uyada said, looking forward, her face keeping composure. Potato was still crying. Lightning lit up the sky in the north, thunder followed shortly after.

Moon looked at the damaged car that was riddled with bullet holes. He gazed past the car to the parking lot that was filling up with red and blue lights. "We failed."

Uyada lowered her head.

“You are in a bit of a bind. Aren't you?”

Moon jumped, turning around as he tried to locate the direction of the voice. “Who said that?”

“No need to worry yourself with such information. I can help your friend. But you have to do something for me.”

“Nope. Sorry.”

“I assume the authorities will not be as patient as I.”

“How do we know we can trust you? What even are you?”

“That’s not important. If you help me, you can begin a new life, but you can never return here.”

Moon turned his gaze to Uyada, who looked as equally as confused as him.

“I can help you. All of you.”

Moon lowered his head. “Okay.”

Uyada's eyes widened. She looked over to Moon. “What?! We barely know... him! We don't even know what he is!”

“Would you rather do it later?! In a jail cell?!" The duo glared at each other.

“I need all of you to cut a symbol into your hand. Even your friend's. Do it quickly, he does not have long.”

“What symbols?” asked Moon.

“The symbol of your Zodiac.”

“Why our Zodiacs?”

“It doesn't matter why. Hurry. They are coming.” The sirens grew louder.

After a few moments of contempt thoughts, Uyada spoke up, “Fine! But we don't know Arthur's.”

“I do,” Moon said as he approached Arthur, knife in hand.

After a few winces and bleeding moments later, the voice spoke again, saying, “Thank you. When the darkness passes through the window, you shall be shown mercy.”

"Wait..." Before Moon could ask, “What?” he was blinded by a light even brighter than a thousand suns.

~[<->]~

Where are they?! Twilight thought, as she lifted a book from a small pile of papers. They were here, I know they were…

“Spike!”

The pattering of a pair of feet could be heard approaching. Spike poked his head through the door, asking, "Yeah?"

"Where are the notes on figuring out how to give Starlight her first friendship lesson?"

Spike chuckled as he approached her. "We just got back from the Crystal Empire, Twilight." He yawned. "They can wait."

She looked at the towers of books and piles of paper scattered about the room. Turning her eyes to the floor, she sighed. "You're right. I'm just worried. About Starlight."

"You made the right choice. You forgave her, we all did. There's no telling what the future will bring. But she's our friend now. And friends stick together." He lifted a blanket, revealing a pile of papers. “There they are!”

"Thank you."

"Just doing my job, no need to thank your number one assistant." He turned. "Don't lose them again, I like my sleep." He chuckled.

Twilight's tea set rattled, and the ground shook slightly. A rumbling noise could be heard, muffled through the walls. Then it stopped.

“What was that?!” Spike asked as he glanced over his shoulder.

Twilight looked around, trying to pinpoint the noise. “That sounded like it came from—”

The ground continued shaking. The quakes knocked a few inkwells off a table, Twilight caught them with magic before they hit the ground.

In a flash and a pop, Twilight teleported, entering the room holding the source of the noise and shaking. Her eyes widened at the sight before her.

The Crystal Mirror was active. The gems on its rim were lit and the reflective glass glowed slightly, it almost looked like it rippled from the center. The quaking stopped. Odd. I wonder wh—

Before Twilight could come to any conclusion, four ponies tumbled out of the portal, down the small stairs, and finally to the floor. The portal's gems lost their light, but the glass kept rippling and noticeably glowed brighter.

All the ponies but one stirred from their spot on the floor. Twilight trotted closer, noticing the cuts, bruises, and a few small circular wounds scattered over their bodies. What could've hurt them like that?

An earth pony mare closest to Twilight stirred, stretching her hooves. The alicorn jumped back, a lance of pain shooting through her horn as her eyes fell on the strange symbol carved into the mare’s fetlock. Unlike the other wounds, this one seemed cauterized shut, the hairs around it burnt and the flesh red.

The mare looked at her and spoke up. She struggled to stand, but gave up her efforts quickly. “Please! You have to help him!” she said, pointing to the one unconscious stallion. Twilight and the other arrivals glanced at him.

Twilight cleared her throat and spoke up. "How badly are you all hurt?"

This time, the conscious stallion answered. "Lady..." He looked at Twilight with tired, watering eyes. They were bloodshot with dark bags beneath them. "I'm not sure. But chances are likely life-threatening. Can you get us to a hospital?" His voice sounded empty. He barely lifted his head to meet Twilight's gaze. He was a pitiful sight that made her turn away.

She swallowed past the growing lump in her throat. Her voice quivered as she said, "I can." She looked back up at the stallion. "But I need to know a few things first."

"What?! Look at us!" the earth pony mare shouted.

"Calm down, P. We'll tell her what she needs to know." He turned to face Twilight and nodded.

She took a deep breath and let go. "How did you all get here?" she calmly asked.

"We…" he trailed off, and shouted in pain. His eyes slammed shut as he put his front hooves to his head. "W-we…" Twilight's horn throbbed. "I-I can't—" He winced and panted, and laid his head down. Eventually, he stated, “I don't know.”