Talents Gone Wrong

by Starshine_Swirl

Rating: everyone
Tags: Fluttershy, Adventure, Derpy Hooves, Twilight Sparkle, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Zecora, Sad, Original Character
Length: 6438

Twilight finds a broken mare hiding in an alley. Where did she come from, and what happened to her?

When Twilight Sparkle finds a broken young mare hiding in an alley, she is forced to question the innocence of the world she knows and loves. How did this pony get here? What happened to her? Will she ever recover?

(Starshine Swirl's debut fanfic, picture drawn by me)

Published 2011-12-20 19:37:56 UTC
Last updated 2012-06-02 06:40:42 UTC

Chapter 1

Twilight Sparkle's eyes widened in shock. "That's Ditzy Doo!" she called to Fluttershy.

"Oh my," Fluttershy said softly, "usually she's very calm. What could possibly have made her so scared?" She dropped the basket of acorns she was holding, sending startled squirrels off in every direction. "What if she's hurt?"

"Hurry, Fluttershy!" Twilight shouted, already galloping. Fluttershy squeaked in surprise and flew after her.

***

Ditzy Doo was pacing in front of a sketchy-looking alley, her eyes wild with fear. She dashed into the alley as soon as Fluttershy and Twilight saw her. The unicorn and pegasus exchanged glances, then followed Ditzy Doo's hoofsteps.

"What's wrong? Are you hurt?" Twilight asked the gray pegasus.

"No, I'm fine, but look!" Ditzy pointed with a trembling hoof at a crumpled mass of fabric against a wall.

Twilight teleported over to the pile of fabric scraps, probably leftovers from a clothing store. She didn't see anything unusual, but she knew Ditzy would never be this agitated over nothing. She levitated the tattered curtain aside, then gasped in shock. The rags had concealed a lavender mare, slightly lighter in shade than Twilight herself. Her dark brown mane was matted in front, because blood was leaking from a wound on the center of her forehead, as well as several superficial scratches on her sides and legs. She was unconscious; her eyes fluttered slightly as Twilight picked her up with the use of magic.

"Fluttershy, come help me!" called Twilight. Fluttershy bolted into the alley and shrieked as soon as she saw what Twilight was doing.

"Oh my goodness oh my goodness! Nothing like this has ever happened to me!" shrieked Fluttershy, jumping from hoof to hoof in agitation.

"Fluttershy, calm down! You're the one who knows about medical stuff! What should I do to help her?" Twilight begged.

Fluttershy took a deep breath. "Well, first keep her head higher than her heart, to minimize blood loss. You need to use your magic to lift her head while I carry her on my back. Then, make sure she has no broken bones or other serious injuries. From the placement of her head injury and the fact that she is unconscious, she may have head trauma. Make sure you're very gentle with her head, just in case. We need to bring her somewhere where we can have peace and quiet. When we get there, I have to clean her up so her cuts can heal right and not get infected. Finally, we have to give her water so she doesn't get dehydrated."

Twilight stood blinking in shock, then shook her head to break the spell cast on her by Fluttershy's medical rant. Fluttershy blushed, looking down. "If... if you think that's a good idea."

"What should I do?" Ditzy Doo broke in.

"You should come too," Twilight responded. "We might need all the help we can get.

Fluttershy flew high above the streets, carefully balancing the injured pony on her back, while Ditzy Doo flew just underneath in case the mare should fall. Twilight trotted below, concentrating her magic on levitating the head of the unconscious pony high above her.

When they arrived at Twilight's treehouse, an unspoken agreement was reached. Fluttershy tended the injured pony's wounds while Twilight closed the library doors and perused her books for information, and Ditzy Doo helped Fluttershy while preparing food for everypony. For a while, the library was silent. Suddenly, Fluttershy broke the silence. "Oh my goodness! Come look at this!"

Ditzy Doo and Twilight Sparkle crowded around the sofa to see. "Look," Fluttershy whispered, pushing the mare's bangs aside. Her forehead was now clean of blood. The injury surrounded something which appeared to be... the base of a horn?

Twilight was speechless with shock for a few seconds. Finally, she said quietly, almost to herself, "How could a unicorn lose her horn? That's unheard of! What if..." Twilight trailed off and visibly went pale.

"What, Twilight?" asked Ditzy.

"What if it was done on purpose?"

Fluttershy gasped and hid in a corner. "Twilight, who would possibly do that?! That's just so... so... horrible!" The yellow pegasus shuddered with fear.

"I don't know, Fluttershy," Twilight said, looking at the sleeping pony on the couch. "We'll have to wait until she wakes up to answer that question."

The three friends did wait. They waited for hours, until finally, shortly before sunset, the mare's eyes slowly opened.

Chapter 2

Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy and Ditzy Doo watched silently as the pony woke up. She stood up unsteadily and asked, "Where am I?"

Now that the pony was awake and standing, Twilight finally got a good look at her. Her eyes were light red-orange, and her cutie mark was a red gem surrounded by sparkles. Her mane was so messy that Rarity would have fainted on sight of it- it looked like the mare hadn't brushed her hair in weeks.

There was an awkward silence for a moment, then Twilight broke it. "Hi, I'm Twilight Sparkle. These are my friends Fluttershy and Ditzy Doo. We found you unconscious and hurt, so we brought you here, to my house."

The mare glanced around. "This is your house, where you live? It looks like a library."

"Actually, it is a library," Twilight said. "But I live in it, and I have a bedroom upstairs. Anyway, enough chit-chat. What's your name?"

"I'm Lavender Dazzle. Nice to meet you."

Ditzy Doo broke in, "Do you remember how you got into that alley?"

Lavender Dazzle looked confused. "What alley? I don't remember any alley. I just remember-" Suddenly she broke off mid-sentence. Her eyes clouded for just a moment, then cleared. "What was I saying?"

"Did you get in an accident? Did somepony beat you up? How did you get hurt?" Ditzy prodded.

"I don't know," Lavender said. "My horn hurts. Is it..." She waved her hoof in front of her messy bangs. The hoof passed through empty space. The mare froze, tentatively prodding her forehead. The base of her horn was barely noticeable through her tangled hair, but it was enough. "MY HORN!!!" Lavender yelled. Her legs buckled, and she fell to the floor sobbing.

Twilight and Ditzy exchanged glances. Twilight felt for the mare- she had had a similar reaction when Discord took her horn- but she was unsure how to comfort ponies. Ditzy had similar qualms; she had two daughters at home and was an expert on consoling crying fillies, but when it came to crying adult mares, she was clueless.

Surprisingly, Fluttershy came to the rescue. She gently laid her wing over the crying mare's shoulders and whispered, "Hush now. Quiet now. It's okay." As Twilight and Ditzy backed out of the room, deciding that it was best to give Fluttershy some alone time with Lavender, she continued, "You're safe. It's okay to cry. Just let it all out."

Later, Fluttershy returned from Lavender's room, reporting that the mare was asleep. When asked how she knew what to do, she simply replied, "It's just what I do. And Twilight, um, I think I should stay here tonight. If you don't mind."

"Don't you need to feed your animals and take care of them?" Twilight asked, concerned.

"Oh, no. Angel Bunny knows how to take care of them. I taught him how in case anything like this ever happened," Fluttershy replied happily. Twilight secretly doubted that Angel would take care of any animals, but if Fluttershy thought he would...

"Well, I will have to go," said Ditzy Doo. "I have mail to deliver tomorrow, and Sparkler can't take care of Dinky all the time. I'll probably be back tomorrow. Bye!" The gray pegasus flew out the door before Twilight or Fluttershy could get a single word in.

"Um, Twilight, where should I sleep?" asked Fluttershy. "I mean, if you still think that's okay. I could just go home, if you'd like."

"Here, I'll set up another bed in my room, like I did when I had a slumber party," Twilight responded, already levitating blankets out of a closet. Turning to Fluttershy, she continued, "I need you here, Fluttershy, because you know first-hoof how to treat sick and injured creatures, and how to help ponies. I don't know how to do that. I need your help."

"Oh, okay Twilight. If that's what you want," Fluttershy said, gliding up the stairs onto her bed. "By the way, Twilight, where's Spike? Maybe you should send a letter to... Princess... Celestia..." Fluttershy yawned.

"Oh, he's at Rarity's. She wanted someone to help her with something, and you know how he is about her. He's probably going to sleep there and come back tomorrow morning." Twilight heard no response, so she trotted to Fluttershy's bedside. Fluttershy was already asleep, her pink mane blowing slightly as she breathed. Twilight smiled to herself and decided to go check on Lavender Dazzle.

She trotted down the stairs, stepping lightly and quietly, and stuck her head around the side of a bookcase' giving herself a clear view of the sleeping mare. Lavender was completely still, but a pale red glow began to manifest around her forehead. Twilight's spirits soared with relief. The unicorn had retained her magic! But why would she be using magic in her sleep? As she watched, the same red glow surrounded a small decorative vase full of gems. What was Lavender doing?

"Goodnight, Lavender!" Twilight whispered loudly. Lavender flinched, and the red glow instantly imploded. The horn-less unicorn glanced up at Twilight. Fear flickered in her eyes for just a second, then it was quickly hidden.

"Night, Twilight! Thanks for letting me stay in your house... library... place," the unicorn whispered hoarsely.

"No problem! See you tomorrow!" Twilight teleported back up to her room and got in bed, but she was too concerned about what she had seen to sleep. While it was good that Lavender had recovered her magic, what had she been doing?

She couldn't have been trying to steal from Twilight... could she?

Chapter 3

Twilight and Fluttershy were awoken by the banging of the door and a loud yell of "TWILIGHT! I'M HOME!"

Twilight teleported to the door and shoved a hoof in Spike's mouth before he could start gushing about Rarity. "Spike, shh!" she hissed. "I have to show you something, but you can't say anything." Spike nodded apprehensively, and Twilight led him to the room in which Lavender Dazzle slept.

***

"Wait, so there's this pony you've barely met, sleeping on our couch and possibly stealing my gems?" Spike asked nervously. "Twilight, are you sure that's a good idea?"

"She has nowhere to go," Twilight explained. "And she has amnesia."

"Is that when somepony is scared to go outside?"

Twilight facehoofed. "No, Spike," she groaned, "that's agoraphobia. Amnesia is when you can't remember your past. Also, she's injured. She needs a place to recuperate."

Spike was bewildered. "Recuper-what?"

Twilight did a double facehoof. "She needs to get better, Spike! I'll introduce her to you when she gets up."

Fluttershy tapped Twilight on the shoulder with her hoof. "Um, Twilight? I hope I'm not interrupting, but I need to go home for a little while. Just to check on my animals. Unless you want me to stay..."

"No, you should go home, Fluttershy." Twilight lowered her voice slightly, then continued, "Is she still asleep?"

"Oh. Um, yes." Fluttershy trotted out the door. "See you later, Twilight!"

As soon as Fluttershy was out the door, Twilight began making Fluttershy's bed with the use of her magic. "Spike," she called, "will you make breakfast?"

"Sure, Twilight. What do you want?" Spike responded, producing a chef's hat and apron out of nowhere.

"Surprise me, Spike! Just make sure there's enough for two ponies and one dragon," Twilight answered, telekinetically lifting Fluttershy's blankets back onto the bed.

***

As Spike and Twilight set the table, Lavender Dazzle entered the kitchen, rubbing her eyes blearily with a hoof. "How late did I sleep?"

"Not too late. Do you like waffles?" Twilight asked.

"Yeah. I like waffles."

"That's great!" Twilight said enthusiastically. "Spike made them. He's my assistant," she continued, pulling Spike out from behind the counter.

Lavender's pupils shrank to the size of pinpricks. "A-a dragon?" She cowered back, trembling and ears flat. She was the picture of utter terror. As Twilight glanced worriedly at Spike, Lavender's eyes misted over for a moment, just like they had shortly after Twilight met her. "Hello, Spike!" she said brightly, extending a hoof for him to shake and showing none of her previous fear. "I'm Lavender Dazzle. Nice to meet you!"

Spike took her hoof and shook it. "Nice to meet you too, enjoy your pancakes," he said uneasily. Once Lavender was seated at the table enjoying her pancakes, he turned to Twilight and whispered, "Twilight, what the hay is with her? She needs help!"

"I know, Spike. I'm giving her help."

"No," Spike continued, "professional help. You should take her to Zecora or somepony."

Twilight grabbed Spike and hugged him. "Spike, you're a genius!" Turning to Lavender, who was devouring syrup-soaked waffles, she continued, "Hey Lavender, want to meet one of my friends?" Not waiting for an answer, she continued, "Come on! Clock is ticking!"

"But I just started eating breakfast!" Lavender complained. The words fell on deaf ears, though, as Twilight simultaneously nudged Lavender across the floor and wrote a note to Fluttershy and Ditzy Doo, in case they returned while she was out. "Don't worry, Lavender, you'll like her!" Twilight assured her as a violet aura surrounded them. With a bright flash, the three were gone.

***

"What an unfortunate unicorn, that she must be without a horn!" Zecora commented, inspecting Lavender's forehead from every angle.

"How was it removed? Can it be recovered?" Twilight asked nervously.

"Unicorns' horns are very tough. One strong blow would not be enough." Zecora ran a striped hoof across the base of Lavender's horn. She continued, "The horn and skull are the same bone. They will not break apart with blows alone." The zebra paused to think, then tossed some fragments of leaves, berries, and stones into a bubbling cauldron of water, turning it a silvery white.

"Apply this to your horn's remain, so I may peek into your brain," Zecora suggested to Lavender. The mare shifted her hooves uncertainly. "I'm not sure..."

Zecora's voice took on a kinder quality. "I'd like to see what I can find by looking deep into your mind. There may be knowledge we all seek, but we won't know unless I peek."

"Okay," said Lavender uneasily, taking the thin silvery salve on her hoof and smearing it across the circle of bone on her forehead that was her horn. Zecora closed her eyes, chanted a few words nopony understood, and for a while, Twilight and Spike stood in silence and waited for something to happen. Suddenly, the salve seemed to drip away from Lavender's forehead and splatter on the floor, now clear as water. Zecora's eyes shot open.

"Her memories were hidden by a cloudy veil. My search for help was to no avail," Zecora regretfully explained. Twilight, Spike, and Lavender sighed with disappointment.

Zecora noticed something and gasped. "Everypony wait, I have seen something great!" She inspected Lavender's forehead and exclaimed, "About this potion, I have made a discovery; it will speed your horn's recovery!" She added a few more ingredients to the bubbling salve, changing its hue from silvery white to pale blue.

"Apply it once in the morning, once at night, and whenever you think the time is right. Just make sure that whatever way, you get three doses every day." Zecora pushed the cauldron over, emptying its contents into a large bottle. Twilight telekinetically inserted the cork into the bottle. "Thank you so much, Zecora! This is going to be a big help!"

"One more question before you go!" Zecora called to Lavender. "What talent does your cutie mark show?"

"I don't remember, but once I do, I'll tell you," Lavender replied as she headed for the door. "Thanks Zecora! I can't wait to see you again!" She happily waved a hoof goodbye as the door closed.

Zecora smiled and waved until the door closed completely, then her smile disappeared, replaced with an expression of pity. "She surely had a tragic past," Zecora sighed to herself. "I hope that smile is not her last."

Chapter 4

"Hey Twilight!" Lavender piped up as the two mares trotted back into Ponyville.

"Yes?" Twilight responded.

"Well, you know how I got to meet one of your friends just now? Can we go see more of your friends?"

As Twilight was about to respond, a piercing shriek echoed through the streets of Ponyville. The town's citizens paused from their bustle for a moment, then shrugged it off and resumed their constant motion.

"Perfect timing," Twilight said as she turned toward Carousel Boutique. "That's Rarity. Let's go see what's happened to her this time."

Suddenly, a pink blur sped out of the nearby Sugarcube Corner and stopped on a dime in front of Twilight and Lavender. "Twilight! I have to-- Nevermindbye!" She disappeared as quickly as she had come.

Lavender glanced nervously at Twilight, who giggled, "Don't worry about her. She's just being Pinkie Pie. She's probably about to throw you a party."

Another scream pierced the air, interrupting Lavender's reply. "Is that Rarity again?" she asked confusedly.

"Ohh, yes. Nopony else screams quite like her."

***

Just as Twilight began to open the door, Rarity yanked it open. Twilight narrowly saved herself from a faceplant. "Oh my goodness, Twilight! You simply must help me!" Rarity cried. "I lost my-- Oh." The white, purple-haired unicorn finally noticed Twilight's companion. She smoothed her slightly frizzed mane sheepishly. "Never mind. Care to introduce me to your friend?"

"This is Lavender Dazzle; Lavender, this is Rarity. We came over here to see why you were screaming," Twilight explained.

"Oh, Opal was just scratching one of my mannequines. I put her in time-out." Rarity gestured to a cat carrier on the floor, where a furious white cat was biting at the bars, yowling.

"But what am I thinking? Obviously, Lavender here needs some mane assistance. Worry not, darling! I shall completely beautify your hair! Right this way." The fashionista tugged a surprised Lavender along with her magic. "Oh, and Twilight, please stay out here. I want it to be a surprise!" Rarity led Lavender into her personal salon, shutting the door behind her.

***

Twilight shuffled aimlessly around Carousel Boutique for the thousandth time, bored out of her skull. She had already tried on every single outfit in the place, except those made for fillies of course. "Rarity, Lavender, how's it going in there?" she called.

"It's lovely! We're almost finished!" Rarity replied. Twilight held back a scream of frustration, as her friend had said the exact same thing the last nine times she was asked.

At long last, the door flew open. "I really meant it that time!" Rarity announced triumphantly. "Lavender, come show Twilight your coiffure!"

Lavender emerged shyly from the inner sanctum of the boutique. Her mane fell almost to her shoulders, and her tail was cropped shorter than most female ponies wore their tails. Twilight was amazed at how beautiful her chestnut mane was when it was not a frizzy, tangled mess. The wait had been worth it.

"Lavender, you look amazing! You've outdone yourself, Rarity!" Twilight exclaimed.

"Oh, I wouldn't go that far," said Lavender's ever-modest stylist. "Lavender, Twilight, before you leave, would you care for a complimentary ensemble?"

"That would be great," Lavender said without a second of hesitation. Even though Twilight had worn every single dress already, she went off to consider one she had liked. She pulled the silver gown on, and, fastening it with magic, walked over to the mirror to take a look. However, Lavender was already there, sporting an ornate orange saddle with many ruffles and elaborate gold filigree. Twilight was bemused as to why Lavender would consider that saddle, as she had found it very uncomfortable herself. She could hear a light clinking sound, but assumed it was Lavender magically fastening the buckle, as the saddle and Lavender's forehead glowed red.

"I'm glad you're using your m--" Twilight cut off as the scarlet aura imploded and the saddle slid off Lavender's back, as did several large diamonds. The evidence scattered across the floor as Twilight's jaw dropped.

Lavender stood in the ring of jewels, her face growing redder by the second as Rarity approached the scene. She blurted out, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean it! They were just so shiny! I'm sorry! I couldn't help it! Really! I'll put them back! I'll pay you back! I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'msorryI'msorryI'msorry..." Her desperate apologies faded into sobs.

To Twilight's surprise, Rarity sat next to the guilty party and consoled her. "It's all right. I understand," she said reassuringly. Twilight had no words of encouragement, but hoped her presence would be enough to ease Lavender's guilt.

Finally, Lavender regained her composure. Wiping her tears away, she hoarsely said," Thanks for understanding me, but now I know why I need to remember. Rarity, if you don't mind, I think me and Twilight need to go back to the library right now."

***

"Ugh, I can't find anything," Lavender groaned.

"Over here!" Twilight called, waving a book in her magic. She showed the tome to Lavender as the brunette unicorn approached. "It's a medical textbook, and it has a large section on the brain and memory."

Lavender leafed through the book. "Amygdala? Hypothalamus? Twilight, I don't understand this language."

"This isn't what we're looking for," Twilight muttered, turning a few more pages. "Here! In the case of a loss of memory (amnesia) there may be a trigger which will cause the brain to reconnect to its forgotton memories. This trigger may be a sight, sound, taste, smell, or any sensation, and more than one may work. Get it, Lavender? We have to find your trigger!"

"How?" Lavender asked. "Am I supposed to go cantering aroung trying out all kinds of 'sensations' until I find the right one?"

"Well," Twilight said, thinking, "you reacted to Spike the first time you saw him--"

"I did?"

"And," Twilight continued with growing excitement, "you have an inherent desire for gems--" Lavender cringed slightly-- "which is reflected by your cutie mark. And you know cutie marks are symbols of your talent, and you know unicorn magic relates to the special talent! We have to do magic tests!"

***

Twilight placed three items on the table separating herself and Lavender: a quill, a blue flower, and a small gemstone. "Okay, just try to levitate each object one at a time."

Lavender poured magic into the quill, but it did not rise. "No for the quill." Twilight's own quill scratched against her paper. "Got it. How about the flower?"

"Nope," Lavender sighed, trying unsuccessfully to lift it.

"And the gem..."

The gem was surrounded by a crimson aura and rose easily into the air.

"Saw that coming," Twilight said, writing down the results.

"Indeed," Lavender agreed, turning the gem so little flecks of candlelight danced across the library walls. Suddenly, all the lights in the building went out. The only light was Lavender's magic, which quickly flickered out due to her shock. The room was dead silent.

Chapter 5

Twilight glanced around in the darkness, but she couldn't make out anything. "Lavender! Where are you?"

"Over here!" Lavender responded from somewhere to Twilight's left. Twilight shuffled uneasily in the direction of her new friend's voice and groped around with her hoof. The lights blazed back on suddenly just as Twilight's hoof connected with Lavender's face.

"SURPRIIISE!!! Pinkie Pie screamed, firing a huge wad of confetti out of her party cannon. Noticing the position Twilight and Lavender had been caught in, she commented, "Twilight, no hitting. That's not very nice." She happily bounced over to the refreshments table, which had apparently been set up while the lights were off.

"Where did all this stuff come from?" Lavender asked incredulously.

Twilight eyed the streamers, confetti, balloons, cupcakes, punch bowl, party guests (probably half of Ponyville), and baby alligator. "Sometimes Pinkie Pie makes sense, but... this isn't one of those times."

Appearing out of nowhere-- hadn't she just been over by the punch bowl?-- Pinkie tapped Lavender on the shoulder. "Hey you! What's your name?" she asked.

"I'm Lavender Dazzle," Lavender said.

"Okay," Pinkie said, picking up a nearby megaphone. "Welcome, everypony," she shouted into the microphone, "to the Welcome Lavender... Lavender who?"

"Lavender Dazzle," the brown-haired unicorn repeated, leaning close to the megaphone.

"Welcome to the Welcome Lavender Dazzle to Ponyville Party! To your left is Pin the Tail on the Pony, which will be starting momentarily! I have supplied infinite refreshments, too! Enjoy!" Pinkie announced. Twilight doubted Pinkie knew the meaning of the word "infinite", but whatever floated her boat was fine.

"Hey, Dazzle! Come over here for Pin the Tail on the Pony! You get to be first because you're the guest of honor!" Twilight turned to see Pinkie dragging a shocked Lavender to the pony poster on the wall. Twilight, seeing Lavender's apprehension, started to go talk to Pinkie, but then reconsidered. Last time Pinkie thought her friends didn't like her parties, the results had been pretty bad. She did not want history to repeat.

Pinkie began to explain the game to Lavender. "You take the tail, and you pin it on the pony. It's easy! But not that easy, because you have to wear a blindfold. Ready?" Without waiting for an answer from the shell-shocked pony, she wrapped a black strip of cloth around Lavender's forehead as if she had done it a thousand times. She deftly tied a knot with her hooves (somehow) and stepped back to admire her work. "Perfect!"

"Do I... do I have to wear the blindfold?" Lavender asked in a small voice.

"It's a vital part of the game! Oh, I almost forgot, I have to spin you around a couple times!" Pinkie replied. Lavender opened her mouth to protest, but Pinkie interrupted, "Also a vital part of the game!" She spun the visibly trembling unicorn around three times, then pointed her in the direction of the poster. "Fire away!" she encouraged.

Lavender quickly thrust the tail at the pony, and it landed reasonably close to its spot.

"Good job on your first try! Look how close you were!" Pinkie cheered, removing Lavender's blindfold. Lavender sighed with relief, barely glancing at the tail she had pinned in her desperation to get away. The lilac pony cantered for the refreshments, wiping nervous sweat from her face.

"Lavender?" Twilight asked, trotting over to the table. "Is something wrong?"

"Ohh, no, nooo," Lavender said shakily, pressing her trembling hooves into the floor in an attempt to still them. "Actually, I almost remembered something there, but it slipped away."

"Maybe it was the blindfold," Twilight mused. "If you can, Lavender, I think you should wear a blindfold later to see if it triggers your memories' return."

Lavender considered the challenge. "Okay, I'll do it," she decided her expression unreadable. "Whatever makes me remember is worth it."

***

As the night grew longer, Lavender eased back into the party, joining the games of musical chairs and bobbing for apples, coming out of her shell. Just when she began to fully enjoy herself, though-- introducing herself, unafraid, to other ponies and making jokes with Pinkie Pie-- the party came to an end. Ponies began to filter out the library door, explaining how they needed to go home to their foals or had the morning shift at work tomorrow. Gradually, only the library residents and Pinkie (who was gathering up her party supplies in preparation to go home) were left. Lavender and Twilight retired to their respective bedchambers early, all partied out, and when Pinkie removed the last bag of party supplies, quietly closing the door behind her, there was not one more sound for the rest of the night.

The silence carried on to the next morning, and Twilight wondered why she didn't hear Lavender trotting around when she woke up. When she descended the stairs, there was no pony sleeping there. Twilight searched everywhere, but eventually she was forced to come to a terrible conclusion: she was the only pony in the library.

Lavender was gone.

Chapter 6

"LAVENDER!" Twilight shouted, checking and rechecking every room of the library. She was almost in tears. "Lavender?! Where are you?" She dashed up the stairs and shook Spike awake. "Spike! Lavender's gone!"

Spike rubbed his eyes and pulled his pillow over his head. "Calm down, Twilight. She probably went to Sugarcube Corner or somewhere."

"No! No she didn't!" She would have left a note!" Twilight insisted, desperately dumping Spike on the floor. "Help me!"

The young dragon blearily stumbled down the stairs. "She did leave a note, Twilight! See?" He pointed to the kitchen table, which held a piece of paper, a book, and two small objects that seemed to be glowing. Teleporting over to the table, she examined the two objects. They were about the size of large marbles and had a glassy surface, but both pulsated with an iridescent inner glow that no marble had. Spike reached for them, but Twilight blocked his claw.

"Spike! Don't touch those, I don't know what they are!"

"They're just marbles, Twilight. Take a chill pill," Spike grumbled.

"Have you ever seen a marble that glowed like that? These must be powerful magical artifacts. Lavender must have put them here for us! I bet she says what they are in her note." Twilight unrolled the paper and began to read aloud.

Dear Twilight,

To make a long story short, I put a blindfold on last night and left it for a while. Now I remember everything. I want you to know, so I recorded the memories into these orbs. I'm not sure if you're familiar with the spell I used, so I left you the book I found it in, too. All you have to do is touch your horn to the orb and you'll see my memories. Use the one on the left first. Thanks for helping me these past few days, but I have to make things right.

--Lavender Dazzle

Twilight dropped the letter in shock. "I can't believe she ran away, Spike!"

"I can't believe she would just suddenly leave like that," Spike agreed. "It must be really important. You have to look at the memories! It's the only way we can find out where she is."

"Spike, I really--"

"She wanted you to; you have to," Spike said. "Left one comes first."

Twilight bent her head over the table and touched the tip of her horn to the leftmost orb. She fell unconscious as soon as the glassy orb met her horn, her head smashing into the table. She was already too deep in the memory to feel the pain as she slid to the ground.

***

Being in somepony else's memories was a strange experience. Twilight couldn't move any part of her body except her head, and when she looked down, she couldn't see her hooves or chest. It was as if she was a floating head.

Lavender was just a little filly, younger even than the Cutie Mark Crusaders. She was leaving a large brick building and approaching what seemed to be a schoolhouse. Strangely, there didn't seem to be anypony around. Twilight had no idea where they were, as Lavender had never mentioned it.

The filly approached the door of the schoolhouse. She opened it a crack and peered inside, then quickly slammed it shut and pressed her body against it. Somepony began to pound on the door from inside, shouting a string of curses and threats at Lavender. Her hooves began to slip, but she leaned into the door harder.

Suddenly, the pounding stopped. Lavender pressed her ear to the door confusedly. Seconds later, with an almighty WHAM, the door literally burst off its hinges. Lavender was thrown forward, her face scraping through the dust.

The pony in the schoolhouse turned out to be a dark blue pegasus colt, somewhat older than Lavender. He made a perfect landing after flying out the door, then stalked over to Lavender. "Rise and shine," he hissed.

Lavender's orange eyes slowly opened. Instantly, her hair bristled and she flinched away. "You! What do you want?"

He smirked. "Oh, you'll see. And you'll keep seeing afterwards only if you do exactly what I said earlier."

"No!" Lavender squirmed, but the colt stomped a hoof down on her foreleg. She grit her teeth as a tear trickled down her face.

"You aren't going anywhere until you agree," he continued, pinning down her other foreleg as well.

Lavender groaned, defeated. "FINE."

The unicorn filly stood up, the pressure gone from her legs. "But you still have no power over me, Wind Raider! Get that through your thick skull before I get it through myself." She turned and began walking away, her tail switching angrily behind her.

Wind Raider's eyes narrowed. "Getting cocky now, are we? Remember who's the colt here."

"Oh? What's that supposed to mean?" Lavender stopped, but didn't turn around.

"Didn't you get it the first time? Of course not, but I'll tell you again.Fillies are made for colts to have power over. Get used to it."

Lavender faced her rival once again, glaring balefully at the hated smirk on his disgusting face. "Oh, you want power huh, you little freak? Let's wait until you can even look an adult stallion in the eye, shorty, then we'll talk."

"Say that again and you'll never look anypony in the eye again. I swear to Celestia."

"Come at me, bro," Lavender growled, pawing the ground and snorting.

The two young ponies charged at each other, one galloping, one flying. Just as Wind Raider reached Lavender, he prepared to deliver a crushing blow to her skull. Lavender saw what he was about to do and ducked, punching upward with a front hoof while he was passing above her. By sheer luck, her blow hit Wind Raider in the place no stallion wants to be hit.

The pegasus crashed to the ground, clutching his crotch. Lavender stalked over to him, smiling so wide it hurt, her mane almost standing on end. "What now, sucker?" she said, cackling at his pain. Revenge was the sweetest thing sometimes.

Wind Raider growled like an animal, losing all restraint. He pulled himself up and pounced on Lavender, punching every part of her. She was paralyzed with shock as Wind Raider bucked and stomped on her, feeling bones break inside her.

Suddenly, Wind Raider remembered his earlier threat. He poised his hoof above Lavender's left eye first. "Ready to pay me back for that?" he snarled, tracing the filly's eye so gently, before suddenly pressing down. Lavender shrieked desperately. Wind Raider continued to deliberately probe the area around Lavender's eye, reveling in her discomfort, never noticing the faint red glow around her horn or the shadow looming behind him.

Lavender smiled slightly. "What's so f--" He followed her line of sight to see the huge boulder looming behind him. Before he could even react, the red aura suddenly faded.

An almighty crash echoed through the seemingly deserted area.

Lavender stood gingerly, bruised and bleeding everywhere. She was about to leave, but noticed the crimson pool beginning to trickle from under the boulder. "I'M A KILLER!" she shrieked with anguish.

Twilight kept staring at the scene, shocked, until it faded to black.

***

Lavender now sat alone in a cell, metal bars between her and a dank concrete hallway. She kept a straight face, but every so often her mouth would tremble and a tear or two would fall from her eyes. Her right foreleg and her chest were wrapped in casts, and she had a black eye and cuts and bruises everywhere. She glanced up as the door opened, quickly brushing her lears away.

A white pegasus and an iron-gray earth pony, both stallions, approached the cell. Lavender sat up on the concrete floor, trying to look presentable.

"Hello, Lavender," the pegasus began. "I'm Sheriff Silverwing, and this is my partner Storm. We're here to talk with you about what happened yesterday."

"...okay" Lavender mumbled.

"We won't be mad at you, we just want to ask you some questions, okay?" the sheriff continued, trying to comfort Lavender.

"okay" Lavender said again.

"So, what was Wind Raider doing that made you so... upset?" he asked.

"He was making me do something I didn't want to do, and he was hurting me."

"I see. What was he making you do?"

Lavender lowered her voice slightly. "He wanted money. He wanted me to get him money..." She cringed, embarrassed.

"Ugh, colts these days," Silverwing commented to Storm, who offered no comment. "Lavender, if I may ask..." he hesitated, choosing his words carefully, "why did you use such a ...drastic method of freeing yourself?"

"I didn't know I was doing it..." Lavender sniffled. "I had never used my magic before then."

"...I see." Sheriff Silverwing's expression was unreadable. "Well, I think that's all the information we'll need. Am I right, Storm?" The gray stallion nodded. "Thanks, Lavender. We'll arrange for your release."

The filly was silent for a moment, then as the two stallions began to walk away, she stood up and waved a hoof at them. "Thank you!" she called. "Thank you so much!"

Again, the scene began to fade. Twilight realized that she wasn't really looking forward to the next memory.

Prologue

It was another of Ponyville's bright and sunny days. One of those days that makes you want to go out, join the rest of the crowd, and enjoy the beautiful weather. School was about to let out, and ponies rushed down the streets to pick up their colts and fillies. Ditzy Doo was no exception. She flew just off the ground, making sharp turns to take shortcuts through alleys.

As Ditzy sped through the air, something shifted just below her. The gray pegasus stopped by planting her hooves firmly in the ground, then pulled a tattered curtain of fabric away with her teeth. She stood for a few seconds frozen with shock at what she saw. Then her misaligned eyes widened and she screamed,

"SOMEPONY! ANYPONY! HELP ME!!!

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*Worry not, the other chapters will be considerably longer! This is just a teaser. Thanks for reading!*