Pyre's Reckoning

Flashpoint and Cold Facts sat at the station, waiting for the train to arrive; it will take them to Coltic Falls, a small town that is near Vast Minds' facility. From there, they'll trek the rest of the way on foot.

It was a gorgeous summer day, but Flashpoint was shivering; sitting next to Cold was like sitting next to a Windigo in December.... on the moon. Cold took little notice of Flashpoint, he was tapping his hoof rather impatiently, as if he want to leave quickly.

"Cold! Cold!!"

A mare ran up to the two seated stallions in a great hurry. She had a yellow mane with eyes to match, and a white coat as pure as newly fallen snow. Her eyes were sparkling from the sunlight in her tears.

"You did't tell me you were going there yourself, Cold!!" She cried, feeling betrayed. Flashpoint decided to step back, realizing that this between them.

"Couldn't get away in time..." Cold sighed, "I have to, Bright..." He put his hoof on her shoulder, "I need to learn what sort of atrocities Vast committed there after we left..."

Bright turned away, tears still sliding down her face, "He's most likely dead anyway..." She muttered with disdain.

"I need to be sure of that, Bright...." Cold whispered.

Bright ran to him and hugged him tightly, the tears dripping on to him.

"Be safe..." She whispered to him. Cold simply nodded.

The train pulled into the station and let out a loud whistle.

"I have to go now, Bright....." Cold escaped her grip and boarded the train with Flashpoint.

"Be safe, brother..." Bright muttered softly as the train blew its whistle again and pulled out of the station.

Two hours later, Flash and Cold were once again sitting together in the train coach. Cold was looking through files and reports, giving Flashpoint some time to think about what Celestia had told him.

"How come the Elements didn't do anything?!?"

He then thought of what happened with the window when he reached for it, but a strange fear took hold of him and he began to shake.

"Something wrong....?" Cold inquired, looking up at Flash.

"I-It's nothing...." Flashpoint stuttered, to which Cold raised an eyebrow. "So...." Flash began nervously, "That was your sis, I take it?" He hoped to change the subject.

"Yes." Cold replied as he looked through a letter, "Her name is Bright Ideas."

"She's very..." Flash trailed off as Cold gave him an icy glare though his glasses, ".....sweet...." Cold nodded and returned to his work.

"Look, I know it's not any of my business..." Flash sighed, " But I overheard you two talking about your father.... Did something happen....? Were you two part of his 'emotional pain' the princess mentioned...?"

Cold Facts smirked, "It appears you aren't as dense as I thought you were...." The smirk disappeared from his face the very second after it appeared, "Vast Minds, our father, was the most brilliant psychologist in all of Equestria...." Cold closed his eyes and remembered of when he was a little colt. "I always wanted to be like him...." He sighed, "Seventeen years ago, our mother passed away...." Flash's eyes widened. "Bright and I had to stay with him at the facility for two and a half weeks before our aunt took us in.... That's when I saw how broken he was...."

Cold explained to Flashpoint how insecure Vast was growing up, that his fascination with the inner workings of one's psyche was ridiculed by the other colts and fillies. All except on..., his future wife and Cold and Bright's mother, Hidden Truth. She was the only one who really listen to Vast, and he loved her for that. As they grew up, they lovers grew closer and closer, and were married as soon as they graduated college together. And very soon after that, Truth gave birth to Cold Facts. When Cold was two, Vast proposed his idea of his facility to Princess Celestia and the rest of the high officials, who agreed to fund him. After its completion, Vast spent years there at a time, Cold only seeing him every six months or so, and when Cold was eleven, Truth had another foal, a filly that she named Bright Ideas...

"She was six when our mother died...." Cold reflected, he then shook his head, "Too young to understand what our father was going through, but I did... Vast had taken to drinking to erase his depression, but it only made it worse.... He became angrier with his assistants...., and us...." Cold shut his eyes, remembering all of his bruises and bloody noses his father gave him. "I always made sure that I was between him and Bright...."

Cold stopped and looked at Flashpoint, who had been silent throughout Cold's story.

Flash gave a heavy sigh, "I'm sorry...., I should have minded my own business...."

Cold nodded, "As am I....." He looked out the window at the night sky, where the moon shone brightly down on the landscape...

"A wonderful moon tonight, Luna...."

The princesses were conversing privately in their chambers.

"Many thanks, but there are too few stars..." Luna sighed, "I am weary, sister, from all the searching..."

"I know," Celestia apologized, "But we must find Pyre and help her through her dreams."

"I agree," Luna replied, "But whenever I do find her in the Realm of Dreams, I am pushed back by a black smoke.... Strange how she's able to do so...."

"I've been thinking of that too...." Celestia admitted, "I have reason to believe that.... something... is helping Pyre..."

"Perhaps..." Luna sighed, "Even despite the smoke, I am able to hear her dreams.... She suffers; she constantly has nightmares of what she'd done in Timberhill...." A tear escaped the eye of the Princess of the Night. "I feel so powerless..."

Celestia walked to her sister and comforted her. They sat together by the fireplace. Luna stared into it, and for an instant....., she thought she saw eyes.....