To Defy Chaos

by Drunk Ragdoll

Rating: everyone
Tags: Alternate Universe, Human, Main 6, Princess Luna, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Spike, Comedy, Romance, Tragedy, Princess Celestia
Length: 4659

Sequel to Sparity Forever. Phoenix has been suffering serial nightmares and his memory is slowly starting to clear up. Twilight is eager to uncover the mysteries of his past, but quickly learns that there is something far more sinister behind it all.

Sequel to Sparity Forever. Phoenix has been suffering serial nightmares and his memory is slowly starting to clear up. Twilight is eager to uncover the mysteries of his past, but quickly learns that there is something far more sinister behind it all.

Published 2012-12-11 16:00:01 UTC
Last updated 2012-12-11 16:00:01 UTC

Nightmares

‘Stop…. you’ve no idea…. let her go….. let her GO!’

A tan stallion tossed about under the thick woolly white sheets of his bed, his mumbling stirring the lavender mare across the oaken library room. Rubbing her eyes, she slumped off her plush star-print bed and onto her hooves, sleepily dragging herself over to her roommate.

“Phoenix, wake up!!” she yelled, placing her forehooves onto his shoulders and shaking him aggressively.

The stallion woke violently, eyes blinking in great frequency as he struggled to compose his heavy breathing pattern. He shook his head, rustling his unkempt, golden mane, which gave off a glossy reflection under the soft moonlight pouring in through the window. Staring blankly at the mare before him, she wore a look of utter confusion, hiding a hint of fear as she gazed deep into his eyes. She was met with an empty stare in return for several agonizing moments, until finally he blinked abruptly and managed a few words.

“Uhm…. sorry Twilight, guess I was having a nightmare.”

Deep magenta irises lightly melted their frozen fixation on the stallion as she sighed in relief. Several more moments passed in silence. “Phoenix, you've been having nightmares almost every night recently…. is something wrong?”

“No, no, of course not. I’m fine.”

She raised an eyebrow in response.

“Really, I’m fine.”

“Nixxy, something’s wrong, and I want to help.”

He chuckled slightly at Twilight’s nickname for him. “Well, if you intend to analyze the nightmares, I’m afraid I won’t be of much help; the moment I wake up, it all just…. fades away.”

A soft chiming followed by quiet sparkles rang gently in their ears as a magenta glow surrounded a nearby quill and notepad, floating across the room, the quill scribbling away. “And you’re sure they’re nightmares? As in, painful or repulsive subconscious imagery?”

The stallion nodded.

“Physical, emotional or mental strain?”

“I believe emotional.”

“Hmm…. well, the fact that you utter some odd phrases during those nightmares suggests that they could be repressed memories of some caliber.” She paused, as did the levitated utensils, before she gave a very concerned look at him. “Nixxy…. Are you sure you don’t remember anything about your time as a human?”

“No experiences, just general knowledge like mathematics, vocabulary, acquaintances….”

“….Phoenix?” she inspected his blank expression.

He met her eyes with his own. “I remember people…. my friends, family, and all them, but….”

“….but?”

“I…. I don’t know, it feels like there’s someone I’m forgetting…. someone important.”

“….and you can’t narrow it down by recalling experiences with others, can you?”

He shook his head glumly.

She wrapped her front hooves around him, lightly sobbing on his shoulder. “Nixxy….”

Flowers bloomed, birds chirped sweetly, and the sky accommodated only a few fleecy white clouds, far in the distance. One cloud, however, hung at an unusually low altitude, above Sweet Apple Acres. Twilight strode happily through town, waving to the occasional familiar passerby.

‘A typical, happy day in Ponyville!’ She thought, the clip clop of her hooves on the dirt path keeping an even rhythm on her way to Sugarcube Corner. Out of the corner of her eye, she swore she saw that cloud from earlier relocating above various town buildings….

Knock knock knock.

A few moments later, the door swung open to reveal a light, coffee-tan pegasus with a two-toned blonde and chestnut brown mane. Jade eyes met hers through rectangular, black-rimmed glasses.

“Heya, Twi!” he beamed. “Store’s closed today, but what’s up?”

“Good morning Chain! Pinkie here?”

“Indeed she is, let me fetch her for ya.” He turned his head ninety degrees, so as to face inside momentarily. “Cotton, Twilight’s here!”

The lavender mare raised an eyebrow. “Cotton?”

Chain’s pupils shrunk as he realized what he had just said. “I- I mean, uh, Pinkie…. Yeah.” He smiled sheepishly. Twilight smirked.

Pinkie shot across the room and halted immediately in between the two, briefly recoiling with a twang, like an arrow piercing a board of wood. She glared at the pegasus for a moment, something clearly telepathic going on between them. Chain smiled sheepishly again, and the pink earth pony smiled forgivingly, turning to face Twilight.

“Whatcha need, Twilight?”

“Well, I was actually wondering if you could help me. See, I’m looking to do a bit of study into that…. talent of yours.”

Pinkie gasped. “My super-terrific awesome party throwing??”

“Actually Pinkie, I meant those things you do, the ones that don’t make sense.”

“My Pinkie sense doesn’t make sense, silly! That’s how it works.” She giggled.

“No, Pinkie, I mean like that thing you just did, when you whisked over here and stopped abruptly.”

Pinkie remained silent, still smiling.

“….Pinkie?”

“Hm?”

“How did you do it?”

She tapped her hoof on her chin. “I dunno!” she grinned.

Twilight facehoofed, then sighed. “Let’s go for a walk, I’ll find some way to get the answers out of you.”

She bounced out the door happily. “Okey-dokey-lokey! Bye Chain!”

Chain waved with a smile, and blew a kiss. The lavender unicorn stayed behind for a few more moments. “Cotton, eh?” she whispered into his ear.

“Tell. Nopony.”

“I won’t,” she smiled, “I have a nickname for Phoenix, too.”

“And that is….?” He smirked.

Twilight remained silent.

“Hey, I won’t tell anypony either, alright?”

“Fine. Nixxy.” she replied, before trotting off after Pinkie, waving to Chain.

Waving with a smile, the pegasus waited until the two were out of sight, then headed back inside. “Oh, I am SO using that.” he chuckled.

Meanwhile, back at the library abode, a certain tan unicorn felt a sudden twitch in his right eye.

Rainbow Dash darted about Ponyville atop her cumulus cloud, questioning residents.

“Hey, you from Cloudsdale?”

“No.”

WHOOSH

“Scuse me, you from Cloudsdale?”

“Nope.”

WHOOSH

“Hey, you from-“

“RAINBOW DASH! Hey, hey, can you teach me that trick where you-“

WHOOSH

“You from Cloudsdale?”

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“FINALLY! Any news about that weird cloud formation?”

“Nope, sorry.”

“C’mon, you gotta know something!”

“Sorry, but I don’t even know where it came from, let alone what it’s doing.”

“Doesn’t anypony know anything about it?”

“Not that I know of. All I know is I flew outside one day to go to work at the weather factory, and there it was. Everypony I’ve talked to has said the same; that it just appeared there that day.”

“I know that, duh. Hasn’t anypony been sent to investigate?”

“I don’t know.”

“Agh!” she facehoofed.

“Twilight! Pinkie!”

Twilight stopped walking, and Pinkie stopped her hopping midair, the former pointing a hoof at her abruptly.

“That, see! How are you doing that?”

The pink mare dropped to the ground and giggled. “I stopped, silly! Don’t tell me you don’t know how to stop, Twilight, you just did it yourself.”

Ears fuming like a kettle, the Element of Magic was interrupted by fluffy white cloud ZOOMing past, slowing its velocity via circling her, causing a small tornado effect that spun her round multiple times, leaving her googly-eyed and dizzy. Snapping to her senses, she turned her attention to the cyan pegasus atop the cloud.

“Rainbow, what gives?!”

“Twi, I need your smarts to help me check out some clouds!”

“….say what?” she raised an eyebrow, deadpanning.

Rainbow shook her head violently. “Look, just come with me, alright?”

“Hold on a moment! What in the hay are you talking about?”

She slowed herself, took a deep breath and lowered her voice. “Some weird cloud formation appeared just outside Cloudsdale, and nopony has any idea what it is, where it came from, or why it’s there.”

“You seem a little more freaked out about it than what I’d expect…. What’s going on, Rainbow?”

“Doesn’t it sound familiar?”

“What?”

“Odd weather, just appearing out of nowhere? It’s just like-“

“When Discord returned….”

Twilight stood in shock, while Pinkie remained oblivious to the conversation, gnawing on a vibrant, four-petal yellow flower, one of many littering a large yet sparse bush. “Look guys, forsythia flowers! Mmmm….”

“Princess Celestia!” the Canterlot Castle throne room doors burst open.

A rather tall yet slim white alicorn sat in her throne, reading through a scroll levitated in a golden aura, delivered by a pegasus scout standing a good twenty feet in front of her. She wore an amethyst-studded crown, matching chest guard and regal horseshoes, all of pure, engraved gold. She looked up with a smile at her student.

“My dear Twilight, what is it you require?”

“Discord has returned!”

Silence filled the lavish, grand halls for several moments, until the princess began to laugh, followed by her guards. Twilight shifted her gaze around the room, mouth agape. Celestia interjected before she could speak.

“Discord is safely imprisoned in stone, my most faithful student.” She chuckled. “Look to your right.”

Twilight turned to notice a stone-encased Discord standing against the wall as decoration. Approaching, she found not a single crack or fissure upon its surface. She pressed her ear up against it, but heard no malicious laughter.

“I…. I don’t understand-“

“Understand what, my dear?”

She calmed herself, then faced her mentor. “Rainbow Dash told me about the sudden appearance of an odd cloud formation near Cloudsdale…. and it sounded similar to the cotton candy clouds appearing in Ponyville right before Discord returned.”

“Ah, my loyal scout here just delivered a report about that.” Her words perked up the lavender unicorn’s ears. “It appears it poses no threat, though it is rather odd on its physical makeup.”

“What do you mean, princess?”

Celestia smiled. She had always told her most trusted student that she need not address her as ‘princess’, but admittedly she enjoyed hearing her use such formalities. It showed respect, admiration, despite all her accomplishments, while she herself was bound to laze about in the castle, facing matters much more trivial than saving empires and ending the reign of powerful villains.

“It would appear, that the formation is slowly circling in a spiral pattern at a currently unknown rate. It is comprised of magic-infused Raikrumium clouds, extremely rare cloud matter that constantly generates electricity, arcing out frequently.”

“Raikrumium? I’ve never heard of that, but it sounds familiar….”

“It is commonly known in its crystalline form, Raikrum. Raikrumium is its liquid form, which is why clouds comprised of the substance are so rare.” She paused for a moment, her smile now faded into a look of concern and curiosity. “Come to think of it, the only other appearance of those clouds was back in Discord’s original rule, thousands of years ago.” She tapped her hoof on her chin, Twilight listening eagerly, joining her concerned expression. “Discord is imprisoned, and hence, powerless…. if this is unrelated to him, what is the cause of their presence?”

“Shall I send a squad to investigate, princess?” asked the scout.

“No, Raikrumium clouds are dangerous; the squad would be electrified if they tried to approach.” The scout nodded and left. Celestia turned to face Twilight. “How is Phoenix coming along? How are his nightmares? Has he recovered any memory as of yet?”

“The nightmares have become more frequent since my last report, and we had a discussion about anything he could remember. His amnesia is undeniable at this point, though he has been able to remember acquaintances such as friends and family.” The Princess of the Day nodded. “However, he did mention that he believed there was someone important eluding his memory.”

“Good work, my most faithful student,” she smiled. “and how are you two doing?”

“Oh, um, quite well, thanks. He’s very kind and gentle, yet retains an attitude for protecting those he cares about.” She fought back a blush, looking away momentarily and batting her eyelids. The princess nodded, smiling, and Twilight mentally kicked herself for overlooking her sudden change of topic. “You don’t think Phoenix and the clouds are….. related, somehow, do you?”

“Highly unlikely, but it’s not a possibility to be ruled out entirely.” deciding to divert the conversation to a lighter mood, she lay a hoof on her student’s shoulder and smiled. “Would you like to say a quick hello to Luna? Nightmare Night is coming up soon, and she decided to wear a costume this time.”

The lavender mare grinned happily and nodded, as the pair walked out of the throne room and down a long corridor. “What’s she dressing as?”

Knock knock knock

“Coming!”

Phoenix unlocked the door in a vivid sunset-orange glow and allowed the guests inside. A short, purple-scaled dragon with lime green spines made a bowing gesture for a snowy white unicorn with a stylish, coiled regal-purple mane, before entering himself. She took his claw in hoof and smiled warmly at him, proceeding toward their host.

“Hello Phoenix, dear, how are you?”

“Fine, thanks, just a little tired.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, been having nightmares recently, probably nothing. Anyway, how are you two?”

“Fabulous, thank you.”

“A little hungry.”

“Spike!” she couldn’t help but smile.

Phoenix chuckled. “Twilight left some gems in case you stopped by, they’re-“ the drake had already sped off into the kitchen.

“Oh boy, sapphires!” he called out.

Rarity giggled, then faced the stallion before her. “So, how’s Twilight been? We haven’t spent much time together recently, as I understand she’s been quite busy in research of some kind.”

“She’s fine; she’s happy whenever I see her, which means her research isn’t stressing her too much. Speaking of which, she was trying to understand how Pinkie breaks the fourth- I mean, how she does those odd things like sneezing confetti and reversing a party cannon after firing.”

“And how is that coming along?”

“She hit a wall-“ Phoenix chuckled quietly ‘Oh Celestia, that was a horrible pun’. “So she decided to do some field research, firstly by simply asking her.”

“That won’t end well,” she laughed, “Pinkie simply doesn’t make sense, but I wish her luck anyway.”

“As do I.” he looked toward to kitchen. “I trust he isn’t always like this?”

“Oh no, of course not. He’s incredibly sweet, a true gentledrake. He’s more mature than he seems, but it’s nice to see there’s still that little Spikey-Wikey on the inside, still that youthful love of sweets and such.” She sighed with a dreamy smile.

The stallion grinned. “I was only joking, he’s a good friend, and you two are just adorable together.”

“Aww, thank you darling.” The mare blushed. “On the subject, how are you and Twilight getting along?”

“Oh, we’re great, thanks. She’s so compassionate and caring, and she makes me feel so happy.”

Suddenly, a strange feeling rushed over Phoenix’s body, grasping his mind in a vice. It felt like ten simultaneous migraines, pain racking his brain as if it were being subjected to an electric surge while clawed hands pulled its fleshy structure in various directions. Rarity’s eyes widened and she gasped abruptly as the stallion held his hooves against the sides of his head.

“Make-…. ma-makes me fee-e-l s-so- so- s-so ha-appy- py….”

‘What? Who… stop, argh! The pain, make it stop!' Phoenix clenched his abdomen muscles as he knelt down, desperately fighting against unimaginable pain. That voice.... what was it? Who’s was it? There was more…. images…. images flashed relentlessly in his mind, rapidly increasing in frequency and seemingly grouping together. They flashed through too fast for him to see, to attempt some identification to what they depicted, let alone why.

“Ha-happy…. f-feel…. ma-make h-hap-py…. s-s-so….”

That voice…. it seemed so familiar….

‘Please…. erghh, please stop!’

The images slowed. What felt like an hour of searing, tearing pain, began to subside. Not even ten seconds it had lasted, and yet so much had come to pass. What the hay was that? What was that voice? It sounded like his own, but it began to morph into that of a female’s…. someone he knew? He couldn’t recall, but it was much too familiar to him.
An ominous voice echoed in his mind…. the voices, how many were there? They all spoke at once…. there must’ve been hundreds, maybe thousands!

“Twice you felt death’s embrace, and yet you remain. Why do you cling to your desire for peace and harmony? Chaos is change, it is in your very being. To defy chaos is to defy our very nature!”

….

…………

……………………

Phoenix lay flat on the log floor, panting heavily, still clutching his head. Sound returned to his ears as the piercing screams of Rarity thundered upon his eardrums , her hooves shaking him violently by the shoulder. The stallion shook free of her grasp and raised a hoof to signal Rarity to stop yelling. Twilight burst through the door alongside Spike, and Phoenix managed to clamber to his hooves. The lavender mare approached the stallion and hugged him tightly.

“What happened? Are you okay?!”

“I’m…. not sure…. it felt like my brain was being both shocked and torn. There were voices…. and images.”

“What did they say? What did you see?”

“It repeated my last words before the pain struck me…. and in my voice. But it changed to a female…. as for the images, I don’t know, they just flashed, I didn’t get a good look.” He turned to Rarity. “How long was I out?”

“You were in pain for only a moment or two, but you fell unconscious for a few minutes.” Mascara tears stained her flawless face. Her drakefriend immediately came to her side and wrapped his arms around her.

Phoenix looked back toward Twilight.

“Nixxy…. what is it?”

“I…. I remember something….”

“What?”

“The person I forgot…. it’s a girl.”

The lavender mare saw great confusion in the stallion’s eyes…. and even greater worry. “Someone close to you?”

“I’m…. not sure…. she’s not family, but I still can’t recall relations of any kind.” He cocked his head up in mild revelation. “Wait, there was a voice!”

“A voice?” Twilight inquired. “The girl?”

“No, but it was part female-“

“Part female? Whatever do you mean, darling?” asked Rarity, still clutching tightly onto Spike.

“It was like…. a thousand voices at once, a mix of male and female.”

“What did…. it…. say?”

Phoenix winced. “Something about…. dying twice, and fighting – in vain – for peace.”

The two mares and young dragon exchanged apprehensive and utterly confused looks. After several silent moments, Spike spoke up. “Can you really do that? Die twice?”

He received a sorrowful expression and a shrug.

‘He hasn’t established even a single pathway of memory recollection…. only small, scattered fractals. Surely delving more into this ‘voice’ that contacted him will yield answers.’ Twilight thought.

The tan unicorn turned his gaze towards her. “But I can’t recall anything else, and this ‘voice’ is just as confusing to me as it is to you.”

Spike and Rarity raised an eyebrow in unison. Twilight’s eyes widened as she stared into his. “Did you just…. read my thoughts?”

He stared blankly back. Raising a hoof close to his face, he placed it firmly on the log floor, looked down, and closed his eyes.

“Nixxy, what are you-“

Brilliant orange hues shot out across the floor beneath his hoof, travelling in oddly circular patterns and darting in various directions abruptly, and frequently. Finally, a large, glowing, dual-circle orange glyph had formed beneath his hoof, runic symbols in several locations between the circles and decorated with randomly assorted, conjoining lines. Two mares and a drake stood in awe, jaws dropped to the floor.

Phoenix glanced back at the lavender unicorn, expressionless. “Spike, buddy…. quills and paper.”

“Do you recognize any of it, princess?” Magenta irises carefully observed all facial expressions as the large white alicorn read her notes.

“This…. is very high level magic, my student.” She lowered the floating notebook to face Twilight. “This is obviously recovered ability, and yet his recollected memories are short and unrelated?”

“Yes,” she replied, “it just doesn’t make sense, recovering such incredible skill while even simple memories evade him.”

“Indeed….” She looked over to her sister princess, sitting directly opposite her at a large, circular table. “What do you make of this, sister?”

“Strong magic indeed, especially from a mortal unicorn. That symbol there,” she pointed a hoof toward the sketch amongst Twilight’s notes. “that represents time…. and the one opposite, space, or nothingness. Their literal translations are ‘Flow’ and ‘Void’.”

Celestia nodded, then turned back to her pupil. “This glyph functions as an amplifier, vastly increasing one’s pool of raw magical energy. Although the runes suggest that it can also bend the form and nature of your magic, allowing great variety in your spells, from simple elemental magic blasts to incredibly complex spells such as manipulation of matter and duplication.”

“They’re…. only temporary, right?” the lavender mare asked nervously.

“Of course, Twilight. The great thing about complex and powerful spells is that due to the immense level of skill required, the recoil drain prevents its user’s magical font from rendering the effect permanent. Thus, safety is always guaranteed without the need for any precautions.”

She sighed with relief, then looked up to her mentor with sly, confident eyes. “Can…. can you perform that spell, princess?”

“Indeed I can, my dear.” She looked at her pupil in curiosity. “Why?”

“Could you teach it to me?”

Celestia’s eyes widened.

“I have an idea, princess.”

“So, um…. how’s this work, Twinkle?”

Phoenix stood nervously as Twilight drew large, interconnecting circles around her laboratory floor with plain white chalk. Said mare smiled, then approached and kissed him on the cheek.

“You create your glyph here,” she pointed to an adjacent circle, large enough to encompass his legs if they were outstretched. “And I make mine there.” She pointed at the far circle, sized exactly as its counterpart and perfectly parallel.

“And the center circle?”

“Remember when I taught you my memory spell?”

“Yeah?”

“I hope you practiced,” she chuckled, “because after we create our glyphs, we take equal steps toward the center and cast the spell in unison.”

Finally the tan stallion wore a jovial expression. “You mean we’re gonna…. cross the spells?”

The lavender mare merely raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“Heh, nothing.” He chuckled. “So, what’ll that do?”

“Well, if you focus on something you can remember, and I focus on details you give me for that particular memory, I should be able to view it as you do. Use your glyph to suppress withdrawal from the memory, while I use mine to stabilize it. If this works, you and I can read through your memories with ease.”

“That’s really clever, Twinkle,” he nuzzled her, “but it seems too simple…. what’s the catch?”

“Oh, nothing really. The hard part will be keeping our magic output at a constant level, and cooperating our thoughts while reading through your memories. It will be incredibly straining for us if we aren’t looking through at the exact same memory fragment, second by second.”

Phoenix’s eyes widened. “Now it sounds difficult, at best. How is that not much of a problem, exactly?”

Twilight stared into his eyes lovingly, fluttering her own. “Since when do we have trouble cooperating?”

The stallion smiled, nuzzling her cheek before they shared a short but passionate kiss.

“Now then, Nixxy,” she nuzzled his cheek, “Take position.”

He raised an eyebrow and smirked. Twilight blushed.

“Oh, you dirty-minded…. just take position, will you?” she couldn’t help but giggle.

The two unicorns took position in their respective circles. In perfect unison, they lit their horns, and glowing lines began to dart about beneath their feet, speedily forming colourful glyphs. The stallion’s appeared just as it had before, even with the same runes in the same positions. The mare’s glyph, however, consisted only of one, as she was lucky enough to have learned it at all.
Even as swift a learner as Twilight was, Celestia had been greatly surprised that her student learned to create one rune on the glyph in a mere two days. She hadn’t mentioned it to her pupil, but the princess believed it was linked to her talent for magic, hence representing the Element of Magic and bearing a cutie mark also representing magic.

The mare’s created rune translated directly to ‘up’, or amplification, also used in conjunction with the ‘space’ rune for advanced gravity spells. It was all she needed in this case. As her glyph, and the stallion’s, reached completion, each pony looked up at the other and nodded, approaching the center of the chalk circles. Every step was in perfect unison as they came to a halt, and prepared their spells. Leaning their heads in, soft, glowing hues of violet and light orange fused together as the tips of their horns touched ever so slightly.

Bright, vibrant sparks flew off in various directions, their colours shifting back and forth between shades of purple and orange, until after several straining moments, the colours combined into a muddy, brownish grey. Paying no mind to such a horrid colour mixture, the two unicorns now shut their eyes and relaxed their muscles slightly. The glyphs shone brighter, and abruptly, their vivid glows extended across the chalk lines. The entire chalk circle encompassed by glyph lines, the outermost circle produced a thin, opaque wall of their combined magic hues, extending upwards and encasing the two ponies in a dome-shaped barrier.

‘Twilight…. you seeing this?’

‘Yeah, Nixxy…. where is this?’

‘It’s…. a classroom…. my high school?’

The images rapidly became clearer, and soon the two found little strain in their efforts.

‘English…. I studied English in this room, but who’s….’

‘Easy, Nixxy, easy….’

‘These people…. I remember them. Here…. These ones here were my friends.’

‘Go on…. which one’s you?’

‘There.’

‘Nixxy, ease up a little, what’s wrong?’

‘Over there…. that’s…. Twinkle, follow my lead, we need to jump forward.’

‘Of course, but why?’

‘I need to confirm that girl over there…. something isn’t clicking as it did with the others.’

Zzzt.

‘Ease up Nixxy, find your place first, then focus on time and people.’

‘It’s fine, I know exactly where and when we are.’

‘Hmm, most of these people were in that classroom…. what is it you’re looking for about that girl?’

‘There…. I’m on the couch next to that person, and then the girl from before was over there….’

‘Nixxy, careful, something’s not right, I can’t feel any resistance from the withdrawal effect.’

‘She looks so… familiar. She came here as this girl’s guest, yeah…. her name…. her name is….’

‘Nixxy, we need to stop, something’s n-‘

ZZZZZCRRKKT

Twilight awoke after several minutes beside Phoenix, who lay face down on the floor. He still felt warm…. she immediately scrambled to her hooves and inspected him. He still had a pulse, and he was breathing.

“Phoenix?”

….

“Phoenix!”

“Ergh….” He groaned, rolling onto his side.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah….” He studied her face, her body. “You?”

“I’m fine…. what happened?”

“I’m so sorry, Twinkle…. I felt something urging me forward, pulling me deeper into the memory. It was like her name was on the tip of my tongue, but wanted to disappear back into my mind.”

“It’s fine, Nixxy.” she reviewed the laboratory; that odd magical dome-like shield appeared to have absorbed whatever magical surge had knocked them unconscious. She quickly surmised that had something to do with the stallion’s complete glyph. Twilight placed her hoof on his shoulder. “Did you find out the girl’s name?”

“Yeah….” His face suddenly turned very serious and worried. “But I learned a little more than that.”

The lavender mare listened with concern.

“Forsythia….”

Author's Note

Whew, been a long time coming, hasn't it? Well, since I've had massive writer's block with the other two stories I'm working on, this one's out first. You've all been far too patient with my busy caboose, and I hope this chapter will prove worthy of your time :)
A big thanks to all of you for taking the time to read this :) Brohoof to those who gave a like or favourited, and followers, line up for a hug :)