Chapters Strange tides bring me out of the dark. Time passes and I float through it. My family . . . is still there, at the edge. I escaped them, but they still hunt. I could stop them, but at what cost. Nopony should have to make this choice, and for that reason I run.
It was a quiet day in Ponyville, Spring was in full bloom. Winter Wrap-up had been right on time, and all the snow was gone, and every nest had a family of birds. The only excitement was in Dr. hooves' office, the crusaders had attempted bungee jumping as their talent. As the Doctor finished patching up scootaloo's hoof, The door burst open and Mr. and Mrs. cake came running in carrying Pinky Pie, who was writhing around and chewing her tail.
"What happened to her?" the Doctor asked, trying to calm Pinky down.
"We don’t know," replied Mr. cake. "One moment we were in the kitchen and the next we heard Pinky, in the lobby, scream something about a Pinky promise, at first we ignored it because well . . . it's Pinky. but then somepony called for help and we came out and saw this!"
"I see, where is this other pony?"
"Oh gosh, she might still be at the shop," exclaimed Mrs. cake "I'll go find her."
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"Pinky, calm down Pinky. It's all right" said Dr. hooves as Mrs. cake came back in with a young, crimson Pegasus, with a dark red mane and tail that had light pink streaks running through them.
"Poor dear was still sitting in the shop," said Mrs. cake "She was so confused"
"Ah, now my friend please tell us what exactly happened before Pinky started, this?" Asked Dr. Hooves.
"Well, um I was looking for directions so I stopped into Sugercube Corner and, uh, right went I walked in Pinky, that’s her name right, ran up to me, startled me actually, and began saying hello and talking about how she greets everypony here and she hadn't seen me yet, um is there another room we can go talk in?" Pinky had started yelling at herself, the ceiling, and even the cotton balls on the counter."No you broke a Pinky Promise!"
"…Of course lets go into my office" said the doctor. Once they were in and had shut the door the young Pegasus continued." Well, where was I? oh right, um, so Pinky was talking about greeting ponies and then she asked how long I had been here, and I told her I flew in five days ago and had just now gotten out to see the town. Well, then she just stared at me with a, well um, silly smile on her face and then she started talking so fast I couldn't understand her until she jumped up and yelled something about breaking her Pinky promise, and then well, that started and I called for help, that when you two came and ran her out, I was so confused."
"Well my dear, that at least explains her behavior," Explained the doctor. "Pinky is very concerned about greeting each and every pony that comes to Ponyville. If she missed you then she is undoubtedly annoyed at herself. But I have never seen her like this before."
"Well she might calm herself down eventually, we will just have to keep her from hurting herself" Mr. cake said as he looked in to the room where Pinky was. "She is very upset" The four looked in and saw Pinky repeatedly crossing one hoof over her heart, then tapping her eye, over and over, crying the whole time. She apparently had also knocked most of the bottles on tongue depressors, bandages, and cotton balls on the floor. Mr. and Mrs. cake loaded her into a wheelchair and took her home, while Dr. hooves and the young Pegasus picked up the mess. "So." said the doctor "I didn't get your name?"
"Oh sorry, my name is Skywander" replied the Pegasus
"Skywander, eh, I'm Dr. hooves pleasure to meet you"
"Nice to meet you too, wish it had been under better circumstances"
"Ha ha, yeah…" The doctor chuckled in agreement, he look over at Skywander and for the first time, he noticed the gold ridge along the outer edge of her wings and the strange gold shoe-like caps on her hoofs that clinked quietly as she walked. He was about to ask her about them when she said goodbye, but she left before he could. "Oh well," he thought. "not important."
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Mother, father, are you there? No, of course not, it's the whispers in the darkness, the dark shadows in the corner. They speak strange words to me. Tell me things that I do not understand. I should be scared, but with all the things I've seen, they are hollow , without source or purpose and they disappear once I start to pay attention. I am still lost. At least I am living up to my name, well my real one at least.
"Oh Skywander can you please come, we have no idea what else to do to help her." Mr. Cake begged.
"But seeing me might make her worse," Skywander answered "besides, even if I didn't make it worse, how could I make it better?"
"I don't know, but we have tried everything else. We even had Twilight try to make her forget the whole thing with her magic, but nothing seems to work."
"Okay, fine but I still don't think it will work."
"Just go in and talk to her," Mr. cake said "It can't hurt to try" Sky shyly pushed open the door to Pinkies room, and as she walked in she could almost see the anger and frustration emanating from the pink ball in the corner. The room was covered wall to wall to ceiling to floor, with strings and maps and pictures. All of them connecting together on one picture of, Her. Skywander gasped when she saw the photo of herself on the wall above Pinkies head, with hundreds of read strings all pointing right at it. She had no idea how Pinky had gotten her hoofs on it. Suddenly Pinky wiped her head around and stared right at Sky, and then rushed over so she was nose to nose with the Pegasus.
"Howdidyougetpastmeforsolong?!?!?! Don'tyouknowthatIhavetogreateveryponythedaytheycomeintoPonyville!?!?!" Pinky exclaimed at the Pegasus, hardly taking the time to breath.
"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I technically only enter the town of Ponyville the day you saw me, I had been wandering around the sky for the past five days before I landed" Sky interjected hopefully. Her statement was regarded by a long stare from Pinky, and then you could almost hear a light bulb go off above her head.
"Well in that case my promise to myself is intact! Nopony brakes a Pinky Promise" Pinky declared. "since you only set hoof in Ponyville the night I saw you and I greeted you then… WAIT!!! We haven't had your welcome PARTY!" Pinky shouted before dashing out of the room in a pink blur.
"My what?"
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Just shy of two hours later, around 11:30 pm, Pinky came dashing back to Sugercube corner. Spying her target sitting in the corner of the shop playing talking with Mrs. Cake and playing with the little filly Pound. Pinky bolted over, picked up Skywander, and ricocheting off the wall, shot back off down the road carrying the stunned Pegasus off toward sweet apple acres.
Once Skywander's head stopped spinning she noticed that she was sitting outside a barn, and Pinky was hopping in an excited circle around her.
"Yippie you're awake! I think you fainted, but I had to get you here for your' welcome party! Because of the short notice I was only able to get my closest friends to come, I would have invited everypony in Ponyville, maybe even Canterlot( They never show up, but maybe if I keep inviting them they will!), but there was no time! Anyway let's go in!" With that Pinky opened the barn door. Sky looked in and saw five ponies standing around a small table playing cards, and a hay bale with a punch bowl and glasses sitting behind them. "Everypony this is Skywander she's new in town. Sky this is Twilight, Rarity, Apple Jack, Rainbow Dash, Flutter shy, and the little ball of scales sleeping in the corner is Spike." Sky looked over to the indicated corner and saw what appeared to be a short, pudgy lizard snoring away.
"Um… thanks, but this isn't necessary. Especially at this late hour." Sky apologized.
"No problem, beside after I heard how you…uh… "fixed"… Pinky I wanted to meet you! Also I would just be studying still if not for this party" Said the purple unicorn Pinky had indicated was Twilight.
"Shucks if'n it warn't for this shindig I wouldn't have done anythin' fun in weeks!" Said the earth pony pointed out as Applejack.
"Plus Pinky's parties are something you do not want to miss!" Said the light blue Pegasus, Rainbow something, sky didn't quite catch the last part(Pinky did talk fast).
"Oh, I know you!" Fluttershy suddenly gasped, causing everypony to look right at her. "Well…um…I mean… I saw you, well almost flew into you. Two days ago, above the fields right outside ponyville. I was helping the young butterflies that where too scared to fly over the river. I nearly crashed right into you, I though you where just in a rush so you did not have time to stop. I almost forgot about it…"
"Oh, I'm sorry I get lost in thought sometimes, I just tune out the whole world without realizing it. Mostly I only snap out of it when I realize I haven't eaten for a few days, it lasts that long…" Sky explained.
"We all know what it's like to see that happen, Right Twilight?" Rainbow joked. Everypony laughed at that, except Sky. She just smiled a nervous little smile that faded quickly back to her normal sad/concerned look.
"Well my dear, do come and sit down. You look positively EXHaaausted." Rarity proclaimed.
As the night drew on, the seven ponies sat around and talked, laughed, played games, and basically just enjoyed the company of friends. All of them oblivious to the four dark figures that where slowly circling around the barn, two Pegasus, one unicorn, and one earth pony. The unicorn's horn dimly lit up, signaling the others and the moved into positions around the barn. A nearly invisible, black flow of energy shot out of the unicorn's horn and connected to pendants on the other three ponies armor. Once the connection was complete, the unicorn nodded signaling the others again. They dipped their heads, concentrating deeply. There was a low hum, and the unicorns eyes glowed a pale green. The hum stopped, and the unicorn sent a telepathic message to the others: "She is in there, brain patterns confirm it. There are six other mares in there; two unicorns, two pegasus, two earth ponies…. wait… there are two reptilian brain patterns, one is more advanced… shouldn’t be a problem. Let's move in!"
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"Y'all hear that hummin'?" Applejack asked lifting her ear. Everypony listened, but the humming had stopped. "Huh, maybe this here ciders gettin' to me." Suddenly Skywander gasped but before she could say anything, a strong force pulled everything towards the center of the barn for a split-second then forcefully exploded out, shattering the barn and flinging the ponies out in all directions. Sky was stunned by the loud boom, she could barely hear it echoing through Ponyville, that last thing she remembered seeing was a small crocodile with no teeth fly by. "I must be hallucinating" Sky though just before she passed out
Granny Smith, Big Macintosh, and several other residents of Ponyville stood around the remains of what used to be the sweet apple barn. In the dim light of the early dawn, nopony could think of any explanation as to how the barn had been destroyed and how all the pieces had been flung as far as the town hall. Everypony had been woken up by a tremendous boom in the middle of the night, and now they all curiously gazed into the circle of dirt where Big Mac, Cheri lee, Lyra, Bon Bon, and several other ponies, who volunteered to search the area for the missing party-goers, gather to reveal what they found. They all stood with grim expressions that told everypony there that they had found nothing.
"Well at least we know they are still alive right? Without any….well….evidence to the contrary." Cheri lee said hopefully.
"Eyup." Big Mac sighed, trying to be hopeful.
"Of course there alive! Apple Jack wouldn't let anything bad happen to the others!" Apple bloom called out, sleepy and concerned; it was obvious she only sort-of believed what she was saying herself.
"Excuse me, Big Mac?" Mr. Cake said as he approached the small circle," I'm afraid we have one more pony to add to the missing list. A newcomer, all the other where actually here for Pinky's welcome party for her, a young maroon pegasus, with pink streaks in her man and tail. Her name was Skywander."
Big Mac lowered his head and sighed. "Well, we can't do much until the suns fully up. I say we all go home and get some sleep, we will search more latter on." Nopony argued, when Big Mac used full sentences you knew it was true. So everypony went home, silently hoping and wishing that everypony was alright.
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"I'm just saying, there might be a reason she ran off. Wave was always the most clear-headed out of the family"
"We are not a family, and if Father Black heard you talking like this he would put you in the frost chamber!"
"Calm yerself down Lassie! What Matt is sayin' is true. And fa' peat's sake lay off on the family thing, Mr. Black encourages it."
"Please don't call me Lassie, my name is Reader! FA PEAT'S SAKE!"
"Now that was, by far, the worst impression of mah accent I have ever heard. Hahaha, Lassie."
"I hate you."
"Ahhh, brother Strong Hoof! sister is being mean again! *snicker*"
"Don't ya worry brother Matt, *snicker* I'll keep 'er away from ya."
"Would the three of you stop it, you'll wake the prisoners."
"C'mon now they're out cold. T'aint no way they'll be up for at least another day."
"Yes Void, you must remain calm. Why don't you and Mass Matter fly on ahead and look for a safe place to rest."
"We better do it Void, she only uses my full name when she is angry, we better go before she blasts us with her magic"
"I just might if you don't shake a leg and get moving."
"Yipes! Imma goin'!"
Sky Wander opened her eyes, and immediately regretted it. The bright sunlight hit her full on. She snapped her eyes shut and simultaneously flicked her head to the side, another mistake. She smacked her face on the hard, stone ground. She winced silently, carefully moved her head the other way, and peaked open one eye. She saw the other six ponies laying on the floor of the cave, with their legs tied up in knots. She opened both eyes and saw that she too was tied up, but kept separate from the others. She did not see the two lizards from the party. She rolled over to get a look behind her, and came face to face with a earth pony.
"Glad tah see ya' up Lassie! It's been a wee bit since you 'nd I played checkers together" The young stallion said, before he dropped his voice to a whisper, "but I don't think Reader will let us right now, she's in one of her moods."
"Strong Arrrrm!" A pony yelled from behind the earth pony.
"See? Yes Reader?"
"Is she up yet, we gave her the medicine almost two hours ago."
"Aye, she's up"
"Well then let's see what she has to say for herself!" Just then a puff of light popped right next to the earth pony, leaving a pale blue unicorn with a minty blue mane and tail that had one white stripe going down the middle of both. "So then Wave dear, why did you run off?"
"My name isn't Wave." Sky spit back.
"Oh right, It's Sly Waddles or something like that, how do I keep forgetting. Clear headed my hoof."
"At least I am trying to find my real family. Not just letting myself be used as a tool for a mad horse." Sky yelled back, holding back tears.
"Why, Wave lassie, that hurts… we were like brother and sister."
"What is it with you all and this whole family thing?"
"Just because you don't care about anypony but yourself, doesn’t mean the rest of us don't have a heart! And I'm sorry Strong Hoof I did not mean to hurt you."
"Oh shut up! You are all so…so… sappy! Now tell me, why did you run away!"
"Because I want to know what happened to my real life, before I was a lab rat. Where I came from, who my friends and family where! What they are doing now, what I used to be! I want to know….know who….she is."
"The filly in your dreams? Didn't Dr. Hindsight give you something for that?"
"She was not just a dream pony! She is real! She is buried in my memory, why would I dream of such a sad sight."
"Because you are always a dreamer, getting lost in day-dreams! Waking up in the middle of the night screaming from a nightmare! It was always your biggest flaw, it kept interrupting interrogations. You where always the thorn in my flank! Getting in the way! Stopping me because I was being "to harsh"! How pathetic you are has always disgusted me!"
"And yet, I got better results then you. That's what really annoyed you! You where always trying to be perfect for Father Black, but you where then and you still are now an, what did Father call it? An inferior specimen!" As sky shouted out the last words; a small knife flicked out of one of her shoes, cutting the ropes that held her. She pushed herself up in the air, catching the air in her wings, she bolted down at the unicorn. Sky was about to slam into the shocked unicorn, when a strong force suddenly pulled her to the side and slammed her into the wall of the cave and held her there. Sky struggled against the invisible force that held her, but with one of her wing pinned beneath her, any attempt to move sent stabs of pain running through her spine. Sky cried out in pain, and felt herself blacking out, her wing felt like it was on fire. Finally she lost conciseness, the unicorn nodded at the earth pony and he lowered his hoof which let sky come crashing down to the floor.
"Good job Strong Hoof. We will have to see about disabling her utility hooves."
Twilight woke up with Rainbow Dash's tail in her face, she tried to move her hoof to brush the hair out of the way but found that her legs had been tied. Memories of what happened suddenly flooded back, Pinky's party, playing cards, getting to know Sky Wander…. The explosion! What happened? The last thing she remembered was feeling a tug behind her, then a floating sensation….and then Rainbow's tail in her face. Twilight moved her head around and realized that all her friends where there, and that they were in a cave. Her observations got cut off there, as her body woke up it realized the damage done to her and started to protest. Every muscle tightened, and ached. Twilight noticed for the first time that her face was covered in scratches and cuts, and Rainbow's tail was agitating them. She cast a spell to free her legs, only to find them to stiff to move effectively. Slowly working her legs into working condition, Twilight resumed looking around the cave, she saw Sky sitting a short ways off, on a small raised stone plateau, she was tied up, talking to two other ponies. Sky focus mostly on the unicorn, but the earth stallion did interject in the conversation once or twice. Suddenly it struck Twilight that the three ponies where all really young, not newborn filly young, but teenage young. Sky herself could only be about sixteen years old, the unicorn seventeen or eighteen. The mustang could be either eighteen or fifteen, it was hard to tell because he was so tall, but had young-ish features about him. Suddenly Sky lost all the shy, timid stature she had at the party. Somehow her legs became untied and Sky rocketed off the ground, flipped over and dove straight at the unicorn. Twilight hid he face for what she expected to be the ensuing fight, but all she heard was a dull thud. She looked up and saw Sky pinned against a wall that was a good ten feet from where she used to be hurtling out of the air. At first twilight thought the unicorn had used some spell, but on closer inspection she saw no magic aura that usually accompanied unicorn spells. She looked over, the unicorns horn wasn't glowing either, and the stallion's hoof was raised and pointed towards sky. He was obviously concentrating on something, and then he dropped his hoof, and Sky fell off the wall. At that point Twilight laid back down to try and think threw what she had just seen. "Mental checklist! Start with observational facts. 1. The unicorn and earth pony, however young they look, are the ponies who colt-napped us. 2. Sky Wander is not as fluttershy-like as she first appeared. 3. We are in a cave, probably somewhere north of Ponyville judging on the low temperature. 4. Somehow the stallion was able to use unicorn magic, or something similar…… and that just made my brain hurt." Twilight groaned as she tried to figure out the strange event she just witnessed.
Reader wiped her head around to face the pile of ponies over on the other side of the cave. "Did you hear that?"
"Hear what lassie?"
"I think one of our guests is awake." At that Reader ran over to the row of ponies, and noticed that the purple unicorn's legs where untied. "Well now, let's have a talk you and I!" Reader teleported the two of them over to the plateau, where the purple unicorn flopped on the ground from the unexpected change. Reader turned her over and held her down with her magic. "Now my dear, let's start with something easy. What's your name?"
"Twilight Sparkle." she responded shaking.
"Good, so then Twilight… If I let you up, do you promise not to run off?"
"Uh….Sure?"
"Good enough." Reader released twilight from her spell. "Now, what where you doing with Wave in that barn?"
"Wave? Do you mean Sky? Nothing we were just having a welcome to Ponyville party."
"You expect me to believe that? You're telling me that Wa- Sky just walked into town, and you all threw her a party?"
"That is what Pinky does."
"Pinky?"
"One of my friends, she is actually over there" Twilight said pointing. "She's…the pink one."
"You don’t say? But seriously what where you doing with her? Was she trying to talk you into anything?
"No, we were just playing cards. Then there was an explosion! Did you do that?"
"Um, no that was Strong Hoof over there. Gravity well."
"What?"
"Well technically it is not a gravity well that caused the explosion, it was the gravitational field recoiling in on itself after the disruption. It was a bit more violent that we expected, but it did that job. Why am I explaining this to you, I ask the questions from now on!"
"Ok sure"
"Thank you, now-"
"I got firewood!" A olive green pegasus stallion came floating in the mouth of the cave, with an armload of logs. "Who's the purple corn?"
"What have I told you about call us "corns"!" Reader shouted at the newcomer, nearly making him drop his logs.
"Geez it's just a slang term" The pegasus replied. Twilight noticed that he was about Sky's age.
"Now, Now ya two. Let's not get all riled up 'bout nothin' so unimportant" The earth stallion from before called from the corner where he was re-tying Sky's legs. Twilight noticed a Scottish accent, more proof that they where north, closer to the Scots pony lands.
"But he-" Reader started before she was interrupted by a sudden commotion from the other prisoners.
"What the hay is going on here! *grunt* Ow, anypony feel like untying me?" Everypony looked over to see Rainbow Dash hovering in the air with her legs beneath her in an strangely comical fashion that Twilight couldn't help but giggle at. "Twi! What's going on? Why is it so cold? Who are these ponies? Why are we tied up? And what happened last night!?!?" Rainbow dash rattled on, obviously disoriented.
"It's ok Rainbow, I don't think they want to hurt us. Just do what they say, and don't try to run off." Twilight called over to her friend, while glancing over at Reader.
"Uh yeah, what she said… We're in charge here!" Reader barked "Now get over here so I can untie you, Matt, can you see about waking up the rest of our guests."
Discoveries and Tragedies.
Eleven ponies sat around in the cave, three keeping a close watch on six around a campfire and a dark blue pegasus sat away from the others by the mouth of the cave. Sky watched Reader closely, Reader had a tendency to monolog in her mind, and you could normally tell it was about by her expressions. Sky saw frustration, impatience, anger, but also a trace of sadness and uncertainty.
"You're trying to remember aren’t you?" Sky asked.
"Remember what? I know all that I need to and I am fine with that, unlike some ponies." Reader retorted, asserting her statement to herself just as much as to Sky.
"I can tell you are thinking… about what came before! You are just as curious as I am aren’t you!" Sky said, almost surprised.
"There is nothing to be curious about!" Reader shouted back. "Life was perfect before you went and ruined it all!" Reader stood and started pacing in front of sky, casting wild shadows on the wall of the cave. "We had all that we needed; food, a home, ponies that cared about us, and all we had to do was whatever father asked of us." Reader was on the verge of tears.
"He took care of us! Made us what we are, without him we would be nothing. Why is that not enough for you! Why do you need to know what you where before father helped us? We were happy." Reader barely squeaked out her last sentence before dropping her head and sobbing silently.
"You honestly don't remember do you?" Sky asked softly, as she moved to sit next to reader and placed a reassuring hoof on Reader's shoulder. "Tell me, what is your earliest memory?"
"Uh, when I was ten…. Father came in to wake me up…. He said it was a special day, I was starting school that day…" Reader answered slowly, wiping tears away from her eyes.
"That was seven years ago, and you don't remember anything before that? Did you not sleep that night because you where excited to start school? Did you have friends you where excited to see? Anything?"
" No…but I do remember everything seaming… a bit….off that day. Everything seemed new, like it was my first time being there….but we've lived in that house since I was born….." Readers voice trailed off, as she tried to get a handle on, well, everything.
"I have that same memory; Father, school, the strange feeling that it was my first time being there. But that is not my earliest memory. I can remember back to when I was just a young colt, barely five years old…."
A young pegasus colt ran threw a meadow, her red mane and tail blowing in the wind. She paused at the top of a hill and let the cool wind of the afternoon gently brush across her face. Opening her eyes, she looked down the side of the hill and gasped; the filed from the bottom of the hill onward was blooming with flowers of all colors. The pegasus called to behind her, and a pegasus the same age ran up to see what all the excitement was about. They both stared at the large expanse of colors running on until it hit the green woods on the other side of the meadow.
"Race you!" One of them yelled as she charged down the hill. "First one to the top of a tree wins!" The two pegasi dashed off, two deep-red spots in the fields of blue, yellow, pink, and white. In two short minuets they reached a tree on the edge of the forest and began running around it, searching for a way to climb up. Not finding a low branch one of the pair opened up her wings a jumped into the air, using her wings to give her a slight boost she barely managed to grab a branch.
"No fair!" The other called up. "You know I can't fly yet"
"How can you know if you don't try!" the other replied
The grounded pegasus frowned up at her sister, who only laughed at her. She closed her eyes and started flapping her tiny wings furiously, harder and harder, faster and faster. Then she heard a snap behind her, she stopped flapping and turned around. There was a tall, skinny, gray pony standing behind her. She looked up at it's face and saw nothing except two large black eyes. She heard a thud as her sister jumped to the ground behind her. Both the young pegusus stood facing the stranger; when it suddenly reached forward towards the filly closest to it. The other charged at it, but stopped when it turned it's gaze upon her. She stood frozen in fear at the large black eyes; no pupils or white space, just black emptiness that looked in and through her without emotion. It turned its attention to the first young pegasus, who stood frozen in the same manner as her sister, it folded the pegasus up in its arms, turned around and walked off into the shadows of the woods. Leaving the other sitting there, watching her sister being carried away; looking into her eyes as they both experienced the same paralyzing fear.
The young pegasus remained in the strangers arms for a long time, her mind frozen by the emotionless blackness in its gaze. She faintly heard doors open and close, she felt needles poking her, then a dull throb at the base of her neck that spread to the rest of her head, where was her sister, she had been standing right in front of her. She woke up, her tired mind slowly crawling back to life. It was her tenth birthday, it felt like just yesterday that she was five, she rolled out of bed and went to her dresser to comb her mane. She heard the door creak open, she looked behind her and saw the silhouette of a stallion standing in the doorway.
"Ah, you're up! Good, it’s a special day today, you start school this afternoon. I'll see you at breakfast."
Twilight looked back towards the campfire, everypony had moved away once Sky and Reader started "talking". Twilight saw them sitting next to each other, not saying anything, when suddenly Reader gasped and stepped back from Sky. Twilight barely heard her say, "That….thing, where did….how… you lost five years of your life!". Twilight stared over at the pegasus and unicorn, confused, she did not remember them saying anything for almost half an hour.
"What is she reacting to, I wonder?" Twilight said to herself.
"Tha' would be Reader doin' what she does best, readin' minds." Strong Hoof said in response.
"What!" Twilight gasped, mouth hanging open in shock to what she just heard.
"It's true, Reader can read minds, and see memories." Matt chimed in. "That's what Father Black gave us, abilities beyond the natural."
"How did he do that? I've never seen any type of magic that could give earth ponies and pesgasus magic of that level."
"Tha' is because it's not magic lassie, it's science!"
"What sort of science, genetic biological manipulation of that level is impossible! It would require changing the genetic makeup of a pony at a sub atomic level!" Twilight's mid was reeling with questions, ideas, theories, and confusion.
"Well I don' know much 'bout the science behind it, all I know is tha' it's amazing!"
"Whoa whoa whoa, wait. You mean to tell me that you guys have some sort of special powers or something?" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.
"Yup, Reader can read minds, Strong Hoof can control gravity, Void over there can do something hard to describe, basically she can destroy stuff. I can change the mass and density of objects, and then there's Sky." Matt's voice became distant, as if he was remembering some long lost idea. "We know her as Stream Wave, she can… influence your thoughts. Tweak your emotions, dive into your subconscious and pull out things you are hiding from others or yourself. She does not see it, she just let's you see. Quite amazing if you ask me."
"Whoa, That. Is. Awesome." Dash gawked.
"How many of you are there?" Twilight asked.
"Countin' Wav- Sky, seven. One o' them had to stay home due to medical issues, the other stayed ta keep 'im company."
"What can they do?" Dash asked, as excited as a colt in a candy store.
"Well, there's Frost Burn, she can change temperatures in different areas. She's pretty good at it to, she can do some impressive stuff. Then there is Chrome, that's not his real name…Father hasn't named him yet. He is a cross between robot and pony."
"Robot!?" Twilight jumped. "You mean like, mechanically self-operating machine? Theorized by some of the most brilliant minds in Equestria, but deemed impossible because magic is too hard to contain in a charge to power it. And you're friends with one that has been surgically attached to a pony!?" Twilight rambled, on the verge of hysteria.
"Well it wasn't surgery, they grew the mechanical parts on 'im" Strong Hoof said nonchalantly. Twilight sighed deeply, and then passed out.
"Gee, I thought only Rarity did that."
"I beg your pardon Rainbow Dash!"
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Back at Ponyville, the search for the missing seven ponies had gone on for three days. Big Mac had barely slept, just like the rest of the ponies that volunteered to help. They had scoured the countryside, even sent messengers to the surrounding cities, nothing changed. They were gone. Granny Smith stood in town square with a desperate, and anxious Apple Bloom, Sweetie Bell, and Scootaloo. The last search party was coming in, and even from a long way off, Apple Bloom could tell they found the same thing as everypony else; nothing. Granny Sat down and pulled the three filly's into a tight, loving hug. They returned the embrace, silently sobbing.
In the library, Big Mac was talking with the search party leaders.
"It's been three days. Where could they have gone?" Mr. Cake asked nopony in particular.
"I don't know, the only explanations left are either colt-napping or… that." Octavia sighed, not wanting to accept the other option as a possibility.
"Well I hate to admit it, but with no evidence of a colt-napping it's the only remaining option." The Mayor reluctantly pointed out. Everypony was silent, letting the reality of the situation set in.
"But Twilight can't be dead!" Spike cried out from his room upstairs. They had found him and Gummy buried underneath some rubble on the second day of the search, he had broken his leg and had a few other minor injuries that kept him bedridden. "Or any of the others for that matter!" Spike continued, with distress in his voice. "Think of all the dangers they have gone through. They beat Nightmare Moon when they barely even knew each other. They bested an Ursa-Minor, a crazy unicorn king from a thousand years ago, and the spirit of chaos himself! I refuse to believe that some mysterious explosion could erase any trace of them! If I could, I would go out and prove it!" Spike then finished under his breath. "Somehow."
Everypony in the room wished they could believe what Spike was saying, but they all knew that what the inspector had said was true. The second day into the search Celestia had sent a unicorn inspector from the CBI (Canterlot Bureau of Investigation). He had scanned the whole area with some sort of detection magic, and reported that all he found was traces of some magic, too weak to tell what type. He spent a whole day searching the site, and the only other thing he could conclusively say was that is what not Twilight's magic. He concluded that some magic fueled explosion had completely eradicated the seven ponies.
Big Mac sighed, walked out of the library, and told the waiting crowd that there was no choice but to believe the inspector; Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Apple Jack, Fluttershy, Pinky Pie, Rarity, and Sky Wander were dead. Apple Bloom broke away from Granny Smith, and ran crying to the crusader clubhouse, Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo followed soon after. They spent the night in the clubhouse, they fell asleep huddled together, mourning the loss of their sisters and, in Scootaloo's case, their idols.