Pangs of Mortality

        The room was ruled by an eerie silence for some time after the ritual had been completed. Cadence spent the first several minutes transfixed by the gnarled black stitches in Tyr’s back. Her pinkish white fur had lost much much of its luster, and in the dark atmosphere of the room it even appeared a dull bone white. Cadence felt she could still make out a little color at least, so it could not have been completely faded. In the middle of the filly’s back, centered around the stitching, was a dull red bit of swelling, and it was that wound that worried Cadence the most. Tyr’s wings were nowhere to be seen.

        Celestia looked miserable and exhausted. She began replacing the implements within the tiny black chest and closed it with an audible thud. Luna reached out a hoof towards Cadence’s withers and spoke gently.

        “Daughter, are you alright?”

        The alicorn of love shied away from her mother and spoke in a voice that was almost inaudible. “Is it supposed to look like that?” She hesitated, “Did it look that way with me?”

        Luna leaned over Tyr’s unconscious form and scrutinized Cadence’s handiwork carefully. “You were much, much younger, and I was... better at this kind of magic at the time,” Luna whispered sadly.

        Celestia leaned over the little unicorn herself and added her thoughts. “She didn’t want this... She’s fighting against it even now, with what magic remains allotted to her,” she sighed. “But things will be fine, she will adapt, or she will awaken. Luna can throw an illusion over it until things settle down.”

        Luna glared at her older sister. “I’ll have to repair it regularly if we do that, Tia. Especially if she starts picking at it.”

        “There’s nothing else we can do. It simply has to be done. Cadence should be able to mimic your technique after observing and experimenting a few times...”

        Cadence frowned softly at the idea of spending extended amounts of time with her mother. Luna looked up with an expression of worry and regret.

        “Right... of course, Sister.” Luna lowered her horn and directed it at the newly disguised alicorn. Ribbons of midnight blue and indigo wrapped and weaved around Tyr, and the blemish vanished by degrees until it faded from sight completely, although Cadence at least felt she could spot it if she knew what she was looking for. The spell itself looked pretty complex, and this worried her a bit.

        “I’m not sure how I’m supposed to master something like that after a few experiences with it. Maybe Luna should be teaching Twilight?”

        “Twilight Sparkle will be preoccupied with her own studies, and life for her after the coronation will be busy enough as it is.” Celestia’s eyes explained her sadness more than words ever could. “It can be a good bonding experience between you and Luna... I know things were unwell between you, but I would like it if that rift could begin healing. It doesn’t seem like you have any interest in that, but I’m asking you Cadence, please, for Tyr?”

        So that was the point of this little assignment, then. Celestia was clearly going to start meddling in her niece and sister’s issues. Cadence’s rebuttal was interrupted by her ward’s first squeaks of consciousness. Tyr gasped for breath and tried to rise on trembling hooves.

        “STOP!” she cried out in a strained voice. Her eyes were squeezed shut in pain. She shook her head from side to side as though trying to buck something dangerous off of her back. The three alicorns watched quietly as she calmed down. Tyr sat down. Her ears flicked with agitation, and her chest shook with long rattling breaths.

        She looked at Celestia accusingly. “What did you do to me?”

        “I sealed away your true nature. It will return at a more appropriate time.” Celestia stared back at Tyr sadly. “I did exactly what I said I would do, and only what was best for you.”

        Tyr moved to the edge of the table and arched herself back, preparing to jump.

        “W-wait!” Cadence reached out with a hoof, but her warning was already too late.

        Tyr hit the stone floor with a painful sounding crunch, and it was a wonder she didn’t cry, something she was very capable of doing now. Luna kneeled beside the filly, and nudged her to her feet. “You shouldn’t perform actions such as that for the time being. Things are... different, without wings.”

        Tyr shook violently and moaned. “Oh gods it hurts! You really didn’t just take my wings, did you? You took it all! All of it!” Tears welled up in her eyes and spilled over. She reached up to her face with a hoof and caught one before gasping in amazement at it.

        “Quick! Fetch a vial!” She stared at the liquid in wonder. She already cried once in her life before, and it was her understanding that it would not happen again for a very long time.

        Celestia couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle. “I think you’ll find crying much easier for the time being.” She stared at the filly wistfully. “So it’s certainly not a one-sided trade. In any case, there’s no point in getting worked up, they’re just unicorn tears. They possess no special properties, so there’s no real reason to gather them up.”

        Tyr glared defiantly at Celestia through tear-stained eyes. “You say that like crying over something like this is a good thing!”

        “And why would tears be bad?” Celestia asked with an amused smirk.

        “I am a goddess! To waste them over something as trivial as a tumble is... is egregious!” Tyr squeaked out between sniffles. “My mom would be so disappointed with me...” She looked at the ground in shame, unwilling to meet Celestia’s gaze.

        The princess of the sun gently lifted the filly’s face by the chin and stared sadly at Tyr. “For the time being you are not a goddess, you are just another pony. That is the whole point of this exercise...” She rose to her hooves. “And nopony here is disappointed with you for crying, Tyr.”

Just another pony. Tyr took a moment to process that. She took stock of herself carefully for the first time since being forced through the ritual. Her fur was dull and possessed little of its former luster. She could not see her mane very well, but her tail was suffering the same issue. Her wings were gone, absolutely gone. It could have just been her state of mind, but she could swear on several of her relatives that the room felt colder too.

        No, it wasn’t just the room that was cold. She was colder in general. She tried to hug herself with her wings before remembering that such was simply not going to happen. She settled for wrapping her front hooves around herself as best she could instead. She really just couldn’t see why she was meant to be celebrating this. This was blatantly worse than where she was before. What kind of insanity had infected this twisted reflection of her aunt? She gulped at the possibility that this Celestia could be some twisted nightmare. Perhaps in her envy she had decided to strip all other gods of their divinity just long enough to educate them as to who was superior? After all, if she stole your wings once, who’s to say she couldn’t do so again?

        “Give them back,” Tyr whispered while shivering. “I want my wings back...”

        “I cannot just give you back your wings, Tyr. Magic strong enough to undo what was done would require nothing short of your awakening.” She sighed. “How can I make you understand that? This is going to happen, and in fact, it already has.”

        Tyr rose to her hooves. Her legs were stiff with rage. “You placed a curse on me and can’t even undo it?! You’re either lying or... or... I just don’t even know what to say to you!”

        “She has you there, Sister,” Luna stated with a passive-aggressive air about her.

        “Luna... Please be quiet, I’m trying to make things work. I’m trying to comfort a filly who has just been through something terrible...” she whispered as though this would prevent Tyr from hearing, which only served to exacerbate her unhappiness.

        Luna sighed, “Tia, as I’ve mentioned, she’s not an ordinary filly. I believe you’ll cover a lot more ground with her if you simply used Honesty instead of little white lies.”

        “Very well,” Celestia huffed. “Yes Tyr, I could remove the spell. It would be difficult, but no more so than placing this spell on you was.” Celestia’s frown became even more grave. “But I will not.”

        “Why not!? I didn’t do anything wrong, you can’t just do this to me!”

        “Tyr! This is not a punishment! Listen to me, please... I am doing this because I genuinely think it is the best thing for you. I’m trying to do what is best for you!”

        “Then my feelings don’t matter...”

        “I never said that,” Celestia kneeled down and wrapped Tyr into an embrace. The filly struggled briefly, but was too tired to resist for long. Besides, her aunt was genuinely comforting for once. “Your feelings matter, it’s just that I don’t think you fully understand. I do not believe you’re capable of making an informed decision. So I have chosen to make it for you. Even if that means you have to hate me.”

        Tyr pondered those words carefully, and curled up against her aunt’s side. If it was only temporary, she might be able to cope. ‘Might’ being the operative word, she thought. Her nightmare came rushing back. The image of her mother shaking her head and turning away filled her with horror.

        “But what if my mom sees me like this?” she gulped. “What if she doesn’t want me anymore?”

        Cadence finally got over her episode and stepped in. “If she is anything like me, that will never happen.”

        The grave expression on her foster mother’s face forced Tyr to laughter. “You’re really nothing like her... But thanks.”

        She looked up at Celestia with pleading eyes. “You’ll help me awaken, right?”

        Warmth creeped into Celestia’s smile like the sun whispering its way over the horizon. “Of course.”

* * *

        After a couple of days with no real food, Tyr was famished. The ritual hadn’t helped her constitution any, either. In spite of all of this, she found it very difficult to enjoy her food with everypony staring at her. She was a goddess! Not an exhibit! At least... she used to be.

        “Cadence?” Tyr asked the foster parent sitting beside her at the palace tables.

        Cadence flinched at her name, she looked down at the filly with a trace of unease. “Yes, Tyr?”

        “May we take our meal privately?” She looked around the table at the suspicious leers and added tentatively, “Please?”

        “Of course Tyr. It would be best if we go over a few things in private before you start your first day in the palace, anyway...” Cadence sighed quietly and lifted her tray in an azure aura, she took the effort to multitask and add a few more sweets to the assorted salads and fruits.

The pair trotted back to the room Tyr had been assigned the night previous. Cadence lifted a pillow up with her azure-coloured magic and fluffed it, before resting it gently on the floor for Tyr. The little alicorn considered just how lucky she was to have kept her horn of all things, relearning how to eat would not have been pleasant. She gingerly took a few bites of her breakfast and chewed quietly.

        “Alrighty then...” Cadence sighed, pushing her plate to the side. “I’m not sure how things worked where you come from. Why don’t you tell me?”

        Tyr swallowed her food and became pensive. “Well... Most of the awakened alicorns are too busy performing the duties of their domain to keep an eye on us at all times, so I suppose I would be with Shyara, trying to achieve awakening. We might have a hero on hand in case we wanted something fetched?” She frowned. “But even they were too preoccupied towards the end.”

        Cadence smiled warmly. “Is Shyara your sister?”

Tyr snapped out of her little reverie and scrutinized Cadence carefully. What if her best friend had followed her? What if she was out there somewhere? Celestia would try to foster her the same as she had with Tyr. She had to protect the rest of her herd.

    “She’s my mom’s cousin, she already awakened and everything...” Tyr’s words oozed suspicion.

Cadence frowned at Tyr. “Well that’s one heck of an unprovoked lie. I’d recommend not doing that again. I can’t stand liars.” She sighed. “If you didn’t want to talk about it, you could have just said so.”

        Tyr fidgeted and continued eating her breakfast.

        “Anyway, playing with the other fillies and colts is fine, just keep in mind that your magic is still quite a bit more powerful than most of them can handle. Don’t get into any fights, got it?”

        “I’m sorry, play?” Tyr scoffed. “I’m going to earn my awakening as soon as possible, I don’t have time for ‘play’.” Then I can have my wings back, and can work on getting back home. Tyr sneezed, something that was incredibly odd, but she didn’t pay it much mind.

        Cadence laughed in a warm motherly tone and nuzzled the filly. “Play is just practicing for adulthood. It’s how ponies here earn their cutie marks. It seems pretty effective so far...” She looked at the mark on her flank and smiled.

        Tyr grumbled quietly. “Fine, I can probably learn more accurate information about this place from children than adults, anyway...”

        “That’s the spirit!” Cadence raised a hoof excitedly. “If you need me, I’ll be with Shining Armor, discussing things with my mom...”

        “And where exactly would you be doing that?” Tyr frowned.

        “Oh... That’s right, you’ve never been properly shown about the palace, have you?”

        “I got here last night, you put me to bed, and in the morning we lopped off my wings. So I guess our schedule didn’t allow for it,” Tyr snapped.

        Cadence shied back, and caught herself. With a huff, the older and presumably wiser alicorn trotted forward and scooped Tyr into a hug. Tyr flinched as a bit of wind was squeezed out of her. “H-Hey!”

        Cadence hushed the filly’s protests. “I’m sorry, for what you are going through. It really was for your own good, but maybe it wasn’t right to force it on you?” She ran a hoof through Tyr’s mane. Tyr trembled as her mind was flooded with a multitude of memories of home, and her mother.

        “You may not think of me as your ‘real’ mother, even if we look the same, but I consider you a real daughter. I love you very much, and I’m going to take care of you, okay?”

        Tyr melted under these assurances. A wellspring of foal-like faith and love grew in her heart as the alicorn of love’s subtle magic worked its way in. Were her resistances really going to fall so easily, just like a mortal’s? No... It was alright, this wasn’t manipulation, this was real, it was genuine. Her mother loved her...

        Tyr threw her hooves around the elder alicorn. “I love you too! I missed you so much...”

        Cadence frowned at the filly’s confusion, but sorting that out would have to wait. For now it had to be enough that Tyr was happy, and comfortable.

        “Now then, I’ll be with your aunt Luna, in her quarters. If you need to find me ask one of the guards. If they give them any trouble, tell them they better show you to me, or your mom Cadence is gonna beat them up! Alright?”

        Tyr nodded slowly, blinking back a few tears. As it turned out, being able to cry was pretty nice, actually.

* * *

        The palace was a confusing place, and Tyr was glad to see that her movements in the building weren’t questioned by every little mortal she ran into, but she was still a bit miffed by the lack of attention she received. No one seemed to care she was there at all, the occasional tidbit or rumor echoed through the halls around her, but everypony was looking for a new alicorn, not some unicorn filly. She briefly recalled the city itself from when she flew over it on the way to the palace, and had no desire to plunge into that maelstrom of apostasy and chaos.

        The garden, that would be a good place to start looking for friends, and hopefully it would be relatively peaceful. She approached one of the guards with a swagger only a young goddess could muster after a century of practice.

        “Mortal! We wish to know the whereabouts of the garden! You will take us there at once!”

        The guard cocked an eye at the strange unicorn in front of him. “That’s cute kid, but you look nothing like Luna. You could at least get some cardboard wings or something.” The guard refocused his attention on manning his post.

        Tyr’s blood boiled. “I am not Luna! I am Tyr! And you will show me respect customary for a goddess!”

        The guard smacked a hoof firmly against his face. Why did he always have to deal with weird ponies? “I’m sorry... A goddess, you said?”

        “Whether or not you are forgiven remains to be seen, and yes, that is correct. Now then, the garden!” Tyr’s voice squeaked as it increased slightly in volume.

        The guard grumbled and sighed. “Follow me, please...” He trotted like a stallion with the weight of the world on his back.

        “If you insist...” Tyr followed behind, her head held high like a princess of the universe.

        The sounds of play greeted Tyr’s ears long before she could see anything, and the guard left her at the entryway to the gardens without much ceremony. A bit agitated by his dismissive attitude, Tyr huffed and trotted over the threshold. At least she had made it to her destination after all.

        The garden was a lush expanse of green in stark contrast to the pristine white stone that formed the city’s architecture. Cypress trees seemed to dominate the landscaping, but it possessed more than a few exotic flower beds. These were fenced off with little wire hurdles that were only high enough to illustrate a point, that you did not belong on the other side of them.

        Considering it was the holidays, Tyr was a bit surprised to see only a tiny herd of three reveling in the sunlight. With this question in mind she strode forward.

        “Good morning,” she stated simply to the nearest member, an earth pony colt with tan fur and a brown mane. “Where are the other children?” Tyr spoke as though addressing a dignitary, not an equal.

        The colt blinked and stared at her. “Uh... Most of them are probably down in the city, maybe getting some food?”

        Tyr stared at him awkwardly “Oh, of course,” she sneezed and blinked in confusion. “I was just wondering if you would be interested in questing for... your...” She trailed off when she noticed the colt’s cutie mark, a rolled up scroll. The other colt had a mark of his own. The filly in the little gang seemed to be the only pony in the same predicament as her. “If you have your cutie marks, why are you playing? Shouldn’t you be using your talents for the good of the go... I mean, princesses?”

        The colt tilted his head. “Uh... maybe later, I just got accepted into Celestia’s school. I think I’ll focus on that for the time being.” He bowed slightly in greeting. “I’m Noteworthy, what should I call you?”

Tyr sighed, and the muscles in her back twitched. “I’m Tyr,” she did her best to smile, though it was easily apparent that she was in agony.

Look how he addresses you as an equal, isn’t this fun?

Tyr shook her head to clear her thoughts. She would not let her situation get the better of her. All she had to do was awaken, then she’d be back to normal. She trotted over to the filly, the timid creature gave the distinct impression that she was destined to be a waif amongst mares.

This is the fate of the brave Tyr, forced to play hide and seek with cowards!

‘Shut up...’ Tyr thought to herself desperately. ‘I can’t deal with this right now, I just need to focus... Make some friends.’

        “Hello...” Tyr squeaked out, more than a bit worried that somepony would hear the rather one-sided conversation taking place in her mind. “I’m new to this land and I was sorta hoping that...”

        The little filly brightened considerably after being approached. “I'm Sounding Bell! It’s nice to meet you, Tyr!” Sounding Bell gave her a smart little salute, a trace of her timidness lurking in the corners of her eyes.

        “Well met,” Tyr said quietly, her voice distant. She stared through Sounding Bell rather than at her.

So, what game are you going to play first? What game could possibly aid an alicorn in achieving their awakening? You could always find someplace quiet and play with -me-. I can help you get what you want far more effectively than anypony out here...

“So, you say you’re new? I can give you a tour of the gardens! They are pretty amazing. If you had to travel far you may as well take a good look!” Sounding Bell had a cream-coloured coat, and an aquamarine mane. The overall colour of her coat made it very easy to see how red her face could get when excited.

        “That... actually sounds kind of nice?” Tyr tilted her head. Her expression was one of trepidation.

        “Follow me!” Sounding Bell trotted ahead with a smile. She waited until they were a suitable distance ahead before whispering. “Honestly? I’m just grateful for the distraction. I don’t exactly like hanging out with those guys. It’s just...” She didn’t seem too interested in finishing the thought. “Lets start with the maze! Have you ever seen a garden maze this massive?!”

        Tyr stared at the maze and gulped. She didn’t like the feeling she was getting from it at all. This otherwise timid filly seemed to notice nothing unusual about it, but for Tyr it was the old abandoned house that everypony liked to pretend didn’t exist.

Yeah, don’t go in there. You might be a mortal now, but we’re not blind, deaf, and dumb at least.

Now Tyr was fully aware of the source of her unease. Small trickles of magic dripped into the maze like water from an icicle. The magic felt wrong, contrary. At least Celestia’s ritual hadn’t taken her book learning away.

        “I’d really rather not...” Tyr fidgeted with her hooves. “Bad experiences with those, let’s try something else? Maybe we could read some books? You could show me your laws?”

Sounding Bell blinked. “Well, okay. The library is on the other side of the palace though...” She tilted her head for emphasis. “Why come all the way to the gardens if you didn’t want to look around?”

        “Fine, we can look at the garden...” Tyr conceded. “As long as we stay out of that maze. I simply refuse to enter that vile place!”

        Tyr’s new friend held a hoof over her mouth and snickered. “Of course, your highness. We can venture over to the Arboreum. I brought a lunch and stuff, there is probably enough for us to share! Just give me a moment to speak to the guys.”

        “Of course, I mean erm... Sure?” Tyr flinched at the royal address, even if it wasn’t meant seriously. She looked at her back to see if there was any sign of her wings that Bell might have noticed. Her eyes widened when she spotted the puckered wound and black thread from the ritual. She frantically looked around to see if anypony else had noticed, but it seemed she was the only one.

Her back muscles twitching restlessly, Tyr sat down and waited for Bell to return to her. The conversation seemed brief, and she could tell Noteworthy was concerned for her. The reasons for the concern were lost to her however, as she could only hear fractions of the conversation. After speaking to what for all intents and purposes appeared to be her big brother, Bell trotted back over with some cargo. The objects were wrapped up in a checkered cloth, and tied into a knot at the ends, which she carried expertly in her mouth.

“Ready to go?” she said without slurring a single syllable.

“Yes.” Tyr nodded, doing her best to keep her back out of sight.

Sounding Bell did her best to keep Tyr engaged throughout the tour, but the little unicorn just didn’t seem all that interested. She kept nodding at inappropriate moments, Bell had even caught her sighing a few times. But for all of that, the energetic filly was really starting to grow on Tyr, focusing on the sound of her voice seemed to keep her own less-than-pleasant thoughts at bay.

“And so that’s how this tree was hauled across the ocean by my great aunt about fifty years ago.” Sounding Bell beamed, standing next to a large coniferous tree that looked like it belonged somewhere in the frozen north. Even Tyr was impressed with how tall it had gotten since then. “Hey, are you okay, Tyr? You seem a little distracted.”

Tyr shuffled her hooves nervously. “I-I’m okay, I guess I am just not as into plants as I thought I’d be.” She lowered her head and spoke with a sigh before she even knew what she was doing. “I’m sorry...”

Sounding Bell trotted over and placed her large lunch in front of them before laying down and leaning against Tyr. The former alicorn flinched at the contact, but did a good job of not fleeing in terror.

“You’ve been through a lot lately, huh?” Bell stared at her with obvious concern. “Moving to a new place is never easy... My family is kind of part of the navy, so we move a lot. I’m hoping I can get into a good boarding school here. If I join one of those, I figure I won't have to move around so much, you know?”

Tyr sniffled as those tears, which were quickly becoming her ancient enemy, started rising to the surface once more. “Yes, I get the feeling I will be here for awhile myself.”

Bell nosed opened the parcel and revealed three sealed containers of food. Taking the first, she pried open the lid with her teeth and began to eat. “Help yourself!”

Tyr stared at the offered food hungrily, and realized that she really hadn’t had much to eat. She wasn’t even interested at breakfast. What was worse, her newfound status as a unicorn didn’t seem to be hurting her appetite any. She devoured the other two containers of food before Bell could even finish the one. She licked her lips greedily, not even stopping to consider the other pony’s appetite, it was simply never something she had to keep in mind.

“Jeez, do they just not eat where you come from?” Bell tilted her head and scooted her unfinished container closer to her body with a hoof.

“Hmmm? Oh, no. We eat quite well where I come from...” She sniffled again, a couple of tears streaming down her face. “Like gods, really...”

Bell reached out with a hoof and stroked the fur along Tyr’s withers quietly. “I didn’t mean to make you emotional or anything. We can probably go get some more food if you’re that hungry?”

“No... I’ll be fine, the food was delicious.” Tyr wiped at her face with a hoof. “Erm... Thank you?”

“Don’t mention it. Next time you’ll bring the food.” Bell jabbed her in the side with a hoof and started giggling. “So, to the library?”

Tyr nodded in elated agreement. “Yes! I would love to see your section on legal precedents, and political science!”

Bell frowned and rose to her hooves “Kinda dry reading, you belong to a family of bureaucrats or something?”

Tyr opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by an older and much crueler feminine voice.

“Hello there, blank flank.” The voice tossed out the universal insult like it was old hat. “Where are you off to in such a hurry?” A older unicorn mare stepped out from behind the trees, accompanied by a few less important flunkies. The two were a relatively plain yellow to compliment the leader’s light blue coat and purple mane.

One of the flunkies grabbed at Bell’s container with their magic before she could seize it properly. “She didn’t even finish her food!” She tossed the container behind her, causing the leftovers to spill onto the ground. “That’s wasteful, you know?”

Bell gritted her teeth and growled. “I was going to save it for later...”

“Really?” The leader spoke up, taking a seat in front of Bell and smiling at her condescendingly. “Well you know what they say about the best laid plans. Where is Noteworthy, anyway? Didn’t your parents put him on sentry duty because their brave little soldier couldn’t take care of her own ‘blank’ flank?”

Brilliant example of who Celestia wants to be your equal, wouldn’t you say? These are the ‘normal’ ponies you remember from back home. Brutal little cowards who act out if they aren’t given something more pressing to fear than the inevitability of death.

Why don’t you remind the world of what you are, Tyr?

Tyr shook her head violently to quell the voice, which caught the bullies attention very quickly. “So you have a sidekick now? What’s your name, little puffball?” She sneered at the matted fur next to Tyr’s eyes. “Have you been ‘crying’? Even ‘Sour’ Bell doesn’t cry...” She broke into a fit of laughter.

Tyr’s eyes narrowed and her voice came out tired, old, and very angry. She was more than ten times as old as this pony, at least. “You will be silent in my presence, mortal...”

The antagonist fell onto her back as her laughter increased. “Oh Celestia! What the hay is your new friend on, Sour?”

Tyr roared, a sound filled with the pent up frustration from the last two days, and pounced onto the mare, her subordinates taking off at a gallop in an effort to flee the magically amplified sound.

“I should take your hide for such insolence!” Tyr spoke quietly, her voice filled with malice. “I should cut it into strips, and tug each piece free. One for every word you’ve spoken against me...” She started to laugh. It was a sick sound, like someone choosing to do so, rather than weep. “Yeah... Yes! I think that is what we will do!”

That’s the spirit, Tyr! Go for it...

Bell’s panicked gasp fell on deaf ears, and Tyr’s glowing horn lowered itself until it was touching the mare’s belly. Little scratches began to criss-cross her body, like a spiderweb.

“Tyr, please calm down!” Bell reached out to her new friend, half confused why she hadn’t turned tail herself.

Tyr’s laughs turned into a snicker as her eyes started to glow white, and the first of the scratches started to trickle a bit of blood.

A flash of pink and purple slammed into the side of her and pinned her to the ground. “Daughter! That’s enough!”

Sounding Bell’s bully didn’t need anypony to tell her when to hit the road. She galloped off, tears streaming down her face.

Tyr sputtered and shook her head in an effort to clear her senses. She looked up at the pink pegasus with wide terrified eyes. She was hiding her true nature, but it was pretty plain to Tyr who was about to punish her. “Cad—”

The pegasus glared down at Tyr. “Did you lose your senses? It’s me, Whispering Opal! Your mother!”

Tyr’s jaw just went slack at the turn of events, she stared speechless.

“I don’t know where you learned magic like that... But you will ‘never’ use it again. Do you understand me?!”

Tyr silently nodded her head and struggled to her hooves. ‘Whispering Opal’ lifted her hoof up and picked Tyr up with her teeth. She turned to regard Sounding Bell.

“I’m very sorry for the disturbance. I told my daughter to be on her absolute ‘best’ behavior.”

        Bell fidgeted with her hooves. “I’m not...”

        Tyr stared at her in confusion. “Huh? But... I lost it! I let the nigh—” Whispering Opal silenced her with a glare.

        “What do you mean?” The pegasus inquired for her daughter.

        “Caprice has been bullying me for months now! Ever since she got her cutie mark really...” She frowned. “Tyr might have gotten a bit scary... I don’t think the laughing was really necessary. But I don’t think I have to worry about her ever messing with me again.” She smiled at Tyr. “So thanks... Just don’t do it again?”

        Tyr shook her head and sulked behind her foster mother.

        “That’s not how bullies work. If anything, she’ll want revenge, and my daughter just made things worse for you...” Opal frowned softly. “Violence never solves anything, and don’t let my daughter’s actions today convince you otherwise.”

        Bell stared at the ground. “Can I talk to her later?”

        “I’m not sure if that would be for the best...” Opal turned to look at her ward. “But I’ll consider it. Go home, Sounding Bell.”

        Bell blinked at Opal knowing her name without needing introduction, but trotted off somberly as she was asked.

        “Cadence... I’m sorry!” Tyr pleaded quietly. But her foster mother made no reply. The pair trotted quietly through the halls of the castle, and back to the room they were sharing.

        Cadence shut the door behind her and nudged Tyr up onto the bed. She then trotted over and looked herself over in the mirror, and after a few quiet moments, yellow and pink swirled back into her mane and tail, accompanied by her unicorn horn and a noticeable increase in height.

        “What was that about, Tyr?” She turned and faced her ward. “I told you to go play with the other ponies, not ‘murder’ them...”

        Tyr shook her head, tears streaming down her face again. “I don’t know! It’s just... ever since that ritual I keep hearing this voice... And it’s me! But it’s not me! I keep trying to block it out but it gets louder and loud—”

        Cadence rested a hoof against Tyr’s mouth to stifle her hysterics. “Just calm down.” She climbed onto the bed and wrapped a wing around the filly until her hyperventilating subsided. “Now, tell me again what is happening to you?”

        Tyr tearfully relayed the contents of her dreams since being taken to Canterlot, the voice in her mind, and the events as she perceived them surrounding the fight earlier that day. Cadence stared at her with an expression of concern and compassion.

        “Oh mother... Am I really going to have to say you were right about this one?” She sighed.

        Tyr blinked at her. “What do you mean?”

        “Don’t worry about it.” Cadence nuzzled her. “Not yet, anyway. I need to sort some things out...” She hopped down from the bed with the soft rustle of feathers, instinctively adding lift and softening her fall with her wings. “You’ll be okay if I leave you alone for awhile, right?”

        Tyr nodded weakly, then lowered her head to the bed and rested her eyes. Cadence ruffled her mane with a hoof.

        “Try not to fall asleep in the meantime. Not until I talk to my mother, understand?” Tyr stared back at her, but didn’t move.

        “I’ll be right back!” Cadence nearly sprinted out of the room.

        Tyr was alone again.

Party pooper... The less-than-pleasant part of Tyr moped within her mind.

We didn’t even get to finish passing our sentence! Where is the justice in this world?

“That’s enough!” Tyr spoke loudly to the empty room, and hopped down from the bed. “That’s enough...”

        Silence was all that greeted her consciousness, and she stood there for several minutes before she dared move. She trotted over to the mirror and stared at her back, the wound was even more violent than it had been when she first woke up. She could even see a stray feather poking free of the infection, the black thread was as visible as ever.

        Her thoughts were interrupted when the door was seized by dark blue magic and slammed open. Luna and Cadence trotted in. Cadence was as worried as she had been when she left. Luna was much more stoic and passive.

        “So I brought her back here as quickly as I could, before anypony else could follow all the commotion!” Cadence finished a conversation desperately.

        Luna trotted around the scared filly and scrutinized her carefully. “Hm... And you say nopony can notice it?”

        “I don’t think anypony is ‘looking’ for it, not like we are...”

        Luna frowned. “It’s not as simple as you or I looking for it. We were involved with the ritual, the truth will be plainly obvious to us...” She looked Tyr in the eyes. “How are you feeling?”

        Tyr folded her hooves and laid down. “It hurts... a lot.” She looked away in shame. “And I keep hearing things...”

        Luna let out an annoyed sigh. “I told Tia this was a bad idea...” She frowned at Tyr. “You’ll just have to grin and bear it. I will talk to my sister once more about this.” She turned back to her daughter. “In the meantime Cadence... Keep her busy. Keep her engaged. But make sure she doesn’t find herself in... stressful situations like today.”

Cadence winced and looked up hopefully. “I was actually hoping you could keep an eye on her, actually. You two seem to... have a lot in common?” She grinned weakly.

Luna raised a brow. “As much as I adore our new relation’s company, that’s just not possible. I am far too busy with Twilight Sparkle and my usual duties.” Cadence stared at her in confusion, and blinked. “OF WHICH THERE ARE MANY!” Luna groaned in exasperation. “Just because the day court is so much more busy than ours does not change the necessity of our presence!”

She turned back to Tyr and scrutinized her carefully. “Have Fleur tutor her in our cultures. She is meant to be helping anyway, and will have a good outsider’s point of view on Equestrian practices.” She tapped a hoof to her chin. “And there is more there, I think. Kindred spirits, perhaps?” She shook her head.

Cadence nodded in affirmation. “Thanks for the advice. I’ll ask Fleur about it immediately.”

Luna smiled warmly and trotted over to nuzzle her daughter, an action that for once wasn’t rebuffed, even if she did flinch a little. “I need to speak to my sister now. You will come to me if anything else happens, understood?”

Cadence nodded weakly. “Of course!”

Luna left the room without another sound, and Cadence turned back to Tyr, scooping her up onto her hooves with a wing and guiding her to the bed.

“I think it’s best if the two of us got a little rest... How does that sound?”

Tyr nodded weakly and climbed into bed before hesitating. “What about the nightmares?”

Cadence hushed her and tucked her under the covers. “I’ll be right here, I’ve got tons of practice fighting off nightmares!” She nuzzled the filly. “So you don’t need to worry about a thing, okay?”

Tyr smiled warmly, and the wound and the voice felt farther away than she could remember. She felt warm and loved, just like back home, before everything had become terrible, and the last thing that drifted through her mind before she slipped into dream was a wish: she wished that somepony could just fix all that was wrong with the worlds, both of them. Secretly, she hoped it would be her one day. She was so tired of feeling helpless, after all...