Ashes and Dust

The crackling fire did little to diffuse the tension in the air. It was quite obvious that Twilight knew what had just transpired but nopony had said anything. Lyra kept glancing at me nervously and Twilight noticed the silence between us. Twilight, in a rare moment of tact, seemed to ignore the situation and was much more intent on figuring out the fastest way to our next destination.

"Do you happen to know the quickest way to Stalliongrad Lyra?"

Lyra levitated her pack over and shuffled her hooves through it. Eventually she pulled out a roll of paper and unfurled it on the ground.

"This is a map of most of Equestria. Appleoosa is here," she gestured to the right edge of the map. "Stalliongrad is here," she pointed to the top right of the paper. "The normal route would be through the station at Canterlot but..." she looked over sadly. “Well, we can take a western path through here." She gestured towards a ridge of mountains at the edge of the Appleoosan plains. "There is a refugee camp at the base of the northernmost ridge. We can stop there on the way."

"Refugee camp?" I stammered. "I thought that the Princess of whatever was rallying everyone up into towns. Why don't they come to New Appleoosa? They would be safer."

Twilight looked away. Lyra eyes narrowed, and she spoke up. "Not everyone is, 'beneficial to the system’. Those not able to be productive or without combat abilities to defend the town are considered drains on the system. They are evicted and not allowed within Appleoosa grounds or any other establishment constructed under the authority of the Princess of the Dawn and Dusk.”

Lyra was slowly raising her voice as she talked, obviously upset.

“It's tyranny. This alicorn has completely abandoned these people. I saw one of the camps outside Ponyville, the place had absolutely no defenses and was less than a mile from where the Endless Dark’s influence was. They were living in fear and sickness!"

Twilight glared at her in fervor. "It's a logical approach! Accommodating for them would be difficult and yes, drain resources. There is no way that everyone could be helped! It's for the good of Equestria that some survive to fight back instead of everyone barely surviving until the Endless Dark takes us all!"

"It doesn't matter! We can be better than that!"

The rest of the argument drifted into senseless mumbling as my head started aching painfully. Dark spots dancing in my vision, and I felt woozy as I started slouching. My hooves slid from the log and I fell backwards to the ground with a soft thud. In the throes of their debate, they were too busy to notice me. I glimpsed one last glance of the dull forest floor as a set of lime and purple hooves circled each other threateningly. But unlike previous lapses into unconsciousness, I had an idea as to what was going on.

Soon there was nothing but black, but only briefly, before a stark white and blue light emerged and hummed softly. The familiar shape (Or shapes, it was hard to make out) reappeared before me.

I called out to it. I wanted help. There were things happening to me that I couldn't explain and I knew it could provide answers.

“The answers that you seek can be found within."

The voice, soft as silk but with a tempered edge flowed to me. Cryptic as always, but there were some things that deserved a second look. Maybe if I could only remember...

As though the cloud could read my mind, which I suppose being in my unconsciousness it most likely could, baubles of images floated before me. Familiar images of my past danced within.

The cloud bobbed and ebbed. I asked what these were, though it seemed obvious.

"Memories. Enter them and find what you already know."

I trotted to the nearest one, and then glanced at the cloud.

"You were right about Lyra. How did you...?"

"We are confined to a different state of being, but we will not leave you. As for now, we can simply watch. You have something within you that attracts us like a magnet. Opposites attract violently in such power."

"What do you mean? What's within me?"

It cooed silently. "The effigy of death. But do not fear for we keep it at bay. This battle you cannot fight."

I recoiled in shock. “Effigy of death? What do you mean?”

“There is a dark influence seeking your demise, a byproduct of your ill-fated deal. I am here to prevent it’s meddling into your mind. Do not be overly concerned.”

Don’t be overly concerned? There are now two things in my head and they are apparently having a battle! I have enough things to deal with at the moment without more mental issues.

“Yeah, uh… okay then. Sure. I’m going to file that under things I don’t understand and just move on.” I turned away and muttered, “A file that is quickly becoming full.”

At this point, so much had changed and drastically damaged both my body and my psyche that I just ignored this new piece of information in favor of staying sane.

I looked at the various spheres floating around me. The small ones seemed to be of my most treasured memories, and there were many drifting in colorful clusters. They told of happier times when my friends and family were still alive, when I would soar above the clouds practicing, foolishly believing I could one day fly with the Wonderbolts. Every accomplishment I ever achieved and every joyous occasion was contained within these mystical spheres. But there were darker ones as well.

Circling higher above me, large stormy spheres depicted my worst moments and fears. Some were entirely black, and I was too afraid to approach them, though one of them caught my eye. A brief glance of a small town butchered before smacks to the face. Something was there, I don't know how I knew, but I was sure of it. I reached forward and tapped the bauble.

The world seemed to collapse.

Everything around me faded in such an explosive torrent that I couldn’t tell up from down. Colors swirled in brilliant mixtures as the space lit itself on fire. The heat of the spinning color burned me to the point where I also faded away, and though I tried to scream I could no longer move my mouth. Instead I could see myself on the ground below me bleeding from multiple kicks to my face.

I turned unwillingly to the left, and in an instant I knew where I was.

The town still looked as ravaged and bloodied as before and only the population of flies had increased around the decaying corpses. Lavender hair drifted over one of my eyes before I shifted it to the side with my magic. I looked down at my hooves.

“The blood of a friend, done in good will. Is there no point in anything that I do?”

I turned towards the town once more, a tear making its way down my cheek. As I levitated Rainbow onto my back I muttered lightly, “I cannot let her come back here. The end justifies the means, it has to.”

Trotting with the weight on my back I considered various medical spells to heal Rainbow, but a quick scan revealed the cuts had already sealed. I cast a quick spell to deepen her sleep, if only to get some distance first.

The memory shattered as it ended, collapsing back to the place it had come from. The spheres around it hadn't changed, and the being still floated behind me.

I sat down in the dark recesses of my mind, contemplating what I had just seen.

“That was not my memory.”

I turned to see the light twist slightly.

“No. It was a memory of Princess Twilight. I thought it would have pertinent information for you.”

I scoffed at her. This information just proved my suspicions that she lied to me about that village burning.
“All I learned was that she lied to me in order to move on her quest. That her ends justify those means.”

"She only did so to save you."

I looked in the direction of the voice and noticed that the cloud had taken a vaguely pony shape, but due to its constant shifting it often gave the appearance of an alicorn, which turned my thoughts only to Twilight and the Princess of the Dawn and Dusk, thus angering me further.

"It was an act of preservation and friendship. She only wanted your safety. You are being unreasonable."

"She lied." I spat. "True friends don't lie. True friends are honest, no matter how much it hurts."

It fell silent. I sat there with the beginnings of tears forming in my eyes. "We should've done something."

The being nervously began, "I had hoped you would enter this memory. It is also of Princess Twilight, but it appears that the last memory angered you. The information will do you good if you have the strength to understand it." It drifted aside, revealing a solid red bauble.

I glanced at the being. "Are you a unicorn?"

Its figure became more distinctly unicorn, but pegasus wings occasionally morphed at its sides. "That is neither here nor there. This memory is one that your companion locked deep within herself. So deep, she practically pushed it out of her mind."

"And you want me to go in it?"

The figure nodded slowly.

"Don't suppose you plan to tell me what's in there?" I asked sarcastically. I reached out and right as I tapped the orb the being muttered, "Just know that things are never as they seem."

Wait what...?

It took a while for the memory to appear. It was still strange, looking through the eyes of another. This time, as I was more prepared, I was able to disconnect my thoughts from hers. I couldn’t stand being controlled like that.

I watched as my form was thrown through the air by a vicious swipe of a manticore. Twilight reacted quickly by using a magical pulse to force the creatures around her back. She turned towards where I flew through the trees and called out my name.

She better live through this, I’ve gone through a lot of trouble for her.

She turned back towards the various manticores and the few cockatrices hiding in the canopy.

The magic started out of her horn in a torrent, red tinting the purple aura that formed into the blade ends of swords and sickles. The manticores slowly prowled towards her, both young and old stalking their prey when Twilight's eyes started blurring red themselves.

The sharp magic slashed and cut through the front manticores, cutting the throats of the more experience hunters in an instant. The lacerations caused the blood to pour out so profusely it sprayed in a visceral splash. The redness seemed to coat the air, and hung in a cloud for a moment before hitting the ground and pooling around the hunters.

This display caused the others, especially the young, to back off. Twilight glared at them with intensity unmatched by the burning sun. The blades burned with her. Those closest to her were sliced, limbs sliced without killing the manticores. They flailed helplessly into those next to them, blood coating their hides. The young saw this horror and began to flee, but the blades showed no mercy. They cut forward, impaling them into the earth. Twilight's fury was intense and frightening. As the manticores slowly bled out in pain and suffering Twilight turned towards the slithering cockatrices.

Once sped towards her and attempted to stare her into stone, but Twilight smiled some sick grin of glee as her eyes stared back in a flame, boiling the eyes and then face of the animal. It writhed on the ground in agony as Twilight cast a flurry of spells towards the other two.

They failed to dodge them in their attempts to flee, and the first spell hitting the one on the right burning through its hide like acid, and the wail it made was piercing. The second one was convulsing violently before its head exploded and sprayed gore all over the field.

Twilight turned towards the survivors, slowly dying on the ground, and merely slit all their throats with the magical blades she still had conjured.

Twilight's horn sputtered and stopped as the blades winked out of existence.

It had only taken her taken her two minutes to brutally and methodically murder all of those that opposed her, included the young and those that attempted to retreat. Blood pooled in wide radii around the animals as limbs lay in piles. The smell of burnt flesh lay heavy in the air and the gore of entrails and flesh was strewn about in the branches and grass, even some on Twilight herself.

Twilight chuckled.

It was a low, bone chilling chuckle that made me fear for my life. Slowly her dark laughter died down as her eyes opened wide.

She looked at her hooves. I could make out her reflection in the blood.

"Not again..." She mouthed.

Then she sat and cried as the world dissolved.

As I sat in the hub of memories I reflected upon the last thing I saw.

"What did she mean, not again? I mean, that can't have happened before, Twilight has never done anything like that."

The entity sighed. "That wasn't quite Twilight. She just lost control. It wasn't her fault."

I stood up angrily. "Don't you say it wasn't her fault! We all have a choice! I've seen ponies that approached menacing manticores with compassion rather than resort to that!" I spat out. "It was nothing short of a massacre! If that is how Twilight acts, then kindness is obviously dead."

"She couldn't control her actions..."

“Then she didn't try hard enough. She shouldn't be allowed near other creatures if at any moment she could slaughter a village. Even the young..."

There was another drift of silence. This revelation shattered some of my faith. What kind of pony was she now? The Twilight I had known back in Ponyville was a completely different mare. This was just an impostor wearing her skin.

"How do I get out of this place?"

The figure sadly raised a hoof towards a door that seemed to materialize out of thin air.

“You are focusing upon the wrong facets of these memories. Perhaps I should’ve started with something simpler. You must complete this mission without fail. Stay true to the course Rainbow Dash.”

I gave a gruff grunt. I would not travel with that murderer. I almost laughed at the irony of my statement, but I wasn’t in control of my actions. Twilight made her choice.

I walked to the door and put my hoof on the handle, unable to deal with any more of the figures painful truths. As I glanced back at the room one last time at the being that stood behind me, it took the form of a more pony-like appearance and gained wings and a horn. It waved softly and said, "I'll be seeing you again soon Rainbow Dash."

Then my hoof pushed the door open and I was assaulted by a sea of white.

They were still arguing when I awoke. It appeared as though I had just fallen, like not a moment had passed. I pushed myself up and looked cautiously at Twilight. Outside of my mind my emotions seemed more subdued and I could rationalize my situation. The Twilight Sparkle I knew would do anything to protect her friends, but she wasn't capable of murder. She certainly wasn't capable of the things I was just forced to witness. There were too many unknowns, too many secrets that I couldn't be told, and I was done waiting around.

As I lay on the ground, I saw her pack sitting right next to the map a few feet away. It was just sitting there, right in the open. Neither of them was paying any attention to me. I took the opportunity and grabbed the pack, stuffed the map into it, and slung it over my shoulder. I ran toward the trees without looking back. I'd find Lyra later. For now I had to help Equestria, and that involved getting the damn bomb. No stopping at the refugee camp, I'll be taking the direct route. I took off from the ground, surprised at the strength of my wings as I sped off.

As I took off I glanced back and saw nothing. No sign of the clearing from the sky. I wasn't even sure if they noticed I'd left yet. I flew for but a few moments in the cool night air, savoring the independence.

I flew for roughly an hour before I could hear a noise in the distance.

There was a cackle as the emissary of the Princess of the Dawn and Dusk spotted me. I looked to my left and spotted a large gilded chariot gliding towards me on magic alone, but it wasn't the emissary's magic that allowed the craft to fly. I saw a cloaked figure on the back. I tried to fly faster, and in my panic dropped the pack I had taken from camp. It didn't matter; I had to get away from them. Despite my exertions to fly faster the chariot gained on me.

Soon enough my wings were held tight against my body by the emissary’s magic and I was frozen hovering above the chariot. A gravelly voice that I couldn't place murmured, "Take her to the Ice Cellars. Imprison her for life. Now take her out of my sight, I swore to never set my eyes on this traitor ever again unless I was to kill her. A Princess should keep her promises, but this once I shall be benevolent and let her rot instead."

"Yes Princess, as you command."

I couldn't see who she was! So close to her identity, but so far. Then a bag was shoved over my head and I was hit in the head. The emissary chuckled. I felt a trickle of blood down my face. Why did I run? I just doomed Equestria by failing so easily. Maybe Lyra can do it without me; I didn't want to think about Twilight.

I was hit again. The blood seeping into my mouth and dripping off my chin. Would they find the pack? Surely with magic they could track the radio in it somehow. Wish I would've had a chance to listen to it.

The next smack was harder, and opened a large cut across my face. The blood coated my eyes and my lip swelled. I wanted to get out or somehow fight back against my attacker, but I was practically immobile.

I could feel my lip burst with blood as the next hit connected. This wasn't necessary; the bitch was doing it for sport. Luckily I was losing consciousness and this wouldn't last much longer. As I felt the chariot begin to move again my vision within the bag blurred and faded.

Then I returned, almost prophetically, to the memories.