Chapter 12: Are My Thoughts My Own Anymore?

"Would you like some tea?"

Silver Spoon looked up from the table and shook her head. Her father, who now discarded his cloak, smiled warmly and turned to the counter to pour himself one. Most ponies were always shocked by how much Silver Spoon looked like both of her parents, as she had the same color scheme as her father, but had many of her mother's facial features.

But why was he here? Why was he leading a cult?

"I assume you have questions, Spoony?" her father asked. Silver Spoon took a deep breath before speaking.

"What's going on?" Silver Spoon asked, "Are you the leader of the Sons of Midnight?"

"The current leader, yes," her father explained.

"Why do the ponies here call you Black Sun?" Silver Spoon asked. She knew her father's real name was Silver Lining, and his Cutie Mark was actually a silver bit eclipsing the sun.

"It's the moniker given to the head of the brotherhood," he explained, "The stallion before me also bore the name Black Sun before he left us."

"You talk like you've been with these ponies for a while," Silver Spoon reasoned.

"I've been with the brotherhood since I met your mother, may Faust rest her soul," Silver Lining said.

"Since you met Mom?" Silver Spoon asked, "Is this why you two were always busy?" when Silver Lining looked down in shame, Silver Spoon felt her emotions pick up, "What the hell, Dad?! You missed my school play, junior prom, senior prom, all because you were leading a cult?!"

"Silver Spoon, I can explain-"

"Really?! You can explain?! You've had fifteen years to explain! Better yet, instead of explaining, how about you go back to all the birthdays you missed and make an-" she stopped herself once she realized how little control she had at the moment. She then ran over to the large bed in the room, not looking at her father.

"I see you still need some time," he said donning the cloak again, "I will return before we depart for our next location. For now, please try and relax," he lowered the hood and turned away, "For what it's worth, I'm sorry."

She heard him leave, and lock the door behind him. Now alone, she began chanting her mantra. She couldn't allow herself to go Maverick, no matter what.

"This unit's mind is a machine... The machine maintains and controls the functions of the vessel, which does not act or feel anything unless the mind deems fit..."

"Shit! Shit! Shit!" Vinyl shouted pacing back and forth in the forest they were resting in. Octavia was sitting by the fireplace reading one of the spell books they stole from the Princess while their new "friend" Diamond Tiara rested in the tent they set up. Both of them were still wearing their armor.

"Vinyl, calm down," Octavia said softly.

"Calm down? Tavi, that cult just vaporized an entire town! An. Entire. Town!" Vinyl shouted, "Not to mention, those freaks are probably going to be hunting us down so they can get her!" she pointed to a sleeping Diamond Tiara, "Excuse me for being a little freaked out!"

"You'll wake her if you don't quiet down," Octavia said.

"Why did we bring her along?! For that matter, why did we even steal these suits of armor?! Oh fuck... we stole from a Princess! Our careers, no, our lives are over!"

"Vinyl!" Octavia whispered loudly, catching her attention. Octavia stood up and escorted Vinyl away a bit so they could talk, "I get that your scared right now, but freaking out like this isn't helping anyone."

"Well I don't know what you expect me to do!" Vinyl fussed, "I have no idea what's going on here! You on the other hoof seem to have all the answers right now, which I wish you'd share instead of being so fucking mysterious!"

"You want me to share what's going on?!" Octavia said, now also getting worked up, "I'd love to share what's going on if I knew!"

Vinyl calmed down a bit and looked at her friend in shock. Right now, she looked just as afraid.

"Tavi, I-"

"I wish I wasn't right about Ponyville," Octavia continued, "I had a feeling, and I went with it. Something told me that they were doing something horrible, but I wasn't sure. This time I just followed my instincts, and I was right. Ponyville is destroyed, and that filly, she's-" Octavia stopped mid sentence and turned away trembling.

The poor thing was just barely holding her tears in.

"This is about the dreams, isn't it?" Vinyl said, putting a hoof on her friend's shoulders.

"I proved it Vinyl..." Octavia said softly, her voice cracking, "The dreams are real..."

"How does what happened in Ponyville prove that the dreams are real?"

"Because the dreams also come with knowledge," Octavia continued, "I don't know where this knowledge is coming from, but I know that it's real."

"Let's assume you're right, that these dreams are real," Vinyl Scratch said, "What are they telling you about her?" Vinyl asked, referring to Diamond Tiara.

"She's connected to the sword," Octavia said cryptically, looking at the sleeping young filly.

"What sword?" Vinyl asked. Octavia shook her head sadly.

"I don't know anymore," Octavia admitted, "I mean, I thought I knew, but now my memories are fading. All I know is that I have to keep her away from the Sons of Midnight, and have her guide me to the sword."

Vinyl thought hard about what she heard from Octavia. It sounded like she was genuinely trying to help Diamond Tiara. She knew what kind of pony Octavia was, and even if she was a bit of an enigma at times, she wasn't a bad pony.

"What happens when we get this sword?" Vinyl asked, "Do you know yet?"

"I don't, and that's what scares me the most," Octavia admitted, "What if something bad happens Vinyl? What if I make a mistake?"

"I doubt whatever happens will be worse than the Sons of Midnight destroying Ponyville," Vinyl stated, "If you screw up, I'll fix it. It's that simple."

Octavia groaned slightly, "Vinyl, it isn't that easy-"

"Why not? If you make a mistake, you take action to fix it. It's that simple, right?"

"Well... if you can fix it..."

"So I'll just fix it if you mess up," Vinyl said with a yawn, "Now, I'm getting a little tired myself. I'm sorry for fussing at you Tavi."

Octavia turned to Vinyl and shook her head, "No, I'm sorry for not being up front with you. You're my best friend, so you deserve better."

"Well, know that I have your back all through this," Vinyl said, "I'll follow you one hundred percent of the way."

With that, Vinyl went back to her sleeping bag and went to sleep, wishing she could do more for Octavia than just support her with her words.

As Vale stood at the hill looking up at the sky, Spike couldn't take his mind off of the mysterious Alicorn that invaded his mind. She looked like her, spoke like her, she even walked like her. So many things about Vale were just like Rarity, but she wasn't Rarity. She couldn't be Rarity.

Right?

However, he could feel Rarity. He didn't know why or how, but he and Rarity had a connection. Their souls were so bound that when one was hurt, the other one felt it. He didn't tell anyone, but when Pinkie Pie started mourning, he felt his heart break in two as well, as if something really bad had happened. Yet he couldn't bring himself to cry.

Rarity was in danger, but she was alive, he knew it. He also knew that Vale was the key to getting Rarity back.

It looked like Vale would still be a while, and he was far enough away from Ponyville where his magic could reach out. He had to let Twilight know that he was okay.

"Good thing I keep this stuff with me," Spike said puling out a piece of parchment and his quill. He quickly ran over to a boulder and set up so he could write her a quick note.

Twilight, I'm okay. I'm with Vale right now. No, she hasn't hurt me. In fact, from what I've gathered she's actually a good mare, she's just passionate about her job. That's not why I'm writing you though.

I think Vale has something to do with Rarity. They look like twins, they have similar mannerisms, and sometimes she says things that I think Rarity would say. I have to get to the bottom of this, so I'm going to follow her for a while.

I'll try to steer her away from Diamond Tiara and you if I can. Don't write back, just in case Vale sees. I'll get in touch with you as quickly as I can.

Your Number 1 Assistant always,
Spike

He rolled up the scroll and set it ablaze, watching it fly upward to wherever Twilight was at the moment. Hopefully she was okay, and she could at least give him a signal letting him know that she was alive.

Until then, he'd have to watch Vale. As he was supposed to be a married dragon he should have been ashamed of himself, but the view was pretty nice.

"So unfortunately I was unable to kill the Appriser or prevent the destruction of Ponyville," Vale said in shame. Her first mission since being put back in commission and she already failed.

Worry not, my child...

You did identify the whereabouts of the Appriser...

In terms of that, I have deigned to send assistance to you...

Leave stopping the Appriser to them...

That was good, but it still left Vale with a bad taste in her mouth. As she was a Class S angel, she had a reputation to uphold.

"What would you have me do then, Mother?" Vale asked, afraid that she would be asked to return to Elysium.

The Sons of Midnight will be problematic...

I want you to investigate their actions...

A large number of them seem to be heading north of Ponyville's remains...

"North of Ponyville...? That would put them in the direction of Manehattan..."

We will open the Light Road near that area...

You will station yourself there and await the Sons of Midnight's arrival...

"I understand Mother," Vale said with a bow. She then turned to Spike, and saw him sitting on a stump with his legs folded looking at her intently. He immediately turned away, but she could have sworn he was blushing.

Was he checking me out?!

Why does that... not bother me as much as I want...?

Vale? Is something amiss?

She caught herself and gave her attention back to the All Mother.

"Um, nothing seriously wrong," Vale said, "It's just..."

How have you been feeling since your return to Terra?

No point in lying, right? Maybe her mother could help her get to the bottom of this.

"Well, every now and again I feel... funny. I've noticed I've been thinking about things that I wouldn't be concerned for. Ponies I haven't ever met, but I know that Rarity met them. Mother, why do Rarity's memories effect me so directly?"

This is the reason why we tried to wipe your Cipher clean of all information before returning her to you...

You are experiencing her memories as if they were your own...

"So Rarity's memories are my-"

Make no mistake Vale...

Her memories are not your memories...

"But they feel so-"

If these issues persist, let me know...

Until then, try to avoid anything that would trigger these memories...

And should anything come up, suppress them to the best of your ability...

Suppress them? Why did her Mother want her to suppress Rarity's thoughts so badly? Was it just because they weren't her thoughts? But if they weren't hers, why did they feel that way?

"I understand Mother," Vale said with another bow, "I shall let you know if anything happens."

That companion you came here with, the dragon. He does not spark these thoughts in you does he?

Vale was about to tell her the truth that he was a source of these problems, if not the biggest source, but if she did, she would have to leave him. That was good though, right? He was a hindrance. If he stayed with her he would cause too many problems.

But what if Vale wanted him to stay? What if she liked being around him?

How was that even possible? They just met! These were probably just Rarity's feelings acting up within her!

But they didn't feel separate from her though. They felt like her own.

"Spike is... a great help to me," Vale said, shocking herself a bit as she said it, "He saved my life when battling a demon, and I think we work well together."

The All Mother was silent for a while, which scared Vale a bit.

Very well...

You and Spike can remain partners...

But you must keep your relationship platonic...

Not that they would be anything more than friends. They were barely even that.

Or maybe they were already more.

"Thank you, Mother," Vale said with another bow. When the light vanished, Vale turned back to Spike and walked over to him. As she walked closer, her heart started to flutter in an odd way. It was official, some part of her was attracted to this dragon.

But was she attracted to him, or was this just Rarity acting up within her?

"So, how versed are you in My Flank 101?" Vale taunted, making Spike's face turn beet red, "Since you were studying it so hard."

"Um," he laughed awkwardly, "I have no idea what you're talking about, Vale. I wasn't checking out your flank. Why would I do that?"

"Oh, so you don't think I'm attractive?" Vale said, oddly feeling playful all of a sudden, "I'm hurt, Spike."

She turned away pretending to be offended, pleased when she heard Spike stammer.

"W-w-w-wait! I totally find you attractive! You're really pretty, gorgeous even!" Spike said quickly.

Vale gasped, "Spike! Did you just admit that you want to go out with me?" she asked.

"WHAT?! No! I mean, not that I wouldn't ever consider it, but that's just not what we are, at least I... don't think we are...?" he said/asked. Vale couldn't hold it in any longer, and she broke out laughing, "You're a real bitch, you know that?" Spike said deadpanned once he caught on.

"But your face was priceless! I couldn't resist!" she said still laughing.

"Yeah yeah, so what did you talk about?" Spike asked. It took a second for Vale to compose herself, but soon she could talk again.

"Well, the All Mother wants us to go to Manehattan up north," Vale said, still snickering a bit from her joke.

"Manehatten, huh? Is that where Diamond Tiara is going to be next?" Spike asked, but Vale shook her head.

"No, Mother is sending other angels to handle the Appriser. The Sons of Midnight gather there though, and she wants us to be ready in case they try anything."

"Well then, it's a good thing we both have wings," Spike said spreading his wing. Vale nodded and the two of them started walking off. As they walked though, Spike whacked Vale on the flank.

"Ah!" she shouted as Spike laughed and ran off a bit.

"That's payback for earlier," Spike said taking off to the sky. Vale wanted to be mad at him, and part of her was furious, but for some reason, she couldn't help but smile a bit. All of the attention was... appealing for some reason.

When she woke up, Octavia insisted that they get moving immediately. They wouldn't moving for very long according to the mysterious Earth Pony, since she had a small place deep in the Everfree Forest. In fact, the only reason they didn't continue the rest of the way there was because it was so late when they left Ponyville.

Apple Bloom... help me...

That was all Diamond Tiara could think about. Octavia and Vinyl saved her from the scary ponies in black cloaks, which she was thankful for, but she didn't fully trust either of them. She didn't know anything about them except that they were both famous performers at one point. Octavia had sort of fallen out of the limelight though. Still, Diamond Tiara remembered that Octavia was Apple Bloom's favorite musician. They always studied to her music when they were in high school.

Apple Bloom...

Vinyl Scratch on the other hand was still pretty famous. The only reason she didn't get mobbed every time she walked through the streets was because she and Octavia had been living there for three years, so ponies got used to seeing them. Vinyl's music actually wasn't Diamond Tiara's personal favorite, but the mare could sing, surprising for someone who's voice was so raspy.

It was different. Not bad at all, just different.

"Hey, you okay Diamond Tiara?" Vinyl asked, snapping Diamond Tiara out of her thoughts. She just nodded and turned away. Vinyl slowed down so they were right next to each other and lightly hit Diamond with her tail.

"Talk to me. What's wrong?" Vinyl asked. Diamond Tiara wasn't sure she wanted to open up to this pony, but compared to Octavia, she did seem like the more trust worthy one.

"I miss Apple Bloom," Diamond Tiara said softly.

"You and this "Apple Bloom" were pretty close, huh?" Vinyl inquired.

"She's my best friend," Diamond Tiara admitted, "She can save me."

"Save you? Save you from what? From us?" Vinyl asked, apparently trying to joke, "We didn't kidnap you."

"Not from you," Diamond Tiara said still looking away, "From the dark."

Vinyl slowly nodded in a manner that screamed confusion, and then put her attention forward. Diamond Tiara looked ahead as well and saw Octavia walking on her hind legs perfectly, as if it were natural. Oddly, it looked natural for her.

"How does she do that?" Diamond Tiara asked Vinyl.

"What, walk on her hind legs like that?" Diamond Tiara nodded, "I don't know. She says she's always been able to do that. She taught me too, but I'm nowhere near as good as she is."

Vinyl demonstrated by balancing on her hind legs too. She wobbled a bit since it was mid walk, but she steadied herself after a second and continued forward naturally. She wasn't as graceful looking as Octavia, who swayed her hips a bit as she walked, but it still looked good.

"I don't have the same flair as her," Vinyl said, "nor can I stay up like this for too long. Tavi though, she practically lives up here," she looked over to Octavia, "Isn't that right Tavi?"

"Fuck off, Vinyl," Octavia said.

"I love you too, Tavi," Vinyl said with a cheeky smile. Octavia turned to her and stuck her tongue at Vinyl, not even missing a beat. Vinyl came back down to all fours and laughed, even Diamond Tiara giggled a bit. Diamond Tiara could tell that they were close with how frank they were with each other.

Diamond Tiara wondered if they were dating or something. They felt like a married couple.

Octavia stopped suddenly and held her hoof out stopping them.

"Tavi? What's-"

"Shh!" Octavia pointed ahead. Diamond Tiara and Vinyl looked out and saw something odd walking through the forest. It looked pretty big, sort of mechanical.

"What is that?" Vinyl asked in a whisper.

"Beats me," Octavia said in a low tone. She fell to four feet again (which now looked odd to Diamond, who had just gotten used to the former) and lead her two companions back behind a tree.

"Well, that's the only path to your cabin," Vinyl said, "At least it's the fastest."

Diamond took another peek and saw two more of those things. They looked sort of like golems, but their bodies were smooth and all white. Their hands looked more like cannons since they were hollow looking. Below them were white ponies with blond manes and tails. All of them were Alicorns.

Angels...

"I think they're with the white pony that wants to kill me," Diamond Tiara reasoned.

"Wait, somepony is trying to kill you?" Vinyl asked, "What did you do?"

"Nothing!" Diamond Tiara fusses, "I'm not a bad pony, but everyone hates me and is trying to hurt me! Even my friends probably want to hurt me now!"

As she fussed, she felt her powers acting up. They became so unstable now, if she felt anything they activated. She wanted to cry so much now.

Octavia and Vinyl looked at each other, and then smiled to Diamond Tiara.

"Well, we don't hate you," Octavia said, shocking Diamond Tiara a bit.

"You don't?"

"Not at all," Octavia said, "After all, we saved you, remember. You're going to be just fine, Diamond Tiara."

Diamond Tiara turned to Vinyl, who just nodded in agreement. Were these two serious about helping her? If so, maybe they could...

"We'll have to clear a pathway," Octavia stated looking back at the angels ahead, "Even if their angels we can still beat them, especially with these suits of armor."

"You do realize we're probably going to Tartarus for this, right?" Vinyl asked, "Those are real live angels."

"True, but I'd rather go to hell for protecting a life than go to heaven for sending an innocent to her death," Octavia stated.

"The rode to hell was paved with good intentions, right? I guess that means we're getting a head start," Vinyl said with a smirk, putting on the matching visor for her armor.

"I'll save you a seat if I get there first," Octavia said, pulling out her green magic blade.

The two of them jumped out into the clearing, leaving Diamond Tiara shocked. They were dead serious about helping her.

Out in the clearing, the two mares both stood on their hind legs.

"Ready!" Vinyl shouted, activating her hoof cannon and pointing it forward.

"Ready!" Octavia shouted, hooking her blade to her right hoof and pointing it over her left shoulder.

When the angels saw them, the two of them charged forward. It was time to put these new suits of theirs to the ultimate test.

Author's Notes:

The word Vinyl and Octavia say right before fighting. If anyone, ANYONE gets the reference, I'll give you a cookie.