Miracle CYOA

Twilight doesn't scream.
She doesn't say anything, instead alighting her horn, gritting her teeth.
"Twilight?" I ask her, worry overriding any fear I may feel as the giant swoops down on us.
A tickle of blood falls from her mouth. Several cracks stab into my ears as her teeth crack under the strength of her jaw.
It takes only a second-- Three root-like structures grow from the ground, shinning a bright rose around her. A feeling of sickness overcomes me as the light seems to fade into her somehow, my limbs feeling weak, and there is a loud report accompanied by a flash of light that blinds me.
"I am Twilight Sparkle." She says through teeth that are quickly clicking back to place. "I am Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Dusk, Guardian of Knowledge, Offerer of Friendship, Speech of the Tree, Spark of Magic, head of the Star-Gazer clan, sister of Star-Paladin Lord Spike and Emperor Shinning Armor."
As my vision returns I see her advancing step by step against the giant, who tries to resist her telekinesis.
"Can you tell me your titles?" She forces him against the door of the tower, the air boiling and screaming away from them, my limbs growing weaker the more strength she exerts, "Can you tell me why you think you mater in any regard?"
The words enrage the giant more than ever before, twisting his grin into a mask of contorted rage, hands growing from every inch of skin in a try to overcome her seemingly irresistible strength.
"Can you tell me who would miss you if I killed you?" Her wings open, shimmers of magic in every feather, and she keeps walking against him, "Who would feel anything but a vague happiness, or some pity?"
The giant opens the door of the tower behind him, disappearing inside with a report, and the doors close immediately.
There is a moment of quietness before Twilight walks closer to the tower, touching the bricks.
"What did you do?" I half shout, strength returning to my legs, "What in Tartarus did you just do!?"

>>29282203
She ignores me, probing the bricks with her horn, "The paste looks familiar."
"Don't ignore my question!" I trot to her, but she doesn't seem to be hearing.
"Hm. Yes." Her stature descends to that of a normal pony, "It has my own signature."
"What--"
"I'll be back in a moment." Her horn alights, opening a familiar-looking rift in front of her.
"Twilight, you aren't in a state to travel time."
"Don't worry." She says without turning her head to me.
"You can do this at any time!"
"I still don't know if time is casual or causal." She shakes her head with a click of her tongue, grabbing her horn and throwing it away, "For all I know I have to go back now and assist in the making of this tower or proper sequence will be broken."
She disappears with a flash.
I am left standing there. I watch her horn, from which a small tickle of blood falls.
"You bitch!" I shout at nothing in particular but wanting to get it out of my chest.
She appears again, a horn growing quickly from her forehead, "--uch to do, too much to do." She grabs her old horn, seems to consider doing something with it, and throws it away, "Applejack, I saw something magnificent." She pauses for a fraction of a second, some tears sliding over her small smile, "A dragon, who I thought was only legend, had a rather creative way to bear eternity." She alights her horn, "Come here."
"What are you doing?" I step away from her, the glint in her eyes intimidating me, "Twilight, I want you to stop and breathe. Remember your exercises?"
"I am fixing things, as always," She drags me closer to her with telekinesis, "It won't hurt. I promise."

File: 406 - Iota.png (46KB, 1488x836px) Image search: [Google]

46KB, 1488x836px

The hologram turns to the stream, some metalic pieces gliding around it, "Enabling visual scan... Ah."
"What is it?" I ask.
"Don't concern yourself with it. The repair team has been pinged and will fix it soon." She turns back to Mirria, "But as I was saying, I am very glad that the king finally brought you here. He seemed nervous about the idea."
A voice sounds in the back of my head before she answers, "That looks like a third-layer magic flare. I don't think it's safe for you to stay close to it..." Honesty walks from behind me and grabs the stick-it note from the warning sign, "Hrm. Curious."
I look at the others, but they don't seem to have noticed him.
"I didn't know if you'd want them to see me." He sticks the note back where it was. "It's been too long, Applejack," He gives me an exhausted smile, "Entirely too long."

>>29282223
Yes, I would like them to see you. There has been enough secrecy for several lifetimes.

>>29282212
Is this a recovered memory?

>>29282652
"I am too fed up with secrets. Do it." I earn a confused glance from Mirria, which mutates to a confused, then half panicked one when Truth appears. "Calm--"
She jumps between me and Truth, wings flared and legs spread in a low stance.
"Who are you." She demands, the sound woobly from her necklace still waving under her neck.
"I like Truth," He walks closer to her and offers a hoof calmly, "And you seem to be a friend of Applejack?"
"You can trust him." I put a hoof on her hindquarters, "He's the spirit of Honesty."
"What ar--" Rarity walks to us, her mane held in telekinesis, "Ah. Hello."
Truth lowers his hoof and walks to Rarity, eyes wide. "You are dead." He lifts her chin to look into her eyes, being far taller than any of us, "You can't-- Oh..."
"What is it?" Rarity gives him a concerned glance, "Where is Cas? I-- I tried to call her, but she didn't appear."
"I haven't seen her in moons. She... decided to find a new bearer of Generosity."
"So she uncoupled the element from me."
Truth nods carefully.
"When you see her, do tell her I am glad that she did it." She says after a moment.
"I will." He sighs and turns back to me, "Applejack, Magic reached Twilight a while ago. It was too fast for me to keep track of it from a distance, but..." He hesitates, mouthing, "Magic will reform in a few decades." He gulps, "Until then the Elements lack their keystone. I only have the strength for us to trigger a harmony event on our own once, maybe twice before needing to retract back into the Tree to recharge."

It's a recovered memory, yes.

>>29283110
Do you think a harmony event could save Twilight?

>>29283537
Or failing that, do something about the giant?

>>29283537
"And do you think that'd be enough?"
"You know the tree, Applejack. It may warm a kettle of tea or it may crack this thing in two." He taps the floor of the tower with a hoof, "I will try to coerce it into... something, but Twilight suffers no infection to cleanse, I don't think I can contain her properly without maiming her either, and I..." He shakes his head, "Magic left the start of a reaction formula engraved on her element, I don't understand what it does, but I'll try to make it work somehow. Meanwhile, try to remain safe, and if you find Twilight get as physically close to her as you can before triggering it." One of his legs fades, nearly making him fall, "I can't spend more energy in this," The rest of him starts to fade as well, "But can you do something for me?"
"What is it?" I walk to him and shoulder his weight.
"Do you remember the first time we met?"
It takes a moment for the memory to be sparked, but I nod.
He hops in front of me, crouching into a reverence, "Lady Applejack, head of the Apple clan," He continues quietly, "Heir of Smith and vanquisher of chaos... Would you do me a tremendous honour?"
"Yes." The first time I hesitated, I remember now-- He was so recalcitrantly courteous back then. I lower into a reverence myself.
"Will you do me the honour of wielding me against the foes of our land?" He gulps, "To accept, once again, the title of paladin with all the responsibilities it carries?"
"Yes." I nod again, closing my eyes.
"Thanks." He pauses. "Until you summon me again I will be a voice on the back of your head." His voice loses more and more weight behind it, growing plain, "But do count on me, for what little use I can be like that."
I open my eyes.
There's no one in front of me anymore. Rarity stands by my side, her cold hoof on my withers.
I stand up and look in Mirria's direction. She seems to be arguing about something the the hologram.

>>29283895
Queued because nap.

>>29283934
Oh and paused. I was running against the 2K chars in that post.

>>29283934
with the hologram?

>>29284775
Yes.

>>29283895
"Hon-- Truth?" I try.
He sounds strained, but answers quickly: "I hear you."
"Are you fine?"
"It's hard to maintain coherency without a body. I find myself regressing to my past incarnations if I lose focus." He must notice the worry that wells in me immediately, if his tone is any indication: "I can undo it, with some effort. It's just thoroughly unpleasant."
I nod and think for a moment, "Could you use the Elements against the giant?"
"Giant?" He pauses for a moment, "I don't even know who or what that is. I've focused my energies in bypassing Twilight's barrier."
"I am not entirely sure on what it is, but it seems like someone from this tower made it."
"An artificial life form, then?"
"I think so. It's... ruthless. I've seen it break its own skull trying to pass through a door that was too small for it. And childish. And it wants to kill me."
"It's own skull? How is it alive?" Truth sounds distracted, as if he was remembering something.
"It seems to be fully healed every time I see it."
"So it's either a regenerator or it has some kind of panacea."
I nod, "It can grow hands, a lot of them. And it can tell people to... to die." I pause, "I don't know if it can tell them to do other things. I've never seen it try to."
"If it can grow bodyparts it's probably a regenerator, and one that can implant such a potent geis... A humongous degree of sheer power both physically and psionically, and a very clear intent to kill." He is silent for nearly a minute. "If nothing else, the tree won't as much as hesitate if you try to trigger a harmony event against it."
Mirria shouts before I can answer, "And I am telling you, if he had come here I'd be aware of it!"
"My registers confirm clearly that he used these baths frequently." Answers the hologram calmly, "King Halaoo often enjoyed them with Rubicon up to a few years ago, when the structure was still part of the Dreamers' small church."