//------------------------------// // The Warning // Story: Crossing Worlds // by Bronygirl6729 //------------------------------// Chapter Four: The Warning So, here's chapter four! I'm so sorry this took so long, and I'm also sorry if I have a few errors in here, I'm on vacation so I'm writing a lot of this on my phone. Besides that, enjoy! Oh, and by the way, Hollow Shades is a real city in Equestria, just search for a map of Equestria and you'll find it just northeast of Canterlot. You stick your head out of the train and let the cool wind ruffle your [H/C] mane. Despite the new threat looming over you, you couldn't help but feel utterly calm. "How ya'll doing out there, [Y/N]?" Applejack asks from inside the train. You slip your head back into the train with the other six girls. "This will be so fun! We get to see Canterlot and the princesses and everypony there! Maybe we can have a party!" Pinkie Pie says enthusiastically. "Do you think Discord and Spike will be ok taking care of our animals together?" Fluttershy frets. "They'll do great, sugarcube," AJ assures her. "Right now, the most important thing is giving the princess a heads-up about Reptantis." "I agree," Twilight says, looking up from a book. "She think that [Y/N] wants to steal her crown away and we can't afford any suspicion on her part if we do want that crown." Your ears perk up. "Wait. You want me to steal a crown? She may be evil, but I don't steal things from others." "Well, perhaps not steal," Rarity interjects. "But we do need it. Just take a look at your flank, it's your destiny. You need that crown, darling, and if you don't get it, your destiny will never be fulfilled. That is just the way things are." Your destiny is chosen by you, not for you. Reptantis' words spin through your head again. All your life, you were taught that you can be whatever you want to be, that you decide your destiny. But now you see that is not fully true. Physical and mental limitations can stop you from doing things in the real world, and in Equestria, it seems that a simple mark on your flank was enough of a limitation. She's wrong. My destiny already has been chosen...and it's up to me to follow it. The sound of the train screeching to a stop interrupts your thoughts. "Everypony off for Canterlot!" The conductor yells. As he yells this, you and the Mane 6 all stand up and trot off of the train and into the middle of Canterlot. "Wow..." you say, looking around. It surely was a big city, the obvious choice for the capital of Equestria. When you had traveled back to Ponyville after first arriving here, you hadn't really had a chance to look around, it had just all went by so quickly and you were so confused. Now, the world seems to be staying perfectly still. You do notice something different about the Canterlot ponies though. They all have their noses in the air and walk around like they're better than everypony. So, not only is this the capital of the country, it's the high class, rich area to live! Now it all seems to make sense. "All right, girls, let's head up to the Princesses' castle." Twilight takes the lead and everypony else follows behind her, chatting with each other. You end up between Rainbow Dash and Rarity. "Oh, Rainbow Dash, why don't you acquaint [Y/N] with your spectacular Wonderbolts?" Rarity suggests. Rainbow squeals in pure excitement. "Oh, the Wonderbolts! They are so awesome! They're these fliers, and they do shows and stuff like that and everypony loves them! You should see their stunts and rescues! One day, I'm going to be a Wonderbolt. I already attended the Academy, and I think Spitfire likes my guts, so I got high hopes!" As Rainbow continues on about how cool the Wonderbolts are, you look up to see a large castle looming over you. It's very beautiful and the biggest castle you had ever seen. A mountain cliff, what a strange location for a castle. "All right, girls, stick together in here. I don't want anypony getting lost," Twilight warns as the castle gets closer and closer until your group is upon it. As you walk up to the door, a royal guard stands in your way. "Halt. Who goes there?" Twilight steps forward. "Princess Twilight Sparkle and her friends." The guard's expression immediately changes. "Oh, Princess. Please, right this way." He bows as you all walk by and into the castle. You look around to find yourself in a throne room with a high roof and beautiful designs on the walls. You feel as though you stepped into the sixteenth century. As you look to the throne, you see the two sisters, Celestia and Luna, sitting in their thrones chatting about the bad storm that hit Baltimare. Celestia finally notices your group and stands. "Ah, girls. What a pleasant surprise." Everyone bows curtly, and then Twilight speaks. "Princess Celestia, we have some bad news to share with you." She pauses and looks around at all of your faces. "A new threat has shown itself, an alicorn mare named Reptantis. Discord...he said that you and Luna used to know her?" Princess Celestina's expression turned grim. "I should have warned you...I should have done something." "What do you mean, princess?" Twilight asks. "[Y/N]..." The princess turns to look at you. "You remember how I told you that your parents sent you to the human world to protect you from powerful threats?" You nod. "Reptantis...she was the main threat. She was angry with me and wanted to kill all of my heirs. You are an heir to the throne, as is Twilight. However, Reptantis didn't know of Twilight's existence, only yours. If you had stayed, you would have been killed, but Twilight was able to stay under the radar until I was able to defeat Reptantis." "So...I am destined to be a...a princess?" You glance at everypony in shock. "Yes, [Y/N], one day, once Luna and I have...passed on, you and Twilight will take over our current roles as rulers of all of Equestria. However, to be a princess, you must become an alicorn, and to become an alicorn, you must find your crown. Twilight has already found her crown, her Element of Magic tiara. And now, it is time to discover your Element and wield your crown." "My crown..." Your gaze moves towards your flank. "The Golden Crown." Celestia nods. "Now you're beginning to understand." "But princess, the role that you and Princess Luna have can only be played by two ponies tied together by the close bond of sisterhood," Twilight interjects. Celestia chuckles. "Twilight, you and [Y/N] will do just fine as rulers. Your bond is stronger than you can ever imagine, you must trust me. Have a little faith in your friends, young princess." Twilight nods solemnly and Celestia turns to Luna. "Now, Luna, would you please show the girls to the guest room set up for them in the library? It's getting too late for them to travel back to Ponyville. We can speak more in the morning." Luna stands regally. "Of course, dear sister. Come, follow me." Luna trots down a long narrow hallway and your group follows behind her. After a bit of walking, she stops at a large red door and pushes it open. As you walk through, your jaw falls open. Surrounding you are endless walls of books, most likely every book in this world. On the ground are small desks, each with its own small lamp for reading. "Hey, look girls, we're famous!" Pinkie calls to everypony, her eyes already flipping through a thick, new-looking book. Sure enough, the page that Pinkie Pie is on has a picture of the six ponies wielding their Elemts against Nightmare Moon. You glance up at the shy, quiet pony, trying to picture her as the evil Nightmare Moon. "You can sleep on these bed cushions over here," Luna instructs you, using her hoof to point at seven large mattresses with soft, fluffy blankets on top of them. "Oh, thank Celestia, I am simply exhausted!" Rarity complains, dramatically collapsing on the cushion. "Yeah, I gotta say, I'm plumb tuckered out," Applejack yawns. As everypony gets settled into their makeshift beds, you realize how thirsty you are. "Um, Luna, do you think I could get a cup of water?" She nods. "Oh course. I shall call a maid to get some for you. Now, goodnight, fillies." Sure enough, a young maid arrives a minute later with water in a plastic cup and leaves it with you. As you drink it, you look around to see that everypony is already asleep, and, for the first time since you arrived in Equestria, begin to think about your home and mother. Aunt Becky must be worried sick about me. Oh, and my mom...she probably thinks that I've been kidnapped. I miss her... You walk over to a reading desk farther away from the sleeping girls, sit down, and turns on the small light, still holding your cup. You begin humming The Cup Song, every note reminding you more and more of your mother teaching you how to do the routine with the cups. I wonder... You hold the cup in your hoof, happy to find that you can still somewhat grip the cup. You begin quietly tapping the cup against the desk, then flip it over and clap. After observing that you are able to do that, you speed it up until you are playing The Cup Song. Engulfed in the memories and music, you begin to sing. I got a ticket for the long way round Two bottles of whiskey for the way And I sure would like some sweet company And I'm leaving tomorrow, what do you say? When I'm gone When I'm gone You're gonna miss me when I'm gone You're gonna miss me by my hair You're gonna miss me everywhere, oh You're gonna miss me when I'm gone When I'm gone When I'm gone You're gonna miss me when I'm gone You're gonna miss me by my walk You're gonna miss me by my talk, oh You're gonna miss me when I'm gone You let the music take you home, back to your mom and house. You sing with all of your heart, letting it be your outlet for all of your bottled-up homesickness. Your no longer in the library with all of your pony friends, but in your own small world. I got a ticket for the long way round The one with the prettiest of views It's got mountains, it's got rivers It's got sights to give you shivers But I'm sure it'd be prettier with you When I'm gone When I'm gone You're gonna miss me when I'm gone You're gonna miss me by my walk You're gonna miss me by my talk, oh You're gonna miss me when I'm gone At this point, you're slamming your cup around on the desk, flipping it around and then clapping so hard that your hooves sting. You don't care. Everything is finally out there, and you're putting your heart and soul into it for the finale. When I'm gone When I'm gone You're gonna miss me when I'm gone You're gonna miss me by my hair You're gonna miss me everywhere, oh You're sure gonna miss me when I'm gone When I'm gone When I'm gone You're gonna miss me when I'm gone You're gonna miss me by my walk You're gonna miss me by my talk, oh You're gonna miss me when I'm gone For the ending, you slam your cup down so loud that it echoes throughout the library. Then, you bury your face in your arms and cry. You feel so lost here, and definitely alone, even with your new friends. "That was SPECTACULAR!" A high-pitched voice yells out from behind you. As you whip around, you see all six of your pony friends watching you. "H-how long have you been standing there?" You ask them. "Long enough, sugarcube," AJ says comfortingly, walking up to you and putting her arm around you. "What was that anyways?" Rainbow asks. "I think it was music from the human world," Twilight concludes. "Yeah," you sniffle. "It's a special song that you sing with cups instead of instruments. My mom...she taught me how to do it." "Well, i-if it makes you feel any better, I think you have a very pretty voice," Fluttershy soothes. "Thanks girls, you're the best friends I could ask for," you say, wiping your eyes. You feel much better now that you've cried a little bit. "Come on, [Y/N], let's go to bed," Twilight says, and you follow her back to the mattresses to sleep. A bright light shines onto your face. "Good morning, sleepyhead!" You open your tired [E/C] eyes to see Pinkie standing over you, smiling. "Ugh, Pinkie Pie...it's so early," you groan. She nods. "Uh huh, we need to get an early start! Besides, breakfast is starting in fifteen minutes, so we gots to be there!" "What?!" You yell, suddenly wide awake. "I have to get ready! Um...is breakfast with the princess casual or formal?" "It's alright, [Y/N], you don't have to wear anything...sadly," Rarity says, and as you look to your side you see all of the girls brushing their manes and tails and putting on makeup. This intrigues you, you didn't know the girls wore makeup. Even Applejack put on a small bit of eye shadow, while Rarity was practically dousing her face with mascara, eye shadow, lipstick, and blush. You even saw her put on false eyelashes at one point. "Um, can I borrow some makeup, girls? I really don't have any," you say. "Of course, darling," Rarity answers you. "Here, you can borrow my mascara and some silver eye shadow to bring out your eyes. Oh, and I never use this lipstick..." You have no time to protest as Rarity dumps a pile of makeup onto you. "Thank you, Rarity," you stain to say. "You're...oof, too generous." Rarity nods, and you softly rub the tip of your hoof against the eye shadow and smooth it over your eyelids. Then, you use your magic to levitate the mascara bottle up to your eye and gently stroke your lashes with the brush. Lastly, you again levitate a light lipstick up to your lips and put on a thin layer. It's not too much, but it makers you look much less tired. Rarity looks at your makeup and gasps. "So chic, so stylish, so...YOU!" She giggles and puts on a last bit of blush before walking to the door. You follow her and the other girls follow you as you leave the library. Once in the hallway, Twilight, who knows the castle best, takes the lead and walks until you reach the dining room. "Ah, good morning, girls," Princess Celestia greets your group as you walk in the tall dining room door. Everypony greets Celestia and Luna as they take their seats. Once everypony is seated, nine butler ponies walk out, all levitating trays of food above their heads, similar to the way waiters hold their trays in the human world. One tray is set down in front of each pony, and when you take the lid off of your tray, you find...hay and grain? You tilt your head at this, since the only food you've eaten since you got to Equestria has been fruit and vegetables. "What is it, [Y/N]? Never had hay before?" Twilight asks, happily scarfing down her oats. "No...back in the human world, I would usually have pancakes, eggs, and bacon for a special breakfast." Everypony stops eating and gasps, staring at you. You shrink back in surprise, unsure of why they're so shocked. "Eggs and...bacon?" Fluttershy asks. "You eat animals?" Rainbow stares at you in horror. "What, you guys don't?" You ask, and then you finally realize that these are ponies. Of course they don't eat meat, they're vegetarians! "Well, [Y/N], now that you're a pony, you must learn to eat this food," Celestia says, obviously having already known about human diets beforehand. "Alright, I'll give it a shot," you say, levitating a fork to grabs a strand of hay. You bring it to your mouth and warily take a bite. You are surprised to find that it actually tastes very good, very spaghetti-like in texture and juicy, although you wouldn't think it to be so. "Mmm," is all you can say, you're too busy eating. Celestia chuckles. "I thought you might like it, you are a pony now." "So, sister, shall I prepare for the ponies to make their departure soon?" Luna asks her sister as soon as everypony is finished eating. "Yes, Luna, but first I want to give [Y/N] a book exclusive to our library here that I believe she should read, as well as the other girls." A servant pony walks in holding a large, dusty book in her magical grip. She sets it on the table and you look at the cover. History of Equestrian Royals, Cities, and Wars. "It's important to gain knowledge about the land you reside in. Twilight has already read this book when she lived here, I believe, but you other girls should read it too." She slips it into a saddlebag and puts the saddlebag on your back. "Why must we read the book too, Princess?" Rarity questions. "We already know about Equestria." "Perhaps not everything," Celestia replies a bit darkly. "Anyways, I shall see you all again soon. Have a safe journey!" Everypony stands up from where they are sitting and Luna escorts your group out of the dining room and walks down the hallway until you're back in the throne room and eventually back outside. "Farewell, girls, I do hope you enjoyed your stay." Luna leaves you and goes back inside, closing the door after her. You and the girls step off of the train at Ponyville and walk to Twilight's tree in silence. Once there, Twilight speaks up. "Good work girls, we've warned the princess and done all we can. Also..." Twilight hesitates but then resumes. "Last night, I spoke with the princess in private. She told me that, although [Y/N] needs to retrieve her Golden Crown, for now, we can't confront Reptantis." "Wait a second, Twi," Rainbow Dash interrupts. "You know I trust you, but we can't just sit around while that bug gets stronger and stronger!" Twilight nods. "I see your point, Rainbow, but it's the orders of Princess Celestia. Reptantis has made the first move in this game, and I promise, we will get our turn, but right now, she has the upper hand. She is probably somewhere right now, just waiting for us. Also, she seems to know about us, but all we know about her is that she grew up with Celestia, Luna, and Discord, and she has tried to take over the city of Hollow Shades before but was stopped. So, before we do anything, we need to ask around about Hollow Shades and Reptantis, and also see if Discord knows anything else about this situation. Then, we can prepare for a journey to Hollow Shades to see what the fuss is all about. After that, we can play it by ear. Agreed?" "Agreed!" Everypony says at the same time. I know this chapter was only mediocre, but I promise it will go uphill from here! However, I had really wanted to put The Cup Song in a chapter, you know, to introduce the Mane 6 to human music. Oh, and for the next chapter, CMC! This is Bronygirl6729 saying goodnight, Equestria!