The Tale of Flux

by MeteorManMike

Chapter 1: Arrival

There was a knock on the library door.
Groaning sleepily, Twilight looked out her window. The moon was still high in the night sky, indicating that the time was around midnight. Grumbling to herself, she quietly left her bed and made her way down the stairs, taking care not to wake the sleeping Spike.
She opened the main door’s window with a small flash of magic. “I’m sorry, but we’re closed—“ Her eyes went wide in surprise, and she quickly opened the door the rest of the way, giving a polite bow as she did so. There before her stood the Princess of the Night herself.
“There’s no time for formalities right now, Twilight.” Luna’s regal demeanor, often so exaggerated as to be humorous, was absent. “My sister has requested an emergency audience with you and your friends. We may need the power of the Elements once again.”
Twilight’s concern now rose for several reasons. Nothing so dire as to require the use of the Elements had occurred for a few years now, and nothing had ever warranted a personal visit from either princess for such a thing. Even the news of Discord’s return had been delivered in the typical manner, and Spike had remained silent so far. What could be so serious that Princess Celestia couldn’t find the time to send a message? And Luna herself, normally so bold and charismatic, was now tense. Nervous. Possibly even frightened.
Sleep would have to wait.
“I hope there’s not too much trouble,” Twilight said, now fully alert. “Canterlot is at least a half hour from here, even by direct flight.”
“There will be no need for that. I will transport you all personally.” Luna’s horn glinted in the moonlight at this statement, and Twilight was once again reminded of the true power of the royal sisters. “Go and wake Rarity and Pinkie Pie. I will speak with Applejack, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. We’ll meet back here as soon as possible.” At this, her horn shone a deep and intense blue, and without another word, she was gone.
Scenarios of disaster and ruin blazed through Twilight’s mind as she broke into a full gallop. Arriving at Carousel Boutique, and not even bothering to be quiet about her entry, she woke Rarity (“Do you have any idea what time it is?! Haven’t you heard of beauty sleep?”) and informed her of the situation. The drill was repeated at Sugarcube Corner (“Ooh, I thought you didn’t want to party all night!”), and the three made their way back to the library.
Luna stood before the door, wings rustling awkwardly, giving the occasional glance towards Canterlot. Applejack and Rainbow dash cast worried looks at the princess, and then at each other, while Fluttershy seemed to be attempting to burrow into her own mane. Some tension was relieved, however, as Twilight appeared running towards them, with Rarity and Pinkie in tow. Luna broke the silence, some of the nerves lifting from her voice. “Thank you all for coming so quickly. My apologies in advance for our form of travel, but we have no time to lose. My sister will explain the situation more thoroughly when we arrive.” Luna’s horn flared up again, and a circle of deep blue formed around the gathered ponies. Twilight knew exactly what spell this was, and braced for it. The others weren’t quite so lucky.

A flash of light and sound.
A speed far greater than anything should ever move.
Finally, solidity once more.
Having teleported before, although being the caster and not over so great a distance, Twilight quickly shook off the effects of the magical displacement. A retching sound told her that the warp had not been quite so kind to her friends. She quickly cast an anti-nausea spell over the group (just in time for poor Fluttershy), and observed her surroundings.
They had landed in the Canterlot sculpture garden. Twilight recognized many of the statues from her youth, and a sinking feeling told her, correctly, that they now stood on a direct line from the statue of Discord. Memories of their past conflict washed over Twilight, and the mad notion briefly popped into her mind that he would break free once more.
Her thoughts were then disturbed by a pure white alicorn standing before the statue. As she rushed toward her mentor, Twilight saw that the princess’s gaze was fixed not on the statue itself, but on a crumpled mass of… something near its base. She suddenly stopped her run short as she was hit by a wave of what felt like…
It was unlike anything Twilight had ever experienced. If the feeling of casting a spell could be described physically, this was the opposite. The thing emanated what could only be described as non-magic. It was so alien and foreign that it was in conflict with the very fabric of Equestria itself. Even from her distant viewpoint Twilight could see that the grass beneath it had faded to more subdued tones of green, an invisible circle of not-magic surrounding it.
Celestia turned to face the group, giving a nod of recognition. “Thank you all for coming here on such short notice. I’m still uncertain what exactly we’re dealing with here, But it is certainly powerful, and potentially dangerous, especially for unicorns. For now, I need you to be ready with the Elements.” A golden glow surrounded several items at Celestia’s feet, now revealed to be the Elements, floating over to their respective bearers, who in turn quickly put them on.
“Beg pardon, princess, but what exactly are we lookin’ at here?” Applejack tentatively approached the crumpled mass. It appeared to be alive, with parts of it covered in different colored fabric. Clothing, Rarity realized, uncannily similar to what some stallions wore in the larger cities. It was hairless, except for a small tuft on its head colored a light brown. It had four limbs, the ones nearest the head splitting off into hands much like Spike’s claws, while the rear ones ended in oddly shaped hooves, wearing shoes of rubber and leather.
Applejack was able to get a good deal closer than Twilight had previously, although she began to show signs of discomfort once she got within foreleg’s reach. Twilight surmised that because the earth ponies had no conscious control of magic, they would be less sensitive to this strange not-magic that this thing seemed to give off.
“What concerns me the most is not the creature itself, but the effect it is having on its surroundings.” Celestia’s face was unreadable, but there was a hint of alarm as she spoke. “Wherever it came from must have been completely different from our world, as it possesses absolutely no magic. Now it is behaving as a magical void, and all the surrounding magic is rushing in to fill it. My concern is that if left unchecked, this vacuum effect may weaken the seal on Discord once more. That is why I called you here to bear the elements.”
“Couldn’t we just move it away from the statue? You know, somewhere it couldn’t hurt anything?” A rough voice sounded from above as Rainbow Dash flew in closer to inspect the mysterious newcomer. Hearing this suggestion, Applejack gave it a prod with her hoof. A collective gasp was heard as she yanked her hoof back, as though she had just been burned, although no sign of physical harm was present as she observed the stung appendage. Shakily, she backed off from the thing.
“…Are you alright? That looked like it hurt…” The yellow pegasus gave Applejack’s hoof a gentle nuzzle, eliciting a ticklish chuckle from the farmer. “Thank ya kindly, ‘Shy, but I’ll be fine.” She looked to the sun princess in confusion. “But what in tarnation was that? I just tapped ‘im with my hoof, and then got all tuckered out all of a sudden.”
Celestia sighed and lowered her head. “I had feared that such was the case. It looks as though this thing isn’t even consciously aware of what’s happening. But any contact with it whatsoever will result in a rapid magical drain. That’s enough to incapacitate anypony, no matter how strong.”
“Not quite sure what yer’ gettin’ at, princess. I ain’t hidin’ a horn under this hat or anything. I got no magic to steal, am I right?”
“Actually, everypony uses magic in some form or another.” They all looked at Twilight, who appeared to be getting into ‘lecture mode’. “Unicorns are the most visible example, since we use our horns to manipulate our surroundings and cast spells. But both pegasi and earth ponies use magic as well. A pegasus’s wings are constantly channeling magic, enabling it to walk on and manipulate clouds. And earth ponies store magic internally, where it passively enhances their physical capability. Everything in Equestria contains a bit of magic, even the grass that creature is lying on.”
“So you’re saying that it’s not just the unicorns that are in danger of this magic-eating thing, but everything else as well?” Rarity, while not quite the magic user that Twilight was, caught on quickly in areas of magic. “But it doesn’t look like it’s getting any worse. That grass has seen better days though…”
Celestia gave an approving nod. “Correct, Rarity. It seems that we’re in the clear, at least for now. The circle of magical absorption hasn’t spread any further since I sent Luna to get you. But we still have to get to the bottom of this. I wouldn’t put it past Discord as another of his tricks.”
“Um, what do you think, Pinkie? You’ve been awfully quiet—eep!”
They all followed Fluttershy’s frightened gaze. And then they saw the reason for the pink pony’s silence.
Her entire body was shaking uncontrollably in what any untrained eye would think was a seizure. Her eyes, even larger than usual if such a thing were possible, were fixed on the thing below the statue. But everypony recognized the strange jerks and twitches all too well.
The Pinkie Sense was going haywire.
And in the silence, a sound was heard. Little more than grains of sand falling to earth.
Slowly, fearfully, their eyes returned to the draconequus. Little had changed, except that the stone seemed to have dulled over time. Age had eroded away the sharper edges of the sculpture, and it appeared to be somewhat brittle and crumbly.
Far too old for a statue that had only been created a year ago.
“THE ELEMENTS! NOW!” Celestia’s Voice boomed over the gardens, and perhaps all of Canterlot. The power of her Voice had risen unbidden, but she paid it no mind as memories of chaos eternal now flooded into her. Luna held these memories as well, and her battle stance felt as natural as it had over a thousand years ago, when she and Celestia had led the fight against Discord.
Without another word, the Elements awoke. Honesty, Loyalty, Generosity, Kindness, Laughter and Magic rose into the air on invisible wings, wrapped in an unearthly energy. This was goodness manifest. This was hope and salvation given form. This was raw, beautiful and terrible power, not so much being channeled by the six ponies at its heart as it was guiding their own inherent virtue to right the great wrong before them.
The sisters’ stances softened as they felt a feeling of wellness flowing through them. The Elements of Harmony, having stood the test of time and having brought the end of so many terrors now lost to history, now began their work on the aged statue. A beam of pure light and color now shone forth and engulfed the sculpture, setting back its quickened clock and restoring its former shape. The blessed seal had been renewed.
But the Elements were not finished. Their focus now turned to the crumpled figure at the feet of the vile Lord of Chaos. The beam now shone its full radiant glory upon it, at once awesome and terrifying.
And then the beam began to fade.
The collective hearts of the royal pair skipped a beat. One never truly became accustomed to the wondrous sight of the Elements’ power, and this was no exception. But never in their long lives had anything like this occurred.
The beam seemed to lose its shine as it approached the figure, all but vanishing as it made contact. Still the harmonious onslaught continued unabated, and the sisters held faith that whatever this was would soon be remedied.
Minutes passed. Each felt like several hours in the face of this new development. Celestia felt a touch of uncertain fear for Twilight and her friends. Never before had the Elements remained active for so long, and their effects on their bearers was unknown.
Still they waited.

After roughly five minutes, Luna, being more accustomed and attuned to the low light of the moon, noticed a change.
The dulled grass at the fringes of the magical vacuum had begun to recover. Slowly but surely, the circle shrunk as the magic was returned to the area. Of course! Celestia realized as she studied the effect. The magic of the Elements is now filling the void! She shuddered to think of how cold and dead a world this being must have come from. So immense was the power being released by the Elements that she felt it would have been sufficient to raise and lower the sun several times over.
Another five minutes, and suddenly the creature moaned. The voice (for there could be no mistaking it for the sound of an unintelligent monster) sounded almost equine. Its lips parted, and it breathed two syllables. And a new wave of fear chilled the sisters’ blood.
“…disc…ord…”
And then it screamed.
It was the sound of a pain so intense that it could never be put into words. The thing must still have been unable to move, or else it would have writhed in agony. A series of snaps and cracks, and the occasional bony crunch, revealed the source of the pain.
The little ponies were just so because of the magic they wielded. Each form was specifically built for the best use of their naturally occurring magic. It was thus that Celestia surmised that the Elements were now performing an act of mercy. This creature’s form was clearly never designed to use magic, or even to come into contact with it. Magic and form would fall into conflict, and its body would tear itself apart.
Therefore, the Elements were now granting it a form which could make use of the magic it was taking in. A chance at life in this world that it was now becoming part of. Truly the best outcome to be had from this horrible situation, as was the nature of the Elements. Discord remains sealed, everypony lives.
But the pain… The terrible, terrible agony… A tear ran down the Sun Princess’s cheek.
Was there no other way?
The thing’s screams now became more shrill and harsher as the changes became more rapid. Some bones lengthened while others shortened. Fingers dwindled into nubs and a keratinous mass erupted from each hand. A hole tore through the seat of its pants as its tail emerged. Its jaw lengthened into a muzzle (his jaw, Luna now noted), and his eyes expanded to nearly twice their former diameter. Fur grew along his body, a soft and almost ethereal grey, and his mane extended further down his neck, changing from a light brown to a dull white, and his tail sprouted hair of a similar texture.
The screaming had ended with the last of the skeletal adjustments, and had been reduced to a weak whimper. The light of the elements, its work now finished, began to fade away once more to nothingness, and six ponies gently fell, unconscious, to the grass below.
Both princesses rushed to the aid of the fallen Elements, each hastily preparing their own diagnostic spell. Both went over each pony carefully, checking for signs of magical backlash or other ill effects that may have resulted from such prolonged exposure to the power of the Elements. Finally, Luna confirmed: “They are unharmed. But their internal stores of magic have been completely drained. They will need to rest for a time.”
Celestia loosed a great sigh of relief. “Very well. Bring them to my guest quarters, and see to it that they are well cared for.” Luna nodded, gently lifting each with her horn. “And what about you, sister? You should get some rest as well.”
Celestia turned her gaze to the prone form of the creature (pony, she corrected herself). “I want to study this new pony, now that it is safe to approach. It is important that we learn whether this thing’s presence here is intentional, and if others will attempt to follow.”
With a silent flap of her velvety wings, Luna bore the six slumbering ponies away to the castle.

Now it was just Celestia and the stranger.
She called upon her magic, as she had countless times before, and prodded his forehead gently with her horn. She first cast the Awakening spell, but the mysterious pony remained stubbornly unconscious. She then attempted simple telepathy, but to no avail. It seemed the stranger was now in a state far beyond sleep, yet everything else was in proper working order. His body showed no signs of physical injury. His wings were healthy and of full plumage, like any pegasus. His horn shone with a mother-of-pearl luster, and was free of any chips or cracks—
Celestia paused, eyes slowly widening in confusion and wonderment. Had she really been so caught up in the chaos that she failed to notice that the pony before her was an alicorn?! Yet the surprises were not finished.
She looked again, and the horn and wings, which had seemed so solid mere moments before, were now translucent and immaterial. An illusion? Celestia summoned the Truesight spell, and yet the strange effect remained. Curious, she extended a foreleg to touch the pony’s horn.
It passed through, as though there were nothing there. The same was true for the wings. More confused than ever now, she turned once more to the statue of Discord.
The statue was still whole, pristine as the fateful day he had been re-sealed by Twilight and her friends. This was no chaotic trickery.
Or was it?
A sting of apprehension struck Celestia as she prepared a spell that she did not often use, except for absolute emergency. The Mindwalker spell was ancient, dating back to before even the time of Starswirl the Bearded. It was a private invasion of the highest level, and had the nasty reputation of revealing absolutely everything about the one on the receiving end. Many ended friendships and relations could be attributed to this spell, as the caster was exposed to the deepest, darkest thoughts that everypony has, and that nopony else should ever have to witness.
But Celestia needed answers, and the sooner she got them, the better for Equestria as a whole. Gritting her teeth, she lowered her head once more to touch his forehead lightly with her horn. She cast the spell and dove into the depths of the stranger’s mind.
What she saw nearly drove her right back out in shock.
This creature was called a ‘human’. And he knew.
He knew far, far too much.
This world of the humans, ‘Earth’, was utterly devoid of magic, and sadly lacking in harmony, yet it was not unsuccessful in its own way. Knowledge, machines and skills unheard of in Equestria took the place of magic in this strange world, and for the most part this human had been satisfied.
But strangest of all was the window, the ‘television’, it was called, that showed them glimpses of other worlds. Some were beautiful, some terrifying, and yet all were intriguing. But this human had found… them.
The window had pointed to Equestria. And the focus seemed to be on Twilight and her friends. It showed compressed and simplified segments of their daily lives, ending with a letter on the magic of friendship, word for word what she had received from Twilight’s studies in Ponyville.
News of Equestria had spread like wildfire on Earth, generating mass response, both positive and negative. Some had been so captured by these glimpses of the beautiful and magical Equestria that they had begun to create their own fantasies about it.
And some had expressed a desire to live in this world of harmony and magic. This human’s (he must have a name, it’s got to be in here somewhere) desire was not the sincere, literal type, but rather a wish for a kinder, friendlier world. Celestia smiled; she could relate to that longing for harmony. Although nothing she saw in his mind, beyond the television, made any indication that they were capable of travel between worlds.
So the question remained: How did he get here?
Celestia now turned her focus to the human’s personal memory and experience, and immediately realized that something was very wrong. The memories had become blurry and hazy, beginning about a year in his past. The closer she drew to the present, she fuzzier the memories became. Finally she arrived at one day prior to the incident that brought him to Equestria. And there she beheld the invisible horror.
A great, snarled knot of filthy, vile tendrils threaded themselves through his most recent memories, reaching back all the way to a year ago. The tendrils had been severed within recent memory, but this knot was thriving. She reached out with her magic to grasp and remove the knot, and immediately felt the unmistakable power. This was the one responsible for his arrival. And the one who had now taken away this poor human’s personal memory. She pulled against the knot, but the tendrils convulsed and contracted, pulling painfully on his memories.
Defeated, Celestia released the knot. A fearsome glare now adorned her usually graceful features. A sound, so faint that it almost wasn’t there, grew in the back of Celestia’s mind.
A malevolent chuckle. Soft, yet dripping with vindictiveness and cruelty.
“DISCORD!!!”
Celestia found herself once more standing beside the strange human-pony. She shuddered in silent rage. Was there nothing he would not attempt to corrupt? “How dare he…” She cursed Discord under her breath. Not even the Elements had the power to heal a mind.
“Still…” she mused, “The chaos energies running through him would explain the strange horn and wing effects. But the loss of those memories is just too cruel. We’ll never know who he was, and neither will he.” She glared at the draconequus. “’You don’t turn ponies into stone’… And yet, as stone, you have managed to destroy a life. I fear that I may never forgive you…”
She noticed, now, that the sun had begun to approach the horizon, the sky now emblazoned with crimson at the edge. She sighed, closed her eyes, and prepared her daily spell that would guide the sun across the sky during the day, and to its rest at night.
And it was at that moment that the strange pony woke. His first waking vision was that of Celestia’s golden form, silhouetted against that heavenly orb as she cast her spell. Weakly, he attempted to speak:
“Prin…cess?”
Celestia turned, and smiled as elegantly as she could manage.
“Greetings, friend. As Princess of the Sun, and as a ruler of Equestria, I welcome you.”
Shock became comprehension, leading to pure bliss.
He slipped from consciousness once more, this time happily into sleep.

Author’s note
Holy crap. I freakin’ did it.
If you’d told me a year ago that I’d write a 4k word fanfic chapter about My Little Pony, I’d have laughed in your face.
Anyway, the human-turned-pony is Flux. Hence the title. And he is NOT an alicorn. He’s something entirely different.
And I know I get kind of meta in this one, but I just wanted to play with the idea and see what comes of it.
So yeah. Hope you enjoyed it, and hopefully I’ll have more on the way soon. Absolutely feel free to criticize, nitpick, etc, and I’ll see you soon.
-M3