Twilight Sparkle, the only princess in Ponyville, sat on her bed reading a book, though that was not what her mind was on. Another alicorn had been found, right outside the town. She had been in need of serious medical attention when they found her, and Twilight had not been able to get close to her. As far as anypony could tell, she was not a princess, and possessed no crown. Her cutie mark had been a sword, which was odd, as almost no pony in Equestria had a fighting cutie mark. Defense, sure, but not fighting. The most powerful relics in Equestria were the elements of Harmony, for crying out loud. Twilight read the page she had been another time, and got through another chapter of it before she was interrupted by the rainbow maned pegasus crashing into her balcony.
Twilight got up and opened the door to the balcony, and looked down at Rainbow Dash. “Is balcony crashing like a thing with you now?”
Rainbow glared at Twilight, about to reply in kind, but then thought better of it. “There’s trouble Twi. That alicorn you asked me to watch? She’s gone.”
Twilight almost fainted. “G-gone?” she choked out, “How she get out? She had so many injuries, she shouldn’t even have been able to move, let alone avoid all those guards and nurses. And you! How did you let her escape?!?”
Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “You do know that you’re not supposed to hold ponies hostage when you’re the Princess of Friendship, right?” Twilight blushed and rolled her eyes. Rainbow continued. “Anyways, about five minutes ago, I was sitting in one of the waiting chairs when I heard a pony scream. It could have been her, the nurse, anyone. I heard running hoofsteps, and I got up to see what was wrong when that alicorn walks in, and she was singing. I kind of.. froze up when I heard it, but it was the most beautiful thing I ever heard. I couldn’t move until she was gone.”
Twilight’s eyes widened and she began to pace. “Her cutie mark is a sword, so why does her voice have magical abilities?”
Rainbow shrugged. “Fluttershy can control animals and monsters with her gaze. What’s the dif?”
Twilight ignored her. “Was her horn glowing?”
Rainbow shook her head. “No.”
Twilight continued pacing up and down the balcony, and neither of them noticed the sky blue alicorn plummeting towards them.
----
So far, Fi’s day had been pretty bad, but it had just gotten a lot worse. She had been flying across the town, almost to the tree-castle, when she had started to think about what would happen if she fell. She realized that she would die at this altitude, seeing as she no longer just floated naturally, and got a little bit scared, and just like that, her wings seized up. The only upside was that at least someone might find her body. She fell through the clouds, and the ground came into view. She was right above the castle. How odd. Maybe her calculations had been off. She noticed that two ponies where on the balcony beneath her. At the rate of my descent, I will kill anyone I land on. She wanted to scream at them, tell them to move, but her mouth would not open. All she could do was fall.
She was almost on top of the two ponies when the cyan one looked up and screamed. The purple one looked up as well, and began to cast a spell. Instantly, Fi stopped falling. She looked around. She was covered in a magenta light, the same color that surrounded that purple pony’s horn. The pony slowly moved Fi to the balcony and set her down. She did not realize who Fi was, because her eyes were closed in concentration, but the cyan pony did. Fi remembered seeing her in that building.
The purple pony opened her eyes and smiled. “Are you alright?”
Fi was about to say yes, when the other pony interrupted her. “Who cares if she’s alright, Twilight! She’s the one who froze me!”
Twilight saw Fi’s wings, horn and wavy tail and gaped. “Why would you freeze my friend?” Twilight asked, eyes wide. Not that it was much different, Fi supposed. These creature’s eyes were almost as big as their heads.
“I believe the pony in my room was attempting to kill, torture, or seriously injure me with a dagger. Not knowing if others would try to do the same, I froze everyone, and exited the building at once. Your friend got caught in my song as well.” Fi replied in a level tone of voice.
Twilight stared at her. “What color was the pony?”
“The pony with the dagger was white, with a small red cross on each of her flanks.”
Twilight lifted a hoof to her forehead, and sighed. “That pony was a nurse. That ‘dagger’ was a needle, usually used to administer painkiller, medicine, or disinfectant. You were in no danger.”
“I’m sorry. I perceived danger when she procured a sharp object. I now see that my behavior was irrational.” Fi meant this as an apology, but Twilight seemed to take it differently.
“You don’t need to talk to me like that! I was just trying to explain the situation!” Twilight was glaring at Fi now, as was her friend.
Fi nodded. “As was I. I’m sorry. Was I not supposed to do that?”
Twilight and the other pony stared at her in amazement. Fi did not see what was worthy of amazement, but trying to look amazed too, to try and fit in.
Twilight’s eyes narrowed in anger again.”Why are you so rude?”
Fi gave a start of surprise. “Please forgive me. I am not trying to be rude. I am simply trying to fit in.”
Apparently, this was also the wrong thing to say as the cyan pony flew very fast at her, yelling, “Does that mean you think that all ponies are rude, arrogant, butt-heads?”
Fi screamed, willing herself to be anywhere else. She found herself violently hurtling through space, and reappeared behind Twilight in a flash of whiteish-purple light, causing the pegasus to hit a wall.
“Rainbow!” Twilight yelled, staying in front of Fi.
“I am sorry.” Fi said, watching Rainbow. “I did not mean to offend you. I was trying to.. to.. say sorry? I do not know anymore...”
Rainbow and Twilight stared at her. Fi cocked her head, then realized something. Twilight had wings and a horn! She was the alicorn who lived here!
Fi hurried towards Twilight and bowed. “I did not mean to offend you, princess. I ask for forgiveness.”
Twilight seemed taken aback, though Fi didn’t know why. Wasn’t she used to this?
“Forgiveness granted?” Twilight said, cocking her head.
Twilight shifted her hooves.
There was something in Twilight’s tone of voice that made Fi pause. Judging by tone of voice, facial expression, and body movement, Princess Twilight is uncomfortable. I have done something wrong. Fi was about to correct her mistake when she realized that doing so may offend the Princess once more.
Fi opened her mouth to continue, but Twilight interrupted her by asking, “What spell were you casting?”
“I am not aware that it has a name. It helps me.. recalibrate myself.” Fi replied, not sure if they would like it if they knew she could scan them.
Twilight was looking at her oddly though, so Fi decided to change the subject. “My name is Fi, by the way. Thank you for saving me, your highness. If I may be so bold, what is your and your guard’s names?”
Fi had been sure she had said everything right, and that there was no way that they could be offended, but she was immediately proven incorrect.
Rainbow glared at her. “I’m not her guard! I’m her friend! And a friend is something you’ll never have.”
For some reason, this statement made Fi think of her old Master, Link, chosen of the Goddess. She realized that Link had could have died by old age years ago. Her eyes began to sting. Was there a toxin in the air?
“Rainbow!” Twilight shouted again. “Honestly, if you can’t control your emotions, you should just leave! You even made her cry!”
Fi looked up at her. Cry? I can’t cry. I am unable to cry. I am not crying. Analyzing... I… Am crying. How am I crying. I am not alive! Rainbow snorted, and flew off. Twilight walked towards Fi and put a hoof around her shoulders.
“I’m Twilight Sparkle. But I’d rather that you called me Twilight instead of your highness. You’re an alicorn too, you know.”
Fi sniffed and dabbed at her newfound tears with a wing. “You measure rank by whether or not one is an alicorn? That seems rather racist.”
Twilight stared at her. “No!” There are only four alicorns in Equestria! Five, counting you.”
“Equestria? Is that what this world is called?”
Twilight blinked. “Where have you been all your life? Yes, the kingdom of ponies is called Equestria.”
“I have lived in Skyloft, as well as the lands beneath it.”
“I, w-well, I g-guess that makes sense. Why don’t you come inside and we can talk about where you came from over tea?”
“I would rather not dangle or fly over a pot of tea, but I would join you in drinking some, if you want.” Fi said, quite nervously.
“R-right…” Twilight stuttered, leading Fi inside.
----
Walking through the halls, Fi marveled at the crystalness of it all. There was enough money in gems here to feed an entire kingdom for three lifetimes! She could not tell what kind of crystal the windows were made of with her analyzing spell, only that they were crystal.
Finally, they came to a large dining room with a table that had a beautiful swan statue standing on it. Twilight disappeared into a side room for a moment, coming back out with a pot of tea and two teacups ensnared in her magic, placing them on the table.
Fi watched as Twilight poured them both a cup of tea with her magic, as well as bringing a platter of biscuits from the room Fi assumed was a kitchen to set on the table. Fi cautiously lifted a cup with her own magic, and brought it to her lips. She did not drink it though, as she had never drunk anything in her life, and was a little afraid to try.
Twilight looked at her for a moment, then with a smile on her face and a small eyeroll, she said, “I haven’t poisoned it, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
Fi steeled herself and drank a little bit of the tea. It was good! She could feel the liquid going down her throat, soothing it. She drank her entire cup fast enough to make Twilight blink in surprise. Fi had thought that dry feeling in her throat came from being a pony. It made her think that maybe the empty, hurting feeling in her stomach was hunger. Analyzing.. I am hungry enough to, ‘eat a horse’ as the saying goes. If I go two more hours without food, I will collapse, become erratic, or perhaps get light-headed and get horrible migraines.
Fi snatched one of the biscuits off of the table with a hoof and munched on it contentedly, unable to eat slowly. She grabbed another. The weren’t very good; actually, they were burnt, but she didn’t really care.
She felt something odd in the air. Fi looked up from the bread to look at Twilight, whose horn was glowing as well. “What are you doing?” Fi muttered, trying to edge away from her without falling off the chair.
“I’m trying to figure out what you’re doing.”
Fi did not reply, just watched the other alicorn’s glowing horn.
Twilight stopped abruptly, and the weird feeling ceased. “Are you afraid of my magic?”
Fi replied in a melancholy tone. “Most experiences I have had with a magic user other than me or the Goddess have been... Negative, to say the least.”
“Goddess…” Twilight murmured. The purple pony stood up and grabbed a blank piece of paper from a shelf, then spread it out on the table before Fi. “Can you draw a map of the land you are from?”
“Certainly.” Fi grasped a quill from the same shelf with her magic and began to draw Skyloft and the lands below. Fi calculated where the areas of Skyloft and below were by drawing up memories she had of her lands and old maps.
Twilight watched in awe as Fi drew a very detailed map, not once having to stop and erase her work. “I’ve never read about this place before. Where is it?”
“I’m afraid that I do not understand your question. This is my land. This is all there is.”
“Then how did you get here?”
Fi sighed. “I do not know, Twilight. But I also do not know if I can get back.”
“Well, my own knowledge of portal magic is limited, but I do know someone who might know how to get you home.”
Fi smiled at Twilight. Finally she could get home. “Who?”
“The ruler of Equestria. Princess Celestia.”
Fi was rather confused. Did Twilight really think that her current leader was the goddess of the sun? On the other hand, human leaders had sometimes claimed to be descendants of the Goddess, so she supposed this ‘Celestia’ was the same way. “Of course. I would like to find her at once, if that is alright.”
Twilight nodded and picked up Fi’s map. “Let’s go then.”
Fi got up, grabbing a couple more of the burnt biscuits off of the table with her magic and walked to the door. Still used to her old habits, she tried to walk through the door, only to find that all she had accomplished was a bruised muzzle. “Ow.” She said, not really sounding it, or feeling it, but saying it because it was the thing to say.
Twilight laughed, not cruelly, just at Fi’s confused look. She stopped immediately when she noticed Fi watching her. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to laugh at you.” She opened the door with her magic.
Fi just nodded, not seeming offended in the slightest. She simply walked out the door and into the sunshine, and shielded her eyes from the sun with her wings. Twilight paused. Her eyes… They weren’t normal! That was what was different. Twilight watched her for a moment, trying to pinpoint the problem. Then she found it. Unlike a normal pony, who had a white part of their eyes, an iris, and a pupil, Fi had a white part of her eyes, then the rest was a slightly lighter blue than her coat, with no pupil. What is wrong with this pony? Twilight thought, following her out the door.