Taismo: Discovering Equestria

by RockStarMLP

Chapter 3

For most citizens of Equestria, nights would go by fast as they would all get their rest, depending on some times that involve who is exactly where. That night, it was long for a group of six friends in Ponyville and a new friend they found, whether they were on a search, trying to understand what was going on, or for one, resting himself in hopes of finding his closest friend again. Along the Equestria Railway, a train was making a nonstop trip with only a few passengers aboard, including Cosmo, who boarded at the Appleloosa station and was given a private car to rest in for the long night’s trip. It was a difficult night for her, being in a new world and spontaneously traveling to a place where a creature in her dream instructed her to go, hoping for answers she needed to know. For the times she could not sleep, all she could worry about was Tails, but she managed to get most of her rest started midmorning, managing to sleep up until she felt the train slow down to a halt, and the door leading outside opened as a pony stepped in.

“Excuse me miss,” said the pony, who was the train’s conductor. “We have just arrived in Canterlot.”

Stepping out of her bed, Cosmo rubbed her eyes to help see clearer and replied “Thank you sir.” As she took her steps, she let out a very small moan and a slight cringing expression. She still felt sore, mainly in her upper body, but still managed to walk fine.

“Of course. May I assist you in any other way?” the conductor asked.

“No, I’ll be fine from here,” she answered.

“Very well then. In case you need to catch another train, the Ponyville Express arrives later this afternoon,” he told her, stepping out of her way as she exited the railcar. As she took a few steps out and saw where she had arrived at, the conductor asked “Hope you don’t mind my asking, but what brings you to our capital today?”

Cosmo turned her head around, the polite smile she wore now gone, and told him “I have a couple questions that need answers, and something tells me those answers are here.” From there she left the platform and walked through the station, entering the most royal city in Equestria.

/)∞(\

The farther she walked throughout the city, Cosmo continued to see all the culture and sophistication the pony citizens expressed themselves from the places to go, to the activities there were to do. It was all a spectacle to behold, but she put her mission first and foremost to find the princess the Appleloosans told her about. She tried a few times to ask where the castle was, but some of the ponies found her presence ‘disturbing’ or ‘strange’ for never seeing anyone like her before.

It wasn’t until she ran into a unicorn named Fancy Pants, who gladly assisted her by pointed his hoof towards her needed direction, and wished her the best in receiving help from the princesses. As she raced as fast as her body would allow, she wondered about him saying ‘princess’ in plural form. The thought left her head when Cosmo finally arrived onto the castle grounds, making her way to the palace entrance where two guards, each a pegasus, stood on opposite sides of the open doors with spears.

“This must be it,” Cosmo thought to herself, sensing a small sign of relief for the first time in many hours. “Perhaps now I can finally get the help I need.” She walked up one of the staircases leading towards the door, but when she tried to go inside, each guard used a wing to block her path.

“HALT!” bellowed the guard on the left. “State your business.”

“I’m here to speak with your princess,” she replied. “I need help and this was where I was told to go.”

The two guards looked at one-another, then back to her, with the guard on the right saying “And what is the help you seek from the princess? You are nothing we have seen before.”

“Please, I need to know about where I am, and why I’m here. I fear that I’m here alone and I have nowhere else to turn to,” she pleaded.

“Who was it that sent you?” asked the second guard, and the first guard followed with “Her highness only deals with those who have…”

“What is going on here?” asked another voice, this one with firm command. Appearing at the entrance was a tall, midnight blue unicorn with folded wings, and a mane and tail that imaged like a night sky. Cosmo looked at this new pony, and something about this one felt reminiscent to her.

“Princess Luna,” greeted the first guard. “Someone is trying to gain access to speak with yourself or Princess Celestia. She has not told us enough to let her pass.”

“I see,” Luna replied, then turned her attention towards the person standing before her. The Seedrian heroine just kept looking up at her, trying to process what was happening at that moment. It was silent for a few seconds, but the princess smiled and said to her “Glad to see you have made it after all.”

Then things started to make more sense to Cosmo at that point, realizing just who this pony was. “It’s you! You’re the one who was in my dream last night, calling out to me to come here,” she said as she processed her concluding thoughts.

Luna nodded and said “Yes, that was me. Guards, she may enter. She requires an audience with my sister at once.” With that, the guards retracted their wings and allowed Cosmo to enter. The two then began to walk their way throughout the castle towards where the throne room was.

“What is your name, young one?”

“My name? It’s Cosmo, Miss… I mean, Princess Luna?” Cosmo said, hoping she said the name correctly. “Thank you for letting me enter.”

“Of course, and it’s nice to meet you, Cosmo,” Luna said. “I have to admit, in all my years I’ve never seen someone like yourself in our land. It’s incredibly rare that I visit dreams of those that are not of resting ponies.”

“My dream,…” Cosmo said, reprocessing the thoughts going through her mind just minutes ago. “You… you were in my dream last night, before I awoke in that town. How did that happen?”

The princess then explained “It’s what I do, young Cosmo. I am the Princess of the Night, and part of my responsibilities to those in the land is to enter the dreams of those who are troubled by nightmares or restless thoughts. When I sensed your troubled dreams, I got a glimpse of who you were.”

“A glimpse… of who I am, and where I am from as well?” the Seedrian asked.

“Yes, but only enough to know that you are not one from this world,” Luna answered. “That is why I called out to you in your dream to come to Canterlot, in hopes to find answers for your curiosity, and our own.”

Cosmo began to understand this, replying with “I see. Does that mean you’re the one who can help me, Princess? I was told another name from other peo… forgive me, ponies, about who could…”

“No, I doubt I will be any more helpful to you than I already have been,” Luna told her. The two then found themselves at two tall, closed doors, the destination of their walk. “This is where the one who can be more of help to you is. Perhaps you will be aided better by my sister, the Princess of all of Equestria.”

/)∞(\

When Cosmo saw through the opening doors, a throne stood at the corridor’s other end. She saw the largest pony she had come across in this world, tall and white with a mane and tail flowing with a rainbow color scheme. As the dark blue pony began walking forward, she followed as her eyes wondered at what was outside the large windows along each wall, but returned to focus when Luna stopped her from advancing a few feet from the throne. She stood in her place as Luna walked up towards where the stairs would start as she was greeted by her older sister.

“Good morning, my sister,” greeted the great pony. “Have you brought some company?”

“Not exactly, sister. She’s in need of assistance, and based on her dreams last night, you may be more of help to her finding answers she seeks,” Luna explained.

The white alicorn turned her head towards Cosmo, who was looking back at the grand sight the princess was. She looked at this stranger with much curiosity, seeing nothing like this in all her years of ruling over Equestria, but at the same time saw more to this being than as an alien. She could see a lifetime that could relate to her own, along with her fatigue appearance, and more of a person than age could appropriately describe. She stepped down from her throne and walked towards their guest, and welcomed her warmly.

“Welcome, young one. I am Princess Celestia. What is your name?”

“Cosmo, your majesty,” the Seedrian replied, trying to show respect with a bow.

“It is an honor to meet you, Cosmo,” the princess said, then turned her sister to say “Thank you for your involvement, Luna. I’ll handle things from here. Why don’t you get some rest for the next night?”

“Thank you, my sister,” Luna replied, and began to walk away. Cosmo stopped her before she could exit to express her gratitude for the help and kindness she received, to which the princess replied “You are very welcome, and may you find what, and who, you seek to regain. Farewell, my friend,” and from there she spread her wings and flew out of the throne room.

Celestia then said “Well now, Cosmo, how may I be helpful to you? If you could please forgive me, I can see you are not from Equestria, or perhaps from this world at all.”

“Yes, I mean no, I mean…” Cosmo said, stumbling in her speech. “Please forgive me, I am still tired and confused about many things right now.”

“That’s quite alright. Why don’t you start explaining why you’re here to see me? If you wouldn’t mind doing so while walking, I do have another to meet with soon,” the princess suggested.

Agreeing to this, Cosmo told her “Of course, please lead the way.” The two then began their walk, and with that, Cosmo began to tell her story of all she could remember for how she arrived in this world, starting with the events taking place back home.

“You are correct, Princess Celestia, that I am not from this world. I come from a world known as Mobius where I live in peace and love with my friends and family. Unfortunately, our time of peace was interrupted by a cruel enemy who seeked to destroy our home with a weapon that could crash into our world and break it apart. He had me captured in order to gain my friends’ attention in attempt for us all to surrender and force to live under his rule, but they and myself refused, which resulted in me being attacked and assaulted terribly.”

“I see,” Celestia said as he listened to everything carefully. “Was it this foe that sent you to Equestria?”

“Well, not entirely but closely enough,” Cosmo answered. “His forces managed to collect a set of powerful gems known as the Chaos Emeralds to fuel him with the power he needed to destroy Mobius. The Chaos Emeralds are seven gems that each contain great amounts of power that their user could apply to almost anything, but when all of them are gathered together, a greater power is awakened that causes unpredictable events if not handled properly. Our enemy, who is known as Dark Oak, had a device to use the emeralds in his control, but while I was attacked too much to fight back anymore, a hero reached us and began to attack everything that was put against him. He was my hero… Tails…”

As their walk was about to go through one of the corridors, she stopped for a moment as her face expressed much sadness. Her heart ached for him badly, not knowing where he was, or if he was even alright after what had happened. The Princess of the Land stopped after advancing a couple paces herself to see how Cosmo was acting, opening her wing to wrap around her shoulders. “I can see that he is someone very close to you, isn’t he?” she asked.

With love for her best friend, the Seedrian said “He is. He’s saved me more times than I could possibly try to count, and has fought many battles alongside our friends and many allies to protect everything what is good and we care for greatly. Our history goes back during our first war against an evil army that tried to take over not just Mobius, but our entire galaxy, and since that war, we’ve been wonderfully in love.”

“Then I apologize to you, Cosmo. I should have acknowledged him as the closest one to you,” Celestia said kindly. “Please, continue your story.” The two then began to walk down the next corridor, one filled with large windows, many of which were stained with colorful imagery of events from thousands of years’ time. Cosmo continued her story for shortly after where it was left off, and that was just before Chaos Control.

“I was very close to unconsciousness and Tails was fighting his hardest, but our enemy was proving himself too much, and my hero suffered many attacks and assaults like me. Some of these caused damage to the device that controlled the Chaos Emeralds, activating their power. After Dark Oak escaped when the battle failed to be in his favor, Tails and I were left too weak to escape what happened next – Chaos Control. My eyes were shut when it happened, but I could feel the reaction of the emeralds’ power surround me, and the next thing I knew, I awoke in a desert land without any idea where I was. From that point, I found a town where some ponies tried to heal me as your sister Luna somehow entered my dreams, telling me to come to this place, and so here I am now.”

Celestia tried to process Cosmo’s explanation with care and sensitivity, not wanting to say something unintentionally rude. With a few moments of quiet thought to summarize everything, she said “Let me try to understand what you are saying- this Dark Oak’s invasion of your world and acquiring of these seven emeralds of power caused an event that sent you from your world to ours, without a trace of how exactly you arrived or how to return?”

“Yes, your majesty,” Cosmo confirmed. “Do you think that you may be able to help me figure out how to return to my home, and if anyone else has arrived here with me?”

“Sadly, I do not know if I can be completely helpful,” the princess replied. “This seems to be a magic that’s too strange to understand without greater knowledge or experience with. It may be possible that alicorn magic may not be able to relate to this Chaos power you refer to, but I won’t say it’s not worth trying anyway.”

“I see,” said the Seedrian, but something about what she just heard left her curious. “Excuse my own asking, but what is this ‘alicorn’ you mentioned?”

Happy to explain, the princess said “An alicorn is a special kind of pony, my dear. You see, there are many kinds of ponies here in Equestria – earth ponies, pegasi, unicorns, and crystal ponies – and alicorns include myself, my sister and others, for we serve as the princesses of our land. Alicorns are the wiser, and given cases, stronger ponies that unlike most others have both a horn and a set of wings.”

“Oh, how interesting,” Cosmo said.

Before saying another word, her eyes noticed a few of the stain-glassed windows that they were walking by. A couple depicted a group of six ponies and others that appeared to be working together towards a common goal, and another showing one pony in particular with a slight difference in appearance. As they kept walking on, she asked “Princess Celestia, would you mind if I asked you a couple questions now?”

“But of course, Cosmo. I’ll be happy to answer whatever questions I can for you,” Celestia said happily.

“Thank you,” Cosmo said in appreciation. “In the short time I’ve been here, I’ve come to notice this place to be diverse areas of many ponies. Could you tell me more about your world, of your land of Equestria?”

The princess took no time at all to answer the question, explaining with “Equestria is a land founded by the three pony tribes thousands of years ago that opened a new era of harmony for everypony. There are many cities and cultures where ponies of all sorts reside, including Cloudsdale for pegasi and two royal cities watched over by myself and fellow princesses. We all walk our own paths of life to discover who we are and what we’re meant to do, but through the power of companionship of friends and loved ones do we accomplish this, and there are no better examples than the Elements of Harmony.”

Cosmo became curious about the cited example that was given and asked about them. “What are the Elements of Harmony?”

“They are the most powerful magic in all of Equestria,” Celestia explained. “Laughter, Generosity, Honesty, Kindness, Loyalty, and only when those five come together does the sixth element complete them – Magic.” The two then stopped at one of the window panes that showed six ponies – two with horns, two with wings, and two without either – working together to vanquish a dark-looking pony. “Many years ago, myself and my sister controlled the Elements to restore harmony when it was needed, but after a thousand years did one pony rediscover them through the magic of friendship, and save everypony from a terrible evil. Individually, each element serves a great purpose, but when brought together, ultimate acts of heroism and good occur.”

“I think I understand,” the Seedrian said. “They sound much like the Chaos Emeralds, but instead of being used with evil intentions, they work their best only when together.”

The two then restarted walking as the alicorn said “I suppose you’re correct, given your explanation of the Chaos Emeralds. Now, we’re near where I have my other business to attend to. Is there any other question that I can try to answer before taking a few moments away from this?”

“Well, I do have one small question. From what I can tell, this is a place where ponies mainly live, but last night I was told about a buffalo who found me unconscious, and I did notice at least one other non-pony creature in your windows during our walk. What I’m asking is, like where I’m from, are there more than just one race that lives here?” asked Cosmo, curious to see if this world held as much diversity as worlds she’s come to know in her travels through other dimensions.

“But of course,” Celestia answered. “Where Equestria is home to my faithful subjects, we share the land with many other creatures. There are the buffalo as you’ve mentioned, along with griffons, canines, all animals wild and domestic, and of course, dragons.”

“Oh? Are dragons particular to you in coexistence?” Cosmo asked.

She got her first answer by a sneezing noise, along with the sound of flames. Out of nowhere above them did a scroll appear, and fell just in front of her feet. She reached down to pick up, but Celestia used her magic to float it up and read it herself, unraveling it into a fairly long checklist. The princess had a small laugh to herself and went on to answer the question. “In a couple ways, yes. We’re about to meet with one now.”

/)∞(\

The two then rounded a corner that would lead them to the castle libraries and archive rooms, seeing a small creature cleaning up a pile of scrolls and books that looked to have been dropped by accident. It was the dragon the princess mentioned about, but not like what Cosmo expected, for it was a small, purple dragon that looked not much older than a toddler’s age. As they walked towards the little one, they could hear him saying “Oh man, oh man, oh man. I can’t believe I sent one of the scrolls off by accident,” and continued to speak in a worried tone as he recollected the several scrolls and books he already had. Celestia then said towards him, overhearing his concern of her being upset, that “There’s no need to worry about that. Accidents can happen.”

The little dragon immediately stopped what he was doing as his attention went straight towards the familiar voice. He then immediately bowed before her and said “OH, good morning, your highness.”

“And good morning to you as well,” she replied kindly, and then introduced the two strangers to each other. “Cosmo, I’d like you to meet Spike. He’s a baby dragon and a loyal assistant and friend to a most important pony. And Spike, this is Cosmo. She is someone who has arrived in Equestria in unknown ways, and has come here for our help.”

“Hi there. Nice to meet you,” greeted Spike.

“Of course,” Cosmo replied just as respectfully. When she saw him get back to cleaning his things, she kneeled down to help him. “Here, let me give you a hand. You sure have a lot of things to carry on your own.”

“Thanks a lot,” he said appreciatively, but his tune quickly turned sour as he added “I wouldn’t have to if they all weren’t needed at once. Then again, this isn’t the biggest pile I’ve built up.”

Just then, Celestia used her magic to take all the books and scrolls he had and levitated them beside her and Cosmo. “Spike, please be kind enough to make us some tea and cakes, and meet us in the study. I’ll be happy to take these for you.”

More than happy to accept this, Spike said “Thank you, Princess. I’ll be there in just a bit,” and from there he ran off to fetch some tea. The two ladies then walked their way in the opposite direction towards their destination.

“I hope you don’t mind my requesting for some tea. I thought we both could enjoy some as we further discuss what you need,” the princess said.

“Not at all,” Cosmo said, “but who is this other pony you mentioned and why does he help them out?”

“Spike was born by being hatched from an egg from a pony who was also my most faithful student at the Academy for Gifted Unicorns, and has since been loyal and faithful to her as she is to him. However, not all dragons are as kind and respectful as him, and tend to focus more on themselves than others. Once a year, I ask him to meet with me so that I can make sure he is still happy with what he does and if there’s anything he needs, along with seeing if the nature of dragons doesn’t overtake him or place him in an unwanted position,” Celestia explained.

“I see,” Cosmo replied, and left it at that. She thought whether or not dragons here were potential to become eventual threats.

Celestia could see this and said “I wouldn’t worry about him. Spike is one of my greatest subjects, and he accepts this because he, too, wants to make sure that who he is and what he is doesn’t interfere with the life he loves to live.”

The Seedrian got better understanding with that, and smiled in return. In the time it took to walk down one more corridor, they reached their destination of the princess’s former student’s study. Piled in the center were several dozen books, scrolls and notes Spike apparently had already collected, so the princess took the liberty to take the entire pile and try to organize them in a neater manner, including the new additions. Cosmo looked around at the room, the high shelves filled with dozens of books, and wide open windows overlooking part of Canterlot, wondering about who exactly used to be here.

“What other questions did you wanted me to help you find answers for, Cosmo?” Celestia asked.

Getting her mind back on track, Cosmo said “Well, I did have a couple about your magic. One thing I was wondering was if…”

Just then, Spike appeared with a tray that held a teapot, two cups, and a few slices of cakes. “Order up, your highness, and just in luck. It’s your favorite tea and the cakes just came out of the over,” he said.

“Wonderful. Thank you Spike,” she replied, and he happily served them by using the room’s center book-reading podium.

For a brief time, Celestia asked Spike a few questions about what things he had collected, and more importantly about how things were with him and his life at home. The little dragon had no complaints other than hoping to never become particular ‘versions’ of him again, something that left Cosmo in the dark, so her eyes looked around at all the books of history and magic spells that they contained. Eventually it came to the point when Spike asked about Cosmo’s origins, so she gave him a shorter version of the story she gave to the princess before. As fascinated as he was to learn more about this otherworldly flower woman, the attention of the conversation turned back to when she had questions she had to ask next, and restarted asking what she tried to do a short bit ago.

“Princess, I was wondering something, about the magic you possess,” she said. “Is it possible that you have the magical ability to accomplish just about anything your heart wishes?”

“I’m afraid not. Magic, whether it’s by a charm, a unicorn, or even an alicorn like myself, does have its limitations,” the princess answered.

Going more direct, Cosmo then asked “Well, is there a chance that you have a magic, which with the right additional help, can help find and locate anyone in any place, no matter who they are or where they’re from?”

Celestia thought of her answer carefully before replying, looking back at over a millennium of experience with all things magical. Her face expressed slight sorrow as she stated “I’m afraid that there’s no such spell that can do that, young Cosmo.”

“Well, would that also include opening a path between this world and others as well?” Cosmo asked, starting to sound as if she was losing hope.

Again, Celestia’s answer wasn’t as pleasant. “That magic is incredibly limited I’m afraid. If it’s about being directed towards a place that’s never been seen or known about before, then it is very unlikely.”

Everything became very silent as Cosmo’s face fell with despair. Having being told by what was seen to be her best source of help that her desires sounded impossible took a stab at her hope. She’s put through much worse things in her lifetime, but moments like this never got easier to accept that there could be no solution she could find, and it saddened her enough to cry. As sad as she felt, she couldn’t give up on her friends and loved ones, not after all their years together, but a new solution to find was still alluding her. She remained in silent thought about this, so Spike spoke up next.

“Princess Celestia, is there any magic you know that might be able to help her out?” he asked.

“I’m afraid not Spike,” the princess replied. “Actions such as these were never researched enough or nearly perfected, even by the greatest of ponies. Traveling between worlds has only been possible with places that coexist with our own, that share similarities which we may only have.”

“But there’s got to be another way, anything or anypony else that can make it possible,” Spike said.

Thinking to herself for a brief moment, Celestia thought of only one solution, one she was sure would be better help than her. “You’re right, Spike. There is only one other pony I can think of who would be better to help,” she said with a smile. The two shared the same thought, and he smiled about it as well.

Having her attention caught by this, Cosmo looked up at the standing princess to ask “You mean there’s someone else who can help me find Tails and get back home?”

Nodding with a confident smile, the princess began to walk out of the study as she said “Follow me and I’ll explain.”

Cosmo and Spike immediately got up and followed her back the way the two women came down before, reaching one of the hallways that had the stained-glass windows depicting Equestrian history. As they reached one in particular, she said “Cosmo, if there is one pony who knows how to make even what seems the most impossible happen, it is my former student and fellow peer- Princess Twilight Sparkle.”

The three stopped at the window that displayed the mentioned princess, made during her coronation not too long ago and depicting her in her new image. Cosmo remembered looking at this one in particular, and it then connected to her that she bears a resemblance to a pony in other images. “This princess, she would know how to help me the best?” she asked.

“Yes,” Celestia replied. “Princess Twilight was once my most faithful student, dedicated to learn all she could about magic. It wasn’t until she and Spike went off to live in a town called Ponyville that her abilities became greater than she could ever imagine, thanks to the lessons she’s learned and the adventures she’s embarked on about herself, and about friendship. I am confident that she and her friends can help you find who you love most and return home.”

“That’s right, because she knows magic better than any pony in Equestria,” Spike added. Realizing what he let blurt out, he quickly turned to the princess to say “I mean, she’s one of the ponies who knows magic best.”

“No, Spike, you were correct,” the princess said to him kindly. Turning her attention back to the Seedrian, she then said “Cosmo, I am sorry that I was not as helpful to you as you may have hoped, but it would seem that your quest will take you in this new direction.”

“I know,” Cosmo said, bowing her head with thought of all her friends back home, and her beloved Tails. “I only hope that Princess Twilight will be able to help me reunite with everyone where I’m from. I can’t stand the thought of not being with them.”

Celestia used her hoof to pick Cosmo’s head up to tell her “I’m sure she will be, and I’m sure you’ll see them all again” with a confident and assuring smile. This made the Seedrian feel better enough to have some of her hope rebuilt, and to smile in return. “Spike, I would like you to take Cosmo and get on the next train to Ponyville. Your time here is done, and don’t worry about all the things Twilight asked you to bring back. I’ll send them to her in a few days.”

“Yes, your highness,” obeyed the little dragon. “Come on, Cosmo, we better hurry before we miss the next train. It should be getting ready to go anytime now.”

“Right,” she said, and as he began to run off, she looked up at the grand white alicorn to say “Thank you, Princess Celestia, for all you’ve done to help me. I will never forget it.” She then gave the princess a respectful bow.

“You are quite welcome, my dear Cosmo. It was a pleasure to get to know you, and I wish you the best in your return home and hope you enjoy what time you will spend here in Equestria. I look forward to hear of your success from Twilight,” Celestia replied.

The two shared a respectful and friendly expression of kindness before Spike called out for Cosmo to catch up, where she started to move as fast as her fatigue body would let her to catch up. As they were gone, Princess Celestia turned back to view the window of her one former pupil turned to an equal. Much like that pony, she saw more than what meets the eye with Cosmo, and thought that those from this new world would be a lot like her, but while also contemplating if that would bring things of the better or more dangerous to her country.

Nevertheless, all she could see and learn from this new stranger was that they had a heart as strong as anypony that stands out and above the rest, and hoped that if there were any ponies that would be better help, it would be the Mane 6. Another part of her also thought that perhaps, like how Twilight discovered the magic of friendship through those five ponies, Cosmo will discover more than she could expect in her quest.