05 Five Hundred Miles
My Little Exalt
FIVE HUNDRED MILES
by: Lithl
special thanks:
Rhanite
Saekwaka
"...this world is broken. Fix it."
These were the last words Applejack knew as a mortal pony. She stood with her fellow exalt over what remained of the guardian beast that had been pursuing the ponies over the last hour or so.
"That's quite impressive, Applejack," Twilight said, admiring the cowpony's hoofwork. A glowing image of Applejack's cutie mark still surrounded the pair. "I don't think it's dead, though..."
"How could it not be dead, Twi? Ah cleaved it in half like a piece a'firewood!"
"Well, the two halves are still twitching, see? If it were an animal I'm sure it would be dead, but this is some kind of magical construct. It's possible the spell used to create it can allow parts to move independently of the whole. I suppose since it's a construct it wasn't ever technically alive in the first place..." Twilight began to mumble to herself about whether a construct of paper (which had once been a living tree) ought to be considered a living thing, or a once-living thing, or merely an inanimate object given locomotion by magic. Still, her words rang true, as one of the beast's arms reached towards the pair of ponies. The beast's movements were sluggish and weak, but it was still attempting to perform its function.
Applejack casually kicked the beast's arm away, and accidentally broke off one of its claws.
"What should we do with the thing, then?"
At that moment, Twilight was broken out of her musings by the sound of hoofsteps on marble, which could only mean one thing: Rarity!
Rarity, for her part, had no idea that The Librarian had already been dispatched, and was frantic to find Twilight and Applejack before any more harm came to her friends. "Twilight! Twilight, where are you?!"
"We're over here, sugarcube," Applejack called out, much calmer than her friend.
Rarity skidded around the corner on the smooth marble floor (very unladylike, but that wasn't her primary concern at the time) to see Twilight and Applejack calmly standing over the body of The Librarian, cleft in twain by the sword laying to Applejack's side. Although the image of her cutie mark had disappeared, Applejack was still glowing brightly, much in the same fashion that Twilight had done after telling off that brute Hiparkes. On Applejack's forehead was a small golden glowing circle surrounded by eight rays.
"Oh," was all Rarity could come up with.
"I gather from the fact that you've calmed down at seeing us not in mortal peril that you had something to fight this guardian with?" asked Twilight.
Rarity shook her head to collect her thoughts before replying, "Oh, yes. I found this dragon... thing... in the basement. He said he could control the librarian and even turn it off if we could get it back into the library."
Twilight's eyes bulged out of her head. "This was the librarian?!"
"Well, the dragon in the basement kept calling it 'the librarian,' but whenever I said 'the librarian,' he just kept repeating that the library had no librarian and he asked if I meant 'the librarian.' It was quite frustrating, let me tell you!"
"Twi, maybe if we drag this thing back to the library," Applejack casually kicked away The Librarian's claw again, breaking another digit, "that there dragon Rarity met can turn this here librarian back into books."
Twilight nodded. "Yes, that's probably the best plan. Rarity, why don't you go help Rainbow Dash while Applejack and I get this librarian back into the library?"
Rarity trotted off towards the bedroom she had hidden Rainbow in. Applejack grabbed The Librarian's tail in her mouth, and Twilight began to pull the other half of The Librarian with her telekinesis.
"I do hope none of the books you damaged were too rare to find another copy of. Or if I can't get another copy, I hope they weren't damaged beyond repair."
"Oowyiite?"
"Yes, Applejack?"
"Ut up."
"Hiya, Fluttershy!" Pinkie bounced up to her timid friend. Fluttershy was doing her best to stay out of the way of the other ponies who were diligently working to make the area habitable. She had planned to help make some lunch for all the hardworking ponies, but the Cakes and the Apples together seemed to already have that covered.
"Oh... Hello, Pinkie. Where are Twilight and Rarity and Rainbow Dash?"
"Twilight found a manse!"
Fluttershy blinked in confusion. Assuming perhaps that everypony had already been told what a 'manse' was, she didn't want to be a bother and ask for clarification on that point. Instead she said, "Oh, that's good...?"
Pinkie didn't notice Fluttershy's hesitation (or if she did, she didn't mention it). "Yeah! It's really big, I'm sure everypony could fit! I came back to show everypony the way to the manse. It'll be a lot safer in there than out here."
At the mention of 'safer,' Fluttershy's eyes bugged out. The claim that somewhere else was safer implied that this location wasn't safe. When Pinkie finished talking, she found Fluttershy clinging to her, trembling. "Aw, I love you too, Fluttershy! But right now we need to get everypony together and head south!"
The Cakes and Apples worked together to make lunch for everypony, exceeding expectations. If they had access to a real kitchen and their usual supplies of ingredients, they could have done better; but when the choice was between a humble lunch and another day of grazing, nopony was about to complain. Pinkie spent the rest of the morning helping the Cakes and the Apples to prepare the lunches.
When the ponies arrived for lunch, Pinkie seated them close together so that she could give her big announcement to everypony at once.
"Hey everypony! I've got a big announcement!"
Throughout the crowd, some ponies made comments along the lines of "another party" and "kind of inappropriate right now." Even if they had witnessed some of her power and understood that she was familiar with the world they were stuck in, she was still Pinkie Pie.
"No, sillies! The mansewarming party isn't until next week! You can't have a mansewarming party until you're settled in!" If anypony in the crowd knew what she was talking about, they didn't comment. Again, they reasoned, it's Pinkie Pie. "Anyway, that's what my announcement was about. Twilight found a manse!"
There was silence in the crowd. Pinkie grinned over the ponies until the silence became quite uncomfortable. The silence was suddenly broken by somepony in the back letting out a great belch in compliment to the Cakes' work.
"The manse is big enough to fit everypony and it'll be safer than what you've all been working on here and it has all the modern conveniences although I suppose technically it's got ancient conveniences since it was built a few thousand years ago but it's still shining like brand new and it's really pretty—"
"Pinkie," Mayor Mare interrupted Pinkie's monologue. "Are we to understand that you want us to abandon the work we've done over the past day and a half to go stay in this..." Mayor Mare paused a moment, sorting through Pinkie's previous, scrambled dialogue before finally finding the word again, "'manse' that you and Twilight found?"
Pinkie nodded vigorously for a few seconds before actually opening her mouth again. "It won't be nearly as much work to house everypony there as it is to build a tent city here," Pinkie waved a hoof over the small sea of tents that had been constructed in the last day. "It'll be a little more crowded than Ponyville was, but it's got some magical defenses on it. I think you can all appreciate that Creation can be dangerous. You've already seen the undead swamp that we landed in when we got here, and you were attacked in heaven of all places." Pinkie drooped a little. "I just don't want to see anypony get hurt. I know it's not my fault we're here, but I'm the only one who's been here before. I feel kinda responsible for all of you."
Several members of the Ponyville community cried out in protest. Some called out to Pinkie simply because they couldn't bear to see a mare cry. Others had seen exactly what Pinkie became when she was depressed, and they were willing to do anything they could to stop that from happening again.
Pinkie's funk was not very deep, and the kind words of the crowd in front of her were more than enough to bring her out of it. In seconds, she was grinning like a maniac again.
"Perfect! So, once you're all done with your lunches, we'll just head out again. Make sure you grab anything you want to take with you, because everything else is getting left behind. FOREVER!"
It had begun to rain. Zecora was no stranger to wild weather since moving to the Everfree Forest. According to Pinkie Pie, the weather here wasn't technically wild in the sense that ponies were used to (water evaporating from lakes and rivers forming clouds in the sky to rain down again all as an entirely natural process). At the same time, the gods and elementals that worked with the weather here didn't have as much control over it as the weather teams in Equestria did. They certainly didn't bother to coordinate with locals about what weather was needed or desired for crops or events. (Supposedly, the gods could also use weather for combat, which Zecora found fascinating. The Wonderbolts sported storm cloud contrails, but she'd never heard of weaponized weather.)
From Zecora's point of view, then, the entire world might as well have wild weather. That was fine by her, though it could be a tad inconvenient without a timetable for storms. Even if the local weather team was sometimes tardy or made mistakes, at least they tried to keep everypony informed when the showers and such were scheduled; living in an area with wild weather, Zecora knew inconveniences could happen. Inconveniences like getting caught in the rain while gathering local herbs in a totally new world. (Most fascinating for Zecora was that many of the herbs she found while hunting were similar if not identical to ones that she knew from Equestria, both in the Everfree and outside of it.)
Wearing saddlebags leaden with herb samples, Zecora had found shelter from the rain in an abandoned foxhole. She laid her head down on her hooves and watched the rain, mumbling to herself, "I can rest here an hour or three. Sooner than that, nopony will need me."
Between the pitter-patter of the rain outside and the dark confines of the foxhole, Zecora soon drifted off to sleep.
Not even the rain could dampen Pinkie's spirits at the moment. Not only did she have almost all of her friends right by her side, but who could be sad with puddles to splash in?! Sure, their route took them along the bank of a river, but splashing in a puddle was way different from splashing in a river. Many of the colts and fillies joined Pinkie in her fun, and while none of the other adults joined, seeing the foals play despite the town's current problems brought smiles to everypony's face.
"Pinkie, um... how far away is the manse that Twilight found?" Fluttershy asked once Pinkie had finally exhausted the last of the puddle-splashing from her system.
"Well, it took us most of a day to get there the first time, but there were only four of us so it was faster than taking the whole herd will be. Then again, we walked most of the way, so we might be able to make up that time difference if we go any faster than a walk. Then again again, we didn't leave until after lunch this time, so that's several daylight hours we won't have." Pinkie furrowed her brow. "We can probably be there by midmorning tomorrow if everypony is ok with grazing for dinner."
Zecora awoke with a start. The rain had just stopped; the cessation of white noise was probably what had woken the zebra.
"How long was it that I rested? I must return to where Ponyville has nested!" Zecora lifted herself out of the foxhole and looked to the sun hanging low in the sky. "The whole afternoon did I sleep, lying in this foxhole deep? If I wish to be of use, I should get back and these herbs peruse." Zecora's ear twitched a bit at that last rhyme. She was sure that it wasn't quite right, but it was too late to change. Besides, nopony had heard her anyway, and a life of spontaneous rhyming couplets was sure to generate a few bad apples.
When Zecora finally returned to the tent city built by the citizens of Ponyville, she found it abandoned. Why would everypony leave? What goal would this achieve? The sun was sinking below the horizon, so Zecora resolved to leave the problem of the missing ponies for the next morning. If everypony had left together, it would surely be easy to follow their trail. The food stockpiled by the Cakes for making communal meals was gone, so Zecora had a grazing dinner in the sunset light before huddling under her tent to sleep.
Zecora woke with the rising sun the following day, and quickly found some grass to break her fast. She put on her saddlebags full of herb samples (which she had yet to study at all!) and considered collapsing her tent to take with her as well. She glanced at the other tents, noting that they had all been left alone, and decided to do the same. A tent – even a small one – would weigh her down; if she was going to catch up to everypony else, a tent would only be a hindrance.
Within the main area of the tent city, the ground was trampled everywhere by hundreds of hoofprints going dozens of directions. She would have to start her tracking from the outside. Zecora began at the westernmost tent and trotted counterclockwise around the 'New Ponyville' as a few stallions had begun calling it.
As the sun approached its zenith, Zecora began to grow frustrated. "Where could all of the little ponies have gone? I nap for a few hours and they just disappear without a... hold on." Zecora finally found a group of tracks heading out from the southern edge of the tent city. Her ear twitched again, annoyingly. She only made that last rhyme because she found the tracks; otherwise she wouldn't have rhymed at all.
The tracks were fuzzy from yesterday's rainfall. They'd been pressed into the dirt before the rain started, and while the rain hadn't washed them away, another shower or two and they'd be erased for good. Zecora broke into an easy canter to follow the tracks and catch up.
Less than an hour into her run, disaster struck. One, she hadn't expected the tracks to go quite so far and Zecora was no endurance runner (she didn't even participate in the Running of the Leaves, although until the last year everypony had been afraid of her so entry to the race was out of the question anyway). Zecora was exhausted, and she wasn't sure she'd be able to make it before the trail went completely cold. Two, the trail led to a river with a shale bank. Normally, a herd of a few hundred ponies would still make a clear trail on shale, so that wouldn't be a problem. However, the rain storm had swollen the river, covering most of what would have been the river bank the previous day (and completely erasing any evidence of pony passage thanks to the patient river's progress). What was left of the river bank had been washed clean by the rain, making it very difficult to tell whether a given piece of broken stone had been broken by the constant flow of water, arbitrary happenstance, or a ponyshoe or two.
Zecora slowed down to a walk so that she could analyze the terrain better (neither her legs nor her lungs gave an argument against the reduced pace). There were, in fact, traces of hoofprints heading up the river to the southeast; Zecora continued following the trail.
Despite her exhaustion, Zecora refused to rest for long. A minute here, two minutes there, but kept pushing onwards to find the herd.
Unfortunately, the further Zecora walked, the harder the trail became to follow. She found some solid hoofprints by a puddle further out from the river bank, and decided to investigate the softer ground away from the river. Perhaps the ponies traveled in a wider formation, or they broke for a grazing lunch away from the shale.
Zecora traveled back and forth from the river bank searching for the trail. Occasionally, she'd find it once again, still traveling against the river's current. After three hours, Zecora finally admitted to herself that the trail had gone cold. She'd lost time sleeping in the tent city and zigzagging to and from the river bank. Still, giving up was not an option. She resolved to continue following the river until she either found the Ponyville herd or something to prove to her that she'd missed them somehow. Perhaps they crossed the river at some point, but Zecora hadn't seen any shallow areas (of course, any ford would be covered by the river swollen with rain) or bridges.
As Pinkie predicted, the ponies reached Twilight's manse midmorning the following day. Pinkie had to call out a few times, but eventually Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash (walking, but bandaged) came out to meet everypony else. The ponies stared in awe at their surroundings. Many of the ponies had seen Canterlot Castle up close, and like Twilight they had the same impression of a Canterlot Castle that had been built out instead of up. The prospect of living in – for all intents and purposes – the castle or on the castle grounds lifted everypony's spirits. Real roofs and beds (even if they were on the largish side) instead of ramshackle tents didn't hurt any, nor did the news of a real kitchen: several real kitchens.
Twilight felt a tug on her tail, and turned to find Applebloom on her own, without the other Crusaders.
"Hey Twilight, have you seen Zecora? Ah found a greenhouse Ah just know she'd love, and Ah wanted to show it to her, but Ah can't find her anywhere!"
"Sure, Applebloom, I'll help you look for her. Have you met Servant yet?" Applebloom shook her head 'no.' "Come on, I'll introduce you. I bet you'd love him!"
Applebloom fell into step with Twilight as she began walking down the main concourse of the manse. After Twilight and Applejack dealt with The Librarian and Rarity revived Rainbow, Rarity had led the whole group to the basement to meet with Servant.
Two Days Earlier
Rarity strode into Servant's chamber confidently; the other three ponies were more cautious in the gloomy atmosphere. When Rarity pulled back the curtain, Servant was once again dormant and wrapped around the pedestal containing the seven gemstones. Once again, when Rarity began approaching the pedestal, Servant animated, began glowing, and floated above the pedestal in the center of the room.
"Hello again, pony Rarity."
"Hello, darling. Thank you for deactivating the librarian!"
"The library has no acting librarian at this time. Did you mean The Librarian?"
Rarity turned and whispered to the other mares, "See what I mean? He says that same line every single time. It's so frustrating!"
Twilight whispered back, "The exact same line? Every time?" Rarity nodded. Turning to Servant and raising her voice, Twilight asked, "Who are you? What are you? Are you alive? Or are you a construct?"
"I am designated Servant of the Spark. I am a fourth generation artificial intelligence interface. I am not alive; although I can interact with organisms such as yourselves and I can respond to most stimuli, I cannot digest or reproduce. I am not a construct in the classical sense, that of an artificial body imbued with either real or artificial intelligence; I am an artificial body that serves as an interface to the artificial intelligence which manages The Spark. However, in order to facilitate that interface, I am able to concede the false claim that the artificial intelligence is a part of myself."
"That was... surprisingly thorough." Twilight wasn't sure what to make of this 'Servant of the Spark.' It did confirm her suspicions about why the Servant of the Spark would always answer references to 'the librarian' in the exact same way, every single time. As an artificial intelligence, it simply had a few gaps.
"You designed me to be so when the situation warrants."
Everypony turned to stare slack-jawed at Twilight.
Twilight and Applebloom reached the bottom of the stairs leading to Servant's chamber. Twilight held open the curtain for the little filly, and Servant activated as Applebloom drew closer.
"Greetings, pony master."
"Hello, Servant."
"Pony master, there is a dwarf pony in my chamber."
"Hey! Ah'm not a dwarf! Ah'm a filly!"
"Pony master, there is a filly pony in my chamber."
"Yes, Servant, we had some questions, and we were hoping you could give us some insight."
Applebloom tugged on Twilight's mane to get her attention. Twilight leaned down to hear the filly whisper in her ear, "Do ya really hav'ta keep callin' him 'Servant', Twilight? That don't sound very nice."
Twilight replied in the same whisper, "I tried, but he really won't respond to anything else. I'm with you, it doesn't sound very nice. My alternative is shouting 'hey you!' at him, and I think I prefer using the name he goes by – even if that name doesn't sound very good."
Servant of the Spark cocked his head at the whispered exchange. Servant could hear any noise created within his chamber past the curtain with prefect clarity. He would never point that out to his master, of course. Master always did prefer to be able to pretend she (or he) could be private. On a few occasions, Servant's ability to hear everything in his room had come in handy, when master wanted to know what someone else had whispered that master hadn't heard. Servant always granted master her (or his) pretense of privacy, though.
The mare and filly turned back to Servant. "We're looking for Zecora. She's an adult zebra, about my height. Her mane is cropped short and formed into a Mohawk. She wears golden rings around her neck and around one foreleg and golden earrings as well. Oh! She's also got a cutie mark of a spiral with several radial triangles. Can you find her?"
"One moment, pony master. Scanning... Error: No creature matching your description has ever entered The Spark's grounds."
"What?!" Applebloom shouted. "You mean ta tell me Zecora never made it here?!"
"There are no zebras within The Spark compound. There has never been a zebra within The Spark compound matching your description. The last zebra within The Spark compound died forty billion six-hundred and thirty-two million four-hundred and thirty-six thousand eight-hundred seconds ago."
Applebloom's face scrunched up trying to contemplate the number. Twilight said, "That's over one thousand two-hundred years, Applebloom."
"One thousand sixty-two years one-hundred and twenty-one days thirteen hours. Exactly."
It was Twilight's turn to scrunch her face up. "That's not right... sixty seconds to the minute, sixty minutes to the hour, twenty-four hours to the day, and three-hundred and sixty-five days to the year. It should be twelve-hundred years and change."
"Sixty seconds to the minute, sixty minutes to the hour, twenty-five hours to the day, and four-hundred and twenty-five days to the year. It is one thousand years and change."
Twilight couldn't help but smirk. Servant of the Spark – an artificial intelligence – was actually talking back to her. Perhaps Rainbow had been sneaking down to talk with Servant and she was rubbing off on him. Still, "Are you telling me the year is four-hundred and twenty-five days long?"
"Three months per season, five seasons per year. Each month is twenty-eight days long. The year ends with Calibration, five days long and outside of any month."
"Five seasons? There are only four seasons! Spring, summer, autumn, win—"
Applebloom tugged on Twilight's mane again. "Twilight, enough with the numbers and calendars and stuff! Zecora never got here! We gotta find her!"
"You're right, I'm sorry. Servant, you wouldn't happen to be able to track anything outside of the compound, would you?"
"Only the hearthstones. Even then, I can only tell which of The Spark's loci the hearthstone is closest to and nothing more."
Twilight glanced at the gemstones on the pedestal. Servant had explained a little bit about what they were, but Twilight wanted more information from Pinkie Pie before she started messing with them. She did know they were extremely strong sources of magical power, and that's not something was willing to mess around with on a whim.
"...so, without magic or wingpower, you're the fastest of all of us, Pinkie." The Bearers of the Elements of Harmony (now with three exalts!) had gathered to discuss what to do about the missing zebra. After the nonsense with The Librarian, leaving some exalts in the compound seemed prudent for the time being. That meant no leaving as a group of six. Applejack brought up the issue of the surrounding terrain, which nopony really had any knowledge of. Pinkie was generally familiar with the map (but not with anything specific) and Twilight had fuzzy memories surrounding the manse (but nothing clear nor reliable). Speed was the last facet of the search they addressed. Rainbow nearly jumped at the chance to show off... but she was still injured. Even without her injury, Rainbow's speed came from her wings, which did not work properly in Creation. Applejack could run fast, but Pinkie Pie's mysterious ability to outpace whoever she was chasing made her faster still. Thus, the duty of searching for Zecora fell into Pinkie's hooves. As a bonus, should there be any problems on the way, Pinkie was possibly most capable of fending for herself.
With a serious face and a salute mimicking the ones Dashie always gave, Pinkie bounced off north towards the river to find Zecora, and bring her home.
Ahead of Zecora just off the river bank stood a small human – probably a child – apparently playing with his feet in the mud. His flaxen hair was cropped short, and his pale skin was unmarred. Although his dark, gray clothes were tattered, they were clean and dry. How strange, thought Zecora, I wonder if this child will stay. We were told about humans to keep away! Zecora tread lightly so as to avoid alerting the human and she gave him a wide berth.
As soon as she was within earshot of the child, he turned and called out to her. "Zecora, sweet, come here to me!" Zecora was justifiably hesitant to meet with an alien stranger who knew her by name. When Zecora didn't step forward, the boy closed the distance himself. "Your dedication to the ponies is admirable. You've lost their trail and still you search for them. You have exhausted yourself and still, you search."
Zecora was about to give thanks to the stranger; strange and alien as he was, Zecora was willing to accept genuine compliments. Before any words spilled forth, the boy held a finger to Zecora's lips. The small digit pressed against her mouth was the strangest sensation, but it felt almost like a lover's hoof. Zecora kept her silence and let the boy continue. "You have healed the sick and carried great emotional weight upon your back. You care for yourself as you care for others, and you do so with the intelligent eye of a true Zebrican shaman." How could this boy know of my home? What's next, he hails from Roam? "No, I am not from Roam, my sweet Zecora. I'm merely here to claim you as one of my stewards."
Zecora saw a blinding light. It should have damaged her permanently, but instead she gained absolute clarity. The light spread throughout her body, and her mind flooded with memories of past lives. War. Training. Love. Rulership. Betrayal. Hatred. Love. Flight. Fear. Creation. Destruction. Loss. Creation. Freedom. In an instant, it was all gone. You should continue up the river, the boy's voice echoed in Zecora's mind, although this time it had a sort of ethereal quality.
When Zecora opened her eyes, she noted several extreme changes in her body. Most noticeably, she was at least a span taller than she had been before meeting the boy (who seemed to have vanished). She could feel her mane lying flat against her neck, and she could see her snout in front of her face had extended quite a distance. Zecora craned her neck to see the rest of her body, and noted that her oh-so-familiar stripes had changed their pattern, and her cutie mark was missing. The golden bands around her foreleg and neck were also missing, as were her earrings and saddlebags.
A moment of fear passed through Zecora's eyes when she realized the rings around her neck were gone. She tried to reach up with a hoof and feel the left side of her neck, only to find her leg joints no longer bent in the correct ways, and she couldn't reach her neck. Something was wrong.
An answer to this I can find. I must simply clear my mind. Zecora knelt on the ground and closed her eyes, and she began to meditate on the problem. Her mind focused on her true self, and in moments she felt wind rushing up past her ears and a familiar weight around her neck. Zecora opened her eyes to find that she had returned to normal, and all of her belongings had returned as well.
What did that boy say? Up the river was my way? Zecora stood once again and continued up the river along the bank. Hopefully, she would find the other ponies soon.
Crane on the Ocean whittled his latest masterpiece (a pair of doves back to back) while Virtuous Willow napped on the riverbank. Crane's boat (carved himself from an ebony tree he grew from a seed) floated in the river's water, lightly tethered to shore. The boat could easily fit five, but only needed one to pilot. Crane glanced at his companion with a sad eye – not for the first time, and probably not for the last. Virtuous Willow had been beautiful, once. Unfortunately, it took her too long to join the Silver Pact after taking her Second Breath. She had been given her tattoos after only a single mutation marred her body, but now she was missing all of the features that should have graced the left half of her face – no eye nor ear nor hair on her scalp, and her nose and mouth had both been warped by the change. Crane felt sorry for the young girl every time he looked at her. The Pact should have found her faster, they should have done something. Instead, Willow was transformed from exceptional beauty to (in most people's eyes) a hideous beast.
Willow didn't seem to mind the change. Crane suspected that as a mortal, she had grown tired of the affection she received for only her looks. The loss of half her face made people ignore her, she said, like some unclean thing. She could go where she liked and not be bothered by dozens of men (and a fair few women) with libidos larger than their brains. It also meant she could sleep where she pleased, and usually go unmolested. The occasional adventurous child might throw rotten fruit, but according to Willow, it was better than the alternative.
Crane's own body had recently begun to fail him. His hair was going as silver as the Pact, and he could no longer partake in so many sacred hunts as he was used to. Two months until his nineteen-hundredth birthday – what a milestone!
Crane looked up from his whittling and found himself staring into the eyes of a small zebra. Without taking his eyes off of such a unique animal, he nudged Virtuous Willow awake.
"Huh? Whazza?" Willow was not the lightest sleeper, so she always took some time to get her bearings after waking up. She enjoyed sleeping, and did so frequently.
"Don't make any sudden moves, Willow. Would you like the others to stop calling you an Unblooded?"
"Eh?"
"Look there, it's a zebra foal. I'm quite surprised to see one so far north, actually. It should be easy enough for you to hunt, though. The recent rain will make any tracks it makes stand out, and it is not likely to be very fast." Crane took a moment to glance down at his young companion before turning back to the quarry before him. "Do you think you're ready?"
"{Err... are you talking about me? It is difficult to understand, you see...}"
Crane blinked, dumbfounded. The zebra had talked, in Old Realm no less.
"Did that zebra just talk?" Willow was wide awake now. "What did it say?" Willow looked to Crane for translation.
"Um... she asked if I was talking about her. {How is it that you can speak Old Realm?}"
"{I do not know this 'Old Realm' of which you speak. I think 'Equestrian' is the language you seek.}"
Willow continued looking to Crane for guidance. "Is she... Rhyming?" Crane nodded the affirmative.
"{What language are you speaking to each other? It seems familiar but not quite... if it's not a bother!}" The zebra's ear twitched and her extremely expressive face seemed to show annoyance. She composed herself quickly.
Crane replied, "We are speaking Low Realm. {We are speaking Low Realm.} Can you understand it? {Can you understand it?}" This situation was too fascinating to pass up. This zebra was definitely off the list of things Crane was interested in hunting – while he knew of communication between animals, no animal he had ever communicated with had ever shown this level of intelligence; most forms of animal communication were extremely basic, and Crane had never heard of an animal speaking in a human tongue before. The zebra's face was a curiosity, as well. Now that Crane could see it clearly, he realized that it looked far more human than any zebra he'd seen before in his long life.
The zebra shook its head side-to-side (a very human expression). "{I cannot understand your other sound. Perhaps some common ground could be found?}"
"{We're looking for someone. If we can't find her soon enough, she may eventually become a danger to herself and to others.} Show off your 'pretty' side, Willow." Willow turned so that the zebra could see her left side; the zebra took three steps back in shock. "{We found Willow here a bit too late. I don't want to lose another to the same fate. Damn, now I'm doing it, too!}"
The zebra let out a jovial laugh, though she still seemed concerned by Willow's asymmetrical appearance. "{My speech can often have that effect on another. You should have heard the curses spoken by my mother! Who is this mare that you seek to aid, perhaps I can help you in your crusade.}"
"{I'm not certain what she looks like. Only that she would be somewhere near this location today, and that her name is Zecora.}"
The zebra's eyes seemed to grow half again as large as they already were (and her eyes were several times larger than a normal equine's), and it seemed as though they would escape her skull. Her voice trembled as she said, "{My name is Zecora. What do you want with me? What do you mean I could be a danger to myself? What about my friends?!}" Zecora's ear twitched incessantly while she talked, but she paid it no mind.
That was not the response Crane had been expecting. Willow took the moment of silence to butt into the conversation again. "Hey Crane, what's going on? Why's the zebra look so scared? Was it my face?"
"She says that she's Zecora. That's not possible. {No, that can't be possible. We were sent to find a woman who had taken her Second Breath. You're... not even human. It's not possible.}"
"You mean Luna exalted a horse?" Willow was intensely interested now, and she stared (extremely uncomfortably, due to her deformity) at the zebra intently.
"{Zecora, are you sure there's no human named Zecora around here?}"
"{I cannot rule out that possibility, but it seems like a slim probability. I am Ora of the Zec clan. Each mare in my family has been a strong shaman,}" Zecora's ear twitched again. "{My name is unique, as far as I know, but I think you have arrived apropos. Not long ago I met a boy, who gave me a gift that fills me with joy. When I awoke I found my body had changed; my cutie mark gone, my stripes rearranged. Since I believe myself to be the only mare with my name, perhaps it is time to tell – with full detail – why it is that you came.}"
Willow looked up to Crane, hoping for a translation of the zebra's monologue. Crane sighed, "I don't think there's much question. Based on her story, it sounds like she's just taken her Second Breath. {Zecora, we are here as your brethren. Just as you have changed once, so can we two... Luna damn this stupid contagious meter!}" Crane took a breath to steady himself. "Willow, show Zecora your spirit shape, won't you?"
Willow nodded to her elder, and focused her mind inward. The girl began to shrink and her skin grew rough. Her robin's eggs blue robes – muddy from lying on the river bank – vanished into thin air. Willow's flat face stretched out to form a muzzle, and then flattened into something more reptilian. Within seconds, in the place of the marred girl there was a similarly marred gecko. The silvery tattoos that could be seen on Willow's face covered the gecko in the same places, and without clothes Zecora could see the tattoos extended to cover the gecko's entire body. Moments later, the gecko transformed back into the human Willow, and her clothes reappeared with her human body.
Crane looked back to Zecora. "{Every time you change forms, you risk your body mutating. The more often you shift, the higher the risk. You need to have tattoos like the ones Willow and I have; the spells used in their creation will protect you from any kind of mutation, caused by your own shifting or not.}" Crane's face softened. "{Please, Zecora. If you don't receive tattoos, you will eventually succumb to chimerism. Once you do, the Silver Pact will be forced to hunt you down and eliminate you. In all my years, I have never seen a creature like you; I do not wish for you to die before your time comes.}"
Crane's words gave Zecora pause. "{What if I just don't shift form? I rather like what I perceive as the norm.}"
"{Chimerism will come for you eventually; it is merely a matter of time. It could be weeks, if you abuse your power, or years if you avoid using it. It will still come.}"
Crane could almost see the wheels turning in Zecora's head. Even if much of his life had been spent on the fringes of civilization, nineteen centuries was plenty to learn how to read body language. Though she wasn't human, her face was expressive enough to be one. If Zecora joined Crane, she would be leaving some very close friends to join a complete stranger. If Zecora refused Crane, she would eventually endanger those same friends.
"{Just one thing more, I must make sure I have asked: how many years are in your past? You say there are many and that I am rare. I wish to know how you think I compare.}"
Crane smirked a little. "{In two months, I'll be celebrating my one thousand nine-hundredth birthday.}"
"{Did somepony say BIRTHDAY?!}" Zecora could not be entirely surprised by the outburst; she had seen it before. Neither Crane nor Willow could have expected a pink pony to stick its head out of Crane's knapsack.
"{Pinkie?}" Zecora
"Crane?" Willow
"{What in—}" Crane
"{Zecora!}" Pinkie
"{What are—}" Zecora
"{How...?}" Crane
"Zecora?" Willow
"{Rocky!}" Pinkie
Crane finally decided that a speaking pink creature popping out of his bag where it could not possibly fit was not worth shouting about any more. Rather than attempt to understand impossibility, he could act. Crane's fingers gleamed in the sunlight and he grew long, needle-like, silver claws. In a flash of light, Crane's claws were suddenly occupying the space Pinkie had been. Pinkie, however, was not there anymore.
"{Hiya! My name's Pinkie Pie! What's your name?}"
In another flash of light, Crane raked across his own back where Pinkie Pie had been hanging from his shoulders. Again, Pinkie was missing.
"{Hey Zecora! I'm so glad I found you; I've been looking all over. Then I heard somepony talking about having a birthday but it turned out to be someone instead!}"
"{Pinkie, look out!}"
For a third time, a flash of light was the only indication that Crane had moved. This time, rather than disappearing from where she was standing, Pinkie's hoof was covered with her cannon. Crane's wicked-looking claws were pressed against the iridescent weapon covering Pinkie's foreleg, and his eyes widened in realization.
"{I just wanted to wish someone a happy birthday and find my friend Zecora. Why are you trying to stab me?}" Pinkie's eyes grew large and started to water.
Crane stood up straight and dismissed his claws. "{Vizier,}" Crane's demeanor became polite, but curt. "{I would advise against performing 'impossible' acts in front of strangers. Especially strangers who can be violent,}" Crane's eyes narrowed. "{Like me.}"
Pinkie returned to her normal smile. "{Aww, don't worry, I forgive you!}" With that, Pinkie leapt up to give Crane a hug.
Willow looked very confused. "Um, Crane? How did a horse climb out of your bag? Er... and why did you try to kill it? And... Why can it talk like Zecora? Why are you hugging a pink horse, Crane?"
Through Pinkie's tangled mane, Crane replied, "I honestly have no idea, Willow."
"Do you want a hug too, Willow?" Pinkie asked (this time speaking in Low Realm, to the surprise of everyone else standing on the riverbank).
Before Willow had a chance to respond, Pinkie had transferred herself from Crane's neck to Willow's.
"I hate to admit it, Willow, but you look kinda cute with that horse around your neck." The rising heat in Willow's face was her only response.
When Pinkie finally released Willow from the hug she asked, "So what were you two lovebirds talking to Zecora about before the birthday was brought up?"
Willow's blush deepened. Crane managed to maintain his impassive appearance. "We're taking Zecora to the Silver Pact, Vizier. I hope you understand the implications of that, and stay out of our way."
Pinkie turned back to Zecora, who had lost track of the conversation thanks to the change in language. Pinkie wasn't smiling, which concerned Zecora. "{Hey, what's going on?}" Zecora was certain that she'd pulled a few auricular muscles that time.
"{Are you gonna go with them, Zecora?}"
"{I... don't know whether I should go...}"
Pinkie turned back to Crane and Willow. "Can you promise you'll bring her back here when you're done? She's got a lot of friends that are gonna miss her." Pinkie was clearly distressed. It didn't take hundreds of years of practice to know what emotions were floating though this horse's brain.
After a silent moment, it was Willow who spoke. "I swear to bring her back." Crane raised an eyebrow towards his companion, but said nothing.
"Do you Pinkie Promise?" When Pinkie instructed Willow on the bizarre pony oath, Willow couldn't help but laugh a little. The extreme seriousness with which Pinkie delivered the lines even made Crane crack a smile.
With the bond struck, Pinkie turned to Zecora once more. "{Don't worry, Zecora. I'll make sure to have a HUGE party for you when you get back.}" Pinkie wrapped Zecora in perhaps the gentlest hug the zebra had ever witnessed from the hyperactive mare. Pinkie disengaged and began to trot away down river. Zecora watched her go, and the further she got, the more spring returned to her step until finally Pinkie was back to her usual bouncing gait.
"{Climb in the boat, Zecora, let's get on our way.}"
Zecora and Willow both climbed into the boat, but Crane held back. Crane began muttering under his breath as arcane glyphs formed in the air around him. He began waving his arms in angular patterns; the glyphs danced to his motion. Crane raised his voice and the glyphs intensified. The glyphs rose into the air above the trio and began interlocking into a dark shape. Additional glyphs formed, filling holes, until finally the shape solidified. The dark glyphs shattered and evaporated, revealing a creature made of many white wings and a pair of scaled claws. The creature floated above the trio, five hundred spans long and two hundred spans wide.
Crane finally climbed into the boat, and the creature descended down onto them. The flying beast gripped each side of the boat and pressed itself down, forming a feathery canopy. With the sound of great wingbeats and the dropping of Zecora's stomach, the group was under way.
Gilda swooped down and landed by the fire in front of Trixie with a pair of jackrabbits in her claws.
"You're... not planning to prepare those things here, are you?"
"This is what you get for traveling with a carnivore. If you don't like it, feel free to go it alone, Trix."
Trixie's coat turned a few shades lighter as Gilda began her work gutting and skinning the rabbits for her dinner. "Trixie does not have a problem watching you eat meat. Trixie does have a problem watching you spill blood and guts all over our campsite!"
"I already bled them on the way here!"
"Then what is all the red stuff soaking into the dirt?"
"Um, precious bodily fluids?"
"Ugh. Why does it smell so bad?"
"That would be rabbit feces."
"That's disgusting! Trixie cannot fathom how you meat eaters can possibly stand such things!" Behind her, Gilda felt a brush of wind signifying Trixie was using her 'newfound greatness.' Presumably, Trixie was just trying to get the wind to keep the smells away.
Gilda swiftly finished cleaning her dinner, and skewered the two rabbits to hold them over the fire. Raw meat was fine, but that meant coughing up pellets later. Cooked meat just tasted so much richer than raw meat. If only Gilda had some seasoning for the rabbits. Even just a little salt and pepper would do. She tossed the leftover bits into the blaze (Gilda had no intention of eating viscera and fur when she had a campfire available, and Trixie certainly wouldn't be eating it), and tossed some dirt onto the ground where she had worked. There were plenty of animals who would smell the remains, but she could at least keep her campsite tidy. After turning the skewered rabbits a bit, she walked off into a grassier area to clean off her claws.
By the time she had finished cleaning up after her meal's preparation, the wood she'd used for skewers was about to ignite (in fact, the tip of one of them had already lit). Gilda removed the rabbits from the open flame and sliced into each to check on the state of the meat. They were purple and juicy on the inside, crunchy on the outside, and warm all the way through. Perfect. Trixie raised her nose in distaste as Gilda dove in to her meal with gusto.
When she was done, Gilda wiped her beak clean and turned back to the blue unicorn. "So, how was your dinner?"
The winds surrounding her died down. "Trixie found it... adequate."
Gilda snorted. Considering what I've got to work with, your dinner was practically gourmet. Ginger meal with wild berries, mushrooms, and sunflower seeds, rolled into a husk made of local grasses and cooked in the fire until the grasses flaked away at a touch. Like a wild tamale.
"Whatever, Trix. I'm gonna go grab some more firewood and take first watch," the pair had already encountered predators other than Gilda. They certainly weren't in Equestria anymore, wherever they were. "You get some rest. I saw a town to the south, we may be able to get there by tomorrow and figure out what the buck is going on."
"Wake Trixie when it is Trixie's turn to keep watch."
"You know it, Trix."
Trixie moved a little closer to the fire and made herself comfortable.
Gilda approached a lone Bois d'Arc tree; twigs and Bois d'Arc fruit littered the ground around it. The sun had already dipped below the horizon, and Gilda was quickly losing her light. She began gathering some of the larger sticks to use as fuel for their night campfire, and she even found a small branch that had broken free from the trunk.
A bipedal creature stepped out from behind the tree. It stood less than a span taller than Gilda with her head raised, and the hair on top of its head seemed to change colors as it turned in the sunset – almost like an opal, or a prism splitting light. It didn't seem to have hair or feathers or scales elsewhere on its body (strange enough in and of itself), but Gilda couldn't be sure, since it was draped with what appeared to be a sky-blue sundress.
Gilda made no sudden moves, but tensed up, ready to fight or fly away as needed. If it came to that, Gilda was sure she could outfly any ground-bound creature (except for that demonic pink pony Rainbow Dash had befriended); this one clearly couldn't fly.
"Good evening, Gilda. It's a lovely sunset, don't you think?"
Talking... was not what Gilda had expected.
"Yeah, sure, I guess; if you like that sort of thing. Do I know you?"
"No, but you will know me soon." The creature – Gilda decided that, based on its voice, it was probably female – changed gears. "You've taken excellent care of Trixie."
"You been spying on us?"
"I suppose you could say that. You don't have to stay with her, you know."
Gilda sighed. "Yeah, I do. I guess I could leave if I wanted, but I'd hate myself forever. She saved my life, you know." The other creature nodded – somehow, Gilda understood the nod wasn't about knowing Gilda's situation with Trixie, but rather knowing the bond of such a relationship. "I don't even know why I'm opening up to you like this. Who the buck are you?"
The creature smiled. It was a thin smile, like she didn't do it often, but it seemed genuine. "I am many things. I think the least confusing name for you to use would be Selene. As for why you're opening up to me," Selene gave a shrug, "I sometimes have that effect on people."
Gilda relaxed a bit, although she still wasn't sure why she had any reason to trust this 'Selene.' "So Selene, why are you here?"
"Much has happened to you in your life, Gilda. From losing friends to nearly losing your life, you've been beset by challenges, always. Even now, you're in a strange world and you're attached by honor to one who barely tolerates you—"
"I wouldn't say barely..."
"Yet you pull through the difficulty and strive on in your own unique way. Why am I here? I have come to claim you as one of my stewards."
Gilda barely managed to sputter, "Wha—" before her world went white. When she opened her eyes again, she lost her balance and fell over onto her side. For some reason, the fall was much shorter than she expected.
Gilda noted that she was still clutching the wood (including the small branch) to her chest with one claw (surely, that was why she'd lost her balance), Selene had disappeared, and Gilda's light was all but gone. She quickly flapped her wings to right herself and pushed off from the ground with her free claw (yet not with her paws). The wood seemed heavy as her wings strained to lift her from the ground, but soon she was aloft and gliding towards Trixie and the campfire.
Suddenly exhausted, Gilda simply dropped the firewood onto the fire from the air as she came in for her landing. Some of the wood missed the fire, but enough landed on-target to last through most of the night. Trixie could shore it up when it was her turn for watch. Gilda stumbled her landing like her claws were tucked to her stomach and her paws were asleep, eating some dirt in the process.
I must be way too tired. I think I'll just stay right here until it's time to wake up Trixie.
Gilda never woke Trixie. Fortunately, ever since her tour of the Badlands, Trixie had grown accustomed to sleeping with an ear to the ground.
thud thud thud thud
Trixie pulled herself out of dreamland at the vibrations. Gilda wasn't waking her, though, so whatever it was couldn't be terribly important.
thud thud thud thud
Trixie was fully awake with her eyes still closed. What is that noise anyway? Surely Gilda would wake me up for something like this.
Trixie cracked her eyes open to the early sunrise. Well, that explains why Gilda didn't wake me. She must've passed out.
THUD THUD THUD THUD
Remembering why she was awake in the first place, Trixie leapt up and trotted over to Gilda (beak in a small furrow – sleepy flying makes for sloppy landing!). Trixie nudged her companion with a hoof. "Gilda, get up! Something big is coming this way!"
Gilda was not the light sleeper that Trixie was, but a hoof in the gut could wake anyone. Within moments, Gilda was up and ready to fly, and both mare and griffon were facing the oncoming sound. It wasn't so loud now that Trixie didn't have an ear to the earth, but the pair could make out a cadence of four heavy steps, running.
Just before the source of the sound came into view, they heard a voice that would put Princess Luna to shame. "{DAK IS HERE!}" Neither Gilda nor Trixie understood what the voice had shouted, but soon the source bounded into view. Rather than a single quadrupedal creature, as Trixie had expected, there were two bipeds running together; two very tall bipeds (at least twice Gilda's height), with very broad shoulders and very thick limbs.
"Trixie has this covered, Gilda!" Trixie stepped up and pointed her horn towards the nearest of the two (both still running full-throttle towards Gilda and Trixie with no signs of stopping). A visible blast of air launched from Trixie's horn to the front biped. The attack hit the dead center of the creature's chest, but the creature brushed it off as though nothing had happened.
Gilda had to smirk a little at Trixie's failure. The mare had been so proud of her new ability; she'd often practiced exploding every other log of small rock they came across. "Nice try, Trix. I bet you just made him mad."
Trixie didn't even bother asking why Gilda assumed the creature was male. Instead, she let off a barrage of air blasts from her horn, aiming at the same point on the target each time. By the time she had let up, the two bipeds were getting extremely close, and Gilda readied her talons for her own assault. Trixie noticed her attacks had in fact torn a gash into the creature's bare chest between the silvered tattoos it sported all over. Yet to Trixie's astonishment, the wound slowly closed right before her eyes.
Gilda readied herself to attack. Trixie was about to warn her about the creature's regenerative ability, but it was too late; the bipeds were upon them. Trixie is too pretty to die!
Rather than plowing through them both, the two bipeds skidded to a stop, throwing a wave of dirt (and a few charred and dried rabbit remains) into the air – a wave of dirt which landed right on Trixie's head, and missed Gilda entirely. (Gilda's chortles at the situation did not improve Trixie's mood at all.)
The two bipeds were like yin and yang in almost every way except for their body structure. Where one had light hair on the top of its head, the other had dark. Where one was densely covered with tattoos, the other had only a few. One wore as few clothes as possible, the other was covered. One had yet to open its mouth, the other didn't seem to have a concept of an 'inside voice.'
"{HELLO!}" Bellowed the bare-chested one, waving and arm with a giddy smile on its face. What is this, a child? Thought Trixie. She had no idea what the creature had said, but it seemed to be a greeting.
"Er... Trixie welcomes you...?" If the bipeds weren't going to attack, she might as well stop fighting, too. The speaking one didn't seem to mind that only a moment ago she'd been blasting him (might as well go with Gilda's instinct on that one) with her substantial magical power.
Both bipeds focused on the dirt-covered mare. "{ARE YOU} GILDA?"
Trixie looked over to the griffin. "How does this thing know your name?"
Without taking her eyes off the intruders, Gilda said, "Buck if I know. There was another one last night... a lot smaller, mind you. She knew my name, too." Gilda directed her voice towards the two bipeds in front of her. "AND SHE COULD SPEAK SENSIBLY!"
The other biped finally spoke, "{Horned one shoot magic.} Gilda {no shoot magic. Feathered one} Gilda?"
The loud one smacked his head hard enough that any other creature would have been knocked out cold. "{OF COURSE! FEATHERED ONE} GILDA! {HELLO,} GILDA!" He waved frantically at Gilda.
"{Elder say bring} Gilda. {What do with horned one?}"
"{NOTHING, KIMCHEE. TAKE} GILDA."
"Hey you dweebs, quit talking about me in some stupid made-up language!"
Gilda raked her talons across Dak's chest, and traced three deep gouges into his flesh. Despite how deep the wound appeared to Trixie, Gilda blinked at how shallow it was. The amount of force she used, she should be able to see the guy's heart pumping in his chest. Dak, for his part, didn't seem to notice.
While Gilda watched the wounds on Dak's chest slowly close, Kimchee wrapped a long arm around Gilda's waist, pinning her wings. "{Come, Dak. We go to elders!}"
Kimchee hefted Gilda over one shoulder, leaving her upside-down and facing Trixie. "Can't you do anything about this, Trix?!"
Trixie looked uncertain. On one hoof, traveling with Gilda was definitely safer than traveling alone. It was also kind of fun to shout at each other. On the other hoof, these things had proven impervious to both Gilda and Trixie's attacks – at least, they seemed not to suffer any lasting damage. On the other other hoof, they didn't seem to want to hurt Gilda or Trixie, just take Gilda somewhere. That was a good thing, because after the small (failed) altercation, Trixie honestly didn't think she could win, even with her new power and Gilda's help.
"No. Trixie thinks she should follow these creatures wherever they are taking you, and then plan from there."
Gilda was beginning to get lightheaded from the blood rushing to her brain. "Didn't you see their teeth, Trix? These things eat meat! Like, griffin meat!"
Kimchee and Dak began stomping off the way they came from, and Gilda soon passed out due to the head rush. In order to keep up, Trixie had to step up her usual gait. As the sun began to climb in the sky, the unlikely quartet ran headlong to the east.
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Look, I can get off my lazy bum and write!
Wow, this was almost as long as the original Prologue (shortest chapter) and Chapter 2 (previously my longest chapter) put together!
I need to go back and do some editing work on the previous chapters, though...
Also: Now that everypony (well, except FS/RD/Rarity) has exalted, I feel fine putting up the alternate cover. Whee!
The transition between Servant telling Twilight she built him and Twilight reentering the room for an unrelated reason is awkward. Is something missing there?
It doesn't really feel like the plot is moving. The characters are picking up exaltations left and right, but what have they accomplished? They haven't learned anything useful, or followed any leads on a solution, or had any interaction with the Dowager or her forces. They got in fights, but the fights didn't seem to tie into anything; they were just there. They found a kickass house, but as far as safety or plot development goes, they might have been better off with the tents.
Why did you have the ponies lose most of their abilities? There's already an overwhelming power discrepancy between the settings; taking away flight, special talents, and just about everything else the ponies have going for them seems like kicking the un-exalted while they're down. I'm hoping they come up with a countermeasure (and that it doesn't depend on being an exalt or having one close at hand).
I like the backstory of how Pinkie is constantly fighting Arcane Fate with her attempts to be friends with everybody. I hope we see more of that in her interactions in the story.
Loved that scene with Willow, Crane, Zecora, and Pinkie.
1302059
> The transition between Servant telling Twilight she built him and Twilight reentering the room for an unrelated reason is awkward. Is something missing there?
This was a flashback as TS and AB walked to Servant's chamber. Remember that TS, RD, AJ, and Rarity have been alone in the manse for about 2 days while PP retrieved the rest of the ponies.
> Why did you have the ponies lose most of their abilities?
Life in Creation can really suck for mortals; Before the Prologue, all of the ponies (save PP, DH, and OP) were mortal -- the Mane Six (less PP), Zecora, Gilda, and Trixie were Heroic Mortals, but mortals nonetheless. Even the chance to have shelter within a powerful manse gives the ponies a HUGE leg up on most mortals in Creation. (Even just running water is a luxury item for most mortals, and the ponies now have much more than that.)
The natural magics of the ponies relies on the magic of Equestria, which is not present (at least on such a scale to be particularly useful) in Creation. Earth pony hardiness and their green hoof, unicorn magic, and pegasus flight and cloud manipulation are all weakened or missing*. Certainly there's a discrepancy between even Terrestrial exalts and ponies, but similarly there is a discrepancy between ponies and mortals in Creation. Should Twilight lead them to battle, for example, I do not wish the ponies to have an innate advantage over a similarly sized and skilled Dragon** of humans (I do not currently have plans for Twilight to lead a Dragon of ponies to battle). Loss of special talents is an extension of that loss of innate ability. It will certainly depress the CMC once they learn about the problem (does this count as Scootabuse?
), but it actually isn't that big of a problem for most of the adults. For many ponies, their talent relates to something tangible -- Lyra can play her lyre exceptionally well, but even without her talent, she's still learned what goes into playing her instrument over the years, and she can still play. Some ponies may have more intangible talents that can't be compensated for with years of practice, and that's unfortunate. Most will not have trouble with the situation.
Pinkie Pie has abilities that can be explained by neither Equestrian magic nor Sidereal magic. Like popping out of Crane's bag, or reading my script ahead of time (dammit, Pinkie!). That's just Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie.
* Gilda does not use Equestrian magic to fly (which is why she can fly in Creation), but she does to walk on clouds (which she has not yet discovered, thanks to having a ground-bound traveling companion).
** A Dragon is part of the command structure of a Legion. Ten Dragons compose a Legion, two Wings compose a Dragon, two Talons compose a Wing, five Scales compose a Talon, and five Fangs compose a Scale. A Dragon (led by a Dragonlord // Colonel) is approximately 500 soldiers, while a Fang (led by a Sergeant) is only 5.
As far as your concerns about the plot go:
I intend to take this story for the long haul. While I've introduced the start of the overarching plot (Dowager in Equestria, Equestria's heroes in another dimension), that plot is in the background for the moment. As far as the Sidereals know, the only route to Equestria is via Cecelyne, the Endless Desert -- a ten day journey that is not conducive to a long life for a mortal. As far as the Sidereals know, the only route from Equestria is via the Calibration Gate. Twilight and the Dowager at least have managed to prove the Sidereals wrong, even if the route they've found is difficult to traverse (requiring simultaneous use of the Well of Udr and a unicorn spell).
If this story were a game of tabletop Exalted, I'd still be at the point of playing an introduction with each player over how the character exalted. The story will look back to the Dowager every now and then, but she won't be seen at the forefront of the story very frequently (there will be a final confrontation, but that's a long ways off); there are currently only two* characters with any chance against the Dowager directly that are in Equestria (Derpy and Ocativa), with the truly main characters currently in Creation. You won't actually see the Dowager herself for a while, though you should see some of the results of her actions soon. (Octavia's off playing spy, remember?)
* The Princesses could put up a fight as well, but the powers they would need to use would endanger ponies as much as the Dowager (if not more so). There's also the fact that the Sidereals are trying to conceal Creation from Equestria, so Derpy can't be entirely forthright. (In my head and in the original Prologue, this story is in the same multiverse as On a Cross and Arrow, too, so Celestia already knows of alternate worlds and converses on a semi-regular basis with her male counterpart.)
That was all a bit long-winded, but I hope I answered your questions?
1303502
> This was a flashback as TS and AB walked to Servant's chamber. Remember that TS, RD, AJ, and Rarity have been alone in the manse for about 2 days while PP retrieved the rest of the ponies.
That was a flashback? I didn't notice; it should probably be made more clear.
> The natural magics of the ponies relies on the magic of Equestria, which is not present (at least on such a scale to be particularly useful) in Creation.
Things that rely on the magic of Creation still work in Equestria. Arcane Fate works just fine, indicating Equestria is on the Loom.
> Most will not have trouble with the situation.
Pegasuses can't fly. That's like having your legs sliced off.
Unicorn telekinesis sucks suddenly. That's like having your arms broken.
Special talents are gone. That's taking the one thing each pony is best at, and bringing their skill down to average.
You crippled everything from one side of the crossover just so they wouldn't have any inherent advantages over untrained peasants from the other side. Is that even necessary? The asymmetries that favor Creation all get to stay; why do the few things that favor Equestria have to be equalized?
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> That was a flashback? I didn't notice; it should probably be made more clear.
Noted, I'll see what I can do.
> Things that rely on the magic of Creation still work in Equestria. Arcane Fate works just fine, indicating Equestria is on the Loom.
Arcane Fate is only partially due to the Loom of Fate, the rest being the Five-Score Fellowship's habitual efforts to conceal themselves from existence. Similarly, Equestria is only partially within Fate: the Sidereals and their exaltations were able to track new hosts to Equestria, but Lytek did not know of Trixie's existence until she arrived in Creation.
Yes, the magic of Creation works within Equestria, but it should also be noted that a region does not need to be within Fate for that to be true; Creaton's magic works in the Underworld and in Autocthonia, which are both outside Fate. (Also, only a very small handful of Creation's mortals can use any kind of magic at all, while every pony has at least some magic.) Further reasoning along those lines is not something I'd like to say in comments. I do have some plans about this for later in the story.
> Is that even necessary? The asymmetries that favor Creation all get to stay; why do the few things that favor Equestria have to be equalized?
Life isn't fair. It's really true. That said, "the asymmetries that favor Creation" don't exist. It's asymmetries that favor supernaturals that exist (exalts, ghosts, gods, elementals, etc.). The Mane Six will find they've kept their exalted powers once they return to Equestria, and regain their normal Equestrian abilities as quickly as they were lost. If the Princesses learn of Creation and come for a visit, they would maintain their own powers -- part of the reason why the Sidereals conceal Creation from them (I don't think Sol Invictus would appreciate Celestia messing with the sun, and I don't think Luna would appreciate Princess Luna messing with the moon -- Ligier might have some words should Celestia ever visit Malfeas, too, and if either Princess visited the Underworld, they might irreparably break the Calendar of Setesh). Of course, Celestia the god created by Pinkie Pie is extremely different from Princess Celestia of Equestria, with different memories, power, and job.
The asymmetry is not only about ponies losing out when traveling to Creation. A human traveling to Equestria would experience the opposite change: growing innate power, and the ability to learn his or her special talent (and associated cutie mark). This isn't all about gutting the ponies to balance an interaction between ponies and humans -- Creation sucks for mortals and Equestria is better. (A human Sidereal could learn his or her special talent, but none have stayed long enough.)
How can Trixie become a Terrestrial anyway? Don't you have to be descended from the original Terrestrial army that served the Solars to have a chance at Terrestrial Exaltation?
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Since Derpy is an Exalted, doesn't that make Dinky a Half-Caste?
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That's... actually a very good question, which hadn't even crossed my mind. However, an Exalt needs Essence 4+ at conception to produce a half-caste child. Living for at least a month in a Demense before conception reduces the requirement by one, having Followers 3+ or Cult 3+ reduces the requirement by one, and those two reductions can stack; Derpy doesn't meet any of those reduction criteria, though. Derpy has demonstrated the Infallible Messenger sorcery spell, which is in the Terrestrial Circle of Emerald (requires Essence 3).
In other words: I can easily say Dinky's not a half-caste by simply leaving Derpy at Terrestrial Sorcery level power (or have Derpy know very little Essence 4 charms/sorcery, suggesting that Derpy raised her essence after conceiving Dinky). I can elevate Dinky to half-caste level any time I want by simply saying Derpy is more powerful than she's shown so far. My options are open, and thanks for pointing it out to me!
I don't intend to make Dinky a main character, though, so at most it would probably be something along the lines of Twilight studying Dinky to find out why there's a "normal" unicorn able to do more than the other unicorns -- which may lead to Twilight discovering Derpy's nature.
*crosses fingers* Please let them turn into Abyssal Exalted in the near future... Please please pleaseeeee...
....
Now that that's done... Onto reading.
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Nope. They'll run into Abyssals during the story (Shoat of the Mire is a given), but none of the characters are going to become Abyssals themselves.
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I can understand disliking Pinkie breaking the fourth wall, it's not everyone's cup of tea (although in my opinion I thought I'd done it sparingly, you're welcome to your opinion). How far did you read, though? Most of Pinkie's knowledge about Creation is not inexplicable, with a reveal near the end of chapter 1 and some backstory about the reveal in chapter 2.
If you don't wish to read the chapters, then here's the short version: Pinkie lived in Creation throughout her fillyhood (after earning her Cutie mark) and her young adulthood. Hence, the knowledge she displays about the dimension. A subset of her Pinkie powers (not including fourth wall breaking) can also be explained by what she learned during her years in Creation.
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Awww... Well at least if they aren't treated like 'Ultimate Evil Douche Bags HURR DURR', methinks I'll be satisfied (Yes I'm aware they aim to wipe out Creation... But they're just TO AWESOME).
Carry on
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The awesomeness belongs to the Infernals. Abyssals and their charms are almost consistently portrayed as "Like Solars, but mean". They even have the Mirror keyword on a huge portion of their charms.
I wish I had more to say but.... i don't... *continues reading*
I think Oprah is the main god here, "You're exalted, you're exalted...everyone is exalted!"
Ehhhhh, that's not how chimerism works at all. Please don't listen to the silly elders young ones, the years have filled their heads with fluff. Deploying nitpicks.
"Chimerism" is actually a twofold process, physical and mental.
The physical changes are brought on by shapeshifting into forms other than your trueshapes (That's the body you were born with and your spirit shape). With sufficient mental strength you can avoid this but the difficulty increases with each transformation. Being in Wyld affected areas adds more to the accumulating difficulty when you transform within them. This difficulty dissipates slightly each day.
The far more dangerous part is the mental changes. All Exalts are subject to a system called "Limit". If you act contrary to your nature (e.g. the compassionate ignoring a starving child, the valiant running from a battle, the tempered indulging in gluttony, the convicted giving up on a goal) you gain Limit. If you reach maximum the Limit of 10 you undergo a Limit Break. Instead of breaking the 9999 damage limit you go screwy in the head for a while in a way that relates to your nature (e.g. the compassionate cannot ignore the slightest misfortune of others, the valiant becomes suicidally confidant, the tempered loses emotions becoming utterly logical, the convicted loses all sight of the future and acts only according to what he must do right now.) Now the scary part is that if Limit Break in a Wyld affected area then you gain 1 PERMANENT LIMIT, forever reducing your capacity to at outside of your instincts. If you end up with 10 permanent Limit you are reduced to a superpowered animal, running around eating things and generally being an uncontrollable horror of nature.
Horrific stuff right? Well that's a big part of what Luna tattoos do, they prevent all this from happening. So technically if you keep your shapeshifting below your mental limits and don't Limit Break in the Wyld you can stay perfectly functional. Not that the Silver Pact knows with as a whole. And any that do probably aren't going to share that knowledge.
P.S. On the subject of Willow, she's referred to as "Unblooded" meaning she hasn't performed a ritual "Sacred Hunt" to hunt, slay and consume the Heartsblood of an animal to gain it's shape. This means that she could not have gained her deformity from shapeshifting too much without Lunar Tattoos. So she must have either been in a Wyld affected area or had contact with some nasty Wyld based substance or magic before her tattooing.
Okay that turned out longer than anticipated. /Edumacted