Cheese - Duality
Letters From Solar Royalty
“When I was young, my parents and I lived in with the Garnt tribe, on the corner of the rainforest near the Black Marsh and the desert in the south. We numbered around 120 cats in our small clearing. Many generations previously, that section of the jungle had been cleared so the tribe could live there. While the jungle wasn’t dark, our clearing certainly provided a way for us to live away from some of the dangers the forest provided due to the extra light. As a tribe, we had no neighbors. No other tribes dared venture so near the marshes and desert. Most of our food came from a nearby lake; fish made up the majority of our diet. Not to say it was routine; fish are delicious, especially when garnished with pineapples.
The jungle is exactly what you would expect: beautiful and deadly at the same time. Lush canopies and green underbrush hid all kinds of beasts, from manticores to basilisks, living under the massive trees; even more lived in them. Occasionally, the tribe would go on hunts to reduce their population and keep us safer. Obviously, these trips were often very dangerous and so only our best fighters would go out on them, often taking the job training while they were being raised. They also gathered alchemical ingredients while they were out, both from plants and from any beasts they defeated. Our tribe, as with many, has quite a penchant for making potions to keep us healthy.
Despite the dangers, our tribe lived in relative peace. Since no other tribes were nearby, we never had squabbles over land or supplies. Due to our hunts and our proximity to the marshes and desert, we were rarely attacked by bandits or roving bands of beasts. The occasional Roc feeling gutsy might come near but we could drive it away with numbers. Our biggest threats came from the marshes and the desert but we rarely saw anything come out of either and knew to stay well away from anything that did. Bogfleshes and sand spirits are not things to be messed with.
I was trained in the way of any child; first to fish, then to fight and hunt on my own. As we often had little else to do, I took up basket weaving as part our culture. Each day was simple. Wake, hunt, train, eat, sleep. But it would not last.
One day, when I was twelve and shortly after my first solo hunt, diamond dogs attacked. My entire village was taken, dragged through underground tunnels of some great distance. It took us three days to reach the main mine shaft. None of us escaped; those who tried quickly grew lost and were brought back. A couple were even killed as an example. The central area was….massive and disgusting. 50 feet across, in a circle, 200 meters from top to bottom. Platforms sprouted out of the walls, stairs and ramps traveling at random between them. Slaves walked up and down with carts and buckets, moving gems and metals from place to place. No one looked clean and many were emaciated. It wasn’t just us cats either, though we made up the majority. Ponies, griffons and even a minotaur or two were spread out randomly in the mass of movement.
My parents and I were, thankfully, kept together. Many of our kin were separated; parents from children, husband from wife. The pain must have been unbearable. Quite a few of our fellow tribespeople were killed as an example for the rest of us after we arrived, not counting the ones left to rot in the travel tunnels. Some of them decided to end it on their own. I would guess only 80 of us were left by the time we were a few weeks into our slavery there. It was terrible. Every day, we went to work in the mines, looking for gems or ores. Cave-ins were common, as no tools were provided to prop-up the tunnels to any reasonable degree. Even mining was hard, as our shovels and picks were made of cursed stone tablets bound with cloth to sticks. They constantly broke, so much so that we were instructed to give a call of “frakked” whenever one broke and the dogs would send a new pick and shovel down, regardless of which one broke. Food was always in short supply and I saw 100 beings of various races die, just within the first year we were there.
It was also in that first year I learned where we were. This particular den was known as Den Dekza and was located in the middle of the Black Marsh.”
“Why don’t you tell me about the marsh while you’re at it?”
"I suppose I could. The marsh is a festering bog of rotting plants and animals, kept in constant degradation by its decomposing and disgusting inhabitants. Beyond the treants, bogfleshes, and poisonous insects, all of which thrive in the environs there, exist the Skaven. The Skaven are a zealous race of rat-like beings for whom worship of their foul gods is tantamount. During my three years at Den Dekza, we had around 50 raids on the mine by Skaven parties. Always in groups of 13 and always with the goal of capture or torture – mostly for fun. More than anything though, I remember their “rotters”; pot-bellied vermin that smelt so badly flies dared not even go near. I remember seeing some diamond dogs try once, only to throw up once they got within 6 feet. The very air around those virulent creatures rots and the ground turns to death at their passing. That is why the marsh remains black, even when the Skaven take root in the jungle to the west.
However, it receives the term “black” for another reason as well. Dark forces are at work underneath the earth, deep below. I had heard rumors in my village before we were taken but in the mines…. The presence of the undead became most noticeable. Every so often, while mining down some new tunnel, someone might encounter a box or coffin or even just bones. Such a thing seemed innocuous enough but the dogs already had a protocol for such things. The only question was if you got the code word out fast enough, though the code word always seemed a little weird to me. I think, most of the time, the darkness moved to quickly. Screams of terror were much more common. Often I would see one of my kind or a pony or whatnot travel down a tunnel...and on my way back from hauling, I would find that new path blocked off, to hold something at bay.
I only had one such encounter, thank the heavens. Halfway through my third year at Den Dekza, I encountered bones. No sooner had I shouted “THE COLD!” than the pile sprung up and formed the skeleton of a being I have no name for. It swung with a fist as I scampered off. The last look I got at it left me with an image of two glowing eyes staring out of a increasingly metallic skull that resembled my ancestors bones but with a body that did not match. A cloak of dark particles and a sword absent of light were just forming on it as I rounded the corner. An unearthly shriek sounded out of the tunnel as soon as I was back to the main shaft. Twenty-some dogs boarded up the entrance to the tunnel inwards by thirty feet. They are fast workers when they need to be. That was the only day I ever received a break.
My final days at Den Dekza were spent on high alert, at the end of the third year. Recently, word had arrived that another den was going around conquering and pillaging. Five days after that first alert, they struck. I no longer remember the name of that pack, but they were swift and efficient, much better at fighting than the dogs of Den Dekza. The dogs were all dead or made into slaves themselves by the end of the fighting. Some of the slaves may have managed to escape but I doubt there were many. The attacking pack seemed to come out of everywhere all at once. The hike was far longer this time, and many more of the slaves died. If I wasn’t emaciated from lack of nourishment before, I certainly was when we arrived wherever it was. There was a better food supply once we were there, however, and many of the slaves quickly regained their strength. The mining was mostly the same, though we were no longer in the Black Marsh, as no longer did the dead rise in tunnels. However, our time there was not to last.
After about three months of working there, another den attacked. The fighting was much more brutal and evenly matched. More slaves died and more slaves were taken by this new pack. We got moved and settled at a new location. This cycle of mining, conquest and resettlement continued for about two years until finally me and my parents ended up at Clay Pallor. Here, the dogs ran even more efficiently. The entire compound was a well constructed mass of tunnels covered by an impenetrable exterior, kind of like a big turtle. These dogs were very powerful, as well as numerous and well controlled. They even held a dragon captive. The mining was again, much of the same. Find gems and metals, pass them along.
On the rare occasions we saw him, many of us noticed the alpha was off somehow. Bulkier and seemingly angrier. None of us knew why but we all believed it had something to do with “The Hole”. The Hole itself was really more of a ravine. Any slave that proved too troublesome was tossed in. The only thing set up in there was a bucket on a pulley. Every slave was shown it as a means of inflicting fear in them when they were first brought to the den. And boy did it work. This was…. only about a year ago now but it was even more terrifying than my encounter with the necromantic demon. The Hole, as even the dogs called it, radiated evil and darkness; even the dogs avoided it at as much as possible. You couldn’t see the bottom of that pit and even being on the other side of a wall from it, you could hear ghastly howls and screams of pain emanating from the depths. Anyway, as I mentioned earlier, after about 9 months into our slavery there, a group of pirates led a revolt from the inside. I still don’t know quite how they did it but it involved magic, that’s for sure. And so, here I am.”
“Wow. That’s quite a tale.” I looked up at the clock in the room. 5:59.
“And just in time for me to get going too! Visiting hours end in one minute. I’ll talk to you some more tomorrow, eh buddy?”
“Uh, yeah. I look forward to it.”
After I had made my way back to the tavern in which I had my room, the bartender approached me.
“Hey! Mr…. Cheese, correct? I’ve got a proposition for you. You see, when you sang last night, we got more customers than we’ve ever had before and considering the small size of the island, that’s quite an accomplishment. I was wondering if you’d like to become a regular evening singer here at the Galloping Griffin.”
I was rather taken aback, though my lack of features didn’t display it. Oooo, I have the best poker face now! “While I’m certainly interested, I don’t plan on staying on Signal beyond the end of the week. Is that alright?”
“Well, it’s less than I hoped for….. But it would certainly be enough to pay for the room you’re using after tomorrow. The mayor could really only give you two nights before I start losing money on it.”
“Yeah, I can do that. What time at night do you want me to start?” We meandered over to the stage area as we talked.
“I believe 7 pm is the most appropriate starting time. Customers started wandering in a little beforehand, and the crowd builds as the night goes on.”
“Sounds good to me, sir! Did you want me to sing tonight as well?”
“If you’re up for it, yeah.”
“I already have some songs in mind. I’ll be up there at 7.” He thanked me, and walked back to the his position behind the bar.
Just as I said, I was up on stage at 7, ready to sing. I wasn’t sure what kind of songs they wanted, but if the crowd was drinking, there was a pretty surefire way to start them off. "It's 7 o'clock on a Saturday..."
And the night went from there. I sang a few more songs interspersed with some of the other, more regular performers. I won’t tell you what else I sang, as there were some much more interesting scenarios for some of them. Suffice to say, I began to think of myself as an “Equestrian Crooner” in the vein of Frank Sinatra - though with much more modern music. After that, I went to my room, with quite a few more bits than I’d had before. Tips were truly a great thing. I spent some time trying to work out the equation Effy had given me but it was too confusing, the whole “insert magic into the variables” thing. How does that even work?
It wasn’t long before I put myself to sleep.
I went to Kahner early in the morning, to see what more I could learn, as well as have the spell recast, as I had yet to learn it on my own. Sadly, he didn’t have much to say about the Volcanic Wastes, other than there were a lot of volcanoes and that harpies and pirates lived there. He was similarly unknowledgeable about the Southern Continent with only a basic knowledge of the things that dared come near the jungle occasionally. Still, he was smart and, while a slight bit too literal, I enjoyed his company. After spending the morning talking to him, I made my way to the library. Time to get me a basic understand of magic.
A pale yellow earth pony greeted me as I entered, plaque claiming her the librarian. Gold-rimmed half glasses, with a chain, hung from her neck. "What can I help you with to... day?" Her eyes rose from her book and condensed into confusion.
"Ah, hello! If you could direct me to the section containing information about unic- er, magical basics, I would be most appreciative."
Her eyes skewed further as she heard my voice. Ah, just like old times. Show up dressed weirdly and nobody can look at you quite right.
"The, uh, section you're looking for is two isles down, on your right." She pointed to a back corner.
"Thank you kindly." She stared after me as I made my way towards her given directions. I found the shelf I needed with little issue. There were quite a number of reference books on the subject, though it seemed to me that the selection was probably lacking. Not that I had any basis for that. I picked out Magic: A Preliminary Guide to Arcana And found a table to read at, hoping that I would be able to keep up with what the book contained. I'd never enjoyed textbooks much - really, I'm sure the only people who do are the ones who wrote them - but reading about magic held my interest enough.
After I made it through the first chapter, I took a break and checked the time. An hour had passed but making that much headway in such a book gave me confidence that maybe I could do this after all. At least, the reading bit. The actual magic was going to take a bit more getting used to. From what it sounded like, even the way each unicorn viewed the “equations” they used was different enough to make it unique. The “inserting” Free Speech had talked about was just the way that made the most sense to her. Which meant I got to figure out my OWN way. Great. The book did do a better job explaining the whole “elements” thing, though I still feel like there should be seven, not six.
I spent the rest of the day trying to piece together different concepts regarding magic and how it worked. While I was still lost at 5 pm when I left, I had a good enough understanding of chants, direction, and matrices to attempt the spell - which had worn off some time while I was reading. I felt around inside for my little ball of warmth. Now I sound pregnant. The air came easily enough and I found my water flowing around me but the light proved a little trickier after I was already balancing the other two. Next came the hard part. I remembered as best I could the formula Effy had given me and then pushed the thoughts through my focus, my body, and tried to mesh the variables with the elements. Power started building and then, with a whizz it dissipated. Testing, testing- fiddlesticks. Well, getting it right on the first try would be pretty astounding. I sighed to myself and I meandered back to the Griffon. I was surprised to find Effy standing outside the door.
"How was your day? Have fun talking to the kitty cat?" She smirked.
Picking up a pebble, I began scratching Equestrian characters into the dirt when I felt magic suffusing me. "I see that the magic end wasn't totally successful. Did you make it to the library?"
"Thanks. Yeah, I picked up a book on magic but my first attempt fizzled. I'm having problems making the magic follow the formula you gave me... or maybe I didn't remember it properly. I've always been bad at remembering formulas. Geometry class was hell." We walked inside, approaching the bar. "I did spend the morning with Connor though. He's a cool kid, if a little prudish."
Effy snorted. "Well, I'd be surprised if you got the magic immediately. It's not a simple spell either. But really Kahner seems more than a little prudish. He's a cute little kitty when he blushes."
I was again reminded of my missing eyebrows. "Uh-huh."
"Hey, a girl can admire, right? He looks so soft too!" She giggled.
"I suppose so. Cats are the most adorable creatures after baby animals. Thanks for coming to visit, by he way."
"Hey, you're the most interesting thing to happen since we started building this place. Plus, I figured you'd need my help. Magic and all." She ordered a drink, seemingly some kind of beer or maybe a cocktail.
"You were right about that. Still, I've got time, I guess...." The thought struck me a little hard. How much time did I have? Or rather, how much time DIDN'T I have? Saying I'd get help from Celestia was one thing but actually finding a way home? I had no idea what was involved or how long it would take. I didn't even know what brought me here in the first place, much less how. Where would the princess even start looking?
"Hey, giant lightbulb, you there?" I shook my imaginary head, cursing again my need for physical language.
"Sorry, I got lost. "
"I'll say. I've been trying to ask what your home was like."
"I..." Home hadn't really crossed my mind til moments before. "Are you reading my mind? I was just thinking about that. Cheater." A sigh escaped, even with no lungs. I chalked it up to the spell. "Home was normal I suppose, though, I guess that social concept is probably different here. Um... I had a supportive family, even if I didn't always get along with my father. My mother did much of my upbringing. My dad was always gone on TDY's - well, business trips we'll say, at least when I was young." I paused. Did they even know I was gone? Was time passing at home? "I'm used to being away from them, both because of college and summer camps, but this is a little different. I can't speak to them or tell them I'm okay. They might not even know I'm gone."
A silence fell over us. Effy seemed still, watching me quietly, her normal energy seeming to have momentarily vanished. After a time, she spoke "I guess I never really thought of that." She frowned. "I've never been so far from my parents that we couldn't speak, especially since I can send messages anywhere. To be so completely cut off- " Her eyes dropped to the floor. "Not to mention your friends and family - everyone you know, gone beyond your reach." A tear rolled out of her eye and she reached out to hug me. "I'm so sorry."
I did nothing to stop her embrace, even if I couldn't feel it. "Yeah... " We sat like that for a bit before I spoke. "But, I mean, it's not like they're dead. I'm just not there. They can still go about doing whatever. I'm just... not there with them." That phrase echoed through my thoughts. I'd never really worried about life at home or missing out on things but now... now I was thinking about the opportunities I might miss, of the birthdays, the weddings, the funerals - so much that could go on that I'd miss if I couldn't get home. I spurred the thoughts out. "I'll be fine. Even if it takes a few years, that's hardly more than college. It'll just be, like, an exchange program." Effy leaned back on her stool as the bartender walked up. "You're up now, kid. You ready?"
"Yeah, I'm good to go. I'll be fine Effy, no worries." I rose and hovered on stage, here eyes still downcast as she watched me approach the mic.
"I've got a special song tonight folks, about life and what can be done with it." The hall quieted down as the pianist started a familiar melody. I did love this song.
"I'm fifteen~ for a moment..."
The next day brought a some progress on the magic. I once again spent the morning with Connor and this time, we reversed roles. Since he’d given me such a big exposition the first day, I didn’t have a huge amount of questions right off the bat for him. I learned a little about diamond dog and kitty-people anatomy but that was about it. Instead we talked about my home and technology and places. He was surprisingly interested in the history of the world, though that may have just been the easiest to talk about
The first book I'd picked on magic proved to be what I needed to get the spell down. More importantly, it provided simpler spells for me to practice and get used to controlling the weave and mesh of spellwork. However, I did spend time on historical pursuits as well. The biggest amount of information I got regarding the world was about Equestria. There was some stuff I knew from the show but a lot more I didn’t know, like some of it’s cities or a little bit about it’s history, which was incredibly long. Over 3000 years, if the books were right.
My speech spell fizzled again that night and once again, Effy was waiting for me outside the tavern. I was beginning to enjoy her companionship as well. Even as she was light-hearted and snarky, she always calmed when we talked about a somber subject, like my home. Like Kahner, she began to learn about where I'd come from, though more specifically about me than the environment in which I'd lived.
The rest of the week passed much the same. In between my various one-off jobs, I'd go to the library, and visit Kahner in the morning. Free Speech always met me in the evenings and we would speak at length before I went on stage. The two were quickly becoming close friends to me. On the Wednesday of the week, I got a return letter direct from Celestia through Free Speech. I was flattered to be of such importance to get it directly from her, rather then in the mail.
Dear Cheese
First, I must address your mistake regarding Signal island. As you will have no doubt learned by the time you receive this letter, Signal is a part of the new Griffin Dominion, not Equestria. With that being said, I welcome you to our world. I find it interesting that a human not only possesses the means to communicate so quickly but is also willing to. You are the only one I have met so far that has not only immediately contacted me, but done so with a degree of seriousness others have initially lacked. I believe most humans are so confused by what their god did upon arriving that even those you call “bronies” often forget some of what drew them here in the first place.
As it is, I would love to have you stop by Canterlot. Having a human psychologist would be immensely helpful, as we have seen a large influx of humans recently and we need a good base for diagnosing them. Please write to me ahead of time when you plan on leaving Signal so I can be prepared for your arrival.
Sincerely,
Princess Celestia
Of this letter, one thing in particular stood out. Celestia mentioned that some “god” brought me here and she talked about it as though it was not just a singular god that was doing this. This did not sit well with me as a devout Christian. The closest I’d was willing to believe about other "gods" was that they were powerful, reality-altering beings, like Celestia and Luna. They could be considered “gods” in terms of power but I'd never worship or follow them. "God" seems an inaccurate term for something that doesn't have complete and total power. Regardless, there wasn’t a god that brought me here unless it was my God and while I couldn't say he didn’t bring me, Celestia was talking about it as though the “gods” made themselves known before whoever it was reached Equestria. I did’t think rainbow slides counted.
I also found it interesting that Celestia would be in need of a psychologist for humans. Were they really that common, such that the small percentage with some kind of major issue were present? Hah, maybe she’s starting a clinic...
Although if this griffin pirate is any indication... that actually makes a lot of sense. Maybe the "gods" just picked the crazy ones. Well. That’s not so funny anymore. I guess she would need a good base for humans, though they probably aren’t a huge amount different than ponies. Less prone to panic, just as socially inclined, omnivores instead of herbivores, progress-oriented...
That’s all I could think of off the top of my head. I would have to come up with more if Celestia was to have a good set of differences. I began a second letter back explaining a number of things I was confused about.
By the end of the week I had mastered the stupid talky spell and figured out what the whole deal with “latin magic” was. Latin magic was a lot simpler than unicorn magic, as it only required the proper word or phrase said in latin and the intent to use it. The problem was that I remembered next to nothing about Latin, even though I’d had a year and a half of it in high school.
Fortunately, English was still considered a romance language because some words did have Latin roots. I was able to come up with a couple Latin words that way, the most important for me being Sonor, which allowed me to talk, though I discovered through my personal magic-practicing regimen, better known as floating around all day, that the unicorn spell, which took me the entire week to get, was more magic efficient. I gleaned a few other Latin words from some other sources I remembered - one of my favorite mangas, game mods and some other loose words here and there. Still, any magic regarding gems was incredibly limited for me. I didn’t know a word that could translate to fly or levitate, which would have been immensely helpful. I didn't want to even imagine what kind of mathematics would be necessary for self-levitation.
Honestly, after Celestia's return letter, I was quite excited to go visit. Signal was a nice place but he prospect of meeting the princess still had a bit of an effect on me. Due to my odd jobs and singing tips, I had gathered quite an amount of bits, enough to finally pay for passage to the Equestrian mainland.
Stats
Page generated in 0.021 seconds
Total duration
775 users online
667,573 hits today, 2,156,967 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Nice one bro
Rule #1: You, the author, do NOT talk to the readers directly out of the Author's notes. Delete these parentheses. Only a character so meta he knows he has readers has the right to say that. Yours does not know that.
If you want to tell people about this manga and this mod, do so in the author's notes.Otherwise, you break the story's flow and you even incite your readers to stop reading in order to search for these things.
Best chapter yet
Its Funny... Never think it was good bring Religion of humans to storys but to have a Christian meet a God in the flesh... Would make a nice conversation
Than again she is more demigod and all we humans have is Proofless words