those who have seen me fear me, those who have heard of me admire me. but you, you will know me.
Why hello there friend! It's been a long time since I've seen a human like you, how did you get to Equestria?
Oh, you aren't one of the few who know my story, are you? Well, I'll explain it simply so as to keep it short. I met a girl, been torn out of my life by said girl AND her wide arrangement of enemies, taken on multiple visages of people I don't know, gained a really kickass power to make anything I want without any effort, saved our asses several times with it, and was now hugging the small crater I had made after being hurled into it by a tentacled black fire monster named Argoron! All in a single week!
And now I'm stuck in Equestria in this alien body with no idea what in the hell is going on around me, and it turns out that that girl was a lot more than she said she was.
(Rated teen for mild language and maybe some future scenes)
This story starts off right before the events in the premiere episode of season 3, the return of the crystal kingdom.
(This story is meant to be a comedy, but on occasion it will take itself seriously.)
I hope you enjoy this story, because I made this fur you! (Intentional typo)
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
-Martin Luther King, Jr.
Chapter One
You have no idea how much it hurts to hit the ground at 50 miles per hour...There's not much that can describe it except that it HURTS LIKE HELL!
Oh, you aren't one of the few who know my story, are you? Well, I'll explain it simply so as to get back to the events at hand. I met a girl, been torn out of my life by said girl AND her wide arrangement of enemies, taken on multiple visages of people I don't know, gained a really kickass power to make anything I want without any effort, saved our asses several times with it, and was now hugging the small crater I had made after being hurled into it by a tentacled black fire monster named Argoron! All in a single week!
God, in all your infinite patience, please forgive me for whatever past sin I committed to earn this punishment. 'Cuz this REALLY hurts!
I was lifted off the ground, my broken and bleeding body giving a pathetic moan as pain wracked my pulverized bone structure. The black fiery thing had it's tentacles on me, and I couldn't focus through the pain to create anything at all.
"I would love to, but I have much more to worry about than you," That was disturbing on so many levels,"so I'll leave you somewhere else for later torture. Have fun in Equestria!"
"Wha-" then I was gone. I had nothing, no body, no perception, and the odd feeling I had been touched by the bad man. Then I was in the air, about two miles above the ground.
"SONUVABICH!" I yelled, that asshat had even added downward inertia! I hurtled toward the ground at about 200mph. I gave a prayer of goodbye and-
BAAHM!!
I had somehow punched into some sort of cave, but I really didn't care at the time. If I had any say in gravity ever, This wouldn't have happened in the first place.
Before my thoughts could go anywhere else, my brain activated emergency shutdown.
Sheepies be fun to count, bro!
_______________________________________________
Around me is a crystal cathedral, translucent pillars of crystal support high vaults of the same. The crystal shows with an inner light, refracting with such beauty that it takes my breath away, as if it has a life of it's own. I walk forward between the crystalline pews, my jaw hanging open at the sheer beauty of this sacred place.
When I look forward I see a crystal pulpit, and resting upon it is an open book, a bible of the religion that built this place. Upon it's face are the words "The four scales". My study of this book is pulled away as a presence calls to me.
On the other side of the stand for this bible is an ornate chest of shining red metal. I walk slowly and reverently towards it. The ornate lock meant to keep the contents within this container away from the unworthy is broken.
I open the chest, and within it's gleaming confines lay two bracelets, each made of four rounded links with a different engraving upon each. When I lay my eyes on it the presence grows almost unbearable, Commanding me to take the holy artifacts and put them on my wrists.
When I do, something shifts inside of me, and pain overwhelms my nervous system. I black out.
Oh god, my head felt like someone had cracked it open with a jackhammer and happily kept going.
"He's awake! Applejack! Go to the hospital and get Nurse Redheart!" said a voice I clearly didn't recognize. Where the hell had that tentacled fucker put me?!
"Alright Twi', but yeh owe me one fer that." said another voice, I then put two and two together and pain once again became my immediate focus when I sat up straight, instantly raising my hoof to my head...wait...HOOF?!
When I woke up again the pain was much less, well, painful than before. Thankfully so.
"Ah, you're awake again, we had to put you under a lot of serious care to get you back from the brink," the feminine voice paused, to smile I assume, I hadn't opened my eyes to look, "but I think we've done some of our best work yet on you. Consider yourself lucky that those girls found you as quick as they did, or you wouldn't be with us today"
I merely groaned, my hoof going to my head again.
Hoof? Right...
Considering that I had barely any sleep for the past week, was extremely high strung from two near death experiences in a row, AND lucid for the first time after those, I can vouch with absolute certainty that I overreacted when I began screaming my head off and trying to get away from the abomination of a limb now attached to me.
luckily, before I tried gnawing the offending appendage off, the lady stuck a needle in me that put me straight to sleep.
"Thank you, Twilight. You best be off. He and I have several things to discuss," came another voice to my very unhappy ears. I groaned, in what I hope was a manly way.
"Okay princess, should I wait outside?" asked the female I assumed was Twilight.
"Go ahead and go to your friends. They probably want the news,"
"Thank you Princess Celestia. I'll do my best," A door opened. The latch giving a soft click when it shut.
I finally opened my eyes, and they were almost immediately shut again. pain flared up, but it was bearable given what I've been through.
"I see you've finally awoken. So stranger, how did you come to be falling from the sky?" Asked the princess, her voice suddenly going grave.
I tried opening my eyes again, just able to get them to squint. When I looked at said princess my eyes widened, and were shut again by the force of the light. What I saw was the last thing I expected. A tall white horse wearing the regalia of royalty and some trippy wavy hair covering an eye is what I saw! when I opened my eyes again to a somewhat wider squint I immediately revised my earlier thought, this was a Unicorn with wings, and a surprisingly human face.
I was speechless! I also could only reply with a very stupid sounding, "Uh..."
"Well? What is another Alicorn doing falling from the sky?"
My face registered confusion, "Wait, What's an Alicorn?"
Celestia's face sorta became confused, her eye darted upward in thought, her visible eyebrow knit in puzzlement, and her mouth curled downwards into a frown. Then it came right back up into a sort of understanding smile.
"You weren't always an Alicorn were you?" she asked, her eyes seemingly much kinder than before.
"Um, No. Whatever that is. I have no idea, and I thought I was a human?" I replied, My eyebrows now knitting in confusion.
at the same time Celestia's eyes went wide, but only for a split second before reverting to a studious poker face, "Well, then we may have a problem."
"I don't see what you mean...which also reminds me. might I have the opportunity of knowing whom I am speaking to?" My eyebrows arched.
"I am Princess Celestia, ruler of Equestria, And you have some explaining to do holder of creation," wait, holder of creation? That's a new title.
Then I remembered the original question she asked, "Um, do you happen to know anyone by the name of Argoron?" Celestia's eyes widened again as her mouth dropped, which stayed that way for several seconds. She spluttered incoherently for a moment before I interrupted her, "So I take it you do know of him. Well, I'll say one thing and it ain't gonna be pretty." Celestia shut her mouth and kept quiet, her eyes still wide as she tried to lean in closer.
I continued, "I was sent here by Argoron. Don't ask me how he got to you, or how long it has been because for me it has been less than a week since he came into my life. When I gained the power to 'create things' I unconsciously brought him into existence, for which I sorely regret,"
Celestia's face registered confusion, and she asked, "What's to say you aren't being mind controlled by him?"
I stared at her, "If I was, would I even mention his name?"
Celestia pondered on this for a moment before nodding for me to continue.
"both I and several friends fought him, I lost and was sent here for who knows what reason." My eyes drifted downwards, already missing the nameless girl.
"I'm sure they'll be fine," Celestia finally smiled, her lips curving up comfortingly.
I sighed, "I wish I could say the same..."
"Is there anything you'd like to ask me?"
I frowned, thinking for a moment, "Only three questions, princess. Where am I in this Equestria? How long have I been here since the day I made the newest crater in town? And why did you call me the Holder of Creation?"
Celestia nodded. "You are in The pony sister's hospital in the capital city of Canterlot, and you were admitted here approximately two months ago, with injuries such as blunt force trauma, fractures within almost every bone we could see, and a very tiny crack in your spine which was threatening to sever the spinal cord," Wow! That's a new record.
"You could call me and Death...close friends," I answered with a shrug.
the princess nodded with a smile, then proceeded to ask, "Can you walk?"
"I might need a bit of practice, I was a biped before this body change, so getting used to this might take a while," I thought for a moment, then added, "That is IF I can even get up off this bed,"
"The Nurse will clear you to leave the hospital tomorrow morning as soon as she runs a final checkup."
and with that, she left using a golden magic unlike any other magic I've seen.
Surprised that I'm not surprised? Remember when I said I gained the power to Create anything? There ya go.
At this point I took the liberty of trying out my new body, and getting a look see at what I had. Four legs, two wings. and a horn atop my skull. A dark blue mane (If that's what it's called) now adorned my head in the style of spiky anime hair. I was covered in almost black purple fur. Not really my style but I would have to get used to it. If only I had a mirror I'd be able to tell-...
So, getting up with four hooves is a much harder task than two feet and a pair of hands, I noticed. My face certainly did. I grunted, but at least I wasn't in pain anywhere else, attesting to the healing skill of these ponies.
I got up, my knees rather wobbly and unsure of themselves. let's try this again. left front hoof forward, left right hoof forward, left back, right back. left front, right front, left back, right back. Hey! this might not be so hard at all!
Thud.
"mph, mrph thrph florph! bmph mo moon?" roughly translated, "Why, hello there floor! back so soon?"
a soft click was heard as the door closed, "Oh my, are you alright sir?" came forth a familiar female voice.
After a moment of struggling to get back up, which consisted of me flailing the useless stumps attached to my body in a rather frantic manner, she helped me up, This pony was surprisingly short compared to Celestia, she had the same white fur, but with red curly hair, "Thank you very much Nurse...?"
"Blankheart, Nurse Blankheart, and it was my pleasure. I need to check your horn for any damage that fall might have done, as well as administer a few more tests before I clear you to go. Will you please bend your left foreleg forward?" I did so, "Very good, did you feel any pain?" negatory, "good, breath in deeply," no pain, "good" things went on like this for a while, I even had to perform several awkward stretches. What kind of anatomy did I get in this new body to be so flexible? I'll have to check a library sometime.
"Now for your horn, will you please levitate that potted plant and set it back down a foot to the left?" how would I...never mind. If what I do to create stuff works then this should work similarly.
Here is how I usually go about making things. I visualize the desired object, then I sort of force a spike of electricity down my spine, then it is born into existence. If I modify this method then it should-
CRACK!
...not...work, "Um...sorry about imploding your plant?" I felt the blood rush to my face that time. Hopefully this black fur covers my flush.
"Don't worry, it wasn't a live plant. We have a closet full of the things," Blankheart replied. taking my lack of skill in stride. She then frowned at her clip board, "Can I get your name? It isn't anywhere in our files."
takin the time to look back, my split second decision to not reveal my true name was a wise one, another split second got me the really awkward name of "Far Reach"
"Throughout time there have always been six beings that we would call gods among us. These spirits have fought and warred since before time began, and will continue until Dnomray, the coming of creation, and Noragra, the coming of destruction."
-Book of The Four Scales, page 206, passage 42
Chapter Two
The mind is a very remarkable thing. It manages sensory input from the outside and inside world, decides whether it is important enough to store away for later, and throws away the trash. It can do all this while running a body of several quadrillion cells, each specialized to a specific task, such as our heart to pump blood, our muscles to keep us moving, and it does it without our self awareness even noticing.
That's not to say that I wasn't bored as hell!
I mean, c'mon, I'm in a totally white room, with no windows, and I'm stuck in a bed with nothing to do but stare at a wall and think.
And thinking usually leads to very bad things for me, overreactions, remembering things I shouldn't.
Oh, and noticing for the very first time that I had a bracelet on my hoof...
It was made up of eight links, each a different material and a different engraving on each, one link was jade and had a pencil on it. to the left of it was a ruby link that had the engraving scratched out. The next link was black onyx with no engravings, a pearl link with the engraving of a sun on it. Beyond that was a link of bloodstone with a ruby crescent moon in it.
Bang!
I jumped as the door slammed, and a rather cranky looking purple unicorn mare walked stiffly into the room, slamming the door shut with purple magic from her horn.
"Who are you!?" She demanded of me.
I had absolutely no idea what to say.
"Well!? Who in Equestria are you?!" Her left eye twitched visibly, and a few hairs from her purple streaked mane popped outta place.
my thoughts saddened, and I whispered, "You wouldn't want to know."
Apparently she didn't hear the pain just under the surface, "I do want to know, and now!"
Something finally snapped in me, the grief of that whole week turned into anger, "I don't know! I have been taken from my life, beaten to a pulp," A nearby plant imploded with a CRACK, making the pony jump, " stabbed through in almost any place you could imagine, had the bones in my body snap more times than I can count, impacted the ground at 50 miles per hour twice in a row and I have no idea who the hell I really am inside!" " I felt the electricity build in my back, making my mane stand on end, but my anger drove it further, the electricity spreading throughout my body, "I have had to destroy a country to save the love of my life, and I will never get to see the only one I have ever loved again because I'm STUCK IN THIS EQUESTRIA!!" screamed lashing out at anything in sight, the mare disappeared in a flash of purple light, but I didn't care. My blind rage urged me to let the electricity that had built up in me lash forth.
A flash suddenly blinded me and I heard her voice. It was My love! I began running toward her voice, my anger flowing away, the electricity in my back flowed away, it's power source cut off. I rounded the corner and came face to face with a very angry navy blue furred alicorn. We both went sprawling.
"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?" Her voice boomed out, louder than a concert speaker. I still recognized it. I had mistaken this equine for my one true love. Everything hit me at once, and I broke down crying, sobs wracking my body.
"WELL? WHAT REASON DOST THOU HAVE TO ATTACK MINE SISTER'S STUDENT?" The alicorn's voice boomed forth.
There was a bright white flash, and Celestia was behind the incredibly loud pony, "Luna! What have I told you about using the Canterlot voice?" I continued to sob, "Far Reach has had a hard enough time as it is recovering from the week he came here.
"But-..!" The alicorn whined.
"No buts Luna. You've done enough."
As the two sisters argued, the purple mare from earlier peeked out from behind Celestia. When she looked at me, confusion showed on her face. Then, she tenderly walked forward to me.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly.
I made an effort to sober up, taking a deep shaky breath and staring forward, sorting my emotions into their proper places.
"Are you alright?" She asked, concern shadowing her fear.
"I'm alright, Ms...?"
"Sparkle," she replied, "Twilight Sparkle, and your name would be?"
"I'm Far Reach, sorry for my outburst, I've-"
I was then interrupted by Luna, "outburst!? Twas no outburst! Twas an attack on my sister's student!"
"Luna..." Celestia's voice arched dangerously, cowing Luna
I got up and turned to the dark alicorn, my face a studious boogery red-eyed mess, "I am sorry that we got off on the wrong foot Miss-"
"Princess Luna if thou pleaseth," she corrected, her expression rather haughty and displeased.
"Very well, Princess Luna it shall be," I then turned to Celestia, "I am very sorry for causing so much havoc. My emotions tend to be rather wild if I let them get away from me, and with what I can do it certainly isn't a good thing."
Celestia spoke up "Try to keep them under control Far Reach. Now go get cleaned up. Twilight, please watch over Far Reach for me, and keep him out of trouble." Celestia turned to me, "You are hereby released from this hospital, and put under the care of my Faithful Student, Twilight Sparkle." Celestia then turned to her sister, "Luna, I have something to discuss with you, " The white alicorn glanced at me, "In private,"
Luna nodded, and both stepped onto a balcony and left with a flap of their wings.
"She's right, I'd better get cleaned up..." I went trotted through the halls to a nearby bathroom, the purple unicorn following silently. The hospital was eerily quiet, maybe they had evacuated this win or something after the explosions (implosions?). Inside the restroom was the usual amenities, though they were modified for pony use. The toilet was much lower and longer for the pony frame. The faucet had a pair of sliders instead of knobs for hot and cold. (I shudder to think what would have happened had it been any different.) once I cleaned my face and mane of all the mucus and grime that had somehow accumulated, and relieved myself of various fluids, I stepped out to find the purple mare sitting across the hall in one of the hard seat stationed periodically along the wall.
I was about to walk back to the room I had been assigned to, to fix it up from the mess I had made, but Twilught tapped my shoulder, "I'm sorry that we got off on the wrong foot earlier Far, I wasn't in my right mind."
"And I'm sorry for venting on you earlier Ms. Sparkle. I didn't mean a thing in it," I smiled, not feeling the kindness that should have accompanied it.
She snorted, seeing right through my lie, "Don't say things you don't mean Far,"
I drooped somewhat, "I wish I could mean it, the week before I got here was...stressful,"
"Well," Twilight saddened a bit, then smiled, considerably happier, "It'll always get better when you have friends to go to Far!"
"Please call me Reach. Far never felt right to me, unless you say my full name, but then it sounds too formal.
Twilight smiled softly, "Alright then Reach." Just then my stomach gave a rather loud rumble, and Twilight giggled, "Let's get you some food. I've heard that hospital food is horrible."
I smiled for the first time in a long while, "That would be splendid my dear Sparkle,"
Twilight blushed, "you sound like Luna," I wasn't sure whether to take that as a compliment or not, "but much more gentlemanly." Never mind then!
Twilight led me out of the eerily deserted hospital. (Maybe these Canterlot ponies just didn't get sick here? It seems possible given that they have magic.) She led me out the sliding glass door, but before I had even gone five feet I was being swarmed by technicolor ponies and pegasi with cameras, pushing me away from the purple mare. They all began to shout their questions at once, which melded together into a chaotic mishmash of half heard words and blinding flashes of light.
"You've been called the Fallen Star but what is your real name?", "Is it true that you came from another world?", "How did you get to be falling from the sky?"
What in the fudge kind of questions were these!? I tried to get through to Twilight, but the crowd kept hounding me, shifting to surround me every time I moved, pushing the purple pony further every time. Twilight tried to get through to me too, and finally in the end she teleported both of us out of the crowd of paparazzi.
"Run!" She cried, and galloped off. Me being rather new at this, I was understandably hesitant to start running so early, but the crowd of ravenous reporters behind me gave ample motivation to learn, and quickly. Surprisingly my face didn't hit the paved cobblestone road. I was actually making a pretty good pace and catching up to Twilight. Which now that I think on it was pretty easy. I mean, I'm twice her size after all.
"Wow am I popular! But hey! It's better than being chased by an army of mercenaries who are solely bent on killing you, eh?" I shouted to Twilight.
I put my head next to Twilight's, "If you have a plan to get away from them, I suggest using it now!,"
"Give me a moment," The unicorn surprisingly started to focus and a few moments later we were on top of the building that had just a few moments ago formed the wall we had pressed ourselves against, out of the sight of those who had chased us. We both lay there breathing heavily, exhausted from all the running we just did in the last half hour or so.
"W-we better get moving," Twilight groaned, "We may be away from the earth ponies, *pant* but the pegasi will easily spot us out here in the open."
"Agreed, let's get moving." I paused, thinking for a moment, "You're staying somewhere right? Why don't we hole up there?"
Twilight facehoofed (facefoot?) "That's at the castle. On the other side of the city."
I groaned. Looks like sneaking it would have to be...I needed practice anyways, "Which way is the castle?"
Twilight gestured with her hoof off in the distance, "That way," wait, she said castle right?
I heard a shout in the distance. Ask later, run now.
"Let's hope I can still roof run in this body, else we're both gonna get screwed." I began running toward the ledge of the flat roof and entered into roof run mode.
there's a flag pole there, would it support me? I'll have to compensate for my grown weight, maybe I can go on my hind legs for a time? Not likely, maybe I can use it as a one time spring board to launch off of.
I heard the flag pole snapping before I even finished the thought. Sailing through the air, I landed with a flourish on my hind legs, and started running again on all fours.
I noticed that Twilight had teleported ahead of me to the next building. A hop and a skip fixed that. A balcony here. Some unsupervised construction there. I hit the roof running. Who knew you could adapt so well to a new body?
Actually it has to do with evolution, the human brain evolved from an apes, and all the way back to four legged creatures. After all, only 2% of the human genome is ever used in our lives, the rest is dormant stuff, instincts that won't be used, such as how to walk and run with four legs, how to fly with wings, that kind if stuff.
Cool right? What's cooler is that my mind is able to adapt the freerunning techniques of my two legged self so smoothly into that instinct that it's already secondhand (hoof?) Though I won't be able to grab onto ledges anymore without the benefit of hands.
How do you know how to freerun, You ask? That girl has powers beyond anything you can imagine, including imparting skills unto others. She gave me freerunning and a hyperactive learning curve exceeding anything on earth. Need to learn a language? Give me an hour and a multilingual dictionary. Sadly that ability is finicky, I have to be calm to learn it, and what I'm learning has to be intellectual in nature to learn. But I can adapt known knowledge just fine.
I was interrupted from my thoughts as I came to a stop outside the town, doing a front flip off the last building and landing in a cart of hay.
"Where did you learn to do that?" Twilight appeared just in front of me in a flash.
"Improvisation works really well my dear sparkle," I grinned mischievously at the purple mare, "I'll tell you once we get to your place, where exactly is it anyways?" I looked in the direction of the town, looking for buildings that might belong to the purple mare.
"Ahem," Twilight caught my attention and gestured up the slope with her hoof. What I saw up there made my eyebrows shoot up in surprise, there was a huge castle of white marble and shining gold. My god was it beautiful, if a bit chaotic.
"Say hello to Canterlot Castle otherwise known as Canterlot Proper. Home to the Princesses of the Sun and the Moon, Our ruling monarchy, Celestia and Luna, also the temporary lodging for me, my friends, and now you for the time being."
"Impressive amount of titles. Reminds me of myself," Twilight arched an eyebrow. I sighed, "I am Far Reach, Creator, Guardian Master, Story Weaver, and maker of The Storeroom, a pocket dimension where I can store literally anything,"
"Oh, reminds me of a spell I use to make a temporary slip-space to store things,"
I looked at Twilight with a hint of chagrin, "Now that's uncool. I thought that was something special."
Twilight smiled, "Nobody else can do it except The Princesses. Care to give me a demonstration of this Storeroom?"
"Let's get walking, and I'll explain,"
"Okay."
I thought for a moment then began to speak, "I actually made the storeroom from nothing, a pocket dimension within the universe I used to reside in, I doubt I could access it now but that place had the most amazing of artifacts,"
Twilight perked up, curiosity writ on her face, "Oh! I've never heard of that kind of magic before! How do you do it? Does it drain your magic at all?" Somehow a notepad and quill materialized in front of her without my noticing.
"Woah there cowgirl. slow down, I can't keep up." I paused, thinking about what had happened the other times I had made something. I parted my lips as my explanation began.
"It isn't easy, Creating something. You have to have an intense focus about every aspect of what your making. If it's alive, you have to then give it a full backstory or else something may go wrong, and often does in my case. The only exception being the storeroom, which I left intentionally blank to fill in later."
I paused for a moment to let Twilight scribble it down, then she questioned, "Can you give me one example of what goes wrong?"
"It doesn't necessarily go wrong, the power just fills in everything based on your current emotions, let's say you want to make another pony. You would have to-"
Twilight interrupted, "can you demonstrate this spell?"
"It isn't a spell. It's a power, and I'm not sure of the effects it would have in my current state, I was changed when I came to this world, and my power may have changed with it." I DID implode a fake plant by accident, "So it may be especially dangerous if I Create something right now."
Twilight gave me a pout, "But how will you ever know if it works? Science demands that you test this!" I instantly broke out into roaring laughter when she mentioned science. Twilight merely tilted her head in confusion, "What's so funny?"
I couldn't reply for a few seconds, I was too busy savoring the few moments of laughter that joke had afforded. When I calmed down a few seconds later I explained the inadvertent joke she had made. "Where I come from, magic and science are two completely different things! Magic is a thing of fantasy for a lot of people."
"But you have this power!" She protested.
"I know, A week before I came here I didn't have that, and didn't even know that magic really existed, though I wished it was." I replied, giving a knowing smile to Twilight.
"Oh, uh, okay!" Twilight then looked at her notepad, flipping through the many notes she had made. "How does it feel when you 'activate' this power?"
"An electric shock goes down my spine, sorta like an adrenaline spike maybe? I'm not sure." I paused, not sure how to describe the feeling of my creating.
"So it has nothing to do with your horn?"
"not at all, Twi." I paused, "Is it alright if I call you Twi?"
"Sure, go ahead. But," Twilight looked at me sternly, "about that demonstration." I groaned inwardly.
I will never hear the end of this..."Alright, alright! I'll do it, What do you want me to make?"
She thought for a moment before replying, "make a crystal,"
"Alright then," I focused for a moment, bringing the long transparent multifaceted stone into my mind's eye and envisioning it front of me. I started to let the energy build in my spine, and I let it go. With a pop, in front of me appeared a crystal of blackest night. Which just floated there with a magic if it's own.
"Wait, I envisioned it as clear..." I was right! Something DID change!
Twilight looked at it with first curiosity, then recognition, then horror. She started to back away quickly from it as if it were something evil. She tried pulling me away but the crystal seemed to like me, and drifted within hooves (I'll never get to used to pony phrasing) reach.
"Reach, get away from it!"
"A black magic floating crystal that likes me. I grant that it's a bit creepy but I think it's kinda cute. I dunno what you're so worried about." I touched the crystal with a hoof.
I really shouldn't have done that, pain flared up inside my chest and I staggered. My vision blurred.
My love was there, running towards me, but she passed me by, running instead towards another. My anger flared up as my heart began to break.
"Reach!"
Before my anger got out of hand Twilight tackled me to the ground, breaking the illusion. My anger faded quickly. I shuddered and gasped, "Th-thank you Twilight,"
"Just don't touch it, and don't make anything else."
"Wh-what happened?"
"That is a crystal which subjects you to your worst fear. It's dark magic, made with negative emotions like hate and fear."
"Well that's great, you know what I said about filling in things based on emotions? Whelp, now you know how just how badly messed up I am. This is why I have to use my power in such a strict and complicated manner, else it makes something evil. It happened the first time I made something and I brought the worst abomination possible into the world because I had no idea what I was doing. Be thankful no one else has this power."
Twilight looked at me with a mixture of awe and shock. She had just learned a good chunk of my past after all, and it ain't pretty in the slightest, "how did you-..how do you survive without going insane?"
"I don't, because I already am. You saw how I blew up so spectacularly on you, I was about to bring a worse abomination than my first into the world, that's how deep my rage was."
Twilight stepped back, almost as if I were a ticking time bomb, and for all intensive purposes I was, still am really.
"So please, though I have supreme control over what I do and think," I paused, relishing the reference I was about to make beforehand, "please don't make me angry 'cuz you won't like me when I'm angry." Ah, that guy certainly was no Jolly Green Giant.
Twilight just nodded, "Alright then, I'll be careful." We both fell silent for about a minute as we trotted up the mountainside, then Twilight suddenly remembered something, "Oh, Reach, before we get to the castle, I need to tell you something."
"Shoot away sparkler" I replied with a smirk.
"Please don't call me that."
"Very well, what is it you wanted to say?"
"I have some friends that are staying here as well," We passed a set of guards. When they looked at me they scowled, but when they turned to Twilight they instantly straightened and saluted. Letting us pass onto the drawbridge of the castle.
"And-" before I could finish A huge cannon went off, sending me jumping taller than the top of the castle walls in about half a second. Crashing down upside down, my horn stuck in the ground, rendering my legs into useless flailing stumps as I tried vainly to right myself.
"Oopsy daisy, my bad jumping comet pony!" Holy crap what is that pink thing in my face? A pony?! How could anything be that preposterously fast?
I groaned, "Have I ever told you how I got to hate surprises?"
"I'm so sorry Reach." Twilight gasped, "I'll help you up."
"Quotation, n: The act of repeating erroneously the words of another."
-Ambrose Bierce
(AN): couldn't have said it any better!
Chapter 3
"You don't know how to fly?" The blue pegasus looked at me incredulously, "are you serious? I mean, c'mon! You're an alicorn!"
I had been extracted from the ground earlier and was now in a sitting room with these six mares. The blue pegasus known as Rainbow Dash was busy flipping out in the air, literally, surprised that I didn't know how to fly.
"Give me about a week and several books on the subject of flying, and a day to figure out how to move these damn wings and I'll be good, then I'll come to you to improve, how 'bout that?"
Rainbow dash looked at me like I had the plague, "You're an egghead too!?"
"If by egghead you mean I have the learning ability akin to learning in a week what normal ponies learn in a month, then yes." Twilight looked at me, her eyes forecasting another Questionnaire in my near future, "No Twi, I'm not gonna tell you why, It's concerns my past,"
Twilight gave me the puppy dog eyes, and they were cute, I mean exceedingly cute, like 'damning your soul to hell if you say no to that face' cute. After a bit of grueling torture, indecision, weird face making, and REALLY deep soul searching, I finally said, "No Twilight, you will not force this out of me."
"Pardon me Twi, but en't you surpossed to introduce us to the new pony 'ere?" Said the orange cowgirl...person...PONY!
"Indeed Twilight, though I have heard their names once already I do believe it is time for a formal introduction." I stated in a noble's voice.
The white unicorn swooned against the shy one, who squeaked cutely but stood her ground.
Twilight sighed, "Girls, this is Reach. Reach,this is Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Applejack , and the baby dragon here is Spike, my Number One Assistant,"
Each of the girls said hello in their own fashion. Fluttershy gave a very quiet hello. Pinkie Pie buzzed over to me like a vibrating phone wanders a table and vibrated my hand until it was numb. Rarity held out her hoof and I kissed it with a good and proper "M'lady," that actually made her faint. Rainbow gave a gruff hello combined with a Brohoof to match the Broshakes I had with several drinking buddies of mine, and the self praise of being the best flyer in Equestria. Applejack tipped her hat, and Spike gave a somewhat upfront claw/hoofshake with a hearty hello.
Once this was all over Twilight began to speak of my lodgings. I was to stay with her for the time being as she was the one assigned guardianship over me. Rarity seemed rather peeved about it, maybe she wanted me all to herself after my display of gentlemanly awesomeness. I asked Twilight if she could teach me how to harness the pointed protrusion in the middle of my forehead, and if she could provide some books on flying. She accepted, but not without a little bit if cajoling on my part to quiet the tomboyish mare in her protests about not being able to learn from books, I believe I heard something about a certain 'During Dog' character in the whole tirade.
I smiled, finally coming up with something to shut her up, "Here, Rainbow, how about I show you something I picked up recently. Have you heard of Freerunning?"
The blue pegasus narrowed her eyes "No, but I bet it's boring,"
"Let's go outside for a moment. Twilight, do you know where I can find a suitably decorated wall to climb?"
Twilight thought for a moment before replying, "The Guards' training course should do. If you're gonna do what you did back in the city then that would be most appropriate."
"Lead on then," I commanded. The rest of the girls got up too and began following Twilight through the many twisting hallways. As we passed a set of stairs that led down into the Earth, I felt the tug of something calling, urging me downwards. I ignored the feeling, opting to follow the group instead.
We eventually were led out a rather large door. Out into a courtyard with an obstacle course in the middle surrounded by very fancy buildings, all painted a non militaristic white.
I admired the course before trotting over the Rainbow Dash, "Bet you'll be impressed by my skills, Dashy Poo"
WHAM!
"mlph thrph thorph, mph mumph meh mik miff'd" translated from dirt speak, "hello again dirt! We gotta stop meeting like this!"
"Don't ever call me that again, or I will kill you." She whispered in my ear. Kinky and intimidating! I like you Rainbow Dash!
After extracting my face from the bare dirt I replied, "I'll be waiting until that day, my dear. 'til then, be impressed by my awesome parkour skills as I climb that tower." With that I whizzed off, leaving behind a confused Dashy and a gaggle of worried women.
I began doing tricks like nobodies business, wall running and roof hopping off everything I could find, I even found a few time where a high drop would come in handy, was that a rail? Awesome!
Note to self: Hooves are good for grinding on pipes. Also, ask Twilight how you can grab things without fingers, because you just did!
I ended off my display with a neat landing beside the astounded ponies, even Twilight was amazed at how fast I went. Remember what I said about my learning curve? This is one of those cases. I really did make up all those tricks as I went!
"Admit it. Oh blue winged one, I" paused for dramatic effect, putting a hoof to my chest, "am awesome." My smirk is so cheeky!
Their faces! The lulz! THE LULZ!! I felt like laughing, but kept it under control, trotting away, leaving the whole group as the British would say, Gobsmacked.
I turned once I got about ten feet from them and called back in my best scottish accent, "Oi! Aren't ye cumin'?"
They all shook their heads and trotted after me. I waited patiently for them to catch up keeping my toothy smirk the whole time.
After a mite of walking back, Rainbow finally found her voice, "How in Equestria were you able to do all that!?"
Apparently ponies are fond of yelling at me. It's either that or it's a racial habit. Either way! "Improvisation is the key to any good show My Dear Rainbow. That's because it can't be repeated." I then looked at Twilight, "Can you please lead us back to the sitting room? I do believe you have several questions to ask me, and I think I'd like your friends to be there with us when I answer them,"
After some time, which consisted of Twi leading us back to the sitting room and all of us settling into our cushions, Twilight finally got out her paper and quill. by that point evening had begun to fall outside the window and several unicorn servants came in and lit the candles. Once they left Twilight asked the first question, "So Reach, how did you get to be in Equestria?"
I turned to Twilight, my face grim, "Since you've asked so nicely and I have such nice caring mares around me to confide in, I shall tell you my story. The FULL one. Please sit Twilight Sparkle, as this will be long and involved" After a few moment of waiting I launched into my monologue.
Or I would have were I not interrupted by a loud bang in the distance...We all took a look outside. Princess Luna was in the courtyard yelling at a rather dark looking guard, night guard? Ha ha, reminds me of pull-ups...
When she finished her tirade I swear she looked straight at me with those eyes that said "I'm watching you,"
I shuddered and dismissed the incident, intent on FINALLY telling my story to someone, just to get it off my back if nothing else.
I tapped the stand next to the cushion I sat on, getting the mares' attention. I cleared my throat, took a sip of tea that a servant had ever so kindly handed me, and began my tale of woe, betrayal, love, loss, and falling, lots of falling.
It all started with one event, I was walking home from school, having missed the bus.
A bus is a sort of chariot for schoolkids...to take them home...can I get back to the story?...thank you...
She ran straight into me, And to be honest I wish she had been looking where she were going, instead of shooting bolts of lightning over her shoulder as she ran from a demon.
Yes, it was a demon...from the depths of tartarus...story please?...thank you, I'd appreciate it if you didn't interrupt again...
Where was I? Oh yes, demon chase, meeting girl...
No I won't tell you her name...that's final!
As I was saying, when she ran into me, we both went sprawling, and after a moment of trying to regain our senses the fat blubbery malicious thing had caught up to us, it grabbed both the girl and me and started hauling us to whatever dank place it was going to eat us in.
What? Demons need to eat too.
Either way, the girl had cleared her head, and shot a bolt of lightning at the fat mongrel, making it stagger and drop both of us...I was knocked out, though later she informed me that she defeated it and sent it back to the fiery depths whence it came or something. She likely just killed it. When I came to she had dragged me into her apartment and was tending to my wounds.
I, of course being the one to overreact...ask twilight, she'll tell you...I came up screaming and almost killed myself by opening wounds that shouldn't have been reopened. She held me down though, and set to work needling together the lacerations. The claws on the demon really hurt y'know.
What? You're already amazed!? This is nothing.
She introduced herself as some sort of monster hunter. And to be honest, It's kind of true, she was gifted with powers from birth, and she learned to harness them and control them for the good of all. She literally had every power possible that you could think of, either that or she could have whatever power she wanted at the time. So flying and telekinesis were nothing to her. She also could heal...the only problem she had was that her powers couldn't extend to others except in one really risky case.
Were she to give a fraction of her power to another, it would conform itself to the person's personality and begin expressing powers appropriate to that personality, and it stays that way...
Yes Twilight, I know it's speculation. I've noticed that my predictions often turn out right in some twisted way. Maybe it's a part of my powers or something...
Either way, she was okay with giving me power to defend myself with, but on one condition. That I stay with her and help her in her 'hunting'. I accepted and she gave me the power.
A lot of things happened at once. I crumpled up in pain, my senses heightening, and my brain felt like it was about to explode. Portals opened up which began spawning all kinds of monsters. The girl stepped back and began fighting many of the monsters. She was surprisingly calm about the whole thing at the time. Not once yelling at me.
Most of the monsters were easily defeated, all but one. A sort of Black Fire had emerged from one of the portals, staying back and analyzing the situation, black tentacles extended from the thing and began to whip about the girl, but only succeeded in distracting her. When she went after him, nothing she did could harm him, he was smoke after all. After all the monsters but it were defeated it fled screaming.
Would you please stop interrupting!? Save your questions for after I finish my sto- Oh, hello there Celestia, how are you do-...
okay, I will continue once everyone is settled. You came in just as I was going into how I brought Argoron into my world...yes of course...okay...of course...may I continue? ...Thank you.
Argoron was a villain character I had come up with on my freetime. A scientist driven to insanity by an experiment with a newly discovered matter called black matter. It was injected into his blood stream in the accident and it destroyed his body, corrupting his mind in the process. He was the top scientist in his field, but since the corruption that mind has twisted to other things. He's a tactical genius, and learned to harness the power of black matter to torture and corrupt others to his will.
Did you get that Twi? Good...on with the story.
After the incident, and a good amount of aspirin, I began looking into what I could do. First thing I noticed was that I could see further than ever. Also that my hearing was extremely sensitive. Loud sounds still make me jump...
Yes I'm looking at you Pinkie...don't say I haven't warned you.
The girl also proposed several tests...many of them physical in nature, my stamina was heightened, as well as my strength, but it had the setback of causing me to consume thrice my body weight in food when I overexert myself.
...
Which reminds me...is there anything I can snack on? It's likely to be what you consider a full meal, but that barely fills me anymore.
...
...
...
OM NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM!!
That was an a amazing custard and salad your Highness. Quite enjoyable.
Your welcome. And yes, I have learned to eat quickly. Which brings me to my next power, my Ridiculous ability to digest information, learning. I actually discovered that on my own after coming home and beginning to read a book, which quickly turned into several...
then the whole bookshelf...
Five times...
After noticing that it not only wasn't morning, but that only five hours had passed, I was pretty amazed, but then started worrying because I had forgotten to get the girl's number...
It's how we communicate instantly...spike's fire breath? Uh, sure? I dunno...
To put it simply...I could now read a 200 page book in about 10 minutes. The next day I found that it had toned down under the excitement, thus drawing me to the conclusion that I have to be calm to learn to my best ability.
...
Princess Celestia, may I take a look at your library later?
Oh thank you so much! How many books are in it?
...
Color me impressed! You have enough books to keep me busy for at least a year!
...
Twilight, please stop staring at me, your creeping me out...
Uh, okay...
Either way, the rest of the week was spent trying to track down Argoron. He had gained control of the local government with his power.
Did I mention that those whom he has corrupted have completely black eyes?...I didn't? okay, that's something you all need to know if he is ever to come this way.
By the end of that week a sort of infection had begun to set in, the corrupting black matter spreading at a frightening rate...in the end The girl called on me to destroy them all...And I only had one option left, to create something that would destroy eveything, including them. namely a gravity well. I'll say this and only once, that was the worst idea I could have come up with.
You remember me saying that I destroyed a country right, Twi? During my, Ahem, outburst. That gravity well hit everything within a thousand mile radius with several thousand G's in a single second. Destroying it all and leaving one of the biggest craters to be seen on our planet, takes up about a twentieth the stupid things surface.
We were both lucky to have survived the implosion. I was lucky to have survived creating it. Making something that powerful drained me until I had nothing left to put into it.
That girl was my savior, still is really. She gave more of her power, siphoned it into me, only enough to get me back from the edge. After that my body took care of itself, and within a day I was back up and running. The wonders that girl can do.
In the end Argoron caught us both off guard. C-catching us both by surprise when he attacked us in the middle of the night.
*sniffle* Sorry, my emotions are getting out of hand, give me a moment to pull myself back together.
Okay, I should be fine for the time being.
H-he...deep breaths...He...corrupted her...while the pain of it immobilized her, it didn't distract him from me. a fight to the death ensued, but he was too fast, he kept delivering hit after agonizing hit, playing with me as he injected small spurts of black matter into me, crippling my nervous system...a-and I-I lost...flung to the ground like a discarded toy. He then sent me here.
At that point you know the rest of the story.
_______________________________________________
"I-I just wished I could have saved her, helped her somehow..." I wanted to cry but merely stared at the floor blankly, fighting back the tears.
Celestia spoke just then, "Far Reach, you have gone through more than anypony should ever go through. The fact that you are with us today stands to mark your skill, and I can truly sympathize with your plight."
"Thank you princess, thank you so very much. You brought me back from the brink of death when I came here," I turned to the door as it opened and Luna stepped in quietly, "A greetings to ye princess."
She nodded solemnly, "A greetings,"
Pinkie jumped and belted out somewords that no one understood, all of us just stared at her and she repeated it, slowed down, "You just missed storytime Princess! Reach here told us about the week before he fell from the sky! I was sad, but cool and stuff!"
"I have heard of this," She replied, "can you tell the story to me later sister?"
"Of course Luna, but first," Celestia turned to me, "Far Reach, I came here not to listen to your story, but to warn you. Since you are an Alicorn without an object attuned to you, like us, that means that the ambient magic will choose for you based upon who you are. And from what all of us have seen of you, none can tell what that is. But I have my thoughts, Creator."
Suddenly I felt something, it felt like I was losing myself. Like I was slipping. Before I lost consciousness I whispered, "What?"
_______________________________________________
For a moment it looked as if Far Reach was about to collapse, but Celestia knew that was not the case. The host was merely being put to sleep.
The black Alicorn spoke, his manner and accent strange and old, older than the world itself, "So you knew this whole time?"
The mares were put to sleep as well, just standing there blankly, "indeed I did," The solar princess replied, "ever since I saw him fall,"
The other alicorn suddenly smiled, "This host is surprising, he hath the potential to overcome me and replace me as the spirit,"
Celestia looked at the black one suddenly, "That should not be possible,"
"But it is, his will and personality match up better with the power than mine does, holder of the sun, I can already feel myself slipping into the afterlife. Train him sister, for he is thy future brother. He hath already done much, but his power is ill gotten, taken from the chaos of another realm. Until he discovers that which he hosts, Dnomray shall not come to pass, and this world shall be lost to the Noragra, I entrusted you with the care of this world, along with your opposite. Do not let him meet the same fate as Harmony, Holder of Sol," he looked away, the turned back, his face resolute, "I have accepted this fate, and willingly pass on this duty to another, Goodbye Celestia."
"Raymond! No!"
"Take care of my succesor, Celestia. I love you." The alicorn closed his eyes and was gone, the treasure of so many millenia had passed on, and Celestia didn't know what to do with herself.
_______________________________________________
I regained consciousness only to find Celestia in tears, the girls were surprised as well, what had happened? Had the Mares been put to sleep as well? Why was Celestia crying?
Twilight trotted nervously up to her teacher, unsure what to make of this, "Princess?"
The solar monarch suddenly sobered up, "I need you all to leave Twilight,"
We all began to file out, but just as I was about to leave Celestia changed her mind, "Reach, please stay."
Once the rest of the ponies had filed out, Celestia closed the door and turned to me, her face stern, but also fragile like she was holding back the tears from earlier, she began to take off all the royal clothing, her hair stopped waving as she took off all of the regalia, and shortened significantly, assembling itself into shoulder length straight cut bangs, "Far Reach, I have something to ask of you,"
I spluttered for a moment, "I-Uh, Anything your highness,"
"Please call me Celestia, we are past formality at this point"
"I do not know what you mean your highness, er, Celestia."
Celestia smiled, much more openly, more honestly. It seemed much more relaxed, but she still held some sort of pain behind that smile.
"If we're gonna be informal please call me Reach"
"Okay then. Reach, I need to ask you to do something for me,"
"Anything your Hi-ahem, Celestia," I smiled shyly, unsure what to make of this development.
"I need you to relax for one, we're going to be together for a very long time, we'll never be able to get anything done with you being so stiff."
My eyebrows shot up and I backed up quickly, "Wait! Wh-what are you getting at?"
Celestia looked confused for a moment, then almost smiled, but she didn't, "No we aren't going to be mates, if that's what your thinking."
I visibly relaxed. A relieved sigh escaping me, "okay, for a moment I was worried. You were going to ask me to do something?"
"I need you to retrieve something for me, a pair of bracelets"
I frowned for a moment, glancing to the bracelet around my hoof, she looked too, and her eyes widened in surprise, "How..."
I interrupted, "I have no idea, I just had it on when I woke up this morning,"
"Okay...but...where's it's sibling?"
I looked in surprise at her, "This bracelet is part of a set?"
Celestia nodded, "Yes, it is part of a set of ceremonial armor, only used in the coronation of a prince,"
"Wait, Prince? What do you mean?"
Celestia looked at me, all the pain she felt communicated in one look, "Far Reach, you are now one of us,"
"Thou knowest the risk that thou placeth in doing this right, 'Tia?" Luna asked Celestia.
"Yes Luna, but I know it will work out, I trust Reach, he is one of us now, after all, do you have the book?"
A black book popped into existence wrapped in the dark blue alicorn's magic, "I do, sister."
"Put it in it's rightful place. If I knew Raymond at all well then Reach will have had the dream, he will know where to find it,"
The book popped away again. "It is done sister,"
Celestia nodded solemnly, "Then we wait,"
_______________________________________________
"...And bacon strips, and bacon strips, and bacon strips!" I thought, distracted from my task of searching for this armor by the delicious thought of turducken epic. I reluctantly put those thoughts in the back of my mind. Oh Bacon, how I will miss thee in mine herbivorous form.
the armor had a connection to this bracelet somehow but I couldn't figure out how to follow it! Maybe if I learn how to use the magic of this world...maybe if I look in the library or something...
And off I went, as I trotted to the huge library. I found Twilight sitting in a reading chair there with several stacks of books surrounding her, "Hey Twi, watcha doin'?"
"Oh hi Reach, Just some light reading. I've already read all these books so none of this is new. You looking for something?"
"Actually yeah, I am. I'm looking for a book on magic, so that I can learn how to use my horn."
Twilight smiled, "Wasn't I supposed to teach you that?"
I facehoofed, an audible clack going around the room, making my head rattle, "Oh yeah, how could I forget,"
"You have a lot on your mind." Twilight suddenly looked worried, "I don't mean to pry, but...Do you know what was so upsetting that Princess Celestia cried over?"
Honestly? "She didn't give me very much, and she said to tell no one else of it, not even you Twi."
She seemed shocked by that, "but the princess trusts me!"
"I imagine that this is beyond trust Twi. Celestia is just as much a pony as the rest of us, and being huma-ahem. being a pony means that you have emotions, and sometimes you need to sort through them...alone"
"But-"
I interrupted, "No buts Twilight. Celestia needs to work this out by herself. this is far beyond the both of us and you know it."
Twilight looked at me, pleading to me to tell her what I knew, but I stood resolute. Defeated, she hung her head in shame, "I shouldn't have pressed for information, I'm just so worried for her, she's like a mother to me."
"I know the feeling," I thought back to the girl, "and like all mothers, she has problems that even a child such as you can't fix with all your knowledge. Now, can you teach me to use my horn?"
"No," Twilight looked at me sadly,"It's not you, it's just that if I did try I would be too distracted worrying about the Princess." Twilight slowly trotted out of the room, an air of gloom permeating the surrounding area.
I called out to her, "Twi, if you want to know so bad you should ask her yourself, that's all I can give you for help, she does love you, you know, I can see it in her eyes every time she looks at you..." I paused for a moment, unsure if what I was about to say was right, "Your lucky to be loved so uniquely by her Twilight, I'm sure if you ask her she'll tell you what's wrong,"
Twilight looked at me with a new light in her eyes, "Thank you so very much Reach. I'll ask her right away!" And off she trotted with a skip to her step to ask the princess.
I smiled quietly to myself, then saddened, "I wish it were that simple for me though..."
I thought back to my home, my parents! What had become of them? They have been infected during the breakout, and if they weren't then...then the gravity well must have killed them! I-I killed my own parents! I killed a whole country!
No! You can't let your grief control you Reach! You almost destroyed this innocent land when that happened. You must look for the ceremonial armor, then once your crowned prince maybe you can find a way to get back home...to earth...to Her...
I smiled once again, reassured that if I could get back home I could fix everything.
I looked around, surprised to see that I had been absentmindedly wandering the halls of the castle. In front of me were a set of stairs leading downward. A sort of urge to go down, a pull beckoned me forth.
Maybe this is that connection to the armor... I thought, Let's try it... I slowly began to step down the stairs.
Then I tripped.
I went tumbling down the stairs one by one, hitting each one painfully.
Once I reached the bottom, I just lay there. The bruises all over me radiating pain.
"Ow..."
I slowly pulled myself up, wincing from the pain, thankfully my horn hadn't been touched. I had the feeling that if it had been broken that very bad things would have happened.
"Where am I?" I looked around, surprised to see that beyond the stairs were caves made of crystal. Something about that nagged at me. Had I been here before?
The tug had become stronger, pulling toward a dark dusty gallery. I gulped and went forth into the darkness.
I slowed down, fearing that I would run into something, I almost did several times, opting to follow where the pull led me.
A whisper.
I jumped, "Who said that!?"
No one answered.
"Who's there!?"
Nothing.
I paused a little longer..."Maybe I'm just hearing things..."
I reluctantly kept moving, soon a light began to filter through the crystalline walls. My eyes had adjusted to the dark so I could finally see.
I definitely heard something that time.
"I know you're there! You can come out now!" I called out.
A presence permeated the area, focusing gently upon me, "Oh, Child, you have much to learn," the voice was male.
"Where are you? Show yourself!"
"Come now Far Reach, I thought you'd be smarter than that. That is why I chose you over Raymond after all."
What was this...thing talking about? "What?"
I got the feeling that it was displeased, "Follow the...pull as you so eloquently put it...all shall be explained in time..." And just like that it was gone, the pull much stronger, more tangible. It clouded my thoughts, forcing me ever nearer wherever it was leading me.
Around me is a crystal cathedral, translucent pillars of crystal support high vaults of the same. The crystal shows with an inner light, refracting with such beauty that it takes my breath away, as if it has a life of it's own. I walk forward between the crystalline pews, my jaw hanging open at the sheer beauty of this sacred place.
When I look forward I see a crystal pulpit, and resting upon it is an open book, a bible of the religion that built this place. Upon it's face are the words "The four scales". My study of this book is interrupted as the pull leads me onward.
Beyond this bible is an ornate chest of shining red metal. I walk slowly and reverently towards it. The ornate lock meant to keep the contents within this container away from the unworthy is broken.
I open the chest, and within it's gleaming confines lay, among the rest of the armor, the other bracelet, the armor itself held an indescribable beauty, the helm was winged with the most intricate of black feathers When I lay my eyes on it the pull grew to be almost unbearable. Commanding me to take the bracelet and put it onto my other hoof, completing the set.
When I do, something shifts inside of me, the armor flies out of the chest and assembles itself around me. As the helm rests on my head my mane changes, forming into a raging blue inferno. As the rest of the armor assembled itself I feel power, the power of creation.
But something about it felt hollow, only a fraction of something greater
...a lock without a key!
"Finally you understand, I have always been here Reach, inside you since your very conception, but I am not complete, I need a host, and though you are fitting, I cannot take you. You aren't the point of creation that I seek to restore balance to this universe..."
I nodded, "What do I do?"
"First you must attain the knowledge of the book behind you, after that we will continue."
"The book of the four scales, I see, very well,"
I turned to look at the black book on the pulpit, but when I went to grab it, the book pulled away. I was suddenly surrounded by black.
The presence then spoke "Your first trial, the trial of knowledge, wisdom, and cunning." I was suddenly surrounded by hedges. Three times my height. "Find your way out."
"Aren't you going to give me any clues?"
"Only one, look inside."
The presence stopped speaking, but was still there, the weight of it on my mind was still there, observing my every move.
"Well...that makes no sense."
_______________________________________________
Reach was right. If Twilight wanted to know what was bothering Celestia so much, she needed to go right to the source and ask her.
Celestia was in her study, the study that Twilight knew so well, full of little contraptions that did things that no one knew of except Celestia herself. She looked up from the book she was reading, taking off her reading glasses with a golden aura, "Hello Twilight, I was just about to send for you,"
Twilight stopped right inside the door, "you were?"
"Yes, I have been thinking for some time, and I've finally decided that you should know of this."
"Princess...?" Twilight asked, unsure of what to say.
"When You defeated King Sombra at the crystal empire I said that you would advance to the next level of your magical studies, this is it."
Twilight suddenly smiled widely, excited at the prospect of new knowledge, "When are we starting princess?"
"It does not work like that My Student, this concerns the Elements of Harmony."
"What do you mean princess?"
"Do you know where the Elements came from?" Celestia asked, her face suddenly solemn.
Twilight's brows scrunched in thought, "Something about it being crafted by ponies..." Twilight's eyes dilated, "Th-there's nothing about it that I've read about except that you used them to send Luna to the moon..."
"As with the Crystal empire, not everything is written in books." Celestia's magic brought forth eight small spheres of different colors, she placed them together and shot a burst of magic between them, causing them to light and shoot intricate lines of magic between each other in a pattern that Twilight didn't recognize, "Once, long ago, there were seven gods, all but one existed to oppose another, Luna and I were only two within this council." Two spheres opposite one another flashed, highlighting which ones represented the Solar and Luna Godesses, "Cadence and Sombra both represent good and evil respectively" two more spheres flashed, "Raymond represented both Creation, and destruction," another two, "and finally, Chaos and Order," The last two flashed.
"Discord is chaos right?" Twilight asked.
"Exactly My faithful student."
"Then who is Order?"
Celestia said only one word, "Harmony"
"But the Elements-" Twilight stopped, as a realization struck her, "What happened to Harmony?"
Celestia looked at Twilight, a deep ancient pain filled her eyes, "She passed on, and the power of Harmony split into six pieces."
Twilight's jaw fell open, "That means..."
"Yes, you and your friends hold the power of a god..."
Twilight was dumbstruck. She had never imagined that it would be like this, "Wh-Why here? Why now?"
"When Far Reach came to this world I knew exactly what he was. A short time after Harmony fell, Raymond, the holder of both creation and Destruction, left this world in search of another, a world where he could pass his power on to another. In short, he was dying."
"B-But how? Aren't you immortal?"
"For a time Twilight, all of us have had our beginnings in the council. Raymond was here before all of us came into office. He knew more of the council than any of us."
"That doesn't explain why you're telling me this now."
"Raymond found his successor, I'm sure you know who it is."
Twilight was at a loss for words, "B-But..."
"This is the first time since Harmony fell that any of the council have taken in a new office. Sombra fell but the spirit of evil is still looking for a host. Glimmer is in self exile, and Discord is locked in stone. When someone new enters to replace another in the council, the other hosts must be present, the problem is, Order has no host, the Elements are their own magical object."
Twilight was still trying to process the information being thrown at her, "Reach is...is a god?"
"Not yet, and Both Luna and I aren't sure if he ever will be..."
"But if..." Twilight stammered.
"If he doesn't take the office then the balance will be upset, and everything will be destroyed."
Twilight suddenly realized something, "What about destruction?"
Raymond found another host, and informed me of his identity, it seems that when Far Reach tapped into his power for the first time, it split in two, destruction going into a new creation, Far Reach had named it Argoron." Celestia paused for a moment, letting it sink in, "If Argoron makes it here before Far Reach discovers his true power, then this world is doomed to destruction."
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He finally had it! Argoron had finally cracked the barrier! Once he had sent that boy through to Equestria, the walls between his universe and Equestria had closed themselves, making it impossible for Argoron to follow. But by tapping into the girl's power, he could tear that wall down!
The girl was strapped into the machine, tubes protruding from her not quite corrupt form as she still tried to scream in pain. The machine pumped blood out of her, which instantly refilled, extracting energy from it and using her as a never ending battery. Oh the beauty of Torturing her made the familiar rustling in his nonexistent loins rise. He would have fun with her later, but that boy was his primary goal, he had made a promise to visit him, and he just couldn't find it in himself to break a promise well made.
"Heh heh heh, This will be fun," And with that, Argoron finally pulled the lever, activating the machine before him.
The girl's struggles were redoubled as the machine pumped more blood out of her at an increasingly furious pace, her muffled screams finally dying as her voice gave out.
The space in front of Argoron distorted, seemingly pulled apart, and with that a hole had finally been torn through the fabric of the unyielding void, allowing him access to the world he had longed to destroy ever since he had been made, Equestria!
Argoron turned to the girl, "Ah, you have done so well, My Dear in serving me, so much so that I think you deserve a reward, you shall join me as I destroy the one you love."
She couldn't scream.
He wrapped his tentacles about her and dragged her out of the machine, and before the rift could close, they both were through.
"...The heart is a great and terrible thing. It can build monuments, write songs, make poems, and exude love, but it can also destroy countries, burn nations, and above all else, hate..." - Diandus Dreamscape of Her Highness' personal guard circa 10 B.N.M. (Before Nightmare Moon)
Chapter Six
"Are you sure you can perform this on your own Princess? Wouldn't it be better if we used the Elements?" Twilight asked.
"We don't have much time, but yes. The elements will help. gather them in the throne room, good luck to you My Faithful Student." Once Twilight left the room on her mission, Celestia lit her horn for a teleport spell, "May the Scales sway in your favor Twilight. I hope this will work" in a flash of yellow light, Celestia teleported through the ether to an unidentified location.
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Turning another one of the endless corners of the hedge maze, I stood before the first branch off. To the left, marked by red flags, a cloud stair rose into a pure marble pantheon corridor that stretched out of sight over the tall hedges. To the right, marked by blue flags, a tunnel led into the earth, also out of my sight. Left or right? Red or blue? Up or down?
After a few moments of indecision I finally chose the right branch, leading down into the ground.
I was particularly careful making my way down these stairs. My past experience going down stairs as a pony running through my mind.
I hoofed my way carefully down the steps backwards slowly...painfully slowly.
Woo! It took a few minutes, but I made it!
I turned around and continued the journey, the corridor turning right twice, and opening onto another branch similar to the previous, The two stairways pointed up and down, marked by the same flags. Up to the hedge maze, down to deeper under the earth. I opted to go up, wanting to avoid inching down another set of stairs at a speed that a snail could outdo, back into the hedge maze. Another two rights, another set of two stairs, left went up into the clouds, marked by red flag, the right down into-...
wait...
Is this the same intersection?
Rut...
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*knock, knock*
Something stirred in the darkness of the royal bedroom, a rustling of sheets and feathers.
*knock*
"We are coming! Cease thy knocking!"
*BANG!*
A shudder ran through the castle. Luna jumped up out of her bed, immediately running toward the door and yanking it open with her magic. Light flooded the room, blinding the lunar diarch for a moment.
Celestia was at the door.
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this time I went left, into the clouds, finding the same choice, just made out of white fluffy clouds. left led higher, to more clouds; right dived back into the hedge maze.
"Oh come on! More stairs? You gotta be bucking kidding me!" I sensed a not so small amount of amusement from the presence...whatever it was...at my exasperation, and I shot a glare at the supposedly empty air above me. It actually laughed! What the rut!
I've been wandering the maze for what seemed like ages but was more likely to be only a few minutes, the presence constantly watching, going both left and right, getting ample practice at going down stairs in the meantime...and several bruises too.
I was in the hedge maze branch off when I finally saw it, two small signs at my left and right, the right had something about making decisions...
The right one though, now that one clicked in me, it simply read, "what does it matter whether you go left or right if you end up at the same place?"
It resonated with me, and made me think, what path had I not taken yet? Well, I could try going backwards...
I trotted my way back the way I came, and lo and behold, the path had changed. It went from going backwards along the path I took before (stone if you wanted to know) to a straight path flanked by green flags, it turned left into more of the maze.
It was a dead end. At least that's what it looked like, I doubled back again to the branch off, examining it closely to see if anything had changed, the signs were the same, the paths still branched off.
What if I doubled back in one of the other areas? I wondered, well, why not?
I went up into the clouds, left and when I came to the intersection I doubled back, it led back down into the hedge maze, and turned left, well, that's what happens...huh...
I took a close look at the sign, just a fancy eye, I stared at it longer, maybe if I stared at it long enough I could get it to give up it's secrets.
Did it just blink?
Suddenly the hedge in front of me dissolved, the sign along with it, opening into a hidden grove.
It was filled with statues, seven in all. Each one held some unknown symbolism, the presence spoke, "this grove is what lays at your very heart, the potential to be any of the eight gods within the four scales, that in itself is impossible, yet the armor you wear tells differently, it expresses six of the eight plates of the scales,"
"What're the missing ones?" I asked, curious.
"Destruction and evil,"
I paused for a moment, something about that was very striking, I felt on the verge of realizing something very big.
But- "Your next trial, judgement by the eight,"
Suddenly all the statues in the grove came to life, each being stood upon their pedestal, all but one, a shadowed humanoid figure wearing cowled dark grey robes with gold trim, it walked forward and spoke in the same voice as the presence, "What exactly is it about you that makes you so compatible? Is it what the girl gave you? Or is it simply an inborn trait, the culmination of your species? Unlike so many other hosts you are capable of much more than any other, yet something holds you back..." The figure's eyes were red and seething, he leaned forward, "What is it?"
The other figures stepped forward, a pink alicorn, a mismatched creature, Celestia, Luna, A grey unicorn with green eyes that seethed a purple smoke. Each of the eight figures stepped forth and asked me the same question, "Why?"
"I don't know..." The whispers of question continued, drilling into my mind, the pain of it making memories well up.
The memory of my birth, and of untold power, and a kind understanding presence, easing my crying from within,
the girl saving me from death,
the creation of Argoron,
That final defeat before he sent me hurtling toward the foreign equusian planet
waking up for the first time in this strange technicolor world,
twilight and the other five,
Celestia's kind motherly smile,
The book upon the pedestal, the key to my power,
The seven entities surrounding me.
Argoron.
Suddenly it all clicked, There was no eighth entity in the circle, Argoron was not there, He was the point of destruction.
I had made him...and he took something very dear to me.
I straightened, somewhat, my eyes cold and hard, "I hold back because I choose to. The power of the eight isn't for one entity alone, it is for many to share in understanding. I have come to understand that through my adventures, because each and every thing I did resulted alone resulted in pain and strife for myself and my friends. It was only when I worked with Her that I could truly use my power. She sacrificed herself for me, and I was a fool to return the favor by bringing about her demise. I am truly remoseful for my mistakes, and though I will try to fix it so that this world doesn't suffer like the last, I will not be able to go back and fix my world. This place is now my home."
Each of the seven figures stopped and looked at me, then each stepped forward one by one and nodded their approval. Then all but the spirit of creation and Celestia onto their respective platform and returned to their hosts, stone once more.
The two stood together, an unspoken tension hanging between them. Finally Celestia spoke, looking away, tears in her eyes, "I wish you hadn't been so rash Raymond,"
"I know," spoke the robed one, "I am only the power he held you know,"
"I just wish..."
Raymond extended a hand to Celestia's chin, gently guiding her to look into in his eyes, "I know, and yes, though he loved you, time is cruel to us all, Cel'. I wish he could have stayed, but that's not how the scales operate. Reach must take the place destined for him since his conception."
Both of the deities looked at me lovingly. I could feel the love they had felt for me, I was their child in an odd sort of way, "I-I don't understand," I said.
"You will in time Reach," Creation said, "You will in time..." He then turned to Celestia, "Cel', I need you to hold off destruction for as long as you can. He comes for the boy. I'll do what I can to get Reach ready as quickly as possible, you just keep him off my back. Glim-ahem- Cadence will help you, she's already on her way. release Chaos as well, tell him that he still owes me a favor, He'll understand."
Celestia nodded, "It will be done my love,"
The last echoes of Raymond stood there silently, waiting for Celestia to go.
Celestia began to cry again, "Please Raymond, don't leave me..."
"I am sorry Cel'...he already did...goodbye..." And with that, Celestia was gone. A statue once again.
The manifestation of creation turned to face me. "You are getting closer Reach, but you aren't there yet." He produced the black book of the four scales and handed it to me, "here is the book, read it quickly, it is your third trial."
Finally! About time I get the chance to read this stupid thing! I opened to the front page.
It was blank, I flipped through the whole book.
"No...No NoNoNoNo!" It was all blank! "How am I supposed to read this!?"
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They had come out in a forest. Too bright and cheery it was, Argoron felt the need to destroy well up, the electric shock went through his diffuse form and everything blackened, corrupting in his presence, save for the girl already in his clutches. He wanted her to be sane when he destroyed the boy, the one she cared so much for, they would both come to serve him suffering with the other.
The local Fauna had been corrupted. Good, they would spread his blight to the magical inhabitants of this world, then the true destruction would begin!
His work done, Argoron zoomed toward the castle off in the distance, the boy was there.
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Celestia opened her tear streaked eyes, she was in the garden with luna, in front of the statue of Discord, "Luna," She commanded, "Get Shining Armor and the Elements of Harmony here as fast as you can, we need to release Discord and shield the city"
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How in the blazes am I supposed to read this when it had writing just a few minutes ago!? I thought to myself. This just didn't make any sense!
I thought to use my power, and immediately discarded it. My emotions were going to screw over anything I would try.
Wait a moment...these trials are all about me...all about introspection, discovery, and change of the self...
Maybe...just maybe...
I felt the electric pulse down my spine and a surge of joy as I once again called forth the power of creation and imagined the pages in front of me unveiling what they once held.
When I opened my eyes I was met with A charred and black book that looked like it had been liquefied as well. It began to drip like paint, it completely fell apart, reverting into black muck.
Shit...
But the transformation didn't end there, the ooze began to bubble and seeth, pulling itself up, it reached toward me, and though I stepped back a few hooflengths, it reached farther and farther to get to me. It touched me, and in that moment several things happened.
I noted how thick and slimy, but alive the ooze felt, as it began to engulf me, I tried to struggle but something stopped me, I couldn't move!
Then the black void of nothingness took me.
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She couldn't think past the pain, it formed a haze over her mind as the black matter at away at her sanity, but it held back. Everytime it was about to send her over the edge it pulled her back and started again. The agony renewing itself. She faintly heard screaming somewhere. The faint realization that it had to be someone else trickled into her pain addled mind. she had nothing else to give. She couldn't save them from Him.
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I regained consciousness to find myself floating in a void, under me was a platform of glass, depicting myself as a human. The face was pockmarked with acne, the eyes were sad, almost suffering, but hid a quiet determination. The glass depicted me wearing the robes that the statue of Creation had worn, gray robes that went down to the ankles, a belt about my waist and sword strap over my shoulder. Around the glass were several platforms with mirrors. The first came up to me, what I saw inside was the black fire of Argoron.
Well, that does make a twisted sort of sense, he is me after all Iturned to another and was surprised to find my pony-self staring back.
The armor was a burnished copper color, shining as if it were only polished minutes ago. The blue mane was an ever shifting fire under the black feathered helm. The wings themselves looked like they were mechanical in nature, the armor giving the illusion that they weren't really part of my body. My tail looked like my mane, but it's undulations spread from the base down through the locks.
I looked into the reflections eyes, and saw the cold uncaring of a detached god.
Had I really become this-this thing? This godly unfeeling monstrosity?
The image in the mirror sneered as it observed me. It passed by harmlessly as I neared the glass floor.
"There are many things that you have yet to learn"
"What? Who's there?"
"I am what you might call god, or Gaea, or equus, The origin," A being of pure energy stood before me, white and vaguely ponylike, "I bind each of the four scales, granting my power to each new holder,"
Something grabbed me from behind, black tentacles. The white figure smiled, "But power comes at a price Far Reach, or should I say Gallimund? Or maybe Berune? Or any of the other names you have taken?" it reached out and held out a hoof to me. I felt something tear within my very being, something very desperately, deeply within me. Black motes swam in my vision as I nearly blacked out. After I recovered, the tentacles released me. A small blue ball hovered in front of the things hoof. I looked at it and instantly became dizzy, it was a part of my soul, "I took something very dear to you, and only time will reveal what it is."
I blacked out.
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He had arrived. Argoron had made it to Canterlot. The capital of this Equestria. A purple dome hovered over the city, overlapping in places with white and dark blue. He knew what that meant. Twas only a slight delay. He would break those defenses easily, then his conquest would begin, and this land would see it's end once he took the boy's power.
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I came to a goodly ways above Canterlot, hurtling towards it at a pretty good peck.
"HOLY MOTHER OF SHHHIIIIIII-" The shield opened up just enough to let me pass through. *BAM* I made my third crater of the week right in front of the canterlot hospital.
It's a good thing this armor was so well made or I would have ended up as a very bloody pancake in the bottom of this dust bowl.
BAM. The earth shook as if from a mighty earthquake.
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He Impacted the multihued shield. Hard. A small crack had appeared where he hit, but the cracks pulled back into themselves, the shield repairing, this would require more than brute force. More of his corruption would be needed.
________________________________________________
*CLANG*
Celestia grunted as she focused on the crack in the shield that the black menace had created; it wouldn't hold together much longer at this rate.
Twilight and the elements had gone to search canterlot to find where Reach landed. They had been gone fifteen minutes.
*BANG*
Shining armor gave a sharp gasp as hit part of the shield was impacted, the blow immediately drained the already strained unicorn almost beyond his limit, but he summoned the energy from deep within and held firm.
*CRACK*
Shining finally reached his limit and the magic drained from his horn, the sister diarchs tried to fill in, but their magic was spread too thin.
*BOOM*
The hit shattered the weakened shield like glass, the shards burning into the air before they hit the ponies on the ground.
I'm pretty sure you know how much I hate falling by now. It sucks making craters everywhere you go as landmarks. My newest one wasn't exactly the most well placed, I believe I crashed into a house made of stone, very hard stone, very PAINFULLY hard stone, but I didn't exactly have time to sit there. I was just gifted some insane amount of power, and I need to use it right now!
I pulled myself from the rubble of the ruined house i just fell upon, using my hands to push myself up.
Hands...?
Sweet mother of whatever deity I answer to I am human again!
Now isn't the time to celebrate the reversion of your body, now is the time to scout out the situation.
The area is surrounded by thick black smoke, which cannot be mistaken as anything but the essence of Argoron, permeating the area, I crouch, bunching my human muscles into the old familiar sensation of jumping, sliding my mind into the platforming state like an old glove. I jump. Down. Down to the pavement of the street below, cracking the cobble as I hit the ground.
I quickly pull my sword, Sanctuuri, from nothing, the electricity down my spine now nothing more than a tingle of effort.
The light of the familiar blade pierces through the smokey particles that surround the spawn of my mind. The essence shudders for a moment, then he begins to pull himself together, the smoke whirling around ever faster in a dark tornado.
The white eyes slowly begin to appear as my arch enemy flickers and flares like a black fire.
His laughter is like being dunked completely in ice water, cold and cruel, and empty as death.
He has arrived.
His voice is worse, I can't even describe it, it's just sapping, it makes you feel cold and alone, and it tugs at you, at your sanity, "So this is it," bit, "in the middle of all this life, " by tiny, "I get to destroy the final piece that you two hold so dear" bit, "each other!"
I finally spot the Girl I love so dearly, the only thing keeping me sane right now, tortured, battered, and teetering on the edge of death at the center of the vortex.
Her condition merely strengthened my will to save her, but what finally set me off was her eyes, the look of unending suffering, and only a desire for it to end.
My mind was on fire, all thought fled and I immediately lunged at him, my blade singing bloody unending murder to the one soul that I hated enough to kill a thousand and more times.
The next thing I know I'm raining mighty blows upon the flesh that resides at his center, his body crumples to the ground dead, the black mist begins to fade and recede, as my mind finally registers what I have just wrought.
He is done, his body is left broken on the flagstones, drained of life. I look upon his face, my face, the dead face of the dead thing that had caused so much death and sorrow to a now dead world.
And I turn my back on it, to her. I find another corpse.
I fall to my knees, the weakness taking over my mind, I merely stared blankly at the dead body of the love that would never be.
The ponies had come to get me and it seem that they found me, I didn't care, they spoke to me, I didn't listen, what was the point in trying? My life is done, it died when she did.
