Chapter 2
The voice startled the ponies out of their happy revery, and, still on edge from their earlier ordeals, immediately turned to the source, ready for anything. Despite that, many of them were still surprised.
Standing at the other end of the room was a huge biped in ornate golden armor. He--they assumed it a male from the voice--must have stood four meters tall. His shoulders were broad and his bared arms rippled with muscle.His skin was the angry red of heated metal and his hair a crimson curtain down his back. Two horns protruded from his breastplate and curled up to the level of his head and two more came from his back and curled even higher. The color of his eyes seemed to shift and change, dancing in the limited light of the new dawn.
Luna, at least, didn’t seem particularly impressed. “Your castle!? This is our castle!” Luna yelled with the vehemence only those defending their homes could muster. Before anybeing could respond to her assertion, Celestia stepped into the foreground to confront the giant.
“What do you want? I warn you that any hostility will be met with force.”
“If I were hostile, I wouldn’t introduce myself. What I want is to have a conversation with all of you. We have much to discuss.” Magnus gestured to the doorway. “I suggest we retire to a more appropriate location.”
Without waiting for a response, Magnus turned and started down the stairs. Luna and Celestia looked to each other, and even after all the years apart they could still communicate without a single word. The two warily followed Magnus down the stairs, though neither allowed it to show. They were rulers and so they made sure to seem at peace for the sake of their subjects.
The newly chosen Elements of Harmony stood frozen for several moments, unsure of what to do, before Celestia and Luna gestured for them to follow. They trotted to catch up with the two alicorns. The group tried to mimic their leaders’ grace, though none of them succeeded or even came close, really.
Not a single word was said for the first several minutes, the sounds of Magnus’ armored tread and the clanking of the chain and heavy book resting on his hip drowning out the softer hoof steps of the ponies. He confidently strode forward, his cloak of multicolored feathers swishing just above the ground, forcing the others to hurry or fall behind. The two royals knew that walk. It was the stride of someone that knew they were in charge and was deliberately showing their superiority. They were determined not to let the mysterious stranger take full charge.
Eventually the quiet was too much for Pinkie Pie to stand. “Where are we going?” she asked from the back of the group.
“The throne room,” Magnus replied without so much as looking back. To Pinkie, such a curt reply could only mean one thing.
“You don’t talk much do you?”
Magnus didn’t deign to answer that. Pinkie, of course, took that as confirmation and became determined to get the strange giant out of his shell.
As they entered the room, Magnus moved to the side to allow the ponies to move towards the twin thrones unobstructed. As the diarchs climbed the stairs to the dais, the Elements looked to each other, unsure what to do. A problem solved by a small gesture from Luna to come stand by the thrones. These ponies were her saviors and rightfully deserved elevation.
“Now that we are here, do you mind telling us more?” Celestia asked, always the diplomat. Though in truth, beneath her calm exterior an emotional whirlwind swirled across her mindscape. Her defeat by Nightmare and reunion with Luna had already exacted their tolls and playing the diplomat after so much was proving straining even with her millennia of experience. It didn’t help that this Magnus character was unlike any being she had ever met.
“Simply enough, I want to speak of the future. Tethra is going through a time of trials and change. The next few years are going to be tumultuous and you are all central to ensuring the survival of the world and its harmony. I will train you to improve your chances.”
“Train us? Celestia and I have centuries of experience dealing with the problems of this world. What makes you think you can teach us anything?” Luna asked with a roll of the eyes, treating the whole thing like most adults treat a child telling stories.
“I have millennia dealing with the problems of other worlds as well as this one,” Magnus replied. Technically speaking, causing problems for the Imperium counted as dealing with them. “In addition, I have abilities nearly unheard of in this world that you'll need to learn to combat in the future.”
The ponies exchanged a disbelieving glance.
“Come on, even I wouldn’t fall for that one,” Pinkie called out
“I have to agree with Ms. Pie. While I’m aware other worlds exist, I have all portals closely monitored and have seen nothing like you come through,” Celestia said
“I’ve been here for eleven millennia, and I didn’t exactly go through a conventional portal,” Magnus responded with almost casual dismissal.
“Absurd. Ponies as a species haven’t even been around that long,” Luna shot at Magnus, hoping to put him on the back foot for the rest of the talks. Magnus merely responded with a raised eyebrow.
“True, ponies only evolved to this point 4,243 years ago or so, though you were on the edge of sapience for quite a while beforehand. Now, can we move beyond my age or are you all going to get hung up on this?” Magnus said as his emotionless facade began to crack with exasperation.
“Since you are saying it’s part of your credentials, I do believe we will need some evidence,” Celestia responded with her sternest visage. This conversation was quickly proving fruitless and her patience was beginning to wear thin.
“What exactly do you want? There’s no way to definitively prove my age. Any object I produce could have been obtained later and any story I tell could be pure fiction. So unless you have a spell to determine my age, which I doubt, you’ll have to take my word for it. Now, can we talk about the other part of my claim you all seemed to ignore?” Magnus’ irritation was breaking through more and more. These stubborn ponies were making things far more difficult than they needed to be.
“I fail to see why we should. A claim made in the same breath as such a blatant lie cannot be taken seriously. The only reason we’re listening to you at all is because of the nature of your appearance, in both senses of the phrase,” Luna spoke with just a trace of smugness creeping into her voice and mannerisms.
“Very well then, we’ll cut straight to the heart of the matter. If you can prove you don’t need my training, then I won’t bother you again. On the other hand, if you fail, you will start training as soon as possible. Agreed?”
The ponies looked to one another before giving a response. “If you’ll excuse us, I believe this requires further discussion.”
“Very well,” Magnus said before he turned and ducked out of the room.
Rainbow Dash came out to get Magnus fifteen minutes later. When they entered the room, the princesses were quick to call Rainbow back to their side.
“Magnus the Red,” Celestia said. “After reviewing your assertions and discussing it amongst ourselves, we have come to a conclusion. We will allow you a single chance to prove yourself. Should you prove false we shall leave immediately and you will bother us no further, are we agreed?”
“I’m glad to hear that. If that’s the case, then go ahead and try to leave.” Confused, the ponies hesitantly strode towards the doors while exchanging odd looks with each other. Magnus let the ponies walk by him. However, before they reached the door a voice rang in their heads.
+Stop.+
The group collectively halted, though they knew not why.
+Turn around.+
Again, the ponies couldn’t help but turn around. Their eyes widened in fear and their muscles tightened in resistance.
“What are you doing to us!?” Twilight called out in horror and dismay.
“Testing you. I claimed to have abilities you hadn’t seen before, this is one of them. Break free and stop me, if you can’t even resist this much, you are doomed.”
+Kneel.+
The mortal ponies immediately fell to their knees. The two alicorns were more stubborn. They fought against the voice with all of their wills and after what seemed a lifetime they stood full and strong against the giant. “We will not kneel before a monster like you. Nor will we allow you to continue tormenting our subjects,” Luna said with a growl in her voice.
Luna and Celestia rushed at Magnus. The two instinctively feel into old battle formations, Celestia took the lead and veered to the left while Luna lagged slightly behind and shot right to split their opponent’s attention. As they closed in on Magnus, they noticed he hadn’t reacted at all to their charge. Thinking Magnus was too stunned at their resistance to act, they decided to take advantage of what seemed a perfect opportunity and charged straight at him.
Before their unified blow could strike, Magnus lifted a single finger. Such a simple gesture the royals thought nothing of it, yet an instant later they were once again frozen in place, though there was no voice this time.
“You threw off my mental commands. Let’s see if you can overcome my telekinesis.”
Celestia and Luna grunted and strained against the invisible bonds. Their horns lit, throwing as much magic as they could against their restraints. The effort quickly wearing down their already exhausted bodies. Luna stopped trying altogether, her power greatly diminished from the Elements of Harmony cleansing her earlier.
“Disappointing but not surprising. What about you, Celestia? Can you stop me or are you as weak as the others?” Magnus’ inflection stayed calm and precise. No derision, merely curiosity. Regardless, the words spurred Celestia on.
With a final burst of golden light, Celestia freed herself and pushed forward into Magnus. Her fury lent strength to her blows. Not a fury for herself but for her sister and subjects. Say what you like about Celestia, she’s heard it all before and couldn’t care less. Insult Luna and her saviors? That’s an entirely different story.
Blow after blow rained down on the armored behemoth. Celestia’s wrath only left room for attack. To stop was unthinkable. Spell followed kick followed horn thrust. But each spell seemed to impact on thin air before it reached Magnus, each kick was knocked aside our caught in Magnus’ sizable palms, and each horn thrust was dodged with an agility belied by his size. Even with all that and despite not taking any significant damage, Magnus was being pushed back.
As his back hit the wall Magnus decided to start the next part of the test. “Your physical strength is impressive, an equal to my brothers, but there's more to combat than strength. Let's see what happens at the next level.”
As Celestia came in for another attack she could feel her mind being assaulted once more. She faltered as she shook off the mental attack, even if only for a moment. Magnus was quick to notice. He grabbed Celestia by the throat and flung her into the wall. The wall cracked with the impact, the boom echoing through the room. Celestia tried to rise but her body refused to listen, and she slumped down mere feet from Twilight and her friends.
“I see. I could kill all of you right now and you would be as helpless as newborns.” Magnus marched forward, his hands igniting into iridescent flame. Celestia flinched as she saw the flame shoot towards her. She braced herself for the searing heat. She waited one second, then two, then several. Either this was the slowest blast in history or he had somehow missed her. She opened her eyes to see the giant had come to a stop just above her. She looked up to meet his gaze, his eyes were cold, the red and gold of his irises unnerving.
“Now you see how weak you are. You thought you could handle anything because you’ve taken care of one world for a few centuries. I have seen millions of worlds, each with their own threats. Your arrogance has led to your downfall.”
“I know when I’m defeated, I accept my loss,” Celestia said, her voice hoarse.
“Pathetic. I expected better of you, Celestia. Why have you already given up? Your moon is returned but your sun is still missing. Fight, Celestia, or it will stay that way.” Steel crept back into Celestia’s eyes, though her body was still weak. Magnus reached down and gently lifted Celestia up, setting her down near Luna’s collapsed form. With another lift of a finger, Magnus released the other ponies from his thrall. They promptly collapsed on the floor, exhausted from their struggle. “I hope you can appreciate why I wanted to train you now.”
“What... was... that?” Twilight asked between heavy breaths.
“Applications of telepathy and telekinesis, if only at their barest levels,” Magnus replied.
“What!? Bare my fabulous flank!” Rarity exclaimed.
“Well, bare for me. I thought it best to restrain you before anyone got hurt.”
“The best offense is a good defense, right?” Pinkie asked, already back on her hooves and jumping around.
“That’s certainly what Brother Dorn thought. You seem to be taking this quite well, Miss Pie. The others are still recovering and you’re already back to normal. Impressive, most impressive,” Magnus said with a note of admiration in his voice. The others didn’t realize it at the time but Magnus is rarely impressed by mortals. That he would acknowledge her recovery time truly meant it was extraordinary.
“You have to be able to roll with the strange things that happen if you throw as many parties as I do, silly billy,” Pinkie replied as she bounced around her friends, checking on them.
“Well, at least one of us is okay. My head’s killing me,” Rainbow Dash said in an even raspier than normal voice.
“Quit yer whinin’, RD. We’re all feelin’ like taffy fresh from the stretchin’ machine,” Applejack said.
“Mmm, taffy sounds good right about now,” Pinkie said, licking her lips.
“As fun as it is listening to you guys, don’t you think we have bigger problems? Like the giant red biped that nearly killed Princess Celestia standing right next to us. Anyone remember that?” Twilight said with as much snark as she could muster at the moment.
“You are correct, Twilight Sparkle. We agreed to a test, why did you turn it into an assault, cur?” Luna asked angrily.
“I wanted you to see what I would be training you to prevent. Others with similar abilities will come here and challenge your peace. If you couldn’t overcome that, then you would almost certainly fall at some point down the line,” Magnus said with an air of superiority. “I was impressed with how well you and Celestia dealt with my mental domination and even more so that Celestia broke my grasp. The two of you will need less training than the others but you do need training still.”
“I’m weak from being cleansed by the Elements of Harmony. If I were at my full strength then you would have faced both of us after breaking your hold,” Luna said defensively.
“I’m sure. The point still stands, however.”
Celestia had caught her breath by this point, though her body was still sore. “If it can prevent me from feeling so helpless to protect the ones I love, then so be it. But know that I will not forget this, Magnus the Red. There will be a reckoning one day.”
“Noted. What about the rest of you?” Even with a declaration of vengeance ,Magnus didn’t seem to care beyond recording the information, his mask of aloofness firmly back in place.
The other ponies were shocked at Celestia’s agreement and so took a few moments to respond. The six element bearers looking to each other and nodding in confirmation. Luna merely stared at her sister before she too slowly gave a nod, though she refused to look away from Celestia as she did so
“Excellent. Training will be held every other day for those staying in Ponyville and whenever can be allowed for the others. The country comes first, after all. Speaking of, the Princesses and I have a few more things to discuss, I believe.” Magnus turned to the group of mortals. “Please excuse us for a minute,” Magnus said before he gestured politely for them to leave.
“I don’t get it. You just got what you wanted and you still aren’t smiling!” Pinkie cried, pointing an accusing hoof at Magnus non-smiling face.
“We are in the middle of business. Emotions can complicate things and so I control them. I will be teaching you to do the same,” Magnus responded with a hint of condescension.
“I swear by all that is laughter that you will smile someday!” Pinkie declared self-righteously.
Magnus once again gestured for the group to leave. Twilight was the first to start moving though with great hesitance and constant glances back at Celestia and Luna. The rest started to file out, Pinkie waving cheerfully while Rainbow gave Magnus the “I’m watching you” gesture.
“What do you wish to discuss with us, blackguard?” Luna asked, eyeing the red biped suspiciously.
“My role in Equestria and its defense. I am willing to fight for you, though I have several conditions just as I’m sure you do. Why don’t we start with your conditions and we can come to some kind of agreement?” The two alicorns looked at each other dumbstruck. For such a powerful being to freely offer their aid was unusual, to say the least.
“Excuse us for one minute, Magnus the Red. We’ll have to discuss this amongst ourselves before we go forward,” Celestia said.
“Of course.”
Celestia and Luna walked off a suitable distance to make sure Magnus couldn’t overhear and began to discuss what they might do.
“He must think us new born foals if he believes we’d just go along with what he’s saying,” Luna said quietly.
“He seems willing to have restrictions placed on him. A being of his power could be a great asset. We’ll have to make sure we don’t give him any loopholes to exploit, of course,” Celestia whispered.
“Yes, an ironclad contract signed in blood,” Luna said angrily, still miffed that she had been called weak.
“Sister, blood contracts fell out of favor eight hundred years ago. Though, I might make an exception for this.”
“Whether they ‘fell out’ or not, I do not see a way other than that to make sure this creature keeps to his word,” Luna countered.
“All right, but what conditions should we set? I don’t want him to scare our little ponies but at the same time what good would he do just staying here? What do you think, Luna?”
“He seems to have known what was going on outside this place while not being seen, Sister. If this is true then we can just have him stay here until needed,” Luna reasoned.
“That is a point. Oh, dear creator. I left our journal here when I moved the capital. You don’t think he looked through it, do you?”
“I would not put it past this offensive being,” Luna said with a sneer.
Celestia flushed a warm pink. “Back on topic. Do we trust him to stay here? Nopony comes here anymore but I’m not sure it’s entirely safe for even him to stay here. This forest is more dangerous than you know, Sister.”
“I flew over the forest and it did not jump up to swallow me, Sister. Besides, he already claims that this has been his home for who knows how long.”
“True. However, I’m sure you can tell this mountain is unnatural. It just sprouted from the ground a few weeks after your banishment. The tremors were so powerful I feared Canterlot would plummet to its doom,” Celestia said with the far off look of deep remembrance. “I don’t know if any being can be safe here, not even if they think it’s their home. We might have to offer him lodging, though we can’t force him to leave.”
“Think about this a bit more, Sister. How long has it been since this event has taken place and has there been anything near its scale since?”
“Nothing quite like that ever since. But the forest sprang up so quickly, I’m honestly not sure why it isn’t still expanding. This place scares me, Luna.”
“I'm sure the barbarian will be fine. You felt his strength. I can't imagine much that could match him.”
“That's what makes this place dangerous. Raw strength only counts for so much. There are things here that can curse you if you so much as look at them. Expeditions stopped coming here centuries ago.”
“I stand by my earlier statement that the red man will be fine. He seems to have more than just raw strength. Perhaps we should let him stay and see how he does. Should he require assistance then we can just teleport over and offer him aid.”
“I suppose. I’d still feel better if we at least offered him housing. We can worry about specifics after hearing his answer. We would need to make sure he would follow orders, clearly. What other conditions should we have, though?”
“Obey the laws of the land, do not double cross us, don’t bring in foreign aid without at least telling us about it, and something in the way of tribute to us on a monthly basis?”
“What would he tribute, Luna? Furs? I think we can skip the tribute but the others are good ideas. If neither of us can think of anything else, we should return. We’ve kept him waiting for longer than I thought we would.”
“If we must go back to talking to him then it can’t be helped, but I do so under protest,” Luna said a bit petulantly.
“Honestly, Luna, I understand how you feel, but who knows? We may come to like him with time,” Celestia said while nudging her significantly smaller sibling.
“Says the one who swore a reckoning against him,” Luna said with a raised eyebrow and a bit of tease in her voice.
“That's an entirely different matter. Nobeing hurts my sister and friends without consequences, whether I come to like them or not.”
The two walked back towards Magnus, making sure to keep their air of regality. It’s true that he had already seen them weak but it’s the principle of the thing. As they drew near, Magnus rose from where he’d taken a seat on the floor, ready to negotiate with the rulers.
“We have reached an agreement. We will allow you to aid us, but you must follow our orders. You must obey Equestria’s laws and never betray us. Finally, you must not bring in foreign aid without informing us and obtaining our approval. Do you accept these terms?”
“I do. I have several conditions of my own, however. First, I and those that might follow me will only take orders directly from the princesses. Second, there will be beings that will come here from my own reality, I will deal with them in my own way. You will have no jurisdiction. Third, the Pyramid of Thoth is outside the country of Equestria and is my own domain. Finally, while I require no money, any of my followers have the right to negotiate pay with you. Agreed?”
“We can agree on you handling beings from your own reality and you and your followers being our direct command, but what in Tartarus is the ‘Pyramid of Thoth?’ Luna asked.
“That is the Pyramid of Thoth,” Magnus said as he pointed out the window towards the mountain.
“That is a strange name for a mountain. Why not call it something else?” Luna asked cautiously
“In an ancient civilization of my world, Thoth was a deity of wisdom. When I made this mountain I intended it to be a place of learning, eventually, so it seemed appropriate.”
“Hold on,” Celestia interrupted Magnus with the rise of a hoof. “Did you just claim to have made the Steps?”
“Yes. It’s not the tallest mountain I’ve made but I was out of practice at the time.”
“But, but, the Steps are twenty kilometers high and twice as wide. How could you possibly create it?” Celestia asked wide eyed.
“With the right knowledge and proper application of power, almost anything is possible.” The two sisters looked at each other with fear but also a bit of excitement. If it truly was knowledge that allowed such a great feat, surely they could work wonders in the name of harmony. On the other hoof, such knowledge in the wrong hands could wreak havoc. Which begged the question: which side does their new acquaintance fall on?
“Will you share this knowledge with us?” Luna asked with some trepidation
“Knowledge is power, guard it well. In time, I may start sharing what I can, but I make no promises.” Magnus had the look of reminiscence about him as he spoke his mask discarded entirely for the brief moment. He seemed to be remembering a time he didn’t guard his knowledge well and it came back to haunt him but before the sisters could do more than register it his emotions faded as suddenly as they came.
The sisters looked to each other though they tried not to show their worry. If Magnus was the only one with the knowledge how would they counter him should he try something insidious? A silent conversation passed between the two. They would not stop until they had the knowledge to stop this giant if need be. Although it chafed Luna, she would be “friends” with Magnus if it could help her nation.
“Very well. Was there anything else we needed to discuss? I would dearly like to get home and get Luna settled in.” Luna gave a small wince at the mention of a new home. Nothing was left of her life a thousand years ago and all the commotion had helped her forget. Now it came crashing back into the foreground and she found herself dreading the possibilities.
“Just one more thing. You’ll need to bring Cadenza with you as well. Ignoring her can only lead to problems later on.”
“Who is Cadenza?” Luna asked.
“Mi Amore Cadenza is an ascended alicorn that I adopted as a niece. I was going to introduce the two of you once you’d gotten some rest,” Celestia said. “Very well, we will try to convince her to come as well. However, she is not obligated to follow my orders, so I cannot guarantee anything.”
“I don’t think that will be a problem,” Magnus said with what seemed to Celestia to be a strange sense of confidence. “I trust the three of you will be able to make it here with little trouble.”
“Transportation will not be a problem but what of the Ponyville group? I doubt you want them walking through the forest for two days every time they come to learn.”
“That’s already taken care of. Come, I’ll show you.” With that, Magnus turned and walked from the chamber back towards the previous chamber, with the sisters following close behind. As they reached the others, Celestia gestured with a wing for them to follow alongside.
With a look between themselves, the others fell into step behind the two royals. They were all curious about what they had talked about and where they were going but only Pinkie actually broke the somewhat strained silence. “So, where’re we going now? Whatcha guys talk about? Are you guys friends now? Should I throw a ‘we're friends with a giant’ party? This is so exciting and awesome! It’s awesomciting!”
“We talked about how Magnus is going to fit in with Equestria. I’m not sure you could call us friends but a party does sound wonderful, perhaps to celebrate Luna’s return,” Celesta replied in her usual warm voice. “What do you think, Luna? Up for mingling with the citizenry?”
“I am not sure it is wise to see the ponies I so recently terrorized. But if you think it’s a good idea, I would like to get to know our little ponies better.”
“You certainly are a hardy group. Most people would not be so relaxed after an encounter with one such as I. Perhaps your training will go better than expected,” Magnus mused out loud.
“Please, we just fought against Nightmare Moon, the pony parents use to scare their kids straight. A big red guy isn’t so bad compared to that,” Rainbow boasted.
“Until you remember he made us look made us look weaker than a chick goin' up against a rattler,” Applejack cut in, deflating Rainbow’s ego faster than the pegasus usually flew.
“Yeah, well, he cheated. I could totally take him without the weird brain stuff.”
“Darling, Princess Celestia fought him without any of the ‘brain stuff’ and she still lost,” Rarity pointed out.
“Okay, yeah, but Princess Celestia probably doesn’t get out much. She’s probably way out of shape.” Rainbow seemed proud of herself for a moment until she realized just who she was walking behind. “Er, no offense, Princess Celestia.”
“Celestia does seem a bit rounder than I remember. Perhaps a few too many sweets before bed? It always was a weakness of hers,” Luna said with a giggle before Celestia could respond.
“Hmph, my figure is just as perfect as always. Any roundness is merely a result of my motherly image.”
“Riiiight, of course, dear sister. I’ll make sure you get plenty of exercise, no excuses.”
As the group continued to banter, Magnus led them back through the castle to the foyer they first arrived in. They exited the castle and went back into the tunnels of the mountain.
“Why are we going back into these awful tunnels?” Rarity asked with a slight whine.
“I’m taking you back to Ponyville. Pay attention, I expect you to remember how to get back here for training.”
“Oh no, I don’t have anything to take notes with. What if we get lost and then we starve wandering down the tunnels of the Steps!” Twilight said as she began to panic.
“Oh, that would be awful, but I’m sure that between all of us we can remember which way to go. Rainbow’s actually very good with directions, Rarity has an eye for detail, and you’re the Princess’ personal student. If the three of you can’t do it, no one can.” Fluttershy’s calm assurance brought Twilight back down to reality as they descended the ladder to the underground. Twilight gave Fluttershy a quick hug in thanks before turning all her attention to remembering the route.
Magnus led them down the twists and turns of the tunnel until it seemed to the ponies that they should have already gotten back to ground level. Eventually, they came to one last turn before seeing a large metal door barring their path. After Magnus entered a series of numbers on a nearby pad, the doors slid open revealing an underground railway along with a strange train waiting for them.
“I ain’t never seen a train like that before.”
“Me neither, but it looks a lot more streamlined,” Rainbow said, admiring the aerodynamic curve of the lead car.
The train had been colored a rich blue with gold trim and each door carried the sign of a serpent biting its own tail. The train stretched on for ten cars with an engine on either side. Each car was taller than even Magnus himself. The doors could easily fit three ponies side by side with a seam down the middle of the serpent that allowed the doors to slide apart.
“This train is patterned after the ones in my world. It can achieve speeds far greater than those commonly used. We should be in Ponyville within an hour.”
“That’s amazing! Can you tell me more about how it works?” Twilight asked
“Perhaps another time. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to ask questions, for now just try to relax.” Magnus led them into the first compartment of the train, the space easily accommodating his large frame. The ponies followed closely behind him and eyed the oversized benches that faced the sides of the car. He waited for all of the ponies to take a seat before opening the door to the conductor’s cabin and starting the train.
“I don’t think I realized how big this thing is before I walked in. It’s not bigger on the inside, is it?” Pinkie Pie asked.
“No.”
“Dang, there goes that theory,” Pinkie pouted
“Question,” Applejack said as she raised her hoof a good ten minute into their journey .
“Yes?”
“How come it’s not making any noise? I’m no expert but the train wheels usually make quite a ruckus don’t they?”
“This train operates on magnetics and as such has no need for wheels. In addition, the car is largely soundproofed to block out the wind and allow conversation or concentration. Speaking of, I’m going to be meditating in the conductor’s cabin until we reach Ponyville. Please feel free to relax and discuss amongst yourselves freely.” As he finished his sentence the door closed and the ponies were left to their own devices.
“I can’t believe he would tell us about something as astounding as a magnetic train and then just leave us like that!” Twilight half whined as she held up a sheet of parchment she had been taking notes on. The others in the car snickered at her pouting even Celestia and Luna.
“Patience, my faithful student. I get the feeling that we’ll be seeing Magnus the Red for quite some time. I’m sure he’ll tell you all about his strange technology,” Celestia said with a motherly smile for the small unicorn she’d come to care for. “Though, there are a few things we need to discuss ourselves, like what to do with the six newest Equestrian heroes.”
“Indeed, if not for you, I would still desire the demise of my beloved sister. Know that you will always have my gratitude. If there is anything you desire that is within my power to grant, please don’t hesitate to ask.” The group blushed at the praise. Each pony took on a look of contemplation thinking long and hard about what each desired. Surprisingly, it was Fluttershy that spoke first.
“Um, if you don’t mind too much, I would love to meet all the critters that live in the royal gardens,” Fluttershy spoke with hope gleaming in her eyes.
Applejack spoke next, “I don’t want much myself but my granny could really use a new hip if it’s not too much trouble.”
“A new hip? Are such things possible now? First this strange new transport and now this, truly this is an age of wonders.” Luna had a look of excitement and awe on her face. Celestia smiled down at her diminished sister.
“Our ponies have made a lot of progress while you were gone. Medicine, in particular, has been radically changed. If you'd like, I could bring you some books that cover the major changes.”
“Much appreciated, Celestia. Now, what about the rest of you?” Luna asked as she turned to the rest of the bearers
“Um, could I get season tickets to the Wonderbolt shows? I absolutely love watching them,” Rainbow said with a slightly nervous smile.
“I’d like a tour of the castle and it’s decor to see how much inspiration I can glean,” Rarity said.
“I’m sorry if this is a bit rude, but could you get me a moon rock? My sister is working on her rocktorate, and I’m sure she’d love to study it,” Pinkie asked with an odd mixture of enthusiasm and fear. As Luna heard the words she flinched back a little but quickly recovered and gave Pinkie a warm smile.
“Worry not, Lady Pinkie. Your love for your sister is touching and I shall surely help you.”
“I’m delighted all of you have asked for such wonderful favors. Many in your position would ask for wealth or power. But, what of you, my faithful student? What would you ask of us?”
“Um, I…That is, I…Can I stay with my friends in Ponyville?” Twilight rushed out. She continued a bit more calmly, “It’s not that I don’t want to be your student anymore or that I don’t love learning from you but I felt so happy being with my friends and I don’t want to just leave so soon after making them.”
“Twilight, of course you can stay with your friends. I’ll make arrangements with the mayor once we get back to town,” Celestia reassured her before addressing the rest of her subjects. “I hope you’re all okay waiting a while before getting your gifts.” Celestia cast her warm gaze around the car. The ponies all nodded. “Good, now we should try to get some rest before we arrive. I have a feeling we’ll need as much energy for Pinkie Pie’s party as we can get,” Celestia said with a laugh and a twinkle in her eye.
Forty-five minutes later the train slowed to a stop and Magnus the Red emerged from his meditation in the conductor’s cabin. He found the ponies sleeping in their various seats, some peacefully and some tossing about to get a better position. He chuckled softly to himself at the sight before he gently lifted each of them in his telekinesis. After such a trying adventure each deserved their rest.
He slowly walked up the stairs to his faithful servant’s manor and opened the hatch to let himself in. His servant’s family was already waiting for him, having been warned telepathically when the group got on the train. “Welcome to Ponyville, Lord Magnus. What do you require of us?” The brown earth stallion said as he and his family bowed low.
“Thank you, Rich. Do you have rooms that these eight can sleep in?”
“Of course, my Lord. If you would follow me, we can get them situated,” Filthy Rich responded before turning to lead Magnus into his home proper.