//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 - The Meeting (Rewrite) // Story: I am Living Lava? // by Shadow of doubt //------------------------------// I never really slept well, even before I was turned into a pyromaniac's dream animal, but now it is even harder doubt and confusion are on my mind, Am I dead? Can I go home, why do I melt god damn everything. As such my already tainted sleep was more extended blinking tonight, luckily it was closer to morning than I realized. Standing up from the crater I melted when (what I assume was) the sun and I got buddy-buddy, as I stretched out the stiffness from my joints, I realized that my movement seems perfect, shouldn't I be a stumbling mess? Well you know what they say 'never look a gift HORSE in the mouth' "heh, puns" I mutter out as I start trotting towards the town, this time, however, it seems that it is, in fact, busy, but as I get closer some started falling over and doing weird dance's, well if there doing that, it must be some form of welcome dance, so naturally I copy and lower my front legs down while running... not my best moment. I crash land just in front of a small store selling roses with a smaller horse looking quite confused and still doing that dance- oh ohhh, there bowing, right forgot about horse biology. Once I stand up I notice something really weird. "Holy mother of the sun, your all midgets." Hmmm, Not my best choice of word's "Hey, we aren't midgets, you're just really tall your highness, s-sorry, please don't eat me," the midget horse running the ross stand shouted. "Huh, why would I eat you and what's with all the 'your highness’ talk? I just want to find out where I am." “Well, you’re an a-alicorn. All alicorns are royalty, and well, they don't usually visit my l-little shop. U-um, w-would you like some f-flowers?" "I guess so. Um, can you tell me where I am? And please get up off the ground." “You're i-in Ponyville, Equestria, miss" she responded with less fear in her voice. "here, take these flowers. They're on the house,” she said as she magicked a bouquet of flowers just in front of me. “Well, you gonna take them or not?" “Oh! Right. Let's see here." I move my hooves to squeeze the flowers in front of me. Unfortunately, they caught fire. “Ah! Uh! Um!" I dropped the flowers on reflex and stomped on them to put the fire out. Needless to say, it just made the fire worse. “Tha-that’s not an illusion! You're really on f-fire! Ahhhh!" “Hey, come on. I'm sorry I burnt the flowers, really, I-" "Halt foul creature! You shalt not harm my little ponies!" came a shout from above. As I looked to where the voice was coming from, I could see a new alicorn with a blue coat and a mane of the night sky, who also happened to be covered in armor and wielding a giant war hammer. She did not look happy. "I wasn't hurting he-" I was cut off from my excellent explanation with a hammer to the face. Soon after Mark's face met with the ground, more ponies started to gather to see what commotion was, only to see their princess smash a war hammer into another alicorn's face. “Woo, yay princesses" and "take that, evil doer" the crowd shouted out. “Wait!" called the only pony who actually knew what was happening. “Please Princess, she wasn't hurting me! I was just surprised! That's all, honest!" “My little pony, what is your name?" “Green Rose, your highness." “Green Rose, are you positive that she is not a threat?" “Yes, your highness. She is just confused is all. She didn't know where she is, I screamed because I thought at first that the lava stuff was an illusion, but when she touched my flowers…well you can see the results." she gestured to the small ash pile on the ground. “Agh, my head! It feel's like I was hit was a Warhammer.“ "Ah, yes that is my fault, my apologies I was not thinking clearly, I acted rather harshly, mine name is Luna, princess of the night, nice to make your acquaintance, again my apologies about before, this town happens to be on a magic fault line and for whatever reason, creatures of malicious intent are drawn to such place's," Luna explained while eying me carefully "None the less, please tell us where you are from and why you are here, t'is not every day that a new alicorn arises." Did she really just brush off the fact that she hit me with a BLOODY WAR HAMMER, stay calm, I'm fine it seems this new body can take a beating, that is kinda awesome, but still I can feel that. "Ahem, well I actually don't know you see, I have a rather ah." I am not going to a loony bin, I would hate to see this world's version of one of those *shiver* "Severe, would be the best word for it, yes a rather severe case of amnesia, you see I just kinda woke up not far from here and I was just... drawn to this place I guess? just wanted to know where I am is all." *BANG* Oh why hello again pain my old friend, how's your wife agony, oh currently residing in my face, lovely oh and how is your course the ground, oh really that close already absolutely lovely. “Take that, foul heathen!" shouted another alicorn. This one, though, was larger in stature and possessed a coat of pure white and a mane of a pastel radiance "Tia, why did you do that?" “Sister! Thou should have been paying attention! she would have gone for a sneak attack!" “I deemed her non-hostile. *sigh* Come, we must take her to a hospital, let us make haste to Canterlot." “Well, at least it's easy to take now," Celestia huffed. Canterlot castle hospital. "Sister" "Yes, Luna?" "You do realize that the bed is on fire, right?" "Yes Luna, I do" "Well, are you going to do something about that?" Celestia said nothing as she transferred the knocked out lava alicorn from the flammable recovery bed onto a less flammable stone tile floor. "Next time please think ahead." "Yes lulu" "You know what this-" Luna was cut off by the sound of a groan. — Mark's POV — “Ahh, my head hurts. I mean, how does that even work? I'm pretty sure I'm some form of liquid." “Our weapons neutralize ambient protection magic. Gives them a kick, as they say." “Huh? Wait, where am I?" I sat up and looked around the room I was being held in. The first thing I noticed was that I was on a stone cold floor, then the burning pile of ash next to me along with a few other white beds. I was interrupted in my musings from someone clearing their throat. “Oh. Um, hi?" “Hello, my name is Celestia. I am the ruler of this kingdom along with my sister, Luna." “Greetings, once again" Luna struggled to say in a friendly manner. “Oh well, my name is Mark Rose.” The looks on their faces would imply that they don't seem to believe me." Luna hummed. "such a peculiar name." Luna mused “tell me, what were you doing and what do you plan to do in our kingdom?” "Well, I kinda just woke up in a forest and traveled to that town nearby to see where I was. It's not every day you wake up to find yourself in a forest you know. That's not normal, right?" “No. t'is not a normal occurrence, but I wish to know what you call yourself, not what you think you should be called," Celestia replied, raising her eyebrow. "Mark. Rose. That is the name that I remember and that is the name I shall be called, but if I were to get a nickname I would suggest something like..." Thinking about all the names I have heard of here, which isn’t many, I looked around the room. The white alicorn has a sun mark on her ass. Hmm… ‘Solar,’ a quick look back to the ash pile as it flared up with a few sparks, I gained the idea for the last part of my name. “Flare. Solar Flare." Celestia's face paled a bit at this but keeps a neutral look. “Very well then. Now tell me, what are your intentions, and do you remember anything before waking up?" Luna asked, slightly annoyed. "Well, I haven't decided what to do yet as I have no memory of before I woke up," I lied. I mean, if told them I'm an alien from another world? Another universe? Another dimension? I'm sure they would think I'm crazy. “Say, um. Not that I'm complaining, but you're queens or something, right?” “Princesses.” Celestia corrected. “Yes, those. Don't you have, I don't know, more important things to do than check in on me?" "It is not every day that another of our kind appears and even then it is rare to find one such as you," Celestia replied while giving me a scrutinizing glare. “What, I'm not that weird, am I?" "You are literally on fire and you sweat lava, you don't consider that the least bit strange?" Luna raised her brow as she said this. "No?" “Hm. Well then, you will most likely have a headache from taking a Warhammer to the head, twice. Get some rest, we shall talk again. If you need anything, there is a guard at the door. You are not to leave until you have a clean bill of health. We shall speak again later. For now, I shall leave and send for some fireproof bedding." Celestia then motioned for her sister to follow her out the door. — Celestia’s POV — As I closed the door to the infirmary, I double checked all the containment and heat resistance spell's on the walls, windows, and other exit points to make sure they were in working order. "Well, that's one thing off my mind. Sister, what is your opinion of her?" "She seems to be as I suspected. A blank slate with basic knowledge of speech and interactions. I checked her magic signature and have indeed confirmed our suspicions to be true." "This does not bode well, but perhaps we can harmonize her?" "That plan may only destroy her, Tia. Her entire body is made of dark magic-fuelled emotions, but instead of being mindless anger, frustrations, and grief, it has developed a mind. Tell me, do you know why?" Luna's shifted herself forward, inspecting my body language. “Luna-" "No, you do not try to feed me an excuse, So please, tell me now." Luna cut herself off, too upset to continue. Her mane was disheveled, eyes red as if lemon juice had been poured into them. I sighed before responding. “Please can we talk about this another time, we have much we need to do, I promise. Though, I found, that we share the same magic signature" “Sister, I never thought-" “It's ok Lulu. I am just disappointed in myself." "Tia, it is alright. Come, let us call the chef and drown ourselves in inexpensive chocolates, but I want the truth soon Tia." I sigh as I head after her. “Oh, did you remember to put a bubble of silence around us, Tia?" I just prodded my hoof to a certain spot in the air and in response and a POP sound could be heard. "I am never under-prepared, sister." “True. Very true, Tia."