Long distance communication – it was a thing of the future
The herd was crowded around the tripod as the three rendered forms smiled back at them, still amazed that this device was working as well as it was. Eventually Flix looked back to Twilight. “It is wonderful what you can do when you have everyone on the same page isn’t it?” He smiled before he sat down. Eventually both Orlonda and the Sea Pony sat down with him, and the herd joined them as well.
“So are you going to tell us about your new friend?” Twilight asked cautiously. She did not want to ruin the good mood Flix was in; it was so long since he didn’t have disdain in his voice. Apparently the talks with Luna had cooled him down.
“Don’t you want to know what happened? I mean it has been over a month since I last communicated with Luna.” Flix looked towards Luna.
“Ah, I am sorry, Flix, but as you can see...” She stood up to show just how far along she was. The hippogriff’s eyes went wide as his image walked over and looked at her belly.
“Okay this makes more sense – you couldn’t travel to see me because you are either weaker from being pregnant, or the rest of the herd was doting on you so much that you couldn’t.” Flix chuckled and went to sit back down.
“Hey, Orlonda – want to tell them how we met IkaIka?” Flix asked.
The changeling laughed. “The part where we ran aground on her people’s island because we were both asleep, or the part where she helped you because she thought you were a sea-pony that was born disfigured.”
Flix frowned and batted Orlonda’s side. “You could have put it better. Anyway, after sailing for another week after my last conversation with Luna, we both ended up passing out late at night. We have done it plenty of times before, and we didn’t see any indication that land was near. In hindsight, it was because there are no lights, magical or otherwise on this island. So around 2:00am we get thrown from the hammock because we ran aground.”
Orlonda piped up. “On a beach! It’s so sandy and nice here. Think of the best beach in Equestria and multiply it by a thousand!”
Flix laughed. “Well, we were trying to figure out what to do when we saw IkaIka. Apparently she was out hunting for a specific kind of fish that only comes out at night.”
The pair looked to IkaIka as she nodded and started to talk, in her native language. “Ko reira i pouri. whakaaro ahau ko ia etahi ahua o kanohi i tawhiti-haere.”
Everyone looked at her blankly before she discovered what she was doing wrong. She then started to talk in extremely broken Equish. “He… was far traveler, hurt, missing tail. Maybe big teeth grabbed him.” She nodded a few times clearly worried. “We went to Dad. Dad went to boat, called friends and moved boat up to fix.” She pointed to Flix. “Ngutu Reka.” Then she pointed to Orlonda.”Anga pīataata.” She turned back to the hive. “We work as one. We repair, we hunt, we sleep.”
It was Roseclaw’s turn to look at Flix with an eyebrow raised. “Hunt?”
IkaIka nodded. “Spear and stick. He not breathe the sea like I, or like anga pīataata. He holds the heavens and dives. Dad is very proud. I am very proud.”
IkaIka nodded once before Flix picked up with the story. “So their village helped us get the ship onto the beach and lifted up so we can see what needed repairs. There was not that much damage but we were taking our time repairing the ship while helping the village along the way – repairing huts, or going out for fish due their celebration. It’s so warm here it’s hard to believe that it’s already winter.”
Free blinked. “Why would it be winter? It’s just about summer here.”
Luna chuckled. “He’s so far away that the seasons are the opposite to ours where he is.”
“How far away is he?!”
“If I had to estimate, a little under ten thousand kilometers,” Luna said matter-of-factly as Twilight and Roseclaw gawked.
Before they could freak out, it was Flix that put them at ease. “First off, you don’t need to worry. I am doing great and I am collecting a lot of science for you. Have you seen Luna’s sky before ponies? She’s told me it’s been well before Discord’s era that she’s modified this night sky. It’s so… raw, so unrefined. It is totally without outside influence. The sky at home is a sky she’s locked into by the ponies, but down here this sky is untamed, wild and free.”
Luna started to get teary-eyed with pride as she heard the words being talked about her night sky.
“And the art! My gods, the art! While in Equestria, they put art in its own little compartment. Here it is a seamless combination of form and function. Art is in their everyday lives because they see it as something important for all, not just a luxury item for a privileged few.” Flix was about go to on before Orlonda bonked him on the head. “Calm down, Paint-head.”
Everyone laughed a bit before Orlonda spoke up. “Can you tell Queen Polistae that I have been learning many new things, and that when we get back, I hope that I can be reconnected to the hive again. It’s lonely being the only voice in my head. I don’t know how you guys do it.”
The mood was about to sour before the rich voice of the Chaos Lord was heard. He walked into range of the device and IkaIka suddenly pointed. “Tetahi Huru!” She went to her feet and bowed, her head almost against the ground and her tail was lifted up high.
Discord looked at the sea pony with an indulgent smile. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been called that.”Kia whakatika koutou.”
The seapony stood back up and sat down.
Everyone in the herd stared at Discord but he ignored it. “Are you doing well, student?”
“You know it!”
“Enjoying yourself?”
“I am!”
“How is your assignment going?”
“I feel like I am closer, but to what I don’t know.”
Discord nodded a few times. “Good. Good. Keep it up!” And with that short conversation done, he snapped his fingers and was gone.
Free looked at the space where Discord had been. “I really need to sit him down one of these days.”
It was Roseclaw who spoke to Flix next. “Can I call Path in? He really does want to speak to you, but I know that you were mad at him the most.”
Flix’s ears flattened as he thought for a few moments and then nodded. “Sure – I think I can carry on a conversation with him.
It took a few moments as the herd looked in one direction. It was then that Path slowly materialized for Flix to see.
“Hello, son,” he said, and then started to smile hopefully.
“Dad,” Flix replied.
There was a long awkward silence.
“I am sorry that I was ignoring you in favor for the other kids. I just wanted you to go make a name for yourself like I did. You were the only one out of all of them that was truly free. Lucida, Blue, Destined, Pif – all of them had their lives virtually mapped out. In all reality, there was almost no choice for what they would do in life. But you – you are the true wildcard, in terms of exploration and experiencing new cultures, you have surpassed everyone here. Free and I really only made it as far as Griffonia, while Blue went a little further with the Dragonlands. But you are well beyond that. I am proud of you son.” Path was starting to tear up.
“Dad… I’m still mad at you, but at the very least I can now be civil. I don’t know if I am going to come back anytime soon; there is still so much to see and do. I will still continue traveling west. I imagine at the rate I’m going, in two to four years I’ll wrap around and hit the eastern side of the Dragonlands. Maybe by then I’ll be able to talk to you without anger or disdain, but it’s not that time yet,” Flix said with his emotions highly guarded. In fact the only way they could read him was by watching Orlonda’s reaction to him.
“I understand, son. Just… if you don’t want to talk to me that often, talk to the others so that we know you are okay. I love you, son,” Path said with a weak smile, slowly standing back up and walking out of the range of the tripod.
Flix then turned to Twilight and Pif. “So what does this blinking red light on the side of the tripod mean?”
“Oh! It means that it’s running low on power. To recharge it, just stick it out in the sunlight all day,” Pif answered.
Flix nodded. “If that’s the case, then I will talk to you all later, maybe in a few weeks. Bye, everyone!”
The herd said their goodbyes before Flix reached over and shut the tripod off.
Free looked over to Twilight. “I am going to help Path get better. See you in time for dinner?”
Twilight nodded and Free ran off after the distraught head of the House.
Luna mused. “He’s growing so much. When he comes back, I wonder if we will remember the young hippogriff who left?”
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--Next Time! : Further West!--