//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 - The Visitors // Story: Inkwell - Reflections and Phantoms // by Archmage Ansrit //------------------------------// Days earlier. “Is everything ready? The window of opportunity is going to be short, you know?” “Y-yes, everything else is here, so we just h-have to wait for his package now.” “Why so nervous?” “Why?! I’m not supposed to do this kind of things! I’m not even supposed to enter that chamber!” “Ah, worried about what my father will do if he finds out?” “When we come back; he’ll definitely find out!” “Psh. You’re supposed to be my bodyguard-slash-babysitter for the time being, no? Just say that you can’t actually stop me because I’d… I dunno, do nasty stuff to you in retaliation once I step up. Tell him I forced you.” “I’m going to say that alright!” “Look at that, he came in person.” “Hello! How are the two ladies of the moment?” “You came!” “Ugh, I don’t know how you can stand that metallic taste.” “Not only the taste; she loves my voice.” “That grainy, metal reverb just drives me wild.” “If the lovebirds are done kissing for the moment, I believe you have something for my bodyguard-slash-hostage?” “Of course, some of my finest work… too bad you can’t carry more with you.” “Well, we can’t carry that many magical items, drinks included; mundane ones and base ingredients are easier, but that doesn’t mean we should take everything with us.” “And by ‘us’ you mean ‘me’, and you’re still making me carry a bunch of junk. Some of it can qualify as furniture!” “Hey, carrying originals is better than committing them to memory; plus, she’s doing this for you, so please cut her some slack and let her have her fun.” “Ah! B-but I can make a great deal of other things, honest!” “Yes, you’re useful. That’s why I’m taking you with me, to make stuff as needed. Hurry! We have to get to the chamber today!” ===== That night in Equestria was a peaceful one; it had been a busy day for many, and thus most of those ponies had decided to go to bed a little early, to better enjoy the delightful weekend that followed. The mayor was so tired, she even dreamed about her work. “Just my signature on this last scroll a~and… done!” She would put down her quill only to have more forms appear on her desk. She had been getting swamped with documents lately, leaving her exhausted from the long hours of concentrating on such tasks, and so she had fallen asleep on her bed almost immediately after flopping down on it. She tossed and turned as she dreamed about having to fight against an Ursa Minor made entirely out of overdue paperwork, but she held nothing back and tried to buck it in the face with boots that had stamps for soles. Back in her office, the bottle of ink popped open by itself. ***** It was a day like any other in Ponyville; clear skies had been scheduled early on the day with a light afternoon rain. There were some ponies up and early, enjoying the fresh air of the park; Twilight had her nose buried in a complicated book about history, while Lyra sat in her usual pose. Twilight placed a bookmark on the page and set down the book for a moment. She levitated a daffodil and daisy sandwich she had packed, careful not to leave any crumbs on her book. Lyra floated her instrument in place as she reached with a hoof to pluck the strings… only to pull it back for a minute before trying again to play a song. She didn’t know what to do; one moment she was about to play, then she would want to play something else entirely. She put her lyre down for a while; she closed her eyes and tried to clear her head. Rarity was looking for Fluttershy to show her the new ensemble she designed, she spoke to Twilight for a bit until she decided to keep searching elsewhere. ===== “Shoot!” “What is it?” “Don’t you see? Unicorns! Magic! How am I going to fit in?” “That’s what’s on your mind? Relax! If it’s needed, just call me and I’ll help you, ok?” “I knew this was a bad idea. We don’t know anything about the traitor, and I’m not going to fare much better once your father catches me, and now this!” “Relax. That will take care of itself once we carry out the plan, it’ll flush that slime out of hiding. And I’m pretty sure I can placate my father using his ‘soft spots’.” “That joke was even worse than when I use it for me; I don’t know why I find it so funny.” “That’s because your sweetheart is almost a statue, literally iron-tough skin and all. Look, you just do your thing and I’ll do mine, I’ll sneak back in.” “Wait, so you didn’t read anything? Even with your magic?” “We had to sneak you out pretty rapidly, so no, but as I said I can go right back in and get some much needed information about this place. Plus, there is a library not too far from here!” “What about all of the details then? We don’t know anything, so what am I supposed to do about them?” “OK, think of a temporary solution while I’m busy with my ‘inspection’. I know you’re nervous, but come on! Be an adult and show what you’re made of… or rather, what you are made of can do.” ===== ”Come on, you can do this. With a confident gait you’ll get everywhere!” She tried to convince herself everything would be fine, she did it again as she looked over herself for the sixth time on a small mirror. Deep red mane, eyes that match, soft cream coat… all nice and shiny; sundress, nice and simple, just like she loved them; horn… well, it was there. She held her head on high and placed a yellow smiley face button badge on the dress, right over her flank. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, pausing for a moment to wipe a tear from her face; the colorful memento did its job and calmed her spirit. Who cared this was a whole new world? Who cared if they were total strangers? Who cared about not being…? “Hngh…” She groaned in frustration. Well, who besides her. But that would not be a problem, hopefully. She wasn’t the hermit type, and her body was high-maintenance; she just couldn’t stay in the shadows forever, she would go insane. She wanted colors, she wanted flavors, she wanted experiences; she never asked to end up here… but here she was. Here she was, and she was going to make the best out of the situation. Plus… it would be a shame to let something bad happen to this –or any- place, so her conscience would have nagged her to death for being able to do something and not doing it. She sighed… this was her best option, in any case, to start securing the way to get what she wanted –one of the things she wanted, anyways. She tensed up one last time before letting the quiet atmosphere invade her… the weather was calm, controlled; the sun was warm, tender; every plant felt cared for. It truly felt like a wonderful world to live in, and though she did not know what the future had in store, she would not let a problem that should be the responsibility of her kind cause trouble for them. She just had to go out there and say: “Hello, I am…” Wow, she had forgotten about that! Could she even use her name here? Even back home it stood out a bit, since it was just the name she had chosen for herself when in company of others not of her kind. Just before she could berate herself further, something wonderful began to float through the air and washed away her worries. Music. The mint-colored unicorn was using her magic to hold her lyre in place while a well-practiced hoof did the actual playing, and then she would use her magic again to manipulate the notes themselves and give them that marvelous quality that made the sound drift like smoke through the air. Oh how she loved music. Her beloved knew it too, he always had bells, music boxes and other metallic instruments he played and maintained with his magic; well, he couldn’t make them without help from an actual musician, but he could at least keep them in tune. Enthralled by the sweet, ethereal sounds, she stopped fretting and just walked closer. She loved music, she loved how it made her entire being shake even when pretending to be something else, and she loved how her incredibly developed senses made it so enjoyable. Of course, bad performances grated on her nerves, but she could choose to dull her senses; all just part of her natural- whoa! She was getting stared at! She closed her mouth, not realizing when she had gone slack-jawed back there. It wasn’t fair! They caught her with her guard down! “Hello, are you alright?” She blushed and turned to the lavender unicorn that spoke to her, nodding furiously. Should she pretend to be unable to speak? It wasn’t too late for that, but it might cause much trouble in the future. “YesIamthankyou!” She blurted out loudly, startling the lyrist and stopping the music. Her blush intensified; drawing much joy from even the simplest things had a tendency to turn against her. No-one but those like her liked it when she decorates. “-haven’t seen you around.” “I’m new here.” She blurted her reply once more, though softer this time. Ah! She had to stop spacing out! How could that even happen to her!? She drew circles on the ground in mild embarrassment. “I-I was nervous, but I heard the music…” “Yes, it looked like you enjoyed it.” The purple mare said with a chuckle. The newcomer closed her eyes and shrank a little. “I- uh, it was- I like music.” This time it was the mint-coated musician who blushed. “Really?” “Yeah, I was just passing by, and-and I think I should go.” She began walking backwards, but was stopped by the purple unicorn. “Don’t be embarrassed, there’s nothing wrong with that.” She said, and was about to say more, if not for some sudden yelling getting the attention of all of the present. “LOOK OUT BELOW!” Strange wind disturbances, a high density of magic aligned to the weather and… something else, something similar to what the lavender mare and the coconut-white one also had. With differences between the three of them, of course. The point being that the cherry-red newcomer had perceived something was up before the yelling. Still couldn’t do anything about actually preventing the high-speed projectile from crashing into her, though. She and whatever had hit her rolled along the ground and, due to being so used to similar happenings, reacted on pure reflexes. She embraced whoever had crashed into her, protecting the head and neck, since her senses told her it had been a living being what had struck her. She rolled and bounced around with practiced grace and each fall was with her in the middle, flat on her back. She made sure her body was soft, cushioning each impact with the ground. The last hit was against a tree, but she didn’t care about that, she was much more interested on the being. Whoever had crashed into her had hair of vibrant colors and flavors –to her at the least-, strawberry, orange, banana, lime, blueberry and grape with a coat of fresh water and clear skies. “Lyra, help me!” The lavender unicorn yelled to the sitting mint one, running towards the crash site. “We have to get her to a doctor!” “Twilight, I’m fine.” Said whoever had fallen from the sky, another mare, judging by the voice and scent. “I landed on something soft!” “Yes! Another pony!” Said ‘Twilight’, using her magic to levitate the mare and free the visitor. “I am fine as well.” She said. “Oh dear, she must be in shock.” Said Twilight, breathing slightly faster than before, shaken up from the big surprise she just received. “I quite clearly saw how your chest-!” She shuddered from the memory of it, an unpleasant chill coursing through her body. Uh oh, this ‘Twilight’ was very sharp! It would be a challenge to keep her in the dark about her true identity. “I am much more resilient than I look!” It wasn’t a lie so she didn’t have to feel guilty about it. The visitor scoffed and stood up, quickly straightening her dress but not bothering to dust it, it was also stained green from the grass and needed a cleaning anyways, and the grass didn’t taste bad, actually. “It must have been your imagination, see?” To show she was unharmed, she struck her chest with a hoof, immediately yelping loudly and doubling over. The others gasped in surprise and concern. “Got you!” She smiled from her position on the ground and almost bounced back on all fours. “I’m tough, I barely even felt it.” She said with pride, since if she wasn’t, she would have been splattered a long time ago. But what if she weren’t? Would her vi-…? No, it was not time for that. The smile, already pretty forced from her depressing thoughts, was almost wiped off her face when she saw -really saw- what had crashed into her. A pegasus. She should have been a pegasus herself, much less trouble hiding. No use crying about it though. “Wow, you got us good; glad you’re ok.” Said the pegasus that had crashed into her, sighing in relief. “I was working on a new trick… hehe, sorry.” “No problem.” “The last thing we need is sending a guest to the hospital on her very first day!” Said Twilight in exasperation, while Lyra joined her with a knowing nod. “I knew I hadn’t seen you around!” Said the pegasus mare, standing a bit too close to the newcomer. “Let’s start with the introductions.” She puffed out her chest and, full of pride, said. “I am Rainbow Dash, the best flier ever!” “Sure you should be introducing yourself like that when you just crashed into her not a minute ago?” Asked Lyra with a wry smile in her muzzle, crushing the sky mare’s ego like a grape and eliciting a chuckle from the cherry-haired pony. “I’m Lyra, I’m glad you liked my music.” “My name is Twilight Sparkle.” Said the last one, finally believing that the guest was alright. “Welcome to Ponyville!” Dash couldn’t help but notice. “Hey, where did you get that?” She asked, pointing at the yellow button badge. The visitor cringed and immediately placed her hoof over it defensively. “Ah, it’s… it’s the first thing I ever owned. The first memory I made on my own.” She couldn’t be bothered to weasel-word that phrase; it would hurt too much to bear. “I-I think it belonged to my parents” ‘Parents’ was the right word, at least by virtue of its definitions. “You think?” Asked an incredulous Rainbow Dash, her mouth working before her brain as usual. “What happened?” She shut her eyes, finally squeezing out a tear that had threatened to come out ever since her attention was drawn back to those memories… or rather, the lack of them. “Not now.” She whispered; ears flat against her head. “Please, not now.” She pleaded softly. “L-later, if you must know.” “Whoa, hey, it’s no big deal.” Said Rainbow, trying to backpedal from having just jammed her hoof on a sore spot. “I don’t have to know, you know?” She gave the other mare a nervous chuckle. “Hey, know what will cheer you right up?” Said Lyra, placing a hoof on the other pony to comfort her. “A party!” The others looked at her. “What? Somepony had to say it sooner or later.” Lyra defended herself from the curious gazes. “It’s only a matter of time before Pinkie does it.” “You throw parties for complete strangers?” Asked the newcomer, rubbing her eyes and breathing out; she had been able to avoid giving them a name for a little while, but she knew she would get cornered sooner or later. She had to think of one, and fast. “You’ll get used to it.” Said Twilight, rolling her eyes. There was ‘Twilight Sparkle’, she had those pink and white stars mark, and her inner flow just screamed that she was the wizardly type. “Yup, Pinkie Pie makes the best parties, and for almost any reason.” Dash added. ‘Rainbow Dash’, well that was an obvious one. Lightning mark, rainbow mane, high speed flight; not two ways about it, her name suited her. She had to fish a little bit more though, make sure hers didn’t stand out too much. “And this ‘Pinkie Pie’ is?” “Pink coat, magenta mane that looks like cotton candy, three balloons as her cutie mark, and seems to be stuck permanently into the greatest sugar rush in the history of Equestria.” Lyra answered her question, gesturing her own mane and flank before looking forward again. “She’s impossible to miss.” OK, new information, that was always good. “Balloons cutie mark? What is that?” The three mares looked at each other. “I don’t know.” “Kinda strange.” “Maybe it’s just her love of parties?” ‘Lyra’ had that lyre on her flank and could evidently play very well. Rainbow Dash just shrugged with her wings. “Well, there is still going to be a cake with your name.” It was the signal, the start of the show; Twilight reacted visibly to the sentence. “Oh my, I-I’m afraid we still don’t know your name!” “Gemini, or just call me Gem.” She lied, but what could be done about it? Her regular name wouldn’t fit their naming conventions, and her real name… heh, like it would be of any use for them to know it. “Well Gem, I’m always up for a slice of free cake so let’s go to Sugarcube Corner already.” Said Lyra; her mouth watering from almost being able to taste her favorite cheesecake. Gem’s ears perked up, having heard one of her favorite words. “Sugarcube Corner? What is that?” “The local bakery.” Said Twilight, pointing away into the distance. “Home of the best treats in Equestria. It’s that building that looks like a gingerbread house.” Gemini began to smile, her grin becoming wider and wider until it stretched from ear to ear. Maybe, just… maybe, this would turn out alright.