The day starts with an airplane landing at the airport. Natalie steps off the plane, lugging some bags over her shoulder. Her long brown hair blows in the wind as she takes out her phone. She looks at a picture that was sent her five years ago. Five people that she knew, all smiling around her. She straightens her teal dress, and speaks. “It’s been a long time since then, Maestro. I wonder what else has changed?” She then looked to the two children that followed her out of the plane. They were a boy and a girl, both having a light tan to their Caucasian skin. The girl had dirty blonde hair, and the boy had black hair. The girl had almost tripped over air, but the boy had stopped her fall with his walking cane. Natalie sighed and shook her head. “C’mon, Erin, Eric. Let’s get a move on! Your brother is anxious to see you!” As they got their act together, Natalie looked off into the distant town. “I wonder who he wants me to help him with, exactly…”
-
After school that day, Trixie and her friends found Maestro chatting cheerily with his girlfriend, Sarah. He was about to continue the conversation when Twilight and company approached. Twilight addressed him first. “Maestro, the girls and I were talking, and we were wondering… Do you have an alternative way of dealing with our confused feelings? Some of us aren’t too keen on the options that Ayumi knows of.”
Putting a pin in his chat with his girlfriend and processing that for a moment, Maestro responded cautiously. “I suppose you mean those of you that were once male that still feel a pull to girls as well as the new-found attraction to boys?” At the five former males’ nods, he sighed. “If I did so happen to know of a way, I first need to know…” He paused for a moment, considering his next words carefully. “Which of you are the ones that are interested in if I know of such an alternative?" All five of the former males of the group rose their hands, and this caused Maestro to quirk an eyebrow. “So all five, then? Then let me ask you this: How many of you would want to go through with said alternative, even if it was permanent?” The former males hesitated, and Maestro sighed. “It’s understandable that you’d hesitate. And a good thing you did, too. Such a decision should not be made lightly. Take your time- it’s your choice.”
Trixie and friends approached, and Tyra spoke up. “Are you just stringing them along, or do you know a way?”
Blinking at that, Maestro nodded. “I do know of a spell, yes. But it’s important that they choose if they want this or not- after all, I would never force it upon them.” He then quirked an eyebrow. “Why? Are you interested in the spell, too?”
At that, Tyra hesitated, but then answered with a question of her own. “What does this spell do?”
The former males among Twilight’s company perked up at this, curious as well. Maestro puzzled out how best to describe it, then answered in a way he felt most everyone could understand. “Ever heard of the term ‘crossed wires’?” At everyone's nods, he continued. “Basically, this spell allows the caster to uncross those wires. However, it is a very delicate process, and does involve magic delving into your brain. Not to worry- when using the spell, I would be careful of the areas around the wires. That is, if you want it cast on you. The spell is permanent, so take all the time you need to think about it. The offer’s always open to those who feel they can’t take the pull to both genders anymore.”
Before any of them could make a solid decision on that, a call was heard from the direction of the airport. “Maestro!” The group turned to see three humans run up to said anthro. The older of the three stopped short as the younger two hugged their older brother. “I brought them, just like you asked.”
Chuckling at his younger siblings’ antics, he spoke to them. “It’s nice to see you two again as well, Eric and Erin. Sorry I haven’t stopped by. I’ve been terribly busy.” He then pried away from their hug, and shook Natalie’s hand for a bit before drawing her into a brief hug. “Good to see you too, cuz. Been a long five years, hasn’t it?” He broke away, and gestured to the other anthros. “These are my friends, just like I wrote you about.” Each of them stepped forward as he introduced and pointed to them. “Twilight, Rarity, Ashley, Micaela, Pinkie, Flora, Trixie, Rae, Dianna, Cheryl, Tyra, Carmen…” He then noticed yet another group approach, and smiled as he continued introductions. “ Sunset, Ayumi, Alex, Star, Brianna, Gearbox, his brother Clyde, and she…” Sarah drew close to Maestro, and he put an arm around her shoulders. “Is my girlfriend, Sarah.” He then gestured to Natalie. “Everyone, this is my cousin, Natalie.” He then gestured to the two that had glomped him earlier. “And those would be my full-blood siblings, Eric, and his twin sister Erin.”
Digesting all those introductions, Natalie smiled sheepishly as her gaze scanned them. “Wow, that’s uh… a lot of anthros.” She turned to Maestro. “Also, why didn’t you inform me that you had a girlfriend now?”
Raising an eyebrow at that, Maestro put a hand to his chin and muttered. “That’s odd. I thought I’d sent an email about that a few days ago…” He then pulled his hand away from his chin, and shrugged. “Maybe you just didn’t notice it. You are notorious for not checking it often.” “You probably didn’t even read the one I sent you about Laranda and Reina’s anthrofications…”
Balking at that, Natalie stepped back a little. “Wha?! They did?” She noticed that Janice and Servo were approaching, and pointed at them bashfully. “Ehe. Are those them?” she pulled out her phone, and went to her emails, scrolling through them until she found one from Maestro, and opened it. She looked to the two of them, and studied them. “So…” She turned to Servo. “She used to be Laranda…” She then regarded Janice. “And she used to be Reina…”
Nodding, Maestro smiled as they came close. “Yes. Though, I don’t know where Chess is at the moment….”
Puzzled, Natalie spoke up. “Chess? Who’s…?”
Face-palming, Maestro sighed. “You didn’t read the one about Renaldus’ anthrofication either? I sent that one almost a month ago! I even sent an update on how things were with him a few days ago! Seriously, Natalie. You need to be more on the ball when it comes to your emails.”
“She reminds me of my Aunt Carla.” The anthro mouse said as she facepaws.
Scrolling further, Natalie saw the email in question. She sighed as she shakes her head, and replied. “Don’t get on my case like that! I just get really into my astronomy, alright? I don’t often find time for keeping up with social stuff online.” After a quick skimming of the emails, she puts away her phone. She looks forlornly at Maestro. “Still… didn’t expect you to have a girlfriend by the time I came by… You two do look good together, though. I’m… happy for you.”
Sighing, Maestro smiled a little. “Thanks, Nats. It’s nice to see that you didn’t… well, you know.” He then jerks his head over in the direction of the park. “C’mon. There’s somebody else that you should meet. An old friend of mine who needs your kind of touch.”
Nodding, Natalie spoke up as she followed the group. “I remember you mentioning that on the phone. Who exactly do you want me to help, anyway?”
Shaking his head, Maestro evaded the answer. “You probably don’t know him.”
They reached the park before Natalie could speak up, and they found Xavier facing away from them. He was in front of a withered tree,that had not been taken care of, and was beyond help, on its last legs. He reached out a hand, and coated it in gray glow. “Poor thing, so forgotten, uncared for… You are not much longer for this world. I will make it not take so long. Rest in peace.” He then touched his hand to the tree, which suddenly started to crumble to dust. As it did, its remains sunk into the ground to nourish what would come to be planted there next. Putting the glow away, Xavier took a shovel that was near the two saplings that he’d set down, and started to dig two holes. He spoke up. “So you’ve come. I’m busy at the moment, Maestro. Please, wait for a moment.” Xavier diligently dug until the holes were far enough apart from each other, and deep enough. He then took the saplings, and unwrapped them carefully. He then placed them down, one in each hole. He covered the holes up carefully, and patted gently. After he was done, he wiped his hands. He turned around. “So, what’s the… lesson…”
Noticing that Xavier had seen the new person, Maestro lit up. “Ah, yes. I see that you’ve taken notice.” He gestured to Natalie, who was also stunned at who she saw. “Xavier, this is my cousin, -”
“Natalie.” Xavier had cut Maestro off suddenly, leaving him flabbergasted. “It’s been a while, huh?”
Looking a bit guilty, Natalie glanced away. “Uh, hi… Xavier. Look, about what happened back then… I-”
Xavier raised a hand to cut her off. “It’s in the past. I understand why you did what you did. Even though you were the only one among my first set of friends to be okay with my powers, peer pressure can make you do stupid things. Really, I understand… and I forgive you.”
Recovering from his confusion, Maestro looked between the two of them. “Okay, since when do you two know each other? And why wasn’t I told about this?! No letter, no email, no nothing!”
Scratching the back of her head nervously, Natalie chuckled. “Well, we met a few years back. It was roughly a month or two after you two had a falling out. I was with some other friends of mine when we first met. We became fast friends, but when I first saw his magic, Xavier thought that I’d hate him. I didn’t yell or scream, nor run away in fear. I just smiled, and said ‘You think that you’re an oddball? Try having astral projection.’ We laughed about it, and grew close as friends. However, when the rest of them saw his magic… They didn’t respond as well as I did. They were scared of him, for magic had been lost from the public mind. I tried reasoning with them, but… then they pressured me. Side with them, or go. I know what I should’ve chosen back then, but I was scared. I felt I needed to have a large group around me, for security. So… I turned my back on one friend to stick with some questionable ones. It… wasn’t my proudest moment. It took courage built up for months to finally break away from them, to say that I had to find Xavier, and apologize. And now…” She smiled sadly. “I’m glad that he’s forgiven me. I don’t know if he could ever forgive the others, but… maybe someday.”
The anthro mouse adjusted her shoulder bag and asked, “How do you have death magic and be as healthy as you are?”
Raising an eyebrow, Xavier regarded Alex. “Ah. It’s… you.” He then turned slightly away. “More like decay, but I get your point. Shouldn’t I be a shriveled up prune?” He shook his head. “The answer in no. Turns out, your family and mine have a lot more in common than I thought. I looked into it, and… I found some records. Ancient magic of Earth, long since forgotten. My family has had access to the two main magics of Earth for a long time-” his right glowed gray. “Decay, and…” his left hand glowed azure. “...Growth.” He chuckles as he lets the two forces go. “I didn’t even know that I could use my magic for anything but destruction. It took a bit of practice, but I’ve gotten the other half to cooperate. It was… harder than you might think. Regardless, because I had the innate ability for both, the decay magic doesn’t speed up my aging, or cause ill effects.” He smiled, and it was somewhat refreshing yet also odd to see that smile more genuine than before. He sighed. “Ever since I accepted my magic, I’ve tried thinking of useful ways of employing it- decay especially- in a helpful way. It’s given me a sense of purpose that I’ve never quite had before.”
Stepping onto the scene, Chessmaster nodded in approval. “A noble aim if I’ve ever heard one. Just don’t dive too deep into your magic. Proficient in it or not, you could be consumed by it if you’re not careful.” He then turned his attention to Natalie. “Ah, you’ve arrived! Good to see you again. Though, a lot has changed since we last met…”
Looking a little self-conscious, Natalie nodded slightly. “Maestro explained everything... Or rather, directed me to some of his emails that explained it.” She turned to Maestro, who was a bit calmer now. “So, you need my help with Xavier… Why, exactly?”
Adjusting his vest, Maestro explained. “Well, I didn’t exactly understand why my visions pointed you out, until now. You connected with Xavier on a level that I did not, which makes you ideal for helping us help him get back to his old self… Well, a marginally acceptable reconstruction of that, anyway. Too much has occurred for him to really go back to who he once was completely.”
Looking to the others, Xavier shrugged. “True. But what’re we going for today? If I remember correctly, it’s loyalty again. Right? So. I’ll listen to what you have to say. What else can you tell me about… Loyalty?”
Deciding to take a different avenue than before, Micaela, Tyra, and Bethany stepped forward. Nodding amongst themselves, Tyra spoke up first. “The last time we approached this subject may not have gone well, but I still think some of it stuck back then, even if you wouldn’t openly admit it at the time. Let me give you a little question: Let’s say that you have somewhere important to be. It’s not exactly crucial that you be there at a certain time, but you feel that you should be there before a certain time. However, you have a friend who needs your help in some capacity, and it’s an emergency. What should you do?”
Xavier blinked for a bit. They were testing him? That was vastly different than last time… Still, he figured that he would at least put in the effort. He then felt he had an answer. “Well, it’s a bit difficult to say, really. But surely if the place you have to be isn’t too terribly insistent that you be there at a certain time, the people expecting you will understand if you take time to help your friend, even if it takes long enough that it causes you to get to where you need to be later than expected. From what I understand, if you are loyal to somebody, you should be willing to make reasonable sacrifices to help them when they need it.”
Seeing progress, Micaela brought up a new point. “While you do have basically the right idea, I don’t think you truly understand. Let’s say that you have other troubles on your mind. There’s a deadline for something your working on, and you can’t afford to be late. However, one of your friends needs your help, and though it’s trivial, you’re the only one that can help them. What would you do?”
This was a problem that Xavier wasn’t so certain that he could solve. Sure, the previous question was difficult, but it had a relatively simple answer. This one, however.... He thought about it for a while. What would he do if presented with this problem in real life? After soul-searching for a little bit, he felt he had an answer. “Honestly, it depends. Can their problem wait until after your deadline? Or, can it not? If it can wait, surely they will understand if you finish the more pressing matter first. If it cannot, then try and put as much time as you can feasibly spare into the problem. Regardless of whether you finish the pressing matter first or later, it is important to help them if you can spare the time.”
Taking the next point, Bethany took the wheel. “It seems that you’re really starting to understand. But let’s see if you can figure this one out. Let’s say you have a real tough decision: Either you can get to work on time, but to do that you have to ignore what your friend needs, right there and then. Or, you can help your friend out, and risk running late and getting told off by your boss. What is more important? Your friend’s trust, or being on time to work?”
This next problem hit a little close to home for Xavier. Regardless of what else you could say about him, being punctual was one of those things he prided himself on. Could he bring himself to sacrifice that kind of reputation? To have such a blemish on his record? He bit his lip, uncertain as to how to answer. He knew what they probably expected, but… He pushed out the negative thoughts plaguing his mind. He listened to the whistling of the wind for a moment. He then visibly relaxed. “From what you’ve said, I believe most of you would say the trust of a friend is more important. As for me… I honestly don’t know. I think… I would see if I could help, for as long as I could spare. Then, if I had not managed to solve the issue and had no time left to spare, I would direct them to somebody else I think might be able to help, and then leave with enough time to get to work on time. I believe they would appreciate that I at least tried to help, and understand if I had to go before I was done. At least, that would be what ideally would happen.”
Feeling confident that she understood how to help, Natalie added her perspective. “You figured a third way to go about it, one that tries to satisfy all parties. But what of this? Let’s say that there’s a friend of yours that has never had your back, has never been there for you. But something happens, and said friend needs your help- desperately. This problem won’t go away overnight, and you’re the only one that they can trust to help them. Do you sacrifice hours, days, possibly weeks of your time to help out this friend who has never helped you out when you needed it? Or, do you give them a taste of their own medicine, in this their most desperate hour?”
Silence fell as Xavier pondered. He was almost inclined to answer that he’d leave them high and dry. Yet… that was what he would’ve done before the whole debacle with becoming Sombra for a small time. That day had changed him, as seeing oneself as a monster was bound to do to a person. He listened to the wind, calming his tumultuous thoughts. He relaxed, and gave his answer. “If you had asked me that question when we first started these lessons, I wouldn’t hesitate to say I’d leave them to suffer, saying it would ‘serve them right’.” He shook his head. “But… I’ve changed. At least, I’d like to think so. Maybe I would consider doing so for a moment, maybe even joke about it. I can’t say for sure. But… If presented with that situation… I think that I would put aside what they’d done, and try my best to help, giving all the time I could spare. I probably would harp on them a little, saying that they should try not to land in that situation again. And when it was all over… Well, who’s to say what could happen?”
The majority of the group were quite surprised at how well this had gone. Last time hadn’t worked out well, but this time around had gone quite smoothly. There were probably a multitude of factors, but it was something to be happy about. But then they remembered the challenge sent to them on the first day by “The Crystalline Eye”. Nodding amongst themselves, they headed towards the place that he’d asked them to go to. Those that hadn’t been there when it was sent looked between one another and shrugged before following.
Arriving in the Outback a little before 4 PM, they saw a figure facing away from them. The sight of the figure caused Maestro and his half-siblings to gasp in shock, for they thought it impossible that they were seeing this. The figure was clad in a regal blue robe, and stood taller than anyone else they’d seen. Then the figure turned to face them, and smiled. He was a crystal unicorn anthro, with brilliant white features aside from his crystalline blue eyes. Around the neck area of the robe could be seen three clear gems of different types. “I see that you’re early. Well then. Shall we start?”
Ashley was the first to view the newcomer. “Is this our host f’r this part of the Friendship lessons?” She asked the other anthros in the group.
In a hushed voice, Maestro spoke in reverence. “How…? You’re really…? The real deal? The Crystalline Eye, Crystalon?”
The strange anthro chuckled. “I suppose you could say that, yes. I’ve been given opportunity to see this world at this period of time. Now, as for my challenge to you...” He lit his horn a brilliant blue. He teleported six artifacts to his side. He then gave them to Trixie and her five main friends, smiling. “I trust that you recognize these?”
Eyes wide, Trixie took the tiara that had come her way in her hands. She noticed that Rae and the others had grabbed hold of the necklaces that had come their way. Trixie regarded Crystalon. “These are… the Lunaverse’s… this challenge of yours… could it be?”
Smirking, Crystalon nodded. “It seems that you’ve caught on. Yes. Let’s begin.” His horn’s glow turned white. He ripped open a portal, and out came a very familiar anthro- albeit somewhat different. It was a Celestia anthro, though she looked odd to all that didn’t know.
Trixie however, knew exactly what was going on. The lack of pupils and irises on those white orbs, and the flaming state of the mane and tail- this was not the Celestia that everyone had come to know in the cannon of the show. She was about to tell the others to step back, but then a dome of white magic trapped Twilight and her main friends in with Trixie and her five main friends. She looked over to Crystalon, who shook his head. “Oh, don’t be like that. This is part of the challenge. You know how it worked out in the Lunaverse, but who’s to say it won’t work out differently here? If Corona is here, who’s to say the Elements of Harmony from this world couldn’t deal with her? That’s the point of this experiment- I want to see if the specific Elements of Harmony from a villain’s particular reality are needed to defeat them or not. Let’s see if the Main Elements can take care of the problem first. If not... That’s where you and your friends come in, Trixie.”
As Crystalon left the arena, the Corona anthro lit her horn with a golden glow, and the light of the sun intensified. Her white orbs glared at the two groups within the dome. It was if she was daring them to try something. Twilight looked to her friends as they took out their Elements of Harmony, and she placed hers on her head. From outside, Maestro shook his head. “It’s not going to work. Watch.”
Twilight and her group summoned the power of their Elements, and attempted to send the Corona anthro packing. However, they barely even lifted off the ground before they set down on the ground again, no rainbow in sight. Twilight and her group were confused, but they couldn’t even pull themselves together as Corona attacked with a ball of fire. Trixie and her friends stepped in the way as their Elements activated. The iconic rainbow came to life, and knocked away the fireball easily. Corona refused to just accept defeat, however. She tapped into her magic, trying to fight off the Elements with a blast of golden magic. “No! I am Celestia! I am the Sun! Your corrupted Elements will not defeat me!”
Regardless of her insistence, the Elements easily beat back the beam of gold magic, and knocked Corona back towards the portal. But, she was not quite backed through it just yet. She latched onto the edge of the portal, refusing to be defeated. She struggled to keep herself from being pushed back into the portal. However, her struggling was for naught, as she was pushed back into the portal before it closed. The Elements cooled down, and Trixie and her friends let out a sigh of relief. Before they could celebrate, Crystalon let down the dome, and came back. “Well, now that’s interesting… So I was right after all. Not surprising, though.” He then bowed. “You have satisfied my curiosity on this subject. I will take my leave.”
Ashley looked over at Trixie and her friends, “So, we can handle, say Discord, the Changeling Queen, Nightmare Moon, and maybe Tirek, but not the alternate versions of villains from other dimensions without the Elements of Harmony from that dimension?”
Pausing as he heard that, Crystalon turned back to the group. “Not necessarily. There are some exceptions- Take a villain from a dimension that has their name and origin spread across more than one reality. Feasibly, they can be dealt with using any Element set from a reality they appear in. The reason that you could not defeat Corona with your Elements of Harmony is because she is not Daybreaker, the evil Celestia possible in the reality your Elements hail from. The origin for each of them is different, and their drive and goals are different, meaning that the Elements that can deal with them are different sets, wielded by different bearers. Nevertheless, I only did this to see if I was right about that presumption- which I was.” He then teleported the Lunaverse Elements away from their bearers, sending them back to where they belonged. “You won’t be needing those, now that the portal is closed permanently. Don’t worry, I made sure of that. Your reality is now incapable of connecting with realities that are too different from your own. If there’s nothing else….”
As Crystalon started to leave, Maestro called out. “Wait!”
Crystalon turned, raising an eyebrow. “You…” His eyes widened for a moment, but then relaxed as he smiled. “Ah. I know you… What troubles you?”
Calming a bit, Maestro raised a question. “You said earlier that you were ‘given opportunity to see this world at this period of time’. What did you mean by that?”
Pausing, Crystalon looked at a portal that had appeared. “This was my final wish. To see the world I discovered at its peak crossover with my Equestria. That is how I’m here, when I’m supposed to be gone. The princesses allowed me this, before the end. It’s good to see that this world has grown.” He smiled as turned back one last time. “Farewell, intrepid one. A grand destiny awaits you, Maestro. I’m glad that I could meet you, before the end. A great future is ahead, if you will but believe. Farewell, ųi yüch.”
As Crystalon disappeared through the time-travel portal back to the past, Maestro gasped. Those words… So it was him… Maestro knew what those words meant. He sighed. Today had been draining, even though he hadn’t done much. He walked off, his family in tow. The others in the area didn’t know what those words meant, nor could even postulate as to what they could possibly mean. So they left it be for now, and went their separate ways for the day.