Magnus slogged his way through the streets of Ponyville in the warm afternoon breeze. He was tired and more than a bit grumpy. Being rudely awakened by his animated phone and chasing it through Twilight’s castle at three in the morning did that to a man. From Can Can to Who Let the Dogs Out, it wasn’t until Benny Hill’s theme song repeated itself four times before he finally managed to corner his traitorous phone and shut it off.
It was also the reason he was currently on his third circle around Ponyville, searching for Discord to deliver the vengeance of a sleep-deprived man unto him. When he had trekked to Fluttershy’s house that morning, the timid mare had said that she hadn’t seen Discord since yesterday evening when he suddenly dropped by for tea. According to Fluttershy, Discord was rather pleased about something, and when she inquired about his good mood, he told her that he had guaranteed amusement for months to come. That comment alone made Magnus feel uneasy.
He had hurried back to the castle, only to find his phone playing with itself—no, not like that. It had been playing Solitaire and managed to beat his high score. The phone was now safely turned off, only to be used under special circumstances.
After having some time to think while stalking the town in search of Discord, Magnus pondered his phone’s behaviour. The music his phone played were all songs he had heard before, specifically when on a Youtube binge, thus he concluded that his phone could only play audio that had previously been played. However, he could not be sure of it. Perhaps it was simply because those songs were in his browser’s history. He decided to clear the history when he returned to the castle later since he had also been to some web pages that featured adult entertainment. Hearing heavy moaning coming from his pocket one day would cause questions of a sort he didn’t want to answer.
Reaching town square, Magnus sat down by the fountain and yawned, lazily eyeing the passing ponies. He still attracted attention, but much less than he did a week ago. It felt good, he thought to himself; he was becoming a familiar face. While some of the fillies and colts still gawked at him with interest and curiosity, he was okay with that. Children were naturally curious.
“What to do, what to do…” He hummed to himself. The search for Discord was completely fruitless; the bastard was probably far away by now, laughing at his latest creation.
“Discord: annoying people,” Magnus mocked in the likeness of the commercial.
Magnus decided he had to get his mind on other things. He’d brought his bits with him when he ventured outside today. Perhaps it was time to spend them on something. He didn’t want to buy a souvenir only for it to collect dust on a shelf. Perhaps there was something in one of the stores around the town centre that could prove to be useful.
Getting up, he walked down the streets while checking out the various storefronts. Sugarcube Corner? Nah. Quills and Sofas? Nope and nope. The Doctor’s Lab of Science and Inventions? Hmm… he’d put a pin in that one. Hair Curl’s Salon? Now that sounded interesting. Not that he needed a haircut just yet, but perhaps they had razors for sale.
Venturing inside, the hairdresser salon seemed rather similar to those back home. There were shelves filled with a variety of shampoos, balms, and other hair care products, and of course, combs and hairbrushes in different colours and sizes. They didn’t have chairs, instead providing two chaise lounges situated at one side of the room where a mare rested while another mare worked on her mane with a brush and scissors while making conversation. On the other side were no chairs or lounges, instead having an empty space with thick carpets in front of mirrors. The stallion sat on the carpet with a hairdressing cape around his neck while a pegasus mare stood on a slightly raised platform around the stallion, working a scissors and comb with her wings almost like fingers. The scene wasn’t new to Magnus—he had witnessed similar acts of dexterity by pegasi before. He’d also seen ponies pick up things with their tails somehow. Applejack had picked up a stick with her tail the day he had spent with her, and he had also seen Pinkie carry items within her curly mane.
A mare with long wavy, shiny mane approached him, her entire demeanour radiating friendliness. “Hello there, are you here for a haircut?” she asked politely.
“Not today I’m afraid, though I was wondering if you sold shaving implements?” Magnus scratched his chin, the black stubble erasing his previously unshaven appearance. Despite being of Native American heritage, his facial hair growth came from his father, who had sported a thick bushy beard. “As you can see, I’m in need of a shave before the lower part of my face starts to look like an overgrown forest.”
“We most certainly do,” the mare replied. “Just step this way, please.”
A few minutes later, Magnus left the salon with a new straight razor, a razor strop, and shaving foam all in a small paper bag. They also had safety razors with a length adjustment, but they would never touch the skin itself because a stallion would never shave off all the fur on his chin. That was also the reason he was unable to find aftershave balm. The razor he ended up buying was the cheapest one in the store, thus he saved a bit of money. Despite that, the mare insisted the razor was perfectly fine, and Magnus was inclined to believe her. Dishonesty, he felt, was rather uncommon among ponies.
‘That takes care of shaving. Now, let’s see if I can find a store that sells notebooks and writing implements. Preferably not quills.’
Once more, Magnus walked the streets in hope of finding a place that sold office supplies. After asking for directions, he ended up at a bookstore that had a wide selection. When he left, he carried another paper bag containing two pencils and a medium-sized notebook bound in faux black leather, ready to have his notes on the only two spells he knew written down in it.
Although his modest amount of bits had decreased slightly, he still had a decent amount left. Now he wanted to use it on something he hadn’t had in a while. It was such a nice day, sunny with a warm breeze. The weather almost begged him to sit down and relax with a cold one.
Remembering Twilight mentioning that the bar was on the other side of town, he set his sights there. Walking away from the town’s centre, it was a brief four minute walk until he spotted the local watering hole. It was a modest bar-slash-cafe, with tables outside and chairs made in the shape of giant mushrooms. Quite a few ponies were already seated, some having congregated into small groups that talked and laughed while others sat alone and enjoyed their lunch.
Luckily for Magnus, the cafe had benches too, a small blessing for him. Some were occupied by ponies simply lying down on them to eat and rest, not sitting like a human would. You just couldn’t lean back and relax on a mushroom without a backrest. It didn’t take long before a waiter came to take his order, and after requesting a cold beer, Magnus handed the waiter four bits and leaned back to soak in the sun. He closed his eyes and simply listened to the sounds of the world. What became clear to him then were the whispers that reached his ears.
“Looks strange, but seems nice…”
“Stayed in Canterlot for weeks…”
“He probably misses home…”
“It didn’t look like he enjoyed Pinkie’s party…”
“I heard he can barely use magic…”
“Your beverage, sir.”
Magnus opened his eyes, finding a glass mug filled with the frothing liquid of the gods on his table. He’d hoped that the beer mugs were large enough for a human, but that was not the case. Nonetheless, he wasted no time in sampling his first Equestrian beer, sloshing it around in his mouth to really bring out the taste. It was light and full of flavour, golden like honey in colour, and with a decent hint of hops and wheat.
Taking another hearty sip, Magnus leaned back on the bench and closed his eyes while resting in the sun. He felt like he was back home the moment he managed to block out the idle chatter going on around him. He was in his sun chair in his backyard on a warm summer day, his laptop next to him playing music while he nursed a cold one, just soaking in the breeze coming down from the Rockies. Homesickness washed over him, unavoidably. But right now? This moment? It wasn’t so bad.
“Hey, Magnus.”
Unless someone decided to interrupt him.
Magnus cracked open one eye, staring at the owner of the voice. It was Spike. The little guy had been with Twilight earlier when he left, helping her take care of her library. Evidently, that task was now completed.
“Hey, Spike.” Magnus scooted over, tapping the empty space next to him. Spike accepted the invitation, clambering up onto the bench and placing his backpack next to him. “Done with helping Twilight?”
“Yeah, rearranging the books takes time, but today was easy. We got the library under control now. It helps to know the system Twilight uses.” Spike went silent. Magnus could see that Spike hesitated, appearing to search for the right words to continue the conversation. “She told me that… um, she cancelled the research into the portals.”
Magnus nodded solemnly. “I know.” He sipped his beer, savouring the slightly bitter taste. “She wasn’t getting anywhere, said she just couldn’t figure them out as there were no clues anywhere in the tests or samples they took. I asked her to stop. She’s the Element of Magic; she understands these things. If she can’t figure it out, no one can.”
Spike snapped to face Magnus, visibly surprised. “You’re giving up? Going home, I mean!”
This time, it was Magnus who hesitated. He had seen how hard Twilight worked every day, how the notes piled up, how she would fill a blackboard during the day and stare at the magical formulas until evening time before sighing deeply and grabbing a sponge to erase it all. She investigated, read old books, made notes, reread books, checked the notes from the investigation, tried again, started something new, pursued theories, and found out it led nowhere. There just weren’t any possibilities left. Home was simply beyond him.
“Yeah,” Magnus replied after a lengthy pause. When he didn’t continue, Spike simply nodded and remained silent for a while.
“So,” the baby dragon began, seeking to break the uncomfortable silence, “what have you been doing today?”
“Not much. I finally found a razor at the local hairdresser, and I bought a notebook for the two spells I know.” He gulped a mouthful of his drink. Equestrian beer was actually pretty good compared to some of the brews back home. “Plus I finally found beer. So far, the day has been good to me. How about you?”
Spike reached into his backpack, bringing out a brand new comic while grinning. “I bought the latest issue of Power Ponies; it’s the return of The Jester, one of the first and most popular villains in Power Ponies’ history.”
‘If that isn’t a ponified Joker, I don’t know what is,’ Magnus thought with a slight shake of his head.
Spike carefully placed the comic back into his backpack. “I’m gonna save this one for later. What else do you have planned for today?”
Magnus shrugged. “Nothing. I’ve found what I needed, so now I’m just sitting here, waiting for an idea to pop up. The weather’s too nice to sit inside and read about a new spell. God knows I’ve been doing that a lot lately.”
Spike chuckled. “Twilight does that a lot, no matter the weather. But what would you usually do back home on a day like this then?”
“Well, that depends. Maybe play some ~video~ games, go for a walk, visit friends, go bowling, or maybe even go fishing.”
“Fishing? As in real fish? Not seaweed or water plants?” Spike asked.
“Yeah. I even had my fishing pole in the boat before I was sucked into the portal, thinking I could catch something while I was out there. I think it came with me into the portal, and if it did, I’m sure the princesses know where it is. Shame I don’t have it here, else I would’ve found a nice place by now.”
Spike scratched his scaly chin. “You know, I have a fishing pole, but I haven’t used it in… I don’t know how long. Dad bought it for me a couple of years before Twilight and I moved here. He used to take Shining Armor and me to the foot of Canterlot Mountain; there’s a river with a few good places for both fish and water plants.” His face suddenly lit up. “I know! We can go fishing, you and I. Maybe I can ask Princess Celestia if she has it, and maybe she can send it.”
Magnus turned to face Spike. “Seriously? You can do that? Wouldn’t asking something like that be a little… too much? Having a Royal Guard or a messenger or something like that fly all the way over here just to bring a fishing pole and tackle box?
“Nah, it’s no problem. Don’t forget I can send letters to her using my enchanted flame breath I can also receive larger items. I don’t think a fishing pole would be too much—that is, if she has time.”
Magnus silently admitted that he had completely forgotten about Spike’s ability. Lifting the mug to his lips and draining it in one chug, Magnus slammed it back on the table. “If you can do this for me, then we’re going fishing,” he happily declared.
***
A while later, they were back in the castle and heading straight for the library, the one place where Spike was sure to find paper, quill, and ink.
“Twilight, are you here?” he called upon entering. There was no answer. “Guess she went outside then.”
Scampering over to one of the tables, Spike grabbed the necessary items and began writing a quick message.
“Asking for your fishing pole… Anything else?” Spike asked.
“I need my tackle box too. Can’t catch anything without a lure.”
With a nod, Spike completed the short letter. “There, all done. Now to send it.”
“Wait!” Magnus exclaimed and held out his hand. “Can I see it before you send it?”
Spike gave Magnus a questioning glance, but handed him the scroll anyway. Unrolling it, Magnus took a gander. Spike’s handwriting was excellent, the letter well-written, if a bit formal, but just to be sure Spike wouldn’t get into trouble for it, he grabbed a quill and added an extra line underneath.
PS: I forced Spike to send this.
Magnus
“Just had to add a little message to Celestia,” Magnus said as he handed the scroll back.
Spike accepted the scroll and blew green flames on it. The scroll turned to ash and smoke and flew away in a second.
A few minutes passed by with nothing happening. Then Spike began to cough. Closing his mouth, his cheeks bulged until he could no longer contain the pressure. He burped a huge green flame upwards that materialized into a fishing rod, a tackle box, and one scroll.
“I’m not gonna get used to that anytime soon,” Magnus commented as he felt the heat of the flames.
He recognized his fishing pole and tackle box immediately, inspecting them where they fell. Thankfully, there wasn’t a single scorch mark on his possessions.
“She found it! Remember to thank her when you go back to Canterlot. Let me just get my pole and we’re ready. Oh, I gotta write a note to Twilight and let her know we’re going fishing.”
With that said, Spike ran along to find his own fishing pole, leaving Magnus to look over his own equipment. Spike hadn’t seen the scroll as it ended up behind the tackle box. Magnus, however, saw it and unrolled the scroll to see what it said.
Dear Magnus,
If you forced Spike to send a letter, I would have known the moment I received it. It is, however, sweet to see you attempt to take responsibility in case you thought I would reprimand Spike for using his ability as a common delivery service. I would never do that. Did I not tell you that if you wanted to contact me or Luna, Spike would gladly help? Of course, it also includes returning your belongings.
That reminds me. The remains of your boat as well as other items that were found along with you in the sea is still stored in the castle. I thought that perhaps there was something there you would like to keep before we dispose of the rest.
Good luck.
Your friend,
Celestia.
Magnus glared at the scroll, but exhaled in relief. “Clever girl,” he muttered.
***
“This looks like a good spot,” Spike said. As the guide, he had led Magnus to a medium-sized river about twenty minutes from Ponyville, away from the noise of the town, where only the sounds of birds, the buzzing of insect wings, and the wind could be heard. The river meandered at this spot, and the sandy banks of the river were dotted with shrubs and green reeds. Insects flew across the water’s surface, where they were intermittently caught by a jumping fish.
“Correction: great spot,” Magnus replied, eager to get the lure into the water.
Further down the river, a large flat stone stood next to the slow-moving water, a perfect spot to sit on. They sat down and opened their tackle boxes to fish out their lures, casting them out into the middle of the river. Spike used a small rubber worm and a floater while Magnus decided on his dry fly lure for a slow river like this. Even though his fishing pole wasn’t meant for fly fishing, he managed to get the lure almost as far out as Spike’s, watching as the lure slowly floated down the current. When it had travelled a bit, he reeled back in, and with a couple of elegant whips of the rod, the false fly flew through the air and up the current a few meters before settling with the tiniest of splashes.
“This is nice,” Magnus commented, a lazy smile spreading on his face. That same old feeling slowly came to him, that of stress fading, of relaxing, of just patiently waiting for a fish to take the bait.
“Yeah. Who taught you how to fish, by the way?” Spike asked while reeling in his lure and throwing it out again.
“My grandfather. Think I was about four or five the first time he took me fishing. He made a simple pole from a sapling, tied a line to it and a hook, and out we went.” Magnus’ grin grew wider. “I remember how excited I was the first time I felt a fish taking the bait. I shouted and yelled, not knowing what to do, so he had to pull in the line while I just watched. It was just a tiny trout, not even worth making dinner out of, so we let it out again.”
Spike smiled and let out a relaxing sigh. “Dad taught me and Shining. He taught me how to use earthworms, just like the griffins do, while Shining was taught how to use a plant-cutter lure, and how to avoid losing the plant in the current. He lost plants plenty of times, and refusing to let it go, he went diving into the water after it, just so he could show it to Mom and she could add it to the dinner.” Spike laughed.
“I guess we all want to show our parents how good we are at fishing,” Magnus commented as he threw the lure out again.
Spike nodded and silence fell over the two, the only interruptions being the swish of the lures as they were thrown out again.
“What was it like growing up in a pony household as a dragon?” Magnus suddenly asked. He had actually been curious as to how Spike was raised, and what it was like when there were such differences between him, his parents, and his siblings.
“Actually, I spent my first years in Canterlot Castle. Princess Celestia cared for me the first few years, and she also taught Twilight to care for me. One day, Princess Celestia invited Mom and Dad to the castle for a parent-teacher picnic in the castle garden. Twilight was there of course, and she wanted them to meet me. It kind of took off from there. Twilight would ask Mom and Dad if I could visit and have a sleepover in their house for a night, and later, a weekend. They agreed, and I began spending more time in their house than in the castle as time went by. About three years later, they formally adopted me. They’re the best!” Spike answered with a fond smile.
‘From being raised by a princess to being adopted by two ponies. At least Spike was well cared for, being given love and attention from parents, and getting a sister and brother too’, Magnus thought.
“There were a few issues over the years, such as my diet,” Spike continued. “Dragons need to eat meat once in a while. Princess Celestia fixed that by sending Mom and Dad fish and meat once a month, and she even sent gems too. Gems are important for young dragons; it’s most dragons’ primary food source, and helps build our bodies, such as making our scales tough.”
“What about growing up a dragon in pony society?” Magnus asked. Surely there had to have been some issues over the years. Back on Earth, people who were different were quite often singled out from the rest, and most of the time it happened at schools. “Wasn’t there any problems?”
Spike shook his head. “Not really, no. Canterlot is always visited by non-ponies, so the ponies there are used to seeing creatures from other races. A dragon is very rare, sure, but ponies got used to seeing me out and about as the years went by. Mom and Dad always made sure to bring me out to play in the park or for ice cream on warm days.”
Magnus nodded in understanding. Ponies had gotten used to him. It was that easy. It was the same process Magnus was now going through. The more ponies saw him, the more they got used to him, until he was part of the local community, the neighborhood, the city, just another face in the crowd.
“What about you? What was it like growing up on Earth?” Spike gazed up at Magnus with a childish look of curiosity on his face.
Memories surged forth from Magnus’ mind. Many good, and some bad ones, but the good ones far outweighed the bad.
“It was great. I’m from a small town, you see, small by human standards that is—only a couple thousand people spread out over a large area. There were farms on the outskirts, but the centre of town itself consisted of houses, schools, stores, cafes, a small movie theatre, and a couple of fast food places. Nothing special, kinda boring at times.
“I grew up in a neighbourhood close to the outskirts of town. My grandfather built a house there with my grandmother almost forty years ago. It was a cozy home, a garden patch in front of the house and a larger one in the backyard. and a fence surrounding the property. A lot of the people on that street had children, some of them my age who I got to know as I grew up. School was just a fifteen minutes’ walk away.”
“What about growing up with your grandfather? What was he like?” Spike inquired.
Magnus smiled as he reeled in the line and threw it back in. “Kind, caring, patient, lots of stories to tell and some words of wisdom taught to him by life itself. The usual grandfatherly type. But he wasn’t usual for me; he was my grandfather, my everything, the only constant in my life. He raised me,” he finished. Words couldn't describe how much he loved the old man. How could he even try? Such words couldn’t come easy, no matter how much time he had to think of an answer.
Once more, silence fell, but not for long.
“What about your parents?” Spike asked innocently. “I know that they are… Actually, I shouldn’t have asked. Just forget it,” he stated hastily and focused on the red and white floater bobbing in the water.
Magnus glanced at Spike from the corner of his eye. The little dragon shifted his weight uncomfortably, appearing nervous from his innocent question.
“You can ask,” said Magnus. He wasn’t particularly afraid of talking about his parents; he simply left out certain details. Family affairs and all that—people didn’t need to know.
Spike gazed up at Magnus for a few seconds, as if considering somehow that it was in fact okay to ask such a question when he knew that his parents were no longer amongst the living.
“If you’re sure…”
Spending a few seconds to gather his thoughts, Magnus took a deep breath and began, “My mom’s name was Julia. She had long black hair, and she was beautiful. She dreamt of being a florist and opening up her own florist store. My grandfather would always tell me about her when I asked. She was kind, loved flowers and plants, played the guitar sometimes, a very social and approachable woman, in contrast to my father.”
Magnus’ smile then diminished. “My dad's name was Hrafnar Hjaltisson. He was from an island country called Iceland. He became a sailor when he was fifteen years old and sailed the seas for several years aboard a variety of ships. I never knew him, but grandfather did, and he told me plenty. My father was the silent type, always looking like he carried a great weight on his shoulders, often sitting in a chair and brooding and thinking over this and that. He was also very tall, and unusually strong. Combine those two traits with his long hair and bushy beard, he looked more than a bit intimidating.”
Magnus then smiled again. “That didn’t stop my mom from falling in love with him, though.”
“My mom lived in a city called San Francisco at the time, where she was a student at some university. My dad was in the same city for a week when he and his shipmates decided to go bar hopping. Incidentally, my mom and dad met in the same bar. There were a few women in my hometown—friends of my mom—who was there when they met, and they all tell the same story; my parents fell in love the moment they spotted each other. They spent the entire night at the bar just talking. When the bar closed, they went for a walk and ended up on a park bench where they continued talking. At dawn, they both went to a small cafe for breakfast and agreed to meet that same evening, which they did. Dad signed off the ship four days later and moved in with my mom in her tiny apartment. While mom finished her studies, dad took a job at a ~car~ repair shop, fixing engines. I heard he was always good with mechanical stuff.
“Later, they both moved to Montana, the place I’m from, and found a small apartment for rent close to my grandfather’s place. After working steady jobs for a few years, they managed to get a loan and bought an old house with enough land out on the countryside. They renovated the house with the help of some friends, and when they found out I was on the way, they married pretty quickly.”
Magnus left the sentence hanging for a while, swallowing saliva to wet his dry throat as his smile faded away to a hardened, yet melancholy expression. When he continued, his voice held a tone of finality.
“And that’s it.”
Magnus said no more. He reeled in his line and threw it out again.
Spike immediately felt there was more to it than that. He noticed Magnus’ face, and knew there was something his human friend didn’t want to talk about, and most likely it was how his parents passed away. It wasn’t a subject he wanted to bring up now, not when they were having such a good time.
He wisely decided to ask nothing more about things he thought Magnus might find depressing. After all, they were here for the fish, not for sadness.
***
With a hard whack on the head with a stone, the rainbow trout was rendered unconscious, and with a precise slice of the knife, its life departed this world. With practised ease, Magnus began cleaning the fish, removing its insides first before scraping off the scales, and finally removing the head and tail and throwing them out into the open field. It would be a good meal for any nearby birds.
“Nice catch,” Spike commented from behind Magnus as the human slid a debarked twig through a cut in the fish’s flesh, leaving it to hang next to another trout, “but still a bit smaller than mine,” he stated proudly.
With a sigh, Magnus stood up and turned to Spike, levelling a deadpan stare at him. The dragon had only caught one fish, and by some divine intervention, it had been the boss of the river; a huge trout as long as Spike stood tall, now currently hanging from the end of his pole, gutted and ready to become dinner.
“Keep talking about your catch like that, in a few weeks the trout will have turned into a whale,” Magnus commented with a shake of his head, yet it was all in good fun. Spike admitted that he had actually never caught a fish this big before in his entire life, and to him, this was quite the achievement.
“Maybe it will,” Spike answered with a toothy grin that made Magnus laugh. Spike would probably talk about this fish for decades to come. This wasn’t the infamous one that got away, this was the one he actually caught.
The two fishermen packed up their equipment and began their walk back to Ponyville. By Magnus’ estimate, they had been out for at least three hours or so. Their spot didn’t yield anything, thus they walked up and down the river until they found a better spot.
Upon entering Ponyville proper, a few ponies noticed the fish hanging from their poles, scrunching their noses at the sight. This didn’t go unnoticed by Magnus.
He bent down to Spike. “I guess ponies don’t like fish.”
“Nope.” Spike shook his head. “They’re okay with fishing, but most ponies don’t like the smell of raw fish at all. Some ponies can’t stand the smell of cooked fish or meat either.”
‘Must be their herbivore nature,’ Magnus thought to himself.
“Well, their loss, cause we are gonna have an awesome dinner. Do you know how to filet a fish?” Magnus asked, a certain recipe already on his mind.
***
It was late evening and the sun had long since set. Dinner had been prepared and devoured, and since Twilight wasn’t much for fish, she made do with a simple omelette. She was used to Spike eating fish, and the smell wasn’t a problem for her at all.
The well-known effects of eating fish had affected Magnus and Spike, namely sleepiness. The little dragon was very susceptible and had decided to cure himself of it by going to bed early. Magnus solved the problem with strong coffee, and while it was a temporary solution, it would allow him more time to stay up and read. Twilight herself had joined him, and together they sat with a book each, occasionally asking each other a question or two, but mostly they sat in silence as they usually did when reading.
The topics for the evening were many and diverse, from the history of the countries of the world, to the people living in them, and to some topics closer to ‘home’, namely Equestria itself, its founding, and early history. It was while reading one particular passage that Magnus came across a certain family name: the Galaxy family, Star Swirl’s kin. While holding absolutely no love for the accursed unicorn, curiosity proved to be stronger force in Magnus’ mind.
The chapter detailed the story of the family ages ago and their accomplishments in Equestria. Many among the Galaxy family were considered great wizards in their own right, but they were much more than that. They were knights and generals who had fought for and commanded armies for Equestria. They were landowners, ponies of exceptional wealth and influence who maintained their own private armies, and owned their own merchant fleet that crisscrossed the seas and traded with distant lands. Being part of the Equestrian nobility, they held titles as well; Counts and Countesses of Hollow Shades, parts of Fillydelphia, the entirety of the island of Manehattan and the lands to the north up to the borders of the Crystal Empire, and to the west as far as Neighagra Falls. After consulting a map about the whereabouts of the named locations, Magnus estimated that the Galaxy family’s lands made up roughly a fifth of Equestria at the height of their power. The book even stated that their power and influence were second to that of the Crowns.
Magnus couldn’t help but be impressed at their accomplishments. However, as he read on, he found out that not everything went well with the family.
Their downfall began over a thousand years ago, according to the book. The author couldn’t specify the exact reason, but stated that waning influence, trade agreements being cancelled, and intrigue, fraud, and conspiracy amongst the nobility was most likely the main reason, as the numerous noble families at the time were at odds with each other when it came to gaining favour with the princesses and other noble houses. As time went on, the Galaxy family lost all of their influence, their wealth steadily began to vanish due to the upkeep of their castles, their ships, and everything else that they owned, not to mention paying their workers as well. Even though they owned mines that provided silver, gold, and iron, as well as gem quarries, these sources of income also began to dwindle. It didn’t take long before the Galaxy family was nearly bankrupt. It even went so far that a Galaxy Count traded his hereditary title for that of a Baron and a decent sum of money in order to safeguard what little remained of their holdings, and even sold much of their lands to other noble families in order to stay afloat. Now, the author stated, the family’s sole member was an almost unheard-of baroness, and the estate the family currently held was the entirety of the forest of Hollow Shades, the village by the same name, and the family castle, Stargard Castle.
And so it happened that the fabled Galaxy family, once upon a time the most powerful noble family in Equestria, fell into ruin. From riches and power to rags and forgotten to the sands of time.
“What a downfall,” Magnus said to himself as he finished the chapter. Although Princess Celestia had told him a few things, Magnus now found himself knowing just a bit more about his distant ‘family’, if they—or she—could even be called that.
“What was that?” Twilight asked, looking up from her own book.
Magnus barely glanced up at her before focusing on the book again. “Nothing,” he said. “Just read something interesting here.”
He felt Twilight’s questioning gaze upon him, almost interrogating him with her eyes. He wondered if she knew what he knew, if she knew this mystery mare. He still hadn’t thought about if he wanted to meet this Brilliant Star, and truth be told, he had simply pushed it away from his mind so that he didn’t have to think about it. In all honesty, Magnus didn’t know what to do about this situation and the mare herself. He acknowledged that he could use some advice, and Twilight was a good listener from time to time.
“Celestia told me I have a relative in Equestria,” Magnus said after a long silence. He closed the book and laid it to rest upon the table before looking at Twilight. “Did you know?”
Twilight's eyes looked up from her book. She closed it and set it aside before adopting a more serious posture. “Yes. Celestia told me some time ago. I recognized her name; she was once a teacher at Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. Her name is Brilliant Star.”
Magnus nodded. “Princess Celestia and Princess Luna asked me if I wanted to meet her, seeing as she’s probably the only relative I have in Equestria. Problem is…” He sighed, “I don’t know if I want to.”
“Why not?” Twilight asked.
“Well, just consider how much time separates us. Heck, I could just as well be related to you, or Rarity, or anyone really, and it wouldn’t make any difference. There’s not much in the way of family bonds to care for anymore. Honestly, Brilliant Star is a stranger to me, and I am the same to her. It would be different if she were someone I knew from before, like an aunt, or grandmother, or something like that. As it stands, we have absolutely nothing in common.”
“That is true…” Twilight replied after a short pause, though when she spoke next, it was with encouragement. “But don’t you think it would be worth a try? You don’t know what she’s like. Who knows, maybe you’ll find that you have something in common with her after all? And as you said, she is your only known relative in Equestria, maybe even the world. Wouldn’t it be nice to know that there is somepony out there that you have some form of connection with?”
Magnus hesitated in formulating a reply, his thoughts churning in his mind. Twilight was right in a few regards, namely in that he didn’t know Brilliant Star at all. Did they have something in common? Probably not. They weren’t even the same race. Were they related? Celestia and Luna said yes, but Magnus’ gut feeling said no. Did they have a connection? Not at all, except having the same ancestor, and that wasn’t something to be proud of. He’d rather no one know about that.
He was no closer to an answer now than before, and it bothered him. It wasn’t an easy decision to make at all. He needed more time to think and make up his mind.
He stood up and stretched his arms and legs. “I’m going for a walk to clear my head. Be back in a while.”
Twilight’s eyes followed him as he walked towards the door. “Okay... I’ll be up for a while longer then.”
Magnus took two steps before Twilight spoke again. “Magnus. If you want to talk about it, about Brilliant Star, about anything really, you can always count on me and my friends. You know that, right?”
“I know,” Magnus replied with a glance over his shoulder. It felt assuring, somehow, that he had someone to talk to about these things.
After a while, Magnus was once again walking the streets of Ponyville. The evening air still held residual warmth from the day, and a slight breeze blew through the streets. The street lanterns and the warm light from numerous houses made the small town feel both vibrant and alive even though it was late in the evening. At this hour, few ponies were out on the streets. Conversation or company was not what he was looking for now anyway. Answers perhaps, a clue, something, anything really, that could help him make up his mind.
He walked past houses, occasionally catching a glimpse of the ponies that lived there. At one house, he saw a smiling and happy looking grey pegasus mare with blond mane and tail carry a sleeping unicorn filly on her back up some stairs and out of sight. In another house, he spotted a pair of what appeared to be teenage ponies yawning as a stallion, a mare, and a second mare—their herd mother perhaps—say something to the younger ones, most likely telling them to go to bed. At another house, he saw an earth pony stallion and pegasus mare—both of them looking quite old—speaking with a younger pair of ponies, all four looking excited about something. Magnus understood why when the younger mare rubbed her slightly bulging belly gently: pregnancy.
In each house Magnus passed, he saw families together: children, parents, herds, young and old. It was nice to see ponies so happy and content, but for Magnus, it felt as if it was ages the last time he felt like they did now; a sense of belonging, of being surrounded by loved ones.
He wandered to Ponyville Park and sat down on a bench facing town. His mind lingered on Earth, on everything he knew there, and some things he never did find out. One of those things was actually about family, and once upon a time, Magnus wondered if he really was as alone as he thought.
His grandfather was an only child, as was normal with those who carried the unicorn blood—the same went for his great-grandfather. His great-grandmother had died of a stroke around the time his mother turned five. The end result was that he had no living relatives on his grandfather’s side of the family. His grandmother, though, was said to have family somewhere in Canada. Joseph once told Magnus that he tried to find them after his wife died, just so Julia would know she had relatives too, but the address no longer existed and the phone number he had directed him to a gas station in Halifax. A letter sent to Halifax City Hall, asking for help in locating the rumoured family members ended up futile. After months of phone calls and letters, Joseph gave up.
Still, Magnus’ family had two sides, one American and one Icelandic, and Magnus knew a bit about his father’s family. He even knew roughly where on Iceland Hrafnar was from; someplace on the eastern coast, but Magnus couldn’t even pronounce the name. A video tape his father left behind described the place as a small hamlet surrounded on two sides by mountains, a vast sandy plain, and the sea to the east. The place had a few farms, some houses, the coast and piers with fishing boats, a cafe, a school, and a small general store. Not exactly the centre of the world.
Then there were Hrafnar’s parents. He had mentioned them in his video tape, but never by name, only by deeds. So deep ran his hate for them and so badly did he want their names to be forgotten that he never mentioned their names to anyone, not even Julia or Joseph. Magnus was shocked to hear his own father tell what his parents were like and how they treated him growing up. It was a wonder he grew up in the first place.
After watching the old VHS tape, Magnus swore to never even attempt to contact his father’s parents. Who needed people like that in their lives?
Hrafnar’s upbringing, sadly, scarred him for life. One would think that such a tall, strong, and intimidating man would be tough as nails. He was, but only on the outside. Inside, he was hurting. His silent demeanour was a result of his horrible upbringing. Speak, and get yelled at. Complain, and get smacked around. Talk back, and get locked up in the basement for a day or two.
However, one man had helped Hrafnar grow up to be a decent person, one man who took him under his old and frail wing, told him about the world, showed him kindness, sheltered and fed young Hrafnar when he was thrown out of the house or escaped, day or night, summer or winter, and in the end helped Hrafnar escape his tormentors. The man whom Magnus was named after. The one who saved Hrafnar’s life. What better way to pay homage to such a good man than name your firstborn after him?
Yes, perhaps Magnus had distant family, but he also had closer ones whom he would never associate with. Star Swirl probably knew since he told the princesses he had no relatives.
It was years ago that Magnus asked Joseph if he had family. At the time, he said no, that Magnus was the only one he had. Now, Magnus knew, he actually had someone—somepony—who he was very distant related to, to the point that it didn’t even matter.
But the old unicorn mare, this Brilliant Star, had actually drawn some interest from Magnus by simply existing. Once, Magnus desired family, relatives, someone he could relate to on a deeper level, just like family members could. Aunts and uncles, cousins, grandparents, just like everybody else had, just like his friends, the ones he considered brothers and sisters. He called them that, but they had families of their own, large ones in some cases. They were never related to him in the first place, and of course Magnus knew, yet still called them his siblings because they meant that much to him. His friends allowed him to because they knew how lonely he was and how much he wanted a family.
But those bonds were now… well, not shattered, but at least faded. He was dead to his brothers and sisters, and he knew they shed tears for him, not knowing he was alive and well very far from home.
And here he sat, on a park bench in Ponyville late into the night, staring at the small town, one by one the lights in the houses dimmed or were turned off. Alone. The only human on Equus. Unique in more than one sense of the word.
Yet Brilliant Star remained on his mind. An old mare in a castle, said by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna to be a kind and welcoming old lady. The only known real relative he had in Equestria. The blood had been watered down, yes, Magnus realized that, but a nagging thought in the back of his mind asked, ‘Does it really matter?’ His friends weren’t related to him by blood, and it didn’t matter then.
Then why was he so unsure now?
Was it the fear of rejection, that the mare didn’t want anything to do with a freak like him? Maybe it was because the mare was not a human, but a pony? Perhaps it was because he felt that he would never fit into Equestrian society, even less in the company of an old mare? Or perhaps there was another reason, a hidden one he had not thought of yet.
He thought long and hard, but no answer presented itself. Not even when Magnus returned to Twilight’s castle sometime after midnight was he any closer to a reasonable answer.