//------------------------------//
// Exposition 
// Story: Foreigner 
// by Salnax 
//------------------------------//

	Darkness. There was darkness everywhere. 
“Hello there”
Where am I? This can’t be an ordinary place. 
“That’s a complicated question.”
I think I’m back in my ordinary body. Last thing I remember was going to Cream Mare’s working place…
“And now you’ve changed the subject. Anywa-”
What kind of place is this? It’s all dark, and I can’t feel anything.
“You can’t hear me, can you?”
And now I have the funny feeling that I’m not alone.
“Just a moment, let me fix this… and there we are!”
Terra blinked, and where there had once been a sea of blackness, there was now wide area. She was on a beach, with tannish yellow sand. In front of her was a calm ocean, with no land in sight, the water moderately blue. Behind her was a ledge, atop of which grew bluish green grass. And to her side…
“Hello,” said a most peculiar creature. It was tall, towering over Terra even in her natural form. It was definitely taller than any pony she had seen. But not necessarily that much bigger. Although it was mostly covered by fabrics, the creature seemed to only stand so tall because it stood on its back two legs, leaving the forelegs to hang by its sides. The creature’s build vaguely reminded Terra of the apes she’d occasionally seen around home, swinging through the vines and branches. This thing seemed different though. Not only was it covered in fabrics, but unlike Lyra, it truly stood upright, as if that were a natural position for it. And from what was visible, the only healthy amount of hair was its mane, which was a striking shade of yellow. In fact, this creature looked just like a…
“Tazmily,” screeched Terra.
“Human actually, but close enough. It’s nice to meet you Terra. The name’s Lucas.”
******
Lyra and Bon Bon were in the bushes fifty feet away from the infirmary. The two mares were, for once, clothed, in tight black jumpsuits. The stealthy effect was only somewhat hurt by their brown saddlebags, which appeared to be stuffed to the brim.
“Admit it Bon Bon,” whispered Lyra, “you never thought we’d wear these outside of the bedroom. Especially after adopting her.”
“The humor of the situation is not lost,” Bon Bon dryly replied. “Now quiet”
The two mares peeked out of the bushes. The front door appeared unguarded, but they could be wrong. Lyra took the lead, quietly crawling over to the doorway, standing up against the wall on her hind legs, and gently laying a hoof on the door before lightly pushing it.
The door cracked open. Light creeped out of the inside of the building.
Bon Bon facehoofed. How could they forget that this place was always open?
Lyra shot Bon Bon an inquisitive look, quietly asking what they should do next. Bon Bon motioned for her to return to the bushes, and Lyra complied, closing the door and performing her sneaking act in reverse along the way.
“Dear,” Bon Bon said, “wearing these jumpsuits was a stupid idea. We’re going to take them off right here in the bushes, and then we’ll enter the infirmary like civilized ponies.”
“Do we have to abandon the jumpsuits? I like the jumpsuits.”
“Lyra...”
“Fine”
******
“I suppose you must have a lot of questions,” said Lucas.
How am I supposed to ask you them?
“You could just do what you just did.”
What? How did you understand what I was saying? I was speaking my native language! 
“One of my friends is a telepath. She taught me a few tricks.”
Such as how to understand languages?
“Not exactly. More like how to speak directly from mind to mind. Like where we are now.”
So where are we exactly? I mean, besides a beach.
“It’s complicated, but here’s a simple version; we’re in your head, but what you’re seeing is a place from my childhood memories. I thought it would be a good place to talk.”
About what?
“A lot of things, and very important things at that. But first, I need to know something.”
What?
“Do you know about what happened a thousand years ago? You mentioned the Tazmily, but do you know who we actually were.”
I only know what my elders told me during history lessons.
	Long ago, there was a huge place with a lot of beings called the Tazmily. They were as intelligent as us villagers, but very different. This place was called “Earth.” More of these beings lived on Earth than trees existed in the forest. These beings were foolish however, and in a display of power, ended up destroying their home.
The last of the Tazmily fled, and ended up on a chain of islands in the last remnant of Earth. These islands were guarded by a great creature, a Dragon, which slept beneath the islands. To keep it asleep, seven locks were made across the island, holding the dragon in its slumber. When unlocked, the dragon would reflect the desires of the one who unlocked it, and remake the world in their image.
The Tazmily feared that they could destroy their new home, much like how they destroyed their old one. So using their powerful magic, they cast a spell to remove all memory of the old world, hoping to start anew.
However, an evil King came to the island, bringing an army of soldiers. Using his dark arts, he took control of the island, ruled over its people, and warped the animals into strange, terrible monsters. Worse, he took control of one of the inhabitants, who had the gift to open the locks. His plan was to unlock the dragon and use it to destroy the islands, leaving only him and the dragon left.
A group of heroes, led by a courageous youth, raced against the King and his puppet to unlock the dragon first, hoping to make a world of good and plenty. Soon, the youth and the puppet each unlocked the dragon in three places each, and met in front of the final lock. The youth and the puppet fought hard, but midway through the battle, it was revealed that they were sisters. Ashamed of what she was doing, the controlled youth broke free and killed herself.
Grieving over what had become of her sister, the youth opened the final lock. However, her heart was a mix. She wanted a new beautiful world, but in her grief, she also wanted to die. The dragon responded accordingly, and made a world that contained both good and evil.
The beings of the island live somewhere beyond the forest, where they now live peaceful lives. The King was defeated for once and for all, and is eternally imprisoned. The creatures that were warped by the King spread around the World, multiplying. We villagers are the descendants of some of these creatures. 
That’s the story anyway. What do you think?
“Mostly, I’m amazed that it’s stayed so close to what actually happened as it did. Are you sure your people had no writing?”
Absolutely. They would have taught me it.
“Anyhow, there are a few things I need to add to your story. First, Earth was a real place, and still is. But something terrible happened that wrecked it for a while. Humans fought a war against each other, and in the process destroyed the sun. Don’t ask me why. I think one group wanted to use it as a weapon, but their plans didn’t work as expected. Billions died without the light and heat of the sun, but there was another intelligent species on Earth that saved the surviving humans.”
Who?
“Ponies. The ponies of antiquity included some of the most powerful magic users the world has ever seen. Together, using one of the most complex spells ever created, combined with the power of human technology, they created a new sun. But this sun was much smaller and weaker than the first. So a steward was needed.”
But the sun looks bright and fine!
“Only because it’s so close to this planet. It actually is only a bit bigger and further away from here than the moon is. Anyway, to watch over the course of the new sun and gravitationally unstable moon, the two most powerful ponies on Earth were put in charge of reinforcing their orbits on a daily basis. Their names were Celestia and Luna. They were already heroes from their previous battles against beings such as Discord, so this was just their latest service to the world. And they’re still continuing that duty to this day. And that’s the first thing you need to know.”
There’s more? How exactly do you know all this?
“I’ll be sure to cover that soon. What you need to know now is about your world. As you may have already guessed, the place the Tazmily, as you call them, fled to was not just a separate island; it was a whole new world. The people there really did use something like magic to remove all their old memories. And, I’m sorry to say, what happened next was also correct.”
The King
“Yes. The King. He was a human once, but by the time he came, he was something far greater and inferior to what any human could dream of. He viewed the world as a thing to play with, and created many new kinds of creatures just for fun. Including your people.”
But the youth and the heroes! They stopped the King, right?
“Not exactly. During their final battle, he went into an Absolutely Safe Capsule to protect himself from harm. You see, he couldn’t die anymore, but he had run out of energy to fight with. The thing was, the Capsule protected him from the world, but it also protected the world from him. It made us Absolutely Safe. Or so we thought…”
What happened?
“…we woke up and found a new world. And it was a beautiful one. It was like my childhood again. Except it wasn’t. Because they were still dead. But we and the people the King brought with him were left, and we started to build a new world. One based on a balance. We could not abuse the world like we did on Earth, but we could not ignore the part of us humans that desires to grow and build. So we set up a new system. One based on the mistakes of our previous two homes. We were allowed to grow, but always had to obey limits. We interacted with wildlife, but as much on their terms as possible. We named the new world Unova, which literally meant ‘one world.’ And for years, what was left of humanity grew and flourished.”
“But something bad happened back on Earth. You may have heard the story. The princess of the moon, Luna, was possessed by an evil entity called Nightmare Moon.”
That actually happened? It sounded like a child’s story!
“Well, it became a children’s story over the years. But it didn’t start out that way. You see, Nightmare Moon wasn’t as universally unpopular as you might be led to believe. There were two large factions on Earth that sided with her.”
Why would anypony side with something like that?
“Different reasons for the different groups. First of all, you had the remaining humans on Earth. They generally saw Nightmare Moon as a way to take back control of the world from ponies in general and the alicorns in particular. The average human was no fan of Nightmare Moon, but a lot of the leadership saw her as a way to rid the world of alicorn influence.”
But what would hold the sun up without the alicorns?
“Probably sacrificial magic. In theory, you could probably keep the sun moving if you had a large supply of disposable sentients. Few things contain as much magic per pound as blood of ponies or humans.”
Your species sucks.
“So I’ve heard. But I think we’ve done enough good to balance things out. But we’re on the clock here, so moving on; there was another faction that supported Nightmare Moon. And unlike the humans, their support was widespread even amongst the masses.”
Let me guess; Unicorns?
“Wrong. Unicorns, along with Pegasi and Earth Ponies, were staunch supporters of Celestia. No, I’m talking about Sea Ponies.”
…what?
“Sea Ponies.”
…I’ve never heard of them.
“Sea Ponies were always different from their terrestrial cousins. For one, they were always more isolated. Even the pegasi can be visited by other ponies with access to a Cloud Walking Spell, and mixed race breeding guaranteed that the different groups of ponies would interact for their offsprings’ sake. But Sea Ponies lived at the Ocean Floor. As often as not, their cities were cold and covered in darkness. And if a sea pony happened to give birth to an earth pony half a mile underwater… accidents happened.”
“Like earth ponies, sea ponies drew their magic from the world around them. But they did not draw their strength from the ground or water.”
“They drew it from the abyss itself.”
“So imagine what the magical geniuses of the era thought when presented with Nightmare Moon. Even the less magically inclined sea ponies rarely saw the sun. Besides, the moon has a greater sway on the ocean. Their loyalties were clear.”
“The sea ponies could not directly help Nightmare Moon in her battle against Celestia. Sea ponies can breathe air as well as water, but are of little use on land. They did, however, have a plan. They could use their magic to summon a champion to fight alongside Nightmare Moon.”
“The Sea Ponies and humans collaborated in order to summon champions to fight alongside Nightmare Moon. I don’t know the exact details, but each of the two groups summoned one creature. The sea ponies’ ‘champion,’ the “Deep One” ended up destroying the city it was summoned in, and spent the next few years slaughtering almost all of the sea ponies in the oceans until Celestia was able to stop it. Only a few sea ponies survived, and they’ve been in hiding ever since.”
And the humans?
“Summoned the King.”
…oh no…
“Back in Unova, we knew something was going wrong back on Earth when the King showed up. We were no alicorns, but our abilities allowed us to detect that he was somewhere out there. So those of us who stopped him the first time set out to see what we could do.”
“As it turned out, not much. Humans in Equestria were considered by most ponies enemies of Life itself for allying with Nightmare Moon. While Celestia fought Nightmare Moon, ponies took it upon themselves to wipe out what was left of our race in the world. When we got here, we were fighting for our lives against those who we wished to protect.”
And what did the King do?
“Nothing. He just treated the entire thing like a joke. I never saw him while here in Equestria, but from what I heard, he essentially giggled while the humans were destroyed.”
“By the time Celestia defeated Nightmare Moon, most of the sea ponies and humans were dead. Celestia didn’t know what to do with the King, so she sent him to the sun for safe keeping. Meanwhile, my friends and I were hiding out with some of the last humans. We agreed that there was no place left for humans on Earth, so my companions escorted the survivors to Unova to become part of the local population.”
“As for me… I decided that somebody needed to keep an eye on the King. Humanity would get along fine without me. So before everybody left, we used one last powerful piece of magic. Essentially, spend centuries sleeping in a cave while my mind wandered Equestria. I could choose to wake up when I felt it was necessary. Like now.”
What’s happening now?
“You tell me.”
…something is going terribly wrong. All the way in my homeland, I could feel the dark things oozing out. The power that keeps bad things from happening here is weakening.
“Correct. Celestia’s power is waning, and fast. She wasn’t capable of fighting off Nightmare Moon, Discord, or even a Changling Queen. Something is eroding her strength. And seeing as her strength comes from the sun...”
So you think the King is hurting Celestia?
“I’m certain. I wouldn’t be wasting the last few minutes of my life warning you about this if I were unsure.”
What?
“Oh, don’t act surprised. I’ve been napping for centuries. I’m using the last of my strength to hold this conversation with you.”
…
“I’m glad. I’ll finally be able to see Mom and Pop and Claus again.”
…I’m sorry.
“Don’t be. You came here to do good deeds. I’m just here to help you. Please, you need to stop the King! I don’t know what his plans are, or even if he has any, but if he’s trying to weaken one of the few things holding this world together, it can’t be good.”
I’ll do everything I can, but there’s one problem. For some reason, I was having someone else’s memories. It knocked me out, and I don’t know how to recover.
“You’ve been living in somepony else’s body for weeks. You were bound to get closer to them, even if they were dead.”
So these are my borrowed body’s memories?
“Probably. I’m no expert on this thing, but it seems to me like you’ve been pretending to be something for so long, you can’t simply pretend anymore. You have to either dump your body behind, or accept that it’s going to be a part of you.”
I guess I have to choose to accept it then.
“That was quick. Why so certain?”
…there are ponies I care about. This is the only way I’ll be able to live with them.
“Listen, my time’s running out, so I just need to clarify a few things. You understand what you need to do?”
Stop the King.
“And do you have any idea how to do it?”
No.
“Me neither. Last thing before I go, will you be alright?”
I think so. I have ponies that seem to care about me. I can accept becoming something that is part-pony. I can hurt those that need to be defeated and defend those that need to be protected.
“Alright then. Good luck. Claus… I’m coming home.”
******
Twilight Sparkle yawned as she walked through Ponyville. It had been a late night for her. Still, it had been worth it. The spell she had developed would be able to peel away even magical disguises like banana peels.
Twilight stopped for a moment as she considered the simile that had just run through her head. Banana peels? She was more tired than she thought.
When she reached the infirmary, Twilight was surprised not to see any guards around. Before she could wonder where they were though, Nurse Redheart came rushing out the door.
“Sorry, but something happened last night\. Lyra and Bon Bon tried to sneak into Terra’s room and break her out! They were carrying saddlebags of supplies and drugged cupcakes. The guards brought them and Terra over to the Police Station.”
Twilight Sparkle’s mouth dropped. If they tried to break Terra out, that meant that they must have been in on a conspiracy of some sorts with her. Who knew how far it was spread? And worst of all, Pinkie Pie’s little sister had been dragged into this.
Whatever was going on was personal.
Twilight Sparkle sprinted to the Police Station. There, she was relieved to see the cell was well guarded. Inside of it were an awake Lyra and Bon Bon and a still unconscious Terra.
“Twilight!” shrieked Bon Bon. “There must have been some kind of mistake! We were just going to visit Terra during the night when-”
“HOW DARE YOU!?!?!” bellowed Twilight. “You know what Terra is, don’t you? What did you think was going to happen when you hurt one of my friends? For all I know, all three of you could be changelings! I saw one that looked just like you at the wedding Lyra! How could I have been so stupid. You two have obviously been spying on us for ages, and now you got some reinforcements to mess with Pinkie’s head. You changelings are the ugliest, most despicable-”
“Not changeling,” a quiet voice abruptly said.
Twilight suddenly stopped as she turned towards Terra. Sometime during her rant, Terra had regained consciousness. The guards turned towards the filly behind metal bars.
“Not changeling,” Terra repeated.
“Then tell me,” grimaced Twilight, “what are you?”
Terra stared down at her hooves for a moment before facing Twilight. For some reason, she was grinning.
“Tss. Pony. Blinkie. Terra. Ally.”
Twilight was outraged. This… whatever knew Blinkie’s name. And it had the gall to call itself an ally. But the first thing it had said.
“What is a Tss?” Twilight asked.
Terra’s grin grew.
“This.”
Before Twilight could react, Terra stomped the ground beneath her. The ground began to shake, knocking everypony in the room except for Terra off their feet. Meanwhile, Terra turned to face the wall behind her, made some hissing sounds, and blasted it open with what appeared to be a solid pillar of blue light.
“La! Buh Buh!” she cried, running out of the freshly made hole in the wall. And a moment later, the two mares followed.