//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 Adapting // Story: Ashes and Embers // by Bronycommander //------------------------------// Chapter 2: Adapting Groaning, his head aching, Fletcher came to. He struggled to remember what had happened. He had been in the park and then... What had happened? Looking around, he found himself in what looked like an infirmary, but not the Ponyville General Hospital. He was on a hospital ward like any other. A monitor was beeping at the same time as the drumming of his heartbeat in his ears. A warm, soft white blanket covered him. His Lunar Guard armor and bow had been left on his bedside table, although his quiver of arrows was nowhere to be seen. “Ah, you woke up.” His ears twitched as he heard a familiar female voice. A tall dark blue Alicorn walked into the room, relief showing in her cyan eyes. “Your Highness, Princess Luna, I-” The stallion tried to salute but his foreleg was shaking. Princess Luna raised a hoof to stop him. “I appreciate your respect but you are still weak. Save your strength.” She advised him. “Okay, Luna, as you wish.” He replied with a smile, although her expression changed to one of confusion. “Pardon my manners, but... how do you know me? You speak as if we should know each other well, but I'm afraid we've never met." "I-" This caused Fletcher’s eyes to grow wide. “What do you mean, we’ve never met?!” She shook her head. “I have difficulty remembering everypony’s names and faces. Perhaps we have met each other once or twice, but I can’t think of any occasion when we may have crossed paths.” “I-” Fletcher was taken aback by this. How was it possible that Luna had no memory of him? Maybe this was a dream, and the mare standing in front of him wasn’t actually Luna. It made more sense than the other possibilities, but judging by the amount of pain he was in, this was very, very real. Um, I… How d-did I get here, Princess?" "You appeared before me in a bright flash, then lost consciousness. I decided that the hospital would be the best place for you to be." Flash?! What does she mean? Did something happen whilst I was teleporting? But that wouldn’t explain why Luna doesn’t remember me. Teleportation and mind magic are completely different. Unless… He jumped to another possibility, but yet again began to second-guess himself. No, how could she not be the real Princess Luna? Unless she had been replaced by a changeling, there’s no way that she’s an impostor… No, that’s not possible either… He was grasping at straws now and panicking slightly at the frightening scenarios his wild imagination was thinking of. “She speaks as though she was made for the throne...Do I smell treachery...or just calamity?” Ifrit sounded in his head, slightly mocking, though Fletcher was too confused to care at the moment. “Well, I am one of your elite guards, Your Highness,” Fray explained to her, his voice shaking slightly. “In fact, I have been for many years.” “I see. Be assured, Fletcher Fray, my sister and I will do everything we can to get you back home. But for now, rest and gather your strength,” the Princess of the Moon advised him. He nodded. Then a unicorn with a white coat, a pink and white striped mane and blue eyes walked in. Her cutie mark was a notepad. “Mr. Fletcher Fray, I am Nurse Candy. Can I get you anything?” She asked. “Can I have a glass of water, please?" He asked. She did as she was told, taking only a moment. It tasted fresh and soothed his dry throat. He found out from Nurse Candy that he had to wait until noon before he could leave, and he spent his time wisely, thinking about what had happened to him. The first time he had travelled from one world to another, it had been to rescue a filly who had been transported to another dimension by accident. Clearly, the same thing had happened to him. But there were a few crucial questions: why was there a rift between the two worlds, and why had he ended up here and not some other pony who had never travelled between worlds before? Was it a coincidence, or... something else? Once he had been dismissed by the doctor, Fletcher took advantage of his opportunity to stretch his legs, taking a stroll through Canterlot to see if it was any different to the Canterlot that he knew. All of the architecture, the stores and houses seemed exactly the same and he wasn’t entirely sure whether to be relieved or unsettled by that fact. What he took notice of very quickly, however, were the anxious expressions on many ponies' faces. Like something bad had happened, or they all feared it would happen soon. “Did you hear what happened at the Crystal Empire?” One worried mare asked another s they passed him, catching Fletcher's attention. “Yes, I heard the Elements of Harmony were betrayed, the Empire's defenses destroyed. Makes me fear about those poor ponies that are enslaved by King Sombra.” Crystal Empire? Sombra?! Fletcher could still remember having heard the news back then when it happened in his universe, although he was busy at the time. Frankly, he was glad that Twilight and her friends had succeeded; for him and his friends, it was one less evil to worry about. And yet, he knew now that in this universe, it had failed. A slight feeling of worry rose in him too, wondering what this could mean for him as he took a deep breath. It wasn’t his war to fight, but he might still end up fighting, and the thought of those ponies- “Excuse me, sir?” A voice interrupted his thoughts. He saw a Solar Guard in front of him. “Are you Fletcher Fray?” “Yes, I am.” He replied in a neutral voice. “I was ordered by Princess Celestia to find you and take you to her. If you would please follow me.” The Eternal Knight did without hesitation, knowing that this was important and hoping they could find a way home soon for him. He could still remember the worry of his friends when he suffered similar problems before. But now, he feared more for little Dinky’s wellbeing, that she would not miss him too much. He knew how much of an emotional strain it could be. Upon arriving in the throne room, Fletcher saw both princesses watching him, Luna had a weak smile but Celestia’s expression was neutral, perhaps slightly wary. Out of respect, he bowed. “Rise,” Celestia spoke, her voice calm and even neutral. “You are the stallion my sister told me about?” “Yes, your highness.” Fray stated honestly, yet felt slightly unsettled by her apparent suspicion, though it was understandable, given he was foreign. “Princess Luna told me about you, my condolences. Yet, it may be of some good news for you, that I found out what caused you to land here.” She turned to Luna. “Sister, could you please give us some privacy?” The younger Alicorn hesitated for a moment before nodding. “As you wish.” Fletcher watched after Luna until she was out of view. “So, Luna told me that where you are from, you are one of her elite royal guards?” she sounded curious and he nodded. “Yes, I am.” For some reason, a feeling of unease overcame him, unsure why she asked. “Then, I might have some use for you.” The Princess stated, “You may or may not already know this, but the Crystal Empire has been enslaved by King Sombra. You see, it was all thanks to a traitor in my sister’s guard. My investigations revealed that it was Sombra’s dark magic that brought you here.” She explained. “And?” Fletchersaid irritably. He wanted to know what the point of this conversation was, yet at the same time he didn’t like where it was going. “If his magic was able to cause a dimensional accident and bring you here, I think I must take drastic actions.” It clicked in his head. “You mean?” A sigh escaped Celestia’s mouth. “A assassination. I don’t like it myself but given those circumstances, I have no other choice. If they caused a dimensional incident that caused you to land here, I can’t afford others to suffer similarly. This threat must be eliminated as soon as possible. Diplomacy is no option here. After that, I can fully focus on helping you to find a way back to your universe.” She waited for his response, as he seemed lost in deep thought about it. “Your chance to serve the one true princess at last. I feel as though I've waited an eternity for this.” Ifrit advised him. “Okay but something doesn’t look right.” Fletcher was distrustful, yet knew his answer. “Alright, I’ll do it.” “Very good. Transportation has been cut, so you will be brought in close with an airship but the rest, you have to do alone.” The Eternal Knight nodded, yet had a bad feeling about this. It seemed…wrong. Just what did I get myself into?