//------------------------------// // Chapter 20: Train Lore and Training // Story: The Side Character is a Deer // by Deergenerate //------------------------------// The clean-up of Canterlot, even with magical powers and the help of two super-powered alicorns, took almost the entire day. The revelation that there could, possibly, be not one but two antagonistic forces working against Equestria had shaken the princesses to the core. Even now as the elements of harmony and co rode back to Ponyvile on a train, Twilight still racked her brain on who it could have been. Johan let out a sigh as the train slowly rode down the massive hill that lead up to Canterlot, looking out the window to the distant horizon. The sun was setting. If he remembered correctly, that meant that Celestia was lowering it, so Luna could raise the moon... He didn't know if that was Equestrian propaganda, or if that was very much the case. Either way, the very concept of two individuals, who also happened to be the leaders of the planet's dominant superpower, controlling the very celestial bodies struck him as messed up. Living in a world where global destruction could occur with the press of a button had really put him off the idea of a single person holding that much power... let alone two. Johan sighed as he slumped onto the table, propping his head up with a hoof. First the statue, then the thing that happened at Twilight's parent's place, finally the crown... especially the crown. So many things happening in such quick succession... it was hard for him to wrap his head around it all. He shook his head. There was something he was missing... that crown, it had a winged dog/wolf on it... he had seen that kind of thing before. His eyes widened as he remembered the night before when the dog appeared. Aralez. He had also been on the crown... Johan sat up instantly. He had originally just thought Aralez had been a hallucination or a dream of some kind, the whole situation of it just appearing when he was sad, licking him, and then running off into the night the second Derek appeared had seemed too implausible to him. But now... "Are you ok Johan?" He heard. The Deer turned to look around the table. He was sitting with Fluttershy, Twilight, and Spike. Twilight was the one to ask him. He has wanted to sit next to Derek, but unfortunately for him, the Alicorn had been given a private car alongside Starswirl the Bearded, who was returning to Ponyvile with them. Something about studying the Alicorn and training him. The deer brought a hoof to his head and slumped back over. "Oh... I'm fine." he said, shaking his head again. "Just thinking, you know?" He looked over to Fluttershy quickly. "I actually have a question for you." He said, raising an eyebrow at the pegasus. Quickly she shrunk under his gaze, trying to hide under her hair. "You know animals, right?" She perked up slightly and nodded. "Oh yes, animals of all kinds. Natural, magical, even supernatural." She said with a smile. "I even have an animal sanctuary where I take care of hurt creatures... but you already knew that." She let out a nervous chuckle. "Do you have a winged dog named Aralez at your sanctuary?" Johan asked sitting up slightly. "Or have you ever heard anything about a winged wolf or a winged dog?" Fluttershy blinked twice. "No, sorry. I don't know about either of those things. I didn't even know winged dogs existed in the first place." Twilight instantly turned her head towards him though. She had been only vaguely paying attention to the conversation up until that point. "Wait, did you say Aralez?" She asked as the Deer slumped down in defeat. "Uh... yeah?" He replied tentatively. Twilight's eyes widened. "I have actually heard about that before... or rather read about it." Johan once again perked up. "Oh?" "Yes. It was a couple of days before I met you in fact. I was studying several archaeological reports on ancient ruins around the planet, so I could better understand that old building I took you to on the day we met." She started straightening her back. "The word 'Aralez' is used several times in several books, all of them dating back about 700 years ago, or older. Aralez are a species of magical creature native to a mountain range called the Temple Mountains, to the east past the Gryphon Kingdoms." Johan was listening intently now, raising an eyebrow. "Gryphon Kingdoms? There are multiple?" Twilight nodded. "Oh yes, dozens. After the collapse of Gryphonstone most, if not all, of the outer communities of the Gryphons split off to form their own nations, but that isn't important now." She said continuing on her previous point. "The Temple Mountains have a somewhat sinister reputation to them, apparently tribes of Keythong live along their slopes, and they attack any explorers who come close, preventing any proper studying, and they are almost constantly wracked by lightning storms that make flying over them impossible." She said, not noticing Spike sigh and cover his ears, flopping his head onto the table. "Gryphons living nearby, however, to this day speak of creatures that resemble dogs and wolves flying through the air around the summits of the Temples. They say they can get struck by lightning and nothing happens to them. In fact, apparently, they fly faster when that happens." "Aha." Johan nodded along. He now only had more questions than when he started but deemed to let her continue her rambling. "Now, the books don't go much into detail, they are mostly travel guides to the eastern reaches of the planet, but one of them, much older than the others, mentions something beyond the Temples, something that no living creature has been to in generations as far as I am aware. It was just a single word. Theispas." The second the word left her mouth, Johan shot up, his eyes widening. Memories flooded into his brain for a split second. First, he saw a city full of deer, just like him. Winged wolves... or Aralez apparently, walked among them, each one accompanying a deer. Then his vision changed. The streets were wrapped in fire, he was surrounded by screaming. The bodies of deer filled the streets. Explosions filled the air, shaking the street and in the distance, he saw... something... standing at the end of a road. He could only make out its size before the vision ended. It was tall... twice as tall as the average pony, comparable to an alicorn. He cried out and grabbed the sides of his head, collapsing. He almost headbutt the table as the vision ended. He panted as he slowly laid his head on the table, shaking. "Are you ok!?" Twilight cried, putting a hand on his back. Johan suddenly became aware of the fact that all eyes on the train were on him. The deer let in a deep inhale, shaking his head. "Y-yeah... I'm f-f-fine..." A voice in his head suddenly spoke up. It was his voice. "You and the alicorn caught me off guard. Clever, but you aren't ready." Derek let out a grunt as Starswirl pulled at one of his wings, raising it up then lowering it down several times in a flapping motion. The wizard hummed as he looked the alicorn up and down. Derek in the meanwhile just tried his best to keep an awkward smile going. "So you mean to tell me that you are an Alicorn naturally?" Starswirl asked eyes narrowing. Derek nodded. "Uh, kinda. Why does everyone keep asking me that?" He asked with a frown. "Hmph, well, your friend Twilight was born a unicorn. And if I recall correctly, Princess Cadance was a pegasus." Starswirl answered as he walked in a circle around the green alicorn. "Celestia and Luna were born as alicorns, but as far as I am aware they are very special cases, same as the new Princess Flurry Heart." Derek instantly raised an eyebrow. "So wait, you can turn a normal pony into an alicorn?" He said as he turned his head to the unicorn. The wizard replied by roughly adjusting the alicorn's position with magic, straightening his gaze. "No, you cannot just 'turn' them into an alicorn. It is a barely understood natural occurrence, one that only happens to ponies destined to greatness," Starswirl hissed. "Now keep looking straight, I am not done with my tests yet." Derek gasped as he felt a ring of some kind latched around his horn. He quickly looked up at it. It was covered in white and red jewels that glowed and vibrated rhythmically. "This is a magic suppression ring, used to prevent horned creatures from casting spells. This is just a minor one, so it shouldn't cause any major damage." Starswirl said, taking a step back. "I want to test your ability to use the magic under stress." "And how will something that stops me from casting anything test that?" Derek replied with a frown. "Simple, I want you to see if you can overload it," Starswirl replied, sitting down at the opposite end of the private carriage the two had. "If you can, I'll take up training you to use your magic. If not, well, I guess you can wait until Twilight's horn is fixed in a month or two." Derek looked to Starswirl for a second, then up to his horn. He paused for a second. "Uh sure, how hard could it be?" He said to himself as he tried channelling magic into his horn. There was a sputter, before with a cry, he fell back. His horn sparked once, then twice, then the magic backfired into his head, leaving the alicorn with a splitting headache. Starswirl rolled his eyes. "Had to test it eh?" Derek collapsed to his knees, breathing heavily as he did. He quickly brought a hoof to the side of his head, running it up and down. "How do I overload the ring?" He asked with a grunt. "Don't ask me." Starswirl hissed. "This is your test after all." Derek sighed in response and looked back up to the horn. Maybe this was a trick quiz? Meant to make him think in an unconventional way? Slowly, Derek reached a hoof up towards the horn. He was earned with a zap as a beam of magic struck it. "Ouch!" Derek cried, bringing his hand back putting the burned bit in his mouth. "And no using your hooves either." Starswirl hissed. Derek couldn't help but sigh... This was going to be a long train ride.