//------------------------------// // Everything Changed // Story: Since Before the Stars Swirled // by The Real Darkness //------------------------------// "Shadow Aura?" He heard his pen name from the front door the second his next alarm spell went off and he teleported outside his home, his large red mane wafting in the breeze around his manor. "Twilight. Sparkle." "How...how did you know my name?!" "I know everything of our history, I have it written down." "The cuti-." "Mark map lead you here to solve a friendship problem, there is none. This is my little slice of eternity and I will not be bothered by anypony, not even the Princess of Friendship. Find your way out." And Pulsar Splash teleported the princess out of his woods and back to her castle. Another alarm spell was set, specifically for her. And that entire day, she tripped the alarm spell trying to get back in, unable to teleport in. The next day, she walked again and again even though Pulsar set a spell to teleport her back to her castle everyday. And the one after that, a shield was flung over her castle, barring her from exiting. But Twilight Sparkle got crafty and she instead sent in a friend, Starlight Glimmer, who did manage to get past everything and the doorstep alarm triggered again. Pulsar Splash teleported back to the front of his manor and the moment he did, Twilight Sparkle was summoned out of an orb in Starlight's levitate spell. A pocket dimension to sneak past his specific triggers. "How the fuck...Starlight Glimmer," he glared. "So this is Shadow Aura? A lot less mannered than I thought he would be," the unicorn observed at the master mage. He cleared his throat, "Twilight, I see you are crafty, crafty enough to be a thorn in my side," she pipped at the words,"I can see this being an ongoing issue and your constant interruptions to research would be an unwelcome occurance." "Now you're just using polite words in your rude remarks," Starlight Glimmer grinned. "My magic enchantments to keep you out have been removed, now what is it you'd like?" "Like I said!" The purple unicorn strained her words to show her annoyance, "the map sent me here for a friendship problem and I think I've found it." "Me?" Pulsar Splash gestured to himself. "Yes! You've been isolated for Celestia knows how long! You need to get out there and make friends." "I very much like my contributions to Equestria's magical knowledge in this manner." "Noooo, it's time for you to meet somepony!" Starlight Glimmer spoke up this time and teleported the stallion mage far from his home. "But...but I have a spell to prevent that," Shadow Aura, the pony hidden with a moniker mumbled to himself. And Pulsar Splash found himself in the very room with the cutie mark map, he immediately began trotting about it in circles, observing it with his horn lit and a crystal from the walls already transmuted into paper and a quill. "He's...a studious one, isn't he?" Rarity spoke up. "I don't know if I like what he's doin'," Applejack followed with a worried look over her muzzle. "He's just doing what every magic researcher has always done," Starlight Glimmer rolled her eyes, "too much like Sunburst if you ask me." Pulsar raised his head to the unicorn, "I am nothing like that half-assed mage who can't even keep a checkbook balanced let alone write an efficient spell!" She had got him right in his pride like a needle into his hooves. "What did you say about Sunburst?!" Starlight Glimmer charged her horn. Shadow Aura smiled, if there was one thing the pompous unicorn enjoyed doing, was proving himself and flexing his horn. Especially so since it had been more than a thousand years since he talked with somepony. His horn bled a grey light into the whole of the room, blinding anypony who dared to look at the magically polished horn of his. The light was even sent down the hall through the door cracks, causing Spike to rush and open the chamber doors just to lose his eyesight. "Is this a duel you're challenging me to? For his honor?" Pulsar grinned. "I...uh I-I," "Didn't know you would obey the unwritten laws of ancient unicorns," Starlight's horn dimmed and Pulsar Splash let his magic seep from the tip of his horn back into his body, "a wise decision. I am nothing like the researchers Equestria has working in magic. I'm a master mage, I research the things nopony would dare in Equestria," and his head was propped up a little all on his own. "And this is why I asked you girls here, I don't this I can handle this pony on my own." "Twilight, what do you mean?" Fluttershy questioned. Pinkie Pie chose to sit in silence, she had no idea how to interact with an ancient pony, especially when she didn't know his birthday. "Well, Fluttershy, I'm certain of it now. We need to help make him some friends." "I'm only here so you can attempt whatever you will and I can go back to my peaceful life." "Well, we can always start with him meeting somepony that might get along with him." And Pulsar Splash grimaced, he hated chatting with ponies back then, why would it be different now. And so it began, he met with many...many...many ponies and with zero interest. Prince Blueblood was first because they both found each other to be so pompous. Though, at heart, Pulsar Splash was never a pony with a big head, just a lot of pride in his magic and he wanted to come off as annoying as possible so everypony would leave him alone. "Okay, you've met blueblood, Zecora, my brother, Trixie, Maud, Big Mac, and so many other ponies I can't remember their names...this is impossible! Why can't you just be open minded?!" Twilight screamed at the pony as the trotted the streets of Ponyville. "Glad you see it my way, all my friends are dead, leave me be to my own pages. Magic is my only interest now." And that's when an alarm went off in Twilight's head and they were both teleported immediately to Fluttershy's cottage. "Fluttershy! Fluttershy! Can you get him to Discord's home?!" "Dis...cord?" The first hint of curiousity Pulsar Splash displayed. "Oh...um, sure." Flutershy retrieved a charm discord gifted her with once upon a time and blew it like a whistle, an orange portal opened and Twilight physically shoved the unicorn in, the gate closing behind him. And his home laid right in from of him, no where to go, no known way to get back, at least not without Discord's help. He was also curious about the unique being, he had never met him back then and maybe there would be something they could relate about...maybe. He knocked and Discord called from within, "Flutershy?! Oh you can come right on in!" He was silent...and eventually Discord opened the door with a giant grin only to frown when he saw the unicorn. "Who...wait!" He summoned some book...definitely untitled...and it's pages were even blank, but he flipped through it just as quickly all the same, "Pulsar Splash! Friend...ex-friend of Starswirl! The master mage who disappeared just before Celestia and Luna took power...surely you saw me get defeated the first time to them! I didn't have a picture of you to consult and you look a little different since the first time we chatted all those moons ago. Did you do something with your horn?" "Discord, while I know you are a being of pure chaos, I need you to address me as Shadow Aura to other ponies." The draconequus teleported the unicorn inside and onto the upside down couch of his immediately. "There we go, comfy now, right? I'll keep your secret, Pulsar, no need to worry," he grinned, Discord was well known for his monologues and the moment Pulsar Splash opened his mouth, "so, why didn't you just tell those six that I planted those seeds? How come you didn't help Celestia and Luna defeat me? Where were you when-," Discord smiled. "It's be-," "You're immortal! Finally I have my own forever friend." Pulsar Splash found him slightly annoying, but he was entertaining the idea of keeping him around as an acquaintance. "Discord...how is it that your magic...functions, again?" Pulsar transmuted more paper and a quill for more notes, wanting to check and see if maybe he had more information himself since he two vacations in a statue. Socializing with ponies was becoming a good point of information collection, and Pulsar was slowly coming around...but he scrunched his brow as Discord began his explainations and remembered the pains of...talking. Some ponies could be so exhausting to just speak with, even when the conversation is an interesting topic, not like it was with Starswirl or Dingy Coat. They always knew how to add a lightness to all their serious conversations. It was as if harsh sarcasm meant you were an evil pony now, but the language he spoke could be very different from modernized languages. Pulsar Splash was at least now open to the idea of talking with somepony, but Discord's habits were already grinding him down after hours of conversation. "Discord, I must get going, could you-." "Show you the way out?" He snapped and an orange portal appeared all the same, "of course!" Pulsar went through the portal, landing right back at Twilight's castle...right at the cutie map with only Twilight Sparkle and Starlight Glimmer present. "The pompous unicorn is back," Starlight announced. "There's no need to be so rude, ex-tyrant," he hoped to sting back at Starlight, but in a playful manner and she sulked. Not the exact response he hoped for. "You were gone for quite a while, Shadow Aura," Twilight looked up from her book. Pulsar teleported his notes back home to be sorted and poured over later, "I had banished the prospect of meeting Discord, but his personality is tiresome at length. Is there somepony similar to him? Maybe somepony who can talk at length about magic or similar research?" Twilight looked at the table in a shortlived stoicism, "Starlight, do you think I can trust him with the mirror?" "The mirror that Starswirl banished the sirens to? The one that had such a magic anomaly it almost collapsed our universes into each other?" Pulsar seemed visibly excited. "A student as much as a scholar," Starlight observed. "Well, clearly you know about it...you know more than any other pony alive. Do you know who Sunset Shimmer is?" Starlight looked to her teacher with an inquisitive look. "I...don't," Pulsar answered, his mind was already busy and drunk on the idea of a new world filled with new knowledge. "Then you may use the mirror. You may want to make a few preparations," Pulsar shook his head. "I always keep a backup rune on me for emergencies, it's warded to prevent magic loss or use by anypony but me," Pulsar Splash began to canter through the castle, Twilight and Starlight quickly following after him, "I know where this mirror is, always figured I'd need your permission to ever use it and now that I do...I may be gone for a couple days." "Wh...what?" Twilight stuttered, this was a completely different stallion, it's as if his stubbornness melted away. They arrived at the mirror chamber and Pulsar Splash put his horn to Twilight's, "apologies for the intimate intrusion," and he copied some alarms to her, "I put you in charge of my magic alarms over my residence, feel free to utilize my library as a return favor, but do not re-organize anything, put it exactly back the same, disorganized way I had it," Pulsar activated the mirror with a blush still on Twilight's face. "Shadow Aura! Wait a moment!" "Magic researchers have no need for social boundaries, welcome to the world, Twilight Sparkle. Apologies again for that interaction," Pulsar passed through the mirror and went through the rainbow tunnel down into this different world. It took him a few moments to come to, but once he did, he saw the giant brick building in front of him, "a university already?" And he looked at himself, "bipedal primate like body...clothing...sophisticated. I suppose I was adjusted to fit this world," Pulsar Splash saw the lab coat, khakis, and dress shirt he all wore and in his left pocket, his rune sat, so his hand slipped in and kept a grip on it. His head swivelled, this was a world dominated by technology, that much he could tell, he could not sense any magic, even after using his rune as a sensitive focus. "Right...friendship or whatever...but first, magic research." He began walking right up to the school and very quickly he was beset upon by someone, "you! Stop!" A man, dressed in some official uniform jogged to him from behind the statue, "I have no idea how you got past me, but I was instructed to guide all visitors myself to Principal Celestia's office," Pulsar knew this would be an interesting world already. With new, maybe fun social constructs in it. But the idea of Clestia as a measly school principal intrigued the unicorn. So, Pulsar Splash went along with it while he was led into the building and to her office, the security personnel stepped out and left down the hall he guided Pulsar down. "Another trespasser," she sighed, "so, he said on the radio that you got right by him and were suddenly at the statue coming up to the school." "It's obvious you're an Equestrian," this looked striking like her, for all intents, she is Celestia in a different life, "so what are you doing here? Is this an accident." "Celestia." "Principal Celestia," she glared. "Listen, where I hail from, you're a princess and I'm older than you, I have no idea why this world didn't reflect my actual age, but that's magic for you," she blinked and opened her mouth, "Princess Twilight Sparkle sent me here, rather I mostly sent myself, to learn about friendship and I guess to better integrate back into Equestrian life." "Then why send you here?" She looked inquisitive now. "Well, in Equestria, I am the most talented mage and would have kept her at bay indefinitely, so instead, I decided to entertain her notion for a single attempt at friendship and so she sent me here, where I am on an almost equal level to others." She stood silently for quite a while, staring at Pulsar, "I see. I'm sure you know this is a school." "It appeared to be some kind of university, very well built," Celestia laughed at his interpretation. "No no, this is a high school. Canterlot High School to be precise. I see no reason to enroll you or send you to classes, you seem far above our education levels. I'll give you free reign as long as you don't interrupt classes of learning here at CHS," Pulsar bowed in thanks to her as part of a habitual reaction. "Thank you, Principal Celestia, I appreciate having your blessing to walk these halls, I'll be exploring shortly and will ensure I do not disrupt the activities here, you have my bond," Pulsar Splash spoke quickly on his way out before shutting the door quietly. He got what he needed, an authority's agreement for him to roam, that's all he needed. "Wa-," the last thing Celestia got out and he didn't even care. While the school was definitely interesting to him, he would wait until after classes to explore it, firstly was the city. Promptly after this affirmation enter Pulsar Splash's head, he teleported using his rune to the street in front of the school and began walking down it.