//------------------------------// // Grief // Story: When A Scientist Becomes A Pony // by SamParks10 //------------------------------// I casually flipped though some of the books as I waited for the dragon to be done with it's bath. I was impressed with the wide variety of books in the collection. Books ranging from magic and botany to astronomy and history.....it seemed like if I wanted to search for a tax related book, this was the right place. I frowned as I couldn't find what I was looking for. I somehow ended up being distracted by some comic books, which were interesting enough for me to forget what I had initially come in here for. Suddenly, a lavender coated unicorn with streaks in her mane and tail barged in, seeming to be distracted by some papers, she was skimming though. "Spike, Spikeee!" She called out loudly. "Coming! Give me a minute!" The purple green dragon's voice was heard yelling in the distance. I put the comic book aside and coughed awkwardly. "Is now a good time?" I asked her. She seemed to be really busy with all those books and papers. She seemed surprised as she spotted me, "Oh, sorry about that! I wasn't really expecting any guests tonight...I am Twilight, and you are?" Oh, Looks like she was Twilight and the dragon was perhaps, her sentient pet, Spike. "Doctor Vector, I was told you had books...." I began but froze as I noticed her cutie mark. The strange star markings were similar to the one I had.....while mine were small, dark blue, and orbited the quantum physics symbol, hers were a delicate shade of pink and white, adorned with numerous tiny white stars. "You know, it is rude to stare at a mare's flank for so long...." The small dragon, now done with it's bath remarked, arching an eyebrow as he caught my gaze. I quickly averted my gaze, feeling a blush creeping up my cheeks. "Oh, pardon me, I didn't mean to stare," "I just noticed the star markings, and wondered what they meant." I said awkwardly as I looked away. "Oh, my cutie mark? It represents my passion and talent for magic!" She smiled as she began to recall about how she got her cutie mark. I was lost in my thoughts wondering if my cutie mark had something to do with magic as well. She was going on about how she created a magic powered explosion of some kind and the princess had to investigate the national security threat herself. It struck me as quite extreme but it's not my place to judge considering the fact that I wasn't in the princess's good books either.... "What about your cutie mark? How did you get it?" She asked curious. "Probably quantum physics related....with traces of magic. I cannot exactly recall." I didn't understand what those stars meant either, or why it was a darker color then Twilight's. Shouldn't it be the same colour, if it was magic related? "You....don't remember how you got your cutie mark?" "WHAAAT?!" Both her, and the dragon seemed shocked. "Hmm...there was an accident. I don't remember exactly what happened, but when I woke up, I was alone and had this mark on me." I said recalling how I ended up here. The unicorn's ears flopped down as she and her dragon looked at me sadly. "I...am sorry to hear that. It must have been terrible." She said with her eyes downcast. I coughed awkwardly not knowing how to deal with sad ponies. "Anyways, it doesn't matter now. I assume it must be quantum magic related." I shrugged. "So, you have all kinds of books here?" I quickly changed the topic. "Of course! We have books on almost every subject here!" She beamed with pride. "What book are you looking for? I can help." The dragon offered. "I want every book you have on taxation laws." I nodded. To my surprise, Twilight's eyes widened with genuine excitement. "Taxation law books? Nopony has ever asked for those before. They've been gathering dust for ages," she exclaimed, her horn glowing as she levitated the books from a nearby shelf, related to the subject. Twilight, with her magic, gathered all the books she had on taxation, forming a precarious tower. I grinned as I saw the large number of books. There is no way, I would end up loosing my case, if I had a good defense. With these many books, I was quite certain I would find some sort of legal loophole that could help my case. "I will take them all! When do I return it?" I grinned. "Sixteen bits borrowing fee. You can return it in two weeks and reissue it, if needed." The dragon informed me in what sounded like a sentence he was used to repeating. I frowned as I realized I didn't have any bits on me, the night princess had seized my gems and didn't pay a single bit for any of it. "I don't have any bits on me right now...I came from Pinkie Pie's 'Super Duper' party and....." I hesitantly mentioned my political connections. "Oh you are friends with Pinkie Pie! You can have these for free then for now." Twilight smiled as she pushed the books towards me eagerly. I assume she must truly fear the powerful political leader. I felt a bit bad, using my connections this way, but if using the party's name gets me a discount, I am not complaining.... "Thank you very much! Really appreciate it!" I gave her a polite smile as I took out my void box to store these books in. Her eyes widened with fascination as I stored the books inside my interdimensional box. "That was incredible! How did you manage to create an interdimensional storage space? I've read about it in Starswirl's theoretical concepts, but I've never met anypony who actually accomplished it," she exclaimed, her eyes wide as she stared at the box in awe. "Hmmm....Imagine our reality as a vast tapestry of dimensions, each woven intricately together. By tapping into the quantum fabric that underpins these dimensions, I've managed to create a localized rift—a sort of controlled wormhole, if you will," I began, as I flipped through the pages of one of the books casually, before storing it in the void box. Why was she taking notes..... "With precise manipulation of magical energy and quantum particles, It enables me to link a pocket dimension to this space. This pocket dimension exists outside of space and time, allowing me to store objects within it without affecting their mass or energy states," I continued, as her excitement kept growing. The dragon seemed to be sleeping as we spoke, I didn't understand why Twilight was so interested, but I answered her questions anyways. "Essentially, I've established a stable connection between our reality and this pocket dimension, utilizing principles from both magic and theoretical physics. A delicate balance of magical resonance and quantum coherence, enables the seamless storage and retrieval of objects without violating the laws of conservation of mass and energy," I concluded, hoping my explanation was satisfactory. I glanced at the darkening skies outside. Answering every question she had would take forever. "Ah, that was an interesting discussion. It is unfortunately getting rather late. Thanks for the books once again Twilight!" I said as I hastily took my leave. "Of course! Feel free to come back again anytime, if you need any more books!" She waved me goodbye. "Wait! Before I leave, I wanted to ask something." I recalled her special talent was magic, which meant she was the perfect pony to know about magical disruptions. She tilted her head curiously. "Hypothetically speaking, Is there anything nearby that would cause a strong magical disruption....say by blocking teleportation magic?" I asked hoping she had information. "Hmm....The Canterlot Castle is the only place I can think of that has strong anti magic barriers including wards against teleportation magic, to protect the princesses from outside attacks." She said thoughtfully. This is bad....The princess might have taken Fluffy as hostage, in order to get me to turn myself in. "Thank you!" I faked a smile, despite the uneasy feeling I had, as I took my leave. I glanced at the distant moon as I kept wandering aimlessly, thinking of ways to get back my pet. "Mom! After we get hayburgers, can we get donuts too?" A young filly asked her parents. "Hmm...Joe does make pretty good donuts, Should we dear?" The mother asked the happy looking stallion beside her. "I don't know~ What's the magic word?" He smiled at the young ones. "Pleaseeee!" Both the filly and the foal said in unision. "Alright! Alright!" He laughed as they went on ahead, chattering excitedly among themselves. They seemed happy.... Reminding me of the warmth I had missed. I paused as I realized that I didn't actually have a home to go back to. I couldn't ask Fluttershy for a place to stay. There was no way, I would impose on my friend like that. I kept on walking aimlessly into the night, finding myself even more alone as the night sky turned darker, and all the lights from the houses went off. Everypony was probably asleep by now, happily tucked in, and lost in the world of dreams. I sighed in frustration, kicking a nearby pebble. I was exhausted, and not just in a physical sense. "This really isn't fair...." I glared at the moon angrily. "Why did I have to die and become whatever I am now..." I really tried to just deny this new reality of mine, going along with whatever I was faced with but small things like seeing a happy family, made me realize what I had lost. "This really isn't fair...." I kicked a nearby tree, but only ended up hurting my hoof. I glared, as I furiously tried to wipe away the tears that fell down uncontrollably. I was angry....and tired. "All I wanted was to turn back time and save my mother! Is that really too much to ask? Why did I end up in another dimension instead? I just....wanted to...save her. That's all I ever wanted!" It was hard to get the words out of my throat as I choked back another sob. It was exhausting to keep pretending to be okay, when I really was not. I was tired of pretending everything was just perfect, it was exhausting trying to smile, when I didn't have any real reason to be happy. Because it didn't change the fact that I lost the single person I had cherished back on Earth. My mother no longer existed and neither did I. No matter how much I tried to deny it, I knew deep within me that the part of me that once lived on Earth, no longer existed. I knew, I had died back then in that explosion and I was truly alone in this world, that was an undeniable fact. "Why couldn't I just die in peace.....why did I have to become this?" I yelled my frustrations to the moonlit sky, as I broke down in tears, in a place that didn't have a pony in sight. I was usually a calm person, but even I couldn't help but feel frustrated. "I spent all that time on my research....I would have done anything to bring back mother....Why did I have to fail?" I heard muffled sounds in the distance and quickly wiped away my tears, not wanting anypony to see me like this. CRASH! With nothing else to do, and slightly curious when I heard the sound of shattering glass, I felt myself go towards the direction of the sound. I froze at what I saw. A small bird that seemed like a mix of a lion and an eagle laid on the ground, trembling with fear. It seemed injured and covered in blood. I noticed its wings seemed broken, bent at an unnatural angle. There were a group of rough looking ponies surrounding the bird and laughing as they kicked it with their hooves. The sound of a soft whimper as the bird tried to crawl away, made me snap. Anguish and fury welled up within me, overpowering any semblance of control as I pushed them away roughly with my magic. "What the hay? It's just a filthy griffin brat. Mind your own damn business." The unicorn with a knife cutie mark snarled at me as he countered my magic. I felt my heart ache as I saw the defenseless baby griffin, with feathers ruffled and eyes wide with fear, being cruelly attacked by a group of heartless ponies, who I had so far mistakenly assumed were peaceful creatures. I stood protectively in front of the small griffin, glaring at them. "What is wrong with you?! It's....just a child." One of the pegasus, with a skull shaped cutie mark swooped above me and placed something around my horn. I felt a wave of horror as I realized, I could not use my magic, no matter how hard I tried. "Say thank you. This magic restraining device was pretty hard to get you know~" One of them cackled as they pushed me away from the scared bird. "Say boss, how much do you think we could sell it for?" Another pegasus asked the unicorn as she threw an empty glass bottle near the griffin. My hoof clenched, and my jaw tightened in frustration as I charged into the fray, filled with rage and grief. I ignored the pain as I felt a strong wave of magic, burn through my skin, exposing the raw flesh beneath. I retaliated against their attacks, distracting them away from the griffin child, fighting without any magic, fueled by a mix of sorrow and rage. I felt a storm raging within my soul with each blow I landed. The trembling griffin child reminded me of myself when I was younger. I hated how helpless and weak I was back then, unable to do anything other then cry helplessly as my mother shielded me from my father's rage. If only I was stronger back then. If only I could have fought back instead of trembling in the corner, unable to do anything but cower uselessly in fear. If only mom was still alive..... My breath hitched as I tried to hold back a sob, everything was blurry as the tears fell unwillingly from my eyes. The hoof that clashed against my body wasn't as painful as the ache in my heart. I fought relentlessly, with nothing but adrenaline, sorrow and rage surging through my veins. The moonlight casted eerie shadows, highlighting the raw emotion etched into each of their features which must have been reflected in mine as well. With a primal scream that seemed to come from my very soul, I kept on fighting for the sake of the precious life of the injured child. Finally I had managed to drive the attackers back, their forms scattering like leaves in the wind. I didn't stop until I was certain they would not be able to get up and hurt the griffin again. Tears streamed down my face, mingling with dirt, blood and sweat, as I collapsed on the ground, feeling utterly exhausted. My blood covered hooves trembled with the aftermath of the fight as I looked down at the injured assailants now lying on the ground and groaning in pain. I had emerged victorious in the fight, yet the ache in my heart would not cease. I felt empty as the energy slowly drained from me. Breathing heavily, my chest heaving with exertion, I turned to the baby griffin, gently extending a trembling hoof, offering solace to the small injured creature. I immediately withdrew my hoof, my eyes softening as it looked at me with wide eyes in what I assume must be fear. Being so quick to resort to violence, I would be afraid of me too if I was the griffin child. "I am sorry....you had to go through....that." I tried to smile at it despite the tears. Just then, a blue haired, unicorn stallion approached us, his eyes wide in shock as he took the scene before him. I weakly stood in front of the griffin child, protectively trying to shield it from any attack, as I glared at the stallion. "Just what happened here?" He demanded, not flinching as he looked right into my eyes. I glanced at his cutie mark. He didn't seem dangerous. If it was a shield, it meant he would be capable to protect. My voice hollow and choked with emotion, I forced myself to speak clearly, "The griffin child is wounded, Please take her to a hospital." He nodded as he glanced at the injured ponies on the ground with a raised brow. "I did that when I saw them hurting her." I explained as I looked away. He nodded as he created a protective magical shield around the injured griffin and quickly restrained the other ponies with his magic. "I have to leave...please take care of her." I told the stallion, not bearing to see the child look at me with such scared eyes. To my astonishment, the baby griffin gently reached out, grasping my trembling hoof with her small, yet surprisingly strong talons. With a voice, soft and reassuring she looked right into my eyes and said, "Are you okay?" her tone was filled with concern, as if she could sense the depth of my despair. "I will be." I replied, with a weak smile. "You are coming to the hospital as well. You are hurt." The stallion said firmly as he helped me up. "Alright...." I conceded after a while. I needed to get this thing off my horn, so I could use magic again. I wouldn't be able to return all those books to Twilight, if I couldn't use the void box. The library fine would be more then I could afford.. Lying on the bed beside the baby griffin's in the hospital, I felt an odd mixture of emotions – relief that the creature was receiving the care it needed, and a lingering sense of despair from the events that had transpired. It was not like me to resort to such violence. I should have simply grabbed the child and escaped with it to safety. The stallion who helped us, sat on a nearby chair as he looked right into my eyes with a gentle expression. "Thank you for saving the griffin's life. That was very brave of you. The assailants have been arrested by the royal guards so there is nothing for you to worry about." He informed as he offered me a plate of sliced apples. I couldn't help but freeze as he mentioned the word 'guards' but relaxed after I realized, it wasn't meant for me. I touched my horn with a hoof and was surprised to find the restraining device gone. I picked up a slice of apple with my magic and sighed in relief at getting back my ability to use magic again. "Those magic restraints are meant to be used on dangerous criminals. They are being interrogated to find out how they managed to get their hooves on it." he said looking angry for some reason. "Luckily, the guards have keys to unlock these kind of restraints with them. So we managed to get them out. I am glad you both are safe." He smiled warmly as he glanced at me and the sleeping griffin laying on the bed beside mine. "Guards? Which one?" I couldn't help but flinch slightly. I was still wanted for tax evasion after all and didn't have a defense ready just yet. "Oh I did! I am Shining Armor, Captain of the Royal Guard!" He said, beaming with pride as he extended a hoof towards me. I felt a chill course through me as the baffled guard looked at me in bewilderment. "Are you alright? You seem a bit pale..." I promptly teleported away.