//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: A New World // Story: A Friend From Another Star // by HunterDeRiot //------------------------------// On their carriage ride to Canterlot, Valiant now has the chance to look outside of the inclosed carriage to the world, without anyone noticing him. What he sees is a clear sunny day, vast crops, rolling hills and a small village called Ponyville just below them. He then looks toward the direction they're going. There's a tall mountain, with what appears to be the capital that hangs alongside the mountain. He wondered to himself, how they managed to build something of that size on the side of the mountain. "So that's Canterlot, correct," Valiant asked. "Indeed it is, Valiant," Princess Celestia answered. "It's much more bigger than what it looks from here." "This place... It looks oddly familiar," Valiant thought outloud. "I might've had a dream about this place." That has caught Princess Luna's attention. He dreamed about this? If so, did she meet him a dream world before? "You've dreamt about Canterlot," Princess Luna asked. "I can only remember certain areas, the rest of it is a blur. I really do wish I can my dreams, but I-," Valiant hesitated speaking about what he's going to reveal to both of the princesses. Getting back on his seat, he tell them his recurring nightmare. "I now only can relive the destruction of my world," Valiant admits. "It repeats itself over and over again, without a way of stopping it." He continues, "What I can hear at the beginning of it, are the screams of those who knew their end was coming. The sun in our sky darkened to a crimson glow. The next thing I see is my home world, as if I standing out in the vacuum of space, I turn around and the sun explodes. The screams didn't stop until my home world was destroyed... Everyone I knew, everything I saw with my eyes, every sound I heard...became nothing. The nightmare doesn't stop there, it gets worse. I see my parents being incinerated into charred skeletons... I then look at my own hooves, they're in the same state aswell. Burnt bones... Then it repeats itself at that point," Valiant explained. The two princesses were appalled at his disturbing description. Princess Luna was right, she to had heard the screams, but probably not in the same way Valiant had heard them. The two of them looked at eachother, knowing what he is suffering from. PTSD, but at a tremendous scale. Princess Celestia on one end, being the princess of the sun, could set him off. She needs to tread carefully and let him know she will never do such a thing. Princess Luna on the other end, is now planning of how to rehabilitate him from that never ending nightmare. She made herself a promise, that she will do everything she can to stop it. It was also obvious something in him was plaguing his dreams, it seems to be similar to what she was going through. "I'm so sorry you had to go through such a thing, Valiant," Princess Luna said with empathy. "But now, you won't have to worry anymore." "What do you mean? The things I saw, has been burned into my memories for the rest of my life," Valiant retorted. "How could I not worry? Even when I'm not trying to sleep, I still hear those screams. I'm surprised I haven't lost my mind at this point." "Valiant, Luna can help you with your trauma," Princess Celestia assured him. "She not known to be the princess of the night for nothing." "Are you saying she can see past memories," Valiant asked then he looked to Princess Luna. "How does it work?" "It's called dreamwalking.", Princess Luna continued. "I can see everypony's dreams as they sleep, Valiant. When they have a nightmare I come to their aid, I help them by coming to terms with their fears over night. Yours however, will take some time. You honestly deserve to have a good life. My sister and I have decided to take you in, due to this situation you found yourself in. Leaving somepony like that, is not what we ponies of Equestria would do. And I'm sure our subjects will welcome you aswell. Also, we'd like you to just call our names without our titles, there's no need to be formal. We want you to be comfortable as possible.", Luna explains while she gave him a sweet and reassuring smile. "I agree, being called princess is, well, a bit much at times," Celestia said with amusement. Valiant was thankful that he didn't need to be formal with the two rulers. He actually felt lucky to have them as friends. He look down at his bandaged forlocks, the cuts were not stinging like they were before they left Fluttershy's home. Infact they're not even hurting at all. He unwrapped the bandage on his left forlock, the cuts have vanished, no even a scar. "Valiant? Is something wrong," Celestia asked. "My wounds...they're gone,", Valiant answered while he unwrapped his forlock. The princesses took a closer look while Celestia holds his limbs, not even a scab. How did he heal so quickly? Even Valiant himself was surprised he had healed so fast. "How is this even possible," Celestia asked her sister. "Normally, it would've taken days for him to heal like this." "I'm not sure, Tia," Luna answered. "I'm not sure if I'm making a correct assumption, but you must be a powerful alicorn, one that possibly surpasses my sister and I. Probably even Twilight herself." "I have felt a bit different ever since I've arrived to this place," Valiant said. "I feel like I can crumble entire mountains. Something in me has changed..." Both Celestia and Luna were confused by what he meant. Did their world change him in such a way, that it made him a super-alicorn of some sort? It became apparent to them, the more he answers, the more mysterious he gets. Valiant was unsure of why this was happening to him aswell. He never felt this amount of raw power, that he now possess. There one question that could solve this mystery. "We're the ponies of your world able to use magic," Luna asked. "No, only our ancestors were able to," Valiant replied. "Infact, we were unable to use it just recently. Around, one thousand years ago, by my world's standard time, which is by measuring that blue aura our star would have temporarily." Then he noticed Luna's expression, she was shocked. A thousand years ago, the blue aura that covered his star, and its destruction. Everything is connecting. It was by this time, the carriage had come to a stop, they've arrived back at the palace. "Lulu? Are you alright," Celestia asked her sister. "I'll be in my chambers. There's something I just remembered that needs my attention," Luna said, as she stepped out of the carriage and trotted inside. "Alright," Celestia said with a bit of worry. Valiant raised an eyebrow at Luna's sudden change of mood, what is so important for her act like that? Valiant then looked at Celestia and asked, "Was there something wrong with what I said?" "I don't know, Valiant. She would normally tell me what went wrong," Celestia said, as they were both stepped out of the carriage. What Valiant now see is a grand palace that dwarfs the rest of Canterlot itself. He still can't over how the ponies of this world were able to build something of this size on a cliff face. Celestia noticed his fascination and took the opportunity to officially welcome him. "As co-ruler and princess of the sun, I officially welcome our new friend to Equestria. We shall always be always be your friend." Valiant couldn't help but smile. For the first time he was welcomed, he knew from then on, he will live his life in peace. But getting there is going to be a challenge, those memories are still fresh in his mind, especially the screams... He put that aside for now and accept Celestia's welcome. "Thank you, Celestia. I must also thank Luna as well for caring for my well being," Valiant said, as they both enter inside the palace. Valiant's life has now changed, on the path to possibly a new and bright future.