I look at the pony in front of me. She is just like Luna, but the one I’m looking at is darker much darker as if her skin is of charcoal. Her eyes are sharper, more…
‘’Predatory.’’
‘’Don’t forget her fangs.’’
‘’Oh? You’re examining me with such a gaze? I didn’t know that you were such a stallion.’’ She chuckles lowly and raises her head ever so slightly.
‘’Wh-what?’’
‘’She’s trying to make us flustered.’’ I take a step back.
‘’It’s clearly working.’’ I take step forward.
‘’Who or what are you?’’
‘’Ah, how uncourteous of me.’’ She takes a step forward. ‘’You may call me…Selene.’’
Selene? Another moon-based name? Is she somehow related to Luna? She definitely should be she looks more like her sister than Celestia. But why? Why here? How is she in my mind, is she real? Is she just my imagination of Luna?
‘’Oh no she definitely is real.’’ I cross my arms.
She smirks and looks me in the eye. ‘’I can assure you that I am entirely real and not just a figment of your imagination.’’ She looks towards the figures behind me and furrows her brows. ‘’Unlike those…parts of you.’’
‘’Well…she is not wrong.’’ I put a hand on my chest in mock offense.
‘’Doesn’t make it any better.’’ I scoff in actual offense.
‘’How are you here?’’
‘’I took up sanctuary…in your mind. I escaped from a prison of mine, to here. While I may be real I do not have a physical form.’’
‘’Why…me?’’
She sighs. ‘’You have no magic.’’ And starts sauntering towards me.
‘’I-...know that?’’ She doesn’t look like she has any ill intent so I don’t back off, although a small part of me is screaming at me to run.
‘’We should.’’
‘’No…we should stay a little.’’
‘’Nay, you don’t have any magic in you. Magic is essential to sustain a life. All living things have magic circulating in them.’’ She comes to a stop right in front of me and looks down. ‘’But you’re not from around here, are you?’’
‘’Oh…’’
‘’Fuck.’’ Both of my shoulders droop and my arms fall down to my sides.
‘’Oh indeed.’’
‘’Hahaha, do not worry.’’ She laughs and circles behind me. I do not dare move out of…what? Out of fear? Out of wonder? Out of curiosity? I do not know. ‘’With your, surprising origin, I am able to be here.’’
‘’W-what if I don’t want you here?’’
She leans down next to my ear and whispers. ‘’Oh, believe me, you need me. Just as much as I need you.’’
I turn my head to her and our eyes meet. Her eyes are… like the soft night sky of this world. I feel as if I could get lost in them.
‘’Beautiful...’’
‘’Bewitching…’’
She smiles and raises her head back again. ‘’Have you realized how…don’t take offense, weak you are compared to ponies?’’
I wince, it’s true. ‘’I have…isn’t the ponies I met just stronger than me?’’
‘’Well yes, some of them truly are strong. But some of them are just your average pony. Such as that maid.’’
‘’Ugh, it’s because we don’t have any magic is that it?’’
‘’You’re a quick thinker. One might look at you and think that you are an earth pony-’’
‘’But earth ponies have physical strength…’’ It was in one of those books Pony Biology 101.
‘’Exactly. And how do they have that kind of strength?’’
‘’...because of the magic inside their bodies.’’ This explains a lot. How I couldn’t overpower a bunny, how Moonlight threw me over across the room. Selene doesn’t say anything but nods.
‘’How would we need you then?’’
‘’And you need us?’’
‘’I am a being of pure magic, I will be your magic in this world, and you will be my…sanctuary.’’ Her eyes sharpen and she scowls. ‘’I won’t go back to that place.’’
‘’My magic huh? Hey, when that statue was falling on me, and I felt this…power, was that you?’’
‘’Yes, I couldn’t have you die, without magic or that pegasus saving you surely would have perished under that disgusting statue. ’’ She looks away to somewhere far away in this unending whiteness but I can see the anger and hate on her face so clearly.
‘’I am guessing you are not really in cahoots with the princesses, are you?’’ She freezes and turns her face to me. There is no emotion on that face.
‘’...If they ever discover that I am alive and with you…that would be the end for both of us.’’
‘’So you are dooming us?’’
She raises her voice and takes a step forward. ‘’I’m giving you a chance to live! Without magic who knows how long you would live?! You may not have been a pony before but now?’’ She takes another step. ‘’I-I- just want to-’’ Her voice grows weaker and weaker by each word. ‘’-I want to live too.’’ She whispers out and hides her face.
She looks so desperate and…fearful. None of her bravado is seen now.
‘’...alright.’’
‘’What?! You can’t be serious! We can’t trust her!’’
‘’Maybe we can? We don’t have any other option, she is right about the magic.’’
‘’But we are not from this world! Maybe it doesn’t affect us at all!’’
‘’Are we willing to bet our life on a ‘maybe’?’’
‘’...’’
‘’Selene?’’ She raises her head and looks at me with a small, hopeful smile. I walk towards her and stand right in front of her. ‘’Can you lean down a little?’’
‘’I…okay?’’ She complies and lowers her head towards mine although a bit confused.
I touch our foreheads together hold her right cheek with my hoof and close my eyes.
‘’You will be my beating heart in this world.’’
‘’...and you will be my shield against the world.’’ She puts a hoof on my cheek as well.
I open my eyes, let go of my hoof, and see her small smile. ‘’Welcome to my mind, I guess. Feel free to do whatever.’’
‘’I’m watching you.’’ I point a finger at her.
‘’I’m watching you too.’’ I smile at her.
‘’Ugh.’’
She heartily laughs. ‘’Thank you for your hospitality, please do take care of me.’’
‘’Wait, did I even tell you my name?’’ I didn’t right? Yeah, no, she probably already knows my name. But it would be rude not to tell her. ‘’It’s…Laika, call me Laika.’’
‘’Such a unique name. What does it mean?’’
‘’You already know that I’m not a pony. You’ll learn it soon enough.’’ I look around the emptiness. ‘’So when will I wake up?’’
‘’Oh? Do we bore you?’’
‘’No, it’s not that it’s just that this place is so, empty?’’ I look at the figures. ‘’Hey, why is our mind empty?’’
‘’It’s probably because we don’t have any actual important thoughts.’’
‘’It’s so that we can fill it with whatever we want!’’
‘’So I can just imagine it and it’ll pop into existence here?’’
‘’It is your mind so you should be able to, but you are right this place is rather empty.’’ She sits on the imaginary white floor. ‘’Could you create a more comfortable place?’’
‘’Alright let me try.’’ I put both hooves on my forehead, close my eyes, and start humming.
‘’...what are you doing?’’
‘’Hummmmm, I’m concentrating.’’
I open my eyes and see that I’m in a room, specifically my room in the castle. It is furnished with everything inside. That being that one huge pillow, a table, a chair to accompany the table so it doesn’t get lonely, and the bed.
‘’Really original pal.’’ I slowly clap.
‘’Hey, it’s comfy enough.’’ I throw myself on the bed.
I look to Selene. She has a mischievous smirk on her face with one of her brows raised up. ‘’Oh? You’re taking me to your bedroom? I didn’t think that you would be this forward.’’
‘’Wha-? No?!’’ I try to hide my flustered face, she laughs.
A little unicorn filly with fur as dark as the deepest caves, sat on her bed leaning on the pillow. She flipped a page in her book with her horn. It was the most useful thing that thing on her head could do. Flip pages.
‘’And so the princess who was locked away by an evil griffon was saved by a courageous knight, and they lived happily ever afte-’’ She couldn’t even finish the sentence when a group of ponies entered the room. She sighed and put her book down on the nightstand. It was a group of five ponies two unicorns, two pegasi, and one earth pony. The unicorns were her ‘’doctors’’ the rest? Guards.
‘’You know the drill.’’ One of the unicorns said with impatience clear in his tone. He didn't want to spend one single second here. She knew what he was talking about, it was time for her ‘’medication.’’ She shuddered and prepared her body for the pain to come, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
The unicorns readied up their horns and pointed them at her. And then, slowly, not so gently, they injected her body with raw magic. It hurt. It was like she was being stabbed with small needles all over her body. It never stopped hurting after all these years. She should get used to it but she just can’t. It was a new kind of pain every time.
Once they were done, she was left drained of all energy and without any grace flopped down on her bed. The ponies left without spending another second in the room with her, they didn’t ask how she was, they never did. She is cursed after all. No one wants to be near a cursed pony. Unless someone is paying them of course. And her mother was paying them, not that she was pleased about it. If she was not the first born foal of the family she doubts she would live to see another day. But was she even alive? All she ever saw for the past years was this room and the garden beneath her window.
After a few minutes of silence broken only by her panting and groaning, she rolls over her bed and looks out the window. She looks out to the Moon and she smiles. It’s so beautiful. She wishes she could one day go there. She read a book where the Moon was made of cheese, she giggles and hopes that is true. With a small smile her eyes slowly close and she sleeps under the calming moonlight.
The same day will pass tomorrow and the day after that…and the day after that.
‘’So how long have you been inside my mind?’’
‘’Well, the moment I sensed your presence, I made my escape and entered your consciousness.’’ Selene sits on the pillow on my balcony. ‘’I had to act fast because if a unicorn or Celestia-’’ Her face scrunches up and her brows crease. ‘’-used any kind of magic on you, they would realize that you lack it.’’
‘’But Celestia stopped me when I first came here?’’
‘’She didn’t notice anything because I entered your body just moments before you crashed into the castle. With me within you, if any pony tries to use magic on you they’ll just see a normal pony with normal, if little magic. Not one without any.’’ She looks and her face softens up, almost in… shame?
‘’But I…I couldn’t help you when you were suffering from nightmares.’’
‘’Oh…you saw them?’’ She nods. ‘’Don’t feel bad. In fact, if I have any more nightmares just…keep away from them okay?’’ Her eyes widen.
‘’But-’’ I cut her off.
‘’They are my nightmares. Let me have this privacy. Please.’’
She takes a huge breath. ‘’...as you wish.’’
‘’I haven’t had any nightmares in a while though.’’
‘’Well…you do have a fickle mind.’’
‘’Fickle?’’
‘’You are prone to drastically have bouts of emotional…-’’ She ponders the right word to continue. ‘’-outbursts. Which is completely understandable for one in your situation. But most times it causes you harm. Such as this night we had to step in to stop you from revealing anything more important to the Element of Honesty.’’ She says.
‘’That orange bit-...she is an Element?’’ I still don’t know what that is but that makes her important, fuck.
‘’Yes, you have met all of the Elements tonight except for the Element of Kindness.’’
‘’I have? Who are them?’’
‘’The Element of Laughter. The pink one who caused a cake to fall down on you.’’
‘’That one is the Element of Laughter?!’’
‘’Well, she certainly didn’t make us laugh.’’
‘’The Element of Loyalty. The one who tried to attack you and after that saved you.’’
‘’I still don’t like her.’’
‘’She did save us in the end, I suppose.’’
‘’The Element of Generosity. The one who made your suit and tried to court you tonight.’’
‘’Huh? She was trying to do that?’’
‘’Well, she does look like one who would go for those fancy people. Are we fancy?’’
‘’Pfft, no chance, she probably saw our title and went ham.’’
Selene laughs. ‘’It was quite amusing to watch you be completely oblivious to her. The Element of Kindness. The yellow one with the pink hair who took you in earlier.
‘’She did clean us.’’
‘’She did seem like a kind one.’’
‘’The Elements of Honesty. The one you hate.’’
‘’Yeah, she did seem really honest when she tied us up.’’
‘’...I have nothing to say.’’
‘’And the last and most important of all. The Element of Magic. She is the most dangerous of them to us.’’ She takes a deep breath and continues. ‘’They wield the Elements of Harmony. The enforcers of balance and peace…’’
‘’Why did I feel so much…fear because of her?’’ I almost had a mental breakdown right on the spot. That purple unicorn awakened a primal fear in me. If I have the chance I don’t want to ever see her again. I lie down on the pillow next to Selene and rest my head.
‘’That is because she is the spark. Without her the Elements are nothing. But even by herself, she is magic incarnate. Her whole body overflows with boundless power.’’ She slowly starts running her hooves through my hair, it feels…nice. ‘’She is unnatural, to you.’’
‘’I hope we don’t have to face her again.’’
‘’I hope so too…’’ Selene says in a quiet tone, almost akin to a whisper.
‘’Pardon me princess but did you say the ‘Everfree Forest?’.’’ Twilight says with a small piece of donut stuck to the corner of her mouth.
‘’That is right dear.’’ Celestia replies to her student, with a small piece of cake stuck to the corner of her mouth too.
‘’So you want us to investigate the Everfree for what exactly?’’
‘’I believe you have all met my sister’s knight and friend Laika?’’ Celestia looks towards all of the elements. All nod except Fluttershy.
‘’Um…I’m sorry but I didn’t meet him.’’
Rainbowdash leans in and whispers to Fluttershy. ‘’It’s the apple thief-’’
‘’Please don’t call him that darling.’’ Rarity sitting next to Fluttershy interrupts Rainbowdash.
‘’Ehhh, it’s fine. He’s not here.’’ Rainbow blows a raspberry but subtly checks over her shoulder.
Celestia sighs. ‘’Yes, well. I want you all six to look around the Everfree for any sign of him, maybe where he lived, or just ask around the forest.’’ She turns to her student. ‘’You told me about a zebra that lived in the forest, she could know something.’’
‘’Excuse me for interrupting you Princess but could I say something?’’ Applejack raises her hoof a little.
‘’Of course dear, go ahead.’’ Celestia smiles and lets the element of honesty talk.
‘’I…uh, kinda got into a scuffle with him today. He said some uhhh, things.’’ Celestia’s attention is immediately fixed on her.
‘’Oh? Such as?’’ She doesn’t even ask about the fight.
Applejack wasn’t really comfortable with the princess’s attention on her. ‘’I-I- didn’t really couldn’t understand much of it since he was yelling and was speaking really fast. But uhh he said somethin’ about waking up in a forest not bein’ able to walk, and crawling away.’’
‘’Waking up in a forest and not being able to walk?’’ Celestia murmurs the words.
‘’Ummm, that would explain why he was so dirty-’’ Celestia turns her head to the now talking Fluttershy who almost immediately crumbles. ‘’-w-when I found him, h-he was covered in mud.’’ Celestia says nothing but ponders on the words.
‘’...Anyhow, you don’t need to focus on this task, just do it when you are available dear.’’ She turns to Twilight and smiles.
‘’I understand Princess. We’ll not let you down.’’
The filly looked outside through her window, it was the most she could get of the outside. Ever since the physicians told her family that her already low magic reserves were now non-existent. They couldn’t believe it. Her father denied it, his child couldn’t be somepony defective or worse, cursed. So he didn’t believe that she was his own foal, and he blamed her mother, and lost the love he had for her. With her mother being accused and her husband losing his love for her, she lost the love for her foal too.
So she was locked away, in her own room. Since she was the firstborn, she couldn’t just be thrown away. The first-born foal of a noble family was always important. She didn’t know why. She thought that if that wasn't the case, she would have been dead by now. But maybe that could have been better? She shakes her head. No, in the books she read they always had a happy ending, surely she will have hers too. A knight in shining armor would come take her away and they would live happily ever after.
So she waited for her knight. And waited…and waited…and waited… She never stopped waiting for her knight. But one day somepony showed up. They were not her knight. They were Princess Celestia herself.
The filly observed the Princess in the garden from a distance from her window. She was talking with her parents. She looked so graceful and radiant. Celestia raised her head towards the window and looked at the filly.
She was frozen, what was going to happen? Her parents wouldn’t want their cursed child to be seen by the Princess. Would they punish her? Was the Princess here to…She smiled. The Princess smiled at her.
She hadn’t felt this happy in all her life. Maybe she would get her happy ending?
I wake up from my sleep and look at the ceiling of my room. Huh, was it always this high up? Yes. Wow, you didn’t take long. You agreed, and now you are stuck with me in your head, you wouldn’t kick a lady such as myself out, right? I hear soft laughter from far away. Never, if you don’t give us a reason…Of course, I wouldn’t.
I yawn, roll over to the right, and leisurely open my eyes. A wall of pink and two baby-blue orbs greet me.
I scream.