//------------------------------// // Chapter 10 - Direction // Story: Quest For Harmony // by destinedjagold //------------------------------// Even though I was allowed to stay in the castle, mainly because Princess Twilight accepted my request to see her, I was not able to---or maybe, she was not able to spare some time to see me. I don't know why at first, until Spike came inside the room where I was staying at the moment. He was looking really glum. "Wanna talk about it?" I asked with a gentle smile. He looked at me for a moment before dropping his gaze on the floor as he let out a long, sad sigh. He dragged his feet as he came towards the bed where I was seated. I helped him up, and he settled on sitting beside me, his feet hanging over the edge. He rested his elbows on his knees and his head on his hands. "She's still celebrating with that Macintosh guy again..." he quietly said, his features flashing obvious anger, frustration, and jealousy. "Ever since that red stallion showed up, Twilight no longer spends time with me." He removed his head from resting on his hands as he turned to look at me. "I mean, it's like she just replaced me with him. What does he have that I don't?" To be completely honest, I can write a long list where the items are almost the same. I shook my head as I patted his head. "You're not bei---" I cut myself off as I suddenly remembered the two of us falling to our deaths two days ago. Spike was looking at me with a knowing glare, and I smiled back awkwardly. "O---kay... Well uh..." Maybe she did already replaced him. I sighed. "Exactly," Spike spoke, "I've been doing everything she ever asks me to do, but it was still not enough to bring her back!" I seriously have no idea what to say to ease his anger, but for a kid, I've got to say, he can control his anger perfectly, at least. "Sometimes," he said slowly as he stared outside the gloomy clouds through the window. "I think...that...she doesn't love me anymore..." I quietly sighed as I rubbed his back slowly and gently. Yeah, Spike makes me remember about my beloved youngest brother. I miss him. A series of knocks echoed through the room from the wooden door. Before I could even say anything, the door swung open, revealing the red stallion on the other side. "What do you want?" Spike growled at him, but Big Macintosh payed him no mind. "The princess will see ye now. Gold Blitz, rayt?" I nodded at the red stallion's inquery, and he then started walking away. "Fallow me." I looked at Spike for a while as he stared at me with angry eyes. He then sighed. "You go. She needs to see you." He then crossed his arms over his chest. "Don't wanna anger her again." I flashed a weak smile as I crawled out of bed. "Wanna come with?" Spike rolled his eyes. "I don't think that's a good idea." "I could always use a dragon to give me a boost, if ever I'll fall off once again." I chuckled lightly, and he replied with a grin of his own. "Heh," he said as he stood on the bed. "Sure, why not?" I gestured with my head, and he got the message. He jumped and landed on my back. Wow, never did I thought I would feel how it would be like being rode on by a rider. I did turn into a horse, anyway, so...yeah. --- Big Mac stood in front of the massive double doors of the castle's library. He pulled one of the doors open, and stepped aside to give me space to enter. The library's...not what I was expecting it would look like. The library contained bookshelves, yes, but they're either standing or lying broken on the golden-brown floor. Books were scattered in almost every spot of the entire library's floor. A wide table stood near the other side of the room, where the purple unicorn was busy writing something on a large papyrus. But what really caught my attention that made me stop on my tracks and my breath stolen was the gigantic dark-blue crystal that was hovering behind the unicorn. No, it wasn't the gemstone that caught my attention, but what was inside the crystal. "C-Celestia...?" I whispered, ignoring Spike's pointy finger tapping my shoulder. Princess Celestia was standing completely frozen inside the crystal. Her eyes are closed, and her features are calm and relaxed. Her wings are slightly extended. "Oh, you're here." Twilight's voice echoed through the messy library. "Sorry 'bout the mess," she said as she dropped her quill on the table. "I haven't found the time to clean up. Or found somepony more qualified for that matter." I'm pretty sure she sent those directly at a baby dragon whose name I won't mention for protection. Big Macintosh walked pass me, and I followed suit. "Huh," Spike leaned near my ear, "she's looking happy all of a sudden." And that was when I noticed Twilight's smile as she eyed the red stallion that escorted us. Her smile is something that a baby dragon might not get the secret message behind it. I rolled my eyes just before I stopped in front of the table. Big Mac settled on standing beside the chair where the unicorn was seated. "So, what do you need? Be quick about it though, for I am quite busy, and will be even busier later on," and she emphasized her point by giving a seductive smile at the red stallion beside her, who earned her the same smile from him. It was too darn difficult to refrain myself from rolling my eyes. "Yes, right, ahem..." I saw a faint yellow glow on the upper corner of my eyes, but I ignored it. "...I was just wondering if---" "Don't tell her..." I got startled by the sudden voice that echoed inside my head, and Twilight noticed as a frown was plastered on her face. "Something the matter, Blitz?" As if to answer her question, a bright golden light radiated from the crystal behind her, which startled everyone in the room, including myself. Somehow, the glow feels quite...pleasant. "Don't tell her..." a new voice echoed in my head as my surroundings turned golden-glowy-yellow. And the only thing that I could see now is Princess Celestia, glowing in white, standing before me, staring at me, and completely alive. I don't know what came into me, but I bowed, trembling a bit. I felt a wingtip on my chin, and it gently raised my head back to see her. "Rise, little one." Little? "I don't have much time to deliver this message to you." She looked and sounded mighty serious, and I better pay attention. "As you know, Equestria is at war, and you are brought here, that even I don't know how, but the only thing I do know is that you're the only one who can help the three pony races to be united." Yeah, I need to ask her about that one. She doesn't look finished yet though, so I kept my mouth shut, but only for a moment. "But I am aware that you must be looking for a way to get back to your world. And I may be able to help you with that. But first, I need to ask you a question. Are you willing to help us?" Unfortunately, "no..." I need to go back home and to be with my own family. These ponies are not my problem. Why should they be? She frowned at me, but nodded. "I understand. This is, in fact, a pony problem. I may not hide the fact that I am saddened by your answer, but I will tell you of a way to get yourself back to your world." Suddenly, she faded with the light, and my surroundings became black. That is, until I noticed that I was now outside, or was I? My vision turned and stopped, where I was now staring at the Castle of Cant---Unicornia. My vision turned, where I was now facing the tiny white cloud. It then started zooming closer, but just before I could feel like touching the white cloud, my vision turned down to the earth down below, and I was rushing towards it. And just before I crash on the ground, my vision stopped and turned towards the forest, where it strangely has black violent clouds hovering above the trees. Above the black clouds was the white cloud of the pegasi, and over that white cloud was the black blanket that was covering the orange-red sky. Strangely though, the forest looked familiar. "The Everfree Forest," Celestia' voice echoed, "the strangest place in the land, where the flow of mana is impossible to tame, causing everything within the forest to be wild and unpredictable. The pegasi used the forest as their own barrier to protect their kingdom from the earth-bound ponies from attacking." Clever, I thought. "This is where you need to go. Deep within the forest is an old castle, where in the basement lies the key for you to return to your world. But, I am not sure if it's still functioning properly, nor if it's still there..." "It's worth a shot, I suppose..." Like I have any other choice? Twilight, maybe, but... My surroundings became black, and Celestia appeared before me. "I would suggest not to cross the War Plains. If anypony spots you, they might try and hurt you." I nodded. "And one other thing before I go," she took a breath, and stared at me with a very serious look, "don't tell Twilight any of this." Her warning kept echoing inside my head as my surroundings turned back to normal again, where I was staring right at the startled and confused purple unicorn. Twilight then shook her head and looked at me with a studious look. "She talked to you, didn't she?" Big Macintosh and Spike blinked confusedly at that, while I reflexively flashed an awkward smile. Great...