//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: AMAZO visits Equestria // by KingDogbertXIV //------------------------------// "So Ah replace 'h' with 3, 'b' with 4, git 12 as a prahduct, then divahde by 2 t' git 6 as the area? That raihght?" a somewhat garbled childlike voice asked. It sounded as if the voice's owner had something in its mouth. "Eeyup," a second voice confirmed. This voice was deeper and, while still carrying a hint of a similar accent, sounded much wiser than the previous voice. “Ah’m gittin’ the hang of this stuff, huh Big Mac?” the first voice inquired as a faint scribbling noise was heard. “Eeyup,” the deeper voice confirmed with the same sage-like tone. “Thanks fer helpin’ me with this math homework, big brother,” the first voice chirped. “Anytime,” the second voice said. Hidden amongst the apple orchards about seventy feet away from the two speakers sat a nearly invisible being. He had just arrived to this place a few hours ago on his quest for bigger things. This place seemed oddly peaceful. There weren’t any swordsmen, enslaved creatures of unthinkable power, or even a persistent force kidnapping the local monarch. The being had spent the afternoon sitting in the natural beauty of the flora, listening in on the inhabitants of the nearby farmhouse, and reflecting on the past few weeks’ discoveries and what, if anything, this place has to offer. These contemplations were soon interrupted by the faint sound of what seemed to be approaching footsteps upon the fertile land. Curious, yet reluctant to attract attention to itself, the being shifted under the ground and slowly moved towards the source of the footsteps. At about twenty feet away, the being poked its head out just enough to spot the noise’s source: an orange equine-like creature with green eyes, a blond mane and tail, a Stetson hat, and markings on its flanks that resembled a trio of apples. Upon seeing the equine, the watchful being’s eyes briefly glowed white and its limbs briefly became hooves, and then reverted to their previous form. Fascinated by the equine, the still partially submerged being followed, noticing that it was headed towards the farmhouse. Upon arrival, the oblivious equine entered the farmhouse and shut the door, leaving the watchful being, still maintaining its distance, outside in the cool, mid-evening breeze. Though the being had at least six different ways of entering the farmhouse undetected, it kept its distance. The being, remembering how the previous lands had reacted to its presence and how they tried to use it for their own meaningless endeavors, decided to lay low and stay out of this land’s affairs. Letting out a weary sigh, the being concluded that the less these creatures knew of their strange visitor, the better. Its plan would to secretly study these creatures for a day or so, covertly adding their gifts into an already mind numbingly large set of skills, and then head off to a new destination. Goal in mind, the being shifted up out of the ground and headed upwards above the trees to get a better view of what was, assumedly, the rest of this settlement. After quickly surveying the horizon, the being, like a moth to a flame, felt compelled to head towards the most peculiar sight it saw yet in this land: a cluster of floating houses seemingly made out of the clouds themselves. Even stranger, one of these houses was radiating with a significant amount of magical energy. With irresistible curiosity, the being briskly floated towards the radiating cloud abode. Slowing its pace at about five feet away, the being reduced his visibility again and floated towards an open window and peered into the room before him. -- Inside the room were three more pastel-colored equines: The first one had wings, a blond mane and tail, a grey coat, a bubble pattern on its flanks, and gold, crisscrossed eyes and was tending to an obviously distressed small filly with a faintly glowing horn, the same blond-colored mane, and a pale purple coat. Its flank markings, if any, were not visible as the filly was currently tucked into bed. The third, another unicorn, had a dark blue mane and tail with a single pink and purple stripe through them, dark purple eyes, a lavender coat, and flank markings that resembled five small white stars surrounding a large pink star. The two elder equines wore worried expressions while the filly had its face twisted in discomfort. Upon seeing the elder equines, the being’s eyes briefly glowed white as wings and a horn sprouted from its body in quick succession then disappeared. Curious as to what ailed the filly, the being remained at the window. “When do you think the fever will go down, Twilight? My little muffin is burning up,” asked the grey equine as she felt the filly’s forehead with a hoof. “I’m not sure... Maybe tomorrow,” the unicorn said. “Though, the fever is just a side effect of Horn Cell Disease. Between Zecora, the doctors, and I, we still can’t figure out how to cure it or even treat the symptoms. The nerve damage is usually irreversible. The horn acts on its own, using random bursts of magic, then atrophying along with the brain. I’ve already contacted Canterlot’s top neurosurgeon, but he won’t get here until the day after tomorrow. I’m sorry, Derpy, but we’re running out of options.” “Please... I... I can’t lose Dinky. She’s my life. My sweet little muffin can’t... She can’t die,” the grey mare cried as she put both her arms around the filly whose horn seemed to be crackling with energy. “We’ll think of something. Don’t worry,” the elder unicorn said as she placed a reassuring hoof on the grey mare’s shoulder. “Speaking of,” she segued with a glance at a nearby clock, “it’s time for Dinky’s pain medicine again. I’m just going to go a glass of fresh water for her first. I’ll be right back,” she said as she trotted out of the being’s view, not noticing that the filly’s horn was slowly building up power. Just as water spews from a hose at a great force, the built up magical energy contained in the filly’s horn released itself in the form of a pale gold lightning bolt. The bolt that bounced around the room for a second or two, startling the grey mare and causing the lavender mare to rush back into the room, then launched itself straight through the nearby window, hitting the watchful being right in the face and causing the being to crash to the ground below with a terrible thud. “That bolt hit something, Twilight,” the grey mare panicked, her wings flapping instinctively. “There was something at the window that got hit and knocked to the ground! What was it? Was it a dragon? Is it after Dinky?” “I’ll find out, Derpy. You stay here with Dinky while I teleport down there to see. I’ll be back as soon as I can,” the lavender mare said with a determined look. She then looked to the impact site, closed her eyes, and disappeared in a purple flash. -- The lavender mare reappeared on the ground next to the impact site, expecting the worst. Her anxious mind assumed that the bolt had killed whatever was at the window. After clearing her head of these thoughts with a shake, she took in the sight that instead filled her head with questions. Picking itself up off the ground was what appeared to be a solid gold statue of a muscular bipedal creature with limbs and fingers, but no toes. Its head featured no ears or mouth. The only real feature that resembled a face on it was two solid red eyes that were placed into a solid black indentation. Standing up at about ten feet tall, it turned its head towards the lavender mare. “Ar-Are you okay?” the mare stuttered, a bit rattled about this unknown creature. “Y-You aren’t h-hurt, are you?” “No,” the being somehow replied, despite having no mouth. Its voice sounded reserved and emotionless, yet undeniably male. “Th-That’s a relief,” the mare replied with a nervous smile that was instantly replaced with a frantic look. “The bolt came from my friend’s sick filly. I’m so sorry. She’s sick and can’t control her magic. She didn’t mean to hurt you. We didn’t even know you were there. Is there anything I can do to help?” the mare chattered. Beads of nervous sweat were pouring down her neck. “No,” the being said in the exact same tone of voice. “Alright then,” the mare said awkwardly. Her mind wanted to ask an endless list of questions as to who this being was, where he came from, and why he was near the window, but her conscience tugged at her to go back the sick filly. “I’ll just be going back to my friend’s house. Sorry about the accident. Good bye,” she said as she turned toward the cloud abode and closed her eyes to teleport. The being knew that getting involved in this world’s affairs would end in disaster, yet there was something almost compelling him to aid the filly. Thinking back to the dark time that had prompted its journey, the being remembered that the last time it helped a sick person, the situation escalated into betrayal and the near annihilation of seven heroes. Deciding to stick around and see how things played out, the being shifted into the ground to avoid any more attention, but was still able to see and hear up to where the lavender mare rejoined her friend. “What did Dinky hit?” inquired the grey mare. “I’m not sure exactly but it looks like a gold statue that can talk and move,” the lavender mare replied slowly. “I think it was watching us.” “What?” the grey mare recoiled in shock. “Why was it watching us?” the grey mare asked as she reflexively looked to the window only to see nothing but sky. “I’m not sure. I don’t even know what it was or where it came from. It looked too…I don’t know…’clean’ to come from the Everfree Forest. Of all things to spy on, why us? It didn’t seem hostile, just…distant,” the lavender mare explained before turning towards the window and looking out it at the impact site. “It’s gone now. I… Look, let’s just forget about it. It’s probably some species of forest creature that I’ll remember after a good night’s sleep. Let’s get Dinky back under control then I’ll leave for the night. I’ll be back first thing in the morning.” While the two mares tended to the filly, the being went back to his own contemplations. This land was a utopia compared to some of the previous stops on its journey. The inhabitants showed no visible malice or fear, not even upon seeing the strange being. These creatures seemed to exist only to serve others. The being could tell that the lavender mare had been working herself ragged to help her friend. Why? What made her sacrifice so much for another? What did she gain from such sacrifice? Is there something to be gained from revealing itself to these creatures or, at least, researching a way to heal the filly? Why should it help when it could easily gain everything it desired from these creatures without further detection? Why not just gather their knowledge and powers, and then leave this place behind? Turning its attention back to the cloud abode, the being noticed two things: First, the lavender mare was gone. The being assumed that she had teleported home during the time the being spent lost in thought. Secondly, the grey mare was whispering something while staring blankly toward the now evening sky. “…and please, above all, help my little Dinky have a safe trip to be with the stars. I know I shouldn’t give up hope, but… I don’t want Dinky to suffer anymore. I just want what’s best for her, even if that means she…dies. Please, Sisters, help her in whatever way you see fit. Thank you,” the grey mare said through tears.