//------------------------------// // Chapter 5: Lectures at Breakfast // Story: Into the Black: A Mare's Tale // by shirotora //------------------------------// Twilight woke in her old room in Canterlot Castle. She stretched and rolled off the cot onto the floor. Shining Armor had one of the guards bring one of the racks from the barracks to her room after she told him she couldn't sleep on the soft beds. She hobbled on three legs to the bathroom, leaving her prosthetic where it was. She turned on the hot water and stepped into the shower. “Twilie?” Called her brother as he opened the door to her room, “Are you in here?” “In here, Shiny,” she called back. He opened the bathroom door to speak to his little sister unobstructed, “Breakfast will be ready in an hour and I -What's so funny?” Twilight stopped chuckling for a moment to explain, “Just a funny quirk that humans have. In their culture a male watching a female bathe is considered rude, even lewd at times.” Shining's cheeks went red, “Wh-wh-what? Why?” “It's just their culture,” answered the mare as she cut off the water, “They have a lot of odd things about them. Can you hand me that towel?” “'Hand'? It that the human word for hoof?” he asked as he floated a towel to her. “Yes and no,” she answered cryptically. She took the towel and started drying off. “It depends which hooves you're talking about. Because they're bipedal and their equivalent of hind and fore hooves have very different structures. Their 'hind hooves' are called feet and are formed to maintain a balanced upright posture, while their 'fore hooves' are hands and are incredibly dexterous. Far more so than Spike’s claws, but similar in use. They're almost tentacle like.” She placed the towel on the rack and stepped out. Shining Armor winced at the sight of his sisters scared and maimed body. He couldn't imagine what she had been through to come out like that. He wondered how much of his LSBFF didn't make it, and not just physically. “Are you going to tell us how that happened or are we going to just have to assume the worst?” he asked, following her into the main room. Twilight laid down on a cushion and levitated her leg and a small metal lockbox to her. “I would tell you, but I’m afraid if you don't understand the events leading to it, you won't understand why this was a good thing.” She opened the box and levitated several tools. “Twilie, how in Tartarus is that a good thing?” He pointed to the leg as a panel was levitated from the side. “That's why you need to understand everything else,” she said. Shining laid down beside her as he watched his sis work on the strange faux leg with the same dedication and the same adorkable expression as always. Her face was scrunched up, her eyes narrowed, and her tongue sticking out the side of her mouth. It was good to see his sister was still the same in at least some ways. She continued working on the limb for another twenty minutes before closing it back up and putting the tools away. She stood up and attached her prosthetic, giving it a few twists and turns to make sure everything was working. “That's better. Alright, let's get some food,” she said. --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- Her five friends and Cadence joined Twilight and Shining Armor a few minutes after the siblings arrived. It was their turn to tell her what had been going on in their lives while she was gone. It wasn't anything exciting but Twilight was still happy to hear about her best friend's lives. After Twilight’s presumed death, Applejack and Rarity opted to cope the only way they knew; they buried themselves in their work. Fluttershy on the other hand, despite being the one most distraught, was the first to recover. She, being an animal caretaker, understood what death really meant. She took comfort in the thought that Twilight was probably on a better place. “I really am so sorry that I put you through all that,” Twilight apologized, “It was stupid of me to just charge in there like that.” “Oh, hush now. Stop blamin' yerself,” Applejack chided, holding a hoof to Twilight’s good shoulder. “I know, jeez,” Dash agreed, “You didn't know that jerk was going to zap you across the universe.” “Besides, if you didn't you wouldn't have met your super cool new friends!” Pinkie exclaimed with her trademark smile. “Yeah, they are pretty awesome,” Twilight mused, “I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for them. Even if I were to find a way to survive on that planet, I would have been stranded with no way home.” “I do wish we could meet them,” Rarity said, “So we could thank them for saving our friend.” “Yeah, they sound awesome,” Rainbow stated, “Plus, if that Debby really reminded you of me so much, she must be super awesome.” “I don't know Rainbow,” Twilight said in mock thought, “I'm not sure if two egos of that size could coexist.” “That or your faces might melt off by shear exposure to awesome,” Dash countered with a cheeky grin. They all laughed. The pegasus always boasted about her skills and such, but they all knew it was in good fun. She didn't really consider herself better than anypony, just a better flier (which she was) and athlete (which was usually true). “You probably would get along,” Twilight finally conceded, “She is quite competitive. She gets that from her human side. They've had literally millions of different kinds of competitions throughout their existence.” “Millions?” everypony asked in unison. “Oh yes. Even some I would love,” said the unicorn, “They have these things called 'game shows', and a lot of them test your knowledge. In fact the oldest game show in human culture is hundreds of years old. It's a game called 'Jeopardy', and is for the super smart.” “They sound lame,” Rainbow scoffed. “Oh, you'd love murderball,” Twilight replied with an impish grin, “The object of the game is to carry a ball to the opposing team's side without getting creamed by the other guys. There's not a single professional game that doesn't have an injury. Usually minor, but there are some bad ones.” “That's terrible,” Fluttershy whispered in her usual demure voice. “It's better than the favorite sport of a couple thousand years back. The Romans use to watch people kill each other in an arena called the Colosseum. Of course that was a long time ago and that kind of thing is illegal in Alliance space now.” “Ah gotta say, these guys don't sound too nice ta me.” Applejack muttered. “That's kinda what I thought too when I first started researching them,” Twilight admitted, “But humans are beings of variety. What they lack in physical variety they make up for with psychological variety. Yes, there are some that are greedy and the evil they're capable of is far worse than any pony.” “Then why do you admire them?” asked a curious Luna. “It's because for every evil human there's a good one, and the good they do put good ponies to shame. There was this volcanic eruption once on New Roma. Millions lost their homes and everything they possessed. There were tens of thousands of humans that dropped everything, left their homes, jobs, and families to travel light years away just to help rebuild the homes of people they didn't even know, and they did it all without payment of any kind. They did it just because it was the right thing to do. Rarity, you're the Element of Generosity, have you ever dropped everything just to help out ponies you don't know?” Rarity looked rather flustered, “I can't say I have.” “Have any of you ever heard of anypony that did that for complete strangers?” Twilight asked the group. They all shared glances to see if any of them could say yes. When they realized none of them knew of anypony that had done that, they were humbled. They had always considered ponies to be the epitome of kindness and generosity, yet these beings that they had assumed to be terrible creatures showed a kind of selflessness that none of them had ever known. “Humans are too varied to consider all of them to be a certain way” Twilight explained, “Of course not all the races were like that. The Tacig, The insect-like being that I mentioned, are the exact opposite. They're a hive minded species, meaning they share a single mind. One consciousness within several bodies. They're difficult to understand at times but they're very fascinating.” Twilight took another sip of her orange juice. “Then, there's the Aviva. They're the second most common race in the Alliance, after humans. They have a fierce sense of honor, and a code of conduct that they follow without fail. The few human-aviva hybrids are an interesting bunch. They have the pride of the aviva, with the individuality of humans. “There are others like the Korg, and Yopo, but I'll get to them later. I really want to talk about the Dratali, so there's no confusion. The name Dratali refers both to the race of reptilian magic adepts, and the religious cult they founded. The Dratali race, before I showed up, was the only known race to the alliance that could use magic. Their entire civilization is built upon it. Their homeworld was destroyed by a massive comet. It somehow burrowed into the planet and exploded several miles beneath the surface. The force was enough to launch the planet out of orbit and into their sun. It was because of the freak set of circumstances that the Dratali came to the conclusion that the universe hates life. This was when the Dratali cult was born. They took it upon themselves to do what they believe the universe wants and cleanse it of all life. The Dratali cult is comprised of various races from across the galaxy, even human and aviva. As long as someone proved themselves to the Dratali, they were let in, and named one of their own.” The unicorn finished off her last pancake. “Now their magic is very different from what we use. Where our magic comes from within, their magic comes from the latent energy in the universe. This is a double edged sword for them. It's benefit is that they have no limit to how much energy they can use, because it's not theirs. The down side is that it takes time to gather the energy.” “How do the humans know so much?” Luna asked. “I'll get to that,” Twilight said as she finished the last bite of her breakfast. “Right now, let's get back to my story. I don’t want to bore you with a history lesson. Anyway, The following day, I was told that I was in for a treat. The ship was docking with a civilian spaceport for refueling...” --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- Twilight watched through a screen as the massive ship moved toward the gargantuan disc. It was at least five times the size of the ship and was connected to an even larger asteroid. Twilight couldn't believe such a thing was crafted by these humans. It was unreal. “It's something else isn't it,” Curt said. Twilight jumped at his sudden appearance. “Curt, don't sneak up on my like that!” Twilight noticed his uniform was different than before. Instead of the dark green, it was a very formal looking red outfit. Multiple medals were pinned to one side of the chest, and a gold cord hung around the opposite shoulder. Everything was finished with a bright golden trim. Completing the ensemble were a pair of pristine black dress pants and shiny black shoes. Even the rifle he carried looked more elegant than the one that he had when she met him; a long sleek weapon instead of the shorter angular one. Curt noticed her staring and smiled. “I know I look good, but it'll never work out.” Twilight giggled and returned his sarcasm, “Oh, woe is me! Celestia forbid I never be with the male of my dreams.” She giggled again, and settled soon after. “So what's with the formal attire?” “I was given escort duty,” he half grumbled, “Some foreign dignitary that's representing her race. You know, probably some stuck up snotty ass that thinks she's better than everyone else.” “Oh I hate ponies like that,” Twilight agreed, “I've seen plenty with the Princess. They always act like they're so much better than everypony else. So who is she?” “She's the representative of some place called Avol.” Curt grinned wide. Twilight tried to glare at him, but couldn't keep the smile off her face. “You are such a comedian, aren't you?” “I try. Now let's go. Seth's waiting for us. Debby said she's going to come with us as well. Here you go.” He set a box down on a table. “Put this on. If you're clothed, others will be less inclined think you're just an animal.” “Right. I forget that most of the races here wear cloths all the time. Rarity would love that.” replied the unicorn. --- “Oh would I?” Rarity gushed. “Imagine the business I could have! I’d be famous across the universe!” The fashionista fainted dramatically on a conveniently placed sofa. Twilight chuckled as she shook her head. She was glad to see that her friends hadn’t changed. “Anyway...” --- Twilight levitated the box and removed the dress. It was a rather simple piece, white with gold trim and four white strips of cloth. “Those are for your hooves. If you want I can show you how they go on. The tailor showed me.” “That would be helpful. Can you help me with the dress too?” She asked innocently. Curt's eyes widened, and his cheeks flared red, “Uh, well, um... Twi, among humans, a male helping a female dress is an... intimate thing.” “Sure it is,” Twilight said, thinking he was joking. “No, I’m serious,” Curt insisted. “Look out loser,” Debby called as she walked in, “I'll help you. It's fine for a girl to help another.” “Hey Debby, you're walking,” noted the soldier with some degree of surprise. “What, did you think Twilight here was lying?” questioned the pilot, lifting her leg as to prove the point. “Now get out.” “How’s the leg feeling?” Twilight inquired as she got into the dress. “It feels great!” Debby exclaimed as she examined the dress and zipped up the back. “God I hate dresses like this. You can hardly move in the damn things.” “Well, I don’t think we are going to do anything too strenuous anyway,” Twilight chuckled, “It looks nice though.” “Yeah, but you can’t play sports in it so what’s the point?” Debby argued like it was common sense. Twilight just shook her head in amusement. Debby really was Rainbow Dash all over again. After getting dressed, Curt came back in and put the wraps on for Twilight. After they were finished, they met up with Seth and Aden in the lounge. Seth was wearing the same formal uniform as Curt, but Aden was dressed in casual civilian cloths, like Debby. As a group, the five of them headed through the docking bay. “Alright Twilight,” said Curt, “You ready for your first look at intergalactic civilization?” “Am I ever!” Was her enthusiastic reply. Then they stepped into the transport bound for the colony, Placid Harbor.