//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: Foal Steps // Story: In Exile No Longer // by cunning_linguist //------------------------------// “I did not consent to this.” River and Rainbow Dash peered through the outside of the newly repaired right-most window of the Golden Oak library, observing a chipper Twilight Sparkle dusting one of many bookshelves. A job normally reserved for Spike, he was currently in Canterlot being doted upon by the princesses, who believed his ordeal during the Nocturne fiasco should not go unappreciated. “Oh, c’mon, don’t chicken out now!” “This is mean-spirited, Rainbow Dash,” River looked at her “sister” with irritation. “It is not!” She whispered back, hoping River would catch on and likewise lower her voice. “It’s a harmless prank! All in good fun.” “We have very different ideas of fun.” “Look, one of the conditions of staying at my pad is helping with a couple of things. First, the dishes. Second, the cooking. Third, the pranking.” “Had I known being commiserate to cruel practical jokes was one of the stipulations, I would have not taken you up on the offer.” “Yeah but you’re all moved in now, and I know how much you hate moving.” River cocked an eyebrow. “How could you know that?” “Because I hate moving, and you’re my clone.” “I am not your clone!” “That’s right, Rainbow Dash. River is physically your genetic duplicate but possesses none of your memories, experiences, or skills.” Rainbow grunted, clearly outnumbered. “Fine, but that doesn’t mean you c—” Wait, outnumbered? Rainbow and River simultaneously looked up at the purple pony in question herself, who smirked at their failed plan. River seemed relieved. Rainbow snapped her mouth shut and grumbled something inaudible. “I recall your teleportation making a sound before,” River chimed in, rising to her hooves. “I’ve had a lot of free time to practice lately. You’re both welcome to come in and join me for some tea, if you’d like.” “That would be lov—” “Nope, we’re good,” Rainbow interrupted, still peeved that her expertly-crafted prank had backfired. “We’ll see you around, ‘Twi.” “All right then. Oh, but don’t forget your book!” Twilight kicked a copy of The Equis Trotters — one of her favorite autobiographies — at Rainbow’s hooves and flipped open the cover, which caused a hidden wire to snap and a jet to ink to blast Rainbow in the face. “You owe me a new copy of that, by the way.” River had deftly jumped to avoid a few stray splotches of ink, but the self-proclaimed “fastest pegasus alive” hadn’t been as nimble. She didn’t appear angry, however; defeated, definitely. Twilight teleported back into the library and resumed her duties. River approached Rainbow from her left and attempted to hide the bemused grin threatening to split her muzzle. “Are… are you all right, Rainbow Dash?” “Peachy,” she grumbled and spread her wings. “C’mon. I need to wash off all this shame before lunch.” River nodded in agreement and the pair took off toward Rainbow’s home. In the many weeks following her acquisition of this new pegasus body, River had become an adequate flier. Despite her rough beginnings, she had taken to the sky with a natural grace, which Rainbow attributed to her “awesome genes”. There was likely some truth to that, though River had always preferred to fail or succeed of her own merits. The idea that she was now only capable of being as talented as her “sister” irked her so much that she dismissed it immediately, and further discussion was met with more threats. When Riven first arrived, Twilight had made passing mention to many aspects of pony society that she didn’t entirely understand, so she had ignored them. Now that River was so thoroughly ingrained in this alien world, she had to receive a crash course under her “official advisers”, the six Bearers of Harmony. On the agenda today was her natural magical ability to stand on clouds as if they were solid objects. When she was first told that she possessed this talent, River laughed, calling it ludicrous. Rainbow Dash’s and Fluttershy’s subsequent demonstration shaked her faith but she remained true to its implausibility. Then she tried it herself on a cloud relocated to ground level, and much to her surprise, realized it wasn’t just some clever trick. “How… am I… standing… on water vapor?” “Magic,” Rainbow helpfully provided. She and her friends were all trying very hard not to laugh at River’s expression, which stood at some strange impasse between horror and slack-jawed shock. “I don’t know magic!” “All ponies have magic, River,” Twilight explained, approaching the shaking pegasus’s front. Her knees were knocking so loudly that it was startling birds out of the nearby trees, much to Fluttershy’s chagrin. “Yours is innate, same with earth ponies. Unicorns have no internal magic, but we can manifest it externally.” “Get me down, please,” she begged. Twilight giggled and enveloped her in a gentle telekinetic field, lifting her off the cloud and onto solid earth once again. River released a contented sigh. “Next up on Twilight’s oh-so helpful list,” Rarity began, levitating the parchment over and reading the line underneath “explanation of pony magic”. “The cutie mark. Ah, surely you’ve noticed the mark on your flank?” The parchment was summarily discarded, but immediately retrieved by Twilight, who neurotically crossed off the aforementioned line. “I have,” River nodded, cranking her now oddly flexible neck to observe a luminescent green rune stamped on either hip. She recognized it as one of several symbols adorning her sword, but seeing as how it didn’t hurt, she hadn’t given it much thought. “That’s weiiiiiiiiiiiird,” Pinkie drawled, approaching River and poking her flank with her fore hoof. River grunted in annoyance and shifted her backside away from the excitable pink pony. “I’ve never seen one that glowed before! Oooh, maybe she’s radioactive!” Pinkie’s previous countenance of glee instantly became one of fear. “We need to get away before our skin starts falling off! QUICK!” Pinkie grabbed Applejack and shook her like a snow globe. “Give me some RadAway, stat!” Applejack’s hat was thrown off and after shoving Pinkie away, she reclaimed it. “Some what now?” “River isn’t radioactive, Pinkie,” Twilight sighed. “I think we’d have noticed by now if she was.” “It is rather odd that it glows, isn’t it?” Rarity was likewise entranced by River’s cutie mark, and the pegasus shifted away uncomfortably. “I’m not being lecherous, I’m just observing!” “Observe someone else’s ass, please,” she grumped. “Somepony,” Fluttershy helpfully corrected. River just rolled her eyes. “I think it’s pretty sick, myself,” Rainbow said, and to her credit, didn’t attempt to leer or touch. “Almost as cool as my cutie mark. Still, cutie mark’s are supposed to mean something, right?” She looked to Twilight for confirmation, who smiled and nodded. “Like… symbolism? What does that mean, River?” “How should I know?” Applejack narrowed her eyes. She knew a lie when she heard it. The glare she was receiving wasn’t lost in translation and after a tense few seconds, she sighed and relinquished. “It is one of the runes on my blade. Though I can’t tell you why it’s now burned onto my butt.” “Or why it glows?” “The blade was forged with both metallurgy and magic. The runes on it always glowed, more so when I wielded it offensively.” She shrugged, a gesture she now found rather cumbersome considering that she had to lean back on her hooves to do it. “You made this body. You tell me why.” The six other ponies shared confused glances. Twilight spoke. “We… have no idea. I suppose I could write to Cream but… well… the cutie mark has always been something of a mystery. It’s usually earned whenever a pony discovers his or her calling in life and holds special meaning — known meaning. You might be the first pony born with hers, River.” “Is that a big deal?” “It sure as heck is!” Pinkie exclaimed, bubbling with so much excitement that fireworks were popping out of her ears. River wasn’t surprised by this, however, as the first thing crossed off on Twilight’s list was “explain Pinkie Pie”. “It’s such a big deal that it calls for a party, but not just any party!” Pinkie was on River in a heartbeat, pushing up on her cheeks and jabbing her oddly malleable eyes at River’s. “A party so amazing, so super-fantastic, so flank-shakingly awesome that I can’t even think of a name for it!” Silence reigned for a moment, before River offered: “Um… how about the ‘amazing, super-fantastic, flank-shakingly awesome party’?” Pinkie gasped, turned pale, and fainted. “Guess that’s a yes,” Rainbow chuckled. Spike scurried through the spacious halls of Canterlot Castle with a stack of three plates plus cups and silverware balanced expertly in his claws. A few paces behind followed princesses Celestia and Luna, having just enjoyed a private dinner with him. As Spike’s dietary needs were quite different from that of a pony, he felt it only polite to clean up after receiving such hospitality. Celestia was less keen with the idea, and Luna hadn’t said a word aside from the occasional chuckle. “Spike, you are a gentledrake of profound honor and class, and I am proud beyond words that you have become so unflappably polite, but you’re on vacation, and I have a staff of over two hundred working around the clock. You do not have to wash the dishes.” “I’m not washing them, princess, I’m just taking them to the kitchen! It’s the least I can do for you and princess Luna letting me stay here, and flying in that cool vet for me.” Spike’s voice was slightly more haggard than usual, and the hole that had been cut in his throat to extricate Nocturne’s corruption was still on the mend, covered by a bandage. “That was a reward, dear Spike,” Luna spoke, trotting up alongside her sister. “You’ve helped enough. Don’t you think it’s about time you relaxed and enjoyed the luxuries of our home?” “I’m perfectly relaxed, princess! I carry books back and forth for Twilight all day. Cleaning up after myself isn’t a chore, it’s…” he scoffed. “Just the right thing to do.” They had arrived at their destination and as previously ordered via telepathy, a unicorn servant was waiting at the door to receive the dirty dishes. “Oh, hey thanks! Wow, you guys are really on the ball here. It’s like you knew I was coming!” The unicorn smiled and relieved Spike of his burden. “Oh, it was just a hunch.” The maid winked at princess Celestia before vanishing into the kitchen. “Now then, let’s go get you into bed, my little dragon,” Celestia cooed, scooping Spike up with her wing and depositing him on her back. “You have a busy day tomorrow and to be honest, I am very tired.” Spike’s body betrayed him with a yawn, and all three laughed as they walked back to Celestia’s private quarters. Spike had made it clear when he arrived that he was more than a little nervous about sleeping in such enormous rooms by himself, and as he had shared one with both Celestia and Twilight over the years, she saw no harm in having a basket delivered for his personal use. “I will leave you two to your rest,” Luna said as they approached Celestia’s chambers. “I have business from the previous day that I must att—” “PRINCESSES!” A cry from a distant hall interrupted Luna, and the triplet all turned in the direction of the voice. “Come to the sound of my voice, my little pony!” Celestia called out, and the frantic hoof steps immediately changed direction. A moment later, an earth pony guard ran up on the group, stopped like his hooves had magnetized to the carpet, and snapped to attention. “Princesses! I carry an urgent letter from General Cresting Claw!” “Cresting Claw?” Luna echoed, looking up at her sister for clarification. “The field commander of the Thousand Aeries?” “The very same,” Celestia said with a curt nod. Her business-like demeanor switched on like a light and she accepted the missive, carrying it into view and unfolding it with magical precision. Her eyes scanned the document rapidly and when she was finished, crumpled it into a ball and chucked it over her mane. Spike incinerated it with a gout of emerald flame. “What is it, dear sister?” Celestia looked at the guard, then to Luna, and shook her head. “I do not know, because Cresting Claw didn’t seem to know either. The griffon empire is under attack and they are requesting reinforcements.” “Under attack from who? Surely such a robust spy network as that of the griffon’s would provide more helpful information as to the nature of the army that is assailing them?” Celestia’s eyes betrayed hesitation, and it was not lost on Luna. It had been many years since she last saw her sister unsure of what to do or say and it was somewhat frightening. “It is not an army that besieges them, Luna. Cresting Claw specifically mentioned only one attacker. A single titanic beast that their combined might cannot overcome.” Both Spike and the guard opened their mouths as if to gasp, but said nothing, for they could not articulate their surprise. Luna couldn’t believe what she was hearing either, but was never one to be at a loss for words. “No creature on Equis, not even the eldest of wyrms, could single-hoofedly defeat the entire griffon nation.” “I have a feeling that this is not of Equis,” Celestia breathed, her razor-sharp mind having already taken into account all terrestrial possibilities, and was now thinking outside of the proverbial box. “And I believe there will be no rest for either of us tonight, my sister. Spike,” she craned her slender neck around to take in the tiny dragon on her back. “Go to bed. This does not concern you.” “But princess—” “No buts. You are brave and loyal Spike, but this is a military matter and I cannot involve you. Please understand and try to get some rest.” With a defeated huff, Spike slid off of his surrogate mother’s back and walked through her bedroom door, which was telekinetically closed and locked behind him — from the outside. Celestia turned back to the guard. “Fetch my scribe, please.” The guard saluted and was off. Celestia gave chase at a brisk pace, which Luna quickly matched. “Sister, are you writing a letter?” “Yes, to my faithful student.” “Twilight Sparkle. What will she know of this?” “She wouldn’t, but she can get the letter to the pony I am truly trying to contact.” Luna didn’t grasp her sister’s meaning right away, but when it did, her eyes opened wide enough to cause her eyebrows to vanish into her scalp. “Riven.”