//------------------------------//
// Chapter IV: Blacklight 
// Story: A New Potential 
// by EnigmaShade 
//------------------------------//


Part I: Welcome to Equestria
Chapter IV: Blacklight


“Isabel??” I couldn’t believe my eyes. The body I had sketched months ago for my daughter was now running toward me. The small filly jumped up at me and threw her hooves around my neck. I wrapped my arms around her small frame, my emotions fried, but slowly coming back as joy.
“Daddy! You look sooooo cool! Just like the picture!”
“Isabel, how di—“ She cut me off.
“No, Daddy! That nice pony over there said my name isn’t Isabel anymore,” She pointed at Celestia, “She said it was Sapphire Shade, now.”
I looked at Celestia and back to the young white and blue filly, my vision slowly clouding. I blinked and it came back in time for a hoof to tap me between the eyes, “Daddyyyyy~! Crying is for babies, remember?? Tough people don’t cry, and you’re supposed to be tough!” She huffed and crossed her forehooves, losing balance and almost falling off the couch.
“I’m just so glad to see you Isab— Sapphire,” I said and hugged her again.
Fluttershy broke the silence after a quiet minute, “You are quite a cute young filly, Sapphire.”
Sapphire fought my grip and jumped off the couch looking for who would dare call her cute, “Me?”
Fluttershy smiled at her, “Why yes, of course!”
The filly huffed, “I PREFER pretty!”
Dash laughed at her with a challenging grin, “Pretty cool, you mean. That design on your fur looks awesome.”
The rambunctious filly jumped up between the two, her hyperactivity always made her do odd things. She swayed herself side to side, bopping her head on each pony’s shoulder saying “Cool pony. Pretty pony. Cool pony. Pretty pony.”
I smiled. That was my daughter. Spike looked over to me with a confused look and mouthed “seriously?”
Dash and Fluttershy both seemed happy. Their smiles at the compliment and the adorability of the pony’s actions made the room seem so bright after the dark aura my tale gave it. After a minute of her bopping the pegasi, she hopped up and looked at Celestia.
“Miss Celestia, can we go out to the courtyard now? Senti promised me he’d teach me Bounceball today!”
Celestia looked over to me, “Yes, why don’t you and everypony else go outside and play. I have to speak with your dad alone for a little bit.”
All the ponies and spike started to get up. Sapphire urged them to move faster as she ran circles around a table then out the door. Watching her leave felt like a dozen needles to the heart. I knew I would see her again, but it was too soon to part. Fluttershy seemed to sense my reluctance and smiled at me, “Don’t worry, Shade, I’ll make sure she stays safe.”
All the ponies but Celestia, Luna, and Twilight were out the door. Luna and Twilight stood at the door, “If you need me, sis, just call.”
Celestia bowed her head in a very slow nod, “I can handle this, Luna. Don’t worry, now go have fun.”
Luna left with Twilight hitching a ride on her back and the door shut behind them. Celestia looked at me with a pleasant smile, “You are perhaps wondering why your daughter is here.”
I nodded.
Her smile turned a bit nervous, “You see, I was watching you for weeks when I caught hint on what you were building. Your husband taught you pretty well, I might add. That machine of his is… I don’t even know how to describe how amazing it is.”
“Yes,” I said, a sad smile on my face. I remembered laughing when he said he could take us to a dimension filled with peace and tolerance and run by semi-anthropomorphic ponies. Then I remembered taking up his work when he…
The princess sensed my sadness and continued, “Anyway, I noticed, after a while, how much your daughter slowed you down. She broke two pieces you needed for the machine and even gave away your hiding place when she woke up screaming and wouldn’t quiet down.”
I remembered that day. It caused another unneeded bloodshed. I had smacked her to shut her up. It was the first and only time I had ever hit her. Two nearby trash-diggers heard and tried to get possession of her. I don’t remember what happened, but she was afraid of me for a week afterwards.
“Enough beating around the bush, as humans say,” Celestia said, “I brought myself to your world in the dead of night and brought her here to ensure that you finished your project before the military police found you.”
My heart nearly stopped. She had been the one to cause all this pain? She had been the one who made these last few days a living hell?
She had been the one to save our lives…
Sensing my thoughts, she kept talking, “I’m sorry to have done that, but I could only bring her. It was all the strength I had, and the only way you could become one of us was through your machine whereas Luna and I could transform young Sapphire.”
I felt anger. I felt relief. I felt confusion. They mixed together and swirled around in my mind, combatting each other for control, “What makes us so special?”
She thought for a moment as if not expecting this question, “Well…”
“Why not the millions of other people who died in that vain war of ours?”
She sighed, “I couldn’t save everypony, Shade. I had to choose. You two had the highest chance. You were the only one who knew how to get here. I just removed an obstacle until you got here. Besides, it made you fight harder so her ‘death’ was not in vain.”
“Why couldn’t you bring her to me sooner??”
“She just woke up not long ago after the transformation. We had to reteach her to walk and talk. I sent the letter the second she woke up.”
“How did you know I was here?”
She took a sip of tea, “Your doctor sent me a letter telling me a strange pony from outside of Equestria visited his hospital. Nothing out of the ordinary, really.”
I sat quietly to let the information set in my brain. She kidnapped Isab—Sapphire… to save her? I had thought she was killed. I had imagined all the terrible things that could have happened to her. It did make me stronger. I would never see her again, but what point would there be in dying? The pain of the past week and a half flooded through my chest and I jumped off the couch and approached the princess. She seemed nervous at this, but did nothing. I stared at her for a moment. I lowered my head and my body in a humbled bow.
“Thank you.”
She let go of a breath she must have been holding, “No need to thank me, Shade. I did what I believed was right.”
I stood from my bow and went back to my seat, the princess seemed much less nervous now, “So you know a lot about my world then?”
“Near everything,” She said.
“Perhaps you can explain some stuff to me. Stuff that nopony else understands.”
“Perhaps I can,” She took her last sip of tea; “You probably want to know why your government failed while ours thrives.”
“Let’s start with the beginning then,” I went through the checklist in my head, “You have no economic system.”
She smiled, “Everypony works for the betterment of ponykind, not for monetary gain. I was a young filly myself when currency became obsolete in Equestria. My mother started this country as what it is today and died doing so. On currency, instead of working for coins, a farmer will make food to feed fellow ponies. In return, a musician will provide her with music to enjoy during her off time. They don’t do this directly for each other in payment, but because their work helps others in one way or another.”
I nodded slowly, “But surely there is still violence in your world. It seems peaceful, but so does Earth if you don’t look deep enough.”
“That is true. We do have a problem with violence. I have not seen any community that doesn’t. Ponies will fight about sports, games, or any other silly thing to fight about. They may have a hoof-fight or a wrestling match, but nopony has the strength to kill another pony. Each pony realizes the intrinsic worth of the pony they are fighting. They kill a farmer, they just lost some food. They kill a musician and others will be angry and shun the murderer because they just lost a large amount of joy in their life. Kill anypony, and the murderer will be hated for killing a friend. A brother or sister. A mother or father.
“For this reason and countless others, we have not had a single murder for over a century and a half. Out of fear, nopony will kill. As for war, we have not warred for over 3 centuries since the fall of Discord. Everypony is happy with how things are, what reason is there to war?”
My mind fizzed and shorted out, “What would happen to murderers then? Would they get imprisoned?”
She smiled at my naiveté, “No, no, Shade. Ponies would investigate the murder and know exactly who it was. They would run that pony out of town, and the murderer would eventually die themselves from either hunger or being attacked by some creature. It seems like chaos, but it’s this fear of loneliness and social outcasting that causes us to work together in peace.”
I thought about how cruel this policy seemed, but then, looking into my world, I remembered how many people I had locked away in a cell knowing their death awaited them. It was the same, but different.
“The ponies keep talking about you finding a cure for death.”
“Oh, that. No. My father worked on that until his death by the very thing he tried to cure. Luna and I took up his work and found the answer a decade later. I am thee hundred fifty years old. My father died at two hundred sixty three.”
I sat and thought for a moment, “So how did you cure death?”
“I didn’t. I cured aging. Our bodies stay young. When ponies are born, they begin breathing the air, which is sprinkled with the cure.”
“How did you find it, but us humans could barely cure cancer and AIDS?”
She smiled, “The final ingredient was from a plant that went extinct in your world three thousand years ago due to war.”
“So how does it work?”
“So it is sprinkled into the air once a decade. The body grows until everything is developed as it needs to be, around twenty years old, and it stops growing.”
“I haven’t been here since birth. What about me? Or Sapphire?”
“The next spreading is next week. It has immediate effect and lasts fifteen years.”
I nodded, “But that seems like it would have nasty side-effects on both us and the plants.”
“It has no effects on the plants or any other animal,” She said, “And the only side-effect we can find positively affects us. The cure of rabies and dementia.”
“Speaking of mental disorders—“
“Very few still exist. The most debilitating is OCD, and that’s only the severe cases,” She laughed, “Any other questions?”
“Yes, how is it that this world became a television show in my world,” I asked. It was the one question that was driving me nuts since I got here.
She thought for a moment, “You see, I made frequent trips to your world. I tried planting ideas into your world to make it more peaceful. I gave the idea of My Little Pony through a dream. A woman named Lauren Faust was asked to make the fourth generation of that franchise, so I visited her as well. She may not remember the dream I gave her, but she did remember the basics and added in very human aspects such as currency and monarchy. All of the plots, though, were her own work. She was quite the creative genius.”
This confused me, “So you tried manipulating humans?”
She seemed taken aback, “No, no! I merely planted ideas in hope that it would show humans that peace was possible.”
I laughed, “That’s manipulation.”
She sat quietly. She wasn’t the strong, seemingly imperturbable creature the show made her out to be, “I wanted to help.”
“I’m not saying I disagree,” I said quickly, “It was very noble of you to try to help a warring and dying world.”
She nodded but did not respond. She seemed deep in thought.
“So, Twilight claims this world does not have any leaders. How is that possible?”
“Oh that Twilight,” She said, breaking from her thoughts, “Of course we have leaders. Not leaders in the way you see it. They are social leaders rather than governmental.”
“But you’re a princess,” I pointed out, “Don’t you have control over everypony?”
She shook her head, “No. Everypony sees me as more of a mother to Equestria. I rise and set the sun and I spread the cure for age. Everypony respects me. I don’t desire control or power. Respect, yes, but not power.”
“One last question,” I said, my brain still frying, burnt as bread toasted four times and set aflame.
“Yes, go ahead,” She said, giving a weak smile.
“Given what you know about my world: Why hasn’t this happened on Earth?”
Her smile faded, “Because, as it is, the governments made its people fear the word that describes it. Everypony that started to preach its ideals were labeled as terrorists. They claimed it would cause nothing but chaos, but it would only do that if it was used wrong.”
I thought hard on this. She was being purposefully cryptic, “And that word is?”
She remained silent for a moment. I let the question linger in the air, hoping it would bear down on her until she answered. She sighed, still staring down at her empty tea cup on her table. It was almost as if she feared how I would react to the word.
She looked up, “They called it Anarchy.”

*

Princess Celestia returned to her regal look when we joined everypony else in the courtyard. The hatred for the word she described Equestria with burned inside me. Anarchy was chaos. In no way could anarchy stand! Could it? Anarchy was the absence of social and governmental organization, yet Equestria was nothing but a social organization. I thought back and remembered how she said we were taught to hate the word, and I tried to look at it with an open mind, but the hate for the word still seared my mind like a branding iron.
My hate dissipated when Sapphire spotted me and ran up to me, “Daddy! We were waiting for you! Dashie, that cool rainbow pony, is about to race Barry!”
Her total innocence cleared my mind of everything Celestia and I discussed, and I followed her to the middle courtyard. Everypony else greeted the princess and I, but seemed to keep their distance at first.
Spike broke the awkwardness immediately asking, “So how are we gonna watch the race? If they’re racing around Canterlot, we won’t see all of it.”
Luna and Twilight grinned at each other and looked smugly at everypony, “We’ve been working on something.”
They giggled at their unison statement, but then they started their magic. A purple and blue aura covered the ground and slowly lifted up. The aura became solid, like a platform, and it lifted us into the sky. When we reached a peak high enough that we were above the tower, we stopped.
“This will only last an hour,” Twilight said.
“But that’s more than enough time for ten races with how fast they fly,” Luna completed her sentence.
Everypony clapped their hooves—or hands in Spike’s case—and Luna and Twilight bowed their heads humbly with smiles on their faces. Dash asked Celestia to give them the go, and she stepped to the edge of the platform where she and Barrier lined up.
“Ready? Set? GO!”
And they flew off at lightning speed. Luna lifted Sapphire onto my back and she climbed up my neck to get a better view of the race. I resigned. Anarchy may be a terrible thing, but it’s given us a new life. It’s given us a new happiness. It’s given us a new potential.

*

“Wow, Dashie,” Sapphire said, hopping up and down, “You were soooo fast! Can you teach me?? Can ya? Can ya??”
Rainbow Dash was bursting with pride, “Of course, kid. Soon as you’re out of flight school.”
Sapphire continued to bounce, “I wanna be just like you when I grow up. Controlling weather, flying fast as a train, and even beating Barry in a race!”
Luna lowered her head to Sapphire’s height, “Well, it’s getting pretty late. Why don’t you show your dad your room?”
Her face lit up, “OH! Daddy! Come on! I gotta show you, it’s sweeeeeet!”
She dashed off into the castle calling for me to catch up. I turned to Luna, “She hasn’t been this happy for years. What have you done to her?”
Luna smiled, “Only what I would do for any child.”
Sapphire called from the castle doors, “Auntie Luna! Quit talking to my dad, he needs to see my room!”
I walked towards the door and Fluttershy followed, “Princess Luna loves children. She teaches Magic Kindergarten here in Canterlot or in a town next to Ponyville depending on where she is staying.”
“Well I’m glad she’s happy.”
Sapphire lunged at Fluttershy as soon as we got close enough to the door and knocked her off balance, “Pretty pony! We played all afternoon, but you didn’t tell me your name.”
“Sapphire, get off Fluttershy,” I said, and she did.
“Fluttershy,” She asked, “That’s a cool name!”
Fluttershy got up, “Thanks, Sapphire… Now why don’t you show us your room?”
I stopped her with my hoof, “Sorry about that. Are you okay?”
She nodded happily, “I love children. I babysit for the Crusaders a lot, so I’m used to getting knocked over.”
We followed Sapphire as she talked rapidly enough that we couldn’t understand her. She was 12 in human years, but she was acting much younger. She was probably making up for the childhood the war took away.
We entered the room and watched as Sapphire bounced here to there showing us all the cool stuff her rented room had. When she was done showing us everything she bounced in front of us with a huge smile on her face, “Are you guys gonna stay in my room tonight?
“Of course,” I said, barely wanting to take my eyes off her for fear of her disappearing again.
She looked at Fluttershy expectantly, “Well… I guess I can, if you really want me to…”
“YES,” My little filly yelled, “Daddy and pretty pony staying in my room tonight!”
Celestia appeared behind us, “Well that solves one problem. There are only two beds in the guest room. Spike and Rainbow Dash can take that room. Twi can stay with Luna. They were probably planning that anyway.”
She started heading away and I stopped her, “Celestia.”
She stopped and looked expectantly at me, “Thank you. For everything.”
She smiled and bowed her head before heading back to the main room of the castle.

*

Celestia and Luna had a huge dinner party. They apparently had one at least once a week with all the tenants of the castle. Spike, Fluttershy, Sapphire and I all stayed to ourselves at one side of the room while Rainbow Dash hogged all the attention and spent time goading Barrier into another race for tomorrow. Twilight never stepped more than five hooves away from Luna all day except to use the little filly’s room.
At the end of the little party, Sapphire was so tired she nearly fell asleep at our table. Fluttershy gently picked her up and flew her up the stairs and put her to bed. I walked past the room heading outside and I heard her singing the same song Twilight sang me. It made me smile. I stepped outside into the courtyard and spread my wings, practicing the technique Dash taught me this morning.
I flapped my wings, slowly gaining speed, and then hopped into the air. I started to panic and nearly crashed again, but I spread my wings quickly and lifted up before I hit the ground. A smile spread across my face as I gained altitude. I thought back to how dash flew. I tilted my wings slightly down in the front and I moved forward, but lowered in altitude. I flapped my wings a bit harder and I regained the altitude in seconds. My smile wouldn’t go away. I was free. I was flying.
I decided to take it up a notch and tried flying around the castle. The view from where I flew in front of the castle was beautiful. I could not only see all of Canterlot, but I could see beyond that. I could see Ponyville from a distance away, distinct only by a few closing shop lights. After a lap around the castle, I could feel the muscles in my wings strain and I landed on the brim of a fountain.
“That was amazing, Shade,” Fluttershy’s voice came from the darkness. She stepped closer and I could finally make out her silhouette, “I saw you from the window… Not many ponies master that sort of flying so quickly.”
I smiled, trying to catch my breath, “I guess… I was born to fly.”
“Well, you should come to bed. We have to get up early to make the train.”
I nodded and followed her as she turned to go inside, “You have a beautiful singing voice… I heard you singing to Is—to Sapphire.”
She seemed to blush, but the darkness made it impossible to tell, “Well… I see why you named her what you did. She is a bell.”
She chuckled at her little joke, but remained as quiet as she could. I could feel my heart slowly lifting from the despair the war dug it into with every second I spent with these ponies, “Thank you, Fluttershy.”
“For what?”
“I don’t know,” I stared up at the window, “I guess for helping with everything you have been. We don’t find that much selflessness on Earth.”
We walked the rest of the way to the room in silence. There was only one bed, but it was large enough it could fit all three of us plus another foal or two. Fluttershy snuggled in close on one side of my young filly, and I snuck in on the other.
Sapphire seemed to wake a little from the shuffling, but she just tapped Fluttershy with her hoof a couple times and whispered, “Good night, pretty pony…”
Fluttershy kissed her forehead and whispered good night. Sapphire was asleep again in seconds. The room was silent except for a soft wind coming through the open windows.
Fluttershy whispered out to me, “I’m sorry, Shade, are you awake?”
“Yeah, what’s wrong?”
“I was just wondering, I’m sorry,” She whispered back, “You talk so badly about your people on your world. There has to be somepony who was as good as you.”
I closed my eyes hard and opened them again, “There were. Humans were capable of such wonderful things. But every good human being on the world was killed. The only ones left were twisted. Every good human is dead.”
She stayed silent for a moment, and I felt she may have fallen asleep, so I snuggled in under the sheets. But then my heart nearly exploded when she said, “But you’re still alive.”