I felt a shiver, sudden and obviously not attributable to the wind. It felt as if I was being watched… with six mares having nothing better to do than kill time, it was a very real possibility that one of them had decided to stare a hole into my head.
With a feeling of foreboding, I did my best to ignore it, instead turning to Tom.
That hug had lasted a certain number of minutes, sure, but after a while, it had started to grow awkward. Now we were talking about his experience in Equestria so far.
“Are you serious?! You saw?!” The big ass grin on his face told me this was really just a rhetorical question.
“We sure did,” I said, ruffling his mane. “We saw that time you got outside the town hall to say loud and clear that you are the stuff. So it was rather hard not to notice.”
“AWESOME!” He shouted, jumping in the air and flapping his wings. “I’M PART OF THE SH-”
My hoof covered his mouth.
“Mfow?” He tilted his head, looking at me with big eyes. My grin had frozen on my face a bit and not only because he had almost doomed us all.
Case in point, wet liquid spreading all over my hoof. Lovely.
“Let’s not talk about this while we’re here, okay?”
Slowly, he nodded, though his little body was still shaking with excitement. Even as I slid my hoof out of his mouth, I had to hold him down with my wings.
“Relax.” I chuckled. “We’re not arriving anytime soon and you don’t want to get too excited in a flying carriage, do you? We don’t have that much space to play.”
Tom snorted, looking at me with a cheeky, cocky grin. I certainly hadn’t expected him to react this way to reasonable advice.
“Yeah, just the whole SKY!” He ran up to the side of the cart, extending his wings wide.
At the sight, my heart skipped a beat. The irrational part of me sent electrifying impulses throughout my entire body, pumping blood through my arteries with enough force for me to feel its rhythmic strength.
To my unending relief though, he did not jump, just looked at the sky with a bit of a goofy grin. The fact that he wanted to soar through the air… it made me acutely aware of the distance between us and the ground.
Oh crap… we’re really flying. Over the cloud. In a small chariot. Without seatbelts. My face froze with fear. Do not want.
I was never really good with heights, really.
So, logically, I grabbed and pulled him away from the edge of that chariot. “Let’s not cause trouble for the girls and the guards, okay?”
“Huh, yeah, sure.” He shrugged, clearly not caring much about that.
I held in a sigh. That much told me how much work I had cut out for me. Let’s work on that empathy, ‘kay Tom-tom?
“Right, why don’t we talk about your visit some more?” My voice sounded strained. He picked it up instantly. “I… huh… I saw that time with Rarity and Pinkie.”
“Oh…” His ears drooped and he crouched down, almost going flat against the floor.
“I…” My words got stuck in my throat. Was he… afraid of me? “Tom…”
Lowering myself to his level, I gave a small smile. At that, my little brother’s muscles relaxed and his figure quickly started to look less tense. “I-it wasn’t on purpose, promise!”
Part of me almost wanted to be angry for his recklessness, but, really, I couldn’t. Instead of boiling, my heart was calm and light. I just wanted to chuckle.
“It’s fine, Tom,” I said, ruffling a hoof through his mane. “I think you’ve learned your lesson already.”
The poor kid’s eyes were wide with surprise. Likewise, I could taste the disbelief in his words next. “You’re not mad at all?”
“A little disappointed, maybe…” I grimaced, looking away, though not quickly enough to miss the wince he had in response. “I know you tried to apologize. That’s already a good thing.”
“Yeah…”
Cue the awkwardness again. Good job, Sam. I had to mentally applaud myself for that one.
“Hey, it’s fine. Come here and tell me more. I’m sure you’ve had some awesome adventures while your big bro was left in the dust.”
He took my self-derision in stride, instantly going from humble to smug. He was almost parading like a little peacock. “Well, duh!”
I chuckled. That was the little brother I had been missing.
--
The wind slapped her cheek again. It wasn’t very painful, but the sensation was unpleasant.
At altitudes like this one, her flowing pink mane had more disadvantages than advantages. Oh, she liked it that way, very much, and wouldn’t dream of insulting Mister Sharp Cut by changing it. Still, there were a few times it was a bit annoying.
Fluttershy never craved flight like most pegasi. It had added to her… inadequate technique, early on, the laughs, the scolding a-and… the bullying.
It had put her on edge, to hear that booming voice, the same tone of anger…
Why couldn’t you do it?! It was such a simple exercise and you blew it! Do you not realize how badly that reflects on your father’s career?!
The poor mare suppressed a shudder, instead keeping her eyes focused on Rainbow Dash. Or, at least she tried to, but soon enough, a strange thing distracted Fluttershy.
Foalish chuckles rang to her ears.
She… knew that voice… but, wasn’t he…?
In her surprise, she could not help but turn her head toward the carriage in the middle of their formation. The sudden cries from her friend were ignored in her hurry. Her whole attention was focused toward the scene presented to her eyes.
The golden alicorn was holding a hoof toward the guards pulling their chariot, pretending to be completely overpowered by his little brother. The effect was particularly ruined by the lack of serious and acting talent from every party involved, but that mattered very little.
Something healed up in her chest. It felt like a bit of heat had spread from her chest to the rest of her body. It was… nice.
A soft smile took place on her lips. Perhaps Twilight had been right. Everything would be just fine.
--
The rest of the trip to Canterlot ended up taking the better time of the day. The twilight of the day’s end was tainting the sky orange and red by the time our carriage landed. Princess Celestia was probably about to retire for the night and let Luna take care of stuff…
“Get down immediately, so you can be escorted to the throne room.”
Or not.
“Sure!” Tom replied, jumping off our carriage as soon as he had heard the order. “I can’t wait to meet Celestia! I bet she’s even cooler in person!”
“Hold on there, Sugarcube.” Applejack called, bemused.
“Huh?” He stopped in mid-run, turning over to her, and, by proxy, the rest of the Mane Six who were all putting their own hooves onto the firm ground.
“Didn’t you say you were her secret apprentice an’ all? How come you never met her before, then?”
The words having punched a hole in his claims with all the brutality of a manticore, Tom stared at her with wide eyes and an open mouth. He really looked like a deer caught in a heads light.
“I believe you know the answer to that question, Applejack,” I said lightly, taking pity on my poor baby brother.
“Yah, figures…” The mare rolled her eyes, a tiny smile on her face.
With a chuckle, I tapped Tom’s side gently and brought his attention back to the guards who were waiting impassively, body as still as stone statues.
My eyes fell onto their highest ranked officer and I barely perceived the slight nod he offered me before leading the way to Celestia’s throne room.
The architecture itself was… oppressive. From a purely objective point of view, it seemed rather simple and truly only remarkable in the expert craftsmanship decorating the way to the throne room. However, I, for one, had never been in such a place in my entire life.
Paintings of incredible battles, of days and nights, of festive events and sober moments, superb in their detailed nature, breathed a life onto the otherwise grey walls. The eyes of one such character seemed to briefly meet my gaze, for but the briefest of moments.
I had to wonder if I was not the fake.
Absolutely everything about this castle was so much beyond anything I had ever dreamed of that I felt miserably out of place. My insecurities were brought to the front of my mind, while I had naught but them to contemplate.
At my side, Tom seemed equally taken by the scenery, though his wide innocent eyes held none of the misery I felt. Good. Keep up the spirit, Tom.
Behind us, the Mane Six were still engaging in some quiet conversations. Well, Fluttershy and Twilight seemed to exchange some words, the nature of which was lost onto me, but the two mares were left smiling.
Satisfied with my assessment of the situation, I tried to avert my gaze from them, but Pinkie Pie’s intense stare stopped me.
Her eyes were fixated on me, creepily so. I had rarely been gazed upon with such intensity and certainly not by what was essentially a stranger.
Shaking my head, I chased off the off-putting thoughts, rather trying to focus on the problem at hands here.
We were going to meet Celestia, in person.
How the hay are we going to get out of that one?
My guts twisted with fear at the mental admission, I was trying very hard not to pale or generally appear nauseous. What kind of suspicions would that arise? Oh yeah, the new alicorn that came out of nowhere doesn’t want to meet our benevolent ruler or her sister for reasons he refuses to explain. THAT’s not suspicious.
I could not help grimacing at the predicament in front of us. Truly, I had not the slightest idea how to spin this into an acceptable tale.
I really started to sweat when we turned around the corner and I noticed two guards standing beside an enormous ornamented door. Our guide was walking straight toward it, confirming what I had suspected.
We were arriving. The last few seconds of freedom for us if I screwed this up.
A quick greeting between the stallions in front of us was all they needed to let us enter. Protocol however dictated that the girls entered first, as known acquaintance of the Princess.
Stepping aside, both Tom and I watched all six mares make their way inside the throne room.
“Her Majesty’s guests, Princess Twilight Sparkle and the Elements of Harmony, heroines of Equestria,” a page announced loudly.
Quite at ease, the girls walked up to the throne calmly, no emotions betrayed by their movements whatsoever. Not the slightest flinch, nor the faintest hesitation; they simply made their way to their princess without trouble. They knew they were welcome.
I didn’t. Still, I couldn’t delay it further when the page then announced our own presence.
My body refused to move, an invisible pressure making my limbs too heavy to succeed. My eyes were fixated on the throne and the white figure that was waiting for us.
A tug at my leg made me look down. Tom was looking at me with a frown. “Come on, Sam! They called for us.”
Silently, I nodded and motioned toward the room.
Heart maddened, my pulse beating against the side of my head, I started to walk.
The red carpet brushed off softly against my hooves. The light shone onto my fur through the stained glasses. The air entered my lungs softly, through an immense effort of will.
Dozens of eyes were falling on us. Nobles, dignitaries, servants, journalists and royalty; so many ponies, so many judgmental gaze to gauge our reactions, our attitudes. Already, whispers were spreading at our appearances, but so few seemed receptive. At best, they were puzzled… At worst…
It was almost tempting for me to spread my wings, simply for the sake of showing them off.
They would eat their words. Yet the thought, so tempting, was pushed aside almost instantly. Too much was at stake for me to nurse my ego. Besides, Tom didn’t seem to care much, walking to the throne with a shake in his limbs and a grin on his face.
“The alicorn known as Blade Darkblaze and…” The servant stopped abruptly, unaware of my addition to the group.
Apparently, nopony had thought to send a pony ahead… Just perfect. As if it wasn’t hard enough as it was.
Dozens of emotions ran wild in my head, from the most abject of fear to the purest of awe, and keeping an outwardly strong composure had never been so hard.
The throne was just a few meters away from our position. I was looking up, to the being that had requested my brother’s presence, and for whom I had had to delay our return to our universe.
For the first time in my life, I met Royalty, the god-like ruler of Equestria, monarch through divine right. Not arisen from her throne, Princess Celestia awaited visitors, lone figure in the immense gallery.
But what a figure it was. For a moment, the stallion I had become felt his mouth dry out at the sight of her incredibly well-sculpted body. White coat purer than the fresh snow, lustrous mane of the many sacred colors of the sky and slender form of grace, Princess Celestia was the most beautiful mare I had ever seen in my life.
My heart skipped a beat.
Then restarted as we got closer to see the one feature I had instantly started daydreaming about. My breath was cut short when my wish was granted and I got to see them…
Her eyes… they were the eyes of someone very old. They carried the weight of millennia of suffering and restless efforts, of love stolen away and friendship lost through time. That same weight fell on me, with its full intensity bearing a hole into my skull.
My hind legs gave out under me, bringing me into sitting position. It was as if my whole body had gotten heavier to a point I couldn’t support it.
I looked up to Princess Celestia, my heart overwhelmed by contradicting sentiments. I had been humbled by the sight of her alone.
I bowed my head respectfully.
“Princess.” My voice was hoarse, thick with emotion.
“Hey, Celestia! How are you doing?”
A wave of indignation rippled through me and the rest of the crowd. For freak’s sake, TOM!
Before I had the time to snap at him though, a motherly chuckle filled the air.
“My, what a bold foal,” Princess Celestia said with an indulgent smile. “I am feeling quite well, thank you.”
Tom puffed his chest at her words. It was positively adorable. And cringe worthy. “You’re welcome!”
Luckily, it seemed as if the crowd had taken it as an endearing scene, rather than a blatant offense toward their ruler. Celestia’s reaction probably accounted for that.
“So you are the mysterious colt I have heard so much about all week long?”
“Yup!” He neighed, his wings flaring into extended position. “That was me! And that’s my big bro, Sam!”
Princess Celestia almost seemed sorry when she spoke next.
“I am afraid I have never heard of either of you before.”
Silence fell.
The admittance of their princess’ ignorance had shocked any and all whispering amongst the crowd, as well as within the ranks of the Mane Six. Most of all, Twilight’s jaw had dropped and her eyes had widened, to an almost comical extent.
Rarity’s gaze seemed almost inquisitive, silently asking questions I could not hear, while Applejack, Pinkie and Rainbow Dash were all wearing puzzled frowns.
Fluttershy’s mask was unreadable.
The stares were heavy, a few downright hostile. Breathing seemed plain difficult with such pressure on us.
I looked up to her. “May I speak, Princess?”
“You may,” she said, graciously lowering her gaze on me.
Exhaling deeply, I stood up on my hooves, ignoring the growing knot in my throat threatening to suffocate me.
“My name is Ventus Vinco and this is my little brother, Calx Iugum.” I heard a scoff from Tom at that. I could not refrain from rolling my eyes and sighing. “…Whom you may also refer as Blade Darkblaze, if you wish.”
“Hay yeah!” Tom pumped a hoof, which brought a small laugh out of me.
The rest were a bit scandalized by this lack of decorum. It was worrying me quite a bit too… I made sure to lay it on thick with the formal attitude and tone of voice.
“We are the Alicorn of Wind and the Alicorn of Earth, away from our loved ones, but honored to meet one of the two Royal Pony Sisters.”
“Okay, hold on a minute!” A brash voice cut in my explanation, causing a shocked whisper to spread amongst the nobles.
“Yes, Rainbow Dash?” The princess turned to the cyan pegasus, as if she hadn’t grossly interjected into a formal event.
But Rainbow Dash had either not noticed or she didn’t care. Her eyes were all on me and they translated a great deal of annoyance. “You’re telling me there are even more alicorns out there?! I thought you guys were supposed to be super rare!”
Fear gripped my heart.
That was an echo of a rant I could read all too often in the fandom, whenever a new alicorn had been revealed. For a moment, the images of the daredevil was replaced by an entire fandom, breathing down my neck and asking for my disappearance.
…And that of Tom.
My veins filled with ice and a desire to snap her neck. I would not let that happen.
But my revitalized anger provided me with no courage to speak up. The slightest of slip-up might earn us a trip to the recycle bin, retconned out of existence and though a monster had a grip on my heart, it still desired continued existence...
Hesitating, I looked up to Celestia, whose only gesture was to nod. The exact same she had given me when I had asked permission to talk.
She was giving me the task to explain it all.
We’re doomed… Sorry Tom.
“We…” My guts twisted under an icy grip. “We are astral alicorns.”
“What?” Rainbow Dash blinked.
‘What?’ Indeed, RD. I have no idea what I’m saying. “There are other realms of existence beyond this one, Rainbow Dash. One such realm is the one where the forces of guidance, alicorns, are born. Such occurrences, rare as they may be, have allowed Harmony to persist into your world.”
Before continuing my speech, I shot a glance at Tom, who seemed completely lost. He probably assumed I would say we were humans. I simply thanked every lucky star I could think of that he was either shocked silent or smart enough not to interrupt.
“Your Princess and her sister have both come from this realm into your world in order to guide ponykind into a golden age of peace and prosperity.”
“Alright, I can buy that, but why are you two here, then?” Applejack gave us an annoyed glare, reacting to what I assumed was an implied insult against either their ability to sustain themselves or that of their princesses to guide them.
“Thank my little brother for that.” I scowled, glaring at him.
It had enough of an effect to make him shrink on himself, offering a sheepish smile. “Sorry?”
“Calx had decided to visit this world, whom he had heard had the most love and friendship of them all. Unfortunately, he did so without permission. Else he would have been told that there are good reasons why astral alicorns keep to themselves.”
“Is that so?” Rarity joined in on the fray, clearly curious.
“Yes. As I mentioned, alicorns are creature of guidance, but Harmony requires more than that. For there to be balance, there needs an opposing force to the order an alicorn brings.”
I saw comprehension dawn on her face, as it did on some others.
A part of me was glad they bought my story, but… Someone will call me out. There has to be at least one historian or something here. All my knowledge of their world comes from a children’s show. And if they do buy it thoroughly… well, I think I just made us bringer of disaster. Great job, Sam.
“I apologize on behalf of our elders, who did not foresee the possibility of my brother breaking the veil between our world and creating a portal here. Such a task should have proven beyond his capacities, but our father’s Cape of Ancient Power went missing the same day.” I finished my explanation through gritted teeth.
If possible, Tom looked even more sheepish, innocent and angel-like. It was nice to see someone had taken his acting lessons to heart. At least, my advices and techniques had not been lost through the ages.
“In fact, I believe that for an inconvenience such as that one, the safeguarding of that artifact should befall your hooves, Princess.”
Finally looking back at her, I realized that her silence had been suspiciously saving our butts in more ways than one. A word from her could have destroyed each and every one of my lies.
On her throne, the white alicorn had not moved.
Why aren’t you saying anything? I’m lying out of my ass here! You can’t not know that! Why aren’t you saying anything?
Her eyes were on me; they betrayed nothing.They reflected the barest amount of light. It… almost made me think they were… glassy.
W-what game are you playing, Celestia?