//------------------------------// // Meeting At Day // Story: Chaos Origin // by AAV-sama //------------------------------// Meeting at Day A few hours had passed since the puzzling encounter between Princess Luna and the unknown creature. Even after the late setting of the moon, the sun steadily made its way up to the sky. The light from dawn was faint, but it steadily grew stronger. The color of the sky turned lighter while the birds began to chirp and sing little by little. The nocturnal creatures had gone to sleep quickly, giving place to the animals of the day to wake up and search for food of the early day. The window of the high tower of the palace opened after magic unlocked them and pushed them aside. An alicorn princess stepped out to the balcony to watch the beginning of dawn. She was different from Princess Luna in that she was considerably taller, slightly more slender, and with different colors. She seemed to have grown out of fillyhood recently, budding into a beautiful young mare. Her wings were longer, her body more developed. However, she still held grace and elegance in every stance of hers. Her coat was impeccably white, decorated by a cutie mark of a bright, orange sun on her flank. She wore a golden necklace, matched by golden hoof plates and a golden tiara that sat upon a cascade of soft pink that flowed past her shoulders. Though her mane was a very soft pink for the most part, it began to show traces of many different pastel colors, especially on the top of her head. The Sun Princess yawned briefly and rubbed her eyes for a few seconds. However, her horn still glowed with the delicate golden aura of magic that rose the sun. She looked up at her progress so far, and felt delighted by the results. She greeted the servants that, like her, got up early. After the greetings and light chattering, she gave some of them instructions and orders to give to the other servants. Once that was done, she made her way out of the palace and stepped through the dew-covered grounds to appreciate the day better. During her pondering, a guard approached her and reported that no unusual trouble had emerged during the night before. She found it strange that her younger sister did not issue the report herself; Luna always took it upon herself to report before she went to bed. The guard bowed and apologized on behalf of Luna. “Princess Celestia, please excuse my boldness. I did not mean to disrupt thee. However, Princess Luna went to bed early, soon after she set the moon, Thy Highness. She apologized profusely and asked that I humbly delivered the message instead.” Princess Celestia smiled warmly at the guard. “I do not mind that you did this favor for us, Lance Charge. Luna probably felt tired. If nothing unusual happened, then there is no problem.” She nodded at Lance Charge again once he bowed to her and made his leave. “Hm… But I do wonder what she was up to all night…” She laughed a bit and waved her hoof to dismiss any concerns. She probably just worked herself out; it will be fine. With some rest, she will feel better. I had best see how everypony else is doing today. She stopped to watch a young phoenix bird that flew around her. “Oh, good morning, Philomena. I am on my way through the gardens. We have to check how the fields and the forests are doing. You are free to come along whenever you like.” She chuckled once the bird perched and screeched playfully at her. “Be sure to have some breakfast first. Meanwhile, I will go visit one of the villages; I have to make sure their harvest is proper for this season.” She nodded at the bird and continued her walk through the palace gardens. Philomena, tilted her head while she watched her owner leave. She had no interest in visiting the pony villages at the moment, unlike her owner. Instead, she set out to fly across the palace again and soar high above before she found her breakfast. ~~~ The young mismatched creature from last night had finally settled down a few hours before the sun rose. He had chosen a forest that was near one of the villages, so that he could watch the pony folk once they woke up and observe them whenever he pleased. Some ideas came to his mind, all about what he could do to entertain himself with the ponies, but at the moment he found that he was rather tired. The hours of entertainment and fun that he had spent earlier had been worth it, but he felt he needed to relax for a little while before starting over. That did not mean that he had to sit back and be lonesome, however. With a snap of his claw, he turned some leaves and twigs into perfect material for animal shapes. He also appeared small clouds and turned them into animals that danced around with those made out of tree leaves and branches. He hummed while they came to life and floated around him. “Heh, heh. Nice… These make the perfect puppets!” he sat up and clapped his claw and paw together after more animals appeared around him. Many floated away from the ground and the trees and danced high above, landing on some of the clouds. After a few minutes, the mismatched creature couldn’t help himself, and soon began to transform a great part of the forest, like he had with many other parts of the land that he had encountered before. ~~~ Celestia reached the path that led to the nearby village. However, she soon found that the forests around the village made her quite curious, for she had yet to explore them. “...Perhaps I could find new things to see and do this morning. Luna will be so pleased when she hears about them…” She looked over her shoulder to make sure that the villagers had not seen her yet. After confirming that she was clear, the Princess quickly walked away from the road, closer to the forest. However, a few minutes after looking through the edges of the forest, Celestia found that it was not too different from the land that she and her sister had already investigated and traveled through. Even the Everfree Forest held more promise. However, they had both already explored all there was to see that was safe in that area. “...Everything seems normal around here… No problems…” She let out a disappointed sigh and walked away from the woods. Her attention was caught by some budding plants that struggled to grow. “This will be the most eventful thing in the early morning…” She smiled and pointed at the struggling plant with her hoof. “Go on, little one…” Her horn glowed with magic that rejuvenated the plant and helped it bud into a flower. “Ah, how beautiful… That is so much better…” She looked down at the grass that became greener and more abundant wherever she stepped. “So much better.” With that, she continued her trot towards the village. Fields and farms with plenty of growing crops stood at a distance. The ponies that tended to them were already out and about. They bowed to Celestia and greeted her before they returned to their work. She bowed her head to them before she continued with her pace. “Thank you very much for your work. You have started out wonderfully. I hope it will not be too hard for you during the day.” The villagers stared at her with grateful smiles while they acknowledged her kind words. “Ah, thank thee, Thy Highness! Hopefully thy work is good as well!” “Thank thee, Princess!” Celestia chuckled at her subjects’ dedicated praise, then followed the path that led down the village. She greeted and checked up on the villagers until she was finally out, heading closer to the forest that bordered the outside of the village. Suddenly, she sensed a current of strange energy that concentrated somewhere within that forest. As she looked up at the sky, she noticed something even stranger above the area. All the clouds in the sky moved freely and realistically, as though they were actual animals. In a line, they circled around the forest and dove down to dance around the trees. They danced around each other and made the slightest noises once in a while, just like real animals. It was quite a thing to see. Celestia frowned while she watched the scene before her. The strange occurrence took place over and over again, expanding through the forest. Fortunately, the villagers had not found out yet, but it was only a matter of time. “What is that…? I had best find out before the villagers are frightened.” With that, the princess moved forward onto the forest and searched the source of such a strange thing. ~~~ The mismatched creature now amused himself as he manipulated the cloud and leaf beasts to jump around each other. He transformed them all into rams and made them clash their heads together when he snapped his fingers. “Alright, go on! All together now, give us a show!” A new storm formed above the forest after the magical animals charged against each other and hit. Chocolate milk rained from the sky just as the animals disappeared. The creature floated around in the air to savor the rain. “Heh, heh. Wow, this tastes great! It’s better than I expected… C’mon, gimme more!” Trees and bushes changed their shape to turn into large animals of wood and leaves that ran around the ground, chasing after each other. After a few minutes, some turned into streams of chocolate milk, while the others stood on their hind legs and started to dance. Rocks also changed their shape and turned into figurines that posed when the creature floated past them. “Ahh… Let’s appreciate a bit of art!” He snickered when different scrolls and paper appeared around him and unfolded while quills and drawing utensils floated above them. Before long, sketches and paintings came to life around the creature, then filled their surroundings with color. The creature laughed more at his creations. He watched while different parts of the forest were drawn and replicated, making the forest bigger. “This is the life! How funny! Oh, that’s good! Okay, what’s another good one? Oh, yeah! Trees! Don’t forget to move every so often. If you don’t, you’ll get all stiff!” Upon his command, a few trees uprooted from the ground and easily moved around, tripping with the other animals and rocks every so often. Some of them acted like servants around the creature while others simply ran wild or danced with the other trees that had not been disturbed by the creature’s magic. ~~~ The Sun Princess raised an eyebrow at the strangeness that surrounded her. She made her way through the forest despite the disorder that got more difficult to comprehend each time. No matter where she looked, she could not find the reason for the strange clouds and the plants in the shape of animals. “It must be some kind of magic for sure. However… This is strange… I have never heard of any spell that could do something like this… Such… spontaneous and unexplainable disaster in such a large scale… No… I have never heard or read of something similar.” She stopped at a stream that flowed with glowing water. Upon closer inspection, she discovered that the water was tinted different colors, like a rainbow. “How strange…” The animals that approached to drink from the stream seemed fine, though they did seem to get a bit hyperactive after drinking the water. Their fur and coats also turned into the colors of the rainbow, though no harm came to them. Celestia tried to approach them to see what kind of magic had been cast onto them. However, she soon felt that the magic energy around the forest grew stronger. “Am I… getting closer…?” She decided to answer her own question by resuming her search, intent on finding the culprit soon. ~~~ The creature raised a small hill in the middle of a clearing. He snapped his fingers and appeared a throne over the top. “Okay, this is comfy! It’ll do. Alright, everyone! We’re gonna move over here… Do something nice for me! Dance!” He clapped his claw and paw together and watched as objects came to life again. Celestia finally reached the place where the events took place. She stared at the magic that emerged from all over the clearing and extended across the forest. Even if she tried to make it all disappear, she wouldn’t be able to until after a few hours. The aura that surrounded the spells and the altered objects also felt strong. “Okay… This is all… It is way too… st-strange…” She did not recognize the creature that sat on the throne made of deer antlers on top of a high-back chair. Everything about that creature, even his furniture, was strange, and the way he behaved was quite suspicious. That would explain at least a few things… Such as who the culprit of this disorderly chaos is… She shook her head and took a few cautious steps to approach the hill. The creature blinked with quiet surprise when he noticed yet another ‘pony’ from the corner of his eye. An alicorn, just like Luna had said she was. "Huh. Oh, that must be the sister! The big sister that little Luna talked about! She actually came all the way over here! Oooh… I wonder if she has a better sense of humor…? Alright, let’s find out!" He laughed excitedly while he hopped down from the throne. Oopsy-daisy… He made his way down the hill while animals and objects moved around him. Apple trees stopped dancing and bowed in front of the creature so that he could step over them. When he cleared his throat, they lowered down more, then turned into a floor of wood that covered the grass. Celestia blinked with curiosity and stepped back while the creature approached her. “Um…” He smiled and waved at her before leaning closer. Let’s have a better look at the princess! “Oh, nice. Okay, okay… I think I know who you might be, but… Let’s hear it! Who do we have here?” Celestia turned to look at the creature, though it took her a while to respond. From up close, she realized that the mismatched animal was much stranger than she had thought. The head of a gray pony or a horse rested upon a long neck of the same color. A pair of antlers stuck out from the top of said haid; one of a deer, the other of a goat. His mane was black, though he had a white tuft on top of his head and his forehead; it was rather long and hung in bangs over his eyes, though he blew it away every so often. The sclerae that ponies usually had as white was yellow in the creature, and his irises were red. One long fang protruded from his mouth, and he had a snake tongue. From an elongated brown body emerged four legs; a lion’s paw and an eagle’s claw made the front set, and the foot of a lizard and the hoof of a goat made the rear legs. His tail, as noticed earlier, was that of a red dragon, with a white tuft of fur on the end. Definitely a creature of most novelty, unlike any that the Princess had ever seen. His appearance surprised her to say the least. However, it was his sudden and friendly attitude towards her that intrigued Celestia more. He spoke to her with such familiarity that Celestia wondered if he really did not know her position. How unlikely… Everybody knows of our position. We are the princesses. However… She smiled at his welcoming grin. At the moment, she did not mind whether or not he seemed to know who he was talking to; the curiosity and friendliness in his voice was very charming. She looked at the trees and everything else in the clearing that the creature had altered and created with his magic. The wind blew in a soft breeze that made it rather difficult to keep her mane in place. She chuckled sheepishly, but kept her eyes on the creature while she answered his question with her own. “...Thou hath done this… Thou hath… created this scene before us… Hath thou not?” “Hmm? Oh, you talk weird, too… Oh, well…” He shrugged before he floated in the air around Celestia. “Heh, heh. Ah, maybe I am… but maybe I’m not! Whatever; who’s to ask, huh?” He chuckled a bit more while he leaned closer to get a better look at the princess. Celestia stared at him with a frown while she followed his every move through the air. Though the magical creations were bizarre at least (as was the creature’s appearance), he actually seemed harmless enough. She let her guard down briefly, just so that she would not seem too serious. “Well, I…” She stopped herself and cleared her throat. The creature was still unknown, a stranger; she could not show too much familiarity with him yet. Not to mention that whether she liked it or not, she had to hold some dignified position with this stranger, at least until she knew a little more about him. He looked at her questioningly, and he saw that it made her blush slightly. “What’s up?” “We art sorry for the inconvenience. It ist just…” Celestia chuckled slightly and shifted in her hooves. “Anyway… We can see clearly that thou art indeed the cause of this strange influence… The forest hath changed indeed, and thou art responsible. No doubt about it.” He scratched his head, then laughed. “Duh! Of course I’m the one! I did all of it! All by myself.” He snickered when trees danced before them, shedding their glittering trees everywhere. He snapped his fingers and made wooden doves drop a circlet of silk flowers on Celestia’s head. “Hey! That sure looks good. Yellow could be your color.” Celestia laughed and gave the doves a curious look. “Oh…” Soon she was enthralled by everything that the creature’s magic created. There were so many marvelous changes to the otherwise ordinary objects in an ordinary forest… She had never imagined that so much fun could come out of it. In fact, she and Luna had always been bored by the monotonous predictability that the forests now irradiated, until that moment. “Heh, heh. Beautiful, isn’t it?” The creature appeared sitting on the branch of a tree. The tree turned into caramel, which he proceeded to bite and lick. “Mmm… This is the first forest I changed, to get me started. This is just a bit of what I have planned for it. I’m sure it could do so much better, but I might need a second opinion. Maybe not. Just maybe. What do you think? It’s awesome, right?” Celestia looked at a few butterflies that gathered around her. Upon closer inspection, she discovered that they were actually flowers in the shape of those beautiful butterflies, and they glowed and changed colors whenever they approached the princess. She giggled and turned away from a few that tried to settle down on her face and mane. “Well… I might say… I do wonder how it ist that you come up with all of this…” The creature frowned and tilted his head while he gave her a curious look. “...Hm. That’s odd… You don’t talk funny. Not as much, really. And here I thought I’d figured something out for good.” “I do not understand… What do you mean?” Celestia blinked, then looked down after she noticed what the creature might be talking about. She blushed when she noticed that she had forgotten to speak properly; the beauty and fun of the magic before her had caught her attention too much, thus distracting her of the proper speech for a princess. “Oh, yeah… Well, I thought that all the creatures around here spoke in that tedious, mouthful formal way. You know, the one with lots of… ‘eth’, ‘est’, the ‘We’ instead of ‘I’... Eh, a bunch of stuff like that, everywhere. Just… Phew! It was kinda funny, but then it actually did become a pet peeve after hearing it so much. Still…” He snickered, then covered his mouth with his claw. “It’s still pretty funny.” “Ah. Well… We… We should speak in the traditional manner…” Celestia glanced aside, but then looked at the creature again. She smiled when she noticed her disappointment, for she felt almost the same way. “...However… I have never really been one to burden myself or others with too much formality, which I deem unnecessary. It is not needed when everypony is so close here. I find that it is better to address them all with kindness rather than formality. Kindness pays and does better for all. Others like the formality; it makes them comfortable, I suppose, and I respect that. However, I find closeness and casualty just as nice. I hope you do not mind.” She blushed again and covered her face with her hoof after she finished. “I have rambled on perhaps too much… Do forgive me.” “Heh, heh. Not at all! I like the way you talk; it’s better! I guess you’re right about the kindness and the friendliness. Don’t know much about all of that, but it feels nice.” He stretched his arms out to show Celestia all that surrounded them. “Look at this! It’s great! So great that maybe… Hmm… Yeah! Maybe they fit you very well. At the very least, they like you. That’s something.” “So they like me, hm?” She chuckled lightly, but kept a slight distance from the magic objects. “That is very nice, thank you.” She looked up at him and gave him a kind smile. He might be rather strange… But he seems very kind indeed. It does not seem like I was wrong. He only seems to be playing. “I suppose I will take that as a compliment, thank you.” The creature waved his lion paw to dismiss her compliment and thanks. “Hah. No problem. No need to thank me. This is just what I do.” He smirked smugly and chuckled after he leaned closer to Celestia. “Between you and me, I have to admit that I surprise even myself sometimes! That’s how great these things are.” “Oh…” Celestia took a step back to once again put some distance between them. However, she was careful to not hurt his feelings, and he did not even seem to notice. “Really? So you surprise yourself?” “Right! I just never know what I might come up with the next minute. If you stick around, you’ll see that. Like I said, this is nothing. But, never mind that. Speaking of sticking around…” The creature turned back to Celestia and bowed to her for a brief moment. “Tell me… To whom do I speak?” He raised an eyebrow after he spoke with mischievous and ironic politeness. After all, he had noticed the crown on top of her head, just like Luna’s. Well… This crown was golden, not black, but still; it meant the same thing. “Oh. Goodness, I forgot to introduce myself. How inconsiderate of me…” “Ah, it’s alright. Just say who you are. Bet you call yourself something nice and mighty too, huh? Just, don’t make it too… y’know, too regal. You’re a pony, that much I know.” He glanced at Celestia again to observe her wings and horn. An… ‘alicorn,’ that’s what Luna called herself… A princess, too. “That is right; I am a pony. Now, allow me to introduce myself; I apologize for not doing it earlier.” She took a few steps closer to the creature. Her mane seemed to flow with every step that she gave, though it still rested a few inches past her shoulders. She shook her head to keep the mane out of her eyes, then took a bow. “You speak to Princess Celestia, bringer of the Sun to the Land of Ponies. I am the ruler of the Day and the kingdom around you. As such, it is an honor for me to welcome you officially and grant you a stay in our kingdom. Heh, I figured that would be the best to do, seeing as you already have visited our land.” “So I was right! It’s another princess after all. Interesting; good to meet you! I was looking forward to see someone else; good it was another princess!” He laughed excitedly while he floated around Celestia. He stopped after a while and held out his eagle claw in the air. A covered plate appeared in his extended claw almost immediately. “It would be rude of me not to present a gift to a princess such as yourself. So allow me to show you the best I’ve got to offer!” He pulled the top off the plate to reveal a petite slice of cake. The cake, though small, looked quite delicious and artful. It was so exquisitely decorated that it almost made it shameful to eat it. It immediately piqued Celestia’s curiosity and appetite. “Would you like a taste, Princess of the Sun? It’s got quite a sunny disposition, too!” The creature looked down at the cake and winked when it was covered with a radiant light that faded after a few seconds. “Oh, how delightful…” Celestia accepted the offer and had a discrete bite of the cake. It tasted delicious; wonderfully sweet, but also delicately balanced with the mildly sour taste of strawberries and the tangy touch of orange zest. Then she also tasted chocolate, banana, blueberries, and many other flavors that she could not find words to describe. The appearance of the cake was still radiant and beautiful, even after she had tasted it. It seemed rather inviting, and immediately Celestia thought of how wonderful it would be with some very nice tea back at the palace gardens. She smiled gratefully and gently nudged the plate away with her hoof. “Thank you very much; that was quite splendid. I think I have had enough for now.” “Seriously? You barely even tried it!” “Oh, I tasted so much more than I imagined. I am sure it will be a great pleasure for us to try this again sometime later.” She smiled at the creature and invited him to walk down the clearing with her. “You mentioned that I did not talk quite as formally as ‘another princess.’ I take it you met my little sister?” The creature made the plate disappear, though the cake remained floating in the air. He watched as the little dessert grew legs and hopped away. “Ah… You mean Luna, right? She called herself that… Indeed, I met her. I do believe we became very good friends, too! Oh, we played a few games to kill some time, it was a lot of fun. Bet it was the most fun she’s had in a while, if I do say so myself.” “You played games? Really? How unusual… Luna is not really the playful type. She has not been so for a while. She did not play much when she was a little filly, either; not even then.” “Sheesh! How boring!” Celestia sighed and shook her head. “No wonder she was so tired. But… I suppose it is good that she spent some time having fun. I am glad… Surprised, but also very glad. It will be good for her. By the way…” She looked at her humorous host again. “I am sorry, but you have not told me your name.” How relieved he was to see that Celestia was so much easier to talk to than her sister! Luna might have been kind and all, just like Celestia was, however… He noticed right away that the older sister’s disposition was warmer and much more open to different ways and the thought of strangers. She had an open mind and clearly seemed to be ready to be entertained by something she did not know. She seemed to handle fun activities better, not just boring ‘royal duties,’ and was more patient and tolerant with ‘strange antics,’ like Luna had described his magic and creations. ‘Strange antics’ fit him quite well, and he was proud of it. So far, ‘strange’ seemed to be very entertaining. Princess Celestia seemed to think so; how glad he was that she agreed! Soon he realized that Celestia had actually mentioned something for him to answer. He stopped in midair and took a few seconds to think about that. What was it again? Oh, right… A… She asked me about my ‘name,’ right? What the heck? A ‘name’... What exactly… Um, am I supposed to have something to rule over so that I can talk about it, like they do? But… I don’t rule over anything! Heh, heh… Okay, I think I got it. This is kind of a tricky question… He scratched his head, but grinned at the princess once he came up with a simple response that was actually quite spontaneous; it was the first thing that came to his head. “Well, that’s actually… Actually… Oh… I… Hm. I don’t know.” He shrugged and looked up in thought. “I don’t think I’ve ever had one… That’s odd, isn’t it? I mean, I usually have everything, since I can just make it appear… I can make anything appear… I know! I’ll make a name appear!” Celestia gave him a confused look while he thought out loud to himself. ‘Make a name appear?’ How on earth would he do that? I think he is confused… “Forgive me, but I am afraid you have misunderstood. I…” “No, no—I’ve got it! If it’s something that I can have, then I can make it happen with my magic! It’s what I do, remember? Whenever I want something, I just create it on the spot. So, I just gotta figure out how to make this ‘name’ thing!” He snickered and rubbed his claw and paw together. After a brief moment of concentration, he gave Celestia a questioning look. “First things first, though; where and how do you usually get names? I have to know where they actually come from so that I can have a better picture…” Goodness, just what does he have in mind? I do not understand… Celestia tilted her head in confusion. “No, no, my friend… A name… It is something that one obtains at birth, you see. That is the time when you usually get it. Your parents bless you with it once they have met you for the first time. It is a beautiful occurrence that usually is the first step to mark your fate and passion in the world.” The creature gave her a blank look; clearly, he didn’t understand what she was talking about. “Ehh… Well, whatever you said… It sure sounded pretty! Hah, you and your sister have a knack for poetry!” How is this possible? How can he not understand the most basic of concepts…? The elemental, yet everlasting experience and meaning that is a name? Celestia shook her head, but carefully disguised her disbelief. The last thing she wanted was to hurt the stranger’s feelings. He was probably confused and distraught as it was. “Um, hey… These… ‘parents’... What are those?” Goodness gracious. “I sure don’t remember any of that… Okay, you need to start from… everything. What the heck are ‘parents’?” He raised an eyebrow and folded his mismatched arms while Celestia stared at him, stunned into silence. “Hey! Don’t look at me like that, you’ve got explaining to do!” “...You never knew your parents? That really is a shame… Maybe you do not remember them?” When she only received silence, Celestia thought it better to continue with her explanation. “Forgive me. You see, parents… They are… They are the ones that give birth to you; your mother brings you into this world, while your father protects you both. Both of them become determined to raise you and guide you in the best way that they can. It is a loving agreement made from the moment you are… made.” He still didn’t understand. However, he noticed that Celestia seemed rather nostalgic. “...So you had ‘parents,’ right? They made you and Luna and promised to protect you and all that.” “Oh, uh… Well, yes; I suppose. They… Um, they gave birth to us and raised us. They taught us well, and entrusted others to help us stay onto our path when they no longer could.” “Where are they now? I wanna know what parents look like!” “Oh, dear. Well… They… Unfortunately, they passed away long ago. It… It does not seem like too long to us, but… It was centuries ago. It hurt us quite so, but… I believe we have come to accept that, though we still miss them greatly. We need to live on to their legacy and expectations. But… Ah, not all parents look like the King and Queen. They… They are different for everyone.” She searched for ways to make her explanation clear, but gentle. He seemed to understand just a bit… “I don’t need anyone to protect me. Maybe that’s why I don’t remember any of them parents!” “But… But that cannot be right… They are the loving couple that brought you to this world. You do not even remember… your mother?” Celestia took a deep breath, then proceeded to explain what a mother was. She often remembered her own while she described a mother’s role, and was relieved to see that the creature patiently tolerated her reminiscing while she explained. “...Hm. Maybe that’s wrong. I don’t remember who brought me to this world. Well… I… It wasn’t this place, where I came from. Everything was different. I just don’t remember it.” “Different? I see… Um… Maybe you were too young…” “It doesn’t feel like so long ago either, though. It feels… I don’t know. I came here on my own; nobody brought me here. I wanted fun because the place where I was before was too boring.” “What was it like?” He thought for a few seconds, but then simply shrugged. “I just know it was boring, and that I really, really wanted to get out of it. I didn’t just want to, actually… I had to leave. I… I don’t think I could stand it.” He floated forward in the air, his mind racing while he tried to gather his thoughts. “Okay, I think… I think I remember now. It’s not much, though. Whatever parents are, I don’t remember any of them. Nor do I remember getting one of those names. I… I only remember a voice.” Celestia tilted her head again. “A voice?” Maybe that was an improvement… “I can’t make it out too well, though; it fades away. But it spoke to me in the dark. It made me want to leave even more. I don’t remember much about it, though. It only spoke…” “Yes, that’s… That’s what voices do, usually. ‘The dark’... What dark place would that be?” “Eh, I have no idea. Doesn’t matter! It was boring anyway. The next thing I know, I’m lost in this place, with an odd sensation and urge to… to just laugh, as much as I can.” He shook his head to clear the confusion and worry away. C’mon, don’t get so down… It’s just talk; it’s not like it’s gonna hurt me. I don’t need any of it! I’m perfectly fine without ‘parents,’ and ‘names,’ too. “Are you alright?” “Better than never! It’s really no big deal.” He stretched and leaned back in the air. “Ahh… So long as I can have fun in here… Trust me, I can be whatever I end up being, and whatever I want to be.” “I see…” Celestia’s brow knitted in confusion, but she calmly tried to make sense of it. How odd… I have never heard of anything like this. I have never seen anything like this creature to begin with… She glanced up at the stranger again; he was too busy playing with some of his transformed objects. ...Is it just me or does he seem rather… lonely? ...It cannot be all that fun, just having those objects for company… Her smile brightened while she approached him. She had become determined to keep an open mind, not hurt his feelings, and help him feel welcome in her kingdom, however long he stayed. I suppose I can find out more about this matter later… But I will have to learn as much as I can. “You won’t bug me until I answer your questions, right?” Celestia chuckled and shook her head. “No, no, not at all. If it cannot be helped, then it cannot. I am quite intrigued by what you can do with your magic. It is quite creative to say the least.” She walked over to the ground that had been turned into checkered tiles. “...We do not have things like these here; I do not believe that any of my subjects, or any creature that we have seen, are capable of this. Our world and home is normal, but tranquil and very pleasant.” He sighed and rolled his eyes at her. “Yeah… Your sister already summed that up. ‘You keeping the peace and balance of the world,’ and all that.” “She helps me greatly. Keeping the peace within this new land is no easy matter, even if it seems like it is.” Celestia’s horn glowed with her magic, and she watched as a twisted tree was repaired to its original form. “I have to keep the creatures here at ease by balancing their world with my sister’s help. My magic assists them and creates order that they can abide to. It is difficult to ease their concerns and worries, you see. But we work hard to create a world that is safe for everyone. We keep it clean and as pure as we can. That is our duty; I love helping out with that. That is why…” The creature blinked and turned his complete attention to Celestia when she stood in front of him. “Huh…?” “That is why, my friend, I must ask you to please keep your interesting games and magic in check. I would not want things to get out of control and become dangerous. There is a risk that it could happen. If unexpected, dangerous things occurred all of a sudden, then our subjects would be frightened and anxious. They would demand explanations and actions against what frightens them.” “That’s silly, though! There’s nothing to fear about this!” “But it is quite different. It is magic that has yet to be understood.” “And it’s harmless! I just wanna have fun; why would I hurt anybody?” “Heh. I am not saying you will. I know you do not understand yet; a Princess’ duty is complicated, and so are her reasons to do things sometimes. But it is okay; I am willing to explain it all to you if you are willing to listen. It will be simple once I have taught it to you. I believe I have learned well from my teachers.” “You’re gonna lecture me? Ugh… I’d rather play something with you.” “Hmm. We might do that; it would be my pleasure.” Celestia winked and giggled while she turned around. “However, we will do so after I have said this to you.” “Argh… That’s no fun.” He groaned and gave the princess an annoyed look. “Oh, but perhaps it will be. How about you keep some of your magic to yourself for a little while? I know it sounds unfair, but trust me… It would take just a short period of time to introduce you to our subjects. If you plan to stay here for some time, I do not see why it would be a bad thing to hold back. It will help you appreciate our home even more. In all honesty, I would be delighted to have you stay and explore. Maybe my sister mentioned this earlier, but sometimes things that are ‘different’ can scare those that do know know them. It is not bad; it is a normal part of life. It revolves around adjusting and getting used to changes.” The creature snickered. “Oh, she may have mentioned something like that, but… I don’t remember too well; she was laughing way too much to think of anything else! Laughter; it’s what I live for. Fun, all of it. How could I resist doing whatever it takes that makes things more fun?” He raised his arms and laughed while his creations levitated again, as if to strengthen his point. “Remarkable… They just keep increasing in number…” Celestia stared at the levitating objects again. She tried to study them more closely. How does he do it? It does not even look like he is using any magic… “Say, Tia! Isn’t this great?” “Hm? Oh, my name is Celestia.” “Aw, c’mon, let me call you Tia! It sounds better and it’s easier! Princess Tia’s fine! It’s a good nickname!” “Tia…” She shook her head and let out a sigh. “Heh. Very well. If you must…” “It really suits you, too! Isn’t it more fun when things make no sense for any reason? I don’t really have a purpose to be here, you know. I don’t have a clue about it. However, there’s something inside me that just tells me how to create all of this. I get all of these great ideas… It’s the best feeling in the world! Everything that comes from them is great, because they sure make good material for laughs. With these, I sure know how to have a good time! You can’t say I’m wrong. I’m sure you like them, too!” “I really do enjoy your magic. It has been a great experience so far. But… You know… All things are created for a reason; that is always true. Everything that we do and is done, every action, has a purpose and a consequence. That is… Many things happen and are done for a reason, and after they happen, they always have some consequences. Whether they are good or bad depends on the actions themselves. Everything that occurs here affects something. I agree that it is refreshing and entertaining to be spontaneous at times… But we cannot allow ourselves to get carried away and overdo it.” “Ugh…” He let out a bored sigh after she finished speaking. “Are things really that connected?” “Of course they are. Come look at this.” She stretched her leg out to show him everything that was to be seen within the kingdom. The sunlight now bathed almost every part of the land, even most of the forests and the mountains that stood in the distance. “Everything is connected. It must all flow peacefully and in balance to keep things safe and sound; a good place to live. We must rule with this delicate balance in mind so that we can sustain and protect the lives that depend on this careful system. We try to be close with nature and its order; it is balanced between rules, structure, discipline, guidance, care, and…” She giggled before she looked up at him again. “Of course, spontaneous fun. It is all connected to form the bigger picture here. These are all ingredients, if you will, for our lives.” He held his head and shook it quickly. “Ugh… Oh, boy… That’s a lot… I don’t know how you two keep up with all of it! Doesn’t it make your head hurt, Tia?” “We have been taught well. Our parents and ancestors set a wonderful, admirable example for my sister and me to follow.” Celestia looked over the land with a warm smile. “With Luna by my side, I rule over this land and care for it. I have done so ever since the King and Queen entrusted us with it. What I told you is only the most basic of knowledge that we must possess to guide us through our journey as princesses and rulers. We must know about the balance if we are to keep it and provide with it the safety of our friends. I have studied this since I was a little filly, and learned it very quickly, because I really am fascinated by it.” These girls sure are dedicated to this place… Ah, but I still think it’s pretty boring… He huffed slightly and scratched his head. They sure are somethin’ else, alright. He looked around, but couldn’t find Celestia anywhere. “Huh? Hey, Tia? Tia, where are you?” He stopped in his tracks when he heard Celestia’s laughter. “What…?” He followed the sound and found Celestia swinging from the high branches of the dancing trees. “Hey! You sure flew up there fast!” Celestia winked at him. “I know plenty of teleporting spells. You never said I had to wait for you to finish to try some of this!” She laughed with delight again, then flew up to the sky when the trees twirled and spun. “Oh… You like that?” He smirked and looked around, eager to get better ideas flowing. She covered her mouth with her hoof to stifle some giggles. “It is rather amusing, yes.” “Hold on. I don’t get it! I thought you said that everything had to be in order, and that I was—” “I was not wrong about that. However, I never said your magic was out of place, only different. And different is not necessarily bad all the time. I like different.” “You do?” “I want to explore and learn as much as I can about my kingdom. To do so, I must have an open mind. I also love to have fun whenever I can, as long as it does not put anyone or anything in danger. Oh, these trees...” She giggled when one of the trees stretched out its branches and invited her to dance. “Why, they are simply delightful! You have made them so lively…” “Huh…” Her eyes gleamed with delight while she looked at him. Her smile seemed as warm as the sun that she had raised. If anything encouraged him to create the best that he was capable, it was that princess’ smile and laughter. Well, seems like I found myself a fan, huh? A good one, too… “Please show me some more!” “Oh, you got it!” ~~~ The mismatched creature had thought that, since she was the eldest, Princess Celestia would be even more uptight and serious than her little sister. He expected her to be busier and harder to talk to, since she ruled a time as busy as daytime. He expected her to be in a rush, wanting to cut to the chase, uninterested in his creations or anything else that was not related to her other duties. However, much to his surprise, he found out he couldn’t have been more mistaken. She did keep him in line and reminded him to mind her cautious requests. She also gave him some boring lectures every so often, and went on and on about why he couldn’t do such things, such as turn the stream and river that ran from the mountain into a new creation that he called ‘pink lemonade’. “C’mon, Tia, let’s do it! It’s just for an experiment, okay? I’ll turn it back if you don’t like it, but I know you will! Oh, you’ll love the looks in those ponies’ faces when they—” “I am sorry, but I said no. You cannot turn our sources of water into this… ‘pink lemonade’ of yours.” “Why not?!” “The fields you see there depend on the constant flow of natural, clear water. This new drink of yours would make them sick, my friend. Animals and other plants would be greatly affected as well—even if it is just ‘for a little while.’ Please understand.” “Hmph…” “I will not object at all if you make it rain ‘pink lemonade’ in here, where we are. This is a place of the forest that will not be harmed or affected. Go ahead and make your best rain, will you? I would very much like to taste the beverage that you create.” It had not been the best deal, but it had been reasonable and easy to handle. She had said she wanted the lemonade, after all. She had no complaints when he flooded the place with rain of pink lemonade. She even loved it! He was very proud when he asked him for a recipe that her chefs could follow; she had liked the delightful beverage that much, and could not wait to drink it again. Even though they have their rules, and are strict about following them… These princesses are actually pretty fun! This isn’t as boring as I thought… There might be more to this place and the ponies after all! He stared at Celestia while he thought to himself. The way that she enjoyed his magic; so sincerely and thoroughly… It was definitely worth sticking to a few of the princesses’ strict requests. So what are a few rules, right? I can handle that… He smiled, then walked closer to the princess. “Alright. I just thought of something else. It’ll be even better than this rain, just you wait.” Celestia made her horn glow and cast a spell that summoned a rolled up scroll. “...This must be an important meeting if they teleported it directly to me…” She scowled slightly while she read over the scroll, which she kept levitated before her. “What do you mean? What meeting? Does that mean you’re not gonna stick around for a bit longer?” Celestia lowered the scroll after she finished reading. “Well, the meeting with the Royal Council is not until the evening. They just sent this message to remind me. How kind of them. I will be sure to prepare my schedule for that time.” She sighed, then gave him a kind smile that set her face aglow. He really had started to like the radiance that her smiles brought to her face. Everything about her seemed as soft and pleasant as the morning sun that he had discovered recently. “That’s great! We still have a lot to do, you know. You can’t leave yet! I’ll get to that thing…” Celestia levitated the scroll in which she had written some hypothesized ingredients. She had spent a few minutes trying to figure out how to make the creature’s beverage novelty, but had not gotten very far yet. “Right… Hm… I think it needs more… What did you say the raining drink was called?” “Oh, that? Uhh…” He gave her a carefree smile and a shrug. “I don’t know. I hadn’t thought about that. Hmm… I guess that if you gotta call it something… You can call it… ‘lemonade’. That’s what I’ll call it from now on! But, that might be a bit weird. I don’t know if it’ll actually…” “That is it? ‘Lemonade?’ Hmm… Do not worry, it is perfect.” She looked down at the scroll and scratched the name on the top with the quill. “Very well. To make this Lemonade one shall need lemons, definitely. Sugar will be required as well, since the flavor is also sweet… I wonder what else… Tell me, how can we put the color in it? Do we require another ingredient to tint it? Can we do it with magic? I wonder what kind of spell could be used for that…” “That’s a special secret! I can’t give you everything I know at once!” He laughed a bit when Celestia pouted. “Maybe I’ll teach it to you later.” A tall glass with sparkling pink lemonade appeared in his claw with a snap of his fingers. “Here you go. The ice cubes won’t melt for a while!” “Oh, thank you. This might be my favorite beverage yet.” He used his magic to create some refreshments for them. Afterwards, they had a picnic, in which they marveled at the things that his magic was capable. While they had their fun, they also talked about the kingdom and the subjects that the princesses ruled over and led. She told him how they had started their duties as princesses since they were very young, barely after Luna had gotten her cutie mark. “That must be a really young age. What’s a cutie mark?” “Oh, right. That is an easy one. This right here… It is a mark of your destiny.” Celestia pointed at her cutie mark proudly while he looked at it curiously. “...A mark on your flank is important?” He tilted his head with confusion when he saw that Celestia blushed a bright pink and actually jumped a bit, as though she’d been startled. “Tia? What’s up?” “Oh, p-please be more serious about it!” Celestia blushed and scolded him lightly, then proceeded to explain what cutie marks were, and the role that they played in a pony’s life. They thought about how he didn’t have a cutie mark, later moved on to what he was altogether. For the most part, they had fun with his magic tricks, and got to know each other better through the games and short conversations that they had in between. The morning had proved to be quite eventful after all; Princess Celestia was ever so glad that she had veered a bit off her schedule, for it really had been worth it. As soon as she had time during the evening, she would write down her amazing experience in the journal that she and her sister shared. It would be wonderful to have those memories in a special place where they could later look and reminisce. Friendship, after all, was something that deserved to last forever, and was always welcome, no matter where or whom it came from. She laughed some more and joined her new friend in a race through the forest. He made it even more entertaining by creating magic obstacles and games of candy and gems. She had no idea where all his creativity came from, but she sure enjoyed it. How she came to admire it, really; especially the fun that it brought them. Before long, she began to plan ways to introduce his friend to the rest of the world. There was no doubt in her mind that everyone would enjoy his assistance and ability to stir up fun wherever he was. “You gotta come find me, Tia!” “You do not make it any easier, you know. If you fly away as soon as I get somewhere, I will never find you!” “C’mon, that can’t be all a princess has got in her! Make an effort!” Celestia laughed when she was ambushed by feathers, but countered them easily. A glowing path formed in the ground and branched off through the forest. However, what gave the original away was the traces of rainbows and inanimate objects that came to life. By then, she was a bit familiar with the magic; at least enough to know where to go. The creature was waiting for her near a stream. A round table levitated above him, while a tea set splashed around in the clear stream. He waved at her, then leaped onto the table. “The tea set might break if it keeps leaping around like that.” “Don’t be silly, Tia. Those guys sure are sturdy! I believe it’s tea time. You do like that, right?” “Rather than tea time, it might be ‘breakfast time’. I am afraid I have not had anything to eat. The picnic was rather brief.” She gave him a sheepish smile while he lowered the table. “Say no more! We’ll have another one!” He continued to delight her with the best of her creativity, his pride and excitement growing more with each request that she made of him. After a while, he even gave her ideas! They were wonderful, too. He had to hand it to the Sun Princess; she might not be able to use his kind of magic, but she sure was a natural at it nonetheless! Maybe that was what made things so perfect. She sure had potential. I think I may have found something worth sneaking around, both of them thought while they shared a delicious lunch of scones, cakes, cookies, sandwiches, tea, lemonade, chocolate milk, and other delicious pastries and snacks that filled the table with delectable taste, aroma, and entertainment.