//------------------------------// // Rumours // Story: How my Little Brother Became an Alicorn // by WiseFireCracker //------------------------------// “Come on, Bladey!” She urged him, gently biting and pulling on his wing when he stopped moving. “We have to defeat the evil coalition of moral guardians that want to destroy our bakery!” It was a silly game, kinda girly too, but he liked it. W-whatever, he’d just tell his big bro that it was something more epic. Not like Ventus called him out on that often. He was just really gullible sometimes. Then again, Sam always looked down at him with the same smile whenever he recounted his day to him. The pulling sensation in his wing disappeared. “Bladey?” Pinkie asked, a little surprised. Tom wasn’t quite sure why he had stopped. They were about to win, obviously, so it was not like he was trying to dodge a magical ray of lightning aimed at him or something. At least, no broccoli had been used so far. Nopony would sink that low, fortunately. “It’s okay, Pinkie…” He replied absentmindedly, looking up, a cold pit of uneasy in his stomach. “Are you sure?” She insisted. “Hu-uh.” He nodded, but did not take his eyes off the sky. Calx folded his wings against his body. The sky looked a little bit too gloomy today. It was kinda gloomy… Sorta depressing, if you asked him. -- To put it mildly, I was depressed. It… well… I sighed, letting my head hang low. I probable looked miserable and that had to be an irreparable offense to nobility or whatever, but I honestly could not care less about their opinions. Though the impact of my hooves against solid rock made a noticeable echo, nopony had bothered coming up to check on me yet. I was… partially grateful for that. The testing had been meant to… well, find a solution, discover a way, ease my fears, ANYTHING... but I had been left with more questions than answers. And I was not the only one. “W-what will happen when…? Could that be just… a characteristic of reality warping spells?” The alicorn shook her head, still frowning. “N-no, the process is normal, but this is too strange.” “W-what is?” I asked, feeling my heartbeat accelerated with fear. “It didn’t disappear the same way as it should be… It’s only when I removed it from your body that it started to truly disappear. Normally, it should have already been disappearing when I pulled it out. The timing doesn’t make sense…” “B-but what of us? What’s going to happen when the spell fades completely? Will there be adverse side-effects?” “I… I’m not…” She sighed, looking torn. “L-listen, I need time, plenty of it, to analyze everything. Just… just return to your brother’s side in the meantime.” Twilight didn’t have any idea either. She had simply shooed me out of her lab, a very pensive expression on her face. That kind of result was simply disheartening. Even with her help, I was no closer to finding a way home. Without at least some dedicated scholars to guide me, my own researches about dimensional travel seemed doomed to fail miserably. Magister really screwed up by not giving me more knowledge of different schools of magic. No, without Twilight, this was not going to work and I couldn’t go back to her so soon... I would follow up on her suggestions though, as they were sound ideas, truly. However, before that, I had to get my thoughts into order or I might not make a very nice companion for the rest of the day. It wouldn’t do to darken anypony else’s mood with my gloom. An aching part of my heart seemed to stretch toward the sky. With the maids quietly commenting on the terrible feeling of emptiness they got watching the normally blue endless space over their head, I had been able to quickly deduce that my goal was already in jeopardy. The Alicorn of the Wind could influence the sky itself. Who would have thought? Calm down, I thought while taking as deep breaths as I could afford to. Just think of positive stuff. Anything will do, so long as I look happy. Things are pretty crappy right now. I know I’m equally Sam and Ventus at the moment, but there is no guarantee that will remain the same with time. There are apparently traces of that dimensional travel spell still on me, which both Twilight and Discord noticed. I felt my heart sink. Oh for freak’s sake! I was trying to cheer myself up! But apparently, I was doomed to fail at everything. Even seeing the bright side of things… “HAVE YOU GONE MAD?!” The bright… side… “I-I… I HATE YOU!” My wings twitched. This wasn’t… I shouldn’t focus on that memory. It was so painful it made me want to forget altogether about… If I did, I wouldn’t be able to… I wouldn’t… My thoughts were too confused at the moment. It seemed as if my chest was a pot of boiling and freezing emotions tearing me apart one contradiction at a time. I wanted them to be okay, I wanted them to be safe. That, at least, was unchangeable. I’ll do it right, Mom, Dad. I allowed myself to breathe a sigh of relief. It was still important to me. It still mattered on a gut level. I swear to you, I will find a way back home for me and Tom. We’re not abandoning you. Slowly, the promise washed away some of my fears and doubts. “Alright… smile, Sam,” I whispered. I did. The corner of my lips twitched upward, slightly, but they did. It was technically a smile. I didn’t need anypony else to tell me that it was not good enough. I’d more than likely make my little brother cringe if I showed myself like that. And if there was anything the little squirt shouldn’t be given, it was more reasons to worry, especially about me. I didn’t deserve that kind of concern as long as we were still trapped here… Come on, a bigger smile. Put yourself in the mood. You have to do it… for him. Images of my little brother flashed into my mind. Ranging from the silly to the cute, my brain could summon so many good memories of him, so many times I was just happy, that the inner darkness vanished instantly. I broke into a grin. A spell later, the hallway I had been walking in was empty and the curtains were moved by an inexplicable draft of wind. -- He was nervous. This was new. Him? Nervous? It was simply unconceivable to every single reasonable pony in Equestria. He was the epitome of nobility; he could not be doubting his capacities of making small talk with the castle’s servants, right? Then, why were the words stuck in his throat? The mare was working quickly and efficiently – as she ought to –, just in front of him, baby blue body partially obscured by his sumptuous bed and the clothes she was intending to take to the laundry room. He did not find her especially pretty, nor did she look that much older than him. Nothing about her was remarkable and that was the root of the problem. If he spoke now, well, he might shoot his reputation in the hoof. There would be nopony ignoring his humiliating choices in an hour if he went through with his plan. It wasn’t so much the words he wanted to speak, but rather who he would be endorsing by doing so. C-could he do it? Could he brave all traditions for the sake of being… the sake of what? Being a better pony? He was already an excellent example of noble stallion! “You are nothing more than a spoiled brat!” “G-good job,” the words flew out of his mouth before he could stop them. If possible, the stallion paled in horror. He hadn’t meant to do that! Oh sweet Auntie Celestia, he had done it. Now he would be the laughing stock of the whole Canterlot nobility. Now everypony would think he had put credit in that infuriating alicorn’s words! It was too late for him to take back his words. The maid had completely frozen, hearing his compliment. Her mouth hung wide open, almost comically. “I’m… sorry… I didn’t quite catch that, your Highness…” She declared, composure broken and hesitation betrayed by her every gesture. Normally, he would have reprimanded her severely for not only implying something there, but also for not paying attention in the first place. Instead, nothing of that scatting reply came out, only a pitiful stuttering could be heard in his royal bedroom. “I… I s-said… ‘G-g-good… job’… that is all…” Heat crept up his cheeks, coloring them brightly. “I… thank you graciously, your Highness, for your kind words.” She bowed deeply, as was proper decorum. Unfortunately, her expression remained that of a pony suddenly being transported in an Equestria under Discord’s thrall. “It… it is simply a most sincere observation of your work, Mare.” The prince looked away, wondering if it was not too late to do some damage control and save his reputation. Oh, if Fancy Pants hears about it, he will not cease bugging me about those ponyist events and his public endorsing of mules and donkeys to stop unfair treatment in their working population. Okay, if he was honest with himself, Prince Blueblood might understand the sentiment and the attitude was fitting for a noble soul, let alone a rich stallion like Fancy Pants, but as prince of the kingdom, he had more important duties. “What makes you so much greater than another pony that would have followed the same path, growing up?” His bitterness squeezed his heart. It was too much. Those accursed words would not leave him in peace. Not for one second. Whenever he acted as he always did, they started echoing in his mind again, causing a strange feeling of emptiness at the level of his heart. “What is your biggest dream?” would always be at the front of his mind. Of course, it would be followed by a scathing “No, don’t bother. You’re right. It is irrelevant. It is quite unlikely that you will ever succeed in achieving it, whatever it might be.” The white stallion’s head was feeling heavier than it should. He was weary of this nonsense that kept assaulting his senses. He couldn’t tell what he wanted anymore… “R-remember that I do appreciate your work…” The maid hurried off with a few words, leaving him alone to ponder this familiar sensation of solitude. -- His figure was cowering behind a bush. The sight of his blue coat shaking so should have sent distress signals all over my brain. However, I could feel his breath through some extra sense in this form. He was snickering. Hardly an attitude one adopts when shaking in fear, if you ask me. With a grin, I held back from manifesting, enjoying the invisibility of being one with the wind. Not only would this allow me to get one over Calx, but another part of me just… wanted to fade away. Just turning into a gust of wind and roaming through the sky seemed like a pretty appealing option to me. Eh, maybe one day, when he’ll be all grown-up and won’t need me. I entertained the thought, shutting down all attempts at acknowledging this would mean I had failed to keep my promise by watching as Tom tensed, ready to pounce. A second later, a high-pitched voice rose from behind a statue. “Bladey?” From my position as a spirit in the air, it was child’s play to see the tensing in his muscles, indicating he was geting ready to pounce. Chance! I quickly leaned forward, right next to his ear. “Boo.” He jumped three feet in the air, letting out a yelp of complete surprise. The sight had me snickering, finally allowing myself to become flesh and blood again. “Sam!” Tom shouted, swirling around in shock. He looked equal part crossed and happy. I guess I have that effect on ponies. “There you are!” Pinkie jumped over the bush, smiling. “Mare, that was a good hiding place. I’ve been looking for a whole ten minutes! Phew, and I almost lost too.” “Hey! I didn’t lose!” The little colt’s eyes narrowed, his voice suddenly sullen. “Sam surprised me.” “Oh, Sammy Good?” Pinkie said, apparently just now noticing me. “I didn’t even know you were playing with us. Ooooooh, I’m so excited.” …What? “M-Miss Pie,” I stuttered. “What did you call me?” “Oh, I heard the girls say you had abducted Twilight, so I was worried at first, but then they also said it was okay, because it was really romantic and stuff. I even heard Rarity say you were good, but I already wanted to call you Sammy, ‘cause it really rolls off the tongue well, so I figured ‘why not both?’.” All to her little speech, the hyperactive mare didn’t notice how I had focused entirely on one part. My eyes twitched. Please tell me you didn’t say the forbidden word in front of Tom. His devilish smirk was all the confirmation I needed. “‘All romantic and stuff’, eh, Pinkie?” “Hu-uh,” she exclaimed and nodded enthusiastically, blissfully oblivious as to what she had just unleashed. “Rarity said her romantic senses had like… really really started tingling, in overdrive even.” “Are you sure that’s not just you? Sounds like a Pinkie Sense to me.” “Yup, pretty sure.” She shrugged. So did Calx. I had a feeling the protest had been more a token than anything else. As further proof of this theory, his evil gaze fell on me, his mouth twisted into the kind of smile the shark gives to the innocent trout. Getting sidetracked by the analogy here. And how did I come to think of myself as a trout? I was suddenly visited by a powerful urge to facepalm myself into oblivion. Right, where was I? Tom took a deep breath, and that was how I knew Tartarus was unleashed on me. “Sam’s got a girlfriend! Sam’s got a girlfriend. Sam’s got a girlfriend.” Ah, yes, the chanting, the abomination that some moron had one day invented to give annoying kids ammunition and fuel to become the most annoying things ever. What I wouldn’t give to inflict a thousand tortures on that being, human or pony or whatever… This… this is like chewing on aluminum paper while giving a bath to a strangled cat that is scratching a blackboard over the sound of a fire alarm. As it stood however, the inventor of the wretched thing known as singing had long died and I was stuck in the middle of an imaginary circle, on the edges of which my little brother jumped up and down, scanting the unbearably whiny noise. Then, it got worse. After a moment of observation, a light of interest lit up in Pinkie Pie’s eyes. “Hey, this sounds like fun! Can I join?” Hearing that, my indignation flared. “Miss Pie, you ca-!” “Sure.” Tom instantly agreed. “YES!” The pink mare jumped ten inches in the air. Before I could blink, shout or generally express my disagreement with this new arrangement, they both started skipping all around me, with a frightening unison. “Sam’s got a girlfriend!” They chanted. I felt like my ears would start bleeding at any given time now. That, or I would have used my magic to destroy all air and thus all sound. For the sake of not hearing them, it would be worth it to destroy this world’s atmosphere. “Sam’s got a girlfriend. Sam’s got a girlfriend.” Urge to destroy the world: rising. “Stop,” I said, sounding so calm it was surreal. They ignored my warning. No mercy then. Heat coursed through my being for a brief moment, before focusing into my horn and lit it up with the glow of magic. As it so happened, they were both in midair at the same time, legs happily folded under them temporarily. This was precisely what I needed to strike. With a flicker of my horn, they both instantly noticed a change. The first of the two was Tom, whose leg muscles contracted and relaxed several times without noticeable change in posture. “Huh? My legs are all tied up,” he muttered, squirming in position to get out of that invisible jam. You can try, but it won’t work, Calx. The air underneath you is solidified and will simply carry you around for a while. “That is so neat!” The high pitched voice was shaking with pure joy. It grabbed my attention quite easily. …Pinkie looked quite similar to a sitting duck, gliding through the air not unlike a giant pink chicken either. A giant excited chicken that gushed over this new thing by babbling and spinning her neck to keep up with me. …That was strangely in-character for her and, surprisingly enough, sent a shiver down my spine. Stupid as it felt though, I could not stop myself from jumping ten feet of air and opening my wings wide when she suddenly appeared underneath me, right between my front legs. Heart beaten at an accelerated rate, I stared at Pinkie while she giggled at my reaction. Damn it! I knew she could do that already! How did that take me by surprise?! “You should have seen the look on your face!” Tom shouted, hollering with laugher. Annoyed, I dropped to the ground and let gravity do the same to them. Neither was properly prepared and I hid a satisfied smirk at the simultaneous thud their bodies made hitting the ground. I used the opportunity of them being both down for the count to make my next point. “Now, listen and understand what I am saying, Tom. I will not repeat it.” The grasp of another spell lifted him up to eye-level. “I am not in love with a pony.” Parts of me screamed that this was a false reassurance. At least, I knew I could not deny a physical, purely physical and nothing more, attraction, which was due to the fact that I had spent four hundred years with that kind of ideal of beauty in my brain. “Come on, Sam. That’s the reason you’re all gloomy and stuff, right?” The odious little squirt grinned, giving me that look. “Twilight didn’t want to kiss you?” He yelped when I unceremoniously dropped him to the ground. “Tom.” I breathed deeply to calm myself and not let the burning rage just take over. “I am currently contemplating how to get you back for this, you understand, right?” He tensed, but otherwise showed no signs of unease through his arrogant demeanor. “Bring it!” “You will learn that I have had plenty of time to learn all brotherly wrestling techniques from hell, little brother.” My attention zoomed in on his slightly shaking figure. “You are on the verge of learning them with your body.” To see him about ready to run for his life quenched at least half of that thirst for glorious sibling revenge. In light of this satisfaction, the muscles of my legs relaxed, visibly. The fear of retaliation away from his mind, Calx was free to act his normal obnoxious self again. Heck, the impish way he muttered to himself implied bad things about my future. But hey, I could take on everything the little guy would dish out. I taught him everything he knows. “Hey Sam, I wanted to ask you something!” Pinkie Pie piped in, breaking me out of my contemplations. With a grain of apprehension, I turned to her. “Yes?” “Where does the nickname ‘Sam’ come from? I mean, your name’s Ventus Vinco and I can’t, for the life of me, figure out where it comes from.” Taken aback, I took a second to compose myself, thinking on how to reply to that without revealing something compromising. “Well…” Pinkie’s face crunched up, with her teeth stuck together and her eyes locked into a panicky light. “Gniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii-” “You okay?” Tom asked, as I blinked, baffled. “-iiiiiiiiiiiiiii- Ve- Nope, got nothing.” I stared. Tom stared as well. We exchanged a glance and both decided not to say anything of this, most likely vowing to forget it. “Let’s just say those nicknames come from a while ago and involve dimensional travel and noodles.” “OH!” The pink mare jumped on her hooves. “What kind?! I love noodle!” “To describe them would be outside the realms of reason,” I said, deadpan. “Awww.” Her ears drooped, sending a pinch of guilt in my chest. “You made her sad!” Calx pouted, jumping to her side instantly. I would later feel shame at the only thought going through my head at the moment being only a deadpan “Seriously?”. Heck, it even pissed me off. She could afford being sad over noodles while I had to suck it up and pretend everything was fine? Urgh… He kept up the glare. I would have too, had it not been for the part where I had promised to make this a good day for him. That, however, did not prevent me from rolling my eyes. “…Fine, I apologize for not being able to describe a particular kind of noodles from outer spaces.” It was as if a switch had been turned on. Instantly, the mare was on her hooves, looking the happiest in the world. “Oh, thank you!” She threw her front legs around my neck, hugging me like I had suddenly told her that ponies all over Equestria wanted to throw her a party. “Just the fact that you apologized means a lot. Usually ponies don’t bother when they say I’m not making sense.” My heart sunk in my chest a little. Well, I needed something to make me feel guilty today… “But you know what would really cheer me up?” Again, her whole expression lit up with anticipation, which had me mentally cower in apprehension. “If we got to visit Canterlot itself.” “Y-you want to visit the city?” Strangely, the thought didn’t bother me. A part of me was however surprised I had not even contemplated that yet. “O-outside the castle’s ground? Are we allowed to do that?” “Why wouldn’t you be? You’re not prisoners of anything.” Oh, of nothing at all, if we exclude Equestria itself. Nonetheless, I could not allow these thoughts to surface, lest somepony caught on. I affected a humbled, embarrassed façade. Scratching the back of my head with my hoof, I offered the pink mare a sheepish grin. “Well… I… believed the possibility nil without any guard to accompany us, but there wasn’t any instruction on what we were allowed to do… or anything else for that matters. I-” The blue face of a colt suddenly filled my field of vision, as a double pressure on my shoulders indicated he had literally jumped on me. “Does that mean we can go visit Canterlot, Sam!?” “…I guess so.” I gently threw him off, desperately trying to find an issue with that course of action and not quite finding one that would not suddenly break Tom’s spirit and squash it into pieces. Of course, the two’s immediate response was to cheer and jump in the air. “That sounds really really nice! I heard they have the highest quality cuisine. This will be great. We’re going to spend lots of time together down in Canterlot. I bet we’ll have lots and lots and lots of fun there.” She proceeded to let out this really cute and weird snort-giggle mix, before looking up at me with wide innocent eyes. “What could go wrong?” …When you put it that way…