//------------------------------// // Haunting (6) // Story: Summoned // by BlackWing //------------------------------// Haunting "Hello Celestia." Alex said, making sure it really was the older sister this time. "Hello Alex. Is there something you'd like to tell me? Perhaps something about why there was somepony else's blood on your summoning circle? Something to do with why my sister is crying hysterically in her room?" Celestia asked sternly. It wasn't his fault, and she wasn't mad at him, she just wanted to know. "Curious Luna is curious, summons a naked me, doesn't know how to send me back. I tell her to get you, she gets mad, and now she thinks she killed me." The dry and clothed human answers. "How many times have I told her not to go in my room? Ugh, sisters will be sisters. I'm guessing she lost her temper, tried to throw you into a wall, and you hit the barrier?" She sighed. He nodded. "Well, we can't have her thinking you're dead. My guess is she's been beating herself up over it all day." Celestia was interrupted by crying coming from the next room. "Why don't I go see her? Let her know I'm fine?" Alex suggested. "I fear that would be letting her off too easy, especially since she neglected to tell me about what she did." She said, hanging her head low. She didn't want her sister to be sad, but Luna needed to learn a lesson. "You have an idea?" He asked. "I always do." She said, erasing the barrier circle. "Luna, is there something you'd like to tell me? Maybe something about why you overrode my blood seal, and I can't summon my familiar?" The elder sister asked. Luna just looked up with crying eyes. "I'm sorry sister. I, I got curious about what was going on, so I entered your room without permission. I saw the circle, and I used it. The thing that came through was embarrassed because it was naked, and wanted to go home. I didn't know how to send it back, so he told me to get you. I got mad that it was bossing me around, and I didn't want you to find out. It was barely a push I swear! He just kind of, exploded, in a puff of smoke. I'm so sorry. You finally found a friend after all this time, and I've killed him." The moon princess proceeded to bawl her eyes out again, not because she was afraid of punishment, but because she had deprived her sister of companionship, something she had wanted for so long. "Well, for the murder of my familiar, I have no choice but to punish you. As the crime is quite severe, so too is the punishment." Celestia looked down at her sister with a righteous flame in her eyes. "Whatever the punishment is, I gladly accept it, no matter what it is, it is certainly less than I deserve." Luna said sullenly, expecting banishment, or worse. Celestia stomped her hoof on the ground, and Luna closed her eyes. The stomp was Alex's cue to enter. "I hereby sentence you to one hour of non stop tickling, to be administered by the victim of the crime. Alex, tickle her till she squeals." Luna opened her eyes, eyes that had been red from crying, to see the very being she believed she had killed, standing there uninjured, and fully clothed. "With pleasure." He approached. Celestia held her sister down with magic, as he used his hands to tickle her all over. She laughed and thrashed and hollered until she couldn't breathe from the laughter, tears once again streaming from her eyes, although this time not due to sadness or guilt. "Alright, that's enough now, I think she's learned her lesson." Celestia said. Alex promptly stopped tickling Luna, after only a half hour had passed, merely half the sentence. "I..I...I don't understand..." Luna managed to say between gasps, desperately trying to get some air. "In summoning, if the familiar 'dies' they aren't truly gone, they just pop back into their own world, completely unharmed. So yes, you 'killed' me, but it's no harm done." Alex said laughing. "But, I didn't put nearly enough force into that to cause death..." Luna added. "That's because you threw him into the barrier spell I had set up, to contain whatever came through. It negates any conjurations that pass through it, causing him to die." Celestia explained. "Yeah, just because I'm not actually dead doesn't mean that it doesn't hurt beyond all measure. Please don't do it again." "Now, if you don't mind, I believe you have something you need to say to the both of us?" Celestia said. "Sister, I'm sorry for sneaking into your room, I know I'm not supposed to. Alex, I'm sorry for killing you, and bringing you here while you were naked." Luna said, still chuckling a bit from the intense tickling session. "All is forgiven." They said in unison. "Okay, so, who want's some Skittles?" Alex pulled out a package that said 'Taste The Rainbow' on it. "Why would we want that? Rainbow's are unbelievably spicy." Luna asked. Alex facepalmed. "Of course, you have liquid rainbows here. This isn't made from rainbows. They are all different fruit flavour candies, and if you put one of each in your mouth, all the fruit juices mix together making a 'fruit rainbow' of flavour on your tongue. They're really good." He said as he ripped open the red plastic. He took a handful and put them in his mouth. The sisters took several each, and did the same. As soon as them bit into them, they understood. "This is.... good!" Celestia exclaimed. "I thought you'd like it. I don't know what you all have for sweets here in Equestria, but on earth, these are some of the best." Alex explained, taking another mouthful. "I can see why!" Luna said excitedly, then added, "It would be best to NOT let Pinkie Pie have any of these, else we would never get any ever again." "Agreed." Celestia said. "Pinkie Pie?" Alex asked, wondering what kind of creature could possibly have such a name. "Oh dear, I believe I've neglected to tell you of the elements of harmony." Celestia said. "The Element's of Harmony are six magical stones, representing kindness, generosity, loyalty, honesty, laughter, and magic. Their bearers must be pure of heart and share the bonds of friendship with one another. If these conditions are met, the most powerful magic in all of existence can be brought forth, and anything becomes possible. Since magic is only limited by imagination and available ability, this provides unlimited ability. The bearer of magic, my own student, Twilight Sparkle, is the leader of the group, and directs the magic. The other element bearers are, Fluttershy with kindness, Rarity with generosity, Rainbow Dash with loyalty, Applejack with honesty, and Pinkie Pie with laughter." She explained. "Let me guess, Pinkie Pie, laughter, is a hyperactive pink fuzz ball of a sugar addict?" Alex guessed. "Once again, your powers of logic and reason are astounding. Twilight would love you." Celestia remarked. "Hmm, logic and reason, skilled magic user, your own student.... she's a book worm." He guessed again. "Correct once more." Luna stated. "You know, instead of me guessing all of their personality traits, as much fun as it is. Maybe I should just meet them? That way, if I do end up meeting them eventually,It's not creepy. It's more than a little awkward meeting someone you know all about when they know nothing of you." Alex suggested. "Unfortunately, I don't think that will be possible. You are bound within a one mile radius of this circle. Basically, you are able to go anywhere within Canterlot castle, but outside it's walls you will be unable to proceed any further." Celestia explained, a little sullen. "Well, is there any way to boost the range, or maybe make it portable?" He asked hopefully. "I'm afraid not. The preparation required to bring you here in the first place was enormous. To try and remake it in a portable fashion would require an excessively large piece of paper, and it would be so fragile that it would likely break on the way to the town. Even then, you'd have to stay within 20 feet of me at all times." She apologized. "Well, I guess that's okay. I can still see them on their next visit to see you. Until then, I can just get to know you and your sister better. Maybe introduce me to the rest of the castle?" Alex said, a little sad. "We'll see. Until then, perhaps you should head home. If what you said about our time lines being in sync, it's almost nightfall in your world. You should probably be going home." "Alright then. See you two later." Alex waved goodbye to the princess sisters. Celestia's horn glowed, and nothing happened. "Ehm, why didn't anything happen?" He asked. "I, I don't know. Maybe you need to be in the circle?" Celestia offered. They all headed back to her room. Alex stood in the circle, no longer with the magic barrier around it. Celestia tried again, and it still didn't work. "I don't know what's wrong. I've done this dozens of times, using things from this world and others. Why can't I send you back?" She asked. "Hey, you're the conjurer, I don't know anything about summoning!" He said, starting to get worried. "What if I just kill you again? That should send you back right?" Luna suggested, receiving a sharp 'NO!' from Alex, who was not looking forward to pain of that magnitude any time soon. "Okay, stand outside the circle, I'll try summoning you again, then unsummoning you." Celestia said. "Well, it's worth a shot." He said leaving the circle. She summoned him, and he appeared within it. She cancelled the summoning, and he appeared back where he was before. "Well, that's not good." Luna said, knowing nothing of conjuration, but the result was bad. "Maybe check the book?" Alex suggested desperately. Celestia went took the chest out from under her bed, using her unique magic signature to unlock it. She flipped through the pages, before she gasped. There are several methods of a familiar becoming unbound, the most prominent of which is a gift exchange. While the caster can order the familiar to give them something, if the familiar gives the caster a gift of it's own free will, they will become an unbound, no longer bound to the caster, but the caster's world itself, and no longer having to obey it's former master. There is currently no known way to unsummon an unbound. The spell would merely send the conjuration to it's current point in the world, meaning it would have no effect. While it may be summoned again, and have the properties of a familiar once more, when unsummoned, it would return to it's anchor location in it's new world. Most unbounds are violent and highly dangerous. As such, their casters were slain by their familiars upon gaining their freedom, disallowing any research into unbound banishment to occur. The most common gifts are small items from the familiar's world, including but not limited to, trinkets, jewelry, and food. All three stared wide eyed as Celestia read the passage. "You mean, I can't go home?" Alex said, tears in his eyes. Luna prepared a spell to kill him in case he became violent. He fell to his knees crying. "My family, my friends, I can never see any of them again, all because I gave a magic pony a pack of skittles?" Luna saw his misery, and got rid of her spell. Celestia gave him a hug. "I'm sorry. This is all my fault. I should have read more into it. I brought you here, I'll find a way for you to go home. Until then, you are welcome to stay here, with me." She offered. She had caused him so much trouble. An innocent gift, sharing something from his world, had prevented him from ever returning to it. Celestia and Luna were powerful, but they knew very little of the complex magic used to bring him to their world. The book's author had lived over 8000 years ago, and was no longer alive. The only one in Equestria with any knowledge of conjuration was an amateur. "By the time you do, I will have been gone for a long time. Maybe even years. Will I even want to go home by the time you do?" Alex said crying, as Celestia placed her head on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry. I only know the spells because I used the book as a reference. I know nothing of how the knowledge came to be, the formation of the spell, anything. This is a beginner's guide. Any more complex references simply don't exist. I fear you are correct. It may take thousands of years of research before we find a way to send you back, and you don't have that long." Celestia was crying just as much as he was. She felt beyond guilty for what she had done. He had no idea that a simple act of kindness could cause this. As one who had always kept his cool and thought things through, to see him break down like this, she knew that he felt truly helpless. "Princess, can you summon me again? I know I'm already here, but I'm not thinking too clearly right now. I don't want to run off crying and end up hurting myself." Alex asked her. She complied and cast the spell, causing him to appear in the middle of the circle. "Thank you." He said with a tear running down his face. "Perhaps you should go to bed. Although it isn't much, you will probably feel a little better in the morning, after a good night's rest." Celestia showed him to another room, opposite side of her's to Luna's. He lay down in the soft but firm bed, pulled the covers up, getting himself comfortable. "Have pleasant dreams. That's an order." Celestia said. Alex was starting to like being a familiar. It meant a lot of things were easier than normal, and there were a lot of tough choices that he didn't have to make. He indeed slept well that night, having pleasant dreams. Damn skittles. I got the whole 'gift for unbound' thing from a conjuration book in Skyrim 'Tragedy In Black' where a daedra gives it's summoner a soul gem, then proceeds to gut him and fill the gem with his spirit.