//------------------------------//
// The quest's beginning, pilot part 6 
// Story: Reluctant hero 
// by MidnightFMare 
//------------------------------//

	I look up and I'm covered in dirt and rocks "Owwww... I guess I'm not dead..."

After pulling myself into a sitting position, all my joints pop and creak in protest as I look around "The landscape is different... must be outside." 

I wipe my eyes and step in something soft and squishy "Hm? Ah! Tia!"

The panting princess's eye moves to me and widens in shock "How... I sent a miniature... star at you... you should be less than dust!"

I shrug and wipe some dirt off my coat "I'm just lucky I guess."

She glares up at me "You aren't lucky enough to avoid an actual star! Nopony is!"

I grin "I guess I'm not a pony."

She groans and I offer my hoof "Here, let me help you up."

She raises a hoof and I easily pull her out of the indentation she made "... How much do you weigh?"

"About a hundred and thirty-six kilograms..."

"Yeesh, and I lifted you with ease! I guess I'm super strong too. Maybe I'm a super hero?"

She rolls her eyes "Just... get me to the infirmary..."

I nod but then pause "Promise not to lie and say I caused all these abraisons and the like?"

She sighs and nods.

I grin and have her lead me.





I look around the deserted hallway "Okay, my guide is unconscious, Luna is who knows where and I'm thoroughly lost... wonderful."

"Hello" a familiar voice says, soft hoofsteps coming from behind me.

I turn my head and smile "Hello Maud. You wouldn't happen to know where the infirmary is located would you?"

She nods and cocks her head "Why is Princess Celestia unconscious?"

"She over exerted herself and now I have to get her to a doctor. But I'm unfamiliar with the castle's layout."

Maud nods and rests Tia's other side on her back "Follow me."





I fix my jacket, having gotten Tia to a doctor with Maud's help.

I yawn and turn to Maud "Does this happen often?"

She shakes her head "No, not to my knowledge."

I shrug and head down the way I came "I'm going to go repair the damage Tia caused. Have you seen Luna?"

Maud shakes her head and follows me silently.

Pausing, I turn to her "You don't need to follow me Maud."

"I want to." she replies, walking beside me.

Shrugging, I continue to walk towards the royal chambers of Luna, Maud in tow.





As I pull open the door to Luna's chambers, the sound of grumbling hits my ears "Luna?"

The door to her room is enveloped by a dark blue aura and opens further to reveal Luna with a flat look "Hello. Come to clean up the mess?"

I nod and nudge past her "Exactly, I just don't know what went wrong in all honesty. Everything was civil and then I wake up outside having somehow survived a star to the face."

Luna stares at me "A... star?"

"Well, not really. It was too small to be one but it looked like a miniature solar flare. Huh, I know what solar flares look like up close. Maybe I was an astronomer?"

Luna shakes her head "I... I will address that another time. I have already gathered the materials you need to repair the window... and the floor."

I salute and pick up the bucket of cement, Maud picks up a number of bricks and we get to work.

Out of the corner of my eye Luna smiles before flopping onto her bed, her soft snores filling the room.





I place the last brick in place with a flourish and grin "Done. I suppose work is it's own reward?"

Maud nods "I have found work to be a means to an end, but the sentiment is familiar to me."

"... You're very articulate. Are you a scholar?"

"No, I'm a rock farmer. And a part time artist slash poet."

I stare at her "I know this may sound silly because for all I know it's common knowledge, but how does one go about farming rocks?"

She grins slightly "Trade secret."

I shrug and walk over to the door "I suppose we should get going... or you at least, I can't remember where I live. Or... if I live anywhere at all..."

She shakes her head "I have a spare room."

"No thanks Maud, I've caused you too much trouble so far and I can't accept your offer without having compensation."

"... I wasn't suggesting it."

Before I know it she's dragging me out of the room with an arm around my neck "... I don't think I like being dragged. can you stop dragging me please?"





I look around the simple foyer "... Is the shoe rack really necessary? I highly doubt ponies can remove their horseshoes... speaking of which, why isn't anyone wearing any?"

"Horseshoes are more or less accessories and equipment. Like spiked for climbing sheer rock walls or mountains, or magnetic for walking up metal... or wedged for splitting stone."

"But... don't you have to nail them in?"

She cocks her head to the side, confused "Why would we need to do that? All we need to do is hold them."

I roll my eyes "Right, how is it that ponies can hold things with hooves anyways? I mean, I can't wrap my head around it."

She shrugs and leads me to her living room, motioning to the couch "Nopony knows."

"Huh. So, what do you want to do?"

She hops onto an opposing couch and shrugs "You could tell me about your cutie mark I suppose."  

"It's a Duel Monsters card... I like the game so... I guess that's about it." I reply simply.

"Hm... Do you like geology?"

"I'm an amnesiac, I haven't the slightest clue if I do or don't."





I juggle several specimens to Maud's amusement "Seriously, I can barely comprehend the fact that hooves hold things, yet here I am juggling!"

My ears twitch towards a nearby sound "I think somebody is coming."

Maud nods and walks towards the door "I forgot I was having lunch with my sister today..."

I shrug and toss the gems and rocks back to their proper places "I can leave if you want."

"No, that's fine. You can stay if you want."

I stare at her "We just met earlier this morning and yet you want to leave me unsupervised, alone, in your house? What, do you leave your door unlocked during the night too?"

She shakes her head "I'm a good judge of character, and I don't think you'll take anything because I see that you are an honest pony."

For the briefest of seconds, I swear I saw her wink but pass it off as a trick of the light.

I lay back on the couch and replay the past few hours in my head. Unsurprisingly, the mental slide show doesn't last long and I am left with nothing to do.

"... Okay, What to do... what to do..."

Rolling off the couch, I walk around the house looking for entertainment and possibly adventure. "Rocks, stones, gems, minerals, matrices, metal ore samples, maps of distribution... seriously, why is everything related to geology? And why is this olivine with smithsonite?"

I lift the small crystal and connected to the bottom is a metal bar "Wha-" the sound of gears turning and wood shifting comes from behind me as I set the crystal down "Okay... Either I turn around and see what just happened, or walk away and act as if I never saw it..."

I pull out a gold coin Luna gave me and flip it... somehow... the coin arcs over my head and as I turn I see it roll down a dusty pair of steps that appeared right behind me "... Okay, go down the rabbit hole."





I recover my coin and look around the dark room "Hello? Anyone here?"

Nothing, my voice just echoes through out the room "Fine. I'm alone or whoever else is in here is very rude."

I sigh and walk towards a hole the size of a carriage "... Adventure!"

Jumping over the threshold, I slink through a hallway cut through what looks like granite bedrock and a few coal veins "Okay... how on earth is this possible? Bedrock is incredibly hard and the only thing that can break it easily is tectonic activity... but coal in the middle of a city built on the side of a mountain? That's impossible to my knowledge... meh, geology isn't really relevant right now."





"Green acres, we are there~!" I sing to myself, still walking the tunnel "Okay, out of show tunes. Now what do I do?"

As if answering me, a tiny glimmer of white light sparks ahead "Follow the light, always a good idea."

Several minutes later, I reach the exit of the tunnel, which leads to a craggy clearing like a crater of sorts, bits and pieces of foliage littering the edges. What stood in the centre was a giant crystal tree.

I sit down, marveling at the majestic crystal tree, tiny pins of light filter down to the tree itself, reflecting and refracting the light in a spider web of color.

Come forth... warrior of chaos...

I look around clearing "Either I'm crazy or the tree just spoke... I'm going with the former for now."

Jumping from the cave's entrance, I glide around to the front of the tree "Yeah? Can I help you crystal tree?"

You are lost in a world unfamiliar... yet at home.

I shrug "I'm not loathing my luck at the moment."

I wish to see this world's balance of forces equalized. You are the only one who can balance chaos in its purest form, whilst creating harmony. Please, search for friends who will help you in this journey.

I scratch my head "So... a quest? Cool, maybe I'll get my memories back."

The tree glows for a second and fades back to its usual brilliance Midnight Mare, thank you.

I salute "No problem. Now... I think Maud will be looking for me so I have to go. See you later!"

I take off and enter the cave, throwing a happy glance behind my back "A quest? Sweet..."





I walk back up the stairs and push the olivine down, the stair way closing seamlessly behind me "Okay, the tree said to make some friends so... I guess I already have two or three. Maud, Luna, and maybe Lyra but I haven't seen her since I left the ruined castle... Two friends, okay, that's good. I might need more... and figure out why it called me 'Warrior of chaos'... what balance it was talking about..." I facehoof "I should've asked... I must be a scatter brained moron."

Shrugging, I hop onto Maud's couch and curl up, my split tail with it's two points covering my mouth, hooves held close. "Napping is a good use of time..."