A New Perspective Ch. 4
A dark corridor. I was walking down a dark corridor, illuminated only by a few flickering candles. I don't know how I got there, only that I need to go forward, to find somepony.
After walking for what seemed an eternity, I came to a plain white door with a nondescript brass handle. The door was slightly ajar, and all I could see beyond was a deep pervading blackness, like light had given up all hope of trying to illuminate it.
I pushed the door open with my hoof and entered, the door closing behind me with a click and the darkness engulfing me. "Hello?" I called out to the darkness, not really expecting an answer.
"Come forth," said a voice, deep yet not harsh, like that of a kind friend. A light blinked into existence, a small white dot on the horizon. It drew me towards it, like a moth to a flame, first at a trot, then a full on gallop. The light grew larger with each step, until it finally encompassed my entire vision.
After being temporarily blinded, I found myself in a large, ancient chamber with two cauldrons of fire illuminating a small wooden table. Sitting at this table was a silver coated unicorn stallion, about my height, with deep blue eyes and a well groomed chestnut mane and tail.
"Oh good, you've arrived. Please, sit. We have much to discuss."
"Would you care to explain where I am and, more importantly, who you are?" I asked rather skeptically.
"All in due time. Please, sit down," he said, gesturing to a small cushion on the opposite side of the table.
Well, this is rather cryptic, but what choice do I have? I sat down, but rather hesitantly, my finely attuned sense of paranoia sending off warning lights and klaxons of doom in my head.
"Good," he said. "Would you care for a drink, maybe some nice green tea?"
"Uh, sure, why not?"
And seemingly out of the ether, a tea pot with steam coming from the spout and two cups appeared before us. He took it in his magic and calmly poured out the tea, then levitated one cup to me. We both took a quick sip, it's contents sliding down my parched throat and sending a nice warm feeling throughout my being.
The unicorn seemed to share my feelings, sighing, "Ah, nothing like some nice green tea to relax the nerves, don't you think?"
"Look," I said indignantly, "if you just brought me here for tea time, then I'm going to have to leave now. However, if I'm here for more substantial reasons, then start talking."
"My my, aren't we the impatient one. Well, I can see where you're coming from. Enough with the pleasantries then, and let's get down to business. Do you know who you are?"
"Yeah, I'm Evan. I appeared here in Equestria under mysterious circumstances about a week ago, and I've been living here until I can find a way to get home, wherever that might be."
"Yes, that may be true, but do you know WHAT you are?"
"Um, look at me, what do you think I am?" I said, flaring my wings out to give him a proper look. "I'm a pegasus. Have been, will be."
"Ah, the delusions that we so thoroughly wrap ourselves in to hide the truth. No, you are not a pegasus, or at least, you weren't always. You were something... different."
"Wait, what do you mean by 'diff-"
My voice was cut off by a truly earth-shattering roar, one that managed to shake loose bricks from the walls and blow out the cauldrons of flame, plunging the room into darkness.
A point of light illuminated onto the unicorn's horn, providing some light, as well as showing the fear and worry that now clouded his face.
"Listen," he said, with anxiety thick in his voice, "I don't have much time here, but you need to know this. You are in grave danger, as well as everypony you hold dear. Fortunately, I hold the key to what could save you, and possibly send you home. But we can't discuss this here, it's too risky. I've already overstepped my boundaries as it is, contacting you here."
"Speaking of which, where IS here, anyway?" I asked.
"There's no time. Search for me in the ruins." And at that, I was thrown out of the room by an almighty gust of wind, out of the blinding light into the darkness and then out of that same nondescript white door. A brief flash of light showed me that shape that had been on Twilight's necklace, but only for the briefest of seconds.
Then I woke up.
===============
"GAH!" I cried in alarm, a cold sweat on my brow and shivers wracking my body as I lay there on Fluttershy's couch. My head was still sore from where I had hit it, and it wasn't being helped by the fact that I had just been mentally assaulted.
"Evan, are you okay?" called Fluttershy, peeking her head out from the kitchen.
"Yeah, just peachy," I replied, trying desperately to mask my fragile state of mind. "How's that soup coming?"
"I actually just finished, and was just about to come and wake you up when I heard you yelp. Did you have a bad dream?"
"Uh, yeah, nothing too bad." Geez, I'm a bad liar.
"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked, walking over to the couch.
"Nah, it was nothing, really. I'll be fine."
"Okay, if you say so," she said, walking back to the kitchen. "I'll get our soup poured out and bring it over, okay?"
"Sure, thanks a lot."
As she went back into the kitchen, my mind started going a mile a minute. Who the hay was that unicorn in my dream, and why had he contacted me? Where were these ruins that he wanted me to search for him in, if they even existed? And what did he know about me that I didn't?
Man, this sounds like the cliffhanger ending to a bad movie.
Fluttershy came back in about five minutes later, with two bowls of steaming tomato soup and a plate with two sandwiches on it. She set it on the floor between us, and I endeavored to get off of the couch to join her on the rug. My mind still reeling from nearly being caved in, this was easier said then done, but I finally made it and dug into the soup.
As I was eating my sandwich, I paused between bites and asked, "Hey, are there any ruins nearby. I think Twilight mentioned that she was studying them when I checked out my book, and I want to do a little research for her when I get better."
"Well, there aren't too many in this part of Equestria, but the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters is somewhere in the forest. I was last there a year or so ago, so I don't remember exactly where it is, but Twilight could probably tell you."
"Wait, you actually went into the Everfree Forest? You said it was verbatim suicide to go in there!"
"Well, this was back when Twilight first came to town, and she seemed real set on something that she needed to get done. It was the eve of the Summer Sun Celebration, and everypony had gathered in the town hall to watch Princess Celestia raise the sun."
"Wait, you have a PRINCESS? That can move the SUN? Geez, it's like I dropped into a fairy tale."
"Anyway," Fluttershy continued, "When it was time for Celestia to raise the sun, she was nowhere to be found. Then Nightmare Moon showed up."
"Hold on, I think I remember hearing that name in my book. Isn't she the wicked mare that wanted to shroud Equestria in eternal night? The one who was born over the moon princess' jealousy of the attention her sister received and got banished to the moon for a thousand years?"
"Exactly. She vowed that she would bring eternal night, and disappeared into a puff of smoke. Twilight figured that we need to find the Elements of Harmony to stop her, and so we all set out to the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters to find them."
"So," I interjected, seeing the inevitable conclusion coming from a mile away, "after a series of misadventures in the forest, you get to the ruins, find the elements, defeat Nightmare Moon, restore the moon princess to her former state, save Celestia, and everypony goes home happy."
"Pretty much."
"Wow, I had no idea you were so steeped in Equestrian history. It must have been really exciting, getting to play the hero and all that."
"Well... exciting, terrifying, call it what you will. Still, it was the first time I had really interacted with the ponies who would become my best friends, except Rainbow Dash. So, in a way, it was one of the best things that happened to me."
"Except for the whole nearly-the-end-of-all-life-in-Equestria-as-we-know-it thing, right?"
"Yeah, right," she said with a smile. "So, did that help at all?"
"Yeah, it actually did," I said, finishing my dinner. "You know, I am actually feeling loads better thanks to that dinner. I think I'm gonna go see Twilight, maybe help with her research."
"Oh no you don't," said Fluttershy, rising to block the door. "You aren't going anywhere until you're head gets better. You've only had a few hours to recover."
"I have a thick skull," I responded, trying to force my way past her.
However, she stayed stock still, as rigid as a soldier and her face set in a hard glare. Geez, that stare. It's like she was staring straight through me, telling my mind to get back on the couch. And boy, did it work.
I shied away from her piercing eyes and backed up onto the couch. Her features softened back into her regular, sweet self.
"What the hay was that?"
"What was what?"
"That... look. It's like you were staring into my soul."
"Oh dear, did I accidentally use the Stare on you? I am so sorry."
"The Stare?" I asked, arching one eyebrow.
"It's something that happens whenever I can't get my animals to listen. I just glare at them really hard, and suddenly they do what I want. I can't really control when it happens, it just sort of happens."
"Well, I can see how that could come in handy. Still, you're probably right. I should rest up a little more. As soon as I'm better, though, I'm going to see Twilight, got it?"
"Okay, but I'll be the judge of whether you're better or not. Got it?" she repeated, adding a sly little smirk.
"Got it," I replied, placing my head in my hooves and pulling my blanket over me. "I'm gonna catch some Z's, alright?"
"Alright. It's probably about time that I turned in as well. You have a good night's sleep," she added as she trotted upstairs to her room.
"You too," I said, closing my eyes.
===============
It was about an hour later that I popped one eye open and, making sure that nopony was downstairs, I quietly hoisted myself up off of the couch, crept over to the door, and snuck out. I hate having to lie to Fluttershy like this, but I needed to see Twilight, preferably sooner than later.
Fortunately, Fluttershy was the in bed at six type of pony, so it was only about nine o'clock when I snuck out. Plus, if what Fluttershy has said is any indication, Twilight tends to stay up late reading or studying, so she would probably be up another hour or two.
It only took me half an hour to get over to the library, and thankfully the upstairs lights were on, which meant that Twilight was still up. I crept on up to the door and gave a quiet knock, trying not to draw the attention of anypony nearby. After some scuffling behind the door, it swung open to reveal what looked like a very tired purple and green lizard.
"Yeah, what do you want," he said, eyeing me rather crossly, like I was something you would dig out of your ear.
"Um, is Twilight home, I sorta need to talk to her."
"Spike, who's at the door," I heard Twilight call from upstairs.
"Some gray pegasus pony with a green vest. He says he needs to talk to you."
"Hold on," she called back. While she was getting ready, I thought that I might as well talk to Spike.
"So, Spike, do you live with Twi, or are you just visiting?"
"I've been living with her my whole life. I'm her personal assistant."
"Wow, sounds interesting. Just out of curiosity, and not to be rude or anything, but... what are you?"
"What do I look like?" he asked in an annoyed tone of voice.
"Well, to be perfectly honest, you look like a walking, talking lizard. Like, maybe a baby alligator or something."
"Close, but no cigar. I'm actually a baby dragon."
Oh great, this place has dragons now, well ain't that just splendiferous.
"Oh, hey Evan," I heard Twilight say as she descended the stairs, "what brings you here so late?"
"Oh, I just need to talk to you about some stuff. It's kinda personal, so is there maybe someplace a little more... private?"
"Oh, uh, sure, we could just go up to my room. I was doing a bit of studying, that's all. C'mon in."
Spike begrudgingly allowed me entrance, and I followed Twilight up to her room. When we entered she closed the door behind us, locked it, and set some sort of spell on it.
"There, now Spike shouldn't be able to hear us. So, what's up?"
"Well... geez, how to start this. Um, I was sorta wondering if you've found out anything on that necklace that Fluttershy gave you?"
"Well, you're in luck. That's just the thing I was studying. It's really interesting. C'mon over here, I'll show you," she said walking over to her work desk. I followed her, trying to hide the anxiety wracking my body.
"I've been doing a lot of research, but so far I haven't been able to figure out conclusively what it's meant for," she said, gesturing to the necklace sitting on the table. "I've tried investigating it with my magic, but every time I do, I hit a wall of arcane energy, like it's trying to hide something from me. If anything, it sort of reminds me of the Element of Harmony necklaces."
"Oh yeah, Fluttershy was telling me that story earlier today, actually. Hey, what's it doing?" I asked, pointing to it.
"What do you me- oh my GOSH! It's glowing! It hasn't ever done that before. Did you do anything to it?"
Okay, do I give her the truth or an answer. If I tell her that it did that when I picked it up, she'll probably freak and want to tell Celestia. But if I lie, then she'll probably find out later, then freak and tell Celestia.
Talk about being between a rock and a hard place.
"Well... look, if I tell you this, you have to swear not to tell anypony else, and that includes Princess Celestia. I know you two are on good terms, and you'd probably throw in a nice word for me, but I want to keep this on the down low for now."
"Evan, what are you tal-"
"Just promise you won't say a word. Please."
"... Alright."
"When I went to pick that necklace up from Fluttershy's, it was doing that exact same thing. I'm not sure if I caused it or what, but it seems to be connected to me somehow."
And here comes the hurricane.
"Evan, do you have any idea what this means? It means that you may be the only pony who can get past that barrier in it. Hmm... Evan, put it on."
"What?"
"Just humor me here. Put it on."
"... Okay," I said nervously, reaching forward with my head towards the golden chain. I slipped it on, expecting some sort of wave of magic to wash over me, or some lighting to fly out of it. Instead, it just hung there, glowing, acting like any other necklace would.
"Well, that was interesting," I said, sarcasm thick in my voice.
Twilight paced the floor, muttering to herself and brow furrowed in concentration. The tension was practically palpable, and the silence was deafening.
"Hmm... there has to be more to this," she said after five agonizing minutes. "Alright, here's the plan. I'm going to try and get past that barrier in it with my magic. I'm not sure what will happen, but we won't find out otherwise. Ready?" she said, charging up her horn.
"Ready as I'll ever be," I said, closing my eyes as tight as I could. I gritted my teeth, tightened up, and expected the worst.
All I heard was her magic go off before my mind was assaulted by memories that may or may not have been mine. Images of a large, regal castle, of ancient halls covered in marble, of a dark room with hooded ponies gathered around a sigil that had been carved into the floor. A sigil I found all to familiar.
Then there were the more recent ones. Waking up in that meadow, meeting Fluttershy, seeing Ponyville with her, the party, me helping her into bed, the incident at Applejack's, and everything in between. I even relived that dream with the silver unicorn. My mind felt ready to burst, and my still throbbing head wasn't helping the matter much. I blacked out, my mind caving under the stress.
I woke up about five minutes later, my head pounding harder than ever. As I looked up, I could see that the necklace was no longer glowing and that Twilight was on the opposite side of the room, having smashed into a bookcase.
"Ooh, my head," she moaned, rising to her hooves. "What the hay was that? I started using the spell on the necklace, and then I was seeing so many images, memories that weren't mine."
"Those may have been mine that you were seeing," I added, rubbing my head where I had hit it. "But even some of the ones I was seeing weren't mine, or at least, I don't think that they were mine."
"Wait, but if those were your memories, then..."
"Then what?"
"You love her, don't you?"
"What are you talking about?" Man, I hope she isn't thinking what I think she's thinking.
"You love Fluttershy, don't you?"
"What do you mea-"
"Don't try to talk you're way out of this. When I was seeing those memories, I was picking up some emotions too. And every time you were with her, I felt it."
"Look... we're friends, alright. We may be living together, but we're just friends."
"Well, call it what you will, but I saw it. You don't need to hide it. Just tell her, and you'll see."
"Look, can we drop the subject. What else did you see?"
"Well, for one, I know you aren't from Fillydelphia. I saw you laying there in that meadow when Fluttershy found you. I also saw the symbols burned into the ground beneath you. I don't know exactly what they mean, but something tells me that they're important."
"Did you see anything before that?"
"No, just from the meadow to when you snuck out of the cottage."
"Oh hay, you saw that."
"Sure did. Don't worry though, your secret's safe with me. Still, Fluttershy's awfully perceptive. I'd get home before too long if I were you."
"Well, thanks for the help. I just hope that whatever just happened doesn't come back to bite me," I added, taking off the necklace and setting it on the table. As I made for the door I asked, "Oh, by the way, do you remember the route to the ruins of the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters?"
"Like the back of my hoof, why?"
"Well, since you saw my memories, then you know about that dream I had with the silver unicorn. Anyway, he said to find him in the ruins, and since those are the only ones nearby, I thought I'd try there. I'm going to need a guide, though, so if you could help..."
"I'd be glad to, but give it a couple of days. I know that you hurt yourself at Applejack's, and you really shouldn't have come here with you're head injured like it is."
"Right. Anyway, thanks, " I said, opening the door and heading back downstairs. As I left the library, I saw the one light in her room go off, leaving the tree dark and silent. Guess she needed to process what she had just seen as much as I needed to.
The trip back to the cottage was uneventful, but my mind was still spinning, although not from what you might think. 'You love her' she had said. 'You love her'. It sounded almost like an accusation ringing in my ears. But it raised a tumultuous question. Do I really love Fluttershy? I mean, sure, she's nice, and we had had good times together. But love? It had always seemed like such a foreign concept, like something that could only happen in stories.
But now that I thought back on it, we really were more than just friends. Rarity was my friend. Applejack was my friend. Pinkie Pie, Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, they were my friends. I had had good times with them, but it had never really clicked like it had with Fluttershy and I.
Would I have dragged Rainbow Dash out onto that dance floor? Would Pinkie Pie and I have gazed deep into each others eyes as we were locked in each others embrace? Would I have helped Rarity into bed when she was tired?
So many questions, but only one answer; no.
Fluttershy, however, just seemed to have that... something. Charisma, charm, call it what you will, but she just had it.
My mind was reeling so hard that I barely noticed that the cottage was now in plain view. I guess I had been on auto-pilot while I thought. Thankfully, none of the lights were on, so she must still be asleep. The thought of her asleep, peacefully resting, with the blankets up to her chin, brought the tiniest of smiles to my face.
Maybe I did love her. Maybe this could work out in the end.
I snuck back inside, being careful not to make much noise. I quietly closed the door behind me and made my way over to my little green couch.
"And just where have you been?" came a voice from behind me.
Oh, horse-apples.