"Oh, wow."
Vinyl gazed at the lump of limestone I placed on her table. It sung softly to itself.
"Thirteen pounds of singing stone. Think that will be enough for your projects?"
"Wooooooow."
"Vinyl?"
"Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow."
"Lyra, is she OK?"
"Give her a minute. She'll be fine."
"Woooow. Wooooow."
"Only, I thought she might want to see the quartz I found." Vinyl's head snapped around as I extracted the rock crystal from my pack and unwrapped each piece to a chorus of soft notes. "I think these sound better, but they're harder to find. I thought we could build my synth around them."
"Yes. Oh, yes. Oh, this is going to be great." Vinyl pulled out her scratchpad and laid it on the table in front of us. "Let's start planning this out. I want to make the coolest synth ever."
"Didn't you do that last time?"
"So?"
"This is for your project with Vinyl and Lyra?"
"Yeah." I was in Twilight's lab, a half-dozen calibration tools and measuring devices scattered across the workbench. The link glowed gently in my mind; I was carefully borrowing a small stream of magic from Twilight. The core of the synth, an array of singing stones about the size of a laptop, hovered in the air over the bench.
I was painstakingly engraving sympathy spells into the array, following the patterns Vinyl had provided. She'd been surprised when I told her I could do the magic myself, but Lyra had reassured her and she'd acquiesced with a smile. I didn't even really need Twilight's help, but her assistance let me accomplish a week's work in a fraction of the time.
Vinyl, like every pony I'd learned from, was a genius in her own way. The three of us planned out a synth that should work very well, and since it was built around singing stone, also sound excellent. I didn't understand all the technical advantages that excited her, but it was interesting enough from a magical and engineering viewpoint.
Even though my instrument wasn't done, I'd already started learning some music. Lyra gave me what she called 'ear training', exercises designed to enhance my ability to distinguish notes. I was also memorizing musical notation. According to her, I didn't need to be an expert musician to learn body harmonics. I just needed enough grounding in the basics to get a handle on what was happening when I turned my magic inwards. Mistakes were dangerous, and although my personal magic was extremely limited, even small amounts of energy could hurt.
"So, you're learning to cast on your own?"
"Kinda." I flipped the core over to start on the next node. Twilight gave me a mental nudge and I adjusted my grip slightly. "I'm really only learning one spell, but it's been tough going."
Lyra had added a magic workout to my meditation and training. Since I was using unicorn techniques the progression was natural, but that didn't make it easy. She'd had a hard time learning spell-casting, and I had even less magic.
"My current practice is levitating a coin. Despite knowing how to cast, I haven't managed yet."
"Well, sure; if you try and remember my skills, it probably won't work. My magic isn't like yours; you'll need to learn the 'feel' of it."
"Oh." I frowned. She was carefully double-checking the core. "Is there really such a difference?"
"Of course!" She shot me a serious glare. "Magic is part of your body! It would be like learning to walk on different legs."
"Heh, we did that."
"Hah, yeah."
I worked in silence for a minute. Suddenly, a glowing mote appeared next to my wand with a chime, startling me. I paused my work and studied it. It sparkled gently, floating just above the base. I might not have noticed it without the chime.
"Twilight, what's this?" I pointed.
"Oh. That's…odd. You've got mail."
"Mail?"
"Yeah, a vivre card. But…" She glanced at me. "I wonder who sent it? You don't have a cutie mark." I shrugged.
"How do I open it?"
"Just concentrate on it."
"Well, that's vague." I frowned, but followed her advice anyways. I looked closely at the mote, willing it to divulge its secrets. A piece of folded parchment materialized with a pop. "Woah. That actually worked."
"Duh." Twilight went back to work while I opened my mail.
"It's…" I paused, and read through the missive again. "It's from Sunset."
"Oh?" Twilight's voice was carefully neutral. I really had no idea what her feelings were on Celestia's former student, and she seemed wary of mine as well.
"Yeah. She wants to correspond with me. She sent this using a vivre card for…Splinter."
"Oh."
"She enclosed some of hers, so I could mail her back."
"Hmm."
I rubbed my jaw, thinking it over.
"I think I will. I mean, I don't know much about her, but I feel I owe her something. Maybe we can be pen-pals."
"Sure."
"Twilight, what's eating you?"
"You should write the Princess, too." She gave me an uncomfortable look. "I mean, don't just get one side of the story. I don't know what happened between the two, but I don't think you should just hear her version."
"Well, I have been meaning to write Her Majesty. But I don't think she'll tell me anything about Sunset. We asked, remember?"
"Well, Ok. But…I dunno. Don't go judging her. Either of them."
"Sure."
Dear Wes;
I apologize, but I will not detail what happened between me and my former student. However, the rest of your letter had some very interesting ideas.
Your theory that most differences between Earth and Equus can be traced to me and my sister may be correct. However, while I have definitely had a stagnating impact, I assure you that holding Equestria back has never been my aim.
It took decades for me to even notice my impact on culture, and much longer to understand it. My research suggests I mainly encourage stagnation in two ways. The first is the country's stability. I err on the side of peace and unity in my policies. This tends to stifle the market, which would normally be a source of healthy competition. I try to limit my involvement in the economy because of this; Luna was always better at money.
The other cause is more subtle. Ponies can be very herd-minded. As a leader, this often works to my advantage. However, the downside is they can be wary or even afraid of exploring avenues I don't explicitly outline. In short, they have trouble innovating. This is a source of endless frustration to me, and a large part of why I started establishing retirement options. Even without a catastrophe, I will probably withdraw eventually, if only because I don't want to do this job forever.
I can see your house from up here,
Celestia.
P.S. Luna says A8. Are you two playing a game?
"Hello?"
I set my book down and moved to answer the door. I'd been relaxing with a little fiction after supper, but this might be a delivery of synth parts. We just needed a few more pieces to assemble it, and then I could actually practice with it. I could already read music slowly, and I was progressing through the ear training exercises. Frankly, the physical structure was taking longer than the sound engine; we had the body and keys on order from Canterlot. But they couldn't be done yet, could they?
I cracked the door open. A light pink pegasus, with a creamy curly mane, stared up at me soulfully with large brown eyes.
"Oh, Cherry-" She glowered slightly. "Sorry, Sakura. Come on in." I swung the door open, but as I did, realized she wasn't alone. A dark blue pegasus and a tan unicorn followed her, glancing around nervously and acting a little uncomfortable.
"Sorry, it's kinda a mess." I shrugged; my Everfree kit was arrayed around the door, ready for my next expedition. There were a few dishes in the sink, and I had books scattered around the living room. "Feel free to make yourself at home. What can I help you with?"
"Um, um, um-" Cherry started mumbling, but the other pegasus nudged her, and stepped forward.
"She wanted her journal back," she said flatly. "And we came along because she said you were cool. Do you really eat meat?"
"Yeah." I shrugged. "Don't pegasi do that, too?"
"But, like, animal meat."
"Does cragodile count?" Three sets of eyes went wide at that.
"Where do you get cragodile?" The unicorn gasped. "Those things are mean!"
"I trapped it myself." I shrugged uncomfortably. "They might be mean, but they're dumber than rocks."
"Wicked." The dark-blue pegasus said. "Hey, Cherry says you gave her a human name. Can you give us names, too?"
"Is that OK?" I walked over to my bookshelf, and retrieved the journal. I'd placed it on top, out of reach of other inquisitive ponies. Unless they could fly, but still. Two out of three isn't bad. "I mean, I did it on a whim, but…there's not some sort of cultural thing to giving names, is there?"
"No." The unicorn gave me a puzzled look. "Where are you from?"
"A long, long way off. Trust me." I shrugged. "Ok. What are you called?"
"I'm Indigo." The pegasus gave a flip of her mane. She was wearing dark makeup, which I'd thought a little strange, and there were sequins combed into her mane. Maybe she was imitating Luna? She turned, giving me a glimpse of her side; her cutie mark was a closed eye, which looked a little odd. "I'm apprenticed to a landscaper. I prune trees."
"Indigo, huh?" I thought a bit. "Do you like shadows?"
"She wants to be a bat-pony." Cherry rolled her eyes slightly. "I am of the night!" She exclaimed, gently mocking the darker pegasus.
"Hey!" Indigo gave her a harsh look, and glanced at me.
"Ok, sorry!" I raised my hands, and they quieted. "Well then, I'll call you Umbra. That means shadow," I think, "in a language called Greek." Or Latin.
"And you?" I pointed to the unicorn.
"I'm Blackjack." His mark was an ace of spades. "We moved here from Canterlot; my parents used to run a casino, but now they're selling insurance. I love games."
"He plays Ogres and Oubliettes." Indigo stuck her nose up. "He's a nerd."
"Pff, nothing wrong with that." I thought for a minute. Ogres and Oubliettes sounded like it might be this worlds Dungeons and Dragons. I'd have to investigate that; tabletop RPG's could be a lot of fun. "Ok, then, I'll call you Gygax, after a famous gamer in my country."
"What did he play?"
"He didn't just play games, he wrote them."
"Cool!"
"See?" Cherry turned to her friends. "Isn't he awesome?"
"Yeah!" Blackjack enthused.
"Sure." Indigo answered, nonchalantly.
"Ok!" Cherry exclaimed. "Then it's official! We're now the Wesley Kilmer fanclub! Wooo!" Indigo rolled her eyes slightly, but stamped a hoof a few times to cheer; Blackjack nodded enthusiastically.
I froze, dumbfounded. Somehow, one oddly admiring filly had turned into three worshipful teenagers. I don't think I can handle this.
"Um, hold on a second." I tried to calm them by waving an arm. "I really, really don't think that's a good idea. See, there's been a pony, or a few ponies maybe, who don't like me around here. For some reason, they're trying to make trouble for me, and I don't want you wrapped up in that."
"Oh!" Cherry jumped excitedly. "We can figure out who they are! We can be detectives!"
"No. Please." I barely restrained a facepalm, working to keep my voice down. "You don't understand. These ponies might be very bad news. Not all my enemies are as soft and cuddly as cragodiles. Cherry Blossom!" I fixed her with a glare; she froze. "Remember what I said about you getting hurt?" She nodded. "Good. Please don't do that." I handed her journal to her, and ushered them towards the door. I needed time to think on this.
"I wonder if he really has nine dee twelve hit dice?" I heard Blackjack say, as they trotted off.
I wish. I rolled my eyes, and went back to my book. Maybe I could figure this out as I hiked tomorrow.
Wesley Kilmer
I can see my resographical calculations must have been in error. The idea that Sombra was able to both create and isolate an island dimension is, frankly, astonishing to me. However, what you've told me dovetails with parts of my theory that I had not previously explored.
Thank you for sharing this information with me; I think it will advance my research considerably.
As for Celestia, that is not something we really need to re-hash. I hope I have put it behind me; if I am fortunate, it will remain that way. I appreciate your concern, however.
Every day ends with a
Sunset.
"Ready…Set…GO!"
I leaped out of my runners start, sprinting as quickly as I could. Beside me, Scootaloo's wings buzzed. I held the lead for a split second, but she quickly pulled ahead.
It was a bright, sunny day and we were racing.
I watched as the energetic filly swung a hard left, where the road Tee'd before a row of houses. I marked my path visually and kept straight.
To my left, I heard the scooter recede. I hit the wall, ran three steps up, and vaulted onto the roof. I crossed that in two long-legged leaps and tumbled into the backyard, cushioning my fall with a roll. Meanwhile, Scoots rounded the end of the block and started back towards me.
I scanned my surroundings quickly, picking my next path.
This had started after talking to Lyra about jogging. I hadn't been motivated, but I'd mentioned it to the Crusaders, and Scootaloo promptly challenged me.
At first, I'd lost. Badly. It wasn't surprising, since the little pegasus reached nearly thirty miles an hour on her machine. It was like racing a small dirtbike.
The second time, I'd set a bit of a rougher course. The advantage of legs against wheels was terrain, after all.
This time we were racing across downtown Ponyville and I might actually have a chance.
I leaped to my feet and dashed off. For a moment here our paths would parallel.
I ducked and wove through pony traffic, saying a few quick "excuse me's" and "sorry's" as I dashed past ambling Equestrians. I could hear the scooter behind me, slowly gaining. I had a small advantage in seeing ahead, but that wasn't enough to keep my opponent at bay.
I grabbed a lamp-post, using it to pivot around a corner as I turned sharply into an alley. Scoots zipped past as I dashed headlong down the narrow corridor. She didn't follow because it dead-ended.
Refusing to halt, I jumped onto a garbage can, balanced for an instant, leaped to a window-ledge, nearly knocking over a plant, and made the top of the wall. From there I hung a right and sprinted along a ridgepole before leaping across the street.
I smiled, wind in my hair. Ponyville spread below me for a second and I gathered it in with a glance, enjoying the bright colors and vivacity of life. I flattened my dive, barely making it across the road and nearly clipping a flying pegasus; glancing down, Scootaloo was a little ahead. But my shortcut wasn't done.
I tumbled to a halt on the flat roof of my target house. "Sorry!" I yelled back, leaping to my feet.
I slowed a bit, carefully placing my feet as I sped across the rooftops, feeling the warm shingles. Once I realized I'd be unable to find decent shoes I went barefoot as much as possible. Most days in town it wasn't a problem. I was building tough calluses. I still wore them in the Everfree and the lowered mileage seemed to be helping, but they wouldn't last forever though they were good shoes.
"Wes?"
I glanced over to Rainbow, who was easily pacing me.
"What the hay are you doing up here? Blossomforth was gibbering about flying humans."
"Oh?" I puffed, thinking back to the pony I'd almost hit. "Cucumber-melon mane?"
"Yeah."
"Sorry." I gasped, short of breath. "In a hurry. I'm racing-huff-Scootaloo."
"That sounds like-Woah!" Rainbow gasped as I hit a gap, two houses joined by an upper story. Instead of returning to the ground, I sidestepped and ran up the wall until I crossed. At the end of the roof I kicked off with a flip, clearing the alley and nailing the landing. My feet gripped pine shakes solidly, and I ran on.
"Dude, I thought you didn't do acrobatics! That was awesome!"
"I don't-ha-do them when-puff-fighting." I was breathing pretty hard, now, but I grinned in satisfaction. My hiking and running were starting to pay off; the limits of my body were slowly but surely going up. I was more fit and I could feel it. It felt good. I cocked an ear, trying to pick Scoots out over background noise and the speed of my own heart. "It's pretty-hah-great for running away-puff- or dodging, though."
"Ooooh. So, are you winning?"
"Dunno." Her wings were too distant to pick up. Her fastest course took a much less direct route to avoid high-traffic areas with sharp corners and narrow roads. I checked my watch; I was making slightly better time than I'd expected. "Maybe?"
"Ok."
Rainbow followed me for the rest of the course. It wasn't long, and she didn't talk much after that, but the fact she was there to catch me if I did take a fall was reassuring.
I finally stumbled out of town, collapsing under the deep green leaves of a maple tree. I looked up into the soft eyes of Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom. We'd set the endpoint in an out of the way park, so we could chill when we were done.
"How'd I do?" I stopped as a whirring noise rapidly swelled and Scootaloo skidded to a halt next to me, breathing just as hard. "I won?" I sat up, slightly shocked. "I won!" I grabbed the orange pegasus and hugged her. "Woo, Scoots, I won!"
"I-hah-know!" She struggled to escape my grasp. "Sheesh, Wes!"
"Sorry." I released her; Scoots didn't want hugs. She didn't like being adorable. She was 'tough'.
"Hey, good job, Scoots." Rainbow ruffled her mane and congratulated her, and the little pegasus swelled with pride.
"Really? You really think so?"
"Hay yeah! I saw you slalom those carts, just now. That was slick! You guys do this often?"
"Once or twice." I sat up, finally having regained my wind. "This is my first win."
"Well, I'm always up for some awesome." She nodded to me. "If you want a spotter again, Wes, let me know."
"Sure." I flopped back on the grass. "Thanks. Hey, I have a question for you."
"Shoot."
"What do you do with a fanclub?"
"Huh?" She gave me a blank, puzzled stare. "Bask in their adulation. What else?"
"Um-"
"Look, I'll demonstrate. Hey Scoots, watch this!" She threw herself into the air, flipping completely once before landing. "Check it! No wings!"
"Woah!" The smaller pegasus literally bounced around her older sister in excitement. "That was AWESOME! You're the coolest big sister ever!"
"Of course!" She puffed her chest, and strutted slightly. "See, Wes? That's how you do it."
"Oh." I flopped back on the grass. "Of course. How silly of me. It's very clear now."
"Good."
Dear Wes,
Yes, I was serious about you being alphabetized. When you have time, please visit the Royal Archives. I'll reimburse your ticket, if you get receipts.
Your entrepreneurship has started to show effect in the capitol. Alchemy is once again fashionable, now that interesting and unique preparations have begun filtering into the market. I commend your industry.
Ruler of all I see,
Celestia.
P.S. At least when I close my eyes.
PPS. Luna says M11. This definitely isn't chess.
"So, what's the verdict?" I played a crashing chord and let the sound fade. "Did we build the best synth ever?"
"Coooool." Lyra gave the instrument a thorough inspection. "This is really great!"
"Yup!" Vinyl stamped a hoof decisively. "This is the best synth I've ever built. You did first-class work on the sound engine, Wes, and the spell design is rock solid. If it wasn't built of out singing stone, I'd say we should go into production. We could sweep the market." I played a few more large-scale notes, feeling out the sounds. I'd been practicing on Vinyl's instruments as I could, and I'd been drilling notes and chords with Lyra, so I had some idea what I was doing. I was just about to reach beginner status.
The synth itself was a pretty slick piece of engineering. It was dark teak and bright metal, a little odd looking to my eye, but ivory keys were out of the question. Besides, it didn't look bad. Quite the opposite, actually. The craftspony Vinyl commissioned had matched the grain across the keys, giving the whole thing a dark, sweeping symmetry that was only broken by the shining steel of the sharps and flats. I was quite taken with it.
The sound engine was neatly recessed in the back under the rounded wood paneling. It had inputs and outputs arranged for easy access, but also had wireless baked in thanks to the singing stone heart and a few well-placed sympathy spells. It was currently playing across the system in Vinyl's basement without a single wire, and it sounded good.
It was extensively customizable. Right now, it sounded nearly like a pipe-organ. I would probably never touch the advanced features; the keyboard could be divided in any way, each key assigned a different voice or note if so desired, or even mapped to an effect. It could crunch a signal, or output nearly any sort of sound. I planned to set the thing to 'piano' and never touch it again, but designing it had been fun. Our spellcraft should mean more options and less distortion, while using singing stone promised a richer, fuller sound. If Vinyl said it was working, that was good enough for me.
"Yeah, that's a fine piece of work." Vinyl flopped down in her Seat. "You know, Lyra, if we had a vocalist, we could compete this year."
"Ooo. I hadn't thought of that."
"What? Compete?" I raised my head, from where I'd been contemplating the synth. "What are you talking about?"
"Competing at the battle of the bands, at the Summer Wrap-Up and Hoedown. It's a pretty big deal. Lots of tourists come to Ponyville."
"Tourists?"
"I know, right?" Lyra laughed. "I thought the same. But we're just close enough to Canterlot, while still far enough out that we're in 'the country', so our hoedown is pretty popular. The fair is big, and for a day, the country comes to us."
"Huh. Neat. But what's this competition?" I narrowed my eyes, suddenly suspicious. "You didn't dragoon me into playing the synth just because you needed a keyboard, did you?"
"Whaaaaat? Wes, would I, little, cute, fuzzy green ol' me do that?"
"Yes."
"Ouch!" Vinyl chuckled. "Burn! Lyra, he didn't even hesitate!"
"Pish. Hah. But no, you honestly need to learn a little music. I'll have you practicing sequences on that," she nodded to my instrument, "and then we'll work through them in my studio. Still, the battle of the bands is going to be big this year. I think there are Canterlot groups coming, believe it or not, and the Ponytones are definitely in. Scratch and I have wanted to be up on that stage before, but you need more than one instrument and one soundpony."
"Do we really need four?"
"No." Lyra shrugged. "But neither Vinyl or I want to take center stage. How about you?"
"…no."
"See?"
"Well, Ok. But that's beside the point. Do you really think I'm good enough to perform?"
"Not yet. But you can get there." Lyra gave me a pointed stare. "You'd have a set part and music to read. We wouldn't ask you to solo or improvise, and you'd get lots of practice before. We could make it happen."
"Huh." I rubbed my jaw. "I wonder."
"Oh, an idea." Vinyl gave me a nod. "Make it happen, Wes. We believe in you."
"We need a vocalist and a front-pony, right?"
"Yup."
"Give me some time to sleep on it. I might be able to find somepony capable."
Wes
I need to see you.
I'm not sure how much to write. This could be something big, but I need to talk to you, face-to-face.
You need to come to Manehatten.
Soon.
I need to go. Keep in touch.
Darkness comes after
Sunset.
"Oh, Rarity."
Fluttershy nodded to the designer as she trotted into the garden. We were having tea. It had started with just Fluttershy and me, but slowly had grown as ponies arrived and stayed.
"Why, nearly everypony's here! All we need is Pinkie, and we'd have a regular-"
"PARTY!"
"And now it is everypony." Twilight smiled. "What brings you here today, Rarity?" I took one of the proffered cupcakes. Of course Pinkie brought snacks.
"Oh, well. Opal's claws need to be trimmed again. How about all of you?"
"It started with me." I volunteered. "I have a mouse."
"You got a pet?"
"Not…exactly. It just moved into my pantry one day." I shrugged. "I wanted to know if it would bother my food, or if more would show up, or what. The expert," I nodded to Fluttershy, "advised putting down a little food and giving it a name. I've decided to call him Despereaux. Hopefully that will be enough to secure my shelves."
"The rest of us just sorta dropped in." Rainbow was lying on the ground next to me, making tiny pleased noises as I ran my fingers through her feathers. I was learning about preening, and she was enjoying it. I carefully aligned another feather. She really didn't need much help; she kept her wings in tip-top shape, same as any athlete would. It was a sign of close friendship that she'd asked me for help, and I didn't mind. She was very soft and fluffy.
"Rainbow, you might not be so blasé if you knew just how sensitive his fingers are." Twilight grinned mischievously. "He can feel all your feathers."
"What?" The pegasus cracked an eye. "But he's got those finger-nail thingies." I nodded, as I raked them gently through her plumage.
"Yeah, but only on one side." Twilight smirked. "It would be like running your nose through someponies wing."
"Ooo." Rainbow shivered slightly, and glanced at me. "That sounds…kinda kinky."
"Um." I coughed, embarrassed. I almost withdrew my hands, but I couldn't just stop in the middle. "Rarity, I meant to ask; are you still planning on going to Canterlot?" I changed the subject roughly, but it worked; Fluttershy and Twilight went back to discussing owls, while Pinkie plied Rainbow and Applejack with sweets.
"Yes, in just a few days. Why?"
"I was wondering if you'd like company."
"Well, I wouldn't object. But why the sudden interest?"
"Oh, nothing big. I just need to finish a bit of paperwork for migration. I hope." I grimaced. "And after that, I’m headed to Manehatten."
"Why're you going there?" Applejack cut in.
"I've been writing Sunset Shimmer." I shrugged. "She wants to see me, and she's in Manehatten." I frowned. "I'm not really sure what's up, but…I get the impression she might be in trouble."
"Hmm." Applejack rubbed her jaw. "Wes, if you don't mind, Ah'll come with. Manehatten is a big place; Ah know a few ponies who might be able to help."
"Oh, indeed." Rarity nodded. "If you want help, I'd gladly come as well. Manehatten is simply marvelous."
"Oh." I thought for a bit. "Um, yeah. Maybe. I won't turn you two down, at least; let's give it a go."
"Then it's decided!" Rarity nodded firmly. "Road trip!"