“Time is what prevents everything from happening at once.” - Marvin Cohen
_
Ghastly Gorge was a lot more picturesque than its name gave it credit for. It was over two thousand meters deep and at it's bottom flowed a sparkling river filled the purest water that one would ever find in Equestria. The river started atop the mountain where Canterlot rested and flowed in between Ponyville and the Everfree Forest and eventually into the Ghastly Gorge. It was easy to see the purity of the river from the train despite its height due to the brightness of the sun. The rays of the brightest star in the solar system reflected beautifully off of the river.
There were many myths and legends about how the Ghastly Gorge was formed. One of the most popular was that it was created by Princess Celestia and Nightmare Moon over a thousand years ago. When Celestia had confronted Princess Luna about lowering the moon so that the day could follow, Luna had refused out of jealousy. Afterwards, her physical form transformed into the beast known as Nightmare Moon. The resulting battle left the scar now known as Ghastly Gorge in the land. Even though the fight was fought in the heart of the Everfree Forest, it was still felt elsewhere.
Radley was never one to believe in Gods or supernatural creatures, but alicorns were truly incredible creatures. They embodied all of the best qualities of the three pony races but as such they also had all of their weaknesses. No matter how much most ponies believed them to be, they were nowhere near Godhood.
Radley fiddled with the brilliantly cut red jewel hanging around his neck. He looked at it for a while, admiring its perfect simplicity. The jewel itself had a look similar to that of the Alicorn Amulet, but it wasn't nearly as grandiose as all that. All it was was the red jewel with a grayish setting on a necklace. He wondered how something so beautiful could bring with it such a damnable curse...
“Um...excuse me?”
Radley was shaken out of his thoughts by a tiny voice addressing him. He looked down to see a young pegasus filly. She couldn't have been older than two years. She was bright yellow and had a tan-ish mane and tail. He smiled. “Why hello, little one. What's your name?”
The filly tilted her head in confusion. She did not seem to hear the question. “Are you an Earth pony?”
He nodded. “Yes,” he answered. He gestured to the absence of any extra body parts. “As you can see, I have no wings nor a horn.”
She shook her head. “You don't seem like an Earth pony...”
Radley raised an eyebrow. “I don't?” he answered as if he were shocked. “What makes you think that I'm not an Earth pony?”
The filly pointed to the bag sitting next to him. “Your bag is full of books. Earth ponies don't like to read.”
Radley chuckled. This child was very observant for her age, if not a bit racist. “That's not true. All ponies like to read. Who wouldn't like to take trips to mysterious and wondrous worlds that they otherwise would not be able to visit if not for books?”
The filly took a step backward. “Are you one of those crazy ponies that my mother warned me about?”
Radley laughed aloud. "I probably am. But I am not wrong." He got up out of his seat. He placed his two front hooves together, one on top of the other. Slowly, a small black swirl of smoke formed around his hooves. As he started moving his hooves apart, something sparkling and bright red started taking shape. The black swirl picked up speed as the red object got longer and longer. Then, the swirl stopped and disappeared, leaving behind a beautiful red rose made completely out of crystal. “This is for you, little one.”
The filly's eyes were wide with amazement. Her mouth fell open, completely forgetting her previous misgivings. “B-but you're an Earth pony!”
Radley chuckled. “This world is filled with sights that you have never seen, my little pony,” he said. “As I told you before, don't be so quick to dismiss the wonder of a good book.”
The little pegasus had yet to get over here wonder. She took the crystal rose in her mouth and wagged her tail excitedly. “Wow!” she exclaimed from behind a mouthful of crystal. “I can't wait to show this my mom! Thank you, mister!”
Radley bowed. “Why don't you give it to her as a gift?” he suggested. “Mothers have a tough job.” He roughed up the little pegasus's mane. “You look like you can be a handfull.”
She giggled. “I will!” she promised. “I wish I could do neat stuff like you!”
Immediately, Radley grabbed the little pegasus by the neck and lifted her off of the ground. Shocked, she opened her mouth to scream. In turn, the crystal rose dropped to the floor and shattered into many unfixable pieces. Radley's calm and playful demeanor had completely vanished. “Don't you ever wish for anything! Do you understand how dangerous it is to wish for something!?”
The filly wasn't listening at all. She was far too busy kicking, screaming and crying for her mother. Radley continued, shaking her vigorously. “Never wish for anything ever! You never know who or what might be listening! Do you understand me, you stupid little girl!?!”
“Get your hands off of her!!”
Radley turned to see a very angry female pegasus. Before he even had a chance to explain himself, the pegasus punched him solidly in the jaw. Immediately he dropped the little girl and went flying across the train car. He went straight into the door and hit the floor with a solid and breathtaking thud. “Are you okay, honey!?” the pegasus asked the little mare, distress creasing her voice. "What did I tell you about talking to crazy ponies!?"
The child was still crying and sniffling, making it hard to tell what she was saying. “I-I-(sniff)-I w-walked over (sniff) t-to him a-and h-h-(sniff)-he g-gave m-m-m-me a f-(sniff)-flower th-th-then h-h-he (sniff) picked m-m-m-me up a-a-and st-started sh-sh-sh-sh(sniff)-shaking me!”
The mother hugged her tightly and started petting her head in an attempt to comfort her. “Shhh, don't worry,” she whispered. “You're fine.” Then, she shot Radley the deadliest look he had ever seen. It was filled with all of the malice and hatred the world had ever seen. “He won't be able to hurt you anymore.”
“Attention passengers!” The voice belonged to the conductor coming over the loudspeaker. “We have arrived in Ponyville. Please make sure that you have all of your belongings before exiting the train. Thank you for choosing the Trans-Equestrian Railway for your traveling needs.”
“Come on, darling,” the mother said, picking up the young pegasus and placing her on her back. “Let's go see the castle, okay?”
The child seemed to brighten up at the offer. “(sniff) Okay...”
The two of them exited the train, but not before the mother gave Radley a look that could melt the sun. Radley dusted himself off and sighed. “I'm sure there was a better way to handle that,” he said out loud to himself. “None came to mind.” He retrieved his bag and stepped off of the train. For a while he just stood there, staring into the sky. “This is exactly what you want me to do, is it not?” He closed his eyes. “Fine,” he continued. “I will do as you ask...but I have warned you.”