It had been five hours since the four had arrived in Equestria, in that time they had somehow ended up the stars of an impromptu welcome party (courtesy of Pinkie Pie), been sized up by Rainbow Dash (with an talon to hoof wrestling contest happening between Claudia and Rainbow, Claudia won with with Rainbow nursing her foreleg), been pestered about the magic they had displayed (this mostly Twilight asking Rec and Orchid due to her not knowing the griffon or pegasus were capable as well), asked their regular routines (mostly by Applejack after the farm mare had met them, only to becomes pleasantly surprised that all of them had unarmed combat training routines), Fluttershy kept trying to avoid them (except Orchid whom confided in with the statement she's usually not good with meeting new ponies and is more comfortable with animals and foals), Rarity pestered them for the news about what fashions they were into and what was trending where they came from (the four Seekers just politely told her they usually tossed on whatever was most comfortable and that they didn't keep appraised of such things before carefully excusing themselves from her company).
Night had fallen by the time the party ended, and they all somehow ended up guests at the tree shaped crystal palace. Orchid felt I need to have some alone time so she excused herself for midnight walk, when Twilight offered to show her around town so the filly wouldn't get lost Rec told her it wasn't necessary, and that Orchid had it all well covered. Twilight was confused, but an offer to show give her a brief lecture on Seekers and everything associated with them caused the lavender alicorn (she had finally gotten around to correcting them on what she was) to practically give the filly a pat on the head and say how much said filly would probably enjoy a midnight stroll.
In Twilight's study Rec had set up a number of his personal amulets on a table to help explain each type of Titan, two for each, in addition having his Mythichive placed on another table. Spike too was curious, mostly because the subject involved gems and when he had first heard the two talking about amulets he was getting hungry (he was now quite satiated from the immense plethora of dishes provided at the welcome party).
“So where should I start?” said Rec, mostly because he wanted to see where the alicron would try to go with the lesson.
“Let's start with the box thing of yours.”
“It's called a Mythichive,” said Rec as he trotted over, “there aren't a whole lot of them out there, only important and members of Seeker groups or high ranking members with in the groups are trusted with them. Each Seeker group has their own different variation. The original, what all the other units are copied from is the Cypherdex used by the Casterwill clan. Among Seekers the name Casterwill is a very big deal, if you can prove your family is connected to them or part of their family it means you basically have a direct line to the most important Seekers ever.”
“Wouldn't that mean each 'group' is actually an organization?” said Twilight with curiosity.
“Normally yes, but there is an actual Seeker organization called 'The Organization' so I try to not use the word when not referencing them. Their primary opposition for years was the 'Huntik Foundation' which is one of the oldest standing Seeker organizations in the world. As for the 'Casterwill' clan they are considered the first Seeker organization, however they're mostly each others family members and a few closely trusted family friends. My friends and I belong to what is known as the 'Tempest Association'. So in the future I'll just refer to them as Seeker factions to help drive home the point they aren't a bunch or ragtag misfits and all that. Each faction has an edict, a code or creed that they follow. I can't speak for the other factions' creeds, but the Tempest Association believes there are great storms coming and it our duty to prepare as much of the world as we can for the storms and if need be act as their barricade so that they don't have to deal with the storms if at all possible.”
“Well the information on the factions is fascinating,” said Twilight as she scribbled down notes, “you didn't explain what exactly the Mythchive is, merely its history and what your faction is dedicated too.”
“The Mythichive is a tool,” said Rec flipping it open, “it can scan rooms, make maps, scan artifacts, tell you about artifacts, identify Titans and even tell you about the Titans it scans. I'll move on to Titans next, seeing as you had Nordrake amulet in possession.”
“I was merely analyzing it,” said Twilight, “I didn't know you could summon a dragon with it.”
“Technically you can't,” he held his Nordrake amulet aloft in his magic, “you only summon a singular Titan from their amulet. Titans are bound to their amulets and as such when the amulet is destroyed the Titan is usually lost, I've head of some cases where that isn't true, but they very extenuating circumstances. A Mythichive, or similar such device, can tell you in bare bones facts what kind of Titan is in an amulet,” he waved the Nordrake amulet over the center of the Mythichive and said, “Mythichive, scan.”
“Twilight showed great interest as the aqua green light played over the amulet before an aqua green holographic image of Nordrake appeared and the Mythichive's female voice said, “Nordrake, Attack 4, Defense 4, Size: Average, Special Ability: Ice Blast, Type: Litho-Titan Sharpshooter.”
“Where did it get the voice?” inquired Twilight.
“I honestly don't know,” said Rec, “it's magic technology, if it enters an area that cancels out magic then it doesn't work.”
“So, in areas that nullify magic its no operable, interesting,” said Twilight.
“Please don't use the world nullify or any words derived from it,” said Rec, “it sound silly to you, but I grew up on the stories of how the Nullifiers made landfall in my home dimension and the Titans were called forth from their realm by Lord Casterwill, the patriarch of the Casterwill family.”
“Which leads into my next question,” said Twilight, “what is a Seeker? You keep using the word, but in any manner I'm familiar with. Where do they come from? Why do use magic the way they do? The way you say it anypony could be Seeker and not know it.”
“All potent questions, and astute observations,” said Rec, “I don't know what exactly a Seeker is besides an individual capable of bonding with Titans and using Powers. Power is our term for a spell. A Seeker can use quite a few for instance, HyperStride,” Rec's hind legs became encased in blue flames and he jumped straight up a good sixty feet (fortunately the study's ceiling was a few hundred feed high) before he uttered, “FeatherDrop,” and fell at normal speed only to land light as a feather, then giving a smile to Twilight said, “BubbleLift” and encased the mare in bubble with a light blue sheen. He then undid the spell, “while fairly limited in number the spells utilized by Seekers can be quite versatile. As for our origin it is a popular theory that we are descended from long forgotten royal lines, in fact some royal figure in our world's history have actually been Seekers.”
“You just said seemingly simple phrases to cast your spells,” said Twilight with confusion.
“Seeker powers are designed so that they can be utilized in seemingly ordinary conversation so that we don't give away the secrets we keep from the populace for the good the many. Did you touch the amulet?”
“Only with my magic,” said Twilight, “why?”
“Spike did you ever touch it?” inquired Rec.
“No,” said Spike, “the first time I saw it the thing was in somepony's magic.”
“Then I don't have to worry about you accidentally bonding with the Titan,” said Rec.
“What makes this bond so important, or special?” inquired Twilight.
“When Seekers obtain amulets they 'bond with the Titan inside it' that means that they have special mystical mental connection with their Titans. Their personality aspects flow into the Titan and become shared causing the Titan to only bond in the future with individuals with similar traits. Some Titans have rules to their bonding, while others can change hold quite freely. When a seeker wears an amulet its because that Titan has a great significance to them. The one I wear is the first Titan I ever bonded with.”
“What's it like?” Inquired Twilight.
“A bond or the Titan I referenced?” asked Rec.
“Both,” said Twilight.
“Describing a bond it hard, it's kind of like having somepony in your head but not and that somepony is a close friend. But then again, that's how I see it. To me Titans are trusted friends and valuable support when needed, some Seekers see Titans as nothing more than tools, but my friends, my sister and I all see our Titans as priceless friends that can never be replaced no matter what. As for my Titan,” slipped of his amulet and held it over the Mythichive, the light danced over the amulet before the holographic image of a humanoid knight in streamlined armor with a European straight edge sword and medium sized pendant shield appeared.
The Mythichive said, “Vitaguard, Attack 4, Defense 5, Size: Average, Special Ability: United Defense, Type: Draco-Titan Warrior.” Twilight stared in awe then the holographic imaged flickered and the once humanoid figure was now in the form of an earth pony with its gear at its sides.
“What just happened?” Cried Spike.
Rec just gave a chuckle before saying, “Titan's come from the Spirit realm so their forms can sometimes be highly dependent on the lifeforms in the world they are summoned to. Vitaguard just changed to accomedate for the fact that humans aren't present in this world.”
“Spike,” said Twilight.
“Yeah?” said Spike.
“We do not mention this Lyra, who knows what she'll try.”
“Right,” said Spike giving quick salute, “I'll write up a letter for Celestia and send her the information we've garnered so far, including that little fact we just learned.” With that he was gone.
“Um, something I should?”
“Lyra is a sea foam green unicorn mare, and she has this bizarre obsession with humans.”
“Ooh,” said Rec, “and four transformed humans just trotted into Ponyville earlier today.”
“Yeah,” said Twilight, “don't know how well she'll take that. Wait, four?”
“Yeah,” said Rec, “Orchid and I are both humans, and come from a lone line of Seekers; Mandi's a human, also a Seeker by the way; Claudia is a human as well, she's also a Seeker by the way.”
“Only you and your sister used magic, they didn't.”
“We were only in town for like five seconds when Pinkie blindsided Claudia and Mandi was still reeling from shock when Pinkie assaulted her, that and Orchid and I are quick thinkers. Afterward there was no need for it at all; as for the Titan summoning, that was because I was the only one with a Titan that could cooler her down without hurting her, well that and none us wanted to blast her with a miniature blizzard.”
“Yeah I guess that...minature what? You can control weather?”
“No,” said Rec with a shake of his head, “this,” he pointed his right forehoof at Twilight and said, “SnowBlast” causing Twilight to get caught by a blast wind that pushed her back a few feet in addition to bombarding her with ice crystals commonly called snow for half a second.
“I can see why you d-d-didn't w-want to u-use that s-s-s-s-spell,” said Twilight before warming herself with her magic, “that was an interesting spell, you created a localized blizzard. Do you realize what the weather teams would say?”
“What does meteorology have to do with a spell that has a very limited target area?”said Rec.
“What?” said Twilight.
“Meteorology the science of weather, it helps us to predict weather in our world, granted we only have a forty percent accuracy at best last I checked.”
“Pegasi literally manage the weather in Equestria,” said Twilight, “that spell you just did runs dangerously close to their territory of weather control.”
“Ooh,” said Rec then I guess I shouldn't tell you about the DarkFog power.”
“The what fog?” yelled Twilight.
____________________________________________
At the same time Orchid was wandering the darkened, and deserted, streets of Ponyville. After a few few minutes of wandering about she started feel uneasy. She brought her hoof to the amulet around her neck and whispered, “materialise, Jirwolf,” suddenly a pony sized wolf that looked like it had a body formed the night sky appeared next to her. She started petting the Titan like pet dog and said, “been a while, sorry about that. I get caught up wanting to meet new friends my brother introduces to me or I find.”
“That is a very interesting creature,” came a gentle female voice with a hint of amusement from the night sky before a dark coated alicorn with mane and tail that looked like they were formed from the night sky landed before Orchid, “you must be Orchid Spell,” said the alicorn in the voice Orchid had heard earlier, “Twilight told us in detail what you appear like,” Jirwolf started to nuzzled the dark coated alicorn, “and it appears your friend here has taken a shine to me.”
“He's my Jirwolf, my very first Titan. I found him running wild, we bonded quite quickly.”
“We can see you share a special bond with this creature,” said Luna, this caused Orchid to giggle.
“No I mean that we have magical link that makes next to impossible for anyone that isn't me to summon him, issue suggestions or commands. He's my best friend, just like Fireblade is Claudia's, Under Golem is Mandi's and Vitaguard is my brother's. You see Titan's a unique entities to you, but Seekers like me, my brother and his friends they're all possible friends and something that most of our world had relegated to the realm of fantasy.”
“Ah yes,” said Luna, “our sister shared the notes regarding you, but they did not go into detail in the regard, perhaps you could tell us.”
“I'm not really qualified for such things,” said Orchid, “I'm still learning, the closest to an expert you'll get is my brother and he's back with Princess Twilight Sparkle, probably giving her a lecture on everything Seeker related.”
“You have a good friend here,,” said Luna, “he even resembles our night sky.”
“Night time was always my favorite time, mostly because that's when my brother started my training,” she gave a chuckle, “I found Jirwolf at the same age he found Vitaguard, we've always been close to each other and... mom, I wonder how she's doing. She worries, we said we were just going to do something for the Association because they said it was urgent, it was supposed to be bro and his team's week off, it was the first time in a long time I could spend an extended period time with my wonderful big brother. He let me tag along, mostly because he figured it wouldn't take long and we might find another Titan for me to try bonding with,” she smiled, “we both got Lindorm amulets.”
“These Seekers, are they not magic users?”
“Well, yes, but... Jir are you sure?...okay I'll ask. Jirwolf wants to know why you smell so familiar. He says you have a similar smell to me, my brother, and... our mother. I don't get it, how could that be possible, just who are you?”
“I am Princess Luna, sovereign of Equestria's nights, Guardian of the dreams of all the ponies in Equestria and... a loving friend to all foals. You are an interesting young filly, and your companion is equally as intersting. Pray tell may we borrow the jewlrey he calls home?”
“No,” said Orchid, “he's the first one I ever had, he's what makes me feel safe when I'm alone, he's what keeps the nightmares bay. I know he would be good care with you, but I just can't have him leave my side.”
“We understand,” said Luna, “are there any in your care you could bare to part with for a day or two?”
Orchid closed her eyes in thought before saying, “you're not really here, I'm dreaming. Jirwolf is never that instantly friendly with others in the waking world, but he's always part of my dreams and tells me what's safe and what's not.”
“You are very perceptive,” said Luna, “yes I am not with you physically, in truth my body is back in Canterlot, but I wished to meet one of you, before you ask I can tell you that you are in good hooves. A very caring mare, whom you met before your trot about the town, is seeing to your comfort and security. Worry not sweet foal, your secrets are safe with me, are there any you wish to share?”
“Well,” said Orchid, “I suppose a few memories wouldn't hurt.” Suddenly the dreamscape changed to a cheery little country home.
Looking out the window Luna saw a country night with a big city's lights as a backdrop in the distance. A full moon was high in the sky. Turning around she beheld a six year old human Orchid making a motion to sneak out of her room, Luna smiled, then scowled when she saw the child running out in the yard towards a forest. The environment changed to a forest clearing and crying Orchid blubbering about being lost, then Luna Jirwolf slink from the shadows and circle her like a wary animal. Instead of showing fear Orchid giggled and said, “wolfy,” in her cute childish voice. The Jirwolf sniffed her hands and suddenly turned into its amulet and landed in her outstretched hands.
“That was two years ago,” said an older Orchid (in her unicorn form) materialising next Luna. After I bonded with Jirwolf I suddenly was able to find my way back home with amazing ease, it's because for a short while I gained heightened senses from Jirwolf bonding with me and awakening my Seeker abilities. Do you know who the first one to catch me that night was?”
Luna shook her head, “no, we do not have an clue as to that.”
“Then watch,” said Orchid as they observed her rushing from the forest to the hidden passage she had snuck out of the house from.
The moment she was in the passage (which was quite dark) a younger sounding Rec said, “BoltFlare,” a soft orange glow filled the spacious yet narrow passage, standing there with a light orange sphere bobbing next his head was a fourteen year old Rec, “you just had to go out in the forest tonight,” he said with amusement, “so, why not show me you new friend's home?” the six year old Orchid held up her Jirwolf amulet, Rec smiled and said, “don't lose, no matter what. He's your first Titan, and closest friend until the end. Take good care of that amulet, if it break too much he'll probably be lost to you forever. No matter what he'll be your closest, and maybe even dearest, friend. He's loyal scout, but every scout needs a warrior to assist them. He reached into his pocket and produced the Breaker amulet, “hold out your hand,” she did, “his name is Breaker, and he'll be there to fight for you no matter what,” he dropped the amulet into her waiting hand, “take good care of him, I have a feeling he and Jirwolf will work well together. I'll teach you a few tricks tomorrow, but until then you better head back to your room and get some sleep. I'll tell mom and dad a story about what happened, don't worry, they won't know the truth for good long while.”
The image faded out and they were back in Ponyville at night, “mom found out a month later and scolded me for being so reckless,” said Orchid, “dad went almost half a year before the truth of how I got Jirwolf came to light for him, he was not happy when he found out and grounded me for a week. I really didn't care, Rec was there every day to teach me some Seeker tricks, I didn't really feel like I was being punished, I did get in the habit of telling my mom where I was going every time I went somewhere regardless.”
“You have quite the elder brother,” said Luna with a smile, “he was willing to take the heat for something foolish you did. It reminds me of when Celestia and I were little fillies, she and I had a similar relationship to the one you and your brother have, but nothing lasts forever. Shortly after we made the transition to mares things started to change, it was a gradual shift that was so steady I didn't notice until we had drifted to almost being apart, I carried some that regret for a very long time.”
Everything started to fade into brightness, “what's happening?” cried Orchid.
“You are returning to the waking world,” said Luna before fading out herself.
**********************************
A few seconds later she woke up to the face of Sweetie Belle, “oh good your up,” cried the two tone (pink and purple) maned white unicorn filly in her melodic, yet squeaky, voice.
“Are you okay darling?” came Rarity's voice before she trotted into the indigo filly's view, “you collapsed just around the corner.”
“Oh,” said Orchid, “I just wanted to enjoy the night, its my favorite time,” she brought her hoof to Jirwolf's amulet, “it's when I met him,” she smiled at the last part of her statement.
“Ooh, did you meet a colt that gave you that pretty necklace at night,” squeaked Sweetie Belle, “that sounds romantic.”
“No, it wasn't a boy,” said Orchid with a smirk, “I'll show you, this isn't just any ordinary amulet.”
“Care to explain that one darling,” said Rarity with confusion.
“Better,” said Orchid, “I'll show you. Materialise, Jirwolf,” with that a wolf with a coat that looked like a pieced of the night sky the size of Rarity appeared next to Orchid, “meet my first Titan, Jirwolf.”
“Oh my,” said Rarity, “he's so magnificent, why he's giving me ideas for the new Nightwear line Princess Luna asked me to make for her, this is most impressive.”
“Can all amulets do that?” asked Sweetie Belle hopping up and down.
“No,” said Orchid as she petted Jirwolf, “only special amulets can do that sort of thing, but the thing is nopony knows how many unknown Titan amulets out there that can just be picked up at random because they're confused for jewelry. I'm what's called a Seeker, we can cast spells and summon Titans from amulets. Princess Twilight was studying Titan amulet when we arrived.”
“That pieced of magical jewelry I called Twilight over look into and safeguard because we didn't know where it came from?” said Rarity.
“That's the one,” said Orchid in a chipper voice, “it holds a Titan called Nordrake. He's big sharp looking ice blue dragon with fore-claws that look like stone, and a stylish piece of neck ware.”
Rarity stared her and said “a dragon with neck ware? Stylish?”
“Sorry, my sense of fashion is rather... odd,” said Orchid, “I'm much happier with my Titans and spells.”
“Ooh,” said Sweetie Belle, “can I get a cutie mark in being a Seeker?”
“Not likely,” said Orchid, “there are just as many Seekers as there are personalities, which means there are a lot. Like with everything else in life you want to try see what the specializations are, some seekers are guardians, some are explorers, some are treasure hunters, some are psychotic nut cases that really shouldn't have access to a fraction of the power they have, some are so concerned about the results of their work they don't care about the consequences of what they're doing. The point is I'm making is getting a cutie mark in being a Seeker is like getting a cutie mark in the cosmos, there's just too much for you to have one thing makes you special. Sorry Sweetie Belle, but your better off seeing if your special talent is acting or something.
“Oh,” said Sweetie Belle, “your brother has the amulet things on his flank, does that mean his special talent is those Titan things you were talking about?” Jirwolf gave the small white unicorn a deadpan look.
“My brother's special talent is mixing spells and other things to produce something that greater than the sum of the parts. He can practically make a sonic boom when he combines all the speed powers he he knows. I think he's also working on a new Seeker power that has never been seen before. As far his friends and I know he's the only known Seeker to play mix and match with powers.”
“That's so cool,” said Sweetie Belle, “but why is his cutie mark the way it is?”
“The amulets are those of the first three Titans he ever had, the aura impression around those was the first spell combo he ever tried,” said Orchid.
“Um,” said Rarity, “what were his three, Titans was it?”
“Vitaguard, Janusea the Gatekeeper and Nordrake,” said Orchid proudly, “Vitaguard was the first Titan he ever bonded with, also first one he ever found; Janusea was presented to him by our father as a reward for his accomplishment, those two a really close; and Nordrake was the first 'wild Titan' he ever faced.”
“I see,” said Rarity, “and his, um, collection has grown a bit since then?”
“Please don't call it that, it makes the Titans sound like objects,” said Orchid.
“Right,” said Rarity, “you said the both you see them a good friends.”
Orchid nodded, “my first Titan is also my first 'wild Titan',” she continued to pet Jirwolf, “after I made it home my brother presented me with a new Titan to accompany him,” she reached into her bag and pulled out the Breaker amulet, “his name is Breaker, and while his name may sound a bit brutish he's a real sweetheart. You see, unlike most Seekers we actually summon our Titans for a bit of companionship. Mom isn't Seeker, but she does know a lot about magic and is perfectly fine with Titans wandering around the house,” she gave a giggle, “when I help her in the kitchen I'm always doing it with Jirwolf and Springer at my side.”
“Springer?” said Sweetie Belle, “that sounds like cool name!”
Orchid put the Breaker amulet away and brought out the Springer amulet, “this is who I was talking about. I don't want to summon him here, he's a little mischievous and might cause you to get behind in your work tomorrow.”
“Nice to see somepony likes to considerate of the work I have,” said Rarity, “do you have any other, um, special friends we could meet? After all this first one is giving me some ideas.”
Orchid returned the Springer amulet to her pouch and pulled out a Red Searcher amulet, “ I don't usually call him up, he kind of creeps me out,” she said.
“Why is that?” inquired Rarity.
“How would you feel about a giant flying eyeball with bat wings?” Responded Orchid, “not very well I'm sure.”
“Sounds like something for Nightmare Night,” cried Sweetie Belle jumping up and down.
“Nightmare Night?” responded Orchid.
“Yeah,” said Sweetie Belle, “it's the one night of the year where everypony dresses up and goes around asking for candy, a few ponies even try to scare everypony else.”
“Oh we have that back home,” said Orchid, “but we call it Halloween, it used be called All Hallows Eve and be that the festival of Souen. When it was the festival it was more about keep supernatarual forces like fairies, mischievous spirits, evil ghosts and goblins at bay, while also calling on the spirits of good ancestors for a chat. Back then it was more of New Year celebration, the culture back then believed that the veil between the realms of the dead and living was weakest on the night one year ended and another began. Sorry, I do that sometimes, learning the history of holidays is just so much fun, and not very many are willing to commit to that sort of thing anymore.”
“Um, wow,” said Sweetie Belle, “your version changed names a few times.”
“Yes, well,” said Rarity could explain what a few of those things are. Like faeries, and goblins.”
“Oh, um,” said Orchid, “goblins are these mischievous little creatures that go around causing trouble, in the olden times misfortune was blamed on goblins and series of practices to appease or keep them occupied was used. Like leaving bowl of milk at outside the door every night, it said goblins love milk and if they given what they think is an offering then they will leave a home or business in peace. They're so mischievous because it's said all they want is attention.”
“Oh well,” said Rarity, “that's nice, truth be told Sweetie Belle can sometimes come off a being a little goblin herself.”
“Hay,” said Sweetie Belle.
“Take it as a compliment,” said Orchid, “goblins are said to brilliant, if a little odd in their application of their intelligence.”
“That, actually sounds nice,” said Sweetie Belle.
“And faeries,” said Rarity, “what are they like?”
“It depends on which depends on which kind you're talking about. Where we come from faeries, which also referred to as fey or the fair folk, usually belong to two courts.”
“Like Celestia's day court, and Luna's night court?” inquired Sweetie Belle.
“Good analogy, but not quite accurate,” said Orchid, “the courts are known as the Seelie and Unseelie. The Seelie are ruled by queen named Summer, she is a manifestation of everything the season that shares her name has, in short she can literally bring the heat. The Unseelie are ruled by a queen named Winter, who is a manifestation of the season that shares her name, in short she can make really cold really fast. Because of their queens the courts also referred to as the Summer and Winter courts, the Seelie are Summer Court and the Unseelie are the Winter Court. The two courts are very different.”
“How so? What makes these courts so different?” inquired Rarity.
“The Seelie are harmless, but mischievous, they harbor no ill will towards anypony, they just want have a good time mostly. One of their members, whom I think Rarity would appreciate is the Brownie (she pronounces Broo-nee).”
“Why is that?” asked Rarity.
“According to the tales of the Brownie they will come into your home and cause all sorts of harmless mischief, but if you manage to catch them they will be a faithful servant for the rest of your lifespan and all you have to do is leave them a few table scraps from two or more meals.”
“Really?” said Rarity, “just how real are they where you come from?”
“No clue,” said Orchid, “the basis for all the lores, myths, legends, and old stories where we come from is the Titans. All of us have yet to encounter any Titans that could potentially be original base for the Brownie.”
“And the, ahem, Unseelie,” said Rarity, “what are they like?”
“In short they are vicious, malicious brutes that garner enjoyment from causing harm to others. Amongst them in the tales of English lore is the Spriggan, brutish fey that have the power to grow to immense proportions. Claudia has one of them, by that I mean the Titan that started the whole mythos of Spriggan. She's a bit of a brute herself, a very combat oriented Seeker if you will.”
“That's nice to know dear and... wait,” said Rarity, “you said you're Seeker, and so is your brother.”
“Yes,” said Orchid, “Mandia and Claudia are also Seekers. We all have amulets and can use powers from the Seeker spell list.”
“But, you and your brother are unicorns, and they are most assuredly not. Griffons can't use the same kind of magic as ponies, their magic fields aren't the same. The magic fields of the pony tribes are quite different as well.”
“Really? Huh, way I was told Seekers just tap into their natural magic fields and use phrases to trigger certain responses. The two most well known, and most basic, Seeker powers are BoltFlare,” an light orange sphere started floating next her and EverFight,” a bright orange aura encased her for a few seconds before fading out.”
“A light spell,” said Rarity, “and one that is not all to draining, “but what about the other one?”
“The EverFight spell his a self healing spell, it mends wounds, purges toxins and helps replenish the user's magic field,”
“It replenishes your magic field supply?” said Rarity, “that's a hoofy little trick.”
“Yes well,” said Orchid, “BoltFlare isn't just a light spell. It can also be used to heat drinks, start campfires and if necessary even thrown as an attack. In short it's actually a very well contained fire spell, and since its a basic spell most Seekers learn it early on in their training. If I were to use NimbleFire or ShadowSpeed I would able to move much faster than normal and I've heard that some Seekers have even run across the surface of water with NimbleFire. Some powers have much more limited range or effect. Like for instance CamoForge,” she suddenly disappeared, “is a spell that only turns the user invisible, but drops the moment the user attacks,” she reappeared where she had disappeared from. The fact of the matter is there some spells out there that are only known to certain Seeker factions and still others that have been lost for long that they are practically forgotten by everyone. Seekers have a long and sorted history, and the truth is all the factions don't play nice. The Tempest Association, the faction my family and my brother's friends belong to, has been around longer than most, but has kept itself unknown to the rest of the factions for a long time.”
“Tell me more about these amulets,” said Rarity, “may I,” she gestured to Orchid's flank pouch, the filly nodded, using her magic Rarity floated out a steel-blue wolf's paw shaped amulet with the center paw piece as a grayish-pink gem, “this one's pretty, I haven't seen it before.”
“Her name is Wolf Knight,” said Orchid with a smile, “bro and others found her pack running wild up north last year, he gave her to me when he got back and said it was his way of saying sorry for missing my birthday. She's fierce, loyal, tough and shows herself with a refine savage beauty. I especially like that her ability is tied to the moon.”
“Tied to the moon?” squeaked Sweetie Belle while petting Jirwolf, “what's that mean?”
“Her ability is called Moon Frenzy,” said Orchid, “she's at her most powerful at a full moon, but she's at her weakest during the new moon.”
“So what your saying is that in a way this Wolf Knight is connected to Princess Luna's power over the moon,” said Rarity.
“That's more of a coincidence,” said Orchid, “I didn't know about her until today,” she gave a smile and said, “but the night has always felt right to me, it's when I feel most alive, even if I can't always stay awake through it. All my best memories are tied to the night.”
“I'm sure Princess Luna would be glad hear that,” said Rarity with a smile, “now Sweetie off to bed, I have to take Orchid back to her brother.”
“Oh, but...” said Sweetie Belle started.
“Your sister is right,” said Orchid cutting her off, “if you want to grow to be just as beautiful as her you will need to get as much beauty rest as possible, starting now.”
Sweetie Belle tried to retort, but was lost as how to counter something like that, so she gave curt nod and left the room. “Well played,” said Rarity.
“One of my older brothers is a fashion designer.”
“But you said your father and siblings are all Seekers,” said Rarity with confusion.
“Seekers like to keep a low profile, we manage facilities that can regularly have large numbers of individuals moving in and out without suspicion. Office complexes, stores, churches, tourist traps, agency centers, hospitals. Seekers where a number of different hats, and some wear them quite well. I don't really have a goal in my life just yet, I just want spend time with my brother and go on some of his adventures. This is the best one yet, especially considering one of the Titans he has, he let me borrow her for a while and returned her.”
“And whom would that be dear,” motioning for the filly to come with her as they descended the steps to the store's up level.
“Her name is Unia, she's really pretty,” said Orchid, “you see there aren't really any unicorns where we come from, I wasn't born like this, but for some reason it feels more natural than anything I've expereinced in my life. Unia is one of the Titans that helped generate the tales of unicorns. When you see her you'll be in awe of her radiant beauty.”
“Sounds like somepony is a fan-filly,” said Rarity as they made their way out the door (Jirwolf close behind), Rarity still had the Wolf Knight amulet in her magical grasp and said, “may I hold on to this one for a while?”
Orchid shook her head and said, “I don't think so, besides she probably wouldn't bond with you, if I willing gave you one of my amulets it would transfer the bond from me to you and I don't know how much Seeker potential you or anypony in this town might have. The truth is the magical principles of our world a different than this one, I don't know how well the transition would be. All my Titans are really good friends, and I want them to make new friends, but with the way things are.”
“You're worried about how everything could go,” Rarity said with understanding.
“Jirwolf, return,” said Orchid causing Jirwolf to turn into a wisp and shoot into his amulet.
“The fact you have so many... functional accessories is simply marvelous,” said Rarity.
Orchid gave giggle and said, “you should see my brother in the kitchen, him and all his smaller Titans milling about like some kind of big kitchen staff, it's actually pretty funny when you take into account that the kind of interactions he has with his Titans. My brother and I are the only known Seekers, to my knowledge anyway, that don't just have regular conversations with our Titans, but actually get into full blown debates and arguments with them as well. It sort of defines our relationship as Seekers.” The came up on the entrance to the castle and saw an unamused look Twilight's face with a knowing grin on Rec's.
“You said she didn't need supervision,” Twilight shot at Rec, “but Rarity just brought her back.”
“Six reasons I didn't worry about her wandering the streets of Ponyville,” said Rec calmly.
“Those are?” said Twilight, “before you start I would like to point out the Everfree Forest, a woodland that is filled with a bunch potentially dangerous creatures is very close by.”
“Okay,” said Rec. “One, Orchid is most vibrant at night, and by that I mean her senses always seem sharp in the night and she usually has much more energy than she displays during daytime hours. Item two, the amulet around her neck is for a Titan called Jirwolf, a scout class Titan with a set of properties that can more than keep her safe from whatever dangers slink out of the forest. Item 3, she knows a variety of spells that can aid in keeping her safe. Number four, she's a smart girl and can be quite inventive when the situation calls for it. Number five, this is what is often referred to as a 'sleepy little town' so there are very few dangers from the populace here. And the sixth reason is I had Spike send a message to Princess Luna a few minutes before we started my lecture, she was keeping tabs on Orchid for us out of a request I gave her, that and the promise of seeing just what my sister's dreams would be like. I know Orchid really didn't mind, she always liked sharing her dreams with those that could appreciate them, and who better to give constructive criticism than somepony with the ability to actually visit dreams.”
“Orchid said you have a... unique way around the kitchen,” Rarity, “you might want to get up early for that one, Twilight.” With that the alabaster unicorn mare turned and left.
“What the hay is that supposed to mean?” inquired Twilight.
“You'll just have to visit the kitchen when I'm cooking to find out,” said Rec as he gestured Orchid over and ruffled her mane, “and you, little sis, will be taking some basic magic lessons from Twilight starting tomorrow. I didn't really need anything beyond pointers because of my aptitude for magic, and how quick I've always picked up learning new spells.”
“It's true,” said Twilight, “he was already doing shaky levitation when we started what I thought would be his primer course. He doesn't want to learn any of spells I've learned.”
“Not just yet,” said Rec, “we need to get a few things squared away, as we say down on the farm 'one potential crisis at a time keeps you from running yourself into the ground', I'm aware it's a weird phrase, but dad says it a lot. Of course given his profession it's no surprise.”
“What?” said Twilight, “Seeker isn't his profession? It sounds like a job.”
“Seekers keep low profiles and do things behind the scenes when it comes to Titans and spells, the only reason we're being so open about all this is because of all the magic around here... which means she'll be showing up shortly, she always does at the most odd times.”
“Really?” came rather smooth, yet rugged, male voice, “just who is this 'she' you're talking about?”
Twilight gave a sigh and said, “hello Discord, am I to assume you are responsible for the amulet and our guests?”
“The amulet yes,” came the voice again, an amazingly mismatched creature flashed into the room (that is to say something that looked like someone had decided to play the patch word creature game and created something with no sense of design aesthetic whatsoever. The creature had a head like a pony, a horn that looked like a it came from a mountain goat, a billy goat beard, a horn that looked more like a deer's antler, a blue bird wing on the right side of its back, a bat wing on the left side of its back, a lion's forleg its left arm, what looked like a predatory bird's talon for the right arm, a goat's cloven hoof for the right leg, a green dragon's foot for the left, and red dragon tail that ended in a white fluffy tuft), “but not your guests, that was something else in play.
Rec and Orchid looked the creature with confusion for a few seconds before Rec said, “alright very funny, you almost got me with that one.”
Discord scoffed and said, “excuse me I am quite real thank you very much, not somepony's little magical conjuration.”
“Although he does look like something I would try,” came a mischievous sounding cunning female voice that floated through the air like silver lined silk.
“Really,” you're play that game now, “say hello to our host, and her... additional guest.”
Suddenly a white unicorn mare with a gold mane and silver tail and image of a silver fox branded on her flank materialized and started snickering. Rec and Orchid rolled their eyes as Rec said, “you're true appearance please.”
“Spoilsport,” said the mare before seeming to shimmer and taking on the appearance of a pony sized nine tailed fox with bright silver booted feet and a golden stripe down the middle of her face.
“Thank you very much, Inari,” said Rec.
“Um who is this?” said Discord, “she seems to have quite the mischievous streak,” he took a deep whiff of the the air and said, “yup, smells like a trickster to me.”
“I would like you to meet the Legendary Titan of Cunning, Inari,” said Rec, “she has a habit of popping up like this, granted she only works illusions, but she's so good at them they can fool everything that isn't your sense of touch.”
“I have to give some clues for the game,” said Inari, “besides even with that limitation I still get the most amusing reactions. Considering my talents.”
“How I bonded with you I will never fully understand,” said Rec, “your personality clashes with mine way too often.”
“You remind me of my original bond,” said Inari, “what was her name again? Silver something or was it Sky something, or was it Dusk something. Ah, who cares it was thousands upon thousands of years ago, you can't expect my memory to be that good. Besides you're my Seeker now, and the relationship with your Titans is far more interesting than any other Seeker I've seen over the centuries, and you even brought me to this wondrous place teaming with ambient magics.”
“What is she getting at?” Asked Twilight, “and what's a 'Legendary Titan'? That didn't come up in our study session."
“Can we have the lecture tomorrow? It's been a long day and I really don't want to try doing something like that with two tricksters in the room. Tomorrow after I use my Mythichive to scan 'Discord' here I'll explain everything I can. Inari, if it's not too much trouble, could you please wait 'til after I'm done sleeping to mess with me or anyone else in this town. You'll have to try harder to mess with heads, especially considering everyone here is equine.”
“Your avoiding words like everypony, and the word pony itself,” said Twilight, “why?”
“Orchid and do I the same thing back home,” said Rec, “I don't say anybody or person, persons, or people or peoples at all if I'm not talking about words I don't use. It's no big deal, it's just how we are. Now if you... individuals are done I would really like to get some sleep.”
“I'm feeling rather rested right now,” said Orchid, “I'll be up a few more hours before hitting the hay.”
“Why would you want to hit hay? It's a delicious snack food,” said Twilight.
After giving a yawn as he headed for the guest room that Twilight had indicated was his Rec said, “she means she'll be up for a bit longer before going to bed. Hit the hay, hit the sack, flop on the rug, and fall on the mattress all mean go to bed. I bid you a good night.” With that he was out of the room and the sound of hooves making their way to his room were all any of them heard.
After a few minutes hearing the clop of hooves in the castle Inari turned to Discord and said, “so, what do you think we can do to his room to drive him over the deep end? I've got direct line to his mind and you have the power to take a few... liberties with the order of the universe.”
“My dear,” said Discord, “I believe this will be an amusing friendship! Where do we start?”
The white fox smirked and said, “we're going to need six hundred pounds of huckleberries, a thousand pounds of plain yogurt, a comically oversized dining spoon, the biggest swimming pool you can find to turn into a giant bowl and nineteen cupcakes the size of you standing on my head.”
“What kind of cupcakes? The devil is in the details,” said Discord.
“Triple chocolate strawberry swirl,” said Inari with a devious smirk.
“I have no idea where this is going,” said Discord, “and that is really exciting!” The two of them blinked out of sight.
“Should we be worried about all that?” inquired Twilight.
“Um, very much yes,” said Orchid, “Inari just told him what MY favorite cupcakes are, and that scares me. Can I sleep with you tonight, preferably with a mass of warding spells surrounding me.”
“I suppose,” said Twilight, “why'd they say all that in front of us like that?”
“To cause a freak out from at least one of us,” said Orchid, “I'm using every calming trick short of the breathing exercises my brother taught keep from doing just that. Me in a tizzy is never a good sign. My brother will have a reaction that... well you'll just have to see for yourself.”
“If you want we start those magic lessons tonight,” said Twilight.
“That sounds nice,” said Orchid, “and maybe I can give you a few pointers with Seeker powers, I don't know how well it will go though.”
“Shouldn't be too much trouble,” said Twilight, “magic is my special talent after all.”
“What kind?” Inquired Orchid, “also, if it's not too much trouble, could you tell me why names like what my brother and I have are more of a norm here, that would be nice. Back home it's seen as more of our mother being a little eccentric, it's made more obvious by the fact our older siblings have much more 'normal' names.”
“The usual generic names really,” said Orchid, “you know, Greg, James, Micheal, Sandra and Elliot.”
“Those are all really weird sounding names,” said Twilight, “your names sound much more normal, even if Rainbow did make fun of your brother's for sounding a bit too academic.”
“That's first the time I've head our names sounded normal, I take it we'll actually be meeting Princess Celestia and Luna tomorrow.”
“Luna, yes,” said Twilight, “her schedules for the most part have been very open, Princess Celestia is a bit more busy and won't have an opening until two days from now at the earliest.”
“Oh,” said Orchid, “I suppose that's okay,” her ears looking like they wanted perk and flatten at the same time.
Twilight giggled and said, “You're not used to your ears that much are you?”
“My ears never swiveled before,” said Orchid, “maybe I could explain humans a bit to you.”
“I've already got a good idea of what they're like,” said Twilight, “I had a few adventures on the other side of a magic mirror where everypony here is human, and Spike is a dog for some reason. Canterlot High is a little odd, but at least I'm familiar with the equipment you'll talk about. Actually that Mythichive thing of your brother's is kind of like the other Pinkie's laptop computer.”
Orchid giggled and said, “Sometimes he uses like that, he's the team leader so that's why he has it.”
“Really,” said Twilight, “so care to tell me more, while we work on lessons,” she gestured for Orchid to follow her.