//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 - The Anomaly // Story: Against The Crowd: Opal Gemstone // by RowanSkie //------------------------------// Princess Celestia listened to the reports of the two spying unicorns and ordered them to leave afterwards. Princess Luna came inside after the unicorns. "Dear, sister!" Luna walked closer. "What did the two unicorns say?" "They simply reported something," Celestia replied with a smile, "My faithful student has just let the Gemstone in." "The Gemstone?" Luna raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure it was the Gemstone in the prophecy?" "Apparently, he has lost his memories." Celestia looked at a glass stained window which has a unicorn standing on a hill. "No doubt, he is." "Who is he?" Luna asked, lowering her eyebrow as she summoned a scroll. "Opal Stoneheart Gemstone." Luna flinched at the name. "My personal mentor?!" "Ever since when did you have a mentor of your own?" Celestia looked at the scroll. "Last month," Luna replied, "I found him wandering the streets of Ponyville." Celestia opened the scroll to see a checklist of items Opal suggested to do when he's not around. A few of the boxes has been checked, including "Prank somepony, esp. Cel," "Visit one of the Element of Laughter's parties," and "Check Princess Celestia when some suspicious ponies leave the throne room." "Remind me to check the 'Let Celly read the scroll' later." Luna rolled up the scroll and it vanishes in a puff of purple magic. Journal of Opal Gemstone: Entry 2: Still hoping what I meant in the other entries. I woke up early. Really early. I blame Nightmare Moon. Or Princess Luna. Maybe I need to ask her about the things I did. One of the entries did say that I'm her teacher. What does THAT mean? Anyhow, the birthday party I had yesterday was fun, one of the things I noticed to have forgot was my birthday. As the night came, though, the stars were beautiful. And, new record, 29 bottles of moonshine. Opal scratched his mane while reading the latest entry which hinted he was drunk after the party. He chuckled, hid the journal, took the quill and placed it in his ear. Even though his cutie mark suggested he's best in mining minerals, he writes short stories good. A few of the entries in his journal are also "plot bunnies" as he called, for they can spike up new ideas. A few were used by Ruby Sunshine in her stories, who always snoops as he wrote an entry. Opal would sometimes read it, then suddenly laugh as Ruby gets annoyed. But this time, Opal didn't remember those times. He could only remember his colthood, pieces of being a citizen of Canterlot, and of Ponyville, and Ruby Sunshine. As the sun rises, Opal decided to travel to the Everfree Forest, with Twilight Sparkle and company, to the ruins of the Castle of Two Sisters. While passing by a manticore, few trees, sneaking past a cockatrice, and a certain river serpent, they reached the bridge which connects the two cliffs. Opal took a step first, then Twilight Sparkle, then Spike, after him is Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, then lastly Applejack. Rarity and Pinkie were busy that particular day so they weren't available for the day. After arriving, Opal asked Twilight is she has a copy of the map of the castle, she nodded, summoned a map, then they head into the library of the ruined castle and finds the books still readable. "Well, at least we can still use them," he commented. "Right." Twilight finds a book about spells that affect memories, and fires a temporary remember spell to Opal that she picked up from that book... And Opal hit the wall, as a set of memories come back which he then forgets after 1 minute. "Pfft." Opal stood and looks at the book, and looks at the spells it has. "Ouch." "Are you ok, Opal?" Fluttershy asked softly. "Yes, I'm fine," Opal replied back with a smile. "Just... thought about something." "What is it?" Fluttershy and Twilight chorused. "It's... it's supposed... well, what if we come back tomorrow?" Opal proposed before Princess Celestia teleported in, surprising the ponies. "Hello, Opal," Princess Celestia greeted, "hello, my little ponies." "Princess Celestia, what a surprise!" Twilight barely managed to contain her excitement. "What made you come here, Princess?" "I'm here for Opal Gemstone, my faithful student." Princess Celestia walked closer and whispered, "Humans never give up in faces of danger, and brings harmony even in lethal terms." Opal winced, after Princess Celestia raised her head after the whisper. He felt like he has heard this line before. Did he told this to somepony before? Opal shrugged his thoughts as Princess Celestia handed a piece of a red gem to him. A gem which worried Twilight that she took it before Opal can touch it. "Twilight, what are you doing!?" Princess Celestia looked at Twilight. "Give it back!" Twilight floated the gem above the ground, before smashing it- *SMASH!!!* Year 2. Month 10. 2 days before amnesiac accident. 20 days before Nightmare Night. Twilight Sparkle looked at Opal as she notices that Opal doesn't use his magic to move the books. "Opal, why aren't you using your magic?" Twilight asked. "I got this disease that involves red gems," Opal replied, "you see, my magic seems like to act on its own. Brings me to gems. Much like Rarity's talent." "Can't see the reason why you don't use your magic," Twilight said. "I nearly killed myself using my magic." Opal lowered his head to pick up a book and place it in its shelf. "Took months to recover after removing 20 shards of red gems." "Oh." Twilight remembered him in a hospital bed when she was still in Canterlot, "Now I remember. You're that colt who got some shards of gems still left in various parts of your body." "Yeah. I didn't know you then. But..." Opal looked at Twilight. "After that day, I've been craving to met that mare." "Really?" "Yeah. Then, after meeting you, I think it has gotten far more serious..." "Don't tell me." Opal and Twilight looks at Spike who was listening. "You're in love with Twilight, right?" Opal blushed, "I... uh..." "Say it!" Spike repeated. "Say it, you're in love with Twilight!" "Are you?" Twilight asked, "Are you really?" Damn it Spike... Opal took a deep breath. "Y... yeah." "REALLY!?" Twilight is surprised. "Waaaait," Opal realised something about the topic, "You are too, right...?" Twilight blushes before nodding back. Ruins of the Castle of Two Sisters, Present. "Why did you do that, Twilight Sparkle?" Princess Celestia asked, mad. Twilight closed her eyes, before peeking and looking at the smashed gem, and a scared Opal hiding behind a stack of books. "I... I can't..." Twilight tried to hold back her tears. "He..." "Princess Celestia?" asked Opal, "I... I can't accept it." "Why so?" Princess Celestia raises an eyebrow, "it's because it remind you of how you got your cutie mark?" "Wh...what?" Twilight is confused, then pulled away into a book fort Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy created in the middle of the conversation. "Your family line should have been dead years ago." Princess Celestia stepped closer to Opal. "This ends now." "STOP!" Twilight looked at where the sound came from. Ruby Sunshine, who was carrying the Elements of Harmony, along with a sword. "I WON'T LET YOU TOUCH PAPA AGAIN!" Ruby throws the Elements up in the air, and fires the Harmony spell to Princess Celestia. Opal, getting enough time, grabbed the sword by his mouth, and faced Princess Celestia, who was still corrupted after the near-death spell. Twilight... I love you. Opal charged to Princess Celestia... Princess Luna looked at the ray of light that came from the Everfree Forest and cried, "LONG LIVE PRINCESS CELESTIA!" Ponyville, under control by Princess Luna, creates a shield barrier to protect the said town. Other towns are having barriers as well. Pinkie and Rarity both run to the Castle of Two Sisters, leaving the barrier. Back at the Castle of Two Sisters, The four Elements of Harmony, Opal Gemstone and his daughter Ruby Sunshine, tried to attack the now-Solar Empress Celestia. "ALL OF YOU WILL BOW DOWN TO ME!!" Celestia madly shouted as she fired a spell that is blocked by Twilight's shield. "Hold on," Twilight struggled to keep Ruby's shield up, "We're getting out!" "Not so fast." Celestia collapsed the door as Rarity and Pinkie Pie barely entered the room. "No one's escaping." "No one." Opal's Journal within Ponyville: Entry 994: I was warned by a version of me that I will be attacked a few months later with Twilight Sparkle and her friends. He didn't have time to explain, so he made me write this. Goodbye. The Journal of Opal Gemstone: Entry 3: Entry 994 was right. It's not me. It's somepony else. I thought it was me. I learned something now. Opal finished his entry as Twilight builds up magic for a spell. "Hurry!" Rarity shouted, "You know this shield won't last!" Twilight and Opal looked at each other, then she fires a time spell at Opal. Opal finds himself at the Golden Oak Library, 1 day before the "amnesiac accident" as he liked to call it. Twilight Sparkle is mildly surprised, and Spike is not there. "Who are you?" asked Twilight. "Opal Gemstone, look, only got a minute, and listen." Opal breathed in, then out. "Princess Celestia is corrupted. She's about to kill us. Look, I know that you have little feelings for me, alright. But tomorrow, I'll lose my memories. Then, me and my daughter will stay here. Then, at the Castle of Two Sisters, the fight will happen." "Are you serious? The Princess is fine," Twilight defended. "She gets corrupted because of a red gem you smashed." Opal felt sad. "I... I don't want this to happen." "I'll follow your word," Twilight replied, surprising Opal. "But I thought time can't be changed?" Opal felt weird. "Ho–" His sentence was cut off by a kiss. Then, the spell's effect stopped. He was back at the Castle of Two Sisters, Princess Celestia now free of corruption, and Ruby Sunshine applauding. He was right, time can't be changed. He wondered where his actions have gotten him into, then he solved it out. "Oh. Twilight," Opal called. "Did you try to kill me, but instead you just made me unconscious and lose my memories?" Twilight winced. "Yes...?" "Great. Now... that was one hay of a kiss."