//------------------------------// // Ch.14 // Story: A New Perspective // by portaljumper339 //------------------------------// A New Perspective Ch. 14 My half of our collective nap was fitful at best, especially after the revelations of that unicorn, so I was almost grateful when Fluttershy shook me awake. "Evan, Evan wake up," she said softly as she nudged her nose at my head. With a plaintive yawn I pulled myself up and took note of how much darker it had become. Apparently I had slept for longer than I thought. "Hey there, sleepyhead," cooed Fluttershy in that motherly voice. "Feeling any better?" "I could ask you the same, but yes, I'm fine. We're back together, everypony is safe and happy for the most part, and we're well on our way to getting Ponyville back up and running. Why wouldn't I be fine?" "Well, I kind of noticed that you were thrashing a lot in your sleep, so I thought that you were maybe having a nightmare." "Oh, that... well, I did want to sort of save this for when we got the others together, but there's no sense in beating around the bush. *sigh* It happened again." "You saw him again?" "Yeah, only this time was different. He looked like he had been hit by a wagon, and said that he wanted to help me with this whole cult business." "Well, what did you say?" she asked, settling down beside me. "At first I couldn't believe him, but he told me how the pony you and I know out in the real world is only a shadow of who he was, that his real self is kept under lock and key by some creature from another dimension. I reacted about as well as you would expect, and laughed until it hurt." "That wasn't very nice of you," she scolded. Nice to see she was feeling well enough to chastise me. "Trust me, I realized just how mean it was. I'm not sure how he did it, but he replayed the memory of when it happened, and it was a sight to behold, let me tell you. We were just about to start hammering out plans when the abomination showed up, and that's when I bolted." "So, you're probably going to side with him now, aren't you?" she asked, eyes filling with worry. "Maybe, but I want everypony's opinion before I decide on what to do next. Mainly yours." "M-mine?" "Well, sure. I mean, you probably have more of a bone to pick with this stallion than I do, considering everything that he's done to you. It wouldn't be right if I didn't ask you." "Oh... well, if you really want to know, I think that you should listen to him, but don't trust him. This may sound weird coming from me, but I really don't like him." "Trust me, you have every right not to. You may wield the Element of Kindness, but even the nicest pony has to have some skepticism. Especially where a potential murderer is concerned." "Heh, heh, yeah, maybe you're right," she said nervously, kicking her hoof. "Anyway, maybe we should go and get the others, see if we can sort this whole thing out." "I think that's a great idea," I answered, giving her a quick peck on the forehead. "Besides, it'll be nice to let everypony know that you're feeling better. Pinkie seemed a little concerned about you, and I'm pretty sure everypony else shares her sentiments." "I think that we're just going to have to dispel those rumors then, aren't we?" "Indeed we are," I said, opening up the flap for her. We both took to the evening skies, heading towards the interior of the camp. My mind was still buzzing with thoughts, plans, and anxieties, but having Fluttershy with me, alive and well, helped shove them all to the back of my mind where they belonged. At least for the mean time. =============== It didn't take long to round everypony up, seeing as how they were all busy attending to their various responsibilities, and Fluttershy knew where they each worked. She was actually the one to get them all while I set up a meeting place. I ran back into her after she gathered up Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack, and we all made our way to the center tent where Twilight was still busy making sure that the camp was operating efficiently. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom had been helping their sisters, and Scootaloo had been busy sorting out letters for Rainbow when she came to get them, so they decided to tag along. The center tent was just as busy as it was earlier, but it seemed that Ivory Scroll had taken over most of the actual organizing, while Twilight was content to make sure everything was checked off. "Howdy Twilight," said Applejack over the din. "Oh, hi Applejack," responded Twilight, putting down her quill. "What's everypony else doing here? Don't tell me Pinkie's already planned a Welcome-Back party for Evan?" "OOH, I need to get on that!" exclaimed Pinkie, realizing that she hadn't even started. All I could do was shake my head and smile. The world could be crashing down around her, and Pinkie Pie would still be Pinkie Pie. "Oh no, it's nothing like that, dear," answered Rarity, "He was just going to tell us where he went that had us so worried." Twilight and I exchanged a quick glance before she answered. "Oh, well in that case, I guess I could take a little time out from my work. The Mayor has everything pretty well handled here, so I guess I could duck out for a few minutes." While Twilight went off to talk to the Mayor, AJ and Rarity turned to the three fillies that had accompanied us, proudly wearing their newly fashioned capes and staring upwards expectantly. "Now Sweetie, I know that you want to come along, but I need you to go back to the tent and try and get some sleep," said Rarity. Sweetie Belle's expression said it all, lip stuck out in a defiant pout. "Aww, but I want to know where Evan went." "I'm sorry, but you've had just as long a day as I have, and it's nearly 7:30. From what I heard, Cheerilee is going to be holding classes in her tent starting tomorrow, so I want you well rested." "That goes for you too Apple Bloom. Granny Smith would have my tail if I let you stay out past your bed time," answered Applejack. "And Scootaloo, I know your parents don't want you wandering around at night either. You best scoot on home too." "Oh wow, did you just say 'scoot on home'?" I asked, staring at the orange farm mare, befuddled. "Did you do that on purpose?" "But Applejack," whined Apple Bloom before her sister could answer. "Apple Bloom, if you don't git home, I'll tell Big Ma-" "Applejack, let me handle this," i interjected. "Girls, it would be for the best. You have to keep yourselves in good shape, especially if you have school tomorrow. I promise that I'll tell you everything tomorrow after school, okay?" "Hmph... fine," was pretty much the consensus statement from all three of them. They left the tent as defiantly as they could, keeping there little noses held high. I almost wanted to laugh. After talking it over with Ivory to make sure it was alright, Twilight rejoined the rest of us, following close behind me as the seven of us made our way to the outskirts of the camp. "So, still haven't told them huh?" "I wanted all of us together before I spilled it. Also, could you not let on that I told you beforehand, as a favor?" "That's what I was planning on. Besides, if there's one thing that I've learned, it's that losing a friend's trust is the fastest way to lose a friend." "Truly a moral to be learned if ever there were one." Certainly one I could use some work on, with the amount of times I've lied to and hid things from my friends. The moon was already high in the sky when we arrived, and Fluttershy let out a little yelp when she saw where we were. It was that same clearing that Fluttershy and I were in when the meteor shower happened, and little had changed since that night. It was still as pristine as ever, but with two noticeable differences. One, the meteor had been dug up, probably so that it could be studied, and two, there was a small pile of wood with a few stones set around it. I had figured that it would get dark, so I decided to set up a fire pit. "Uh, Twilight, would you kindly?" I asked, gesturing to the pile of wood. "Oh, sure," she replied, horn flaring. One quick bolt of magic and the pile of wood was burning quite nicely, sending out a cone of heat. "Ooh, this is just like the time I went to camp with my sisters!" chirped Pinkie Pie. I saw her walk up to the fire and, reaching backward, pulled a bag of marshmallows and a few sticks out of her incredibly bushy tail. "Uh, where'd you get those?" asked Applejack "One should never be without a bag of marshmallows on hoof at all times," she answered as she jammed one onto a stick she had nestled between her front hooves. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind," said Applejack quizzically as she settled onto the grass. Turning her attention to me as we all got settled she asked," So, Evan, what exactly are we all out here for, anyhow? Fluttershy said something about you tellin' us where you went, but something tells me there's more to it than that." "Nothing gets by you, does it? Well, while that was my original reason for coming out here, there's been a... development." "What kind of development?" asked Rainbow skeptically, cocking an eyebrow as she did so. "Now Rainbow, just hold your horseshoes," chastised Applejack. "Let's give him a chance to speak. He'll tell us when he's good and ready." Rainbow let out a small snort of frustration, but thankfully backed down. "Thanks AJ. Now, before I say anything, I just want you all to know that none of this was my idea, it just sort of happened..." And so I told them about the kidnapping and what Luna had told me. They all stayed stoic as I orated, although Pinkie was still roasting her marshmallows while she listened. It was an odd sight, her eyes ever fixed on me while she jammed marshmallow after endless marshmallow onto that stick of hers. By the end her bag was half empty, and everypony's heads looked about ready to burst. "So that's it?" asked Rarity. "Yep, pretty much. Everything I just told you is how it went down in Canterlot." "Well, at least you weren't taken by that cult again," said Rainbow. "I mean, as soon as you mentioned 'kidnapped' I thought that this would turn out like one of my Daring-Do books, you needing to escape your captors and all that jazz." "Oh, Rainbow, I need that copy of 'Daring-Do and the Temple of Prophecies' back," piped up Twilight. "There's a colt that wants to check it out," "He can just wait until I'm done with it then." "Anyway," continued Rarity, getting the conversation back on track, "I'm just glad that it was one of the princesses that took you instead of that dreadful cult. At least we can trust Luna to do what's right." "Certainly more so than we can trust Celestia," interjected Rainbow. "I mean, I know she has a whole country to run and everything, but she needs to grow a spine. At least Luna showed some guts, and I can respect that." "Rainbow Dash, you really shouldn't be so hard on Celestia," retorted Twilight. Leave it to her to stick up for her mentor. "While this may just be a lapse in judgement for her, she has all of Equestria to think of, and certainly can't make a concession for one pony, no matter how desperate the situation." "Isn't this typical," spat Rainbow, "the star student sticking up for her teacher. She may have been like a second mother to you, but even you need to see that what she did was wrong. You know it and I know it, she made a major goof-up here, and I am not just going to sit back and take this. How could you even think this was a good idea?" "I never said I agreed with the princess' decision, and I'm sad to see Evan have to leave like this, but maybe this will all just sort itself out. And when it does, he'll be free to come back. I think that's fair enough." "FAIR ENOUGH!?" she asked, beginning to hover out of frustration. "How could you think banishment for an innocent pony is FAIR? Need I remind you that he saved Fluttershy's life, as well as mine? He should be given a hero's welcome wherever he goes, but instead there sweeping him out like last week's hay. Has anything that's happened managed to pierce through your thick, eggy hea-" "Rainbow, that's enough," interrupted Applejack. "The last thing that we need complicatin' matters is us bein' at each others throats. It's already been decided, so there's no point arguin' over it now. The best we can hope for is that the guard sorts this whole mess out." "But I-" "Rainbow, drop it, ya hear?" "... Yes, MA'AM," she retorted, getting back on the ground. "Anyway, you said that there was a 'development', and since we aren't going to be getting any further with this part of the discussion, then maybe we better move on." "You're right, we should," I answered. "Now, you all remember about the unicorn that I mentioned when we were coming back from the forest, right? The stallion that leads the cult, as well as haunting my mind?" "Mm-hm," muttered Pinkie Pie, mouth full of marshmallow. "Well, sure we do. It'd be pretty hard to forget someone who tried to do your friends in," answered Applejack. "Why do you ask?" "Well, thing is, I may have had him misjudged this whole time. You see, he came to me again while Fluttershy and I were napping in her tent, and..." "Aw, isn't that sweet? Two lovebirds sharing a peaceful spring nap, makes your heart just wann-" "Can it, Rainbow," I interrupted, silencing her. "Anyway, normally he's all prim and proper, spic and span, that sort of thing, but this time he looked like a wreck. His mane was all messed up, and he had a black eye." "He had said that he was trying to help me this whole time, but it never seemed to take with me, you know? During my dream, he finally just came out and said that he wanted to help me, instead of dancing around the subject, as well as providing some... information." "What kind of information do you mean?" asked Rarity, watching me with rapt attention. "He said that he wasn't able to control his physical form, which is the reason he's only contacted me through my dreams. He went on some story about how years ago, he was taken over by some extra-dimensional entity after a spell gone awry, and that's why he's been doing the things he's been doing, like bringing me here and trying to kill Rainbow and Fluttershy." "Well, what did you say to him?" asked Twilight. "At first, I laughed so hard that my chest hurt, but then he showed me a replay of the memory, and it played out exactly as he said. He also mentioned that he was a teacher at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, and he was practicing in his study when it happened. He started the spell and it went bad fast. There was a big explosion, and when the light subsided, he was on the opposite side of the room, and the floor had caved in. A portal had opened where he cast the spell, and it took him over. That's where the memory stopped, but before we left, I noticed a hoof poking out from under the collapsed floor." "Wait, hold on. Did you say he was a teacher at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns?" asked Twilight, holding up a hoof. "Yeah, why?" "Did he say how many years ago he worked there?" "About seven, but I don't see how th-" "That's when I was going there! It was my third year, and the news that one of the teachers had blown himself up spread like wildfire around the campus. Students weren't allowed to go in that building for two months while they were cleaning it up." "Did you know who the teacher was?" I asked, desperation in my voice. This could be a major break if she remembered. Everypony else was paying very close attention to us, Rainbow and Fluttershy particularly. "He was actually one of my favorite teachers. I think his name was Arcane Fire, but we all called him Mr. A. I learned a lot about theoretical magic from him, and he was always nice to us." Arcane Fire... Arcane Fire... I had to be sure and remember that next time I saw him. "Did you hear about anypony else being affected by this?" "They didn't really say much, but I overheard two of the other teachers saying that his aide was crushed when the floor collapsed. He seemed different after the accident, and we all chalked it up to grief. Not that he stayed at the school much longer after that. He was out the door within a week after that."  I was about to speak up when a loud whistiling followed by a bang sounded from behind me. Turning to get a better look, I saw that a bright red flare had gone up from the camp. "Oh hay, they're callin' a town meeting," said Applejack, putting her hat back on and getting to her hooves. "It may just be some organizational hooey, but it'd be best if we didn't miss it." "It'll take us a bit of time to get back. Do you think we'll make it in time?" I asked. "Hmm... we just might. Say Twilight, do you think you could teleport the seven of us back to camp?" "What, are you crazy?! Don't you remember when I teleported just Spike and myself during that whole ticket mishap? He came out singed up, and I was pretty dizzy, to say the least. Imagine if I tried doing that seven times over! You all might wind up in different places, or mayb-" "Alright, we get it, no need for the lecture," interrupted Rainbow. "Looks like we're just going to have to hoof it. C'mon!" she said before zipping away. Fluttershy and I took to the air while the others galloped behind us. They were slower, but still managed a good pace, and were able to keep up. Keeping my eyes peeled, I couldn't help but notice the twin sets of chariots come racing out of the clouds as the light from the flare dimmed. My heart began to race, realizing what this was really about. And it was no organizational thing. =============== The front of the camp was jam packed with ponies, all standing in front of a medium sized wooden platform, upon which stood my worst fears incarnate. I had tried to drive it from my head, tell myself that it wasn't going to happen, but here I was, and the crushing weight of reality hit me like a sack full of doorknobs. On the stage stood Celestia and Luna, flanked on either side by the Prime Minister and The Mayor of Ponyville. Six of Celestia's guards were blocking the exits, as well as two standing next to an iron cage that had been bolted to the bed of a wagon. I shoved my way to the front of the crowd, dragging Fluttershy along with me. She looked about as terrified as I felt, and being in this crowd of ponies wasn't helping her. Still, she took it with enough dignity, and if I was going to be banished, then I wanted to go down fighting with her beside me. The Prime Minister's eyes darted over to me when he heard us pushing our way through the crowd, and his face set into a hard glare. "Well well, if it isn't the stallion of the hour, here to grace us with his presence. I've heard a good many things about you from the townsfolk, but I'm guessing you already know why we're here." "I think I have a pretty good idea, but I would like to hear you say it." If only so I didn't have to keep thinking of things to say while I was sweating bullets. "Your majesty," he said, turning to Celestia, "if you could do the honors." Celestia stepped forward, a scroll held tightly in her magic, and expression set in a steely gaze. She looked down at me, and the way her lips quivered and her eyes shone betrayed the sadness she felt at what she was about to do. She unclasped the scroll and raised it to her eyes. "The pegasus known as Evan, currently a resident of Ponyville, has been hereby accused of endangerment of Equestria and her citizenry. A joint meeting of the Equestrian Senate as well as myself and Princess Luna found you guilty of the charge, and sentenced you for banishment from our fair land, until such a time as it is necessary  to have you return. Is this correct?" "Yes it is, your highness." My heart was pounding like a kettle drum, even with Fluttershy near to comfort me. Everypony in the crowd started to murmur to themselves, wondering just what Celestia was talking about. Looking back, I noticed some were starting to get angry looks on their faces. This could be just the sort of thing that could help me out here, if nothing else. "Could you please come up here?" asked Luna, keeping up a good facade. After giving a nervous backwards glance to Fluttershy, I gently flapped my wings and set down on the stage next to Luna. "Now, you're probably wondering why we are here ahead of schedule, are you not?" asked Celestia. "I guess you could say that the thought crossed my mind." "Well, upon further investigation of what has occurred here, as well as your own testimony given a week and a half ago, we can only conclude that it was the cult you mentioned that caused this catastrophe to strike Ponyville." You could hear a pin drop for how silent it became when she uttered that sentence. "What cult?!" a stallion shouted from the audience. "What're you talking about?!" yelled another. "What sort of ponies would do this?" And it got progressively worse from there, with everypony shouting questions and demanding answers until there was a full blown riot on our hooves. Try though they might, Fluttershy and the others couldn't calm them down, and even the Mayor could barely be heard over the din. Even the Prime Minister was taken aback at this. KKRRRRAAAAAAAAACCKKK!!!! A bolt of magic raced down from the sky not two feet in front of the stage, causing everypony to jump back and fall silent. Looking to my right, I saw Luna, horn and mane coursing with magic and eyes a flaming white. "SILENCE!!" she yelled, loud enough to make it seem like she had a megaphone. Her eyes returned to normal, and the magic running throughout her mane settled as she spoke her next sentence. "All will be explained in due time." "Well, I'd like to hear it from HIM," shouted a unicorn mare, pointing an accusatory hoof straight at me. I could feel the blood rushing to my face, and it nearly made me pass out. "He will not stand trial again before you," shouted Luna back, in a more manageable tone. "He has already proven his wor-" I stepped in front of her, shaking my head ever so slightly. While she was at first befuddled, she quickly got the hint and stepped back. Mustering up all the courage I could, I prepared to speak. "Citizens of Ponyville," I began, "when I first arrived here, I was a stranger to you and yours. Nopony here knew me, and I didn't know anypony. I was lost and confused in a strange new place." "But you took me in, accepted me as one of your own. You treated me as an equal, although I was an unfamiliar face to you. It was this kindness that you extended to me that gave me a meaning in this new place. I was able to find a job, make friends, and find a home here because you were gracious enough to accept me while knowing next to nothing about me." "So I think that it's high time I was as honest with you as you have been with me." Everypony started muttering again, but the confused looks were now directed at me instead of the princesses. Fluttershy looked up to me, eyes shining with tears, as she knew how this was going to turn out as much as I did. It's now or never. "As you can all probably guess, I'm not from Fillydelphia, and I'm not even sure that I'm from Equestria. I woke up in a meadow about a month ago, with absolutely no clue who I was or where I came from, and it was only through Fluttershy's insurmountable kindness that I was able to find your town. She took me in, showed me around, introduced me to her friends, all that stuff." "My life was pretty idyllic for a while. Then, one night, I had a dream, or a vision, or something, of a unicorn stallion telling me that he could help me get back to my home. I sought him out with Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, but when we found him... well, you all remember when Fluttershy was in the hospital a couple of weeks ago, right?" There were various murmurs of agreement, but just as many worried looks. Guess they jumped to the conclusion. "When we found him, he kidnapped Rainbow and Fluttershy, as well as chaining me to the floor. Then he had his lackeys, or followers, start up a torture spell, saying that they needed to be sacrificed for the greater good, and Fluttershy was to be their first victim." I fought with all my might to keep my emotions in check. Given the amount of times I had told and re-told this, you'd think I'd have gotten over it. "When they started toruturing her, something inside of me changed, welled up if you will. Next thing I knew, I was on the opposite end of the room, with the cult leader buried under my hooves. He teleported away, leaving the cultists behind to finish the job. I reacted out of pure desperation, and shoved Fluttershy out of the spell and taking it myself. It's energies built up in me until they exploded out in a massive bolt of magic, which I'm sure many of you noticed two weeks ago." A few of the mares in the crowd had hooves to their mouths, trying to keep themselves in check, and most of the others had looks of worry. "Fluttershy was grievously injured by the spell, and I spent most of my time drowning my sorrows in cider after that. It was only when Rainbow Dash said that she, myself, Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie were being summoned to Canterlot on the invitation of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna," I said, gesturing to the two alicorns standing behind me. "I understood why they would want everypony else, considering that they bear the Elements of Harmony, but why they wanted me was beyond my comprehension." "I'll spare you the details, but the meeting of the Senate went downhill fast, at least for me. After revealing to them the extent of my involvement with the incident in the forest, as well as my connections with the cult, they voted nearly unanimously to have me banished from Equestria, at least until this matter is solved, thinking that I would attract them here. Really, the only pony on my side besides my friends was Princess Luna. The next week and a half was spent with this hanging over my head, but I tried to make the most of it. The meteor shower and the fire certainly threw me a curveball, but other than that, I guess that's it. "And that leads us here, to me explaining all of this to you. I honestly wish that there could've been a way to get around this, to stop this from happening, but there wasn't." "Is that all?" asked the Mayor. "Yes ma'am. Judge me now, not as who I was, but who I am," I said to the assembled ponies, before stepping down from the stage and into Fluttershy's waiting hooves. "*sigh* Evan, you know it pains me to do this," said the Prime Minister, "but we have due reason to believe that the cult caused the meteor shower, and consequently, the fire, which proves our suspicions correct. The cult knows that you are here, and that means that we have no time to waste. The carriage is waiting," he said, pointing to the carriage with the cage on top at the back of the crowd. "We'll give you five minutes for goodbyes." He, along with the princesses and the Mayor, stepped off the stage and made their way through the crowd. I turned to the others, keeping Fluttershy in my grasp while I did so. "Well, I guess this is it." "I guess," said Twilight, moving to the front before Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo ran out from under her. "Girls, what are yo-" "We wanted to say goodbye," said Apple Bloom, moving to the front of the group. "And I think I speak for everypony when I say that we're all gonna miss you, probably more than you'll ever know." There were nods from all three of them, as well as Twilight and the others. Eyes starting to water, I let go of Fluttershy and took the three if them up in my hooves. "I... I'm gonna miss you too. Just promise me that you'll stay as wonderful and as precious as you are, for me." "We promise," said Sweetie as she dug her horn playfully into my chest. They managed to squirm their way out of my grip, and ran behind the older mares as I turned back to Fluttershy. I tried desperately to take in her every feature, every contour of her face and mane, because I knew that I wasn't going to be seeing her again. I reached into my bag and pulled out the mirror Luna had given me, and offered it to her. "What's this?" she asked, eyes shining with emotion. "It's an enchanted mirror. Luna gave it to me, just so I'd be able to see you and maybe wouldn't feel so lonely. But really, you ought to have it." "No, please, I can't take this," she pleaded, pushing it away. "Look, both of us know that you need it more than I do. I'll manage. Trust me." She stared at me, and I could see it then. Her eyes said it all, that she didn't want to have this happen, but was almost resigned to our mutual fate. She tentatively took the mirror from me and placed it on the ground beside her. With a quick smile and a kiss on the forehead, I turned to the  others. "I wanted to thank you for all that you've done for me over these past few weeks. Nopony could ask for better friends than you five, and even if I never come back, you will always be with me in my heart." "It was our pleasure," said Rarity. I could actually see where her mascara had run, and I really couldn't blame her. Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Twilight, and Rainbow Dash all nodded in agreement, offering their own thanks and send offs. Eventually a guard tapped me on the shoulder, and I knew it was time. With a final hug from everypony, I made my way through the crowd, eyes fixed on me as hard as mine were fixed on the ground. The occasional hoof would pat me on the back, but other than that the crowd may as well have been made of statues. Taking time to throw one look back on the crowd, I stepped up into the cage, the door of which shut with a resounding clang. Celestia and Luna had already departed back to Canterlot, but the Mayor was there to see me off. She gave me the simplest of nods, and then signaled for the guards at the front to take off. With the grinding of carriage wheels and the clop of hooves, I left my old life behind, not sure if I was ready to face the mysteries of my uncertain future. I guess I'd have time to learn, though.