Family

by FleetlordAvatar


Let's Talk Earth

Twilight and Reiver returned to the living room, the former's mind buzzing with questions. Applejack was sitting on the sofa waiting for them, a mug of cold cider in her hooves.

 “Welcome back,” she said. “Glad to hear y’all found what you were looking for.”

“So am I,” replied Twilight. “Reiver was quite helpful.”

“It was no problem,” he replied, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

Twilight took a seat on the sofa and drew over the mug of tea with her magic. Applejack shuffled over to let Reiver sit with them.

“How’s are Cheerilee's exercises coming along?” asked Applejack. Having looked after Apple Bloom for so long, she knew that foals sometimes needed a push to finish work.

“Slowly,” replied Reiver. “But it is helping my hoof control. I can just about manage to keep the pencil in place.”

“That’s good to hear, partner,” she said with a smile. “Are you still nursing that toothache of yours?”

Reiver winced. He’d had to tell her about his rotten tooth after it sent a spike of pain through his gums during dinner the previous night. She had scolded him for keeping it a secret for so long that it had become a problem.

“It’s not sore right now,” he replied.

“Good. I managed to get you an appointment with the dentist.”

Reiver's expression became apprehensive.

“Th..thanks,” he replied.

“Are you alright?” asked Twilight.

“Just…nervous,” he replied. “Dentists remind me too much of the doctor’s office.”

“We might need your help for this one Twilight,” said Applejack. “Reiver can’t go outdoors, but that tooth needs to come out. Would you be able to use your magic to get us to Colgate’s office and back?”

“Certainly,” she replied.

“Don’t worry partner,” said Applejack as she put a hoof around Reiver. “I know how y'all feel about doctors, so I’ll stay by your side for the whole thing.”

“Thanks, Applejack,” he replied, putting his hoof over hers.

Applejack gave him a reassuring squeeze and a smile and Reiver returned it. Something about her just made him feel safe.
The group were interrupted by Big Macintosh pushing open the farmhouse door.

“Howdy, Twilight,” he said. “Didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Hi, Big Mac,” she replied. “I forgot something important when I was last over; I just came over to collect it.”

“Reiver helped her find it,” said Applejack, affectionately ruffling the colt's mane.

“Applejack,” he whined. “When did you get all touchy-feely?”

“Since you sat there in hoof's reach,” she replied. “After all, this is the first time I’ve been able to sit with you since Winona and I showed off.”
She finished by rubbing his mane even harder, causing the colt to squirm in embarrassment.

“Sorry to interrupt,” said Big Mac, grinning at his sister’s antics, “but I need some help; you know, that big oak tree by the fence in the east field?”

“The one that’s as rotten as the Flim Flam brothers?”

“Eeyup, dang thing toppled over onto a cartload of apples while I was hitching myself up.”

“Sweet Celestia! Are you alright?” she exclaimed.

“Eeyup, can’t say the same for the cart. It’s been smashed to firewood and the apples are all squished. I need your help to shift the dang tree or the bugs living there will infest the whole field.”

“Sorry Big Mac, I’d like to help but I’m watching Reiver while Granny is in Canterlot for the day. Can’t you move it? Apple Bloom said you moved a house when she gave you that love poison.”

“I thought we agreed not to talk about that,” he muttered. “This is different, AJ. The thing’s too unwieldy to just lift. I need you to help me chop it into pieces that can be moved safely.”

“Maybe I could help,” Twilight blurted out.

Both Apple siblings suddenly looked at her as she awkwardly rubbed her neck.

“Well, if it’s that important,” said Twilight sheepishly, “I could watch Reiver while the two of you work.”

“Are you sure Twi?” said Applejack. “I wouldn’t want to impose on y'all.”

“It’s no problem at all,” she said with a dismissive wave of her hoof. “I just need a moment to get some things from the library. There’s some work I need to do today.”

Placing her tea down on the coffee table, she moved to a clear part of the room and teleported out in a flash of light. Applejack quickly chugged down her cider in several large gulps before turning to Reiver.

“This is a mite unexpected, so I’m asking you to be good for Twilight,” she said.

“I’ll be on my best behaviour, Applejack,” he replied. “Pinkie Promise.”

The farm pony chuckled as she gave his mane another ruffle.

“It’s nice to see you like this,” said Applejack.

“Like what?”

“Happy.”

Reiver couldn’t think of a response. Surely he hadn’t been that much of a sourpuss since his arrival. His thought processes were interrupted a moment later when Twilight Sparkle re-materialised in a pop of lavender light, now wearing a set of saddlebags.

“That was quick,” he said in astonishment.

“It is when a pony is as organised as I am.”

“Got everything y’all need Twilight?” said Big Macintosh.

“I think so,” she replied. “Now, you two get going. That tree won’t move itself.”

“Sure make our job easier if it would,” he replied. “Come on AJ.”

“I’ll see you two later tonight,” said Applejack. “Reiver, be good for Twilight.”

“I Pinkie Promised, didn’t I?” he replied.

With a brief wave from the two Apple ponies as they left, Reiver found himself alone with Twilight Sparkle. Emptying her saddlebags, he recognised a few items from his car, including the IPhone Twilight had referred to as ‘Siri’”. It took the unicorn a few moments to lay out the artefacts and parchment pages in an orderly manner on the coffee table. Alongside she placed several bottles of ink and a few quills.

“Now,” she said, uncorking a bottle. “I think I have enough material to record our conversation.”

“Definitely,” he replied. “So…what would you like to know?”

Twilight paused as a million questions ran through her mind. Should she ask about his culture? His people? What they ate? What they looked like? It reminded her of her first days as Celestia's pupil, so many questions and unsure where or even if she should start.

“Where are you from, really?” she asked, a quill and notepad at the ready. “What's your world like?”

“It’s called Earth. It’s not that different from Equestria. If you were to stand in a field or forest on Earth and then do the same here you wouldn’t see much difference.”

“What sort of magic do you use?” asked Twilight as she made notes.

“We...don’t use magic,” he replied. “We have no magic at all.”

“But, if you don’t have magic,” she replied. “How does something as advanced as Siri work? Anything this advanced must have a magical power source.”

“Siri is just a function. The device is actually called an IPhone,” he replied. “It runs off a battery. I thought you would have figured out that it ran on something other than magic.”

Twilight blushed in embarrassment.

“We have batteries and electricity, but they are quite large and don’t run anything like this, so I had dismissed it as a possibility.” she said

“What exactly is it?”

“It’s a phone,” replied Reiver.

“What?” she exclaimed. “It’s too small to be a phone.”

“But it is,” he replied. “It’s what we call a ‘smartphone.”

“How can a phone be smart?”

“I can show you, but I may need a little help.”

Taking a seat on the couch, Twilight levitated the IPhone into his hooves. She also pulled the blunted quill out of her bag for him to use. Doing his best to hold onto the damaged device, Reiver carefully took the blunted quill and started scrolling through the phone's applications. Opening the camera app, he took a photograph of her and showed it to Twilight.

“Amazing,” she muttered. “Cameras can be so bulky. This would let a pony carry one around in their saddlebags without any trouble at all.”

“Let me show you some pictures,” he replied. “They should help answer a few more questions.”

Using the quill, Reiver scrolled through his apps and opened the picture gallery. Reiver explained they were called ‘humans’ and, to Twilight, they resembled hairless apes. Although that might be a bit unfair as it was obvious they had some hair on their heads. A few images had it done into different styles so Twilight concluded this was their ‘mane’.

“This is me,” said Reiver as he opened another picture. “Or at least, how I’m meant to look.”

Twilight looked over at the tall creature in the photograph. It was kind of strange for her to see the colt's features in the mature face of this alien. His mane was cut in a shorter style and he was very pale. Reiver explained that this was his natural skin tone, describing how humans from hotter climates usually had darker skin. The image also had him wearing the ragged jacket that he had been found in, although it was in much better condition on his adult body.

“I can see what you meant earlier,” she said. “You definitely look a lot older in these.”

“I’m supposed to be twenty seven,” he replied “You wouldn’t happen to know what could have changed me into a colt?”

“I’m sorry, Reiver, I don’t,” replied Twilight. “But, there are spells that can artificially alter a pony's age. I’ll look into them for you and see if they can offer any clues.”

“Thank you,” he replied.

Returning their attention to the phone, Reiver pulled up another picture.

“What type of creature is that?” she asked, pointing to some sort of furry monkey. It was standing next to Reiver and had a coat of red and white with what appeared to be flames coming out of the top of its head.

Reiver laughed.

“That’s not a real creature, it’s a costume.”

“Really? It looks so real.”

“That’s what I said,” he replied. “It’s for a convention, people were dressing up as their favourite characters from fiction and just having fun.”

“Reminds me of when Dash went to that Daring Do launch event,” she replied smirking at the image of Dash hassling Rarity to finish her costume a month before the event.

“Did you go to many of these conventions?”

“Not as many as I would have liked,” he replied. “I had a poorly paying job so anything like this was a real effort for me to save for. I wanted to work in a museum or Heritage Site, do something that paid well, but would also be interesting and exciting. So, I studied long and hard for a degree in History.”

He sighed.

“I was confident that when I got my degree I could find any job I wanted in that field. Except everywhere I applied it was the same excuses. ‘Need more experience, not what we’re looking for, overqualified.’ So, after five years of unemployment, the only job I could get was stacking shelves. I had no prospects, long hours and a rude boss. It makes me wonder if that blasted degree was worth three years of study and over nine thousand pounds of debt.”

He slumped down, sad and depressed.

Twilight wrapped a hoof around his shoulders. From a pony perspective, it was like he had found his special talent, and then been denied the chance to use it. She felt a little guilty at bringing up these memories and decided to take his mind off it. Thankfully, she knew exactly what would cheer him up.

“You said you had a History degree? Would you tell me about the history of your world?”

His face brightened.

“Absolutely!” he exclaimed, practically leaping from the couch. “What do you want to know?”

So, Twilight asked and he talked. They went back and forth as he spoke about the ancient empires of his world. Places called Rome, Greece and Egypt. He spoke about the rise of new nations and leaders with names like Justinian, Richard and Saladin.

He went through ages of war and revolution, discovery and strife. He told her the story of the kingdom of Britain, and how it created an empire that spanned a quarter of his world. How a place called America fought for its independence and became one of his world’s most powerful nations. He spoke about two world wars that ended after the deaths of millions, and how his people swore ‘never again’. He told her how humanity pushed the boundaries of technology and skill to walk on the moon, explore the ocean floor, and discover cures and treatments for diseases that would have once been fatal.

In the course of her questioning, Twilight could see that Reiver had a great deal of knowledge. He didn’t know everything, and there were some questions he couldn’t answer. He admitted that he wanted to know more about the countries of ‘China’, ‘Japan’ and ‘India’. It was clear his knowledge was more focused in some areas; he knew the most about the place called Britain, and explained this was his home.
By the end of Twilight’s questions, they had filled nearly all of her notepads and parchment. He had even drawn very rough maps and sketches of buildings and places he had described.

“Thanks, Twilight,” said Reiver, noticeably happier. “No one has asked me about history in years; it’s nice to talk to someone who is genuinely interested.”

“I can empathise,” she replied. “Sometimes I catch my friends zoning out if I get too technical. Unless I’m talking to Rainbow Dash about the Daring Do books.”

“Sounds like she’s quite the fan,” he replied with a smirk.

“You have no idea,” replied Twilight and the two shared a laugh.

“If I might ask, is there any magic on your world at all?”

“In all honesty, I couldn’t tell you,” he replied. “We have stories of magicians and powerful magic going back hundreds of years, but most will tell you that they are just that.”

He sighed wistfully.

“But there are some things on our world we can’t explain. I like to think Earth had magic once, that the stories of Merlin and Camelot are recollections of some distant time we have long since forgotten. That people were afraid of what they didn't understand, so they called it 'illogical' and pretended it didn't exist, and the world is just a little bit poorer for it."

“That’s a very short sighted way to look at things,” said Twilight. “Magic and logic are not so different from one another. Both form an integral part of life. The telephone was inspired after the spell for long distance communication. Even the steam train was created when a pegasus witnessed lava lizards using their magic to fuel great engines of power. Magic inspires and works in tandem with logic.”

“I think I once read something similar,” replied Reiver. “But from our perspective, we lived in a world that appeared supernatural and dangerous. So, at some point, it was decided to dispel these fears through knowledge and understanding. Magic became something of fiction, but despite this, it still inspires us. People read about Merlin performing great spells and sought to re-create them with science. There are even those who actively look for evidence of places like Camelot, because they believe them to have existed. Magic may be lost to us, but its legacy never disappeared.”

Twilight was silent as she scribbled some more notes.

“I take it this ‘Merlin’ you’ve mentioned twice now, is somepony of importance when talking about your world's magic?”

“Definitely, he’s a legendary wizard,” he replied. “I can tell you the whole story if you want; he is part of my country’s heritage.”

“Go right ahead,” replied Twilight as she readied another notepad.

Twilight listened in rapt attention as he told her the story. How he was a trusted friend to a young King called Arthur, who proved his right to rule by pulling the sword Excalibur from a stone. She paused to make notes as Reiver described the city of Camelot and how it was eventually brought low by the treacherous Mordred.

“Wow…” she said in awe as he finished the story. “Your world sounds fascinating.”

“It’s not perfect,” he replied. “But we are getting better.”

“If might ask, I am curious about that wooden box you have. You said it was precious, but would you mind telling me why?”
Reiver pulled the box out of his pocket and held it gently in his hooves.

“…I could show you if I still had the key,” he said quietly.

“I can help with that,” he replied.

Calling on her magic, the unicorn cast a simple spell on the small padlock. With barely audible ‘click’, it opened.

“How do you keep out thieves?” asked Reiver, astonished at how easily her magic had handled the task.

“The key components of Equestrian locks have magic nulling properties. Since that isn’t an Equestrian lock, I deduced that it might not be made of the same materials.”

“That…makes a lot of sense,” he replied.

Opening the lid, Twilight got a good look at the inside of what she had been assuming was some sort of magical prison. Now she knew the truth, it seemed a little anticlimactic that the source of her stress was a keepsake box.

There were three small objects inside. The first was an expertly cut gemstone that reminded her of a Fire Ruby. The second was a silver cross with a small ring at the topmost point, indicating it had once been part of a necklace. However, the final item confused her a little. It was a plastic ring that resembled those unicorns sometimes wore on their horns, either for marital purposes or as a sign of status. It was a deep blue, with a symbol similar to a lantern embossed on the thickest part.

Reiver smiled sadly as he laid them on the table.

“This box has been in our family since my great grandmother,” he said. “It’s made from olive wood and it’s what my great grandfather used to present her wedding ring.”

Gently lifting the Silver Cross, he showed it to Twilight.

“My grandma took great comfort in her faith after she lost grandpa. She wore this cross as long as I can remember. Before she passed, she gave it to my mum along with the box. She said we should fill it with memories that give us comfort.”

Allowing Twilight to take the cross in her aura, he removed the gemstone heart.

“This was my mum’s wedding gift from dad… funny that there was a point when they were genuinely in love. She put in in here not long after he left. When I asked why, she told me that it was to lock away the good memories she had of him.”

He sniffed a little, tearing up as the memory of his mother surfaced again and Twilight laid a comforting hoof on his shoulders. Wiping his eyes, Reiver put down the heart and picked up the plastic ring.

“You’re going to laugh when I tell you why I put this in here,” he said. “I got this free with a comic book. In it, there was a group of heroes called Blue Lanterns that spread hope throughout the universe. They would always preach that ‘All will be well’ and there was something about that which struck a chord with me.”

He turned the ring over in a hoof before replacing it in the box.

“I put that ring in there to remind me that no matter how bad things get, eventually ‘all will be well’.

“Why would I laugh at something like that?” replied Twilight as she gently set the silver cross back inside the box. “To have something that makes you hope is actually quite beautiful.”

“It’s been difficult to do that lately,” he replied. “Since mum's passing, I’ve had very little to hope for.”

“Well, I think you have plenty to hope for,” she replied. “You may be far from home, but you couldn’t have been found by better ponies. Applejack's family is kind and generous and it sounds like you’re already friends with Apple Bloom and the Cutie Mark Crusaders. I’d say that if you have anything to hope for, it’s to keep making good friends like them.”

Reiver thought about what she said for a moment. A consequence of his military family meant he found it difficult to make friends, as they would just move away and he would never see them again. Back home, he tended to keep to himself. He usually saw people at conventions or events, but never really spoke to them once they were over. Since coming to Equestria, he had been in a position where he could actually make friends, and see them on a regular basis. He couldn’t go outside, but that didn’t mean they stopped visiting him. He lived with Apple Bloom and she was hanging out with him more and more since he told her the truth.

“I…never thought about it like that,” he said. “Thanks, Twilight.”

“Anytime,” she replied. Then she saw the piles of parchment that were spilled all over the floor.

“Would you mind helping clear up, we made quite the mess.”

“No problem,” he replied. “Twilight, would you mind keeping my things for the moment? I can’t exactly hide them here.”

“It would be my pleasure,” she replied. “It’ll make studying them easier.”

Rolling up the parchment, the two ponies packed them into Twilight's saddlebags along with Reiver's belongings. They were just finishing when the door was opened by Applejack.

“Whoo-wee, that tree was a stubborn as a mule,” she exclaimed.

“Welcome back,” said Twilight. “Did you manage to move the tree?”

“Eeyup” she replied. “Had to chop it into pieces before we could do anything, darn thing was just too big to move. Everything alright here while I was gone?”

“Just fine,” replied Twilight. “It turns out that history is one of Reiver’s favourite subjects, so we were having a discussion about it.”

“Well, you're living with history here,” replied Applejack with a smile. “The Apple Family helped build Ponyville from the ground up. Ask Granny about it; she’s got some stories that you won’t find in any history books.”

“Cool,” he replied.  He knew about Ponyville's history from when he watched the cartoon. However, he was genuinely intrigued about talking to the mare that actually lived through the town's development.

“You want to stay for dinner Twi?” asked Applejack.

“Thanks for the offer but I have to get back to the library, Spike is probably wondering where I’ve been all day,” she replied.

“Thanks for listening Twilight,” said Reiver, hugging the unicorn's leg. “I haven’t had an opportunity to talk history like that in a while.”

“You’re welcome,” she replied, returning the hug. “I’ll see you both later.”

“Don’t be a stranger,” said Applejack.

Moving to a clear section of the floor, Twilight cast her teleportation spell and vanished with a POP.

“Sounds like you two got along like a caterpillar in an apple cart,” said Applejack with a grin.

“It was fun,” he replied before yawning. “I think it tired me out more than I thought.”

“It’s going to take me a while to cook dinner for the family, so why don’t you go lie down for a while?”

“Okay,” he said, heading back upstairs.

As he pulled himself into bed, Reiver felt a sense of relief. He had told Twilight Sparkle the truth, and had not immediately been confined to a basement laboratory. She had been willing to listen when he had fully expected her to go into a full blown freak out.

“Maybe, I should have given her more credit,” he muttered. “When she’s not obsessing over something, she can be quite level headed. I think I’ll talk to her again...she was...nice.”

He trailed off as exhaustion overtook him, and he slipped into a blissful slumber.