//------------------------------// // A Human Endures A Swirly Beard And Growing Pains // Story: The Human And The Well // by Zandar13 //------------------------------// It had been a few days after that little whirlwind of trouble and life seemed to return to normal, well after another small bout of talking and shedding of emotions had happened. On the next day, I said goodbye to Vinyl and the Wonderbolts as they headed off to their next gig. Vinyl was as goofy as ever and seemed normal, especially considering that talk last night about herds and stuff. Spitfire gave me some advice and a hearty farewell while Fleetfoot gave me a hug before leaving. I also said goodbye to Cloudchaser and Flitter as well. Flitter decided to visit her parents home in Manehattan to recuperate. Cloudchaser told me a little about why Flitter was so freaked out and it was due to her last coltfriend being unknowingly violent. So her getting hit and all the fighting had her on edge, so she wanted to get away from here for a bit. I can't blame her and I gave her my support while she tearfully said her goodbyes to me. Cloudchaser was going to accompany her and since she was going to be there, she decided to take a little vacation in Manehattan as well. So I stood there at the train platform, with Maelstrom wiggling around in my arm, waving goodbye to the five of them and wishing them all luck. After that I decided to visit Derpy and personally tell her everything before she hears rumors or anything of the sort. So I quickly made my way to her house and knocked, but she was not there so next I began to ask around for her and after two bad leads, I finally found her delivering a heavy package. Once I helped her carry it, I learned that she was actually done for the day so we headed back to her place and I began to carefully explain what happened from the mayors office up to Maelstroms growth spurt. After a few tears, lots of hugs, and tons of sweet words for her later, she finally calmed down and gently laid in my lap. My heart nearly exploded when Maelstrom copied her and snuggled up on my other leg. Also, thankfully due to the growth spurt or whatever it was, Maelstrom was not as fussy being around Derpy like the last few times. Though anytime Derpy gave me a kiss, she whined a bit and tugged at my arms. So we spent the rest of the night like that before we parted for the night and went to bed. The day after I was sitting in the library with Maelstrom and Artemis next me playing while I read more of the last chapter in the crimson book when I heard a commotion at the front door, but before I could even stand up to investigate I was tackled into submission by the Pinkie Pie missile. Once I recovered myself, I was told of their adventure into the town where the misguided equalist mare, named Starlight Glimmer, captured them and even stole their cutie marks! But after taking their time and causing an uprising by revealing her ruse, they were able to escape and set free the citizens of that town. And then, of course, Twilight wanted to know if I had any adventures myself during their time away. I feel like I could start my own book with all the weird and bizarre happenings in my life at this point. Cause I felt tired at having to retell my tale, but I told them everything just as I told Derpy. Though what surprised me the most was at how furious they all were at Cascades, I almost felt bad at the fact they reacted more strongly than I did about the whole thing. But I calmed them down and assured them I was fine and that everything would be ok. That also led to a brief questionnaire from Twilight about the whole Royal Army conscription, since she was both excited and worried since she knew how dangerous it was, with her brother Shining Armor being the Captain and all. Which of course, led to ANOTHER twenty questions about Maelstrom growing up, though I could not answer most of them. And to be honest, I was quite worried at how clueless I was. Damn that Discord for 'being away'…. again! Sigh. “Adrian?” I snapped out of my current stupor and looked down at Rarity who looked up at me with concern. “Are you alright dearie?” She asked. “I think so” I honestly answered. “What seems ta be giving ya trouble, partner?” Applejack asked next. “Hmmm? Oh, its nothing. Nothing at all” I said in return. “Well, ok then. So, whatcha reckoning on doing now?” AJ asked again. “For starters, I am going to sit back down and try to finish the last chapter in this book. Unless, one of you wish to drag me into something weird and unexpected?” I asked, though I gave Pinkie a particularly knowing look. Didn't help that she saw this and grinned happily. “Nah, I reckon most of us need ta head back home and get ta work. Those apples ain't gunna fall of themselves!” Applejack said. “She's right! I got to get back to the bakery and cook up some new tasty treats! Especially after eating those disgusting muffins. BLEGH!” Pinkie said before sticking out her tongue in disgust. But shortly after, she rushed up and gave me a hug and a snuggle before dashing off. “She missed you, in fact when we were locked up she kept talking about you to keep her spirits up” Fluttershy suddenly spoke up. “I know! Always going on and on about 'what would big brother do' or something like that. Sheesh!” Rainbow Dash commented. I could not help but chuckle at the thought which got the other to laugh along as well. “Ta ta for now darlings, I must be heading back and start working on next months work!” Rarity said before leaving shortly after. “Hey Rainbow! Ya think you could head over to ta farm with me and use yer speed ta help me pick some apples?” AJ asked the flying pegasus. “I suppose so, I don't think I have that much work to do today anyway. See ya later big guy! Don't become too much of an egghead while I'm gone!” Rainbow said as the pair of mares walked off. I could only roll my eyes at her comment. “I have to check up on Angel and the other animals back home, they are probably worried sick” Fluttershy shyly said. I knelt down in order to give her a hug, to which she responded with a surprised 'eep'. Though she returned the hug in due time before she headed off as well. Now Twilight was all that was left, though she seemed to be busy studying Maelstrom and Artemis as they played. I decided to quietly sneak up on her and gently poked her cheek. “Whatcha doing?” I playfully asked. “Just observing. Its amazing that those two get along so well and just how Maelstrom has grown. So, tell me again how it happened?” she asked me. “Like I said, when I got back and saw that the entire room was different landscapes, I saw a tiny spiked back in the middle of the room and heard her inside. So, in a panic, I rushed over and tried my best to get her out as fast as I could. The moment I got a hole opened, I saw her inside and calmly told her I was there. The room was then blinded in light along with all the material she summoned surrounded her, and when I was able to see again I saw that she had grown” I described again. “And she could speak in half-formed sentences?” Twilight questioned. “Also correct” I said in return. “Fascinating. Leave it up to our resident human to have such an amazing creature as a daughter” Twilight said as though observing everything through a microscope. “You make it sound as if I had a choice in the matter” I said in a bit of a disgruntled tone. “Leaving that aside, I will be upstairs for a while. Doing a bit of research and write a few letters. Will you be ok on your own?” she tenderly asked. “I think I can manage just fine, Twilight” I replied with a raised eyebrow. “Well, get to reading then! Slowpoke!” she said with a happy tone as she gingerly trotted away. I wonder if it is a Princess thing, cause she seems to be developing a mother hen attitude. Reminds me of the other three, just a little bit. But with that all done, I found myself alone with my daughter and animal companion again. Though I think those two barely registered the existence of the six of them, I wonder why? I sat back down in my usual spot and found my spot again, due to the Pinkie missile I had lost my pace but thankfully I was on track and picked up on my last sentence read…. ---------- 30 Minutes Later --------- ...It is with great sorrow that I find myself having to depart from these wondrous lands, after learning so much and meeting with the great King and Queen of the dragons. And so, I write these final thoughts to those worthy of reading them. Never underestimate the strength of a dragon, nor the fire in their hearts. Both are an immeasurable force that can easily determine the will of battle and the will of a pony, if you so choose. Be well, my friends and remember: Knowledge is power but power is not knowledge. Keep your mind sharp and your heart strong. Like a fiery dragon. I breathed in a breath of fresh air as I let my eyes rest on that final page, disappointed that it was over for now. But overjoyed that I am one of the few to have read such powerful words of wisdom. It truly makes me feel special, but I can also greatly understand the power behind this book and the worries Celestia has. At this I was about to close the book when I noticed a small line of text near my thumb that I had not seen before. Leaning back down, I saw that it read: Turn the page, Adrian. My heart skipped a beat for a split second, not only because of the fact that my name was in this book but also because of the fact that the ink used to write it out looked like dried blood. My hand gripped the edge of the page as my mind raced with the question of turning it or not. I do not think it would cause any harm since not only Celestia but her father approved of these books originally. So, taking in a lungful of air, I exhaled before swiftly turning over the page and looked down to read…. Nothing. Blank, two full pages with zero lines of text. I was very surprised and confused at this revelation. But a silly thought entered my mind. Perhaps I had to talk to it? Since it knew my name, maybe I have to engage it first? After all, I have no idea how magic truly works yet. So, with my voice a bit on edge, I asked out loud “Hello?” “Hello, Adrian” Was all I heard before the book shot from my hands and levitated before me, I could sense a bit of magic swirling around but it was a type I have not felt before. It almost felt like Celestias but….. older I guess? It is hard to describe, almost like I was feeling wing against my hand but instead of it being smooth and soft, it felt like specks of rust and sand scrapped it but without drawing blood. Then, all the lights seemed to dim around me save for the bright blue glow that emanated from the swirling magical vortex within the book. From the glow, a figure started to take shape and slowly formed into that of a pony, clothed in what looked like a robe and a very large hat. A few details started to take shape, his cloak was decorated with large golden stars, along with his hat but the brim was lined with bells. I could also see that a good amount of hair formed his beard, though it was only enough to fully cover his chin. His body phased in and out of few times before fully solidifying, it was then did his eyes open slowly, as if he was waking up after a long sleep. He looked around the room before resting his sights on me, though he was not prepared to see what he found. “My goodness, what sort of creature are you, Adrian?” the clothed stallion asked me. “I am a human being” I responded with. “A human being? In all my travels so far, I have never heard of them before. Tell me, where do you hail from?” he asked. “I was transported here by an unknown magic from my own world to here. My world is called Earth” I explained. “My, my. Even in death, you learn something new everyday” he said with a happy chuckle. “In death?” I asked in return. “Oh yes, by the time you are hearing this, I will have been long gone from the world of the living. And as you continue to read my books, you will see my older and hopefully wiser forms give you advice. As for this one, I will explain some things. Firstly, my congratulations on reading through my boring old book” he said with a laugh. “I am no professional writer or epic poet, I simply did my best to record my thoughts for others to read. Now, as to why I am here. I am here to judge you, to ensure that you are indeed worthy of this knowledge. Though this memory of me is only knows of events of my current day and age, I know that at some time in the future these books were used to bring harm and ruin. So my magic has changed so that any future blood bindings will bring the reader to me” “So, Adrian Frost, tell me. What power to you seek from these books?” he asked with enough force to make me bare a band of sweat. “It is not power I seek, I did not even know about the knowledge these books possessed until they were suddenly thrust upon me. I was even willing to abandon them for Celestias sake, but she urged me to continue my studies with the series. But, even now, I still do not have a goal in mind. At the moment, the book is simply for reading, and to inform me about this foreign and magical world” I told him. “And? What of the magic this book has surely brought to you? The art of Dragon Fire? What will you do with it?” he asked of me again. “I do not know and honestly it scares me. But, even though the future scares me, in the present it has allowed me to do some good and I was able to save someone with it. So I am grateful for that, but even so, I am still frightened as to what I will become in this strange and unknown land. Even now, when I look at myself in the mirror, I become lost at what I look like. To bear battle scars, to see through mystic eyes, heck even when I comb my long hair I feel confused. On top of all that, because of me I accidentally and unknowingly caused the death of someone very close to me” “I am very scared and I feel so alone, even though I am surrounded by friends and new loved ones. But how can I confide all my fears to them? Fear of power? Fear of the future? Fear of death? And, fear of myself. Every day, I fear that I will cause something bad to happen and to others. Even though I am happy, I feel that some days that smile is but a mask I wear to hide myself under” “So, to answer your question, I do not know what I will do with this knowledge. Except for the fact that I will never intentionally use it for evil or to harm the ones I care for. I am not a man that desires power or wealth, maybe a little bit of fame but mostly, I just want to find a way to live happily in this new world” I explained with my heart in my throat. The ghostly apparition seemed to ponder my words in great detail, looked me over countless times with his calculating eyes. I felt my chest pounding as I thought of endless scenarios, most of which usually ending in something bad. So I stood there, waiting for his answer. And it finally came, I was answered with….. A jolly laugh? “HAHAHAHA! Oh goodness, sorry boy. I know I should not be laughing, but you honestly surprised me with your full hearted feelings. But that, dear boy, was the best answer I could of ever hoped to hear. I can honestly say, that you are one of the most fit beings to inherit my knowledge. Thank you” he told me. “Th-thank y-you? For w-what?” I nervously sputtered. His answer caught me by surprise and I am still reeling back from it. “For, well, being you I suppose. I have seen many ponies and many species in my travels so far and I will likely see even more with my future selves. But you, you are special. I can feel it. No wonder Celestia allowed you to continue. She always was the best judge of character” he informed me. “And do not worry so much, even though you may not ever truly know your destiny or what to do, all you can do is try your best. That the best thing one can do, no matter who they are or what rank they hold or even how much money they possess. Everypony fears the future, even Celestia. Simply make some sort of plan, long or short term, and follow them through. Step by step. Then one day, before you even realize it, you will have forged your own path and walked half-way through it” “Even I, Star Swirl, am frightened of the journey ahead. I could be killed at anytime, be it robbers or war, dragons or famine, or simply by time. But I ignore that and simply walk forward. You have to find your own strength, or even your own naivety, whatever you find is yours and yours alone and no one has any right to judge you on it” “Bah, enough with all this serious talk. My time is limited, so do you have any questions for me?” he finally asked of me. His question was like a smack to the face, that woke me from my mindlessness. I stared at him for a bit before I realized that he had asked me a question. “I have tons of questions! But I suppose I can limit some. Well, first one is do you know anything about the magic of Alpha timberwolves?” I asked. “Alphas? Hmmm, wait a moment” he said before he stared into my eyes that glimmered in the light of his magic. “I see, how interesting. You have earned the soul of an Alpha through combat. Very interesting that it took to you, since you are not a timberwolf. Well, I cannot say exactly what will happen but most likely, you will have improved eyesight, physical strength, and agility. However, the tactics that an Alpha would gain from previous Alphas might not carry over since it is more of an instinct that skill” “Or, perhaps it is something you may unlock later or even under certain circumstances. Who knows? If you are ever a soldier in war, you may become the best tactician the Royal Guard has ever seen! Or maybe not. Who knows? Anything else?” he asked again. Hmmm, what to ask? What to ask? I looked over and saw that Maelstrom and Artemis were idly sitting and watching me closely. “Back then, did you know anything about the being known as Discord?” I said to him. “Ah, Discord. I would of loved to discover how to master that sort of magic! I bet it would be fun! What of him?” he asked me. Ah great. Here we go again. I should get business cards with the story of how Maelstrom was born printed on it. With a warning on the back that reads, Caution: Reading story might cause The Discord Look in all readers. Cause when I was done, even he had the look planted on his face. “You certainly are a most….. interesting individual. So, in your time I am assuming that Discord is no longer aligned with evil? Or chaotic evil in his case?” he asked in return. “Correct” I said. After that I did another brief explanation on her growth spurt. “Most interesting. Oh I would love to study her!” he excitingly said, like a child entering a candy shop. “You and Twilight would get along swell” I huffed. I know the two of them didn't mean it but it was slightly annoying to hear them talk about my daughter like a science project or specimen. “Any who! I cannot accurately say what will happen, but from what I heard from you it may be that her growth can be affected by certain stimuli created by events. Most likely revolving around you and her. She may also be like a dragon and physically grow slow while mentally fast. But then again, being a child of chaos, anything could happen. Just keep on eye on her and be ready to adjust” he told me. I sighed a bit. Even though that was what I was expecting, I was hoping for a more concrete answer. He probably noticed this and gave a gentle laugh “Sorry lad, but even my knowledge cannot compare against the nature of chaos. Just give her lots of love and do your best for her, as you would for any daughter or son” he encouragingly said. His form seemed to flicker for just a moment and he held up his hoof to inspect. “Ah, it appears our time is up. Well, it was an honor and a pleasure to meet you. My new apprentice” he said with a toothy grin. “Heh, now that would certainly make Twilight jealous. She looks up to your works” I said. “Ah, I see. It is comforting to know that I am well liked in the future. And don't be sad, I may be gone but I will see you again in the next book and my magic should work to where my future self will also remember what happened today. Til our next encounter, be well and remember. Magic can be a two-edged sword, never take it likely and treat it well, like it itself is a living creature. Do that and you will shine like a star. Fare thee well, my apprentice” he said with a little dramatic flare as his image slowly faded away while the book closed itself, before finally resting in my hands. Meanwhile the lights re-kindled themselves and the library returned back to normal. Only to be pounced on by my two girls who both wagged their tails happily. “Papa! Papa! Who that?” Maelstrom asked. “That was Star Swirl the bearded, I guess you could say he is my new teacher in magic” I explained to her. “Sta Swurl? Teach-hur?” she asked while trying to pronounce those new words. “I will teach you that word later, ok?” I told her as I gently bopped her nose. She giggled at this but I saw her let out a cute, little yawn. “Uh oh! Is someone sleepy?” “Mae no sleepy! Mae...want….to…….play~” she tried to say but she was nodding off more and more after each word. “We will play after you rest, then you can play even longer!” I gently explained as I gathered her in my arms. She pawed at my arm as she rested against me. “Papa?” she asked. “Yes?” I replied. “Is Mae a good girl?” she sweetly asked. “Of course you are! Why do you ask?” I asked in return. “Cause Mae only want to play with Papa and Temi. But Papa nice to other ones” she did her best to explain. “Don't worry, you are a very good girl. It takes time to small ones like you to like others” I said. “So, if Mae bigger, Mae will like others?” she asked again. I nodded at her but then she huffed and crossed her small arms. “Then Mae will be small! Mae be with Papa only!” Dawww, she is such a daddy's girl. And that is very weird to say all of a sudden. “As much as I love you Maelstrom, everyone grows up. But that does not mean I will stop loving you, even if you are as big as a mountain, I will always love you. Ok?” I said to her. At this she seemed to contemplate my words before she snuggled into my arm a bit more. “If Mae big or small, Papa always love me?” she asked again but with a slight squeak in her voice. “Papa will always love you, big or small. Will you always love Papa, if you are big or small?” I asked her. “I will! I will always love you Papa!” she happily said as she wagged her tail. At this I leaned down a bit while lifted my arm and kissed her. “Sleep well, when you wake we will eat then play!” I told her. “Eat….. an….. play” she tiredly said before falling asleep. I smiled as I gazed at her but it was then I realized that she seemed to grow more awkward to carry. It was then I realized that her body was becoming longer and a bit slimmer, so now her body was snake like instead of that of a normal foal. Hmmm, looks like Star Swirl was right. Cause we had that little talk about being big or small, that stimuli caused her to change a bit. Interesting. With that in mind, I readjusted her in my arm before I heard a small creak of a door opening. Taking a look behind me, I saw a smiling Twilight stand there. “Well, well, well. Now what are you going to read next, Adrian the apprentice?” she said to me. “Oh, guess you heard a bit of that?” I sheepishly said. “Yes, though I did not mean to eavesdrop. I felt a strange magic coming from down here and wanted to make sure it was nothing bad. That was when I saw you talking to him and I decided to leave you two alone, though I did not stray far since it was probably my only chance to hear him speak. Heh heh” she replied. But instead of smiling, I frowned a bit cause that meant she also heard that bit about me being afraid. “So, you probably also heard that bit about my…. fears as well?” I said back to her. Now she donned a neutral face as she walked up to me “Yes. Yes I did and before you say anything, you don't have to apologize or feel sorry for not saying anything. I know that you have a lot on your mind and as your friend and princess, I wish you would just lay everything on the table and work it out. But I know that these things take time, and I am sure that when you are ready, you will let us know. Won't you?” she asked. I felt my eyes start to grow heavy cause I felt like I wanted to cry but I held it in, but they would have been happy tears. “I will Twilight, when I am ready. Thank you, for everything” I said. “Good, good. So, what will you do know?” she asked. “Well, I am going to wait a bit before starting on the second book and instead read the book I borrowed from Raven in Canterlot. I want to return it soon, so I can give her the answer to a riddle I left for her” I replied. “I see, well when you do start on the second book, please be careful? Especially if you learn a new magic and wish to test it out” she asked of me. “I promise. Now off with you, this apprentice is going to follow his daughters lead and take a little nap as well” I said to her with a smug grin. She puffed up her cheeks a bit before she spun around and went back to her room, but with a small little smile she hid on her face. With that, I softly lied down on the couch I was just sitting on and got comfortable, though right before I heard the sound of cracking wood and hissing. Looking to find the source, I eventually saw that Artemis standing there with bits and splinters of wood falling off of her and the hissing was small air pockets coming out before they fell. I was going to rush over to see what was wrong but suddenly her entire wooden coat seemed to fall on the ground, only leaving a fiery shape of a wolf, but only for a few seconds as the same pieces of wood shot back up but in different positions and a few even seemed to grow longer. When that was all done, I saw that Artemis had grown in size and was about twice as big. Though she seemed happy as ever to see me as she leapt from her spot and seemed to skim through the air over to me and began to curl up between my legs, using my thigh as a pillow, now that she could actually reach it. I rested my head back down and let out a tired sigh. “First Maelstrom then Artemis, next thing you know the CMC will be growing next!” I said to the air. Though I did not get a reply back, I chuckled anyway. “What am I going to do with you?” I lightheartedly said as I moved Maelstrom onto my chest so I could absentmindedly pet her while I closed my eyes and drifted off. What I did not see though was the mark, that was embedded on the front of the crimson book, glowed softly before lifting off of the cover itself and noiselessly made its way to my head, leaving a trail of light behind it. It then phased through my skull and disappeared, leaving the book blank but left my forehead glowing for only a second or two before going out. Soon, all that power will be mine!