//------------------------------// // Chapter 16: Furious // Story: Where did you come from? // by Jeweled Pen //------------------------------// Cheerilee tried to take deep, calming breaths as she sat behind her desk, a hoof rubbing her forehead. Val was sitting in the back of the room, at least having the wisdom to look upset and sad about what he'd done. It probably helped that she had nearly lost her voice screaming at him. It was something she rarely tried to do, but her students also rarely tried to light each other on fire. Even less often succeeded. Though she suspected his sadness was all just a ploy to make her feel bad. Was it really so hard for him to just behave a little bit for once? There was a knock on the door and she looked up and cringed. Twilight was standing in the doorway and, frankly, she looked horrible. The bags under her eyes had grown and her mane was frazzled. She suspected if there weren't so many ponies trying to take care of her, the princess would have been little more than skin and bones. “Hello, princess,” Cheerilee said softly, before motioning towards Val. “There's your patient, he's currently in detention.” “Oh. He didn't use that dark magic on anypony, did he?” “He tried to light Diamond Tiara on fire,” Cheerilee mumbled, glancing towards the colt again. “I-it was her fault, she started it!” Val defended quickly. “I don't care who started it! Fire is NOT okay!” Cheerilee snapped. She then looked towards the princess. “So. We did a little test, he wrote some symbols down which were supposed to be his people's letter for F. However, once he finished writing it, the symbol changed to match the Equestrian F. After that, when he wrote it, he wrote it as the Equestrian F. He couldn't remember his people's symbol.” Twilight's eyes lit up. “Really? That's fascinating!” She grabbed some paper and a pencil, putting it on the table in front of Val. “Can you do it? For me?” He gulped and gave a little nod, before drawing the F. “That's the... oh, no.” She pulled the paper away and put a new one up. “Draw a different letter.” He stared for a moment before nodding. Cheerilee got to her hooves and walked over to watch. Sure enough, the curves and twirls were nothing like Equestrian script. However, once he finished it became a big Equestrian T. Twilight didn't waste any time, drawing the symbol he had originally drawn besides it and pulling it up. “Fascinating, truly. What purpose do all the twirls and curves serve?” “I-I don't know,” he said fearfully, before trying to write it again. All he could write, though, was the Equestrian T. He looked ready to cry, now. Thought Twilight didn't seem to notice. “Val, calm down. You're safe,” Cheerilee said quickly. “Well, maybe,” Twilight said as she flipped over the papers. “This might be something simple like a memory alteration spell, or something far more severe. The possibilities are endless!” Cheerilee grabbed the princess and hauled her to the front of the room, glaring into her eyes. “With all due respect, your highness. Do you mind NOT telling the colt that he might be in danger from something that is already messing severely with his mind?” Twilight cocked her head to the side. “What? But he--” Then blinked, pausing. “Oh. Oops.” She coughed into her hoof. “S-sorry. Can I take him back to the castle? If I can do more research, I should be able to find out what exactly is going on.” Cheerilee nodded. “Good. That'll be good.” “Wonderful! And knowing their language might be enough to help me understand what's going on better.” “Sure. I'll go talk with Val,” the teacher said before trotting back to Val. “Okay, Val honey? Princess Twilight is going to take you back to her castle to do some research. I want you to go with her and be a good colt, okay?” He gave a little nod before looking up at her. “Are... you getting rid of me?” She paused and looked down at him, before shaking her head. “Of course not. I need to tend to my class. After class is over, I'll come by and pick you up. Okay?” He nodded. “I-I'm sorry I cast a spell on her. She just... she just made me so mad and... and I got really mad and I wanted to hurt her but I knew you didn't want me to... hurt her too bad.” “I didn't want you to hurt her at all,” she snapped. The child recoiled and she sighed, putting a hoof out to pat his head. “You're in trouble, but that's all. Don't do that again.” He nodded slowly, before looking up at her. “Do... you hate me now?” he asked in a soft whisper. She stared at him, before shaking her head. “No. Of course I don't. All foals make mistake. Yours are just... bigger.” He nodded and looked down. “Do... you think I'm a mistake?” “W-what? No! Of course not! Why would I think that?” “My mother did...” he said very softly. “I-I'm sure she didn't.” “She told me she did.” That gave the teacher pause and she stared at him. On the one hoof, the stories she'd heard made that sound like a severe possibility. His family, mother especially, did not sound like the nicest people. But she found it hard to believe any mother could say that about their child. She was sure whatever his mother said, he just interpreted it that way. She stepped forward and put a hoof around him, hugging him. “It's okay. You are not a mistake and I am not sending you away. You're just going with Princess Twilight to try and find out what's going on, okay? Do what she says and please don't cause any problems. Okay?” He gave a small little nod and then climbed out of the chair once she let him go. He gave her one last small look before gently trotting after the princess. Cheerilee watched them go before taking another deep breath and putting a hoof to her forehead. This was not part of her job description. That colt needed therapy, not a teacher. Maybe she could talk to the princess about paying for one. But first, she had to go watch the kid's playing. She made it outside in time to see the princess disappear in a flash of teleportation magic, Val going with her. The children were playing still. Diamond was by the sandbox with the crusaders, Claw, Silverbelle and Silver Spoon. She started making her way over. The little filly seemed perfectly fine, just a few tiny singes on her crown and a little dark spot on her mane. The fire hadn't gone all the way through, it had just frightened the poor filly. But that didn't make it much better. She couldn't imagine what could have possessed the colt to react in such a way. There was just no call for such behavior. What if she had been seriously hurt? Besides, she'd been watching Diamond for the last few weeks and the filly had showed remarkable improvement in behavior ever since she'd taken over as treasurer of the class. Not that they needed a treasurer. Their assets consisted of one little candy, a sleeping fly(she didn't know how long a fly could sleep, but apparently quite a while), three bits and a plastic lizard. But it had kept the little filly from causing trouble and had helped to alleviate many of her anti-social tendencies. “Diamond? Dear? Are you okay? Any pain?” she asked softly as she moved over. She'd already checked up on the filly immediately after it had happened before sending her off to play, but it always worked well to double check. The filly looked up and shook her head. “Not at all.” “Good. Now, could you tell me exactly what happened?” She rolled her eyes. “Ugh, I was just trying to help. I mean, after all that he seemed so upset, so I asked if he wanted me to help him learn to read. I mean like, he's new to classes so I figured he couldn't. He just blew up and tried to light me on fire! He should be locked up and the key thrown away! Err...” She trailed off when she saw all three of the crusaders shaking their heads. “I mean... err... he should be... grounded.” There were three nods then. “And spanked.” Two nods and one shake. “He should be grounded and spanked.” “He is most definitely grounded for the foreseeable future. So all you asked was if he wanted help to read?” Normally she wouldn't have believed it was really something so simple, at least from Diamond. The filly had made up quite a few stories to try to get ponies she didn't like in trouble before. But the crusaders were nodding as well. She let out a soft sigh. “I'm sorry he did such an act, but it won't be happening again. Unfortunately, that just happened to be the worst thing to say at the worst possible moment.” She took a deep breath. “Now, go along and have fun with your friends. Recess is almost over.” She turned and trotted back towards the school, looking back over the students. She couldn't begin to imagine how all this was affecting the poor colt, but she couldn't let him run wild and hurt ponies, either. She had a responsibility to keep them safe. If only he didn't have the magic. She could always put the horn inhibitor back on. But with the way his magic was different from normal ponies, there was no telling how negatively it could affect him. What if it caused him actual pain? Sure, he hadn't seemed to be in pain when she first used it, but there was no telling how else it could affect him. At that time, he had been in a big panic because his whole world had changed. In the end, that was it, though. It had only been three days. His entire life had changed in the last three days and she knew very few adults who could have handled such a thing. She couldn't imagine a child being able to do such a thing. Was she being too strict? He'd nearly hurt a pony and he needed to learn that, but she kept thinking of him back in his desk. She'd thought his moping behavior was just an attempt to get pity and out of trouble, but what if it wasn't? Had that behavior ever worked back in his home world? What if it wasn't just an attempt to control her, what if he was just a scared colt and she'd yelled at him and made his whole traumatic experience all the worse? She needed a professional. A real professional. Somepony who was used to dealing with children like this and could get him the help he needed. Hopefully before they sent him away to whatever home he'd end up in. The bell went off, drawing her attention up. “Okay, children. Time to return to class,” she called out, before trotting back. At least Claw and Silverbelle were getting along great with their peers. Two out of three wasn't so bad. ------ Cheerilee sighed softly as she tried filling out the request form. The problem was she knew next to nothing about Val. Where he was born, who his parents were, heck she didn't even really know what species he was. Fortunately, on references she could put Princess Twilight and she was able to explain the whole from other dimension thing on the bottom. Still, the psychologist could do the poor colt a world of good. Maybe it could help him stop trying to hurt his classmates. Finally, once it was all filled out, she stood up and stretched, taking it to the office to drop off. The halls of the school were empty, but that wasn't too surprising. She'd had to stay late to fill all this out, after all. She gave a soft yawn and started to trot home, before stopping. Right, Val first. She hoped the stallion wasn't causing too much trouble. Fire, brimstone, none of that. The sun was slowly beginning to go down, but she had hours yet. She'd take the colt home, have a nice talk with him about not lighting his classmates on fire. No television, of course. Maybe see about setting up a cot or something in the spare bedroom for him. Or better yet, finish up putting all those things away. She couldn't leave her front lawn filled with junk forever. Ugh, she had to stop by the market, too. Could she take him with her? What if he destroyed things? She smiled when she got to the castle, giving a little wave to the pegasus on guard. “Can I come in?” He nodded quickly, holding the door open for her and giving her a small smile. “Thank you,” she said before trotting in. “Val! I'm here!” she called out. She heard a yipe from down the hall, followed by the clattering of hooves. All of a sudden Val appeared from one of the doors and he lunged, wrapping his hooves around him. He was covered in little wires. “You came! You actually came back! I-I didn't think you'd come back I thought you abandoned m-me to her I'm so sorry I'll never light anypony on fire again o-or attack anypony again please please don't send me away again I'll be good I'll be good I promise!” She stared down at him in bafflement. Was he crying? She softly wrapped her hooves around him and patted his back. “There there, Val. It's okay. I already told you I wasn't leaving you,” she said softly. “I just had to finish school. Is Princess Twilight here?” “Ow... yes,” the alicorn said as she came out, rubbing a hoof over her face that now held an imprint of a hoof. “I was in the midst of strapping him in for another test.” Cheerilee scolded him. “Val, that was very mean. Apologize to the princess.” “I'm sorry!” he said quickly, still not letting her go. The teacher sighed and gave him another hug. “Okay, Val? Honey? You need to let me go. We need to go and talk with the princess. Come on.” He nodded and slowly pulled back, his hooves pulling away grudgingly. Though he didn't pull away completely, still leaning against her side. She trotted forward. “So, princess? Are you okay?” “Yeah, his hoof just came out of nowhere,” Twilight mumbled. “But I have good news!” “Oh? What is it?” She could use some good news about now. “I've managed to find out what the effects are, but not the cause. They aren't fatal and there's less than a point zero zero one percent chance that they'll lead to any true brain damage.” “Err... so what is it?” “Come along, I'll show you,” the princess said before trotting back towards the library. Inside it, long strings were hung up, most of which had dangling pieces of paper bearing Equestrian symbols and the same marks that Val had put up. Cheerilee couldn't deny it. For all the violence the drow seemed to have, their written language was beautiful, more like art than letters. “It turns out, their language has only twenty-four letters, as opposed to our twenty-six.” Val sniffled a little and moved a little closer to Cheerilee, nearly knocking her over. He stared at the pieces of paper fearfully. She slowly put a leg around him and sat down. “What does that tell us?” Twilight grinned. “Well, I measured his brain activity while he was writing these out. It turns out, it seems it's a lot like how he's able to speak our language.” She glanced to Val. “Tell me, in your own words, how does your language sound?” He paused and cocked his head to the side. “Ummmm... like this?” he said, looking confused. “Right. However, your name, Valkala Del Hsskrugnr, would you say it is an accurate representation of your language?” Cheerilee could barely believe it. How could the princess even PRONOUNCE that? Was her tongue double jointed? “Yes, it...” Then he paused and shook his head. “N-no.” “Exactly. When he first arrived, he likely spoke his own native tongue and heard his native tongue. But, as time went, the words were replaced with Equestrian words. The same with his letters.” She motioned towards the papers. “Once he wrote each one out, the change completed. I imagine there are probably still words he'll hear and speak as drow words, but after they'll change to Equestrian. The spell seems to grab onto things as he uses them.” The little colt let out a whimper and Cheerilee gently stroked his back. “It's okay, it's okay,” she whispered, before looking up. “So what does this mean?” “Basically, the longer he's here, the more pony he becomes. He's forgetting how to spell his words as they're being overwritten by pony words. He speaks Equestrian now and can likely no longer speak most drow. I'm sure as time goes on, other things will change.” “Like he'll be able to grab things with his hooves?” she asked softly, remembering how he twisted the door knob earlier with his hoof. “Yes. Eventually it'll be second nature, like any other pony.” There was a soft whimper from the colt. “But... but I'm a drow...” “This opens up so many other possibilities!” Twilight said, her voice flooded with excitement. “When I traveled to other dimensions, I figured they just happened to have the same verbal and written words we did. But what if they don't? I mean, ponies developed their written word to work with their hooves, it's likely that humans did too. What if it's the magic of the transfer that makes it?' “Is he in danger?” Cheerilee asked, both hooves wrapping around the colt. “No,” Twilight said with a shake of her head. “He shouldn't be in any danger, at all. As far as I can tell, it's completely harmless and not doing any damage to his mind. In fact, spells like that have been used in the past and studied thoroughly. I've used a few of them, even. Though I hear the effects can have emotional problems. In the end, he is becoming more and more pony. Whether he likes it or not.” “I don't want to be more pony!” Val shrieked. “I'm a drow! A noble, vicious, powerful drow!” Twilight nodded and glanced to him. “It's just affecting your words and letters. That's all,” she said quickly. “It shouldn't change anything else. Just stuff to make you more capable of living here.” He nodded slowly. “Really?” “Yes, exactly. Cheerilee, can I speak with you a moment? I need to ask you something about Claw. It's personal,” Twilight said before pointing down to Val and motioning him away. “Val, please wait outside. I'll be out in a moment.” A look of fear flashed in his eyes. “I swear I'm not leaving you here for good. I have to go to the market, but you're coming home with me tonight, I swear. Okay?” He blinked and then slowly nodded, before stepping out of the room. The teacher smiled to the princess. “So, what did you need to know?” “Nothing about Claw, but I needed to tell you this. I kind of... lied. You see, well... it will affect him. A lot. Maybe. I don't really know,” Twilight muttered. “See, here's the thing. It's starting with his language processes and his movements. But I don't know when, or if, it will end. We're only three days in and he's already speaking our language fluently, knows all our letters. Have you seen his movements changing? He's walking easier, isn't he?” Cheerilee nodded. “Y-yes, he is.” “That's just it, then. It's only been three days. When I went to Canterlot High I learned how to walk and speak their language quickly, but I thought I was just adapting. The languages just happened to be the same. But maybe they weren't and I wasn't there for very long. Ohhhh, I wish I could discuss this with Sunset, she could tell me anything about that.” She paused and looked towards a nearby book. “Actually... maybe I can... no, later.” She shook her head. “Anyway. For all I know the magic will just allow him to move and talk better here. It might just replace those things. But... there's a chance.” “A chance of what?” “Within a few months he might not even know where he came from. He might believe he was born a pony, the drow were just a dream or something else. He could... very well lose everything that made him, well, the way he is. He'd believe he was just a pony.” She gulped. “What then?” “I don't know,” Twilight said with a shrug. “This is all just a possibility. For all I know, it will stop there, with the language. It's a very, very small possibility. I don't know the cause. It could be something from his world, or maybe it's something from ours. If it's from ours, well...” She sighed. “The good news is that I don't think he'll notice.” “Not notice?” “Yes, it's been very subtle. If you hadn't noticed it, I don't think anypony would have noticed. Let alone him. So... it probably won't hurt him. But... I'd try to find out what you can about his home and then try to compare it to what he tells you later. If it sounds very... pony like, then we might need to worry.” “What'll happen if it doesn't stop, then?” “Well... if it fully converts, he'd be like any other foal. Without a... history. More or less. Or maybe his mind will make one. Maybe he'll even believe you're his mother.” She chuckled, completely missing the look of horror on the mare's face. “But, I doubt that's true. I mean, Sunset lived in the other world for years and she never changed much. So I think it's fairly safe to assume it'll just adapt his speech and movements. In fact, his ability to walk better and grip things is likely just his natural adaptability. He is a colt, after all. Most foals learn pretty quickly.” Cheerilee nodded. “So... errr... anything else I should look out for?” “No, not particularly.” The teacher nodded, before sighing. “Twilight? Would you be willing to do something for me?” “What?” “Can you watch him the next few days? While at school? He's kind of--” “I'd love to, really!” Twilight interrupted. “But I really must keep studying and I want to compare notes with Sunset, I can't stop this now. Not until I know what's going to happen and how to stop it. I-I'm really sorry, Cheerilee, I just--” “No, no no,” Cheerilee said with a shake of her head. “I understand. You're working really hard as it is. I'll find somepony else, okay?” The alicorn nodded. “Okay. I ummm... I really am sorry.” “I know, I know.” Cheerilee started to walk, but stopped. “Would you be willing to watch him for an hour, or so?” “An hour?” “Yes. I'm not sure I want to take him to the market. I'd have done it before, but I didn't want to make you wait too long and just... I don't know how well he'd do. It would just be for an hour and--” “I don't know,” Twilight said, before perking up. “Oh! I know!” She stepped out and called down the hall. “Flash? Flash Sentry?” There was a whoosh and Val let out a yipe as one of the pegasus guards landed besides him. The guard quickly saluted. “Flash Sentry reporting for duty!” “Wonderful,” Twilight said with a small smile. “Could, errr, you watch Val for a little bit?” The pegasus blinked, before looking down at the unicorn. “Errr... really?” “Yes, please, you'll be doing me a biiiiig favor!” Twilight said quickly. “Pretty please?” He nodded quickly, a determined look flashing on his face. “If the princess needs it, of course.” Val stared up at the pegasus, looking over his armor before nodding. Well, at least he and the other guards had looked far cooler than the little purple princess. He then looked over towards Cheerilee when she popped out from the room. “You're... you're not leaving, are you?” “Just for a little bit,” Cheerilee said quickly, before walking over and giving him a little hug. “I promise, I'll be back soon. I just need to get some shopping done. You'll be in safe hooves with the royal guards, okay?” “But I don't wanna be with one of them! I want to go with you!” The teacher nodded. “Maybe another time. But for now I can't risk you lighting another pony on fire.” “Wait, what?” Flash asked, his eyes widening slightly. “I won't, honest! I'll be good!” Val said, whining. “No. It'll just be a little bit. Besides, I'm just buying some groceries, you'll just be bored.” She smiled down at him. “You will be good for me, won't you?” He glared up, but slowly lowered his head. “Fine. But... you are coming back, right?” “Of course I am. I wouldn't do that to the princess.” “What was that about lighting a pony on fire?” Flash asked again. “Okay... please hurry?” he asked softly. “I will be as quick as I can. Then we'll go home, okay?” “Okay,” he mumbled before getting one last hug. Cheerilee trotted off and the colt glanced towards the pegasus, glaring. “Err... so... ummm, you like card games?” Flash asked with a nervous smile, looking back and forth between the retreating teacher and where Twilight had once stood, though she had already headed inside. He then turned towards the child and gulped, wondering just how flame resistant his armor was.