//------------------------------// // Chapter 8 // Story: Moving Forward, Wrought with Danger // by Odayama //------------------------------// Tom woke up. His head throbbing from the collision, he got up off of the dirt road. He was back with Vinyl and the one called Fluttershy. How did…? “Well, it is about time you woke up.” That voice…it sounds familiar…well, that explains why he was back here, and not in a window or something. Tom sat up. “Newtolm…If anyone were to find me first, of course it would be…” Newtolm wasn’t there…instead, there was a silver pony with a blonde mane wearing a familiar hat, sitting in front of him. Tom blinked. He looked around, but Newtolm was nowhere to be seen. “I wonder how long it will take you to realize, Tom.” Tom spun his head back, but the only creature directly in front of him was the silver pony. “Newtolm, this better be just you wearing that invisibility ring…” Tom looked around the silver pony, seeing if there were any imprints of touching on the pony’s mane. “Well, now you are just assuming that magic acts normally here.” Newtolm spoke, but it didn’t make any sense. The words were coming from the pony sitting in front of him. The silver pony grinned. “Well, I just gave it away, now did I…” A fist swung at him before he could finish. With quick reflexes, the silver pony moved his head out of the way. “Whoa, Tom! It really is me!” “Newtolm, this better be a joke.” Tom looked at Newtolm, starting to get ticked off again. “No joke, Tom. Something with this world’s magic messed with my hat of disguise. Let me explain…” --- A few hours earlier… A shot of pain went through Newtolm’s entire body as he placed the hat on his head. The pain was actually so tremendous that he closed his eyes and fell over. The three ponies watched in horror as they watched his body change in front of their eyes. Newtolm blacked out. “…Is he alright?” Newtolm hazily heard the one named Fluttershy ask. “I…I don’t know. He’s still breathing, that’s for sure…but…was that supposed to happen?” The one named Twilight asked back. “Don’t you see?” The one named Rainbow Dash pointed out to the other two. “This just proves that he’s a spy! Whatever your magic did just prevented him from running off looking like that!” Twilight sighed. “Rainbow Dash…was I a spy when I came to Ponyvile?” “…No…” “Then let’s give him a chance when he wakes up, alright?” “I-I think he’s waking up.” Fluttershy said sheepishly. Newtolm groaned. His body felt like a blue dragon had his way with him. He slowly stirred, opening his eyes and putting his hoof to his head. Wait…a hoof? Newtolm lifted his ‘arm’ to inspect it. It wasn’t his, but he was in control of it. He tried moving his fingers, but all he did was wiggle the hoof a bit. “…So…was that supposed to happen?” Twilight asked. Newtolm stared at Twilight, his eyes shrinking as his mind now fully comprehended as to what just happened. “…Am I correct to believe that I am now a...pony?” The three mares nodded. He got up on his two back hooves, but then fell back. He still had his powers, it seemed. He was still hovering a foot off of the ground. That prevented him from hitting his head. Flipping himself onto all fours, he had the weirdest look on his face. He wasn’t used to this, but of course, who would other than these ponies here? “So, you are probably wondering why I am a pony now, just like you three.” Rainbow Dash didn’t look amused from Newtolm’s question. Twilight and Fluttershy merely nodded. “Well, I would like to know that too. The hat I am wearing has the ability to disguise the person who wears it. I have used this hat that my mother gave me before to hide my draconic nature from the town I grew up by, but it only has the selection of humanoid people. The fact that I am a pony right now should be impossible.” “So you are a spy!” Dash scowled. “You just admitted that your hat can disguise you.” Before Newtolm could explain properly, Twilight spoke up. “Dash, he just said that it was to hide his dragon half from his town he lived by. Even if he is a spy, it wouldn’t be to spy on us.” Rainbow Dash didn’t know how to argue back, so she didn’t speak up while Twilight was thinking. “Well maybe when my magic made contact with your hat did this? Maybe my magic isn’t compatible with the magic on the hat?” Newtolm shrugged. “Magic is not a part of my knowledge. I am willing to trust you on this matter.” He reached over his head to try and take the hat off with one hoof, but there was no movement from it. He reached with both front hooves, but it was like the hat was attached to his head. “It is stuck…Bahamut’s fang, it is stuck!” Newtolm started to actually panic. He tried fruitlessly to push the hat off of his head. Rainbow Dash watched Newtolm’s struggle, then hovered over him. Giving a sigh, she reached out to him. “…I guess you’re not a spy…no spy would freak out like this. Here, let me help.” She held onto the hat and started to pull. Newtolm pulled back to resist being pulled into the air. The hat was stuck. That was for sure. This was going nowhere. “Thank you, Ms. Dash, but this is only hurting my head.” Newtolm sat down as he made a sad chuckle. “Well, at least my mate is a druid. She would not mind this form…” Twilight put a hoof on his shoulder, trying to comfort him. “We can figure this out. Let’s head back to my home. I’ll figure this out, don’t you worry.” Newtolm looked up at Twilight, a smile showing up on his face. “I am glad that you are so nice here. Back at home, they would just say it is a curse and drag me to the closest priest.” --- Twilight had brought Newtolm back to the castle that she had called home. Fluttershy had noticed that a couple of ducks were having trouble leading their young through town, so she had stopped to make sure that they reached the river safely. Rainbow Dash was called off because somepony had ordered a dangerous cloud by mistake, and now the cloud got loose. Newtolm was carrying not only his gear, but the two bags that Twilight was carrying earlier. Twilight looked back at Newtolm as she guided him back to the castle. “Thanks for taking those off of me. They were heavy. You sure you got those?” Newtolm nodded with a smile. “I am quite capable, Princess Twilight. I still have my strength of my dragon heritage it seems, even if it does not look like it. And a gentleman always takes the load for a lady.” Newtolm took a moment to take in his surroundings, but the main thing that made him wonder was on how this royalty in front of him was so kind. “Anyways, Princess Sparkle, I am glad that it was your care I have fallen into. Only a few members of royalty in my world share the same kindness you are providing.” Twilight looked at Newtolm. “Well, then your members of royalty need a lesson on friendship.” Twilight shouted into the halls when she stepped in her castle. “Spike! I’m home!” But there was no answer. “…Huh, I wonder where he disappeared to. Well, anyways, let’s get that hat off of your head, shall we?” Twilight started to head over to the library, pulling books off of the shelves as soon as she entered, looking of a specific one. “Hmm. Should we consider this a curse, or magic that attaches to a pony?” “This is a wonderful castle, my lady.” Newtolm looked around. “Small, but built with a material I have never seen before.” He tapped the walls. “Quite strong, If my guess is right.” “Thanks, Newtolm.” Twilight shouted from the library. Newtolm put everything down on a table in the hallway. “But where are the guards and servants?” Twilight poked her head out of the library, embarrassed slightly. “Oh...I kinda recently got this castle. I don’t really have anypony at the moment.” Newtolm gave a chuckle. “Well, if this hat does not withdraw its curse, and I remain a pony forever, then I would be glad to become your first guard, my lady.” “...Really? Sounds like you’re giving up before we’ve even started.” Twilight was grabbing books off of the shelves. “Don’t worry, I’ll get that hat off and change you back in no time.” Newtolm looked out the window, peering upon the lovely town that he found himself in. But then he noticed two figures up in the sky. One of them was Rainbow Dash, wasn’t it? And the other one was… “TOM!” Newtolm ran closer to the window. Twilight was surprised by the shout that she dropped her books. “Oh please tell me Rarity isn’t possessed again by greed from Discord again. That giant rock was…” “My lady, please forgive me, but one of my friends is in combat with one of yours. I must go, before they do something they both regret.” Newtolm had turned his head to explain, but snapped his focus back towards the sight he saw from the window. “Bahamut curse it, Tom, have my lessons been for naught?” he opened a dimensional door and ran through, leaving the confused alicorn in a state of shock and amazement.