The Life Returns

by Dress72

010 Innocence's Guide

010

I was in a room within Canterlot castle. I had just finished eating a sandwich and a bowl of soup. The four “Big Shots”, I guess I will call them, stood in the room with me. I was in a chair at a table, and the others where behind me, at the door, and in a way that made me turn around to be able to look at them.

Luna was pressuring me into becoming her apprentice, “If you don’t become my apprentice, you won’t have a place to stay, or anything to eat.”

“I can always go home,” I countered.

“Luna what are you…” Celestia started, but Luna stopped her.

“Good luck, your house is in Ponyville. That is about 1000 miles from here. A train costs around 200 gold pieces, and I doubt you even have 100. And walking brings you close to the Everfree forest, and without the protection of a train, you might get attacked by a wild creature on your 14 day hike with no food. And at your age, I doubt that you are able to fly.”

I thought for a while. ‘It was true that I was unable to actually fly, but I do have the parachu… Crap, I don’t know where it is currently. She probably won’t tell me where it is, just to support her claim. Also, I don’t really know what direction to go once I reach that really big mountain. Ugh, I guess I have no choice.’ “Fine, I guess I will be your apprentice,” I said begrudgingly.

Celestia, Cadance, and Shining showed disapproving of the methods of Luna, and were shocked that it worked. “Great! First thing first, you will need to know the lay out of this castle,” Luna declared.

She made to leave, and I followed. Celestia pulled Luna aside, “I hope you know what you are doing.”

“Relax sister, I know full well what I am doing.” Luna’s volume of voice was much higher than Celestia’s, due to the fact that she knew that I could hear them.

“Alright, but we will talk about this later.” Celestia got the hint, and spoke up as well.

Luna continued past the others with me following her. I walked out of the room to find that Luna had waited the five seconds it took me to leave the room. “Alright,” she began, “First off, we will start with where you will be staying, and the surrounding area, as well as how to get to the kitchen and dining room.”

“Is the room where I will be staying, the same one where I woke up?” I asked, already remembering where it was. Let me explain a little. When I am introduced to a building, I am able to remember a basic layout of where I have been. I remember landmarks such as hallways or doors, and build myself a map within my head. It also helps if I have to go through it a few times.

“Yes actually, it’s this way.” Luna started heading off to the right of the room we came from. The kitchen was directly across from us, and if I were to go down this hall, to the fourth intersecting hallway, I would then turn right, continue down for the second hallway, and then turn left. My room should be the seventh one on the left. I went over the directions that I created, from a mirror of what I walked, again in my mind.

I raced off ahead of Luna. She was slightly startled by my sudden rush, and instinctively, she rushed to meet me. Only problem, she was on the right side of me, and I think she had forgotten that she was trying to take me to my room. As the hallway approached, Luna made no sign of turning, so when it came, I had no choice but so slide under her legs because I didn’t want to break this pace.

Luna yelped as she realized that I just slid under her, and she finally remembered where we were going. “You little bugger,” she said playfully, “You made me forget what I was doing, running so suddenly like that.”

“Your fault, not mine!” The second hallway came up, and I made the left.

“Wow, you have a good memory. Now what room is yours?”

“Thanks, and that’s easy. It’s this one!” I jumped at the handle, grabbled it, and used it to spin, swinging the door open as I spun. I released my grip and proceeded to bounce off the entry walls, and into the main part of the room. I love how this place works. I landed and looked at Luna, who was standing in the doorway, shocked. “See? What did I tell you?”

“Umm, Red Wing,” Luna said.

“What?” As I responded, I felt a shadow fall over me. I looked up and saw a large griffon, standing over me.

“And what pleasure do I owe this intrusion into my room, and disruption of my nap?” it said, voice gravely and full of venom.

“I’m sorry, I must have gotten the wrong room.” I was barely able to squeak this out.

“I’m sorry? I’m SORRY!?! DO YOU KNOW THAT THE FATE OF TWO CONTRIES REST IN MY CLAWS? AT A SINGLE LETTER, I COULD HAVE THE GRIFFON KINGDOM AND PONY KINGDOM GO TO WAR!” The griffon roared at me.

“Meep” I felt frozen by roar, and the look that I was receiving. I would usually retort, but the aura that this guy was giving off, was one of a killer. Someone who killed and ate their prey. I know that griffons do kill and eat their prey, and that I also eat meat, but I don’t kill my food. I simply cannot express, or express enough, how terrifying it is to feel like prey, about to be killed and eaten.

“HOW DO YOU PLAN ON REPAYING ME FOR THIS!?” He continued, obviously enjoying the power he currently held over me.

“He doesn’t,” Luna said. “The boy already apologized to you for a simple mistake he made. I also wouldn’t dare harm him if I were you.”

“Princess Luna, how quaint. I can send our two nations too war if I so pleased, so you really think that you are in a position to threaten me?” I used this distraction to quietly sneak back over to Luna. I don’t know what it is, but despite being the only red thing in the room, I was able to do it successfully.

“I’m not threatening you, I’m simply warning you. Just from seeing the interactions that this boy has with his father, I can tell that if you were to harm him, not only you, but your country as well would be obliterated.”

“And what makes you think that that could happen?”

“You know how three days ago, a tornado over eight kilometers high appeared, then disappeared, destroying half a forest. And how upon dispersal, it threw: large trees and stones the same size of those trees over both our nations and probably others? Yah, his father did that, and he wasn’t even angry.”

“Then why don’t you lock that man up?” The griffon changed his attitude towards me extremely quickly, and was even showing fear.

“He is locked up,” the griffon relaxed. That is, until Luna continued, “However, for a different reason that might not hold up. He most likely will be out within the next three days or so, and we can’t lock up a person who hasn’t harmed anyone.”

“You’re bluffing. You wouldn’t send someone like that to destroy us.”

“You’re right, I wouldn’t send him to destroy you. Why? Because I have no control over him what so ever. He technically is not a citizen, nor is he a personal soldier, therefore, unless he brings harm to someone financially, or physically, within our boarders, we can’t do anything. And with this, we are done here. I wish you a good stay here.” She closed the door before turning to me. “You were so close.”

Luna walked down, two doors, towards the kitchen, before stopping and opening the door, on the same side of the hall. “This is where you are staying. You have a good memory though, and I congratulate you on it.” I stayed silent, still shaken by the encounter. Luna obviously saw this and went to comfort me, “It is okay. Everypony makes small mistakes every once in a while. And those who give you trouble over them are just bullies. Come, let’s give you the grand tour. I’ll show you where my room, as well as Celestia’s room are, and where the library is.”

I was guided by her, one of her wings draped over me for comfort. I was finally able to get over the incident by the time that we reached our first destination, Luna’s room, but I didn’t want to leave her embrace. I enjoyed the comfort that it brought, and it reminded me of how, whenever I got hurt, or was yelled at by someone, he would comfort me, and stay with me until I felt better.

Two things left an impression on my about Luna’s room. One was how it was at the top of an incredibly tall tower, and the other was that it was a swirl mixed design of: vibrant, blue (the same color as Luna’s fur), and pink.

“Wow,” I said, lost within the swirly sea of blue and pink. I rushed into the room and away from Luna, and felt cloud beneath my hooves. I could guess that there was a floor under the cloud because the bed was sunken into the cloud. I ran around, lost in the magnificence and size of the room.

I spotted a balcony, and made for it. Going outside, I felt like I passed through something, and looking back, I saw that the outside was around four maybe five times smaller than what the room was. That was weird, but I guess I could ask Luna about it later.

I saw Luna walking to the balcony and she stood beside me. “I enchanted the room with a dimensional magic to make the space inside larger. It was actually incredibly difficult to preform, takes a lot of magic energy but is self-sustaining, and I can only use it once.”

“Why? How small is it without the magic?”

“Well, let’s go to Celestia’s room and you will see how small this room should be. She didn’t bother using this spell, so her room is its original size.”

We walked down the spiral staircase of the tower, and to another tower just as tall. I groaned and complained “Too many stairs.”

I felt something lift me up, and it placed me on Luna’s back. I felt the rhythmic movement of the Luna’s shoulders as she walked up the stairs, the softness of her fur rivaled that of the clouds this world produces, the warmth generated by Luna (which was greater than my own), and she smelled like something that I cannot place a name too. I felt myself start to drift off due to these factors, and soon, I was asleep.

I was vaguely aware of being placed onto a bed and that Luna was beside the bed. I started to dream something, but it was quickly replaced. ‘Luna appeared beside me, and a new world was replaced the one that was just starting to form. “Hello Red Wing,” the image said. “Luna? Where am I?” “You are currently dreaming. This world around you is based off of my memory. It will take a while, and when you wake up, you will be hungry as we will spend the better part of two days in here, as I will be showing you the layout of this castle. With your memory, you should be able to remember most of it. Let us begin.” The world swirled around me, and I found myself at the lower part of a stair case. The surroundings told me that it led to Celestia’s room. I was about to complain when the world once again swirled, but this time slower, and in a certain direction, up the stairs. “Why didn’t we do this I the first place?” I asked. Luna answered truthfully, “To be honest, I thought of this when you fell asleep on my back.” We reached the top, and I was shown Celestia’s room. We went through the entire castle, room by room, for what I needed to know. I never felt hungry during the dream.’

I woke up, and saw that Luna was beside me, just beginning to wake. My stomach grumbled and I now felt the hunger that should have woken me up way before. “Come, let us go get something to eat,” Luna said, her stomach growling as well.

We walked to the Dinning Room to get some food, and I learned that I was just starting my fifth day in Canterlot. I was glad that we had woken up just in time for a meal, as I got to sit with the “Big Shots”. I noted that Celestia was somehow able to convince two of the guards I had apparently beaten, to stay guards. I could see them behind her, as I ate. “Your Father, Red Wing, is being discharged from prison after breakfast today. After investigating, we found that he, indeed, did nullify our original fraud charge.”

I nearly rushed to the prison then and there, to see Daddy, but was held back by Luna. “We would like to see how he reacts to some news we need to give him before you can see him. I would like to ask you to wait.” I quietly obeyed, but was still extremely excited.

When we were all finished with our meals, Celestia and the two guards that I noted, went ahead of me, to the prison. Luna and I followed close behind. I was forced to wait outside the prison to see Daddy, but was with Luna, who chatted with me, and quizzed me on the layout of the castle.

Not to shortly after, I was finally allowed to go down. I ran to him, and he checked me over, and asked a bunch of questions about my health. “I’m fine Daddy.” Daddy cell, which still hadn’t been open, opened, and he and I left.

Comments

[Hydran]

I'll be honest, I feel guilty of not noticing this sooner. Oh well, at least I notice now. I'll start reading it. Just figured you would be more likely to read this on your latest chapter.

[Hydran]

There, done reading all ten current chapters :D

Personally I would slow down the story a bit. It's good like I thought it would be but your progression is a bit to quick. Slow it down like the first and it would be much better.

The reason I double my post: laziness :O

[Dress72]

3231365
Meow ... Probably should... just wanted the first 10 chapters over and done with, to be honest. Thanks for the input, and will slow it down a bit. and it is slower than my original goal for the chapters (6-10, was originally going to end with Jake already going on an adventure with CMC.), also I was trying to switch every 5 chapters, so that had an effect as well. next Red Wing POV switch I will probably do, is after the wedding. which will take somewhere around 3-6 chapters to get to, then another 2-4 to finish. not sure how many it will take but there is my rough estimate.
3231080

>> Dress72 well I know one person, I'm sure she would be glad to help if she wasn't always busy. Just quote me for info.

[Hydran]

3231875 I defiantly like the pov switch and I think it makes the story more entertaining.

Now for that info, this is the same person who drew my profile pic. She is usually busy but is a great artist. If you ask nicely she may make you the picture. http://viperviolist.deviantart.com

Oh yeah, she knows me by another name :P so referencing my username here won't help much.