Operation Final Destiny

by Armguard

Resolve

Chapter 4: Resolve

The deep dive into my memories left me with a rush of swirling emotions, some of which I recognized right away. The joy of receiving my first computer for Christmas, or becoming a member of the exploration project with I.S.A.C.; but fear also entered the chilling depths of my subconscious mind. My life being threatened by Offspring during a crucial testing phase of Final Destiny, nearly losing my best friend in the void of space...

Princess Luna had the power to bring the most powerful moments of my life to the forefront of my mind. I felt the most at peace in my whole life, and I was captured in what felt like an endless nightmare, all at once. I didn't want to believe my friend was trapped in a vacuum tube while I journeyed on, with only a broken bone. It doesn't change reality. It doesn't change where I am currently standing.

I got so caught up in what was happening to me when I got captured, I let go of everything other responsibility I bore, even for a brief time. The feelings of unwavering resolve to continue forward, despite my friend's condition, suddenly returned. In all honesty, I only have Princess Luna to thank for that.

So what if ponies can talk? So what if I'm stranded here? I have a duty to Jonah, and a duty to humanity, and I must see it through to the end, no matter what it costs me. Let's just try to be cordial with them for now, okay, Myself?

I could feel a soft tug from outside of my mind, then a sharp 'yank', like a rope tied around my waist lifting me from my slumber. My eyes slowly opened, revealing my surroundings; my body rose to its familiar, seated position on the marble slab. Princess Celestia and Twilight Sparkle glanced over at me, then back to Princess Luna, expectant of her assessment.

"It is our assessment that this creature poses no immediate danger to Equestria. In addition, we believe it is best that we render aid to this individual."

"What do you mean, Luna?" Princess Celestia turned an inquisitive look towards me.

Luna walked over to my side of the room, turning to her sister. "Tom has made a promise to his friend, to ensure his safe return to their world. We in Equestria, erm...value 'friendship' above all other things, and deem it necessary to assist him in his efforts." Luna looked to her sister with great expectation, and Celestia gave her a warm smile.

"As such, it is our duty as rulers of Equestria to aid our friends in need, no matter what the dangers might be." Celestia approached Luna and gave her a hoof pat on the shoulder. "You've matured greatly since your return, my dear sister. I value our friendship, as do I value the friendships of others."

Twilight jerked her head to me, then to Celestia. "So your friend is in trouble? Then we should return to the ship right away!"

I hesitated at the thought. "Wait, so...does this mean I am free? I can go back and- Ahh!" An itchy feeling suddenly shot up my broken arm.

"Here, let me look at that." Twilight examined my cast, releasing some magic from her horn to lift it gently into mid-air. "Princess Celestia, is there anyway we could have somepony take a look at his...uhhh, what did you call it?"

"That is my arm."

"His...arm, Your Highness?" Twilight gave an awkward smile, before Celestia waved her hoof to the side.

"I'm afraid his arm will have to be examined by us, my dear student. If we reveal this creature to anyone outside of the three of us, word of an alien presence in Equestria would cause a major incident. I don't believe my little ponies are ready for such a revelation about our world. No..." Celestia approached me and cast her magic aura around my cast. "I will see to his arm's health."

Wait, what is she going to...whoa! What is that?

The golden sheen of Celestia's magic intensified as I felt a tingling sensation inside my arm. A sharp bolt of pain cracked as I hollered, part from surprise, but part because I detected my bones shifting inside the cast.

"AHH! Oh my God, what are you doing! I...what the- MY ARM! It's..."

Celestia's magic tore open the cast, exposing an arm that was slightly bruised; bending it was still slightly painful, but the bones inside were completely repaired. A miracle.

"I could not reduce the bruising or swelling, but studying medical journals and pony anatomy during my spare time affords me a particularly useful gift. Medical magic isn't something most ponies are capable of, because that variety of magic requires massive energy reserves. As you can see-"

I could hardly contain myself. "My arm! It's...no way, wow! Thank you! I...I don't know what else to say. I'm sorry I threatened your student, I..."

Twilight stopped me mid-sentence. "It's fine, I understand why you did what you did. A foggy evening, crashing onto a foreign world without any friends...that must be tough for anypony to handle."

Ha, 'anypony', they've been saying that for a while now. So strange, how eerily similar things feel here.

I gave my once-broken arm a full self-examination before the topic of discussion returned to what transpired inside of the Dreamscape. This time, I was able to stand up and walk around the chamber without fearing for my life. All three of them watched me with glowing interest as I paced around the room, speaking of the specific memories I shared with Princess Luna. Soon after telling of the tragic events of 4 months ago, I exhaled a deep breath I had been keeping inside for a long time.

Honesty is the best policy here, Tom. Basic relationship builder's tip: don't lie. Don't lie.

"Truthfully, your highnesses...my friend, Jonah, is in bad shape."

Twilight objected. "Are you sure he was with you? I only saw you leave your vessel. There was nopony else-"

"Twilight Sparkle. He speaks the truth." Luna walked past me and stood before her subordinate. "In the memory we observed together, his friend traveled as his companion aboard the craft. However..."

That's my cue. "However, Jonah is in unstable condition. I would request that he be examined as well, but I fear losing him if I remove him from isolation. It's all a mess..."

Princess Celestia waved a hoof. "It is not difficult at all to ensure the safety of your friend. I will personally see to it that Jonah and the vessel remain undisturbed while we determine the best course of action."

What is this? "But, Your Highness, you were interrogating me a few minutes ago, and now you want to-"

Celestia chuckled to herself and replied. "My sister, Princess Luna, has the ability to access almost anypony's memories via the Dreamscape. Had I requested it, with reluctance, she would have forcibly extracted what information we needed. Thankfully, it became unnecessary the moment you were transparent with us. In addition, it appears both of you had a little 'heart-to-heart' inside your mind...if she trust you, I trust you."

---

I gave a slight bow of respect to her, able to finally keep both arms at my sides. "Thank you, Your Highnesses. I would like to make the trip back to my vessel as soon as possible."

Princess Luna took her turn to speak. "In order to avoid any further incident, we believe it would be best to provide you with a 'disguise'. It would appear suspicious if two Princesses constantly left the castle in a short period of time for unknown reasons."

A disguise? "What is the disguise? A black cloak? Invisibility? A cape with a mask?"

"Actually..." Celestia's horn suddenly radiated magical energy that wrapped around my body. I was hoisted into the air, surrounded by the sphere of magic until only a white void materialized around me. From the distance, Celestia appeared again with a serious look in her eyes.

"This magic will protect your identity during your stay in Equestria. It is designed to make you look like one of us in every respect. You will keep your consciousness and I've adapted your motor skills so that you have the basics, but everything else about you will change."

"Change? I-HOLY GOD, what is THAT?"

I looked down. Why did I look down? Hooves. A horse's mouth. I can whinny. Why can I do that?! Is this the disguise?

All of a sudden, a flat, shimmering plane floated in front of me, displaying my reflection. I saw a crimson red pony with blonde locks for a mane and tail, and a tattoo. It was unique, like the tattoos the other ponies had on their rumps. It was a sword pointed upward, with six stars, three equidistant on either side of the sword, and a six-pointed sparkle in the background of it all.

"Princess, what is that?" Very confused, I pointed my hand-turned-hoof at the tattoo.

"Every pony in Equestria, when they discover their special talent, receives a cutie mark. That mark not only tells others what your talent is, it represents the type of character you possess."

"But, what does mine mean? A sword? Stars?"

Celestia examine the mark briefly before turning back to me. I could have sworn her eyebrows shot up the moment she saw it. "That mark has power in it. The sword must have something to do with you having great strength. The stars dictate the reach of that strength. Tom, you may not be from this world, but what potential you have here is of great consequence. What you do here might impact everypony's future."

Flabbergasted, I shook my head and looked up to her again. "Wait, what is this now? What could I possibly do here that will impact your society to such a degree? I didn't come here to satisfy some destiny, hell, I had no choice to come here!"

"That may be true, I might be looking into this too deeply. But listen well; I do not believe you crashing into this world is a mistake. You've already shown Twilight that there is more to our world than the raising and setting of the moon and sun. Nopony would have drawn any other conclusion had you not appeared today."

---

Her stature felt mightier and mightier throughout the entire exchange. Being disguised as a pony while being here would at least keep people from getting on my case about being an alien. But I don't even know how to be 'normal' in Equestria, hell, I don't even know what normal truly is anymore! Normal should have been omitted from the dictionary when I entered the event horizon of that wormhole.

Then, I felt sudden urge to gallop as my legs launched me forward at a brisk pace. It was the most incredible feeling I've had for a long time. Ignoring my conversation with Celestia, I quickened my pace, only to contort my front legs and plant my face into the white emptiness. Humiliating.

"Ow. I think this will take some time getting used to, definitely..." I forced myself up onto my front two legs, then my hind legs followed suit, leading me in front of the Princess once again.

Celestia just smiled. One of those plain smiles you see when a mother watches her child play with his toys.

"Why are you giving me that look?" I couldn't help but grin at her expression.

"Eventually, Tom, you'll learn how to be like us. It will be a test of your endurance and your patience. It won't be like anything I believe you'd faced in your life thus far."

"Tom, it is my responsibility to see that Equestria is safe from danger. But there have been times where I alone cannot bear the burden of its protection. Twilight Sparkle, my dear student, possesses incredible magic unrivaled by anypony past, present, and perhaps the future. She is one of the six Elements of Harmony, the Element of Magic. They bring a form of unrivaled protection against the dark forces of this world."

"Elements of Harmony?" Why is she even telling me these things? I'm still confused as to why I have a sudden craving for asparagus! I need to eat soon...

"Yes, the Elements are but one countermeasure against the evils of this world. The other is the Crystal Heart; Twilight's brother, Prince Shining Armor-"

"Ha ha ha! Shining Armor, that's fantastic! Ha-" I saw Celestia produce a frown, halting my assault of laughter immediately. "I'm...sorry, Your Highness, the name-"

"I know." Breathing a deep sigh, she continued. "Prince Shining Armor and Princess Cadence cultivated a deep and lasting love, both from within themselves and their citizens in the Crystal Empire to power the heart's core. It produces a shield that protects the empire for external dangers."

"Why are you telling me about these things?"

Celestia closed her eyes in deep thought. After a few seconds, she gave me a determined expression. "Because I believe that you are the pony I've been seeking for the past two years."

"...say what now? I've just arrived here, and you've been looking for me?!" Oh come on! This is like one of those really bad 'fate handing you the stacked deck' stories, except I'm living it!

"Tom, the deck is stacked in your favor, you can trust that."

Mind reader, huh? Greaaat.

The Princess smirked. "I'm technically in your mind, so the both of us can hear your thoughts. I assure you, in the physical world, your thoughts are heard by yourself alone."

That's a relief...

"Something major is about to happen to our world, but exactly where it will occur I cannot say...say, that mark of yours reminds me of the cutie mark of a heroic stallion I know. One that I trust to this day with my life: Shining Armor."

"So my cutie mark is like his?"

"That's right! However, unlike your mark, his is a shield. His special talent is defensive magic; his power thrives when put into situations where he protects those he loves. It is why his ability is perfect for serving the Crystal Empire, and it complements his love for Princess Cadence so well. Your mark, however, is of a sword, and being an earth pony, you do not possess unicorn magic. There must be a fight for you to win, however, the nature of that fight is yet unknown."

"So you don't know what type of battle I must face?"

Celestia shook her head as the empty void began to dissolve, returning us to the physical world.

---

Princess Luna and Twilight Sparkle got an eyeful of my new look as we returned from the magic sphere. Twilight was the first to comment.

"I had no idea the Princess could do this! Is this a doppelganger spell, Princess Celestia?"

Celestia hummed at her guess. "No, this is much more than that; his appearance is totally unique. The magic generates his appearance based on who he is and what his original appearance happened to be. You would be asserting that he was a Changeling, which would be rather...'insulting' to his character, wouldn't you say, Twilight?"

The unicorn blushed, embarrassed at what her question implied. "I apologize, I didn't mean-"

"No harm done, my student. Now, Tom..." Celestia knelt in front of me, reaching eye level. "The battle I was discussing earlier may or may not be a physical one. It could be mental, emotional, spiritual; what I am saying is you must prepare for it."

I shrugged and looked to the side, but her hoof directed my eyes to hers again. "Tom, I know you weren't intending for all of this to happen, but Equestria needs you. Can you lend us your aid this one time?"

My sight shifted side to side, indecision plaguing my mind. Finally, I just shut my eyes for a moment, and opened them again, removing all doubt. "Princess, if it gets me closer to home, I will. There's no time to waste, however; I must repair my ship as soon as possible."

"Good. I will have Twilight Sparkle pair up with you as you examine your craft."

Twilight choked on her own spit at that declaration. "I-what, Princess? You want-HAAACK-me to go into the ship?! I can't believe it, are you serious?"

After Celestia gave her a firm nod, Twilight started bouncing around the room, giddy from excitement.

She rushed over to me with a feather quill and pad of paper. "Isn't this great, Tom, now I have about a dozen times a dozen questions to ask you about your ship. How does it fly? What powers the propulsion systems? How did you get to our world? What controls the piloting system? What is 'artificial intelligence'? Does it have air conditioning? Where is the primary circuit boards? Do the doors really open automatic-"

"GAH, STOP." I shook my han-hooves in front of her face as she stood back, ceasing her incessant questioning. She blushed really hard this time, knowing what kind of irritation the plethora of inquiries must have created.

Princess Luna stood between us, facing me. "Tom, there is one matter I believe is important if you intend to interact with ponykind. Your name."

My name? What is wrong with my name? Aah...

"It would attract unwanted attention. Typically, ponies have names that relate to their special talent or something in the physical or spiritual world. Your name will be 'Starsword', as your cutie mark clearly demonstrates both of those objects."

Celestia gave a shocked expression to her sister, who then gave her a curt nod before turning back to me.

"Starsword is a name that will draw attention, but not because it is of 'alien origin'. It is-"

Twilight's gaze rose until it reached mine. "Because it carries with it a legacy. Princess Luna, is it right to name him after Starswirl the Bearded?"

Starswirl the Bearded? Who is that?

Twilight could see I was very confused. "Starswirl is one of Equestria's most gifted unicorn magicians. His creativity and raw talent allowed him to invent hundreds of incantations and spells that are still in use by the monarchs and unicorns of today. Carrying the name of 'Starsword' as an earth pony is probably what she meant when she said you would draw attention."

"An earth pony?" So that's what I am now?

"That's right." Twilight gave a friendly smile, and nearly continued her rant before Celestia interjected.

"I think he's had enough of this for today. Twilight, I would like you to take him to the guest quarters in the west wing of the castle, the room next to the pathway before you reach the Royal Guard Assembly. I would like him to meet your brother tomorrow morning so he knows of his arrival to Equestria. You may tell him he isn't an Equestrian citizen, but nothing about what we learned today. Understood?"

Twilight looked rebellious at the idea of keeping secrets, but was submissive, giving Celestia a firm nod.

On the way to my guest quarters, Twilight talked about her brother in as much detail as she could. I wanted to know what kind of person...pony I would have to deal with tomorrow, and thankfully, he sounds truly honorable. A dependable and loving sibling, a devoted husband and prince, and a strong willpower; if there was one thing I knew I had to have more than him of was willpower.

Today, however, was a major exception. I had no will to continue after seeing the state of the Destiny, the hull blown to shreds, the computer systems moderately damaged. The one thing that keeps me going is knowing that at least the medical bay and Jonah's suspension chamber is intact and fully functional. That means the power core of the ship must also be in great shape. But there cannot possibly be anybody on this planet that can repair the Destiny to flying condition.

I find myself marooned on a world I know is far away. Far away from all that I know.

Comments

[Fireheart 1945]

If he was made to look like a pony on the outside, but still be human - i.e., he would still have hands, not hooves, but they'd look like that - I'd be okay, but turning him outright into a pony does not sit well with me.

Sorry, it's just ticks me off when either a human or a pony is made to change species; I'm just tired of that kind of deal.

Again, if he only looked like, but didn't actually have, four legs, then I'd be okay. This... It sounds permanent from how Celestia is portraying it, and the forced change of name...

Again, I'm sorry. I don't intend to cause any loss of imagination, concentration, or courage. I'm just being critical. Please feel free to ignore me.

[Armguard]

3555916

In the first draft of the story, it was something I had to really struggle with when I decided to write this part. Which route was I going to take with this?

In short, the reason I went with a full-blown transformation rather than just the illusion of a pony was to force the protagonist into a position where he would have to relate to the alien society in 'every' aspect, including physically.

Had I not written it this way, there would be a hurdle to overcome trying to reconcile his typically 'human' behaviors with how this society tends to act. I think either path can be compelling, but for the goals of this story, it made more sense for me to choose the path that is familiar to most. There is a chance to make this tale unique, even if it means using a device that is common.

[Fireheart 1945]

3556533

Okay, but the transformation isn't permanent is it?

Sorry for any offense or bad feelings my previous comment caused. If you want me to change it, I will.

[Armguard]

3556727

Oh, you didn't cause any bad feelings at all! I enjoy seeing the criticisms because it grants me insight into what readers appreciate about storytelling and what they can see. Sometimes, I'll get comments about aspects of my writing that I did not see before, and it is always good to become self-aware of how you tell the story.

I cannot say right now whether or not it is a permanent change, mainly because that's not for the reader to know yet. ;)

[Armguard]

I'm looking to come off hiatus, but don't hold your breath. I still need to plan ahead for the two stories I currently have.

[Armguard]

Next chapter is nearly completed.

[Ponynator]

Mind reader, huh? Great.

The Princess smirked. "Also, I'm technically in your mind, so the both of us can hear your thoughts."

Oh.

Uh, what? I am confused...
Is she able to read minds normally?
Or just because they are in his mind?

[jaroslav]

Medical magic isn't something most ponies are capable of, because that variety of magic requires massive energy reserves. As you can see-"

That is common misconception. Healing magic doesn't need too much energy but it needs finesse.