Wayfinder, the Immortal Stallion
The Mysterious Wayfinder
Part 1: Wayfinder, the Immortal Stallion
A foal sat, dirty and rather hungry, hunched over a series of hoof-me-down books. A little smattering of papers with gold stars and ribbons was laying in the corner. The almost bare room had cracked walls, stained carpeting and little in the ways of toys or foal delights. He sighed, rubbing at the bags under his eyes.
“H-he’s in here, yes,” he could hear his mother’s trembling voice and he looked up. She was a simple flower mare in the big city, just barely getting by. On the verge of selling herself to keep food on the table, she could do little else but work these days.
“This is your son?” A stallion with a long, left-spiral horn stepped into the room. The foal instantly distrusted him, for his face was masked and his flanks were covered by leathery flaps to hide his identity. His fur was blue, his mane black, but his voice was one of high birth. Canterlot, maybe? “Hello, Starflash,” he said.
“Er, hullo…” the foal said uneasily.
“I am Wayfinder. I’ve come to help you and your mother,” he said, coming and settling next to him and his pile of books. The foal leaned away instinctively, as though expecting to be struck. Wayfinder’s expression softened a bit— perhaps there had been an abusive father at some point, for one so small not to trust stallions. Then again he was wearing a mask, so… “I heard you like books, yes?” he asked the little Pegasus.
“Y-yeah, they help me forget where I am,” he said. His mother flinched, ashamed at their hovel of a home. Wayfinder tutted him a little. “But I like school, so I’m gonna be extra smart so I can get a good job and help out Mom!” he gestured to the frazzled looking mare, who flushed.
“School can be very expensive,” Wayfinder said. “I’m going to pay your way through.”
“You are?!” The foal gasped, his eyes bugging out and glistening.
“Yes, Starflash. If you keep up your grades all through your schooling, you will never have to worry about paying for books, lodging, or anything else to do with your education,” the mysterious stallion said with a light, serene smile. He did like this part best, seeing their faces.
“Wh-why are you helping us?” the foal wanted to know, standing and trying to see into his benefactor’s ribbon mask. “You don’t know us.”
“It’s my job to help ponies find their way,” he said gently. “Education is the best thing for any pony your age, no matter where they come from. I could throw bits at you for the rest of your life, but if I threw bits into the next few years and you got your degree in something nice…”
“If you teach a griffon to fish?” the foal added in, tilting his head.
“Yes, yes very good,” the stallion chuckled. “Now, back to your studies. Your mother and I have much to discuss. Be good, and study hard,” he bade. The foal nodded, looking up at his benefactor with awe. The blue with black stallion rose, leaving the child to his studies.
Wayfinder followed the mare out into the tiny living room. The apartment was filthy, overwrought with coupon-clippings, help wanted ads and food on the verge of expiring. “I… I don’t know what to say. How did you find us? How can I ever repay you?”
“Take good care of your son, as a mother should,” the masked stallion said gently. “That is all I ask of you.” Reaching into his saddlebags, he pulled a small bag of bits. “Here. I’ll send an career-finding agent to your home in a few days. Clean up, buy some real food. We’ll make sure you find something to make an honest living together.” The mare burst into tears and embraced him, the bits spilling out across the floor. Then, he was gone, as suddenly as he had appeared.
50 Years Later…
“You can’t do this! I’ve come so far—”
“Only to bury yourself in mares, fillyweed and drink,” the masked black Pegasus said angrily. Menacing the teenage colt out of his economy apartment, he pelted the college dropout with an eviction notice. “I set another young filly up to take your place today. Hopefully she’ll do better than you did. I can only pray.” He opened his black span in a show of feral, Pegasus aggression. Tossing a dufflebag into the other stallions face, he spat, “Get out.”
“You can’t just play with ponies' lives like this! It’s not fair! So I messed up a little, you can’t just cast me out like some piece of trash! What’ll I do for a living?! Where will I go?!” his voice squeaked a little, for he was still young in the body.
“I don’t care,” said the black Pegasus sourly.
“Wayfinder, please! I’m begging you!” the former student was on his knees.
The shadowy pony turned, standing at the top of the three-stair stoop. He reached for the doorknob, rounding on his most recent failure. “It was I who raised you from perdition, and it will be I who casts you out again! Failure!” he slammed the door and locked it, throwing the stallion out into the world to fend for himself.
50 Years Later…
Twilight Velvet stood at the graduation pulpit, finishing out her speech for her class. Celestia’s school for gifted unicorns had turned out a rather impressive 139 graduates this year. Being such an exclusive school made it have small classes, but they’d all done so very, very well. “So let’s get out there, help others, and show them what real magic is!” she thrust her diploma high, and the other graduating ponies burst into thunderous applause. Graduation hats rained in all directions as proud parents held each other and clapped.
Even Princess Celestia was present, for she always was, at the ceremony. Sitting on her dainty haunches she nodded her approval and smiled. A scarlet earth pony stallion whisped on the edge of her vision, and her eyes flicked over. A pair of leather flaps covered his flank, and a banner mask hid most of his face. She stared at him. Not the same as before but… still the same, somehow. The Mysterious Wayfinder, she’d heard many tales of him over a rather long period of time. Was he immortal? Always dyeing his mane or donning fake wings? Or was he many ponies? She wasn’t sure. The Day Princess followed where he was looking and saw he was studying the valedictorian with a wry smile, nodding approvingly.
As Twilight Velvet was slowly cantering off the stage, she saw the smudge of red fur in the crowd. That was him! Her eyes moistened when she remembered the absolute gutter he’d pulled her entire family out of. Education, education, the straight and narrow path to success… she’d even met her fiancée Night Light because of her job opportunities. She lifted her diploma for him to see, but she saw he was already melting away into the night, as he always did. The Mysterious Wayfinder. She hugged her parents and she and her mother cried together. They shared a secret nod, for they’d both seen him.
20 Years Later…
“What must a benefactor always be?”
“Anonymous,” recited a young stallion.
“What must a benefactor always do?”
“Help those that truly need it, no others,” he replied.
“What must a benefactor always have?”
“Grace, humility, and an eye for detail,” he responded.
“What is the primary job of the Wayfinder?”
“To raise others from perdition, to aid foals in their education, and to never, EVER be recognized for it.” The young stallion said, staring straight ahead like a soldier. “The Wayfinder is nopony, merely he who shows the way,” he turned profile, showing the compass rose cutie mark to the other speaker. The young stallion gingerly reached and pulled on the mask, tightening the flank-covering leather flaps. He smoothed down his golden mane and checked himself in the mirror.
“You’ve done well, my son,” the elderly red stallion said, smiling. “You are ready.”
Prince Blueblood hugged his father tightly. “I won’t let you down.”
End of Part 1
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Castiel? xD
6035832 *cough* .... >_>;
Interesting story so far ... You have my attention!
Great story.
6035833 This story has my attention.Seems to be going well so far.
I'm confused, mostly by the first time skip. You paint this Wayfinder as a paragon of helping those less fortunate...and then immediately cut to a different one being a colossal antagonistic prick. It's like showing Superman rescuing a kitten trapped in a tree and before seconds later cutting to him punching an old man in the face. It's so jarring as to cause whiplash and I had to reread it at least three times just to figure out what the hell was going on.
Even if you were trying to show what happens when those he helps squander his gifts, you couldn't have had Wayfinder be any more unsympathetic as he is, especially here:
I'm siding with the drop-out here! He can punish him or cut off any further assistance without turning into Lex Luthor. The only failure I see here is the jerk of a Pegasus. Was this scene really necessary?
6036034 Yes. For the precise reason you named. He squandered his gifts, so everything that was given was taken from him. Perhaps I'll add a line or two about straight F's or more about his dropping out. If he was paying for everything and the kid decided to be a playboy, no, he gets thrown out.
He's not sympathetic. Vast gifts come with vast responsibilities.
Suppose you gave someone tens of thousands of dollars to grow up, get out of the slums, get a good education, etc. and they blew it all on girls, drugs and booze? You'd be so far beyond pissed there'd be no reasoning with you. No words are foul enough for what a waste that would've been. He's not Lex Luthor, he's an angry benefactor who's withdrawing his help.
reactiongifs.us/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/upvote_tyrion.gif
6035833
Not a fan of Supernatural?
6036263 I've been binge-watching it with my gf lately. Just finished season 5.
reminds me of 'the Phantom" Ghost who walks. AKA Kit Walker
Ohh... you have my attention as well, I'll be tracking this. A very nice premise in itself but the explanation of BB's cutie mark sealed it.
6036034
It might also be worth noting that this is not the same Wayfinder we saw at the start. Yes, he's still there to elevate those who need it, but he's not the same. He doesn't have the same attitude, the same influences, the same beliefs aside from the core one that defines the Wayfinder. The approach taken in each case is going to differ.
Rest easy in the knowledge that, were you the Wayfinder, you would not be so harsh.
Aegis is writing again, das ist gut.
OK this one looks interesting and we are promised some sort of possible interaction between Twilight and Blueblood which is something that not alot of Fics do so I will be tracking this one.
I am so confused? So was Night Light was Wayfinder at one point? Interesting read. Good luck with the next chapter.
That Pegasus Wayfinder was, in other words, a failure. Because he had none of these.
6037445
Agreed. And, well, see above. That particular Wayfinder might not have deserved the title.
Well, this is certainly something new (at least for me). Or if I did read something like it, it was so long I can't remember.
But this intro is certainly intriguing - I shall patiently wait for more!
So, Blueblood's bloodline make it their duty to help those that need it and deserve it. I am now intrigued.
Great start so far!