5. Lunar Guidance
Twilight Sparkle stared into her teacup, contemplating the Alicorn across from her. She was seated at a table in one of the courtyards of the castle. If any of the servants looked in on them, it would look like nothing more than two friends, albeit one was one of the rulers, enjoying a lunch date.
Earlier that day Twilight had arrived in Canterlot with the Apple family and Pinkie Pie. To her surprise it was not Princess Celestia that had been there to greet her as she expected, but rather Princess Luna. Not that she was disappointed, she had been looking forward to spending some time with the recently reformed Alicorn, but still. She had assumed Celestia would be taking her to see whoever it was the Princess wanted her to see regarding the memories of Clark Kent.
Instead, Luna had been there and had taken her on a walk around Canterlot after giving Pinkie directions to Snow Cloud’s home. The Princess of the Night had been mostly quiet during this walk, occasionally asking a question about her time in Ponyville, or about Ponyville itself. It was… somewhat awkward. Twilight was beginning to wonder what was going on when Luna finally led her to the castle and to this courtyard, where a tea set had been set up and was awaiting them.
“When am I going to meet whoever it was Celestia wanted me to meet?” Twilight asked finally, breaking the silence that had descended when they had sat down.
Luna frowned slightly. “Sister did not tell you?” she asked. She sighed at Twilight’s confusion. “I am who you are to discuss the memories with. After all, the mind and all of its twisted and convoluted corridors are as familiar to me as Starswirl’s forbidden wing is supposedly familiar to you.”
Twilight had to blush at the gentle jab at her tendency to sneak into the Starswirl wing in the Royal Archives when she was young. She couldn’t help it! He was her idol! “I…” She cleared her throat and fought down the blush, ignoring Luna’s small smirk. ‘Great. She’s just as much of a prankster as Princess Celestia is,’ she thought to herself. “I see,” she mumbled.
“But since I do not know you all that well, regardless of the fact that you saved me from my own darkness, I decided to rectify that first, hence the walk we went on and my… admittedly poor attempt at socializing.” Luna grimaced. “I am unfortunately a stranger in a brand new world, one that works very differently than what I remember. I have spent the last few days sequestered within the Archives researching the history I missed.” Luna gained a small smile. “I am thankful for something familiar though. That table is like an old friend…”
Twilight smiled, memories of her own late night study sessions within the Archives flashing through her mind. “The oak table in the corner by the window?” she asked.
Luna blinked, surprised. “Well… Yes. How did you know?”
“I’ve spent nearly a decade at that table myself, Princess. It’s out of the way of most traffic the Archives see, well lit, and most of all close to the bathroom.”
Luna smiled after a moment. “It pleases me to know my old study table has seen use by others besides myself.” She shook her head with a smile. “Tia had that table crafted for me as a birthday gift roughly a century after we liberated Equestria from Discord. It is enchanted with preservation spells, which are also hidden by muffling sigils to prevent anyone from realizing there is an Alicorn enchantment on it.”
“So that’s what that magic I kept feeling at the table was!” Twilight exclaimed in realization, making Luna jump slightly at the sudden declaration.
She smiled though. “Yes.” She paused. “I suppose I should begin our session.”
“Session, Princess?” Twilight asked.
Luna stood. “Twilight Sparkle, I want you to answer my next question with every last ounce of honesty you can draw from within yourself.” She looked straight into Twilight’s eyes. Twilight was starting to get worried. “Have you accepted all of your memories as Clark Kent?”
Twilight blinked. “Er… Princess? Wouldn’t I still be fighting with the memories if I hadn’t?” she asked.
Luna shook her head. “No. The memories were fighting you because you shoved them away and refused to accept that you and Clark Kent were one and the same. You have now accepted that… but have you accepted the things you have done as Clark Kent?” Luna closed her eyes. “…There are and have been Hero Souls out in Equus that have awakened before you. Very few, granted, but they were there. Nearly all of them however have had an identity crisis of one kind or another, and I was forced to step in as they slept and aid them. As such, I am experienced in helping a Hero Soul come into itself… I have even begun seeing patterns.”
“Patterns?” Twilight asked, then blinked, the entirety of what Luna had said hitting her. “Wait! There are others like me in Equestria?! Who?!”
Luna looked away. “I cannot say. They have requested privacy in such matters. Even so, most are dead now… though I have met two in this day and age already, not counting you.” She shook her head. “As for the patterns…” She sighed. “Equestria is a peaceful land. What threats do appear are usually handled quickly and without too much trouble. The same cannot be said for most other worlds, as your time as Clark Kent may have told you.”
Twilight looked into her tea cup frowning. “…War,” she said after a moment. “Nearly everywhere I looked on Earth there was war and strife. I tried so hard to bring peace to so many countries, but in the end I had to learn the lesson that peace can only come to those who wanted it.” She shivered. “And then… there’s the things I was sometimes forced to do. It was rare… but I’ve killed, Princess. It was a last resort, and I had tried everything else, but sometimes… it’s the only way to stop someone who only wants to watch the world burn.” Luna could see that Twilight was lost in those memories now, and pretended to not notice the unshed tears in Twilight’s eyes.
Twilight looked up when Luna placed a hoof on hers. “It is good that you acknowledge these memories of death and destruction. It is better that you admit that it was you that did it, and not try to separate yourself from Clark Kent again. You are strong, Twilight, and brave.” She pulled her hoof back and shook her head. “But that only keeps you out of the largest pitfalls of being a Hero Soul, not the most dangerous.”
“…Am I doing something wrong?” Twilight asked after a moment of silence.
Luna shook her head again. “No… at least, you aren’t yet. Clark Kent lived in a world of strife, and he may have experienced things that forced him to suppress his own memories subconsciously. If ever a time comes when memories such as those surface in your mind, you will be blindsided by it. What may have been a brief but agonizingly painful remembrance for him will become an immensely traumatic and long lasting experience to you.” She grabbed Twilight’s head and forced the Unicorn to look her in the eyes. “Heed my warnings, Twilight Sparkle, and do not hide from who you are. Do not try and ignore your memories just because you don’t like them. Above all else however, do not hide it from your friends. If they are truly your friends, like we both know they are, they will be nothing but supportive of you in your time of need.”
She let go when Twilight nodded after a moment of hesitation. “And of course, you may speak to me at any time regarding this. As of this day I am legally your therapist and psychiatrist… but more importantly I am your friend, and I have experience in helping others recover from such traumatic events. I will not abandon you just because of how terrible those memories may be.”
Silence, slightly uncomfortable, descended. The two ponies slowly drank their tea, one in silent contemplation and the other in practiced patience. After a few minutes of this, Luna finally spoke.
“Tell me about the life of Clark Kent,” she said.
Twilight blinked, looking up from her thoughts. “Uh… well… what do you want to know?”
“Everything you are comfortable with sharing,” Luna answered. “If it helps, I’m told the best place to start is the beginning.”
Twilight chuckled. “Yeah… but the thing about my life on Earth is that there are so many places you could consider the beginning. The death of Krypton, the Kents adopting me, learning about my powers… becoming Superman.” She shrugged. “I really don’t know where to begin.”
“Let’s start with Krypton. What caused the death of a planet?”
Twilight frowned slightly. “I was never able to get a straight answer regarding that. All I know is that the core of the planet was destabilizing. I don’t know what caused it though, whether it was sabotage or just the planet’s time to die. My father, Jor-El, discovered Krypton was on the verge of destruction and tried to warn the Council. Brainiac, the machine in charge of maintaining life on Krypton, told the Council he was wrong, and that the seismic activity was natural and would pass.” She growled, glaring at a wall. “Brainiac lied. If he had told the truth, he would have been put in charge of evacuating the planet, but instead he saved his own hide, leaving an entire species to death.”
Luna pulled a notebook from her mane, as well as a mechanical pencil. She grinned at Twilight’s surprised look. “I told you I have dealt with other Hero Souls, Twilight, and most come from one version of Earth or another. One of the most amazing inventions I learned of during sessions with these heroes was the mechanical pencil. No need for ink, and easy to fix mistakes. I managed to have a stock of harmless lead and erasers made, and then I forged the parts needed after I learned enough about them to design my own.”
Twilight began to drool at the thought. “…You… wouldn’t happen to be willing to part with some, would you?” she nearly begged. It was an item of nostalgia for the most part thanks to magic, but still!
Luna laughed, and levitated over a bundle from under the table. “When I first discovered you were from a version of Earth, I figured you would like some,” she said.
‘Spike is going to worship me over this…’ Twilight mused, remembering all the times Spike complained about the difficulty in using quills. She tucked the cloth wrapped package under her seat and tagged it with a signal spell only she could detect, making sure she wouldn’t forget it when it was time to leave.
Luna made a few notes, then nodded to Twilight. “Please, continue.”
Twilight paused, remembering that she was in the middle of a story. “Right…” She cleared her throat. “Anyways, since Brainiac had betrayed Krypton, and the Council likely wouldn’t have gone against tradition anyways, my father started making plans. But Krypton was going to explode too soon, and any plans he made to save his family wouldn’t be done in time… except one. A small ship, and fast enough to escape Krypton’s detonation. It was… the size of a cradle.”
Luna’s eyes widened in comprehension. “He could not save his people or his family, so he instead chose to save his legacy… you.”
Twilight nodded. “Krypton rotated around an old star, which had long since turned red in its age. The radiation of a red star inhibits the natural powers of the Kryptonian biology, a state of being Kryptonians had long since grown accustomed to. To give me every chance he could to survive, he sent me to a planet under a young, yellow sun.” Twilight smiled, and floated out of her chair briefly. “There, my Kryptonian biology slowly began to shake off the shackles being born in the light of a red sun placed me under. By the time I was a teenager, I was lifting the massive farming equipment to help my adoptive father, running faster than the eyes could follow, and leaping great distances.” She snorted after a moment. “Would you believe me if I told you I was actually initially terrified of heights?”
Luna took a moment to register that before she snorted as well. “R-really? The mare who can fly faster than Rainbow Dash on a slow day was scared of heights?”
Twilight was chuckling at the memory. “My flight was the last of my powers to develop in my childhood, and I think that was because of my fear of heights. I was subconsciously suppressing the power. However, it developed eventually, and I was forced to learn how to control it or forever wake up in the morning staring at the ceiling… which was two feet from my head.”
“That must have played havoc with your nerves,” Luna noted with a smirk.
Twilight nodded. “It did. I would scream when I finally realized I was flying, then lose control and do a spectacular belly flop onto the hardwood floor of my room.”
“That poor floor…” Luna shook her head in mock sympathy. She looked up at the sky, which was beginning to darken. “I believe we should call an end to today’s session,” she said, standing up. “I want you to come back in two weeks. For the time being I only want you to tell me about your life as Clark Kent. The more I know regarding this, the better I can aid you in acclimating to your new situation.”
Twilight nodded. With that, they said their goodbyes, made plans for the next session, and Twilight left.
I generally try to make chapters as long as five thousand words at least, or ten pages, but this one... would not cooperate with me, as my Blog has told some of you. After spending the last couple of days trying to wrangle this thing into shape, I'm throwing in the towel. Here's what I managed to get done. I cleaned it up a little, but that's it.
So! I have introduced Luna as more than the one show wonder she was in Season One. I have also revealed that there have been Hero Souls before Twilight on Equus. Furthermore, I've revealed two other active Hero Souls. Now, before anyone starts making guesses, bear in mind that canon is going to go out the window at some point. I thought I'd lay down some stonework for that by revealing it will be two OCs who are the Hero Souls, and I have no plans whatsoever to try and insert them into the Mane 6. They are there for the same reason Celestia and Luna are there, as guides.
Finally, some of you have already seen it... as far as I can tell anyways... but I've made a couple Blogs for the story. One is regarding a Q&A I intend to update periodically as questions crop up. The other is about this guessing game that's sprung up between me and the commentors regarding Hero Souls. It details the souls revealed and confirmed.
If my updates are going to continue being this troublesome I may not be able to stick to a rigid update schedule, but you have my word I will post something before I let it go months at a time without an update... even if it's a frustratingly short chapter like today.
Stay awesome!
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This was a wonderful chapter! So I wonder who the souls where that have died and who is still around. I wonder if this Superman ever got to meet the Avengers, because they have met twice to my knowledge and Sups usually gets to fight the Hulk. Also he's Spike will love the mechanical pencil. I would recommend trying for a weekly update schedule if you are having issues, because it should give you more time to plan and write. Also never be afraid to ask for help if you need it, we all are willing to help you!
To be frank, I had my reservations when you named it "Crappy chapter" but I think this is one of the best so far.
I tried to distance myself from the guessing game, but with the new hints I am trying again to guess the One Piece soul.
BE CAREFUL crazy nerd at work
There are four confirmed souls. Freedom obviously goes to... let's say the "water bottle". Family fits best to Applejack (and from what I know Undertale).
This leaves change and determination. The latter fits perfectly to OP. Because of personalities and abilties I say it is Luffy, Zorro, Usopp or Sanji. On the pony side Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie are left.
Then there was this comment:
And your reply:
So I bet my first life in this game on:
Fluttershy with Usopp as soul of determination
And now some other suggestions:
After DrWho and Flynn Carsen didn't work I try Professor Layton for DoctorWhooves
For Vinyl Scratch there is I think a fitting music-based hero in League of Legends, but I haven't played it, so I need someone else to fill this one
And would you add Sunset Shimmer if I find a fitting hero (even regarding the pony's backstory)?
6947197
Regarding this...
I actually thought the "don't" should be a "doesn't". But now that you said it I noticed this one too
6947352 Welcome to the Belfry! All bats, or beings as blind as bats, are welcome here!
Strike One!
Usopp as the Soul of Determination... Yeah, I can see that. Incorrect, but I can see it. Usopp is not the character I have chosen from One Piece. Good guess though, that made far too much sense.
Two strikes left before you're out!
Hello there. Thanks greatly for getting the next chapter up. I really appreciate you going to the effort. Once again, very good job on the exchange, emotional content and future chapter set-up in all the right places. I can't think of anything else right now, but I'll keep trying and I will definitely be looking forward to more of this as soon as time and inspiration.
6947396 Edit:
1.You know that everyone has four guesses?
2. What do you think of the other suggestions?
3. I hope I broke the ice and others try the guessing game again (it somehow stopped since the Q&A), because I can't find the truth alone!
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er... Oops? Sorry. You're right, three guesses left.
why do I get the feeling we're going to get a race scene at some point?
6947838 Because you have very good instincts.
I know that some people have suggested that Amending Fences should happen now or shortly, however I would like Twilight to deal with her family. I think her parents and brother need to be told because of the importance of family to Clark. Also I am not guessing any hero souls because I want some surprises.
Great chapter. Wonder what Luna will say about berseker mode (mentioned in earlier chapter as a result of flying directly into the sun as Superman. Also will she tell her family about her hero soul while in Canterlot? Looking forward to the next chapter.
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Speaking of Chaos Emeralds, Discord as the embodiment of Chaos will be in for quite a shock if they appear on Equestria. Complete control of Chaos, embodiment of Chaos, he is so screwed if the ChaosEmeralds show up.
I am betting on Twilight winning. Even after both of them awakens a hero soul, since I am pretty sure that Rainbow Dash's hero soul is Sonic pretty obvious as you said. And Sonic can go faster then the speed of sound, but Superman once flew fast enough to single handedly reverse the earth's rotation by speed alone and therefore reversing time. I am not sure which movie that was though, but Sonic has never gone fast enough to compete speed wise, not even close unless you count using the Chaos Emeralds to teleport.
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I meant what the author said about the hero soul from Sonic the Hedgehog, not you.
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That would be the first Christopher Reeve movie. And from I remember, that scene was meant to show him travelling back in time; although it certainly looks like he's reversing time if you don't know what's going on.
Which does bring up a question I have; which version of Supes is being used here? It's kinda important since his power level does vary greatly depending on which 'verse' he's from. Different versions would also have experienced different events.
So... If RD is not Iron Man... The flash possibly? I know she would HATE not being the fastest pony around...
Other than that I have no good ideas.
(Person Of Interest Machine for Fluttershy! - 2016)
Ok, I can't resist making a guess for your Undertale soul.
Undertale has a lot of characters that could be called 'heroes' in one way or another, but if we go by the game's own rules that 'monster souls can't persist after death' then that would narrow the selection down to a human hero. Of course, you could ignore those rules and give the monsters their own chance at re-incarnation, but if we do follow this train of logic, then there's only one human in Undertale that could possibly be described as a 'hero'. The pacifist incarnation of Frisk, who bent time and space, facing death multiple times just to ensure that everyone got their happy ending.
This would, of course be your afore-mentioned 'determination' soul, as that is the power that allows Frisk to defy death and change fate. Assuming that the 'determination' soul is from Undertale also puts Frisk higher on the probability scale than the few other determination-users in from that game. Even though both Flowey and Undyne have this power to some degree, it is confirmed that Frisk's determination is greater than theirs, which makes it more likely for Frisk to be this particular champion.
Now as for what pony Frisk would be reborn as, that takes more guesswork. As this is the pacifist Frisk, it would have to be somepony who doesn't like fighting. Frisk's desire to make friends with everyone they meet could translate over to Pinkie Pie, but Pinkie also seems too talkative and expressive to be a remake of a silent, unemotive protagonist like Frisk. You could also say that Frisk's unwavering compassion towards even the most hateful of enemies speaks of the sort of kindness we see in Fluttershy, but then we have the opposite problem that Fluttershy is too introverted to actively 'make friends with everyone' like Frisk does. Of course you did say you didn't want the pony and the soul to be too similar to each other, so there would still be room for some friction so it could still be either one of them.
Now I'm trying to think 'if I was the author, which pony would make for the better story'. While it would be interesting to see Fluttershy deal with the Frisk memories and maybe come out of her shell because of it, my gut instinct is saying Pinkie.
It's Pinkie as Frisk. That's my guess.
I quite liked this chapter despite the difficulties you said you had. I found it quite solid actually, it was short and sweet, so don't be so hard on yourself and change that chapter title when you can, okay?
I found it a very nice bonding moment with Luna, something the show admittedly could have used a lot more of, and glad to see Twilight's current personality shined through more in this chapter. Keep up the good work, I know you can do it!
6949285 We have a winner!
With that, I now give confirmation. Pinkie Pie is the reincarnation of the Soul of Determination, Frisk from Undertale.
6949822
I feel validated now.
6949466 I feel really bad that I didn't see this comment until now. I hope that bug in the alerts messaging gets fixed soon. It really... bugs me...
Going in the corner now...
Anyways! Thank you for this. As I'm having an incredibly difficult time with not only the current chapter, but life in general as well, this made me feel a bit better that I'm running really late with the chapter. And I promise, I'll get around to fixing the chapter title as soon as I think of a better one.
6967117
Yeah, the site is kinda weird sometimes with its notifications, and don't feel bad about responding late.
Writers block is truly frustrating, I understand where you are coming from. I've only tried fanfiction myself once (not on this site), and my writers block was so bad I ended up just kinda dropping the fic quietly.
Sorry to hear life is hard on you at the moment, but hang in there, I'm sure things will get better. Best of luck to you!
6967117
If I may what in the next chapter is giving you issues? If you would rather keep it secret you can either drop me a PM or take one of my free ideas. These are my ideas:
1) Twilight revealing what happened to her family over dinner and apologizing to Moondancer over missing her party.
2) Rarity dealing with Blueblood and finding out the truth about him.
3) Pinkie shenanigans.
4) The Apple family meeting Fancy Pants and the fallout from the noble Celestia kicked out of the test.
Any time I read this part this comes across my mind, anything dealing with Darkside and the Joker will apply. Darkside for the tyranny and the Joker because well it's the Joker.
this story is awesome
6949285 Frisk faced death (and won) on multiple occasions to help her new found friends... But they definitely were not seeking them out.
At many points, your 'Pacifist' Frisk can be a prick, from repeatedly insulting Papyrus to stealing Ice Cap's cap... Frisk isn't necessarily Kind. However I would definitely give them the title of Loyalty.