Chapter 52 - To Regroup
Saturday, January 7, 2017
The sound of steel striking steel rang filled the room as I blocked yet another assault. The fight had been going on for what seemed like ages with neither of us yielding an inch. My attention was fixed firmly on my opponent as we tested and pushed one another’s defenses, looking for any advantage. I used my dagger to block the latest strike from my opponent’s rapier. I countered with a rapier thrust towards her midsection but she danced away, leaving me striking at air. My height and longer reach were evenly balanced by her agility and skill.
As she retreated from the attack; I resisted the urge to pursue. It was an obvious trap so I took a step back to reorient and prepared to defend myself from the next onslaught. As anticipated, I was granted only a single breath to recover as she came at me with an aggressive thrust of her rapier towards my midsection. My heart was pounding in my ears as I caught it with my own rapier, crossing the blade to guide it to my right. As the long blade shot past me, I went in for a high dagger strike at her chest.
Her defense was immaculate as her dagger locked with mine. She twisted her blade in an attempt to send me off balance. I braced myself against her and sidestepped, carefully deflecting a vicious slash from her rapier as we separated. The battle had gone on for so long it was only a matter of time before one of us made an error. As our weapons met again, I missed a simple twist of my opponent’s wrist. The subtle shift in the angle of the sword negated my block and sent the blade straight into my chest. My heart was pounding in my ears when I realized it was a killing blow.
“AND HALT!” a voice thundered. “Final point goes to Aria. Well done you two!”
My opponent and I were startled out of the haze of combat by the seeming non-sequitur. I realized the corked tip of my opponent’s sword was still pressed firmly against my padded sparring shirt; right above my heart. We both looked over where Steel Rain was standing as applause filled the room. He was at the front of the crowd that had gathered at the entrance to the dojo. I carefully placed my weapons on the springy wood floors of the gym before pulling off my fencing mask. I wiped the sweat off my face with my arm and looked over at my opponent.
She had pulled off her mask, revealing a flushed pink face framed by purple and green hair. Aria pulled a pair of chopsticks out of the ball of hair on the back of her head, allowing her two massive ponytails to swing free. Loose strands of her long hair were plastered on her face. The former siren was almost unrecognizable; wearing the happiest smile I had ever seen on her face. She brushed her arm across her face and to my surprise held her hand out to me.
“Well fought Aria,” I said wearily, taking her hand and grasping it in a firm handshake. “That last strike was beautifully executed.”
“Of course it was Silver Spark,” Aria laughed. “It’s about time you started taking this seriously. That last bout is the first time you’ve really fought me like it’s actually life or death. Though you seem to wind up dead more often than not.”
“I can live with that,” I replied cheerfully. “Every ‘death’ is a learning experience.”
We both waved at the spectators and walked over to where our stuff was sitting on a bench near the changerooms. Today was the grand opening of the Canterlot Martial Arts Academy. Pinkie had put an impressive amount of effort into helping Steel Rain set up an event that was drawing in quite the crowd. Apparently, our match had been quite the draw, especially considering how long it went on. The final round had been one of the most intense sparring matches of my life.
“Better to learn here before you wind up bleeding all over the Canterlot arena, again,” Aria snorted. “I still can’t believe you let yourself get tricked into an honor duel.”
“Don’t remind me,” I grumbled. “I have a horrible feeling I haven’t seen the last of that arena. I have to say, I’m impressed by how many tricks you’ve got up your sleeves. Your moves are incredibly subtle at times.”
I took a long swig of water and smiled at the people who were now looking around the dojo as part of the grand opening. Most of my friends were here, except Sunset and Rarity who were running some errands. Sunset was eager to start taking control of her life in the human world and she was taking advantage of the day to get that started. A number of familiar faces from CHS were among the spectators. I was unsurprised when I spotted Discord’s beaming face was visible over the crowd. He flashed me a thumbs up as he walked out the door.
“Dusty old books are no substitute for learning from the source,” Aria replied with a small grin.
“True,” I replied, intrigued by her implication. “So who taught you medieval fencing?”
“I had many teachers over the centuries but my dueling teacher is one I remember fondly,” Aria replied wistfully. “Maestro Capoferro was one of the rare humans that earned my respect. Oh don’t get me wrong, he was a total chauvinist, like most men. He was going to refuse to teach me but once I sang him a song, he changed his mind. It was no easy feat to ‘convince’ him without destroying what made him a gifted instructor in the first place. I wanted a teacher, not a servant. In the end, he was everything I had hoped for; a firm but fair teacher who ignored my gender.”
I was still having difficulties comprehending the sheer scale of the time Aria had lived. I wasn’t even twenty years old. Her comment made her true age absolutely clear because Capoferro was a name I actually knew. He lived in the 16th century and wrote one of the fencing manuals used to recreate the discipline in modern times. A modern replica of that very book was on the shelf in the dojo library. If asked, Steel Rain would probably call him the grandfather of modern fencing. Before I could ask Aria more about learning from Capoferro, a familiar voice interrupted, stopping my train of thought cold.
“I don’t know if I’ll ever be completely comfortable with your blasé view on mind control,” Bon Bon chimed in. “Still, I have to admit it sounds like you’ve had a pretty amazing life.”
Lyra and Bon Bon had slipped up beside us while I wasn’t paying attention. I choked on my water as my heart rate accelerated but I managed to remember which world I was in. For a moment, I had to remind myself that Bon Bon was sort of a friend in this world. She wasn’t my enemy. This version of her hadn’t pointed a crossbow at my face and unleashed a plethora of racial slurs in my face. The two of them watched me cough with worried expressions on their faces until Aria laughed.
“Silver, your situational awareness ranges from ridiculously sharp to borderline non-existent,” She chuckled, shaking her head. “You’re going to want to work on balancing that out before it gets you killed.”
Yeah Spark. What happened?
Hey, you wanted a magic-free fight. Don’t blame me for taking a few minutes to wake up!
Ok fine, I suppose that’s fair.
It better be. It’s not easy keeping our magic from activating when we’re in the zone like that.
I didn’t realize keeping our magic suppressed would be that hard.
Well, it is! Especially when you get focused like that! Honestly, it’s a struggle to not join in.
It means that much to you?
. . . Fighting as one with you is the closest I’ll ever get to being real.
Fair enough Spark, I wish there was something more I could do.
I know Silver and that means everything to me.
“Hey Bon Bon, Lyra,” I gasped once I’d cleared my throat. “How’s it going?”
“Pretty good, the holidays were awesome,” Lyra chuckled, relaxing after seeing I was ok. “That was a pretty awesome fight. It almost looked like you were fighting for your life at the end there.”
I looked up at her amber eyes and then back at the floor with a sigh. “A part of me was. I love sword fighting and martial arts. I always have but I never expected my life would actually depend on my skill with a weapon. The last few months have been a sobering experience.”
“Agreed,” Bon Bon nodded. “I suppose after two magical incidents it pays to be careful.”
I hesitated for just a moment wondering if I should keep the truth secret. The Sakitan dagger business with Gilda technically qualified as a magical incident, even if it wasn’t as dramatic as Sunset or the Dazzlings. It only took a moment to come to a simple conclusion. The other students of CHS were just as much at risk as those of us who had gained magic abilities. They deserved to know things were still happening.
“It’s actually three incidents now,” I replied. “Granted, the last one wasn’t nearly as overt. Actually, in a way, we’re up to four if you count the incident before I moved to Canterlot.”
Lyra blinked and blinked again as she put the pieces together. “Wait . . . there were magic incidents before you moved here? Does that mean magical stuff was already happening before Sunset and the whole mess with the crown? All the way over in New York even?”
I nodded, reluctant to speak to the nature of my experience. Fortunately, Aria took over with a satisfied grin on her face.
“They’ve been happening for centuries,” She interjected with some satisfaction. “My sisters and I have been here for over a thousand years. We had magic at our disposal that entire time. Weak as it was, it was still something we could and did use. Plus, I’d be willing to bet Equestria has dumped other inconvenient problems in this world.”
Oh look, we’re an inconvenient problem now.
Seriously Spark?
Well, why not? Most of Equestria certainly feels that way.
Don’t remind me.
“Great, I just wish there was something I could do,” Bon Bon grumbled. “It’s a comfort knowing the Rainbooms are able to stop the worst of it but standing around waiting to be saved from the next disaster just doesn’t sit right with me.”
“Same here,” Aria snorted. “It’ll be a cold day in hell before I count on a magical miracle from that lot to save the day.”
Lyra and Bon Bon just stared at her silently for a moment. Aria growled when she saw the surprise on their faces.
“Hey, don’t give me that look! I’m just as vulnerable as you humans now. Oh, and being mortal stinks in case you were wondering. I haven’t been sick since I was a foal and that was a long, long time ago.”
“Aria, they didn’t mean anything by it,” I said, glancing over at the two girls.
“Y-yes, that’s right, I was just surprised you answered us!” Lyra exclaimed. “I had the impression you don’t like people.”
“I don’t,” Aria snorted. “People are useless sheep. On the other hand, individuals are sometimes worth the trouble. Every once in a while a human surprises me with redeeming qualities. I’ve met a couple recently, although I still don’t entirely appreciate the ones that destroyed our ability to sing.”
“Weird, your voice sounds fine to me,” Lyra muttered. “You know, I read once that singing uses different muscles than talking. I don’t know about magic and stuff but maybe your singing muscles were adapted to your magic. What I remember of your singing feels almost a bit ethereal if that makes any sense. You might just need a vocal coach or something to help you adapt to the changes.”
“Huh,” Aria grunted while staring at Lyra. “See, that’s exactly what I was talking about. We just assumed our singing voices were as permanently destroyed as our magic. We always practiced our singing but maybe the magic was a crutch.”
“Lyyyraa?” Bon Bon hissed nervously. “Please tell me you didn’t just give them back their mind control magic. Er, no offense intended Aria.”
“Nah, I suppose that’s a fair worry,” Aria replied, waving her hand dismissively. “If we do learn to sing again we still won’t be anything more than humans. The magic we had was all in our pendants.”
“Neat!” Lyra chirped, apparently unconcerned about Bon Bon’s reaction. “Well, hopefully, we’ll see you around school Aria. Wouldn’t mind getting to know you better. Later!”
“Sure” Aria replied as a grin spread across her face. “If this works, I’m never letting Adagio live it down. She’s utterly certain we’ll never sing again.”
Bon Bon glanced at the two of us nervously as she followed Lyra away. Aria chuckled quietly as the two girls walked off. I resisted the urge to tease my sparring partner about possibly making a new friend. I was becoming too fond of Aria to take a swipe like that.
“Do you really think it will be that easy?” I asked.
“I don’t know, so keep that bit about the vocal coach quiet for now,” Aria whispered. “I don’t want to get Sonata’s hopes up.
Of the three of us, she loved singing the most.”
I nodded my agreement and took another sip of water. While I was, Applejack and Rainbow Dash walked over to join us. I held up my fist towards Dash as she walked up.
“Dang, that was intense,” Dash said, bumping her fist against mine.
“Ah’ can’t believe she beat ya, Silver,” Applejack chuckled. “You really weren’t exaggeratin’ yer skills Aria. Those were some impressive moves.”
Aria grinned slyly. “Not as impressive as the ones I plan to use on Macintosh later.”
“Seriously!?” Applejack’s grumbled. “Now why’d you have to go and say that? I was tryin’ to be nice.”
This time I was paying more attention and I noted Adagio had drifted over and was listening in. She laughed with clear amusement at Applejack’s frustration. Everyone turned to look at her and the smile on her face became almost predatory as she looked into Aria's eyes.
“Because that’s a sure sign my dear sister actually likes you Apple Girl. She doesn’t waste her energy trying to get a rise out of just anybody.”
“Shut up Adagio,” Aria growled with a sudden flash of anger.
She grabbed her duffle bag and stormed off to the changing room. I watched, knowing she was just done with sparring for the day. I turned back to Adagio and raised an eyebrow. She just chuckled, obviously amused by her sister’s reaction.
Applejack looked at Adagio and raised her eyebrow. “Ah’ hope that won’t cause too much trouble with yer sister.”
Adagio shrugged and just laughed. “This is far from the worst embarrassment I’ve caused her during our time together. Aria will get her revenge on me in her own time.”
“Wait, so does that mean you’re always yanking my chain because you actually like me?” Dash asked.
A vicious smirk appeared on Adagio’s face and she shook her head. “No, that’s just Aria’s thing. You’re just one of the most irritating people I’ve met in this world you egotistical bird brain. Aggravating you is just for my own personal satisfaction.”
Rainbow Dash stared for just a second as she processed Adagio's insult. I saw her eyes narrow and Dash's fists clenched tight. Before she could do something rash to escalate the confrontation, I stood up and stepped between them.
“Calm down ladies; let’s not ruin what’s turned out to be a good day,” I said. “Please save your bickering for another time and place.”
“Fine,” Rainbow Dash snorted, crossing her arms.
“By your command Lord Silver,” Adagio mocked with a half bow.
Adagio’s words made me shiver; briefly summoning a vision of the cold eyes of the Lunar Council preparing to pass judgment. I took a deep breath to clear my head, trying to shake off the sudden increase in heart rate. I pinched the bridge of my nose and shook my head.
“Please don’t call me that Adagio. I am not a lord of anything.”
“If you say so,” she replied while eyeing me thoughtfully. “So what’s next for this dojo?”
I shrugged after taking in her sudden change of topic. “We’ll see how many students sign up and how many keep with it past the first few classes. Aria and I are still going to assist but how often remains to be seen. Though, based on the expression on Steel Rain’s face over there, I think it’s going to be busy.”
I could see my mentor up front explaining western martial arts to another small group with a broad smile on his face. Pinkie Pie was sitting at the registration table handing out registration forms and even helping some people fill them out. At this moment she was helping Rover of all people fill out a registration form. She was utterly determined to make sure my godfather’s business got off on the right foot for success. It looked like more than half the registration forms were gone already.
I waved back at Curly Winds and Wiz Kid as they walked towards the exit with registration forms in hand. The positive interactions with my fellow students still surprised me at times. Being noticed by other students still caused me a small amount of anxiety but it was almost just out of habit now. It was still hard to grasp just how much things had improved since Twilight appeared in our lives. Teaching class was going to be an interesting challenge.
Sunday, January 8, 2017 - From the Journal of Sunset Shimmer
Hey gorgeous, how did Winter Wrap up go? Wish we could have joined you but I was committed to helping Steel Rain get the Dojo running. Plus, Sunset wanted to start looking for work so it just wasn’t in the cards. The good news on our end is we signed up over eighty students for the first classes. That’s not even including our friends and the CMC. It’s going to be busy!
That’s wonderful news, Silver! I wish I could have been there to support the grand opening. With a Pinkie Pie involved it must have been quite the party but season changes take priority. Celestia willing, you can join us for winter wrap up next year. The good news is, we were done right on time this year with no incidents to speak of. It’s a relief that everyone followed the plan without complaints. Ponyville needed a win after that disaster at the start of winter.
Would it be safe to assume you had something to do with the success cutie? I remember you mentioned Ponyville traditionally doesn’t use Unicorn magic to help clear out winter. I can’t imagine what it takes to accomplish the change with just Earth Pony and Pegasus magic.
I don’t like to brag but yes that’s right. I almost messed everything up during my first wrap up but then I learned Ponyville was always late with starting spring. It turned out most of the problem was the various teams were inadvertently working at cross purposes or failing to recognize efficiencies that could be gained working in parallel. In spite of the disasters earlier in the day, we still finished up late at night, just barely on time. Now with a solid plan, it’s been even easier to finish with time to spare. I’ve actually documented the procedure just in case my friends and I are called off on a mission.
You know, a good plan doesn’t work without a good leader. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t just your organizational skills that got them back on track. You convinced them to listen and follow you.
Exactly! Silver is right! Everything I’ve seen and heard from others tells me one thing: you were a natural leader long before you had your wings. You make a better princess than I ever could be.
Ok, you’re making me blush. However, I firmly believe that you’re selling yourself short Sunset. You too Silver! You both give me so much of your trust. I just wish you had the same trust in your own abilities.
Be serious princess, I’m no leader. An autocrat in waiting maybe but not a leader.
I am serious! Sunset, you showed your character at the Battle of the Bands. I’m certain that’s the real Sunset, not the one you see in your darkest fears. You have incredible potential, I’m certain of it! You don’t have to be afraid of your past.
. . . I’ll try but only because those gorgeous puppy dog eyes I know you’re making right now haunt my dreams.
I’ll use every weapon I have to convince you. In all seriousness, the most important things in life are sometimes the hardest.
Like maintaining a three way relationship across a portal between two worlds?
I concede the accurate example my dear Silver. On that note, are you still coming by after school tomorrow? The books should arrive from Canterlot on the first train tomorrow morning. I won’t have much time after that since the Yaks have confirmed their arrival for the next morning after.
I can’t believe you convinced the Yaks to actually send a delegation! Celestia once mentioned the Yaks were incredibly easy to offend. Anyhow, yes, we will be there with one sample book from Silver’s collection. If the rune style matches we’ll borrow the teaching materials so he can learn the language.
I still haven’t figured out how I’ll fit that into my schedule but we’ll come up with . . . Wait, what have you two done to me? I’m actually looking forward to doing homework!
Mwa ha ha! Our evil plan to turn our stallion into a scholar is succeeding Sunset!
Excellent! Victory is close at hand!
Brats. You’re lucky I love you both so much. Honestly, I just wish I could . . . Hold that thought-
Why did you stop writing? You have visitors?
Sunset? What happened? Are you two ok?
If I don’t hear from you in five minutes I’m going to- oh . . . hi there. Sweet Celestia, you two are too much sometimes.
Yes, I love you too, you troublemakers. You know the books aren’t here yet, right?
If you’re going to surprise me like this on a regular basis it won’t be hard to believe.
No, that doesn’t mean you have to come through just to kiss me every night.
Yes, I’m sure you silly ponies. Not that I’d complain too much.
What do you mean why is my horn glowing- Oh, buck me I just wrote all that in--~--~.”
Well that’s embarrassing. I suppose we'll look back and laugh at this in the future. Sweet dreams when you get home my loves. Goodnight!
I looked out at the seemingly infinite sky of the Astral Realm. The sky was filled with a multitude of stars, each shimmering with a unique light. The scale of the place was almost overwhelming, especially given our current goal. Calling our goal difficult was an understatement.
“So many souls out there, Spark.”
“More than 7 billion if it’s only humans that are alive today,” Spark muttered. “If the continued presence of the Equestrian doorways in our dreamscape is any indication, we might even be seeing souls from other universes.”
I glanced over at the doors representing Twilight and the three Cutie Mark Crusaders from training with Luna, all behind a shimmering barrier. I had shifted them around so there was a clear separation between the human doors and the pony doors in my dreamscape.
“Potentially the dead as well,” I added quietly, remembering the brief dream I had crafted with my parents. “And here we are with one specific individual to find. A veritable needle in a haystack.”
“One specific monster,” Spark corrected. “This isn’t going to be easy like finding our friends or even Gilda. Our experiments have made that clear. I can easily find the stars that represent the astral projections of Vice Principal Luna, Trixie, Steel Rain, and even Dash’s parents just by focusing and looking around. When I focus on Telson there’s no pull towards a star.
The interesting part is, it’s the case for most people I could think of, especially actors and politicians.”
“That’s less than ideal,” I grimaced. “There has to be a way to find specific people beyond those who are close by.”
“Oh it’s not the physical distance that’s the problem,” Spark replied.
I watched him soar out into the blue expanse, ducking and weaving through the starry realm to a greater distance than I’d ever seen him go. He cupped a seemingly random star with his hoof and nodded.
“This one is Star Whistle, Steel Rain’s former assistant at the Manhattan Dojo,” he explained. “LA is way closer than New York and I can guarantee at least a few actors I tried are there. So we can conclude that some other factor else is making this nearly impossible. To be honest, I think I know what the problem is but I’m reluctant to call it anything but a theory at this point. Further research is going to be necessary”
“You sound like our girlfriends,” I laughed. “They’re going to be delighted to hear that after our journal conversation. They seem determined to turn us into a scholar. Let me see what I come up with before you tell me your theory.”
Spark chuckled. “I’ll conjure some marshmallows for the occasion. Gonna be some serious heat to work within a minute.”
I flipped the bird at Spark in response before focusing on the problem. I thought about the common theme linking the people Spark said he could easily find in the vast realm. It didn’t take long to come up with the same idea that my partner had cooked up.
“You think it’s because we have a connection with those people,” I concluded. “Friend or enemy is irrelevant. Star Whistle is the closest we had to a friend in Manhattan. Even a passing acquaintance might be enough. So why wouldn’t we have at least a passing link with the person who stabbed us in the stomach?!”
“First of all, it’s a vague memory at best since we were already nearly unconscious.” Spark countered. “Also, if I recall correctly, Luna said we would only remember remembering the incident. The original copy was erased along with the curse. That might have destroyed any easy link we had to Telson.”
“Dang, I think you’re right,” I replied. “Well, there has to be something we can do.”
“I’m hoping the books we discovered will cover ways to get around the problem. The former Sentinels were active for nearly 500 years; they must have encountered this problem. The translation guide from Twilight is going to be vital.”
I nodded my agreement. “It’s high time we stop discovering things by accident. Tracking Telson down will have to wait until we learn more about how Sentinels handled this sort of problem.”
“Yeah, searching through seven billion random souls for one random monster is a waste of our effort,” Spark agreed. “Let’s check to make sure none of our friends are having nightmares before we hook up with Sunset for the night.”
Monday, January 9, 2017
I was feeling nearly normal when Sunset and I met up with our friends near the statue before school started. The aches and injuries from the incidents over the holidays were healing up nicely. My black eye had faded down to a dull yellow and the nasty burns were nearly gone thanks to that incredible salve from Equestria. Sunset and I were holding hands, our fingers gently meshed together as we walked near the back of the group into school.
It was intriguing to observe how our group clustered as we walked in. Pinkie, Sonata, and Applejack were talking about something baking related I wasn’t really following. Rarity was trying to convince Rainbow Dash to come to her shop to try a new outfit she had made while Aria added her snarky two cents about practicality to the conversation. Rarity seemed to take Aria’s comments in stride which was good considering the disaster of their first meeting. That left Adagio and Fluttershy walking next to each other. I just hoped my shy friend wasn’t too uncomfortable with Adagio; the absence of conversation and the space between them certainly wasn’t promising.
The hallways were filled with excited conversations as we walked in. People talking about their holidays, family visits, and Christmas presents. A few people were even talking about the new martial arts academy run by that sword fighting guy who fought me in front of the school. From the sounds of it, we might have more students in the future. I knew Steel Rain would be happy his little stunt when he first visited CHS had successfully drawn some attention to his new business.
Even with all the joy, there was a darker undercurrent that I would have missed without Spark’s exceptional hearing. Rumors were being exchanged about the fate of Gilda and Lightning. I hadn’t heard anything from Officer Armor regarding what was next for those two and I had no idea if they were coming back to school. Of greater concern were the worried conversations about facing another magical incident. Most of the concerns were similar to Bon Bon’s; they all feared that they would be helpless if something terrible happened again. The worst part was, those fears were reasonable. Our successes were more due to luck than skill so far.
When the first bell rang, I pulled Sunset into a hug with one arm. I leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips before leaning my forehead against hers. We didn’t say anything to each other; we just enjoyed the brief moment before separating to head to our classes. This morning was my English class with Rarity, Fluttershy, and Sonata. This classroom always put a smile on my face because it reminded me of the insane escape I made by running up to the second story window. A feat I accomplished before I even knew I had anything more powerful than a voice in my head to back me up.
“You and Sunset are ridiculously cute,” Rarity giggled as we walked over to our desks in the corner. “It’s like some sort of fairy tale. At least it would be if you weren’t getting injured all the time.”
“Well most fairy tales do actually feature fights and duels,” I countered. “I’ve heard the old versions from before Disney are quite dark.”
“It’s totes worse than that,” Sonata exclaimed before Rarity could answer. “My sisters and I heard those stories all the time over the centuries. We watched them grow and change. Grimmy’s written version was even gentler than the stories he used as inspiration. Before him, they were campfire stories; mostly inspired by really bad things like murder and treason. Happily ever after is a modern trope.”
Rarity let out an irritated huff. “Fine, destroy my favorite stories. I suppose you’re going to share the horrible truth behind Snow White or Rapunzel with us.”
“Nah, I’m not a meanie like that,” Sonata giggled. “If you really wanna to know, you can just use the Internet. Historians love finding facts in fiction. Truth is, stories always come from somewhere; whether a strange light in the sky, a forbidden love, or even a terrible tragedy. A sad inspiration doesn’t make the re-written version less happy. I like the Disney stuff better anyhow; they have catchy music and cute animation.”
Rarity blinked and then smiled. “I suppose you’re right Sonata. That was quite insightful.”
Rarity turned away to look out the window with a thoughtful expression on her face. Sonata laughed quietly and started pulling her books out. I started to do the same when Fluttershy leaned over and whispered a question in a tiny voice that I would have missed without Spark’s help.
“Umm, Silver . . . why did you and Sunset hug in such an awkward way? You don’t have to answers if it’s a problem.”
“It’s where Twilight would be,” I whispered back. “We're trying to keep her in our thoughts when she’s not here.”
Fluttershy’s eyes widened. “Oh . . . oh my! That’s really sweet. I wish . . . ”
She trailed off and just watched me blankly. I waited for a moment but it quickly became clear she was thinking about something else.
“Fluttershy? Are you ok?”
She blinked in surprise and broke the vacant stare before whispering a question. “. . . you’re going through the portal after school, aren’t you?”
I felt a prickle of worry at the change of subject. “Yeah, just for a short visit to pick up some books. Why do you ask?”
“Could I come with you? Just for a minute?”
I nodded. “I don’t see any reason why not. You were all invited but you’d be the first to take Twilight up on it. We’ll let her know with the journal during morning break.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, in a quiet and worryingly flat tone.
The lack of energy in her voice worried me; as was often the case when Fluttershy’s mood shifted abruptly. I resisted the urge to ask her why she wanted to go through the portal since that was honestly her business. She was a wonderful friend and I was kind of looking forward to seeing her reaction to the transformation. I settled in at my desk just in time for the last bell and the morning announcements. After a loud buzzing noise from the speaker, Principal Celestia’s voice filled the room.
“Good morning students! I hope you had a wonderful holiday season. Before you begin your day, I have a few announcements to make. First of all, the Friendship Games are only two months away but in preparation, we will be holding tryouts for the team. Ten students will be selected to represent CHS beginning in two weeks.”
“I do hope it goes better this year,” Rarity sniffed as Principal Celestia continued describing how to sign up. “Those Crystal Prep students are always dreadfully rude. Are either of you going to participate?”
Sonata shook her head. “I don’t think the other students like me enough. Besides, it all seems a bit silly; don’t we have sports teams for this already?”
“I’m going to pass as well,” I added. “Leaving aside my mediocre academics; I really don’t want that kind of attention.”
“Secondly, I would like to remind all students that bringing any weapons to school without the express permission of the school administration will result in suspension or expulsion.”
Three sets of eyes glanced over at me with nervous expressions. All four of us knew that particular announcement was directly related to the incident with the dagger before Christmas. We hadn’t heard anything about the fate of Gilda or Lightning Dust other than the muttered rumors Spark overheard
“I suppose I’d better double-check whether I’m still permitted to have my training weapons on school grounds,” I muttered. “Not to mention the actual swords I keep in my car.”
Sonata raised her eyebrow and giggled. “I’d think you’d be more worried about your crazy dream-realm astralunar stuff.”
I put my face in my hands and groaned. “Crap. Even though they don’t fit my human body, I’m still carrying wing blades and clawed boots with me all the time now. I’m not looking forward to explaining this. I still haven’t figured out how or if I should explain my ancestry to Vice Principal Luna or Steel Rain.”
“I don’t think that announcement has anything to do with you, Silver,” Fluttershy whispered. “Vice Principal Luna trusts you.”
“Of that, I have no doubt, darling,” Rarity replied. “However, this is a case where getting permission is probably better than asking forgiveness.”
“Finally, we are seeking student volunteers to assist with revising the school emergency procedures. Please speak with myself or Vice Principal Luna if you are interested in participating. That’s all for now, have a good day everyone.”
“That last bit was odd,” Fluttershy murmured. “Why would they want students to help with that?”
“She’s plotting something,” Sonata chirped.
“Darling, how could you possibly know that?”
“It’s tote’s obvious,” Sonata replied with a shrug of her shoulders. “I’m not clever like Dagi but some stuff is just easy to figure. Celestia plotting is just one of those things.”
“That seems awfully cynical,” I commented. “You’re not reading too much into your past experiences with Princess Celestia, are you?”
“I never said it was a bad thing,” Sonata giggled. “You can plot good things! This Celestia is smart like the Princess but she’s still young and kind. She let us come back to school after what we did! The Solar Tyrant would have had us executed or banished.”
“Ahem!” Miss Harshwhinny coughed loudly before we could continue. “If you four are quite done chatting about your fantasy novels back there, I would suggest you get your school books out and join the rest of the class.”
The four of us froze upon realizing that we were the center of attention. Fluttershy let out a squeak of embarrassment and we quickly shut our mouths. There was a brief flurry of activity as we scrambled to pull the rest of our stuff out and return our focus to school. I felt my cheeks flushing from embarrassment and quickly opened my book.
Equestria: 1003-08-09
Coming out of the portal was becoming easier with every trip. All it took was leaning forward slightly to enter the portal and coming out we just dropped down to our hooves. Granted, we were still moving quickly but knowing that quirk, Sunset and I just trotted across the room instead of giving in to the instinct to stop. Twilight had made a few additions to the room in the last few days, the main one being a padded floor cover. It was a fortunate choice because Fluttershy tumbled out of the portal behind us and bounced across the soft floor.
“Oh- oh my,” she gasped in a dazed voice. “That was a bit frightening.”
Sunset giggled softly as she trotted over, her horn glowing. A similar teal glow enveloped Fluttershy, helping her roll onto her stomach. She was the spitting image of her counterpart though I’d only spent a bit of time with her. As a pony, Fluttershy looked elegant and vulnerable. I wasn’t fully aware of pony standards of beauty but I suspect my shy friend had the same natural beauty as she did as a human.
“Having your biology rewritten for the first time is disconcerting,” I chuckled. “Don’t worry, it gets easier. Welcome to Equestria.”
Fluttershy’s eyes went wide when they found me and then Sunset. Her eyes flicked from me to Sunset and back again several times.
“You look just like Spark!” she gasped, scrambling up to her hooves. “And Sunset . . . you look so cute! I mean I know I’ve seen you in pony form in the dream realm but . . . it’s really not the same! You look so fuzzy!”
I think the only reason she hadn’t glomped us was the unfamiliar body. She was swaying back and forth on her hooves trying to keep her balance. Then she gave up and sat back down on her rump. We heard the clicking sound of hooves in the hallway. Twilight rounded the corner with Spike riding on her back. Spike hopped down and Twilight spread her wings and smiled.
“Hi Fluttershy!” Twilight said cheerfully. “I’m glad you could join us.”
Her mouth was hanging slightly open as she took in the altered appearance of the two. Spike was a particularly dramatic change from his normal canine body in the human world.
“Spike . . . my goodness, you look different,” She finally said. “You really are a dragon! It’s wonderful to see you both again.”
Spike hopped down with a huge grin on his face and walked over to give her a hug. “It’s good to see you too Fluttershy. We managed to arrange a little surprise for you once we heard you were visiting; I hope you don’t mind.”
At Spike’s words, a yellow mare with pink hair poked her head around the corner. Her eyes widened when she saw the newly transformed mare standing with us. She half cowered back behind her hair when she realized we were all looking at her but she didn’t retreat.
“Oh my . . . she really is my twin,” The native pony whispered nervously. “I’m Fluttershy, what’s your name?”
Our transformed human friend smiled, obviously taken with how cute her counterpart looked. Our human friend’s normal shyness was still completely absent and I had to wonder if us all being ponies was making this easier for her.
“I’m Fluttershy too,” she replied gently. “I can go by Posey if that’s ok with you. It was one of the nicer nicknames I was given in elementary school. It’s only fair since I’m the guest.”
“I don’t mind if that’s ok with you,” her pony counterpart whispered. “It’s a pretty name.”
With the initial introduction and names out of the way, Fluttershy walked slowly into the room and approached her counterpart. Posey struggled to her hooves and walked over to meet her pony counterpart halfway. They just reached each other when Twilight let out a gasp, making all of us jump.
“Flutt- Posey! You don’t have a cutie mark!”
We all looked over at Posey’s flank and indeed; unlike her pony counterpart, her yellow fur was unadorned. I looked over at Sunset who appeared to be utterly floored by this discovery. I was just confused about why this was significant.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Posey apologized. “Is that bad?”
“Not at all, it’s just surprising!” Twilight shook her head vehemently. “You and your friends already wear markings nearly identical to the cutie marks of your counterparts. I just assumed you’d have one already because Silver did when he arrived.”
Sunset laughed quietly. “Silver’s cutie mark might not count since he has significant Equestrian heritage. If Posey is entirely human the rules might be different.”
“I also know my talents and I feel my mark reflects them quite well,” I added. “Maybe she just hasn’t realized her potential yet.”
“Don’t you like animals?” Fluttershy asked quietly. “I got my cutie mark when I realized I could understand and help them.”
“I love animals!” Posey replied defensively. “I volunteer at the local animal shelter, foster some animals, and I’ve been thinking I could go to college to get my veterinary certifi- oh my!”
I watched in disbelief as Posey’s flanks began to glow as she spoke. Sunset and Twilight had both told me the marks just appeared but this was the first time I had witnessed the event. I could feel the magic briefly flowing around my friend which was a fascinating sensation. When the glow faded away, the unadorned fur had transformed, revealing a cutie mark but not the one any of us had expected.
“They’re not the same!” Twilight groaned. “They don’t have the same cutie mark! My best theories about the link between the worlds all assumed they would match.”
Their cutie marks were still similar, each mare had three butterflies decorating their flanks but the similarity ended there. While Fluttershy’s cutie mark was composed of three identical pink butterflies, Posey’s was more complex. She had one tiny white butterfly, a medium sized hot pink butterfly, and a final large one that matched her hair. It was exactly the same as the design on the skirt she had been wearing the day we met.
Sunset walked over and nuzzled Twilight. “Well, that’s the nature of science. Evidence can cut either way.”
“I know,” Twilight glumly said. “The mirror counterpart theorem just made so much sense. I’m not sure the symbols being butterflies is better or worse for developing a new explanation.”
I walked over and nuzzled Twilight’s cheek. “You’ll figure it out but save it for later. Let’s show Fluttersh- Posey the sitting room.”
Twilight nodded and walked out into the hallway while gesturing towards another door. “Right! That room over there is where you can contact me or the other Princesses in an emergency. The hallway leads to the main stairway down to Ponyville although you could use the balcony with your wings. This room over here is where you can . . . what?”
Twilight’s reaction was elicited by the unexpected addition to the sitting room. On the table in the middle of the room was a tray with six cupcakes and a scroll. Somehow, the scroll was decorated with Posey’s brand new cutie mark on it. The fur on my back was standing on end. I only relaxed when Twilight just rolled her eyes and levitated the scroll over to Posey. Fluttershy quickly coached her through how to user her wings to manipulate the scroll to open it so she could read it out loud.
Dear Posey,
Congratulations on earning your cutie mark! My Pinkie Sense warned me it would be a bit of a doozy and it’s never wrong! If it was all up to me, I’d throw you a huge cute-ceañera and invite everypony we know! The catch is, it’s not up to me. I want to be a better party planner and that means understanding who I’m throwing the party for! You’re Fluttershy’s human sister and I’d be willing to bet my party cannon that you don’t like being the center of attention either! If I’m wrong just say the word and I’ll throw a big party! For now, I hope you and your friends will enjoy these celebratory cupcakes!!!
Your Friend you haven’t met yet, Pony Pinkie Pie!
PS: The extra sparkly one is for Spike! The rest of you might find the amethysts a bit too crunchy!
Posey, Sunset, and I looked at our three Equestrian friends with utterly perplexed expressions. I knew Pinkie was odd in both worlds but this went far beyond simple intuition. It was mostly the two separate names, the cutie mark and the fact that she somehow knew this was going to happen. Twilight’s hoof went up to her face for a moment and she just groaned before looking at us.
“Don’t ask,” Twilight advised. “If you value your sanity don’t question it. Ever. Enjoy your cupcake, and thank all the gods you believe in that Pinkie uses her talents to make ponies smile.”
On that disquieting observation, we all enjoyed our cupcakes before getting down to business. Fluttershy and Posey picked a couch on the other side of the room and began chatting quietly. I was glad this first meeting of dimensional twins was going smoothly so far. After Spike finished his cupcake, he headed off to take care of some other things around the castle. That left me, Sunset and Twilight carefully going over a pair of books. One was a runic dictionary, the other a book selected from the trove we had uncovered. Twilight went through the translation with me, explaining that the challenge with runes was their meaning changed based on context. The language seemed to have shades of Norse Runes mixed with Oriental Languages.
“I’m pretty sure the title of this one translates to ‘The Reality of Dreams’,” Twilight said as she compared her runic dictionary to the one book I had brought. “The next page is a dedication that says, ‘The ability to travel the astral realm is a gift. In traveling the realm of dreams, we follow the hoof prints of our beloved Goddess of the Night. Honor her first decree to the Sentinels and use this knowledge only to protect others.’ The next page is the table of contents and at a glance, I’d say this is an advanced book on traveling the astral realm.”
Sunset nodded. “That all matches with what I remember from studying ancient runes. Looks like the modern translation guide will work perfectly.”
“Wonderful!” Twilight exclaimed. “The other books in the pile are copies the lesson books we used at Celestia’s School. You can use them to teach Silver to read runes as well. I only wish I had more time to spend helping you translate this treasure trove. With the Yaks arriving tomorrow, I have way too much to do.”
“Oh don’t worry,” I chuckled. “We’ll make sure to save some for you once we figure out what’s in there. Our first job will be to taking inventory. I’m hoping a basic training manual on dream walking is in there to go with this one.”
Sunset giggled. “Personally I’d love to see something on Lunar Iron. I’ve been curious about the metal ever since I learned the Lunar Guard existed.”
“I’m hoping for some history books or information about the other tribes,” Twilight agreed with a smile. “I trust Celestia but independent confirmation is a must in science.”
She paused briefly and looked at both of us. Her smile evaporated quickly and her expression became worried. “So . . . before you go, I have a fairly big favor to ask of you. I hope that’s ok.”
“Always my princess,” Sunset smiled. “Anything within our power; you know that.”
Twilight blushed slightly at Sunset’s words but smiled. “I know . . . could you reach out to my counterpart and try to make friends with her?”
I nuzzled Twilight’s cheek gently. “We were actually planning on at least seeing her again but it sounds like you have a specific concern.”
“It’s similar to how you were worried about your possible counterpart, Silver,” Twilight said sadly. “I used to be focused on my studies to the exclusion of nearly everything else. Even the trip to Ponyville wouldn’t have made a bit of difference if my friends hadn’t reached out to the antisocial unicorn I was at the beginning. Even if our mirror universe theories are flawed, there are still a number of traits in common between counterparts. If human Twilight is anything like me, she needs friends willing to pull her out of her rut.”
“I thought Lyra was your friend while you were at Celestia’s school,” Sunset commented. “What happened there?”
Twilight frowned and she looked away. “Spike already pointed that out earlier today, much to my chagrin. She was part of a small group I spent time with back at Celestia’s school. I neglected them when I was there and even worse, I practically forgot them when I moved to Ponyville. I was a terrible friend back then and I need to make up for it somehow. If it wasn’t for the Yaks arriving tomorrow, I’d be dropping everything to head up to Canterlot.”
“I’m sure they’ll understand after what you’ve been tangled up in,” I replied. “Say the word if you want us to try to join you for that trip. So, what about magic and you? We’re reasonably certain human Twilight is aware she has a doppelganger thanks to our run in with Sugarcoat. I don’t think she’s connected that to us yet. The longer we wait, the worse it will be if she finds out.”
“I wouldn’t advise rushing into telling her,” Twilight replied after a moment of hesitation. “You need to build mutual trust before you can share stuff like alternate universes and interdimensional portals. If you truly make friends with her, I trust your judgment about revealing everything to her. Just be warned, she will not react well to something she can’t measure or understand. It’ll be the Pinkie Sense incident all over again if you’re not careful.”
Before we could ask about that our attention was drawn to the other side of the sitting room by the loudest exclamations I’d ever heard from either version of Fluttershy.
“WHAT!? Your Daddy’s alive?”
“He’s gone in your world? Oh my, I’m so sorry!”
“No, you don’t have to apologize! You couldn’t have known!”
“But it must hurt . . . I’m sorry, I should just stop talking.”
Fluttershy was almost collapsing in on herself from terror but to my surprise, Posey actually smiled. It was a sad smile but there was no anger in her expression. She shuffled over on the couch and put her wing over her counterpart’s back. I was paying closer attention to their conversation now and heard every word across the room.
“It does hurt sometimes,” Posey admitted. “It got easier when a friend taught me that those we love are never truly gone as long as we remember them. Remembering how much Daddy loved me and the wonderful things he showed me about nature makes the loss easier to bear.”
Fluttershy was clearly surprised by the sentiment. “What about your mother? She’s ok, right?”
“Mom is fine for the most part and I also have a brother,” Posey admitted. “He’s . . . I don’t like him.”
“Oh dear,” Fluttershy winced. “I haven’t Zephyr in ages but he was never mean, just aimless. He never seemed sure what he wanted out of life. What trouble is he causing you?”
Posey didn’t answer right away, instead, she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She looked over at the three of us and beckoned us over with her hoof. She looked nervous as the three of us approached and rubbed her front hooves together like she was trying to twiddle her fingers. She seemed withdrawn; looking more anxious than I’d seen her since we arrived in Equestria.
“What’s up, Posey?” I asked quietly.
“I . . . I didn’t ask to come here just to see Equestria, as wonderful as it is,” she whispered. “It’s lovely and I can’t wait to come back for a longer visit. The truth is . . . I have something I need to tell you but I don’t feel safe saying this back home.”
Twilight smiled warmly at Posey and nodded. “Anything you say won’t leave this room. You know Sunset and Silver are good at keeping secrets.”
“I know,” she whispered. “It’s been wonderful being able to really trust people again. I mean, I trust Dashie as well and she already knows this . . . but I need friends who will keep her from making it worse if she loses her temper.”
“Rainbow Dash is wonderful but impulsive,” Fluttershy nodded her agreement. “What do you need us to know? You’re among friends here.”
Posey stared off into space blankly for a minute and began to fidget with her front hooves. “I like girls. That’s the problem.”
Fluttershy’s expression became surprised. “Why would that be a problem? There’s nothing wrong with liking mares!”
“It’s more complicated in the human world,” Posey murmured and she looked at Sunset. “My brother, Zephyr Breeze decided the private school he’s attending in California isn’t right for him. He’s moving back to Canterlot on Saturday and will be starting at CHS next week.”
Sunset blinked a few times. “I won’t say a word but what’s that got to do with your preference for girls?”
“I . . . he’s convinced lesbians are just confused,” she mumbled. “It’s not his only flaw but it’s the one that worries me now.
If he thought I was interested in girls . . . I don’t know what he’d do . . . or who he’d tell. He can’t know.”
I winced at the thought. I’d met a few guys that rubbed me the wrong way, including Flash Sentry before he pulled his head out of his ass. I was worried Zephyr might be a similarly unpleasant person but she sounded uncertain; as if she didn't really know her brother well enough. I had a feeling there was more to her fears than just her brother.
“I didn’t even suspect you liked girls,” I said quietly. “Unless you’re dating someone how could he possibly find out?”
Posey turned bright red. “No, but I actually . . . well I mean there is . . . I was just- . . . not brave enough- . . . It doesn’t matter now; I can’t risk it.”
I glanced over at Sunset who was frowning at her words and I wondered what was going through my marefriend’s head. For my part, I never would have guessed my shy friend was actually interested in somebody. The thought that she was going to forgo a chance to date simply because she was afraid of who her brother would tell was infuriating. For Posey’s sake, I held my temper in check but I made a mental note to keep an eye on Zephyr when he arrived.
“What about your mother?” Sunset asked. “Hasn’t she done something to get your brother under control?”
“She prefers to avoid confrontation,” Posey’s expression went blank as she shook her head. “Father just takes charge of things and he insists Zephyr is a fine young man. I can’t contradict him.”
That set the alarm bells off in my head again. A promise was a promise but this was just more evidence that something was terribly wrong in Posey home life. Still, my oath was binding and I had promised not to push her about it. So I just I walked over and sat down in front of her. I gently brushed her shoulder with one of my wings.
“Just tell us what you need,” I said gently. “We are here for you.”
“I don’t know if there’s anything you can do,” Posey whimpered. “I just didn’t want to face this without friends who knew the truth. I was alone for so long . . .”
“I’m so sorry about my part in your isolation,” Sunset replied, looking at her with misty eyes. “I swear I’ll do everything in my power to make sure it doesn’t happen again. No matter what happens or what your so-called brother does, your friends will be by your side.”
The guilt was horribly apparent in Sunset’s voice. I mean, I did know she was a bully but I’d only endured a month of her. The significance of the very nearly unconditional friendship Posey and her friends offered Sunset became truly clear. The five of them had set aside years of torment in an attempt to simply make everything better. I could tell Sunset’s offer meant a great deal to Posey. Her eyes shimmered with tears as she looked at her former tormentor. She gave Sunset a weak smile and nodded, seemingly afraid to speak. It was hard watching her mood swing from confident to frightened
“I can’t imagine what you’ve gone through,” Fluttershy whispered, draping her wing over Posey’s back. “You’re being very brave. We’ll help if we can, right Twilight?”
Twilight grinned at her pony friend and nodded. “Of course we will. I’m not sure how we can help yet but we’re not far away.”
“Whatever is coming next, you won’t face it alone Posey,” I said confidently. “We’ll have to warn the others but your dating preference will remain between us. Everything will be ok.”
She let out a long relieved breath and smiled nervously. “Thank you. I hope you’re right”
There wasn’t much more we could do about Posey’s situation today, so we moved the conversation to more pleasant topics. On a whim, Twilight suggested we stay for dinner, which we decided to accept. I thought it would give Posey her first experience with daisy sandwiches, a dish that had greatly surprised me. I’d always assumed the vast majority of flowers were poisonous to humans and eating them in the human world was dangerous. Apparently, I was wrong; Posey told us she’d quite enjoyed eating oxeye daisies in her salad in the human world.
She continued, teaching us there were actually far more flowers palatable to humans than I could have imagined. I had no idea flowers as common as Pansies were edible. Posey did concede the flavor was far richer here. We couldn’t decide whether the difference was due to pony biology or if the flower was simply cultivated for flavor. Either way, it was a fascinating discussion that tied up most of our evening.
At the end of the night when we returned to the human world, I gave Posey a firm hug and reminded her that my door was always open. Sunset echoed my invitation without hesitation. As I watched her drive off, Spark expressed his concerns about Posey’s state of mind.
I don’t like this. I don’t like it at all, Silver.
Yeah. So much for getting a break.
It’s not a surprise at least; we suspected something bad was happening in her life.
True but I’m not happy to be right about this.
I just hope we can make things better for her.
One step at a time. Her willingness to admit things aren’t right is a start.
Change does have to start somewhere.
I sighed and laced my fingers with Sunsets as we walked towards the car. Some problems didn't have obvious or easy solutions. This was just another one of those on the list.
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Out of curiosity do you plan to add anyone else to slivers relationship.
Good chapter though I'm disappointed you might be planning to write EQG Zephyr as a scum bag like so many authors like to for some reason.
Fingers crossed you subvert my expectations.
9242086 - For the moment, the relationship is complex enough. However, if a new character resonates with all the members of the current one, that could change. Every once in a while the characters in this story evolve in ways I hadn't originally expected. So, at this point, there aren't plans however that doesn't mean it won't happen.
9242782 - Glad you enjoyed the chapter! As for the other part of your comment, I'm going to resist the urge to spoil what's coming up. I suppose we'll just have to see what you think when he shows up.
THANK YOU! Finally, someone acknowledges that Earth is basically Equestria's garbage can!
9247626 - Yup! The Sirens alone could have just been a coincidence. Adding the memory stone to the list implies a worrying trend. Especially since it was dumped on Earth by someone other than Starswirl. Who knows what else has been dumped on Earth under the assumption that magic doesn't work there.
9248264
You know I actually have a headcanon that all the mythological creatures (Hydras, griffons, dragons, minotaurs, etc) in mythologies around the world were actually just monsters dumped from Equestria to Earth throughout history, and those gods were just unicorns who were also banished to earth who had a greater understanding of magic there.
9296856
Indeed it has my friend. indeed it has. and i can't wait to see where it goes in the future.