The Magical Quest Starring Mickey Mouse: The Equestrian Adventure

by wingdingaling

Chapter 59: A New Way

Chapter 59

A New Way

The moose village was far behind them now, and Mickey and Rarity were gliding their way through the snowy forest, as the blizzard raged around them.

As expertly as ever, Rarity wove her way through the trees, never once missing a beat.

Mickey held tightly around Rarity’s neck. The ride was almost completely smooth, with the occasional bump when Rarity had to jump over a rock, or a log, or a stump. At one point, she had to skate along the face of a large boulder in order to cross over a small gap. All the while never losing sight of the squirrel or the direction it was taking them.

The squirrel’s ever-shimmering body was only just visible through the haze of the blizzard. Periodically, it would stop to see if the others were following, but would just as quickly continue on its way.

Ahead, Mickey saw that the squirrel had landed on a branch and jumped ahead, gliding much farther than it had ever before. And in a moment, the nature of this strange behavior became apparent.

Rarity suddenly jolted, making Mickey hold more tightly to her. Looking down, he saw that she was jumping over a partly frozen river that was flowing rapidly.

Before he could voice any objection, Mickey jumped from the impact of landing atop an ice floe.

Feeling as if it were perfectly natural for her, Rarity glided along the length of the floe, until she reached the edge and jumped to the next one. Mid-air, she performed a flawless spin and landed facing backwards on the next one.

Mickey looked over his own shoulder, and saw that they were rapidly approaching the edge of the floe.

Quickly spinning himself around Rarity’s middle, the mouse reached down and scooped up a handful of snow, and packed it into a snowball.

They arrived at the very edge of the floe. And as if Rarity had eyes in the back of her head, she kicked up her back legs and jumped off.

Mickey threw his snowball directly underneath them, and a portion of the river’s surface froze, creating another icy platform for them to land upon.

And with a dainty tap, Rarity landed on the floe, righting herself forward. She skated down the length of the ice, just as it was drifting against the shoreline.

There wasn’t even a bump when Rarity skated from the frozen river to the snowy shore. The only turbulence after that was when Rarity gently spun around and drifted to a halt on a snow-covered path that ran through the trees.

“*Phew…* I think it’s time I took a rest,” Rarity exhaled.

“An’ how,” Mickey agreed. “Just don’t take too long. You-know-who’s bound to be on our tails.” He illustrated their pursuer by placing his knee atop a tiny sapling, mimicking a peg-leg.

If it were any other enemy, Rarity would have thought the distance they had traveled, the blizzard that was raging, the gap they had crossed, the many trees and the flowing river would all have stopped, or at least slowed them down. But, not Pete. A simple thug like him was proving to be far more resourceful and persistent than almost any other threat she and her friends had faced. If anything, Rarity expected Pete had already made a toboggan out of a piece of bark he ripped off of a tree and was toppling every tree in the forest as he followed after them

Above them, the glimmering squirrel climbed down the trunk of the nearest tree and chattered at them both. And in the next moment, it drifted to the ground and ran across the snow through the trees. After a short distance, it turned around and motioned for them to follow, before it ran further on.

“Perhaps, on second thought, I’ll simply walk onward,” Rarity said, deciding against staying to rest.

Mickey didn’t say anything as he and Rarity followed after the squirrel. Though he thought Rarity needed a proper rest after her swift trek through the forest, he too knew that Pete was sure to be following them closely behind.

It was difficult to tell, but the further the squirrel led them, the more it seemed like it was taking them off of the path. The trees had grown more densely together than before, and any trace of a trail between them had all but disappeared.

“Where do you suppose he’s leading us?” Rarity asked, keeping her eyes on the squirrel.

“Beats me. I just hope it’s somewhere safer than here,” Mickey replied, keeping his eyes and ears open for any sign of Pete.

Looking at the squirrel, Rarity was reminded of their own twinkling guide who had led them onward since they left Ponyville. Something that had always taken them precisely where they were needed to be at the exact right time. And in that moment, a sudden thought occurred to Rarity.

“Do you suppose--” she hesitated a moment, unsure if it were even a remote possibility. “Perhaps this squirrel may lead us to Twilight?”

“Oh, gosh, wouldn’t that be somethin’? I just hope wherever she is, she’s somewhere safe,” Mickey said, pulling his hood more tightly over his head.

Rarity hoped the same. And at the same time wondered why Twilight would leave them in the first place. It was not as if she had any reason to do so. If anything, Twilight should have been more determined than any of them to remove Yen Sid’s influence from their world. Let alone been excited to learn about a new kind of magic.

It was then that Rarity froze completely. From the time they had left the mines to the point when Avalon met its horrible end, she hadn’t seen Twilight use any magic like Mickey’s as adeptly as herself.

Yet, Rarity knew that wasn’t all. She knew full well that Twilight was trying to win Nopony’s affections, and remembered how she had thought herself the victor when the simple-minded performer chose herself over Twilight. If they had been able to see one another again after their successful outing, Rarity was going to have gloated about it to Twilight. Who wouldn’t after beating royalty to a stallion?

Worst of all, it occurred to her what had happened in the aftermath of Avalon’s demise. While her own heart was broken from losing the stallion she hoped to keep, it would have been all the worse for Twilight. Twilight, who always shouldered the responsibility of the safety and well-being of others above all else. And losing an entire city… All because of Rarity and Nopony’s desperate action.

“She left because of me…” Rarity whispered to herself, her words issuing with a narrow plume of breath.

“Rarity.”

The fashionista jumped slightly when she felt a hand on her shoulder, only to find Mickey when she looked to its owner.

“Come on. We got somewhere to be,” Mickey said, gently goading Rarity along.

“Mickey. Do you suppose--” Rarity cut herself off.

“Suppose what?” Mickey wondered.

“Er...Nothing.”

Swallowing her fears that Twilight truly hated her, Rarity continued onward.

“Alright. But, let’s not linger anymore. No tellin’ what might find us out here,” Mickey said.

Right on cue, when Mickey and Rarity turned their gaze ahead, they found themselves facing the most horrific, monstrous face they had ever seen.

Both yelped and jumped backwards into the snow.

Mickey quickly grabbed a snowball and hurled it at the face, encasing it in ice.

From above the frozen face, the glimmering squirrel climbed down from the branches that were overheard. It scolded in chattering gibberish, indicating the frozen face, before it picked up a frost-covered pine cone and started chiseling the ice away.

It took a moment for them to realize, but the face they had seen was merely a totem pole carved directly into the trunk of a tree.

“Gosh. Sorry about that, little fella,” Mickey said, taking a small stone to assist the squirrel.

With one well-placed hit, the ice around the totem pole fell off, melding back into the snow.

It was then that Mickey and Rarity both realized that they were surrounded by many other totem poles, all depicting many different animals and creatures of the kingdom.

Once the initial shock passed, Rarity in particular marveled at the artistry of the totems. What she first perceived as monstrous depictions of natural creatures, she began to realize were more of an interpretation of them. The way the colors blended together upon the exaggerated features brought to her mind something that went deeper than simple artwork. It was something that came from the heart and soul of the creatures who had carved them.

That wasn’t all that she noticed. The more Rarity looked, the more she saw that the creatures on the totems were not randomly placed. They were holding one another up. Each one supporting the others. The one at the bottom standing firm. The one at the top holding the rest aloft. And everything in between keeping the balance of things. The same as all friends and family did.

“Great Celestia and Luna…” Rarity exhaled.

“Hey, Rarity. Come an’ get a look at this,” Mickey called.

Rarity trotted over to where Mickey was indicating, and found that he was at the edge of a clearing, which was faced with a large cliff.

The size of the cliff was impressive. But, it was what adorned the rocky face that awed them.

A mural presented itself to them, resplendent with many colors that made up the image.

Immediately, mooses were recognized, tilling the soil and digging river beds with their antlers, eating the plants that grew, painting murals with the other creatures and chopping wood.

Among them were sasquatches, taller than even the mooses, and working just as industriously. Fishing from the rivers that were dug, planting trees and flowers, building mountains by stacking boulders and clearing paths that others could follow through the wilds.

The strangest things that were seen were other creatures that looked like skeletal mooses and sasquatches. Though worn to bone and garbed in shabby clothes, they too contributed to the image by filling the riverbeds with water, making plants grow, changing the direction of the wind and even making caterpillars transform into butterflies.

Accompanying each creature was an animal of some sort. Rabbits, eagles, bear cubs, lizards, owls, snakes, foxes, and animals that neither Mickey or Rarity could name were seen with the creatures in the mural. And each one was seemingly offering help in its own way as well.

Out of all the animals, the one that stood out most of all was the largest eagle they had ever seen. Its gaze was cast down, as if it were protectively watching all of the smaller creatures within. And its wings spread out to hold all the creatures safely in their span.

Beyond its wings, other creatures were seen. Monstrous things and feral animals that all vied to get past and attack the others within. But, under the protection of the eagle, every one of the good creatures was safe.

“Isn’t that somethin’?” Mickey quietly said. “It’s amazing what can be done by gettin’ along an’ makin’ friends.”

But, Rarity had a different take. Upon taking a closer look at the image, and taking into account what she had noticed from the totems, a different meaning of the mural occurred to her.

“No,” she began, “It’s not just about making friends.”

“How do ya mean?”

“Don’t you see. The rivers are dug for water to be placed and for fish to live by one group of creatures, and they’re eaten by different creatures. Then, the plants are all planted and cultivated for other creatures to eat, and to create homes for the animals to live there. And then other creatures make all the changes in the world that we see. Things like the wind blowing, or the stars coming out. Even the change from a caterpillar to a butterfly is caused by them! Don’t you see? It’s all about them helping one another by keeping the balance of their kingdom!”

“Hot dog! I bet yer right,” Mickey said, after glancing back to the mural. “How’d ya spot somethin’ like that?”

“Well, it takes the keen eye of an artist to notice such things,” Rarity said, falsely modest.

“Heh. I guess there’s more than one way to keep things going smooth, even if these guys in the picture aren’t makin’ friends with each other,” Mickey said.

However offhanded the mouse had meant his statement, it struck a strong chord with Rarity. Her lips had moved only in the slightest, and no sound issued from them. But, the revelation was clear to herself.

“There’s more than one way to achieve harmony…”

The sudden feeling of many bells softly ringing in her head overcame her. It was the answer to something. But, not anything that she could decipher.

If only Twilight were there to see it. She would have known what to do.

In an instant, the wind howled loudly and blew harder across the clearing.

Mickey and Rarity both had to brace against the blizzard, as it threatened to take them both off of their feet.

The chattering of the squirrel was heard just over the wind, and they both saw that their tiny guide was motioning for them to follow it.

Hoping now more than ever that the squirrel was leading them to their lost friend, Rarity was the first to follow after, with Mickey closely in tow.

Wherever Twilight was, they hoped she was somewhere safer than the heart of a blizzard.

---

The temperature dropped to an all time low as the winds of the blizzard roared through the forest.

The long branches of the enormous trees that grew in that area were blown bare of snow. And all of the animals who lived within had gone to find more sheltered dwellings, until the storm blew itself out.

A haze of mist had been blown up from the snowy ground, clouding everything from view and melding everything into the whiteness all around. Everything, but a single spot of lavender, which trudged slowly onward.

Twilight breathed heavily through her chattering teeth, the frigid air feeling as if it were freezing her from the inside out every time she inhaled. It was the only part of herself that she could feel anymore. Everything else had been numbed by the cold. And a growing sense of lethargy was slowly overtaking her.

It would not be long now. There was no stopping what was coming for her next. She was alone. Stranded in the frozen wilderness in the middle of a blizzard, with no friends to help and no magic to help herself. Unless some miracle occurred, she knew that the elements would defeat her.

Just then, the miracle she needed happened.

Something landed on her nose. Something that was soft, fluffy, and warm.

Twilight brushed the thing from her nose, and held it securely in her hooves. It was some sort of cottony fluff that had drifted through the snowstorm. And it was joined by another that shot past her, and another that set itself against her forehead.

Looking around, Twilight saw what was happening. The trees around her were all covered not with snow and frost, but with downy fluff, like cottonweed.

It was the only chance she had.

Hobbling as best she could through the deep snow, Twilight fell against the lee side of the tree, trying to take in the warmth of its downy fluff.

No such thing happened. But, she wouldn’t give up.

Desperately scraping her hooves against the bark, Twilight gathered up as much of the fluff as she could and hugged it tightly against herself.

It did little good to insulate her from the cold. But as Twilight closed her eyes, she thought she could feel something. A warmth that was filling her from the inside and spreading through her entire being. Wrapping around her neck, as if to gently hold her and lull her to sleep.

She knew what was coming for her. And it wouldn’t be long until it all ended.

As she slipped away, Twilight’s throat began choking as a single tear rolled from her eye and froze against her cheek.

Everything had been for naught. Her quest was a failure. And the last thought she ever had of Rarity was how much she hated her. Even as the Princess of Friendship, she was a failure.

Would the others succeed without her? Would they ever find what was left of herself in the snowy wilds? What would Princess Celestia have said if she could see how her prize student failed in such an important undertaking?

All these questions and more rattled in Twilight’s head. And she knew they would never be answered.

She wanted one last look at the world, before she left it. Summoning all of her remaining constitution, Twilight cracked her eyes open to gaze at the frozen world that was going to envelop her. Except, it wasn’t the world that she saw.

A long, knitted fabric was passed before her eyes, held in what she thought almost looked like a white hoof.

“You shouldn’t be out in the cold like this, dear. Alicorn or not, no creature is immune to exposure and hypothermia,” said the owner of the hoof.

It took a moment, but Twilight soon realized that a deep blue, knitted scarf was being gently tied around her neck. Stranger still, even though the blizzard was blowing as hard as ever, there was no sound. The snow flew. The trees rattled. Yet not a sound of any of it was heard.

In the next moment, she noticed that it wasn’t a hoof that was holding the scarf. Rather, it was the fluffy cuff on the sleeve of a white winter jacket. Protruding from the sleeve was a slender hand with short claws at the end of each finger.

Looking up to see who was tying the scarf, Twilight found herself staring into a pair of familiar warm, red eyes, set beneath a pair of gigantic ears.

For the first time in a long while, Twilight felt like she wanted to smile. But at once, she lowered her gaze from the lady-bat.

“Why won’t you look at me?” Souris asked.

Twilight was silent.

“You don’t believe in me. Is that it?”

Twilight knew that there was no point lying. She slowly nodded.

“That may well be part of your problem,” Souris said, gently cinching up the knot of Twilight’s scarf.

Twilight looked up, feeling Souris’s fingers gently brushing the snow from her mane and from behind her ears.

“What problem?” Twilight asked.

Souris stopped what she was doing for a moment and smiled knowingly.

“Twilight, a smart mare like you doesn’t need to ask questions that you already know the answer to,” she said.

The young alicorn sighed. After keeping it in for so long, she felt she had finally met somepony who she could divulge the terrible truth to.

“I can’t do it. I’ve tried and I’ve tried to understand anything. But...I just can’t.”

“Can’t do what, dear?” Souris asked.

Twilight was silent again.

“I realize this is difficult for you to say. But, you need to say it. Unless you--”

“I can’t use magic!” Twilight blurted out.

Her outburst echoed through the silent forest, carrying on the soundless blizzard to every known corner of the woods.

In spite of Twilight’s shout, Souris didn’t so much as twitch an ear. Instead, she gently took hold of Twilight’s hoof and sent a surge of warmth into it.

“And? Why do you think that is?” she patiently asked.

“I don’t know,” Twilight repeated. “I’ve been trying to figure it out since Mickey and his friends came to Ponyville. At first, I thought it was a little bit like the magic earth ponies and pegasi use. But--”

“Twilight,” Souris said, cutting Twilight off, “I’m not asking how you think magic like mine works. I want to know why you think it is that you can’t use it as effectively as your friends.”

Twilight’s throat clenched at the idea that all of her friends were more adept at using magic than herself. And how even her enemies were better mages than she was. And the point was driven home when Souris collected the cottony fluff from the tree bark, worked it briefly between her palms and transformed it into a ball of blue and silver yarn.

Silently, Twilight watched as the lady-bat took an end of the yarn in her claws and started working them like knitting needles to knit a mitten around her hoof.

“I...don’t understand how it works,” Twilight said.

“Mm-hm. Go on,” Souris gently prompted, as she finished up the first mitten and started work on the second.

For just a moment, Twilight thought about how to articulate the meaning of her statement.

“All the magic I’ve ever known has had some kind of logic behind it,” she answered.

And for just another moment, she thought she saw Souris scowling at her answer, before the lady-bat leaned over her shoulder to collect more cotton. Ignoring her feeling of unease, Twilight continued her answer.

“There’s always a way that magic affects things, and ways to harness it to make it take effect. Everything I’ve seen--” Twilight stopped a moment when she saw Souris start knitting mittens over her wings with nothing but her bare claws. “--None of it makes any sense. I can’t think of anything that I’ve ever read that says you can use magic just because.”

“Is that it?” Souris said, not so much asking as affirming. “You consider yourself a logic-minded mare, don’t you? Then, think about this: applying logic to this study has already failed you. In which case, the only logical thing left to do is to apply what you deem nonsense.”

A jumble of words were forming in Twilight’s mind, trying to find the right ones to question and correct Souris’s statement. But, her befuddlement was too great to handle, keeping her silent and allowing Souris to continue.

“You told me before that you only know the one type of magic that you’ve been using since you were a filly, correct?” Souris said

Twilight nodded.

“Then, I think that it’s safe to say that your horizons are as narrow as your focus.”

Instead of any intelligible answer, Twilight weakly stammered, trying to find the words to rebuke what Souris had said. After only a second, she slowed to silence.

“There’s nothing else for it,” Souris said, finishing up the mitten on Twilight’s other wing, “Until you learn to broaden your mind, you’ll never progress beyond more than where you are now.”

“But, I used it before,” Twilight said.

“Oh?” Souris asked, as she started knitting a thick sweater around Twilight’s middle. “You never told me that. Exactly how did you do it?”

Twilight thought back to her time in the mines, facing off against Pete, the badger and the Master Metal. How when she reached out to a layer of rock that was next to herself, and used it as a shield against her attacker.

Try as she did, she couldn’t recollect what was going through her mind at that time.

“I wish I knew,” she answered.

“Perhaps you saw what you had available, understood its form and function, and thought of a new way to use it?” Souris suggested.

Again, Twilight remained silent, not quite understanding what was said.

“Or, maybe there was someone close to you who you knew you needed to protect? You might have even simply thought it would be more interesting if you put your personal twist on whatever you were doing,” Souris continued.

“But, how does any of that make magic?” Twilight said, fighting to not shout.

She was silenced by the tips of Souris’s fingers gently placed over her lips, before the lady-bat reached up for more fluff from the tree bark.

“You already know that magic boils down to one crucial point, correct?” Souris said. “Think about what that is.”

Twilight didn’t even need to think on it.

“It’s harmony. Isn’t it?” she said, suddenly not sure of anything she knew.

“Exactly,” Souris said, knitting the sleeves onto Twilight’s sweater. “Now, tell me how that happens.”

“It’s when friendships are made and kept between creatures across the land. It’s what happens when everypony gets along and accepts each other for their differences. And...and…”

Twilight trailed off when she saw Souris’s face gradually change to a frown.

“And? Go on, dear,” Souris prompted.

“And...that’s all I know,” Twilight admitted.

Souris finished the sleeves and stroked Twilight’s mane, gently folding back her ears as she did.

“You see now, don’t you?” Souris said, as she started knitting a hat around Twilight’s head.

Twilight felt more helpless and lost than she had before. A whole world of possibilities had been staring her practically in the face for years, and she never knew what was in front of her.

“But, what can I do? How many other ways can there be to achieve harmony?” Twilight said, her throat quivering.

“I’m afraid I can’t help you on that point,” Souris sighed. “I realize that may not sound helpful. But, that’s something that you have to find out for yourself.”

“What if I never do?” Twilight said, unable to fight back the tears that leaked from her eyes, which quickly froze on her cheeks.

“Then, you’ll be doomed to stay as you are now. Forever,” Souris answered, gently scraping away the frozen tears with her free hand. “But, you won’t, Twilight. I know you won’t, because you’re searching for your answer. All I can tell you about how to find it is that you must ask the right questions of yourself. What is it that you do? And why?”

Again, Twilight thought she knew the answer immediately. But, again hesitated with her answer.

“My cutie mark says that magic is my talent,” she said.

“Your cutie mark is only that: a mark. But, did you ever think about why it was there? Or what put you on the path to acquiring it? These are the things you need to start thinking about if you’re ever going to hope to master any magic like my own.”

With one last flourish of her wrist, Souris finished the last thread on Twilight’s hat.

“Do you remember what I said before? About seeing your convictions through to the end, and pushing past the doubts and fears you have?”

“Yes,” Twilight answered.

“This is exactly the same,” Souris said, placing her hands on Twilight’s shoulders. “Don’t stop now when you’re already so close to discovering what you must. Finish what you started. For your friends.”

Her friends. No matter how terrible Twilight thought she had it, she realized everything would be all the worse for all of them if she gave up on the magical quest. And at the same moment, she realized she had more friends than she once thought. Mickey and his two friends who he had brought to Equestria with him. Copper and his father, and all of the other workers who were rescued from the mines were counting on her to keep monsters like the badger from coming back. And though Avalon was nothing more than a ruined memory, somepony had to keep creatures like Souris from doing the same to other cities.

Warmth began to fill Twilight. Not from her new winter clothes, or from Souris’s touch. Something that was coming from within herself that made her forget completely about the cold around her.

Souris reached a hand down and gathered up a handful of snow. Her hand crackled with its usual silvery bolts of magic, and she conjured an icy mirror from the fallen flakes.

“So? What do we think?” the lady-bat asked.

Twilight looked in the mirror and saw her reflection. There she was, dressed in a blue sweater with silver stars and snowflakes, each one different from the others around it. The mittens around her hooves and wings were equally blue, and each with a silver lining around the cuffs. The hat atop her head had been flecked with spots of silver against the blue, making her feel as if she were wearing the night sky.

“It’s wonderful,” Twilight simply said.

Souris only answered with a smile, and tapped the mirror with her claw, making it dissolve into a flurry of snowflakes, which all blew away on the wind.

“Souris...Thank you. For everything,” Twilight said.

Souris answered by gently pulling Twilight closer and wrapping her arms around her in a soft embrace.

Twilight returned the embrace, settling into Souris’s arms, resting her head on her shoulder. Suddenly she felt the soft, leathery hold of Souris’s wings wrapping around her, filling her with their warmth.

Deep in the back of her mind, Twilight recalled the last time she ever encountered Souris. The monster who had willfully destroyed a city and ended many lives was now offering her guidance to mastering her own self-imposed handicap. It pained her to think about it, but the conversation they had before Souris’s demise seemed to bear more and more truth to it the more that Twilight thought about it.

She had to know.

“Souris,” Twilight began, “Um...If I was able to save you...Even if you’d never join my side...Could...could we have been friends?”

Twilight felt the embrace of Souris’s wings tighten ever so slightly, and watched a smile bloom across her face.

“I already told you, Twilight: you don’t need to ask questions that you already know the answer to,” Souris answered.

The warmth of Souris’s touch surged through Twilight again, making her smile brightly as she settled back into the shared embrace.

For many moments, Twilight said nothing. She knew now what she needed. And needed nopony to help her find it.

“Twilight,” Souris began. “You need to wake up now.”

“What?” Twilight asked.

“You need to wake up. Or you’re going to die.”

“But--”

“Wake up, NOW!!”

In a flash, Souris’s face reverted to the same demonic visageTwilight had seen when she had revealed her true self. And in a flash, the world went black.

Air filled Twilight’s lungs when she gasped deeply and sharply.

In an instant, the world came back into focus, and Souris was gone.

The winds of the blizzard howled loudly, drowning out every other noise but the whipping of the branches overhead.

Looking down, Twilight saw that she was half-buried in the snow that was still falling all around herself. Without a thought she stood up, shaking the icy flakes from her body. After shaking vigorously and ruffling her wings, Twilight started running her hoof through her mane. And the very moment she had, a knitted cap fell from her head. One that was deep blue, with silver specks, and a hole for her horn to protrude.

Twilight held the hat in her hoof, staring in wide-eyed disbelief.

She then noticed the mitten that covered her hoof, and saw that her other hooves and her wings were mittened as well. Around her neck was a blue scarf with silver tassels. And around her middle, she was wearing a blue knit sweater with patterns of silver stars and snowflakes.

“Souris…”

It may have been Twilight’s imagination. But, for a split moment, she thought she saw two red specks among the snowflakes fly right past herself, and drift up the snowbank. And against the wind.

Twilight didn’t stop to think or wonder what she had seen. Wherever she was going, she knew it was going to be where she would eventually finish her quest. For her friends. Every single one of them.

Author's Note:

Man...Twilight was right there and she missed what could easily have been her breakthrough. That mural. All those totems. So to say, she couldn’t see the forest for the trees.
Luckily, our alicorn friend finally got some help. Whether or not it’s the help that she needed remains to be seen. But, Souris seems to have put Twilight on the right path to rediscovering what kind of magic lies within herself.
What Souris says about Twilight asking what it is she does and why is inspired by a quote by Mark Twain. Way back in the day, Mr. Twain said ‘The two most important days of your life are the day you’re born, and the day you find out why.’ Of course, Twilight is going to have to do some seriously deep digging to find out those answers.
In any case, our favorite alicorn may discover the secret to using new kinds of magic soon.
Just another word about Souris. The interaction she and Twilight had in this chapter was something that I wanted to see happen in the actual show. I was hoping that season nine would have some real head-spinning take on everything we knew up to that point, and show Twilight becoming friends with someone she knew to be evil. Instead, we got Discord doing more of his chaos thing. Come on, writers! Kids are more intelligent than you think they are!
And now, a word about Rarity. It seems like she’s also experiencing a bit of doubt in her her mind. Right now, her biggest fear is that Twilight hates her. She’s right. But, she doesn’t know that. Will these two friends make up? We’ll see, eventually.
Moving on, the chapter also seems to have exhibited another question: just how many ways are there to achieve harmony? And which ones have we seen in this story so far? And what is that crucial factor that everyone must discover on their own to master magic like the kind Souris and Mickey use?
As usual, I’m not going to tell, because that defeats the purpose of continuing this story. But, some of you eagle-eyed readers may well have discovered the factor. In fact, some of you have been on the right track since you started theorizing, I’d wager.
Last, but certainly not least, we’ll talk about a bit of culture we saw in this chapter.
I think it’s safe to say that you might have guessed the animals seen on the mural and Nagruk-pak’s squirrel friend are totems. If any of you saw the movie Brother Bear, then you know that each animal represents a virtue that a person embodies and would do well to live their life by. And surprisingly, Brother Bear got a lot of the totems right. Like how the eagle means leadership and guidance, or the bear means love, family and compassion.
In Inuit culture, the squirrel represents things like foresight, responsibility and resourcefulness. Maybe that has something to do with how the entire moose village is empty, with the one exception of Nagruk-pak.
Another thing is all those terrible monsters trying to get past the protection of the mighty eagle. As you may have guessed, that eagle is the ruling deity of this kingdom. And he’s the one keeping back all the monsters and dangerous animals from harming the good creatures.
You also notice how this kingdom is based on Native American culture. So, I think that the beasties here come from Native American lore. Things like skin-walkers, deer women, stone giants, chenoo and lake dragons. There might also be variants of the familiar Equestrian windigo and pukwudgie here. Although, I think this kingdom’s versions would be more similar to the folklore material, where windigos are called wetiko, and were once a moose or any other sentient creature of this kingdom that committed a horrible sin and were turned into an emaciated, giant version of themselves as punishment.
Pukwudgies too, I think would be more like bipedal porcupines and be called puk-wujie. Once friends of the other creatures. Now bitter and violent.
I don’t know if we’ll get too deep into the lore of this kingdom, but it’s just something that I’ve been thinking about.
That’s it for me here. Now, to rock on as you wait for the next chapter \m/

Comments

[Bluebottle27]

“All the magic I’ve ever known has had some kind of logic behind it,” she answered.

And for just another moment, she thought she saw Souris scowling at her answer, before the lady-bat leaned over her shoulder to collect more cotton. Ignoring her feeling of unease, Twilight continued her answer.

“There’s always a way that magic effects things, and ways to harness it to make it take effect. Everything I’ve seen--” Twilight stopped a moment when she saw Souris start knitting mittens over her wings with nothing but her bare claws. “--None of it makes any sense. I can’t think of anything that I’ve ever read that says you can use magic just because.”

“You told me before that you only know the one type of magic that you’ve been using since you were a filly, correct?” Souris said

Twilight nodded.

“Then, I think that it’s safe to say that your horizons are as narrow as your focus."

It's the Pinkie Sense business all over again.

"Sometimes you have to believe in something even if you can't see it! <squee>

Errr...yes, thank you Pinkie (where did she come from? 🤔

[wingdingaling]

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And to think that all Twilight needed was not the help of a friend, but an enemy.

[Bluebottle27]

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Tough love provided through hard truth, and who better to deliver than a bad guy?