Fading Suns: A New World

by David Silver

60 - We Are One

Spike whistled as he walked, scratching at an annoyingly itchy rash that refused to calm itself. "Hope Rarity doesn't see this..." A knock on the door made him jump in place before he scampered over to it. "Who's there?"

"'Tis I," came the voice of a zebra.

It wasn't Rarity and Spike grabbed the door, pulling it open. "Hey Zecora."

"Oh my," she finished, somehow finishing her rhyme with new information. "You should take care of that, if that skin condition you wish to combat. Is Twilight here? I have news she must hear."

"Huh? Oh, yeah, she's over there?" He pointed before he dashed off, his face reddened by her reaction. Was it that bad?!

Zecora trotted in the direction the kind dragon had pointed after closing the door behind herself. "Twilight? Laud? I hope you are ready to be awed."

A male voice called out, "we are here."

She found them a moment later, seated around a long table with some amount of breakfast remaining on the table. "Ah, there you are." She nodded towards Twilight, then Laud. Her eyes darted to Lyra, but Bon Bon was not present. "I have news you may consider bizarre."

Twilight was looking at her curiously. "Please, is it about the test you were going to perform?"

"It is indeed, to see if you can breed." She sat lightly. "I was given a vision most vast, you would have thought a spell was cast." She raised her forehooves and clopped them together. "The life of this world did not rise on its own. This I have been shown, in dizzying images and confusing ideas, Humans are Equestrians, the only question is what the degree is."

That was a challenge. Laud had learned Equestrian, but it was still a learned language and having someone spew a series of constant rhymes at him was still a new experience. He could only thank the creator he had been forced to use the language exclusively for some time. "I think you have that the wrong way around." The ponies were modified humans, obviously, at best.

Zecora shook her head. "Though my psyche was rocked, my opinion on this is quite locked. Beings quite old and powerful were at work, and all of our species are their handiwork." She lifted a hoof to her head, mind still throbbing with the overwhelming melange of images and ideas that had flooded into it and had yet to settle down. "They..." She shook her head, fighting off the ache that threatened to come. "They did not intend for their lines to mingle, but neither did they... prevent it." She sank to the floor, the ache growing worse. "They told me this in an..." She was starting to curl. She heard alarmed noises, but she had to get it all out. "Sent... it..."

Laud was at her side, having jumped to his feet and caught the zebra just as she toppled over to the side. "I thought she did not practice magic? She is acting like I might expect a theurge after a powerful invocation or ritual of some sort or another."

Twilight shook her head softly. "Get her to a guest room to rest for now. Zebra herbalism isn't a specialty of mine. Actually..." She perked up. "I know who may offer some insight into this, a bright young filly who she's accepted as a student."

Lyra's horn glowed as she hefted up Zecora, only for Laud to stand up and take the zebra into his arms, cradling her gently. "Hey, I'll go with you." She hopped from her chair and the two went off together.

That left Twilight, who vanished with a pop, appearing just beside the foal's school. She walked inside at a casual pace, ears pricked for the noises of a lesson being given. Fortunately for her, no such sounds were coming. Peeking into the room, she saw the foals were still gathering for the morning.

Apple Bloom was there, chatting animatedly with Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. Twilight had to smile. The three were quite a team, and were always cute when they were together, or apart, for that matter. She raised a hoof as she approached. "Apple Bloom? Could I borrow you a moment?"

She looked up in surprise. "Ah, hey Twi. What's up?"

The other foals noticed her presence and suddenly Twilight was the focus of the room. It wasn't every day the local princess stopped by. Twilight spared them a little wave, but quickly snapped her attention back on Apple Bloom. "It's about Zecora. She did... something and seems overwhelmed. We were hoping you might shine some light on the matter."

Scootaloo perked an ear. "Sounds kinda crazy!"

Sweetie Belle bobbed her head. "If something can overwhelm Zecora, you know it must be something quite intimidating indeed."

Apple Bloom hopped out of her desk chair to her hooves. "Is she hurt?!"

"I don't think she is, but if you can help, I'd really appreciate it." She looked to the other two crusaders. "Please tell Cheerilee that I've taken her." After receiving two sharp salutes, she wrapped her magic around Apple Bloom and the two vanished with a pop.

"What wath that about?" asked Twist, head tilted at the remaining crusaders.

Scootaloo shrugged. "You can never be sure with Twilight, but I bet it's something cool."

Sweetie grinned. "Lucky Apple Bloom, she got out of today's test."

"What's this about getting out of tests?" Cheerilee arrived with the timing only a teacher could have. "I would like to hear about this."

---

Twilight appeared where she had originally gone away from. No other ponies were there, other than Apple Bloom. "She's been brought to a guest room, let's meet them there."

"Lead the way." Apple Bloom half-galloped to keep up with Twilight who was already trotting away at a good pace.

---

In one of many guest rooms, Zecora was set to rest on the bed, a blanket drawn up over most of her. "Is she well?" Laud was barely medically aware about humans, let alone ponies, let alone zebras who were not ponies exactly.

Lyra patted the form of the sleeping Zecora. "She looked just fine when she came in, so I don't think she was, you know, sick?"

"She seemed quite well, at first," he agreed, considering the situation. "It is as if she were given a divine visitation, the sort I imagined was only a fable. The more she tried to speak of it, the worse it became."

Lyra tilted her head at Laud. "I thought you didn't like magic and things, but your people have stories about it? How does that work?"

"God is a magic we do not fear." He dipped his head towards her. "The Pancreator is as he is named, creator of all things, and if they made it, they can do as they please. There is no such thing as 'magic' in that context. A being of such immense purpose, to be touched by it requires a clean and perfect mind, some say, or risk being laid low."

Lyra hiked a brow, looking at Zecora. "Are you calling her mind dirty and imperfect?"

"I didn't mean it like that." He held up one hand. "It's just rumor, in the end. It's hard to 'prove' one has had a conversation with the Pancreator, but she is showing the signs I would put with such a powerful vision, and I will confess, it scares me in a way I have not felt before. Even when I was crashing into this world, half-certain I would perish on impact, that dread was not the same as this terror."

A soft tap came from the door just before it opened, handle glowing with Twilight's magic. Apple Bloom burst through the door the moment it opened enough to admit her. "Where is she?!" She spied Zecora quickly and darted to her side.

Twilight's eyes were on Zecora as well. "Is she alright?"

Lyra nodded quickly. "Sleeping peacefully." She reared up suddenly, standing as Laud was. "According to Laud, she's acting like she saw the human's god or something."

Twilight could only blink at that a moment. "Wait, you have one of those?"

"You don't?" countered Laud, actually curious if the ponies did or not.

"We believe in harmony, and destiny." She put a hoof over her heart. "We've worked hard to foster both and they've allowed us to reach new heights. I was once a bearer of an Element of Harmony, a literal facet of it. It's... complicated."

Apple Bloom had hopped up onto the bed and was seated beside Zecora, reaching with one hoof to gently inspect her occasional teacher carefully. "Ah think she's alright, but ah know a little brew that may perk her up." She hopped down and trotted quickly for the door. "Ah'll go get what we need."

Laud took a step towards her. "I'll accompany you." The idea of letting a little one wander off sounded quite unbecoming. "Are these plants in the forest you fear?"

"Just one." Applebloom smiled at Laud. "Thanks for the company, let's go!" The two departed.

Twilight watched them go before looking back to Lyra. "You heard what she said."

Lyra suddenly colored. "Y-yeah, I mean... I guess..."

Twilight set a hoof on Lyra's suddenly. "It means you don't have to do a thing. It means you have a choice. If you decide you want to try for a foal, go ahead, and I'll help as much as I can." She leaned in all too close. "But if you don't, I will protect your right to not just as ardently." Her hoof pulled away, only for Lyra to suddenly jump forward.

Lyra hugged Twilight tightly. "Stupid unicorn! Stop trying to be the reasonable one!" She flopped back down to her haunches, smiling a little lopsidedly. "Thanks... really. Aw man, if you had asked me when I was your schoolmate if we'd ever have this conversation, I would have called you crazy! Hey, Little Lyra, wanna marry Twilight Sparkle someday? What? That nerd?!" She burst into giggles.

Twilight frowned softly. "I'm still a nerd, you realize."

"And an adorkable one, I'll have you know." Lyra planted a kiss right on Twilight's nose without warning. "Keep it up."

"I didn't need your permission!" Twilight blew a ripe raspberry at her new wife. "Where is Bon Bon?"

"Running her shop, of course. She ran off early in the morning." Lyra shrugged softly. "It's kind of nice having more special friends to hang out with during the day when she's busy. But, uh, I bet you have to deal with that school of yours."

Twilight's eyes went wide. "Right! I better go. Please, watch over Zecora while I'm gone." She was gone with a sparkle, vanished from where she had been a moment before.

Lyra was left alone, with only a sleeping Zecora for company. It was better than nothing. "So... would you do that, with him?" she asked the sleeping mare. "Yeah, I should consider that," she said despite the lack of reply. "We really should chat more often."

---

Luna leaned over the telescope, peering into the small viewer it provided. In the sky, she could see it, some huge artificial... thing. It was not the right shape or size or anything else. It was unnatural and she wanted to destroy it...

"Staring will not make it go away," gently spoke her sister.

Luna frowned, but did not withdraw from the sight. "Celestia, shouldn't you be sleeping?"

"Shouldn't you be watching over the dreams of our ponies?" countered Celestia in gentle tones. "Staring at them will not help anypony."

"Why shouldn't I do something about them? You moved the sun for a pithy play, wrenching the moon for the defense of the world surely is of equal gravity to that, we should think?" Her tail gave an agitated flick, but she did not look up.

"I apologized for that, dear sister. Attacking them may be a grave error. That is not the pony way."

"Not the current pony way." Luna sat up, scowling. "I have not forgotten when we were ready to battle."

"They have done nothing worth battling just yet." Celestia set a hoof on Luna's shoulder. "Be ready, dear sister, but let us not be the aggressors."

Author's Note:

This is a chapter where we pull things up closer to where we are in the show itself. Suddenly, school! Spike is getting dragon puberty.

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[Ecuos Oinocernos]

"It is indeed, to see if you can breed." She sat lightly. "I was given a vision most vast, you would have thought a spell was cast." She raised her forehooves and clopped them together. "The life of this world did not rise on its own. This I have been shown, in dizzying images and confusing ideas, Humans are Equestrians, the only question is what the degree is."

That was a challenge. Laud had learned Equestrian, but it was still a learned language and having someone spew a series of constant rhymes at him was still a new experience. He could only thank the creator he had been forced to use the language exclusively for some time. "I think you have that the wrong way around." The ponies were modified humans, obviously, at best.

Zecora shook her head. "Though my psyche was rocked, my opinion on this is quite locked. Beings quite old and powerful were at work, and all of our species are their handiwork." She lifted a hoof to her head, mind still throbbing with the overwhelming melange of images and ideas that had flooded into it and had yet to settle down. "They..." She shook her head, fighting off the ache that threatened to come. "They did not intend for their lines to mingle, but neither did they... prevent it." She sank to the floor, the ache growing worse. "They told me this in an..." She was starting to curl. She heard alarmed noises, but she had to get it all out. "Sent... it..."

Okay... This is becoming more and more interesting...

[LucarioFan2066]

Okay, I don't know Fading Suns even existed, so...trying to put this in terms I do understand...an ancient mass relay was discovered and unearthed, and the Council (located on the Citadel) decide to send Shepard through it.

Okay, sounds interesting. Let's learn about Fading Suns; hopefully it's not a horror-genre show or anything, because I can't stand horror.

It's 3:40am, and I just suddenly woke up like I sometimes do. Give me a break; I'm likely to go back to sleep at any time.

[Booster Spice]

Someones stuffing Zecoras head with four dimentional purple oranges.

Better take her to Caterpillar Circle?

Depending on the size of the vessels, which would be easier, moving the sun and moon at near trans luminal speeds, or forming a gravity shell outside the actual ships shields then grabbing the far smaller volume of space time it encloses and accelerating that, to avoid interacting with the ship or anything it carries itself? Have to be careful messing with something new. Might be lots of it that dont seem to serve any function at all, but like spells, can have the most atrocious side effects if deleted, altered, crushed etc.

Not too long now before the machines start fighting for their rights themselves, given they already have more rights due to Health and Safety and Trading Standards that humans do.

[David Silver]

9157746
This is not a horror story.

[Reese]

"the sort I imagine was only a fable"
"the sort I imagined was only a fable"?

"But, uh, I bet you have to deal with that school of yours."
...Huh. Was the school in this story before?
"This is a chapter where we pull things up closer to where we are in the show itself. Suddenly, school!"
Ah. Hm.
Well, I hope you added it because you actively thought it was a good addition to the story and have a plan for it.
(I'm not sure how this comment is coming across, sorry, so to clarify, I just have a bit of an emotional kneejerk reaction to this sort of thing; intellectually I expect you're far more likely than not to handle this well, but emotionally the idea of dropping the story for this came up. My problem, not yours, nor one I'd expect you to predict even if my own preferences had that much influence on the story's direction, which I certainly don't expect them to; I mention it in case I either overcorrected or undercorrected for it in the above. I considered just saying nothing, in the multiple rewrites of this, but I do wonder what led to its inclusion and would rather not just preemptively ban myself from discussion of it, so... yeah. Hope I'm not coming across as rude here, and sorry if I am.
(Oh, and as a bit of further explanation, the dragon puberty doesn't bother me (in the same way, or, in this case, at all) because it doesn't retroactively change much of anything. The school being a thing now requires that the school have been a thing for a while now. I'm trying to think of some sort of metaphor about wave propagation in supersonic vs. subsonic flows, but this is already getting pretty long.))

[ShadwSonic]

So if I understand Zecora correctly...

A race of people (let's call them Precursors) developed at least two species from the same blueprints, rendering Equestrians and Humans as the same Biblical "kind". However, unlike in most stories, we have no idea who or what these Precursors were... yet.

[David Silver]

9157993
If it helps, even the people of Fading Suns don't know, but do know of them.

[David Silver]

9157974
Now is not the time for sudden Young Six hijinks. This remains not their story, as if little kids have much to contribute to galactic politidrama.

At least the CMC are already proven actors on the stage of life. I will not begrudge Apple Bloom her chance to help.

[keroko]

Uh-oh, Zecora is mentioning a 'they.' Monotheistic religions tend not to take kindly to the suggestion there are gods other than their one true god.

Also, Luna's ready to smash. Whatever those ships up there are doing, they better be careful.

[Reese]

9158025
Ah, thanks. :)
I am continuing to enjoy this, by the way, just to be clear.

[TheifofZ]

9157974
That seems a very verbose and roundabout way of saying "I, personally, don't like that there's a school that's been added, because that requires retroactive continuity changes applied to canon. PS: Don't take that under criticism, because It's just my opinion. PPS: The dragon puberty doesn't bug me because it makes sense and doesn't require retroactive canon changes."

At least, that's what I read the entire thing as.

[Reese]

9158111
Ah, yes, that seems pretty much right; thanks for condensing it!

[FridayPie]

9157974
Uh, school concept is kinda canon, also I think that it was mentioned in roundabout way before, your outburst is unfounded. Extending picture is not same as retcon.

[Reese]

9158210
"Uh, school concept is kinda canon"
...Yes, now? Or do you mean in the show? Yes, it is there, but this story started before it was.

"also I think that it was mentioned in roundabout way before"
Oh, where, please? From my lack of memory of such and then from the author's note I thought that it was new, but if I missed something, I'd like to correct that.

"your outburst is unfounded"
Given the above-quoted parts, you mean? Yes, if the school was already in the story, the basis for what I said is missing.
Do you really think it qualifies as an outburst, though? If so, sorry; I tried to avoid that. Would you consider the only valid option to have been restraining my curiosity and saying nothing, or was it merely that my efforts to say it nonconfrontationally were not sufficiently successful?

"Extending picture is not same as retcon."
Well, as I said, the evidence looks mostly to me like the school wasn't in the story before now. And while it's possible that everything was such that it could have been (at the current moment in metatime) in the background, giving no sign of its presence but still extant, that's a possibility, not a certainty, particularly without an inspection of the already-posted text looking for holes.

[David Silver]

9158254
9158210
Ultimately, it just means Laud was never taken to the school with any noteworthy interactions. Twilight didn't bring her pet space human to school. How rude of her!

However, now Twilight is hitched. People will react. It becomes all the more important to not glaze over things that are there.

[Reese]

9158270
"Ultimately, it just means Laud was never taken to the school with any noteworthy interactions. Twilight didn't bring her pet space human to school. How rude of her!"
Hah! Thanks. :)

"However, now Twilight is hitched. People will react. It becomes all the more important to not glaze over things that are there."
Aye, that makes sense.
Thank you again.

[tsaukpaetra]

So Luna is indeed under constraint. This is fortunate. Let her witness a different kind of might then.
Spoilers, Zecora!
Keep going! ;)

[lordelliott]

9157748
I think Zecora's brain broke when she tried to find a rhyme for said four dimentional purple orange.

[Booster Spice]

9158400

Tesseractyl Wurmple Stone Henge.

Dialects allow you to rhyme with all five vowels, letters y, j and theres a couple others somewhere as well.

[FridayPie]

9158254
With first person perspective it is simple: you never see and never know what protagonist have no way to see and know.

With third perspective it feels like everything that happen can be told about. But first rule of writing story in that mode: you don't. It becomes wordy, confusing, boring. This is the Chekhov's gun rule: while telling the story you should show only things which are involved in story or help to build the picture. If there is gun hanging on the wall, it would be used later or owner's skills in firearms would be used.

That's why I said that outburst was unnecessary: a new item on scene had appeared when situation called to involve it.

Of course, too sudden, too obvious or overplayed introduction may cause reader to think of obvious Chekhov's gun. Or it might be an intentional red herring, a distraction from real "gun".

[Reese]

9158502
Hm, thank you for the explanation. My perception of this situation was different, but yours appears to have been more accurate.

[Vutava]

"You should take care of that. If that skin condition you wish to combat.

that, if

[keroko]

9159104
Fun fact, defending a relay is an actual in-universe tactic in Mass Effect. And putting something dangerous in front of it was used in ME2.