The Mare from the Moon

by Evilhumour

Chapter Twelve

“SURPRISE!”

All four of them pulled back to see the main hallways of the castle decorated with Twilight’s five friends smiling widely at them and the pink mare firing off a cannon that launched glitter everywhere.

“What is going on here?” Spliced asked as she tried to shake her eyes clear, her hooves patting her face.

“We’re here to throw a party for Spike, silly,” Pinkie Pie giggled at them before darting over to hug the dragon. “We’re so happy that you’re better Spike.”

“How did you prepare this so quickly?” Spliced said, still rubbing her eyes. “And how did you know to throw a party in the first place?”

“She’s Pinkie Pie,” Spike said with a shrug. “She does that.”

“And we did tell you about her Party Cannon,” Twilight added.

“First off, that’s her name, not a reason,” Spliced said as she continued to rub her eyes, half tempted to just kill herself to get around the glitter in her eyes. “Secondly, I thought you said it fired cakes, not glitter!”

“Here sweetie,” Rarity said as she gave the mare a handkerchief. “It’s designed to help remove the glitter.”

“Thank you,” Spliced said as she began to wipe her eyes. “But seriously, how did she know to do this?”

“Pinkie sense,” everypony said with Spliced twitching at that response.

“It’s some kind of sixth sense that I tried to understand a long time ago, and like I told you before, I nearly drove myself crazy in the process,” Twilight said. “And apparently it, or something like it, runs in her family. And at least one other pony that I know of.”

“Really?” Spliced asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yuppers but before you ask if you can arrange meetings with my family let’s have a party!” Pinkie exclaimed.

“Yeah squirt,” Rainbow Dash said as she elbowed the dragon. “You definitely got taller. Wonder when you’ll get your wings.”

“Spliced will probably know when,” Spike said, shrugging his shoulders as he looked behind himself, examining one spot as if he thought he might see vestigial wing buds growing. “Or… hey!” He gave Twilight a look. “What about Ember?”

“I’ve actually been trying to figure out a way to get in contact with her without alerting you what was going on, or risking anypony’s life by sending them to the Dragon Lands with a message,” Twilight said, blushing. “I believe both she and her father would know more about this and it would be good for you to be in more contact with more dragons of your own age.”

“As long as Garble isn’t one of them, that’s fine with me,” Spike said.

“Agreed,” Twilight and Rarity chorused.

“Y’all can talk shop later,” Applejack put in. “What say we focus on this party Pinkie put together?”

“Sure thing,” Spike said, his face brightening. “Come everypony, let’s have fun.”

As he led the others into the next room over, Twilight looked at Spliced. “Come on,” she said. “Let’s just relax and enjoy ourselves today, okay?”

“I’m more relaxed when I’m working, not too good at parties,” Spliced said hesitantly. “But… I’ll try. For Spike, since it is his special day.”

“That’s all I can ask,” Twilight said, before she went to join her son and friends.

Watching her go, Spliced shook her head. I have got to get some more answers about this place and these ponies, she thought to herself. Such as how can she be so… scary one day, and so nice the next? And how can a family of ponies have the kind of intuition they’re describing? It makes no sense!

“Hey Splicey! Come on!” a voice suddenly shouted, practically right in her ear. Consequently, Spliced was too startled to resist as Rainbow Dash pushed her into the next room with the others.

Before long, she found herself in the midst of the celebration, accepting a drink and a plate of cake from Pinkie (and how had she managed to store a cake taker that big in her mane‽) before settling into a seat by the wall, watching the others as they chatted and congratulated Spike on his growth spurt. Somewhere along the line, she even got roped into joining them for one or two of the party games, before buggering off and going back to her corner.

Finally, as she helped herself to her fifth plate of cake for the day, which was surprisingly good, she heard a small cough behind her and looked to see Spike. “Yes?”

“Hey, Spliced. Just wanted to say… well, thanks. For everything.”

Spliced nodded. “You needed it, Spike.”

“Yeah, I know you did it for practical reasons, but still… thanks. I really appreciate this.” Spike gave her a faint smile, before walking off again.

Settling into her seat and sighing, Spliced stabbed a fork into her cake.

When she had finished it, she looked up to see Twilight, a concerned look on her face. “Hey.”

“Hey yourself.” Spliced set her plate aside. “So, what’s up?”

“Not much. Just… wondering.”

“Wondering what?” Spliced asked.

“Well, now that you’ve helped Spike like you did… what are you going to research next?”

Spliced blinked, tilting her head to the side. “Good question, actually… I haven’t actually thought that much about it.”

“Well, if you want, you could always join me in one of my research projects!” Twilight’s face brightened. “There’s all kinds of magic in Equestria you could look into…”

Spliced rolled her eyes at the word ‘magic’, but she forced a look of interest onto her face. “What kinds of… magic?”

Twilight’s face lit up. “Oh, there’s all kinds! Once we’re done here, I’ll show you into my library. I have so many books you’ll enjoy!”

Spliced’s smile grew a bit. “I’m sure I will.”

And maybe a few of them will have some of the answers I’m looking for.

“Say Spliced, I have a question; do you know when my cloud walking abilities will come in?” Spike asked causing Spliced to blink in confusion, as she hadn’t noticed him approaching.

“I’m sorry, when your what will come in?” Spliced asked as she tried to comprehend what he was talking about.

“My cloud-walking abilities,” Spike said. “All winged species can do it - alicorns, pegasi, griffons, dragons… even all our birds and bats. I figure I’ll get it soon enough, but do you know when exactly?”

For a moment, Spliced just stared at him before she slowly shook her head.

“That is impossible on so many levels that I cannot even begin to describe how impossible that is,” she said through clenched teeth.

“No, it’s very possible,” Twilight said. Spliced looked up in surprise; she hadn’t realized the other mare was still there. “There’s even a cloud-walking spell I figured out how to use for my friends a few years ago; it’s a little tricky, but it works just fine.”

Spliced shook her head. “That’s just not possible,” she said firmly. “I have wings, but I certainly can’t walk on clouds…”

“Then you don’t know what you’re missing!” Rainbow Dash said with a grin as she popped over. “Give me ten seconds, I’ll show you.” Flying off and leaving a rainbow contrail in her wake, she was back moments later, pushing a cloud in front of her.

Spliced stared in abject shock as the rainbow-maned pony proceeded to sit on the cloud, and waved a hoof at her. “See?”

Spliced looked at Twilight and Spike, then at Rainbow Dash again, blinking to make sure she wasn’t hallucinating.

“How is that possible,” she asked, staring intently at the cloud. “How did you manage to move that cloud and how are you resting on it?”

“Like Twi said, it’s magic,” the mare said with a cocky grin on her face. “Are you going to come up here?”

“What?”

“Come up here, Splicey,” Rainbow Dash said, gesturing. “There’s plenty of room for both of us.”

“No I cannot because that is impossible,” Spliced snapped, shaking her head and turning away from the scene. She then let out a surprised yelp as she found herself levitating in the air, with Starlight’s turquoise aura wrapped around her.

“Come on,” the other mare grumbled. “If I can do this with a spell, you should be able to do it normally.” Moving the squirming mare just over the cloud, she let go, and Spliced felt herself drop for literally a split second.

Then she looked down to see her hooves planted on the cloud. She made a small circuit, looking very intently at the cloud, pawing at it before finally sitting down.

“Huh,” she said, blinking before letting out a sigh. Then her eyes rolled up in her head and she fell backwards onto the cloud.

“Wow,” Starlight said as everypony saw Spliced faint. “I was not expecting that reaction out of her.”

Twilight’s ear twitched as she examined the other alicorn. “She’ll be okay,” she reported. “I think finding out she was so wrong about something like this was too much for her. I’ll get her upstairs, she should be fine after some rest.”

“Assuming whatever nightmares she’s having don’t wake her up too soon,” Starlight said, rolling her eyes.

Nearly, Fluttershy’s own eyes widened. “She’s having nightmares?”

“If the screams she lets out every night are anything to go by,” Starlight replied.

Fluttershy’s ears flattened. “Oh the poor dear…”

Twilight sighed, then turned to Rainbow Dash. “Mind if I borrow this?” she asked, gesturing to the cloud.

“No problem,” Rainbow Dash replied. “Just let me get down first.”

Nearby, Pinkie scratched her head. “Where are you going to get it from?” she asked. “I don’t see any ducks around here!”

There was a chorus of groans, then Rainbow Dash chuckled. “Good one, Pinkie.” Hopping off the cloud, she went off to another part of the room.

Sighing again, Twilight began pushing the cloud out of the room and toward the stairs.

---

Spliced’s eyes shot open, and she sat bolt upright in bed. “Huh-where-” Then, as she tried to slow her racing heartbeat, she looked around, finding herself back in her room.

“That was a weird dream,” she muttered to herself. “Seriously, where does my subconscious come up with these things? Sitting on clouds… that’s the most ridiculous thing I ever heard.”

“That wasn’t a dream, Spliced Genome,” a familiar voice said in a firm tone.

Spliced froze momentarily, then looked over to see the Princess of the Sun sitting on one side of the room and looking at her.

“Meep,” she whimpered.

“Relax,” Celestia said. “You had quite the surprise earlier, I understand.”

“I… yeah, I did,” Spliced admitted. “But seriously, how is that even possible? Nopony in my world could do that sort of thing!”

“Magic is a strange and wonderful thing,” Celestia replied. “It enables us to do many things that might not seem possible.”

Spliced shook her head. “And that’s another thing,” she said with a sigh. “You keep referring to your thaumatics as magic, but it seems so… so different from anything I know.”

“Perhaps in your world, your powers are more limited,” Celestia said. “But here, magic is a part of everything in our world, from our bodies to the air around us. Without magic as we know it, our lives in Equestria would be so very different than they are.” Her ear flicked. “It is clear to me this difference is one of the reasons your world’s civilization turned out so very… darker than our own.”

“It’s certainly a possibility,” Spliced agreed. Then her head drooped. “I’m surprised to see you, Princess. I wouldn’t think one fainting spell would be important enough to get you all the way out here from Canterlot.”

“Well, Twilight did call me because of your fainting, but also because of what you did for Spike,” Celestia said. “I am very grateful for what you did for him.”

Spliced ducked her head, and Celestia continued. “I’ve known Spike since the day Twilight hatched him, and while I entrusted him into her care soon after that day, I’ve honestly been worried about what would happen to him as he grew, especially after what Twilight told me about the day he succumbed to his Greed Growth, and later about his first meeting with teenage dragons. But it would seem that your knowledge has been more than sufficient to help him prepare for these growing pains while keeping his mind about him.”

“Well, I did do my thesis paper on dragons and their biology,” Spliced said. “I just applied what I’d learned here, and-”

“And you helped my student’s son in a way I could not,” Celestia said firmly. “For that, I am very grateful.” She leaned in closer to Spliced. “But you are lucky that your methods proved to be right,” she said. “If you had inadvertently harmed him, either through incorrect information or by withholding it on purpose, I would have been very cross.”

Spliced shuddered. “I know,” she said. “Believe me, I remember what you said before, and Discord… and how the hay is he not locked up with what Twilight said he did to she and the others‽”

Celestia sat back. “That,” she said quietly, “Is a very complicated matter. Suffice to say that I have my reasons, and since he learned the value of friendship and swore to use his powers to act for the betterment of Equestria, he has proven a very valuable ally… even with his assorted eccentricities.”

“Right.” Spliced sighed. “Still, what about that other guy? The one Twilight said blew up her house? I mean, sure it must have been inconvenient for her, but why did he get locked up in a prison realm for something so minor?”

“Tirek’s crimes are anything but minor,” Celestia said sharply. “His dark powers allowed him to rob all types of ponies and, in time, other beings, of all their inherent magic in order to make himself stronger, all to fulfil his own selfish desires for power. Had he not been defeated by my faithful student and her friends, and all of the stolen magic restored to its original owners, they would very likely have all died before too long... and endangering my little ponies’ lives in such a way is a crime I can never forgive him for.”

Spliced’s eyes widened. “I see. In that case, I don’t blame you for wanting him in prison.”

Celestia’s face softened. “It is unfortunate that he could not learn from our ways, like his brother did,” she said. “Tirek may have viewed him as weak, but in my view, Scorpan was by far the wiser of the two, and he made for an excellent king when he returned to his homeland and assumed the throne.”

“Right.” Spliced’s horn lit up, and she levitated the sheet off herself. “Um, I hate to say this, but I need to use the little filly’s room, if you don’t mind.”

“Understandable.” Celestia stepped out of her way, and Spliced hurried out into the hall before turning towards the appropriate room.

When she had taken care of her business and splashed some water on her face, she stood there, staring at her reflection in the mirror. “Okay,” she muttered to herself. “That’s one question answered… a dozen or more still to go.”

Exiting the restroom, she found Princess Celestia waiting in the hall for her. “Shall we rejoin the party downstairs?” the elder alicorn asked.

“I think I can handle that,” Spliced said. Then she blinked. “Wait, that’s still going on?”

Celestia let out a loud chuckle. “Spliced Genome, I once saw a Pinkie Party that lasted nearly an entire week. A few hours is nothing.”

“And… just when did you get here?” Spliced asked.

“About half an hour after you fainted,” Celestia replied. “Twilight wrote me right away, but even then it took me some time to clear my schedule.”

“And were you waiting for me to wake up the entire time?”

“Not too long,” Celestia told her. “I got lucky, in fact.”

“Right,” Spliced said in a drawl. “Anything else?”

“No, as I doubt you feel comfortable sharing more about your past?” Celestia asked with a raised eyebrow.

“That’s correct,” Spliced said, rubbing her hooves together. “I think I will go back downstairs right now, your majesty. If you need anything else...”

“If we have another situation like Spike, I will be sure to suggest you.” Celestia said with a smile on her face. “Now come, there is still cake to be had and you have a research party with Twilight.”

“Right; we’re going to study magic,” Spliced grumbled only to let out a squeak as the other alicorn pushed on her flanks with her thaumatic aura. “What?”

“There is cake to be had, and I am not inclined to miss them, young lady.” Celestia said sternly.

“Are you serious right no-” Spliced yipped again as the other mare pushed her again.

“I’m always serious when it comes to cakes,” Celestia told her. “Now, if you would please…”

Rolling her eyes, Spliced made her way down the stairs with the princess hot on her hooves.

Comments

[Tale Swapper]

...Spliced is going to learn that magic is irrational and awesome. Then she's gonna learn that Friendship is Magic.

I think that once she realizes just how important friendship really is, she's gonna realize just how devastating her actions were back in her old world. Still, if she doesn't go nuts, she should be a good ally for Twi and co.

[Asolem2]

Well this proves that Spliced's thaumatics are at least starting to function like magic... wonder how that will affect her ?

[Skulljack17]

Always serious about cake. Cake is SERIOUS BUSINESS.