Tales of the Abyss: Hymns of Equestria

by Genis94

Understanding

Luke and Twilight traveled back to the library so that the former could explain more about Auldrant. Twilight was very impatient, as something that she didn't know about tended to annoy her. The two took a seat inside the main room of the library, so Twilight could be close to any reference materials she needed.

"So what do you want me to start with?" Luke asked.

"Well, you've been mentioning hyperresonance and fonons the whole time today, so I guess you could start there."

"Okay. Everything is made up of seven different kinds of particles, called fonons. The first fonon is shadow, the second fonon is earth, the third is wind, the fourth is water, the fifth is fire, and the sixth is light, or rem."

"Then what's the seventh fonon?" Twilight asked.

"The seventh fonon is the fonon of sound."

"Fascinating... Sound being made up of particles. I've never thought of anything like that."

"Right, well hyperresonance is usually what happens when two seventh fonists, people who can use the seventh fonon, use their powers together."

"But, I saw you do one all by yourself!" Twilight blurted.

"Yeah, I can cause my own hyperresonance."

"Incredible!"

Twilight was now scribbling down notes on their entire conversation, and wearing her study glasses.

"So, what else do you want to know?" The Swordsman of Lorelei asked.

"Well, you did mention that you have friends, and I have been studying the magic of friendship..."

"Studying friendship? That sounds lame."

If the look Twilight gave Luke could kill, Luke wouldn't have been able to be brought back even by a life bottle.

"S-sorry. Hang on a sec."

Luke fished around in his belongings for the picture that he had shown Fluttershy earlier.

"Here it is. Let's see... Let's start with Guy."

Luke pointed to a tall young man carrying a katana on his waist. His blond hair and cool demeanor spoke volumes about his noble nature.

"Oh wow! He looks amazing!"

"Yeah, Guy was always there to help me in a pinch. The two of us were best friends. Even when everyone else had abandoned me, he was the first to come back."

"He sounds like a true friend. I'd really like to meet him someday."

"Heh, I wonder if he's afraid of talking pony girls." Luke pondered to himself.

"Huh?"

"Ah, it's nothing. Moving on. This girl over here is Anise."

The girl on the very end next to Guy, was striking a cute pose and winking to the camera. She had her brown hair done up into pigtails, and was holding a strange looking doll in her arm.

"She seems nice."

"Yeah, at first she seems like that, but then she tries to get to your money. Then again, she was only doing it to try and help her parents."

"What was wrong?"

"Her father got himself into a huge amount of debt, but Grand Maestro Mohs payed for it, on the condition they work at the church for next to nothing."

"Oh my! That sounds horrible!"

"It gets worse. Mohs forced Anise to act as a spy for months, by blackmailing her with her own parents."

"Well this 'Mohs' certainly sounds like a monster."

"You have no idea... Well, in the end, Anise became devoted to reforming the Order of Lorelei so that people wouldn't be dependent on the Score."

"What's the Score?"

"It was all of these predictions made by Yulia that pretty much came true. Everyone became so obsessed with the Score, they wouldn't know what to do for dinner without it. The rest of us saw things a different way; that the Score was just one of countless possibilities."

"Well that makes sense. I'm not sure I would want to be able to see everything that happens in the future."

"So who's next... This one here is Natalia. She's my cousin and Princess of the nation of Kimlasca-Lanvaldear."

The young woman Luke was pointing at now had short golden hair and an air of nobility about her. She was actually a year older than Luke. Her blue outfit seemed to be made of the finest of fabrics, confirming her place in society. She stood with her bow at her side and her quiver slung across her back.

"You're related to a princess?!"

"I told you I was the nephew of King Ingobert. Anyway, she was always thinking about the country and her duty to the people. She did so much for the people of Kimlasca, that they aided her in her escape when they attempted to arrest her because she wasn't actually of royal blood."

"She sounds like she must be truly wonderful."

"She was. I just hope she's able to stay strong so she can help lead Kimlasca."

"She sounds like she would be just fine, so don't worry."

"Thanks. Next up is Jade." The man standing behind the others had long brown hair and a military officers uniform. Even though he had what appeared to be a genuine smile on his face, it felt like it was there to hide something. His pose was simply him adjusting his glasses with one hand while smiling towards the camera. "Now where to start with him... He was a colonel in the Malkuth Imperial forces, and was an accomplished fonist. He was also known as 'The Father of Fomicry'."

"What's Fomicry?" Twilight peeked up from her notes.

"It's the science of replicating things. You could even replicate something living, even a human."

"That sounds amazing!"

"It had many costs though. Sometimes the original would die from the replication process, and replicas could be... unstable."

"I see..."

"Jade himself wanted them to stop fomicry research, but they kept going at it. It led to all sorts of problems. And..."

"And?"

"Never mind. Anyway, back to Jade. He was always kinda sadistic, sarcastic, and just plain strange."

"The way you put it, he doesn't exactly sound like a friend."

"Well, he was a bit of a jerk sometimes, but deep down he did care about us."

"So who's this last one here? She looks beautiful."

Luke paused for a moment as he looked at the familiar face. This woman had long brown hair that covered her right eye, and was wearing an intricate and beautiful uniform for seventh fonists in the Order of Lorelei. She had a nervous smile in the picture, perhaps hiding some inner pain she was feeling. Tear was the one he truly missed the most. While he felt happy at the thought of their memories together, he was saddened by the thought he may never see her again.

"Her name is Tear. She was the reason any of this happened. It all began on that one day..."

"I've finally found you, Vandesdelca! ...Prepare to die, traitor!" The woman called out.

"Tear! I knew it!" The man known as Vandesdelca shouted.

"Who the hell are you?!" Luke asked in astonishment, raising his sword to attack the intruder and defend his master.

"No! Stop!" Van cried.

*Clang!*

Resound...! The will of Lorelei shall reach you... and open the way! A strange voice spoke.

"Hello? Twilight to Luke!"

"Huh? Oh sorry, I must have spaced out there."

"You were telling me about Tear?"

"Right. She was the whole reason any of my adventures happened. She taught me a lot about the way the world worked since I was so naive back then. She was one of the reasons I wanted to change from the person I was."

"What do you mean?"

"I was raised in the manor my whole life. I hated being cooped up in there, but I was still just a spoiled brat on the outside too. One day, something terrible happened, and it was because I was such a selfish idiot. Everyone hated me. Even Tear said she couldn't believe she saw some good in me. I became so depressed. But then, I resolved to change. I wanted to make up for my mistake, and become a better person."

"I had no idea..."

"It's alright. Tear was- is very important to me. I just want to see her again."

Twilight was sorry to see Luke depressed, but was finally beginning to understand him.

"Don't worry. I'm the personal student to Princess Celestia. I'm sure that if we figure out what sent you here, we can get you back no problem!"

"Thanks Twilight. I was wondering, do you think you could tell me more about your world?"

"I suppose it's only fair. Ask me anything you like."

Luke wasn't exactly sure where to start. This whole world was all topsey turvey, and he's barely been here for a day.

"Well, how about you tell me who Princess Celestia is?"

"Princess Celestia is the ruler of our nation, and one of the most amazing ponies ever. She raises the sun each morning, while her sister, Princess Luna, raises the moon at night."

"This whole world just gets stranger and stranger."

"Celestia is an alicorn; she has the qualities of all three kinds of pony. She has the horn of a unicorn and incredible magic, the wings of a pegasus to let her fly, and the strength and endurance of an earth pony."

"She sounds really strong!"

"Don't worry, she's actually very kind and caring for all of her subjects. She actually sounds a bit like Natalia."

"I guess that's a relief. So who's the king around here? Maybe we could have an audience-"

"Actually, there is no king or queen. Princess Celestia is the highest authority in all of Equestria."

"That's a little strange. So I guess if anyone we would have an audience with her."

"Right, but a trip to Canterlot might not be in the cards right now. We still have to let the town know who you are and that you aren't dangerous. I can send a letter to the Princess so she can help get the wheel rolling for a town assembly, maybe she'll even show up herself."

"Sounds like a plan. Send one as soon as you can."

"I'll send it now. Spike!"

"What's up Twilight?" The purple dragon asked as he entered the room.

"Spike, take a letter."

Spike quickly grabbed a quill and some parchment and prepared to write down Twilight's words verbatim.

"Dear Princess Celestia, I have met an amazing new friend yesterday. His name is Luke fon Fabre, and he comes from another world. Due to the fact he is the first human ever in Equestria, I think it necessary for a town meeting so the citizens of Ponyville can get to know him. If you could assist in setting up the meeting I would very much appreciate it. It also seems that Luke seeks to have an audience with you, so perhaps you could come visit during the meeting. I await your reply. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle."

Spike, now finished with the letter, coiled it into a scroll to be sent off to the princess. However, rather than take it to the post office, Spike blew flames on the scroll, sending the ashes flying out the window.

"Why would you do that?!" Luke blurted angrily.

"Whoa, calm down dude. I have magic fire breath. I can send and receive letters directly with the princess."

"That sounds useful."

"So was there anything else you wanted to ask about?" Twilight asked.

"So how does magic work?"

"Unicorns naturally have the ability to use magic, but what kind of spells they can use depends on their special talent. Since my talent is magic, I can use all sorts of spells."

"So only unicorns can use magic?"

"Yes, that's correct."

"So it's kinda like how only certain humans can use the seventh fonon."

"Really? What happens if someone tries to use the seventh fonon when they aren't a seventh fonist?"

Luke's mind raced back to what Jade had told him before. When he was a child, Jade attempted an experiment by attempting to use the seventh fonon. The end result was the death of his teacher, Professor Gelda Nebilim. Jade and his now former friend, Saphir, also known as Dist the Reaper, attempted to create a replica of Nebilim using fonic artes. While the result was the first human replica, she lacked fonons of Rem and Shadow. In order to make up for this, she killed an entire batallion of fonists to try and absorb their fonons, and could only be sealed away inside of a cavern later known as Nebilim's Crag. Luke and the others fought this powerful replica when they attempted to use the six catalyst weapons to activate the planetary fonic arte. Nebilim was far superior to any opponent they had ever faced, but was ultimately destroyed by using a portion of the planetary fonic arte.

"Just trust me when I say: it's bad."

"A-alright then."

Twilight was visibly disappointed, she clearly wanted to try out the seventh fonon.

"*Yawn* I'm starting to get a little tired. All of this new world stuff takes it out of you." Luke admitted.

"That's alright. I need to start working on your speech anyway."

"Oh uh, I forgot to ask this before, but do you have a journal and something to write with?"

"Of course! I always keep five in reserve, and there are plenty of quills and ink, but why do you ask?"

"Well... I sorta keep a diary. I originally did it because the doctors told me to do it in case I lost my memory again."

"Lost you memory again?"

"I'll tell you about that another time. Anyway, I've been keeping it ever since so I could get my thoughts down. It kinda helped me get through some rough spots."

"It's perfectly alright. It's not like I would have judged you. In fact, Rarity keeps a diary herself."

"I bet the worst thing in there is about her getting a stain on one of her dresses." Luke thought.

Twilight levitated a blank journal along with a quill and ink to Luke. Luke walked upstairs to his bed, and began writing down all of the events that had transpired since he defeated Van. After he finally caught up with where he was now, he set himself down for the night's rest.

Comments

[Genis94]

The latest chapter was kinda short, but fear not my friends! Thar be twists on the horizon!

[Dirty Bit]

I shall read more of this. Keep up the good work, friend

[Link-kid]

oh man i hope you don't quit half way through.
this just keeps getting better.

[Genis94]

1042667 Don't worry, I have no intention of just dropping it. It may get slower updates once my schedule starts getting busy, but I assure you, this won't stop till it's done!