• Published 6th Apr 2019
  • 1,538 Views, 594 Comments

Distant Reflections - David Silver



Equestria and Everglow have brushed against one another through the course of their histories, each time fleeting, but memorable to those involved. Many many years later, the unaging Twilight captains a space vessel to explore the universe.

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75 - According to Plan

Wandering let out a sigh, long and relieved. "They're being sent forward, good days delivered. The inspection is over."

Steel nodded a little stiffly. "Good. Good... That was the hard part." He leaned back in his chair, arms folding over his chest. "We're officially past their guard. We just need to be released a good distance in and--"

"--That is not a feature." Fast inclined her head. "Getting back out will be a challenge."

"True..." Steel brought his hooves together silently, rubbing one against the other. "We'll have to figure that out when we get to that point. Pity teleporters can't carry entire ships."

Under lifted an ear at that thought. "That would require a stupendous amount of energy, and a teleportation field large enough to encompass the ship. Unpractical from any angle I consider it from."

"Just a musing." Steel looked to his co-captain instead. "We should turn our ears towards what we came for."

"Agreed." She pointed to Wandering. "Keep your ears pricked for any whispers from them. Hopefully we're not too late."

It was, alas, possible they were long past the time they could even help, despite all their haste. The tension in the room grew at the idea. Dawn lowered his head faintly. "We are not a lot called to action falsely often. We are the champions of Everglow, let us not forget." A call to faith, as one might expect from him, but it did ease things a little.

Twilight was left out. "Champions?"


"And there ya go." Pinkie grabbed the cloth in her teeth and pulled free the covering over Blue's mouth, working off the gag shortly after. "All better!"

"Not quite," argued Blue with a wriggle. She was still quite tied up on a stick, even in the company of her pink savior. "It's a strange feeling, being saved by you."

"Why's that?" Pinkie got to working off the ropes and securing Blue's freedom. "That's what friends are for, right?"

"Yes, surely." She slipped to the ground, stretching and kicking her legs to get feeling to return to them. "But, coming as you did, I was reminded of my racial god, our Mother."

"About that." Pinkie listed her head to the left sharply. "If you have one of those, why do you also do the whole Luminace thing? Not that Luminace is a bad one! From what Twilight's told me, she's super nice, actually." She paused to consider. "Is your mother not nice?"

"She is very nice," assured Blue with a slow nod. "And still my mother, but I have decided to follow the tenants of knowledge and friendship as opposed to family and love. Mother is not mad at me, nor I at her. I still love her, how can I not? She is my mother."

"Gosh, I can't even imagine being mad at my mom." Her humble mother danced in her mind, literally, doing a little twirl she'd never do in the real world before falling back to all fours and adjusting her glasses gently. "She's just the best. Now, uh, we should probably get moving." Her right ear quivered. "I can hear them getting closer."

"Oh, yes." Blue took a step, just to wobble. "I still feel... off. Whatever you did, I appreciate being saved, but that was not fun."

"Sorry!" Pinkie hugged her blue friend tight and half-carried her away from the incoming sounds of angry people.


Twilight rubbed at the side of her head. "It's the strangest thing. I feel like I've forgotten something. Something important."

"It happens to the best of us." Under tapped at his console, not that it was alive to respond to his touches. "I take a perverse pride in having forgotten more than most ever know."

Twilight let out a strained little laugh at that. "There's something I can relate to..." Being unaging had its quirks. "Still, it was... something important." She resumed the head tapping, as if she could shake loose the memory. "It had to do with you all... With Everglow? With..." She struggled to find the lost thread.


"There she is." A younger Twilight, not even ascended to the throne, grinned brightly at the floating, if dim, image of Pinkie and Blue sneaking through dark hallways. "At least one of them." She put out her hooves and turned them, one going clockwise around the other as if she were turning some unseen knob in the air. "Where are you...?"

With a flicker, the darkness kept jumping around as she tried to filter for the pattern she was hunting for. "Where..."

"Where's who?"

Twilight had to blink and squint. There was Pinkie again, looking at her sensor. That shouldn't have been possible, let alone actually hearing her, or seeing her. The mysteries of Pinkie's magic were as deep as they were horrifying. "Pinkie?"

"That's me!" Her voice dropped to a low whisper, "We're being followed, so I gotta keep quiet."

"I'm... glad you're alright." Her eyes fell to the other pony. "Who's that?"

"Blue." Pinkie nudged against her companion. "We're both trying to get out of here." A shout came from out of view of the sensor. "Oh no, gotta go!"

"Wai--" The feed went blank, Pinkie and her friend scurrying out of view of her sensor, other dark figures rushing past after her. Twilight frowned. "A pity..." She couldn't hurl most magic through that sensor, to aid Pinkie. A host of spells could help out, if that were possible.

A notebook fell open. It was her journal to Sunset Shimmer, and new words were on the page that flipped open.

Visiting you directly is against the rules to make a habit of, even if, technically, Equestria does not abide by the same rules as Everglow. Despite that, I prefer to adhere to rules. They give life purpose. I'm getting off track. This book is a marvelous device! I can influence it directly and communicate with you. Can you make another? I can feel this is connected to another book, and I fear whoever has that is very confused by my words. Sorry, whoever you are. I just need to talk to Twilight.

Twilight grabbed the book in her magic and pulled it over. "Who is this?" But it didn't reply. She slapped her hoof to her forehead. "Duh." She got out a quill and began to write her words. "Who is this?"

A friend, we spoke not long ago. You are on my mission.

Luminace?! Twilight grinned stupidly, overwhelmed. "Luminace! Good to... see? you... You were just here, why couldn't you come back if you wanted to?"

I could, but I won't. There are rules, and they exist for a reason. The world of mortals does not need gods tromping around, making a mess of things. If I did it with the kindest of intentions, that would be permission for other, far less kind, forces. And if you think even I, as nice as I try to be, couldn't cause problems, you are mistaken. We are off topic, however.

Twilight had to be impressed. Luminace wrote so quickly, and neatly. "Alright, so what brings you back, even if just in word format?"

Your energetic friend has things under control, even if she appears to be lost at the best of times. Have faith in your friend.

Twilight nodded softly, though, coming from a god of friendship, that advice felt inevitable. "And?"

Turn your eyes to the young. They struggle towards adulthood, but even adults can use help. Be their friend, for they walk in darkness, and a friendly hoof would be appreciated.

"Right, yes. I want to help them!" She threw a hoof wide. "Any tips on finding them? It's very dark."

Check your spell book.

Her Everglow spell book flopped from the shelf. Luminace liked communicating and helping through timely books, though Twilight had to scowl at the fact that the books were abused half the time. A goddess of knowledge and magic, perhaps, but not a librarian... She lifted her book in her magic and drew it closer, leaving it open to the page it had ended up on. "Oh." There it was, a spell she had added to her collection, then forgot about entirely. It wasn't needed in Equestria.

It was time to use it. Her horn's glow increased in intensity as she worked through the magic of the spell. It was meant to be prepared first, locked in a pattern in her mind, but she had no time for that. She did it manually, twisting her Equestrian magic in knots to match the strange patterns it demanded.

The darkness of the sensor faded away, allowing her to see as well as if the area were well lit, with one exception. Though the world around her was painted with the vibrant colors of Equestria, the dark patch was in shades of grey, not a peek of color to be seen. "Still." An improvement! She swiveled and panned the sensor, resuming her hunt. "I will find you."


"Who were you talking to?"

Pinkie nudged Blue. "It's not our turn."

"Wha--"


Gneech pointed to the left and directed Silver to the right, causing them all to shift in direction under his guidance. He had never owned a horse, but riding one, even if they were a pony? It was actually kind of fun, and empowering. He could feel her great muscles working to carry them along, her power, his, for the time. "That way," he hissed quietly, tugging her in the direction he wanted to go.

Able to see in the dark, a trick he had that his friends did not, Gneech was avoiding the patrols that dotted the ruins they were in. "Is shame."

"What is?" Diamond leaned in from behind. "The others? I'm hoping they got out. We'll meet them outside."

"Others, no. Yes? But no. We not get what--" He went quiet a moment as they dashed past an intersection, enemies too close. "Not get what come for."

Diamond scowled. "Yeah..." That was, on some levels, the worst part. They were retreating without what they had come for. What had been the point? "Let's get out of here."


"Alright, now it's our turn." Pinkie nodded confidently. "You were saying?"

"Pinkie, you are a dear and treasured friend, but I do not understand you." Blue sagged against Pinkie for support as they advanced along the dark hallways. "Are we headed out, or do you know where the book is?"

"Lumie sure loves her books." Pinkie wriggled her nose with a grin. "No wonder she gets along with Twilight. Anywho, you're feeling awful, and we're all split up." She squinted into the dark before taking a turn. "You sure we should be thinking about that?"

"Both of my gods want it." Blue clutched a little tighter to Pinkie. "It is knowledge. It is love. It is the way to bring Mother back from the void entirely." She sagged a little. "But I am at your mercy, dear friend. Without you, I would be stumbling in the dark, or still tied up more likely. Where you lead, I will follow."

"That said, I have a good idea where it is." As Blue looked up at her sharply, Pinkie grinned knowingly. "But you're going to have to wait until the next chapter to find out. Don't worry, I know who's making this adventure. Nice guy, little forgetful."

Blue's confusion, instead of increasing, suddenly abated. "Oh. Oh! Pinkie... Why did you not say you worshiped the Author? Everything suddenly makes sense... Though most revere the Author as a female? That you see them as a male is... intriguing." She nestled against Pinkie, a warm smile on her face as if all the wrongness of the world had simply evaporated. "You are a silly pony, but that is often a trait of Author followers. Dear friend, tell a person that and you would avoid so much trouble."

"I don't know who that is, but you're going to tell me." She thunked her head against Blue's gently. "Sounds like an even more fun god."

Author's Note:

They broke into mineralite territory! Everything can only go smoothly from here on out! Pinkie has a longstanding tradition of shredding the fourth wall in Everglow stories. I trust her, and she trusts me, so we get along. She'll call me out if I miss something. Read back over the old story with her and you'll see.

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