Alternate to Magic

by smirker

Day 10

Morning comes and Walker decides to paint since it was early in the morning, he paints a water landscape with a an island in the background that looks like a turtle's shell, he looks and sees Runner was passing the time by reading about honor and chivalry, while Sprinter was dancing with his ex-girlfriends. Walker continues to paint while thinking about his four trainers,

"Still thinking about having your trainers present, I see." Walker's Passive said,

"Yeah, I still wonder if I should have them present." Walker replied,

"That's your choice, Walker, do what you wish." Runner said,

"If you wish to, then Runner and I should have our trainers present as well." Sprinter said,

"Yeah, I agree there." Runner said,

"Well, in that case, yes, I'd like for our trainers to be here." Walker replied, the three feel tingling in their heads',

"Very well, I'll send them." Spirit said telepathically, and he goes off, twelve lights appear and their trainers appear, each one had four trainers, one trainer looked like them but more muscular, one trainer had its brain exposed and its body was made of blue electricity, one trainer was light blue and transparent like a ghost, and one trainer had its heart exposed and its body was made of red fire,

"It's almost time for school, Walker." Sprinter said,

"Alright." Walker replied, and he adds the finishing touches to his painting and heads outside.

---

Walker heads outside and sees the ponies of Ponyville waiting for him,

"What was that light in your house just now?" Twilight Sparkle asked,

"Oh, um, I asked for my four trainers to be with me as well." Walker replied, the ponies look and see them,

"Whoa, they look so cool." Rainbow Dash said,

"Who are they?" Fluttershy asked,

"We are all Walker." the Walker who looked like him but more muscular replied,

"Wait, you four are Walker?" Twilight Sparkle asked,

"Yes, we are representations of his inner self." the Walker made from blue electricity replied,

"What do y'all represent and train him in?" Applejack asked,

"I represent his body, I train him in exercising and staying in shape." the Walker who looked like him replied,

"I represent his mind, I train him in learning new things through books and academics, he also receives my training throughout his life as he has new experiences." the Walker made from blue electricity said,

"I represent his spirit, I train him in having a strong willpower and being determined, as well as having self-control." the light blue and transparent Walker said,

"I represent his emotions, I train him in empathy and being able to read the emotions of others." the Walker made from red fire said,

"Wow, this is amazing, Walker, I'm honestly kind of jealous I didn't have teachers like them." Twilight Sparkle said,

"So, what do we call you guys?" Rainbow Dash asked,

"Body Walker." the muscular Walker said,

"Mind Walker." the Walker made from blue electricity said,

"Spirit Walker." the light blue and transparent Walker said,

"Emotion Walker." the Walker made from red fire said,

"Do your father and grandfather have their trainers, too?" Fluttershy asked,

"Yes." Walker replied,

"I wanna see them." Twilight Sparkle said, the door opens and Runner and Sprinter come out, everybody sees Body Runner, Body Sprinter, Mind Runner, Mind Sprinter, Spirit Runner, Spirit Sprinter, Emotion Runner, and Emotion Sprinter. Everypony looks on with surprise, Body Runner was skinny with no muscle while Body Sprinter was as muscular as Bulk Biceps, Mind Runner and Mind Sprinter had blue electricity that glowed brightly and crackled loudly, along with big brains, Mind Sprinter had the bigger brain, Spirit Runner and Spirit Sprinter glowed much brighter than Spirit Walker, but the two were equal to one another, and Emotion Runner had slightly high flames and a medium sized heart while Emotion Sprinter had almost no fire on himself and his heart was very small and not beating. The ponies look at the inner selfs of the three,

"Wow, Runner, you look a bit out of shape." Rainbow Dash said,

"I hate training." Runner replied,

"What is this, Sprinter? Why is your emotional self so dim?" Rarity asked,

"My granddad is not very big on emotions." Walker replied,

"Having no emotions is bad for your health." Twilight Sparkle said, they look and see Emotion Walker was brighter than Emotion Runner and Emotion Sprinter,

"I assume you're more emotional than your father and grandfather, Walker." Twilight Sparkle said,

"He is, he's the one who always wants to have fun instead of getting things done." Runner replied,

"Truth be told, it does hinder us sometimes." Sprinter said,

"That's normal for foals, Sprinter, just like with you being the smartest of the three, that's normal for elders." Twilight Sparkle said, Sprinter chuckles,

"So, what's the spirit part for?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"It is our willpower and determination, by training our spirits, if a soul tries to possess us, we can force them out just through pure determination." Sprinter replied,

"Can we see your trainings?" Twilight Sparkle asked,

"I'll show you all after school." Walker replied, the ponies murmur with excitement,

"Alright, we'll be waiting." Twilight Sparkle said, and they all get on with their days.

---

Walker works in his classroom and everypony looks at him, he reads the book Cheerilee told the class to read and Mind Walker's electricity crackles, and Emotion Walker's flames rise high since Walker was irritated by the loud ghosts in the school again, Sweetie Belle looks and sees Body Walker losing his muscles since Walker was not doing any physical activity, and Spirit Walker glows brighter since Walker was more determined to finish his classwork, even though the loud ghosts annoyed him. Walker reads the section his class was reading and finishes after several minutes,

"Um, Walker?" Sweetie Belle asked,

"Yes?" Walker asked,

"How many worlds have you been to before you moved here?" Sweetie Belle asked, Walker counts in his head,

"Six, I believe." Walker replied,

"What was the first world you've been to like?" Sweetie Belle asked,

"It was fun, all of the bright colors hurt my eyes, though." Walker replied, Sweetie Belle leans towards him,

"What were the people like?" Sweetie Belle asked,

"Warrior culture, use bladed boomerangs as weapons." Walker replied,

"What were they called?" Sweetie Belle asked,

"Harpies." Walker replied,

"And the name of their world?" Sweetie Belle asked,

"Aerostia, it's also the second world my dad went to, and the third world for my granddad." Walker replied,

"What was your second world?" Sweetie Belle asked,

"Chrysaor, that world was my favorite, it's also my dad's first world and my granddad's second world." Walker replied,

"What are the people there called?" Sweetie Belle asked,

"Vulcans." Walker replied,

"Vulcan?" Sweetie Belle asked,

"Yeah, they're an artistic bunch, but also fighters." Walker replied,

"What about your third world?" Sweetie Belle asked,

"Yomi, my dad's third world and my granddad's first world." Walker replied,

"What are the people there like?" Sweetie Belle asked,

"Trust me, you don't want to know." Walker replied,

"What are they called?" Sweetie Belle asked,

"Onis." Walker replied,

"Oni?" Sweetie Belle asked,

"Yeah, and I'm serious when I say this, you don't want to know about their culture." Walker replied,

"Can you give me a hint?" Sweetie Belle asked,

"Violent, fight to the death." Walker replied,

"Oh." Sweetie Belle said with discomfort,

"Shoot, it's almost time to turn our work in." Walker said as he looks at the clock, and the two get back to work and finish on time, today was a normal school day and everypony had no problems besides the loud ghosts. The bell rings and it was time to go home,

"Hold on, everypony, due to us falling behind schedule, we all have to come to school tomorrow." Cheerilee said, the students except for Walker groan,

"I know, and I'm sorry to do this, have a good day, everypony." Cheerilee said, and they all go home.

---

Walker walks to the center of Ponyville and sees everypony gather around,

"I haven't forgotten, I'll show you all my training." Walker said, and his four trainers stand in front of him,

"Which one do you want to do first?" Body Walker asked,

"I'll do emotions first." Walker replied, and Body Walker, Mind Walker, and Spirit Walker disappear. Emotion Walker makes Pinkie Pie appear,

"Hey, that's me!" Pinkie Pie said,

"*gasp* A new friend!" the Pinkie Pie illusion said,

"She's happy right now." Walker said,

"Good job, Walker." Emotion Walker said,

"Wait, how does this training work?" Starlight Glimmer asked,

"Walker has to watch the pony's facial expressions and body language, then tell me what emotion they're feeling." Emotion Walker replied,

"Ooh, now I say that is a good thing to train in, helps you understand others." Rarity said, the Pinkie Pie illusion hops up and down while talking,

"She's excited now." Walker said,

"Too easy for you?" Emotion Walker asked,

"Yeah." Walker replied,

"Alright, let's try something harder." Emotion Walker said, and he makes the illusion of Pinkie Pie disappear and summons an illusion of Maud Pie,

"Maud!" Pinkie Pie said,

"I remember you from the last time." the illusion of Maud Pie said, Walker looks on,

"Um, happy, I guess." Walker said,

"Nope, neutral." Emotion Walker replied, he watches Maud Pie and she just looks at him,

"What?" the illusion of Maud Pie asked,

"Annoyed?" Walker asked,

"Nope, curious." Emotion Walker replied,

"Wait, why Maud for?" Starlight Glimmer asked,

"Because even stoics have emotions." Emotion Walker replied,

"I think I get this training, let's see the other three." Twilight Sparkle said, and Emotion Walker makes the illusion disappear while Body Walker, Mind Walker, and Spirit Walker reappear. Walker looks at the four,

"Let's do mind training next." Walker said, and Body Walker, Spirit Walker, and Emotion Walker disappear. Mind Walker makes books appear for Walker to read, he picks up one and reads it, everypony saw it was a book on the cultures of Equestria. Twilight Sparkle and Ocellus become curious and trot over to see what the books were, there were books on math, science, Equestrian magic, Equestrian culture and customs, and Equestrian history,

"Wow, this is actually a pretty diverse range to choose from." Twilight Sparkle said,

"Can we read them, please?" Ocellus asked,

"Of course, but they will disappear when Walker's done." Mind Walker replied, and Twilight Sparkle reads a book on Equestrian magic while Ocellus reads a book on Equestrian history, they enjoy the books until they hear Walker yawning, he puts his book down,

"I'll read more later, I'm almost falling asleep." Walker said, Sunset Shimmer chuckles,

"Wow, it's almost like me when I'm learning." Sunset Shimmer said, Mind Walker makes the books disappear while Body Walker, Spirit Walker, and Emotion Walker reappear,

"I'll train my willpower next, since training my body will change the landscape." Walker said, Body Walker, Mind Walker, and Emotion Walker disappear,

"I don't need to summon anything, just sit down and meditate, Walker." Spirit Walker, and he does. Walker meditates with his front legs in the lap of his hind legs, he inhales through his snout and exhales through his mouth,

"There you go, Walker, just focus on the present, and keep all of your memories out, keep your willpower strong so you don't get possessed." Spirit Walker said, and Walker exhales again,

"Don't forget to have positive energy bloom inside of you, Walker." Ocellus said,

"This isn't about positive energy, this is about making him mentally stronger and more determined to get things done." Spirit Walker replied,

"But positive energy will make him more determined to start something." Ocellus said,

"This training is to also train Walker to control himself, and not let his emotions get the best of him." Spirit Walker replied,

"Walker." Ocellus said,

"Yeah." Walker said,

"Do you feel any positive energy from the meditation?" Ocellus asked,

"Nope." Walker replied,

"Don't you feel happy?" Ocellus asked,

"No, I don't feel anything, I just do it." Walker replied,

"That's no fun." Pinkie Pie said,

"That doesn't look fun to begin with, looks boring." Rainbow Dash replied, Walker opens his eyes,

"Well, I might as well end it now." Walker said while he stands up, and Body Walker, Mind Walker, and Emotion Walker reappear,

"Come see me next time, Walker, I'll teach you how to meditate properly." Ocellus said,

"You ready?" Body Walker asked,

"Yeah, I need you two to back away." Walker replied, and Twilight Sparkle and Ocellus do, Mind Walker, Spirit Walker, and Emotion Walker disappear. The landscape changes and there was a blizzard in Ponyville, the people in Ponyville scream as they cover themselves, the landscape also changes to one of a mountain and there was snow on the ground,

"Whoo, this is freezin'." Applejack said,

"Place colder than winter night in Yakyakistan." Yona said,

"Alright, Walker, the usual exercise, let's see if you're faster than before." Body Walker said, and Walker exhales as he gets ready,

"Wait, what's the exercise?" Twilight Sparkle asked, and they see Walker jump and enter a body of water,

"Wait, he has to swim in that?!" Rainbow Dash asked, they see Walker come up to the surface and exhales loudly, he begins swimming in the water as fast as he can,

"That's crazy, almost no one can withstand water that cold." Starlight Glimmer said,

"I really hope he doesn't get hypothermia." Twilight Sparkle said, and Walker swims as fast as he can while panting,

"I wanna try!" Silverstream said, and she dives in while changing to a seapony, she screams and climbs out, two nearby ponies pull her out while she changes back to a hippogriff, she looks at her unfolded wings and gasps,

"My wings!" Silverstream said, the feathers on her wings were frozen solid with ice around them,

"Whoa, her wings froze from the water." Sandbar said,

"Well, it's a blizzard, there's a windchill, and judging by the landscape, Walker does this training somewhere in the mountains, so it's high altitude, which makes it even colder." Twilight Sparkle said, Walker swims through the ice cold water and breathes heavily as he keeps going, he makes to the end and climbs out while panting heavily,

"Better, but still not good enough, we'll have to do this training again one day." Body Walker said, Walker looks down while the land changes back to normal, and Walker's four trainers were around him,

"Well... *pant* *pant* that's all of them." Walker said while breathing hard and shivering,

"Come on, everypony, let's take him to my place." Rarity said, and she and her friends carry Walker to Carousel Boutique.

---

Walker was in Carousel Boutique and laying down on a pillow while panting, Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack work together to warm him up,

"I got the blankets here." Twilight Sparkle said as she put them on Walker, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie gather around Walker to warm him up with their body heat,

"Here's some ginger tea for you, darling." Rarity said, and Walker drinks it, Rainbow Dash puts a hot towel on Walker's head, Applejack uses a towel to dry Walker's tail,

"Ya warm now, Walker?" Applejack asked, Walker pants a little loudly and shivers a bit,

"Sweetie Belle, can you be a dear and get my heavy duty winter coat?" Rarity asked, and Sweetie Belle runs upstairs and comes back while using her telekinesis to carry a light purple heavy winter coat that had white fur trimmings on it,

"I have it here." Sweetie Belle said,

"Thank you, darling." Rarity replied, and she unwraps the blankets and puts the coat on Walker, his panting begins to die down,

"You feel better now, Walker?" Twilight Sparkle asked,

"Yeah, thanks." Walker replied,

"Say, Walker, what were the next three worlds you visited after Aerostia, Chrysaor, and Yomi?" Sweetie Belle asked, Walker tries to remember,

"I believe they were Electra, Necromanca, and Anima, that sounds right." Walker replied,

"What about your father and grandfather?" Sweetie Belle asked,

"I don't know." Walker replied,

"Oh." Sweetie Belle said,

"I'm a bit surprised to see you here, though." Walker said,

"I live here, Walker, I'm Rarity's sister." Sweetie Belle replied,

"I see." Walker said,

"Still, traveling to other worlds at only the age of four? A lot of foals would be jealous." Twilight Sparkle said,

"That's actually one reason why my family can't have siblings." Walker replied,

"Do the ponies at your home know about your powers?" Sweetie Belle asked,

"No, my old home is in the middle of the woods with no neighbors." Walker replied,

"No neighbors, you must have been lonely." Twilight Sparkle said,

"It did get lonely sometimes." Walker replied,

"I wonder how your father and grandfather grew up." Fluttershy said,

"Truth be told, I have the most normal upbringing when compared to those two." Walker replied,

"Speaking of them, where are they? They should be finished with work by now." Rainbow Dash said,

"They're probably in the Void and doing something for Spirit." Walker replied,

"How often are your daddy and grandpa gone?" Sweetie Belle asked,

"Not very often, it's me who's gone the most." Walker replied,

"Can you bring souvenirs from your travels?" Rarity asked,

"For what?" Walker asked,

"To have memories of your experiences there." Twilight Sparkle replied,

"I can't do that." Walker said,

"Why not?" Sweetie Belle asked,

"Number of reasons, some items are sacred and forbidden to touch, some are cursed, some activate traps, souls can haunt photos and objects I bring, and it can leave evidence that I was there for my enemies to hunt me down." Walker replied,

"You don't seem to have that many enemies." Rainbow Dash said,

"I have a lot of enemies in the worlds beyond." Walker replied,

"Well, tell me about them one day, I'd like to write them down in my books, I think you're warmed up now." Twilight Sparkle said,

"Yeah, I'm starting to sweat." Walker replied, and he takes the blankets and coat off,

"I'll be going home now, I'll check if dad and granddad are there." Walker said, and he heads home while the seven female ponies say bye to him. Walker walks home and sees Runner and Sprinter were not home, he sighs and does his homework, he has lettuce for dinner and goes to sleep at his bedtime.

---

Fluttershy sleeps in her bed but soon wakes up when she feels something watching over her, she looks and sees a Shadow at her room's entrance, Fluttershy tries to gasp but she could not speak, she tries to get up but could not, realizing she was paralyzed. Fluttershy looks on in fear while the Shadow walks towards her slowly with its head twitching around, it walks onto the top of Fluttershy's bed, she watches with fear and sees the Shadow was about to strangle her. The Shadow disappears and Fluttershy exhales deeply, she sees Discord made it disappear,

"Visitors at night. How troublesome." Discord said,

"Thank you, Discord." Fluttershy said,

"Oh, don't thank me, he was trespassing on our property." Discord replied,

"Well, um, can you stand by my side as I sleep for the night?" Fluttershy asked,

"Of course, my dear." Discord replied, and Fluttershy goes back to sleep while Discord guards her from anymore Shadows.