A Human, a Pony Princess, and a Mistake
Chapter 21: Just Another Day
Spitfire was a mare on a mission. She had been offered a surprising amount of leniency if she helped with the arrest of Wind Rider. Spitfire suspected Princess Sparkle had something to do with it, even if privately she felt she deserved a harsher punishment. She was flanked by two guards as she came to a stop outside Wind Rider’s office. She opened the door and walked in without even knocking.
“Spits? What’s going on?” Wind Rider asked from behind his desk.
“There he is, officers,” Spitfire said quietly. The pair moved to flank Wind Rider.
“Wind Rider, you are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to talk to a lawyer and have him or her present with you while you are being questioned. If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be appointed to represent you before any questioning if you wish. You can decide at any time to exercise these rights and not answer any questions or make any statements. Do you understand these rights as I have explained them to you? Having these rights in mind, do you wish to talk to us now?” One of the officers read out the Mareanda Rights with a cool professionalism, even as Wind Rider protested his arrest.
“Arrest on what charges?!” Wind Rider demanded.
“Abuse of authority and conspiracy to commit defamation of character,” The other guard answered in a clipped tone.
“I would never do such a thing, there must be some mistake!” Wind Rider protested.
“Sir, we are only executing a warrant for your arrest. You will be questioned down at the station pending a trial to determine your guilt."
“You can’t do this to me! I’m the General of the Wonderbolts! I AM THE WONDERBOLTS! I will have your badge for this! Get your hooves off me!” Wind Rider made the mistake of trying to free himself from the guards. They had a firm grip on before, but his sudden flopping about like a fish ended when Wind Rider’s hoof solidly thwacked one of the guards in the face. The other guard instantly had Wind Rider pinned on the ground.
“Your resisting arrest will be noted and you’ll be lucky to dodge assault charges,” Spitfire could see in his eyes he was angry, but his tone belied none of it. His partner used no more force to keep Wind Rider pinned than needed. Spitfire personally wouldn’t have minded if they roughed the bastard up a bit, but she knew that wasn’t exactly legal.
The guards cuffed him, restrained his wings, and frog marched Wind Rider out to the carriage they had arrived in. Spitfire watched as they forced him into the cell built into the back and didn’t look away until they were out of her eyesight. Spitfire knew she shouldn’t feel bad for him, so why was she crying?
Pinkie Pie was on a mission. Honestly, she was ashamed of herself for not getting to it sooner. As she stalked her way towards Golden Oaks Library, Pinkie had only one goal in mind: Find out Tom’s birthday!
He had already been living here for two months! She couldn’t throw him the Welcome to Ponyville party he deserved, what with him being mostly a secret at the time, but how could she be so negligent as to forget to ask his birthday?! As a Premiere Party Planner, she was mortally offended by her own actions! If only she could get Discord to teach her how to make copies of herself, so she could declare an honor duel on Pinkie Pie.
Pinkie entered the library with her usual level of exuberance, streamers and all.
“TOM!” She shouted.
“WHAT?!” Tom shouted back, not even looking up from whatever book he was reading. She slithered up to him.
“I was wondering if you’d tell me your birthday~” Pinkie said with a smile.
“Dang it,” Moon Dancer lamented.
“I suppose it was bound to happen sooner or later,” Tom sighed. Twilight was just smirking like the cat that caught the canary.
“What? What’s wrong?” Pinkie asked.
“We had a bet going on how long it would take you to actually remember I’m not Twilight long enough to ask for my birthday. Twilight was closest, so she gets the pot,” Tom grumbled.
“And what a pot it is! Thanks Pinkie!” Twilight chirped.
“Um, you’re welcome, Twilight! Sorry for your loss, Tom and Moon Dancer…So, about that birthday..?” Pinkie asked hesitantly.
“January 9th 1997. Not that I expect that means much to you,” Tom sighed. The names of Equestrian months were similar to those back home, but Pony-fied and the New Year started in their equivalent of March with the Winter Wrap Up.
“Oh, so you’re a Capricorn born in the Year of the Rat, huh? I get you; I’ll have a super party ready for you to make up for your lackluster Welcome to Ponyville!” Tom favored her with a flat look.
“I really shouldn’t be surprised. I really, truly shouldn’t. Yet somehow, I am,” Tom sighed heavily. Pinkie just smiled at him and pronked out the door.
“Capricorn? Year of the Rat?” Twilight asked curiously.
“I’ve told you the stars back home don’t move at all. So all the constellations are permanent and cycle through the night sky on a yearly basis. Some of these constellations are called the Zodiac and are given special significance in relation to which one is intersecting with the Celestial Equator. They’re supposed to have the ability to foretell the general demeanor of a child born under that sign and general guidelines for their path in life. Capricorn is one of the Zodiac Signs,” Tom explained. Moon Dancer was listening in on the conversation as well.
“‘Supposed to’? What do you think of them personally, Tom?” Twilight asked.
“I’ve gone back and forth over my life. My current thoughts are, while we may not have Princess Luna to move the stars, they were set in place purposefully, so I can’t imagine them being utterly pointless. I just think some people give the Zodiac way too much credit and reverence. Sure, I’ve met more than a few fellow Capricorns and it can be downright spooky how similar our thought processes can be sometimes, but I haven't exactly gathered a large enough sample size to determine anything.” Tom replied.
“And the Year of the Rat?” Moon Dancer questioned.
“As with the Zodiac, it is supposed to predict one’s nature. However, that’s somewhat of a more modern spin. The original myth the Chinese Zodiac, which is what the Year of the Rat is part of, states the original purpose of it was to give the people of ancient China a way by which to determine the year of their birth. As for the myth itself, the most common version states that a great ruler called upon twelve animals to come to him to celebrate something or other. The order in which they arrived was the order in which they would appear in the new calendar. The specifics of the myth differ from region to region, some of which indicate the animals were fighting each other and were told to settle their differences through a race, but each animal displayed a character trait that would later be associated with those born in the year of that animal. For this example, The Rat was first to arrive or win the race by way of clever thinking and in some tellings, a few dirty tricks. So children born in the Year of the Rat are supposed to be quick witted,” Tom lectured.
“That’s pretty interesting,” Twilight remarked as Moon Dancer jotted down notes.
“The Chinese Zodiac I put zero stock in. As I said, the original myth and purpose of the Chinese Zodiac was simply a way to tell years apart. The personality bit came later. Truthfully, there is some evidence that suggests that even before the Chinese Zodiac was developed, Chinese astronomers kept track of the years by using the twelve year orbit of a planet called Jupiter in my home solar system. That’s why there are twelve animals in the myth: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig.” Tom continued.
“Huh, did anyone on Equuis go through so much trouble to keep track of the years before Discord’s reign?” Twilight idly wondered.
“Maybe we can ask him later, on the very big assumption he even paid attention to such things,” Moon Dancer suggested.
“I’m glad my degree isn’t going totally to waste,” Tom snarked.
“I’m sure you would’ve made a wonderful teacher to anyone who passed through your classroom,” Twilight assured him.
“Once this is all over, I think I’ll study for a teaching license here in Equestria. Even if people will be begging me for attention regardless of if I accept the offer of royalty or not, I still want to teach,” Tom confessed.
“Well, you’ll have plenty of free advertising. ‘First non-royal Alicorn offers to teach the foals’! The papers will eat it up,” Moon Dancer wisely left any gender pronouns out of her teasing.
at this point i would be supprised if tom didnt get his cutimark in the areas of knolage or magic as even if he wasnt ment for magic originaly he has picked up and been able to perform some complex spells so far along with his genrel intrest in information.
after your info on his birthday i have to think of weather tom is in his reality or time after all him going from earth to equestria would have had some effect... i wonder if a god noticed?
Crapbaskets. I missed a few chapers...
Now that you have mentioned things more powerful than Discord, what about Pinkie? We gonna get any explanation on that?
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I have a few options in mind for how to explain Pinkie. The one I think I'll go with is Pinkie is Blessed of Laughter, and Touched by Chaos and Insanity.
To be clear, the Elements weren't created by the Tree of Harmony. They were gifted to it after a string of favors resulting in Laughter, Loyalty, Truth, Charity, and Magic creating Tokens of Power. Charity pulling double duty to create the Elements of Generosity and Kindness. When these Tokens of Power assessed the Mane Six and found them worthy, they each became Blessed of their patron Concept.
In most cases these Blessings are so minor as to not be noticeable except when the Blessed are in truly dire straights. But with Pinkie, as she is also Touched of Chaos and Insanity, her Blessing is amplified.
It is also why Sunset became a Demon when she tried to use the Element of Magic for herself. Magic itself struck her down for her hubris and it is only by Twilight's forgiving nature that Sunset didn't remain a Demon forevermore.
Note that Celestia and Luna were never Blessed in such a manner. Luna was correct in her supposition that she and Celestia were only meant to carry the Elements until the Mane Six appeared to take full possession of them.
I'll probably go over this properly in sometime in the sequel, but these are the outlines.
10304827
As Discord stated previously, he and the Tree of Harmony are working together to shield Equuis from the eyes of the greater cosmos. While a god first class could probably brute force this cloaking if they knew what they were looking for, at the moment only the Concepts, Angels, and God are monitoring Equuis. They all are aware of the situation, but none of them are really known for taking direct action. "God Works in Mysterious Ways" and all that.
As for Tom potentially getting a Cutie Mark of his own...spoilers. I will say that Cutie Marks will be the source of a lot of grief thanks to Starlight come the sequel.
Personally i prefer the original cover art as it was what drew me to give this story a chance, for all the talent Mix-up has dome of his works look plainly weird. This is one such ocurrence....
Love the story but mixed feelings on new coverart.
10304856
i wasent talking about them noticing equestria i was more intrestid in if the gods or something of earth noticed twilight yanking a soul then dissapering. i am intrestid in if tom and twilight will show intrest in becoming gods in the future as since they have been linked for so long even when they seporate they will likly be close
10304851
...Nightmarity?
10304859
Ah, my mistake. The gods that shepherd Tom's Earth will eventually realize a Soul has been plucked from their care, but they generally either have more important things to be worrying about and/or are too self absorbed to notice. So it might be a loooooong time before anyone other than the Lesser Spirits and maybe the Spirit in charge of the area Tom lived notice anything is amiss.
As for Tom and Twilight striving for godhood, well, that's stuff that will be discussed in the future. In the sequel, all the Princesses will realize the value of being more in tune with their power.
10304890
I'm going to have to take a wild guess and say you're asking why Charity didn't step in during the Nightmare Rarity events? To put it simply, the Nightmares are more symbiotic than parasitic. I tend to liken them to the Venom Symbiote of Spider Man fame. They may drive their host slightly crazy, but they're also more or less invested in keeping their host alive and healthy. Rarity was never in any real danger.
Also, all the Element Bearers have proven themselves capable of getting out of trouble. Given the sheer amount of Power the Concepts wield, they must be very judicious with it and why they mostly work through their Lieutenants.
The only real exception to this is Death. He generally prefers a more hands on approach compared to his fellow Concepts. No one is quite sure as to why this is and he certainly isn't telling. Just know that if you meet The Grim Reaper 4 out of 10 times it's actually Death himself and not his Lieutenant.
If you were actually wondering something else, feel free to come out and say it. I'm sometimes dense as a brick~
10304857
*insert generic 'don't judge a book by its cover' moral*
In all seriousness, I can understand why you may not be a fan of the new cover art. He approached me about doing the art and I only used a stock image from the show for not having anything else to use. I can't do art to save my life. I wouldn't have passed 3rd grade if my art teacher didn't take supreme pity on me and my stick figures. Even my stick figures are shitty looking
I am of divided opinion on the art. On one side, I think it has an eye grabbing quality to it. On the other, it isn't exactly what I'd consider aesthetically pleasing. On the third side, I'm just over the moon someone wanted to create something for my story.
Ultimately, I think I'm going to leave the cover art as it is for now and intentionally seek out an artist to do art for the Sequel. If I like their work enough, I may even have them retroactively do art for this story. Now I just need to figure out how to go about recruiting an artist... I may end up just sifting through Deviantart until I find someone and beg them.
Unless you have a suggestion?
10304851 That explains so much. Pinkie scares me more than Twilight ever will.
Wait a minute...that's the same year as me, just the opposite end of that year. That means he was four when 11/9 happened; I was three, I think. My brother had just been born a few months earlier, too.
Teenagers and adults certainly could appreciate the gravity of 11/9, even if they weren't American; but could toddlers? Children that hadn't even started primary school?
...Eeeeehhh...I wouldn't say "at all" or "permanent", really; they just move rather slowly according to our point of view, since even going the speed of light it takes years for a star's light to reach us. As a result, a star's apparent position does change over a large enough time period.
The constellations we see today won't stay "intact" forever; some old stars will die, some will move elsewhere, while others will be born, with the associated light (and lack of light) eventually reaching us to alter what we see in non-light-polluted areas.
I like when chapters get away from you
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Actually, when chapter doesn't get away from the author it's a murder. Even worse when that's entire book. It's a massacre!
I think you may have the Chinese Zodiac wrong... 1997 is the year of the ox 1996 is the year of the rat... then again the Chinese New year is much later in the year than the calendar so that would make sense for the rat...
1996 is the year of the rat and 1997 is the year of the rat get drunk and stay on that couch 🛋
10319957
The year of the Ox didn't start until February 7th 1997. Tom was born in January, on the 9th. Thus it was still the Year of the Rat. The Chinese Zodiac goes off the Chinese Lunar New Year, not the Gregorian Calendar.
ih1.redbubble.net/image.175149220.1074/flat,750x,075,f-pad,750x1000,f8f8f8.u9.jpg
So Tom was born 2 days after me... January 7, 1997.
It'd be hilarious if he got off on a technicality or due to not enough evidence.
Year of the chihuahua?
10732223
Year of the chihuahua?
I was born November 30th 1955 I'm a Sagittarius and was born in the year of the goat ( Chines Zodiac ), I think ?
I'm older than tom my birthday is December 12th 1992 I'm a Sagittarius born in the year of the monkey
My dad was born October 27th 1955 he's a Scorpio and born in the year of the goat
My dad is a little older than you xenamare
Everything that had happened, and is only been 2 MONTHS?!
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That was about the timeline in my head, yeah. A lot of things happened within a day or two of each other.