• Published 12th Jan 2021
  • 13,596 Views, 514 Comments

The Anomaly in a Mare's World - Hilord17



Everything is perfect in the mare's world. That is, until a certain stallion arrives and start to mess with it, just by being himself.

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VIII - Unofficial Announcement

Author's Note:

Hello there!

I'd like to start with an apology. IRL stuff keeps me very busy during certain months. I still can't tell you guys if I'll be able to update every X days, but rest assured that this story will be finished. Sooner or later. I have two more stories I want to write. One is just an incomplete prologue and the other is not even started yet tho.

With that said, I will now apologize in advance if there is any typo. I'll try to fix it ASAP.

Finally, I want to thank all of you, who read this story. It's good to see RGRE still has its fair share of fans, and it would be even better if more stories with this kind of setting appeared in this website. It's a shame that 'The Prince Returns', one of the stories that inspired me to write my own RGRE story, is not available anymore. I don't know why it was deleted, but it hurt a bit when I got the news.

All right. I'll not keep you here any longer. I hope you enjoy this chapter.


The protection of Ponyville was a success.

When Aero left the area near the forest, some of the creatures returned. However, the royal guard dealt with them immediately, while the Ponyville local guard regrouped and made sure there were no creatures left around.

Seeing that his help was no longer needed, he simply made his way to the town hall.

When Twilight and the rest of the group arrived, they obviously had a few questions for him, the most important being: What the heck happened a little while ago?

Aero just said 'We'll talk about it later'.

The girls noticed that he seemed to be a bit upset. He was not the only one, as Sunset and Gleaming Shield were also upset about something, and were doing their best not to show it.

"Aero." Twilight approached the stallion. "Would you mind waiting a little longer? The Princess is on her way."

This piqued Aero's curiosity. The Princess can easily come to Ponyville by teleporting. If she's not here already, then that means...

"I asked Spike to add some details to the scroll you asked him to send."

"(So it's about 'that'.)" thought Aero, getting a little angrier. He knew exactly what Twilight was referring to.

"Considering the distance between Canterlot and Ponyville, it was obvious that she would make an official visit after the attack." said Sunset.

"I'm sure she already sent the scouts to investigate the Everfree Forest." added Gleaming Shield.

And so they waited. Some of the guards who were there when the cragadile appeared were watching Aero, still trying to understand what happened. Many wanted to approach him but did not because he already had the company of the Elements of Harmony, in addition to two important ponies of Canterlot.

Eventually, several voices were heard outside.

They were greeting Princess Celestia.

And a few seconds later, the Princess of the day entered the town hall. Everypony bowed.

"Please, there is no need to be so formal. There are more important matters to deal with." The Princess looked at the mayor for a moment. "Mayor. I'll speak to the citizens of Ponyville shortly. I would appreciate it if you could gather them outside of the city hall. I'll have the royal guard help you."

"Of course, Princess!" was Major Mare's cheery reply. A few seconds later, she left the building.

"Well then..." Celestia directed her attention to a certain group of ponies, and to a certain stallion.

"I need you to come with me."


Celestia teleported everypony to the Golden Oak Library. She activated her magic, and in an instant, everypony was inside a golden and slightly transparent barrier. A few of them noticed that it was a soundproof barrier.

"The scouts are already observing the surroundings of the Everfree Forest. Strangely, they have failed to see any dangerous creatures so far." said the Princess. "Nevertheless, I have to thank all of you for protecting Ponyville."

"Well, we didn't do much." admitted Twilight. "The Ponyville local guard did a great job keeping the townsponies safe."

"Yeah, we just kicked a few timberwolves while looking for Aero." added Rainbow. Fluttershy nodded a few times.

"And let's not forget that he also contributed. A lot." said Rarity, looking at the otherwordly stallion.

"Yes. Twilight's description was very detailed." said Celestia. Aero looked at Twilight for a moment, and she got a little nervous in response. "And obviously, I need an answer for what she claims to have seen."

"Very well. Let's get this over with."

As soon as he finished his words, Aero approached the Princess but kept a decent distance.

"It no longer makes sense to hide it. You even saw it when you looked at my memories."

At that moment, everypony in the place felt something...

Wind.

And somehow, it was moving in a certain direction...

Around Aero.

"As I said before, 'Elemental' is a special group of royal guards. However, all of us share a similar trait."

The wind began to grow stronger, and Twilight's group, while still confused, obviously noticed it. Celestia however, had a theory, and all the recent events pointed to what she was thinking.

"We possess what you may call 'special abilities'." said the Stallion. "Each member has a different ability. In my case, it's 'Wind Manipulation'."

The wind concentrated right next to Aero. Twilight and the others couldn't believe it. It was like they could almost see the wind, like some kind of transparent manifestation, and it was forming the shape of a sphere.

"With the right conditions, I don't even need to move my hooves to manipulate it." added the stallion. "I tend to use that to my advantage."

Nopony spoke for several seconds. Every mare in the room was watching the wind sphere. Twilight and the rest of the group got closer to Aero to have a better view of it. Princess Celestia remained calm on the outside, but inside...

"(I knew he was a strong warrior when he fought Gleaming Shield... but I'm afraid I've underestimated him.)" normally Celestia wouldn't be surprised by this sort of thing, considering that magical forces like the Elements of Harmony exist, or that various Equestrian enemies possessed unique powers, like the Corrupted Mare Astarte.

But Aero was the exception.

Even considering the fact that he is from another Equestria, he is the living proof of something that was lost for so many years.

A stallion of old.

"Whoa..." Rainbow Dash was the first to speak. Barely.

"Can I touch it?" asked a very curious Pinkie Pie, slowly moving one of her front hooves.

"Pinkie! Don't!" Twilight stopped her friend. "You may get hurt!"

"It doesn't look harmful, though." said Spike, admiring the sphere.

"Don't worry. It's the same as feeling a light breeze." said Aero, getting the mare's attention. "Although, I can make it strong enough to hurt somepony if necessary. It was a wise choice to warn her."

"Wow, he is right!" Pinkie used one of her hooves to feel the wind gathered in the sphere. It was almost relaxing. The rest of the group also felt the wind for a few seconds.

"I used my ability to fight the cragadile." said the stallion, getting everypony's attention, including the Princess.

"May I ask how did you defeat it?" asked Celestia, getting a little curious.

"I'm pretty sure that for Twilight and the rest of the group, it must have looked like I punched the cragadile."

"Yeah! It was so cool!" said Rainbow dash, mimicking a jab with one of her hooves.

"However, what actually happened is that I concentrated the wind around my front hooves, and then I released most of it right under its mouth."

"Well, I do remember a very loud sound and a very strong wind." said Rarity.

"Dude that's awesome!" exclaimed the little dragon.

"Wait. If that's what you did, then the force of the wind must have affected you too, being so close to the cragadile." said Sunset, trying to understand the situation.

"I did say I released most of the wind." answered Aero. "I used a small amount to keep me in place."

"Are you telling me you calculated how much wind you needed to stay unaffected by your attack?" asked Twilight, obviously surprised by this bit of information.

"I've been training my ability for years, Twilight. At this point it almost feels natural." was his answer. He then looked at Gleaming Shield. "I can also use my ability to move faster. You may have noticed when we fought, but that's part of the reason It was easy for me to avoid your magic attacks."

"Now that you mention it, it does make sense, considering your size." said the captain, remembering the fight.

"And the second time you hit the cragadile..."

"Same method." said Aero, completing what Twilight wanted to say, and dispersing the wind sphere.

"Something tells me that I'll have to get used to your abilities, Aero." said Celestia, smiling a bit and getting Aero's attention.

"You weren't supposed to. I'm afraid it wasn't the best decision." was his answer. "I should have waited a bit more. I'm sure Sunset's mages and the royal guard could have done something to deal with it, but I thought the cragadile would attack Ponyville if I didn't stop it right there. And even then, I could have used another tactic instead of showing that."

"But you prioritized the safety of Ponyville, and I am truly grateful for it." said the Princess.

"The Princess is right, sugarcube. Who knows what could've happened if that giant monster approached Ponyville?" added Applejack. "Many of us have family here."

"Still, it was reckless." said Aero. "And now I made a scene in a world where stallions can't even defend themselves."

"Yes. We have to think of some kind of explanation. The guards and even the citizens of Ponyville will want some answers, as I'm sure mayor mare saw your fight outside of the Town Hall during the attack." said Celestia.

"It's our fault, too."

Aero turned around to see Sunset Shimmer, who was looking a bit sad. Gleaming Shield was in a similar condition.

"After hearing the cragadile's roar... I don't know how to properly explain it. I was thinking about how to stop it before reaching Ponyville, but I was panicking, and that's a rookie mistake." Sunset lowered her head, angry with herself. "There's no excuse."

"I also wanted to move and do something." added the captain. "I even wanted to warn everypony to back down, but..."

"I think that roar did something to us." said Twilight. "You guys were lucky to still think of doing something. I didn't even breathe for a few seconds."

"Hold on." Aero focused on Twilight's group. "You weren't able to move even if you wanted to?"

"That roar... it was too loud. And too frightening." said Fluttershy, shaking a little just by remembering it.

"I'm surprised you managed to move, darling." added Rarity.

"It was like the thing you do with your eyes, but worse." said Rainbow Dash. "It was totally not cool."

"Not fun at all! I wanted to scream!" said Pinkie Pie, slightly annoyed.

"And I... kinda wanted to run." added Spike, a bit embarrassed.

Aero looked at Celestia, a worried look on his face. It seems they both thought the same, because the Princess was also a bit worried.

"While a giant cragadile is indeed a very rare monster, there is no record that its roar can paralyze. We will have to do more research on this." said the Princess, who then focused on everypony. "But for now, I think we need to discuss Aero's current situation."

"With so many guards both from Ponyville and Canterlot, and even us, there's no doubt that everypony's attention will be on him." said Twilight. "And with how stallions tend to gossip among themselves, we need to think of a proper explanation before they start to spread some weird rumors."

"(Huh. Stallions gossiping. Guess I'll have to be careful around them.)" thought Aero, a bit surprised.

"If any of you has a plan, I'll gladly follow it." Aero started to relax. He knew there would be consequences for acting recklessly, and he has to take responsibility for this. Also, the last thing he wants is to get annoyed by mares exclaiming he can do 'impossible things for a colt'.

For several seconds, Nopony spoke. They were all trying to find a favorable solution.

"I... may have one." it was Sunset Shimmer who spoke. "But I don't know if you'll like it, handsome. You will inevitably be in the spotlight for a while, but at least we can keep it to a minimum with the help of the Princess."

"I need to take responsibility for this. If you think your idea is a good solution, I'll have no trouble following it." was his answer. "It's not like I'll be in this Equestria forever."

Just for a moment... all the mares in the room, including Princess Celestia, felt a little worried.

"Let us hear your idea, Sunset." said Celestia.


"The Princess will be here soon. Please be patient."

The citizens of Ponyville were outside of the City Hall, obviously waiting for Princess Celestia to show up. As always, the number of mares greatly outnumbered the number of stallions, and many fillies and colts were in the area too. There was a big number of guards, too. Both from the town's local guard and Canterlot's royal guard, making sure that everything is in order.

But then, there was a sudden flash, and everypony was taken by surprise, as Princess Celestia herself appeared, along with the Elements of Harmony, Spike, Sunset Shimmer, Gleaming Shield, and...

"It's the Princess!"

"Twilight and the others!"

"But why are they-"

"Look, there he is!"

Some mares recognized the stallion that was with the Princess. While in their houses, many townsponies saw Aero helping the guards in the fight against the timberwolves. Honestly, seeing a stallion fighting out there was enough to surprise them. Even the few stallions of Ponyville were surprised to see him.

"Oh my gosh! He's so cute!"

"Cute? Colts are cute. He is a stallion."

"Wait. Is that the stallion from yesterday?"

"Oh yeah! The one that was with Sparkle and Fluttershy."

"With all the ponies here I don't know if he has any scent on him..."

"By Celestia he's hot."

"I still think he works at Playfilly. Just look at him!"

"We'd do wonders in my bed~"

"By Luna..." muttered a disappointed Aero. Twilight and Fluttershy, who were the closest to him, managed to hear him. "These mares have no respect whatsoever. At least they should speak like that when I'm not around."

Both mares felt a bit sad because Aero is still uncomfortable in Ponyville.

He has valid reasons, though. The mares of Ponyville should know better.

"Citizens of Ponyville." As soon as Celestia began to speak, all the ponies in the area focused their attention on her. "It is truly regretful that you had to suffer such an unexpected attack from the creatures of the Everfree Forest. The royal guard is investigating the forest as we speak, and while the investigation is ongoing, there will be additional security in the town."

The Princess then opened her wings with grace and assertiveness.

"But for now, rest assured that the town is safe. Thanks to the efforts of the Ponyville local guard, the Canterlot royal guard, and also... the help from a very special pony."

That was Aero's cue, so he started to move towards the Princess.

"I believe some of you saw him yesterday. This brave stallion not only fought alongside the guards, defeating a surprising amount of both timberwolves and rockwolves, but also managed to defeat two manticores and even a creature that is classified as one of the rarest inside the Everfree Forest: A cragadile."

Everypony gasped with marvelous synchrony.

"What!?"

"A cragadile? That rock-crocodile thing?"

"And that stallion defeated it?"

"I know I saw him fight but that last thing must be a lie!"

"(I have to admit it. That does sound like a lie. Not many ponies would fight a cragadile alone and win.)" thought Aero. "(Actually, besides the Princesses, I can't think of anypony else. Maybe Twilight and Sunset if they get really lucky.)"

"Excuse me." exclaimed Sunset Shimmer, who was near Celestia. She managed to get the public's attention, and she didn't look happy. "Are you suggesting that Princess Celestia is a liar?"

"N-no! I would never! But-"

"Then let me tell you something." Sunset didn't care about interrupting the pony speaking. "I saw him fight the cragadile, and I was not the only one there when it happened."

"Sunset is right. I was there too." added Twilight, looking at her friends for a moment. "All of us."

"Yeah! Me too!" added Spike, looking at Aero as if he was a hero.

"I was also there." said Gleaming Shield, looking at Aero. "The Princess is right. He defeated the cragadile."

"And if that is not enough proof for you, then you should know that many members of the royal guard saw him defeat it." said one of the royal guards that were around the crowd.

"Yes! It was amazing!"

"A part of me still can't believe it, but it's true."

"He was so fast!"

"And strong! Very strong!"

More and more royal guards started to talk about that moment, surprising the citizens of Ponyville even more.

"I can understand your confusion, but the circumstances are... unique. As you know, centuries have passed since Astarte's defeat and the consequences of her curse. Centuries in which we swore an oath to protect the stallions of Equestria who have suffered the most. The changes in our society were huge, and it took many years to make a proper adjustment. However... today we are witnesses of a miracle."

As soon as Aero reached the Princess, she used one of her wings to wrap it around him. Just like when Princess Luna did it, this surprised everypony around. Even Twilight and her friends didn't expect that. As for Aero, he just thought it was rather curious that both Princesses like to show how much they trust him.

"What I'm going to say is considered an important secret, and as such, I expect you, citizens of Ponyville, to keep it that way. I hope you understand."

Celestia's last words had the effect she expected on her subjects. That was not an indication.

It was a warning.

"This goes for those of the royal guard who are gathered here, too. Myself included." added Gleaming Shield. "If anything of what Princess Celestia reveals now gets leaked outside of Ponyville, there will be an investigation and a severe punishment for everypony involved."

The silence was absolute.

"If everypony understood, then I believe it's safe to continue." Celestia looked at Aero with a very gentle smile. "This brave stallion is named Aero... and he is the first uncursed stallion in the land of Equestria."

The silence was immediately replaced by a mixture of gasps and ponies trying to understand what her Princess just said. The guards were also unable to remain calm, and some of them even started to talk to one another, having their own thoughts on the matter.

"Alright then..." Aero started to slowly walk towards the crowd. This was enough to get their attention, and in a few seconds, they went silent again. "I'm sure you have some questions for me, and I don't want to waste Princess Celestia's time just for a Q&A session, so-"

"Oh. I don't mind." interrupted Celestia. "This is the perfect occasion for the mares and stallions of Ponyville to know how different an uncursed stallion can be."

"Are you sure Princess?"

With a nod from Celestia as confirmation, he then proceeded to look at the ponies of Ponyville.

"So... what do you want to know?"

"Where were you born?" asked one of the mares in the crowd.

"I've been told that I was born in Canterlot, but just a few weeks after that, my parents took me to a far distant village. All I know is that it was a very peaceful place." answered Aero. It was not the complete truth, but he had to follow Sunset's plan.

"How can you fight so well? You make it look like it's easy." asked another mare.

"My mother was a royal guard, and my father often asked her for advice. For several years, I received training from both. At the time I didn't know why they left Canterlot. I guess I do now." answered Aero, smiling a bit at the end. He noticed that a good amount of mares were blushing a bit now.

"(I do have confidence in my appearance, but am I really that handsome for them?)" thought Aero for a moment, still curious about these reactions.

"Are you... in a herd?" asked another mare in the crowd. A bit shy at the end. Obviously, this question got everypony's attention.

"Oh right... you have this weird 'herd system', do you?" said Aero, getting many gasps and whispers from the crowd in response. "The village where I was living didn't work like that. All families are monogamous there."

"What!?"

"Unbelievable!"

"But why?"

"Those poor stallions!"

"Oh. Don't get me wrong." added Aero. "In my village, everypony is treated equally. Mares and stallions have the same jobs and duties, and everypony respects one another."

"Aero's village decided to keep the old system, and I respect their choice." said Celestia.

"I was told in my home that outside of the village, things would be... different." continued Aero. "But even then, when I was in Ponyville, I still think some of you were acting a bit creepy, trying to find a chance to ask me anything or even trying to take me somewhere."

Some of the mares in the crowd actually felt ashamed, while others were just confused. After all, trying to woo a stallion and forming herds it's how this society works, and seeing a stallion that defies all of that is a first. Of course, this would not stop them to keep trying.

"To answer your question, I don't have a herd nor do I have plans to be in one for now."

The crowd started to whisper again.

"While it's true that we encourage stallions to join a herd, and most of the time they do it willingly, Aero is a special case." said Celestia in a neutral tone. "And as such, he earned the right to refuse proposals of joining a herd."

Aero could see it in the faces of every mare: This was a huge reveal for them.

When Sunset explained her plan, Aero felt a bit curious about the herd system, so he asked Celestia about it. Stallions need to be in a herd. It's not an option. Legally, if there is a 'mareless stallion' and one or more herds notice it, they have the duty to encourage him to join them, and, if one week has passed and said stallion is still without a mare to take care of him, a herd can request the help of the local authorities, or even reach to the Princesses if necessary. There is a very rare exception which is when a stallion is homosexual.

Considering this information, he is glad that Fluttershy decided to accompany him yesterday when he got out of the Everfree Forest.

"Excuse me. I do have a question." This time, it was Mayor Mare who spoke. "While I was not a witness, I'm curious as to how did you manage to defeat a Cragadile. Their size and strength make it a fearsome creature."

The whispers started once again. Fortunately, Aero had the perfect answer.

"That is true, but there were two things that made me win." said Aero. "The first one is that the cragadile was a male."

Of course, Aero didn't really know if the cragadile was male or female, but Astarte's curse was the perfect excuse to explain how he managed to defeat it without raising suspicion. Just as Sunset said when she was explaining her plan: The curse would be a better excuse than anything else.

And judging by the faces of the crowd, it worked perfectly, because they seemed like they understood.

"Of course, even with that, it's still a cragadile. Bigger and stronger than a pony. That's where the second thing comes in." said Aero, and then he looked at the Princess.

"When we received the news of the attack, Aero volunteered to help without hesitation. Even after I knew about him and his combat experience, I was still afraid that something would happen to him, so I gave him a magic blessing." said Celestia.

"Magic blessing?"

"What is that?"

"Never heard of it."

"Sounds cool, though."

"An advanced spell maybe?"

"I'm afraid I can't say any more about it, as this, too, is considered sensitive information." Celestia was smiling now. She knew nopony would ask further questions about it.

And so, Aero continued to answer the questions of the ponies of Ponyville. Some of them asked about his village. Others about how he came to Ponyville considering he was living far away. Others were more daring and asked about his preferences.

But Aero was glad that he got out of a tricky situation.

With Celestia's warning, Ponyville and the royal guard will never spread the news about his 'uncursed' condition.

"I thank you all for coming today. You may return to your homes and activities now."

And with Celestia's best wishes, the meeting ended.

"What would you like to do, Aero?" asked Celestia. This caught his attention. "Would you like to continue our discussion about your other situation?"

"As much as I'd like to, I think we can leave that for tomorrow." was his answer. "The safety of your subjects comes first, and a sudden attack from creatures of the Everfree deserves a proper investigation."

"(Even in your predicament, you still think of others before yourself...)" Celestia couldn't help but feel admiration for the stallion. His current situation was no joke, yet he remains calm and with a powerful will to keep moving forward.

"You could stay in Ponyville today."

Twilight's words got his attention. She and her friends walked towards Celestia and Aero.

"Yesterday you said that this Ponyville is slightly different from the one in your Equestria."

"To be honest Twilight, I don't know that much of the Ponyville from my Equestria. " said Aero. "Most of my time I was either in Canterlot, or doing missions somewhere else."

"Then why don't you take this opportunity to explore it?" asked Twilight. "That way you can relax for a while, and we can show you our homes and interesting spots. The library, Sugarcube Corner, Applejack's farm, and many more."

"You have no idea how much I've been waiting for a stallion that's not scared of his own shadow." added Spike. "I bet we could talk about a lot of things."

"And now that Ponyville knows of your 'uncursed' status, you should be able to move freely now." added Rarity. "I would love for you to visit my Boutique today."

"Y-you can visit my cottage, too... if you don't mind." said Fluttershy, blushing a tiny bit, but smiling anyway. "I could show you all my animal friends, and tell you everything I know about them."

"You MUST come to Sugarcube Corner!" Pinkie Pie started to make small quick jumps of joy. "I'll make sure to make you the best lemon pie! And we have a lot of sweets to sell!"

"If you go to Sweet Apple Acres, mah family will show you how much we know about apples." said Applejack, pride showing on her face. "There must be a reason yer friend likes our products."

"I want to see more of your abilities!" Rainbow dash was very interested in the way Aero can manipulate the wind. It totally was not also because he was good-looking. "That was super cool!"

"As much as we'd love to spend more time with you, they have point, handsome." said Sunset, joining the conversation. "Gleaming and I will be a tad busy with the investigation."

"Since there will be more guards for a while, Ponyville will be safe." added Gleaming Shield, also joining. "But I bet they'll feel even safer with you here."

Gleaming had a point. If there is another attack, Aero could act immediately if he stays in Ponyville. Twilight's idea was also a good one. He needs to relax after that battle, and getting to know the Elements of Harmony can be a good opportunity to expand his knowledge, even if they are not from his Equestria.

"All right. You win." Aero said, who then looked at Twilight. "And I'll start with the Library. I want to see how much of the history of this Equestria is different from mine."

"Of course! follow me, then." said a very happy Twilight.


...

...

...

"Who was that?"

...

"That stallion..."

...

"The fear charm had no effect on him..."

...

"Why?"

...

"That stallion is interesting..."

...

"That stallion is desirable..."

...

"I want him."

...

"You have something I want..."

...

"Something I need in order to be whole..."

...

"I'll make you mine. I'll patiently wait for my chance."