Wherein Espers Have a Home
A mass of creatures milled about in the game den of the Party of One. Pinkie Pie kept trying to get a game of roulette going, claiming the table didn’t see much use, but the general consensus was that everyone was just too tired. Spotter however, full of youthful energy, indulged in the pinball machine in the back. From the sounds of the bleeps and clinks, and the cries of success coming from the young colt, he was having the time of his life. Shining Armor allowed him his fun as the activity kept his son out of trouble.
Everyone else found a comfy spot to rest, forming a loose circle around Maduin. The esper looked as tired as the rest, with deep bags under his eyes and his breathing slow and shallow. Despite that, no one could claim he appeared unhappy with the content smile on his face as he held Twilight in his lap and slowly stroked her mane.
“So, uh,” Spike spoke up, twiddling his claws, “you said you’d explain once we all got here?”
Taking a deep breath, Maduin closed his eyes and nodded. “I did. Let me wake junior up and I’ll get started.”
“Junior?”
Ignoring Spike, Maduin raised his hand over Twilight’s dozing form, a dull red glow surrounding it. The magic in his hand snaked downward and seeped into Twilight’s horn. It took only seconds for Twilight to give a long yawn and flutter her eyes open. She fidgeted and slowly raised herself up to a sitting position, blinking rapidly. She glanced around, seeing faces she didn’t recognize until she settled on the creature beside her.
“YYYYYYAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!”
One second Twilight was on the floor. The next she was on the far side of the room, peeking over a blackjack table.
“I haven’t gotten a reaction like that for a thousand years,” Maduin said, chuckling.
Spike rushed over to her, patting her on the back. “Twi, what’s wrong? That’s your dad.”
“W-what?!” she shrieked and hid herself further.
“Give her some time, little dragon,” Maduin said, remaining as calm as ever. “She was just a foal when we were together last.” He sighed, looking away.
“Okay, okay, okay,” Rainbow Dash spoke up, rubbing a hoof to her forehead. “You expect us to believe that Twi’s your daughter. How? She’s a pony, not an esper.”
Maduin nodded. “You are correct. She is not an esper. She is a half-esper.”
Across the room, Twilight squeaked.
Sighing, Maduin continued, “I should start at the beginning. There is much to tell.”
“Well, it’s going to be a while to make it to Neighshe,” Pinkie Pie said. She hopped about the room, offering cookies and cupcakes stacked on a platter balanced on her head. “We’ve got plenty of time.”
“Very well.” He paused, glancing towards Twilight. The mare remained behind the table, but she peered over it at him, giving him her undivided attention. Clearing his throat, Maduin began. “After the War of the Magi, my kind decided to seal ourselves away. Far away, where no one could find us. We pooled our magic and created a new world to live in.
“It’s a beautiful place. The city we built is carved out of pure crystal. In time it grew as more and more of my kind found this new world. I don’t know who thought of it, but sometime during the centuries we began living there a name was given to our realm. We called it The Crystal Empire...”
.o.O.o.
Artificial sunlight creeped through the blinds and into the bedroom, striking Maduin’s relaxed face. The esper groaned and squinted, turning over in his bed and away from the intruding light. The act became moot as the sunlight continued its journey through the room and came into contact with a red crystal laying on a desk. At once, the crystal began to vibrate and emit a harsh ruby ray of light over Maduin’s eyelids. Besieged on all sides, he sighed and threw the covers off of himself.
Giving a mighty yawn and stretch, Maduin rolled off the bed, placing his taloned feet on the polished floor. A swift motion of his hand created a burst of white light. Seconds later, a blue glow washed over him, covering his body from horn to claw. Once the glow dissipated, Maduin stood up, all traces of sleep and grogginess gone.
“Thank the makers for Unicorn teaching me that remedy spell,” he said as he walked out of his bedroom.
Making his way to the pantry within the next room, he spied movement through a window overlooking his backyard. A low growl issued through clenched teeth as he rushed over, threw open the window and yelled, “Get out of here!”
The harsh cry startled a band of ewes munching on Maduin’s lettuce patch and stampeded off, trampling over more vegetables on their way out. Shaking his head, Maduin muttered under his breath that the next time Ifrit’s little pets got into his garden again, there would be lamb chops for dinner that night.
Turning back towards the pantry, Maduin grabbed a carrot and an ear of corn. With breakfast in hand, he headed for the door, nibbling on his food the entire way. Exiting his home brought him on the streets of the Crystal Empire, revealing its brilliant splendor in the morning sun. All around him, the city sparkled and shone with the same clarity and beauty as it had for countless mornings before. Not a speck of dirt or dust lay on the crystal houses and pavement stretching from one end of the street to the other.
Maduin stood there, in front of his house, and breathed in the magic-filled air. His body began to sparkle as he took in the life-giving nourishment, letting all worries and cares wash away. Realistically, he could sustain himself on the very air he breathed and not have to bother with tending a garden. However, two centuries of nothing but magic intake had grown dull, prompting him to start growing his own food for a little variety. It also reminded him of pleasant memories of old, before his transformation into the creature he was now.
Besides, it gave him something to do.
Having taken his fill of magic, Maduin turned and headed down the street, away from the center of the city. He strolled down the roadway at a leisurely pace, stopping occasionally to greet passing espers and exchange pleasantries. He kept conversations short, intent on reaching the outer limits of the city. Once there, he headed out further, into the vast plains that surrounded the empire for miles in every direction. He kept an eye out for any plants that would look appealing in his garden, but wasn’t particularly bothered if he found any or not. Today was a good day to just take a walk and not overly concern himself with finding new crops to grow.
Morning passed into noon. As Maduin contemplated going back home, he spotted a black shape running through the plains. He squinted and finally recognized the form of Cait Sith. The small, bipedal cat seemed to be in a hurry, evident even from this distance. Maduin concentrated and his body lifted from the ground, quickly flying to intercept the other esper. Moments later he touched down and held up his hands at the approaching cat. “Cait Sith. What’s got you all riled up? You aren’t up to any mischief today, are you?”
“If only I were!” Cait Sith cried. He stopped in front of Maduin and bent over, his body racked with heaving breaths. Once he had recovered enough, Cait Sith stood tall and pointed a shaky paw back the way he had come. “The gate. Something’s coming through it!”
“Really? What were you doing way out there?”
Cait Sith looked away guiltily, wringing his paws together. “I… may have been looking over the spellwork to see if I could figure out a portal spell. It would be really nifty to move from one end of the city to another, just like that.” He threw out his arms, his expression frantic. “But that’s all I was doing, I swear! Next thing I know the gate starts making this humming noise and starts flashing. Something was trying to get through, but that’s when I hightailed it out of there to get help.”
“I see,” Maduin said, resting his chin in his hands. “I’ll go take a look. With any luck it’s an esper that’s found its way here. You go alert the others. Be sure to let King Sombra know too.”
“Yeah, yeah, got it.” Cait Sith made to run off but stopped short, looking up at Maduin with narrowed eyes. “And if it’s not an esper?”
Maduin brushed past him, his large, muscled form heading for the gate. “I’ll take care of it.”
Cait Sith shuddered and rushed away, thanking his nine lives that he wasn’t the one that would face Maduin should their newest arrival be non-magical in origin.
.o.O.o.
Nothing seemed out of place as Maduin flew towards the Sealed Gate. Constructed of two pink and blue crystal pillars with three smaller crystals hovering between them, the space within the separated pillars appeared empty. When activated, the gate would create a swirling portal connecting this pocket dimension with the real world. Maduin had seen it working several times when the Crystal Empire had first been founded. Nowadays, the gate was rarely used. By his estimation, Maduin figured over one hundred years had gone by since the last time the gate had been triggered.
Touching down, Maduin swept his gaze over the landscape, looking for anything out of the ordinary. He reached out with his senses, feeling with his magic what his eyes couldn’t see. Immediately, something pricked his probings. Staying alert, he let his instincts guide him towards the disturbance. They led him closer to the gate and upon reaching them he noticed a pale body laying up against the pink crystal column.
It was an equine. A light grey unicorn pony with a blue and white streaked mane and tail more specifically. He bent down over it and cast a scan spell. White light encompassed the pony and sent back information directly into Maduin’s brain. The pony was female, with no detected injuries but severely dehydrated. Not surprising, considering the other side of the gate was located deep within the earth where magma flowed freely. It was a wonder the pony made it here at all.
Maduin scratched his chin, considering. The pony was still alive but would expire shortly if she didn’t get water into her system soon. He could simply walk away and leave the equine to her fate. Or…
Before he could think better of it, Maduin picked up the pony and cradled her in his arms. In his grasp, the pony looked as tiny as a baby. He turned and flew into the air, heading back towards the city.
.o.O.o.
“How is she?”
The esper inspecting the pony on the bed turned, facing Maduin. “She’ll live,” said Bismark. The white whale looked out of sorts, hovering above the floor as though he were treading water. But as he had reminded his fellow espers many times, he was comfortable with his form out of the sea. Magic truly could do wondrous things. “I’ve replaced the water she lost getting here. What happens to her next is up to you and Sombra.” Having said his piece, Bismark floated away and out a nearby window, his body flowing through the air gracefully.
Maduin sighed, sitting next to the pony. She now slept peacefully, unaware of the world around her or the position she had placed Maduin in. He sat for a while, rubbing his temple, until a knock on his front door drew his attention. He headed over and opened it, sucking in a breath as the esper on the other end was revealed.
“King Sombra,” Maduin said and bowed deeply. He stepped aside, allowing the black equine to enter. Sombra trotted in, his deep red cloak billowing behind him. “Thank you for coming so quickly.”
“Yes, I was rather curious to see this creature that managed to get past so many obstacles to reach us.” He walked over to the resting pony, his steely red and green eyes taking in her form. “She doesn’t look like much, does she? Interesting.”
Maduin came up next to him, joining Sombra in looking over the pony. “I was just as surprised. I don’t remember a non-esper ever making it past the gate.”
“That’s because one never has,” Sombra said. “This is troubling. The gate’s magic must be weakening if this creature could get through. I will need to inspect it to be sure.”
Maduin grunted in acknowledgment. “What about her? What should we do?”
“Well, the easiest thing would be to kill her.” Sombra let that statement linger for a moment. “Or she can remain here. I forbid this pony from leaving our world. I can not risk having her lead others of her kind back to us.”
“Understood.”
Sombra nodded and turned, heading for the door. “I need to check on the gate. As long as she remains in the Crystal Empire, do with her as you will.” Without another word, he left Maduin’s home.
Left alone, Maduin sat down next to the bed, massaging his temples. This was certainly not what he expected to have to deal with today when he woke up. Not only finding the least likely of creatures to wander into the Crystal Empire, but now with the responsibility of taking care of it.
As he pondered over what to do, the pony began to stir. She let out a weak moan and fluttered her eyes open. She quietly took in her surroundings, finally settling on the large being watching her close by. She sucked in a breath and her eyes widened, letting out a squeak.
“I see you have awakened,” Maduin said, remaining as still as possible. “You’ve come a long way, little pony. Do you have any idea where you are?”
The pony didn’t answer, but her coat paled and she shrunk back as far as she could into the bed.
“Hmm, I see my form frightens you. Here, let’s try something more to your liking.” Maduin closed his eyes, a blue glow surrounding his body. A flash of white light burst from him, forcing the pony to look away. She blinked a few times to force her eyes to adjust and when she looked back, the muscled monster was gone. In its place stood a unicorn pony stallion, with a blue coat and dark blue mane. “There, does this suit you?”
“What… are you?” the mare said, her voice hoarse.
Maduin levitated a glass of water sitting on a stand nearby and offered it to the pony. “Here. You’re still recovering and need to drink more water.” He held the glass to her lips. Her eyes darted between him and the glass. Hesitantly, she opened her mouth and allowed Maduin to tip the water in. It took several small sips for her to finish the glass’ contents. Once emptied, Maduin set the glass back on the stand. “Very good. It would be tragic if you expired now without learning anything.
“I suppose I should answer your question. I am an esper, and you are in our world, the Crystal Empire.”
“Espers…” the pony breathed out. “That can’t be. You’re a myth. A fairy tale.”
Maduin smirked. “Oh, we are very real. We’ve just hid ourselves away for a very long time. In fact, you are the first pony I’ve seen in nearly a thousand years.
“My name’s Maduin. What’s yours?”
“Twi… Twilight Velvet.”
.o.O.o.
Shining Armor spit out his food, spewing bits of cupcake all over the floor. “What?! But that’s impossible! That’s my mother’s name. She died when I was really young.”
Maduin blinked, staring at the stallion across from him. “Is your name Shining Armor?”
“Yes!” The Domarian rushed across the room and up to Maduin, staring intently up at the esper. “Is she alright? Is she still alive?”
Maduin closed his eyes and looked away. “Let me finish my story. You’ll have your answer by then.”
A few paces away, Twilight Sparkle stood on the periphery of the circle of Returners, her gaze flickering between Maduin and Shining Armor.
After clearing his throat, Maduin continued.
.o.O.o.
“Did I really end up off the map or what?” Twilight Velvet said. Feeling stronger, Velvet sat up in bed and levitated a cup of water on her own, taking small sips every few seconds.
Maduin, still in pony form, nodded. “Indeed. You gave one of my kind quite a shock. No pony has ever made it this far before.” He cleared his throat, looking at Velvet expectantly. “We would like to know how it is you got here. The others are going to want to know if any more of your kind will show up.”
“My kind? Just what exactly is ‘my kind’?”
Maduin held up his hooves in a placating manner. “I meant no offense. You must understand that we fled here for a reason. A thousand years ago, espers like me were used to fight a war that nearly destroyed the world. Ponies, and to be fair many other creatures, abused our powers for their own ends. We came here to prevent something like that from ever happening again.”
Setting down her cup, Velvet sighed and looked out the window. The beautiful landscape stretching towards the horizon brought a tired smile to her muzzle. “Fair enough. I guess the long and short of it is that I was thrown off a ship. I’m from a kingdom called Domare, but I was traveling to a city called Vectorlot to find work. I heard that city was growing quickly and was paying well, so I decided to move there. But the ship got caught in a terrible storm, my son got… got thrown overboard…” She sniffed, tears welling up in her eyes. She wiped them away with a hoof, but more wetness built up faster than she could handle. “Oh, Shiny…”
Maduin gulped and looked away. “I can leave if you want.”
“No! No, please stay.” Velvet took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Maybe if I talk about it, I’ll feel better. My gosh, I thought I had cried enough by now.
“I took my son, Shining Armor, with me to get proper schooling. I should have left him. He’d still be alive.” More tears streaked down her cheeks even as she fought to control herself. “I jumped in after him, but the water was too dark. I don’t remember much after that. When I came around I was on a beach, all alone. I searched every inch of that beach for Shiny or the boat but found nothing. It was getting dark so I looked for some shelter so I could search again in the morning.
“But I ran into some monsters. They chased me for what felt like forever. I was so scared I did whatever I could to get away. I ran and ran and ran until I just couldn’t run anymore. I think I ended up in some mountains, but I’m not sure. I was so tired that I wasn’t thinking straight. I somehow found a cave that I could hide in, but went too deep. I know I got lost, and that I was going to die. I just kept going, hoping I could find a way out. Again, I don’t remember much, but I remember getting really hot and seeing lots of red. I suppose I must have found myself here through that cave.” Velvet paused, finishing the contents of her cup. “I’m sorry. You must think I’m pathetic or something.”
“Not at all,” Maduin said, giving a small smile. “I actually find your story fascinating. I didn’t realize ponies had such a strong will to survive.”
“Just dumb luck on my part, really.”
“Maybe a little, but I wouldn’t sell yourself so short.” Standing up, Maduin took Velvet’s empty cup and headed for the pantry. “So that explains why you’re here,” he called back. “I don’t suppose you have any plans for what to do now?”
“Well… um, if it’s at all possible, I’d like to go back and try to find my son.”
The esper let out a long sigh. “I was afraid you’d say that.”
Velvet blinked. “What do you mean?”
“Our ruler, Sombra, has ordered that you must remain here. He’s concerned that if you were to return, then you’ll end up leading more ponies here.”
Jumping out of the bed, Velvet ran up to Maduin, giving her best pleading face. “But I got here by accident! I have no idea how to even get back.”
Maduin looked away. “That is true, but you now know that we exist. We can’t risk others learning of us.”
“But—oh.” Without warning, Velvet’s eyes rolled back and she toppled forward. Only Maduin’s quick reflexes saved her from collapsing on the floor.
“You’re still recovering,” he said as he carried her back to the bed. “You must rest more.”
“Shiny…” Velvet half-moaned, half-sobbed. “Please…”
“I am truly sorry.” Maduin gently laid her down on the bed and covered her up with a blanket. Velvet pulled the covers close and cried, no longer willing to hold back her emotions. Sighing, Maduin headed for the door. “I’ll be outside. Please, do not hesitate to call for me if you need anything.” He then left the pony to her grief.
.o.O.o.
An insistent and annoying prodding woke Maduin up. He swiped at whatever was poking him with a hoof but only met air.
“Hey, Maduin. Hey. I know it’s you. I can feel your aura. Why’d you change into that? And why are you sleeping on your porch?”
He recognized the voice. It was hard to misplace the fast pitched, squeaky gibberish that Cactrot spoke in. It was also hard to ignore the needles that dug into Maduin’s coat with every touch from the little cactus esper. “Stop it.”
“Hey, did you know? A pony’s here. Saw it myself. Haven’t seen one in a while. Why was it in your house? Is it your pet now?”
Groaning, Maduin raised up and away from the excitable little creature. He yawned and stretched, earning a few pops from his limbs as they re-aligned themselves after a night of awkward positions. “No, she’s not a pet. And when did you see her? She’s been in the house the whole time.”
Cactrot flipped and bounced until his stiff cactus body positioned itself towards the plains. “I saw it go that way. It came out at night when everyone was asleep. Climbed out the window. I thought I’d tell you when you woke up.”
“Wait, she left? And you didn’t think to wake me up until now?”
Flipping around, Cactrot gave a blank stare. “Yes. Had to go get some water. Was thirsty. Just got back.”
Maduin facehoofed. “Unbelievable.” Without another word, he galloped down the street, leaving Cactrot to stare at his retreating form. It didn’t take long for him to reach the plains, his four legs outpacing his more natural bipedal body. He headed for the one place he knew the mare would go.
Minutes later, as the artificial sun began rising over the horizon, the Sealed Gate came into view. As he predicted, Twilight Velvet could be seen standing next to it. Coming closer, he saw her horn alight with a pinkish glow and her face contorted in frustration. Maduin slowed down and approached her at a brisk trot. “The gate won’t open for you, only for espers.”
Velvet yelped and whirled around, aiming her horn at Maduin’s head. “Don’t scare me like that!” She backed up, keeping Maduin in her sights as she passed between the crystal pillars. “I got through once. I’ll figure out how to do it again.”
“Even if you did, you’re in no shape to get through the cave. You will die. You have a second chance; don’t waste it.”
Velvet sniffed and kicked the pink pillar. The gate didn’t react. “What do you mean, ‘second chance’?”
Maduin turned and swept his foreleg over the city. “Living here, with us.”
“You can’t be serious,” Velvet said. She shot a pink magical bolt at the blue pillar. The bolt ricocheted off and fizzled away. “Ponies and espers can never co-exist.”
Stepping up to the mare, Maduin laid a hoof over her shoulder. “How can we know for sure if we don’t give it a try?”
“But, the war,” Velvet protested. Fresh tears began to build within her eyes. “And Shiny…”
“If your son is half as tough as you are, then I’m sure he survived. Would he want to see you die, or go on living?”
“I… I don’t know.” She slumped to the ground, her gaze distant. “I just don’t know what to do anymore.”
Maduin laid down next to her. “You have plenty of time now to think it over. And I’ll help you in any way I can.”
“Why?” Velvet swiveled her tear streaked face, looking into Maduin’s amber eyes. “Why do you care?”
“To be honest, I’m not sure myself. But I find you interesting and would like to learn more about you. Who can say what will happen, but I’d like to find out. Perhaps we can find a way to bridge the gap between ponies and espers so that we don’t have to fear each other anymore.”
Twilight Velvet continued staring into Maduin’s eyes, marveling at how confident he seemed about the future. “I guess we won’t know for sure… unless we observe for ourselves.”
.o.O.o.
“I’ll skip ahead a bit,” Maduin said, taking a sip of water to wet his throat. He had everyone’s undivided attention by now. Even Spotter had stopped playing with the pinball machine and sat next to his father. Twilight Sparkle lay close by, hanging on Maduin’s every word. The esper gave a small smile. “It took a while, but Velvet came around to living in our world. I think she was hoping that she’d be able to convince our king to send her back if she proved her trustworthiness, but she grew to like being in the Crystal Empire.
“Most espers didn’t seem to be bothered by her presence though there were a few that certainly didn’t like it. I couldn’t blame them, as the War of the Magi was still fresh in our minds even after all that time. It took some stern talking tos from me and Sombra to make sure they didn’t cause any trouble for her.
“Since I was responsible for Velvet, we spent a lot of time together. We grew close, to the point where I can safely say the bridge between us had been crossed. I’ll spare you the details, but our union produced the most wonderful thing I have ever experienced.” He looked at Twilight with such fondness that the unicorn blushed. “Our daughter.”
He looked away, his face darkening as he continued. “However, as I’m sure you can guess, our happiness didn’t last. Two years after Velvet came through the gate, we received some very unwelcome visitors.”
.o.O.o.
Twilight Velvet shook a rattle above Twilight Sparkle, making the little foal coo and giggle. Velvet smiled at her little pony laying in her crib, a bundle of happy energy that had given Velvet the means to go on living. Putting the rattle aside, Velvet levitated her daughter and began patting her on the back. Soon, Twilight, Jr. burped.
“That’s a good girl,” Velvet crooned.
She heard the door open and the sound of rushing hooves. She looked up in time to see Maduin burst in the door, his face set in a concerned scowl. “Velvet, whatever happens, do not leave this house.”
Velvet gently put Twilight back in her crib and ran up to her mate. “What’s going on? Is something wrong?”
“Yes, very wrong. There are armored ponies coming through the gate. Hundreds of them. They’ve already reached the city limits and have captured some espers.”
Velvet’s mouth hung open, her eyes wide. “How? I thought the gate didn’t let ponies through!”
Maduin shook his head, turning for the door. “I don’t know. I must go. Do not leave.” Just as he reached for the door, a pair of hooves wrapped around him.
“Please don’t leave me,” Velvet pleaded in his ear. “I don’t want to lose you.”
“You won’t. I promise.” He carefully extracted himself from her grasp and looked deeply into her eyes. “I need you to be strong for me. Strong for Twilight. Keep her safe.” He gave her a quick kiss, turned, and charged out of the house. “I’ll be back!” he shouted over his shoulder.
Twilight Velvet watched him go, his form heading for the large crystal tower in the center of the city that made up the kingdom’s seat of power. She watched until she could no longer see him then gave a long, shuddering breath. The sounds of distant fighting became audible, causing her to quickly shut the door. She raced back to Twilight, the little foal sleeping contently in her crib, and waited.
.o.O.o.
“My lord, we’ve reached their settlement and are fortifying our position. Reports are coming in that we’ve already taken some of those monsters. Looks like we took them completely by surprise.”
“Excellent,” Emperor Blueblood said to the soldier, a victorious grin spread across his muzzle. He stood in the middle of his gathered army as it swelled into the city before him. “Don’t hesitate. We must press on before they can mount a counterattack. If half of what those ancient scrolls told us is true, then these beasts have powers beyond comprehension. Tell all troops that I’ll make them extremely rich for any espers captured. Go!”
The soldier saluted, matching Blueblood’s grin. “Yes sir!”
.o.O.o.
Within the plaza, at the base of the crystal palace, a gathering of espers shouted up at King Sombra, who looked down at them from a balcony positioned high up the tower.
“We have to fight back! Those monsters won’t stand a chance against our magic!”
“How could they get through? This is insanity!”
“They must be here for that pony Maduin keeps. If we give them her, maybe they’ll go away!”
“I thought you said you fixed the gate! What is going on?”
“SILENCE!” Sombra’s commanding voice washed over them, forcing many to cover their ears if they had them. Instantly, every esper quieted. “I have a plan that will force out all the invaders in one fell swoop. Once they are gone, I will permanently seal the gate so that no more of their kind will be able to get through.”
“But what of our kind?” an esper said. “Won’t other espers be able to get through?”
Sombra closed his eyes and lowered his head. “Unfortunately, this means no more espers will be able to come through the gate. We will be cut off completely.”
A fresh wave of heated comments followed.
“You can’t do that!”
“What about espers that haven’t found this place yet?!”
“What about Velvet?!”
Everyone turned to the last voice, more outraged than any esper present. Maduin, his body morphing back to its demonic form, pushed his way to the front of the mass of espers until he stood just below Sombra’s perch. “What’s going to happen to her and Twilight?”
Sombra sighed, looking away. “I’m sorry. If there was another way, I would already be doing it.” Shutting his eyes, Sombra’s curved horn began to glow a deep red. Wisps of shadowy energy began to leak out of the corner of his eyes, even though his lids were tightly closed. Within seconds, a powerful wind began to blow. All flags, banners, and tarps rippled in the gust, some ripping from their foundations and billowing away.
Not a single hair on any esper twitched.
“No!” Leaping into the air, Maduin flew over the gathered espers’ heads, rushing towards his home.
Agonizing seconds past as Maduin streaked through the sky. His house came into view and angled himself for the door. Maduin crashed through the entranceway as though it wasn’t there. “Velvet! Twilight!”
No answer came.
He headed for the bedroom, his eyes scanning for any signs of his wife and daughter. He found nothing but an empty bed and an open window.
Wasting no time, Maduin burst out the window and flew towards the gate. As he reached the city limits, equine forms dotted the streets and plains. Each were fighting against the magical wind that still blew, but their struggles were in vain. Sombra’s power washed over them relentlessly, sending them tumbling end over end. Maduin zipped from one pony to the next, searching for his dear wife’s colors. Closer and closer the gate loomed.
At last, he spotted a blot of purple further ahead. Flying as fast as his powers allowed, Maduin nose dived, stopping ahead of the pony. He twisted and caught the equine, cradling her protectively in his arms. In her own arms, a little foal laid, crying.
“Velvet, I’m so glad,” Maduin said, sighing into her mane.
“Maduin,” Velvet replied, her eyes shut tight. “What is going on?”
“We’ll talk later. We must get back to the city.” Righting himself, Maduin made to rise.
Not fast enough as an armored pony crashed into him, sending Maduin sprawling backwards. He heard Velvet cry out. He looked up in time to see Twilight whisked away by the wind. Wasting no time, Maduin clutched Velvet tight and raced after their daughter. The wind pushed against Velvet, greatly increasing his speed. Using one hand to keep Velvet secure, he reached out with the other for the small lavender foal.
His large hand closed around his precious filly, pulling her close.
With a grunt of exertion, Madiun twisted around. Willing all of his magic into speed, he readied himself to begin the upstream climb back to the city.
Maduin paused as he finally took stock of his surroundings. No longer was he on the great plains of the Crystal Empire, but hovering above a wooden bridge suspended over a dark chasm. Storm clouds billowed all around, the crack of lighting sounding in the distance. At the far end of the bridge was a giant rock spire with a pulsing blue vortex set in its center. Ponies by the dozens spewed out of the vortex, some crashing on the bridge while others fell into the chasm below. He had been here once, several hundred years ago.
Maduin had passed through the Sealed Gate without even realizing it.
Giving a cry of defiance, he charged for the gate, bowling over ponies unfortunate enough to get in his way. He reached the gate in seconds and braced himself.
The moment he touched the portal, a blinding flash of white light flared. A force like a landslide knocked him back. Maduin collapsed to the bridge, stunned.
The sudden impact dislodged Velvet and Twilight from his grip. Acting fast, Velvet caught Twilight in her magic and brought her close. She let out a whoosh of air upon landing on the wooden bridge, but managed to hold on to her daughter. Groaning, she slowly opened her eyes and blinked away the blurriness. She saw Maduin close by, unmoving. Velvet let out a sigh of relief to see his chest rising and falling. They were safe.
The clop of hooves against wood drew her attention. She looked up to see a large white unicorn stallion standing above her, eyeing her curiously.
“Not in all my years did I expect to see a mare in a place like this,” Blueblood said. “Who are you?”
Velvet struggled to stand up, cradling Twilight in her foreleg. “Stay away.”
Blueblood blinked at the crying foal. “Is that…” He looked up at the esper Velvet limped towards. A wide grin split his muzzle. “Unbelievable. You and he? So that child is…” He threw his head back and laughed against a backdrop of wind and thunder. “This is too good to be true! My dream will be realized even faster than I ever believed!”
“What are you talking about?” Velvet said, moving closer to Maduin.
“My dear, you should be honored. Your foal will be the cornerstone to my magical kingdom. Nothing will stand in my way of global conquest now.”
Velvet sneered, her horn alight. “You can’t have her!”
Snorting, Blueblood rushed forward, ducking low to avoid a pink shot of energy. Blueblood reached Velvet before she could fire again. Spinning, Blueblood delivered a mighty buck to her face, sending her flying. Velvet’s trajectory carried her over the bridge, her form quickly lost in the raging storm clouds below.
The last thing she saw before being consumed was her crying daughter in Blueblood’s telekinetic grip.
.o.O.o.
“I wish I could say I saved her. I wish I could say I got revenge on them for what they did. But there were too many of them. The gate closed and all the ponies blown out overwhelmed me. I was forced into their glass tubes and drained alive until you all came and freed us. Now, you know my story.”
Silence followed Maduin’s final words. No one moved or said anything. Slight movement or the occasional cough were the only sounds as everyone took in the tale.
A minute passed before one pony dared break the status quo. Derpy Hooves turned to Twilight Sparkle and said, “So, are you, like, Spotter’s aunt or something?”
Twilight sputtered, Shining Armor choked on a sip of water, and Maduin barked a laugh.
Derpy cocked her head. “What?”
.o.O.o.
In the bowels of the Magitek Research facility, Doctor Whooves monitored a gage connected to a large, rust colored stove. He nodded, apparently satisfied with the readings.
“What’s the word, dude.”
Whooves twisted his head, catching sight of Gilda walking towards him. He turned back to the gauge, saying, “Shouldn’t be too long now. This chap should be out within the next two days.”
Gilda leaned up against a nearby wall, her talons crossed. “Good, because this is the last one we got. It better be something special, too.”
“I consider myself an expert on this, and my research points to this esper being far more powerful than any of the others that got away. It should serve our purposes splendidly.”
With a flick of her wrist, Gilda produced a little gust of wind, ruffling Whooves’ hind quarters. The stallion shivered. “It better, after all I did to get it here,” she said. “Because if little Twilight fails, it’ll be up to this guy to get us to the statues.”
Stats
Page generated in 0.05 seconds
Total duration
768 users online
719,765 hits today, 2,054,621 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
I AM ONLY NOW DISCOVRING A FIC THAT IS RELATED TO THE BEST FINAL FANTASY GAME... I MUST READ THIS LATER YOU ARE AWESOME ALREADY.
Sorry... i got excited... final fantasy 6 is so much more deserving the title of best FF than 7 is...
Nice work tying in Shining Armor and Twilight's parentage in Maduin's backstory.
It's also nice to view Sombra as a protector rather than a tyrant.
5770541
Now that you've found it, we hope that you'll enjoy it! Nice having you aboard.
5770621
It wasn't easy doing the relationship tango. Now to deal with all the fallout for these revelations.
5727805
Big Mac not noticing Apple Bloom, huh? We've got that covered later on.
Thanks for all the kind comments!
So now that we've seen how Twilight and Shining are connected, we'll just have to find out how the other family members fit with each other.
By the way, you're using the Good Sombra from the comic books, right?
5772075 Pretty much. Never read the comics, but I believe so.
5772075 5772153
I have, and some of my inspiration for the character came from the comic.
5803717 Indeed but I tend to forget that as Berzerk and most other status changers tend not to work as well for players as they do for the enemy AI. Though really aside from the idea of fighting a pre kefka's Tower Guardian the two bosses I really hate are Wrecksoul and Magic-Master. And while Wrecksoul can be delt with if you use x-zone on his flunkies it's basically just the vanish doom trick. As for Magic-Master? While he can also be berzeked, or even muted if I recall right the only way to realy beat him without dealing with his last gasp Ultima is to drian his MP to Zero ad THAT is a slog unto itself.
So Shiny is Twilight's half-brother. If you're willing to do something that out there, then just about anything could've happened with Applejack's parents that put Apple Bloom in Shy's care.
Also, is it just me, or is Maduin looking like he's gonna stick around? In the game, Terra gets that flashback from his magicite, but this time he made it to the airship and seems to be on the mend.
So Shining and twilight are related still. I love it!
Cait Sith?!
Well then that's unexpected I didn't know the espers live in the Crystal Empire okay cool
Whoa what King Sombra wow that is another unexpected turn of events are you using the alternate universe comic King Sombra?
So Maduin was night light and he can transform to any creature that's a new one at least when a changeling does that but still not expecting that at all
Oh wow so you somehow try to connect shine armor with Twilight as brother and sister as well so he's also half esper too
Whoa mama Mia that blew my freaking mind right now so apparently when Maduin told his story about where Twilight came from so basically espers live in the Crystal Empire but then they heard that a pony made it through the gate and it turns out it was Twilight velvet which that also Shining Armor's mother as well boy this reunions of Twilight and Shining Armor will be very interesting but anyway she tried to go back home to find shining armor but she couldn't but Maduin wants to reassure her that he'll be okay and maybe she could stay here which she did and then Twilight was born everything looks like it was fine until 2 years later and it looks like Prince Blueblood found the gate so King Sombra use his magic to banished all the ponies out of the city but Maduin was worried about velvet and Twilight he tried to rescue them but he got himself pulled out as well valva tried her best to protect her baby from Prince blue blood but it was too much and it looks like she was killed and they took Maduin as well but meanwhile at the laboratory it looks like they're creating a new esper and do I have a feeling I know who it is but I want to make sure it's right