Chapter 6: Field Trip to Canterlot
Over the course of the next while, a few interesting things happened here and there, but nothing too major that would warrant anything dangerous. The first thing was some sort of event known as the "Sisterhooves Social", where teams of sisters from around Ponyville would team up together to win a competition. During this, apparently Rarity and her little sister Sweetie Belle, who I remembered as one of the fillies back during the "Want It Need It" incident, apparently got into some sort of fight which caused Sweetie Belle to try and participate in the Sisterhooves Social with Applejack. To make amends with her, Rarity apparently disguised herself as Applejack and swapped places with her halfway during the event so that the two would compete together. In the end, while they didn't win, the both of them did manage to make up with each other at the end.
After that was another event involving another of the three fillies, Applejack's sister Apple Bloom. From what I heard, Apple Bloom, along with her friends, were obsessed with getting their cutie marks and, in desperation, went to Zecora to see if she could help. The help Zecora gave, sort of worked. It involved some sort of plant called the "Heart's Desire" which allowed those that drank an elixir made from it to have their innermost desires come true. Apple Bloom drank it, and the next day, had a cutie mark. But, this would quickly escalate from being something good into something chaotic, as Apple Bloom's body began to be slowly covered by cutie marks as she began doing the various things that each cutie mark represented. I think I even saw her once lifting a 1,000 pound weight in the middle of town, which did unnerve me a bit. Thankfully it was quickly solved and Applebloom apparently learned a lesson about being patient.
The most recent thing was something I did not expect to end up becoming as crazy as it did: Rainbow Dash getting a pet. Rainbow Dash saw as everyone except her had a pet and decided that she wanted one. Now, this could have been probably as simple as Rainbow going to a pet store or going to Fluttershy to help with finding one, right? Well, kind of. Rainbow Dash did go to Fluttershy for help, but it ended up with Rainbow having a lot of different animals race with her through a dangerous gorge that obviously wasn't safe for either her or the animals. And while Rainbow Dash did get injured, she was saved by a turtle that carried her to the finish line, with said turtle being the pet Rainbow Dash chose to be her own. She named him Tank, and even got some help from Twilight so that Tank could fly around with her via a propeller attached to his shell.
Anyways, today was nothing really special as everything was somewhat peaceful. I was currently just going around town to see if anything interesting was going on as I had gotten a little bit bored earlier and wanted to take a break from being in the library for the past long while. I was currently in the middle of the market and had floated on top of a nearby roof, sitting down and watching all of the residents of Ponyville do their shopping. It was kind of relaxing, in a way. The weather was also somewhat peaceful as well considering it was currently the latter end of autumn. The temperature was pretty warm as a slight breeze blew through Ponyville that combined together caused me to become a little bit sleepy. As I was just about to close my eyes and take a nap, I noticed a specific pony walking through the market as I felt a lot of anxiety coming from her.
I recognized the mare, as I had seen her and even talked to her on a few occasions. Her name was Cheerilee, an earth pon with a raspberry coat and a pink and white mane and tail, with her cutie mark being that of three flowers. She worked at the schoolhouse here in Ponyville and taught the younger foals. She was known, as her name suggested, to be quite cheerful and kind. So I was somewhat confused as to why she was so anxious about something. Curious, I floated down from my perch and approached her.
"Good afternoon Cheerilee." I said as I approached her.
"Oh, why good afternoon to you too Null. It's nice to see you." She responded back.
"Nice to see you too. Is everything alright, I've never really seen you be this upset before?" I asked.
"Yeah, I'm afraid that I'm currently in a sort of dilemma at the moment. You see, I'm suppose to take my class on a small trip to Canterlot tomorrow as a sort of reward for how well everpony has been doing recently. But, I'm afraid I might have to cancel it." Cheerilee said.
"And why's that?" I asked.
"Well, a chaperone that had volunteered was supposed to come along on the field trip with us. But, I just heard that they wouldn't be able to make it as they had caught a fever that might last for the next few days. And considering how big Canterlot is, I'm not really comfortable with me being the only adult to supervise the students and have one of them wander off without me knowing. I don't know what to do, everypony has been looking forward to this trip for a while now, and I don't really have the heart to tell them that it's been canceled last minute." Cheerilee said as she let out a sad sigh.
This caught my interest. So far, ever since I arrived in this world, I've only really ever been around Ponyville and have only slightly gone into the Everfree Forest. I've read up on Canterlot as well, and from what I've read about it, it was apparently Equestria's capital as a lot of nobles and high ranking members of society lived there. Not to mention that both Celestia and Luna both ruled from Canterlot as well. To put it simply, I was kind of interested to go there, and I could kill two birds with one stone at the same time with the idea that was currently forming in my head.
"Hey Cheerilee. Is it possible for me to stand in as a chaperone?" I asked.
"What? You mean, you want to help watch over the students with me while we're in Canterlot?" Cheerilee asked.
"Pretty much. The thing is, I've sort of been interested in visiting for a while now. And it's not like I've got anything important going on for the next while, so I'm fine with helping out." I said.
I felt myself being yanked as Cheerilee hugged me as the anxiety I had felt from her had disappeared. "Oh, thank you Null! You don't know how much you made my day, and possibly the students' as well."
"No problem." I said as the hug began to get painful. "Could you, maybe put me down now?"
"Oops. Sorry about that." Cheerilee said as she let go of me. "Since you will be helping with chaperoning, all you need to know is that you have to be at the train station by about 8:00 a.m. tomorrow morning, as it takes roughly an hour for the train to arrive at Canterlot from here. After that, we will mostly just go around Canterlot and do a few things that the city has to offer."
"Really? You don't need me to come to the schoolhouse or anything?" I asked.
"Not really. The plan with the original chaperone was to meet them at the train station anyway. Now then, I must get going. I have a field trip to finalize after all." Cheerilee said.
We both said goodbye to each other as she went in the direction of what I assumed where the schoolhouse was. With nothing better to do I resumed going around town, though a few things did happen involving Rainbow Dash. Mostly her rescuing a filly from a well, saving a baby in a runaway stroller, and just saving a few ponies in general. Though I think this was feeding her ego a little bit too much, as she began boasting about how great she was. Later, a sort of event was held as she continued boasting about how great she was as she gave out autographs and took pictures with a lot of foals that had become her fans. Regardless, after it was all said and done, I headed back to Fluttershy's house and told her what I would be doing tomorrow. She was surprisingly ok with this, as she said that her and the others were going to be busy tomorrow as well. I decided to not ask too many questions as I tucked in for the night and got everything ready for the trip tomorrow.
"Are you sure you have everything you need?" Fluttershy asked.
It was about 7:30 in the morning as Fluttershy and I were currently in the living room. I had gotten together a small knapsack that I had put together the previous night that was filled with a few things for the trip. Said things mostly included a few bottles of water, the book about the legends of Equestria that Twilight was still letting me borrow as I was almost finished with it, and a map of Canterlot that Twilight had given me when I told her about what I was doing today. The knapsack itself was tied around my body and hung down from my back as my scarf laid over it.
"Yep. I got everything right here." I said.
"Ok, but take this just in case you need to get something in Canterlot." Fluttershy said as she handed me a small bag that made a slight jingling sound as she handed it to me.
"Fluttershy, you don't really need to give me these." I said.
"Take it just in case." Fluttershy insisted.
"Ok then." I said as I put the bag into my hood. I found that for small things like this bag fit inside the hood of my outfit, allowing me to store them quite easily. Anyways, I suppose it was better to have something and not need to use it than needing to use something but not have it.
"Now then, you be careful while in Canterlot. And make sure to stay with Cheerilee just in case you get lost." Fluttershy said.
"Don't worry, I will." I said as I began to head out the door. "I'll see you when I get back."
Fluttershy gave me a soft smile as I exited her house and began making my way to the train station. Considering how it was on the opposite side of town, I needed to make sure I had plenty of time to get there, otherwise I would miss the train. Thankfully, it was an easy trek through Ponyville as I begin to see the residents walking about as they started their everyday lives. Some time later, and I had finally managed to make it to the train station with a few minutes to spare before Cheerilee and her students got here. The train station itself was not really all that big, as it was only really just a platform that allowed those riding the train to easily get on or off. The actual ticket counter was connected to a small building that was located right next to the platform as well, though there currently wasn't anyone there at the moment. I decided to sit on a nearby bench and wait for the others to show up. Thankfully, this didn't take long as a few short minutes later, I spotted Cheerilee and roughly a dozen students following her, a few of which I immediately recognized. These being that of Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Pipsqueak who were apparently talking to one another about something. Though, two faces that I was definitely not expecting to see were that of Snips and Snails, the two unicorns hanging towards the back of the group. Other than those six, the rest of the students were walking with Cheerilee included that of a pink earth pony filly that appeared to wear a tiara on her head with her cutie mark also being that of a tiara, a gray earth pony filly wearing light blue glasses whose cutie mark appeared to be some sort of spoon, a brown earth pony colt wearing a propeller hat, a small pegasus colt with a cream colored coat, an earth pony filly with a red curly mane and tail who was wearing purple glasses and whose cutie mark appeared to be that of two candy canes making a heart, and a lilac unicorn filly with a blonde mane and tail. As they got closer, I got up from the bench I was on and made my way towards them. As I approached, a lot of the foals looked up and watched as I approached them, though Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Pipsqueak seemed to recognize me as the others just simply stared at me in curiosity. It also seems as though Snips and Snails didn't recognize me either.
"Ah, Null! It's good to see you. Once again, I am so happy that you were able to volunteer to help chaperone for this trip." Cheerilee said as she greeted me.
"Chaperone? Ms. Cheerilee, I thought you said that Dinky Doo's mom was going to be our chaperone?" The brown earth pony colt said.
"Mommy wasn't able to. She got sick a couple of days ago and that she wasn't going to get better in time for the trip. It's also why mommy hasn't been able to deliver any mail recently as well. I also thought that we weren't going to be able to go because of this." The lilac unicorn filly, who I guessed was Dinky Doo, said.
"You are both right, Button Mash, Dinky Doo. While Ditzy Doo wasn't well enough to help chaperone, Null here volunteered to chaperone in her stead." Cheerilee said.
"Really? How's an egg like that going to help keep an eye on all of us?" The earth pony wearing the tiara said.
Egg? I guess all of the white of my outfit made me look like one, but if it was supposed to be an insult or something it didn't really work.
"You leave him alone Diamond Tiara. If it wasn't for Null, then we wouldn't have Nightmare Night." Sweetie Belle said, which was followed by Scootaloo and Apple Bloom saying "Yeah!". Looks like the word about me helping and saving Nightmare Night had gotten around fast.
"And why should we listen to a couple of blank flanks like you all?" Diamond Tiara said.
This immediately seemed to strike a nerve with the four of them except for Pipsqueak, as I sensed a little bit of sadness come from them as they looked towards their flanks. Knowing how those three were obsessed with getting their cutie marks, I could tell this upset them quite a bit.
"Now everypony, let's not start fighting, ok? Besides, the train is just now arriving." Cheerilee said as she got between the the foals.
True to what Cheerilee had said, I heard a train whistle blow as I turned and looked to see the train coming down the tracks. The main engine of the train itself was pink in color and seemed to have a sort of heart theme to it. Behind it were a few cars that stretched behind it. Once it reached the platform, the doors that were in between the spaces of the cars opened as their passengers slowly got out and got onto the platform.
"Alright, everypony on the train. We don't want to be left behind now, do we?" Cheerilee said as all of us made our way towards the train. Cheerilee explained how the school board agreed to pay for this trip, mostly including that of a few things that we were supposed to do in Canterlot as well as paying for everyone's tickets. We then entered a car that was somewhat close to the front, and I had to say, it definitely looked comfortable. Multiple cushioned seats lined the sides of the car, with each pair of seats facing each other having a window right beside them, allowing the car's passengers to view the passing landscape. It appeared that we had the whole car to ourselves, as everyone made their way to different seats and began to get cozy for when the train began to head to Canterlot. I was about to sit in an empty seat before I saw Scootaloo waving to me as she was sitting with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. Deciding to sit down next to the three fillies, I made my way over to them and sat right beside the window as they sat across from me.
"So, do you girls need something?" I asked.
"Well, we want to know about the thing that saved Nightmare Night!" Scootaloo said.
"Yeah, and we were curious about ya as well ever since we first saw ya take that doll from Twilight." Apple Bloom said.
"Hmhm. My sister says that you showed up when Discord was causing trouble for everyone, and that you came from the Everfree Forest. Is this really true?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Well, I guess I did come from there." I said. It definitely seemed as though these three fillies had a lot of questions for me, so I suppose it wouldn't hurt to answer them.
"What's it like? Ah've only been as far as Zecora's house, but even then it was quite scary." Apple Bloom said.
"Don't forget about that time we ran into that cockatrice." Scootaloo said.
"Don't remind me. If Fluttershy hadn't found us and stared it down, we would have been turned to stone." Sweetie Belle said.
I remember reading about a cockatrice. It was apparently a creature with the head of a chicken that had a somewhat reptilian body whose gaze could turn those that looked into it to stone. Once again, I had even more reasons as to not make Fluttershy mad. As we kept talking about various things, I felt the cabin we were in lurch forward as the train began to move. Looking out the window, I saw the landscape outside slowly begin to pass us as we made our way towards Canterlot. At least with me talking with these three, the trip might pass by quickly.
"Wait, so you haven't been around the Everfree Forest that much?" Sweetie Belle said.
"Not really. All I remember was waking up in a small clearing within the woods and just wandering around before I made it to Ponyville." I said.
It had roughly been about an hour since we left the train station, and the four of us have been talking the whole time. Well, mostly the three fillies in front of me. They explained how they established a small group known as the Cutie Mark Crusaders that appeared to be only made up of the three of them and that they essentially talked about how they were doing various things to try and get their cutie marks, and they listed off a bunch of stuff they have already tried. From simple things such as baking and and drawing to even putting on a play that they said turned out somewhat decently. I myself kept to my usual thing of not telling the whole truth when explaining how I ended up in the Everfree Forest. It was just as simple as me saying that I just woke up there, and they believed me. They did try to ask if I was anywhere before ending up in the Everfree, to which I simply said that it wasn't really a place all that interesting. A total lie, of course, as I assumed they would have been amazed by everything outside of this world. For me however, while I was interested in some of the things floating in the in-between of dimensions after finding that altar, a lot of my time was spent on Halcandra surrounded by nothing but fiery wastelands and volcanoes that Landia would visit every now and then. Though, there were the rare times that Landia would visit a locale on Halcandra known as Egg Engines, which was pretty much a rundown and abandoned city filled to the brim with technological marvels.
"Hey look! Canterlot's comin' into view!" Apple Bloom said as she pointed towards the window.
Hearing this, I decided to look out the window for the first time ever since we left the train station back in Ponyville. And to put it simply, Canterlot was a sight to behold.
Canterlot itself was able to be easily seen towards the outskirts of Ponyville that was around the train station. From there, it simply looked to be a city that had been built on the side of one of the mountains that were near Ponyville. Up close, however, was a different story. Multiple towers lined the edges of the city and were built into the side of the mountain. In addition, I could see a small wall that surrounded Canterlot as well that I could only assume was to protect the city in times of need or invasion considering it was also the capital of Equestria. Towards the far side of Canterlot was what I could only assume was the castle were Celestia and Luna ruled from, considering the sheer size of the structure and how more ornately decorated it appeared to be.
Eventually, the train passed through an opening within the wall as we arrived at the train station for Canterlot. The train began to slow down and soon came to a stop right by the platform. As it did, Cheerilee got up and told everyone to get up as well as we followed her out of the car and onto the platform, where the streets of Canterlot greeted us.
"Alright everypony, we have a few places we are going to be visiting for today. Also, please don't wander off, like I've said, Canterlot is a huge place, and none of us want to get lost here by ourselves, right?" Cheerilee said. This was met by a few "Yes ma'am." coming from some of the group. "Alright, then. Our first stop is the Canterlot Museum of History, which is..." Cheerilee as I assumed she was trying to remember where it was. Thankfully, I had the map I brought with me. I quickly pulled the knapsack off of me and opened it slightly as I dug around in it before pulling out the map, after which I gave it a quick look and found where we needed to go.
"Looks like it's that way." I said as I pointed down a nearby street.
"Ah, thank you Null. Now then, everypony stay close." Cheerilee said as I put my knapsack back on.
And with that, we began making our way towards the museum, with me helping to lead the way every now and then as I had the map. I had to say, Canterlot was definitely giving off a feeling of nobility by just simply looking at the various buildings and ponied walking around. The buildings had a somewhat fancier design compared to the ones back in Ponyville, and almost everyone that appeared to be a resident here was wearing some sort of expensive looking outfit or piece of jewelry. Though, one thing I definitely noticed was how almost everyone we passed was walking with their heads held extremely high in the air with some of them even having their eyes closed. It was a wonder how none of them bumped into anyone or anything as they walked about. At least this was somewhat of a positive thing, as not once did any of the ponies we passed by give me a second look to stare at me.
We eventually made it to the museum, a large marble building with marble columns by the entrance, giving it a sort of "old" feeling to it. Inside, there were various exhibits within the museum itself, ranging from paintings made by famous painters, pottery and relics from places in Equestria's past, to things that were from only about a century or two ago. After we went around the museum for a bit, I saw a specific exhibit that caught my eye that was apparently called the "Magical Relics Wing". Curious, I separated from the group and went down the hall and looked at the various things things that were being displayed. Though, most of the things were portraits or paintings of magical artifacts. Some of the things featured in said portraits or paintings were a bow that could apparently cause it's user to never miss a shot, a hammer that could shake the earth around it and was wielded by a feared earth pony warmonger, and a necklace that allowed those that wore it to turn invisible. The actual relics that were displayed were just a variety of helms, armors, and weapons used by the warriors of magic wielding kingdoms and tribes of ancient Equestria. I was about to leave, only for me to feel an immense amount of power coming from a nearby display case. Going over to it, I saw what appeared to be a black amulet of sorts, with the front having a red diamond shaped gemstone set within a grey upside down triangle, with the top of it depicting what appeared to be a gray alicorn as the head had red eyes and a horn as there were a set of wings on the side.
I got closer to it and saw a plaque right in front of the display case. Curious as to what this thing was, I began to read what was written on the plaque.
"Let's see here, apparently this thing is called the 'Alicorn Amulet'. 'The Alicorn Amulet is often regarded as an artifact of both immense power and great evil. When worn, the amulet itself grants its wearer enough magical strength to rival that of the alicorn princesses themselves. Found in an abandoned cave in the frozen north, the unicorn who discovered this relic immediately put it on and wrought chaos and destruction upon the unicorn's own hometown. The pony in question appeared to be targeting certain individuals as they repeatedly went after these individuals and inflicted them with a myriad of negative spells that greatly harmed the individuals. Over time, the unicorn became more and more sadistic as they continued causing destruction, before both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna stepped in and defeated the unicorn and removed the amulet from their possession and took it back here to Canterlot and watched over it personally. About 20 years ago, Princess Celestia herself decided to donate the Alicorn Amulet here as to serve as one of the many exhibits here in the Canterlot Museum.'"
Wow, talk about a severe case of deja vu. A powerful artifact that would grant its wearer immense magical strength while slowly corrupting their mind? Yeah, that sounded way to similar to the Master Crown, even if I was the thing that was corrupting the wearer's mind to try and posses them. I'll admit, I was extremely tempted to take the amulet and see what would happen if I wore it, but I thought better of it. There were probably a lot of security measures in place that would prevent the amulet from being easily stolen, and considering how I had only one way to defend myself, I wasn't going to risk stealing it. As I began to head back out of the exhibit to meet back up with the group, I turned to look back at the amulet. I couldn't help but feel nostalgic about all of the power I used to have back when I had managed to possess those that wore me back in the day, compared to how little magic I had now. Turning back around, I eventually made my way back to the group, who were waiting at the entrance for me.
"Ms. Cheerilee, Null's right there!" Pipsqueak said to notify Cheerilee that I was back.
"Thank you Pipsqueak. Where were you anyway Null? I looked back and got a little bit worried seeing as you weren't with us." Cheerilee said.
"Sorry, something caught my eye and I couldn't help but investigate." I said.
"That's alright, just make sure to notify somepony if you do go off somewhere. Anyways, our next stop is simply the gardens right by the castle. And don't worry about needing to get the map out, Null. I remember the way to get there quite well." Cheerilee said.
And with that, we left the museum as we began making our way towards the castle.
While it did take us a little bit longer to get to the castle compared to when were heading to the museum, Cheerilee was right in saying that she did know the way to the gardens. As we got closer to the castle, I began seeing what I assumed were the guards of the castle, as they wore mostly golden armor and helmets and were also holding a spear as they patrolled or kept watch over the castle and the surrounding area. As we passed them, a few of them watched us as we continued on our way to the gardens, though without me noticing how their gaze seemed to linger on me before they returned to their duties. They didn't show it, but I could definitely tell they were more interested in me than they were with the others. Pretty soon, we made it to what appeared to be a massive wall of bushes behind a tall fence before we reached an entrance that led through the fence and bushes. As we went through it, I could only assumed that we had arrived at our destination.
All around us were various flower beds spread out here and there, with also the occasional hedge sculpture depicting various animals or even what I assumed were meant to be the guards, as they also had flowers on them that helped to give color to the armor. Besides that, there were also a lot of marble statues depicting various ponies and creatures that lined a path that led through the gardens. Towards the far end of the garden was what I could assume was a giant hedge maze, the entrance to said maze being decorated with more flowers and small flags that stuck out from the top of the shrubbery that made up the walls.
"Alright everypony, feel free to go around and enjoy the garden. I know we weren't able to be here very long last time, but today you all will have more time to truly enjoy what these gardens have to offer. Now remember, everpony must be back here within roughly two hours so that we can go and get something to eat. Oh, and if you go into the maze, make sure to have a buddy with you!" Cheerilee said.
And with that, all of the foals began to head off in different groups towards different parts of the garden with some of them just wandering around while a few of them immediately going into the maze, mainly that of the members of the Cutie Mark Crusaders along with Pipsqueak. Deciding that I also wanted to try the maze and that I could get out easily if I ever got lost by floating over the walls, I made my way to its entrance. I always had a sort of rule of thumb when it came to getting to the end of mazes, and that was simply picking a wall and sticking to it. Though, I decided to see what the layout of the maze was like, so I floated a little bit above the wall and looked at the maze in its entirety. It was circular in shape, with there appearing to be six circular areas lining the edges of the maze, while there was one big circular area in the middle. Seeing as the entrance was probably also the exit, I could only assume the end of the maze was the area in the middle. Floating back down, I decided to start by going right and stuck to the wall on my left as I began traversing the maze. Every time there was a fork in the path I kept to the wall, even if the wall turned down another path. Eventually, I made it to the first of the circular clearings.
Within the clearing were small little ponds that had statues coming out of them on the left and right sides of where I had entered. In the middle was a bed red flowers with a statue of a dragon in the middle of the bed as well. Continuing on through another entrance on the other side of the clearing, I continued through the maze before arriving at another clearing.
This one was similar to the first, except this one had orange flowers instead and the statue in the middle depicted what I assumed was a yak, which were bovine like in appearance but had shaggy fur that helped to keep them warm in the cold climates they tended to live in.
Moving on, I got to the third clearing which had yellow flowers this time, with the statue depicting a griffon, a creature with the body of a lion and the head of an eagle. From what I've read, the griffins were somewhat prideful in nature and often coveted treasures, though I had remembering reading about how something happened to the griffins that caused their society to slowly become worse and worse over time.
Continuing further brought me to the fourth clearing which had flowers with green petals this time. The statue in the middle depicted what appeared to be a deer. Though this deer seemed to be wearing some sort of regalia that was similar to Celestia's and Luna's, possibly signifying this deer was some sort of ruler. This was also the first time that I have heard of deer potentially being a species similar to that of ponies or other sentient creatures that had established a sort of society.
Moving on further into the maze, I came across the fifth clearing. This one had blue flowers this time, though the statue depicted something I had never seen before. Or, should I say statues. Scattered across the podium on small poles that connected them to the podium itself were small statues that seemed to depict something similar to ponies, except with much thinner bodies and also what appeared to be wings akin to that of an insects. The wings themselves seemed to be made of clear plastic with intricate designs in them.
Deciding to move on, I eventually came across the last of the clearings as I assumed I was close to the entrance were I had started. This one featured purple flowers in the bed in the middle, with the statue depicting something I thankfully knew about. Appearing like a large bipedal dog with large hands an wearing a collar of some kind, I recognized this as a diamond dog. Supposedly, they were a species of canines that preferred to live underground and liked collecting gemstones. They were also apparently very hardy and had great night vision, considering they spent almost their entire life underground.
Seeing how I made it to all of the clearings that surrounded the edge of the maze, I floated up above the walls once again to see where I was in the maze. As it turns out, I appeared to have just gone in a counterclockwise circle around the maze from the entrance, as I could see the entrance nearby. Looking back towards the middle, I looked closer at the clearing and saw there were three entrances with archways at he tops leading into it from the maze. I looked around for a bit and eventually saw a path that would lead me straight to it. So, when I floated back down, I made my way through the exit of the clearing I was currently in and followed the path that I had mapped out in my mind. Thankfully, it was only just a few simple turns here and there as I made my way through. Eventually, I stumbled upon a path that had white flowers lining the bottom of the walls. Thankfully, this was the exact part of the route I had planned out and began to go down it. As I continued on, the flowers seemed to slowly get more and more abundant as they began to cover more and more of the walls. What I could only assume what had been a few minutes, I came across one of the archways that led into the center of the maze as I entered the clearing.
Compared to the others in the maze, this one was obviously much larger and a lot more decorated. Lining the edges of the clearing and between each of the entrances were two different colors of flowers that started at one end of the entrance before stopping halfway as it joined with another color of flower. They also appeared to represent a rainbow, as the red and orange flowers were in between two entrances, the yellow and green ones between the one that touched the orange flowers and another one, and the blue and purple ones between the entrances that were beside both the red and green flowers. The dirt paths also joined in the middle and surrounded one last statue as the path circled around the podium said statue was on. I couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity as I looked at the statue from the side, so I moved closer to it and went to the front of it.
I couldn't help but stop and stare in both slight fear and shock.
The statue was that of Discord himself, more specifically, Discord when he was recently turned to stone all that time ago as he had the same terrified expression I saw him wear as he was turned to stone before I blacked out from being hit with the magic of the Elements of Harmony. Ever since that day, I did sort of wonder what happened to Discord after he turned into the a stone statue. Was the statue thrown into some sort of high security vault? Was it smashed to tiny pieces by someone so that he wouldn't be able to come back? Turns out, he was here the whole time, placed in the middle of this hedge maze right beside the castle where I assumed the princesses often came and checked on him. Thinking back on this, I couldn't help but begin talking out loud as I reminisced about my first day arriving here in this world.
"So, this is where you ended up, huh?" I said, not really expecting Discord to respond or anything. "It feels weird, thinking that only a little while ago, I had arrived here in this world. In a form that I was not familiar with but had some similarities to a few things I've seen back in the in-between. I had ended up in a forest that everyone I've met was somewhat scared of and just hopped right out of it. Me discovering that weird cloud and following it to find you causing all of that chaos in Ponyville. Also questioning just where I had ended up. And then, I stumbled upon you with Twilight and her friends that had been corrupted, and I couldn't help but feel bad for them. Normally, I wouldn't care about stuff like that when I was still stuck in the Master Crown, but I suppose that, when I had finally gotten out of it, I couldn't help but focus on other things. And then you found me following you and Twilight and then proceeded to use me as a basketball. Heh, I still remember the look on your face when I bounced right into you.
"I guess what I'm trying to say is, you are actually one of the few beings in a long time to make me genuinely feel powerless. Sure, there were those that stood up to me once I possessed those that wore me, but you were the first thing I encountered after losing all of my power and you treated me as though I was just a simple plaything. Sure, I was somewhat happy that you had gotten your comeuppance and was once again turned back into this statue, but that's kind of your own fault for being cocky and thinking you had still one. Though, I suppose you gave me a reality check that I needed to really solidify into my mind that I'm not as powerful as I once was. Sure, I'm slowly getting back my powers and am really close to being able to do, well something. I don't know what that something is just yet. But that's the thing, I am getting stronger. Maybe if you break out again anytime soon, I'll be strong enough to actual defend myself against you. Maybe I'll even win, who knows?"
I looked up into the sky and saw that the sun had gone down a lot compared to when I entered the maze.
"Well, I should probably head back. I don't know why, but I feel like I just needed to reflect on everything. Well, see ya." I said as I began floating above the walls. Before I headed back to the entrance, I looked back at the Discord and did a double take before rubbing my eyes to make sure what I was seeing things. There he was, still turned to stone with the same terrified expression. I began to float above the maze as I couldn't help but think that it may have been just a trick of the light or something.
Because I swear I saw Discord smirking at me.
Once I got back, the rest of the field trip went quite smoothly. We left the statue garden and went to get some food at apparently at a well known donut shop known as "Joe's Donuts" which was run by a unicorn that whose name was also Joe. They weren't kidding when they said the donuts were good, as I had a simple chocolate donut and it was almost as good as Sugarcube Corner's icing cookies. Fluttershy was also right in giving me the bag of bits as well, as everyone in the group had to pay for their own. After that, we visited a few other things such as the opera house, which almost everyone in the group except for Cheerilee, Sweetie Belle, Diamond Tiara, the gray earth pony that was with her who I learned was named Silver Spoon, and myself feel asleep. Though I was pretty close. After that all we did was just go around some of the stores as everyone bought things such as snow globes and even small chunks of crystals that apparently came from the tunnels within the mountain itself, I bought myself a multicolored one as a souvenir and put it in my knapsack. Finally, we began to head back to the train station as the sun was beginning to set and boarded the train as we waited for it to start heading back to Ponyville. All around the cabin, everyone was talking about how they enjoyed today and how they couldn't wait to show their families back home what they got. Cheerilee on the other hand, looked to be exhausted and immediately fell asleep as soon as she sat down.
"Man, today was awesome! I'm still happy that we managed to get back to the center of that maze in record time. Still, did anyone else feel creeped out by that statue's new appearance after Discord was turned back into stone?" Scootaloo said.
"Hmhm. Sure gave me the creeps." Apple Bloom responded.
"I did enjoy that opera though. It was really entertaining." Sweetie Belle said.
"Entertainin'? I fell asleep five minutes into the thing!" Apple Bloom responded.
"Well, I still think these goggles I got look cool. Maybe Rainbow Dash will think so as well!" Scootaloo said.
"I guess. Hey Null? What did you think of Canterlot?" Sweetie Belle asked me.
"Well, I guess no one was kidding when they said the place was that big. It also definitely gave off the feeling that it was a place of nobles seeing the way everyone was dressed up and how we were close to the castle." I said.
"Yeah, the statue garden sure was pretty." Apple Bloom said. "Speakin' of, how are you able to float like that? We saw ya floatin' above the walls of the maze every now and then."
"Oh, that? It's just me using magic." I said, considering it wouldn't hurt telling them.
"You can use magic?!" All three of them shouted.
"Calm down! Yes, I can. It's not much, but I am able to levitate myself and these gloves."
"What's this about using magic?"
I looked over and saw Dinky Doo and Button Mash looking at us by leaning above the back of the girl's seats.
"Yeah! Null here can use magic." Apple Bloom said.
"But, aren't unicorns the only ones able to use magic?" Button Mash asked.
"Well, I suppose the magic I use is different than the kind unicorns use." I said.
"How is it different than the kind ponies use?"
Turns out I was starting to accumulate a crowd, as to the right of us were the earth pony filly with red curly hair and glasses who I learned was named Twist, Pipsqueak, and Snips and Snails.
"Well, you see..." I began before being cut off.
"Please. You can't possibly be able to use magic. Like those blank flanks said, only unicorns are able to use magic." Snips and Snails moved over to let Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon join in on the conversation. "You're probably just lying to make yourself seem more cool than what an egg like you can already be like."
The three sitting in front of me were about to retort before I put my hand out to stop them. "Well, you all are free to listen to what I have to say. You can just simply walk away if you don't want to hear it."
It was though I had slapped Diamond Tiara in the face as she began to stutter a bit. Eventually, she decided to sit down on the floor as Silver Spoon joined her, seemingly wanting to hear what I had to say.
"Alright then. Everyone may want to get comfy, this will take a while." I said. This was followed by those standing beside the seats either sit on the floor, in Snips' and Snail's cases, as Twist joined Button Mash and Dinky by leaning over the back of the seat while Pipsqueak sat beside Scootaloo. Seeing as everyone was ready and that it possibly wouldn't hurt to tell them how magic worked outside of this world, also considering how the way I used magic was also not of this world even though I was able to use magic, I began my explanation.
"Now, allow me to explain. To put it simply: everything, from the smallest butterfly to the mightiest dragon, is able to interact with magic in many ways, shapes, and forms. This is primarily because that every living thing, both plants and animals, has access to magic. This is because that, deep within the soul every living thing, lies what is known as a mana pool. This mana pool is what allows magic users to both have access to and use magic. The size of one's mana pool mainly involves a few things, such as whether their species is proficient in magic or because of the strength of one's own will. There are a lot of factors essentially when it comes to the size of a mana pool. However, not everyone has complete access to their mana pool immediately. This mostly boils down to, once again, what species a being is. Species that are proficient in magic have a lot of or complete access to their mana pool, while those that may not use magic at all are completely sealed off from their mana pools. Though, there are a few ways to allow a being whose species doesn't have access to magic to gain access to magic. This is mostly done through direct contact with magic or using a magical artifact for a long while." I said.
"Question." Apple Bloom said.
"Go ahead."
"If you say that everpony has access to magic, then why aren't earth ponies and pegasi able to use it."
"That is quite easy to explain. This is because not everyone has complete access to their mana pool immediately. This mostly boils down to, once again, what species a being is. Species that are proficient in magic have a lot of or complete access to their mana pool, while those that may not use magic at all are completely sealed off from their mana pools. Though, there are a few ways to allow a being whose species doesn't have access to magic to gain access to magic. This is mostly done through direct contact with magic or using a magical artifact for a long while. In cases such as earth ponies and pegasi, you all don't have complete access to your mana pools, but it seems as though you are using magic at such a small amount that you aren't able to tell."
"How so?" Scootaloo said.
"Well, let's start with earth ponies. Apparently, you all are able to essentially sense the ground beneath you and are physically stronger than the other races. I believe that this is because you are using magic passively, and like I said, at an immensely small amount. Using magic, you are able to feel what the earth below you needs, and are able to become, like I said, physically stronger than the other races. Pegasi, while similar in certain regards, are different. More so, you all use magic to sense changes in the air around you, such as slight changes in temperature or the air currents flowing around you. Think of those things as essentially a sixth sense."
"Well, you said that you are able to use magic yourself along with those that aren't able to, so how do those that can't use magic efficiently use magic?" Diamond Tiara said.
"Simple. By using the Four Matters." I said.
"The Four What?" Dinky Doo asked.
"The Four Matters are essentially both a part of one's own being, what helps make up the universe and keep it stable, and how one uses magic."
"I'm afraid you lost me there." Pipsqueak said.
"Well, I suppose it would be easier going over how each matter allows one to cast magic.
"The first is Heart Matter. Heart Matter is mainly comprised of positive emotions, and is what assists in the use of controlling magic and casting spells. Positive emotions help control the magic you're casting, and even is mainly used when casting certain elemental spells.
"Next is Dream Matter. Dream Matter is the idea of what kind of spell you want to cast and is also what helps you channel magic as well. Besides, you can't really use any magic if you don't know what kind of magic you want to cast.
"The third of the Four Matters is Soul Matter. Soul Matter for the most part refers to one's own soul as well as one's own willpower as well. It is also directly linked to your mana pool as well. As such, Soul Matter is essentially the power to cast magic. The stronger one's soul is and the bigger one's mana pool is as well, the more powerful the magic used by a being is.
"Lastly, is Dark Matter. Dark Matter is the opposite of Heart Matter, yet it works in a similar way to it as well. While Heart Matter refers to positive emotions, Dark Matter refers to negative emotions. This doesn't necessarily mean that magic using Dark Matter is evil, mind you, just that it is a little more wild compared to magic that doesn't use Dark Matter. Dark Matter is once again similar to that of Heart Matter as it assists in using certain elements of magic."
I stopped to allow everyone to take in what I had just explain. It was quite for maybe a couple of minutes before Sweetie Belle spoke up.
"So, these Four Matters are what allows those who aren't able to use magic all that well to use it?"
"Yep, though using the Four Matters isn't necessarily limited to only those that can't use magic all that well. I'm pretty sure unicorns can use it as well."
"Neat. Also, you mentioned something about different elements of magic while talking about both Heart Matter and Dark Matter. What do you mean by that?"
"Well, the elements of magic refer to what kind of magic is being used. There are many different elements of magic, and every single one of them interacts with each other in unique ways. Some elements are also able to be channeled into a weapon. Channeling itself is a somewhat complex topic, so just think of it as infusing a weapon with an element to allow it to deal more damage against those weak to a certain element. The most common elements of magic are..." I said as I began to list off the nine most common elements of magic.
"Fire. The element of fire is pretty self-explanatory, as it involves anything that has to due with using fire or burning something. These include launching fireballs, creating small flames, or even causing something to catch on fire. When a weapon is infused with the element of fire, it is considered a "Sizzle" weapon.
"Water. Similar to fire, this one is also quite self-explanatory. The element of water involves a variety of things that has to do with water itself. These include creating balls of pressurized water, creating waves of water that crash into enemies, and even breathing underwater. When water is channeled into a weapon, it is considered a "Splash" weapon.
"Ice. A lot of beings tend to either confuse water and ice magic with each other, or consider them the same thing. The latter of these two being incorrect, as the element of ice works quite differently than that of water. Ice magic involves things such as creating objects out of ice to even surrounding oneself with a freezing aura that causes those who touch it to be immediately covered in a thick layer of ice. Weapons that are channeling the element of ice are considered "Blizzard" weapons.
"Electricity. The electric element, or sometimes referred to as the thunder element, is a lot more wild and unpredictable compared to a lot of the other elements. This is because this element involves anything having to do with electricity as a whole. From creating balls of electricity, generating a electric charge by yourself, to even summoning bolts of lightning. Weapons infused with electricity are known as "Zap" weapons.
"Wind. Somewhat similar to the electric element in terms of how wild it can be, though the element itself is a lot calmer compared to it, the element of wind involves anything having to do with manipulating the air around you in various ways. Some examples include creating strong gusts of wind and even using wind itself to levitate and move objects. A weapon infused with the element of wind is considered a "Bluster" weapon.
"Earth. The element of earth involves using the ground around you and manipulating it to your own will, allowing you to use it in a variety of ways. However, this is mostly limited to throwing chunks of rock at things, creating objects out of the ground around you like the element of ice, or just causing minor earthquakes that causes the ground around you to violently shake, allowing you to throw foes off balance. Unfortunately, the element itself isn't able to be channeled into a weapon. Sure, you can make it so rocks and things coat a weapon, but the way it works is a lot different than channeling. It would be best to say that earth is more of a reactant element, as it interacts with a lot of other elements in unique ways.
"Light. Remember how I said Heart Matter assists in the use of certain elements? The element of light is one of those elements. Unfortunately, the element itself is somewhat double-edged in nature, as it has really high highs, but also really low lows. Said lows include creating balls of light to provide a source of light or just simply brightening a dark room. The highs however, are really good. Let's just say that being able to summon pillars of pure light isn't something to be taken, well, lightly. Light is also unique as it interacts with all of the other elements in a weird way, as when combined with another element, that element becomes a sort of "light" version of that element, being both that element and the element of light at the same time. Weapons channeling the element of light are considered "Shining" weapons.
"Darkness. Remember how I also said that Dark Matter is essentially the opposite of Heart Matter? Well the element of darkness is essentially the Dark Matter equivalent of light magic, down to it also having low lows and high highs. Said lows are simply just creating clouds of darkness to just simply temporarily blinding someone by making them see nothing but darkness. The highs on the other hand include launching balls of solidified darkness, moving through shadows and making your own body into a shadow that lets you avoid enemy attacks among other things. Dark magic is also similar to light magic as it can also be combined with other elements to make "dark" versions of elements. Weapons channeling the element of darkness are simply known as "Dark" weapons.
"Neutral. Neutral is, an odd element, to put it simply. It isn't able to be channeled into weapons, for a start, and that it does not interact with any other element in any way, shape, or form. Also, its greatest weakness is also its greatest strength. Nothing is able to be resistant or weak against the neutral element. I like to think of it as a somewhat comfortable element, as you can rely on it no matter what you are going against. Also, a lot of powerful spells are neutral element as well, which is why they are considered to be quite powerful.
"And that is all of the most common elements. Now, does anyone have any questions?" I asked.
"Well... I do." Silver Spoon said as she raised her hoof.
"Yes?"
"You said that one of the elements is that of darkness, and that it uses Dark Matter in order to be used. Doesn't that make it evil?" Silver Spoon asked.
"Yeah! Are you implying that what is essentially evil magic is good to use?" Diamond Tiara said.
"Well, to answer both of your questions, no. Yes, dark element spells and magic do require Dark Matter in order to be used, but that doesn't necessarily make it evil. Magic is only considered "evil" by how it is used. Though, I will admit that the element of darkness is often associated with acts of evil. But, this can be the case for any element of magic. If someone uses the element of darkness for good, is it still considered evil? What about the element of light, which is often associated with being good. If someone uses light magic for evil intentions, is it still considered good?" I said.
This prompted everyone around me to immediately become quite and think over what I had just said. During my time trapped within the Master Crown, there were many different magic users who used me for different purposes. A user of the element of darkness simply wanted the power to help their family who were being mistreated, I liked that one a lot so I decided not to try and take over. Though I was taken from him by a user of light magic who was doing horrible things and claimed that he was doing it because some imaginary deity told him to. I made sure to immediately do everything I could to posses him as fast as I could. Though, as I looked out the window and saw e were coming up on Ponyville soon, I decided to go over one last topic.
"One last thing I want to go over are elemental affinities." I said.
"Elemental affinities? What are those?" Dink Doo asked.
"Well, they are essentially what element of magic a being is able to use quite well. This is most often influenced by a magic user's species, though it can also be effected by how a being grows up. For instance, a dragon would have a natural elemental affinity for fire and an earth pony I would naturally assume would have an affinity for earth. But, let's say that a dragon grew up in the cold north and learned how to harness the cold temperatures, then they would have an affinity for ice magic. Or an earth pony that grows up someplace high up and windy to the point where they are as familiar with the wind as a pegasus is, then that earth pony would develop an affinity for wind magic." I said.
"Cool!" Scootaloo said "Hey, since you know all of this stuff, can you teach us how to use that magic?"
This prompted everyone to also agree with her, asking if I could teach them magic.
"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I have to decline." I said.
"What?! Why?" Apple Bloom asked.
"While I do know a lot about this magic, yes, I'm just not as strong as I once was. Don't get me wrong, I would love to teach you all how to properly utilize the Four Matters and see what elements you all excel in, it's just that I don't think I would be able to properly teach you if I don't even have the strength that I used to have."
"How come?" Button Mash asked.
"Let's just say that I lost a lot of my power, and that I'm slowly trying to regain it." I said as the train finally reached the station.
Once the train lurched to a stop, Cheerilee woke up and walked over to us.
"Well now, you all seem to be discussing something. Mind if I ask what it is?" Cheerilee asked.
"We're discussing how Null can use magic and what he knows about magic!" Pipsqueak said.
"That's nice. Now, everpony make their way off of the train, and I hope you all enjoyed the trip."
We did as we were told, as we all headed out of the car and got onto the train platform. After that, everyone began heading back to where they lived and head to bed, as the moon was now making its way into the night sky. Cheerilee pulled me aside to once again thank me for helping with this trip and keeping the foals entertained on the ride home, to which I told her it was no problem. We eventually parted ways as I headed back to Fluttershy's house. When I got there, Fluttershy herself was still up, though it looked like she was just about to head to bed.
"Hey, I'm back." I said.
"Oh, thank goodness. I was worried you wouldn't be back until much later. How was the trip?" Fluttershy asked.
"It was good I guess. A can definitely say I enjoyed it." I said as I removed my knapsack before pulling out the bag of bits Fluttershy gave me and held it out to her. "I guess you were right about me needing these. I only spent a couple, so you can have it back."
Fluttershy shook her head and pushed the bag back to me. "No, you can keep it. Think of it as me saying thank you for helping me out recently. I truly appreciate it."
I had recently been helping out Fluttershy with taking care of the animals around here as well as delivering medicine for the pets owned by the residents of Ponyville. "Are you sure?" I asked.
Fluttershy gave a nod as she began to head upstairs. "I do. Have a good night, Null."
"Night, and thanks for the money." I said as she went out of view. Deciding to get myself ready for bed, I empted the knapsack of the remains of what I had brought and put some of them on the table next to the couch, with the crystal I had gotten shimmering in the moonlight. Wrapping myself up in a blanket, I thought back to what I told the foals on the train. I definitely would have loved to teach them everything I knew, but I just couldn't at the moment. It was rare moments like these that I sort of missed being trapped within the Master Crown. As when I possessed someone, I at least had an immense amount of power that I could use, even if it was often only for a little while. Now, even though I was close to being able to do something, all I can do is simply levitate myself and the gloves Rarity made me. I thought more about this as I slowly drifted off to sleep.
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Uh oh Discord now know's Null's secret!