What's Out There?

by Sharky White

Chapter Nine

"Waaagh!" I turn and try to run away, only to realize there's a wall behind me. I slam into it pretty hard and end up falling backward and hitting the back of my head on the edge of the table. The blow is enough to bring tears to my eyes and cause me to yelp.

"Son?! Are you ok?" I hear the sound of the thing approaching me from around the table. I scramble a bit more and hide under the table, desperate to not be seen.

"G-get away!" I shout weakly.

"Son, there's no need to fear me." The light tapping of the approaching thing's steps stops abrubtly.

"Q-quit calling me son! Leave me alone!"

"And what else should a father call his son? Hmm?"

"Y-you're n-not my dad! M-my dad is B-butterscotch S-swirl!"

"Oh come now. I was so hoping you had been raised smarter than that. Tell me, what physical similarities do you share with your adoptive pony father?"

"Please just leave me alone!"

"You need not fear me. Have I made any aggressive actions against you? Please son, just let an old man see his boy." The figure pleads. I think for a moment. His words were true, he hadn't attacked me. There wasn't any real harm in just talking to him... was there? I slowly peek my head out from under the table. The figure remained near the other side of the room with his limbs held up in peace.

"Ok... I'll bite then... You haven't attacked me so... who are you?"

"I am your father... my how you've grown..." His expression looks... lost. He looks like he lost something, and just found it. A sort of bittersweet hapiness. He takes a few steps towards me, and I recoil back defensively. His expression changes instantly to pain.

"My father, huh? Prove it." I challenge, beginning to doubt his claims.

"What would you like to know? I can tell you the names of the ponies I gave you to, if you wish."

"No way, anypony could know their names... that wouldn't prove anything."

"How about the fact that I'm the only thing you've ever seen that looks like you?"

"That's... Ok, that's a good point." It suddenly struck me that the figure looked old. Very old. He was more wrinkled than a decaying apple, and his hair was pure white. He didn't only have hair on his head, like me, but he had a lot of hair growing from the bottom of his face. A very long, snow white beard. He had no coat, like me, and the showing skin was pale white with small brown spots. He wore simple robes, not like bathrobes, but a dark-blue robe that looked very... He was wearing clothes. He was like me! "Y-you wear clothes!"

"Yes, and would appear that you don't." The figure laughed jovially, as if this were the funniest thing in the world.

"N-nopony else here almost ever wears clothes..." Could it be true? Could this... thing really be my father? "O-ok... let's say I believe you." I state strongly. The figure immediately smiles and makes it clear I have his full attention. "Let's say you are... my dad. What's your name then?"

"My name is Merlin. I have a great many titles as well, but 'Merlin' will do for now... maybe until I can get you to call me 'dad'."

"Alright then, 'Merlin'. If you're my dad, then where is the rest of our race? In all my reading and studies, I've never heard of anything like us."

"Well son--"

"Star." I correct forcefully.

"Very well, Star. You see, we don't exist. Not on this world, not in this plane of existance." He says simply, as if that explained everything.

"T-then... How... where..."

"We come from a vastly different place. A world far, far from here and a few realities away."

"Why... why am I here then?! HOW am I here?!"

"I put you here, a long time ago."

"You mean to say you abandoned me on a totally different plane and planet?! What kind of dad does that?! What, was I not good enough or something?!" I could feel my confusion quickly changing into anger. Merlin assumed a look of shocked pain and waved his hooves defensively.

"No! No! I would never do that! You meant the world to me son... I didn't merely abandon you, I gave you up for your own protection."

"Protection from what?" I seeth.

"Allow me to explain. I was a very powerful wizard. I spent my days defending my friend's kingdom from all manners of threats. One day... shortly after you were born, another threat presented itself. I sensed it years before it actually appeared, such was its power. A beast like no other was coming; a destroyer of magic." Merlin pauses for a moment to take a shuddery breath. "For the first time in my life, I was very scared of not being able to defeat an opponent. I knew the beast, if it won, would rid our world of magic, killing all those who could use it and steal all of it from the planet itself. I couldn't risk allowing you to die with it, so I sent you here."

"So... you sent me here... to save me?"

"Yes. I left you with two trustworthy ponies after much consideration. Then, I returned to our world to combat the beast."

"And now you've beaten it and are back to take me home?" I ask knowingly, not quite sure how to feel. Merlin's expression became even sadder and he slowly shook his head.

"No... no. It proved too much for me. I was slain, and the world rendered void of magic. You are all that's left of our old ways." I could feel my expression become overly shocked.

"W-what?! B-but you're here! Right here, in front of me! You can't be dead! I can't be all that's left!"

"I'm sorry to tell you that I am in fact, not in front of you. When I left you here, I knew you would have questions that needed answering when you grew up. All you are seeing right now is a spell; a magic fragment of myself I left in you to activate on the exact moment of your 18th birthday."

"Y-you're dead..." I whimper. "No... no..." My father stood here in front of me, I accepted that now. At the same time, I found myself unable to bear the idea of never really seeing my real father. It wasn't fair for me to finally meet him to never get to really see him. "That... that's not fair." Merlin, or the magic image of Merlin, walked over to me and patted my shoulder.

"Now now, don't be upset. Rejoice! You're alive and well, and that's all that matters to me. I know it's not fair for me to suddenly do this to you, but there are things you must know." I looked up at him with teary eyes and sniffle.

"W-what could be so important for you to taunt me like this with your presence? Do you know how often I imagined finding my race as a child? How often I dreamed of belonging? I gave up on all of that years ago, and here you come to tell me we do exist and that I'll never find you!"

"I know, I know Star. You're right, it isn't fair. However, fair isn't a real thing. The very nature of life is unfair. I would never have done this had I not thought your life could depend on it."

"And how does my life depend on this?"

"As I said, I was defeated by a monster that destroys magic. Well, to be more accurate, it consumes magic. Our planet, home of the mighty Earthen Wizard race, was but a snack for it. I put you on this planet because I knew the high levels of magic would make you stronger. However..."

"... I live on an all-you-can-eat magic feast, don't I?" I ask worriedly. Merlin nods gravely.

"It is only a matter of time before the beast discovers this world, and at that time, you will have to succeed where I have failed. You will have to save this world from certain destruction."

"... I... but... how... can.. fruit..." I gaze at the peels weakly, as if they held the words I wished to speak. "I... I can't even make a sword..." Merlin grabbed me by the shoulders and lefted me up to my feet, surprising me with such strength from his frail frame.

"Then grow! Become strong! Find others to aid you in your cause as I could not! The power of the great Wizards runs through your veins! You can-- no, will defeat it! I have faith in you son!" Merlin suddenly pulled me into a hug. In shock, I hugged him back.

"O-ok! I'll do it dad!" I agree whole-heartedly, caught up in his vigorous speech.

"I know you'll make me proud son... Though I regret to say it, my time here grows short. I will speak to you again, but now I must go." Merlin started to become less solid in my arms.

"N-no! Wait! I still have so many questions! M-my mom! What was she like? How powerful can we be? What in the name of Celestia are these things?!" I back away a bit and hold up my oddly-shaped hooves and wiggle the extensions. Merlin sees them, smiles widely, and began to laugh.

"Ah ha ha ha ha ha... Ha ha ha ha ha!" He fades even faster as he laughs.

"N-no! This isn't funny! Please, answer me!" My shouts are in vain, in moments he vanishes, still laughing. I fall to my knees and start beating the ground where he had stood. "Dad! Merlin! Merliiiin! Answer me!"

"Star!" A voice booms from everywhere at once. I sit straight up and whip around in confusion. "Star!" The voice calls again. I recognize it as Twilight's voice. Strangely enough, she's still sitting in her chair, totally immobile.

"Twilight?" I mumble.

"Star, get up!" She calls again from everywhere at once. Suddenly, I feel woozy and unsteady. The feeling spreads rapidly, and I fall to the floor almost unconscious.

*****************

"Star! Are you alright!?" Twilight is shaking me. I'm laying on the floor. Why am I on the floor? I crack my eyes open to see Twilight shaking me vigorously with an extremely frightened expression.

"Twilight?" I ask weakly. She jumps about 5 feet into the air and squeals a little. "Whoa, what's wrong?"

"Y-you're ok! Oh thank Celestia!" She rushes back over to me and hugs me warmly.

"Uhh... personal space?" She just as quickly releases me and clears her throat.

"S-sorry... You just had me so worried..."

"Why? What happened?"

"What do you mean?! I should be asking you what happened! One moment, we're talking about birthdays, then your eyes started glowing and you fell over! What was I suppose to do or think?!"

"Wow... that's... strange."

"Well? What happened?!" Twilight re-asks a bit more firmly.

"I... I met my father." I inform her, still a bit shocked myself. She gives me a blank look.

"... Laying on my floor?"

"Uhh... It would seem so. It was a spell. He put a spell on me when I was a baby, it seems."

"A-and it just now activated? That's what the glowy eyes and falling was for?"

"Yes... it was."

"You sound... really distant. What happened? Did you get to talk to him or was it just a vision of some sort?"

"Yeah.. we talked."

"About what?"

"How I'm supposed to save the world..."

Comments

[Mother3Forever]

Oh hellz yes!

[Matt Gizmo]

Well this escalated quickly

[Puuguu]

This should be good

[Sharky White]

1675392 *ehm* Human is a tag... why was alicorn a question? ... And I think your detector is broken.

[Sharky White]

1706819 Took me a long time to think of one too!