• Published 12th Dec 2012
  • 2,041 Views, 149 Comments

Tom walks - Mr Stargazer



The stone on Raritys back was more than it seemed. Tom is an eternal.

  • ...
7
 149
 2,041

Turning

The two sisters were standing on the patio staring into the distance. A light breeze flowed through the town as a worried look occupied their faces.

"Luna, I can't feel his location."

The dark colored mare ground her teeth in frustration. She had promised to protect her citizens from all threats, yet she could not even prove this one existed!

"That is impossible! We can feel the magic moving. It must have a focus! No mind can directly hold that much power. Nothing should be able to hold that much power."

It was only because of their immense strength that the two sisters could sense the subtle changes at all. The magic around Ponyville was warped. It was bunched up, almost as if somepony was casting a spell constantly. There was no source, however. No point that it focused to. It was the difference between still pool water and water with random ripples all over it. The sun ruler then spoke up.

"Sister, this has proven fruitless. I am afraid we must act."

"What do you think is best?" asked Luna.

"We must go to Ponyville."


***


Tom awoke at the same time as the day before. The morning was uneventful. He made small talk with Rarity and made breakfast again. It was when he was walking to Twilight’s that he felt them move. Tom's brow furrowed as he stepped into an alley. The two were coming here. They would arrive in approximately three hours. At close range, beings of their power might be able to trace his influence. His power was already suppressed. It would take a great deal of effort to push it low enough to avoid their detection. Tom looked around and upon seeing nopony around, he began. After a moment, sweat broke on his brow. The air which had always been still and cold around him began to blow more easily. The three colts on the other side of the wall groaned as the die which had rolled six twelve times in a row began to roll normally. An insect flew close to his body instead of avoiding him.

Tom finally finished. His sight was decreased to twenty feet and affecting the world would take conscious effort. It was strange. His earth sense was no different than that of normal earth ponies. His magic channeling was nonexistent. Weather magic was only there enough to feel the flow of air. But there was his spirit magic, which was still above Celestia's level. Ah yes, he had almost forgotten. There was no visible change but now they would detect a pony soul in him. Leaving the alley, Tom went on his way again.

He only made it four feet out of the alley before a pink blur assaulted him.

"Oh my goodness! You must be Tom, Twilight told me so much about you! How they found you near the woods and how you were sensitive and so I should wait a few days before…" Tom had seen others doing so in long conversations, so he was nodding his head as she spoke. "…Talking to you and throwing you a party! But I was like: ‘when I am sad I like to have my friends smile and that makes me smile’ but then they told me you had no friends which made me so sad. So I just went over to my hidey hole and got my Flugle horn and started playing the music to "don't you want to I want to be a chicken" while giving Scootaloo a present and smiling to my friend Chelsea Porcelain who is having a birthday in two days! I'm going to give her a special teacup shaped cupcake. So I went to the store to get some sugar and flour and starch and chocolate and eggs and some pens and a beaker and some sodium bicarbonate and paper and a backscratcher for when the stampede happens next week after the frog storm and they find out about you and so I need to throw you a GIANT PARTY! Oh, I LOVE PARTIES! DO YOU LIKE PARTIES?! So when do you want it-NEVERMIND! I'll just do it when I was going to do it. "

Odd… Tom thought. She has not paused for breath.

"Do you want it to be a surprise? WAIT I already told you and since I already told you you know about it and since you already know about it you won't be surprised and if you are not surprised then you won't become my friend and if you don't become my friend then I will have to go eat WAY. TOO. MANY. Cupcakes and IF! I eat too many cupcakes my friends will worry and if they worry they won't sleep and if they don't sleep then they will be too tired and if they are too tired the world will end and if the world ends I WON’T BE ABLE TO THROW ANY MORE PARTIES!!" Pinkie began to cry. Her turning strait as the magic field around her lessened.

Tom considered her statement and the obvious solution to the problem. "There there," said Tom, patting her on the head. "I am already your friend. Therefore, that will not happen."

Pinkie was immediately better.

"OH! That's good because I LOVE PARTIES! And making new friends and making things to help make new friends. WAIT! IF YOU ARE ALREADY MY FRIEND THEN I BROKE THE SCHEDULE! First, I'm supposed to meet somepony new. Then I sing a random song. Then we become instant best friends and I throw them a party. BUT NOW I have meet you and became your friend immediately! NOW I will have to work extra hard to become your best friend! Which reminds me of this one time when I met a donkey and at first he was like ‘hmmm’ and then he was like ‘groan’ and then he was like ‘grrr’ then ‘aaaaaah’ then ‘Yaaaaa.’ Say, do you want a cupcake now?!? Wait, you can't go get one now, come by after you meet with Twilight and then you can come and I'll give you a cupcake and WE WILL BE LIKE TWO WOMBATS IN A PIKLE JAR!!" Then she sped off around a nearby corner.

Tom was still nodding his head up until Pinkie Pie had finished. She had made many valid points and he would consider them. What an interesting creature she was.

Tom arrived at the library with no difficulty but was surprised to find Twilight talking with Honesty and Rainbow Dash. The orange mare quickly caught sight of him and rushed over.

"Well, hi there! My name is Applejack and I’m the proprietor of Sweet Apple Acres, the finest apple farm in all of Equestria! What’s your name?"

"I am tom, an acquaintance of Twilight’s. What are you discussing?"

"Oh, I was telling them about the nature of magic and why only unicorns can manipulate it."

A strange look comes over Tom.

"Proceed."

"…Right. As I was saying, Unicorns are the only race that can manipulate magic because of their horns. All the races have magic but without something to focus the power there is no way to redirect it. The magic of all races does affect their environment but not in a conscious manner. "

"Well, I guess that makes sense Twi. So that's how the Cakes can have a baby unicorn and pegasus that are still good at flyin’ and magic," said Applejack.

"Yeah. I had always heard that flyers born from earth ponies were weaker but…I guess that makes sense," said Rainbow Dash.

"Thank you girls, I'm glad to answer your que-" Twilight stops speaking as Tom interrupts.

"You are incorrect." The three mares gasp in response.

The four stood were they were, surprise evident on the three mare’s faces before Twilight smiles.

"No, no you don't understand. I was saying that only unicorns can manipulate magic, not that they are the only ones who have it."

"Yes, I heard you and I am telling you that you are wrong. Magic can be manipulated by any pony. It is only the type that is different. Your magic type determines your race. Whichever kind you are strongest in, that is. All have some of the four magic types in them. "

Twilight's brow furrowed. "There is only one type of magic. It is only the race that determines how the ponies can use it. Not the other way around! There are thousands of years of research behind this theory. Why do you say it is wrong? Where is your proof?"

"My proof…very well, Twilight. I will give you proof. Follow me." With that, the four of them left the library and headed out of town until they were alone. Then Tom turned to Applejack.

"Please come here and look at this seed," Tom said, showing her an apple seed and pushing it into the ground.

"Why would I need to do that?"

"Because I'm going to show you how to make it grow to full bloom in seconds."

Earth magic was strong in the Apple family. It would be well within the young one’s abilities.

"Now stand here…good. Now, I want you to concentrate but not on the flower. Concentrate on the earth. The dirt beneath your feet. Feel the power in that dirt. It should feel like a lake."

"A lake? Magic is not like a lake."

"Quiet please, Twilight. This is difficult enough for her. Ok now, do you feel the earth beneath you? That massive power?"

"…Yeah. I’ve kinda felt it my whole life."

"Good. Now, will some of that power into the seed. Will it to grow."

Applejack was sweating. She had never even thought to make things grow. It was against the normal flow of things and the earth resisted. However, in a moment she felt a wall give and opened her previously clenched eyes.

There was a small apple tree sticking about a foot out of the ground. The earth pony collapsed, breathing hard. It was like she had run for days nonstop. Twilight was frozen stiff, her brain unable to process what she saw.

"Now with Rainbow, no more evidence than her Sonic Rainboom is needed. She converts air friction to light in order to go beyond her physical and passive magic limits. There are also other things your kind are trained to do but you seem to not realize that they are magic. "

Twilight was about to start bouncing around when Spike came over the hill waving an opened scroll. She grabbed it with her magic and pulled it close to read. Her eyes widened.

"Princes Celestia and Luna are coming to Ponyville for a week!" She then dashed toward the town.

One hour and fifteen minutes thought Tom. They have come quickly. The rest of the group followed Twilight.

***

"Hello, my faithful student," Celestia greeted Twilight in front of the library, a crowd starting to form around her as guards stood watch. She continued to talk. She wanted to see her subjects and speak to some of them. Tom, however, was not listening. He was looking at the flowing mane of the sisters and remembering. The surge of power as the world began to turn and the sun flashed into life. It was a thousand years before the first of the starlight was visible.

He missed those nights. The darkness on the endless plain. Then the moon came, its reflection of the sun’s light giving shimmers to the night. Those first beings who gave life even as they ceased. The turning ages as he stared, unblinking, time passing unnoticed. His first act: giving the touch of power to this race. Then they came. His children. The two sisters, one a unicorn the other a pegasus. He was as much a parent as the mare and colt who birthed them. It had been his spirit forced into the womb that had given them their strength.
Did they know? Of course not. He had watched, however. He had watched as they grew. Little ones considered freaks by their village as they grew too large for the average pony; as they did not grow old. The day their parents died and they were left alone he had pulled them into the woods. There they found them. The Elements of Harmony. At their touch a change began in them. The magic that had resided grew. Luna gained a horn. Celestia, wings. The Elements, a part of my nature, had given balance and brought out their true selves and the strength I'd given them. With two Alicorns wielding the Elements Discord fell and I felt...

"And who is this? We have not seen him here before." The ruler of the night looked into the earth pony’s eyes. "And why does he shed a tear upon looking at us?"

Tom lifted his hoof and rubbed it against his cheek. Sure enough, a wet tear rested there. Luna was looking into his eyes.

The Lunar Princess was different from her sister. The world of dreams was her domain. Those dreams that rested in the subconscious of all those around her, allowing her to see their true nature. Over time she had come to expect the adulation or fear of so many before him, but this was not the case. Instead his eyes were like pits. A vast consciousness resided behind those eyes. They showed not adulation but pain… Those eyes were not asking for her approval, they were asking for an apology.

"Tell me, dear subject. Who are you?" Celestia had come to stand before him. Her sister was acting strange and then she looked at him. She may not have been as strong as Luna but she was still pulled in.

"I am tom," he said. The two sister's hearts skipped a beat and then quickened. Suddenly, his front hooves went up to the two sisters and touched their faces, causing the crowd to gasp. "I am so proud of you two. You have done so much."

A tear came unbidden into both of their eyes, but the earth pony was quickly wrapped in a purple light and pulled back behind several of the Element’s bearers.

He sat there, staring at the ground as Rarity comforted him. He did not notice that, however. His thoughts were too strong. Why did he have so much…feeling? Just how much was this body affecting him? Tom continued to contemplate such unanswerable questions. At the same time, however, he listened to the others.

"I'm sorry, Princess. He is new to town and seems to lack even the most basic social etiquette. Would you please pardon him for laying a hoof on your person? He did not know any better."

The sun queen stared at the earth pony for a few seconds and then looked over at Twilight, smiling.

"Of course, Twilight. Such things cannot be expected of ponies who know no better. He is pardoned. Think nothing of it. Now tell me about this new star you and Luna are talking so much about."

"It is not a star, my sister," said Luna, looking away from her. "It is a comet."

"A comet?" inquired Twilight.

"Yes. It is too far away for most telescopes to see, but ours can reach it. It is still too far for us to tell much about it, but such strange behavior warrants observation."

The talk goes on for a while before the two sisters continue on to the Town Hall, where they would be staying. Twilight comes over and they all go to the library where she gives Tom a speech about what to do and what not to do around the Princesses. It was quiet extensive. By the end, Tom is back to his calm self.

"Now then," said Twilight, coming out of her speech. "Where did you learn of this theory about magic?"

"I made it."

"Really? Where did you get your ideas?"

"Observation and practice."

"Practice... so you can do earth magic spells too?"

"Yes, I learned it long ago."

"Are Alicorn individuals born with equal parts in all three types."

Tom looked annoyed. "No."

"No? Then what are you saying?"

"If all a pony has is strong power in all three categories, then you get a being such as Pinkie Pie."

"What?" the others chorused incredulously.

"Pinkie Pie is a failed Alicorn."

The silence was absolute as Tom continued.

"Her abilities that I have heard of must come from a magical imbalance and her association with the Element of Laughter. What she lacks is the fourth kind of magic."

"What kind is that?" asked Twilight

"Sky."

With that, tom asked to leave, and he and Rarity walked back to the boutique together. Perhaps they walked a little closer than necessary.

"I saw you talking to Pinkie Pie today."

"Really?" asked Tom, glad for the conversation.

"Yes. It was kind of you to call her a friend. I also saw how the Princesses looked. They were shocked, but happy. That was very brave."

"It is not brave if you know you are not in danger."

Rarity looks at him and then laughs. In a moment Tom joins her. They laugh until they arrive at the boutique and go to their respective beds.


*****


Rarity had a strange dream that night. She dreamed she was on the moon.

"Rarity…"

"Yes?"

"Rarity, this is Luna. I am speaking to you through your dreams."

"My dreams? You can do that?"

"Yes, my dear subject. I have a task for you."

"What do you need, my Princess?"

"Watch Tom."