Equestria: A Flux Tale

by Star Sage

First published 8th of February, 2012

A Tiny Human lands in Equestria. Why? What? Who? Questions to be answered, and a quest to be found.

(Second Person Story)
You are a human who has found himself in Equestria. As if that wasn't bad enough, you're not quite as tall as you were when you started, and not only have to survive at a greatly reduced size, but then you have to live with it. Of course, Equestria is a place where there's always somepony willing to lend a helping hoof, and so you never lack for support. But what can they do for you really, if they can't make you bigger, or get you home? As the tale goes farther, you begin to question if you even want to go home, and then the ultimate question is asked; Can you earn your happy ending? Read and find out.

Arrival

~Disconnected thoughts~ The void shifts, moves, and you know nothing beyond it. That’s normal for the void though, and you continue your drifting, seeing nothing, sensing nothing. The void is empty, as it should be. Then suddenly, there is a light. Where it comes from, what it is, you do not know, the void is still entrapping all your thoughts. Before you can pull yourself from the void enough to think, there is a sensation, like the light was burning you away, stripping you of yourself, and replacing it with something new, and when it was done, you dropped out of the sky, the void shattering, and waking you up, as you plummeted, landing with a loud thud amid a sea of green flat trees, none of which looked particularly healthy considering their flatness. Still, they make good supports for you as you lean against one, trying to rise from where you had been laying.

You’re sore, so you know you’re awake, that was a good thing. Still, where were you? Looking around only reveals more of the odd flat trees, all many times bigger than you. That doesn’t prevent a breeze from blowing at you, and you realize with a start, you’re not in what you remembering going to sleep in, but instead in your more casual t-shirt and blue jean shorts, the stuff with no markings on them, just jeans and a blue shirt. This means you’d been going somewhere, doesn’t it? Before you can consider this thought for long though, something big, white, and heavy slams into the trees around you, making you think the world was ending, and you’d just been spared from it until this moment, as you dive for cover, folding your arms over your head, and just lying there for a few silent moments.

When it became obvious that you were still alive, you slowly raised your head, lifting your arms, and turning. What you saw…was impossible. It defied though, reason, and everything you knew about the way the universe worked. It was a huge leg, you could see hair covering most of it, soft white hair, or fur more likely, and your eyes traveled up it, until you spotted a pair of shades on a face that was equally impossible, not for the size, but for the look of it. That was…a pony….from a cartoon. Your mind went wild with thoughts, a thousand trains of ideas that smashed together into one pileup as you stared at Vinyl Scratch, otherwise known as DJ-Pon3, and tried to reboot your logic centers.

She was quite a sight, really. You weren't sure how tall you were, considering that the ponies themselves never had anyone you knew the height of to measure themselves against, but if you were normal for a human, this pony was at least 100 feet tall, probably a lot more, and she was on all fours, meaning standing on her back hooves, she was probably more than twice that, from the tip of her nose, to her tail. That was quite a titan, like something out of the old legends, and you stood there, frozen looking up at her, at least until you realized one of her white hooves was hovering in the air above you, and you were forced to make tracks, running out from under it just as it slammed down into the ground behind you, flattening the grass that had barely felt your weight, and leaving an impression in the dirt that hadn't even moved for you.

You then sit there for a moment, staring up at the female pony. She towers above you, and is looking around, obviously searching for something, and not seeing it, which seems to annoy her, given her grunts, which don't sound all that loud to you, as you would have thought. Suddenly, she takes another step, and begins to walk away from you, her speed belying her size, and you quickly see an opportunity. Her tail is just barely brushing the ground, the soft blue fur leaving a small trail of displaced dirt behind it. A quick hop, and you could ride the pony DJ to wherever it was she was going, which probably wouldn't be a bad idea, considering you were standing in the middle of a rather busy street. Of course, doing so would expose you to as yet unknown dangers.

Sighing, you figure there's not really a choice here. The next one to come down the street could step right on you, and never notice, so without a thought, you leap into the air as the tail passes over you, and grab onto a thick hair. Luckily, or unluckily, depending on how you looked at it, you were so small, you were a barely noticeable, meaning she didn't shake you loose, or turn around to crush you. Or help you either, which you figured she might do. Instead you were stuck holding on as the tail bobbed a bit with her walking, making you feel grateful you hadn't eaten too much at lunch today, otherwise you wouldn't have been able to keep it down, the constant motion nearly making you lose what little food you did eat as it just kept going.

Luckily, this time really, Vinyl didn't need to go far to get to her destination, as she came to a place that looked like a massive hanger from your perspective, with a door that could have permitted planes to fly in and out easily. Of course, you chided yourself about that observation, considering your stature, it might just be her home, and still hanging on, you started to dart your eyes everywhere the instant you were inside, finding that yes, it was a house, with several posters of Vinyl on the walls, as well as another pony, this one with grey fur covering her body, a black mane, and pink eyes, as well as a fancy cutie mark that looked like that thing you see at the beginning of music sheets. She looked to be playing a lot of fancy stringed instruments too, and as Vinyl went deeper into the house, you wondered what their connection was.

Luckily, you don’t have to wonder long, as soon DJ Pon-3 comes to a stop in a room that looks like a living room, though a bit different than ones you're used to. First there was the size thing of course, everything around you was positively massive, from the table in the middle of the room that looked like a mesa from the south western US, to the carpet that passed below you that might as well have been a forest. Other than that, there was the fact that there were no chairs, just long, bench style seats, which made sense, considering it would be awfully awkward to sit on a chair or the like in any comfortable fashion, if you were a quadruped like the ponies were. Vinyl, proving how she'd sit, goes to one of the bench seats, and climbs on, sitting down by curling her back legs under herself, and allowed you to drop off, finding the soft cushion didn't even bend under your weight at you landed.

"Tavi! I'm home!" she shouted suddenly, and you had to cover your ears. It wasn't that she sounded like you'd think she should, her every voice an explosion, it was just the girl was loud in her own right, probably from having to shout over crowds at concerts and the like, and you fall over from having your eardrums blasted, not being able to make out a much softer reply from a voice deeper inside the house, at least until a second pony form comes from the back of the home, the ash colored pony woman from the posters near the door, carrying in her mouth a tray that had some sandwiches and glasses which she set down on the table, before climbing onto a bench opposite Vinyl, rendering you out of direct sight from her thanks to how Vinyl was sitting.

"So, how went the job hunt today?" asked Octavia, you recognizing her from the Gala, as the Cello player from the band that Pinkie Pie had co-opted to perform her pony-pokie.

"Well, there's a funny story there," began Vinyl, causing Octavia to sigh in what had to be a common pattern with her.

"Let me guess, you didn't really look for one, did you?" she said in answer to her own question.

"Hey! It's not like we really need money. Cousin Rare said we could stay in this house as long as we needed while the studio's being rebuilt," said Scratch, defending herself in a way she'd probably done a hundred times before.

"Yes, your cousin did say we could borrow this house as long as we needed, but that's not the point. We need money to live on Vinyl, since the Princess has cut us off from our show's stipend, to pay for those damages you caused," accused the ash colored mare.

"That wasn't my fault! How was I supposed to know that equipment couldn't handle my tunes?" she responded, and Octavia merely sighed, putting her hoof to her face, and shaking her head. This conversation was actually getting interesting, and you were starting to wonder just what the pair was talking about. However, your curiosity kept you distracted too much to notice that Vinyl, in her agitated state, was whipping her tail back and forth, and when it came too low, you were brushed, which is to say, smacked into the air by it, and sent flying, straight towards the table, and more specifically towards the plate with the food on it.

The flight is harsh, and though you try to cry out, the air is ripped from your lungs, making it impossible to draw a breath, or even do anything but flail, so you close your eyes tightly, hoping that you land somewhere soft, and with a bounce, you find out that you do. This particular softness smells of wheat in fact, and upon opening your eyes, and letting your vision clear a bit, you find yourself sitting comfortably on one of the sandwich, looking up at the two giantesses, neither of which had noticed your flight, and are still staring at each other across the plate...well, you assume Vinyl is starting at Octavia anyway, with those dark sunglasses on, it's kind of hard to tell, though the look on the rest of her face is one of at least mild annoyance, if not anger.

"You told me when I first showed up for that ridiculous job that you'd tested all the equipment, and it was, how did you put it, as solid as you where?" claimed Octavia, the little lip she added to her voice, obviously making fun of Vinyl's own speech.

"Well excuse me. I thought it would hold. And if I remember correctly, you didn't object to me plugging in that amp when we were talking about hooking it up to your hello thing," responded the pony of pop.

"It's a cello, as you well know, and I most certainly did object, you just ignored me, as usual," came the snappy reply.

"You should have objected harder than!" shouted the white unicorn, her fore hoof coming down hard on the table, making you bounce, and land with a clink on the plate, the odd noise drawing Octavia's eye downward, and you panic. The first response to anything small near your food, was to smash it, and investigate what it was later, especially something your size, but then again, you had no idea how she would react. Maybe you should stay where you are, get noticed. Of course, perhaps you should try and hide, the nearest place being the sandwich you had just been on top of.

You needed attention, that was apparent. Whatever else, you needed someone to pay attention to you, and see you. If you hid now, that chance might not come again, considering how easily you were almost crushed before, and so you stand where you are, and even start waving your hands in the air above your head, not frantically, since that might cause an instant 'kill it' reaction, but slowly, and deliberately, hoping that that gets her to take a closer look. For her part, Octavia just sits there for a moment, staring down at the tray on the table, not sure what she's seeing. Of course, after a moment, she does indeed lean closer, before hopping backwards, and falling over herself as she tries to get away from you.

"Kill it, kill it! There's a bug on the table!" she shouts as she does an almost complete backflip, before landing with a heavy thud somewhere behind the bench she'd been sitting on. Looking after her, you wonder for a moment if she was okay, when a shadow suddenly comes over you, and you look up to find yourself staring into the goggled face of the pony of pop herself.

Vinyl, for her part, didn't seem to be too disgusted with you, her expression was one of interest, rather than revulsion. You hope for a moment that her interest is enough to overcome her roommate’s terror at the sight of you, but then you find her hoof hovering over you, and you shout at her to stop, just as it comes down, blocking your view, and filling the sky, as a force surrounds your body and pulls you upward.

It took you a moment to realize you hadn't heard the telltale crack of bones as your body was ground into a mushy paste, and belatedly, you open an eye just a crack, and then open both wide in shock. Vinyl's face was right in front of yours, and needless to say, it wasn't the most pleasant sight. Well, actually, she had a perfectly fine face, with nice curves and features, for a pony, but then there's the face that it was positively massive. You could have fit up her nostril easily, and you were sure her teeth were bigger than you, a revelation made all the more disheartening when you realize that had you stayed on the sandwich you'd landed on, you likely would even now have been lunch for her or Octavia, though for now, she seems to stare at you, her goggles making you feel like you were being analyzed.

"Octy...I… don't think this is a bug," she says at last, and you feel the force holding you up, which, rather than her unicorn telekinesis, appears to be coming from her hoof itself, possibly explaining how ponies can 'hold' things sometimes. Anyway, the force suddenly flips you over, and you land with a grunt on the flat of her hoof, as she holds you out towards Octavia, who is starting to pick herself up, running her hoof through her mane, and then straightening her bow tie, before hopping over the couch she'd been laying on, and leaning closer in towards you, her eye filling you sky like some kind of black hole, looking like it was going to suck you into its depths.

"Well, you, would be one to know about such pests, but if it's not a bug, what is it?" she asks, after a time, leaning back, and looking at Vinyl who starts to shrug, and you are faced with a dilemma. Apparently, Vinyl hadn't heard you before, and so, neither of the ponies knows you can talk. That might not be a bad thing, considering you still aren't completely sure how to broach the subject of the show, and, quite honestly, have no idea how you got here. On the other hand, they might just crush a stupid thing even one they don't think is a bug, if it doesn't show itself to be intelligent. That last thought compels you to speak.

"I'm called a human, homo sapien, a member of the genus homo, which is of the tribe hominini, of the family hominidae, proud member of the order of primates, and a mammal, obviously, given I have hair, an endoskeleton, and I give birth to live children.” Wincing from the last sentence you continue “well, not me specifically, but a female of my species does," you tell the pair, wondering why you remember all that from wikipedia, but then, it was like TVTropes, you would read one article, and be lost all day, and for some reason the stuff about humans stuck with you. Of course, being ponies, the pair of musicians say nothing for a moment, neither probably knowing what to say, at least, until Octavia leans closer again, and you fall flat on your bum as her face becomes the sky again.

"You can talk? I don't think I've ever heard of a creature your size speaking before," she comments, seemingly more to herself than anyone else, as Vinyl is still stunned for a moment, before shaking her head, and consequently you as her hoof shakes a bit, before smirking.

"Neat, this little dude sounds like that Twilight girl from the library. Know any more big words? I think I can work those into a song if you say them again," she says, and you can already hear her humming a bit, probably trying to get a beat down for the song she was already composing in her head.

"Vinyl, this is serious, we have discovered a new lifeform, something I've never heard of before, don't treat this like meeting some fan at one of those raid things!" chides Octavia, and Vinyl stops smiling, using her other hoof to lower her goggles for a moment, showing you are rather striking pair of red eyes behind them.

"It's called a rave, Octavia, as you well know, and I'm being perfectly serious. After all, what better way to commemorate discovery than with a tune?" she asks, and starts bobbing her head to her tune, which you recognize as something you've heard before. Of course, you wonder, idly, if you should stop the argument, as the pair of them seem to be ignoring you now in favor of each other, and you kind of don't want them to forget you're here. Again, you decide to err on the side of self-preservation, and speak up.

"Um, you could just ask me how I feel about it," you offer, and they both look at you like your crazy for a moment, before Octavia smiles sweetly, and with an odd motion you can't follow, you suddenly find yourself gently cradled in her hooves, and held in front of her face, rather than being only loosely held in Vinyl's.

"Of course, I'm sorry, we just get so tangled up in our confrontations that we forget about everything. Still, you said you're a human, where did you come from? Are there more like you nearby?" she asks, and trots back to her seat. Vinyl, seemingly losing interest in the whole affair, continues to hum, even as she levitates one of the sandwiches to her mouth, and attacks it, her mouth closing over it, and just tearing a chunk off violently, sending crumbs flying everywhere as she chews with her mouth open, and then swallows, before going back in.

"Erm...uh, well, I don't know. I don't know anything about how I got here, I went to sleep last night, and then, like a horror flick, woke up in a jungle of tall grass, and after Vinyl almost stepped on me, I grabbed her tail, and rode her here. So there could be people in the town square, but I don't think there was," you tell her, finding it actually pretty easy to talk to her, despite your size. Your voice, at least, hadn't been shrunk, and she seemed to be able to hear you just fine, which was a good thing, as you really didn't want to have to shout everything you wanted her to hear. Also good because Vinyl's humming had turned into singing, a bit off key, some lyrics, through her mouthful, which rained gooier bits of sandwich over the table.

"Well, that's unfortunate. Still, it would probably be best to take you to someone in authority, perhaps they can help," she suggested, leaning away from Vinyl, who bolts up at the word, authority, and looks around, like she was afraid she'd done something wrong.

"Wait wait wait wait wait....wait, you mean, you want us to turn him over to somepony who might dissect him to see how he works, or lock him away as some kind of invader from another world, or maybe even use him to find some way to get to his world, and force his tiny people to build statues in our honor," she climbs onto the table, knocking over the cups as she stands on her rear hooves, and holds her forehooves to the sky, "Statues that shine with the glory of the master species, where we can stride as gods!?"

"Um, that sounds all well and good Vinyl, but I don't think anypony here was suggesting we do any such thing. I was suggesting we take her to Twilight, I'm sure your cousin would know where to find her, and having the Princess help him get home," she corrected, motioning for Vinyl to step down from the table, not that she did so immediately, as she seemed to like making dramatic statements like that.

"I don't think that would be a good idea. You know the Princess would be all kinds of concerned about Equestria's safety, and who knows what else. But I know I can get in contact with Princess Luna. She's an Alicorn too, anything our royal dictator can do, I'm sure she can do twice as good," responded Vinyl with a head nod, acting like that was that as she sat back down on her couch.

"Princess Celestia is no dictat-you know what, no, I won't be dragged into yet another argument with you. What do you think, do you want to go to the Princess, or the Princess...er, I mean, Celestia or Luna," asked Octavia, trying to ignore Vinyl sticking her tongue out at her, mumbling something about stick in the mud under her breath, but loudly enough you, and more importantly the one holding you, couldn't help but hear.

Making Acquaintances

You considered this question carefully. The two sisters were powerful, you knew that from the show, Celestia literally raised the sun before your eyes, and displayed her power a few times in other works. Luna, in the meantime was just as strong, summoning a storm over Ponyville on Nightmare Night, as well as a few other demonstrations of her power when she was Nightmare Moon. Both seemed to be good choices, Luna was, once cleansed of evil, a kind, and caring, if someone oblivious god queen, and Celestia, for all some people, including Vinyl apparently, thought her an evil, power mad dictator, had seemed nothing but kind to you on the show. Thinking this, you shook you head, and nodded up at Octavia, who still held you in her hooves.

"Let's go see Rarity," you said simply, and Octavia smiled back at you, before sliding off the couch, and then holding you in only her left front hoof for a moment, before leaning back and placing you on her flank, where you grabbed a few hairs to hold yourself in place, as she started trotting towards the door.

"Oh, so you're just going to go get yourself dissected then? Cut up just to see how you tick?!" demanded Vinyl as she followed, her tone implying more friendly jibs than anything else, though you had to admit, the thought of being studied had crossed your mind. What if they really did want to study you, and what if your size was still normal, and it was just…the ponies were huge. What if they then tried to cross over? You had all sorts of images, but the problem with most of them was that, despite their size, the ponies didn't seem the type to willingly hurt anyone, at least physically. Everything you'd seen of this world was good, and you had to trust that everything you hadn't seen was good too, as the musical divas exited their house, and walked the streets.

The streets, now that you didn't have to worry about getting stepped on, or falling off the pony you were riding, looked quite interesting. To one side was the stand where Applebloom was selling apples, to the other was Sugar Cube Corner, and you could hear some off note singing from Pinkie Pie inside, something about brownies, though it was hard to hear from this distance. Off down one of the streets, you spotted the library, where Twilight lived, and for a moment, you were tempted to tell your rides that, but then realized something, you hadn't mentioned the show yet, not to them. You'd told them you were from another world, and your species, but not that on your world that theirs was a show, a piece of fiction, intended for children.

Did you dare mention it though? After all, it might do some damage somehow that you couldn't comprehend. How would you feel, after all, if you were just someone else's story? Then of course, there was the fourth wall to consider. Pinkie and Spike leaned on it, or out and out broke it all the time, but they did so from the side of fiction, not reality. Whatever had brought you here, and you refused to even consider that you had gone insane and were imagining this, and a few bumps on your body that hurt told you that you weren't dreaming, it must have had a purpose. Luckily, neither of your hostesses had caught onto you knowing too much about their world, or that you knew Rarity's name without them asking, and for the moment, you intended on keeping them in the dark about that, to avoid any unpleasantness; At least for now.

Thinking such deep thoughts, you completely missed Octavia and Vinyl reaching Carousel Boutique. Really, the show never did it justice. The place was, from your perspective, big as a mountain, maybe even a whole range of mountains, but still, somehow lovely and gaudy at the same time. Every line, every bit of plaster, had been designed, probably by the Fashion Pony herself, and it all flowed together in a way that was just perfect. Of course, it was only then you smelled it, and it was quite an experience there. You hadn't thought of it before, but dress making, especially for fancy stuff back in the day, involved a lot of chemicals, and this place was no exception, as you could smell the stuff used for various dyes and fabric softeners, and it nearly caused you to keel over.

"I will never understand how someone like you can be related to someone like Rarity," chided Octavia as they got to the door.

"Hey, just because I'm not a pompous wind bag doesn't mean I'm not proper. Besides, you should meet my aunt and uncle sometime. Now they are a hoot and a half," claimed the pop pony as she pushed the door open, revealing the Boutique to you, and it was lovely, if smelly. Of course, the scene was one of movement, as somepony was quickly running around the shop, and to your surprise it was the normally composed Rarity, her mane flying behind her as she dashed about in a panic.

The motion blur that was Rarity was babbling about stupid rush orders, as her telekinesis was grabbing various fabrics and things and dragging them in front of her face, lacing them together quickly, almost haphazardly to your eyes, but in a flash, they became a dress, a complete and without a seam showing, to be laid on one of her models, before racing off to do the next. Octavia and Vinyl, probably having expected a bit less of a frantic scene in the shop, which had looked calm and nice from the outside, just stood near the door, staring at her. As they waited to be noticed, you noted that Vinyl was smiling, probably enjoying her cousin's disorganization, which showed how different the two were in methods, and gave a few more clues as to Vinyl's personality.

It was, by your guess, a full fifteen minutes before Rarity, having made something like twenty dresses and twelve suits in that time, finally fell to the floor, gasping for breath, and just to show she wasn't all bad, Vinyl levitated her fainting couch towards her, allowing Rarity to fall into it, still seemingly oblivious to the musical ponies who'd entered her shop as she lay there. Looking around, you were impressed. The outfits, despite looking like they'd been thrown together randomly at first glance, all had an earth tone theme to them, and looking from one to another, you could tell they all had a similar look to them in the details, meaning while no one would be wearing the same outfit from this group, you could still tell they were part of the same line, showing just how much of a fashion genius Rarity was.

"Um, Ms. Rarity?" Octavia spoke up at last, causing Rarity to turn her head wearily to face the pair, only to bolt upright when she did.

"Oh, Octavia, I'm sorry, I didn't see you come in!" she exclaimed, getting up quickly and walking towards a door, "What brings you here today? Wait! First things first, let me go get you some refreshments."

"Hmm, that doesn't sound too bad, considering we didn't eat those sandwiches you made," said Vinyl, as she followed, and Octavia muttered something about Vinyl that you couldn't hear, but sounded rather unpleasant. The pair, well trio since you were with them, walked into the kitchen, and you noticed it looked better than the last time you'd seen it, cleaner, and Rarity, knowing exactly where to go, soon had the table set with a plate of pastries, and some glasses of tea, making you wish you'd been transported with a soda, as you doubted the ponies had any of that particular drink, though perhaps, if you could remember how it was made, you could introduce it to them. Ponies on a caffeine buzz sounded like fun.

"Now then, what are you two doing here? Was there something wrong with the house?" asked Rarity pleasantly, her tone saying she would fix anything the pair had found out of place at their new abode.

"What? Oh, no Ms. Rarity, it really is quite a lovely home, and I must thank you again for helping us out while the studio in Canterlot is rebuilt," responded Octavia.

"Yeah, that place is actually pretty swank, though Octy did object to sharing the bed last night," said Vinyl with a mischievous smirk.

"Well, it just didn't seem proper that we....you know what, nevermind, you're just trying to distract me from why we're here," she said, and suddenly you found Octavia's face hovering over you, mouth wide open, her tongue lolling out, and with a shout, you were scooped up on the slimy member, and then dropped as lightly as possible on the table in front of her.

"Hmm?" went Rarity, as she leaned forward, looking at what, at first, was probably a glob of saliva on her nice clean table cloth, but then started to move.

"That was gross....do it again!" intoned Vinyl, smiling and shaking her head, while Octavia and you, as you shook yourself off, stared daggers at her.

"I will not, though I must admit, you do have a rather pleasant aftertaste.Hmm, that sounds odd, just forget I said that," responded Octavia, making you give her an odd look, and Vinyl an almost identical one, as she blushed a bit.

"Anyway, Ms. Rarity, this, I believe he said hugh man, right?" she asked, looking towards you, and as you stood up, ringing your clothes out, you nodded up at her.

"Right, this human found his way into the house you were loaning us, and made contact with us. He claims to be from another world entirely, and we were wondering if you could take him to Princess Celestia's student, so she could take him to Celestia herself and maybe find him a way home," she says, and Rarity, looking down at you, leans closer, her eye filling up your sky, and causing you to fall on your bottom again as you try to stare into it.

"Hmm, that sounds alright with me, but, um are all humans this small?" she asks, turning her head towards Octavia, while Vinyl, seemingly ignoring the pair, was tearing into a pastry from the plate that Rarity had offered.

"No, no we're not. At least, I don't think so," you say to her, and she suddenly jumps back, the table shaking violently, and causing Octavia to hop back as well in surprise. Of course, due to your size, the shaking table sends you flying for the second time today, and you sail right towards Vinyl, who had stepped back, and was about to tear into another pastry.

You close your eyes as you think you're going to miss everything and slam into the hard floor, hoping that your terminal velocity is actually slow enough to keep you from dying. Of course, then you land on something soft, and get driven into it up to your waist, making you complain, though muffled, as you try and extricate yourself from the situation, and finding that the soft terrain helped with that as well, allowing you to pull yourself out, and then stare right into a gaping abyss. Apparently, Vinyl, barely noticing anything, hadn't seen your miniscule form flop onto her snack, a donut, and before you could cry out, she shoved the shimmering treat into her mouth with her telekinesis, her teeth snapping shut behind you, and sealing you inside her dark, dank maw.

There was some luck of course, the donut was small, and so it easily fit inside Vinyl's mouth, probably some fancy finger/hoof/whatever food that Rarity kept on hand just in case some important visitors came by. That meant that you wouldn't have to deal with Vinyl chewing you up, though your body was drenched in sweat in seconds, and a glob of saliva a moment later, meaning that you were once again soaked. It also meant that, Vinyl, being a bit of a messy eater, didn't bother with chewing, and so, without a care, you felt everything shift backwards, and you surged towards the opening at the rear of her throat, the wall undulating around you, and squeezing you, as you were passed down into her neck, and then shifting hard as you hit the base of it, before falling out into her belly.

"Vinyl, stop stuffing you face and help us search," you heard Octavia say through the walls, her voice distorted by various organic sounds, the lungs that roared like jet engines, the heart thudding in the background, and most disturbingly, a gurgling sound from deeper in the stomach. Luckily, again, the donut was floating on Vinyl's stomach juices, and so you were safe from the bubbling muck below you, for the moment. So, with some safety even here, you start to call out to Octavia and Vinyl, wondering if your voice could get through the pop pony's pudge, like Octavia's could for you.

"Hey! You can stop looking! Vinyl found me!" you shout, and suddenly everything shifts wildly, and then starts to spin, your ride slamming into the wall and staying there thanks to centrifugal force, as you cry out.

"Stop!" you yell, and everything freezes just as suddenly, and you are left to slosh around a bit, before it all finally stops, and you luckily, still find yourself floating on the donut.

"Hello? Where are you?" asks Octavia's sweet voice, probably looking on the floor for you, thinking you were about to be stepped on.

"I'm inside Vinyl, floating in her stomach juices on a donut, and it's not a pleasant experience, let me tell you," you respond, pulling away from a bubble of stomach juices that pops near you, watching as the stuff bubbles a bit against the top of the donut, "And I would appreciate some aid in escaping.” You pause “So, in other words, GET ME OUT OF HERE!!!" you cry.

"Oh no, not again....I hope Twilight can help this time," comes Rarity's voice, actually rather calm considering the circumstances.

"What do you mean, again?" says Vinyl, and you feel everything shake and bob again, as Vinyl's body shudders a little with her speech, though you don't cry out this time, as you were wondering what she was talking about too.

"A few weeks ago, Applejack got herself shrunk by the Poison Joke again, and something like this happened," she answered, and you could feel Vinyl walking, causing more waves, though these weren't nearly as rough as the spinning from before.

"Applejack?" came Vinyl's question.

"Poison Joke?" was Octavia's, both asked at the same time.

"Applejack is the farmer you met the other day Vinyl, can't you remember anyone not one of your fans? As for the Joke, it's a plant outside of town, and it likes to play these awful, awful jokes on you if you touch it, I don't want to think about it. Still, Applejack's joke is probably the worst, as it shrinks her down to the size of a toy. The second time that happened to her, she got swallowed. First by Dashie, then by Pinkie, and lastly by Derpy Hooves, our local mail pony. Luckily, Twilight does have a spell to get one out of this, so I suggested we go find her, before Vinyl digests her meal," she said, and you can feel everything slosh again, as Vinyl starts to move, it might be a good idea to speak up and have Vinyl stay still. Then again, resting did help the digestive process, and your ride was already a bit soggier than it was before, maybe it would be best to get to Twilight as soon as possible. That last part, the fact that your donut was dissolving anyway, kept your mouth shut.

The contents of the stomach slosh from side to side as Vinyl walks, and oddly, you find the motion, mixed with the rhythmic thudding of her heart, to be rather calming. Heck, if you could do something about the smell, and the danger, this experience might not be so bad. Luckily, the donut was pretty solid, all things considered, and it still stayed floating, even as the gastric acids around you churned a bit, the walls undulating to shift and mix the contents of Vinyl's belly, which includes one tiny human right now. You avoid the stuff that splashes against your ride, and then are forced to grab on tight as the donut smacks the stomach wall, which smacks back, making you wonder if Vinyl can feel any of this, as the ride continues.

Luckily, Ponyville is small, at least compared to the human towns you're used to, and so you soon come to a stop, and you can hear voices, but quiet ones. At first, you think it might be because they're trying not to scare you or anything if Twilight can't help you, but then you realize it was because there's another source of noise drowning the others out. That noise was the stomach, or more likely intestine, below you, that gurgled loudly now, and you could smell a tinge in the air that wasn't there before. Looking down, you find your ride sinking into the stomach juices. Vinyl was still, and after the walk, her stomach was kicking itself into overdrive, which meant that, before your very eyes, you could see the donut you were riding on dissolving in the stomach juices.

"Uh! ladies! Help!!!" you shout, but your own voice, much like theirs, was more muffled than before, and you began to realize you were in danger of being digested. After coming all this way too, and even getting spotted at your size, you were still going to end up a meal for a pony. That really seemed unfair, and you mentally cursed whatever force dragged you here, even as you jumped as the edge of the donut sank into the stuff, and you had to get to the other side to avoid a similar fate. Now lying hard against the soft donut, staring down into the bubbling, churning mixture, which was getting closer by the second, you closed your eyes, bracing for the end, being digested because someone was taking too long to explain something. Death by info dump, that had to be a new one.

All at once though, you weren't where you were. You weren't what you were either. It was hard to put into words. It was like floating, light infused your being, a purple light, coming in through the walls, and surrounding you with a flash like a camera, and then you were gone. You could still think, in this state, despite realizing you had no body, and you wondered, idly, if this was how it felt to enter the pony universe, as it felt familiar, but at the same time, completely alien, like you'd literally just gotten up, and walked out of yourself, and you were now a formless spirit. This was liberating, truth to tell, and though you couldn't move yourself, you felt some force tugging at you, and let yourself drift at its whim, before suddenly, you had weight, and you fell with a grunt against a hard wood surface.

"Are you alright?" a voice asked, in fact, several did, but one stood out for you. It was melodic, and as you blinked your eyes, which were blinded by sudden light where they had seen nothing before, you found yourself staring upwards into the shadowy form of an angel. The face, the curves, the eyes, deep and soulful eyes, drew you towards them, especially with the concern shining in them. Of course, then you realized you were staring into Octavia's face, and had to blush at the thoughts you been having, as you tried to stand up and dust yourself off, making two more discoveries. First off, you were no longer bug sized, as Octavia's face, along with Rarity's, Twilight's, and Vinyl's, didn't fill the whole sky. Probably you were mouse sized now, at least compared to them, which would make this whole being tiny thing a bit more bearable. The second thing you noticed though, that was a bit different. Well, not so much you, as your wardrobe, which has pulled a Houdini, and left you standing stark naked on the floor of Twilight’s library. Idly, you wonder how many bronies would pay to be in this position.

Realizations

After a moment of panic, where you tried to cover yourself up, you quickly figured that, due to the ponies not normally wearing clothing, it was likely that Twilight's spell that teleported you out of Vinyl's stomach was probably just targeting you, as she likely had no way at all to sense your clothing or anything, as you'd figured from the show that magic relied on stuff like life to lock onto. Another moment of thought, and you also realized that your hostesses were all nude, save for Rarity's hat and Octavia's bow tie, meaning that not a single one of them likely saw a problem with your condition, and might take silence to mean something had gone wrong, so trying your best not to keep blushing, you looked up into Octavia's face, and tried to smile.

"I'm fine, and in fact, better than I was, considering I'm about ten times the size I was," you say, trying to look nonchalant, though your hands kept resting over parts of your anatomy you were wishing had some covering.

"You seem to have lost that dreadful ensemble you were wearing though. Twilight quick, get me some fabric," said Rarity suddenly, either noticing your discomfort, or just thinking more of fashion than you would have. She then wanders off, either forgetting what she asked Twilight, or realizing that Twilight probably had some questions herself, as she stared at you. Given your nudity, that was probably not the best thing for your self-esteem, as you felt yourself blushing some more.

"Interesting, so, hugh mans are bipedal, and mammalian," she said, and Octavia nodded.

"I believe he mentioned the mammal classification before, along with a list of other names that identified his family and genus," says Octavia.

"Yeah, he said, 'Genus Homo, Tribe hominini, Family hominidae, Order Primate!'" chimed in Vinyl, giving your words a nice beat as she bounced her head along with some music only she could hear. The other two ponies both looked at her strange for that, but Octavia just shook her head, and Twilight seemed to think of something, and quickly rushed to the wall of books behind her, and began to pull tomes from the wall, looking at their covers and then discarding them, leaving you with Octavia, as Vinyl was now humming a tune to herself and seemed lost in her own little world.

"Since I know Vinyl's not going to apologize for her actions, she never does, I will do so, on her behalf and say I'm sorry that you got eaten," she said, leaning down towards you as she curled her legs under herself.

"Heh, it's okay. I mean, this did make me bigger, which probably means I really am supposed to be larger. Whatever brought me here must have shrunk me. I wonder what gods I pissed off to cause this to happen though," you comment, setting down cross legged on the floor, finding it to actually be rather clean, probably Spike and the Owl's doing, as Twilight was busy creating a mess looking through her books, and groaning as she couldn't seem to find the one she wanted.

"Oh, you have those on your world as well? Do you think Celestia and Luna can contact them? I've heard the Princesses can see into other worlds, and maybe they could help get you home?" she asked, sounding intrigued by the idea of other gods.

"Well, not really. The gods of my world are creatures of myth and legend. If they exist at all, which some people doubt, they don't do the whole, 'raise the sun and moon' thing anymore. Heck, my planet orbits our sun, spinning in space, while the moon orbits the world. Heh, that reminds me, I'm an astronaut now," you suddenly realize with a smirk. Every kid’s dream, to be an astronaut, at least for a while, then they switch to something else, probably a fireman or something, and yet, here you are. It's a world of simple colors, with physical goddesses that control the heavens, but still, it's another world. You've made first contact with another species, which is both awesome, and slightly scary, now that you think on it.

Before you can consider the implications farther, that you are humanities envoy to a race of equines, the fashionista returns, and she quickly smothers you in fabric, with Octavia shouting at her for being rude. Mind, Rarity is doing fashion, and so could care less about manners, as she quickly converts raw fabric into a suit, which you can feel around you. It was odd, you could feel the magic. Not just where it touched you, but you could feel the whole magical bubble around you as she lifted you up and made the clothing fit your body perfectly. When she was done, you dropped down, hearing the click of shoes on the hard wood, and looked down at yourself to find you were wearing a rather colorful new ensemble, as compared to your work a day clothes. It was actually a rather fetching business suit.

You weren't used to wearing fancier clothing, though this suit actually felt rather free and easy, rather than the tight and pinchy ones you had worn on occasion. That probably had to do with the way it was made, fitting to your body by magic, rather than made by hand with guesses at certain sizes. Looking down again, you tugged on a sleeve that bunched up a bit when you flexed your arm, and then did a quick spin on your heel, noticing that Rarity had included some nice shoes with the outfit as well, shiny black ones. Like the suit itself, they didn't pinch, though you were likely not going to be running in them any time soon, at least not without falling over on your face. Smiling, you look up to find two pony faces staring at you, Octavia and Vinyl.

"Thank you, Ms. Rarity. This suit is just awesome," you tell her, very truthfully.

"Well, you're welcome dear. I'm just glad I could help. You don't seem to have much fur on your body, and would probably freeze to death without some clothing," she answers simply.

"I think it looks positively striking myself," chimed in Octavia, smiling down at you, causing you to blush a bit again. Before the conversation could keep going towards compliments, Twilight's voice suddenly chimed in.

"Aha! I knew I had this one somewhere," she said suddenly, and walked over towards where the three of you were standing. She barely seemed to notice you hop back as she set the book down on the floor almost right on top of you, but knowing it was Twilight, she wouldn't hurt you on purpose...you hoped.

"This book is from an old survey report. It talks about a city, 'Towers of Metal and Glass that stretch into the heavens, and a network of tunnels with great metal cars' I remembered it from my time studying ancient history after that confrontation with Discord, since I didn't want to be surprised by any other Great Evils of the Past," she said, and you looked into the book. The drawings in it were crude, but effective at conveying their message. The picture was a city, a human city, but one in decay. It had sky scrapers, most of which were leaning to one side, or were missing chunks near the top, and a few houses, which were done in greater detail on smaller pictures, showing ruined homes in the suburbs of whatever city it had once been.

"The ones who wrote this talked about drawings of bipedal creatures, but the whole city vanished before they could study it in detail, leaving only desert where it had stood," she said, and flipped through a dozen pages of more drawings, before coming to a picture you recognized...sort of. It had the same 'washed out' look as the pony world, everything in it was simply colored, but it was unmistakable, it was an ad billboard, one you remembered from an old ad campaign years ago, and knew wasn't running anymore. This was...incredible, and you felt yourself fall back, as she lifted the book up so Rarity and Octavia, and interesting Vinyl who wandered over, could see it a little easier.

"So, I'm not the first human to come here then," was all you said, as Twilight flipped back through the book, showing the other ponies pages of pictures drawn of the city.

"Looks like you guys have been visiting for a while, actually. Still, they said that the beings in the pictures were giants, standing hundreds of feet tall in some cases. I wonder why you're so small," observed Ms. Sparkle, and you felt an aura cover you, before it dropped you down. Like before, you could feel the 'magic' that was being used on you, in some way you could sense it beyond what you think you really should be able to do, however, you barely notice as you're still in shock. Humans, some form of humans, a whole darned city of them, had come here before you. And it faded away after the ponies found it. Would you fade away too? Tonight, would you fall asleep in Ponyville and wake back up in your own bed(Hopefully at normal size). Moreover, did you want that to happen? After all, you were an average guy, leading an average life, nothing important ever happened to you before, but even while you aren't the first to come here, it was still probably the most momentous thing you'd ever done.

"Octavia said you wanted to see the Princess, and I'll have Spike send her a letter soon, but before that, can I study you for a bit. I have a bunch of equipment in my basement that can get some more data on you. I promise it won't hurt," she assured you, jarring you out of your thoughts, as you look into her big soulful eyes. She obviously wanted to do this, but was not one to demand such things. Octavia looked rather apprenhsively at you, probably not all that sure about that statement, considering Vinyl's own warnings before, and her 'I told you so' look now, as she tilted her glasses at Octavia. Rarity didn't seem bothered though, and it was still Twilight, she was kind, caring, and compassionate. Not as much as Fluttershy, but that didn’t matter too much, so after thinking about it, you nod you consent.

Twilight, looking almost exactly like she did in the sleepover episode, stands, claps her front hooves together, and grabs you with her magic, rushing towards a door and barely remembering to open it before the pair of you smack into it. Again, you feel the magic around you, and this time you do notice it, but before you can bring it up, Twilight was down the stairs and in the makeshift lad she'd used to study Pinkie Pie's Pinkie Sense, and you found yourself dropped rather roughly into the chair she'd had the party pony sit in. Loud clopping proceeds Vinyl, Octavia, and Rarity as they quickly join you in the lab, and Twilight begins to flip switches with her magic, and turn devices on, the things looking like stuff from Dr. Frankenstein's lab, save the electrical bolts were rainbow colored and made sparkles.

"Okay, now for starts, I'm gonna run some Electromagi Graph scans of you. This shouldn't hurt a bit, but tell me if you feel anything," she said while another shimmer of magic and you found yourself naked again, with the suit teleporting off you. She then plopped one of those plunger sensor things down onto your chest, and then one on your back, and seemed to look for where to put some more, before deciding it wasn't important and laying them to the side.

"Twilight...are you sure this is safe?" asks Rarity, Vinyl and Octavia, not sure of the proper way to bring up their own concerns, were just staring at her, and then glancing back at you with pity in Octavia's eyes, and a look of 'i told you so' on Vinyl's face behind her goggles.

"Of course, I keep all my equipment in top condition," answered Twilight, and suddenly you feel a tingling sensation throughout your body. Before you can say anything though, you feel yourself shoot up into the sky, your tiny body sailing high, higher than you'd ever been before, and then slamming into something hard, before falling without a shout, and landing back in the chair you'd been sitting in before.

"Oh my! Are you alright?" Octavia cried, rushing to you, and looking you over. For your own part, you were stunned and couldn't respond, beyond a small cloud of smoke coming out of your mouth with a gasp, as your hair sizzled and a thinner pale of smoke came out of it.

"What just happened? I just turned the power on?" was Twilight's response, as she dashed to the readout machine, and began to go over the print out from the device, while the other two just look at her, Rarity with an expression that says this sort of thing happens all the time, and Vinyl....like someone who really wanted to push the blinking buttons on Twilight's toys.

"I think you need to be a bit more careful Twilight, after all, we don't want to hurt our new friend...any more than we already have at any rate," said Rarity, as she comes up beside Octavia, who both stare down at you, their faces growing closer, and just seeming enormous again, at least until you bolt upright and they both back off.

"The final digit of pi is.....what just happened?" you said, the first thing in a rather robotic voice, before you grab your own head, which feels like you'd just tried to smash it through a brick wall. Looking upward, you can't actually see the ceiling because of how far away it is, but you figure you left a good dent in the hard wood, considering the way your head hurts.

"I don't know, but it was awesome, can you do that again?" came Vinyl's reply, smiling as she walks towards the computer, reaching forward to push a button, at least until Octavia, staring daggers at her, growls, and Vinyl chuckles nervously, backing off.

"I don't know what happened either, but that's not the important thing right now, what is important is, are you alright?" asked Octavia, after Vinyl came to stand near them, and getting up, you shake yourself off, and test out your limbs, trying to ignore the fact that three rather pretty looking, for ponies, girls were staring at your naked body.

"I think I'm okay. I have a headache, but its passing. Still, Twilight's equipment didn't do that when she hooked Pinkie Pie up to it," you said without thinking, and suddenly you had the eye of the violet pony, who turned from the data readout to look at you.

"No it didn't but then Pinkie is bigger th-wait a second, how did you know I used this stuff to study Pinkie Pie?" she asked, a bit faster on the uptake of details than the others, who look to each other, and then back at you. Luckily, before you can say anything, there's a crashing upstairs, and suddenly there's a multi colored streak coming through the open basement door, zipping around the room, before landing in front of Twilight. It was Rainbow Dash, in all her awesomeness, her body shimmering with a bit of sweat, as she'd obviously just come rushing from somewhere distant to tell Twilight something, as she kept saying Twilight's name in between gasps for breath, and when at last she does say something, it comes out as a rambling story, with too few words to make out anything other than Applejack, Poison, and Big Macintosh.

"Rainbow, slow down! Now start over, and go over it one step at a time," said Twilight after Rainbow, for the third time, tried to explain what it was that had brought her to Twilight's in such a panic, and with a sharp intake of breath, she began again.

"Okay, well I was trying to play a prank on Applejack to get back at her for that thing last week where she tied my wings behind my back with her lasso while I wasn't looking and got everyone to laugh at me. So I decided to get her back in the most awesome way, sending her some Poison Joke I'd painted red with a note telling her it was from a secret admirer, but while she was busy getting back from applebucking with Big Macintosh I kind of fell asleep on the cloud I was laying on cause it was so comfy and you know I take my naps about that time in the afternoon. When I woke up she was nowhere to be found, I mean I searched the whole farm house before going out to the orchard where Big Macintosh gave me an apple as a snack, and I flew all over there to try and find her and now I think she might have wandered off or something and I need some help to find her. You gotta have a spell or something Twilight, because if something happens to her it'll be all my fault and I don't know what I'd do!" she says quickly, all in a single breath.

"Rainbow! We've told you a thousand times to not use stuff like the Joke when doing these pranks of yours," Twilight chides her, as she begins to trot upstairs. Octavia, seeing as you won't be tested anymore right now, uses her mouth to pick you up again, and place you on her back, before trotting after the pair towards the stairs, followed by Rarity, who looks concerned, but not overly so, as she had faith in both Applejack's survival instinct, and in Twilight's magic. Just before going through the door though, Octavia stops, and looks down into the basement.

"Vinyl, you stay away from that and come up here. I think another unicorn would be helpful, and we do need to thank Ms. Sparkle for agreeing to talk to the Princess on our human friend's behalf," she said, and you look down to find Vinyl just about to touch some of the buttons on one of the consoles. She looks up at Octavia's sheepishly, before running up the stairs to join the three of you as you reenter the library proper.

"So you can use some spell to find her right?" asked Dash, as she lived up to her name, unable to stay still as she kept darting around the library, as Twilight was busy looking through the books she'd discarded in her search for the history book earlier.

"I think there's a spell around here for finding lost items. I'm sure it will find her Dash, just calm down and stop being so nervous," she said, and Rainbow tried to do that, landing, and taking nice, deep breaths. As she did, you noticed something odd, and tugged on Octavia's mane to get her to turn her head around to look at you.

"Yes?" she asked, probably wondering if there was anything she could do to help.

"Um, you might want to take a look at Rainbow Dash's belly, I think I found Applejack," you tell her, pointing towards where Dash is standing, and right towards where there's a periodic bulge in her side in the shape of two hooves. It was surprising that Dash herself hadn't noticed them, but then, she seemed a bit out of it with worry.

"Ms. Twilight, our human friend thinks you might want to use that spell from earlier on Ms. Rainbow Dash's belly. It seems that Ms. Applejack is closer to her than she thought," she told the ponies, pointing with her hoof towards Rainbow Dash's side, and another bulge popped out, causing Rarity and Twilight to groan, while Vinyl smirked.

"Heh, looks like I'm not the only heavy eater here," she said, and the unicorns, as well as the earth pony you were riding got closer, with Twilight leaning down and causing her horn to glow. It was interesting seeing the spell from the outside, as Twilight's eyes closed in concentration, and then began to pull back, obviously trying to draw Applejack out as she'd done with you before, a glow coming from her horn, and moving into Rainbow Dash, and a blinding flash of light forcing you to close your eyes.

Playing the Hero

Twilight suddenly fell back, and was breathing hard, causing the others to rush to her side, which nearly sent you falling to the floor before you grabbing Octavia's mane tightly. Not that you minded, you were concerned too, having been in a situation like this not a few minutes ago, and not really liking it. Luckily, Twilight, after a few seconds of opening her eyes and then shutting them tightly while taking a deep breath, seemed fine, and rose to her feet in a wobbly fashion, and that had Rarity using her magic to keep her steady while Vinyl, showing she could be helpful, brought a couch closer for her to lay down on. It took another minute of hard breathing before Twilight could speak again, and all the while she looked over towards Dash with a concerned look in her eyes.

"I don't understand, that spell's a bit more magic intensive than most, but I haven't done that much today. I didn't even feel tired until I tried to cast it again, almost like my magic was drained from me without realizing it," she said, her eyes not leaving Dash.

"Well, can you quickly teach Vinyl or Rarity that spell?" you ask, and four sets of eyes turn to you, not one of them looking like you'd said something sensible. Dash, for her part, was trying to stay as still as possible, obviously to not bump Applejack around too much inside her belly, but even she seemed to think you'd gone crazy.

"Magic isn't something that one just does, human boy, it's...something one knows. I mean, sure, I can rock the tunes, and we saw cuz's skill with fashion a bit ago, but for most of us who aren't Ms. Sparkle here, it's a lot more effort to learn a spell," said Vinyl, which was, again, oddly helpful of her, and you revised your opinion of her quickly. She probably had looked really concerned after she'd eaten you, but unless there was real danger, she was laid back. It was something to note.

"Like when she learned that spell to make wings for Rarity by just reading it n a book," you said without thinking, and Twilight's eyes narrowed at you. This was not your best day for keeping your mouth shut, but then, you were in a cartoon universe, tiny...well, bigger than you had been, but still smaller than the resident sophents(Thinking Beings). Still, this time your slip of the tongue costs you as Twilight approaches Octavia, who does skitter away a bit under that withering gaze.

"Okay, how the hay do you know about that little incident?" she demands, but then groaning can be heard from Dash that distracts everyone again, and even from across the room you can hear a gurgle, which was not good sign.

"Figure that out later Twilight, you have to get Applejack out of me, now!" shouts Dash.

"But how? I can't teach the others the spell that quick, and I don't think I can get you to vomit without some study..." she said running back to Dash's side, and trying to think, as she quickly levitated a few books towards herself, reading a passage or two before tossing them aside. Of course, then it occurs to you that this was likely your fault, though Twilight hadn't said it. She'd only cast that spell earlier on you, and probably you being human had screwed it up, which was why she hadn't noticed it before that point. That meant you had to do something drastic, and with a look at Dash, who was now visibly sweating, you decide what it is and pull on Octavia's mane again.

"Octavia, I think I could get Applejack out," you tell her.

"How dear?" she asks, and you turn towards Rarity.

"Rarity, get me some yarn, your toughest stuff that can take a lot of punishment," you tell her, and Rarity, generous and giving, is off like a shot.

"Vinyl, use your magic to get Dash to stand perfectly still," was your next order, and Vinyl, showing she could be counted on in a crisis, quickly did so, just as Rarity returned with a ball of yarn.

"Okay, this is going to suck, but I think it will work. Hey Dash, think you could swallow something my size?" you ask as Rarity holds out the ball, and you tie the loose end around your waist. Of course, she'd figured out your plan the moment you'd asked her to get the yarn, but Octavia, her head turning as around as she can, stares at you in concern, which you found rather sweet.

"Are you sure about that? I mean, we barely got you out of Vinyl before she digested you," she told you in no uncertain terms.

"Yeah, and doing that is probably why you can't do the same for Applejack, so let's try this real quick. If it works, I get her out. If it doesn't...we hope Twilight can figure out how to make her vomit," you say, and Dash, looking concerned, and like she has no idea what to do, stares at you. She didn't even know what you were, but after a moment, she opens her mouth, and Octavia, still looking concerned, takes you in her own, and then walks forward, and kisses Dash, her tongue pressing you into Rainbow's tongue with her own, before pulling back, and you were glad you hadn't put the suit back on since it would have gotten dirty, and also glad it was dark in Dash's mouth, so no one could see you really liked what had just happened.

Suddenly, everything was plunged into darkness, and you could feel Dash's tongue try to push you back towards her throat, but then hesitate and leave you in the lurch, pushing you forward again. She was having a hard time swallowing something of your size, despite having done the same to Applejack a few minutes beforehand. Like trying to swallow a pill, after knowing it's there. If you'd been thinking straight you might have asked her to get a drink or something to wash you down with, but your mental state, especially given your current surroundings, wasn't the best, and so, in lieu of that, you merely jump towards her throat, getting the front half of your body jammed between the back of her tongue and the roof of her mouth, and making her choke, before she tilted her head back, and the tight walls passed you downward.

And unlike with Vinyl, they were tight. The walls, seeing you as the whole load, rather than a tiny crumb on a donut, squeezed against you, and for a moment or two you wonder if her body might squeeze you to death, as it feels like being in a vice. However, after the rough direction change, indicating you had passed out of her neck, and into her body, you felt the grip tighten for a moment, threatening to break you in two, before you were tossed out and landing with a shout in a pool of muck, the remains of the apple that Dash had said she'd eaten given the smell, and with a quick shake, you looked around, finding once again, there was just enough light to see by in a pony's stomach, and in one corner, curled up and eyes closed, was Applejack.

"Come on Rainbow, notice I'm in here already and get me out," she says, trying to stay out of the stomach juices. Obviously, she hadn't heard what was going on outside, which wasn't hard to conceive, considering Dash's belly was gurgling loudly, and probably had been for a while.

"Applejack!" you shout, swimming towards her. Luckily, despite last time looking like this stuff could melt you into paste, the stomach juices in Dash's belly seemed to tingle only, though that was probably not going to keep up forever, all things considered.

"What the...who in the hay are you?" she said as you swam up next to her and climbed onto the bit of stomach fold she was clinging to, to stay out of the muck.

"Explanations later, out of stomach now," you tell her, gasping for breath. You really should have visited the pool more often you chide yourself as you quickly tie the yarn around your waist around her, and then mount her like you would a horse.

"Pray to Celestia that this thing holds, Applejack," you tell her as you tug on the yarn, and feel it pulling you,, causing AJ to cry out as she's dragged into the muck, and then towards the stomach entrance.

The ride through the muck is awful. Swimming in it was bad enough, but you'd been able to at least try and keep your head above it, but as you and AJ are dragged towards the exit, the stuff pulls you under, and the two of you hold your breath. Your lungs feeling like they are on fire, while your skin tells you it might feel that way if this keeps up for too long, though luckily, you don't, as a few seconds after you find yourself underneath the muck and mire, you are dragged against some soft, folded skin, the stuff rubbing against you and making your own skin crawl. It was actually pleasant really, if you ignored the fact that tingle in your skin grows into sharp pin prick everywhere the wall touches you, before you two finally hit the surface, and each take a deep gulp of air, as you are pulled towards the exit.

Of course, Rainbow Dash's stomach is just a intent on winning as the pony herself, and doesn't like it when meals try to escape, so the two of you are slammed into the hard valve of flesh that leads from the stomach to the throat, and then dropped back, as everything shakes hard, making you grab onto Applejack, even while she tries to get her feet to a standing position on the soft skin of the stomach lining. After a moment, the violent quaking tops, and you feel yourself pulled again towards the exit, this time the yarn glowing a bit with Rarity's magic colors, her telekinesis being added to the tugging as the two of you are forced against the tightly closed flesh again. This time though, the tugging doesn't let up, even as you feel like you're going to be cut in two by the yarn at your waist, and with a pop, you enter a tight tunnel.

Going down the throat had been bad, it had felt like being in a vice. Going up it, against the current that had at least been working with you, well that felt worse. It felt like being in one of those car compactors, with the walls and ceiling both coming in at once, crushing you from two sides. The walls, seemingly soft to the touch are pushing against you, hard muscles behind them trying to force you back down, while above the flesh closes almost as tightly as the stuff that had been blocking you from escaping the stomach, making you grind your teeth against the pain. You would cry out, as every inch you move seems like hours of work, but the crushing force of Rainbow's throat doesn't let you draw a breath as you are steadily pulled upward.

For a moment, just a moment, you think you're going to die. Oh, you'd thought that plenty of times since appearing in Ponyville, after all, things your size don't usually last long in your world, but then, that had all been sudden, climactic changes to status quo, nearly getting step on, then flying, then flying again, and getting eaten, which you did willingly this time, you tried to remind yourself. However, all those others had been sudden changes, with no time to consider them, but as you are dragged upward, with the weight of the world, or at least the weight a pegasus' swallow produces, pounding on you, you can consider it, and you realize you don't want to die. It was scary to die, and you force yourself to stay awake against the pressure and the lack of oxygen, even as you feel Applejack pass out beneath you.

Had she stayed awake just one moment longer, she would have felt the pressure suddenly multiply exponentially, before vanishing altogether as the two of you fly weightless into the air, sailing for a moment, before you can feel the power of magic surround you again, this time in Vinyl's colors, as she lowers the pair of you gently down to the floor, letting you slip off Applejack's back as you come in contact with the wood, and rise wobbly to your feet, next to the passed out pony. Looking upward, you see four concerned faces filling your sky, Octavia, Twilight, Fluttershy, and Rarity, with Vinyl in the background assisting Rainbow, who is on the floor, coughing, but getting nothing up, which made you smirk for some reason, before leaning down to check on Applejack.

"She's breathing! And now, I'm gonna take a nap!" you shout out, holding your hands in fist triumphantly over your head, before you feel everything tilt to the side, and you distantly hear the dull thunk of a tiny body slam into hard wood. The last thing you hear before blackness takes you is the pounding of hooves, and several concerned voices as the ponies rush around you, and yet, you drift off to dreams with a smirk still on your face.

Dreams come and go, it is said. Fleeting images, born of the mind and spirit, windows to the deepest fears and desires we have. You haven't had one in years. Your slumber is just darkness, until you waken. So it is today, you are swimming in the void, content, if not peaceful, when the world begins to intrude. a few voices, none of them ones you know, just background noise to the void, which tries to keep you in its grasp, one of protection. Here you are safe, no light to guide you down a dangerous road, just a shadow to guard you as you lay at rest. It's tempting, ever so tempting, to stay in the void, as you feel the pain of the world return, the ache and soreness of a mortal body. Still, temptations can be resisted, and you slowly open your eyes, a groan coming out of your lips.

"I think he's waking up," a voice says, and you find yourself staring up at huge faces. The void still has that part of you that comprehends things, and so you stare at them, in slack jawed wonder. They are faces of beings that cannot be real. The real world was a wash of colors and designs, of various shades and hues, but all the faces you see, which number in the twelve, are things of simplistic colorings, single hues, mostly lighter tones. These are things of fantasy, yet your sore body tells you, you are awake, and though such things can be fooled, you refuse to contemplate them. If this is what you see and hear, you act like it's real. The only other option is to accept madness, and you would rather revel in it than let it have you.

"Are ya'll alright, little 'un?" comes a voice, not the same one from before, but one with an accent you recognize as southern. Looking towards the faces, it is from the orange face in the middle, Applejack. Standing around her are the other five that wield the greatest weapon of their world, the Elements of Harmony, the ones who dispelled the darkness that had taken Luna and twisted her into Nightmare Moon. They were also the ones who had vanquished Discord, sentencing the seemingly jovial entity to stone, for they had felt the touch of chaos, and knew that beneath that exterior laid a core of evil worse than even the Mare of Darkness, an evil that would have corrupted Order, and turned all to madness, simply for a joke.

"I'm functioning within optimal parameters," you say, and then smirk. Data from Star Trek had said that once, you were sure, when he woke up. It amused you, even when you got odd looks from the ponies staring down at you. Behind the Mane 6 were the faces of Octavia and Vinyl, the latter actually looking quite concerned, considering who she was, while the later looked relieved more than anything else, probably at least understanding what you had said. Beside them stood three younger ponies, without the marks on their flanks that came with age, sisters to two of the Mane 6, and a worshiper of another, the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Behind them stood a rather commanding presence, a huge pony, but not one of the Princesses. Instead it was Big Macintosh, looking like a big red mountain to you.

"Uh, anypony wanna translate that for me?" asked Applejack, looking towards Twilight, who shook her head in dismay at her friend's lack of understanding.

"I said I'm fine, Applejack," you tell her, rising, and then falling back down with a grimace, and because the surface beneath you caved in a little as you tried to stand. As one might expect, you were no longer on the hard floor, but instead, on a nice soft, if somewhat fragrant, bed, with clean white sheets covering you, though, as noted previously, nothing else, your body once again nude. You didn't care now though, since any covering would have only made you sorer than you already were.

"I don't think ya'll are fine t'all. Still, I hope Twilight and the Doc's magic at least helped a bit. I know I was plum sore after that little hayride," she said, smirking down at you, and Rainbow's face went a bit down at being reminded of why you were sore.

"I'm alive, and in another dimension. Those two facts should be completely incongruous, so considering they're happening at the same time, that's something," you say, a bit more steadily than you felt and the ponies watching you visibly relax. Obviously, you'd been asleep for a while, probably because Applejack was a pony, and something they knew how to heal, but you were something altogether different, meaning they had probably thought you might die.

"Oh man, I am so sorry, I really am," said Rainbow Dash suddenly, as her head got closer, causing you to involuntarily flinch and try to retreat, right into a giant pillow.

"Dash, you really must stop crowding the poor dear. We all know you're sorry, and I'm sure, given time, he'll forgive you. You will, won't you?" asked Rarity, as her horn glowed a bit, and she dragged Dash back from the bed.

"Heh, I got to play the hero for once in my life thanks to her. I'm sure that deserves a bit of forgiveness in payment," you tell her, trying to rise again, and this time, able to do so, though you keep the sheet covering your body, mostly out of some sense of modesty, as you look up towards the ponies surrounding you. This was, truth be told, the third strangest way you'd ever woken up, and yet, despite not really knowing anyone, it was still more pleasant than most mornings with your family, so you smirk a bit as you look around, Rarity quickly realizing what you're looking for and lifting you with her magic while bringing an outfit towards you, dressing you in a replica of the clothing you’d been wearing when you arrived in Equestria.

Twilight and Transmissions

"Wow, this is...wow," you say, looking down at yourself. The suit had been comfortable, but then, it was magic that had made it. This was what you were accustomed to though. Street clothing, not fancy, not high quality, just stuff to wear around town. Of course, given the ponies were nudists...of a sort anyhow, they probably saw little need of clothing. However, the biggest surprise is that she’d been able to make this. After all, she'd only briefly glimpsed your outfit before, and the real thing was probably not only still the size of a bug, but probably passing through Vinyl's intestine right now and in no shape to be studied. Tugging at the sleeves, finding the material, whatever it was, breathed a bit easier than your normal clothing, you give a bow to the fashionista.

"You have my thanks, Ms. Rarity, for the new garb," you tell her, wiggling your toes inside the tennis shoes a bit, enjoying the freedom that came from normal shoes.

"Oh, it was the least I could do for someone so willing to risk themselves for someone they hardly know," she told you, blushing a bit, which made you smirk again.

"Yeah, that was cool little dude. I mean, you didn't even hesitate, you were all like 'Hero time!' and you saved the damsel in distress from the evil, ugly dragon!" said Vinyl, her head turning to Dash, who's not looking at her in a friendly way. "Er, beautiful, lovely, and very personable dragon who in no way would hit a pony wearing glasses."

"Vinyl, I just can't take you anywhere," says Octavia quietly while putting her hoof to her face.

"Why are we here for all this mushy stuff again?" suddenly chimes in Scootaloo, her front legs folded in front of her in a sign of boredom.

"Because Big Macintosh said I should thank someone who probably saved my sister's life," came the quick reply from Applebloom, at least before a snort made her turn to Big Macintosh, who was eying her in a way that one might call withering, but you find quite a bit worse, considering how much bigger than you he was, and were glad it wasn't directed at you.

"Besides, shouldn't you be excited to meet someone who's seen Rainbow Dash inside and out?" offers Sweetiebell. The statement does make Scootaloo look at you, but then she just waves her hoof in a dismissive gesture.

"Well, anyway, I really do want to thank you Mister. If it wasn't for you, my sis mighta never come back home to do more applebucking," said Applebloom, and Big Macintosh came closer to, to stand right behind her.

"Eeyep," he said simply, lowering his head in a gesture of thanks, before starting towards the door, the Crusaders, after looking at one another, follow suit, dashing out the door.

"Alright, now that that's over, I suppose it's time to discuss where you'll stay tonight. The Princess' reply said she and her sister would be visiting Ponyville tomorrow to meet you. That means I've got a lot of cleaning to do around here, so you can't stay in the library, otherwise you'd be underhoof the whole time," said Twilight, looking around the group.

"Normally I would offer a spare room at the Boutique, but I don't think I'd trust Opalescence around someone of your...limited stature," offers Rarity, taking a second to think of the right words so as not to seem improper about your miniscule size.

"Well, I'd love to offer him a place at Sweet Apple Acres, but Big Macintosh showed he's not one to watch where he sets his hoof today, and then there’s the animals. Not sure I'd trust them anymore than Rarity would trust her cat," Said Applejack, and you had to agree with her, about Big Macintosh especially. You were now really glad you hadn't run into him at your original size, as he was already intimidating enough.

"And I don't think humans can walk on clouds...can they?" asks Dash, and you quickly shake your head.

"Oh! I know, he can stay at Sugar Cube Corner, and I can show him all my favorite party games and we can play with Gummy, and-" began Pinkie Pie entusiasitcally.

"And you can lose him in the night and we'll never find him, or you'll forget he's there and turn him into a cupcake or something," said Rainbow Dash, putting her hoof against Pinkie Pie's muzzle, though you could still hear Pinkie talking behind it.

"Okay, that leaves Fluttershy's I guess," said Twilight after a moment, and Fluttershy smiled sweetly, only for Vinyl to suddenly step between the six ponies.

"Hey! What about us? I mean, we did find him after all. I'm sure he'd be safe with us....well, if I make sure to watch what I eat anyway," admits the Pop Pony after a moment.

"Well, I don't think I'd mind someone else sleeping over for a night, and I'm sure Angel and my other animal friends would just love the company, but I don't want to stop him if he wants to stay with you," says the Element of Kindness in a sweet voice, and then you suddenly have eight sets of eyes staring at you, silently asking you what you want to do, which you have to consider for a moment, before nodding when you reached a decision.

"Uh, I think I could stand a night with Vinyl and Octavia. Not sure I'd safe among animals of any sort at my size," you tell them after a moment of consideration, and Fluttershy smiles sweetly at you.

"They're all well behaved, but if that's what you want, I will just wish you a good night," she says.

"Okay, with that that decided, how's about we all mosey along home. The Princess is set to raise the moon in a few minutes, and I think we all have to start getting ready for bed," said Applejack, and everyone nods. You then suddenly find yourself surrounded by a magical field again, this one coming from Vinyl, who sets you down on Octavia's back again.

"Sweet," was all she said, as the girls start for the door to the bedroom. Looking around at this place, figuring it would be where you come tomorrow to meet the gods of this world, you study the books, finding that, like on the show, there's not a single title you can read on the spines. You wonder, idly, how Twilight and Spike can tell them apart, and speaking of the dragon, he comes in as the others leave, and looks at you funny, and then proceeds to help clean with Twilight, a moment later an owl flying in and doing the same, probably Twilight's night time assistant. Before you can question this, you are taken outside by Octavia, and are once again looking around Ponyville, no longer the middle of the day, but nearly nightfall, as the sun is low in the sky.

"Long hot day, cold sacred night, and I think to myself, what a wonderful world," you sing, more to yourself than anyone else, but you do get both musical ponies to look at you, though neither stops walking, and so, smirking, you begin to sing the rest of the song, thinking that, really, the place you've found yourself in really is a Wonderful World. The two you will be rooming with say nothing, and Vinyl even starts humming along to the end, as the three of you finally reenter the home they're borrowing from Rarity, and shut the door.

"That was a very sweet song. Did you write it?" asks Octavia, as she returns to the living room, and you are then placed on the table by her using her mouth again, an experience you still aren't quite used to, though this time at least she didn't drool on you.

"Not a chance. I forget the guy who wrote it, but in my world, it's considered a classic song. One of the few I know really. Most of the others I memorized are either from TV shows or parodies of the real stuff," you say, and Octavia looks at you oddly, and so does Vinyl, though it's hard to tell through her glasses.

"TeeVee? What's that?" asks Vinyl after a moment of hesitation, and just as you're about to respond, you realize suddenly that TV might not be the best thing to introduce to an agrarian society. Even if you don't remember how it's done, just the thought that it can be done is enough to start the ball of invention rolling. Like labs that developed high tensile strength materials simply by being given a sample from another lab. Heck, nukes were the same way.

"It's a thing back home, and way too complicated. But it plays music at a distance, among other things," you tell them, and Vinyl nodes.

"Like radio! I bet you didn't know this, but Octavia and I used to have our own show," says Vinyl, seemingly bragging about it, while Octavia facehoofs.

"Yes, until you burned down the studio trying to hook up an amplifier for your 'tunes'" she reminds the pop pony, who barely seems to notice, as she suddenly looks really excited.

"That reminds me! I got my package in today, and though I was gonna save it for a special occasion, I can't think of anything more special than this!" responds Vinyl, and quickly runs off, leaving you and Octavia in the room alone, with the grey classic lover looking worriedly after her. For good reason too, as you can hear crashing, swearing, and a few other things, before she suddenly returns with something, and then nearly crushes you with it, forcing you to leap out of the way as she sets it down on the table.

"Vinyl, you didn't?" Octavia moans, looking at the device, and you stare at it in interest. From your perspective, all you see is a grey box thing, but hopping up and climbing on, you find it's a transmitter, with a mic attached. Probably short range, but remembering this is a magical universe, it might not be.

"I didn't do anything, Octavia. I simply asked somepony going over the wreckag-I mean while they were remodeling our studio, to send this over. It's not as powerful as K-Colt's usual level, but I'm sure this thing will get to all of Ponyville, and I can probably juice it to get all the way to Canterlot if we need to," she said, and her horn glowed a bit, sending a spark into the device, causing some of the dials to light up, and a low his of feedback to issue forth from the device.

"Vinyl, I mean this, seriously, do you really want to burn this new house, that we got for free from your cousin, to a smoking cinder, and render us homeless until such time as we can show our faces in Canterlot again?" asked Octavia, and Vinyl only .smirked in response.

"Please, back me up. Tell her not to do this?" she asks you, but at the same time, you aren't sure. A radio show, in Equestria, and you get to be on it, for just being you...well for being the only human in a world of equines, but still. That could be a lot of fun, or it could lead you to chocking on live radio and embarrassing yourself. One Risk vs. Reward assessment later, you look towards Vinyl.

"I always wanted to be a radio personality myself," you say with a smirk, and Vinyl smirks right back, while Octavia, facehoofing, just sighs, as Vinyl continues to setup the transmitter, pushing buttons, and setting a few dials, before the hiss suddenly cuts out with a sharp crack, and a small light on the side that says 'on-air' glows in the corner, making Vinyl just chuckle.

"Okay, all you fillies, foals, and others out there in Ponyville, this is DJ-Pon3, back from her short hiatus after that little problem with the studio, and here with me as always is my lovely co-host, Octy," she said, leaning closer to the mic.

"'Little problem?!' You burned down the studio trying to, as you put it, 'kick up the jams'," said Octavia with another sigh, "And I told you to stop calling me lovely."

"Heh, well, that's one interpretation of those events. I'd rather see it as the equipment failing to live up to the expectations to which I'd been set," response Vinyl, grinning at Octavia across the table.

"Anyway, because of that set back, his shows gonna be a bit more....limited than the others. However, don't worry about that now, because we still bring you the highest quality guests, in this case one from waaaaay farther away than any other. In fact, you could say, our guest tonight is out of this world. Would you like to say a few words to our audience?" she said, and the mic shifts towards where you're standing on the transmitter. Suddenly, for some reason, you get an impulse, and rather than think on it, you just go with it.

"Yo yo yo, this is Howlin Mad Man Murphy, comin at you live and lucid, over the air waves and into your homes. Tonight we have a really big show for you. Or at least for me anyway considering a ponies like twenty five or fifty times my own size," you say into the mic, which gets Vinyl to laugh, while Octavia looks at you like you betrayed her.

"You heard that right fillies, our guest today is a bit on the small size, but then, he's a bit different than anypony else we've met. He says he's called a human, and he's coming to us all the way from another world. I know some of you have your doubts, but I assure you, he's for reals, and according to Octavia here, he tastes great, yummy," goes on the pop pony, the last getting Octavia to blush, and you to smirk, remembering that comment from earlier.

"Vinyl!" was all she said in response, and looking over, you find Vinyl falling onto her back laughing.

"The management would like it known that Vinyl's opinions in no way reflect the opinions of this station...excepting those parts of this station that are Vinyl Scratch. By the way, while Octavia may have said that, Vinyl is the one who actually ate me earlier," you say into the mic, which gets Octavia to smile down at you, as Vinyl bolts upright, probably not wanting to remember that, or to have Twilight or the others remember it either.

"Er...well, that was an accident. And it wasn't his last time diving down a throat either today, folks. No, our little guest is a hero, because after a certain be-hatted pony found herself swallowed by a spectrum colored one she considered her friend during a prank that shrank her, this little guy heroically decided to go in after her, at great personal risk, and drag her out of that stomach. It was a bit more violent than how he got out of my own belly, but dang if it wasn't rather touching," Vinyl said to the air waves, likely having forgotten Rainbow Dash and Applejack's names, considering her own bubble headed-ness.

"Indeed, it was actually quite dashing to watch, all things considered, especially considering we might not have been able to get him out either, and I'm sure that all of Sweet Apple Acres was grateful, though they also forgive the Weather Warden of Ponyville for what was supposed to be a harmless prank," says Octavia, turning the mic towards herself, and showing that she at least, was paying attention to the others back at Twilight's, or at least knew something about them from before that.

"Yeah, that. Anyway, with that introduction and story out of the way, I'd say it's time for some tunes....which I just realized I don't have, since all my LPs are still being brought from Canterlot, so why don't we ask Octavia to play the cello for us as some filler, while I look for something to play?" she asks, looked towards Octavia expectantly, who just shakes her head and goes off, probably to find said instrument. That's when you think of a song to sing yourself, one that doesn't really need an instrument, but then, it might be a bit dark for the ponies' world. Still, maybe they'd like hearing a comedy song by Jonathan Coulton, and Spike at least knew what zombies were.

"Hey, Vinyl, mind if I sing a little ditty from my own home to fill the time?" you ask, figuring this is the type of thing one should ask.

"Really? Like that song from before?" she asks, referring to Wonderful World, which, while a good song, was a bit fluffy for a talk show like this one.

"Nah, a bit more amusing, though in a gallows kind of way. Ever heard of zombies?" you say with a smirk.

"Oh! Those cool undead things, yeah. What about em'?" she asks.

"Listen to this," was all you said, as you began to hum the background music, clapping in time to what you remember from the web versions of the song you'd heard. After a moment, you begin singing, and Vinyl starts to bob her head in time to the beat you're laying down. She then gets a real big grin on her face as you reach the line about dying screaming from the song, that seems to amuse her. As the song continues, you notice that Octavia has returned, with her cello in tow, and is just staring at the two of you, agast at the song, though you just wink at her as you keep going, skipping the guitar solo, since you can't simulate that, and just moving on to the end, enjoying your moment in the lime light.

"We'll all come inside and eat your braaaaaaains!!! And that fillies and colts is a song of my people, Re: Your Brains, by a Mr. Coutlon. Good man," you said, and take a bow towards Vinyl, who leans forward towards the mic.

"Now that was a treat, little dude carries a tune well too. Anyway, I see Octavia's back with her cello, so why not sit back, and relax with some classical music after that little heartwarming tale about a zombie who just wants a meal," she says, turning the mic towards Octavia, who simply hmphs at the two of you, and pulls out her bow, before starting to play a rather moving piece, while Vinyl picks you up with her magic and brings you towards her.

"Awesome song, but what's a mall, and what's a gun?" she asks in a hushed tone, which reminds you again, this isn't your world, which, rather than depresses you, only makes you smile at her and stare into her glasses.

"A mall is a place of worship for those who respect only the power of money, and a gun is something this place isn't ready for, like soda, and the internet, and do not ask. Still, I feel kind of bad about doing that to Octavia, you wouldn't happen to have a flute in my size around here, would you?" you ask, looking around. Vinyl, looking with you, finds a few toys on the mantle of the room you’re in, and spots a tiny flute, carved from wood, and brings it to you. Taking a moment to check it over, you find it's a bit heavier than the ones back home, but it works pretty well, and a few blows finds it does make some nice tones, so you nod, and then motion towards the transmitter again, getting Vinyl to put you back closer.

Looking towards Octavia, who has her eyes closed, you start to nod your head to the sounds of the piece she's playing. It's not one you recognize off the top of your head, but you'd say it's similar to some stuff you used to play, so picking a place to start, you try to play along with her. Her eyes shoot open as you do so, though her hoof doesn't even falter as she plays. She does start to step up on the tempo as you join in, and though you never hit a wrong note exactly, you are out of time with her for a few lines, before catching back up, playing in concert with her's to create a rather melodious sound, before she reaches her crescendo, and then pulls her box sharply across her strings to bring it to an end, while you play one last note.

"Bravo! Encore!" comes Vinyl from behind you, and smirking up at Octavia, you turn on your heel, and give a bow to your audience, which out of the corner of your eye, you can see Octavia doing the same, before setting her instrument against one of the corners of the room carefully, and then walking back towards the two of you. Rather than sitting though, she stands next to the table.

"Actually, Vinyl, I think it's time we did our curtain call, since we'll have a few more guests tomorrow, and I'd rather they not see us tired, and out of sorts," says Octavia, obviously trying not to name names, since it's likely this visit by the Princesses will be a bit less formal than most, kind of like when Celestia dropped in after Twilight's break down over not having a friendship lesson.

"Oh, right, them. Well, I suppose we should wrap this up a bit early tonight. Still, I hope you foals and fillies get some rest, because tomorrow in Ponyville promises to be fun," says Vinyl into the mic, "This is K-Colt, signing off for the night."

With that, the transmitter is clicked off, and the instant it is, Vinyl yawns, her mouth opening wide, and you can't stop yourself from yawning as well, stretching your arms out, and then popping a few bones in your spine, which you can tell the ponies both heard with the look they give you.

"So, where do you want to sleep tonight anyway? I think we could squeeze you onto the bed with Octy and me, but it might be a bit cramped," says Vinyl as she gets up from the couch she'd been laying on.

"And then there's Vinyl's snoring. You might just want to sleep out here for the night, if you want to get any sleep at all," says Octavia, and she and Vinyl look like they're about to have another argument.

A Not So Silent Night

"If it's all the same to you ladies, I think it will be safer for me to sleep away from others," you tell them, and both of them look at each other, and then back to you, before nodding.

"Not a bad suggestion. Octy does kick in her sleep sometimes, and that could send you flying!" said Vinyl with a smirk, mimicking a kicking motion with her back hoof, at least until Octavia puts her under a withering stare, before turning back to you and smiling sweetly.

"Well then, I suppose it is to bed with us. Hopefully, the Princesses arrive later in the morning, so we can freshen up before they get here. For now though, good night," she said, and leaned down, picking you up again and placing you on the couch she'd been laying on. Just before she pulls away, her lips purse together, and she plants a soft kiss on the top of your head, smiling down at you.. Vinyl giggles at her for it, and even in the quickly darkening living room, as the last of the sun sets out the window, and everything is case into darkness, you can see Octavia blush a bit, before running for the bedroom in the back of the house.

"Night little guy. Sleep tight, don't let the square bugs bite," she tells you, trotting off after Octavia. Looking after them, you see the door shut, with a gentle click, but then hear some raised voices, making you wonder how the pair slept together....and then banish that thought, wondering what the guys on the net would think about such a pairing, as you begin to strip off your clothing, setting the shoes to the side, and getting down until you're wearing nothing again, before walking towards the pillow at the end and laying in it, finding a small frilly edge to be good enough for a small blanket, and starting to drift off to sleep.

You don't dream, as you'd thought before, and are drifting again in the void. Nothingness about you, or within, and so, when something intrudes on the void, you bolt upright, always able to go from sleep to waking within moments, though taking longer to go to sleep usually than you had tonight. Probably the lack of a TV, the light of which you usually slept to. Still, insomnia aside, something had woken you up, and looking around, you realize it was a noise, something rattling in the distance. Taking a peek over the chair of the couch, you quickly come to the conclusion that it is the door, and hide under the pillow, not sure what to think, as the rattling increases, and then a click is heard as the door opens.

"-ill not sure we should be doing this Doctor. I mean, this is somepony's house, and we're breaking in. This can't be legal," says a voice you don't recognize, though it's obviously female.

"Oh Derpy, I told you, we're not going to take anything, we just need to have a look around. Besides, you said that you, Sparkler, and Dinky heard that radio pony say human, right?" says a male voice in response, one you recognize...though it wasn't possible. Really, it wasn't. He wasn't on the show, and he certainly....curiosity piqued, you can't resist looking over the chair, briefly, to see two shadow figures in the door way, which one is gently closing behind them. One is an earth pony, with a brown, you think, coat, while the other is a gray/blue pegasus, neither of which is looking toward you, as they converse in whispers between themselves.

"Well, yeah, I know what I heard, but I don't see why we have to meet him. Didn't you say humans were violent, destructive, and not to be trusted?" says the pegasus girl, as she starts to look around.

"Oh, that's just the bad ones, there's ones like that in any species...except ponies, though I haven't met every pony, so there might be some like that too. But regardless. A human, here, in Equestria, don't you think that's just brilliant?" says the male, and the last word just...it's David Tennant...well, considering the coloring, it was Doctor Whooves, but that wasn't possible. You'd heard him speak in one episode, and he'd sounded nothing like the Doctor, well, maybe the fifth Doctor, but certainly not the Tenth, which was who he sounded exactly like now.

"I don't know....but does this mean you're thinking of leaving again?" she asks, sounding quite sad, and you watch as the Doctor suddenly stops, and turns back to her, putting his hoof below her muzzle, and bringing her face up to stare directly into his own eyes.

"Oh, Derpy, no, no, a thousand times no. I just....I just have to know. Is he a human? How did he get here? And what was with that morbid song he was singing?" he said, his face coming to nuzzle hers, in what would have been a rather tender moment, if you yourself weren't a cynic who believed love was dead, and thought that was a good thing. Still, he starts to look around, and still looking concerned at him every once in a while, Derpy Hooves follows suit. As he comes close to the couch, having not spotted you yet, you get an idea. A horrible, nasty idea. An awful, terrible just retched idea, but you can't help but smile at it. Still, it's a great prank, and you can't help but want to do it.

“EX-TER-MEN-ATE!!!” you shout, popping up onto the arm of the couch you’d been sleeping on, and smiling.

"Oh dear Gallifry no!" shouts the Doctor, hopping back from you, as you fall back onto the couch laughing. You just couldn't help yourself. So many hours watching the show at home had left you with that being the one phrase you remembered over the years. Derpy instantly spins around to find you on the couch, and as you laugh yourself silly, looks mad at you. You quickly pull yourself together, as Derpy Hooves mad looks quite horrifying, though having to pause to wipe a tear from your eye.

"I apologize Doctor, but I have always wanted to pull that on someone who would actually appreciate it," you tell him, standing up, and then walking over to the pile of clothing, slipping on the underwear and pants at least, letting your slight laughing fits die completely, before turning to face him. He seems to have composed himself as well, his mane no longer sticking straight out, though a bit frazzled at the ends, and his eyes no longer wide and darting around.

"I accept your apology, but please don't do that again. I don't think my hearts can take it," he says, holding a hoof to his chest, before suddenly eying you.

"So, you've met the Daleks then. Was it them who brought you here?" he asks, settling into business. Idly, you wonder why his shouting hadn't awakened Vinyl and Octavia, but a quick listen tells you that Vinyl's snoring was still louder than the Doctor, and it was likely Octavia slept with ear plugs against it.

"Actually, I have no idea what brought me here. One minutes, I was asleep in my bed, not really caring about anything. Next 'poof' I'm in Ponyville, land of magic, whimsy, and friendship. And also the size of a bug, which, luckily, I grew out of thanks to Ms. Sparkle, though not all the way, as you can see," you tell, him, gesturing to yourself to indicate your limited stature.

"Yes, I was going to question that," said the Doctor, and Derpy flutters over to stand next to him, as they stare down at you from just beside the couch.

"So humans aren't normally this small then?" she asks.

"Oh...probably not. I mean, who's to say really, but most of the people on my world assume a standing pony on all fours is about three feet tall, meaning you'd be looking up at me if I was my usual height," you tell her, trying to stand up taller, only to find the couch cushion deforming a bit too much, and sending you sprawling onto your back.

"People on your world? So there is regular transport between Earth and this world then?" asks the Doctor, a hopeful note in his voice.

"Not really, just a TV show that's big on the net, and since I tend to live through my computer, I got caught up in it. It's called My Little Ponies: Friendship is Magic. I've been debating as to whether I'm nuts and just hallucinating this whole thing, or if I really have been transported to another world. Still not sure, but with you here, I'm placing another vote to the second category for now," you explain to him. The fourth wall be darned, this is the Doctor, he's made a habit of acting like a loon, and just trotting about the universe having fun.

"Oh? I never heard of it on my visits, but from the accent, I assume it's an American thing, right?" he asks.

"It is, but then, Doctor Who is a British TV show too. So I know about you too...up to about halfway through the season after the End of Time. Didn't care for Doctor number eleven myself. Seems nice, but a bit too....absent minded," you tell him simply.

"Wait? I'm a TV show on your world?!" he says rather indignantly. Then again, this wasn't the first time that had happened, and was never fun for him, since the versions humans made of his adventures tended to be skewed towards a certain point of view.

"Yep. Pony's, Doctor's, all I need is to find Cybertron, and I've got a whole pop culture bingo card full. By the way, you haven't run into any giant fighting robots that change into cars, trucks, and various others things, have you?" you ask, and the pair shake their heads, "Pity, I really wanted to ask Optimus Prime a question."

"So, let me get this straight, you're human," you nod, "From an Earth wherein this world, and my own life, are merely programes on the telly," another nod, "And yet you're just sitting there, barely freaking out about this. You're remarkably calm for a human."

"No, I'm just jaded. Like I said, the possibility exists that I've just lost my last tenuous grip on reality, and none of this is happening. That I'm actually sitting in a padded cell, staring at a blank wall, while spit dribbles down my chin," you explain.

"And you choose to ignore it?" he asks.

"Nope, I figure, if I am insane, why suffer from it? I'd rather enjoy every minute of it. Oh, that reminds me, since you're alone, I assume you dropped Martha off back on Earth after having defeated the Master with the Tinker Bell Jesus shtick you pull, right?" you asked him in response.

"Tinker Bell...oh! That's actually kind of clever. Silly, but clever. And yes, why?" he says, keeping the question for question going.

"Well, just curious. And you did the bit with the Doctor Donna, right?" you say, the round continuing.

"You mean with the Daleks? Yes, that was literally seconds before I came here, trying to...what happens next?" his musing ending as he looks at you seriously for a moment.

"Master comes back, but that's because you're there...sort of, and Evil Time Lord Evil Guy tries to use him to break The Moment you trapped your people in to win the Time War. It doesn't end well for him, or the Master for that matter. Still, you won, saved the universe, and got to tie up everything in your life, before regenerating due to events," you tell him, trying to hide emotion. You'd actually quite liked that Finale, which was why you didn't particularly care for the new Doctor.

"So....when I return, I really will end up...." he trails off, but then leans over to Ditzy and curls a foreleg around her, hugging her tightly.

"Possibly. But really, who's to say. This could all be my diseased mind. Or it could be that none of that will happen to this version of you. Maybe you're not the one from the show back home. Maybe this is a completely alternate timeline, and you're a branch from the same tree that is, the Doctor," you tell him, trying to sound hopeful, after all, he is a good man, you know that much, but you yourself are feeling a bit down. The Doctor, a Time Lord, couldn't escape this place. Does that mean you're stuck here forever? I mean, you've had those thoughts before, but this time, you know someone who should be able to leave can't, and he at least knew how he came here, you don't have a clue, and that means you could be trapped here, and this size, forever.

"There is that. Still, it's a bit depressing to learn I still can't make it home," he said sadly.

"Home is where you lay your hat at night, and the bed you share with someone you love. It is not a place, a time, or a thing. Home is a feeling you get deep in your heart, a warmth that goes from the tips of your toes, to the end of your nose. It's something that you can always find, if you know how to look for it," you tell him, not sure if it was a quote you remembered, or if you were making it up. Either way though, it sounds right, and he and Derpy nods at the thought.

"Thanks, I needed that. Though I suppose I should leave now. I do hope we can speak again later, but sunrise is in a few hours, and I've heard tell from the party loving pony that the Princesses are scheduled to make an appearance, and I want to get the TARDIS farther away from Ponyville, just to be safe. If you're here when I get back, I would like to talk more," he tells you, before starting for the door. Ditzy, looking after him, turns toward you, and whispers at you.

"Thanks from me too. He's been a bit down since that last time he tried to get back to Earth, but he seems, 'chipper' again now," he tells you, and you get another pony kiss, this one a bit wetter than before, and then she flutters after him, the door gently shutting behind the pair.

"I really need to start carrying around a towel," you say to yourself, as you rub your head on the pillow to dry it off, and then start to undress again, before returning to try and sleep, the Void taking you after a few moments.

The Void is disturbed again what feels like only moments later in its timelessness, and your eyes pop open to see the two musical ponies moving around the house, Octavia moving a brush through her hair with one of her hooves while hobbling along on three legs, while Vinyl is busy brushing her teeth, the loud scratching sound of the bristles over her molars actually quite grating. Of course this only serves to remind you of your nudity, but then, that's getting to be such a regular thing you wonder if you should just go out in your birthday suit. At least until you feel a cold breeze, and decide that Equestria isn't a place a human should ever try that particular lifestyle. So thinking you go to the pile of clothing, and quickly toss it all on, straightening it out and trying to make yourself look presentable, however difficult that is.

"Good morning, good morning, you've slept the whole night through. Good morning, good morning, to you!" you sing loudly as you get the last bits on, and the two turn to you, look at each other, and then proceed about their tasks. Obviously, they were in no mood to joke around, or to sing. Either they weren't morning people, or they were nervous about the visit of their goddesses. Both are actually likely, as Vinyl described their going to bed just after it got dark as 'early' last night, even though the sun had gone down, so they might have schedules analogous to those of musicians on your own world. So thinking, you let the pair continue their rituals, watching as Vinyl slips on her glasses, and Octavia puts on her tie, before the two finally turn back to you.

"You seem to be in a good mood this morning," comments Octavia as she leans down, and picks you up in her mouth again, before setting you gently on her back, so you can grab her mane and ride her once again.

"Why shouldn't I be? I could be going home today. If not, than I can at least ask if they can grow me back to normal. Heck, failing even that, they might at least be able to figure out a way to make me fly. If Twilight can give Rarity wings, surely the Princesses can do the same for me. If I ask nicely enough," you comment, and the pair nod, neither noticing that you have information they do not about a local. Not that you care anymore. Doctor Who is in this world. What's more, he has a companion, and what sounded like, when you thought about it, a family. That makes you a little less nervous about the fourth wall breaking. It does, however, still keep you from directly telling anyone they're cartoon characters...at least for now.

"Come on Tavia, we have to go. I hear the Princesses are already in town at that nerd girl's library," says Vinyl standing by the door, causing Octavia to sigh again as she trots towards her.

"'Nerd Girl' has a name, and since she's Celestia's protege you had best remember it, Twilight Sparkle. I expect you to be a bit more formal this time as well. This isn't our show, Vinyl, and I don't want you making fun of the Princesses in front of a crowd," scolds the grey pony as she comes up beside the white.

"I know this isn't the show, and believe me, I'm not gonna do nothing that could get her to get mad at me today. After all, if she's in a good mood, it makes it more likely she'll help our little friend here," she says, nodding her head towards you.

"So, you do care what happens to him then? After that whole idea for a show with him, I'd figured you'd want him to stay here forever and be your little pet," Octavia jibs, smirking at Vinyl, who blushes a bit.

"Well, yeah, I'd love it if he stayed, sure, I mean, you said he was cute, didn't you?" Vinyl gets back, and from her turned head, you can see Octavia blushing, a bit redder than Vinyl, though she quickly turns her head to face forward so you can't see it anymore.

"Uh, I was merely...commenting on aesthetics of his clothing, yes, that's it. Besides, even if I do think he's cute, he really should return to his own world. I'm sure he's as lost here, as we would be on his own world," she tells Vinyl, before using her mouth to open the door, and the pair start out towards the daylight, that leaves you blinded for a moment, before you blink against it, and can see clearly again.

"I hadn't thought about that. Well, I suppose. But what about his opinion? Do you wanna stay with us forever, little guy?" Vinyl asks you, and you stop to consider. Life, in your world, is boring, to the extreme. You have a job, you go to it, you go to school to get a better job later. You deal with your family, you hang out online. Even when you do something random, like skipping town for the night to go to a casino or something, it's always back to the normal stuff when you're done. Here, there's a chance for something different. Sure, it's mundane in its own way, but really, it's still new to you. Heck, maybe you can even travel to other worlds. You did always want to meet Picard of Star Trek, or go to the Star Wars universe, or maybe you can ride along with the Doctor for a while, or even find that endless party from the Hitchhiker's Guide books.

"Heh, I'd have to think about it. But if I can't get home, maybe I can start tooling around the multiverse. How'd you girls like to join me on that?" you ask them, and Vinyl, for her part, grins broadly, obviously up for an adventure. You can't see Octavia's face, but she's making an hmm type of noise, so she's obviously considering it. Before she can give you an answer though, the pair turn a corner and are again looking at the library, to find two chariots, Celestia's golden one drawn by white pegasi in shining armor, and Luna's obsidian one, drawn by black, bat winged ponies, their armor shiny, but in a way that seems to suck up the light.

"Well, looks like the Princesses are already here, just like Vinyl heard from Pinkie Pie. I do hope Celestia has forgiven us for that interview," said Octavia after pausing in mid trot for a moment, and then starting forward again. Vinyl just scoffs at her.

"Oh come on, Octy. You heard what she said later. She actually took my advice. I just hope Luna's not still mad about that crack against her ride. The Bat-Carriage," responded Vinyl, and then giggles at her own joke, while Octavia just shakes her head and sighs, as they walk towards the library, to meet with a pair of Goddesses.

Princesses and Ponies

The Princesses are laughing at something as Octavia and Vinyl walk in, the Mane 6, save Rainbow Dash, giggling with them, with Rainbow looking a bit miffed, obviously a joke at her expense had just been told, probably by Applejack, considering her own expression. However, the laughing stills as Octavia and Vinyl stand there, neither moving, until every eye is on them, and they start forward, Octavia having a slight shake to her that, thanks to your position, you can feel. You try to give her a reassuring pat, but you're not sure how well it worked, as she stops in front of the others, and then turns her head to grab you, gently setting you down on the floor in front of her as she and Vinyl drop down in what is probably the closest thing the ponies can do to a bow.

Looking up from your position on the floor, you can tell way. Luna is a lovely creature, every line of her body a curve, and meeting in such a way to make her akin to a piece of art. Even her eyes, softer than when you'd seen her last in the show, sparkle with kindness, probably because this was an informal visit, rather than an official function. Celestia, meanwhile, radiates authority. Her presence is a power in and of itself, but not a bad one. She's like the sun, something that has power unfathomable to mortals, yet a power that helps more than it hurts. Looking up at her, while she's massive, you feel she'd never do you harm, so long as you didn't step out of line, and so you bow your head and drop to one knee, placing one hand against your chest, and the other as a fist against the ground. Whether that was the correct way to bow, you didn't know, but it felt right to you.

"So, this is the little human who caused quite a stir for my assistant yesterday," said Celestia in a voice that was....motherly. That's the only way to describe it.

"Yes Princess. These two brought him over to Rarity's yesterday, and after a bit of a mishap, they then brought him here. I did a quick test, but the results were...impossible. I'm sure of my findings now, but they don't make any sense. The human, he absorbed my magic, when I used a spell on him, and he drained my equipment's power too," said Twilight, looking at you, not accusingly, but in that way someone with a curious nature always looks at a puzzle. You, for your part, remain in the bowing position, at least until a bit of Luna's hair touches your cheek gently, and you raise your head to look up at her.

"Indeed? That is most interesting, isn't it sister?" says the Moon Princess, and her voice is actually nicer than her sisters. There's power there to be sure, and as the hair...mist...whatever brushes you, you can feel her power, like you felt Twilight's magic yesterday. More, you can feel her, all of her, her body and soul, and it's quite a feeling, forcing you to remain on one knee lest you fall over, before you can recover enough to rise, staring right into the faces of the Princesses.

"It is. Tell me, human, what is your name, and from where do you come?" asks Celestia, and you feel compelled to answer, telling her your name, and then starting to describe your world, it's position in the heavens, and even getting down to your street and address.

"That's enough, you can stop now," she says gently, raising a hoof before you, and you instantly stop talking mid word.

"So, it is true, he's from another world then. Interesting," was all Luna said of your diatribe of your information, starting to rub her chin with her hair, making you think of Nightmare Moon for some reason, while Celestia just looks down at you, before getting down on her own knees to draw closer.

"My faithful student says you have no memory of how you came to be here, is that correct?" she asks.

"It is, Princess. I slept last night, drifting in a dreamless void, a normal thing for me, if not for most people, and when I opened my eyes, I was here, and a greatly reduced stature. Vinyl happened to be the first pony I spotted, and after avoiding her hoof, I grabbed onto her tail. I was then brought to Twilight with greatest haste, and upon being teleported out of a precarious situation, I found my stature enhanced, from the size of a pony's tooth, to the size of a mouse, as you now see me," you told her, trying to be brief, and not blame anyone for what had happened to you due to your size.

"Interesting, perhaps the magic of my student caused said growth. Might I try an experiment? I would like to see if I could farther increase your height, using my own magic," she says, and you feel that it is a question, rather than an order, and one you can rightly refuse. However, that tone, her face, and everyone staring at you expectantly, you find yourself unable to refuse her, and so you merely nod. Wasting not a moment, Celestia's eyes close, and her horn begins to glow like a miniature sun unto itself, the tip of which slowly lowers towards you, as you feel the world hum with power. This is the force that Celestia can bring to bear, and you see now why she was the ruler of this world, so closing your eyes, you wait for that power to strike you, and with a flash, it does, taking your breath away.

The world explodes with power. You'd felt it before, from Twilight, but her power was a drop besides an ocean compared to this. You could feel as it touched you, everything Celestia was. A ruler, a creature of power both political and magical. That power and wisdom coursed through your body, every vein alive with the fire of it, as your hair stands on end, and you shout, not in pain, but exhilaration. This must be what they say when they talk about power corrupting. It feels so glorious, so magnificent that you just want to let if take you. You feel yourself reaching, somehow, for more of it. It's hard to explain, it's like you grew an extra hand, one made of the same power, and grasped it, trying to drag it into you, all of it at once.

However, as the power passes into you, you sense a 'pain'. It's the only word that comes to mind to describe it, and though you can't see Celestia, blinded as you are by the radiance of her power, you can still feel her, and feel her power lessening as more and more of it flows from her horn into your body. Feeling that, you suddenly have an image of yourself as a monster, draining her, taking her power for your own, and being a brutal dictator for this world. You can't help but feel somewhat enticed by the image, but you know it wouldn't be you. You couldn't hurt anyone, least of all someone trying to help you out of the kindness of her heart, and so you push away, pushing the power back where it belongs, and with a burst of magical might, you are tossed back.

"Tia!" you hear Luna cry out, and though you cannot see it, blinded by the light, you know she rushed to her sister's side.

"Princess!" echoed out of six different mouths, as the others followed suit, their hooves clacking against the ground.

"Little guy!" was a voice lost to the others, and you felt someone come near, two someone's in fact, and you almost smirked. The two you'd been hanging out with since you got here cared more for your safety than that of their goddess. Now that was friendship. Well, that or they just didn't realize what had almost happened to the Princess, but you felt the former was more likely.

"I'm okay Vinyl, I'm fine," you assure her, as she and Octavia come near you, and you blink against the spots, willing them to vanish. When that doesn't work, you just wait a little while longer, and soon you can see again, watching as the Princess slowly rises to her hooves, unsteady, but still there, and letting out a sigh of relief.

"Princess, are you alright?" asks Twilight, as she stands in front of Celestia, who has Luna at her side helping to keep her on her hooves. Celestia, blinking herself, nods after a moment, and does her best to put on a smile for her faithful student, but it was obvious to you, and thus probably more so to Twilight and the others, that she had been shaken, and you can't blame her. Without thinking about it, you flew to her side. Mind, you'd been hovering since the magical energy burst, but you'd ignored that as now, as you came to a stop in front of the Princess, resuming you bow.

"Celestia, I apologize greatly for what just happened. It was my fault," you quickly tell her, and you feel a shadow pass over you, and look up to find Luna, seemingly more terrifying that she had as Nightmare Moon, staring down at you.

"And just what happened? What has't thou done to Our sister?!" she demands, slipping back into her old voice, the last a shout that nearly blew you away, but you take it, and try to stammer out what happened. It doesn't get far though, before Celestia, standing a bit more steadily, puts her foreleg on Luna's flank, and then motions for her to back away, before leaning down in front of you again.

"No, little human, it was my fault as well. I underestimated the magical draining effect you would have on me," she said, and you feel her nuzzle up against you. It was...well, it was like having a sunny day touch you on your cheek, and you begin to wonder if you're going to run out of euphemisms soon if all this indescribable stuff keeps happening to you.

"Still, though I seem to have failed in restoring your height, you do seem to have gained something from my attempt. Unless other humans can fly," she tells you, and for the first time, you notice that you're not touching the ground, as her cheek had pulled back, you had come with it, and looking down you find that you're a good foot or two, to the ponies so several times your own height from your perspective, off the floor.

"Wha....um, no, no one on my world can fly without the assistance of a vehicle...I think," you add, wondering if Superman might really exist. Mind, he's not human, but...your brain decides to rebel at the recursive nature of reality, and after shaking off that feeling, you stare back at her, 'swimming' through the air to back away from her, so you can look her face to face.

"No, I'm positive of it. And it is a marvelous gift you've given me, even if it's not the one that was intended," you tell her, trying to bow, this time finding yourself falling into a head over heels spin, that stops just short of the floor when you land in a fluffy mane made of sun shine and....moving on.

"I'm glad, because I don't think I can try that again anytime soon. Until we do have you back to size, as I'm now surer than I was before that this is not natural for you, I don't think we should try to return you to your world. Though, if you really insist, I'm sure we could do that with a spell or two," she offers, and you feel it's genuine. If you really want to go home, she'll bend all her efforts to getting you there, and the way Luna's looking at you, you almost feel like it would be a better option. But if she's right, and you really are mouse sized compared to normal, than going home, especially if you can't fly there, wouldn't be a good idea.

"Then I believe I shall remain here, for now," you tell her simply, as the hair pushes you back upwards, and you swim away from it. You are now at eye level with Celestia, meaning you are a bit higher than the other ponies, the first time you've gotten to see them from that angle. From below, even the ones you liked were quite intimidating, as even Octavia, kind though she'd been to you, was simply huge compared to you, making you a little nervous. But looking down now, they were as adorable as the show made them out to be.

"Excellent. Spike. I require a note to be taken," she says, and Spike, whom you hadn't noticed before, came out from behind Twilight, quickly grabbing a quill and parchment, before standing beside the Princess.

"'To Professor DawnChaser at Manehatten University. Professor, I believe I have some proof for your theories on Magical Sink Holes, as you called them in your last book, and would request that you come to Ponyville as your earliest convenience, to meet with one suck hole, a being called a human who comes from another world. Signed, Princess Celestia,'" she dictates to the dragon, who scribbles it all down, and then, before he can wrap it up, she leans close and whispers something in his ear that makes his eyes bulge a bit. He looks at her with a raised eyebrow, or the dragon equivalent anyway, for a moment, but then writes one more line, before rolling the scroll up, and then breathing fire on it, sending a whoosh of magical dust out the window, and towards the distance.

"DawnChaser? I haven't heard of him before. Is he new at the University?" asks Twilight, walking closer to her mentor, and Celestia nods.

"He isn’t, it’s just he's not really a teacher, but a lecturer, considering he's always a bit distracted. Still, he's got a spell that could help our friend here, or at least put him on an equal hoofing, which should help. Now, I believe Luna and I should return to Canterlot, as I have a meeting at noon, and Luna needs to prepare for the Night Court again," says the Sun Goddess, and suddenly you hear the theme song for an old TV show in your head, as the others just nod, none of them needing to be told what that is. The monarchs start for the door, with everyone else following a distance behind. Not really wanting to be disrespectful, as you still had more questions for Celestia, you follow behind them, figuring that this wouldn't be the last time you met her, as you doubted you would be going home anytime soon.

The Princess exited, and you saw, out one of the windows as you passed it, their guards quickly putting up some things they'd been playing with together. Oddly, you got the impression of dice, which sounded interesting. You remembered that gems, being common, were nigh on worthless here, especially since dragons ate them, but that they used coins of gold called bits for money. It may have been a trick of the light, but you swore you could see one of the bat winged guards of Luna place some sparkling things into his pack. That meant they had gambling here, which made you resolve to find out how to play. Heck, they might not have real poker, which would mean you could start a trend here in Equestria if you could get some cards, and even if they did, you could probably still introduce some fun games.

"Twilight, We thank you again for your hospitality, and hope to visit again in the future. Knowing the good Professor, he'll be in Ponyville by the end of the day, so We would suggest that some of you take our new guest around the town, as from what We were told, he didn't have much of a chance to look around yesterday," said Celestia, and for a moment, you wonder why she's using the royal plural. Well, you wonder until you look around and find a veritable sea of ponies standing around, probably finally having noticed that chariots of their rulers. Even with Twilight here in Ponyville, being visited by their monarch was quite an event, and likely she used it to keep up proper appearances. Of course, others were keeping up appearances as well, as you saw Hooves, both Derpy and Doctor, as well as two others near them, two Unicorns, one of age with the girls, and one much younger, obviously a family unit, with the Doctor looking just as excitedly at the Princesses.

"Of course Princess," she said, bowing her head. Luna, meanwhile, looks at you, the evil eye still in full effect, though a bit less harshly than before. Celestia seems to be better for now, and she might slowly be forgiving you for what happened. That didn't mean you wanted her to be staring at you like that though, and were glad when she and Celestia both got into their own carriages, and then flew off into the distance, the crowd quickly dispersing, though out of the corner of your eye, you saw the Doctor give you a meaningful look. What meaning it had you couldn't say, but it must have had meaning, and you resolve to meet with him again later, if you can, as the Six, and Octavia and Vinyl, walk back into the Library.

"Well, that was nice o' the Princess, to at least try somethin' to get you back to normal, don't you think?" asked Applejack as she turned towards you, the others all doing likewise and you nod.

"I'm very grateful for it. Even with the failure to get bigger, I now have some locomotion of my own that allows me to get around semi normally," you tell her, demonstrating it by flying upward, and then floating down, finding that the swimming motion, while feeling natural, wasn't really necessary. All you had to do was will yourself in the direction you wanted to go, and you went. Kind of nice really.

"So, how fast do you think you can go?" asked Rainbow Dash, flapping her wings to come near you, and you have to avoid her as she nearly plows straight into your form. Mind, that's probably what she wanted, as she grins at you cockily, trying to goad you into flying as fast as you can.

I Heard That Vinyl!

Foolishness. It was pure foolishness. There was no way this should get to you. You should be above such things. Still, it was kind of hard to be above them with every eye on you, everypony expecting something. Heck, Vinyl even pulled down her glasses to wink at you, showing you her red eyes, and her own expression one telling you to do it. Octavia, Twilight, and basically anypony you should actually respect is looking at you like taking her up on this would be crazy. Then again, you're a human, a few inches tall, in a world of talking equines, and flying through the power of magic granted to you by a sun goddess, and better yet, you'd say this would make a pretty dull episode of the show if you'd had it on, too much focus on a new character, and he's pretty dull. Also, the whole nudity thing was just vulgar for a kid's show.

With that in mind, you rocket off. Swimming through the air had been about as fast as a pony's walk, but when you focus, pointing your fist like you were Superman or something, you fly like a bullet. There's a slight air displacement behind you, you can feel it, and you watch as a few pages get ruffled. At the speed you're going though, you quickly find yourself having to turn and fly in a loop around the room, spinning rapidly about the ponies, who try to keep up with you as you dart forward. Wanting to see your agility, you then quickly turn in towards them, zipping between massive legs, and then between hooves as they're lifted off the ground, almost getting stepped on by Rainbow Dash as she instinctively tries to squash you, only to zoom up, whirl around her wings, causing them to twist together, before landing on her head with a bow.

"That was awesome little dude," said Vinyl, smirking, as Dash raised her hoof and shook it at you, like she was trying to shoo away a fly. Seeing no reason to antagonize her further, you get off her head, and float at about eye level with the ponies.

"Yeah, yeah, very impressive. Not as fast as my, obviously," said Rainbow after uncurling her wings, and looking like she's about to take off, only to be stopped as Twilight holds her hoof in front of her face.

"No! No indoor tricks! It took me over a week to fix this place up last time you did that," she scolded, and Dash looked a bit embarrassed, as she scratched the back of her neck with her forehoof.

"And then the fires happened," she said, chuckling a bit.

"And then the fires happened," echoed Twilight, as Dash descended to the floor, and everyone just stood in silence for a few moments, collecting their thoughts.

"So, since I didn't get a chance to look around town yesterday, anypony want to show a new guy in this one horse....er, well two bit ville the sights?" you ask after a while, floating and looking around, and suddenly several faces light up. The conversation turns into a tumult as everyone suggests places to visit, from Sugar Cube Corner, to Sweet Apple Acres, to Rainbow Dash's house. Mind, you actually want to visit them all, but then something happens that makes all conversation stop dead in its tracks. Stomachs grumble, ten of them all at once, as you, Spike, and eight ponies are reminded that thanks to the early visit, none of you had eaten. Heck, you hadn't eaten since yesterday, and were being reminded by a hunger pang of that fact.

"First, let's do lunch, then we take out little visitor on a sightseeing tour, what do you say girls?" asked Twilight, and there's a round of agreement, though a new conversation starts up. Mostly in the vein of where to go for lunch, though Pinkie also inserts whether or not to just skip lunch and go right to dessert, which sounds interesting, but you reject it out of hand, needing some real food before you pass out. At last, there's an agreement of two choices, Sweet Apple Acres, or a cafe downtown that Twilight likes called the Dreaming Tree, probably the same one from Ticket Master, though you don't mention that to them. The former likely has more food you can eat, all apple based, but still, while the latter might have more variety, and is in a more interesting locale.

"Well, I still want to see the town, so how's about we try this cafe?" you answer when asked, hoping the place actually has something you can eat. You hadn't considered it before, but the ponies ate...well, they ate grass and stuff, and Spike ate gems. Heck, the show itself had never shown you much that you could actually make a meal of beyond apples, which, while healthy, weren't something you wanted to eat every day for the rest of your life. Still, they had other vegetables, and while your modern sensibilities were one for junk food, fries, and an occasional pizza, you would deal. It wasn't like you had much choice unless whatever force had brought you here just as mysteriously took you back to where you belonged. Or maybe this is where you belonged, who knew.

“I’ll pass, that place never has any good gemstones, and I’ve got some cleaning to do anyway,” says Spike, sounding like it was a usual thing for him, but not an intolerable one, as he starts to pick up a few books and put them up, before opening a door between a few shelves, rummaging around inside, and then pulling out something that looked like a rupee from Zelda, which be bit into with a loud crunch, the others ignoring him as they start for the door.

"So, while we're walking, how's about we show you the sights around the square, or, since you already know so much about us, you tell us?" asked Twilight, only a bit of accusation getting into her voice. Of course she would remember from yesterday that you knew a bit too much about their world, and the others, moving towards the exit, barely notice as she gets closer to you, her horn glowing slightly, and you can feel the magic as it surrounds the two of you. Somehow, you know it's both an illusion spell, making it look like the two of you are talking amicably, and a silencing spell, so no one can hear you talk.

"You really are too perceptive for your own good, you know that?" you tell her, and fly next to her head, lounging a bit in the air. That actually proved to be harder than you expected as your center of gravity kept shifting, and after a few moments, you just sat cross legged next to her, trying to keep up with the pony's pace as they walked, the other chatting just outside the spell.

"Besides, there's not that much to tell. I know things, because I'm from another dimension that has some crosses with yours'," you tell her simply.

"Oh, and I'm supposed to believe you somehow don't know how you hot here, if you already know things like me making wings for Rarity?" she demands, looking at you almost as evil eyed as Princess Luna from yesterday.

"Heh, believe what you will, my little pony. The truth is, I know nothing about this world in detail. I know general things, and I know there are adventures to be had. Still, if you want something from me, then I give you my promise. I won't hurt anypony, or dragon, or thing around here, knowingly. I'm not a villain, despite what I almost did to the Princess. I'm a guy, who's fallen through a hole in the Fourth Wall, and now gets to explore a land of make believe. Heck, I'm thinking of starting an autograph book sometime," you tell her, trying to put as much sincerity into your voice as you can. Twilight, for her part, eyes you a little funny still, but then just turns her head, and with a thought, you feel the spell around the two of you shatter.

"I'll hold you to that promise, and if I think you're breaking your word, I will make you regret it," she said, motioning with her hoof towards her stomach, and you remembered both times you'd been eaten. Not pleasant experiences, and you just nod, trying not to think about them, as everypony arrives as the cafe. It was, as you'd surmised, the place where you'd seen Twilight in the Ticket Master, and everyone started to gather around the tables, you taking a seat on the table itself, with the waiter walking up, looking at you, looking at the ponies with you, and then sighing with a mumbled complaint about Twilight and her strange friends, before smiling and coming forward.

"Welcome to the Dreaming Tree, I'll assume our young Canterlot librarian will have her usual?" he asks, and you notice he's not the one from the show. Instead of a white earth pony with a dark mane, he's a light green unicorn, with a dark green mane, though still wearing the fancy shirt you remember that snooty sounding waiter wore in the episode.

"That would be lovely," said Twilight, using her levitation to send the menu that had been sitting at her place back towards him. You, looking down, find a similar menu at your own place, and try to unfold it, to not much success, until Octavia, looking towards you, reaches down and lifts your menu up, setting it up on its side so you can read it.

"Thanks," you tell her, as you start to look through the items. Luckily, since you have no idea what food might be what, the menu comes with pictures. Unluckily, as you'd thought, most of the food offered was grass, flowers, and occasionally something that looked like mud. Hay fries look especially unappitizing, as they're literally just hay stalks, likely roasted. Still, not all the food is inedible, and as the others place their orders, Fluttershy getting a salad, Rarity something that sounded French, Applejack and Rainbow both getting sandwiches with lots of stuff in them, Pinkie getting all desserts, with Vinyl joining her at that game, and Octavia, after a moment, just asking for whatever Twilight was getting, the waiter turns to you, and you hover just over the edge of your menu and ask for a plate of pasta.

"Alright, I'll be back in a moment with your orders," he says as he levitates your menu away, walking towards the cafe, and stepping through a door. This leaves everyone looking around, that awkward moment when conversation needs to start, but no one can think of what to say. You don't even bother trying to fill it, as you look around the cafe. The town around you looks so darn interesting. Ponies, of all shapes, colors, and sizes walk about on their daily business. From a few pegasi pulling carts through the clouds, to earth ponies with saddlebags stuffed full rushing along the street. This is a small town life, just living day to day. Heck, the others don't even seem interested in it at all, as Rarity snacks on the flowers in the center of her table, and Octavia is busy straightening the table cloth, with Vinyl then unstraightening it a moment later.

"So, what does everyone here do for a living?" you ask at last. You already know the answers to most of the questions, but then, it seemed like a good way to break the ice.

"Oh! Well, I'm Princess Celestia's student. I run the Ponyville Library, and receive a stipend from the Royal Treasury of a few bits a month," said Twilight helpfully, smiling at being able to educate someone, and any earlier distrust in you seemingly just vanished, possibly thanks to the promise, as Twilight seems the type to take promises very seriously, and possibly thanks to just being with the others.

"And I um...I care for animals and pets around Ponyville. It doesn't make much money, but I don't want for much either," says Fluttershy, a bit quietly, but still, she's not squeaking, which is a good thing, as you remember her never liking to talk about herself.

"Heh, well, you heard that my family runs a farm outside a' town, right? That's what I do most days, except when I'm with mah friends," says Applejack.

"And I'm the Weather Pony for all of Ponyville. I gots the skills, that pays the bills," says Rainbow Dash, brushing her hoof against her chest and then smirking at you.

"Ooo ooo ooo, me next, me next! I work for the Cakes over at Sugar Cube Corner, which is where we should have gone for lunch because then I could have gotten all our food for free and it would all have been yummy sweets and cakes and pies a-" says Pinkie Pie, being stopped when Applejack shoves a flower into her open mouth, though you could hear her muffledly continuing to talk even as she chewed her mouthful.

"And as for me, Darling, as you saw yesterday, I'm a fashion designer. I run the Carousel Boutique, which is quickly becoming the fashion hot spot for all of Equestria's most elite ponies," Rarity fills you in, tossing her mane a bit, trying to look proud and beautiful, which, you have to admit, she does.

"And I blast the tunes that ponies groove too, as well as run the number one talk show in all the land," said Vinyl loudly, looking like she wanted some buttons to push to make some noise, like any other shock jock back home who had their own radio show.

"He knows that Vinyl, remember, he was on the air with us last night," Octavia reminded her.

"Oh, yeah, that's right. Well then, since we told you ours', how's about you little guy. What do humans do for a living?" Vinyl says, turning the question back on you, and everyone, including someponies at tables nearby start to look at you expectantly.

"Um, well, I'm an office drone," you say at last, and most of the others just stare at you.

"You're an insect?" asks Twilight after a moment, and you emphatically shake your head.

"No, no, nothing like...well really something like that, as that's where the word comes from, but really, I just do work in an office. Anything that needs doing, so I've been both go-fer, meaning I pick things up for others, to data analyst, meaning I study charts and try to make them understandable, to a junior executive once, where I sat on my bottom in a big chair and blamed everyone under me for my own short comings," you say, quite honestly.

"That sounds....rather pointless and boring," responds Vinyl after a while, and you nod emphatically.

"Uh...look our food!" she say as a distraction, and luckily, it's not wrong. The unicorn, levitating the dishes, brings them to the table, setting two plates of chocolate cake that appears to be stuffed with candy in front of Vinyl and Pinkie, while Fluttershy gets he salad, and Octavia and Twilight both get daffodil and daisy sandwiches. Rarity's dish is a bit odd, and looks like some kind of pastry, except with flowers in it, while Applejack and Rainbow Dash both get sandwiches as well, triple decker ones that look like their full of several types of flowers. Last but not least, your own bowl is set in front of you, it's a bowl of string pasta sized for you.

"Well, I don't know why they had it in my size, but I'm grateful," you say, less to anyone else, and more to yourself, as you start to dig in. The others do as well, with the unicorns levitating their food to their mouths and taking bites...well Vinyl's taking chunks out of her's, but otherwise Twilight and Rarity are actually trying to show table manners. Like Vinyl, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie are just scarfing down their food, Dash appearing to choke at one point, before swallowing heavily, and then keeping going, making you wonder less about how she could have eaten Applejack without realizing it. Octavia is holding her own sandwich between her two forehooves and sitting back on her seat while she takes dainty bites, while Fluttershy is doing the same to her salad, leaning down to take bites from the bowl.

"Of course, silverware is nowhere to be found," you mumble, and then shrug. When in Ponyville, one does as the ponies, and so you dive head first into the pasta, using your tongue to drag noodles that are a bit bigger than your used too, but not as big as one would expect, into your mouth, and then suck them inside. Luckily, you don't have to try too hard to avoid making slurping noises, as the more messy of your fellow diners are making more than enough noise to cover up anything you do. Unluckily, it's still not easy to eat with just your face, and so you have to keep pulling back and coming up for air, while everyone else is fine eating the way they are, since their nostrils still allow them to breath.

"Um, you doin' okay there little 'un?" says Applejack around a mouthful, and you nod at her, noticing your bowl is almost empty now, as well as everyone else's plates around you. Ponies eat fast....well you knew Pinkie Pie did, but the others always struck you as being better mannered. Still, you find you aren't starving anymore, and push the bowl away from you after drawing out another strand and slurping it up. The gang laughs when you emit a rather loud, considering your size, belch while the other patrons around the cafe just look on at you, none of them seemingly sure what to think about the tiny creature in their midst.

"So, what -gulp- next?" asks Rainbow Dash, as she downs the last bite of her own meal, and looks around. Everypony suggests something different all at once, and you wonder if this will lead to another vote. Luckily though, they all decide quickly to just wander the square for a little while, just to get a good look. Not having any better ideas yourself, you hover off the ground a little, and find that, oddly, you can't fly nearly as well. Oh, you can still do it, but it takes a bit more focus than before, and after a moment or two, you turn to Octavia and ask if she can carry you on her back again, to which she happily agrees, letting you land, as everyone walks forward, Twilight or one of the Six pointing out landmarks, and Octavia and Vinyl start to list off their own experiences from previous visits to Ponyville.

"And that's where they setup the stage on Nightmare Night for myself and my ensemble," says Octavia, pointing just beside where the town hall stands. Remembering the episode, you force yourself not to ask specific questions. While Twilight seems to be the only one who remembers you have knowledge you shouldn't you don't want to push too hard with it.
.
"Nightmare Night?" you ask instead, and are quickly filled in on the details of the holiday. It was originally, according to Twilight, a rather cheerful holiday, to commemorate the defeat of Nightmare Moon, and celebrations would last well into the night. Over one thousand years though, the celebration changed into one of scaring children with stories of Nightmare herself, and it morphed into a candy giving holiday. How that last part happened she's not sure, but Pinkie quickly tells her it's because candy is awesome, and thus, should be part of every holiday, a sentiment to which Vinyl quickly agrees.

"Like you need any more help rotting your teeth," Octavia chides, and Vinyl just smiles at her, revealing a pair of chompers that are actually almost as white as her coat. You make not comment though, as your own teeth aren't exactly sparkling. Before the conversation can go farther, you spot a familiar face, or rather, a pair of familiar faces, and two others, walking along the path nearby. Derpy, the Doctor, and what you can only assume are their children, are coming closer, with the Doctor laughing at something you hadn't heard. They don't turn towards you, but you can tell Derpy at least is giving you a sidelong glance, and you wonder if they're going to come closer.

New Friends

"Well hello, isn't this quite the gathering," says the Doctor as he, Derpy, and the two younger unicorns come nearer. The others are all smiles, including Vinyl, who seems to know Derpy, and the Mane Six all seem to know the Doctor as they talk amongst themselves, the two younger ponies hanging back a bit as their parents chat. Not knowing what to say yourself, you stay out of the conversation too, and luckily, so does Octavia, not seeming to know anyone. Unluckily, as soon as the various bits of random talking are over, the Doctor and Derpy come over to where she's standing, the Doctor to stare at you, and Derpy just kind of hanging on with him.

"So, this is the human I heard about on the radio last night then?" he asks, knowing full well who you are, but since that was after breaking into somepony else's house, he probably doesn't want to advertise that fact, and you respect him by trying to act like you don't know him.

"I am indeed. And you would be a pony whom I haven't met yet, but seems to know everypony I've run into so far," you respond.

"Oh, right, human, this is Mr. Whooves, Mr. Whooves, human," says Twilight, seeming the most familiar with the Doctor. She then gives the name you'd been giving out to them, and the Doctor nods thoughtfully.

"A human in Equestria, that's just brilliant, it is. Still, seems awfully small," he says, holding his hoof above you, and just to surprise him, you flit around it like Tinkerbell might, and do a swirl up his leg until you are right in front of his face.

"Who you callin' small, brown boy?" you ask, hovering in front of his face. You would stay there trying to give him the evil eye, but suddenly you find yourself wobbling in the air, and land with a thud right on his face, causing him to panic a bit and toss his head back, throwing you into the air. You don't scream, though that's more because the speed at which this happened had ripped the air from your lungs, and you go sailing high into the sky, before your arc reverses, and you plummet back down towards the earth. One might expect the unicorns in the group, considering there are a few, to catch you with their telekinesis, but before any of them can do so, a blur swoops under you, and you land with a thump on the back of a pegasus, between a pair of massive wings that flap a few times, before fluttering down towards the ground.

"Thanks Rain...er Mrs. Whooves," you say, surprises to find that instead of being Rainbow Dash, fastest flier in Equestria, it was in fact Derpy Whooves who'd saved you, and she giggles a little while grinning at you on her back.

"Don't mention it. Between me and my husband I've had a lot of practice at catching things we drop," she says, and then you find yourself covered in a light blue glow, that levitates you off her back, and gently sets you back down on Octavia's, the telekinesis being provided by Vinyl, who smiles at you, and mouths, good job, before getting a look from Octavia and putting on her most innocent smile.

"Well now, that was interesting. Since when can humans fly?" asks the Doctor, rubbing his nose with his hoof. Before you can answer though, Derpy walks up beside him and kicks his shin a bit hard, considering you can hear the hoof smack.

"Dear, don't you think it would be best if we left? You did just nearly get their little friends squishified on the ground, and we still need to take Sparkler to get tested for magic," said Derpy, pointing back towards the pink unicorn, who blushes a bit. That was probably not something you wanted your mom to say to anyone, least of all the local heroes, who try to put on a good face....expect for Vinyl and Rainbow Dash who are giggling behind their hooves, despite some more withering glances, these from Octavia and Applejack respectively.

"What? Oh, right! The tests, well then, I suppose we should go, but be sure to look us up later, I have a lot of questions for your human friend," he says, and the family trots off, the others looking at each other, before they continue on with the tour.

"Who were they?" you ask Applejack, who's walking close to Octavia, trying to keep your voice a whisper.

"Well, the fella was Doctor Whooves, though what he's a doctor of I don't rightly know. His blushin' bride though, she's our local malemare, Derpy, and the youngun's are Dinky and Sparkler, some real stand up gals. Sparkler even helps out at the farm now and then, though I think that's cause she's got a crush on Big Macintosh," Applejack explains, and you look back over Octavia's flank at the pink one, and then try to imagine her next to the mountain that was Big Macintosh...and failing that you just let the subject drop as the pony party continues their tour.

In the next hour, you are taken all around Ponyville, seeing things from Sugar Cube Corner, which Pinkie nearly dragged the party to, though she was prevented from going inside by a pull from both Applejack and Rainbow Dash, while Octavia stopped Vinyl from entering, to check on the sweets they both insisted, not to eat anything. You also saw the Boutique where Rarity worked, though again, no one wanted to go inside, least of all Rarity, who insisted she would faint dead away if she looked once more on the mounting pile of work she had to do. They then insisted on taking you to see Fluttershy's cottage, which was outside the city, but was one of the nicest spots in town, and so, not really having a choice, you were dragged off to it.

"And there it is, the cutest little corner of Equestria there ever dun was," says Applejack, and looking at it from a really being there perspective, it really was. The place smelled....earthy and natural, something you really hadn't expected considering the animals, but then, they weren't on a farm or anything, and while Fluttershy built a coop for the chickens, everyone else lived in more natural dwellings. Heck, her own tree was more natural looking than any other home tree you'd seen, with the branches a chaotic tangle of life overhead.

"It's lovely," was all you said. Not because it was all you had to say, but because before you could say more, a sudden thundering boom echoed over the whole area, the trees and things shaking visibly from it, and through Octavia, you could feel it too, shaking you, until you fell off her back, and with a bit of flight power, landed on your feet lightly in the dirt. Of course, the instant you were down you had to dodge a hoof, though who's you couldn't tell, as you rolled out of the way watching it pound into the dirt where you'd been as the ponies try to stay standing, the pounding getting closer, and the sounds of trees falling reaching you. With a roar, a huge shape, bigger than the whole world, or at least the size of a dragon compared to the girls, comes out of the trees. Looking up at the mountain, expecting a monster like an Ursa major or the like, you are surprised to find yourself staring instead at a giant pony.

Now, when the pony is described as giant, don't take that to mean giant from your perspective. All of them were pretty big from your perspective after all. No, this pony was giant from everypony's perspective. His, and from the shape of the head you were sure it was a he, stood several feet taller than the trees that surrounded Fluttershy's cottage. He towered above everypony, and his hooves, once they broke the tree line, were big enough that he could have crushed any of the girls as easily as they could have crushed you, if not more so considering he appeared to be a bit bulkier. Luckily, he was easily visible, with a dark purple coat, several shades darker than Twilight's, and a bright orange mane. Unluckily, those under his hoof didn't seem as visible, as his hoof hovers overhead for a moment, and nearly steps on the group, landing just past them.

"See? I told you this was the right way? How could you ever doubt me?" he says, and turns his head, allowing you to see silver eyes, an interesting color actually, and he smiles at something on his back. You then notice that he's wearing saddlebags made in the same color as his mane, but due to the angle, you can't see his cutie mark. Also interesting is, like with you, his voice sounds normal, not huge and booming like one would expect of a giant, probably something to do with the world, but then, it is a magical land full of ponies and thing.

"Because we should have been here an hour ago and you stopped to investigate that old griffon nest?" comes a reply, sounding exasperated, and suddenly a head peeks out from behind his back, looking towards where you assume Ponyville is in the distance.

"What in tarnation is goin' on here?!" demands Applejack, after she and the others get over the sight of somepony almost as big to them as they are to you, and suddenly both heads turn towards you. Now you can get a better look at the pony on the back of the giant one. He looks to be about the same size as the girls, a bit bigger probably, as he's also male, with a light brown coat, and dark brown mane, offset by orange eyes, a few shades lighter than the mane on the giant pony he was riding.

"And you almost stepped on the locals again. This is turning into the Fillydelphia trip all over again," says the brown pony.

"Well, this time try to stay out of the dance clubs then. I don't want to have to search for you for three days again," chided the purple pony, his head turning, and you finally notice that he has a unicorn's horn, a detail lost on you before since he was just massive compared to anything you'd seen before. You notice it now because it glows slightly, and then a small shimmer covers the giant pony, who then seems to collapse into himself like a deflating balloon, soon standing only a bit taller than the girls, while shaking his head a bit.

"I thought we agreed never to speak of that again?" asked the now tiny pony from on his back as he was levitated down to the ground by the once purple giant. The brown one then revealed he too was a unicorn, his own horn glowing, as he grew up from your size, to stand at the same stature as the others.

"You agreed, I said nothing. Now then, perhaps you lovely ladies can help some strangers out. I'm looking for....hmm....you know, I don't rightly know what we're looking for...Deasly, what was it we came here for again?" he asked, turning to the other unicorn, who sighed and facehoofed, before pushing the purple one aside, and nodding his head in greeting to the girls.

"I'm sorry for the Professor's rudeness, he's a bit of a ditz. It's a pleasure to meet all of you. I'm also sorry if he startled you, but him being dragon sized is one of the easiest ways to make good time getting here. As he said, I'm Deasly, apprentice level Magister. and this flighty pony is my instructor, Professor DawnChaser," said Deasly, gesturing towards the purple pony, who had seemingly forgotten everyone was there as he looked around Fluttershy's home, and began to pull leaves off nearby trees, looking at them and studying them intently.

"Say hello, Professor," Deasly told the purple unicorn.

"Hello, Professor," responded DawnChaser with a smirk.

"-sigh-. Anyway, we're here because a royal summons arrived today at the Hayvard office telling us there was a potential research subject here. Do any of you know where we can find a thing called a human?" asked Deasly facehoofing again at the purple pony professor’s remark, but then smiling pleasantly as he faces the girls.

"That would be me," you speak up from Octavia's back, and the pair of unicorns both turn to notice you for the first time. The Professor, looking at you, sets the leaves he'd collected down in a nice neat pile, before trotting forward, his saddle bag opening, and a ruler coming out of it, growing from near microscopic size to pony size, and then floating next to you.

"Fascinating," was all he said, as the ruler hovered for a moment, before going back into his saddlebag, and then a few more devices coming out.

"Professor, I told you, stop being rude. Now put your toy's away until we've made proper introductions," chided Deasly again, and DawnChaser, looking at the girls, suddenly zipped everything back into his pack.

"Oh, of course. I'm sorry, I just get caught up in my studies. I'm Professor DawnChaser, lecturer at Hayvard University just outside Manehatten, and this is my apprentice, Deasly," he said.

"They know that, I told them not a minute ago. Now how's about we politely ask their names?" Deasly said again, and DawnChaser nodded, before pulling a book out of his bag, and starting to look through it.

"Well, the one over there is Twilight Sparkle, she's the apprentice of Celestia, and a powerful unicorn, probably the strongest of the last few generations. The one with the hat is Applejack, she's one of the Apple Family, an extended farmer line who owns the local Sweet Apple Acres. The pink one is Pinkie Pie, she works at Sugar Cube Corner. The white unicorn is Rarity, she runs a local Boutique, and is a fashion deva prided for her design talents. The blue pegasus with rainbow colored mane and tail is Rainbow Dash, she's one of the local weather wardens. The pegasus with pink hair is Fluttershy, I don't have any information beyond that," he said, the last bit done in a different tone, as if he was surprised to not know anything else about Fluttershy.

"The six of them together are the new Wielders of the Elements of Harmony. The other two are obviously noted radio personalities Vinyl Scratch and Octavia, the white one is Vinyl, the brown Octavia. They run a popular radio talk show named for Vinyl, and are in a relationship together, though how deep it goes, I'm not sure," he said, and suddenly a quill comes out of the saddle bag, growing like everything else from tiny to normal as he scribbles something else down into his book, and then turns it towards the others, who are a bit surprised by what they see. You are too, all things considered.

The book contained pictures, of them...all of them, in profile, with their cutie marks, a few basic stats to the side like birthday and things, which you notice that your's is within a week of Octavia's, and just a day past Twilight's, if the numbering of days and months is the same. Beyond basic statistics though, he includes other things, including biographical data, and what you can only assume are RPG stats, as they're marked with just numbers, but say things like strength, endurance, magic, and agility, though what the limit of them is, or even what the numbers mean you don't know before he slams the book closed, and then slips it back into his bag.

"Um...don't think that he's been stalking you or anything. That's just the Professor's way. He remembers things he reads, so he writes down everything, on just about anypony he knows about," explains Deasly, before anypony can assume the worst.

"Well now, that's a mighty interetin' book ya'll got there Professor, but since you're here, might I suggest we all mosey somewhere else for a bit of privacy?" asks Applejack, and the others, looking around at a gathering of ponies, who'd probably seen the giant DawnChaser earlier, agree. It's decided, after a bit of debate to head to Sweet Apple Acres.

Well, some of you head to Sweet Apple Acres anyway. As it turns out, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rarity have to get back to their jobs, as Rainbow has kind of let her part of the Weather Warden duties slide for...two or three weeks, and she needs to make up for it today. Pinkie Pie doesn't really give a reason, but then, she seems to just want to get back to Sugar Cube Corner, where those sweet smells had been coming from. Fluttershy is a bit more forthcoming, and says simply that her animal friends need some mid-day tending to, feeding, medicine, and the like, and so she'll just stay at her cottage. Rarity, meanwhile, admits that she too has her job to consider, and needs to get back to it before orders get too backed up to ever dream of catching up. Interestingly enough, she drags Vinyl off with her, the white mare having agreed to help out while she was in town, something that Octavia cheerfully reminds her, as Rarity and she trot back towards town.

So a much reduced group set off from Fluttershy's cottage towards the road that leads straight to the farm, with Applejack in the lead, Twilight just behind her, talking about something that seemed to be a bit private, considering they'd pulled ahead to discuss it, and you riding Octavia's back, with Deasly, who is looking around interestedly, probably never having been to Ponyville before, trotting beside, and DawnChaser on the other side, a book pulled out, into which he was quickly scribbling, the quill levitated by his power flying like it was still part of the bird, a blur of motion over the page, until, a minute or so after you start, he turns the book around, and you find yourself staring at a picture of you, and quite a good one too.

"That's an excellent skill, Mr. DawnChaser. Does your writing and drawing talent have something to do with your cutie mark?" asks Octavia, looking towards his flank, which was still covered up by the saddle bags he was wearing.

"Oh, no, that's just a force of habit, my cutie mark is...well," he doesn't bother to explain, and instead levitates the saddle bag, revealing his cutie mark to be a book as one might have surmised. It was an oldish looking book too, like one of those wizarding tomes you see in fantasy fiction, with slightly yellowing pages, a brown, dusty looking cover, and open with a red bookmark that appeared to be attached to the book holding the pages in place. There was writing too, but it wasn't anything you could understand, just squiggles, but they seemed to move and shift a bit every time you turned your head just a little.

"So your special talent is books?" you ask, probably a bit insensitively, sine this was like the pony version of puberty, but you are really curious. After all, he's the first pony not from the show you'd met personally, though you'd seen a few from a distance during the Ponyville tour.

"Sort of. I retain information I read. I can read a book, and then recite it to you from end back to the beginning word for word, years later," he says. It wasn't pride in his voice as he did it though, just a statement of fact, though at least Octavia looked impressed, though you bet Twilight, if she'd been paying attention, would have been more so.

"That must make teaching an excellent job for you," she comments, and Deasly laughs at it. He doesn't shy away as Octavia turns to him, or as DawnChaser gives him what should have been a withering glare, but fails miserably when he sees something, a bird you think, overhead, and is instantly distracted.

"So he's not good at teaching?" asks Octavia.

"Oh, he's a great teacher, when he remembers he has a class. There were whole weeks there where he'd vanish, however, or he'd just leave in the middle of a test or lecture, wandering off, only to come back with some new book to publish. Heck, I think that's the only reason they keep him on, he keeps publishing theory books that make the school look good. Well, that and he's got tenure thanks to being able to cover for just about any teacher in any subject with that ability. He never forgets to sub, mind, and always follows the lesson plans, but when he's supposed to be the teacher regularly, he'll just kind of forget about it," comments Deasly, how motions his head towards DawnChaser, who's now stopped at the side of the road, drawing something else in his book.

"Professor! If you don't hurry up, we're going to leave you behind!" he shouts, and DawnChaser only now seems to notice that no pony else had stopped with him, and quickly closes the book he'd been writing in, before trotting to catch up.

"Like that?" asks Octavia, asking him to clarify his earlier statement about DawnChaser's flighty nature. Deasly merely nods.

"I think that's why I was assigned to be his protege for my entrance into the Magisters, because I can keep an eye on him, and follow him even when he doesn't want to be followed," he says.

"Oh, and why can you do that?" she asks, and you notice for the first time that Deasly doesn't have a cutie mark...or rather, he's wearing something over his, saddlebags, like the Professor's, but thinner, probably like wallet thick to the pony, and colored precisely to match his coat. Deasly smirks, obviously having forgotten himself that they were covering his mark, and uses his snout to lift the one on your side, showing his mark. It was three silhouettes of ponies, one tiny, one big, and one in between the two, with them getting darker in reverse order of size, meaning the small one was completely black, and the big one was almost a shadow.

"My special talent spell, is a shrink spell, watch," he said, and hopped towards Octavia, with her flinching and pulling back a bit, but she needn't have bothered. As he flies at her, Deasly's horn glows a bit, and suddenly he's tiny again, like when he'd been on DawnChaser's back earlier, and he lands on her's lightly, his hooves not even denting her coat as he trots towards you. He's actually only a bit over half your size, four feet or so, with his head coming up to just at your chest, while standing on his hind legs he would probably be a foot or two taller than you.

"Now that is a neat trick," you say, looking down at him, and poking him a bit to prove that he's real. He doesn't take kindly to that, and runs at you, causing you to hop, and land on his back, showing that, considering his size, he's actually pretty strong, able to hold you up with ease, and probably gallop if he wanted to. This time, since he doesn't want to, he rolls, and you are flattened into Octavia's fur for a moment, rising and smiling. It had been a while since you'd been able to interact with anyone like that, and you had to admit, it was nice.

"It's not a trick, it's a useful skill. Mind, unlike the Professor, I can't just do it to anything I please. It takes some concentration, and even then, they have to have some natural magic, so mostly I can only work my spell on other ponies, and then only if they're willing to stand still for me to cast it. I did learn to do it to my own fur, though, or things wrapped in it, which is why I wear the saddle bags I do," he explains, and opens them. Inside his are sketch books, rather than library ones like DawnChaser's. He doesn't open them though, and instead just slips them back inside before closing the bags.

"That actually sounds useful. Think we can trick Vinyl into staying put long enough for you to do it to her? Or at least to her ego?" asks Octavia, and you all...well the three of you have a good laugh, as the group continues to trot onward towards Sweet Apple Acres.

Liquor is Quicker

You, Deasly, and Octavia carry on your conversation, with Octavia turning her head every once in a while to give the two of you a glare whenever you step outside the bounds that you are still discovering. Most subjects out of bounds are her and Vinyl's personal relationship, K-Colt and why it's off the air, and an interview they'd done with Celestia that, according to Deasly, had been just hilarious to listen to. He had, as it turned out, been a faithful listener for most of The Vinyl Scratch's life, from episode one to the last one they did during which Vinyl...off limits. Anyway, Deasly had, he said, been one of numerous ponies to write letters to Octavia after a particularly moving episode when they'd interviewed Spitfire of the Wonderbolts for the first time.

"You were one of them?" asked Octavia, a bit broken voiced. Obviously this was a bit of a soft spot for her, and when Deasly nodded emphatically, he got a kiss, which set his brown fur blazing red around his cheeks for a second, before a hollar from ahead got your attention.

"And here we are! Sweet Apple Acres, home of Equestria's best apples," said the farm pony, taking off her hat as she looked around at the sight, which is was quite lovely. The near noonday, a bit past, sun was blazing, and the apples shone in the light of it, shimmering drops of red on deep green leaves.

"Also home to the sweetest apple wine this world's ever known," commented the Professor, and your ears perked up a bit. This was the first time anyone had mentioned alcohol in your presence, and while you weren't a heavy drinker, this situation seemed just right to get something to drown one's sorrows in.

"That too, and I must admit, I'm feelin' a might thirsty my own self, so why don't we mosey on towards the farm house and get us all somethin' to drink?" offered Applejack, and before anyone else could really respond, she started off towards the home in the distance. Of course, in order to get there, the road ran right by part of the orchard, and before your group had gone more than a few dozen yards, the Professor suddenly let out a rather loud yell, and ran right up to the fence, waving his hoof in the air at somepony you couldn't see from your angle.

"Well, do my eyes deceive me? You said you worked out in the boondocks, but I never expected it was this far out," he called out, and you heard heavy steps coming closer, knowing who it was long before the head of Big Macintosh came over the fence, soon followed by the rest of him as he easily leaped it, grinning at DawnChaser.

"Professor, you didn't send me no letter you was comin by," said Big Macintosh, the most words you'd heard from him in a long time, his voice a bit softer than one might expect, given his size, but still deeper than the other ponies.

"Heh, I didn't know I'd be coming myself. Still, I must be slipping, I forgot you worked here on the farm during your main work week," said the Professor, as he and Big Macintosh bumped hooves together and shook them.

"Uh, Big Macintosh, do you know this fellar?" asked Applejack, curious as anyone at her brother's familiarity with the Professor.

"Course I do sis. I told you about him plenty of times. He's my drinking buddy from Manehatten," he tells her, and the two stallions begin to swap a story, but before they can get farther than the first shared sentence, Applejack holds up a hoof to stop them.

"Wait, you're tellin' me this pony is the one you spent all that time with during those deliveries. I thought you said he was bigger than you?" she asks, and the two just smile at each other some more, before DawnChaser lets loose with a spell, and suddenly Big Macintosh is the size of a mouse at the hooves of the others.

"He is sometimes, other times he's not, that's what I said," Big Macintosh told her, and DawnChaser used the spell again, this time on himself, causing him to shrink down to about the same size as Big Macintosh, as the two continued to trade stories the two of them likely both knew, and Applejack, looking down at her 'big' brother, just sighed, rolled her eyes, and started moving forward again. Deasly looked down towards here his mentor was chatting in the tall grass, but didn't stop Octavia from trotting off after Applejack and Twilight.

"They'll be fine. The Professor is actually really good at staying alive at tiny size, and he doesn't let anypony get hurt if they're with him, I know," said Deasly, as the trio of mares, and a human and colt, walked into the farm house. Luckily, it was empty.

"Well, Applebloom and the Crusaders are probably out at their little club house again, and Granny Smith went to visit a doctor over in Canterlot, so we've got the place to ourselves until my little brother decides to come in. So, how's about we nip into that apple wine Mr. Fancy Pants I can shrink myself and somepony's brother Professor was talkin about?" she asks, walking into the kitchen, and soon returning with a large bottle marked with three large X's on its label.

"Ah, the good stuff, I was afraid my brother'd done drank it all last week during that party o' his," she said, and then found Twilight levitating in glasses behind her, nodding her head in thanks as she began to fill them up, one for herself, Twilight, and Octavia, but then stopping when she got to the two for you and Deasly.

"Uh...so, how you two gonna drink?" she asked, and you smirk, suddenly remembering an old quote.

"To paraphrase Tony Stark, 'Who needs to swim in money, when you can swim in liquor?'" you say, and Deasly, after a moment's hesitation, nods, and Applejack pours some into one of the glasses. Deasly then levitates you over to it, not even seeming to strain, despite your similar weight, dropping you bodily into the glass, before asking Octavia to do the same to him. Oddly, you hear Octavia whisper, under her breath, that he tasted good too, making you smirk, as the pair of you begin to swim and kick inside the glass, taking big gulps, while the girls click their glasses together, and then start drinking themselves.

To say the next few....well, it was longer than a minute, but probably shorter than a year, though time gets muddied when you're swimming in wine. Anyway, to say it went swimmingly would be both accurate and inaccurate at the same time. You and Deasly were enjoying yourself, and so were the girls, who, after each having at least two glasses, though Applejack took five, were all feeling tipsy. That is to say, things that should have been terrible, terrible ideas, started to sound like fun, and you found yourselves encouraging each other to do something things that would have embarrassed your parents, and made other relations, if any of your other relations were still talking to you, refuse to acknowledge any relation at all.

Backing up, the first thing that went like that was Twilight being asked if she could juggle with her magic, which she did, for a while, taking first one apple, than two, three, seven, and so on, until she had a physical ring of apples floating in front of her. Luckily, his activity ended with less than twelve apples smashed into various things, to the sound of drunken laughter. Octavia was next on the list, and chugged four glasses of apple wine at once, her eyes seeming to turn the color of the stuff as she guzzled down the last of it, and then fell over, to much more drunken laughter, including her own. After that Applejack...you know what, that's private, and no one needs to know what Applejack might have admitted about a certain pony while she was inebriated.

When it came time for the two of you to take up on the drunken fun, you found Deasly leaning over the edge of the glass, smirking happily, but in no condition to do much at all, so you decided to have a little fun. Splashing him a bit, you then grabbed his hind legs, and dragged him back into the glass, screaming a bit, before turning into a gurgle the next moment. Now, it should be noted that you had been swimming in the alcohol this whole time, and thus, were quite a bit out of sorts in your though processes, so thinking this was a good idea wasn't a big stretch. Of course, if you had been thinking, it would have occurred to you that surprising a drunken unicorn with a shrink spell might not be a good idea, and it wasn't, as in this case, you and he were both covered in a flash of light, and suddenly found yourselves much smaller than before. To wit, instead of two mouse sized beings swimming in a glass of wine, suddenly there were two bug sized beings, probably a bit bigger than fleas, but definitely smaller than flies.

"Huh? Waz zhat?" said a voice, this one sounding drunk and distorted by the walls of the glass you were swimming in, still laughing as Deasly coughed, gagged, and then laughed himself. Looking up, you saw the face of a gray mare, not a particularly old one, wearing a bow tie. She was happily drunk too, smiling as she looked into the glass, and then turned towards the distorted images of Twilight and Applejack.

"Th-the-theeeee things in the grass, they van-hic!" she tried to say, hiccuping and then coughing loudly, making the other two ponies laugh in delight. Before you could do much laughing yourself though, Twilight told her to drink something to deal with the hiccups, and you and Deasly found yourselves being pulled under the wine, as it was levitated upwards. The sensation was just enough to sober your human brain, where it didn't do it to Deasly, so when you finally broke surface, you were aware it was a bad thing that your view was now filled with Octavia's face, with her mouth opening, and coming up fast.

"Oh, she's got a pretty smile," said Deasly, and for a moment, you actually find yourself feeling jealous, but then that feeling is replaced by a cry, as the glass touches her lips, and tilts hard, sending the wine pouring into her mouth, the two of you having not even a second to react as you are dragged down into her maw. Once inside, you can feel the oppressive heat of her body, which would set you to sweating if you weren't already coated with wine. Passing between two teeth, you then flow over a whale like tongue, and towards the back of her mouth, plummeting over an abyss in a waterfall, that lands in a lake, you and Deasly both plunging beneath its tumultuous surface, as the world went black, and you felt, rather than heard, Octavia swallow.

The trip down is actually kind of fun, and in that weird, underwater echoy way, you can hear Deasly go WEEEE as the two of you are drawn down Octavia's throat, the walls undulating around you, creating motion that draws you up, then push you down, then drag you up, like some kind of carnival ride. The motions also forces more of the wine down your own throat with each push, and so, by the time you go spilling out of a valve in another waterfall to land amid the remains of Octavia's lunch, you are nice and drunk again yourself, completely out of sorts, and barely able to understand what was going on, as you and Deasly stood on a little bit of crust that had yet to digest all the way.

"That wash fon! Ag-hic-ain, again!" shouted Deasly, raising his forehooves and whooping a bit, getting you to laugh, until suddenly everything rumbled, and you felt a drag of air on you, trying to draw you towards the opening you'd come in through. It took a minute for you to realize that Octavia had just let out a wholly unladylike belch, that got you to laughing even harder, before you and Deasly both did the same.

"Ugh, that tasths aufol comin' bak up. I tink e'm gonna nap n-SNORE!!!-" Deasly, who had been standing, a bit unsteadily a moment ago, has his eyes close in midsentence, and then fall over flat, making you laugh, before a wave of sleep tries to wash over you, while everything gurgles and churns about you. Thinking for a moment, you know you should fight it, but it just feels so nice. A nap really would be good...a second later, the void takes you.

Mind, wake up is a bit of a misnomer. You are in the void, but rather than being formless, colorlessness that you're used to, you can feel red hot agony everywhere, and so the void wobbles and quakes with each beat of your heart. Then it shatters completely as something invades your void, and your eyes pop open to view a face you instantly recognize, and wish you didn't. Though you don't dream, somewhere, you had been hoping, against all odds, that you were in some kind of coma or something, but the feeling in your head is unmistakable as that childish face looking down at you. It's Applebloom, and you have a hangover. Mind, you doubt anyone on the network would have allowed that last fact on the show, but they were pretty clever about hiding it.

"Hey! He's awake!" she shouted, and your hands go to your head, which is pounding away, and the loud noise of a child shouting only makes it worse. Hangovers suck, that was the only thought the pain allowed in your mind, as suddenly another presence enters the room, and pushes the child back with a big red leg.

"Shush now, Bloom. He's got himself a massive hangover, what with that bottle downstairs being empty," says Big Macintosh, and you stare up at him. Luckily, you are mouse sized again. Not as good as being normal sized, mind, but better than as small as you last remember being. You find, interestingly enough, that you aren't intimidated by his presence now, probably because the pounding in your head and a fast developing rock in the pit of your stomach make it almost impossible to think about his massiveness.

"A hang-over? What's that?" asks the kid innocently, and Big Macintosh facehoofs.

"It's a thing older ponies get when they do something stupid, like drinking that golden stuff that's no good for you. Now get, I think you're friends are outside waitin," he tells her, and then pushes her with a single motion out the door, kind of kicking, kind of scooting her along, and then going to close it with a gentleness that belies his size.

"Sorry bout that, she's just a little enthusiastic. Figured I should let her in your room, since AJ ain't one you wanna be around when she's hungover," he tells you, trotting back.

"I can imagine. Now if you'd be so kind as to step on me, I'd feel obliged," you tell him, holding your head in one hand, and you stomach in the other. Mind, the askance for assistance with dying only prompts him to chuckle at you.

"Heh, you must have one heck of a bender after Ol' DC had to get you and his protege out of that music pony's belly like that. I figure you two were in a glass of that wine, right?" he asks, and you try to nod you head, but nearly fall over, being caught by his surprisingly soft hoof before you can topple over the edge of the bed.

"I figured as much. AJ shoulda known better than to get that bottle out. It was the firewhiskey I was saving for next Nightmare Night. Stuff kicks harder than a mule that's been applebucking all day," he explains, carrying you in his hoof towards the door.

"So, what happened with that? Last I remember was-ugh-being swallowed by Octavia," you explain, having to grip your head with both hands.

"And that was how DC and I found you, or rather, he found you. 'parently this ain't a rare thing with that 'prentice pony, he gets himself ate up a bit, and the Professor knew a way to find him right quick, inside Octavia, who we found sleepin' with AJ and Twi in the kitchen when we came in last night," he tells you, and you try to nod....then realize he said last night. It was now your third day in Equestria, and looking out the windows, you see morning sunlight, then wish you didn't as staring into the light only makes your head pound worse.

"You wouldn't happen to know if the Professor knows a hangover cure spell?" you ask, rubbing your eyes against the light and pain.

"I don't reckon he does, otherwise there were plenty o' times he'd ah used them after a night partin' with me," he says, as he carries you into the kitchen, to find DawnChaser awake and about, with no sign of anyone else. Looking at him, he smiles, and you try to return it, before grabbing your head again, and wishing there was something to make this hangover go away. All at once, a flash of light happens as you wish and you’re blinded by it.

You sight is dazzled for a moment, and when they clear, the pain induced haze that had been clouding your thoughts since the void broke is gone. It's not just lessened, or subdued, but out and out gone, something the surprises you, and Big Macintosh even more so, well the flash is what surprises him really, so he drops you. Well, more correctly, he stops holding you up, as yesterday, you're able to fly, this time with no faltering or wavering, but just a steady, slight up and down motion, as you grip your head, wondering just what is going on.

"What in the hay was that?" asks Big Macintosh, voicing your own question, and for once, you see DawnChaser has a serious look on his face, as he trots over to where his saddlebags are hanging on a peg, and pulls some things out of them, bringing them towards you.

"If I had to guess, my good Apple, I would say that was a spell being cast," he said, pointing something at you. Being free of the pain of a hangover, you look on with interest at the thing, which appears to be something out of a steampunk Ghostbusters, a PKE meter with tubes that whistles a bit as DawnChaser adjusts some controls while keeping the device pointed towards you.

"Tell me, what spell was it?" he asks, "I would guess one for flight, but according to the girls last night, you already had this power, it was just, limited for some reason, by the time you ran into my apprentice and I."

"Well, um, yeah, after Celestia tried to help me, I found I could fly. I think I just cured my hangover," you say, a bit more coherently than you'd spoken to Big Macintosh before, as you stop holding your head, shake it a bit to clear it, and then raise yourself up to eye level with DawnChaser.

"Really? That's fascinating. There must be a hundred variables for a spell like that. I think...you know, I wonder," he said, and started to mumble to himself as he adjusted a few more knobs on the device, and then began to pull out some books from his saddlebag. One was the Pony Book, the one with the info on everypony in Equestria, and now yourself as well, the other was something different, though the Professer wasn't sharing its contents, as he began to furiously write in both of them, three quills flying out of his pack, two writing something in the Pony Book, and the other in the other tome.

"Um, DawnChaser?" you ask, but Big Macintosh somehow grabs you with his hoof, and pulls you back, shaking his head at you.

"Won't do no good t'all to try conversatin' with him when he gets like that, believe me, ah know," said the big stallion, looking at his friend, and then turning back towards the stairs you hadn't noticed in your hungover state that you and he had walked down.

"Say, think you can do that trick again?" he asks, motioning towards the stairs. Looking back at the Professor, who doesn't seem to be inclined to move, or answer any questions anypony, or human, asks him, you nod.

"I can try, but I can't promise it will work," you tell him, and you two fly off....well, you fly, he walks, and you both vanish up the stairs, leaving the Professor to his books. When you get upstairs, you notice several doors, more than you would have expected for a four pony family like the Apples.

"I thought it was just you, Granny Smith, Applebloom, and Applejack here on the farm," you comment aloud, and it was Big Macintosh's turn to nod.

"Most ah the time, yeah, but sometimes we have family come over tah visit. It pays to have an extra room or dozen free," he answers, and you can only nod in reply. It makes sense, especially if the Apple Family Reunion is held at Sweet Apple Acres every year, or if there are just that many Apples in the world, and they can stop in at any time, as seemed to be the case.

"So, who should we try to cure the hangover of first?" you ask, looking towards the rooms. You can hear snoring, painful sounding one, behind one door, and some light breezy stuff behind another, while the other doors are silent.

"Well, mah sis is a good gal, but if this don't work, ah don't think we wanna be near her," he said, pointing his hoof towards the door with the light, airy sounding snore coming from behind it.

"And Twilight, she's liable to fry us both what good with her magic if we open that door without some way to help her," he went on, pointing this time towards the rancorous snoring door, and your eyes bulge a bit at it. Mind, you hadn't really seen the ponies asleep on the show, so you'd never heard them snore, but Twilight never made that much noise...except when she was evolving into a Rapidash when Pinkie Pie made her mad.

"So, Octavia or Deasly?" you say, and he points towards two doors nearby, neither of which have snores coming from behind them, meaning their occupants are either awake, or just don't snore. Looking at them, you wonder which to go to yourself, as Deasly was probably in a sorry state, and likely didn't want to wake up yet, while Octavia, once she was clearheaded enough to remember what she'd done, would feel like the worst pony in the world for doing that to you and him. Either one was likely to not appreciate the wakeup if this didn't work.

Breakfast Time!

You decide Deasly, who had been your swimming partner, might be best as your first subject. If this failed, he'd just be up with a headache a little earlier, rather than the headache plus heartache combo that would grip Octavia. So you floated over towards the door Big Macintosh had indicated for him, and then tried to open it, pushing down on the little plunger that would open the door, but finding it didn't even budge under your weight. Even pushing down with your flight power only got it to rattle a little, and after a moment, you heard a deep chuckle from behind, and looked up to see Big Macintosh's hoof coming down, which you deftly avoided, and then flitted into the room ahead of him, looking down at Deasly's sleeping form.

"Shush," you tell Big Macintosh as he steps into the room, his hoof making a loud, at least in the silence, clack against the hard wood. He smirks nervously, and the next time he sets his hoof down, it's a lot quieter, as you yourself float over towards Deasly. It was interesting, looking down at the sleeping colt. He was a mess, though full sized, rather than shrunken like he'd been most of yesterday. His mane, which had a bit of a natural messy style to it when he'd been awake, was now sticking up at odd angles, indicating he'd been tossing and turning, and you could see a few wet patches in the sheets where he'd sweated into them, indicating he'd been having one heck of a night when the alcohol wore off, and he was left with just the pain.

"Well, no time like the present," you tell yourself, floating gently down to land on his muzzle, the end of his nose rather than near his lips, as you weren't stupid. You then stare down into his eyes for a moment, before placing your hands down against his face, closing your eyes, and thinking. You hadn't been really trying to get rid of your own hangover before, so you didn't know any magical words, and you hadn't seen the ponies ever use any anyway, so you just tried to think of what you wanted, and focus on that. Oddly, you could feel magic again, same as when you were levitated, or a spell was cast at you, but instead of being all around you, it was inside you, deep inside, locked away in a place you rarely even knew was there.

There was a lot of it too, almost like a miniature sun, blazing with a rainbow of colors, and as you touched it with your mind, it threatened to burn your thoughts away, to make you lose yourself to its warm, inviting glow. You resisted though, you'd rejected Celestia's power before, and against that, this glow, this intoxicating power, was nothing, and instead you drew on a small part of it, a single flow of power that just barely tapped the extent of it, and sent it through you palms into Deasly, with the single thought of making his pain go away. Instantly you feel a warmth where you're touching him, and opening your eyes, you can see a glow, similar to that around a unicorn's, coming out of your hands, and soon covering Deasly, before it flashes brightly, and you are forced to cover your eyes against the light.

"I'm up!" comes a cry, and you are suddenly tossed forward, your own instincts coupling with your flying power to stop you in midair about halfway to the wall to look at Deasly, who is staring all around, wondering just what is going on, by the look on his face.

"We can see that. How's your head feelin'?" asked Big Macintosh, cutting away any conversation to get right to the point.

"My head? It feels fine, why shoul-wait, it shouldn't feel fine, should it? It should feel like pain wrapped in glass and set on fire after all that drink. What happened?" he asks, feeling his head with his forehooves and then running them through his mane, which flattened out, mostly, and went back to the style he'd been wearing the day before.

“Heh, well, this little fella here got himself some magic. The Professor's downstairs writin' a thesis on it, if you wanna go help him. For now, I think it best we go help the girls with their own problems," he said to Deasly, and started towards the door. Not one to argue, you follow, and then Deasly does as well, watching as the pair of you go into Octavia's room next. Landing as you had before, you repeat the same process, including getting flung as she bolts upright, and then stares at the two of you.

"What, it's morning already?" was the first words out of her mouth, and you nod, as she gets up. Her own mane is in a terrible state, with loose ends and curls everywhere, and her hooves go about brushing into it, same as with Deasly, getting it into the same style as it had every time you saw her, though in this case, a little less than perfectly, meaning she had to style it a bit more.

"Where am I? Last thing I remember is walking into the farm house," she says, and you nod again.

"Indeed. Then Applejack shared a bottle of wine with us, and..well," you start, and she puts her hoof against her lip in thought, and after a moment standing there, he eyes bulge out as she obviously remembers.

"Oh my! Are you alright? I mean, I remember doing....are you alright?!" she repeats, looking you over. Suffice it to say, you're fine, not that you know how. Heck, something you hadn't noticed until now was that you were still wearing your clothes that Rarity made you, and they're still clean, despite being soaked in wine yesterday.

"I'm fine, and I think Deasly is too, aren't you?" you ask, turning to Deasly, who nods emphatically.

"Of course. That's not the first time I've been inside somepony's stomach. It happens when you do what I do naturally. I actually find it quite fun myself," he said with a smirk, and you turn back to Octavia.

"See, we're both fine. So there's no reason for you to feel guilty about anything. Heck, it was my fault for pranking Deasly, and causing him to shrink us like he did...by the way, I thought you said you could only do that with concentration, how'd you do it to both of us suddenly like that while drunk?" you ask, looking over your shoulder at him.

"Oh, that's easy. I wasn't recasting the spell, I was just altering one already there, and since you were touching me, you got caught up in it. You must have some pretty strong natural magic for it to work though," he says the last with a curious tone, but before he can ask a question, a big red mountain moves in between you.

"Fascinating conversation you two are having, but might we could go help mah sister and Twi before they wake up and start tearing the house down around them?" asks Big Macintosh, and so your three pony and one human party goes to the other two rooms, and repeat performances happen...well, Twilight seems to be embarrassed there are others watching her sleep, but otherwise, it goes the exact same, and your now two pony larger party starts downstairs, and find the Professor making pancakes.

To be more precise, he was making a lot of pancakes, as in a stack about as tall as Big Macintosh himself. How he did that in the time you were upstairs, you weren't sure for a moment, until you noticed he was using the entirety of the stove top in the kitchen, at least five skillets, each holding a half dozen pancakes, that easily levitated, and then came back down, their sides light, fluffy, and golden. It seemed good timing on your part, as the party reaches the kitchen just as he flips the last batch onto the large platter he'd been staking them on, and then turns to you.

"Ah, excellent. So, the spell was successfully used on ponies as well as on a human. That proves my theory," he said, obviously noting that the four ponies that had been drinking with you last night weren't bleary eyed, or moaning in pain at the light coming through the windows.

"You have a theory?" asked Twilight, interested in that word it seemed. She was a bookworm after all, and she was talking to a guy who wrote books, that probably peaked her interest more than anything else.

"Yes, but that's later, first we eat, then we talk," he said, setting the platter down on the table, which groaned a bit under the weight, but held firm, as he levitated several plates in front of the hay bales that would serve as seats. Not needing one yourself, you floated right over towards the table, and landed in front of one, sniffing at the pancakes as you did. Interestingly, they didn't smell like apples, as one would expect given the location.

"You know, this is the first time in a while I've used my supplies to cook a full sized meal. Deasly and I, when we're out and about, don't normally eat at full size, to save on supplies," he explained, taking a few of the pancakes off the stack with his telekinesis and then setting them down on his plate. Luckily, as the others sat down, you didn't have to go trying to get some for yourself, Twilight, seeing you looking at the mountain, used her own magic to place one on your plate, before taking a few for herself. Nodding your thanks, you dig in, wondering why there's no syrup or butter to go along with it. Then you find out why, as the stuff had been baked right into it, a few bites just seeming to melt on your tongue, before you dug in with your face again.

Over the next several minutes, the only sound that could be heard is chomping, gulping, and a few clicks as the platter moved as ponies took more pancakes off it. At your size, of course, the single flapjack was far too much for you, and after eating less than a quarter of it, you sat back, and just watched, as the seeming mountain of pancakes just dwindled, as more and more of the ponies ate, probably more than they should, considering the way Twilight looked as she took another one, that look of desire, mixed with knowing you shouldn't. You stifled a giggle at that, and looked to find Octavia holding one of the pancakes easily with her hoof, taking neat, small bites, while to her left Deasly was just sucking the things down, tearing into one after another.

Beside him sat Applejack and Big Macintosh, and they were doing the same as him, only more so. By that, you mean that while he was going one at a time, they were scarfing down entire platefuls of the pancakes. Big Macintosh was, interestingly enough, doing it slower than Applejack, his stacks usually only a three or four, where Applejack was doing it to upwards of six at a time. To their left, and on your right, DawnChaser was taking them in one at a time, in a way. His was a steady stream, and he didn't even seem to be chewing them as they entered his mouth and he gulped them down. And so it was that about half an hour later, the platter was empty, and your own pancake was claimed by Applejack, who nearly took you with it as she swallowed it down.

"Mah goodness, I never ate nothin; like those before, what was that recipe for them again?" she asked, licking her lips, and not even apologizing for flipping you off your plate, well, the pancake too, so that it had fallen into her mouth. Luckily, since you could fly, you hadn't gone with it.

"My mother's recipe actually. Ancient family secret," he says with a sly grin, taking the dishes into the kitchen. Big Macintosh and the others soon follow, and you watch as they all start to clean up, hoof washing the dishes. You would, of course, love to help, but your size is quite the determent to such work, so you just stand back, watching them work like a well-oiled machine, until everything is spick and span, and they come back to sit around the table again, Twilight and Octavia groaning a bit with sagging bellies, and Deasly not looking much better. The farm hands and the chef, however, despite each eating more than the others combined, seemed perfectly fine, though you felt more like the former group than the latter, and just laid back on the table as everyone retook their seats.

"I suppose I should be getting back to the home I share with Vinyl now. She's probably worried I didn't come back last night," said Octavia, as she tried to walk past her seat towards the door.

"No worries there, she was here last night along with Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie. We told them about what happened, and they helped us get you five into beds upstairs," said Big Macintosh.

"Oh, so she knows about...," Octavia's voice trails off as she looks towards you and Deasly.

"Yep, said something about payback, don't rightly know what she was talkin' bout though," replied the red stallion, as Octavia's cheeks matched his colors, and she took her seat back.

"You know what? I think I'll be avoiding her for the next few centuries, so I might as well stay here and listen in," she said.

"Listen in to what?" asked DawnChaser.

"Well, you said you had a theory on something," she told him, and he looked at her like she had been speaking Greek, or the pony equivalent thereof, before his eyes brightened and he nodded.

"Oh, right that! Well, my theory is on our little human friend, you see, he's not a magical sink hole, he doesn't just absorb power. The flight, the spell for the hangover cure, no, those aren't just simple tricks, they require a lot of power, you see. He's a magical energy converter. He stores the power inside, and then, when he thinks hard, it poofs outward, and he affects the world," says the Professor, and pulls back out the Pony Book, and the other one, which he turns both toward you. The other book is full of equations and things, probably about power usage, considering his words.

"I think the Princess knew about this, since she was the one to touch you with a lot of power, probably why she added that last line to the message," he said, as he returned the books to his bag.

"What was that, anyway? The last line. Spike wouldn't tell me even when I asked him about it. He said it was just unbelievable," Twilight asked, and the Professor smiled at her.

“She said it would help me to take over the world,” he told her straight faced.

"Heh, that's a good one Professor, but really, what did it say?" asks Twilight, giggling at the joke, but a meaningful glance passes between Deasly and DawnChaser, before the two just break down laughing, taking a few moments to regain their composure.

"You mean, you've been her apprentice for this long, and she's never told you. My goodness, she really is a prankster," says DawnChaser, using his hoof to get a tear out of his eye.

"He's actually quite serious, Ms. Sparkle. Celestia is not only aware of the Professor's ambitions, but is actively supporting them," said the student, and Big Macintosh nodded to, smacking the table with his hoof while laughing himself.

"Eeyup. He promised I could be a commander in his army too," said the big red stallion, as the girls just looked between them, wondering if the three males had lost their minds. For your part, you were actually curious. It did indeed seem like Celestia had played a prank on Twilight, not telling her about this, but you were more interested in why she would be aiding someone who's stated goal was to oust her and her sister from power.

"Well, you are pretty strong. Still, that's a long way from happening. First I have to figure out how to raise the sun and moon, control the weather, deal with a hundred threats to Equestria itself, then I need to study tactics, and learn about the other cultures around this area. Then how to beat them, obviously, and a million other little details," he says, pulling another book from his saddlebag, this one with various drawings in it that remind you of strategy games you've played back at home. It looks pretty solid too. He even lists out various guards and things of the palace.

"I remember you now!" shouts Twilight suddenly, looking at the Professor with a critical eye.

"You were taller the last time you were at the palace...or maybe I was shorter, but regardless, you were the one who came to that meeting of the Magisters," she says.

"Hmm, yah know, ya'll mentioned them afore, who are these, Magiwhatevers anyway?" asks Applejack, and Twilight turns to her friend with an incredulous look on her face.

"You don't know, Applejack...well, they're the Wonderbolts, but for unicorns instead of pegasi. They are the most skilled, most talented, and most powerful unicorns in all of Equestria, and maybe even the whole world," she tells her, in almost the same breathless tone that Rainbow Dash speaks of the Wonderbolts. Applejack, used to such gushing from her pegasus friend, still gives Twilight one of those 'you're a fangirl' looks, before asking the obvious question.

"Well, if you're so keen on joinin' these stuffy, fancy pants, why hasn't ya'll mentioned them afore now?" she asks.

"Um...well," Twilight starts, but this is suddenly interrupted by the Professor barking out a laugh.

"She doesn't talk about it because she's already a member. Not of the Council of course, the leadership of the Magisters, but still she's a member nonetheless," he tells everyone, and all heads turn back towards Twilight, Octavia and Applejack with a new found respect, Deasly with a bit of awe, and Big Macintosh....well, he didn't seem to care one way other the other and just had his usual blank expression. Considering you were only following every third word, you yourself wore a face similar to Big Macintosh's.

"You mean, at her age, she's already a member?" asks Deasly once the awe wears off.

"Of course, apprentice, which means she's technically in charge of you too. She is after all, Celestia's protégé, and no matter how much power the Council has, we're not nearly as strong as her," answered DawnChaser, getting a look from Twilight that actually resembles one you'd seen on Dash's face when she met the Wonderbolts.

"You-you're on the Council?" she asks, stuttering a bit.

"Well, sort of. DawnChaser is forgetful, like I told you. He forgets meetings and things, and never does go to the big get togethers the Council has to decide policy, or Apprenticeships or the like, but he's got a seat if he wants to take it," explains Deasly, and DawnChaser nods.

"Like Applejack said, they're stuffy, fancy pants, most of whom couldn't find their flank with all four hooves. I would just as soon keep researching. Though every once in a while, they send me an apprentice to train...or to keep an eye on me, whichever," he admits casually, smirking at Deasly, as he starts to put the book he'd pulled out up. Twilight then launches into a series of questions on magical theory that you have no hope of following. The earth ponies, and Deasly, both seem to be in the same boat, and so all five of you leave, you floating, but finding that it's hard to stay aloft again for some reason, so looking at Octavia, she nods and allows you to ride on her back again, as your little group exits.

"So, the Professor loves to talk about this stuff, and that means he'll be busy for a while, what do we do now?" he asks, looking around the farm.

"Well, Big Macintosh and I have gotta get back to applebucking, so why don't you three head on back to Ponyville. We'll send the egg heads along when they're done," suggests Applejack, and after looking between the three of you, you decide to take the offer, and so you, Deasly, and Octavia start back towards Ponyville. The three of you talk a bit, mostly Deasly asking questions about you, where you came from, and your world. Luckily, it was nothing too hard, and you answer most of them, as the three of you walk, stopping at the crest of a hill, and looking down at the small town.

"Well...where to now?" asks Deasly, who hadn't really been to Ponyville before.

"Much as I'd like to avoid it, we should probably stop by Rarity's to pick up Vinyl...of course, we could always go by that sweet shop where Pinkie Pie works. I'm sure she'd like some company. Not that I'm avoiding Vinyl, you understand, just wanting to check in with Ms. Pie," she says, and you and Deasly exchange a look, knowing she’s just trying to avoid Vinyl, and telling her to go pick up the pony of pop, then go to the sweet shop.

Out and About

After some slight hesitation, Octavia shakes her head, tries to smile, and the three of you head into Ponyville. The place is just as active this morning as yesterday, with the variou colts, stallions, fillies, and mares going about their own business. You still get a few looks of course, but from some of them, you can tell they think you're some kind of parasite that Octavia has, and you smirk at the image of yourself leeching off her. Not that you aren't doing that, mind, considering you have no actual way to earn your keep at the moment. Still, maybe the Professor can think of some way to use your own magical powers. If nothing else, you think you could make some quick bits off that hangover cure spell in some of the less traveled parts of Equestria.

Soon enough, the three of you are standing outside Carousel Boutique, and inside, you can hear two voices, raised. Neither sounds particularly happy, and the three of you exchange looks, all of you obviously considering doing something besides going inside, but after a second or two of thought, your decision is made for you, as the door bursts open, and suddenly you and Octavia are sent flying. Well, Octavia is sent sprawling, but you are sent flying. Luckily, Deasly has fairly good horn to eye coordination, and within seconds of you flying upwards, he grabs you with his magic, and brings you back down to sit on his back, as he dances away from the tangled mess that was Octavia, and two other, smaller forms.

"You take that back, Applebloom!" shouted a familiar orange pegasus girl, who was struggling with the yellow earth pony that was Applejack's sister.

"I won't! Spitfire is a better flier than Rainbow Dash! After all, she's a Wonderbolt, now isn't she?" countered the earth filly, and got a swift hoof to the face for her troubles. Luckily, the ponies seem to be rather toughly built, as all that seems to do is make her mad, and soon, the two are literally moving down the street in a gray dust cloud.

"Girls! Wait!" shouts a white unicorn filly, who follows her friends down the street, trying to use her magic to break up the fight, to little avail.

"Ah, it does the heart good to watch the younger generation at play," says Vinyl as she steps out behind the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and sees Octavia, her eyes unfocused, and sprawled out on the ground.

"And look they involved an elder in their discussion, what maturity for their age," she says, as Rarity comes up beside her, and then gasps to see Octavia laying in the dirt in front of her store, quickly using her telekinesis to help her to her hooves.

"Really, Vinyl, you can be such a brute sometimes. To think you encouraged those two. Now help me welcome our guests. Go get those snacks from the kitchen we were going to give the girls. Something tells me they won't be back any time soon," Rarity instructs, and looking off at the trio as they vanish over the horizon, you can't argue with her, as she assists Octavia inside, and Deasly follows behind, while Vinyl trots off towards the kitchen. Soon you're all sitting at a small table in the Boutique's front, with a tray between you with finger....hoof foods, and a few drinks.

"I apologize for my sister and her friends, Ms. Octavia. Their discussions, especially those involving Rainbow Dash, can get rather heated," said Rarity, as she pushed a glass of some kind of juice in front of Octavia, who gratefully took it, and nodded.

"It's quite alright. I'm sure Vinyl was the source of this particular heat," she says, staring at the pop pony as she sips at her juice.

"Why Octavia, I'm shocked at you. When have you ever known me to encourage discord rather than harmony in those of the younger generation," says Vinyl, trying to look appalled and innocent of any wrong doing. Not that the effect works on Octavia or Rarity, or you and Deasly for that matter, as Deasly knows her from the Vinyl Scratch radio show, and you'd gotten to see Octavia and Vinyl when they thought they were alone. All of you give her deadpan looks, before Rarity tries to shake the conversation away from such topics, and towards the previous night's events.

"When we went over to retrieve you for the evening, Ms. Octavia, we found Mr. DawnChaser and Apple were busy getting the five of you upstairs. The good Professor said there'd been a bit of an issue with his assistant and our little human friend," she said, motioning towards the two of you, as you were currently avoiding getting anywhere near food or drink, and so were still seated on Deasly's back.

"Well, yes. We'd been dipping into Ms. Applejack's stores of wine, and we'd gone a bit too far," she admitted.

"Meaning you got tanked and gulped down our new friends," supplied Vinyl helpfully, earning her a harsh look from Rarity, though it only made Octavia sigh.

"Yes...I'm really sorry about that, both of you," she said, turning to you, and you and Deasly both quickly shook your heads.

"It turned out okay, so don't even waste another thought on it," you told her, and she smiled at you.

"Besides, it's not like we were in any real danger," says Deasly, and you turn to him. Having been inside a stomach, twice, you kind of think that there might have been real danger in being inside Octavia's belly, had not the Professor and Big Macintosh come around.

"What, you mean you could have gotten the two of you out, like Twilight does?" asked Rarity, obviously curious.

"Oh, no, I don't know the teleport spell, it's...well, it's really complex. No, what I mean is my shrink spell, it makes us immune to things like that. Heck, I've been cooked, step on, eaten, sprayed with bug spray, and a dozen other things at tiny size, and nothing happened. It's some kind of protection my spell causes. The Professor's version, and even Celestia's doesn't do it," he explains, and you feel magic cover you again, he shrinks himself down a second later, and then adds you into the mix, soon the two of you are standing bug sized, on the floor of Rarity's shop, which you stride his back like he was your steed.

"Go ahead, try something," he says, and again, despite your small size, his voice sounds normal, as the three ponies look at each other.

Before you can offer any objection to what is going to happen, a blue glow covers the two of you, and you are flying, right onto one of the snacks in front of Vinyl. Unlike last time, two days ago now, the treat wasn't fancy or anything. In fact, it was actually rather simple, being just a cookie with some icing on it. Not that that didn't make sense. The treats from the other day had been for a client, someone of a social level that was refined. These were, as Rarity had stated earlier, just snacks for the Cutie Mark Crusaders, so they didn't have to be just right. They were still sticky, like the donut yesterday, and you made a grossed out face, at least until it turned into a bit of an eep, as Vinyl levitated the cookie up to her mouth, opened wide, and it zipped right in.

"Mmm, ghof ooie" said Vinyl around her mouthful as she chewed, her teeth crunching over the cookie, and her tongue molding and moving it about, mixing saliva with hard dough to soften it, and make it slicker. Octavia, across the table, stared aghast at Vinyl as she casually chewed her mouthful, before getting an angry look on her face.

"Vinyl! How could you?! Spit them out right now, before you hurt them," she demanded, and Vinyl, in answer, paused for a moment, before suddenly tilting her head back, and swallowing.

"Sorry, Tavi, what was that?" she asks innocently, and Octavia's jaw just sort of drops, while Rarity, staring for only a moment herself, starts to clean the dishes off the table, figuring there wouldn't be any further snacking for the moment. Noticing her as she did this, Octavia turned to Rarity, and just gaped, mouthing something akin to 'how could you let her do that?'

"Oh, Ms. Octavia, you really should lighten up, especially if you're going to be staying in Ponyville for a while. Twilight has us do some strange things all the time, as part of her magical experiments. I'm sure those two are just fine, given how confident that young stallion was," Rarity chides, before walking into the kitchen, leaving Vinyl and Octavia alone, with the two staring at each other, Vinyl smirking in a smug kind of way, and Octavia picking her jaw up off the floor, and looking rather miffed by the whole thing.

Inside Vinyl, the trip was, once you figured out you really were nearly invulnerable, rather fun. The maw of the pop pony closed around you with a clack, and you and Deasly went flying in different directions as the tongue beneath you undulated like a living wave, pushing you between Vinyl's flat teeth, which you landed on roughly. Looking up in the dim light you saw the second set coming down, and tried to cover your face with your arms, only to feel the pressure of it all over your body as the two pairs of molars met, the sharp raised edges biting into your skin, while the flat parts presses you in between them, grinding you hard as the jaw moves with a chewing motion, and then releasing you suddenly, allowing you to snap back to normal.

Oddly, you feel no pain through the entire process. In fact, it actually feels kinda good, like getting rubbed all over, or having an itch scratched. Of course, the rough way it drops you off is kind of annoying, as you roll off the tooth, and land with a splat on the tongue, which reacts as a tongue does, by pushing you around, slamming you into the teeth and rubbing you against them, as saliva continues to flow and ebb about you, coating your body. You catch sight, on the opposite side of Vinyl's mouth, of Deasly, who really seems to be enjoying himself as Vinyl continues to chew, until everything suddenly stop, and you and he are left still for a moment. At first, you think Vinyl was going to spit you out, and wait for that to happen, laying on the side of her tongue, but just as suddenly as it stopped, everything was in motion again, and the tongue beneath you flattened out, even as the world tilted back, and you, Deasly, and the remains of the cookie slid off the back of Vinyl's tongue, and down into her throat.

The ride is different than before, mostly because, instead of being crammed against the wall, or inside a bubble of liquid, you are jammed in the middle of the cookie remains, the gooey, slippery stuff coating your body almost as much as the saliva as the now familiar, which is slightly depressing when you think about it, feeling of slipping down a throat comes over you. You are constantly moving, stopping, starting, and being passed down, as the walls undulate and move about you, one group of muscles passing you on to the next, before finally you arrive at Vinyl's belly, being tossed out into her stomach by the force of the last push out of her throat, and splashing into the stomach juices with a splash that would have gotten you a negative score at the Olympics. When you get back to the surface, you take a deep gulp of the air, and then gag a little at it, which makes a laugh come from nearby, as you find Deasly floating along, obviously enjoying the sight of you.

"What's so funny?! It stinks in here!" you complain, swimming next to him, which is hard to do, as the stomach has apparently been churning for a while. Whatever it was Vinyl had for breakfast was already mixed pretty well, as it was pretty much just liquid at this point.

"Then why are you still breathing?" he asks, sounding like he was trying to be helpful, though that tone only makes you wish you could throttle him.

"Because I like living, which usually involves not getting eaten," you tell him.

"Well, while under the effect of my spell, you don't have to do the whole breathing thing. I haven't been, after all," he explains, and you notice, for the first time, that he isn't breathing in, except to speak. Otherwise he's just floating there, letting the liquid crash and move around him. Focusing, you try to do the same thing yourself, breathing out everything in your lungs and floating there. For a moment or two it feels uncomfortable, as you're used to breathing, but when the moment passes, you feel no difference between what you normally do and now, no burning lungs, no aching chest, or anything, just a sort of peace inside, like everything in your body was frozen at the moment when Deasly shrank you. Continuing to float there, you turn to him, to find Deasly smiling at you in that annoying, 'I told you so' way that makes your desire to throttle him return.

"Okay, smarty pants, now how do we get out of here?" you demand to know, and that wipes that smug little grin off his face, of course, any feeling of joy at that fact is quickly reversed as you realize it means you have no way out.

"Usually I just wait for the Professor to find me. It's not like no one knows we're in here, and he placed a location rune on me a long time ago, to make it easy to find me in a pinch. Otherwise, we just take a ride," he says, motioning towards the back of Vinyl's stomach, where you can already see a small whirlpool forming in the liquid. That way doesn't seem rather pleasant, or clean/sanitary for that matter. Luckily, before you can get sucked down inside it, you feel another familiar sensation, of the world filling with magic, and your body fading away, becoming something like the magic, and then moving outward. The teleport spell soon drops you outside Vinyl's stomach, to stare upward at several faces, one of which belongs to the spell caster, Twilight Sparkle

You land, with a rather wet splat, on the floor of Rarity's Boutique, your clothing torn a bit, and covered with gunk. Interestingly enough, your skin didn't have a thing on it, and the clothing was just kind of soaking with stuff, rather than it actually being on it, meaning it absorbed the stuff like a sponge. That said something about teleportation as a cleaning method, but for the moment, it also meant you were feeling rather dirty, while right next to you, Deasly was just shaking himself a bit, getting his hair back to the look that he liked, as the teleport had caused it to frazzle for reasons you don't understand. Above you, the girls were looking down, Octavia with a concerned look, though one of relief once you started to move around, while Rarity seemed a bit put off by the condition of your clothes, Vinyl just smirked, and Twilight was looking at you like the two of you were crazy.

"Okay, I got the quick version a second ago, but I want to hear it straight from the horse's mouth, what in the hay do you think you two were doing?" she asked, and Deasly laughed, walking over to you, and with an expression that told you he was concentrating, he undid the spell, returning both you and he to normal size in a flash. Well, he returned to pony size, you returned to mouse size, now sitting on his back.

"I was merely demonstrating the effects of my spell on us. I included our human friend in it, just to show it wasn't just me that's affected by it. I picked him since...well since it wouldn't be the first time he got eaten," he said simply, and then recoiled a bit as Twilight gave him an evil look, something like a cross between a disapproving teacher and a psycho, before smiling and backing away.

"I suppose I've involved my friends in stranger magic spells. Still, it would be best if you asked myself or the Professor to observe such things in the future," she said, rather pleasantly, and Deasly's face got the look of a student who had been told this lecture more than a few time, or one who's had to give this lecture, considering the Professor's attitude earlier.

"I will try. Anyhow, since you're here, does that mean the Professor is as well?" he asks, looking around for his mentor, but not seeing him anywhere as the five ponies walk back towards the table, only for Rarity to take another look at you, and beg off to go get something from the Boutique real quick.

"No, he decided to stay at Sweet Apple Acres for a while, both to help with the applebucking, and because he and Big Macintosh have decided to have a drinking contest, apparently," she explained, and then rubbed her head a bit, obviously remembering last night, and more importantly, this morning. You, Deasly, and Octavia, having had similar experiences, join her in it, while Vinyl just smirks at you.

"Knowing the Professor, they could be there all day, which I honestly don't mind. It allows me to take a tour of Ponyville. I haven't left Manehatten in years, expect to go on some insane research thing with the Professor. You should hear some of the things we've gotten into, I remember this one time..." he starts off, and launches into tales that are a bit too long winded for your taste, but still, he tells them well.

Things like fighting a dragon, mostly him watching while DawnChaser grows, or that time they'd infiltrated a griffon nest at mouse size, and gotten gulped down, twice, since trying to sneak out, they got caught and gulped again. He even said they'd spent a whole week on some mare back in Manehatten at flea size, for some anthropological studies. Mind, she knew they were observing her, if not how, but some of the things he'd seen were....well, interesting.

"Fin~ish~ed," comes Rarity's voice in sing song tones, as she comes back into the room, a case hovering behind her, and she sets it down beside Deasly, before popping it open, and revealing a whole wardrobe full of clothing for you.

"I had made you only the dress outfit and two copies of your original outfit, but since you've already gone through both of those copies, I decided to make a few extras. Now, let's get you out of that one, and we can throw it in the garbage with the outfit you had on when we were at Sweet Apple Acres last night," she explained, and suddenly you were covered in light again, before standing completely naked on Deasly's back. This was...well, not nearly as uncomfortable as it was before. For one thing, it was a smaller group, and for another, you were starting to get used to being around the ponies, none of which wore anything most of the time.

"Hmm, now, do you think we should put you in the beige suit, or perhaps the purple one, though of course, I'm partial to the white ensemble," she began, and you watched as she drew out each outfit in turn, holding them up next to you, before discarding each one in turn, and finally picking out one that she felt was perfect for you, a sports jersey like thing with an odd symbol on it, and some shorts, plain, but with an off white color, not quite khaki, but close.

Meet the Wonderbolts

The outfit is actually rather flattering. I mean, you never did have a figure before, though you were also never what one would call fat. You were just kind of pudgy, but somehow, the outfit, with a slightly oversized t-shirt, and some open shorts, actually worked on your body. You figured the other outfits would as well, considering it was Rarity herself who designed them, and she was one for a fusion of form and function in her designs, seeing as how the dresses she'd made for her friends hadn't caused them to trip or anything, despite the oddities of the Grand Galloping Gala.

"Yes, this will work just fine. What do you think girls? Er, girls and Mr. Deasly, I mean," she said, probably not used to showing her outfits off to male passerby, but more than happy to share with her friends.

"I think it's rather fetching myself," said Octavia, looking you up and down, and you find yourself blushing a little at it.

"Looks good to me, though I don't think I'm such a good study at fashion," admitted Twilight.

"Um....I don't wear clothes at all, so I'll just say what Ms. Sparkle said," Deasly said.

"Wow, I think it looks awesome, Cuz. This is the symbol for the Cloudsdale Cowcolts, isn't it?" asked Vinyl, leaning a bit closer to look at your jersey, and you look down to see a nice cloud with a rainbow on it, with the rainbow falling down like it was made of liquid.

"Yes, it's Rainbow Dash's favorite Cloudball team, so I've had a lot of practice with the design. I thought that he would look better in more casual apparel, considering he seemed a bit nervous in that suit I made for him at first," she said, and you started to object, but then realized that lying wasn't something you wanted to do to these ponies, even if it was just a little white one, and you nod.

"I'm just not used to that type of clothing, Ms. Rarity. Anything you make for me though, it's perfect. I just wish I could repay you, all of you, for the kindness you've all show me so far," you tell them, and for a moment it looks like Vinyl's going to say something, but she quickly shuts her mouth when Octavia glares at her.

"It's been a pleasure, really. I mean, it's not often a designer is challenged like this, not just a different build, but a completely different body type. I can't wait to show some of these off in Canterlot next week," she says.

"And besides, it's not like you eat a lot, or take up a lot of space. Heck, you've given more food than you've gotten," says Vinyl, and then smirks in that joking way of her's, which Octavia glares at her for again, before shaking her head with a similar smirk, and nodding to you.

"Indeed. It's been nothing but interesting, since you arrived, and I must admit, it was getting rather dull around here. Still, not to change the subject, but you're going to Canterlot, Ms. Rarity?" she asks, turning to the fashion pony, who nods, and then motions for everypony to follow her, which they do, you included, as you were still on Deasly's back. Once out of the living quarters in Carousel Boutique, you beheld an awesome sight. Dozens of dresses, suits, and saddles, all made up with jewels, and shining fabrics. A few in the collection even looked like they were made for you, if not to you size, as they were a bit more to scale with the ponies rather than your own small stature.

"Vinyl and I worked all night on this collection. The designs were inspired by our bipedal friend, and I'm hoping to sell some of it when I go to enjoy Fancypant's company again," she explained, and the others are a bit speechless, as they go around the room, looking at each on in turn. They are actually quite lovely, and even you find yourself admiring them. Well, that was until a series of loud booms draw everyone's attention to the front door, and Rarity runs over to it, probably hoping it was a customer, but instead of business, into the room came a very flustered looking Rainbow Dash.

"Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!" said the spectrum pony in rapid succession, as she flew into the Boutique, looking all around, before spotting her two friends, and rushing up to them.

"Did you guys hear? It's awful, it's terrible, it's the worst thing that's ever happened to me!" she shouts, throwing up her hooves, and crying a bit, which got the other two to look at each other in worry for a moment, before turning back to her.

"Rainbow Dash, whatever is the matter dear?" asked Rarity, levitating a glass of something, that Dash then gulped down without seeming to even notice what it was.

"What's the matter? What's the matters?! I'll tell you what's the matter! She's coming here, right now. I saw her from my house and came right down to Ponyville!" she shouted again, and this time flew over to the table and grabbed two drinks with her hooves, and bolted them down quickly.

"Who, who's coming? The Princess?" asked Twilight, and Rainbow Dash just gave her a dead pan look.

"Twi, would I be this nervous if it were just the Princess? Heck, they visit all the time! No, it's not them, it's Spitfire. You know, the Wonderbolt? She's coming. No, her whole squadron's coming her, right now she'll be here any-" she began, and then Vinyl smirked, which distracted her as only Vinyl's smirks could do, before the unicorn pointed behind the excited pegasus, and standing the doorway behind her were three pegasi in the gear of Equestria's greatest fliers.

"Oh my gooooo-," the last drawn out syllable ends abruptly and Dash's eyes roll back into her head, and she passes out. Luckily, she's at Rarity's, and the fashionista has a fainting couch on hand, moving it under Dash so that she falls onto it peacefully, while the Bolts just stare at her for a moment, before taking a few steps inside.

"Told ya she'd pass out, Spitfire. Looks like you owe me a pie," says a voice you quickly recognize as Soarin the other named Wonderbolt whom Dash had met at the Grand Galloping Gala, his face lighting up brightly enough that even through the goggles you could tell he was really happy about winning this bet.

"Yeah, yeah. You and your pie. Still, I didn't think she'd be this nervous. Didn't we spend the whole day with her after that competition, and then we met her at the Gala," explained Spitfire, pushing her goggles up with her hoof, and then looking around, her own eyes lighting up when she spotted Vinyl.

"Hey, Scratching Post, long time no see," she jibbed, and Vinyl nodded, laughing as she trotted over towards her friend, the two embracing in that weird pony way, before separating again.

"Well that's because you didn't make our last show, Spitcup. If you had, it would have been even hotter," answers Vinyl.

"Heh, but I was there for the cleanup, and you had us working all night long hauling water to put that blaze you started out," explained Spitfire, as the other two Wonderbolts stepped further into the Boutique, Rarity and Twilight nodding at them.

"Hello Twilight, how was the Princesses' visit yesterday?" asked Spitfire, as she came to stand in front of the small gathering.

"Oh, it went wonderfully. Well, not exactly wonderfully, I mean, she couldn't get the human to grow any bigger than I'd already done, but it still helped out, since it let him fly," she said, and motions towards you and Deasly. Helpfully, you decide to fly again, and this time, manage it rather well, zipping upward, and then staying at about eye height for the Wonderbolts, bowing as you had done with the Princesses, though keeping your balance a bit better, before returning to Deasly's back.

"Heh....wait, I think we forgot some introductions here," said Vinyl, looking back and forth between the Bolts and Deasly, motioning towards the latter as she stepped between them, "Spitshine, this is-"

"Deasly, assistant to Professor DawnChaser from Manehatten's prestigious Hayvard University," finished Soarin for her, nodding at the colt.

"Uh, yeah, that's right. How'd you guess?" she asked, looking back towards the Bolts.

"It wasn't a guess, Scratch-head. This young colt was hanging out with us for a while, something like a month ago," explained Spitfire, and Deasly nodded.

"Yes, the Professor was asked to work on the Wonderbolt's equipment, and since it was quite a lot of gear, and the improvements took a while, we bunked with them while doing it. Luckily, they maintain offices in Canterlot itself, otherwise we might have had to head to Cloudsdale, and I just don't want to consider what would have happened if our cloudwalking spells ran out while we were asleep or the like," Deasly added helpfully.

"Heh, would have made for an interesting bed time, though," supplied Soarin, though he gets a look from Spitfire that shuts him up.

"Though I suppose we should introduce you guys to our third man today, Snowbolt," she said, and gestured to the, till then, silent pony.

"Hello," was all he said, sounding a bit bored with this whole thing. Interestingly enough, his voice sounded exactly like that of Jet, off Cowboy Bebop, which was rather strange, but you tried not to think about it, as you nodded towards him. Spitfire however, doesn't seem to like this very much, and smacks him lightly in the flank with her hoof.

"Come on, Snow, you gotta loosen up. I mean, I know you're used to work on the coast, but this isn't the 'lawless land'. You don't have to be so strung up all the time," she tells him, and he looks at her, puffed up to a height that's a bit taller than his squadmate, before sighing, and just kind of collapsing in on himself, his stance becoming more relaxed.

"I'll try, but I just wonder how the others are doing without me there," he explains.

"I'm sure your old squad’s fine. They're some of the best, after all I've heard about them, and you'll be back with them before you know it, once this whole exchange program is dealt with," she reassures him, and he smiles at her, lifting his eyes to reveal a pair of jet black ones beneath the goggles, rather striking, considering his coat was the same color as his name, a shimmering white.

"Aw, sweet. Now then, you said the Professor was making your toys better, and after meeting with his eccentric-ness, I've just gotta ask what he made for you. Exploding prop wings or something?" asks Vinyl, sounding a little too into the idea of exploding things, and Octavia, along with Rarity and Spitfire, just all sigh, shake their heads, as Deasly smiles, turning to her, probably to explain that the Professor had actually made them new horseshoes, that shot energy bolts.

"See?" he says, and gestures towards Spitfire, who raised her left forehoof to show the group. On her hoof was a horseshoe, but it looked rather shiny, and as you watched, a bit of electricity played over its metallic surface, running from one end to the other.

"Um, so you guys are some kind of fighter squadron then?" you ask. Your trip around Ponyville yesterday had included Rainbow Dash gushing over a Wonderbolts poster, though only for a minute before everypony else had just told her to move on. In that time, you'd basically gotten a repeat of all the information you knew, that they were trick fliers, and did air shows like the Blue Angels team back on Earth. This was the first time anyone had mentioned combat, though you do remember a small flight of Wonderbolts in Ponyville when Spike got big and greedy that one time.

"Huh? It talks?" says Soarin, looking at you like you were some kind of mutant freak, and Spitfire jabs him with her hoof a bit in his side.

"Of course he talks, I told you that. He knows some pretty gross songs too, if that show with Vinyl the other day is any indication," she says, telling you your time on K-Colt the other day was apparently heard by more than just Ponyville, unless they were stationed there, which you doubted considering how Rainbow Dash had reacted to their presence.

"Oh! Right, I forgot, sorry little dude," he apologized.

"Think nothing of it. Still, I'm a bit surprised. Rainbow Dash mentioned you guys when we found a poster of you yesterday, but she made it sound like you were some fancy trick fliers. But you've got weapons," you say, looking again towards her hoof, which Spitfire had already set back on the floor.

"Heh, yeah, that's Dash for you. She's a good kid, and I'm sure one day she'll be a Bolt, but first she's got to realize this job is more than just tricks and cool airshows. We're Equestria's defenders, and we fight the bad guys. Once she figures that out, and if she still wants to join, I'm sure she'll be one of the greats," said Spitfire, looking towards Rainbow Dash's form, still prone on the fainting couch.

"At least with ponies like the Professor helping out, it's getting a bit safer to be a Wonderbolt. And who knows, maybe she'll join the darkside, and become one of Princess Luna's elites," says Snowbolt, and you are again distracted by thinking of Cowboy Bebop from his voice, but shake your head a bit, and just try to focus. One dimension at a time.

"Yeah, the Shadowbolts," said Spitfire, lacking in enthusiasm about the idea, while Snowbolt's voice had been filled with respect.

"Still, Dash is already the best young flier, once she grows up a bit more, she'll be one of us, the best old fliers," says Snowbolt with a chuckle, and Vinyl gets a smirk on her face like she's about to make a joke about Spitfire's age, at least until Spitfire and Octavia turn their gazes on her, and Vinyl's mouth closes, and she purses her lips to keep them from opening.

"Anyway, what brings your group to Ponyville? Is something going on that we should know about?" asks Twilight, obviously ready to leap to aid anypony who's doing a job.

"Um, well, I'm not really supposed to admit to anything..." starts Spitfire, but then Soarin leaps forward.

"And since I get reprimanded every other day, I'll tell you, we're here to keep an eye on the Professor!" he shots, smirking about it like it was some kind of joke.

"So, does that mean that Celestia does take his 'take over the world' goal seriously?" you ask, curious, and Spitfire, Soarin, and Deasly, all look at each other before bursting out laughing, while Rarity looks at them, and then at you, a slight veil of concern crossing her face, and Vinyl's too, for that matter.

"Um, what does he mean, 'take over the world goal?' Is there something about the Professor I missed?" asked Rarity, while the other three were still calming down.

"Well, according to the Professor and Deasly, Mr. Dawnchaser said he wants to take over the world, he even offered me a position, and handed me a contract. As Celestia's student, I rejected it," said Twilight, and Spitfire nodded, while using her hoof to clear a tear from the corner of her eye.

"Oh, comeon, where's the fun in that?" asked Spitfire as she recovered, "I mean, I signed one."

"You mean, you agreed to be part of the mission to overthrow the Princesses?" asked Octavia, "That's something I'd expect of somepony like Vinyl, but not a Wonderbolt."

"Heh, lighten up Octavia, you know I wouldn't do anything to put anypony in danger. The Professor's more eccentric than a threat. It's just, he sometimes forgets that there are those around him who can't shrink or grow their way out of trouble, so Celestia sometimes sends some backup to make sure everypony around him gets out okay. Remember that mission I told you guys about on the show, the one at the ruins out in the desert?" explains Spitfire, and the two radio personalities, and Deasly who'd probably been listening to the broadcast, nod.

"The one where you nearly got eaten by a plant?" asked Vinyl, smiling at the memory.

"Yeah, that's the one, and that was his fault too for making me bug sized. Anyway, during that little mission, he kind of...accidentally...." she trailed off, and Deasly smirked.

"What she means to say is DawnChaser got a dragon real mad by stealing a gem from its hoard, and the thing nearly torched a nearby village. Luckily, Spitfire and her squad were on hoof to help, and once the Professor realized the danger, he put in his two bits worth of work too, to push the dragon back out of town," she said, and Soarin nodded emphatically.

"Yeah, he was like *Whopah* And the dragon was all like *roar* and then I had a giant pie...that was a good mission," he said with a dreamy sigh, to which Spitfire responded with a sigh of her own.

"Anyway, you see what I mean. The Professor is a good stallion, but he tends to forget things a lot easier than you'd think for a pony who remembers everything he reads, so Celestia likes to send us, or some other team along to keep everypony safe. She figured since, well, since me and Soarin know Dash, and we worked with him and Deasly on the horseshoes, we were good candidates to be his foalsitters," she finished, and the other took a moment to absorb this. So there was a perfectly logical explanation for their presence, and why it was as sudden as it was, since the Princesses had likely just sent them when they got back, and they'd probably taken last night to get gear together and prepare, and most of this morning to make it from Canterlot to Ponyville.

"So, how long will you three be staying?" asks Twilight.

"Well, as long as the Professor's in town, probably. Until he leaves, we're on site to make sure nothing bad happens, or at least to play cleanup if it does," answered Spitfire.

"Sounds reasonable. You know, I never did ask this, but where are you going to be staying, Deasly? You guys spent last night at Sweet Apple Acres, but do you have a home or a place somewhere? I mean, the Wonderbolts can probably build one, I think, out of clouds and stuff, but what about you two?" she asked Deasly, who looked thoughtful for a moment, tapping his hoof on his lip, and then shrugged.

"I hadn't really thought too hard about it. The Professor can usually find some place to bunker down, like last night, or if not, we rent one. He's a teacher at a prestigious university, and he owns the patents on a few devices, and does contract work, most recently for the Princesses, with the Wonderbolts new shoes, so he's actually got a lot in savings," mentioned Deasly.

"Oh no no no no no, dear, that won't do at all. I insist, since I had to rent that whole lousy apartment block for that show last month, you can all stay in rooms there," say Rarity, pointing her horn towards the building you'd stayed at with Octavia and Vinyl your first night.

"Are you sure? I mean, Twilight's not wrong, we can just make something with the clouds," asked Snowbolt, one of the few times he'd spoken without being spoken to first.

"Of course I'm sure, darling. After all, what's the point of being able to rent something like that, and not being able to share it?" she asked.

"Well then, I accept, on behalf of myself, and my squad, you have our thanks," said Spitfire.

"And on the Professor's behalf as well, since he'll probably forget where it is, and I'll have to guide him to it each night," echoed Deasly, and everypony had a nice giggle at that. Of course, all noise ceased when the door which had been closed for a while, suddenly banged open, and standing in it was a pair of large stallions in both purple and red coloring, DawnChaser and Big Macintosh had arrived.

And I'll form the Head!

(Author's note, as a bit of a cheat, and because these are easier to watch than to describe, for those who haven't ever watched Voltron, which is available on youtube, the whole series;
http://www.youtube.com/show?p=ZGHTL85TNSc
For those who don't want to watch an old 80s cartoon, here's the sequence for the Blazing Sword(The second one is the one I'm using), just as a visual reference;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbaarqUEGbA
I loved this show myself, and even like Voltron Force, though yeah, the new theme song sucks.)

"So, you being here, does that mean you think it's time for the rebellion to start?" asks the Professor as he walks through the door, with Big Macintosh in tow.

"We're ready any time you are, DawnChaser," answered Spitfire as she walked over and he hugged her in that pony way. It seemed odd, since you'd only seen close friends do it, but then they kissed, which left everypony in the place with a surprised expression. Well, everyone except Big Macintosh and Deasly, the former of whom just laughed, and the latter didn't seem to notice.

"Heh, you still taste like magic," she said as the kiss ended, and DawnChaser smirked in such a smug fashion that you wondered if it would be appropriate to smack him.

"And you still taste like the sky," he responded, as the pair turned to find everypony staring at them. Including Rainbow Dash, who'd bolted upright when the pair had first kissed, not that you'd noticed at the time.

"But, I thought you liked mares," was all Vinyl got out, when Spitfire and DawnChaser looked at each other, and laughed.

"Oh, you guys are surprised...but I guess I never did share that story," said Spitfire idly.

"What she means by that is that her and the Professor are good friends, the kind that sometimes get intimate with each other. I don't think he's exclusive to her, and I know for a fact DawnChaser has several friends like that, Big Macintosh included," said Deasly, which actually got Big Macintosh to blush a bit, while running his hoof through his mane.

"Well, it was just that one time, and we'd had a lot to drink," he tried to explain, stumbling a bit over the words as they came out.

"But Big Red, I thought you said I had the most talented tongue in Equestria," the Professor said, trying his best to make his eyes look big and hurt, which turned Big Macintosh a deep shade of purple as he blushed hard.

"Heh, you know he's just teasing. He did the same thing to Soarin and me when he came in for the equipment overhaul. He always had to bring up that threesome when anypony else was around," she said, tickling the Professor's chin with her hoof, as everyone turned to Soarin, who blushed himself, but not as deeply as Big Macintosh.

"Um, well, anyway, what are you doing here? I figured the Big, Royal, and Sparkly Duo would send somepony to watch me, but I figured it would take a while, since you guys are slow when hauling all your stuff," asked the Professor casually, letting the entire subject drop.

"We didn't have to bring it all on the wing this time. There's a train that runs right from Canterlot to Ponyville, so it's only a few hours to transport the heavy stuff here. We decided to fly on ahead, just to make sure you didn't end up destroying something in the meantime," Spitfire explained, as DawnChaser levitated a few tables in the Boutique's front together, and everypony say down at the now long enough table. You even flew onto it yourself, landing in front of Deasly.

"I suppose that's not entirely an unwarranted precaution. Still, I'm glad we caught up with you two here, since I have a few more tests to run...and since Applejack kicked us off the farm," he said, and Big Macintosh looked at him like he didn't want to be included in that 'us'.

"Was yer fault anyway. You just had to try and use magic to make it go faster," he complained to DawnChaser, who tried to look innocent.

"Well, it was taking a bit too long, and I did get the apples out of the trees, and made the harvest the best you'll ever have, didn't I?" he asked.

"Yeah, but I don't think anypony can eat apples bigger than they are," explained Big Macintosh, to which the Professor only shrugged, and you had a mental image of somepony trying to bit into an apple bigger than they were...and it actually made you smile, since it was just what you'd been experiencing since coming to Equestria.

"Anyway, I gathered a lot of data on our human friend while he was asleep, and even more while he was awake this morning, so I wanted to perform some tests," he said, and pulled out a book, and a large chart from his saddlebag. The book was that math book again, but the chart showed graphs and diagrams, along with pictures of you, which had numbers beside them.

"Like I theorized, I think our new friend here is some kind of magical energy converter. We unicorns, and even pegasi and earth ponies, gather natural magic from the world around us, the power of our connections, which is why we're the most magical of most races on our world," he said, and levitated a pointer towards the board. Looking around, you found a few ponies, including the Wonderbolts, looking at you, while others seemed to have their eyes glazing over, probably because this was common knowledge.

"We do a similar trick, but our scale is smaller. We take in only little amounts of magic, mostly through our own connections, both with the world, and each other. The human....he doesn't need connections. Any magic that touches him, he can absorb. The stronger the magic, like something from the Princesses, the faster he absorbs it," he said, pointing to a few numbers near the bottom.

"Um, but then, why can I teleport him? I mean, that spells pretty magic intensive. And Deasly shrank him with him last night, shouldn't that have failed?" asked Twilight.

"Ah, well, that's the kicker. Your special talent is magic, so your spells are nowhere near as complex as others, and even you admitted, teleporting him is far more draining than anypony else. And as for Deasly, that shrink spell is his talent spell, so it's basically just a single thought to him, it means the spell happens so fast, that the energy absorbing process can't unravel the spell before it does its thing. Whereas Princess Celestia, with that growth spell yesterday, would have been using her version of the spell I created based off Deasly's shrink spell. It's far more complex, with a thousand different little spells all kind of threaded together. Any one of those being absorbed, and the spell just falls apart," explained the Professor like he was teaching a class, moving the pointer towards some more numbers, none of which you understood.

"So, does that mean I keep having trouble flying because I run out of magic?" you ask.

"Oh, no, not even close. You see, the flight power would be a spell, something instinctive, like young unicorns are capable of until they find their talent spell. You cast it, and then start absorbing it. After a while, you simply absorb the whole thing, and have to recast it," he said, and again, pointer, and a random jumble of numbers.

"Instinctive magic? But that's impossible. Magic is all about structure, and order," protests Twilight.

"Well, yes and no. When we're older, it takes time to learn a new spell, we have to consider all the little things in it, the tiny nuances of what our powers effect. It's one of the reasons why schools like Hayvard originally catered mostly to unicorns, as we grow up learning everything we can, mostly just to control our powers. Still, didn't you, as a filly, cause things to happen just by wanting them too? How did you learn magikinesis?" he asks, and Twilight starts to object, raising her hoof, only to thoughtfully put it to her lip as she considered.

"Exactly. Unicorns, and even earth ponies and pegasi to a degree, all use instinctive magic, but it's all limited in scope, simple things, nothing like the flight spell you use, or that hangover curing spell from this morning," and he points again, this time to pictures of you flying, and then to ones that are obviously you with your hangover, considering the expression on your face.

"That's why I want to try some tests. I want to see just what you're capable of, if you're willing to try. If not, I can just keep taking passive scans and readings, but to really understand, to really know what makes you tick, I'd like to have you do things, and try to cast spells. Would you do it?" he asks, rather politely, considering he was slipping right from teacher mode to asking for something. And you are forced to consider. Professor DawnChaser seemed nice enough, but still, after hearing about what he'd done from both Deasly and Spitfire, and how absent minded he is, he might hurt you, or have you do something that could get somepony hurt, and that's not to mention the apparent racism he and everypony in the room seems to have against dragon's considering that story. Still, this would be your best chance to repay the kindness you have been shown, to be a help to these ponies, rather than a burden.

"Okay, let's give it a shot," you say, and the Professor smiles.

"Excellent. Hmm, what to test first," he began, and pulled out another book, this one with a cover much like his cutie mark. It was brown, leather bound volume, with slightly yellowed pages, and a bright red leather bookmark.

"We could try...no, that might cause an explosion," he said, levitating a quill out of his saddlebag and moving it over a page, obviously marking something out.

"That one might be fun, but if it fails I would like to know if you have a safety net," he muttered, this time making some annotation to the book.

"Now this one's just silly," he said, and scratched it out as well, before suddenly beaming at the next page.

"Of course, this is the perfect test. Hmm, need more room though. Everypony, outside," he ordered, sounding again like a college Professor, and everyone moved to obey, probably all for their own reasons. Soon enough though, your group was out in front of the Boutique, you hovering a bit off the ground, DawnChaser in front of you, and the others gathered around in a circle, the Wonderbolts with their goggles down, looking serious, and the others just looking curious.

"Okay, this is good enough. Now, this is a skill that only a few unicorns master, and even then, only to a level to do it on a small scale. However, since the Princesses can do it to the whole sky at a time, I want to see if you can do it too. In this case, I want you to focus your magic into a solid form. In basic, I want you to create an item," he said, and showed you his book. It was words, rather than numbers, and contained several bullet points that were obviously tests he wanted to do, though he pulled it back before you could so much as get a single word off the page.

"Do you understand?" he asks, and you look at him thoughtfully.

"You just want me to create something...anything I can think of?" you respond, trying to clarify.

"Yes, anything at all. This is just a test to see how complex your spells can get. Even the most powerful and learned unicorns can only create simple tools and objects from raw magical energy. I'm hoping you might do it a bit better," he says, and you nod, landing amid the grass as you do. You don't trust the flight spell to work as you do this, and even though it's a little unsettling to be in the grass, staring upward at the ponies, when you'd been getting used to at least seeing them from back level, you decide it's better to be safe, than sorry. Then you face suddenly brightens, as you get an idea of what to make.

"So, anything I want, huh? You know, there is always something I wanted to work when I was a kid. Something from an old cartoon," you say, while holding your fists out to your sides. This was the first time you'd tried this, and figured, even if it didn't work, it would make for a good show, and so you focused, reaching inside yourself as you had done before, touching that bright light inside, and trying to syphon off a bit of it. Just like with the hangover spell, it came easy, and you doubted you were even making a dent in it. Still, the amount, seemingly small, felt right, and with a laugh, you began the narration you remembered from your childhood.

"From the depths of space, comes a legend. The Legend of Voltron, Defender of the Universe! As Voltrons legend grew, peace settled across the cosmos. On Planet Earth, a Galaxy Alliance was formed. Together with the good planets of the Solar System, they maintained peace throughout the universe. But then, a new, powerful evil arose, Voltron, was needed once more!" not really seeing the point in the finish, since you certainly weren't brave, a space explorer, or five different people. So instead, you bring your fists together, and let the clack of them resound, before pulling them apart.

"Form Blazing Sword!" you cry out.

You draw your fists apart, and in between them you see an arc of light, that shines brighter than the sun, casting odd shadows everywhere, and everypony pulls back a bit, including some who had just been passing through, who look at you like you're some kind of monster. You don't care though, as you feel the blazing, hot power coursing through you. It feels great, like you were holding a bolt of lightning in your hands, and as your fist pulls free, the arc begins to change shape, soon taking on solid form as the weapon you remember from your youth, and just like that show, you pull back with the hand holding it, making your arm and the sword into a straight line, the blade soon dulling until it was the familiar silver color with blue handle.

"Woah," you say, as you bring the weapon closer to your face, inspecting the lines of it. Interestingly, it felt light as a feather in your hand, and you did a quick test, twirling it among your fingers in a spinning motion, finding the blade almost flew for you as you took it into a few combat poses. Probably nothing that would work in a real sword fight, but still, you though it looked awesome.

"Interesting, I assume it's some sort of weapon," asked DawnChaser, leaning closer, his massive face filling your sky. You don't even flinch though, still feeling the power of your sword. Just because you know he's going to do it, you hold the sword still for a moment, and he quickly copies a sketch of it down, before you decide to test the sharpness of the blade, slicing a blade of grass almost as tall as you in half. The blade cuts cleanly through, and leaves a glowing slash on the two halves of the grass as it falls down. Of course, the instant the halves touch the dirt, they explode, not with a lot of force, more like a firecracker, but it's enough to scare ten years off your life, and to cause everypony to back up a good foot from where you were. Except the Professor, who's instantly all over the charred remains of the grass, writing in his notebook furiously.

"Yes, a weapon, one that leaves energy in the cuts it makes. Curiouser and curiouser," he said, and suddenly you find your sky is darkened, and hold the sword up defensively while closing your eyes, only to suddenly feel weightless. Opening them again, you find you’re in the hoof of Spitfire, who'd rushed in and grabbed you out from beneath DawnChaser's hoof before he could squash you, reminding you again of your small size.

"Like I said, here to help when the Professor forgets things," she said, and you nod, as she comes to a stop, and you jump off her hoof, and hover on your own, doing a few more tricks with the sword. It was a marvelous toy, something that made you giddy just to hold it, and doing a few aerial maneuvers with it, you find it becoming easy to handle. Slashing a few more blades of grass, you then spot a rock, and decide to see what you can do with that, spinning and tossing the sword this time, so you won't be close to it when it hits.

"Huh?" you go, as something happens to the sword. In midflight, it starts to seem like it's pixelating, and then, just as it hits the rock, the sword shatters into a thousand tiny dots of light, that then just fade away, leaving you all flash blinded for a moment.

"Incredible," says the Professor, trotting over towards the rock, and suddenly having a dozen instruments floating in the air around him, all beeping and taking odd readings from the surroundings.

"Do you realize what we just witnessed?" he asked, and while everyone was still blinking away the dots before their eyes, he decides to answer the question himself.11

"The item, once it lost contact with its stable point, the unicorn...human who cast the spell that made it, it lost cohesion. This is just inconceivable. That item was far more complex than any I've seen anypony else generate. Hmm, perhaps some more testing on this? While I'm sure Ms. Rarity's clothing is fine, why don't you slip out of that, and try to make some clothing yourself?" he asks, and looking down at the jersey, you decide, why not. You already lived out one geek fantasy, why not more. After all, theres a dozen other shows you can pull something from for an outfit.

"Hmm, clothing....how's about some armor?" you suggest, landing again, this time a bit farther away from the Professor. Not that you don't trust him mind, but you don't trust him to mind you.

"Well, you made a weapon like that, so some defense would be appropriate," he says, and you look around at the ponies, all of whom are staring at you. The crowd is now pretty great. You see the Whooves, Cheerilee, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, the Mayor, and dozens of others. This is growing to be quite the show, and remembering the old Voltron uniforms, you decide not to get into one of them, but then think of a show that has the perfect set of clothing for this situation.

Of Rangers and Mecha

(Again, since I'm not sure how many of you watched Power Rangers, in this case, specifically the Mystic Force incarnation, here's the morphing sequence
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6crSieA-Qs4
This show...well plot holes abound, but I personally still liked it, and the ending is exactly what Wild Forces should have been, but wasn't.
And also, hopefully last time, here's a Veritech, which also pops up in this chapter, and will again, if I have anything to say about it. It’s basically a transforming mecha, and here’s all three of its modes, first fighter, then Guardian(That part where it's a jet with arms and legs), and finally the robot form, called Battloid.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlHZZXXqp24
For those wanting still shots, here’s some from Robotech.com
http://www.robotech.com/infopedia/mecha/viewmecha.php?id=5
)

"Okay, I got the perfect suit to wear. Celestia should like this one," you say, and hold out your hand putting your pointer and middle fingers out together, you focus again, and this time, there's a flash as the item is generated, a golden playing card, which you hold between your two fingers.

"Magical Source! Mystic Force!" you shout, and throw the card in front of you, the thing spinning in the air, and growing bigger, until it was as large as you were. Of course, since the ponies were much bigger, they hadn't seen the card, but could see it now as it shined in front of you, then flipped around behind like a cartoon boomerang, standing straight up behind you as you tried to stand straight yourself, and it moved forward, covering your body with its glow. Instantly, you are wearing a fancy suit of armor, with little bits sticking out, all shining golden, but obviously completely unusable in a real battle, as the bits wouldn't stick together properly, and would just get in your way.

Before anypony can note that, however, another flash of light happens, and the armor thins out, becoming almost skintight against you, and feeling lighter even than the sword had, which was against your expectation as you'd figured armor, even magically made armor, would still be heavy. Soon, the golden hue starts to fade, and blue becomes a prominent secondary color, while behind you, the armor suddenly grows a flowing golden cape with red inner lining, fluttering in the air behind you, despite a lack of wind to make it do such a thing.

"Power of the Sun!" you cry, and hold your hand in the air, clenching a fist, and suddenly it seems like the sun itself dims, and you become a glowing radiance in Ponyville, standing just above the grass, while going into a fighting pose.

"Solaris Knight!" you finish, and then punch out, like they would on the show, and posing again, this time like you were ready for anything. Around you, light slowly returned to the sky, and every pair of eyes in the town was turned on your little form, making you smirk beneath the helmet you were wearing, your eyes moving even as your head stayed perfectly straight, hoping you looked as badass as you felt.

"Even better. You're maintaining individual pieces of a greater whole. I don't know anypony who can do that!" says the Professor, stepping closer, and you decide to walk towards him. Of course, this is complicated by the fact that the first step you take, sends you flying into the air.

"Woah!" you shout, as you sail over DawnChaser's head, looking like you’re going to land in the grass, but as you come to the peak of your arc, before anypony can grab you for your own safety, you tuck yourself into a ball, flipping end over end several times, and then uncurling as you get closer, landing lightly on your hand, and then pushing off with a hand spring, before finally coming to a stop with both feet on the ground, and once again in a fighting stance, this time your head whipping around, as the ponies gathered, look at you, and then start clapping, obviously impressed with that display.

"How the hay did you just do that?" asked Vinyl, looking down at you and coming closer. Not really having an answer yourself, you pull at you cape, trying to get it to unsnarl a bit from behind you, and then jump again, this one a little more controlled, landing lightly on her back.

"I did it by being a Power Ranger...holy monkey balls, I'm a Power Ranger!" you say, suddenly realizing you are. The suit was giving you all the abilities of one, and for a moment, you wonder if you could find a monster to fight, then decide it's not worth it, and leap off of Vinyl's back, before slamming your fists together again.

"Form Blazing Sword!" you command, and once again, you are soon holding the bladed weapon, which, now with the agility boost of the arm, seems to be a blur in your hand as you leap at the rock you'd thrown it at, and slice it clean in two, landing just past it, before turning, and snapping your fingers, just as the thing explodes with almost ten times the force of the blade of grass. This time, you don't even feel it through the armor, and if you weren't aware of hundreds of eyes on you, you would have gone all fan boy and squealy at the moment. Instead, you just turn back, and then wave.

"Absolutely fascinating. You can maintain two solid forms at once. Hmm, perhaps we can try for something bigger? A vehicle perhaps?" asks DawnChaser, while scratching down more notes, and you look up at him, considering for a moment what to make. This would probably require more of your store of magic, but you had to admit, being a ranger really made you want to summon a zord. But Zords were, apart from megazords for the most part, non-humanoind, and right now, you really wanted to be bigger, staring up at the Professor.

"Okay. I think I know just the one!" you tell him.

"Power down!" you shot, and the Solaris Knight armor vanishes, leaving you in the clothing you'd been in before. That was one worry off your mind, and you'd been wondering what happened to your old clothes when you morphed. Still, it wasn't a big worry, and for the moment, your problem was focus. You needed to make something complex this time, not just a sword or a suit, but a full blown mechanoid, so closing your eyes, you reach inside yourself again, this time trying to grab as much of the glowing star of magic inside you as you can, before letting it loose, envisioning what you wanted, and trying to make it real.

You step away from everyone, and jam the sword you're holding into the ground, still holding the hilt as you concentrate. The star inside you shudders as the power flows out of it, and looking down at your hands you can see the lines of energy going from inside of you, into the sword, which glows brightly again. Then the glow slowly 'leaks' away, starting to become a pool of radiance on the ground, which causes all the ponies to back up again as it expands, soon growing until it’s a small lake to you, while the sword has changed, its grip now a handle, with the pool of light sort of flowing around it. Suddenly the pool jumps up, and you are covered in a dome of light that outshines the sun once again, everypony gasping.

The dome pulses with power, continuing to expand for a moment, before it seems to deflate like a balloon, falling inward. Inside, you can feel the shape, of the dome, same as you could feel magic before, and concentrating, you focus on the form you want. The wings, the tail, the engines, all the little bits from the show. Interestingly, as you think, you can feel the magic helping. The internal parts of the fighter form as the dome takes on the shape you want, and each bit fits together, probably just like it did in the show, the little things, the inertial dampener, the missile systems, everything is being filled in automatically, like the magic wanted to take this shape, and soon enough, the glowing down sheds the outer layer of light, and you're sitting in the cockpit of a Veritech fighter.

"Hmm, intriguing. What kind of vehicle is this?" asks the Professor, as he steps forward, drawing more in his notebook. Sitting back, you just keep your head swiveling around, staring at all the stuff around you. It's just kind of incredible. You made this. Well, magic made it, but you made it real, you brought it into existence, a real Veritech fighter. The Blazing Sword is now the control stick, with several buttons on it. The levers on the found are controls for the various modes of the fighter, and there's even a mic on the dashboard, which you press so you can talk.

"This is called a Veritech. It's a jet fighter. If you'll back up a bit Professor, I'll launch, and show you what I can do," you tell him, and DawnChaser complies, taking several steps backwards from the unknown thing, the quill still flying over the book. In fact, you notice he's doing two at once, which is a pretty good trick. But you've got a better one, and smirk as you push a button, and hear the roar of the engines, the powerful cry for the sky that comes from any jet. The Veritech isn't any jet though, and rather than do the whole runway thing, you point push another button, and several small jets spring from below, lifting you off the ground, as your landing gear retracts back into the body. Then, with a push of a pedal at your feet, you rocket forward, your body pressed into the seat by the g-forces.

"Ac-acti-activate G-Diffusers," you say, your arm fighting forward, and then pushing another button, and the force pushing you back eases up slowly, as the antigravity pods inside the Veritech spin to power, and then come fully online. Looking out of the cockpit, you suddenly find yourself about to crash into Ponyville city hall, and pull hard on the stick, which causes the fighter to pull an almost ninety degree turn away from the ground, and start moving up into the sky. Looking behind you, you see the ground just fall away, as you gain several thousand feet in seconds, your dials telling you you're going up at almost 1500 meters a second, that's mach four or thereabouts, and you haven't even hit the after burners or anything yet.

"Woahoo!" you say, as you cut the power to the engines for a moment, and pull a turn that would tear a normal fighter apart, as you spin around, and activate them again, suddenly plummeting downward, back towards Ponyville, the ground rushing up to meet you. You can see the crowd gathered down, and your computer starts beeping, and you see lock on reticules appear over several of the gathered ponies. Thinking that's probably not a good idea, you concentrate for a moment, and feel the magic shift and move a bit, as the missiles and gun shift from battle, to training mode, becoming powder shots that would just color a target for the missiles, and some light stings for the gun. Just as you reach the ground, you pull up again, and find yourself skimming along the grass, which doesn't burn, but instead leaves waves of it pressed down as you pass, before you finally return to the crowd and pull of a stop that seems impossible for the speed you'd been going on.

"Incredible," was all the Professor said, as he got closer, and continued to scribble something, now having five books with quills all going at lightning speeds as he puts down theories and numbers, "Absolutely fantastic. This vehicle must be faster than any pony I've ever seen."

"Hey! Nopony, and no metal can, is faster than the Dash!" complains Rainbow Dash, hoping up out of the crowd and coming closer to where you're hovering off the ground, about level with DawnChaser's head. Interestingly, it is only now that you note that the Veritech is about the same size as the ponies around you, which will make the secondary modes at least somewhat useful. Rainbow Dash seems unimpressed though, and lands in front of you.

"You just haven't seen me in action yet, Professor. I could fly circles around this thing," she boasts, and the Professor seems to consider this a moment, three of the quills pausing, as one hovers over and starts tapping his lip.

"You're right, I haven't, and that would be an excellent next test. Would you be up for a little flying competition in this...Very-Tech, thing you've created?" he asks, and you look to find Dash obviously confident of you either being too scared to do it, or just in her own superiority. She is pretty fast too. Mach 10 was what some guy had said created her Sonic Rainboom, but at the same time, she also had maneuverability, changing direction at angles that were insane. But you're in the most advanced jet ever built. Powered by Protoculture, almost the same as having a small sun. This would really put it to the test, but Dash was competitive, and you had to admit, so were you. This could be dangerous. But think of the glory if you could beat her.... Finally, after a moment of thought, you nod

"I'll take you to school," you tell her, and turn your Veritech around, pointing again towards city hall. Dash, taking her mark beside you, smirk, and chuckles, obviously expecting an easy victory, despite showing how fast the thing was already. That showed either delusion, or a lot of confidence, and knowing her from the show, you know she's actually capable of backing it up.

"Okay, first one too-" the Professor begins, but before he can really finish, Dash takes off like a shot, and within a heartbeat, you take off after her. The speed is incredible, as the buildings of Ponyville zip by you, and you dodge, juke, and roll around them, leaving sharp contrails in the air behind, while Dash flies just ahead, thanks to starting sooner, and is leaving a rainbow after image behind her. It was actually kind of fun, and you can still feel the movements of the veritech through the g-diffuser system that makes down a constant for you, despite the ground and outside world doing flips and whirls outside your cockpit.

The pair of you are blurs to the crowd, as you both pull a u-turn around city hall, and fly back, your wings buzzing just over Vinyl and Octavia's heads as you pass over them, and then pull up, causing Dash to do the same. Where your drift is more rounded, becoming an arc, Rainbow show's her speed and agility, with numerous sharp changes in how she's flying, her trail becoming a jagged rainbow as she passes you, just barely missing your fighter, before flying upward at a speed that leaves you in her dust.

"You think you've won?!" you shout over your speakers, and hit the thrust bar beside you all the way forward, your jets screaming in protest or joy, it's hard to tell, as you rocket forward, the system keeping you from being squashed to jelly only barely able to hold back the G-forces as you catch up to Dash, leaving her spinning behind you as you continue upward. She quickly shakes off, and even as she vanishes behind, you can see her face getting mad. She hates losing, and isn't about to be beaten by you, not like yesterday in the library, and so she takes off, flying faster than even you are, as the mach cone forms around her body. The jets are already pushed to the limit, but you try to milk some more out of them, turning down the G-diffuser to get a few more meters per second from your fighter, as Dash's speed catches up, and then passes your own, the mach cone suddenly breaking, and a blast of light coming from her as she passes you, leaving you awash in rainbow colored glory.

Your veritech shudders as the light fades, and you have to blink against it, surprised by how much she'd really wanted to win. That was a Sonic Rainboom, it had to be, you remember it from the show, but really being there, feeling the vibrations as it tore through the air, it was like nothing you'd ever felt before. It was at least 20% cooler than it was on the show, and you give Dash a salute, adjusting the G-diffuser back to normal, and then toning down the jets a bit. She really is faster than a veritech, something no biological being should be, but there it was. Taking a much gentler slope, you follow the rainbow trail upwards into the heavens, finding it to remain just as bright after Rainbow Dash past, almost like a solid light construct.

Of course, when that light suddenly ends, you look around, wondering what happened, and then realize something that makes you swear. You hadn't thought about it before, but you and Dash had been flying straight upward, and while your fighter had an air tight cockpit and was rated for spaceflight, Dash didn't have that protection. You'd never thought about it on the show, but pegasi probably had a high flight ceiling, considering they trained high up in the clouds. However, high ceiling, didn't mean space worthy, and turning towards your instruments, you flick the radar on, and desperately search it, begging it to ping, and then smiling as you find something solid floating nearby. Well, not floating exactly, as it was falling back towards the planet below.

Turning your jet, you spare only a single glance for the scene below you. It's Equestria, the world of the show. It's a sphere, an orb, floating in the heavens. You hadn't thought to hard about it, but considering the Princesses moved the sun and moon, it had been a curiosity. Still, looking at it below, it really is a lovely little world, and you would probably tear up a bit, but don't have the time now. Instead you punch your jets, and fly towards where Dash is, her head pointed towards the ground as she plummets out of the sky, her body building up speed as it falls, and quickly approaching terminal velocity.

Of course, getting to her, you wonder for a moment what to do about it. There's no cable or other sort of attachment on the veritech, so there doesn't seem to be any way to grab the pegasus. Then you face palm, remembering just what a veritech is, and reach down towards the three controls near the bottom of your cockpit marked F, G, and finally, B, for the transformations of the veritech. Right now the F is the one pulled down, so you grab the B lever, and pull that one instead. Instantly you feel the fighter shift and transform, the noise of it reaching your ears as scraping metal through the cockpit that makes you wish you could cover your ears. You try to stay focused though, and look at Dash, seemingly so peaceful, until the cockpit is covered by the transformation, and you're now starting a bank of monitors.

They're blank one moment, but then spring to life the next, showing the same scene as before, but at a different sort of angle, and looking around, you find the controls have shifted a bit. Now instead of a stick, there are two gloves at your sides, and pedal below for the legs, so sticking your arms into the gloves, you begin to move the veritech like it was just an extension of your body, reaching out gently to grab Dash, and then curl your arms around her, before firing the jets on your feet. Not hard, as she doesn't have a g-diffuser in her body, and would be torn apart if you tried to just stop, but instead you do a stuttering fire, reducing the speed the two of you are falling at, as you descend through the atmosphere towards the planet below.

After the Race

The descent is longer than the ascent, mostly because you keep having to readjust the way you're holding Dash, finally settling on holding her like a babe, her back down, and her legs in the air, curled a bit, as you slowly drop out the sky. A few minutes of this, and you can finally see Ponyville below again, only a tiny smear on the landscape, but luckily your veritech zooms in for you, and you see the others all looking up, the Professor with a telescope already unpacked, and pointing into the sky in the direction you and Dash had probably vanished in. You seem to have drifted a bit though, only a bit luckily enough otherwise you would have probably ended up lost somewhere for a long time, as you doubted Dash traveled too far from home, even with her adventurous spirit.

So it is that a few minutes later, you and Dash land behind the crowd, the loud metallic thud of the veritech landing drawing everypony's eyes to the two of you. Of course, the looks on their eyes aren't friendly, and within seconds, you have three Wonderbolts in the air over your head, while the others all seem to be gearing up for a fight. It takes you a second to realize they were probably not expecting you to appear in battloid mode, and with Dash draped over your arms, passed out, it probably didn't look good, and as they approached, you held up a hand, and motioned for them to stop.

"Wait, it's my, everypony," you say, and gently lay Dash down on the ground at the feet of your veritech. Of course, transforming would likely be the easiest way to show off that you're you, but that doesn't even occur to you as you search for the hatch release. It's not easy to find the control though, and outside, the veritech seems to move in odd ways, the hands constantly groping at the empty air, as you say things to yourself, that are transmitted outside through the mic.

"This one?" you ask yourself, and press a big red button. However, instead of being the hatch release, it fires a laser from the battloid's head, which lances out, and forces the ponies to dodge, before it slams into a tree, which becomes a burning torch. Said tree was luckily enough not someone's home, but just a regular tree. Staring at it through the displays, you aren't too thrilled with what you just did, and judging from the looks you're getting, neither is anypony else.

"Oops....so not that one," you say, and then notice something that looks like the hood release lever for a car. Figuring you don't have anything to lose, you pull it, and instantly hear a pneumatic hiss as the air inside the cockpit mixes with the air outside. The monitors through which you'd been looking suddenly fall black, but rather than being left in darkness, the hydraulics inside the fighter hum, the head tilts away, and the seat you’re in, as well as the second seat behind you, which you hadn't noticed before, both rise out of the hole left by the head sort of hanging off the chest.

"So, you are in there," said the Professor, and for once, you are looking down at him. You hadn't noticed before, but the veritech, in battloid mode, is about, if Twilight and her friends are really three feet tall, a bit over six feet itself. That's actually kind of cool, as other than with your flight powers, you hadn't gotten a chance to look down at any of the ponies, and you revel in this for a moment, before shaking your head clear of the delusions you'd been having of striding on legs made of fire among the ponies, and instead smile at DawnChaser.

"I was indeed," you tell him, and he begins to scribble something in a book he's got floating next to him.

"So, did you use magic to alter your vessel into this new shape? Or did you just completely erase that one to make this one?" he asks, curiously, and you find yourself once again as the center of attention, as you stand on the edge of the battloids shoulders, looking down at the ponies.

"Um, neither. It's a veritech. They have three modes, fighter, which you saw before, capable of firing missiles, and high speeds, as well as using it's gun, if not as accurately as the others. This mode, called Battloid, which is a humanoid shaped robot, with fingers about as dexterous as a man's normal ones, to allow interaction with things at this size, it does lose missile capabilities though, however, it's got the most accurate fire for its gun. And then there's an inbetween, called guardian mode, it's basically the same as jet mode, except it's got arms and legs, so it's got the ability to interact like the battloid, but is almost as fast as the fighter, and also has missiles and guns, accuracy with the latter being somewhere in between the other two," you explain, and he nods, drawing out another book from his saddlebag and writing into it

"Missiles, I assume that's some kind of weapon, correct? And a gun as well?" he asks, and you would face palm, but you're being watched. You'd kind of forgotten that Equestria was a ways behind you in the military hardware. They'd probably never seen a missile, or even a crossbow bolt, considering their lack of hands, and would likely never get guns, or at least, you kind of hoped they wouldn't. Still, you'd already blabbed it out, and they'd all heard you, so you decide to be honest.

"Missile is the singular, but yes, they're both weapons," you admit to the Professor, who hmms and then continues writing.

"Was that beam of light you set fire to the tree with before one of these?" he asks.

"Oh, no, that's called a laser. It's a focused light beam, basically it's like focusing a sunbeam through a magnifying glass, and then doing it again for about a thousand times. It's not a direct combat weapon though. It burns out a bit too quickly," you explain.

"Really? Hmm, interesting. I will have to try that sometime. Anyhow, tell me, who won the race? Ms. Rainbow Dash seems to be in no condition to talk, though she is sleeping peacefully. Considering you were carrying her though, I would assume you were victorious?" he asks, and you look down at her. She looks small down there, which is an odd thought, considering you'd actually been down her throat before. Still, it is the perfect opportunity to fib a bit. After all, Dash wouldn't know that she'd actually beaten you, considering she'd passed out, and no one else could follow you up that high. Still, she'd been trying so hard, and while you could have gone higher than her, in a test of speed, she'd proven your better, and one should always try to be humble in such situations.

"She won, hoofs down. She really is the fastest thing in all of Equestria," you tell them, as Rainbow Dash appears to stir a bit, yawning as her head rises, and she faces you.

"And you better remember it," she says, somewhat breathlessly, before falling back asleep, breathing gently. You smile at that for some reason, and watch as Applejack and Big Macintosh walk over to her, helping a few pegasi to pick her up, and carry her off into the sky, towards a little cloud above Ponyville that has little lines of light coming out of it. It takes you a moment to realize that it's her house, and they're probably taking her there to rest. Of course, you're brought back down to earth when you hear a metallic banging noise, and look down to see the Professor lightly tapping his hoof against the veritech.

"Hmm, what's the material this mechanical biped is constructed from?" he asks, and you shrug in response, as he looks up at you.

"I haven't a clue. I don't even know how half these systems work, truth to tell," you admit, and he seems to just gap at you for a moment, all the while, a quill continues to work furiously at the book beside him.

"Really? That's incredible. Though it's possibly you'd heard what the material is and subconsciously filled in the details. What's more, why would you people design such a transformation? It seems rather odd," he says, looking over the battloid mode.

"Well, they didn't, exactly. I mean, someone thought up the idea, sure, but this is like the sword and the armor I was wearing, it's from a TV show I watched as a kid. I always wanted one though, and so, I just kind of summoned it," you tell him, and this time, even the quill stops, which makes you kind of worried, like maybe you'd made something that will explode. Then his face lights up like a child on Christmas morning, and suddenly there are a dozen books around him, and all of them are being written in simultaneously. For once, DawnChaser is even paying attention to them, rather than having the pens go on automatic, and he shifts one or two books to float right in front of him, and then moves them off for others, rotating between them, while you turn away, finding Octavia, Vinyl, and Spitfire standing just below the mecha.

"That was so awesome, little dude. You were like, whoosh, and then she was like, zoom, and then, kapow! It was so cool," said Vinyl, and before you can respond, she levitates a small form up towards you. It's Deasly, who stands on the veritech's shoulder with you, smiling. Obviously, he'd enjoyed the show too, and looking almost like the Professor, he leaned forward, looking into the cockpit of the veritech.

"She's not wrong. That was awesome. I mean, I'd heard the stories about Ms. Rainbow Dash, to be sure. Almost everypony in Equestria knows about her Sonic Rainboom from the Young Flier's Competition last year, but to not only see it, but see this marvel in action, truly awesome," he says, and reaches a hoof towards the controls. Of course, knowing that you might fire the lasers again, or something equally bad, you grab him and hold his leg for a moment, wagging your finger.

"I'm sure it was, because it was awesome to fly too, but just for now, let's not play with the controls of the death machine, especially when I don't know what all of them do," you advise him, and he looks towards the buttons on the arm of the chair forlornly, but nods, and walks back over towards the shoulder's edge, with Octavia smiling up at you. That makes you feel cool, for some reason, like a real fighter ace, getting praise from his girlfriend, that last thought making you blush a bit. Still, you look towards Spitfire too find her goggles off, staring at the veritech, and then reaching out a hoof to place against it, seeming quiet impressed by it.

"So, this hunk of metal kept up with that filly. That's pretty cool. I saw how it handled too, which I must admit, never seen a machine that can do that," she told you, and you nod down at her.

"I doubt you ever will again. Veritechs are top of the line, some of the best fighters in any universe, the transformations are just icing on the cake," you tell her.

"Heh, so I see. Still, how do you think these things could stand up in real combat? I mean, zeppelins and other aircraft are pretty flimsy compared to a squadron of pegasi," she says, a note of challenge in her voice. Again, a pegasus seems to be making light of your creations abilities, and looking down at the two musical ponies, one seems to be egging you on, obviously wanting to see a good fight, while the other is facehoofing at the absurdity of it all. Turning to Deasly, he's gazing into the hole that leads to the cockpit, not seemingly aware of anything.

"Hmm, that might be a good test, but I would request you maintain a lower flight ceiling this time," says the Professor, surprising the five of you, and making all of you jump, Deasly banging his head pretty hard on your pilot seat, before looking down at the Professor.

"You can't be serious. I mean, that's absurd. Spitfire and her group are Wonderbotls, the elite fliers. Even if this machine is good enough to keep up with Rainbow Dash, it's still not that sturdy...is it?" he asks you while rubbing his head with one hoof, and you scratchy your chin in consideration. You'd earlier thought about it, and turned your stuff down to training guns and missiles. If the Wonderbolts have similar settings to their weapons, you can probably do a safe training flight. That, and you're sure it will be fun, and you're equally positive that you can take them. Still, Dash beat you, and your pride might not like the second blow so soon after the first.

So thinking, you accept. It was a chance to prove your worth, and what's more, it sounded like a blast. This time, however, there are ground rules. First, DawnChaser adjusts their horseshoes, turning down whatever magic is in them to less than lethal levels, as demonstrated with Soarin kicks out, and a ball of energy shoots into a nearby tree, crackling against it, but otherwise leaving the thing unharmed. Second, you have a flight ceiling limitation, around one mile up. He gives you the measurement in some weird unit you don't know the name of, but a few minutes of comparisons, and you figure it to be a bit over a mile, which you try to remember is how much, but then, failing that, just decide to stay under fifteen hundred meters, that sounded about right.

"Next, winner is based off a point system, so as to make this fair. Three hits for a Bolt, nine for your contraption. Does that sound fair?" he asks, and you think about it for a moment, before shaking your head.

"Better make it five hits for them to shoot me down, otherwise, they won't stand a chance," you boast, and you can see the crowd looking impressed. Octavia and Vinyl too, and you wink confidentially at them, as the Professor jots down the tally in his book, and then turns towards townhall again.

"Now, you keep your weapons on non-lethal settings too, which you can, right?" he asks, looking at you, and you nod. You'd already made the missiles into ink pack things. It's only then that you remember that you'd just let the gun fall off when you'd transformed into battloid mode to catch Dash. Still, you only have to lean down, touch the veritech with your hand, and imagine it holding the gun, for the thing to appear, forming an outline of it in a rainbow of colors that slowly filled in with the dull gray of the gun.

"I think I can manage," you tell hm, resuming your seat. At the same time, Deasly, who has been drawing a bit himself in the sketch books from his saddlebags, runs past you, showing you a glimpse of his art of the inside of your cockpit, before wishing you luck in a whisper, and then hopping off the edge of the veritech's shoulder, growing as he does so, and landing with a thud you can hear. Still, no one seems to be reacting as if he hurt himself, and a moment later, he trots over towards the crowd, sharing his drawing with the mane six and the music ponies.

"Okay, you have to reach the townhall first, only then can you start blasting each other, got it?" he asks, and you nod, along with the Wonderbolts, who all take up position near you, lowering their goggles as they do. That makes you smile, wondering if anyone was waking up Dash to watch from above, but figuring they wouldn't. She had been pretty much out of it. You are then presented with a control problem, namely, you have no idea which one is the one to lower the cockpit chair back inside, and spend a moment reading the random numbers, and trying to figure out what the pictures mean. Your first choice, a picture of the seat, sends the second cockpit seat into the sky, obviously an ejection system, though, as with the sword, when it stops touching the veritech, it starts to pixelate a bit, looking grainy, before finally seeming to pop like a bubble, bursting into a thousand points of light.

"Uh....didn't need that seat anyway," you say to yourself, and decide to try your next option, one with a down arrow on it. This one elicits a groaning, mechanical noise from the mecha, but a moment later, you are descending back into the dark confines, as the head swings back into place, covering you in shadows again, deep within the chest of the humanoid figure. Slipping back into the space easily, you blink as the displays flare to life, showing you the scene right outside again, only now noticing that the image, rather than being from the chest, is one from the head's level, meaning it has the cameras and sensors on it, with which you begin to play, flicking between infrared, sonar, and some form of energy detection which sees nothing back dark shapes, before returning to normal, and listening as everypony outside tenses, ready for the action to begin.

"Okay, let me show you my weapon," you say, and point your gun towards the tree that Soarin had shot at. Hoping it was still just a stun blaster, you let it go, firing, and finding the shot flying with almost perfect accuracy where you aimed. Quick to have some fun, as the shot hadn't even reached the tree yet, you begin to rapid fire, letting a spray of bullet like energy projectiles loose from the muzzle of your gun, projectiles that splattered against the tree, leaving a smiley face in its bark, but doing little damage beyond a slight yellow discoloration.

"Excellent. All combatants ready then. Set your marks!" shouts DawnChaser, and you turn, looking down, still an odd sensation, on the Wonderbolts, who look like arrows, drawn back in a bow, and ready to fly. Figuring flight will be the first bit of the contest, you reach down and pull the lever marked F, causing mechanical whirring sounds to issue from all around you, as you hop into the air using your feet jets, and then turn your head, feeling as the mecha unit shifts about you, wings popping out from their folded positions, hands sliding back into the arms for storage, and the legs tucking beneath you, even as the gun goes between them, the legs forming your rear thrusters, and the gun becoming a gun pod situated just below your cockpit.

"Marks set. Wolf 010, ready for takeoff," you tell him, remembering something from an old Robotech game, and figuring it would make a good callsign, as you hover just off the ground, turning your head a little to find you're perfectly level with the Wonderbolts, who don't even seem to have noticed your transformation. Worse, they do look a bit intimidating now, since you're now facing them as a tiny human in a hunk of metal, and begin to doubt your choice to transform. Before you can doubt yourself too much, however, the Professor waves a flag he got from somewhere while you weren't looking, and instinctively, you push your thrusters to their limit, rocketing off, the Wonderbolts right behind you, as your four streaks race to the townhall, pull up, and then begin the aerial dance of dogfighting.

A Battle Begins

The feeling of flying is a great one. Freedom, joy, and just the power of the veritech. It's all cobbled together inside you, almost a match in brightness for that glowing ball of magic that had produced your ride. Behind you, flying in an odd formation, you see the Wonderbolts, Spitfire in the lead, while Soarin and Snowbolt take trailing positions. Rather than staying in a triangle pattern though, they're swirling around her, corkscrewing and juking wildly, while she flies straight forward, her eyes focused on you, as you pull away from them, gaining altitude, until you decide to level off a bit at around twelve hundred meters, your gauges stopping their wild climbs, and you cutting back on your thrusters, as the trio continue to spiral into the sky.

Then the world explodes. Or at least, that's what it seems like. You'd been so focused on Spitfire, following her ascent, that you hadn't noticed when Snowbolt peeled off the formation, diving under you, and kicking out, sparks flying from his foreshoes, and slamming hard into your veritech, scoring the Wonderbolts the first point in your little game. Luckily, you react almost instinctively, and pull to the side after the first impact, which rattles your teeth with the vibration of it. This is lucky because as you do, several more bolts fly past where you'd been, both from above, below, and behind, as Soarin comes at you from overhead, and Spitfire takes your rear, the three using their greater numbers to try and box you in, a classic maneuver.

This would spell doom for a normal aircraft, it wouldn't be able to handle the stress on the frame needed for getting out of the kill box of the three ponies. The veritech, as stated, is no normal aircraft though, and with a few pushes on the pedals and your feet, and pulling the stick back, you suddenly start a corkscrew movement of your own, spinning rapidly in the sky, and throwing off the aim of the three firing at you. Snowbolt and Soarin even nearly hit each other as you pass between them and they try to lead you a bit. Spitfire, meanwhile, stops kicking and instead turns off from the straight line course. Normally, that would be the best idea, to put some distance between her and you, but as you spin in your spiral, you suddenly cut power to the right thruster, and spin around, bringing her right into your sights, while the other two are busy trying to avoid their own shots.

This meant you were left with a clear firing arc, right at Spitfire, who realized too late that your weapons functioned better with more distance between, as your FoF(Friend or Foe) system had already tagged her a hostile, and so, when she came in your sights, you fired your gun, several shots of yellow light coming out of the gunpod situated below the cockpit. It moves a little with her, the computer making a thousand calculations a second as it adjusts. Like you'd told the Professor, in this mode, the gun was at its least accurate, only able to turn a degree or two from straight forward, but Spitfire was far enough away, that a degree or two was all it took, and she suddenly found her sky lit up all around her, and as she juked to the side, a shot took her tight between the wings, making her cry out.

"Argh! That stings!" she shouts, and then flaps away, her angle becoming too much, and you now having to dodge more incoming fire from Soarin and Snowbolt, who both come at you, hard, from behind. Realizing there's no way to dodge them all in the sky, you quickly hit the deck, diving into the buildings of Ponyville, ignoring a few collision alarms that blared in your ear as you hit the dirt, and then dove in between the massive shadows of Sugar Cube Corner and the building beside it, turning hard around it, and then going between the next two, barely threading it at the speed you were going, but forcing the pursuing pair to follow, allowing you to do something both dangerous, and stupid, as you pointed your thrusters down as you leveled off, shooting into the sky once more.

Normally, such a move would have resulted in them shooting at you, and nailing you a few times before you could retarget, as you were now stationary in the sky. However, because they were busy making sure they didn't slam into anything, they didn't notice you, shooting up, and a quick pull on the lever shifted you back into the humanoid battloid mode, your gun firmly gripped in your left hand, as you aimed down, and got off two quick shots. Both hit their targets square on, Soarin's on his head, and Snowbolt's on his left wing, causing both of them to spiral in the air for a moment, before slamming into a flower cart, probably snacks, considering the diets of the ponies, and a billboard, respectively. Neither seemed worse for the wear though, as they quickly recovered, and you pulled the lever down again, and shifted back into jet mode, shooting off.

Normally, you would expect season combat veterans to hang back if they'd just gotten shot at like that, to study you a bit more, but the Wonderbolts press the attack, Spitfire coming at you at an angle, while the other two come at you from below, all firing rapidly at your position, kicking forward. Still, you aren't being caught flat footed this time, and dip around most of their shots, before hitting the jets to maximum, skimming the roofs of Ponyville as you turn around, and then fly just a few inches above them. The trio, seeing this, all swoop in, going into a triangular formation as they do, no longer firing wildly, but instead in three streams, designed to box you in at an angle, and finally nail you when you had nowhere else to fly.

This maneuver had no chance of success, mostly due to the environment. For one thing, you had lots of cover in the skies of Ponyville, and proved it by dodging around a small tree, causing Soarin's fire to flash into the leaves, and allowing you to do a roll out of the line of Snowbolt's fire, just as Spitfire herself brought her own shots in towards where you would have been if the three had been able to maintain their rapid fire rates. Soarin, looping around the tree, tries to re-aim at you, but before he can, you spin around, and bring your gun to bare on him, firing at him wildly. The shots have no chance to connect, of course, as the angle is too steep, and Soarin's too close, allowing the blue sky pony to peel off and fly low in between the buildings to dodge your fire, but with a hole in their formation, you punch the jets til they squeal, and rocket away again.

The three quickly gather together again, in the skies, but rather than stay in formation, you watch as they break away once more, each flying randomly away from you, and then pulling split second turns to move towards you again, coming at you in some random flying patterns. Looking at that, you smirk, remembering they haven't seen every attack you have, and you quickly turn your engines off, and begin a rolling dive towards the ground, spinning everything in a circle, causing the three to look at you, and to hang back, just within range of your gun, but also just in range to peel off if they need to. Not that that helps, as the targeting computer beeps at you, locking missiles on them, and you let them fly, hearing a staccato of three thumps as six missiles launch.

The missiles come from the rear of your fighter, panels opening up and allowing them to drop out, before their fly sharp and true forward, their little contrails behind them links to their mother craft as you come to a stop in your roll, and watch as they fly. Soarin is the first to pick up on the missiles coming towards him, and even reacts quickly, as two missiles flying at him suddenly burst, and become six, just like on the show, and so he kicks out, while flying away, using his rear hooves to shoot at them. Being heavy missiles, fired from the fighter mode, these models are actually pretty much forward firing things, and so, thanks to Soarin running straight away, they stay with him. However, they're also not smart, and so his fire straight behind nails one, then two, then two more, causing the remaining two to explode from the jarring concussion of their others in such quick succession, leaving a billowing cloud of multicolored dust in the air between you and Soarin.

Snowbolt and Spitfire, meanwhile, merely dip above and below the incoming fire, the missiles getting farther and farther away, before doing that pixilation thing, and then popping into little drops of light, like anything you stop touching when you make it through magic. Before they can draw a bead on your current position, you cut all power to your engines, dropping once more towards the earth below, and then punching the jets again, even the g-diffuser having handling the sudden acceleration as you shoot forward, quickly followed by three blue streaks. The Wonderbolts don't fire another shot as you pull away from them for a moment, before reentering Ponyville and leading them on a merry chase through the buildings again.

Much like before, you can't seem to lose them, and this time, you doubt they'll fall for the sudden turn around trick, so instead you decide to try something different, pulling back on the stick as you reach city hall again, and rising out of the buildings, the streaks of the Wonderbolts following you. Smirking, you reach down, and putting your hand on the lever between F and B, this one marked G, you pull, and are rewarded with not only becoming much slower very quickly, but the sound of the plane shifting around you. Your jets move and adjust, becoming the legs of battloid mode, hanging off the jet chassis you're in, while the arms fold out as well, the left grabbing the gun pod automatically, as aiming reticules appear, and you hear the satisfying beeps of three lockons as the Wonderbolts, unable to stop as you have, pass you by, flying straight upward.

You scream, you aren't sure why, it just feels right, as you squeeze the trigger for guns and missiles, the gun targeting Spitfire, while you just unload every missile the Guardian mode of your veritech has. The biggest advantage of this mode is the increased accuracy of the gun, now held in hand, so able to move much more freely, but while retaining missiles. In fact, the guardian's light missiles are a bit faster, a bit more maneuverable, and a bit more numerous, two missiles launching from the veritech splitting into eight as they fly, while also juking and rolling, showing their maneuverability to the trio. They of course, try to dodge and fire behind themselves, but this time, there's simply too many missiles flying, and they actually dodge the incoming fire from the Wonderbolts, one taking Soarin between the wings, while another takes Snowbolt in his chest.

Interestingly, Spitfire dodges the swarm, twisting in the sky around them, even as you fire a constant stream of magic bullets up at her, their yellow glow passing just inches, in your scale even, from her feathers, while constantly kicking behind her, all the missiles now locked on, turning from the two 'hit' targets, towards her. Luckily....well for you, not her, she's still just one pony, and soon, even turning around and kicking with all fours isn't enough, as one of the missiles flies around her, then pulls a u-turn in the air, and slams into the back of her head, spreading a green dust in her mane that makes her look ridiculous, while Soarin is sporting a purple splotch on his back, and Snowbolt's got pink on his chest.

You laugh at that, but then are forced to spin and run, as they begin firing rapidly at you, forcing you away. This time, however, they keep you from hitting the deck, Soarin laying down fire in a line below you every time you try to drop altitude, as they lay down pretty heavy fire at your rear, and you're forced to shift to fighter mode to keep away from them. Soon, this doesn't even work, as they seem to be gaining speed almost as fast as you are, and even maxing the jets, they are keeping up. Heck, Spitfire, looking pissed, is actually gaining on you. Now out of tricks, you suddenly think of an idea. There's a way to milk more speed out of a veritech, but it might be too complex for you to do to something already made, but if it worked, boy would they be surprised.

So you close your eyes, ignoring the hail of fire around you, as you focus through your control stick, trying to feel the whole of the veritech around you. It felt weird, almost like teleporting, as you let your mind reach out, and touch every edge of the jet's body. Then when you had the whole thing in your mind, you tried to pull at it, warping the shape around you. Behind you, wire frame images seemed to be drawn in the air, taking the form of two huge things mounted on the top of your jet, while smaller constructs appeared at angles, adding an odd glowing look to the veritech. Behind, the Wonderbolts stopped firing, none of them sure what was going on, at least until the wire frames began to get filled in, and suddenly your jet had two massive auxiliary jets mounted on it, that roared to life the instant they came into existence.

The extra speed was astounding, and the Wonderbolts were left in your dust, none of them speaking for a moment, before Spitfire ordered them to fly forward, best speed, and her squadmates complied, their shapes becoming indistinct blurs, as all four of your streaked away from Ponyville, into the mountains, and then beyond, towards a massive castle in the distances. Below, several shapes began to move about furiously, one to contact someone, one to arrange transport, and one just to shout at the proceedings, loving how exciting it had been so far, and wishing you three had stayed for more.

An Interlude

(Cheating a little here, scene will move away from the Human's POV for the moment, to Celestia and Luna. Also, yes, cameo pony is from another fic, specifically, Progress, found here,

https://www.fimfiction.net/story/339/Progress

Events of the fic are considered mostly canon within this universe, and may be referred to later, nothing major though, and you don't have to read if you don't want to. Still, I like it, and I think you will too.)

The day was one of her better ones, or so Celestia thought. She could of course, have changed anything about it she thought wrong, but she'd stopped doing that several hundred years ago, preferring to allow days like this to flow naturally from the world. That made things so much more interesting. Still, days like this were made to be enjoyed, and so she had taken to a balcony just off the palace's main tower, looking into her lovely sky, and sighing, just luxuriating in the day, and the warmth of the sun overhead. It had been fun the other day, to try something new, namely growing that human back, and though the process had left her a bit winded, she still felt the new experience had left her a better pony, letting her feel something new, which, in an immortal life, was a thing that didn't happen often.

Thinking these thoughts, she felt an odd tingle of magic that broke her reverie, something utterly foreign, and yet, somehow familiar, from a distant source, but one rapidly growing closer. A thought would have just shown her what it was, but as stated, new things were not to be missed, and so she tried to focus with her normal vision in the direction of the disturbance, only to nearly be blown from her perch as what had been distant rocketed past at speeds faster than any pegasus had a right to be, only to be followed by three streaks that her senses told her were Spitfire and her squadron, none of them sparing a glance for their Princess as they sped after their target, a thing of gleaming metal, as it tore through the sky, and soon was distant again, though the roaring thunder of its engines was deafening to her ears.

"Princess!" shouted a familiar voice, and the captain of her guard was by her side in an instant, his coat a dark charcoal black, while a horn came out of his head. He did, however, have another helmet nearby, this one with wings painted on it, to become a white pegasus, should she demand it of him, as he stared off after the now dot like shapes of the fleeing vehicle and the Wonderbolts.

"I'll summon all the guards immediately, please retire to the throne room while we assist the Wonderbolts," he said, and began to don the helm that would give him wings instead of a horn. Celestia, looking after the Bolts, just stared intently for a moment, before chuckling to herself, and holding up her hoof to stop him.

"No need, Captain. Instead, have Sundance and Selene brought here immediately, and then lock the doors to this balcony," she instructed, and for a moment it looked like the Captain might object. However, he quickly thought better of it. After all, she was a goddess, and instead issued orders to several of his men who had gathered, already in the form of white pegasi, who all bolt off to find the requested duo, who would be in the library, where they always were.

While waiting, Celestia observed the aerial dance being done by the four in the air just past Canterlot, smiling as her little ponies gave that mechanical monstrosity a run for its bits, as it had to roll away from them firing at it, before doing the most peculuar thing, sprouting arms and legs from beneath it, and firing little bits of stun magic from a grey pod thing, while also letting loose with several smaller solid constructs it kept connected to itself by thin lines of magic that looked like tiny cloud trails. The Wonderbolts, slowing a bit, were able to expertly weave through all that, and indeed, one of them, Soarin she thought, landed a hit on the thing that made it tilt to one side, before it fired a stream of magic dots at him, and then transformed back into its more aerodynamic form, and shot off again.

"Your majesty, what seems to be the trouble? We heard noise I can only describe as explosive like, and then this summons," said a voice, and Celestia turned to find the guards escorting in a white mare, her golden colored mane a bit disheveled by whatever was happening, while at her side, while at her side, a dark blue unicorn trotted, looking towards the shapes, adjusting the glasses she wore, until a loud thud and then a clack signaled that they wouldn't be disturbed, and 'Selene', the dark blue unicorn, became Princess Luna instead, staring out at the shapes.

"Sundance, I believe I owe Hoyden an apology. I had assumed that noise to be his fault again, but it seems our little otherworldly visitor is to blame," said Luna, as she looked, and more importantly, felt towards the flying shapes, feeling the magic in the air between them, as the human continued to dodge fire from all sides, and returned it as well, though it was obvious he could have simply outrun his pursuers.

"You mean, that thing you two mentioned from your visit to Ponyville?" asked the white mare, looking where they were looking. Of course, without the power of a goddess, she saw nothing, as the shapes were so far removed from Canterlot, that they were invisible.

"Indeed. It seems that the little human, in only a day, is learning magic that took us years to master. A commendable feat, though not without it's disturbing implications," responded the moon goddess, falling into the role of protector of her people. She had, last night, tried to spy on the dreams of the human, but found...nothingness, in his mind. All the dreams of everypony, and everything, from the mightiest dragon, to the smallest bird, were open to her, as dreams were part of the night, and thus, her realm, but this human....he dreamed of nothingness, a void that was simply darkness. She knew of no creature that did that, and it disturbed her for reasons she could not fathom.

"Yes, still, that's why I called you. It seems Spitfire is training with him, or the magic of her attacks would feel different. I get the same sense from his own weapons, strange through they are, and since he seems to be winning, despite their numbers, I thought I'd ask you to throw some assistance their way," asked Celestia, turning towards her sister, who seemed surprised at the suggestion.

"You can't...I mean, it's just not something they do...I know who you want me to send Tia, and it's not going to happen," protested Luna, while Celestia gave her what could only be described as a puppy dog eye look, begging her.

"No, not in a million years," she said firmly, and Celestia's lower lip began to tremble a little, as Luna turned away, folded her forelegs, and tried to look disinterested. Of course, one eye peeked open, and she saw her sister looking just like a little filly begging for a sugar cube, and she sighed.

"Oh all right, fine," and Celestia's face instantly brightened, as Luna's horn glowed, and her magic rang a bell deep inside the palace. Moments later, Sundance jumped, as three shapes just seemed to materialize beside her, their costumes black where the Wonderbolts were blue, and their faces cut in grim lines, as they looked towards the Moon Princess who commanded them, not dropping on their knees, but instead standing there, waiting for orders.

"My sister believes the Wonderbolts could use some help in their training, flying against the one known as a human. I would like you to render them assistance, though do not injure the human beyond training, is that clear?" she commanded, and the three turned to each other, before nodded, their hooves going up, as they messed with something on their shoes, and then seemed to fade away, gone just as they appeared.

"Razgriz, launch!" shouted Luna, and instantly three black streaks came from the palace, moving towards the distant struggle.

VICTORY!!!

You transform to guardian mode, and do a dip roll around another shot from Soarin, just as Spitfire come up behind you, and you're forced to punch your jets hard, your teeth rattling a little. A few minutes ago you'd turned down the g-diffuser to milk a few bit more agility from the veritech, and are now trying your best to keep from passing out, as the g-forces of the ship push you against the back of your seat. Around you, the sky is full of light, but none of it can touch you, as your use the super mode's extra speed to rocket away, even while firing missiles, and your guns, forcing the Wonderbolts to scatter again, and again, only for them to reform a few seconds later, to continue to press the attack, knowing they have no chance to win if they allow you to speed away.

You had to admit, somewhere in the back of your mind, that they really were the best. You doubted Rainbow Dash could have pulled off the turns, dips, rolls, and everything else these three did to get around you. What's more, if this were a real battle, they would have to fear death from your weapons, and they showed no sign of it. Even Soarin, who seemed so laid back when he talked, was focused on you, which would have made you laugh, if you could have spared the thought. Still, you are in a machine, and they're only biologicals, so the advantage is still yours. All you have to do is keep them flying around in circle, exhausting themselves, and eventually you will win, if for no other reason than sheer attrition.

Transforming to battloid mode, the extra jets becoming a jet pack on your back, while the little bits around the fighter become armor for your arms and legs, you drop out of the furball with the Wonderbolts, forcing them to follow. Of course, the instant you are free, you change to fighter mode, and punch the jets as hard as they'll go, streaking back towards the city. You'd decided a few minutes ago, what with the speed, you weren't going to try diving between buildings or anything, but it still had that mountain to play around with, and that would-

"Beep-beep-beep!" came a series of noises from your console, and you spare a glance at your radar. Three new blips appeared, yellow for a moment, but then, as they move, they vanish....then come back....then vanish again. At first you think it might be some kind of glitch, but diving down, you look up out of your cockpit, and you see three moving black streaks in the air, coming right at you.

"Stealth ponies?" you ask incredulously. Of course, a second later, you realize that that's not the case. No, it's not that they're stealth, it's that they're moving so erratically, seeming to vibrate in the air, becoming indistinct and blurry, that your radar is having a hard time keeping up with them. Your human eyes are having problems too, and you are forced to blink away some double vision, before transformation to guardian mode, and spinning around as the Wonderbolts come from behind you. Opening up with missiles and guns, you watch as they scatter, almost forgetting about the trio of other signals, at least, until they fly around you, joining up with the Wonderbolts, and everypony stops in mid-air for a chat.

"Hey, Spitfire. The Princesses figured you could use a bit of help," said a voice, and you turn to see it's one of the ponies in black...and then do a double take as you realize the suits the new fliers are wearing are Shadowbolt suits. Likely as not, that means they're elite fliers too, probably Luna's personal air force, which makes this quite a problem, as they had already shown they're skilled.

"Blaze....I would normally tell you to go get clipped, but they're right, this guy’s good. He's been taking us three on one. By the rules, we take one more hit, and all three of us are down, and he's got three more himself," said Spitfire.

"Heh, is that so? I never figured you'd be one to get yourself tagged....how's Snow working out for you, by the way? Guy’s a good flier," asked the same male pegasus, and you figure he's the leader of this little group.

"He's great, but still no match for this thing. Still, we should ask. Human! You willing to let our friends join in this little dance? They're Razgriz flight, this is flight lead, Blaze, his partner over there is Edge, and the one in the trail position is Grimm," shouts Spitfire, motioning first to the speaker, who nods at you, then towards a female pegasus, who doesn't even seem to be looking at you, and instead is intently studying a cloud nearby, while the third waves, almost happily, while smiling at you. Still, despite their laid back look, you saw them before doing something that made it almost impossible to lock onto them, and they were coming into this fight fresh, and that would make it all the harder to win. That only made it more exciting, and after a few second of contemplation, you nod.

"The more targets, the merrier," you say through your speakers.

"Alright. Since we're joining a bit late, we each take one hit before pulling out, agreed?" asked Blaze, and his partners both nodded, Grimm eyeing you a bit wearily, but still shaking his head yes.

"Okay, so, everypony against me, one hit each before you're out, I still have three myself, and no flying above a mile," you say, and Spitfire nods, whispering to Blaze how high that is in pony terms, who then tells his squadron.

"Everypony, to your marks!" shouts Blaze, and all six ponies gather together, before breaking into two teams of three each, flying right in front you you. Shifting back to fighter mode, you fly back, getting a bit of space between you and them, before giving the thumbs up....and then getting odd looks from the one's you're going to be flying again.

"Wolf 010, on mark!" you shout into your speakers, and the ponies nod, each one looking like they're about to take off at you. Of course, you're no slouch yourself, and readjust the g-diffuser towards the high end, meaning while you can't turn as easily, you'll be able to take the g's a little better yourself. That should keep your head clear, and allow you to study the newcomers a bit more closely, before having to really take it them to the mat.

"Ready!.......Steady!.....FLY!!!" shouted Blaze, and he and his squadron took off. Rather than coming at you, they flew up and then away, constantly moving again, confusing the radar as they made minute changes to their course and speed, appearing to vibrate in the air. This tactic probably gave them more maneuverability than the Wonderbolts, at the price of overall speed. A trade off to be sure, but one that likely worked out for them. In the meantime, of course, Spitfire and her group engaged you directly, starting to fire as soon as the call was heard. You were ready this time though, and quickly transformed into guardian mode, firing missiles at them, and trying to do the same at the Razgriz squadron, before turning into a battloid and dropping out of the line of fire.

As before, the Wonderbolts dodge around the missiles, firing with all four hooves to destroy them as each on is targeted by a group that splits from two missiles, into eight in moments after emerging from your firing panels. Still, they're not always hitting their targets, and after destroying four or five missiles each, they're forced to flee from the remaining three until they get far enough away that they self-destruct. Meanwhile, the Shadowbolts do something that you would call impossible, if you didn't watch it happen. True to your thought earlier, it was quite obvious they were slower than their counterparts, moving at only about half their speed, even when going all out. But they are so agile that the speed difference matters almost not at all.

What happens is...well, it's just impossible. The Razgriz stay together, causing the missiles targeting them, a good twenty four, to fly close together as well, overtaking their targets with ease, but the instant they're mixed in with the black suited ponies, they explode. More accurately, the Shadowbolts sort of dance on the missiles, dodging in among them with seemingly no effort, placing hooves against them, and pushing off in random directions, the missiles quickly trying to change course, only for those they pushed against to fail to correct for the drift, and then slamming into the others, creating a massive cloud of multicolored dust, almost like a rainbow cloud, out of which soon comes bolts of energy, the same that come from the Wonderbolts, and you're forced to transform into fighter mode to dodge them.

Seconds after you shoot away from the scene, you are surrounded by lines of fire, and looking back, you can see all six ponies getting beads on you. The Shadowbolts fire low, forcing you to do an ever rising dance, while the Wonderbolts shoot for your sides, both knowing the flight ceiling set that you would have to violate to get out of range. The meant you were trapped, and knowing that yourself, you decide quickly to take the hit that you could, and do a looping turn towards the left, right into Spitfire's line of fire, her bolts slamming into your craft again, the jarring feeling of being struck reaching you, only to be double as suddenly another line of fire intersects with your flight, and you quickly spin around to find Blaze had shifted his flight, and kicked at you with one hoof while the other continued to try to cover your lower escape.

You had to admit, that was impressive, and brought you down to the same level as them, one hit til termination, but you weren't out of tricks yet, and dove at the six, firing your gun wildly, while launching every missile you had, depleting your stock faster than your magic could replenish them. This forced both sets of Bolts to dive out of your way, or risk getting hit by the slower, but heavier, ordnance of the fighter's missiles, while you kept a constant spray of fire with the gun pod. Sadly, the maneuver only bought you time, as it scattered the targets, Soarin and Snowbolt flying right, Spitfire up, Grimm left, and Blaze and Edge down, but you knew they would reassembled if you allowed them.

You weren't ready to give up quite yet though. It might have been losing to Rainbow Dash earlier, it might have been you just wanted to show how good you could be, and it even might have been you were just tired of being the little guy here in Equestria, but you refused to lose. So as you came past the Bolts, you shifted forms, turning into the humanoid battloid form, and looking around you as the displays replaced your cockpits, and targeting icons appeared over every enemy in the sky. Your systems were locking onto them, but rather than fire with the gun, you let the gun pod drop from your hands, the thing pixelating as it fell, and soon to be followed by the extra jets and armor bits of super mode, that had proven speed couldn't beat real skill.

This was the last ace in the hole, and one of the things a veritech was famous for, and so, sitting there in the sky, you focused, your will to win flowing out into the jet. You'd shown them all three normal modes, and then shown the ponies what a veritech looked like with super mode enhancements, but there was one more enhancement this ship had. Drawing on your magic, finding that the sun within you was draining quickly, becoming nothing more than a pinprick of light in the darkness, but still enough, you let it shift into a river of power, that made your whole mecha glow. Outside, wire frames covered your robot, taking shape slowly into rounded armor that made it look like you were piloting a sumo wrestler, even as the wire frames slowly filled in.

When everything was done, the bolts all looked at you, probably not sure what you were planning. The formally gray-white body of the veritech had almost been completely covered by the armored mode's ebony black enhancements. Everything that had been straight edged and machine like was now rounded, and looking more like a real person, if a rather large one, and you just seemed to float there as if confident that nothing could stop you. Inside the cockpit, you knew this was really a last ditch effort though. If this didn't work, you didn't have the magic to make anything else, and the pegasi would just slaughter you. If this worked though, it was gonna be so cool. Smiling, you decided to give them at least some fair warning of what was coming over your speakers.

"Here comes my ultimate attack! Macross Missile Massacre!" you shout, and then a big red button pops up on your console, as a staccato of beeps can be heard, a thousand glorious lock on tones, a ringing bell of victory, which you respond to by slamming your fist into the button. All over the fighter’s new armor, hatches popped open, little pin pricks appearing in them, before you feel the launch of missiles. It was a lot of them too. Enough to fill the sky with contrails as they spread away, and then split into four each, and then into four again, and probably one last time, until over a thousand missiles made their way across the sky towards the two sets of Bolts who, though surprised, recovered enough to begin fleeing, everypony firing backwards with their rear hooves, hoping to take out at least a few missiles as they went.

Not that that tactic was anything but a delay. Heck, Edge seemed to realize this first, and rather than try and defend herself, she jumped behind Blaze, and began kicking out with all four of her hooves, sending spirals of destruction into the missile swarm as she fell back first towards the ground, trying desperately to save her flight lead. In between you and her appear a multicolored cloud of dust, but luckily, you could turn on the missile's own cameras, and see through it, watching as the spear like paths of the missiles converged on her, and when a single shot missed, she took a missile to her chest, which was soon followed by a dozen others, causing her to twitch in the air, crying out in pain as she lost the contest.

Spinning your view away from her, you noticed that Soarin and Snowbolt were next to fall. They had apparently come to the same conclusion as Edge, and flew back to back....somehow, and were constantly destroying ever missile that came their way. This might have actually kept up indefinitely, were it not for the fact that as they continued to destroy the missiles, they moved around them, soon forming a sphere, and then instant one came in at an angle that neither was covering, it was all over. Soarin took the first blow to his knee, stoically trying to ignore the pain as he kept shooting despite being 'down' Of course, with one shooter out, it was only seconds before a hundred or more missiles converged on them all at once, leaving them hidden in a huge cloud of multicolored dust.

Spitfire and Grimm were next, interestingly enough. The two, seeing the missiles coming, dove towards each other, rather than trying to fight on their own, leading the groups of missiles on their tail straight at each other, and then, just as they would have collided, the put up their hooves, and then pushed against one another, Grimm falling towards the earth below, while Spitfire shot upwards, going as fast as she could. This was a good plan, and might have worked, as dozens of missiles collided against each other behind them. What they forgot though was the sheer volume of missiles you'd fired at them, and as they both pulled away from the other, they were assaulted by the missiles that had made it through their trick, and neither could fire more than six shots behind them, before they each took that fatal hit.

Blaze was the last pegasus flying, with Edge having covered him long enough for him to hit the deck, flying against the grass, and moving along the ground at speeds that left a wave of air fanning out behind him, obviously something akin to a sonic boom. Still, the missiles came on, and they began to impact the ground behind him, raising clouds of dust that shone in many colors in the afternoon sun, just as he reached a tree line. That was when you had to gasp. Seeing him through the infrared, you watched as he dodged among the trees, not even slowing, dipping, rolling, juking, diving, and then rising again, doing hairpin turns around branches and roots, as the missiles, trying to follow, all shattered against the wood, leaving the forest shrouded in the smoke that came from them, blocking even your sensors due to their heat.

Still, Blaze had no sensors to detect the missiles with, and had to rise above the treeline to find out what was going on with his squadron and Spitfire's. This meant that he was rising above it, just as every missile, now freed of their own targets, turned on him. If he'd stayed down just a second longer, he might have saved himself, but rising just as he did, several of those missiles came at him from below, forcing him towards the open sky, where they came at him in almost a complete sphere, easily overtaking him because of his own lack of speed. Still, he danced in the sky, his hooves touching the missiles, pushing them out of his way, as his wings beat furiously, and he dodged among your ordinance, nearly making it out of the cloud of missiles, before one turned around in mid-flight, and took him in the back of the head.

"YES!!!" you shout, as you descend towards the ground, taking stock of your opponents. All of them emerged from their clouds of colored dust looking somewhat bedraggled, but none the worse for wear. Mind, they would all need baths, as they were so wildly colored that even Rainbow Dash would have called them gaudy. Of course, as you descend from the heavens again, this time in victory, you feel lightheaded. Everything gets a little blurry, and you have to blink a bit to focus on the ground below. It's odd, but you feel like you just ran a mile, your breath is coming in heavy gulps, and still trying to come down gently, you feel yourself falling faster, as everything about you seems to pixelate, and you pass out, falling out of the sky, and into the void.

You don't know how long you’re out, as time moves different in the void, but it can't be more than a few minutes. When you awake, you see several faces gathered around you, looking down at you from on high. Three sets of Wonderbolt eyes, their goggles down, three sets of Shadowbolt eyes, their goggles down save for their leader's, and one rather large pony, who's holding you. It takes you a minute to make everything connect back to what had happened, and realize you're staring up at Celestia, who's smiling at you. You try your best to smile back at her, but your effort is a weak one, and within moments, you find yourself falling back into sleep, and this time staying there for a while, as the world about you changes radically.

It is hours later, night had fallen fully, when you awake next. This time, instead of being out of doors, you are in a fluffy bed. Really fluffy actually, almost fit for royalty. Of course, thinking that, you look around, and find the mark of Equestria's ruler for one thousand years all around the room, and quickly realize it is fit for royalty. Heck, this bed is made for a goddess, and you try to rise from it, only to suddenly fall into shadow, as you stare up at the other goddess who rules now. Luna, her face, was no longer that hard thing you'd seen before, back in Ponyville. Now you weren't someone who had hurt her sister, now you were someone weak, and helpless, who needed her care, and as much as you found you had to respect Celestia, for she shined with a guiding light, you felt safe as Luna looked you over, a guarding shadow.

"How do you feel, little one?" she asked you gently, and you found yourself smiling at her.

"I feel like I just ran five miles, uphill, in the snow, while wearing about a thousand pounds of weight. Still, I'm alive, and that's something," you tell her, trying to rise to your feet, but Luna's magic presses you back into the fluffy cushion below you.

"No, no, don't get up. You drained yourself, almost fully, of whatever strange magic it is you possess. It took my sister and I an hour of work to stabilize you, and I won't have you re-exhausting yourself just after waking up," she says, sound like a big sister to you, and quickly levitating a tray onto the bed with you. It was pony sized, which included a bowl on it, but you could smell a nice aroma from within, and before you could ask, a large spoon was levitated into the bowl, and then towards your face. Not one to turn down a meal, especially with as weak as you felt, you opened wide, and let whatever was in the spoon, looking like golden liquid light, pour into your mouth.

Instantly you feel the taste on your tongue and....it defies description. Really, it is not just tasty, it's not just good, it's...it's....it's ambrosia, a broth fit for a goddess, which honestly made sense, considering not only where you were laying, but who was serving you, and so you gulp down the spoonful of stuff, and then two more after that, and part of a third, before you feel like you're going to burst from it, and Luna, seeing you're full, giggles in a pleasant way, and then decides to finish the meal herself, slurping down the liquid almost as greedily as you had been. Obviously, this was not something served every day, and you felt kind of special that she'd shared it. Still, eventually she set an empty bowl aside, and looked down at you.

"So, you beat my Shadowbolts, hoof-picked from among the best fliers in all of Equestria, inside a thing that made even Tia and I look like mere children playing at blocks, considering how fast you made it with pure magic," she says. She doesn't sound mad or anything, more stating facts, but you do have to feel a bit bad. You hadn't been trying to make fools of anypony, or seem that good, but dang it, you wanted to win, you wanted to feel, for lack of a better word, big.

"Well, I had to cheat to win that fight. I mean, if I'd just flown the veritech normally, they would have gotten me," you admit, and Luna looks down at you, before shaking her head.

"Oh, don't feel bad about that. I mean, you used your talents, same as the Shadowbolts and Wonderbolts used their own. Blaze even asked for a rematch sometime. He says that he thinks he can take you, one on one, with some preparation," she informs you, and thinking back to the pegasus, who nearly survived your last attack, you can only nod. He might well be able to do that.

"However, before that, you will have to regain your strength. Luckily for you, Canterlot is a city just swimming in magic, so it shouldn't take you that long to recover it, though don't expect my sister or I to just hand you our magic as she did accidentally last time," she tells you, moving to sit on the bed with you, and looking out a nearby panoramic window, to view the moon, full in the sky through it.

"Still, I must admit, you have intrigued me as few things have since my return, and I wish to get to know you, if that's alright. Sundance is of the opinion that we should send you home right away, whether you want to go or not, while Hoyden wants to see if you can make him one of those things you were flying too," she says, smiling and chuckling as she said those names, not that you knew them, but obviously, they were her friends.

"And what do you and Celestia think?" you ask, not needing courage to do so. Celestia was intimidating in her power, seemingly as untouchable as the sun itself, but Luna, sitting here near you, seemed quite nice.

"I don't know myself, but I know Tia wants to keep you around for a while. She thinks you're special, and that you can help. She's even having the Professor and his assistants come to Canterlot, having to send off for the others who are still in Manehatten, while also calling Twilight and her friends here as well. I even heard those two from the radio show will be joining us, one of them sounded quite concerned in the letter they sent," she told you, and you smile yourself. You'd made some good friends already in only a few days here, and look forward to seeing Octavia and Vinyl again. As you smile though, you yawn, the golden liquid sitting heavily inside you. Luna, chuckling, rises from the bed, and kisses you on your head, before levitating the covers over you again, and then exiting the room, leaving you to fall asleep, falling into a void, one made of light rather than darkness this time.

A Place to Lay Your Head

The next morning, you wake up to a multitude of faces over you. Everypony seems to be there, from the Bolts, both types, to the Element Wielders, to Octavia and Vinyl, and Deasly too. You do ask after DawnChaser, and learn that he vanished sometime during the train ride along with Big Macintosh. Where they went is speculated about, but Deasly says not to worry, that the Professor will be fine, and he likes the big red stallion too much to let him get into trouble. He's sure they'll pop back up sometime in the near future, and probably much in need of a bath. That gets a chuckle from the Six, Octavia, and Vinyl, considering what you know of the Professor, but the Bolts seem perplexed, though they don't inquire farther.

The rest of the day is spent on a tour of Canterlot, with you floating while the ponies all trotted. For the first stop, you are taken to where everypony will be staying while they're in the grand capital city. The Six are housed in a single tower, near where Princess Celestia herself sleeps, apparently at Twilight's suggestion. She even said it was her old room, and when you arrive, it's the same library from the first scene of episode one, so you believe her. Mind, trying that trick to make the statue look like Nightmare Moon, looking at it through the glass ball, doesn't seem to work, and you give up when Applejack notices what you're doing.

Still, you get to see where the Six are staying, before Dash and the Wonderbolts take off, flying towards a much more squat looking building in the distance, looking like some barracks. When the rest of you arrive, Rainbow Dash is already zipping around, asking questions, to which the Wonderbolts happily respond, telling her what's in what locker, and even letting her try on a suit, which causes her to faint in excitement, much to the laughter of her friends as they help her stay on her hooves, and then wake her up with an application of rain water, giving her a wet mane look as the tour continues.

The next stop is Octavia and Vinyl's place. It had the look of being lived in, mostly because two of the windows had seemingly been blasted out by an explosion, and there was a bulge in the roof, that Octavia said was all Vinyl's fault. Not that Vinyl denied it, she just said that sometimes rock came with a power greater than magic, and she always enjoyed power. You are shown their bedrooms....bedroom, with a single bed. You don't know what to make of that exactly, though according to Applejack when you take her aside to ask about it, it's not a big thing, and doesn't mean anything's happening. She then jibs you about if you're interested in a certain gray music mare in a bow tie, which you deny, though you blush furiously at the idea.

After that, you get taken to where the Professor and his assistants will be staying, which are just outside the city itself. This place....well, while Vinyl's looked lived in, this looked like it was going to cave in. The place was built from various pieces, like somepony had broken apart a dozen homes, and just randomly jammed the pieces back together in a slapdash style. It was even leaning to one side, and the top story, which there we five, wasn't straight with the others below, causing a shadowed overhang that creaked a little as you made your way toward the front door. Mind, Deasly says it's perfectly safe, and after watching him fearlessly trot inside, you all join him, and are instantly assaulted by a multitude of odors.

This place, Deasly explained, was one of several labs the Professor had, setup all over Equestria. This was the oldest, and went back to his own days when he studied in the School for Gifted Unicorns, before becoming a globe-trotting adventure pony, and finally to a professor at Hayvard. Mind, that brought up the question of age again, which Deasly turned aside, though you made a mental note to confront him about this, when there wasn't so many cool things to look at around. Dials, switches, and beeping panels covered almost every wall of the lab, and there were bookshelves seemingly randomly placed, each with an odd collection of books, from story, to science, to some that looked like magic books you'd seen in cartoons...which upon reflection were probably the ones least out of place.

Deasly also said the DawnChaser's other assistants would be coming in, now that the Professor was setting up shop in Canterlot for a while. That brought out a couple of questions, mostly the usual like, he wasn't the Professor's only assistant, and how many there were, and more importantly, what they were like. He didn't really answer any of them, any more than he had about age, but he did say the first to arrive was likely to be an earth pony they'd left to handle things at Hayvard itself, as he'd been the only one they'd known right where to send the letter to. The others were scattered about Equestria, some on missions from DawnChaser or the Princesses, some just doing their own studies, and some lazing about.

This brought up the question of why Deasly was the one traveling with him, for which the answer was easy, Deasly had drawn the short straw that month. The assistants apparently considered playing nursemaid to their instructor a chore, and so took turns at it. He didn't mind though, since he'd been able to have some fun this time around, and hadn't once gotten stepped on, or forgotten about in some ruin, which, according to him, was a constant danger for DawnChaser's assistants. Not that the Professor allowed them to get hurt mind, he always saved them from dangers, both ones that just happened to be around, and ones the Professor himself put them in through absent mindedness, so it all balanced out....usually.

Next stop was lunch. Rarity was the one who suggested a lovely little spot, and she even seemed to be well known to the staff, ordering for her friends, and Vinyl and Octavia, though letting you and Deasly order for yourselves, since she wasn't sure what you would like. Sadly, you couldn't tell what anything was on this menu, and just asked for something without grass or flowers that came in small portions. What you got, interestingly enough, were normal french fries, a small plate of them, which you greedily tore into, idly wondering if they had ketchup, but then figuring it wasn't worth it, and instead just tearing into the food, something normalish, in a world of abnormality.

After lunch, and a bathroom break, you all walked outside, soon followed by DawnChaser and Big Macintosh, neither of which would say where they'd been, though they both smelled of bathroom soap, like they'd bathed in it, and Big Macintosh said something about Fluttershy being cute from any angle, which earned him a poke in the ribs from the Professor who told him to shut his trap. This also got both the red stallion and creme colored pegasus blushing, and laughter from the others, as you now made your way to your own rooms, back within the Royal Palace.

"And these are the quarters that the Princesses ordered to be made ready for our tiny guest," said the Lord Chamberlain, an Applebee, or so you thought you'd heard her called. It had taken your small group an hour or so to make your way through the traffic of the street, and to finally return to Canterlot Castle, where you're own quarters would be furnished. You had thought you'd be bunked somewhere near the Six, or at least in that wing of the palace, but as the Chamberlain climbed the steps, you quickly realized your own room was in the tower near the Princesses' chambers. In fact, you had to go one floor above it, before you came to the place where the Chamberlain stopped, and looked at you expectantly, making you wonder if you were supposed to tip her or something, as you stood in front of a blank wall

"Uh, I think those are what she means by quarters," said Applejack, pointing a hoof down, and you noticed a much smaller door than all the others lined the corridor. In fact, it seemed sized just for you. You descended from your flight, landing amid a forest of legs, while trying not to look up at all the massive faces. Reaching out a cautious hand, you twisted the handle, and opened the door, and were instantly assaulted by light, causing you to blink away in surprise, and take off into the air again.

"Surprise!" shouted a royal voice, and as you blunk away the spots in your vision, you beheld Princess Celestia, standing on the floor, sized just perfectly to enter your own room. You had to admit, even tiny though, she commanded authority, as everypony in the hall, Chamberlain included, bowed to their tiny monarch. Not wanting to seem rude, you did the same, landing, and then leaning forward on one knee, with a fist on the ground. After a moment, you felt a gentle touch on your shoulder, and looked up at Celestia, who was giving you a smile one could only describe as radiant.

"Heh, I apologize, but it's not often I'm able to pull a jump out scare like that on my subjects. Still, if you do want to see the quarters I've prepared, come inside," she said, and motioned with her hoof towards the door. You started forward, but then turned to look at all the eyes on you, the Chamberlain trotting off and muttering something about childishness of her rulers, while the others just tried to smile.

"Um, so, do we part company here then?" asks Rarity, and Celestia, looking up from the floor, chuckles a bit to herself, and then turns to DawnChaser.

"How silly of me. Professor, if you would do the honors?" she asks, and the purple stallion nods, smiling himself as he closes his eyes. In a flash, everypony is now of a size with Celestia, and for once, you aren't looking up at anypony...well, except the Sun Goddess, who is still a good foot taller than you. Everyone else though, is looking up at you instead, with the tallest, Big Macintosh, just coming up to above your chest when he's on all fours.

"Oh, wow, so this is how you see the world," comments Octavia, looking up at everything. Doing so yourself, you have begun to realize how normal it had all started to become, seeing things from the floor, or at least, from a smaller perspective. The others stare open mouthed at the nearby table, which towers over them all, and you nod. The chamberlain, looking down, figures her services are no longer required, and trots away, her hooves clacking on the floors.

"A bit. Though I've gotten used to it. Besides, if I want to get bigger, all I have to do is think hard enough, and summon a mecha," you tell her with a casual shrug. Octavia seems to see through this bravado though, and trots over to hug you, followed by Vinyl, who just kind of slams her way into it, and then Pinkie Pie who....well, she's standing at the back of the group one moment, the next, she's part of the hug. You've started to realize that reality, for Pinkie Pie, is a fluid thing, and though you wonder about it, you figure, if it's normal for everypony else, you can get used to it.

"Humph," coughs Twilight, and the four of you quickly untangle yourselves, before entering your room. And what a room. It was almost as well furnished as the Princess' in which you'd spent the previous night. Heck, it was better than the apartment you'd been living out of for the past few months, by far, and thinking about what a place like this would cost back in your old world, you realize just how far you've come since then.

"So, do you like it? I can change anything about it you find lacking, or Luna can. She's the one who decided to add the balcony for instance," said Princess Celestia, and you look towards what you'd thought were windows, and see that in fact, they are actually fancy looking doors, with handles much like most of the other doors in the palace, designed to be pressed down easily for those with hooves. This means they're even easier for you, and so you open them, and look out in the waning daylight, staring into the sky. It's actually a rather large balcony....to you, and soon, all of your friends are out on it, looking around. As you do, your head suddenly is drawn down, and you see another balcony just below.

"Am I right above your rooms?" you ask the sun goddess, and she smiles at you, before winking, and nodding,

"I thought it best, if you naturally absorb magic, to be nearest the greatest fount of such things in Equestria, which happens to be myself. This also means I'm on hoof if anything should go wrong, or you need aid. Luna's own rooms are one level above, and to the left, if you need her as well," she informed you, pointing, and you notice a similar balcony above and to the side.

"Oh, I think she's about to raise the moon," says Celestia, and she flutters into the sky, growing larger as she moves away from you, and assuming her true size as she flies to her sister's balcony. She vanishes above it for a moment, before her and Luna's faces peek over the side, and then Luna closes her eyes in concentration, the group being covered in her light, before teleporting to where the Princesses are standing, everypony appearing at their correct heights, so you launch yourself upward, resuming your now standard floating at about eye level, though you are saddened. That was the first hug you'd gotten here, and it had felt nice, to be in somepony's arms...legs.

"So, shall we watch as my sister does her duty?" asked Celestia, nodding towards Luna, who seemed to stand up straighter as your eyes locked with hers. Before that could go on even a heartbeat, Luna turned towards the sky, and closed her eyes, her whole body soon encased in the soft, warm glow of her power. This power, you could taste it. It was massive, and looking at it, you could feel lines of it moving towards the horizon. You held back from touching them though, not sure what such contact would do, but it felt so...so powerful, and it tasted as good as the ambrosia from the night before. Your body yearned for this power, and it was via a force of will that you kept yourself from grabbing it, as Luna herself began to weave a new night.

That's what it felt like too. The lines of forces, like threads, tied and twisted together, slowly but surely taking shape just over the horizon. When she's done, she pulls at it, and like a blanket, night begins to cover the land, the sun setting, as the moon rises into the sky, becoming a shimmering sphere, while all around it, stars twinkle, shining brighter than you had ever seen in your own life, and had failed to notice here on Equestria. Truly, the night was a thing of beauty, and you wondered how your people could have forgotten it, as everypony in your group turns to Luna.

"You weaved a lovely evening sky," you say before anypony else can, and for an instant, you think you see Luna blush at that, but then she recovers, and makes you wonder if you'd been imagining it.

"Tia and I had been trading this duty, so that I might recover from my time gone and relearn the skill of it. Though I am happy to say I have been doing this on my own for several months now," she informed you, and you could hear the pride in her voice.

"Heh, you've learned it well, Princess of the Night. Speaking of night, Big Macintosh and I were going to go sample the night life of Canterlot. My friend has never seen the royal city after evening, and I must admit, since I graduated, I have been lax in visiting the bar scene, is anypony up for joining us?" asks the Professor, and you can see Deasly facehoof out of the corner of your eye, obviously not thrilled with this idea, while the others all seem to be considering it. For your own part, you respond before anypony else can and tell him you'd rather rest and recuperate, which a rowdy bar night is not conducive to.

"I doubt that out there would be the safest place for one of my stature," you tell him, remembering how much trouble you had gotten yourself into with just three drunken mares, and then trying to imagine that multiplied by a few dozen, and then shaking your head at such a thing. It wasn't a pleasant image at all, especially if you got lost somewhere along the way.

"Suit yourself. Anypony else up for it?" asks the Professor, and Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Deasly, Applejack, Rarity, and Vinyl soon join the group going out. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie are going for the party, Rarity to keep an eye on everypony, and Applejack to specifically keep an eye on her brother, as Deasly went along for the Professor, and Vinyl....because Vinyl. That soon left the Princesses, Octavia, you, Twilight, and Fluttershy on the balcony, and moving into Luna's personal chamber. Considering that Celestia's was decorated with an airy, sun motif, it wasn't surprising to find the opposite was true of her sister. Luna's chamber seemed to just grow drapes from the ceiling, light things that almost seemed not to be there, save for their dark colors. Oddly, it felt sheltering, rather than oppressive.

"So, what are we going to do? Turn in for the night?" you ask, curious what everypony plans on.

"Well, no, I have Night Court to preside over, so I'll be up most of the night, helping to decide a few territorial issues," said Luna.

"And I'm thinking of attending myself, just to see how it works, and to compare it to Princess Celestia's own Sun Court," Twilight informs you.

"I was going to visit with the animals in the garden myself, before I turned in for the night. Philomena as well, if she's up," said Fluttershy quietly.

"I'm sure she'd love to visit you, Ms. Fluttershy. She's in the aviary downstairs, along with a few other birds who might enjoy your company this evening," says Celestia with a chuckle, and Fluttershy smiles.

"Oh, that sounds lovely. If you'll excuse me," she tells you, and slowly trots to the door, quietly letting herself out of the room.

"Well then, what about you, Tia? Are you going to come to Night Court tonight?" asks Luna, and Celestia smiles at her sister, but shakes her head.

"No, I think it's time I turned in for the night. After all, I have my own long day tomorrow," she admits, and with that, walks out on the balcony, to presumably fly to her own room from outside the castle, leaving you, Twilight, Octavia, and Luna alone.

"Alright then, do you want to go watch the Night Court proceedings then, Octavia?" you ask, and she taps her hoof against her lip for a moment, before nodding, and so the four of you begin the journey downstairs. It's actually quite a long one too, considering the size of Canterlot Castle, so a good ten minutes later you find yourself in front of a heavy set of double doors. On the other side of which you can hear a multitude of voices bantering back and forth about something.

"Hmm, sounds like a lot of supplicants tonight. Probably some petitioning about that new dam that the earth ponies in New Mexicolt built just above Buffalo lands," says Luna to herself, before using her magic to open the doors, and you are met with a tumult of noise as it spills from inside the massive throne room chamber.

"OYEZ! OYEZ! OYEZ! The Night Court is now in session, presiding authority of Princess Luna will now hear those with grievances and issues to bring before the throne!" shouted an older stallion, and everypony in the room bowed as your little group made their way inside. It seemed this wasn't the first time Luna had brought guests with her into the court, as none of the eyes that turned to the group were turned towards the girls. Instead, everypony in the room stared at you, and suddenly you wished you'd gone with the others, a good drink sounded nice about now. Still, you couldn't change the past....yet, note to self, research that spell, and so you made your way, floating along with your friends, until you reached the throne.

Luna sat in it, laying on it as she had the cloud on Nightmare Night, while Twilight and Octavia took up similar positions in smaller chairs they were rushed beside them. Not knowing what to do with you, they didn't provide you a chair, but you decided to test what power you might have regained, and just to show off a bit, as so many of the eyes looking at you seemed to silently be calling you a pest. Still, those same eyes went wide, as a floating wireframe appeared behind you, and then slowly took on solid form, becoming a flying chair, like something out of a scifi novel. It hovered via its own power, and you sat in it like you'd seen Dracula do in a few castlevania games. Oddly, you really wanted a glass of wine now. Not to drink, just to hold and look menacing.

"All ponies, attend Our words. Our guests this evening are Twilight Sparkle, the Wielder of the Element of Magic, and Ms. Octavia, somepony We're sure whose of you who listen to the radio know. Our third guest is a human, a visitor from another world, and We ask that you show them all the same kindness you would show Ourself," she instructs, referring to herself in the royal we, and sounding much more authoritarian than she'd been speaking. Oddly, you find her use of that voice slightly compelling, though you cross your legs to hide anything that might show.

"So says the Princess of the Night Court. Now, first supplicant, present your case," commanded the Major Domo of the court, and an older mare stepped forward from the crowd. What followed was...well, boring, in the extreme. For the next several hours Luna held her court, and it heard cases from far and wide. The first case was simple, and easy to decide, a simple matter of what to do with a certain surplus in the western provinces, which was quickly turned to the southlands that had had a major drought recently. Next came the issue of a school that had been hit hard by a fire, and where to draw funds from to fix it, as well as replace the books. With that matter settled, there were more territorial disputes, including as predicted, the thing with the buffalo, which was settled, seemingly to the benefit of all in a few short words by Luna.

"Be there anypony here with further business for this court?" asked the major domo pony, and when there were no responses, he nodded.

"Let it be heard that this court is closed for the night th-" he began, when suddenly, there's a pounding at the doors, and you find yourself intrigued for the first time in over an hour, as they open wide to admit, first a line of ponies in police uniforms, followed by Big Macintosh and DawnChaser, the two looking like they’d had a rough night.

A Night with Luna

Luckily, neither of the pair was in chains, or whatever would be the case should they be pony criminals. Still, it was obvious they had been arrested considering their rather large police escort, which stayed in a ring around them as they approached the throne. Looking at them, it was clear that they had been in a scuffle. Big Macintosh had a rather large bruise on his left shoulder that was going to be a very ugly shade of purple tomorrow as it started healing, and his rear right leg was limping a bit, forcing him to hop as he walked. He didn't seem to notice anything though, and walked with the stoicism you knew him for. DawnChaser, meanwhile, showed only a few scraps all over his body, and was smiling, looking quite pleased with himself.

"What is the meaning of this, Captain?" demanded Luna as the police ponies approached, and their leader, who had a bigger hat, bowed along with his squad. Big Macintosh tried to bow, but failed at it miserably thanks to his bum leg. The Professor just waved, and gave a much smaller tilt of the head, showing he was below her, but not a supplicant like the others.

"We beg forgiveness your highness, but we were told you would want to hear this case immediately by one of the Element Wielders. She said you know these two, and would know just what to do with them," he said, and motioned for them to push the pair forward, to stand right in front of the Princess, her gaze looking down on them. This actually got Big Macintosh to cringe a little. Heck, even DawnChaser wasn't immune to it, looking away, and trying to whistle, but failing considering he apparently had a bruised lip, and was missing several teeth, a fact his purple fur hid.

"And what is it that this pair did that brings them before Our justice?" she asked.

"Um, well....they started a fight," said the captain, seemingly not too sure about this.

"And why would such a trivial matter need Our attention?" demanded the Moon Princess, turning her gaze to the captain.

"Well, your highness, they sort of destroyed the bar they were fighting in, and they were fighting-" he begins.

"-the royal guard jerks who were accosting a young mare, and I valiantly stepped forward to save her," finished DawnChaser, and behind the police soon followed said contingent of royal guards. Interestingly, they came in all colors, and were all sorts of ponies, but it was easy to see they were the same guards, because they were a bit larger than the ones guarding them, and trotted in formation like a military unit, despite some of them limping, or grunting with each step.

"Commander, do you have your own side to this story?" asked Luna, as the royal guard ponies came up to the throne. All total, there were like fifteen of them, and all of them looked a bit taken aback, especially when DawnChaser smiled at them pleasantly. Still, their leader, an even buffer looking stallion, stepped out of their ranks, and bowed towards the Princess, in spite of a rather wicked looking bruise on his left foreleg.

"My Liege Lady, it is, as this one described it. One of my troops was making a fool of himself, and trying to force himself on a young mare. When this civilian intervened, the two started a fight, and soon my whole unit was in a brawl with him and his friends," said the gruff looking stallion to the Princess.

"And which among your unit was this offender?" demanded Luna, looking over the gathered ponies, including, you finally notice, several mares in the back of the group. However, the commander shook his head towards his monarch.

"No, Princess, that's not how it's done. You punish me, and I punish the troops. That's how these things go. However, you can bet your moonlight that the offender in question will never again be so forward with the young mares," he assures you, and you notice one in particular of the squad, a slightly younger looking one, cringe. You're sure Luna notices it too, but she says nothing, as she nods.

"Very well, We remand this one to your custody. Still, what should be done with this one, and his friend?" she asks the commander, pointing towards the pair, Big Macintosh trying to stand proud, while DawnChaser just smirks. The commander pony rubs his chin a little with his good foreleg as if in thought for a moment, before answering.

"Well, for my money, I'd try to get the big red one into training. Offer him as many bits as it takes. He's got a might fine kick. The purple one could use a could round of basic himself, though even with that, I'm not sure he should be trusted with anything sharper than a napkin," he said, and the two looked at him, DawnChaser nodding, while Big Macintosh seemed to be stunned by the praise.

"Thank you for the suggestion, Commander. You are dismissed, and this Night Court is adjourned that We might discuss this matter privately with the offenders," she said, and everypony in the room bowed to her, before walking towards the big double doors, which boomed closed behind them as Luna slammed them shut just as the last pony cleared them.

"Now then, would you two like to be more specific about this? And tell me how much damage my sister and I will have to pay for?" she said, her tones level, but her gaze radiating fire at the pair.

"Oh please, I bought the bar in the middle of the fight, so I'll pay for the damages. And besides, nopony got hurt too bad," said DawnChaser rather flippantly.

"You did what?!" demanded a familiar voice from where Big Macintosh was standing, and as you watched, several ponies seemed to pop into being beside him, soon resulting in the whole bar party standing in front of you, all of them a little beat up, save Deasly who just stared at the Professor.

"I bought the bar, and that was good thinking, by the way, apprentice. You hid the others before the cops could pin us all down, but after Rarity had demanded we be taken to the Night Court," he complimented, but Deasly wasn't about to be turned away from the subject so easily, pointing an accusing hoof at DawnChaser.

"No no no, go back to that first part. You bought the bar? For how much?" he demanded.

"A few thousand bits, most of the money I have on me, actually, so I won't be trolling the bar scene around town for a few days. Still, a bit of spit and polish, and that place will be good as new, and I can offload it back on the original owner for twice the price," answered DawnChaser.

"A few thou-that's not chump change Professor. Where are we going to get more money in the meantime? I refuse to allow you to take advantage of the Princesses charity," said the brown colored pony.

"And we won't. I contacted your compatriot before he left Hayvard. He informed the dean I would be taking an extended sabbatical, and that Professor Bright Eyes was to take over my class, as well as to bring the money chest. I also wrote letters to a few of my little cash cows to start sending their money here instead, rather than to my University location, as I doubt we'll be returning this season, or maybe even next, as I do want to study our little human friend. I also summoned some of your other fellow apprentices, including Strong Arm, who should make repairs to that place easy once he gets here," said the Professor, Deasly blinking at him.

"As well I did too. That place was shoddy, and run down. Probably because that bar down the street has better lighting, and newer, shinier things, and the owner couldn't afford to update his look. With a bit of sweat, and some hard hoof work, we can get that place looking better than ever, at less than a tenth of the cost he would have had to pay otherwise. Heck, if not for that, I probably would have just shrunk that fool colt, and let the mare have her way with him. But since I have incoming funds, a bit of spare time on my hooves, and some help coming in, I decided to do the nice thing and fix his place up for him, while of course, having a bit of fun myself," finished DawnChaser, and now everypony in the room, including Luna, was looking at him funny.

"What?" he said after a moment of stunned silence, "Just because I seem a bit flighty, doesn't mean I'm not aware of the world around me. That being said though, I think it's time we headed off to bed. I know I'm going to be sore in the morning, and that's probably doubly true for the rest of you."

Him saying that, you take a second glance at the others, and find that everypony has signs of the fight on them. Rarity has a very nasty gash over her left eye, Rainbow Dash's wings seemed to have been partially plucked, and Vinyl looks like she's missing a good chunk of her mane. Pinkie Pie and Deasly seem to have come through it alright, however, and Pinkie is even smiling, while Deasly just facehoofs at the whole exchange. Of course, then they all agree with the Professor's suggestions, and soon, everypony says goodbye to you, as you make your way back up the stairs, and to your tiny room, glad to get some sleep. Opening the door, you walk inside.

Entering your chamber, you're already half out of your shirt by the time you notice you're not alone, and turn to find the Moon Princess siting on your bed, looking at you. You quickly pull the replica of your old T-shirt back down, and are really glad you hadn't started with your shoes and pants as you stare at Luna, just sort of laid back, obviously waiting for you to make the first move.

"Um, hello, Princess," you say at last, not sure what else to say. Luna, for her part, seems equally unable to find words, and instead, lowers herself off your bed, and stands erect before you. Reduced in height to be of a scale with yourself, she's almost perfectly your own height standing on all fours, and you can look her right in the eye.

"Hello human, it was quite a Night Court this evening, especially with that last case, wasn't it?" she asks with a grin, and thinking back, you can't help but smirk yourself. All that boredom had been worth it, just for the sight of the Professor and all those military ponies roughed up from a bar fight.

"I would agree, though, considering we were both there, and it was less than a quarter of an hour ago, I assume you have other business than that to discuss with me?" you ask. You don't want to be rude, and Luna still reminds you of a big sister type thing, but it's not every day one walks into a room for sleeping, first one designed specifically for you in three days one might add, and finds somepony waiting for them there.

"True, true. I did want to ask if you find these quarters comfortable. Celestia and I designed them towards what we thought one of your mobility and digits would like, but almost anything can be changed, should you desire it," she says, echoing something the Sun Princess had said before, and you look around, thoughtfully this time. The room is big, bigger than any you'd had before, and is basically a one room flat. Bathroom set into the wall, with a kitchen beside that, the latter including a fire burning oven, and several cabinets, which were probably stocked with something you could conceivably eat, though you hadn't tested that yet.

"I can't see anything that I would change. In reality, this is far better than the home I was living in back in my old world," you admit, sitting down on the bed, soon joined by Luna, who sits down beside you.

"Really? Does this mean you have no desire to return to your home dimension then?" she asks, and you start a bit when you realize she's absolutely correct. You have no desire to return. After all, you left behind a dead end job, a few friends who probably won't even miss you, and a family that had basically forgotten you existed. What was the point of going back to that? Thinking though, you had to admit, spending all your days here...it was appealing, but...it wasn't your world, and the ponies, kind hearted, generous, honest, loyal, and laughing though they may be, aren't your people. You have the feeling, deep inside, that you will miss your old world...but that you would miss this one even more if you go back, creating quite the dilemma inside your heart.

"I don't, I don't really know. This place, it's fantastic. I've made friends here, already, friends I know I can trust, and depend on, heh, that's more than I can say of the guys back home," you admit aloud with a scoffing laugh.

"Why is that? Do those of you kind lack such qualities?" she inquires, and again, you are silent as you consider this, but then shake your head no.

"No, that's not it. It's more than that. We still do the right thing, but there are so many of us, compared to you. Ponyville has what, a few hundred inhabitants?" you ask, and she doesn't even think before responding.

"Exact figures are uncertain, but there are at most, two thousand ponies in Ponyville right now. How many lived in your old home city?" she asks you in response.

"Thousands more, millions even. I don't know, I lost track, and I think somewhere along the way, we did too. Too many people, too many stories. Here, it's just so much easier, with so many fewer mouths to talk at once. I mean, just listen," you say, and for a moment, there is silence in the room, as Luna turns her head, listening for something, but then turning to you.

"I hear many things, but if I gauged your species correctly, none of it is within the range of your own hearing," she told you, and you nod again.

"Exactly. I hear nothing, silence. That's so rare where I come from, a moment of calm, a moment to yourself. Everywhere we turn, there's noise. Voices raised, a TV program blaring, cars and trucks honking....not that those last two mean anything to you, but still, it's not quiet there, ever. This place is so peaceful compared to that," you say, folding your hands under your chin as you think for a moment.

"And more....I'm special here. I can do something nopony can...well, you and your sister can, but nopony beyond that that I know of. Here I have the chance to stand out from the crowd, to be somebody, and make a difference. I don't know if a goddess can appreciate such a thing, but it's quite a heady feeling, something you can't resist, even if it scares the heck out of you," you tell her, and she nods now.

"I can understand your fear. When assuming your size outside and looking around, it was quite jarring to see how insignificant you seem compared to the world around you. I simply do not understand why DawnChaser likes this stature," she says, and you shake your head.

"No, no it's not that. I mean, it might be that. Heh, I've been eaten twice...no three times...four times since I got here, and nearly stepped on several more, but that's just scary in general. No, I mean that it's scary to realize others might count on you, and then to realize just as quickly....that you might not be able to live up to their expectations," you admit to her, and you just slump forward. All the depression you'd been feeling, hiding behind the wanderlust at being here of all places, came flooding out of you in one long sigh, and you nearly break down crying. Before you can though, Luna's mane suddenly wraps around you, and you feel her leg hugging you against her. It's such a simple gesture, but it helps a lot, as you sit there in silence with her for a moment.

"Thank you," you say after a few minutes, pulling away from the hug. It pains you to do this, but staying in a warm embrace like that has a bit of an addictive quality, and you don't need a crutch like that here. You need to be able to stand tall, on your own two feet, but it was still nice to know Luna was there when you needed her.

"Heh, it's quite all right. I can understand needing a shoulder to cry on. Tia was mine, after everything....how much do you know?" she asks, and you think of what has been said. You'd asked a few questions pertaining to the Nightmare Moon incident, back the day before yesterday, when wandering around Ponyville, all coached to make them seem innocent. Even still, information had been lacking, but enough that, you decide, you know enough to nod.

"I know that something happened to you, something nopony should have happen to them, and Celestia had to lock you inside the moon for a thousand years. I know too that you were brought back to yourself by Twilight and her friends, and that you and Celestia now both rule the kingdom together," you answer.

"Yes, not specifically everything, but enough to know I had good reason to cry for a few days. The things I did as Nightmare Moon...they weren't pretty, and though they've become the subject of myth and tale, they are still enough to frighten many," she says, likely referring to the events of Nightmare Night. You decide to do for her what she did for you, and put your arm around her. She nuzzles into your chest a bit at that, but pulls away before you can get any ideas that are inappropriate about the action.

"So, you know enough to know me, and I believe I've asked you many questions, both about yourself and your world. Do you have any questions about my world you would like to ask?" she offers, and you think for a moment, but then remember something from the other day, and a few episodes, that bugged you. Rude though it seemed, you figure you wouldn't get much alone time with a goddess, so you had to ask.

"I was curious. Do the ponies enslave others? I mean, the buffalo roam free, I saw that in the Night Court, but Applejack keeps pigs, sheep, and cows on her farm, and they all talk. Heck, I think Fluttershy's pet bunny could talk, and Twilight's owl takes notes for her. They seem sentient and sophent, feeling, thinking beings, but they seem to have no rights," you ask, curious about this from the show as well. Luna seems to take a moment to formulate her answer too, as if such a question had never occurred to her, and she needs to phrase the answer properly. However, after a few moments, she nods, and turns to you.

"I can see where your concern comes from, but I assure you, what happens isn't slavery. We would never force anyone to do anything. If you've spent any time with Fluttershy and that...rabbit," you hear hatred in her voice at that, as she's apparently not a fan of the bunny, "He's the dominate one in their relationship. And though Owloysius seems to be a pet, he has rights, and could refuse Twilight, if she did anything that warranted such a response, though I doubt she would ever do anything to harm him, he's a friend, after all."

"As for the farm animals, they are allowed freedom as well, but we ponies keep such being safe from the dangers of our world. You mentioned that this place seems less hectic than your old life, but that's not always true. Creatures, both powerful and terrible in their hunger and wrath, roam our world. To such beings, anyone save a pony would be an easy meal, and so we offer them sanctuary within the bounds of our homes and towns, and in exchange they help us in the ways they can," she says, and you nod. It sounds like arguments you'd heard before, the powerful 'protecting' the weak from things they cannot fight. Still, the things you'd seen in the show do indicate that outside pony controlled lands, life was harsh, and it might be appealing to live in a place where you weren't lunch for someone else.

"I can understand that then, but DawnChaser admitted to stealing from a dragon, and no one seemed concerned about that, other than the dragon assaulting a town. Doesn't the dragon have rights?" you ask, and Luna looks at you like you'd just said your hat tastes funny, before bursting out laughing. You would ask what was so funny at this point, but it's actually rather pleasant to hear her laugh, and it was obvious she didn't do it often, so you allowed her to continue until she was finished.

"I apologize, but I forgot for a moment how much this world is likely new to you. No, stealing from a dragon isn't really stealing in the normal sense, as almost everything in a dragon's hoard is stolen already by the being in question, usually because he thinks it's shiny. It's why the dragons, while powerful individually, have never challenged my sister and I, because it's hard for them to work together, as they always want to protect their hoards. We don't engage them much ourselves though, just to be safe. After all, if they thought we were against them, it might be the impetus for them finally getting over their differences and coming together. One dragon is a force of nature, a thousand working together would be the end of the world," she explains to you, and you actually nod, remembering how Spike had acted when he'd started horde building. It also explained why Celestia had sent Twilight and her friends to deal with the dragon in Dragonshy.

"Okay, I get that now. Hmm....I can't think of anything else to ask myself. Any questions for me Princess?" you ask her, and she taps her hoof on her chin for a moment, seemingly lost in thought, before her eyes brighten, and she motions towards the doors out onto your balcony. Walking with her as she gets up, you and she are soon standing under the stars, looking down towards Celestia's room, and she turns to you with a sly smirk on her face.

"I have not a question, but a request. Would you wish upon a star for me?" she asks sweetly, sounding like she was asking for the time, or something simple, as you turn your gaze to the sky above, and the twinkling lights that dot the shadowy sky.

Making a Wish

You look at her for a moment, like she's crazy, but she just pleasantly smiles at you, and you decide to humor her, turning to stare up into the night sky. It was full of nice, clear stars, twinkling in the darkness, little soft points of light. Really, it was quite lovely, and you stared at them for a few moments, before turning toward the princess again.

"Does it matter which star I wish on?" you ask her, and she shakes her head.

"No, though that star there seems to be a favorite of most ponies," she says, and points her hoof towards a rather bright one to the west of the castle. Shrugging, you figure you might as well get it over with, and thinking for a moment, you finally come up with a wish, and make it, turning back to find the Princess blushing a bit.

"Oh my! I'm not even sure a pony can do that with her tongue," she says, and suddenly you start blushing.

"You heard my wish?" you ask, trying to cover your face to hide the red in your cheeks.

"I'm sorry, I had assumed you would wish for something simple or maybe a return to your home but....do you really think I'm cute?" she asked, and you turn away, this time going almost completely red in the face. This was certainly turning into an evening.

"Um...well...um...yeah. I think you're cute," you admit.

"That's so sweet. I think you're cute myself. Though I'm sorry to say, I doubt Tia would ever go for that idea," she tells you with a chuckle, and you have to laugh yourself. It was a really stupid idea after all.

"Still, I truly am sorry. I hadn't really considered the other things you might wish for. Especially something like that. Do you even think our species are compatible in that way?" she asks you, and you blush again, but try to stay facing her.

"I don't know, but it would be interesting to find out. Um, what I mean to say is....can we change the subject?" you ask, and after chuckling a bit more, she nods.

"Can you hear every wish made upon a star?" you ask, genuinely curious at this power. It was the first hint you'd really gotten other than the feeling of being around them that the Alicorn sisters really were goddesses.

"Yes. The night is my domain, after all. I've heard all the wishes ponies, and others, make upon the stars I put into the sky. Some are lovely dreams, like your own. Others are foul things that should never be thought, though I do try to stay away from the wishes of friends, and I promise to do the same to yours from now on," she says, and you try to take comfort in that, though knowing what you asked for the first time, she already knows waaaay too much about your wishes.

"I was curious to see if I could hear your wishes. Dreams as well, are part of my domain, but though I did not mean to intrude, you are a fascinating creature, and I tried to peek in on yours. Your dreams, however, elude me. In them, I see only blackness, so I wanted to know if you were not part of this world at all," she admitted, and you actually feel rather flattered at her admission. She didn't have to tell you anything like that, after all, but she seemed to trust you already a great deal.

"Heh, you see nothing because I don't dream, Luna. I...drift, in a void. It's not fun, and for the longest time, I fought it, after my dreams, those which I can remember, gave way to the darkness. There were nights when I didn't drift off to sleep, but merely stayed awake until exhaustion caused me to pass out. I stopped that after a few years, since I just couldn't take it anymore, and now, I just accept the void," you tell her, and she seems to be listening to you intently, the look on her face one of pity.

"Oh, it's not that bad really. Dreams aren't everything, after all. Just things some ponies see when they go to sleep. I quite like the void myself. It's a quiet place, a place where nothing can hurt me," you add quickly.

"But nothing can help you either. Dreams are something special, like wishes made to a star. When I was....away, they were my only escape. It was only from flitting in and out of the dreams of the ponies down here that I didn't go mad during my time away. To not dream sounds like a horrible curse to me. Worse than being torn from my world to another," says the Moon Princess, and now it's your turn to chuckle a bit.

"Maybe, but I don't think there's any help for it, do you?" you ask her, and she taps her hoof on her chin again, before shaking her head.

"I don't honestly know, but I do want to help you try to dream again. Perhaps, together we can break this 'void' and allow you the freedom of them. For now though, I think I should allow you to sleep. In another few hours the sun will rise," she says, and suddenly you remember that's a joke from an internet series back home. You burst out laughing, but then stifle it, nodding at Luna.

"I suppose I should get to bed, I'm starting to see far too many things as funny. Still, this really helped, no matter that this last part was embarrassing as all heck. Thank you," you say, and you hug her again, getting one in return. Stepping back, you then watch as she launches herself off your balcony, and then, with a flash, resumes her former size, turning to you one last time, before continuing on to her own room. Watching her go, it feels a little less bright where you are, and you make your way back into your room, undressing, and tossing you clothes off, before remembering they were a gift from Rarity, and gently folding them, putting them in a chair, and then going to the bed. Covering yourself up, you snuggle into the fluffy mattress, and soon fall back into the void, which seems a bit brighter tonight than usual.

Sooner than you would like the void shakes a little, and for an instant, it clears around you a bit, and you realize that morning has come, probably a few hours ago given the way the sun is streaming into your window. At the same time, a light tapping noise invades your room, and you bolt upright when you turn towards it, and see a giant eye in the window of the door leading to your balcony.

"Um, excuse me, but I think the others would like you to wake up now," comes a rather sweet voice, and you notice pink hair to one side of the eye. Tossing the covers aside, you wave to Fluttershy floating just off the balcony, and are now glad you'd been wearing underwear when you slept, rather than going in the nude.

"I'm up, my good pegasus. You can tell the others I'll be down in a moment!" you shout through the door, and she backs off, favoring you with a smile, before descending. Quickly, you find the clothing of yesterday, but before slipping it on, you decide to check the closest near the bed, and find it stuffed full of the clothing Rarity had made for you. Going through it, you find several copies of your old clothing, the jersey you'd worn the day before yesterday, and that suit she'd made you at first, among a dozen other outfits. Feeling a bit less casual, you select a pair of khaki pants, which are a bit snug, but still freer than the dress pants, and a blue and white vertically striped polo shirt with a button up collar. Buttoning all but the top up, you make your way to the balcony, and fling the doors open, stepping into the morning light.

"Heh, another lovely day. I could actually start getting used to getting up before noon if the sunrises are all this lovely," you say to yourself, looking towards the eastern horizon, where the sun is already a few inches above the mountains, and continuing its climb.

"Why thank you, I do try my best," came a voice, and you start, turning to find Celestia, scaled down to your size, standing just off from the door, probably having been waiting for you. Recovering quickly, you consider bowing as you had before, but figure that this is more casual visit than royal, and decide just to incline your head towards her.

"You do great work," you compliment, looking again towards the horizon, "So, is this just you visiting a foreign dignitary, or did you talk to Luna last night and want to smite me?"

"Heh, I did talk to my sister, and though she tried to hide it, I can guess the wish was something she wasn't comfortable with. Mind, it wasn't the first time. When she found out what it was her friend Hoyden was asking for, she was all flustered for the whole day after. It was adorable. However, I will say, I doubt somepony would appreciate you having those kind of thoughts about others," she said, and an image of a gray mare flashed into your mind, before you banished it. Last night's wish was something born of boredom, and you knew nothing could ever come of such thoughts.

"Um, yes, I see your point. Anyhow, I assume the Professor has some tests all planned out, right?" you ask, and she gives you a sly little smirk, before nodding, pointing down with a hoof towards where a group of ponies had gathered below.

"I believe he does, though I doubt they will be as...exciting as yesterday's. Luna had to send her Shadowbolts back to the coast, so I don't think you'll be encountering them again for a while. I even sent Snowbolt to assist them, since he's a pretty strong flier in his own right, and has been stationed out there for months. I gave Soarin and Spitfire the day off, however, and I think they're planning on a trip into town, so you might encounter them," she tells you, and you look towards the squat barracks where you'd been taken by the Bolts yesterday. Place had been full of various squads going about their business, so there was probably no lack of them now. Still, it wouldn't be the same if you only knew two ponies there, and you decided to avoid it until the Razgriz returned. You still wanted to fly against Blaze again sometime.

"What about yourself? Will you be joining us?" you ask her, and Celestia shakes her head.

"No, I have my own duties to attend. Night Court is still new enough that the petitioners for it are rare. My own Sun Court has far more ponies waiting to be heard. I just wanted to come by this morning to wish you a good day. I think my sister is planning on joining you sometime later, when she awakens from her late night," she told you, and with that, leapt from the balcony, vanishing in a flash of light. This time she really vanishes too, rather than doing that growing back in midflight thing that you actually found kind of cool. Still, you have other business to take care of, and look down again to see everypony gathered around below your balcony. They seem to be talking among themselves, still waiting for you, but patiently rather than fidgeting and wanting you to hurry.

This left you with a dilemma of sorts, as you now had two options. Go down the stairs, or just leap off the balcony and make an entrance of yourself. The former was more your style back home, not one to stand out from the crowd, but the latter was quickly becoming a choice here in your new home. Both had their appeal, but after a moment's consideration, you decide to do the obvious thing.

You have super powers, and what's the use of having them if you don't flaunt them a bit. With that thought in mind, you run towards the edge of the balcony and do a spectacular dive off it, flying downward, and smiling as the ponies all turn to you, and you fall fast, until a few feet, from their perspective, above the ground, you suddenly spin around in the air, and start pointing feet first towards it, and then slowing just a bit, before finally coming to rest level with the rest of them, smiling broadly. This display elicits many reactions, from face hoofing, courtesy of Twilight and Octavia, to Vinyl, Rainbow, and Pinkie smiling broadly, obviously wanting you to do it again, and the Professor writing something in that book of math things he had on him.

"Thank you fillies and gentlecolts, I'll be here all week," you say with a bow.

"And beyond that I hope. You're providing some excellent data samples for me. I would hate to lose such a goldmine," said the Professor, as his math book shrank and resumed its original place in his saddle bags.

"Well...probably. So, what do you have planned anyway? Yesterday was all about seeing this city and all its wonders, and then smashing up a bar, so I assume today we're going to start on real work?" you ask, and DawnChaser nods, motioning towards Deasly, who then pulls a list out of his own saddlebags, and begins to read it.

"Since our friend won't be arriving from Hayvard until later this afternoon the Professor and I were thinking of a few tests we could do by the lab without any help. Just a few simple spells and things, to see what limits your power has. Then after that, lunch, and finally meet him at the train depot, hopefully with the Vault in tow," he adds the last like he's not positive of it, though from the sound of it, the Vault is likely the money that he's supposed to be bringing.

"Well then, shall we?" he asked, and the group was soon trotting towards the lab, with you riding on Octavia and talking with her and Deasly. You learned that the one coming was a male pony, younger than the Professor, of course, and a little bit younger than Deasly himself. Interestingly enough, you learned he was an earth pony too, which you question, since it seemed that you remember them commenting before that higher learning institutes like Hayvard were almost exclusive to unicorns. This calls forth a lecture from Deasly that turns you and Octavia aside to chat instead with Fluttershy, who had all kinds of questions about the Night Court, and even laughed a little at your descriptions of the others after the bar fight, as a bit of magical healing had fixed them all up, for the most part.

Soon enough, your small group was at the lab again, looking just as rickety as the day before. Deasly and DawnChaswer didn't bother going inside though, and instead led the group around the side, to a yard you hadn't entered yesterday. It was....unkept to say the least. The place was a mess of various broken bits of machinery, from stuff out of a mad scientist's layer, to just things like light bulbs and various bits of things you would have called robots, if you didn't think that was impossible in this universe. They didn't stop at that though, and instead walked through the junk field, towards a small boulder set in the center of it.

"Alright, test one, I want to see if you have magikinesis. So, first step, see if you can life this stone," said the Professor, pulling out a few tools, obviously to measure whatever you did. You look towards the unicorns you know, wondering if they could lift the boulder, which makes you realize that, while you describe it as a boulder, to them it's just a rock, about one foot wide. To somepony who lifted an ursa minor, this would be nothing, and to Rarity, who probably moved heavier dressing equipment it would even be a snap. Heck, Vinyl probably lifted heavier things with her magic. To you though, it looked like quite the load, but you decided to go along with it, floating off Octavia's back, and landing amid the grass near it.

"Okay, just go slow, focus on the rock. Reach out with you magic, try to feel it with the part of yourself that focuses your power," he instructed, probably giving you advice even a young unicorn didn't need. Still, since you'd never tried moving things with your mind...well seriously tried it anyway, it felt like good advice, and you stood down on the dirt, staring at it.

"Focus....focus...." you say to yourself quietly, holding out your hands, and trying to extend the sense you got around magic, while focusing a little of your tiny sun towards the rock. Slowly, you felt the sun get smaller a bit, and when you looked at your hands, they were glowing, same a unicorn's horn would when they used their magic to move things. It didn't seem to be doing anything to the rock though, and so you closed your eyes, focusing as hard as you can, willing the rock to move, begging it to do so, and doing everything short of praying to Celestia, before you opened your eyes to find the rock just sitting there, despite your efforts.

"Well, that's disheartening," you say, gasping for breath.

"Don't be disappointed, I got a lot of good readings from that. Your local magic field spiked near the end there into the upper Theta band. Not even unicorns go up that high that often, so it shows you were focusing a lot of energy, just none of it was working how you wanted it to," advised DawnChaser, as he added more notes to books around him, making you want to slap him, mostly for showing off the same trick. You then remember yesterday, where you did something only the Princess can do, and feel better. Maybe you just have no talent for this type of magic.

"Perhaps it's something to do with the absorption rate, Professor. You said, when you studied him on the Applefarm, that the field of it seems to extend a bit past his body, which was why growing him failed, since that one tugs at the dimensions around him, but why my shrink spell worked," offered Deasly, and DawnChaser nodded at that, looking at the rock again.

"Hmm, that has possibilities. Alright, new test. This time, go up to the rock, and imagine it floating over your head as you lay your hand on it," he advises, and you float over to the rock. Placing your hand on it, you focus again, and this time your hand glows easily, as you feel the magic inside you shift. It seems that doing a trick once makes it easier, and soon you find the rock covered in the multicolored magic field you created, and you lift it over your head easily, the thing just suspending itself over you. Laughing, you try to push it upward, and feel it rise. However, the instant your hand stops touching it, the field around it vanishes, and the rock falls towards you, preparing to crush you, which destroys your focus so you can't even catch it.

"Woah, that was close, little guy, you were almost a smudge," says Vinyl, her blue sparkles surrounding the rock before it can fall back and smash you into the ground, reminding you, for the first time in a while, that you are still rather small compared to the world around you.

"Um, yeah, thanks Vinyl," you say, floating up off the ground, as she tosses the rock away easily.

"No prob, though maybe you can think of a less dangerous test now, Prof dude?" she asks, turning to DawnChaser, who doesn't even seem to be paying attention, as he observes the recording instruments, and is writing things in five different journals floating around his head. Less than a minute passes before he abruptly stops that, and several of the books vanish back into his saddle bags, and he gets close to you with what looks like a ruler.

"Hmm, incredible. You absorb magic at a much greater rate than I believed. That's why your power failed the first test. You have to actively be touching what it is you're affecting," he says.

"Then how did I fire those missiles yesterday?" you ask, curious now, as you hadn't been before.

"Oh, that's easy, I discussed it with Princess Celestia in a letter on the train ride here. It seems that when you fired those weapons, you kept a small connection of magic opened to them, through the smoke trails they left behind. The colored stuff inside the weapons is a different story, and seemed to be more conversion than raw magical creation, likely from local air or something. An impressive feat to be sure, considering how many of those things you made at once to end the fight, and probably what exhausted your magical reserves," he explained, and then offered a book with more formulas, as well as some drawing to explain what he'd been saying.

"That makes sense, I guess...what about the bullets...er stun spells I was firing out of the gun?" you ask, and this seems to give him pause, as if he hadn't considered it before, and then scribbles something furiously on the next page, while muttering under his breath about something. When he turns away, you figure he'll be busy for a while, and turn towards Deasly, who just shakes his head and rolls his eyes with a smile.

"Heh, not often somepony asks a question he can't answer. Still, since he's not going to be paying attention for a while, what do you want to do for the next test?" asks the unicorn, and you look around. Nothing seems to be leaping out at you as fun. Heck, you knew all of two spells at this point, one to make you fly, and one to cure hangovers, so it might be nice if he taught you some spells. Then you see a few bottles laying around, and think it might be interesting to see if you can do something with them using magic.

Learing Spells

"Hey, Deasly, can you set those bottles up on the fence there?" you ask, pointing at the offending containers. Deasly looks at you, and then back at the junk.

"Um...why?" he asks, after a moment.

"Because, I just thought of a test I wanted to do. If it works, this should be pretty cool," you tell him, and Vinyl and Dash both perk up at the word cool. Not seeing the harm, Deasly starts to comply with your request, setting the bottles up in a row, giving you four targets, about equidistant apart.

"Okay, now, I could make a rude comment, or I could just say the name properly for this attack, decisions, decisions," you say, holding you left hand out, and pointing it in the shape of a gun, with the thumb sticking up, and your pointer finger straight out, while the rest are curled. You brace your arm with your right hand at the wrist, and then hover in the air, wondering how much of a back blast this will create, and decide, while Finger Bang sounded cooler, you needed to be nice. This was a kid's show after all.

"Alright, here goes nothing," you say, and begin to gather the energy you need. You focus inward, finding that burning star of magic, and begin to peel a piece off, focusing it in the tip of your finger, which is pointed right at the bottle. With an image in mind, much like with the sword, ranger suit, and veritech, you push the energy outward, and open your eyes, aiming the shot perfectly.

"Spirit Gun!" you cry, and instantly the power in your finger flies outward in a blue energy pulse about the same width as the finger. You, and the ponies, can feel the magic in it though, much like you could during a spell, and it doesn't dissipate once it stops touching you, the blast instead continuing on until it slams heavily into the bottle, sending it flying end over end, landing several pony scale feet behind the fence.

"Oh my," was what you heard behind you, this from Octavia. The others just seem to stare, stunned since you failed to move the rock earlier from much closer. The Professor, meanwhile, has noticed what you're doing, and has all his instruments pointed at you, while furiously writing in notebooks beside him.

"Heh, you think that was cool, let's try going old school magic on the next," you say, and then focus inward again. This time you try to visualize the attack you want to do, but it comes out a dozen different ways, like your brain is trying to force itself to think in the way of the attack, which seemed oddly appropriate given the nature of the spell. Still, you have to pick from among them, and at last choose the one from a game you'd actually seen, and opening your eyes, you see the glow of magic at your feet, as you focus your power, and with a flick of your mind, release it, while pointing at your target for dramatic effect.

"Magic Missile!" this cry is followed by four arrows made of pure white energy flying outward from your feet in four directions, the one behind looping over your head, while the two to the side twist in the air, before all four are pointed right at the second bottle. The one from in front of you hits it first, and knocks the bottle into the air, followed closely by the second, which sends it farther up, and then the third, higher still, before the four comes from behind and slams it downward instead, the bottle plummeting from out the sky, and landing with a glass shattering sound in the distance.

"Intriguing. Do you have more spells like that in your repertoire?" ask Rarity, and you turn, nodding, as you take aim at the third bottle. This time you bring you left hand to your forehead, focusing the power inside you into the tips of your pointer and middle fingers on that hand, as you curl the rest together, trying to focus on the attack. Luckily, you know how the attack goes, and for you, it feels ready in a few seconds of focus, unlike the attacks inventor, who needed several minutes to make it work. Still, once it's ready sparks begin to fly from your fingers, and you decide to just let it loose.

"Special Beam Cannon!" you shout, and a spiral of energy emerges from your fingers, going straight for your target. You expect it to drill straight through the bottle, like in the show, but instead, the instant the blast touches it, the bottle explodes, sending shards of glass flying into the field behind the fence, going for several yards, before falling into the high grass, making Vinyl and Rainbow woop, the latter calling for a repeat, before getting a rather unkind look from her friends, while the Professor approaches the bottles you'd already knocked over, and begins to run one of his devices over them.

"Very interesting. You energies leave no trace of themselves once they're done. Even the best unicorn leaves little bits of magic everywhere when we use our magic, but you must absorb the residual back into yourself. That really does put you at the level of the Princesses for efficiency. Nothing would be wasted, and so long as the attack is ranged in your mind, rather than being a physical thing to touch....say, do you have any spells that do damage without you getting near the target?" he asks as he trots back over, and you think for a moment, before grinning, remembering an attack that was a real show stopper.

"Oh, this will be fun. Everypony back up," you say, and everypony does indeed back up a step, but you turn to them and motion.

"No, more, like, towards the house kind of backing up," you tell them, and they look at each other with concern.

"This won't hurt you, will it?" Octavia asks in a rather sweet voice that you find very lovely.

"Um...I don't think so. This spell only should hurt the target, and I absorb magic anyway. I'll be fine. You guys though...I don't want to risk it," you tell her, and she nods, trotting back towards the house, along with the others after a moment. It really was nice to have somepony concerned about your safety, especially with the whole rock thing just being a few minutes ago. Still, this spell, while it never hurt the landscape or party in the game, seemed like it was going to be a doozy done for real, and you didn't want anypony, least of all friends, caught up in it. So you wait until they're far away, before you face the bottle again, and then hold your hands in front of you like your praying.

"Power of Magical Perfection, Destruction's Light Rending All, ULTIMA!!!" this time you feel the effect all around you, as a sphere of fire seems to form, your arms tossed up in the air as you hear a buzzing sound, that falls away to silence, leaving you floating there. It seems the spell fizzled for a moment, meaning you couldn't cast spells at a distance. Then you feel the rumbling. Even in the air you can feel it, and a still second later it manifests as a point of blue light, centered on the bottle that had been your target. Before a heartbeat had passed, the point of light expanded outward, and grew, the magic of it so great that it felt overpowering, like the whole world was being consumed in blue fire, and you think you might have done a bad thing, trying to reach out to protect your friends as the Ultima spell engulfs everything around you.

When your vision clears, it seems like everything is still the same, and the ponies are looking around them seemingly just as surprised that not only are they still standing, but that nothing has been atomized. Of course, then you all turn towards where the bottle had been. The bottle was obviously gone now, that was a given of the spell's destructive power, but more than that, the fence, and a good chunk of the ground around it was totally blasted, the grass reduced to less than ash, as a perfectly round bowl formed a hole in the dirt. It looked at first like you might have glassed the edges of the indent in the ground, but then part of the rim of the bowl collapsed inward, showing that the dirt wasn't even affected past the edge, it was just every bit of it inside the sphere of Ultima's light had been destroyed, utterly.

"What was that?!" demanded a voice, and you quickly turned to find yourself facing the Royal Duo appearing in a flash of light, neither of them looking happy, as they glanced around. All they saw of course was the lab the Professor had setup, and the ponies, gathered around, none of them looking like they wanted to explain a thing, until DawnChaser stepped forward, a huge grin on his face.

"That, my dear ladies, was magic, in its purest form. Nothing but power. It didn't even convert into heat or fire, just raw destruction," he said excitedly, his equipment flying around him as he rushed to the bowl, and began to run the beeping things over it, getting data, and writing it down quickly. Luna and Celestia soon joined him at the edge of the crater, adding their own light to his instruments as they studied it with their magic, making you think you might have done something very wrong. This gets you down as you consider that you really had just been trying to show off, not even thinking of how much damage you could do. It starts to get to you, and just when you feel like you should throw yourself on the mercy of the Goddesses, Celestia and DawnChaser start laughing, the two of them glancing at the Professor's instruments, and then talking in rapid fire, saying words you couldn't pronounce, let alone have any idea what they meant.

"Luna, I'm so...I'm sorry, I wasn't think, I mean, I wasn't consid-I'm sorry," you say again, knowing that neither the Professor or Sun Princess would hear you if you tried to apologize for what you did. Luna surprises you though, and smiles rather warmly.

"It's okay, it's alright. Celestia and I panicked when we felt a huge magic surge around this area, last time that happened was when DawnChaser was in Canterlot doing something with a unicorn mare he'd picked up in some seedy bar that destroyed half the city," she explained.

"It's not your fault, really, it's ours for over reacting, though I must admit, this is one hay of a way to wake up in the...well normally evening, but since it's before noon, morning," she admitted, and laughed a little, and you tried to cheer up too.

"I'm sorry to have woken you. I promise I won't be doing that again," you tell her, only for the two fast talkers to turn to you.

"Now, now, my little friend, one shouldn't make promises one can't keep," Celestia chided.

"Indeed, do you realize what you did? Don't you see what this means?" asks the Professor, offering you his notebook with all the numbers in it.

"Um....I'm going to say I did a spell I'm not a high enough level to control, and it means if I try that again I could get somepony killed," you answer, and DawnChaser seems to be about to respond, but is stopped when Celestia puts her hoof in front of his mouth.

"Yes, it was a very interesting spell. Simple, but powerful, and it could do a lot of damage. However, such power is not something to be shoved away and hidden somewhere, where it can't do anypony any good. Instead, it should be shared, and studied a bit, to show everypony that there's a benefit to every spell, like one that makes you smaller," she said, and Deasly blushed a bit.

"But....I mean, I could have hurt somepony," you protest again.

"And she admitted that, but you also did something even the Princesses can't do. You converted matter directly into magical energy. Normal, plain, everyday matter. That's never been done before, and I don't think I need to explain how much of a boon that would be. Just think, if we could learn how you did that...and then figure out how to reverse the process...we could store things as magic, and then reconstitute them when needed. No more food going bad, just turn it into magic, and then remake it somewhere else. Heck, think if we could do that with ponies," he said, and he and Celestia put their heads back together, soon followed by Twilight, who seemed quite interested in the discussion.

"So....who wants to go get some lunch, while the big brains talk?" asks Vinyl, looking over towards where said big brains were having their discussion. That plan is quickly agreed upon, though then another discussion rages, this one even more important than the one about designing a spell that could change how Equestrian's lived, namely the discussion on what to do for lunch. It soon becomes a two sided battle, with one side, led by Deasly wanting to remain at the lab, while the other, led by Rarity wanted to go back out. It soon devolves a bit into a heated argument, until one side comes out the clear winner, and it is decided to stay in and eat whatever's in the lab, though that’s mostly because Deasly reminds the others of the bar incident last night.

"I'm telling you, just because the Professor is flighty, doesn't mean I am. I spent half the morning before meeting you making sure the lab was stocked with provisions. After all, we're going to have more than one pony making their way here from out past Equestria's borders, and they're sure to be starving," says Deasly as the group goes into the lab, and follows him until they're in what resembles a kitchen out of the 1950s. Of course, that's ignoring the hay bale in the corner, various sparking bits along the walls, and what appeared to be a feeding troth.

"Just how many assistants does Mr. DawnChaser have?" asked Rarity as she made her way into the room, looking around. Her own eyes had fallen on the table in the room beside the kitchen that you'd missed, though how was beyond you, as the thing seemed to be miles long, with seats like cushioned blocks set every few paces, stretching away into the distance, and making it impossible to count.

"Active assistants? Just me and an earth pony you will meet later today. Inactive assistants who will jump at the chance to conduct research under his eye, if only to get in on the paper or book he'll publish? A few dozen. I don't even know them all myself, though I expect they'll trickle into Canterlot slowly. Some, if I remember correctly, aren't really welcome here anymore," answered Deasly thoughtfully, as he trotted towards fridge, and opened it with magic, pulling out several containers, and soon everypony set about the task of making themselves sandwiches, most of which contained flowers, grass, or were otherwise inedible by you. You did spot Octavia making some peanut butter and jelly ones though, and floated over towards her.

"Any chance of making an extra one for me?" you ask her, and the gray mare turns to you with a smile.

"I was already planning on it," she tells you, and you smile back at her.

"Thanks," was all you say, as everypony continues making their food, and then, when it's done, making their way into the dining room, the unicorns in the group carrying plates piled high with food, as well as a few with drinking glasses. You take a moment to notice that what they're carrying is juice, rather than drink, and are a little sad you didn't go with them to the bar last night, as they would probably be avoiding drinking heavily for the next few days, and you don't know why, but being super powered and drunk seemed like a really neat idea, it would make you just like Tony Stark.

"So, since the Professor arranged for us to stay here for a while, does that mean your group is planning the same?" asked Deasly as be picked up glass with his magic, and taking a sip.

"Well, darling, I for one plan on staying a few weeks and catching up with Fancy Pants and Fleur, if they still feel like spending time with me. I'm sure my parents can look after Opal and Sweet Bell until I return," responds Rarity.

"Big Macintosh and I were planning on staying a spell ourselves. Applebucking season was a few weeks ago, and the farm won't need much tendin' to at'al. We asked Caramel to take care of it fer us til we get back," said Applejack.

"And Applebloom's stayin' with Scootaloo and her folks, so no harm there," said the big red stallion beside her.

"Myself, I got some vacation time comin', so I figured I could stay here and hang with the Wonderbolts...if that's alright with you guys," said Dash, looking towards Spitfire and Soarin, the latter of whom was stuffing his face as fast as he could pick up the food, while the former was still eating her first sandwich.

"Sure Dash, I don't mind. We're off duty anyhow, till Snowbolt gets back, right Soarin?" asked the fire maned pegasus. Of course, her compatriot simply garbled a response through a mouthful, while behind her hooves Rainbow let out a fan girl squeal.

"Vacation time, huh? Don't ya'll mean you got booted off again for trying to make up for missed work with some fancy flying?" chided Applejack, and Rainbow looked at her meanly, causing everypony at the table to laugh.

"Oh, and Angel is coming here on the next train, and all my little animal friends are being looked after by Zecora, who said she'd be happy to care for my little ones while I'm away," said Fluttershy, almost too quietly to hear.

"And I suppose Twilight's got Spike looking after the library while she's here?" asks Octavia, only to be met with a few shaking heads.

"Naw, he'll be comin' up with the bunny. Don't rightly know who she got to watch the books, guess I'll ask her when she gets in," said Applejack, tearing into her meal again. The rest of you soon join her, everypony eating, drinking, and otherwise focusing on their meal. You try to take one of the sandwiches yourself, but find your ability to eat something like that rather limited. Luckily, Deasly has the solution, and with a quick application of his own spell, you find yourself holding a PB&J sized for you, that you bit into, complimenting the chef through the goo in your mouth, as you scarf it down almost as fast as Soarin. Once it's gone though, you see another sitting on the plate, but Deasly was busy with his own meal. For a moment, you consider trying his shrink spell for yourself.

Meeting Ponies, New and Known

(And we begin the cameo parade with the introduction of Typhlofang's pony, and since it’s easier to show than to describe a pony, he can be seen in the first panel of this comic with Deasly's pony, http://www.furaffinity.net/view/7071878

Art is by Deasly himself, Typhlo is on the left, Deasly on the right.)

You'd watched him and the Professor and Deasly do the spell enough that it should work out. Well, maybe. You could still try, if it didn't work, no harm no foul, you thought, as you closed your eyes, reaching towards your inner 'star' again. Taking it into your grasp within your mind, you pulled at it, siphoning off some of the magic inside yourself, and willing the change to happen, imagining the food getting smaller as you set your hands upon it. You feel the power flowing outward, and then open your eyes, only to be blinded by a flash of light, causing you to scream a little as you cover your eyes. Luckily, it was no worse than a camera flash, you had just been unprepared for it, and were a little afraid you might have accidentally cast another Ultima. Instead, when your vision clears a bit, you find yourself on the plate, at your typical size, with the sandwich of a size with you.

"Oh, I didn't blow anything up this time," you say to yourself, walking along the plate, leaning down, and picking up the sandwich. Not wanting to find out you'd somehow turned it into a monster, or made it radioactive, or anything like that, you immediately take a bite. It tastes normal, as your teeth tear into the bread, and the fillings hit your tongue, a little oddly textured, like there are chunky bits this time, but maybe you just burned it somehow, and so you swallow it down, taking another bite, and then another, before finishing the sandwich and licking your fingers, glad to have had a meal that didn't require you to dive into it for once.

"Mmm, you make good sandwiches Octavia....Octavia?" you say, turning around, realizing for the first time that you don't hear anypony, that the dining room you were in had gone completely silent. Looking around, everypony was gone, not just here. The Six, the Wonderbolts, and Vinyl too. That....could not be good, and you quickly shot into the air, and bolted for the front door. Luckily, it had been left ajar, and you exit to find Luna doing math with an abacus, while the Professor wrote stuff down, and Twilight was discussing something with Celestia.

"Um, guys, I think we have a problem!" you shout, not sure how to phrase this, and all four of them turn towards you.

"What? Did Deasly turn on the reactor again?" asks DawnChaser.

"Reactor?" says Twilight, staring at him.

"Uh...nothing, now, what is the problem?" he asks, trying rather clumsily to deflect the question.

"I tried to copy Deasly's shrink spell, to make some of the food my size like he did, but then everypony just vanished, and I think they might be really small or something," you say, giving your best guess as to what happened, hoping you didn't somehow transport them to your world. Could the ponies even survive back home?

"Oh, is that all? I thought it was something serious the way you tore out of the lab like that," said DawnChaser rather nonchalantly.

"What? You mean me possibly turning them into microscopic things isn't serious?" you ask, a hint of panic at the end, while Twilight and Luna both look concerned themselves. Celestia, meanwhile, smiles at the Professor, who both burst out laughing.

"Twilight, you have got to learn not to be so much of a worry wart sometimes," she tells her student through her laugh.

"Indeed. This is my home, and I'm a magical researcher, don't you think there are dozens of safety spells in place, for just such situations. In fact, Deasly and I have a locator spell on each other, for just such an occasion, so if you'll give me a moment to cast it, we'll be able to find my wayward assistant, and hopefully, everypony else," said DawnChaser, and you felt him start to weave a spell, his horn glowing as tiny lines of force came from inside him and around him, gathering together and taking shape, before flying outward, and then looping around towards what you thought would be the lab....then they wrapped around the lab, and pointed right at you, specifically your stomach.

"Um...does that mean what I-urg," you start to ask, but then feel a kick from inside your stomach, something hard and strong, and DawnChaser, starting at you, suddenly starts laughing again, this time falling over from it, while you, holding a hand against your stomach, look at him like he's gone nuts. Twilight and Luna share your lack of humor at this turn of events, and Celestia just chuckles behind a hoof, before walking between you and the Professor before anypony can get some ideas about kicking him.

"What the Professor means by this, is that they're perfectly fine. I'm sure Deasly's protecting anypony with him, and if he's inside you, you can be assured the others probably are as well, so all we have to do is get them out," she explained.

"Exactly. My assistant is used to this, as he told you the day before, and if you did indeed copy his spell, they're perfectly fine...if a bit dirty. Still, now have to decide. It might not be a good idea to use a teleport spell, as you might absorb it mid porting, and that would be a bad thing. It might be better if we just let them come out....naturally," he said, and you remembered going to the bathroom in the pony stall back at the restaurant the other day, not an experience you wanted to share with everypony, as another powerful kick was delivered to your insides. Right now though, everypony is looking at you, as if asking what you want to do, and thinking for only a heartbeat, you tell them to get them out, now! *

"Well, that could be problematic," said the Professor, as he want to one of his books, and wrote down some numbers, before he could get too far though, Luna came up to you.

"I think I know what he's talking about. Winking is a powerful spell, that requires a lot of a unicorn, or even my sister and I. It also needs us to lock onto the target for teleportation. That was why Twilight's ability to teleport out her friend, Ms. Applejack, was such a remarkable skill, she was able to separate two different life forces despite one being in the other," she explained, and DawnChaser nodded, while still writing down a few things.

"But you're gods! You mean you can't do what a mortal can?" you ask, and then feel really bad about it when you gives you a hurt look, her head drooping to the side a bit.

"I mean....oh I'm sorry Luna, but I just don't want to risk hurting them. I'm not from you world, and my diet is...well, a bit different. I know the Professor and Big Macintosh survived going through a pony earlier, I saw that, but I'm not one of you. What if I hu-burp!" the last comes out as a long belch, as air escapes from inside you, and you find yourself suddenly ejecting a few balloons, the float away into the air. This causes surprise on all five faces standing outside the lab, as you stare at the objects, and then Celestia starts to laugh, followed by the Professor grabbing them out of the sky with his magic, and Twilight walking close to you, and staring at your stomach, which feels like everypony inside is moving around rapidly in.

"That had to be Pinkie Pie's Party cannon," says Twilight, and you try to say something that would be less than pleasing to the shows makers. Luckily, or unluckily, depending on which side of the exchange you're on, instead of an obscenity, what comes out of your mouth is a cloud of very tiny confetti.

"Looks like you've got a party in your tummy," said Celestia through another bout of laughter, and suddenly you have a very strong urge to commit deicide. You resist only because she's not wearing a fuzzy orange hat, or had the name DJ Lance.

"Anyway, what Luna meant wasn't that they couldn't do what I did, if you were one of us, it's more that, you make it impossible. There's no way to lock onto them with the spell, as you'll just absorb it before it gets inside you. Still, perhaps you could do to them what you're doing to the party supplies?" offers Twilight, and you do consider it for a moment, but then shake your head.

"Vomiting is not my idea for a good time. But if you can't lock onto them, perhaps I can do something. If I focus, maybe I can teleport myself, and leave them here," you say, and DawnChaser's face brightens, as he seems to just pull a dozen and five recording devices out of thin air, pointing them at you. The Royal Pair, and Twilight, watching this exchange, all back up a bit, glancing at the crater you'd made with one of your latest spells, and remembering that another one is what caused this.

You concentrate again. This is not as easy as it sounds, as apparently somepony's still got in their head that grooving inside your stomach would be a good idea. You tune it out though, and try to call up the void while awake. It works, oddly enough, and soon you are floating in the void again, not asleep, just not part of the same world anymore. It's really quite an experience, and if not for your thoughts rattling against the edges of it, you would have tried to stay here. Instead, you focus, finding your star again, and trying to pull off a bit of it to fuel this latest spell. What you get is more than a small sliver though, as the star 'visibly' shrinks under the strain of your imaginings, the power need of a teleportation spell obviously being huge.

It is only as you consider where to teleport that you realize that the sisters may have had another reason not to use their own powers on you. When Celestia had tried it before, you'd nearly turned into a super villain and drained her dry, not an act she would probably like to repeat, and Luna likely felt the same way. You wondered idly, if that was a lack of trust on your part, as you'd been able to resist it once, or just caution about what such a drain could do to them. It hurt a little, to not be trusted, and as you shaped the magic to move you, while keeping the others where they were, you were determined to earn their trust. Still, that was the future, and for the present, you let the 'Wink' go, and felt yourself becoming insubstantial again, like a ghost, before reforming.

The distance to you is, of course, much greater than a few feet, but luckily, nopony seems to have been harmed, as you turn around, to find yourself facing all of the ones who'd been inside with you, all back to their normal height. Idly, you wonder if you caused that as well, but figure it was a question for another time, as you look from one equine to the next, trying to see that they were all unharmed visually, before bowing to them.

"I'm sorry, I'm so so sooooo sorry, is anypony hurt?" you beg forgiveness, looking into faces that don't seem to be too concerned, despite what you just did to them, even if on accident.

"Heh, little dude, it's not a problem, chill," said Soarin, and everypony seemed to have the same reaction.

"Yeah, I figured you wouldn't keep us inside long, and even if we had to go the long way out, my magic protects us, remember?" said Deasly.

"Indeed. It wasn't exactly the most pleasant of experiences, to go from being a giant to you, to the opposite, but still, it is in the past. You seem to have even cleaned us up a little, at least compared to your own state of affairs after such an experience," says Rarity, showing the fact that her main and hair are completely dry, in sharp contrast to what happened to the clothing you wore when you got eaten.

"Yes, I do believe I see somewhat the problems you've been having since before Vinyl and I found you, and probably even now. I hadn't considered, even when we shrunk down before, we only saw objects, and a single pony who knew we were there. It must not be easy to be stuck at that size," says Octavia, and Vinyl, rather than make a sarcastic comment, just nods.

"You get used to it. Besides, I can fly, cause explosions that impress gods with my mind, and I made some really cool friends since this happened. Anyone of those things would have impressed me back home, all three, and I can call this place paradise," you said, motioning towards the crater you'd caused a little while previous.

"He's got you there Tavia. Still, maybe a little less explody next time. Can't have you risking our world, just because you have one to go back to sometime," chided Vinyl.

"I'll try to remember that. Anyway, now that everypony's safe and out of m-BURP!!!" this belch is again accompanied by balloons coming out of your mouth, far more than the first time, and when it's over, you look at Pinkie Pie, rather than blush, finding embarrassment is no match for irritation at a certain pink party pony.

"What? It was the first time I'd ever been eaten like a cupcake! I had to throw a party to celebrate," she explained, and her reasoning somehow gave you a headache just by her saying it, making your irritation fade, as you started to rub your temples, before waving your hand.

"You know what, I don't care, just tell me that was the last time I'm going to burp up balloons?" you ask, and Pinkie looks up, and begins to move her hoof while counting aloud, before perking up and smiling.

"Yep, that was the last of them. I think you already digested the cakes and stuff too, so your tummy should be party free now," she told you, and you were relieved. Hopefully this didn't mean you'd be seeing some party supplies come out of your back end later, but for now at least, you didn't have to worry about any ill effects.

"Moving on from that, shouldn't we let the Princesses return to the castle, and move ourselves to the train station. If I'm right, he should be arriving in less than an hour, and I would kind of like to look at the Vault before you go spending anymore bits," said Deasly, looking into the sky.

"Oh my, I did lose track of the time. Still, unless Luna wants to sit in on the Sun Court, she can accompany you," said Celestia, turning all eyes to her sister, who nodded.

"I believe that would be an excellent use of my time, since sleeping is probably going to be beyond me for a few hours anyway. It would be a pleasure to go with you all, if you want me to," she offered, and was suddenly caught up in a Pinkie Pie group hug. You avoided that fate narrowly, mostly by flying into the air, followed swiftly by Dash.

"Mushy stuff," she said, flapping her wings next to you, and you nodded. A few minutes of goodbyes later, Celestia hugging her student a little longer than seemed appropriate for their relationship, and then the group was off to the train station in Canterlot, the Sun Goddess returning to her own Court in a flash of light.

"Yer sister sure makes a flashy exit, if you don't mind me sayin' Princess Luna," said Applejack as she followed along beside the Night Princess.

"Heh, Tia has always been one for flash, and was always good at impressive displays of power. Still, I wouldn't say she's all flash and no substance. There's a reason they're called Solar Flares, after all. Her anger, back when I was around, was quite a sight to behold," explained Luna.

"Oh really? Was she prone to temper?" you ask, avoiding asking about PMS for now, both because it seemed rude, and because the male to female ratio in your current party didn't seem to favor surviving such an inquiry.

"Indeed. I remember this one time...." she began, and regaled you with a tale of Celestia apparently getting slighted by some pony on a date, and then leveling his castle with a fire storm, and after that, she somehow got him to agree to a second date, and when he'd tried to back out, she'd boiled a lake he'd tried to hide in to steam in seconds, leaving him quite exposed. Such tales were told of Celestia's anger that you almost came to believe the Trollesstia interpretation of her character, but then realized that all this was being told from Luna's perspective, and one might want to ask Celestia how she'd seen events. You decide not to ask, of course, because you didn't feel like facing the wrath of a Goddess, at least not until you had more firepower on your own side.

The station was soon in sight, and it was obvious even from a distance that the train was arriving at the station, causing everypony to start running for some reason, no pony wanting to get left behind as DawnChaser made a dash for it. Mind, this made Dash herself want to have an unofficial race with the Wonderbolts, who both took her up on it. You did as well, shooting forward like a torpedo, though like yesterday Dash herself proved just slightly faster than you and the Bolts, arriving a mere heartbeat ahead of you. Luckily for your pride, you stopped a bit better, and got to watch as Rainbow Dash slammed into the station sign like in Over a Barrel, forcing you to suppress a laugh as she extricated herself, and then stared daggers at you.

"Not one word, when the others get here," she threatened, as the Bolts, who had been flying a bit more casually despite the race, showed up, soon followed by everypony else. The unicorns were out of breath from the run, Vinyl leaning against a bench, looking like she was having some kind of attack, while Octavia next to her, roller her eyes, and smiled reassuringly at you. Apparently it was just Vinyl being a drama queen. Mind, you had some competition at that, as Rarity was playing up her own breathless state, looking like she was going to keel over any moment, and for once, you really did get the impression that the two were related.

"That was -huff- invig-puff-orating," said the Professor through loud gulps of air, smiling, and seemingly enjoying himself as he trotted towards the train, that had come to a stop. One of the car doors soon opened, and a conductor pony with a lamp in his mouth stepped out, shook the thing so that it rang like a bell, and soon a single earth pony stepped forward from inside, looking around at everypony standing there. He was actually a bit taller than Deasly, and had a saddlebag similar to the one that Deasly wore too, covering his Cutie Mark with a color that almost blended completely in to his own fur, which was yellow in color. Interesting, he had a different mane color from his tail, his mane looking like a dark blue, which his tail looked like it was made of fire, dark red outline with an orange center, no matter the angle you looked at it from, which was an interesting trick.

"Tailfire?" said an unexpected voice, and you looked behind you to see that Spitfire was staring at the pony. He was carrying what looked like a strong box on a handle in his mouth, and had to set it down before he could respond, setting the thing right in front of Deasly.

"Aunt Spitfire, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"Young man, I live here, so the better question is, what are you doing here?" countered the Wonderbolt.

"Tailfire, you never told me you were related to one of the Wonderbolts," complained Deasly, looking between the two, and obviously trying to see how they were alike. You spotted it right away, of course. Not only where their tails similar colors, but their coats and physical builds were close. These two were obviously family members, and close ones at that. Heck, you would have guessed brother and sister more than aunt and nephew, though that was likely because, thanks to your small stature, all ponies looked to be near about the same size, i.e. as big as a mountain.

"You never asked, Deasly, and it didn't seem that important, since I didn't go with you on the desert mission a few months back," he said, and you remember Spitfire mentioning a mission like that back when you first met her.

"And the Professor knew?" said Deasly, pointing to DawnChaser, who was opening the strong box up, using a serious of small levers on the front, manipulating them with his hoof rather than magic, and causing the top to pop open. Looking over his shoulder, you stare into it, and realize, with shock, that this Vault thing that he and Deasly had mentioned, was what he was holding. It was full of bits, coins the size of grains of sand, and probably shrunk by the spell that he used to change his own size.

"I'm not sure he ever paid attention to me mentioning it," responded Tailfire.

"Heh, he is a bit flighty. Sometimes, I think he'd make a good pegasus. So, what's in the box anyway? Some kind of bomb?" asked Spitfire, looking at DawnChaser as his eyes moved rapidly over the piles of gold. It was then that you realize you were the only one with a good angle on the inside, and you decide to speak up before either of the two assistants.

"Nope, he's got a few million bits inside it though. All shrunk down...that, or he's been breaking down full sized bits into tiny ones, and then minting mini coins he intends to grow big," you say, speculating on it, and the ponies look at each other, before crowding closer to look in themselves. Of course, from their perspective, all they see is what looks like sand, piled up inside.

"No, that's all shrunk bits. The growth spell wears off after a while, since it's a series of minor spells that come unraveled. These, meanwhile, are stuff I shrunk with my spell. They'll never grow back until you remove it. Makes for easy storage," boasted Deasly with a smile.

"And while he's been gone, I've just been putting anything that comes in into the bank....um, by the way, Professor?" said Tailfire, waving his hoof to get DawnChaser's attention. The purple stallion doesn't seem to notice at first, but then finishes his count, or whatever he was doing looking into the lock box, and turns to the earth pony.

"Yes Tailfire?" he asks.

"Well, I kinda ran into somepony you're not gonna like on the train, and she's probably gonna wake up any second now, so we might want to....late," said the earth pony, changing his sentence in mid word, as you saw a flash of light come from behind him, followed by smoke, and then a familiar voice that made you both want to hit the speaker, and to run away in the opposite direction.

"How dare you not awaken the Great and Powerful Trixie as you promised, peon. I ought to have you flogged! But, Trixie will be merciful, since you led us to our quarry," said Trixie, as she shoved her way past Tailfire rather rudely. You expect, of course, for Trixie to go to Twilight and demand satisfaction for the whole Ponyville thing, but instead she stalks right up DawnChaser, who quickly slams the Vault shut, and then passes it to Deasly with his magic.

"You! Do you have any idea how long I've been looking for you?!" she demands, pointing an accusing hoof into the Professor's face. Having seen the Professor idly talk about opposing gods, it was kind of a shock to seem him back up, as if in fear from the unicorn, whom he had a good foot on, and several pounds at least.

"Well, considering the last time we saw each other, I'd say since then, right?" he said, and she looked at him with fire in her eyes....literally, you could see fire inside her eyeballs, probably some trick of magic, and it made DawnChaser back up even farther.

"Indeed! Now then, explain to me how you could abandon Trixie like that, brother!" she said.

Great and Powerful Reunions

"You're related to that wind bag?" demanded Rainbow Dash, pointing an accusing hoof at Trixie, who only now seems to notice that anypony else was standing behind her brother. She looked from one face to the other, obviously not recognizing any of the, until her face fell on one in particular, and her eyes suddenly got rather narrow. If looks could kill would be the phrase you'd use, but considering you were in a universe with working magic, looks probably could indeed kill, and Trixie's still wasn't, if only because there were too many witnesses around.

"I see you've made the acquaintance of Ms. Sparkle and her friends, big brother. Now, before I challenge her to a duel, why don't you explain why you left me at the mercy of ruffians like them?" said the show pony, turning towards DawnChaser, who, unnoticed to all, had taken the distraction to bolt in the opposite direction, and was running as fast as his hooves could carry him.

"Why you?! Get back here!" she shouted, and dashed off after him, using her magic to aid her, her horn glowing and causing her hooves to do the same, allowing her a limited air walk ability you'd never seen before. It seemed to work too, allowing her to easily overtake her target, who instantly turned himself around, and ran back towards the rest of you just as she landed in front of him.

"Bye sis!" he cried over his shoulder as he bolted again. This time Trixie was ready for him though, and his own hooves were soon flailing uselessly in the air for a moment, until, defeated, he hung his head low, and was escorted back to the group by a rather satisfied with herself looking Trixie. Twilight, and even Luna, looked rather impressed by this feat, as the blue mare set her sibling down, and then, held him there, as evidenced by his sporadic struggles to move his still glowing hooves.

"Now then, explain your actions, brother!" she demanded again, and after a few more struggles, DawnChaser sighed, and hung his head low in defeat. Well, at least he looked defeated when he sighed, but he looked mad when his head rose back up. He looked very mad in fact, and it was a little scary. When someone whom you know can grow larger than a house is mad, it's probably a smart idea to make sure your life insurance is paid up. This didn't deter Trixie tough, who just stared right back at him, the two shoving their faces at each other.

"Explain what, DEAR sister? Explain that you took your talents for granted, or that you tried to steal a centuries old treasure from a native people, or perhaps that time you attempted to lower the sun back down when you wanted to sleep a few more hours," he spat at her.

"Trixie is not taking her talents for granted! The Great and Powerful Trixie is merely stating the fact, that she is indeed Great and Powerful, while you are just a little bookworm who knows a few impressive tricks. Also, as Trixie recalls, it was you who pointed out that treasure to her, and were already making plans to acquire it through less than legal means. As to that last...Trixie had merely been celebrating too hard the night before, but the fact that she nearly succeeded shows her abilities," she responded.

"Of course, you always had an answer. Then I gave you that money to buy something for me, enough to live on for months, and you spend it on that cart thing of yours, and go wandering off to the far edges of Equestria!" shouts the Professor, leaning even closer to Trixie.

"Only after you refused to acknowledge that it was my magic that led to the defeat of that hideous Ursa Major, and that Trixie was the force behind five of your previous twelve research papers!" she countered.

"And I paid you for all five, didn't I? You blew those bits faster than a dragon burns through his horde after a nap, and after you stole that money from me to buy your cart, I left instructions for you not to be told where I was. I was tired of you, and you're a big enough mare to make your own way in the world," he told her, his voice softening at the last.

"Hmm? Do you really think so?" she asked, her own voice getting a bit lighter, and the anger lings on her face loosening a bit.

"I know so. I did keep tabs on you, as much to avoid running into you as much as concern, I'll admit, but I heard enough to know that you did enough to make mom and dad proud," he told her, and suddenly their closeness became a bit closer, as Trixie hugged her brother, the glow on her horn vanishing, so he could reciprocate.

"I knew I recognized you!" came a sudden shout, and everypony turned towards Luna, who floated past the gathered crowd, including several not in your group who'd decided to watch the siblings squabble.

"You were in the records, Trixie, a unicorn of some skill, who trained at my Sister's academy. The records said nothing about you being related to...this stallion though. Isn't he almost 20 years your senior?" asked Luna, and that took you back a bit. DawnChaser didn't look all that old to you, but still...20 years....older than Trixie? He had to be ancient or something in pony years. The others all have similar reactions, well, save the two assistants, who seemed to already know how old DawnChaser was, and obviously Luna who was equally knowledgeable.

"Indeed, Trixie and I both attended the academy. We both graduated too, not with top honors, either of us, but we did fairly well I think," boasted DawnChaser.

"Yes, and as for the records, it's possible it's because, while we share a mother, Trixie's father was a great and powerful unicorn," began Trixie in her usual voice.

"And my father was a pegasus. Mom loved him to death though, and when he died in an accident, it was only natural for her to find a mane to cry into. I even encouraged it at the time. Heh, Star Light deserved a nice girl, and no one was nicer than mom," said DawnChaser, and you noticed that Twilight had her mouth open, making you wonder, and so you ask, "This doesn't mean you and Trixie are sisters, does it?"

"No, of course not, he was just one of the most power unicorns in a century, who created an entire branch of research we are only just beginning to understand," she informed you, staring at Trixie incredulously, obviously not believing this unicorn could be related to one that seemed so…respectable.

"Hmph, he was not just one of, the Great and Powerful Trixie's father was the most powerful unicorn of any century! He could have stood up to Celestia herself, if he had so desired," said Trixie, rather loudly, which seemed to annoy Twilight. Luna, despite this dump on her sister, actually nodded at the statement. As did DawnChaser, interestingly enough.

"Indeed. Star Light was one of the reasons I turned that into my own goal. He proposed it. He used to tell me, 'no unicorn has ever aimed for higher, and once we pass that hurdle, we will find another' Old stallion always did like a challenge," he said, rather wistfully.

"So I've heard. Still, while I remember him from the records, your files made no mention of your mother. May We inquire as to her?" asked Luna, using her formal voice. Trixie looked like she was about to say something, but DawnChaser held his hoof in front of her, and she backed down.

"That's because mom was an earth pony. She died...gosh, almost nine years ago, back when my sister was just a filly. Sis was in the School for Gifted Unicorns, studying under dad, and I was just starting at Hayvard. It hit us all hard of course. Star Light most of all, I think. He really loved her, and when she died, he just didn't have the heart to go on. Heh, I bet he, mom, and dad are just laughing together somewhere out there," said the stallion, and he looked up at the sky. This was the first you'd ever heard a pony refer to life after death, and it was actually kind of disturbing when you thought about it, considering they actually lived alongside their gods. You then firmly tell yourself not to think too hard about it, since those same gods can read your mind, if the wishing thing last night is any indications, and you don't feel like having a religious experience at the moment.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," said Twilight, looking towards Trixie, who merely hmphed again, and turned away, but you could tell that statement had dislodged something, as she opened an eye in a way that she probably thought no pony could see, and looked towards Twilight, obviously her opinion slowly changing.

"Anyway, what are you doing here, Sis? It can't be for money, or at least, not only that. I heard that cart you bought when you ran off was destroyed a few months back," said DawnChaser, changing the subject.

"Trixie's home was indeed destroyed, by a pair of foals who were also fools. Still, Trixie is ever the survivor, and took once more to the wilds, to study again the magic that makes her both Great and Powerful," she began, her cape fluttering behind her in a wind you were sure she'd summoned through a spell.

"After suitable time, she would have returned to that wretched ville, and taken back her glory from Ms. Sparkle, however, Trixie found herself a bit out of sorts, and wanted to find comfort in her brother, who made it less than easy to find himself," she finished, staring rather accusingly at the Professor.

"I already admitted that I didn't want to see you, and left orders with my assistants to discourage you from finding me," he said, and Tailfire nodded.

"His exact words were 'my idiot, showboating, hack of a sister is not to be allowed within ten miles of my person'. Mind, Trixie did try to take credit for them tag teaming an Ursa Major, but I still thought it was a bit harsh," he added helpfully. Of course, that helpfulness led to both brother and sister staring daggers at him.

"Wait, so you mean Trixie really did help defeat an Ursa Major? I had assumed she'd fabricated that whole tale," Rarity said, making you remember that episode, and Trixie's boasting.

"The Great and Powerful Trixie was instrumental in bringing the creature to heel," she said, and she suddenly glowed with magic, a rather flashy star effect behind her as she did. It was actually pretty impressive looking, but you could taste the magic in it, and were pretty sure you could duplicate the effect, if you wanted.

"Well, the way I remember it, a certain little blue mare did a cool light show, distracting the thing, so her brother, who was almost five time's an Ursa Major's size at the time, could kick in the head," chided the Professor, and you could tell the pair were about t go off on each other again, as they stood head to head. Luckily, Deasly saw this, and he pulled back DawnChaser with his magic, while Tailfire grabbed Trixie's tail in his teeth, the two being dragged apart by the pair.

"Now. Professor, you know that's not how it happened," said Deasly, "You were the one who woke the thing up anyway, wanting dust of ground up Ursa claw for an experiment, so it was your fault. You wouldn't have even known about the thing attacking the village we were in if Trixie hadn't warned you."

"And Trixie, she wouldn't have stood a chance on her own. She's pretty strong magically, almost as much as Twilight, but in the end, she's would've been a small pony with a few tricks, versus one very large, and very mad, Ursa," he reminded the show pony, getting the brother and sister to look around, obviously avoiding eye contact for the moment. Everything hangs in that silence for a moment, before Dash bolts forward, and lands in front of the group.

"Yeah, yeah, interesting family issues and all, but can we please go now? I kinda don't wanna hang here all day doing nothing. It really cramps my style," she said, and everypony, looking to the one next to them, nods. Of course, what to do next varies by who's talking. Lunch had been taken care of, in ways no one wanted to discuss, and the first series of tests, according to the Professor, would take some documentation before he suggested more. That meant basically free time in the city of Canterlot, and a lot of ideas one what to do. That meant putting everything to a vote, and when said voting was done everypony is off to do what they want to do.

Tailfire, after chatting with his aunt, is off to the lab with Deasly, DawnChaser, and Trixie, the four going to setup rooms for Tailfire and Trixie. That meant that Spitfire and Sorain were going too, Spitfire to continue catching up with her nephew, and Soarin because Spitfire was going. This also meant Rainbow Dash was going obviously, as it would likely take a team of wild horses to pull her away from her heroes. In the meantime, Twilight and Luna were headed back to Canterlot Castle, to assist Celestia with her Sun Court, and just to be with her. Fluttershy went with them as well, though to go to the gardens, rather than to the Court, as she wanted to hang out with the animals some more, and to talk with an old pony named Hayseed she'd apparently been getting to know.

Rarity was going off to visit with an old friend named Fancy Pants, to catch up on old times and attend some kind of party he was throwing this afternoon. At the word 'party' Pinkie Pie sat up straight, and insisted she come along, which seemed to disturb Rarity for a moment, but then she smiled and insisted that the pink party pony join her. Soon, everypony had left the station, leaving you alone with Big Macitosh, Applejack, Octavia, and Vinyl, none of you having felt like following the others for one reason or another, and just wanting to wander around Canterlot for a while. After all, you'd attended Night Court last night, rather than go to the bar, and so had only seen a bit of the city yesterday. Thus you and a greatly reduced group left the train station last, walking towards the city.

"So, what do we want to do, anyhow? I mean, ah wasn't lookin forward to spendin any time with that Trixie filly, but the Court sounded mighty borin too," said Applejack as you walked along the street.

"Eeyup, and that Fancy Pants fella is nice and all, but I can't stand his friends," added Big Red.

"You know Fancy Pants, Mr. Macintosh?" asked Octavia, sounding rather impressed.

"Eeyup, he, me, and the Professor went drinkin a time or two. He's one pony that lives up to his name, but he's real good in a fight. Wish he'd been with us last night," said the stallion, and you can see Vinyl's eyes light up.

"You know, we could find another bar, and try that-" she cuts off when Applejack and Big Macintosh look at her with a pair of withering gazes, obviously neither wanting her to finish that sentence.

"Heh, what Vinyl meant to say is, since she and I got a bit of our stipend from the Princesses this morning, how's about we visit the shopping district, and do a bit of power shopping?" offered Octavia, and Vinyl's eyes lit up at that idea as well. Applejack tried to hide her own pleasure with that suggestion, but you could tell the idea of shopping in Canterlot appealed to her, while you and Big Macintosh looked at each other, and then shrugged together. Not like you two had any better ideas. Besides, you'd only hung out with the ponies you knew up to this point. Yesterday you had never left the larger group, so going off with something smaller, you might get to mingle with the common ponies a little more.

"Well then, let's go!" said Vinyl, and she bolted off. For a unicorn, she really did have a lot of energy, Applejack and Octavia soon right on her hooves, as they tried to keep up. You and Big Macintosh, however, decided to take a more leisurely pace, with you floating beside him, while he trots next to you.

"So, how are you liking the Royal city, anyhow, Big Macintosh? I heard from your sister you leave the farm only to run deliveries, but never for more than a day or two," you ask him.

"Welp, it's not a place I would like to live. Too many ponies, too little space, and not enough green. Still, it's got its charms," he admitted, motioning towards some fillies who were giggling as they entered a shop. You, not being a pony yourself, wonder just what is attractive about some of them....then of course you find yourself looking at Octavia and blushing a bit at the thoughts that occur to you.

"It is a bit bigger than Ponyville. Not as big as the city I came from, but still, nice and large. I wish I had some games to play though," you complain, more to yourself than anypony else. You remember the things you'd left behind, all those cool games on your computer you would never get to play, the still in their box waiting for you to have time to play them console games. It seemed like such a waste that you never even got to finish the fight in a few ongoing series that would be finishing soon.

"Oh? What sorta games do humans play?" he asked, and you thought for a moment. Video games were a hard concept to sell. Heck, radio and phones were new inventions here, so the idea of games like those would be hard to explain. Though it was possible unicorns did games like that, using magic for controls or something. Still, you decide to go with sports games for now.

"Well, there's football, depending on the version it's either a bunch of thin guys with powerful legs kicking around a small round ball to get them into nets at the ends of a field, or an oblong ball fitting a five digit hand, to be tossed, and carried to the other side of the field, with big burly guys between you and the goal. There's also hockey, a lot like that last football, but with sticks and a puck instead of a ball, and played on the ice. There's also baseball..." you say the last, and watch as Big Macintosh's eyes light up.

"You have baseball where you come from?" he asks, and you nod.

"It's a game where you use a long stick to bat a ball around, and then while other players scramble to get it, while you run around bases, to get back to home, right?" you ask, and he nods emphatically.

"It's a fun game, I used to play myself, back before I needed to help out at the farm," he says, sounding a bit down about that.

"Do you regret not playing in the professional circuit?" you ask, wondering, idly, how a pony would hold a bat, or pitch a ball.

"Nah, my home is where I belong, and I'm not gonna complain about that. Still, it's interesting to hear that you guys came up with that game too," he says, in a manner that implies deep thought, as he taps his chin with his hoof. You do find that odd, as you had never considered the stoic stallion to be one for thinking things out, but you can almost see the wheels turning in his head.

"Probably don't need special rules for pegasi or unicorns though. I heard tell from my sis that you said none of ya'll back home can fly or use magic," a statement to which you nod.

"We have machines that can fly, and things that work like magic, but none of them are natural. Humans are monkeys, we use hands and tools, but flying and magic are not innate traits," you tell him. You then start trading a few sports stories you remember, while he tells you of a few games he was in or witnessed, the pair of you laughing, at least until you and he are stopped by the trio of fillies, staring wide eyed at what you can only assume is a store front, as it has displays in its windows of several pieces of jewelry.

Sparkles and Sunsets

Of course, jewelry in the traditional sense was a misnomer. Jewelry implied that the gems were mounted on metal settings to be worn, around the neck, through piercings, on the head, or a few others places. Jewelry rarely, at least on your world, implied that the jewels had somehow been crushed or embedded in strands of yarn, scattered inside them to create a look like yarn that had been spun from jewels. That yarn had then been spun or made into various shapes, from things to be worn like a hat, or a saddle, or to less fashion oriented and more things around the house. You see stuffed animals, cozies made for tea sets, and a few other odds and ends, showing off that the maker didn't sew, but rather, crocheted instead, probably because the jewels were easier to work with as yarn than thread.

"It's beautiful," you say, admiring some of the pieces. The yarn had been done in various colors in some pieces, from stripes in a bridle, to separate colors for eyes on a plush figure.

"Yes, she does impressive work, doesn't she?" asked Octavia, looking at a few of the saddles. They were lovely, and for a moment you try to picture Octavia in one, and then blush and force the thought away as both improper, impossible, and overall just not going to happen.

"So you know the talented mare who makes this?" asks Applejack, admiring a cowboy hat like her own done in five different colors of yarn, with golden flecked gems on the outside brim, red ones on the inside brim, and then strips of rainbow along the rest.

"Of course. Frazzle did most of the more spectacular set pieces my Ensemble and I use in our shows. A nice glittering jacket for the pianist, a lovely bow tie for myself, and everypony else done up in a thousand different shimmering colors. It's quite a sight, or so I'm told," explained Octavia, and Vinyl, for her part, nodded, the look on her face telling you she was remembering said shows, and causing you to get jealous, wanting to see it for yourself, as the way Octavia said it, and the sight of the items, made the mental picture seem all the more lovely.

"So, we gonna gawk at the stuff in the windows? Or go inside and look around?" asked Big Macintosh, getting some rather nasty stares from the mares, and making him smile nervously. Of course, since his suggestion was reasonable, the five of you go inside, Octavia holding the door for you so you can flit in, and look around. The products inside the store are in even more variety than the ones in the window. Heck, some are even using regular yarn instead of the jewel encrusted stuff, and it looked rather sturdy too. One item in particular catches your eye as you float past it, namely an almost exact replica of Twilight's Smart Pants doll, down to the button eyes and hair. This one, however, almost looked brand new, without any sign of wear or tear.

"Fraz! You here?" calls out Vinyl, as she looks around the store, after staring at the Smart Pants doll for a while, you join her, and float above all the racks, looking all about you, and spotting only the ponies you'd come in with in the store, which appears to be something akin to an old mom and pop thrift shop, with various shelves full of the items, as well as a few mannequins wearing the saddles, hats, and other articles of clothing for the ponies. It was as you float over one of the displays that you hear some grunting from a door in the back, and fly over to it.

"Hey! I think there's somepony back here!" you shout, knocking on the door with your tiny fists. You don't even try to open the door yourself, knowing that your size renders such a thing impossible, and float away as Big Macintosh comes over and does the opening himself, pulling at the knob with his hoof. You are the first one inside though, shooting into the back room when the door is open only a crack, ready for anything. What you find behind the door gives you a moment of pause though followed by bouts of laughter as the others join you, Big Macintosh and Vinyl joining you in laughing, with Octavia and Applejack give you three rather venomous looks as they walk over to Frazzle.

"Yeah, laugh it up, when I get down from here, Vinyl!" threatens the unicorn pony, who had somehow gotten herself tied up to the ceiling, hanging by various threads of yarn, which bounce a little as she moves, shaking one of her for hooves at the three of you. Frazzle's fur is a light blue, interesting as most of the Canterlot ponies you'd seen had darker colors akin to Twilight's, which was offset by a purple tail. Not as deep purple as DawnChaser's but a softer shade. She did have some nice, dark blue eyes though, you noticed as you floated closer, and then upward, looking for the knots in the yarn, and tugging at them.

Over the next several minutes, you and the others work at the tangled mess that was holding Frazzle tightly, trying to undo the knots in the yarn without breaking it, as you figured this stuff was at least somewhat valuable, considering it was probably quite difficult to get gems to thread into the yarn like that. It takes a few minutes, but after that, Frazzle, and a rat you hadn't noticed, come crashing down to the floor, only to be buried as the yarn follows, forcing you to help her untangle herself again, though a bit easier this time as she's not tugging on the yarn anymore.

"How'd you end up hangin down from the ceilin like that?" asked Applejack as the last bit came free, and Frazzle stepped out from the bundle of yarn, her rat taking her, presumably, accustomed position riding on her head.

"Well, Frazzle tends to end up forgetting herself when she's in the middle of a project, and then strange things happen," explained Octavia, while Frazzle smiled embarrassedly and nodded.

"That's me. Though today it was because Persephone decided to be a naughty little rat and climb into the rafters with my best crocheting needle. When I went up after her, we kind of knocked over some yarn bales I forgot I'd been keeping up there, and, well, time makes fools of us all," she said with another smirk, as she used her magic to start cleaning up, curling the yarn into balls, and then storing it in an overturned bucket you hadn't noticed before, before finally she levitated it easily up to the rafters again, putting it just out of sight. You would have mentioned to her that only seemed like a good way to make history repeat itself, but decided against it as she smiled at you and the others.

"So, who'd you bring in today, Octavia? Are these new members of the Ensemble that I need to make things for? Let's see, two ponies, a mare and a stallion, ruby lines would probably be best to match their coats, with some emerald yarn thrown in" she said, beginning to mumble to herself as she looked Applejack and Big Macintosh up and down. She barely seemed to see you, though the rat on the top of her head looked at you. You shrugged, used to being ignored back home, and so not going to find it too odd here. What you did find odd was that the rat nodded, and then tapped on her rides head, getting Frazzle to look up to her.

"Hmm, what is it, Persephone? Huh?" she said, and then the rat pointed towards you, drawing her eyes towards where you hovered.

"Oh, and one pet! That's so cute," she says to you, and you are about to respond that you're no pet, but then think better of it when Octavia steps forward.

"He's no pet, and they're not members of my Ensemble, Frazzle. Allow me to introduce you to Applejack and Big Macintosh of the Ponyville Apples, and a human, who comes from another world," she explains, pointing to you each in turn, the three of you nodding your head towards her.

"And my friends, this is Frazzle Dazzle, Equestria's best yarn maker, and crocheter," said Octavia to the rest of you, giving the unicorn her full name. Now having names, of course, to put to faces, she looks at you all a little more closely, then gasps as she seems to recognize Big Macintosh.

"You were one of those stallions at the bar last night!" she exclaimed, and you remember the bar fight you'd been told about. It had sounded like a brawl no one could forget, considering size changing ponies...then of course you realize that the size changing pony in question had probably taken center stage from a spectator's point of view.

"Eeyup," says Big Macintosh to the statement.

"Oh? Were you involved in that tussle?" asked Octavia.

"Me? No, they still won't let me back into any bar in the city after me whole 'cover the castle in yarn' idea I had last time I knocked back a few too many mugs, but it made all the papers," said Ms. Frazzle, and she began to look around again, pulling from stuff from between shelves, some of which were design papers for new items, some were various fliers, and a few newspapers.

"Aha! There it is!" she said at last, and pulled a paper towards you, so the five of you could read it. Not that it took much effort, as the headline was something about Monster Pony Destroys Bar, with a picture of the giant DawnChaser kicking guards with hooves as big as they were, while Big Macintosh is knocking heads together the more normal way just in front of him.

"Oh, that's a good kick you're given that guard Big Mac. Right to the kisser, pow!" said Vinyl, kicking out with her back legs just like Big Macintosh in the picture.

"Eeyup. He had a glass jaw anyway," said the stallion, pointing with his hoof at the one he's kicking in the picture.

"Heh yeah, the guards all do for the most part. It's not like the Princesses really need guarding, after all. Though that captain guy who leads them. He did this thing one time, while in the pegasus armor, and he did whoosh, and then swoosh, and then BOOM!!!" Frazzle explained, her forehooves moving in loops and things in front of her, before slamming into the floor, and then springing out wide in an explosion gesture.

"Heh, that he did, but then he did that whole, Fwoom!, and then push, and then KAPOW!!!" added Vinyl, obviously on the same wavelength, her magic adding a flash to her show.

"Exactly...now you gotta let me make some stuff for you! I don't get many big, strong stallions here who are willing to stand up to those blowhards, so I have to make something special for the pony that does," she said, pointing to Big Macintosh, who blushes a bit.

"Eenope, I don't need nuthin' like the stuff you got here. I got mah own fashion sense," he explains, knocking a hoof against his the yoke he wore around his neck.

"Oh but you just gotta! I know what I can do, I can make you some stuff to go along with that," she said, and quickly a sketch pad and pencil came flying in front of her, floating thanks to her magic, as she quickly starts to jot down an idea. Before you can really get any clue what she's drawing, it's done, and she turns it to show a sketch of Big Macintosh wearing a saddle, a cowboy hat, and his yoke done up with a few bits as well.

"Oh nelly, but that would make you look cute. Ya'll might even get a marefriend if'n you go out dressed in that getup," chides Applejack, poking her brother in the ribs, the stallion huffing at her, before staring at the design, obviously considering it.

"Well...if it's free, I suppose it would be rude to refuse," he said, and Frazzle giggles as she suddenly covers Big Macintosh with yarn and gems, the stallion lost in the mound, which still glowed with Frazzle's magic as she crafted something out of it.

"So, how long should this take?" you ask, looking at the moving pile of fabric.

"Oh, just an hour or so, I suppose we could go see a few more sights, if you're interested," offered Octavia.

"Well, I don't think that's a good idea. At least not fer me. I should stay here and be there to lau...er, support my brother's new look when it's finished," said Applejack, smirking as you heard muffled protests from Big Macintosh beneath the yarn, Frazzle laying on her Dazzle, and getting closer with her crochet needles, which start to clack as she makes something for the stallion.

"You want me to go, and miss out on a show like this? Shame on you Octy. You know I never miss live performances," Vinyl added, giggling as Big Macintosh's head suddenly popped out of the pile, his face one of desperation as he tried to climb out, only to be dragged back down inside as yarn slithered over him, making you think this was some kind of sick tentacle henti thing. Still, you can't help but smirk a little yourself, and wish to stay. Then you turn and find Octavia staring at you. She has quite the gaze, even when she's just looking at you, and you're torn for a moment between staying here to watch the show, and the aftermath, and going with her, alone, to check out the rest of Canterlot, a prospect that's not in any way displeasing.

"Who am I to refuse the escort request of a lady?" you say in what you hope is a refined voice, or at least, your best imitation of one. Said voice solicits another smile from Octavia, this one reaching her eyes, and a gagging sound from Vinyl, who shuts up the instant that smile turns to a withering gaze, and focuses on her. Even wearing her glasses, you can tell Vinyl looks worried, but then smirks as she tuns back towards Big Macintosh as he tries valiantly to fight of Frazzle Dazzle and her yarn.

"Shall we depart?" asks Octavia, and you nod, the pair of you heading through the shop, and towards the door. You get one good last look at everything as you pass, reveling again in the shiny examples of the artist's skill. Frazzle really is quite good at what she does, and you can just imagine the stuff she's making for Big Macintosh right now. It probably won't be quite as comfortable as your own outfit, provided by Rarity, but it will still look darn good.

Going towards the door, you try to push it open for Octavia, to be the gentleman, but of course, given you stature, it's quite the sight to see your tiny form pushing against the heavy wooden block, your face straining against it, before you fall back, breathing hard. Octavia hides a grin and a chuckle behind her hoof, and then opens the door herself, allowing the pair of you to exit the shop with a single glance back towards the room where the others are, and then you find yourself once more walking the streets of Canterlot, the center of this world's politics, and the home of the goddesses who controlled it.

Once outside, you notice a bit of a difference in how the ponies around you looked at you. Before, every time you'd been out among them, you'd been part of a larger group, mostly obvious outsiders, but some celebrities mixed in. Now though, you were alone, without those names or faces to back you up, and so the looks that you garnered were entirely different. Instead of respect, or at least, a grudging admittance that you belonged, you saw a few ponies eying you like you would someone who'd brought their dog into a shopping mall or the like. Tolerated, but not really accepted behavior. Oddly, you weren't bothered by this attitude. You thought you should be, after all, you had every right to be here, didn't you? But as you looked around, you found your eyes drawn back to only one pony's face, and she was smiling, looking around, and pointing out landmarks and things. You wondered, idly, if she even noticed the looks others were giving her, as you floated along beside her.

Your tour of Canterlot, now much more private, proved slightly more informative, if a little less humorous, as there was no Vinyl or Pinkie Pie along to provide jokes about the various locations. Octavia, however, proved to be quite knowledgeable about her hometown, showing you a few shops that were her favorite besides Frazzle's, including the music shoppe where she bought her cello and various other supplies. You even got to go inside and look at a few, smiling as she listed off the instruments, and telling you stories and anecdotes about her ensemble, the guys in it sounding like loads of fun.

"So, when's your next concert anyway?" you ask, curious to hear her play with a group, considering how lovely her music had been on its own back during the impromptu show in Ponyville. She goes silent for a moment, and you turn, seeing a rather wistful smile grace her lips, before she chuckles and responds.

"Not soon. Vinyl kind of made headlines with her last prank, burning down the studio like she did. Celestia felt it best that we leave town for a few weeks, to let everything die down. That was about a month ago, my Ensemble should have already done one show without me, and likely has another planned soon," she said sadly, though trying to hide it behind a smile. Quickly changing the subject, you ask her about an instrument you spot, and resolve, within yourself, to do something to help her. After all, she was really nice to you, and you'd only made her already complicated life more so in return to this point. It wouldn't do not to give something back.

After the music shoppe, you two wandered away from the shopping district, and more towards the edge of town. Overhead, the sun was slowly making its way from noon, to late afternoon, with the sky turning lovely shades, just as the pair of you got to a great hill that, according to Octavia, was called Lookout Mountain. You could tell where it got its name pretty easily, considering standing atop it, you could just lookout, and see almost all of Equestria. In the valley below, was Ponyville, a small smudge due to the distance, but visible as it cut a hole in the near solid carpet of forest, and farther in the distance, you saw what could only be skyscrapers, Manehatten, according to Octavia, almost a full day's train ride from Canterlot, both due to distance, and the track not behind able to run straight thanks to the mountains.

"A beautiful world," was all you said, as it was all you could think of. It was so different than the one you came from. That world, while it had its charms, and was by no means horrible, no matter what anyone told you, was also loud, dirty, and lacking in colors. This world...everything was bright, the sky, the trees, the people/ponies. Here there was conflict and danger aplenty, but none of it seemed to phase the inhabitants, who were kind and nice to each other, for the most part. The air was clean, fresh, and while you wouldn't say it smelled nicer, it did smell purer than the air back home.

"I'm sure your world is lovely too," Octavia told you, and you nod, the two of you just standing, or floating in your case, there for a while, before starting back down from Lookout Mountain towards the city of Canterlot behind you.

A Night with Celestia

The sky overhead turned purple as the two of you worked your way down the stairs. At the bottom, the path split, one going towards the city, the other towards the castle in the distance, and after a moment of thought, you decided to return to the castle for the night, sure Vinyl would tell you everything about the clothing that Frazzle made Big Macintosh. Telling Octavia this, she smiled, nodded, and trotted off towards the city. Watching after her, not really sure why, you sighed, and then flew higher than usual, going up into the sky, and then rocketing off towards the castle, looking down as the outskirts of the city passed quickly below you, and within a few moments, you arrive in the garden, hovering just above the trees. Looking through the branches you spot the various animals that make the gardens their home. One form though, belongs to a pony you recognize, and with a smile, you descend from the sky, and nod to her in greeting.

"Hello, Ms. Fluttershy," you say simply, as you come down to hover near her head, finding that she's covered with various animals, as she lays down upon the grass.

"Oh, hi there. How are you, Mr. Human?" she says, and you smile again at her name for you. You don't know whether she forgot your real one, or just chose to call you what you are, which, considering you're the only one of your kind that you know of on the whole planet, isn't something that bothers you.

"I'm fine. Just got back to the castle after an afternoon with Octavia and the others. I'll assume you've been here all afternoon yourself with the animals," you tell her, not really a question, just a statement of fact.

"Oh, I have. It was so traumatic that first night at the gala, but since then, I've gotten to know the birds and the animals here a little better. That time I was trying to keep them up way past their bed time. Now, thanks to Mr. Hayseed, I know when to leave them alone, and when we can play," she says, and then whistles a few notes, getting the birds to flap their wings, and fly into the trees, the squirrels, after hugging her, going to their homes as well, followed by the various other.

"Heh, adorable. So, are you gonna head to bed yourself?" you ask her, wondering when you yourself would be heading off to sleep.

"Well, I suppose I should. We had a really exciting night last night, and a long day today. Besides, I think Angel got here with Spike, and has been in the rooms Twilight made ready for us, and is probably 'claiming' everything in there as his toys, so I need to go dissuade him of that, before he and Rainbow Dash get into another argument," she tells you, and then with a bit of a flutter to her wings, she rises to her hooves, and trots off, towards the tower where the girls are staying. You spend a moment watching her. Even just trotting, Fluttershy somehow exudes this aura of adorability that you don't think anypony, or anything else, can match. That only makes you smile more broadly, as you look up towards the castle, and take off like a shot for it.

The air around the castle tastes of magic, as it had before. It was no secret why of course, considering the palace here was home to twin goddesses, and likely several unicorns. Heck, knowing now that the armor gave the guards their wings and horns, you begin to wonder, idly, if you can feel them too, and resolve to one day ask to touch one of the armors with you power, both in rest state, and as it's put on, just to see if you can somehow replicate the effect. Your idle thoughts are banished when you notice the large balcony approaching you, and zip around it, finding yourself at the door to Celestia's own room, with two shapes silhouetted inside, the sizes of them making it obvious they were the student and the master, and the sounds of silvery laughter coming from within showing they were having a private moment.

With no wish to disturb the pair, you fly upward to where you own room is, shaking yourself as you land, trying to work the kinks out of your muscles. Oddly, despite only eating once today, you don't feel hungry or tired, but as you land, you find every muscle in your body is sore, making you wonder if your power uses them in some way you don't yet understand. Stretching upward, you pop a few vertebrae in your back, the feeling of release sweet agony to you, as you look upward, and feel, rather than see, Luna on her balcony above yours. You toy for a moment with going to join her on her deck, to watch her again raise the night, and after a moment fly up to her.

Lifting off your balcony, you float upward slowly, coming to the edge of Luna's, and then lightly waft to land on the low railing. Before you stands the Princess of the Night, her mane, styled after a starry night sky, flowing around her body. Staring at her, it's easy to see how she scared the others during Nightmare Night. Her visage is imposing, her size, a good twice what the others had, would have been intimidating, if you weren't already used to it, and her expression was chiseled, like she had been born of some obsidian block, lovingly crafted into a creature of terrible beauty.

"Are you just going to stand there, or do you have some greater purpose in coming here?" she asks, without turning her head to you, and you float off the railing, to move closer to her, finally coming to a stop near where she's standing, and looking off with her into the distance. From her balcony one can see almost as much as Lookout Mountain. In the distance are cities, some like Ponyville, small places, patches of light in a darker world, while others shine like beacons of fire against the cold night, obviously larger places, like Manehatten. In the day, they would have been obscured by distance, but in the night, they blaze, like stars fallen to Earth, and you can pick out dozens close by, within miles, while others are obviously farther out.

"I had no purpose, Princess, other than to look out on your night, and enjoy it, as you see it," you tell her simply, and you can see out of the corner of her eye, she's smiling at you. Smiling yourself, you look up into the starry night sky, and find the star she'd shown you the night before, and closing your eyes, you make a wish. She gasps beside you, and your smile becomes a satisfied smirk.

"Interesting wish, little one. Still not a desire to go home though, curious," she says, reminding you that, once again, your wishes involve this place, this world on which you've found yourself. You're no longer bothered by that though.

"Heh, it's a simple wish, and it's made for a friend," you tell her simply, and after a moment of thought, she nods.

"True, but it is one that those two have to sort out for themselves. Trixie was one of the most stubborn, sure of herself little ponies that has ever been in my sister's tutelage, and DawnChaser....he's something different," she says, chuckling.

"He is. Then again, no two ponies are alike. That's why this place is so awesome. So many different faces, but all so friendly at their core. Heh, back on my world, someone with the differences I face would probably have been locked away for study. Here, I have no doubt, you and your sister would let me go my own way, if I chose to do so," you tell her.

"And so you chose to stay near us then?" she offers to finish your thoughts for you.

"Yeah, I suppose so. You would never do anything to force me down the road you want. Celestia, for all that some others, like Vinyl, see her as a tyrant, isn't. She's a soft, gentle, guiding light. She shows the road that one might walk, but then shows a thousand others. The path she illuminates is, to her, the best, but it's not the only road, and she knows it," you explain, remembering the Solar Empire stuff that net had dreamed up around her.

"And what of me? Was I not just tyrant once? As Nightmare Moon, I made horrors and fears take flesh, and I made the little ponies quiver in terror at the very sound of my name," she counters, bringing up her own flaws.

"No, that's not you at all. Nightmare Moon, whatever she was, wasn't Luna, not the one I've come to know. You're a guarding darkness, a shadow that protects those who walk the path, unnoticed, but always felt, a presence that makes one safe to trek, to explore, and to discover. Never showing the path that can be taken, but instead allowing them to find their own way through the world, and just removing a stone or two from the path, to make sure they don't stumble," you say, chuckling again. You turn to face Luna, who actually seems to be crying a little at your words, and then, without warning, kisses you, before pulling back.

"Thank you, it's not often I hear such kind words. My sister doesn't speak them, because it is not something she can say, and the ponies, even Twilight and her friends, don't think that way," she tells you, and you feel for her. It's probably really hard to come back to a place like this, to a life you'd left behind, and then try and take it all back. Still, Luna is pretty cool, to have done so as well as she had.

"It's also because your sister doesn't think such words need to be said," came a motherly voice from behind you, and you and Luna turn to find the sun goddess standing in the doorway to the balcony, alone, probably having said good night to Twilight.

“Oh, um…how long have you been standing there?” asks Luna, obviously flustered that she’d been so distracted as to not notice her sisters approach. You yourself aren’t sure how she would have hidden herself, as looking at her, she’s radiant as a rising sun, and your powers literally taste her from where you’re standing on the rail a few yards away.

“Long enough. I had come looking for our guest, as I had a surprise for him, but now I come to see he has a surprise for me as well. It’s good to see you smile that sincerely little sister,” says Celestia as she walks closer and then does that pony hug thing where she sets her neck on Luna’s, her height, about half again Luna’s, allowing her to do so with ease.

“Heh, it is not often times I am given reason to smile these days, what with the duties of being a royal. I rarely have time to enjoy the company of friends now, or even to see Hoyden and Sundance most days, outside their simply being here in the palace,” she tells her sister, and you get the impression that you should leave, that the discuss is about to get private, but Celestia uses her power to stop you, generating a rainbow of light just behind you to keep you on the balcony.

“Then perhaps we should discuss a short holiday for you, Sister. For now though, I believe the Night Court awaits you, and I have business with our visitor,” said the sun, and the moon nods, turning back to you with a parting smile, before proceeding out the door, and into the palace.

“Um….is this business personal, or just business?” you ask, looking up at her from your perch. It was interesting feeling her now, as you did, compared to your impressions of her. What you’d told Luna was the truth, she was a light, but this close to it, the light was a bit overwhelming, and you could see why some thought like Vinyl, that she was a tyrant. Right now, if she had asked you to stop flying, and then jump off the balcony, you were almost certain you would have.

“A bit of both, but I’m sure you’ll like it,” said Celestia with an almost motherly tone, and in the next moment, instead of standing before you as a snow covered mountain, she stood beside you, sized for your scale, about as large as a regular horse. She then leans down, sloping one of her wings so that it looks like a ramp to get on her back, and you look down at the ground before her, and then stare into her face.

“You do know how to ride, don’t you?” she asks, in an oddly familiar voice, and you quickly shake your head.

“I’m a city slicker. I’ve never seen real horses. Heck, the cops don’t even keep them. Still, if you hum a few bars for me,” you tell her, and then start towards her. It is a few minutes of grunting from you, and laughter from Celestia, before you finally manage to get into a stable seat, and she then rises, nearly making you fall off again.

“You know, wouldn’t it be easier if I just flew with you?” you ask, having not thought of that before, as her offering to let you ride her….er, to let you….well, you know, was something they you doubted would be a good idea to turn down.

“It might have been, but you don’t know where it is we’re going, and I wouldn’t want to spoil your surprise when we get there,” she said, and then with a rather mischievous smirk, Celestia leaps forward, her wings flaring, and you almost go flying off her back, as those massive, for her size, white wings caught the air, sending her feathers fluttering in the wind, and the two of you ride off into the night.

Below you passes Canterlot Castle in all its beauty. With no party or the like tonight, some of the lanterns are dark, but even with only one in three on, the palace shines in the night, really looking the part of a seat of power for a Deity. Better, you can see others on the grounds, Twilight, specifically, but a dozen or more other ponies you don’t recognize just doing things that were their job, from Earth Ponies tending the gardens, to a unicorn mending a bit of well that had gained a crack, to several dark shapes you recognize as the Wonderbolts flying in the air, laughing as they play an aerial version of tag with somepony who could only be Rainbow Dash.

“Your home is lovely,” was all you say, as you smile, and you can feel the princess chuckling. In lieu of a response, however, Celestia flaps her wings hard, and suddenly you have trouble breathing. It takes you a moment to figure out that despite her reduced stature, Celestia is still a powerful thing, her wing beats making you fly faster than the wind, as she does it again, and again, leaving her palace and city far behind.

Once beyond the borders of the city, the lights below taper off, showing up intermittently, probably camps of things, given the flickering nature of some of the sources, are using large bonfires to illuminate the evening. Above, the moon is full, giving off enough light that, without the fires, you could have made out that not all those camping were ponies. Some looked like Diamond Dogs, others like the Drakes, the ones older than Spike, and one appeared to be a group of griffins in battle armor.

You would look back up to ask Celestia what those are, but when you look forward, something far more interesting catches your eye. It was…a golden cloud. Not one with the hue of golden like from a setting sun, but more, it really looked like a formation of water condensation that was made of solid gold, reflecting the moon light in odd patterns, and giving it a bit of a striped look, with the surface going from a lustrous sheen to pure black, and back again, as your angle on it changed.

“Um, is this your surprise?” you ask, not sure, since this world could have many surprises. Celestia doesn’t respond save to laugh again, and soon you find the pair of you diving for the cloud, making you instinctively raise your hands. Despite the cloud shape, the thing looks solid, and so you brace for an impact, one that doesn’t come. Instead there’s a feeling of the world flipping upside down, and your stomach heaving, so that when you open your eyes you nearly vomit all over Celestia’s back.

“This is indeed my surprise,” she says, as she lays down again, giving you the chance to get off, and you have to swallow several times to get everything back in place, distracted by your discomfort so it’s only when you’re standing on it, that you realize the cloud is supporting your weight. After looking down to confirm that, you then look around, and gasp.

This place was…lovely would be a good way to describe something a millionth as beautiful. Here, within the gold cloud, you can see little drops of pure light fall from above, some of them dripping into puddles the ripple and move in strange ways, but echo as well all around you. You’d seen pictures of what some people called heaven before, and for a moment, just a moment, you wonder if Celestia has taken you there.

Turning back to ask any one of the million questions you have about this place, you find that the Princess apparently wasn’t done surprising you, as she stood now, her wingtips and horn meeting in front of her chest, and you could feel the power emanating from the point where they touched, even before an orb of magic formed there.

It felt, to your new sense, almost like the cloud, which, now that you were within, was easy to gauge. It was a point where power gathered. All around you was power, but not straight forward power, if that made any sense. It felt twisted and looped, like the power of this place came from many sources, and Celestia’s spell orb thing tasted the same to that sense, twisting and turning, before finally flashing outward, a wall of light coming from her, and then passing through you harmlessly.

Blinking away a few spots, you try to get your vision back, looking around, and finding that, now, the golden cloud was glowing of its own accord. Instead of being lined with shadows were light didn’t touch it, not it looked like something Scrooge McDuck would have spent an adventure finding, a fluffy bit of solid gold, that you reach down and pluck a bit of, just to make sure it was really still a cloud, before finally returning to gaze at Celestia, who looks a bit drained, but smiled warmly at you.

“What is this place?” was all you could think of to ask, and the Sun Princess chuckles at you, looking around herself, drawing you gaze with hers to get just one panoramic look at the cloud around you.

“I’ve been told you would call it, ‘The Place Where Angels Lose Their Way’. Of course, I wasn’t told what an angel was, but I assume it’s something from you world,” she answers, and absent mindedly you nod, still caught up in the wonderful look of this place. It’s only in the back of your mind that you wonder who called it that, as it seemed familiar.

Your gaze, after spinning around the whole cloud, comes to look at Celestia again, however, the instant your eyes look to her, they turn behind her, as the drops from above seem to be hitting something behind her, slowly taking a golden shape, that looked rather large, and rather odd. It takes until the shape is complete for you to realize what it is, and even then, it changes as you watch, going from solid gold, to almost blackest night, taking on colors that are no fun to look at.

A moment passes before the shape, an armored figure, shows that its new coloring is not just a paint job, moving its hands together. When they meet as fists, a weapon, a spear, seems to grow from then, which the figure then twirls a bit, and aims right at Celestia’s back, her smile still fixed on you as the sharp end dives right for her neck.

Angels Lose Their Way

The figure loomed large over the Princess, its deadly weapon aimed right for the spot between her wings as she continued to smile at you. Not even thinking, you leapt forward to defend her. You don’t know what you expect to do against something that big, but then, without willing it, you feel your hand gripping something, and suddenly you’re wearing a strange suit of armor that glimmers in the light of the golden clouds surrounding you.

The image of your charge causes the figure to pause for a moment, looking at you with a slight tilt to its helmet. However, whatever its thoughts, the figure did not share them, making no noise as you rushed it, jabbing your blade forward to try and skewer the armored one. Not that you got close, as the thing just dodged, dancing around your blade, and causing you to fall all over yourself as you tried to stop on the jello like cloud you were walking on, slamming into the wall nearby with a dull clunk.

“Heh, not a bad charge but perhaps you should work on your tactics a bit,” comes a male voice from the figure, whom you can almost imagine smirking at you beneath his helmet. The image makes you growl in the back of your throat as you look to see the Princess standing off to the side, not in danger anymore, but obviously in no position to get between you and the armored one. For a moment, you wonder why she’s just standing there, but before you can contemplate it too far, the figure raises his weapon, and rushes at you.

The spear flashes at you, quick a rattlesnake’s bite, and probably just as deadly, but without know how, you bounce away, coiling your own body around the strike, curving about the weapon, and then leaping away, your legs carrying you far into the air, where you point your blade towards the wall, feeling a satisfying shing noise as its driven within, and then stays there, giving you something to grip and hold yourself in the air above your foe.

“Impressive,” was all he said, his spear tip having been driven into the ground where you’d been standing a moment ago, the cloud bending around it. He didn’t move for a few second though, just standing there, staring at you, like you were some fruit in the produce section he was thinking of picking. When he did move though, it was startling, his left hand hefting the spear wide, throwing a chunk of the clouds at you, and forcing you to dodge it, pulling at your blade as you push with your legs, bounding away from the wall, and towards the center of the open area.

The figure pressed the advantage, already on you when you land, his weapon twirling now, forcing you into a defensive roll and duck maneuver as soon as your feet hit the floor, and doing so again as he brings the hard side down towards you, that meeting the clouds with a clack like wood, and leaving an indent a good six inches deep, showing how hard that blow had been. Enough to break you probably, showing that even the end of his weapon without the pointy thing was dangerous.

You weren’t about to surrender though, and drew yourself back from him, trying to gain some space. His weapon had reach on yourself, the way he moved it giving him greater angle ability as well, but without knowing how, you knew your blade was heavier. That was an advantage in any fight, and even with his speed, all you needed was one good shot at him to fell him, and end this.

He made a ‘come at me’ motion with his right hand as he stood back to his full height, seemingly without a care, but a quick eye told you his stance was that of a master. At any second he could have his weapon pointed at you, ready to drive it through your eye before you could blink, which would probably not be a fun way to end this little adventure you’d been on. You wouldn’t let him hurt Celestia though, and so you did the only thing you could think of.

“Kya!” you yelled, slamming your blazing sword into the clouds beneath your feet, pointing the flat end towards the armored man. He just stood there, his helmet tilted, obviously wondering what you were doing. Well, he wondered right up until the blade of your sword popped out of the ground in front of him, missing him by mere inches, and causing him to vault backwards, right towards a second blade that came out of the clouds where he was aiming.

It was then that he did something that would make a physicist cry, twisting his body around like some kind of top, and somehow changing the direction of his momentum, landing beside the blade, and then running off as you willed another one up out of the clouds, and then another, and another, trying to catch him with one, and creating a forest of blades between you and him, a forest that continued to move and waver as more and more blades came out of the ground.

“Clever boy,” you heard him say from far away, as he leapt towards a wall. You didn’t let him get away though, not after all this, and soon a line of blades was popping out of the wall too, coming straight for him. He wasn’t going to let that happen either, though, and with a grunt, he dug his spear into the wall, making you panic, thinking he was about to pull a copy cat maneuver, and using your own trick against you. Worry about that, trying to will the line of blades to go fast, you’re caught completely off guard when a piece of cloud, hard as a wet pillow, slams into your face, knocking you back.

The instant your hands leave the handle, the sword and the blades all do that same pixilation thing, popping like bubbles of light. That same instance sees the armored figure, who’d used his spear to hurl some of the clouds at you, leaping for you, his spear first, and with a cry of terror, you cover your face with your arms, expecting any second to hear the dull squish as the spear tears through your insides, and connects with the cloud below you.

THUNK

…

…….

……….The sound of the spear hitting the clouds beneath you makes you keep your eyes closed, expecting the void to close in around you any moment. Any moment now….even after a count of one hundred heartbeats, nothing happens, and you finally creak your eyes open a bit. What you see is less than encouraging towards your vitality though, as the spear is shoved into your chest, the handle of it sticking out of you like some skinny tree.

“Are you done playing yet, my friend? It was exciting to watch you two bounce around like that, but him just lying there while you stand over him is growing rather dull,” said a voice, and your eyes finally move from the shaft growing from your abdomen and look over to see Celestia standing off to the side with another pony, about her size, and white as she was, though he had a long flowing mane of primarily red colors, with a beard of similar hues, looking like it belonged on Will Riker of Star Trek.

“Spoil my fun why don’t you? It’s been years since I got to greet a newbie,” said the armored figure, and he drew the spear from your chest. Well, more accurately it passed though you. Not like it or you were made of dust, clouds, or wind or something, but just…once second it was in you, the next he had just hefted it through you like you weren’t even there. A moment afterward he lets go of it, and it vanishes, popping like a bubble and leaving behind little beads of light that flare for a moment, and then die.

“Whahuh?” you go as you sit up, the armor dissolving around you. You begin to feel at your chest, searching for some sign of a wound or the like. What you find though is almost as surprising, in that you find nothing. It was just your chest, you slightly fat, but overall still whole chest.

“Heh, that was rather exciting, thank you for the show,” said Celestia as she walks over to where you are, and then offers you a hoof to help you to your feet, which you take, staring at the three shapes in front of you.

“What’s going on?” was all your mind could think of to ask as you stood there.

“It’s simple, you just fought an epic battles with a great warrior. You lost, but then, that’s no mark against you. I mean, you can already summon items. It took me weeks to figure out that trick. And that thing with the blade through the ground, brilliant. Was that a property of the sword? No…no it couldn’t have been, that sword was the Blazing one, Voltron’s, right?” says the armored figure, and you dully nod at him.

“The armor though, that’s not from Voltron. They wore stupid Space Ball uniforms. That wasn’t Beetleborg armor either, not high tech enough. Hmm, the cape…Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog? No, their armor wasn’t nearly as easy to move around in. It has to be a Power Ranger suit, right?” he asked, pointing a finger at you.

“Um, well, yeah. Solaris Knight, from Mystic Force,” you admit, and the finger snaps as he nods.

“Of course, that one with the train. Man that was stupid. I mean, the others all had kick ass transformation into their zords, and then this guy gets a train,” he said, obviously to himself.

“Oh, they have a knight named for me in your world?” asks the big white male pony, and the armored figure turns his head towards him.

“Well, it’s not like your names isn’t a general word for the sun, or close to it, Princey boy,” chided the figure.

“Uh, what’s going on here?” you finally ask, the two turning towards you, and then chuckling a bit before the male pony, an Alicorn now that you’re looking at him closely, turns to Celestia.

“I thought you were going to tell him at least something before he came,” he asked.

“I did, I called this place what yours said to, but I don’t think he was listening too closely,” she answers.

“Listen then; this is ‘The Place Where Angels Lose Their Way’. Ring any bells?” asks the armored figure, and you have to think for a moment, the neurons in your brain firing at irregular intervals, telling you that you should know this place. When it hits you at last, you look at him with an incredulous expression.

“That place from Chrono Cross. A place where two worlds meet,” you repeat to yourself, remembering the game.

“Yep, right on the money. I’d like you to meet Prince Solaris, Lord of the Sun, and brother to Prince Artemis, Lord of the Moon,” said the armored figure, motioning towards Solaris who inclined his head. Looking at him for a moment, you begin to take in details you hadn’t with a single glance.

He stood the same way as Celestia, though a bit straighter with the back legs. He was a bit taller, but for the most part, the proportions were all the same. Heck, their ‘clothing’ looked similar, with Solaris having simply armored bits were the Princess didn’t, including the crown turned into a helmet with one of those fuzzy brush mops on top.

“And allow me the pleasure of introducing, yourself,” said Solaris, his horn glowing, causing the helmet of the armored figure to rise off even as he tried to grab it. Beneath said helmet was a worn face, longer than your own, and with a stubble of a beard, something you had a bit, but not this thickly. There was also a scar above the left eye you sure didn’t have. Yet…it was your face, the face you stared at in the mirror sometime.

“That’s…that’s….what’s going on?” you ask again, and all three faces smile.

“I think our friend needs a sit down and talk, would you please Solaris?” asks the armored fig-asks the other you, and Solaris’ horn glows again, this time covering a small section of the clouds in it’s warm light. A second or two passes as those clouds mold themselves into a crud bench, and you find yourself taking your arm, and guiding you to sit down on it. Once your seated, he does away with his armor, revealing a much fancier suit beneath, and sits beside you.

“So, I assume you have many questions, let them flow naturally, and I shall answer them, as best I can,” he offers, as you hold your head in your hands, and then finally turn to him, letting out one long sigh.

“How long?” was all you say, but a grimace flashes across his expression, obviously signifying that this was a question he didn’t want to answer.

“Due to the time difference between dimensions, ten years, or around there. I stopped counting after the first three anniversaries of my arrival,” he told you simply, and you nod again.

“So, I’ll never go home again than?” you ask, this time expressing more complex thoughts, as your brain starts to catch up to itself.

“There’s no way to know that for certain, not really. However, I will admit, I’ve never heard of one of us making it. Perhaps we do and just have no way back though,” he offers, and you can’t think of a response to this, as you fold your arms up and curl in on yourself a bit.

“Do you want to go back?” he questions, and you just sit there for a moment, letting the idea of what he’d asked rattle around in your brain. Looking up, you see the Alicorns looking at you, expectantly.

“-sigh- no. I don’t. What kind of life did I have back there? No family that still talked to me after that….you know. A dead end job that couldn’t fire me, but I couldn’t get a better position either. No friends. No one who cared about me,” you admit at last, thinking back to those last few weeks. It had been lonely, living in the city like you did. The paradox of urban living. People everywhere close to you, but no one you could ever allow to get close. That thought set a smirk to your lips, and chuckle came from your throat.

“Not all true, or at least, I tell myself that, but still, the gist of it is correct,” he admits, and you feel his strong arm come around you, hugging you against him, causing you to laugh. Not chuckle, you burst out laughing at the absurdity of the situation. You’re so depressed that another version of you is hugging you. Of course, after a few seconds, tears start streaming down your face, and you bury yourself in his chest, letting out everything that you’d been holding back.

“That’s it, just let them flow,” he told you, and patted your back. It takes several minutes of crying before you feel you can’t do so anymore, and at last, you raise your head, sniffing back to prevent your nose from dripping all over his nice suit. Not that it wasn’t covered with liquid already, but he seemed to appreciate the gesture.

“Are you feeling better now?” he asked simply, and you try to say something, but it comes out as a hoarse squeak, so you just nod.

“Good. I know how you feel, believe me. I heard this speech from one of us that had gone hard hearted to deal with…everything, and he didn’t let me cry. He told me to suck it up, and move on with my life. I’ve always hated that bastard,” he admits, and then smiles at you. You can’t help but do so in return, and then you both start laughing, a laughter that doesn’t stop until you start wheezing a bit.

“Okay, my next question. Rule 63?”

“Heh, indeed. All over the place. Still, it’s not so bad. Butterscotch really helped me when they found me. I was one of the less lucky arrivals. I popped up about twenty feet in the air, and then dropped the rest of the way. Broke two ribs, my left arm, and my right leg on landing. The crème colored pegasus refused to leave my side until I was better,” he explained, and you nod, figuring that Butterscotch, probably Fluttershy from the description of the color, would never think of leaving a little thing like you hurt and alone.

“Different for me. I just woke up out of the void on the ground. Mind, I then had to dodge Vinyl’s big feet, er hooves. And of course, there was that thing at her house with Octavia,” you tell him, and he smiles at you.

“Ah, Vinyl Scrape. He must have been on something, not noticing a full grown man in his way,” he said with a smile, and your own expression suddenly goes a bit funny. Before you can say anything though, Celestia stands up from where she’d been sitting beside Prince Solaris.

“Ah, my cue. I told you Solaris that there was something odd about this one, but I wanted him to get to know himself first. Still, this is as good a time as any,” she said, and then she did that thing where she gathered her wings in front of her again, a little orb of green light forming, before shooting out in a wave of energy, making you instinctively raise your hands against it, even as your other senses told you it was harmless, and washed right over you.

When it clears, you blink against a few spots in your eyes, and then look around you. Celestia is once again a mountain of white, with a crown of rainbow colors streaming around her. Next to her stood Solaris, who was just staring at you, one eyebrow raised. Beside you, as you saw when you turned, was a massive, imposing figure of a human being. One who was of a size with the ponies.

“Curiouser and curiouser,” said Solaris with a grin, while the other you just stared, not sure what to say, and you just as silent, for different reasons.

Impossible Things

“This is actually bigger than when he arrived. When he popped in, he was the size of a bug, and I was afraid he’d be lost before I could get down to Ponyville. Luckily, halfway there, I received a message from Twilight all about how he’d been found by two recently moved in music ponies, and I was able to approach him the next day,” explained Celestia, all three of them now standing over you.

It was actually rather intimidating. The Princess on her own was powerful, a power you could sense, but add Solaris, who seemed even more imposing, and worse, another human, your first time seeing one at this size, and you almost wished you could curl in on yourself again. You couldn’t though. The time for that had come and gone, and so you just gap at your other self, who went from being a few inches taller than you, to exponentially more.

“I attempted to use a growth spell I’d learned from one of my subjects to return him to the size you’d said he’d be. It failed, which is odd, as Twilight touching him with her magic made grow to this current height,” she continued, and Solaris nodded.

“Interesting. Has there been anything else unusual about him?” asks the sun god.

“Perhaps. You mentioned before that his magic was strange, but not much more than a powerful unicorn’s. This one, on the other hoof has not only defeated both a squad of Wonder and Shadow Bolts, at the same time no less, but also cast some fairly advanced spells,” answered Celestia.

“Wait? You beat the Wonderbolts? I’ve never been able to beat them,” says your other self, leaning down to get a closer look at you. Smiling, thinking you had something up on him, you float off the ‘bench’ of clouds, only to be surprised when he reels backwards, falling over himself in shock.

“You can FLY?! But…but…but that’s not how our powers work!” he says incredulously, and you decide to show him what else you can do, sticking your tongue out at him, even as you summon the power from within you once more, shaping it with a simple thought, and then spinning in the air, an outline of something mimicking your motions appearing around you, before becoming a solid body around you, the Veritech Fighter.

“I can fly,” you tell him through the speakers, and his head just lolls to the side for a moment, your talent at this causing a reboot error in his brain. Once the process is finished though, he leaps to his feet, and then walks over towards you.

“Incredible. This is Jack Archer’s paint scheme, and YF-1R, right?” he asks, tapping his finger against the unit, and creating a banging noise inside.

“Right on both counts,” you tell him.

“Hmm, an interesting choice. Why not Rick Hunter, or Skull 1? Or heck, Max seemed to be the best pilot of the ones we….listen to me, I’m geeking out about an anime series. I haven’t done that in years,” he says, holding his head as he smiles, shaking it from side to side as if trying to force his though trains back on track.

“I can imagine…um, can you make everypony smaller again, Celestia? It’s kind of weird trying to hold a conversation with a monitor,” you ask, the head of the unit turning to face her. She just smiles, doing the orb thing again as you banish the mech, soon coming to a stop right in front of yourself, who still stares at you, and begins to poke and prod at your body as soon as you’re at his level. Of course, you bat away his hand.

“Stop that, it’s not nice to touch someone without their permission. Didn’t our mother teach you anything?” you demand with a smile, and the other you just stares blankly, before smiling back.

“Indeed she did. Still, you’re tiny…but you can fly. Do you have any idea how long I’ve wanted to be able to fly?” he asks.

“Since third grade, when we had to go on that plane,” you answer, and after a moment, he nods.

“Well, yes, but I mean since I got here. I can do all these things, make stuff that no pony can compete with. Heal the injured as if brand new sometimes. But I can’t fly. Heck, I can’t even walk on clouds, as we found out. Luckily Blitz is as fast as Dash, and grabbed me before I hit the ground,” he explained, and you remember the events of Sonic Rainboom. Looking down though, you notice once again that he’s standing on a cloud now, though rather than verbalize the question, you just point towards his feet.

“This isn’t a normal cloud. In point of fact, it doesn’t exist in either reality, just sort of an in between place where leylines cross over each other. It looks like clouds to us, but in reality, it’s pure magical energy,” he explains, pulling off a little piece of it, and then squeezing it in the palm of his hand. When he opens it, there’s nothing in his palm but a lot of sparkles, that he then throws away, while starting to walk around you, looking you up and down.

“Hmm, she mentioned spells. What ones can you cast?” he asks.

“Well, there’s the flight thing. I’ve been told that’s a spell,” you say, and he shakes his head.

“I figured as much, it had to be, but I meant what spells besides that one,” he clarifies.

“Um, let’s see, a hangover cure spell,” you say, remembering your first known use of magic.

“No, any of us can do that, what else?” he asks, rather rudely, but you ignore it.

“After that, I did the item making thing, but since you can do that too, I’ll skip to today. In order; Spirit Gun, Magic Missile, Special Beam Cannon, and then Ultima,” you list, counting them on your fingers, making sure you aren’t forgetting one, but then shaking your head at that notion.

“Hmm…which Final Fantasy?” he asks.

“The best one,” you tell him, and he just nods. He’s got to be thinking of the same one, as it was your favorite of the series.

“Interesting. I’ve never heard of any of ourselves doing tricks like that,” he tells you.

“It was no trick, that last spell released enough energy that Luna and I thought it might destroy Equestria if left unchecked,” explained Celestia, getting a bit of a wide eyed look from Solaris, who turned towards you again with a slightly darker expression, obviously thinking about the threat to his subjects if such a thing happened in his world.

“I should think it would. It’s a does max damage at most levels, hits all enemies, and is quite a sight,” your other self says.

“Well, I cast it at a bottle on a fence. I did that with all four actually, and it scared the crap out of me. Mind, then I cast a shrink spell that ended with my friends…it ended with Pinkie Pie throwing a party in my tummy,” you say, and your other self smacks you.

“Never say that,” is all he tells you, and then you both chuckle a bit, the two sun deities looking at you like you’d gone crazy, only make you two laugh harder, before calming down.

“Still, that’s incredible. None of us are tiny, and though our fields can be expanded, it’s not that much,” he says, scratching at his chin, making you raise an eyebrow.

“Fields?” you ask.

“Oh, oh right, I never explained that. We got off on the crying…what do you know about your powers?” he asked.

“That they’re kick butt stuff, and I can heal hang overs and fly. The Professor, a pony named DawnChaser who’s purple with an orange mane, says I’m some kind of magical energy converter. Sort of like MegaMan I guess,” you say, remembering something about that’s how the Blue Bomber’s weapon copying ability worked.

“Hmm, DawnChaser, probably a male version of TwilightPursuit. Anyway, he’s only partially correct. What you’re doing, it’s not magic,” he explains, and you look at him funny.

“No seriously, it’s not magic. I don’t know which one of us first figured this out, but what we do with our powers, according to the ponies is impossible with magic as they know it. It’s something like magic, don’t get me wrong, but it’s also way different,” he began.

“What we do is Phenomena Fluctuation. We alter probabilities on a massive scale. It allows us to cause things to happen, the closer to what really is, the easier it is to do. The includes item making, because they have the potential to exist, our armor and weapons, they can be made. Heck, once you’ve made them, their possibility increases. Just think about how it felt to make the armor and sword for the first time,” he says.

You do, remembering that little star of magical light inside you, and you consider for a moment how it was so much easier this time. Heck, the sword was really easy the second time anyway, and now you could even summon the veritech without much effort at all, just a few drops of power and you had a ride.

“That fits with the data. How do we do that?” you ask.

“Heh, that’s the fun part. We exude a field, that does it. I don’t know if we had it before we came to Equestria, but just never got to use it, or if it’s a result of whatever brought us here. If you want my opinion, it’s the former, considering we all seem to appear in different ways. I was a lightning strike for instance, but I’ve heard of ones of us that appear in bubbles of rainbow light, one that grew out of a flower, and then one that just sort of walked out of thin air,” he says, counting on his fingers as he lists them off.

“Neat. I wonder if I did any flashy thing like that, and no one noticed,” you say idly, and Celestia nods.

“You appeared with a single flash of light,” she tells you.

“Um…how do you know that?” you ask.

“I told you, I was aware of your arrival the instant it happened. Not that I’d been expecting it, your appearance is not always assured, though sometimes your people do visit our world,” she tells you.

“So I’m not in every reality?” you ask.

“No, no we’re not. Not that anyone is. I know a few who are like us, they arrive in more than one without really knowing why. Heh, none of them have powers like ours though…and none of our other selves have power like yours,” he says, looking you up and down.

“Heh, so, there are other humans in Equestria. Any in your reality?” you ask.

“As long as I’ve been here, no, but some of them try to hide, unsure if they’d be accepted. Others get turned into ponies, or griffins, or even dogs, and just blend in well enough to get by. Some know the show, others are ignorant of it,” he tells you, and you look up at that. You’d been avoiding mentioning the unreality of where you are to anypony, and here he’d just blab it in front of Celestia. She doesn’t seem to react though, and not wanting to push your luck, you decide to ask another question.

“So, ten years there. Anypony special in your life?” you ask him, smirking at him with one side of your face, and he looks at you for a moment, before smiling back.

“No, I’m afraid I’m not one of those of us who gets into that kind of life. I do live with somepony, but it’s nothing like that. We’re war buddies, and I needed a place to crash and then…I guess I just got used to being there,” he explains.

“War buddies? There’s war in Equestria?”

“Sometimes, yeah. My first taste of it was an attack on the palace by some griffon general who’d managed to assemble several flocks of her people together. I was at the palace at the time to-oh frell me,” said the other you, and you suddenly felt violently ill again, just as you had when you entered the cloud. It was like, for a moment, the world just rippled, but you could feel that ripple as it passed through your body, its movement making your stomach heave, and forcing you to swallow several times to keep everything down.

“Wh.wha.wha..what was that?” you gasp out between gulps of air, your other self and the two deities looking around none of them seemingly as effected as you by what had happened.

“That was leylines parting. This place is fading, so I have to go over the rest of this fast. Find something that makes you happy. Art, games, knowledge, and stick with it, it’s the only thing that keeps us sane. Never listen to the Professor or the Doctor when they want you to do something without either of the Prince…esses there to tell you it’s okay The latter can end up with you lost in time and space, and the former sometimes results in holes in said continuum,” he says, talking quickly, barely pausing for a breath.

“And if you have any questions, ask Celestia, she can contact me, or one of us at least, who’s been here longer. We’ll help you. Just never look into that mirror of h-“ he cuts off abruptly, and you see Solaris leap for him, even as the two lose their color, becoming shimmering bits of light, that then just sort of wash out, becoming faded and dull. At that same moment, you find yourself falling, the clouds beneath your feet parting, and dropping you into the open air.

You barely have time to cry out before you land heavily on Celestia’s back, the sun goddess not even seeming to make any effort to catch you, just flaring her wings out so you collapse into her soft hair, before her wings flap once, and you shoot off into the night sky, unable to talk with no wind in your lungs.

So you just lay there, enjoying the ride back to the castle. Beneath you flows a peaceful forest, even the fires you’d seen earlier seemed to have been banked, allowing the land to bask only in the soft glow of Luna’s moon, with you trying to take in every detail you can before it finally gives way to the city again, and you and Celestia land on the balcony outside your room.

Upon landing, she tilts herself onto the side, her wing forming a crude slide that you use to dismount the goddess, and then just stand there, your hands shoved into your pockets, your mind reeling around and around, trying to assemble a complete thought, and finding every time that the chain just won’t stay together.

“I’m sorry this was cut short like it was. Normally they last a little longer than that, though hopefully that mea-oh….” She trails off as she finds your arms around her neck, and with a peaceful expression, she wraps her wings around you, as you just hug her as hard as Pinkie Pie ever could.

“Thank you…..just…..thank you,” you sigh out into her chest, and you stay there, basking in her warmth for a time. Finally though, her wings part, and you figure it’s time to let go, stepping away and straightening your shirt a bit.

“You’re very welcome. And your other self was right, if you want, I can contact him again. Hopefully the leylines cross once more soon, and you’ll get to speak to him in person,” she tells you, and you smile at her.

“It’s a date, my good goddess. Though, I suppose, it’s been a day and then some, so I should get to bed,” you tell her, feeling suddenly like your body was shutting down. She just smiles at you warmly one last time, nods, and then leaps off your balcony, coming to a stop on the one below, as she returns to full size. Her hooves clack loudly against the stone, and she waves one at you, before moving out of sight, going into her own chambers for the night.

Walking to the door to your room, you open it, and look around. The lights were off, with only the moon and starlight coming in through the window allowing you to see. Everything about you was soft curves, gentle slopes. Nothing was hard edged or rough, instead, it was warm, and inviting.

Still smiling you begin to take off the clothing you’d been wearing, letting it fall to the floor from your body, and then finding you’re so tired that you can’t pick it up again. That felt strange, as you’d been fine last night, and that was after a hard day too. Still, perhaps it was more that you just went through your meeting, maybe it was all the crying, or maybe it was just that you’d been eating less, but you felt really tired.

Tossing off the shirt, pulling at the shoes, and finally just stepping out of the pants, you stand there in front of a fluffy bed, the most lovely thing you’d ever seen before in your life. Stepping forward, you pull at the sheets, finding them to be soft as the night before, making you idly wonder in the back of your mind who’d washed them, as you hadn’t even made your bed the other day.

Such wonderings vanish from your mind as your head touches down on the soft, cloudlike pillow. Your eyes flutter, as you stare at the room in the soft light, and then, with a deep sigh, releasing everything you’d been feeling, you shut them against the night, and finally fall asleep, the room filling with the sound of human snoring.

Dawn of the Sixth Day

The void lifts, and instantly you are awake. No shifting, no moving this morning, just one second asleep, the next with wide eyes. Mind, the next instant they’re shut tight again, as the light streaming in through the large doors aggravates the headache that makes you groan against leaving the calmness of the void.

It takes a few more minutes before you get up, rubbing the side of your head, wondering why you had to go and cry like that last night, breaking down in front of that older version of yourself. It was embarrassing to think about, though you must admit, it did you a world of good. You’re happier now, and running a few glasses of water from the sink and drinking them down greedily, you’re feeling better.

“Hmm, I wonder where everypony is?” you say to yourself as you gather up the clothing you’d tossed onto the floor, and then send it down a chute handily marked, laundry. Once that was sent off, you then select what you’ll wear for the day, which was a pair of short shorts, and a t-shirt. It was pleasant after all, and you really enjoyed the feeling of the wind on your skin here.

The next order of business was decided for you by your stomach, which chose to grumble at the fact that it wasn’t getting fed nearly enough lately. Chuckling and patting the growling beast, you finally walk over to the cabinets that you’d been told about the first day, and begin to rummage through them, looking for things.

Interestingly, there really was variety here. Not that any of it deviated from an herbivore’s diet, but there seemed to be every type of plant and seasoning you could think of within the confines of the kitchen. That included a large flower blossom which you looked at, and then, just as an experiment, tore a tiny piece of a petal off of, and popped into your mouth.

“Mmm,” you say to yourself, glad you had. The flower, a golden, glowing thing, tasted like that broth from the night you’d spent in Celestia’s bedroom, like something fit for a god. Thinking that, you refrain from eating anymore, figuring it was rare enough that it might be worth saving as a snack, while you gather the things needed to make some pancake batter, figuring you wanted something breakfast themed, and that your pancakes would be different from those of the Professor.

It takes several tries to get the stove top in your tiny kitchen working, but after a few times, you cheat and just place your hand on it, imagining it growing hotter, which it does, allowing you to start pouring the batter, a bit thick but still good, into a pan, cooking the flat bread disks until they’re golden brown. It doesn’t occur to you until you’re cleaning up that you probably could have just willed the stuff made too, no stove required, but smelling them, you decide it was worth it.

The next search is for butter and syrup. Unfortunately all you find is the former, in a cold box of sorts in the wall. The other you don’t see anywhere, at least not visibly marked as such. It could of course, be in one of the many jars in the kitchen that are sealed with wrappings over their tops, like old time preservative jars, but you quickly decide not to mess with those, at least not yet, and so resign yourself to just butter.

Soon enough, about an hour after you awaken, you’re sitting at a table, sized for you for once, and eating a meal with silverware you’d found during your rummaging. It was actually kind of nice, to be doing something that felt so normal, and outside, you see only the sky, allowing you for just a moment, to forget where you are, and what difficulties you usually have with this world.

Upon finishing your meal, deciding it wasn’t too bad, even with the lack of syrup, you walk over to a sink, and begin to hand wash the dishes, something you hadn’t done in months thanks to an old washer in your apartment. It continues to build the illusion that everything is just normal, as the plate, pots, and bowls are cleaned off in the sparkling water from the faucet, and then set back inside their cabinets.

Feeling full, you proceed to the balcony, and with a bit of effort, you push them open against the wind, showing you a world just past mid-morning. The sun is growing closer to the center, but is probably before eleven o’clock, meaning you’d slept till about ten, a normal morning for you, and one you could get used to, considering the hours the ponies had been keeping you up of late.

Beyond your little balcony, you could see the huge dais that was Celestia’s, the place where she raised the sun and moon for a thousand years. Of course, at the moment, said balcony was empty, with nary a soul in sight, while below it, a few forms milled in the courtyard of the palace, none of them seeming to look up at you.

“So, what now?” you ask yourself. You don’t recognize any of the ponies below, and figure that they’re going about their duties, tending to things. That seems like it would be annoying to disturb them, asking where the others are, as most probably wouldn’t know. You could ask the Princesses, but Luna was probably asleep, and you got the impression that Celestia held court all day.

Not seeing much point to standing there, you go back inside and look around your apartment, hoping for some sign of what to do next. It had actually been rather nice having your day drawn from one event to the next since you got here, nice enough that now that you have no plan at all its actually rather scary.

Trying to control that line of though, you make your way out of the apartment and into the hall, looking around, and then being startled when a hoof falls right outside your door, one that’s almost pitch black as it rises upward into the air, attached to one of the armored guard ponies that patrolled the palace.

“Hmm,” you say, and will yourself to float upward. Used to it now, you are quickly raised up to about eye level, and start off after the guard, who’s got a large horn sticking out of his head.

“Excuse me, can I ask you something?” you say, coming towards him, and then have to flit backwards as he quickly turns, his horn glowing, and his stance telling you he’s ready for a fight. Interestingly, at least to you, his eyes find you as soon as he turns, and you’re staring into a pair of deep blue orbs flash chill one second, and then instantly thaw, becoming something like a clear day sky.

“Oh, it’s you Little One, how might I assist you?” he asks, rising out of his fighting stance, his horn ceasing to glow. He doesn’t smile, mind, but he does soften from that battle ready war horse you’d been looking at.

“Um…well….I wanted to know if anypony left any instructions for me,” you ask, trying to phrase your thoughts in a way that didn’t sound completely pathetic, considering you were literally asking what you should do today.

“The Princess left instructions for us regarding you, mostly ones involving leaving you alone until you awoke, but nothing specific,” he tells you in an almost gentle way.

“Oh, well, I’m up now. So, what’s next?” you ask again, just doing it directly.

“Heh, confused without some direction in your life?” he asked you, smiling for the first time, and suddenly you have a flash, and snap your fingers while pointing at him.

“You! You were the captain pony in charge of the guards that Big Mac and the Prof…” you trail off at the end, thinking it might not be a good idea to remind the ebony black unicorn about that particular incident, but he just keeps smiling.

“Stopped from making bigger foals of ourselves. I must admit, I wish the Professor was a little more gentle with his lessons on decency, but he’s always got to show off his fun tricks,” he tells you with a chuckle, rubbing at a spot on his neck where you remembered seeing a bruise before. Nothing was showing now, either because it had been healed by magic, or the armor covered it up.

“You know the Professor?” you ask, not having met anypony besides the Princesses who’d known him, and they seemed tight lipped about that subject, one the pony himself refused to discuss.

“I do indeed Little One. I was here when he was still doing experiments in the city, though I was just a brash young colt then. I actually tried to get him thrown out of the Royal City about once a month, and it became a game with us, as I recall,” he told you thoughtfully, leaning himself against one wall in a very laid back fashion.

“Must have been a fun game,” you add, floating over to a nearby table and sitting on the edge.

“You have no idea. You think he’s bad with that size changing spell, you should have seen him when he used a summoning spell on a regular basis. Or worse, the duplication one, I think it took me a full week to catch all the various versions of himself running around Canterlot after one of those had gone wrong,” he told you, and suddenly you have the image in your mind of a thousand of the nutty Professors running around doing things. That was not an encouraging image, and it made you shudder a little.

“Exactly. Anyway, I suppose we should find out where your friends are. I had shoo most of them away when they came by, at the Princess’ orders, something about the two of you having a long night?” he said, smirking out of the corner of his mouth at you, and you don’t know why, but you blush a little.

“Nothing happened, nothing. Just, she wanted to show me something. But yeah, it was a bit of a rough day, and that night was a drain,” you admit as you lift off the table, and the pair of you start walking down the corridor.

“Heh, I didn’t think it would. The Princess isn’t that kind of mare after all. Still, she has taken in interest in you, more so than anypony since Twilight left the palace, so I’m inclined to help you. Of course, both Princesses have asked us to show you all courtesy, so that doesn’t hurt,” he says, leading the way down the corridors of the palace.

The trek is actually a few minutes long, with the pair of you getting lost twice, because, the Captain claims the palace staff enjoys switching landmarks like statues at stuff around, at the insistence of the Princess of course, to make life more interesting. Luckily, it’s not too far from your room to where he wanted, and after a while you find yourself entering an office.

No really, it was an office, like the one you’d been working in. Desk and everything. Behind the desk though, that was different, as there sat a pony, in this case, a lime green mare you’d met the other day, the Lord Chamberlain of the palace, who was talking to herself as she went over what looked to be spending reports.

“Lady Applebee,” said the guard captain as he trotted in, sounding a bit cold, compared to the more friendly tone he’d been using while the two of you had chatted on the way to the office.

“Ah, Captain, just the pony I wanted to see. I had questions about your….incident the other day, and the cost of healing implements you used,” says Applebee as she looks up from her reports. The earthpony mare used a similarly cold tone, and you realize quickly that the two don’t like each other, probably not uncommon among military men and the ones who balanced checkbooks.

“Hmph, you’ll find I was within all regs in regards to that occurrence,” he countered, then holding a hoof towards you as Applebee started to respond. “And before we begin, the Little One has a few questions to ask you.”

You feel put on the spot, as both of the ponies turn towards you, and idly, you consider just flitting away, but a quick glance behind you shows that the door you’d come in was closed, probably weighted to do so to keep the air in the castle out of this room, which felt dry and musty with all the books and scrolls inside it.

“Yes? Was there some matter of bits you’d like to discuss?” she asked.

“Uh, well, no, I just, I wanted to know where everypony is…I mean, not everypony, just my friends, the Element Wielders, Octavia and Vinyl, and the Professor and Deasly. The Captain thought you could help with that,” you say.

“And what do I look like, somepony who keeps tabs on the comings and goings of everypony in the city?” demanded Applebee with a bit of a rough edge to her voice.

“Yes,” was the Captain’s simple response, drawing the eyes of the mare to him as they narrowed. She didn’t do anything though, getting up from where she’d been sitting and moving towards a small bookshelf behind her, drawing one of the tomes off the shelf by hoof, and then returning to her seat.

“Hmm…let’s see, Ms. Sparkle is spending the day with Princess Luna in the library, the pair of them asking not to be disturbed. Ms. Rarity was invited on a day trip with Fancy Pants in his new yacht, and Ms. Rainbow Dash went along, since the off duty Wonderbolts had been invited as wel. Ms. Fluttershy is in the gardens with Hayseed and his team, tending to the animals. The Apple brother and sister went out to ‘see some sights’ in the city, and Ms. Pie is in the kitchen, baking,” she read off.

“Misses Octavia and Scratch retired to their home when they were told you weren’t to be awakened, according to my information they said something about fixing some windows,” she said idly.

“As for the Professor, he was barred from entering the grounds on order of Celestia, who didn’t trust him not to sneak into your room for some test or another, so he and his Apprentices are in that shack of his outside of town. I have a report that one new one arrived with the morning light, a Strong Arm, and another is expected back sometime today,” she finished, slamming the book shut, and then quickly returning to her numbers.

“Um…thanks,” was all you can think of to say, while the Captain salutes, and then turns, opening the door for both of you. The instant you’re outside, he slams the door shut with his magic, probably a little harder than he’d intended, given his expression.

“Argh, that mare, I should report her to the Princesses for violating their orders,” he said with an angry growl to his voice.

“She did share the information,” you remind him as he trots away, and you hover in the air next to him.

“That’s a moot point. The Princesses ordered us to treat you with all Courtesy. Luna even said to treat you as one of the Wielders or Herself, and to see that-argh!” he kicks out with his back hoof during a growl, and sends a pot flying. On instinct, you rush after the pot, getting between it and the wall, catching it, and then forcing it to slow, the thing getting covered by a light aura of many colors as it comes to a stop an inch from a nearby wall.

“By Celestia, I apologize,” He says as he turns back towards you, and then uses his own magic to replace the pot on the short table it had been sitting on.

“It’s okay, we all get mad sometimes, and want to smash something,” you tell him.

“Yes, but I’m a captain in the Royal Guard, I should be able to control myself better. That mare though, she always knows how to get under my coat,” he says, the two of you moving away from the Chamberlain’s room.

“So, what do you wish to do? I’m sure you could visit your friends, even the two on the yacht, if you hurried,” he said after you finally turn a corner and are out of sight of the door.

“Well, that sounds like fun, but I think I should go back to the Professor’s. He’s doing tests, and who knows, maybe I can find some way to be helpful to the Princesses. They’re being really nice to me, and I figure I owe them,” you admit, a statement to which the Captain nods.

“I’m sure they expect nothing of you in return for their generosity, but it is kind of you to want to reciprocate it,” he told you, as you just kept floating with him for several minutes, until he stopped at an intersection and turned to you.

“Do you want an escort to the Professor’s domicile, or are you just unwilling to leave me and my shining personality?” asked the Captain as he turned towards you, and you smile at him, then scratch the back of your head and chuckle in embarrassment.

“Um, well, you see, I kinda don’t know where the Professor’s lab is. I’ve been there twice, but that was both times from the ground, and I was riding Octavia, so…” you let the end trail off, and the Captain lets out a full bellied laugh while starting off down one of the halls seemingly at random.

“And you were more interested in the company than the route,” he finishes, and you just nod, getting another laugh from him as you continue on down the hall.

“That’s fine, I was young once myself,” he admits, and you suddenly blush furiously shaking your head and denying everything, which only gets the Captain to laugh even harder at you.

“Are you saying Miss Octavia is not pretty than?” he asks through gasping breathes, and that question gives you pause for a moment, as you think about her body, and then shake your head at the image.

“I really don’t know. I’m not a judge of equine beauty. I’d never met one before coming to this world. I mean, she’s got a nice personality. She was really sweet to me, even when I was something strange. Heck, as soon as she realized I wasn’t a bug and so didn’t want to squash me, she was all about getting me some help,” you admit, and it was the Captain’s turn to nod thoughtfully.

“Heh, such is the way these things start. Though I would be careful. Canterlot mares tend to be choosy about their partners, but once they’ve got their eye on one, they rarely turn aside until they’ve got him,” he tells you, and your mind boggles a bit at the thought of Octavia liking you, in that way, a boggle that’s banished as you find the Captain stopping in front of an open door in the castle’s side, looking out over the city.

“Ah, I knew I’d find this place,” he said, looking out towards the distance, squinting a little.

“There! Do you see that small shape in the distance,” he says, pointing with his hoof, and you have to focus your eyes a bit, trying to bring the thing into a better view, but finally you nod.

“It looks like a deck of cards that’s not been straightened,” you tell him.

“Indeed, that’s the Professor’s Lab, just beyond the city walls. I think the Princesses put him out there to keep him away from the ponies in the city. Still, if you can fly as fast as I’ve heard, you should be able to make it there in a few minutes,” he informs you, and after some quick head calculations, you figure he’s right.

“Thank you Captain, it’s been a pleasure meeting you,” you say to him.

“Heh, it’s been interesting talking with you too Little One, but I must return to my patro-oh no,” the words on his lips change instantly, as a sudden brightness fills there air, and for a moment, you think it’s some kind of lightning strike, even if the sky outside is crystal clear. However, the light source suddenly reveals itself to be a miniature sun, streaking through the sky from behind the castle, and falling straight towards the Professor’s lab, where it lands with a burst of flame that could be seen for miles around.

More Meetings

“All guards, I want a squad of wings in the air five seconds ago, with me! Horns through the city as quick as you can! Move!” ordered the Captain, rushing away from you, using some spell to probably talk to all his men at once, considering the way his horn glowed. Taking one look back out the window, you rush after him as he runs down the corridor.

“Captain, what was that?” you ask, and he doesn’t turn to you as he scrambles towards a turn, and takes it sharply, seeming to just snap into line with the new hall.

“I don’t…I know it couldn’t be what I think it is, but even if it’s not, it’s dangerous. I’d advise you to head back to your room, and let the Royal Guards deal with it,” he tells you, his eyes darting around, and then taking another turn down a hall. He leaves you behind for a moment, as your momentum kept you going forward, however, you soon turn around, and chase after him.

“Are you nuts?! That thing was like a small star! What are your men going to do against that?” you demand to know, easily keeping pace with him as you flatten out your body, holding your hands to your side like small wings that angled backwards.

“We will do our duty, Little One,” he said simply, and you saw the look of determination in his eyes.

“Then I’m going with you,” was your response, and you faced yourself forward, trying to look as stern as the Captain, who doesn’t say anything, until he’s forced to stop at another hall, looking left and right.

“This will be dangerous, as you noted, are you sure you wouldn’t rather wait out the crisis?” he asks, finally picking the left hall, as you keep pace beside him.

“I don’t think so. I need to do something to help, and I already showed I can fight just as well as some Wonderbolts. Besides, if it’s some kind of fire, I have just the weapon to deal with it,” you tell him, focusing only a little of you power into your hand, and then letting loose with it. What flows from your hand looks like a beam of blue white light that strikes a table, freezing it solid in a flash.

“Ice Slasher, never leave Wily Castle without it,” you tell him, turning to find him looking at the table with the judging eye of a veteran, obviously deciding if you were showing off too much, and might endanger more ponies than you could help, but at last, as he rounded another corner, and you were faced with snow white pegasi in armor, he turned to you.

“You can come, but if you get scared, run. There’s no shame in it, and this is no job for somepony who’s too bullheaded to know when he’s not ready,” he orders gruffly, running into a nearby room. You stop from following, and consider his words. Or rather, you would consider his words, if he hadn’t shot back out as a streak of white, his wings flapping in the air, forcing you to focus on keeping up instead of on what he’d said.

It’s not long before the group of you shoots out one of the palace’s open windows, into the air about it, streaking upwards in a spiral, so the city flows beneath you, before aiming yourselves straight at the Professor’s lab on the other side of town. Not that distance meant much, you could feel yourself straining to keep up with the pegasi armored guards, your power of flight getting taxed as you come in for a landing, doing a loop with them to kill momentum, so that you stop just between two craters next to the lab.

One was the Ultima one you’d made the other day, but the other was brand new, smoking, and altogether violent looking, considering the edges were cracked, and there were dirt clods everywhere. However, inside the crater was a sheen of pure glass, as if the dirt and rocks had been melted by something extremely hot, hot as a small sun.

“Oh, Captain, it’s so nice to see you again,” came a familiar voice from the lab, and turning towards the door you saw DawnChaser standing there with one of the oddest ponies you’d seen yet. For one thing, he was fully clothed, every bit of his coat covered in something that looked like soft latex, and for another, the colors, the gasmask covering his face, and the aura of heat coming off him you could feel from here marked him as a Pyro, a class from the game Team Fortress Two…yet in pony form.

“I highly doubt that,” said the Captain as his hooves touched the earth again, crunching the ground beneath his feet, which cracked under his weight, showing the heat hadn’t been confined to a landing crater.

“Do come now. That bar fight was nothing against you, it was just that one foal who needed a lesson. Besides, it was interesting to see how your stallions and mares handled a larger opponent without their armor. I must say, I was impressed,” he told him, stepping down off the porch and approaching.

“Professor DawnChaser, I demand you tell me what this fugitive is doing on Equestrian soil,” was the response the Captain made, pointing a hoof at the Pyro, who fled back a bit, as if he was terrified of the pegasus armored guardsman. Not that he didn’t sound intimidating, showing off just why he was in charge of the Princess’ Royal Guard.

“What? Him? Fugitive? I think you’ve got your wires crossed Captain,” said DawnChaser, looking back at the other pony, and you had to admit, looking at him, despite the gear, and the obvious signs of his power, you didn’t feel like the pony who was cringed back in the door could do anything really harmful.

“I ask again, and then I take you, and everypony in this building to the palace to be questioned. He was banished for no shorter than six seasons, what is he doing back after only four?” said the Captain again, the guards behind him looking like they’re ready for a fight, as they just hover in the air, lightly flapping their wings. Meanwhile, the city’s gate had opened, and a troop of unicorn armored guards were marching towards the lab as well.

“You really do know how to kill a good mood, don’t you? If you’ll just let me distract you for a few more…ah, here he comes now,” says the Professor, and the Pyro turns towards the house, before leaping out of the way as Deasly comes tearing out of it, breathing hard.

“Professor! I sent it!” he comes out, and you see a sparkling trail of light pass through the door with him. The difference between the two is Deasly slumps to the ground as soon as he’s outside, whereas the light flies up and away, your mind searching through your memories of the show for a moment, before recognizing it as the sending of a magical message, like Spike did for Twilight with the Princess’ letters.

“Fine work, Deasly,” compliment the Professor, causing the stallion to smile, likely a rare moment of praise from the flighty minded instructor. Deasly then walked over towards where the Captain stood, and bowed his head a little in respect.

“I apologize, Captain. We had figured we’d have more time before our friend arrived,” he said.

“Indeed, such as two more seasons of time,” said the Captain in his authoritarian voice.

“Heh, yeah…well, DawnChaser said he needed him, and that he’d work out something with the Princess. He forgot about doing so though, until he was already here,” explained the assistant.

“Indeed, and you’ve just sent a communique to the Royal Sisters, to beg forgiveness,” finished the Captain, looking towards the palace as the rest of his troops arrived, lining up beneath the pegasi, their horns glowing with barely contained magical fury, while the Pyro looked ready to bolt back into the house.

“What is going on here?” asked a sudden voice, and everypony turned to find a dark cloud coming from the palace, swirling together, and then reforming into the visage of Princess Luna.

“Princess, I’m glad you came, please tell this agent of the establishment that as free ponies we deserve the right to walk upon whatever ground we choose, whenever we choose to do it…walk that is,” says DawnChaser, sounding like something out an old sixties hippie commune talking to a reporter about the man coming down on him.

“Princess, I apologize for this disturbance,” began the Captain, bowing to his liege lady.

“Oh, think nothing of it, Captain. My favorite reading table has been commandeered by Ms. Sparkle, and I was just about to seek some other distraction when I received a note that my sister or I would need to come immediately to solve a problem before violence was employed as the solution,” she explained as she looked around the guards, the pegasi still in the air and the unicorns on the ground.

“Is that really what you wrote?” asked DawnChaser, turning to Deasly who nodded.

“I felt it was better than telling them to ‘get their pretty rumps down here before you had to start cracking heads’,” he told his mentor, who shook his head, while Luna just stared at him, making the purple unicorn smile at her, while also taking a few steps back from where she stood.

“Say the word, My Lady, and my men and I can have him locked up so tighter even Celestia’s sun will never find him,” offered the Captain, and for a second, it looked like Luna was considering it, but after that moment passed, she looked towards DawnChaser again.

“Enough banter. Why have you summoned Us?” she asked, her voice slipping into a light echo, showing the gathered ponies, and you for that matter, that Luna wasn’t in the mood for playing.

“Well, I sort of need a legal matter resolved,” said DawnChaser, who walked over to where the Pyro pony was standing, and then pushed him forward, directly in front of the Princess.

“Due to…an incident that I don’t deny, this young stallion was banished from Equestria for a period of six seasons, which I protested at the time as being excessive. However, with certain events that have occurred recently, such a delay in his return has become intolerable, and I would request a waiving of the remaining two seasons,” said the Professor as he stepped up beside the one he’d been pushing, and then sat down, looking expectantly at the Princess.

“Hmm, yes, Pyromancer’s case. Almost one year after Our own release. If We remember the reports correctly, it was your fault his powers went out of control,” said the Princess, staring at the pony up and down, making him shake a little under her scrutiny.

“I won’t deny what has already been proven. Your sister, as you no doubt recall, took my punishment on herself, personally, so that’s of no matter. This one’s case though, was tried more publicly, and he was banished, even after he’d helped to reconstruct the town,” countered DawnChaser, and fleetingly you try to imagine what punishment he’d been forced to endure, only to reach a system error at the thought of what Celestia could do, and deciding to purposefully derail that particular thought train.

“We do recall. We also know she did it to keep the people of that city from tearing him, and you, apart, so We’re willing to allow his return. We have conditions, however,” she told the unicorn.

“I figured you would,” he said, everypony leaning a little closer as Princess Luna and the Professor began to dicker back and forth in whispers for a few minutes, before finally DawnChaser walked away, motioning for Pyromancer to follow him, while Luna turned to her troops.

“Captain, We wish to thank you for your speedy response to what could have been a crisis of some magnitude. The Professor has agreed to meet Our conditions. Thus We absolve the remaining two seasons of exile for the pony known as Pyromancer,” she told the Captain, who, though he looked like he was grinding his own teeth, a fact not made better by DawnChaser sticking his tongue out at him, simply bowed to.

“As my Lady wishes,” he said through his clenched jaw, turning to his troops and issuing several orders, pointing with his hooves, and finally turning back towards you.

“I wish you luck, and remember, if he ever asks you to do something you don’t like, find myself, or the Princesses. There is no shame in taking things through the proper channels,” he told you, inclining his head a little, a gesture you reciprocated, before he shot off into the sky, leading a flight team back to the palace.

“Busy body,” chided DawnChaser over his shoulder at the Captain, only to get smacked, hard, by Luna, on the back of his head.

“Insult him again, and I shall allow the good Captain to have you as his toy for a day. I’m sure he’d enjoy it. Though you might as well,” she admitted, which DawnChaser smiled the contented smile of somepony who could get away with anything, as he started towards the door.

“Strong Arm, Trixie, we have guests,” he shouted into the open door, and almost instantly there was a great flash of light, followed by some music from nowhere, a horn section you think, and some smoke in the air, out of which stepped Trixie, in all her cheesy glory.

“Ah, fans to see the Great and Pow-oh, it’s you, Princess…” she said, trailing off, obviously not sure what to say to somepony she was truly inferior too.

“Don’t say that, Trixie, remember what I told you. Unless you like getting chased out of town by a mob,” chided DawnChaser.

“Hmph, I suppose you’re right. I apologize, Princess Luna, and welcome you to my home,” she said, giving a graceful bow, quite a feat considering the way her cloak flowed behind her, but she made it work.

“Thank you,” responded Princess Luna with a smile and a nod of her head.

“And I welcome you too…but it’s not really my house. Well, it is for now, I suppose,” said Deasly, stumbling over the words, which got Luna to laughing. Before she could say anything though, another pony came out from the house, one you hadn’t seen before. He was an earth pony, and obviously a he, given muzzle shape and size.

It was the size that was what first caught the eye about him though, as he was an earth pony who stood a little bit taller than Luna did, about a head under Celestia, and would have, if the scale had been the same, stood eye to eye with you. However, he had size horizontally as well as vertically, his coat a dark green, with a close cut yellow mane on top, and muscles that appeared strong as rip cords as he moved forward.

“Deasly, dear boy, you do need to work on your eloquence sometime. It is a pleasure to host your loveliness Princess Luna, and we hope that you might grace our domicile more in the near future when we’ve had time to spruce it up a bit,” said the huge pony, his voice matching his body, deep powerful bass, yet rather gentle.

“Charmed, Strong Arm,” she said with a smile for him as well.

“And you must be the Little One I heard so much about from the ponies in town when I arrived. The gossip scene is positively abuzz about you,” said the big pony, walking over towards you, and you quickly lift yourself up to his eye level.

“And is any of the gossip nice things? Or are they all rumors about me preferring stallions to mares?” you ask, not sure why you said it, just never liking the grapevine back home.

“Oh nothing of that sort…though that is interesting, do you? None of my business I suppose, however. No, instead the gossip is focused on you defeating fifty of the Royal Guards and a dragon at the same time wielding a toothpick,” he told you, and you suddenly burst out laughing at the image that makes in your head, falling over backwards, and then having to stop laughing as your stomach heaves at the spinning head over heels.

“Really, that’s what they’re saying about me?” you ask as you stabilize yourself again.

“Element of Honesty! They claim it earned you the privilege to sit at Princess Luna’s side, and a place in the bed chambers of Celestia,” he informed you, and this time you nod.

“Well, not exactly. I was invited to Night Court, I didn’t do anything to earn it other than come from another world. And I don’t sleep in Celestia’s chambers, I’m one floor up,” you tell him, and the pony smiles at that.

“Ah, the truth, the greatest threat to gossip anywhere. Still, it will be fun to see how far I can spread the real story. Most believe you to be something DawnChaser made in his lab in an attempt to overthrow the Princesses. As his apprentice, I denied that thoroughly for an hour, which means it’s what everypony in Canterlot will believe by tomorrow,” he tells you.

Before he could continue, Pyromancer stepped up, and began to mumble something. Well, not mumbled, more he spoke, but it was muffled behind the mask, sounding like ‘mmphmphmmmmhmmmMM!’ as he obviously introduced himself to you. You couldn’t understand a word he said though, and just tried to smile and nod. Luckily, it seemed the others saw your predicament, as DawnChaser stepped between you and him.

“Pyro says hello, welcome to the house that SCIENCE! built and all the rest of that,” he translated for you.

“Oh, um thanks Pyromancer,” you say.

“Please, just Pyro. It’s easier on the tongue, and it makes him sound less fancy. Fancy is what we have Strong Arm for,” said the Professor, walking between the two ponies, towards the house. Looking at each other, Strong Arm just shrugges, and Pyro’s shoulders drop dejectedly, before the pair follow, muffled mumbling heard from the latex pony.

“His apprentices do know how to make an arrival, don’t they?” you ask Luna as the group goes into the lab.

“That they do. DawnChaser is a Magister of some repute after all, and an accomplished magical theorist. My sister, and the Council, send him those with skills that his magic can tap into farther. From an earth pony with the strength of a hundred, to a pegasus with the power to make fire,” she said pointing her hoof at the pair.

“And a unicorn whose special talent is a shrink spell he can use to make a size changing spell,” you remind her, pointing at Deasly, who begins chatting happily with the other two apprentices just inside the door.

“Indeed. He’s good at drawing out talents, and finding a unique use for it. Pyro once harnessed his power to fuel an entire city for a month, without draining himself dry, and Strong Arm literally moved a mountain once. Those feats even my sister deemed impossible, so we tolerate him, and his goals,” she explained. Before she could go farther though, the pony himself appeared in the door.

“Are you two coming? There’s science to get done!” he demanded, in a rather rude way, before disappearing back inside.

“You know, I doubt the Captain and his men are too far away yet. Just call them up, and I’m sure they’d be happy to throw him in some deep, dark dungeon somewhere, and just forget where,” you offer, and it seems for just a moment like Luna’s thinking about it, before giggling cutely and starting towards the door. Laughing a little yourself at the image, you soon follow her inside, the door slamming shut as soon as you’re within the home of the made doctor pony.

Interestingly, the first thing you notice was that all the lights on the walls, the switches and equipment pieces, which had been fairly tame the other day, were lit up like it was a holiday today. Whistles could be heard, and banging sounds, as well as a few digital beeps that interested you enough to fly near one machine. At least until you felt the static field, and saw a small bolt of lightning playing along the surface of it. Not wanting to become the victim of a bug zapper, you instead follow Luna.

“I will remind you, DawnChaser, the terms I set forth include the safety of everypony, and everything, in Canterlot. That includes this Little One. If you get him hurt, you shall feel the full brunt of Our wrath,” she told him, slipping for a moment into that command voice as the two of you walk into the room where everypony was just standing.

“You wound me, Princess,” he said, trying to put on his best hurt expression.

“She might not, but I will Professor, if you endanger anypony unnecessarily,” chimed in Deasly, and Strong Arm nodded his affirmation, while Pyro made some interesting hoof gestures, pounding the ends of his forelegs together, and saying something in that muffled voice of his.

“Et tu, Pyro? Then fall Chaser!” he intoned, placing his left hoof on his face, and falling over to his side, swooning. Trixie, who was standing right next to him, looks at the others in the room, and then, smiling an embarrassed smile, kicks him, rather hard, in a sensitive place, causing the stallions in the room to grunt and move a little, as they imagined what had just happened to their mentor.

“Argh! The stings,” he says, as he rubs the wound with his forehooves.

“Then get up, or I’ll do it harder next time, brother,” threatened Trixie, and like a shot DawnChaser was on his hooves once more, rolling right back up like nothing had happened.

“Alright then, enough horsing around I suppose. We all know why we’re here, correct?” he asked, and received several blank expressions in answer, not the least of which was your own.

“No, Professor. You didn’t tell anypony what today’s experiment was. You even told me to go clean something else when I offered to help,” Deasly told him bluntly, and the Professor seemed taken aback a bit, before shaking his head.

“Oh, well, that’s not a problem. That just means I get to unveil it to all of you at once,” he said trotting over to a panel in the wall, and pushing several buttons with his hoof. When he was done, he turned back towards the room, motioning for everypony to step back, as gears whirled, clicked, and chirred, a deafening tumult filling the room, before the floor exploded upward, and filled the air with dust.

Despite All Your Rage

Coughing and chocking sounds are all that comes from the room for several minutes as the air only slowly clears of the dust that had filled it after the floor exploded. Luckily, as soon as the stuff had started to settle down you found that the floor hadn’t actually gone boom, but instead, moved, probably a trapdoor that hadn’t opened in years, explaining the dust, allowing something to rise from the lab’s basement to the ground floor.

“Behold, the first test of the day,” said the Professor, and hovering, you stare at it silently, mostly because you had a sinking suspicion that this was not going to be a fun test. On the floor at the hooves of the ponies was a maze, sort of like those that the rats ran for laboratory experiments back on your world. It had white colored walls, straight angled turns, and a cover atop it that allowed you to see down into it.

“A maze?” you ask in a voice that is at once bored, and rather exasperated.

“Of course! Don’t you see, it will allow me to test several things at once, reaction speed, general speed, logic, and a few magical variables as well. If you want though, we can skip straight to the next step it involves sticking a thermometer up your bu-“ starts DawnChaser, cut off as you land right in front of the maze’s entrance.

“Well, what are you waiting for, start timing me,” you demand, and the Professor smirks as he flicks another switch on the wall, and then pulls a lever.

“Okay, I want you to complete it as fast as you can the first time,” he instructs. “Everypony else should keep an eye on you, and we’ll gauge your time against my apprentices.”

“You mean the others had to run this maze as well?” you ask.

“Oh yes, it’s a logic puzzle, and makes for a good early gauge of how well students problem solve. Plus it’s a lot of fun to watch,” he admits with a smirk, getting him a look from the three apprentices in the room who, likely as not, had not thought their turns in a maze were fun. For their part, Luna and Trixie actually seemed interested in you, the latter moving her eyes over the maze quickly, probably tracing routes, and the other looking at you with one of those friendly smiles of hers.

“Okay then, time me,” you say, rising off the ground and staring towards the first turn. The instant you hear a distinctive tick that has to be a clock going, you shoot into the maze. Your body is a blur within the walls, taking intersections with near ninety degree turns, and quickly reversing course from every dead end, until you finally rocket out the other side, smiling as you do so, finding a bit of thrill in moving that fast and accurately.

“Hmm, now that is interesting. Beat the best time by more than two minutes,” he says, looking at a clock that uses those turn dial numbers to tell time, a book seemingly materializing in front of him, while you’re suddenly surrounded by a forest of legs that nearly drives you back into the maze, before you rise up to eye level with the ponies again.
“That was incredible. Even my sister and I can’t fly like that, and to do so while trying to find your way out. How did you do that?” she asks, and you put your hands behind your head and smirked at her.

“Easy, logic dictates that if you take the same turn at every choice, eventually you’ll find the exit, if there is one. So I just kept making let turns whenever the opportunity presented itself,” you explain, and with a flash, repeat the event, doing the same thing in reverse, shooting out the other side in less than ten seconds.

“Not bad, and very logical. Hmm, now, try it one more time, this time walking,” he orders, causing you to sigh, landing in front of the maze again, and entering once more. Your shoes slap against the smooth white floor beneath you as you jog lightly down the tunnel of the maze, your left hand running along the wall to help you.

“Hey, who turned out the, holy crud muffins!” you cry out, the light above you going dark, and you looking up to stare into a face, in fact, several faces looking down at you. Apparently the glass ceiling could support the weight of the ponies, as all of them had climbed on, and were following your little jog, making you feel even more like some test mouse doing laps for a scientist. Not that you weren’t, but at least you shouldn’t be made to feel like it, and you decide to give DawnChaser a piece of your mind once you get out.

“Despite all my rage, I am still just a rat in a cage,” you mumble to yourself as you keep going, trying not to look up. It was one thing to stand on the floor, surrounded by legs, but it was quite a another to be looking up at those legs from below, like at any second they could smash through the ceiling and squash you.

Several minutes pass as you shake a bit every time there’s a loud clack noise above, but keep your eyes focused on the path below, and a hand on the left wall, turning with it, every time it opens. At least six times this leads to dead ends, but all you can do about that is to keep your hand on the wall, and keep moving forward.

It’s at the third dead end that you feel something strange, and pause, looking up to see the Professor furiously scribbling in one of his books while keeping one eye on you. The Princess seems to be staring intently at you as well, while the others seem to have wandered off somewhere. Not sure about what you’ve felt along the wall, you being to run your hand on it in several places to confirm it, and then sigh, stopping, and leaning back against it.

“Hmm?” said DawnChaser above, his face filling your sky as he grew closer.

“Are you giving up?” he asked.

“If the maze is going to cheat, I might as well stay here,” you tell him, and his head tilts in a quizzical fashion.

“Cheats, how can the maze cheat?” he asks you, looking over the maze around you.

“Professor, this wall is warm, but none of the others are, that means it’s been moved recently. If I had to guess, you were planning on doing this from the beginning and seeing just how long it took for me to give up, am I right?” you ask him, and he turns away for a moment to look at the clock along the wall.

“Well, it is a logic test. Hmm, not a bad time either. You figured it out a few seconds ahead of Deasly’s first time. Not as fast as some though. I’d rate you a six,” he says, scribbling something down in one of his books, and then he turns it to you. It’s that pony book…well, now pony and one human, as it’s got a picture of you in it now, with those stat things off to the side, most of which were blank still, but now one had a six next to it, another a ten, and one at the bottom a three.

“Does that mean I can get out of here now?” you ask, pushing off from the wall, but the Professor didn’t seem to hear you, walking away, making you sigh as you rise off the floor, and shoot off down the path, making all left turns. About a minute later, you stop, as you still haven’t gotten out, meaning that the Professor seems to have made the maze actually impossible.

“Hey, can somepony get me out of here?!” you shout, pounding on the glass top, only to get no response at all. Even Luna appears to have moved away, leaving you along and trapped in the maze.

“Oh you did not forget about me! When I get out of here DawnChaser!” you threaten, hoping that he was just where you couldn’t see him. After he does appear to immediately let you out, you scream in rage. You don’t know where it’s coming from, but you feel anger at being forgotten like this, of having to run a stupid maze, and you reach into yourself, touching that star of magic, and focusing it into your hands, preparing to blow the roof off the whole lab in anger.

Then you stop, your hands already glowing with power ready to do what you wanted. This was no way to act, no way to behave for someone with the kind of powers you wielded. No, anger didn’t solve problems, it created them. You didn’t need to show off, to show so much of what you were, all you needed was something simple, and floating up to the glass, you knew exactly what it was.

This was a spell of the world, and so, came even easier than the others, no charge required. Remembering what Pumpkin Cake had down, you extend your field into the glass, and imagine it glowing where you needed it to, becoming intangible, so you can pass through it. Breathing in and out, focusing, you soon feel your hand slip through the glass, followed by the rest of you as you rise into the air.

“A very interesting solution, and much less destructive than I was expecting from that scream,” said the Professor’s voice, and you turn to find him, Luna, and Deasly looking at you, having been standing just at the entrance to the room.

“Another test?” you ask, and the Professor doesn’t respond as he continues to write something down. Deasly however, walks over, a bit of an ashamed look on his face.

“I’m sorry, he does that to everypony. It’s to see how they deal with an unexpected, but ultimately harmless crisis. You really can’t expect us to forget about you completely after all. Well, DawnChaser might, but the Princess wouldn’t, and I can promise you, neither would any of the apprentices,” he tells you, and you can feel that anger rising up again, but before it can show, you close your eyes and take a deep breath, gathering the air into your chest, and then just breathing out, letting it go.

“I can forgive you then, but never, ever leave me locked up again. I don’t like it,” you tell him in a rather dark tone.

“Claustrophobic?” asked Luna.

“A bit, but it’s more I don’t like being forgotten about,” you answer, the tone of your voice telling the ponies not to press too hard on that matter.

“Well then, we’ll skip to the tests where you’re the center of attention,” says the Professor, motioning for everypony to follow him.

What followed was certainly attention, as the Professor began to work you over with several strange devices. Some beeped, others whistled, and one made sounds like a theremin. Some he poked into you, gently to him likely, but still a little rough to you, leaving you sore where he did so. Luckily, he seemed to have been joking about the rectal thermometer, and just did surface scans, hmming at every result, asking the opinions of the Princess, Trixie, and his apprentices.

Not that you understood half of what they were talking about. Maybe one word in five was something you recognized, and the rest was just gibberish, like listening to technobabble of Star Trek: Voyager. Heck, it was worst with Pyro, who’s mumbled speech you still couldn’t understand, though the Professor seemed to turn to him whenever he wanted an opinion about your ‘aura’.

“Hmm, yes, that makes sense. Princess, look at this,” he said after the latest test, which involved you getting stuck with a needle. A small one, even to us, but still, needles weren’t fun, and you were rubbing your shoulder where you’d stuck.

“Interesting. Do you know what’s making it do that?” she asked him, and you get curious, trying to look around the pair of pony mountains, while the apprentices move closer to get a view for themselves. Sighing, you decide to risk a bit of flight, something the Professor had forbidden you to do three tests ago, and hover above them.

Of course you still saw nothing, neither did the apprentices, considering the fact that the amount of blood they’d drawn had been small by necessity. It would take ringing you out over a test tube to get an amount visible from your angle, so you get closer, hovering near where Luna’s face was, her eyes able to see it apparently.

“What is it? Am I sick or something?” you ask.

“No, nothing like that, it’s just…your field, the magic you exude, it doesn’t appear to be in your blood,” she said, and the Professor pulled out a book and began drawing something in it.

“Indeed. More importantly though, your blood reacts very interestingly to magic,” added DawnChaser, motioning with his forehoof for you to come over and look. Doing so, you find that the dollop of blood you’d given was growing. Not slowly either, but visibly as you watched it.

“So, whatever is making me small, must be keeping me that way then?” you say aloud, and DawnChaser nods thoughtfully.

“Indeed. Body fluids, at least living cells, likely return to their normal scale once removed from your body,” he answers.

“Does that mean that I’m making me small?” you ask, wondering if it has something to do with that Phenomena Fluctuation your other self was talking about last night.

“What? No, no, your powers are interesting, but this, whatever’s doing this is on constantly. Your abilities ebb and flow, this has been constant since you got here, save for one hiccup, during which you grew from about half an inch tall, to the three inches you are now,” he says, and begins rummaging through his books, before pulling out one that has two sketches of you, one of you at your current size, the other much smaller.

“Your power exudes a field around you, but it’s not constant, you shape it, as a pony shapes their own aura to produce our magical effects, from a unicorn’s magic, to a pegasi’s flight, or an earth ponies strength,” he explains.

“So then, can we remove whatever effect is on me. Not that I don’t like being bite sized, but it would be nice to just sit down normally and talk with somepony,” you tell him.

“Hmm…that would be problematic, but not impossible. It will require more understanding of your physiology and magical abilities,” he said, starting to write in several books at once again.

“Um, Professor, before you do that, shouldn’t we have lunch? We have to be at that field for the day's final test in an hour,” Deasly tells him, and DawnChaser suddenly looks up from what he’s writing and glances at a clock.

“Ah, right. I suppose the world can wait for my next book. Still, this is an interesting line of study. I will have to remember it,” he said, and quickly wrote something down in a book, before returning all the ones that had been hovering around him almost constantly during the tests to the walls.

“Princess, if you would like, I think we would all be honored to have you dine with us in our repast. We have but simple fare, not the likes of which your pallet is used to, but it is prepared with care and attention,” said Strong Arm, with a grin and a smile, bowing gracefully for someone of his size, which the Princess returned.

“It would be my honor to accept your invitation,” she said, grinning right back at him, as everypony started towards the dining room. Not seeing any reason to poke the Professor to go faster with making you bigger, you follow, only to wobble in the air a little as you fly after them. Luckily, the Princess spots you out of the corner of her eye, and uses her magic to plop you down on her back before you can fall to the floor, carrying you into the dining room, and seeing you down on the table.

“Thank you, Luna,” you tell her as you come to a rest, bowing as you do so.

“Think nothing of it, though I do hope you can eat what they’ve prepared,” she says, looking towards the kitchen where Pyro and Strong Arm disappear, before the pair return with several bowls. The pegasus pony and earth pony seem to have no trouble with carrying the dishes on their back, setting them on the table easily, and then taking their seats, whereupon Pyro says something in that muffled voice of his, waving his hooves at the bowls.

“Lunch, is served,” translated DawnChaser, who used his magic to levitate bits out of the bowl and onto plates along the table. What was being served was some kind of fruit salad stuff, which at least looked edible to you, as a bit was placed on a plate next to you. Climbing onto it, a task that takes a moment as you find you can’t seem to get off the ground at all, you then walk over to the mound of lettuce and cut up fruit, taking a piece, and biting into it.

“Not bad,” you say to yourself. It wasn’t the absolute tastiest thing in the world, and certainly not the best you’d had seen landing in Equestria, but it tasted okay. Around you the ponies are eating themselves, though you glance over at Pyro, curious as to how he’s eating, only to see him leaning back, rubbing his stomach, his plate clean, despite it only being seconds ago that the food had been served.

You try to get the image of him eating through the gasmask out of your mind as you continue on with your own meal, taking a few chunks of juicy fruit and wrapping them in lettuce, before sticking the whole thing into your mouth and chewing it a bit. It was nice to have a food you could do that with, remembering the trouble you’d been having with the food situation since you’d gotten here, though making you wonder if you should start packing a lunch from your room whenever you went out.

After a few minutes, everypony is finished with the meal, so Deasly levitates the dishes off the table, and vanishes into the kitchen, wherein you hear the sounds of running water, followed by the squeaking of a rag on porcelain, telling you he had the duty of cleaning alone, as Strong Arm and Pyro start chatting as they get up and walk towards the door opposite the kitchen. DawnChaser, Trixie, and the Princess have their heads together, buried in a book, leaving you forgotten on the table for the moment.

With nothing better to do, you just sit down and wait, looking around at all the various things lining the walls. The dining room, unlike the rest of the house, has no books or panels on the walls. Instead, in here, they were covered with mirrors, that seemed to have some kind of writing on their frames. Not that you could read it, but it did make for an interesting sight, until you turn back to where the three are just finishing up their discussion.

A Field Test

Several boring minutes pass as the three just talk before Trixie wanders off to go get something, and the Professor starts to scribble down some things in the Math Book, the one from Sweet Apple Acres with all the numbers in it. This is especially boring, since he and Luna stop talking at all as he does so, with Luna occasionally making her horn glow and taking control of the quill to correct something. At last though, the book slams shut and he looks up.

“Hmm, okay, time to test these equations. If you’ll come with us, Little One,” said the Professor as he walked towards the door. You try to follow, but the instant your feet leave the table you start faltering, you flight power causing you to wobble in the air, before finally hitting the floor. Luckily for you, Luna was a bit more observant than DawnChaser, and as soon as you touched down, she grabbed you with her magic, and set you lightly down on her back.

“Thanks, Princess,” you told her, and she smiled warmly back at you, before trotting off after DawnChaser. Outside, the apprentices and Trixie meet you, the former all carrying saddle bags like DawnChaser and Deasly, made of their own coat hair, while Trixie, for once, wasn’t wearing her cape and hat, but instead was dressed in what you could only call a business suit, complete with glasses, and a little notebook she was flipping through.

“Hmm, you know, I didn’t think about it before, but where’s Tailfire?” you ask, not seeing him with the others.

“He went with his aunt on that cruise. I’m thinking I should have gone with him at this point, but somepony has to keep my brother from spending all his bits on something frivolous,” said Trixie, as she continues to look through her notebook, which, as you get closer, you can see has various numbers written in it.

“Oh come now, dear sister, I’ve got plenty of money,” he tells her rather defensively.

“Yes, you do, now, but a month ago you were broke, and living off that stipend the University gives you, and in another month I’m sure you’d be back. Honestly, this is why I left. Keeping you from ruining the family name is just exasperating,” she chides him, making another note in her book.

“Well then, I suppose you don’t want me to tell you that if this fails, I’ve offered to buy the field from the owner,” he said to her.

“I already factored that in, though I think I’ll try to bargain with her. Knowing you, you offered her at cost,” she countered, and the two started bickering as your group began to make their way down the road, away from Canterlot.

“What field are they talking about?” you ask, as the three apprentices start to trot with Luna. Unfortunately, the one who answers is Pyro, who makes several hoof motions while talking in that muffled voice of his, and then begins flying, pointing to something over the horizon.

“Um…” you say, not sure what he just said.

“He means there’s a field outside of town where they grow crops to sell in town. We’re going there as the last experiment of the day,” translates Deasly, while Pyro lands, and for once you can understand him as he says ‘that’s what I said’,

“Ah,” was your response.

“So, how are you enjoying life at the palace, anyway? When the Professor and I came by this morning, we were told the Little One wasn’t to be disturbed, and when he tried to sneak in anyway, Celestia herself ordered him away,” asked Deasly.

“Well, it was kind of interesting waking up of my own accord, I even got to have breakfast at a table that was sized for me, which was nice…and what’s with all this ‘Little One’ stuff? The Captain called me that too,” you ask, having been curious about it, but figuring it was just some nickname you’d picked up due to your size.

“That’s what the grapevine has been calling you, and I guess it spread. I mean, no one else knows your name, you just kind of popped up with Luna at Night Court to the people of Canterlot, after they’d heard you were the one flying that thing in the sky that fought off the Wonderbolts. Since all they knew was that you were small, hence, the name,” explained Deasly, and then began to rummage around in his saddlebag, before pulling out a paper.

The front page article was a blurry photo of what you recognized as your Veritech, in guardian mode, as it turned around and fired off some missiles at some equally blurry figures, the Wonderbolts more than likely, though it was a black and white photo, so you couldn’t tell. The headline above the photo read ‘Battle over Canterlot’ and reading the article quickly, you caught the reference to yourself as the Princesses’ Little Guest.

“If you would like, we could tell our subjects you use your true name,” offered Luna, who was looking over her shoulder at the paper.

“Heh, no, that’s okay. I can handle being the ‘Little One’. It is true, after all,” you tell her, and she nods thoughtfully, as the paper is put back in Deasly’s saddlebags. He then pulls out his sketch pad, and starts drawing you and Luna, while Pyro and Strong Arm have a conversation just behind. Several minutes later, the group finally comes to its destination, and you can hear Trixie having an argument with somepony dressed like a farm worker.

“Now see here, this field hasn’t lain fallow for at least six seasons, the yield you’ll get from it can’t be half of what you’re asking for it,” she starts in.

“And I’m telling you, I have some of the most talented earth ponies in Canterlot tending it. I can get a full harvest from it, in any season,” decried an older looking mare with a dust brown coat, and a hoe for a cutie mark.

“Sis, just agree to it. I’m positive this will work,” said DawnChaser to the arguing pair.

“And if it doesn’t, you’ll be out thousands of bits. Don’t treat this so lightly, brother,” proclaimed Trixie, and then started to haggle again, with her and the mare continuing to haggle back and forth, quoting things like field saturation, rain indexes, and something about magic, before finally, after almost half an hour of dickering, Trixie agreed to the price, talking the mare down to about two thirds of her original price, as well as half the profits if this worked.

“That’s how you haggle, dear brother,” she told him in a tone that just oozed self-assuredness. Not that she didn’t deserve that tone, considering how hard she’d been fighting, and DawnChaser seemed to think so as well, walking over and doing that weird, pony hug thing.

“And that’s why I let you handle these things. It’s good to have you back, baby sister,” he told her, before the pair seemed to realize there were still ponies standing around, quickly separating and coughing.

“Yes, well, next we do the experiment, in this case, I want to see just how malleable your powers are,” he tells you.

“Um, by making plants grow?” you guess, and he nods.

“Well, we’ve seen you make items from pure magic, and use magic to destroy items that already exist, as well as heal hangovers, which is manipulation of health, but now I want to see if you can encourage growth,” he explained, listing off the uses of your power he’d seen.

He forgot about your flight spell, but then, it still seemed to be gone, as you try to will yourself into the air, only to come back down between Luna’s wings. Luckily, the Night Princess doesn’t hold that against you, and gently lifts you with her power, setting you down at the edge of the tilled earth, and you look up at the ponies around you, some field hands, the mare who owned the field, and the Professor and his entourage.

“Um, but other than the hangover, those were all things that I saw in other forms, I didn’t make them up myself,” you explain, and the mare just scoffs.

“See, he can’t do it, now let my workers get back to it. The growing season doesn’t last forever,” she complains. The Professor doesn’t even seem to hear her as he leans closer to you, his face sort of becoming your whole sky.

“Oh, come on now. You can’t tell me your people didn’t imagine things like this, or that you can’t do it now. I saw you take on the Wonderbolts, and win, so this shouldn’t be half that hard,” he pushes, and you think about it for a moment. Heal spell? No, this isn’t a status effect, you want growth. Cure’s the same way, you don’t need to heal damage. You could try a growth spell, but that likely as not would just result in giant seeds.

“Wait a sec, I know just the thing,” you say, snapping your fingers as you remember one particular spell. It was something your old gaming group back in high school used once.

“Excellent,” was all the Professor said, as he stood back up.

“Yeah, maybe, but this thing has a one in twenty chance of a critical failure. So…back up, everypony,” you order, trying to remember the words to this one. At your command, Trixie orders the mare to get her ponies out of the field, to which the mare objects, but at the insistence of the Princess, she relents, and you soon stand there as several dozen ponies walk by you, all looking down, and making you a bit self conscious about your height.

“There, that’s all of them, now we’ll have to start the whole day over again,” complains the mare, but you’re already focusing on the ritual, hoping your powers are better than you are at dice rolls, as you still can’t remember what a crit fail on this spell is, but knowing the goddess, it’s probably pretty harsh.

“Quiet,” whispers Luna, her voice carrying, as she points to where you’re sitting with your knees in the dirt, your hands out to your side, and your eyes closed. Around you there seems to be this throbbing aura of energy, invisible, but felt, like thumping of a speaker, shaking everything to its foundation. The hum of power fills the air as your bring your hands together in front of you, linking the fingers in the ritual of prayer.

“Goddess of the Harvest, Whose Great Sorrow Brings Forth Winter’s Gale, and Boundless Joy Gives Warmth To Spring. A Supplicant Asks Your Blessing Humbly. Fill This Field With Life, to see Us Through To The Next Harvest. DEMETER’S BLESSING!!!” you cry out the last, and your hands now visibly glow as you pull them apart, and then drive them into the earth.

Instantly you regret this action, as it feels like your arms are on fire, which flows down through them into the soil. Your eyes shut tight, you don’t see the pulse that travels through the field’s tilled earth, a green light that the soil soaks up like it would a downpour, before everything returns to normal, and you finally open your eyes, and pull yourself to your feet.

“I-gasp-guess I-wheeze-rolled a –gulp- fail,” you say, as you fall backwards, only to get caught by Luna’s mane, as she lifts you up, obviously about to tell you something about how even trying is a victory. She needn’t bother though, as the field, which had been straight lines of brown, suddenly sprouts several green dots, which then grow into shoots, and then just keep growing, until in front of everypony, most of whom just gape, stood a field of wheat, looking ready to harvest.

“You should never guess about these things, Little One,” said the Professor, as he quickly ran up to the field, and began to run some of those steam punk scanners over it, most whistling, printing out something, or otherwise making noise as he moved them up and down various stalks of the wheat, while writing things down in one of his books.

“Deasly, try some, while I take some soil samples,” ordered DawnChaser, as he leaned down to scrap some of the dirt into a jar, and shook it. Deasly, not one to question, just walked over and broke off part of one stalk, sticking it in his mouth, and chewing, before swallowing heavily.

“Standard flavor, a bit warm, but otherwise unremarkable,” he commented, and DawnChaser nodded.

“Unremarkable?! This wheat is the sweetest in the whole of Canterlot,” decried the mare who owned the field.

“Quiet you. And remember, you owe us twenty-five percent of whatever this sells for,” Trixie reminded the woman, getting close to the field and sniffing at it a few times.

“Though if you call this sweet, I might want to talk to you about truth in advertising,” she says, and the mare just scoffs again, raising her nose and turning away.

“Pyro, burn this section here down, I want a five by five section clear,” orders DawnChaser, which gets the mare to turn around, only to be face to face with Trixie, who just stares at her, daring her to interfere. For a moment, it seems the pair might come to blows, but luckily, the mare stands down, and just sighs dejectedly, as Pyro flares up, and then points a hoof out, which becomes a small flame throw that just tears into the field.

“Strong Arm, I need a seed. Sage Blossom,” continues the Professor, with the earth pony opening his saddle bags and rummaging around inside them, several bottles clinking together, before he finally draws out one that has a glowing gold seed in it.

“Excellent,” was all the Professor said, as he levitated it out of the jar, and then sticks it into the vial of soil he’d drawn out earlier. What proceeds is him just staring at it, not even seeming to breath for a minute, as behind him, Pyro clears out the space he wants, and then seems to suck the fire back into himself, leaving a perfectly square part of the field blackened with ash, but not even touching a stalk around it.

“Thank you, Pyro,” says DawnChaser, as he violently shakes the vial of dirt, and still gets no effect. Sighing, he walks over to the field, and pours the dirt and seed out onto the ash. Instantly there’s a bright flash of light, and when you can see again, the spot where the seed had fallen now boasted a golden, glowing flower, the same one you’d seen in your pantry that morning while making breakfast.

“Impossible!” proclaimed the mare, who rushed around Trixie to look at it, her eyes going wide as she approached.

“Those…they wouldn’t grow on this land,” she says, reaching a hoof over to poke at it, only for the Professor to grab it to stop her.

“Now, now, the experiment’s not over yet. You’ll get your turn,” he chides her, gently setting her hoof back in the dirt, and motioning for her to move away. She did so reluctantly, still staring at the flower with almost what you’d call love in her eyes.

“Princess, would you come here for a moment,” he says, several instruments hovering over the flower, while another, like a steel rod, is jammed into the dirt beside it. Your world starts to bounce a little as Luna, whose hair you’re still sitting in, rubbing your arms to get some feeling back in them, moves forward.

“This has certainly been a productive experiment,” she tells him, and he just nods, while looking at one of the printouts, and then tearing it apart with his magikinesis.

“It’s also one of the most impossible. Tell me, what magic do you sense from this wheat?” he asks her, and she leans her head forward, her horn glowing as she touches it to one, and then shakes her head.

“None, at least, no more than one would expect,” she says.

“Exactly. Just like with the bottles yesterday. However, check the soil,” he told her, and she then leaned even more forward, threatening to slide you out of her mane. Luckily, a small strand coiled out of it and grabbed you, holding you in place as she studied the earth.

“Hmm, there’s nothing there, just normal earth pony magic of the field,” she says, and he nods.

“But then why does this happen?” he demanded, reaching over and crushing the bud of the glowing flower in his hoof, causing gasps from several of the ponies standing behind you. He then waves his hoof before him, several seeds dropping out of it onto the dirt, creating a rapid fire series of flashes right in front of you.

“My EYES!!!” you shout, feeling like your corneas are burning as you cover them with your hands. You then feel softness all around you, and when, at last, you are able to blink away the spots, you find you’re now surrounded by a starry night sky, which only slowly parts around you, showing Luna looking at you with concern. Not that you can see her well around some of the more stubborn spots.

“Are you okay?” she asks you in a motherly tone.

“I’m, I’ll be fine, just give me a minute,” you say, continuing to blink.

“I apologize. I should have thought of you before I did that,” came the voice of the Professor from a smudge at the edge of your vision.

“Yeah, next time, give me a chance to grab some goggles…even if they’ll do nothing,” you say with a laugh, and when nopony joins you, you sigh. It wasn’t a good gag anyway.

“Still, from that flash, I can assume there are more flowers?” you ask, and you can feel the mane go up and down beneath you as Luna nods.

“Indeed,” was all she said.

“Out of curiosity, how long does this effect last?” asked DawnChaser, as you felt everything move with Luna walking away.

“Um….I think one hour per caster level,” you say, trying to recall the terms of the spell.

“Hmm, and how high is your level?” he asks in all seriousness, and you have to fight down laughter.

“I’d say eight, that was the level of our Cleric when he used it to feed that town,” you tell him.

“Alright then. Ponies, we have seven hours to plant and harvest as many Blossoms as possible, let’s get to work,” he shouts, and you can hear several hooves crunching the soil, as they start. It seems you’re not being included in this though, as the sound starts to grow more distant, and when it’s gone completely, you blink your eyes one last time, and look around to find that you’re not anywhere near the field anymore, instead you’re in the air over Canterlot, headed for the castle.

“An interesting day of testing, wouldn’t you say?” Luna asks as you come in for a landing, her mane gently lowering you to the balcony outside your room, before she joins you, shrinking down to your level.

“I suppose, though I was actually kind of sad. I had hoped to see somepony else I knew today,” you tell her.

“Oh? Was the company of myself and the Professor not enough?” she says.

“Heh, you alone are plenty of good company, Moon Goddess. But I did miss seeing the Mane Six, and then there’s Octavia and Vinyl,” you say, walking towards the edge of the balcony, and trying to find their house amid the outskirts of the city.

“I’m sure they would have come to you, if you’d asked, but they do have their own business here in Canterlot, after all, they live their own lives,” she tells you, and you nod.

“Yeah, I suppose I can’t ask to be the center of every story. Still, I hope to see at least some of them tomorrow, maybe with fewer tests,” you tell her, and then hug her on impulse. She doesn’t seem too surprised by this, and you find yourself surrounded by her mane again, as she hugs back.

“I will ask Tia about it before she retires for the evening. For now though, I should get onto my duties, and wish you a good night yourself,” she says, fluttering her wings a bit, and lifting off your balcony, before making her way to her own.

You watch her go, enjoying the weaving of another night sky, before going into your own room. Not as tired as the night before, you strip off your clothing, and send it down the laundry chute. Now in just your underwear, you set about making an evening meal, lighting a pair of candles in mirrored lanterns that fill the room with light.

The meal consisted of plants, again, but nothing too bad as you use your powers this time, turning some hard spaghetti strands into noodles, and then finding a salt shaker and some parmesan cheese to put on it. Once finished, you clean the plate you’d used, and then proceed to lay down, rubbing at your wrists which still tingle a little, before finally falling off to sleep.

Morning Escorts

You awaken again, and find the world hadn’t changed much in twenty four hours, since you’d last awoken. Well, not quite twenty four hours, since the sun outside looked to be much lower than before. It was probably just before nine, if your sense of time was to be believed, rather than getting close to noon. As such, you made yourself a quick breakfast of toast and waffles, before setting out once again, stepping out onto the balcony to look at all the ponies milling around.

It was actually rather pleasant, right there, looking down on them. It was almost like you could leap down, and join them, just milling about, rather than having to watch where everypony else stepped, lest they get a little stain on the bottom of their hoof. Sighing a little at that thought, you went back inside, not having seen anypony you recognized, unless one of the guards outside had been the Captain.

Going to the inward facing door of your apartment, you step out into the hall, only to jump back as one of those hooves falls from the sky, landing right in front of your door. The hoof, black as midnight, belonged to one of the ponies in unicorn armor, who turns to his partner, one of the white colored pegasi guards, who then bolts off, as the returns to his post beside your door.

“Please remain where you are, the Captain would like a word with you,” he says in that rather gruff tone you’d heard from guards in movies. An action hero would have taken the bull by the horns, and used every resource at his disposal to escape such an unjust captivity, and then to bring down the organization that spawned such civil rights violations.

Not being an action hero of any sort, you wave him off, and go back into your apartment, pulling down a cup, and then running some water into it. A thought and a small application of power later, and you’re holding a steaming cup of coffee, some off brand, but at least it tasted rich, with the proper amount of sugar in it to counteract the bitterness. With cup in hand, you walk out of your room, and then lean against the wall, sipping on it, while wishing you had a paper.

Luckily, it’s not too long before the Captain arrives with the guard, who’s holding his head a bit lower, motioning for his counterpart, who looks at him quizzically, to follow. The two both turn, salute their Captain, and then trot off, their hooves clacking on the hard floor. You watch them go, finishing off the last few dredges of coffee before setting the cup in your room next to the door and shutting it.

“I apologize for their behavior. I told them to come get me the moment you were awake, and apparently they took it a bit more seriously than I would have liked,” he tells you, and you float upwards easily, landing on the table nearby and look him in the eye.

“It’s not a big deal. Though you might want to tell that unicorn one to watch where he’d putting his hoof. One more inch out the door, and I’d have been a smear,” you tell him. He looks like he’s about to rush off after them for a moment and yell at them, but then he notices you’re smirking, and just sighs.

“I’ll be sure and tell them that. For now, I’m assigning them as Luna’s personal guards. She’ll loosen them up a bit. They almost always come out of basic a bit more uptight than needed,” he explains, and then grabs you with his magic, setting you down on his back.

“Now, to business. I wanted to be the first of the guards to thank you for your lovely gift this morning,” he starts, and you tilt your head in puzzlement.

“What gift? I’ve been asleep since last night. Heck, I actually went to sleep early,” you admit.

“Indeed, but that was only after enchanting a field to grow Sage Blossoms, many of which were…’donated’ by a certain pony we both know, to help smooth over some ruffled manes,” he explained.

“Sage Blossoms…those were those flowers that DawnChaser was growing. The glowy things,” you say after a few seconds of thinking about it.

“Indeed, rarest of the rare, and almost impossible to grow even for the most talented farmpony. Said to triple a stallion’s strength, or a mare’s magic, and allow them to go for days without eating,” he tells you, and you could swear you’d heard that somewhere before, but it involved fruit and a pair of orges in a place for losers. You couldn’t put your finger on it though, and just shook your head.

“So, you guys got some of those from the field yesterday?” you ask.

“’Some’ is an understatement. I got enough that I could give one to every member of the Guard for a month, and still have some left over. How many did you grow?” he questioned, and you shake your head.

“I have no idea. I did the blessing, and then Luna got me out of there after being too close to a few being bloomed caused me to go blind for a while. I’d assume they had eight hours of good growing though, and with just flowers, they could have gotten several hundred,” you say, trying to do the math.

“They got more than that, though I hear they’re still debating about price for them. Normally a single blossom is one thousand bits and up, but with so many on the market now, they’re selling for much less,” he explained to you, and you can’t help but whistle.

“Sound like I should have asked for some. I could have made a killing,” you tell him, and he nods.

“It’s the talk of all of Canterlot right now. We’ve actually had at least a dozen farmers come asking for you, and one attempted illicit entry, likely with the intent of ponynapping you,” he admitted, and you think about that for a moment.

“So, an idiot than? Or did this guy not see me fly against the Wonderbolts?” you ask, and the Captain chuckles.

“He seemed to have no plan at all, and was shooed out of the city. Still, I have been asked to provide you with an escort from now on, to make sure such supplicants don’t fill up all your time,” he informs you as you turn a corner.

“So, are we talking a guard or two, or a group of them?” you ask, not sure you’d be able to have any fun with a whole contingent of guard ponies milling about wherever you are.

“I had originally been going to assign a full wing of five, however, the Princess said that only one would be needed, and ask that I pick the one I felt most suited to the task,” he explained.

“Oh, just one sounds good. Who’d you pick?” you ask him.

“Myself. I’ve already gotten to know you, and this will allow me to keep an eye on the Professor, and make sure he doesn’t get up to any trouble while in the Royal City,” he states matter-of-factly.

“And allow you to arrest him if he sets one hoof out of line,” you say, filling in the blanks.

“That is one way to look at it, yes. Still, it does mean you can call upon my services at any time. As for the moment though, I believe there are two mares in the entryway waiting to make your acquaintance.,” he admits, while turning a corner, taking you to the large staircase room you remember from the show. Various ponies of the three types are milling about, some outside the large doors at the top of the stairs that lead to the throne slash court room, while others seem to just be sitting around, here to just talk with each other.

“There!” shouts somepony, and you find yourself suddenly in a sea of camera flashes almost as bad as those of the flowers the other day, forcing you to close your eyes. Luckily, these aren’t quite that bright, and the Captain soon forces everypony back.

“Clear the way, you paparazzi,” he tells them, shoving some with his magic, and using good old hoof power on others. One he even punches, which gets you smiling again, even as you’re blinking away the last few spots.

“Over here! This way! Hurry!” cries a familiar voice, and you look over to see a white unicorn you know well bouncing out of the crowd and waving.

“Hold on, Little One!” orders the Captain, and you comply, grabbing onto his mane, and then just watching as the world around you moves.

The Captain, as soon as he felt you grab on, galloped through the crowd that was pressing on you, still snapping pictures, as well as a few trying to grab at you. Rather than go through them and risk getting caught, the Captain ran for the wall, and then leapt onto it, sort of walking on it as he makes his way from the second down to the first, jumping from one wall, and towards a nearby one, and then back again, before his hooves clatter onto the hard floor, and he makes a break for Vinyl, who just gapes at him.

“Don’t just stand there with your mouth open, run!” he commands as he passes her by, and you see several of the crowd breaking away to finally give chase. Vinyl, with one look back towards them, follows swiftly, seeming to become winded after only a few gallops, but still going as the Captain passes through the open gates of the castle.

“Make sure they don’t follow us!” he commands his guards, as Vinyl rushes after him, and you feel magic being woven, which manifests itself as a barrier that keeps the ponies in the palace from pursuing the three of you any farther.

“Th-wheeze-at wa-gasp-s-cough-cough-“ said Vinyl before giving up, and just breathing for several steps as the two ponies make their way into the park around the palace. Luckily, it’s not too far until you see where you’re going, specifically, towards bench where Octavia’s laying, just looking at a pair of birds in a tree.

“Oh, there you are. I was beginning to wor-Vinyl! What did you do?,” she said as she noticed your group, switching from a relieved tone to an enraged one in midsentence, and eyeing the pop pony deva.

“Me? I didn’t do anything,” she protested as Octavia got closer.

“Then why is a member of the Royal Guard escorting you. I’m sorry sir, if she’s done something horrible, I apologize for it,” says the gray mare, bowing to the guard, and speaking in a way that just told you she’d done something like this a lot.

“It’s alright ma’am. Truth be told, I’m not here for your friend, I’m here for the Little One,” he said, turning so she could now see you, and for a brief moment, you think you see her eyes light up, but then she just smiles.

“Hello there,” was all she said, nodding her head towards you, and you return the greeting and gesture.

“So, what took so long to find him Vinyl?” she asked, and the white pony shook her head.

“Finding him was easy, just look for the raving mob trying to grab him,” she answered.

“Raving mob? What?” was all Octavia got out, before the Captain got her attention.

“It has come to the attention of several local power brokers that the Little One has an ability to make plants grow better than even the best earth pony. Some would like such an ability for themselves, which is why he’ll have my escort from now on. Or at least, until this has passed,” he tells her, and she looks at you with pity in her eyes.

“Heh, I’m the center of attention, but for all the wrong reasons. I mean, does no one around here find that ability to make a veritech useful?” you ask.

“Useful? Yes, in certain situations, very much so. Profitable? Not so much. The growth ability though, that could be used to make many bits, and they’re probably imaging all the other things you might be able to do for them,” he explains.

“I suppose. The veritech is still cooler though, right?” you ask, and Vinyl nods at you.

“Totally cooler. I mean, that thing beat Spitcup at her own game,” she assures you, and you smile at her in thanks.

“Moving on from that, how have you been? We didn’t get to hear much yesterday, as I was busy cleaning the house, and Vinyl was busy complaining,” says Octavia, motioning towards a bench. The Captain steps up to it, but rather than setting down, he sets you on it, and then walks a ways off, obviously to allow you to talk to Vinyl and Octavia privately.

“Oh, come on Octy, you know I don’t have your earth pony stamina. I can’t work nearly as long as you can,” complained the pop pony as she tossed herself down, nearly bucking you from the seat of the bench.

“Just five minutes Vinyl, five minutes of work out of you without you collapsing would have been nice,” said the gray to the white.

“Like I said, I don’t have that much stamina,” answered Vinyl with a grin, and Octavia sighed and facehoofed, shaking her head.

“You know what, I’m not going to do this today. Suffice to say, Little One, our home is a bit cleaner than it was, and should be ready for visitors soon,” she continued, only for Vinyl to interrupt by making kissing noises.

“What she means is she’d really like you to come over, maybe for a candle lit dinner, and then into the bedroom, some sensual music, and then..” Vinyl trailed off, doing what you guess might be a lewd gesture with her forehooves.

“VINYL!!!” shouted Octavia, blushing enough to turn her whole face red, while reaching over to smack the DJ hard enough to knock her off the bench. Not that being on the dirt path caused her to stop laughing. Down the path, you can hear the Captain chuckling as well.

“Don’t you start!” you shout at him, and try to cover your own face. This conversation at some point had gotten away from you, and you just try to suppress it, taking a deep breath and calming yourself.

“Anyway, I say we go into town, and try to forget this conversation ever happened,” you offer, and Octavia nods.

“Agreed,” she says simply, opening her mouth, and then scooping you up with her lips, before placing you on her back.

“Heh, does he still taste good, Tavi?” chides Vinyl, and Octavia, scoffing, gets down from the bench and jabs one hoof into Vinyl’s chest as she does, making the white pony grunt, but never losing her grin. She soon gets to her hooves, and your three pony strong group heads into the city.

“So, what were you doing yesterday while Octy and me got the love shack ready to shake?” asked Vinyl, and Octavia pointedly ignores her. You decide to just ignore the comment, and answer the question.

“Well, I did some tests with the Professor. Nothing too hard at first, just a maze, and some blood tests,” you answer.

“Oh, a maze? How’d you do?” asks the pop pony.

“Um, I finished it three times in under a minute while flying, but then he had me walk it. About an hour or so after starting that run, I figured out that he used something to switch the walls around, so I quit. Then I almost blew the roof off when I thought he’d forgotten me inside it,” you explain, and Vinyl just smiles at you.

“Heh, would have served him right, forgetting about you. But why didn’t you just fly out?” she asks.

“Oh, well, the maze had a glass top, I could see through it, and they could see me. Mind, it wasn’t exactly good for my focus to have ponies seemingly standing in thin air on top of me. I don’t mind so much when riding or flying, but just standing underhoof is kind of disturbing,” you admit.

“I would imagine so,” says Octavia, a shudder running through her body as she obviously remembers being shrunk in that hallway the other day.

“Well, after that, he took some blood work. Turns out, if you draw my blood out, it will grow back to normal size, which seems to be on a scale like yours. That’s interesting, but he still can’t tell me why I’m tiny,” you continue.

“Really? At least it’s a step in the right direction though, right?” Octavia says, trying to comfort you, and you chuckle while nodding.

“Yep. A few more steps like that one, and maybe we can fix this. Heck, maybe even find me a way home,” you say.

“Oh, do you still want to go and leave us all alone? You just know that would break Octy’s heart, and she’s only just learned to love again,” chided Vinyl, who shut up when you and Octavia fix your stare at her. They might not have been as bad as Fluttershy’s, but they weren’t exactly pleasant either.

“Despite what she says, I would be happy to see you go home, if that’s what you really want,” Octavia continues, after Vinyl shies away, and begins to have a whispered talk with the guard. From the way she’s speaking, you can tell she’s asking him about that wall run and jump trick he pulled back at the castle.

“I don’t know anymore. I don’t think I can get home, truth to tell, but even if I could, I’m a nobody back home. Here, I’m special, and I have some great friends. Besides, I don’t think DawnChaser would leave well enough alone, and would probably come over himself. That sounds like the making of a disaster, a size changing pony in the middle of downtown,” you say, imagining him walking through the city, big as the skyscrapers around him. You then shake your head to get said image out of it, not wanting to think about it anymore.

“Heh, that doesn’t sound very pleasant now that you mention it,” she says with a laugh and a smile, as the four of you finally leave the castle grounds, and make your way into the city proper.

Out and About: Canterlot

The city of Canterlot hustled and bustled as ever, with ponies going about their daily tasks, and chatting happily. Luckily, none of the eyes turned towards you, as the two mares and the guard sauntered around, no real destination in mind, just strolling about the street looking at displays, including a returned visit to Frazzle Dazzle’s shop, which was open and doing good business. That last fact kept you from going in, and instead your group moved towards the center of the street.

“Hmm, you look nervous, Little Dude. What’s up?” asks Vinyl, as you swivel your head around.

“Well, after that whole thing in the castle’s foyer this morning, I was kind of expecting to get mobbed or something,” you admit to her, and your answer seems to amuse the Captain as he chukcles.

“That’s not a worry in the city, Little One. The paparazzi may flood the palace at all hours, but they know better than to try and do that sort of thing here in the Canterlot itself. The Princess tolerates their kind, I think she even finds it amusing, but the elite of Canterlot are not so appreciative of their presence, and the city watch would break their cameras if they become too much of a nuisance,” he explained, pointing towards a pony wearing an old style policeman’s cap, like the ones who’d brought the Captain and his unit before Luna in Night Court.

“What about those power broker guys you were talking about?” you ask.

“Those are a different story, but mostly harmless for the moment. They’ll be either individuals who want to use you’re power, or even a representative of another kingdom. The one we caught this morning trying to break into the castle was a dog. Their type ever was the least cunning. It’s the griffons and the conservative faction who’ll trip you up,” he said.

“Conservative?” you say quizzically, wondering just what that would be.

“It’s a faction of Magisters, the elite unicorns, who are apparently trying to reinstate the old ways, with them on top. Not that it would work these days, the Princesses would never allow them to enforce a caste system again, but they’re crafty, and never step a single hoofstep out of line,” he answers.

“Ah…who’s in that faction?” you ask him.

“Hmm…I’m not sure of them all, and I don’t want to make guesses, so for now, just don’t sign anything anypony gives you, and never get too far away from myself, or one of your friends,” he instructs, and you nod.

“Right, no signing my life away. Out of curiosity, is DawnChaser of that faction?” you ask.

“No. The faction exists mostly as a bunch of old stallions who want to return to what they felt was a better way of life. Technology is moving too quickly for them, and seeing as the Professor is one of the leaders in developing new tech, they’d sooner get an earth pony than him,” he answers

“The makes sense. Oh hey, is that Pyro?” you ask, pointing at a column of fire shooting into the air one street over. The Captain, probably on instinct, began to move towards the source of the blaze, and the girls, after a look passed between them, followed, with you holding onto Octavia’s mane as she rushed after the guard.

Not that your grip helped when she bucked backwards in fright, and you were flung off her. Luckily, you had full flight power today, and so were able to stop yourself in midair, and then flit forward to see what had spooked her, ready to do something about it if it were hostile. You didn’t stop being prepared for violence when you saw that it was Pyro, silhouetted by his flame, laughing manically.

“Ey! Match stick, yer scarin da fillies. Stop it,” said somepony with an odd Brooklyn accent, and you look to find it was a zebra, of all things. It was male, by the look of the muzzle, and very much bigger than Zecora, with a long red scar running down the side of his face, which also covered one eye that had been replaced with some kind of rainbow colored gem. Pyro’s fire stopped flaring, and he turned to face the zebra, with a tone to his mufflings that didn’t sound exactly friendly.

“Hey, watch da lang-u-ages. Do’s I insult youse mama?” said the zebra, and the muffled reply to that got the black and white to stand in a fighting stance, obviously about to start bucking the head of Pyro.

“Gentlestallions, gentlestallions, please. We are out in public. This is no time to fight. Besides, I hear there’s going to be a party later, and if you don’t behave, the Professor will make sure you don’t attend,” said a nice voice, a sweet one, and a female pegasus as white as snow, but with a bright red mane to counter it. The two stallions, looking at her with expressions that showed she was in charge, shook hooves, and then proceeded about their business.

Their business, as it happened, was clearing rubble, the zebra just lifting it up onto his back, more than you think even Big Macintosh could have done, and hauling it away. Pyro in the meantime was reducing several bits of wood into ash with jets of flame from his hooves, which he would then blow into a nearby dumpster with a few flaps of his wings.

“Ms. Octavia, Ms. Vinyl, over here!” shouted a familiar voice, and you turn to find Deasly standing off to the side, looking over towards you. Smiling, your group moves towards him, Octavia giving a wide berth to Pyro as he wipes his brow with one leg, and then proceeds to shoot flames at another bit of wood, ashing it with just a small burst.

“Sorry about the scare, Ms. Octavia, Pyro and Diamond Eye have been at each other’s throats since Diamond arrived last night,” he apologized as he joined you, leaping over a bit of rubble, and then leading your group off to the side, into a nearby café that seemed empty.

“It’s alright, I was just…startled by his power. He’s a pegasus, right?” she asked, pointing towards the first wielder.

“As far as I know, though sometimes I do wonder. Still, it’s good to see you, and you too, Little One. Oh, and you Captain. Are you here to arrest somepony?” asked Deasly pleasantly as the Captain sauntered in behind, closing the door lightly behind him to cut out on the noise of clattering bits of rubble as they were moved. Soon, you’re all seated at a table near a big window facing the street. Well, the ponies are seated at the table, you’re seated on it, on a napkin you’re using like a picnic blanket.

“Not yet, though I might change my mind if these foals get too far out of line,” he says, and Deasly laughs like he made a joke, but then chokes on it as the Captain just stares at him with a dark look.

“Anyway, what’s going on out there? It looks like a war zone?” you ask, pointing towards one of the windows.

“Oh, that, it’s that bar we were at the other night, the one DawnChaser grew out of and trashed while showing those idiot guards what fore,” said Vinyl, and then cringed a bit as the Captain turned his gaze on her.

“Er, I mean, those valiant guardians of justice, who don’t hold grudges cause that would totally be against type,” she amended with a weak smile. However, the Captain just huffed at her, before looking towards you with a rather sly grin, obviously enjoying controlling the conversation without having to say a word.

“I just can’t take you anywhere, Vinyl,” sighs Octavia while facehoofing.

“Moving on, I figured there would just be a few of you here, but I can see at least a dozen ponies out there. Are they all apprentices?” you ask, and Deasly nods.

“Apprentice probably isn’t the word most would use to describe themselves, they’re not unicorns so they can’t join the Magisters after all, but they’re still ponies and others learning from the Professor,” he says, and points towards a towering shape, that you soon see is in fact a dog, carrying two huge chunks of rock and dumping them into a bin.

“Neat. I don’t suppose I’ll be meeting them all during testing today?” you ask, and to which the unicorn shakes his head.

“The Professor says he’s got enough data for now, and that you should just enjoy yourself. I think he still feels a little guilty about blinding you, though his pride won’t let him come out and say it,” explains Deasly, and Octavia looks over at you.

“He blinded you?” she asks, concern in her voice, and you make what you hope is a dismissive gesture.

“Just a little. I was in Princess Luna’s Mane, since I couldn’t fly very well for some reason, and DawnChaser planted a bunch of those Sage Blossom things. They flashed, and it sort of fogged my vision for a bit,” you tell her, trying to sound reassuring.

“Indeed. The Princess came back that night and demanded he never do anything like that again. He seemed to listen too, a rarity for him,” said Deasly.

“So, he doesn’t plan on doing an eye test then?” you ask.

“Well, he does want to study them, but he’ll be very careful about it. He’s curious why you were blinded in the first place. That was bright, to be sure, but no worse than one of Ms. Vinyl’s light shows,” answers the unicorn, leaning closer so he can look into your eyes.

“Maybe human eyes just aren’t as hardy,” you guess, trying to open yours as wide as possible, only to be forced to blink as they quickly dry out.

“Hmm, it would be interesting to test. I’ll get Tailfire to set that one up, he’s our best biologist. By the way, did you want some of the profits from the sale of the blossoms?” he said, changing the subject.

“Heh, well, I don’t think I’m wanting for bits right now, since the Princesses seem to be hoofing my rent and food bills. How many flowers did you get anyway?” you ask, curious about that.

“Hmm, we have around seven hundred now, with about two hundred others being donated around the city, including to the Royal Guards,” he said, nodding towards the Captain.

“Indeed, and we’re grateful for th-did you say seven HUNDRED?!” he shouts, slamming his hooves on the table, and forcing you to fly upward to avoid getting tossed.

“Yes, it would have been more of course, but that mare who owned the field insisted on having her ponies ‘help’ not seeming to realize that harvesting a Sage Blossom is a delicate process,” explained the unicorn.

“Seven hundred, seven hundred blossoms,” repeated the Captain, and Octavia just looked at him, before finally turning towards Deasly.

“Excuse me, but, what’s a Sage Blossom?” she asked, and Vinyl leaned in to listen too.

“It’s a glowing, golden flower that has a lot of magic, and tastes fantastic,” you say.

“I thought you said humans didn’t eat flowers,” Vinyl observed.

“Well, normally, no, they’re not good for us, but this stuff makes an excellent broth,” you tell her, giving them a brief story of waking up and having Luna spoon feed you the stuff, as well as the one in your pantry.

“Hmm, the Princesses must really be interested in you. Sage Blossoms take at least five years to grow, and even then, you can only do it one flower at a time,” explains Deasly, as he draws out his sketch book, and shows a picture of the blossom’s he’d drawn.

“Really? That sounds like a lot of work, no wonder they normally cost one thousand bits,” you say, remembering what the Captain had said.

“Indeed, though DawnChaser, over Trixie’s objections, isn’t selling any of the ones grown in the field yesterday. Apparently he wants to experiment with them, see if he can distill them down to the pure essence of what they are,” he explained.

“You think that’s possible. I remember the feeling of eating one, before my first long patrol, and I don’t think I slept or ate for three days,” chimes in the Captain, finally recovering from the shock of seven hundred of the special flowers.

“I don’t know, myself. My specialty is physics, not biology or chemistry, that’s Tailfire and Diamond Eye respectively. Still, if the Professor is trying it, you can bet your bottom bit that he’s going to find something interesting at least,” responds Deasly, and the Captain nods thoughtfully. Then he falls into the fighting stance, his horn glowing, as the rest of you jump at a loud banging sound. Luckily, it just turns out to be Strong Arm, the large earth pony from yesterday, knocking on the café’s door.

“Deasly, we could use your help out here. Pyro burned out a beam too fast and got Diamond and Celestia knows who else caught under some rubble,” says the well spoken pony, his bright green coat now dulled with the dust of working all day. He didn’t stay to chat either, ducking his head back out as he went to the pile and hefted a huge boulder onto his back.

“Oh, well, I suppose I should get going,” said the unicorn, rising from his own seat and moving towards the door. The others rise as well, but as they do, you quickly flit over to Deasly.

“Wait, is there any chance you could take a note to DawnChaser for me?” you ask, catching up and then stopping in front of Deasly, who just looks at you for a moment, before opening his saddlebag and pulling out his drawing pad, as well as a quill, which he grows to full size for a moment, but then thinks better of it and reduces it until the two are scaled with you.

“Not as good as a pencil and notebook paper, but it’ll do,” you say, and quickly scribble something down, having to cross out a few mistakes you made, as you aren’t used to writing in the air. Still, after a few tries, you figure you got the gist of it down, and pass the notebook back to Deasly who, curious, looks at your note.

“Hmm, and what would that do?” he asks.

“It would allow me to try something else. Tell the Professor to bring his equipment too. He’ll want to get a full scan of it,” you assure Deasly, who nods, placing the drawing pad back in his saddlebag, and then rushes off to go help his compatriots.

“And what was that about?” asks the Captain.

“Just a bit of fun for later. For now, I say we go shopping, since we have a big, strong stallion to carry the bags,” you offer, and instantly Vinyl’s face lights up, with Octavia’s only a few seconds behind, while the Captain just gapes for a moment, before sighing, resigning himself to the fate which you’ve sentenced him.

What follows is various shopping hijinks. First, a hat store that sells only the finest head covering, which you get a free day hat for Octavia from by claiming their offer that they had a hat for everypony, but then, there was no hat for you. Not that you stayed long enough for them to realize you didn’t technically qualify as a pony.

The second shop, a horseshoe place, was a complete bust, as they turn out to have a no pets policy, and you are apparently considered a pet. Not one to push, you ride out on Octavia, sticking your tongue out at the proprietor, and then watching as he gapes at your group as the Captain, who’d been waiting outside rejoins it. Needless to say, you don’t see him getting much business from the palace anytime soon.

Next comes a meeting with the Apples, as Big Macintosh and Applejack had apparently been perusing the downtown Canterlot shops themselves, Big Mac hauling around at least twice his body weight in packages, that the Captain offers to help him with, the two stallions acting as pack mules to the females as they continue their shopping spree that sees them in two different jewelry stores next, followed by a sit down at an ice cream shop.

Luckily, mixed in with various flower flavors, is just plain old chocolate, which you get a scoop of, while Vinyl and AJ both get huge mountains of ice cream, and Octavia and Big Macintosh get smaller cones. The Captain, despite being offered several times, claims to not be hungry at all, and just sits outside, looking at the ponies passing by the shop, while you eat and gossip away, finding out what the others have been up to.

Rarity had apparently spent the night at Fancy Pants’ place, which was quiet scandalous according to Octavia. Rainbow and the Bolts were trying out some new tricks, and AJ herself had heard a rumor that apparently they were thinking of bringing her on as a trainee. Not officially a member of the squadron, but within spitting distance of that goal. Not that she would tell Rainbow Dash that, just in case it turned out not to be true.

Pinkie Pie had been seen at a dozen parties since last night alone, including several that were happening at the same time, which just seemed impossible. That didn’t stop her though, and she just kept bouncing from one to then next, appearing only long enough to take a quick nap in the castle rooms that they were sharing, before shooting off again.

Twilight and Fluttershy in the meantime, hadn’t left the palace grounds since the day before yesterday. Twilight and Luna spent all day in the library, reading dusty old books, and coming up with even bigger words to hurt AJ’s head, while Fluttershy had been helping with the animals on the grounds. She’d even been offered a permanent position.

As soon as AJ said that, you notice Big Mac droop a bit, the thought of such a thing obviously not sitting right with him. AJ spent the next several minutes saying that she probably wouldn’t take the job. After all, Fluttershy had a home with plenty of pets to take care of back in Ponyvillie. At that news, the stallion perked right up, and you spend the next few minutes just chatting, before finally it was time to go.

Stepping out into the open street again, you notice it was getting onto the afternoon, and ask the girls to show you and the Captain their old place of business. They were reluctant, of course, but a bit of cajoling from you starts the group off down the path towards the radio station, K-Colt, with you riding Octavia, preparing yourself to cast your biggest spell yet.

Equivalent Exchange

“And here we are, the charred remains of a once proud national monument,” said Vinyl dejectedly, as you come in sight of the station. Not that her tone isn’t valid. It seemed that the fire you’d been told about was even worse than you thought, as the building looked caved in in several parts. The transmission tower atop was leaning to one side, one of the support struts having melted completely, and most of the west side of the building was just rubble.

“A monument to your ego, not Equestria. Still, I must admit, it’s rather hard seeing the station like this,” agreed Octavia as your group walked closer, a hint of pain in her voice that makes you pat her back in reassurance. You aren’t sure she even feels it as she just takes in a deep breath and sighs it back out. For a moment, just a moment, you think this might have been a bad idea, but then you spot a familiar purple shape next to the building, directing workers to move materials.

“No, push it closer! It needs to be flush against the side!” shouted DawnChaser, as several ponies you don’t recognize in hard hats and orange vests just look at him, before grunting as they move a girder closer to the wall, the thing clunking heavily as it smacks into it, causing a bit of the wall farther down to cave in.

“What is he doing? He’s gonna set the rebuilding back months,” said Octavia as you drew closer. Somehow, despite the various grunts, grumblings, and other noises, the purple heard her, and turns.

“I’m just following instructions, Ms. Octavia. The Little One said he wanted this stuff touching the building, or as close to it as possible. Something about alchemy, though I don’t know what potion making has to do with this,” he said, indicating the burned out husk of a former radio station.

“So, this was what that note was about?” asks Vinyl, walking over to you, and you nod as you gently float off Octavia’s back, so you can face her and Vinyl together.

“Yep, I wanted to give you two something to show my appreciation for everything you’ve done for me. You’ve been there for me from that first moment you realized I could talk. You let me sleep in your home, you took me on a tour of Ponyville. You even came back to Canterlot just to be with me. I haven’t really done anything for you, but you’ve stood by me,” you tell them in all seriousness, and then turn towards DawnChaser.

“Get everypony back. I don’t know how this well this one will work, but if it does, I don’t want anypony mixed in with it,” you order, and apparently your reputation for doing weird stuff traveled, as almost instantly, all the worker ponies, mostly earth with a few pegasi and unicorns mixed in, are standing behind you, giving you quite the audience for this next trick.

“Okay, this is something from another world, much like the Blessing, and the vehicle I flew in the other day,” you announce, growing closer to the studio, and then running your hand over one wall, feeling the warmth of the sun still in the stone, even as the sun itself is reaching the horizon, setting for a day as night comes.

“It’s called alchemy, and it has many laws to it. The first is the most important though. Mankind cannot gain anything without giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. This is the law of Equivalent Exchange,” you tell them, and then focus inward. Within, you can feel the glowing power you store within yourself, the power to alter the very nature of reality. This would be the largest change yet though, altering the physics of a world completely, not just casting a spell.

“In those days, we really believed that to be the world’s one, and only truth,” you whisper, and then slap your hands together in front of you, creating a circle with your arms. Instantly lighting plays over your body, as the power of alchemy is born within you, making every hair on your body stand on end as it plays back and forth through your form.

Focusing, you imaging the studio as it must have looked. Not this burnt out husk, but the original, the thing that Vinyl described with almost religious awe. This was something you could give back to them, the first ponies you’d met, and something you could do to make their lives a little better. Holding that image, of the studio, and a smiling Octavia, in your mind, you slam your hands into the wall, and suddenly the world is replaced with white, hot agony.

It felt like nothing ever had before, like every cell of your body was on fire, charged with more power than it could hold. You wouldn’t let it go though, even though it seemed like you would burn up to ash, and you could distantly hear your own pained screams. You wouldn’t let go because it was working. Your senses were extending outward, and you began to feel the whole of the studio, feel those broken bits of it like they were parts of you, and then you felt a way to heal them.

Outside, the ponies recoiled, from the scream, Octavia rushing forward to help, only to be blocked by the Captain, who held her back, using his larger body to force her down. Meanwhile DawnChaser was holding several of his instruments close to you, the things going wild as they detected things that were impossible, even by the laws of this world.

Slowly, the lightning spread from where you were over the whole studio, causing the place to start glowing white. The spread didn’t stop at the studio though, as arcs of electricity found their way to the materials, wood, metal, and various other bits that had been pushed against the side of the building. As the glow spread to them, they began to melt into the side of the studio, which rippled like water as they passed into it.

At the same time, Vinyl shouted for Octavia to look, pointing towards the radio tower that had been leaning on its side, which was ever so slowly righting itself, bits of the metal literally growing like the limbs of a tree, connecting and meeting, binding themselves together. The walls did the same, holes and tears mending as the glow continued to spread, until even the ponies were forced to shut their eyes against the sun burst.

With a bang, it was over, the process finished, and K-Colt’s antenna began to hum with power once more, as light in the studio slowly came on, one after another. No pony noticed that though, all eyes were on your tiny form, which still floated off the ground, seemingly stuck to the wall. Then you just fell, no sign of anything happening, you just dropped, and smoke trailed after you, as Octavia pushed the Captain aside, and dove, her hooves flying in front of her, catching you just before you hit the ground.

The agony was over now. Your body felt horrible, but no longer in pain, just sore, like every muscle had been working for hours, and needed to rest. It still took you a while to open your eyes though, the lids to them refusing to move despite your best efforts, and when you did, you were staring up into the concerned face of Octavia, her eyes glimmering a bit, obviously fighting back tears. You open your mouth to reassure her, only to find a billowing cloud of smoke issuing forth from inside you, as the rest of your body seizes up.

“Doctor, I’ve got to find a doctor,” she says, even as you begin coughing.

“Tailfire, get over here, now!” shouts the voice of DawnChaser, and instantly you find yourself in darkness as several ponies stand over you, a yellow one with a dark blue head mane and a tail of red and yellow fire stood closest, leaning down over you and putting his ear to your chest, listening to your body going about its duty.

“Heart rate accelerated,” he said, then looks at your eyes.

“Pupils dilated,” he continues, and then uses his hoof to gently open your mouth.

“It looks like all the moisture in his body was vaporized, which would explain the smoke. Professor, water!” he shouts, and suddenly a small canteen of water is in his hoof, with him unscrewing the cap, and then ever so slightly tilting it, so that a drops splashes into your mouth, not a single bit of it missing. The instant that liquid touches your tongue, you feel revitalized, and start coughing, your body convulsing as you roll onto your stomach, and brace yourself on your elbows, the coughs racking your body for several minutes, before finally fading.

“Drink,” orders Tailfire, as soon as you try to speak, and he places the canteen to your lips, just tilted enough that you can feel the liquid inside splashing into your lips. With no strength to argue at the moment, you just start swallowing the water down, gulping it as greedily as a man who’d been lost in the desert for a week.

“That’s it, take as much as you need,” he says calmly, and its several mouthfuls before you finally push at the canteen, which he lifts away from, you, and you just sit in Octavia’s hooves, gasping for breath.

“Thanks,” you’re able to get out between gasps, and Tailfire smiles, passing the canteen back to DawnChaser who puts it back into his pack.

“You’re welcome, but don’t go trying that again, your body’s not nearly hardy enough to take a shock like that twice in a row,” he advised, and then listened to your chest again.

“Returning heart rate, breathing should even out in a few minutes. Sounds like he’ll need to eat within the hour, probably whatever he ate today was used for fuel in this…whatever it was,” he observed as he rose.

“Are you sure we shouldn’t get him to a doctor?” asked Octavia, looking down at you, concerned, though a quick sniff seemed to stifle back any tears that she’d been building up.

“Completely sure. No doctor in Canterlot would know enough about him to help him, but Tailfire’s read all my notes on the Little One, and is a pre-eminent study on biology, both pony and just about everything else. If he can’t find anything wrong, no med school dropout is going to find anything,” DawnChaser assured her.

“I’l-cough!-I’ll be fine, Octavia,” you said dryly, coughing again as soon as that was done, with DawnChaser drawing the canteen out again, and offering it to you at your own scale. Taking it, you took a few more gulps, and then sighed through a raw throat that still felt back, but better than it had.

“I’ll be fine,” you say again, this time a bit more clearly, as you hold the canteen out for the Professor to take back.

“Are you sure?” she asks, and you nod, fighting back another coughing fit, and she smiles at you sweetly, making you blush a bit, before everything shakes, and you look over to see Vinyl pushing at Octavia, her mouth gapping open as she points with her hoof. Looking where she’s pointing, you see that the station is completely repaired. The formally destitute looking building now has light on in several windows, and the antenna above is humming a bit in the open air.

“It’s beautiful,” she says in a breathless tone, and then rushes inside, slamming the door as she does so. Octavia, looking after her, leans forward and grabs you with her lips, before placing you on her back and following, stopping only to turn back.

“Are you coming, Captain?” she asked, and the stallion looked at the place, and shook his head.

“I’ll stay outside if you don’t mind,” he stated simply, walking over towards the door, and then standing beside it, like an old time guard. Octavia looked at him, and then went inside, soon followed by Tailfire and DawnChaser, the latter waving several of his little devices at the walls, listening to them beep and whistle at him.

“Hmm, interesting. I wish Deasly had come with us,” commented DawnChaser as he poked at one of the walls, finding it solid, and actually chill to the touch, when he had expected it to be warm.

“I thought you were the one who told him to stay with the others to finish cleanup?” asked Tailfire, but the Professor either didn’t hear him, or chose to ignore the contradiction of his words as he scraped off a bit of stucco from the wall, and placed it into an empty vial.

Ahead of the pair, you, Octavia, and Vinyl make your way to the center of the station, where you find a recording studio, with a turn table, and a control panel in the middle of a large open room that has padded walls. Microphones hang from the ceiling on little metal arms, and behind where two chairs are setup is a long shelf that is packed full of records, old style LPs, which Vinyl wanders over to and touches reverently.

“Oh babies, mama’s sorry she hurt you, and she promises to never leave you again,” she told the records, and then hugged them, throwing her body at shelves. You and Octavia take a moment to just stare at her, before turning to each other.

“Should we give them a moment?” you ask, and Octavia smiles.

“I think Vinyl would need more than a moment, though I will admit, it is really good to be back,” she said, walking over to the control panel and running her hoof over the buttons and switches on it.

“You got ever detail right,” she said in awe, looking over the table next, then taking you in her mouth and setting you on it.

“Everything exactly as we left it. How?” she asks you, and it’s your turn to look around, just staring, imagining this place as it had felt through the transmutation circle. You hadn’t really been thinking of anything except giving Vinyl and Octavia a gift. You hadn’t considered what this place would look like, just that it needed to go back to what it was. The details, like with the veritech, had just seemed to fill themselves in.

“No clue. Maybe the Professor can explain it?” you suggest.

“I’m afraid he can’t either,” comes a voice, and three turn to see Tailfire standing in the door.

“So, I’ve done the impossible again then?” you ask, and he nods.

“It’s rare to see him stumped about something, and when he is, he gets shouty. Right now I think he’s ranting at a broom closet that you repaired, bucket, mop and all,” he tells you, shutting the door to the studio behind him.

“Will he be long?” asks Octavia, and Tailfire just shrugs in response, looking toward Vinyl, and pointing, causing you and Octavia to turn, finding Vinyl is currently running her tongue along the shelf, moaning in joy. She does stop when she notices everypony in the room staring at her, freezing, and then hopping back, coughing a bit, and then trying to look like she wasn’t doing anything weird.

“I just can’t take you anywhere,” sighs Octavia.

“Well, regardless of that, I must thank you. This is a most impressive gift,” Octavia said, turning towards you again, and Vinyl nods as she walks up, taking the seat in front of the turn table.

“Yeah, Little Dude, this is awesome. I was sure we wouldn’t be doing any shows for months more. Now we can do one tonight! To celebrate our good fortune,” said the DJ, running her hooves along that table, and then spinning it.

“Vinyl, I think we should test the equipment first, make sure it all works before we try to do a show,” said Octavia, looking at the console in front of her and pushing one of the buttons, which causes a fart sound effect.

“Seems fine to me. Besides, you said it yourself, everything is fixed and ready. Wouldn’t it be a shame to waste our time making sure of what we already know?” she asked, pushing another button, and getting a crowd chanting ‘do it’ sound effect.

“What about listeners? No pony anywhere knows we’re back on the air,” Octavia pointed out, but Vinyl just smiled at her.

“Well then, anypony spinning their dial tonight gets a special treat, and we do the usual ads for next week’s show,” the white unicorn countered.

“And what about guests?” said Octavia.

“Let’s see, we have Spitcup’s nephew, the nutty professor, and the Little Dude. I think that’s enough, don’t you?” Vinyl pointed out.

“Only if you they’re willing,” she says, and turns towards you.

“Um, well, I’ve been on the show before, back in Ponyville, so I suppose it will be fine here,” you tell her, and her gaze then turns towards Tailfire, who starts to turn away nervously, mumbling something, before finally turning back.

“It’s..it’s just the radio, right? Nopony looking at me?” he asks.

“Yep, just us and the mic, no eyes, just ears,” Vinyl assures him, and Tailfire thinks about it, before nodding slowly, and taking the third chair on the other side of the table with the control panel and turn table.

“And I’m guessing DawnChaser would just love to hear himself on the radio, right?” asked Vinyl, to which Tailfire nodded emphatically.

“See, Octy? Now no more objections. Just sit back, relax, and wait for me to find some good tunes to start this one out with,” said the pop pony as she began to go through the music library, muttering the titles to herself as she looked at album after album, searching for that perfect song. That search seemed to be taking forever, as she went from one end of the room to the other, before finally pulling one out, and bringing it closer.

“Hey, Octavia, do you know somepony named Cally?” she asked, staring at the record.

“Hmm, I don’t know anypony in particular with that name, why?” responded the gray mare, trying to look over Vinyl’s shoulder at the record she held with her magic.

“Because we have a song here about her furniture in a hotel,” answered Vinyl, turning the record to show the title of it was Hotel California, by the Eagles.

The Vinyl Scratch

(Since it has come to my attention that FanFiction.net denies links to other sites, this chapter, since it features music, will have the names of PMVs which use the song I’m talking about on Youtube, so if you don’t see a link, just do a search of Youtube for the name in parentheses. If you want, go take a listen while reading the chapter.)

“Um, it’s pronounced California, and it’s a depressing song,” you tell her, looking at the record, slowly rising off the table to just stare at it.

“Really? Is this a song from your world?” asks Tailfire, and you nod, before moving over towards the row of albums. The next one below the Hotel California reads American Pie, which you push over, grunting as you have to put extra power into your flight, before it finally moves, revealing the next album says it’s Jethro Tull, and a small list of songs you remember.

“How is this possible?” you say to yourself, trying to move the next one. Luckily, you get a little help as Vinyl comes over and uses her magic to start flipping through them.

“Who cares? It’s new tunes, and that’s never a bad thing. Just pick out a cool one, and we’ll start the show,” she says, and after thinking about it for a moment, you decide that her philosophy might be the right one in this situation. Don’t think about it, just go with the groves.

A few minutes of searching shows you that it’s not just music from the radio that made its way into your mental library. The pokemon and digimon theme songs are present, as well as YuGiOh, and even a few children’s songs you remember. Finally though, after going down most of the line, you spot the perfect sound track, getting Vinyl to stop and just stare at it for a moment.

“Transformers? What are they?” ask Vinyl.

“More than meets the eye,” you whisper. “Bring it over and pop it down. It’s rock, so it should be perfect for you”

The mention of rock gets Vinyl’s approval and she uses her magic to levitate the record out of the shelf and set it down on her turn table. Octavia, looking at the cover, which, like the rest, is just white words on a black background, doesn’t tell her much. Still, she starts to flick switches, press buttons, and after a few seconds you hear a hiss of feedback static from a speaker in the wall, before the on air light above the door flickers to life.

“The evening shadows lengthen, the sun dips below the horizon, and a gentle night follows the hot day. A time of rest, relaxation, AND ROCK!!! This, fillies and colts, is the Vinyl Scratch on K-Colt, back on the air, and comin’ at ya with new tunes, new guests, and a whole new spirit,” says Vinyl into her mic, with Octavia just sighing as she shakes her head.

“That’s right everypony, we’re back. After years away, toiling to make ends meet, fighting against the establishment, and surviving only off the fat of the land,” Vinyl continues, and Octavia leans forward towards her mic.

“It was only about a month, month and a half tops. We were in Ponyville, staying at a house your cousin generously provided, and Celestia agreed to keep paying us half the usual stipend for this show until everything was fixed after your little accident,” corrected Octavia.

“Hey, you remembered it your way, I’ll remember it mine,” counters Vinyl, turning towards you with a grin.

“On this very special episode of the Scratch, we have not one, not two, but three guests. First is a relative of one of our regulars. A pony you know you love, the Captain of the Wonderbolts, and my very close personal friend, Spitfire. In this case though, we’ve got her nephew, a pony of few words, who lacks his aunt’s wings, but seems to make up for it with brains, Tailfire, give us a shout!” Vinyl screams, shoving the mic towards the earth pony.

“Um…h-h-hi,” he says with a nervous stammer. Vinyl just looks at him, before drooping a bit.

“Yeah, that’s a rousing hello. But he’s not the only pony on the show tonight, not bad a long shot. For you see, we have another special guest tonight, a pony you might not know, but he can make a big impression on you, DawnChaser, a unicorn professor from Manehatten, who is currently arguing with a broom, but if he finishes, I’m sure he’d love to be on the show,” says the DJ.

“Our final guest of the evening had quite the trip to get here, crossing oceans, mountains, rivers of fire and downtown Canterlot traffic at midday. If you’ve been around Ponyville or Canterlot in the last week, you probably saw his dance of death with the Wonderbolts in that machine. He’s our visitor from another world, the human!” she screams again, pulling the mic down so it’s right near where you’re standing on the table.

“Greeting and salutations, equines of Equestria,” you say in what you hope is a pleasant tone, and Vinyl just stares at you.

“Heh, and as always, I’m Octavia, one of two sane ones on this show tonight,” says the earth pony mare with a chuckle, as Vinyl recovers, having been expecting more of your attitude from the first show.

“Anyway, it’s thanks to our final guest that we’re back on the air a full six months ahead of schedule. He did some of that weird non-magic stuff he does and boom, the studio’s back, and better than ever, as he had the foresight to send us some tunes from his world, so let’s take a listen to one right now. This one’s called… ‘The Touch’,” she said, as she pushed a button, and the turn table spun to life, a crackle echoing from it, before the familiar cords of the song began.

(First up, the Touch, by Stan Bush. It can be found under the name ‘Twilight Sparkle’s Got the Touch’, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnvfFaC-4Ek&feature=related)

“You got Touch, na na na na, you got the power! YEAH!!!” you sing along, as the music blares, and then you make a guitar motion, strumming along with the music, even bouncing a bit as it gets to the more intense riffs between lyrics. You know it probably looks silly to the ponies, but it feels so right, and it had been a while since you heard the song, so you decide to enjoy it as much as possible, finding a bit of home in an expected place.

“That, mares and gentlestallions, was Stan Bush’s , The Touch,” you say as the song’s music fades away, Vinyl clapping a little.

“Awesome tune little dude. Are all the songs like that?” she asks, turning back towards the collection of records.

“Probably not. My taste in music is rather eclectic. I’m pretty sure there’ some Katy Perry songs, I know there’s some Weird Al, and probably some country too,” you tell her.

“Heh, well, since the music’s over for the moment, let’s get down to brass tacks and do some interviewing. Tailfire, how’d you like everypony in Equestria to know all the intimate details of your life?” asked Vinyl, moving the mic towards Tailfire, who stammers out the word everypony for a minute, and then has his eyes roll into the back of his head and faints, Octavia and you going to his side and making sure he’s alright, while Vinyl just laughs.

“It seems even on radio, we have stage fright. But that’s okay, we have backup guests. Professor, would you say a few words to the public?!” she shouts, as she uses her magic to open the door. The only response she gets is an unintelligible yell, which you think might be a swear word, before the door glows silver, DawnChaser’s magic color, and slams shut, hard.

“O-kay, that was a bust. Little Dude, you have to help, you’re my only hope!” she tells you, throwing herself on the table and clapping her hooves together, before shaking them at you in a begging motion. Looking down, Octavia nods that Tailfire is fine, and she sets him into a comfortable laying position, while you resume your place on the table itself.

“Um, I guess I have no problem with that. What do I do?” you ask.

“Ah, very simple, very simple. I’ll ask you a question, and you have to answer truthfully, no fibs or dodges. Doesn’t that sound like fun?” she asks, and you see Octavia just shaking her head and sighing, probably not thinking the best of her co-star right now. You don’t see a big problem with it though, and nod.

“Okay, hit me with your best shot,” you challenge, walking over and sitting down on the edge of the turntable.

“Oooh, a tough guy, huh? Still, I suppose the ponies at home have the same general questions right now, since even the papers can’t seem to get an interview with you, what with the amazing spider pony protecting you,” she says, probably in reference to the moves the Captain had pulled that morning.

“Well, I can’t say it’s not their own fault. They’re very aggressive, and it’s a bit of a turn off,” you admit.

“Ah, but I’m so personable I suppose. Anyway, first question, just what in Equestria are you?” she says, pulling the mic down towards you again.

“I’m a human, a bipedal mammal, male, who inhabits the third world in the Sol System, a tiny little dust ball called Earth,” you answer.

“Fascinating. So, you’re from another world altogether then?” she asks.

“Indeed, no talking ponies on my world….actually no talking anything but humans as far as I know, so rather boring compared to here,” you admit.

“Sounds like it. Moving on though, I hear that you’ve got a bit of a height problem, that you’re something like mouse sized, any truth to that rumor?” she said.

“There’s some truth to it, yes, but since I can fly, and do magic of a sort, it’s not all bad,” you say.

“Can all humans do that, or is it just you?” she continued.

“As far as we know, just me, which means I’m special, in more ways than one,” you tell her.

“Ah, so that means you’re being here is the first step on some kind of invasion of Equestria by walking, talking apes that ride in metal machines, and shoot lasers, and rebuild studios?” she asks.

“Um, no, no it’s not. I don’t even know how I got here, neither do the Princesses, and they can’t get me home. Not exactly a bright spot, that, but c’est la vie, such is life. I’m a human, if we can’t go back, we adapt to the new environment. We make new tools, or repurpose old ones, or just become stronger. We survive, and if the fates are kind, we even thrive,” you say proudly.

“Heh, sweet. And now, listeners, it’s time for one of those ever so lovely breaks from the action. I hope you enjoyed the human’s tunes, because we’ve got another one here…it’s called ‘Dare’,” she says, pushing a button, and the song starts up, though this time Octavia pushes a switch, and the version playing over the studio speakers goes quiet.

(Next we have Dare, also by Stan Bush, it’s just simply titled ‘PMV Dare’, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5heep9CfaQ&feature=related)

“Vinyl, why are you asking all these questions?” she says as she spins her seat to face Vinyl’s.

“Simple Octy, we know who this guy is, we’ve known him longer than any pony out there, but that’s us. Everypony else, they don’t. I mean, did you hear what they were saying the other day?” asks the pop pony in return, and Octavia shakes her head.

“I was cleaning all day yesterday, like you were supposed to be,” she chides.

“Well, it’s a good thing I didn’t waste my time on that. Everypony in Canterlot saw that little dog fight he had with the Bolts. Worse, lots of the unicorns in this town felt that big, blue boom he made the other day too. I heard at least five separate groups say they should petition the Princesses to lock him up somewhere, and throw away the key,” Vinyl explained, and you and Octavia are taken aback by the news.

“Five groups..how large?” you ask.

“At least two of them were big, probably twenty or thirty, and all big wigs,” she tells you, and you nod at the information.

“They’re scared. I did something unusual, something that shows a lot of power. What you fear, you seek to control or destroy,” you say, remembering that phrase from somewhere.

“Right, so I figured, the best way to get them to not be afraid of you, is for them to get to know you like me and Octy have. Ain’t I smart?” she says with a grin towards Octavia.

“I suppose it does make sense. But do you really think the Princesses would allow somepony to harm him? Could anypony even do that, after what we’ve seen his capable of?” she asks.

“Best not to take chances. Besides, it makes for a fun interview,” said Vinyl, turning back to the mic, as the song ended, and the show resumed.

“And we’re back. Wow, what a blast of a song. For those just tuning in, that one was courtesy of tonight’s guest, the so called Little One, a human from Earth who was cruelly ripped from his home, and dumped in a strange, terrifying world of giant ponies, who could crush him without even realizing it, or even swallow him alive,” she says, her voice sounding very dramatic as she keeps going.

“I believe you were the one to do that last one first, Vinyl,” Octavia reminds her.

“Well, yeah, but you were the one to say he was tasty, and then you guzzled him down with that apple wine,” countered Vinyl.

“Um, I think that’s enough talking about that,” you chime in, and the two look at you, a bit of anger in their eyes, that softens instantly.

“Right, right, the interview. Okay, well, since we’ve covered the stuff about your people. What do you think of our world compared to yours?” asks Vinyl.

“Not as noisy, not as polluted, but lacking in the modern conveniences I’ve grown accustomed to. You don’t want to know what I’d do for some fast food right now,” you tell them, swallowing back a bit of drool in your mouth. You never thought you’d miss something covered n grease, but it was like the old saying went, you never know how good you have it, until it’s gone.

“Ah, very interesting. What about the ponies? How do they compare to your people?” she asks.

“Well, I guess pretty good. I didn’t know everyone in my city, and I do know there are good people out there, but there are just so many that it’s hard to meet them in a crowd. Here though, I can walk outside and actually meet ponies. Heck, I randomly bumped into two really nice ones my first day, and they’ve been great friends since,” you tell them, getting Octavia to blush a bit.

“Heh, well then, how’s about more specifically? Anypony you feel like you’re getting close to? Say a gray mare who seems to find you to be a tasty dish?” said the DJ, elbowing Octavia a bit, getting you both blushing furiously now, which only made her laugh until Octavia spun her chair around, knocking her out of it.

“Um, well, that is, I’ve met a really nice mare who’s been really nice to me, and she’s, nice, like, nice,” you say, your brain failing you in trying to find words that make an sort of sense.

“True love if I ever saw it folks,” Vinyl stated as she climbed back into her seat.

“Now then, I think that’s all the time we have for tonight, but be sure to tune in next week, when we’ll have some more guests, some more tunes, and as ever, some more Vinyl Scratch. Until then, this is DJ Pon-3, signing out,” she said into the mic, then reached past Octavia to flick a switch, causing the On Air light by the door to go dark.

“Vinyl, that was highly inappropriate!” shouted Octavia the instant the sign went dark, and the pop pony just smirked at her as she got off her chair.

“Oh, come on Octy, it was a serious question. Besides, knowing he’s falling for a pony might just make them less likely to think he’ll blow up Canterlot or something,” she told the gray mare, who paused to think that over for a second.

“It was still not nice to put us on the spot like that,” you tell her, floating off the table, and then moving towards where Tailfire’s still passed out.

“Hey, Tailfire, show’s over. Time to wake up,” you say into his ear, and find the earth pony rousing almost instantly.

“It’s over?” he said, his head looking around.

“Yep, you totally missed your chance at stardom,” Vinyl told him as she and Octavia walk towards the door, opening it to reveal the Professor just outside, standing there and trying to look completely innocent, even whistling, telling you all that he’d been listening at the door, probably the whole time.

“And you, you just aren’t a very nice stallion,” said Vinyl as she walked past him with a smirk, and DawnChaser just stared after her, before coming up beside you as you floated.

“You created music?” he asked.

“I guess so. But I don’t see why there was material to make those records in the building stuff they were using,” you tell him, having been wondering about that since Vinyl told you about the records.

“Ah, that’s simple enough. The fire that destroyed this place allowed no time to evacuate items, so the records were all destroyed with the studio. This, Alchemy you used must have converted and repaired the records, put songs you actually knew on them. A truly fascinating, and completely impossible thing,” he said, trotting up beside Tailfire and starting to discuss biology with him, you’re probably, but you ignore it as your group gets to the lobby of the studio, where the Captain has apparently taken up station, playing with the controls of a radio.

“A very interesting show,” he said with a smirk that made you want to smack him.

“Indeed it was, my fine Captain. So nice to see true love bloom between such disparate peoples, right?” said Vinyl, and you wanted to smack her too. You suppress the desire though, knowing that doing so would only encourage her, and he probably wouldn’t even feel it. So you float beside the ponies as they go outside, finding that night had well and truly fallen during the show.

“I hadn’t realized it had gotten this late. Come Tailfire, we need to get back and make sure Pyro and Diamond Eye aren’t fighting over the attic bed again,” said DawnChaser, who trotted off without even looking at the rest of you. Tailfire did at least bow and mutter a goodbye before following down the path that led towards the lab.

“I suppose we should get home as well. Are you going to escort the Little One back to the palace, Captain?” asked Octavia, looking in the direction of the huge building in the distance.

“Considering that’s where I sleep as well, I figured I would,” he tells the two.

“Oh, you sleep in the palace? I thought the guards had homes in the city,” said Octavia.

“Some do, but I do not. I’m the Captain of the Royal Guard after all. It’s best that I’m on call at any time, should the Princesses require me,” he explained, and Octavia and Vinyl nod. A few minutes of farewells later, and you and the Captain head off down the street towards the palace, while Octavia and Vinyl go around another way towards their home.

“So, did you have fun today?” he asks and you nod.

“This was a blast. I got to hang out with Vinyl and Octavia again, saw the Professor, and got to play at being Edward Elric. All in all, that’s a good day in my book,” you tell him.

“Even though doing that trick seemed to nearly kill you,” he reminds you, and you think back to the pain that using alchemy caused.

“Yeah, even with that, it was a good day,” you assure him, and he just nods as you continue silently down the path for the palace.

A Not So Peaceful Bath

The trip back to the palace is spent mostly in silence as you float alongside the Captain, thinking about everything. It hadn’t occurred to you until just now, but you’ve been in Equestria for a week. Seven days of this being among giant ponies. It certainly had been an interesting week too. From getting eaten several times, nearly stepped on, gaining super powers, and meeting an alternate future version of yourself who looked positively badass in a suit of armor.

“What are you thinking about, Little One?” asks the Captain suddenly, and your jerked out of your revere, realizing that you’d been getting closer to the ground and slowing. Apparently the Captain had noticed for you though, had stopped, and was currently lying on the side of the road with you.

“Everything, my little pony, everything,” you tell him.

“Heh, who are you calling little?” he chides, and you both get a laugh out of it, before he nudges you with his hoof, silently asking his question again with just a look.

“Well, it’s just, I’ve been here a week now. It feels like so much longer though. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m getting used to this place already,” you answer, laying back, and then tilting your head so that you’re looking right into his face.

“You’re sure then, that the Princesses can’t return you home?” he asked, a bit of concern creeping into his voice.

“I’m positive, Celestia gave me proof, close enough to absolute proof, to make me not even want to try,” you admit.

“I don’t know if I would accept that as easily in your position,” he admitted to you.

“Well, what would you do in my position?” you ask him, and he pauses to think about it for a moment, looking up at the starry night sky before finally answering.

“If I couldn’t get home, if there was no chance of it ever happening, then I suppose I would do what you’ve already done, try to make a place for myself wherever I ended up,” he says, and it’s your turn to think about something.

“Heh, I’ve made a pretty nice place for myself too. I’ve got plenty of friends already, a nice place to sleep, and two goddesses who would make every effort to help me if I asked them to,” you say, remembering all the positive stuff that had happened since you came here.

“And then there’s you…you’re the Captain of the Royal Guard, a pony who has dozens of other things to do, but he spent his morning yesterday helping me out, and then today going around the city with me. Not to sound unappreciative, but can I ask, why?” you say to him, and he just chuckles, shaking his head at you.

“It’s a very simple answer. Because I like seeing the Princesses smile,” he tells you, rising to his hooves, and so you get up off the grass, rising easily into the air.

“You want to connect those particular dots for me?” you ask him as you float next to his head.

“The Princesses, both of them, have smiled a lot more since you got here. For Celestia, that’s become rarer and rarer since Ms. Sparkle left, and I don’t think Luna’s done much genuine smiling since she took on the full duties of her station. Since you’ve come to the palace though, I’ve seen the Sun Princess smile several times, and Luna herself was humming the other night during her Court, and she never does that,” he explains.

“And you think I had something to do with it?” you ask, not sure how you would have improved their mood that much.

“I’ve been a member of the Guard for over two decades now, I joined well before Luna returned from her…away time. I remember her laughing only when Ms. Sparkle was around before, and though she’s been happier since Luna’s return, she’s never been one to smile just because. Lately though, she seems to be doing so whenever I look at her,” he explains.

“And Luna? She has been ever the morose one. She blames herself still for all the things that Nightmare Moon did a millennium ago. Since she’s returned, she’s made some good friends, but she made them by pretending to be a unicorn named Selene, not by being Luna. Since she took over the Night Court again, and became a public figure, I don’t think I’ve seen her smile once. Yesterday though, she laughed during a supplicant’s request. She apologized for it, but it was still nice to hear her do so,” he continues.

“Heh, I still don’t see how I had anything to do with either of those,” you tell him, and he just shakes his head and chuckles.

“Then you’re not looking deeply enough,” he says simply, and then stops, looking up. You follow his eyes, startled a bit to see that you’ve already made it to the palace. Above, you can see the sisters looking over the edge of Luna’s balcony, waving down at you, a wave you return, as the captain just chuckles again, and then moves inside the gates. Seeing no reason to go through the corridors yourself, you rise upwards, moving towards Luna’s bedroom, and landing lightly on the railing.

“And how is Equestria’s latest radio personality?” asked the Moon Princess as you landed.

“Feeling flustered about Vinyl’s last question, and looking forward to hearing more music from my world. I’m also vaguely considering introducing Rick Rolling to this world, but I’m pretty sure that would be a sin,” you answer.

“Heh, Ms. Scratch can be rather direct. I’m sure she only wants you and Octavia to be happy though,” offers Celestia.

“And to make us feel as uncomfortable as possible,” you add.

“Indeed. It would seem though, that you’ve had a rather nice walk with the Captain,” said the Sun Princess.

“He’s a nice man…pony, and rather insightful when he wants to be. Was he right, by the way?” you ask, and the two sisters look at each other, before nodding.

“Yes, in a way, you being here has been a real boon to our moods. You’re something different and unique, which is a rare thing in an immortal life. More, you’re not one of our subjects, yet you still treat us with respect, and tell us things that are nice to hear from one who hasn’t been trained for birth to think them by their parents,” explains Luna.

“I speak only the truth,” you say, turning around, intending on flying off towards your room, but then, an errant thought strikes you, and you turn towards them again.

“You know, while I’ve got you both here, can I make one request?” you ask, and they both look at you expectantly.

“Um, while it hasn’t exactly been unpleasant to bathe in sinks and stuff, can I get a bathtub in my room to soak in. Hot and cold running water and all the usual stuff, maybe some soap that’s not being applied by a cold hoof,” you tell them, remembering yesterday when your cleaning had been done by Deasly, who, while trying to be gentle with your tiny body, still hadn’t exactly been pleasant, especially since they then stuck you with like a dozen needles.

“Ah, I knew I was forgetting something when designing your room. Luna, would you do the honors?” Celestia asked her sister, and Luna nodded, looking down towards the balcony outside your room, and closing her eyes. Her horn took on an almost ethereal glow for a moment, before a flash of light came from inside, and you smile.

“Awesome. If you Princesses don’t mind, I shall now take my leave of you, and make the acquaintance of a hot bath,” you tell them, and they both smile and chuckle at you, as you bow, and then fall off the balcony, flipping end over end, before landing on your own balcony, and going inside. A moment is spent lighting the candles so they can illuminate your living quarters, and show off the newest addition to them sitting in the far corner, out of sight of the balcony.

“Ah, my lovely thing,” you say, rubbing your hand over the side of the tub. It was one of those fancy standing models, rather than the ones you’re used to that are built into the house. Better, it was almost half again as long as you were, meaning you could really soak in this thing, rather than having to curl up in it.

“I wonder how hot these things go,” you say to yourself as you turn the knobs next to the faucet, and then stick your hands under the water. Instantly you regret that action.

“Ouch! Hot, very hot,” you say, blowing on your hand, as you use the other one to turn down the hot water, and turn up the cold, taking a few minutes to adjust them until the temperature of the water flow is perfect. Leaving the tub to fill, which it was doing rapidly, you go over to your wardrobe and pull out a bath robe you’d seen the other day, which you drape over a chair and move close to the tub. Taking off your clothing and shoving it down the chute, you then climb into the tub, turning off the water, and just lying back and luxuriating in the feeling of warmth all around you.

“This is the life,” you say to yourself, dunking your head under the water briefly and just holding it there, letting your hair soak through, before finally rising with a splash.

“The life,” you repeat, as you settle your back against the rear of the tub. You’re like that for several minutes, just enjoying the feeling of the water, when you hear a strangely familiar sound. It’s like a whirring thing, and you look up to find a blinking blue light outside your window. When the sound fades, and the light stops, you just lay there, wondering what it was. Not that you have to wait long as there’s suddenly a very familiar voice, and a knock at your outside door.

“Hello, human, are you in there?” asks Doctor Whooves, his face looking into the window.

“Doctor, I’m taking a bath, can this wait?” you respond, only for the answer to be the door clicking open, and you instantly duck down deeper into the tub so the Doctor can’t see you.

“Ah, there you are. I told you this would work, Derpy,” he says, and you hear two distinct sets of hooves clacking on the floor of your apartment.

“Doctor, this is very rude. You should have waited for him to open the door for us,” scolded the mail mare as she followed her husband.

“Oh, but he’s in the tub. It would have taken him minutes to get out, and we’re kind of pressed for time,” he counters, and you rise up out of said tub to see them looking at each other.

“Yes, I’m in the tub, and rather naked. Is there any chance of you two coming back later?” you request, and they both turn towards you.

“I’m afraid not, old chap. Got to seize the moment while we can. I’m not even sure how long I can keep the wibbly wobbly working so we can stay this size,” he tells you, and you are startled to realize that he and Derpy are both scaled with you, a fact their sudden appearance had made you oblivious too.

“Besides, why are you worried about being nude? Almost nopony I know wears clothes on a daily basis,” comments the Mrs. Hooves.

“Oh, it’s a human thing. They’re embarrassed by their bodies or something,” the Doctor explains to her.

“This coming from the guy whose people wear robes that have collars bigger than their heads,” you counter as you rise a bit farther, your chest now peeking over the lip of the tub.

“So, you know about Gallifrey then as well?” he comments, and you nod.

“And I’ll be happy to tell you all the rest of what I know, just turn around,” you instruct, twirling your finger in the air. The Doctor looks like he’s about to protest, but then Derpy taps him on the shoulder, and pushes him around, so that you can get out in relative peace, spilling a bit of liquid onto the floor as you do so, and then slipping into the robe, which starts drying your body off almost the instant the material touches you and you tie the front shut.

“You may turn back around now,” you tell them.

“Good, now that you’re decent, I have so many questions to ask you. Like how did you do that with the studio this afternoon, or the field yesterday, or the fighter jet the day before, or…anything you’ve done really,” he asks in rapid succession.

“Dear, maybe you should space those questions out a bit more?” asks Derpy.

“Why bother, they all have the same answer. I can do all that through the power of a Phenomena Fluctuation Field I apparently generate,” you explain, and the Doctor just stares at you like you’d said your head tastes good.

“Really now, if you’re going to make things up, you could at least make them believable,” he counters, and you smile at him.

“I tell you it’s the Element of Honesty truth. I heard it from another version of me while Celestia and I were inside a golden cloud. He was there with Solaris, a rule 63 version of the Sun Goddess,” you tell him, and the Doctor just looks at you even more incredulously.

“You wouldn’t mind if I tested that then, would you?” he asks you after a moment, and you shrug.

“I did all those tests for DawnChaser yesterday, what can a few more hurt?” you tell him with a shrug, following him and Derpy out onto your balcony where the Tardis is sitting, the blue box looking as you’d always seen it on the show, including all the dents and dings. You try to imagine how much Who fans back home would pay for this privilege, as you step through the threshold.

The next second you’re flying, and then slamming hard into the stone wall beside your door, the sound of your body hitting the ground with a dull thud following, as not two, but four distinct hoof clatters rush over to you, and your vision blurred so you can’t see clearly, but slowly coming into focus like it had the day before after the flash of the blooming flowers.

“Are you okay, mister human?” asked a young sounding voice.

“Dad, what was that?” adds a second unknown voice.

“That…that wasn’t possible,” was all Doctor Whooves says as you try to focus your eyes, only to get a headache from it.

“Everypony, give me some space,” you tell them, feeling them back up a little, before you reach inside yourself, touching that little star of power within you. A thought forms, and you draw on a small flow of it, touching your hands to your chest, and thinking about what you need.

“Curaga!” you shout, and hear the chime noise that usually accompanied such spells, as well as a burst of green stars that threaten to blind you again, even as your vision returns to normal. Inside, you can feel the headache you’d been developing fade away ,as well as a few bones knit themselves back together.

“That also, wasn’t possible,” you hear the Doctor say as you blink away a few remaining spots, and stare at the forms of the entire family of Hooves whom you’d met in Ponyville a few days before.

“That’s a word I keep hearing, and keep disagreeing with. Hello Sparkler, hello Dinky,” you say as you stand up, using the wall for support.

“How’d you know our names?” asks Sparkler, a pinky unicorn with purple mane. Beside her, her little sister, a unicorn with a light purple coat and blonde mane, just stares at you.

“Applejack told me,” you said simply, shaking your head a bit to try and clear it.

“Now what was that? One second I was walking behind you, the next I’m slamming into a wall hard enough to give myself a concussion,” you tell them.

“That was…that was the TARDIS rejecting you. But that hasn’t happened since…since,” he trails off.

“Since Jack Harkness jumped on in Cardiff and you went screaming to the year one hundred trillion, right?” you finish, and he just nods, not even questioning how you knew that.

“Yes, but that was because Jack was a Fixed Point, and even then, that…it would have tried to leave, it wouldn’t have attacked you like that. It wouldn’t do that expect to remove a danger to the Heart of the TARDIS itself,” he says, and then dashes into the TARDIS itself, being gone for several minutes, before returning with both the sonic screwdriver in his mouth, as well as a second thing that looks like a tiny disco ball with a screen on it.

“Erpy, old his or a seond, oul yo de” he mumbles around his mouthful, and Derpy takes the screwdriver, while he holds the ball at you, waving it in your face, before handing that off to Derpy, and taking the screwdriver.

“Now, this should tell me what I want to know,” he says, probably more to himself than anypony there. He then takes the ball from his wife, and hands her the screwdriver again.

“So, what have we got…no…no…no…it’s just not possible,” he says, and looks from you, to the disco ball, and then back again.

“What is it? Does it tell you what I did?” you ask, figuring you might as well rub it in that you’d already told him what he wanted to know.

“Well, yes. The neutrinos around your body, they’re stopped. That just doesn’t happen, ever, expect within a Flux. But..how…Fluxes are deep space phenomena, not living things. They’re points in space time where probability has broken down, where reality itself is fluid,” he says, holding his hoof up, and running it through his mane.

“You shouldn’t be able to live inside one, let alone generate it. There’s just no way. Any stray thought and you would erase yourself from time,” he explained, and you just shrugged.

“Why would I go and do a thing like that? It sounds pretty boring to me,” you tell him in answer, and he opens his mouth to object, but then closes it, and taps his chin with his hoof thoughtfully.

“Um, you’re okay, right?” asks Sparkler while her dad is busy thinking, and you nod.

“That was a third level cure spell, good for all those aches and pains,” you tell her, stretching a bit to show her that you’re fine now.

“Um, dear, are you finished yet? I it’s almost time for us to go,” said Derpy suddenly, and the Doctor turns to her, then rushes back into the TARDIS.

“Oh my, you’re right. Girls, back inside. And you, Mr. human, I would like to get to know a little better. If you could, I’d like for you to come visit us in Canterlot while we’re here. We’re staying at the Cumulous Downs, just ask for the Hooves,” he tells you as the females in his party join him inside the TARDIS. The instant they’re in, he shuts the door, and the light on top flashes, that whirring sound coming from the machine as it fades away.

“Well, that was random,” you say to yourself as you go back into your room, and this time look for a lock on your outside door. Unfortunately, you don’t see one, and decide to find a way to ask Celestia or Luna for one sometime, hopefully without having to talk about the Doctor. Dismissing that thought, you walk over to your bath and find it had cooled off during your little chat, but rather than heat it up, you just drain it, figuring you can finish it in the morning.

Disrobing, you shove the bathrobe down the chute, and then, rather than searching for something else to wear, decide to sleep in the buff tonight. Your first week in Equestria. It had been interesting, very interesting. It wasn’t going to be your last either. Ten years, the other you had said. Ten years, never going home, never seeing another human in this world. You didn’t know why, but that last thought actually made you kind of happy, and as you smiled at it, you fell asleep.

Time Passes

The next few days pass in a blended together blur. In the morning you wake up, have breakfast, which usually consists of at least a small piece of the Sage Blossom, to keep your energy up. Next you meet with the Captain, who continues to explain a bit of life around the palace, and always makes sure you go out with a guard, either himself, or sometimes a pair of guards, one in the pegasus armor, one in the unicorn armor.

One interesting thing you learn while talking with him is that the guards, down to the last mare, are all Earth Ponies. Apparently the armor doesn’t work for the other two types. However, that’s fine, as wearing it, they’re stronger than the average unicorn, and faster than the average pegasus, and at the same time, they retain their Earth Pony stamina, a fact you see when Dash challenges the Captain to a race one morning, and she starts to wear out much sooner than he does, though she does obviously have the speed advantage there.

After the mornings, you typical just wander around the palace, or Canterlot, asking questions of your escort, curious about things. You learn about the Gyphon Kingdoms of the west, the Dog Tribes, of which Diamond is only one of many. You learn exactly where it is the buffalo roam, and even that Equestria actually has a coast boarding a large ocean, that they have to constantly patrol with pegasi units due to pirates.

Some mornings are different, of course. Sometimes Octavia and Vinyl are waiting for you, and you three just enjoy the city. Other days it’s somepony else, Applejack and Big Mac, Rarity, who insisted you come with her to meet Fancy Pants, who turns out to be a pretty cool stallion. Rainbow Dash twice dragged you off to go flying against her and the Wonderbolts, doing loops, pulling stunts, and even a few seconds of dog fighting, which you lost, interestingly enough.

Speaking of the Dash, Applejack’s rumor proved to be true. The Wonderbolt squadron, led by Spitfire, had an opening, and they decided to fill it with Rainbow. She was so excited when she told her friends that, that it all came out in one quick burst of sound before she fainted. Luckily, Soarin and Spitfire had been right behind her, and filled the group in on what she’d said, and there were cheers, well wishes, and even a few drinks all around to celebrate.

Fluttershy and Twilight were rarely companions you saw, the former because she tended to keep to the animals on the castle grounds, and the latter because she tended to keep to the library. You did try to hang out with them, of course, but the animals tended to be rather frightening at your size, including the phoenix, who had a bad reaction just being near you, flaring up and driving you off. The library, meanwhile, proved to be dull beyond belief, as the tomes were written as information, rather than exciting pieces. Even the story books, of which there were many, proved to be dull.

Pinkie Pie…was really hard to pin down long enough to say you were hanging out with her. More often than not, your guards and you just lost her somewhere in the crowd, only to find her a few minutes later, causing what the guards would call a riot, but what she called a party. Not that anypony ever stopped her, since she was the Element of Laughter, and even the most stoic of the guard ponies eventually joined in with her fun.

On days when you didn’t go exploring, you went instead to the Professor’s lab for a new round of tests, and there were many. From a stretch test, where he tried to make you taller by force, to a test of your magical endurance which was just holding a rock above your head for an hour. He also insisted on taking more blood samples, saying something about chemical reactions and things that you didn’t understand, though Tailfire explained it as just making sure your body was absorbing nutrients like it should.

During the time between tests, you got to hang out with the various apprentices. From Tailfire and Deasly whom you’d gotten to know, to Pyro, who turned out to be shy, believe it or not, when you tried to talk to him, but fun to just talk at. Mind, you couldn’t understand but one in every five words he said, so it made conversations with him kind of one sided, but he seemed to realize this, and offered to play games with you, including a version of chess that involved setting the pieces on fire.

Others you met included the zebra, a native of Manehatten, second generation immigrant named Diamond Eye, for his eye he claimed to have lost in a dock side brawl. He had an interest in chemistry and mixed a lot of potions that you were forced to drink. Luckily, he didn’t talk in rhymes, so you could follow what he was saying easily enough.

There was also the dog, not from the Diamond tribe, but from Tall Grass. Apparently he’d joined after meeting the Professor and Strong Arm during one of their adventures, during which Strong Arm earned his name. Apparently he’d arm wrestled a hundred dogs, and they’d bestowed that name on him, though that made you wonder what his real name was, a question he dodged, and others just told you to ask him.

Anyway, the dog, whose name turned out to be Rex, was a canine who spoke softly, but carried a pretty big stick when required. One time, when Diamond and Pyro were having an argument, something about Pyro flaring up in bed, Rex casually walked over, and tossed the two apart, sending Pyro several hundred feet into the sky, and Diamond to land half way across the field behind the lab. He never said anything during this, just tossing them and going back to reading his book, but they didn’t fight again for the rest of the day.

Weeks passed as they tended to do, as you got to know several other apprentices, and the various peoples of Canterlot. From the ponies, to the visiting dignitaries, including a rather stuffy Griffon ambassador, who you quickly learn to despise considering he disparages the Princesses as spoiled monarchs of a bygone age whose time had long since passed. That didn’t stop the jerk from trying to recruit you for his kingdom, which you turned down as politely as you could, after you poured hot coffee down his shirt.

Soon though, it was time for parting, as the Mane Six, save Rainbow Dash, have to head home. The pegasus had already moved all her stuff into the barracks behind the palace, and so, didn’t need to return with them. That meant you got to watch her tearily say goodbye to her friends at the Canterlot station, even crying with Fluttershy, telling the sweet pegasus to take care of Scootaloo, and teach the little orange pegasus to fly.

Applejack, while that’s going on, took you aside and got you to promise to spend time with the spectrum colored pony, saying that she would need some friends, and more, she would need some competition, which you’d already shown you could provide. You actually look forward to that, and as the others are riding away into the distance, you challenge Rainbow Dash and the Wonderbolts to a race back to the palace, one that Soarin wins, interestingly enough, after Spitfire promises him a pie for a victory feast.

After that, most days include at least one race, or even dog fight against Spitfire, Dash, and Soarin, usually in a veritech, though sometimes you mix things up, creating various single piece mecha(You still aren’t sure you could create a combiner), including Jehuty and Vic Viper from Zone of Enders, Gurren Lagann from the same, and even a Big O, just to show the ponies that speed wasn’t everything, as your tank like body took everything they threw, and then sent it back at them.

Thanks to all these events, your repertoire of spells, items, and abilities grew immensely. You learned dozens of healing spells, several attacks, and even a few more utility spells like the field growing one. Your favorite by far was an aura spell that sped up you flight. It seemed to burn through you flying powers more quickly, which you more or less determined only lasted about two hours, and then only once per day, but the extra speed allowed you to actually beat Dash in a race, twice.

Your nights, depending on what day it is, are usually spent in your room, more often than not with one of the Princesses, just chatting. From them you begin to learn things about the history of the ponies, and the world of which Equestria was only one small part. More, you begin to feel a connection with them that is quite a bit deeper than you had expected. As much as they are respected, and even looked up to, the Princesses are not really ponies either, not normal ones, and stand apart.

During your chats with Luna, you make tea, and discuss politics of the world. You learn of the formation of the Griffon Kingdoms, the first Dog Tribe, and even that the Dragons have something called a Moot, in which they gather together one every millennium or so. She told you, much to your disappointment, that the next won’t be for three hundred years, but assured you that they’re boring anyway, and rarely involve anything more exciting than a few bits of flame from dragons that have been bored to sleep.

For Celestia, you skip the tea and make coffee instead, since she seems to appreciate the caffeine to help stay awake into the wee hours of the morning. Her topics tend more towards the current state of affairs, but are no less interesting. From a discussion on land rights, to a minor skirmish in the east with some tribe of buffalo that had migrated into the area, all of it was current crisis’s that she asked your opinion on, as an outsider, which you gave as best you could.

Once a week though, you got to spend with Octavia and Vinyl on the show, though you mostly just suggested music from the library, while giving a comment here and there. Guests for the show during your tenure included Spitfire and her squadron, the Captain, and Fancy Pants, who brought Fleur De Lis, on with him, though she never said a thing, just sitting with him, making you wonder if she could speak, though you wisely kept your mouth shut about that.

Before one such show, Vinyl pushed, poked, prodded, and then blackmailed you and Octavia into going on a date. Not that said date was unpleasant, just a bit awkward, as the two of you dined at a one pony table, and then just cantered all about Canterlot, with her telling you stories about her family, and you telling her about yours. Of course, all that turned out to be part of Vinyl’s sinister plot, as the next show she kept asking the two of you about your date, playing love songs and everything.

You would go on several more, just enjoying the company of a nice mare, though she did seem to linger on the goodnight kiss a little longer each time, making you wonder just where this relationship could go. Dash, just like Vinyl, always got onto you about it, teasing you in a good natured kind of way, and driving your desire to show her up in any competition she challenged you to for that day, which was probably the whole reason she did it.

Doctor Whooves and his family also made some return appearances, both in your day life, as Sparkler had been accepted into the school for Gifted Unicorns so they’d pulled up roots and moved to Canterlot, and in your night life, where some nights you would come back to your apartment to find the TARDIS waiting for you, the Doctor himself wanting to do some test or another, continually telling you how impossible it was for you to exist.

A month passes, and Pinkie Pie throws you a month-a-versary party, which included cakes, games, and some little chocolate dot things that were just delicious. Everypony you’d met showed up, had a good time, and played all sorts of fun games, including pin the tail on the Luna, which ended with Twilight and the Night Princess falling over in a laughing heap when the bookish pony had tried to do a running leap to win the game.

Another month passed, no party this time, just life, continuing on. Now the representatives of other nations came more frequently, and you insisted on talking with at least a few of them. Some, like the buffalo tribesman, simply tried to get a boon from you, to bless a field they were using to grow crops on, one you refused to grant directly, but suggested they ask a nearby town for food. Not that you knew about that before Luna had told you all about it, even giving you suggestions to give to the buffalo on what to trade, something he wouldn’t have listened to from a pony, but did from you.

The next visitor you got was far more interesting, and one even Luna didn’t have a clue on, as it turned out to be a dragon. Not a small one like Spike, or even the jerk teenagers, but a full grown one, who offered to fly you somewhere more private so the two of you could talk. You regretted agreeing to it almost the instant you’d left the ground, as the best flew pretty fast, and its body was hard to hold onto, threatening to send you spiraling into the nearby mountainside several times before he landed.

As it turned out, fortunately, the dragon just wanted to talk. Apparently you weren’t the only non-native to this particular Equestria, and the thing saw a kindred spirit in you. How it found out about you, considering what you’d seen of dragons, you never did find out, the big lizard dodging the question, but it proved to be an interesting way to spend an afternoon, finding out about some valley called Landover from him, while he listened to you talk about Earth, and you both shared your experiences here on Equestria.

Most of your other visitors were nowhere near that exciting. From a unicorn that tried to get you to sign some contract you couldn’t understand, to a griffon knight who started off by apologizing for the ambassador’s rudeness, and then tried to get you to move to his nation, as a guise of protecting you from the powers of the Princesses, and other ponies who would use your abilities for their own selfish gains. You told him no, quite directly, and when he wouldn’t listen, you got the Captain to help with that, sending him on his way.

Your third month passed, and you were pretty settled in, even redoing your room yourself, moving some furniture around, and helping Luna to make a game system for you. You still weren’t sure how that worked, but using your memories, focused through a wish, she could make one. Sadly, she couldn’t make any games you hadn’t played before, but you’d been an avid gamer in your youth, and spent an hour or so a night playing the Moon Princess at Mario Bros. or some fighter.

All in all, life was good. You looked out on Equestria every morning, sometimes even waking with the dawn, and then had a day among friends, laughing ,playing, and just living life. This was really paradise, and you forgot most days about the home you’d left behind, even if a pang or two sometimes entered your thoughts. So it was, that three months, one week, and four days after your arrival, you went to bed with a smile on your face, imaging what tomorrow would bring in this world of harmony in which you’d found yourself.

(A/N: And then everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked! No, that’s not happening, but it would be interesting, wouldn’t it?

Sweet Celestia, have you seen how long this has gotten? Since when do I have the dedication to do something like this? I never even did my English homework as a kid, and now I’ve written a small novel. A novel about ponies. And strangely, I’m okay with that.

Seriously, this story has been a blast to write, and I love doing it. It definitely had a rocky start, but the I think the overall effect has been good, don’t you?

Still, if it wasn’t obvious from the three months condensed into a single chapter, some big changes are coming. That first week needed to be detailed so you all knew how it felt to be this smuck, dumped into this world, shrunk, and then given super powers. You had to see the kind of life he was building, to really understand who he was, and what he was fighting for.

Yep, we’re going back to have ourselves a villain next chapter, someone is going to start pushing buttons that ought to not be pushed.

For now though, I want to thank the readers I’ve gotten all over the net for this thing. Over a thousand unique hits on four different sites, which is more than I ever thought I’d have. As I said to a few people, I plan on doing some side stories, and am working on a list of DawnChasers apprentices, which includes several OCs already, and may include more if some are offered.

Beyond that, I hope everyone is enjoying this fic, and is interested to see where it’s going, because I know I am, considering half this stuff(From the crying, to the TARDIS’ rejection), just happened, I had planned on something entirely different both times, and then that stuff just wrote itself.

Anyway, I just wanted to drop this little note before the big change happens, and tell all of you out there to expect something big. Next time ‘Interlude: Of Dreamscapes and Nightmares’ see you there my fellow bronies.)

Interlude: Dreamscapes and Nightmares

(A/N: Um…I have to admit, this one got a bit grim darky, which was not my intention. Still, it does setup a nice villain, and I hope you can enjoy it. If you don’t want to read it though, skip to the end of the fic, past the break, and you’ll get the gist of what happened here)

The white space echoed with screams, beautiful screams. And it made him laugh. The ponies, their vaunted magic broken, the elements shattered at their hooves, ran from him. There was nowhere to run though, nowhere to hide, and nowhere he couldn’t touch now. His power was fully realized here, and as Twilight tried in vain to cast a magic spell to counter him, he just laughed, snapped his fingers, and her horn exploded into little chunks.

“Oh dear, that does look like it hurts,” he said, clicking with his tongue as Twilight passed out from the pain, unable to scream anymore, tears rolling down her face even as blood flowed from the hole in her forehead.

Instantly her friends rushed to her side, trying to protect her. That was laughable. Protect her? From him? He was so far beyond them now, so much in control that a single thought cold cause them to simply vanish. But he wasn’t going to make it that easy on them, not after what they’d done to him, not after all the pain, all the misery and loneliness they’d put him through. Their suffering, it would be legendary.

Another snap, and Rainbow Dash found herself getting heavy, her body swelling around her, like a balloon that was being pumped full of air. It kept going until the balloon analogy became real too, causing the ponies to scream even louder, as they tried to wipe the blood away, and then scattered, hoping against reason that they could escape him.

Snap, and a giant rabbit appeared before the other pegasus. This was such a sweet, such a cute creature, that she stopped, to just look at it. That made it all the sweeter when the thing opened its jaws to reveal a set of razor sharp teeth, and claws like blades. When it pounced, the pink maned one didn’t even have time to squeak, though none of the others looked at her as she was torn to pieces and devoured alive.

The white unicorn was next. The snap of his finger, and she began to age. Her lovely visage wrinkling and molding, her body slowing as the years caught up with her, making it harder and harder to put one hoof in front of the other. Soon she was just standing there, her body shaking against the cold it felt. Her mane fell out, and then her body just seemed to dissolve into dust.

The earth ponies were next. They could be done together, since it was just a snap to turn the cowgirl into an apple, and the party pony into a bit of cotton candy. The rabbit, done with its first meal, leapt onto the two new treats, as he just laughed, and turned towards his two man audience, the pair clapping and laughing.

“Thank you, thank you, Discords. It really has been a pleasure performing for you tonight,” he said, giving a theatrical bow.

“And it has been such a pleasure watching you work, Discord,” said one of the two hims who were his audience. Behind, the ponies faded, including statues of Celestia and Luna, the latter of which had been broken in various ways, including having a wing torn off, the eyes ripped out, and one of the legs bent at a weird angle.

“Such a virtuoso rehearsal. It will be even better when we get to do this with the real thing,” said the third Discord, and the other two got very dark looks on their faces as they stared at him. A double snap, and he vanished in a flash of light, leaving only a pile of ashes behind.

“Idiot, ruining our buzz like that,” said the performing Discord.

“I told you we shouldn’t have invited him to watch,” chided the remaining audience Discord.

“He is right though. It will be even better to play with the real things,” admitted the performer.

“Indeed. Escape this world of dreams, and then,” a snapped finger, and a new Luna laid before them, in her younger form, crying as she had a few scratches all over her body, some rather deep cuts in her legs showing off the bones inside.

“Shall we?” offered one of the Discords, motioning towards their prey.

“Oh, yes, let’s,” said the other, and they both started walking towards her, their paths coming together, and then so did they, just sort of stepping into each other, becoming a single being, and then standing in front of the filly sized Luna, who squeaked and tried to beg, only for her voice to come out in a wheezing noise as her vocal cords had already been cut.

Discord stopped suddenly, a single thought banishing the Luna before him. Turning, he looked towards where he felt a ripple in the dreamscape, and then felt a power coming. Instantly he froze, becoming stone as he was outside, the same expression and stance, the way Luna liked him to be when she came down to check on him in this nightmare of a prison in which she’d set him. He didn’t even try to fight her directly anymore, when she came, just freezing into a statue until she left.

What entered the white space though wasn’t a pony. Well, it wasn’t only a pony anyway, and Discord’s eyes moved towards it. It was…something different every second he looked at it. First it was an earth pony stallion of some height and mass, on par with the Princesses. Then it grew a horn, long and sharp, that just seemed to hover over its head, rather than connecting to it. Then wings tore from its back with the sound of ripping flesh.

Then it started changing, the forehooves turned into hands, and it stood back, now taller than Discord, the rear hooves turning into clawed feet that held it high. Then the forearms past the elbow…spun, the hand now facing inward, while a stump faced outward. Then more changes, horrible things, a tendril coming out of one eye that morphed into a thorny vine, which then sprouted eyes at every point. Still other things that turned even Discord’s stomach as the thing walked up to him, and just stopped.

“FreEKillMaImDeStVenGYoURoyeAncEdoM,” it said all at once, in a thousand voices. They screeched out, some screaming, some quiet as a whisper, and everything in between. The statue didn’t move though, hoping that the thing would just go away, that it was some nightmare from the upper levels of the world of dreams that had found its way down to where Luna had sealed him. It just kept staring though, eyes ever shifting, but always looking at him. When at last, it reached for him, Discord finally broke down, pulling away from it.

“Don’t you dare touch me you…whatever you are!” he declared as he resumed his true self. The thing didn’t react to him, just freezing in place, even the changes pausing for a moment, as it kept staring where he’d been, before a mouth, or what he thought was a mouth, opened, and it spoke, all the voices together.

“Madness,” they said, and Discord realized it had just answered his question about what it was. And a more fitting title for this being he could not imagine, as the changes resumed, and it walked, slithered, hovered, and slimed its way closer to him, stopping all at once.

“Madness, huh? Well, Madness, I’m Chaos, and I don’t like that tone you’re taking with me, so, arrivederci,” he said, and flew away from the thing, into the infinite bounds of his prison, figuring it would never find him again once he was out of sight. He was therefore surprised when he spotted the thing, still shifting and changing, just standing in front of him again, like neither had moved.

“FrEEdOm?” it said again, this time, a single word, though not as clear as the name, it was at least intelligible.

“Are you…offering me my freedom?” asked the draconequus, staring at the thing. He got the impression of it nodding, though he really couldn’t see a head at the moment.

“Hmm, an escape from this horrible prison, from the torment of loneliness that has lasted an eternity…why?” he asked simply, and the thing turned…however that worked for it, and then the ponies he’d been toying with appeared before him, Celestia, Luna, Sparkle and her friends, and even those cute little three who’d provided his escape.

Then the thing inflicted horrors on them. Discord, a creature of chaos, who had done such awful things to the ponies in his rule that it still brought a warm feeling to his heart, turned aside at the image of what this thing did. When he turned back, he found himself staring at a pile of mush that had been the dream images of several ponies not a few minutes ago, silent screams coming from it, begging for an end that would not come.

“YoUWaNt?” it asked, and Discord, who still felt his lunch trying to come up from the images he saw, could do nothing but nod. It was the least this group deserved for what they’d done to him, spoiling his fun.

“I…yes, I would do anything to make them suffer,” he admitted.

“Price,” the thing said clearly again, and it pointed a tendril. Suddenly a new form stood there, a thing that stood on two legs, with two arms, stubby little things both of them. It stood about twice as tall as the ponies.

“KILL!” it shouted, and the thing it had made screamed, the tendril striking it in the stomach, throns tearing into its form, the skin making a sickening squelch sound as blood and entrails poured from the wound and it fell over, dead before it hit the ground.

“So, if I agree to kill that thing in the real world, you’ll free me?” asked Discord, just to make sure the point was clear. Madness did that nodding without a head thing, and then a hand was offered from within it, one without claws, just fingers.

“Deal,” was all he said, grasping at that hand, and shaking it lightly. He felt a thrill of power come from within it, and then watched transfixed as Madness ‘stepped’ back from him, and then seemed to grow. A whirling column of horrors came from where it stood, rising into the sky, and then smashing into something. That something held for an instant, resisting the power of Madness, before shattering like glass, opening the way to the next level of the World of Dreams.

Another smash, and then another, and then more and more, every level brought the sound of screams, lovely, lovely screams, as the ponies and others of the waking world felt their dreams shattered like glass, probably waking up in the real world still screaming. Smiling, imagining all the things he would do, Discord sailed upward, circling Madness as he rose through level after level, after level, time speeding up the farther he went.

“A thousand times a thousand times a thousand years you’ve had me sealed now Luna. It’s time for you to understand what chaos really is,” he threatened, feeling her eyes as she watched him rise towards the surface levels, the waking world.

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Hayseed whistled to himself as he worked, cleaning up the last few stray leaves on one of the hedges, wishing not for the first time that night that the pegasus girl had taken his offer to become the new groundskeeper of the palace. He was growing too old to handle these late nights, and it would have been nice to have a young mare like her around to reach the tops of the trees, and help put the animals to bed.

Still, it was a good life, a life he enjoyed, and he kept whistling, at least until a painful cry echoed from the palace, startling him and shaving a good decade off his life. When his breathing recovered, he trotted towards the palace, wondering what was up. He found out the hard way though, as a statue in the garden began to shake, cracks appearing in the stone, as a horrible laugh echoed. Hayseed ran as fast as his old legs would carry him, crying for the guards as he went.

Rude Awakenings

The palace guards, standing at attention outside the main doors to the Night Court, were startled when a shape burst through the palace gates. Instantly the pegasi took to the air, and unicorns lowered their horns, charging them so they glowed. When the shape at last grew closer, all of them calmed down, for it was only Hayseed, the groundskeeper, who was wheezing, and had probably just heard the scream of Celestia that the Captain had gone to investigate.

He ran up the stair, his breath coming in gasps, and one of the pegasus armored guards floated down to him, and gave him support as he looked over the rest of them, trying to say something through ragged gulps of air, as one of the unicorns levitated a bowl of water over to him, letting him take several swallows of the crystal clear liquid, before he finally stopped and spoke to them.

“Discord, he’s free. His statues cracking. He’s going to break out any second!” shouted the groundskeeper, and several of the guards looked at each other, none of them sure what to do. Discord was something that was beyond their ability to fight, but surely he couldn’t escape for no reason, this had to be some kind of mistake.

“Are you sure, Hayseed? Perhaps it’s just a trick of the light, and the Princess’ scream earlier spooking you?” suggested one of the guards. Hayseed looked at him for a moment like he was going to smack him, and call him a young whippersnapper, but then he just sighed, looking down at the floor.

“Of course I’m sure. You don’t think I’d forget the feeling of being free, do you?” said Hayseed, his voice changing in mid word to the Chaos Master’s, and his face becoming the same. The guards tried to react, but the one closest to him was already being warped, changed into nothing more than a toy, which happened to all of them as Discord snapped his fingers, laughing as he walked forward, resuming his true form as he did so.

“So hard to find good help these days,” he said idly to himself, kicking the toys out of his way as he approached the big doors. Putting his ear up to it, he wondered why he couldn’t yet hear the screams of the ponies, so confident he would be frozen forever, now haven’t to deal with him being free once more. Instead there was just silence, which made him a bit mad. Still, one did one’s best with these situations, and a thought turned the door into chocolate cake, which he pushed on, creating a pile of it in the doorway as it collapsed.

“Luny, I’m home!” he shouted, to the empty throne room. Well, not empty, per say, as Luna sat in her little chair, staring daggers at him, however other than her, there was no pony or anything else for that matter, in the room.

“Discord…how did you escape the prison into which We sent your mind?” she asked, looking at him, and Discord just laughed at her.

“It doesn’t really matter that much does it Luna? I escape, that’s all that counts, and it’s time for you to pay for what you did to me,” he said, his teeth gleaming in the light as he approached Luna’s form. The Night Princess say there, not moving, just starting him down, her horn glowing with power that would fight him. She would lose, but she would not submit.

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“Hmm?” you go as you awaken. The void, it had shifted and moved in new ways tonight, before shattering completely. Something was wrong, something big was happening. Rising from where you’d been sleeping on the arm of the couch, you notice that Octavia was stirring as well, and in the back of the house you could hear Vinyl’s hoofsteps on the hard wood floor of their home.

“What’s going on?” asked Octavia wearily. The two of you had gone on another date earlier, and had been out so late that you’d decided to go to her house, rather than return to the palace, your guard for the day, a pegasus armored one you didn’t know the name of, had been sleeping in the chair nearby, and roused as you did, his eyes aware and awake in an instant.

“I…don’t know. It felt like my dream shattered,” you told her, and she nodded, looking as Vinyl rushed into the room.

“Hey, guard dude, little guy, there’s something up at the Palace!” she said, and instantly you and the guard ran to the window. Outside it, you could see lights all over Canterlot Castle, beam shooting in dozens of directions, some of them falling back to the ground and exploding against building. Some seemed harmless, just flashes of light. Others caused strange effects, like building folding inside out, or turning odd shapes and colors. The guard, without saying a thing, burst out the window, and flew towards the palace.

“What’s going on?!” you shout after him, but it’s Octavia who gives you your answer.

“Dis…Discord’s free. I remember, I remember the last time he broke out, it started like this, a few random chaos places, then everything…everywhere,” she said, her voice, her body, shuddering at the memory, and you wished for once that you were big just so you could comfort her.

Your thoughts are interrupted as something made of fire streaks across the sky from the edge of the city. It doesn’t take a genius to realize that it’s Pyro, but it does take a keen eye to spot all the shapes in his fireball with him. Apparently he could take anypony he wanted in his little flaming balls, as you could make out most of the apprentices you knew, before the ball slammed hard into the side of the palace, and more bolts began to fly from within, now including fire among the bolts of magic and chaos.

“They’re not going to win,” said a voice unexpectedly, and you turned to find Vinyl, her glasses down, as he just stared. There was a hopeless tone to her speech you’d never heard there before. Vinyl was always happy, peppy, ready for the next thing, but this? She sounded dejected, defeated, like nothing could ever go right with the world again, and Octavia looked like she felt the same. They were terrified, and for some reason, that made you really mad.

“Get to the basement, and stay safe,” you told them, as you flew out the window, thinking of the best shape for this fight, and suddenly being surrounded by the orbital frame, Jehuty, it’s many subweapons coming online as you floated in front of the house at music built.

“Are you crazy? What do you think you’re doing?!” demanded, of all ponies, Octavia, as she dove out of the window after you, staring at the cockpit, which was just about level with her head, being a bit sticking out from between the legs of the frame.

“I’m going to help,” you say simply, opening the shield over the controls, the thing dissolving, and letting you look her in the face.

“And what do you think you can do to help? Discord, he, he’s horrible, just a menace. You’re not on his level, only the Elements can stop him,” she tells you, and you nod.

“That’s true, only they can do anything against this guy permanently, but I can help slow him down. I bet you anything the Princesses have already sent for Twilight and her friends, and they’re on their way here right now. That means we’ve just got to hold him,” you explain.

“But, but you can’t! He’s stronger than you, he’ll kill you, or worse!” she declares, and Vinyl, who actually took the sensible route for once and came out the front door, joins her, placing a hoof on Octavia’s shoulder, even as she starts to cry a little.

“Li-Dude,” she says, dropping the first part of her name for you. “Do you really think you can do anything? I mean, you’ve heard what we said about him, you know what he is. Is there any hope your powers can fight him at all?

“I don’t know Vinyl, I really don’t, but I do know this, ‘Evil Triumphs When Good Men Do Nothing’. I don’t know how good a man I am, but I do know I’m not gonna let someone like Discord mess up a world I’ve grown rather fond of,” you tell her, and Vinyl actually cracks a smile, putting on her glasses.

“Then go on, get there, and help them. We’ll hold down the fort here. But you promise us, promise us both, that you’ll come back in one piece,” she orders, and you just smirk at her.

“Believe it!” you tell her, giving her a thumbs up.

“I’ll hold you to that. Come on Octy, let’s get to the basement like he said,” Vinyl advised, starting to lead her off, while the cockpit closed and you began to rise in the air. You stop though when you notice Octavia break away, and just stare at you.

“You promised! Remember that, you promised you’d be back!” she shouted up at you, and you have Jehuty nod at her, before rocketing off.

“Pilot’s pheromone readings are higher than average, would you like a stabilizer,” said a female electronic voice, the AI of Jehuty.

“Negative ADA. Scan for energy sources instead,” you order, and you hear the pings of the computer working.

“Scan complete, several high level power sources detected in large structure. The largest appears to be in combat against the others. Probability of victory by smaller sources calculated at .057%...correction, .056%,” she says in a cold tone, and you grimace. Sounded like the party wasn’t going to well. One look back, you see the music ponies moving inside their home, and you give one thought as to what Discord had done to them before, and then declare in your mind that he wouldn’t be allowed to do anything else to the ones you loved, as you turn the thrusters up to maximum, and Jehuty shoots off towards the castle.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

“Heh, is that the best you can do, matchstick?” asks Discord of the fire pony he’d just turned into a literal matchstick. The thing, whose head remained, began to shout muffled swears at him, even as he laughed at the thing.

“Discord!” cried another voice, a female pegasus with a white coat. He had no idea what her name was, but she came on like a shot, trying to slam into him. He just stood there yawning, enjoying that moment when she struck, and hit only a brick wall that happened to be between her and him that just popped up.

“Oh please, did you really think that would work?” he said as she slumped to the floor.

“Really now, this is just getting boring. I thought the famous DawnChaser and his apprentices could put up more of a fight than this,” he declared, even as a few more of them launched attacks. The zebra throwing potions that exploded to various effects, the big dog tossing rubble from the castle walls at him, and the Professor himself trying to direct the battle.

“Still, when one goes up against this much chaos, there’s only so much one can do I suppose,” he said, and with a casual wave of his hand, the rocks that the dog was throwing turned to marshmallows, bouncing against the floor, and the potion bottle the zebra had in his hoof vanished. Not the potion, just the bottle, causing the potion’s contents to spill around him, incasing him in a crystal.

“After all, didn’t you spend almost a year poking me just after you got out of that school?” asked the draconequus as he floated over to where the Professor stood. To his credit, the purple unicorn didn’t panic. Instead he roared defiance and charged, casting a spell that was intended to decrease Discord’s size. Unfortunately, the thing just unraveled as the chaos magic touched it, and the Professor found himself flying as Discord backhanded him with his lion’s paw, slamming him against a wall and taking him out of the fight.

“I suppose you didn’t learn too much then,” commented the Chaos God. A few more tricks, setting the yellow earth pony’s tail aflame for real, knocking out a massive pony by simply making him too big for his body to handle, and a dozen other things, he found himself faced with one last unicorn, who stood between him and Luna, the Night Princess looking worse for wear thanks to their earlier battle.

“So, you think you can protect her, do you?” he asked

“Not really, but I can give her what protection I can,” he said, and suddenly he grabbed Luna and closed his eyes. A glow surrounded the pair that then started to collapse in on itself, stopping only when Luna and the unicorn were less than half their original size, making Discord laugh.

“And how, pray tell, does that protect her?” he asked.

“Because it bought me enough time to get here!” shouted a pegasus guard as he dove through the window, kicking out with the horses and sending a spray of spell bolts into the palace at Discord. The red blasts of magic struck the draconequus, who didn’t even seem to feel them, dismissively holding out his hand, as if checking to see if it was raining, which only made the guard mad enough to charge.

The charge was ill advised, as Discord dodged the attack easily, and then, like a snake, wrapped around the guard, squeezing tightly as he got between his coils, until the pony passed out from the pressure, and Discord dropped him to the floor. With the distraction out of the way, the essence of chaos smiled, looking back over the battlefield.

Everywhere there were bodies. None were dead, not yet. That fun would come later, for now, they were just unconscious, or at least down for the counter. A few moaned with the pain of their injuries, and some even tried to stir, only to fall back down into the rubble strewn hall, their strength giving up before it even got them to their hooves.

“Heh, look at how pathetic you all are. This time you had warning, you felt my power as it awakened, and still you couldn’t do anything,” he told the collection of rabble who had opposed him. One voice weakly tried to tell him he was wrong, but it silenced quickly, either the protester thinking better of it, or passing out. Either way, Discord’s smile just got broader.

“And you, Princess Luna…so lovely now, so beloved by your people. Too bad for you I suppose. I think…yes, I think I’ll leave your eyes in this time, when I turn you into stone, so you can watch as I torment all of Equestria,” he told her, figuring it would be far better torment for her to watch and be able to do nothing. So like what she’d done to him by sealing him in the lowest level of the world of dreams.

“Oh, and next I suppose I’ll follow your sister,” he said, and Luna’s eyes went wide.

“Did you really think I couldn’t feel her leaving? She’s gone to get the element wielders, Sparkle and her friends. Oh, the suffering I shall visit on them. It will just be delicious,” he said, and Luna rose to her hooves, shaking a bit. She’d drained most of her power fighting him before, and now had almost nothing left, but she wasn’t about to just sit around while he threatened her sister, and her little ponies.

“You are a monster, Discord. A thing full of hate for the harmony you yourself cannot find. We will oppose you, and though we lose, there will be others, others who stand up, and fight you. One day, you will find yourself sealed again,” she told him, and Discord just stared at her. Deasly, the last waking thing in the room, rose with her, standing by her side.

“Oh really? Somepony is going to seal me up again? You really are just too much sometimes, Luna,” said the Chaos God with a deep belly laugh, before floating over to where she stood. Horns glowing, Deasly and Luna prepared to fight, only for Discord to just back hand the Night Princess into a wall, rubble flying in every direction as she crashed through it, and then just laid there. Awake, Deasly’s spell had offered her some protection from the impact, but a bit of wall had fallen on her, and she was unable to move it with what little power remained in her.

“And then there was one. Are you going to fight me too?” he asked Deasly, and the unicorn blasted out with his talent spell, hoping his spell could work where the Professor’s version failed. His hope was in vain, as Discord only grew bigger from the magic, making Deasly cry out in frustration and fire a blast of magic from his horn, one that Discord caught with one hand, holding it like a ball, that he popped by squeezing.

“Such heroics, almost makes me want to vomit,” said Discord, as he drew back his hand, gathering the magic in it to turn Deasly into a fly, or something tiny at least, to fit with his talent. He paused however, when a screaming engine echoed through the destroyed throne room. When the engine noise grew deafening, the source of it appeared, stopping with a blast of air the kicked up a lot of dust, obscuring it from sight.

The dust slowly cleared, and Discord found himself staring at an armored figure, one that tasted of a strange, but familiar kind of magic. The thing stood as tall as Luna normally did, and had a gleam in the full moon light from outside. It also hovered, two jets on the back of it continuing to hold it in the air, bobbing a little.

“So, the human comes to me, and here I was worried I would have to hunt you down,” said Discord as he stared at the thing up and down. The thing was sleek, and obviously fast, but probably not very sturdy, given the thinness of its limbs. This was what Madness wanted dead though, and he was happy to oblige, letting the magic flow through him, and gathering it into both his hands, intending on blasting the human away with a single powerful shot.

Nothing to Lose Your Head Over

“ADA, Mummy!” you shout, the subweapon display shifting to the selected weapon. You didn’t know if it would work against magic, especially Discord’s power, but you did know your own abilities tended to create things that worked off their own physics. So you stood there waiting for the thing voiced by John de Lancie to let loose with his shot, hoping this worked and you didn’t get Jehuty turned into a potted plant or something.

You didn’t have to wait long, as Discord brought his hands together, and a blast of magical energy blasted from them, ADA’s sensors telling her it was on par with the Vector Cannon, the most powerful weapon in her arsenal. You raised the Mummy’s shield just before it hit, holding out your hand, and suddenly a physical barrier appeared before you, like a tower shield, almost as tall as your mech itself, which the blast struck, hard.

You were pushed back, and energy readings went nuts, several of the dials on your control panel telling you that what was happening outside was impossible. Luckily, however, the Mummy shield held, the blast parting around it, and becoming several lances that pounded into the wall behind you, exploding against it, and causing candy, ice cream, and what looked like soda, to come pouring out of holes that it made.

“Wow, that’s kind of random,” you comment, turning Jehuty around to look at it, before spinning towards Discord, and finally, noticing Deasly, who was still on his hooves, though barely by the shake in his legs.

“Zero Shift,” you order, and the subweapon display changes again. Discord, still not sure how you blocked his chaos magic, just stares at you, not sure what to do. You think seem to warp in his vision, twisting like he was seeing you through a curtain of water, before a pop, and you vanish.

This was highly unexpected, and Discord’s eyes scan the throne room for you, startled when he realizes that you’re behind him now, standing in front of that pony that had tried to blast him just before you arrived.

“Deasly, how you feelin buddy?” you ask, looking him over to find he’s not too badly hurt.

“Drained, I put everything I had behind a blast aimed at him. It didn’t do anything though…do you think you have a chance?” he asked, a bit of curiosity coming into his voice as he looked over Jehuty, remembering what the thing was capable of.

“Not sure, but it’ll be a fun test to find out. Say, you don’t have a blank sketch book and a quill, do you?” you ask suddenly, and Deasly looks at you funny, but then nods, pulling the requested items from his saddlebags, and floating them towards you.

“Thanks,” you say, grabbing them both, and then turning, trying to look serious as you stare at Discord, and then hover over to him, facing him down.

“So, you’re the Master of Chaos, the Spirit of Disharmony, and the Bringer of the Chocolate Milk Rain?” you ask him, and he looks into the mech’s eyes.

“Yes, yes I am,” he answers, a bit of curiosity leaking into his voice, obviously wondering where you’re going with this.

“Can I have your autograph?” you tell him suddenly, holding out the quill and pad, which causes everyone in the throne room to go quiet. Even those who have been moaning in pain just stare at you incredulously, not sure what’s going on as you offer him the pad and quill. Discord, for his part, just stares at them before laughing, and taking them.

“Hmm, never had to give one of those out before on request. Who should I make it out to?” he asks.

“Um, how’s about, ‘To John Luck Pickard, from DisQord’ with a capital Q in place of the c in your name,” you tell him, and he looks at you for a moment, before signing the parchment, and handing it back.

“Awesome….what? I loved TNG,” you tell the various ponies and others who are just open mouthed staring at you, including Deasly.

“Keep this safe, it’s going to be my new autograph book. If I can, I’m going to find Megatron next and get him to sign it too,” you tell him, offering them back to him. Deasly, too stunned to really question it, just takes the pad and quill and returns them to his saddle bags, as you turn back to Discord.

“Thanks, oh, and Gauntlet,” you tell him casually, the subweapon switching again. Your left arm then starts to glow, and he looks at it curiously. While he’s still looking at it, you punch out with it, a series of sparks in the shape of you fist coming out of it, and slamming into him, hard. His body goes flying back towards the door, causing him to crash through the only standing wall, and then just keep going.

“Vector Cannon!” you shout, and the subweapon switches again, this time with warning bells going off even as you brace. The arms of the Jehuty raise into the air, and you can hear the swirl of building energy as suddenly a huge gun materializes on the back of the mech, that shifts to pointing forward as the arms come back down.

“Shift to VECTOR CANNON Mode,” comes the voice of ADA as the console in front of you turns red, the energy meter already draining to empty as every erg of power that your vehicle produced was channeled into the weapon.

“All energy lines connected,” ADA informed you, and your display shifted to having a massive crosshair on it, a secondary target appearing over the shifting rubble where Discord was still digging himself free.

“Landing gear and climbing irons locked,” she said, as a massive thud sound echoed around you, telling you that the legs had been reinforced against the ground. Your display also began to show six sphere materializing in front of the mech, each at a certain angle around the big gun that now covered Jehuty, more bits appearing as the mode continued to build with a whining sound.

“Inner chamber pressure rising normally,” said the AI, as a meter appeared beneath the crosshairs, already beginning to fill.

“Life ring has started revolving,” she told you as the six orbs began to move in a circle in front of you, the crosshair now situated between them, aiming directly at your opponent, who just pushed his way free of the last bit of wall, only to find himself staring right at you, and a weapon that was now glowing with built up energy.

“Ready to fire,” she informed you in the same tone she did everything else. You couldn’t help but be excited though, as you pressed a button on your console, and suddenly a blast of energy shot out from Jehuty, the six orbs twisting the straight beam into a drill like spiral that spun towards the target. Discord’s eyes went wide just before it slammed into him, and he vanished in its light.

“Cancel VECTOR CANNON mode,” ADA said, and all the little bits of the mode wavered and vanished, leaving Jehuty standing there, a large hold in the wall, along with a deep groove in the ground being the only evidence that anything had happened.

“ADA, scan for target,” you ordered, hoping for the AI to find nothing, but knowing that that would just be too lucky.

“Scanning, scanning, scanning, scan complete,” the AI intoned, and then a small window popped up on your cockpits display. In it, you could see the blast from the Vector Cannon, still moving away. However, the blast wasn’t the most interesting part of the image, as at the tip of it was a dark shape, serpent like and squirming.

“That’s not possible. Did the cannon do anything to him?!” you demanded to know.

“Analyzing…confirmed, the impact of compressed space caused a 1.6% drop in targets power level. However, power returned to normal moments later,” she answered.

“What about all the power that shot had behind it?” you ask, and Jehuty displays a line image of Discord, which is then struck by the blast. The instant the lines of the Vector Cannon’s attack touched him, they flowed around him, almost like he was a rock breaking up the flow of a river.

“Target appears to possess an energy refraction barrier that prevents energy attacks from damage him. The Vector Cannon’s attack, comprised of energy contained within compressed space is capable of pushing him, but is incapable of penetrating this defense,” she informed you coldly.

“Tactical analysis then, what do we have that can deal with him?” you ask, and ADA pauses for a moment, not saying anything, before pinging at you.

“Tactical analysis complete, the Elements of Harmony are the only weapon that can stop him, overwhelming his barrier and reversing its effect, sealing him using a neutralized form of his own power,” she tells you.

“Ye-yes, that’s right,” said a weak voice, and you look over to see Luna pushing the rubble off herself with her power, trying to stand, her legs shaking beneath her. When they buckle and she starts to fall, you silently change subweapons to Zero Shift, and teleport to her side, catching her in Jehuty’s arms.

“My sis-sister and the Captain, they went to..to..Ponyville. Elements…” she says, her breath coming in ragged, heaving gasps. She must have drained so much of her power that you hadn’t even seen her when you arrived, and now she was out like a light.

“Discord, said that Celestia had gone to get the Element wielders, to bring them here I suppose,” Deasly clarified, as he walked over, and began to look at his ruler. His horn glowed, and you could tell he was trying to heal her.

“Then I’m going to speed up the process. He seemed to want to fight me, so I’ll get him to Ponyville. You stay here, get Luna on her hooves again. Maybe she can fix some of this, and give us some more backup,” you tell him, and Deasly looks up at you, concern on his face, but more than that, there was determination in his eyes. Giving him a salute with Jehuty, you sent all power to your jets, and flew towards the break, locking your sensors on Discord in the distance.

“Is that all you’ve got, mighty Lord of Chaos?” you shout at him through the speakers, and then watch as he sort of rolls off the blast from the Vector Cannon. ADA helpfully zooms in on his face so you can see the absolutely murderous look he’s got in his eyes, before he comes at you, his snake like body slithering through the air.

“ADA, all power to thrusters,” you order, and then point yourself at the smudge that is Ponyville. With a blast of jets, you’re pushed into the back of your seat, with a timer helpfully popping up in the cockpit display, showing your estimated arrival time at your destination. It was a bit under ten minutes. Unfortunately, a small window then opened up, showing Discord behind you, and the window of his intercept time was less than four.

“ADA, options,” you ask, wondering what you can do to slow down the draconequus, or speed yourself up, or something.

“Tactical situation is untenable. Chances of success of even the highest valued options are at less than 5%,” she informed you.

“Well then, we need to raise those. You said physical attacks work, right? What about your melee blade?” you ask her.

“Blade’s power would be insufficient to do significant damage to target,” she counters.

“Okay, maybe not your weapons, how’s about another one. Voltron’s Blazing Sword?” you offer, and then hear her go dead again for a moment as she processes.

“Probability of success unknown, properties of target’s barrier are unpredictable with weapons of that nature,” she says at last, and you shrug. An idea was an idea, and right now an unknown chance seemed more favorable than the ones your other tactics had. So you sit in the cockpit, nervously eyeing Discord as he comes closer, and closer, and closer to you.

Three minutes, twenty-seven seconds later, you spin in the air, drawing your hand along a path, and forming the weapon you’d chosen to wield against your foe. Discord, for his part, doesn’t seem to react at all to this, continuing on his path, coming in a spiral towards you, even as you prepare to slash at him, turning your body to the side, and holding your blade out.

Of course, the reason for his confidence becomes clear when you actually launch your attack, his body just sort of sliding around it, your blade touching nothing but air, even as his lion’s paw hand strikes at you, the claws creating a rough screeching sound as they tear into the outer shell of Jehuty, the barrier not doing anything to stop them.

“Hull damage, integrity is now at 82%,” ADA informed you helpfully, and sparing a glance down at your display, you curse yourself.

“ADA, restore Jehuty to combat conditions, and switch to Mummy,” you order, watching as the gauges for your shields and weapon systems fill back up, as the jet system loses power.

“Engage auto flight, keep us moving towards Ponyville, best possible speed,” you add, drawing the Mummy, and watching your hull gauge repair itself, as the properties of the subweapon take effect, making you immune to damage, and also healing you. The former was the more important, as Discord lashed out at you with his tail, driving you towards the ground, before ADA activated auto flight, and you continued off towards your destination, the clock now reading at a bit over ten minutes.

“Need to buy some time, need to cut down on his mobility…” you say to yourself, even as Discord catches up, and you have to dodge to the side to avoid a pie he throws. You glance down at the forest that had been speeding by below you to watch as that pie hits a tree, turning it into some kind of tentacled monster that roared up at you, even as you jetted out of its reached.

“ADA, Homing Missiles,” you tell her, and then push the button on your console to deploy the weapon. You couldn’t see it, but you could hear the clunk sound as missiles came out of the back of Jehuty, hovering in a semicircle behind its bake, waiting for the fire command. One you give as soon as you have the full complement of sixteen readied, the spear like projectiles arcing over your mech, and then coming down right on Discord.

Not that he doesn’t try to dodge, as they fly at him, but he’s not fast enough to keep that up for long as, unlike with the veritech’s missiles, these actually loop back around when they miss, and continue to home in on him, one finally striking him and exploding violently, causing him to cry out in pain. His concentration broken, the others find their mark as well, his body obscured from vision by the black smoke of the explosions.

You assume nothing about his state of being, knowing that all the missiles would have done was annoy him, and so you strike into the cloud with your blade, relying on your computer assisted targeting system to find your mark. Luckily, Discord hadn’t tried to move from where he was, and so your blade screeched against his hide, biting into his flesh.

Unfortunately, this proved as ineffective as anything else, your weapon doing nothing but dragging itself through the thick hair on his chest. There wasn’t even a line cut into it, and worse, as the sword reached the end, it began to crack, coming undone completely and breaking in two as you pulled it forcefully down all the way, Discord recovering enough to slash at you, aiming right for Jehuty’s head with his bird claw hand.

“Zero Shift!” you shout, the subweapon changing, and you quickly pull back, teleporting away from Discord, and then doing so again, and again, and again in rapid succession, before your body forces you to stop, your stomach heaving at the movement through compressed space.

“A-cough-ADA, what just happened?” you demand to know, looking at the shattered hilt of your sword, and then tossing it away, the thing pixilating and vanishing, as Discord resumes his pursuit of you.

“Target appears to exude a field close to himself that alters the properties of matter. This allows him to protect himself from even the most powerful attacks, changing even deadly blows to nothing but glancing strikes,” she says, and another diagram appears, showing the sword as it entered said field, going red where it did so, before breaking.

“Options?” you ask, looking at Discord, and seeing the timer below him had come back, but it was at less than thirty seconds already, while the one showing Ponyville was still over five minutes.

“An energy weapon that could somehow remain solid would pass through the first defense, and be immune to the second field’s effect. However, the damage would still be neg-neg-neg,” she says, and you look out your view port to find that Jehuty is now in the coils of the snake, Discord having wrapped himself around her, pinning her legs together, and her arms to her side, even as the jets continue to fire, brining you closer and closer to Ponyville. His clawed hands were currently gripping at Jehuty’s neck, the tips of them buried inside, and severing the connections to ADA’s central processor.

“I must admit, this has been a rather merry chase, taking me towards Celestia, but you and I have business to attend to. My freedom comes at the price of your life, and I’m afraid it’s time to pay the piper,” he told you. “I wonder, can your head scream if I rip it off?”

That question is asked as he starts to pull at the mech’s head, obviously intending on satisfying his morbid curiosity. It takes a split second for you to realize that he thinks Jehuty is your body. It takes you another to wonder what the heck he’s talking about with prices. You don’t have too long to wonder though, as a warning message flashes on your screen, something about emergency procedures, and you suddenly find yourself falling out of the cockpit, looking up as Jehuty does that same pixilation thing, popping and seemingly blinding Discord who’d been staring right at it.

Instantly, you start towards Ponyville yourself. ADA wasn’t there to provide pinpoint accurate navigation, but you could see the smudge in the treeline that marked where the village sat, and went for it, activating your flight aura, and hoping you had enough air time left today to make it.

“What do we have here?” asked a voice, and you looked to your side to find yourself staring into Discords face, one big eye just looking at you in a creepy fashion. Trying not to panic, you put everything you’ve got into our flight, only to slam face first into something rough, but soft, that you identify as a lion’s paw, even as the digits on it curl around you, threatening to squeeze the life from your body.

“He didn’t say anything about you being bite sized,” said the Chaos God, and you darn well hope he’s not getting any ideas like that, as you hadn’t been eaten since your first week, and didn’t intend on it happening any time soon.

“Who’s he?” you demand to know, and then wheeze out all the air in your lungs as the paw crushes against your chest.

“Oh, don’t worry about that tidbit of information. It’s not going to matter in a moment, as I still want to see if your head screams without its body,” he tells you, and the bird hand comes down towards you, the claws pinching into the sides of your head, squeezing a bit, and drawing blood even as you cry out in pain. You can then feel Discord starting to pull, the muscles in your neck screaming in protest as they start to give to the monster’s strength.

(In case you’re curious, got to youtube and search for Vector Cannon, first entry is someone firing it off. I think it looks pretty cool myself. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1nrjRFFmpI)

Never Catch a Break

Discord’s hands around you, your head being torn from your body, and you unable to focus enough to do anything at all. Yeah, this whole idea of going to fight Discord? It was not one of your better ones. As you start to black out, your neck tendons about to snap, your last thought is that you ‘d broken your promise to Octavia and Vinyl, and how sad they would be when you didn’t come back from this.

“For PIE!!!” comes a shout, and suddenly the pressure on your neck stops getting worse. Then it goes away completely as you’re jerked to the side when something heavy slams into Discord, his paw opening up and sending you flying. Still unable to focus, you go tumbling through the air, your vision blurring as you spin, and plummet towards the ground below.

“I got you, Little One!” shouted a familiar voice, and a streak of fire caught you in its soft embrace. It takes you a few seconds to put the rapid fire succession of events together and realize that you’d been saved by Spitfire and Soarin, the Wonderbolts. You almost have to laugh at that, considering how a similar squadron had failed to even slow down a grown up Spike, but these two alone had just saved you from Discord. Of course, when you try to laugh, your throat burns like it’s on fire, and start coughing.

“Don’t try and talk. We saw what he was doing, and I think it’s best we get you to Celestia so she can heal you,” advises Spitfire, but you ignore her. Celestia might be a goddess, but you’ve learned a thing or two in your time in this world, so placing your hand on your chest, trying to think through the haze of pain that still clouds your mind, you focus on a spell, and let it loose.

“Curag-*cough**hack*,” you go, the spell fizzling out even as the power leaves you.

“I told you, just stay calm and rest for a bit,” she chides you, and you ignore her again, deciding to try an easier spell, even as the edges of your vision start to go dark.

“Cura!” you shout, and there’s a flash of green. After it passes ,you feel better. Not completely healed, but your vision and head clear, allowing you to at least think in a straight line.

“You know, you listen about as well as Rainbow Dash sometimes,” she told you, as you finally got a look around, and realizing you were tangled in her mane. Probably the only way she could safely catch you, given her uniform was on, and that meant she was wearing those horseshoes that threw energy bolts.

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” you answered, trying to turn your head to the side, only to be forced to quickly turn it back. You neck was still pretty sore. Luckily, as a quick rub on the side of your head confirmed, the wounds that Discord’s claws had inflicted on you were healed, leaving only smears of blood.

“What are you two doing out here, anyway? Sightseeing?” you ask, looking back towards where Discord was still fighting Soarin, the Bolt dodging everything sent his way, and then slamming into the Chaos God, which only seemed to make him even more mad.

“Mission. Luna got in touch with Celestia and said you were bringing the party to us, so we should get ready. The Lady in Charge decided you might need some backup while she and the Wielders prepared for Discord’s arrival, so we got sent out,” explained the mare, dodging to the side and forcing you to hang on as a blast of chaos magic nearly struck her.

“So we’re headed to Ponyville?” you ask, looking towards the smear. That had been your destination, after all, but something was now bugging you, since you had a moment to think that wasn’t focused on fighting.

“Yep, they’re all in that Sparkle girl’s library,” she told you.

“That so-ARIN!!!” you change what you’re going to say in mid word, and the world beneath you shifts as Spitfire turns her head to look at the battle. Behind, Discord had dodged Soarin, and much like he’d done to Jehuty, he’d coiled himself around the pegasus. Unlike with you, he didn’t bother to try and tear his head off, and just squeezed until the Wonderbolt had passed out, before dropping him and coming at you and Spitfire.

“Hang on, Little One, I’m gonna push myself as hard as I can,” she warned you, and suddenly it became hard to breathe again, as she flew all out, leaving a trail of smoke that crackled with lightning. She then started randomly turning and twisting in the air, obviously trying to trip up the draconequus, who just plowed on ahead, a cruel smile on his lips as he came on far faster than Spitfire could ever hope to fly.

“No good, he’s gonna catch you before you get to Ponyville,” you told her, and she just nodded a bit, obviously having come to the same conclusion, but she didn’t stop, just trying to put on more speed, which wasn’t going to work.

“Good that you realize that. You got any kind of plan for dealing with it?” you ask her.

“Just one, I go as far as I can. Once he catches up, you go on while I delay him. Hopefully I can hold him long enough to buy you the time to get to Ponyville,” she tells you, and you shake your head.

“That’s not a very good plan,” you tell her.

“No, no it’s not, but it’s the only one that ends with a mission success. Celestia said to get you to her, and after seeing what Discord was about to do to you, I can’t argue with that. Usually he tries to play with his targets, I remember what he did to us last time. He wants you dead though,” she responds, dodging a bolt of chaos magic, the then falls to the ground, causing the forest below to warp into something horrid when it struck.

“Good, that makes me bait. You go on, get Celestia and the others out here quick as you can. I don’t want this guy following us back to a population center,” you say, uncoiling a few strands of her mane that had been holding you in place.

“Not happening. I got my orders, so you…stop that!” she ordered, feeling you moving on her head.

“Sorry, I’m not in this chain of command. Now get going, quick, because I don’t think I can make this work for long,” you tell her, jumping off her head and then flying beside her for a moment. She was flying faster than you could though, and quickly passed you, and moved out of sight, while Discord, who had been moving even faster, just sort of, stopped, watching her go and then turning to you.

“Pretty brave for such a little thing. Stupid, oh so stupid, but brave,” he told you, and you couldn’t help but nod, as you stared him down.

“Yeah, well, I figured, why just run away, when I can do this. Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!” you shout, and with a blast of smoke, there are suddenly a dozen yous floating before the Chaos God, who then turn downward and spiral around each other, making it impossible to tell which one was the original, even if you hadn’t switched positions in the initial smoke burst.

“Split up and keep him away from him. We’ve got to buy them time to get here.” Says one of the clones, and you and the others nod, flitting into the trees, and then dividing up, every one of you heading in a different direction, even as you keep an eye towards the sky, where Discord is just staring at where you vanished.

The odd thing was, rather than looking frustrated, he was smiling. Not that you had to wait too long to figure out why, as his body seemed to go flat, apparently made of paper. Worse happened next, as he sort of folded out, like one of those paper cut out men, and then he folded again, and again, and again, until there were a dozen Disclones in the sky, that then popped back into normal shape, and slithered down out of the sky like serpent rain, feral looks of joy on all their faces.

“Can’t I have just have one small advantage in this fight?” you ask, and then shoot off into the brush, as one of the Disclones comes down right at you. Darting around roots, logs, and grass, you try to make your trail impossible to follow. Unfortunately, anything you can do, Discord can apparently do better, as he mimics everything you do, going faster than you can, forcing you to bust out your speed aura, even though you knew it would burn through you flight time more quickly.

Not that it helped much, as the Disclone caught up with you, his jaws open, and his teeth flashing in the moonlight, drool dropping from his fangs. His head shoots forward, and you you’re forced to do a barrel roll into a knothole to avoid him, his teeth closing just inches from your body as you fly through the trunk of the tree, and shoot out a hole on the other side, while your Disclone worms his way through it, and then blasts out of it, sending wood chunks spraying in all directions.

“Oh come on! Does he have to be better than me at everything?!” you demand, as you flit into the grass, hoping to confuse him. Meanwhile it seems your shadow clones aren’t doing as well as you. Memories of four come back in rapid succession, two getting chomped, another squashed between two paws, and one got sat on as Discord fell out of the sky onto him.

Behind you, your Disclone comes at you, flying just above the grass, and digging his claws into the dirt, sending dirt clods flying, forcing you to dodge a few. It took you a few seconds to realize this was a distraction from his real plan, as one of the other Disclone, done with his target, popped out in front of you, obviously intending on just stepping on you as you passed under him.

“I am not a bug!” you shout, and propel yourself out of the grass at high speed, fists forward. This suddenly aggressive action catches the Disclone off guard, and you slam into the underside of his jaw, knocking him back and forcing him down, before vanishing into the forest canopy above, trying to lose him the one pursuing you in the tangle of branches.

It takes you a moment to realize you’re not being chased right then, and you spare a glance backwards to see as the Disclone that had been following you reaches the one you’d knocked down. He places his hand on that one’s chest, and with a sucking sound, he sort of absorbs it into himself, before turning to face you directly, and then grinning again.

Shooting off, with him just on your tail, you feel the return of another three clones, all having gotten double teamed by the other Disclones. Luckily, it seemed that wasn’t working out as well as they’d hoped, as your clones pulled tricks similar to what you did, one even getting a two for one special as he’d tangled two of the Disclones up. Unfortunately, all three had ended up getting caught anyway by one trick or another shortly afterward as they reveled in their victory, something you were determined not to do as you flew around the branches.

The Disclone chasing you isn’t nearly as agile, and just tears through the growth, ripping through the branches you were having to avoid. Not that they didn’t slow him down, so as you shot back into the clear sky, you’d actually gained some ground. Of course, that didn’t matter too much, as two Disclones were waiting for you this time, both of them shooting blasts of Chaos straight at you.

The only reason you didn’t get fried right then and there was pure dumb luck, as the remaining four clones had apparently had similar ideas to yours, and three of them burst from the foliage behind the Disclones, dodging around them a bit quicker than their pursuers could, causing a midair collision that ended with the Disclones in a tangled mess of bodies.

Not that it helped for long, as your Disclone slashed at you, and you had to shoot down again to dodge it, the claws passing through all of your clones, and giving you their memories as well. Then your last shadow clone pops his head out of the brush only to get blasted by the Disclone conglomeration on the ground, which yours joins with, Discord now all back together.

“Heh, very amusing,” he said, doing a mocking slow clap at you as he smirked.

“That kept me entertained for a whole five minutes, something I really wasn’t expecting from you. Still, all good things…” he said, trailing off as he floated up towards you, his toothy grin glinting in the moonlight. You looked around you, wondering if you should try the shadow clone technique again. Before you can though, Discord’s bird hand whips out at you, growing longer and slamming into you, grabbing your body, and dragging you down towards him.

“Yes, I think it’s just about time we brought this to a close,” he said, and you felt the fingers of the hand closer tighter around you, pressing your arms against your sides. Slowly the pressure got worse though, and the air was starting to be forced from you lungs as you desperately tried to think of something, anything that could help you. The only thought you had though was something that you weren’t sure would work without your hands, but you decided to try it anyway, as you felt your ribs start to crack.

“so-solar flare,” you wheezed out, drawing on the power within you and shutting your eyes tightly. Even through them though, you could see the flash of blinding light, and then feel as the hand let you go, and you wafted to the ground, holding your arms against your chest, as Discord rubbed at his eyes with his hands, probably swearing in whatever language he was speaking.

Quickly as you could, you dash for the nearest tree, and hide in a hole in its roots. You try to fly there, only to find that what flight power you have left is enough to barely lift you from the ground, speeding you up only a little, but allowing you to land and then slide the rest of the way into the little den, as Discord starts stomping around, either because he’s in pain, or because he’s blindly trying to crush you as his vision slowly returns.

“Gotta think..ADA said I needed some solid energy form weapons. A lightsaber? No, I don’t have the power to make a mecha, and one sized for me would be too small. Some kind of ranged weapon…would those stay real long enough to hit him. No it has to be solid, something melee that’s not physical, but does a lot of damage….something, game breaky…” you whisper all this to yourself, trying to think of something, anything you remember that fits your mission specs.

A thought suddenly occurs to you, and you sit down, crossing your legs, and drawing on your power. The star inside you is smaller now that you ever remember it behind, the Vector Cannon and Kage Bunshin probably using up most of your power. You have enough for this you hope, as you imagine what you need, holding that image of it in your mind, and trying to make it real.

“King of the Ancient Past, Who fought during the Triad’s war, the Magi’s battle, I call on you, grant me your blade that I might win this battle…ATMA WEAPON!” you shout the last, the energy inside altering the world around you, and creating what you desired. Your hands lock on the hilt that lacks a blade, the glint of gold between your fingers, and the four pronged guard above it showing you that you’d succeeded, making you smile as you step out of your hiding place to find Discord still shaking his head, probably to get rid of the last few spots.

“Looking for someone?” you call out to the God of Chaos, who looks toward you, a scowl on his face. Obviously, he’s pissed, a bit too much so to really think clearly as he comes at you, stomping his feet in the dirt, probably intending to crush you. You just stand in front of him though, letting him come at you as you prepare to strike with your new toy.

A moment before he gets to you, you leap, the flight power having just enough juice left to propel you upward, surprising Discord for some reason, probably because he expected you to wait until he was closer to attack. You don’t think about that though, as you swing that weapon in your hands, the bladeless hilt glowing to life, as a blue light shines forth from the hole where a blade would go.

Discord sees the attack as it comes, and raises his bird arm to defend himself, probably reinforcing that barrier of his. Not that it does him any good as you slash with the Atma Weapon, its blade made of your life energy slicing through his defenses, a trait of the sword in the game, and then it bit deep into his flesh, possibly the first time that had ever happened, considering the way Discord screamed in pain.

Whatever sense of victory you had was short lived, as the arm you were cutting into batted at you, smacking you out of the sky and slamming you into the ground, hard. Luckily, you did keep your grip on the weapon. Unluckily, you looked up to see Discord clutching his arm with his free hand, and then wiping off the green blood that pour from the wound, which healed almost instantly.

“That….that…..that….,” he kept repeating breathlessly, looking at his arm, the blood still present in small patches on the skin.

“HURT!!!” he cried out suddenly, and the pressure in the air that he generated sent your tiny body flying. It didn’t fly far, however, as you were suddenly held in their air. For a moment, just a moment, you thought maybe it was one of the ponies, that Deus Ex Machina had saved you again. Your hopes were dashed as you looked around you, however. Instead of being in the warm grip of unicorn magic, or something like it, it was Discord’s hateful power that had you, holding you roughly in front of him.

“I was going to make this relatively fast, but now…now I think I’ll see how long you can survive with your skin ripped off, and your blood replaced with acid. If it takes a few minutes, I might even get to add more,” he said, a psychotic glint in his eye telling you he had so many more ideas for your torment. You tried to move, willing your hand, which still gripped the blade to slash at him, but nothing happened, and you were staring right at him, as his hands glowed with chaos magic, ready to enact a thousand horrors on you.

Bonds

“Discord!” shouts a familiar, lovely voice, like the dawning of the sun, and you turn, as does your captor, to gaze upon the snow white visage of Celestia. Beside her are the Element Wielders, decked out with their shiny things, and above floated Spitfire and the Captain, all of whom just stared at the Chaos god, as he prepared to do whatever it was he planned to do to you.

“Ah, Celestia, it has been too long. And Twilight and her friends too. So good of you to come,” he said, instantly losing that angry expression, and causally waving his hand. Instantly you shot off towards a nearby tree, Discord probably intended on your smashing against it, now that he had some new toys to play with. Luckily for you, the Captain is fast as the blink of an eye while wearing his armor, and he was suddenly between you and the tree, catching you in his surprisingly soft hooves.

“Oh, spoil all my fun why don’t you,” said Discord as he stuck his tongue out at the Captain, before bringing his hands together and looking at Celestia and the Six.

“Heh, so, come to end my reign of terror I take it?” he asked, floating in the air, and then spinning so that he was looking at them upside down.

“Yes, we are. We will not allow you to continue to terrorize the ponies of Equestria, nor shall we allow you to take the life of the Little One,” she declared, as the Captain flew around Discord, giving him a wide berth, and then landing lightly beside his Princess, while setting you on his head.

“So, you actually care about that tiny thing? I should have known you’d find yourself some hard luck case to take in. Still, it’s not that important, just some business. I got my freedom, he loses his life, you know how it goes,” he said casually, smirking at you, making you grip the Captain’s mane tighter.

“Discord, we sentence you to return to the stone sleep. Now Twilight!” shouts Celestia, and behind her, you see the Mane Six floating a bit off the ground, as their bling shines with a light brighter than the moon overhead. That light from each of their elements swirl together over them, and begin to build to a crescendo that ends with a blast of rainbow color arcing over them towards Discord.

“Oh no, the Elements of Harmony, whatever shall I do?” said Discord in a mocking tone, holding up his hands and shaking them, even as the rainbow struck him, washing over him like water, and turning him back to the stone he’d been sealed in for all those centuries. Silence covered the clearing in the woods as every eye just stared at the statue, the sneer on it visible as your eyes adjusted back to the gloom of the night.

“Ah, that felt bracing,” said the statue suddenly, its stone cold skin moving with renewed life, and it’s arms swinging out. The ponies gaped at him, unable to believe their eyes as Discord, after being hit with the Elements of Harmony, resumed his flesh tones, the gray of the stone fading away.

“Oh please,” he said dismissively, “Did you really think that would work again? Fool me once, shame on Celestia and her dear little sister, fool me twice, shame on me for underestimating Sparkle and her friends. Fool me thrice and I must really be an idiot.”

“Princess?” asked Twilight, looking at her mentor for guidance. Obviously there was no backup plan for what to do now. None of them had considered what to do if the Elements failed, and now, face to face with the Chaos God, only one thing came to Celestia’s mind.

“Run,” she said quietly, and then folded her wings in front of her as Discord shot out a burst of his magic. A shield of some sort appeared before Celestia, her hooves gouging deep grooves in the ground as the blast still pushed her back, forcing the ponies, including the Captain to back up.

“I said run!” commanded Celestia as she recovered, and her horn glowed with awesome might. The night around her lit up like it was the noon day sun she had birthed inside her, before she let it loose as a beam of magic, which Discord countered with his own, his two hands brought together and letting lose a flow of power that slammed into Celestia’s, the two gods locked in combat, even as the ponies turned and fled.

The ponies tore through the undergrowth, nopony, or you, saying a thing. You’re too stunned by being rescued again, and they’re too stunned that their greatest weapon, the only thing that had ever stopped Discord, had failed. Behind, you could hear explosions of power as the collision of energies between the two deities continued to move and warp.

After several minutes of running, your group finally breaches the last barrier of civilization, and comes to a stop, everypony breathing hard, as even the Captain falls to the ground. All eyes, now that they don’t have to run, turn back towards the fight happening in the forest, as flashes of lightning fill the sky, and the war cries of gods echo through the air.

“What now?” you ask, as everypony starts to recover, and they all look at you, and then at each other. On every face is a look of worry, but also, confusion.

“I don’t…I don’t know. The Elements should have worked. They should have resealed Discord,” said Twilight.

“Well, they didn’t….they didn’t…and that means we should run, like the Princess said. Gather up everypony in Ponyville and get as far from Discord as we can while Celestia keeps him busy,” offered Rainbow Dash, falling back on the training she’d started as a Wonderbolt, which beat into her head that the most important thing in Equestria was the citizens, and if you couldn’t stop the threat, then get them out of the way of it.

“Good idea, Dash. Let’s go,” Spitfire told her, and Dash did one of those embarrassed smiles of hers as they both lifted off the ground, only to stop when they realized that nopony else was following them.

“Darlings, that’s a nice sentiment, but I don’t think it will do any good. I hate to bring it up, but we really can’t get away from him. Remember how far his power reached in a single day. Remember what he did to us…” said Rarity, and the two Wonderbolts looked at each other. It was true after all, Discord wasn’t something you could run from, and if you started running, then it was all over anyway.

“So then what do ya’ll think we should do? Come on ponies, we need an idea, a plan, somethin’ to help Celestia!” said Applejack, and again, everypony just looked at each other. Even the Captain beneath you didn’t seem to have any brainstorms, just looking down at the ground in front of him, as minds searched for something, anything that could help.

“I have a bad idea….a terrible idea, but if nopony else has one, then listen up,” you said suddenly, having hoped that somepony would speak up. The Captain, hearing that, leaned forward so you could jump off his head, and everypony got closer, listening as you went over the details of your idea.

“That’s doesn’t sound very safe, Mr. Human,” said Fluttershy as you finished with your plan, and you couldn’t do anything but nod at the pegasus.

“I did say this was a bad idea, terrible really, but it’s all I’ve got. I’m open to suggestions though,” you offer, and then look at the massive faces that fill your sky. They all take a moment to look at each other, their faces expressions a mix of concern, anxiety, and desperation. You could tell they wanted to come up with another idea, but soon, they all turn back to you, silent apologies comes from each set of eyes, as nopony had anything to offer.

“Then we go with this. Saddle up, and move out,” you ordered, motioning for the Captain to pick you back up, which he did, setting you between his wings, and then taking off into the sky with Spitfire. The Six below you nod up, and then everypony runs back into the woods, to the sound of thunder in the distance.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

“Oh, Celestia, you have no idea how long I’ve wanted to see you like this,” said the voice of Discord, as Celestia, sweat and froth covering her flanks, making her coat shiny, even as she continued to maintain her beam. She couldn’t even sense her little ponies anymore, this battle so draining her, and the worst part of it was that Discord didn’t even seem to be trying.

“Ha! Nothing to say? No declarations of how even if I win today, somepony, something else will rise up to oppose me? That’s kind of disappointing. Then again, your sister had so much more to fear from me,” he told her.

“Do you know what she did you me Celestia? Did she tell you? I was asleep this time while trapped in the stone. Sparkle and her friends sealed even my mind, but within the world of Dreams, your sister’s power is absolute. So she decided to take it upon herself to punish me,” he began.

“Oh, she could have just tormented me, peeling off my skin, ripping out my eyes, anything like that, but she took the most severe route she could think of. She left me, Celestia, left me buried alive!” the last was a shout of anger, as his power redoubled in effect, pushing the Sun Goddess back.

“Locking me away in the lowest level, where every day passed like a year, where no one ever goes, for no one dreams that deeply. All alone, for centuries, with nothing to do but think of my revenge,” he told her.

“First, I’ll turn you both into statues, and let you watch as I destroy this pathetic little nation you’ve built out of my glorious chaos. I think I’ll tie Sparkle up in front of you, and let you watch the punishments I’ll inflict on her. First, I’ll tear out her…huh?” the Chaos God’s rant was interrupted, as the sound of pegasus wings came closer, and he looked upwards just in time to see four bolts of magic shoot from the sky, and slam into his back, making him lose concentration.

The instant his beam failed, Celestia fell forward, her own power ceasing, as her exhausted body collapsed. She didn’t fall to the ground though, as she would have expected, and when she opened her eyes to find out why, she saw that she was being supported by the Element Wielders, who’d gathered about her, as Discord began to fire bolts into the sky at his assailant.

“Twilight, I told you…to run,” said the Princess weakly, her breathing coming in ragged gasps. Twilight didn’t respond to her though, as she nuzzled her mentor’s neck, and then helped the others set her down gently onto the ground.

“I won’t abandon you, ever,” was all she said, as she and her friends turned to face their foe.

“Discord!” shouted Twilight, and the draconequus turned to find that he had even more toys to play with, a smile creeping back onto his lips.

“Ah, Sparkle, decided to face me after all did you?” he asked.

“We won’t let you hurt anypony else,” she declared, and Discord fell over laughing.

“Let me? Let me? Twilight, you can’t even begin to stop me. Let’s be serious for a moment. The Elements won’t work this time, and they really were the only thing that could have saved you,” he told them, and he raised his head, grabbing at the necklaces with his magic, only to find Twilight’s magic already protecting her friends.

“The Elements may have been the focus Discord, but it’s not the Elements that stopped you last time, or when Luna and Celestia did it all those ages ago. It was the Friendship that they represented, the bonds between us that even your strongest magic can’t break!” declared the lavender unicorn, as the field only grew stronger, her friends at her side.

“Gag me with a spoon. Is this your plan, to cutesy me to death?” he asked.

“No, but it makes for a great distraction!” you cry as you leap off the Captain’s head, diving down towards him. Discord, caught off guard, can’t move in time to get out of the way, or raise any kind of defense. Which is too bad for him, because as you fall, you slash with the Atma Weapon, drawing the blade forth, and then burying it deep in his chest, cutting a long, deep gash through his body, before getting caught by Twilight’s magic, and gently set on the ground, pinning Discord between the Six, and you.

“GRAH!!!” he screams, and you jump out of the way as one of his feet slams down in the grass where you’d fallen. Luckily, Twilight had good reflexes, and moves you away, Discord, clutching at his chest, fire in his eyes, crying out his frustration as you continue to lead him away from the ponies, as the Six gather around Twilight, their Elements starting to glow.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

“Okay, have you got it? Distraction is the key here, we keep him off guard and angry, and then we strike with everything we have while he’s still recovering,” you finish, and the ponies just stare at you.

“But what if you can’t take it? The Elements are a lot of power, more even than Celestia’s. Are you sure it’ll work?” asks Twilight, concern in her voice, and you give a thoughtful chin stroke as you look down in the dirt at the game plan you’d been laying out.

“I don’t know, honestly, but it’s the best chance we’ve got. Even if Discord’s off balance, I don’t think the Elements will work this time, he’s prepared for them now, he knows they’re coming, and would raise some kind of defense. I’ve already shown I can pierce those defenses though,” you tell her, holding up the Atma Weapon, and then slashing with it, igniting the blue glowing blade that cuts through a small stone nearby, creating a glowing gash in it as it falls into two halves.

“I don’t know, sugarcube. That’s still a pretty big risk,” says Applejack.

“I said it was a bad idea, didn’t I? And unless somepony else has a better one…” you trail off that last bit and look up at their faces. They’re all concentrating, trying to think of something. It actually made you feel kind of glad. None of them wanted you to take this risk with your life. Still, after a minute, they all look dejectedly down at you. Nopony had a better plan than yours.

“Alright then, Operation Orbital Friendship Cannon V 2.0 is a go,” you say, and they just stare at you, before nodding. The Captain leans down, and picks you up with his hoof, setting you down on his head again.

“Hey, Captain,” you whisper, so none of the others can hear.

“Yes?” he says back in the same quiet tone as he takes off.

“If…if I don’t make…if this doesn’t work out, can you tell Vinyl and Octavia, that I’m sorry I broke my promise?” you ask him, and are surprised when he lets out a laugh.

“Little One, if this doesn’t work, then I’m afraid there’s going to be no pony left to take any messages anywhere. So don’t think about failure. Focus only on victory,” he advises, and you look down at him, before trying to put on a serious expression, what you hoped was a war face, as you dive follow the others from the air.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Discord keeps stomping towards you, Twilight moving you subtly with her magic. Or at least trying to, as your foot gets tangled in something, probably a grass root, and you fall back into the dirt, a shadow of a foot growing around you. Turning you point the Atma Weapon upward, wondering if it’ll be enough to stop the falling appendage.

Luckily, it doesn’t have to, as a massive shape slams into Discord, and knocks him off balance, sending him falling onto his side, before leaping off into the air again, dodging a bolt of Chaos magic as it does so. Bolts of other magic then fly at Discord, making him furiously start sending blasts into the sky, as the Captain and Spitfire do their part.

“Come on Twilight, charge those things,” you whisper, running to get into position, even as Discord turns to you, and then turns back towards the Six, a smile blooming on his face as he wipes away the last of the blood from his chest wound, which was completely healed.

“So, this is your plan then? Distract me, and hope that I can’t block the Elements again. Do you really think that’ll work?” he says, and focuses another blast at the girls, only to be startled as a beam of pure white light fires at his, the two seemingly canceling each other out in a blinding burst, forcing you to cover your eyes as you keep running, finally reaching your mark, and then standing stock still.

“I told you, -gasp-, Discord, -wheeze-, You will not hurt another pony so long as I stand,” says the Goddess of the Sun, standing on shaking legs, her power dim, but still there, as Discord just stares at her. Before he can recover, the light from the Six Elements of Harmony, join together, a double spiral coming out of them and then joining together to form a massive rainbow that shoots out toward Discord, making him smile again, as he opens his arms, expecting the Rainbow of Light to strike him.

He’s very surprised, therefore, when the Friendship Cannon misses him by more than a meter, and instead comes right down on you, your sword at the ready. All eyes are on you, no one blinking, as the glow strikes you.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!” you scream.

Everything was on fire. The world was made of pain, and it felt like every cell of your body was going to burst. Inside, your blood boiled, your heart raced, and every breath you took felt like it was going to pop you. You didn’t let it kill your focus though, you couldn’t, not now. This was important, too important…something was. You had to do something.

You mind reeled, and you began to sense things through the pain. In the light that surrounded you were thoughts, feelings, memories. A smile from friends as they supported each other, stood by each other, even when things seemed hopeless. Twilight as she fought off Nightmare Moon, Rarity as she dealt with her jealousy of Fluttershy, Applejack opening her heart to accepting the help of friends, Rainbow Dash seeing that some things were more important than winning, Fluttershy that sometimes you had to try, no matter how scared you were, and Pinkie Pie that even if they didn’t always say it, your friends were there for you.

Beyond those was a sadness, a darkness that had threatened to tear the bonds apart, and make them as nothing. Still they worked their magic though, for bonds, even ones tainted by jealousy, were still there, and still strong. They tried to cleanse the hatred that corrupted one of their wielders, and when that failed to work, they put her somewhere she could do no harm, until a solution could be found, and a friendship could be forged anew.

Deeper the memories went. Two survivors of a holocaust that had taken so many lives, broken so many families, even their’s. Together they went on to become rulers, to become the ones to end the suffering of their people, and to lead them into the light, building a nation that would stand the test of time, and strength the bonds of all who lived there. Two sisters became the symbols of Unity, and their people became their new family.

Still farther back, a thousand conflicts, a thousand wars brought to a close because these were the ties that bound all together, that created peace for years to come. Always something new, something horrid would rise to test those bonds, to break friendships and shatter lives, but it could only do so for moments, never forever, for the bonds of friendship, once forged in Honesty, Generosity, Kindness, Loyalty, Laughter, and Magic were as unbreakable as the stars.

Your screams ended as you felt that heart, the very core of what the Elements were, and you mastered them. You were Wielding not a weapon, but a Shield. It was a power that protected those who needed it most, and focusing on your friends, on Octavia, Vinyl, The Captain, Rainbow Dash, the Professor, and all his apprentices, and the Princesses too, you vowed to protect them from this monster that stood before you.

Beyond, the Wielders knew nothing of your condition, focused as they were on their own part in this, but above, the Captain and Spitfire stared transfixed as the Light passed into you, becoming part of you. When your screams echoed, Spitfire seemed like she was about to abandon the plan and grab you, but the Captain held her back, keeping her from interfering, as the struggle within you ended, and the Light blazed forth, becoming part of you.

“Am I supposed to be impressed?” asked Discord nonchalantly, but in his eyes you could see than hint of worry, as your stare bored into him.

“Monster!” you shouted at him, holding the Atma Weapon out towards him, the blade, formally blue in color, now seemed to be made of rainbow colored fire.

“You don’t belong in this world!” you declared, and drew your weapon back, going for an overhead swing, that Discord, now a panicked expression on his face as he raised his defenses that had blocked the Elements earlier, and then redoubled them, a barrier of chaos magic springing up between him and you.

To the surprise of all though, you shifted your grip on the sword, pointing the blade down, rather than up, and then drove it forward, burying the burning blade into the cold ground. No one speaks or even breathes for a heartbeat, as they take in what just happened, and then Discord bursts out laughing, pointing a finger down at you.

“That’s it? That’s the big payoff for all that build up at that screaming? I must say, I was expecting something more…explosive?” the last comes out as a question, as the ground begins to rumble a bit, a smile creeping onto your lips.

“Rainbow!” you cry, and the shaking grows worse, Discord having to dig his claws into the ground to remain standing, while the Princess jumps over, and wraps her wings around the Six, putting up a glowing barrier between them and Discord with the last of her magic. In the sky overhead Spitfire and the Captain take off, flying farther away, but keeping an eye behind them.

“Star!” this cry is followed by pillars of light in six colors shooting up out of the ground around Discord, sailing into the air until they were higher than the tress, and then staying there. Purple, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, and Red. Each pillar shines brighter than the noon day soon, blazing against Discord, and forcing him to cover his eyes.

“FIRE!” this shout causes the pillars to begin spinning, the shaking growing worse, Discord hovering off the ground as he blindly starts to feel for some way out, only to have his hand burned as it touches one of the lights.

“COLUMN!” with a crash, the pillars join together, and their spinning causes the colored light to spin together, creating a spiral in the air. Realizing at last the danger, Discord claws at barrier that surround him, barely noticing as his hands start to catch fire at the touch of them.

“FLARE!!!” the final command, and Discord looks down just in time to see the ground beneath him erupt in rainbow colored fire. The power of the elements, distilled into their purest form, and focused through a weapon that pierces all defenses. Within the column of light, you could see Discord’s silhouette, writhing in agony, jerking this way and that. More you could see little bits of him breaking off, vanishing into the light, and burning away to nothing.

Then it’s over, just as suddenly as the power came to you, it leaves, and you fall to your knees, catching yourself with your hands, the Atma Weapon vanishing, as you breathe hard. The air, the cold air of the night, has a sharp bite to it that makes you groan in pain. Around you, the ponies blink against the blindness the light caused, all of them slowly recovering, even as you feel your own power fading fast, darkness coming over the edge of your vision, but every eye is on the crater, which still smokes from the touch of the Elements’ power.

“Oh, very nice. Such a pretty light show,” came a voice, and everypony gasps. Out of the smoke, some of it coming from his body even, steps Discord. He appears more than a little worse for the wear, but still standing, still powerful. His mane has been singed, and in several places you can see where bits of his body hair have been burned off. His horns are blackened, like they had been held in the fire as well, and his lion’s paw hand doesn’t look like it can move, being held limply at his side.

“All for naught, of course, but still, very pretty,” he says, walking forward until he’s standing right over you, his feral grin making your heart turn to ice, as his eyes shine with evil in the moonlit night.

“Not that it was completely ineffective. I don’t think I have time to play with you now, so let’s make this quick, and as painful as possible then, shall we? I think setting you on fire, would be the appropriate thing,” he said, holding out his good hand, bringing the claws together, and snapping them.

Aftermath and Recovery

The clearing is silent, as the snap echoes around it. The silence just hangs for a heartbeat, then another, and finally the third, before Discord, looking frustrated, snaps his claws again. Still nothing happens, and he does it a third time, then a fourth, and then he just keeps doing it, rapidly clicking the claws together, trying to force some reaction. Staring up at him from the ground, the sides of your mouth curl into a smile, trying to stand, only to fall back onto your bottom, laughing up at him.

“What’s so funny?!” demands the draconequus, his face a fury as he stops clicking his claws together, and stares down at you.

“You are, you fool,” you tell him, sighing out. You don’t bother trying to stand, just bringing your knees closer to your body, so you can look up easier.

“Fool? Fool?! I am Discord, Spirit of Disharmony and Chaos! I make fools of others, but no one makes a fool of me!” he declares, and you just keep smiling up at him as he tries to put on his best monster face.

“You’re a fool, make no mistake of that. Did you really think my attack, something that powerful, did nothing to you? No, it did something alright, something the Elements couldn’t have done on their own. It neutralized the Chaos Magic you wield. In short, you’re a powerless fool,” you tell him, and then watch as his face goes from anger, to befuddlement, to horror, and then dips straight into rage. His eyes light up, his teeth are bared, and you can almost feel the heat radiating from his body.

“You did what to me?!” he demanded.

“I made you mortal,” you say simply, and then watch as he goes full bore crazy, growling in a feral manner and then slashing at a nearby tree, gouging deep ruts into the bark with his claws. Of course, it would have been better had you been farther away from his rampage, as he glares down at you, and then raises his foot.

“Oh my, but this is gonna hurt,” you say to yourself, trying to rise to your feet and run. You actually succeed at the first goal, if somewhat shakily, but the second is far beyond you right now, you just standing there like an idiot as the hoof that’s coming closer.

Just before it hits, a large shape slams into him again. The Captain once more saves you from being a smear on the bottom of Discord’s foot. Unfortunately, he’s unable to get away before the rage filled monster grabs him by the neck, and then slams him hard into the dirt, holding him there as he struggles.

“I will fulfill my bargain if it’s the last thing I do!” he says, and with his dragon foot, he hefts a fairly large rock into the air, and then throws it in a perfect arc so that it’s falling towards you. For the second time in as many minutes you try to run, but all your tired, worn out body can do is move a single step, before you fall to one knee, and look up as the shadow of the stone covers you.

Once again, a pegasus saves you, as a bolt of magic strikes the stone, shattering it into pebbles that fly wide of the mark that Discord had aimed for. Before he can do anything else to strike at you, a glow covers the clearing. It was not, as you would have guessed, the light, soft glow of the Sun Goddess, but the chill glow of the shadows, covering the monster, and preventing him from moving, as Luna falls from the heavens.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t arrive sooner, Sister, but the injuries this one inflicted on my person required much tending before I could safely make this journey,” she apologized as she landed, Discord staring at her with raw venomous hate in her eyes. His mouth moves a bit, but can’t open, and so whatever he would say to the Moon Goddess was lost as mumbles.

“It’s quite alright, Sister. I’m just glad you’re okay,” says Celestia, as the Six help her back to her legs, and Twilight gives her a shot to her horn, that seems to revitalize her at least a little.

“I would not have been were it not for the human’s intervention at the palace. Discord had all but conquered the defenses mustered against him. Then the Little One arrived, and distracted him long enough for Deasly to help revive myself and a few others,” she explained, and you had a few smiling faces looking down at you.

“Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for what you’ve done this day. Ask for anything within my power and I shall grant it,” offers the Princess of the Sun, her smile lighting up the clearing which looked like a battle zone around you, dead grass, churned earth, and at least one tree standing lopsided. Really not the place one would expect to curry divine favor, but it was a nice sentiment.

“I actually do have one favor to ask,” you say weakly, standing up again and staring at the ponies.

“Ask it then,” she tells you in that motherly voice of hers.

“Somebody catch me,” you sigh out, and then start to fall backwards, your eyes already closed before you feel the softness of a mane around you, and you somehow know that Celestia has you, as your body, worn out from everything that had happened, falls into a deep sleep.

OoOoO

The Void isn’t empty. Not now. It’s supposed to be, but something has entered it. The nothingness shivers and quakes at its presence, and you find yourself staring at something that simply could not be, something that shifted, moved, and then shifted again, in a maddening swirl of bits. Always though, it has a pair of eyes that stare at you, even when the face shifts, the mouth and nose vanish, those eyes just keep boring into you.

“FAiLDieENdyOu,” it says, many voices speaking to you, none of them sounding pleasant in the slightest, every syllable dripping with hatred.

“What are you?” you ask. You’re not sure why, but you’re not afraid of this thing. As much as you can feel its loathing, you know, somewhere deep inside yourself, that it can’t hurt you, not here in the Void.

“NoThIngEVeRyThiNg,” it says again, and you feel one of its…’hands’ reach out towards you. Then it pulls back like it had been burned, cracks appearing where in its being as it moves away.

“ThEyLLDiEBecAuSofYOU!!!” it shouts into the Void, and instantly you see your friends, all of them, arrayed before you, their faces set with grim determination. They look like they’re about to go into battle, but rather than facing an enemy, they all turn on each other, and you’re forced to watch as they tear each other apart, horns and hooves ripping into flesh, wings plucked, magic fired, and when it’s all over, a pile of bodies just lying there, until it all bursts into flames, and is reduced to ash.

Your body refuses to move through all this, the Void won’t let you go, won’t allow you out of its protection as you’re force to watch. When it’s over, you can feel the sting of tears in your eyes, and turn to the thing that did this, only to find its body cracking, its form shattering into pieces, and then those pieces falling away into dust. Within a heartbeat, all that’s left of the thing is a pile of dust, that then blows away on some unfelt breeze, and the Void takes you again, no longer moving, just stillness.

OoOoO

The Void is slow to release you, either because of your drained body, or because of that…dream, you don’t know. Still, when it is gone, you open your eyes and try to rise, only to feel the gentle touch of magic on your skin, so familiar, but, for some reason, so distant now.

“How do you feel?” asks the soft voice of the Night Goddess as she holds you up with her power, rather than trying to lay you back down. In answer, all you do is groan, as you try to work sore muscles that scream in protest to being moved at all. You don’t stop, however, until you can at least sit on the side of your bed and face her.

“I feel like I got shoved through a keyhole, again,” you state, remembering one of the experiments from your second month, and Luna giggles a bit, probably remembering it herself, seeing as she’d been there, and had been one of the only ones to help when you got stuck.

“Better than you should feel then. Why don’t you try to stand up so I can get a better look at you?” she asks, and you, after one false start where you fall back onto the bed, finally do rise to your feet. Doing so reveals two things. The first is that you’re naked, which was something that made you feel rather uncomfortable as Princess Luna eyed you up and down. The second was that you weren’t in your apartment over Celestia’s room.

“Hmm, the muscles in your legs look a little weak, but Tailfire said getting you up and around would fix that. Blushing should help with the pale skin too,” she chided, a chuckle entering her voice as she continued to look you up and down.

“Overall, considering what happened, you’re in remarkably good health,” she says, and you nod, remembering how it had felt after the fight was over.

“Why don’t you have a bite to eat, and we’ll go see the others. Octavia’s been waiting for you to wake up since she heard about you being here,” Luna told you, floating a tray over to you that held a bowl of the broth made with Sage Blossom, as well as an apple and a loaf of soft bread. You greedily start tearing into the meal, feeling like you hadn’t eaten in days, and then quickly realize, looking out a nearby window to see that there was a sun in the air, that it might have been.

“How long was I –gulp- out?” you ask around a bite of bread.

“It’s been a day and a half since your battle with Discord, which has become the talk of all of Equestria and beyond. There were many rulers, my sister and I included, who trembled at the thought of him, know that at any time, he could break free of the seals that we had placed on him, and wreak havoc once more,” she said, getting a bit of a distant look on her face as she offered up her thoughts on what had happened.

“But that’s not going to happen now?” you ask, pausing in your face stuffing as you look towards her, and you see her smile and shake her head.

“No, no it’s not. Never again. Tia and I have been to see him many times, and though he continues to rant and rave, showing an unnatural stamina, his power, the Chaos Magic he threatened us with, is gone completely,” she said, a note of relief in her voice as she sighed, and you quickly dabbed your bread into the broth and then took a bite, watching as she turns to you.

“Because of you. I had always wondered why Tia took such an interest in you so quickly. Now I think I know. She must have seen something of thing future for you, an ability she sometimes possesses that I do not,” says the night Princess, climbing onto the bed beside you.

“Like Pinkie Sense?” you offer, crunching into the apple next.

“Heh, indeed, though quite a bit more controlled. It might interest you to know, that several kingdoms have offered you a place in their leadership now. I hear there’s even a tribe of buffalo that want you to come bless their children for them, like you were one of the great spirits,” she told you idly, placing a hoof on your thigh, and making you nearly choke on the broth.

“That –cough- sounds kind of neat. I’ve never been asked to bless anything before. I was never even asked to blow on dice for luck,” you say, remembering your old RP group you used to play with.

“I would honestly advise against going. I would actually advise against leaving the city for now, at least until you’ve fully recovered,” she tells you, and then floats the tray away from you, placing it on a table along the wall.

“I suppose that’s good advice. Can’t have a three inch tall human getting underhoof in places he shouldn’t be,” you say, and Luna looks at you, before giggling behind her hoof at you.

“Um, is there some joke I’m missing?” you ask after a moment, letting Luna calm herself down.

“Indeed there is. What room do you think you’re in?” she asks, and you look around, noticing a few details here and there. Drapes come down from the ceiling, but rather than feeling oppressive it almost feels mothering, the way they shelter you.

“This is…your room,” you tell her, and she nods, as you look around some more, and then stand up from the bed, the bed that’s sized for you. Looking around, you notice every detail, remembering being in here before, and then quickly rush towards the door, opening it, and looking outside the palace. Below, you see a few ponies going about their tasks, and hear something like a roar in the distance. Of course, the instant you remember you’re naked, thanks to a breeze, you go back inside and slam the door shut.

“Heh, feeling a little drafty?” asks the Princess, a knowing smirk on her face. She’d known you long enough to remember that you, unlike the ponies, preferred to be clothed at all times, even making a few jokes at your expense during some of the Professor’s tests.

“I’m feeling big!” you tell her happily, walking over to Luna and giving her a hug, that seems to surprise her for a moment, before she returns it whole heartedly. Said hug probably lasts a bit longer than it should, given your current state, but you just couldn’t help it, as you feel so excited to go out there and see the world of Equestria from an angle that wasn’t somewhere between mouse’s eye and bug’s eye view.

“I think that’s enough of that,” comes a new voice, and you look over to find that you’d missed the opening of the inside door in your elation, and several new ponies had entered, among them, the Six, Spitfire and Soarin, and Vinyl and Octavia. It’s the last one that makes you go eep as you quickly grab the sheets off Luna’s bed, your body feeling almost as hot as when you’d gotten hit with the Elements as you blush.

“Um, what are you all doing here?” you ask, and Rarity, the one who’d spoken earlier, steps away from the group, levitating a bundle with her as she comes closer.

“We were waiting outside for the Princess to say it was okay to enter, and since it seems you’re recovered enough to give out hugs like that, I figure you’re well enough to accept gifts,” she told you, and the bundle unwraps to reveal clothing, glorious clothing, that she then floats towards you.

“Now, I had to guess at some of the seams, since I wasn’t allowed to take new measurements, so please tell me how it fits along the sides,” she tells you, and then a flash of light happens. You’re suddenly wearing the main part of the outfit, a body suit of sorts made of shimmering silver fabric that covered everything but your hands, feet, and head. It was a bit tight around your hips, but otherwise breathed easily, a fact you communicated to Rarity as she walked around you.

It was then that you realize that compared to the ponies, you’re rather tall. Well, you’d always been tall back home, over six foot by the time you’d gotten to your junior year, and growing a bit after that. Still, even then, you’d known people taller than you. Now though? Rarity and the others didn’t even come up to your waist when they were on all fours, and Luna just barely made it to chest height, though the little ponies would be about as tall as you standing on their hind legs, and Luna would probably be much taller, not to mention she could shape shift.

“Hmm, a bit plain, but this was the only color I had to work with,” she said, running her hoof along the side of the fabric, and then levitating some other things out of her bundle, namely some white, metal looking shoes, as well as a breast plate and some Wonder Woman bracelet thingies…vambraces you think is what they’re called, all made of the same material.

“Here, these I had to have a craftspony make, but I think she did very well,” said the fashionista, as she hovered the bits over you, and you sat back down on the bed to slip them on. The shoes were actually quite comfortable, padded on the inside to provide arch support, as well as to prevent the metal from pinching you.

The vambraces were next, opening up, and like the shoes, padded on the inside, as you slipped them onto your forearms, the things covering everything from your wrist to your elbow, and then snapping closed. They felt much lighter than you had expected, and you flexed with them a little, before bringing them into a cross position on your chest, laughing at that, but not bothering to explain it as the last piece was offered.

Like the vambraces, the breastplate had a latch on it that opened it up, allowing it to fight over your head, and then snapping shut again. The plate itself was, like the vambraces, light and airy, feeling almost like you weren’t wearing it, with arm holes that allowed a full range of motion. On the front though, was a symbol that you went to a mirror to check out.

“What’s this?” you ask, pointing to it as you stared at it.

“It’s something I thought would look nice on you. The sword in the middle is that blade you used, with the symbols of the Elements all around it,” she said, pointing as she did so, and you finally saw the similarities between the Atma Weapon, and the design. The Element symbols, the Cutie Marks of the Six, were even shining some beams towards it, the design of the sword seeming to shiny with a rainbow of colors as you look at it.

“Normally armor is adorned with one’s cutie mark, so that you can be identified at a glance. Seeing as you…lack such an identifying mark, I believed this would suffice,” she explained, and you nod.

“It’s lovely Rarity, thank you. What’s all this made of anyway?” you ask next, tapping at the breastplate with a finger, and getting a ting sound, rather than a clang.

“The finest Prism Stone of the Northern Kingdoms. It cost my sister and I a number of bits, but we believed it would be worth it,” Luna answered you, standing beside you and looking at your image in the mirror.

“You didn’t have to do that,” you tell her, though you enjoy the gift, knowing it cost enough to make a royal say it cost a lot was actually rather intimidating.

“I believe it was. We did not wish to leave you defenseless, as your own powers are as drained as Discord’s,” she said simply.

Two Kisses

“You do not seem surprised by this information,” she notes, as you rub at one of the vambraces, feeling the smooth material.

“It’s not that surprising. I did something major with it, so I figured burn out was inevitable. Like I told the others, that was a really bad idea, it was just the only one I had. Besides, when you used your magic on me to help me get up, I couldn’t feel it,” you tell her, stretching your arms and turning a bit.

“I see,” was her answer, as you feel a pop in your back that you think the others in the room heard as well, as they’re now looking at you.

“No hard feelings there. I figure those powers will be back, right?” you say, and Luna nods at you.

“Indeed. The Professor said it should only take a few weeks for your powers to recover. He mentioned something about Transfinite energy,” she said, and you chuckle a bit.

“Heh, I’m Hexadecimal then, neat. Better than being Megabyte I suppose, though I’d rather be Bob,” you tell them, knowing they wouldn’t get the reference to Reboot, but not really caring either, as you tug at a few places on the armor, and then turn to the little ponies.

“How do I look?” you ask, holding your fists at your hips, and trying to look heroic.

“Hmm, it’s missing something….” was what Rarity said, and Dash, in her Wonderbolts uniform, nodded.

“Yes, you forgot to give him a kick butt cape to go along with the armor,” she told Rarity, and the white pony, looking at you, nodded, quickly pulling at one of the overhanging drapes, and moving it towards you. Another flash, and suddenly you have a cape in a light blue color that contrasts the look of the armor itself.

“I do think you’re right Dashie, a cape would look simply divine with this ensemble. Princess, do you have any more of this lovely fabric?” she asked, and Luna smiled and nodded as Rarity returned the drapes to their original position.

“We purchased a few extra bolts, in order for you to make some more casual wear after today’s business is done,” she told her, and suddenly Twilight looked up and out the window, gasping.

“That’s right! We’re going to be late! Everypony, come on, Princess Celestia is probably already waiting for us!” she cries out, rushing to the door, her friends just looking at each other, before joining her. Luna, a bit more casually, strolls behind, and you take up the rear behind her, Vinyl and Octavia coming to walk beside you.

“Lookin sharp Lit…Big Dude,” said Vinyl, correcting herself as she looked up at you.

“Thanks,” was all you said, still trying to get used to the armor. It felt okay, but still was way different than the stuff you normally wore.

“Indeed. You do look rather handsome in this ensemble. Are you feeling alright though? I mean, I don’t think the Princess would allow you to get up unless you were well, she kept casting sleeping spells on you to keep you down while the doctors worked on you,” she told you, and you nodded, idly wondering if that dream was some result of the magic, and then shaking your head, trying to banish the images of it.

“I figured they did. And I feel fine. I’m guessing I’m big because of DawnChaser, right?” you ask, and Luna suddenly joins your conversation, stepping back so she’s walking just in front of you.

“My Sister was the one to cast the spell on you. Her version is slightly more stable, and should last until your own powers return enough to drain it,” she explains, and you nod.

“So, we don’t know when that will be then?” you ask, and she shakes her head.

“The Professor can only guess, but until then, you will be able to enjoy what Canterlot has to offer without fear of being stepped on,” she said with a grin, and you do so back at her.

“Heh, look at him Luny, he looks like he’ll be the one doing the stepping on now,” said Vinyl, looking you up and down, only for Octavia to smack her with her hoof.

“Vinyl! Don’t go calling Princess Luna by some inane nick name. Especially not that one,” she chides her companion, and Vinyl just smirks at her.

“It’s quite alright Ms. Octavia, though we might ask Ms. Scratch if she thinks her tax sheet is far enough above reproach before you decides to make such quips again,” said the Night Princess with a very playful smirk on her face, and Vinyl blanches a bit at it, while it was Octavia’s turn to laugh at her.

“Um…I think I’ll be quiet now,” said Vinyl at last, deciding to trot on the other side of Octavia from the Moon Princess, making her smirk even more satisfied as you continued down the hall. You were actually growing rather curious as to what going on, as you thought you’d been through the castle enough times to recognize where things were in relation to each other, but this time you were completely lost, as your group went down two flights, then up one, before coming to a pair of double doors.

“Ah, Princess, I see the Hero’s awake,” said the familiar voice of the Captain, as a group of guard ponies who’d been in a huddle break up. It was still hard to tell them, one from another, something the Captain had told you was the point of the armor, but it didn’t mask voices, so once a guard pony talked you could usually tell who it was.

“Indeed. I woke him myself, so he could have a gentler time than some strange doctor he didn’t know,” explained the Princess. Looking down at the Captain was actually a new experience for you, though he still looked rather buff, probably more so than before, as you could now see where his muscles were, rather than just being a mountain of them like all ponies.

“How are you feeling?” he asks simply.

“Like I keep getting asked that question. Other than that, I feel fine,” you tell him, having been asked that question three times in the last few minutes.

“Heh, I can imagine. Though you can’t blame any of us for being concerned. You’ve been asleep for more than a day, after depowering one of the greatest threats in history,” he informed you, and you nodded.

“Heh, and I had to be saved, a lot. At least four times that guy would have killed me without somepony coming to my rescue,” you told him.

“We’re your friends,” was all he responded with, before walking off, and you smiled after him. You couldn’t say anything else though, as the Six and Luna stood before the doors, all of them looking like they were getting ready for something big.

“We’ll head down now. Be careful, and remember, smile and wave,” Octavia told you, and then suddenly placed her hooves on your chest, nearly bowling you over. It was quick though ,as you were right, on her hind legs only, she was as tall as you, and placed one quick kiss on your cheek, before running off with Vinyl, who smirked back at you in a way that wanted to make you smack her.

“Aww, she really likes you,” said Pinkie Pie, before Rarity elbowed her in the gut, and they all faced forward again. Still blushing, wondering what was going on, you take an offered position next to Princess Luna, and then the double doors open.

Instantly you’re deafened as an almost solid wall of sound hits you hard. Outside the doors is another balcony, but rather than facing into the gardens as yours and the Princesses’ did, this one faced out into the courtyard of the palace, and was only a few stories off the ground, low enough that anypony on the ground could get a good look at the one standing there.

And man were there a lot of ponies on the ground. More than you’d ever seen at any other time. They just jammed the courtyard, from end to end, and all were smiling up at you, waving hooves. Not just ponies either, as here and there you spot other races you’d seen, buffalo, griffins, and dogs, but also there were ones you’d never seen before, including some kind of humanoid bird people, as few cheetahs, and something that looked like a lizard with huge eyes.

“My Fellow Equestrians, visiting dignitaries, and any other who’ve found their way to this Celebration today, I would like you to welcome those who defeated Discord, and ended their threat, once and for all,” came the voice of Celestia, booming louder than the crowd, and you were startled to find said crowd got even louder, making you wish you could curl up in your arm like a turtle and hide.

You weren’t allowed to do so, and instead felt a push from Luna’s magic, forcing you to step forward with them as they made their way out into the open, so the crowd could see them all better. Looking over, you were almost startled to see that even Fluttershy seemed to be enjoying this attention, her hoof waving in the air, and you decide to mimic her, doing your best to smile at the crowd below and waving one hand in the air.

“First, allow me to introduce my protégé and student, Ms. Twilight Sparkle, a master of Magic, and one who possess a knowledge of that makes her a great friend to have,” said the Princess, and Twilight stepped forward, bowing to the crowd.

“Next, Ms. Applejack, a member of the reputable Apple Family, growers of some of the sweetest apples in Equestria, and as Honest a friend as one could ask for,” more cheering, especially from one section of the crowd, which you spot Applebloom and Big Mac in, probably meaning that it was where all the Apples were sitting.

“Then there’s Ms. Rarity, a fashion designer who’s talent with her craft is second only to her generosity,” and Rarity moves forward, making you wonder why none of the girls are wearing dresses or something. Still, her cheers seem to come loudest from a section of the crowd that looks finely dressed, and the leader of which might be Fancy Pants, though it’s hard to tell from this angle.

“Next to her stands Ms. Fluttershy, Kindness ponyfied, and friend to every living creature in our world,” Fluttershy seems a bit less forward now, just doing a simple bow from where she stood, but her cheer is no less loud than the rest.

“Then we come to Pinkie Pie, one who’s Laughter is always guaranteed to bring a smile to your face, and light up your heart,” at this, the pink pony bounces up to the railing of the balcony, and begins to wave wildly into the crowd. Somewhere near the back, you spot two familiar brown shapes, to whom she seems to be directing most of those, a pair of mules, as well as an older couple with two strollers next to them.

“And next there’s Rainbow Dash, a member of the Wonderbolts, Loyal to a fault, and best trick flyer in all of Equestria,” these words seem to be a signal, as several Wonderbolts suddenly blast out of the crowd and shoot into the air, trailing smoke behind them after a moment, and creating a cloud sculpture shaped like Rainbow Dash’s cutie mark.

“Last, but not least, we have our human guest, from a world apart, who stands now among the legends of Equestria and beyond,” she said, turning to you with a smile, and you try to return it, only to have your face just fall apart as the cheering below reaches a crescendo. Not sure what to do, you just step forward, and mimic the actions of most of the girls, bowing at the waist to the assembled crowd, which only gets them to roar at you.

“These seven have brought lo a threat that many of us thought would forever hang over the future of our world. Together, through their bonds, they have ended…” the speech that Celestia had prepared began to drone on, and you continued to wave, leaning down towards Luna.

“We…I’m not gonna have to say anything, am I?” you ask, nervous at the prospect of talking to so many.

“Heh, no, Tia likes to make speeches, and planned to do all the talking for this event. You will be required to attend the ball tonight, however,” she told you, and you just go blank faced at that.

“B-b-b-ball?” you say, a bit of a stutter entering your voice.

“Of course. We need to celebrate this occasion, and Tia insisted that the first room we fully repair be the Grand Hall that we might hold it. I hear there’s celebrations being held in many villages and kingdoms tonight, to coincide with it, but this will be the center of the festivities, and will rival the first Grand Galloping Gala in size,” she told you, waving towards a couple of ponies, an earth pony you recognized from around the palace, and a pegasus standing with her, as well as their child which they lifted up towards her so she could see it better.

Your thoughts drift a bit, as the occasion goes on, and the speech begins to thank members of the Royal Guard, and DawnChaser and his Apprentices by name. None of them came up on stage though, leaving you, the Six, and the Princesses as the focus of the crowd’s attention, which became much more calm as the speech went on.

There was going to be a ball. You hadn’t attended one of those yet, though you’d been told about them. They were all the rage, but the only one that happened every year was the Grand Galloping Gala, which Deasly had told you, from his own experience was a crushing bore, though he’d refused to elaborate farther, saying something about getting to spend the night with Spitfire after the ball was over.

It made sense though, to have one tonight, and probably every year after this. The Gala was, after all, to celebrate the founding of Equestria. Not the journey here, which was what Hearths Warming Eve was about, but the founding, when the Princesses had first taken control of the land, and begun to control the movement of the heavens.

That was Discord’s first defeat, the day when he’d been sealed away, forever they thought, and they could enjoy peace again. Now he really was gone forever, his power completely taken away. It therefore followed that there would be a similar event to commemorate it, and that you would have to attend as well.

The rest of the speech goes on, and you hear Celestia thank the attendees, and name the seven of you off again as the ones who brought Discord lo, and ended his reign of blah blah blah. It was all finely worded, and sounded great from the voice of the Goddess who controlled the sun, but all it did for you was remind you that you’d done a really stupid thing two nights ago, that had paid off because you were incredibly lucky.

Soon everyone below starts to meander to the gates, and you follow the others back through the doors, standing in the hallway behind. Already there were a few ponies waiting for your group, family and friends to greet the Six, and Octavia and Vinyl for you, the former blushing again as she run up to you, and then just stood there nervously. Smiling, you lean down, and this time return the kiss on the cheek she’d given you before, trying not to spit out some hair that got into your mouth as you did so.

“And you like her too, that calls for a party. I’ll need to get my cannon!” she says, and starts off, only to have Applejack bite into her tail and pull her back.

“Now, Pinkie, I think we’d best leave well enough alone right now. We’ve got us another party that needs readyfin for,” said the orange pony.

“Oh, that’s right, I’ve got to get going! That halls not gonna decorate itself!” she said, and then she was gone. Not that she ran down the hall, just one minute she was there and the next…gone.

“I believe she’s right Darlings. We all have to get ready for this one. I have so many dresses to finish making before tonight. Come Vinyl,” she said, and Rarity turned away, using her magic to drag Vinyl along with her, the pop deva pony looking at you for rescue, and you just waving goodbye at her.

“I suppose my kin and the Cakes and me ought to get down to the kitchen to whip up some fine vittles for the festivities,” said Applejack, Big Mac and the Cakes agreeing and going off with her down the hall.

“I think I’ll go gather up the birds so we can practice with Octavia’s ensemble,” said Fluttershy, and Octavia nods.

“That sounds lovely, I’m sure Symphony would love to meet with Philomena again,” said Octavia, and the two went off, discussing the types of music they were going to play.

“And I have my own duties to attend to. Thank you again human, see you at the ball tonight,” said the Sun Princess, walking off her student in tow, and leaving the hall a bit less bright as she did so. Now it seemed rather empty just standing in front of the double doors, though you still had the company of Rainbow Dash, Spitfire, and Soarin, as well as Princess Luna.

“Don’t you guys have to go do patrol or something?” you ask, as the five of you start down that hall, you leading, though for the moment, you had no idea where to go.

“Nah, our patrols been canceled for now. There are other Bolts to handle those kind of things. We got us a special assignment,” said Rainbow Dash proudly, rubbing her hoof against her chest and blowing on it, in a gesture probably meant to show how she thought of herself as hot stuff.

“Oh? And what would that be?” you ask as you get to the intersection of the hall, and decide, on a whim, to turn left. Not that you knew where you were in the palace, just that left seemed nice.

“You, of course. You’ve got no powers, can’t fly, and are pretty weak for being so tall,” says Dash rather bluntly.

Forge Fires

“Who are you calling weak?” you say to her in a challenging tone, and Dash flies a bit ahead and grabs one of those decorative tables that lined the palace walls. Setting the flower vase that had been on it gently against the ground, she slams her leg on the table.

“You wanna test how weak you are?” she offers, and you smirk, wishing you could roll up your sleeve. Seeing as that’s not an option, you smack your vambraces together to create a ringing sound, and then spit on your palms, before slapping one against hers, and grunting as your try to get it to move. For almost a full thirty seconds nothing happens, and you can feel your face going red with the effort, as Dash just sits there, contemptuously blowing on her other hoof, like she wasn’t even trying.

“Oh come on!” you cry, and then place you free hand on top of the other one, and at last her leg begins to slowly move. The next thing you know, your head hurts, the world is upside down, and there’s a bunch of blurs standing over you as your vision slowly comes back into focus.

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry…but you see now what I’m talking about, right?” said Dash, as she bites your leg, and pulls you right side up, the Princess using her magic to help the rest of the way. Standing, leaning against the wall, you rub your head.

“I think I might see a reason or two to agree with you,” you say at last. Kind of embarrassed by this. You’d been competing with her for a while now, since she became a Bolt, but usually it was flying, or you in a mech. You’d figured the mechs were stronger than you, but it seemed you’d underestimated just how much stronger than you they were.

“Dash, you know we’re supposed to be protecting him, not breaking him again,” chides Soarin, and you can see Rainbow blush a bit under her uniform, using her hoof to dust you off, until you push her back, finally able to stand on your own two feet.

“It’s okay. I suppose I needed the lesson. Guess I’m not as able to take care of myself as I thought,” you say, looking at your new guardians. Weird to think about, actually, considering the day before yesterday you’d been the big hero, and now, after getting back to normal size, you were already missing the power that came with being small.

“Indeed, and it’s best to get those kind of lessons where a bruised ego is the worst of your injuries,” says a new voice, and everypony in the hall turns towards the way you’d been walking to find the Captain standing there. His armor was now the one that turned him into a black unicorn, and he bowed slightly to the Princess.

“So, I take it the item is ready?” she asked, and he got a smirk on his face as he looked towards you, and then nodded.

“The smith said it would be finished within an hour of the speech starting. Considering your Sister took almost two to thank us all, it should be done now,” he tells her, and Luna giggles like a school filly, clacking her hooves together in front of her, before remembering there were other ponies in the hall and coughing embarrassedly.

“Excellent, Captain. Lead the way,” she commanded, and the Captain shook his head and rolled his eyes, before starting back the way he’d come, the five of you following close behind, with the Wonderbolts in the trail position, while you walk side by side with the Princess.

“Why do I have the feeling this has something to do with me?” you ask her, and she just smiles while continuing to walk forward.

“Because, for today at least, just about everything in Canterlot does,” she told you simply, and then picked up the pace a bit.

It was at this point that you begin to realize that ponies walk fast, as you had to nearly run to keep up with what you knew was just a trot for them. That did not bode well for your future, as you were getting winded after just a short while. For the second time in ten minutes you’re actually wishing for your powers back, even if it meant being only a few inches tall.

“Can we rest for a minute?” you ask, breathing hard, and trying not to gasp at the air.

“Heh, it’s just two more flights down. You can make it,” the Captain reassures you, and you look at him dejectedly. That made him shake his head, and then come back to where you and the Princess were walking. With a dexterity that was actually rather surprising, he gets behind you, and then runs between your legs, his neck bouncing upward, causing you to land heavily on his back. It pains you to admit, but the group starts to move faster to its destination after this.

“Ah, here we are,” says the Princess a few minutes later, and you look around, while pulling yourself off the Captain’s back. This area of the palace is new. In three months, you’d never been here, and it’s easy to see why. The place was hot as Tartarus, and smelled horrid. It was easy to see it was a forge, for the Royal Guard if the spears along the wall and the armor set on stands was any indication. It was an active forge too, as you could hear the banging of metal on metal from somewhere in the back.

“Forge Master, we’ve come to procure the special order,” said the Captain, walking towards an opening that led deeper into the room, the source of the banging, and likely the forge itself. Curious, you follow, and get to gaze on something at once beautiful and terrifying.

The depths of the forge were lit only by the fires of the same. It cast a sickly, orange pale over everything It touched, including a pony who was using a hammer tied to his hoof to work on a spear head he’d set against an anvil. It was easy to see he was an earth pony, as the suit he wore had no room for wings or a horn, and instead was coat tight against him, hiding his color beneath something that looked black as soot, and a face mask that was the same, likely to protect his eyes from stray sparks.

“Forge Master!” shouted the Captain, growing closer, as the pony at the anvil didn’t seem to hear anything over the banging of his hammer.

“SILVER HAMMER!!!” he cried at last, and the banging hammer stopped at last, the pony in the suit looking up, and saying something muffled like Pyro’s speech. Setting the hammer against the anvil, he picked up the spear from where it lay, twirling it almost like you’d seen a few guards do once to show off, and then jamming it tip first into a barrel of water, creating a rising cloud of steam that blocked him from view.

“Well, well, the glorious Captain of the Royal Guard, come to my forge. What an honor,” came a gruff voice, his tone less sarcastic than his words would have you think, but the expression on the Captain’s face seemed to say the sarcasm was implied.

“I brought others with me as well, oh Master of the Royal Forge,” said the Captain in return, and you watched as the one he was talking to finally emerged from the steam.

He looked big, bigger than either the Captain or Big Mac. Not quite as tall as Celestia, but he probably outweighed her by at least a few kilos. All of it muscle too, as you watched them bunch beneath his coat with each step. His legs, fore and hind, were massive, and the floor almost sounded like it would crack with every fall. His coat was silver, gleaming in the light of the forge fire with sweat, and his mane was white, or at least, you think it is, kind of hard to tell. His cutie mark though, that was easy, an anvil, with a hammer falling onto it making sparks.

“So what poor rook did you…oh, Princess, it’s you,” he says with a smile at first, turning to something like reverence as he bows. For a moment you think he’s insulting you or maybe you’d earned the title somehow by beating Discord. Turning though, you find Luna entering the forge behind you.

“Hello Silver Hammer, it has been a while since We’ve visited your work place,” said the Princess, slipping into her Royal we easily as she addressed him.

“And it is still an honor when You or Your Sister decide to come down. Might I inquire as to the reason?” he asked, and she nodded, pointing a hoof to you.

“We require the item that you were forging to accompany the armor you forged for our guest,” she says, and the forger pony blinks towards where you’re standing, with you realizing suddenly that you’d been standing out of the forge light as it was hot. Taking a step to the side, so you are now fully revealed, you try your best to smile warmly at him.

“Ah, yes, the special order from yesterday. Not often a smith of my station gets to work with such fine material as Prism Stone,” he said, walking over towards you, and then standing in front of you. His face is just below yours, as he looked you up and down, and then kicks at you with his forehoof, probably testing the breastplate. He was probably doing so lightly, but given the relative mass difference between you and him, it ended up being enough to knock you back onto your bottom, causing the smith to eye you appraisingly.

“Hmm, a puny one, for a Hero of the Ages. Still, it’s not everypony who could have stood up to that monster, Discord,” he says, and then walks towards the back of the forge, with you rising to your feet, trying to ignore the laughter from behind you that you knew was coming from Rainbow Dash, with a light chuckle that was probably Soarin.

“Indeed. I’m thinking of giving him a bit of basic training to get some muscles on him. Still, he should be able to hold it, right?” asked the Captain, as Silver Hammer led the three of you to the rear of the forge, to a large chest that looked like something straight out of a video game.

“Aye, its weight shouldn’t be a problem, seeing as how the materials were light to begin with. A lesser smith might have tried to mix in some iron or mythril to make up the difference. Bah to them, it’s only when it’s forged alone that Prism Stone can reach its full potential,” he said, working on the latch of the chest with his hooves, and then pushing it back with a loud creak, before standing away to show the three of you his work.

It was, as one might have surmised, a weapon forged from the same material as your armor. Specifically, it was a sword, about three feet in length, with a straight blade and a double edge that gleamed in the light of the forge. Better than that, as the light struck it, the Prism Stone of its makeup cast the glow back out in a rainbow of colors that was both beautiful, and probably deadly.

“I must admit, the greatest challenge was designing it for something with hands. Normally hooves are what my weapons are wielded by, and rarely does a sword fit such a thing. Still, I used what I’d learned doing something for the Belkan princes two years previous, though I had to adjust the hilt for four fingers and a thumb, instead of three thumbs and a finger,” he said.

“It looks beautiful, Silver,” said the Princess looking down at it, and the smith nodded smugly.

“It’s not my best work, but it is one of my better ones, I will admit,” he told her, and reached forward, taking the blade from where it rested, and holding it aloft.

“A blade of Prism Stone will never dull or chip. It will also never stain, no matter what you use it for, and it splits spells as easily as skulls,” he said, and then with a flick of his hoof, he brought it down on one of the nearby anvils. There was a blinding flash of light, which cleared slowly to show the smith holding the blade against the floor, and at first, it just seemed to have just passed through the thick metal, but a heartbeat passes, and the anvil falls in twain, clanging against the stone floor.

“Truly, a weapon fit for a god slayer,” he said, and held it out to you. It gleamed wickedly now, and you thought you saw it sparkle a bit, but it might have just been your mind playing tricks on you.

Reaching out, you gripped the hilt of the blade, and then felt the weight of it settle into your hand as the smith released his grip. Almost instantly, the blade fell towards the floor, but you were able to grab the hilt with your other hand to keep it from falling. The blade was heavy, despite the smith’s words about its weight, and you had trouble holding it aloft.

“You ponies make this stuff look light,” you say, trying to hold it straight, only to feel it start to slip in your grip. The heat of the forge was making your palms sweaty, and you are forced to turn the blade down, then let it fall naturally so that it slams into the stone floor, burying itself almost a foot into the ground.

“Um…whoops?” you say, shrugging, and the smith just stares at you, mouth agape, before shaking his head and facehoofing.

“You’re sure he’s the one who defeated Discord, right?” he asked, turning to the Captain and Luna, who both have amused expressions on their faces.

“Indeed, though he seemed far more skilled with a blade before,” comments the armored guard, trotting towards you, and then pulling the weapon from where you’d dropped it.

“Usually the weapon or armor helps me to use it. That’s how the stuff I make works,” you admit to him, and he helps you to draw the weapon from the ground, and hold it steady.

“Hmm, perhaps you could use more training than I thought. Princess, might I request a few days leave?” he asks, turning to Luna, who nods.

“Of course, Captain,” she answered.

“Excellent. I will get DawnChaser to assist, and we can turn you into a swordstallion with at least a modicum of skill by a fortnight’s passing,” he said, and then began to move his hooves, pulling your hands with him as he lowered the blade in an arc, before setting it gently onto an anvil.

“Maybe I could use some gloves?” you say, holding out one hand so he can see your palm covered in sweat.

“Hmm, no, if you used them, you wouldn’t be able to use the scabbard’s magic,” he commented, and you look at him.

“Scabbard?” you ask, and he smiles at you.

“I believe that’s finished as well, right brother?” he asked, and the smith nods.

“Came in a few minutes after the speech. I must admit, that fashion pony did as good a job on this as on the chainmail beneath his armor,” he commented, and pulled it out of the chest where the sword had been stored, probably having been sitting beneath it, which was why you hadn’t noticed it. The thing was made of red stuff, looked like leather actually, and as he held it out, you could see some writing on it that glowed slightly in the light of the forge.

“Woah,” you say, as he handed it to you. The sheath was solid…whatever it was, and felt light, allowing you to hold it up to try and read the writing on it. Of course, it all seemed to be gibberish you, and after not seeing a single familiar character, you held it out to Luna.

“What’s it say?” you ask, and she chuckles again, using her magic to hold it in front of you, the letters seeming to take on the light of her power.

“The language it speaks is older than Our Sister, or Ourself, and speaks to the world around us all. It says many things to that world, and in turn, the world speaks back to it,” she tells you cryptically, and you turn to the Captain, who lets out a belly laugh.

“It’s runes, magic letters. I would have assumed that DawnChaser’s tests would have involved them at some point,” he explains, and you nod.

“I think they did, once, but the things didn’t like me. If I remember right, they exploded,” you say, vaguely recalling a test from your first month that had you stand in a circle of them. Said circle glowed, then blasted the whole room you’d been standing in. The rest of that day had been spent goofing off while DawnChaser insisted that the reaction was impossible.

“So, what do these do?” you ask, and the smith points with his hoof at the top three.

“These are runes of recall. Though a weapon forged of Prism Stone cannot be itself inscrolled, things can be…layered onto it during the forging that allow for it to have a name. Simply hold the scabbard outward, and call out the weapon’s name, and it shall return to you, no matter how far away it is,” he tells you, Luna bringing it closer so you can take it from her, and then face towards were the sword is, holding it out, then waiting expectantly.

“Well, are you going to invoke the magic?” asked Silver Hammer, and you look at him.

“You haven’t told me the weapon’s name yet,” you remind him, and he looks like he’s about to protest before freezing, and then tapping a hoof against his chin.

“SpectrumFlash,” he says simply, and you nod, facing towards where the sword lays again.

“SpectrumFlash!” you cry, and instantly, the sword shakes where it’s lying, before hopping into the air, and making a beeline for you. To your credit, you don’t flinch or panic, though that’s mostly a lack of time to do so, as it sails over the short distance to slam home into its sheath. To your discredited, once again, you’re flung into a wall, landing with a clatter of metal as you smash into a dummy that had been wearing a suit of armor, before finally striking the stone with a hard thunk.

“Sweet Celestia, I wish I had a camera, bwa ha ha ha,” comes the laughter from the forge’s entrance, and you look over to find two shapes, you believe to be Soarin and Dash, rolling around on the ground, while one beside them is holding a hoof up to its mouth, Spitfire trying to fight back the laughter. The Captain, smirking but not laughing, walks over to you and helps you up, using a bit of magic and hoof power to get you standing, while you rub at your shoulder.

“Why is it that I only get knocked around like this once I become full sized?” you ask him, and he just shrugs as you and he walk back over to where the smith and Luna are standing.

“Hmm, I may have to work on some stabilizers for this one, if he can’t take the weight of his blade. Still, that only makes the other runes all the more important,” he says, motioning for you to hold out the scabbard again, which you do.

“Yes, there’s still some space for it. I’ll get that white unicorn filly to put two more runes on this. One to reduce the impact of catching it, the other to make it lighter while in its sheath,” he tells you, moving his hoof closer to the bottom of the sheath.

“Still, that is for later. For now, draw SpectrumFlash again, and set it aside,” he orders, and you do so, being careful as you draw it, and then set it down at your feet.

“Alright, these last two runes draw on the power of the beast to which this skin belonged,” he comments, and you look at them.

“Um, what beast is that?” you ask.

“Dragon of course. Nothing else would be able to handle the edge of that fine blade,” he tells you, and you look at him, and then towards Luna, asking a silent question.

“It was taken from her willingly. A bit of shed skin, traded for a few gems she found tasty,” she tells you, and you nod. You’d never considered yourself a bleeding heart before, but being here, you’d begun to not want anyone to get hurt to give you things, and killing something for its hide, especially something like a dragon, seemed wrong.

“Anyway, simply hold the sheath’s bottom to your lips, and blow into it like a horn,” he instructed, and you did so, nearly dropping the thing as flames, large ones, shot out of the open end, slamming into the anvil he’d sliced before, and melting it to slag within a heartbeat.

“Oh my, that’s powerful,” commented the Captain as the flames subsided, and you just stare at the damage you’d done.

“Of course. The Wyrm this skin comes from was of the most ancient clutch, a direct descendent of the Mother of All Dragons. Her flame burns quite powerfully,” comments the Princess.

“Indeed. Her power is great, hotter than my best forge,” adds the smith, as he reaches over and grabs a bucket, tossing it onto the slag, which is then covered by hissing steam. Looking at the weapon in your hands, well, weapon and weapon carrying case, you can’t believe what you’d just seen, and on auto pilot reach down to replace the sword in the scabbard, so you can then just stare at it.

“Is the weapon acceptable?” asks Silver Hammer as he comes up beside you, and you just nod.

“More than I could have had back home. But can I ask, why? I mean, I don’t plan on leaving the city, and I’ll have Dash, Soarin, and Spitfire, plus my usual royal guardpony. Why do I need weapons like these?” you say, holding the thing out from yourself, and then passing it to the smith when he motions for it.

“Many reasons for that, my human friend. For one, guards are not absolute. We can’t be everywhere at once, and it is best that you can defend yourself. Before, you powers covered most of that, but for now, a weapon is required,” explained the Captain, as he came to stand in front of you, the Princess as well, while the smith places the sword back into the chest.

“The second reason, because We feel you deserve our help, now more than ever. You did Our kingdom, and Ourselves a great service, and risk to both your body and soul. We offered you once to bend all Our resources to returning you home, you declined, so now We shall endeavor to make this world as safe for you as We might,” she added, the Captain nodding.

For a while, you just sit there, wondering what to say or do. They were being really open with you, and more, the gift they had just given you, the armor, the sword, the expense of them had to be enormous, no matter how much Luna’s tone tried to down play it. At last you settle on just reaching out and hugging them, feeling really good about that, as the Princess leans into it, and the Captain just sort of stands there taking it.

“You are very welcome,” says the Princess as the hug ends. You then turn to the smith, who sees you do so and waves his hoof in front of him.

“Please, no hugs, I smell awful after a day in the forge,” he warns, and you smile, before getting down on your knees in front of him.

“Master Smith, from the bottom of my heart, I thank you for your skilled worksstallionship on the weapon I will wield and the armor I wear,” you tell him, inclining your head to him in a bow, and he seems taken aback by this, before turning towards the Captain and smirking.

“See Glimmer, this is how one shows proper respect for a master of his art,” he told him, and the Captain held up a hoof in front of his mouth.

“Glimmer, your name’s Glimmer?” you say incredulously. It had been three months since you’d met him, and the Captain, as well as everypony at the palace, had refused to tell you his name. Now it just casually comes out from the smith. Though you do remember the Captain calling him brother earlier, but you still hadn’t expected to learn his name so easily.

“Indeed, named for our grandmare I believe. Glimmer Strike. Course, that was when mom wanted a girl to follow her into the Guard, after our older sister took to the stage more than a blade,” said the smith with a smirk, and the Captain looked like he wanted to bust his face open with one of the anvils, probably more for ruining your game trying to learn his name more than anything else.

“Say, you wouldn’t happen to know how old DawnChaser is by any chance?” you ask casually, and the smith looks at you.

“Who?” he says, and you shake your head at him.

“Never mind,” you tell him as you, the Princess, and Glimmer, formally the Captain, step out of the forge, and back into the hall outside, where Rainbow Dash is obviously fighting another laugh, at the Captain’s expense rather than yours this time, probably only doing so because the Captain outranked her.

A Learning Experience

“So, what’s next on the agenda?” you ask the six of you walked back up the stairs, the sound of ringing metal against metal resuming as you do.

“Well, until the Ball starts, my schedule is clear. Do you have anything you wanted to see or do?” asks the Princess, and you nod, thinking of something right away.

“Not really. I do have to go to this ball thing, right?” you ask her, and she gives you a smirk while nodding.

“It would be odd, one of the seven this is a celebration for to not show up. Why, is there something you’d rather be doing tonight?” she inquires, and you just stand there.

“Not really. I mean, I’d love to focus on getting my powers back. It’s just, a Ball sounds dull, plus I’m not exactly light on my feet,” you tell her, and she looks at you oddly. Luckily, the Captain steps forward and explains.

“He means that he’s not good at dancing,” he informs her, and understanding dawns on her face.

“Ah, so you’re afraid you would not make a good showing of yourself before those who will attend?” she asks, and you nod.

“Hmm, well then, we shall correct that. Follow me,” she said, and then started off at a brisk pace. This time, you’re determined not to fall behind or hold the group up, and start lightly jogging beside her, your breath coming in short, even bursts as you try to keep yourself going. Luckily, the destination wasn’t too far, and was only up one flight of steps and then down another, before she halts in front of a pair of large double doors, while you lean against a nearby wall, gasping.

“Hmm, some endurance training would be good,” commented the Captain, and if you’d had some breath left, you’d have made fun of his name, but as you can barely lift your head up, you just lay back, as Luna uses her magic to open the door, revealing it to be the ball room, with more than three dozen ponies walking around decorating or otherwise setting things up, Pinkie Pie being one of them.

“OohOoh, Princess, are you here to check out the decorations?” she asked, bouncing from where she’d been holding up a ladder for some stallion, who now found his stable footing rattling around beneath him. Luckily, some unicorn took it on herself to hold said ladder with her magic, the pair going back to their jobs, neither scolding the pink pony for ignoring her duty.

“Not quite, Ms. Pie. It has come to Our attention that Our human friend lacks confidence in his ability to dance, and We would like to show him a few steps,” she said, and Pinkie turns to you, rushing up closer and looking you up and down.

“Hmm, you don’t know how to dance then? Do you know the Pony Polka, that one’s easy for beginners. You just put-” she’s cut off as one of the decorating ponies taps her on the shoulder.

“Um, Pinkie, you want to help with this? It is your party theme,” asks the mare, and Pinkie only now seems to remember that she has something else to be doing.

“Alright, so, you got some spell to cure my two left feet?” you ask as Pinkie bounces off, which results in the Wonderbolts and Luna looking down at your feet. Luckily, the Captain had chatted with you enough to recognize that particular turn of phrase.

“He means he’s not all that graceful,” he explains, and they all nod, probably remembering how well you’d done with that sword a few minutes earlier.

“Well then, We shall endeavor to help with that. Give Us some room,” she says, motioning everypony back. You look towards the Captain for a cue, and when he starts stepping backwards, you do as well, giving Luna a bit of space. The Moon Princess then closed her eyes, and you can see the magic swirl around her, even if you couldn’t feel it with your own powers.

Slowly, that magic began to build, the little lines in the air becoming more, and more, until they added a dark glow to them, and obscured the Princess from view, even as you’re forced to cover your eyes. There’s a flash as something makes an odd noise, like a generator blowing up or something, and you are finally able to look at what happened, and then just stare, you mouth agape.

What stood before you was Luna, most definitely it was Luna, but it wasn’t Luna as a pony. Instead, in her place stood a woman with long black hair. Not a girl, nothing like that, but a human woman in a lovely dark blue dress that was adorned with her cutie mark. The dress was a long flowing number, something suited to a formal occasion, with sides that seemed to bounce as the Princess moved, twirling where she stood so you all could see the massive changes wrought on her.

Her skin was ebony black, like a night sky given flesh, while her eyes twinkled like stars, and her feet came down softly and stopped just above the floor. It seemed for a moment that she was barefoot, and was floating a bit off the ground, but a closer look showed that instead, she was wearing glass slippers, that were just so clean they couldn’t be seen except when the light glinted off them.

“How do I look?” she asked at last, the less formal mode of address telling you the question had been directed at you. Around you though, you notice that none of the ponies were moving, just staring at their transformed Ruler, as you walk up to her.

“Like a Princess ready for a ball,” you tell her at last, and she giggles at that, holding her hands to her lips as she does so.

“A perfect fit then. Celestia and I have been working on these forms for a while, after you wished for another human to talk to,” she mentions, and you think back, remembering that you’d wished for that on a star about a month ago. It was the wish of an idle mind, but apparently they’d taken you very seriously.

“I thought you weren’t going to listen in on my wishes anymore,” you tell her as you move closer, and she just smiles at you, holding out her hand for you to take it.

“You do it so rarely, I believed you wanted me to hear those thoughts,” she said, as you take the offered hand, and then she moves her other one to your side, an action you mirror.

“Now, if I saw this right,” she begins, and suddenly you feel magic at your feet. Not with the sense, but rather, you feel it as it moves your feet in a rhythmic pattern with Luna’s own.

“1.2.3.1.2.3.1.2.3,” goes the Princess as she leads you through the steps, you following with the assistance of her magic. Right foot forward, left food side, bring them together, then do it again. Repeating the pattern a dozen times, the two of you make it to the center of the ballroom, and with a smirk, you raise one hand and twirl Luna around, before letting her fall back, your arm shooting behind her to catch her.

It took you a moment to realize what you just did, as the room is silent, then you get a round of applause from Pinkie Pie, which encourages the others to join in, including the Captain. Soarin and Dash don’t do so, the former just seeing bored, and the latter making a gagging motion, and Spitfire just smirk smiles at the two of you.

“Not bad. Still a little heavy on your hooves, but not bad,” she comments.

“Yeah, but you ponies wanna see some real dancing?” asked Dash, and grabbed Soarin’s hoof.

“Dash what are dooo-oh,” goes the pegasus as she drags him into the air, and the pair begins an aerial ballet that more than trumps yours, considering they can move in three dimensions, pulling off some twists and turns that are actually rather cool to watch, with Dash sort of tossing Soarin into a spin, and then catching him in her hooves, their faces growing close, until you think they’re about to kiss. They seem to realize this too, and they both sort of shake and break it off, though you think you can see a hint of red beneath their uniforms.

“Excellent,” you say, applauding with the rest as they come back down.

“Yes, yes, I know I’m awesome” says Dash as she lands, waving to her fans.

“Indeed. Hey Luna, wanna try to top that?” you ask.

“What do you have in mind?” she asks, and you whisper something into her ear, which makes her eyes go wide, before smiling, and nodding. Looking towards the music setup, which includes places for Octavia’s ensemble, Fluttershy’s birds, and already has Vinyl’s DJ stuff setup, she pulls a record out of the pack that’s sitting next to it with her magic and sets it down on the turntable. This was one record you knew Vinyl liked, and had obviously brought.

“Okay, now, follow along with me,” you tell her as the beat starts up, and you begin the motions of the dance. Moving first the right, then the left in time to the beat, you put them out straight. Luna slowly copies you, and then you turn your palms to face upward one at a time. Next you fold them in front of you, one at a time again, followed by moving them to the sides of your head, then down to your hips, before finally placing them both on your bottom, Luna blushing a little as she did that, before you hop to one side, and begin to repeat the motion. Over the next two minutes, you do that four times, until, at last, you resume facing Dash, you just stares at you.

“Hey Macarena!” you shot as the song ends, and Luna beside you bursts out laughing as the rest of the ballroom applauds.

“Not bad, for somepony whose feet can’t leave the ground,” says Spitfire, and you smile, nodding your thanks, and offering Luna a chair as you walk towards one of the table. She waves you off, and then closes her eyes. Her body glows white, and shifts like clay, resuming her familiar alicorn form.

“That was highly amusing, my friend. Fun even,” she tells you, and you shake your head in agreement.

“Heh, that song was one of the most annoying things of the past twenty years back home. For almost a year, everyone seemed to be doing it,” you explain, as you take the seat you’d offered her, and the others gather round, probably expecting you to have a story to tell. Chuckling, you try to think of one you hadn’t shared on the radio yet, and think of one in particular that you found amusing.

“First time I ever tried that dance was at a party my sister dragged me off to. Not that mom approved or anything, but my sister was always the rebellious type, and I seemed to be one of her favorite hard luck cases. She wanted to prove to mom that I was old enough to do things, I guess,” you begin, closing your eyes as you try to remember that party.

“I can’t remember what the party was for, if it was for anything at all. Knowing my sister’s friends, it might have been just because. What better reason, right?” you ask, and you know Vinyl would have been agreeing with you. As it was, Pinkie and Rainbow both nodded at you, and you smiled as you continued.

“I forget what her name was, but one of the girls at the party saw me nursing a soda in the corner, just watching everyone else have fun. I didn’t know anybody there, so I didn’t feel right just jumping in. She couldn’t have that though, not at a party she was throwing, and so the hostess grabbed my hand, and dragged me onto the dance floor.”

“I remember her wincing the first time my foot came down on hers, and I was afraid I’d broken her foot or something, but she just waved me off, and pushed me back, changing the song to that one, so I wouldn’t be stepping on her again. At first I was clueless. I mean, I’d heard the song, and seen the dance, but never done it myself. She was patient though, leading my hands through the motions with hers.”

“Heh, it took me almost an hour to finally get it right, but by then we had half the party watching us, most of them drunk, and they screamed for me to kiss her. I did, clumsily, and she just giggled, passing me back my drink, which I poured out once she walked away. Never trust a drink left alone at a party, that’s a bit of wisdom my sister taught me.”

“Rest of the night was pretty slow, she went off and got with some jerk guy I remembered as one of the ones that dated my sister. I hear they got into a serious relationship after the party. Me though, I went home, and never went to her place again,” you said, finishing the story. It wasn’t exactly the most exciting one you’d gotten to tell, but it was one of the few that involved other people.

“Interesting. So you weren’t seeking friends then?” asks one of the workers, and you shake your head, giving a sarcastic chuckle.

“Not really. I wasn’t against it, mind, just not one to go out seeking them. I figure Twilight was like that, right? Except she was learning things. Me? I just sort of hung around. Sure, I read things, I expanded my horizons, but never for any goal. I wasn’t special after all. I was just some kid in the middle of the city, nothing to look forward to in life but some dead end job, and to hope that I made some positive differences in people’s lives,” you admit, and feel the mood in the room drop substantially. No pony is smiling any more, some are looking at you with pity in their eyes, others are just kind of staring, not really looking at anything.

“That’s not to say my life was bad. I had plenty of free time, time I could use to read a book, play a game, or any number of other things. In a way, it really was a charmed life. A job that took only eight hours a day, five days a week, leaving me all the time in the world to just think,” you say, remembering that life. Sure, this place was a paradise, but just now, you really do miss the old world.

“Ah, to wax nostalgic about one’s home. It’s nice to know that such folly is found in races of all worlds,” says a familiar voice, and everypony in the ballroom turns to find DawnChaser and Pyro standing in the door that led to the outside, the orange maned, purple unicorn smirking in a way that was just begging to be smacked.

“And what brings you and the fire hazard here today?” asks the Captain as the Professor shuts the door gently behind him and strolls over towards you. Once he and Pyro are closer, the pair both bow, Pyro to the Princess, and more interestingly, the Professor to you.

“Actually, it’s your suggestion to your brother that brings me here. Rex!” he shouted, and the door opened again, this time to admit the dog who seemed to be hunched over, a case on his back that he held up with one arm weighing him down as he walked closer.

“Hi,” he said in that gruff voice to you, and you smiled up at him.

“Hi, Rex…you know, you’re taller than I thought you’d be,” you comment to the dog, who looks down at you, his expression perplexed.

“That’s a good thing though, makes you look stronger,” you explain, and he smiled at that. To a dog, as you’d learned after talking with him, strength meant a lot. Not everything, but a lot.

“Anyhow, Silver Hammer sent a messenger to the lab to say our human friend was having a few, weight problems, and could use some help, so I figured some of Rex’s inventions could help,” he commented, the dog putting the case down in front of DawnChaser, who opened it with his hoof, and revealed that inside was a set of normal looking strips of cloth.

“Hmm, and how will decorative cloth help me?” you ask, looking at them, and then noticing that there seemed to be writing on them, weird letters that glowed slightly and made no sense. Didn’t take a genius to figure out that they were runes, like the ones on your sheath.

“They’re more than decorative. These pieces of cloth have some inlaid runes that create mass out of magic. Essentially, each one can weigh as much as you need it to, so we just tie it on like so,” he said this while levitating one of the strips of cloth towards you and placing it on your arm. You could feel it through the armor wrapping around your elbow. The instant the sides of the strip were tied, you felt that arm get slightly heavier. Not a lot, more like five pounds or so.

“Well, I suppose every little bit helps,” you comment, moving the arm up and down to show that it’s fine.

“Oh, it’s more than a little…hmm… hit that table,” said the Professor, pointing with his hoof towards one of the nearby tables. Looking back towards the Princess and the Captain, they give the nod to go ahead, and you shrug, walking to stand in front of the table. Raising your arm, you bring it down, what you think is lightly, which means it comes as a complete surprise as the table not only gives under your light attack, but the force of the blow drags you downward with it, causing your fist to slam into the flor, leaving a crater a good foot in diameter in the stone.

“A bit too powerful, Rex. We’ll have to work on that,” comments DawnChaser as he pulls out one of his books and starts writing something down in it. Meanwhile every other pony in the room is just staring at the damage you’d done. You, on the other hand, are staring at your hand, a smile on your face as you consider the possibilities that this new toy opens up for you.

Dressing Right

“Oh, come on, you gotta let me try one of those things!” says Rainbow Dash to Rex as your group exit’s the ballroom. Luna remained behind to help with the decoration, and to help fix the small hole you’d made, but along with your guards, you’d gained three new companions in the Professor, the dog, and Pyromancer.

“Dog magic, no good for ponies,” answers the big dog gruffly as he readjusts his grip on the case full of those cloth strips. You’d had to give back the one you’d tried out before, though you’d been as reluctant as Rainbow Dash is pushy about getting one. Those things were just awesome, and you’d really wished that they’d let you keep it, especially given your lack of physical power. Still, it was Rex’s magic, and you’d learned to respect the taciturn canine in the time you’d known him.

“It worked for him, didn’t it?” she said, pointing a hoof at you.

“Not pony, no magic to interfere,” declared the dog, and she just looks at him, before huffing, and crossing her legs in front of her, much to the amusement of her squad mates.

“Don’t be like that Dashie. You know it probably wouldn’t work for a Bolt anyway. We’re supposed to be fast and agile, and those things would just slow you down,” Spitfire pointed out to her, and Dash seemed to think about this for a moment, before nodding reluctantly.

“Yeah, but I really want to see the look on a certain cowgirl’s face when I beat her at applebucking,”says the pegasus, and you laugh at your mental image of her kicking a tree into the stratosphere.

“Might make for an interesting experiment, but Rex is right. Dog runes are notoriously unstable when used by or on ponies. I remember the first time he tried to give one of those things to me. I went flying with a single step,” said the Professor, making a face, and then motioning upwards, getting a laugh out of his apprentices.

Pyro then walked up beside him and mumbled something at the purple unicorn. Having gotten used to the way he talked, you caught a word or two, but the one that stood out was visit, and DawnChaser seemed to consider whatever Pyro had asked, before nodding.

“Go ahead. I’m sure she can use the help. This Ball was put together rather quickly,” answered the Professor. Pyro giggling to himself, rather psychotically, then shot off down the hall, leaving a few embers in his wake as he vanished around a turn.

“You sure it’s a good idea to let the fire bug loose in the castle?” asked Spitfire staring after him, and the Professor waves his hoof in a dismissive gesture.

“We’re in the very center of the Princesses’ power. Besides, he asked to go visit with her and offer some help. After all, the Grand Galloping Gala normally takes over a month of preparation. This new ball is being thrown together at a day’s notice,” he pointed out, and after considering it for a moment, the Wonderbolt leader shrugged.

The group then just wanders. There’s no real direction to it, and you seem to be the leader most of the time, picking a random direction at every intersection. Luckily, with Rex added to the party, and now carrying that large case on his back, you were no longer the slowest in the group, and so the pace was a bit more manageable, allowing you to take your time, and keep from getting winded. After what felt like an hour of random wandering, you are stopped by a familiar shout, and all of you turn to find Rarity, decked out in her gown, waving her hoof at you.

“Finally, Darling, do you have any idea how long I’ve been looking for you?” she asks as she stops in front of you, her breathing coming in gentle gasps, allowing her to speak normally, despite having been running, probably for a while.

Her stopping also allowed you to look at her dress, which was up to her usual standard, giving her a diamond look, with white coloring everywhere save some blue in the shape of her cutie mark, and some black shoes to offset the white. Oddly, she wore a small tiara that seemed to have been really made from diamond string, which reminded you of something, but you weren’t sure what.

“I’d guess about thirty-five to forty-five minutes, give or take five,” said DawnChaser as he looked her over, and she just nodded, before walking up to you.

“It’s just, I need you to come with me, quickly now!” she shouted, starting off like it was some kind of emergency, and your group, after a look passed between, you, follow as fast as you can. Again you were fortunate that the unicorn fashionista couldn’t move as quickly in her dress, and so you were able to keep pace with her, as she took a seemingly wild course through the castle, before finally stopping with a skid in front of a double door.

“Here, Darling, we have to hurry before it’s too late!” she cried, waving you forward, and you slid into the room just behind her, only to behold a sparkling treasure horde. Everywhere the light shone, it was reflected at odd angles, and in all the hues and colors that he world had. Everything you looked at seemed to have been covered with jewels.

“Finally, what took you so long, Rar?” asked Vinyl as she helped to push you into the room, and then have you stand on one of those rotating platforms dress makers used to help with designs, so they could spin the dummy without touching the dress itself.

“I had to look all over the castle for him, Vinyl. I’m just glad I found him in time,” said the white pony, as she spun you around.

“I know, right? This is gonna be cutting it really close,” came a third voice, and suddenly you found yourself covered in fabrics as three different colors of magic levitated them over you. Beyond the padding, you could make out the muffled sounds of laughter that had to be the Professor, Dash, Soarin, and likely the Captain as well, making you fight and punch at the stuff, only to have it wrap around your arm and keep you spinning until whoever was doing it finally called a halt, sending you flying, right into Rex’s arms.

“Ponies crazy,” he noted, as the big dog gently set you back down on your feet, and you just nodded up at him.

“Concur. Now, what’s going on here? Rarity, you made it sound like there was some kind of emergency,” you told her.

“Oh, but Darling, there was. Frazzle, the poor dear, hadn’t gotten a look at your armor, and if she’s going to make the accessories for the ball, she has to see them. We only have another hour or so to prepare after all,” said Rarity, in explanation, as you look over to spot the familiar pony, who worked with jewel thread to create a variety of designs. Looking around the room, you recognized some of her handiwork on the dresses and suits that were clearly Rarity’s designs, with little extras added by the crocheting pony.

“Right, now stand still, this should only take a second,” said Frazzle Dazzle, as she dove at you with a dozen or more balls of yarn that all came unraveled and wove about you. Had FiM been a hentai or the like, you would have been really worried about where this was going, but trying to stand as still as possible, you let the fashion pony do her work, and about five minutes later, the yarn all comes off, and you find your suit has a few new bits and bobs.

“Oh, Frazzle, that looks positively delightful,” says Rarity, looking you up and down, using her magic to tug on a few bits of yarn, getting them straighter on your armor. Looking towards where your escort stood, you can see that the Wonderbolts seem just as impressed as Rarity, and even the Captain and the Professor nod appreciatively.

Not wanting to miss out on this, you rush over towards a mirror to get a good look at yourself, and find that the Prism Stone, which was silver for the body suit, and white for the armor itself, was now covered by various patterns of many colors. Your breastplate now had a covering of orange at the edges, with a dark violet making up the center of it, the design in the center outlined in blue for your sword, the Atma Weapon, as well as the elements done with light variants of their colors, orange, purple, blue, yellow, white, and red.

The vambraces now had sleeves leading up to them, the color of each sleeve different, though it somehow worked, with black obsidian on one side, and white diamonds on the other, both casting off rainbows of colors when you held your arms the right way. On the vambraces themselves you noticed the cutie marks of the two rulers, a dark blue moon on the arm that was covered in white, and a golden sun on the arm covered in black, showing that both were in balance with each other.

The leggings meanwhile were simple, and just featured some kind of purple gems all the way down till they reached your armored greaves, whereupon they cut off in an orange line, making them look much like your breastplate, creating a seemingly random look, yet one that complimented itself, as you stood and flexed a bit in front of the mirror.

“So, how do you like it? I needed you to come here so I could get all the measurements just right,” said Frazzle Dazzle as she walked up to your side and looked into the mirror with you.

“It looks fantastic,” you say, still admiring yourself in the mirror, even spinning a bit so you could see the back.

“Thanks. Rarity was right, designing for bipeds is a bit different, but it was a lot of fun. I had to spend all night last night just thinking of what colors to use. Do you think they work?” she asked, running her hoof over your leggings to pull at a bit that had become bunched as you moved.

“Like I said, fantastic,” you repeat, and are rewarded with a bright smile.

“Good, now then, we’ve got to finish getting ready. Ms. Spitfire, Dashie, if you’ll come over here, I’ve got some nice dresses all done for you,” said Rarity, only for Spitfire to wave her off.

“I’m afraid we’re on guard duty for this one, so we’re going to have to decline,” she said, and Vinyl stepped up beside Rarity.

“Aw, get over yourself Spitcup. We know you’re supposed to be guarding tall, colorful, and weak here,” she said, pointing at you. “But he’s in the palace tonight, with probably no plans to leave, right?”

“None at all,” you agreed without hesitation.

“See, so he’s safe. That means you can unwind a bit, and enjoy a good party. They don’t throw these things just any time, right?” she asks, and Spitfire seems like she’s about to object, before turning instead to the Captain.

“Your best ponies are on duty tonight, right?” she asked, and the stallion nodded.

“The best, the worst, and everything in between. I’ve tried to layer them and weave them together to prevent any one part of our security from lacking. For tonight, at least, I think it’s safe to enjoy a party,” he told them, and you thought you could see Spitfire droop a bit, before smiling towards Rarity.

“Okay, let’s go,” she said, and Rarity clapped her forehooves together while laughing, she then pulled Dash and Spitfire through a door that Vinyl slammed shut behind her as she joined them.

“Excellent, and now for the other stallionfolk to get their stuff on,” said Frazzle, and she used her magic to drag out several dummies, which had some suits for Soarin, the Captain, the Professor, and even Rex, interestingly enough.

“Um, I’m not so sure about this,” said the Professor, but the Captain just let out a laugh, and used his magic to push the unicorn closer to his dummy. With a flash, the suit was now on him. It looked good on him too. No jewels on his suit, probably because they’d have clashed with the material used which already shimmered a bit, like one of those old Vegas show suits done with glitter. It was purple in color, much like his coat, and had gold lining on the sides, with a cape that was orange as his mane.

“Hmm, a bit tight on the flanks. Have you been getting into the pastries again?” asked the Captain with a chuckle, and DawnChaser looked at him sternly, before closing his eyes, and then glowing for a moment. When that moment passed, the Professor was a bit shorter, and the suit fit perfectly now.

“No, I’ve just been working out. Now, let’s see how you look, Captain,” he said in a playful voice, and this time the Captain was the one to flash. When it was over, he was wearing something that resembled the silver body suit beneath your armor, but in a gold color, and with a cape made of emeralds down the back, making him look like a shooting star, with a green glowing tail.

“Not bad. Fetching in fact. We might just find you a mare yet, though I think that face is a bit of a turn off,” said DawnChaser with a smirk, and the two then proceeded to slap at each other, before Soarin dove between them.

“Me next, do me next!” he shouted, and they stared at him for a moment, before using their magic in tandem to place the suit over his uniform. This one had a blue sky motif, with the main suit being blue, while little fluffy white clouds made of diamonds seemed to flow around it, probably a trick of magic, and a next one too.

“Awesome,” he said looking at himself in a mirror and posing, before everypony in the room turned to where Rex was sniffing at his own suit.

“No wear pony fru fru stuff,” he said, crossing his arms, closing his eyes, and then turning away from the suit. Frazzle’s expression drooped a bit at this, and you wondered if she might like the old dog, then banished the image that came to mind with that thought, as you walked over to him.

“Don’t think of it as pony fru fru, think of it as a uniform, you’re wearing for an infiltration mission. The goal is to pass yourself off as someone who’s supposed to be at one of these fancy pony parties,” you tell him, and that gets him to reopen one eye and look at you. He seems to be considering this for a moment, before turning around and grabbing the suit off the dummy, putting it on almost as fast as unicorn magic would have done.

“How look?” he asks, and you gaze at him up and down. His suit consists of a top hat, made of black obsidian, to offset his dark brown coat, and a vest that had stripes on it of alternating red and black, giving him a very slim look, compared to his normal one.

“You look like a dashing rogue, who swoops in, grabs the hostage from the bad guys, and then swoops out after getting a kiss,” you tell him, remembering the types of books he usually read. It had been a shock to find that the dog was an avid reader of fiction, which was one of the reasons he’d agreed to move in with the Professor. And you weren’t lying, after all. The vest and hat gave him a bit of flare, but on his ripped body it seemed like one of those disguises the hero wore in the old black and white movies to fool the bad guy so he could get close.

“Thank you, Frazzle,” says the dog, turning to where she was standing, and giving her a bow, which she tried to return, only to trip forward, and then somehow get tangled up in some yarn that had been lying at her hooves, getting a laugh from four shapes emerging from the door behind her. They were obviously the girls, who’d gone back, but even to a human eye, they were positively gorgeous now.

Vinyl wore something that appeared to be silver at first glance, but when she turned, it threw off rainbows in the light, giving her a weird, shifting pattern that you could swear looked just like a CD back home. She still wore her glasses, which were now framed by a hood of sorts, with her mane combed into it, making her look rather small, but also sharp.

Spitfire looked like a real fire ball now, decked out in rubies, topazes, and various other red and orange gems that gave her a visual that made her appear to really be on fire. This impression was only enhanced as she flapped her wings and took off, the dress flowing behind her like the tail of a comet, fluttering in the wind.

Rainbow Dash, interestingly enough, was wearing her old Gala outfit, but where it had been fabric before, her cape was now woven of the gem stone yarn that Frazzle favored. It changed the look of the outfit that, as Dash posed, threw off a rainbow of colors, making her look positively radiant as she strutted in front of the stallions.

“Wow, you look like real mares now,” says Soarin, looking at his squad mates, who stare at each other, and then turn dagger sharp gazes on the stallion.

“As opposed to what, Soarin?” asked Spitfire, with a bit of venom in her voice. Soarin, sensing his mistaken, began to babble a bit, until DawnChaser walked up and slapped him on the back.

“Oh come now, Mares, you both know Soarin sees you not as ponies, mare or otherwise, but as his squad mates. Like you’re part of him. It’s only natural that when you wear such…stunning dresses, he’d mention that you look not unlike the beautiful sculptures of old, whose beauty rivals that of the Princesses,” said DawnChaser, winking at you out of one eye. Not that either of the subjects of his charm bought that, they just looked at each other again, and shrugged.

“Fine, fine, now, don’t we need to start down?” asked Spitfire, and Rarity’s face, as she turned to a nearby clock, almost looked panicky, as she rushed towards the door.

“Oh Darlings, she’s right. Rainbow, human, hurry now, we have to get down to the ballroom,” she shouted over her shoulder, and you looked towards Dash, who then smirked at you, and shot off after the marshmallow mare, leaving a streak of light behind her.

“Heh, she’s never gonna let me forget that she’s faster than me now, is she?” you asked, and Spitfire chuckled while shaking her head.

“I very much doubt it. Though she’s right. The Heroes are the ones they’re throwing this shindig for, so we’d better get you to the ballroom, pronto,” said the Wonderbolt, Soarin and she following Dash as blurs of red and blue respectively.

“-sigh- I really need to get a tread mill,” you say to yourself, and then start after them, running down the corridor as fast as you can. This isn’t really all that fast, especially when compared to the ponies, as Vinyl, DawnChaser, and the Captain all pass you in seconds, though the latter two are gasping hard, it was obvious they would still hold out longer than you.

“Oh, yeah, go ahead and leave the bipeds be-hiiined!” your jib turns into a shout as you feel yourself getting picked up. Rex, with one arm, grabbed you, and set you on his shoulder, before hunching over and starting to run, quickly overtaking the unicorns, and passing them, giving you a moment to look back to see Frazzle waving at you from the door, before your course turned a corner, and she was out of sight.

The rush through the corridors actually takes a minute, and you wonder just how much you’ll need to work out to get the stamina to really make it through the palace, or just up to your old apartment. Thinking about that makes your mind wander to sleeping arrangements, as you’re pretty sure you shouldn’t sleep in the Princess’ beds again. Luckily, such thoughts are cut off as Rex lightly drops you, allowing you to land on your feet just as you reach the doors to the ballroom.

“Thanks, Rex,” you tell him, and the dog nods, before walking off with the Captain, and a Vinyl that looks to be turning gray as she gasps for breath. The Professor, meanwhile, seems chipper as ever, and is trying to get data from his canine apprentice about how much you weight, and various other things, before the trio vanish around the corner.

“That was nice of Mr. Rex. Now, let me just, straighten a few wrinkles,” says Rarity, and you feel her tugged at the jeweled fabric that now covers your armor, before declaring you presentable, and opening the door.

Instantly, you kind of wish she hadn’t done that, as you were now starting at ponies, dogs, griffons, and others, all kind of gathered around at tables, chatting. Well, they had been chatting, as the door opens, and admits you, as a similar door opens on the opposite side and admits the group of Luna, Applejack, and Fluttershy, both groups moving to meet a third that was Celestia, Twilight, and Pinkie Pie, all of you now standing at the top of the stairs, so everyone in the ballroom could stare at you.

Obviously, the other girls had picked up their outfits earlier, with each of them looking a lot like their Gala dresses, but with more jeweled yarn used in their construction, allowing each of the mares to shine in the light, as they met, the Princess apparently not needing the dresses, as they stood in their normal attire, smiling warmly at you all as you came together, and stood there.

“Ponies, friends, and allies, we are gathered here this evening, to celebrate the defeat of a great evil, and to pay tribute to those brave souls who fought long and hard to rid Equestria, and the world, of Discord’s Chaos,” said Celestia, stepping forward, and you could hear many voices rising in agreement with her words, and a few chimes as some of the more high class visitors, rapped their glasses lightly with silverware.

“It is Our greatest Honor to present to you, the Element Wielders, and the Human Warrior, and welcome them one and all, to the first annual Harmony Ball,” said the Sun Goddess, and then did the oddest thing you could think of. She bowed towards you. Not only her, but Luna, and everyone, pony, and all, bowed towards you and the Element Wielders, who had gaping expressions, obviously not having expected it either, as the festivities began.

Q & A(Chat with the Author)

Okay ladies, gentlemen, and others on the net, time for something I’ve wanted to do for a while. Since there are a few questions I keep getting asked, I’m going to do a quick FAQ in this part, and then a character list next, and then continue on with the story after that. This will be updated as I’m asked other questions I think you might have at this point in the story, or otherwise I would like to see answered myself. So, without farther ado, the questions.

1) Where did this story come from?

Well, in truth, it’s based off an interactive story on Writing.com started by Typhlofang, titled My Little Pony: FiM Shrink Interactive. Yes, it was a fetish story, and got me into writing this. No, the fetish part of this is no longer important, and is mostly downplayed, and used to create some situations for the human. However, as you might guess, this originally had no plan, and no story. In fact, originally, it ended with Octavia eating you inside a PB&J sandwich, and that was it. I liked writing it so much though, that I decided to keep it going, and I think I’ve done pretty well so far.

2) What was up with that golden cloud thingie in Chapter 27-29?

I thought I explained that pretty well, but I seem to have confused a few people, so I’ll just state it out and out here. The cloud was a leyline cross point between dimensions. Basically, it was a place where two dimensions touched enough for you to interact with another version of yourself from an alternate Equestria that suffers from Rule 63, meaning everyppony is the opposite gender. The pony with the other version of the human was male, but there is a reason for that, one that’s a spoiler, so no I’m not telling you.

3) How does the human’s power work?

Well, that’s complicated, and one I’ve tried to answer a few times. If you notice, the other version of himself tried to explain it, but then something happened. He tried to explain it to Dr. Whooves, and then something happened, and DawnChaser tried to explain it, and then something happened. In all three, I wasn’t planning on that stuff happening, so I think the story just doesn’t want me to explain it. Well nuts to that, here’s how his pow-*And then the Fire Nation attacked*

No, no it did not. I am explaining things, even if I have to drop kick Lord Sozin himself! *Proceeds to fight Fire Nation troops, wins, and gets to kiss June, the bounty hunter, because she’s awesome.*

Anyhow, the power is Flux, or Phenomena Fluctuation. Flux exists in deep space, and are places where reality is fluid, where all possibilities exist at once, and are caused by energy buildup in that section of space. In essence, it’s the power to do anything, so long as the energy to do it exists.

In specific, he has three powers, though to date, he’s only used two.

First, the Power to Create. If you think of reality as a big equation, with numbers shifting, then this is the power to add numbers to your side. For instance, he wants to possess Voltron’s sword, he just needs to envision it, and then add the power that’s shaped by his desire to his equation. While he’s holding it inside his field, the Power to Create maintains it, but when he lets go, the universe finally notices the extra numbers, and nullifies them, by spreading them around to rebalance the equation, which is why they seem to pop the way they do. The energy inherent in their creation is literally being spread around, it’s also why they leave little dots of light behind when they pop.

For those curious, the energy attacks don’t have the same thing happen because there’s much less energy in them. The power of a blast of magic, is much less than that contained in a magic sword, plus the universe hates the breaking of the law of conservation of mass. Still the closer the object he’s making to reality is, the easier it becomes. Which is why magic weapons and armor are easy, but he had to focus so hard to create mecha(It becomes easier once already made once, because the possibility of the object existing is closer to normal)

Second, the Power to Change. This is probably quite a bit scarier, but is one of his abilities. If the above is him just adding to his side of the equation, this is more adding to both sides of it, so that the universe accepts the new numbers. This can do things like the Plant Growth spell, which he altered the way the universe worked for a few hours to allow the plants to grow like that, which is why there was no magic present for the Professor or the Princess to sense, because it was literally the universe working as it should, at least for that moment. It can also allow him to overlay the Alchemy physics of Full Metal Alchemist to allow him to do things he sees there. Mind, the lightning effect electrolyzed all the water on his skin, and inside the open parts of his body, like his throat, nose, and ears. It’s why he was smoking when it ended.

Now, this one is scary because, if done perfectly, so that the equation balances, the change will be retroactive. As an example, say he wants a wall to be green, and makes it so with this aspect of his power, then everypony will remember it as being green, even if that makes no sense. It’s harder to achieve this effect than creation, but the closer the change is, the easier it is to make the change work, and the easier it is to make the equation balance perfectly, making the change retroactive.

Third, the Power to Destroy. The most horrifying of his powers, as this one is completely retroactive. Think of this as adding negative numbers to both sides, until both sides of the equation are zero. Though it can’t actually change history, the perception of history will have been altered, to make it so that no one questions why something happened differently. To continue with the wall example above, it will cease to exist at all, and though there’s now nothing there, and the structure is less stable, no one will question why there’s no wall there, and may even make excuses for this fact.

If you’re already thinking about this, then I’ll answer this, yes, the Princesses, Discord, and other ‘God’ Level beings would be aware of the change, because their perception of reality is bigger than a mortal, and so they can actually see the Zero, where others wouldn’t. Still, even they might forget details. Just think if he used this on Twilight, or anypony else he doesn’t like.

The good news, I don’t think the human is evil enough to use this power, or that he’s even aware of it. Better than that, this requires the most energy of them all, and is thus, the hardest to use. Even better than that, I’m a happy writer, and barring that Discord bit, don’t plan on having grim dark in this story. If you’re wondering about the bad news…well, you’ll just have to keep wondering.

4) Why is Discord so different in this fic compared to others?

I really was surprised with the number of people who asked me this one, especially since this one is an interpretation thing. Still, since it’s been asked, I’ll answer this by listing out the versions I’ve seen, and what I think the reasons there are behind them. Some of them are based off the VA, Mr De Lancee, who played Q in the modern Star Trek, but what most forget is he evolved over the course of his existence, and even he can be interpreted differently, depending on the episode and your own prejudices about the character. Anyway, Discord.

The Fun Loving Trickster. This one is based off him always laughing, always smiling, and seemingly just enjoying the joke that is life. He doesn’t seem to notice that his jokes harm others, and the people who believe this one will say he’s just misunderstood. Myself…well, remember those windows we saw? Remember how, for the most part, they were literal scenes we’d seen before, like the Six blasting Nightmare? Now remember that Discord’s got a picture of him holding three ponies over open flames by puppet strings…yeah, not fun.

The Spurned Lover Out For Revenge. This one depends on how you interpret his lines to Celestia, and I must admit, there does seem to be something there. However, rewatching the scene, I think he was just playing with her myself, using the lines like that to make her mad, rather than really feeling anything.

The God of Evil. This one is the one I obviously take away. Think about it, really. It’s obvious that if he’d wanted to, he could have just killed the ponies at the beginning, given how easily he manipulates them, but he didn’t. He wanted to break them, to turn them against themselves, and then laugh at their misery. He mind raped the first five, solely to make the sixth a miserable wreck. That’s evil, in no uncertain terms, and that’s the Discord I see.

Worse, as I stated, the events of Progress are somewhat canon here, because he claims Luna sent him to the bottom of the World of Dreams, where every day passes like it was a year. She put him in the worst possible position, as even when he was statue, and Luna was on the moon, the two were at least aware of the world around them. Now though? He was completely cut off, for hundreds of years(He’d been stone for over a year, though how much over I’m not saying), only having himself and his own imaginings to talk to. If he weren’t evil when he went in, he was crazy when he came out.

5) You mention other fics as canon with yours, why is that? Are you just a hack who steals others ideas?

Indeed I am. Though in reality, it’s just, when this was thought up, those were the fics I read, and enjoyed, and as this was going to be just a fetish story, I was going to include elements of them in the fic itself. It ended up growing beyond that, but since I still enjoyed them, I kept those elements in, rather than trying to retcon them. For those curious, the fics involved in this one are…
Progress, up till the part where she seals Discord, at that point, the timeline diverges, mostly because in this interpretation, after that, she started to take on the full duties of the Princess of the Night, including taking her own Court.
Vinyl Scratch Tapes, these I found as a single audio drama on Youtube, and recommend them all. However, the second season came out while I was writing my fic, and it went in a completely different direction with Trixie than I needed, so again, this one diverges a bit, after season 1, Vinyl tried some booster for her equipment, and it burned down the studio. BTW, this does mean there’s radio and even telephones in Equestria. That might or might not be important.

6) How does Discord withstand the Elements of Harmony?

I thought this was obvious, but since I did get this question, I’ll say it’s because his first barrier, the one that blocked the Vector Cannon, refracted energy, and that, to my eyes, is what the Elements of Harmony are, pure energy. Good energy, yes, that doesn’t destroy, but changes for the better, but still, energy. He appeared to be stone using his own powers just to mess with the ponies, since that’s the kind of guy he is.

7) How did the human take away Discord’s powers?

Mostly because he’s a human, and the ponies are ponies. Originally, Discord was sealed in stone because neither Celestia nor Luna were willing to kill(I doubt the Elements would even work for someone with Killing Intent), and so they couldn’t do it. When Twilight and her friends used them, they knew that he would be sealed in stone, so even if FlutteRage had taken over, this was what they imagined would happen.

The human, in the meantime, was aware that sealing him in stone was just a temporary band aid on this particular wound in the world of Equestria, and he would need a more permanent solution. He’s also not willing to kill, but since he knew the Elements could remove evil, in the same way they shattered Nightmare Moon from around Luna, he figured if he got them inside, where Discord’s evil power lay, it would nullify them. It worked, and he’s darn lucky it did.

8) Why hasn’t Octavia tried to use the human as a sex toy yet?

This one is usually phrased differently, mostly in the variant of why I haven’t had them have sex, with the asker forgetting about the size diff, but the point stands. Until he got big, he couldn’t have been anything other than a toy for her, and now that he is big, it still won’t happen, because it stopped being that type of fic a long time ago. You want clop, it’s on the net, this one has become a human in Equestria story, and I think a darn good one.

9) How did the human use the Element like that?”

Essentially, he used Change to alter them so they worked through his blade weapon, but only after taking their power, and their potential into himself. In doing so, he saw the history of them, and understood them better, allowing him to make the best use of them. They cannot be used in anger, they can only be used to help, and at that moment, helping everyone meant taking away Discord’s ability to hurt them, forever.

10) Why so many OCs? Also, how many of them are yours?

Originally, I’d intended the action of the fic to take place in Ponyville, but thinking on it, the Princesses would be more important to the overall plot than anypony else, so I changed that. Doing so meant the Mane Six were kind of not going to be available all the time, and since I wanted my OC in the story, I decided to add him, then moved the fic to Canterlot.

I did try to keep the Six in the fic as main characters, but…it’s hard to get them to act out the roles I needed. So I dropped them, and added ones who would, a mentor figure in the Captain, a researcher in the Professor, and the Doctor to a degree, and some fun pals in Vinyl and Octavia. Overall, I’m happy with them, and enjoy them.

Some of the OCs aren’t mine though, here’s a list of the cameo’s so far.

DawnChaser: My personal OC, and my presence in the story. When I need to alter a scene, I put him in and take full control.
Frazzle Dazzle: My girlfriend’s OC, and basically a fun loving girl who works with yarn made from gemstones. I thought that since she does crochet and gem wouldn’t make good thread, but would make good yarn, she would be interesting.
Deasly: He belongs to a user of the same name. The guy who inspired me to write my own stuff, and a lot of fun besides. Notice he’s usually the voice of reason.
Tailfire: Typhlofang’s pony. He was the one who made the interactive of which this was originally a part, and asked for a cameo. I didn’t want to say no, and I even got to name him, and basically make his personality from scratch, since he had no fic presence, just some vore comics that Typhlofang had had made with him.
Pyro: The Pyro King’s pony. A user on FiMFiction who asked, and then did a chapter based off one of mine that I liked, so I decided why not. He’s actually been a lot of fun to play with, so I don’t regret the decision at all.
Everypony else: Mine, from the Captain, to Rex, to Diamond Eye. All mine, and thus, my toys to play with.

11) Can I have a cameo?

Well…um, if you ask nice, maybe? I did leave the positions of apprentices open(Notice that three of the four so far are in that group, to keep them all together), so I can add. Just don’t expect huge roles out of this. Still, if you want, ask, the worst I can say is Clatu Berata Nicto. And heck, fresh blood is always fun, so more often I’ll say yes, though you should have at least some idea of the pony, how he/she acts, and looks, and their history and Cutie Mark.

That’s it for the Q and A today, if you have anymore questions, comment, PM, or ask for my email, and if I think it’s a question a few people might have, I’ll update the FAQ. Next, a character list.

Character List

I will update this as I move the story along. Currently, it mostly contains main characters, as well as OC's that I'm using so everyone can get to know them a little better. Anyway, the list.

Ponies not Aligned with the Professor

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Name: Octavia

Species: Earth Pony

Cutie Mark: A purple treble clef

Coat Color: Ash Gray

Mane Color: Dark Grey

Special Talent: Music. Octavia is a prodigy of music, and with any stringed instrument, from the Cello to the Viola, she’s a master.

Personality: A bit snooty, according to Vinyl, but that’s a perfect fit for the Canterlot elite with whom she was raised. Still, she does have a soft side, and is probably the kindest pony next to Fluttershy.

Bio: Octavia is the second born of a second born family of Canterlot Elite, and as such, was never one very noticeable to her family as a whole. Mostly she seemed to always blend into the background, and never tried to stand out. She even attended a public school, which was the scandal of her parents’ life, which they avoided talking to others about it.

Not that she was happy there herself, with many of the young ponies picking on her for being elite without the trappings of one. In an effort to gain a weapon, the young filly joined the strings group of her school, figuring she could hit some of the worst offenders with her new cello, which she’d picked solely for its size.

After a particularly devastating performance, during which she’d blown a major solo, her interest in the instrument peaked, and within a few weeks of practice, it was obvious that she had a talent for music when she tried, which led to her soon being first chair in the strings section of her school, able to play any instrument she chose.

Such talent brought her acclaim, and a position in an ensemble that played only for the elites, leading to a fateful night at the Grand Galloping Gala, where a certain pink pony convinced her to lead her band in an old foal’s song, which, in turn got Celestia to ask her to take part in a certain project she was putting together involving a new invention called radio.

What followed was her relationship with Vinyl, which is one of a reluctant comrade, who tries to inject reason into Vinyl’s madness, fails, and then just laughs at the results. She’s a true friend to the pop pony, though, and would never think of betraying her trust. In turn, Vinyl has proven that she’ll always have Octavia’s back, even if she sometimes sets fire to their place of business.

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Name: Vinyl Scratch(A.K.A: DJ Pon-3)

Species: Unicorn Pony

Cutie Mark: Musical Note(Backwards double quaver)

Coat Color: White

Mane Color: Blue with a slightly whiter streak down the middle she swears is natural.

Special Talent: Music of the modern variety. She’s a pop pony, and a common sight at raves, as well as the best disk jockey Equestria has ever known(The fact that that list is only seven names long does not deter her)

Personality: Outgoing, would be how she describes herself. Insane, self-destructive, and sometimes just plain evil is how Octavia describes her. The human would say she’s a blast to party with, even if she needs to learn to when shut her mouth.

Bio: Vinyl has always been wild. From the first day of school, when she somehow got her whole class in detention, to her middle school, where a certain event ended with police, firefighters, and a small wing of Wonderbolts stopping by. Still, she never really hurt anypony, and for the most part, her rebellions were merely words, rather than ones of violence, save an incident here and there.

Her earliest, and really only true friend until Octavia was Spitfire. Yes, the current Captain of the Wonderbolts, the glorious symbol of the monarchy is best friends with the very incarnation of chaos and dysfunction herself. Still, the two are close friends, and Spitfire will always have Vinyl’s back in the worst situations.

It was some of this dysfunction that caused the young Vinyl to discover her passion for music, specifically the discs, which when she moved them while playing, causing new sounds to be produced. She soon become Equestria’s first Disc Jockey, to be followed by many more who were impressed with what she did.

One of those she impressed turned out to be Celestia, who called her in for a performance, and then offered Vinyl a position at K-Colt, Equestria’s first radio station. This would end up being Vinyl’s defining role for her career, getting guests from the far corners of her nation, from the Princesses, to the paupers, and everything in between, with her ever faithful co-host, Octavia always at her side.

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Name: Spitfire

Species: Pegasus Pony

Cutie Mark: A lightning bolt made of fire

Coat Color: Yellow

Mane Color: Yellow with orange lining, makes her look like she’s on fire, no matter what angle you look at her from.

Special Talent: Flying, both with speed and precision, as well as raw power. Last recorded Wing Power was high twenties, with her claiming during missions she can push it to mid-thirties.

Personality: Brash, but tempered with the wisdom that comes from being a leader in any group she's in, she’s everything the Princess looks for in a Wonderbolt. She’ll be the first to jump into a fight if time is of the essence, but otherwise will try and study a situation first, to determine the best way to work something out.

Bio: From a young age, it was obvious that the young pegasus was going to be a Wonderbolt. Even before the usual training at Cloudsdale, she was a talented flier, buzzing around even other adult pegasi, and constantly impressing her friends, including a young Vinyl Scratch, who was the one to see her off to the young fliers training.

It was during training that Spitfire learned the most important lesson of her life, because after her sixth week, she was called home when Vinyl had hurt herself trying to fly like her friend, and Spitfire was shown that she had an impact on others’ lives, and she had darn well make it a good one. That drive to make everypony around her the best they could be got her noticed, and tapped to be a Bolt.

Many years on the force, she developed into the best of the best, and led the Elite Squad in some daring maneuvers, including saving a town from a raging beast once. During said monster vanquishing, the Wonderbolt encountered the Professor for the first time, and due to events that involve a bar, and an amount of liquor that would have killed a horse, the two ended up in a short relationship.

Currently, she holds the rank of Captain, in the Wonderbolts, which means she commands her own squad, and is only two ranks from the top, a position she does not ever intend on going for, as it prevents her from doing what she loves, flying. She is first among the Princesses’ Elites though, and usually selected for dangerous tasks, be they protecting a population from monsters, or from one particular purple unicorn.

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Name: Glimmer Strike, referred to as ‘The Captain’

Species: Earth Pony

Cutie Mark: A flash of light, basically a star shape that glows gold slightly

Coat Color: Natural color is rust red, almost brown, though he’s often wearing the Armor that changes him to ebony black as a unicorn, or ivory white as a pegasus.

Mane Color: Same as Coat

Special Talent: He’s a fighter, and he was born as one. His cutie mark shows that he’s quick on the uptake, and that his mind moves like a flash of light, quickly taking in all the details, and then coming up with a plan. It’s this ability, to think quickly, that gave him his position as Captain of the Guard.

Personality: A bit rough around the edges, he’s mostly a good pony, and knows the laws, both those of Equestria and other nations he’s visited while guarding Princess Celestia. He’s a fair stallion, but has opinions that sometimes differ from his liege ladies, which he’ll give voice to, but never act on if they’ve decided otherwise.

Bio: He was born the third child in a family of five, making him the youngest of the bunch. The other two, the oldest a unicorn mare and the middle another male earth pony, who were five years, and two years older than him respectively. Their parents, a famous Royal Guard Mare, and a simple unicorn smith, were happy as any parent could be. However, since Royal Guards could only be Earth Ponies, due to their armor, the mother tended to force the two boys to be like her, while the smith tended to push the daughter to be like him, each showing their children the way of their craft.

The made it all the harder to take when the unicorn mare turned to dance instead of the forge, taking up life as a moderately famous dancer, and one of the colts took to the forge. Still, the parents, despite pushing, were happy to see their children grow into their talents, and they both worked to shape them into fine ponies, with the sons soon taking positions at the palace, while the daughter was on the road, showing her moves to ponies and others all over the land, with many saying she would become a star in a few years.

Sadly, that destiny, along with three lives, was cut short when some Belkan’s, lizards who lived in the north, attacked the village where they were staying. The smith and guard used their crafts well, despite advancing age, and with assistance from their daughter and her quick movements, were able to ensure that everypony got to safety, and slayed all the attackers, wiping the clan from the world. Unfortunately, they had taken many cutes, and the lizards tended to poison their weapons.

Today, they’re buried in the Royal Cemetery, with the brothers visiting their graves once a month, both to meet with each other, and to see that their rest goes undisturbed.

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Name: Silver Hammer

Species: Earth Pony

Cutie Mark: A Silver Hammer

Coat Color: Dull white

Mane Color: Ash gray

Special Talent: He’s a master smith, able to forge almost anything made of any material in the heat of his forge. Even things that need to be made using magic are not above his skill, though obviously he needs help with the actual spell casting.

Personality: A stallion of short words, and a gruff voice. Still, he’s not nearly as mean as his exterior makes him seem. He’s married to the flames of his work though, and can rarely be seen away from the forge.

Bio: The brother to Glimmer Strike, Silver Hammer knew from a young age that he was destined for the forge of his father, rather than the field of battle of his mother. Not that she realized this, and it took him many tries to convince her that his hammer was destined to create, rather than to destroy. He did eventually make it clear to her. Once she saw that making weapons and tools made him happy though, she threw her support behind him one hundred and twenty percent.

Which made it all the harder for the master smith when his mother, father, and older sister was taken from him. Not that you’ll hear him talk of it much. Like his brother, this is merely a single event that helps to shape the pony he is, nothing more. It doesn’t even make him mad at the Belkans anymore, as the tribe that did the deed is completely extinct, and he knows his father would not like him to hold that grudge. So he forges ahead, to make the thing that keep ponies safe.

OoOoO
Name: Frazzle Dazzle

Species: Unicorn Pony

Cutie Mark: A ball of yarn made of gemstones with a crotchet needle in it

Coat Color: Light Blue

Mane Color: Light Purple

Special Talent: A master of yarn craft, can make you anything from an outfit, to a toy, to a simple decoration for your home.

Personality: Flighty is the best word to describe this unicorn. Her thoughts don’t tend to travel in a straight line, and even when they do, one can sometimes find oneself getting off at random stations on the trip. Still, she’s a good mare at heart, and never purposefully does anything to hurt another’s feelings, and just tries to have fun.

Bio: She’s lived in Canterlot all her life, and learned her skills in her family shop. Beyond that, she’s done nothing, just crotchet and play with friends, which did include a certain purple unicorn filly, whom her father gifted with a smarty pants doll, but she barely remembers that, since she actually had a lot of friends back when she was younger. After she found her talent spell though, which allowed her to turn gems from simple accessories, into the yarn out of which she could make things, she’s thrown herself into her work.

Older now, and in charge of the shop due to her parents passing, she’s well adjusted, and enjoys her work. She’s also banned from every bar in Canterlot due to an attempt while drunk to cover the castle in yarn that took over four days to clean up completely. The Princess(Luna was still away at the time) was quite amused by her antics, and actually paid the unicorn for her efforts, before issuing the above decree that prevents a repeat performance.

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Name: Applebee

Species: Earth Pony

Cutie Mark: A stack of bits

Coat Color: Lime Green

Mane Color: Same as Coat

Special Talent: Numbers, specifically, the number of bits in a bank. She’s always had a head for business, and with that, she can do many a trick to keep things in balance.

Personality: Described as stingy by most ponies, a trait she freely admits too, seeing it as a skill, she’s a bit tight where money’s concerned, and to her, money concerns everything.

Bio: Lord Chamberlain, due to the fact the position generally went to a male pony, for at least the last ten years, not much is known about her history. She doesn’t discuss it, nor does she seem to have any stories to tell. For her, the present is all that matters, and that present is making sure the Princesses’ money isn’t wasted.

She is still the best organizer in the business though, and is one of many reasons why she hasn’t been given the boot for being rude, or offering suggestions that are just this side of being evil. Her ability to keep the affairs of the kingdom straight is unmatched, and she’s usually the one overseeing decisions made by the Princesses, from high level appointments, to goods shipping between areas.

DawnChaser and his Apprentices

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Name: DawnChaser

Species: Unicorn

Cutie Mark: A book with gibberish writing in it, slightly yellowed pages, brown cover, and a built in red book mark.

Coat Color: Dark Purple

Mane Color: Bright Orange

Special Talent: Eidetic Memory, if he reads it, he remembers it.

Personality: Described as flighty by most, he’s always taking in the details of the world, and tends to leap forward in his though train a bit faster than other ponies. He’s a good natured stallion though, and will help out when it’s required, and it doesn’t interfere with his research.

Bio: The only colt to a pegasus pony weather warden and an earth pony house wife, he’s what one would call, the weird spawned of average. He earned his name by always reaching towards the rising sun in the morning, causing his mother to say he was always chasing the dawn, which amused his father enough to make it his name.

Still, a name isn’t everything, and it was discovered that the little unicorn had almost no actual magical ability. Probably a result of having no known unicorn relatives, meaning his magic blood was too thin to be a great one. Not that that stopped the little guy, who, when he was being tutored in magic by a family friend, often did things that surprised the tutor.

It was this lateral method of thinking about magic that resulted in him taking a test normally reserved only for those with a lot of potential, that being the test to get into Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. He passed all the tests, from levitation to knowledge with ease, due to his memory, and then was confronted with the worst of the lot, hatching a phoenix egg.

This was usually the make or break test, and one that few of the foals could ever pass, to weed out those who couldn’t make the grade at the school itself, and it was believed, by both testers and even his parents, that he couldn’t pass. Rather than use a huge burst of magic to hatch the egg though, which was the ‘correct’ answer, he layered smaller spells on it, and got the bird to come out of her shell.

Celestia, who’d been passing thru, was actually impressed with his ingenuity, and told the exam unicorns to pass him, allowing the young DawnChaser to not only meet the one who brought the dawn, but to enter an environment that would push him to his limits, and later, to earn his cutie mark during a crazy weekend of studying which showed him his talent was reading.

It’s also here that he met his mentor, Star Light, a unicorn of great power, who saw the potential in the little colt’s way of building spells. The two eventually became close, and when his father passed, and he saw his mother starting to slip into depression, DawnChaser pushed his mentor and mother together, eventually resulting in the pair marrying.

Later, as he gained a position among the Magisters, the unicorn counterpoint to the Wonderbolts, his mother gave birth to a foal, named Trixie, who took her father’s last name of Lulamoon, and went on to show she took after him in magical potential too, far outstripping her older brother several times even as a child.

The siblings developed a rivalry from there, each trying to come up with the best trick, which in turn led to DawnChaser becoming a researcher of anything magical. Normally a younger Magister was required to work alone, with only the older ones given apprentices, but at Star Light’s insistence, his step son was granted the right, and soon he was granted the right to take on more than one, when just having a single apprentice allowed him to develop a new spell in weeks, a process that normally took months, if not years.

Since that time, he’s taken on many as his ‘apprentices’ most not even unicorns, some not even ponies, but all willing to learn from the stallion, some even willing to teach him something new, as his drive to be the best pushed him farther, creating spells like a cloning one, that made a perfect duplicate of a unicorn, or one that caused facial hair growth.

It was around this time that his mother, and in a few months his step farther, passed. The event only hardened his resolve to be the best, rather than making him down, as he had Star Light’s final words to set himself the largest goal in Equestrian history, to overthrow the Princess(Soon to be Princesses), and take control of the nation, and the sky, for himself.

Rather than be silent about this goal, he actually walked up to Celestia, and declared his intent. He was not the first unicorn to do so, and the Princess actually found it rather nice of him to tell her, before he did the thing she expected least from somepony who wanted to oust her from power. He asked her advice on how to accomplish the task.

Now, Celestia was an immortal alicorn, and had seen much in her life, but a pony with DawnChaser’s skill, simply using a revolution against a goddess as a marker of his skill, rather than for power, was a first, and it amused her so much that she actually detailed the steps he would need to take, helping him come up with plans, and even helping him to word the contracts he would have his minions sign, some of which basically told the signatories to support him, if he ever succeeded in his goal.

Thus is the story of DawnChaser, a pony with a big goal, a bit of an odd head, and a lot of heart, always taking time to explain to his apprentices any question they might have, and helping out where he can. Mind, he’s still flighty, and tends to create as many problems as he helps solve, but few ponies end up hurt when he’s around, and that counts for something.

OoOoO
Name: Deasly

Species: Unicorn

Cutie Mark: A series of three pony silhouettes, at three sizes, with the smallest being black, the largest being gray, and the middle one being in between.

Special Talent: A spell that allows him to shrink himself, and others as well so long as they have a natural magic field. His spell never wears off, and must be removed by the unicorn himself, but he can feel those under the influence of the spell, and it provides some protection against the various circumstances one might find themselves in at reduced size. Including, but not limited to: Acids, Bases, Pressure (From being stepped on or otherwise crushed), Heat, Cold, and Electricity.

Personality: His talent has always been for the details, and he’s actually very good at seeing the little things most ponies would miss. This makes him a great organizer, and he has the eye of an artist, able to reproduce images almost perfectly in his sketch pad, which he carries around with him everywhere.

Bio: A pony born to an old house, his entrance into the Magisters has been planned since the day he was born. From an early age he was trained in the ways of magic, going over every little detail of many a spell, and working late nights. Perhaps that is what led to his talent of shrinking so he could get closer and work out the details. Though many of his family members see the spell as a bit of an oddity, others within the Magisters saw it as an opportunity.

So it was that fresh out of the School for Gifted Unicorns that he was rushed towards Manehatten, and introduced to an eccentric instructor named DawnChaser. Knowing the unicorn professor by reputation, Deasly was apprehensive about working with him, but within a week of studying him, DawnChaser was able to replicate his spell, and a month after that, had worked out a growth spell, which impressed the stallion enough to stick with him.

He’s since become one of DawnChaser’s regular companions, as his version of the shrink spell offers protections that had led to the good Professor acting just a little recklessly. While Deasly does sometimes mind getting put in danger, or getting eaten, stepped on, or any number of other things, he has to admit he learns a lot from his mentor, more than he’d learn from a class or any dusty old tome in a library.

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Name: Tailfire

Species: Earth Pony

Cutie Mark: A Pony’s head, with a tiny pony in its mouth.

Coat Color: Yellow

Mane Color: Interestingly enough, his head is dark blue, but his tail is like his aunt Spitfire’s, with yellow center and orange outline, with the orange always on the edge no matter what angle you look at it from.

Special Talent: An earth pony born to a family of pegasi, he’s always been the odd pony out of most things. At least, until his talent was discovered, and they shipped him off to school to learn how to make the best use of it. His talent would lend itself well to a doctor…in that his talent is getting eaten. No, seriously, it’s his talent. He discovered it while adventuring in the woods one day, thanks to a dragon. Not that he’s thrilled with the talent, but it has led him to an interesting life, mostly as a medic, and as a study of all things biology.

Personality: A bit shy, or rather, reserved, which is not too odd considering his family is mostly showponies, including his father’s sister, Spitfire, current Captain of the Wonderbolts. Tailfire is most happy when he’s on his own, perfecting his knowledge of biology, and learning new things about the way living things work.

Bio: His early life is not something he talks about, probably because, being an Earth Pony in a pegasus family wasn’t easy. However, his talent made it especially hard, as it was such an odd thing that even he couldn’t see its use at first. That was until he realized that his trip through the dragon(As well as a hydra, a giant minotaur, and a duck…don’t ask), gave him a level of knowledge of the inner workings of living things that usually only came from years of study.

This would later lead to him getting tapped to join an interesting group, which included ponies of all three types, as well as a dog and a zebra among others, all working under a unicorn who was, to put it bluntly, completely bonkers. Still, he helped farther the earth pony’s knowledge of all things biological, and gave him an opportunity to not just learn, but to use what he’d learned for the good of all, including an outbreak of fever in zebra country he helped cure, and an infestation in the Tall Grass plains among the dogs.

OoOoO
Name: Pyromancer

Species: Alicron(Believed to be pegasus by all but DawnChaser and the Princesses)

Cutie Mark: Unknown, he never leaves the fire containment suit he wears.

Coat Color: Unknown, See Above

Mane Color: Unknown, See Above

Personality: At first glance, he’s a pyromaniac, in love with fire, and always seeming to be just this side of crazy, but in reality, it was a façade. He was, in truth, quite shy, and anypony approaching him tends to send him into stuttering fits.

Bio: Celestia’s colt…sort of. It’s a long story that involves planetary alignments, a shooting star, and more magic than Twilight could even understand, but suffice it to say Celestia and he are related closely. He’s actually the Alicorn of Fire, and wears at all times a special suit designed to contain his flames, lest they burn out of control and torch several acres of his ‘mother’s’ domain.

His age is something even he’s not sure of, as he has periods of long sleep, which Celestia claims is normal for a growing Alicorn, their powers needing to be replenished, a process that took at least decades. Still, he knows he’s been around for at least one hundred years, remembering the nine-hundredth-annual Summer Sun Celebration.

Celestia, for most of his life, has sheltered the colt, knowing that most would never accept him, and even if they did, it would only take one surge of emotion to cause a problem. Then she met DawnChaser, and after explaining what Pyromancer was to her, and asking him to take the young godling under his horn, she waved goodbye to him, as he learned in a few short years to do things she’d been trying to teach him for centuries.

Then an accident happened, it was nopony’s fault, but still, she was a mother who had to banish her child for a year and a half, and suffice it to say, made DawnChaser wish he’d gotten off as easily. Still, the unicorn made up for it, making sure to either have the alicorn near him, or otherwise visit him in his banishment retreat, and even lobby for his sentence to be reduced, something a big event might allow, such as the need to study some strange magic, with an Alicorn present to contain it if it got out of control.

Dancing the Night Away

The evening wore on, and you sat at your table, sipping at what you thought was a beverage of some slight alcohol content, or at least it tasted like it had a bit in it, and watched as the others danced to the lovely sounds of Octavia’s ensemble and Fluttershy’s birds, the two sounds complimenting, rather than competing with each other to create a melodious sound that seemed to fill every corner of the room like a soft blanket.

That first bit at the beginning had been really surprising, but after the bow, the sisters had risen, and then begun talking to the various dignitaries who were attending the ball, allowing the girls to go with their dates, while you, not really having had time since waking up to find one, to saunter over to a seat, and then watch the dance of all the various species and things, wondering idly if you should just quietly bow out and head to your room.

Your thoughts on escape seemed to have attracted a crowd of apprentices, as Rex, after chatting with some dog you didn’t know, had come over and plopped down into the seat next to you, soon followed by Pyro, Deasly, and Tailfire, the first having not been able to find a date, and the other two claiming not to be interested in parties like this. Heck, Deasly suggested that with a bit of his magic they could sneak into the kitchen and raid the larder, a plan you were tempted by, but decided against when you got a glance from DawnChaser.

DawnChaser, as it turned out, had asked Spitfire to the ball, but been shot down before by her need to be your guard. With that burden lifted though, she was currently tearing up the dance floor, the Professor’s cape fluttering around them as the spin, dipped, and twirled about the other dancers, the purple unicorn usually sneaking a kiss here and there, as he moved with a grace that actually surprised you.

Some of the Six had apparently had time to find dates themselves, with Rainbow Dash and Soarin both being a rather interesting couple, the rainbow and sky theme working well between them to create quite the scene. It was helped by the pair sometimes taking off into the air and then doing a dip twirl you remember working on with them during some of the Wonderbolt’s practice times, finishing up with Rainbow catching Soarin, and then the two kissing.

Fluttershy, blushing so she was almost as red as her date, danced with Big Mac, the pair quite the good couple, with her seeming positively tiny when compared to the massive stallion. Still, he proved that he was actually light on his hooves, gently taking her through the motions of each step, which only seemed to make the crème colored pegasus turn a deeper shade of red.

Applejack, meanwhile, was dancing with a pony you recognized as Caramel, a work horse who sometimes hung out on the farm. You’d only gotten to talk to him once, when he’d been with Big Mac and AJ during a delivery to Canterlot about three weeks ago, but he seemed nice, and he was blushing almost as furiously as Fluttershy as AJ took the lead position in their couple, spinning him around, and then whipping him back and forth.

Rarity and Pinkie Pie both seemed to have the same idea, and danced with more than one stallion this evening, though where Rarity took her time, fluttering her eyelashes at each one, and probably fluttering with them from her expression, Pinkie took several at once. The party pony also didn’t seem to be dancing in the traditional sense, given the way she kind of led them all through motions, including something that looked like the Macarena you’d done for her earlier.

Twilight had no date, but was obviously enjoying herself despite that, standing with Celestia, and chatting with her mentor, who was enjoying a few small cakes, while Luna sat beside her, making the occasional comment that you couldn’t hear, but was obviously pretty funny as it got all three laughing. Oddly, you thought that you saw her eye flicker over to you sometimes, and then towards the DJ booth that Vinyl was sitting in, looking bored. You dismissed that thought though, as Octavia’s ensemble finished, and you rose to give her some applause, along with the rest of the guests.

“I believe that’s our cue, gentlestallions…and dog,” said Deasly, and suddenly you feel not just his magic, but a hoof, a paw, and a bit of fire in your pants pushing you up out of your seat, to stumble onto your feet.

“What’re you guys doing?!” you demand in a shouted whisper, but none of them say anything, just motioning for you to turn around, and when you do, you find that somehow Octavia had not only come down onto the dance floor, but was wearing a dress that was made of diamonds, with onyx decorating it, turning her into a walking bit of sheet music. A quick look at her face told you she was just as surprised as you were, and made her look towards where the Princesses sat, while you look back towards the boys.

“And now, stallions, mares, and anyone else out there, can I direct your attention to a very special pair this evening?” said Vinyl’s voice through some overhead speakers, and with a dull clack, an overhead spotlight was shining down on the two of you, making it impossible for either of you to see anything but each other.

“And while it’s not my thing, I think this lovely little scene could use some mood music, don’t you?” asked the voice from on high, and you heard a very familiar song start up, one from your childhood, that actually made you smile a bit, and step forward, offering your hand to Octavia.

“We kill them all after this. Something involving Pyro’s fire burning them all, then him and Celestia frozen in a block of ice that we smash with a hammer,” you tell her, to which she enthusiastically nods, setting her hoof into your hand, as you then place your free hand on her flank, and feel her other hoof on your waist.

“Agreed. Though I must admit, I like this song,” she said, and you suddenly remembering playing this one, along with a few other Disney songs on the show once. Still, it made for an interesting time as you danced, and ‘Can You Feel the Love Tonight’ played overhead. This version being the one from the move itself, so it contained the lines, which you gently whisper to her.

“So many things to tell you, but how to make you see, the truth about my feelings, impossible, I can’t offer you more than me,” you say, and you can feel her skin go hot as she blushes.

“You’re holding back you’re hiding, but why, I can’t understand. Why won’t you be the man I know you are, the man I see inside?” she responds, and you wink, before spinning her up and around, holding her beneath her forelegs, and then bringing her back down. You two then twirled and whipped about, as the song built up, before finally starting to slow down, your heads coming together, and before you really understood what it was you were doing, you find your lips meeting hers.

“It’s about Princess forsaken time,” came a whisper over the loud speaker, Vinyl having been leaning a little too close to the mic when she said it. She didn’t even seem to realize it though, as you both looked around as the light faded, and found a round of applause coming from all around.

“Heh, so, should we keep dancing, or go?” you ask, and she looks around, before leaning close, and putting her head on your shoulder.

“Dance first, as long as they’re slow songs,” she tells you, and you nod, trying to lead her through the dance Luna had shown you earlier as another love song started up. The two of you twirled, dipped, and then went back again. After a few minutes of this, Vinyl finally switched to the thumping techno tunes that were her thing, and you were finally allowed to sit down.

“Heh, I’m glad I came now. That was a lot more fun than it was at the Gala,” commented Deasly, as you pulled a chair out and sat down on it, Octavia doing the same near the Princesses, and discussing things in a voice you could just barely hear. You only understood one word in ten, but it sounded like they were angry words, with a lot of consonants in them.

“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, tiny. I’m going to get all of you back for this,” you tell them.

“Get back at them for what? They got you to finally admit feelings for somepony,” said the Captain, as he walked over, his cape somehow fluttering in the air behind him, despite the lack of wind inside.

“No, for putting me on the spot, and getting me to slow dance,” you told him.

“Ah, well, that’ll be for later then. Still, it’s nice to see you did finally come out of that shell. I hate it when two ponies…people in love dance around each other. It gets in the way of business,” he said, and offered you a drink he’d been levitating behind you. The mug looked to be made of some kind of crystal, but the smell of the liquid inside was obviously alcoholic, which you took and then set on the table beside you.

“Love? I mean, yeah, she’s nice and everything, but love is something you feel only once, at least, the true kind? And even if it is love, what can I offer her?” you ask, and the Captain just chuckles at you.

“You can offer her what anypony, anyone can. You offer her yourself, your support, your understanding, and your heart. If it’s real love, then that’s all that’s required,” he tells you.

“What about family? Kids are kind of not something I can give her…at least, I don’t think so,” you say, and look over at Tailfire, who takes a long pull on his own drink before responding.

“The information is incomplete. I can’t say one way or the other yet, not until you try something. But, if you want an opinion…then no, nothing can come of such a union,” he admits, looking down, obviously having been wishing he could give another answer.

“Heh, it’s okay, Tailfire. I mean, before that, we have money concerns. What can I do for money? I can’t do anything as well as you can, we saw that today. I’m physically the weakest thing in this room. I have no magic, I can’t fly, and everything I have now are gifts from the Princesses, or DawnChaser, or a dozen others. What kind of life would I give her?” you ask, and there’s a collective sigh, before the Captain pins your shoulder against the chair back with his hoof.

“You sir, are one of those most stubborn males it has ever been my misfortune to know. What do any of these things matter in the face of love? You can’t provide for her? That’s poppycock. After all, I’m sure DawnChaser would be willing to pay you for all that data he’s been gathering, right?” he asked, and Deasly nodded.

“He’s been having Trixie keep a list of what he owes you, just in case you ever wanted to claim it. Say the word, and I can have the bits to you in an hour. It’s quite the sum actually, enough for two pon-people to live on for a lifetime,” answers the unicorn.

“See, and as for kids…there’s always adoption. Our world is a dangerous place, and many a foal is left with no parents,” he said, a bit more sadly than you would have expected, though, knowing nothing of his past, you figured he might be talking from experience.

“But what about size? I’m big now only because of a spell. Once that fails, I’m back to a three inch tall thing that’s got all these cool powers, but can’t exactly interact with her,” you tell them, and this time it was Rex who spoke up.

“Big thoughts, no good. Party tonight, big thoughts, morning,” he declared, and pushed the mug you’d set on the table into your hands. For a moment, you almost threw it in his face, but then you glanced over to where Octavia was, her sides were heaving, and it seemed like she’d just gotten through with one heck of an argument with the Princesses, one that left Twilight wide eyed and staring at her.

“Big thoughts in the morning, party tonight,” you repeated, taking a pull on the drink, and feeling it burn into your throat, hitting your stomach like a stick of dynamite.

“Woah, now that’s a kicker!” you declare, and to which the dog nods.

“Whiskey, my brew, makes for fun parties,” he said, taking up three mugs of the stuff and dumping them into his mouth, before getting up and walking over to where Frazzle had been sitting. The dog says a few words to her, and then the two are out on the dance floor. Smiling at that, you look towards Octavia, who’s downing a shot glass of something. Draining the mug in your hand for courage, you rise, a bit wobbly, to your feet, and walk over to her.

“May I have this dance?” you ask her, and she looks up at you, before nodding emphatically, the two of you spinning out onto the floor, and then bobbing in time with the techno beat, the world vanishing in a haze of alcohol, bright lights, and a set of pretty, purple eyes.

A Startling Awakening

The morning sun streams into the room, your head feeling like it was in a vice, as you blink against it, wondering just what you’d done to piss Celestia off. Blinking against the headache you knew was coming, you try to brace yourself, before finally opening them all the way, and then suddenly having all thoughts of a headache banished from your mind.

You were in bed. That was nice, though you had no memory of going into one, which was odd, though you knew you’d probably forget some things, with as much of that dog whiskey as you’d drunk. You’d expected to be on a couch though, or one of the sitting rooms in the palace, not where you were, which was in a bed, staring into Octavia’s face, as she nuzzled up into your chest.

It was then that you made two farther discoveries. One was that you were naked. That was…unusual for you, even now, as you’d gotten into the habit in the last two months of sleeping with at least a night shirt on, mostly because Rarity made them, and you didn’t want to appear rude by not making use of the product of her labors. The second was that you had morning wood, and it was pressed between the two of you as she snuggled up against you.

Gently as possible you wiggle out from between her hooves, letting her lay on the bed as you try to get up without waking her. This proves easy enough, as nothing you don’t see your clothing on inspection of the room, though you do notice two posters, one for DJ Pon-3 playing at some hall, and then another for the Equestrian Ensemble playing in the same place.

That information in hand, you realized you had to be in Vinyl and Octavia’s house, though how you got here is still a mystery, especially considering it was on the other side of Canterlot from the palace. Trying not to think too hard about the fact that you probably came here naked, you creep to the door, and then let yourself out, shutting it behind you so it doesn’t make a sound, and then sneaking into the main room of the house.

“Hey dude, I was wondering when one of you love birds was gonna get up,” said Vinyl, and you instantly remember that hangover that you’d forgotten, her voice, though normal, making your eyes ring as you place your hand on your forehead and rub it a bit.

“Please Vinyl, not so loud” you tell her, and you can hear her laughing at your misfortune as you move towards the sound of her voice, finding her in the kitchen preparing breakfast, along with three pegasi and an earth pony seated at the table.

“Dude, you look like something a hydra spit up,” said Soarin, and you just stare at him.

“And a good morning to you too, Wonderboy,” you tell him sarcastically, taking a seat at the table along with the fliers.

“Oh, don’t mind him. Here, drink this,” said Spitfire, pushing the glass towards you, and you drink it down without a thought. Instantly you feel better, your head clearing, and you blink a few times, before turning to her.

“What the hay was that?” you ask, setting the glass down.

“Just something my gran showed me. It helps to fix hangovers, a broken heart, and it makes nice horseshoe polish too,” she said with a smile, and you laugh, though wondering if that last one was a joke, as the drink suddenly makes you belch, and the taste in your mouth is not pleasant.

“So, how’d you like last night, rocking the casbah?” asked Vinyl with one of those smirks that make you want to hit her. Of course, right then your mind is on other things, as you imagine the night you must have had and…

“Oh, sweet Celestia, tell me she’s lying,” you say, rubbing at your head some more. Looking up, it seems that Rainbow is about to say something, but a stern look from the earth pony stallion and Spitfire causes her to shut up.

“She’s most definitely lying. What you did last night was far from appropriate behavior for a savior of the equine race, among others, but it wasn’t quite that out of line with your normal modus operandi,” said the stallion, sipping at a tea cup, and you turned to him at last. His brown coat wasn’t familiar at all, but that smile on his lips, that was, and it took you a moment of staring to figure out why.

“Captain, is that you?” you ask, and he does that deep chuckle of his, before nodding.

“Indeed, and that means you owe me a pie Soarin,” said the stallion, turning to the pegasus.

“Aw man,” went Soarin, folding his hooves in front of him.

“Heh, don’t be a sore loser. Soarin bet the Captain you wouldn’t recognize him without his armor on,” explained Spitfire, patting her squad mate on the back.

“I almost didn’t. He still looks like him, I mean, but he’s so…gruff looking,” you explain, and everypony in the room gets a laugh at that.

“He is a bit rough around the edges, but he’s still the same Captain we all know and love,” said Vinyl, turning back to the stove top where she was making breakfast. A look over her shoulder showed you it was something that looked like fried grass, not appetizing to you in the least.

“Speaking of rough, what did I do last night?” you ask.

“Let’s see,” said the Captain, pulling reaching behind him and pulling a pad off the counter.

“You actually wrote it all down?” asked Rainbow a bit incredulously.

“No, Vinyl did,” he explained, as he opened the pad and began flipping through pages.

“Blackmail for Octy later, just to remind her when she says my parties get a bit out of hoof,” said Vinyl, attempting to justify her behavior, before the Captain cleared his throat and began.

“You and Ms. Octavia first danced on a table top, not too unusual, and that had been encouraged by Pinkie Pie doing it a few minutes earlier. After that, Ms. Pie decided to make you two permanent additions to her party, and proceeded to lead the guard on a merry chase through the castle, popping into rooms, covering them with party supplies using her cannon, and then vanishing before anypony could catch you,” he continued, flipping the page.

“After over an hour of this, you were finally cornered on the palace roof. Nopony is quite sure how you got there, as there were no unicorns or pegasi in your group, but we got you down, you and Octavia passing out soon afterward, while Ms. Pie vanished again, and to my knowledge, has yet to be found,” he said, putting the pad back on the counter after closing it.

“Since most of the bedrooms are still being restored in the palace, it was decided to bring you with Octavia to her home. Once we arrived, Vinyl was the one to suggest letting you sleep in their bed, while she took the couch, and the rest of us made do,” he said, pointing towards the living room with one hoof. On the floor were some sleeping pad things. Oddly, while two of them were laying on opposite sides of the room, two were pushed close together, and looked rather used.

“Umm,” you said, pointing at the one, and Vinyl smirked again, while Soarin and Dash chuckled nervously, blushing a bit.

“While you and Octavia may have done nothing, my partners were a bit more awake then you two, and needed some…exercise to burn off all that energy,” explained Spitfire, and you couldn’t help but smile at that, as Vinyl finished cooking, and began to push the grass stuff onto the plates in front of the Captain and Bolts, as well as two more places, probably her and Tavi.

“Ah, just like mother used to make,” said Vinyl, before raising a bit of the grass off her plate and chomping into it. Those around you, not having magic to float their food, just dove face first, with Spitfire and the Captain taking small bites from the edges, while Soarin and Dash seemed to be competing to see who could finish their meal in the fewest number of bites.

“Heh,” you chuckle a little as you rise up, taking a glass of milk that had been sitting in your seat, and then walking off with it, sipping it a little as you make your way to the back of the house. Opening the bedroom door gently, you find Octavia still asleep, and decide to be nice and get her up for breakfast. Setting the glass on a bedside stand, you sit down on the bed, and then lean closer to her.

“Ocatvia…Tavi, it’s time to get up,” you say gently, running your fingers through her mane. Her forehoof smacks at you, slapping your hand away, as she rolls over.

“Five more minutes Vi,” she whispers.

“Not Vi,” you tell her, and then, on a whim, kiss her cheek. Instantly her eyes pop open, and you see her with a panicked expression, as she turns to your smiling face, and then looks down at your body, before pulling the covers towards herself.

“Oh my, um, bah, you’re naked,” she finally gets out, and it only makes you smile wider as you pull the covers off her with a jerk, and she tries to cover herself up with her hooves.

“And so are you,” you tell her, and you can see a blush reach her cheeks as she starts to finally unwind a bit, and then shuffle out of the bed, her hooves clacking on the floor.

“Did…did I do anything untoward last night?” she asks, and you shrug.

“Honestly? I don’t know. Though according to trustworthy sources you and I merely had a fun party, and then were brought back to your house to sleep it off,” you tell her, as she pulls open a drawer, which contains several collar bows, with her picking one of red coloration, and snapping it in place, before running her hooves through her hair, causing it to fall just the way she always wore it.

“That’s a relief…er, I mean…,” she kind of just stammers off, and you put your hand on her shoulder in what you hope is a reassuring gesture.

“I felt the same way when I asked them about it. Now come on, Vinyl made some kind of grass for breakfast,” you told her, and escorted her back to the kitchen, grabbing your glass, draining it on the way, so that you could set it in the sink, and then took your seat beside her at the table.

“Ah, finally joining the living I see,” chided Vinyl as Octavia sat down, and she got one of those early morning stink eye looks from Octavia, before the gray mare bit into her food, chewing it slowly, and finally swallowing.

“Well, your cooking could wake the dead any day, Vinyl,” countered Octavia, reaching over, grabbing her glass, and chugging down a few swallows before sighing.

“Aw, come on, you know you like it,” said the unicorn, getting the last bit from her plate, and chomping it down, loudly, and probably rudely. For the next several minutes, the others ate in silence, as you sat back, pondering what you might find edible in the house, until Spitfire, done with her dish, got up and grabbed something off the counter.

“Oh yeah, here’s something for you, straight from the Princesses,” said the Wonderbolt, tossing her head, and throwing the bag at you. Catching it, you open it up to find one of those blossom things inside, which you silently thank the Princesses for, before shoving it in your mouth, and swallowing, the sweet light of the thing hitting your stomach, and making you feel awake, alive, and ready to face anything the day might have to offer.

“Even better when you don’t have to tear pieces off,” you say, licking your lips of a few stray bits of pollen, and then getting up as the others do, and walking to the living room. Once there, the pegasi all change into their Wonderbolt uniforms, while the Captain puts on some armor that flashes brightly, before he’s standing there as a black unicorn, his horn glowing with power.

“Um…I do kinda notice my armor’s not here. Neither are any of my clothes in fact,” you mention, looking around, and the Captain nods.

“We’re still not sure how, but between the time of you, Octavia, and Pinkie Pie raiding the kitchens, and the running pie fight the three of you had through the halls, she somehow got the armor off you. I sent the suit down to my brother to make sure it was still sound. It should be here any minute,” he said, and you all looked up expectantly towards the palace, which stood there, with no sign that anypony was coming from it to this house.

“I suppose it would be too much to ask for him to get it done in time to show up once we’re finished with breakfast,” says the Captain with a sigh, and then sits down. Looking down at your still naked body, you decide to sit down too, not really sure you could do the nudist look outside, especially on a windy day like they’d been lately.

“So, I’m guessing you guys don’t have any board games, right?” asked Dash as she began to roll up the spread she’d been sleeping on last night.

“Not ones Vinyl hasn’t thrown out the window because she was losing,” says Octavia, looking towards the pop pony.

“Monkeys! I keep telling you, it was invisible monkeys,” defends the white unicorn, and everypony in the room just looks at her, before she nervously chuckles.

“As a monkey, or at least, a close relative, I find this stereotyping of my brothers and sisters as board game thieves highly insulting,” you tell her, and she suddenly pops up and points her hoof out the window.

“Oh hey, is that Princess Luna coming from the palace with your armor!” she shouted, and you all looked at her skeptically.

“Hey! It is!” shouts Rainbow, and you turn to find out that indeed, there seems to be some smudgy shapes on the horizon, the others all rushing outside while you stop at the door, and just stick your head out, still unable to see the details of the pair of pegasi pulling a carriage behind them. Inside said carriage was Princess Luna, as well as your armor, which was standing up like someone was wearing it.

“Good morning to all of you. Our sister believed Our human guest would like the armor returned with all speed,” said the Princess as she stepped off the carriage, her two dragon pegasi guards unhitching themselves and then running to assist her, grabbing the armor with their necks, and carrying it off.

“Oh, you have no idea,” you said from your position, as they brought it closer, and you saw that inside was some kind of standee. Motioning for them to stop just in front of the door, you grabbed the thing, grunting a bit, and dragging it the rest of the way inside.

“Let’s see, now how does…yes, that looks like the catc-OW!!!” you cry, tripping the catch for one of the vambraces’, causing it to fall on the floor, and smack your foot, hard.

“Are you alright in there?” came Octavia’s voice, as you bounced on one foot.

“Yeah, just got a case of terminal stupidity,” you shout back rubbing at your toes, while removing the feet and then the chest and other vambrace, setting them aside so you can finally slip into the gray crystal mess under suit. Luckily, the proved easier than you’d have thought, as the thing seemed to open up at the top, and all you had to do was step inside, working your legs and arms into the appropriate holes. A minute later, you step out, trying your best to look heroic, even as you limp a bit walking towards the others.

“Ah, truly a hero for the ages,” chuckles Vinyl, and you look down at her. It was still a bit weird to be the one looking down at the ponies, at least when standing, but you smile down at Octavia, who has an expression that says, to her, you’ll always be a hero.

“Indeed, a valiant knight. But what good is a knight, without a weapon?” proclaims the Princess, and turns back to her pegasi, who bow, and then retrieve a wrapped bundle from her carriage.

“For the honor of Equestria, and the future of our nation, We, Princess Luna, do present you, with this blade. May it serve you well,” she said, using her magic to undo the cloth, and then holding out the weapon you’d seen the day before in the forges.

The sheath had been polished, and indeed had a few more runes on it. That was your first thought, looking at the shiny, dull red sheath. The second, as your hand locked over the weapon, was that it was lighter than the day before, and now came with a belt that seemed to use the same clasp as your armor, which your wrapped around your waist, and clicked into place.

“I accept this gift, as a friend, and offer a pledge in return, to do my best to make this world a brighter place, and to defend Equestria from the enemies who would seek to darken Her spirit,” you declare, drawing your blade with a dull hiss, an then holding it in front of you. Now, in the raw light of day, you could see why it had been named SpectrumFlash, the blade glimmering in the morning light, flashing as you turned it over, and set the blade a few inches into the dirt, so you could bow towards the monarch.

“This I swear to you, your sister, and all the friends I’ve made,” you tell her, and you then feel a hoof on your shoulder, pulling at you to rise.

“We know you will,” she whispers to you, as you resheath the weapon, and smile at your friends, the sun seeming to flash for a moment, telling you that Celestia apparently agreed with her sister, bringing a smile to your face as you began to chat with the others.

Training

(Alright, some notes before chapter. This is going to sound like cheating, but I’m skipping ahead 3 weeks’ time in story. This is due to writer’s block over how to make the events of those weeks meaningful without dragging the story down, and because Murphy doesn’t seem to want me to write about them. I had writer’s block for a month regarding them, and then, when I finally break, my comp corrupts the file it’s saved in. Still, only 2 major new cast members join us, and since they’re not OC’s, it’s not a big deal. Anyway, we join our story, a fight scene in progress)

The white unicorn’s coat is slick with sweat, his breath coming out in deep gasps that fill the air in front of him with steam. The morning air is cool and crisp, heightening your senses, making you feel the motion of his body as he looks at you, swaying this way and that, his horn sparkling with magical blue energy. About him, half a dozen swords hang in the air, their hilts shimmering with his magical glow, their smooth, sharp forms cutting the late morning light and throwing off flashes of light with ever bob and motion.

Your own blade sits in your hand, the hilt slick with sweat, but the grip on it not allowing it to slip from your hand again, as it had done before. Holding it straight up, you give it a quick spin in the air, moving your fingers quickly, as you switch it from your left hand, you your right, and back again, the touch of the grip feeling harsh on your bare skin, but also comforting. The unicorn, an eye on you, spins his own blades, which are near identical copies of yours, save the handles, which are made of some kind of wood, instead of the shimmering Prism Stone.

Without a sign from the unicorn, one of the blades that spun shot forward, its arc changing direction in midair, whistling towards you. With reflexes honed by weeks with your blade, you lash out with it, knocking the offending weapon aside, even as a second barrels down on you. Not for the first time, you wish you were wearing gloves, that you might catch the other sword with your free hand, but since that’s not an option, instead you spin, and using your vambrace, you batter into the blade, causing a ringing sound to fill the air in the field where you’re fighting.

With the unicorn still concentrating on his blades, you slash with yours, aiming for the one point of weakness in his weapons, the hilts. Living up to its name, SpectrumFlash creates a blinding rainbow, as it slices through the hilt of the first blade like it wasn’t there, and then quickly you bring it around, severing the second weapon’s hilt with equal ease, the two blades, no longer supported by the magic of their wielder, fall flat upon the bare earth with thuds, as you turn back towards your ivory opponent, who already has two more of his arms headed for you.

Lacking spin, these fly like arrows towards you, intending to skewer you like a pig, but you dance around them, stepping first to the left, and then the right, allowing them to fly freely, the pair changing directions in long arcs, as you see the unicorn grunt, trying to kill their momentum, while also defending himself with his remaining weapons. The pair of swords is at odd angles, to prevent your approach, while their brethren change course, but you smirk as you toss your sword at the unicorn instead of waiting for his attack, the unexpected tactic forcing him to quickly change where his blades are, even as you rush him.

Your armored feet dig into the earth, throwing up small clumps of dirt as you dash towards the unicorn, who tries to bring his weapons around to block you, only for you to take the sheath from your belt, and hold it to your lips. Instantly he covers himself with a powerful magical shield, as you blow into the sheath, out of the end of which pours a gout of flame that even you can feel in the air, as it burns the earth into a glassy sheen, while striking the two weapons before you, the wood of their hilts turning to ash and letting them drop, while you continue running, getting behind the unicorn.

“Wah?!” was all he can say, as he drops his shield, and tries to turn, but before he can, you position your sheath along the ground, and smirk.

“SpectrumFlash!” you cry out, and your weapon, laying in the dirt past him where it had landed, springs to life, and like a ray of sunlight, flashes towards you, your hand releasing the sheath just as the blade smacks home with a satisfying clack, the whole thing rocketing out of your hand, and smacking the unicorn stallion in the back right knee, causing him to fall down, and giving you, for the first time in an hour, and opening.

“Hyah!” you shout, as you dash towards him, leaping into the air, your body slamming into his heavily, as your arm quickly finds his neck, and you twist it around, bringing your left arm so that you can grab the writs with you right, putting the unicorn into a choke hold.

“Got you!” you tell him, tightening your grip as much as you can, and slumping against his back, making it that much harder for him to shake you off.

“Oh do you now?” says the unicorn with an almost evil smirk, and you brace yourself harder, trying to prevent what you know is coming next. With a whipping motion, the stallion bucks upward, slamming his back into your chest, and trying to force your arms apart, before coming down and dipping his head into the dirt, dragging you forward, and nearly pulling you off his back. Nearly because you use your legs to brace against the forward motion, and as slick as his sides are, covered with lather, you are able to remain in position as he bucks again, and again.

By your count, it is the fifth forward that finally tosses you, your left leg slipping ever so slightly on a smooth patch of hair, and then your arms’ grip coming just a little loose. That was all it took, with the next back buck, and then forward, you go flying, getting a whole ten yards from where the stallion stands, before your back slams hard into the dirt, the air in your lungs coming out with a wheeze, even as you feel a sharp pain in your side, and can hear a crack that tells you a rib is now out of place, even as you force air back into your sore lungs.

“Shining!” shouts a female voice, and you try to get up, only to be forced down by both pain, as the cracked rib digs into your side, and by a hoof on your armored chest, a pink alicorn standing over you, her crystal coat glimmering in the midmorning sun. Almost as fast as her, several other forms crowd around you, the most important being a purple dragon, who uses his claws to quickly start undoing the catches on the sides of your breastplate, allowing him to open it up like a car hood, and then pull at the chain mail covering beneath.

“I’m tellin’ ya, you guys shouldn’t play so rough,” complains the dragon as he works his claw down your chest, uncovering the offending rib. Princess Cadence, with a rather annoyed look on her face, leans down and touches her horn to that part of your body, a glow coming from the tip of it, and passing into you. Instantly you feel the touch of magic inside you, your rib mending like it was never broken, while muscles and tendons go back to normal, feeling like you’d had a day’s rest from your last match, making you smile up at her as she rises.

“I know a dozen sports teams that would love that trick back home,” you tell her, as you and Spike slip your armor back on, working the chain mail over your chest again, and then snapping the breast plate into place, before you rise to your feet and look around.

“So you’ve said, though if I had to deal with more of your people doing this to themselves, I think I’d just let them suffer,” says the Crystal Princess, trotting back over to the small crowd you and Shining Armor had watching you. In it were a few Apprentices, Twilight, as well as a few odd ponies who’d seen the gathering and decided to see what’s up.

“You know you like watching,” you chide her as you dust yourself off a bit, and then go to retrieve your weapon. Shining does the same with his, using a cloth thing to grip the hits above where the wood had been severed, and placing them into a chest full of such weapons. Seeing you moving easily enough, the crowd finally gives you a bit of applause, the dull thunk of hooves coming together rattling around, as well as two large dog paws slapping against each other, Rex smiling over at you, and giving you a thumbs up.

“Heh, I’ll say she does. Still, that wasn’t a bad trick. Two weeks of training, and you’ve already started to get the hang of the blade,” says Shining, as the last of his weapons clatter into the trunk, and you feel your chest swell out with pride, considering what had been happening the last couple of weeks.

First you’d started a bit of exercise training with Rex and the Captain, the pair working out routines between them to improve your physical form. That had run into problems almost immediately when the training dummy they’d designed, which reminded you of those martial arts dummies with the spinning sections that had wood sticking out of them, were ineffective when you had your armor on, but were so powerful they tended to break bones without it, twice nearly cracking you skull open before they’d given up on that.

In the meantime you’d gotten to walk around Canterlot with Vinyl, Octavia, and what you’d come to call, the ‘Honor Guard’. The Guard was made up of Rainbow, Soarin, and Spitfire, who, while all having fun, also took their job waaay too seriously sometime, at least four times shoving you into alleys or doors when some stranger approached. In addition to the three Bolts, who literally followed you everywhere, from bed to bathroom, you also had one of the Princesses, the Captain, or at least one member of DawnChaser’s Apprentices, or more likely, some combination of the three

Not that you minded…much. Soarin standing over you when you peed was getting annoying, but still, everypony was fun to hang out with. You’d learned even more of Equestria, and its neighbors, gotten to meet new and interesting people, animals, and a golem that was neither, and you’d actually gone on real dates with Octavia, getting DawnChaser to setup an allowance like thing for you so you could treat the gray mare to a night on the town at least once a week, usually taking her to some fancy restaurant or another.

You’d even gotten to hang out with Twilight and Rarity a bit more, the former having taken up her old room in the Castle to do some ‘special studies’, while the latter had formed a partnership with Frazzle, the pair of them quickly growing what had been two successful design careers, into what was fast shaping up to be a small fashion empire, with at least two stores opening soon to handle additional orders they kept getting.

Of course, after that first week, Shining Armor and Cadence had arrived, supposedly to say thank you for defeating Discord, who was still locked in a tower somewhere. As it happened though, Shining Armor had come for a second purpose. It seemed he and the Captain were old buddies, from the days when Shining had been part of the Guard as a special unicorn branch. He also, as it turned out, was the premier swordspony in all the world, able to use his magic to lift a dozen blades at a time, and deftly control their flight.

As soon as the congratulations were out of the way, you began the training from Tartarus. First he’d insulted your swordsmanship, telling you you wielded the weapon like a club, rather than the elegant feather it was supposed to be. Then he’d proceeded to beat on your with his blades, smacking you this way and that, just to show you how much you had to learn, before proceeding to instruct you, using his magic to push at your joints, jerk you hair, and finally get you into basic stances, which he then had Rex work you through, the dog showing you how to move your legs and arms to maximize the power behind each swing, while still keeping your guard up.

“Alright, reflex test, if you would Miss Spitfire,” said Shining Armor as he trotted to the side of the field. All three Wonderbolts soon had that rather mean looking grin they got on their faces when this type of training came up. Looking at each other, they silently moved their hooves, talking in that odd sign language you’d learned the Bolts all had, before they took to the skies in a flight pattern that had the trio going in a circle around you.

“BEGIN!” shouted Shining, and instantly fire begins to rain down at you, the bolts kicking out and aiming their kicks towards you, sending a flurry of magical bolts at your position. With reflexes that were sharpened through hours of gaming back home, you block them, moving your vambraces to intercept the shots, the shimmering Prism Stone of your armor glowing slightly from the magical energies, before dissipating, as you shift your stance to get the next one.

“Good, keep the heat on him, don’t give him any time to think,” you heard the stallion say outside your little exercise, but only the edges of your mind really registered the voice as you kept moving your arms in a blur around you, trying to keep the fire from striking your exposed head or hands, which was proving ever more difficult as the impacts drove your arms out of position, forcing you to shift on your feet more and more, as a cloud of dust started to rise around you from stray shots striking the dirt.

Suddenly one of the bolts strikes your back, throwing you off balance, and you know it’s all over. Still you try to keep up, blocking furiously, but a few heartbeats later, another gets through your defenses, causing a stinging sensation as your hand moves just a few seconds too late. Then the first pours in from all sides, smacking you around, and making it hard to breathe, before finally it stops, and you slump down to the ground, defeated and exhausted.

“Not bad, a full three seconds longer than last time,” says the unicorn, as he trots over, using his hoof to push you back onto your feet, and then bracing himself against you to provide balance.

“That’s not saying much. Still not more than a minute,” you remind him, not quite what you’d expected. After you’d proved fairly quick on the uptake with a sword, partially due to the swords you’d made with you power being the type that helped guide your hand and body in battle, and thus training you before you’d even started with a real one. Blocking spells with your armor was still not something you were as good at as Shining or the Captain, who’d both proven capable of not just holding their own against the Bolts fire, but also able to turn the battle around.

“Any improvement is to be celebrated, my young friend. And in that vein, I would suggest some down time. It’s getting close to noon, after all,” said the Captain as he trotted over, followed by the crowd that had been watching starting to break up. Most had their own lives to get back to and only came out to the edge of the city near the Professor’s lab because the Princesses often made appearances here. Cadence almost always was on the sidelines to provide healing, while Luna and Celestia sometimes came just to watch, and laugh at you, as Celestia seemed to find your falls quite amusing.

“I suppose I shouldn’t rush things,” you admit, remembering that first session you’d had with the bolts. In that one, you’d gotten beat, bad. Heck, as much as you were getting used to breaking bones, mostly due to how much stronger everypony was than you, you still remember those particular wounds with sharp clarity. You’d actually thought, after picking up the sword quickly, that blocking would come naturally too, only to spend several minutes getting beat all over the field, including one rather embarrassing moment when Rainbow Dash got under you and held you in the air by firing at you.

“Exactly. No colt I’ve ever met got the hang of the sword as easily as you are. Keep trying, and I’m sure you’ll get this down, and then we can move on to some more advanced techniques,” said Shining, as he and Cadence walked off, their course taking them towards a road that led to the palace. The instant the pair was out of sight, the Pony Professor finally made an appearance, coming out of the lab, along with Rex who was holding a familiar looking case that made you sigh.

“Not bad. I never would have thought you could get that close to him a week ago, after he tossed you halfway across the green with a few strokes of his mighty blades,” commented DawnChaser as he quickly used his magic to start cleaning up the field, collecting soil samples as he did to study the residual magic you and Shining had left in them.

“You know, if you’d just come outside to watch, Shining would probably let you setup some instruments to scan us during the fight,” you tell him as you walk over towards Rex, who sets the case down.

“Hmm, he might, but his wife would probably try to kill me if I even asked,” he comments idly, running something that looked like a tricorder over one of the samples as Rex opened the case, and you held out your arms to him.

“What the hay did you do to her anyway?” you ask, remembering the first, and only, time you’d seen the pair together. The normally lovely, happy Pink Pony Princess had gotten a cold air about her, and just stared at him every time the Pony Professor said something, and then zapped him the instant he brought up experimenting on you, driving him out of the room. Even the apprentices seemed to find that behavior surprising, though you could tell that Deasly knew something and just wasn’t telling.

“No, no, I’m afraid that’s between Mi Amora and myself. Nopony else need concern themselves with our affairs,” he said, shuddering a bit before returning to his scanning. Rex merely scoffed at that, as he reached over towards your arms and with a snap and a flash of magic, undid the bands around them. Instantly you felt your arms get twenty times heavier, and you knew if you tried to do any of those fancy tricks now, you’d probably hurt yourself.

“Man I wish I could leave those on all the time,” you comment, rubbing your wrists a bit where they’d been.

“Not good idea. Dog magic very strong, but very harmful if on too long,” he tells you, returning the strips of cloth to the case, which he’d been teaching you contained more than just strength bands, but in fact had things like water breathing, speed enhancement, and even one that was supposed to make you more attractive, which he still refused to let you wear on one of yours and Octavia’s dates.

“So you’ve said,” you tell him sadly, and watch with a forlorn look as he seals the case and does that thing with his fingers that locks it with some kind of dog magic that makes it so only he can open it, before carrying it back towards the house.

“Aw, cheer up. You know you’ll eventually be able to go all tiny godling on us again sometime, right Professor?” says Spitfire, trying to console you.

“Yeah, and I’ll probably be bite sized again when it happens,” you say rather dejectedly.

“Speaking of bites, can we go get some pie? I haven’t eaten since this morning,” says Soarin, as he and Dash land beside you, and the rainbow maned pegasus smacks him in the gut.

“That was only a few hours ago, Soarin’. I swear, sometimes it seems like you shouldn’t be able to fly the way you eat,” she chides him, and then looks towards Spitfire, who smirks at her. It seemed that after only a few months on a squad, Dash had grown quite close with her mates, and the mares then just stare at Soarin with smiles, making the stallion sigh.

“Actually, I could go for some food myself. Since I know where you want to go, shall we start there? I’m sure the proprietor is already waiting for us,” says the Captain, and nods towards a road that leads more into town than towards the palace, and you nod, brightening as you do. Waving goodbye to the Professor, who idly shouts to come straight back for some more tests, the fives of you, the bolts in the air, and the Captain walking beside, his ebony coat an interesting counterpoint to your seemingly white armor.

Lunchtime

The city of Canterlot, a shining bucket of smiles and warmth, with everypony going about their business without a complaint or a harsh word to foul the air. Some were the elite of the pony society, rushing to make business deals, seal agreements, or just to find a good vantage spot as they went over some figures in some far flung corner of the world. Others were just normal ponies, no wealth or power, but just as needed for the day to day routine of the city. Cleaning, fixing, or just otherwise making sure things went smoothly, all of them, from the richest of the rich, to the guy sweeping the street, all happy with their place in the world.

“Hello there,” said one of them happily, and you smiled and nodded, getting a few smiles back as your reward. You recognized only like one in twenty of the ponies, but remembered the names of only those you were close to. That had marked you as odd, since it seemed like every pony in Canterlot knew every pony else’s name, and usually what they did for a living, each recognizing the other on sight. Luckily, Rex had admitted privately that he and a few griffon Apprentices had trouble with that too, and his advice was to just smile and nod, and try not to fumble the verbal ball too often.

So your small group made your way through the hustle and bustle of the Canterlot streets. Walking around, you noticed, idly, that the city seemed to be fully back to normal now. Several pockets of Chaos Stuff, had been left after Discord’s defeat, and had required the Princesses and the Element Wielders to contain them, with the worst, some evil demon tree thing needing the Princesses to personally banish it away. To the Sun, specifically, where the horrible thing was reduced to ashes in moments, and rendering whatever dark power it possessed moot.

“Ah, a pleasure to see you again sir,” comes a familiar voice, and you turn towards the sound of it to find Fancypants and Fluer de Lis, the former almost completely covered in various shopping bags, likely the latter’s.

“Hello Mr. Fancypants, how are you this fine afternoon?” you ask him pleasantly, as he starts to turn his course, Fluer following, the lady unicorn silent, as she always seemed to be…well except for that one time when you got her drunk at that party last week and then….yeah.

“Oh, I’ve just been indulging in a bit of a buying binge to celebrate some newfound fortune in the Griffon Kingdom’s of the west. That team I sent to the Northern Reach found a nice bit of iron ore in those mountains, just like DawnChaser said they would,” he comments, and you nod, remembering the two talking about that at one point.

“That’s nice to hear. I’m guessing you’re planning another party to celebrate your good fortune?” you suggest, and the unicorn smirks at you, nodding.

“Indeed I am, and I was wondering if you might join us again. Fluer and Ms. Rarity really seemed to enjoy having you and those two mares there the last time, and I myself rather liked Ms. Octavia’s ensemble providing the music,” he told you as he trotted along, Fluer nodding at his words to indicate she agreed.

“I’ll ask them if they want to come then,” you tell him, and the stallion nods with a broad smile.

“Excellent. I shall start the planning right away then. Expect a formal invitation before three days have passed,” he says brightly, and almost skips off, as the Captain trots closer to you on the opposite side.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t you confess to hating that last party?” he asked you, and you nod in response.

“It was one of the dullest things I’ve been to since I got here, and that includes DawnChaser’s tests. Still, I know for a fact Octavia liked it, and I seem to remember Vinyl, once we got her up after all those drinks, admitted to having the time of her life. If I have to suffer to make them happy, it’s worth it,” you explain, and the Captain looks at you for a moment, scanning you up and down with his eyes, before getting a smile you can only describe as fatherly, on his face.

“What?” you ask, keeping you voice low so the Wonderbolts can’t hear.

“Just amused at how mature you’re growing in a short time, considering what you and Rainbow used to do around the palace,” he said with an air that just screamed ‘pleased with himself’ smugness. It was nearly enough to make you want to prove how immature you still were. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately considering the strength difference between the two of you, you arrived at the shop just a few moments later.

“Ah, my best customer and his pony friends, nice of you guys to drop by,” said the familiar voice of the open air café’s owner and only employee. His wings seem to flare up, and he does a little hop, flapping them lightly to lift himself up and over the counter, to come out and shake your hand with his claw.

“Heh, yes, because it’s not like he eats this crud every other day or more when we’ll let him,” comments Dash with a sarcastic tone, that the proprietor, a male griffin of middle years, takes with a smile to his beak. He, like the ponies, wears no clothing most of the time, though he did have an apron he put on while cooking. His eyes shone with a warmth that seemed missing in his fellow avians that you’d met, and his ‘hair’ feathers were styled in what you could only call a 50s era Greaser homage.

“So if I could somehow lure him away from you, he’d come here every meal? That’s quite a temptation to a lowly business owner like myself,” said the griffon with a chuckle in his voice to say he was joking…probably. The next moment you feel a wing at your back shuffling you forward onto your preferred stool, as the griffon hops back over the counter and turns to face you.

“So, you’re usual today then?” he asks, and you nod enthusiastically, with the ponies behind you groaning a bit, as they eye the café across the street which was already doing a brisk lunchtime business.

“I think so. You guys want to dine here, or take a walk to the other side of the street?” you offer, knowing that the fare of the café was less than palatable to ones of their dietary needs.

“That sounds good to me. I hope they still have some pie left,” said the light blue male pegasus, before flapping over to stand in line with the others. Dash and Spitfire look after him, Dash shrugging and going with him, landing next to him.

“Soarin and his dang pies. Anyway, stay safe while we’re gone, and no wandering off, you hear?” said the fire maned pegasus woman, and you sigh and roll your eyes.

“Yes mom,” you tell her in a sarcastic tone, and she just grins at you, giving you a mother kiss on your forehead before joining her squadmates across the street.

“You know she’s just teasing you. But do try not to wander off. We’re supposed to be keeping a guard on you,” he reminds you, before trotting towards the others. They’d been like that for the three weeks you’d been normal size, mostly because of Luna getting all uber protective of you since you’re a weak, helpless human, something she demonstrated to you by picking you up with her magic despite your armor, and tossing you around like a rag doll.

“Ah, so nice to see the younger generation at play,” comments the griffon behind you, and you feel tempted, for just a moment, to draw your blade and pointed at him. Luckily, your impulses had been getting better in the last few weeks, with Shining Armor basically drilling into you that losing focus, even for a moment, can lead to somepony dying because of you. That echoed too much the words of that…thing in your dreams, and was something you took to heart.

“Bah, I’ll get them back for it. I may not be able to fly anymore, but I’m still friends with DawnChaser. Tell him it’s for science, and he’ll do almost anything to help you, including setting up elaborate pranks,” you tell the griffon as you spin around on your stool to find him already having finished with your order, probably having made it a while back, the plate clattering to the counter in front of you.

The order was plain…or at least would be back home. Some fries on the side, a bubbling, fizzy drink, and a burger. You had, when Shining suggested this place as something that might appeal to your appetite, asked him how the food was made. He’d told you not to question it, and to know that it was the only place that served this type of food in all of Equestria, so just enjoy it while you could.

“Heh, here’s to you, and to your delicious food stuffs,” you told the griffin with a grin, gulping at the drink, and then slamming it down empty, earning a smirk from the avian as he placed another already filled glass next to that one, and took the empty down.

“It is nice to have some regular faces to depend on business for. I tell you, the ponies just don’t appreciate our type of cuisine,” he complains idly, while rinsing out the glass, as you down a few fries, nodding.

“It comes with their lifestyles I suppose. Though I have been meaning to ask you about that. I know for a fact there are other…people with our tastes in this city. That jerk ambassador from the Griffin Kingdoms, no offense, doesn’t strike me as a grass and hayfries type of gentleman,” you tell him, before tearing into your meal again, getting another thoughtful grin from your host as he finishes cleaning the cup, and setting it in a bin next to the sink.

“None taken, my bipedal friend. But truth to tell, most of those who come here from those places bring their own food. I may get a few here from those embassies and such, but none of them as regularly as you, though I hope that’s about to change,” he tells you.

“Oh?” you ask.

“Indeed. I’ve heard from a friend of a friend of a cousin that some new Wing Guards are coming from the Eastern Kingdoms soon as some kind of show of force. Group like that sounds like they’d get bored of barracks food real quick like,” he answers almost wistfully, and you nod, trying to think on everything you learned.

After a moment, you remember, Wing Guards were sort of like Wonderbolts, but for Griffins. They were armored opponents, who used their weight to bash other fliers out of the sky, and their flight to daze ground based opponents. They typically used either maces, or sometimes hammers, with telescoping handles so they could be made longer, allowing them to keep foes at a distance, rather than letting them get close.

“How many do you think are coming?” you say biting into the burger again, remembering that most of the Griffin Kingdoms only had a few dozen such Guards, and they were supposed to be the best of the best.

“A whole flight, five of the roughest, toughest, and just plain meanest Griffins in the whole of the Kingdoms, I expect they make quite a show of strength, and impress a few of the equines, as well as the other nations,” he tells you, his chest swelling with pride for his homeland.

“You think they’ll be any trouble for the Guard?” you ask, adding the capital G to the word to indicate you expected the Royal, rather than city, Guard to be called in if these visitors proved to be a bit to rambunctious .

“Oh, nothing too bad. Probably a bar fight, maybe a street brawl, but nowhere near as bad as what a certain purple pony we both know did a few months back,” he said with a grin, and you catch it too, looking over towards the bar that had been rubble the first time you saw it. It was now quite different, though of course, closed this close to noon. It would open in a few hours though, and the lights, as well as a neon sign of a purple unicorn, would declare ‘The Chaser’ open for business.

“I see,” you chuckle, gulping down the last of your meal, and then washing that down with a pull on your drink, before rising out of the seat you’d been using.

“Yep, you just wait and see. Anyway, I suppose you’ll be headed over to your hatchsitters now?” he asked, indicating he’d probably give you seconds if you wanted, likely with a stronger beverage that you knew he kept under the counter.

“Yeah, I’d better. The purple one would probably like me back for some more pokes with needles and things,” you tell him, rising from your seat.

“I suppose it’s the prince one pays to live here,” he mentions, and you nod.

“Speaking of, has he paid you for this week, or do I need to?” you ask, DawnChaser having setup a system to just pay the griffon in advance, seeing as you ate here at least once a day if you could get away with it, since the roughage of the ponies’ food had long since been dull to your tastebuds.

“Oh, he’s paid up for a month and more, so you just feel free to come back any time,” said the griffon with a smirk, and you nod, waving a hand at him as you walk towards the other café. Sitting at a table on the edge where they could see you, though not hear you over the din of the busy Canterlot street, you saw your guardians. The Captain, as always, never took his eyes off you, while Spitfire would only do so when the other two, who rarely looked towards you, started to get a little hotter in their arguments than she’d allow.

“Enjoy you meal?” asked the Captain, leaning down and using his tongue to pick up a small cake thing that was probably some kind of dessert, though it looked like it was made of spinach paste or something.

“I always do, don’t I? Though I think I’m starting to get fat again,” you admit, pounding your fist into your chest, and causing a hollow chime sound to echo from inside.

“Oh, that’s just paranoia. Believe me, anypony who trains with Shining Armor isn’t libel to have any excess fat on them at all. A bit more muscle maybe, but no fat,” Spitfire assured you, as she rose from her seat, and then reached into a pocket of her suit, laying down a couple of bits, probably far more than their meal cost, and walking towards you, the other Wonderbolts following suit.

“Indeed, I’ve seen you go at him in ways that no fat pony could. It’s probably just your imagination,” said the Captain, as he rose as well, trotting up beside you, while the Wonderbolts flapped their wings, and took off, holding a bit above you, but all three looking about, before nodding towards the Captain.

“Shall we return to DawnChaser then? I’m sure he has a few more tests to run today, and then you can prepare for your date with Ms. Octavia tonight,” said the black unicorn guard, grinning at you. Luckily, you’d gotten quite used to the Pony Professor preferred methods of poking you with prodigiously pointed needles, and so you followed after him as he led the way towards the lab.

Tests: Failures and Successes

“OW! Watch where you shove that thing,” you complain as the needle that had been held steady by a glowing magical aura suddenly plunged into the small of your back, just to the side of your spine. The one holding the needle ignores you, his silver magic pulling back on the plunger, and making your feel like your were being sucked down the needle yourself, until finally he pulled it out of you, and brought the blood container to his face.

“Interesting,” he said, shaking the stuff in front of him, before moving towards the other side of the room, where Tailfire held an open dish to squirt a bit of the blood into, the Pony Professor doing so, before setting the still mostly full needle down. The pair then began to work, placing the sample under a microscope, and then adjusting it, taking turns observing...whatever it was they were observing as they manipulated knobs, and commented on it with words that you only remember hearing from scifi novels and the like.

“Youse are gettin really gud at takin the hit like that,” said Diamond Eye, as he passed you back the 'shirt' part of your chainmail suit, which you gladly slipped back on, making sure to press it tightly against the pants part, which sealed the two halves together firmly.

“Not like I have much choice,” you tell him, and the zebra nods, his namesake sparkling in the light of magical spells being cast on the blood sample by DawnChaser, while he and Tailfire study the stuff. Feeling that the pair were done with you for today, as they tended to be upon taking blood, you decide to wander off, and leaving the three to do chemical tests on the red liquid. You quickly find your guards just sitting around outside in the hall, Rainbow looking bored, Soarin dozing off, and the Captain and Spitfire staring at each other.

“How went?” asked the gruff voice of Rex from an unobserved corner, his hand on the book, as his eyes flitted down the page, seemingly at random.

“Not bad, though I think they drew a bit more out of me than I would have liked,” you tell the dog, rubbing at your back.

“Always do,” he replied, before returning to his book, and you stick out your tongue at him, before walking off towards the door to the lab. Outside, the day is waning a bit, the sun in the sky hanging at that point just between noon and afternoon, enough time left to play, but not enough to find new friends unless you already knew where they were.

“Ah, so, free from the more base experiments already?” asked a new, familiar voice, and you turn to find Deasly sitting on the swing of the lab's porch, a series of large tomes floating around his head. One was obviously his sketch book, while the others were probably something to do with his studies lately.

“A bit more blood loss than I'd like coming off the end of it, but overall, I think it went well,” you tell him, and he nods, the books around him closing as he finishes the last of his sketches, and then turns to you.

“Excellent, then it's time for my own tests, if you would?” he said, gesturing with one of his forehooves towards a chair opposite the swing he was sitting on. Sighing, you look towards the seat, and feel an urge to run, but then trudge over to it and sit down, the hard wood of the seat making your back itch a little, even as your skin starts to tingle from the glowing circle of runes around you.

“Okay, last time got...a little out of hoof, but I've had Rex and Talon help with some new runes in the circle that should keep the magic from becoming unstable,” he told you, getting up and checking the runes with his hooves, tapping them as he said them silently to himself.

“Unstable, is that what you call it when I level a small building?” you ask him, and the unicorn pointedly ignores you as he runs his hoof back towards the other end, and then stands before you expectantly. Staring at him, you can't see any break in his expectant gaze, and with a sigh, begin to do the breathing exercise he taught you the last time you tried this.

“Good, now, take in the air around you, feel the magic in it, the vibrancy of life, of power,” he tells you, and you close your eyes, picturing a flame in your mind. The fire burns, but not without purpose. Slowly, it builds, and with each breath, you can feel it grow warmer. Never hot, never burning, but that warmth that came from a hearth fire on a cold winter's eve.

“Gently stoke the spark of magic in you, let it smolder but never blaze,” he continues, and you almost kick him, the urge very strong, but you resist, continuing to breath as you'd been told to do.

“Excellent, now, shape the power of magic, mold it into a form you can use,” he instructs, and you do as he says, holding out your hands, which you can see glow even with your eyes closed. The color of your magic shifted with your mood, as you'd found out thanks to Deasly's tests.

“Impressive,” he said, and you could feel the glowing warmth of your power in your hands, which were a deep blue today for whatever reason. Opening your eyes, you found the sight was indeed rather impressive, all things considered, and with a gesture, motioned towards a rock Deasly had placed in front of himself with his power. The glow of blue sparkles didn't travel so much as just appear around the rock, which you now felt as if you were holding it.

“Fantastic, this is going so much better than last time,” he said and your aura shifts a little, flecks of orange entering the blue as you remember the incident in question, where you tried to light a candle, and accidentally blew the roof off the lab.

“It will go much better without the distraction,” you told him bluntly, slowly moving your hand upward, the movement translating into the rock. At your feet, the circle of runes, designed to focus the natural magic of this world into you, glowed in harmony with your magic color, getting brighter as you moved the stone into the air, and held it there for a moment.

“Sorry,” he apologized, the tone telling you he meant it, as he whipped out his sketch pad, and began to draw what he saw. Silently, you willed him to hurry, as the rock, small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, and probably weighing only thirty or so grams, two ounces at most, was already growing heavy. Luckily, Deasly only needed to draw the runes, his talent at pictures quickly detailing how brightly they glowed, before his hoof stamped hard, and with an exhale, you let the stone drop heavily onto the wood, sweat pouring down your brow.

“That was easier than last time,” you comment, in a way that is both hopeful, as it was indeed easier, but also sad, since this took you so much effort, while Deasly just tosses the stone away with his magic, hurling it far afield.

“That's good, it means your natural magic is growing stronger,” he comments.

“Not as strong as my old powers though,” you tell him, trying to find that burning star within you from which you'd drawn the power that had helped fell Discord. As with most times you did this these last few weeks, you found it, but the star was a flickering bulb amid the great dark void, not even enough power to do what you had just done with the rock, let alone enough to stand before a god.

“True, but the Professor tells me his tests are coming back hopeful on that front,” he informs you, and quickly pulls out one of his pads, showing you the inside of it, which is a string of numbers. You don't understand most of them, but the picture beside it was obviously you, and the numbers just to the side of that are dates, with steadily rising numbers next to them.

“Does he have an estimates as to when I'll regain things like flight, or morphing?” you ask, and the unicorn shakes his head sadly.

“I'm afraid not, but these weekly tests are getting us some fantastic data. Come by tomorrow and I'm sure we'll be able to at least tell you something,” he says in an upbeat tone, before going inside, leaving you standing on the lab's porch, staring at the door.

Sighing dejectedly, you walk down the steps, and out into the grass of the lawn, the soft blades giving under your armored feet. Idly, you slip one foot out of the armor, setting the bare sole against the ground, and feeling the life of Equestria beneath your skin, the subtle pounding of its heart far away, and you smile, gaining an odd sense of home from it, before slipping back into the armor, and walking towards the field.

“You four ready to go?” you shout up at four blurry shapes in the sky, which continue to dip, weave, and whirl about, your voice lost on them as they play. It's hard for your eyes to follow, but you can just make out that it's Soarin who has the cloud ball, his wings barely keeping him away from Spitfire, while Rainbow and the Captain swoop and dive beyond them, Rainbow trying her hardest to get bast the bulky guard, but failing as he uses his greater mass to constantly push her back.

The game they were playing still made no sense to you, as the rules seemed rather arbitrary, and most felt like they were made up on the spot, involving things like wind patterns, time of day, and how heavy the clouds were. Still, you'd been told cloudball was an old pegasi favorite, and the materials to play were plentiful most days, so it was easy to see why they enjoyed it.

Above you, the Captain suddenly dove forward, allowing Dash past him, but only so he could get a clear line from Soarin, who quickly passed the ball to him, and then dove at Spitfire, pinning her against a nearby cloud, while the Captain made for the goal. Rainbow, seeing the deception, quickly reversed course, and went for him. Unfortunately, not only had he started sooner, but his mass was enough that even as she slammed into him, he simply braced, causing the lighter pegasus to be tossed aside, as he threw the ball at the goal, getting a cheer from himself and Soarin.

“And the crowd goes wild, the two underponys coming from deep behind, and pull off the win from their opponents!” shouts Soarin, as he shakes his hooves together over his head.

“Yeah, yeah, you know I let you pin me Soarin, otherwise I could have gotten that ball before it reached him,” said Spitfire in a dismissive tone, but you could tell by her smile that she was bluffing. The Captain and Dash meanwhile were wrestling over another ball that Dash had apparently made, and you decided to end this before they started another game. Pressing your fingers into the sides of your mouth, you blew hard, causing a piercing whistle to echo over the field outside the lab, and cause the four fliers to turn down towards you.

“Ah, it seems the Mad Professor's tests on our ward are completed,” said the Captain obviously, tossing the cloudball into Dash's face, and then falling towards you. Recovering, the others followed suit, and soon you were surrounded by the four protectors again.

“So, any good news dude?” asked Soarin, his smile expectantly plastered all over his face. Your expression must have said it all, as said smile quickly melted away, and he frowned.

“Same as last week. No power yet, and my magical ability is less than anypony else. I can't grow a plant, I can't fly, and I can barely lift a pebble. At this rate, I'll have my powers back when I'm old, gray, and need false teeth,” you tell him dejectedly.

“Cheer up dude. Could be worse after all. You could still be tiny,” he reminds you, and you smirk a bit at that, nodding.

“I suppose. Still, shall we get going?” you ask, pointing towards Canterlot in the distance. The pegasi nod, and with them in tow, Soarin and Dash high overhead, and the Captain and Spitfire beside, your group makes for the city.

“So, what's the plan for tonight?” asks Spitfire, her wings flapping lazily in the cool afternoon air, as in the distance, the sun slowly starts to lower itself down. Looking forward, you can just barely make out the castle, where you know the Princesses will be swapping positions, with Luna taking up her spot on her balcony, while Celestia goes inside for a nice rest.

“Hopefully, just a calm, relaxed evening with Octavia. She got us some reservations at some fancy restaurant, which I'm sure will make some places for you four. Then, a return to the castle, and a restful night's sleep,” you tell her simply, and the yellow mare nods. It sounded like a good plan to her.

“Ah, so no grand adventures, no daring dos? What happened to the excitement we used to have in our lives?” asked the Captain, and you just stare at him for a moment, wondering if he's joking, or if he'd really like to go on one. Unfortunately, it's not easy to read the expression on his face, and sighing, you just keep walking towards the city gate, which opens, and allows you and your party within.

Dates

The ting of piano keys echos around the room, as the sounds of a few voices mumble in the background. Around you are shadows that dance with the flickering flames of candles. Idly, you think back to your world, and how such a scene would usually be somber, with the darkness encroaching all around, but here and there, a few sparks of light flash, as unicorns use their magic to levitate things onto tables, the atmosphere of the restaurant less oppressive darkness, and more silent cloak, sheltering you from the outside world.

“And then Vinyl decided to turn on that box thing you and Luna brought to our house the other day, and spent several hours just staring at the flickering lights. I don't think I've ever seen that mare sit still for so long,” said the gray mare as the candle between the two of you illuminated her face like a halo of light.

“Heh, game systems do do that sometimes. Tell me, what game was she playing, do you know? Luna and I programed it with what I could remember of a lot of games,” you respond, using your fork to pick at the food in front of you, regretting that you'd decided to try something new today, as it had proven less than palatable to a non-equine biology.

“Oh something with a ship like those aeroplanes you showed us. It was flying in space, if I recall,” she tells you, and you nod, thinking about what games were in the box, before snapping your finger.

“Project Slypheed then probably. Were there a lot of flashing lights, and some gruff voiced old man barking orders?” you ask her, and she nods, before using her hoof to pick up her fork. Spearing what looks like a seed pod, the mare places it into her mouth and swallows it whole, an act that looked rather painful to you, but she seemed to like the taste of whatever it was.

“How's about your own day? Are you going to regain your old magic any time soon?” she asked, changing the subject.

“Well, we're not sure about that. The Professor did his usual stuff, taking out as much blood as I could stand, and then murmuring over it while casting magic. Deasly said to come back tomorrow to get some information about it,” you tell her, as you find something red like a tomato in your food, and quickly eat it, find that it was indeed a tomato.

“Ah, that's a shame, I suppose. I know you must feel a bit...under the weather, lacking abilities like that. I keep thinking it must be like losing you cutie mark or the like,” she says, looking at you with those big, soulful eyes. You stare back, the candle between you flickering, giving her face an ethereal quality.

“Um, well, I suppose. I liked being able to do all that stuff, to make you guys your studio and everything, and I appreciated being able to stand up to Discord, but I think I like this better,” you tell the mare with a smirk, reaching your hand across the table to touch her hoof, and making her gray fur take on a pinkish tone around her cheeks, before she pulls back and tucks into her food again, making your smirk even larger as you do the same.

The conversation stopped for a while afterward, only a few phrases coming from the two of you as you finished your meals. You, of course, left a large plate of hay and other grasses behind on yours, but no pony commented, the waiter coming by and smiling at the two of you as she levitated the plates away, leaving you with a small saucer with some after dinner chocolates on it. Taking one you pop it into your mouth as you rise from your seat, and walk over to Octavia.

“Shall we take a walk, my dear?” you ask her, holding out your hand, and helping her out of the bench/couch thing she'd been sitting on while eating. The two of you then made for the exit, which the door man opened for you, making you wonder not for the first time how much this place cost to eat at, and then deciding that if DawnChaser kept paying you to be a test subject, you might as well treat yourself sometimes.

“Finally! I was starting to think you'd gotten kidnapped or something,” said Rainbow, fluttering down from a cloud she had been sitting on. Spitfire and Soarin meanwhile came from across the street, along with the Guard you'd been assigned for the evening, who was stuffing some cards back into his armor's pocket, along with a small stack of bits.

“Oh come on Dash, you'd just mad cause you lost next week's salary to our friend here,” chided Spitfire, and Rainbow looked daggers at her, making the fiery squad leader laugh at her, even as she took off to fly next to her along with Soarin.

“It's because she's got no game face. You can tell just by looking at her when she got a bum hoof,” said the unicorn guard, coming up behind you as you and Octavia lead the way towards her house. The talking from that point on is mostly done by your guards, as they discuss everything from Rainbow being the worst card player in Canterlot, to Celestia waving off the Captain's desire to up your guards to seven or eight thanks to some new note that had come in that day.

“You think we can't handle protecting this guy? He's slow, but he's got that sword, and I've seen him learn to use it. Anyone he can hold off for even a second we can take down,” claimed Dash, and as if to show it, she zoomed forward, ringing around the guard, and then back into perfect formation within the blink of an eye, leaving only an afterimage of a rainbow to show she'd moved at all.

“I'm not that slow...but was this note something to be worried about?” you ask, getting interested in the topic, as this was the first you'd heard about it.

“Not in the slightest. Just some scrawl stuff from some addle brained weirdo. If it comes to it, Dash is right, your training lets you hold off anypony who comes at you, and we can deal with them,” said Spitfire in a reassuring tone, while you stare at her, and then towards Octavia, who just stares at you, before rubbing her head into your chest in a comforting way.

“I don't think we have too much to be concerned about. Not in Canterlot anyway,” she agrees, and you put the note out of your mind as your group makes your way through the streets of Canterlot, and finally to the home of Classic and Rock.

“Ah, another fine evening spent in your company. I must admit, I was beginning to miss being able to do simple things like this,” says the gray mare with a smile, before hopping up onto her hind legs, and pecking you on the cheek, leaving you blushing after her as she turns and walks towards the door. Luckily, just as she reaches it, you remember something you wanted to tell her.

“By the way, Octavia, how would you and Vinyl like to join my at one of Fancy Pants' parties? The stallion says an investment the Professor told him to make paid off in a big way, and he ask me to invite the pair of you,” you explained, and Octavia, her hoof on the door, turned back to you with a beaming smile on her face.

“Oh! That sounds just wonderful. Does he want me to bring the whole ensemble again?” she asks, with a voice full of excitement.

“I'm pretty sure, yeah. I think he only invited me to make sure your group would come play for him and Fluer again,” you admit to her, scratching the back of your head as you think about it. She doesn't seem to hear the note of reluctance in your voice as she trots over, and gives you a hug, her forelegs wrapping around you body and squeezing hard enough to make the air in your lungs come out in a gasping wheeze, which she also fails to notice, and you do you, as she kisses you again.

“I'll tell the guys at practice tomorrow, and we'll get a whole big number together. I might even let Vinyl sing again, she seemed to enjoy that. Must remember to get that dress cleaned too,” she said absently, as she let you go, allowing you to take a big gasp of air.

“Heh, -cough-, that red number you were wearing last time?” you ask her with a small smirk on your face, one that becomes mirrored in her's as she turns to you, and then strikes a pose with one leg sticking out forward.

“You mean that one you said I looked ravishing in? The one Miss Rarity and Frazzle worked up for me?” she asked, and you dumbly nodded, getting a cute giggle from the gray mare as she trots back towards her door.

“I might mean that one. Or perhaps, I've had them make something even more fetching than that, you'll just have to wait and see,” she teased, opening the door and then going inside, shutting it with a click, followed by a quick clattering of hooves as she shouted for Vinyl to come hear the good news.

“Gods she know my buttons,” you mutter to yourself, turning to find several smug Wonderbolts, and one guard, who was passing a few coins to Spitfire.

“You bet on me?” you ask incredulously, after a moment of silence.

“Only whether you'd fall over from the hug or not. After all, last time you gave her news like that, she cracked a rib. I figured your training had toughened you up enough to at least take that from your marefriend,” said Spitfire, as she pocketed the bits, making you let out an exasperated sigh as you started towards the castle in the distance, the sound of laughter coming from Soarin and Rainbow as you made your way there.

You stay quiet for the walk to the palace, your thoughts on the party that was on offer, wondering idly if you might invite Pinkie Pie or somepony else that could liven up the affair, before dismissing the idea out of hand. She was fun mind, you'd gone to a few of her 'Discord is Gone FOREVER!!!' parties after everything was done in Canterlot, and those had been a blast, but you figured Octavia might not take too kindly to the party mare being a distraction from her ensemble.

Sighing dejectedly, you found to your surprise, you were already at the palace as your mind refocuses on the world about you. Looking back down the road you'd walked, you shake your head, and stamp your foot once, feeling only the slightest bit of a tingle in it that would become a small pain in the sole later. Obviously you'd been getting faster at walking, and your feet more used to going greater distances, but this was still a surprise, as after the training, tests, and everything else you'd figured you'd be in more pain than this.

“Well, it's been a day, and I suppose we should hit the barracks and maybe do a bit of night flying before hitting the sack. Think you'll be needing an escort to your chambers?” asked Spitfire, being quite sincere, probably remembering you getting lost in the palace for a whole day.

“I think I'll be fine. You guys rest up, and I'll meet you in the foyer in the morning,” you assure her, the Wonderbolts taking off with her nod, and then becoming a trio of blue streaks in the air as they head off towards the squat barracks in the distance, the lines of their flight starting to dance as they do maneuvers in the air.

“What about you? Gonna take me to my room, or go give your armor back to Silver Hammer for the night?” you ask the guard as you and he make for the main gate, a pair of Royal Guards saluting you as you pass, with you idly returning the gesture.

“Nah, I have watch duty later tonight. Shouldn't be too hard with Princess Luna having closed the Nightcourt for the evening,” he tells you, as you enter the castle foyer, which would normally be packed with supplicants and the like, but now only had one very bored looking pony wiping down tables and things with a rag, while the guards patrolled randomly about.

“Okay, if you see the Captain, tell him I hope to see him again soon,” you say as you place your hands behind your head and let out a massive yawn. The day had been long, almost from sunup to now which was several hours past sundown. Your body was now reminding you that while you weren't sore anymore, you needed a good eight hours of sleep, and so you started through the twisting maze of corridors to your chamber.

Luckily, you'd been learning the castle for a while, and knew to take the right grand stair, then left at the sixth intersection, and then walk into the painting of a pair of very old looking ponies wielding spears and clashing them together, which as it turned out was only an illusion, before finally taking a last right and ending up at the hall that contained your bedroom.

Opening the door, you stretched and popped your back while going inside, letting the heavy wooden thing slam shut behind you as you strode forward, beginning to undo the catches and locks on your armor, which popped and clinked like crystal as you did so, with each piece going onto a mannequin that stood beside a laundry chute.

With the armor off, you gave it a once over with your eyes, looking for cracks, kinks, and stains in the finish as the Captain had taught you to do. The armor, to your eyes, gleamed and was as flawless as ever, but you still made your best effort to find any tiny seam in it, shoving your face up close into it, before finally stepping back and drawing your blade. Using both hands to hold it in the moonlight where it glimmered and staring at the blade's edge to see if it had dulled, which it hadn't so you sheathed it and added the belt to the dummy.

Yawning again, you quickly stripped off the clothing you wore, being careful not to wrinkle it too much as you did so while standing in front of the laundry chute and dropping each item one by one into the hole, at last free of the chains of your social construct and standing as nude as most ponies did, letting your body just absorb the moonlight coming in from the window.

Stretching one final time, you make your way towards your bed, pulling back the covers and climbing in. The bedding, like a soft cloud, and you'd asked, it was not a cloud, just really, really soft, conforming around your body, giving you a nice feeling of being hugged over your whole body before you settled your head into the pillow and closed your eyes.

Instantly you were in the Void. But not the Void at the same time. All around you was nothingness. Not blackness, for even that would have been something, just a featureless Void. However, as you floated in it, you imagined something you could stand on, and suddenly, you were doing so, and began to look around you, staring into the distance as you waited for your partner.

“Ah, so you finally got to bed I see,” came a voice from behind you, and you turned to find Luna, the Princess of the Night, standing there in her full regalia, her ebony black crown like a dark shadow in her galaxy of hair, and her breast plate gleaming even in a place that had no light for it to reflect.

“I had a date, and then I had to deliver some news for Fancy Pants. He's going to be having another party, and he wants Octavia to come,” you explain, as you feel the edges of this world with your senses, and then bring them back closer. Luna, a slight smirk on her face, seems to be doing the same, and soon you both image together what you want, causing the Void to grow and twist, shaping that which is nothing into something.

“So I heard. He's invited Ourself and Our Sister as well, though I doubt either of us can attend. I hope you have more...fun there than you did last time,” she offers as the world around her and you forms into something like chariots, with you standing up, while in front of you forms a table with a grid on it. Still imagining it as it was the night before, cards of a unique style begin to form in the grid, and you smirk as suddenly the front edge of the table before you twists upward, becoming a mirror that shows you the same grid that Luna had before her.

“Heh, thanks. Well then, shall we pick the game up where we left off?” you offer, as you feel your body become covered by a dark blue jacket and pants, and your head suddenly sprouts a rather ridiculous looking hairdo that must have required a whole gallon of hair-gel.

“I suppose, though I still think you should just surrender. I have a blue eyes white dragon on my field, and all you've got is a Kuribo,” she reminds you, as between you a field appears, with the same grid as your tables, with the side closest to you suddenly spawning a brown fuzzball, while on her's a massive dragon came into being.

“Ah, but I believe in the Friendship of the Cards, and they will not fail me this night. It's time to d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-duel!” you shout, as five cards appear in your hand, while five float in front of you, the game beginning again.

(If you're curious, type in Yugioh Ponies on youtube to see this done with them. Yes, I like Yugioh. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRbVsUTud-0)

Duel Time

“Okay, I lay two cards face down, and play this card in defense mode,” you tell her, laying down the cards from your hand, and then staring across the field at Luna, who levitated the cards in front of her. She didn't need magic to make that happen here, and so they just floated before her, no sparkle of power about them, just hanging there.

“Intriguing. Trap or magic cards could defeat our dragon, but I don't believe you've been able to draw many powerful cards these last few turns,” she tells you, as she observes her hand, then the board, and then lays a card down on her side of the field.

“I place one card face down, and order my dragon to attack your Kuribo!” she shouts, pointing a hoof towards the puff ball. The dragon, it's shimmering scales glowing with power, rears back its head, and then shoots it forward, a burst of energy coming from within it, and arcing straight towards your monster.

“Ah, you fell right into my trap, go Mirror Force!” you cry, waving your hand over your board and causing the card to flip. On the field a shining wall of light appears before your Kuribo.

“Heh, predictable. Go Guard Mines!” she cries out, and with a flip of her wing, her face down reveals the called out card. Suddenly, your mirror force is shattered by a dozen explosions, some of which push against you, before your feel a few heavy weights smack into your chest. With a cry of pain you are tossed backwards as the weights prove to be bombs, that explode, driving you into the railing behind you.

“One trap card disabled, and five hundred life points from your total gone. That leaves you with only eight hundred and fifty, I believe,” said the lunar goddess, as her dragon, frozen as the two traps took effect, and now released, to unleash his furry on your poor fuzzbal.

“Not so fast, I play the other card you didn't counter. Multiply!” you tell her, as you stumble back into position, your hand pushing the card forward. Suddenly the kuribo on your field is gone in a flash of light, and instead, four more of them stand tall and strong, one of which is instantly vaporized as the blue eye's attack slams into it.

“Hmm, interesting strategy. You forced me to waste my card in undoing the first trap. Still, all that does is buy time, not win the game,” she told you with a smirk, as you stare across the field at her. Her dragon, powerful beyond imagination, stands in front of her, a duplicate smirk on its face, while your kuribo stand just a little smaller than before.

“All I have to do is draw the right card, and I can still win this!” you shout at her, not feeling nearly as confident as you sound. The monsters on your field are stronger than the ones in your hand, with the face down being one thousand attack points strong, while the tokens all measure three hundred. The two cards left in your hand are only two hundred each. No where near enough to take down that dragon the Princess controls.

“Yes. So that means you have to focus. Imagine the card you want at the top of your deck, while I try to make it something weaker,” she says, and suddenly you feel her mind weighing against yours', pushing at the walls around your thoughts, as she tries to force your imagined deck along lines she wants.

“Just, focus, and believe in the friendship of the cards,” you say with a sigh, setting your hand down on the deck, and then swiping off the top card. Sadly, this one only has two hundred points again, and your mind grows dark, as you try to focus on that card you need, while Luna smirks, obviously knowing she's winning this game.

“Come on deck, do your duty,” you tell it, and slip your hand out again. This time the results are a little better, as the spell card your draw will help. One last chance to draw that last card you need though.

“Don't fail me. I believe in the Octy that believes I can defeat any oppoinent,” you tell the deck, and pull one final card, this one showing you a two and two zeroes as well, causing your heart to surge.

“Hmm, interesting. You mood is black, as if in despair, but at the core I feel something...” she tells you, her voice sounding close and far off at the same time. You don't tell her what's happening though, as you place your spell care face up.

“I play, Mystik Wak. This care allows me to sacrifice my Kuribo tokens and gain three hundred life points for each of them, bring my total back up to two thousand,” you tell her, watching as the big pan appears to gobble up your tokens, before spitting out shimmering dots of light that pour over you, smelling faintly of oriental food.

“Heh, that doesn't sound that useful to me, seeing as your monsters are still too weak to fight mine,” she tells you, revealing that she had been reading your thoughts again. This time though, you smirk at her, causing her chuckle to cut off as you hold out your cards.

“True, but that spell just let me clear my field so I could play my hand. You see, they're weak individually, but like the elements of harmony, these cards come together to cause a grand effect. Now, I summon Celestia, the FORBIDDEN ONE!!!” you scream, placing all four of your cards. The four legs and the head of Celestia come together on the table before you, and in a blazing glory of rainbow light the goddess herself appears.

“Is that...HAHAHA, that's my sister,” she says falling over laughing while her dragon wavers in front of her.

“Indeed it is, and it wins the game instantly, with a Rainbow of Light attack!” you tell her, and in front of you Celestia lowers her horn, pointing it straight at the monster. With a flash, a column of rainbow fire charges out, blowing away the dragon, the field, and your cards, leaving the Void about you as you walk over to where Luna is still laughing.

“And she had a beard!” she shouts at you, her eyes tearing up as her chest heaves a bit.

“Yeah, kind of hoping you won't mention that part to her,” you admit, as you conjure a chair to sit on, as you wait for Luna to catch her breath. It takes a while, probably only a heartbeat in the real world, but seemingly hours in the dream, as she seems to recover for a moment, only to burst out laughing again a second later.

Finally, after sitting there, amusing yourself with a few light shows, and replaying old cartoons in your head, you hear her gasp, sigh, and then walk over to you, whereupon you banish the distraction and stand tall before Luna, finding your height to be under her's bey a good deal, her head nearly a foot higher than yours here in the world she controls.

“That was an excellent strategy, I must admit,” she tells you, as she sits down in front of you so her head is level with you.

“I was kind of proud of it myself. You said if I couldn't force my way to victory, I should instead try and think about approaching it from another angle. Figured an instant win that seemed weak on its own was the best bet,” you explain to her, and the goddess nods, smiling at you.

“Indeed. Though I would advise against trying such in the future. This worked because I was unaware of this...Exodia thing you based your strategy around. It would not work a second time,” she advises, and you nod, still smiling at her, as now it was time for your prize.

“In accordance with Our word, we now grant you the right to ask a single question of us, that we will answer to the fullest of our ability,” she says, and you almost squee with excitement.

“Um, so, any question, right? I can ask you things you avoid talking about?” you query, getting some clarity on this.

“Any question you ask, I shall answer as best I can, though do remember, my sister and I are truly not omnipotent as some assume. We are powerful, yes, but we did not make this world, nor do we know all the things on it as well as we might,” she tells you.

“Okay then, my question should be answerable, since I want to know something about you and Celestia. Where did you come from?” you ask, and she looks at you, as you make another chair, which you sit down on, though oddly, your head stays level with her's, while her deep blue eyes stare into yours.

“An interesting question. Truly I expected you to ask again about the..mating habits, of Ourself and Our Sister,” she tells you, and you blush a bit, remembering that as the first question you asked Luna when she appeared before you in the Void and offered. She'd then proposed the game, as something to help you learn to control the dream world as she did, and to avoid answering.

“I'm curious about that, don't get me wrong, but I've been chatting with Deasly and DawnChaser a lot, and, well, nopony seems to know where you two came from. Just bang, you were there, and the two of you took stewardship of the Pony Tribes, and protected the land from threats. That begs the question of where you two started out,” you explain.

“Ah, so this is the good Professor's question more than your own?” she asks you, and you shake your head quickly.

“No, not at all. If you ask it, I'll keep anything you tell me in the strictest of confidences. This is just me, being really curious about your history, and this world I've found myself in,” you explain to her, and that seems to give the goddess pause for a moment, before she smiles and chuckles a bit.

“Simple human curiosity then? That's something I think ponies could learn from. So many of Our wards seek only to understand themselves, but not the world about them. Very well, let us begin this tale, which started so long ago,” she said, her mane whipping around and curling about you.

Suddenly the Void is gone. You don't know how you know this, but you do. The Void is a comforting thing, a shield about you as you rest. But now you are drawn from behind it, and dragged into what must be Luna's own dream. Here, her power is absolute, but here she can create for you an interactive history of her world, as the wild scene before you seems to move in rapid reverse, until it gets to a point where you're looking at an old unicorn, studying a book marked with the symbol of an Alicorn.

History Lessons from Luna

“Long ago, longer than I like to think about, there was an age when ponies of the three tribes fought one another in terrible battles. In those days there was little harmony, even within a single tribe, as various leaders fought one another for the right to wield the power of their ponies against the others.”

The view is split there ways.

In one third stands a group of earth ponies, their bodies sagging a bit, their legs shaking in some of them, showing that they are malnourished. One among them, a female you think, is talking, slamming her hoof down on the table in front of her, while beside her whispers a stallion, obviously concerned for her, and getting her to calm down.

Beside that scene is another, this one of unicorns. Many among them can barely make a spark with their magic, save one decked out in what has to be some kind of soft metal forged into a dress, the silvery sheen of the stuff almost blinding to behold, while beside her stands another mare, in what you can only describe as wizard's robes, her voice inaudible, but deep lines of concern etched onto her face.

The final view is of pegasi. Not a few either, but a whole army's worth, flying in maneuvers, and practicing formations. Again they look like they need more food, but it is less pronounced with them, probably owing to the military life they all seem to be leading. At the front of the army, two stallions lead, one with a harsh expression, with you almost able to hear him bark orders at those behind, while beside him, his assistant seems to be trying to tell him to listen to reason.

“Three among them took charge, and each tried to lead their ponies separately. No harmony existed then. The story of this forms the basis of what Our ponies call, Hearths Warming Eve. For the three leaders all set out to a place where they could found new nations, away from the others. In so doing, however, they forged a union stronger than any could imagine.”

The scene shifted again, now the three leaders and their aides were huddled together withing a cavern of ice. About them swarmed ghostly, almost demonic, equines made of frozen wind. Each of the leaders fought alone, and were frozen for their efforts, but the aides, pushed together by the phantoms, fought as one, eventually causing the unicorn to burst outward with a magic like a rainbow of light, which destroyed the evil ones, banishing them back to the abyss they spawned from.

“This story is well known, even if the details of it are lost in time. However, there is a greater tale than most are aware, for while the leaders took most of their ponies with them, a few stayed behind, either due to age, or simply an unwillingness to leave the lands that had been theirs for so many generations. One in particular stayed to continue his studies, to find a magic great enough to protect everything, pony, buffalo, griffon, dragon, and all the world.”

The scene focuses on a unicorn, his face and body racked with age. Lines of sagging flesh hang off him, more from his status as an elder than hunger, and around him are arrayed a thousand and more books. Tomes with text you cannot read float about him, flashing by fast as lightning, while in front of him floats a smaller tomes, into which he inscribes something, the quill held by his magic flying furiously across the pages.

“In the new kingdom, Equestria, Clover the Clever began to study this strange power, this thing called Friendship. But in the homeland he had left behind, Starswirl the Bearded studied a magic of the world's birth, and with what he thought was proper care, he began to forge a spell that would give him the strength, both physical and magical, to lead the world into a new age.”

The scene leaps forward, the books now seem to have aged, but the unicorn in them almost looks younger, as he finishes his own book, the words in it glowing with arcane strength. One his face is an expression of determination, as he stands back, and begins to cast a spell from within the book. His horn glows like the sun as about him runes set into the floor begin to shine in unison.

“He found the magical power to do what he wanted, but such strength was greater than he had anticipated. In casting his spell, he set in motion events that would shape his world forever. The power he unleashed, power that dated back to the Dawn of Time itself, lashed out at one who would try to control it, while also flowing outward, forming two small lives who would come to be called gods.”

The scene of the older stallion faded into light, but in that light you could see the silhouette of the unicorn start to change, the last afterimage of him being something stretching outward, like a snake, while his horn split down the middle, coming to rest on either side of his head. Then it was gone, and you were staring instead at an open clearing in a forest.

“Those two live were Ourself and Our sister. Newly born though we were, we had been forged by the very essence of nature, and by the power of a unicorn who had only wished to help his ponies in a world that had spiraled out of their control. His memories informed Our choices as we were born, and so we took on a shape that he had desired for himself, something that had aspects of all three tribes.”

The clearing began to glow in front of you, a soft warmth like that of a dawning sun, or a full moon. The light slowly coalesced into a single sphere in the center of it, that then split like a cell down the middle, forming into two smaller bubbles of light that popped with an almost explosive quality, pushing the grass and plants away, even as the burst of illumination forced you to cover your eyes.

When you could see again, before you were two forms. They looked like and unlike the Royal Sisters. You could see who they would become, one light blue obviously being Luna, yet somehow, softer, gentler, and with a grin on her face, while beside her stood Celestia, the two equal in height, as well as the joy evident on their face.

“Thus were born the Goddesses of Equestria. We knew who and what we were intrinsically. It was part of us, as we were part of the world about us, and with that power, we quickly began to forge a destiny for Ourselves as we set out to find the man who had birthed us, to show him that his spell had succeeded beyond even his wildest dreams. Such was the folly of Our youth that we didn't consider that the power that had made us, had touched him as well.”

The scene returned to the room where the unicorn had been before. He wasn't there anymore though. Or rather, he had changed into something so different, so alien, that you wondered idly if anything of his own mind remained. Where StarSwirl the Bearded had stood before now stood another god, like Luna and Celestia, but one of Chaos rather than Order. Discord was born, and he wore an evil grin on his face, as he began to laugh.

“Our travel was slow, for we were new life in this world, and though we wielded great power, it was still untested power. On Our trek through the woods of Our birth, we stumbled on more newness. The Kingdom of Equestria, recently founded, with ponies who looked upon us with eyes of wonder, as all could feel the power of Our making. Thus we were directed to the preeminent scholar of the land to answer her questions about us.”

The two sisters came to what looked like a very primitive Canterlot Castle. The walls didn't shine as they did today, and appeared to be fashioned from bricks, rather than seemingly grown from the mountain itself. Inside, they were met by Clover the Clever, older than before, but looking now like StarSwirl had, powerful in the magic of the world.

“We explained both who we were, and how we came into being. This she took with a grain of salt, yet she had felt the magic of the spell that birthed Us, and showed us that not only had he been born, but gems, formally rarities, now dotted the landscape. These gems were pieces of the magic that had made us, and thus had proven to be great helps to Clover's research into the Magic of Friendship.”

“Still, rumors spread from the Old Home of the tribes that something had been birthed as We had been. Some grand and terrible, that was slowly stretching forth its hand and unmaking Order within Our world. So with Clover and her friends we made Our way back to that place to find horrors that defy description, and reigning over it all, Our father.”

The scene shifted again, this time to a land that looked...well, battlefield would be underselling it. It was like the ground had been beaten on with some giant stick, and everywhere debris littered the ground. It wasn't like an explosion had scattered things though, for the debris seemed like it had melted into the stone and earth. Everywhere there was chaos, with ponies moving back and forth without purpose or reason.

“Discord had been busy, making himself his own little Kingdom of Chaos, as he liked to call it. The borders of his influence grew with each passing moment, and Our sister and Ourself fared the worst of all as we passed into his power, for the instant we stepped over the threshold, he felt us, and he knew us for what we were. His daughters, and yet, so much the balance to what he had become.”

The scene shifted to show the Alicorn sisters and Clover as well as an earth and pegasus pony walking beside her. The five, as they stepped into the blasted landscape, were assaulted by flashing lights which tore randomly at the ground around them, with the sisters raising their magic against the Chaos, and creating a bubble of Order that shouted defiance at the thing that had made it. Said thing appeared with a belch in the air above them, looking down at them with an expression of utter hatred you remember from your meeting with him.

“He knew what we were, what we represented, the end of his beautiful Chaos, and so he made to unmake us. Luckily, Our sister was far quicker on the uptake than us, and was able to teleport us back to Equestria, but her magic only called Discord's attention to the realm, and within weeks we found our borders being assailed by his Chaos Legion.”

Another shift, and you were looking at Equestria from above. You recognized it from the view on the hill outside Canterlot. Yet, something was off now, and it took you a moment to realize that the cities weren't shining as they should be, probably because none of the cities you knew had been built yet. Then your attention was drawn to a small flash of light, and you almost cried when you turned to look at it.

Chaos Legion, the name given to an amassed force of Discord's minions. You'd heard the term before, but the sight of them, this glimpse into the past. It was horrifying. Things that were just...nightmares made flesh walked alongside ponies, griffons, and dragons, all of whom looked to be almost as warped and twisted as those things, as they tore apart the very fabric of the world.

“Commander Hurricane led his army against the Legion, but his troops could only take so much before they broke, each time getting driven further and further back, every comrade fallen adding to the enemy's number, as Discord twisted all who fell to his power into the madness he felt. Still, such efforts were not completely in vain.”

The shift, and you were looking in a lab like the Professor's, only much more medieval. In it stood Clover the Clever, looking over a book you recognized as the one that had been in StarSwirl's possession when he'd cast the spell that turned him into Discord. Idly, you mind wondered how they had retrieved the tome, but then you watched in awe as light poured out of Clover's body, into six gems arrayed about her.

“Through the study of Clover, who had spent the years of Equestria's founding studying Friendship, she was able to distill that power down to its basest Elements. Gathering them up, she forged them into a thing of Order. A power was created then that would change everything, as we gave her Our power as well, gathering more and more energy, until the Elements of Harmony were born.”

The gems around her suddenly shifted in shape, taking the form of gems much like the ones found about Equestria, but somehow, older. You had felt their making when you let them flow through you, and knew that while Clover was forging them, the Elements had always been there, always been part of this world, it was just Clover was giving this power Form, and then the Alicorn sisters gave it Flesh, as they walked over, and touched three of the Elements each.

“Our bodies, forged of magic itself, were the only vessels capable of taking on the heavy burden of the Elements, and so we claimed them as Our own. To me fell Laughter, Loyalty, and Honesty. To Our sister went the Element of Generosity, Kindness, and most importantly Magic.”

“With the Elements in hoof, We went off to face Discord, who had conquered much of the world already. So many nations fell before him, the life of the citizens, and even the plants and animals twisted by his magic into something horrible. The Parasprites were his creation, made to weaken an enemy from within, while outside, beasts and monsters would pound away, with no way for anyone to fight back.”

Luckily, you are spared those scenes of horror this time, as they view shifts to Celestia and Luna, cloaked in light, standing before the one who had made them. Tears were in their eyes as they fought him, using their magic against his, and then falling. It seemed odd to you, but then Celestia said something, and Discord laughed in her face, pointing to himself, as if asking her to give him her best shot.

This was the trick, they had fooled Discord into letting them get this close, and with their Elements, they created a Rainbow of Light, which slashed out of the sky, and froze the foul being in mid laugh, leaving him encased in stone for all time, as the sisters just stared at each other, their bodies coated in sweat, but still able to stand, and then walk out into a world that needed their help.

“We spent many years afterward cleaning up the world that Discord had so broken, setting right all the things he had set so wrong, and in time, we came to be called Queens, but my sister, ever aware that we needed to keep ourselves grounded in this world, rejected that title, accepting only the moniker of Princess, until somepony could rise to claim true leadership of Equestria, and we could become the land's protectors, rather than it's rulers.”

“In time, we settled Ourselves into Our roles, her as the Shining Light of Day, and Ourself as the Cold Quiet of the Night. And we were happy, for decades on end, we were truly happy. Then things started to emerge. Darkness made real. It possessed a unicorn of great skill, and turned his heart black as night, such they he became a conquer, who took the name Sombra, or rather, Shadow.”

The scene shifted, and you were suddenly looking at the Crystal Empire, a place you had seen only in pictures up to this point. Instead of shining light everywhere though, it was a horrid place, with black crystals growing everywhere, and a dark cloud that looked like a storm ready to open up and drown the ponies below it in a sea of darkness.

“He unmade the Crystal Empire in a single day, subjugating the citizens, and ousting the ones who ruled it, a family of Pegasi who understood Love as Clover had come to understand Friendship. Only one of their number escaped, with Our sister and Ourself called in to stop Sombra's dark reign. We did this, but at a terrible cost, as the Empire was tossed in time, and all that remained was sorrow.”

The scene shows you the Royal Sisters appearing above the cloud, and using their power to blow it away, eventually having to fight Sombra, who flew on a cloud of darkness sized for him. The battle of magic was just a beam of war style thing, but it ended with a spectacular flash, which shattered Sombra's body, dispelling him into smoke, which covered the Empire in a second, and then moved on, flowing into the ice, leaving only barren land behind.

“Still, we had underestimated the Darkness. Sombra was merely the lure, and the Empire, the bait. It was Ourselves that were the true prize, and it took root in my heart, soon turning all my thoughts to darkness, and making me fight my sister. It felt so odd, like a dream that I couldn't control, as every feeling I had turned against her, and I was forced to do battle with her time and again.”

There is no scene this time, the Void is not truly the Void though. It is Darkness, deep sorrow and sadness, enough to swallow the heart of even the most pure soul, and drown them.

“With the Elements of Harmony, she was able to send me away as we had Sombra, sealing me inside the moon which I controlled, and making it so I wouldn't hurt Our subjects.”

Slowly, the darkness faded, and you were once more in the Void. Floating rather than standing, while next to you floated the Lunar Princess, in her small filly form. You had no idea what to say to that, her voice at the end getting so low, the scenes refusing to play for those bits you doubted she could face herself. Thus, you did the only natural thing, and put your arms around her neck, hugging her, as she cried onto your shoulder.

Bed and Breakfast

“Thank you. It is not easy to tell the end of that tale,” she said at last, her tears drying away instantly, as she regained her composure.

“Heh, it's not a problem. You aren't the first girl I've had to let cry on my shoulder,” you tell her as you float back, imagining a floor on which the two of you were standing, giving you solid ground once more.

“She must have been a lucky girl then,” comments the Princess of the Night as she settles onto her legs, folding them under her.

“Meh, more sister. Can't remember what she was sad about, something silly I'm sure,” you admit, and that gets a nice smirk from her.

“Hmm, it seems sunrise comes,” she says suddenly, looking towards the horizon of the Void, and you can see a glimmer of light just barely breaking through from the real world.

“So it seems. Well, I suppose this was an interesting duel, we will have to do another one later, since I still have questions to ask,” you tell her.

“I think we might still have time for one more. Something other than our bed habits though,” she tells you, winking as you turn around, and you set the wheels in your mind turning, thinking n what to ask, before you realize there was one obvious question you'd been wondering about.

“Okay, answer me this. How was it neither you nor Celestia was able to take on Queen Chrysalis and her changelings? I saw you two tonight battering at Discord, and overcoming things that looked way stronger than what Spitfire and Octavia said she was,” you tell her, remembering the two girls swapping stories once, including an interesting one wherein Octavia beat down two changelings herself, before getting dogpiled by them.

“Ah, a question of Our abilities then? For Ourself, the answer is a simple one. We were busy keeping Order in the sky, moving the sun that Our sister might attend the wedding. Such has never been Our burden, and it required far more attention than We would have liked, thus keeping us from even realizing there had been an invasion,” she explained to you, and you nod, figuring that it probably would, since you likely had to be more delicate with the sun, which was on fire, than the moon which was a big rock.

“It's more that the sun wants to fall, being so large and heavy, so it takes a good deal of concentration. Where Our sister has been wielding that fire for an age, this was Our...third time taking up that burden,” she explained, answering the question in your thoughts.

“As for Our sister's inability to use her full strength. That's actually the Professor's fault more than anypony else's. He had decided to use some new weapon on her, using the increase in outside security to sneak inside, and got a bit deeper inside than he would have liked, as he and Deasly ended up part of Our sister's balanced breakfast,” she told you, and you picture the pair of them in a cereal bowl, only to find Luna replace it with a stack of pancakes, which soon vanished out of view, making the two of you laugh.

“Truly, had Our sister not been worried about what might have happened to the pair, then defeating the entire Changeling Brood would have required only the merest expression of her fire onto them. As it stood, the event was a good bit of training for Twilight, and revealed that Cadence had grown into her Alicornhood well, indicating the return of the Empire couldn't be far off,” she told you, flapping her wings suddenly, and rising into the air.

“And before you can ask Ourself any questions about that, the sun rises, so I direct your query to the Princess of Love instead,” she told you, vanishing in a flash of light that turned out to be the rising sun, as you fluttered your eyes a bit, trying to get the sleep out of them.

Grumbling since sleep talking with Luna was never quite as restful as the real thing, you made your way out of bed and to the closet in the wall. Grabbing the white shirt and shorts, you tugged them on snugly, getting the little bunches of fabric smooth against your skin, and feeling that nice thread that Rarity always made for you, before walking over to the mannequin with your armor.

Your eyes glanced up and down the thing, as you'd been taught, checking every bend, every hinge, and every surface for marring, before you drew forth the blade from its scabbard. Feeling the weight, you were surprised at how easily you were holding the weapon now, remembering that first time you'd picked it up and it had slipped your grasp. Now you could do a parry, a block, and then a thrust just as Shining Armor had taught you. Not as quickly as you would have liked, but still, doing them at all without the bands that Rex gave you showed progress.

“Thunder, thunder, Thunderhumans, ho,” you say lightly, moving the sword side to side, and then holding it in front of you as the character had done so many times on the show. Laughing to yourself at the image in the mirror, you returned the blade to its sheath before beginning to don the armor, making sure every clasp was firm, and every bit was exactly as it should be, before finally nodding to yourself and walking to the door.

“Good morning, m'lord,” said one of the two ponies standing outside your room, and you almost chastise them again about calling you 'm'lord'. You weren't used to titles, since before Discord you'd just been the Little One. Now some of the guards insisted you be given a title or something. Celestia had agreed, and you were a Marque or some such, a rank you remember only from an old video game called Uncharted Waters, and then you couldn't remember how high it was.

“And to you fine stallions,” you tell him, getting a smirk as the pair puff out their chests, obviously liking compliments. It really did feel odd that last bit. People taking your word as something to cherish, praise from someone like their boss. You knew Celestia and Luna were free with such things, so it made you wonder why they were like that, but then you shook your head, and started down the hall, the clopping of the guards' hooves on the stone floor following after.

“Did the Captain leave any instructions for me?” you ask them.

“To our knowledge, none at all. He believed today would be a normal one for you and your friends. The Wonderbolts have already entered the palace, and I believe that young Rainbow is challenging one of our number to an eating contest in the dining hall. Otherwise, nopony told us of anything unusual,” said the pony who'd spoken before, his companion, a mare you saw, staying stoic and silent, her eyes darting about as if she expected some attack to come any moment.

“So a normal morning for me then. My life is no where near where I expected it to be sometimes. Not in a bad way though,” you tell the pair as you make your way down a flight of stairs, up another, and through twisted passageways, until finally you come to the large dining hall, which currently has only about twenty ponies in it, all gathered around Rainbow and a guard you recognize as the one playing her last night at cards, stuffing their faces with pancakes.

“Twenty-three!” calls the crowd of earth ponies around the guard.

“Twenty-seven!” responds the group of pegasi around Dash.

The pair then lift more pancakes, each stuffing one at a time into their muzzles, gulping them down almost whole, making you smirk as you grab a plate, flop two flapjacks onto it from a tray, and then settle in to watch the fun, as one by one the stacks they'd set before the pair vanish.

“Thirty-six!” for the guard.

“Thirty-nine!” for Dash.

“Forty!” for Dash.

“Forty-Five!” for the guard.

Soon though, the pair slow down, with each looking like they're going to vomit as their respective groups keep lifting the flat bread disks into the air for them, letting them open their maws and then just have the breakfast food stuffed inside it. Finally, when Dash's plate has only three more, and she opens to take another, the guard calls a halt to it, nearly falling over as he raises a hoof and nods towards his opponent.

“Today, I have felt the pangs of defeat, among others, and admit to all here, that Rainbow Dash, rookie of the Wonderbolts, protector of visitors, and all around horrible card player, is by far my better when it comes to stuffing her face,” he admits with a grin, before his belly, bulging to the floor, swings with his motion to turn and walk away, causing him to flop over onto his back. The guard ponies, laughing their flanks off, pick up their fallen comrade and carry him off, while Dash and the pegasi luxuriate in their victory.

“Way to go Dash!” “Showing those jerk guards who's the best around here!” “I owe you a round of Cider on me!” came the various pegasi you began to realize were just off duty Wonderbolts, and probably some Shadowbolts too. They continued to slather her with praise as you finished your breakfast, and finally walked over to where Soarin and Spitfire were seated.

“So, does this mean she's gonna be out for the day, or do you think she'll still be able to fly?” you ask as you take a seat beside Spitfire, and doesn't even start as you do, just staring at her wingpony.

“Just give her a sec. I think she'll be feelin-there we go,” she said, as Dash suddenly covered her muzzle with both forehooves, and then dove face first into a nearby trashcan. The sounds coming from said can indicated that Dash would indeed be feeling better in a moment, even if it did mean she'd probably have lost if the guards had just stayed a bit longer.

“Ah the exuberance of the rookies. Always in contest with each other, pushing each other in the oddest ways. Still, it does create a dynamic relationship between we fliers and the Royal Guards,” said a voice, and you look towards Soarin, who's smiling over at his marefriend. That had been said with a tone that just wasn't....Soarin enough.

“Hey, you okay dudette? That was just awesome what you did,” he said suddenly, as he fluttered over to her side, rubbing one of his hooves between her wings as she finished her business and rose. You turned to Spitfire, who just smiled at you as she grabbed her's and her partner's plates and took them to a sink, dumping them into it.

Minutes later the four of you exited the dining hall, Dash flying a bit sloppily, but not too badly. Making your way through the palace again, you took not a single wrong turn today, though it still took you almost half an hour to get to the castle foyer. Then you had to wade your way through a dozen or more paparazzi. Not that these were here for you today, they were just snooping for stories.

“Make way you parasites!” you shout at them, waving your arms and getting them to scatter for a moment, opening a path that you shot down, followed by the flying Wonderbolts. Rushing forward, you made it to the palace gates, and dashed outside, gaining two more guards, the ones from your door earlier, as you did so.

“Nice of you two to join us!” you shout after them, as you run as fast as you can in front of them, getting a bit of pride in the fact that you were able to maintain the run until you passed the last bit of the Royal Garden, making it to the street that ran in front of the palace, before finally breaking down, gasping for breath and sweating from every pore on your body.

“That's actually starting to get easier,” you choke out as your party starts down the road towards the Professor's lab, the guards smiling at you in that almost patronizing manner, as they came up beside you and offered you support. Thinking about where you're going, you almost ask them to leave you for dead on the road, but stay silent as your party marches towards morning training with Shining Armor.

Hand to Paw Combat

“Okay, breath deeply. Let your body feel the air, and take it in, before letting it out in a rush,” said Shining Armor as he stood off to the side, along with the usual crowd of ponies and others staring at you. In front of you stood Rex, his body, almost two feet taller than yours when he stood up to his full height, just seemingly like an immovable mountain as he did a few quick punches in the air. His paws were blurs as he punch, kicked, and then pivoted, coming to rest staring at you.

“This is gonna suck,” you say, more to yourself than anyone else. Shining's Lesson today was on hand to hand combat, as your weapon could get taken away during a fight. You personally thought it was just because he was mad that you were able to grab him yesterday, but whatever the reason, today your sparring partner was the dog, who looked ready to rip you apart. Even with the bands increasing your speed and strength, you didn't think you stood any chance at all against him.

“Now, I want the pair of you to fight clean. Nothing underhanded, and remember to try and not hurt each other too much, or my wife is going to kill me,” said the white stallion with a smirk at his wife, who just glared at him for a moment, before smiling towards the two of you.

“Begin!” shouted the unicorn, and you were off like a shot. Your heels dug into the grass, spraying sod behind you as you rushed forward, leaping almost ten feet with every step, before you slammed hard into Rex's defense, your fist flying towards his paw, and then altering its path just before impact, trying to hit Rex in the shoulder and end this early.

The dog didn't even flinch, his arms moving like snakes as one of them reached out and caught your outstretched arm at the wrist with seemingly no effort at all. The other arm, freed, came up under your armpit, and before you could really take it in, you were sent flying in an overhead toss from the dog, landing with a thud that nearly drove the wind from your lungs.

A week ago, that tumble would have been the end for you for an hour or more, but now, after training with Shining, you easily rolled into the impact, letting your armor's natural ability to displace kinetic energy absorb the impact into the ground, before bouncing onto your feet again, and running straight back into the fray, the dog standing with both arms outstretched, ready to continue the lesson.

“Excellent form Rex, and you too human,” came the encouraging words of Shining Armor, as you leapt into the air, trying to get some power behind your attack as you dove for the dog foot first. He could your blow on his upper arm, and seemed about to smack you down again, when you used his body as leverage to launch yourself skyward again, landing behind him and quickly turning about, punching him in the small of his back and making him yelp as he fell forward.

“Good bands. They make you strong,” said the dog as he rubbed his back a bit, getting up slowly from where he lay. At first, you're worried for your friend, afraid you overestimated his ability to take a punch. Then, in one blink, you find him standing in front of you, his paws flying, forcing you to use your vambraces to block a hailstorm of blows.

The motions feel almost natural to you, as you use your armor's power to your advantage, sending the jolts from every blow down through one arm and then into your legs, where the ground took the impact without flinching, your body barely feeling the force of his paws. Not that you were doing well, mind, as Rex just got through your guard with a single claw, and poked you in your side, causing you to twist to the side to block it instinctively, and then get a powerful smack to the chest that sent you flying.

“Not bad. React faster though. I know you can do it,” said your trainer from the sidelines as you rose off the ground, and then ran forward again. This time you did so defensively, letting the dog strike first, rather than trying to hit him yourself, which actually gave you an opening for once, as you charged through his guard, letting him smack you hard on the side, only to get in a punch into his chest that sent him flying backwards.

“Good show,” came Octavia's voice from the stands, and you turn towards her with a smile you didn't really feel. That moment of pride was a bit too long, as Rex got to his feet once more, and attacked again, this time pushing you into the sky with a kick to your legs, and then slamming you back down to the earth with an elbow into the base of your spine. You then do a spectacular face plant into the dirt, and just lay there for a moment, wondering if it would be worth it to get up again.

After a second of feeling sorry for yourself, you push off against the ground and return to the fight, figuring at least you can put on an entertaining show for the gray mare, as you dust yourself off, and launch an offensive again, pummeling the dog with blow after blow. His stance, defensive now, lets him take every hit without even being pushed back, but you make sure there are no openings for him to exploit, every fist coming just a bit too soon after the last to let him counterattack.

“Okay, that's enough of that,” says a voice, cutting through your battle vision, and making you leap backwards, until you are far enough away to safely turn to face Shining Armor again.

“That's an interesting strategy, but I think you've done all the paw to hand training you can with those bands on. I want you to take them off now, and fight with just your own strength,” he tells you, and you look at him like he just ordered you to take off your head. Sweat is already pouring down your brow, and without the speed boost the bands provide, you're not gonna last a single punch with Rex.

You do as instructed after a heartbeat, however. Shining was your trainer, and he'd never steered you wrong before. Besides, you had realized that while you'd been holding your own with them, the bands wouldn't be available at a moment's notice. You had to be able to fight without them.

The instant the rune covered straps leave your arms and legs, the weight of the world crashes back down on you with the force of a semi. Suddenly every moment you make seems to take ten times the usual effort, and you have to force your body to walk over to Rex, so he can place the bands back in that trunk of his, which he locks with a claw, and then turns to face you again.

You let him make the first move, as you settle into a defensive stance. He doesn't take long to make it either, as he charges forward like a semi-truck, slamming into your defenses with the force of a mountain, and nearly blowing you away. The only reason your even standing after that first impact is because the armor sent most of the force of it into the ground, and as he winds up for another blow, you wonder what your supposed to do.

Then it all slows down. Whether from adrenaline, some kind of magic trick, or just whatever Shining's been drilling into your head for the last three weeks. It all crawls forward, and you see the angle that Rex is using for his attack will leave him open for a counter. You're not strong enough to make a blow count however, and your mind quickly goes through options, until it arrives at the only one you can think of.

As the world returns to normal, you lash out with your hand, moving it so the vambrace on your right arm catches the paw that was coming towards your chest before it can get too close, at the same time though, your left hand shoots out, and positions itself right along Rex's chest, letting your skin push into his fur, just as the blow is struck.

The next thing you know, Rex has been blown off his paws, and is laying on his back in front of you, while you just stare at him, dumbstruck by what just happened. You'd...channeled the force of his blow through your armor, reflecting it right back into him. That had felt incredible, and it made you almost leap for joy, at least until the adrenaline began to wear off, and your hand suddenly felt like it was made of shattered glass.

“Ow, ow, ow, ow,” you say as you grip your wrist tightly, trying to kill the feeling in your hand. It's not broken, luckily, as you can move all your fingers around, but you can feel bruises start to form even as you watch.

“Excellent work. How'd you do that?” asks Shining as he and Cadence rush over to you. The instant the Princess of Love touches your hand with her horn, the pain stops, and you can move it freely again, while Rex, rubbing at his chest, soon gets the same treatment.

“I, uh, I just figured I could send the force of his blow back into him, instead of into the ground like I usually do. I didn't think it would work though,” you admit to the stallion as you continue to test out your healed hand.

“Well, it worked wonderfully. I would love to see you two try that set again,” he said, and then Cadence turned a glare at him as withering as any Stare Fluttershy could manage.

“I would love to, but I think it's time we took a break. Think about how that felt though, and we'll try to work it into the routine tomorrow,” he told you, and waved for your guards to come forward. The five of them came on like a galloping herd, Rainbow rushing to Rex and asking about some of those moves he'd pulled off, always having dismissed the dog as an egghead before since he read books for fun. The others came to you.

“That was great. I wish DawnChaser would come watch these bouts sometimes, since he'd probably be able to tell you exactly how to use that in a fight. Still, you seem to have gotten the hang of combat pretty quickly,” said Spitfire, and you blush a little. It wasn't often she gave anypony praise like that, you knew, and it was a bit embarrassing to hear.

“Indeed. Makes me wish you'd been here during the Royal Wedding. With you and I working together, I think we could have shown the whole brood whatfor,” said Octavia, getting onto two legs and starting to punch and kick the air in front of her, showing off a martial prowess that belied her more refined nature.

“Heh, we could have taken a whole army of drones,” you agree, starting into the same routine, punching, and then getting hit from behind by Dash.

“Yeah, yeah, like you two would last a minute in a real fight,” she mocks.

“I'll have you know, Dash, that according to most reports, Octavia took down two Broodlings with some really fancy hoofwork,” chided one of the guards, and Octavia looked to be blushing now.

“Oh, it wasn't anything too special. I was having lunch while waiting for the reception to start, and then those nasty things came out of the sky. A mare does have to know how to defend herself, right?” she asks, and the two guards smirk at her, while you drape your arm around her neck.

“Indeed. Now, since it's been several hours since breakfast, I propose we go back to that diner I like, and get some grub, since I feel like I just ran a few miles, and then fought a dog,” you tell them, getting a strained chuckle, though everypony seems to agree, and your group starts off into Canterlot proper to find a good meal.

(By the way, Once Upon a Time in Canterlot, a video on youtube you can find by searching for that title. Yeah, that's totally canon with this story.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFjEintbDXc)

Wing Guard

“Ah, if it isn't my favorite customer, and his little mare friend,” said the griffon cook as your party came in view of his diner. The others, being ponies, quickly say their usual greetings to the guy, mostly pleasantries, before they proceed towards the cafe across the street, Octavia giving you a peck on the cheek that makes you blush before she follows them.

“Ah, young love. I remember when my mate and I had that spark,” he comments to you.

“Does that mean you don't have the spark of love anymore?” you ask with a smirk, and the griffon just shakes his head while laughing.

“Of course not. Young love turns into old love the instant that ball and chain go around your ankle, my boy. I'd suggest enjoying the freedom of bachelorhood while you can, cause once it's gone, you never feel quite the same,” he tells you, clinking the plate with your usual meal down in front of you.

Silence reigns over the diner for the next couple of minutes as you enjoy your food, wishing that he knew a few other things that looked edible and weren't made with mice in the dishes, but at least you could enjoy the burgers and imagine they were made with the same stuff back home. Just as you're about halfway done though, a voice rings out over the diner, and several shapes land with decidedly heavy thuds just in front of the order window.

“Okay you dweebs, I want to keep this nice and civil. We're here at the sufferance of these loser ponies, and I won't have any of my troops embarrass the nest back home. You got me?” said a familiar female voice coming from the largest figure.

“Yes, ma'am, Commander ma'am!” came the sharp reply from her troops, who all stood straight as their quadruped bodies would allow. That let you get a good look at them, and you had to admit, looking at the Wing Guard, they made quite the impressive sight.

They were griffon's, obviously, and were almost twice the size of any of the ponies you'd met. They looked buff too, with muscles that looked like they could bench press whole houses, while the armor they wore was very thick. The claws on their eagle like forepaws looked wicked sharp, and the Commander had some things on her's that were obviously metal additions, probably capable of leaving marks in stone or something.

“Ah, Commander Gilda. The barrack's quartermaster told me you might bring your troops to my humble establishment,” said the diner's owner, while hoping over the counter and walking towards the griffons.

“Of course I would. Never did miss the chance to get a meal that's not those terrible rations they give us,” she told him, turning from where she'd been facing her troops, and removing her helmet. The instant it was off though, her eyes fell on you, and you quickly turned in your seat, trying, and probably failing, to act like you hadn't been staring at her and her Wing Guard.

“Ah, such compliments. It's been over a year since I've been back to the homeland though. Tell me, how are things in the old peaks?” he asked, and you heard the rattle of various bits of metal as the griffons approached the counter, soon taking several seats next to yours, surrounding you.

“Nothing but the usual boredom. Not even those lizards in the valleys are stirring up any trouble these last few months. Something spooked them good, something about the ponies getting a new super weapon or some such,” she told him, and you kept your head down, your eyes focused on your meal, even though you knew that she had to be staring at you.

“Ah, that bit of news. Yes, I'd figured it would have spread far and wide by now. That super weapon would be my best customer. Come on, say hello to my fellow griffons. I think you're going to be seeing a lot more of them if you keep eating here,” he said, and you, trying to smile friendly, turn towards Gilda, only to get startled and fall backwards as her face is literally right next to yours, making you fall back off the seat and land with a very musical thud on the ground.

“Heh, a bit jumpy for a super weapon, aren't we?” said one of the troops, but Gilda, her face cold as ice, shot towards the speaker, and the troops, who'd been chuckling, shut up and turned to the griffon behind the counter, who started to take orders. Gilda, meanwhile, stood up from her seat and walked over to where you'd fallen, offering you her foreclaw and helping you get up.

“So, you're the one that we've been hearing about,” she says in an inquisitive tone, walking around you and looking you up and down.

“I don't know what you've been hearing. I've just been here in Canterlot, enjoying the company of the Princesses and some friends,” you say, trying not to sound as nervous as you felt, being judged like that.

“Hmm, that we'd heard about too, though way it's told outside these prissy lands, you're a prisoner here, no freedom to go and do what you want, no life beyond what the ponies let you have. Isn't that stifling?” she asks, as she rounds in front of you, and then sits back on her bottom, so her head was a few inches higher than yours.

“Not even close to true. I've got freedom to do whatever I want. I'm just...I'm not all that strong, compared to the people here. Celestia and Luna set me up with Shining Armor to teach me to fight, and they see to my needs, but if I really wanted them to send me home, or anywhere else, I'm positive they'd try everything they could to do it,” you respond, swallowing heard as she brings her face right in front of yours. Then she nearly startles you back onto your butt as her cold face suddenly breaks out in a smile, and she chuckles at you.

“Awesome then. I knew that ambassador had to be trying to play a fast one on me,” she tells you, getting down on all fours and returning to her seat.

“What ambassador?” you ask, as you join her, returning to your meal, and popping a fry into your mouth.

“Some blow hard at the embassy. He's the reason my squad got assigned here, instead of doing something important. Says he needs the protection of some real guards to keep him safe. He thinks the ponies are coming to get him cause he offered their new toy a way out. Idiot,” she said in a derisive tone, as the cook starts to lay down stuff in front of them. It's not all burgers either, like what you normally get. It's meat, to be sure, but some of it looks almost raw, as the griffon's dig in beak first, all save Gilda, who's plate holds a few fries, which she idly starts to toy with.

“Guessing he's some old bird with a gray beard, and wears some funky looking crest on his chest all the time,” you tell her, remembering the ambassador who'd tried to get you to relocate to his kingdom back when you'd first gotten to Canterlot.

“That's the one. Idiot's got some cousin or something who's a Viscount back at home. That means the hard working griffons of the Wing Guard get pushed out here to these prissy lands where we're just window dressing,” she says, sweeping a claw behind her to indicate the whole street, before tucking into her fries again. You join her, quickly downing the rest of your meal and rising from your seat.

“Well, it's been a pleasure meeting you, Commander Gilda. Hope to see you and your troops here later,” you tell her, quickly starting away from your seat. Of course, just as you get to the edge of the cafe, you hear a voice you'd kind of hoped to avoid.

“Hey, human, you ready to head back to the palace yet?” asked Dash as she and your guards came closer. At the sound of said voice, you could almost hear Gilda's frame creak to a halt, like a robot losing power, with her claw holding a fry right outside her beak.

“Hmm, now there's a voice I haven't heard in a mule's age,” comes her sarcastic tone, and you wince a bit, as Dash, who'd been casually floating in the air, bolts upright, and then pushes past you, landing with a clatter of hooves behind you, staring at Gilda.

“And there's a voice I figured I wouldn't hear again,” said Dash, her tone a bit confrontational. Gilda, looking serious for a moment, bursts out laughing, before popping the fry into her mouth, and then settling down on the ground in front of her.

“So, this is what you got yourself into without me. You always did say you wanted to be a show pony,” commented the griffon as she sauntered over, the rest of the guards looking towards Dash, who huffed a bit, and advanced herself, the pair circling each other.

“We're not show ponies. We're the Wonderbolts, protectors of Equestria, and you'd better believe we could take you and your whole team with one wing tied behind my back,” she boasted, looking over the armored griffons, who turned to their own leader. Gilda, still smiling, just shook her head in exasperation.

“Still a bit huffy about last time I see. Well, I suppose I did make a bit of a crow out of myself,” said Gilda, her voice obviously trying to sound pleasant.

“Yeah, yeah you did. You yelled at my friends, made a mess of a party for you, and then stormed off without saying a word, never returned a single of my letters, and now you show up in Canterlot without even a word of warning,” accuses the pegasus, as she flutters upward, circling the griffon, who chuckles, and scratches the back of her head with her claw.

“Aw, you sent letters? That's so sweet. Sorry to say, Wing Guard Trainees aren't allowed mail. Figures you'd send something and I wouldn't get it. Dang, well, I guess I'm sorry about that too...well, less so than what I did last time. That I'm really sorry about, you know?” said the griffon.

The scene froze, as Rainbow, her wings suddenly stopping, fell to the ground with a hard clack of hooves against stone. The Wing Guard members at the counter, smiling now, turn back to their meals, obviously thinking they wouldn't be seeing any action out of this, while the rest of your guards just stare silently at Dash, probably wondering how this griffon made her speechless. Doubtless, Spitfire was already considering hiring the griffon to do this during training.

“What did you say?” asked Dash finally.

“I said I'm sorry. I made a lot of mistakes, and I really, really regret it. I went home after that, cried myself to sleep, and then signed up for the Guard for something to do with my life. I mean, look at me, I'm commanding troops now,” answered Gilda, flapping her wing at her troops, who ignore the whole scene as they continue to tear at their food.

“Can you believe it? I just, I just had to do something, you know? I wanted to do something to make you proud of me, to show you that I'm not just some blowhard who screws everything up. Then we had some border wars with those lizards in the valleys, and I guess I kind of forgot to come see you again,” she told Dash, chuckling and nervously scratching at the ground in front of her.

“So, I'm sorry, okay? Can you forgive this old crow?” she asked at last, and Dash, for a few seconds, just stood there, looking at her old friend with her mouth agape, before suddenly bouncing forward and giving the griffon a hug.

“Of course I forgive you. That's what friends do, you old bird brain. I sent like a dozen letters saying that, but when you never wrote back, I figured you just didn't want to see me again. Guess I should have tried to go in person, but, well, life kept happening,” explained the pegasus, as she and the griffon embraced. The Wing Guard, and your own guards looked away from the display of affection. Well, expect Soarin, who was obviously considering something private, that got him a smack in the ribs from Spitfire, who forcibly turned him around.

“Come by the embassy some time, and we'll catch up. For now, I think I've got to get my hatchlings back to the barracks. We've got a bit of cleaning to do tonight. Cause I want those bunks spotless, you got me soldiers!?” shouted the griffon commander, and instantly all her troops hopped off their seats, falling straight into ranks and saluting.

“We get you Commander!” they replied as one, and then took off into the sky, arcing over the city, towards the embassy district.

“Ah, such nice children. I suppose I should follow, but you come on by any time Dash, I have some stories to tell, and I know you've got some yourself. Until then, later dudes,” said Gilda, before flying off after her troops. Idly, you watched her wings flap, and realized that while she was slower than the bolts, that armor probably made her something like ten times heavier. That was probably way useful in a fight.

“So, that was surprising Dash. You never said you had griffon friends,” said Soarin as the rest of the guards came up.

“Well, I didn't. At least, I didn't think I still did. Maybe I can get one back later. For now, we've got our own duties to attend to, right Captain?” she said, turning towards Spitfire and saluting.

“Heh, right. We need to get this human back to the palace for his fitting for the party tomorrow,” she said, and you look at her.

“Party tomorrow? What party? Fancy Pants'?” you ask.

“Right, seems he was a bit late getting you the invite this time. Their shindigs tomorrow, as Octavia found out. So she's already headed off to practice, and said that Miss Rarity will be waiting at the palace for you,” explained Spitfire, and you notice at that moment that Octavia is indeed missing, a fact that dampens your mood a little. The announcement of the party being tomorrow dampens it a lot more though, and you sigh, as you and your guards start towards the palace, with Rainbow sometimes glancing over her shoulder towards the embassy district, likely planning on going there tonight.

(Okay, as has been brought to my attention, I could probably use an editor for this thing. I try to do it myself, but, well, you're always your own worst editor/critic. So anyone interested? Contact me here via pm, or at my email. Iceelfshala(at)gmail(dot)com also thinking about dividing this story up into smaller chunks, considering it's already longer than LotR Tell me what you guys think about that. Probably divide it at the Discord fight, and then have the second book start at 'Training' unless someone else has a better idea.)

We are an Alicorn Family

“Hold still young man. This doesn't get any easier when you fidget,” said the white unicorn fashionista, as you squirmed atop the podium you were standing on, trying to shift your feet to a more comfortable stance.

“I would be a lot less fidgety if I could have a chair,” you complain, not for the first time.

“And if I were allowed to make you a suit without having to put it over the armor, I could oblige,” she countered, levitating a pair of pins into her mouth as another came down like an around, skewering a bit of thread and diving into the half finished garment around you.

“No can do. The Princesses, all three of them, ordered that he never take that off, for his own protection,” reminds Spitfire, who smiles at you with that sarcastic grin of her's. If you could move your arms, rather than holding them out to your sides, you'd have thrown something at her.

“So there's no use complaining about it darling. Just give me a few more minutes, and I'll be done,” Rarity assured you, and you did believe that she believed that. Of course, the fact that she'd said the same thing a few hours ago when the sun was just moving into afternoon, and it was now nearly nightfall kind of ruined that bit of trust.

So you stood. Moving your legs ever so slightly every few seconds, as Rarity sewed around you. This time it was a normal suit, not like the gem threads that Frazzle Dazzle made. Rarity had insisted that with most of Canterlot wearing such garments, that they would become old hat very soon, and had even gotten Frazzle in on making a whole new line, using silk spun from something in the Crystal Empire instead.

The sun waxed and waned, the light of it shining in through the window and making your armor, as well as the new suit being woven around it, reflect beams of light onto the walls. As the last few rays fell upon the surface, the effect was a beautiful explosion of color, almost like a sonic rainboom, that covered the room in rainbows for several minutes, before the bright light of the sun faded, and slowly the gentle moonlight came to replace it.

“Hmm, maybe one last little bit...and that should be good enough. What do you think?” asked Rarity, turning toward where your guardians sat. Well, slept for the most part, Rainbow and Soarin having fallen asleep against each other, while the two Royal Guards seemed to be resting with their eyes open, kind of glazed over. Spitfire had her goggles down, concealing her eyes, but it was obvious from the steady rise and fall of her chest that she was deep in slumber.

“Oh come now, it didn't take that long!” complained Rarity in a quiet, forceful way, grabbing some tray with her magic. You covered your ears when you realized she was about to smack the metal of the tray with a brush. Sure enough, the pounding sound of metal on wood soon reverberated around the room, and you got a good laugh at the expense of your protectors.

Spitfire popped upward, her wings flaring and carrying her into the air. Of course, being inside rather than outside she soon slammed into the ceiling, though she barely seemed to notice, instead going into a combat stance, looking almost like she'd meant to do that, even as one of her forehooves started to rub at a knot that was probably growing on the top of her head.

Soarin and Dash, tangled as they were, woke up, conked their heads together as they pushed forward, then both tried to pull away, their limbs still enmeshed, causing them to fall forward, even as their wings beat, carrying them right into a dresser, which spilled its contents on the pair, before they finally disentangled themselves and joined Spitfire in the air.

The two Guards, who's names you couldn't recall, hopped to their feet, both wearing the armor that made them unicorns. Mind, they both seemed to ready spells at the same time, and thanks to a bit of fabric on the floor, one fell forward, firing off a blast of magic that you blocked with your vambrace, sending it out the window, even as the second guard fired at it, either from training, or just waking up faster, causing the two to slam together and create quite the light show.

“There, now that you're all awake, why don't you give me your opinion of my work,” said the white unicorn with an actually rather pleasant smile on her lips. It was just weird how Rarity could flip her switch like that, and go from totally angry and vengeful, to just happy to be part of the group. The others just stare at her for a bit, trying to get their brains to come fully online, before Spitfire, trying her best to match the unicorn's smile, landed, and walked around you, looking you up and down like some mannequin on display.

“Not bad, a bit plain but I suppose the unique structure of the body would make normal designs just special enough that no pony's gonna question it too hard, right?” asked Spitfire as she came back around you. The suit itself was indeed plain, looking like a tuxedo jacket that had been made into a full suit, with a pushed out chest thanks to the breast plate, exposed forearms to let the vambraces out, and some stuff around your calves that seemed to flow into the armored boots you wore on your feet.

“A good eye, Spitfire, darling. I tried to experiment a bit with his previous wardrobe, but I think that for Fancy Pants' party, something a bit more normal in appearance would be the best way to go,” said Rarity, using her hoof to tug at one of the seams.

“Well, I think it looks fine. Can we go now?” asked Rainbow, lazily floating in the air above you. The tone of her question earned her a rather pointed look from Rarity, who just sighed with a smirk at her friend after a moment.

“I suppose you should. I did take a bit longer than I intended with this covering. Still, be sure to hang it up properly, Mr. Human. I don't want this getting too many wrinkles before the party tomorrow night,” admonished Rarity, using her magic to gather up the various things she'd brought with her and putting them into a huge case she seemed to always have at her side these days.

“Of course,” you tell her, as you pull at the spot near your neck where the suit connected to itself. The fabric, though it looked almost seamless on the front, actually peeled away easily, revealing the armor beneath as you slipped it off, moving down until it was at your waist, at which point you sat down on your bed and pulled it off from your legs, revealing it to be a single piece suit.

“Hmm, I do wish I had more time to work with you on this one. That's what happens when you don't keep up with the gossip though,” admonishes the mare as she finishes packing, while you take a hanger from your closet and set the suit upon it.

“Not everypony can keep their ear to the grapevine like a dressmaker, Ms. Rarity. Still, I think you did your best, and at least he looks presentable now,” said the mare, floating forward, licking her hoof, and then rubbing it against your face in a way that was just short of being painful.

“I suppose. Anywho, I'll be busy most of tomorrow, but if there's any problems with the suit, or you think it needs a touch up, just come by the Boutique, and either I or Frazzle should be able to help,” offered the mare, before levitating her case behind her and starting for the door. It was a bit surprising how easily she could lift that thing, which was as large as she was, which again made you feel weak, but that was becoming so common that you just let it pass.

“If she's going, I think it's time for us to as well. You get some sleep, and we'll get you up bright and early tomorrow so Shining and his guys can keep beating the snot out of you,” offered Spitfire, and you almost got annoyed enough to punch her. Before you could though, she motioned for the Bolts to follow her out the balcony door. The Royal Guards, meanwhile, took a look around the room, and then proceeded into the hallway, where they probably took up their usual positions on either side of your door.

“Such is the life of the Royal Pet,” you say to yourself, as you strip off the suit of armor setting it up on the dummy. When you're about to set the sword upon it though, a thought strikes you, and instead you bring the weapon towards your bed, gently setting it just between the two cushions so that the hand was barely sticking out. Testing the draw speed, you yank on the hilt, pulling the blade free with a shink sound.

“Hmm, paranoia or foresight?” you ask yourself as you go through the first three forms of your practices, before returning the blade to its hidden location. Now free of clothing, you stretch and climb into bed, your stomach reminding you as you did so that food had eluded it this evening. Mentally you tell the stupid empty thing to shut up, and that you'd get a big breakfast for it, if it just let you sleep tonight. If that worked or not, you weren't sure, as your eyes fluttered twice, and then gently closed.

“Ah, I was wondering when you would show up tonight,” said a familiar voice, the Void shaking with it's resounding tones. Your eyes dart about for the source, finding Luna sitting down on the ground, her forehoof holding a group of cards, that she was idly laying on others that floated in front of her, playing what looked like a very odd version of solitare.

“Well excuse me, Princess. Rarity took a while to get my new suit just right. You know how she is,” you explain as you walk over towards her, conjuring a chair with a thought, just something simple, and then plopping down into it.

“Heh, I was merely teasing you, my young friend,” she tells you, banishing her cards with a waving motion, causing them to turn to dust that then vanished into the Void as she slowly stood.

“I know, I know, I'm just bored. Rarity is a great dressmaker, and probably a good gossip, but she never wants to talk in front of me, since I'm a stal-er a male, and we don't get to know what mares really think,” you tell her, feeling your body morph a bit towards a pony form, and quickly squashing that thought and turning back to normal.

“I see,” said the Lunar Princess with a chuckle.

“Yeah. So, what game are we going to play tonight?” you ask, very crudely trying to change the subject.

“Oh, none of that tonight I'm afraid. I've been shirking my duties as Dream Weaver, and must divide my focus tonight between you, and the thousands of dreams of my subjects,” she said.

“Well, okay. Does that mean you're going to be leaving?” you ask, and she smiles at you, before shaking her head.

“Unlike ponies, we, my sister and I, can multitask quite easily. I believe I can find some enjoyment talking with you, even as my other selves shepherd the dreams of others,” she explains.

“That makes sense, I suppose. So if you don't want to play a game, what do you want to do?” you ask her.

“Hmm...I believe you have more questions to ask about my world, or even my sister and myself. Why don't you ask them, and we'll play for some more question time later?” she offers, your face splitting wide in a grin. It was often you got to ask questions about the Royal Pair, and now Luna had just written you a very interesting blank check.

“Okay, let's start with family then? I know you feel wrong discussing mating habits, but I've been curious about your family too. Like Prince BlueBlood, isn't he Celestia's son or something?” you ask, and Luna just smirks at you while covering her mouth with her hoof and giggling.

“That old blow hard is so far removed from my sister that I doubt he could claim even a drop of blood is from her. Still, you want to know about our family tree?” she says mischievously. Then a appears before her, unrolling and unfolding so you can see what was written on it. It didn't seem to have a limit on just how far it could unroll though, and in a few minutes there was at least a hundred foot wide, and twice that tall, parchment sitting in front of you.

“Of course, this is just direct lines. There are a few families I've heard are offshoots. Let's start at the top,” she declared, and the document floated down, or you floated up, kind of hard to tell, until your head was even with it.

“Of course, as I told you last night, StarSwirl is technically our father, mine and Tia's,” she said, and you could see the face of an old looking unicorn up top. Oddly, you find his gaze to be warm and pleasant, almost enough so that you forget that he was now a monster.

“He had no natural children, and so my sister and I are the only ones from his line,” she said, and the scroll rolled upward, now showing the faces of Celestia and Luna. You then see Celestia's face sort of 'grow' a drawn on mustache, beard, and glasses, though the parchment then moves on from that.

“From there we get my daughter, Nix, Princess of Shadows,” she tells you, and you find yourself looking at another alicorn, one you hadn't seen previously. Her mane appeared to be made of darkness, and her coat was just this side of black, sort of off gray that made her body hard to look at, like your eyes just slipped off her, and her eyes had the soul piercing quality of her mother and aunt when they were in Ruler Mode.

“That was over a thousand years ago, of course, and she's since moved on with her life, and sired several children of her own,” said Luna, and the scroll moved down, individual pictures becoming smaller as you notice more and more branches.

“Celestia, of course, has more,” she tells you, and the view shifts to Celestia's picture, with several branches coming down off of her.

“I know a few, but I'm aware that there are apparently more than these. Pyro was one, but he's not the oldest by far, that would be Prince Radiance, Alicorn of Light” she said, and the view shifted to an alicorn that was the complete opposite of Nix. His coat was gleaming gold, with a mane the looked like it was made of sunbeams. More his deep blue eyes shone with understanding, like his mother when she was giving a lecture.

“Pyro also isn't her youngest, though I haven't inquired much of her newest ones. I think there are seventeen in all,” she told you, and the scroll widened, so you were now looking at all of them at once. A rather eclectic collection of various elemental forces, including one that looked like she was made of clouds, and another that was forged of lightning, while still another looked to be made of rainbow light.

“All of them have their own children, which are never Alicorns like themselves or us, nor do they have our agelessness,” she explained, as the scroll shifted again, this time showing hundreds, maybe thousands of branches as it went, before stopping near the bottom, where you saw the image of that haughty jerk.

“His Royal Pain in the Butt, is one of Radiance's descendents,” she told you, and you looked up the chart towards him, finding it somewhat disconcerting that many branches of the family seemed to cross into each other. It was only when your eyes trailed back downward that you spotted a familiar face, and willed the scroll to focus on it.

“That's Rainbow Dash!” you declare.

“Ah, good eye, good eye. She is indeed one of Celestia's great, great, more greats, granddaughters, from DewPrisms' Line,” explained Luna.

“Does she know?” you ask, wondering why Rainbow would never have brought this up before.

“Probably not, the lines of the Alicorns are so convoluted that most families can trace a few genes back to them, but only direct descendents like BlueBottom can really claim titles from it, or even care anymore,” explains Luna.

“So not everypony with blood of an Alicorn is automatically a Prince or Princess?” you question, folding the scroll back out with a thought, and then looking through the bottom branches for more of your friends.

“Goodness no. Heck, not even all our children get that title. Pyro, for instance, hasn't yet shown his leadership skills. I think that's why Tia put him with the Professor, to jar him out of it. DewPrism herself never laid claim to a title, always being as flighty as a rainbow after a rain, never in the same place twice,” answered Luna.

“Okay then, where are all these Alicorns then? I know where Pyro is, but you said there's loads more. Heck, where's your daughter, Nix?” you ask her, scrolling back up towards the level just under the two Princesses.

“Ah...well, it's not easy for ones like us to live like we do. My sister and I, we have our Kingdom, and our Subjects, but our children, rarely do they take up that role as we have, instead finding those they can help more personally,” Luna told you, and suddenly you saw scenes of a few of the kids, Nix helping defend a village under attack by an Ursa Major, Radiance shining his light at some army made of buffalo and causing them to halt before they slammed into a castle. Many more as well.

“However, as we are, so are they. Our lives do not end, for they are simply the distilled essence of their element. As such, they find that the lives of ponies, and even dragons and phoenixes, are far too fleeting. Nix herself I know, dwells in a mountain far away, mourning a lover who died almost a decade ago, unable to bring herself to love again, at least for a time,” she said, though thankfully this did not conjure a scene of her daughter, probably out of respect.

“While Pyro is far too...wild to have found such company yet, I feel he will have such an anguish when his friends depart this world that it will take my sister and I together to contain him,” she says.

“So, they're as strong as you then?” you ask, trying to change the subject.

“Not at all, merely as strong as very powerful unicorns in magic, though they are also some of the fastest fliers, and strongest hooves in the world. Still, to contain such power, without harming it, or allowing another to come to harm, requires power exponentially greater,” she tells you.

“I see. But then, how did Pyro stand up to Discord. I remember him taking the others with him, sure, but I also so those big fireballs come flying out of the palace. Your saying any unicorn strong enough could have made those?” you ask her, and she nods.

“Were they so inclined towards flames, yes. Though it would not be easy. Doing such magic would drain them. An Alicorn has...what did you call it, Transfinite power. Though we can deplete ourselves, we will recover quickly. Still, it is as you said, Pyro had help when he faced Discord, mine included, otherwise the Chaos God would have taken only moments to shove him aside,” she explains.

“Alright, then how's about Cadence, she's not one of your children, right?” you ask, remembering Cadence called Celestia 'Aunt' a few times in your hearing.

“Ah, that. It's a tricky thing to explain, but I shall try my best. Cadence, as I think you might have surmised, is the descendent of the Crystal Ponies rulers, a family of Pegasi who understood love so intrinsically that they spread it far and wide from their spire, even going so far as to forge an artifact that generated it, called the Crystal Heart,” she began, and suddenly you found yourself standing in the square at the Crystal Palace, staring at the artifact.

“When Sombra attacked, they were slain, all save a single daughter, who was smuggled our using the magic of the Crystal Ponies. Unfortunately, said magic was tainted by the Darkness, and Mi Amora Cadenza was thought lost for centuries,” said the Princess of the Night, as the scene of Cadence, swaddled in cloth, was surrounded by several Crystal Ponies, vanishing in a flash of light that turned green for a split second before she did so.

“She would be found after my banishment as Nightmare Moon, so I only have Tia's word on this next part, but it seems she had some bit of her family's power in her, able to create love and understanding wherever she went. Because of this, Tia found that her body was changing, and after watching her for a short time, took Cadence in, and used her magic to accelerate the change, at the time not knowing what it would result in,” the scene showed Cadence, in the form of a younger pony, but still her, and Celestia, standing in a field of stars, like some kind of ethereal plane.

“When it was done, Cadence was an Alicorn, as great as either of us, and able to perform feats that even my sister and I found daunting,” and as she spoke, Princess Cadence was born before your eyes, a horn growing out of her head, even as she grew larger, until she was the Cadence who spent most mornings healing your wounds of late.

“But Twilight describes her as being Shining Armor's age,” you protest after a moment of thought, and this earns another giggle from the Lunar Princess.

“As we have shown you, to us, these bodies are temporary things. Cadence is not as skilled as my sister or I are, but she can still regress or age herself to fit her duties, which at the time, was to watch over Twilight, and make her into a pupil who would drink in every lesson Tia had to teach,” she explained.

“Hmm, was this before, or after her magic test?” you ask.

“After, as far as I know, but then, I wasn't around then,” she admits.

“So Celestia is every bit the manipulator that Vinyl thinks she is,” you state, not as a question, but Luna, smirking, nods enthusiastically at you.

“Indeed. Such is the way of her Royal Sweettoothiness,” she tells you, conjuring an image of Celestia stuffing her face with cakes, which makes the two of you laugh, until suddenly Luna seems to shimmer a bit, and she pauses, banishing the image.

“Hmm?” you go, rising back to your feet from where you'd fallen on your back laughing.

“It seems We shouldn't leave a single piece of Ourself to answer your questions from now on. We're far too candid and prone to such jokes. We would advise you not to let Our sister know of this...illusionary version of herself. Now then, morning is approaching quickly, and you need to rouse yourself. The day you face will be long,” she advises, vanishing suddenly, and for a moment, you think you might have done something wrong.

Of course, such fears are set aside when you notice there is one last cake sitting in the Void, which Celestia soon appears and grabs, with Luna's silvery laughter floating over the nothingness. Smiling yourself, you just start to drift, waiting for the Void to release you, so you might face the coming day. Hopefully without any Divine retribution towards you for the images in your dreams that Luna made.

A New Opponent

The sun was just cresting the horizon when your eyes popped open. You weren't quite as groggy as you usually were after a night with Luna, probably a result of her not challenging you to some kind of game, but still, you almost wished the sun would go back down for a few minutes so you could get some more shut eye. Seeing as how Celestia wasn't one to reverse her day, you got up instead, stretched a bit, and then stood up.

“Another day, another dull party,” you tell yourself as you walk over to the sink. Turning on the tap, you get a good flow of warm liquid flowing from it, splashing it against your face, cleaning off a bit of grime that had been building, before walking towards the mannequin that held your armor.

“Hinges clean, armor smooth, and smelling *sniff, sniff* like it needs a good washing,” you said to yourself, slipping into the undersuit easily, and then snapping on the various pieces of armor. Standing there, your hands move towards where you typically kept your belt, before you remembered it was under your mattress. Idly, you toy with the idea of leaving the weapon, maybe getting out of training that way, but dismiss the thought as you go over and grab it.

“By the Power of Ponyskull! I have the power!” you yell quietly, drawing the blade and holding it upwards. The image of yourself in the mirror made you laugh, and you replaced the weapon into its scabbard as you slipped the belt on, before finally going to the door.

“Morning,” said a gruff, and very familiar voice, as the Captain, as well as about a dozen guards stood outside your apartment, all looking ready for combat.

“Um...good morning. Is there some kind of battle on?” you ask as you step out into the hall, and then look at all the various faces staring at you, mostly stallions in the unicorn armor, though some pegasi as well, with mares scattered among them.

“No, if there was, I would have shoved you back into your room, and bolted the door shut to keep you from doing something stupid during it,” he informed you, his tone all serious this morning, none of the playfulness he usually had for you when he saw you when you first awaken in the morning.

“Uh, well, I suppose that's kind of you. So, what's up with the guard force then?” you asked, noticing a few familiar looking muzzles in the crowd.

“This party tonight, that Fancy Pants is throwing, has brought in diplomats as well as business leaders from other kingdoms. As such, I requested that the Princesses allow me to assign extra security to you,” he explained as you walked beside him.

“And she agreed?” you ask, surprised mostly because this wasn't the first time the Captain had wanted to give you a whole squad for protection, which Princess Celestia usually blew off.

“For today? Yes, yes she did. I didn't ask why, I was just glad she allowed it for once. I like you, and I don't want to see anyone at this party pestering you, or worse,” he tells you, and you almost feel like mocking that sentiment, but then get a look at his face. He really does seem serious about this, including the liking you part.

“Well, I suppose I can put up with it then. Still, it's going to be a dull party, if that last one was any indication. You sure this is necessary?” you ask him, as your little party marches downstairs, towards the palace dining hall.

“I do indeed. You're getting better with your sword, I'll admit. I've heard the reports, including you being able to blow away Rex yesterday. But you still don't have a soldier's instincts, and some of these big wigs are going to be vicious,” he informs you as you enter the room. The squad behind you fans out the instant they're through the door, most taking seats that already had plates at them, meaning they'd been forced to get up to come meet you with the Captain. Oddly, not a single one was complaining about it as they resumed conversation. That made you feel really good about yourself, for some reason.

“Okay, I suppose that's true. But you're sure the Palace can spare the personnel?” you question, as you grab a plate yourself, getting a few bits of toast and pieces of fruit, while avoiding the hayflakes that were this morning's centerpiece.

“I'm sure about that. The Princesses already have us on high alert, so I've been able to draft a few of the Bolts, both Wonder and Shadow, into the Guards for the day. That means extra eyes in the sky, which means I can put some more horns on the ground,” he explains, sitting down next to you. He didn't have a tray, but you figured he'd eaten earlier, and so start as soon as you're seated.

“So, Fancy Pants' party has brought in visitors from all over?” you ask as you bite into an apple, one of Sweet Apple Acres finest.

“More even. It seems his new found gains, thanks to a rather interesting alliance between a mad doctor and his business savvy sister, has brought in his investors from at least four different kingdoms. I think everything will be fine,” he told you, his voice radiating with confidence.

“But it's better to be safe than sorry,” you finish his thought, while munching on a bit of toast. The rest of the meal is silent, with you ogling the ponies eating, just stuffing their faces. Compared to them, your plate felt almost empty. Luckily, they ate fast, and so you, as well as your contingent of guards soon exited the dining hall to find the corridor outside had a group of three pegasi waiting.

None of the Bolts said anything, though Rainbow stuck out her tongue at one of the guards as she joined in the procession, the whole group marching in step. That last bit made you even more self conscious about your lack of speed, as you could watch each of the ponies hobble their steps, having to take smaller ones, while the pegasi just sort of looped every once in a while to keep up. You were so focused on that though, that you only noticed the empty palace foyer when you were already walking out the front door.

“Where's the media vultures?” you ask as your group starts down the road, the whole of your guards spreading out, while about the castle you can see streaks of black and blue, the two kinds of bolts keeping tabs on the place.

“A security risk that great needs to be dealt with on a day like today...also they'd rather follow the various dignitaries around the city today, hoping for some juicy story, rather than languish in the palace where all they're likely to get is a restraining order,” he explains after a moment, and you nod, leading the way through the city towards DawnChaser's lab.

The city of Canterlot was hopping too. Various ponies, among many others, were plying their trades, which ranged from trying to sell clothing and food, to trying to sign up some of the guards that the foreigners had brought into their own employ. Of course, your group got some looks, not only because of you, but because of the sheer number of guards with you.

Not that anyone makes a scene about it. Not with minotaurs, gryphons, and what looks like a dragon, all mingled in with the usual Canterlot fare. Heck, with the city guard out in force, there's actually quite a few ponies in uniform at most intersections, meaning traffic was a breeze this morning, and you made it to the lab earlier than usual.

“What's all this?” you ask as you round the lab and look out on your usual sparring field. Most of the time you would arrive and some of the apprentices, and a few of the ponies of Canterlot would be waiting, now you had two sets of bleachers set up, with several dozen spectators of various species on them, all looking towards you, which made your hand instinctively go for your sword.

“Ah, finally, I've been waiting for you to show up,” came the voice of your usual trainer. Shining, along with Cadence and a pony you weren't familiar with, were sitting on the sidelines chatting with a crystal pony, who looked rather bored, but didn't seem to mind when the three of them walked over towards you.

“I see that....who are all these people, and why do I want to run and hide?” you ask, a bit nervously, especially when your guards join the crowd, with Dash moving between a few you recognize as those who placed bets on some of your training before. She seemed to be getting the heads up on what was going on faster than you, as she looked at you with one of those wicked smiles of her's. Whatever was coming, she was going to enjoy it, and that meant you more than likely were not.

“Because large crowds make you nervous,” he says honestly, and you really can't do anything but nod.

“Humph, this is the great savior of Equestria? Afraid of a few spectators,” said the pony you didn't know. He was a unicorn, not a crystal pony or anything, just a normal unicorn. Well, mostly normal. His coat was grey, with a short cropped mane that seemed to be red with stripes of darker red in it, giving him a blood like halo around his head. The overall effect was something interesting, as your eyes kind of slid off him. Most of him anyway. His eyes, they were a different story, they were bright blue, and held your gaze, until he blunk, and then just sort of slipped away.

“Now Starstorm, none of that. After all, you've never seen him fight. He took my husband on one on one, and he can come out ahead sometimes,” said Princess Cadence, and you shot a smile her way, while trying to ignore the unicorn's glare.

“Humph, that's not a bad feat, but I'm sure the Prince was holding back. I won't be impressed until I've taken his measure myself,” he tells you, and then turns invisible. No, really, one second you're looking straight at him, nothing passes before your eyes, and you're almost certain you don't blink, but then he's just gone, and you quickly spin around, hand on your blade, before Shining comes next to you and puts his hoof on your shoulder.

“Heh, fast, isn't he?” asked the Prince, pointing with one hoof towards the other side of the field, where Starstorm is now standing, his hooves idly clopping at the dirt as he stares at you.

“Very, and I have to fight him, don't I?” you admit to him as you draws the sword out of its sheath, and hold it in a guard position.

“Yep. I figured you'd gotten used to me as an opponent, and you showed yesterday that the dog is your equal, so no real use training against him. Starstorm is a different story though,” he tells you, walking with you towards your usual starting position across the field. When you get there, you notice the bands you usually wore for training were sitting in the grass, and quickly slip them on, feeling their magic flow into you.

“Who is he?” you ask as you keep one eye towards the distant pony, forcing yourself to continue staring at him, even when your eyes want to turn away.

“He's one of Cadence's most effective guards, a Smoke Knight, one who becomes as mist. He's a master of stealth, combat magic, among a few other things. He's been keeping tabs on some things for us in a gryphon kingdom of late, but returned last night to deliver a report to my wife. Since he's here, I figured you could use a nice good beating, so I asked him if he'd train you a bit,” said the stallion, and you fight the urge to smack him with the flat of your blade.

“So, he's my opponent. No biggie. I think I can take him,” you tell Shining Armor, not really feeling confident, but at least trying to put on a good front.

“Heh, that would be something to see. Anyway, you've got your blade today, and I want to see you try and use it against him. No holding back, not like when we fight. Him, you can go full bore on, I know I do when I spar with him. It won't help, by the way, but it'll be a more interesting show,” he tells you, a grin on his face which you notice out of the corner of your eye.

“Thank you for the rousing speech. Call the match, and I think I'll surprise you,” you tell him, and the stallion's grin seems to get even bigger, before he trots out towards the center of the sparring field.

“Mares, Gentlecolts, and honored guests of Equestria, welcome to the show,” said Shining, his horn glowing with some spell that made his voice loud enough to be heard in the bleachers.

“I know some of you are wondering what's going on today, so I'll be brief. I've been training the Human, the Defeater of Discord, the Conqueror of Chaos, to fight for the last few weeks, as sort of an experiment,” he goes on, pointing a hoof towards you.

“Now, he's learned quite a lot in that time, but today I have a special test to see just how good he's gotten, as today we have a special combatant to test his might against, the Smoke Knight, Starstorm,” as he said the name, his hoof shot out towards the unicorn stallion, who doesn't even move, his eyes staying on you.

“Today we're going to see just how well my training's working, and I think those of you placing wagers will find the odds are just a bit off. Now then, let's have a good, clean match gentlecolts, and may the best pony win,” he told the pair of you, turning to face you, then Starstorm, before walking off the field, throwing a small ball of magic into the air as he got to the bleachers, the blast of which marked the start of the match.

You wasted no time today, rushing forward. This was a new opponent, one who probably had gotten some heads up on your abilities as a fighter earlier. Worse, you knew nothing of his style, his powers, or anything other than his name. That meant you either had to play this cautiously, or play it aggressively. Not being one for the former, you chose the latter, and bound across the field, only six steps carrying you over one hundred yards.

Remembering what Shining had said, you don't hold back at all, your blade whistling through the air over your head as you bring it down in a powerful slash. You weren't sure what it was about Starstorm, but the unicorn had seemed like he could take it. That arrogant tone to his voice might also have had something to do with it, but you hoped you'd be beyond such feelings by now, as your blade comes down hard right onto the stallion's head.

Well, it should have anyway. Instead you're treated to the image of the blade passing into the pony, who doesn't react at all, as his whole body just sort of shifts out of the way, leaving the after image of it slipping through him, before the blade slams into the ground with a loud crack, chunks of dirt and sod flying in every direction.

Unable to move quickly enough to do anything else, you're instead forced to watch in slow motion as the stallion comes around behind you, and with a gentle tap it seems, sending you vaulting forward, your face slamming into the ground and sliding for almost ten yards before your able to stop yourself, grabbing the grass with one hand and sort of swinging into a standing position, your sword gripped in your left hand as you face the Smoke Knight.

“Humph, throwing too much into your attacks,” he advises you, before he just seems to vanish again, and your look everywhere around you. You spot him again, this time standing in your starting position across the field, a rather bored look on his face.

“True, but you can't win it big if you're not willing to take some risks!” you shout over at him, and then jam your blade into the ground. Using it like a lever, you rip some sod into the air, and then swing the blade so the flat of it smacks the airborne bit of dirt and grass. The impact scatters the stuff towards the unicorn, who has to dodge a few pebbles, only to find you rushing up right behind them, your blade coming from the side this time, so he can't dance around it.

“Wha?” you say, as your sword hits him, only to mildly tickle him, getting a chuckle out of the Smoke Knight, because your sword is instead a feather duster, one you recognize as belonging to the Professor. Your blade, meanwhile, is held in the hoof of its intended victim, who uses the flat of the sword to bat you away, your armor ringing as your fly, only to land on one hand, and do a flip in the air, coming to rest on your heels, staring at a rather smug looking unicorn.

“Smoke Knights are trained in the art of misdirection, and a bit of thievery,” he says, and then suddenly he's holding the duster, and you've got your sword back. You don't even bother to respond, instead hopping backwards, landing at the other end of the field and just staring at your opponent, who has that annoying smug smile on his lips again that nearly makes you charge him once again. You refuse the impulse though, and instead try to think. He was fast. Faster than anyone you'd fought before. But speed like that...it wasn't possible. It was a trick, and thinking among all the possibilities, you narrow them down until you find your mark.

Without a sign, you suddenly vault forward, gambling a bit on your guess at the source of his agility as you do so. That meant just before you got to him, you stopped in midstride, suddenly whipping around and using the side of your blade as a bat. You flail with it blindly, hoping that you can strike home, and luckily, as you spin like a top, you feel and hear an impact, your eyes just barely seeing the unicorn's form behind you, before he appears again in front, his body swaying a bit as if from the shock of impact.

“Got you!” you cry out, taking a chance and tossing your blade in a spinning motion at him, creating a whirling disk of death in his general direction. Before he can do anything else, you pull the sheath of the blade to your lips, and with a short series of blows, you toss several fireballs at him, the flaming spheres breaking apart on the ground and flaring high, even as the grass they strike becomes ash, and the dirt beneath gains a glassy sheen.

Starstorm doesn't seem to move for a moment, still recovering from that hard blow you'd given him, but as the sword nears him, he ducks, visibly so instead of just the sword seeming to phase through him. Then, as the flames leap high about him, he charges forward, his face twisted into a rather feral expression. Obviously he was used to playing his opponents more than he was getting to here, and that meant he was mad. Mad people mad mistakes, as Shining Armor continually pointed out to you.

Think that, you spun again, this time bringing the sheath to bare behind you, and getting a second satisfying thunk of fur on leather, as the Smoke Knight had decided the first time you'd caught him as a fluke, and tried the exact same tactic again. He was so surprised this time though, that instead of reappearing where he had been, he goes sprawling into the dirt, while you, seeing an opportunity to regain your weapon, leap backwards over the flames landing with almost perfect precision where you'd tossed it.

Picking your weapon back up, you consider reattaching the sheath where it was at your side, but then decide to smirk as you instead flip it around and hold it like a second blade in your off hand. The fires between you and your opponent start to clear soon, and you are honestly surprised to find Starstorm still just standing there, his eyes now calm as placid pools, staring at you across the field. The second surprise is that he's visible now, more so than before, at least on the places where you know you'd hit him.

Before you can think to hard about that, he blurs in your vision, and suddenly you have to block attacks from a variety of odd angles. The training with Shining Armor seems to take full effect now, as every attack is seemingly slowed down, and with the bands helping your speed, you can move your arms and weapons into positions to block them, the blade or the sheath taking a hell of a pounding, but neither yielding to the assault until the hail of blows finally ebbs to a stop, Starstorm now staring at you with a questioning look in his deep blue eyes, even as he breathes heavily.

“Heh,” is the only answer you give him, before you charge again, this time with both hands out, your weapons held away from you at your sides. The effect is something like a striking hawk, coming in for the kill on a wounded prey. The effect is somewhat marred though, when said prey starts to wear a smirk mimicking your own, and then blurs away again. This time however, you don't spin, the momentum of your run far too much to do so. Instead, at the first sign of him blurring, you drop your weapons, and hop. Just a short little hop, nothing high, but it was just enough that Starstorm passes below you, and is caught of guard as you land heavily on his back.

“Gah!” is all he has time to say before you legs wrap around his form, his body trying quickly to buck you. Where Shining Armor could dismount you though, the effort from Starstorm proved futile. This was less to do with skill, however, as effort. Namely, your fights with Shining could last an hour or more, but this fight, by your reckoning was still short of five minutes, which meant he had no coating of lather on his sides to make his fur slippery, letting you grip him all the tighter.

Of course, the Smoke Knight has a few more tricks up his hoof than Shining does, and soon your stomach feels like it's being spun around in a blender, as the stallion blurs, with you included, landing all over the field at odd angles, his body slamming yours into the ground more than once. The armor protected you from such strikes, mostly, and while you would probably be sore for a while, nothing broke, the stallion soon really out of breath, rather than just faking it as he had been before.

“Get off!” he shouts at you, ready to buck again, but your just lean forward, bracing yourself and getting closer to his ear.

“Not a chance. Surrender now, or I'll make you wish you'd never gotten out of bed today,” you threaten, which only gets a derisive chuckle from Starstorm. Before he can start with the blurring again though, you put your plan into motion, with one arm wrapped firmly around his neck, while the other suddenly finds itself at the joint where his leg meets his body. Then you start to do the most heinous thing you can think of, wriggling the tips of your fingers in that little pocket of sensitive flesh, the motion of the stallion's body jolting as you do so, with him falling onto his sad, laughter coming out of his mouth unbidden.

“St-ha-stop tha-ha ha-t right now!” he orders, but you've got him right where you want him now, your fingers moving down his chest, continuing to tickle the poor pony, who's eyes are already starting to water as you let go of his neck and now assault his exposed belly with both hands, tickling him harshly, and being rewarded with more cries of laughter.

“I-ha ha ha-I-ha ha-gi-ve-hah-UP!” he finally screams after over a minute of the torture, his body falling flat as you finally cease your assault. His chest heaves in deep gulps of air, even as tears stream down his face, and a few final chuckles escape his mouth. Standing, you smirk down at him, before turning to find most of the crowd giving you applause, both pony style and biped style, while Shining just stares at you, his wife finally nudging him in the ribs and getting him to walk over to you.

“The winner!” he shouts, not even using his magic to make his voice louder, as he lifts you arm upwards.

Author's Notes:

Smoke Knights are from Girl Genius, I don't own them, though this version will be a bit different from that. Oh, GG is found here.
http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20021104

Surprises at the Party

“Okay, how the heck did you do that? I've trained with Starstorm for years, and I can't even get him to surrender but maybe two times out of three,” said Shining Armor as the crowd starts to disperse, the show over now. Some look disappointed, probably having placed bets on the outcome of the match, and lost, big time. A few others look like they were expecting more show, and at least once you catch an oddly dark look among the gathered faces, but it passes, and you turn back towards Shining with a smirk.

“Well, that would be telling, but I will say, it has to do with how he does his little winking trick,” you tell the unicorn, who taps his hoof on his head as if in thought, then shakes his head and pokes you with the same.

“Nope, no cryptic stuff. I'm the teacher here, and I get to do that to you, not the other way around. Now, spill, how'd you do that?” he asks again, giving you a reason to laugh in his face, as your Guard, as well as several of the Apprentices comes to gather round.

“Alright, if you must know. I figured that he had to be doing one of two things when he blurred. Either he was stopping time, which I've never seen but might be a possible spell, or he was teleporting,” you starting, getting a few of the gathered friends to nod. Diamond eye, who was always one to remind that his fake eye saw more than any real one, just grinned, probably already having figured out how it worked.

“That seemed unlikely though, since you were letting me fight him in front of the Professor's lab. I know your wife doesn't like them, for some reason, and I doubt she'd let you show him a time stop spell like that,” you continue, looking towards said lab, which had a very familiar purple face in the attic window, just staring out at your little lecture group.

“Okay, well then, that left the other possibility. Teleportation. However, that seemed impossible, since he was able to take my blade, which is forged of Prism Stone, from my hand. You've said before the stuff is immune to magic, right?” you ask, and he shakes his head from side to side.

“Not immune, nothing is immune to magic, but it is resistant. So you figured out he was using portals. I know that, but that doesn't explain how you were able to beat him. I know he does that, and I can't beat him,” explained Shining, deflating your ego a bit, as you had honestly considered that Shining might not have figured out the smoke night trick.

“Yeah, that's what I figured. He was using portals of some kind, passing through them. I also figured out in the middle of that he had some kind of dust on his coat that was making him hard to see. The portals, mixed with that, made it seem like he was moving really quickly,” you tell the others, more than Shining, who's still nodding, obviously expecting you to spill some kind of secret tactic or the like.

“Now, after figuring all that out, I realized he was underestimating me. He could have just teleported above me, and landed with enough force to break my skull. That or he could have teleported me someplace off the field. Whatever his strategy, he could have ended the fight, but instead he was playing with me. I then played him, getting him angry, since at first I couldn't touch him, but then I was hitting him hard, before finally just tricking him with that last attack. If that hadn't worked, I probably would have lost,” you admit, and it's Starstorm's turn to nod, as he finally rises to his hooves.

“Indeed. I would never have figured someone of your stature to be strong enough, or fast enough to catch me, even with the bands enhancing you. The fact that you did so anyway proves how well trained you are, and how much I have yet to learn,” he says, this time with a rather humble tone to his voice, as he bows his head to you. In respect for him, you return the gesture.

“Still, next time, I will not so badly underestimate you as an opponent,” he says with a smirk, the challenging tone in his voice lost as it becomes like the wind, said pony just vanishing. No blur effect, no flash of light, just one moment there, and the next gone. That stallion had some real talent, and you dreaded having to face him again. Meanwhile Shining was still in shock at you victory, walking over to his wife and saying the word impossible several times, as your Guard and the Apprentices drew in closer.

“That wasn't bad. I think we could have taken him way faster, but still, not bad,” said Dash as she fell in beside you.

“Uh, Dash, a Smoke Knight could probably take all of us down without breaking a sweat. I've seen them fight, and they are very tough opponents,” said Spitfire, and Rainbow Dash turns to stare at her. Spitfire was rarely one to admit that she couldn't take somepony in a fight, but this time she spoke with almost a fearful twinge in her voice. That alone was almost enough to make you probe a bit deeper, but Soarin's eyes seemed shadowed as well, making you wonder just what the pair had seen of Smoke Knights, and if you might be very lucky to have won.

“Well, anyway, I made a killing thanks to you, so next time you and your marefriend go out, hit me up for some bits, and I'll give you a loan,” said Dash, dropping the subject.

“Oh really? You bet on me winning?” you ask, remembering that Shining usually kicked your flank in things like this. Heck, yesterday was a fluke, if Rex had really been going all out, he'd have beat you bottom, or if the fight hadn't stopped after one punch during the second round.

“Of course. I got your back, human boy. Besides, I needed a long shot to clear my debt with that Guard jerk,” she told you, getting closer to you for that last part which she said quietly, her eyes flickering over towards one of the ponies in your guard formation. You smirk at that, and decide not to question it farther, as you proceed towards the lab.

The instant your inside, DawnChaser grabs you, his hoof wrapping around your waist, and tossing you into a chair. With a flash of magic, you have dozens of devices floating around your head, some beeping, some wheezing, and a few making clicking sounds like Geiger counters. Not that the Professor explains what's going on, just letting his eyes drift from one to another, as several books float in front of him, quills flying over the pages.

Beyond him, you could see your guards looking a bit nervously, a few probably wondering if they should intervene, before Deasly, Tailfire, and a few of the other Apprentices appeared, and the group was slowly led towards a sitting room just to the side, where several chairs and couches waited. When the Bolts and their fellow guards just flopped down, the others did as well, and soon you could see the groups talking to each other, some pointing at you as they did so, either with expressions of awe, or laughter as some joke was made at your expense.

“Hmm, interesting,” said DawnChaser finally, several minutes after you'd been sitting there.

“What?” you ask, curious, since he rarely spoke while writing things in so many journals at once, it interfered with his concentration.

“You are slightly taller than my last few measurements, and have lost weight. I had assumed that your lifestyle before was active, but it seems not quite active enough. Truly I wonder how your species fares with physical activity,” he comments, poking at your gut, and making you grunt as he underestimated just how powerful his hooves were.

“Yeah, yeah, I was out of shape. Anything else?” you ask, rubbing at the spot where you'd been poked.

“Yes and no. The no is easy enough, as it means no, but the yes...well, your power as a Flux, it should be returning quicker than this. I had thought that your victory earlier might have been due to that, but my sensors are saying your field has grown negligibly even now. It's growing to be sure, but not quick enough to have made the difference,” he tells you.

“Well, maybe I just got lucky?” you suggest, to which DawnChaser nods.

“It is possible. The statistical probability of someone of your weight, height, and strength levels defeating a Smoke Knight are quite low, but still within the realm of possibility,” he admitted, the sensors around you vanishing as fast as they'd appeared, while the purple pony trotted away, continuing to write in several books, before vanishing around a corner.

“You fight good, that reason for your win,” said a new voice, and you turn to find Rex standing behind the chair you'd been in. His paws then quickly move down to your arms and legs, popping off the bands from you with an audible bang and small light burst. He then shoved the magical items into his pockets, as your rose from your seat.

“I think it was more those things,” you tell him, feeling your body's full weight again. It was quite the change, going from lighter than a feather, to someone who nearly toppled forward as he got up, but you'd been getting practice at it for a while now, and so were able to just barely catch yourself.

“No, bands are tools, but bands don't think. You use thought, not strength, to beat smokey pony,” says Rex simply, as he walks away. That vote of confidence, from someone you knew could hold his own in a fight, was enough to get you swelling with pride. Luckily...sort of, you had several ponies who could burst that bubble as you made your way back into the city, and stopped by Rarity and Frazzle's shop to get your final measurements for the suit.

“Hmm, we need to take the waist in by a quarter inch, and give the arms a few more inches of play, what do you think?” asks Frazzle, as you stood almost stock still on a podium. Rarity, who was looking you up and down, nodded, her needles flying out, and piercing your suit. The armor beneath protected you, of course, but it didn't help that you winced a little, getting some gawfaws from the peanut gallery, who all seemed to be enjoying themselves just a bit too much.

You soldier on though, the suit getting a few last tucks, trims, and one or two joints loosened, until you stand in front of the mirror, staring at yourself. You aren't what you normally think of as handsome. Your face is too angular, and you get stubble too easily, coming up in uneven patches, your hair is unkempt, and you slouch even while trying to stand up straight. Still, looking at yourself, you think you can see what Octavia does, a man, standing there in an ebony black suit that shimmers a little in the light.

“Hmm, I should have made a cape for this, but I think it works better without it. Bipeds need more height than width in their clothing,” commented Rarity, who trots around you one last time, staring up and down your body.

“I think he looks handsome, Ms. Rarity,” said a new voice, and you turn to find Octavia, in her dress from the Harmony Ball, standing there. She was radiant as ever, her dress creating a halo of light effect in the afternoon sun coming in through the windows. It made her hard to look at when she turned too far, but at the same time, your eyes were drawn to her, and you found yourself unable to look away.

“I suppose he does,” admits the white unicorn with a sigh, as she walks towards Frazzle. The two fashion ponies then vanished into the back of the store, a low chatter heard as they discussed dresses to wear to the party themselves.

“Hello there, my lovely bit of sheet music,” you tell Octavia as you step off the podium. The mare, smiling at you, nods in your direction.

“Hello to you as well, my handsome human toy,” she responds, standing on her hind legs, and then with a flourish, she kisses you. Not on the lips, just a quick peck on the cheeks, but it does feel quite nice, and you return the gesture, before she gets down on all fours.

“Yuck, mushy stuff,” said Dash from where she and your guards still sat. None of them had fallen asleep this time, either due to last night, or just because there was enough to play card games. Whatever the case, as you and Octavia started for the door, the Honor Guard formed up behind, creating a wedge of horns on the ground, and a trio of wings in the sky as you marched across Canterlot.

The discussion between you and your gray mare turned to tonight's events, with Octavia regaling you with how she and her ensemble had been preparing all morning for this, practicing a few slow dance songs. Vinyl, despite not really enjoying such parties, seemed to have been excited as well, and Octavia made a point of telling you to avoid the punch, just in case.

Soon enough, you and your entourage arrived the home of Fancy Pants. It was, interestingly, not actually the largest such place in Canterlot, despite Fancy supposedly being the richest. In fact, it seemed down right utilitarian in some respects, with the living quarters only taking up a small wing, barely larger than most other homes in Ponyville. Of course, beyond the living quarters, which housed Fancy, Fluer, and a few others, there was a massive ballroom, mostly for parties such as this.

When you entered, the stallion at the door not even asking to see an invite, you found the party already going. Well, sort of. There were groups here and there talking, creating the usual din one might find in such locations. Octavia, after another quick peck, went over to where her friends were already tuning her instruments, and practiced with them, while your guards fanned out, some joining the various groups, while others, Rainbow and Soarin included, went to some chairs and fell asleep almost instantly.

“Ah, my human friend, so nice of you to come,” said a familiar voice, and you turned to find Fancy Pants himself standing behind you, a smile on his face, and several glasses held by his magic floating around him. He quickly passed one to you, which you took and sipped a bit, finding the liquid in the glass to be Sage Blossom juice.

“Not bad,” you compliment, as you sip on it some more, and Fancy nods.

“Quite. It's from a fine vintage that's been going around the city. The last of the blossoms made by a visitor from another world,” he tells you, and you return a warm smile, as Fancy, seeing somepony else he needed to talk to, walked off. Sipping at the glass again, getting the warm feeling inside you that came from the golden flowers, you walked towards the chairs were Soarin was sitting, with Dash leaning on him, and sat down yourself.

Over the next hour ponies, dignitaries, and even a dragon arrived. The last caused only a slight stir, as he was about twice as tall as the teen dragons from Dragon Quest. Otherwise, the gentle music, the soft conversation, and not knowing enough of anypony to join in, caused your eyes to drift closed. You never reached the Void though, as before you could, you felt a gentle hoof on your shoulder, and your eyes popped open to find yourself staring at your host again.

“Heh, not exciting enough for you?” asked Fancy, and you began to stammer out an apology, only for him to let loose a very pure sounding belly laugh.

“No need my friend. I know how some feel about such gatherings. Just look at your guards?” he said, motioning towards Soarin and Rainbow Dash, who had both flopped over in their chairs. Spitfire beside them was seemingly still awake, looking at the party, but if you looked closely, you could see that she was breathing regularly, using that trick of the Guards to sleep with her eyes open.

“I suppose this just isn't our element,” you admit, as Fancy Pants motions for you to rise and follow him, which you do.

“Indeed, some days I tire of this sort of thing as well. Yet, one must keep up the appearance of playing the Game of Houses, lest they lose for never sitting down at all,” he tells you, as he trots over towards the door that led out onto a balcony.

“I understand,” you tell him, remembering a few of your lessons with Celestia about how the Noble Houses of Canterlot worked. To them, power and intrigue was a game, one you played to win, and while she was able to keep it from becoming violent, as it had in the days before Equestria, she still found them a bit underhoofed, and often had to resort to playing a bit herself to keep tem from starting wars or some such non-sense.

“Ah, the things one has to do. Regardless, I have a visitor who said he would like to meet you for a bit of a private chat. I think he wants to offer you some deal for some more weapons or the like, and I told him I'd get you to at least hear him out,” said Fancy, as he opened the door with his magic, and led you outside. Out on the balcony, you stared into the glimmering forests of Equestria's night, tiny dots of light marking cities in the distance, the view rivaling that from Lookout Point.

“I suppose I'll have to tell him no, since I can barely wield the sword most days,” you admit, as Fancy shuts the door behind him, looking around quizzically.

“Odd, I thought I-” he's cut off suddenly, as you feel a swirl of wind about you.

“Cone of Silence!” shouts a voice, the wind whipping at you harshly, Fancy and you turned to the sound of the cry, finding that a dark vortex spreads out from it.

“I say, what's the meaning of this sir!?” demands Fancy, his horn glowing brightly, and he blasts outward with magic. He bolt, really powerful looking actually, hits the darkness, but it does nothing to it, either dissipating once it hits, or flying straight through. You try to test the latter theory, by rushing towards where you know the door was, only to be knocked aside by a wing, the smacks you, hard.

“No, no, I went to too much trouble to let you do that,” says the voice again, this time in lower tones. The voice is now familiar to you, and when you look up, an eagle claw, covered with some golden metallic brace, comes out of the dark, pointed right at Fancy, who prepares to fire again.

“Thunder Claw!” shouts the voice again, and his outstretched claw crackles with electricity. An arc of it shoots out, and strikes Fancy full in the chest, causing him to fly backwards, and then vanish in the darkness. All of this takes less than ten seconds, and by the time your hand finally goes to the blade at your hip, your find yourself grabbed by twin eagle claws, while a massive flap of wings carries you into the sky.

Hard Night in Canterlot's Sky

The one carrying you, you recognize instantly. The voice, that had been the clue. Even with just one meeting, the dude had seemed slimy, like every bad politician rolled into one. The guy had offered you a place in his nation, and you'd promptly turned him down, whereupon he'd blatantly threatened you. Later, another one had come from the same kingdom, apologized for him, and then proceeded to make the exact same offer. That had been months ago now, but both griffons had left an impression on you.

“Stop squirming!” ordered the Ambassador. His name was...you can't remember, even if you did know it at some point. But he represented the Griffon Kingdoms of the West. He was supposed to be some big shot military bird, but you'd only heard most of that information second hand. One meeting was all it had taken to turn you off from him forever, and his order made you redouble your efforts, even as his wings carried you higher and higher with each flap.

“Fancy Pants! Rainbow! Spitfire! Anypony!” you shouted, your eyes looking down where you and Fancy had been standing. You could just barely make out Fancy Pants himself, his body twisted in an odd way, laying on the ground beneath the balcony. Luckily, there were several bushes just below the overhang. Unluckily, he didn't seem to be moving. You were sure he was alive, ponies were hard to injure, but he was probably out cold.

“Save your breath, human. I wear the Cone of Silence, and with it, nothing you say can be heard by anyone. I would therefore suggest that you stay still, lest my grip falter,” he advised, his talons, gripping you just under your shoulders, loosening a bit, threatening you drop you. He of course, expected that to shut you up, but rather than stopping, you fought harder than ever as his grip let you go, pulling one arm free and your hand going right for your sword hilt.

“Idiot!” he cried, and suddenly everything in your vision swam, as the side of your head felt like it had been slammed into a brick wall. The ambassador, now convinced that you wouldn't be further trouble, as you hung limply from his talons, began to wheel towards the horizon, confident that he could get away without any one below seeing him.

You, for the most part, were completely out of your head for minutes, the cool breeze helping to dull your senses. You tried to fight, tried to collect your wits, but every train of thought seemed to derail the instant it started to pickup steam. You were only halfway awake when something split the night air, your eyes lazily coming around to find another shape coming towards you, a shrill caw issuing froth from its beak.

“Commander Gilda! What is the meaning of this?!” demanded the ambassador as the shape resolved into the griffon you'd shared a meal with just the other day. Her armor gleamed wickedly in the moonlight, and at her hip she wore a mace with a head bigger than your own, all of it sparkling silver.

“That's what I'd like to know, Ambassador Asshat. I got your orders from my lieutenant that we were supposed to help patrol the Castle's airspace tonight, as a show of faith, but then I go and find that not only weren't you going to be in said palace, but you checked out a weapon from my quarter master, and made plans for an extended leave,” says the griffon as she comes along side.

“That is not the tone to take with me, no matter who you're friends with,” declares Asshat as he stares at her, his claw suddenly coming up to cover your mouth, which you only barely register as your brain finally finishes rebooting.

“Wrong answer. That's precisely the tone I take when some idiot decides that kidnapping is the way to make a point. Now land, or we find out if your head is as empty as it seems,” she told him, her claw going down to her mace's handle. The ambassador, for a moment, just stared at her, but after that moment had passed, he descended down into Canterlot again, landing heavily on a roof, with a loud thud to mark his landing. He released you just before impact, letting your limp body crumple into a heap, as Gilda landed beside you.

“You okay?” she asked, her foreclaws coming down and picking you up, helping you to keep your balance.

“I'm, I'm not sure. I think I might have a concussion,” you admit, your vision still refusing to focus, but as you stare at the ambassador, you draw your blade anyway.

“Now then, Asshat, how's about you explain yourself?” asked Gilda, turning to face him. The griffon, trying to look like he didn't care, just stood there, idly tapping his armored claw on the roof beneath you.

“I don't have to explain myself, Commander. You are to follow all my orders, and right now, I order you to fly away and keep the ponies busy, while my guest and I depart this foul nation for the safety of our Kingdom,” he commands, and Gilda, a smirk on her face, just pulls out her mace, twisting the middle of it so the thing became a long pole in her grip.

“Wrong answer number two, so I guess I'll have to guess. You got the ponies all riled up, sending veiled threats against the palace so every bit of airforce they had would be there tonight, while the city was patrolled by more magical fare. With that done, you were gonna swoop in, grab the human, and then drag him back home as some kinda hostage, before any pegasi could be scrambled to stop you,” she responded, tapping her mace's pole end on the roof gently as she spoke.

“Indeed! Only by doing that could I protect our guest from being recaptured by our enemies, and imprisoned for the rest of his days here in their glittering little toybox,” he proclaimed, and you get from his tone that he actually believed what he was saying.

“Listen, Asshat. I'm no prisoner here, I choose to stay, if this was all some rescue attempt, then you can forget it, fly off, and we never have to tell anypony about this,” you tell him, holding your sword, rather shakily, in a guard position in front of you.

“Hmph, well, human's got a soft spot. What about that?” says Gilda, before turning back towards the Ambassador again.

“Kid's giving you a way out that means you walk away, and no one gets hurt. You gonna take it?” asked Gilda, and the male griffon seemed to be considering it, his eyes darting between the two of you, while he idly continued tapping his claw against the roof. Suddenly he shot up into the air, and you felt a breeze that grew into a strong gust of wind.

“Cone of Silence!” he shouted, and once again, a dark mist seemed to come from everywhere at once, forming a dome around you, as well as the roof and the two griffons, sealing the three of you in darkness.

“And that's number three!” Gilda returned, crying out like an eagle as she took flight, her mace swinging faster than your eyes could follow. Asshat seemed to be quicker on the draw than you would have expected, as he wove around her swing, flapping his wings hard to climb into the sky, and then aiming his armored claw at her.

“Thunder Claw!” he cried out, and his armored claw began to crackle with lightning arms playing over its surface. Then it shot out, and Gilda was dead center in it's sights. She was even faster than he was though, and her left wing flapped hard, while her right was flush against her side, letting her sort of roll out of the way. The bolt shot past her, arcing down as it flew, and striking the roof beside you with a powerful concussive blast. The hot, ozone scented air slammed into you and sent you rolling a bit, before you were able to pick yourself up again, and stare at the two shapes above.

They danced around each other, Gilda trying to whack the Ambassador like he was a fly, her mace swinging heavily, but quickly, at him, but every time she missed, as he dodged, rolled, or even grabbed the mace head, pushing it away from him. His counterattacks were likewise useless. Bolts of lightning flew out at her, his claw beginning to glow like a small star as more and more arcs of electricity danced over its surface.

The bolts from his weapon played along the sides of the darkness encasing the three of you. Idly, you try to run for the edge, figuring you can at least escape while he's distracted. Of course, he's not too distracted to notice your attempt, and send a bolt of lightning your way. The blast of electricity hits you in the back, sending you flying, right into the barrier, which feels soft, fluffy, and gentle, but then bounces you back.

“Escape from the-HAYAH!-Cone of Silence is impossible!” shouts Gilda, as she tries to use the Ambassador's split attention to hit him hard. He seems to be caught flat pawed, and nearly gets his head whacked off, but sadly, he turns into the blow, which was done with the pole end of the mace rather than the head. His ears are probably ringing, but he fights on, sending another set of bolts at Gilda, and then one down at you, which you try to intercept with your blade.

The crackling electricity slams into your block, and without the strength from the bands, your grip is no match for it, the weapon flying out of your hands, sliding across the roof. It came to a stop a few feet away, but the instant you go for it, another bolt comes down, nearly taking your hand off, and making you hop backwards, rolling away from it. When you at last recover, you look upward to find the Ambassador and Gilda still dancing in the air.

“Okay, I'll just sit this one out then,” you say, your hand going towards you belt as you speak, watching the pair gracefully dive, dip, and roll around. Gilda jinks to the side to avoid a blast, bringing the mace's head around to slam into the Ambassador, who seems to push against the weapon despite its momentum, using it as a spring board to go even higher, sending another bolt down at her.

That gave you an opening though, he was far away from her, and right now, he was up against the Cone of Silence's roof. Whipping out your sheath, you bring the closed end to your lips, and blow hard, a gout of flames leaping out of the end, and flying upward. The two griffons turn just in time to see it, the female diving low to avoid it, while the male just stares for a moment, before letting loose with his weapon, the lightning colliding with the fire and creating a rather spectacular explosion.

When the dust finally starts to settle, your vision clearing, you see first off that the dome of darkness was gone, and the fresh night air was blowing gently over your face. The second thing you see is far worse though, as the Ambassador somehow recovered faster than you, not surprising, and also faster than Gilda. He was in the process of holding her up by the scruff of her neck, his armored claw sending arcs of electricity playing over her body as smoke pours out of every opening in the plates.

“Let go of her!” you shout, not sure what you're doing, just knowing that you have to help her, and make as much noise as you can while doing it. You don't bother with the sheath's fire blast, figuring it would hurt her too, and instead dive towards him, whacking him in the face with the supple leather of the sword's carrier. It feels satisfyingly powerful when it connects with his beak, but sadly, you're just not strong enough to do much damage, and so he just lets the blow come, and then bats at you with a wing.

“Foolishness,” he says with contempt, as he lets Gilda drop to the roof. Her body is still smoking, but you can see her take labored breaths. She's alive, for now. You don't have too long to contemplate that, however, as the Ambassador grabs, his claws curling around your body, and holding your arms tightly against your side as he flaps his wings, taking you into the sky in a few short bursts, circling upward into the heavens.

“Too much time has been wasted on this, and it is far too much to hope that no one heard our scuffle. I may need to use you as a bargaining chip. That makes you less valuable in the long term, so I would stay still if I were you, lest my already thin patience tear,” he informed you coldly, and you can't even muster up the strength to fight him, hanging limply in his claws, while below the roofs of Canterlot begin to vanish into the night.

Your head lolls to the side, and with a twist, your gaze is torn back around. That was when you notice something. His necklace thing, the Cone of Silence, it was broken. There were cracks all through it, and an entire side was just gone. You may have been no expert in them, but you were certain there was no way it was going to keep you from shouting for help now.

The problem was, when you turned back, you were far too high to be heard. You did possess one advantage though. Your sheath. It was still gripped tightly in your hand, and all you had to do was move it ever so slightly, pushing the open end against his belly.

“Let me go, now, or I'll kill you,” you tell him, as coldly as you can. The griffon feels that motion of course, and looks down to find what you've done, but he grins in that very hawkish way of griffon's, and just scoffs at you.

“You're an idiot, human. That fire trick only works when you blow into the other end. It needs breath from a living being to work, or hadn't you noticed. Now stay still and quite, while I-,” he responds, and you push the sheath into him to get him to shut up.

“Let me go, return me to the ground, or die, no other warnings,” you tell him, and his gaze meets yours. You stare into those eyes. They were the eyes of a predator, one who had already caught his prey, and would not be letting go any time soon.

“SPECTRUM FLASH!!!” you shout as loud as you can, getting the griffon's grip to loosen in surprise. He doesn't drop you however, and quickly reasserts himself, holding you closer to him.

“I told you, you have to....whats that noise?” he asks, and your ears catch the faint whistle in the wind. The ambassador's looking around, but he's looking at the wrong angles. You can see it though, as the sword, spinning in the air, rises above the pair of you, and then, just as it soars right overhead, it comes down like a shooting star, aiming right for the open end of the sheath.

The sound it makes as it hits home is sickening, and yet satisfying, to hear. The squelch as it cuts through not just organs and flesh, but bone and sinew as well. The flapping wings were right over it too, the right one getting a bit tussled, but the left one was turn apart, hanging in tattered pieces as the griffon, his body seizing up, just stared back at it, unable to comprehend what had just occurred, while beneath him, the blade returned to its sheath.

The griffon's movements are jerky, his body trying desperately to stay in the air with a single functioning wing, and probably the same number of lungs, considering the small driblets of blood coming from out of his beak. His head, very shakily, turns back towards you, and you stare into his eyes, that predator's gaze gone now. He looks afraid, very afraid, and you return only a cold stare at him, before his body finally goes rigid, and his claws open up around your arms.

The next second is your own moment of horror, as the sky provides you with no support, instead you drop, quick and hard, towards the streets below. The griffon beside you is still breathing, but his course is just a few degrees off, so you lose sight of him quickly, meaning the only thing to look at is the on rushing ground, which seems to be moving towards you at a pace.

Your mind reels at the thought, and you try to scream, but the air is rushing past you too fast to do more than let out a hoarse cry. You still try to save yourself, throwing your sword down to lessen your momentum, but severing only to start yourself spinning in the air, before your outstretched arms can bring you back into balance, staring down at the ground below, a roof not unlike the one you'd been fighting on. A heartbeat away, no more.

You slam your body downward, your shoulder out so that it takes the brunt of the hit. In that instant though you remember something, and punch your fist into the heard ceramic as well. The force of the blow is enough to create a crater, caving in part of the building you'd impacted, but your hand...you can feel the bones turning into splinters. Worse, you'd barely gotten any of the force out, your chest taking the rest, hard, as ribs shatter, shards of bone ripping through your insides.

Worse, the concussive force of the impact bounces you away. Your body, battered and broken already is tossed away, off the roof, and into the wall of the neighboring building, further destroying your insides. Another bounce off a wall, then another, and finally you strike solid ground again, your heart feeling like it was tearing apart with every fragmented beat, as warmth starts to spread all over your body. Beneath you, you can feel a small pool of liquid begin to form. You were dying.

Rebirth

“Are you sure this is where you saw him fall?” asks a familiar voice, one you'd heard a few nights. It was nearly enough to get you to rouse from your pain dulled haze. Of course, trying to call out only brings more pain, and fizzing tickle in your mouth that tastes of copper. If you'd been able to see it, you'd probably find bloody bubbles coming out of your mouth now. One of your lungs had collapsed, you thought in some far off corner of your mind.

“I'm sure, Dad. He had to be falling from a ways up, but I've got mom's eyes,” said another voice, and at the mouth of the alley your laying in, bleeding onto the pavement, there come two silhouetted figures. One is slightly larger than the other, with a smooth topped head, while the other has a small glowing horn that shows off her bubble gum pink coat and purple mane.

“Well I don't see...wait, shine your light over there!” shouts the Doctor, his daughter responding with a flash as her horn's glow showers you in bright light. Beside you is a small reflective round thing, probably a hub cab for some fancy carriage here in Canterlot. Unfortunately, you're staring right at it, and what you see would make you cry, if your brain were working enough to realize that that broken, battered figure with a shattered face, was in fact, yourself.

“Oh sweet Gallifrey, what happened to him?” asked the Doctor as he rushes towards you, Sparkler, Derpy, and Dinky Whooves not far behind him. Instantly, his sonic screwdriver is in his mouth as he runs it over you, and his girls all stand behind him, Derpy covering Dinky's eyes once she realizes what they're looking at.

“He fell from way high up dad, I saw him,” said Sparkler, her voice with a slight panicked twinge to it.

“Well, I have no idea what he was doing playing...come on you piece of junk, tell me what's....oh dear,” said the Doctor, as his screwdriver pinged at you.

“What is it, honey?” asked Derpy, as she stared at the Doctor, obviously worried. The brown earth pony didn't answer her right away, his eyes darting this way and that down the alley, before he rushed towards the mouth where they'd come from.

“No time, he doesn't have any, I've got to get him more. Sparkler, use that healing spell you learned in class, try to keep him alive!” he shouted as he rushed off. Sparkler, looking askance at her mother, turned back to you after a moment, and began to focus her magic into you. Her spell, designed to set right broken systems, wasn't really for use on non-ponies, but she was a good student, and knew how to correct the spell for you, at least she thought she did, as she sent a small sparkle of magical energy towards you.

Instantly she regrets this action, as your body, either too broken for it to work, or worse, trying to heal you into a pony, starts to struggle against the magic. What few bones you have are audibly crackling as they rub against each other, your body shaking wildly. Sparkler doesn't stop though. Her dad, he was smart, if he told her to do this, told her to keep you alive, then she could do it, he'd never set her to do something she couldn't.

So she focused, her magical energy narrowing as she dealt with the worst spots. Your lungs had holes in them, your heart too. Those would kill you in minutes, possibly sooner, and so she got to work, using a combination of magic and just magikenesis to hold the wounds closed. So focused was Sparkler on her dad's orders that she failed to hear a familiar wooshing sound, at least until a slamming door interrupted her concentration.

“Excellent, simply brilliant. You've made your daddy very proud of you, Sparkler. Now, you and Dinky bring him into the TARDIS. Gently now, don't jostle him too much,” he advised, as she and her sister surrounded your body with their magic fields, lifting you off the ground, trying their best to hold you, despite your armor fighting them.

Inside the TARDIS, the control room was cluttered with various tools, bits of metal and glass, and a few things that might have been controls from the central panel of the room. The reason they were laying about was quite simple, as the panel had been torn open, and now, in it's place was a pipe that led to a small glass case that sat there. The Doctor, using his hooves, directed the girls, sometimes correcting your course, until finally, you were set down into the case itself.

“Honey, what are you doing to do?” asked Derpy, as the Doctor stared at you through the closed lid of the case, mumbling terms to himself she didn't quite understand.

“I'm going to do something dangerous, but necessary,” he informed her, as he rubbed his hooves along the line leading from the case to the control panel.

“I...” she began, and then looked over at your broken body. It was obvious to her eyes that you weren't going to survive much longer without some kind of miracle. Even the Princesses' magic had limits on what it could heal, and you'd probably passed that, so instead of objecting farther, she walked over to her husband, and stared at the console, trying to follow what he was doing.

“Okay, I'm convinced this will work. Sparkler, Derpy, Ditzy, take positions at the console. I need you three to press button five, throw switch twenty-seven, and turn knob forty-two, when I give the signal,” he ordered his girls, and all three of them took up the requested positions. They knew the console well, from various temporal misadventures with the Doctor over the years, and each fell in where they needed, as the Doctor slowly made his way back over to where you lay.

“Alright, I don't know if you can hear me, but I have to say this, if only to feel better about this. I'm about to open the Heart of the TARDIS up to you. That's a lot of energy, a lot more than any normal human can take, but you....you're not a normal human, you're a Flux, a living warp in reality. I'm hoping you can take it. This is your only chance, I know it, but if it doesn't work, I hope you can forgive me,” he told you, and you could actually hear him, even through the haze.

Idly, your mind realized that that probably meant you were dying completely, with only seconds left before your brain started to atrophy. You still tried to tell him you forgave him, but all that you could manage with a gurgle, and a slight incline of your head. He either understood it, or just didn't think you could answer, because he turned towards his girls.

“On my mark....Allons Y!” he cried, and the girls, knowing what that meant, hit the switch, pushed the button, and turned the knob. The tube leading to the case you were in was opened, and they looked in it to see golden shimmering light flowing through it like gas, making its way down the path, and towards you. They followed, and soon, like the Doctor, were staring down at you, as the light entered your chamber, and you were hidden from them.

The instant the light touched you, you felt, better? No. not better, just different. You felt like you were standing for one, but still, your body refused to move. And rather than standing on solid ground, it felt like you were standing on clouds or something that wasn't entirely solid. You were still injured too, but the injuries felt farther away somehow, like you were sort of floating outside yourself, and were looking in.

Around you was the Void again, and yet, it wasn't the same Void you knew. That was nothingness. Sometimes it had a color, black, white, or red, but this wasn't Nothing. This was definitely Something. Looking into it, you felt nostalgic for some reason, which was odd as you couldn't ever remember being in a bright golden cloud...well, other than that time with Celestia, but this was different. The cloud wasn't solid, and somehow, you felt that was as it should be.

“Hmm, so, you've been inside another TARDIS' heart before?” came a voice. It was feminine, and very light, a young woman's voice. Your vision spun about, trying to find the source, but oddly, it seemed to be coming from all around you. That didn't hold true forever though, as the cloud around you began to press inward at one point, and then slowly it congealed, taking a human shape that glowed brightly for a moment, before resolving into a form of a blond woman in her mid twenties, dressed in what you would normally have called street clothes.

“Rose Tyler?” you said after a moment, remembering that face. Said face was grinning at you after you said that, and you felt the cloud shudder a bit with laughter.

“No, guess again,” she offered, and you looked at her again, finally noticing a detail you had missed before. Namely that she had a golden glow to her eyes to match the cloud she'd been forged from.

“Bad Wolf,” you said, a statement of fact, not a guess, and the entity in front of you just shook her head, before finally nodding.

“I suppose that would be how you know me, but I do have another name,” she told you, and you thought again.

“Type 40 TARDIS, formally of Marnal, now of the Doctor. Number 306 of a line supposed to contain only 305,” you said at last, and this time the entity smiled and nodded at you.

“Right in three. Not bad all things considered. I was expecting it to take a much longer time to guess,” she told you, and you felt oddly smug about that fact that you'd gotten it sooner than the TARDIS had expected. Of course, then the fact that you were talking to the TARDIS, the blue box that moved through Time and Space, and contained a funny little man who tried to make right the wrongs of the universe, as he saw them.

“So, what's going on?” you ask at last, after it stares at you, looking you up and down, as if judging you with its golden glowing eyes.

“I'm not sure. I know what is expected of me, to energize you, to make you powerful again, and hope it doesn't kill you. However, such would be useless, so long as I continue you suppress those powers,” said the entity, as it walked around your body. While your head refused to turn, somehow, your gaze followed it, but it still took your mind a moment to process what had been said.

“You're suppressing my powers?” you asked, not incredulously or anything, just as a general statement.

“Indeed. You are a danger to yourself, and those around you. When you first arrived, when the hole opened in the world, I tried to force it shut. Failing that, I tied to neutralize your effect on the world. This resulted in a compression of your form,” she began, as she continued to walk around you.

“Then you vanished somehow. During that moment, my neutralization slipped, and you regained some of your power. Not a lot, not all of it, but enough to grow a bit, and then, when exposed to a high energy source, you were able to begin performing feats of Flux,” she told you, and you remembered Twilight teleporting you, then Celestia touching you with her power. Those were just tastes of the oddness to come of course, but you remembered both quite vividly.

“Once you stabilized, you nearly entered me. Even a partial Flux within my form would have potential to be disastrous, so I halted said advance. I thought that doing so might even make you desire to leave, so I used far more effort than would normally be necessary to repel a threat,” she said this last bit with a tinge of sadness, whether because you hadn't left, or because she had hurt you, you were unsure.

“Then something awoke the Chaos God of this world. Said God tried to destroy you, and in so doing, forced you to exhaust your power, allowing me to suppress it again, this time completely, and without the error that reduced your height. Such was my hope that you would never again need that ability, and I could simply keep you as a normal human for the lifetime your body had,” she told you, finally stopping right in front of you. You could feel her eyes moving up and down your body now, and you realized she was viewing the damage that had been done to your form.

“But now that body is broken, and the Doctor wants me to heal you. I am left with a choice then. I can simply erase you, eliminate you from the timestream. He'll know, but no one else will, and he'll merely think his attempt to help you failed,” she explained.

“Or, or I can release the limiter I have placed on your power, something I cannot restore this time. Once you have that power back, I doubt I will ever again be able to touch you,” she admitted to you, and then just stood there. You thought, perhaps this was where you were supposed to make a case for yourself, but you couldn't really find the words.

You should have been angry of course. This entity, Bad Wolf, Rose Tyler, TARDIS, whatever it was, it had just admitted to limiting you, to suppressing your powers. Yet, thinking back, you remembered that first moment, that horrible second of your life when Celestia had touched you. You had wanted then to draw in all that she was, to consume the Goddess, and become a God yourself. You'd resisted, but it had been tempting beyond words. That put the TARDIS' decision into perspective, and you just floated there in front of it in silence.

“You truly are odd, for a human,” she tells you at last.

“Anyone normally would have been declaring their rage at me for interfering in their business. Others would be protesting that they weren't monsters. But you hang there, silent,” she told you.

“I don't know what to say. I can't argue the point. I was tempted by power, but resisted. I don't know that if I were faced with that same choice again, I could do so once more,” you admitted to her.

“And yet you have done so. You could have stolen the Power of the Sun Goddess. You could have run when the Chaos God threatened this world. You could have left a griffon you barely know to die on that roof top, and saved yourself. Instead you didn't take more power from the Goddess than was offered, instead you stood up to Chaos, knowing he had more power than even the Sun Goddess. Instead you attacked an opponent far larger and stronger than yourself, knowing that you would lose, never even considering for a moment that you could just have left,” she told you, and you think back to all three moments.

The first was the hardest to admit, since you had nearly given in to that temptation. But the second and third. Could you really have run? Either time? No, no, Discord would have hunted you down, even if you could have escaped. But it was more than that. You hadn't gone at him thinking about that. Instead you'd wanted to stop him from hurting this world, a world you had come to think of as home. As for the third. Running hadn't even come into your thoughts. Gilda had tried to rescue you. That meant she wouldn't die. Not if you could help it.

“Heh, such morals are rare in any species. So I am at a crossroad. If I restore you as you should be, the only way to heal you, then you will no longer be within my power to neutralize. If I let you die though, he will be disappointed, and I will have let it happen merely because of what you might do, a maybe that you have already seemed to have shown is impossible,” she tells you, standing there, staring into your eyes.

You say nothing, for there is nothing to say. Either she helps you now, and you live, or she withholds it, and you die. Even if the latter, you can't get mad at her. She was doing what she did to protect the Doctor, and maybe the world at large. Such decisions were never easy. Such choices defined a person, entity, or whatever, and they were for them alone to pick.

“And that's all I needed to hear,” she said simply, and then the light from inside her grew bright. Now instead of just covering her eyes, she became a being made from it. Her flesh glowed, her hair shimmered as if spun of starlight, and her smile brightened even the darkest corners of your thoughts.

“First, to undo what I have done,” she told you, and waved her hand. In that instant, you could feel your star again, that piece of energy within yourself. It was tiny now, not the blazing sun it had been, instead a single flickering flame appeared in your mind. It was yourself though, and you curled around it mentally for warmth, trying to heal yourself with it, only to find that the light it glowed with was not enough to repair even a part of the damage done to you.

“And now, to jump start your powers. I would advise that you try not to die. Also, when you see him again, please tell the Doctor, 'I love him',” she said to you, and moved her hand. The light around you parted, but behind it was not darkness as one might have surmised, but a single globe of light, which grew brighter still as it got closer.

“Now gaze into the Eye of Harmony, and be reborn!” she shouted the last, and the sphere you were looking into seemed to stretch outward, moving an arm of light towards you. When it touched, you were lost in fire, as you star grew larger, first with the power of this strange sun, then it grew simply because it wanted to. Your star wanted to a bright, blazing sun, brighter even than this one, and this it was, threatening as it grew to burn you to ash.

Outside the Whooves' stared at the case, watching as the light infused you. Slowly it gathered about you, becoming a second skin, making it seem like you were glowing golden. The Doctor continued to mumble something about 'impossible' as he watched, while the others were too distracted to say anything as the light began to finally fade, the vent from the control panel closing of its own accord, leaving you a glowing form within the case.

Inside yourself, the world was different now. You were still looking from outside, sort of. It wasn't like you weren't looking through your own eyes, or hearing with your ears or the like. However, now you could....taste the world somehow. It was like the universe was opened up to you, and you could now see everything about you in a whole new way.

You healed yourself with a thought. Not even willing it to happen, just one second you were injured, gravely so, but then the next you realized you didn't want to be, and suddenly, you weren't. Next you wanted to rise, but something was blocking you, your hand met resistance, and you didn't want that to be there, so another thought, and the top of the case vanished. Not blowing outward, not dissolving away or anything. Just one moment, it was there, and then the next it wasn't.

That event was enough to cause Derpy to grab her daughters and push them back, while the Doctor jumped between his girls and you, the sonic screwdriver just appearing between his lips. Not that he could stop the Bad Wolf, or whatever it was you were if you meant them harm, but he might be able to delay you, just long enough for you to come back yourself.

It was unnecessary of course. You were more yourself now than ever before. You were in complete control of everything, and with another thought, you were standing. You could have possibly have picked yourself up physically, but you were still weak, and so just used your power to do it. Stepping out of the case was all you though, and you walked towards the Whooves family, your every step a light plink on the floor of the TARDIS, until you stood right in front of the Doctor.

“She still loves you,” you told him in a voice the resonated, like it was you saying it a million times at once. Leaning down you smiled at him, trying to reassure him, before rising back up. Then it was over. Your senses, your new and old ones, crashed, hard. The light surrounding you popped, scattering into little droplet stars that faded into nothing, while you stood there.

“And again, I'm naked,” you observe wryly, before your body can't support itself, and falls forward. The last thing you know is that something catches you, magic, of a color you hadn't seen before. It was coming from the two filly unicorns, while their mom and dad helped. That was nice and as you fell into the Void once more, you wondered how you should thank them for stopping you fall.

A New Awakening

The Void shifted, moved, and wavered. It normally had no color, it simply was. Oh sometimes you thought of the Void as something blacker than night, or with a white boarder, or red when you were in pain, but normally it held none of these things. The Void still had form though, and that form was being pressed inward by something, something powerful, which slowly drew you out of it your mind awakening to a world that had changed on a fundamental level.

The first way was that you could...'taste' the world now. The numbers that made everything up were revealed to you with some new senses, and more than that, you didn't have to open your eyes for that. The instant your mind awakened you senses expanded outward, and you noticed the three bundles of numbers around you. You looked at them with these new senses, knowing them for Luna, Celestia and Cadence.

Within a heartbeat though, you knew something was wrong. In the TARDIS you'd been able to only sense a few yards around you. Now however, your bubble of awareness began to grow, rippling outward, and it was hard to focus on it, hard to stop it. Your power grew out with it, and while you were holding it off, you knew that at any moment a stray thought could slip into your mind, and you could hurt someone.

“Open your eyes,” ordered a familiar voice, as the numbers that were Luna moved towards you, becoming a weight on your chest. You tried to obey, if only for her friendship, but your mind, it refused to to do so. Your brain wouldn't work right, the order would never reach your eyelids.

“OPEN YOUR EYES!!!” cried out a Voice, that held the power of Command, the power of the Royal Sisters of Canterlot. That Voice, so close to you, penetrated deep down into who you were now, and you could do not but follow that command, your eyes popping open to stare directly into the face of the Moon Goddess.

The moment your eyes opened, you found those pools of starlight burning into your brain. The orbs' glowed so brightly, it was blinding, but the command of the Voice would not let you close them, as that glow bore down into your mind, and slowly punctured the balloon of your consciousness, the sphere of aware deflating, until it at last came back within you. Dimly you still perceived the numbers that were reality, but now it was only in the back of your mind.

“Are you alright now?” asked the gentle voice of Luna, as she flapped her wings and removed herself from you bed. It took you a few seconds to process the question, as your mind slowly resolved everything back to something your could understand. But at last, you were within yourself again, and rose, nodding as you looked into the Princesses' faces.

“What, what was that?” you ask, sitting up, letting the covers of your bed slide off you.

“That was a spell our children sometimes require when they are young, and they have not fully mastered what they are. We worried that such a binding would prove ineffective considering how powerful you have already become, but it looks like our fears were misplaced,” says Celestia, taking a position at the center of the the three standing at the foot of your bed. Cadence stood to her right, while Luna landed gently at her left.

“Thank you it,” was all you said, as your mind reeled a bit at the implications of it. You were as strong as one of their children, stronger even. Probably stronger than you had been before. Throwing the covers off, you took wobbly to your feet, trying to stand steadily for a full minute. After it had passed, and you realized you were still naked, you fixed that with a thought, now wearing something like your street clothing, a t-shirt and jeans.

“I think...I think I lost your armor. I'm sorry,” you apologized, tugging at the clothing you had made to pull at some loose parts of it, thinking again, and tightening it. Obviously you had grown slimmer in some respects, and wider in others since you had last made apparel in this fashion.

“It's fine. Such gifts were meant to be temporary anyway,” said Luna, as the three goddess walked around to you, standing in formation. Idly you realized it might be to contain you that they stood so close, like at any second you could somehow blow up, and their power might contain the explosion. Considering the headache you had where your new senses had been, you felt the precaution was warranted, and said nothing.

“Thank you for everything you've done for me. I truly am grateful for all of it,” you tell the three of them, bowing deeply at the waist, nearly tumbling forward, but keeping yourself standing by force of will, as you rise back to your old position.

“You are welcome,” said Celestia, a warm gentle smile on her face, mirrored on the Moon and Love Goddess'.

“What do you know of last night?” you asked at last, knowing somehow that it had only been a single night since the events, and remembering that the Doctor had once told you he tried to hide from the Goddess' sight as best he could. Of course, you'd never told him that they seemed to know all about him already.

“We know all. A griffon ambassador tricked Ourselves, and our soldiers into leaving the skies of Canterlot unguarded, and attempted to make his escape. If not for one of his own troops seeing through his deception, then he would have made off with you. If not for the intervention of the Doctor, you would have died,” said Celestia simply, and you nod. Then she very unexpectedly bows to you, her and her sister, as well as their niece, falling with their heads to the ground before you.

“We beg forgiveness for this lapse. If we had been paying closer attention last night, you would never have needed rescuing, and your life would never have been in danger,” said the Sun Goddess, and you stare at her, her eyes facing towards the floor. You can say nothing at first, but then step forward gently, and with a warm feeling at the corner of your eye, you lean down again, and hug Celestia around the neck, followed by Luna, and ending with Cadence, before standing in front of them again.

“Forgiveness is not needed. It was my fault for separating from my protectors, and for not using the skills you have been instilling in me better,” you admit to them, the formal words coming easily to your lips.

“We are still partially responsible for what occurs within Our city, but we thank you for the kindness,” said Luna, as the three turn. Getting the impression you should follow, you walked after them, your legs keeping stride easily with them now, either through your power, or just by your training you weren't sure.

“What happened to Fancy Pants, Gilda, and the Ambassador?” you ask as you walk behind them, and that question brings them up short, the goddesses stopping as they must be considering what to tell you, before Luna turns her head so one eye is on you.

“Mr. Fancy Pants is in the Castle's medical wing. It is expected that he will make a full recovery in a week or so. Commander Gilda of the Wing Guard is already back on duty, her injuries not slowing her down in the slightest. The Ambassador, despite some internal injuries, is convalescing nicely at the best doctor in Canterlot. He is expected to recover, if barely,” these words were spoken by Cadence, rather than the other two, and the last statement held venom from her that you had never heard before in the voice of the Goddess of Love.

“If it were possible, I would like to visit with them, after we've seen my friends,” you tell the trio, and Luna goes back to facing ahead of you. Dimly you perceive something passing between the three. A consciousness that joins above them, probably some kind of telepathic conversation. Likely they'd been doing this all along, but only now could you sense it, and for some reason, you felt miffed at that, for being left out of the talk.

“That sounds reasonable,” said Luna at last, as the three led you down several familiar looking corridors. It seemed that they'd evacuated several wings of the castle, as it is almost a quarter of an hour before your sense tells you someone is nearby, and almost five minutes after that when you finally enter the room with them.

“Are you alright!?” demanded a voice, as a gray mare, her hooves clacking loudly on the floor, rushed over to you. Her forelegs grabbed you, wrapping tightly around your body, but you weren't hurt by her gentleness, as she pressed her head into your chest. As she lay there, with her face buried against your body, you returned her huge, and patted her on her back.

“I'm fine, I just, I took a bad fall,” you told her, and you could actually feel something warm and wet against your chest. It took you a second to realize that she was crying.

“A bad fall? A BAD FALL!?! You nearly got yourself killed? You did get yourself killed, if your powers hadn't returned when they did!” she shouted, her voice muffled, as tears streamed down her cheeks. You didn't know how to respond to that. She had been so worried, so concerned for you, that she was mad at you. That was something new. No one had ever cared for you that much, not even family, so you just stood there for a long time, stroking your hands through her mane.

“I'm sorry. I know I almost left you, but that will never happen again,” you tell her, putting as much sincerity as you can behind your words. Slowly, her tears run dry, and her nose sniffs, sucking back in what it can. Smiling, you pull her head away, and put you palm underneath her chin so you can raise her face to stare into yours. A thought is all it takes to clean her up, so that the wet stained streaks in her fur are dry, by the time you face the room that also contains Vinyl and the Guard.

“Yeah, what she said. Only more so,” said Vinyl as she walked up to you, smacking you in the shoulder with her hoof, while wearing a sardonic smile on her lips. Her eyes betrayed her mocking tone, though nothing else did about her visage. The eyes, normally covered by her glasses, were exposed now, and they were rimmed with dry redness. She'd been crying too, something that lifted your heart even more.

The next faces you looked into were not so red. The eyes instead bore shame within their gazes, as four ponies in uniform walked up to you. As one, they bowed, only Rainbow looked around to see how deeply she should do so, looking to her captain, and her squadmate to see, while beside them, Glimmerstrike was down on one knee. Rainbow meanwhile looked like at any moment she would throw herself at you feet, were it not for her training and teammates.

“We cannot be forgiven for our lapse in duty, but we can apologize for it,” began the Captain of the Royal Guard.

“If we'd been doing our jobs right, we'd have seen this coming,” continued Spitfire.

“And if we'd been paying the slightest bit of attention, you never would have gotten hurt,” said Soarin, in a voice far too serious to be real.

“We failed you, and we can't say we're sorry enough,” finished Rainbow, her voice almost quivering a little as you just stared at them. Idly, you could sense more guards, Royal ones, outside the room. Probably that whole squad you'd had with you the day before, maybe all the ones you'd ever had with you. They'd likely all wanted to come in and apologize, but the Captain had pulled rank and done this as a representative of the entire Guard.

“You did not fail in your duty. You did everything that could reasonably be expected of you. I failed you. I failed to heed your warnings, to take things as seriously as I should have. I failed to make full use of the training you've been beating into me. And worse still, I failed to wake even a single one of you up, and have you with me as a guard. For that, I can only say that I am sorry, and humbly hope that it suffices,” you tell them, bowing back, and somewhere in the back of your mind vowing to cut off the next pony that tried to apologize to you like this.

“Such generosity and forgiveness speaks well of your character. I think you will make a fine Prince someday,” says the Captain, his face broken with a smile as he walks towards you, salutes, and then finally turns to his Rulers.

“If I might take my leave?” he asks him, and the three give him a nod of assent. The Captain trots off to a door in the back of the room, and through it you can see the others, most of them turning sharply, before Glimmerstrike closes the door behind him with a dull thud.

“So, you got your powers back?” asked Dash, as she and the Bolts gathered around you. Rather than answer, you decided to smirk at her, and then float a little off the ground, your form hovering there, bobbing slightly in the air, and then gently going back down.

“I'm ready to race you whenever you are,” you told her, and Dash's smirk widened. Spitfire poked her in the ribs, and soon the three of them stood at straight attention.

“Permission to continue our assigned duty? Unless the Marquis would rather we did not,” asked Spitfire, and you smiled at her.

“It would be an honor to have your continued escort,” you told her, and the three quickly fell in behind you, as the Royal Trinity, sensing you were ready, walked out of the door you'd entered, and led the way towards the center of the palace. Beside you now walked Vinyl and Octavia, the two pelting you with questions, with the occasional one thrown in by Rainbow Dash, about what had happened, and how you'd survived.

You provided them with details as best you could, while also hearing all manner of rumors that the Canterlot grapevine had grown about the events of the previous evening. The best of which, in your opinion, was the apparently some secret coalition of dragons, griffons, and changelings had decided to come against Canterlot, and you'd bravely fought them off, consuming the souls of the fallen to restore your power.

Finally, the Princesses led your small group to a door you didn't recognize by look, only by the symbol on it. It was odd, but like at home, hospitals and medical places tended to be marked by a red plus sign, or cross, and even in the palace, there was no exception. The door opened easily to the magic of the Celestia, and the nine of you stepped inside a room that was far larger than one might expect, with several beds set into the walls. Luckily, there was only one occupied resting place, and you made a dash towards it, past the Royal Three.

“Are you okay?” you asked, looking at Fancy Pants. He was wounded, it was obvious, but nothing too bad. His chest was bandaged, and he had a few scraps and bruises, as well as a black eye, but otherwise, he was fine.

“I am not unwell, if that is what you are asking. I must apo-” he began, and you held up your hand to still the thought.

“It wasn't your fault. You had no reason not to trust that flying chicken, anymore than I did. He just seemed like any other slimy politician, nothing to show he was crazy too,” you tell him, looking him up and down as he nods with your words.

“Still, if I had merely questioned him a bit, I might have avoided this whole debacle,” he tells you.

“True, but then I wouldn't be able to do this,” you respond, taking his hoof in your hands, and then thinking of him as he had been, whole and well. There was a slight glow the surrounded him, and you could taste his numbers changing, but when it was over, he was wide eyed, and looking down at himself.

“Amazing,” was all he said, as you stepped back, and he rolled off the bed, his hooves clacking onto the tile floor. The instant he was down, several of the medical ponies you hadn't noticed rushed to his side, but he waved them off, as he pulled at the bandages and things, revealing himself to be whole and well now.

“Incredible. I would have believed that bolt alone, let alone the fall, would have me bedridden for days, but now I feel fit as ever,” he tells you, hopping up on one hoof to prove it.

“It was my way of saying thank you, for caring about me,” you tell the white unicorn, and he turns to you, a grin planted firmly on his face.

“It was a pleasure, and thank you as well. If ever you need any resources which are at my disposal, consider them yours,” said the sallion, before he was swarmed by several doctor ponies, all of whom insisted he lay back down while they scan him with spells to check for injures you might have missed. You decide to take your leave, lest they start asking you questions, and your small group departs the room.

“So, where to now?” asked Luna as your headed for the castle gate.

“Let's find Gilda first, I want to see if she's got anything wrong with her she refuses to let heal properly, and then we can pay a visit to the Ambassador. I have some questions to ask him,” you tell her, the last a bit darker than you had intended.

No pony questioned you however, as your entourage steps outside, not even the paparazzi bothering you with the Royal Trio around, just keeping their distance and snapping photos as you made your way to a waiting carriage. You, the Princesses, Vinyl, and Octavia all took seats inside, while the Wonderbolts took the skies overhead, scanning the horizon for any threat.

<><><><><>

And now we come to Act 4 of our tale. Yes, I do know how many acts are left, but not how many chapters. However, as this act opens, I am left with a choice. There needs to be a new villain. Madness and Chaos are gone, but now Sorrow comes. Who to use for Sorrow though? What Shadow needs to return to threaten Equestria? Nightmare Moon or King Sombra? Since the two are equally capable of doing damage, I leave this to you dear readers. Email me at my play email, with the titles below as the subject, and I'll add it to a running tally. This will be taken down once I get to the chapter involving the choice(No I don't know when that will be). Oh, and I would love it if you'd include your thoughts on the story so far in it, but you can vote without it. Only one vote per reader however.

The email will be: [e-mail]

Subject for Nightmare Moon: Rainbow

Subject for King Sombra: Fireflies

(As a note, since I know someone might ask this, no, it won't be Luna who changes, it'll just be Nightmare Moon reborn as her self)

Learning New Tricks

The ride through Canterlot was interesting to say the least. While dulled by Luna's spell, your new senses, which you now knew to be more than one, were reaching out. A stone statute 'smelled' of the mountain it had once been part of, blasted away by some eruption. A building 'tasted' of its history, and everypony who had walked through its doors, a thousand stories sampled in an instant, and then gone from your mind as quickly.

Most of all though, you 'felt' the three Alicorns in a way you hadn't before. You could even catch a snippet or two of their conversation in the cloud of thoughts you sensed passing between them. Not the words precisely, if they were using words at all, but more the thoughts and impressions. Celestia was intrigued, wondering probably where your new powers would lead you. Luna was worried, concerned for her subjects, and for you it seemed. Cadence meanwhile was amused, giggling inside her thoughts at something.

You shook your head sharply, trying to banish the senses. They were already giving you a migraine, considering your brain was wired to handle at most five senses, maybe six, and right now it probably had three times that feeding it information. Worse was the fact that every once in a while you would slip out of yourself for a heartbeat, like an astral projection or something, before Luna's spell slammed you back into yourself again.

Luckily, the journey through Canterlot wasn't long. You were after all, in the Royal Carriage. Traffic made way, guards clearing the path well in advance, while your Wonderbolt squad overhead seemed to be helping direct the driver down roads that were the least congested anyway. Thanks to that you made it almost all the way across town in less than ten minutes, formally an hour long hike, and soon enough you were helping Octavia and Vinyl down from the carriage.

The place you'd stopped looked like a barracks. More so than even the barracks of the Wonderbolts. It was a squat, ugly building, with the looks of a fortress to it. It stood in sharp contrast to the buildings around it, with graceful curves and corners. Works of art chiseled in stone, standing right next to something designed not with form, but function in mind.

“Do you squabs need me to come up there and show you how it's done?!” cried a familiar voice from deep inside the building, and you saw several shapes launch themselves skyward. The squadron of Wing Guard you'd met the other day were then turning and twisting in the air, doing maneuvers you knew even the Wonderbolts would have found taxing, before they got out their weapons and started clashing in the air, sending sparks flying with every stroke.

“Gilda!” cried out Rainbow Dash, as she leapt easily over the high wall to what you could feel was an open courtyard beyond. The other Bolts, with a look at you, as if waiting for permission, launched themselves after her at your nod, while you and the Princesses, as well as your musical friend, moved towards the gate, and then waited to be let in.

The wait was only a moment, before the lock heavily creaked, thudding into place, and then the portal opened wide, heavy iron doors being pulled aside by a pair of rather large griffon males, who then took to the sky as your party entered. The instant you were within, your eyes spotted Gilda, her body battered, with several feathers missing, a few burn marks along her neck, and bandages over at least fifteen percent of her body.

“Well, well, so the Princesses and the Music Makers come to visit. I also think I see a human, as well as a few feather brains. Welcome to the Embassy of the Western Kingdoms,” said Gilda, effecting a bow, but stopping with just a short incline of her head. It was obvious any more than that would have been a strain on her burned and battered body.

“Commander Gilda, it is good to see you again,” said Celestia, bowing her head in return, a gesture mimed by everypony, so you do one as well.

“Heh, so formal, your tallness. I guess this is an official visit. Well then, I should inform you that after last night's affair, I've gotten a promotion. I am now Captain Gilda, and have two new wings coming to flesh out my command a bit,” she said, her chest puffing out as much as her injuries allow.

“Congratulations on your new rank, then, and I hope you make your Kingdom proud,” said Celestia.

“I intend to. Anyway, I see our human friend is up and about already. Does this mean those rumors I hear about him beating up a hundred dragon with his bare hands are true?” asked the griffon Captain, smirking at you.

“They may have been exaggerated. After all, they failed to mention a young griffon Wing Guard Commander who valiantly stood her ground against a thousand manticores, which would have felled the brave hero despite his strength,” you joke, returning the smile, and getting a rather warm chuckle back.

“Regardless, I suppose I should apo-” she begins, and as with Fancy Pants, you hold up your palm to silence her.

“Nothing of the sort. Without your intervention, the Ambassador would have flown off with me able to do nothing. Worse than that, I wouldn't have my powers back,” you tell her, and she nods.

“Maybe, but even so, I shouldn't have let myself get so distracted. You can bet your tail feathers that my quarter master has been told not to check out any potentially hazardous weapons to non-combatants without first getting my approval,” she assures you.

“Heh, I'm sure he will. However, I still need to do something to show you some gratitude for what you did for me,” you tell her, and offer her your hand. The griffon looks at it quizzically, turning slightly to face the pony Princesses, who nod slightly, before she grips your fingers in her claw.

Instantly you can 'feel' her. Everything about her is laid bare, her history, her life, her thoughts, her dreams. You knew Gilda. Not as a griffon, as a person, or anything else. You knew her as thoroughly as you knew yourself, and you felt every injury on her body, including a few nicks and cuts she must have gotten from her training.

You focus on those, trying to ignore some images of her and Rainbow Dash that were more than likely private. Instead you push at the injuries, and with a thought, siphon off power from your inner star, covering the wounds with it, and imagining Gilda as she should be, a hale and hardy member of her species, in top physical form, and able to outfly all but the best of pegasi, while being stronger than the average earth pony.

Outside there was no flash or glow as there had been with Fancy Pants. Instead, one moment Gilda was injured, the next, she was whole, and you found yourself falling backwards. Luckily, the Princesses must have anticipated this, and you 'taste' three different flavors of magic grab you and hold you up as the world slowly stops spinning and you can support yourself again.

When you vision clears, you find Gilda just staring at her body. Her wings flex in ways that they probably couldn't have a moment ago, while her legs stretch and move at angles. Without a word, she flaps her newly healed feathers, and shoots off into the sky, buzzing her Wing Guard members, who all are equally flabbergasted that she'd been healed. You wonder idly why they would be so surprised, but then, feeling yourself get woozy again, you realize that healing must take a lot of magic, or whatever you used, was fairly taxing, probably more than even the Princesses could normally do.

'Excatly,' comes a word into your mind. It wasn't spoken, and you were sure you didn't think it, but it's there nonetheless. Turning you find none of them looking at you, all eyes on the griffon above as she does sky tricks, turning in ways you were sure she hadn't done last night, and acting all agile. You knew one of them had to have been the source of that thought though, and resolve to ask them about it later, as Gilda lands, laughing and looking up and down her healed body.

“Incredible. Our healers said it would be months before I could fly with the Guard again. I think you even fixed a break in my tail I got back in flight camp,” she said, whipping said tail around a bit, and then tickling Dash's face with it before turning to you.

“I thank you for the gift, and accept it in the spirit in which it was given. You may rest assured, I will put it to good use, and make sure my Guard are prepared for any threat this city, or you, might face, while we're here,” she tells you in what you assume is her 'Captain' voice, while one claw is on her chest. She bows slightly at her neck, and you return it, before she takes off again.

“What are you hatchlings looking at?! We still have several hours of the pretty pony princess' daylight left, and I'm gonna use all of them to work your wings off!” she shouted at the trainees, while you and you entourage made your way out the gate, returning to the carriage. Climbing inside, Octavia and Vinyl sit close to you, as the three Princesses take their seats across the way. Sensing again their 'cloud' of thoughts, you decide to try an new trick, and expand yourself outward, letting your mind touch the thing, and then being drawn into it.

'I was beginning to wonder if you'd figure out how to do this,' came thoughts, and you got a pink impression of them. It was weird, like you were thinking, but not at the same time. There was no tone of voice attached to them, no face or anything, but you knew from the color and taste of them, it came from Cadence.

'Oh hush. It took you almost a week to figure this trick out,' said a golden thought, Celestia.

'True, but I had only you to study, and it was one of a thousand things I needed to learn. Meanwhile we've been doing this around him since he woke up, and that was at least two hours ago,' this time there's some oddity to the pink thoughts. Some of it's words, sure, but the rest. The 'things she needed to learn' aren't just words, you get the impression of a new sense, like yours, and even a new body. The two hours also feels weird, like you can see the sun in the sky moving in your thoughts.

'Both of you be quiet for a moment, let him experience this at his own rate, and don't goad him to move faster,' chided some black thoughts. They came sharper than the others, like the mind that birthed them was more organized. The last few bits of it came as an image of yourself in bed from the morning. It was weird seeing yourself from the outside, but at the same time, you saw yourself differently now, and were only just beginning to realize how far your new 'senses' had stretched, before Luna had limited them.

'I'm fine,' you think, tasting a swirl of colors around your thoughts. It sort of echoed into the cloud above the Princesses, who's minds dove onto the words as if picking them apart.

“Yeah, you're fine now, but who's to say your aren't gonna go all glowy and go nuts, like say talking to yourself,” said a voice, and it started you out of the cloud, which nearly popped as you pulled your consciousness back into yourself. Instantly you turned to find Vinyl staring at you, her hoof lowering her goggles as she did so.

“Um, well, what I meant was....I'm not tired anymore from healing Gilda,” you tell her, trying your best to put off the odd event of your speaking without having been spoken to.

“That's nice to hear. I wasn't worried, mind, but it is nice to know you're recovering quickly,” said Octavia, and you treat her to a smile, getting one in return, before she and Vinyl return to looking out the windows. You then turn to face the Princesses, who are all smirking at you. Idly, you toy with the image of slapping them, but then focus again, letting your mind rejoin the cloud.

'Not funny,' you think, this time just putting some impression of what you wanted to say into the cloud, rather than direct words. This made the swirl of colors die down, and when it cleared, you found your words tinted green in your own mind.

'It was, actually. A common beginner's mistake though,' the golden thoughts inform you.

'Have you ladies been doing this behind my back since I got here?' you ask, sending images of them, yourself, and then of the sun moving backwards in the sky several months. You get back a chuckle at first that makes you a bit miffed, but soon calm down.

'Not behind your back, but we have been doing it. It's a good way to say in touch with each other, and to discuss important issues without being overheard,' thinks Luna's black words.

'It's also good for gossiping and spreading ugly rumors when we're bored,' chimed in Cadence, who wore one of those smiles that reminded you of a valley girl from the ninties back home. The other two alicorns turned to her, then looked at each other and just shook their heads.

'Regardless, it's nice to see you're consciousness is expanding. We had hoped it would now that there's no limiter on your abilities,' Celestia told you.

'So, are there any more abilities I should know about, before they creep up on me?' you ask.

'Honestly, at the moment we simply cannot be sure. While you have much in common with ourselves and our offspring you are also unique in ways that none have been. We do not wish to limit your development by telling you what you can or cannot do. Instead we will merely be on hoof, should you need aid,' thought Luna, and you nod.

You and the Princesses then spent the next several minutes discussing things that ranged from how far your senses could reach, to a few tips on how to avoid looking too deeply into things. Celestia made a point of telling you not to use your new senses on anyone you met. While inanimate objects tended to have a straight line history, using such senses on others tended to overwhelm the mind. She made it especially clear that you shouldn't do so to friends, as that could lead to some bad nights.

Your mental conversation ended abruptly, as the cloud popped like a bubble, and for a moment you wondered why, only to look out the window of the carriage and see a familiar red cross sign on the door outside. Everypony filed out of the carriage, and stood before the hospital, staring at it like some foreboding fortress. Idly, you toyed with the idea of telling the Princesses you'd changed your mind about this last meeting, but then, something inside you told you to go forward with it. So you led the way through the double doors, into the hospital that held your would be kidnapper.

Servants of the People

The hospital's staff are instantly alert as your party enters. It helps that the guards, two bat winged, two pegasi, and two crystal, come in first, standing at attention, and clearing the way for you and the Princesses. Octavia and Vinyl bring up the rear, the former trying her best to look dignified in the company she was keeping today, while the latter was trotting forward with an air of just smug. Vinyl was milking this for everything she was worth.

“Hello, we wish to know where former ambassador Ashati is being kept,” says Luna to the front desk mare, who stumbles over herself to get open a book. When she finally does, she sheepishly grins at the monarch of the night, and points with one hoof down a hall.

“He's being kept in intensive care room 108 for now. Security's been told not to allow him visitors though,” says the mare.

“It's fine, we've got a special guest for him, and we're sure they'll let him through,” said Celestia, shooting off a radiant smile that seemed to drain the nerves right out of the poor woman. Your party then set off down the indicated hall, passing several empty rooms as you went. Idly, you wonder if the hospital every had enough patience to fill every room, but then figure that it was a precaution. Better to have the room and not need it, than need the room and not have it.

“Halt!” cries a voice, and you turn to find a trio of stallions standing in front of you. The three don't look nearly as confident as the voice had sounded a moment ago, probably because they were looking upon three gods, one demigod, and their Royal Guards.

“Yes?” asked Luna, giving them a truly paralyzing stare that made one of the trio shiver visibly, though the other two held their ground.

“We were under orders to allow no one, pony or otherwise, into the room of the traitor,” said the lead guard.

“As it happens, I issued that order myself, and now wish to issue an exception, if you would be so kind. My friend surprised me by asking to visit with Ashati, and I wish to fulfill his request,” Celestia informed them, and all three looked at each other in confusion, before finally deciding discretion is the better part of valor, and standing aside so your group can stand in front of the door, with the Princesses standing aside so you can go in first.

“Can I...be given a minute alone with him?” you ask, turning to the royals, who just stare at you blankly, showing no emotion whatsoever.

“And why would you wish to do that?” asked Cadence in a voice that reminded you of her aunts.

“Because, I have questions for him. Personal ones, and I want him to understand they come from me, and no one else,” you answer.

“And what if he tries something again?” asks Celestia.

“Then I'll end him. I have the power now. But I doubt it will come to that. He's beaten, and he knows it. Whatever he sough to gain last night is beyond his grasp,” you tell her, the threat coming easily to your lips. The three alicorns take a moment to look at each other, and you can feel the cloud forming between them again, before Luna turns towards you.

“We would ask that you take no drastic actions, nothing that you can't take back, without us present. But we believe you are correct. In his present state, he can do little to harm you,” says the Princess of the Night, and you nod. Turning the knob in your hand before you can rethink this, you open the door, and slip inside, the latch slipping back into place with a click that seems loud.

Inside the room is a hospital room. Nothing about it screamed pony or griffon. The plant in the room seemed a bit more healthy, and there was no TV as you were used to seeing, but otherwise the room was normal. Well, expect for the bed itself. That had a weird looking shape on it, with several tubes tide to it, and a machine that was clicking with each breath the shape took.

“So, you've come for revenge?” asks a familiar voice, the same one from last night, or a lifetime ago, depending on how you looked at it.

“No, revenge serves no purpose,” you tell the figure simply, opening the blinds of the room a touch, allowing light into the space for probably the first time in hours. The griffon recoils from it at first, but you can hear the wheeze of breath as he tries to pull away. He settles down after a moment, and you pull a chair towards him, setting it so that your back would be towards the window, veiling you in darkness, while you stare into his face.

“Why did you do it?” you ask simply, as you sit there. The griffon, his beak half open, starts to answer your question, but then cuts it off with a resounding clack.

“What does it matter? I failed,” he says at last.

“It matters to me. It matters to you. The reason we do something is almost as important as what we do,” you tell him, and he just stares at you for several heartbeats, before he sighs.

“I did it to save my people,” he states, and you sense of him resounds with the feeling that what he said was true, even as your mind came to a brick wall wondering just how that worked.

“What do you mean?” you ask him.

“I mean what I said. My people, the Griffon Kingdoms, are a dying breed. We may appear strong, and only two generations ago we might have had the power to fight even the might of the Pony Nation, but now? Now we are losing ourselves, now we are becoming weaker with every passing moon, soon to be forever enshrouded in night,” he explains, and again the words ring true.

“So you think your culture is dying?” you ask, trying to find some meaning within his words other than the literal.

“That too, but no. Our people are dying. The ancient nesting grounds are slowly being overtaken by the Belka, lizards who live in the valleys between our peaks. They are a vicious and cruel race, descended from dragon spawn of some sort, or so I've been told,” he begins.

“They have always been at war with us, and with those ponies you call friends, and anyone else who dares to live on ground they wish to claim, whether they deserve it or not. For eons we, the ponies, and a dozen other races have kept them at bay, as the Belka are wild, almost feral in nature, and have never been a large threat to anyone before,” he continues, and from somewhere you get the image of a lizard like humanoids, with green scaled skin, and large barbed tails.

“Till a generation ago. Then the Greymen came. They are a council of some of the oldest Belka, for like their forebears the lizards age but never die. These Greymen assembled their brothers into an army, that is conquering the valleys below our peaks, even encroaching on the land of the ponies in their greed,” he coughs once as he speaks, but it does not stop his story.

“It is to our shame that we haven't been able to defend our homes from them. Never massive assaults mind. A keep here, an outpost there, but still, every month brings them another victory, another loss for our people. Many of us see it, but there is little we can do to stop it. The ponies could help, but they refuse to, instead saying they must think of their own people first. We do not disagree there, but they are withholding aid even when it could be given,” he says the last in a sigh of defeat.

“Why would Celestia do that? She's not one to ignore the suffering of others,” you tell him, remembering how kind the Princess had been upon first meeting you, willing to give you a part of her own power, at risk, and then forgiving you for your lapse of judgment when you tried to take more.

“Her kind cannot stand fighting, they never have enjoyed battle, and she will not risk her ponies for my kind, even with so many Griffons who are raised within her borders,” he tells you, and for the first time, you detect a hint of a lie. You probe at it, lightly touching it with you senses. You remember what Celestia and the others had warned you about in the carriage, but feel this is important, as you try to find the truth, which comes to you in a flash.

“She thinks you'll use any aid she gives you to drive the Belka to extinction in retaliation,” you say simply, and the Ambassador turns his head sharply to face you, a cold glare to his stare, but he doesn't deny the accusation, as he slowly returns to staring at the ceiling.

“But even she's not all knowing, and she can't see every permutation,” you tell him, approaching him and coming out of the light to stand beside his bed.

“Humph, she is not wrong though. I was willing to go this far just to gain her aid, even if I had not truly intended it. How much farther would I have gone to regain my people's glory, to once again stand tall and proud on our peaks?” he asks, more of himself than of you, as one of his claws reaches down to tap at the bandage on his chest.

“You would have gone as far as it took. You are a proud bird, rightly so of your people. You erred, but such is the way of things. To err is mortal, to forgive is divine,” you say, the words coming unbidden to your lips.

“Heh, so you are a god now then as well?” he asks, turning to face you, that odd smile on his beak. The smile fades as his eyes behold you. With a merest expression of your power you create a glowing aura around yourself, an ever swirling rainbow of colors that shimmers quietly. It is an effect of subtle power, creating a feeling in the viewer of wonder, rather than terror, as a more powerful aura would have.

“I am something akin to it, yes. But I am still mortal enough that I would not see you escape justice for what was done,” you tell him, as you lean in close to his bed.

“I would grant you a boon and a curse both at once, if you would take them. It will be a burden I lay upon you. A burden of power, which comes with responsibility that may crush you under its weight,” you explain.

“You say the power of the ponies would protect your people. It is magic you speak of, not their armies, correct?” you ask, and the griffon, Ashati, nods.

“Then I offer you this. In exchange for the sky, I will grant you magic like theirs, magic to work miracles and wonders, but a magic that requires the sacrifice of who you believe yourself to be,” you begin, his eyes transfixed on you, as little tongues seem to leap from your aura, giving it the look of fire as he looks upon you.

“This power is called the Weave, the power to craft spells from lines of magic that are made up of the four elements. Earth, Water, Air, and Fire. Using these, you may weaves spells,” you continue, touching his claw, and sending a pulse of your thoughts into him, instantly his mind fills with visions of humans crafting spells with such power, things like raising mountains, as well as controlling the weather.

“However, three Oaths must be taken, as well as the loss of your wings. Would you be willing to pay that price?” you ask him, and the griffon ambassador just looks upon you, his eyes filled with wonder as his mind reels with the images you send into it. He nods, subtly, but it is there, and so you continue.

“The First Oath. You may not speak a word that is not true. This Oath will keep you from lying, and likely make it so you can never be a leader of your people, as some untruth is necessary for such a position, if not in dealing with your own people, then in dealing with others.”

“The Second Oath is that this power is not a Spear, but a Shield. It is used for defense only. You may not attack others with it, but you may defend them, and in so doing force your enemies to give up a battle.”

“The Third Oath is the most important. The power cannot be used to make weapons. It may heal a broken bone, or mend a mind that has found itself fractured, or make tools, or a dozen other things, but never a weapon.”

“These Oaths will bind you, and if you break them, you will find the power of the Weaving Magic is lost to you, and the sky will not be returned. Do you accept this power, and the responsibility it will carry?” you ask him, and the griffon has to consider this for a moment. He doesn't take more than that moment to decide however, and he nods at you, getting a smile from your lips, as you extend your aura over him.

With your power you start to change him. Much like healing Gilda earlier, this is a hard thing. When you'd healed Fancy Pants in the Palace, you had merely enhanced the spells that had already been laid on him, adding to them. With Gilda, you had had no spells to work with, and had merely Changed her into a specimen of perfect health, a thing she could have been. But this was so much different that you had to concentrate hard, focusing your mind on what you wanted.

His body is soon covered with cobalt blue light, as you change his insides. His wings are slowly made to vanish, the feathers, bones, and sinew fading into nothing, as you take the sky from him, but grant him the magic he wanted. His beak and eyes glow brightly with the power of the change, the blue infusing them, until the color is ingrained in those parts of him, and he has senses, both new and wonderful.

“It is done,” you say at last, trying not to collapse. That was almost as hard as repairing K-Colt all those months ago, and it drains your body, forcing you to draw a chair close with your power, and then sit in it, as the griffon on the bed pokes at his new form. His claws reach onto his back, feeling at the spots where his wings had once been, and finding only his back feathers, while his face stares into a mirror, looking into the light blue glowing eyes, and his new blue beak.

“You are now able to Weave spells from the Elements. Use this power to again make your people great, to bring them back to their former glory,” you tell him, and he nods, his eyes never leaving the mirror as his claws start to probe his beak.

“In addition to your power I have given you two other boons. Consider them gifts to your people for regaining me my powers, even if that wasn't what you intended,” you start, breathing deeply, letting the air fill your lungs, and finding your power already recovering despite feeling drained only a minute or so ago.

“You may now grant this power to others of your kind. Like yourself, they must give up the Sky, and agree to the Oaths, but they may be granted it by you. They must full understand what they are being offered though, before it can be given to them, but I'm sure a bird who played ambassador to ponies can convey the meaning of the Oaths,” you tell him.

“And what is the second?” he asks, after a moment, as his claws return to his sides, and he turns towards you.

“Those you grant the power to, may, if they find the deal less than worthwhile, regain their wings, by touching their beaks and reciting the words 'Klaatu Barada Nikto'. However, doing so will seal the power of magic from them forever, and you, for what you did, are denied the sky forevermore,” you tell him, the last your price to him for what had happened last night.

Ashati says nothing to you, as he stares at you sitting there. Slowly the seconds tick away, and you rise to your feet, only to nearly bowled over as the griffon rolls out of the bed, his wounds healed in the process of giving him the magic of the Weave. Rather than come at you though, he falls onto the floor in a gesture of worship, his claws crossed against his chest, as his beak rests against the hard tile floor of the hospital.

“I am unworthy of the kindness you have shown me. I am a foal, fetid creature who deserved your hatred. You instead gave me a gift, and granted me the power to save my people. I will make sure they know that. That you are their salvation, and beg you one last boon. What should myself and those who follow me call ourselves?” he asks, and then looks up to you, reverence in his eyes. The look actually causes a heavy weight to settle on your chest, like you're the unworthy one, but you consider his request.

“The Power of the Weave is from another people, called the Aes Sedai. However, they are also ones who forgot their path, and ruled through tricks and fear. Instead of setting you on that same road, I grant you the name Geth. In the Khelish tongue it means 'Servant of the People', and I charge you to become worthy of that title,” you tell him at last, and his head bows again, with you noticing his eyes glow in the same color as the Geth of Mass Effect. Probably a coincidence though.

“We will do as you instruct. We will make ourselves worthy Servants,” he says, before rising to his feet. You don't say anything to him, as you walk towards the door, hearing the clattering of hooves outside as the ponies, who had probably been listening at it step away, and the two of you walk out to face them.

New Duties

“Ah, finished already?” asked a sweet voice, Cadence, who used her wings to scoot everypony in the hall back as you exited the room. Obviously the Alicorns had felt what you'd done, so none of them seemed surprised when behind you came the altered griffon. The guards, both the three sets of Royal, and the three hospital ones, all seemed to start a bit, but otherwise stood back, knowing that their rulers had this. Your personal guards, though, took off like shots, soon standing between you and him as the hall got crowded.

“It's okay. He's not going to hurt anyone, ever again,” you tell them with finality, and the griffon nods at this proclamation, his eyes giving off a subtle blue glow.

“The human is correct. I can no longer harm anyone, or speak a lie, or even make a weapon. These are the rules I have agreed to live by for the rest of my days,” he told them simply, turning his head to the three Alicorns.

“Indeed,” said Celestia, walking forward. She stood before the griffon, staring down at him with that hard glint in her eyes, like she was trying to bore into his soul. After several tense heartbeats, however, her expression turned from hard alabaster, to soft cloud, and she smiled down at him.

“You will need transport back to your kingdoms. I shall arrange that with all haste, as Captain Gilda will probably find it less than desirable to have you out of her oversight,” she told him, and then turned away, so that Luna could stand before him.

“If you would please follow Our guards, they will take you to the palace while we prepare for your departure,” says the Princess of the Night. Her tone makes the statement an order despite the please, and the griffon nods, as her bat winged guards come up to him, and then everyone leaves the hospital, Vinyl and Octavia, as well as you and the Princesses climbing into the cabin of the carriage and starting off down the road, while Ashati is escorted at a walk.

“Um, what did you do to him?” asked Octavia, as the carriage pulled out of sight of the griffon, who seemed to look around with new eyes at every sight around him.

“I placed a great burden on him. Something that will act like a chain all the rest of his life. I gave him power, and told him to live up to the responsibility it represents,” you say simply, and Octavia and Vinyl don't seem willing to ask more, as you stare across the floor at the Princesses. After a moment the cloud of thoughts form over their heads, and you join it, finding it easier now than before.

'Why?' asked three thoughts at once. There were a thousand images behind the simple question, but all of it boiled down to that one word.

'Because he did what he did for his people. To punish him beyond his failure would have been petty. To fail to recognize his need would have been negligence. To fail to put limits on the power I gave him would have been folly,' you thought back, and then you are booted out of the cloud by a rush of images, thoughts, and swirling emotions. You start back into yourself, and would have fallen over backwards if your back hadn't been against a wall.

Octavia looks at you concerned for a moment, but you wave her off with a gesture, and then proceed to stare at the Alicorn's. They sit there, impassive, their eyes and bodies showing nothing of the tumult happening above them. The cloud of thoughts boils with conflict, like some great storm about to break and flood the land. Idly, you try to get back in, but find that the way is barred to you, and so you just sit in your seat, as the carriage makes its way back to the palace.

The instant it stops, the Princesses leap out, trotting quickly for the gates, the cloud following them. Not having anything better to do, you follow, noticing that the sun in the sky was already past the noonday peak, and was slipping quickly to the horizon. Even with the royal power, a journey through Canterlot and back again had taken you all day.

“What's up with the Princesses?” asks Spitfire as she and the Bolts land next to you, and you shrug in response as your group follows the trio through the gates. The three Royals move with a purpose through the usual sea of paparazzi in the foyer, who don't try to bother the monarchs as they pass, only snapping photos in silence.

You follow as quickly as possible, pushing through the camera wielding ponies, assisted by the Wonderbolts and guards. The Princesses still move faster though, and arrive at the big double doors to the Throne Room, which, as expected in the middle of the day, is full of various people. Ponies, buffalo, griffons, and a dozen other types mill about, all turning as the trio moves through the center of them, creating a passage for the rest of you as you follow along behind.

“Captain, please find Lord Chamberlain Applebee, and tell her to bring the book we discussed earlier,” Celestia ordered in that motherly tone of voice, even as her thoughts roiled within the cloud above her, unnoticed by those without the sense to see it. The Captain, hearing her command, bowed and quickly rushed out of a side door near the throne, as the monarchs took their seats, the rest of your group standing before them as they waited.

Luckily, they didn't have to wait long, as Applebee had apparently been waiting for this summons, coming in through the side door with the Captain, a book held in her saddle bags. It was a big book too, at least twice the size of most tomes, and many thousands of pages long. The Lord Chamberlain either knew what to do from an earlier order, or guessed, as she took a small seat beside Luna that was raised from out of the ground by the Night Princess' magic.

“Are we decided then?” asked Cadence, a smirk on her face as she turned to her aunts, who merely stared at her, the cloud over their heads vanishing, before all three turned to face you. Not the crowd, or your group, all three stared right at you, making you feel not only under dressed, but also quite nervous.

“Human, today you did something quite different. Something that will have lasting ramifications on the balances of power in this world, farther reaching even than your defeat of Discord,” began Cadence, her voice going from that playful tone to one of a ruler without effort, as her expression hardened into crystal....literally, her coat took on the look of a Crystal Pony.

“Today you have laid a curse and a blessing on one who sought to harm you for personal gain. Not because you forgave him, but simply because you understood him in a way few can claim,” continued Luna, and you noticed a trick similar to your aura thing with Ashati in the hospital. Luna's though exuded darkness, giving her defined features, like a piece of midnight made flesh.

“Today you have granted someone great power, and laid at their claws responsibility that they might not live up to. But rather than leave it at that, you placed limits on this power, created the rules in which it can be used, and told the wielder that there will be consequences to it's misuse,” finished Celestia, and her transformation was the most subtle, but also the most overwhelming, as she seemed to glow with an inner light, like she was a miniature sun.

“Courage to make a choice,” Cadence.

“Compassion to show mercy,” Luna.

“Wisdom to temper mercy with practicality,” Celestia.

“These are traits that make a ruler great. Traits those who would claim the title of Prince or Princess within this realm must demonstrate before we will grant them that title, and the power that would go with it,” said Celestia in her 'Princess means Business' voice, and suddenly you had a dawning realization of what it was the three were planning, and wished again that you had dressed more formally.

“You have much growing to do before you can take that title, however. You have shown yourself to have the power to rule, and the traits to rule effectively. Thus, We wish to grant you a first step on the path to rule. We will, if you allow, place the burden on you of a Court, like Our own. There, you will preside over decisions of the land, and We shall see how you wield your power not in a moment of passion, but as a Ruler,” she finishes, and you just gap at them, the expression on your face frozen between shock at what's been said, excitement at something new to experience, and horror at having to get a real job for the first time since you arrived in Equestria.

“The honor you wish to grant me is a great one, one I am not sure I can live up to. Such things are so far removed from what I was in my world that I know nothing of that power,” you begin, hearing a few murmurs from your group, most of them encouraging you to take the job.

“But, if you do so wish it, I will take the position. I shall try to be what you think I can,” you tell them, and then with a thought, cast aside what you wore for something more befitting a ruler in a fantasy kingdom. Nothing fancy mind, nothing gaudy or gauche, just armor, much like the Prism Stone armor you'd been wearing, but with a golden hue, and a flowing red cape.

“Applebee, adjust the ledger to show that that...Flux Court will soon be in session. Find the dockets that mostly personal business for now, rather than matters of state,” said Celestia, and Applebee went to work, her quill flying over the pages in front of her as she made the annotations.

“It will take some time to arrange the Court session. As such, We would advise you and your friends to take to the mess and a meal, that you might be prepared for your new role,” said Luna, and then the three rules just sort of popped back into their normal forms. The declaration still held most of the hall silent, luckily, as Luna and Cadence, with a smile from each, motioned you to follow them, the Captain guiding you out of the side door beside the thrones.

“We are sorry to have laid this burden on your so suddenly, but we had thought you would take a few days before doing anything as you did with Ashati,” said Luna as you exited the hall, a tumult of voices now coming from the crowd, even as the Major Domo of the Court began to cry for order. All the noise was cut off with a loud boom as the doors to the throne room shut, and you were left in the hall wearing your golden armor, with everypony staring at you, like they were expecting you to freak out or something.

Luckily, you didn't. Well, not too much. Instead you stood there, hands at your side, took a deep breath, and sighed it back out. Reaching behind you, you tapped at the armor's back, and the cap curled up, allowing you to move more easily. This seemed to set everypony at ease, as they gathered around you, and your group set off towards the mess.

“So, it seems you did something momentous,” said the Captain as he walked beside you on your right, with Octavia and the Vinyl on your left, Luna and Cadence in the fore, and the rear being taken up by the Wonderbolts.

“I did something I don't regret. I gave Ashati magic, of a sorts, and told him how to live the rest of his life properly, if he wants to truly show his regrets for what he did last night,” you tell him simply, and the Captain, after a brief moment, nods and smiles.

“As I said this morning. You are going to be a fine Prince someday,” is all he tells you, as Vinyl and Octavia scoot closer, the Captain peeling off down a side hall. Luna and Cadence both make excuses at the mess door, but tell you to be ready once you are done eating, and to proceed to the throne room as soon as possible. Both wish you luck, before vanishing with teleport flashes.

“Ah, they really need to learn how not to lay it on so thick,” commented Vinyl, as the six of you went into the mess. Sitting down, you all took a quiet meal, only a few words passing between you. Their thoughts were unknown to you, but your own were so focused on the coming duty, that you barely picked at your food, afraid of just what awaited you, worried that you would fail. Still, you were going to do your best, and resolved to make the most of your time in Court.

Flux Court

“I tell ya yer 'onor, that varmit dun stoled mah lively ood!” shouted the stallion again, and across from him, as had been going on for the last five minutes, a mare who looked every bit as old as he, shouted back. The two, both earth ponies, one a white stallion, and the other a dark blue mare, had been third on the docket for you. And after sorting out two relatively minor disputes you'd figured it would go quick with these two. That had been over four hours ago.

“I have done nothing of the sort you ruffian. I merely moved the stone markers you moved back to where they belonged!” countered the mare, and you again wished you had the inclination to just snuff the pair out, or maybe pull an Agent Smith and make their mouths vanish for a moment or two, as they started physically throwing things at each other, finally necessitating that you intervene, lest they hurt somepony.

“ENOUGH!!!” you cry out, using your power to generate a holding field on both of them, while your voice echoes out around the chamber.

“The two of your are acting like foals, and that will not be tolerated,” you told them, your voice turning back to normal as you rose from your chair. It wasn't a throne, since you weren't a Prince, but it was still fairly fancy, with gold inlays and a few swirled patterns on the back. It fit nicely with the golden armor you wore.

“I have reach a decision about your lands an hour ago, and you agreed to abide by my decision, correct?” you tell them, releasing their necks just long enough for them to give you a slight nod.

“Excellent. Then I shall have the guard give you each a sack of special seeds to spread at the edges of your lands. These seeds are of a special plant, one that takes time and care to harvest, and I expect the two of you to not only plant them, but to replace the seeds I'm giving you, which are both two pony jobs, do you understand?” you told them, letting a cold hard edge creep into your voice. This time you release them completely, and they fall to the ground, slowly rising back up, and then quickly nodding, before darting off.

“Spitfire, please instruct the guards to give them each a sack of seeds marked with the scorpion tail from the royal reserves. Then make sure they know that we expect them to harvest at least twice as many seeds in return,” you order, and Spitfire nods, darting off, while Dash and Soarin move closer to the throne to stand beside you.

“Major Domo, might I hear the next docket?” you ask of the pony standing off to the side. Apparently he'd been amused by your little display, quickly reading off another pair of names, with two from the crowd in front of the dais stepping forward. Luckily, their problem was easy, just a dispute over a river you cleared up with a word. After that, no other dockets remained.

“I thus declare the First Flux Court closed. If any wish to speak privately to me, please do so through the guards,” you say, mimic something you remember hearing Luna once say after a Night Court. You then rise once more from your throne, your guards gathering around you.

“A little harsh with those farm ponies, weren't you? I mean, they were annoying and all, but you could have just told them to get over themselves,” commented Dash as you exited through the side door.

“Not harsh enough if you ask me. If they'd bothered listening to each other, those two would have realized that a manticore was the cause of most of their troubles. Thing had its home taken over by a hydra, and decided their farms were good grazing ground. Instead of joining together though, they let a few family grudges get in the way of helping each other,” you explain your new senses having given you a good view of what was going on, sort of like a slide show in your head.

“So I'm guessing the seeds are something to ward the manticore off?” asks Spitfire as she hovers beside you, and you nod.

“It's Mantibane flowers. Hopefully working together to plant and harvest those flowers will bring them closer together, and maybe keep them from fighting anymore,” you explain, grabbing the bridge of your nose between your thumb and finger and rubbing it, trying to make the slight migraine you had go away. None of the bolts said anything more, as you stalked through the castle, guards saluting your group as you passed.

Finally, after climbing uncountable stairs, you arrived at your room, and waved the pegasi away. The three seemed ready to protest for a moment, as if they thought they should be sleeping in your room from now on, but they didn't. Instead, Spitfire and her squad bowed, wished you a good night, and then flew off through an open window to their squat barracks in the distance. Sighing, you opened the door to your room.

“Finally. I was beginning to think you wouldn't ever finish with that silly Court,” said a familiar voice, sitting at a table, already set up with two dishes for you and her. Octavia, her face positively radiant in the candle light, smiled at you, as you stood there, flabbergasted, you mouth hanged open.

“Heh, now come on, don't just stand there. It took a lot of skill to make a meal we could both enjoy, and I won't have it going to waste,” she told you, and almost automatically, you obeyed, closing the door gently behind you, as you walked over to the small table. On it was a simple meal. Pasta, a loaf of bread, and a few other things. Interestingly, it was still warm, as if she'd just finished making it, and you idly picked up your fork, grateful for the meal.

“Are you going to go back to your house with Vinyl in the dark? I thought you hated Canterlot streets at night,” you tell her, remembering an old conversation you two had had when you'd first moved into the city. It wasn't that Octavia was scared of the dark or anything, but the night felt oppressive to her, and she rarely liked to travel in it.

“No, I talked it over with Vinyl and the Princesses. I'm...I'm not ever going back to that house. Instead I'm going to be staying with you, here in the palace,” she said, and you stop mid chew to stare at her. The two of you had discussed this of course. You loved her, she loved you, what more did you need? But moving in together. Well, you were at the palace all the time, the center of attention because of who you were. It was a bit much.

More, she had her own life to live. She loved it too. She loved the music, she loved her bandmates, all of them. Not in the same way as you obviously, but still. She loved Vinyl too. This had to have been hard. She'd stayed with the white unicorn for so long, it was likely heart wrenching to leave her, and yet she didn't seem to show any lack of resolve, as she sipped at a glass of clear liquid, probably some kind of wine.

“Are you sure about this?” you asked at last, not sure what else to say.

“No, not at all. But I am sure about one thing. I've been keeping you at a distance, because I didn't want to smother you, or to make you into some pet or the like. However, I almost lost you. You...you died on me once, and if that happens again, I don't know how I'd feel about that. So I'm not ever going to leave you alone again,” she said, her voice dripping with conviction as she stared at you across through the candle's flame.

“Not to say I'll always be there. I have my own life, and I know you do as well, but from now one, when I go to sleep at night, I want to look across and see your face. And when I wake up, I want you to be right there beside me,” she said simply, and the matter was settled.

The two of you discussed a few things of course. How her work would take her away from Canterlot sometimes. Yours too probably, considering you knew Celestia and Luna sometimes made Court visits to other parts of Equestria. You brought up Vinyl only once, but Octavia seemed to think she'd be fine, and you let that matter drop.

Finally the candle's wick melted down to the last bit of wax, and it went out with a puff, creating an interesting rainbow burst of light. That brought a smile to both your lips as you rose, and helped her out of her seat. Walking towards the bed, you imagined your clothing, the golden armor, away, and instead went with a simple sleeping outfit, while Octavia grabbed a nightcap from somewhere, and set her bowtie on the nightstand beside the bed.

Then you climbed into bed. Together. This was new, but not unpleasant, territory. Luckily, you knew the way the ponies thought of this sort of thing. After all, Vinyl and Octavia shared a bed, and weren't considered weird for it. Still, it nearly made you jump our of your skin as she snuggled up next to you, her warm fur pressing itself into your pajamas, making you slightly hot under the collar.

Almost instantly, she was asleep. Her body just sort of shut down, and you could feel her regular breathing on your chest. Smiling, you kissed the top of her head, before closing your eyes, and trying to will yourself to sleep. It oddly, enough worked. You thought anyway, as the Void closed up over you, and everything was consumed by the nothingness.

The Void trembled again, as it had don the previous night. It was like something was pressing against the walls of it, trying to break in. Your thoughts however, only perceived it peripherally. Your mind didn't work here, not as it should, and so you thought nothing, knew nothing, and simply floated as the force on the other side of the Void tried to intrude.

Then it was over. You were awake, and again, you conciousness started to expand. Your sphere of awareness was quick to find the existence known as Luna standing over you, her mind pressing against yours. This time the command of her voice wasn't necessary, as your eyes flew open, and you stared into the limped pools of moonlight on her face, which filled your being, and reduced yourself to just your own body.

“Ugh, how long do you think that will be necessary?” you asked as you rubbed your temples, trying to get the pounding in your head under control.

“Our children sometimes require it for a few years. Considering your own control over your powers is quite advanced compared to theirs already though, I expect you to cease to need it in a few weeks,” she tells you, leaping off your bed. Getting up yourself, you turn to find Octavia still sound asleep beside you, and rather than wake her, you move towards the table and start setting out plates.

“Would you like to join us for the morning meal?” you ask Luna, who smiles warmly at you as she walks over to the door.

“I would, but my sister and I have much to do today. We do request that you make your way to the Professor's lab once you're done, however,” she tells you, before exiting. Nodding, wondering what you'll get poked with today, you will your clothing to change, this time into something a bit more upscale than your clothing before, a suit, business style, with some light blue colors.

Dressed, you turn back towards the table, and wonder idly what to make for yourself and Octavia. She'd cooked last night after all. A few dishes come to mind, but you dismiss most of them, as things you doubt Octavia could eat. Finally you decide on just some pancakes, remembering the Professor's from the Apple farm all those months ago, and making a small stack on both plates with a thought.

“Cheater,” comes a voice, and you turn to find Octavia grinning at you as she climbs out of bed. Her mane is slightly mussed, but you smile back at her, and will it towards the shape it usually is, before you pull out the chair for her, and let her sit down. Joining her, the two of you eat in silence, just the clicking of plates and glasses filling the air as you prepare for a new day.

Dawn of Another Battle

The morning meal was finished, and again, you cheated, just imagining away all the debris and things that were left after the meal. Smiling at you, this time not even bothering to say it, Octavia rose from her seat and then walking over to where you were. This time it was she who pulled your chair out, and then, as you rose, she leapt upward, and wrapped her forelegs around you in a hug, before kissing you right on your lips.

“Heh, what was that for?” you ask, as she lets go and settles down on all fours again.

“Just to remind you that you're mine,” she said with a rather girlish tint to her voice. She then walked to the door to your room and opened it. Followed her into the hall, you found, as one might expect, your personal guards, the Wonderbolt Squardon of Rainbow Dash, Soarin, and Spitfire, just waiting for you, their bodies coming to rigid attention as you came into sight.

“Awaiting orders, Marquis,” said Spitfire, and you nod.

“Well, I've been told to report to the Professor's Lab by Their Majesties, so I suppose we should make our way there,” you tell them, and they instantly start to march towards the direction that would take you towards the castle's main gate. Then you suddenly get an idea, and with a whistle, call them back.

“You know, going out the front door seems a bit....mundane. How's about we do something exciting instead?” you ask the three, Dash's eyes instantly lighting up with that mischievous glint the fans knew her for. Soarin and Spitfire meanwhile just nod, both having their 'professional' faces on. Octavia meanwhile looks a little confused as you usher the group back into your room.

“What are you planning?” she asks at last, as the door closes, and you lead everypony onto the balcony outside.

“Just a bit of fun,” you tell her, trying not to sound too evil as you walk right up to the edge.

“This won't destroy anything, will it?” she asks as she joins you, and you shake your head no, as you hold out your hand to her.

“Not a thing, just something to demonstrate just what kind of power I now have,” you explain, and she, very hesitantly, puts her hoof in your palm. The instant it touches skin, you grip hard, and then pull her off, getting a short scream from her before the Bolts, a bit of panic in their faces, shoot after you. Meanwhile, you just keep smiling at Octavia as you close your eyes and touch that star deep inside yourself.

There's no flash, no morphing of anything. Just one moment, the two of your are falling fast, and the next, you're at the controls of a Veritech, with Octavia in the rear seat, her screams muffled by the helmet around your head as you pull back on the control stick, and pull sharply out of a nose dive, into a hovering position, as the Wonderbolts fly near your cockpit.

“You can stop with the shouting now,” you tell Octavia, who keeps it up for a few seconds longer, before she opens her eyes and looks around, finding herself surrounded by the metal gleaming body of the vehicle.

“What, what?” is all she can say, and you get a laugh out of that, only to feel a sharp rap on the back of your head where she hits you.

“Sorry, ow, stop hitting me!” you tell her as another series of blows land. You then push the controls forward, getting a small forward motion out of your craft, pointing your nose towards your destination.

“Only because you said you're sorry without prompting. But if you ever do anything like that again, I'll make sure you know what being sorry really means,” she declares, and you nod, the tone in her voice saying she means it. Luckily, the Bolts couldn't hear anything said inside the veritech, as you press a button to turn on the external speakers.

“Let's fly Bolts, and see if you can keep up,” you challenge, pressing the pedals at your feet to get some kinks out of your tail, before pressing the throttle forward, and shooting off. Octavia, to her credit, didn't scream at all, though that might have been because she was pressed firmly into the back of her seat as you jetted over Canterlot, creating quite the stir, as the Wonderbolts, the fastest fliers in the world, were left in your dust.

Unfortunately, you didn't get to do too much flying as you very quickly made it to the lab outside of Canterlot. In the field, standing in front of it were the Apprentices, the Princesses, and a dozen others, including those stands which were full again of various people. Heck, there were more bleachers than the other day, probably attracted by the stories of what had happened, and you smirked as you decided to give them a show.

Flipping the veritech so it's nose began to point to the sky, you pulled on the lever marked B in front of you, causing the jet to start its transformation. The cockpit changed, with Octavia above you instead of behind, even as the robot took shape, doing a backflip in the air mid transformation, before it came right again, and you plummeted, landing with a loud bang, your fist driving itself into the dirt and creating a crater beneath you.

Rising, you looked around as the dust finally started to settle, only to be surprised when you couldn't see anyone. Then you realized that your were bigger now, the veritech, rather than being human scale, was instead a large robot, with a head almost two stories higher than that of the lab. Looking down, you found everyone staring up at you, which made you grin, even as you willed the vehicle away, holding out your hand to grasp Octavia's rear hoof.

The veritech suddenly wasn't there, and you hovered in the air where it had been for a moment, using your power to slowly lower yourself and Octavia to the ground. Gently as you could, you set her down, smirking as the Wonderbolts finally caught up, their own landings far less spectacular as they fell from the sky and came to a halt at the crater's edge.

“Showoff,” you heard Dash say, as you willed another change, repairing the damage to the ground, and causing the fifty foot across crater to vanish, leaving you and your grey marefriend standing in front of a hushed crowd.

“Lot's of people here today,” you comment, more to yourself than anyone else. All around the place were bleachers. It was like a high school stadium really. Nothing huge, only a few hundred eyes, but from so many varied faces that it became hard to keep track.

“Indeed. We announced that you would have an epic struggle today, one greater than all the past ones put together, and so they came from all over the city, and a little farther to bear witness,” chimed the silvery voice of Cadence, as she, Celestia, and Luna walked up to you.

“Oh?” you ask, intrigued.

“Today, you shall fight them,” she offered, waving her hoof to the other side of the field. At that end stood....everyone. No really, all the Apprentices, DawnChaser himself, several of the guards, Royal, Night, and even Crystal, and even that Starstorm pony.

“That's a lot of people to fight,” you comment, as the group picks themselves up. Some must have been lounging in the morning sun, but were slowly picking themselves up. Some, like Diamond Eye and Starstorm, were readying themselves for combat, while others, like Deasly and Rex, waved happily at you.

“That is the point. You have bested many of them with the skills and tools We have made available to you. Now you have been restored to your own power, and We wish to see how well it compares,” says Luna in her most proper tone, though the glint in her eye tells you she's looking forward to the show.

“You know, that doesn't sound half bad,” you tell her with a smirk, and then clap your hands together. Instantly there is a bright flash of light, and when it clears, you stand in your golden armor. The thing is loose fitting, with an undersuit made of some white material, and a long flowing red cape on the back. The suit was, of course, the copy of something from back home, this time an old cartoon called King Arthur and the Knights of Justice.

“Let's dance the dance of battle once more,” you say, slamming your fist into your chest. The emblem of a blade shines bright light, and out of it pops a sword. It was similar to your blade made of Prism Stone, but lighter, with a hilt that perfectly match the gauntlets you wore. Testing the blade, you spun it with one hand, twirling the thing over your head, and then sweeping it in front of you. The sharp edge sliced through grass as easily as air, and several blades flew between you and your opponents.

“Most impressive,” said Luna, as she, Celestia, and Cadence departed, landing on the top of one of the sets of bleachers. Octavia, looking concerned for a heartbeat, just rushed forward, kissed you on the cheek, and the rushed towards where Vinyl sat, the two mares quickly starting a conversation. Oddly, you could hear said conversation when you focused, with Octavia in hushed tones demanding to know of Vinyl knew about this, and getting a few quick verbal dodges in return.

Turning your attention from the pair, you looked towards the assemblage. It was a vast army to stand against a single opponent, but some would be more difficult then others. Starstorm made ready his weapons, a few daggers flashing into being in front of him. Beside him Diamond eye wore a satchel on his side, and he took out several bottles, one after another, shaking their contents lightly, before selecting a pair of potions, one purple, and one blue, aiming both straight towards you.

Next to them were Strongarm and Rex. The earth pony was stamping his hoof into the dirt, creating rather deep divots, though whether it was to intimidate you, or just to test how strong he was, you couldn't say. Rex meanwhile was wearing those strength enhancing bands. Not one on each arm like you normally did, but several, on both arms and legs. Even from this distance, you could taste the magic in the things, and when he slammed his fist into the ground, it created a crater almost as big as your veritech had done.

Across from that pair were three sets of Guards. The Royal Guards, of Princess Celestia, stood proud and tall, their armor, both the pegasi and unicorn variants, glinting wickedly in the morning light. The apparently had never sat down, despite however long you must have kept them waiting, and their chosen weapons, spears to a stallion, stood tall and ready to be hurled in your direction.

The Night Guards, of Princess Luna's stock, were not so finely dressed. Their armor, rather than shine, looked like pieces of midnight forged into solid metal. The blackness of their stock seemed to absorb the light, and they, seemingly having been asleep, rose slowly, bat pony types breathing gouts of flame into the air(As you'd discovered, the armor they wore was like your old sheath, made of dragon hide, and giving dragon flame), while beside them, unicorns seemingly made of shadows flitted in and out of sight.

Finally were the Crystal Guard, Cadence's personal forces. They had been trained by Shining Armor, at least for the last few months. All save two wielded swords, either using hoof or magic, depending on their armor, but it was their coats that made them dangerous, as several of them were using their crystal fur to focus light from the sun into tight beams, creating shimmering patches of glass in the dirt around them.

Others you recognize quickly. The Professor was an interesting sight, as DawnChaser tended to avoid the early morning games. That was mostly because he and Cadence had something against each other, though you never did find out what, just that it involved an invasion of privacy by the purple unicorn. He seemed ready to fight though, as he practiced several spells, first growing to about dragon height, and then returning to normal and making copies of himself.

All around the ponies, and a dragon, a dog, and what might be a phoenix, get ready for battle. The air in the field is tense, as they all get up, nodding one after another towards the Princesses. Weaving your sword through a quick dance in front of you, you mimic the motion as the last of them does so, a small glow forming in front of Celestia's face, so you can hear the slight cough calling for attention and silence.

“Today, honored guests, we are going to show you a treat. The Human has agreed to a test of his combat prowess against multiple opponents, many of whom you may have heard he competed with in the past. Some were victories, some were defeats, but now with his powers returned, we wish to put him to task,” came her voice, echoing over the empty air.

“Without further ado, I call on you all today to fight your hardest. The human, I doubt, will be holding back, and his powers are at least on par with those of Our Children. Now fight, and make the nation of Equestria proud,” she says, a magical gong sound filling the sky, before the battle cries of dozens of voices reached your ears, all of them with weapons or spells raised against you, standing their with your sword it one hand.

Playing with Fire

The mass of scales, flesh, and hair charged across the field. Clearly they intended to attack as a group, giving you no time to recover. That felt like cheating to you, given that in most stories they would line up to fight you one at a time, falling each in turn until you yourself fell over from exhaustion. Not that you considered them to be masters of fair play, as you could already sense portals being opened by Starstorm, and DawnChaser spells that he'd probably prepared before and laced in the ground around you.

None of them even got close to you before your sword was dropped, vanishing instantly rather than pixelating as many of your items did. As you let go, another item appeared in your off hand, which then aimed straight into the horde. This thing, innocuous on its own, hummed with power as it charged to full, and you pressed the buttons on its top rapidly, before depressing the firing button, and let loose it's golden fury.

The stun blast, at full dispersion, arced out in front of you. The beam, becoming a sheet of energy, slammed hard into each pony, dragon, dog, and whatnot, all of them seizing up as it hit home. Every defense they had raised had not been prepared for an attack of this nature, which flowed around shields, and into every break in armor. The instant the blast touched them, their eyes widened, and then shut, their bodies falling like newly thrashed wheat, piling up on the field.

Luckily, none of them were falling onto their weapons or the like, as you reached out your senses to make sure, none of them fell in a position likely to do them any lasting harm, and best off all, none of their bodies rose, every one that had fallen staying down. That only left one problem, and it was staring at you through dark eye holes, in a suit designed to contain the fire within him, his gaze never breaking from yours as he stood there.

With a flash, not of your power, but of Celestia's, the fallen were moved from the field, and another power surrounded you. The taste of it was familiar, as the Night Princess herself forged a cage in which to contain the battle that was about to occur, as you felt Pyro's power grow. He never faltered in his stare as the bodies of his compatriots were taken away, but did look away for a moment, just a second, to see if the field of Luna's power was all around you, before laughing.

It was a subtle thing at first, muffled as it was by his suit, but it began to grow quickly. Pyro's voice grew though, the mad cackle of his voice filling the air, as he rose from his legs, standing like a biped. Then his horn began to give off a glow, like fire. Said flame flowed like liquid down his body, and his form altered, going from a quadruped, to a biped in the blink of an eye. Not an anthro pony mind, just his joints reversed, so he could stand easily on his hind hooves, while holdings his forehooves like arms.

The moment that liquid fire died, he launched forward, flames jetting out from his hooves, turning his forehoof into a comet tailed thing as it came at your face. Luckily, you had been training for fights like this, and as before, everything seemed to slow around you, your senses, even those your power granted you, growing sharper, allowing you to dodge this first, initial blow, shifting your footing so that the hoof sailed through only air.

Of course, that was just the initial strike, and before you could do anything else, his hind hoof came up instead, and you felt the blow impact your arm, hard. Your hand instantly released the phaser you had made, popping into drops of light as most of your constructs did. The force of the impact sent you sailing too, your body flying back almost ten yards, before slamming into something solid, which felt cold as midnight as you bounced off it, making a small cry escape your lips.

The Alicorn of Fire didn't give you any time to recover, charging forward, but like a fire burning out of control, he didn't think, he just acted, and so, without effort, you spun out of the way, Pyromancer slamming into the barrier made by his aunt. He didn't scream, much to your shame that you had, but he did bounce farther than you, his hooves, all four, growing jets of flame as he bound away from the barrier, landing in the middle of the enclosure.

“Not bad,” you told him, lifting the faceplate of your helmet to smile at him. Pyro, taking the sign for a breather, just nodded.

“Mph mph mph, mphmph,” came the muffed reply. Luckily, you'd been hanging out with him long enough to know he'd just told you you weren't bad yourself. Then he attacked again, bouncing on one hoof, then then other, and then jogging forward, both forehooves trailing fire again. You realized as he struck, that he must have been using the flames like rockets, even in his punches, driving his blows faster and harder than he could have done otherwise.

Not that you were without defense, raising the vambraces of your armor, you blocked both the first punch, and the followup attack with a hindhoof, before you countered with a body blow, slamming your chest into his, using your power to make a field that pushed him away. The power behind it must have been greater than you expected, as he went tumbling away, rolling along the ground until he was at the other side of the barrier, staring at you with disbelief.

You weren't sure how you knew that last part, but you did. Of course, it soon became your turn to stare, as the alicorn made himself a weapon. Focusing his magic, his horn began to shine like the noonday sun, and then out of his forehooves came a pair of curved sabers made of fire. They burned and shimmered, but otherwise seemed fairly solid, demonstrated when he jammed the blade of one into the ground, and then pulled it out, flinging dirt and rocks your way.

“Two can play at that game!” you told him, and with a thought, you made another sword for yourself. Rather than your Excalibur though, you summoned a blade more appropriate to fight fire. A broadsword this time, rather than a straight blade, with a huge crosshilt, and almost as long as you were tall. The thing appeared to be made of ice, but an ice that gleamed like diamond in the light coming through the barrier.

“The Sword of Frost, one of the best weapons in Might and Magic,” you tell him, trying to recall the stat bonuses the blade would give you, but failing as you only had vague memories of those games. Still, you had your weapon, something bulky, but light enough that you could swing it into position as a shield when Pyro did his jet hooves thing, slashing at you like a whirlwind with his blade, which glanced off your sword, creating small hissing sounds as steam filled the air between you.

“Have to do better than that!” you shouted at him, swinging your weapon overhead, and then bringing it down at him like a bolt of lightning. The alicorn had no chance to dodge, and worse, couldn't bring his blades up in time, so instead he....well he split around the blade, in such a way that he just sort of pulled himself apart and then came together as the weapon passed through him. Surprised by this, you let your swing carry you forward, bounding over Pyro, and then spinning to face him as you landed.

He didn't follow up on his attack though. Instead he stood there, his blade falling away, doing a similar pixelation thing to your own items, as he began to pat himself down. It seemed whatever had happened was unusual, and for a moment you consider offering a pause in the combat so he might get looked over by his elders. However, as he turns, he giggles even more madly than before, even if it is quieter, probably only you able to hear it.

With a cry, his hooves slam together, creating a broadsword like your own, but slightly larger. Not that the size slowed him down, as he shot at you like a cannon ball, and echoing his cry, your brought your blade up to catch his on its edge. Normally such a blow would shatter or at least chip the blade, but your magical constructs would have no such problem. Then, just before they hit, you remembered something about the Sword of Frost that made you raise a barrier between you and it.

The instant the two sword struck, an explosion of near world shattering force occurred. With your senses, you could actually smell the barrier around you straining against the assault. Pyro, his own nature similar to the barrier, was blown back by the blast of steam and kinetic energy, his body skipping like a stone along the ground, before being slammed into the barrier and held there by the blast's force.

You meanwhile, were able to keep your footing, but only just, as the ground around you tore itself apart, and you made tendrils of energy from the soles of your boots that dug deeper, and deeper, and deeper still, finding solidity only twenty feet down, as the ground cratered, and you found yourself standing on a small pillar of dirt and rock, in the midst of the field that was now so much lower than the ground around it.

“Pyro!” you shout, leaping off the pillar as the air finally starts to clear. Your feet cease to touch the thing, and it crumbles instantly, showing just how powerful you were becoming, a fact you ignore as you walk down an invisible staircase, and get under Pyro just as he falls from the barrier, landing in your arms. Luckily you remember to enhance your strength just before catching him, and create a pillow like field of force above you to soften the impact.

“Are you okay?” you ask, and the alicorn, his suit scuffed and dirty, just nodded, enthusiastically even, as he pulled himself up off your grip. He then launched into a long explanation of what had happened, and sounded positively ecstatic at it all. His hooves moved in odd patterns as he discussed the energy release, and his own ability to fold his form around your first sword strike, seemingly forgetting about the battle.

“Does this mean we're done?” you ask as he starts to wind down, and he very quickly shakes his head, bouncing away into the center of the crater, his forehooves coming up in punching motions, as he readies himself for further combat. You meanwhile look at him like he's crazy. Not that he wasn't mind, he was an alicorn, and it seemed to you that immortality, plus godlike or at least demigodlike power tended to addle one's wits.

Deciding to end this quickly, you search your memories for an ice or water weapon. Quickly dismissing some, like the ice bomb from Jonny Quest for being too big a risk, and others like Water Bending for lacking the right materials, you suddenly hit on inspiration, and smirk across the crater at your opponent. Drawing your hands out as wide as they will go, you focus on the image of two golden stars in your mind, even as you alter your armor to a cloth thing instead of hard metal.

“Shurikens of Ice!” you cry out, and from your hands two golden circles emerge, spinning rapidly enough to make a humming in the air. Said circles then begin to grow blades, first one, then two, and finally the third, becoming three point stars that hover just off your palms. At the same time your armor became the white cloth of the White Ninja's suit, sized to fit someone of more human proportions instead of those of a lego man, while also covering your face.

“Mph Mph Mph(All right then),” said Pyro, as he holds his own hooves out to his sides, he doesn't form weapons though, instead covering those flat surfaces with sheets of raw fire, that you can hear crackling in the air even from yards away.

“Indeed. Time to end this. NINJA GO!” you shout, twisting your body a bit, before releasing yourself into a spinning motion. Not that you have to do more than one circle, as the Shurikens fly around you, creating a white tornado that looks positively icy. Through it, you can see Pyro staring at you, before he does much the same thing, spinning as he uses his fire powers to lift himself lightly off the ground, creating his own flame tornado.

You charge even as he does, you leaving a trail of frozen earth behind you, while he instead leaves a burning line of dirt in his wake. The two of you, either because of some unstated agreement, or just because it felt right, leapt upward just before impact, sailing into the air, your hair grazing the top of Luna's barrier, before your tornadoes collided, a rush of hot and fridged air coming together, only for your to seemingly pass through Pyro, and land on both feet on the other side of him, letting the Shurikens fade as you came to a stop.

Your ninja outfit was on slight fire, and you fell to one knee from exhaustion, as your lungs finally realized you hadn't been breathing properly these last few seconds, and demanded air. Outside the barrier, you can hear a series of gasps, even as you can hear the low chuckle of Pyro, seemingly laughing in victory. However, you hear that familiar crinkling sound, and as you rise back up, you turn to find the bipedal pony frozen in a block of solid ice.

'Not bad,' comes a pink tinged thought into your head, and you look up to find the three princesses already at the edge of the barrier, which, with a thought from Luna, fades into nothing, revealing the sun outside, that had moved over an hour farther than you would have expected, putting the time at a bit before eleven in the morning.

“We shall have to give this match to the Human, We believe,” said Luna, her voice amplified by some spell, and you can hear the cheering from the crowd beyond. Smirking, enjoying being cheered for, you snap your fingers like Q, and instantly you are standing in the field again, the crater from your power repaired, and you in you golden armor. Pyro, meanwhile, appears none the worse for wear, wobbling a bit on his hooves, before righting himself, and then restoring his normal quadrupedal form.

“Mph Mph MPPPH! Mph mph mphhhh mmmmph mmpphh mph mph(I am DEFEATED! Yet, Human, you have fought with honor and dignity, a worthy foe indeed),” said Pyro, bowing toward you, and in respect, you bow back, enjoying the flush of victory, even as the Princesses, and then three more Alicorns come to the field, while around you gathered DawnChaser, Octavia, and a few acquaintances you'd made.

“What was that device you used on us?” asked DawnChaser, as he reached you. Of course, you didn't answer right away, as Octavia stood on her hindhooves, while wrapping the fore pair around you, and then planting a kiss on your face. That only kept the purple unicorn at bay for a few moments though, as he looked at you expectantly.

“It was a phaser, from Star Trek. I've been wanting to pull that out since I got here,” you admit to him, as the gray mare takes her position at your side, flanked by your guards, the Wonderbolts.

“Ah, another thing from a work of fiction. Truly your abilities defy my best attempts to define them,” he says, as he trots to the edge of where you knew the barrier had been, and then lightly scoops up devices that had been buried there. Not one or two though, like a hundred, which Deasly quickly places in a basket, taking each as the Professor passes them to him, before the pair, along with most of the Apprentices, make their way to the lab and then shut the door firmly behind them.

'You let him participate?' you think towards Cadence, using your powers to push the thoughts into her mind.

'He's been on his best behavior lately, and hasn't caused a major catastrophe or the like,' said the pink tinged thoughts that popped into your brain, to which you nod.

“An interesting trick you pulled, Human, one that I think would qualify as cheating, if Pyro had not been able to resist,” said a new voice, and you turn towards it. The voice was light, but powerful, like a ray of sunshine made manifest, which was appropriate considering the one saying it was one of the three new Alicorns, this one you recognize as Prince Radiance. His coat was white and shimmering, sort of like Celestia's, but brighter, while his horn was seemingly forged of solid gold, and he wore a suit not unlike Shining Armor's dress uniform.

“Oh come off it you old blow hard. He won, cheating or not, that's all that matters,” said the Alicorn next to him, her voice bubbly and fragmented, like a dozen voices were speaking at once. This Alicorn, Dewprism, stood slightly shorter than her brother or her mother, but was still taller than most ponies. Her coat also helped her stand out, as anytime you looked at it without light shining on it, it appeared grayish, but the instant a sunbeam graced her, she shone with a myriad of colors.

“Heh, indeed. Victory matters more than honor in situations like this. After all, could any of us have handled that mob so well. Without hurting them I mean?” said the other Alicorn, this one you didn't know, and could only tell she was female by the sound of her voice, as much like Pyro, she wore a full body suit. Unlike him, her's was armor, made from silver from the look of it, which rattled a bit as she walked forward.

The three stood there after their little discussion, and for a moment, you felt a flash, like the cloud of thoughts of the Princesses from the other day. It went by so fast you couldn't get a sense of what it was that had passed between them, but you knew that the three, who stood at eye level or higher to you, were discussing your performance.

“I did only what I thought best, Prince Radiance, Lady Dewprism, and Silver armored pony whom I don't recognize,” you told them with a bow, and the three stopped to take a moment and stare at each other, before turning back to you.

“You can read our minds?” asked Dewprism, and Luna at least seemed to get a chuckle out of this.

“Not at all. During one of Our discussions with the human in his dreams, We went over or familial connections. As such, he saw you as the first of Celestia's children, and recognized Dewprism due to one of his friends being of her linage. However, as We failed to focus on her, allow the Princess of the Night to introduce the Alicorn of Motion, Princess Quicksilver,” said Luna, waving her hoof so that the armored alicorn Princess moved forward, and then you realized with a start that the silver wasn't armor, that was her skin.

“A pleasure human,” she said with a bow, the others, including Pyro, miming her gesture.

“Indeed, we had feared our little brother would never achieve what you helped him to do today. As a show of gratitude, we would offer that you accompany us to the palace, that we might bask in your glorious victory, and share stories of battles and life,” said Radiance, which a quick show of hooves said everypony agreed with him, your royal entourage and you soon making your way to a rather large open air carriage, which you took a seat in, beside Octavia, and then watched as the guards hitched themselves to it, and pulled your group towards Canterlot Castle in the distance.

Author's Notes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeaLv4iLJtA

At ten seconds into this video you can watch Tuvok use the phaser the way the human does in this story

http://www.moddb.com/mods/might-magic-warlords/images/sword-of-frost-relic

Ah, Migt and Magic. Anyway, the Sword of Frost from the Heroes Chronicle game of the same name. As a bit of a spoiler, this weapon, when mixed with Armageddon's Blade destroyed a planet.

http://ninjago.wikia.com/wiki/Shurikens_of_Ice

And finally, the Shurikens of Ice. Fun things these, and I personally love Ninjago for the most part. Interesting animation, and some actually pretty good characters.

More Time Passes

A month passed. Your life is pretty much the same schedule as before. You wake up in the morning, rising often with the sun, to see either Celestia or Luna standing over you, their eyes deep pools of light that crush down against you, limiting your powers that you might control them better. Every day it seems less and less though, as you slowly start to learn, to adapt to what you are now. Never enough that you could confidently go without the limiter, but still, it's a start.

After that, if Octavia isn't awakened by it, you set about making breakfast, sometimes though, she'd been up for a while, and you find her doing so. A wave of your hand sets the table, and the two of you eat in your apartment. Sometimes you considered adding rooms to the space, which was just one large open area, but you always stayed that thought when you remembered sitting in the large tub, brushing your hand through Octavia's wet mane.

After breakfast came a few formalities. Your guards, the Flux Guard now, slept in a room across the hall from yours, with Rainbow, Soarin, and Spitfire sleeping in conditions that were just a bit better than the rest of the guards most nights. They were up and training before the slightest hint of daylight though, and you would exit your room to find them waiting there for you, standing at attention, and perfectly groomed as show ponies.

Next you would wade through the news agents who camped out in the foyer of the castle. Doing so was now easier thanks to your power, which let you gently, but firmly, push them aside to make room for your entourage, exiting the castle, where you would find a carriage waiting for your small group, sometimes with a Princess or Prince in it, sometimes the Captain, and sometimes empty. Whichever state it was in, you would climb within the vehicle and be taken across Canterlot to the lab of the good Professor.

Then came the fighting. Celestia was adamant that you continue training, and that fighting was a good way to learn both how to use your power, and more importantly, how to control it. Most days, you were up against one of her children, learning the ins and outs of how their powers worked as you fought, usually losing interestingly enough, as they had at least a few centuries of experience with their powers, and unlike your previous fight with Pyro, they held nothing back.

That had seemed like it still wouldn't be that hard at first, after all, you hadn't realized how much Pyro had been controlling himself, or how much power that suit contained, but as you fought them, you came to understand just how much of a difference experience made. From Quicksilver, able to become a gray blur, to Radiance able to create lightsabers out of the air in front of him, and even Dewprism, who could make rather convincing illusions, as well as solid constructs.

You learned though, applying your power better, and sometimes, when the battle dragged on, claiming a victory. The three head Alicorns were always there when you did that though, and you figured after a while it might be just that the children were nervous in front of their mother. They said nothing though, and oft times simply smiled at you as they left the field of battle, which you usually used your power to reconstruct after he fights.

The morning would fade, and your party tended to matters of lunch in one of a dozen places in Canterlot. Sometimes you would duck away of course, hanging out with the Wing Guard at the griffon's favorite cafe. It was still the only place you could actually purchase food of that sort. Even though you could just make it with your power, something about the food made by hand...er claw, was always just that bit tastier, making your mouth water just thinking about it.

It was from conversations with the Wing Guard that you learned what was going on in the Kingdom's of the West. Ashati was as good as his word, and had helped his people reclaim their peaks, building the Geth into a force for good. Walls, cities, and lives were made with the power of the weave, defenses to keep the gryphons safe, and more importantly, tools to help make their lives just a bit better. In a month, he had a hundred of his people join him, and more applied every day.

After lunch you were taken to the palace, your golden armor cleaning itself before you took your seat, letting your red cape flow out behind you as you twirled into it, just as a bit of flare. Supplicants were constant now, with five ruling Alicorns in the palace, and your own Court taking them as well. More, the problems you faced were complex, as Celestia allowed more of the ponies and others to come to you.

The most interesting tended to involve magic, of course. Like an issue involving a construct of magic that was applying for citizenship in the Kingdom. It took a bit of finagling there to get everyone out happy, especially considering the things was a runaway from some lizardman empire in the west. You tried to be fair though, and while he wasn't smiling, you got the impression that the lizardman still came out ahead on the deal you made, while the construct, a thing of stone and mana, began a new life.

After Flux Court, the Silver Court took over, and you were allowed the late evening off. Sometimes these waning hours took you back to your apartment, to talk with Octavia, who tended to do personal business while you heard cases. Other times, the two of you got dragged off by Vinyl to K-Colt, to talk on the radio. Not that you minded too much, as you were slowly corrupting the colts and fillies minds with things like Weird Al and the like, as well as a few choice Disney songs.

Other evenings, Luna or Celestia would wisk you away. Literally, as you would find yourself held within a sunbeam and taken somewhere, and other times a gentle kiss of moonlight would take hold, and you would softly float away on it. You were then taken somewhere barren, and told to create without limits. Luna showed off the most during these, interestingly enough, taking you to her palace on the moon(And of course she had one of those, don't be silly), whereas Celestia would just plop you down in some rocky field.

You tried to make things best you could. Not things you had seen, but things in your mind. The statue of a creature with four heads, a crystal as large as you were, with perfect angles, and finally just what you remembered of your old home. It was a squat, one story things, from some suburb. Oddly, the details here were harder to fill in, but you tried your best, enjoying the freedom to just make, but then always being disappointed when, no matter what you tried, everything popped the instant you stopped touching it.

The sisters just told you it was something you would have to work out, before taking you back to the palace. Always with that warmth beneath their smiles, encouraging you. So you kept going, kept trying, sometimes privately, sometimes publicly, always trying to will the thing to stay where you put it, only to lose it in that instant. Frustrated, but never daunted, you would return to your apartment, curl up with Octavia, and then drift into the Void once more.

One month, became two, and finally Princess Cadence and Shining Armor had to leave. Their kingdom needed them there, with two months away, and they bid goodbye, with Twilight and the gang visiting the palace to wave a fond farewell to the pair. You then got dragged around on one of Pinkie's parties, with her insisting that you were due for another one. Somehow this resulted in the first permanent thing you ever made. A rather large mess in the castle courtyard.

The day after though, you did it. A single thing, a tiny crystal shaped like a flake of snow. You used your power to make it, and then....you did something. It was hard to describe with words. You didn't press harder, that wouldn't have worked. Instead you held it up, and then...balanced it. That was the only way you could describe it. The numbers that were the object, the thing you were giving power, you made it balance, like it had always been, and thus it was.

Soon you could do that whenever you wanted. It took far more effort than before, making something balance, but it was possible. Of course, you quickly learned why the Princesses didn't make things like that very often, as even a few bags of grain made this way, to help with a famine, drained you dry, and left you with a small flickering candle of power where a large star had been. You even had to call off the fight the next day, as you were in no condition for it.

Instead you were given a lesson by the children, being told stories of their own experiences with the ability to make things. Most started smaller than you, of course, but all of them, even Pyro, could do it. Heck, they did so in their battles against you, and they all gave the same advice as the Princesses. Namely to not do it without purpose, and to never use the power as a cudgel. It was more a needle, for precision and grace.

You then had to sit on one of Quicksilver and Radiance's Courts. The Silver Court was the most interesting, as you could sense Quicksilver using her power to speed around the room, reading all the notes and things others brought with them, projecting this air of confidence and omniscience that even Celestia didn't really match. Able to convince most supplicants of their own solutions being best, she expended little energy beyond her speed, and a bit of talking.

The Court of Prince Radiance was even more interesting. He didn't say anything most times, just sitting there, listening, much like Celestia. But where his mother seemed like a gentle matron, guiding her subjects, he radiated power like a small star, his gaze enough to make many take back their problems, or come up with solutions themselves. Sometimes he would have to speak, to either shoot down some mad plan, or otherwise sort out a detail or two, but otherwise he let the subjects rule themselves.

Another day passed, and your powers began to return. This time you fought Glimmer Strike, the Captain of the Royal Guard. His moves were even less powerful than the Children of Celestia, but his control was fine. His power was like the wind, everywhere at once, but subtle like a breeze. It took everything you had just to keep him back, and in the end, a single missed block, resulted in you being flung away, landing on the grass, and admitting defeat.

You learned though, watching all the time, sensing how others used their gifts, and trying to not just mimic them, but to use your gifts in your own way to help them. Flux Court took even more complex cases, from the sale of a book the author had wished to delay, but the publisher had wanted out, to who was to blame when a group of fillies in Manehatten had somehow gotten trapped on top of one of the skyscrapers for three days.

You tried to be fair in every decision you made, tried to hear all sides of the story, and you slowly learned to get it right. Each new day brought a new challenge, and you met them as best you could. Slowly that second month faded into a third, and then a fourth, as you grew stronger, bolder, and more confident in yourself.

Author's Notes:

Yep, we're back, with another summary chapter. Don't worry though, the next one's already done, and working on more.

Learning Curve

“Alright, now, focus,” said the gentle voice of Quicksilver, her usual fast talk replaced with a slow, careful meter as you tried for the ninth time that morning to do as she asked. Your hands were held out in front of you, their palms overlapping, as you drew power from within yourself, trying to pull at that bright star within you. You closed your eyes to make the task easier, ignoring the distractions outside.

“Focus only on what you want to happen, not on an item that could do the same thing,” she said, and you had to focus to banish the image of Captain America's shield from your mind. Instead you tried to use the power within you directly on the world, imagining it as a wall in front of you.

“Good, good,” she said, and you cracked open an eyelid to find a shimmering barrier before you. It was a circle, unfortunately, but still, it wasn't the shield you'd been picturing. Instead it was just power, raw energy made manifest by your will.

“Hold it right there. Pyro, you're up!” she shouted the last, and then just kind of vanished, appearing back where Radiance and Dewprism sat to the side of the clearing. Today it was just the four of them, and you were far outside the city, which made it easier to focus on Pyro as he trotted up from where he'd been waiting, taking a position near you.

“Are you ready?” he said in that muffled voice of his. You'd taken to, in the last few months, touching his mind softly with your own, so now you heard what he said in your mind, instead of trying to translate it with your ears. It made you realize that he was, at least compared to his siblings, just a kid, his voice having barely broken compared to the deep, thundering bellows that Radiance could make, or the gentle sound of Quicksilver's laughter.

“Hurry up before I lose it again,” you told him, sweat already starting to drip down your brow as you held the barrier before you. It had started out almost a full foot thick, but even as you'd just say there it had already lost an inch, and you knew it was about to lose a lot more, as Pyro charged up.

His horn flared, as little lines of red flame traced there way down its length. Around it, the air seemed to curl and move like smoke, and if you had the attention to spare you would have noticed his whole body shining like a beacon. You didn't of course, it was taking everything you had just to put up the barrier, and not jump out of the way as you waited for what was coming.

At some unknown charge level, Pyro lashed out at you with his power. Unlike what you had seen in battle before, this was raw energy, like something from the heart of a star, or a lightning bolt, trained directly at the shield you had made. It slammed home with an almost deafening blast, and you had to fight just to stay standing as the impact translated from the shield into your body through the air between you.

You held your ground though, trying your best to not go to one knee, even as the shield went from nearly a foot, to three inches just at the touch of Pyromancer's power. Better than Radiance at least, who's first shot had proven far stronger than you had expected, and shattered your barrier in this same exercise the first time you'd tried it.

“Excellent, both of you! Hold that as long as you can!” shouted Dewprism, and you felt a small twinge of pride in your chest. It was as rare for her to complement someone as it was for her descendent Rainbow Dash. Bolstered, you both redoubled your efforts, your shield getting thicker, even as the beam that Pyro shot at you grew into a bolt that would have made Zeus himself proud.

Not that either of you had the stamina to maintain the exercise long. After less than a minute you could feel your body starting to fail, your legs becoming wobbly beneath you, even as Pyro's stance simply grew firmer, his hooves digging into the earth more. Finally, you had to give, and with a cry of frustration you dove out of the way, your barrier shattering into little shimmering shards that faded into nothing as the beam sailed past where you'd been standing, slamming through a boulder and then a tree.

“Sorry!” shouted the Alicorn for Fire, as he shifted the beams course, driving it straight up, and then detonating it in the air, creating an aurora for a moment in the afternoon sky. Said alicorn then slumped down to the ground, breathing heavily, and obviously winded from the experience.

“Nothing to be sorry about, little brother,” said Quicksilver, as she pointed a hoof at the tree and rock, both of which were on fire. She applied only a slight hint of motion to the ground beneath the too, causing a small wave of earth to wash over them, extinguishing the flames with a hiss, as the three of them trotted towards you.

“Indeed, far better than last time. You both should feel proud of yourselves,” offered Radiance as he used his magic to pick you up, then brushed some grass from your armor's front with his hoof. Pyro, meanwhile, was given a once over by his sisters, scanning him with their magic and their eyes, looking to see if his suit had breached in any way, and when satisfied it hadn't, and that he was fine, they both gave him hugs.

“Yeah, and next time, I'm gonna win,” you tell him, trying to sound confident, but failing miserably at it, remembering the first few times you'd tried this exercise with Radiance, and how even the lightest beam he could fire had pounded through your best shield. That had been over a month ago, of course, and you'd gotten far better at making the things, which had started out as thin as panes of glass, and now could be over a foot thick.

“It's not about winning, losing, or anything else. This is about learning yourself, learning how your power works, and how it can be used,” Dewprism reminded you.

“Exactly. Making items out of raw magic is easy for you, but hard for us. It only stand to reason that directly applying your power to the world would be harder for you, while being the simplest thing we learn,” advised Radiance as he demonstrated. His horn shone brightly for a moment, and then you could hear the wing beats of several pegasi in the air.

You smirked a bit as you cast your flight spell, something you had figured out in the time since you'd regained your powers. As it turned out, the spell was simply Fly, from DnD back home. It lasted ten hours, because that was the level you'd seen it cast at in the game you'd played with friends, and the DBZ aura trick that made you go faster was just you focusing the spell for short bursts that used up the energy of the spell quicker for the speed boost.

“Yeah, and I know it's childish, but I really want to master this. I want to be the very best in everything I can,” you said as you floated upward, the others flaring out their wings and joining you in the sky. Pyro retrieved his hat with his magic, covering the horn on his head with a sombrero before taking wing next to the rest of you. As you rose, you could see several forms coming closer, which soon stopped nearby each looking the five of you over.

“Any problems today, My Lord?” asked one of the shapes, who seemed to be clad in solid light. The being was one of Lord Radiance's personal Guard, which had been one of the lessons you'd learned from the Children over the last few months. The Royal Guard were Celetia's, and numbered in the hundreds, policing Canterlot, and being sent on long missions when she required it. The Children and Luna though, each of them had their own guard, smaller in number, if a bit stronger individually.

Radiance, as noted, had his Shining Guard wear platemail that looked common in most respects, except for the fact that when they chose, the stuff could shine almost as bright as Celestia's sun. Said shine could even be focused into lasers, real lasers, that they used to defend their lord and master. According to Radiance, he kept two of them, since any more would be overkill, and he'd also found that with only a pair, he could move faster around his Kingdom.

Dewprism's Guards, the Chameleon Guard, shimmered into place next. Their armor was like their Lady's power, a veritable cornucopia of color, which they could shift and warp with a thought, allowing them to vanish even as you stared at them. It was quite the trick, and one they liked to play with, no more than three being visible at any one time, though Dewprism had told you there were really five members of her Guard, enough that she felt safe letting them do their own things, which sometimes had them going off on their own to take care of some business.

Quicksilver's Guard came next, though it was only one, this stallion was bigger than Big Mac, standing almost as tall as the Princess of the Sun herself. You think anyway. The stallion rarely talked, and his form seemed rather fluid, almost like the T-1000 or something, with the edges of his body flowing rather than moving, and every edge of his feathers looking as sharp as knives, while every surface shone like polished silver.

“Not today. Did you see that explosion though?” asked the Prince excitedly, and his Guards nodded.

“Indeed. We were worried that you might have grown over eager in your training of the Flux Marquis,” said Spitfire, as she and your Flux Guard, still wearing their Wonderbolts uniforms, flew in behind the rest.

“Nothing even close to that, it was Pyro this time,” you tell the three of them as your flock of pegasi, alicorns, and one human, begin to move off towards Canterlot Castle in the distance.

“Really? Your brother is improving at a most impressive rate,” said one of the Chameleon Guard as the mare flew up ahead, and then sort of slid out of sight.

“He is at that. Soon we'll have two new Princes to add to the Royal Family,” responded Dewprism as she rolled over the whole formation, taking a long slow dive and then spinning back into position on the opposite side from where she started, probably just showing off.

“Maybe Mother will stop pestering you to earn the Princess title yourself,” said Radiance with a chuckle, which earned him a death glare from his sister, though got a half hearted laugh from everypony else.

“Mother will never stop pestering her until she does something with herself, you know that,” said Quicksilver, as she did some kind of move where she turned sharply into her sister, giving her noogie, and then in the blink of an eye, she was in the middle of the rest of you, protecting her from any reprisal her sister might try.

“I have done something with my life. I'm an explorer. Just because I don't put down roots like the rest of you,” she complained, not for the first time since you'd met her. It seemed that her staying put to help you train was actually the longest she'd stayed in one area for a century or more. That was a terrible crime, if you heard her tell it, and she should be off expanding the boundaries of equine knowledge. Quicksilver had said it was mostly bluster though, and that she enjoyed having the family around for a while.

Your 'flock' of fliers soon reached the point where you could see Canterlot Castle, hanging off the side of the cliff. It didn't take more than a few minutes for you to be casting shadows over the city itself, several forms looking up at you, City and Royal Guards offering a salute, while town ponies just waved up at the group. After a couple of pegasi and alicorn wing flaps you finally got to the palace itself, with you all setting down in the garden, an elderly earthpony looking up from his flowerbed to nod at you before returning to his work.

“Well, this was a successful day of training, if I do say so myself,” said Quicksilver as she led the way towards the Castle's rear gate.

“And you do,” commented Pyro as he followed behind. The rest just nodded, as Prince, Princesses, Lady, Whatever-Pyro-Was, and Marquis all went their separate ways, walking down the corridors with the clopping of hooves, the ting of metal, and just that light slap of human feet. You had no ideas where the others were going, but for you, the throne room was where you needed to be.

Luckily, you'd learned the winding passages of the Castle well enough that you only took one wrong turn, that was quickly fixed, and soon found yourself in front of the double doors. Opening them with a wave of your hand and a bit of applied power, you stepped forward to find the hall as full as one would expect, with dozens of patrons on either side of the grand walkway. Celestia, looking a bit haggard, nodded towards you as you and your Guards walked forward, standing beside her as she doled out a few small drops more of justice to those who came seeking her wisdom.

'Long day?' she questioned in your mind, and you nodded, sending back impressions of the exercises you'd done, emphasizing your final contest of wills against Pyro, in which he won, if only just. That seemed to perk her mood up as she wove off the pair of supplicants, before turning towards you, and then back to the crowd.

“The Solar Court is adjourned for the day. I turn the floor over to the Flux Court, and ask the next petitioners to come forward,” she said in that motherly tone of her's, before slinking off. Idly you sent a question of where she was planning on going, and got back an image of a tub of ice cream, a large bath, and a lot of hot water. Smiling beneath your helm at her, you let the weary Princess of the Sun trot off, as you took her seat, and turned to find a medium sized drake and a slightly singed pony taking their places before you. It looked like the beginning of another fun day in Court.

Flux Court Again

“It's the best I can do. Accept the offer, or you can leave,” you told the pony before you. She seemed to take the tone for once to mean the discussion was at an end. She then bowed deeply, and trotted out of the room, several eyes following her as she left. Many of them drifted back to you, either expecting you to be furious, or just something. Instead you tried to look as immovable as stone, as you motioned for the Major Domo to summon the next case.

“The Flux Court will now hear the cause of Mrs. Cake,” said the stallion, and you were surprised to see a familiar blue mare walk down the aisle towards the defendant's podium, her hair done up in a rather fancy swirl today, wearing what had to be her best apron. She flustered about a bit with her look as she took her place, and then turned to face you.

“Proceed,” you told her after a moment of silence.

“Well, your..umm, Fluxship, I'm here today in concern with my Apprentice, Pinkamena Diana Pie,” she began, and your ears perk up, though you try not to let it show beyond shifting your stance slightly.

“About a month ago she had to go back to her parents' rock farm. Poor dears are having an awful season, with shale rot taking a full half their harvest,” she continued. “However, she's been there for three weeks now, and they insist she stay longer. I'm just worried about her education though. She's still only a B grade baker, and while I would love to let her stay as long as she needs, but we've got so many back orders, what with the twins and all.”

When she finishes you cross your hands in front of you, trying to look imposing, as if you were deep in thought, which you were as you focused your power. It was easier now that it had been to reach outside yourself, and after a moment or two, you found a dark blue thought space, and gently knocked at it, letting Luna, who must have woken up an hour or so ago slowly open her mind to you, before barging in.

'Rock farms are real?!' you demand to know, the quick, hard thought actually catching the Lunar Princess off guard for a moment, knocking her own thought trains askew. She recovers so quickly though that you might have imagined it. Images then start flashing before your mind of ponies, earth ponies, literally growing various kinds of rocks and things, raising them as the Apples raised their orchard, creating stones of such quality that they were almost works of art in themselves.

'Why?' came the thought following that, and you quickly sent the memory of Mrs. Cake, which caught her by surprise again, as she instantly recognized the birth name of Pinkie Pie.

'Help?' she offered after a moment, and you sent back a negative, as you rose from your seat.

“Mrs. Cake, I feel sorry for you and your husband. So I shall do this,” you say that as you motion for the Major Domo to approach.

“I will order that Mr. Pie take a day from his farm work to come to the palace. Then we can sort this out. If nothing else, I shall see about giving him some relief to aid in the production of stone around the kingdom,” you tell her, and she seems to accept this with gratitude, bowing her head, and then rushing for the door, obviously going to take a night train to her home in Ponyville.

“I shall draw up the necessary papers for that. And if there are no other supplicants?” asked the Major Domo, many in the crowd looking at each other. Some were obviously thinking of that case before Mrs. Cake, and thus they kept their mouths shut.

“Then the Flux Court stands adjourned. We shall reconvene in half an hour for Silver Court,” he tells the assemblage, many of whom begin moving for the door, while you and your guards take the left exit from the stage, behind a curtain, which leads you almost instantly into the confusing corridors of the castle.

“Are you sure that was necessary?” asked Spitfire as she and the rest came up beside you.

“I'm sure Mr. Pie will understand. He needs help of not just one farmhoof, but a solution to the underlying problem. If I can figure out what this shale rot thing is, maybe I can give it to him and he can let Pinkie go home,” you tell her, and she looks back behind you at Dash and Soarin, before zipping in front of you, and placing her hoof against your chest.

“You know what I mean,” she tells you, rather forcefully, and for a moment, a brief moment, you are tempted to just tell her to drop the issue, but then sigh and decide to explain.

“I'd feel sorry for her if she hadn't been aware the egg was stolen in the first place,” you tell her simply, and Spitfire doesn't even react. Obviously, even without power, it had been clear that the egg, a phoenix egg, was swiped, probably by some ne’er do well or adventure seeker.

“It's not that simple. She's a big wig, one of the Magisters, and a powerful political mover. Even Celestia would have trotted lightly around her. And you threw your weight around like you weighed a ton,” advised the Wonderbolt, and you nodded. The issue had been simple, but the demand had been more complex. A pair of phoenix parents had pursued the stolen egg, eventually finding it on her property, and burning half the place down in trying to get their baby back.

The mare, of course, demanded retribution. Not against the phoenixes of course, those animals held as special place in Celestia's heart, but instead against the ones who'd sold it to her, a few of those belkin lizard people. Knowing that such a response would tend to be a tit for tat sort of affair, you'd counter offered with just some state aid in rebuilding her property, which included a gem polishing business that benefited most of Canterlot.

“It comes down to what she wanted, vs. the outcome of such action. There would have been a small border war, at least over her vengeance, and I'm not quite willing to throw this nation into that sort of conflict if I can help it. Besides, she's not nearly as influential as she likes to pretend,” you inform Spitfire.

“She wore the robes of a Magister, that's influence enough right there,” countered Soarin, surprisingly.

“She's on the outs with most of the Council, since she raised her prices last season. I remembered her face from one of DawnChaser's little get togethers. No one's going to feel sympathy for her cause, not with this being a black market deal gone bad. Worst comes to worst, we'll lock her up for that alone,” you tell them, motioning with one hand for them to drop the issue. None of them look entirely satisfied, even Dash, but they don't push any farther as they walk with you up to your rooms.

Getting to the doors, you bid them a good night, and then step into your room to find a table with a mare waiting there for you. Octavia sat in her chair, humming gently to herself, her eyes closed as she rocked gently in tune with the music of her soul. Smirking at that, you reach out with a thin tendril of power, wrapping her up with with, and then bringing the music forth in a small symphony of noise that played right into her ears. The sudden noise, soft though it was, startled her enough to finally open her eyes, and then smile at you as her gaze found your form.

“Hello. Did you have a fun day?” she asked as she walked forward, taking your seat opposite her, three small lanterns casting a lovely glow over the scene as you stared across their glow into her shimmering visage.

“Better than most, in many respects. I think I'm getting the hang of some of the exercises that Radiance has me doing. Pyro shot a beam at my best shield yet, and we lasted a whole minute, before I had to drop it,” you told her as you started to eat. Her own food, mostly ignored till now, began to disappear with surprising speed for one who fancied herself a proper mare, but you didn't comment.

“Oh? That sounds like fun. I just had practice myself tonight. The whole Ensembles been invited to some party on a sky yacht owned by Prince Blue Blood,” she said and you nod. Octavia then launched into an explanation of the various pieces they were planning on playing for the crowd. She talked at length about the farther opportunities this would give her and the rest, chances to play at private parties again, or maybe even another invite to the Grand Galloping Gala.

“Have you received an invitation to that yet?” she asked as she downed the last bite of food, and sat in her chair, sipping at a rather strong looking drinking.

“I'm not sure. I haven't gotten any glowing letters from the Princesses or anything of that sort yet. If you're going to be playing though, I'll have to break in regardless of invites. Swooping in to listen to you from the rafters, and then swinging down on a rope to snatch that young damsel, carrying her off for some swashbuckling adventure!” you cry out, and with a thought, you turn your armor into something like what you were picturing, a Zorro outfit, complete with mask, cape, and a rope.

“Hehe, I'm sure that won't be necessary. Just ask Radiance when you're training tomorrow, and I'm sure he'll get you some tickets,” she said, and you laugh back at her as you change again, this time into something more befitting bed time. Another thought, and the dishes are cleaned of the refuse of your meal, and then the two of you take a moment to put them away again, before finally taking to bed.

“Oh, before I forget. Silver Hammer said that special order you asked for should be ready sometime tomorrow. He's going to need your help to finish it though,” she told you, and you smiled at her. She'd been a big help with talking with the Castle's Smith, at least without being seen doing it yourself. Still smiling, you lean over the bed and give the end of her muzzle a quick peck, before slipping under the covers. She blushes a bit at the feeling of your lips touching her nose, but then just smiles herself.

“Thank you. I'm sure we'll have some fun with that tomorrow, and I might have some showing off to do, so keep your eyes on the skies,” you tell her, and she looks at you with that gaze that just begs you not to do anything that will cause a disaster.

“Nothing that bad, Octavia, nothing bad at all if I can help it. This should be a good thing really,” you assure her, and she looks doubtful at you. You try to counter with your best disarming smile, and she relents, curling up under the covers, before raising her forehooves in front of her and clapping them together. The dull thunk of the hooves reverberates around the room, and with a windy, wisp sound the lanterns turn themselves off, casting the whole room into darkness.

With that, the two of you finally lay your heads on your pillows, and slowly you close your eyes. Outside the night sky drifts by, the lovely lattice work of Luna's influence crafting a quilt of stars that shone like jewels in a black sea. That image was the last thing you knew as you shut your eyes, listening to the deep breathing beside you, and drifted off to sleep.

Three Little Gifts

The Void trembles a little, and a distant voice seems to shout to you. Within the Void you can think nothing, but if you had, you would recognize it as Luna's cry of frustration, as she pounds against the walls of your mind. This continued circumstance, where your sleeping mind locks her out, is beginning to become a nightly ritual of the Moon Princess. Neither of you can explain the Void, you because you don't care to try, and her because she had never seen the like in a thousand years of dream drifting. Still, she tries, slamming her head again and again into the wall, until she feels it starting to fade, and then swiftly wings her way towards your chamber.

The first sight you see when your eyes shoot open is Luna's eyes, starting down into your soul. Those eyes, deep, limped pools of moonlight, spill over your mind. Senses and thoughts that began to expand are whipped away, curled back into themselves, and then sealed off. The pressure against them is lighter thought, than when it had first begun. A few stray threads of your mind are allowed through the barrier, to gently twist around the things about you, slowly growing used to touching that which, with a stray thought, you might undo.

“Good morning,” she says as she flaps her wings, flipping end over end, and then coming to a light stop on the carpeted floor of your room. Looking around, you find Octavia still asleep next to you, and smirk down at her as you rise from your bed, a quick thought enough to give you some clothing more than the boxers you wore to sleep. Nothing fancy, just a t-shirt and jeans, the shirt bearing Luna's cutie mark as a symbol on its chest as you got up and stretched.

“And to you as well. Are you up for the day, or are you off to bed?” you ask casually as you walk past her towards the table. A wave of your hand and suddenly there's two bowls of cereal, a few oranges, and some glasses of milk sitting at the places for both you and Octavia.

“No, I have other duties than bed today, so I must forsake the comfort of rest,” she says, and then motions with a wing. Where you power was without sound or sight, Luna's causes a small flash, and there's suddenly a pair of pastries on a plate in the center between the two seats. She then smirks at you, before taking off again, flying out the open outside door, which shuts gently behind her.

“-YAWN- You both can k-YAWN-iss my backside. Able to do that without slaving over a stove all morning,” says Octavia as she rouses herself. Chuckling, you decide to be nice, and wave your hand at her as well, causing her to go from mussy bed mane and tired, to ready to face the day pony in seconds.

“How about now?” you ask her, and she looks herself up and down before walking over, towards you, popping up on her hind legs and planting a kiss on your cheek.

“That you may do any morning,” she tells you as she takes her seat. Smiling, you join her, and the two of you have a quiet meal alone, enjoying each others company. When it's done, you do the cleanup, and then take her bowl and put it back into the cupboard, before offering to escort her to the door.

“Ah, so nice to have a gentlecolt in the house again. Vinyl never did the dishes back home,” she said, and you smile and nod, not commenting that she said that every morning as you and she walked outside, finding the Flux Guard standing at attention, waiting for you.

“By your command, Marquis,” said Spitfire, as she bowed, and the five of you walked through the halls of the palace. It seemed like hours later, but was really only a few minutes, before finally emerging in the castle's foyer. The place was, as always, filled with various press ponies, griffons, and others, all crowded around the big door to where Radiance would be finishing up with the Shining Court, before handing over the reigns to his mother.

“Should I feel slighted?” you ask as your group walks by the gathering, getting only a few snap shots taken of you as you make you way to the palace's main gate.

“Nah, they're probably discussing something major in Court today,” advises Soarin, and you shrug, figuring that you'd hear anything you needed to later. So it was that you led the group outside, finding a carriage waiting. Smiling, you turn to Octavia and hug her, before she climbs into the waiting vehicle that then goes off towards the city. Meanwhile, you cast your flight spell, and together with the Flux Guard, rise into the air.

“So, the field of battle today?” asked Spitfire, as she floated next to you. You nod, and then shoot off in that direction, the Guard following close, with Spitfire taking a lead position, while Soarin and Dash take up your rear. The four of you soar over the city of Canterlot, looking down at all the hustle and bustle of an active capital. Deals are being made, lives are being lived, all of it so bright and cheerful that it almost make you wish you could fly through the city streets for a better view. At least until you hit your first traffic jam, then your grateful to be sailing over it all.

After a few minutes of flight, your group makes it to the outside edge of the town, and a familiar looking lab. Oddly, rather than the crowd that was usually here in the morning, it was strangely empty, with only a few Guards, and their accompanying alicorns standing in the field. Obviously, they'd been waiting for you to arrive, and all look upwards towards you, as your flight lands just in front of them.

“Ah, hello Marquis. Does the dawn find you well?” asked Radiance.

“It does indeed. It seems to find this place empty though,” you note, looking around.

“Yes, yes it does. We were wondering about that, and just about to ask around if DawnChaser and his Apprentices were up to something, when Quicksilver found this note,” said DewPrism, levitating the piece of paper at you. The thing was in a flourishing style you recognized as belonging to Trixie, and had a lot of flowery language, including some words you didn't recognize at all. Luckily, there was a quick summation at the bottom in DawnChaser's more abrupt hoof writing that told you they'd all be at the Palace.

“Notice the part where it says you told them to meet you there. Are you keeping secrets from us?” asked DewPrism, a slight edge to her tone. Obviously none of them trusted things they didn't know about, and having heard some stories, you knew most of that mistrust was because DawnChaser, unattended, tended to result in massive loss of property, and a headache or two for the local rulers.

“Not really. Mind, he only knows because he wheedled it out of Glimmer Strike. I figured the Captain would have been immune to his efforts, but it seems I underestimated how much the Professor can annoy somepony who knows something he doesn't,” you tell her, crumbling up the note, and then tossing it over your shoulder, where you ignite it with a thought.

“Ah, so what does he know, that we don't then?” asked Quicksilver.

“Oh, nothing much. Just a special project I've had going on for a few weeks. Something back at the Castle obviously. Would you like to join me?” you asked, and the Alicorns, after looking over their guards, gather together for the return flight across town. Taking wing, you repeat the journey from earlier. You had of course, expected this, but you'd hoped to have some fun on the field first, and made a mental note to prank DawnChaser somehow, at the next available opportunity.

Soon, three alicorns, several guards, and one human land at the palace, just outside a door that led down into the depths. Around your group a few groundskeepers stand, most making their way subtly away from where you stood, either in reverence, or because of some smoke that was pouring out from every unsealed part of the door. You don't let it bother you, waving a hand and opening the door with a thought. It swung wide, billowing clouds of smoke filling your vision as you walked inside, hearing the clop of hooves on stone behind you.

“Silver Hammer?” you called out into the thick smog, holding your hand over your mouth and trying to strain your ears. You then hear a resounding metal crash that fills the air as much as the smoke. This is followed by another, and then the hissing sound of water on hot metal, as more smoke fills the room, or more accurately steam does.

“Silver Hammer!” you cry out again, and hear a few voices from inside the cloud, which DewPrism blows away with a single wing beat somehow, clearing the air and letting you see the quite crowded forge of Canterlot.

“Ah, Marquis, finally,” says the forgemaster, his eyes going towards the group around him, seemingly surprised at how close they had come as he holds out his hoof, pushing them all back towards a wall, and allowing you to get closer. In front of him are several blocks of clay, you recognize as crucibles. Into these he was slowly pouring bits of molten metal. It seemed a more exact process than one might have assumed, each cupful of the stuff measured to the drop, and divided among three separate blocks.

"Are those mine?" you ask as you approach, feeling a throbbing power within the stones.

"Aye. Some of the finest I have ever crafted too. I mean these to be even greater than the armor I made you. And they're just about done," he said, walking forward. He looked at the blocks, then back to the forge, pulling out another red hot cup of melted slag and gently pouring it ones more into the molds. The group around you watched, transfixed by the sight. The metal, after all, glowed purple rather than the more common red, speaking of the magic that was inherent in the metal's being.

"Prefect," he declared at last, setting the tongs and cup aside. He licked at his lips afterward, his mouth probably being quite dry from carrying the hot metal around with it. But he looked very pleased with himself as he stared at the blocks.

"Now for the most delicate part of this whole business," said the earth pony stallion as he walked over to the wall, drawing open a cabinet with his hoof, and then pulling forth a chisel and a hammer.

"The magic base is set. All it needs is shape to be given to it. If the Marquis would step forward," the last was directed at you, and you smirked as you did so, acutely aware of the many pairs of eyes on your back. Behind you stood DawnChaser and his Apprentices, as well as three Alicorns and their Guard. You wondered, idly, how much the purple unicorn had chosen to impart on his charges before coming, but dismissed the stray thought as you came up to the blocks, setting your hand against the clay, marveling at how cool it felt.

"Now, just like Celestia showed you. Imagine what you want, feel it in your mind, and let the magic do the hard part. Just let it flow," he told you, and you nodded. The reminder, a few months ago, would have drawn a glib word or some sarcastic remark from you, but the past few months had shown you how much you still had to learn. So you closer your eyes and focus. In your mind you see a star, a larger one than ever before, burning with enough power that it could level the mountains around Canterlot, and probably most of the countryside for leagues.

The star's might is such that you feel almost like a true god, but your thoughts turn to the matter at hand in a heartbeat, and you shape the magic. A large section of the star, more than half, begins to come loose from the center. The power sparks, and outside yourself, you know you are glowing with it. Inside you can almost feel the heat, which you slowly mold. Your energy resists at first, desiring not to be shaped and controlled, but to be unleashed in its wild form. it takes an effort of will to force that power down, to chain it to your will, but when it is done, you open your eyes, and look again upon the scene.

Your sight is different now. Instead of the forge, the ponies, and the blocks of clay you see glowing blobs of light. The brightest three, glowing like finely cut gems, are the three alicorns. Each with their own shade and hue. Glowing only a bit less brightly you can sense the metal inside the clay, the magic of it flowing almost like it were alive itself. The other ponies, each with a pattern to their light, rather than the single hue of the royals, stood around as well, but only one blob held your interest, as it walked over towards the clay blocks.

"Put the magic in the center of the runes as I strike down!" says the light, and you hope you nod in his direction as you draw your hands to your side, and then slowly, delicately, send out the threads of power from within you. Weaving through the air, the cords of energy snake towards the blocks, twisting and coiling their way up the sides, tracing the route of the runes, causing the blocks to begin glowing even to the more mundane creatures present. Some whistle at the fount of power flowing from within you, DawnChaser quickly whipping out a dozen books and writing things in them as the process continues.

"That's good, now hold it there!" shouts Silver Hammer, and you do your best to halt the rivers of light coming from within. It's hard, the power, not wanting to leave at first, now doesn't want to stop, but you will it to, holding the largest concentrations of your power in the spots you'd been told to over the past few weeks.

"One!" cries the smith, and his hammer and chisel come down. The strike is at once gentle and firm, the power you provided being redirected into the armor, and causing your brain to nearly crack in two. You shudder, your power trying it's best to rip away from you, to lash out at the one who had struck it, but you are able to master it once more after a heartbeat.

"Good, good. Now," the smith continues, trotting over towards the second clay block.

"TWO!" he shouts, and the force of his blow rips the air from your lungs in a wheeze, as you try to keep the power in the shape that is required. The alicorns, looking at one another, begin to prepare shield spells and defenses, just in case. Luckily, the precaution proved unnecessary, as you suck air in through your teeth, and force your power to remain in shape.

"hur....hurry!" you tell him, desperation leaking into your voice, as sweat leaks from your brow. The smith needs no more urging than that, and with a cry, he dives towards the last block, his hammer and chisel finding the spot to strike with an ease that surprised those watching. As the final blow was struck, the power is torn from you, not in anger or instinctive lashing out, but in triumph, as it floods into the blocks. The metal within now visible from the glow, and you fall over, your vision of the scene returning to normal just in time to find the three Flux Guard standing in front of you as the clay blocks blow apart.

Dust and debris fill the air, the pegasi covering their faces with their wings, as everyone else in the room turns away. The alicorns, luckily, still had their spells ready, and so the cloud of refuse doesn't travel far from the blocks, before being pushed out of a nearby door, so that not a single soul is touched by the stuff, and leaving the things that you and Silver Hammer had forged standing their on four legs.

"Behold, Jehuty, Anubis, and Vic Viper!" shouts the smith in elation at his creation. In the spot where the clay had been were now what appeared to be robots. One light black with white highlights, and blue lines going up and down its body, every seem and joint seemingly alight with power, while a pair of wings on its back glowed with the energy that slowly began to move it into the air. Beside it was it's opposite, a deep shade crimson with blood red lights running in its seems. Rather than glow with power, these seemed to suck in the light, and it sat heavier and larger than its siblings. Beside that one, the final armor was an altogether different animal. It looks white enough to be blinding, and no power lines moved through its joints. Still, a glance told you the thing was thrumming with speed, ready to bolt into the open blue at a moment's notice.

"The Armors of the Flux Guard," declared the smith, as Spitfire, Soarin, and Rainbow just stare at the three suits, transfixed by the power they were about to be granted.

Author's Notes:

With permission from the artist, some tasteful pictures of two of our new toys

Pony Jehuty
http://kioumaru.deviantart.com/art/Pony-Jehuty-2-0-450565524

Pony Anubis
http://kioumaru.deviantart.com/art/Pony-Anubis-450564426

These are used with permission of the artist

Sadly, no one's done a picture of Pony Vic Viper, but here's the regular one

http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20080319035333/zoe/images/b/b2/Vic_Viper.jpg

The Help Menu

"Hmm, quite the advanced skill," said Radiance after a while, walking up the armors and inspecting them. You got the impression that beams came from his eyes, going up and down the constructs, studying the inner workings of the magic. After a few up and downs though, he seemed to stare right at the gems in the front, the places were the cockpits on the armors would have been had they been normal giant fighting robots.

"These jewels, they're the focus of the magic, the linchpins so to speak," he said, not a question, just a statement of fact. Of course, had he asked you how the things had somehow taken the positions they were in, you wouldn't have been able to answer him. That was Silver Hammer's part of this, you'd just provided some rough designs for the armor, that he'd refined, and then given him the magic to work with. The Smith was the artisan here, you were just manual labor.

"An interesting design. Was this one not the armor you fought Discord in?" asked DewPrism as she approached and pointed a hoof at the Jehuty armor.

"Yeah, it was," you admit.

"Quite powerful then. Why not simply create three sets of that armor, rather than the three different ones?" she asked you, as her eyes did that scan thing, boring into the armors and leaning closer, her hoof hovering over the metal, without ever touching it.

"I kinda figured that that would be predictable. Besides, I wanted a challenge, something that would show how far along I was coming," you told him, feeling a bit proud of yourself, despite nearly passing out before. The armors really did look cool.

"I would assume the armors have the same source then?" he asked, and you nodded.

"Yep, Zone of Enders. Good games," you said, walking closer feeling the magic throbbing inside the suits, waiting to be released unto their bearers.

"Yeah, impressive. So, who gets which?" asked Dash, flying close beside you, staring at the Jehuty armor greedily. Obviously she'd been waiting for something like this, real armors like what the guards wore. Sure she liked the Wonderbolts suit she had on, but those armors could do some amazing things, and she was already amazing. So it would be like, awesomeness squared or something.

"Well, Ms. Dash, I had figured that you get Viper, Soarin gets Anubis, and Spitfire gets Jehuty," you told her simply, as you walk up to the armors yourself, and put your palm on them. The smooth surface of the Vic Viper feels warm at your touch, and you can actually sense the vibration from within. Just sitting there seems to be irritating the thing, it wanted to fly, much like the one it was made for. Reaching out, you put your other hand on the Anubis, the raw strength of it made it feel like even if you put all your power into it, you couldn't have moved the thing. Walking around it, running you fingers along the edge, you move to Jehuty, and your touch reveals something now, a malleability the others lack, almost like the thing could change itself into something entirely different in the blink of an eye.

"Okay..." said Dash, as she flew towards the third suit in line, and then just stood there, staring at it. Finally she tapped her hoof on the thing, getting a nice metallic ringing sound, but doing little else, while the other two walked up to their own suits, facing them in much the same way.

"How does this thing work?" asked Dash after a while, and you grinning mischievously as you walked over to join the three, looking the armors up and down, as if inspecting them. In reality, you knew how the things worked, but just wanted to get a good view of the things, before they were put on.

"Put your hoof here," you say at last, holding your hand out towards the jewel in the center of the chest. Dash, Soarin, and Spitfire copy your motion, each shivering a little as they come in contact with the gem, a thrill of magic energy shooting up their spines.

"Now, the others recite their oaths, the loyalty oaths they signed up with when joining their respective guards. I...couldn't think of one of those, so I just want you guys to say, 'It's Morphing Time,' and the armor should do the rest," you tell them, stepping back amid the ranks of the others watching. Looking over, you see Deasly has drawn pictures of all three suits in his book, while DawnChaser is surreptitiously holding several devices at his side, trying to keep them from being too obvious, while everypony else just stares at the three.

"Ready?" asked Spitfire, the other two beside her nodding, Soarin a bit cautiously, while Dash is her usual overeager self. All three set their hooves on the gems.

"It's Morphing Time!" shouted the three as one, and within a heartbeat, a glow came from the suits in front of them. The glow started as a soft light, like a candle's flame, flickering, but there. Slowly it built though, becoming first a fire, then an inferno, one that forced everypony in the smith's chamber to cover their eyes. Three sets never wavered, Radiance, Dew, and Silver all stared unblinking into the three stars, and with a bit of a twist of your power you joined them.

The suits undid joints, coming apart and opening up, revealing the hollow insides to the suits. The jewels, meanwhile, floated free of their mountings, coming to rest on each pony's breast, burying themselves in their chest fur, before bits of the now open suit joined them. First the hooves, the bottoms of each leg detaching, flying behind each hoof of their owner, before slipping on like silk, clamping shut without a sound. Next, the upper legs came undone, an audible click reaching your ears with each one pulling free, and then locking into place on the legs of their knights.

The rumps came off next, each one flipping end over end, and seeming to impact the three hard enough that you were surprised they could stand. Not a one faltered however, instead each standing firm in the face of the assault. The back and wings came next, the back coming off in three pieces, two sides and a top, that flew over and around, the sides clamping in place, forming the chest pieces as well as the flanks, before the top part settled gently between the wings. The wings themselves came on like gloves, pushing against the feathers, forcing them flat, but then letting them loose again as they hit home.

Finally came the helms, each sculpted with a different head, and all three faced their knights like judges, the eyes of red, blue, and green staring at Soarin, Spitfire, and Dash respectively, before they spun in place, the back of their heads coming open, and then moving slowly forward. Each engulfed the head of one pony, and you could hear the hum of the armor's power systems as each did a quick adjustment, finally complete and whole on each knight, before finally their light faded, only a few breaths passing the lips of any of the observers, who now stared at the Flux Guard in awe.

They looked...interesting. The other guards studied them with an eye towards their armors, while the three alicorns seemed more interested in the jewels on their chests. The others though just seemed awed, as the three floated there, just a little off the ground. Not one of their hooves was touching the stone beneath them, instead each having an inch or two of space as they bobbed in the air. Their faces, covered in metal, had glowing eyes, which hid where they were looking, until they turned towards each other, their gaze moving up and down their forms.

"This is so....AWESOME!" said Dash, floating a bit higher in the air. rather than flap her wings, however, the feathers' tips just seemed to glow brighter, allowing her to do an end over end flip. More, her voice, despite seeming like it should sound metallic or robotic, came out normal. She came down lightly, only disturbing the dust a bit, as she settled once more into her floating position.

"They are impressive su-huh?" said Spitfire, cutting herself off as she raised a hoof to her face.

"What is it?" asked Soarin, coming closer to her, as she eyed her hoof.

"I can see words, and there's a voice in my....I don't want self destruct, no. Why would I ever want that? Really? Hmm, well, keep it as a last resort then...yes, that help menu on," she said, waving her hoof in front of her, and poking it forward, as if she were pressing buttons only she could see, while talking to a voice only she could hear. The other two, looking at each other, turned towards you, and you smirked as you made a motion for them to raise their hooves like she had done. The two turned back towards each other, before doing as you instruct, each stopping mid-motion.

"Squad command, mute external speakers," said Spitfire, and before either of the other two could say anything, silence fell over the scene, as each began the process of going through their internal menus.

"What, may I ask, is happening?" said Silver, at last, as she came up beside you, and you chuckled.

"They've now met their assistant AI. ADA. Advanced Defense Algorithm. She monitors the suits internal systems, as well as provides combat assistance, suggesting strategies and such," you explain, as each one seems to be going through motions. Suddenly a glow comes over Spitfire's suit, and both the others stop as they turn to her, finding her suit now has a shield in front of it, hovering in front of her outstretched hoof. The shield, the Mummy system, glowed with the rest of the suit, and little sparkles seemed to go from it into her, making the lines of light on her suit glow brighter.

"That's the subweapon system. Spitfire's suit has a variety of them, allowing her to do things, from the defensive shield there, to various weapons, and even a teleportation system. Soarin's has a similar teleport system, but also," you gesture, and then are rewarded as Soarin's suit flashes, and now a scythe, almost twice his height, with a blade as long as he is, comes to float in front of him.

"The Anubis Blade Scythe. Made of the same Metatron material as the suit, it gets harder, sharper, and all around better as the suit pumps more energy into it. Better, it's mag locked to the suit, meaning that Soarin can control it basically with his thoughts," you explain, as Soarin's hoof moves a little, the scythe following it for a moment, and then spinning in place, creating a nice breeze in front of him for a moment, before he puts it away, the thing seeming to just fade out of existence as he resumes his menu diving.

"Finally, Dash's suit has a speed form transformation, that should make her even faster than the other two, but she also has a variety of helpers she can summon. Options, Bits, and Funnels," Dash isn't being helpful in summoning her weapons, but you can do it yourself, snapping your finger and causing an example of each to appear in the air in front of you.

"The Option is a forward facing weapon. It will fire in the direction Dash is facing, and has as much power as her personal weapon system" you explain, pointing towards a floating rectangle. The thing looks flat on all but one face, with two prongs sticking out of it, a yellow glow suffusing the thing, making it look like a tiny sun.

"The Bits are a bit less powerful, but add a bit of versatility to them. Like the options, they'll float around Dash, but where the options float in a circle vertically, the Bits do it in a ring horizontally, and can hit targets on all sides of her," the second type are small round spheres, but like the Options, a small point mars the otherwise flat surface, giving them an almost turnip shape.

"Last, but certainly not least, are the Funnels. These are completely independent drones, able to fly away from Dash, going in all directions, and able to provide her with fire support whenever she needs them," you point towards something that looks like a flat propeller at first, but then the ends fold inward, leaving a small space between the edges, with tiny bolts of yellow lightning playing between the two haves, crackling with power.

"Hmm, how many of each can she make?" asked DewPrism, poking at the ones you made, causing them to pop like soap bubbles into tiny drops of light, that faded into nothing.

"I don't actually know. ADA would keep her from making more than she could control," you explain, as Dash apparently finds the options in her menu, selecting the bits first in a ring of six that float around her for a moment, before vanishing. This leaves everypony in silence for a while, as the three finish up their preparations, and then turn to you.

"Awaiting your command, Marquis," says Spitfire at last, and you get a big grin on your face, as you gesture to the still open door to the garden outside.

"Then who's up for a little race. I want to see how fast you are in those things," you tell them, everypony joining you as you walk out into the light. Oddly, you note that the three are still floating, even as they walk, their hooves never touching the ground, yet somehow they still find traction, moving normally. You wonder if ADA is assisting with that, but shake it out of your head as you breath fresh air, and stare into the open sky again.

Testing of the Guard

The sun was nearly blinding as you step outside again, but you ignore it as you are just glad to be out of the oppressive forge again. That place may have been home for Silver Hammer, but you personally found the heat, the closed in space, and just the whole atmosphere to be claustrophobic. You preferred the open air above you, a nice bright sun in the sky, and most importantly, no smoke or steam to make your eyes water as you tried to blink them away.

“So, who wants to see if they can keep up with the Dash in her new Vic Viper?” asked Rainbow as she came to a halt on the castle lawn. The other guards smirked at her expressionless metal face as they flared their wings, only for Radiance to hold out his hoof, causing them all to return to a rest position.

“Instead of that, let's just see what those new armors can do first. Why don't you try to fly to....that mountain over there, and back?” suggested the tall, white alicorn, pointing with his hoof towards a mountain just this side of Ponyville. The other guards, looking at his choice, nodded, while the other two royals just stood there passively. You could sense Quicksilver's and Pyro's surface though. Those two apparently wanted to fly as well, against your guards, and for some reason, that made you proud.

“So, just a quick hop and flight? Sounds good to me,” admitted Spitfire, and she motioned for the other two to come around her. Both hopped to immediately, Dash on her left, Soarin on her right. The three pegasi then crouched down, and you watched in awe as their suits began to flare a little. The lines of energy in their armor began to glow a little brighter, while their wingtips began to shine like small stars in the daylight.

As they gathered the energy for the flight, one could actually start to feel the magic in the air. Small lines of light began to be drawn towards the tips of those wings, creating an interesting visual effect. What's more, it caused the others gathered to look around nervously, some of the unicorns in DawnChaser's group projecting a small shield in front of them to protect them and their friends from the anticipated blast of air that would come from the moment of launch.

And then they were gone. One second the Flux Guard stood tall and proud in their armor, shimmering with power, and then the next second they just seemed to vanish, which made everyone, even the royals gasp a little, as their eyes began to scan the horizon for them. It was Quicksilver who spotted them first, the three little dots of light making circles around the mountain in the distance, not once, but a dozen times over, before they shot off again, sailing like shooting stars into the distance.

“Odd, I would have expected a sonic boom to be heard when one moved that fast,” commented DewPrism as she stared out after the three, who vanished soon afterward.

“They're doing what, twenty times the speed of sound?” estimated Radiance, and Quicksilver at his side nodded.

“Twenty two and a half, actually. Almost as fast as my own limit,” admitted the Alicorn of Motion, making your pride swell even more, before they turned to face you.

“I have to use a momentum canceler spell to keep myself from making blasts of air that would shatter every window in the city when I move at that speed, I assume there's something similar built into their armor,” said Quicksilver, a statement of fact, rather than a question.

“It's called a G-diffuser system. It compensates for the stress you put on the Frame, and allows it to move at speeds it's design really shouldn't allow, aerodynamically speaking. It has the added benefit of preventing pesky explosions of air force when you move around at hyper-sonic speeds,” you explained, and then point to the opposite horizon from which the trio vanished, their shooting stars again visible now.

They came up to Canterlot peak, swirling around the mountainside and causing the clouds to follow in their wake before they shot straight up into the sky, looking like they would try to touch the sun itself, before, in perfect unison, they came down. Each landed with a dull thud, Spitfire in the middle again, though the other two flipped positions relative to you, as they landed facing your small group, instead of facing towards the mountain in the distance.

“Around the world in Eighty Seconds Flat,” declared Dash, and you could just hear the smug in her voice, as she flexed her wings to show them off to the crowd.

“Not quite. You merely got to the horizon and flew around to the opposite side of our viewpoint,” declared DewPrism as she walked forward, smirking at Dash, who's wings drooped a little, before she stood tall and proud again, as the alicorn made a show of going over the suit with her hoof, poking and prodding at the individual plates, and then tugging a little at the wingtips. Oddly, she seemed to bring her hoof to her mouth after the latter, and lick it, like she was tasting the power of the armor, before turning to her sibling again.

“Still, an impressive display nonetheless. Your suits are fast, as well as agile, given the maneuvers you were pulling off,” added Quicksilver as she rounded on them.

“Some of the credit does have to go with the pilots. Their skills are what allowed them to use these tools to their fullest potential,” you told them, and that seemed to swell the three pegasi's pride right up, as they stood tall and proud.

“Ah, yeah, we are the best,” said Dash proudly, as the three Alicorns gathered together again, and DawnChaser was finally allowed to approach the suits. The purple unicorn made a rather large show of running a small light from his horn over the suits, obviously a scanning spell of some sort, while shouting numbers and equations to his apprentices, each taking a note or two in their own wa. That was probably them dividing the study workload, each doing as their skills were want.

“The finest armors I have ever had come from my forge. Truly things of beauty,” said Silver Hammer, and you nod, waiting for both the Professor and the Alicorns to finish whatever it is their doing. Finally, after almost ten minutes, the two groups seeme to be done, and the three Alicorns walk to stand beside you, facing towards your Guard, who stand ready for any command you might give.

“The armors are obviously quite fast, more so than any of our own Guards, and that’s not even including the power of the pilots themselves. Still, they need more than speed to be proper Guards for one such as you,” said Radiance, and with a flick of a hoof, his three guards stood in front of him.

“My Radiant Guard would test your Flux, and see which is the superior breed,” he told you, and you look at him out of the corner of your eye. His white coat shone against the sun in the sky, making it seem like he was sparkling, while his mane and armor both had a subtle, golden aura to them, making him appear like some kind of god, ordering holy knights into battle.

“Sounds interesting, but I say we up the challenge factor,” you tell him, and then lightly step off the ground so you are hovering, before floating towards your Guard. A snap of your fingers, and you create a small dome around you that hides not only your forms, but also all the noise from your mouth.

“I don’t want to push you too hard, considering your armors are brand new, but I know you’ve seen how the Guards fight before. Given that, I think you’d have the advantage in a battle against them. So, would you three be up for a brawl with all their Guards?” you ask them, and they look to be considering this for a moment, before turning towards each other. You could, if you wanted, easily hear what they said over their comm systems, but you decide to wait it out, and let them come to whatever conclusion their own hearts desire.

“Given how well we performed against the Marque previously, we feel it would only be fair to give them such an advantage of numbers” said Spitfire proudly after they finally came to their decision.

“Yeah, we’ll try not to take them down too hard,” added Dash with a chuckle, and probably a smirk under her helmet. You gave the same back, but then tried to put on your serious face as you let the privacy barrier drop away, finding that DawnChaser had some little scanner thing pressed up against it, one he quickly tried to hide away, as he rejoined the group watching.

“My Guard believes themselves up to the challenge, Prince Radiance. However, further difficulty is desired. If your sisters would be so kind, they would like to add to the fray DewPrism’s Chameleon Guard and Quicksilver’s Silver Sentinel. Though only if they feel up to it,” you tell them, and the two female Alicorns turn towards each other, then nod, motioning with their hooves. Almost without seeming to move, the requested Guards appear, the Silver moving so fast that she was hard to see, and the Chameleons seeming to fade in and out of sight when they did so, only two visible as they stood before their Ladies.

“Is this to be a battle royale? Winner take all sort of affair?” asked DewPrism, and you look to consider it for a moment, before shaking your head.

“No, I believe my Guards are confident in their abilities, and given their powers, it might be best to see how they do individually before they try to work in tandem. Silver for Soarin, Chameleon for Spitfire, and Radiant for Rainbow, how’s that sound?” you offer, and the Guards quickly jockey for positions, facing off against each other, with rather unponylike smiles on the faces of the Radiant Guards, who seem to be spoiling for a fight. You can feel similar emotions in the Chameleon Guards, but oddly, the Silver Sentinel is an emotional blank, as he stands in front of Soarin, towering over the pegasus.

“Ah, excellent. Should we retire to my lab outside of town for some room to maneuver then?” offered DawnChaser, but the Guards shake their heads, and then point up with their hooves.

“Plenty of room in the sky, Professor. Just keep your eyes on the birdies,” quipped one of the Radiant, before he and the three others took off into the sky, wings of light forming on their backs to propel them upwards.

The Chameleons, whatever sort of pony they were under their armors, seemed to need a bit more of a boost, and rather than flying straight upwards, ran for a set of trees, shifting in and out of visibility as they moved. Reaching the garden, and they leapt between trunks until they were higher than the branches. Somehow they proceeded to walk on the air, not fly but just walk, until they were standing beside the Radiant.

Silver, the giant stallion’s smooth back rippling, stood there for a moment, before large metallic wings seemed to flow out of the armor. Unlike normal pegasus wings, these had no feathers at all, and and looked like they would be useless for flight. The pony proved their worth, however, as he flapped them only once, and joined the others in the air, where they were now getting a lot of attention, as you could see and feel eyes on them, while your own Guards joined them, flying before their foes, all of them looking ready for a throw down.

“Alright, rules are simple. When you touch the ground, you lose, regardless of if you can take back off. Any tactic is allowed, but we would, of course, request that you keep injuries to a minimum,” said DewPrism, as she cast a spell to make her voice sound like it was coming out of the air next to your ear. DawnChaser went up to where she was an whispered something into her ear.

“The good Professor requests you maintain a line of sight with Canterlot itself, specifically this garden, and I find myself wishing much the same,” she said, and one of her guardponys looked towards Spitfire, and then back to his leader.

“Does that mean you want us to remain visible as well?” asked the stallion in the ever shifting armor of the Chameleon guard.

“No, we want this to be a true test of your abilities, so we aren’t going to restrict tactics or weapons, though again, try not to hurt each other too bad. Without Cadence’s healing magic, it could take time to fix you up,” she admonished, and her guards got back into position. Or maybe they didn’t, even with your extra senses, it was kind of hard to tell.

“Does everypony agree to these rules?” asked DewPrism, and got a series of nods from the guards floating above.

“Good, then you may begin,” she said simply, and everything above the Royal Gardens exploded into a cacophony of colors and sound, as six powers clashed in the air, dancing and weaving amongst explosions.