An exploration group in the far reaches of Northern Equestria comes upon a cave long forgotten. During their dig they find something in the ice, something alien and strange. Their actions cause the cave to collapse and the being inside is released.
Will this alien creature be friend? or Foe? And what happened in the past with the Royal Sisters that makes them anxious about this creature?
“Come on put your back into it!” A voice shouted, echoing through the icy cavern. The sound of picks hitting ice ringing through the area forced many of the ponies to wear ear muffs to suppress the loud noise that was sensitive to their ears. It was a mix of earth, pegasi and unicorns working together in the long forgotten cave in the far northern reaches of Equestria. An area past the Crystal Empire.
“Fy ekfactly are fe ‘ere again?” A dark grey Earth pony by the name of Ice Cracker called out. In his mouth was a pick, that he quickly spit out. With a groan he fell to his haunches, sighing in relief as he worked his jaw before turning his head to the left to reach into his saddle bag. Tugging, he pulled out a flask and opened it up, taking a long, thirsty drink of the cool water within, made even more so by the sub zero temperatures inside the cave.
Another pony trotted up to him, his body adorned with a thick, wool coat to fight back the cold, a pair of glasses sat on his muzzle as he looked around. “This is a long forgotten cave of times before Princess Luna became Nightmare Moon. Who know’s what it may hold, my young stallion!” He jumped slightly and let out a soft laugh. “No mention of this place on any maps or documents, no hints of discovery. Just think.” The pegasus speaking was named Snow Cap. It was relatively easy to assume why. His white fur was topped with a soft blue mane and tail. His cutie mark was covered by the coat, unable to be seen at the moment.
“I studied various geographical locations most of my life. I’ve never once seen this place in all those years. I know here has to be so-”
He was cut off by a shout. “I FOUND SOMETHING!”
Without hesitation he scrambled over, his hooves sliding across the icy ground slightly as he came up to the fellow pegasus beside him. “What is it lad!” He looked up at the wall of ice.
A vague shape could be seen, an odd shape at that. “What in Celestia’s name.” He muttered as he moved forward. His hoof made a soft click noise as he placed it upon the ice. Leaning close he squinted a bit, trying to make out the shape. “This could be something prehistoric. Something extinct even!” He jumped into the air in glee. “Did I… er.. we… just discover a long lost creature of this planet?” He licked his dry lips, steam coming from his nostrils as he snorted.
Thu-
"So Cold…."
-thump, Thu-
"Why is everything so cold?"
The stallion backed up a bit as the ice seemed to vibrate slightly. “What was that?” The pegasus beside him asked. Snow Cap chewed on his tongue in thought before shaking his head. “Possibly just a mild tremor, nothing I feel should be troubling.” He put on a smile and hummed to himself. Oh he could see it now. Awards, fame, fortune! His family would be so proud of him for this!
Thu-thump
The ice shivered again before cracking. The sound caused the ponies to jump and move away quickly. The cave began to tremble, splits appearing along the ceiling. “No no!” Snow Cap yelled. “Tartarus! Everypony run!”
The shout was not a moment too soon as a chunk of ice fell from the ceiling, crashing on the ground with an ear splitting crack. The ponies within began to run for their lives as more and more of the cave system began to crumble. The crack before the creature began to split more and more, spreading ever further outward, away from it.
The spreading cracks, soon ceased their motions. But the falling ice continued, opening a few hidden tunnels and gaps as the area shifted and changed. For the most part, the company of exploring ponies had made it out relatively unscathed. Though a few, were not so lucky. Blood pooled around a massive chunk of ice and spread out from where one had been crushed by the falling frozen water. Ice Cracker had been trapped inside the cave. His attempts to dodge and weave the falling chunks had put him far behind the rest.
The original entrance had been caved in, leaving Snow Cap and the remaining exploratory team panting as the stood outside the entrance. After taking a few minutes to catch his breath Snow Cap stomped his hoof into the snow covered ground, kicking up a flurry that was quickly whisked away by the harsh, bitter wind. “BLAST!” He fell to his haunches with sigh, his head hanging.
Ice Cracker pounded on the wall, shouting for help. He only stopped when he heard the shattering of the wall behind him. By now the area was thick with a fog of sorts. The dust from the shattered ice was to blame for this. Looking back he panted heavily, eyes flicking back and forth across the area as he heard something moving.
“H-Hello?” He asked, his voice trembling.
The panting continued, only he realized after a moment, that it wasn’t his now. A shape moved about in the ice fog, unbalanced, but tall. The figure dropped to a lower position before throwing it’s head back.
GGGYYAAAHHHHHHHHH!!
The ear splitting noise caused Ice Cracker to slam his to his skull, his body pressed tight to the ice wall behind him. The scream of pain echoed throughout the cavern and managed to reach Snow Cap.
“W-what was that?” He shifted from hoof to hoof. He was nervous, and he’d admit it freely, a bit scared. Glancing around he saw the rest of his fellow ponies staring at the mountain themselves. That’s when he noticed Ice Cracker wasn’t there.
“We need to get back in there, Ice Cracker must still be inside!”
“But sir,” a Earth pony said beside him. Snow Cap knew the stallion, but couldn’t remember his name at the moment. “Are you sure it’s safe to go back in there? Whatever made that scream sounded… awfully mad.”
Snow shook his head slightly and moved forward. “Come on we have to find him. No Stallion or Mare left behind!” He began to move smaller ice chunks out of the way as others began to move forward with picks and magic to move the bigger debris or split it into smaller chunks.
Ice Cracker was shivering as he heard the beast continue to move about. It was getting closer, appearing to almost crawl across the ground.
shhhh-thunk shhhhh-thunk shhhh-thunk
He closed his eyes as it got closer to him, trying to become one with the wall behind him. He was terrified, a small puddle of rapidly cooling urine appearing beneath him as he felt hot breath against his face. Whatever it was, it was almost struggling to breath. That’s when he felt something against his face, something he couldn’t describe. It ran from just above his eyebrow, over the eyelid and down across his jaw line. The pressure was light, but it was there. And then it was gone.
Once more that hot breath blasted his face. He wanted to open his eyes, wanted to face his death like a stallion, but he was so scared.
“Oh please Celestia! Let me live through this! I promise, I will be a better husband, a better lover, I will be a better EVERYTHING if you let me live!” He thought to himself, trembling as he did.
Shhh-thunk… shhhhh-thunk
Shhhh-thunk
shhh-thunk…
Then, just as quickly as it had come towards him, it faded off into the distance. Still shivering he opened his eyes and looked around. The ice fog had settled by then, and the area was empty save for the fallen chunks. Panting he pushed off the wall and stood on shakey hooves, his whole body trembling.
“Oh thank you Celestia! Thank you!” He laughed, a bit manically at this. He was alive! He was ALIVE!
The ice cracked behind him and he turned as he heard voices. His laughter didn’t die down though as the area was opened up once more. And upon seeing Snow Cap he latched onto his foreleg, holding tight while shivering and cackling.
All Snow Cap could get out of the Stallion was laughter and something about a monster. A pair of ponies dragged the traumatized Ice Cracker out of the area while he walked over to the hole in the ice wall where the creature had once been.
Within Canterlot castle, Celestia approved, or denied paperwork before her. The normal day court had already been taken care of. The multitude of ponies asking for more land, more funding, etcetera, had already come and gone.
She sipped at some coffee at her side, her horn channeling her inner energy to lift it. Some of the more ignorant of creatures called it magic. They weren’t entirely wrong of course. It could be called that if they wish. But the fact of the matter was, is that it was properly known as Qi. While this energy flowed throughout the world, it could not physically be harnessed outside of one’s own body. This in turn limited any unicorn, or even Alicorn, to the amount of magic they could summon up within their own body.
Alicorns of course had a massive reserve of said energy within their own body and could focus it into many things. Focusing on a simple levitation spell as it was called used so very little it was no more than a tickle to even the weakest of Unicorns. But one such as raising the sun, or lowering the moon such as she and her sister Luna did, would out right drain the life force from a unicorn.
Ultimately it didn’t matter if they believed it to be magic or Qi. What mattered is that any pony or creature capable of using it needed to be properly trained and know their limits. Though with training, they could easily increase the amount that built up inside their bodies.
Setting her cup off to the side she went back to her papers, frowning ever so slightly. A request for more funds for an orphanage. It was one that had asked for more funds a little over a month ago. She had approved it then but, now she was getting concerned. Rather than Deny or Approve it, she set it off to the side in a pile that would require some investigation to make sure it was legitimate among other funding requests that appeared suspicious.
As she focused her energy to pick up the coffee again it vibrated slightly, causing her to jerk her head back before leaning forward and watching. The tremor only grew in intensity before her head began to pound forcing her ears to pin back to her head while she ground her teeth together to fight the pain.
It reached a peak, almost causing her to cry out before it started to die off. Although her head still felt as if somepony was taking a chisel to her skull, at least she could think now.
“What in Tartarus was that?” She said, looking out of one of the near by, large windows. Her ethereal mane and tail wavered slightly as she tilted her head to the side. A moment later she felt the displacement of air and a soft *pop* was heard off to her left. Turning her head she looked over.
“Sister did you feel that?” Luna asked, panting slightly.
Celestia was quiet for a moment before glancing back at her. “Yes… I did Luna.” Then she bit her lip slightly for she asked a question that both sisters hoped was true, but they were also afraid of. “Do you think…?”
Luna shook her head, giving her no answer as she had none at the moment. They both walked to the balcony and sat down, staring out across the open landscape of their kingdom. All either of them could do at this point, was hope.
Wulo grunted as he adjusted his grip on the sack he was carrying between his claws. The griff lived at the base of the Crystal Mountains. He preferred it really. While it was bitter and cold, it was quiet and on occasion he’d help guide those wishing to visit the mountain and climb it.
He’d just returned from a trip to Manehattan to gather supplies for the next few months. This winter was to be the worse that has been seen in a couple of decades. The sack of magically preserved meats would last him long enough as he beat his powerful wings, cutting through the mild wind.
His home came into view a moment later. A large, heavy lantern sat atop it, lit brightly in the darkening sky as the princesses’ began to lower the sun, and raise the moon. The lantern was placed there by a unicorn a few years back. The magic placed upon it allowed the light to cut through even the harshest of blizzards to light his way back to his home if he was caught. While he knew the way to his small cabin he sometimes needed the help. It also doubled as a way for any stranded or lost travelers to find shelter, which he always willingly gave as he couldn’t fathom allowing one to freeze to death in this unforgiving part of Equestria.
As he landed he looked towards the door, surprised to see it was open. Had a traveler come by? He wouldn’t be surprised. It hadn’t been the first time it had happened.
Cautiously he made his way to the door and peeked his head in, glancing around slowly with a frown on his face. He could hear something in his kitchen. Wet slurping noises and growling floated through the air. Wulo gently laid the sack of food on the floor, taking care to make sure it didn’t bump the end table to the left of the door.
With hesitant steps he crept forward until he reached his fire place and grabbed one of the pokers, gripping it in his beak for the moment. He had to be mindful of the couch and desk as he made his way between them. After navigating the area he went into his kitchen which was a few feet away from the couch, and if you were standing at the door, a little to the left, leaving the interior of the kitchen just out of view.
Peeking his head around the corner he gripped the poker in his claws, grimacing as he watched the shadowed figure shudder and growl again. He just needed to get a bit closer, almost there.
Then he froze as his wing bumped a chair near the table. The lamp he usually used to light the kitchen was currently out, but he could see his invader freeze in its motions. “H-hey… who are you? What’re you doing in my home?” Wulo said with less conviction in his voice than he had hoped.
For a moment the… thing, whatever it was. Didn’t move, but just as Wulo shifted his weight to his left to start moving in that direction something came his way. His eyes closed as he suddenly felt something against his face. He couldn’t mistake the tickle of the feathers. But these seemed dirty, un-preened and rough! Then he felt something hit the side of his face. It wasn’t hard, but it wasn’t soft either, and it seemed to be flat.
His head spun as he was lifted off the ground by the hit, momentum carrying his body for a few feet before he landed with a thud and slid into one of the cabinets. A moment later he felt his breath leave him as he was hit in the gut.
“Huuughhhh!” He gasped for air, his vision starry and blurred.
As he tried to catch his breath, he heard movement. His invader turned assailant rushed toward the door with unsteady, shaky movements until the door was flung open and then, oddly enough, closed.
Wulo laid on the ground for nearly 20 minutes, listening to the sounds around him. His stomach hurt, as did the side of his face and beak. He’d finally managed to catch his breath when he sat up. No other sounds came from the cabin. So he got to his feet unsteadily and made his way to the lamp, lighting it with a quick click of flint and steel.
Slowly he turned, observing his kitchen. The refrigerator which held his food had been opened, the door nearly torn off its hinges. The meat he kept thawed but cooled so as to avoid food poisoning, was laying across the ground, mostly eaten with blood smeared across the ground.
There were prints on the ground from the home invader and he looked at them. They were hard to make out, the motions from earlier having smudged them though it appeared to be two different types of shapes.
The first was sort of circular, not symmetric but close enough, almost like a hoof but not quite. The other shape was around a foot and a half behind it, give or take. It appeared to be wider than the circle but more oval. As far as that though, he couldn’t tell if it had been a pony, another griffon, or even a young, scared dragon. Sighing he began to clean up, his thoughts wandering to the touch on his face before the hit. Feathers…. the only creatures he knew who had feathers were pegasi and griffin. Pegasi didn’t eat meat. So that ruled that out, but from the brief look he had gotten of it. It didn’t appear to be another griff either, so what the heck was it?
The explorers that had gone to the Crystal mountains had returned, with a young stallion that had apparently been reduced to a babbling mess. Both Celestia and Luna gone down to try and talk to the stallion at the Canterlot hospital.
What they had gotten was a pony who could do little more than dart his eyes around, jerking away from any shadows that moved, shoved away the nurses who tried to help and screamed at the top of his lungs in fear of the creature as he called it.
Those actions alone concerned the sisters. And caused Celestia to focus her energy to enter the mind of the mentally distraught stallion, Ice Breaker.
She had to first shove aside the past, his childhood, years at school, marriage and apparent adultery. That alone caused Celestia to blanch slightly and sigh. She never understood why spouses would do that to each other. But that was not her concern right now.
After thirty minutes she came to the memory she wanted to view, and watched what happened.
Luna quietly paced behind her sister, avoiding the billowing tail as best she could so as not to break her concentration. Poor Ice Breaker was standing still as a statue, a look of terror on his face. She’d never seen a pony with such a fearful gaze. When her sister finally came out of her trance she watched her turn.
“Well?” She asked, her hooves tapping lightly in agitation and anxiety.
Celestia nodded to her to confirm her thoughts. “So it’s-”
Celestia cut her off with a motion of her hoof. What she saw, gave her hope, and happiness. But it also gave her a bit of fear. She knew that eventually that cave system would be found, she had just hoped that it would be much longer.
“What is it sister?” Luna asked, concern in her voice.
She was quiet for a moment before letting out a soft sigh, sitting back on her haunches and looking at her. “The taint is still there. I could not only see it, but even in a memory I could feel it.” Luna looked down, ears plastered to her head with a sigh.
“So then-” Celestia stopped her with a hoof on her shoulder before smiling.
“But-” she withdrew her hoof, “-there is another side, that is keeping that taint in check and slowly taking it over if not reforming it so to speak.” She saw the hope in her eyes and smiled. “I think it may have worked. But only time will tell, my dear Luna. For now, we need to send a letter to Princess Twilight and her friends. I want them to go to the Crystal Empire, and then towards the Crystal Mountains.”
With a slow nod, Luna glanced at her with a small smile. “I believe it worked.”
So much hope, so much need. It caused Celestia to wrap her hooves around her sister and nuzzle her cheek to her own. “I as well my dear sister. But-” She let go of her and turned, “-let’s get the Element Bearers on their way first. And, if you can, get this stallion the best help he can get. There was no magical, or physical damage done to him. He is merely in a deep state of shock from seeing something he has never seen before in such a… gruesome visage.”
She focused, closing her eyes and picturing her study in her mind. Her energy channeled to her horn. With slow, deep breaths she calmed her body. With a soft pop and gentle sound of air rushing in to take the void she had left, she teleported to her study.
Turning she made her way to her desk, and wrote out a letter to her former student. The problem was, she didn’t know what to write. Eventually she opted to be as vague as possible with the task. Still easier said than done but twenty minutes later it was accomplished as she rolled the parchment up and sent it off to Spike. She just hoped that Twilight would be able to handle it.
“No no no!” Twilight said with despair as she kept looking over the books as she pulled them out, only to immediately toss them over her shoulder with a flick of her head. “Where is it!”
Spike rubbed his head with a soft groan as another book she had tossed conked him in the head. “Hey, watch it Twilight! What’re you looking for anyways?” He wasn’t pleased with the lack of care with which the books were currently being handled, but he also knew that when Twilight got like his, there was very little he could do to stop her, save for hitting her over the head with something solid to get her to snap out of it.
“There’s a movement of constellations tonight! Princess Luna only does it once every ten years!” She hopped in place as she said this, the anxiety and desperation on her face making Spike cringe.
He decided the best thing to do to calm her down would be to help her. But just as he got up he felt a pressure in his head and reached up to place a clawed hand to his temple.
“Hurrk!” With that a blast of green flame erupted from his mouth and a scroll appeared in before them both. “Huh… a letter from the Princess.” He said as he grabbed it out of the air and opened it up. “Dear Twilight, I have need of your assistance once more. Past the Crystal Empire, within the Crystal mountains some explorers had found quite the discovery. I would ask of you to please head in that direction at your earliest convenience. What lies there could be incredibly important, but also dangerous. Please be careful on this trip and report to me your findings. Your’s truely, Princess Celestia. Huh, well, what do you think, Twilight?” He asked after reading the scroll.
“Uh… Twilight?” He glanced around, looking for her. He jumped slightly when he heard stumbling above him and glanced up, then to the stairs as a loud omph came from them, followed shortly by a saddle bag and then one Princess Twilight Sparkle, who seemed incapable of getting her hooves under her let alone keep her wings from unbalancing her.
Eventually she did make it down with some choice curses that Spike barely registered as he tried to contain his amusement.
“Let the Princess know that I will gladly accept. I can’t possibly turn down the chance to discover something new!” She squee’d before tossing the saddle bag onto her back, adjusting it so her wings would be comfortable.
“Will do, and uh, you know Twilight you’re going to have to eventually learn how to control those things right?” Spike inquired with a perked eye ridge.
Twilight rolled her eyes and snorted. “I’ll learn… eventually.” She scuffed her hoof on the ground as she said this, eyes cast to the ground while a pink tint coated her muzzle and cheeks. Rainbow Dash had been trying to teach her how to fly, but it was difficult. Learning how to control a new set of limbs wasn’t as easy as one made out, and Dashie was starting to get agitated as it seemed Twilight wasn’t making it easy.
Clearing her throat she threw her head up. “Well, I’m off, Spike, keep an eye on the library while I’m away. Also Fluttershy will be going with us so please watch her animals while you’re gone, and don’t get into any trouble, understood.” It wasn’t a question, it was a statement punctuated by a hoof poking Spike’s chest gently. He reached up to rub the spot and nodded. “I got it Twilight don’t worry.”
Satisfied, she nodded and trotted out the door, using her magic to open, and close it behind her. Now she just needed to gather the girls.
The first pony she approached was Rarity. As she approached her friends home she heard a loud bang and something crashing to the ground. Confused, Twilight hesitated at the door before lifting her hoof to knock on it. She jerked away when it was flung open and out rushed Sweetie Belle, bolting down the street with a loud squeal and giggle as Rarity came to the door, a frown on her face.
“Honestly Sweetie Belle!” She shouted after her retreating sister.
Twilight couldn’t help but lift a hoof to her muzzle and laugh. “W-well, Rarity, seems you’ve been busy.” She said with a bright smile.
Rarity backed away from the door with a grumble as Twilight moved into the Carousel Boutique and sat down in the show room, her head moving this way and that to see some of the new fashions that were being made.
“Hello darling what brings you here this day?” She said, humming to herself as she sat across from Twilight.
Twilight was brought from her thoughts at the question and glanced over at Rarity. This trip would take a few days, hopefully she could come with her. “Well,” she said. “I received a letter from Princess Celestia a short while ago. She requested that we head up towards the Crystal Mountains to check out a dig site.”
Rarity tilted her head to the side. “Oh my, I don’t know. I have an awful lot to do.”
Twilight hesitated, “We shouldn’t be too long Rarity. Besides the Princess asked us to do this.”
For a moment Rarity looked down in thought, her tail swaying back and forth, one of her forehooves scuffing the ground. Eventually she sighed and nodded her head. “On one condition though!” She stated, sitting a bit straighter now.
“If we are going up to those chilly mountains I MUST make a coat for everypony to keep us warm! It will take at least a day to make sure everypony’s sizes are correct. I refuse to go that far north without something to stay warm.” Her hoof lightly stomped on the floor to emphesize her point.
Twilight knew it was pointless to argue. So instead she nodded and lifted herself into a standing position. “No problem Rarity, I’ll let the rest of the girls know so they can get ready, then we’ll come by tomorrow to pick them up.”
Nodding, Rarity stood as well and walked Twilight to the door, letting her out before stating she was going to get right to work. Well, at least she didn’t ask for a lot to be convinced.
Next up was the sugar fiend of the group, Pinkie Pie. Twilight had a feeling that it would be relatively easy to get her to join up. And as she walked into Sugarcube Corner she sniffed the air, catching the scent of fresh baked pastries and cakes.
If anything Pinkie Pie was a master culinist. It was extremely rare that she ever made anything Twilight or the others would turn away.
“Pinkie!” Twilight called out, ears twitching and listening for her friend. But she got no response. That was strange, usually she would answer right away to her name. “Pinkie are you there?”
Again, nothing. Perhaps she was out? Sighing Twilight turned only to be greeted by the smiling face of her friend.
“HEYA TWILIGHT!” Pinkie shouted, causing Twilight to stumble back in surprise.
“Pinkie! I called for you twice. How come you didn’t answer?” Twilight said as she regained her composure.
Before she could reply, Twilight put a hoof into her mouth. “Nevermind I don’t want to know.” She said, though her eyebrow shot up as she heard the muffled voice and felt the vibration going up her foreleg. Curious she brought her hoof away.
“-and then I was in this dark room, surrounded by all th-” Twilight put her hoof back into her mouth to silence her with a sigh. Eventually Pinkie got the hint and tilted her head for a moment before reaching up and pulling Twilight’s hoof from her mouth.
“So what did ya want?” She asked with a bright, dazzling smile.
“Well Pinkie I got a letter from Princess Celestia recently. She asked me to get you and the others together to take a trip up to the Crystal Mountains! Apparently there was some kind of expedition up there that made a discovery and she wants us to further investigate!” She replied, a smile on her face while she awaited Pinkie’s response.
“Oh an adventure! I’d be happy to go on an adventure Twilight!” Pinkie bounced in place as she said this, circling Twilight.
Pinkie Pie, always enthusiastic, had no issue letting the Cakes know about their ‘adventure’ as she called it and was out the door before Twilight could blink. “Well that was easy.” Twilight muttered as she followed her out.
Next was Applejack, and it took a bit more convincing to get her on the train so to speak.
“But, there’s way too much left ta do Twi!” She said with a nervous shifting movement. Planting her fore-hooves on the ground with a soft, almost rapid click clack sound.
“This is an important task A.J. The Princess needs us to head to the Crystal Mountains and investigate a dig discovery. We need you in case something happens.” Twilight pleaded, “Please A.J.?” She stuck out her bottom lip. Pinkie Pie mimicking the motion though it was mostly because she was playing around as opposed to wanting to accomplish anything.
Looking between the two Applejack sighed and adjusted her stetson atop her head, pushing it up so that she could scratch at her head with her hoof. “Ah’lright,” she said with a soft sigh. “Lemme tell Big Mac and Ah’ll meet ya by the train station.”
Pinkie Pie hopped in place with a happy squee while Twilight thanked her with a smile and trotted off towards the Everfree.
Fluttershy was next, and was going to be the hardest to convince. But Twilight had expected that. Her timid friend was hardly willing to actually part from her animals in any situation, let alone for a trip that was most likely going to take them away from Ponyville for at least a week.
When Twilight made it to Fluttershy’s cottage, she gently knocked on the door with a hoof and waited patiently. Sometimes she would answer almost instantly, other times it would take her a moment as she may be tending to an animal of her’s.
It seemed this time it was the former as almost immediately the door cracked open to reveal a pink mane with a single Aqua colored eye peeking out from behind. “Y-yes?” She asked in a soft voice before recognizing Twilight. “Oh, hello Twilight! What brings you and Pinkie here today?”
She moved away from the door, opening it more to allow them both in. Twilight wasn’t sue why Pinkie continued to follow her. She figured she would be back at Sugarcube Corner to get her things packed. But then again, knowing how she works, it was already done somehow.
Twilight went into explaining once more about the letter she received from Celestia, and the need for them to head up to the Crystal Mountains. Fluttershy’s smile disappeared, replaced by a furrowed brow and concerned look.
“O-oh.. I don’t think I can Twilight. I need to keep an eye on the animals, and Angel as well.” She hid behind her mane again, eyes cast to the floor. That’s exactly the response Twilight had expected.
“Spike will keep an eye on them Fluttershy, you know they’ll be in good hands.” She said, bringing a hoof onto her shoulder and smiling at her.
For a moment she said nothing, her gaze remaining on the ground before she slowly lifted her head and looked up at Twilight. She searched her eyes for a moment with her own before sighing. “I don’t know Twilight. What if something were to happen to one of my little friends? What if one of them got injured! And I couldn’t be here to help them!”
Now she was starting to get herself worked up, starting to panic needlessly. It took nearly a half hour at that point to get her to calm down enough to listen to her after that.
“Fluttershy I promise that Spike will take good care of Angel and the others. We’ll only be gone about a week. All we’re doing is going up to take a look at the area that the expedition group had come across, and see if there is anything worth mentioning to Celestia.” She put on her best reassuring smile and watched as Fluttershy had an inner battle with herself, her eyes daring back and forth between her and the rest of her home.
Eventually she sighed, and hung her head. “Okay, if you promise that Spike is going to take care of my animals then I’ll come.” Twilight hugged her, and then glanced around. She’d only just noticed how quiet it had been. Where was Pinkie at?
“ADVENTURE!”
Fluttershy jumped up into the air and shot under her desk as Pinkie Pie stood beside the space the poor pegasus had just occupied.
“Pinkie!” Twilight scolded before looking under the table and gently nudging the scared pony.
It took a few minutes but eventually Twilight was able to coax her out of the hiding spot, with Pinkie apologizing for scaring her so badly. Twilight told her that they would be leaving tomorrow once Rarity got back with her about the coats. With that they left, heading out to find the last of their group.
Admittedly the hardest to find was Rainbow Dash. Due to her being a pegasus she was always busy taking care of the clouds that happened to wander towards Ponyville on an almost daily basis.
They first checked her house, with Twilight attempting to fly up at first, only to fail from her lack of control with her wings. Eventually she gave up and simply teleported up to the front door to knock on it a few times and call out for her friend. When there was no answer after a near 20 minute wait she glanced around. Then looked down and saw she was already talking to Pinkie Pie.
“Of course, when I look for her she’s not here, but I turn around and bam she’s come to us.” Sighing Twilight jumped off the cloud and felt her wings snap open. She could at least glide, and while she was nervous she wasn’t scared.
With a less than graceful meeting of the ground she stumbled over to Rainbow Dash with a smile. “Are you kidding me?” She heard her friend say, “Of course I’d go, this will be AWESOME!” She shouted.
It seems as if Pinkie had already done the talking. Good because Twilight was getting worn out and tired of repeating the same thing over and over.
“We’ll be taking the train to the Crystal Empire tomorrow as soon as Rarity finishes the coats for the cold weather at the mountain. So be ready, I’ll have Fluttershy come get you when we’re ready to go.” Twilight said with a mock salute from Rainbow Dash.
With a powerful pump of her wings she took off into the air and towards her home to prepare. Well at least that was done with.
“Well Pinkie looks l-” Twilight stopped mid-sentence, glancing around for Pinkie Pie. “-Uh Pinkie? Where are you?” After getting no response she sighed. That mare was so random sometimes it gave her a headache. Most likely she had bolted off to her home to get ready. That was fine with Twilight. She needed to get ready herself, so much to do, so little time!
She didn’t know what would await her and the others but she was far too excited to think too much on it right now. With that, she turned from the field and towards Ponyville, trotting quickly towards the Library.
Crystal Mountain Resort, a town at the base of it’s namesake. It was just as it’s title said, a resort at the base of the long, massive mountain. Many a pony, griffin and the occasional smaller dragon even came to the town to spend a weekend or week on a vacation. While many who visited came during winter, it was a year round ski resort due to the snow never fully melting. Crime was relatively low, but that didn’t mean that it was non-existent. Which is why there was a small guard force there at all times.
Law was making his usual rounds about town, greeting ponies as he went. He was a Unicorn, who had a majority of spells based around stunning others. He didn’t like to harm others, and on the rare occasion that a stray pony did decide to go on a crime spree he much preferred to take them down non-lethally.
Pausing in place he turned to look over his shoulder and glance at the clock tower. It was just high enough to be seen from where he was located. The arms on it told him it was close to midnight. He’d be off shift in a couple of hours. And as usual he would have nothing exciting to report to his Commander.
If only he knew how wrong that assumption would be this night.
Continuing on his walk he hummed slightly to himself, smiling despite the cold that bit at his face. He preferred it up here, enjoyed it greatly. He wasn’t one for summer heat honestly. He didn’t like sweating as much as he did when he went down to Appleoosa every year to visit his relatives.
His self musings of the weather were interrupted when he heard glass breaking. “Well, and here I thought it was going to be a dull night!” He exclaimed with a small smirk on his face.
Law made his way towards the sound of the commotion. It was a small home, about three quarters of the way to the edge of town. From what he could tell it sounded like someone struggling around before the front door whipped open, a middle aged mare bolting out with fear in her eyes. She turned her head, saw Law, and bolted over to him.
“Please somepony is in my home! You have to help me!” She was hyperventilating, and it was all Law could do to calm her down.
“Easy Miss, calm down and stay here. I’ll go check it out.” He reassured her with a smile and pat on her shoulder with his hoof before making his way towards her open door. With a bit of hesitation he lit up his horn and slipped in, glancing around warily. She had come out unharmed, untouched. So he wasn’t sure if the assailant had merely ignored her or she got out before he could get to her.
A sound in one of the rooms down the hallway told him the direction of the suspect. He was alone, without back up at the moment. Most guards traveled in pairs, but in this small town, with such a low crime rate they rarely used such groupings. Many of the criminals who they did apprehend were rather easy to take down alone. But as he rounded a corner and saw what was currently going through clothing, he froze.
What he saw was… it scared him to say the least. It stood around six foot three inches tall, appeared almost emaciated, its body appearing to have lacked nutrition for who know’s how long. A first he thought it was a minotaur causing problems until he saw that its legs were misshapen, and it had a lack of fur across it’s body. Not to mention a pair of midnight black, feathery wings upon its back that appeared to have missed a preening or five. Long, scraggly brown hair ran down its back, appearing as if it hadn’t been cleaned or cut in a while and when it turned, Law was finally able to see that it was male.
For a moment neither of them moved, or even breathed it seemed. The creature before him was the first to react and with a slightly sluggish step he lurched forward, attempting to run at him, arms outstretched. Law could see his pale blue eyes, set in a oddly shaped face that looked as if whomever created it had grabbed a frying pan and gave it a whack to mold it into a slightly more flat area. It wasn’t to say it was ugly or disfigured. But its lack of a muzzle, short nose and smaller eyes made Law cringe before he shot off a stunning spell at him.
The creature merely stumbled back a few steps before moving forward again. So Law was forced to focus more energy into his horn, and charge up a stronger spell. A few feet away, those hands of his, much like a minotaur’s, reaching out for him. Had just brushed across his face before he released the energy charged in his horn in a bright flash.
It seemed to do the trick as the figure went flying back into the wall, slumping down onto the ground with a grunt, his head lolling about on his shoulders before he went still. With slow, cautious steps Law walked forward and sniffed, immediately jerking his head back with a snort at the horrendous smell that assaulted his senses. This thing smelled like it hadn’t cleaned itself in a long, long time. But with a shake of his head he focused on a levitation spell and lifted the unconscious creature into the air and carried him out of the small home.
The mare was still shaking when he came out, but with a quick reassuring nod he told her it was safe to return to her home. And with that he made his way towards the local jail. The trip there only lasting a few minutes. Thankfully his charge hadn’t so much as moved a muscle. Law chalked that up to the fact that it appeared as if it was weak from lack of nutrition.
Once they had arrived he laid it out in a cell and locked the gate before turning to a desk and beginning to write down a report. Man, how the hell was the Commander going to react to this one? He was quivering now, shaking. The adrenaline wearing off from his body. That thing could have probably killed him! He had stupidly walked in there without backup! Without help! What in Tartarus had he been thinking!
Minotaurs were one thing, he had dealt with a few in his time. But this thing… whatever he was, scared the living daylights out of him. He just hoped the Commander would have answers.
Twilight stepped off the train as they stood in her brother’s domain. The Crystal Empire was, as usual, beautiful in all ways. Once it had been threatened by King Sombra, but with the help from the girls, Spike and Cadence, the potential disaster had been averted.
Turning she watched the rest of her friends hop out of the train, all of them looking a bit tired. All except for Pinkie of course, who was hopping along humming some tune only she knew about in her head. She stopped in her bouncing, looked around side to side, then up before resuming her motions as she propelled herself forward in a way only Pinkie could ever understand. Applejack and Rarity passed by Twilight with soft mutters of how much of a pain Pinkie could be at times, and how even after eight hours of sleep they still couldn’t seem to wake up fully. It didn’t help that both of them had decided to try and out drink each other.
Next to walk by, or rather try to stealth by, was Fluttershy. The timid little pegasus seemed to prance from hoof to hoof and look back at the train. She stopped for a moment and started to inch back towards it before Twilight cleared her throat. “Come on Fluttershy,” she said with a smile. “I know you’re worried about your animal friends, but I can assure you without a doubt that Spike is taking good care of them!” She almost seemed to beam confidence.
Of course, back at Ponyville Spike sat with his arm crossed, a frown on his face and Angel Bunny staring him down. This little contest had been going on for a while after Spike had come to check on them to see the quaint little home of Fluttershy almost wrecked on the inside. He was going to have a little talk with Twilight after this!
Fluttershy sighed and looked down at the ground, scuffing her hoof slightly before nodding, though half hidden behind her mane as she did. She opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted when a rainbow colored blur shot past her causing her body to lock up in fright. For a moment, Twilight was a bit concerned, as her eyes were wide open, pupils the size of a needle tip it seemed and her teeth grinding so hard together she was afraid she was going to break them!
“Dash, was that necessary!?” Twilight turned toward the hot head with a frown on her face. “You nearly gave her a heart attack!”
Rainbow Dash looked at Fluttershy for a moment, waving a hoof before her face. “Uh… whops?” She said with a slightly sheepish grin, “Sorry Fluttershy. I didn’t mean to scare you like that.” She nudged the little pegasus, which caused her to squeek before looking around.
“O-oh my. I-I’m sorry what was that?” She asked.
Twilight shook her head with a smile, “No worries Fluttershy, come on now we need to get going. Cadence and my brother should be waiting for us.” She spread a wing and nudged Fluttershy with it, a smile on her face. Eventually she moved forward and followed the others.
The walk through the city didn’t take quite as long as expected, but that was because they were all too busy looking around at the beautiful buildings that surrounded them. So it came as a surprise to Twilight when her muzzle thumped into the castle gates. She stumbled back and rubbed her snout with a whine of pain. Then quickly shook it away as the gates opened up to reveal her brother and his alicorn wife standing there.
“Twily!” Shining Armour shouted.
“Big Brother!” Was the return response as Twilight shot forward and hugged him close, giving him a quick nuzzle before turning to Cadence with a smirk.
“Oh no.. not-” Applejack was cut off.
“Sun shine sun shine! Lady bugs awake! Clap your hooves and do a little SHAKE!” Both Cadence and Twilight went through their usual greeting. Much to the amusement of Shining Armour who watched Applejack shake her head with a slight smirk on her face. The others had a similar look to Applejack’s, though Rainbow Dash was apparently trying to look anywhere but what happened before her, no doubt attempting to maintain her “cool factor” as she liked to call it.
Shining Armour looked at Twilight with a smile as he stepped up to her. “Well I assume you’re here about the odd creature that was detained at the Crystal Mountain Resort?” He asked. Twilight tilted her head a bit then her eyes lit up in that all too familiar fashion when something involving science came about. It brought a grin to Shining’s face as he watched her almost immediately fall into her element.
“They caught it! How did they do that! Wait… what do you mean ‘it’?” She looked slightly confused. She’d been so caught up in the aspect of something being found that she didn’t really process what she heard until a moment later. So it appeared that whatever was caught must not have been seen before? Maybe it was some kind of creature thought extinct? She frowned ever so slightly at the thought of this.
“We don’t know Twilight. The other night one of the Guard’s pony’s was on patrol when a mare came rushing out of her home. She claimed she had an intruder so he went in to check it out. Apparently it didn’t put up much of a fight. He was able to stun it and get it back to lock up for now until it can be examined, or rather He apparently from what I’m told.” Shining sat back on his haunches and looked at his sister with a shrug. “That’s about all I know for now. I’ve been far too busy at the moment to physically go look for myself. But I figured if you were coming you could go ahead and do it yourself. Might find something new out.” He said with a slight smirk.
Twilight couldn’t help but let a small grin replace the frown she had on her muzzle. With a nod she bounced in place a few times then settled with a soft clearing of her throat. “Well then, I think we should head out immediately! We have no time to waste and I want to figure this out as soon as possible!” She grinned and looked to the others, who let out soft groans but nodded to her in compliance. “Just point us in the direction and we shall get going!”
Shining let out a soft laugh and motioned for her to follow him. She did so with the others trailing behind her as they weaved their way towards the north side of the city to a carriage that awaited them. “This should get you there in a couple hours Twilight. Once there, find a guard pony named Law and he’ll let you see the thing, whatever it is.”
She nodded and hopped in after the other’s had gotten in, with a small smile on her face, waving a hoof to her brother before the carriage started moving.
Around two hours later they came upon the resort, Pinkie practically fogging up the window with her face pressed to it and breathing heavily. “Oh look at all that snow! I want to go skiing now!” She said with a large, almost crazed grin on her face.
Twilight rolled her eyes. “Pinkie, you didn’t even bring ski’s with yo-” And as if on cue, Twilight was cut off as a pair of ski’s appeared beside Pinkie Pie. It was all Twilight could do not to scream at the obvious breaking of the laws of reality! How Pinkie did it, she had no clue, and probably never would!
The sugar loving pony simply grinned at her before glancing back out the window, almost seeming to vibrate from excitement. The others had just as slack jawed and confused looks on their faces as Twilight did at that point. They don’t think they ever could figure her out, and they’ve tried before. Sighing, Twilight shook her head and looked at Rarity who opened one of the many suitcases she had and produced the winter clothing she had made for each of them. None of them were too terribly unique as Twilight had specifically said that they needed to be functional, not fashionable, especially in the cold weather. Each one was made to match the coat color of their owners with a thick faux fur coating inside to help retain their body heat within. Once they received their coats they all slipped them on and then took the matching wool cap to keep their heads from getting chilled by the cold wind. Each coat covered nearly down to their hooves for maximum warmth. Twilight, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash all had slits to fit their wings through so they could fly, and were wide enough to allow them to easily pull them in least the cold got to the feathers.
When they came to a stop they all hopped out and made their way to the hotel nearby, checking in rather easily thanks to her brother sending a message ahead for reservations. She had not expected that, but then again, if Shining knew they were coming to the Crystal Empire he may have anticipated they were going to head this way once he told them of what was captured.
They found their rooms with little trouble, the layout of the building quite simple and easy to navigate. It had three floors total, with a magical lift that would carry ponies from one floor to the next with the help of a unicorn that acted as an attendant for each one and would bring them up to each floor. Clamps would lock down onto the platform to keep it still once they stopped and minimize the amount of Qi the Unicorn would have to focus to maintain a stable altitude. A vertical bar at the back of the lift had a small light that would flick on when a pony on another floor would call for it, allowing the Unicorn to determine which floor he needed to go to.
Simple, yet effective, thought Twilight as she stepped off with the others and made their way to their respectable rooms. Once they had settled in they set off for the jail house. Just as her brother had said, a guard named Law was at the desk. When they came in he glanced up at them, and blinked as he saw Twilight. Quickly he moved to stand and bow to her. “Princess,” he said with an exhausted sounding sigh. It had been a long couple of days at this point.
“You must be Law?” Twilight asked with a smile as she watched Pinkie glance at several items around the room, appearing to be studying some of the older items that clearly were some sort of antiques from times before. Even Rainbow Dash, who usually called such things “Nerd stuff” was walking around looking at them. She had gotten so lost in thought from watching the others that she hadn’t heard the guard.
“Ehem…” She was snapped back to reality as the guard cleared his throat. “My apologies sir. What were you saying?” She asked with a slightly sheepish grin on her face. The guard merely smiled at this before restating what he had been saying.
“The detainee is down here, please follow me. This is an odd one, I’ve never seen anything like it, Miss Sparkle. It has hands like a minotaur, and stands like one, but its body is devoid of a coat except for the top of its head, face, and chest. The strangest thing though, is that it appears to have wings!” This caused Twilight to pause mid stride and blink. “Excuse me, what?”
He looked at her with a nod. “Yes, wings, Princess. Whatever it is, it has wings!”
Now that surprised her. It wasn’t a dragon or pegasi. And yet it had wings? What kind of creature was this? She continued to follow him until they came to the cell. What she saw in there made her gasp loud enough for the others to come rushing down the hall and to her side. All of them appeared shocked by the creature before them.
“What IS that thing!?” Rarity said with a slight hint of disgust. Earning her slight cuff to the back of her head from Applejack, who shot her a look.
They all took a step back as it turned to them, staring at each of them in turn. But rather than something fierce, and dark, all they saw was a male of some sort that appeared confused and lost. His eyes looked between all of them and he backed into the wall slightly. Rainbow Dash took a look at his wings with a curious gaze and squinted.
“Those suckers don’t look like they’ve been taken care of in a long time. With the state they’re in now, he couldn’t fly to save his life!” She actually appeared a bit sad for the creature before them. “Wonder how long he’s been like this.” She whispered.
What was initial fear and shock from the girls turned to curiosity as they stared at him longer. They couldn’t move him, not yet. They had no clue if this was a ploy that he had crafted to lower their guard but they couldn’t trust him just yet. It was clear as Twilight looked around that all of them needed some sleep at least, but she turned back to what was in the cage and spoke, “Can you understand me?”
She got only a confused stare, though he at least seemed to react to her voice, if only the reaction were for him to attempt to become one with the wall. Twilight sighed slightly and shook her head. Then brought her hoof up to her chest.
“Twilight,” she said. “My name is Twilight, and these are my friends Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack and Rarity.” She pointed each one out as she mentioned their names. Then back to herself. “Twilight.” She repeated the name and watched the creature look at them all.
Silence hung in the room after she spoke. The creature before them stared at each one individually. His gaze searching for something more than just what they looked like. And then all at once they heard it, like a whisper in their mind.
Isaac watched the ponies before him look about confused. He should have expected as much. To them he was alien and a voice in their head didn’t exactly help. They each were turning in place, glancing at each other and even at the guard before finally settling their gaze back on him. He had to admit it was a touch amusing to watch them.
“W-was that you?” Twilight asked, leaning closer to the bar only to have a hoof come up to her chest and push her back gently. She glanced over at the guard who shook his head slightly and spoke, “I would suggest you do not get so close, Miss Sparkle. Whatever he is, for the moment he is considered a threat as he attempted to assault me.” Twilight looked nervously at him, then back to Isaac before taking an extra step back from the cell. The others followed Law’s advice and stepped back as well. Everyone that is except for Pinkie Pie, who pushed her face right up against the bars of the cell despite the protests that came from the guard.
“Miss Pie, I must insist you refrain from getting so close!” He said, attempting to push her away.
Pinkie looked at him then back to Isaac before speaking. “You don’t look so scary! What happened to you? Why do you have wings? What are you? Wmmphhffthhh” She was cut off from her questions by an aura around her mouth. Rarity let out a breath and tugged Pinkie back by her tail.
“Really Pinkie, must you be so reckless? For all we know that thing could have reached out and grabbed you! And.. and who know’s what it might have done after that!” She visibly shuddered.
“If I had wished to harm any of you, I wouldn’t have the strength to do it at the moment.” Isaac said to them all. All of them put their hooves to their head and let out a soft groan. Each one of them felt as if a pressure was being applied to their skulls. It couldn’t be helped though, if he wanted to communicate with them this was the only way to do it. The pain would subside in a bit once they grew used to it. Twilight was the first to recover as she cleared her throat and looked at him, sitting down on her haunches.
“W-why are you communicating like this, are you incapable of speech?” Twilight asked.
Isaac stared at her for a moment before responding to her question, “I-I don’t know. My voice… my throat it hurts when I try to speak.”
Twilight gave him a quizzical look before nodding to him. Her horn lit up as she focused her energy and summoned a quill and roll of parchment. “If it’s alright with you… Isaac… I would like to ask you a few questions.” She smiled at him. Her scientific curiosity overriding her wariness and fear of the strange creature before him. Isaac appeared to think this over as his gaze moved from her, and to the wall beside him.
His contemplation seemed to drag on as when he finally did speak, Rainbow Dash appeared to be napping, laying near the wall opposite the cell and off to the left, snoring lightly. That was to be expected though, Dash never could keep her attention on situations like this. She deemed them too boring. Fluttershy had taken to sitting near Twilight, her eyes locked on Isaac, scrutinizing him almost. Twilight knew that look. It was a look her friend got whenever she was watching a new animal that came to her for help. The look she gave when she was checking for any obvious injuries or signs of problems to its health. It was also a look of judgement to see how dangerous it was going to be.
Fluttershy was just as her name stated, she was shy. But when it came to a creature or animal who seemed to be hurt or in ill health she went from shy to motherly and concerned. And while the apprehension and fright were still apparent in her eyes. Her need to take care of the sick or injured tended to override this.
Pinkie was snooping through the guard’s desk, occasionally pulling something out and asking what it was. Much to the guards annoyance, this went on for longer than Twilight had cared to notice. Though her attention was caught when Pinkie gasped a bit when she saw a card she had pulled up. “It’s your BIRTHDAY!” She bounced in place and eyed Law, who took a few steps back with a concerned look on his face. “Y-yes… it is, Ma’am.” His eye twitched while he watched Pinkie sit in his desk seat and look thoughtful. Twilight knew what was going to happen.
“Pinkie, maybe we should hold off on that until we’re done here?” Twilight asked with a slightly hopeful smile on her face. If she didn’t head this off now, Pinkie was likely to try and throw a party right here in the jail house. Pinkie looked at her with a pout before crossing her forelegs. “Alright, but you aren’t getting out of this, mister!” She bumped her hoof into Laws chest, causing him to grunt.
“What do you want to ask?” Isaac asked suddenly, causing them all to jump. Twilight turned back to him and cleared her throat once again, nodding her head.
“Alright, so what are you?” She asked first, the quill hovering over the parchment.
“I am-” He went quiet for a moment, a frown coming across his face. “Human... yes human.” He nodded to her as if confirming and solidifying his statement.
“Hyooooomahn…” Twilight said with her tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth. The quill scratched across the parchment before she looked back at him. “And where did you come from?”
Now this was a problem, Isaac frowned once more and crossed his arms, staring at the ground. His wings twitched on their own accord to mirror his agitation. “I don’t remember.” He said, looking back up to her. “The last thing I remember was walking through… through white powder-."
“Snow?” Twilight offered.
“Yes… snow.” How did he not know something so simple as that? Surely he couldn’t have become so dull, could he? Why had he forgotten so much? He felt as if he was a child learning about life all over again. It was frustrating! “I was walking through the snow, and then I came upon this area, and that dwelling. I felt so cold, I needed to find warmth. So I went in and searched for anything to cover myself in. I did not intend to scare anybody, to harm anybody.”
Twilight was about to correct him on his use of anybody rather than anypony but decided for the moment that she’d leave it be. It was of course possible that wherever he came from used a different term to describe other ponies, or in his case humans. Instead she simply nodded to him and wrote down everything he said. “So you don’t remember where you woke up? Or how you got here?” She asked with her head tilted to the side. By then Pinkie Pie and Rarity had both sat down beside her and Fluttershy. Applejack had gone out to get something to drink for them, a nice hot cocoa is what they had all wanted. Something to warm their body.
“I do not.” Isaac said with a silent sigh that quickly became a ragged and painful sounding cough. Twilight glanced around before looking at Law. “Get him some water please.” She said before turning back to Isaac. A moment later a cup of water floated between the bars and to Isaac, who took it and sipped on the water, coughing a few more times before clearing his throat.
“Are you alright now?” She asked him, gaining a hesitant nod from Isaac.
“I would be better if I wasn’t caged like an animal.” His voice drifted through their heads, making them cringe slightly. It sounded bitter, but not hateful.
“I’m sorry Isaac but until the Princesses declare you safe, we can’t let you out. I hope you understand that we simply just can’t trust you on your word.” Twilight said, albeit sadly. She wanted to trust him, she honestly did. But she couldn’t, and the others couldn’t either. They didn’t know what he would do if he were let out. He could attack, could harm them. It would be up to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna to decide what will be done with the human.
Isaac looked at her with a sad smile before nodding to her. “It is understandable. Were I in your position I wouldn’t trust an unfamiliar creature either. I do not hold it against you.”
Twilight let out a soft sigh and closed her eyes. She had written everything down that had been said so far. She took a moment to look it over, her eyes shifting left to right to left again and again. So far it wasn’t much. She was interrupted from her thoughts as a smaller gate within the cell door opened up and some food was passed through it. Typical jail food of some kind of mush and a chunk of bread. The gate closed once more and the food was set before Isaac, who immediately began to eat it. She glanced over to Law, who had brought the food. It seemed such a small amount for a prisoner, and it bugged her a bit.
“Is that all he gets?” She asked Law, who nodded to her in return. That seemed like so little for somepony of his size.
As if reading her mind, Law sighed and looked at her. “I know it seems like so very little, but consider for a moment how he looks, Miss Twilight. While he is considered a criminal we would never outright abuse them by starving them. He appears to not have eaten in quite a while, or at least eaten much. I don’t want to feed him a large portion of food only for him to scarf it down and throw it back up because he over did it. At least this way he will have something in his stomach to help ease it into a regular eating schedule once more.”
That made sense. Isaac did appear as if he had more or less starved himself for one reason or another. She glanced over at Fluttershy for a moment, who appeared to be watching him even closer now. “Fluttershy, are you alright?” She asked in a quiet, soft tone so as not to frighten her.
Fluttershy didn’t move at first, but eventually she did creep closer to the cage. “E-excuse me… Uhm Isaac.. sir? Can you uhm… if you would mind that is, open your mouth for me, please?” She let out a soft squeek as Isaac stared at her before moving close to the bars and doing as she asked. Fluttershy in turn leaned down slightly and began to move left and right, muttering to herself before glancing at Twilight. “Twilight.. can you light up his mouth for me please? I can’t see very well.”
Twilight nodded to her and focused a bit of light towards the human, lighting up his face before it narrowed down to light only his gaping mouth. Fluttershy whispered her thanks before moving closer and looking once more. Her wings quivered slightly while she ducked down a bit to look at the top row of teeth, then lifted herself a bit higher to glance at the lower row. “Twenty Eight teeth total.” She muttered to herself, motioning Isaac forward, who did as he was told. He found this very strange, to be examined by a pony. He looked down as best he could to see what she was doing as she continued, “Regular molars to the rear of his mouth, but near the front he has teeth typical to those of Carnivores.” This caused everyone present, save for Fluttershy to freeze up slightly. While meat eating species were not uncommon, it still was a cause to be wary at times.
Twilight moved a bit closer, “So he eats meat?” She asked curiously, gaining a nod from Fluttershy. “Yes but, he also eats vegetables. He is what is known as an Omnivore. He is capable of maintaining a mixed diet. Most likely he requires protein to sustain the body. Which can be supplemented, but it would be a good idea for him to eat meat’s once in a while to keep himself healthy.” She moved back as Isaac closed his mouth and moved back to his food.
The others had relaxed somewhat, at this news. Omnivores weren’t entirely unheard of in Equestria but they were rare. Twilight had written all of this down on the parchment. Gone was her wariness, replaced by excitement as she clapped her hooves together and began to prance around. This was incredible! This was a discovery of a life time! A strange, never before seen species and SHE was the first to really communicate with it, to learn about it! She paused when she noticed the other’s looking at her. “Hehe… sorry.” She looked down. They knew what was going through her mind.
The door to the jail house opened as Applejack returned, her saddlebags held the much wanted cocoa within them as she trotted over. “Ah’lright everypony!” She turned her head and began to pull out the drinks for them. They had been sealed to prevent spilling as she made her way back, so they all had to remove the seals to get at the drink. Applejack had even gotten one for Law. Though there was an extra one standing off to the side.
“Applejack… did you get that for-” Twilight started before she watched the farm pony balance it on her nose and walk over to the cell. With a nudge of her hip towards Law he opened the gate in it and looked to Isaac. “Ah figured ya wanted sumthin to warm ya up.” She said with a smile. Isaac looked at her before nodding and moving forward. He hesitated though, looking at Law. He watched the guard bring his hoof up to his eyes, then point them to Isaac.
Nodding Isaac reached out through the opening, and carefully took the cup and brought it to himself. Applejack moved away from the cell as she and the girls discussed what they had learned so far about Isaac while said human sipped at the drink. Eventually Twilight turned towards him again and walked back over to the cell.
“I just have a few more questions for you, Mister Isaac.” She said with a smile on her face, sitting down before the cell door as Isaac moved closer with a nod to her. “Do you know how old you are?” She asked, reading her quill once more.
Isaac looked at her for a moment, then down before shaking his head. “I’m sorry I do not remember how old I am. Like I said before I do not remember much of anything, honestly.” A slightly frustrated sigh escaped both Twilight and Isaac at the same time, causing them both to grin ever so slightly. “Alright,” Twilight said with a nod. She tried to think of what more she could ask him. But nothing was coming to mind. “If you happen to remember anything can you please tell me?” She asked.
“I will,” Isaac said with a nod before pausing. “I do think though, that I was part of some kind of research before. But I cannot remember exactly what it was.” He looked thoughtful before sighing and lowering his gaze to the ground once more. Why couldn’t he remember? It was as if it was right there, right at the edge of his thoughts, but every time he tried to reach out and grasp it, it seemed to disappear into a fog. What had happened to him? Why couldn’t he remember!
He blinked rapidly, an image forming in his mind, splotches of shapes. It was too blurry to make out, too difficult to see clearly. A shape, standing above another who looked at it from the ground. They had some kind of color to them. One was black, the one standing above. The one below, on the ground had a muggy white color. They appeared to be arguing about something but he couldn’t make it out. Beside the white one was another that stood slightly taller than it. It too seemed to be trying to make an argument of some sort. He reached out for the images and just like that, they were gone.
Isaac slammed his palm against the thin bed beside him, causing Twilight to jump and look at him nervously. He sighed and shook his head slowly. “I apologize, a memory began to surface, but I could not understand it. It was too blurry to make out.” Twilight nodded to him and smiled. “I could always try a memory spell.” She offered. But Isaac shook his head slowly.
“No… but thank you. I would rather they come back naturally. Who knows what would happen if I were to get them all back at once.” He smiled slightly at her. He appreciated the offer but he really didn’t want to risk something happening because of whatever spell she may cast upon him. Reluctantly Twilight nodded to him and looked towards the others as they talked amongst themselves. So many questions she had for this human, and yet there was so little she could get answers to until he gained his memory back. It was disappointing. But she was patient, and she would wait to get those answer from him.
Her head began to throb slightly, and she brought a hoof up to her temple, rubbing gently. Perhaps it was time they all went and relaxed. She had a letter to write to Celestia about this human anyway. “Well that’s all for now, Mister Isaac.” She said, turning her attention back to the human. “I wish we could just let you out, I honestly do.” She seemed slightly saddened by this, but rules were rules, after all. Isaac seemed to understand as he nodded to her and crawled up into the bed, turning on his side to face away from them all.
One by one they left, save for Law who had to wait for the next shift to come around to relieve him. This had been one hay of a day, he had to admit to that. A new life form had come into his town, and seemed intelligent enough to speak, though it was only through telepathy it would appear. If this didn’t get him a raise and promotion he didn’t know what would!
Twilight and the girls returned to their hotel room. As soon as they had left they all felt a slight relief of pressure from their heads. Twilight wondered if it was from Isaac, but he didn’t seem to be putting out any energy at all. Maybe it was just the weather, they weren’t exactly used to such an extreme cold if truth be told.
“So girls, what do you think?” She asked as they sat around a small table that served as the coffee table. Each one had taken up a cushion and were currently sipping at some tea that they had bought in the lobby of the hotel. Pinkie Pie was the first to speak up.
“He doesn’t seem like a Meanie McMeaniepants to me!” She said with her usual bubbly demeanor. It caused Twilight to smile at her and nod. “I have to agree, he doesn’t seem like he’s all that much of a threat.” She said. Applejack sipped the tea then shook her head. “Now hold on there Twi. We dunno one apple pickin thing ‘bout him. Yeah, he may seem mighty nice ri’te now. But for all we know. He could turn ‘roun’ and zap us all with some freaky alien magic.”
“I agree with Applejack!” Rainbow Dash said, hovering beside the farm pony. “We don’t know what he’s going to do. I mean sure he’s weak and seems nice enough but… but what if Applejack’s right and he starts attacking us?” Dash crossed her forelegs with a slight snort, “Course if he does that I’ll have to put him in his place.” She punched the air with her forehooves and did a spinning kick, nearly catching the side of Rarity’s head.
“Darling, please watch where you are swinging your limbs around!” She cried out, ducking under another wild kick by the equally wild pegasus. Rainbow Dash stopped, rubbing the back of her head with a hoof. “Oops.. sorry Rarity.” She giggled sheepishly before sitting back down. Fluttershy shook her head before speaking. “I think we should at least give him a chance. We won’t know if he’s bad or not until we find out, will we?” While her voice was soft, it was odd that it sound so full of conviction and certainty. So much so that they all looked at her with a quizzical gaze. “I mean… if that’s alright with all of you.” She squeaked, curling up a bit and moving away a couple of inches.
Twilight smiled and looked back to the others, “I think Fluttershy is right. We need to at least give him a chance. Remember when Zecora came into Ponyville. Everypony thought she was going to be a danger. Many judged her before they even knew her. We all came to find out she’s a very nice mare. So let’s do the same for Isaac. And at least give him a chance to prove he’s not going to harm anypony.” Her tail brushed at the ground nervously while they all stared at her.
One by one they all sighed and nodded their agreement to her. Though, Rainbow Dash held off a bit longer, mostly out of concern about her friends becoming too easily willing to let the human have a chance. But eventually she gave as she realized that it wouldn’t be fair to just assume he was going to harm them. The rest of the night was spent with them discussing what they would do in the foreseeable future involving Isaac. They all settled on one thing at the end. They would allow the human to prove himself to be trustworthy. They owed him that much at least considering they didn’t want to make the same mistake with him that they had done with Zecora.
One thing was for sure though, this was certain to be a very, VERY interesting adventure.
“Whatever you said to her, whatever you did, it’s pushed her over the edge. She’s lost herself Isaac. You have to hide. She’s going to be coming after you!”
Isaac looked away for a moment. He didn’t want this, he never wanted this. He didn’t want to hurt anyone or anypony. Finally he looked back to his friend and shivered slightly.
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.” He said, chewing on his tongue while staring at the female before him. She smiled and moved closer to him, a sad look in her eyes. “It’s alright Isaac. I know you didn’t. But you need to go now, You need to hide while I take care of her.”
Isaac sighed and looked at her, reaching a hand out, stopping it inches from her before pulling back. “Okay, I’ll head to one of the observation facilities. I’ll come back once things calm down, to help you if I can.” He moved away from her and looked to the north. He wouldn’t tell her where he was, to protect her, to protect them both. “Just… please make her right C-.”
Isaac jerked awake, looking around slowly. He was cold, his body was sore. His wings were weak and stiff, much like the rest of him still. This certainly wasn’t a luxury hotel room that was for sure. It took a moment for him to gain his bearings once more. That’s right, he was in a cell, because he was caught trying to steal clothes from someone or rather somepony. He sat up slowly, swinging his legs off the too small cot within the cell and looked towards the bars. It was quiet, save for the soft snoring of the jailer who had apparently fallen asleep at his desk. For some reason, that brought a smile to Isaac.
He frowned immediately after as he thought back to the dream he had just had. There had to be more to it. He knew he said a name just before he woke up, but it was foggy, hard to remember. C-something. It didn’t matter, it was most likely just a dream. He couldn’t even remember the features of her body or face. No point in thinking too hard on it right now. Instead he got up and made his way to the cell doors and rapped on it gently with his hand, trying to get the guards attention and wake him up.
When it didn’t work he sighed, shaking his head a bit and banging harder on the bars. After a moment the noise must have finally penetrated his sleep as he snorted awake and looked around, rubbing his eyes with a hoof. “Yeah I’m up what-” He stopped when he saw Isaac and shook his head slightly, a wide yawn escaping him. “Ugh, right right.” He muttered, getting off his seat and making his way to the cell door. “What do you need?” He asked as he stared at Isaac. The human looked thoughtful for a moment before miming drinking. The guard nodded to him and made his way over to the bathroom after levitating a cup to his side. Isaac glanced around the room while he waited, his ears focused on the sounds of his guard as he turned on the water.
It only took a moment for him to return with the cup and levitate it between the bars or Isaac to take a sip from it. The cool liquid felt good on his throat and he let out a sigh before sitting down with his back to the wall. Law was curious about the creature that called itself hyoomahn. So he sat down a few feet from the bars of the cell and looked at him.
“You’re a strange creature,” Law said as he looked at him. “You’re like a hairless Minotaur. Except you have wings, and no horn, and… whatever those are.” He said, motioning with a hoof towards Isaac’s feet. He understood the hands well enough, Minotaur had them as well. But he had hand like objects where hooves should have been. “Speaking of wings, do those even work? You look far too heavy for those to do anything other than be for looks.”
Isaac rolled his eyes and glanced at Law for a moment. Did he really want to spend energy communicating with the guard to explain what he was? He did look over his shoulders though at his unkempt wings. His last question brought about a question of his own. Why did he have those? He must have them for a reason but he can’t remember why at the moment. Perhaps his memories would come back to him in time. And if they didn’t he’d just have to hope he would be allowed to live so he could try and make new memories. Eventually he turned to the guard, shrugging his shoulders in response.
This caused Law to shake his head and grip the empty cup from Isaac once he downed the rest of the water in his aura.
“More?” He asked.
Isaac nodded to him, he was incredibly thirsty. Then again, judging by how he felt his body probably really needed it. He watched as Law returned to the bathroom and sighed, looking around the cell once more. His mind drifted to the ones who had come by earlier. Twilight had asked him quite a few questions, noted down everything she had asked and every answer he provided. She was most likely a scholar. Maybe he should ask her some questions of his own, try and learn more about where he was at the moment. She seemed nice enough, and while some of her friends were somewhat… off the wall, they all appeared to be rather nice as well.
Still he couldn’t entirely trust them, just like they couldn’t entirely trust him either. Isaac didn’t expect them to come in later and say he was free to go and that everything would be okay. No he was expecting a lot more inquiries about his species, about him. Much of which he would most likely be unable to answer until his memories came back. If he was lucky they would come back soon. Though of course that’s not how the world worked. If luck worked like that he’d never be in this situation in the first place now would he?
“Here you go,” Law said as the cup moved into his field of view. “Some more water for you.”
Isaac jerked his head back a bit. Had he been so lost in his own thoughts that he hadn’t even heard the clop of the guards hooves on the stone floor? Shaking his head Isaac took the cup with a smile and nod, this time sipping at it as he watched Law. The guard watched him with his tail flicking back and forth, swatting at the air from a few flies that decided to move around his back side.
“So uhm…” Law scuffed the stone a bit with a hoof, appearing to try and figure out some kind of conversation to make. He knew that guards were not supposed to talk with prisoners, but dear Celestia it got boring when you were in this little rink-a-dink jail with no one but yourself and your shadows to speak too. It wasn’t as if crime was common here. Heck this had been the first crime here in a few months now. “Isaac right?” He remembered hearing the voice in his head earlier. He’d chosen NOT to write that down in his report just in case his Lieutenant decided he was a bit of a nut case.
Isaac nodded to him. While not overly trusting, a least these ponies were nice enough not to treat him like an animal. So he decided he’d spend a bit of energy, talk with the guard a bit.
“Yes, my name is Isaac.” He said, standing up finally and stretching. Loud pops and snaps were heard, joints and tendons re-aligning themselves, causing him to let out a soft sigh. “And you are?”
Law smiled a bit as he heard the voice. A few hours ago he had been shocked and a bit scared, hearing something in his head. But now he was surprised by how relaxed it made him. What’s more, it didn’t feel as if Isaac was forcing his thoughts into his head. No it felt as if he was brushing his mind lightly, touching it with those thoughts.
“My name is Law,” he said. “As you already know I am one of the local guard ponies. It’s not exactly a high stress job though. Crime isn’t very common here.” It felt nice to talk to another for once. It was a shame he wasn’t going to be here longer. Law mentally kicked himself for that thought. Not only was it a selfish thought, but it was just wrong. Wanting somepony here just because you had no one else to talk to. He cleared his throat and continued, “It’s a nice town, though it’s covered in snow almost year round. I suppose it could be worse you know? The ponies are kind, the tourists aren’t too mean though I have seen a few that made me want to buck them right on the muzzle at times.”
This caused Isaac to laugh. He wasn’t sure why he found that so funny but for some reason he did. He could understand how being a guard could cause those kind of reactions once in a while. He figured it was like any other job that dealt with the public. After a while you just get to the point where you feel like making a statement. Suffice to say that’s a good way to lose a job of course. “So you don’t remember anything about your past… do you?” Law suddenly asked, snapping Isaac out of his bout of laughter. With a sigh he shook his head, running his fingers through his hair slowly.
“No, I can’t say I do, Law.” He replied, staring off at the wall, appearing to zone out for a moment. Law watched him, waiting to see if he had anything further to say. This stretched on for a moment before he heard Isaac once more, “You know the interesting thing about not remembering your past?” He suddenly asked, looking over at Law. The guards pony shook his head slowly. He didn’t know what could be even remotely interesting about that kind of situation. “After a while you start to think. ‘What if I don’t want to remember my past, what if… what if I had done horrible things?’.”
This caused Law to tilt his head in thought. Isaac brought up a point, if he had lost his memory, would he want to remember his past? If he had done terrible things would he not want to forget them so he could start life over? He shook his head slowly and smiled at Isaac before reaching up and removing his helmet. Law laid it aside then let out a slow breath as he ran a hoof along his mane. “Well Isaac, since you don’t remember your past, how about I talk a bit about mine?”
Twilight watched as Pinkie rolled across the ground, her mouth hanging open slightly. She wasn’t entirely sure what had brought about the sudden antics of her friend, but she had been doing it for the past half hour now. Eventually the mare stopped her rolling and sat up. She glanced left, then right, then up before looking right at Twilight. The Princess jerked her head back slightly, “Uh… something on your mind, Pinkie?” She asked.
For a moment, Pinkie looked like she was lost in thought before blinking rapidly and looking at the wall. The others had gone down to the lobby to get something to eat. Twilight was too busy at the time writing down thoughts and theories on the human creature at the local jail to join them. And Pinkie had been asleep at the time. A half hour ago though, she had sprung awake and started rolling about, for no reason that Twilight could come up with.
“That hyoomahn in the jail. What’s going to happen to him?” Pinkie asked in a quiet, innocent voice. That was rather unlike her, was the first thought that crossed Twilights mind. The next was why Pinkie would be concerned or worried. “Pinkie why are you asking that?” She ended up asking. To be honest, Twilight was a bit concerned about the state Pinkie was in. Yes she was rather random and incredibly hyper. But for her to act as she just had, then to only stop and ask such a question… Twilight sighed and swished her tail gently as Pinkie chewed on her lip.
“Because, he doesn’t seem like he’s going to hurt anypony, Twilight. If anything I think he needs some friends. He’s alone and lost, as far as we know, Twilight, there are no others like him.” Her tail twitched back and forth gently. Twilight couldn’t help but smile, leave it to at least one of her friends to worry about a stranger. She was surprised it wasn’t Fluttershy, honestly. “Well, Pinkie-” she said while bringing her hoof up to her lip in thought, “-he may, or may not be friendly. We have no way to know until Celestia can talk to him. I understand you’re worried something bad may happen to him. But let me assure you Pinkie that will not happen. We just need to be safe is all. And I’m sure he understands that.”
Pinkie lowered her head slightly, her gaze following until she was staring at the floor. “I know Twilight. He may not have shown it, but I could feel it Twilight. He’s scared, and sad. And I don’t like seeing anypony scared or sad. I like them happy and smiling!” She said, lifting her head up with that trademark Pinkie smile of hers. “So as soon as Princess Celestia says he’s okay I’m going to throw him the most biggest, most awesomest party EVER!” She jumped into the air, forehooves stretched out wide to put emphasis in her statement. The action startled Twilight slightly, having not expected the sudden shift in mood .But she quickly recovered with a giggle. That was more like the Pinkie she knew.
Without another word Pinkie shot out of the room, leaving Twilight alone to her own thoughts. She was right, and Twilight knew it. The male didn’t seem like he wanted to harm anyone, but Twilight also knew that they HAD to keep him ‘contained’ until they could be absolutely sure. Ultimately they had no idea what he was capable of, how much power he had within him. Her tail thudded on the ground before she was startled out of her thoughts by the door opening, rather loudly. “GYAH!” She nearly decided to break the laws of physics by attempting to occupy the same space as the ceiling. Her wings stuck straight up in the air as she panted and quivered.
Applejack, Rarity and Rainbow Dash blinked as they stared at the scared alicorn. “Uh… Twi, are ya ah’right?” Applejack asked.
Twilight let out a soft squeak before managing to swallow the lump in her throat. “Yeah.. yeah I’m fine Applejack, I was just lost in my thoughts and you startled me is all.”
“Were ya thinkin’ ‘bout that thing tha’s locked up?” Applejack asked as she trotted over to the table pushed against the wall. Only now did Twilight notice the tray with coffee and hot chocolate upon Applejack’s back. The earth pony turned her body and tilted it to the side, sliding the tray onto the table.
Before Applejack could move Twilight had grasped one of the cups of coffee in her aura and yanked it over to herself, sipping on it and letting out a soft sigh. “No-” she looked at the stare she was given by Applejack, “-maybe.” The stare only intensified as Applejack moved closer to her, turning her head a bit while closing an eye, looking oddly like a bird who was staring at something of interest. “Okay yes!” She said with a slight huff. Wait why did Applejack care if she was thinking about Isaac? She voiced that question, which caused Applejack to shrug. “No reason Twilight. Ah was jus’ wonderin’ is all. We all have been discussing what might be done ‘bout him. He’s nuthin that has been seen before in Equestria. He doesn’t seem dangerous Twi. But we have no idea of what he was in the past.” Rainbow Dash nodded in agreement.
“I think that this is an even harder situation made by the fact that he doesn’t remember anything of his past!” Rainbow threw in, bringing her hooves up slightly. “I mean, what if he was some evil… killer or something?” She crossed her forelegs over her chest, lifting herself off the ground and hovering with gentle flaps of her wings. “I don’t want to have somepony around who can hurt my friends! And if he tries, I’m going to give him a buck to his chin he won’t ever forget!” She mimed the motion by turning and thrusting her rear hooves out in a buckin fashion.
“Rainbow I don’t think that’ll be necessary,” Twilight said.
“I’m just sayin’ Twilight, you never know.” Rainbow replied.
They all glanced at Rarity suddenly, all of them having just realized just how quiet the fashionista had been. Rarity froze in place, a cup of hot chocolate halfway to her lips. “I uh…” She cleared her throat nervously. “I really have nothing to contribute to this.” She said, looking down and moving the cup over to the table. “While I agree darlings, that he cannot immediately be trusted, I cannot say that we should just immediately judge him either, even if he does have a rather filthy appearance.” She said with a grimace and stuck out tongue.
“I suppose at this point all we can do is figure out what Princess Celestia would want to do with him.” She continued, adjusting her seated posture. “Of course it may not hurt to go back down and ask a few more questions. Twilight darling, what do you think?”
They all turned their attention back to Twilight, who shuffled from hoof to hoof before letting out a soft sigh. “Well I suppose i-”
A knock to the hotel room door cut her off. She got up and made her way over to it and opened it up. On the other side was a pegasus mail carrier, an envelope held in his mouth.”Me’ffage fo Prin’fef Fwirite”
Twilight stared at him for a moment before he brought his hoof up and removed the letter. “My apologies ma’am. It was an incredibly long flight. I have forgotten my manners. A message for you Princess Twilight, from Princess Celestia.” He held the letter out to her, which she grasped in her aura and brought close. “Thank you, sir.” She smiled. The mail pony bowed his head low and trotted off. Twilight opened the letter up and read over it.
“Well Twi, what’s it say?” Applejack asked.
Twilight blinked, and read it again before looking to them. “Rainbow Dash, go find Pinkie and Fluttershy. Then meet us at the jail house. Princess Celestia wants Isaac transported to Canterlot. She wishes to speak to him.”
“After I snagged the bits I ran, tried to get away from the guards. Course I sorta ran into a wall of ‘em. Seems like they weren’t happy about this being the third time I had done this, AND got caught!” Law said with a soft laugh. He had removed most of his gear by now and set it aside. A mug of coffee was in his aura, another cup held by Isaac. “So when they took me in they gave me a choice, 10 years in the dungeons or work for the guard. Naturally, as you know, I chose to work for the guard. I didn’t feel like rotting in a dungeon for the next 10 years.” He sipped some of the coffee and let out a soft sigh, leaning back until his mane brushed the wall behind him. “That was 4 years ago. I’m honestly glad they gave me that chance. Yeah I’m up here in this frigid climate but I’m glad.” He smiled a bit.
Isaac sipped his coffee with a chuckle and looked at him. “So your name is Law, and you went against the Law before. In other words you’ve come full circle. I’m glad for you, my friend. It would be a shame if you were sitting in a jail cell somewhere and I was stuck with a rather nasty guard.” His smirk was hidden behind his cup of coffee as he looked at him over the rim of the cup, sipping at it once more. Law shook his head with a small smile, his tail brushing some dust across the ground as it swished side to side slowly.
“If you could take back everything you had done before, would you?” Isaac suddenly asked, causing Law to lift his head and blink at him.
“No, honestly. If I changed anything in the past I may not be where I am now. If anything, I may possibly be dead from my own foolishness. So I’d much rather have had everything happen as it did, Isaac.” He walked over to the coffee maker and poured himself some more. He turned back to Isaac before motioning to the coffee maker. Isaac looked down at his cup then held it out between the bars. Law took it in his aura and poured him another cup before floating it back to him.
“Thank you.”
“Not a problem,” Law replied.
They sat in silence for a while after that. Neither pony or human speaking. It was oddly comfortable. The guard had shown a level of compassion that Isaac was thankful for. He understood their fears and wariness. But knowing that at least one pony had lost their nervousness while around him made it easier for Isaac to let himself calm down. That peace wasn’t entirely long lasting though as the door swung open and a pink blur shot in before a pair of large blue orbs were staring at him through the bars. “HIIII!!!” Pinkie shouted, causing Isaac to jump and nearly drop his coffee.
“Pinkie don’t be scaring the fella like that!” Applejack said as she yanked Pinkie away from the bars when he got close enough. The only response given was a giggle and apology. The others filed in and sat in a semicircle around the cell door, Twilight in the center of them.
“To what do I owe the pleasure, Princess?” Law said with a low bow. “I didn’t think you would return so quickly.”
Twilight blushed hard at the title and show of respect. “You may rise, and please just call me Twilight. I-I’m not entirely used to that yet.” She cleared her throat as Law raised himself up and nodded to her. “As for why I am here. I got a letter from Princess Celestia earlier. They want him transported to Canterlot.”
“Well ma’am, how is he going to be transported?” Law asked curiously.
Twilight swished her tail gently, her wings fluttering. “A chariot shall arrive in a few hours with a squad of Solar Guards. You will perform an exchange with the guards and they shall place him within the chariot to transport him to Canterlot. From there-” she shrugged, “-I don’t know what the Princess is planning.” Her wings stretched before laying back against her sides, the feathers quivering a bit.
Law’s eyes went a bit wide at this and Twilight quickly spoke up. “N-nothing like that good sir. If you want my opinion. I think they just wish to speak with him and find out a bit more about him, maybe help get his memories back.” Law relaxed and nodded to her. Curious, the guard seemed concerned. She glanced between Law and Isaac. There was some level of trust between the two, perhaps.
“I’m also requesting personally Law that you accompany Isaac to the castle to give the Princess your own account and thoughts on him.” She watched for a reaction and was not disappointed. Law took a few steps back, surprise on his face before he shook slowly. Three times he attempted to speak, and each time he failed. In the end he settled for bowing his head and nodding to her in response. “Very good. Now uhm… go get ready for the trip. We’ll stay and watch over Isaac.”
Law hesitated a bit, looking towards Isaac, then to Twilight and finally to his desk. He didn’t want his commander throwing a fit that he had left a post.
“That’s an order.” Twilight said suddenly, causing Law to jump.
Without another word the guard bolted, a smile on Twilight’s face. She turned back towards Isaac and stared at him. What did his memories hold? Hopefully the Princess would be able to help him get them back.
“Subject A-001 is showing balanced growth. Capable of multitasking and remarkable control over their abilities. Subject is taking interest in their assigned task and leadership assignments.” “And what of the other?”
The hesitation before the answer was of concern, “Subject 002 is showing growth as well, but something is off. I’m not sure what it is yet but subject is starting to show signs of underlying aggression. At the moment I believe it would be a good idea to indefinitely suspend any further production of Alpha series. Other series seem to be adapting rather well.”
“Very well, we will take your consideration to heart and discuss it at the next board meeting. Now then.. what of Subject D-1.”
He couldn’t help but cringe at the thought of this particular subject. “Silent so far, not a peep from it. The dampeners are smothering its abilities, not completely but enough to prevent it from destroying the whole project. The amplifiers did their job.” He nodded as an after thought.
“Excellent, continue with observation and mental therapy of the Alpha series. Inform us if any other changes occur in any of the other series as well. We will continue to monitor the dampeners for Subject D-1 from here and let you know of any other changes.” And with that, the screen went blank as Isaac leaned back with a soft sigh, rubbing his face. Reporting to the higher ups was never pleasant. Reaching across the panel he flicked a few switches to shut down the screens and computers for the night. It had been a long day, or at least it had felt that way. With a coffee mug in hand he stood and left the room, sipping at the drink as he strolled past a few of his co-workers, nodding to them politely but remaining quiet.
With each passing day it was becoming more difficult to ignore what he felt, and with each day she was becoming more and more difficult to talk to. The therapy sessions were becoming less effective. He was running out of logical reasons. Reasons why they couldn’t be together, professional life, personal life. Hell one time she nearly broke the door panel in a fit.
“Isaac-” He snapped his head up and looked around, confused, “Isaac-” There it was again-
“Isaac, hey pardner you ah’lright?” Applejack asked, nudging the zoned out male.
Isaac blinked a bit as he came around and looked over to Applejack. He turned his attention back to the edge of the chariot, his head cocked to the side slightly. How long had he been out of it. The landscape had changed by now. Gone was the snow covered ground of the Northern lands of Equestria, replaced now by lush, green mountains and farmland. He didn’t know where they were, and didn’t bother asking. Instead he turned his attention back to Applejack and with a smile responded to her.
“Yes, I’m fine thank you. I was just, lost in thought.” Speaking of lost in thought, what the hell had he been doing before he woke up? If he had to guess he was part of some science project. Then again maybe his mind was simply making things up to try and fill in the missing memories? Hell he didn’t know, either way that wandering thought had confused him. Applejack saw the furrowed brow upon the humans face. He wasn’t lying, at least not about being lost in thought. But she had a feeling he wasn’t ‘fine’ as he claimed.
“Well if’n ya say so. But don’t be scared ta say sumthin if it’s bother’n ya ah’lright?” She said with a nudge of her hoof to his shoulder. A smile came to her face though as Isaac nodded to her after a moment of thought. She left the human to his thoughts as she returned her attention to Twilight and Law. The poor guard pony had been getting questions asked, repeatedly, about the conversation with Isaac.
“So you were a criminal, with the name Law?” Twilight said, looking confused by this statement.
Amusing to Law the first time, not so much the second as he sighed and nodded to her. “Yes, I was a criminal, a thief sorta. Wait what does this have to do with Isaac?” He said, shaking his head and frowning at her. Twilight blushed and shook her head quickly.
“N-nothing just making sure I have all the facts straight, I don’t want any confusion or mixups when I report to the Princesses.” She said, clearing her throat and lifting her head up. Law leaned over to Rainbow Dash, who was sitting next to him and whispered to her. “Is she always so… so-” He moved his hoof slightly to try and help him search for a word.
“Irritating is the word I use sometimes,” Dash said with a smirk, earning a fiery glare from Twilight.
“I am NOT irritating, I just don’t want to leave anything out of my report!”
“Twilight, you asked the poor guy the same questions five times over, if not more! Why don’t you take a chill pill?”
A vein popped out on Twilight’s forehead, a sign of her impending rage. Rainbow Dash quickly brought her hooves up. “Twilight, I’m just messin’ with ya, calm down.” She said. The alicorn let out a slow breath, the vein disappearing after a second. Rainbow found it strange. Sure, Twilight had blown her lid before in the past and usually she could handle a bit of ribbing. But for some reason this time, she seemed to be so easily torqued. It actually concerned her. “Listen, Twilight I’m sorry I didn’t mean to hit a nerve if I did.” Dash said, looking around at her other friends, and even Isaac who had torn his gaze away from the landscape to stare at the two to see what was wrong.
Applejack leaned herself against Twilight gently, “Twi, are you alright?” She asked. Twilight quickly nodded to her and gave a sheepish smile. “I guess I’m just a bit on edge is all. It’s not every day you meet a completely alien species. I just don’t want to mess anything up is all.”
It was Rainbow’s turn to lean forward and wrap her hooves around Twilight, hugging her gently and patting her back. Perhaps this situation was more stressful than anypony was letting on.
Isaac was wondering how this had escalated so quickly. One second they were talking and the next it looked as if Twilight as ready to set the world on fire. Interesting, it seemed as if she was obsessed with making sure every detail was perfect. His fingers drummed on his knee while he watched the interaction of the group. He felt the urge to analyze all of them, and he wasn’t sure why. He wanted to sit each one of them down and talk to them. He pulled back from them slightly, his eyes flicking to each of the ponies before him.
Obsessive, prideful, hyper, shy, pompous… so many different issues they all had, and none of them really took notice in them. This was quite the group. Huh maybe he had been some kind of therapist in the past?
“There’s no reason to worry, Twilight! You’re the bestest ever when it comes to getting facts and stuff right!” Pinkie said with a massive grin that Isaac was worried would take the top of her head off if it got any bigger. Twilight nodded in return to her with a small smile of her own. Her friends never failed to make a bad situation good or at least make it better. Even after all these years of knowing the girls, being friends with them, learning to trust in other ponies she still had problems. Princess Celestia had talked with her once about it. Telling her that, while her organization skills were second to none, they often interfered with her social abilities. She knew the Princess was right, but without her organization, Twilight figured she’d be an utter mess.
“I appreciate it girls, and I’m s-”
“I apologize for interrupting Princess,” said one of the pegasus escorts as he flew close to the chariot, and with a tap, managed to get their attention. “But we’re about to land at Canterlot Castle. Princess Celestia wishes for you to head directly to the Day Court with the prisoner-”
“Guest,” Twilight corrected.
“Yes… guest,” the guard said. Though his expression was stoic as always, his voice betrayed that he saw Isaac as anything but a guest at the moment. He didn’t trust the creature, no matter how kind it seemed. “Please escort the… guest… to the Day Court as soon as we land.”
With that he pulled away and back into formation. Isaac had ignored his tone, if only because it would serve no help to him or the six females before him to try and convince the guard he wasn’t any harm. Instead he was watching out of his side of the chariot, seeing the castle coming into view out of the corner, eventually filling it as the pegasus escorts circled around once, twice, and then finally began to descend once it appeared they would be safe from accidentally running into any others.
They all bounced a bit as the chariot landed, the dull thud of the wheels tapping on stone and the drum of hooves clopping across the ground. After only a few feet the guards came to a stop to allow their occupants to disembark.
Twin lines of guards ponies trailed from where the chariot landed to the castle’s massive doors. The last to exit the chariot was Isaac, who glanced around at the area. Each guard held a spear, the heads glinting in the sunlight along with their armor. They held the spears at a slight angle, the heads pointed skyward but towards the center. He imagined an invisible line creating an arch above them as he walked under the spear heads, wary of the fact that most of them came close to being level with his throat with the size difference between him and the ponies. While he tried to mostly avoid eye contact with the guards, he did steal a couple of glances and saw caution in their eyes.
Once more he understood their lack of trust and need for such measures. To them he was neither friend or foe. He was a creature they had never seen before, caught stealing clothes from a pony’s home. Tall, almost sickly looking to them most likely due to his sunken in eye sockets and flesh that almost showed his ribs. Yes, he could quite understand their caution. He stretched his fingers and felt them pop before gripping them together. The bindings he had been put in were nothing more than rope and strips of cloth, the usual shackles wouldn’t fit his wrists or legs, but the wing bindings they used had fit well enough to keep him from stretching them out, and with the chains that ran from the wing clamps and around his chest then back made even trying to work kinks out of his back muscles impossible. The discomfort was not unnoticed by the girls or Law, but it was necessary for him to be bound as per their laws for criminals of any type.
He made short shuffling motions as he moved along, flanked by a pair of guards with Law behind him along with five of the six female ponies. Twilight walked ahead, nodding to the guards at the gate for them to open it. The saluted crisply before smacking the broad side of their spear heads against the door in a quick tap tap tap motion. The twin doors opened silently on well maintained hinges while they advanced forward and into the castle interior. While he walked, Isaac took note of the stained glass motifs that were spaced every nine meters on each side of the hallway, each one depicting a different period of history. One motif he saw caused him to pause for a moment. It showed six ponies standing in a formation that could be visualized as an X, each one smiling, eyes closed while what he could only assume was beams of light shot up towards another figure above them.
It wasn’t the ponies that had stopped him, he recognized them as the six females he had recently met. No it was the creature above them, the mixed parts of it, the look of shock on it’s face. When he looked at it, he felt a cold chill run through his body, his fingers tightening against each other while he stared up at it. He did not feel the chill because of the way it looked. He felt the chill because he recognized it from somewhere. A poke of steel against his back caused him to jump and glance behind him. “Keep moving, stop standing around,” a guard said.
Wordlessly Isaac complied, nodding his head and moving forward as was instructed. His head turned though to take one last look at the creature, eyes narrowed. He didn’t know why he remembered it, but it really, really bothered him.
“I-is everything uhm… okay?”
The soft voice barely registered in his mind. If it hadn’t been for Fluttershy’s wings brushing his leg, he might have just thought the question was a figment of his imagination.
“Yes.” Isaac said, before seeing the look on her face. “Well-” He looked back over his shoulder as if in thought, then returned his attention back to her. “-no. That… thing that was in that motif, I recognized it. But I don’t remember where from. Just looking at it sends chills through my body, then again maybe that’s just from how cold it was up north.” He said with a small smile.
Fluttershy tilted her head to the side before hanging her head low, mane falling into her face. “You know Discord?” She asked quietly.
Discord, where had he heard that name before?
“I… don’t know. At least I don’t think so. But I get a sense of recognition when I saw that. Maybe I do know him somehow? Or maybe I’m just crazy.” He shrugged and reached over to pat her on her head, only to have a pair of spear heads jab his throat. He saw a pair of guards, staring intently at him, daring him to make another move. He did the only thing he could think of and slowly brought his hands up into view. Fluttershy stared in surprise at the situation before she turned to the guards. Isaac didn’t know what the guards saw, but they immediately tensed up, appeared to swallow a comically noticeable lump and lower their weapons.
“There was no need for that.” Fluttershy said in a surprisingly stern, even voice.
“But Ma’am.. he was-”
They both went quiet at her look, lowering their heads.
“They were only doing their jobs Miss Fluttershy. It is okay.” Isaac said, lowering his hands back down so they hung before his groin. Fluttershy glanced up at him for a moment, then back to the guards and finally around them, noticing everyone had stopped to watch. With a soft meep she lowered her head and muttered an apology. Quick to protect a creature she doesn’t even know…. how odd. Perhaps it was some motherly instinct that caused her to do that?
The truth was, she didn’t like seeing how he was chained up like some kind of dangerous beast. He hadn’t shown any signs of aggression so far towards any of them. And the way his wings were chained up, that couldn’t be very comfortable. She had wanted to voice that thought quite a few times, but any attempt had been smothered by fear. Besides it seemed as if Isaac understood and was okay with it. Still she just didn’t like it.
Eventually the ponies and human began to move again, the trip to the Day Court made slow due to Isaac’s bound ankles, leaving him unable to do more than a slightly extended shuffle of his feet. The other motifs that he saw gained little attention or interest from him, save for one other that depicted a pair of ponies similar to Twilight Sparkle. One was a pure white, with a sun mark on its flank, the other a midnight blue color, a depiction of a crescent moon on its flank. While he didn’t pause this time he did tilt his head a bit. He felt a touch of recognition for both of them. They were… what did Law call them when they had talked?
Aluh-
No, Alahc-
Blast what was it. His brow furrowed as he thought about it. Had he just not been paying attention when she had mentioned it?
Alico-... Alicorn!
Yes that was it, Alicorn. Apparently a mixture of the pony species.
Wings and a Horn. The ability to fly, use magic and the strength of an Earth type pony. What an incredible creature. Such power they must have. And apparently they have been ruling this land for a very long time. Or at least one of them had, the other had apparently been banished for some reason or another. He would never admit it but he had zoned out a bit while Law had talked about Equestria and its history. It wasn’t from lack of interest, rather it was some mild exhaustion and anxiety at his situation. Something that the guard pony had taken notice of and had eventually switched subjects. Launching into his life for the most part. Though he had yet to tell Isaac how he had gotten the name Law what with his criminal history. It was his understanding that the names were given not too long after birth.
By now they had reached another pair of large doors, a pair of guards standing on each side of the door, staring straight ahead.
“We’re here to see Princess Celestia.” Twilight said as she came up to the guards.
They nodded to her and tapped the butt of their spears on the ground, the sound echoing through the large hallway. Silently the doors opened, and beyond it sat the Princess that Twilight had mentioned. He could feel the power radiating from her. The further he got into the room, the more he felt rejuvenated as if the very energy she gave off was making him stronger.
Celestia lifted her gaze from the paperwork and stared at Isaac. Her face betrayed nothing, but her eyes seemed to shine while she looked at him.
“Please, come in.” She said with a smile. Bringing a hoof up and make a sweeping motion to the chambers. Twilight nodded with a smile and trotted in, head held high. The others followed soon after with Isaac between the group.
“You may leave.” Celestia said to the guards, who looked at Isaac warily before bowing to her and leaving, the large doors closing behind them. Celestia stood and stepped off her throne and down the steps leading up to it. Isaac took a moment to take in his surroundings. Stained glass adorned the room, stretching from the floor clear up to the ceiling. The throne area reached to the ceiling itself, though the seat itself did not. The ground was a beautiful pearl like white, apparently waxed to the point to where one could literally see themselves in a reflection. He had no doubt you literally could eat off it.
His attention was returned to Celestia when a golden aura engulfed her horn, and then him. The bindings and chains on his body unwound themselves, falling to the red carpet with a dull thump. Immediately he stretched his wings out, his mouth falling open in a scratchy, painful sounding groan. Loud pops echoed throughout the area while he carefully twisted his body.
The group of ponies watching him cringed from the sound. It wasn’t uncommon for a pony to stretch and pop their muscles or joints. But that had been particularly loud and somewhat nasty sounding.
“You simply MUST have a massage at some point my dear. It sounds as if you’re breaking every bone and snapping every muscle in your body.” She shivered as Isaac looked at her with a blank stare. He felt perfectly fine, why would he need a massage?
Eventually he let out a sigh and crossed his arms, his wings relaxing and folding comfortably against his back.
“I apologize for the bindings on your body. I imagine it couldn’t be very comfortable.” Celestia said as she looked Isaac up and down. Isaac on the other hand was fixed on her oddly billowing mane and tail. He couldn’t help but lick his finger and hold it up in the air, testing it for some breeze he couldn’t feel. When he didn’t feel any part of the digit become cool he looked back at her.
She had an amused smile gracing her muzzle. How long had it been since she had seen that reaction? A soft click of her tongue seemed to catch his attention as he finally responded.
“No it wasn’t comfortable. But it was necessary to put your people’s minds at ease.” He said as he rubbed his wrists to keep himself from fidgeting. “I apologize Princess, but I feel as if I know you from somewhere. But that can’t be possible… can it?”
No memories, but it appeared as if somewhere in his subconscious he knew who she was. No doubt he saw the glass on the way here and more than likely had the same feelings when he saw herself and her sister upon those motifs. She was glad her little sister was currently sleeping. Right now she felt it best if Luna not meet him.
Rather than give him a definite yes or no, Celestia chose to remain silent and give him a small smile. If he had indeed lost all his memories she didn’t want to cause him any mental strain by leading him to overthinking.
Isaac raised an eyebrow at the lack of a response. What did she know? He was about to ask her that very question when his thoughts were interrupted by a sharp clack of her forehooves upon the ground, which lead to a pair of maids trotting in from an entrance to the left of the throne. One carrying a tray upon her back with tea cups and kettle. The other levitating a table and some cushions. The table was set down, the cushions positioned around it and the tray slid off the other’s back and onto the table in a fluid motion. The maids bowed without a word and took their leave as Celestia motioned for them to be seated.
“Now, Twilight Sparkle, if you could please give me a verbal report of your findings?” Celestia asked after pouring them all a cup and sipping gently at her own.
She forgot just how thorough her former student was. It had been nearly three hours since Twilight began to report. And Celestia had to stop her a couple of times to allow herself to digest and process the information being given to her. When she finally finished, Celestia sipped the rest of her tea before noticing the kettle was empty.
“Hmm… need more tea.” She muttered before clapping her hoof on the ground. The maid from earlier came in almost instantly.
“Yes, your highness?”
“Please brew some more tea. It appears we’ve run out again.” She said with a smile.
The maid nodded and took the kettle after it was placed on the tray and trotted off.
“Four times we’ve called them in, and not once did any of the maids that entered bat an eyelash or show surprise seeing me. I must say Princess they are very well trained to maintain their professionalism. You must have a lot of diplomats from other countries.” Isaac said, holding the cup in his hand. He was impressed, despite how the guards had acted, they too had been rather professional. Yes they had been wary but that was part of their job.
“Why thank you Isaac. I will let them know about your compliment. And yes we do get quite a few diplomats here from other countries of Equus.” Celestia looked back at Twilight, and then at Law, who had reported on his conversations and experiences over the past few hours with Isaac. They were both rather favorable of the human thus far, though for different reasons of course. Where Twilight was concerned about the scientific aspect of this meeting, Law seemed more than happy to consider Isaac a friend.
The other girls though, seemed less than favorable. The only other pony who seemed to, surprisingly, not be afraid was Fluttershy. While the others had seemed to take no notice, Celestia had watched as Fluttershy crept closer to Isaac. While the fact of her lack of fear had, as stated before, been surprising, the need to take care of what others would deem a creature was not.
“Princess, you seem lost in thought, something on your mind?” Isaac’s mental voice cut into her mind, causing her to blink and look at him with a small smile.
“Processing everything is more like it.” She paused a bit and looked at the girls, then to Isaac. “What I am about to tell you all does not leave this room. Due to Isaac’s unique situation I will keep it vague for the most part.”
“Why is that, Princess?” Twilight asked.
“Because with how his mind is, with how weak he is, I don’t want to overload him with too much at the moment.” The maid returned, sliding the platter of tea of her back and onto the table before them. Levitating the kettle and cups, Celestia poured them all a cup before sipping at her own. She noticed the expectant stares of the ponies and human, but did not immediately continue. Instead she took a moment to pick and chose her words carefully, her gaze wondering to one of the many stained glass windows. She knew her ponies could sometimes… react more to a situation than warranted. She knew that most of the girls held little trust for the human, being a creature they had never before seen. Law had spent the time alone to get to know and understand what little Isaac could give him. Twilight had an almost purely scientific interest in him and Fluttershy seemed more concerned about his health.
Rarity seemed to show neither distrust or trust. Applejack scrutinized him along with Rainbow Dash being the two most protective members of the group. What that meant in terms of how willing they were to treat him as an equal remained to be seen.
“Before my sister was banished, before she became Nightmare Moon, Isaac and his people were a part of our world.” Celestia said, earning surprised looks from the girls, Isaac and Law. Twilight was the first to speak up.
“But I’ve never come across any history books that even described one of his kind before, a Hyooman.”
“Human my dear Twilight… h-u-m-a-n.” Celestia corrected her with a smile.
Twilight blushed, “S-sorry. Human. Wouldn’t that have been something that would have been recorded? A whole species just doesn’t come around then leave without there being some kind of record of them.”
A soft sigh escaped Celestia as she sipped at her tea once more. She dropped her regal mannerism, a sad look upon her face. This was going to be hard to explain. Because it would determine how they looked at Isaac, if they feared him or hated him. Or would be willing to ignore the past and see him for who he is.
“There is nothing in the books about Isaac and his kind because when I banished my sister, I also had all records of Humanity erased from Equus. The reason Nightmare Moon came about was because of Humanity, or rather a specific human. And while it was an accident, something that was not meant to happen. If humanity were to return, as Isaac has, then there would be no place where he would possibly be safe.” Celestia looked at the group before her, a sad smile on her face.
Just as expected, they all glanced back at Isaac, who stared in confusion at Celestia. Eventually he put his elbows on the table, and his head in his hands, rubbing slowly at his temples with his mouth hanging open. He didn’t understand any of it. What did she mean his kind brought about Nightmare Moon? What human did it? His head hurt, every part of him hurt. He squinted his eyes closed as he felt sharp pains running through his skull, like a knife had been shoved into it and was being twisted back and forth to scramble his brains.
Applejack was the first to speak.
“D-do ya think we can trust ‘em?” She asked, looking at the others.
Rainbow Dash stared at Isaac for a moment, normally quick to comment and brash she instead shook her head. “I don’t-” She looked down in thought before bringing her gaze back up to him. “No, I don’t think we can.”
“How can you say that?”
All eyes turned to Fluttershy, who didn’t necessarily look angry, but more surprised by what her friend had said.
“We can’t assume he can’t be trusted because of what happened in the past. Y-yes… his kind may have helped bring about Nightmare Moon, but surely that wasn’t done to cause us harm.” She clicked her forehooves together, staring at the table. “Remember how Discord was. And look at how he is now.”
Twilight turned her attention to Rainbow Dash and Applejack before sighing. “We need to at least give him a chance girls. Allow himself to prove to all of us that he’s not some evil out to get us.” Law nodded in agreement to the situation.
“He seemed like a nice pon- er… man?” He glanced at Isaac, who nodded to him in confirmation. “Yes, man, to me.” Well at least he guessed right.
Celestia had remained quiet, allowing them to discuss the situation. Hopefully they would allow him to do just that. He knew Isaac wasn’t evil, and knew he wouldn’t harm any of her ponies. But the task now was for him to prove that.
“Fine, but ah want you to stay away from Applebloom until we decide yer not a threat.” Applejack said.
“And likewise stay away from Scootaloo.”
Rarity perked a delicate brow and looked at Isaac for a moment. A soft hum escaped her throat before he sipped at her tea and dabbed at her lips. “So long as one of the others is around I don’t mind you interacting with Sweetie Bell, darling. But know this, if you harm her I will make your life a living hell”
Everyone went quiet and stared at Rarity. Even Celestia was taken aback by her choice of words. Isaac looked her in the eyes. He wanted to be angry at them for showing such a lack of trust. But he knew they were acting like this for a reason.
“I understand.” He couldn’t think of anything else to say. He would have to earn their trust. It didn’t matter to him if he saw those children of theirs. But he didn’t want to have them believe he was some kind of monster that would hurt them either.
“Very well, Twilight Sparkle, I want you to take Isaac into your h-”
“I-I want to.”
Once more, the gazes of the ponies and Human turned to Fluttershy. Who shrank a bit from them before looking down, taking a breath and sitting up straight.
“I-I want to help him, Celestia. Twilight is always busy with her studies and now even more so as a Princess. So I want him to stay with me… i-if that’s alright with you I mean.” She looked down once more and circled her hoof on the table slightly.
Celestia couldn’t help but smile, and nod slightly. Perhaps it would be best if young Fluttershy took him in rather than Twilight. Celestia nodded in approval.
“Well then, that settles it. Fluttershy shall take Isaac into her home and keep watch over him. Twilight Sparkle, I want detailed reports each week on his progress as well as the progress of the others. Law, you are to live in Ponyville for the time being. It shall be your new post. Please assist Fluttershy and Isaac to the best of your abilities.”
Law bowed his head and nodded. “By your word, Princess.”
She barely managed to stop herself from rolling her eyes.
“Thank you, Law,” She said, “you are all dismissed, feel free to stay for the evening and rest up. Return to Ponyville tomorrow. The guards will escort you.” She motioned to the door with a hoof as they all stood up, Isaac locking eyes with her before turning away and following the others out. Once the doors closed, Celestia let her head thump onto the table with a sigh, blowing some of her mane out of her face.
“So it is him, I can’t let Luna know for now.” She muttered to herself, sitting up and looking at the table. “So many years have passed. Isaac I thought you were dead. Perhaps Luna can know in due time. You helped us both so much in the past. And yet...” She tapped her hoof on the ground, the maid returning to clean the table off as she made her way to her chambers. So much had happened, and her head was pounding. She had faith in Isaac, faith he would earn the trust of her ponies. And she knew Fluttershy would be the one to help prove it.
Isaac nodded to the girls as each one stopped before their chambers and then went inside, with Applejack and Rainbow Dash both narrowing their eyes. It felt like they were staring into his soul. Rarity gave him a curt nod, but before she went into her room she looked him up and down before tugging on the tattered clothes he wore.
“Tomorrow I want you to come with me to my boutique. You need proper clothes and I’ve got quite a few ideas for you.” She positively beamed as she said this. While she had not been as aggressive in stance as Applejack and Rainbow Dash, she clearly was being just as serious.
“Thank you Rarity. I appreciate the help.” He knelt down and held out a hand, which she stared at for a moment, then put her hoof into it.
“Don’t think I entirely trust you just yet Isaac. I may not be as rough as A.J. and Dash but I’ll be watching you just as they will.” She lowered her hoof and let out a soft sigh. “Don’t make me regret this.” Isaac nodded to her and watched her disappear into her room. Twilight had already said her good night, so it left him with Pinkie and Fluttershy.
Speaking of Pinkie, she hadn’t said anything during the discussion. Isaac turned to her when they reached her room.
“No thoughts, Miss Pie?” Isaac asked.
Pinkie smiled up at him with a large grin on her face. “Whatcha mean?”
“Do you think of me as… dangerous?” He put his hands behind his back, his head tilted to the side.
“Course not! If you were a Mr. McMeanie Pants you woulda tried to hurt us already wouldn’t cha?” She said, bouncing around him with a giggle. “I think you’re nice so far. So why wouldn’t I like ya?” She leaned against his leg before scrambling up to sit on his shoulders, leaning over his head, her pink mane and bright blue eyes filling his vision.
“I think the others just need to get to know ya better is all!” Suddenly she gasped, “Ohmygoshohmgosh! I have to plan a superduper spectacularific party for you when we get to Ponyville!” Her voice went up an octave, cracking slightly before she suddenly disappeared, the door to her guest chambers slamming shut. Isaac could do nothing but blink and shake his head.
“You’ll get used to her.” Fluttershy said with a smile, trotting beside him, a couple of feet away to give him some space. Isaac nodded as they came up to her room.
“Fluttershy,” He said before she went in, crouching down to get as close to eye level with her as he could. “Thank you for trusting me.”
She smiled and looked down, a tint on her face. “O-oh it was n-nothing. Everyone deserves a chance, Isaac. You’re no different.” She squeaked as he ruffled her mane gently and stood up. Then she turned and disappeared into her room. He saw what he assumed was his room not too far away, then had his attention grabbed by the guard he had forgotten about, who tapped his thigh with a hoof and motioned for him to continue. Isaac nodded and followed the guard to his room, where he was let inside.
“If you require anything, let me know, I shall be posted outside your room for the evening. Per the order of Princess Celestia you are not to leave the room. She doesn’t wish for you to be seen yet by the public on the off chance you wonder outside of the castle.”
Isaac found that a reasonable request, or order he supposed in this situation and nodded to the guard before the door closed. Sighing he walked over to the bed, but paused as he saw the bathroom. He needed to get clean, he just hoped that the showers weren’t too small for him.
He found it odd when he stepped into the shower and saw that it was just the right size for him, as was the toilet. Ponies surely wouldn’t need them to be this size. Then again perhaps there were other creatures his size on the planet, and if what Celestia said was true he figured that maybe a few humans lived here in the past? Shrugging his shoulders he decided he would ask at another time. For now he wanted to get clean.
An hour later he stepped out of the shower and made a face. He had honestly tried to clean as much of the muck that had sloughed off his body as he could. It wasn’t terrible but he felt sorry for the maid who had to scrub the tub tomorrow. The bed was nicely accommodating to his size as when he flopped down onto it, his now cleaned, but still ragged looking wings stretched out, he didn’t feel his legs come off the edge.
He didn’t expect this to be so at Fluttershy’s home when they arrived in… Ponyville was it? It became harder to think as he yawned wide, laying on his side after pulling the blankets up to his chin, hand under the pillow to support his head. Within moments, he was asleep.
“This is… a rather colorful train.” Isaac said to Twilight. The mare glanced up at him, then back to the train. The Friendship Express, one of the more well known trains and the only one that a pony could get a ride from Ponyville to Canterlot. A soft snort escaped Twilight before she levitated her belongings and made her way on. Isaac followed along behind her with Pinkie, for some unfathomable reason, clinging to his back with that wide grin of hers.
The other’s came in behind them, chatting, humming or laughing, but for the most part, aside from Fluttershy and Pinkie, completely ignoring him. The pegasus sat down beside him when he found a booth, his hands clasped together as he glanced out the window once more.
A company of guards had been sent to accompany them. Their purpose was to protect and escort the mares, Law and Isaac to the train station in the wee hours of the morning. Many side streets and pathways were taken to help keep Isaac out of sight. And when they arrived at the station, a barrier was placed to keep the few ponies from getting a good look at him that were there. A whole car had been reserved for them, for privacy..
The shade of the window came down suddenly, causing Isaac to jump slightly and look over at Twilight, whose magic had pulled it down.
“Sorry, but we can’t have any curious eyes trying to figure out what you are. Now… let’s talk about what’s going to happen when we get to Ponyville.” Twilight said, a parchment pulled from her saddle bag along with a quill. Clearing her throat, she continued on, “First, we’re going to get you to Fluttershy’s cabin, though I would rather you have remained under my care, I came to the conclusion that it may be best for you to remain outside of the town limits. At least until we can introduce you to the populace.” Her speech was almost detached and analytical. And by this point the train had begun to move. A slight jerk from the caboose pulling it along and towards Ponyville.
Isaac leaned to the side a bit, an elbow on the table separating them. He cupped his cheek in his hand and watched her with an amused glint in his eye, his lip twitching slightly. “Isn’t Miss Pie already handling that?” He asked.
Said mare was sitting in the booth behind them, though she had spun around and leaned over the seats to listen to them. When her name came up, she nodded rapidly.
“Yupperoonie! I’m going to throw him the biggest party I can think of!” She said with a smile.
Twilight looked thoughtful as she glanced at Isaac. “Alright, that might work. With a welcoming party the ponies will know someone knew is in town. And they may be more willing to look past your… appearance. Speaking of which.”
“I’m already planning on it darling,” Rarity said. She flicked some of her purple curls out of her eyes and smiled. “I’ll have a lovely ensemble made for him before the party. I’ll just need to take his measurements first.”
A nod from Twilight came shortly after before she paused. “You’ll have to do it at Fluttershy’s cabin. We can’t have him walking through Ponyville. Not yet at least.” Twilight responded. It was too risky for him to walk through looking like he did.
“If you could make it somewhat… loose? I’d appreciate it. Nothing fancy either. I don’t like dressing up.” Isaac threw in his thoughts. He didn’t like wearing dress clothing.. Did he? Even if his past self did, current Isaac really didn’t want to go through the hassle of wearing clothes that had a dozen different pieces to. Plus this wasn’t some formal party. At least he didn’t think it was. “Uh… is that alright with you Miss Pie?” He asked, glancing over at the bubblegum pink mare.
Pinkie snorted a bit and giggled before snapping to a more serious expression. “Okay first, stop calling me Miss Pie. You make me feel old! Just call me Pinkie! Second, and this is important. It’s a PARTY! A fun party! No funnerific! Funtastic? FAAANNNTABULOUS! You don’t need to wear some stuffy old suit!” She giggled again and rolled forward, tumbling over the booth seat and wedging herself in between Fluttershy and Isaac, her tail wagging and flicking much like a dogs. Which was odd enough looking on it’s own.
“My apologies Miss P- er… Pinkie.” Isaac said with a small smile.
Rarity on the other hand pouted a bit. “Fine then, have it your way.” She huffed.
They all shared a soft laugh, and Isaac turned his attention to Law as he slid into the booth beside Twilight, a mug gripped between his teeth, head tilted to the side. Once he sat it down he licked his lips, grasped the mug in both hooves and downed the drink.
A few seconds later he sat the mug down and sighed, licking his lips again to clean foam off it.
“Is that-”
“Yes it is.” Law cut him off.
“But aren’t you on duty?” Isaac asked, curious.
Law paused for a moment, lost in thought before looking at Twilight. “Am I on duty right now?” He asked.
Twilight groaned and rubbed her temple with a hoof. “You should know your own duty schedule.” She grumbled.
“Well, it’s changed though, hasn’t it? I mean unless we’re going by the one I had up north. Then… no I’m off duty at the moment, technically at least.” He said with a grin and quick swig of his drink.
Turning her gaze towards him Twilight looked thoughtful. “Alright, you can have the day off then. But tomorrow it’s back to business. Besides you already took your armor off it seems.”
Isaac blinked, and indeed Law had removed his armor already. The stallion looked a bit more relaxed, happy even. “How many drinks have you had already?” He asked suddenly.
Law tapped his hooves together. “Uh… a couple?”
“How much is a couple?” He shot back.
“Uhm.. four...ish?” Law replied with a sheepish grin.
Twilight opened her mouth, then paused to reconsider. Finally she spoke.
“You know, I should be surprised. But quite honestly I suppose when you live in a small little village in the north with hardly any crime. You tend to just do what you want, don't you?” She asked Law. The stallion looked down at the mug, embarrassed.
“I’m sorry Princess. Old habits really. I never had to deal with guarding the Princesses. I wasn’t the greatest student when I was forced to go through guard training. I barely passed written exams, though fighting and sword fighting, I excelled at. But I was still considered a fuck up, aaannnd after one too many drunken binges aaannnd drunkenly flirting with Princess Cadence-”
“Oh YOU’RE who she was annoyed with, and amused.” Twilight cut in.
“-Yes… But as I was saying after all that, they chose to put me somewhere that I could cause the least amount of problems.” He chuckled and sipped the drink again. “Still, It’s no excuse for me to drink like this in front of you or others. I’m sorry Princess.” He said.
Twilight waved a hoof, “Eh you’re off duty. And we aren’t going to be getting attacked on the train so don’t worry about it. I’ll let you slide, this time.” She said with a grin.
Something about the way she grinned, what she said, it set Law a bit on edge as he leaned away from her. “N-noted your highness.” He said with a slight hitch in his voice.
Shaking his head Isaac pulled the blind for the window to open it and stare out as the train made its way towards his new home. The landscape was rather gorgeous. So lively, so bright and vibrant. His mind began to drift to thoughts of the past couple of days. And once more he found himself wondering why he couldn’t remember his past, remember who he was aside from a name. Why had Celestia looked at him the way she had. What had his species done to cause such a dangerous situation as her sister losing her mind?
All of it, felt so… so familiar, and yet he couldn’t place any of it.
So many unanswered questions as of right now. Perhaps… perhaps eventually they will all come back to him.
Celestia had watched the train depart from her balcony, her eyes tracking it whenever it came into view as it circled the mountain and finally headed east towards Ponyville. The morning had been rather eventful. She reviewed the morning as she stared off into the distance. The problem had been attempting to keep Issac out of Luna’s way as she finished off her night shift, even more so was figuring out a way to keep her from seeing his dreams and getting curious. It wasn’t so much that she was trying to keep them from meeting each other, but that it wasn’t the right time just yet for them.
She had no intention of stopping them for the rest of their lives, that’s a task even she could not perform. A bit of time was simply needed to allow Issac to recover from his very long slumber and hopefully regain some sort of memory of what had transpired long ago.
“Princess?” Isaac had thought towards Celestia, who turned her attention to him as they were walking through the massive hallways.
“Yes, Isaac? Is something on your mind?” She replied.
“I-” He paused for several seconds, attempting to figure out how he wished to word his question. He opened his mouth, about ready to answer when a door was whipped open to their left and he was unceremoniously thrown into it, the door slamming closed as he laid with a bucket on his head, a broom sliding to the side and slapping the top of it, causing a ringing in his head. “Celestia what is the meaning of this!” Was… what he wanted to say… but he heard her speak first from the other side of the door.
“Dear sister! Good morning!” Celestia said.
“Mmph…” Was the response from the ruler of the night.
“Something the matter Luna?” Celestia asked as the sound of Luna’s hooves grew louder.
“It’s just been a very long night. It appears as if someone had been dreaming in the local area, but for some reason I simply could not penetrate the fog. It was a nightmare, and I couldn’t help them for some reason.” Luna sounded mildly distressed by the situation. Celestia of course, appeared rather nervous suddenly.
“O-oh? Is that so Lulu?” The question and slight stutter had caused Luna to squint at her with a hint of suspicion. Then, she sniffed the air for a moment, and sneezed. “What is that smell sister?” Luna questioned, wiggling her nose. It twitched as she sniffed around, almost like a curious dog. Even her tail twitched back and forth as she trotted around the area.
Normally, Celestia would be tittering and giggling like a filly over this adorable display of… well adorableness, if it weren’t for the fact that she was trying to keep Luna from finding the source of the scent.
“Ah, what smell Luna? I don’t smell anything.” She said as she attempted to subtly guide her away.
“Bah! Do not lie to me sister! Surely you must smell it as well!” A silence descended for a moment, and then. “It smells… familiar but I cannot quite place it Tia.” A snort and mild sneeze before she grumpily began to move away from the closet. “I fear I’m going mad again sister. Because that smell should not be here…”
Celestia cleared her throat a bit, then nodded. “Perhaps you need sleep, you must be dreadfully tired Lulu.”
Luna grunted in response, her eyes half lidded before she let out an almighty yawn that seemed to rattle the vase nearby. She promptly did a one hundred and eighty degree turn and began walking towards the Lunar wing of the castle. The scent… she knew it, but couldn’t place it, and that was what bothered her the most.
Once Luna was well out of sight and hearing, Celestia opened the door to the closet and stifled a laugh as she saw her friend strewn about within. “Come Isaac, we are already late in meeting the others for your trip.” She used her magic to help pull the bucket and broom off the confused human.
“Celestia… your sister. She sounded familiar. Do I know her?” He asked. This caused Celestia to look at him with a small, somber smile.
“Soon I will explain everything, but for now you have a train to catch my old friend. And you have a recovery to make, hopefully along with some of your memories. I don’t want to overload you by trying to explain everything right now.” She said as they made their way through the castle, to meet his new caretakers.
It had been a situation that Celestia had held her breath on. Luna, her sister, had been naught but 10 feet away from the very cause of her turn into Nightmare Moon. And that source had no idea of it. No clue that he had brought about so much trouble, even though he had, in truth, done no wrong.
Shaking her head she turned from the balcony as the train disappeared in the distance, she had duties to attend. Isaac’s appearance was no excuse for her to neglect them either.
The abrupt stop of the train jerked Isaac awake. He wearily blinked and looked around, not quite sure where he was for a moment. The pink ball of fluffy hyperness reminded him very quickly.
“Wakie, Wakie, eggs and bacyyyy!” Pinkie cried out as she pounced atop the human.
“Omph! Pinkie please! I’m not ready for this!” He protested as she bounced atop his thighs a few times.
“No one’s ready for the Pinkie!” She cried out over the sounds of oofs and grunts that escaped Isaac.
“Pinkie! Stop that this instant!” A purple aura surrounded her and lifted her off as Twilight spoke. “He’s not a bouncy castle!”
Pinkie curled her hooves into her body as she floated before Twilight. “Sorry… I was just so excited!” Pinkie replied as Twilight lowered her to the ground and let her go from her magic hold. Pinkie trotted in place for a moment, then with an unintelligible rapid fire of words, bolted off.
“I… what?” Isaac questioned as he looked at Twilight. In return, she shrugged her shoulders and sat on her rear. “Pinkie, nuff said.” She responded. Isaac took the response as it was, then stood and groaned, popping and cracking various parts of his body. It was at least an hour before the guards made their way to the car they were in to inform them that it was safe to exit the train and begin their trip to Fluttershy’s cottage.
He had to give the guards credit, they had done quite well in figuring out a safe path they could take through the small village. Twilight had managed to use a bit of magic to distort the image of Isaac, a perception spell that would fool the local ponies minds. They would see him of course, but the moment they looked away, they forgot what they had just seen. To them, it would appear as if he wasn’t even there.
Now of course that didn’t mean they completely forgot. To the ponies, when ever they began to think of it, it would be like trying to remember something important, but the more they tried the harder it would be to bring the thought to focus.
“Eventually-” Twilight said to Isaac as she explained the spell to him, “-somepony will remember. Hopefully though by then you’ll have been integrated into the village.” She finished as they found themselves at the edge of the city, bordering what was known as the Everfree Forest. There they met Fluttershy, who had gone ahead earlier to get the cottage ready. She came out with a faint smile on her adorable muzzle. “W-welcome to my home Isaac. I uhm… I tried to make the basement as comfortable as possible. I know that it’s not preferable but it’s the only area big enough for you.” She said in her typical, quiet voice. Isaac smiled and gave her a gentle pat on her head, earning a slight squeek and blush from the mare before she made her way towards the door, wings ruffling and flapping a bit, leading to her seeming to jump and skip a few times. “This is where I leave you, for now at least.” Twilight said when they got close to the door. “I’ll be by tomorrow to talk with you, provided nothing comes up. Fluttershy will take good care of you, don’t worry. See you later Isaac!” She gave a wave of her wing before trotting away, leaving Isaac with his new, quiet friend. He took a moment to look at the small village in the distance, arms crossed and wings folded tight to his back. He had a lot to learn… a lot to remember. He just hoped that he made a good impression when Pinkie threw her party to introduce him to the village.
