Michael was a normal person with an overactive imagination. Well... normal until he ended in Equestria.
Hi there! For those who started reading this, and are curious about who I am, my name is Michael. Currently Mike where I am. No, I’m not someone you should know from any game or other famous story. Although that would be cool. In fact, I believe in the theory of the Multiverse to the point that there is at least one person writing this as I talk. But in a way you can understand, every book we read, every game we play, every movie or TV show we watch, there is a Universe that connects to it. Why? C’mon, haven’t you watched Men in Black? Or Supernatural? Or even played games to the point where your character goes into another dimension, to suddenly meet a parallel version of himself? In fact, although I’m here talking to you, I believe there’s another me, in another Universe, on another kind of adventure. But I’m going off topic here. This story is about how I, a simple teen with the tendency of overusing his imagination, got thrown outside of his own World and ended up in a land full of ponies. Predictable? Yes, there are similar stories like this one. A boy living a normal life, in a normal World, buys something for a costume and suddenly ends up in a different World. I’ve read the stories. And to be honest… I kinda wanted the same to happen to me. Truth be told, I never expected for it to really happen. And although I wanted to come here (yes, I’m a brony, deal with it), what I didn’t want though, was to be attacked. And imprisoned. And chained. And magically locked into a freezing bubble. And turned into a statue. All of the above in a space of 500 years. The last one has… well, I’ve been taking a little more time to break free. By now, you think I would have turned old, don’t you? Well, not with my powers. Turns out the costume I prepared was from my own imagination. A Hero of my own mind. And turns out that when I crossed into this World, everything I imagined in him turned real. Immortality included in the package. Wanna find out how my character is? Well, I’m not going to spoil you. Just keep reading.
I knelt down on the scorched ground, panting hard. I was completely worn out, my powers almost depleted. I tried to get up, using my own broad sword as leverage, since my legs didn’t have enough strength to keep me standing.
I took a look at my surroundings. Nothing but desolate land and scorched trees, together with frozen stalagmites here and there on a three mile radius. “Dang. Good thing there isn’t a town in a ten mile radius of here.” I muttered, trying to keep myself standing.
The sound of wings flapping caught my attention, as I looked up. Floating right above me were two alicorns, one with a white coat and a short rainbow colored mane and tail that waved calmly, wearing a golden armor with sun patterns. The other had a dark blue coat and a cyan mane and tail, wearing a night blue armor with moon patterns. Both of them landed right in front of me, taking a stance.
I sighed, before looking at them. “So, this is the result of our confrontation.” I leaned towards my sword, feeling the blade sink a few inches. “Are you getting ready to give me the final blow?”
Both Alicorns glared at me. “You should have surrendered when we asked thee.” The white coated one spoke up, her horn revealing a golden glow at the same time the blue coated one revealed a blue one. “Be ready to atone thy punishment!”
“So what’s it gonna be this time?” I asked. “In case you have forgotten, all of your attempts to keep me arrested kinda backfired, you know?”
“Not this time.” the white one replied. “For your crimes towards the land, you are hereby stripped of your powers and turned into stone!”
My expression changed when their sentence reached my ears. My eyes focused on their horns, as my mind raced. “Oh no you don’t!” I yelled, tightening the grip of my sword. “Scatter and hide! Don’t let them find or catch you! I will search for you when I’m free again!”
With those words, my sword suddenly shattered, making me fall to the ground. I felt my power leaving me, as five glowing spheres flew out from my body and into the sky, scattering towards the four corners of the land, seconds before both alicorns hit me with their combined spell. I took the hit, unable to dodge it, and started feeling my body getting harder.
“What hast thou done?!” the blue one asked as she saw the spheres flying away.
I smiled. “I’ve sent my powers away.” I replied, getting myself up as I felt my legs turning to stone. “Don’t worry though, they’ll come back to me. And when that time comes…” the petrification spell worked faster and faster, but I didn’t care. I smiled at both alicorns. “…you better be ready.”
The next thing I saw was complete darkness.
Canterlot Sealed Chamber during Twilight’s Kingdom Event – 2000 Years Later
Nine hundred million, two hundred and twenty-five thousand, three hundred and fifty-two bottles of beer in a wall, nine hundred million, two hundred and twenty-five thousand, three hundred and fifty-two bottles of beer~, you take one down, and pass it around, and you got Nine hundred million, two hundred and twenty-five thousand, three hundred and fifty-one bottles of beer in the wall~.
Question: how to pass time when turned into a stone statue and sealed inside a chamber without any light or way to know time?
Nine hundred million, two hundred and twenty-five thousand, three hundred and fifty-one bottles of beer in a wall, nine hundred million, two hundred and twenty-five thousand, three hundred and fifty-one bottles of beer~, you take one down, and pass it around, and you got Nine hundred million, two hundred and twenty-five thousand, three hundred and fifty bottles of beer in the wall~.
Answer: find a song so repetitive that you never know the time passing.
Quite the hard task for me. Although I have some preferences, repeating the same song for several years can become tiresome and most of the times a person can get sick of it. Luckily, I remembered one that somehow didn’t seem to get bored, even after some time. But after repeating it for so long, even I was questioning my sanity.
Really! I started with a hundred bottles, finished it and went to a thousand bottles, finished it and went to a hundred thousand, finished it and went to a million, and lastly to a billion.
…
…
Oh great, I just got myself frustrated, bored to death and just found out that the remaining of my sanity is gone.
That’s it, I WANNA GET OUT OF HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I struggled, trying to break out of my stone prison. To no such luck, unfortunately. I’ve been doing the exact same thing each time I finished a count, but the spell kept itself strong. Figures.
After five hundred years, the princesses found a way to create a spell that would keep me sealed. This petrification spell uses both princesses’ magic to keep itself strong and unbreakable. Each time I struggled, I could feel the magic preventing me from cracking the stone.
At some time, I felt the magic weaken for a moment and took the opportunity to break free, but it was just for a moment. As soon as I’ve heard the stone cracking, the magic started pouring in and I was back to square one. But I noticed something different when I struggled that time.
The magic was from only one of the princesses now.
If my memory doesn’t fail me, then I’m getting into the timeline where Celestia banishes Nightmare Moon. I thought.
I mulled over the possibilities of what was happening. If I’m entering the timeline of the show, then around a thousand years have passed since I was turned to stone. But even with one princess the spell can still bound me. So in order to break free, both need to be out of magic…
Only one choice came to my head. And it involved waiting. So I did the only thing that I could do at the time.
One million of bottles of beer in the wall, one million of bottles of beer~, you take one down, and pass it around, and you got nine hundred and ninety-nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine bottles of beer in the wall~.
I struggled again and again, trying to break my stone prison. I don’t know how much time passed, but I surely was getting tired of this. They could at least give me a window, or some crystal ball so I could at least take a peek on the outside World.
So first thing on my to-do list: get some fresh air and some light exercise. Standing in the same position for so long can become uncomfortable.
C’mon, c’mon! Break already! I yelled mentally, tensing my muscles. I want freedom! I want air! I want to get out of this FREAKING PRISON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*crack*
I froze. I thought I heard a crack.
I tensed again.
*crack*
I stopped. I did! I did heard a crack!
I tensed again, as the cracking sound repeated itself, getting louder and louder, then stopped. I counted to ten, twenty, thirty… and I couldn’t feel any magic.
There was no magic to feed the spell. Only one thing came into my mind.
The timeline was going together with the show. Tirek is free and the princesses gave their magic to Twilight. Meaning they didn’t have any magic to bind me. My chance to escape just appeared.
Grinning wildly I didn’t hesitate. I was cooped up inside a freaking chamber, who would hear me?
I inhaled deeply and tensed all of my body, reaching the remains of my powers that still resided within me.
Heck, who said that the Princesses were the only ones who could use the Royal Canterlot Voice?
The petrification that bound my body instantly shattered to dust, as I let my voice echo through the chamber at full blast. Without a second to waste, I looked for a door in the middle of the darkness, only to be met with a vault door.
“I’ve been cooped up for too long.” I spoke out loud, raising my right fist and getting ready to punch. I heard a ‘click’ sound, before grinning a giving a straight towards the door.
*GOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNGGGG*
The door trembled at the strength of my punch, as I heard its hinges and lock break out of the wall and falling to the ground. I was greeted for something I haven’t seen for a long time.
Daylight.
I closed my eyes to feel the warm clarity, as I let my sight slowly get used to it. I sighed in relief after being turned to stone for so long.
That relief was brief when I felt a powerful dark aura. My eyes widened.
“Tirek.” I muttered. I looked around, trying to find a hiding place. No way I’m getting out to face that guy right off the bat. I looked towards the vault door on the ground and groaned. Finally feeling the daylight and the only hiding place is back in the darkness.
The hoofsteps were getting closer. No choice then.
I grabbed the inside of the door and pulled it back into place, closing it silently. Taking a deep breath, I lowered the strength of my powers in order to hide my presence. Not taking any risks against him right now. I may be strong, but I’m not stupid. Facing Tirek as he was getting stronger by minute and me without all my power was a one-sided beating.
I listened the sound of hoofsteps passing by, and some yelling and screaming. Dang it. Good thing the girls will be able to beat him. Too bad I won’t be able to see the fight, though. In the show it was epic. Live… well, getting caught in the aftershocks of it wouldn’t be nice.
I leaned the door forward to hear the outside. I heard yelling and then silence. I tried to feel my surroundings and felt that Tirek was gone from Canterlot.
“Time to leave.” I spoke out loud. Pushing the door forward, I got out to the room and closed it. With a good kick, the hinges went back to their place, keeping the vault door fixed. Luckily, neither the princesses would notice I just escaped when their magic returned. That bought me some time.
I stretched and gave myself a check. My clothes were a little rumpled and dusty, but otherwise in good state, my body was stiff, but a little exercise would get the rust out of the joints.
And I really, really needed a bath.
“Well then, priorities first.” I said to myself, turning to walk out of the room. “Let’s get myself cleaned up. After that, looking for my friends.” I stopped at the exit as another thought came into my mind. I couldn't hold a mischievous smirk. “But before reuniting then, I think I should pay the princesses a visit.” I noticed some guards knocked out at a corner. “After Tirek is dealt with.” I added.
“Well Celestia, it’s nice of you to invite me for a stroll.”
Standing side-by-side along a stone path, Princess Celestia walked, enjoying the scenery. Not everyday she enjoys a small time to herself after ending Day Court early. Reason for that was because of Discord, who floated besides her over a balloon.
“Considering how you managed to scare the nobles that came with petitions that would take me all day to read, it’s the least I could do.” The Sun Princess replied, a small bird passing by with a cheerful chirp. “I’ve heard from Fluttershy that you’ve been helping around quite a lot.”
“Oh, it’s not that much.” Discord replied, making a cookie appear out of thin air and munching it. “Helping some of her critters to behave when they start acting rebellious is quite useful, especially when we can put a good scare on them.” He ate the whole cookie in a single bite. “Helping Pinkie Pie can be even more fun, especially when she’s on a pranking streak with Rainbow Dash.”
Celestia glanced at him. “Discord…” she started.
“Oh don’t ruffle your feathers, Princess.” Discord cut her off. “I Pinkie Promised not to overdid any pranks with my powers.” He looked aside. “I’ve learned my lesson.”
Celestia nodded. “Very well then.”
Both continued to walk until they reached a row of statues. “Ah, memories.” Discord sighed as he looked at the statues. He landed near a pedestal, where one was missing. “You kept my old place intact.”
“Do not worry, though.” Celestia assured him. “Sooner or later, there might be another statue to go there.”
Discord sighed. “Yeah. I must thank you though, Celestia.”
Celestia raised an eyebrow. “Why is that?”
“For giving me a second chance at redeeming myself.” He looked at the Sun Princess. “And for not turning me into a stone statue again after Tirek was handled with.”
Celestia shook her head. “Tirek tricked you, and took away your powers. I believe that was punishment enough.”
Discord smiled. “And I’m thankful for it.” he started walking again, but stopped. He looked around, a small frown on his face. “That’s strange…”
“What is?” Celestia asked.
Discord took off, gaining some height, and looked around. After a full minute, he landed down next to Celestia, rubbing his chin.
“Discord?” Celestia called, worried.
“He’s not here…” the draconequus muttered.
“Who’s not here?”
Discord turned towards the Sun Princess. “Celestia, before I rose to power and you two had to use the Elements of Harmony against me, there was another creature.” Celestia’s eyes gave a slight twitch, but Discord didn’t noticed it. “I know he was turned to stone, but I never saw him in the garden.”
Celestia didn’t say anything. She looked at Discord in silence, as he spoke about another entity she faced a long time ago.
An entity she would rather keep in stone than letting go free.
“He’s…” Celestia started. “…in a well-kept place, isolated from any force of nature. Why?”
At this, Discord looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “Well, I was about to suggest him to join the reform program and-”
"ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!!"
Celestia’s Royal Canterlot Voice threw Discord back towards a bush wall, leaving his own shaped hole. When he came out of the hole, he noticed the Sun Princess panting.
“Okay, didn’t see that one coming.” The draconequus muttered, hitting his head to clear the deafness. “Why the sudden outburst?”
Celestia blinked, before regaining her composure. “I’m sorry, Discord. It’s just… he shouldn’t be free.” She turned away.
Discord raised an eyebrow. “Is there something wrong between you two?” he asked.
Celestia didn’t look at him. “No, but…” she looked at a sun clock near the statues. “…I’m afraid our conversation will have to wait for another day. Duty calls.”
Discord watched Celestia walk away towards the palace in silence, before sighing. “It’s been so long since he was turned to stone. And he wasn’t that evil to begin with.” He sat down on a bench that materialized, a frown on his face. “What just happened for her to react like that?” he thought for a moment, before smiling. “This requires some detective investigation.”
He stood up, snapping his fingers. The bench disappeared in a flash, as a Sherlock Holmes costume appeared with another on him. “Now, let’s dig some backstory.” He said, holding a shovel, before disappearing in a flash.
***
Celestia sat on her throne, resuming the Day Court Discord managed to disrupt. Unfortunately, the only subjects she was receiving were only nobles, some with petitions, others with claims. She mentally sighed at how monotonous life has become. Since Twilight got herself a castle, it seemed most of the adventures were going towards her and her friends.
That talk with Discord somehow managed to bother her. And even though she managed to avoid it before it got complicated, his question lingered.
It was true, there was nothing wrong between her and the one imprisoned. But she knew how powerful he was and keeping him in an open space would be too dangerous. Especially if his powers decided to return to him.
After two hours of hearing the petitioners, she excused herself for a short break and moved to a small room behind the throne. There, she took the opportunity to stretch her legs a little and flex her wings. Having to keep appearances was something she managed to held for two millennia, but after so long, keeping herself regal at all times gave her several cramps. Cramps that even the royal massagers can’t get her rid off.
Another thought came into her head. There was another thing the creature Discord mentioned was capable off. And only two knew of it.
Her and Luna.
A shiver ran down her spine. Celestia immediately shook that thought off her head. There was no way she would free him. Not her, not Luna, not anypony. It was too dangerous.
And she honestly hope that Discord won’t try anything to free him.
She turned towards the door to resume Day Court, when another shiver ran down her spine. She blinked, looking around. The thought of what that creature could do to her somehow managed to give her chills. Good thing he was imprisoned in stone and sealed inside a chamber. There was no way he would get out without alerting everypony.
She couldn’t be more wrong in her whole life.
As Celestia re-entered the throne room and prepared to resume Day Court, a voice greeted her.
“Hello Celestia. Did you miss me?"
The expression of the Sun Princess did a complete one-eighty. From calm and composed, it became pure shock and fear. She scanned the throne room, trying to find the source of the voice as the Royal Guard looked around in confusion.
Celestia regained her composure, getting up. “Show yourself!” she demanded, opening her wings for intimidation.
“I will, but not in public.” the voice replied.
Celestia frowned, but complied. She looked to the guards, signaling them to leave the throne room. As the last one exited and closed the doors, she magically locked them. “Alright, we’re alone now. Reveal yourself.”
“After two thousand years, that’s how you treat me?” the voice spoke right behind her.
Celestia jolted and teleported away from her seat, appearing right in the middle of the throne room. Coming out from the back of the seat was a young human male with black hair and dark brown eyes. He was wearing a full body black suit with white stripes, and a light armor protecting his legs, arms and chest.
~~~
‘Oh god, her face when she heard my voice!’ I thought after giving her the fright. The poor girl still has some problems from the past. I couldn’t blame her from that though, since I was the one who created them.
Even so, it was still funny.
I looked at her with a smile. “Honestly Celly, I expected at least a visit from you or Luna.” My smile faded, looking at her in sadness. “And you even put me inside a sealed chamber, without any light or means to see the outside world! I’m deeply hurt.”
“How did you manage to get free, Mike?” Celestia growled, keeping her horn pointing at me, ready to strike.
“And then, after I’m finally free and decide to pay you a visit, this is the treatment I get! I expected a warm welcome, at least a-” I stopped myself. Considering the current timeline, I bet Pinkie Pie would suddenly teleport here at the word ‘party’. “-a nice reception, after not seeing you or your sister for so long.” I corrected myself.
Celestia didn’t move from her place, but I could feel her glare towards me. “You didn’t answer my question.” She spoke up.
I leaned to the throne chair, crossing my arms. “Right to the point with you, isn’t it.” I sighed. “Fine, to be honest, I have to thank you, Twilight and Tirek.”
Celestia raised an eyebrow, confused. “What?”
“It’s a chain event.” I replied. “As I believe that you know, my stone prison was fed by yours and Luna’s magic.” She nodded. “And when Tirek escaped from Tartarus, fearing that he might take both of your magic, you both plus your niece gave them to Twilight in order to keep it safe.” She nodded again. “Which in turn ended in dispelling the seal that kept me from escaping.” I looked at the Sun Princess. “Is that explanation simple enough?”
Celestia blinked as the information I provided raced through her head. But before she could speak, I threw a wrench in that brain of hers. “So, ever found anypony who could give you a massage like I did?” I asked with a grin.
Celestia sputtered, surprised. “Wha?”
That was more than an answer for me. “Guess not.” I replied.
“Where did that even come from?” she asked, looking at me in shock.
“I’m not blind, Celly.” I replied, looking at her with a raised eyebrow. “Two thousand years on only having hooves massaging your body may relief you of some pent up stress, but not all.” Celestia wings twitched. I smirked. “And you’re really needing one right now.”
Celestia braced herself, her horn glowing. “There is no way I am allowing you to roam Equestria again.” She declared, looking at me menacingly. “And I won’t allow you to touch me or anypony with those hands of yours!”
I jumped to the side, right before she shot her spell. The beam hit the throne chair, turning it to stone. I looked at the petrified chair, then turned my head towards the sun princess.
“Alright then.” I spoke, getting myself in position. “Let’s get rid of some of your stress.” I noticed her horn charging for another spell. “Starting with some exercise.”
Celestia fired her petrification spell, this time hitting an armor behind me as I dodged. I started running across the throne room dodging spell after spell, as Celestia started firing with more speed, trying to slow me down.
“C’mon Celly, is throwing spell after spell all you’re good at?!” I yelled, dodging another spell.
As a response, Celestia screamed in rage, throwing a large blast. I screeched to a halt, inches from the heat of the blast right in front of me, leaving a hole in the wall with a perfect view to Equestria. I glanced towards the alicorn, who was charging for another spell. “Okay… change of plans.” I muttered.
Celestia was preparing to shoot another volley of freezing spells, in order to put me under the petrification spell. The last time we fought, she and Luna had great trouble trying to take me down. And that was when I was at full power.
But now I didn’t have any of my powers. I was at my weakest, so she could handle me head on, without any surprises. All she had to do was keep her distance.
Eh. She didn’t expect me to start charging towards her, though.
Surprised, Celestia took off, trying to gain some height, but I jumped with all my strength towards her. Celestia smiled, as I suddenly realized that I put himself in midair, without any way of dodging.
“Gotcha!” She declared triumphantly, charging the petrification spell and firing at full power.
I stared in shock at the incoming spell, but before it hit me, the stripes on my body shone. Next thing I know, I was suddenly pulled towards the ground at the last second, as the spell barely grazed my hair, ending up hitting the carpet.
“Thank goodness they work.” I sighed in relief, laying on the ground. Getting up quickly, I looked at the Sun Princess. “Missed me!” I yelled mockingly. Celestia grinded her teeth, glaring, as I took a defensive stance. “C’mon, Celly!” I taunted. “That all you got? You’re not even giving me a challenge!” I jumped to the side to avoid a beam. “Don’t you wanna play like the good old times?”
"NO!" Celestia replied with the Royal Canterlot Voice at full blast. I winced at the volume of the answer, before noticing her firing another beam.
“Same old, same old.” I muttered, jumping to avoid the beam and starting to run again, when I noticed something different.
The beam never hit the ground. Instead, it started following me.
“Okay, that’s new.” I admitted, until the beam split into several. “And that’s unexpected!” I added, surprised.
Twenty-four smaller beams scattered and started cornering me, in the hopes of getting a clean hit. All I could do was run and dodge every small beam, while keeping a constant eye on the sun princess, in case she decided to shoot another round.
Which she did.
Forty-eight beams. I kept moving, but was now busier with acrobatics than running. Mortals, flip-flops, jumps, spins, I made moves that would make any circus and street performer cry in envy.
“This is getting ridiculous!” I yelled, making a ballerina pose to avoid half of the beams. To my bad luck, Celestia fired another beam towards me. My mind raced, trying to find a way to avoid the spell in time, but only one solution came to mind.
“This is going to hurt.” I muttered, grimacing. Twisting myself, I managed to avoid the hit of the larger blast, hitting a painting and turning it to stone. The mistake of avoiding that blast was that I got myself off balance, ending up being the target of all the beams that were coming. And as if they knew the opportunity, all strands focused into a massive beam, hitting me dead on in the chest, sending me flying towards the end of the throne room.
I groaned in pain as I slowly tried to get up. Damn, that guiding beam spell really packed a punch if focused. If it wasn’t for my armor and the sturdiness I obtained when I arrived here, that beam would have left a nice hole on my chest. But that spell was somehow familiar.
And by familiar, I mean that I used to do it.
I got myself in a sitting position, thankful that the spell was more to hit me than to slow me down, as I heard hoofsteps approaching. I looked up to see Celestia approaching, keeping her horn lowered towards me.
“That spell looked familiar, Celly.” I spoke calmly, keeping my position.
“One of the few I learned, in case I ever had to fight against elusive opponents.” Celestia replied, keeping her glare on me.
“So you’ve learned a few of my skills?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.
She squinted. “So what if I learned?”
I looked at her for a moment, then applauded, surprising her. “Imitating my skills in order to take me down. I must applaud you for that, Celly.” I commented, getting in a more comfortable sitting position. “Being able to combine a heat beam spell with a dispersion spell and a guiding spell isn’t easy, considering the amount of focus you have to do and timing to shoot all of them at the same time.”
Celestia kept her stare on me, recovering from the initial surprise. “Is that all you have to say?” she asked, her horn glowing.
A quick plan formed in my head. It was a gamble, and I had to play low. “No. In fact, I have something else to say.” Never taking my eyes off Celestia, I searched for a small pebble on the ground around me. It wasn’t hard to find one, thanks to that blast I took. “After two thousand years” my hand closed on a decent sized one. I sure hope this works. “are you still hogging cakes like there’s no tomorrow? Because I can see some pounds around your flank, despite your regal appearance.”
Basic lesson on how to deal with females: never talk about their weight. And in Celestia’s case, that was taboo.
How do I know? Her calm serious expression changing to one of pure rage, as her colorful mane changed to several shades of red. It was a dead giveaway.
“How dare you…” she growled, the glow of her horn changing from gold to red. “How DARE YOU!!!” she screamed, her tone almost reaching the Royal Canterlot voice.
I folded my legs, getting me into a crouched position. This is going to cut close. “With all due respect, I speak what I see. And for good reason.” It was true. Nopony dared to tell their Princess that she was getting fat. “At least when I was around in the past, I managed to keep you in top shape.”
Damn, good thing she doesn’t shoot lasers out of her eyes. They were blazing white with rage. One last push.
“But since you barely move around, only for royalty duty or private matters, you only rely on your magic, so I’m not surprised.” I smirked, getting ready to jump. “Should I call you by your old nickname, Princess…”
“Don’t you dare.” Celestia spoke in a low, menacing tone.
I grinned. “Marshmallow?” I ended in a squeak.
A large scream of rage was heard, and the next thing I saw was a beam of red coming at me, before I jumped to the side, barely dodging it. The beam went through another wall, disappearing from sight before hitting a mountain in the distance, blowing it to smithereens. I looked at the princess, noticing her charging another red beam, but this time, I was prepared.
The bad side of the spell Celestia shot was the casting time it took. But considering she was blind with rage, it was the only spell she was only focused in hitting me. That was the only time I had, and it was enough. Holding the small pebble, I threw it with exact precision, hitting right in the center of her horn. Celestia gasped at the sudden disruption of her magic, stumbling back has she felt the vibrations going through her head. I took the opportunity and dashed towards her. With a slight jump, a spin and a mortal, I landed right on her back, surprising her.
“Now let’s take care of those extra pounds.” I whispered to her ear, making her shiver, before straightening myself and raising my right hand. I grinned when she turned her head to look at me.
“Giddy up, Celly!” I yelled, swinging my right hand and slapping her flank.
~~~
Outside the throne room, a Unicorn and a Pegasus Guard stood there, watching the doors with a serious expression, although worried. It’s been a while since their Princess dismissed them to speak alone with the mysterious voice, and after five minutes, the sound of fighting was heard, together with some yelling and screaming between blasts. After a large explosion, there was silence again.
Since they were in the middle of Day Court, all the other guards were instantly dispatched to clear the entrance and suspend any petitioners that were coming in. This way, they could prevent a mass panic or rumors to spread across Canterlot.
Even so, for the two guards, the silence after the fight was putting them on edge.
“It’s too quiet. Do you think the Princess caught him?” the Pegasus asked.
“Do you doubt the Princess’s power?” the Unicorn replied.
“No, not that. It’s just…” the Pegasus glanced at the unicorn “…her expression when she heard that voice. She seemed… I don’t know…”
“Shocked and scared.” The Unicorn ended, looking at the Pegasus. “Princess Celestia knew that voice, so she told us to leave the throne room. She must know that the source is too powerful for us to face.”
“Even so, it’s our duty to protect the Princesses!” the Pegasus spoke, advancing towards the door. “We should get in there and help her!”
The Unicorn stopped him by raising a hoof. “We don’t know what kind of enemy Princess Celestia is facing. And if it turns out that it’s a powerful enemy like Discord or Tirek, then we would become hostages to force the Princess to surrender.” He explained, keeping his composure.
“Then what, should we stand here waiting for something awful to happen to Princess Celestia?” the Pegasus asked.
Before the Unicorn guard could answer, a scream of rage was heard inside the throne room, just before a large explosion followed it. Both guards looked at the doors. They recognized that the scream came from the Princess, and that worried both of them.
“I think we should wake up Princess Luna.” The Unicorn guard suggested.
Both changed glances, but the next thing they heard from the throne room decided it.
“Giddy up, Celly!” yelled a voice.
The next thing they heard was a strong neigh, followed by crashing noises.
“I’ll go. You stay here.” The Pegasus spoke, flying as fast as he could muster towards Luna’s chambers. The Unicorn just stared at the doors, worried.
“Please hurry.” He muttered as the sounds persisted.
~~~
“GET OFF OF ME!”
“HeeeeHaaawwww!!!”
“I AM NOT A RODEO HORSE!!!!!!”
“Hey yooo, Cellyyyy!!!”
“GET OFF RIGHT THIS INSTANT!!!!”
“Woohooo!!!!”
I’m not gonna lie, it’s been a long while since I had this much fun! And although Celestia yelled to me, I was helping her. Well, kinda.
True, most ponies don’t like to be mounted without permission. But as long as there’s a reason behind it, it can be explained. In Celestia’s case, I was helping her losing the few extra pounds she had.
She’ll thank me one day, I just know it. Until then, she has to endure it. It’s for her own good.
“Get… off… me.” Celestia panted, slowing down.
I blinked. You have got to be kidding.
“Don’t tell me you’re already out of breath.” I spoke up, keeping my grip around her waist with my legs. Not taking any chances by lowering my guard.
Celestia stopped lashing and turned her head, giving me a deadly glare.
“You’re joking.” I said in disbelief. “You’re joking, right? You used to hold out for an hour with me in the past, now you can’t hold five minutes!?” I frowned. “You really need me right now.” I positioned myself. “And until you manage to shake me off, we’re going to keep this up! Let’s go, Marshmallow!” I yelled.
“Don’t… call me that!” Celestia yelled, starting to lash out. Here it is, so she still had some fight in her. Even so, I could feel her sweat all across the body, and I knew she wouldn’t hold out for long. I sighed as she started to slow down again, panting hard.
“Okay, seriously. Is that all you got now?” I asked, disappointed.
Celestia didn’t answer. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
“What are yo-EEEEOUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” I suddenly screamed as I jumped off her back from the sudden heat, landing on the ground. “That was uncalled for!” I yelled at her, as I fanned some air between my legs with my hands.
Celestia chuckled, looking at me with a smug look. “At least… you are off my back.” She retorted.
I glared at her. “Oh, so you wanna play rough, do you?” I growled at her, getting up. Damn, I can’t close my legs because of the heat between them. “Okay then… let’s play.”
I charged at her, not giving her a chance to gather her magic. She opened her wings, trying to take off to get out of reach, but I never gave her that chance.
With deadly precision, I hit her wings with two fingers, right where the joints connected to the body. The result was Celestia’s wings falling limp to the ground, unable to move. But I didn’t stop there.
Before she could cast, I flicked her horn, disrupting her magic, then moved to hit the joints on her hinder legs, forcing her to sit. She tried to hit me with her forelegs, just to have them render on the ground useless with a few well-placed hits. She tried to focus on casting magic again, but this time, instead of flicking her horn, I grabbed it and gave a tight squeeze. The result was a small gasp from her, before her head fell. I carefully held it before hitting the floor and lay it down gently.
“Alright then, now that we can talk calmly, let’s go for the verdict.” I finally spoke up, as she glared at me, incapable of moving or casting magic. I sat down right in front of her. “You’re five pounds overweight, lacking stamina and physical endurance. Your only strong point is your supply of magic that seems near endless, probably from the two thousand year buildup and controlling the sun and moon for a thousand years.” I reported, never missing a beat, as she stared at me, surprised.
“How… do you…” she started, but I cut her off.
“Let me finish. While I was hitting you, I could feel a lot of tension in some of the joints, meaning that the royal massagers either don’t know all the right spots, or are simply ignorant that alicorns have a different anatomy than anypony else. So…” I clapped my hands “…my advice to get some of that stamina back, together with some endurance would be to make a light gallop around Canterlot every morning, either before or after sunrise, your choice. And try to avoid using your wings, because that would be cheating. Oh, and your question from before? I managed to feel Luna’s magic disappear when I was imprisoned. One of the perks when trapped inside a statue that sustains its power by feeding on your magic. So yeah, I know about her.”
Celestia glared at me. “I… hate… you.” She managed to growl.
I stared at her. “I try to help you, and that’s how you thank me?”
“You… come in here… call me fat… mount me like a rodeo horse… disable me… and then tell me… what I should do… to keep myself in shape. And you expect me… to thank you after all this?” she retorted.
I blinked. “Okay, point for you there. But in my defense, you attacked first, and that was a well needed exercise. You must have lost at least half a pound with all that thrashing and lashing around.”
Celestia snorted. “You shouldn’t… have escaped… from your stone prison.”
I sighed, shaking my head. “Celly, I believe I did my time. And two thousand years is too much for me. My race has an age limit, and I already passed it by two thousand, four hundred and ten years, give or take.”
Celestia looked at me. “What… are you going… to do?” she asked.
I stretched myself, cracking some bones from my back. “First things first, I’m gonna reunite with some old friends of mine. We have a lot to catch up. After that, I might go on a tour through the lands, to see how much things changed. But first…” I cracked my fingers “…I’m giving you something you need right now. It’s been a long time since you got it.”
Celestia stared at me, her eyes focusing on my hands as I flexed my fingers. “You wouldn’t…”
I looked at her and couldn’t hide a grin. “Aw come on, Celly. For the old times?” I said, slowly approaching her. Her eyes were wide as dinner plates, as she tried to crawl away from me.
I held her down by sitting on her back. “Nuh-uh, Celly.” I said, the grin never leaving my face. “No running away while I’m doing my magic. You know that wouldn’t be healthy.”
“No…” Celestia breathed out, as I approached my hands on her neck. “No.” she repeated, as my hands were almost touching her coat.
“Aw, come on. It’s not like I’m gonna hurt you.” The grin never left my face as I kept talking. “Though, it’s been two thousand years, so I may be a little rusty. But don’t worry.” Celestia shuddered when I lowered my voice. “I’ll be gentle.”
Dang, even my voice gave me chills when I said that. But what I said was true.
I clapped my hands and rubbed them, until the friction heated them up. Then without hesitation, I put them on her neck, at the same time the Sun Princess screamed.
Outside the throne room, the unicorn guard stared at the double doors, worried.
After the initial thrashing, and his partner flew off to get Princess Luna, all he’s been hearing was shouts and yells, both from Princess Celestia and the intruder. But what worried him was that the Princess was yelling in anger, while the intruder yelled in fun.
‘What the hay is going on in there?’ he thought.
Silence came for a few minutes, before hearing thrashing again. Then, after another moment of silence… EEEEOUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The guard couldn’t hold a small smirk. It seemed that Princess Celestia managed to land a decent hit on the intruder.
But now there was complete silence. He didn’t want to lean his ear to the door, due to misunderstandings, but he was straining to try and hear what was going on inside. For what he could tell, both were talking, but he couldn’t understand a word.
The sound of wings flapping caught his ears. He turned his head to look at the corridor, just in time to see a night blue alicorn arriving with his partner in tow.
The unicorn guard made a bow towards the alicorn. “Princess Luna.” He greeted.
“I was informed about an invisible intruder in the throne room, facing my sister.” The Lunar Princess spoke up, looking at the closed doors. “What is the situation?”
The unicorn guard took a deep breath, before starting his report. “Since the departure of my partner to wake you up, the sound of fighting has been the most common inside the throne room. But until recently, the intruder seemed to be mocking Princess Celestia during the fight, until she managed to land a hit that made him shout. After that, there’s been silence inside the throne room until now. It seems both the Princess and the intruder are talking.”
Luna’s eyes widened. Whatever was going on, it seemed that her sister was in terrible danger. Without hesitating, she reached the double doors, ready to burst them open, when she was met with resistance. Besides her, both guards tried to help out, when the unicorn suddenly remembered.
“Princess Celestia locked the doors when we got out!” he realized when the doors didn’t budge.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
“SISTER!” Luna yelled banging the doors with all her strength, but all she heard was screaming. Without waiting, she turned around and started bucking.
*BAM!*
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*BAM!*
PLEASE! STO~P!!! AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH~!!!!!!!!!!!
*BAM!*
Luna bucked the doors with all her strength, but she felt something was wrong. With each buck she gave, the screams Celestia was giving inside the throne room were changing, becoming less of pain and terror and more of…
P-PLEASE! NO MORE~~!!!
Both guards changed looks. “That… wasn’t a scream of pain.” the Unicorn guard noted.
NOOOOOOOoooooooo~…
“What in the Princesses name is going on in there?” the Pegasus guard asked.
Suddenly, a loud neigh was heard. Then absolute silence.
Luna stopped bucking and turned around, her horn lighting up. “Stand back!” she announced as sparks gathered around her horn. Both guards gladly complied.
Focusing her magic, Luna prepared an advanced spell she learned before her banishment. While Celestia had learned on how to combine spells to create homing beams, her combination was different. A lightning spell, a bubble spell to contain it and a gust spell to focus and throw both and she had a lightning bomb, ready to blow. Casting the spells was easy, the hard part was timing them to connect at the same time and throw.
As soon all spells were ready, Luna fired it towards the door, but she forgot one small detail: the lightning bomb was more powerful than the homing beams. So powerful that she was thrown back from the recoil, and even more when the spell detonated when it hit the doors, releasing a strong shockwave that sent her flying a few feet away.
“Princess!” both guards yelled when the Lunar Princess landed. They ran towards her, helping her get up.
“Thank you.” Luna spoke, getting up with their help. “It’s been so long since I learned that spell that I forgot how powerful it was.”
“Only a Princess to be able to cast something that powerful.” The Unicorn guard complimented, watching the place where the spell hit, revealing a large hole in the place where the handles of the doors would be.
“Now the doors aren’t closed anymore.” Luna said, rushing towards them and ignoring the dust cloud raised by the blast. When she finally opened the doors, she was welcomed with a shocking sight.
The throne room was in a complete chaos. Several statues and windows laid broken on the floor, two large holes adorning the walls. Some places around the room could be seen scorch marks and even signs of being petrified, the throne chair and carpet especially. The large chandelier that adorned the ceiling fell down, breaking into several pieces. But Luna wasn’t focused on that.
What she was focused on was a white lump on the ground, right in the middle of all that destruction.
“SISTER!!!” Luna yelled in panic, running to her. “Sister…” she called nuzzling her head.
“Mmm… Luna?” Celestia moaned, opening her eyes lazily to look at the younger Princess.
Luna sighed in relief. “Oh, thank the Maker.” She muttered, before nudging her. “Sister, what happened? Who did this to you?”
“Luna…” Celestia moaned, before letting out a small sigh. “He’s back.”
“Back?” Luna echoed, as the two guards standing at the entrance finally entered. “Who’s back? Tirek? Chrysalis?”
“Nope. Me.” A voice was heard right behind Luna.
Startled, the Lunar Princess turned around, just to stare into a pair of dark brown eyes. Eyes she saw a long time ago.
“Hi Luna!” Mike spoke up cheerfully, before a soft breeze surrounded her. “Bye Luna!” he added with a soft kiss to her forehead below the horn, before dashing out of the throne room, leaping over the stunned guards before heading towards the exit.
The guards just stood there staring at what just happened, dumbfounded.
“Seize the intruder!” Luna yelled, snapping them back into attention. “Don’t let him escape Canterlot!”
Both guards saluted before dashing out of the throne room to raise the alarm. Luna however, didn’t move from the same place. “So… he’s back.” She finally spoke, her eyes moving towards Celestia.
The Sun Princess hadn’t moved from the same place, looking at Luna with a half lidded stare. “He managed… to give me… one of his… treatments.” Celestia managed to breathe out, trying to sound furious but failing. “I couldn’t… fight back… because he… paralyzed me.”
“Two thousand years… and he still got that talent.” Luna noted.
“Why haven’t… you moved yet?” Celestia asked, noticing that her younger sister hasn’t moved from the same place yet.
“He caught me off-guard. And gave me the flash treatment.” Luna replied, before moving her neck a little.
Her body tensed for a few seconds, as several cracks were heard everywhere in her body. When the last sound was heard, she fell into the floor with a blissful smile.
“Oooohh…” Luna moaned, feeling all the tension in her gone. “How did someone like him became our enemy?”
“You know… very well, Luna” Celestia answered, keeping her voice serious.
“Even though you started moaning near the end?”
Celestia groaned, but didn’t answer.
~~~
Celestia gained a few pounds, but Luna didn’t change a bit. Guess her time on the moon got her into a few exercising hobbies.
After running out of the throne room, I made a small detour towards the gardens. After that little stunt, for sure that the two guards I jumped over were going to raise the alarm and start searching for me around Canterlot.
Even though I didn’t leave the castle yet.
I took a deep breath, observing the statues around the gardens. Some of them from ancient enemies, defeated a long time ago, others like Discord, who had been imprisoned in stone and stood here, to show generations to come what they represented. I stood on top of a pedestal here too. Before I was moved inside a vault. A golden plate on the pedestal revealed my meaning: Elementalist.
They were kind enough to give me that title. Even though I had two of them.
But currently, this title doesn’t fit me right now. Not without the spirits of the Elements. And no, not the Elements of Friendship, the Elements of the World. Only with them I can use my powers.
Alarm bells started to sound all around the castle. ‘About time’ I thought. The princesses were temporarily out of commission, since the treatment I gave them can leave anyone out for at least an hour. That would give me enough time to have some fun around Canterlot.
“Well, aren’t you quite a sight?” A mocking voice spoke right above me.
I looked up, just to see a mix of several creatures into one: Discord. Floating over a pink cloud. “It depends on whose perspective.” I replied. “To me, you’re quite a sight yourself, Discord.”
The draconequus disappeared in a flash, to appear right beside me. “So I see that you know me.” He spoke up, keeping a firm stare on me. “But I don’t know much about you.”
I crossed my legs, resting my arms on them. “Of course you wouldn’t. After all, I appeared on this World twenty five hundred years ago. And been imprisoned in stone for two thousand.”
“Two thousand?” Discord asked, surprised. “Wow, I didn’t know the Elements were used on someone before me.”
“They weren’t.” I commented, deadpan. “Otherwise, I would have been free the moment they bounded to the new bearers.”
Discord looked at me with a raised eyebrow. “Then, how-”
“Petrification spell. Casted so it would keep me bound eternally, using the Princesses magic as energy to prevent me from escaping.”
“Oh.” Discord blinked. I could see the gears turning inside his head, as realization hit him. “Oooooohhh… so… I kinda helped you out.”
“Kinda, yeah. So thanks about that.”
We stood there, watching each other in awkward silence, the sound of hoofsteps in the distance the only sound that could be heard.
“So… what are you gonna do now that you’re free?” Discord asked.
“Travel.” I replied, noticing some Royal Guards moving from the corner of my eye. “Hopefully without having to face Marshmallow and Moon Pie.” Discord raised an eyebrow at such names. “Nicknames I gave to Celestia and Luna.” I explained.
“May I know why?”
“Luna was always playful as a filly.” I started. “She liked to prank me with her magic whenever she could, but one day I decided to reverse the prank.” I looked up, directly at the castle. “I caught her unaware one day, covered her in batter and put her into a tray, together with other ingredients for a pie.” I couldn’t hold a smile at the memories. “When I was finished, she looked too much adorable and tasty.” I chuckled. “I think the current moon pies are based on my recipe, save for Luna.”
I noticed Discord was busy taking notes of my story, with a wide grin on his face. “I see… what about Celestia?”
I smirked. “Celly in her younger years was a little more ‘chubby’ than she is today.” I told him. “I ticked her off everytime with that nickname, but considering her round, puffy body, I just couldn’t resist. Good side was that she couldn’t do much when I managed to tip her and make her fall.” I chuckled. “There were times when I just laid my head on her. She was really comfortable to take some naps, despite her complaining.”
Discord couldn’t hold it in anymore. He fell to the floor, laughing hard. “Oh, that’s just too much!!” he managed to speak between laughs. “To think Celestia and Luna were teased so much before I came along.” He got up, looking at me. “We should hang out one of these days. You seem to be good on spraying chaos.”
“An interesting proposal, but I’m afraid I’ll have to refuse it for now.” I said, getting up. “Besides, you’re here to distract me, aren’t you?”
Just as I finished those words, Unicorn and Pegasus guards flocked all around the garden, spears, crossbows and horns pointed at me. Discord looked at me, shrugging. “I swear I didn’t know they were coming here. Honest.” He said, keeping a hand behind his back.
I just gave him a lidded stare, before smiling. “It’s okay, I know it’s in your nature.” I replied, looking around. Seems like everypony from the Royal Guard is here to detain me. My mind suddenly decided to play around. “Just asking, but do you know which direction is the Everfree Forest?” I asked.
Discord blinked, then pointed a finger of his gryphon arm. “That direction, half day on train to Ponyville, then a thirty minute walk, but why do you ask?”
My smile widened. “Because now I know where my extra weight is going to be.” I said, reaching for the white stripe that surrounded my neck and pressing it slightly.
As if pressing a trigger, all the white stripes on my clothes suddenly peeled off, detaching from my clothes. The places where they circled opened and jumped out, then started to roll themselves into a large ring, the size of a small wheel. I took a deep breath, as the small, white wheel completed itself and then fell to the ground with a loud thump. That caught the attention of some of the guards, as others got into better position to attack.
“What did you just do?” one of the Pegasus guards asked, keeping his spear leveled towards me.
“Got myself lighter.” I replied. It was true. Although those stripes looked thin and light, in truth they were a set of restraints. And without them, I felt quite weightless. I looked at Discord with a mischievous grin “By the way Discord, I believe I never introduced myself. My name’s Mike.” I flexed my fingers “And I’m sorry, but I’ll have to bind you. I can’t have you interfering in my escape.”
“Bind me? What do you-” his voice trailed off when I grabbed the end of his tail and pulled. Discord was thrown off-balance, allowing me to use him as whip to make some of the guards step back. Without stopping the movement, my free hand moved towards his throat and stretched him.
“Mares and gentlecolts, allow me to demonstrate an incredible trick.” I announced to the guards. “As you currently know, Discord can be quite flexible himself, considering his anatomy.” I demonstrated them by using the draconequus as a jumping rope. “But if we want him to stay in one place, all we have to do is bind him. Yes, I know that as a creature of Chaos, binding him is impossible, but that’s where the problem lies: I’m not binding him magically but physically!”
With that said, I spun the draconequus all around me at high speed, leaving him dizzy. Then, keeping the momentum, I started giving him knot after knot nonstop, until every last part from snot to the tip of the tail was covered with a tight, triple knot. The result was hilarious.
Discord now stood beside me, looking like a knotted ball, still dazed and unable to move. At least for a while, I hope.
“Now, without further delay…” I grabbed the white wheel near my feet, grunting a little as I lifted it up. Not easy to lift a concentrated ring of sixty tons once it’s all focused. I started spinning for a couple of seconds to gain momentum, then threw it into a wide arc towards the Everfree Forest, surprising some Pegasus guards that were in the way. A third of the stares were focused on Discord, and another third was focused on my throw. I grinned at the remaining third that stared at me in confusion. “…bye!” was all I said before breaking into a sprint towards the streets, leaving a smoke trail.
Gotta love the classics.
~~~
The Royal Guard stood in the same place, still looking in confusion. Their thoughts were brought back into attention when Discord spoke up. “So… are you gonna follow in order to catch him, or are you just keep standing there gawking?” he asked, wriggling his knotted arms.
Everypony blinked, suddenly snapping into realization at what just happened. They just got distracted. And the creature took that moment to run away.
They started to follow the smoke trail, when Discord called. “If a few of you wouldn’t mind?” two unicorns stopped to look at him. “A little help?” he asked with a sheepish smile.
One of the unicorns blinked. “You can’t free yourself?” he asked, confused.
“I could.” Discord replied “If I knew how these knots were made.” He mumbled afterwards. “That and he knotted me so thoroughly that I can’t snap myself free.”
Both guards changed glances. “We should take him to the Princesses.” The second suggested.
“Agreed.” The first spoke.
~~~
Ah, the good ol’ Cat and Mouse chase. It’s been a while since I’ve played this game.
“C’mon slowpokes, are you even trying to catch me?!”
I always loved to play this game with the ponies.
“Over there! Get him!”
“Nope! Over here!”
Be it playful foals.
“Don’t lose sight of him!”
“Sight of who?”
“Gah!”
A pair of Princesses.
“Air squad, try to flank him!”
“We’ve been trying!”
Or angry guards.
“He’s too fast!”
“Ya don’t say?”
I couldn’t keep my laughter as I kept running in front of them, turning left and right to prevent any unicorn to hit me with a spell, together with avoiding any Pegasus from dive-bombing to catch me. Sometimes I just stop at a corner and let them keep running, until the last in line notices me.
“He’s playing with us!” I heard one of the guards yell.
“Well, no duh!” I replied with a smirk. “I’ve been doing this in the past, why shouldn’t I do this in the present!” I turned right into an alley, several guards following me. Some of them took the opportunity and tried to hit me with a few spells since I was on a tight space.
How wrong they were.
Without stopping, I gave myself some more speed and started to wall run. All the spells went past me as I kept my speed to reach the roofs, leaving the unicorn guards staring at me, slack jawed.
When I reached the roof, I looked down. “Wow, you almost got me!” I teased. “Better luck next time!” I turned around to continue my escape, only to see three dozen Pegasus guards glaring at me. “Eheh, my bad.” I apologized. “Completely forgot about you.”
“Cease and desist!” one of the guards yelled.
“Let me think for a second.” I replied, looking thoughtful for that same second. “Umm, no.” I turned around and dashed in the opposite direction, this time avoiding arrows and tackles.
Great idea coming to the roof. I just got myself exposed and without cover. Looking down, I saw several Unicorns and Earth Pony guards running through the streets, giving me death glares and waiting for me to come down. Looking ahead, I saw an intersection, splitting into four roads.
An idea came to mind. Another old classic. “Let’s see if I can pull it off.” I muttered to myself, dodging another arrow.
I jumped down to the street and sped up again, just to keep ahead of the guards. And just when I was about to prepare, I felt my body tense up for a second.
My eyes widened and I hit the brakes. First warning.
I slid a few feet before stopping right in front of the intersection. Everypony that was following me was caught by surprise at my sudden stop, and swerved aside to avoid colliding against me. Fortunately, the intersection was large enough for everypony to walk around. Unfortunately, they weren’t fast enough to stop as they rounded it, resulting in a loud clashing of armors. I flinched when everypony crashed against each other, and winced in sympathy at the pile of ponies standing in front of me. “Sorry!” I apologized. The pile just moaned and groaned.
I looked around. The Pegasus guard was approaching fast from the air, and several nobleponies were staring at me in confusion. “Please forgive my rudeness, but if you would be so kind, could you point me the direction of the main gate to leave Canterlot?” I asked politely, trying to keep myself under control under the current circumstances.
Some of the nobles looked at me, then changed glances and started to step back a little, caution and fear on their faces.
“You know, I at least expected a polite answer.” I said annoyed, as they were still stepping back. I sighed. “Fine.”
Flexing my knees, I got into a crouching position, then focused my strength and jumped, leaving everypony staring. It didn’t seem that I put too much effort, but with my strength and without the white restraints keeping me down, I managed to jump high enough to get a clear view of all the city.
“Now let’s see…” I muttered, looking around. It seemed that I was somewhere between the suburbs and the high class district. And the exit seemed to be south-southwest, from the direction of the sun. Quite a good distance, though. Looking up, I saw a small glint moving through the sky in the same direction. Following its trajectory, I saw its destination: a small town, right beside a large forest. I facepalmed. “Ugh, I missed the throw.” I groaned, as I began my descent. “Considering my first warning, I can’t play with them anymore. And zigzagging around the streets and alleys might take too long to reach the gates.” I looked down, noticing the row of buildings that went from my location to the gate. I grinned. “Well… if all I have to worry about are the Pegasus while on the roofs…” I muttered.
I plummeted towards the ground at high speed, landing without effort after a quick spin and creating a small crater. I looked at the guard, still recovering from the clash, looking at me in confusion. My grin never left my face. “It was fun while it lasted, but I must take my leave now.” I said. “Nice playing with you!”
With that said, I ran towards one of the buildings and climbed the wall to reach the roof. Once there, a song started playing in my head as I started running with all the speed I could muster.
Every Pegasus stood between me and the gates, trying to bring me to a stop. Everytime they charged, I dodged sliding down, jumping over, leaping, twirling, all while keeping myself on the ledges of the roof or at the top. I couldn’t keep my laughter as the adrenaline rushed through my body, running roof through roof, jumping ledges to change from one building to the next, approaching the gates with each jump.
Half way to the gates, a main road emerged, leaving a wide gap for me to jump towards the next roof. Several guards were already waiting on the ground, with spears and nets in order to catch me, as some Pegasus guards were waiting on the other side of the roofs.
‘They know I can jump well, so they’re trying to bring me to the ground.’ I thought, noticing a tall building on the other side of the road, a few stories taller than the rest. I couldn’t stop grinning. ‘Well, ain’t that just perfect.’
Taking the momentum, I jumped when I reached the ledge of the last roof. Time slowed down as I looked to the road beneath me. The faces of everypony, guard or not, as I flew over them all in a single jump was just priceless, as I decided to struck a few poses in midair, all the way to the other side. At the last pose, I dove right into a first floor window of the building I observed before: a Hotel.
And guess what: I broke into a bathroom.
Right when a mare was taking a bath.
The high pitched scream was more than enough for me to scramble out of the bathroom and respective room towards the hallway. I searched around for the stairs and climbed them towards the third floor, trying to orient myself inside. The sound of hoofsteps on the stairs told me that the guards were storming the Hotel in order to catch me, so I barged into a door and ran towards the window right in front of it, ignoring the surprised guests inside and getting out.
To my luck, I got out on the right side, and resumed my running. But a Pegasus scout noticed my destination.
“He’s going to the gates! Close the gates!” he yelled to the distance.
At those words, I saw the iron bars starting to come down as the drawbridge was lifting. I cursed, as I started to run faster towards the exit, my steps hitting the roofs with more force to propel me forward and cracking tiles on the way, but I could feel that I wouldn't reach in time. The walls seemed too thick for me to try an instant exit, so I had to think of another way to leave the city. My eyes caught the train station, but since the whole place was on full alert, the train wouldn’t move until I was caught. And the passage was probably closed.
Front being blocked, no turning back, sides flanked little by little. That left only one direction.
I looked to the top of the walls, seeing a few guards looking at me. Most of the guards were busy trying to surround me, leaving only a minimum around the walls. Meaning that my only path of escape was over the walls.
In other words, I’m going up.
“Let’s see if I can pull it out.” I muttered, approaching the outer wall while hearing some guards yelling in anticipation. They were trying to corner me, leaving me without any room for escape, but as soon as I got in front of the steep wall, I left them speechless.
Using the remaining speed I could still use, I ran up the wall that surrounded Canterlot, leaving the Unicorns and Earth Ponies staring at me slack jawed. The speed I gathered was enough to get me near the top, but it was there that I felt the second warning.
My legs started to weaken, and I almost stumbled in mid-run while climbing the wall. Using my hands, I managed to get back into position, but I could feel cramps in all my muscles, begging me to slow down.
‘Just a little longer, please.’ I pleaded silently, watching how close I am to the top of the wall. And not waiting for an answer, with a last effort I dashed to the top, until I felt nothing.
I looked down, noticing the lack of footing, and to my surprise I surpassed the top of the wall and was now floating overhead some of the guards. We both exchanged surprised looks, until I broke into a smile.
“WOHOOOO!!!!!! FREEEDOOOOOMMM!!!!!!!!!!” I yelled, throwing my arms up, before noticing I just surpassed the walls.
Right into a direct fall towards the edge of the mountain the city stood on.
“OH COME ON!!!!!” I yelled before my body stiffened. “Oh great.” Was all I could say, before falling down.
~~~
At the throne room, both Princesses were sitting quietly in the same place since Mike had left. Although they could now raise their heads and body, their legs were still numb, together with their wings. Both knew that Mike took precautions in order to avoid fighting them in an open space, and made sure that they couldn’t use their magic for a while in order to let him escape.
The double doors opened, allowing the passage of two Unicorn guards, carrying a fully knotted Discord. At his sight, Celestia pursed her lips to refrain her laughter, but Luna couldn’t hold in a snort at the sight.
“I assume you’ve met Mike?” Celestia asked with an amused smile.
“Indeed.” Discord replied.
“And talked with him?”
“For a while, before the Royal Guard surrounded us.”
“And the result of your state?”
“He caught me off-guard, disoriented me and knotted every single part of my body, before running away.”
Luna wheezed and coughed, trying to maintain her composure at the draconequus current sight, but failing miserably. Both ignored her.
“Can’t you snap yourself free?” Celestia asked.
“I’m afraid not.” Discord replied. “He literally knotted every part of my body that could snap or imitate a snap.”
From the tip of his horns, to the tuft of fur on his tail, everything was completely covered in a triple knot so tight that it looked painful. But for a creature of Chaos like Discord, it seemed quite the normal thing for him.
But it was when Discord opened his mouth that neither Princess could keep their laughter in anymore.
Mike was thorough with Discord, no doubt about that. He even made sure that he couldn’t snap with his tongue, it having three knots starting from the tip. Discord stared at them, unamused, waiting for the laughter to die down before speaking.
“So…” he started “Can you help me? I can’t move much like this.”
“We’ll help you, Discord, don’t worry.” Celestia spoke, regaining her composure after the burst. “After we regain control of our magic.”
Discord raised an eyebrow. “Is something wrong with your magic?”
Both Princesses changed glances, before Luna replied. “It is one of Mikes’ many abilities which do not rely on his true powers.”
Discord frowned. “I believe you’ll have to tell me more about him while your magic returns.”
Before Celestia or Luna could reply, a Pegasus Guard burst in. “I’m sorry, Princesses. He escaped.”
***
Somewhere else under Canterlot, a shadow moved swiftly through the crystal tunnels. It soon reached its destination: a small temple carved in stone.
The cloaked figure climbed the stairs of the temple and knocked on the door, waiting for it to open. A small port opened right above.
“The password?” a raspy voice asked from the port.
“Destruction of the Elements.” Replied the cloaked figure. The door opened, allowing it to enter.
After the first door, there was another, this one made of steel. Besides it was a row of oxygen masks, all full. A golden glow took hold of one of the masks and carefully put it under the hood of the cloak. With that, the back door closed and a sudden whistling sound was heard. After the whistling stopped, the metal door opened and the cloaked figure advanced.
The inside of the temple was completely devoid of light, air and life. The cloaked figure advanced slowly and stopped a few steps away from the door, kneeling down.
“Sir, I bring news from the surface.” The cloaked figure announced, the voice echoing in the darkness.
There was a moment of absolute silence, before another voice was heard from the darkness. “Speak.”
The cloaked figure stood up. “The Elementalist is finally free from his prison and managed to escape Canterlot.”
Silence reigned again in the darkness, this one longer than the previous. Then a low chuckle was heard, slowly followed by a low laugh that escalated quickly into a mad laugh that echoed the entire temple.
“Finally.” The same voice was heard. “Finally I can get my revenge.”
A large lake situated at the bottom of Canterlot Mountain, the result of the amount of waterfalls the city provided towards the feet of the mountain itself. But now it was surrounded by Unicorns and Pegasus Guards, both parties searching every inch, trying to find the fugitive that just escaped.
The unicorns scanned the area with scrying spells, trying to find him. According to one of the guards who saw him leap the wall, the creature landed into the lake and didn’t surface for the time the guard took to mobilize. Pegasus guards flew around the perimeter, trying to see if the creature managed to escape the lake without being seen, but a small forest surrounded the lake, providing enough cover for the fugitive to hide.
The search continued until the sun started to set.
“We’ve been scanning this lake all day and found nothing!” a unicorn guard spoke up, frustrated. “Unless that creature knows how to breathe under water or turn invisible, he’s probably long gone from here!”
“These scrying spells were made to search any lifeforms despite their hiding abilities or skills.” another guard spoke. “There’s no way he can hide for us.”
“Well, we completely underestimated him and were played for fools while he ran around Canterlot in a game of tag!” a pegasus guard shouted from above both unicorns who were commenting, before approaching the shore of the lake, saluting at his superior officer. “Sir, this is the eleventh search and there’s nothing to report.” He announced.
The officer sighed, looking towards the setting sun, then the lake. “Give one last round, then we return to the castle. Maybe the Night Guard will be luckier in the search.” He ordered the guard, who saluted and flew off.
The last search took another hour. Unfortunately, and to great chagrin for the guards, without success making all the search parties groan in frustration. The unicorns embarked in the traditional royal chariots with the Pegasus Guards pulling them, departing from the lake towards the castle. When the last chariot got out of view, a small group of trees not far from the lake started to twist and turn, revealing an opening on the ground between them. A hand got out, grabbing the nearest branch, pulling the body out and revealing Mike.
“Finally.” He breathed in relief.
***
Mikes' P.O.V.
I kept looking up, searching the twilight sky for any gold or indigo gleams, signaling either the Day Guard or the Night Guard. After a full minute without any signs, I got out of my temporary hideout and stretched.
Only to fall flat on the ground.
“Ugh. Ouch… Right…” I muttered, turning around to lay on my back with a grimace. “Better deal with my cramps first.”
I sat up and winced at the jolt of pain that ran through my spine, as the strain I put myself into as I ran through Canterlot finally got me back. Hard.
Side-effects after pushing myself through the second warning: temporary paralysis on the whole body. But nothing I can’t handle.
All the muscles in my legs were completely stiff from the cramps, refusing to move. I carefully prodded them, feeling the right place where the pain was more intense. After wincing a couple of times and pinpointing the right places, a quick massage got them back into working condition.
From a general point of view, this escape wasn’t one of my best, although I had some luck.
After the long fall directly into the lake, I managed to recover just in time to swim towards the shore and controlled some small trees to surround and hide my presence. Unfortunately, I managed to recover after falling into the lake, getting a massive belly-flop.
I can still feel my whole torso numb from the impact. That’s gonna take some time to recover, but right now time is something I don’t have.
Doing some squats and stretches, I tested my legs. They still twitched from the pain, but it was barely noticeable. I looked towards Canterlot, making sure nopony was coming, then climbed a tree to look at the sky.
The sun was starting to set while the moon was preparing to rise. Marshmallow and Moon Pie must’ve recovered from the treatment I gave them, meaning that if they decide, the next patrol of Guards will have them around. Orienting myself through the setting sun and rising moon, I climbed down the tree.
I froze when I noticed that I wasn’t alone.
Perching on a branch at the tree right in front of me, staring in curiosity was a phoenix. It leaned its head, observing me from head to feet, as if looking for something.
But the funny thing was that what made me freeze in place wasn’t the fact of being watched. It was the familiar magic the bird emanated.
“May I ask who you are?” I asked politely.
“I am Philomina, Princess Celestias’ phoenix.” The phoenix spoke mentally.
I looked at her, surprised. Normally, this kind doesn’t talk. “Philomina, huh?” I repeated, raising an eyebrow. “How did you know I was here?”
“I was taught at a young age to locate your power once you were free. That and to follow the trail of destruction caused by the ponies who would try to catch you.” She replied, disguising a small giggle. “Although I never expected to assist quite the show.”
I narrowed my eyes at the answer. Can speak naturally, was taught how to locate me… “Do you by any chance know a phoenix named Fire Strike?” I asked, just to make sure.
Philomina nodded. “Yes. He is my grandfather.”
I blinked in surprise and chuckled. “Your grandfather? Well, who would have guessed?” I commented with a smile. “That might explain how you can talk.”
“Very few can talk like me.” Philomina explained. “Only those who descended from Fire Strike have the ability to obtain speech, but only a few used them.” She looked aside. “I almost thought that I wouldn’t need mine after so long.”
“When was the last time you talked?”
“Before Princess Luna was banished to the moon as Nightmare Moon.”
“That was a millennia ago, give or take a few years. But why?”
“My grandfather has been observing the Princesses ever since you were turned to stone.” She started recounting. “He found a small forest, not far from the Badlands and stablished his nest. With the passing years, more phoenixes appeared and found his territory, and he welcomed them, keeping them protected against any threat from outside or to their offspring. Each year he flew to where they were staying, moving silently to try and find you but without success.
For a thousand years he told his offspring and his offsprings’ offspring a story about a warrior who was not from this World, that he called a friend and was strongly bonded with. They fought side-by-side against powerful creatures who would threat those who were weak or he considered precious friends. But due to a terrible incident between a current war, he ended up becoming the martyr of all the races, fighting their leaders all at once and at the same time, ending with his defeat and turned to stone.
When Princess Luna became Nightmare Moon and Princess Celestia banished her, grandfather saw her mourning and came with a plan.
He gathered his kin and asked for a volunteer to become the Princess companion pet. It would come with three conditions: the first was that the volunteer couldn’t reveal to anypony that he could speak; the second was to learn how to detect him in case he finally got free from his prison; the third was to make contact and guide him to where he was waiting.
Between the dozens of phoenix chicks, I was the only one who volunteered.”
I listened to her story in silence, contemplating every piece of the plan. “So let me get this straight.” I started. “After Luna was banished, Fire Strike sent you as a chick to Celestia in order to keep her company, while having the mission to meet me in case I managed to get free from my prison, in order to reunite with him once more.” I looked at her. “Is that right?”
The phoenix nodded.
“Gotta admit, that was very well planned.” Considering the story he told his offspring, he made sure that I would be seen in high regard. “Although putting you with such a mission at a young age…” I sat down, looking at the phoenix. “Did you ever regret taking that mission?”
Philomina shook her head, looking at me with a smile on her beak. “I also had the mission to bond with Princess Celestia and cheer her up when she was down. Together with being myself. And I was the mischievous one of the family.”
I laughed. “Oh, that’s a good one.”
“Indeed. But…” she looked towards Canterlot, a painful look in her eyes.
I nodded. “I understand.” I got up from the branch and climbed the rest of the tree down. “So you want to stay with Celestia after your mission is done.” I raised my right arm, allowing the phoenix to fly down and perch on it. She nodded. “You can return to Celestia or you can return to your family. I’m not forcing you to come with me.”
Philomina looked at me. “I… always admired you. Grandfather told stories about your adventures and I wanted to meet you face to face. But… it would be best if I stay with the Princess. We’ve been together for a long time.”
“It is your choice, and I’m sure Fire Strike would be proud of you.” Philomina puffed her chest, happy for my compliment. “So, without any more delays, can you tell me where he is hiding, please?”
Philomina tilted her head. “I thought I told you already. In the same place he stablished his nest. Near the Badlands. He told me you would know if I mention the Dragon Migration.”
I stared at her blankly for a moment before chuckling, as a thought came into my head. “Yeah, I know where that is.” I looked at Philomina with a smile. “Thanks for telling me where I can find him.”
Philomina nodded. “It’s a shame, though.” She commented. “Now I have to come back and pretend I can’t talk again.”
“Hmmm… I think I can help with that.”
She looked at me. “How?”
“Do you know the order of the Elements I have to gather?”
Philomina shook her head. “No, grandfather only told me that there were five Elements, Fire, Ice, Lightning, Nature and Wind. Why?”
I smiled, stroking her neck. “Keep the order of the Elements that you said in mind. Because I’m going to need to play stalker on Celestia after getting Fire Strike.” She looks at me, confused. I just winked. “If Celestia doesn’t know where I’m going, I have to provide her a little hint. And if she knows where they are, the easier it is for me.”
Philominas’ eyes widened as she understood what I was saying. “And then I can talk freely.” She narrowed her eyes. “You know she’s not going to like this.”
“You already fulfilled your mission.” I noted. “Consider it your prize for a job well done.”
The phoenix stared at me for a moment, then nodded, taking off from my arm towards Canterlot. In mid-flight, she suddenly changed course, allowing me to see several chariots coming out from the walls.
My eyes widened. “Oh crud, I lost track of time!”
Orienting myself, I started running through the forest, ending on a vast plain. The moonlight provided me enough illumination to see a good distance around the plain, helping me finding the train tracks. But it would also expose me to the guards that were coming down.
“Not sure if I can outrun them in an open field.” I muttered, rubbing one of my legs. Suddenly, a train whistle was heard. “But maybe I don’t have to.”
Near the foot of Canterlot Mountain, the Friendship Express was coming out of a tunnel. I smiled as I started to run towards the last train to Ponyville. Hiding behind a tree near the tracks, I waited for the last car to pass, before jumping right into the back. Working quickly with the door, I opened it and entered, closing just as I noticed a Night Guard coming out of the woods. I sighed in relief before turning around.
“Seriously?” I muttered, deadpan.
Several ponies were staring at me, surprised at my sudden intrusion. I instantly recognized some of them from Canterlot while running around. And those stares are starting to change.
‘Think Think Think Think Think…’ my mind raced, trying to find a way to reach Ponyville without raising a panic onboard. ‘Hijacking? No, bad idea, I don’t know how to pilot a train. Hostage situation? Same problem, I’m trying to avoid the villain route, thank you.’ A mare was starting to inhale deeply, getting ready to scream. The environment was starting to get too tense…
Wait… tense?
“Mares and gentlecolts of all ages, I’m truly sorry for barging in unannounced.” I started speaking, hoping I could somehow subdue the panic. “I’m guessing some of you may have heard or saw me running around Canterlot, but I assure you that whatever you are thinking, it is nothing more than just a huge misunderstanding.” Some eyebrows were raised. “Please allow me to introduce myself.” I straightened myself, giving everypony a polite bow. “My name is Mike Elemental, and I’m a massagist with the title Holy Hands.”
Holy Hands. The second title I earned after the first one. The title that currently fits me.
Curious about why I have such a strange title? Two reasons: first, besides the minotaur race, I’m the only other race who have hands; second, I can make any race fall to the ground after a good rub.
Don’t get weird ideas and let me explain.
After a few years upon my arrival, adapting to my current situation and settling in, I decided to learn the pressure points of every race. The result? I got myself the gift of giving massages to everyone.
It can be useful out of battle to gain a few bits, and useful in battle when disabling an opponent. And getting them to talk.
C’mon. Did you really think I did something dirty to Celestia or Luna? Keep your dirty minds out of the gutter, I’m not interested in dating outside my own species… unless they’re anthro.
Don’t judge me, I know how many people reading this would think about it, and I’ve seen several artworks before ending in here.
But back on topic, all I did was give them a massage. And considering Celestia’s state, she needed one of my treatments. Luna though, wasn’t as tense. Maybe because she was just awoken to see what was going on, and I was short on time to give her a better treatment. Gotta offer her a better one the next time we meet. I just hope it isn’t during battle. Not in the mood to face them without my powers.
After my introduction, silence reigned in the car, the only sound coming from outside. I could feel everypony staring at me in confusion.
“Holy Hands?” a voice spoke up. I raised my head to see a grey stallion looking at me. “Never heard of such title.”
“Of course not.” I replied. “After all, I’ve been travelling overseas, far away from Equestria, so my name and title hasn’t reached here yet.”
“And why Hands?” a mare in the crowd asked.
I raised my arms, wiggling my fingers. “It’s not everyday that you can see a creature like me. Especially one that can work with much more precision than hooves or claws.”
Some ponies changed looks. Then a pale blue unicorn got up and approached me, eyeing me up and down. “Much more precision?” he asked in sarcasm. “I seriously doubt that.”
I raised an eyebrow at the comment. “How so?”
“Because I’m the renowned massagist from Canterlot. Cloud Touch is my name, and I never heard of somepony…” he eyed me again “…or thing… with such title, especially a massagist.”
I glanced at the stallion’s flank. A hoofprint on a cloud. How ironic as the name matches the Cutie Mark for almost everypony. Too bad that sometimes their personality doesn’t match their name when out of their jobs.
I focused on Clouds’ body for a few seconds. “So you won’t recognize me as a massagist?”
The stallion glared at me. “If I would, then it would be an insult to those in my line of office.” He turned around “Honestly, a creature like you being a massagist and having his own title? Preposterous!”
This guy is starting to get on my nerves. “So what title do you have?” I asked.
Cloud glanced at me with a smug smile. “Platinum Hoof.”
Oh?
“I’m one of the ten high level massagists in all Equestria.”
Only ten, huh?
“And one of Princess Celestias’ private massagists.” He declared proudly.
Everypony inside the car stared in awe at Cloud Touch, as he raised his head in defiance towards me. I pursed my lips for a moment. So he’s one of Celestia massagists, huh?
“Well? Aren’t you going to say something?” he asked.
“Yeah.” Time to get this pony off his pedestal. “You did an awful job with the Princess.” I replied.
Everypony gasped at my comment. Cloud Touch just stared at me, outraged. “Excuse me?! You dare saying I didn’t do my job perfectly with Princess Celestia?!!”
“How many pressure points do you think an Alicorn has?” I asked, leaning on the door with my arms crossed.
“What?”
“Earth ponies have around a hundred and twenty pressure points, due to their constant use of physical strength.” I started. “Pegasus ponies have around a hundred and fifty because of their wings. Unicorns have around a hundred and forty, mostly around their neck and horn.” I narrowed my eyes. “Alicorns are the combination of the three kinds. Take the base hundred for the pony kind, add twenty from the Earth Ponies, fifty from the Unicorns and forty from the Pegasus. That gives a total of two hundred and ten pressure points.”
Cloud Touch stared at me, mouth agape from my explanation. “H-how do you know that?” he asked, trying to retain some of his dignity.
I smirked, watching as the tables turned around. “I didn’t get my title just for show. I earned it through hard work.” I stretched my arms, warming them up. “In order to give a good treatment to a client, first you must know his race to know where to touch, find the points where the pressure is more accumulated and release them in order to relief the client of all tension and stress they may have.” I started rubbing my hands. “I just glanced at Princess Celestia and could see all the tension and stress she had from not having a good treatment. Since she was treated as a Unicorn.” I stretched my fingers, making them crack loudly. Some ponies near me winced at the noise. “I took care of it before leaving the city. I don’t think she’s going to need your services for the next month, if she doesn’t start stressing out again.” I looked at the baffled unicorn. “Next time the Princess asks for a massage, don’t give her the treatment meant for a Unicorn. She is an Alicorn, meaning that you’re not treating one kind, but three at the same time.”
Cloud Touch glared at me, fuming. He stomped towards me, his pale blue face becoming slightly purple. “Who do you think you are for giving me lessons? Who do you think you’re talking to by telling me how to do my job??!!!!”
“A veteran in this line of work.” I replied simply, never breaking eye contact.
Cloud Touch glared at me, his eyes starting to become bloodshot from his rage. I prepared myself for any attempt of attack, but noticed something different.
His rage quickly subsided as he smirked at me. “Very well.” He said calmly. “If you’re so good as you say you are then prove it.”
I flexed my fingers, absent-minded. “Prove what?”
“Prove that you’re as good massagist as me.” Clouds’ grin never left his face. “If you do, then I’ll recognize you.”
'As if.' I thought. 'You’re just making an excuse to dirty my name and criticize my work.' I looked around, searching for a candidate for one of my treatments, but only one met my services.
And that one was right in front of me.
“How many titles range from yours?” I asked, making sure of one thing.
Cloud Touch raised an eyebrow. “It ranks from Bronze to Platinum. Platinum Hoof is the highest title given to the best massagists.” He replied, annoyed. “Why?”
I smiled. “Now I understand.”
The stallion tilted his head, confused. “Understand what?”
“Why there isn’t a Holy title around. Celestia never found anypony or anyone with my skills.”
“Excuse me?! What does that mean?” Cloud asked, his anger returning.
“Allow me to demonstrate.” I spoke calmly before my arms blurred.
A soft breeze surrounded Cloud Touch for five seconds, the unicorn looking at me surprised. When the breeze disappeared and my arms became visible, he narrowed his eyes. “What did you do?”
“Considering I’m not in the mood to be criticized, I gave you the Flash Treatment.” I replied. “It’s the fastest treatment I can give, especially to ponies who are always in a rush and can’t wait for a longer treatment. Generally used when they’re waiting for their turn while I deal with other patients.”
Cloud Touch stared at me with a raised eyebrow. “Well, I don’t see any-” he turned his head and that’s when the effects started.
Flash Treatment is the fastest treatment I have in my arsenal. It consists of hitting every point that will disable a creatures’ movements in a few seconds, or hitting several points that’ll make the target relax. One of its perks is its delayed reaction, perfect to catch an opponent off-guard. All it takes is for the target to give a slight move after I applied it, and the results are instantly shown.
Cloud Touch tensed as several cracks and pops were heard all around of his body, from his fetlocks to the base of his neck. When the last crack was heard, he fell to the ground of the train, a goofy smile on his muzzle. I crouched down to look at him. “So…” I started “what do you have to say about my title?”
Cloud Touch stared at me, attempting to glare but failing. Considering he just felt one of my treatments first hand, he couldn’t deny it.
“You… surpass me as a massagist…” he breathed out. “I… admit I was wrong.” he declared through clenched teeth. “I… recognize your title…”
Darn, it seems that I hurt his pride. But he kinda deserved it.
“Life lesson here, Cloud Touch: never underestimate someone, or somepony, despite their appeareances. You probably had very good teachers teaching you how to work with pressure points, but all of them probably failed one essential lesson.”
Cloud Touch looked at me. “And that is?”
I smiled. “It’s not poking around that you only find everyponies’ pressure points.” I raised his head so he could look me in the eyes “You have to see them in order to feel the right place to hit.”
Cloud Touch’s eyes widened when he looked at mine. I could see them in the reflection of his eyes.
Normally, my eye color is a brownish dark, but when I give the flash treatment, or a more careful one, it becomes sky blue.
I decided to call it Pressure Eye, due to its ability of allowing me to see the pressure points of everypony with fine detail.
The only ability I gained as I learned to give massages to every kind of creature in here.
The only side effect was its active time and cooldown. I could only keep it up for five seconds, then had to wait five full minutes to use it again. It’s a good thing I developed a good memory meanwhile. I sucked at short-term memorizing in the past.
I got up to look at everypony who was looking at us. Somehow, I could feel that they were eager with their stares.
“I’m going to be honest with all of you.” I started. “Considering that I don’t have any bit or gem to pay for this trip, I wish to pay with work. And also, if possible and you’re satisfied with my treatments, I would appreciate a little tip for a job well done. I can’t fill a stomach by massaging it, right?” a few chuckles were heard. “So…” I clapped my hands and rubbed them, heating them up. “Who’s first?”
The sun was starting to rise in the calm town of Ponyville. Ponies were starting their morning routine, opening shops, preparing to work getting ready for the day. Some business ponies were at the train station, waiting for their ride to Canterlot and other towns and cities to arrive. However, that morning, something was different at the station.
And that something was that the train was late.
Some ponies were looking at their watches, grumbling about getting late to their jobs or important reunions at other cities. Others were finding it strange that the train was late, knowing very well that the Friendship Express was always on time.
Thirty minutes later, they saw the smoke cloud from the locomotive at the distance. After another two minutes, the front of the train was finally in sight, coming fast towards the station. Another full minute and the Friendship Express was finally coming to a stop at Ponyville Station, opening its doors to allow its passengers to disembark.
The ponies outside waited patiently for whoever was coming out in order to embark orderly. But they never expected what came out from the middle wagon when the door opened.
A bipedal creature came out of the door, stretching itself in relief as a few cracks were heard from his back. The creature had a short black mane on its head, and was wearing all black (black long sleeved shirt, black jeans, black sneakers) from head to toe. Together with all of that, he was wearing a light armor over his clothes, consisting of a pair of armplates, legplates and a breastplate that protected his heart and a small portion of his back.
“Hnngh… aaah.” He sighed after stretching. “Nothing like a good nights’ sleep after work.” He looked at the frozen ponies staring at him. “Good morning, everypony. Sorry about the delay on the train’ schedule, but the driver insisted on having one of my treatments due to back pains. Who was I to refuse somepony in need?” he got off the train, pulling a large satchel from inside. A loud jingle gave everypony its contents. “Oh, this?” he spoke to no-one. “Just tips from my work. I always leave my patients satisfied to the point of them paying me a little more than asked. And who am I to refuse their generosity?” he put the satchel over his back. “Aside from that, there are still some ponies who’re disembarking here. But they’re still fast asleep.”
“Ah, don’t worry about it!” a grey coated stallion called from the locomotive, before the train whistle was heard. “Ponyville, everypony! Those who wish to disembark, get your rumps off your seat or you’ll miss your stop!” he yelled towards the train cars.
Suddenly, a loud commotion was heard from inside the wagons, until the doors opened. Several ponies jumped out, some of them carrying small luggage, others pulling several while walking past them with a smile on their faces. All of them passed the creature, thanking him for an incredible job.
“Well, that’s that.” He said, turning towards the locomotive. “Thanks, Whistle!”
“Considering the treatment you gave me, it’s nothing!” the stallion replied with a smile. “Is there any chance of you opening a shop? I’d like to bring my family next time!”
The creature grinned. “Who knows? But rest assured, when that happens, you just have to follow the line of costumers!”
The driver of the Friendship Express let out a belly laugh. “I’ll keep an eye on it!”
“Now get moving! Aren’t you a little late on schedule?” he called with a wry grin.
Whistle’s smile disappeared as he looked at the watch of the station. “By the princesses, you’re right! Everypony onboard now!” he called, pulling the train whistle.
Everypony that was staring in confusion at the conversation were suddenly snapped into reality by the train whistle. The creature just stepped aside in order to allow the small mob to rush into the train without trampling him. When the last one entered, the doors closed and the train departed without further delay, leaving the creature looking at it.
***
Mike’s P.O.V.
Ponies 101 – how to avoid a panic situation
If ponies are stunned staring at you, talk out loud to them as if it was the most natural thing to do. If their looks are focused on something else, explain what they’re looking at.
Yeah, I kinda learned a few rules when introducing myself to other races that have never saw something like me. Especially after two millennia as an isolated statue.
I raised the huge satchel full of gems and bits, passing its strap over my shoulder, and calmly walked out of Ponyville Station, stopping at the entrance to admire the town.
“So I’m finally inside the shows’ timeline.” I muttered, observing Ponyville now fully awakened.
Here and there, several ponies could be seen trotting along, some in pairs talking with each other cheerfully, others alone running errands from one store to another or buying supplies.
I took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. “Alright then. It’s showtime.”
I raised my right foot and exited the station, stopping five feet after the entrance.
Now do you all know how rabbits, mice or other animals react when they feel a strange presence or the presence of a predator hunting them? They freeze in place, trying to locate the source until locking eyes with their natural predator.
And currently, that’s what’s happening with me right now.
From the active Ponyville, it seemed that someone had hit the pause button as soon everypony locked their eyes with me. A tumbleweed went by, as I kept myself extremely still, looking back at everypony with a neutral face.
I started walking slowly, after two full minutes that seemed like an hour, only moving my eyes to observe my surroundings. Considering their current state, anything more than a sneeze will start a stampede. And that’s the last thing I need right now.
…Please don’t let it be something here that’ll make me sneeze.
I continued walking, feeling several stares directed at me, observing me carefully. Darn it, the extreme self-control I’m having just to not start running. Stares like these always put me on edge, and without my powers to provide me some protection, I’m relying on instinct. And I’m quite out of practice in that department.
I quietly walked until I reached the center of the town, where market stalls were opening. By that time, every single pony in Ponyville had already got their eyes locked on my figure. I stopped right in front of Town Hall, turned around and took a deep breath, making them flinch.
“Yes, you’re right, I’m not a pony.” I started speaking, loud enough to be heard by everypony but not enough to scare them. “No, I’m not a Minotaur and no, I’m not a demon from Tartarus. I’m a completely different species that probably went extinct here or never existed, I don’t know.” Which was part true, I had some time to search. “I just came here to retrieve something and buy some supplies. Aside from that, I’m completely harmless unless physically attacked.” I then looked at them, annoyed. “So is there any questions you would like to ask, or could you continue your usual routine instead of staring and deciding if you want to go on a panic stampede or not?”
Everypony blinked at my sudden announcement and question, then a good part of them blushed at what I was inquiring. A few seconds later, everypony trotted away, some of them a little faster, embarrassed for what I was saying.
“Two thousand years, and the same routine never dies.” I muttered, turning around. “Now… yes?” I asked towards a mint green unicorn mare standing in front of me, looking at me from head to toe with eager eyes.
“Are you by any chance… a human?” she asked, eagerness in her voice.
I blinked. Wait a second… mint green, slightly obsessed… if my hunch is correct… oh boy.
“Yyyyeeeesssss?” I answered slowly, keeping a step back. Of all ponies, it was just my luck to have run with Lyra.
The reaction was instant. She jumped in joy, tackling me. “I knew it!” she yelled, giving me a bear hug. “I knew it I knew I knew iiiiit!!!!”
“Knew… what?” I managed to wheeze from the hug. Where is this mare getting all her strength?
“I knew they were real! Everypony said I was crazy, that there’s no such things as humans, but they are real! They exist!!!” she looked at me, my face and her muzzle barely touching, as her eyes gleamed. “And you’re the living proof.” She whispered.
A cold shiver ran through my spine. “Glad to prove your point.” I spoke up. “But unfortunately, I rather lay low for a while, so if you don’t mind…” I started squirming through her hug.
“Aaww, but why do you want to leave?” she asked, her hug tightening even more. “You just arrived here in Ponyville. Don’t you want a guide tour?” she offered with a toothy smile.
I stared at her for a few moments in silence, my head running through some memories about this pony. Not much in the original show, if I remember correctly, but other sources proved her behavior quite on the mark.
“Mmaayybbee next time. I kinda am in a hurry, so if you excuse me…” I tried to squirm free again, but to no avail. Her hug kept me well constricted.
“Pretty please?” she begged me, giving me a puppy eye look together with her wide smile. Dang it Lyra, you just won’t accept a no for an answer, do you?
“Tell you what: right now I have some stuff, very important stuff that I have to do right now. But when I’m done, I promise you a private interview, anything you ask except anything involving private.” I said, hoping to get free.
“Pinkie Promise?”
“Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye, and I would do the motions if you weren’t crushing me with that hug of yours!” I finished hurriedly as her hug got even tighter with the Pinkie Promise.
Lyra let me go, allowing me to take a few deep breaths. “I’ll be waiting~!” she said as she pranced away, leaving me there catching my breath.
“They weren’t kidding about her obsession with humans, that’s for sure.” I muttered to myself as I finally recovered from the hug. I adjusted my satchel and calmly walked towards the market.
Although the years passed by, everything remained almost the same. Most of the groceries in the stalls were freshly harvested from farms and sold in the day. I looked around, observing the merchandise the salesponies were selling, searching for the ones who sold fruits and vegetables. A small stroll through the market and I knew where the main stalls were and what to buy.
I turn around and start passing by some stalls. The ponies behind them start giving me strange looks, as I observe their stalls more carefully this time, until I realized something.
I look at the satchel I was carrying. It was currently bulging with bits and jewels. I then look at the salespony in front of me. “Do you by any chance provide bags?”
The salespony, an old stallion with a small grey mustache just shook his head.
“Know where I can buy a backpack?”
He pointed towards a small store with a satchel board hanging on the side. “Hard to miss it.” the stallion spoke.
“Indeed.” I muttered, pulling a bit out of the satchel and putting it on the counter. “Thanks for the info anyway.”
The pony lifted the bit for a few seconds, then smiled. “You’re welcome. New in town?”
“Just visiting, for now.”
“You’re out of luck, though. Normally our party planner welcomes everypony” he eyed me for a second “or everyone new in Ponyville, but she’s currently out with Princess Twilight.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, although it would be cool to have a welcome party, I rather have it after I’m well installed.”
The stallion shrugged. “If you say so.”
As I walked away towards the store, the words of the stallion hung around my head. ‘If Twilight and the group aren’t here, that means I’m in the beginning of Season five.’ I thought. ‘That’ll give me about a week in order to retrieve the First Element and getting myself prepared before Celestia or Luna decide to bring the Elements on me.’
~~~
It took me fifteen minutes to finally pick a large backpack (Minotaur size), ten of them waiting for the owner of the store to snap out of his own shock at seeing me and me giving the old explaining routine. Another hour around the market stalls afterwards and I had a backpack filled to the brim with fruits and vegetables and a satchel with half the weight it had of Equestrian currency and gems since I arrived.
“Okay, I think I have everything.” I said to myself, before noticing a stall at the very end of the market, selling apples. “Except apples.” I added, walking slowly as the backpack wobbled, threatening to blow up by the seams if it took anything else.
I gave it a quick glance. “Guess the satchel will have to carry the last purchase.” I muttered, feeling the satchel and guessing its current space. As I approached the last stall, I noticed the one behind it: a big red stallion about half the size of Celestia with a short orange mane and a green apple sliced in half on his flank. He eyed me for a quick second, before noticing my backpack.
“Kinda heavy, ain’t it?” he asked with a deep, southern accent.
I couldn’t resist. “Eeeyup. Good thing that I’m strong.”
The red stallion looked at me surprised, but I quickly changed the subject. “How much?” I asked, pointing at the apples in the stall.
He blinked before replying. “Three apples, two bits. Six for a large gem.”
I opened my satchel and looked inside it, checking its contents. I frowned slightly, as I searched for three large gems inside it. I pulled them out, putting them in the stall. “Dozen and a half, please.”
The large stallion observed the gems, checking their size for a couple of moments, then returned one of them. “Two of these will be enough.” He said, moving his foreleg over the apples. “Help yourself.”
I looked at the amount of red glowing apples, each one gleaming at the sun. hard to choose the good ones since they’re all begging to be picked and eaten at the place. As I started picking the apples and putting them in the satchel, the red stallion spoke up.
“You’re not from around here, are ya?” he asked.
“Indeed.” I replied, picking another apple.
“Mind sharing where you come from?”
“From far, far away.” I replied, not looking up.
“That’s not an answer.”
“You wouldn’t understand it.”
Although I wasn’t looking at him, I could feel his gaze fixed on me. “Why?”
“Because that question involves where I come from in this World.” I picked up the last apple and looked at him. “And I come from a different World.” I finished, cleaning the apple I was holding and giving it a bite. I shivered at how sweet they were. “Wow, these are some great apples. I might come back to buy more of them.”
The look of confusion he was giving me was more than a sign that he didn’t understood my previous answer. “Told ya you wouldn’t understand.” I said, giving another bite to the apple.
“Eeeyup.” He replied, nodding.
“Say, did you by any chance saw a large, white wheel landing around here?” I started, changing the subject. “It would be hard to miss after its landing. Which, I hope, hasn’t hit anypony.”
The stallion rubbed his muzzle, thinking about what I said for a moment. “Eeeyup. Something fell yesterday evening, near the outskirts of town towards the Everfree Forest. Everypony thought it was an attack at the time, due to the loud noise it made and the crater it left.” He explained.
I nodded. “Yeah, sorry about that.” I apologized and started walking. “Glad talking with you and thanks for the info.” I added, flicking the third large gem at him. “Keep it as a tip.”
The red stallion caught it with his right forehoof, looking at it. “Thank ya kindly for your generosity.” He thanked. “Name’s Big Macintosh. Big Mac for short. What about you?”
I stopped for a moment, looking back at him. “Mike ‘Holy Hands’ Elemental.” I introduced myself with a small smile. “Mike for my friends. And if I’m not wrong, I might become famous before the end of the day.”
I then left the market, leaving Big Mac tilting his head in confusion.
~~~
I wasn’t lying when I said that I would become famous before the end of the day. The reason for that was because after I left the market, I saw several golden chariots coming from Canterlot, towards Ponyville.
And the day was still starting, for crying out loud!
Taking the sight as my cue, I sped up my pace, making sure that the backpack wouldn’t burst before reaching my destination: the Everfree Forest. I had a hunch, and if it was correct, no pony would be capable of following me once I’m inside it.
But before that, I need to recover my restraints. I may be able to walk around freely without them, but I can’t become independent of them. After all, they’re a part of my training gear and suit.
Confused? I’ll explain later. Right now, I have to recover them. Luckily, they fell between the town and the Everfree, making it easier for me to reach it.
But it seems that some ponies knew what I was thinking. Those ponies being both Princesses, and bringing a full battalion of each race of ponies, surrounding a crater where I suppose my restraints landed.
“Kudos to you, Celly.” I muttered behind a large tree at the exit of Ponyville, as each guard mobilized to create a perimeter around the crater. From the looks of it, they were ready to fight me if I decided to come for my restraints, and at the same time were building a barricade towards the Everfree. “But I haven’t reached the Everfree yet.”
I noticed both princesses looking at the crater and changing glances. Then in unison they charged their magic and tried to lift what was inside it.
I observed the field, calmingly counting how many ponies there were. After a minute thinking, I sighed. “Guess I’m going through the front door.” I said to myself, putting the backpack on the ground before coming out from behind the tree.
***
Celestia and Luna struggled with their magic towards the object they were trying to lift. “I still cannot believe that he removed his restraints.” Luna spoke through clenched teeth.
“It’s a sign, Luna.” Celestia spoke, her voice strained. “Mike is currently weak, meaning that we still have a chance at beating him. But this time, together.”
“Sister, last time we fought him he was also weakened and tired. And at the time, he never removed his restraints.” Luna grunted.
“He is dangerous, Luna.” Celestia spoke.
“During his escape, he never hurt anypony.” Luna insisted.
“He told me that he’s going to gather the Elements, Luna.” Celestia insisted, her focus still on the crater. “Who knows what he’ll do once they’re together again.”
“As I told you before, I’ll go on a World Tour to see what’s new after a happy reunion from being apart for a two thousand years.” A voice was heard from between them. “Is it too much to ask?”
***
Both Alicorns’ eyes turned to see me right between them, peeking at the crater. “So this is where my restraints fell.” I spoke casually, noticing a golden and indigo auras surrounding the white wheel a quarter-buried in the ground.
When Celestia and Luna started lifting it, it was half buried. I noticed the dirt marks.
Every pony around us froze when they saw me suddenly standing between their princesses. They haven’t even noticed me between them until I spoke with Celestia.
Hunting abilities. Gotta love them. Especially if I can walk casually between every pony without being noticed.
Only side-effect is that I can’t hold it for long. A break in concentration and I’m suddenly noticed.
Both reacted almost instantly. Their magic broke from the wheel, as they prepared to jump back and turn their horns me. However, I was faster and before they could jump, I put an arm around each neck, keeping Celestia and Luna close to me.
“I know I’m getting popular, but what’s with the honor guard?” I asked, looking at both Princesses. “Are you giving me a welcome home reception?”
Celestia tried to struggle free, until my hand slithered, stopping behind her ear. She froze, eyes wide. Luna however, kept still, looking at me. “What are your plans?” she asked, eyes fixed on me.
“Oh, the usual ‘I won’t bother you, you won’t bother me’.” I replied. “Besides, why are you barricading the entrance to the Everfree? Is there something you don’t want me to know?”
Celestia horn shone, and she suddenly teleported, disappearing from under my arm. She reappeared a short distance afterwards, horn pointed at me, charged and ready to shoot, as the Unicorn Platoon stood beside her in formation, horns charged and ready. “Elementalist!” she called “For your crimes against Equestria and the World, you’re hereby under arrest!”
“What crimes?” I asked. “For giving you a massage that you really needed, by the way?”
“You attacked me!”
“You started it.”
“You didn’t give me a choice!”
“If I gave, we wouldn’t be here talking.” Celestia opened her mouth to counter, but I was quicker. “Besides, you didn’t dislike it.” I grinned “You even moaned at the end.”
Celestia sputtered, but regained her composure. “You’re lying!” she yelled, unable to hide her blush. Some of the guards changed glances.
“Considering that there were three witnesses standing outside the door, I seriously doubt it.” I glanced at Luna. “Am I right?”
Luna had been staring at me under my arm lock, unamused at the conversation, but I could feel that she was struggling just not to smirk. The corners of her mouth have been twitching like mad. “I am afraid he got you there, sister.” She spoke, biting her lip afterwards.
“And what would my next crime be?” I asked Celestia. “To walk around the market in Ponyville, shopping? And I paid for everything, you can ask the salesponies. And the money was all honestly earned during my train trip here. You can ask everypony that took the last train from Canterlot.”
Celestia glared at me, her mane turning into several shades of red. Some of the guards stepped back, some intimidated, others to avoid the heat wave she was emanating. “Are you ignorant?”
I tilted my head at her, before feeling Luna teleporting away to reappear right beside her sister. “It depends on what we are talking about.”
“Two thousand years ago, you left us with a warning.” Luna spoke, keeping herself calm. “You told us to be ready when you’re free again.”
I raised an eyebrow. “I believe I mentioned the time when I’m ‘together with the Elements’ again, not after being free from my stone prison.”
“It wouldn’t matter, either way.” Celestia cut in, her eyes almost glowing. “I will not allow you to roam free around Equestria!”
“I did not come here to fight, Celestia.” I started, keeping my voice calm. “I’m looking for a fresh start-”
Celestia reared, stomping her forehooves on the ground. “LIES!” she thundered. “DO YOU REALLY THINK YOU CAN SAY THAT AFTER THE WEEK OF DISASTER?”
I flinched at the Canterlot Royal Voice, but kept my stance. However, Celestia touched a subject I wanted to avoid.
And that subject was something I didn’t want to hear. Not from her.
“Celestia, do not thread that path.” I warned, clenching my fists. “That is something I would rather forget than remember-”
“HOW COULD I FORGET THE LIVES OF THE PONIES YOU MASSACRED!” Celestias’ voice boomed through the plains, forcing me to take a step back. “DO YOU KNOW HOW I FELT WHEN I FOUND OUT WHAT YOU DID?!”
I took a deep breath, keeping myself calm. “Celestia…” I started, but the Sun Princess didn’t let me finish. The Canterlot Voice was at full blast, blowing everthing in front of her towards me.
“DO YOU KNOW THE NAMES OF THE CITIES YOU DESTROYED?! DO YOU KNOW THE NAMES OF ALL THE PONIES, YOUNG AND OLD, THAT LOST THEIR LIVES IN THAT MASSACRE?!!! DID YOU EVEN FELT ANY REGRET AFTER ALL THAT DESTRUCTION TWO THOUSAND YEARS AGO??!!!!!”
An image from the past haunted my mind. My calm and self-control decided to take five, as I glared at Celestia. “I’m not the only one covered in blood, Celestia.” I said, voice leveled.
Every Royal Guard present lowered their weapons and horns towards me. I didn’t even flinch at their glares. Celestia looked at me, her eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?” she asked, not lowering her guard.
“Threshold City.” I said, trying hard to not raise my voice. “Does it ring a bell?”
Of all the expressions and reactions I’ve seen from Celestia, even behind her regal mask, I could feel something I wasn’t expecting: confusion. Several of the guards that surrounded her, raised an eyebrow, even if they had spears and horns pointed at me.
“Threshold City?” Celestia finally spoke. “I never heard of a city with that name.”
I stared at her, dumbfounded, as something inside me flared. “What?” I muttered, my fists getting white from the sheer strength of being clenched. “You never WHAT?!??!?!!!” I yelled, before everything went dark.
***
Third Person P.O.V.
Mikes’ voice boomed through the plains, rivaling the Royal Canterlot Voice without any problems. Everypony took defensive positions, as Mike glared towards both Princesses.
“Sister…” Luna started slowly, a strange feeling of dread crawling her spine. “Methinks that we shouldn’t start a fight with Mike right now.”
Celestia however, wasn’t fazed by Mikes’ outburst. “It would be dangerous if we let him walk free around Equestria, Luna.” She spoke, eyes fixed on Mike. “And this time, he’s surrounded. There’s nowhere he can run.”
“But-” Luna started, as a strong pressure ran through everypony.
The Royal Guard never saw it coming. Neither did the Princesses. The only thing they felt was something hitting them like a sudden squall, making every pony stiffen before falling to the ground. Only Celestia and Luna managed to stand, although their legs were trembling.
“W-What just happened?” Celestia managed to stammer, as she looked around. Almost every guard was unconscious, some of them dazed from the sudden pressure that ran through.
Mike just stood in the same place, taking deep breaths, as he tried to control his anger, calming himself down. “I believe it’s time for you two to dwell in the past.” he spoke between clenched teeth. “Especially you, Celestia. Because if I’m responsible for that week, you are the one responsible for triggering it.” Celestias’ eyes widened, as he turned towards the crater to get his restraints. “And I have a sequence to follow in order to obtain the Elements, so don’t bother in trying to stop me from entering the Everfree.” With a touch, the white wheel unfolded, revealing several shackles that surrounded him. “The first Element I must get isn’t there. I’m just taking my groceries towards my house. If it’s still standing.”
When Mike came out of the crater, the usual white stripes that both princesses knew surrounded him. He continued his walk past both princesses, reaching a tree near the outskirts of Ponyville. There, he revealed a huge backpack and satchel, its contents trembling dangerously as he got them on his back and shoulder. After that, he turned around, making his way towards the Everfree. During that time, some Guards managed to recover enough to stand, and formed a defensive perimeter between him, the Princesses and the forest.
Mike ignored them, keeping a slow pace and feeling the backpack wobbling slowly. A Pegasus Guard seemed to have gained some courage and flew forward, keeping his spear leveled towards him.
“Cease and desist! You’re outnumbered!” he yelled.
“As if that ever stopped me before.” he replied, keeping his pace.
The Guard landed, keeping his spear pointed forward. “This is your last warning! Surrender!” he yelled.
Mike kept walking until he was within the reach of the spear, stopping with it only an inch from his face. His eyes focused on the Guards’ eyes, as his right hand got hold of the spears’ tip.
“My kind has three types of warnings.” he started, eyes fixed on the guard. “Serious warning, normally used to tell others what to do and not to do; Bluff warning, where you can take a gamble and see if others fall for it.” his eyes narrowed “And Danger warning, where you just need a look to know that your opponent is someone you mustn’t mess with.”
His grip on the spear tip tightened as he finished speaking, eyes still fixed on the guard, as the sound of metal being bent was heard. The guard kept his eyes fixed on Mike, giving a quick glance towards the tip of his spear when he released it.
He did a double take, before his eyes focused completely on the spear. The tip was completely crushed and bent, becoming unrecognizable. He gulped visibly, before locking his eyes on Mike again.
“Move. Aside.” he said, slowly. And the Pegasus complied, feeling small.
Mike looked forward, to where the small platoon was waiting for him, together with Celestia and Luna.
“I don’t have time for this.” I said, walking towards their last defensive line, my eyes fixed on Celestia. “Either me or you, Celly. One of us should order the guards, and I’m not in the mood to ask politely.”
Celestia blinked at what I said, clenching her teeth. “I will not bow to your orders.” She growled, pointing her horn towards me.
I stopped, keeping my stare fixed. “Celestia, I’m trying to make a fresh start, and you’re not helping.”
“Why should I believe you!” she yelled. “Two thousand years ago you swore to protect-”
“TWO THOUSAND YEARS AGO I MADE AN OATH THAT YOU FORCED ME TO BREAK!!!” he hollered, as his voice rivaled the Royal Canterlot Voice. “DON’T YOU DARE SPEAK OF THE PAST UNTIL YOU KNOW THE TRUTH!!!!”
Celestia was taken aback by his sudden outburst. She looked at him in confusion. “What truth? What are you talking about?”
“Find out by yourself.” he replied, resuming his walk. “Now if you’ll excuse me…” he suddenly disappeared, appearing right behind them. “…I’m going home.”
And without another word, he walked towards the Everfree.
Everypony stood still, as they saw Mike disappearing between the trees of the Everfree. A unicorn guard turned towards Celestia. “Princess, what are your orders?”
Celestia kept her gaze towards the forest, still confused at what happened. Mikes’ sudden rage caught her off guard, not understanding what he meant, until Luna called her.
“Sister?”
Celestia blinked, looking at her, then at everypony. The guards were standing in front of her, awaiting her orders, some looking slightly confused. She took a deep breath to calm herself, before talking. “Create a perimeter around the Forest and watch who enters and who leaves.”
“What about the creature who entered?” the guard asked.
Celestia looked at the Forest for a moment, before looking at the guards again. “Leave him be.”
“But-”
“It is useless.” Luna cut in, catching their attention. “As long as he is in the Everfree Forest, we cannot touch him.”
“Luna is right.” Celestia continued. “But he’ll have to come out sooner or later. All we have to do is wait.”
“Princess, with all due respect.” A pegasus guard started. “Why can’t we follow him by air?”
Celestia and Luna changed glances, before looking at the Forest. “Because…” Celestia started.
“The Everfree Forest belongs to one of Mikes’ Elemental Spirits.” Luna concluded.
***
Mike’s P.O.V.
I kept walking through the trail of the forest, ignoring my surroundings completely. I was still fuming at what Celestia said.
“Two thousand years. She had two thousand years to know. And she had the gall to tell me that she never heard of it.” I mumbled to myself, keeping my eyes forward. “Honestly, that city was right in the middle of a war, and she never knew the freaking name? Oh Celestia, you better not face me next time until you find out. Or whoever the entity of this World is, is going to see the worst beating you and whoever you brought as backup will take.”
The snapping of a twig broke me of my mumbling, making me stop. I looked around trying to find the source of the noise, but saw nothing but trees.
I frowned. Celly wouldn’t be dumb to send somepony after me. Especially when I’m inside the Everfree.
I resumed my walking, this time keeping my hearing sharp. The stench of the timberwolves didn’t reach me, so they must be hunting somewhere else.
Another snap of a twig, together with some dry leaves being crushed. Whoever was following me didn’t had a very good training in stealth. I decided to ignore it, keeping my pace.
At least ignore it until I reach an open field.
~~~
It didn’t take long until I reached the Castle of the Sisters. And by long, I mean that I started walking a little faster. Reason for that was simple.
After fifty-five twigs snapping, seventy-two leaf crushings, sixty tumblings, ninety hush noises and forty bushes rustling, I found out who was following me and how many there were. After that I couldn’t take it anymore and decided to reach a place where I could face them. Once I got into an open field near the bridge towards the castle I stopped, took my backpack and satchel off, putting it carefully in the ground and turned towards the forest, arms crossed.
“Six ponies, two of each race!” I called “Three stallions, three mares! I know you’ve been following me since I entered the forest and truth be told, you’ve been making it easier.” I frowned “If you’re supposed to be spies or stalkers, you suck at it completely. Now show yourselves!”
I didn’t have to wait long. After fifteen seconds have passed a few bushes rustled, revealing six cloaked ponies, lining up in front of me. I raised an eyebrow. “Considering your attire, you’re not related to the Princesses.” I noted, uncrossing my arms. “Who are you?”
One of them spoke up. A mare. “We are from the Order of the Void. And we’re on a mission.”
“And may I ask what mission is that?” I dared to ask, before seeing a knife flying towards my face. I immediately dodged to the side, allowing the projectile to hit the backpack. I stared at the knife for a second, before turning towards the group.
Two of the members were grasping several small knives with their magic. Under their hoods I could see the traces of a grin.
“We have orders to capture you.” A stallion voice was heard. “Alive or beaten near death.”
My eyes narrowed, focusing on the pair holding the weapons. And that’s when I notice something. Glancing at the thrown knife, the handle normally used to grab it is completely covered with needles and spikes, making it impossible to grab without getting hurt. Clever move. Only unicorns or creatures with telekinesis can use these weapons without hurting themselves.
I look back at the group, flexing my fingers. “Any more questions before we start the fight?”
The group changed quick looks, before another stallion asked. “How did you know who and how many we were?”
“Earth ponies are stronger by default, making their hoofsteps heavy. Pegasus are light, making them barely audible on land when walking, but their wings betray them when they move, emiting a soft rustle. Unicorns are almost the same as Earth ponies, but most of them have the basic manners of nobility, making their hoofsteps light.” I replied. “Now, without delay” I took a stance, ready to charge “let’s get this party started.”
I charged towards the two unicorns, dodging their next throws and preparing to immobilize them. Surprised, they started to back pedal to avoid my grasp, but I was faster. That’s when I saw the pair of Pegasus charging towards me, a gleam on their wings.
I instantly stopped my charge with a stomp from my right foot, throwing myself back into a backflip to avoid their wings. For a second, I noticed a sharp, thin blade running along them, as they passed a second later to where my hands were. As I landed, the two remaining ponies charged at me in full speed.
I grinned at their charge. Did they really thought they could handle me at close combat? I dodged the charge from the first pony and moved to neutralize the second by hitting him in the flank. I thrust my left hand with two fingers in order to paralyze him…
Until I noticed nopony was coming at me.
Time seemed to slow down, as I suddenly realized the trap. From the corners of my eyes I saw the rest of the group looking at me under their hoods, a small smile on their muzzles. I gritted my teeth, cursing mentally at my late realization. Getting into close combat against me is the same as asking to be taken out instantly. Something was off. And for a sunny day, for them to be using cloaks…
They were wearing those cloaks for a reason. There’s something underneath them.
I changed tactics as time resumed, letting the second pony get past me but not before I got a hold of his cloak and pulled. The cloak ripped, revealing who and what was under it.
A light grey stallion stopped and turned towards me, surprised. He was wearing a full body black armor that covered every vital and pressure point on his body, while allowing him to move freely. The armor was all covered in small spikes, not big enough to hurt somepony that bumps into him, but sharp enough to hurt those who try to hit him. The armor seemed robust, yet it was able to trick my senses. I didn’t hear it, even as he moved.
If I was to take a guess, all of them were wearing the same armor. An armor especially made to counter my skills.
These guys were trained to face me, yet they aren’t under Celestia or Lunas’ orders. Something was off.
Another thing caught my attention. The Pegasus team didn’t move away from the Unicorns. And the Unicorns kept their distance. Meaning that their wings and horns weren’t as well protected as the rest of the body. Unicorns needed their horns exposed to allow the flow of magic, and Pegasus cannot fly fast and keep their mobility with too much weight…
I smiled. So that’s how they work.
“A good tactic.” I spoke up “Keep the Unicorns at the distance, using the Pegasi as backup to keep me from approaching.” I glanced at the dagger still stuck in my backpack “Those daggers must have some kind of paralyzing poison in them, just in case I manage to get a hold in them.” I looked at the Earth Ponies “And if I’m not mistaken, that armor must coated with that same poison. Together with everypony else.” I frowned “So why don’t you put your cards on the table, since I discovered them all?”
Everypony changed looks. “What makes you so sure that what you said is true?” a mare voice was heard from the unicorn group.
“Because if I’m wrong, I’ll have to play a little rougher against you.” I replied, flexing my hands. “I would rather avoid hurting ponies, but if you insist on capturing me, then I’ve got no other choice.”
The group took a stance, ready to charge again as they surrounded me. “Do you really think you can face all of us, knowing very well that you are at a disadvantage, both in numbers and in weapons?” the same mare from before spoke up.
I smiled wryly “Of course not! That’s why I was waiting for my backup.” I replied, taking my thumb and index finger to my mouth and blowing a sharp whistle.
The group looked at me in confusion, until several snarls and growls were heard from all around them. Hadn’t they been so focused on me, they would have noticed the large pack of timberwolves that surrounded us, ready to strike.
“When did they…?” a stallion voice was heard from the Earth Pony group, as both slowly stepped back from the wolves.
“They’ve been here for a long time now. In fact, they’ve been here before I arrived.” I started, getting past the group towards the wooden predators “Of course that there are some old wolves between most of them here.” I approached one of the oldest looking timberwolf and used a small combination of whistles. Some members of the pack were glaring at me, waiting for an opportunity to jump. I kneeled near the older one and smiled. “It’s been a long time hasn’t it, Splinter?”
The timberwolf blinked for a second at me. I reached my right arm towards him and gently pat his head. Several growls were heard all around me, the whole pack starting to move.
Splinter kept looking at me for a few more seconds, then raised his head and howled. All the pack that surrounded us stopped, surprised. With Splinters’ long howl, more were heard all along the Everfree Forest.
And after that, absolute silence.
I raised and turned around to look at the group. Everypony was still standing, their jaws agape towards me, as all the timberwolves that surrounded them were now sitting and looking at me. “So, what were you saying about being at a disadvantage?” I asked.
As if taking it as a cue, all glowing eyes and wooden teeth were pointed towards the group of cloaked ponies. They all flinched.
I got serious “The princesses know that this place is a safe haven for me.” I started “That’s why they didn’t send any soldiers in pursuit.” I pointed behind the group “I will grant you safe passage towards the edges of the Everfree. I don’t know who you work for, and honestly I don’t care. But if your Order sends anymore spies or assassins or any other kind or means to capture me, be assured that I will not go down easy. And if they start to tick me off, they’ll be on my next meal.” I crossed my arms, tilting my head “So, are you going to take up my offer or are you just going to stand there?”
The group changed looks for a second, then turned around and bolted, not daring to look back. Some wolves were preparing to give chase, but a bark from Splinter made them stop. I patted his head. “Good boy. Now let’s go home.”
Splinter barked happily and followed me as I got the backpack and satchel and resumed my way, this time with my own guard of honor.
~~~
It didn’t took long for me to reach my destination. After all, when you have a pack of Timberwolves to protect you against other predators, it becomes quite easy.
Curious about why the timberwolves respect me? Quite easy.
Who do you think that created them? That’s right! This guy.
Of course I didn’t do it alone. I had some help from one of the Elements. In fact, the whole Everfree Forest is his realm, his territory. And of course, he doesn’t mind sharing it. As long as the ones he’s sharing don’t decide to try and take down the forest or burn it to the ground. A place full of wild magic, where there was a surprise at every corner, that surprise being either nice or dangerous.
The timberwolves acted as guardians, more like a security around the place. When they’re born, the residual magic fuels them and imprints their reason of existence: Protect the Everfree, but do not harm unless necessary.
To be honest… the Everfree Forest was the first place I appeared when I arrived here at Equestria. Needless to say, it was the place where I decided to make my home.
And it is the place where I first met Celestia and Luna, when they were still fillies.
My place was located right at the Heart of the forest. A large clearing with a spring of fresh water created a little pond, which would later send the water in all directions of the forest through small channels.
My house was a wooden hut, three rooms, living room, kitchen and bathroom created from the trees I took down to form the clearing. Considering the size of the trees, I took the opportunity to be creative and used them to create not only the hut, but also the whole furniture, kitchen dishware and tableware, between others.
After everything was done, a little Elemental magic was involved, and the whole place would last several lifetimes.
That and add the fact that the heart of the Everfree was also the den of the timberwolves. Couldn’t ask for better security guard.
And that was my view from two thousand years ago. Now…
The small pond had become a large lake, occupying the whole clearing. I stood at the edge in shock, as the view I remember from the past was completely destroyed by the present. The trees that surrounded the clearing enlarged to the point that they formed a defensive wall around the clearing, leaving only the four directions where the water would run through the rest of the Everfree. The only thing that stood out was a two thousand year oak that stood right in the middle of the lake. To each direction where the water flowed, there was a large root connecting to it.
Right where my hut used to be.
I turned my head to Splinter, the old timberwolf tilting his head at me. “There was a hut there in the past. My house. Where is it?” I asked.
Splinter blinked, then turned, getting into a stance dogs usually do to point at something. I followed his gaze, towards the top of the tree.
“The top of the tree.” I said out loud. “Typical Leaf.” I looked towards the root that extended near the entrance. “Thanks, Splinter. Resume your duties, or rest your branches. It’s your choice.”
Splinter barked then walked away, stopping near a tree. He gently laid down, before the magic disappeared in him, allowing him to become a pile of wood. I smiled, before leaping towards the long root.
Quite the little challenge to walk on a wobbling root when carrying too much weight. My feet didn’t stop getting wet with each step I took, as I slowly moved towards the tree in the center. As I approached the tree, I noticed several natural dents in the trunk, forming an improvised ladder. I smiled at the ingenuous plan. He made sure I was the only one capable of returning home, in case someone or somepony reached this deep.
I slowly climbed the improvised ladder, careful with the backpack and satchel in order to avoid getting them stuck on a branch. Reaching the end of the climb, I took a deep breath to recover from the extra weight and looked up.
And my jaw fell at what I saw.
The previous hut I remembered was no more. Better yet, it was upgraded. Now instead of a small, cozy house, it became a mansion on top of the tree I was standing. From the single ground floor, now it had a first and second floor with a terrace and watchtower. I just stood there gaping at the sight for a while, before finally grinning. “Leaf Claw, you and your damn improvements!” I spoke out loud “You just couldn’t let it be, could you?”
The tree gave a small jolt, almost making me fall, before a male voice echoed. “Well… considering the years that passed, I supposed you needed something better.”
I couldn’t stop smiling at the voice. After two thousand years, he was still the same “But why a mansion?” I asked.
“There is already a castle not far from here, and it would be best not to call attention.” The voice replied “Besides, a mansion is easier to hide between the foliage of a tree than a tall castle.”
I shook my head, still smiling “Is there any way for you to come out and greet me at least, Leaf Claw?”
Silence followed my question for a full minute, before the answer came. “Sorry, but I can’t right now.”
I frowned at his answer. “Why not?”
“The order of the Elements, remember?” Leaf Claw replied.
“Is that all it is? You could still walk around while I gather them.”
“Yeah, where do you think this tree came from?”
I looked at the tree, surprised “You’re kidding… you rooted yourself here?”
“Inside your house, more precisely.” Leaf replied. “And since I used your previous house as a seed for this tree, I took the liberty of building a new one. Together with improving it.”
I stared at the branches of the oak tree, then back at the mansion. True, the trees I used to build my hut were all oak trees, usually strong and durable. “So you’re stuck inside my previous house, which in turn is stuck inside this huge oak tree.” I summarized “Any ideas on how to take you out?”
“Did the petrification affect your short term memory?” Leaf deadpanned. “Worry in gathering Fire Strike, Hail Breeze and Thunder Blitz first, then help me out. Don’t worry, I’ve been here for two thousand years, a couple more days or weeks won’t make a difference.”
I held my head for a second. “Right, right, gather the Elements in the right order first. I know that much at least. Philomina already told me where Fire Strike is, so I’ll go get him tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow? Why not today?” Leaf asked, curious.
“After I got myself free, I met Celestia for a talk, got into a fight, ran around Canterlot without my first set of restraints, pushing myself towards the second warning, managed to escape towards Ponyville on the last train by paying passage through treatments, got enough tips to replenish myself for a few days, got into another fight before getting here…” I stopped rambling, turning my eyes to the ground “Really Leaf, after all this mess, don’t you think I deserve some rest?”
Another minute of silence before Leaf spoke “Alright, point taken. Just unload your stuff inside and feel free to explore. Bedroom’s on the second floor.”
“Thank you.” I adjusted the backpack and started walking again, when Leaf spoke up.
“By the way, some strange stuff has been appearing inside the house.”
I stopped. “Strange stuff?”
“Yeah, bits and pieces of miscellaneous stuff that suddenly popped out in the middle of the air. They’ve all been put on top of the table in kitchen.”
I rubbed my chin in thought. Miscellaneous stuff? That could only mean one thing. “Leaf? Is there any chance of me using a little of Elemental energy?” I asked.
A long silence fell on top of the tree. “Possible. But risky. What do you need it for?” Leaf finally spoke.
“If I’m not mistaken, that stuff that’s been appearing in the middle of the air must be tokens from others like me.”
“Other Elementalists?”
I shook my head “No, different people with different powers that somehow ended up in a different version of Equestria.” I raised my right hand, palm up “If possible, I would like to create my own token.”
“For what?”
I frowned. “What do you expect? To help them of course! And probably to have a chat with other humans. Although in this case, I should call them Displaced.”
Leaf was silent again. I looked down. “Any chance to create one?”
“You’re creating a token in order to offer your help to other members of the Multiverse. Even before getting your powers back. You know that’s complete stupidity, right? What if they need your help with a Natural Disaster, and you don’t have the right Element to back you up?”
I just shrugged “Wing it.”
Another long silence, before the leaves rattled. Somehow, I believe Leaf Claw just sighed in annoyance. “Fine. Do as you wish. Just avoid going into any adventure before getting Fire Strike, okay?”
“Can’t make any promises.” I replied before looking at my palm.
“Shouldn’t you at least, I don’t know, put your groceries inside?”
I blinked, before remembering I was still carrying the backpack and satchel full of fruits and vegetables. “Oh. Right.”
~~~
Half an hour later, after putting all my purchases in the kitchen and explored the mansion (Leaf really has a way for building stuff), I was back at the kitchen, looking at the tokens that appeared along the time I was imprisoned. Some of them I recognized, like the plumber badge and the Unitrix core, a mega stone, a black tome, (was that an alchemist watch?), a core reactor and a drum… a patapon drum. Who would have thought? There were others that I couldn’t well put my finger on it, like a vial of blue liquid, a strange ice cube, a pair of gauntlet and coin right next to it, some kind of intricate amulet with dragon patterns and a jewel in the middle that looked like a tear, a pair metal chain links, a white diamond, a coin with a saw drawn in it, some kind of diary… I stared at most of them, my mind racing to connect to which some of the tokens belong, trying to see what kind of cosplay they were using when they got in their version of Equestria. And somehow, I felt there were a lot more, but didn’t appear here yet.
“Alright” I started “Time to get in on this.”
I raised my right hand and closed my palm, concentrating. I reached the deepest of my subconscious, looking for the small link I still had with the Elemental Spirits.
“Careful not to draw out too much.” Leaf warned through his link. I could see the lively green color from his Element brightening as he spoke to me mentally “We don’t want him out.”
I grimaced “You don’t need to remind me.” I told Leaf, as I carefully took a hold of the links. “I just need a fourth of it and nothing more.”
The links trembled and shone for a while, as I draw some of its energy towards me. I could feel my palm glowing as the energy I drew condensed into a solid form, giving shape to my own token.
LET ME OUT!
I jolted back into reality at the sudden shout, almost falling to the ground. I panted hard, as my heart jumped around my chest, almost trying to get out.
“Mike, you okay?” Leaf asked, worried.
I took some deep breaths, trying to calm my heart rate. “Yeah… yeah, I am.” I replied, taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly “Was caught off guard, that’s all.” I looked at my right hand to see the result of the energy I drew.
A small sphere the size of a marble rolled around my palm, it’s inside glowing in five different colors, the colors of the Elements. “At least I got the token done.”
“Okay, now what?”
“Now is the message.” I said, closing my eyes and willing my own will into the sphere “I am the Elementalist, the fighter of the just and weak. If you need my help and your intentions are pure, hold the sphere and call for Mike Elemental, telling your need. And if not for support on a fight, then for a talk or a spar.” I gave my message a thought, then added something else for fun “If you're holding this sphere for fifteen seconds after my initial introduction, then here's an extra: I also possess the title of Holy Hands. So if you need some stress relief, I can give you a treatment that'll put you in Heaven.”
The sphere shone for a second, then faded, although the glow inside kept moving around. I smiled at the result and went for the door. “Let’s see if this works.” I muttered as I stepped outside and took a pitcher’s stance. Then, gathering all the strength I had in me, I threw the sphere. It flew for a mile at high speed, before disappearing in a tiny flash.
“Where did it go?” Leaf asked, as he felt the presence of the small sphere disappearing without a trace.
“To the Multiverse.” I replied “And I’m off to a nice meal and a good rest.”
With that said, I turned around and went back inside, closing the door. Got to get used to the new bed.