Sapphire goes on the adventure of a lifetime filled with fun, mystery, magic and danger.
Sapphire Stone gets magically transported to a distant land and is transformed into a four legged creature she realises is a pony. When her father accidentally unearth's an ancient Equestrian artefact at his archeology site in Egypt, when Sapphire takes a closer look at the sapphire stone staff it takes her to Equestria and it becomes her ultimate quest to find a way back to her world where she gets labelled as a missing person. On the way she meets new friends and gains unexpected enemies that try to keep her from her goal and instead want to imprison the human turned pony for scientific tests and study. Will Sapphire be able to reunite with her father?
As the sun shone through her curtains around 9am Monday morning, Ms Stone brushed her right arm against the wall almost knocking her favourite framed photograph of her mom. "Oops! YAWN.... morning mom."
She gasped and sat upright in bed, "Today's the day! Dad's finally going to do it!" she stared at the ginger haired woman smiling back at her from behind the glass. It was as if she was excited for what was happening that day as well.
"Mom... I wish you were here. Dad's taking me out in the field! I get to sit with him in the big machines! YES!" She punched the air out to the side but was brought back to reality when her glass of water spilled out onto the wooden floor.
"Aww man..."
After taking a few minutes to wipe up the spill and to get dressed for the day she realised she forgot to check outside, grey clouds were approaching towards the east, that was the direction of the campsite. They live in the gorgeous hot terrain of Cairo, Egypt and their campsite was smack dab in the middle of the Sahara Desert. Her dad was born in Cairo and met Sapphire's mom on her first holiday trip alone. They literally bumped into each other on the streets and with his help of guiding her through the city for her trip, they fell in love and well, you know the rest of the story.
Sapphire hurried her way through the small house that was built from mostly concrete and looked a lot like a rectangular box on the outside that was painted white. They painted most buildings white or pale colours due to the intense heat of the sun in the country along with the warmth of the dry dirt and sand made it extra hot in summer. She wrapped a thin white head scarf around her face, covering her neck to protect her skin from the sun. Even though it was cloudy today, she didn't want to take any chances as she burned easily even with her tanned skin.
"Marhabaan Yaqut! Hello Sapphire. Up already? You normally sleep in till 10. Since it's the summer holidays and all." Mr. Stone looked up at his only child who reminded him so much of Miranda, his late wife. Even with her natural black hair, she had it long and curly like Miranda and also her bright blue eyes which contrasted strongly against her burnt umber coloured skin.
"So are you ready for your first trip to my workplace?"
"Duh!! Of course dad! But..."
He noticed she looked sad, "What is it?" his heart yearned to please his daughter and hated seeing her even the slightest bit unhappy especially since her mother passed away a year ago.
She sighed, "I wish mom was here. Even though she supported your work she just wanted me to be safe and happy. I would be happy if..."
"If she were still here with us?" he smiled but sighed slightly, "I know my little precious stone..."
"Dad! I'm not 10 anymore... I'm 15." she laughed teasingly. She truthfully loved that nickname he gave her. It always makes her feel better.
"You're still my little precious stone. Always will be and you know that!" he bops her on the nose playfully with one finger in a light tap bringing out a large smile on her face. "There's the Sapphire I know. Her smile always makes her face light up like the jewel itself."
"DAD! STOP IT!" she giggled as he shook her on the shoulders playfully.
"Come on now... mom would be out the door calling me already. You have everything? It'll be hot out there so bring lots of lotion and especially water. Mints would help as well... they say the smell of mint keeps the insects away."
"WHAT? You made that up!"
"Pfft nah! Wouldn't hurt to try it though right?"
Sapphire smiles, "I guess not... honestly dad. You're worse than Pete." He lit up at the mention of the mechanic.
"How is Pete by the way? Any confessions lately?" he says raising his eyebrows playfully as he locks up the house and jumps up into the silver truck that had a white shelter on the back open boot.
"DAD... please.... he's like 17 and already thinking about university. He's way too far a head of me. Besides... I don't even like him."
"Right.... sure.... so you just have rosy cheeks every time he says your name for no reason then?" Sapphire was stunned into silence. He noticed that!! I thought he wouldn't pay attention to me blushing..... ugh so embarrassing! Keeping this thought to herself she blushed.
"Um.... uh... so... the Digging Site. What was it your team was looking for exactly?" laughing nervously hoping he took the hint.
His eyes glinted in delight whenever she showed interest in his projects. "Oh! Right... let's see,"
'Phew!' she whispered under her breath. He took the bate and changed the subject to something more... comfortable. "Well, you know how I've always had a fascination of lost civilisations, such as Atlantis?" rolling her eyes Sapphire responded,
"Uh yeah?"
"Well Amir phoned in about a new discovery at Site E a few days ago. We decided to wait before taking a closer look at the findings until school had finished for the year. Since he's heard about how you've always wanted to see what goes on in the archeology business - what better time to do it than now?" Mr. Stone thought she might've miss heard him or something as she hadn't said a word since he told her of the finding.
But then, "That's incredible! What do you think it is? Old pottery? Ooh oh what about an old roof structure that's managed to withstand the pressure of being covered up by sand and time itself??" he burst out laughing in a joyful manner.
"Don't do that! Haha! For a moment there I thought I broke you!" she was surprised; a little confused for a second but then clicked at what he meant.
"Oh haha dad. But seriously that's amazing! How long till we get there?"
Mr. Stone rested his left hand up onto his slightly bearded chin and thought for a moment, "Hm well it is located in the middle of the Sahara Desert a few hours from here so yeah. It's a bit of a drive but totally worth it! You'll see."
After about 5 hours of straight driving, they were deep in the largest desert of Africa. Nothing but grey skies and sand for miles all around the truck. "Wow... Isn't this the first time I've been out here dad?" the man wearing a flat soft fabric hat secured by a wrapped brown scarf with thin black stripes covering it looked over at Sapphire.
"Hu, you know... I think it is. Well if you don't include the times your mother came out here to see me while she was pregnant with you then yeah it is your first time."
"I don't think those times really count dad. I wasn't aware of my surroundings back then." the two grew silent for around half an hour before she sat upright as she spotted something big and yellow in the distance.
"Is that, a bulldozer?" she looked at him as he concentrated on the sand tracks ahead.
"Mhm! Big B they call him. He's a monster but he's handy to have for deep digging. At least near the surface." Suddenly she heard a deep growl to her left, and was stunned to see a camel drinking at a small watering hole surrounded by greenery. "An oasis. The desert is scattered with them. Camels can last for long periods of time without eating or drinking. They're very uniquely suited for living in these climates don't you think?"
"I do..."
Parking the truck next to a large white tent, he turned off the engine. "We're here. Welcome to my home away from home."
Tents were dotted around the oasis with different vehicles ranging from cars & trucks to vans and of course the bulldozer, a.k.a Big B. "Ah there's Amir." Sapphire watched her dad open his door and step out the truck as she followed by doing the same on her side.
"Marhabaan syd stun , almawqie jahiz min ajlk! Ah this must be your lovely daughter we've heard so much of." Amir placed his hands on his hips and grinned widely at her, "Good morning Ms Stone, your father here is a great man, he's told so much about you."
"Haha yes Amir, this is my daughter Sapphire Stone. She's on break for the next 6 weeks so it was perfect timing."
"Indeed! Well, would you like to inspect the site old friend?"
The 3 of them walked over to the square box-like area that's been dug out of the ground and lined with a barrier of string tied to metal pegs. A bunch of tools were laid neatly in an open brief case in the pit next to some exposed hard clay pottery pieces. "Looks like you were right Sapphire, we did find old pottery."
Sapphire smiled excitedly, "Told you!"
"Well, someone knows a thing or 2 about ancient artefacts. Yousef, would it be out of order to let her partake in the dig this time around? I could spare some basic tools for digging and brushing." Sapphire's face lit up instantly at that suggestion.
"Please dad? That would be the best!" Yousef thought for a bit and decided,
"Eh, why not? Surely nothing could go wrong with a bit of harmless excavating? Sapphire why don't you follow Amir and he'll tell you how to get started."
The sun glared down on them as they walked over to a white van with a red hollow circle painted on the side door along with an old pottery rounded vase that had a few chips at the top right corner that represented the logo of Amir's Excavation Business 'AEB'. Amir was around 6ft tall and dressed in a loose blue shirt with a red tie and wore a dark blue head covering/cap and also wore small dark grey tinted circle sunglasses.
"Alright Sapphire, let me fetch the case with the tools. I just have to unlock the van." He got out a set of keys with a battery operated remote for the lock system. Hearing a double beep, he reached out and opened the passengers' side of the front seat. Bending over he reached in to bring out a large silver and white case with red lining around the edges.
Setting the case onto the table in front of the van a few feet away, he closed the door of the van and turned to the intrigued girl. "Right, these are the perfect tools for any beginner Archeologist. First we have a miniature pick axe - good for digging at hard stones surrounding the object, basically fleshing it out. Next is a shovel and bucket of course for removing any dirt in the way of the dig, and we also have a spade already at the site from the original dig done by the main team. Sieves are very handy for sifting through the dirt for smaller items such as bones or precious objects like jewels or broken up items. Trowels can be used for a similar purpose as a sieve but for a quicker rougher job. And of course a few different sized brushes to clean off the remaining dirt from the items you find. Did you get all of that?"
Sapphire nodded excitedly, "Yes Amir! Pick axe, shovel and bucket, spade, sieve, trowel, and brushes."
"Excellent! Now, here's a notebook and pen just to jot down what you think you've found and we can do some extra research to be sure." He patted her on the left shoulder as reassurance, "I'll show you where you can start digging ok? Just be careful because we have already uncovered some pottery that has some broken pots as well."
Sapphire smiled, "Ok I'll be careful not to touch or dig near them."
He grinned and thought, 'Hm, there might be a future in this industry for you after all.' and led her to a safe area of the pit outlined with a border of rope. "Ok Sapphire, this looks like the best spot you can start. It's untouched by the team so if you find anything, that means you're the first one to touch it ever since it was buried there over time."
"Wow..." she breathed in awe of realisation. She knew she found the perfect hobby, one that could be filled with truly momentous occasions. Perhaps even create history itself! She loves solving mysteries so this sort of work would be perfect for Sapphire as a career. She knelt down and set out her tools she was given.
As she began to dig she looked up briefly to find her father talking with a man wearing a black headscarf with a red square logo on the end of it. 'Hu... wonder who he is?' she wondered quietly to herself and just as she was about to look back down a roll of thunder cracked in the skies above.
"Not too long out here Sapphire! Storm's coming." she waved at him in reply,
"Ok dad!" The man in black looked over and glared an evil stare at the girl in the white t-shirt and shorts. "Hello sir." She was taught to be nice to everyone so she took the chance to greet him but all he did was huff at her and move his focus onto her father. 'Rude!' She snared behind their backs but went back to digging.
She had been at it for about 10 minutes with the shovel and still found nothing but stones. She almost got bitten by a black spider but thankfully she squished it on the ground just in time. "....and stay dead!" She panted slightly from the digging and smacking at the spider.
"Phew, this is harder than it looks..." Sapphire grabbed a quick drink from her drink bottle that her dad had given her a few minutes earlier while she was digging. The water felt very soothing on her dry throat and it even dripped down her neck cooling her skin.
But when it hit her chest she flinched, "Eek thats cold!" She dropped the bottle and wiped the water from her chest, only to realise the water was still leaking from the lid and sliding down into the hole she'd dug.
"Oops, great.. now the lid's dirty. Oh well... at least the ground got a drink haha." She laughed nervously but failed. It wasn't until she looked back at the hole to start back at the digging that she realised a pool had formed in the bottom of the hole and seemed to be growing.
"Hu... that's weird."
Just then, the ground near her bare knees began to shift and move beneath her. She watched in surprise as the water had softened up the ground and weakened the solid dirt causing it to crack. "Hey Amir?" She called out but he wasn't anywhere to be seen - at least close by.
'Is it suppose to be cracking like that?' She thought as she started to slowly shuffle back on her lower legs but that only made things worse.
To top it off, lightning flashed around the campsite with a double flash and then a split second after a third one hit forming as a fork lightning striking just inches away from Sapphire's knees in the exact hole filled with water that was starting to dry up slowly. "Ahh!" She felt her hairs stand up and had goosebumps running all down her arms and legs from the electrical charge.
Mr. Stone rushed out of the large white tent with some other men including the one in black, "Sapphire! What happened?"
"Ye-yeah I'm ok dad! It was just... lightning." He seemed to calm down a bit but then it hit him,
"Wait lightning?! Are you hurt?" He started to run toward her,
"I'm fine dad! It's just..." But then the ground shook and cracked louder so that everyone could hear it. She held her breath, "Dad?" She looked up at his face that screamed horror.
"Don't move Sapphire." Amir called out, he'd shown up from behind the bulldozer. He must've been tinkering with it since his hands were covered in black oil powder. The air had grown very still as the suspense surrounded all members of the team.
"But...I..."
"Nope! The slightest movement or loud noise could trigger a collapse if I'm right about what's happening." Amir sounded deadly serious so she stayed as still as she possibly could.
"Amir, what do you mean?" Mr. Stone asked with concern clearly noticeable in his voice.
"I believe the pit was actually on top of an open air pocket. So like a cavern but only lined with rock walls and a solid dirt ceiling. I'm surprised it took this long before it began to collapse with all the digging we were doing. Sapphire's work must've been the final straw." Lightning filled the space around them with a flash of brilliant white light for a split second and everyone froze.
"Oh no..." Amir had a look of pure terror painted all over his face that broke Mr. Stone's concern,
"WHAT? Just tell me Amir!"
"Thunder always comes after lightning, if it does then-" BOOM! Thunder suddenly roared extremely loud right above them and even shook the ground under their feet.
"Dad...." Sapphire felt the ground shook so rough it scared her, and then the ground crumbled towards her spot. Gasping in horror she looked up quickly at her dad and Amir pleading for help. They raced towards her to try and grab her before it fell in. But they were too late...
Crumbling rock and dirt fell all around her as her heart skipped a beat from the shear shock. "Ooof!" She landed hard on the sand that had piled up below her in the cavern. "Ow... that was hard!" Sapphire rubbed her bottom from the impact but her tailbone still ached from the fall.
"SAPPHIRE! CAN YOU HEAR ME?" Yousef called out in a loud worried tone. He poked his head over the edge of the opening.
"Ye-yeah dad! I'm ok. Just a bit sore from the fall..." the girl looked up and gave a small smile to her dad but she couldn't look up at him for long as the light shining through was too harsh for her eyes. "It's surprisingly cooler down here!" She called out to him.
"That's to be expected! Below ground is always cooler since there's no sunlight getting in. What can you see down there Sapphire?" Amir asked her from above. She couldn't see him but he must've been close to her dad. The distance caused their voices to echo in the cavern.
"It looks like a square shaped cave. Straight walls and corners." She peered into the darkness and saw a glowing light in the distance. "I see a light. About 100 feet away."
Amir and Yousef looked at each other in surprise... "Is it a tunnel?" Mr. Stone called hoping it led somewhere with a better access point.
"No I don't think so. I'll get a closer look." Sapphire said as she stood up and brushed off the dirt from her skin and clothes. She noticed that her white clothes were covered in dry dust now thanks to that little mishap. Taking it slow, she headed into the darker part of the cave, and found herself face to face with a life size statue of a unicorn. It seemed to be holding a staff of some kind that looked to be made of a slightly different stone... almost looked like... "Ice?"
"Dad! There's a large statue down here... it's a unicorn holding some sort of staff."
Yousef was gobsmacked. He looked at his friend Amir, "Amir, we HAVE to get down there. It could be the biggest mystery of all time she's just discovered. Perhaps even proof of many theories of scientists." Amir was stunned silent.
"What do you mean Yousef? It's just a unicorn statue."
"I don't believe so old friend, I think Sapphire's just found the story of a life time. Sapphire!" Mr. Stone looked back into the hole, "Step back sweet, we'll find a way to come join you."
"Ok dad!" Sapphire stepped aside the statue till she was touching the staff that had a strange oval sphere on top that was emitting a glowing blue light. When she touched it with her hand to see if she tell what it was, it glowed ten times brighter illuminating the entire room. "Dad... something's happening!" But no one came to the opening. She figured they must've been organising the team in a rescue attempt. 'I don't want that man in the black head scarf to find this thing.' She strongly believed he was not to be trusted. Sapphire grabbed onto the twisted staff covered in ice, it was freezing to touch but she had to pull it free.
"Man... ngh... it's stuck tight in the hoof." She pressed her foot against the platform of the statue and used it as a leverage to yank it free. Finally managing to unhook it from the statue's grasp, she felt a weird sensation as the ice began to glow and crack beneath her fingers. "Uh oh..." Sapphire watched in silence as the ice broke clean off the staff revealing it was actually made from dark oak wood. All twisted almost like a hair plait and to her surprise a large blue precious stone sat neatly embedded into the middle of the staff on top - protected by two limbs of the wood twisting along the sides of it. "Is that... a sapphire stone?"
Hypnotised she didn't hear the noice of machinery coming from the surface as it started to shake the ceiling. A numbness growing from her finger tips all through out her body she fell under what seemed to be some sort of trance and a vortex began to form around her and the staff. Unable to speak, she wasn't able to react to what was happening before her eyes. It was like her body had been completely taken over but she was still aware of her surroundings so she could only watch in silence.
What felt like minutes was only seconds as the vortex glowed the same blue light as the stone and completely filled the area with a bright aqua blue light until everything turned black after a loud muffled explosion of energy.
Ears still ringing from the blast, she slowly opened her eyes and waited for her sight to readjust. When the blurriness went away, she was confused at what she saw. 'What on earth?' She thought as she stared into the thick dark greenery of what looked like a forrest. But none like ever she'd seen on tv before. Sapphire felt so weak for some reason she could barely lift her head to look around when she heard a rustling coming from the left of her position.
"H-hello?" Her voice was shaky and she felt a shiver rush down her spine. I didn't think it was that cold in the cave... then again it's not the cave anymore... wait, how is that possible? With thoughts running wild in her head, she managed to lean on her elbow and look to where the noise came from.
"Hello young one, do not fear, my name is Zecora and I am now here." Sapphire heard what she can only describe as horses hooves so the one named Zecora must've been riding when she came across the girl.
"Uh...what... what happened? I feel dizzy..." She put her hand on her head but as she lifted it, she got the scare of her life!
"Wha.... what's wrong with my hand?!" Either she was still out cold and dreaming all of this or something was very wrong.
"It's a hoof!" She was utterly speechless at the sight of her hand being a hoof... and not just a normal one either, it was lavender purple! "Why is it purple?? What's going on??" Feeling her heart race she knew she was having a minor panic attack. She breathed in and out so fast she began to feel light headed again. "Oh... boy... I... don't feel good..." Letting the attack take over her mind she fell unconscious once again and collapsed back on the grass.
With a heavy headache above her right eye she awoke again from her unconscious state. She smelt a strange scent in her location. Where.. am I? She thought, lifting her head just enough to take in her surroundings. But when she did she was horrified to find she was in someones house that looked like they were very much into witchcraft. Oh no... dad will NOT be pleased. She was raised in the type of household where they didn't believe in that sort of stuff but still, Sapphire was very open minded and wasn't attached to one particular belief.
"Ah good the young mare is awake. Here drink this, it will make you feel better." She looked around as she sat up slowly to see who was talking to her. Then she came face to face with a zebra pony!
"Um hello? Who's pony is this?" She looked around feeling dazed with confusion. Suddenly the pony cleared her throat,
"Ahem! Sorry to frighten you young mare, but it is only I who lives here."
"Ahh!" She stumbled back on the bed she realised she was resting on. The zebra briefly blocked her ears at the screech. Sapphire stared at the zebra pony who had a large mohawk styled grey and black striped mane and she even wore bulky gold hoop earrings and 5 gold hoop choker necklaces around her long neck. She had a strange spiral design that had mini triangle points dotted around it that made it look like a dark grey sun tattooed on her flank.
"Wh-who are you? How are you talking?! Where am I?" Sapphire had so many questions buzzing around her head she didn't know what to ask or do first. Everything was happening so fast ever since she fell into the cave and found that strange unicorn statue.
"Hahaha... I know you must have many questions for me, but for now you must rest; regain your energy." The mare laughed but in a kind way. She had a friendly look in her eyes that made Sapphire feel safe around her. So she reluctantly nodded.
"I... I guess that's a better idea right now... s-sorry for panicking." Sapphire felt rather ashamed of her actions to the situation but then really, who could blame her?
"Not a problem new one, before you rest, what is your name young one?" The zebra asked in a kind tone so the girl felt comfortable enough to trust her with her name.
"Oh... uh, it's Sapphire. Sapphire Stone." She reached out her hand but then saw the hoof instead. "Wait, that really happened?! What happened to me? Where's a mirror?" She looked around frantically when the zebra sighed and grabbed one from shelf next to her. "Ahh! I'm... I-I'm A PONY?!" The zebra mare rolled her eyes, not again... she thought. But surprisingly the young mare didn't squeal her lungs off like before.
"Oops... hehe... s-sorry for yelling. It's just... a pony! But how?" Just as she asked the question she realised it must've been the sapphire stone from the staff. "Wait... the staff..." She put a hoof up to her muzzle and thought for a moment recalling that event.
"Excuse me Ms Sapphire Stone but the staff? What does she mean by the staff?" the zebra gave a questioning look. So Sapphire decided to explain how she got there. The zebra pony listened intently to each detail of the event that brought this girl to their world. "Oh my goodness Sapphire, the staff you speak of is very rare. The Ancient Sapphire Staff I believe you found, the gem has powerful magic that can cross realms and worlds in a single bound. I thought it had been lost to Equestria 1000 years ago. This could be bad I fear... oh no..."
Why does she talk in rhyme all the time? Kinda cool and annoying at the same time... oh well. Sapphire thought as she listened. "The Ancient Sapphire Staff? I remember dad talking about an Ancient Sapphire Temple that held such items for years untouched by 'man' er... 'pony'."
"Wait... Equestria? I've never heard of that country."
The zebra chuckled, "Country? I do not know what this 'country' is... but Sapphire, Equestria is my home, it is where we stand." Sapphire was shocked. Her theory was right, she'd been teleported to a completely different world!
"Wait dad! Oh no! He's going to be worried sick! How do I get back to the Sahara Desert... uh...?" She trailed off the question not remembering the pony's name.
"Zecora. And I will do some research on the staff to find out how it works. In the mean time, you should make yourself at home in my tree house. Tomorrow I will need to go to town for food, you could come with?"
Sapphire hesitated but thought that if she wasn't going to get home any time soon, she might as well get familiar with this world at least some of it. "Alright... why not. It's not like I've got much else to do now. I'm stuck here for now.... sorry dad." She sighed and whispered the last part. 'Well... let's see.... I started my first dig and found nothing until I fell into a cave and found the statue that turned out to have a magical staff that I was stupid enough to touch that it brought me to this world of what was it? Equestria? What a weird day.'
Sapphire sat in silence as she drank from the cup that Zecora had given her to help with the headaches. She decided to look out the circular window cut out of the hollow tree. She must've changed in size to be able to fit in the same size bed and door way as the zebra. All she could see outside was a dense forrest with vines dangling in different places with strange blue flowers off in the distance that looked like blue Lilies but with lighter blue spots on them. A bush shook not too far from the tree but she sighed a breath of relief when a frog jumped out.
"You know... even if I'm stuck here for a bit, at least it's kinda pretty." She yawned and placed her cup on the windowsill next to her right side. She stretched a little and lay back on the bed and rested until her eyes became so heavy she couldn't stay awake any longer and dozed into a peaceful sleep.
The next day she woke up and got down from the bed. "Oh good morning Sapphire, I have some breakfast ready if you wish to eat?" it was Zecora standing next to a large black round pot sitting on an open fire pit built into the stone floor.
"Um ok... I guess I am a little hungry after yesterday. I still can't believe I'm a pony." She suddenly realised something that only then just hit her. "Oh no! How am I going to walk?! I have four feet! Er... hooves/legs... y-you know what I mean!" She stuttered as she discovered that she'd have to change her wording if she was to blend into this new world. Zecora stared at the mare as she got up from the bed and tried standing on all fours for the firs time. She wobbled a bit stepped forward but stumbled. But when she was about to fall she stopped herself by placing another hoof to the side to balance herself. "Ahh. This is NOT easy! How do you do it?"
Zecora couldn't help it but laugh at the new mare. "I'm so sorry... But this is a first for me! Seeing another creature get use to the way we walk everyday. It's just too amusing to watch. Try one hoof in front of the other and your back hooves will follow naturally." Sapphire tried to take her advice but took a while before she finally could walk properly as if she was born a pony.
"FINALLY! That wasn't embarrassing!" she gave a sigh of defeat. "You ponies make it look so easy. But now that I can walk lets see if I can trot."
"Uh first I think you should continue practicing outside my friend! It's a little tight for that in here." She pointed to the front door.
Sapphire looked at the door and laughed nervously, "Hehe... right... sorry Zecora. Hey do you have an apple I could have before going out? I don't think I'm ready to try other pony food just yet." Zecora nodded with a smile. She went to her kitchen around the corner and lifted down a fruit bowl from the shelf above the sink. At least Zecora seems nice enough... she thought quietly as she watched her return with a shiny green apple. "Granny Smith Apple! Yum. Thank you Zecora." the zebra was confused at the name she gave the apple but shrugged it off.
"Oh Sapphire, I'll be heading to Ponyville Market in an hour so maybe don't go too far. It is new for you after all."
Sapphire smiled, grateful for her caring nature towards a stranger. "Don't worry, I won't. I don't want to get lost anyway." and with that she managed to open the door only 3 tries before being able to even go outside to see what she can do as a pony.
The young lavender purple mare walked outside and closed the door behind her. She was slowly getting the hang of being a pony on four legs and using hooves instead of hands with fingers. It was really weird though. She kept reaching out expecting to grab things with her fingers and thumb but only to discover she's got a hoof instead. It was a big shock to her system. The panic attacks she experienced earlier have thankfully become less frequent in the short time she's been in this land.
"I know dad said he supported the idea of the scientific theory of multiple universes existing but one with ponies instead of humans! Who would've thought?" Sapphire shook her head still getting use to that idea but put it in the back of her mind for now.
"For now... I have to test what I can do in this new body." She looked down at her hooves, thinking that by now it would've felt like she was crawling like a baby or toddler but surprisingly it didn't feel that way. It was starting to feel more natural the longer she was in this form.
"Ok... I told Zecora I was going to practice trotting, so let's try it. I'd think it'd be more of a slow jog or power walk if I were in my normal human body." Sapphire looked around the small clearing where Zecora's tree home was built and concluded that no one was around to watch so she got to work. To her surprise trotting was a lot easier than she thought it would be and it was more like a slow jog. Once she got the rhythm down, she decided to try cantering in case she ever needed to run faster.
"Ok that wasn't too hard so now cantering? That's more a normal run like I'd do at school in sports class. Ugh... I hate sports. But I need to learn to be a normal pony who knows the basics like others if I don't want to stick out like a sore thumb." With that said she picked up the pace and ran a circle around Zecora's tree, avoiding the thick roots the came above ground in a few places.
As the wind blew through her hair or rather, her curly black mane, and the fur on her body, she found herself letting out a gentle laugh filled with joy. "Wow... this is incredible! I love feeling the wind in my hair. Er... mane, haha!" Just as she rounded the tree to the front entrance she never saw the zebra pony come trotting out to meet her. Instead they smacked right into each other falling to the ground with a bump!
"Ouch! Ooh... sorry Zecora, I didn't see you come out. I guess I was having too much fun... hehe..." She couldn't help but smile at Zecora as her heart was still racing from that thrilling experience.
"It is alright Sapphire I'm glad you're enjoying being one of us. I came out to tell you I'm ready for the market, would you like to come? I need some ingredients and vegetables for the next weeks now there's two of us." Sapphire thought for a moment and remembered she had agreed to come earlier so decided to keep her word and agreed to follow. The zebra locked the door behind her using an old rustic carved key before leading them both out of the clearing and into the dark woods.
It took them only a few minutes to clear the woods rugged dirt path and they came to a small hill where they could finally see clear blue sky and rounded mountains off in the distance. The mountains were surrounding a large town the looked bustling with life. "Wow! So pretty! Makes me think of Italy... almost... maybe a mixture of Italy and home." Sapphire stood for a while and watched the scenery ahead of them. There were many different sized houses that liked like country cottages protected by roofs made of hay. With flower baskets lining the window cills of almost every house, they were mostly painted white with rich brown wood posts supporting the buildings. She could see some buildings had large fancy signs painted pinks and purples that she guessed were stores.
"It's like a quaint countryside town in the middle of nowhere. Amazing... mom would've loved this..." Sapphire suddenly stared at the ground with tears welling in her blue eyes. Zecora looked back at the mare and gave a small worried frown.
"What is wrong Sapphire Stone?" Sapphire sniffed and wiped her eyes with her left hoof. "Oh... nothing... just... my mom died last year. It still hurts...." the zebra suddenly felt horrible for asking.
"I'm so sorry Sapphire... I'm sure over time it will get better. Do you still have a parent however?" when Sapphire nodded quietly Zecora smiled, "I'm guessing 'he' loves you very much and wants you to be happy. I will help you get back to your family." she smiled sweetly as if she knew her heartbreak from experience.
Sapphire didn't say anything for a minute until she broke out of her sad state enough to say, "Thank you.... Zecora. Do you think... one day we could be friends?" Zecora was shocked but then grinned.
"Of course we can. We may be different like Yin and Yang, but we can still be friends. Why not now?" Sapphire was stunned at the zebra's response. She sounded very wise with the way she spoke.
The young mare thought a moment, "R-really? Ok... then we're friends?"
Zecora nodded, "Friends. Now... let's go shopping!" So off towards the outdoor market they went with Zecora leading Sapphire.
Sapphire just then noticed the zebra was wearing some sort of bag on her back. "Hey Zecora? What are you wearing?"
Zecora stopped briefly and turned her head back before saying, "Hm? Oh the bags? They are saddle bags. We ponies use them all the time for many reasons for extra storage."
Sapphire's eyes lit up, "OH like grocery bags!" she noticed the zebra mare looked awfully confused, "Oh um, they're bags that we use in the human world for basically the same thing. They can be made of plastic, paper or even fabric, but we keep trying to find better ways of making them so we don't hurt the environment with pollution. Like recycling rubbish to be re-used as something else. Humans are not very good at keeping our home tidy like you ponies seem to be." Zecora listened with great interest. Hm, seems her world has some large problems. If only they had magic to help them.... She thought to herself.
"Zecora!! Zecora!" the two mares heard a high pitched younger voice that sounded like a little girl. Zecora looked around them and spotted the one making all the noise.
"Why hello Sweetie Belle. How are you today? I hope you are doing well." Zecora hugged the little filly with a white coat and light pink and purple tightly curled mane and tail with olive green eyes.
"Yes I am! Rarity's out with Apple Jack on some sort of mission she said I couldn't go on." The young filly sat on her hindquarters and changed her voice to try and sound a bit older, "Now Sweetie Belle, I have to go on a mission with my fiends but it's too dangerous for little ponies like you." she sighed deeply. "I hate being little." She pouted before realising another pony was standing looking confused with Zecora. "Oh hi! Who's that Zecora?" The one called Sweetie Belle bounced back up on all fours and grinned curiously at the new mare.
Zecora chuckled at her energy. "Oh right, this is a new mare in town, her name is Sapphire Stone." Sapphire worked up the courage to give a small wave of her right hoof and added a friendly but shy smile. "She's not use to being around ponies so she's a bit shy."
Sweetie Belle smiled, "Hi Sapphire! Nice to meet you! You'll love it here in Ponyville! But um..." She looked around to the side of Sapphire making her feel a bit uncomfortable. "Well, I don't mean to be rude but where's your cutie mark?"
Suddenly Zecora's eyes widened in horror, 'Oh my! I haven't explained that to her yet!' "Uh, she's a bit of a late bloomer Sweetie Belle. Hasn't found her talent yet."
"Oh! *gasp* She can be a Cutie Mark Crusader!"
When the filly suggested that, Zecora smacked her forehead with her hoof in embarrassment, "Oh no...."
Zecora searched for something to say but Sapphire bet her to it, "Um.. I'm sorry but what is a Cutie Mark Crusader?" she raised an eyebrow at the young filly. Sweetie Belle was a little shell shocked but guessed she didn't know because of being new around Ponyville.
"Oops I should probably explain what it is... hehe..." Laughing nervously feeling rather stupid about skipping that part she cleared her throat, "The Cutie Mark Crusaders are made up of ponies who haven't found their cutie marks yet and so we go on adventures to find out what our special talents are. It's a lot of fun! So far... only 3 of us are in the group." she shrugged her shoulders at the small number of members, "But that's ok we could have 4 if you join us! We could help you!"
Sapphire felt a little overwhelmed by the process of having a cutie mark in the first place since she only just learnt about them. I guess they're a very big deal in this world... like earning a trophy but it's deeper than that.... more... personal, she thought quietly. "I guess I could join... but perhaps I could meet the others in this group?" Zecora was surprised but happy that Sapphire seemed to becoming more open to the ideas of their world.
"Would you like to follow Sweetie Belle while I continue shopping? We can meet by The Great Hall in the middle of town, it would be good for you to make some more friends while you're here."
Sapphire thought for a moment and decided that the zebra mare was right. If she was going to be stuck there until they find a way for her to go back home, she might as well get familiar with the ponies in the area. "Uh ok... I guess I can go with Sweetie Belle was it?" the young white unicorn filly nodded happily.
Zecora smiled, "Great! I'll see you in half an hour then? It's the tall domed building in the middle of town. Hard to miss it really... Not as big as the castle but still bigger than the other buildings in Ponyville." and with that she turned round waving goodbye to the two ponies and headed to the market stalls lined with all sorts of items from food to clothing.
Sapphire felt suddenly awkward standing with a strange new pony. A unicorn none the less! Zecora was at least somewhat familiar being a zebra but a unicorn is practically unheard of... especially to actually exist! "Um Sapphire Stone are you ok?" she tilted her head to the right slightly wondering why the lavender coloured mare with black curly mane and tail was staring into space.
Sapphire shook her head back to reality, "Hu? Oh sorry... it's just... I've never seen a unicorn... well a real one."
Sweetie Belle was confused, "How come? Aren't there ponies where you come from? And unicorns?"
Suddenly Sapphire realised what she was saying and wondered if she could trust the filly with her secret. "Hey... um, if I join your group, are you able to keep a big secret?"
"Of course I can! I've kept secrets from my big sister before, how hard could this be?" at this reply Sapphire was still unsure so asked another question to act as almost a guarantee.
"Can you promise me not to tell ANYONE unless me or Zecora say so? It's important that you can do this for me." Sweetie Belle was more intrigued at what big secret she was keeping the more they spoke.
She raised her left hoof and said aloud, "I solemnly swear on my honour as a Cutie Mark Crusader never to tell anyone your secret unless you say so!" Ponies passing by glanced over at the filly but thought nothing of it.
Little did they know that a stallion unicorn was watching from the shadows of an alleyway with great interest in the purple pony. "We will meet one day soon Sapphire Stone. Just you wait... it'll be your turn."
Sapphire looked towards the same shadows of the alleyway but saw no one there. It was too dark to see them there anyway. She shrugged it off and looked back at Sweetie Belle with a sigh of relief, "I get the feeling your Cutie Mark Crusader group is very important to you so now I know I can trust you with my secret." She looked around, "But perhaps somewhere a bit quieter?"
The filly nodded and gestured the mare to follow her through the streets. "We can talk at the clubhouse. But Apple Bloom and Scootaloo will have to be told too. They're the other members of the club." Sapphire flinched at the idea of others knowing the secret so soon into her time being there. But decided if they're part of the club then they can be trusted just like Sweetie Belle.
"Ok I guess that's alright since you know them." the filly smiled at her answer.
After 10 minutes of walking and trotting the two of them made it to a large clearing with a building ahead of them. It was fenced off by a white wooden fence. "Welcome to Sweet Apple Acres! My friend Apple Bloom and her family live and run this farm and supply apples to Ponyville." A large beautiful red barn with white trimmings and big double doors that were wide open stared back at them as they walked through the fence entrance.
Sapphire stared in awe, "Wow! It's amazing! I've never been on a farm. I live in a hot dry place so we don't have farms like this." she smiled warmly as she inhaled the smell of freshly grown apples and what smelt like apple pies baking in the distance. Walking around the back of the barn they came to a grass field surrounded by apple trees full of ripe red apples ready to be picked.
"APPLE BLOOM, SCOOTALOO!" cluttering could be heard from up ahead and when Sapphire looked up at a large tree, she saw a cute little house built into the tree with a ramp leading up to it from the side of the hut. That's actually quite a cool little tree house for ponies. They have building skills just like people back home but without the heavy machinery. Incredible... she thought watching two other fillies race down the wooden ramp.
"Sweetie Belle!! You're back!" the yellow filly with strawberry red hair called out as she raced to the white unicorn. "We missed you!" Squeezing their friend in a tight hug the 3 fillies laughed and giggled together.
"Girls! I've only been gone for 20 minutes! Geeze!"
The two ponies let go of the filly and grinned cheerfully when the orange winged one with dark pink short hair looked up at the mare. "Hey um Sweetie Belle, who's the new mare?" the 3 of them looked at the purple mare making her give an awkward smile.
"Oh! This is Sapphire Stone. She's new in town! I met her with Zecora."
Scootaloo and Apple Bloom 'oohed' at the same time looking curiously at the mare with black hair. "Nice to meet ya Sapphire! I'm Apple Bloom and this here is my family's farm!" she said proudly with a very strong Western accent that made the young mare smile. "Oh and this here is Scootaloo!"
Scootaloo waved gently at Sapphire, "HI! I'm friend's with Rainbow Dash!" She said in an starstruck tone of voice. Rainbow Dash? Who's that I wonder? she thought to herself and smiled at the young filly whom Sapphire had noticed had wings.
"You're a pegasus?!" Sapphire blurted out in surprise; shocking the fillies.
"Um yeah but I can't fly yet... stupid wings are too small!" she tried to fly by rapidly flapping her tiny wings making a whirring sound but she only gained a few inches of height off the ground before collapsing back onto her hooves.
"Psst... Sweetie Belle why is she acting weird? I mean... who hasn't seen a pegasus before?" Sapphire's right ear twitched at Apple Bloom whispering to Sweetie Belle.
"Oh right, she's not use to being around lots of ponies let alone unicorns and pegasus because of living alone I'm guessing." Sweetie Belle whispered back and Apple Bloom seemed to understand the situation. "Speaking of which! Girls, what do you say to Sapphire Stone joining the Cutie Mark Crusaders?"
The 2 fillies stared blankly for a minute before saying in unison, "WHAAAT?!"
Scootaloo's and Apple Bloom's mouths dropped wide open in shock. "But Sweetie Belle, she's... an adult!" Scootaloo pointed out looking towards Sapphire at the corner of her eye.
"I know.... but she doesn't have a cutie mark yet! Do you know how rare that is in Equestria?" Sweetie Belle exclaimed with excitement. The 2 fillies rushed around Sapphire's rear end making her feel awkward and slightly embarrassed as they gazed at her blank flanks.
"Wow an adult pony who doesn't know what her special talent is yet. That's amazing." Sapphire blushed turning her cheeks a hot pink. She's not use to all this attention - especially from people, er ponies she's just met. Just as Apple Bloom was about to say something more, the skies grew dark and a storm began to gather above their heads within the matter of minutes.
"I think we should get inside the clubhouse girls. It's going to...." Sweetie Belle's voice trailed off just as a clap of thunder and lighting lit up the sky briefly before pouring down with rain soaking the 4 of them. "...rain." She sighed in defeat. The 3 fillies led Sapphire up the ramp and opened the door again for everyone to get in.
Shutting the door and locking it behind her, Apple Bloom sighed and shook herself dry spraying everyone else in the process. Looking at everyones slightly annoyed faces and seeing Sapphire's amused face the filly laughed, "Oops sorry every pony."
"Anyway....." Sweetie Belle broke the silence before it got awkward. "Sapphire has something she wants to share with me and since we're a group I thought it'd be best if all of us knew instead of keeping secrets within the group. Is that still ok Sapphire?" She looked up at the lavender mare who wore a white headscarf wrapped around her thick black frizzy mane. When she nodded in agreement the filly took it upon herself to go up on their miniature stage within the clubhouse that has a black board behind it like a class room set up.
"Ok Cutie Mark Crusaders, in order to hear what Sapphire has to say, you must swear by the honour of being part of this club that you will not tell ANYONE unless she says we can. Ok ready? Repeat after me.... We the Cutie Mark Crusaders..."
Scootaloo and Apple Bloom lift their right hooves up in the air and stand proudly as they repeat everything Sweetie Belle says, "We the Cutie Mark Crusaders..."
"Do solemnly swear that we will NOT tell ANYONE..." Sweetie Belle tried to sound as serious as she could to let them know how important this was for Sapphire to trust them.
"Do solemnly swear that we will NOT tell ANYONE..." the fillies chanted in unison once again and waited for the next part of the oath.
"About Sapphire Stone's secret unless she says we can." The 2 fillies taking the oath glanced at each other then and Sapphire who watched with amusement and curiosity. They smiled and finished the oath.
"About Sapphire Stone's secret unless she says we can!" All 3 fillies got together and gave each other a high five, or rather a high hoof.
"Ok! Now we're given our words as Cutie Mark Crusaders did you want to talk about it Sapphire?" Sweetie Belle asked trying not to sound too straight forward about it. Sapphire sighed and figured it was good enough that they took an oath to keep her secret a secret unless she said so otherwise.
"Alright... you've proven to me you'll keep it a secret." She took a deep breath and explained her story, "Well, I guess I should start by saying that I'm not an actual pony." When she said this the fillies stared blankly at her clearly not understanding what she meant. "What I mean is, I'm from a different universe or world. I'm actually a human being also known as a person that walks on two legs and stands up right almost always and has hands to grab things with instead of hooves like ponies." They listened to her story immensely after she said she was from a different world and a human on top of that.
"When I went with my dad to go to the campsite a storm started up turning my simple digging for lost treasure experience into a traumatic fall through the sand into a cavern with a mystery unicorn statue. I never thought that morning I'd end up being magically transported from Earth to this world you all call Equestria. I suppose now that I look at what happened I'm kinda glad the lightning nearly hit me when it did otherwise I wouldn't have found that secret place and wouldn't be talking with you fillies today. Everything's happening so fast sometimes it's hard to keep up with it but I just try to 'go with the flow' as they say in my world." When she finished telling her story the fillies were stunned to silence with stars shining in their eyes showing how mesmerised they were.
"WOW! You're a human from another world?"
"What's it like over there? How many people are there in your world. What do you eat?"
"What did the transformation feel like? Was it all tingly? Oh how tall was the statue? 6ft high?" Sweetie Belle stretched up on her back hooves and reached up with one of her front hooves to try and describe the hight she was thinking of but failed by a long shot without realising it.
At first Sapphire didn't know who to answer first or even what to say. But she was saved by Sweetie Belle realising what the time was as it was nearly midday when a gap revealed where the sun was through the storm clouds. She frowned, "Aww it's been half an hour already?" Scootaloo and Apple Bloom were confused.
"Yeah why?"
"Well, Zecora said she'd meet us back at The Great Hall round about now so we're going to be late if we don't go now." Sapphire looked outside and saw it was still stormy but she agreed.
"I know it's still bad out there but she's right. We have to keep our promises to Zecora." the 3 fillies gave in and nodded in agreement also. So Sapphire waited for one of them to unlock the clubhouse before braving the storm that seemed to be getting worse with heavier rain coming down. Sapphire led the way down the ramp but when she got to the ground a lightning struck not too far away from them and made her fur stand on end.
"Sapphire? You ok?" Apple Bloom asked and the mare nodded,
"Y-yeah, jus bad memories with lightning." She shook it off and concentrated on getting to the hall. "Now you guys will have to lead me there." They nodded and ran through the rain but not too fast so that Sapphire could follow them easily.
As they ran Sapphire was at the back of the group when she felt as if they were being watched from behind. She didn't want to stop in fear of getting separated. But then she heard hoof steps behind her that came closer every minute she ignored it. They'd reached Ponyville and came to an intersection where there were 3 paths and when Sapphire looked back to see who was behind her she saw nothing. She stopped for a second to have a better look around as the rain pounded down on her back sending shivers up her spine and drenching her white headscarf making it look more see-through than it was.
The mare turned round to rejoin the fillies but the road was empty except for a white and brown patched cat jumping up on some crates to reach an open window. Starting to feel her heart race in fear she called out, "Um Sweetie Belle? Apple Bloom? Scootaloo!" She waited for a sound of their voices through the rain but heard nothing. She spotted a dark alleyway that looked really spooky but it was the only dry place near by. "Brr... why can't ponies have coats?" Sapphire shivered as she walked down the narrow alleyway containing nothing but a few webs, a trash can, and some barrels of fruits.
She made it to the end of the path only to see nothing but normal homes and buildings as well as a fountain in what looked like the town square. Every one was inside staying out the thunder storm. It was too dangerous for ponies to be outside in that weather. She couldn't see any tall building from where she was standing and it was getting past midday already she could feel it. "Great... I've been here only 2 days and I've already managed to get lost! In an empty town of all places!" She moved closer to the the left wall next to an empty crate. "I hope you're not too worried about me dad."
Back in the Sahara Desert, it has been nearly 3 days since his daughter was labelled missing in Cairo's News Show. Yousef has taken to hiding in his house and has boarded all the open windows. He didn't want to be disturbed by any journalists or the press.
Amir came up to the front door and knocked on the wood, "Yousef? I know you're in there old friend. You've been hiding for too long." Just as he was about to try the handle, the door suddenly made a noise that sounded like locks unlocking from the inside. "Yousef?" He opened it up half way without showing himself and Amir took that as an invitation to come in. He quickly checked around him for any on lookers but it was deemed safe for him to go in unseen by the press.
Closing the door Amir was shocked at the state his friend was living in since the incident occurred. His house was a mess, clothes over the floors books everywhere piled up on tables and the couch. When he entered the kitchen it was just as bad but with dishes piling up in the sink and on the benches. Even a fly or 2 could be seen around the sink.
"Yousef! What's happened my friend? All this drama is getting to you isn't it?" The tall man sat down on the chair next to him at the dining table near the light grey couch.
Putting his bag on the table but not in between them. He watched as Yousef rubbed his eyes with his palms. "I can't stand it Amir. Where's my little precious stone? First she was was there but now she's gone. Why did I let her go to the dig site... she's just 15. What happened to her old friend?" Amir felt his pain as he too had a son that once went missing but was found 1 week later dehydrated in the desert. Alive and mostly well but it was still a stressful and frightening time for their family.
"I'm sorry this is hard on you Mr. Stone. But these new findings might shed some light on our predicament." Amir said as he flicked the draping fabric hanging from his head scarf out of the way of his face, he leaned over to open his black sports bag. He caught a glimpse of Yousef with a brief light in his eyes as he felt a flicker of hope. "Now the guys and I have uncovered a few clues in that new opening your daughter fell through. It's walls are covered in ancient symbols that look nothing like anything we've ever seen on Earth before. Except for one time during the 1800s." he took out a piece of folded tan coloured cloth covered in dirt.
Handing it to Mr. Stone to unfold he was stunned at what he found. "Blue dust!"
"This is what was left behind after the big explosion of light. I believe that this proves your oldest theory, Mr. Stone." Amir looked at his friend's lit up face with an expression of awe.
"Amir! This proves it! This dust... is magic!"
---
Sapphire began to doze off as the storm continued above. She heard echoing footsteps behind her and spun round to see the shadow of a pony coming from the darkness. "H-hello... who's there?" The pony seemed to just stand there glaring at her and then he just, laughed a deep; creepy laugh.
"You're a long way from home aren't you?" He steps forward into the night but only enough to show the colour of his fur on his front hooves. He was an ebony black pony and he had an old scar showing on his right front hoof. "Man it must be scary trying to find your way back in a strange new world you never knew existed!" He chuckled cheekily again.
"Wait... that voice." Sapphire's ears pricked up as she sat up more in the corner of the alleyway about 50 feet away from him. "It's YOU! You're the man that was talking with my father in the tent. The man in the black robe!"
"Very clever, you're smarter than you look Ms. Stone. I wonder how your father is coping.... must be tough having a daughter labelled as a missing person in Egypt. 3 days now." Sapphire knew what he was doing. He was pushing her buttons to make her mad, and it was working.
"Who ARE you anyway? Why did you talk to my dad at the campsite?" She quickly looked around for something she could use as a weapon if she had to but all that was there were the crates, a few rocks and a crate lid. Not much to work with bit it'll have to do if she needed some protection.
"Finally she asks for my name! Took you long enough... in the human world I'm known as Khalil Shade. But here my real name is Black Knight. Wizard of the Forbidden Lands.
"Khalil Shade? You don't mean... the owner of The Dark Fortress? You're pretty much famous in all of Egypt for your advanced magic shows. Now I know why you were there at the tent! You wanted to know if dad had found anything related to this world because of its magic!" She was furious that he thought he could try and take away a treasure that Mr. Stone had worked his whole life to find to prove one of his oldest theories of multiple universes existing side by side. No way she would let him destroy her fathers life work.
"Yup. The very one. Kind of ironic how the humans think my magic tricks are just fake tricks done with fancy machinery. When actually the machines are just there for display to make them think it's fake magic. But once I reveal that I'm from another world and have come to conquer Earth through my dark magic, they'll wish they NEVER set eyes on the Great Magician of The Dark Fortress! HAHAHA!" lightning flashed above them illuminating his face for a slip second as he lifted it backwards in a psychotic laugh.
"You're MAD! The authorities will stop you before you can do anything evil." She snared at him trying to strike fear in his eyes but unfortunately failed.
"I'm not mad. I'm genius! An evil genius!" He braced his body placing his weight into lower legs for support. A dark red mist formed around his horn and she knew that meant it was time to take cover. The purple mare instantly leant towards the crate lid and scooped it up with her hoof holding it high in front of her face just in time as a burst of powerful light energy rushed at her hitting the wood of the lid with a crackling sound.
"What was that?" a distant voice exclaimed from the town square. Not bothered by the voice from the square, he recharged his magic and blasted her again this time shattering her only defence. Bits of sharp wood flew every direction including scratching against her left shoulder making her flinch in pain. "I found her!" She recognised the voice that time, it was Scootaloo.
"Gah! I'll get you soon enough Sapphire! And when I do, there won't be ANYONE around to save you! I'll make sure of it!" He stomped his hooves, spun on his back legs and raced off into the dark shadows of the alleyway until it was just the young mare.
"SAPPHIRE!" Zecora shouted from behind the filly. "Sapphire there you are! How did you get lost? We've been searching near and far."
"So this is the one you spoke of Zecora?" a new pony came out of the rain shaking her navy blue mane with a purple and pink streak. "Only been in town a day and already got lost. Sounds like something I'd do." She looked at the purple mare and saw a fresh long cut in the pony's shoulder. "She's hurt, let's get her fixed up."
"Ouch!" Sapphire winced at the sting of the ointment touching her open wound on her left shoulder. She'd never been hurt like this in her homeland so she was surprised at the amount of pain it could cause being almost stabbed by a sharp splinter of thick wood.
"Hold still, nearly done. You're lucky you only have one." Zecora said as she placed the white bottle of ointment onto the table next to the chair, picking up the roll of bandage she started wrapping over the mare's shoulder and under her right foreleg and around the back of her neck towards her wounded shoulder while repeating it a few times to secure it tightly to stop the small bleeding. The zebra secured it with a bit of healing cream to make it stick together and help with healing the cut. "Who was that stallion by the way? He seemed to know you from somewhere wouldn't you say?" She stared at Sapphire with curious eyes.
Sapphire sighed in defeat, "Yeah he kinda does. He's practically a celebrity where I'm from but I learnt in that encounter, that he's secretly a mad man er pony looking to control our world through his dark magic tricks he's disguising as magic shows for paying audiences in my land. He called himself "Black Knight" but at home he's known as Khalil Shade owner and founder of The Dark Fortress that is a well known theatre for magicians. And of course he's the main attraction of the shows."
The mystery mare who was with the fillies when they found Sapphire after the fight spoke up, "Black Knight you said? I've heard of that name before! I'll be right back!" She raced off out of the room. The mare had taken them all to her large castle that looked like a crystallised tree with around 5 mane branches supporting each section of the upper parts of the palace. Sapphire suddenly realised she didn't even know who it was.
"Um Zecora, who is the winged purple unicorn that helped us?" Before Zecora could answer Scootaloo piped up for her.
"Are you kidding? That's Twilight Sparkle! She's Equestria's newest princess! The Tree of Harmony rewarded her work of being Princess Celestia's star pupil and apprentice. Princess Celestia is the highest ruler of Equestria!"
"HOW many Princesses do you ponies have in this land?" She was stunned they had 2 princesses in the same land and kingdom. Most kingdoms she's heard of in fairytales would have either a royal family or at least a King, Queen, Prince or Princess! But More than one Princess that's not part of the same family? Almost impossible in her books.
"Haha.... In total Equestria has 4 Princesses and 1 Prince. It's a long story. There's even an evil Queen that tries to take over Canterlot every couple of years but hasn't succeeded of course!" Sweetie Belle explained a bit more but it only left Sapphire with more questions. But that was when the Princess Twilight came back into the room.
"I knew I heard of that name before!" She slammed the heavy brown leather book onto the table in front of every pony. "He's part of the Wizard organisation known as The Protectors. This book says..." She flips open the book with her hot magenta pink magic mist as she spoke and opened it to the middle of the book. "The Protectors use to rule Equestria before the first Queen of Canterlot was coronated. It says that the queen was called "Queen of Love, Queen Chrysalis."
"WAIT A MINUTE!!!" Apple Bloom hollered spooking every pony in the room. "Queen Chrysalis? It doesn't mean the same Chrysalis that tries to take over Canterlot every couple of years?? B-but she's EVIL! She FEEDS off love of other ponies and traps them in her gooey; slimy green cocoons! She almost succeeded in ruining Cadence and Shining Armor's big wedding last year!"
"Don't remind me...." Princess Twilight said while rolling her dark purple eyes. "And to answer your question, yes it seems like it's the same queen. I read that in the early days of the kingdom she was known as one of the most generous and kind rulers they've had. They've had leaders before but only for seperate parts of the land and not as a whole. It wasn't until she fell in love with a King of another far land that she began to change. But before that happened, she formed a group of 4 ponies for each corner of Equestria to live under their protection of their powerful magic. They were each given a mystic item to help boost their power for when they needed it most. The 4 items were uniquely designed staffs with different types of magic: The Staff of Light, The Staff of Healing, The Staff of Defence, and The Elemental Staff. The Staff of Healing was also known by another name: The Sapphire Staff. Apparently they were kept locked up in an old temple named The Sapphire Temple."
"Wow..... So the Ancient Sapphire Staff that Zecora told me about was actually the Staff of Healing? Then why did it teleport me here?" Sapphire leaned closer to have a better view of the page Twilight was on. There were hand/hoof drawings of the staff designs with labels below them. But there was one extra staff that the Princess didn't mention. "H-hey what's that one?" Princess Twilight spun round and looked to where the mare was pointing at with her hoof on the old stained paper.
She almost flinched at the sight of the black and silver staff. "Oh that's the Staff of Darkness. It's a forbidden staff that's been lost for centuries. The others are still hidden in different locations like with the Staff of Healing. That one that you found must've been hidden in the Human World in so that the queen's king couldn't use them against Equestria."
"I don't recall a Queen ruling our land, it must've been before I settled down in Equestria since Chrysalis has now been banned." Zecora thought aloud putting a hoof to her chin. "If that is all we know about The Protectors, we may need to find the queen herself so that we can learn how to help our friend get back home sector." The zebra pointed out and Twilight seemed to agree.
"I'm afraid you might be right Zecora. We'll have to make a journey to the Forbidden Desert where she's been outcasted to. I heard she runs a hive of changelings that are forever growing in numbers even now." The princess shuddered at some thought, "I remember fighting those things... we must be careful. Their ability to change into any form can become dangerous. But since it's on the very outskirts of Equestria, we have to get permission from Princess Celestia first since she is the main ruler of our land."
"EEEEEEK!" Every pony startled at the sudden burst of excitement from Sweetie Belle as she bounced around Sapphire. "Sapphire gets to meet Princess CELESTIA!!!!" the other mares and fillies burst out giggling including Sapphire even though she felt kinda awkward at the same time with all the attention. She never got that kind of attention at home as she did in this new world. It felt kinda nice actually.
"Hm that's a good point Princess Twilight. How are we to explain the arrival of Sapphire Stone? It might come as a fright...."
"Well Zecora, we'll deal with it when we get to Canterlot Castle. Right now, we have a train to catch!"
Ponies at the station made a quick glance at Twilight Sparkle as she led the others to the main desk in order to buy their group ticket. "Hello how can I he-help you? OH!" the female pony with a lime green coat and yellow hair tied up in a loose bun looked rather stunned. "Forgive me Princess! I didn't mean to be so rude when I got surprised you were here." She smiled hesitantly obviously feeling a little embarrassed at her own reaction.
"Oh it's not a problem! We're here to catch a train to Canterlot please." Twilight said boldly as she watched the desk pony type a few things on their computer system.
"Alright then is that for seperate tickets or a group ticket?"
"Group Ticket please. It's a group of 3." Suddenly a sound came from the back.
"Aww... we don't get to come?" The Cutie Mark Crusader fillies whined in unison. Sapphire giggled silently to herself in amusement. Twilight turned round quickly and looked down at the ponies.
"Sorry girls, it's going to get a little dangerous for you guys on this trip. Maybe next time." The fillies sat on the floor and pouted at the princess as she turned back to the mare behind the desk that began printing out the white and gold ticket. Sapphire felt kinda bad so she leaned over to the fillies.
"Tell you girls what, I'll give you the best story of your lives when we return. Perhaps I'll even bring something back for you all?" The fillies jumped up from the ground and gasped with joy. They nodded excitedly making Sapphire smile both on the inside and out. She looked over at the zebra mare standing on her right who was grinning at her. "What?"
"Oh nothing, I just like how you cheered the girls up, it was like you were giving a treat to a pup. So sweet." Sapphire blushed at the compliment and then noticed that Twilight had finished paying for the ticket.
"Right girls lets go. The trains already here and will leave in 3 minutes!" -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On the train ride to the city... Sapphire Stone stared out the window as the trees, fields and buildings flew by. "Wow this is the best way to see this world for the first time!" Sapphire said aloud to Twilight, when she realised the some ponies on the train cart they were assigned to turned their heads and began staring at the mare with black hair and a white head scarf. She suddenly felt very dumb for saying that so loud in public; especially when it was rather quiet in the cart in the first place. "Oops..." She whispered and looked away from onlookers.
"Probably not the best to talk about it in places like this with lots of ponies Sapphire."
"I agree Princess Twilight, we should be the only ones to know about your origins until the time is right." Zecora backed up the mare's judgement on the situation and Sapphire slumped slightly on the soft bench and nodded her agreement as well.
"You're right, I guess I just wasn't thinking when looking at all the pretty sights. I've never seen so much green!" She lowered her voice as she spoke more carefully this time. The two ponies looked confused at Sapphire's interest in the fields of green pasture they passed 10 minutes earlier.
"Hang on, doesn't your 'world' have fields of green as well? Surely..." Twilight asked feeling puzzled. Sapphire realised she sounded a little silly in the way she reacted to the fields. No wonder they thought they didn't have any green at home.
"Oh of course we do but I live near a large desert so it's not very green where I'm from anyway. But in other countries there's heaps of green hills, fields, mountains; all sorts. I just haven't been to anywhere outside of Egypt."
"Egypt?" Twilight asked and Sapphire explained that it was an area of land next to other countries in part of her world called Earth. The princess seemed fascinated with the world described by the strange mare she'd just met the other night. "OH ok. We have similar masses of land around Equestria but we haven't travelled to them yet."
"Look now Sapphire my friend, the train has reached its journey's end." Zecora announced tapping the lavender coloured mare on her shoulder that wasn't wounded. She adjusted her bandage slightly as it started to irritate her coat.
Her blue eyes widened in wonder, "Wow, it's big." She could see straight past the station main building and had a partial view of the streets ahead. Many ponies walking about their day some had shopping bags and some laughed and chatted with their families. Tall white curved buildings stood along the streets with some being shops ranging in different sizes and heights. "Reminds me a little bit of Cairo..." She said with a slightly saddened voice.
"You ok Sapphire?" Twilight asked looking at her as she got up from the seat.
"Yeah, I guess I'm just starting to miss home more than I thought. Not to mention my dad." She felt worse saying that word 'dad' and all she could picture in her mind was him staring down at her with a worried look through that hole she had fallen through. She'd never seen him so worried before.
"Don't worry, we'll help you get home. I promise." Twilight meant what she said, she felt that she was suppose to help the mare get back home to her family in her human world. Something nagging at her heart told her it was her mission now to see it through.
Sapphire sniffed and regained her composure to sound more confident, "Well, what are we waiting for?" she jumped up from her side of the seat and began to head for the door of the cart when she stopped. "Um maybe you guys should lead... I have NO idea where to go!" the other mares laughed and went ahead of her. She followed her new friends off the train and showed the conductor at the door her part of the group ticket. The stallion nodded his approval and let her out onto the station. She took a deep breath of fresh air and sighed at how good it felt to be back outside. "Where to now... Princess?"
The purple alicorn giggled, "Just call me Twilight. And now we'll head down the main street towards the royal courtyard at the entrance of the castle. Which is just over there." She pointed her hoof towards the white marble tiled courtyard that was just 10 minutes away with a large white and gold double door gate that was guarded by four white pegasus guards in gold armour and spears for defence.
"Haha they look just as blank as the guards at Buckingham Palace!"
"Bucking..ham Palace?" Zecora asked sounding completely puzzled. "What is that place?"
"Oh right... um, it's one of if not the biggest palace in my world in a country called 'England' where the royal family lives but most people and the news focuses on the Queen herself. She's known as Queen Elizabeth the 2nd. Oh and the term 'news' is just what we call tv shows that talk about things that happen around the world such as disasters and updates on them and the weather forecast and important news about famous people such as Her Majesty the Queen. That's how we address our queen at home. She's very nice... I heard she even loves horses and ponies as she goes riding when she can. Though she's about 90 years old now so probably not so much anymore."
"Hu... interesting! You'll have to share some things about your world and maybe I can write a book about it! I love research projects!" Twilight said excitedly but still keeping herself from not being TOO excited. "Well... we're almost there. I'll talk to the guards and let them know why you two are going to the castle." Zecora and Sapphire nodded in unison then the zebra suddenly thought of something.
"Oh it might be best not to share that she's from another land. Especially to the guards, they might find it a threat and try to get her banned." Zecora warned them and Twilight seemed to agree. Sapphire thought it was a good idea too, especially for safety reasons. They reached the gate and the guards instantly turned their gaze to Sapphire, Zecora, then the Princess.
"Good morning sirs, I'd like an audience with my mentor Princess Celestia." The one with a tuff of silver mane sticking out of the golden roman styled helmet looked at the mares and nodded his approval. He let Twilight and Zecora walk past them but then swiftly put the spear against her lavender fur of her chest. It didn't pierce her but it laid flat against her coat startling her.
"Not you, I do not recognise this pony." The royal guard said with a stern voice.
"Hm? Is there a problem sir?" Twilight turned round to see what the fuss was about. The guard looked at the princess not phased by how he reacted.
"I'm sorry princess, but I've never seen this mare before and I know every pony." he stood his ground even against royalty. Twilight stared at him for a minute.
"Really? Surely a friend of the princess can be invited to the castle if the princess invites her herself?" He almost jumped back a step, stunned by her response as he tried to work out the logic behind her question. Confused he gave in,
"Very well, if she's a friend of yours then she may pass as well. BUT if she causes ANY trouble, I'll be there to sort it out."
"Is that right? What's your name sir?" surprised, he answered,
"Oh it's Silvershot Your Highness." He saluted the newly crowned princess.
"Well, Silvershot, I'll be sure to let Princess Celestia know of your kindness when letting us into the castle. And that you'll be available if any trouble arises during our visit. Thank you sir." and with that she motioned Sapphire to continue ahead and so she walked past Silvershot and the other guards who tried their best not to laugh at the captain's reaction to her response.
Sapphire rushed up beside the princess and breathed a sigh of relief once she caught up. "Thank you Twilight. You didn't have to do that for me. I could've just waited at the gate." she smiled at the mare who turned to look at Sapphire.
"Nonsense! I consider every pony a friend unless they give me a reason not to trust them or to even be a friend. But you are definitely a new friend I'm happy to have, if you'll accept me as your friend?" Sapphire was slightly stunned she even asked that but grinned,
"Of course! I don't have many friends at home so it's nice to make a new friend... or 2!" she added looking at Zecora who was on Twilight's right side. The 3 ponies smiled and talked as they walked their way up the stairs to the castle entrance.
Entering the long corridor that led up to the throne room, the 3 mares walked in a steady pace as they passed several guards lining the hall. Sapphire couldn't help but feel their eyes staring right at her as they walked by. "Is it just me or are they focused on me?" she asked in a whispered soft voice to Princess Twilight.
"Haha, probably... it is your first time in this castle after all. Don't worry, they're just making sure you don't cause trouble. Heck, the captain at the gate probably warned them already." Twilight laughed as she led the mares up to the room. Sapphire looked to her left at the large tall stain glassed windows showing pictures of what looked like events that may have happened in the past.
"Twilight, what are those pictures on the windows? Do they mean anything? They're beautiful." Twilight stopped and looked at 3 windows of a yellow stained glass, a pink stained glass, and a blue stained glass.
"Actually half of them do tell stories of accomplishments that make big changes in Equestria. Such as this pink one, It shows when I was crowned the Princess of Friendship last year. That was one of the hardest quests of my life that I had to solve and fix. I accidentally switched the talents and cutie marks of my closest friends so they didn't know who they were anymore. I had to figure out what I did and create a new spell to undo the one I did by mistake. At the time, I felt like a failure to my friends and mentor, Princess Celestia. But in the end, I received an unexpected gift for fixing what I had done wrong. I gained my friends back, and I became an Alicorn which meant I was given the title of Princess. I use to be just a regular unicorn before getting my wings. And I use to hate the idea of friends and friendship as I was too focused on studying my personal projects. But now I'm a different pony, I can't imagine life without having friends now."
"Wow... sounds like you've been through a lot." Sapphire breathed in awe of her story. Just then a guard put a hoof out in front of the group.
"Wait here please." he commanded and disappeared behind the large brown and gold double doors. that closed behind him with a echoed creek and a thud. The ponies waited somewhat awkwardly in front of the single guard left to stand at the door. Then the guard returned with a hint of a smile at the corners of his mouth, "You may enter. The Princess is waiting." He let the group enter as he reopens the door just enough for him to follow behind them and close it afterwards. Sapphire looked back at the guard who straighten his posture before standing guard on the inside of the throne room.
The mares walk down a long red carpet that was rolled out on the white marble tiles that shone in the sun beaming through the windows on each side of the large interior. The mare tried to move a part of her headscarf over her bandaged wound to try and hide it from the High Princess.
"Princess Twilight! My most faithful student..." the white mare stood twice as tall as the rest of the ponies in the hall. She must be a fully grown pony... Sapphire thought to herself as she walked behind Twilight and Zecora.
"Do not get a fright young Sapphire. She doesn't greet her ponies with a bite." The zebra chuckled mildly under her breath as the princess of the sun walked towards the ponies and met them halfway along the carpet. Giving Twilight a warm welcome in the form of a hug, she raised her head and looked towards Zecora.
"Welcome Zecora! I trust Equestria has treated you well?" Zecora bowed by kneeling on one front leg for a brief moment before replying.
"Yes Your Highness, and I have made many friends... including a new one to bless." Celestia was confused but when Zecora stepped aside to reveal the lavender coloured mare with black frizzy hair and a white headscarf wrapped around her face, she was so surprised that her purple eyes widened.
"Oh hello. I haven't seen you around before, where have you come from may I ask?" she waited for a response but Twilight cut into the conversation before Sapphire could reply.
"Uh, excuse me Princess, but this is a rather delicate situation. This... is Sapphire Stone. She's...." She motioned Princess Celestia to lower to her level and Twilight whispered something to the Alicorn with aurora coloured wavy flowing mane and tail that sparkled in the sun. Once Twilight finished whispering, Celestia was stunned silent.
"Oh my! You're a very long way from home aren't you young one?" she stepped towards the mare who suddenly felt her eyes grow watery and a tear escaped down the left side of her face.
"H-hey, are you ok?" Twilight asked when she noticed Sapphire was crying silently. She didn't want to burst out in tears at that moment but she'd been holding it in the whole time since the incident in the cave.
"No..... I'm so sorry.... I did't mean to... it's just... I guess it finally got to me... this whole mess. You know? Sniff I just want to be back home with my dad, Pete.... Amir... just... people. I already love spending time with you ponies but I just want to go home." She bowed her head as she tried her best to stop sobbing in front of royalty.
Celestia gave a sad smile to show her sympathy for the mare and lifted the pony's chin up to face her, "Sapphire Stone, you are more than welcome here. You know... I actually have a map to an old temple that still holds a magic staff that can teleport you anywhere you wish, I actually felt a strong signal of magic coming from it as use to belong to me..." She slightly bowed her head as she revealed a long forgotten truth about her past.
Twilight was shocked, "WAIT! YOU were part of the old organisation of The Protectors under rule by Queen Chrysalis herself?? You've never mentioned that before Princess!"
"You know where the staff is that could take me home?!" Sapphire blurted out just realising that it sounded a little rude. "Oh... hehe sorry."
"I thought we'd have to get permission to go to find Queen Chrysalis outside of Equestria to find the answers..." Twilight laughed aloud awkwardly as Celestia glared at the young princess.
"Twilight... you might still have to find her..." thee white mare bowed her head slightly, "I don't know everything about the staffs as it was Chrysalis who originally created them from a cave of ancient gemstones that we had found long ago." The 3 mares were confused.
"Princess, what do you mean by 'we' found them?" Celestia looked at her student and decided it was time she knew a secret from her past.
"Chrysalis and I... when we were fillies," tears began forming in her eyes turning her vision slightly hazy, "she was my best friend!"
