Hard Earned Trustby Burnt ToastChaptersThe BetrayalNewbornRecognitionSchoolBrighter DaysThe End?Sequel StartedTwistedThe Betrayal“Hey Roy! Come over here! I found the perfect spot,” said Arnold, my lifelong best friend. We had met in 3rd grade, and became friends pretty quickly. As the years went on, we had our fair share of ups and downs, and were there for each other all the way. Like when I got depressed, and he helped me pull through, or how I was there for him when he got brutally dumped. Long story short, we grew a bond of friendship and trust that ran deeper than even our attachment to our parents. I can’t speak for him, but he has been the closest person to me for many years now. As he has done with me, I have shared with him my secrets, my talents; my life. “Coming!” I replied. Today, we decided to go back out into the woods. There was a project we were working on that used our combined talents. Unlike Arnold, one of my larger talents lie in linguistics- I could conform to any accent, and have learned bits of tons of languages. Arnold, on the other hand, specialized in making things without any tools from stuff on the ground and in the trees. Like this one time when he made a trampoline out of a ton of vines, a few branches and some stumps. I helped him with the last bits, so I thought we should head out into the forest and make a makeshift house together all the way. Not all at once, but today we figured we could at least do the walls and ceiling; the floorboards were doe already. For now, it was a surprise for our parents, and we planned to tell them about it once the ceiling was done and proved to be up against rain, like the floor. We managed to make the floor airtight, with a trap door that opened into a really deep well that had been long abandoned and dry. All and all, it was coming along wonderfully, and we could tell it was going to look beautiful when finished. “Alright I’m here! And perfect for what?” I asked. Arnold had this look on his face- it meant that he had decided on something, and that he’d do it with no regrets. Usually he puts on that face when he’s about to prank me with something. The last time he did that, he tricked me into getting my shirt right into the path of a bleach water balloon. Thank goodness that shirt was plain and one colored, because now it’s an off shade of white. So, I stood there, waiting calmly for whatever he was going to throw at me. “For this.” And he took out a large kitchen knife and rammed it into me- straight into the heart. I couldn't move. I couldn't speak. I tried to ask why, but no sound came out. The pain was overwhelming, and that was before he had the knife do a 360 in my chest, effectively ripping my blood pumping organ to shreds and even popping some of the major arteries and veins. Then he said something that I couldn't believe. “I’m not sorry for this.” That’s right about when it hit me that he had just utterly betrayed me. Something in me shattered, and it wasn't any of my ribs. And then he kicked me into the well. As I fell, I could see him close the trapdoor, and seal it shut with something. Then he walked away. The well turned out to be pretty damn deep, because I finished dying just as I hit the bottom, head first. Death was a strange sensation; when all your organs shut down and your blood stops flowing, your brain is somehow still allowing for conscious thought. It felt like absolute silence, and not just from lack of noise. I decided to just let my mind lose itself, as I would when I fall asleep, even knowing that this time I may never regain it. I didn't care anymore. But before I did, I let one thought tear through my mind: ‘I will never have a friend or even trust ever again.’ NewbornThe first thing that happened was a sharp pain on my back. Then I took a quick breath. ‘I’m breathing?’ I thought. ‘How? I’m dead! My heart was torn to pieces!’ I frantically thought as I decided to open my eyes. I opened my eyes to see that I was in a room. There were big multi-colored ponies all around me, staring. No wait, I was small. Why? A look past one of them at a mirror revealed why. Right about where I should have been in the reflection, there was a baby pony with a red coat and the start of a white mane. I moved my hand only to find out that I had no fingers. It was just a hoof. A red hoof. I’d just been born. “What?!” I exclaimed loudly, making the other ponies in the room jump. “What, never seen a talking pony before?! I wish I had been reborn right! I don’t want to remember that damn bastard for another lifetime!!” I screamed, and proceeded to just sit there, glaring at everypony. The small crowd was silent. Then the one right next to me started talking. I turned, and immediately I could tell it was my new mother. The edge went out of my eyes, and I tried to listen to what she was saying. But she was definitely not speaking English, that was for sure. I think I conveyed that in my demeanor, because she wrapped me up in a hug. I melted right into it- it had been a rough day and somepony clearly cared for me. There I go again, replacing people with pony. ‘I wonder if there are any people wherever I am,’ I thought, as I drifted off (She was rocking me so gently, I couldn't help it). *** Pearl Rain, a pegasus with a white coat and mane was so excited. Today was the big day. She was going to have a baby. She had been preparing for this day for quite some time now with her husband, Swift Heart. She could still remember the day the met. She had been a worker at the weather factory, helping make rain clouds. She really loved her job, and was the best in the place. Then Swift Heart came. He was a writer and part time journalist, here to get some ideas for his next work. Pearl ran into him (literally) quite by accident. They had just rounded the corner, Swift just going along, and Pearl rushing to get back to her station. It didn't take the pegasus long to fall in love with Swift, a witty red coated unicorn from the outskirts of Canterlot. Not long afterwards, they started dating, and about two years later, Swift Heart proposed, and they got married. It was now three years later, and they had decided to take the next step and raise a child. IT wasn't an easy decision, and Swift still had fears that the baby wouldn't take to either of them. Pearl calmed him down, and now they sat together in the hospital room, about to give birth. When the baby came, it was the most beautiful thing Pearl had ever seen. He had his father’s coat and his mother’s mane. He was also a pegasus. Swift heart had always wanted to fly, and was glad his newborn son would someday live that dream. At first, he didn't start breathing. The doctor had to smack him on the back, and then he did. But, he didn't cry. In fact, he tensed up after he started breathing. “Is this normal, doctor?” Pearl asked. “I've never seen a pony not open its eyes before. But I have heard about it. I think he just needs some time…” the doctor responded. Then the little foal opened his sky blue eyes and looked around in confusion. “Awww, he’s so cute!” Pearl said. By now, a couple more nurses had entered to handle everything else, and had stopped to look at the little red foal. Then something went wrong. The foal locked eyes on the mirror. He moved his hoof, and looked down at it. It seemed cute, but then he shouted. He shouted, but not like an infant. More like a gown pony in deep shock. “Doctor, i-,” Pearl started, before her little foal started yelling. Yelling! Nopony could understand it, but he spoke as if in an alien tounge. “Please, calm down. Please,” Pearl said, as gently as she could. Her little foal turned to her, and for a moment, she could see anger burning in his eyes. Then it died away, and he looked at her in confusion. “It’s ok, you’re with mommy, it all alright,” she said, embracing him and slowly rocking back and forth. Very quickly, he calmed down, and even fell asleep. “Well, that was quite unusual,” said one of the nurses, “But congratulations. What will you name him?” “I think we should call him… Sky Gear,” Swift heart said. The name simply came into his head, and somehow, it seemed perfect. Pearl agreed. “That sounds wonderful honey.” Just as they were getting up to check out, the blanket Sky gear had been wrapped up in slid down, revealing his flank. It should have been blank, but it wasn't. “….” “What does this mean?” Swift heart asked the doctor. “I have never seen a cutie mark on a newborn in my entire life. I have no idea what to make of it. I can’t even think of anything it could represent!” he replied. “It scares me a bit,” Swift Heart said weakly. They left to go home, opting to take a chariot in celebration, but neither of them could speak. Their newborn son already had a cutie mark. And it was a bloodstained kitchen knife. Recognition“Hey Roy! Come over here! I found the perfect spot.” ‘No.’ “Coming!” my dream self replied. ‘NO!’ “For what?” I said, knowing what would happen next. “For this,” he said, and rammed the knife into my chest. “NOOOO!” I screamed as I shot awake. “Thank god, it was just a dream… Wait, if I died, and just dreamed about it, then that means…” I said as I turned my head over to see a pegasus with a white mane staring back at me. “Great.” *** Pearl had not been feeling alight. She just gave birth to her son, but something was different- he already had a cutie mark. As if that wasn’t enough, it had to be a bloodstained kitchen knife. Pearl Rain and Swift Heart had not been talking since the ride home. It was supposed to be happy, but now they could only wonder what it meant. Was something wrong? Did his destiny really have something to do with his cutie mark? After a discussion with Swift Heart, they agreed to send a letter to Celestia herself, just in case. They did not want anything terrible to happen to him. The next morning, Pearl and Swift went over to Sky Gear’s crib and found out another oddity about her son. Even though he was just born, he seemed to be having a violent nightmare. Suddenly he bolted awake with a shout. He froze, looked over at Pearl, and murmured something. “Swift, please watch over him until I get back from the station,” Pearl said. She needed to go to her boss and explain that for at least one week, she would be at home taking care of the baby. The boss already knew about it- everypony did- but Pearl still had to go do paperwork. “Alright honey, I will,” Swift Heart replied, giving his wife a nuzzle as she left. Then he looked back to his son’s crib and found that he had managed to unlock and open the gate on it. He could be seen trying to walk. At first he seemed like he would fall, but then, just as Swift was about to right him with magic, he righted himself and found his footing. Going over to the mirror, Sky Gear intently studied himself. Swift thought it was really funny how his son was fascinated by his own wings. He flexed them around, going through all the motions it could go through. Now that he looked hard, Swift could see that his son’s wings were much bigger than those on a normal foal. They were much more proportional to his body, and could probably sustain him in flight. Then, Swift Heart’s son looked at his flank and saw the cutie mark. He screamed, terrified, and ran backwards as fast as he could, running into Swift in the process. Right then was when Pearl came back home. “What happened?” she asked, her voice filled with worry. “He managed to unlock the whole crib gate and just ran away from the mirror, terrified after seeing his cutie mark. What could it mean?” Swift replied. “I have no idea…” *** Yesterday I got out of the crib and decided to try and walk in my new pony body. At first it was really difficult, but then something fell into place, and it was easy as breathing. Then I decided to examine myself in the mirror. I don’t know how it escaped me, but I had wings. Excited, I tried moving them. It was an amazing feeling. I stretched them to their limits, just to see what they were capable of. A surprising amount, as it happens. The wings were very dexterous. Then I noticed something on me. On my flank, to be precise. It was the knife that stabbed me. The bloodstained kitchen knife. I had screamed and stumbled backwards as fast as I could. That’s when mom (my new one, really) came in. she spoke to dad, and that’s when I noticed that whatever language ponies spoke, it includes small body movements that seemed to compliment speech. ‘I need to learn this language if I’m to communicate. I wonder what they think of me? I bet I’m not the baby they expected me to be…’ I thought, as I decided to go back into my crib. To what seemed to be their great surprise, I hopped in and closed the gate behind me, locking it before I curled up, shivering a little, wanting to sleep, but afraid of having the nightmare again. SchoolPearl’s week off was incredible. Sky gear learned everything at an incredible rate. On the third day of trying, Sky talked! Not like a baby either. It was so strange. It was like an older pony had been put into a foal’s body. He talked to them just like any other kid might talk to their parents, only with a little less attachment. Diapers turned out to be completely unnecessary as well. He seemed to have an innate knowledge of some things like that. On the fourth day, he had learned how to read, and was always reading books and learning new words. He rarely asked for a definition- he always looked in the dictionary. By the end of that day, he sounded like a small adult. Kids grow up fast but this is ridiculous! Then, on the fifth day, much to her surprise, Sky asked Pearl Rain to show him how to fly- but without actually helping him get off the ground- just go through the motions. To her great surprise, he copied her exactly, and then went out and flew for about 5 minutes. From then on, Sky seemed eager to practice flying every day, and each day, he stayed in the air longer and longer. Pearl couldn't believe it. When she went back to work two days later, nopony else believed it either. “He can do all that and he is only a week old?! That’s impossible!” most of them cried out. Pearl was still very proud of her son, even if dumbfounded. He even wanted to go to school! Most kids never want to do that, even when they are actually at the regular age of going to school! In fact, Sky gear once came with her to work. That turned out to be very interesting… *** Even I was amazed at my learning capabilities. Maybe it was because I had a babies brain, and it absorbed information very efficiently. I shocked my mom and dad by learning to speak in 3 days. Then I blew them out of the water by figuring out how to read the next day. From then on, I always tried to read something every day, usually from nonfiction type books. A few days later, I picked up how to fly just from watching mom. I was right when I thought that they worked like a birds- they didn’t go just up and down, they curved to let air get pushed around by them. Once I flew for the first time, I knew that I would fly every day for the rest of my life. It was an amazing feeling. For my one month birthday, mom took me to where she worked. Before we left, we agreed that the knife on my flank should be covered up, so I wor what was like the pony equivalent of a trench coat-it went over the whole top of me but only connected underneath about halfway down my chest. I loved to wear it, especially since it had holes for my wings and pockets for stuff all over it. It was a long flight up, but it was worth it. I found out that day that pegasus could walk on clouds and controlled the weather. It was incredible to walk on clouds. They were so soft. “Mom, why do ponies have to control the weather? Why doesn't it just happen?” I asked. She told me that weather never happens on its own, and that even winter was essentially brought from the weather factories. Seeing them in action was awesome! Clouds were gathered up and pumped full of water from reservoirs and then sent to the distribution center to be sent somewhere or stored away for a while. Then there were rainbows. They actually had liquid rainbow. It didn't taste like skittles, but that didn't matter so much. The best part of following mom everywhere was the fact that everyone was astonished to see my constantly flying alongside my mom. Maybe it was because I was only physically one month old. Mom later told me that it wasn't just that, but for a pony as young as me, I had pretty big wings, and that most ponies didn't grow them to proportion until a couple years. At the end of the day though, mom’s boss came over and said something about how it wasn't safe for me to be here, and she said “He is perfectly safe, he flew with me the whole way without my help.” “Is that so? For a one month old pony, you sure do make a lot of outrageous rumors,” he said jokingly. “What rumors?” I asked. “The fact that I can read, talk, and even fly at one month?” I said, grinning like a fool. I could even see mom smirk a little bit. “Wha- But-,” he stuttered, and mom kindly said that we had to go home. *** A couple months later, after I had grown out to the proportions of a regular pony (which was an incredible growth feat apparently) only about half the size of the fillies that would enter school, mom got some sort of letter from the princesses. The concept of a diarchy was fascinating to me, especially one in which they ruled by love alone. I asked mom what it was about, and she told me that when I had first been born, she was worried that because I was different, something might have been wrong, so just to be safe, they asked Celestia what to do. I wasn't angry, I was curious. What did they say? I haven’t told my mom about how before I learned to talk the language of ponies, I was speaking in another language entirely. Would it mention my nightmares? I had them almost every night, and they never get better or worse. I heard that Luna comes to cure nightmares in ponies sleep. Maybe there are just a lot of ponies out there… Mom told me that the letter was telling me to go to a school near a place called Ponyville. It was primarily for earth ponies and unicorns, but pegasus were accepted too. It said that a unicorn named Twilight Sparkle, a scholar who worked pretty closely with the princess would have a look at me. “Do you know what a cutie mark is?” mom asked me. I didn't know, so she told me that it was a symbol of one’s destiny. That stopped me cold. I knew exactly what my cutie mark symbolized. “In the letter, it says that you could have one already because you already fulfilled your destiny.” She said. That made my break down and cry. “What is it Sky? What does it mean?” Mom asked, a little dazed by my reaction. “Pray that you never know mom. Never,” I replied, relief rolling through me. “When can I start school?” “In another week dear. Until then, you’re here with us, and we love you.” “I know mom. I know.” I sobbed. *** A week later, we flew over to Ponyville. Mom was right when she said it would be about the same kind of suburban area as we were in, maybe less crowded. It seemed like an amazing small town to be in. When we got to the school, Mrs. Cheerilee was waiting for us. “Are you Pearl Rain?” She asked politely. “Yes ma’am, and this is the one you heard about, Sky Gear.” Mom responded. “Wow he really is young. About a year under his youngest classmates. Are you ready Sky Gear?” “Yes Ms. Cheerilee. I’m ready.” And so, I went into class after waving my wing at mom (a little thing we did). When I got in, Ms. Cheerilee stayed back for a few minutes talking to mom. Almost right away, a purple pony in the front said: “What’s with that ridiculous getup?” I immediately could tell she was a bully “Says the girl with an ego so large she has to wear a little tiara? It just so happens that it is for carrying stuff around, and distributing the weight more evenly than any saddle bag.” The pony sat there, shocked that I had just outclassed her, and I was barely half her size. She continued to stare at me as Ms. Cherilee came back in and introduced me, then showed me my seat. Strangely, nopony talked to me until we were let out for recess. Cheerilee asked to see me, so I stayed behind. “I talked to your mom, and it is incredible how you know so much. I just wanted to tell you that I will be giving you separate assignments to work on so that you may actually be challenged.” “Ok. Can I go outside now?” I asked, itching to fly around some more. The freedom of flying was never something I got used to, and I probably never will. “Yes, you may,” she replied, and I left to go outside. I found a nice open spot to take off at, but before I could, that bully came over. “I see you don’t have any friends yet. Why don’t you ditch these losers and hang with us?” “Diamond Tiara, stop being a bully!” said somepony. I turned around to see an orange pony and two of her friends. “Uugh not these lamos again,” Diamond Tiara sighed. “Can’t you see that this guy has better things to do than to be bothered by you?” “As a matter of fact, I have only three things to say. One, don’t mess with me, I don’t care who you are. Two, if you have stooped to bullying, I don’t want anything to do with you. Three, and this goes for all of you, I don’t want to have any friends. Last time I did, things didn't work out so well.” I said, and took off. Looking down, I could see the bully leave, and the other three group together. Looked like they were planning something. Whatever it was, I knew I’d find out later today because of how they reacted to my third statement. Sure enough, after I left school and headed over to Twilight’s house, I could tell they were following me. “Come on out, I know you’re there.” I said loudly. “Aww, come on!” cried the one who said something earlier. “My name’s AppleBloom. This is Scootaloo and SweetieBell.” “I’m Sky Gear, and I meant what I said at recess.” I replied, starting off towards Twilight’s place. “Well we wanted to know if you had your cutie mark yet! We can’t tell when you wear that coat,” said Scootaloo. “I don’t want to talk about it,” I said, a shiver going through me as I thought about it. Those damn nightmares. “So you have one? Why can’t we see it?” Applebloom asked. “Yeah, how come?” chimed SweetieBell. “I DON’T want to talk about it. Especially not with you. Be glad you get to live without your destiny following you around like a curse.” I spat, startling them a bit. “I never asked to be murdered by my best friend, and I will never make that mistake again,” I added in English. I finally rounded the corner to the library/house I was told about. Twilight was supposed to see me, and I was to be near there until mom came to pick me up. I looked back, and the group of fillies had stopped some ways behind me, and was huddled together, whispering about something. Ignoring them, I knocked on the door. A purple aura glowed around it, and a purple unicorn came out. “Hello? Oh hi! Are you Sky Gear?” “Yes, I am. Twilight sparkle I presume?” I responded. “Correct. I have heard so much about you! Come on in.” I walked inside, expecting to see a house, but all I could see was stacks of books and a staircase. Even still, there was a range of books stacked there. I heard that there were even supposed to be some secret compartments somewhere. “I finally figured out what to do,” Twilight started, “and before I start, I need you to lay down.” I did so, and she continued. “I’m going to enter into your mind. I want to see how your mental landscape has developed. Once I start the spell, you may feel disconnected, and if you have any major fears, you may run into them here.” When she said that, I knew she was trying to see if I knew of something that would be there, but I didn't let it show too much. “Well, ok, but I feel the need to warn you,” I responded, keeping my tone cool and even. “You may be uncomfortable with what you find there.” “I’m sure it’s nothing that will bother me,” Twilight said quickly, clearly eager to begin. “Here we go.” When the spell connected, I could definitely feel it. It was like my spirit drifted away from my body a little. That scared me for a moment, but soon the feeling went away, and the scenery changed. It went from nothing in particular to the nothingness that I found after death. Immediately, I felt alone. I curled up and realized that I had hands again. But they were different. I had red fur growing all over, and it had some streaks of white. Upon looking around a little more, I realized that there were two things in front of me. One was something like a crystal ball, only it had been shattered, and the pieces were piled in the bowl of the stand that held it. Next to that, there was the knife. I reached down to pick it up and was immediately bombarded with pain. “SKY GEAR!” screamed a voice. I dropped the knife, not realizing I was screaming and crying. “You are ok, it’s all in your head.” I knew that voice. It was… Twilight. Twilight Sparkle. She was… she was seeing into my mind. What I am. “Sky Gear, do you recognize me?” she said, looking into my eyes. “Yes, I do. It took me a few minutes, but I do.” I said, then looked into her eyes. They were wide with shock and maybe a hint of fear. “So, what do you think? This is what is left.” “What do you mean? Are you talking about this void? I can’t believe this! It isn't filled with nothing. It is raw emotion. Whatever just happened, it caused the whole space to react violently to everything! What did happen? And what are you?” Twilight questioned, her eyes starting to brim with curiosity. “I was a fool. I picked it up. The one thing that has hurt me the most, and I touched it. As for what I am, I’m human. Before being born in Equestria, I was a human, and lived to be 17.” “Is that the usual lifespan of your species? You don’t look to be old…” she said, slowing down. “You are correct. I was just under the age of adulthood. My best friend murdered me,” I said, fury starting to spread through me. “With that,” I finished, pointing at the knife. “What is that next to it?” she asked, after looking closely at the knife, being sure not to touch it. “The shattered remnants of my old life, if I were to guess.” “Can I…” “Sure,” I said, and allowed Twilight to touch the shattered ball. Immediately, her eyes grew wide, but not in shock. In confusion. “This isn't right. All that is here are shattered images. It should be as if I view your memories!” Twilight said, and looked at me expectantly. “I don’t like to think about it very much. Is there anything else you want to ask?” “I want to see your mental strength. I’m going to leave, but not stop the spell completely. I’m going to make a construct. I want you to destroy it.” She said flatly. “Are you sure about this? Is it safe?” I asked, concerned. “The worst that could happen is the loser gets exhausted.” She replied. I decided to let her do it, and I watched as she faded out of my mind. Then I could feel something else enter my mind. I heard Twilight's voice saying something about how the construct would try and take the form of something I hated. Then Arnold appeared. I was so furious right at that moment that even I could feel the power of my emotions in the void. It was giving me strength. I focused on being strong, and I could feel myself become armored. My hands formed claws, and with a cry of rage, I sprang at the construct, ripping my hand right into where the heart would be and twisted it as hard as I could. Upon ripping my arm back out, the construct shattered, and I found myself suddenly back in the real world. “That was… unexpected,” Twilight panted, my attack having clearly taken its toll. “Are you OK?” I asked, almost falling over trying to get up like a person. I didn't want to have hurt somepony. That was never my intention, I was just so angry. “Yes, I’m fine, but that’s enough… for today. Tomorrow, I want you… to be ready for some more mental exercises,” she said between gasps. Clearly I had done more than she let on, but I didn't push it. I thanked her for taking the time, and left out the door. Then I flew home to my little cloud fort. It was like a tree house, but it was made of clouds, and it was really nice to sleep on. Once there, I sat down and focused on only my breathing, concentrating on the feeling that Twilight’s spell made me feel. Soon, I found myself back in my own mind, only this time, I felt even more lonely. I reached for the shattered crystal ball and started piecing my memories back together. Eventually, I found that only a few things were even there to work with. Memories of my parents, some friends, and some places I visited with them, and a few that I had been to and thought about my life at. There were other memories, but they were like pictures that weren't finished- I couldn't find all of the memory. Then, I let myself slide back into reality, and fell asleep soon after. Brighter DaysThat morning, I woke up refreshed. At least, better than normal, considering that the nightmares didn't come since my mind was awake the whole time. I felt so energetic, I decided to experiment with a unique pool of power I had found in the deeper corners of my mind. It was clearly an extension of me, but I had no idea what it was. So, while still mostly in my body, I reached into my mind for the pool and took a small portion, not thinking of a task to do. It just sat there, so I decided to try and use it. I thought of being more of a grown pony, and willed some power into that thought. A strange sensation went through my body, and the power I used slipped back to the pool. I looked at myself, and saw that it worked. When I stopped concentrating on it, my body went back to normal. Now that I knew it was magic, I decided to try something more permanent. I thought about a glass of chocolate milk appearing before me, and willed some power into it. Something sort of clicked, and a small glass of chocolate milk appeared before me. When I released the rest of what I took back to the pool, the cup stayed, even when I concentrated on something else. Amazed, I drank it only to find that it really was a glass of chocolate milk. It was delicious. "Breakfast is ready!" Mom called out from the house. "Coming!" I eagerly replied and left my cloud and headed in. "Be careful out today, somepony has been killing other ponies," mom said with a distant look on her face. I couldn't blame her. Ponies generally didn't know darker things like kidnapping and murder. Guess I’m just lucky like that. I told her I would, and headed out to school. Maybe today Ms. Cherilee would give me algebra. The last packet I got had some basic multiplication and reading concepts, which I flew through. She knew I knew more than most ponies a little older than me, but she really had no idea. When I got there, most of the ponies had the same empty look on their faces as mom did. Like they wanted to deny their reality, but couldn't. I almost sympathized with them before remembering that it wasn't a permanent problem. Years later they may think, "Wow that scared us a bit," and not have to deal with it again. I had to live with my issues my whole life. Class went a little slow today, and I found myself very bored having completed the new packet in 5 minutes. It wasn't algebra, but it was exponents and some slightly higher forms of math. After what seemed like forever, recess let out, and once again, I was dismissed from class. I think some fillies were jealous, but they never grasped the stuff I was doing, so they stayed out of it. Before I could leave for Twilight's, I was stopped by a unicorn with a violet coat and yellow mane. She looked very nervous. "Wh-why don't you talk to any pony? You look so lonely..." She said, glancing back at her friends, who gave her encouraging nods. "Trust. I cannot give it since it has been taken," I replied evenly. What was with this pony's actions? Why was she so nervous? "Well, I know it might be a bad time, but I was wondering... If, well you weren't doing anything special tomorrow..." "What is tomorrow? I asked, confused. "You mean, you don't know?!" Her friends all squealed behind me. "No idea. I'm not even 3 months old you know. I don't know holidays or any of that," I said, sighing in exasperation. Looks like I'm the oddball out of something. Again. "It's hearts and hooves day! Ponies get with their special somepony and go on a date!" One of them squealed. 'Oh great. Valentine’s day.' I thought bitterly. I had never had a real girlfriend on valentine’s day, and until I found myself a real relationship, I plan to keep it that way. "I don't know. We'll just have to see," I said with a mischievous smile. I knew now that the girls found me interesting because I didn't socialize. I hadn't yet thought about observing pony society; maybe it's time I started. I took to the skies having left them with that, and headed to Twilight's place. Once there, I found her waiting for me, eager to move on with her "psychic lessons" as she liked to call them. Apparently, she had invited the princess over to see my mind and its capabilities. She started by getting me to link to her mind, not the other way around like usual. It took a little concentration, but I managed. She was impressed, but I was too busy gawking at Twilight's mental landscape. It was a library, much like her home. I could tell that the books were her memories, just as the orbs were mine. Everything in her head was organized. I could tell just by looking that she would sometimes overreact to something, or over-manage things that she did or planned to do. She taught me how she accessed her magic. Much like I had earlier, she sort of called upon it, and then it revealed itself. When I told her I could do that, she couldn't believe it. I had to let her into my mind and show her that I had magic. Then I showed her how I could use it so create objects from nothing. She was astounded. She told me about how usually only immortal spirits like Discord, spirit of chaos. That's when princess Celestia arrived. "Good afternoon, Twilight. Is this the infamous Sky Gear?" "Yes princess, and what do you mean, infamous?" "Roy, I have a message for you," she said in a formal tone. "How do you know my first name?!" I demanded, furious at what this could mean. Did she spy on me? Did she somehow know of my plight and did nothing?! "I only know that somepony long ago told me to tell you this, and that it would change your future: non-linear immortality," she replied, and I stopped being furious and became confused. How could somebody from the past tell somebody else about me? And what could non-linear immortality even mean? I wanted to ask her, but the strangest thing happened. Everything went black and then Celestia just finished asking Twilight if I was Sky Gear. “Wait! You just called me by my name. How did you know it?” I demanded, and got a strange look from the princess. “What are you talking about? She just got here,” Twilight replied hastily, and I could tell she didn’t want me getting into that tone with the princess. They shared some words, and eventually decided on something. “May I enter your mind?” Celestia asked calmly. I obliged, and was amazed to find how strong her presence was in my mind compared to when twilight had come in. The most incredible part was that she looked uncomfortable. I asked about it, and she shrugged it off. She was too busy wondering at my figure, as well as my old memories. When she left my head, she said something I would never forget. “You are the single most powerful mind I have ever encountered in all my life.” “What do you mean?” Twilight asked, confused, but eager to hear about something out of the norm. “You said you gave him a construct to destroy once, and that it left you exhausted.” She replied, her tone becoming a little firm. “Yes, but what does it mean?” Twilight asked, not knowing what to expect. “If you had challenged him head on, you could have taken physical damage on top of mental obliteration,” she replied, and I knew where the tone came from. Her mother instincts were acting up. I gave a small smile at that, but nopony caught it. After that, we delved into idle chitchat, and Twilights friends even came by. I got to meet all of them. Rarity, Apple Jack, Rainbow Dash (she was pretty cool), Fluttershy, and Pinkie. Pinkie was the craziest. She was cracking jokes left and right, and when I didn’t get them, she started pulling gags from the internet! At first I was shocked, and asked the others how she knew stuff like that, and they just said it was Pinkie being Pinkie. Soon, I didn’t care anymore. This mare was hilarious! When I found out about the whole elements of harmony deal, I was amazed. They really did resemble their elements. At some point they started talking about family heirlooms. Despite not being able to participate, I listened. Pinkie and Apple Jack seemed to each have one that was very similar to one another. Before she left, Celestia even said that she had one as well. She said it was a gift from when she helped the Crystal Empire. She had to leave before she could explain more about it, but the elements soon forgot about it. After a long day of talking about our lives (even me!), my mom came to see me home, and I left with her. For the first time since I was born, things were looking up. That afternoon, I even decided to show mom my mind and who I was. At first she was scared, but I calmed her down, and she suddenly looked like a tension that she had held for years rushed out of her. When I asked what it was, she said, “For the longest time, we thought that we weren’t doing what we should as parents. You know you aren’t as close as most fillies your age are to their parents.” “That’s silly. And now you know, I’m not just a few months old, I’m 17. I think you can worry about me a little less,” I teased, and she just wrapped me up in a huge hug. Later that night, when dad came home, I showed him who I was, just like with mom. He too looked relieved, but I didn’t ask, because I knew. That night, we all fell asleep shooting the breeze. It was one of the best feelings in the world. For the second time that day, life was looking bright as day. That night, I didn’t have any nightmares. Instead, I happily dreamed of growing up with my new family. It was beautiful, and I never wanted to let go of that dream. The End?In the middle of the night, I was woken up by some movement in the house. Curious as to what woke me up this late, I wandered over to the source of the noise. When I got to the kitchen, it was just dad. He smiled at me, and was about to turn away when he stiffened up. “…Dad…?” I asked hesitantly. He didn’t say a word. He couldn’t, and I soon saw why. He had a large butcher knife sticking out of his ribs, dripping blood to the floor. Then blood started gushing from his neck, where a unicorn had appeared out of nowhere and gored him. I wanted to scream, but I couldn’t. In fact, the unicorn who had gored my father whispered something. Then another unicorn levitating the knife came forward. The first unicorn’s horn started glowing, and I tried to jump to the side, but I was too late. I could feel the butcher knife ram into my neck just as the first unicorn invaded my mind. It was similar to how Twilight did it, only he had barged in without warning or consent. As soon as he saw my figure, he gasped, and called out for his partner in crime to help him. I didn’t even care why at that point; I just wanted to attack him. As soon as the second unicorn came in, I lunged out at the two of them. At first, they reeled back in surprise. I guess they never killed a pony whose mind could fight back. Soon they started to try dodging. When they did that, I changed my tactics. Focusing on my memories, I called a sword to my side. The first swing struck just perfect- it split the killer right down the horn. Then I went after the second attacker. He tried to flee, but I willed my mind to seal itself off. I was not going to let this bastard get away with this shit. I let the sword disappear, and focused on putting pure force behind my blows as I mercilessly beat the second killer to a warped and bloody mass. I found the rage I felt when Twilight put me against that construct, and I let it power my final blow- a downward shot that crumpled in his whole body. That was all in my mind, or so I thought. When I tried to open my real eyes, I found it difficult. Mom was just past the pool of blood that had built up on the kitchen floor. I tried to tell her to get the emergency medics to come, but not much came out. She wouldn’t even look at me. Her eyes were glued to the floor where dad lay. That’s when I finally saw that it wasn’t just dad laying there, soaking in a pool of his own blood. The killers were just in front of me, and they were just as I had left them in my mind- brutally mangled, and definitely dead. Then mom turned to me, and finally saw that I was conscious. I tried to speak again, and she just nodded at me, and then took off faster than I had ever seen before. Once she left, I was alone with my thoughts. First, I tried to call upon the pool of power that I had in store. For some reason, it wouldn’t work. Then I recalled the princess saying that my mental strength was so powerful it could inflict physical damage. I had no idea that it could do this. Then I remembered how I had felt right before I went to sleep. That just made me bitter. ‘Who the fuck are you, fate, to take everything away from me?!?!’ I thought bitterly. I have had enough bullshit from fate with this life, having not started from the beginning as it should have. Then I remembered what Celestia had said, about non-linear immortality. Could it mean that I time travelled? Did I go to the past and tell her something? Is that why the world “blinked” and time changed? As all these questions rushed around in my head, mom flew back in, and announced that they were on their way. I was relieved to hear that, and tried to stand up to give her a hug. I found the world blackening around me as I tried, and that was when I knew I wouldn’t be getting back up again. When I stumbled back to the floor, mom rushed over to try and help me. I shook my head as she tried to help me up. “Too much damage,” I managed to croak. Mom looked at me with tears in her eyes. “We were going to live out your new life, remember?! You were happy! It was so wonderful to see you like that,” she said, tears flowing down her face. “I know,” I croaked, “I wanted to, but it looks like I’ve got to go again, he he…” I said as I proceeded to cough up blood. “And I’ll miss you. You know, I said I would never trust again.” “What do you mean, Sky Gear?” mom asked, her tears slowing down, but would likely never stop. “I mean that I actually gave it to you… my trust…” I rasped, and I could feel myself dying. “I just wish… I could… give you… something… more…” I said. Right before my world blacked out, I saw a bright light, and a small object appeared. It felt like I had summoned it, but it hadn’t come from the pool of power. It came from somewhere else. Somewhere deeper. Looking at it, it was a small glass replica of a comet, with beautiful flames blazing behind it. I smiled and said something that I somehow knew to be truth, “Take it, and remember me, for wherever I may be, you shall always have a piece of me.” The last thing I saw was my mom smiling in sad wonder, and I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer. Then, for the second time in my existence, I died. My only thought this time was one of hope. Hope that this time, things would turn out better, and maybe I would forget everything. In fact, I had the strange feeling that things would get better, and so I let go of all my tensions and fears, and closed my eyes. I simply let the emptiness take me, just as it had before. Sequel Startedhttp://www.fimfiction.net/story/130949/the-medieval-ages Twisted“He he hee!” Frosted Glass squealed as he let the blood drip down his face into his mouth. He had just murdered a younger earth pony, and he stood goring her body with his horn and letting the blood run into his mouth. His unicorn partner was about 15 feet away slicing up the pony’s husband. He had a blue coat, but it had taken on a slight purple, but mostly red from all the blood that now soaked it. His name was Midnight Storm, and his specialty was carving. While Frosted Glass liked to gore his victims to death, Storm found his pleasure in carving them up. "We should go!" Storm called out. "Somepony could show up soon! Wouldn't want that." "Fine! Just one more," Glass replied, and gored the earth pony one last time, savoring the blood that it brought. These two unicorns had a unique way of killing. First they silenced the area around the target's home, then they just did as they pleased. Nopony ever put up much resistance. Frosted Glass's favorite part was invading their minds just as he killed them. He was always overjoyed at the sight of somepony having a mental breakdown as they died. Their mental forms would warp and change as they writhed in pain; and he made sure to destroy whatever fragment remained. Then, it would fade away, leaving completely when the body ran cold. This was their second massacre. The first had been on some candy makers. The child returned home after they had left. Frosted wished he could have seen the look on her little face. This last couple seemed to work for the city as repair ponies or something. It was Storm's idea to target those who had a mini celebrity status in their town. In fact, the next town over seemed to have a very unique pony in its midst...
The Betrayal“Hey Roy! Come over here! I found the perfect spot,” said Arnold, my lifelong best friend. We had met in 3rd grade, and became friends pretty quickly. As the years went on, we had our fair share of ups and downs, and were there for each other all the way. Like when I got depressed, and he helped me pull through, or how I was there for him when he got brutally dumped. Long story short, we grew a bond of friendship and trust that ran deeper than even our attachment to our parents. I can’t speak for him, but he has been the closest person to me for many years now. As he has done with me, I have shared with him my secrets, my talents; my life. “Coming!” I replied. Today, we decided to go back out into the woods. There was a project we were working on that used our combined talents. Unlike Arnold, one of my larger talents lie in linguistics- I could conform to any accent, and have learned bits of tons of languages. Arnold, on the other hand, specialized in making things without any tools from stuff on the ground and in the trees. Like this one time when he made a trampoline out of a ton of vines, a few branches and some stumps. I helped him with the last bits, so I thought we should head out into the forest and make a makeshift house together all the way. Not all at once, but today we figured we could at least do the walls and ceiling; the floorboards were doe already. For now, it was a surprise for our parents, and we planned to tell them about it once the ceiling was done and proved to be up against rain, like the floor. We managed to make the floor airtight, with a trap door that opened into a really deep well that had been long abandoned and dry. All and all, it was coming along wonderfully, and we could tell it was going to look beautiful when finished. “Alright I’m here! And perfect for what?” I asked. Arnold had this look on his face- it meant that he had decided on something, and that he’d do it with no regrets. Usually he puts on that face when he’s about to prank me with something. The last time he did that, he tricked me into getting my shirt right into the path of a bleach water balloon. Thank goodness that shirt was plain and one colored, because now it’s an off shade of white. So, I stood there, waiting calmly for whatever he was going to throw at me. “For this.” And he took out a large kitchen knife and rammed it into me- straight into the heart. I couldn't move. I couldn't speak. I tried to ask why, but no sound came out. The pain was overwhelming, and that was before he had the knife do a 360 in my chest, effectively ripping my blood pumping organ to shreds and even popping some of the major arteries and veins. Then he said something that I couldn't believe. “I’m not sorry for this.” That’s right about when it hit me that he had just utterly betrayed me. Something in me shattered, and it wasn't any of my ribs. And then he kicked me into the well. As I fell, I could see him close the trapdoor, and seal it shut with something. Then he walked away. The well turned out to be pretty damn deep, because I finished dying just as I hit the bottom, head first. Death was a strange sensation; when all your organs shut down and your blood stops flowing, your brain is somehow still allowing for conscious thought. It felt like absolute silence, and not just from lack of noise. I decided to just let my mind lose itself, as I would when I fall asleep, even knowing that this time I may never regain it. I didn't care anymore. But before I did, I let one thought tear through my mind: ‘I will never have a friend or even trust ever again.’
NewbornThe first thing that happened was a sharp pain on my back. Then I took a quick breath. ‘I’m breathing?’ I thought. ‘How? I’m dead! My heart was torn to pieces!’ I frantically thought as I decided to open my eyes. I opened my eyes to see that I was in a room. There were big multi-colored ponies all around me, staring. No wait, I was small. Why? A look past one of them at a mirror revealed why. Right about where I should have been in the reflection, there was a baby pony with a red coat and the start of a white mane. I moved my hand only to find out that I had no fingers. It was just a hoof. A red hoof. I’d just been born. “What?!” I exclaimed loudly, making the other ponies in the room jump. “What, never seen a talking pony before?! I wish I had been reborn right! I don’t want to remember that damn bastard for another lifetime!!” I screamed, and proceeded to just sit there, glaring at everypony. The small crowd was silent. Then the one right next to me started talking. I turned, and immediately I could tell it was my new mother. The edge went out of my eyes, and I tried to listen to what she was saying. But she was definitely not speaking English, that was for sure. I think I conveyed that in my demeanor, because she wrapped me up in a hug. I melted right into it- it had been a rough day and somepony clearly cared for me. There I go again, replacing people with pony. ‘I wonder if there are any people wherever I am,’ I thought, as I drifted off (She was rocking me so gently, I couldn't help it). *** Pearl Rain, a pegasus with a white coat and mane was so excited. Today was the big day. She was going to have a baby. She had been preparing for this day for quite some time now with her husband, Swift Heart. She could still remember the day the met. She had been a worker at the weather factory, helping make rain clouds. She really loved her job, and was the best in the place. Then Swift Heart came. He was a writer and part time journalist, here to get some ideas for his next work. Pearl ran into him (literally) quite by accident. They had just rounded the corner, Swift just going along, and Pearl rushing to get back to her station. It didn't take the pegasus long to fall in love with Swift, a witty red coated unicorn from the outskirts of Canterlot. Not long afterwards, they started dating, and about two years later, Swift Heart proposed, and they got married. It was now three years later, and they had decided to take the next step and raise a child. IT wasn't an easy decision, and Swift still had fears that the baby wouldn't take to either of them. Pearl calmed him down, and now they sat together in the hospital room, about to give birth. When the baby came, it was the most beautiful thing Pearl had ever seen. He had his father’s coat and his mother’s mane. He was also a pegasus. Swift heart had always wanted to fly, and was glad his newborn son would someday live that dream. At first, he didn't start breathing. The doctor had to smack him on the back, and then he did. But, he didn't cry. In fact, he tensed up after he started breathing. “Is this normal, doctor?” Pearl asked. “I've never seen a pony not open its eyes before. But I have heard about it. I think he just needs some time…” the doctor responded. Then the little foal opened his sky blue eyes and looked around in confusion. “Awww, he’s so cute!” Pearl said. By now, a couple more nurses had entered to handle everything else, and had stopped to look at the little red foal. Then something went wrong. The foal locked eyes on the mirror. He moved his hoof, and looked down at it. It seemed cute, but then he shouted. He shouted, but not like an infant. More like a gown pony in deep shock. “Doctor, i-,” Pearl started, before her little foal started yelling. Yelling! Nopony could understand it, but he spoke as if in an alien tounge. “Please, calm down. Please,” Pearl said, as gently as she could. Her little foal turned to her, and for a moment, she could see anger burning in his eyes. Then it died away, and he looked at her in confusion. “It’s ok, you’re with mommy, it all alright,” she said, embracing him and slowly rocking back and forth. Very quickly, he calmed down, and even fell asleep. “Well, that was quite unusual,” said one of the nurses, “But congratulations. What will you name him?” “I think we should call him… Sky Gear,” Swift heart said. The name simply came into his head, and somehow, it seemed perfect. Pearl agreed. “That sounds wonderful honey.” Just as they were getting up to check out, the blanket Sky gear had been wrapped up in slid down, revealing his flank. It should have been blank, but it wasn't. “….” “What does this mean?” Swift heart asked the doctor. “I have never seen a cutie mark on a newborn in my entire life. I have no idea what to make of it. I can’t even think of anything it could represent!” he replied. “It scares me a bit,” Swift Heart said weakly. They left to go home, opting to take a chariot in celebration, but neither of them could speak. Their newborn son already had a cutie mark. And it was a bloodstained kitchen knife.
Recognition“Hey Roy! Come over here! I found the perfect spot.” ‘No.’ “Coming!” my dream self replied. ‘NO!’ “For what?” I said, knowing what would happen next. “For this,” he said, and rammed the knife into my chest. “NOOOO!” I screamed as I shot awake. “Thank god, it was just a dream… Wait, if I died, and just dreamed about it, then that means…” I said as I turned my head over to see a pegasus with a white mane staring back at me. “Great.” *** Pearl had not been feeling alight. She just gave birth to her son, but something was different- he already had a cutie mark. As if that wasn’t enough, it had to be a bloodstained kitchen knife. Pearl Rain and Swift Heart had not been talking since the ride home. It was supposed to be happy, but now they could only wonder what it meant. Was something wrong? Did his destiny really have something to do with his cutie mark? After a discussion with Swift Heart, they agreed to send a letter to Celestia herself, just in case. They did not want anything terrible to happen to him. The next morning, Pearl and Swift went over to Sky Gear’s crib and found out another oddity about her son. Even though he was just born, he seemed to be having a violent nightmare. Suddenly he bolted awake with a shout. He froze, looked over at Pearl, and murmured something. “Swift, please watch over him until I get back from the station,” Pearl said. She needed to go to her boss and explain that for at least one week, she would be at home taking care of the baby. The boss already knew about it- everypony did- but Pearl still had to go do paperwork. “Alright honey, I will,” Swift Heart replied, giving his wife a nuzzle as she left. Then he looked back to his son’s crib and found that he had managed to unlock and open the gate on it. He could be seen trying to walk. At first he seemed like he would fall, but then, just as Swift was about to right him with magic, he righted himself and found his footing. Going over to the mirror, Sky Gear intently studied himself. Swift thought it was really funny how his son was fascinated by his own wings. He flexed them around, going through all the motions it could go through. Now that he looked hard, Swift could see that his son’s wings were much bigger than those on a normal foal. They were much more proportional to his body, and could probably sustain him in flight. Then, Swift Heart’s son looked at his flank and saw the cutie mark. He screamed, terrified, and ran backwards as fast as he could, running into Swift in the process. Right then was when Pearl came back home. “What happened?” she asked, her voice filled with worry. “He managed to unlock the whole crib gate and just ran away from the mirror, terrified after seeing his cutie mark. What could it mean?” Swift replied. “I have no idea…” *** Yesterday I got out of the crib and decided to try and walk in my new pony body. At first it was really difficult, but then something fell into place, and it was easy as breathing. Then I decided to examine myself in the mirror. I don’t know how it escaped me, but I had wings. Excited, I tried moving them. It was an amazing feeling. I stretched them to their limits, just to see what they were capable of. A surprising amount, as it happens. The wings were very dexterous. Then I noticed something on me. On my flank, to be precise. It was the knife that stabbed me. The bloodstained kitchen knife. I had screamed and stumbled backwards as fast as I could. That’s when mom (my new one, really) came in. she spoke to dad, and that’s when I noticed that whatever language ponies spoke, it includes small body movements that seemed to compliment speech. ‘I need to learn this language if I’m to communicate. I wonder what they think of me? I bet I’m not the baby they expected me to be…’ I thought, as I decided to go back into my crib. To what seemed to be their great surprise, I hopped in and closed the gate behind me, locking it before I curled up, shivering a little, wanting to sleep, but afraid of having the nightmare again.
SchoolPearl’s week off was incredible. Sky gear learned everything at an incredible rate. On the third day of trying, Sky talked! Not like a baby either. It was so strange. It was like an older pony had been put into a foal’s body. He talked to them just like any other kid might talk to their parents, only with a little less attachment. Diapers turned out to be completely unnecessary as well. He seemed to have an innate knowledge of some things like that. On the fourth day, he had learned how to read, and was always reading books and learning new words. He rarely asked for a definition- he always looked in the dictionary. By the end of that day, he sounded like a small adult. Kids grow up fast but this is ridiculous! Then, on the fifth day, much to her surprise, Sky asked Pearl Rain to show him how to fly- but without actually helping him get off the ground- just go through the motions. To her great surprise, he copied her exactly, and then went out and flew for about 5 minutes. From then on, Sky seemed eager to practice flying every day, and each day, he stayed in the air longer and longer. Pearl couldn't believe it. When she went back to work two days later, nopony else believed it either. “He can do all that and he is only a week old?! That’s impossible!” most of them cried out. Pearl was still very proud of her son, even if dumbfounded. He even wanted to go to school! Most kids never want to do that, even when they are actually at the regular age of going to school! In fact, Sky gear once came with her to work. That turned out to be very interesting… *** Even I was amazed at my learning capabilities. Maybe it was because I had a babies brain, and it absorbed information very efficiently. I shocked my mom and dad by learning to speak in 3 days. Then I blew them out of the water by figuring out how to read the next day. From then on, I always tried to read something every day, usually from nonfiction type books. A few days later, I picked up how to fly just from watching mom. I was right when I thought that they worked like a birds- they didn’t go just up and down, they curved to let air get pushed around by them. Once I flew for the first time, I knew that I would fly every day for the rest of my life. It was an amazing feeling. For my one month birthday, mom took me to where she worked. Before we left, we agreed that the knife on my flank should be covered up, so I wor what was like the pony equivalent of a trench coat-it went over the whole top of me but only connected underneath about halfway down my chest. I loved to wear it, especially since it had holes for my wings and pockets for stuff all over it. It was a long flight up, but it was worth it. I found out that day that pegasus could walk on clouds and controlled the weather. It was incredible to walk on clouds. They were so soft. “Mom, why do ponies have to control the weather? Why doesn't it just happen?” I asked. She told me that weather never happens on its own, and that even winter was essentially brought from the weather factories. Seeing them in action was awesome! Clouds were gathered up and pumped full of water from reservoirs and then sent to the distribution center to be sent somewhere or stored away for a while. Then there were rainbows. They actually had liquid rainbow. It didn't taste like skittles, but that didn't matter so much. The best part of following mom everywhere was the fact that everyone was astonished to see my constantly flying alongside my mom. Maybe it was because I was only physically one month old. Mom later told me that it wasn't just that, but for a pony as young as me, I had pretty big wings, and that most ponies didn't grow them to proportion until a couple years. At the end of the day though, mom’s boss came over and said something about how it wasn't safe for me to be here, and she said “He is perfectly safe, he flew with me the whole way without my help.” “Is that so? For a one month old pony, you sure do make a lot of outrageous rumors,” he said jokingly. “What rumors?” I asked. “The fact that I can read, talk, and even fly at one month?” I said, grinning like a fool. I could even see mom smirk a little bit. “Wha- But-,” he stuttered, and mom kindly said that we had to go home. *** A couple months later, after I had grown out to the proportions of a regular pony (which was an incredible growth feat apparently) only about half the size of the fillies that would enter school, mom got some sort of letter from the princesses. The concept of a diarchy was fascinating to me, especially one in which they ruled by love alone. I asked mom what it was about, and she told me that when I had first been born, she was worried that because I was different, something might have been wrong, so just to be safe, they asked Celestia what to do. I wasn't angry, I was curious. What did they say? I haven’t told my mom about how before I learned to talk the language of ponies, I was speaking in another language entirely. Would it mention my nightmares? I had them almost every night, and they never get better or worse. I heard that Luna comes to cure nightmares in ponies sleep. Maybe there are just a lot of ponies out there… Mom told me that the letter was telling me to go to a school near a place called Ponyville. It was primarily for earth ponies and unicorns, but pegasus were accepted too. It said that a unicorn named Twilight Sparkle, a scholar who worked pretty closely with the princess would have a look at me. “Do you know what a cutie mark is?” mom asked me. I didn't know, so she told me that it was a symbol of one’s destiny. That stopped me cold. I knew exactly what my cutie mark symbolized. “In the letter, it says that you could have one already because you already fulfilled your destiny.” She said. That made my break down and cry. “What is it Sky? What does it mean?” Mom asked, a little dazed by my reaction. “Pray that you never know mom. Never,” I replied, relief rolling through me. “When can I start school?” “In another week dear. Until then, you’re here with us, and we love you.” “I know mom. I know.” I sobbed. *** A week later, we flew over to Ponyville. Mom was right when she said it would be about the same kind of suburban area as we were in, maybe less crowded. It seemed like an amazing small town to be in. When we got to the school, Mrs. Cheerilee was waiting for us. “Are you Pearl Rain?” She asked politely. “Yes ma’am, and this is the one you heard about, Sky Gear.” Mom responded. “Wow he really is young. About a year under his youngest classmates. Are you ready Sky Gear?” “Yes Ms. Cheerilee. I’m ready.” And so, I went into class after waving my wing at mom (a little thing we did). When I got in, Ms. Cheerilee stayed back for a few minutes talking to mom. Almost right away, a purple pony in the front said: “What’s with that ridiculous getup?” I immediately could tell she was a bully “Says the girl with an ego so large she has to wear a little tiara? It just so happens that it is for carrying stuff around, and distributing the weight more evenly than any saddle bag.” The pony sat there, shocked that I had just outclassed her, and I was barely half her size. She continued to stare at me as Ms. Cherilee came back in and introduced me, then showed me my seat. Strangely, nopony talked to me until we were let out for recess. Cheerilee asked to see me, so I stayed behind. “I talked to your mom, and it is incredible how you know so much. I just wanted to tell you that I will be giving you separate assignments to work on so that you may actually be challenged.” “Ok. Can I go outside now?” I asked, itching to fly around some more. The freedom of flying was never something I got used to, and I probably never will. “Yes, you may,” she replied, and I left to go outside. I found a nice open spot to take off at, but before I could, that bully came over. “I see you don’t have any friends yet. Why don’t you ditch these losers and hang with us?” “Diamond Tiara, stop being a bully!” said somepony. I turned around to see an orange pony and two of her friends. “Uugh not these lamos again,” Diamond Tiara sighed. “Can’t you see that this guy has better things to do than to be bothered by you?” “As a matter of fact, I have only three things to say. One, don’t mess with me, I don’t care who you are. Two, if you have stooped to bullying, I don’t want anything to do with you. Three, and this goes for all of you, I don’t want to have any friends. Last time I did, things didn't work out so well.” I said, and took off. Looking down, I could see the bully leave, and the other three group together. Looked like they were planning something. Whatever it was, I knew I’d find out later today because of how they reacted to my third statement. Sure enough, after I left school and headed over to Twilight’s house, I could tell they were following me. “Come on out, I know you’re there.” I said loudly. “Aww, come on!” cried the one who said something earlier. “My name’s AppleBloom. This is Scootaloo and SweetieBell.” “I’m Sky Gear, and I meant what I said at recess.” I replied, starting off towards Twilight’s place. “Well we wanted to know if you had your cutie mark yet! We can’t tell when you wear that coat,” said Scootaloo. “I don’t want to talk about it,” I said, a shiver going through me as I thought about it. Those damn nightmares. “So you have one? Why can’t we see it?” Applebloom asked. “Yeah, how come?” chimed SweetieBell. “I DON’T want to talk about it. Especially not with you. Be glad you get to live without your destiny following you around like a curse.” I spat, startling them a bit. “I never asked to be murdered by my best friend, and I will never make that mistake again,” I added in English. I finally rounded the corner to the library/house I was told about. Twilight was supposed to see me, and I was to be near there until mom came to pick me up. I looked back, and the group of fillies had stopped some ways behind me, and was huddled together, whispering about something. Ignoring them, I knocked on the door. A purple aura glowed around it, and a purple unicorn came out. “Hello? Oh hi! Are you Sky Gear?” “Yes, I am. Twilight sparkle I presume?” I responded. “Correct. I have heard so much about you! Come on in.” I walked inside, expecting to see a house, but all I could see was stacks of books and a staircase. Even still, there was a range of books stacked there. I heard that there were even supposed to be some secret compartments somewhere. “I finally figured out what to do,” Twilight started, “and before I start, I need you to lay down.” I did so, and she continued. “I’m going to enter into your mind. I want to see how your mental landscape has developed. Once I start the spell, you may feel disconnected, and if you have any major fears, you may run into them here.” When she said that, I knew she was trying to see if I knew of something that would be there, but I didn't let it show too much. “Well, ok, but I feel the need to warn you,” I responded, keeping my tone cool and even. “You may be uncomfortable with what you find there.” “I’m sure it’s nothing that will bother me,” Twilight said quickly, clearly eager to begin. “Here we go.” When the spell connected, I could definitely feel it. It was like my spirit drifted away from my body a little. That scared me for a moment, but soon the feeling went away, and the scenery changed. It went from nothing in particular to the nothingness that I found after death. Immediately, I felt alone. I curled up and realized that I had hands again. But they were different. I had red fur growing all over, and it had some streaks of white. Upon looking around a little more, I realized that there were two things in front of me. One was something like a crystal ball, only it had been shattered, and the pieces were piled in the bowl of the stand that held it. Next to that, there was the knife. I reached down to pick it up and was immediately bombarded with pain. “SKY GEAR!” screamed a voice. I dropped the knife, not realizing I was screaming and crying. “You are ok, it’s all in your head.” I knew that voice. It was… Twilight. Twilight Sparkle. She was… she was seeing into my mind. What I am. “Sky Gear, do you recognize me?” she said, looking into my eyes. “Yes, I do. It took me a few minutes, but I do.” I said, then looked into her eyes. They were wide with shock and maybe a hint of fear. “So, what do you think? This is what is left.” “What do you mean? Are you talking about this void? I can’t believe this! It isn't filled with nothing. It is raw emotion. Whatever just happened, it caused the whole space to react violently to everything! What did happen? And what are you?” Twilight questioned, her eyes starting to brim with curiosity. “I was a fool. I picked it up. The one thing that has hurt me the most, and I touched it. As for what I am, I’m human. Before being born in Equestria, I was a human, and lived to be 17.” “Is that the usual lifespan of your species? You don’t look to be old…” she said, slowing down. “You are correct. I was just under the age of adulthood. My best friend murdered me,” I said, fury starting to spread through me. “With that,” I finished, pointing at the knife. “What is that next to it?” she asked, after looking closely at the knife, being sure not to touch it. “The shattered remnants of my old life, if I were to guess.” “Can I…” “Sure,” I said, and allowed Twilight to touch the shattered ball. Immediately, her eyes grew wide, but not in shock. In confusion. “This isn't right. All that is here are shattered images. It should be as if I view your memories!” Twilight said, and looked at me expectantly. “I don’t like to think about it very much. Is there anything else you want to ask?” “I want to see your mental strength. I’m going to leave, but not stop the spell completely. I’m going to make a construct. I want you to destroy it.” She said flatly. “Are you sure about this? Is it safe?” I asked, concerned. “The worst that could happen is the loser gets exhausted.” She replied. I decided to let her do it, and I watched as she faded out of my mind. Then I could feel something else enter my mind. I heard Twilight's voice saying something about how the construct would try and take the form of something I hated. Then Arnold appeared. I was so furious right at that moment that even I could feel the power of my emotions in the void. It was giving me strength. I focused on being strong, and I could feel myself become armored. My hands formed claws, and with a cry of rage, I sprang at the construct, ripping my hand right into where the heart would be and twisted it as hard as I could. Upon ripping my arm back out, the construct shattered, and I found myself suddenly back in the real world. “That was… unexpected,” Twilight panted, my attack having clearly taken its toll. “Are you OK?” I asked, almost falling over trying to get up like a person. I didn't want to have hurt somepony. That was never my intention, I was just so angry. “Yes, I’m fine, but that’s enough… for today. Tomorrow, I want you… to be ready for some more mental exercises,” she said between gasps. Clearly I had done more than she let on, but I didn't push it. I thanked her for taking the time, and left out the door. Then I flew home to my little cloud fort. It was like a tree house, but it was made of clouds, and it was really nice to sleep on. Once there, I sat down and focused on only my breathing, concentrating on the feeling that Twilight’s spell made me feel. Soon, I found myself back in my own mind, only this time, I felt even more lonely. I reached for the shattered crystal ball and started piecing my memories back together. Eventually, I found that only a few things were even there to work with. Memories of my parents, some friends, and some places I visited with them, and a few that I had been to and thought about my life at. There were other memories, but they were like pictures that weren't finished- I couldn't find all of the memory. Then, I let myself slide back into reality, and fell asleep soon after.
Brighter DaysThat morning, I woke up refreshed. At least, better than normal, considering that the nightmares didn't come since my mind was awake the whole time. I felt so energetic, I decided to experiment with a unique pool of power I had found in the deeper corners of my mind. It was clearly an extension of me, but I had no idea what it was. So, while still mostly in my body, I reached into my mind for the pool and took a small portion, not thinking of a task to do. It just sat there, so I decided to try and use it. I thought of being more of a grown pony, and willed some power into that thought. A strange sensation went through my body, and the power I used slipped back to the pool. I looked at myself, and saw that it worked. When I stopped concentrating on it, my body went back to normal. Now that I knew it was magic, I decided to try something more permanent. I thought about a glass of chocolate milk appearing before me, and willed some power into it. Something sort of clicked, and a small glass of chocolate milk appeared before me. When I released the rest of what I took back to the pool, the cup stayed, even when I concentrated on something else. Amazed, I drank it only to find that it really was a glass of chocolate milk. It was delicious. "Breakfast is ready!" Mom called out from the house. "Coming!" I eagerly replied and left my cloud and headed in. "Be careful out today, somepony has been killing other ponies," mom said with a distant look on her face. I couldn't blame her. Ponies generally didn't know darker things like kidnapping and murder. Guess I’m just lucky like that. I told her I would, and headed out to school. Maybe today Ms. Cherilee would give me algebra. The last packet I got had some basic multiplication and reading concepts, which I flew through. She knew I knew more than most ponies a little older than me, but she really had no idea. When I got there, most of the ponies had the same empty look on their faces as mom did. Like they wanted to deny their reality, but couldn't. I almost sympathized with them before remembering that it wasn't a permanent problem. Years later they may think, "Wow that scared us a bit," and not have to deal with it again. I had to live with my issues my whole life. Class went a little slow today, and I found myself very bored having completed the new packet in 5 minutes. It wasn't algebra, but it was exponents and some slightly higher forms of math. After what seemed like forever, recess let out, and once again, I was dismissed from class. I think some fillies were jealous, but they never grasped the stuff I was doing, so they stayed out of it. Before I could leave for Twilight's, I was stopped by a unicorn with a violet coat and yellow mane. She looked very nervous. "Wh-why don't you talk to any pony? You look so lonely..." She said, glancing back at her friends, who gave her encouraging nods. "Trust. I cannot give it since it has been taken," I replied evenly. What was with this pony's actions? Why was she so nervous? "Well, I know it might be a bad time, but I was wondering... If, well you weren't doing anything special tomorrow..." "What is tomorrow? I asked, confused. "You mean, you don't know?!" Her friends all squealed behind me. "No idea. I'm not even 3 months old you know. I don't know holidays or any of that," I said, sighing in exasperation. Looks like I'm the oddball out of something. Again. "It's hearts and hooves day! Ponies get with their special somepony and go on a date!" One of them squealed. 'Oh great. Valentine’s day.' I thought bitterly. I had never had a real girlfriend on valentine’s day, and until I found myself a real relationship, I plan to keep it that way. "I don't know. We'll just have to see," I said with a mischievous smile. I knew now that the girls found me interesting because I didn't socialize. I hadn't yet thought about observing pony society; maybe it's time I started. I took to the skies having left them with that, and headed to Twilight's place. Once there, I found her waiting for me, eager to move on with her "psychic lessons" as she liked to call them. Apparently, she had invited the princess over to see my mind and its capabilities. She started by getting me to link to her mind, not the other way around like usual. It took a little concentration, but I managed. She was impressed, but I was too busy gawking at Twilight's mental landscape. It was a library, much like her home. I could tell that the books were her memories, just as the orbs were mine. Everything in her head was organized. I could tell just by looking that she would sometimes overreact to something, or over-manage things that she did or planned to do. She taught me how she accessed her magic. Much like I had earlier, she sort of called upon it, and then it revealed itself. When I told her I could do that, she couldn't believe it. I had to let her into my mind and show her that I had magic. Then I showed her how I could use it so create objects from nothing. She was astounded. She told me about how usually only immortal spirits like Discord, spirit of chaos. That's when princess Celestia arrived. "Good afternoon, Twilight. Is this the infamous Sky Gear?" "Yes princess, and what do you mean, infamous?" "Roy, I have a message for you," she said in a formal tone. "How do you know my first name?!" I demanded, furious at what this could mean. Did she spy on me? Did she somehow know of my plight and did nothing?! "I only know that somepony long ago told me to tell you this, and that it would change your future: non-linear immortality," she replied, and I stopped being furious and became confused. How could somebody from the past tell somebody else about me? And what could non-linear immortality even mean? I wanted to ask her, but the strangest thing happened. Everything went black and then Celestia just finished asking Twilight if I was Sky Gear. “Wait! You just called me by my name. How did you know it?” I demanded, and got a strange look from the princess. “What are you talking about? She just got here,” Twilight replied hastily, and I could tell she didn’t want me getting into that tone with the princess. They shared some words, and eventually decided on something. “May I enter your mind?” Celestia asked calmly. I obliged, and was amazed to find how strong her presence was in my mind compared to when twilight had come in. The most incredible part was that she looked uncomfortable. I asked about it, and she shrugged it off. She was too busy wondering at my figure, as well as my old memories. When she left my head, she said something I would never forget. “You are the single most powerful mind I have ever encountered in all my life.” “What do you mean?” Twilight asked, confused, but eager to hear about something out of the norm. “You said you gave him a construct to destroy once, and that it left you exhausted.” She replied, her tone becoming a little firm. “Yes, but what does it mean?” Twilight asked, not knowing what to expect. “If you had challenged him head on, you could have taken physical damage on top of mental obliteration,” she replied, and I knew where the tone came from. Her mother instincts were acting up. I gave a small smile at that, but nopony caught it. After that, we delved into idle chitchat, and Twilights friends even came by. I got to meet all of them. Rarity, Apple Jack, Rainbow Dash (she was pretty cool), Fluttershy, and Pinkie. Pinkie was the craziest. She was cracking jokes left and right, and when I didn’t get them, she started pulling gags from the internet! At first I was shocked, and asked the others how she knew stuff like that, and they just said it was Pinkie being Pinkie. Soon, I didn’t care anymore. This mare was hilarious! When I found out about the whole elements of harmony deal, I was amazed. They really did resemble their elements. At some point they started talking about family heirlooms. Despite not being able to participate, I listened. Pinkie and Apple Jack seemed to each have one that was very similar to one another. Before she left, Celestia even said that she had one as well. She said it was a gift from when she helped the Crystal Empire. She had to leave before she could explain more about it, but the elements soon forgot about it. After a long day of talking about our lives (even me!), my mom came to see me home, and I left with her. For the first time since I was born, things were looking up. That afternoon, I even decided to show mom my mind and who I was. At first she was scared, but I calmed her down, and she suddenly looked like a tension that she had held for years rushed out of her. When I asked what it was, she said, “For the longest time, we thought that we weren’t doing what we should as parents. You know you aren’t as close as most fillies your age are to their parents.” “That’s silly. And now you know, I’m not just a few months old, I’m 17. I think you can worry about me a little less,” I teased, and she just wrapped me up in a huge hug. Later that night, when dad came home, I showed him who I was, just like with mom. He too looked relieved, but I didn’t ask, because I knew. That night, we all fell asleep shooting the breeze. It was one of the best feelings in the world. For the second time that day, life was looking bright as day. That night, I didn’t have any nightmares. Instead, I happily dreamed of growing up with my new family. It was beautiful, and I never wanted to let go of that dream.
The End?In the middle of the night, I was woken up by some movement in the house. Curious as to what woke me up this late, I wandered over to the source of the noise. When I got to the kitchen, it was just dad. He smiled at me, and was about to turn away when he stiffened up. “…Dad…?” I asked hesitantly. He didn’t say a word. He couldn’t, and I soon saw why. He had a large butcher knife sticking out of his ribs, dripping blood to the floor. Then blood started gushing from his neck, where a unicorn had appeared out of nowhere and gored him. I wanted to scream, but I couldn’t. In fact, the unicorn who had gored my father whispered something. Then another unicorn levitating the knife came forward. The first unicorn’s horn started glowing, and I tried to jump to the side, but I was too late. I could feel the butcher knife ram into my neck just as the first unicorn invaded my mind. It was similar to how Twilight did it, only he had barged in without warning or consent. As soon as he saw my figure, he gasped, and called out for his partner in crime to help him. I didn’t even care why at that point; I just wanted to attack him. As soon as the second unicorn came in, I lunged out at the two of them. At first, they reeled back in surprise. I guess they never killed a pony whose mind could fight back. Soon they started to try dodging. When they did that, I changed my tactics. Focusing on my memories, I called a sword to my side. The first swing struck just perfect- it split the killer right down the horn. Then I went after the second attacker. He tried to flee, but I willed my mind to seal itself off. I was not going to let this bastard get away with this shit. I let the sword disappear, and focused on putting pure force behind my blows as I mercilessly beat the second killer to a warped and bloody mass. I found the rage I felt when Twilight put me against that construct, and I let it power my final blow- a downward shot that crumpled in his whole body. That was all in my mind, or so I thought. When I tried to open my real eyes, I found it difficult. Mom was just past the pool of blood that had built up on the kitchen floor. I tried to tell her to get the emergency medics to come, but not much came out. She wouldn’t even look at me. Her eyes were glued to the floor where dad lay. That’s when I finally saw that it wasn’t just dad laying there, soaking in a pool of his own blood. The killers were just in front of me, and they were just as I had left them in my mind- brutally mangled, and definitely dead. Then mom turned to me, and finally saw that I was conscious. I tried to speak again, and she just nodded at me, and then took off faster than I had ever seen before. Once she left, I was alone with my thoughts. First, I tried to call upon the pool of power that I had in store. For some reason, it wouldn’t work. Then I recalled the princess saying that my mental strength was so powerful it could inflict physical damage. I had no idea that it could do this. Then I remembered how I had felt right before I went to sleep. That just made me bitter. ‘Who the fuck are you, fate, to take everything away from me?!?!’ I thought bitterly. I have had enough bullshit from fate with this life, having not started from the beginning as it should have. Then I remembered what Celestia had said, about non-linear immortality. Could it mean that I time travelled? Did I go to the past and tell her something? Is that why the world “blinked” and time changed? As all these questions rushed around in my head, mom flew back in, and announced that they were on their way. I was relieved to hear that, and tried to stand up to give her a hug. I found the world blackening around me as I tried, and that was when I knew I wouldn’t be getting back up again. When I stumbled back to the floor, mom rushed over to try and help me. I shook my head as she tried to help me up. “Too much damage,” I managed to croak. Mom looked at me with tears in her eyes. “We were going to live out your new life, remember?! You were happy! It was so wonderful to see you like that,” she said, tears flowing down her face. “I know,” I croaked, “I wanted to, but it looks like I’ve got to go again, he he…” I said as I proceeded to cough up blood. “And I’ll miss you. You know, I said I would never trust again.” “What do you mean, Sky Gear?” mom asked, her tears slowing down, but would likely never stop. “I mean that I actually gave it to you… my trust…” I rasped, and I could feel myself dying. “I just wish… I could… give you… something… more…” I said. Right before my world blacked out, I saw a bright light, and a small object appeared. It felt like I had summoned it, but it hadn’t come from the pool of power. It came from somewhere else. Somewhere deeper. Looking at it, it was a small glass replica of a comet, with beautiful flames blazing behind it. I smiled and said something that I somehow knew to be truth, “Take it, and remember me, for wherever I may be, you shall always have a piece of me.” The last thing I saw was my mom smiling in sad wonder, and I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer. Then, for the second time in my existence, I died. My only thought this time was one of hope. Hope that this time, things would turn out better, and maybe I would forget everything. In fact, I had the strange feeling that things would get better, and so I let go of all my tensions and fears, and closed my eyes. I simply let the emptiness take me, just as it had before.
Twisted“He he hee!” Frosted Glass squealed as he let the blood drip down his face into his mouth. He had just murdered a younger earth pony, and he stood goring her body with his horn and letting the blood run into his mouth. His unicorn partner was about 15 feet away slicing up the pony’s husband. He had a blue coat, but it had taken on a slight purple, but mostly red from all the blood that now soaked it. His name was Midnight Storm, and his specialty was carving. While Frosted Glass liked to gore his victims to death, Storm found his pleasure in carving them up. "We should go!" Storm called out. "Somepony could show up soon! Wouldn't want that." "Fine! Just one more," Glass replied, and gored the earth pony one last time, savoring the blood that it brought. These two unicorns had a unique way of killing. First they silenced the area around the target's home, then they just did as they pleased. Nopony ever put up much resistance. Frosted Glass's favorite part was invading their minds just as he killed them. He was always overjoyed at the sight of somepony having a mental breakdown as they died. Their mental forms would warp and change as they writhed in pain; and he made sure to destroy whatever fragment remained. Then, it would fade away, leaving completely when the body ran cold. This was their second massacre. The first had been on some candy makers. The child returned home after they had left. Frosted wished he could have seen the look on her little face. This last couple seemed to work for the city as repair ponies or something. It was Storm's idea to target those who had a mini celebrity status in their town. In fact, the next town over seemed to have a very unique pony in its midst...
