A Whole New World

My vision returned to normal, and I was back in Celestia's quarters. Celestia looked quite tired from performing the spell, and Twilight was staring at the floor, as if trying to figure out what just happened.

I quickly checked my surroundings, and sure enough, the black bag containing my snowboard was lying next to me. Opening it, I saw the board was intact, and the other stuff like wax, goggles and straps were also present. I gave a silent thank you to Chris and Dad, and was looking forward to using it. Unfortunately, I didn't know any rideable areas in Equestria, so that was going to have to wait.

While I was examining the board, I heard Celestia speak, "Dutch, would you mind giving me a moment alone with Twilight? I need to speak with her regarding an important matter."

"Sure, I need to have a moment to think anyway," I zipped up the bag and began to take it out, but Celestia said, "You can leave your gift here. I will make sure it is among your possessions when you return to Ponyville."

I left the room and walked down the hall in the direction of the gardens. I didn't know if I was going in the right direction or not, but I figured if I walked long enough, I would find a door. After about five minutes of walking along identical carpets, I saw Captain Wingfleet walking towards me.

"Hey there Dutch, it's good to see you're alright." He extended his hoof, and I shook it.

"Thanks," I said, and we carried on walking together, "I suppose you heard about what happened."

"Yeah," his face remained the same, neutral like you would expect from a trained officer, but his voice showed a hint of sadness, "Damn shame, but I also heard about what you did afterwards. While I may not be a fan of conflict, I appreciate it when somepony has a sense of justice."

"I promised Silver Cloud I would do it, and when I make a deal, I keep it."

"I understand," Wingfleet said, "Sergeant Silver Cloud was a good soldier, and a good pony," he paused. Wingfleet and Silver must have known each other outside the Royal Guard, "The rest of the Guard are holding a burial for the ponies who were killed in the ambush. I was wondering if you wanted to come."

"...Sure. It would be nice to pay my respects." I followed him through a door leading outside, where a large group of ponies were crowded round a row of coffins. Each one was open, and I could see the bodies of each guard inside.

I got a few odd looks from other ponies around the coffins, but when I sat down among them, they seemed to calm down. One older pony wearing a white collar walked onto a podium and started a speech.

"We are gathered here today, to remember the bravery of ponies who have fought for their Princesses, and who ultimately gave their lives for that bravery. As their souls leave Equestria, their bodies remain here, to become part of the land. They will be missed, but we shouldn't grieve that they have left us. It is more important that we should thank Celestia that these ponies lived."

It was brief, but he didn't need to say anything else. He stepped down from the podium, and a few ponies stood up to say goodbye to their loved ones. I stood up too, and make my way over to the coffins. As I walked, I heard sobbing among the crowd, and a female voice explaining to someone why daddy wouldn't be coming home.

I found the coffin containing Silver Cloud, and looked at his face. It had been cleaned since the attack, and the cut on his cheek was hidden. Seeing him like this brought a small tear to my eye, and I closed them as I recited a small prayer for him.

Twilight was watching from the crowd as Dutch walked among the coffins. She didn't know any of these ponies, but she had attended anyway out of respect. She saw Dutch walk over to one of the coffins, close his eyes and start moving his lips. No noise came from them, but Twilight figured he was praying.

She couldn't understand Dutch. Even after all the things he had told her about the human race, she couldn't figure out their mentality. She had seen what Dutch had done, commiting those atrocities on his own people, but there were other times when he had shown compassion and mercy. If this was how all humans acted, she was amazed they ever managed to get anything done.

She'd need to think about all of this when she returned to Ponyville. But for now, she walked among the crowd, comforting the families and friends of the deceased.

After I finished the prayer, I left the crowd and made my way over to where Wingfleet was standing.

"I'm sorry about what happened to your soldiers."

"It wasn't your fault Dutch."

"I know, but... I just can't help but think; I survived through blind luck. How am I alive when everyone else around me died?"

Wingfleet placed a reassuring hoof on my arm, "Fate's one thing none of us can control or escape. You just have to accept it and move on."

As I thought over what he said, I saw Celestia beckon me over to her. I asked Wingfleet if he would excuse me, and made my way over.

"Is there something you need, Princess?"

"Actually, I have a proposition for you Dutch," Celestia said, "I understand that you wanted to be a soldier when you grew up, and I know Silver Cloud was a friend," I didn't remember telling her about my life ambition, but I nodded anyway, "I would like you to consider the offer of becoming a soldier under my command. We used a spell to observe you as you fought the bandits, and I believe you would make a valuable contribution to the Royal Guard. Your skills in leadership also means that I could make you an effective officer, rather than a guardsman."

I took a moment to digest what she had asked of me. I've wanted to become a soldier for as long as I can remember, and Celestia is giving me this opportunity right now. After a few minutes of consideration, I looked at Celestia and said, "I've always wanted to do whatever I can to make people, or in this case ponies, safer. I accept your offer Princess."

She nodded, "Your father called you 'Douglas', is that your name?"

"Yes. Dutch is my nickname. My full name is Douglas Jones."

Celestia told me to take a knee. When I did, she placed her horn on my right shoulder, then on my left, "Rise Douglas," I stood back up, and she gave me a friendly smile.

"It'll take a while to sort out the formalities, but let me be the first to officially welcome you into the Royal Guard, Lieutenant Jones."

The journey back to Ponyville was quiet. I had found that the Pegasus chariots had spells to stop ponies falling off, so I sat on the edge with my legs dangling below me. Twilight was sat next to me, still staring at the ground. I had no idea what she was thinking, and she didn't look like she wanted to talk about it.

We arrived next to the Library, and gave our thanks to the guards as we walked inside. Twilight immediately pulled a book off the shelf and buried herself inside it.

"Are you alright Twilight?" I asked.

"Hm? Oh, yes, I'm fine."

"Are you sure? You don't sound like it."

"I'm just eager to get back to my studies," she blocked her face behind the book, which was currently upside-down, "You should go and see everypony else. No doubt they'll be looking forward to seeing you again."

Not wanting to pursue the subject, I went quiet and left the library. Twilight was right though, it would be nice to see everyone. I also needed to find Silver Cloud's daughter and break the news to her.

I headed towards the park, hoping to find one of my friends. As I walked over a bridge, I heard a soft melody being played nearby. It sounded like a lyre, and I only knew one pony who played that. Sure enough, I saw Lyra in the distance, sitting on a bench like a human. Her eyes were closed, and the lyre was wrapped in a golden aura. While she played, I slowly walked over, and sat down next to her. She seemed to be completely in the zone, and didn't notice me at all.

After a few more minutes of music, she came to a finale and let out a sigh as she finished the final piece.

"That was beautiful."

Lyra's eyes whipped open at the sound, and she turned to me with a gasp, "Dutch!" She quickly put her lyre in its case, then wrapped her hooves around me in a hug, "I haven't seen you in ages. How are you?"

"Great, I just got back from Canterlot. The Princess wanted to know more about humans. At this rate, I wouldn't be surprised if all of Equestria wanted to know who I am."

Lyra giggled and released me from the hug, "Oh! I want to show you something."

She hopped off the bench and walked over to an open space, where she promptly stood up on her hind legs.

"What do you think?"

I was impressed, "Nice. It must be difficult for a quadruped do that."

She shifted on her feet to keep her balance, "Yeah, it took a while to get it down, but it means I can be taller than everypony else. Check this out."

She started to walk in a circle, staying on her hind legs the whole time. Her forelegs hung in front of her chest as she walked.

"So how long have you been practicing this?"

"A couple of months now. Bon-Bon's keeps telling me to walk like a normal pony, but I do it anyway. I swear, if we were some sort of couple I would have sent her crazy weeks ago."

She picked up the pace, and her walk became a slow jog. She had a silly grin on her face the entire time. She eventually broke into a run, and started running laps around the bench and the trees, doing an occasional jump to surprise me. After another minute, she went round a tree and started running back towards me. When she was about five feet away, one of her hooves scuffed the ground and she tripped. I leapt off the bench and knelt foward, catching her in my arms.

"Easy there Lyra. You did good, but you don't want to go overboard with it."

Lyra didn't reply, she just lay in my arms with her head leaning on my chest.

"Hey Lyra, you alright?"

Lyra's heart skipped a beat as she tripped. A bloody nose certainly wouldn't help if she ever got selected for a musical performance, and if she chipped her horn, it could be weeks of pain before she could play the lyre again properly. She braced herself for the impact, but something cushioned her fall, and she felt Dutch's arms support her weight.

She let out a sigh of relief as she relaxed. She could hear Dutch talking, but there was something else making noise; a steady thumping. She listened, and found it to be Dutch's heartbeat. It was slower than a pony's because of his extra size, beating about once every second, and she decided to listen to that instead of the voice.

The beat sounded soft, but powerful. She had learned to zone out while she was playing her lyre, and she allowed herself to do it now. The sound of his heart was calming, and she was quickly lost to the world around her. At the same time, she felt something strange in her own chest. She didn't know what it was, but she felt it when she hugged Dutch, and she was feeling it again now.

She wanted to listen to Dutch's heart a little longer, but a sudden shake brought her back to reality.

"Lyra?"

Lyra let out a soft moan, the same way someone would in their sleep, but she didn't reply.

"Lyra, wake up!" I shook her, and she seemed to snap out of her trance.

"Huh? Oh, sorry Dutch. I must have tripped."

I lifted her back onto her hind legs, "Don't worry about it, but I think you've done enough human walking for one day. Why don't you sit down."

She agreed, and we returned to the bench. Lyra was out of breath, so she sat like a pony while she calmed down. That didn't stop her talking though.

"Hey Dutch."

"Yeah?"

"I was talking to Twilight about a week ago, and she said that you mentioned a poem when you were searching for the Elements of Harmony. Was it a human poem?"

"Yeah, it's called Invictus. It was written about one hundred years before I was born by a man called William Henley. The moral of the poem was to never give up, no matter what."

"How did it go?"

I noticed Lyra was sitting closer to me now, and I assumed she eager to hear a piece of human literature. I leaned back on the bench and recalled how the poem went, staring at nothing as I spoke.

"Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutches of circumstance
I have not winced, nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the horror of the Shade,
And yet, the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find me, unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul."

I turned back to Lyra, and saw her horn had a golden glow around it.

"Memorisation spell," she explained, "It helps when I need to remember a melody, but that poem was too good to forget."

I chuckled, "A guy called Nelson Mandela thought the same thing. He was imprisoned for 27 years because of something he didn't do, and he said that this poem was his inspiration to keep going."

Lyra gasped. She had never heard of a pony getting locked up for that long, guilty or innocent, "What did he do afterwards?"

"It's funny really. He went on to become the leader of the country. But every time I think about that poem, I can't help but think about an innocent man who was thrown in prison, only to come out ready to forgive the people who put him there."

I glanced at my watch, and saw that it was approaching three o'clock, "Lyra, do you know which way the school is? I need to see someone."

"Sure. Just head down the path and turn left as you leave the park."

"Ok then. See you later."

Lyra waved to me as I left, but if I had taken a second glance, I would have noticed her ears fold with sadness as I went out of sight.

The school was fairly easy to find, and the bell started ringing as I approached. I saw a group of fillies filing out the door, and I recognised Applebloom and Sweetie Belle among them. There was another pony next to them, an orange pegasus with short purple hair, similar to Rainbow Dash's mane in length.

They noticed me as I walked up to them, and all three of them ran over to me, huge smiles on their faces.

"Hi Dutch!" Applebloom and Sweetie Belle said together.

"Hey girls," I replied, and turned to the third filly, "You must be Scootaloo."

"Yep," Scootaloo said, before looking at the others, "He taller than you said he would be."

I laughed, but then I remembered why I was here, and I stopped.

"Hey Scoots, can I talk to you privately for a moment?"

"Sure," Scootaloo said, the smile still present. It tore me apart to see this sweet young girl, unaware of what I was about to tell her.

I told the others not to wait, and the walked away to their respective homes. Meanwhile, Scootaloo and I walked round behind the school and sat down against the wall.

"What is it Dutch?"

"We need to talk. It's about your father."

The smile disappeared, "Y-yes?"

I took a deep breath, "I suppose I can't lie to you about this, or make it easier to understand but... your father was killed two days ago. I'm sorry."

Scootaloo stared at me in confusion for a moment, before the tears started pouring down her face, and I pulled her into a hug. She started pounding her hooves on my shoulder, but it didn't hurt, so I just sat there and took it.

"No! No! He said he would come back and see me. He promised!" Scootaloo was getting both angry and upset at her father's death, and I let her cry into my arms.

After about five minutes, she had calmed down, and I said, "He was a brave pony Scoots, you should be proud of him. He asked me to take care of you after he left, and I gave him my word that I would."

She sniffed, "Thank you."

We sat there for a while longer, and I saw something move out of the corner of my eye. I turned my head, and saw a bubble floating down beside us. It was quickly accompanied by another, then six more, then a dozen, until the air around us was filled with bubbles. Scootaloo still had her head buried in my arms, so I said, "Hey, Scootaloo, take a look at this."

She looked up just as a bubble burst on her nose. She looked around in surprise, but slowly, a smile started to form on her lips. I let her go, and she walked into the middle of the cloud, letting them fall around her. She began to giggle, and started catching the bubbles, popping them with her hooves and teeth.

I smiled as the happiness returned to the filly, and I looked around for the source of the bubbles. I saw them originating from a single cloud above us, and as I watched, a gray head pop over the top, looking down at us.

I smiled, and gave Derpy a nod of thanks for what she did. She smiled back, and disappeared again, making more bubbles for Scootaloo to play with. I sat back against the school wall, and let her enjoy the moment.

I needed to make sure there were plenty more for her now.