Ponies gathered from around Ponyville to watch The Great and Powerful Trixie's show. "And now... the great and powerful Trixie shall perform her final act of the day. I shall bring a pony from another world to the stage, before your very eyes." Trixie's horn glowed as an aura surrounded her and the stage. Trixie lifted up a few inches off the stage as a cloud of smoke enveloped the stage, and the form of another pony showed up through the smoke.
The pony coughed through the cloud of smoke. "What am I doing here?"
Trixie trying not to show how winded she was exclaimed. "Behold the Great and Powerful Trixie!" The show mare raised heer hooves in the air. "The Great and Powerful Trixie has summoned you." The dark grey pony took a look at himself, and quickly realized he was now a pony. An earth pony with a dark brown mane and tail. After checking himself over, he glared at Trixie. Trixie returned his glare. "Are you not thrilled that The Great and Powerful Trixie has brought you here?"
The earth pony finally spoke up. "Oh no, I'm glad to be here, it's just why did it have to be "You" that summoned me?"
Trixie scoffed. "You do not appreciate Trixie's power?"
The now pony glared back. "No. I'm surprised you can even recite an incantation, let alone use a spell that can warp some pony from another world."
The stage mare lifted her hooves into the air. "You are no doubt shocked and awed at the things Trixie can truly do."
Staring in boredom at the showoff in front of him. The new pony replied. "More along the lines of sheerly disgusted."
Trixie glared at the new pony and noticed something about his hooves. "You wear those tacky metal shoes!"
The new pony glared right back at Trixie. "You wear that stupid hat and cape?"
Trixie scoffed at him as the earth pony turned to the audience. "Well as much fun as it's been to be here and see every pony, I wouldn't mind returning now."
The show mare put her hooves back on stage. "Trixie can not."
The newcomer's boredom slowly turned to rage. "What do you mean you can not?"
Trixie replied without a second thought. "There is no return spell."
The dark colt repeated the words to try to grasp the situation. "There is no return spell." Trying to find a bright side to the mess, the new pony thought out loud. "Well I guess it wouldn't be too bad living in Equestria for the rest of my life."
The stage unicorn pointed out. "There is the one other thing. You only have one month before you implode."
The earth pony finally lost it. "One month! Bucking hay!" He stopped. "Wait, I didn't say that." He thought for a second, then shrugged off his misstep of the tongue. "I don't mind being brought here. I don't mind having to even stay here, but then you tell me that I only have one month to live!? YOU PHONY SHOW MARE!" He stopped again. "Ok, now I know I didn't say that. I guess certain words are automatically censored here, I'll have to keep that in mind."
Trixie ignored the thinking pony. "Trixie is tired of your petty insults, and for this, you must have a pony guard you at all times during the next month. And because Trixie is nice. You may even choose some pony from the Equestrian Wasteland."
The doomed pony turned quizzically at the show mare. "You mean for my last month, and how do you know about the wasteland?"
Trixie smiled smugly. "I am the great and powerful Trixie of course."
The unimpressed pony moved his head toward the audience and looked around. "Rainbow Dash would be awesome to hang out with for the next month." He looked at himself again. "However some pony brought me here as an earth pony."
Trixie mentioned while putting a hoof to her mouth and yawning. "It would be unfair to give you any advantages you didn't have in your world."
He continued thinking aloud. "Black Jack would be awesome, so would Velvet Remedy, but I wouldn't want to put them in the same predicament I'm in now."
Trixie put a hoof down to get his attention. "Trixie is getting tired of this, make you're decision."
The newcomer snapped back. "I have a month to live, what's your excuse!" He looked through the audience one last time. "Alright... Trixie." Pure disdain in his voice at her name. "I choose..."
Trixie stopped him mid sentence. "Ahem."
Spite dripping from his lips. "Like I said. TRIXIE." His tone softened. "I choose Rose luck."
The magician mare looked out into the audience. "Are you sure of this, she will be your guard for the rest of the month?"
He stared thoughtfully toward Rose in the audience, who backed up slightly, and with a smile he spoke. "I'm sure."
"Very well." Replied Trixie. "Rose luck shall stay with you during your stay in Equestria. and that will end The Great and Powerful Trixie's show for the day."
The spiteful earth pony jabbed. "What's wrong Great and Powerful Trixie, don't want to hang around and witness the last days of the pony you've condemned?"
Trixie turned with a smirk on her face. "I see you've finally realized Trixie's greatness." The magician raised a hoof and pointed into the audience. "Rose luck, step forward." Rose luck backed up at first, then sighed and moved toward the stage.
Trixie pointed her hoof at the stairs off the side of the stage and gave The dark grey stallion a glare. The pony looked at the stairs then back at Trixie. "Oh no, you'd like to see me try and go down a set of stairs wouldn't you? Well I'm not going to give you the pleasure. I'm just going to jump down from right here." The colt took a step to the edge of the stage and steadied himself. He jumped offstage, landing on his front hooves only to have them give out and land him flat on his face, then his side. "That could have gone better."
Rose looked around the audience, then at the fallen pony trying to get back up. "Are you ok?" The tanned earth pony was still not sure what to think of everything that had just happened, and as the strange pony got up she backed up ready to run. Seeing Rose luck's fear. The doomed pony stood up slowly. "It's alright, I'm not dangerous or anything."
Rose luck responded with worry in her voice, her emerald eyes almost shaking. "Well you didn't exactly seem very nice up there."
The new comer tried to calm her down. "Oh. That's mainly because I... No, you have a point. I'm sorry." His head drops a bit. "If you would be willing to give me a chance, I will make it up to you."
Rose stopped shaking and curiously looked over the new pony. She walked around him, her two toned carnation/red mane and tail bobbing as she moved along. "I suppose I could give you a chance, seeing as I have to watch you for the next month. What is you're name?"
The stallion thought for a second, and decided to come up with a pony name on the spot. "Graphite Ember, but you can just call me Ember."
Rose looked at him a puzzled look on her face. "Ember? Oh I see, because your cutie mark is a... burning pencil? Graphite Ember turned to look at his cutie mark. Sure enough his cutie mark was a doubled tipped burning pencil.
"Yes." He said unsure. Rose stood in front of the strange pony, continuing to look over the new resident. Ember was getting worried. "Is there something wrong?"
Rose realizing she was staring spoke up. "Oh no, it's just your eyes, they're fire orange. It just makes me feel really uncomfortable, almost like you're going to burn down something if I'm not careful."
Ember closed his eyes and stood up straight. "I promise I won't burn anything. I actually respect this world much more than my own." Rose continued staring. Ember looked at the crowd desperately trying to break the tension. "Uhhh, Do you mind if we go elsewhere." He pointed his head toward the crowd of ponies still there.
Rose looked at the crowd then back at Graphite Ember. "I suppose so." The two earth ponies moved their way through the crowd back toward the main square of Ponyville.
As they walked the dark stallion spoke up. "Do you mind if we stop by Twilight's house quickly before we do anything else?"
Rose looked at the colt oddly. "Twilight Sparkle? I guess that's ok. Is there any reason?"
Ember thought aloud. "I just want to know if there really is no way of reversing this."
Reaching Twilight's tree Rose knocked on the door, and Twilight answered. The earth pony introduced herself. "Hello Twilight, It's me Rose luck, and this is... my friend? Well, he was just brought here by the great and powerful Trixie so...."
Twilight interrupted her. "Oh yes, the pony that was summoned here from another world. As soon as the act ended I galloped home and started researching that particular spell." Twilight magically pulls a book from off her desk and brings
it to the door.
The charcoal pony finally spoke up. "So is it true that I'm going to implode in a month, and there's no way for me to get back?"
Twilight shook her head. "I'm sorry, The spell she used is just too wild, and there's no way of reversing it. There's a reason it's not a spell any pony uses. I'm truly sorry I couldn't help."
Graphite sighed, then smiled and looked at Twilight. "Thank you for trying to help. I really appreciate it."
Twilight moved her book out of the way of the door. "I will try looking into anything I can to help you get back to your world, but if I can't. I hope at the very least that you enjoy your time here in Ponyville."
The two ponies turned to leave. Rose spoke first. "Thank you Twilight for your help." Ember then continued. "Good afternoon Twilight." Twilight shut the door to her house and the two ponies trotted back into town.
The sun was starting to set. As the two ponies trotted back into town heading toward Rose's house, Rose looked at Ember and asked. "You seem to know a lot about Ponyville, but Trixie said you were from another dimension. So, how do you know so much?"
Ember looked at her and thought for a second. "How to explain this." He thought for a bit. "I come from a dimension where we can watch and listen to other worlds. Does that make any sense?"
The tan pony just nods softly, still looking slightly puzzled. "Then why did you choose me?"
Ember just smiles. "Well, even though I've watched your world grow over the past 2 seasons, I've never seen much of you. You've always been in the background, but I found you intriguing. Why is she always so scared, when she seems like she would be such a kind, loving pony.
Rose blushed at this and nervously started slowing down. "You find me intriguing?"
Ember looks over and sees Rose moving away. "Oh no, not like that. It's just that, I know you have so much more to offer others is all."
Rose looked ahead trying not to look at the dark gray pony. She slowly turned her normal color as the two continued trotting to Rose's house in an embarrassed silence. Finally Rose spoke up. "We'll have to find a place for you to sleep, I am going to talk about all of this with my sisters."
Ember said without a break in his tone. "I'll be perfectly fine with sleeping outside."
As the two ponies approached the house, the flower vendor turned. "I'll go in and talk with my sisters, just ummm stay here." She quickly went inside. The sun was about to set, and Graphite Ember decided to watch the moon rise. He moved around to the side of the house to get a better view. The moon seamlessly rose from the horizon, and Ember could imagine Princess Luna performing the moon raising ritual. He stared at the moon. "Thank you Princess Luna." Rose had come out of the house and had watched him staring at the moon, a bit bothered by it all.
Ember slowly closed his eyes as he sat and started moving his lips as though singing a song, to which Rose decided to interject. "Am I interrupting?" He opened his eyes and looked over.
Rose continued. "My sisters said you can stay, but we don't have any room inside."
Ember nodded. "It's alright, honestly I can just sleep outside. It's not like there are any real dangers out here."
Rose rolled her eyes. "Oh sure except for the para sprites, the timber wolves, the occasional Ursa Major!"
"It was an Ursa Minor." Ember corrected.
"Same thing." Rose snarcked back.
"If I didn't know better I would think you were worried about me." Realizing what he just said Ember quickly backed down and looked at the ground. "Sorry, I'll be fine out here really."
Rose taken aback by his comment took a second to respond. "Y-yes. I guess so. Ummmm Good night." Rose left and went back into the house.
Ember stomped his front hoof into the ground. "Way to go." He sighed. "I'm not used to going to bed so early, but I guess I'll have to from now on." He took one last look at the moon then back toward the house, before he curled up next to the house and attempted to get some sleep.
