Everlasting Paradiseby Spark_of_FriendshipChaptersPrologueChapter 1: The Wake Up CallChapter 2: AdjustmentsChapter 3: Gems, Magic, and InvitationsChapter 4: A Pony For A SonChapter 5: Broken AnswersProloguePrologue Strange things were afoot in the small town of Duetail. There had been another kidnapping today. The third one. The news reporter had an incredibly fake smile as he noted this, which seriously ticked Argent off. Of course, he had been having a pretty bad day already, so this was expected. There was something about this reporter, though, that made him especially ticked off. Why was he in such a bad mood, you ask? Well, it probably had something to do with getting kicked off of his computer... again. That day, Argent had been doing generic stuff for a brony. You know, reading fanfics, watching animations, constantly checking Equestria Daily... Unfortunately for him, his mother never saw him doing any of this. (He was, after all, a closet brony.) She had the idea that Argent was never doing anything but playing video games. Argent, as a matter of fact, kept a video game tab off to the side at all times in case his parents ever walked by unexpectedly. (Being paranoid, his mother did this quite often.) And so, she had come to the conclusion that it would be fitting if Argent took a "break" from using the computer, for the sixth time that day. Argent sighed. He had yet to be able to get his pony fix for the day, seeing how he kept getting interrupted. His mother had gone out shopping, and his dad was still at work, leaving Argent with absolutely nothing to do. So here we find him, watching a boring local news broadcast, thinking that there was something seriously odd happening to the town lately. There had been several kidnappings lately, and in each the only evidence left behind was a piece of paper saying "Magetech needs the key." Each of these papers then mysteriously disappeared overnight on the day they were found. As you could probably tell, people had been getting into a bit of a frenzy about it. "It's those darn Magetech people!" yelled a positively irate man wearing a greasy shirt. "I swear, once I get my hands on them...!" Argent turned off the TV.These people were obviously freaking out over a bunch of college kids pulling a big prank, just like last year when a similar group of kids had "mysteriously" vanished. The whole town had a heart attack over what they thought was an alien invasion. Whatever it was, it wasn't his problem, right? What Argent didn't realize right then is that the whole darn thing was, in fact, completely his problem. Or, if it wasn't right then, it was very soon going to become his problem. Another thing Argent didn't realize was that a tall ominous man in a grey-and-purple robe was standing directly behind him. In the man's hand was a small device. It's screen glowed bright green and began scrolling thousands of ones and zeros. The man smiled and tapped his earpiece. "This is 04. We found the key." By the time Argent had figured out that all of this was happening, he was encased in a brilliant blue light and blacked out. ~~~ Argent groggily awoke. He supposed his kidnapper had thrown him in some dark, dank warehouse. He didnt feel a gag or binds of any kind. Something was off, though. Argent just had to find out what. He opened his eyes. And found himself in a very familiar library. It appeared to have been carved out of the inside of a giant tree. Books had been strewn across the floor in huge piles on the floor. A second floor above him looked like it functioned as a bedroom loft. He got up, walked over to one of the piles of nonfiction, and began reading the names aloud. "Perpexing Pony Plagues... Ghouls and Ghosts: The Unicorn's Guide to The Astral Plane..." As Argent read, metaphorical gears began to turn in his mind. Then something clicked into place, a switch was flipped, and a tiny lightbulb lit up. No way. Argent looked down at himself. A quadruplet of hooves covered in dark grey fur met his eyes. No. Way. He rushed up the familiar staircase and directly in front of a large mirror. Staring back throught the mirror was a very flustered, very excited-looking pony. It had a dark grey coat and a golden yellow mane that flew around it's face in curls. At it's sides, a pair of wings fluttered quietly. A single horn portruded from the mess of golden wisps. There is no way that this is happening. No. Freaking. Way. Argent looked down once again to find Spike, who was sleeping quite soundly in his little bed. His scales glistened a deep purple and green in the morning sunlight. That sealed the deal. Argent wobbled before finally toppling over, and with a painful slam, he blacked out for the second time that day. Chapter 1: The Wake Up CallChapter 1: The Wake Up Call Argent wasn't having a very good day. Somewhere along the line, he had fallen asleep and had another pony dream. Nice, but very short lived. Maybe, just maybe, if he kept his eyes closed and fell back asleep, the dream would continue. Of course, that couldn't happen. A very hard, blunt object was now gently poking his wings. Wait. Wings...? Argent finally decided to open his eyes. He was in what looked like Twilight's bed. Over him stood a cream-colored pony with a pink-and-navy-blue mane. Her cutie mark was three wrapped candies. Bon Bon. Twilight stood nearby. "Oh, good, you're awake. I was getting worried," said Twilight. "Just keep still. Bon Bon here is a registered doctor, so you'll be fine." Argent began to breathe heavily under the covers. He was still a pony, then. And an Alicorn, of all things! This was beginning to get ridiculous. He tried talking. "H-how long have I been out?" His normal voice had been replaced by soft, melodic tones. He would've clasped his hooves over his mouth were it not for Bon Bon watching him so closely. "Only for a day or two. Don't worry, just one more day of rest and you'll be up and about," said Bon Bon in that odd, condescending tone that all doctors seemed to share. This time, Argent did react. "A day or two?!" Argent wailed, "Oh, this is very bad. They think I've been kidnapped! My family, my friends-" Bon Bon cut him off with a carefully placed poke under his wing. "Ouch!" "I said, don't worry." Bon Bon was giving him a stare that could've rivaled on of Fluttershy's. Argent stopped struggling. "Fine. I'll let you go early, but you need to stay off of that wing for another day. You've bruised it pretty bad." With that, Bon Bon walked out of the loft. The door the the library slammed shut. "Sorry about Bon Bon," said Twilight, "She's been overworking lately." Argent nodded. He carefully pushed away the covers and got out of bed. He stood up on all fours. Oddly enough, it felt completely natural. He started trotting around the room, trying to get a feel for being a pony. It wasn't too bad, but the lack of hands was slightly unnerving. Argent flapped his wings a few times. They were like an extension off of his spine, and functioned just like moving an arm. Of course, Argent really didn't have any arms anymore. He twinged as he felt a spike of pain in his side. Oh, that's right. He had bruised his wing. How had that happened, anyway? Could alicorns get hurt? Argent stopped. Spike and Twilight had been staring at him blankly as he paced. Both of them quickly bowed as he met their eyes. "Why are you guys bowing? I'm not a princess or anything, you know. I don't even know how I got here." Twilight looked surprised, then stepped forward. "I'm sorry about the formality, uh... what's your name?" Twilight was incredibly flustered. Spike was still standing several feet back. "I'm Argent. And I'm certainly not a princess. At least, I don't think I am. It's very complicated..." Suddenly, a thought struck him. "Say, Twilight, you wouldn't be able to-" "How do you know my name?" Argent stopped. Crud. Of course, Twilight hadn't properly introduced herself yet. He would have to be careful about what he said. "Oh, of course. You're another human, aren't you?" Of course, this was exactly what he was trying to- "Wait. What?" "There are three others like you living in Lyra's house at the moment. I think you should go meet them." Then, the other kidnappings... "Yeah. It'd be nice to have another human to talk to right now." "Well, let's go see Lyra then. Spike, would you tidy the library while I'm gone?" "Already on it, Twilight." ~~~ "Lyra, we got another one!" "Already? Geez, it's barely been three days since the last one!" The door on Lyra's cottage swung open. A teal-colored unicorn stood on the other side. "Wow! An Alicorn! I didn't know humans came like that. Please, come on in." Twilight and Argent stepped into the room. While on the outside the cottage was standard Ponyville fare, the inside was distinctly human-looking. Teal and blue wallpaper covered the walls. Three new ponies all sat around a coffee table, having a chat. "Well, go on, talk with your friends. All the others have known each other so far, so I'm assuming that you know somepony here. Have a good time!" Lyra walked into the kitchen, followed by Twilight. Argent looked at each of the ponies in turn. The one furthest to the left of the room, a green Earth Pony with a curly brown mane, stood up and spoke. His cutie mark was a book. "Aah, a newcomer. Welcome to Equestria. My name is Ross, but you can call me Moss-" "Ross?!" Argent was flabbergasted. Ross had been his childhood friend up into high school. But this couldn't be that Ross... Could it? "Dude... It's me, Argent." Ross' eyes lit up. "Oh my god! Is it really you? I had no idea you were going to get sent here! Come on, man, sit down. Let me introduce you to our friends here." He pointed a hoof at a green-blue Pegasus with a sky blue mane and a cutie mark that looked like a leaf. "This here is Angela, but she's taken up the persona Serene Breeze." Serene Breeze waved a hoof happily. "And the colt to her right is her brother Mark. You can call him Chocolate Soil." "I told you not to call me that!" Yelled Mark, "Just please. Call me Mark. It was bad enough just to be a pony..." Mark was a slightly younger brown Unicorn with a dark brown mane that covered his eyes almost completely. His cutie mark was a bar of chocolate. "Mark, I'm sorry, but we need to have pony names so we blend in with the crowd," said Serene Breeze. She had a very quiet, calm voice. "So, Argent, what is your pony name going to be?" Argent thought about it for a minute. He needed a name that matched both his personality and his appearance. It couldn't be too human-like, and it probably had to consist of two parts. Argent thought back to the mirror, the spiky golden hair... "Spark. You can call me Spark." The other three nodded slowly, exchanged glances, and nodded again. "That's great. It took us hours to come up with the names," said Ross. "It fits your hair, especially. Oh, speaking of appearances... Argent, why are you a filly?" The question hit Argent like a pound of bricks. "I-I'm a girl?" Chapter 2: AdjustmentsChapter 2: Adjustments A unicorn in a grey and purple robe carefully trotted into the dim magelight. "Sir, the Catalyst has arrived." "Ah. You finally found him, did you after four tries? Very well... it is time that we put our plan into action..." Caelum dismissed the minion with a slight gesture with his hoof. Finally, after millenniums of waiting, building, and planning, he could now finish the conquest that he had failed at so many years ago. ~~~ Argent, as expected, was having a bit of trouble coping with the fact that he had quite suddenly changed gender. ...and race. ...and dimension. ...and basically EVERYTHING in his life, as far as he was concerned. To try and help him adjust, Lyra had sent him and Serene Breeze to get the day's groceries. Oh, poor, poor Breeze. "Should I be walking this way? Is this how a girl walks? No, wait. Is this how a filly walks? Oh, no! Should I be doing something different with my hair? Er, mane? I've just left it like this... Oh, sweet Celestia, what if RARITY sees me?! She'll probably put me in a dress... Some horrible, frilly dress-" "ARGENT! Just calm down. You don't need to do anything different. Rarity is not going to put you in a dress the moment she sees you. She doesn't even know who you are!" Serene sighed. It had taken over an hour to find even half of the food needed to sustain a household of six ponies, and Argent had been raving the entire time. "Just do what you've been doing the entire time. ...you know, it's kind of nice to have another girl around." "Wouldn't you have had Lyra and Bon Bon, though?" "Well, Lyra keeps asking obsessively about humans, and Bon Bon is always off doing various odd jobs. I meant another human-turned-pony girl. Unfortunately, you seemed to be... uh... a different matter." "Yeah, I guess..." Argent had visibly calmed down from the tangent. His pace was now much more confident, and his breathing more steady, Serene noted. "...it really doesn't help that people keep bowing, though." "What?" Serene had been so focused on Argent that she hadn't noticed. Various ponies were throwing themselves on the ground as he passed. "It... must be because you're an alicorn. They think you're a princess." "Great. So now anypony who doesn't know better thinks that I'm a visiting princess," Argent snarled, "I wish I could just hide my wings with something. Like a cloak." Serene smiled. A horrible, twisted, maniacal smile that was about to make up for an hour of pitying Argent. ~~~ "I hate you." Argent was currently being held captive on a pedestal the Carousel Boutique. "Well, you asked for a cloak, and well, Rarity seemed the only logical choice." Argent turned to the white and purple unicorn who was furiously taking measurements. "Um, Rarity?" "Yes, darling? Oh, dear me, I'm so sorry. Miss Spark?" Serene stifled a giggle. "Um, please, just Spark is fine. I'd just like something that hides my wings. You see, they've been attracting too much attention." "Oh, I see... too much attention..." Rarity stopped to think for a moment. "A-ha! I've got it!" The unicorn practically galloped behind a bright red curtain, from where the sounds of clanging metal could be heard. "What could she possibly be doing back there?" Serene wondered aloud. In response, Argent shot her the best death glare he had ever done. "Oh, come on. You asked for something that didn't attract attention, right? You asked for a cloak. She wouldn't dare insult a princess of your caliber." Argent sighed. "Yeah, I guess so..." Argent went very pale all of a sudden. "Why did it have to be me, huh? A female alicorn? What sort of cruel trick is that?" Serene's smile faded. Maybe she had pushed too far. "Argent, I'm so-" "It's FINISHED!" Rarity emerged from the curtain, carrying a gold necklace in her magic. The necklace was periodically studded with varying sizes of opals. "What's that going to do," asked Serene as Rarity slipped the necklace over Argent's neck, "it doesn't even cover- ooh." Argent looked back at where his wings should've been. He smiled warmly. "Why, thank you Rarity, that will do perfectly." Chapter 3: Gems, Magic, and InvitationsChapter 3: Gems, Magic, and Invitations "It's a set of cloaking gems. So long as I keep my wings still, they're hidden from view. Isn't it great?" To demonstrate, Argent flared his wings and folded them again. Soft "ooh's" were heard from Mark and Ross each time the wings appeared and disappeared. "How much did that cost?" asked Lyra and Bon Bon simultaneously. Serene Breeze waved a hoof dismissively. "Rarity gave it to us, free of charge! 'Anything for a princess,' she said." Mark audibly snorted as Lyra breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, hush you, Argent deserves this after the day he's been through." Ross was enchanted. "I never knew that unicorn magic could be channeled through gems, let alone as a standalone enchantment! Sure, Twilight has been teaching me on Equestrian history, but this has never been mentioned..." He pulled a notebook and pencil from a nearby saddlebag and began taking notes, his voice muddled by the pencil in his mouth. "Naoh... Youh shaid thath thith wasth a cloakinth spell, yesh?" "Well, she didn't say much about it. Only that it was a rather complex spell that can be put in all sorts of jewels." "Oh... I shee..." Ross spit out the pencil. "That's very disappointing. Oh, and Twilight wants to see you for a magic lesson." "Say what?" "I said, Twilight wants to teach you how to use magic. You know, since an alicorn that can't use magic is pretty ridiculous." "I'm going to go, too" Mark chimed in, "but Twilight said that I might not be able to do much, seeing how young I am." "And... when is this lesson going to be?" "Well, um, Twilight wanted to meet us as soon as possible." "Well, let's get going!" Argent took the saddlebags that Ross offered, let Mark hop onto his back, and galloped out the door. Ross chuckled. "Well, she certainly seems to be feeling better, huh?" Serene Breeze smacked him lightly with her wing. "Hey, we all agreed to say 'he', remember? But yes, he is much better than this morning." "Good. I'm glad you're all adjusting." This was Bon Bon. Her voice had changed from doctor-like to a light, airy voice. Serene Breeze and Ross looked a bit puzzled. "I'm sorry, but... Did your voice change?" "It's an old medical condition," said Lyra. "She doesn't like to talk about it." ~~~ Princess Celestia looked over Twilight's most recent letter. "Dear Princess Celestia, Several ponies have arrived in Ponyville recently. They claim to have been humans, from a place called Earth, in a town known as Deutail. There are four of them, a unicorn, a pegasus, an earth pony, and - can you believe this? - an alicorn! I have begun tutoring them in the ways of magic and Equestrian history. I hope we can become good friends. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle." Celestia frowned. She knew well of the humans, a very selfish race that had ravaged their world with their petty wars. Hopefully these humans would be exceptions. Thankfully, they had become ponies through whatever force had brought them here. An alicorn as well, interestingly enough. Celestia magically grabbed a quill and began writing a response. "Dear Twilight, These humans sound quite interesting. Continue tutoring them, an-" Celestia stopped writing as another letter appeared from mist in front of her. She picked it up and read it. This was bad. This was very, very bad. She dropped the quill and ran to make preparations. ~~~ Argent supposed that the prospect of a lecture from Twilight shouldn't really have been all that exciting. It wasn't. Argent and Mark had been sitting in two cramped little desks in Twilight's library for hours. They had been through magic theory, magic history, various useful spells, how to perform a spell, and basically anything that Twilight thought they needed to know, which was just about everything. "Alright. That just about covers everything." Twilight put away her triple-checked checklist and pulled out a ballpoint pen. "Now that you are both well-introduced into magic, you can try the easiest spell to learn -- Levitation." Twilight magically floated the pen onto Mark's desk. "Alright, here goes..." Mark started to strain, trying to access his magic reserve. "Remember, open your Mana lines. The energy will flow from your cutie mark to your horn, just channel it straight through." Mark's horn began to glow with a deep blue light. "That's it, keep going..." Mark strained harder. The glow was getting brighter, but nothing was happening. Somewhere off in the distance, Argent could hear a deep rumbling. The sound stopped as Mark collapsed to the floor. "N-nothing... I... can't do it..." Twilight looked puzzled. "That's odd. I felt a good flow of Mana... Oh well. Argent, why don't you give it a try?" The pen floated onto Argent's desk. Argent breathed deeply. He focused hard, and focused on his horn. Gradually, like a little river, Mana crept up his spine and to the tip of his horn. It glowed a bright lime green. Twilight nodded. "Good. Your Mana is flowing properly. It'll become easier to open your Mana flows as you perform more spells. Now, direct the energy through your horn." Argent obliged. He focused his energy towards the pen. A tiny wisp of green light moved from his horn to the writing utensil, and enveloped it. He gasped. He saw the pen in his mind. He could see every piece. He knew how each part moved, he knew how it fit together, he could see, in his mind's eye, exactly how that pen functioned. He knew how to build one. The vision broke his concentration, and the magic line snapped. Twilight was clapping. "That's great, Argent! That was almost three feet in the air! That's amazing for your first time!" Mark looked decidedly jealous. Argent, who was still somewhat dazed, asked, "Um... Twilight? I think something went wro-" "TWILIGHT!" Pinkie Pie burst through the library door. "I heard that there are a whole FOUR new ponies in town!" "Well, Pinkie," said Twilight, "two of them are ri-" "HI THERE! You must be two of the new ponies in town! I'm Pinkie Pie, nice to meet you! I'm gonna throw you four a super-fantastic-amazing-all-night PARTY! Here's an invitation!" The pink pony produced two invitations from her hair, which Argent noted smelled surprisingly like cotton candy. Mark, who was busy having a heart attack, took the invitation with a dazed expression on his face. Argent resisted the urge to hug Pinkie and opened his Mana flow to grab the offered invitation. Argent blinked. A mental schematic for the paper sped through his mind. It was mostly paper, with a large pocket of confetti designed to explode outwards upon opening. Another blink, and it was gone. "I'm sorry, what?" "I said to not be late, silly! I'm gonna be baking you four plenty of treats to enjoy, and you wouldn't want them to get cold, would you? Well, I see you ponies tomorrow night!" With that and a whoosh of cotton-candy air, Pinkie was gone. Mark was staring blankly at the invitation. "Who was that?" "That," said Twilight, closing the library door, "was Pinkie Pie. She's usually a bit more... enthusiastic about new ponies in town, but I guess even Pinkie gets tired sometimes." "That was her tired? Can't wait to see her excited..." Mark was brushing the confetti out of his coat as he stood up. Spike called from upstairs, "Twilight, there's a letter from the Princess!" Twilight called back, "Just a minute!" She turned back to Argent and Mark. "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to go." "That's okay, Twilight," Argent was pushing the door open with his hoof. "But there was something about the spell-" Spike called again from upstairs, cutting off his question. "I'm sorry, but that will have to wait for tomorrow. Goodnight, Argent, goodnight Mark! We'll have another lesson before the party tomorrow!" Twilight closed the door behind them and sighed. She walked up the stairs, where Spike was still calling. "Twilight, I think you'd better read this." Spike held up a scroll. Twilight took it. "My faithful student Twilight, I would like to meet with these four humans as soon as possible, as well as the other Elements of Harmony. I shall send a royal carriage to get you two mornings from now. It is of the utmost importance that everyone is there. I await your arrival. ~ Princess Celestia" "What do you think it means, Twilight?" "I don't know, Spike. Something sounds fishy about this. Why would she need the Elements there, for one? And why is it "of the utmost importance?" I wonder what's going on..." Chapter 4: A Pony For A SonChapter 4: A Pony For a Son Argent was confronting his parents. "So, you see, I don't know how long I'm going to be a pony... I'm sure Twilight will find something eventually. But for the time being-" "Why should we let you back?" his father said in a gruff voice. Argent's eyes watered with tears. "It's just not practical, dearie," said his mother. "You have no idea how difficult it would be to keep this quiet." His father nodded. "Besides, there's the matter of your punishment." "P-punishment?" squeaked Argent, "but, I was practically kidnapped-" "HOW WERE WE TO KNOW OF THAT?!" roared Argent's father. "Your mother and I were worried sick! Not to mention all this "Brony" nonsense you've been keeping from us!" "But, Dad, I-" "No. Come back when you at least look like my son." They faded away, leaving Argent alone in the darkness, sobbing. "No... Please... I don't know how... It's not my fault..." As Argent looked around, he saw his friends receive similar rejections from their parents. So much for that, he guessed. After all, who wants a pony for a son? ~~~ "Argent, are you okay? Argent?" Who was that, again? Where was he? This didn't feel like his bed... The events of the previous day flooded Argent's mind like a bittersweet chocolate river. He groaned. "Serene Breeze?" "Yes?" "Tell me. Did... Did yesterday actually happen?" "Well... Yeah, of course it did. Did you hit your head before you went to bed or something?" At this, Argent opened his eyes. The blue-green pegasus smiled warmly. Argent wiped the tears from his eyes. "Hey, Serene... I've been thinking. What's going to happen if we can't change back?" Serene's eyes widened. "I-I don't know what might happen. I don't know what I would tell my parents..." "Exactly. What... What would our family do? What would they tell us? Do you think they would take us back?" Argent was starting to cry again. "Argent, I-" "BREEEEEAAKFAST! GET UP, YOU LAZY PONIES!" Argent and Serene rushed down the stairs and into the kitchen. Bon Bon stood menacingly next to Lyra, who toiled over pan-fulls of eggs and hay bacon. "YOU'VE GOT A-" She suddenly started coughing, doubling over as Lyra gently patted her back. After the coughing fit passed, she spoke in a much lighter, nicer voice. "You have a Pinkie Introduction Party in just a few hours, so Lyra volunteered to make breakfast." The four turned to Lyra with quizzical faces. "It's part of Bon Bon's condition," she explained, "Her voice changes every time she has a coughing fit. Now, enough of that, it's time for breakfast!" ~~~ The four now-ponies relaxed under a nearby apple tree, full to the brim with Lyra's delicious cooking. "So guys," Argent began, "We get one of Pinkie's famous introduction parties today." Mark shuddered at the mention of the explosive pink pony. "I just want to go home," he said. " I just want to get out of here, back to being human. I hate being a pony." Mark closed his eyes. "I'm not a brony. I never wanted any of this. So what if they're real? It doesn't mean I should become a brony like all of you guys." Serene placed a hoof on his shoulder. "Mark, I'm sorry I got you dragged into all this. If I hadn't grabbed you when that man appeared-" "Hold on there," Ross interjected, "I saw a man just before I came here, too." "Me too," said Argent. "A guy wearing a grey and purple robe, right?" The other three nodded. "I bet there's a connection." Ross, who was about to start putting two and two together, had his train of thought rudely derailed by a screaming pink blur heading worriedly fast towards them. "HEY YOU GUYS! WE GOTTA PREPARE FOR THE PARTY!" Mark shuddered and hid himself behind the tree. "Oh no, nononono-" He was cut off as the pink blur came to an impossibly fast stop directly in front of them. The gust of wind that resulted smelled vaguely of cotton candy. "Alright, everypony come with me, we have a lot of planning to do!" The four reluctantly followed Pinkie down the street. "Now, normally, this would be a surprise party, but you guys already knew about it so I thought that it would be kind of a waste of time. Now, you get to help me set it up!" Pinkie grabbed Mark by the tail and dragged him screaming towards Sugarcube Corner, the other three ponies trailing behind casually. ~~~ Meanwhile, deep within the bowels of the library, Twilight, who was engaged in a long conversation via mirror with Celestia, was beginning to get seriously worried. "Princess, what the hay is going on?!" "Twilight, I can't tell you. Not yet." "But... But I'm your best student! You can tell me anything!" Celestia shook her head firmly. "Not this time. Just make sure to have the Elements on you at all times, understood?" "Yes, Princess." "Good. I'll send them through now." A ripple flowed through the mirror as the large box was transported magically. It fell with a loud bump onto the wooden floor of the library. "Good luck, Twilight Sparkle. Do not forget what we have planned." Luna walked up behind the princess and tapped her quietly on the shoulder with her hoof. She muttered a few words to her, and quietly exited the room. Celestia turned back to Twilight. "My student, there has been a slight change of plans. Coelum appears to be transitioning faster than expected." "Wait, Princess! Who's Coelum? What in Equestria is happen-" "Meet me in Canterlot as soon as possible. Waste no time." And with that the mirror hardened, leaving Twilight alone in the dark once again. ~~~ "Wow Pinkie, this looks amazing!" Argent, Ross, and Serene Breeze had finally caught up to Pinkie and Mark, the latter of which was hurriedly monitoring the various baked treats being prepared. Pinkie, on the other hoof, was putting the finishing touches on the decorations. The whole place "Thanks, Ross, it means a lot! Of course, it wouldn't make a difference if Mark hadn't put so much hard work into the baking! He's the amazing one!" "Pinkie," Mark shouted from the kitchen, "Another batch of cupcakes are done!" The said batch of cupcakes floated through the kitchen door and into Pinkie's hooves. As the pink pony began tossing the cupcakes decoratively onto a platter, Ross clapped his hooves appreciatively. "Well done Mark, you figured out levitation!" "Huh?" The sound of clattering dishes could be heard through the door. "Oh, yeah, it's cool." Ross looked over at Serene expectantly. "He takes his cooking really seriously," she explained, "He can be like this for hours, right up to the point someone takes a bite. It's surprising that you even got an answer." Ross nodded seriously, as if adding that to his mental notes. The ponies worked hard into the afternoon, with Mark putting the Corner's baking ovens to good use. Serene Breeze and Argent hung decorations around the large dining room. Ross and Pinkie organized and decorated the rest of Sugarcube Corner. When it was all done, the five exhausted ponies were greeted with some pre-party punch from Mr. and Mrs. Cake. Everypony chatted over what ponies they wanted to meet first, with Pinkie chiming in about exactly how to mingle with ponies at a welcome party properly, because it would be pretty silly if they did it wrong. Twilight burst through the doors. Her mane was frazzled and unkempt, and she gritted her teeth as she spoke. "Pinkie, put this on." She tossed a small golden necklace at the pink pony, emblazoned with a gem in the shape of a balloon. "You four, come with me. We have a lot to talk about." ~~~ Chapter 5: Broken AnswersChapter 5 Argent sat in what appeared to be one of the royal carriages. The interior was a distinctly red velvet, while the outside was made of an unknown white metal with gold trim. In front of him sat Ross and Twilight, while Mark and Serene Breeze sat to his left. A distinct aura of stress pressed down on them all. This was mainly due to Twilight. "I-I mean, it's like she doesn't trust me! ME, her most faithful student! What can possibly be so serious that she CAN'T TELL ME?!" Twilight, who's mane looked like she had run into an electrical fence, collapsed into sobs. The Element of Magic slipped off of her head and clattered to the floor of the carriage. Breeze picked it up, placed it next to her, and once again tried to comfort the distraught unicorn. "Twilight, I'm sure she would have told you if she could. There's no way she would just leave you in the dark like this if she didn't have a very good reason." "I know, but-" *sniff* "s-she didn't even tell me why she couldn't tell me! There's just no explanation, none of it!" Having remained silent for most of the ride, Mark finally spoke up. "Oh, would you just cut the sob story already." The entire contents of the carriage turned and stared at him with varying degrees of surprise and warning. He continued, ignoring the four sets of eyes glued upon him. "I mean, look. This Princess Celestia lady is immortal, right? She's probably seen way worse things than you, Twilight. If us showing up has her this spooked, then something is seriously wrong." At this, Twilight flew into a rage. "A princess does not GET SPOOKED. She is the most powerful pony in all of Equestria, you can't just SCARE her!" Oh, I believe I have. Such fools, these ponies. Argent jumped at the voice. It was a man's, deep and cynical. "Who is..." You should know me. Of course, it won't matter soon enough. "Please, who are you and where are you?" "Who's what?" Asked Ross quizzically. "Didn't anyone else-" A royal guard coughed outside the door. "Miss Twilight, we have arrived at the castle. The Princess is ready to see you." ~~~ The royal hall was a lot bigger than Argent had expected. The ceiling rose what appeared to be miles above them, and pristine marble pillars rose to meet it. The floor had been polished to a shine, and the carpet padded comfortable against his hooves. The two royal sisters sat side by side on thrones made of a mysterious stone, one of which was a deep blue, the other a shining gold. They bowed. As they rose, Celestia's looked them over one by one. She stopped at Argent. For a split second, her face flashed with an unexpected emotion. Was that... fear? "Hello, my little ponies, and welcome to Equestria," She began warmly, "I hope that you-" Oh, Celestia. When will you ever get over those formal introductions? Celestia froze. Her eyes narrowed. She was staring right at Argent. "NO." With a blast of golden light, Argent was engulfed in an orb of magic, that scalded his fur as it came close. Luna stood quickly as Twilight shouted at the Princess to stop, while the voice continued. You've grown stronger, haven't you? Well, that doesn't matter now... "I'm already here." The voice now boomed through the chamber, and it was apparent that everypony could hear it. Argent could do nothing but scream as the golden light tore into his skin. Celestia flung the orb, with Argent trapped inside, sharply into one of the walls. The was a sickening crack as the golden light shattered and Argent's wing struck the marble. He slumped to the ground, his wing twisted at an odd angle. "ARGENT!" Ross, Mark, and Serene shouted at once, and ran to Argent's side. His view was fading, the world was going black. At the center of his vision, a brilliant green burst of magic nearly blinded him. He got one last fading glimpse at a tall, dark alicorn before everything went dark. Voices faded in and out of the darkness. "Princess, WHAT'S HAPPENING?!" "Sister, we have to escape." "Lyra, Bon Bon, get in here!" "Twilight, use the Elements. NOW!" A flicker of light broke through the blackness, accompanied by a monstrous boom. There was silence. "I-It didn't work." Argent felt himself being lifted through the darkness. "ALL OF YOU, GET IN HERE, NOW!" "It didn't... even leave a... a scratch..." Argent was slipping. There was a dull pain in his left wing, but it was a faint and minor distraction through the static in his brain. The voices faded out, and the static left after a while. Argent fell into a painful, distressed sleep. ~~~ Did I ever tell you about my powers? No? Well, that's unfortunate. Of course, we've been apart so long. Memories... Well, you see, back in the days before Discord's rule, I was one of the original Elements of Harmony. Laughter, to be exact. It was nice, it really was. Making people happy, saving the world... It was a good life. But it wasn't enough. There were too many unhappy people, Argent. Too many lives we couldn't save. I started searching for a way to save everybody, and keep them safe forever. Celestia didn't get it. She continued to tell me that I couldn't save everyone. That a few injuries were part of the responsibility. But that didn't stop me. I continued my work in secret, until I perfected my machine. A machine that would bridge life and death, a machine that could do what I could not. I called it MageTech. It was almost finished, almost perfect, when Celestia found out. That was the beginning of the war. ~~~ Argent woke for what must be the fifth time since he arrived in Equestria, and compared to the past it wasn't too different at first. The first thing to hit was the pain in his left wing. It burned like it was on fire. Trying to shift the pressure on his side, he rolled onto his back. The scream echoed through what must have been a very large chamber. That had been a big mistake. Eyes now wide open, Argent inspected his surroundings. He was in a cage, made out of the same material as the royal thrones. The floor of it extended several feet in every direction. Trotting to the bars, he noted that the cage itself was chained to the ceiling using a similar black metal. Below him was a pit full of wickedly sharp crystal spikes. "The crystal caves underneath Canterlot most likely," he thought aloud. "but why am in this cage?" "The answer is simple." Celestia walked into the room from a crack between two crystals. "You, Argent, are responsible for what is going to be the destruction of Equestria."
ProloguePrologue Strange things were afoot in the small town of Duetail. There had been another kidnapping today. The third one. The news reporter had an incredibly fake smile as he noted this, which seriously ticked Argent off. Of course, he had been having a pretty bad day already, so this was expected. There was something about this reporter, though, that made him especially ticked off. Why was he in such a bad mood, you ask? Well, it probably had something to do with getting kicked off of his computer... again. That day, Argent had been doing generic stuff for a brony. You know, reading fanfics, watching animations, constantly checking Equestria Daily... Unfortunately for him, his mother never saw him doing any of this. (He was, after all, a closet brony.) She had the idea that Argent was never doing anything but playing video games. Argent, as a matter of fact, kept a video game tab off to the side at all times in case his parents ever walked by unexpectedly. (Being paranoid, his mother did this quite often.) And so, she had come to the conclusion that it would be fitting if Argent took a "break" from using the computer, for the sixth time that day. Argent sighed. He had yet to be able to get his pony fix for the day, seeing how he kept getting interrupted. His mother had gone out shopping, and his dad was still at work, leaving Argent with absolutely nothing to do. So here we find him, watching a boring local news broadcast, thinking that there was something seriously odd happening to the town lately. There had been several kidnappings lately, and in each the only evidence left behind was a piece of paper saying "Magetech needs the key." Each of these papers then mysteriously disappeared overnight on the day they were found. As you could probably tell, people had been getting into a bit of a frenzy about it. "It's those darn Magetech people!" yelled a positively irate man wearing a greasy shirt. "I swear, once I get my hands on them...!" Argent turned off the TV.These people were obviously freaking out over a bunch of college kids pulling a big prank, just like last year when a similar group of kids had "mysteriously" vanished. The whole town had a heart attack over what they thought was an alien invasion. Whatever it was, it wasn't his problem, right? What Argent didn't realize right then is that the whole darn thing was, in fact, completely his problem. Or, if it wasn't right then, it was very soon going to become his problem. Another thing Argent didn't realize was that a tall ominous man in a grey-and-purple robe was standing directly behind him. In the man's hand was a small device. It's screen glowed bright green and began scrolling thousands of ones and zeros. The man smiled and tapped his earpiece. "This is 04. We found the key." By the time Argent had figured out that all of this was happening, he was encased in a brilliant blue light and blacked out. ~~~ Argent groggily awoke. He supposed his kidnapper had thrown him in some dark, dank warehouse. He didnt feel a gag or binds of any kind. Something was off, though. Argent just had to find out what. He opened his eyes. And found himself in a very familiar library. It appeared to have been carved out of the inside of a giant tree. Books had been strewn across the floor in huge piles on the floor. A second floor above him looked like it functioned as a bedroom loft. He got up, walked over to one of the piles of nonfiction, and began reading the names aloud. "Perpexing Pony Plagues... Ghouls and Ghosts: The Unicorn's Guide to The Astral Plane..." As Argent read, metaphorical gears began to turn in his mind. Then something clicked into place, a switch was flipped, and a tiny lightbulb lit up. No way. Argent looked down at himself. A quadruplet of hooves covered in dark grey fur met his eyes. No. Way. He rushed up the familiar staircase and directly in front of a large mirror. Staring back throught the mirror was a very flustered, very excited-looking pony. It had a dark grey coat and a golden yellow mane that flew around it's face in curls. At it's sides, a pair of wings fluttered quietly. A single horn portruded from the mess of golden wisps. There is no way that this is happening. No. Freaking. Way. Argent looked down once again to find Spike, who was sleeping quite soundly in his little bed. His scales glistened a deep purple and green in the morning sunlight. That sealed the deal. Argent wobbled before finally toppling over, and with a painful slam, he blacked out for the second time that day.
Chapter 1: The Wake Up CallChapter 1: The Wake Up Call Argent wasn't having a very good day. Somewhere along the line, he had fallen asleep and had another pony dream. Nice, but very short lived. Maybe, just maybe, if he kept his eyes closed and fell back asleep, the dream would continue. Of course, that couldn't happen. A very hard, blunt object was now gently poking his wings. Wait. Wings...? Argent finally decided to open his eyes. He was in what looked like Twilight's bed. Over him stood a cream-colored pony with a pink-and-navy-blue mane. Her cutie mark was three wrapped candies. Bon Bon. Twilight stood nearby. "Oh, good, you're awake. I was getting worried," said Twilight. "Just keep still. Bon Bon here is a registered doctor, so you'll be fine." Argent began to breathe heavily under the covers. He was still a pony, then. And an Alicorn, of all things! This was beginning to get ridiculous. He tried talking. "H-how long have I been out?" His normal voice had been replaced by soft, melodic tones. He would've clasped his hooves over his mouth were it not for Bon Bon watching him so closely. "Only for a day or two. Don't worry, just one more day of rest and you'll be up and about," said Bon Bon in that odd, condescending tone that all doctors seemed to share. This time, Argent did react. "A day or two?!" Argent wailed, "Oh, this is very bad. They think I've been kidnapped! My family, my friends-" Bon Bon cut him off with a carefully placed poke under his wing. "Ouch!" "I said, don't worry." Bon Bon was giving him a stare that could've rivaled on of Fluttershy's. Argent stopped struggling. "Fine. I'll let you go early, but you need to stay off of that wing for another day. You've bruised it pretty bad." With that, Bon Bon walked out of the loft. The door the the library slammed shut. "Sorry about Bon Bon," said Twilight, "She's been overworking lately." Argent nodded. He carefully pushed away the covers and got out of bed. He stood up on all fours. Oddly enough, it felt completely natural. He started trotting around the room, trying to get a feel for being a pony. It wasn't too bad, but the lack of hands was slightly unnerving. Argent flapped his wings a few times. They were like an extension off of his spine, and functioned just like moving an arm. Of course, Argent really didn't have any arms anymore. He twinged as he felt a spike of pain in his side. Oh, that's right. He had bruised his wing. How had that happened, anyway? Could alicorns get hurt? Argent stopped. Spike and Twilight had been staring at him blankly as he paced. Both of them quickly bowed as he met their eyes. "Why are you guys bowing? I'm not a princess or anything, you know. I don't even know how I got here." Twilight looked surprised, then stepped forward. "I'm sorry about the formality, uh... what's your name?" Twilight was incredibly flustered. Spike was still standing several feet back. "I'm Argent. And I'm certainly not a princess. At least, I don't think I am. It's very complicated..." Suddenly, a thought struck him. "Say, Twilight, you wouldn't be able to-" "How do you know my name?" Argent stopped. Crud. Of course, Twilight hadn't properly introduced herself yet. He would have to be careful about what he said. "Oh, of course. You're another human, aren't you?" Of course, this was exactly what he was trying to- "Wait. What?" "There are three others like you living in Lyra's house at the moment. I think you should go meet them." Then, the other kidnappings... "Yeah. It'd be nice to have another human to talk to right now." "Well, let's go see Lyra then. Spike, would you tidy the library while I'm gone?" "Already on it, Twilight." ~~~ "Lyra, we got another one!" "Already? Geez, it's barely been three days since the last one!" The door on Lyra's cottage swung open. A teal-colored unicorn stood on the other side. "Wow! An Alicorn! I didn't know humans came like that. Please, come on in." Twilight and Argent stepped into the room. While on the outside the cottage was standard Ponyville fare, the inside was distinctly human-looking. Teal and blue wallpaper covered the walls. Three new ponies all sat around a coffee table, having a chat. "Well, go on, talk with your friends. All the others have known each other so far, so I'm assuming that you know somepony here. Have a good time!" Lyra walked into the kitchen, followed by Twilight. Argent looked at each of the ponies in turn. The one furthest to the left of the room, a green Earth Pony with a curly brown mane, stood up and spoke. His cutie mark was a book. "Aah, a newcomer. Welcome to Equestria. My name is Ross, but you can call me Moss-" "Ross?!" Argent was flabbergasted. Ross had been his childhood friend up into high school. But this couldn't be that Ross... Could it? "Dude... It's me, Argent." Ross' eyes lit up. "Oh my god! Is it really you? I had no idea you were going to get sent here! Come on, man, sit down. Let me introduce you to our friends here." He pointed a hoof at a green-blue Pegasus with a sky blue mane and a cutie mark that looked like a leaf. "This here is Angela, but she's taken up the persona Serene Breeze." Serene Breeze waved a hoof happily. "And the colt to her right is her brother Mark. You can call him Chocolate Soil." "I told you not to call me that!" Yelled Mark, "Just please. Call me Mark. It was bad enough just to be a pony..." Mark was a slightly younger brown Unicorn with a dark brown mane that covered his eyes almost completely. His cutie mark was a bar of chocolate. "Mark, I'm sorry, but we need to have pony names so we blend in with the crowd," said Serene Breeze. She had a very quiet, calm voice. "So, Argent, what is your pony name going to be?" Argent thought about it for a minute. He needed a name that matched both his personality and his appearance. It couldn't be too human-like, and it probably had to consist of two parts. Argent thought back to the mirror, the spiky golden hair... "Spark. You can call me Spark." The other three nodded slowly, exchanged glances, and nodded again. "That's great. It took us hours to come up with the names," said Ross. "It fits your hair, especially. Oh, speaking of appearances... Argent, why are you a filly?" The question hit Argent like a pound of bricks. "I-I'm a girl?"
Chapter 2: AdjustmentsChapter 2: Adjustments A unicorn in a grey and purple robe carefully trotted into the dim magelight. "Sir, the Catalyst has arrived." "Ah. You finally found him, did you after four tries? Very well... it is time that we put our plan into action..." Caelum dismissed the minion with a slight gesture with his hoof. Finally, after millenniums of waiting, building, and planning, he could now finish the conquest that he had failed at so many years ago. ~~~ Argent, as expected, was having a bit of trouble coping with the fact that he had quite suddenly changed gender. ...and race. ...and dimension. ...and basically EVERYTHING in his life, as far as he was concerned. To try and help him adjust, Lyra had sent him and Serene Breeze to get the day's groceries. Oh, poor, poor Breeze. "Should I be walking this way? Is this how a girl walks? No, wait. Is this how a filly walks? Oh, no! Should I be doing something different with my hair? Er, mane? I've just left it like this... Oh, sweet Celestia, what if RARITY sees me?! She'll probably put me in a dress... Some horrible, frilly dress-" "ARGENT! Just calm down. You don't need to do anything different. Rarity is not going to put you in a dress the moment she sees you. She doesn't even know who you are!" Serene sighed. It had taken over an hour to find even half of the food needed to sustain a household of six ponies, and Argent had been raving the entire time. "Just do what you've been doing the entire time. ...you know, it's kind of nice to have another girl around." "Wouldn't you have had Lyra and Bon Bon, though?" "Well, Lyra keeps asking obsessively about humans, and Bon Bon is always off doing various odd jobs. I meant another human-turned-pony girl. Unfortunately, you seemed to be... uh... a different matter." "Yeah, I guess..." Argent had visibly calmed down from the tangent. His pace was now much more confident, and his breathing more steady, Serene noted. "...it really doesn't help that people keep bowing, though." "What?" Serene had been so focused on Argent that she hadn't noticed. Various ponies were throwing themselves on the ground as he passed. "It... must be because you're an alicorn. They think you're a princess." "Great. So now anypony who doesn't know better thinks that I'm a visiting princess," Argent snarled, "I wish I could just hide my wings with something. Like a cloak." Serene smiled. A horrible, twisted, maniacal smile that was about to make up for an hour of pitying Argent. ~~~ "I hate you." Argent was currently being held captive on a pedestal the Carousel Boutique. "Well, you asked for a cloak, and well, Rarity seemed the only logical choice." Argent turned to the white and purple unicorn who was furiously taking measurements. "Um, Rarity?" "Yes, darling? Oh, dear me, I'm so sorry. Miss Spark?" Serene stifled a giggle. "Um, please, just Spark is fine. I'd just like something that hides my wings. You see, they've been attracting too much attention." "Oh, I see... too much attention..." Rarity stopped to think for a moment. "A-ha! I've got it!" The unicorn practically galloped behind a bright red curtain, from where the sounds of clanging metal could be heard. "What could she possibly be doing back there?" Serene wondered aloud. In response, Argent shot her the best death glare he had ever done. "Oh, come on. You asked for something that didn't attract attention, right? You asked for a cloak. She wouldn't dare insult a princess of your caliber." Argent sighed. "Yeah, I guess so..." Argent went very pale all of a sudden. "Why did it have to be me, huh? A female alicorn? What sort of cruel trick is that?" Serene's smile faded. Maybe she had pushed too far. "Argent, I'm so-" "It's FINISHED!" Rarity emerged from the curtain, carrying a gold necklace in her magic. The necklace was periodically studded with varying sizes of opals. "What's that going to do," asked Serene as Rarity slipped the necklace over Argent's neck, "it doesn't even cover- ooh." Argent looked back at where his wings should've been. He smiled warmly. "Why, thank you Rarity, that will do perfectly."
Chapter 3: Gems, Magic, and InvitationsChapter 3: Gems, Magic, and Invitations "It's a set of cloaking gems. So long as I keep my wings still, they're hidden from view. Isn't it great?" To demonstrate, Argent flared his wings and folded them again. Soft "ooh's" were heard from Mark and Ross each time the wings appeared and disappeared. "How much did that cost?" asked Lyra and Bon Bon simultaneously. Serene Breeze waved a hoof dismissively. "Rarity gave it to us, free of charge! 'Anything for a princess,' she said." Mark audibly snorted as Lyra breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, hush you, Argent deserves this after the day he's been through." Ross was enchanted. "I never knew that unicorn magic could be channeled through gems, let alone as a standalone enchantment! Sure, Twilight has been teaching me on Equestrian history, but this has never been mentioned..." He pulled a notebook and pencil from a nearby saddlebag and began taking notes, his voice muddled by the pencil in his mouth. "Naoh... Youh shaid thath thith wasth a cloakinth spell, yesh?" "Well, she didn't say much about it. Only that it was a rather complex spell that can be put in all sorts of jewels." "Oh... I shee..." Ross spit out the pencil. "That's very disappointing. Oh, and Twilight wants to see you for a magic lesson." "Say what?" "I said, Twilight wants to teach you how to use magic. You know, since an alicorn that can't use magic is pretty ridiculous." "I'm going to go, too" Mark chimed in, "but Twilight said that I might not be able to do much, seeing how young I am." "And... when is this lesson going to be?" "Well, um, Twilight wanted to meet us as soon as possible." "Well, let's get going!" Argent took the saddlebags that Ross offered, let Mark hop onto his back, and galloped out the door. Ross chuckled. "Well, she certainly seems to be feeling better, huh?" Serene Breeze smacked him lightly with her wing. "Hey, we all agreed to say 'he', remember? But yes, he is much better than this morning." "Good. I'm glad you're all adjusting." This was Bon Bon. Her voice had changed from doctor-like to a light, airy voice. Serene Breeze and Ross looked a bit puzzled. "I'm sorry, but... Did your voice change?" "It's an old medical condition," said Lyra. "She doesn't like to talk about it." ~~~ Princess Celestia looked over Twilight's most recent letter. "Dear Princess Celestia, Several ponies have arrived in Ponyville recently. They claim to have been humans, from a place called Earth, in a town known as Deutail. There are four of them, a unicorn, a pegasus, an earth pony, and - can you believe this? - an alicorn! I have begun tutoring them in the ways of magic and Equestrian history. I hope we can become good friends. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle." Celestia frowned. She knew well of the humans, a very selfish race that had ravaged their world with their petty wars. Hopefully these humans would be exceptions. Thankfully, they had become ponies through whatever force had brought them here. An alicorn as well, interestingly enough. Celestia magically grabbed a quill and began writing a response. "Dear Twilight, These humans sound quite interesting. Continue tutoring them, an-" Celestia stopped writing as another letter appeared from mist in front of her. She picked it up and read it. This was bad. This was very, very bad. She dropped the quill and ran to make preparations. ~~~ Argent supposed that the prospect of a lecture from Twilight shouldn't really have been all that exciting. It wasn't. Argent and Mark had been sitting in two cramped little desks in Twilight's library for hours. They had been through magic theory, magic history, various useful spells, how to perform a spell, and basically anything that Twilight thought they needed to know, which was just about everything. "Alright. That just about covers everything." Twilight put away her triple-checked checklist and pulled out a ballpoint pen. "Now that you are both well-introduced into magic, you can try the easiest spell to learn -- Levitation." Twilight magically floated the pen onto Mark's desk. "Alright, here goes..." Mark started to strain, trying to access his magic reserve. "Remember, open your Mana lines. The energy will flow from your cutie mark to your horn, just channel it straight through." Mark's horn began to glow with a deep blue light. "That's it, keep going..." Mark strained harder. The glow was getting brighter, but nothing was happening. Somewhere off in the distance, Argent could hear a deep rumbling. The sound stopped as Mark collapsed to the floor. "N-nothing... I... can't do it..." Twilight looked puzzled. "That's odd. I felt a good flow of Mana... Oh well. Argent, why don't you give it a try?" The pen floated onto Argent's desk. Argent breathed deeply. He focused hard, and focused on his horn. Gradually, like a little river, Mana crept up his spine and to the tip of his horn. It glowed a bright lime green. Twilight nodded. "Good. Your Mana is flowing properly. It'll become easier to open your Mana flows as you perform more spells. Now, direct the energy through your horn." Argent obliged. He focused his energy towards the pen. A tiny wisp of green light moved from his horn to the writing utensil, and enveloped it. He gasped. He saw the pen in his mind. He could see every piece. He knew how each part moved, he knew how it fit together, he could see, in his mind's eye, exactly how that pen functioned. He knew how to build one. The vision broke his concentration, and the magic line snapped. Twilight was clapping. "That's great, Argent! That was almost three feet in the air! That's amazing for your first time!" Mark looked decidedly jealous. Argent, who was still somewhat dazed, asked, "Um... Twilight? I think something went wro-" "TWILIGHT!" Pinkie Pie burst through the library door. "I heard that there are a whole FOUR new ponies in town!" "Well, Pinkie," said Twilight, "two of them are ri-" "HI THERE! You must be two of the new ponies in town! I'm Pinkie Pie, nice to meet you! I'm gonna throw you four a super-fantastic-amazing-all-night PARTY! Here's an invitation!" The pink pony produced two invitations from her hair, which Argent noted smelled surprisingly like cotton candy. Mark, who was busy having a heart attack, took the invitation with a dazed expression on his face. Argent resisted the urge to hug Pinkie and opened his Mana flow to grab the offered invitation. Argent blinked. A mental schematic for the paper sped through his mind. It was mostly paper, with a large pocket of confetti designed to explode outwards upon opening. Another blink, and it was gone. "I'm sorry, what?" "I said to not be late, silly! I'm gonna be baking you four plenty of treats to enjoy, and you wouldn't want them to get cold, would you? Well, I see you ponies tomorrow night!" With that and a whoosh of cotton-candy air, Pinkie was gone. Mark was staring blankly at the invitation. "Who was that?" "That," said Twilight, closing the library door, "was Pinkie Pie. She's usually a bit more... enthusiastic about new ponies in town, but I guess even Pinkie gets tired sometimes." "That was her tired? Can't wait to see her excited..." Mark was brushing the confetti out of his coat as he stood up. Spike called from upstairs, "Twilight, there's a letter from the Princess!" Twilight called back, "Just a minute!" She turned back to Argent and Mark. "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to go." "That's okay, Twilight," Argent was pushing the door open with his hoof. "But there was something about the spell-" Spike called again from upstairs, cutting off his question. "I'm sorry, but that will have to wait for tomorrow. Goodnight, Argent, goodnight Mark! We'll have another lesson before the party tomorrow!" Twilight closed the door behind them and sighed. She walked up the stairs, where Spike was still calling. "Twilight, I think you'd better read this." Spike held up a scroll. Twilight took it. "My faithful student Twilight, I would like to meet with these four humans as soon as possible, as well as the other Elements of Harmony. I shall send a royal carriage to get you two mornings from now. It is of the utmost importance that everyone is there. I await your arrival. ~ Princess Celestia" "What do you think it means, Twilight?" "I don't know, Spike. Something sounds fishy about this. Why would she need the Elements there, for one? And why is it "of the utmost importance?" I wonder what's going on..."
Chapter 4: A Pony For A SonChapter 4: A Pony For a Son Argent was confronting his parents. "So, you see, I don't know how long I'm going to be a pony... I'm sure Twilight will find something eventually. But for the time being-" "Why should we let you back?" his father said in a gruff voice. Argent's eyes watered with tears. "It's just not practical, dearie," said his mother. "You have no idea how difficult it would be to keep this quiet." His father nodded. "Besides, there's the matter of your punishment." "P-punishment?" squeaked Argent, "but, I was practically kidnapped-" "HOW WERE WE TO KNOW OF THAT?!" roared Argent's father. "Your mother and I were worried sick! Not to mention all this "Brony" nonsense you've been keeping from us!" "But, Dad, I-" "No. Come back when you at least look like my son." They faded away, leaving Argent alone in the darkness, sobbing. "No... Please... I don't know how... It's not my fault..." As Argent looked around, he saw his friends receive similar rejections from their parents. So much for that, he guessed. After all, who wants a pony for a son? ~~~ "Argent, are you okay? Argent?" Who was that, again? Where was he? This didn't feel like his bed... The events of the previous day flooded Argent's mind like a bittersweet chocolate river. He groaned. "Serene Breeze?" "Yes?" "Tell me. Did... Did yesterday actually happen?" "Well... Yeah, of course it did. Did you hit your head before you went to bed or something?" At this, Argent opened his eyes. The blue-green pegasus smiled warmly. Argent wiped the tears from his eyes. "Hey, Serene... I've been thinking. What's going to happen if we can't change back?" Serene's eyes widened. "I-I don't know what might happen. I don't know what I would tell my parents..." "Exactly. What... What would our family do? What would they tell us? Do you think they would take us back?" Argent was starting to cry again. "Argent, I-" "BREEEEEAAKFAST! GET UP, YOU LAZY PONIES!" Argent and Serene rushed down the stairs and into the kitchen. Bon Bon stood menacingly next to Lyra, who toiled over pan-fulls of eggs and hay bacon. "YOU'VE GOT A-" She suddenly started coughing, doubling over as Lyra gently patted her back. After the coughing fit passed, she spoke in a much lighter, nicer voice. "You have a Pinkie Introduction Party in just a few hours, so Lyra volunteered to make breakfast." The four turned to Lyra with quizzical faces. "It's part of Bon Bon's condition," she explained, "Her voice changes every time she has a coughing fit. Now, enough of that, it's time for breakfast!" ~~~ The four now-ponies relaxed under a nearby apple tree, full to the brim with Lyra's delicious cooking. "So guys," Argent began, "We get one of Pinkie's famous introduction parties today." Mark shuddered at the mention of the explosive pink pony. "I just want to go home," he said. " I just want to get out of here, back to being human. I hate being a pony." Mark closed his eyes. "I'm not a brony. I never wanted any of this. So what if they're real? It doesn't mean I should become a brony like all of you guys." Serene placed a hoof on his shoulder. "Mark, I'm sorry I got you dragged into all this. If I hadn't grabbed you when that man appeared-" "Hold on there," Ross interjected, "I saw a man just before I came here, too." "Me too," said Argent. "A guy wearing a grey and purple robe, right?" The other three nodded. "I bet there's a connection." Ross, who was about to start putting two and two together, had his train of thought rudely derailed by a screaming pink blur heading worriedly fast towards them. "HEY YOU GUYS! WE GOTTA PREPARE FOR THE PARTY!" Mark shuddered and hid himself behind the tree. "Oh no, nononono-" He was cut off as the pink blur came to an impossibly fast stop directly in front of them. The gust of wind that resulted smelled vaguely of cotton candy. "Alright, everypony come with me, we have a lot of planning to do!" The four reluctantly followed Pinkie down the street. "Now, normally, this would be a surprise party, but you guys already knew about it so I thought that it would be kind of a waste of time. Now, you get to help me set it up!" Pinkie grabbed Mark by the tail and dragged him screaming towards Sugarcube Corner, the other three ponies trailing behind casually. ~~~ Meanwhile, deep within the bowels of the library, Twilight, who was engaged in a long conversation via mirror with Celestia, was beginning to get seriously worried. "Princess, what the hay is going on?!" "Twilight, I can't tell you. Not yet." "But... But I'm your best student! You can tell me anything!" Celestia shook her head firmly. "Not this time. Just make sure to have the Elements on you at all times, understood?" "Yes, Princess." "Good. I'll send them through now." A ripple flowed through the mirror as the large box was transported magically. It fell with a loud bump onto the wooden floor of the library. "Good luck, Twilight Sparkle. Do not forget what we have planned." Luna walked up behind the princess and tapped her quietly on the shoulder with her hoof. She muttered a few words to her, and quietly exited the room. Celestia turned back to Twilight. "My student, there has been a slight change of plans. Coelum appears to be transitioning faster than expected." "Wait, Princess! Who's Coelum? What in Equestria is happen-" "Meet me in Canterlot as soon as possible. Waste no time." And with that the mirror hardened, leaving Twilight alone in the dark once again. ~~~ "Wow Pinkie, this looks amazing!" Argent, Ross, and Serene Breeze had finally caught up to Pinkie and Mark, the latter of which was hurriedly monitoring the various baked treats being prepared. Pinkie, on the other hoof, was putting the finishing touches on the decorations. The whole place "Thanks, Ross, it means a lot! Of course, it wouldn't make a difference if Mark hadn't put so much hard work into the baking! He's the amazing one!" "Pinkie," Mark shouted from the kitchen, "Another batch of cupcakes are done!" The said batch of cupcakes floated through the kitchen door and into Pinkie's hooves. As the pink pony began tossing the cupcakes decoratively onto a platter, Ross clapped his hooves appreciatively. "Well done Mark, you figured out levitation!" "Huh?" The sound of clattering dishes could be heard through the door. "Oh, yeah, it's cool." Ross looked over at Serene expectantly. "He takes his cooking really seriously," she explained, "He can be like this for hours, right up to the point someone takes a bite. It's surprising that you even got an answer." Ross nodded seriously, as if adding that to his mental notes. The ponies worked hard into the afternoon, with Mark putting the Corner's baking ovens to good use. Serene Breeze and Argent hung decorations around the large dining room. Ross and Pinkie organized and decorated the rest of Sugarcube Corner. When it was all done, the five exhausted ponies were greeted with some pre-party punch from Mr. and Mrs. Cake. Everypony chatted over what ponies they wanted to meet first, with Pinkie chiming in about exactly how to mingle with ponies at a welcome party properly, because it would be pretty silly if they did it wrong. Twilight burst through the doors. Her mane was frazzled and unkempt, and she gritted her teeth as she spoke. "Pinkie, put this on." She tossed a small golden necklace at the pink pony, emblazoned with a gem in the shape of a balloon. "You four, come with me. We have a lot to talk about." ~~~
Chapter 5: Broken AnswersChapter 5 Argent sat in what appeared to be one of the royal carriages. The interior was a distinctly red velvet, while the outside was made of an unknown white metal with gold trim. In front of him sat Ross and Twilight, while Mark and Serene Breeze sat to his left. A distinct aura of stress pressed down on them all. This was mainly due to Twilight. "I-I mean, it's like she doesn't trust me! ME, her most faithful student! What can possibly be so serious that she CAN'T TELL ME?!" Twilight, who's mane looked like she had run into an electrical fence, collapsed into sobs. The Element of Magic slipped off of her head and clattered to the floor of the carriage. Breeze picked it up, placed it next to her, and once again tried to comfort the distraught unicorn. "Twilight, I'm sure she would have told you if she could. There's no way she would just leave you in the dark like this if she didn't have a very good reason." "I know, but-" *sniff* "s-she didn't even tell me why she couldn't tell me! There's just no explanation, none of it!" Having remained silent for most of the ride, Mark finally spoke up. "Oh, would you just cut the sob story already." The entire contents of the carriage turned and stared at him with varying degrees of surprise and warning. He continued, ignoring the four sets of eyes glued upon him. "I mean, look. This Princess Celestia lady is immortal, right? She's probably seen way worse things than you, Twilight. If us showing up has her this spooked, then something is seriously wrong." At this, Twilight flew into a rage. "A princess does not GET SPOOKED. She is the most powerful pony in all of Equestria, you can't just SCARE her!" Oh, I believe I have. Such fools, these ponies. Argent jumped at the voice. It was a man's, deep and cynical. "Who is..." You should know me. Of course, it won't matter soon enough. "Please, who are you and where are you?" "Who's what?" Asked Ross quizzically. "Didn't anyone else-" A royal guard coughed outside the door. "Miss Twilight, we have arrived at the castle. The Princess is ready to see you." ~~~ The royal hall was a lot bigger than Argent had expected. The ceiling rose what appeared to be miles above them, and pristine marble pillars rose to meet it. The floor had been polished to a shine, and the carpet padded comfortable against his hooves. The two royal sisters sat side by side on thrones made of a mysterious stone, one of which was a deep blue, the other a shining gold. They bowed. As they rose, Celestia's looked them over one by one. She stopped at Argent. For a split second, her face flashed with an unexpected emotion. Was that... fear? "Hello, my little ponies, and welcome to Equestria," She began warmly, "I hope that you-" Oh, Celestia. When will you ever get over those formal introductions? Celestia froze. Her eyes narrowed. She was staring right at Argent. "NO." With a blast of golden light, Argent was engulfed in an orb of magic, that scalded his fur as it came close. Luna stood quickly as Twilight shouted at the Princess to stop, while the voice continued. You've grown stronger, haven't you? Well, that doesn't matter now... "I'm already here." The voice now boomed through the chamber, and it was apparent that everypony could hear it. Argent could do nothing but scream as the golden light tore into his skin. Celestia flung the orb, with Argent trapped inside, sharply into one of the walls. The was a sickening crack as the golden light shattered and Argent's wing struck the marble. He slumped to the ground, his wing twisted at an odd angle. "ARGENT!" Ross, Mark, and Serene shouted at once, and ran to Argent's side. His view was fading, the world was going black. At the center of his vision, a brilliant green burst of magic nearly blinded him. He got one last fading glimpse at a tall, dark alicorn before everything went dark. Voices faded in and out of the darkness. "Princess, WHAT'S HAPPENING?!" "Sister, we have to escape." "Lyra, Bon Bon, get in here!" "Twilight, use the Elements. NOW!" A flicker of light broke through the blackness, accompanied by a monstrous boom. There was silence. "I-It didn't work." Argent felt himself being lifted through the darkness. "ALL OF YOU, GET IN HERE, NOW!" "It didn't... even leave a... a scratch..." Argent was slipping. There was a dull pain in his left wing, but it was a faint and minor distraction through the static in his brain. The voices faded out, and the static left after a while. Argent fell into a painful, distressed sleep. ~~~ Did I ever tell you about my powers? No? Well, that's unfortunate. Of course, we've been apart so long. Memories... Well, you see, back in the days before Discord's rule, I was one of the original Elements of Harmony. Laughter, to be exact. It was nice, it really was. Making people happy, saving the world... It was a good life. But it wasn't enough. There were too many unhappy people, Argent. Too many lives we couldn't save. I started searching for a way to save everybody, and keep them safe forever. Celestia didn't get it. She continued to tell me that I couldn't save everyone. That a few injuries were part of the responsibility. But that didn't stop me. I continued my work in secret, until I perfected my machine. A machine that would bridge life and death, a machine that could do what I could not. I called it MageTech. It was almost finished, almost perfect, when Celestia found out. That was the beginning of the war. ~~~ Argent woke for what must be the fifth time since he arrived in Equestria, and compared to the past it wasn't too different at first. The first thing to hit was the pain in his left wing. It burned like it was on fire. Trying to shift the pressure on his side, he rolled onto his back. The scream echoed through what must have been a very large chamber. That had been a big mistake. Eyes now wide open, Argent inspected his surroundings. He was in a cage, made out of the same material as the royal thrones. The floor of it extended several feet in every direction. Trotting to the bars, he noted that the cage itself was chained to the ceiling using a similar black metal. Below him was a pit full of wickedly sharp crystal spikes. "The crystal caves underneath Canterlot most likely," he thought aloud. "but why am in this cage?" "The answer is simple." Celestia walked into the room from a crack between two crystals. "You, Argent, are responsible for what is going to be the destruction of Equestria."
