An Explosive Journeyby Nova ArcanumChaptersMending The Broken SoulGood Planning, Bad Execution...The Day I Partied With Pinkie, Then Messed With SpikeNew Info, Accidents, And LearningMagic, Magic EverywhereSurprise, SurpriseChallenging The Town DrunkRepetitive StupidityAnd Then Sex Happened...New Friends, Past Lives, And New DiscoveriesChallenging The UniverseA Royal Pain No MoreSunbutt Does Something RightThe Beginning...Dragons, More Info, And Stupid ParentsMending The Broken SoulJason Morrison, Unknown Location 'Alright, let's recap: I go to the airport, just to find that there is a huge lineup, and then I meet some cool guy behind me, and we strike a short conversation. Then, as I grab my luggage, I end up somehow being transported to another world, though luckily all of my luggage came with me. As if life couldn't get any weirder, it turns out that I am in Equestria, more specifically, Ponyville. Well, at least I get to be somewhere awesome instead of some war torn world in the middle of the dragon ages - no offense Skyrim fans.' My inner monologue is cut short by the one and only Lyra Heartstrings standing in her doorway, in what I could only peg down as comeplete shock. She starts talking, not in whinnies, neighs and barks mind you, but in english. Seriously, my mind just stopped. "Who are you? Why are you here? And for that matter, how did you get in my house?" What, the, fuck? Seriously, how? I raise my hand in a way to show that I need a minute, and I motion towards her chesterfield, to which we both walk over to. As I sit down to collect my thoughts on how we speak the same language, she gives me this look as if to say 'Are you alright?' 'How the heck is this possible? It's just so, so... fuck, this is really confusing. I mean sure, it's awesome that I randomly landed in Equestria, but to find out that it's actually canon for them to speak english, that's fucking awesome! But what about the sudden jolt I felt just as I landed here... felt like a surge of power, like I can now do more than I should... Meh, better not dwell on it, could be dangerous. Ok, she's starting to stare at me now, guess I should talk to her so she doesn't think I'm weird.' I face Lyra, and then I start to speak to her. The expressions on her face that she goes through as I speak is just both priceless and adorable. Must, resist, urge to hug, randomly. "Alright, this is as weird to you as it is to me, I have no idea how I got here, let alone in your house." Her face changed expressions as I talked, and then she asked me the most redundant question that anyone could ever come up with. "You speak Equestrian?" "I don't even know right this second. Hang on, do you know any other languages?" "Yeah, kind of. I know a little bit of a language that is used for a cartoon program that airs from Neighpon.." "Try me." When Lyra spoke in what I assumed was supposed to be Japanese, it sounded nothing like it; instead, it just rang in my ears just the same as plain old English, goody.... "So, how was that?" "Honestly, I don't know how this is possible, but it seems that every language you speak is automatically translated to English, and that you are probably hearing your native language when I speak as well. In other words, that trip through to another universe has given a neat little side effect, universal translation. Neat." "I guess that makes sense...?" "Hey, seeing that I'm new here, would you mind if I stayed here for a couple of days until I find a place to live?" "Sorry, I'm going through a rough time right now, I'd rather just be with myself." Something's up, I just know it, and I want to find out what it is. "I know I shouldn't be prying, but what's bothering you, you seem to be quite upset about something. Whatever it is, it's something that hits very close to home. I know I'm a complete stranger to you, but I would still like to help. I don't know why, I just can't stand the thought of seeing you all sad like that." Lyra looked somewhat defensive, but then sighed and trotted over to the couch to sit down. Taking information from some fan fictions that I have read on the internet, I started stroking her mane. At first she goes to move herself away from me, but then stops, and lets me continue petting her. Seeming to become more comfortable, Lyra then lays down with her forlegs right by my lap, and rests her head on my legs. She then starts explaining her story. "I used to be one of the best lyre players in all of Canterlot, making crowds at recitals cheer and scream for encores, I loved every minute of it. I used to make them all melt with beautiful tunes, sway them with songs that no one has ever heard before; but then one day it just stopped. I don't know why, but they started to grow indifferent to my music, no matter what I tried. Then after moving to Ponyville, I completely lost my motivation to play the thing at all, and ended up spiraling down into depression. I just don't know what to do anymore. If I can't play the lyre, and fill everypony with joy from hearing my songs, then I just don't know what I'll do." Wow, just wow. She's lost her touch with playing the lyre, and she thinks that it's all over for her? I don't know whether to actually be sad for her, or what. After thinking for a few seconds, I start to speak, trying to soothe her. Here's hoping it works. "Lyra, I have a few things to say." hearing this, she looks up at me, but doesn't take her head off of my lap. "Your last name is Heartstrings, is it not?" This earns me a silent nod, but a confused look, as if she didn't know where this was going. "Your cutie mark, the lyre, has more meaning than you think. What was going through your mind just before you got your cutie mark?" It was a second or two before she spoke, but then mustered up the strength to tell me. "I thought that if I could play the lyre, maybe I could make people feel emotions they never thought they had, to make them listen to what may be the most beautiful music in all of Equestria." Alright, so I wasn't too far off "Ok, let's take a closer look at what your cutie mark means, and I think that deep down, you already know the meaning. They lyre is actually inspired by the harp, both of which make beautiful music, but that is not all. If I'm not mistaken, some people back in my world, called the strings to the lyre, heart strings, because some of the designs looked as if they were half of a heart. Your family's last name also has a large amount of significance. Your special talent is not exactly limited to playing the lyre; as I have said before, lyre and harp strings are sometimes referred to as 'heart strings', and as such, the meaning of your cutie mark is this: you have a calling to pull the heart strings of ponies, whether it be through music, writing, or whatever it is that you choose to do. If you are doing something that you find is not capturing the hearts of those around you, then it simply means that you have not found the thing that allows you to convey your emotions directly to the hearts of anyone that is there to witness your awesomeness." After this long-winded speech, Lyra seemed to perk up a little. She gets up, and then jumps off of the couch, then does something that I didn't really expect her to do; she hugs me. I wrap my arms around her back, and rub her mane once again. "Thanks... oh, I forgot to ask you your name. Sorry about that." "My name is Jason, though I don't think it would fit in this world. I feel it would be a little odd, don't you think?" "I guess you're right. I take it you want a new name, right?" "Exactly. Why don't we try to think of one." "Sure." After ten minutes of trying to come up with a name, Lyra admitted defeat, thought I still tried to think of a name. 'Wait a sec, I think I know why I can't think of a name, it's because I'm trying to think of one. Just gotta let it come to me.' And with that, I just sat around for about ten seconds, and then the name came to me. "NOVA!" I yell while jumping up from where I was sitting, which seemed to have startled Lyra. "What?" "My new name is going to be Nova. Funny thing about what we went through though, there's an unwritten rule about stuff like that; trying hard to think of something will result in nothing. Just wait and it will come to you." "I think Nova is a nice name. It kind of fits actually. You seem to be very bright, and warming to those around you. And as for that universal rule, it kind of makes sense." "Ok, Nova it is then. Now, I may have just come here, but I think I must really go and see the princess. Might as well make sure I'm not brought to her under unfavorable circumstances. Which brings me to this question: would you mind teleporting me to the castle?" Lyra looked to be shocked at what I had just said. Guess I shouldn't have said that. "How do you know about the princess, and for that matter, how do you know that unicorns can use magic?" Crap, looks like I stepped on a land mine here. Better diffuse it... "I know about the princess from reading the ticket that was on the table, sitting among other papers, and I know that unicorns can use magic, because there are old tales of unicorns and other magical creatures back where I come from, though these stories are entirely fiction." "Alright, I guess, and to answer your question, yes I can teleport you to the castle. When would you like to go?" "As soon as possible, preferrably now though." "No problem." And with that, Lyra's horn started to glow, and then her magic surrounded the both of us; in a matter of seconds, we teleported to the doors right outside of the throne room. The guards at first looked shocked to see that somepony had teleported so close to the throne room, but then their faces turned into a scoul, as they set their eyes upon me. The only thought going through my mind in those tense minutes, was simply 'Oh shit...' Good Planning, Bad Execution...Canterlot Castle - Always so quiet, so peaceful. Though the guards were decked out in serious heavy armor, and also equipped with spears, there was almost absolutely no reason for them to be there on duty, save for when it was actually needed, so here they were, just in case. Though most thought that this was just another boring day at the castle, with nothing much to do except for stand on guard for nearly 12 hours straight (yes, they take shifts), there were a couple that knew better. Standing just outside of Celestia and Luna's throne room, both Altemir and Garland felt that something was off... Royal Guard Altemir, Outside Throne Room 'It's a little too quiet today for it to be normal, even if it's a little boring.' I sigh, probably the twentieth time already, even though it's not even three hours into our shift. "Keep a sharp mind, Altemir, something's up; I feel a disturbance." This pony, always so philosophical. "I guess you could say that we both feel there is something on the way, but what could it be?" Not one second after I finish the question, there's a flash, which usually means that a unicorn, or something that can perform magic, has teleported; but nopony's magic is strong enough to get this close to the throne room. The only pony that I know of would be Twilight, but that isn't who's here this time. Both Garland and I are shocked at the mint green pony, but then we see that she isn't alone. Some unknown creature is with her. Probably forced her to take it here. For all we know, it could be here to try and take on the Princesses. It sees us, puts its arms up, and opens its mouth. Both Garland and I know better, and charge at it. No sooner than this, the creature jumps away from the pony, and looks at us head on, in a stance that just screams 'come at me, bro.' "So, it's a fight you want, huh? Well then, I shall fulfill your death wish." The creature stays in its stance, and we get ready to charge at it, spears at the ready. Running towards it, the beast doesn't even flinch; instead, as we get within reach of the beast, it moves slightly to the left, and with one swift motion breaks both our spears in half, and they both fly down the hallway. Of all the times to not be a unicorn, it had to be today... Garland runs towards the beast again, though without a spear. He then gets up on his hind legs with ease, and tries to fight it with hoof-to-hoof combat. This doesn't prove to be effective though. Every hit that Garland tries to land, is successfully countered with a counter-hit and leg, err arm, I guess, block. Not wanting this fight to continue on forever, I jump back into the foray; the creature, very surprisingly, is able to hold the both of us off. I look back for a quick second to the mint green unicorn, who is currently standing at a safe distance, with wide eyes. This proves to be a dumb move on my part, as the creature then uses the momentum from on of Garland's punches to throw him into me. We're both knocked out... Celestia, Throne Room I was just about to return to my throne with a good book to pass the day along, when I hear a sound that I haven't heard in ages - the Royal Guard's spears being unsheathed. This catches my attention, as well as my curiosity. The guards haven't had a need to use their spears in, well, centuries. A fight has broken out with two of my best guards, and it sounds as if there is only one that they are fighting with. The charging and evading continues for a couple minutes, until one of the times that the guards charge at the threat, their spears are broken. The spears fly down the hallway, and then to my surprise, only one of the guards initiate hoof combat. They say that curiosity killed the cat, but for some reason, I feel compelled to open the door a crack, and check out what is going on within my palace. To my surprise, it is a creature that I have only seen since Discord's 'experiments', and he, by the looks of it, is able to hold off two of my best guards in hoof combat. I quietly step out the door, and instantly get spotted by Lyra, one of Twilight's classmates from her classes in Canterlot, though she doesn't say anything. The fight goes on for a while longer; studying how the creature is fighting, it seems that he doesn't really want to hurt the guards, which is suggested by his defensive counters, and use of momentum from other attacks. Speaking of which, both of the guards have been knocked out, by having one thrown into the other; looks like he really didn't want to fight from the beginning. I then walk towards the creature, and he looks up at me, then down to the guards. A single tear drops down his face, and then he speaks, not in his own language, but surprisingly, in Equestrian. "Though I didn't want it to come to violence, the guards left me no choice; I couldn't have ended the fight without knocking them both unconcious, and I doubt there won't be any legal repercussions for assaulting a royal guard, even if it was in defense due to being unprovoked. I guess everything here isn't just sunshine and cupcakes." I stand there and think about what has happened within the last ten minutes, and then I motion for both Lyra and the creature to come in to the throne room. Lyra looks as if she doesn't know what to do, and the creature that she brought with her just looked forward, probably thinking that I'm actually going to pass judgement on him for defending himself against an unprovoked attack. The silence in the room is stifling, none of us knowing where to begin. Finally, after a couple of minutes of pure, agonizing silence, the creature then comes up closer to me in my throne, kneels down, and starts to speak. "Celestia," How did he know my name? Wait, never mind, it doesn't really matter right now. "I would like to apologize for my conduct earlier when dealing with the situation about the guards," he takes a moment to collect his thoughts, thinking he's walking on eggshells… "but they could also learn to be a little bit less prejudice." I retract that earlier statement... "I don't know if you know of my race, or it's past, but I have come here to ask something of you. I wish to become a citizen of this fine country." A little good diplomacy never hurt anypony, I might as well grant him citizenship. "I may grant you citizenship of Equestria, though the mentioning of your race's past does intrigue me." "If you would like to know, then I think it would be better if you read my mind and my memories, as I don't feel that I can talk about them without stammering or rambling on." "How do you know that I can do that kind of magic?" "I didn't, I just simply made an assumption that you can, seeing you are probably one of the most powerful magic users in all of Equestria." I think about what he has just said for a minute or two, before coming upon a conclusion. "Alright, let us venture into your mind then." Nova, Throne Room, 2:23pm, unknown date "Alright, let us venture into your mind then." Is she serious? She's really going to check out my memories and stuff? I don't know whether to think 'Oh cool, she's gonna see into my mind', or to fear for my life. I am so confused right now. Suddenly, Celestia's horn started glowing, and then both her and I are surrounded in a white aura of magic. We stay floating a foot or two off of the ground for a few seconds, and then the aura dissipates. I don't know whether she's done already, or if she's just started. I then hear something very surprising within my mind... 'No, I haven't even started sifting through your memories yet.' Wait, she can hear my thoughts? 'Yes, I can hear you thinking. Now, let us begin.' Wait, before that, I have something to say. Try to keep an open mind the entire time, my life isn't exactly sugar coated goodness. 'I shall keep that in mind. Now, let us begin.' With that, Celestia begins to sift through my memories; everything, from birth, to this moment. There's even some memories brought up that I thought have been forgotten. My third birthday, I receive a set of toy cars. Then there's the one time that my only sister gets into a car accident, with me in the back seat. She doesn't make it. I sit there in front of Celestia, as tears start to roll down my cheeks. The next memory that catches her eye, is the day that my mom and dad had gotten into a bad fight. They thought that I couldn't hear them, but I did. That is also the day that he had left my mother and I. Next up was when I had just graduated high school; There I sit at my computer desk, and begin to search for jobs. I land on a company that's just starting out, and they needed people on their security division. I apply by changing their homepage, and replace it with my resume. They hired me within minutes. This didn't seem to bother Celestia, as I notice that she hasn't made any movements to show that she is surprised by anything. Then, the moment I feared came up, the day that one of my few friends had introduced me to My Little Pony. Celestia seemed very interested in this, and dug through what I had seen of the show, my thoughts on it, the numerous songs that have been inspired by the show that I had listened to, everything. This was the most agonizing part of the whole ordeal. After she was done going through that, she then moved on to my mundane life. The day that my dad showed up in the neighborhood while I was on my way home, my boss firing me, and so on. What also seemed to catch her interest, was when I picked up producing music. She saw my first failed attempts, and the bunch of days where I slowly got better, and finally, when I got noticed by one of the managers for Club MIA. Then came the fateful time that I had been transported to Equestria. Celestia looked somewhat surprised when she saw how I had come here, but then was even more surprised, as she found out how I learned to read and, possibly, write Equestrian. She also made note of the strange surge I felt as I arrived. Feeling she has had enough, Celestia then left my mind. I felt a wave of relief from that, though I still felt uneasy, as she just sat there, on her throne, staring at me with a blank expression. She then began to speak. "I now see why you have told me to keep an open mind, though you do not seem threatening to the general population. I shall grant you citizenship within Ponyville." Seriously, this pony is a goddess... Oh, wait, she quite literally is one... hehe. "Thank you so much Celestia, though there is one concern left: housing. I don't want to be leeching off of somepony." At this comment, Lyra decided it time to jump back into the conversation. "No really Nova, it's fine, you can stay at my place. You did help me out after all. I won't be bothered if you stayed with me." "Lyra, although I would accept your gracious offer, I can not accept it. No offense, but your house is quite small, I don't know if it would work out." This time it was Celestia's turn to butt into the conversational tennis that was taking place. "I am sorry to interrupt, but there are a couple of things that I must talk with Nova about, before he leaves for Ponyville. Lyra, I would like to speak with him alone, if it's alright with you." To this, Lyra nodded, and then teleported back to her home. "Now then, Nova, where to begin..." Crap, nothing good ever comes out of the situation if the one that is in control of the situation trails off like that. "I guess this would be about that feeling I got when I first arrived here, isn't it?" "Yes, it is. You see, what you felt, was your body's realization that you can in fact, use magic. Your magic however, is different than most; your magic is powerful; and it feels familiar, as if you contain a spark. It is an element that enables the use of world-altering magic. Some ponies used to call it Chaos Magic, though it is actually True Magic. The magic that unicorns use on a daily basis is fairly limited in terms of power; granted that there are some powerful magic users, it still pales in comparison to true magic. Keep a disciplined mind when working with it, or things might go out of control very fast." I walk up to Celestia's throne, and give her a quick hug. [come on, who wouldn't?] "Thank you Celestia, for giving me a chance, even though I kinda did beat up your two best guards. Oh, speaking of which, I think it would be best if you let them know that I'm not hostile. I don't want to be attacked if I decide to come visit again." "I will do that. Now then, I will teleport you back to Lyra's, so you can get things unpacked and get acquainted with some of Ponyville's residents. Off you go Nova." "See you later Celestia." And with that, Celestia's horn started glowing, and then I was transported back to Lyra's home. This time however, it didn't look all dark and gloomy. Lyra, home 'That whole ordeal at the castle was just way too much for me to handle. Sure, I thought about the guards not taking a liking to Nova, but I didn't think that they would just attack him on sight. Then there's the fact that the princess was just standing there halfway through the fight, not doing anything. She could have broken up the fight in a matter of seconds, but she didn't. For whatever reason, she just stood there, as if she were studying Nova and his fighting style. Oh well, at least I now have someone staying with me, instead of this place feeling so lonely and empty all the time. Guess I should clean up a bit before Celestia sends Nova back here.' With that, Lyra had begun to clean her entire home. Starting with the kitchen, she swept the wooden floor, washed all of the counters, and made sure all of the dishes were put away. Next was the common room; opening the curtains was blinding at first, but then the light showed the enormous amount of dust that had settled all over the room, prompting her to dust almost everything. Ten minutes later, and the whole room was completely dust free. The last thing on the list to clean up was the master bedroom and guest room; the guest room didn't need much cleaning, just a bit of dusting. The master bedroom however, was a different story - books everywhere, plates, bowls, cups just randomly deposited around the room. Nova was right, this place pretty much screamed 'pony in depression.' Not wanting to dwell on things, Lyra quickly got all of the dishes into the kitchen, and into the sink full of warm soapy water. The bed sheets were changed while the dishes were being soaked in the water, and then it was off to go wash the remaining dishes. The cleaning was done in roughly 20 minutes, and no sooner than she had put the last dish away, Nova teleported into the common room. Lyra walks over to where Nova is, and this time it is him that gives her a hug. "Hey, I'd like to apologize about what happened at the castle. I should have probably just asked to send a letter to Celestia first, before showing up at the castle." "It's fine, everything worked out anyway." "I know it's probably still pretty early, but I'm kind of exhausted. I think I'm going to go off to bed. *yawn* Good night Lyra." "Have a good rest Nova." I chuckle at his sleepy state. True, it would be tiring for someone to come to a completely new world and go through what he just did. *yawn* Great, now I'm tired. Heh, guess it wouldn't hurt to go to bed early today. What's the worst that could happen? The Day I Partied With Pinkie, Then Messed With SpikeNova, Lyra's Home Dreams - some say that they are a gateway to another world, while others say it's just a bunch of jumbled memories that your mind tries to make sense of while you sleep. What I am currently experiencing however, is too odd to be considered a dream. I'm floating, but not in a black expanse that you can barely see anything in, but a blindingly white expanse that illuminates everything around as far as one can see. As if that isn't weird enough, I start to hear someone speaking. It's as if I've heard the voice before, yet I've never heard it in my entire life. "So, the brat comes back and yet doesn't even know his true abilities. Typical Celestia." "What are you talking about?" "You see Nova, your magic talent is creation and alteration. You are also exceptionally gifted in one of the lost ways of magic." "Oh yeah, and what might that be?" "You will know in due time, my son." Ok, wait what? Since when are you my dad? "How are you my father, if you don't mind me asking?" "I believe that is something for another time. Now get up, you've got some unpacking to do." "Before I go, let me ask something. Will we have a chance to talk again?" "What, you don't hold anything against me for not being in your life until now?" "No, not really. My so-called 'dad' was an asswipe. I really don't care about what happens to him. You on the other hand, make me feel like I should get to know you." "Well anyway, get up. Don't make me wake you up myself. It won't be pleasant." "Alright, I'm getting up." With that, I woke up with the sun shining in my face, the sound of birds chirping happily, and the town was already bustling with activity. I take a look around the room, noting that all my luggage was there as well. The bed is opposite to the door, with the end table on the left side of the bed. There's a closet near the foot of the bed, my luggage just happens to be in the middle of the room . I get up to stretch, and then change my clothes. After that I grab my iPod, and head out to make some breakfast. "Good morning Lyra." Speaking of said pony, she doesn't look too well. "Oh, morning Nova. How did you sleep?" "Pretty good, though I don't think that applies to you, does it? Something on your mind?" "No, not that I know of. Just one of those nights where it's just like 'aaarrrrgghhhh'. You know?" Oh, I hate it when that happens. "Yeah, I know that feeling. You're tired yet you can't get to sleep even if somepony paid you to. Best thing to do would be either read, or listen to music for a while. Anyway, I've been thinking of going for a walk around Ponyville, you want to join me?" "No, I think I'll pass today. Too tired for the time being, you go on ahead. Just don't be too late, alright?" "I'll keep that in mind. See you later. One of the things that I am glad I brought, was my freaking iPod. Celestia knows that I wouldn't be able to live without the damn thing, I love music too much. Placing the earbuds in, I scroll through my music until I find a certain song - Good ol' Days by The Living Tombstone. Walking out the doorway, everything seems just so, for lack of a better word, peaceful. "Now, on to the first matter of business, getting some books on magic." Sorry Rarity fans, that scene is going to have to wait. Before even taking another step away from the house, something crosses my mind, "I have no idea where Twilight's place is. How am I supposed to get there, let alone borrow books on magic?" There comes an unexpected reply in the form of me getting poked. I take out my earbuds and then somepony tells me where to go. "Turn left, walk towards the town square, and then make a right. It's a huge tree, pretty hard to miss." As I turn to thank whoever gave me the directions, my heart stops for a split second. It's none other than THE Rainbow Dash! My heart explodes from the adorableness, even if she is in her teens. At least I think she is. Ah who cares. "Thanks, but I must ask, why help some random weird creature you've never met before?" "Because when said creature steps out of Lyra's door, music blaring, and says they're off to Twilight's for some magic books, there's no possible way that they're going to harm anypony." "True, but then again, maybe I should just go to some other library. Twilight would be all over me, asking me millions of questions." We both laughed at this. We were both cut short by a certain device that I had forgotten about even existed until now. The ring was the all too familiar 'Louise The Lab Rat'. I take out the offending device, cut off the person trying to phone me, and place it in my pocket. Rainbow looks at me curiously, probably wondering what the infernal contraption was. "What was that?" "Something of mine that I don't think will have any use here at all." "Ok sure, but what is it?" "It's a phone. A device from my world that allows two or more people to communicate with each other over long distances. Someone was trying to reach me just now, though I don't really feel the need to talk to them." "Someone I would have been working for had I not been brought here from my world. To be honest I'm not even sure how the thing is still able to function when in another world." "That sounds like something Twilight would just love to get her hooves on! Better not let her near it if you want it to keep working. Anyway, I was going to head to Twilight's place anyway, she's got the next book in the Daring Doo series and I really want to read it." Dun dun duuuun! Possible time revealed! "So, onward to Twilight's?" "Sure." Dash gets ready to fly away, but then remembers that I don't have wings. She sighs and then lands. I then have an idea. "Wait, what if I just ride you there?" She stares at me oddly for a moment, and then her signature grin is plastered across her face. "You sure you can handle it? I am the fastest flyer in Equestria after all." That you are Dashie, but you haven't been in the car with me when I'm driving. "Dash, if there's one thing that I love, it's speed. Just don't drop me and we're good." A few more laughs were had until she directed me to get on. I couldn't help but throw another joke just before she took off. "So just to be clear, you're not letting me drop til we're on solid ground right?" I snickered, mostly to show that it was a joke, and then she nudged me. "Alright mister, no more jokes til we get there, don't wanna drop you from laughing too hard." I salute to her, "Aye aye, captain. Upward and onwards." Well, that's a surprise. Didn't think that some human phrases would carry over... ah well. Getting to fly while riding one of the coolest ponies in Equestria - best day ever. Of all time.* The view was nothing like looking out of a window on a plane - nothing can beat flying Air Dashie. Period. EXCLAMATION POINT!* She went on about how the weather patrol was one of the easiest jobs yet somehow tedious, on and on. Then a thought struck my mind. "Hey, Dash!" "What's up Nova?" "How do you know Lyra anyway?" "While I was at one of the clubs in town I sort of sat beside her while getting a drink. At first I didn't know her, but by the end we were both having a good time, laughing and drinking the night away." "I take it this is just after the time she 'lost her music*'?" "Actually, that was only part of it. If she just lost her music that would be one thing, but to make matters worse, Bon Bon left her as well. She sort of shut down after that. It happened the same night I met her at the club." So THAT'S why she wasn't comfortable with me staying at first. Dash took notice of my quietness and pegged down exactly what I was thinking. "Wait, she didn't tell you?" "Nope. First time I've heard, though I guess I should've known about it when I arrived - her home had all the signs, yet I didn't see them." "That's another thing, how did you two meet anyway?" Should I tell her now, or wait til I get to Twilight's? Hmmm... "Well Dash, you're going to have to wait until we get to Twilight's. I will tell you about how I got here then." "Oh, alright." The rest of the flight was uneventful, to say the least. We arrived at Twilight's library about two minutes after our conversation ended. Just as soon as I step off of Dash, I take a note of my surroundings - eerily quiet. I walk up to the door of the library, and enter the library wit Dash. All seems good, except for one thing - it's dark. I couldn't hold it in. "Yay, party time." Instantly, the lights came on, and a certain pink pony gasped. "Awwwwww, how did you know?" How could someone not know, Pinkie? "It's too obvious. Word must have gotten out somehow that I was going to visit Twilight's to borrow a few books, and I enter said building with all of the lights turned off, and yet it's supposed to be open." "I guess my parties aren't that good anymore..." And with that, her mane deflated, and lost a bit of color. "Pinkie, your parties aren't good," she looks even sadder, "they're better than good - they're AWESOME! Come on Pinkie, now's the time to be celebrating my arrival and official citizenship of Ponyville!" I quickly give her a hug, and her mane springs back to life and explodes in my face. 'They were right, it does smell like cotton candy.' "YOU'RE RIGHT, NOVA! LET'S -" "MAKE THIS THE BEST PARTY EVER! But first, I need to go back and get a certain pony to join the party, or else it just won't feel the same. Be right back, gotta go find Twilight so she can teleport me." "No need, just grab hold of me, and I'll get you there with just a hop skip and a jump!" "Alright, I guess it wouldn't hurt. Mind if I ride you there?" "No problemo, senor!" We go outside, and not a second after I get on Pinkie, she literally hops, skips, and then does a jump, and completely breaks physics by appearing right in front of Lyra's house. "Ok, can you wait here while I go inside and get Lyra?" Pinkie nods, and then I go inside the house, to find a very depressed Lyra splayed out on the chesterfield. 'That does not look comfortable, then again, I'm not a pony.' Lyra, home 'What am I going to do today? Ah who am I kidding, I don't really feel like doing anything in particular. I feel just so, blah. Nothing is really entertaining anymore. Guess I could read a few comics while lazing around.' And that is what she did, for about five minutes until she got really bored again. "What the hay am I going to do? Why do I feel this way? Sure, it was nice when Nova talked to me and got me to realize my true calling, but now I just, AAAAARRRGGHHHHH!" With that, Lyra flopped onto the couch, and laid there until she fell asleep, not waking up until Nova showed up. I'm just laying on the couch, not doing anything really, and then someone just randomly walks in through the door. I don't really care who it is, they can take all they want for all I care; Celestia help them if they touch Nova's stuff though. Oh, they're walking towards to this room... wait a second, sounds like something bi-pedal. Only one being I know that's bi-pedal, and thats - "Nova?" "Eeyup. What's wrong Lyra? No offense, but you look slightly worse than you did yesterday. What happened?" Only slightly? This guy really knows how to sugar-coat things. "I just feel so out of it. Nothing seems to interest me, and I can't sort out my mind. I feel so -" "Blah? Yeah, I've been there. Not pretty. Actually, I came here to pick you up and bring you over to Twilight's place." I'm not even going to question how he finished my sentence, let alone what he went through, none of my business really. "Why would I want to go to Twilight's? Don't tell me she wants to practice some weird spell that requires more than one unicorn." "Uh, actually, that's far from why I would like you to come with me. You see, turns out there's already a welcome party for me, and really, I felt it wouldn't be complete without you there. You are the one that completely trusted me and gave me a place to stay. The party just isn't complete without you." Really? He wants me to come to the party? "Alright, I guess I'll come." Not much for me to do here anyway. "Yay." Nova comes up to me and gives me a hug. 'He's so warm. I just feel so cozy in his arms...' Just then, I felt something sifting through my memories. Specifically, the night that Bon Bon and I had that one fight, and my time at the club with Rainbow Dash came up. I break free of the hug, and give Nova a glare. He just stands there, with a look of realization, with a hint of sadness. "Ah, so that's why you ended up digging yourself into a hole. And before you yell at me, no, I did not activate that memory spell, at least I don't think I did intentionally. You may not want to talk to me now, but I still have something to say." Damn he irritates me yet I feel I can't live without his smiles... ohhhh what am I thinking? "Listen Lyra, I know full well what you're going through, I've been there myself, thought under different circumstances. You lost not only your marefriend, but someone who you could relate to when you needed somepony to talk to while you dealt with rough times; though this may surprise you, so have I." Wait, what? "There were days where I never even bothered getting out of bed, save for using the restroom, others where I just couldn't find something to keep me occupied for more than five minutes. Not only had the times affected my thinking, but it also showed around my home, and I had the signs via bags under my eyes, no matter how much sleep I got. After a while, I figured things out - no matter how bad the relationship is, and no matter how many one goes through, there's always someone, or in this world's case, somepony, out there for you. What matters is not merely the fact that you have somepony in your life, but somepony that will help you through the hard times, not caring about what anypony else says or does." He comes over and gives me another hug, this one I return and squeeze him a little, not wanting to let go. After a few seconds, he tries to say something. "Ly... ra... can't breathe... help..." I let go, my face burning like a thousand suns. "Sorry bout that, Nova." "No problem. Now, about that party..." "When do we leave?" "Uh, how bout now?" "Sure, let's go." Not a second after I start the teleportation spell, Nova interrupts me, "Wait, don't forget about Pinkie." "Pinkie?" "Yeah, she brought me over here." I can't help but feel a little hurt, as well as some other emotion as he mentions her. "Wait, don't get upset, she just brought me here in a hurry. You know how she does pretty much everything that's nearly impossible? That's why I asked her to bring me, cause I knew she could get me here in ten seconds flat." "Oh alright." We go outside, and sure enough, Pinkie's just standing there, eagerly waiting for the both of us. "So, how did it go Nova?" There are some times that I want to question her logic, but I can't, thanks to that unwritten universal rule: Never question what Pinkie Pie does, because if you try to understand how she does everything, your mind will shatter. Just accept everything she does. "If it didn't work, would I be standing here next to Nova?" True, the remark was a bit uncalled for, but still, it was all that came to mind. "Alright, let's go then!" Before I could say anything, she grabs the both of us, and uses her hind legs to leap into the air. With absolutely no regard for physics, she jumped, and we landed right outside Twilight's library. "Ok, let's go in and enjoy the awesome party! Even if it is only around 10 in the morning." He giggled. His smile is infectious, and it seems to be spreading over to me as well, and also another feeling, which I am trying to make sense of. 'Guess I could use a distraction from my own mind right now.' AWESOME FUN WAS HAD Nova, Golden Oaks Library The party was awesome, and now everypony was leaving, save for six ponies and one dragon. Spike was cleaning up some of the mess, Rainbow Dash was talking with Vinyl Scratch as she put away her equipment, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie were helping Spike clean up, Applejack left to go back to her farm and do some more apple bucking, while Rarity and Twilight were talking amongst themselves. Lyra had gone home about ten minutes ago, in a very happy mood. Sure, she asked me if I wanted to go home with her, but I felt the need to talk to a certain pink pony for some reason, and so I declined her offer. She didn't seem upset, so that was good. It's actually pretty quiet; it was then that I realized that my iPod had been playing random songs on shuffle for pretty much the entire day, and I could now hear what was playing - The Elder Scrolls, Skyrim, Dragonborn. It didn't seem that important, so I turned it up a little bit, and placed the earbuds in, and let the music carry me. This is how I learned that dragons actually have pretty damn good hearing. Spike was somewhere in the kitchen, while I was lounging around the main part of the library, enjoying my music, when all of a sudden, he lunges at me, with no reason or explanation, save for an angry look on his face. At first I didn't know what was going on, I just figured he snapped for some unknown reason and decided I was going to be his victim so he could vent - I was wrong. The music then went to the chorus: Dovahkiin, Dovahkiin, nahlot zin los vahriin. Wah dein, vokul, mahfaraahk ast vaal! Ahrk fin norok paal graan, Fod nust hon zindro zaan, Dovahkiin, fah hin, kogaan mu draal. It took a few seconds, but then I realized why Spike was chasing me. Twilight and everypony else just stood in shock at the sight of their little friend chasing me in a poor attempt at mauling me. I took the iPod out of my pocket, and hit 'pause' - he stopped. "Who, wha, what happened?" So, he doesn't remember, or was he just in shock? I feel a creepy grin come across my face, as I walk towards Spike. "So, you're affected by the lyrics in this song?" Spike just looks up at me with a face that can only be described as, 'What?' I take the earbuds out, turn the volume up all the way, and hit the play button. Spike's eyes go wide for a second, and then he tries to take a swipe at me. I hit pause, he stops. I start to smile like an idiot, and then continue playing and pausing the music, watching as he goes from 'berserk' to 'normal' and vice versa for a couple minutes, with that stupid smile still plastered on my face. Twilight manages to walk over to us, and uses her magic to take away my iPod. "Hey!~" "Stop doing that! Can't you see that Spike is upset from it? How is it that lyrics from a song upset him anyway?" "It's not the mere fact that the lyrics are in Dovah, or Dragon speak, but what they say. By the way Twilight, you best sit down, because you're about to learn something." Her eyes went wide, and they started to sparkle. "Let me get my quill and parchment!" With that, she raced off to her room, and was back in a mere ten seconds. "Alright, now that you've gotten your note taking utensils... Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie, you fillies sure you don't want to come in here and learn something possibly awesome?" Fluttershy squeaked out a response first. "Sure, I guess." "Count me in!" That's Rainbow Dash's final answer. Rarity? "Sure, even better if it's something about Spike." Heh, you'll see. Pinkie? "Learning something new is always fun, especially if it's something about my friends!" Alright, got everyone here. "Perfect. Now, Spike, keep an open mind here... and try not to maul me, if possible." I couldn't help but laugh a bit, luckily, he agreed. "Ok... the dragons have their own language, when they are born, they don't necessarily learn it, but instead they already have all knowledge of it instinctively. Through this language, they shout, and can do many things because of this. Do you know how a dragon breathes fire?" Head shakes all around, so no. "They do it with a shout."(I know, I'm breaking canon, but for good reason, I promise!) Odd looks from all ponies present, though Spike is just standing there, wonder deep in his eyes. I can tell he wants to know where I get this information from. Details, details. "Let me explain: when a dragon shouts, it isn't like this," I just scream loudly. Ears were folded back. "Instead, one feels the shout coming from their very soul. When one shouts, they take the meaning of it into themselves, and become the shout." Again, odd looks, but Twilight is somewhat able to follow. "Looks like I might have to demonstrate, though I don't know if I'll be able to. Spike!" "Yeah?" "Mind if I use unrelenting force? Only the first word." He stares at me for a moment, and then replies. "You want to use me in an experiment to find out if you're a Dovahkiin?" "Just one word. Please?" "Ugh, fine." "Now, girls, the shout that I am going to demonstrate with is 'Fus', or 'Unrelenting Force.'" I cleared my mind, and concentrated. I thought of the meaning of Unrelenting Force, letting it take hold. I then draw in a breath, and let out a shout. "FUS!" The second I shouted, Spike was sent right into one of the shelving units. All of the ponies present just sat there and stared in awe. 'I'm dragonborn, AWESOME!' "Sorry Spike, I'll get you out of there." He's currently wedged in between two books, and was apparently stuck. A hard pull, and he's free. We both go back to sit down with the group in the middle of the main room. Rainbow Dash is the first to speak up. "That, was the coolest thing I have ever seen! Do some more!" "Wait a second Dash, let me finish, I'm not done. Spike's little mental snap isn't without reason. The dragons have come to despise the Dovah, or Dragonborn, because there was a time when they would just go out and kill any dragon in sight." Twilight looked a little disturbed, as well as Fluttershy. "Why isn't there any information on dragons anywhere in the Canterlot Library?" "I think I might have an explanation for that. In the old times, there was a group called 'The Blades,' that was first made up of just Dragonborn. They formed in the hopes of protecting the city from any danger, and that included dragon attacks. As time went on, people, or in your case, ponies, turned dragon slaying into something of a normality, killing hundreds of dragons, not caring about the consequences. There was blood spilled on both sides. Celestia put a stop to the dragon slaying, and the dragon attacks, by disbanding the Blades and dragon slayers, and reasoning with some of the sociable dragons. Not wanting anypony else to learn of the dragon shouts used by Dovah and Dovahkiin alike, she destroyed any and all books that contained any reference to dragons and their language and such, so that nopony else would kill for sport and possibly start a war." Everypony was staring at me in disbelief, while Spike kept nodding, his soul telling him the exact same information. "Wait, how do you know all of this!" Ah, Twilight, the ever-questioning pony. "The information about the language and its uses was stuff that I learned from a video game in my world. The other stuff, about the dragon slaying and Celestia banishing any and all knowledge about it, was speculation based upon the fact that none of you knew any of this, especially you Twilight. If there was any book at all referring to it, you would have run around to grab every book to look through them as I went on explaining, just to see if my information was accurate." Said pony blushed. "Anyways, there's two ways for one to be able to use a shout: one is to be born with a dragon soul, or through long, rigorous training, which could very well break your very soul. Yes, it's happened. Not pretty. On a much lighter note, I have a favor to ask of you Twilight." "Sure, what is it?" "Could I borrow a few books on magic? It seems that I am able to use it, so I thought that I should start learning to use it properly. And if it's not too much trouble, could you find a book on transformation spells?" "Sure, no problem." With that said, Twilight got up and started going through the vast amount of shelves, looking for different spell books. Not much in the way of notable conversation was going on, so I decided to just lay back and relax on the floor while waiting for Twilight to come back with those books, then it's homeward bound for me. Funny, it hasn't even been a full day yet, and I'm already calling Lyra's place my home. Another few minutes, and Twilight returns with about five different books, all on magic. "Here you go, some books on basic magic, as well as one on transformation spells. Keep them as long as you need, but be sure to bring them back when you're done with them." "I will Twilight. Now, I guess it's time for me to head home." "Wait, your music player! I'll go get it." Another few seconds, and Twilight returns with my iPod and earbuds. "Thank you Twilight." I glance at the time on the iPod, which seems to have adjusted to the time here in Equestria. Not only that, but it says that the battery was charging. "Holy hayseed, it's that late already!" Apparently it's now 10:30pm... Forget it, I'm not even going to bother contemplating that. "Guess you'd better get home. Don't want to keep your marefriend waiting." Dash joked. I know she was only poking fun at the fact that I'm staying with her, but still, my face burned nonetheless. "Alright, I'm off. See you girls later." "Good bye Nova!" They all said in unison. I exit the library, and make my way back to Lyra's. 'Damn, I'm so tired. Gotta get back to Lyra's before I fall asleep though.' With that, I continued to walk through the town, until I manage to make it back, sleepily walking towards the back bedroom, and crashing onto the bed. I fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow. New Info, Accidents, And LearningNova, Home Floating - Usually when one sleeps, they are actually dreaming, not floating in a white abyss, talking to a disembodied voice. I'm just floating, going nowhere, sitting cross-legged, while some disembodied voice wants to have a conversation with me. "We really must stop meeting like this, Nova." Yea, sure. "Well, it would help if you stopped bringing me here." "Who said that I was the one doing that?" "Ah whatever, at least I have someone cool to talk to when I sleep, instead of having weird dreams." "How do you know you're not dreaming and making this all up?" He has a point, but I'm gonna make it invalid. "Because I can feel that our souls are connected for the time being, allowing us to communicate. The white abyss is because neither of us think of a setting that is comfortable." "You figured all of that out just now?" "No, I pondered it while flying on Dash towards the library yesterday." "You my boy are far from stupid, though you're not the brightest crayon in the box sometimes. Let us not forget the archery accident." "Oh COME ON! How was I supposed to know someone would take the joke literally and actually fire at Will? Then again, we did get to call him 'guard from Whiterun' afterwards." We both laugh at the horribly overused joke for a couple minutes. "So, it seems that you have learned your soul is that of a dragon's." "Yeah, that's what bugs me a little bit. You said that my origin is from Equestria, and yet I have a dragon's... No." "No? No what?" "No. Bucking. Way." "Oh, finally connected the dots my dear boy?" "This is, by far, the coolest thing ever!" It was then that the disembodied voice was such no longer. Instead, Discord finally came into view. "You didn't have to shout you know." "Yeah, I get it. Now come over here, I wanna celebrate something." "What might that be?" Discord floated over to where I sat just after asking me this. I stand up and stay silent for a few seconds, getting me a weird look from him. "This is the best day ever. Of all time. Now give me a hug, you joker." Even though I should've just waited for a reply, I gave him a hug anyway. Yes, I hugged Discord. Problem? "I didn't think that you would -" "Take the news well? Course I would. And besides, I can't really come to hate you, you're not really evil anyways, you just love having fun and all that stuff. Sure your pranks are a bit off the wall, but the main point is that no one actually received any harm during your ruling, and the same when you broke free." Discord looked stunned, such a Kodak Moment... Where's a camera when you need one? "Finally! Someone else who gets what I'm about! If I wasn't your father I'd be your best friend right now." A smirk slowly grows on my face. "Well to me, you're both. If you weren't my dad I'd still wanna hang with you." I extend a fist out towards him. "Brohoof?" "Brohoof." /)*(\ Yeah, best day ever. Sunlight, my worst enemy - at least, when I'm still in bed it is. The bright rays of light casting down upon my sleepy eyelids cause me to stir and turn away from the window, to face the wall. Bad decision. Now the birds are assaulting me with high-pitched melodies that rattle the insides of my head until I get up. I cover my ears with the pillow in protest... and in vein. They just keep singing, not having a care in the world. I breathe a sigh, and admit defeat. "Alright, alright, you win, I'm up." Not a second after I said this, the birds quiet down, allowing me to collect my thoughts. 'My dad is Discord, and I'm able to use magic, as well as dragon shouts. Heh, next thing you know, Celestia's gonna try and send me to the moon.' "Well, guess I'd better start the day, before it's gone without me. In this world time flies faster than Rainbow Dash." I reluctantly get out of bed, and shuffle over to my suitcases. It takes a couple seconds for my mind to kick in, then I realize something. "I haven't unpacked yet. Ah ponyfeathers." I then get to work, putting clothes in the draws and closet, but not before making sure to put aside my favorite dark blue jeans and black Under Armor t-shirt, as well as socks n stuff.* After putting my clothes away, getting dressed, and shoving the suitcase into the closet, I had decided to go make some breakfast. 'Hmm, it's quiet. Too quiet. I guess Lyra's asleep. Ah well, don't think it would hurt to make some breakfast. Now, what's in that fridge?' While this thought was going through my mind, I made my way into the kitchen. Nothing fancy really, just basic cupboards, wood floor, decent counter space, a standard run-of-the-mill electric stove with an oven, and some fridge that looks like it's from the 90's. "Alright, what's in here?" I ask myself quietly while opening the fridge; 'Eggs, butter, milk, lettuce, peppers, onions, apples, oranges, huh not bad. Guess I could make some scrambled eggs. Now, where did those pans go?' Little did I know that during my search for a frying pan in the kitchen, Lyra had woken up, and was sleepily wandering into the same room. "Ahhh!" "Lyra, wai-" WHAM! She used her magic and slammed a frying pan into my face before she realized that it was me in her kitchen. Lyra, Home Sleep, something that I used to rarely get, or enjoy whenever it came; but now things are different. I'm able to actually get a good night's sleep for a change, and oh Celestia does it show. My coat has a vibrant color once again, and my mane is no longer dull and flat. I'm just happily enjoying my dreams, when some noises in the house wake me up. "What the heck could that be?" I groggily get up, and sander off towards the commotion that has taken me away from my peaceful dreams. 'Oh, it's coming from the kitchen.' Heading towards where the noise is coming from, I walk into the kitchen and spot someone going through the cupboards. I yell in surprise and use magic to fling the nearest object towards whoever it is that's in my house. "Ahhh!" "Lyra, wai-" WHAM! Too late, you're knocked out... wait a second. It takes a minute for my mind to fully wake up, but just as soon as it does, I remember that I let Nova stay in my home, because he has nowhere else to turn to. First my face starts to heat up from the embarrassment, then the guilt sets in as I come to the realization that I just smacked Nova in the face with a frying pan. Ohhhh, I hope he isn't injured. Wasting no time, I levitate him, and run off towards the hospital. Nova, Dream Alright, I'm floating in the same white expanse, after a frying pan flies into my face. It's official, I've been knocked out, by Lyra no less. Well, at least my day can't get any worse at the moment. "Heh, looks like someone needs to work on their ninja skills." I turn towards Discord, "Well, I can't really complain, I got someone to talk to while I'm waiting for Lyra to drag my sorry ass to the hospital and wake me up." "What makes you so sure that's going to happen?" "I may have only known her for a short time as of right now, but I know her well enough to know that she wouldn't just leave me on the floor, I'm on my way to the hospital." All of a sudden, I start to get feeling back, which could mean only one thing. "Haha, I'm about to wake up." Discord deadpans, "Yeah, and you're about to experience a headache the size of Texas. I wouldn't wake up if I were you." "Ah who cares, so long as she gets to find out I'm alright." "Don't say I didn't warn you." I wake up seconds later... Nova, Just outside the hospital I begin to twitch my fingers, then a few other limbs, before I'm finally able to completely wake up. When I do, I start to regret my decision already. 'Discord was right. I shouldn't have woken up yet.' "Ugh, I feel like I just fell twenty stories. My head is pounding with the power of a thousand suns." Lyra quickly sets me down, although gently, and starts to explain what happened. "I'm sorry Nova, I was just so tired when I entered the kitchen that I thought you were some weird creature robbing my house, I panicked and picked up a frying pan from the sink and flung it before e-" I stop her rambilng by gently placing my had on her mouth. 'Hm, soft lips... DON'T BE THINKING OF THAT RIGHT NOW, CALM HER DOWN YOU TWIT!' "It's ok Lyra, I understand, although it wouldn't hurt to be just a little more careful." I stroke her mane and give her a hug to calm her down; it works, and then I proceed again. "Look, I know you feel bad about what just happened, but don't, it's not your fault, everypony makes mistakes, even Celestia. Heck, there are times that I've messed up even worse than this. Anyways, I think it's still a good idea to go get myself checked out at the hospital, I just want to make sure that I don't have a concussion or anything." What happens next is a little weird, then again I haven't fully adjusted to living here yet. Lyra concentrates her magic, and touches her horn to my forehead. Her face is so close that I can clearly see some of the tear stains on her coat. 'She was that worried about me?' After a few seconds of her face being inches away from mine, she moves back, and breathes a sigh of relief. "Ok, you don't have any concussions, and I've stopped your splitting headache. On another note, yes I was that worried about you, I didn't want anything to happen to you, and I was also worried you'd be mad at me for what happened. I'm sorry." She looks down, and starts scraping one of her hooves at the dirt. 'D'aaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwww - NO, THIS IS NO TIME TO D'AAAWW AT THAT, CHEER HER UP DUMBASS!' Curse you subconscious. I go down onto my knees, place a hand on her cheek, and gently bring her face up to eye level with mine. "Lyra, I may not look it, but I'm quite tough, something like that wouldn't do much, and I am not mad about what happened, not one bit. I should've either been more quiet, woke you up, or waited til you got up yourself. Mistakes will be made, that's just a part of life. What's important is that we get up and move on from them, taking each one as a learning experience in an effort to not let it happen again." I wrap my arms around her in a hug, "Plus, how can someone be mad at a cute pony such as yourself?" Wait, what did I just say? I go to move away from the hug, but surprisingly, something is stopping me - Lyra is holding me like there's no tomorrow. 'Well, that's unexpected.' She just continues to hold me, sobbing like a child. 'She must really care about me if she's like this.' "Lyra, I'm ok, and you don't have to worry about what happened. Tell you what, let's hang out somewhere, just the two of us. Maybe you could teach me some magic later, and we could go on a picnic this evening." This should help calm her down. I just don't want to see her so sad. It worked. "Well, ok. Sorry for staining your shirt." She finally breaks the hug. Damn, it may look adorable, but I don't want to see any of the ponies sad. "It's fine, I don't mind. So, you want to head back home, or do you want to go somewhere?" "Sure, let's go somewhere, seeing we're already out. Coffee?" 'Wait, ponies actually have coffee here? YEEEAAAAHHHHH! ONE MORE REASON TO LOVE THIS PLACE!' I get up, and then we walk over towards the nearest place that sells coffee, which would be a quaint little cafe, by the name of 'SkyBucks'. Don't question it, it never works. Ever. Lyra, Ponyville 'After what happened with Nova, I didn't think he would want to speak to me again. Sure, we met just a couple days ago, but he's still probably one of my closest friends. No one else has stuck with me as a friend after they knew that I was a filly fooler. On top of that, I just kept getting made fun of whenever I made a mistake, just like Ditzy, or Derpy, depending on who you talk to. Having him with me, and still stick with me as a friend not only after he finds out that I used to be in a relationship with another filly, but after slamming a frying pan into his face when half asleep completely blows my mind.' As we walk to the coffee shop, I notice that every once in a while, I seem to be moving closer to him. I move away, only to have it happen again. 'What is wrong with me? Why am I doing this?' What happens next is a shocker to me. "If you want me to put my arm around you, all you have to do is ask, silly." He smiles down at me, and looks at me as if to ask if I want him to. I nervously shake my head yes. His arm around me is somewhat soft, and warm. Makes me feel safe somehow. A couple minutes later and we're standing in front of SkyBucks. 'Well, guess I can't complain. Even though it is a little expensive, it's the least I could do to repay him, for trying to cheer me up.' We sit down at a table outside of the cafe, and an employee comes over to ask us what we would like to order. (Description not important really, just think of a ponyfied barista from Starbucks) "I guess I'll have an espresso." The waiter then turns to Nova. Surprisingly, he isn't startled by the appearance. 'Ohh, he's good.' "Hmm, how bout a medium caramel latte with cream and a double shot of espresso." The waiter starts to look uncomfortable. "I'm sorry, but we don't have what you speak of, though if you give us a recipe we'd be happy to make it for you." "Alright, I'll get on that right now then." Nova then asks for a piece of paper and something to write with. The waiter comes back with the manager, and eagerly awaits for him to write down how to make whatever it is that he ordered. Five minutes later and Nova hands the paper back to the waiter and manager. Eying the paper, I take notice of Nova's handwriting; It's comparable to the princess's! While waiting for the staff to make the drink that Nova ordered, I start to feel a little nervous. There's hardly anypony out here and yet it's not really that early in the morning anymore. I start thinking back on what has happened over the last couple of days. 'He appears out of nowhere, and in the middle of my house no less. I hear him out, and he sees through me like a looking glass. He comforts me, and makes me feel better about my abilities as a member of society.' I blush a little bit, thinking back. 'Then, on our way to see Princess Celestia, he gets attacked by the guards. During the fight, he stays on the defensive side the entire time, and finds a non-lethal way to stop the fight. Celestia grants him citizenship, and we both end up crashing without doing anything else.' Nova starts to look in my direction. 'I'm confused - it's like I know what I'm feeling, yet I don't at the same time. I feel safe around him, like nothing can hurt me, but it also feels like he could shatter my soul at any given time, and it's frightening.' Nova then opens his mouth to speak. His voice is so comforting, soothing, like a lullaby almost. "Lyra, you ok? Something on your mind?" He gives me some odd look, which means I'm probably blushing again. Confound you, complicated emotions and subconscious, you drive me to question myself and get lost in my thoughts! "I'm sorry Nova, I'm just very confused right now. I can't make sense of my own thoughts and feelings right now." Nova just sits there for a moment, thinking, probably about what I said, as well as his reply. 'Heh, he looks kinda cute when he stares off into space thinking like that.' "Well, when you put it like that, I can't help but agree to give you some time to sort out your mind. Just remember though, I'm here for you, so if you need to talk to somepony about anything that's bugging you, you can come see me. I'm always glad to help a friend out." 'He smiles as he's saying this; I melt away by looking at it, it makes me feel like I'm the most important thing to him... what is going on with my mind?' Thankfully though, our conversation was interrupted by the waiter coming back with both of our drinks. When the waiter gives Nova his drink, he eyes it for a few seconds, before hesitantly taking the straw into his mouth and taking a sip. Just as soon as he tastes the drink, he seems to brighten up, eyes wide and legs becoming restless. 'Maybe he isn't used to coffee...?' "Nova, are you alright?" "Am I alright? Of course I'm alright, why wouldn't I be? Damn, this coffee is way stronger than stuff back home. Not even energy drinks come close to the amount of caffeine in this thing. If there was the same amount of caffeine in drinks back home as the drinks here, people would be having heart attacks left right and center!" The sight of him being this hyper over a few sips of his drink is both funny and weird at the same time. "You seem new to caffeine, at least that's what I think, judging by your reaction to it." "Actually, I have had caffeine before. As I've already stated, caffeine here must be at least five times as strong here than the stuff back home. Remind me to get something with a little less next time. I feel like Pinkie Pie on a sugar rush." "Well, it doesn't help when you asked for a double shot of espresso in your drink, as well as caramel. The caramel has loads of sugar, because it's just melted sugar basically, and espresso is around three times as strong as coffee. I'm surprised you haven't started convulsing, seeing as how your tolerance for caffeine is lower than the norm." "Trust me, I'm just as surprised as you are. On a side note, I think I shall keep this, I could use some in the mornings." He takes a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself a little bit, as he's been a little shaky from the whole ordeal. "Well, now that that's over with, I think we can now carry an intelligible conversation again. How would you like to teach me to use magic?" "Wait a second, didn't you come home with a few books on that last night?" "Yeah, I did, but then I realized something." "Oh, what's that?" "It seems that the books are for those that cannot find their ability to use magic. So really, they aren't needed, unless I try to do some really complicated spell." "You do drive a good point. So, got a place in mind where we can get started?" "I think I saw a nice open field near Sweet Apple Acres. Might be worth a shot to go check it out." "Sounds like a plan then." Nova, Ponyville We are on our way to the cafe, and the atmosphere around us is just crushing, the silence is deadly. After a couple minutes of walking, I notice that Lyra is starting to sway closer to me, but then she notices what she's doing and repeatedly moves away, only for her to subconsciously move closer again. It's just so funny, seeing her do that. A minute or so later, I start to feel a little sorry for her, so I decide to take some of the weight off of the both of us. "If you want me to put my arm around you, all you have to do is ask, silly." I smile and look down at Lyra, who is now starting to blush. Nonetheless, she moves closer, by her own will this time, and I put my arm around her back. I can feel her relax a little bit as I do so. 'She's kind of adorable when she's not worrying about every little thing.' It was another few minutes until we reached our destination, a quaint little cafe, by the name of 'SkyBucks.' 'Seriously, I'm not even going to try and question it. There's one unwritten rule among those that believe inter-dimensional travel is possible: Never, ever, EVER, question universal constants. It never works out. Your mind will shatter into a thousand little pieces trying to figure it out.' I take my arm off of Lyra, to signal a waiter over to where we were sitting. Lyra orders her drink first. "I'll have an espresso." Heh, I guess she still needs to wake up a little. The waiter then turns to me. "Hmm, how bout a medium caramel latte with cream and a double shot of espresso." The waiter starts to look uncomfortable. "I'm sorry, but we don't have what you speak of, though if you give us a recipe we'd be happy to make it for you." "Alright, I'll get on that right now then." I ask for a piece of paper and something to write with. The waiter comes back with the manager, and eagerly awaits for me to write down how to make my favorite drink in the world. Next to Mountain Dew, that is. When I finish writing everything down and give it to the waiter, I notice that Lyra has a shocked expression on her face as she looked at the paper I gave them. 'Heh, she must have seen my writing. True, I used my soul to write it down so they could understand it, but it's not really cheating if one doesn't even know where to begin when using their alphabet.' While waiting for the staff to make the drink that I ordered, I notice that Lyra is starting to look a little nervous. She starts to stare off into space while looking down at her hooves, which are currently resting on the seat she is sitting on. I can't help but ask if she's alright. "Lyra, you ok? Something on your mind?" There is silence for a couple seconds, and when she looks up at me, her face starts to turn red. 'D'aaawww, she's blushing again. So, freaking, adorable.' "I'm sorry Nova, I'm just very confused right now. I can't make sense of my own thoughts and feelings right now." My mind just stops right there as I hear this. 'Wait a second, I know that line. No, there's got to be another explanation other than what is coming to mind right now. Though, judging by her blushing and seeming to gaze in that way at me, it couldn't be more obvious. Thing is, I don't even know if I like her in that way. Ugh, I'm gonna have to take some time away from all of this, to just sit down and think. Good thing I have my iPod still.' "Well, when you put it like that, I can't help but agree to give you some time to sort out your mind. Just remember though, I'm here for you, so if you need to talk to somepony about anything that's bugging you, you can come see me. I'm always glad to help a friend out." 'Wait for it, aaaaaaand, there she goes again, having that "I'm on cloud 9" look, and then quickly going over to "why am I thinking this?" Lyra, you simply do not know how easy you are to read. You're like a book, with huge bold lettering in all canterlocks.' The conversation is interrupted by the waiter coming back with our drinks. 'Oh yay, my latte. Hope it tastes as good as it looks.' Still, I can't help but eye it for a few seconds, before taking a sip. As soon as I do though, I am hit with more energy than Pinkie Pie on a sugar rush. Lyra nervously turns towards me. "Nova, are you alright?" The look on her face as she asks this is just priceless, though that isn't really the priority right about now... "Am I alright? Of course I'm alright, why wouldn't I be? Damn, this coffee is way stronger than stuff back home. Not even energy drinks come close to the amount of caffeine in this thing. If there was the same amount of caffeine in drinks back home as the drinks here, people would be having heart attacks left right and center!" "You seem new to caffeine, at least that's what I think, judging by your reaction to it." "Actually, I have had caffeine before. As I've already stated, caffeine here must be at least five times as strong here than the stuff back home. Remind me to get something with a little less next time. I feel like Pinkie Pie on a sugar rush." "Well, it doesn't help when you asked for a double shot of espresso in your drink, as well as caramel. The caramel has loads of sugar, because it's just melted sugar basically, and espresso is around three times as strong as coffee. I'm surprised you haven't started convulsing, seeing as how your tolerance for caffeine is lower than the norm." 'Yeah, thanks for the lecture, mom.' "Trust me, I'm just as surprised as you are. On a side note, I think I shall keep this, I could use some in the mornings." I take a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm myself a little bit. 'Man, that was like drinking five double size Rock Star drinks in one hour. There's no way in hell that I can finish that in a week, let alone in one sitting.' "Well, now that that's over with, I think we can now carry an intelligible conversation again. How would you like to teach me to use magic?" "Wait a second, didn't you come home with a few books on that last night?" "Yeah, I did, but then I realized something." "Oh, what's that?" "It seems that the books are for those that cannot find their ability to use magic. So really, they aren't needed, unless I try to do some really complicated spell." "You do drive a good point. So, got a place in mind where we can get started?" "I think I saw a nice open field near Sweet Apple Acres. Might be worth a shot to go check it out." "Sounds like a plan then." We then got up to leave, Lyra paid the bill, and I just look at her with a face that says 'Sorry, I would have contributed if I had any money to my name.' She seems to pick up on this, and throws a reply at me. "Don't worry about it. Consider this as a thank you for all that you've helped me through so far." She then promptly nuzzles her head into my side. 'So, freaking, cute.' The streets of Ponyville are now busy with everypony going about their day, as well as all of the vendors in the market square trying to sell their various items. The fact that we walk straight through the square without anypony making a scene out of it, truly surprises me. The walk over to the field near Applejack's place is a peaceful, yet hauntingly silent one, as we're both trapped within our own thoughts, unable to come up with anything to talk about while on the way there. Nova, Random Open Field Lyra and I both look around the grassy plains of the wide open space. Not a single pony in sight. 'This is perfect for learning to use magic.' I turn to Lyra, and decide to break the silence that had decided to park itself over top of us as soon as we left the cafe. "So, where do we begin?" Lyra looks at me for a second, with an odd face that can only be read as 'Are you kidding me?' only to remember that I haven't used magic before, at least not willingly anyway. "Well Nova, as lame is this might sound, it is best you sit down, and concentrate. Close your eyes, and clear your mind." I do as instructed; clearing away any and all thoughts, making my mind a blank expanse for me to delve further into. "Now, you said something about feeling a surge of power when you got here to Princess Celestia; Concentrate on that feeling, try and find it within yourself. You will know when you find it." At first I didn't know if it would work, but I just squashed the pessimistic thought and kept searching within myself. A few moments later, I started to feel something within my chest. This feeling is too familiar to ignore - it is the same thing that I had felt as I arrived here not too long ago, and it is the same thing that flared up when I accidentally triggered a spell to sift through Lyra's memories and dig out exactly what happened at the club that one night with Rainbow Dash, as well as the last fight with Bon Bon. As soon as I had found it, I held onto that feeling, and then opened my eyes. "Good. Now, we are going to start with the -" "Sorry to interrupt, but I have an idea of what you are going to say next." This causes Lyra to look a little confused, but sighed and signaled for me to keep going with my thought. "What is it that's so important you had to interrupt me?" 'Oh noes! Lyra's gone out of character! Quick, everypony, run for the hills! It's the end of the world!' "What you're going to say next, is that magic is controlled by one's will. If you were to concentrate, and picture an apple floating, your magic would make it so." Lyra's jaw dropped, and stayed on the floor for a couple of minutes before she picked it up again. "Actually, you're not too far off. Yes, magic is based off of will, but it isn't as simple as that. You have to feel the energy within you, doing as you wish it to. Think of your magic as extra appendages, if you will. An extension of your being." 'Actually, that makes a lot of sense.' After a second or two, she speaks again. "Now that you've grasped the very basic principles of magic and using it, I think it's time we put your abilities to the test. Wait here, while I go grab a couple of apples off of a tree." With that being said, Lyra speeds off towards Sweet Apple Acres, to do exactly as she said she would - grab a couple of apples. 'Heh, I doubt she's even going to pay for them. Meh, they have enough apples to not notice two or three going missing. Plus, it seems that they grow every day, instead of every year. Damn, I feel sorry for you Applejack.' Not ten minutes later, Lyra came back with not two, but five apples. 'She really expects me to be able to levitate all of these at once on the first day?' "Alright Nova, remember what I said; your magic is an extension of your own being, an appendage that originates from your soul. Clear your mind, and feel your magic pick up one of the apples." I nod as she is saying this. Lyra then puts an apple right in front of me, moves back a little, sits down, and patiently waits for me to do something. I try to do as instructed. At first, nothing happens... then I realize why: I'm trying too hard, as if I'm trying to make it float. 'Damn it Nova, you're doing it wrong. Try again, this time with a different approach.' I inwardly sigh, and try again. I look for the magic within myself; it doesn't take long for me to find it. Then, I try to get a feel for it, exploring the different things that could be possible while using it. After a moment, I return to the matter at hand - the apple that sits right in front of me. This time, I do things differently; I feel my magic, and extend it towards the apple, as if it is an invisible arm, reaching out towards the object. Once I feel that it is within its grasp, I can feel my magic lifting the apple into the air. I open my eyes to see said object floating at around eye level, mere inches away from my face. The look on Lyra's face isn't one of surprise, but of satisfaction. She gets up and walks over to me, with a small smile on her face. "Well, I see that you are a fast learner. You've done well for your first try; it took most foals at magic school almost two days to simply grasp the concept that I have told you, let alone levitating an object. Heck, they start us off with feathers, and even then some ponies couldn't get it on their first try." 'Seems that she's one of those ponies that managed to pick up the teachings rather quickly.' "Alright, now that you have demonstrated your ability to levitate one apple, how about we move on to making it fly around." "In all honesty, i thought you were going to suggest that I try levitating more apples simultaneously, to get a feel for my concentration levels." "Well, I was actually, but I figured that we should move on from basic levitating for now. Plus, if we get through some of the other spells, that would allow you to control your abilities a little better, so you could practice whenever you want later on without needing another magic user present, in case something were to go wrong." 'Well, as insulting as it is, I can't really argue with that logic.' "Eh, can't really argue there. Ok, let's try it then." Thinking back to what Lyra has just taught me, I close my eyes, and think to myself, 'now that I can levitate the apple, let's try to figure out how to move it around in the air. Alright, my magic is an extension of my own being, and as such, I am able to levitate things. Seeing my magic as an extra arm, or multiple arms, let's try moving the apple around in circles.' I will my magic to move the apple around in circles, and I can feel it doing so. Opening my eyes once again, I see that I am in fact, moving the apple around. "Alright, now to try some different maneuvers. 'How bout some loops?' Two seconds later, the apple was doing McTwists so fast that even Rainbow Dash might get jealous. 'Barrel roll?' Star Fox would have to pick up his jaw, 'nuff said. Lyra looked on with amazement, which clearly shows that I pass any and all expectations. "It's pretty damn easy once you get the hang of it." Lyra reaches down to the ground and promptly picks up her unhinged jaw. "I knew you would be good, but I didn't think that you would pick it up so fast. I don't think we even need to see if you can levitate more than one object at a time, it's pretty obvious you could if you wanted to." Damn right, though now I feel like a... what's the term? Gary Stu? Anyway, I feel slightly overpowered... then again, Celestia herself said that my magic 'is pretty powerful' or whatever. "Hey Lyra, how about we head back home? I got something I want to show you." "Sure, what is it?" "Well, you know all of those cases that are in the room I currently inhabit?" "Yeah. Those things were heavy, I could barely lift them even with my magic. What's in them?" "Before I came here, I was on my way to another city for a summer job." "But it's spring, how could you be on your way for a summer job if it's spring?" "Because time flows differently in every universe." "Makes sense, but I still don't understand how. Oh well." "Anyway, I was on my way to another city for a summer job. I was going to be filling in as a temporary DJ at a night club that's really up there on the list of hard places to get into. You have to either know someone that works there, have lots of money to throw around, or someone famous. Average people had no place there, and I was offered a job to do their music for three months." The look on Lyra's face as I told her this: priceless. Jaw, meet ground. Now the two of you play nice. "You're into mixing music and all that? No wonder your cases were so big and heavy." "So, would you like to hear some music from my world?" If one could take a smile and contrast it to electrical energy, Lyra's face would have lit up Osaka in its entirety. For five years straight. 'Nuff said. "Oh Celestia, I would LOVE TO!" Lyra jumps up and down with the excitement of a kid in a candy store that just got handed $1,000. "Alright, calm down, let's head back, and then I can show you some awesomeness." We both chuckle at this. With that said, we both make our way back to her loft near the edge of Ponyville, with her showing almost as much excitement as Pinkie Pie when she has a party to throw for a newcomer to the town. Magic, Magic EverywhereNova, Ponyville Lyra kept bouncing around me in circles as we walked back to her place, almost as excited as Pinkie when she finds someone that's new to Ponyville. You'd swear that she's taking lessons from the pink incarnation of happiness. "So, what kind of genres of music do you listen to?" "A little bit of everything, though I tend to lean in favor of house and trance music." Her face lit up even more, if that was even possible. It's somewhat amusing how she reacts to the fact that I like the same music as Vinyl. "OH! You like the same kind of music that Vinyl plays? Awesome!" Seriously, I'm finding that almost everything she does is adorable, including her excited little antics that make her almost an expy of Pinkie Pie. It' kind of funny, how we're walking back to her place, and the entire time she's bouncing around me like the pink blur everyone knows and loves, yet nopony stops what they're doing to take a look at what's going on. It's sort of unnerving how they're already used to me so soon after one of Pinkie's parties; it doesn't feel natural. Then again, I am somewhere new, so it shouldn't surprise me that I can't make sense of everything at the moment.' I don't get to be alone with my thoughts for long, because Lyra decided she has to interrupt them every once in a while with questions, either about me, what I do, family, etc etc. "So, what did you do for a living before you got here?" "To be honest Lyra, you wouldn't understand even if I told you," her ears fold back to her head, "but if you used a memory spell, then you will know everything about it and understand it as well." The excitement just leaped back into her, and she began jumping around again, and then she walks in front of me, and sits on her haunches. "First, I'll use a memory spell to teach you the memory spell," wow; 'Yo dawg, I heard you like memory spells, so we got you a memory spell so you can learn memory spells, so you can use memory spells while learning memory spells while using memory spells while learning memory spells while using memory spells... MEM-CEPTION!' "so you can then use it on me to teach me about what your job is." "Sounds like a good idea. Whenever you're ready, Lyra." I close my eyes, and I can feel her bringing her head closer to mine, as well as sense the magic that she is using for the spell. Soon enough, she touches her horn to my forehead, and something happens; something that can barely be described with words. It's like I'm living through her learning the memory spell, but at breakneck speed. I suddenly know exactly how to perform said spell, and show specific memories. A few seconds later, she pulls her head back, and I open my eyes. "Whoa, that, was weird. It's like being put in your hooves, and learning first hand the spell just as how you did." "That's essentially what the memory spell does, it gives the being which it is performed on, the same memories. There's a longer explanation that's in one of the spell books we read in magic school, but the only pony to fully understand everything it says would be the town's resident librarian," she raises her voice a couple of decibels, and I take up this as a signal to say in unison with her, "Twilight Sparkle." A few chuckles came not only from us, but also a couple of unicorns passing by. 'Well, looks like I'll be able to fit in quite nicely; some ponies can even make a joke, which certainly lightens the mood of me being stuck here drastically.' "Now, my dear," this earns me a blush from Lyra, "I have come up with a better solution than just showing you my job." "Oh, really?" Hope seemed present in her eyes, shining brightly in the afternoon light. "Yeah, I'm not only going to show you my job, but my school life as well. Pretty much everything about my life from the age of 14 onwards." This elicits a gigantic smile from Lyra, as she started jumping up and down. Too bad I have to interrupt her fun. "The only thing is, if I were to show you, it would have to be at your home, because there will no doubt be questions; some that I do not think I would want to answer in public." She stopped jumping at the height of one, but then fell back down on all four hooves. 'Heh, so she hasn't been taking lessons from Pinkie after all.' The smile however, was still there. "Alright, I guess we head back then!" Excitement was an understatement when it comes to describing how Lyra was feeling. The rest of the walk back towards home was short, to say the least, because the both of us couldn't wait to get back. Nova, home As we enter the small house, I make a bee line towards the chesterfield, and Lyra does the same, sitting beside me; I notice something different though, she's sitting closer to me than she had before. 'Hm, makes one think she's already made up her mind... nah, I'll give it more time, I shouldn't push things right now.' "So Lyra, you ready?" The smile she gives me is so huge, it reminds me of that face she made during the Winter Wrap Up episode, the infamous face that was made into the meme 'I found pills, AND ATE THEM!' "You bet!" "Ok, let's begin then." I charge up the energy needed for the spell, and recall everything from my past, starting with me entering high school, and just let her see everything. I figure, why lie to her by extension of not telling her? As soon as the memories are done being played in her mind, she starts looking at me in this weird way; I can't really describe it. With this in mind, I speak first. "So, Lyra, about what you saw, about you and Ponyville..." I trail off, not really knowing what to say. The silence in the room brings in tension that is so thick, someone wouldn't even be able to cut it with a knife. After several excruciating seconds that felt like hours, Lyra decided to speak up. I brace myself for the worst. "So, we're a work of fiction in your world? Is that how you're able to easily accept the fact that you're here, because you think you're dreaming?" Anger is now apparent on Lyra's face, as she burns a hole into me with her golden eyes that were once so beautiful, but now deadly weapons that could almost stare right into one's soul. Quickly remembering that paper I wrote for extra credit in physics in 10th grade, I come up with my response, which is entirely true. "Lyra, the reason that I am able to easily adapt and accept things here, is not because I think that I am dreaming, but because of the fact that I had always thought this place existed in one universe or another. I knew that this world existed somewhere, or at some time or another. I love this place, it's just so serene, so calm; nothing like the world that I left behind, but the world isn't what matters at the moment, it's the one pony that I'm sitting next to right this second. I would do anything for you, no matter the cost. I would protect you from anything, and if you were to read my thoughts and emotions, they would be saying the exact same thing. I've grown to like you for who you are, not just some background pony that sits on the benches weird." Hearing this, she calms down a little, but is still a little unnerved by the fact that many people would just as soon assume that they were dreaming if they came to this beautiful world. I take this time to go run into the room with all of my equipment and stuff, to fish out something that I thought would never get used in the city that I was originally heading to: my acoustic guitar. It's just your average run of the mill cheapo acoustic, but hey, whatever works dude. Lyra sees the guitar, and immediately becomes interested. "So, Nova, you going to try and make it up to me with a love song?" I give her a little smirk, and then a reply. "Sure, why not." I snicker for a couple of seconds, yet Lyra does not seem amused. 'I hope this song works.' Before beginning to play, I check to make sure that the thing is still in tune, which to my surprise, it's not only in tune, it's perfect. 'So awesome!' "Alright Lyra, you may already know this song from my memories, but I still think that it is a good one nonetheless. Here goes nothing." After that, I start playing one of the best songs made for acoustic guitar ever; Ichiban no Takaramono. At first, everything seems fine, but 12 seconds into the opening of the song, I start to feel a magical buildup. Taking this in stride, I keep playing anyways, not knowing what is going to happen; three seconds later, I hear the all too familiar voice singing the song. The look on Lyra's face is of pure amazement; I keep playing, and look to my side, and who is standing to my right but Masami Iwasawa, singing the lyrics. Despite the shock that my mind suffers, I manage to play through the song. Halfway through, Lyra begins to tear up; 'D'aaaaaaawwwwwww, so cute.' When nearing the end, it turns out that Masami has let me play lead and chorus, which is a little surprising to me. As soon as the song ends, I put down my guitar on the coffee table, the spectral image dissapears, and Lyra literally jumps up into my arms, burying her face into my neck. "I'm sorry Nova, for doubting you and for getting angry at something so silly." "It's no problem Lyra, I sort of thought it would happen, but I wanted to be able to tell you everything about me from that point on, because if I hadn't I would've felt that I was lying to you for hiding something like that from you. I don't blame you for being angry like that, I would have probably been just as angry if I found out that the world some random being had a fictional view of my world. The point here, is that I don't see you, or any of the other beings in this world as fictional characters, I believed what I saw as real as soon as I understood where I was. There's an unwritten rule between those that believe that inter-dimensional travel is possible, and that is 'do not doubt anything, as every world's perception as real differs between others.' I know, it's a little weird, but it basically means that one should not doubt the situation that they are in, no matter what. As for the song that I played," I am interrupted by Lyra, using magic to close my mouth. "I know, you like me; the way you played the song conveyed your thoughts and emtions to me better than any heartfelt poem could. To be honest, after our trip to SkyBucks, I was starting to think of ways that I could tell you something..." She trails off, and then releases me from the zipper spell. As soon as she does, I can't help but have a smile plastered on my face. "Oh? And what might that be?" I ask her this, though not with the usual sarcastic tone that most people use with said question. Lyra looks around with her eyes for a second and starts studdering, clearly showing she's still nervous even though I've pretty much already told her how I feel. "I - I... um... I like you, Nova; not just as a friend though, but something more. You're there for me in times of need, and you don't abandon what few friends you have. You're kind, caring and sweet, despite what hardships you've been through. Although you're not a pony, the meaning is still the same; would you be my coltfriend?" Honestly Lyra, who wouldn't say yes to that? "Lyra, I would love nothing more than to be your coltfriend, I just have this to say though: I would like to take things slow, instead of just jumping right into the bed and doing the naughty hug. I want to take the time to get to know you and let you know me better as time goes on. I'm the kind of person to stop and smell the roses, and quite frankly, I think you are one of the most stunning flowers to have bloomed in the path that is my life." Then, just like the few times before, I kneel down and wrap her in a hug, her forehooves moving up and around my neck, and she's nuzzling me. "Aw, see what I mean, you're sweet. To be honest, I wouldn't want anypony else to be with, just you." I then back away from the hug, earning me a look that says 'Awww, don't leave me forever.' "So my lovely flower, is there any genre of music that you like specifically?" Lyra stands in front of me as she contemplates this for a few seconds. 'Aww, even her thinking face is cute.' "I listen to pretty much anything really, but I have a soft spot for both classical as well as anything modern, such as house, trance and what not." Just after hearing this, I get an idea. "Lyra, I'll be right back, I'm just gonna go grab some stuff." "Alright." I run into the room that I am staying in, grab all of my tables, four speakers, and my laptop. I use my magic to levitate them so it's a lot easier to bring them into the other room. Lyra's face upon seeing the equipment: Pinkie Pie on a sugar rush with caffeine. "Calm down Lyra, I haven't even gotten anything set up yet." "I know, but I'm just really excited, it's like I'm getting my own private concert." I stand there with my equipment levitating, deep in thought. 'So, how am I going to get this all set up so I can perform? I don't see any tables for me to use while standing, and I don't like to sit while doing so. Well, I could just levitate the stuff wile performing. Alright, let's give it a shot.' Getting the laptop started up was understandably the easiest part, though what struck me as odd was the fact that it said it was constantly on AC power, but it's unplugged. 'Heh, guess it's the ambient magic that's giving everything electronic a charge. Guess I won't have to plug anything into an outlet, which is awesome because I don't have to worry about blowing a fuse anymore. Yay.' I levitate the different pads in a semicircle around where I am going to do my music, putting the laptop in the center. Next, I place the speakers around the common room, with the subwoofer right under the laptop and sitting right in front of me. The last thing to do is wiring everything together - this is made tons easier with the help of magic. In a couple of minutes, I am satisfied with how I have set everything up, and I now get ready to start playing some music. "So Lyra, you said that you tend to lean towards the kind of music that Vinyl plays, right?" "Yeah, that's right." A confused look dons her face. 'damn, all of her expressions are just so cute, it's unnerving.' "So you wouldn't mind having a mini party in here?" She lights up at this statement. "Make it awesome!" "Oh you have no idea what I have planned." I then start up the pads and get into my various programs, getting ready to play some music. Track Begin: Space Junk 0:01 Lyra just instantly begins bobbing her head to the drum beat, clearly enjoying the song; as soon as the little squeaks come on, she stops for a moment, but then resumes bobbing her head, taking it in stride. 0:28 Just when she thinks that the song was starting to get bland, the 'rave call', as I have named it, starts, and Lyra then starts loosening up, starting to move around more; you'd swear she's been to a rave... Yeahyeahyeahyeah yeahyeahyeahyeah yeahyeahyahyeah Space Junk! The bass then kicks in, and the overall feel of the song changes, as some more sounds are thrown in. And as soon as it's started, it fades out. Lyra looks sad for a second, as she thinks that the song has ended, but then her expression brightens considerably when it turns out the song hasn't finished. 2:35 The song starts up again suddenly, and Lyra starts swaying back and forth, just taking in the song as it builds up, but then starts flailing just after the 'Space Junk' line, and goes even crazier when the rave call plays again. The both of us are partying it up and don't realize that a white unicorn has entered the house, and is heading towards the speakers. She then sits almost directly in front of the subwoofer, and starts nodding her head to the music. Soon the song ends, and then I hear the one voice that brings me extreme joy - Vinyl Scratch. End Track "So, you're a DJ?" I take a look around, and glance at Lyra, who appears to be looking at something in the room, with eyes that say she's just met her idol. I follow her stare, and to my utter disbelief, the one and only Vinyl Scratch is sitting right in front of my subwoofer. It takes a few seconds for me to reply. "Yeah, I do a bit of DJ-ing. So, what brings you to this place?" "The music that was playing, though I should say that it was specifically this weird feeling that I got. My horn just started glowing, and then I heard this noise; it sounded like a call of some sort, saying 'come to the awesome.'" "Oh, would it happen to be this?" I ask her this, and then immediately play the 'rave call.' "That's it!" "That's a part of the song that I really love, it just screams 'party.' Here, why don't I hit play and let you listen to the awesome for a bit, just don't hurt yourself when flailing around like a madpony." Lyra blushes at this comment. I fish around my music folder on my laptop, and then just hit play on Space Junk, and walk across the room and sit down on the chesterfield, Lyra does the same while Vinyl just sits right in front of the speakers, and enjoys the music. A few seconds later, Lyra decides to speak. "So, were you just playing the music and pretending to be awesome, or do you use sound samples?" 'Really? Since when am I not awesome?' "Sound samples. I actually spent about half a year stripping songs down to every single tiny little detail, and created an enormous sound bank of almost every awesome song there ever was. Currently, my laptop has a storage capacity of about 100 Terrabytes... with around 2 or so being just the sound samples." Lyra's jaw didn't drop this time, though if her pupils were any smaller, one would think that she looked at the sun all day long. Also, that shocked expression was priceless. "Yes, I know, extremely huge amount of samples, which is probably not really necessary, but I like to do remixes every now and then; plus it makes it easier to fade between tracks when playing." When the song ended, Vinyl came over to the chesterfield that we were sitting, and sandwiched herself between me and Lyra. Said pony did not look amused, but I took it in Excel. 'Sorry Stride, not today.' "Nova, I'm going to be completely straight with you," 'Oh boy, here it goes, the all to familiar "resident [insert awesome job here] doesn't like competition. Just shoot me.' "your music would be well received here." I did a spit take. Wait, when was I drinking water? Oh well. "Wait, what? Ok, know what, I'm just gonna let you get to the point first." "As I was saying, the music from wherever you come from would be well received. I've seen other ponies that try to be DJ's and have failed miserably when trying to either make music or come up with mixes, though some have merit. What I'm getting at, is that you are a cut above the rest. I already figured that you haven't found your own style yet, but as it stands, your skills are almost second to none here. How bout a partnership?" They say it takes a lot of muscles to smile, a lot more to frown, but almost none to just sit there with a stupid look on your face... guess which look I've got on my face... Lyra breaks me out of my stupor, with more hyperactivity than Pinkie, which says a lot. "OHMYGOSHNOVATAKEITAKEITTAKEIT!" I sit there staring blankly for a few more seconds, and then come out of my mini-shock. "Vinyl, looks like you've got yourself a partnership; though before it officially starts, what are the conditions, like employment wise?" Just after I finished my question, Vinyl took off her shades... 'Oh my Celestia, the fandom was right, her eyes were red, but even still, they looked even more stunning in real life than on screen. I could just stare into them for an eternity...' Two things happened right about then, Lyra decided it time to deck me one in the arm, and Vinyl laughed, though I think she started laughing before I got punched. Not that I didn't deserve it. "I work for myself, as in I'm not tied to a contract from any record label. I like my freedom thank you very much." All three of us share a laugh for a moment. "Alright, looks like I gotta get going, 'Tavi's waiting back at my place, we have an album to finish, expect it out by next month! Later you two." With that, Vinyl walks out the door, and leaves the both of us to sit and think about what just happened. Lyra, home 'Ok then, today has been somewhat exhausting; Nova manages to grasp magic in a snap, he gets reeeeeally hyper off of a latte, and he confesses his feelings to me via song, through the way he played it. Not only that, but he plays music on tables with such epic skill that Vinyl's magic reacts to it and he ends up in a partnership with her. This is honestly the most awesome time that I've had since, since, oh who am I kidding... I still miss Bon Bon, but even so, she didn't have to be such a pain in the flank. Who knew that she would end up being corralled into joining EPA...' I must have been sighing or making a depressed face, because Nova' now he's looking at me with that 'What's wrong?' face. "Something on your mind?" He asks me this and then starts running his hand through my mane, gently massaging my head with his fingers, and oh Celestia does it feel good. I melt. "Nothing really, just thinking back on how the problems started is all." Please don't use a cheesy reply that's been overused. "Oh? Would you be comfortable with sharing them?" Just after he says this, Nova gets this look on his face that can only be described as such: love, concern, and worry. 'Ohhh, how can I say no to him?' "Oh alright. At one point, Bon Bon had been confronted by a very crude group of earth ponies, calling themselves the Equestrian Pony Alliance. They were spreading word around the country that the only beings that should inhabit Equestria are ponies - nothing else. I've had a few run-ins with them, they're nothing to me, but Bon Bon thought otherwise; she stuck around to hear what they had to say about the other races that were staying here in Ponyville and Canterlot. I'll never know if they used a persuasion spell on her first, or whether it was just words from 'the wise' that were corrupting her mind, but I do know that I won't be able to get back the time we lost as a result of our fighting ever since they showed up." Nova's emotions get the better of him, and his face shows something that one would never find in this country: pure raging anger. "Nova, Jason, calm down, please. Nothing good comes from trying to do something about a situation while bathing in anger and blood lust." I quickly move close to him and wrap my forelegs around him, nuzzling my cheek against his; a few seconds later he seems to have calmed down. "Sorry, it's just that, what they're doing isn't right." He stops, as if something had just struck him, and then continues. "Wait, if there's a group like that here, why haven't I heard of them until now, and why haven't I become a victim of their shenanigans?" "That's because the main group of them are off 'spreading the word' in other cities right now. Rumor has it they're coming back next week." "Oh fun." His reply is just dripping with sarcasm. "Anyway, something's just crossed my mind." "What would that be?" "I've borrowed all those spell books, and I have yet to read 'em." "Well, there's nothing really going on today, so I guess today would be a good time to read them." "Guess that would be a good idea. I'll be in my room then, see you in a bit." "Later, Nova." Nova then got up off the chesterfield and walked towards his room to study. Nova, home Here I sit, in my room with about 6 books on magic spells and such, spread in a circle around me, I'm quite obviously sitting in the middle of it all. "All right, how am I going to learn all of this? The only spell I know is the mem...ory... spell - wait, I could probably work with that." I sit there for a bit, pondering how I could use the memory spell to my advantage for learning a bunch of spells from a number of books at once, and then I come to a realization. 'Maybe if I tweak it a little...' I then close my eyes, and use my magic to imagine a screen in front of me, with which I can mess with different combinations of things to create different spell effects. To my surprise, it actually works, and I can really see it. 'Alright, now let's see what I can do with this... AHA!' Turns out I can also fiddle with the understanding of how the spell works. Sweet. "Let the awesome begin." The spell itself is basically linking two minds together, and sharing a memory of whatever it is that the caster chooses, or seeing the other pony's, or person's, memories. Now, what I could do with this, is take the mind linkage, and change it so my mind is connected with the books. In the spell books, are diagrams that explain how the spell works magically; thing is, the diagrams themselves contain a magical energy, unbeknownst to most readers nowadays. What I am going to do, is change the spell so that when I link with the books, my mind takes in the meaning of the diagrams via their magical energy, and instantly have the knowledge of those spells enter my mind. "Worth a shot, now to cast it." I close my eyes, and begin to charge up the magic needed in order to use the spell, which isn't a lot, and then begin the process. All of the books sitting around me begin to glow with an orange magical aura, and levitate a couple feet off the floor; the knowledge stored inside of these books enters me all at once, and my mind begins to process all of this new information. The whole process takes about ten minutes, and when it's done, the books drop back onto the floor, resounding with a slight "thud." A sweet voice calls from another room in the house. "Nova, are you ok?" I can't help using this as my answer, "Eeeyup." "Alright, just checking." 'So, now to sort through it all and check what I have...' Once again closing my eyes, I sift through all of the newly gained spells. 'Cloning illusion spell, telepathy, teleportation - oh that'll come in handy, walking on clouds, sparking fires, transfiguration, creating temporary magical familiars, aura projection, and last but not least, the most dangerous spell that I think Twilight never intended on giving me, bodily alterations.' 'Some of these are going to come in handy. Well, now that I know all of the spells from those books, I guess I could use a walk,' I step out of my room, and see that Lyra is sitting on the chesterfield, surfing the internet with my laptop. I turn to her and shoot her a warning. "Be careful when on the internet. No going on sites that I normally wouldn't go on; that means no 4chan, 7chan. Especially not 7chan. Don't ask, you know why. Anyway, I'm going to to go take a walk after returning the books." Before going back to the room, I step over to Lyra, and erase her knowledge of seeing any of the content from said websites, and others, so as to not corrupt her mind. I then walk back to my room, gather the books, and return to the common room, only to teleport from right in front of Lyra, who probably now has a stunned look on her face, to the library. Nova, Ponyville Library I take a minute to check over myself as soon as I get there. 'Ok, I'm in one piece, no scorch marks anywhere, still got everything where it should be, perfect. Now to see if anypony's here.' "Hello? Anypony here?" As I call out, I don't really expect an answer, though I end up getting one anyway. "Oh, I didn't know that somepony came in. I'll be down in a second." That voice, that mannerism, it can only be Twilight Sparkle. I then hear some hoofsteps around the various rooms upstairs for a minute, and then she makes her way to the stairs. 'Hmm, cleaning, or putting away personal books after studying.' "Ah, Nova, I wasn't expecting you to be the one visiting. So, what can I do for you?" She's about to get a shocker. "Actually Twilight, I'm here to return the books I borrowed from you a bit ago." Aaaaaaaaand, queue the shocked look. "How? True, I did give you the beginner books," She spots the book on alterations, and gets another shocked look on her face, "how did that get in there? That book has some pretty advanced spells, not even I can pull all of them off. The only one I learned was how to make temporary wings, I couldn't learn anything else from it, because I couldn't grasp an understanding of the spell." "Well, not only have I learned all the spells from the beginner books, I also learned the alteration spells." "Again, how is that possible? You're completely new to magic, at least I would think so." "I may be new to magic, but I am pretty good with understanding obscure theories and formulas. Figuring out how spells work and tinkering with them to make new ones isn't that far of a leap." "Ok, how did you learn all of those spells so fast? They take a good week for even a gifted unicorn to learn, and that's only each spell." "Lyra used a memory spell to teach me said spell. When I went to go study the books, I got an idea: explore the inner workings of the spell, tinker with it, and use it on the books to learn the spells." "That actually sounds like a pretty ingenious idea, but how would a memory spell be converted to do that, and how would it work?" Oh come on Twi, you're supposed to be the element of Magic, and yet you can't understand how I did what I did? For shame. "Well, here's how I did it: you know that the books have a magic diagram that is then broken down and explained in about 40 pages? Well, I found that those diagrams actually have a magical energy resonating from them. When I messed with the memory spell to allow me to connect with the books, I actually connected with the energy that was coming from the diagrams, and in turn took in the knowledge of the spells and how they worked." "That is nothing short of incredible. If you don't mind, may I ask you to teach me this spell? It could come in handy." Figures. "Twilight, I get that this spell may be useful, but if you were to use it on books that are too advanced, you may end up shattering your mind. For it to properly work, you must have the capacity to understand the concepts of the spell that you are learning. I don't mean to offend you when I say that, but that's just how it is. If you want me to teach you this spell, you have to promise, that you will take caution in what you use it on. Will you do that, for me?" Twilight just sits on her haunches, and begins to mull this over. 'Damn these ponies and their adorable expressions!' It takes her about five minutes to think this over. "Nova, I promise to take precaution when using this spell. I will not use it unless it is a necessity." I pat her head, and unsurprisingly, she nuzzles my hand. "That's what I like to hear. Anyways, I'm off, I don't want to keep you from whatever you were studying upstairs." She blushes a little bit. "How did you know that I was studying upstairs?" "Although it was very faint, I could hear books being slapped closed, followed by running to various locations around the room; wasn't that hard to figure out what you were doing up there." Awkward silence... "Alrighty then, I'm going to head out. Have fun with whatever project you're working on up there. Don't hurt yourself." I say the last part as I head out the door. "See you later, Nova." "Later Twi." Nova, Town Square Having no real destination in mind, I just aimlessly walk around Ponyville; at one point I end up in Town Square. Now, I have no money at the moment, so it's not like I could buy anything, but what's the harm in walking around the square anyway? My musings are cut short though as Applejack comes into view. "Hey Applejack. Thought you work the stand in Town Square, what's up?" "Nuthin, ah just need ta go over to Twi's place; fergot ta ask her ta pick up Applebloom from school." If there's one thing that I have learned from life back home, it's that one must never interrupt the nerd when they're working on something. Rarely is it a good idea. "Well, I have nothing to do today really, I would gladly pick her up from school." Applejack gets a little worried. "Are y'all sure 'bout that? She an' her friends can be a little much ta handle at times." Pffff, like I didn't know that already. "AJ, I'm sure that I can handle Apple Bloom and her friends. Sure, they're a little hyperactive and hard to deal with, but they're still young. I promise that all of us will come back in one piece." "Shake on it?" She then spits on her right hoof, and extends it towards me. "You know it." I then do the same. "Ok then, I'm off to go pick up AB and her friends, so you go back to doin' what you do best." "Thanks, y'all really are a good friend, ya know?" "No problem. Anyways, I gotta get going. See you later." It was at this point that I take a look at my iPod to check the time. It's now 3:29. "Aw, fuckberries." I may be able to teleport without losing my stomach every time, but I still don't like it. The school may be close, but there's no way that I could run the whole distance... 'Wait, there's a physical enhancement spell, maybe I can use it to my advantage.' I concentrate some energy to my legs, crouch down, and then launch myself in the direction towards the school building. How fast was I going when I launched myself? Well, let's just say that I'm lucky that nopony walked out in front of me, or else they would definitely not live to see tomorrow. After a second, the school building comes into view - not wanting to crash, I lean down and push my hands against the ground, as if doing a flip... and that's exactly what happens, I go up in the air, flip around I don't know how many times, and coincidentally land right in front of the CMC, feet first. Everypony outside of the school look towards me with wide eyes, though the silence is short lived, as Scootaloo decides she has to comment on my entrance. "THAT WAS SO COOL! Were you flying!" "Yeah, ah wanna know!" Apple Bloom "Awesome." Sweetie Belle. I chuckle at their excitement, and receive odd looks in return. "No, I wasn't flying actually. I used a spell to enhance my legs, and quite literally launched myself towards the school. I gather I was going almost as fast as Rainbow Dash. Anyways, I'm actually here to pick you girls up from school. Applejack's busy with her stall, and Twilight's workin' on something or other in her room, so I offered to come and pick you three up." Just as soon as I finish this statement, Cheerilee comes out to where we are standing. Turning towards the girls, she asks them in a tone that suggests motherly protection, "Girls, do you know this, um," she looks towards me with an apologetic look, "The word you're looking for would be 'person', miss Cheerilee." She nods, and looks back at the girls. "Right, do you know this person?" The three of them all nod at the same time. "Rainbow Dash talks about him sometimes, he seems cool." Thanks, Scoots. "Rarity's talked about him too, says that he's at least a thousand times better than Blue Blood... and she won't stop trying to design an outfit for him, she's keeping herself so busy that she barely has any time for me anymore." So, I see that Sweetie and Rarity still have that problem. Oh well. "Ah know fer a fact that Applejack likes him." 'WHAM! And there's what I was half expecting - one of the mane six taking a liking to me, though I wasn't expecting Applejack.' "Well, if your sisters like him and trust him, I guess it's ok." I ready myself for the inevitable... in 3, 2 1... "YAY!" All three of them exclaim in unison. 'Damn, that's loud.' They all then proceed to start bouncing around me and bombarding me with questions. Everything just seemed as if it would work out today... at least it did, until Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon come out of the schoolhouse. "Oh look, the weirdo is hanging out with the weirdos." They both laugh, and then in unison, "Blank flank!" There are times in life where one cannot stand to see another get bullied and harassed, this time is no exception, I never really liked it when those two bullied the three fillies in the show to begin with, so imagine when I have to hear it in person. I just about lose it. I look towards the CMC, and talk to them. "Girls, behind me, and close your eyes." I say this in a calm, yet commanding tone. Surprisingly, they all listen and stay a bit away behind me, and close their eyes, covering them with their forehooves. I turn back towards the other two in front of me, and then start charging my magic. I take a hold of my anger and disdain for those that bully other kids when they think they're better than them, and turn it into energy. I then let out an aura that could probably make even Dash huddle in a corner. The aura starts producing mystical wind, and snaps the hair tie that I was currently wearing, and my hair starts blowing in the wind. The aura is a very dark blue and red mix, intertwining. I open my mouth to speak, and as I do so, the girls start cowering, but are frozen in place. "I see that you two take pride in making those that are not like yourselves feel bad about themselves. You make fun of those that don't have their cutie marks, and belittle them as much as possible. I do not know the reason as to why you do this though. I have had just about enough of your antics, and wish for this to stop. One of these days, you will end up bullying the wrong pony, and you will be punished very harshly. I have seen it happen before, one of the ponies you bully just may be the foal of a very influential pony, and get you back for your actions. On that note, I want you two to promise that you will no longer bully Apple Bloom, her friends, or anypony else. If I hear that you have broken that promise, and gone back to bullying and belittling other ponies, I will find you, and you will not like me. Now go." I calmed myself down, and they ran. No crying, screaming, or anything. They just ran. 'I never really wanted to do that, but I guess someone had to.' I look back towards the CMC, and I find that they're all staring at me, wide-eyed and huge smiles. 'Aw great... 3, 2, 1...' And all three of them leap at me. I step aside and catch them with my magic, and then put them all down. The CMC did not look pleased... "Aw, come on, ah wanted ta give ya a hug." "Yeah!" Sweetie's voice cracked... it was even more adorable than on the show! "Oh alright, come here girls." All three of their faces light up as I kneel down, and they all jump up and cling on to me, laughing wildly. I can't help but join in, and hold them close. 'Celestia, I never thought I'd be saying this, but I love kids. Doesn't matter that they're ponies, still kids in my books, and I would do anything for them.' A few minutes later, the laughter dies down a bit, and they all scramble off of me. I stand up, and we make our way over to AJ's farm; the crusaders all run around me and tell me stories of their adventures on the way... 'Yeah, I could get used to living here...' Surprise, SurpriseNova, Canterlot Castle, Royal Guest Bedroom I nuzzled my marefriend's cheek again, just enjoying the time we have alone together; I treasure moments like these dearly. After a few more minutes of cuddling, Lyra moved to get off of the bed; I stared at her with a feigned sad expression, though she knew it was a play, which was made obvious by her comment. "As much as I would love to stay in your arms all day and snuggle in bed, we have to let Twilight and the others know that you're ok, because I have a feeling that Celestia forgot to send a notice about it last night after I fainted." I laughed. "You're probably right there, Lyra." I went to get out of the bed, but found that I couldn't move my arms very well... I couldn't straighten out either one of them, they both locked on me. 'This could be a problem.' "Lyra, could you come back here for a second, I need a bit of help with something." "What might that be, Nova? Please don't tell me you'd like me to rub one out for you; we've just started as a couple, and even though I want to do those kinds of things with you, I'm just not really ready yet." I stared blankly at her. "I wasn't going to ask for anything of the sort. It's actually the fact that my arms just happened to pick today to not cooperate and lock up on me. All that's needed is for you to pull one, until I say when. I can get the other when one is dealt with." Lyra's face scrunched up at what I was explaining to her, "Let me guess, it's going to make this weird snapping noise when it's done, right?" "Exactly." "Gross." "Would you rather me be asking for 'favors'?" "Don't tease me, it doesn't help that whenever I think of us snuggling the way we did I end up getting hot, and it's not even mating season yet." "So could you please come over here and just pull my arm?" "Alright then, let's get this over with." Lyra came back over to the bed, jumped on, and took my right hand into her mouth; she then pulled on my arm, until a very familiar distinct 'snap' sound rang through our ears. Both pain and pleasure from my joint being snapped back into working order ran through my arm; Lyra shuddered at the sound. "I take it that you're not a fan of that noise?" "Not particularly, no." "Well, you're about to get really grossed out, because I still need to crack my other arm, as well as a few other things." "Ok, why?" "Because that is how my body is; it just happens sometimes, and I can't get going without popping everything." I then proceeded to snap my other elbow by pulling my arm; when I cracked my neck, I could plainly see the disgusted look on Lyra's face. "Doesn't that hurt?" "Only a tiny bit, it's more pleasure than pain, and I kind of have to do it before I get going or else I'll get pains everywhere. My joints stopped cooperating ages ago, so I started popping them like this so I wouldn't have to deal with it." I finished everything off by sitting down and crossing my legs, I then placed my hands on my legs, and twisted in one direction, then the other, popping my back; I sighed in relief. Lyra pointed a hoof at her open mouth an made a gagging noise. After that she hopped off the bed, and walked towards the giant door that lead to the throne room. Turning we head to me, she asked, "You coming Nova, or am I going to have to drag our sorry flank out of bed?" "Alright, I'm getting up, don't get your tail in a twist." I immediately got out of the bed, and then fished around in my personal pocket space for a clean set of clothes; what I pulled out was a pair of black jeans with a lyre embroidered on each thigh, a shirt with a picture of fully Luna wearing Celestia's headpiece and necklace and grinning widely with a caption that says "move over Celestia," and a pair of shoes that had Vinyl's cutie mark on them. Lyra took one look at the shirt, and gave me a sarcastic look. "Yeah, no one's EVER gonna question that shirt. Why not pick something a little less risky?" "Yeah true, hold on I'll get another one." I stuffed the shirt back into my space and fished around for another one. This time it was a black t-shirt with a picture of fluffy Woona with outstretched hooves, and a caption in white text "Free Hugs". Lyra rolled her eyes but smiled as she did so. After I dug out a change of undergarments, I got dressed while Lyra faced the door out of respect, for there was no privacy screen to be found in the room. When I was ready, we both left the room; little did we know that the there were two guards in front of the doorway, doing what they did best, guarding one of Celestia's guest bedrooms. As soon as we opened the door, the guards jumped back and turned towards us, spears at the ready. One of them seemed familiar, which was confirmed when he spoke to us. "Halt! Now tell me, how did you two get back here, an what were you doing in one of the royal guest bedrooms?" I put my hand up in the air an backed up slowly, and then sat down on my legs while I let lyra do the talking. "Nova over here," she said while pointing a hoof at me, "just recently prevented a possible dragon disaster in Ponyville, and Celestia herself gave us permission to use the bedroom after I passed out from an exhausting day." The guards took in this information for a moment and then spoke again. The other one pointed a spear at me, "Just because Celestia let you in here, doesn't mean that you can wander off and go anywhere. You may have beaten the both of us a few days ago, but you won't be so lucky if we see you where you shouldn't be. There's only room for one species in Equestria, and that's ponies. Though your marefriend here may not be so lucky if word gets out to the rest that she's in a relationship with some other creature." By the end of his little tangent, the guards face was inches away from mine; in that same moment, some insane idea clicked into the back of my mind, and I had the balls to go through with it. I out my fist up to his muzzle, and flicked his nose. He went sailing, and just before he hit the ground, I jumped up and outstretched an arm to catch him with my magic, and blocked a surprise attack on Lyra from the other guard with a magic wall. While still holding them with my magic, I brought them both in front of me so I knew they could hear what I had to say. "In all honesty guys, you two should clean up your act. I have never, EVER seen guards as bad as you two when it comes to attitude towards those that are given permission by Celestia herself to be here. Why not take example from the one you guard and show some respect and kindness to those of another species, because frankly, I'm running out of patience when it comes to beings like you. I had to put up with a lot of flak where I came from, and I thought that coming here would be different, though I guess you two ruined that nice image pretty badly." I stared right into their eyes, as if peering into their souls, and continued, "what makes your group so special that you think there should be no other race in Equestria except ponies?" "We all follow Celestia, and we're keeping the land of Equestria free of scum like you. The last time someone came here we ended up with everything out of whack. Ponies are far superior to the other races outside of Equestria, so we're doing Celestia a favor of keeping the population safe by making sure only ponies live here, though it seems we missed one." I was about to say something, when Luna walked into the throne room and saw me holding two of Celestia's guards by magic and the both of them wearing looks of fear on their faces, though they were fake. "NOVA! WHAT ART THOU ATTEMPTING WITH OUR PERSONAL GUARDS! THOU MUST ANSWER OR FACE THINE OWN WRATH!" I gently put down the guards and approached Luna, and kneeled in front of her, Lyra did the same. There was a moment of tense silence, and I could sense that Lyra was having a hard time calming down. It wasn't until Lyra started sniffling that Luna spoke, though in a quiet and calm voice, like that of a mother. "Lyra, it is not you that I must speak with, just Nova. If you wish, I could send you back -" "No, your highness, I wish to stay by his side," I looked up at Lyra, who had stopped kneeling, and was looking right at the princess. "Nova was there for me when I needed someone to talk to, he helped me realize something about myself that I had forgotten, and most importantly," Lyra moved closer to me and nuzzled my cheek with hers, "he stole my heart, and I trust him fully with it. Now, do you think that someone like that would be attempting some heinous crime with your guards, especially when it's so early in the morning and run the risk of being caught by either of you?" Lyra stayed silent in order to let Princess Luna absorb what had just transpired, which shocked the hell out of me to say the least. An agonizing five minutes ticked away as Luna had still not said a word, and it was another two minutes as she started attempting to say something but kept stopping mid-way. Finally, he sighed and lowered her head. "I guess I was wrong about the both of you; I apologize Nova, for jumping to conclusions." Not a single second later, Lyra cleared her throat, though I knew it was feigned; Luna continued shortly thereafter, "And to you Lyra, for not taking into account of Nova's nature, and not asking for the full story." A single tear streamed down Luna's face as she started turning to leave. I got up, ran towards her, and gave Luna the biggest hug ever. This was unexpected apparently. "What is this for? We do not deserve such kindness and affection, for we have disgraced thee in the presence of thou's loved one." I didn't care, I kept her in the embrace, and started rubbing her back. "Luna, everypony deserves kindness and affection, it's all a part of friendship. Not only that, but you're my family. One thing I know about families is that you may not be able to pick them, but you love them unconditionally despite that fact, because they will always be there for you." I felt Luna relax a little, and Lyra came over and hugged both Luna and I. We both let go, allowing the princess of the night to return to whatever she was doing; I could've sworn I heard her mumbling something about pwning some nubs. Letting that slide, Lyra and I left the oversized throne room, and eventually set foot and hoof outside. The city of Canterlot was like any average upper-class city; pompous snobs, pompous snobs EVERYWHERE! Not a second after I was spotted, ponies began talking in hushed whispers, thinking that I couldn't hear them. Oh how wrong they were. Lyra looked nervous, and very saddened about the kind of welcoming we got. I decided to end their debate about my simple mindedness by heading off to a nearby bookstore, to which Lyra followed. The inside of the store looked very simple, yet so welcoming, almost homey, which greatly contrasted the city just outside the door. Upon entering, a grey pegasus mare with a frizzy orange mane and tail came up to the counter. "I'm sorry miss, but please leave your pet diamond dog-" I interrupted her right then and there. "excuse me, but I'm not a diamond dog, I am what is called a human. I came from another universe after an accident and I've been staying with Lyra over here ever since I arrived here in Equestria. She's been teaching me about magic a little bit, and I've been playing music for her in return." The mare closed her eyes and shook her head, "I'm sorry about that, it's just that my parents decided to move the bookstore to Canterlot, and I guess I've just been around these pompous airheads for too long already." there was silence for a few moments, until the mare spoke up again. "oh, I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you my name. I'm Orange Box," Lyra and I snickered, earning us a glare from the other pony. "What's so funny?" "Oh nothing, it's just that it reminded us both about something." nice save Lyra. I shuffled my feet, and then asked Orange a question, "Say, do you have any books on any of the recent technological advancements of this world?" I got an odd look from Orange, "Why would you want something like that?" she started staring at me suspiciously. "there are probably differences in technology levels between our world's. I'm interested to see what's different and what's the same when it comes to technology." Orange seemed to nod in approval, and then ran off to the back of the store; two minutes later she came back with the book balanced on her back and helped by her wings as she trotted towards us. Orange seemed to have tripped on something, as she flailed forwards and sent the book flying. Reacting quickly, I teleported the book into my left hand and caught Orange with a magic field simultaneously, then I gently placed her back on her hooves and dispelled the magic field. Orange simply stared in disbelief, while Lyra smirked, "I teach him one spell, and he goes off and tinkers with it, and uses it to learn a bunch of spells from a pile of books all at once." Orange's expression stayed the same as she asked Lyra a question, "How long has he been here?" I cut in, "Four days, counting today." Orange doesn't seem to believe it, as her expression goes from shock to deep thought, and then she just faints, probably from trying too hard to figure it out. I turn to Lyra, "Would you mind taking care of her while I tend the store?" She throws back a reply, "I don't think that's such a good idea; why not let me tend the store and you look after her?" I sighed, "Fine.~" Orange Box, back bedroom [Orange Box's thoughts] It seemed unusual that a unicorn would come in with such a strange creature; I don't recall seeing any before today, but it feels as though I have. When I heard how long he was here, and how high his skills in magic were, I guess it came as no surprise to them that I would pass out from the stress of figuring out how his skills and magic reserves were that high. What was it about him? I keep having this feeling that I have seen others like him, and why am I thinking back to that box that I was found in? All of this is very intriguing, and I want to figure this out. [end of thought stream] I finally manage to get up, and as I opened my eyes, I saw the same being, I think he was called a human, that came in with Lyra. He was sitting by my bedside, with a tray that had a glass of apple juice, and a muffin that was cut in half and had butter spread on it. I went to sit on my hind legs, but he put his arm up as if to block me. "You need your rest, just lay down, I will give you your muffin and juice." He then floated one half of the muffin over to my muzzle, and I graciously accepted the act of kindness. After I was finished with that half, he gave me the other. "Do you think I could sit up? I can't exactly drink my juice without spilling if I'm laying down on a bed. At least let me sit up." The human stroked my mane a couple of times, and then gave a reply. "Alright, fine you can sit up. Just stay on your bed for a while, we've got the store under control." He then hoof, err handed me the glass of apple juice. "Thank you." "You're quite welcome. Now, I gotta go check up on Lyra." Just after he said this, there was a clattering sound, as if a box of stuff was toppled over, and not a second later, it was followed by a loud curse, "AW CHRIST!" Nova, Indexes and Chapters "AW CHRIST!" I turned my head to the front of the store; there Lyra was, sitting in the middle of a mess. She looked up at me with upset eyes. "I was getting the feather duster, when I guess it got caught on something, and then it all just toppled over on me." She was scraping her left hoof on the floor once again. 'D'awwww - WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT D'AAWWWW-ING AT HER WHEN SHE NEEDS HELP!' Yeah, buck you too conscience. Feeling bad for her, I levitated all of the objects back into the box, save for the duster. "Thanks Nova," Lyra started to look down, feeling sad, "I'm sorry for screwing up so many times. Grrr, why am I so clumsy all of the time?" I knelt down and pulled Lyra into a hug, stroking her mane and back, "Lyra, when I accepted to starting a relationship with you, I knew there was going to be hardships and little bumps. When I said that I loved you, I meant that about every one of your qualities, both good and bad. If everypony were perfect and flawless, life would be very, very different." Lyra sniffled a little, and then asked one of the most overused questions in the universe, "How did I ever snag someone like you?" I had only one reply, "You pulled at my heartstrings. The power of love is strange yet magical." I moved back and kissed Lyra on the cheek; she giggled. Orange Box, bedroom I sat there on my bed, listening in on their conversation. 'Why can't I find anyone like that? Somepony who likes me for who I am unconditionally.' Getting up from the bed, I stretched, getting all the kinks out of my joints and muscles. "I wonder what those two are up to?" Setting out for the storefront, I walked into one of the sections to find the two of them right up in each others' face, making out without a care in the world. I couched to get their attention; they both suddenly turned to look at me, the both of them blushing. "You two do realize that this is a book store, right?" They nodded. "Well then, please excuse me for being so rude as to ask you two to carry on with your relationship somewhere else, preferrably at your home; you might make any potential customers uncomfortable." Lyra, Indexes and Chapters As soon as Orange Box was finished talking with us, Nova got up and patted my back, signalling for me to follow suit. As soon as we exited the store, we were faced with a huge crowd of ponies, which wasn't really the best thing to happen, considering most of society's opinion on him. Nova used his magic to float up above the crowd to see what all the confusion was for, and he just floated there, with a shocked expression on his face. I teleported up to a nearby rooftop to find out what Nova was gaping at, and was shocked as to who was being crowded. It was MicTheMicrophone and JackleApp. Seeing Nova was still floating there while staring off into space with a distant look, I grabbed him with my magic and brought him over to where I was. I tried waving a hoof in front of his face, but he just looked at me, with distant eyes, the very same eyes that any true fan of someone they idolize would have. I shook him, as he was still in my magic's grasp, "Novaaaaaaa, wake uuuuuuuuuuup. Equestria to Nova, come in Nova." No response. 'Damn, might have to use drastic measures...' I smiled evilly at a thought which had crept up in my mind. I brought Nova close and whispered in his ear, "Wake up Nova, or else I might have to get out my 'punishment hammer' and give you a good 20-pound spanking session." He quickly snapped out of the trance that he was in, "Wai-WHAT!? WHO-WHAT-WHERE-WHEN? Lyra, are you serious?" I let Nova down and snickered, "That depends, you have to behave today, or else I'm gonna punish you." I couldn't help but put a little sultry voice with that statement. Nova shuddered. "I think it's a little too soon for that kind of talk, Lyra. How about we just head back to Ponyville? They're probably all waiting for us, wondering where the hay we are." I agree, Twilight can get pretty antsy when she's worried about something. I let Nova go from my magical grasp, and he landed on his feet. Cracking his knuckles in that very annoying manner, he leaned down and hugged me. I can never get enough of his hugs, they are awesome. "Let's go to the train station, I'm feeling too lazy to teleport or fly for the time being. Plus, I get to sit and stare at the most beautiful mare in Equestria for an hour." I blush at his statement, and nuzzle my face into his neck, causing his knees to weaken a little. "That's payback for getting us caught in the library, silly colt." Nova then got up, and jumped down behind the building, prompting me to teleport down beside him, and I teleported us to the train station. Nova, Canterlot Train Station Lyra and I teleported to the train station, though we had silently agreed for me to hide somewhere behind a pillar, as not everypony would be used to seeing a human. Sure, most of Ponyville was alright with it, but that's because Pinkie already threw a party for me in Twilight's house. There were still those in Ponyville that didn't like me, as they were either scared of me, or part of the Equestrian Pony Alliance. Lyra came over to me with both tickets in her magic aura, and gave me mine. I decided to shadow walk onto the train, and Lyra followed me into the same car normally; thankfully I got into the right train - wouldn't want to be on a train bound for Manehatten when I'm supposed to go to Ponyville. Seeing as the car was empty, and the conductor was bound to come over at any moment to see my ticket, I was starting to panic. I didn't want any incidents on the train, and I wasn't sure if news had gotten here about a strange creature taking up residence in Ponyville yet. Lyra saw this, and put a hoof on my shoulder. "It's alright, you'll think of something... wait, you can change forms, can't you?" I looked at her, and felt stupid for not coming up with that answer to the problem in the first place. "Ah crud, why didn't I think of that?" Lyra giggled, "Because I'm awesome?" "Yes, you are pretty awesome. And to answer your question, I guess I can do transformation spells, though it would take quite a bit out of me. Let me try something..." I concentrated my spark magic, and attempted to do a transformation spell. The result looked like this.. When it was taking place, a bright light flashed throughout the car, forcing Lyra to look away and shield her eyes with one of her forelegs. When the light faded seconds later, Lyra gawked at my new form. "Nova, is that seriously you? You look awesome." I chuckled a bit, "Yeah, it's me alright. And thanks, you're not too bad looking yourself." Lyra blushed yet again. Soon after, the train conductor came by to check and see if we had our tickets. I showed him mine and Lyra showed hers, and then he was on his way back to the front. Yes, we were in the very last car. I just sat there as the train started to move, smiling to myself. Eventually I began to hum a tune, though I hadn't noticed until Lyra pointed it out. "What song are you humming?" I turned my head towards her, "Oh nothing, just a song from a show that I used to watch back home." "Oh, well it sounds lovely, and I think you have a pretty nice voice; I would love to hear you sing a song sometime." Lyra then nuzzled me in that same spot on my neck, this time my wings decided it was a good time to spring out, *FOMP*, which only served to make me nervous again. I folded them back into place after calming myself down, and Lyra suppressed a giggle. "Well well, someone's feeling the heat today." I lightly punched where I thought her shoulder would be, "Oh be quiet you." Silence then fell upon us, as we just sat there, watching the scenery pass before us. About ten minutes later, Lyra fell asleep while leaning against me. I couldn't help but mentally d'aawww at how cute she looked. She slept while propped against me for the entire train ride. Finally, after another half hour, we arrived in Ponyville. I nudged Lyra to wake her up, but to no avail. 'How the heck does she wake up from a few clatters in her kitchen and sock me with a frying pan, but when she's supposed to get up, she sleeps like a log?' I moved closer and whispered into her ear, "Lyra, if you don't get up, I'll deliver the same punishment you promised, threefold. I may even use a vibrator instead of just a plain old insert." After I said that, her eyes fluttered open, and she stared at me with lust filled eyes, "Hey, I thought that was my job, you silly colt." I sighed, "Come on, we're here. Oh, before I forget, could you give me some memories on you learning to walk, because honestly I don't want to attract attention to myself at the moment, and it would take to long to learn how to walk like a pony on my own." Lyra's face scrunched up in thought, 'Damn, all of their faces are cute. I might end up dying from a hhhnnnnggggg attack sooner or later.' "I guess I could give you memories of when I learned to walk. It'll take a couple of minutes for the instincts to kick in though." "Alrighty then, fire away." Lyra then placed her horn on my head, giving me her memories of learning to walk and run; the feeling that I got from these memories are slightly different. I could feel the wind flowing through my mane as I ran inside my mind, taking nice jaunts through the public park, and so on. Soon though, the memory replay stopped, and I had accquired the skills necessary to be able to walk among the ponies without being too suspicious, or scary to those that still don't know me. We both exited the train and headed for Twilight's library. Nova, Outside Twilight's Library We walked up to Twilight's library, and noticed on our way there, nopony was around, at all. There was a note taped on the door, 'Nova and Lyra, Vinyl wants to meet you at her place. She has something to ask of you.' I shrugged, "Well then, guess we head over to Vinyl's." And then off we went to Vinyl's house. Along the way, the town seemed as if it were deserted. 'What is going on here?' I turned to Lyra, only to get a shrug from her as well. A thought then occurred to me, "Oh, guess I don't need to be a pony anymore. Lyra, you might want to shield your eyes for a moment." I used the same transformation spell and turned myself back to normal. Lyra jokingly pouted. I pulled out a pair of sunglasses, "Deal with it." I smiled, and we both laughed. As soon as we got to Vinyl's house, we found her waiting for us in front of her door. "Nova, think you could help me with something?" "Sure, what might it be?" Vinyl looked thoughtful for a second, "I learned a couple new spells over the time that you were gone, and I need you to judge the new light spells that I was thinking of using later for one of my shows." Vinyl then started to walk towards where she would be doing her shows. I couldn't help but ask Vinyl something, "So, where is it that you do your shows anyway?" "Oh, it's a big stadium just on the outskirts of town; head towards Canterlot mountain, and when you reach the edge of the town, take a left. There's a path that leads right to the place." The walk was maybe about fifteen to twenty minutes before we got close enough to see Vinyl's stadium. It looked something like this, but it instead had a dj booth where home base would be, the flooring throughout was all magically reinforced hardwood, and no seating going up the walls, thus leaving more room for ponies to move around, leaving just a wall going straight up to the ceiling. The roof is the same, being able to be opened on clear nights. When we got to the building, Vinyl was at the door first, "I need the lights off so you can get a better view of the light spells that I was thinking of trying out for my next show. As soon as we went in, we couldn't see a thing. It was pitch black. I had an idea as to what was going on, but I decided to keep my mouth shut this time. Seconds later, the lights came on, "SURPRISE," everypony yelled at once, just as they flicked on all of the lights. There was a banner hung in the middle of the stadium, 'THANK YOU, NOVA!' Most likely for stopping a possible dragon attack, even though he wasn't hostile to begin with. Ponies ran up to me and swarmed me, questions flying at me a mile a minute. I raised my hand to silently tell them to back off a little, and I began to wade through the crowd to find Twilight. Lyra went off to talk with some of her friends that she found in the crowd. It took me a couple of minutes, but I finally found her, "Twilight!" Said pony jumped when I called her out, "Oh, Nova, I didn't notice you." She gave me a hug, which I gladly returned. "I was worried when you didn't come back from fending off that dragon. When I heard that you succeeded and was taken to Canterlot, I had a feeling that you would be back soon, but I didn't know you were going to stay overnight, that was, until Princess Celestia sent me a letter to explain the rest of the details." We both let go from the hug, and I made my way over to the DJ booth. Taking the mic in my hand, I raised my voice and spoke through it, "I know you are all happy to see me back," a few ponies in the back somewhere didn't agree with that entirely, "but how about we do what we came here for? LET'S PARTY!" With that, I took out my iPod and connected it to the equipment, and began to look for a song through my extensive library of music. Finally landing on a song, I decided to play Blood Sugar by Pendulum. I turned off the main lights before starting the song, and turned on the stage lights, using a spell to move them in a figure eight searchlight pattern, each light being a different color. During the first 40 seconds of the song, the crowd was slightly confused, though the song was about to fix that at 57 seconds. As soon as the beat started, some ponies were already moving to the beat, headbanging and such. Throughout the rest of the song, more and more ponies started enjoying the music, until everpyony in the entire stadium were dancing. Soon after that, the song ended, earning me a collective "awwww" from them. Seeing that they all still wanted to party it up, I loaded up another good song, Propane Nightmares by Pendulum. Just after I loaded the song, Vinyl came up and stood beside me. She took the mic, and addressed everyone in the dome, "Hey everyone, who here thinks that I should sign this guy to my label?" The only response she got was a collective whistle and stomping from the crowd. Vinyl smirked, "Well you're in luck, cause I already signed him on the day after Pinkie threw that party for him when he first arrived here!" The cheering got louder; I couldn't help but have a smile on my face. 'Looks like I got my dream job after all. Being a dj for a well known record label, and being loved and adored by 90% of the population.' After the song ended, Vinyl started up her music while I got down from the booth. Lyra came up towards me with two ponies following her; one was the ever-so recognizable Derpy, while the other was Berry Punch. Berry came up to greet me first, "You did pretty good up there. So, you hold your liquor as good as you dj, or do you just pass out after the first drink?" I just smiled and replied, "Oh, it, is ON!" Challenging The Town DrunkNova, The Bass Dome When I had stepped down from the DJ booth, Lyra came over towards me with two recognizable mares in tow, Derpy and Berry Punch. Derpy came up and said hi; I couldn't resist giving her a big hug. Come on, who wouldn't? Berry Punch then came up to me and asked me a question. "So, do you hold your liquor as good as you pick songs on that device of yours, or do you just pass out after a couple drinks?" "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that was a challenge." Berry gave a coy smile, "I dunno, maaaaybeee." I thought about it for a second, 'If I actually beat her, I could very well become a legend. Ah, what harm could it do?' Stupid question. I gave we one of Rarity's famous lines, "Oh, it. Is. ON!" We both then rushed over towards the VIP area, which had a bar and a few tables for ponies to sit at; it was located at the back and to the right. When we got there, a dark purple unicorn stallion with piercing orange eyes and a very messy and unkempt mane and tail was working the bar. He took one look at us and smirked, "Another challenger?" I couldn't help myself, "Eeeyup." They both laughed. "Well, since you did kind of save our flanks from a possible dragon attack, and you work for Vinyl, the whole match is on the house, anything that's currently in stock." Berry's face lit up at that statement. "Well, in that case, how about we start off with a bottle of Canterlot Merlot red wine, from 800?" Shadow Streak's eyes went wide, "You are lucky that this is a favor to Nova, or else you would be picking up the 2,000 bit tab for that on the spot." I almost choked, "What did you say, 2,000 bits for a 202 year old bottle of wine?" Shadow cleared his throat, "202 year old Canterlot wine to be exact. That stuff isn't expensive without reason, you know. That was made during the time that Canterlot had a dry period; nopony was permitted to make, sell, or consume any alcohol, by request of the mayor." Berry nudged me, "So, you wanna get this started, or are we going to just sit here and chat all day long?" I brought two glasses that would take half of the bottle of wine from my pocket space, "Whenever you're ready, Punch." I poured the wine into her glass, and then mine. We clinked our glasses together, "To being awesome." Berry giggled, "To being awesome." We both promptly chugged down the wine, which quite honestly tasted pretty damn good, better than even the most expensive wines back home. The both of us finished and set down our glasses at the same time. Shadow just stared at us for the longest time without saying anything, and just looked at us in awe. I turned around and saw that we had already gathered a little crowd of ponies that wanted to see who Berry would be supposedly drinking under the table today. "Is it always like this?" Shadow nodded, "Unfortunately yes, she is quite obviously the famed town drunkard, who could drink anyone under the table. No one has beat her yet." I had only one thing to say, "Challenge accepted." This was enough to gather the attention of most ponies in the dome, prompting even Vinyl to step down and take a look at what was going on. I looked around, and saw that Lyra was pushing her way into the center, most likely to come over and talk to me. I saved her the trouble of having to push through ponies and teleported her right next to me after forming a chair beside me. Instead of sitting on the chair, Lyra seemed to have a better idea: climbing up and laying across my lap. It was a little awkward, but somehow she managed to make it work. Some ponies gasped and whispered to themselves, and it was then that I knew I was gonna have to let the secret out. "If I may have your attention," The entire dome fell silent. 'Heh, if someone were to drop a needle -' Right then and there, somepony had actually dropped a needle, just to see if everypony could hear it. The entire crowd, myself included, looked at the short black stallion pegasus, with his black mane that had a white streak. He laughed nervously, "Come on, don't tell me that none of you thought of doing that!?" Everypony just turned back to me, as I had news for them that seemed interesting enough for them to pay attention. I continued, "As I was going to say, I have news for you all. Some of you may have recently seen me within the company of Lyra Heartstrings here," I stroked her mane, making said pony sigh in comfort, "and I would like to point out that yes, we are in a relationship. I have had the pleasure of seeing that most of you here do not hold any qualms about such a relationship taking place, though the rest of you that are present may not feel that way. To that, I have this to say: suck it up, because we aren't going to break up just because some ponies don't like their race being 'defiled', or however you put it. We are not about to change who we are or how we feel just because a few of you do not like us being together, or having to put up with me living here all together." I pulled out a kleenex box, "Got an issue, here's a tissue." Most of those present laughed at the joke I threw in at the end, and I could see that some of them were not pleased to hear what I had said. I could see a few ponies leaving through the doors of the building. One thing intrigued me though: one of the ponies that was in the group had Celestia's Royal Guard uniform. 'Nothing good can come from this, I know it. Looks like I'd better be careful from now on, as it seems I am on thin ice now.' I brought my attention back to the crowd around us, "So, who's up for seeing me take on Berry Punch here in a drinking contest?" The entire audience roared in cheers, giving me their answer. "Alright then, here goes nothing." I called Shadow for two bottles of the strongest rum he had... it was Bacardi 151. 'Holy fudgenuggets, they got Bacardi here. Well, looks like it won't be a boring contest after all.' Both Berry and I took our respective bottles, poured the drink into our glasses, which were your average scotch glasses, and chugged them one at a time. Berry gave a loud belch as the last glass was finished, and held up her empty bottle, meanwhile I was in the middle of juggling mine with the other glasses. "Oh, you finished? About time. Oh and next time you gotta belch, lemme know, I got an experiment I wanna try." I smirked, taking out a lighter from one of my pockets. Berry giggled at the idea, knowing full well what I wanted to do, though Lyra facehoofed. "Lyra, I think you might want to get off of my lap, I don't want to be responsible for you getting hurt during this." Lyra obliged and moved to the chair that was to the right of me, placing her right between myself and Berry Punch. I set the glasses and the bottle down on the table with magic rather than just finishing the juggling. Berry called over Shadow and asked for my old nemesis, vodka. I shuddered. Many times that I had drunk vodka nothing really happened, save for getting wasted, but nothing eventful really. Then there was that one time one of my buddies from work decided it would be a good idea to mix different brands of vodka together, along with a bit of sugar and a bit of those subtle laxatives that you can put into your own food if you have problems taking the ordinary stuff. Needless to say, I was sick for a week straight, and I had never drank vodka ever since. Even the thought of drinking it made me sick to my stomach. I cringed, and Berry must have seen it, because she then smiled at me and asked in a mocking tone, "Aw, is da widdle baby unable to hanle dwinking some vodka? Shouwd I caw it off?" "Berry, I have two words to say: no way. Plus, it's been a while since I've had any, so I don't think my body will reject it anymore." BP then handed me the bottle, which was labelled 'Stalliongrad Standard'. I laughed. "What's so funny?" "Oh nothing Berry, it's just that it reminded me of something back home in my world." "Alright then, enough reminiscing, let's get this going." I raised a glass full of vodka into the middle of the table, prompting what I thought would be only one other glass, but we were joined by a third; Lyra had poured herself a glass. I looked to her, and she had a blush on her face. 'Dawwwww. No matter how many times I see that, it's always cute as hell.' "So, you decided to join is in our shenanigans Lyra?" All I got as a response was a wide smile; I laughed, "Alright, just don't complain about your aching head tomorrow." "Aye aye. Now, are we going to get this started, or are you two going to keep stalling?" "Ooooohh, them's fightin words Lyra, them's fightin words." We both chuckled. I raised my glass again, "To love, tolerance, and the magic of friendship!" Everyone shouted in unison, "HERE HERE!" I chugged down the first glass, as did Berry and Lyra, we then poured ourselves another glass. This process continued until the bottle was emptied of its contents, and it seemed that we were all starting to get drunk. Lyra was intoxicated enough to have me make her stay in her seat, lest she topple over, whereas Berry and I were just getting started. Berry made a comment about Lyra being a lightweight, and I agreed and thought it was funny. "She may be a lightweight, but at least she has enough class to get wasted from chugging vodka than trying different mixtures and possibly making herself sick the next day. The last thing I need is to take care of a sick pony because of her own decision to punish her innocent liver, and made her stomach upset from drinking the wrong combination of mixed drinks." "That's true." "Hehehe, hey, why are you two so mean, huh? What did I ever do to you?" Berry got a creepy smile on her face, "Whadda you want me to do to make up for being mean, kiss you?" I saw where this was heading, and for some reason I didn't bother to stop Berry and her stupid yet funny and possibly hot idea. "What are you waiting for, kiss me you foo-" her words were cut short by a pair of lips. They weren't mine, but Berry's. The two of them were just pressing lips, but then Lyra, in her drunken state, must have prodded Berry's lips with her tongue, because next thing I knew, the two of them were lip locked in a passionate kiss, and I just sat there, taking in the sight before me. Not wanting to miss the oppertunity, I pulled an HD camcorder out of my pocket, and started recording. I held it up with magic, so as to not shake the camera. 'I'm not going to let this chance slip past, I am gonna record this and keep it safe. There's just something about two girls kissing that is incredibly hot, and I'm sure that some female yaoi fans would agree with me and say the same thing about two guys kissing. There's no way that I'm going to sell this or let it out of my possession, but it's something nice to have when there's nothing else to watch.' The drunken makeout session lasted for a few minitues. 'Seriously, how long are those two going to keep at it?' I stopped recording and turned off the camera. "Lyra, Berry, I know you seem to be enjoying your kiss and all, but this is just getting ridiculous." Berry pulled out from the kiss, and gave me a reply that I didn't really expect to hear. "Oh, you jealous Nova? You wanna taste the Berry? I'm sure your marefriend won't mind; after all, she did kiss me first, and there really isn't a rule saying there's a limit to how many mares a stallion can have in his group, due to Ponyville's male to female ratio. Mating season is going to come up soon, and that means a LOT of sexually active and frustrated mares are going to be about, so it's common to see about three to five mares to one stallion." My face was a dead giveaway to how I felt right then and there: utter shock and fear. The male to female ratio in Ponyville as I recalled, was about one male to six females. This made me fear for my life, as I remembered that one scene from Girls Bravo, an anime series where a young boy was transported to a planet that had a male population of less than ten percent, causing the entire city to chase after him. 'I'm all for harems, but not when it's five females that happen to share the timeframe of sexually active periods.' Berry must have seen my face, as she tried to comfort me a little, which was out of character for her... to me at least. "Hey, don't worry Nova, I'll make sure to go easy on you, but I'm gonna warn you now, Lyra's got a bit of a quirk." I gave a nervous smile, "Oh I know about that already. She used it as a threat to get me out of a trance when we spotted MicTheMicrophone and JackleApp in Canterlot. I think I actually saw the hammer she was referring to when I first arrived." "That old thing? I thought I gave it to Twilight as a joke gift. Guess she must've given it to Lyra, knowing she would probably use it. So, let's get back to drinking our asses off, I want this to be a party I barely remembered but had fun at anyway!" "Cheers to that." We both started pouring ourselves another bottle of vodka. One more bottle of vodka later, Berry was starting to get drunk. I on the other hand had just a bit of resolve left in me. I had a stupid idea, though I figured 'what the hell' and went through with it anyway. "Hey Shadow, another bottle of that wine, and how about a bottle of absinthe as well?" Shadow's eyes widened, "Dude, you're not wasted yet!? Do us all a favor, and return that liver to Celestia, I think she's gonna need it back before you damage it too much." I brohoofed him after walking over to the bar and taking the bottles from him. Walking back over to the table we were sitting at, I noticed that Lyra was sobering up, and Berry was somehow almost completely back to normal. "One, how the heck are you completely sober Berry? And two, how 'bout some wine and absinthe? I don't plan on remembering this night either, and I'm still partially drunk anyway." Berry took the bottles from me and set them on the table, while I fished out a pitcher from my pocket space. After I set the pitcher on the table, Berry opened both bottles and poured out the entire bottle of wine, and then poured in a bit of absinthe, just enough to get us plastered, but not enough to completely destroy our livers. I took out glasses that were big enough to hold a third of the pitcher's contents, and gave us each one. After pouring the mix for Berry and Lyra, I took the rest, so we each had the same amount. Lyra cut in before we picked up our glasses, "It's been a fun party, and I doubt I'll remember this night," Lyra looked around and spotted Twilight, "Hey, Twilight, think you could compile a list of anything that either of us do that's either funny, stupid, or just plain retarted during the rest of the party?" The unicorn mare smiled, knowing full well that this would be a very interesting afternoon and evening, "Sure thing." Pinkie Pie appeared out of nowhere, and came over to our table, "On three! One, two, THREE! CHUG!" After downing the whole glass at once, I slammed it down and saw that Lyra had passed out from all the alcohol and excitement. "FATALITY!" And that's the last thing I remembered shouting. Repetitive StupidityTwilight Sparkle, Treehouse I sighed as I saw that the two of them hadn't woke up yet. 'When they said that they wanted yesterday to be the best party that they never remembered, they weren't kidding.' I recounted the events that took place at the party, with the help of the list that I made as they happened... 'For starters, Lyra passed out minutes after finishing that huge glass of wine and absinthe, and then Nova shouted "FATALITY!" for whatever reason. She wasn't dead, so I wonder why he did so? Berry then repeated the offer that she gave Nova, to make out with him, and surprisingly he took it, probably even happily so. What she told him about mating season and male stallions having a herd of mares was true, though some stallions like to do things the old fashioned way and just have one mare in their lives. And then Nova noticed that Vinyl still hadn't played any music, so he took it upon himself to play some music from his world. It wasn't really all that bad. Vinyl had given me a list of the songs that he played, as she had a magical connection to her DJ equipment, and I can't say I've heard of even half of the songs that he's played. One track in particular though had almost everypony going wild - The F-Track, as it was called. Nova played the song, and had decided to provide the vocals himself, for whatever reason. During the second half of the song, Princess Luna had dropped in and joined the festivities. At first, everypony was bowing, forgetting that the music was even playing. Nova however, kept the music going, and shouted into the microhpone, "Hey Luna, why not come up here, I got some tracks you might like!" The music device that Nova had plugged into Vinyl's DJ tables started playing a mix of house songs that Vinyl kept insisting to me later that she never mixed, and everypony loved the tunes that were being played. Somehow everypony had glowsticks at that point, probably thanks to Nova and his 'pockets of holding', as he called them; heck, LUNA had TONS of glow braclets, necklaces and whatnot. She was dancing wilder than even Pinkie Pie, which says something right there. Nova had stepped down from the DJ podium and began dancing with the ponies in the crowd, and spouting random stuff that almost no one could make sense of. At one point, he kept yelling "SPAAAAAAACE!", as well as sounding really hopped up one something while talking to some girl that was supposedly there, as he wasn't talking directly to anyone, "Hey, hey lady, hey, let's go to space. Space, space, I like space. Space is cool. Let's go to space. SPAAAAACE!" Then he ran over to Berry Punch, who was in the middle of the crowd of dancing ponies, and challenged her and Derpy to a belching contest. Neither of them won... instead, it was Luna who had defeated all of them, shocking everypony present, myself included. After that was over, Nova headed back to the bar and had gotten a bottle of vodka infused with pears. For whatever reason, he went over to Doctor Whooves and asked if he wanted some, though only telling him that it was vodka, and he hid the part of the label that said it was pear flavored as he poured some for the Doctor. Needless to say, the Doctor then showered Nova by spitting it back out into his face. The Doctor yelled at Nova for giving him something that tasted like pears, and all Nova did was smile and say, "So you're the eleventh then," and promptly ran off, leaving The Doctor confused. The rest of the party wasn't worth taking notes about really, as things had calmed down after that. I turned back to the couch and saw that Nova had gotten up. "Oh crap, I shouldn't have done that. Yesterday was hectic." Nova looked up and saw that I was looking over at them, "Oh, good morning Twilight." I facehoofed. "It's not exactly morning, Nova. Actually, it's really closer to two thirty in the afternoon. I don't know whether you really should or not, but I guess you can be proud that yes, you actually did beat Berry Punch in that drinking contest." Nova pumped a fist into the air, "YES! NEW RECORD SET! EAT YOUR HEART OUT EVERYONE!" His outburst had caused Lyra to stir awake, which earned him a glare from said mare, "Hehe, sorry Lyra. Didn't mean to wake you up." Nova seemed to be in thought for a moment, and then he looked back at Lyra, "Hey, how would you and Twilight like to see where I came from?" Any trace of Lyra's bad mood was gone in an instant, and Nova had also peaked my interest. I was curious as to how life was in the world that he came from. 'He never did tell me anything about where he came from, or anyone else for that matter. Guess I could take this chance to learn both about him and his world at the same time.' "Sure, I'd love to go as well. I'm sure Ponyville won't miss us for just one day, right?" "Exactly. Now Twilight, I'm going to need you for this one. If I were to use my chaos magic for-" "Wait, chaos magic?" Since when does he have chaos magic? "Erm, yes." "Care to explain?" Nova looked nervous, but then sighed as he looked at the floor. He then looked up at the ceiling, "Celestia, I doubt she's going to blab about it, so I'm going to tell her." Alright, it looks like things just got a little complicated. "Tell me what, exactly?" Before Nova could answer, Lyra came over to me, and asked for a moment of privacy with me in the kitchen. "Sorry, filly talk." Nova didn't say anything back. Lyra sat me down on one of the chairs in the kitchen, and then sat on another across from me. "So, about Nova and his chaos magic... he has a spark, Twilight." "Wait, a spark, as in the same kind of magic that lays dormant within the Eelements of Harmony, as well as Discord?" "That's exactly right. Now, the reason behind this is not an easy explanation, so you're going to have to be very open and patient." This worried me. Nothing good ever happens when somepony says that. "I'll try..." "Good. Now, you no doubt know of Nova's vast magical abilities, and I don't doubt that you've sensed his quite ridiculously large magic reserve he has stored within his body." "Yeah, I've taken notice to that." "Well I'd be worried if you hadn't. You are the element of Magic after all." Lyra sighed as she was no doubt trying to find the best way to approach the answer. "I'm just going to throw it out there without pulling any punches. The reason he said to Celestia that he was going to tell you, was because he was sworn to secrecy, by Celestia herself, as she used the royal 'we'." That right there is something to be worried about. "What was it?" "Celestia... is Nova's mother." My jaw dropped. I was speechless. "Wait, if his mother is Celestia, how does he have a spark?" "And here comes the hard part..." Stop, you're scaring me, Lyra. "There's no easy way to say it, so once again, I'm just going to throw it all out there." "Oh get on with it." Out of nowhere, a bunch of other ponies standing outside of my treehouse suddenly shouted, "YES, GET ON WITH IT!" "Alright, alright. Remember Discord?" "Yeah, how can I forget about him?" "Well, he's technically Nova's father." "HOW!?" "Well, a while back, Discord was let out on probation nd was working with some of the unicorns in the nearby university; they wanted to find out if it would be possible to create a living being of flesh and blood entirely from magic. Mind you, this wasn't just ordinary unicorn magic they were working with - they had Discord there to provide his chaos magic as well, in order for them to have any hope of their experiment being a success. Long story short, due to the fact that there was a large amount of chaos magic intertwined with the project, they had to quickly call for Celestia to aide them with her power to balance things out. All in all, it turned out alright, but officially on paper, the project was deprecated, and everyone on the team was told to never speak bout that experiment." What I had just beem told was honestly taxing my brain; I could barely process everything that Lyra had just said to me. It was another few minutes before I was able to even think again. "So, let me get this straight; the unicorns at the university by the palace were looking into creating life, Discord catches wind, and helps out, but that ultimately ends up being a bad move because the project nearly blew up in all their faces, so Celestia had to step in. Instead of containing and stopping what was going on, and punishing them, she helps complete the project, issues a gag order, covers up the evidence, then sends the being that was created to another world so that the other nations never get wind of what really happened?" "Yeah, pretty much." "If other nations found out about him, there's no telling what could happen. I doubt that the Council of Nations knows anything about this, besides the fact that there is now a human living in Equestria, who is dating a pony, and has powerful magic. Is it correct to assume that they think he just randomly dropped in and can't get back home, and that Celestia has offered him asylum?" "That's the official story, right down to the letter." "Well that makes me feel a lot better. I'd hate to see what the other ambassadors would do if they found out the truth about Nova." "Speaking of him, I think we left Nova alone for long enough. Why don't we go back and let him explain what he was trying to say earllier." That comment made me blush as I thought about how I had interrupted Nova and bombarded him with questions. Nova, Twilight's Treehouse I looked over to Lyra and Twilight, who were just coming back from the kitchen; Twilight had a different air about her than before she went into the kitchen with Lyra. No doubt she had been told the entire truth about me, and my heritage. "So girls, who's up for some world jumping?" Twilight came over to me, presumably to ask a question, "So, what were you going to say about 'if you were to use your chaos magic'?" "If I were to use it to transport us, I may end up turning you two into humans, and not have a way to turn you back, safely that is. If I used my normal magic combined with yours, we should be able to pull off travelling to my world and leave a window for us to get back through at any point within 24 hours." Both mares had a hoof to their chin, "Makes sense. So who's helping with the extra magic boost?" What was funny is that they said this in unison. I had to clamp my mouth shut to keep myself from laughing. Twilight then spoke, "Alright, I guess I could help out with the spell. Though one thing bugs me, how are we going to join our magic in the process of casting the spell? You don't have a horn." "Oh Twilight, who said that you need to join horns for magic to be shared in casting a spell?" Right after this, I casted a spell that brought out what some anime fans would call a 'transmutation circle.' The function of this one was to join two minds as one in order to bring about better calculations and make it easier to pool magic between two casters in order to cast a more powerful spell. Twilight looked at the circle in shock, "A magic circle!? Y-y-y-you brought out a transmutation circle? That kind of magic was thought to have been lost forever! Do you know what this means, Nova? You can charge objects with pure magic that will allow other races to perform magic! I mean, there are ways to charge objects with spells so that anyone could cast the spell that it was charged with, but if you used your chaos magic, you could infuse pure magic into, say, an orb, and let whatever pony you give it to use the magic to perform any spell that they are capable of understanding! This is nothing short of amazing!" I pressed my index fingers to my temples, "Twilight, can we please focus on what's at ha... err hoof? If I recall, both you and Lyra want to visit my world and get some information." Twilight blushed and gave an awkward smile... and the almighty squee was heard. "Right, sorry, sorry." Both Twilight and I focused on the spell; I focused on the location and calculations, while giving the required amount of magic for Twilight to focus. The idea was simple enough, and it all started to work out... though fate decided to have a little fun at my expense, as it seemed that Rainbow was now careening right towards the treehouse. Smashing right through the door, Rainbow broke both mine and Twilight's concentration, just as the spell was being finished. Twilight, Lyra and myself had been successfully teleported to what could be called my world, though I couldn't shake this feeling that I had. Nova, some apartment room, unknown time and date I looked around to get a better view of my surroundings - what I saw, was what looked to be an ordinary apartment building, though there were some pieces of technology that I spied which shouldn't have existed during my time. I looked around and saw that both Lyra and Twilight were still in pony form, and were out cold. They were conscious and breathing, just sleeping for now. Before I could get up and take a better look around, there was action at the other side of the door that most likely led out into the hallway. I panicked, and took Twilight and Lyra into another part of the suite which allowed me to hide them for the time being. Just as I turned the corner to go back to where I was, the door opened. The person which stood before me had deep purple hair that went down to her hips, a yellow-orange tanktop that was filled quite nicely by her chest, and a pair of tight blue jeans. Here eyes were green, and it seemed she had a pair of robotic ears. She seemed to be surprised that I was in here, at first. Then, things went a little downhill. "I thought the guy said that the cleanup crew wouldn't be here for another hour. Usually the agency is a little slow in cleanup unless it runs the risk of falling into the enemy's hands." One thought had come to mind: CIA. I looked around again, seeing that indeed, some research was going on. This apartment was your ordinary civilian apartment, so there was almost no way that there was any operation being carried out in here. The next logical reason why an agency cleanup crew would be here: nab information someone was gathering after they were taken out by a burn order. "So, I take it that you were close to the person that got burned, am I right?" Her eyes widened. "Wait, if you're not part of the cleaning crew, then how do you know of the burn order?" "Educated guess and logical deduction." The girl eyed me for a few more minutes, before pointing at me in shock. "You! You're that kid that managed to disappear without a trace in a busy airport hundreds of years ago!" "Excuse me, what?" "You heard me." "Yes, I did, but... wait, hundreds of years ago? What's the date exactly?" "It's currently June 25th, 2857." "Oh crud." The girl walked over to me and gave me a hug. "It seems that you came back a little late if you were going to say goodbye to your family and friends." "Not to darken the mood, but I would like to know what was being researched by the person living here that illicited a burn order." The girl moved away from me and walked over to a stack of papers and a DVD, flipping through the pages as she walked back to me. "One, my name's Rachel Anderson; two, that's what I would like to find out." "Oh, well I'm Jason Morison, though I guess you could call me Nova." The girl stopped in her tracks. "Nova, as in THE Nova who landed in Lyra's house after... wait a second, let me check out these papers, because things just got a little crazier." While Rachel was sorting through the papers, I decided to go and get Lyra and Twilight awake so they wouldn't accidentally sleep themselves into a coma. With the two ponies in tow, I walked right back into the room, where Rachel was shuffling through papers, muttering to herself about how it explains why the girl that lived in here was trying to put a stop to what the CIA was planning on doing. "So, I take it that you have found out what was going on?" Rachel didn't look up as she answered, "Yeah, I figured it out. What was going on, is that after the CIA had developed a way to teleport and travel to other worlds, one of the analysts observed how there was a white flash when the process was taking place, and thought back to the airport footage. They connected the dots, and figured out that you had jumped to another world. Currently, they are looking for where you went, and-" Rachel looked up and saw both Twilight and Lyra, just standing on either side of me. "You were saying, Rachel?" She just stood there and stared at us for what seemed like an eternity, though it was merely two minutes before she said something. "The Adult Swim cartoon was canon!?" "What do you mean?" Rachel took a deep breath, "The network known as Adult Swim had recently made a cartoon called Pulling Heartstrings, in which the main character, Nova, lands in Lyra Heartstrings' home, and then goes to Canterlot Castle to seek citizenship, and he is then thrown a party by Pinkie Pie the day after, when he sets out to go to Twilight's for a magic book." "That's exactly what happened the first two days that I was there. Think we could watch a couple of episodes?" I looked to Lyra and Twilight, who both shrugged, Rachel doing the same. "I don't see the harm in it. They only released four episodes so far." "I take it that they dragged on the development between myself and Lyra to make it just a little bit more realistic, right?" "Eeeyup." I looked at Rachel curiously. "I'm also a fan of Friendship is Magic." Just then, Rachel's phone rang, and all we heard was the chorus to the song 'Love Me Cheerilee,' which summed up the fact that she was telling the truth. No non-brony would have a brony-made song as their ringtone, especially when the lyrics confessed their love for a pony. Rachel picked up her phone, "Y'ello, Rachel here... I told you guys already that I'm NOT paying for the damages this time, it's HIS problem, not mine... fine, I'm coming back right now, though I'm gonna be making a slight detour first. I have some friends that I need to send home. Later John." Just after Rachel ended the call, I poked her to catch her attention, "Rachel, I know of a way that can get us back home, but I'm going to need a lot of paper." "Yeah, we have enough magic, though I don't know if Twilight here has enough to help out with another jump spell." After that explanation, I set off to find a stack of paper and a pencil, and then began writing down what was needed. Luckily, there was no need to include the calculations for the current world that we were in, only how to open the portal directly to Ponyville. Twilight looked down at all of the papers in shock, "Nova, how the heck did you figure all of this out? Do you realize what others could do with this kind of knowledge?" I laughed, "It's a good thing that I'm the only one that knows how to work these calculations into a spell." Rachel poked Twilight, "What the heck does the spell do?" "It rips open a portal from one universe to another using specific coordinates to drop out of the time vortex from." Rachel's jaw just hung in the air for about five minutes. When I had finished writing out everything, there were about twenty pages of just metaphysics and calculations, and the twenty first page was a magic diagram that was already charged with the spell. I handed Rachel the one paper, "Here you go, just close your eyes and envision a portal, the magic will do the rest." Rachel took a look at the paper, closed her eyes, and focused. At first nothing happened, leading Twilight to believe that it hadn't worked, but shortly after, a ripple had begun to form a few feet in front of us. The ripple began to grow into a hole, getting bigger and bigger, eventually becoming about 6 feet in radius. All three of us stepped through the portal after we had confirmed that it was indeed the Ponyville which we had just left. Rainbow Dash was still flying frantically around the library by the sound of things - the spell had ripped the hole into the basement space. I walked back over to Rachel and gave her one last hug, "Goodbye, live well, and don't do anything completely stupid. To close the portal, just rip the piece of paper up, just don't do it until we are all safely on the other side." Walking back over to the portal, I called Lyra and Twilight over to go through the portal with me. "We may see you again, we may not, who knows. Anyway, we're off." With that, I signalled Rachel to rip up the piece of paper, thus closing the portal. 'Great, now all we have to do is go upstairs and let RD know that we're all safe and sound.' And Then Sex Happened...DISCLAIMER: For those that do not wish to read clop, feel free to skip to the next chapter, there will be a recap minus the clop bits. Rainbow Dash, Twilight's Treehouse I paced around the main part of Twilight's place, trying to keep myself calm. "Alright, alright, don't panic, Twilight tries new spells sometimes, and half of the time they don't work. Everything's going to be fine." I hope to Celestia that nopony heard me. Any further thoughts were cut off by sounds of hoofsteps in the basement, along with voices. At first I couldn't make them out, but they got clearer over time. "Come on, we have to get upstairs, Dash is probably pacing upstairs worrying about us." Nova. "Nova's right, you'll have time to inspect the hole later." Lyra. "Ugh, fine, I guess you're right. Let's go upstairs to make sure she hasn't put a trench in the floor from pacing around in a circle for too long." That's Twilight for you. Twilight and the other two came up the stairs from the basement, Nova walked right over to me and scratched my head. "Hey, we're alright. What happened wasn't really your fault; who's to say for sure that you would have careened into Twilight's house? It was a one in a million chance. No harm no foul." I gave Nova a look of displeasure. "Whoa, no need to get defensive. You stick by all of your friends, but you also want to keep them safe." Dammit, stop reading me like a book. Nova gave me a small smile, "So, you want to join Lyra and I, as well as another friend for dinner somewhere?" I looked past Nova and saw that Lyra was nodding while looking at me, edging me to accept. "Yeah, sure, I'll go." Nova smiled so wide that I was sure to make Pinkie jealous. The three of us headed out of the library, while Nova turned around, "You might want to take a rest Twilight, I can tell that spell took a lot out of you." Nova, Ponyville The three of us were heading out to a local diner for dinner, while making a detour to a friend's place along the way. 'I hope she's able to come... maybe we can even convince Tavi to come too.' Lyra looked up at me and noticed that I was deep in thought again. "Nova, what am I gonna do with you? If you keep thinking like that and walking, I swear, you're going to walk right into poison joke." Rainbow laughed, "I'm gonna have to agree on that one, you do seem to space out when getting too deep in thought... it reminds me of Twilight." "Oh come on, I'm not that bad, am I?" Both mares nodded. I sighed, "Alright, I give up, you two win. I'll stop thinking and walking..." Lyra, Ponyville It seemed to me that Nova was walking towards Vinyl's house to pick up Vinyl and Octavia to take with us to dinner. After that comment on him thinking too much, I got an idea: I'm gonna try to surprise Nova. I carefully and stealthily came up behind Nova, and prepared to scare him. Looking into his memories that he gave me, I found one thing that scares Nova to this day - Pinkamena wearing a manic grin. I used a camouflage spell and donned the form of Pinkamena, and made my best rape face. I poked Nova on his back - he turned around, and gave a loud scream in surprise. Seconds later, he teleported; just before he teleported, he had a look of surprise, as if he hadn't intended it. Rainbow Dash looked at me with a skeptical face. "Are you sure that was a good idea, Lyra?" I changed back when she finished. "Oh, I guess it really wasn't. Would you mind going to Vinyl's house and letting her and Octavia know that we'll be a little late? I have to go find Nova." "Sure thing." I closed my eyes in order to have better concentration. 'Now, how did that spell go? Oh, right, I got this.' Concentrating my energy on the magic radar spell, I tried to locate Nova - it didn't take long, as he hadn't really gone far, just a bit into the Everfree Forest. I teleported right beside Nova to apologize to him for scaring him like that, but then we both looked down at the ground... what we saw, we didn't like. It was poison joke. I sighed, "Well shit. Guess we should head over to Zecora's." "Wait, I want to find out what the effects are; we can go tomorrow afternoon." I gave Nova a worried look, "You sure that's a good idea?" "I doubt it'll be anything too serious, cause it's just poison joke, we'll be fine." I was still worried about it; some of the effects that other ponies have had over the years have been rather... difficult to forget about. Vinyl Scratch, Scratch Records Studio/Vinyl's home There was a knock at the door, and I really didn't want to get up and answer it, as I was busy making another track, but Tavi decided to act like a little foal, and unplug my sound system... again. I groaned, "Fine, I'll get it." "Now Vinyl, please try to be more pleasant, you don't know who's at the door." "Yes mother," I joked; Octy laughed at the joke. When I opened the door, Rainbow Dash was standing there, looking a little impatient. Immediately after seeing me open the door, her mood picked up. "Hey Dashie, what's up?" I smiled, and she gave me a million watt grin right back. "Not much, still training, but I'm not here to brag and boast." For some reason, I thought about the piece of toast I had this morning, "Nova and Lyra are going to be a little bit late getting here." This raised my curiosity, as Lyra hasn't missed any of our meetups for dinner, until now that is. "Oh?" "Yeah, Lyra decided to try and scare Nova; it worked, though a little too well. When Nova saw what Lyra was trying to scare him with, he almost jumped out of his skin and probably teleported by accident. She's currently looking for him." Yeah, that sounds like Lyra alright. Her and RD share quite a few things as far as personality goes, but one thing that Lyra doesn't have is Dashie's oversized ego. I swear, it's as big as Cloudsdale itself. I was about to reply, when I caught sight of a certain aquamarine mare with a bi-pedal creature - yep, Nova and Lyra. As they came closer, I could tell that something was off. Dash caught the look on my face and turned to the direction I was facing. As the now notoriously known couple came closer, it was obvious as to why they seemed different - they had swapped genders! Lyra, or should I say 'Guyra' now, had a look on his face that just screamed 'I never asked for this', while Nova was just grinning like a madpony. The changes that Lyra went through weren't really dramatic; he now had a more squared face, and a muscular physique. To be honest, he looked kind of hot, but I have Octavia, and she can be a bit much to handle at times, if you know what I mean. She can be pretty loud too at times; I feel so sorry for our neighbors whenever she gets in the mood to 'make music.' Nova's changes were a lot less subtle that Lyra's. Her hair was much longer - all the way down her back, her facial features were softer and more round, and her physique was a little slimmer. Two of the most noticeable changes, were her hips that were almost as round as Octavia's sweet plot, and her chest, that was large enough to make Dashie question the comfort of her own pillow. Dashie left, muttering something about sizes, leaving the three of us to stand around outside. Again, Lyra was not amused. "You didn't have to teleport into a patch of poison joke, you know." "You startled me, and my magic reacted, that's it." "So you're saying it's my fault?" I started to feel awkward standing in front of the two of them as they ignored me and kept arguing. Nova took on a calm tone, obviously trying to diffuse the situation before it got out of hoof. "I'm not saying it is. What I'm trying to say, is that it isn't anyone's fault directly; how was either of us supposed to know that my magic was going to react at all, let alone randomly teleport me." Lyra's face softened when Nova finished his explanation. "Oh..." There was an awkward silence in the air for a couple of minutes, as none of us knew exactly what to say. Finally, I decided to break it. "So, seeing that you two have swapped genders, I think you two might need to pick different names... I'm thinking Guyra for you, Lyra," He just nodded, "and... Niva. Yeah, Niva could work." "I think we have other things to be thinking about other than names, Vinyl. It seems that one of us isn't happy with how things have turned out." Nova turned to Lyra, "I could change you back, but if I did that and you then go to Zecora for the remedy, you would be turned back into a guy. I can only change your current form, not your true form." Wait, what did he mean by that? "Alright, maybe we should reschedule, because it looks like you two need to figure some things out. I'm not saying you need to work out issues in your relationship, but it might be best if you get your bodies back to normal." The both of them nodded. "Well, I guess we're off to Zecora's hut then." "See you tomorrow, you two!" I waved to Nova and Lyra as they left my place and headed back to the forest. Guyra, Edge of the Everfree Forest The early evening light had started to fade, making way for the darkness that is to come later; the sky overhead beginning to change as the sun inched closer to the horizon. allowing the moon to rise and take its place in the sky. Niva walked beside me, an arm draped around my back as we headed into the Everfree Forest. My thoughts were reeling, and I didn't know how to make it stop. There were some thoughts and feelings that were completely new to me - I wanted to have Nova, or Niva, as Vinyl called her, just lay down on the grass and cuddle with me all night long... and much, much more. The feeling of having her arm across my back was nice, but I felt as if I wanted... no, that wasn't the right word... no, I felt as if I needed more. 'Damn it, all of these confusing thoughts, it's so difficult to stay focused.' Niva must have caught on to something, as she moved in front of me and sat on her knees in order to become eye level with me. The look on her face was calm, yet nervous; happy, yet sad. She simply sat there, and pulled me into a tight embrace. Niva stroked my back, and kept repeating, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean for something like this to happen." A few minutes after this, she calmed down; I pulled out from the hug, though I kept her within an arm's reach. I kissed her nose, "It's alright, I guess... Nova, what is going on inside my head? I have all of these new thoughts, and feelings that I'm not sure where they came from. Part of me wants to go hide in a corner and hope the situation gets resolved, another wants me to kiss you... and a lot more." As I continued, I leaned my face into her chest and sobbed, "I'm scared, alone, and I want to get away, from my own thoughts no less!" Niva just placed a finger on my lips, and smiled. "This is what happens when you're a guy, though you're not used to it, so everything just seems to be on the foreground." Niva looked around for signs of anyone else nearby, which yielded no results, and then she continued, "Maybe listening to a couple of the thoughts will help ease the tension you're feeling." No sooner than she had said that, Niva moved her face closer to me, and pressed her lips to mine. There was this feeling of electricity running through me, a wave of pleasure that I hadn't felt before now. I could feel my horn blasting off random magic; I brushed my tongue against Niva's lips, and she opened and welcomed it with open arms, err lips. Our tongues were wrestling for dominance of the space past each others lips, the both of us fighting aggressively against the other. I felt some sort of heat build up, and noticed something below my abdomen that I hadn't paid much attention to before now. It turned out that I had 'grown a pair of stones,' as the people from Niva's world would put it. Niva moved away and looked down, probably because I must have 'poked' him. I looked away, and Niva just cupped my muzzle in her left hand. "What's there to be ashamed about?" "I'm... I'm just scared. I don't know how to deal with this, and us two doing this isn't helping the torrent of thoughts in my head." "It's fine, just relax. I take it that your mind is screaming to 'screw me silly,' right?" I nodded. "Well, I can help with that, but first I want to be sure. Do you truly want to?" "Yes, I do." "Ok then, allow me to take the lead." Niva used her fingers and combed along my back and sides, and playfully nipped my left ear; I felt a ripple of pleasure wash over me. She moved down and trailed kisses along my underside, and then she suddenly stopped. "We don't have anything to do this on, and the forest floor would be a little uncomfortable." "I agree with that, why not pull something out of your pockets of holding?" "Good idea, and I have a thought on what to pull out too." Niva took on a sly smile right after she said that. Before I could question what Niva would be pulling out from the void, she pulled out a very familiar couch. I couldn't quite put my hoof on it, until a couple seconds later. She pulled out a fainting couch... but not just any fainting couch, it was Rarity's couch. Niva gently pushed me onto my back and crawled up to my lower abdomen, her face right above my love shaft. "Well well welly well well, it seems that you're going to be giving my jaws quite the workout, hehe." Niva then went to work, trailing her tongue from the base all the way up to the tip along the shaft, sending another wave of pleasure all over. She then kissed the top, "Mmmm, tastes a bit like lime," and then wrapped her lips around the head, and worked her way down; surprisingly, she took about half of it down her throat. All of this is new to me, and having Niva on top of me and giving incredible head just feels amazing. A couple minutes later, Niva brings her head up from my member. "Aw, I was so close." "That's the point, I don't think I could handle a load like yours, at least not orally." "Oh... Ooooh!" Not needing any further instruction, I got off the couch so Niva could position herself on the bottom, and I got back on the couch, with my shift stick at Niva's womanhood. Poking through the outer lips, she winced a little. "Umm, Guyra, I don't think it's gonna," I wasn't really paying attention, and thrust myself all the way in, "FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII T!" Niva let out a scream as I pierced her hymen. I brought my lips to hers, and she kissed me passionately, staging another war of the tongues. I started thrusting slowly, receiving moans of pleasure from Niva. There was this feeling in the air, everything about what was going on felt special, almost as if nothing could ruin this moment. It seems I spoke too soon, as Applebloom walked through the bushes and saw what was going on. "Ah'm a big pony, and I wanna join in!" I just turned and stared at Applebloom, "No, but maybe if you go and wait about five years you can come and talk to us." "But I wan to nooooooooow!" Niva simply raised her hand, snapped her fingers, and just like that, Applebloom was gone. "What happened?" "I erased Applebloom's memory of finding us and teleported the three of them back to Rarity's home." Now that the distractions had been dealt with, I continued hammering my beloved with my battering ram. Her moans of pleasure gradually increased in volume, signalling that she was close to the edge, and I was getting there as well. "Lyra, let's come together," she said, breathing heavily throughout the statement. "Say no more." I increased the pace at which we were going at it, causing the two of us to moan even louder. 'It's a surprise that nopony has come to see what's going on yet...' Soon enough, we were just at the edge of our limits, neither of us being able to hold back much longer. "Lyra, let it go inside, our DNA isn't compatible between our two species, and I can tell that it's my safe period." "No need to tell me twice." I gave it one final, deep thrust, pumping every last drop right into Niva's womb. We both collapsed onto the couch, Niva held me in her arms and nuzzled her face into the side of my neck while she played with my right ear. The two of us passed out in each others embrace, laying on Rarity's couch in the middle of the Everfree forest... Niva, Everfree Forest Waking up snuggled up to your beloved is always nice; waking up after a random sexcapade, even better... but as the memories come clooding in, I regret about that decision. Looking at the sky, I found that it was around 10pm. I decided to wake up my better half. "Hey, sunshine, get up cause we gotta move." I nudged him in the shoulder, no response. 'How the hell am I gonna wake this damn lazy pony's ass up?' As I asked myself this question, my thoughts drifted to one prank on YouTube, wherein a random sleeping student at college gets a rude awakening via airhorn. A devilish smile crept upon my lips; with my free hand, I levitated my pants over to me, reached into one of my pockets, and pulled out an airhorn. I pointed it skyward, and pressed the butte\on for five seconds. Guyra woke with a start, jumping off the couch and onto his hooves in a second. "What the hell was that for?!" I got dressed as he kept the questions coming. "We still have to get to Zecora's; we need that remedy for poison joke." "Oh, right." And so, we set off for Zecora's hut, trekking through the path in the forest; there were sounds of the vast wildlife all around us, which reminded me of the times that I went to summer camp - it was kind of relaxing to say the least, though I don't know about Guyra... Said stallion was whipping his head in every direction possible, and was quite obviously scared out of his mind. I draped an arm on his back in an effort to comfort him. "I'm sorry." "What for? Everything's fine." "No, everything's not fine." He turned to me and continued, "If I hadn't of scared you on the way to Vinyl's, none of this would've happened." "Exactly, and you probably wouldn't have experienced what happened, back... OH SHIT, THE COUCH!" I snapped my fingers and teleported the couch back to Rarity's boutique, though it was unnoticed, as the two sisters were asleep... 'Ohhhh, Rarity's gonna have some fun cleaning that tomorrow...' Both of us laughed at the shared thought... New Friends, Past Lives, And New DiscoveriesSo, to recap: we were at Twilight's place after traveling to another time in my world instead of where we wanted to go, and ended up leaving Rainbow Dash to sit there and worry about us until we got back. After that was dealt with, the three of us - being myself, Rainbow, and Lyra, headed off to Vinyl and Octavia's house for a lunch get together. Along the way, Lyra decides to try and scare me as punishment for thinking too much and spacing out while walking. When she goes through with scaring me, I accidentally end up teleporting into a patch of poison joke plants; Lyra, being ever so smart, teleports right after me, and lands in them as well. As a result, we end up swapping genders. Lyra, being unable to handle the hormones and other things that come with being a guy, ends up getting really, really turned on while we were on our way to Zecora's hut. Long story short, we defiled Rarity's couch, because we weren't going to be doing that sort of thing on the forest floor. This brings us to the current part of the story. Sweetie Belle, Carousel Boutique Sleep, something that we all like to do when there's nothing special to do during the day... and it's something that the sun has robbed me of today! I stretched and got out of bed, brushed my teeth, and then headed downstairs for some breakfast. Rarity was already in the kitchen making food, so I went into the main room and sat on the couch... or at least attempted to. Looking down on the couch after standing up on it, I saw that there were a few stains on it that were just a little bit damp; I sniffed them out of curiosity, and found that they smelled a bit weird. "Raaaaarityyyyy, the couch smells funnyyyyyyyyy." The work in the kitchen stopped for a moment. "Really Sweetie Belle, there's no way that the couch could smell funny unless you or one of your friends spilled something on it." "But it doesn't smell like anything anypony would eat, and I can tell it's not from any of our crusading adventures." "Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt to check it out." Rarity came into the main room; I jumped off of the couch so she had room to see. Rarity took a whiff, and instantly shot back. "DEAR SWEET CELESTIA, GO TAKE A SHOWER SWEETIE BELLE, THE COUCH IS ABSOLUTELY FILTHY!" I rolled my eyes and went upstairs, and went into the bathroom to start a shower. The warm water against my coat felt relaxing; I grabbed the soap and shampoo, and massaged it into my coat, as well as my mane and tail. It was kind of tiring because I wasn't able to use my magic yet for some reason, but it was worth it. My coat smelled of strawberries and my mane smelled of cotton candy. Rinsing off the soap and shampoo, I stepped out of the shower and dried myself using the towel that was hanging on the rack across from the sink. I walked downstairs and found Rarity hard at work, scrubbing the couch with the bottle of extremely powerful cleaning fluid - something that she rarely uses... she brought it out the day that I tried to make breakfast that one day, but all she needed was a single drop in a full bucket of water to clean the entire kitchen. Here she was, using a bucket half full of cleaning fluid, the other half was hot water. I trotted up behind her, and I was finally able to make out what she was muttering. "Filthy, filthy, filthy, filthy, filthy, filthy, filthy, filthy, filthy, filthy, filthy," which was emphasized by every scrub of the brush she was using. 'There's no way that I can tear her away from cleaning that, and the last time I tried to cook I nearly burned down the kitchen. Well, I guess I could go to Sugarcube Corner for a muffin or something.' I turned back to Rarity, who was still scrubbing away at the couch, "Rarity, I'm going out to Sugarcube Corner for some breakfast." "Be careful Sweetie." "I will." I exited our house and headed out to Sugarcube Corner for a nice muffin and lemonade breakfast. Princess Celestia, Bedroom Chambers Today was it, today was going to be the day that I break Luna out of that prison she locked herself into. Honestly, 3 days of gaming without sleep, and she had a stockpile of food in her room. What had started as a simple idea that would bring her closer to her subjects, turned into something ridiculous, as she now spends most of her free time cooped up in that room, occasionally shouting at nothing but the large LED flatscreen TV whenever she got upset about a part in whatever game it was. 'Luna, you really must grow up...' I sighed and returned to the throne room after clearing my mind, the pegasus guards paying no mind to my absence in the first place. Now that I sat on the throne once more, the court secretary allowed the next pony into the antechamber to voice their concerns about town issues and how one of us could help to alleviate said problem. One by one, more ponies came in to voice their problems and opinions, soaking up most of my time. Sure, I'm the princess and I can do pretty much anything I darn well wanted to most of the time, I still felt it necessary to listen to the voiced opinions of the public so as to help keep things in order - as they say, it's better to listen to what's going on with a problem before offering a solution. 'I may be a princess, and it may be my royal duty to assist in issues that affect the lives of my subjects, but for once I wish I could just take a vacation, just for one day; this is seriously starting to get boring, and I don't know how much longer I can take this. Being princess shouldn't be a privilege, it should be a punishment, on the highest level... and the board meetings surely do not help things.' Sure enough, my wishes were granted, as I could feel that Discord was finally back from the moon. His invisibility trick had caused me to sense him right away, and I could tell that he was heading back for his room. Suddenly things didn't seem so boring, as I was able to keep my attention on those that kept coming into the courts to address some issue that could have been dealt with differently and still benefit the town or city. Princess Luna, Bedroom Chambers "TAKE THAT, AND THAT, AND THA - OH CRAP! CRAPCRAPCRAPCRAPCRAPCRAP - NOOOOOO! WHY MUST YOU DESOLATE ME EVERY TIME, TAURUS DEMON!?" I yelled unceremoniously at the large LCD screen in front of me, clearly playing a new game that had just come out for the Haystation 3 and other consoles, Mark Souls. It had been merely hours after the game's release that I had received my copy in the mail... though I hadn't actually ordered it - I figured that one of the guards must have let it slip that I love video games and it spread to one of the stores, thus resulting in a limited edition preorder only copy of Mark Souls in my personal mailbox yesterday. Giving up on trying to get past that certain part in the game, I resigned to playing a game which was brought by Nova when he had come here. No, I didn't steal it, I had Discord sneak in and make a copy of it instead. The only thing that was left, was to boot up the computer... The game was a copy of Halo: Combat Evolved. Sure, the game was old, but it held something special about it. I popped the disc into the computer system that Discord had bought for me, and started the installer. The game controls were almost the same as some of the other games I have, so it wasn't that hard to learn the new configuration. As soon as the game had finished installing, the first thing I did was what any good gamer would do - start the campaign mission to familiarize myself with the game mechanics and controls, before heading into multiplayer mayhem. The first few moments of the game were nothing special, just exposition on the current events, and setting the plot for the main character in the game. People from Nova's world, according to Dissy, had said that this game had launched an incredibly large franchise, worth well over $100,000,000. To be honest, this game is quite creative for the time that it had been released, and we have yet to see a counterpart here in Equestria. The grunts in this game are just so darn hilarious, the way that they flail around everywhere, running and screaming; I'm not saying that I enjoy torturing beings, but I just find it amusing how these characters were developed in the game. The elites are a pain at times, though I can deal with them... most of the time. The needler pistols, the needler pistols... OH THOSE CELESTIA DAMNED NEEDLER PISTOLS! THEY ARE A NUISANCE AND SHOULD BE OBLITERATED FROM THIS GAME ENTIRELY! One second I'm taking down an elite and I am low on health, but my shields are holding up, then out of nowhere, A FREAKING GRUNT SHOWS UP WITH A NEEDLER, AND DESECRATES ME WITH ITS POINTY PINK PROJECTILES OF DOOM! MICROSOFT STUDIOS, YOU SHALL RUE THE DAY THAT YOU DECIDED THAT NEEDLER PISTOLS WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA TO BE PUT IN THIS GAME! MARK MY WORDS, YOUR DAYS ARE NUMBERED! "Come on, come on, almost there, gotta get to the health pa - NOOOOOOOOOOO!" I screamed in frustration as yet another elite that had a cloak enabled had smacked me in the back of the head. Cheapshots. "Alright, I guess I could take a break from that and start up multiplayer." I exited to the main menu, and then scrolled down to multiplayer, and then selected my color - or I would have, if they had midnight blue. Seeing as they did not have my coat color, I settled for the next best thing, black. I checked over the settings one more time, making sure that everything was set right. Feeling that everything was set the way I liked it, I jumped into the foray on a random server; it was a free for all match, and the score limit was 50. "Time to teach these insolent beings who their leader is." I smiled as the match started; these fools had no idea what was coming to them... Nova, Home Out of all the things not to work, it just HAD to be the antidote for poison joke. Sure, Lyra was back to her normal self, but I'm still stuck as a girl. Don't get me wrong, it's nice, but sometimes I miss my old body... and I'm already getting tired of Lyra staring off into space and having her eyes gravitate towards my chest. I currently sat on the couch in the living room, wondering what we could do today, as the two of us really didn't have anything planned. "So Nova, got any good games back in your world?" "Lyra, you have my memories, so it's safe to say that if you want to know that answer, ask yourself." Lyra pouted and shot a hurt look at me, though I knew she was just foaling around. "Have I ever told you that you're really mean?" The hurt look was still on her face, but I wasn't buying it. "No, you haven't. Also, I have an idea: why don't we hop over to my world and bring over my computers, and we can play something together." That pouting face she had no doubt perfected was washed away in an instant, replaced by a happy grin, almost covering her whole face. "Sweet, what game were you thinking?" "Halo: Combat Evolved." Her smile vanished at the same speed it appeared on her face. "Really?" The sarcasm was so obvious in her voice that it was almost as if it were a sign being smacked into my face. "Hey, you gotta enjoy the classics, Lyra. This game is what started the whole Halo franchise in the first place. Plus, if we do get my computers and play together, we can also play people from my world, as the systems would be dimensionally locked." "Though I doubt you can get back to your world, considering what happened the last time we tried." "One, we were using traditional magic, and two, it didn't help that Rainbow Dash came crashing in just before it was done." "Still, it's not like you can use the one you wrote out in your world, because as you said, it can only be done by those that are a resident of that world in that time frame." "Technically speaking, I could, I just didn't want to be the guinea pig myself, because I wasn't sure how using magic outside of Equestria would work... turns out that I could charge it just fine." Lyra facehoofed. "Nova, you are ridiculous sometimes." "I know, and that's why you love me!" Lyra giggled. "Yeah, ridiculous but still sweet and charming, in your own way." I briefly hugged Lyra, running my fingers through her soft mane; she responded by nuzzling into my neck... I almost melted in her embrace. After a couple minutes, we separated, and I had opted to give Lyra a few pointers before we go. "So, a little foreword about taking a trip to my world: I can pretty much tell you that they won't be able to accept the fact that Equestria actually exists yet. True, there are bronies that wish to be here, but to them it's still a fleeting dream." "Implying...?" "I'm gonna have to change your form into a human before we go." "Oh, cool." I began charging up the energy needed to pull of the transformation spell, and then started changing Lyra's form. Her stature was just a bit larger than mine, only a few inches taller, and her skin tone was just a tad darker, as if she had a tan. Her hair was a bit shorter than mine, and kept its original color scheme, white and aquamarine. She was wearing a pair of skinny jeans that accentuated her lovely behind quite nicely, which ended halfway down her forelegs. Her shirt was a turquoise colored t-shirt, and her shoes were a pair of green converse, though instead of the official logo, it had a lyre in its place. Her, 'airbags', were pretty decent; they were almost the same size as mine, which were around 35c. As the transformation finished, I couldn't stop myself from drooling while admittedly ogling at her hot form. Lyra giggled at me, probably because I had a stupid look on my face. "Like what you see?" There was a hint of naughtiness in her voice, which made it that much harder to keep my hands at my sides. "Oh hell yes. Lyra, I thought you were cute before, but now... I'd have to say that you'd give almost every girl in my world a run for their money." "Down girl." I pouted, "Yes." "So, when do we leave?" Lyra's voice was full of eagerness, her energy just pooling out of her. "Actually, in a couple minutes, it'll take a bit to properly aim the vortex at the right point in time." I charged up the energy required to rip open a hole, and then started calculating for the other end of the vortex to open right into my bedroom, in the present time; about five minutes later, a window opened up, and through it, my bedroom could be seen. The two of us stepped through the hole, and as we crossed over, the hole closed. Lyra looked at me worriedly, but I just gave her a look that told her this happens normally. We both looked around the room - everything was in the same place that it was left the day that I got the call to go for that interview in L.A.; clothes on the floor, games all over my desk and chair, console controllers in random places, and all three of my computer towers on. I did not want to see my electricity bill. "Wait, you have three computers?" "Yeah, I do. One's for just producing music, the other one is for gaming, and the third is the guest computer." "Wow, you're organized, though I can't really say that while looking at the state of your room." "Oh be quiet you." I playfully punched Lyra in the shoulder; she hit right back, laughing. "Owie." I gave her a pouty face. "Oh don't look at me like that, it's not gonna work." "Whatever. Hey, you wanna go take a walk around town? Actually, I'll be right back, I'm gonna go get someone who I think will be very interested to meet us, but first..." I concentrated my spark energy, and changed my form back to how I should be, male, with my slightly muscular build, mullet that was tied into a ponytail, and my normal clothes. Lyra looked pretty ticked. "YOU COULD HAVE DONE THAT THE ENTIRE TIME? WHY DID WE WASTE ALL THAT TIME AT ZECORA'S TRYING TO GET YOU BACK TO NORMAL?" "Because I wanted to see if anything would work, and I kinda forgot I could do that til now." I gave Lyra a peck on the lips, "So, I shall be back in a little bit, try not to wreck anything... and don't touch my production studio, I have that set up just the way I want it; if you want something to do, why not watch a movie or something on one of the other computers. I'll be back in a bit." I walked over to a corner that was always covered by a shadow, and stepped through, keeping in mind the place I wanted to go: the house of my drinking buddy, John Hughes. I stepped through the shadow, and emerged just outside of his house in an alleyway; I walked around to the front, and saw that his car was in the driveway. I knocked on the door, and waited for the door to be answered. Two minutes passed by before the door was opened, and heralded a surprised John. "Jason, what the hell happened, I thought you were gone! You were on TV bro, they showed the footage of you just vanishing in a white light at the airport." Intrigued, I walked in, and saw on the TV that very footage being played on SpikeTV. I turned towards John, ready to tell him just about everything. "John, I am going to tell you something, but this is something that has to be kept secret, even moreso than The Doctor's real name." John nodded, allowing me to continue. "That white flash, was me being brought to Equestria; I stepped on a lay-line that was right on top of a rip in the universe, which hurled me into Equestria." Surprisingly, he was taking this info well so far. "When I arrived, I landed in somepony's home, and I have more news: we're officially together!" John extended his fist towards me. /)*(\ "That's awesome, Jason. Oh, have you met Twilight?" Yeah, John's a brony, and he absolutely ADORES Twilight! "Yeah, and I borrowed a few books from her so I could do magic... wait, I came here to fetch you and go back to my house. Dude, come with me!" Before John could say anything, I dragged him by the wrist, outside, and into the alleyway; he looked at me like I had two heads, though that was before we shadow walked. As soon as we passed through and ended up back at my place, his look changed in an instant. Nova, (former) Home John and I came back to my house through the shadow corner, and his eyes laid upon the sole person standing in the room - Lyra. He turned to look at me as if I had two heads again. "I thought you said that you were with Lyra..." Lyra cleared her throat, "Um, that's me." She waved a hand at John, "Hi." John confusedly raised his hand and waved back at her, "Um, hi..?" "You don't think I'm telling the truth, do you?" "Personally, no." I pinched the bridge of my nose, "Dude, do you really think that I would let Lyra come here as a pony, and risk someone seeing her through the window? You know what, come with me, we're going back to Equestria." Before John could say anything, I opened the vortex that led back to Ponyville, and walked through, with Lyra and John in tow. Nova, Home As soon as all three of us had stepped onto the other side, I quickly made sure that we were all accounted for, and nothing had been horribly mismatched when going through the portal. After the once over, I turned to Lyra, waiting patiently. "Oh fine, you can turn me back now..." She sighed, which made me feel a little guilty for cutting her fun a little short. I charged up the needed magic and transformed Lyra from a human, back into a pony. John stared between me and Lyra, in complete and utter shock. I honestly thought it was hilarious seeing his reaction when I had used magic, and to transform someone from being a human, back to a pony. "Nova... how are you able to do that?" I didn't want to reveal all of the details to him yet... so I opted to only tell him a limited bit of info. "When I was at the airport, I must have stepped on a ley-line that was right on top of a hole in the universe, which resulted in me being transported to a random universe, I just happened to be so lucky as to land here." Pfffft, more like I was dragged here after falling out of my own universe. The Spark inside me must have become active when I stepped on that line, thus ejecting me from the universe at that moment. John pensively scratched just below his sideburns in thought, "Yeah, I get that explains how you got here, but it doesn't explain how you're able to do magic..." "Right; to be honest, I have almost no idea as to how I am able to do magic, but hey, it's magic, why look a gift horse in the mouth?" "I guess you're right on that one." Let me explain something before things go any further: John is actually about 3 years older than I am, and he has a habit of trying to analyze almost every detail; if John is missing details of something that he wants to know, he will drive himself into the ground until he figures it out... He's so much like Twilight that it's uncanny. My jaw almost hit the floor - this was so unlike John to just simply dismiss something he's interested in finding out... then again, we ARE in Equestria, and I don't know everything about him. "Well, that's new." "There's quite a bit you don't know about me yet, Nova, and I know there's a lot that I don't know about you either, so we're even on that one." "Touche." "Um, HELLO! DOES ANYONE KNOW THAT I EXIST!?" The two of us turned towards Lyra, grins on our faces. "If you didn't exist Lyra, who would I have to snuggle in bed with?" Lyra unintentionally turned up the cute by blushing, adding a shade of pink to her bright aquamarine coat. 'D'AAAAWWWWWWWW!' "Hey John, how bout I bring you over to Twilight's and introduce you?" Right then and there, John's face lit up, and he began shaking more than a kid in a candy store with a one million dollar spending budget. Seriously, I was considering renting him out to the construction crew as a spare jackhammer... "Holy crap YES! WHEN DO WE GO?" I giggled silently. "RIGHT NOW!" "Mind if I come too, Nova?" "You kidding me? Of course you can come. You didn't really have to ask, I thought you were coming with us anyway." The three of us exited our home, and set out towards Twilight's house. John, Ponyville I just couldn't believe it - we were all walking towards Twilight's place, and I was barely able to contain my excitement. Lyra and Jason giggled at me while we walked... well, they walked, while I skipped happily down the road. Many ponies were staring at us, though I could care less... then again, it could be the shirt that I'm currently wearing - it's a white t-shirt with Twilight enthusiastically pointing with both of her hooves at the word 'SCIENCE', while standing upright on her hind legs. The closer we got to the library, the more excited I got, I just couldn't suppress the gigantic grin I wore while walking there, and I wouldn't have it any other way - I was meeting my favorite pony, and my beacon of hope. Twilight played an important role in my life, when things got hard at work, I used to have nothing to turn to, what with some of the co-workers giving me a hard time because I was fairly new. When I had discovered Friendship is Magic, I instantly felt a connection with Twilight; I felt that I could relate with her when it came to meticulously detailing everything, never skipping over anything, wanting to find out exactly what makes everything tick. She would be there for her friends in an instant, and never give up when being faced with a near-impossible task when it came to her friends. In a way, I admired Twilight for that, and because of her, I managed to overcome most of the stuff that goes on at work and in the lab, and to smile through life. When we had finally reached Twilight's library, I felt like my heart was going to explode from beating so fast. My back felt chills, my hands were shaking more than a tambourine being played by a gypsy, and my mind was going a thousand miles a minute. Jason stepped up to the door and knocked; nothing happened at first, but then Spike opened the door. Jason and spike brohoofed, and we were all led inside. "Twilight, you got visitors! Nova and Lyra are here, and they brought another human with them!" I turned towards Jason, "Nova, huh? When did that happen?" Lyra spoke just before Jason could open his mouth, "When Jason first came here, we had to think of another name for him that would fit better; after sitting around and trying to figure one out, he randomly blurted out 'Nova,' and we just went with it." Before I could say anything else, there came a voice from upstairs, "I'll be right there, just a minute!" There were sounds of books being closed and frantic running around. Jason facepalmed. "You've got to be kidding me, she's STILL researching that project of hers... seriously, I'm gonna need to have a talk with that crazy mare." Lyra and I responded, ("What project?"("What project?")) Another facepalm, "Really guys? But yeah, Sparkles is working on a project that she's very adamant in completing, and no, I don't know the details." Twilight started descending down the stairs, and she must've heard us, cause she replied, "And you're not going to know the details, cause it's private. Sorry to disappoint you three... Oh, sorry, I forgot to introduce myself, my name is Twilight Sparkle, and it's nice to meet you, um..." "It's John, John Hughes." "John Hooves?" "John Hughes." "John Who?" "John Hughes." "John Moose?" "It's John Hughes." "John Shoes?" "Ugh, it's John Hughes!" Twilight laughed, "It's alright, I was just having a bit of fun," She grinned, and there was the one and only 'squee' sound, "Sorry 'bout that." I sighed, "Nah, it's ok, at least you didn't mess up my first name." "Oh, John, why do you have a shirt with a picture of me on it pointing at the word science?" This is one of the things that I wish I didn't have to explain to the ponies, though I guess there was no avoiding it; though just before I opened my mouth, Jason responded. "Yeah, um, Twilight, this is something that is easier shown than merely explained. I'm going to give you a run through with a memory spell, because honestly, I don't want to embarrass myself having to explain it... that, and it's a LOT less time consuming." Jason closed his eyes, and held a hand over Twilight's head. Just before I thought that it may not actually work, Jason's hand was covered in an orange-yellow magic aura, and then Twilight's eyes went wide... The song I Know Humans Exist by Neighsayer fits perfectly with this scene... Twilight, Library Nova closed his eyes and put a hand over top of my head, channeling the needed amount of magic for the spell, and then he started showing me memories from before the time he arrived here. The memories started with the invention of the television, how it had evolved, and so on; a few seconds later, Nova moved on from that, to a few shows that this 'Lauren Faust' had created, and the following she had gained because of the quality of the shows that she had produced. Next up was her draft for a show called 'My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic'. At first I was shocked at the details of this show, but I just patiently sat through the rest of the memories. What was shown after that, was an essay which was written, berating the show before it even aired; the interesting part was where it ended up - on a website called '4-chan', and it had gained the attention of a few people... I saw how a few people had decided to check out the show, and started liking it, because of the animation, the character depth, and so on. As the show went on, it started gathering a larger crowd, who heralded the show as a beacon of hope in an otherwise oppressive media-driven society. I was astounded at the sheer number of people who have been touched by the show and the community of 'bronies' that follow it, and its creed of 'love and tolerance.' I can honestly say, that I had never thought of anything like that happening. People's lives were saved from their own suicide attempts, it made people become accepting of others' differences as well as their own, they reached out to good causes everywhere, and they have the biggest hearts; when one of them is feeling sad, another takes notice and tries their hardest at cheering them up in any way they can. Some people have been inspired to reach their goals, no matter what they were, all because of the show that revolved around me and my friends, as well as our adventures; some have gone from being complete jerks, to the nicest people in the world, all because of this one show. It is absolutely amazing that a show about me and my friends could so something so astounding. I opened my eyes, which were threatening to burst into tears at the revelation that I just had about Nova and the other bronies; without any warning whatsoever, John knelt down and brought me into a hug, stroking the back of my neck; it felt nice. John then spoke, "I take it he showed you everything, right?" I nodded. "I never knew that my friends and I meant so much to so many people, I didn't think any of us would have that big of an impact on your world. Compared to us, all of you do so much in the name of friendship and harmony that you even put Celestia and Luna, as well as the Elements of Harmony themselves to shame." All of us stayed silent for a few minutes, thinking about the many contributions of bronies everywhere... 'Thank you, everyone, wherever you may be at this time; I thank you for what you all do, from the bottom of my heart.' Challenging The UniverseNova, Twilight's Library Lyra and I both stood there as John was embracing Twilight and stroking her back. The sight of it was just so heartwarming, that I couldn't help but shed a tear for them; those two were so alike that it's uncanny. I turned to Lyra, who was standing beside me, and quietly made a suggestion to her. "I think we should leave these two alone to talk, I'm sure that they have a lot to discuss." "Yeah, same. Where do you wanna go?" The two of us quietly exited the library as Lyra asked the question. "I honestly have no idea... why don't we just go on a walk around the town?" Lyra smiled warmly, "Only if I get to take my lovely coltfriend." "Oh, well then, where is he?" I jokingly asked; Lyra caught on and laughed. "You, ya silly colt." Lyra socked me in the arm, though it didn't hurt that much. I threw my hands into the air and belted out something I knew would get Lyra all flustered. "YAY, I'M LOVED!" There were some stares, a few snickers, and good laughter all around - mission accomplished. Lyra however, didn't think it was that funny; she was blushing a light shade of pink, making her really adorable... "Nova..." "Aw, you're so adorable with that shade of pink mixing in with your cute face." Lyra started blushing harder, making me snicker. "N-N-N-Nova, stop it, you're embarassing me..." 'Dammit, so... cute...' Deciding that I had given Lyra enough torture for the day, I pulled her into a hug and stroked her mane; she seemed to calm down, and those that were staring at us turned and went on about their business, as if nothing was out of the ordinary. "Hey, Nova, I think I know somewhere you'd like to go." I let go of Lyra and stared into her beautiful golden eyes, getting lost in the sea of love. "Really, where?" Before either of us could say anything more, a small white foal a neon green and black mane and tale ran right between us, and down the path towards Fluttershy's cottage. I turned and stared at the foal, whose figure shrank off in the distance, and then turned back to Lyra, who had the same 'what the heck just happened' look on her face. "Well, that was random, even for this world..." Lyra didn't even reply, she just stared off into the distance. I was about to turn and head off somewhere, but there was an audible 'DONG' off in the distance, the distinct sound of someone running right into a metal pole... I facepalmed, knowing exactly who it was that ran into it. With a quick heel-turn, I ran towards the direction that the little foal went; what I saw next, was a little surprising. The foal was about the size of Applebloom; he had a pure white coat, neon green and black mane and tail, and his eyes were the same neon green color... that's not what surprised me though; the surprising and weird part about him, was the fact that his blood was that same color of green, and it seemed to be dissolving a small hole in the ground. Why was there blood, you may ask... well, he just knocked out two of his top front teeth when he rammed the pole. Looking back, he seemed to be running away from something, instead of running towards someone, just looking for a place to hide. Plus, it doesn't matter what planet or universe you're in, neon green acidic blood is not normal, by any standards. Lyra warily looked towards me while keeping a bit of distance from the foal, and I didn't blame her, he had acidic blood after all. "Hey Lyra, I'm just gonna heal this guy up and then bring him over to Fluttershy." Lyra looked at me questioningly. "Why Fluttershy, why not the hospital?" "Take one look at him, and then ask yourself that question again. This foal has been experimented on, and you know it. It would be dangerous to just bring him to the hospital, because they would want answers as to why he is like that. Plus, any organization that has the capacity to pull off complete biological overhauls successfully isn't one to be messed with, cause more than likely, they have very deep pockets, and informants almost everywhere. The one logical place for an organization of that nature to have contacts would be the local hospital, and judging by the direction he was coming from, it resides just on the outskirts of town." Lyra rolled her eyes as she mulled this all over, then with a sigh, she walked off in another direction. "Where ya off to?" Without looking back, Lyra replied, "To the only place that I can dump on without a care - the bar." "It's not even five yet, and you're going to a bar?" "Yep, I kind of need to get away from all the weird stuff that's going on right now, before I lose my sanity. No offense." "None taken, just be careful Lyra, I don't want to hear about anything happening to you while you're intoxicated." Lyra turned around and smiled, "You seriously believe that I would let anything happen to me? Anypony that tries to touch me has another thing coming." She then turned back to the way she was headed, and cantered off. 'Lyra, you just openly challenged the universe... now I'm extremely worried for you...' Lyra, The Hopping Grain I walked up to the door of the only bar in Ponyville, The Hopping Grain, and opened the door; all of the patrons looked my way, making the accompanying silence really uncomfortable. I warily looked around, until a dark purple unicorn waved me over to the counter; he seemed vaguely familiar, but it wasn't until I sat on one of the bar stools that I remembered exactly who he was - it was Shadow Streak the barkeep at Vinyl's stadium. I sighed, and Shadow trotted over to the tap and slid a drink towards me. Leaning onto the counter, I rested my muzzle on the counter. Many of the patrons simply disregarded me at this point and continued to what they were doing. With more bluntness than a sledgehammer, Shadow trotted back to me and decidedly bugged me to see what was wrong. "So, what's got the famous Lyra Heartstrings so worked up that she has to show up here, and before 5pm?" Not lifting my head off the counter, I gave a flat reply. "My coltfriend is somewhat of a pain; there have been a lot of weird things going on ever since we got together - his father is apparently from Equestria, he can travel through the multiverse as a separated conscience outside of his body while he sleeps, he has a plotload of magic capabililties, including chaos magic, and now he found out that there was an organization that does experimentation on ponies, just from seeing one of the test subjects run past, and slam his face into a pole. There's just too much weird stuff going on." I looked right at the glass that was sitting in front of me, it was a tall glass of gin mixed with apple juice. Foal's stuff, but it was a nice start; I picked up the stein glass and chugged the drink in no time, getting me stares from all who were present. "Damn, you weren't kidding when you said you were stressed out. Lemme get you another drink, tonight's binge is on the house." He smiled at me, no, not that 'I like you and I want to get to know you better' smile, but a friendly smile that said 'I'm here if you need to get away from things for a while'. I appreciated it. "Much appreciated, Shadow." The drinks continued, the next couple of drinks were still gin and apple juice, though after that I moved up to some Bacardi rum and Colta Cola, and then eventually straight rum; about six hours later, I was completely smashed, which is never good. Have you ever seen a unicorn really wasted? Didn't think so. Our magic becomes highly inaccurate and unstable, the slightest miscalculation or slip of concentration could very well spell disaster for bystanders, or even the caster themselves. Fortunately, I was one of the few smart ponies who always remembered to not use their magic while drunk. Shadow looked at me a little worriedly, "Hey, Lyra, you think you're gonna be ok getting home? I could walk you back, you know..." Me, being as drunk and stupid as I was, refused. "Ahm aright Sado, Ah con git back home, it'sh fine." "Lyra," Shadow's gaze burrowed into my eyes, staring past the sea of fiery gold that most stallions get lost in when they peer into them, and looked right into my soul. If I wasn't drunk, I would've shrunk and gave in to what he was silently implying, though that wasn't the case, so I just disregarded what he was doing, and walked out the door, and into Luna's beautiful night sky. I walked around the empty streets of Ponyville, taking in the beauty of the night sky; the moon was full, and the stars looked even more stunning than usual. Walking through the market square, I spotted a lone bit coin on the ground... I stopped by it to pick it up, and just as I did so, I felt a ring being put on my horn, which shrunk, and I could feel my magic being blocked off... the next thing I knew, I was being surrounded and then tossed around within the circle of stallions - a couple of them were stark white with blue manes and tails... they were definitely royal guards, no doubt about it. A couple of the stallions started throwing punches at me, which I tried to block using memories from Nova, to no avail. They kept punching and bucking me all over, then one of them got the bright idea of using dark magic along with their physical attacks, dealing damage to my soul. I could feel each punch and buck chip away a piece of my soul, taking away my will to go on with each blow. I silently wished Nova would hurry and find me... Nova, Home I was sitting on the couch going through e-mails on the laptop while waiting for Lyra to come home; she was supposed to be back after only a couple of hours, but I decided to just wait for her rather than to show up at the bar and embarrass her in front of a bunch of ponies that may or may not know her. I sighed in slight annoyance when I looked at the clock on the laptop, which read 10:12pm. I was about to close the laptop, when a sudden weird feeling washed over me - my gut was telling me that something was wrong, very wrong, though it took a second for it to sink in - Lyra was in trouble. I jumped up from the couch, flipping the table over in the process. 'Table be damned, I GOTTA GO SAVE LYRA!' I ran towards the front door, smashing right through it, and ran down the street. I didn't know exactly where she was, so I ran towards the market square for starters. 'If she's gonna be taken from anywhere at this time of night, it'd be the market square, due to the many hiding places thanks to the alleys.' While running to the market square, I ran right past Rarity's place, and she poked her head out the window. "Where are you running off to so fast at this time of night, darling?" I stopped for a second to answer her. "Long story short, Lyra and I had a fight, and then she stormed off to take a walk by herself... and I got a bad feeling a couple minutes ago, so I'm off to make sure that I was wrong about what I felt." "Wait, you want to be wrong? What did you feel?" "Like a part of me is on the edge of death." Rarity flinched. "Oh..." Her ears splayed back, "well, I'm not going to keep a knight in shining armor away from his princess, now GO FIND HER!" Rarity uncharacteristically yelled out to me, and I took her advice, running with all my strength to the market square. It was another few minutes till I reached my destination; what I saw, was beyond what my mind could normally handle. To put it in perspective, think of the last few episodes of Clannad. Got all that emotional sadness? Good, now multiply that by about five thousand. That's how much this scene stabbed my heart. There were five stallions, two of them off-duty royal guards, probably the ones that tried to start shit with us in the castle the other day... they were all tossing her around and using her as a punching bag; three of them were using dark magic enchantments on their hooves, no doubt damaging Lyra's soul. I silently walked up towards them, making sure to stick to the shadows; I was depressed, but I was also getting angry, and I started seeing pure magic crackling around me. A mystical wind started blowing around me, and then it happened - that very same aura that I used when I told off Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon burst out; there was no stopping me and what I was about to do to these pathetic stallions. Now would be a good idea to listen to Monster by Skillet... Silently and calmly, yet still pouring out rage and anger, I walked up to the stallions. I poked one of the royal guards on the back, and he turned around; the first couple of seconds, he glared at me, then he noticed the pure magic surrounding me with a dark blue and red aura swirling around, and he ran off. The others took notice that he ran and started laughing, thinking that he was worried about being caught by other guards... but they all had a fate much worse than that awaiting them... They eyed me, and then dropped Lyra on the ground unceremoniously. I could tell she was alive, but just barely, and she was fighting a losing battle with death; I didn't have much time, maybe about twenty minutes... One of the stallions tried throwing a punch at me, but I stopped it... with my finger. I knelt down, and whispered in his ear. "If I can block a full power punch from you with a finger, imagine what a punch from me would do to you..." The grey stallion's eyes went wide, and he started backing away in fear, while I started walking slowly towards him. "Mess with my marefriend, I mess with you... attack my marefriend, and I tear you to shreds... I'll leave you lot so mangled, it'll make a manticore attack look like a kitten scratch." I punctuated this statement with a crack of my neck. The group of stallions tried to run away, but I encased them in a magic bubble; they couldn't escape. I took one of them out of the bubble, and held him telekinetically. Bringing him closer to me, he hung upside down, and I stared into his eyes. "Now, what should I do with you? Drop you from Canterlot? Give you to the Gryphon nation after sending them a letter stating that you plan on assassinating their leader?" I thought for a moment, til a really, really cruel idea came into my mind... "Or... I could send you to live with the most horrifying being in the universe for a week - Elmyra." The stallion started to laugh. "You think that sending me to live with a girl is a bad thing?" Awww, poor thing, he had no idea what he was in for... "Yeah, I'm just gonna let Elmyra deal with all of you... have fun!" I teleported three of the four stallions that were there, and walked up to the remaining one. He shook in fear. "What are you going to do to me? STAY BACK!" He backed up to the other side of the bubble, trying to keep distance between us. "Tell you what, you help me find who ordered this attack, and I'll think about letting you go, so long as you promise to resign from the EPA." "You know of the Equestrian Pony Alliance?" "Yes, I know of them, and I know of their plans to get rid of anything that isn't a pony in the name of Celestia and her nation, but I feel that they aren't exactly working for 'Celestia's ideals'." The stallion looked down for a moment in thought, then stared me straight in the face, "What if they are found by Celestia?" "Well, they'll probably be jailed, or exiled, or jailed where they are exiled to... but, if you tell me who ordered this to happen, then I will make sure that you are not seen as part of the group when it comes time to dealing with their presence in Equestria. You will be a free stallion." The stallion sighed, "The leader of the EPA is never truly seen, he always wears a cloak and uses something to distort his voice; he is the one that ordered this attack..." I was about to turn around and teleport, when he called out to me, "Wait, his name is Ribbon Deuce Poll... it's sort of an odd name, but that's the only one we know of." "Um, that isn't his real name, that's an anagram... wait a second, this makes total and complete sense..." My aura vanished as I calmed down. "That anagram, it rearranges and solves to the name of the most xenophobic unicorn in Canterlot - Prince Blueblood!" The stallion's eyes went wide. "Prince Blueblood!? What would happen if Celestia finds out?" "I don't know, but I'm not going to go and find out right now, because I have to save Lyra, before she dies." I ran over to Lyra's side and held her in my arms, her head pressed against my chest. I checked her vitals, she was barely clinging to life... I started to cry, holding her dying body in my arms, tears streaming from my eyes. Queue up Undying Love by Two Steps From Hell... Minutes later, something happened; a tear dropped onto Lyra's horn, and just as it did so, a bright flash of light came from the point of contact, and a magic circle appeared under the two of us. A mystical wind began blowing around us, and I could feel magic energy surrounding us and getting stronger, as it started to lift us up in a swirling white bubble of pure magic. I could feel a piece of my soul break off, and float over to Lyra's chest. When it reached Lyra's chest and fused with her soul, there was a shockwave of energy that blasted outwards from the magic encasing us; the soul fragment that was given to Lyra started to heal hers and grow, healing her body as well.. when she opened her eyes, there was another blast of magic, this time it was enormous, the shockwave flew over all of Ponyville and Canterlot, maybe even over all of Equestria. During this whole process, I could feel my chaos magic being drained completely... The two of us gently floated down, and the swirling magic slowly dissipated; Lyra stood up and looked at me, tears in her eyes. "Did, did you just..." "I think I gave you a piece of my soul, which healed your own soul as well as your body. Don't ask how, because I don't know... but my chaos magic has been completely used up." Lyra closed her eyes and yawned, it was honestly the cutest thing I will ever see in my life. Wait, oh, there goes my heart, it just stopped due to the overload of adorableness. "Why am I so tired?" Lyra yawned again. "Well, having your soul rebuilt by a piece of someone else, and then having your soul completely heal your body will definitely tire you out." "Oh, well I guess we'd better get back home then." "Wait, before that, I have to take care of something..." I ran back towards the bubble which held the stallion in, and saw that he was crying. "Dude, what's up with you?" "That blast of magic, it washed over me and flooded me with love, love that I haven't felt since my parents died and my sister moved away to Manehatten." "You love your sister dearly, don't you?" "Y-y-yes, I do." "Then go to her, and give her the biggest hug you can. She must have cared about you the same way you cared about her, and no doubt she's missing you right about now as well." I released the magic bubble, and he ran off in the direction of the train station. I turned to Lyra, who was standing right behind me, with a smile on her face. "What?" "Nova, that is the kindest thing anyone could do; you forgave someone who just beat down someone who was extremely close to you, and that takes a really big heart. I sometimes wonder how your heart even fits in that body of yours." "I wonder sometimes too, Lyra. Now, let's go home and get some rest." The two of us walked back to our house, not saying a word... neither of us even had a need to, because we knew exactly how we felt for each other, our love for each other doing the talking for us. Celestia, Royal Bedroom I was having a very peaceful dream; I sat in an endless meadow with my sister, the two of us basking in the beautiful moonlight, resting our heads on each others' necks... then the dream suddenly came to an end when I felt something that I hadn't in centuries - ordinary magic being mixed with chaos magic to perform a very powerful and dangerous spell. I literally flew out of bed, not even bothering to put on my royal regalia, and looked out from the balcony. Off in the distance, right in the middle of Ponyville, there was a bright ball of pure magic. I stood there and stared at it, waiting for whatever was going to happen. A few seconds later, there was a small shockwave which didn't reach very far, but it didn't have to, as I could sense what was being done - someone was breaking off a piece of their soul and giving it to another being. Then there was another shockwave, this time it was very large, and it quickly washed over Canterlot, and continued all over Equestria. When the shockwave washed over the castle, I felt a sudden flood of love; I could feel all of the love that was put into this spell by Nova, and it reminded me of how much I cared about Luna, and all of my little subjects. A tear formed in my eye, but it wasn't out of sadness; instead, it was of happiness. I was about to go over to my door and head to Luna's room, but she saved me the trouble by teleporting into my bedroom. She nuzzled my neck, "Celestia, I love you so much." She started crying out of the sheer power of the love that washed over the entire country. "Nova has done something that even I would have trouble doing... he put his own life on the line to stare death right in the face, and steal his marefriend back before it could take her. When that shockwave washed over me, I felt all the love you gave me before I turned into Nightmare Moon, and how we used to be so close. I thought back to the days when we were fillies, and used to run and jump around in the beautiful meadows and roll down the grassy hills, while our parents stood on the tallest hill and watched over us with smiles on their faces." "I remember those times too; and while I wish we could return to those times, let us not forget that we have a kingdom to take care of. Instead of just giving me your love, put all that love in the night sky when you arrange the stars and the moon, I'm sure that everyone will see and feel it, and thank you." "I will, Tia." Luna hugged me, and then returned to her room, while I crawled back into bed. I had even more pleasant dreams as I slept. Twilight, Ponyville Library I was sleeping soundly in my bed, when all of a sudden, I heard an explosion of magic. I got up and looked out from my balcony; what I saw was something that I hadn't expected at all. There was a ball of pure magic, and a shockwave washed over most of Ponyville, but it dissipated just before it reached the library. Just as I was about to turn around, there was a second, bigger shockwave, which sped all across Ponyville, Canterlot, and maybe even all of Equestria. When it washed over the library, I felt all the love from my brother Shining Armor, and my old foalsitter Cadance. I thought back to the times that I had fun with Shining, running around the house, having "fights" with my stuffed toys, teleporting and flinging them around and at each other, and all the times that we hugged. I was also reminded of all the fun times I had with Cadance, playing at the park, having adventures as pirates, making forts, and singing songs. I turned back to go to bed, but I stopped by the chest that sat opposite to my bed, and took out my favorite doll, Smartypants. I jumped back into my bed, and cuddled with Smartypants, thinking about Shining and Cadance, and all the fun we used to have when I was a kid. The dreams that followed were the best ones that I have ever had. Chrysalis, Changeling Hive I sat atop my throne, looking out at the sea of antsy and impatient subjects, who were no doubt here to lodge complaints against me, due to the fact that our food supplies were dwindling, and we had to rely on an old but somewhat reliable food source: love, though even that had been dwindling fast... the ponies just don't seem to have the same amount of love anymore as they used to. I was prepared for do whatever it takes to make sure that all of my subjects are fed and taken care of... I mused over what we could do to address the food issue, when all of a sudden there was a shockwave of energy, one that I had never imagined, even in my dreams - love, lots and lots of love, coming from a single focal point - the middle of The Equestrian Proper. I smiled coyly, and brought this new revelation to the generals; all of my subjects seemed happy at the prospect of having an entire new kingdom to feed on. 'If you two are still there Celestia and Luna, prepare yourselves, because soon, you will fall!' A Royal Pain No MoreNova, Home I awoke to the sound of birds chirping away happily, their tunes carrying a melody that sounded even more cheerful than before, putting me into a slightly good mood. I got up out of the bed and went through the usual routine of cracking everything and making sure my joints still work, then got dressed. I put on a simple black UnderArmor t-shirt, dark blue denim jeans (slim fit), midnight blue converse shoes, and a black baseball cap. Taking a look at it, I felt that there was something missing... I levitated it in front of me, and used some magic to embroider a golden lyre on the front of the cap. I nodded in approval. 'Much better. Now, to deal with Blueballs, before Lyra wakes up.' I sat down on the bed and crossed my legs, my arms laid on top of my legs and hands splayed out in relaxation; I was going to try and start an out of body experience, so I could make a quick escape if I needed to. I closed my eyes, and brought myself into a state of total relaxation, completely clearing my mind. The next thing I did, was concentrate on visualizing my mind materializing outside of my body, standing in front of me; after a few minutes of this, I felt an odd sensation, like I was being moved, yet I stayed in the same place as well. I opened my eyes, to find that I was staring at myself... well, I was staring at my actual body, which was still sitting on the bed, eyes closed and all. "Perfect, now all I have to do is get to Canterlot, and find Blueball's room... but first, I gotta test to make sure that I can still do things that apply only in dreams..." I looked towards the dresser that sat across from the bed, and put my hand against it. The feeling was odd, cause I knew I still had my hands just laying on my legs, yet I was still touching the dresser. I pushed a little on the dresser, and my hand went right through the wood, and all the clothes that resided inside of it. I pulled my hand back, and looked at them in satisfaction. "Good, now that I know that works, I can pretty much tell that I still have the upper hand on everyone." I closed my eyes, and teleported myself right into one of the main hallways of the castle. Looking around, I could see that there were no guards on patrol, so I figured that they must be either somewhere near the other end of the hall, or going through shift change, the former being more likely. I had to move quickly in order to avoid being caught, using dream powers while inside a world that you know is real takes quite a bit of energy, and I'm going to need all the energy that I can get if I want to pull this off. I ran and hid myself into a corner, and decided that I was just running blind in a place that I was unfamiliar with; with that in mind, I used a sort of 'ping' spell, that would act as a sonar, and serve two purposes: one, it would give me instant knowledge of how the place is laid out, top to bottom, and two, it would alert me to Blueblood's presence, wherever he may be. I fired up the spell, and the layout came straight into my mind, and then I was given Blueblood's location – apparently, his bedroom was across from Celestia's, and that in itself posed a problem. Not only that, but I could have also alerted every guard inside the castle, which isn't exactly the smartest thing to do, even if I am under protection by the head of state. I worked quickly to devise an invisibility spell, using my knowledge of how light works to create images. It took a few seconds, but I had a good spell to use, and above all, it was a fairly low-powered one, so almost any old unicorn could pull it off. I fired up the spell, and not a second too soon, as a whole lot of guards closed in on my location, or so they thought. I phased through the floor, and dropped into the kitchen, which was thankfully empty at the time. Since I had skipped breakfast, I decided to raid the fridge before going on my epic journey into Blueblood's room. I looked through the fridge, and found a few good items that I could use for food. I pulled out the items and placed them on the nearby counter as I listed them off, "Let's see, jalapeno Monterrey Jack cheese, strawberry jam, aaaaaaaaaand peanut butter. Odd, why would you put peanut butter in the fridge? Oh well. Now, where are those bagels? Ah, there they are!" With all of that on the counter, I toasted the sesame seed bagels, and cut up two slices of cheese, then waited for the bagels to finish toasting. Little did I know that there was a certain alicorn entering the kitchen, about to get her breakfast as well; I was startled by the sudden voice. "I see that we have a pest in the kitchen, oh wait, it's just Nova." I jumped at the voice, and slowly turned around, coming face to face with Luna, and all of her bed headed splendor. Heck, her mane wasn't even that flowing ethereal starry sky, it was just a plain old royal blue mane that went down to her knees, and her tail draped on the floor. She wasn't even wearing her regalia. I sighed in relief. "Luna, you nearly scared me to death." Luna chuckled lightly, "Well, maybe I should continue then." She then stuck out her tongue at me in jest. "Oh ha ha, very funny. You want one?" I gestured towards the food stuffs that sat on the island counter in the middle of the kitchen. "Sure, why not?" Just before she turned towards the food, Luna gave me an odd look, then questioned me. "Nova, you're out of your body, aren't you?" "Well, yes, but this session was planned. I came here to deal with... personal stuff." Luna gave me an incredulous look. "Nova, that spell last night, it wasn't done without reason, was it?" "No, it wasn't... the reason I did that, was because Lyra was near death." "I know that, but how that happened is what eludes me." I got a wary look for a second, and Luna picked up on it. "Nova... what happened? Whatever you tell me shall be taken as a royal secret, so worry not my little nephew." Luna nuzzled my cheek with hers, and laid her head on my left shoulder. I was hesitant at first, but after a couple minutes, I spilled the beans. "Luna, you may or may not know of a little group of ponies calling themselves the Equestrian Pony Alliance - " "Yes, I do actually... wait, I'm not going to like where this is going, am I?" "No, you're not. While most of the group is still out in Manehatten trying to get more members, some stayed behind. While Lyra was at the bar... you know what, first let me explain why she was at the bar in the first place. When Lyra and I were exiting Twilight's library, a foal ran past us, and ended up running head first into a nearby pole, knocking out a couple of his front teeth. That wasn't what was odd about him, but bleeding acid, having neon green eyes, and a mane and tail that was the same color. It was obvious that there was an organization that had been doing biological experiments, and had deep pockets. I healed him up, giving him new teeth, cleaned up the mess, and then I went off to bring him to Fluttershy's place. Lyra, having enough weird for one week, elected to go hang out at the local bar to let all the stuff she's been wanting to complain about off her chest, and drink herself happy." Luna lifted her head off my shoulder and gave me a worried glance, but let me continue. "Well, I figured that Lyra would just like to be alone, so after dropping the foal over at Fluttershy's place, I just went home and waited for Lyra to return, fully confident that she could make her way home on her own... I was wrong about that. While on her way home, Lyra got jumped, and a group of stallions attacked her, two of them were off-duty guards," Luna scowled, "Hey, not all of your guards are perfect... some of them are just a little too extreme when it comes to protecting you two." "Wait, what colors were they?" "They both had pure white coats, and the same blue mane and tails, they weren't wearing armor." "Those were Solar Guards, my royal guards are all dark unicorns with golden eyes and bat wings. Care to continue?" "I would love to. Three of the five stallions that were attacking Lyra were using dark magic along with physical attacks. When I saw that happening, I couldn't control myself, an aura of dark blue and red energy burst out and swirled around me - " "Did you just say that an aura just suddenly burst forth?" "Yeah." "And it was dark blue and red?" "Yes it was, but what does that have to do with anything?" Luna looked thoughtful for a second, "So it seems that my fail-safe is still intact then, good. I don't want to take any risks, considering who helped create you." "You don't really trust Discord, do you?" "No, not really." "At least your mistrust is founded. I don't completely trust him either. Now, back to what happened. I walked up behind one of the stallions, and poked him... he saw me and ran off. The others laughed, until they saw me. Another tried throwing a punch at me, but I blocked it with a finger, then went on to tell him to think of what I could do to him if I blocked a full-powered punch from him. They all tried to run away, but I encased them in a bubble, then decided on what I could do to punish them, finally coming to the conclusion that I should just let Elmyra deal with them for a week, and teleported three of the remaining four of them to her universe. The last stallion was given a proposition: tell me who ordered the attack, and he would be set free. He gave me the name of the stallion that heads the EPA. In turn, I promised his freedom." "You do realize that you just set free someone who is a part of a group that just committed attempted murder, which is a serious crime here." "Luna, it's a serious crime anywhere." "Yes, but here in Equestria, it's right up there with trying to overthrow the government by force and treason." "Aren't those the same thing?" "More or less, but you get my point." "Right. Anyway, I walked over to Lyra, and you know of what happened during that. After that, I had a conversation with the stallion, and he seemed like he regretted his decision to be a part of the group. I let him out of the bubble, and he ran off to the train station to meet up with his sister in Manehatten." "So, you said something about getting the name of the head pony of the EPA?" "Riiiiiight..." "Nova, you know you can tell me anything. What is it?" I sighed heavily, knowing that I couldn't exactly get away with faking the name of the stallion in question. "The one that I talked to told me the name of the head of the group... he told me it was Deuce Ribbon Poll -" "Which is quite obviously a fake name, it seems more like an ana...gram... no." I knew exactly why she had just said that, "Yes, Luna. I didn't really want to believe it, but it's true. Here, take my memories of the situation, and then deal with it, because I have no business in royal affairs." "Technically speaking, you are a prince, though I doubt the other nations would take too kindly to Celestia hiding the fact that she has an uber-powerful son with Discord." "That still doesn't change the fact that it just isn't my place. If Celestia questions what you are doing with Blueballs, then just show her the memories I gave you." Right after that, I used the memory spell and shared last night's events with Luna, giving her the proof that it was indeed as I said. "May I make a suggestion Nova?" "Yeah, sure." "You might want to eat your food before it gets cold." Luna pointed a hoof towards the two peanut butter jam and cheese bagels. I grabbed one, and Luna levitated the other towards her. "Nova, I think it would help if you get back to your own body before you eat that." "Yeah, I guess you're right. I'm just gonna put it back on the counter and then teleport it to me after I get back." "Sure, I'll make sure that the kitchen staff don't touch it if they get here before you teleport it to you." With that, I focused and reentered my body, opening my eyes, and did a once over to check that nothing happened to me while I was out of it. I hadn't noticed that Lyra was sitting on the end of the bed, probably waiting for me to wake up. "So, you're finally awake." "Oh, what were you doing there?" "Nothing, just sitting here, waiting for you to get back to your body, seeing you were meditating, and nothing I did to wake you up got even a subconscious response. I was worried about you." "Well, I'm here, and all is good. Oh, one second." I concentrated and teleported the bagel from the castle kitchen counter onto a plate. It was still nice and warm, and Lyra was looking at it longingly. "Oh, I guess it does look good. Here, I'll duplicate it for ya." I surrounded the bagel with my magic and then concentrated on compiling the different materials out of the atoms in the air. It took a few seconds, but once I finished, there was another hot bagel with the same peanut butter, jam and jalapeno Monterrey Jack cheese. Lyra drooled at the delicious looking food, probably because she was extremely hungry. "You know what, I'm going to up-size that for the both of us, seeing we most likely expended a lot of energy last night." I concentrated my magic on the two bagels, and made them grow to twice their size, which made them look just that more delicious. The two of us dug into our food, scarfing down the delicious bagels in just over two minutes. "Hey Lyra, you want a drink?" "Yeah, sure." I went into my case and pulled out two cans of Coca-Cola, and opened one for Lyra; she thanked me and levitated it towards herself and took a sip. "So, onto some more important matters, I have uncovered who it was that made the attack happen last night; it's Prince Blueballs himself." Lyra got an angry look on her face, one that suggested she has heard about some of his behavior towards working-class ponies, and other races that live within the Equestrian Proper. I could have sworn that I smelled smoke for a few seconds, and I could hear that she was grinding her teeth. "I take it that you've heard about his antics then. Listen, I don't mean to be a smartass, but it would be wise to take your own advice, and not do anything in a rage, or you just might regret it. Calm down Lyra, alright? I don't want to see you upset like this." I put down the can of coke that I was holding, and pulled Lyra into a hug, stroking her soft mane and scratching behind her right ear, making her relax a little. A few minutes later, I felt Lyra relax; I whispered into her ear. "Feel better?" "Just a little, but thanks Nova, I really needed that." "No problem. So, what were you thinking of doing today?" "Well, I was going to suggest we head back to Twilight's and check up on her and John, just in case." "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Let's go." The two of us headed out the door after brushing our teeth and having a shower and drying ourselves off. John, Twilight's Library I was brought to the waking world from a pleasant dream that I was having by the sound of foot – no, hoofsteps pattering all around the house on the first floor. I got up and stretched, narrowly missing the ceiling with my hands; I looked around sleepily, as I recounted what happened during my supposed dream. "Let's see, I hear someone knocking on my door, to find out that it was Jason, just a few days after he disappeared at the airport, and then he takes me to his place, and then to Equestria. We walk from his place in Ponyville, and meet up with Twilight Sparkle, and he shows her all about bronies, then I hold her in a hug for a while as she collected her thoughts on bronies and the show. We sat on the chesterfield in the common area and talked all about ourselves with each other, and then went to bed, due to the two of us not finishing our conversation until around 1 in the morning... wait, if the ceiling is that low, and there's hoofsteps going on downtstairs... then, all that wasn't a dream... I'm actually in Equestria. This is too awesome!" After I finished that little tangent about realizing that I wasn't dreaming, I walked down the stairs, and greeted Twilight with a smile. "Good morning Twi." "Oh, you're awake already, John? I thought you would've slept until around 2 in the afternoon." I looked behind Twilight, and found various objects floating in the air and flying around the kitchen. It looked like she was making eggs, and was that bacon? I took a whiff of the air, 'Yep, that's bacon alright.' "Yeah, I heard someone walking around downstairs and so I decided to get up and check it out." Twilight's ears flopped down, "Oh, sorry I woke you, I could enchant my hooves so they won't make any noise in the mornings." "No, that's fine, you don't have to do that. So, is that bacon and eggs I smell cooking?" "Yeah, I'm just making breakfast for me and Spike, I didn't think you'd be awake this early." "OK, you made eggs, and bacon. I thought ponies were vegetarian." I walked to the table and sat down in the kitchen, while Twilight kept things going with the cooking. "Right, we're vegetarians for the most part, but we still need some proteins, so we use eggs. There are a lot of things that we cook which require eggs, so it's not something most ponies worry about. The reason why I'm cooking bacon, is because Spike needs the nutrients from eating meat." "I could've sworn that Spike ate gems most of the time." "Oh, he does, but if he were to eat nothing but gems, it would be like us eating nothing but apple pie all of the time, we'd get sick from malnutrition; we eat a variety of vegetables and other foods for our source of vitamins and other nutrients; the same applies for dragons, but they eat meat." "That makes a lot of sense. You see, we humans are omnivores, meaning we not only eat vegetables and fruits, but we also need to eat meat, or else we'd be lacking in nutrients, and eventually get sick." "Alright then, let me just get some more bacon into the pan, and I'll cook up some eggs for you; how many do you want, and how do you take your eggs?" "I'll have three, sunny-side up and a piece of toast, as well as some bacon please." "Sure thing." Twilight then went to work with her magic, and made some eggs and bacon for me. "Oh, I almost forgot, how do you like your bacon? Spike likes his lightly seared, and I have no idea how other creatures like it." "I'll have mine extra crispy, if that's alright with you." "That's perfectly fine, John. I'll be done in a few seconds, so don't go anywhere." I was about to ask Twilight about how things were recently, when there was a knock at the door. 'Odd, it's still pretty early in the morning, I wonder who could be here.' "Hey Twilight, I'll go get the door for you, alright?" "Sure John." I walked out of the kitchen and to the door, not knowing who it was that was there, until I opened it. Lyra and Jason were standing outside. Jason noticed that the door opened first, and offered me a brohoof. "Hey, what's up John?" Lyra snapped back to reality from Jason's voice and smiled sheepishly. "Not much actually, I just got up a few minutes ago." Jason snickered, "That much seems pretty obvious, with how you look right about now." Twilight called out from the kitchen, "Who's at the door, John?" "No one important, it's just Nova and Lyra." Twilight must have stopped everything she was doing, as there was the sound of dishes being hastily dropped onto the table, and Twilight came running to the door, "That's pretty important John, didn't you hear the explosion last night?" I looked at Twilight a little curiously, "Oh don't tell me that you actually didn't hear the explosion of magic last night!" "Seriously, no, I didn't. I'm a pretty heavy sleeper, Twi." Twilight turned to Jason and Lyra, "Please, come on in you two, I don't doubt that you'd know of what happened last night." Lyra blushed right then, and Jason looked a little nervous. 'What exactly happened last night? And what does an explosion of magic have anything to do with Jason and Lyra?' Nova, Twilight's Library Lyra and I walked into Twilight's library, the both of us being a little nervous about what Twilight wants to ask us concerning last night. Twilight gestured towards the large chesterfield that was against the wall, near the children's section of the library, and then she stood in front of us while levitating a notebook and quill beside her. "So, Nova, what do you know of the explosion of magic that occurred last night? I'm pretty sure that even the Princesses felt that when it happened, and when I felt it, I could feel all the love that radiated from the wave of magic, which was directed towards Lyra. The only one I know who actually loves her that much would be you, even if you two are a fairly new couple, and of different species entirely." I looked at Lyra, who just nodded silently, and then I turned my attention back to Twilight, "If you truly want to know what happened, I can't trust myself to explain it orally, so I will do something different... I'll replay the memory with a simulation spell, so you will all see everything as it happened, from both my memories, and Lyra's." Before Lyra could make any comments about her privacy being invaded, I voiced my idea to her. "Lyra, I'm showing your memories as well so everything makes sense and there's no gaps left anywhere. It's just so there's no need for questions later." "Oh, alright." I gathered up the magic, and readied the spell that I was going to use. The spell was simple enough, but it was gathering both of our memories, and organizing them without getting them mixed up with each other. That took a couple minutes, and when everything was done, I started playing back the memories. "Hey, why are we all the way back to when you just left my house?" "Because, this is the first of a chain of events that were made unavoidable due to a single decision." That shut Twilight right up for pretty much the duration of the simulation. I showed the point in time when Lyra and I were standing outside and making a little scene right outside her home, and John was snickering at my antics, "Hah, you haven't changed at all Jason." Twilight turned to John, "I overheard you calling Nova Jason, would that happen to be his name back where he came from?" "Yeah, that's his real name." "You came here, with all those powers and what not, and never even bothered telling us your real name?" "Hey, I only chose that name because I felt that the name Jason wouldn't exactly fit in with the rest of the population's name structure. It wouldn't make much sense to have a human name within a world that's full of ponies, gryphons, minotaurs, and so on, would it?" "Well, no, I guess not." Just as we finished talking, the next scene came up; it was when the little foal ran past us, and right into a pole, knocking out his two front teeth, and bleeding all over the ground. "Is that his blood?" "Why is it burning a hole in the ground?" I didn't say anything, and let the scene play out. Twilight seemed a little shocked at how I managed to deduce where the foal had come from, and the entire situation around him, in a matter of a few seconds; John seemed a little impressed, but that was it. "That seems a little stereotypical, doesn't it?" "John, we're in a world where cliche's and stereotypes are abundant all over the place." "Ah, right." The memories then switched from my perspective, to Lyra's, and I had elected to fast-forward it just a little bit to where she just got to the door of the bar. "Ah, so this is where you were for all that time. Wait, Shadow works there?" "Yep." "Didn't know that; guess I should go say hi at some point." Twilight facehoofed at the fact that Lyra was at a bar, about to drink her troubles away, and John laughed at the thought of Lyra drinking gin and apple juice. I shot him a look. "Well, it's kind of a kid's drink if you think about it. The gin is drowned out by the apple juice, you don't even really taste the alcohol." "Point taken, I'll remember that the next time I go there." The drinks escalated from gin and apple juice, to rum and Colta-cola, which didn't really surprise me; what surprised me was when she started drinking straight rum. "Just how much did you drink Lyra?" "You'll know in a minute." The drinks continued, and Lyra seemed to be getting progressively drunk as the night went on. A few hours later, she was completely smashed, and neither Twilight or I were amused. When Lyra had finally tried to leave, I silently thanked Shadow for trying to get Lyra to allow him to walk with her, but then wanted to punch him for not trying harder. Lyra started her walk home, but was distracted by a bit coin. "Come on, a bit? A single bit? You've got to be kidding me." "No one is themselves while drunk, you should know that better than anyone else." "True enough I guess." When it showed that Lyra was ambushed by a bunch of stallions, Twilight had yet to notice that they were off-duty solar guards, until I pointed it out. "Hey, you see those two white stallions with no mark, and blue manes? Think back and tell me where you've seen them before." Twilight looked thoughtful for a moment, "I can't recall really, the only place I've seen stallions like that is in... the castle... wait... no, why would they be there, not doing anything when there's an assault going on? And are the others using dark magic?" Lyra winced at the memory, but she braved through the ordeal, so that Twilight would know exactly what went on. "Yes, they are." At this point, it switched back from Lyra's memories, to mine, though I skipped the part where I ran from home, cause I only wanted to give them the valuable information. Twilight seemed a little shocked when the aura burst out, making it seem like she's either seen something like that before or at least has read about it somewhere. John laughed when I poked the one stallion and he ran off right after seeing me, and laughed some more when I blocked the punch from the other stallion. Everyone was dead silent as I spoke within the memory, telling the stallions some ideas as to what to do with them, and ultimately deciding to send them off to Elmyra. John cringed when her name was mentioned, though Twilight looked a little confused. "Who's Elmyra?" "She's a character in another universe who is just horrible with animals, no offense. She's what you would call, over-attentive and clingy. Her hugs are comparable to a gorilla squeezing some other animal that has threatened its family." Twilight shuddered, probably already getting an idea as to what's become of those poor souls. "Jason, remind me not to piss you off." "Dude, it would take a loooooooooooooot before I even got to that level, so don't even worry about that." As the rest of the scene played out, Twilight seemed to pick up where the spell happened. She started tearing up as she saw me crying over Lyra as she died, but then got a look of curious wonder as some magical force happened right after a tear had landed on Lyra's horn. Her wonder turned into amazement as the two of us were picked up in the swirling magic, and she watched as a piece of my soul broke off and traveled to Lyra, and merged with hers, creating a shockwave of power. "Hey, that's the explosion that happened!" "Yes, but it's not finished." When it showed the point where Lyra opened her eyes, the love she reciprocated towards me was flooded into the field of the spell, creating an even larger shockwave, that cascaded over the entire Equestrian Proper, and beyond. John stood there and looked up in awe, not saying a single word during the whole ordeal. When things calmed down, it showed the point where I had talked to the last stallion that was left, and how we had made a deal. Twilight and John were shocked to find out that it was the EPA that had coordinated the attack on Lyra, but that wasn't the only thing they were going to be shocked about. "I thought that the group was just a little bizarre, I never expected them to do something so heinous." "Just wait and watch, that's not all." It came up to the time where the stallion gave me the name of the supposed leader of the EPA, and the one that ordered the whole thing to take place, which confused Twilight, though for only a second. "Deuce Ribbon Poll... That name, it sounds a little familiar... wait a second, isn't that an anagram?" "Yes, it's an anagram," I stopped the memory replay, because I wanted to see if Twilight could figure the name out herself. "It's an anagram, but for what name? I've gotta work on this right now, the one who did this has to be brought to the Princesses immediately!" "Oh, I'm pretty sure they already know who it is, but I wonder if you could figure it out." Twilight ignored my comment and back to the table to get her notebook and quill that she set down when I had started the replay spell; she returned not two seconds later., furiously working out the anagram. "I think I've almost got it." "Wow, that was fast," I said, my voice full of sarcasm that fell on deaf ears. "Wait, that doesn't seem right, it works out to Prince Blueblood... but, he's Celestia's nephew, how could he be the head of the EPA?" "Easy, he's xenophobic, he hates the lower class ponies, and doesn't trust anything that isn't a pony. Before you ask, Princess Luna already knows, and has probably already told Celestia. My guess is that she's dishing out his punishment as we speak..." Sunbutt Does Something RightCelestia, Throne Room I sighed for what felt like the thousandth time, feeling as though I deserved a thousand-year break from all the stress that this job entails; as stated before, being a princess should be a punishment, not a privilege. Blueblood stood in front of me, scraping his hoof on the luxurious red carpet and looking ashamed of himself. Luna stood beside him, looking smug as ever; there are times that I wish I could just shoot her back to the moon every time she gets that look, as it is highly annoying. "For the one-hundredth time Luna, before any judgment can be cast down to Blueblood, we need to confirm that it was actually him. I will scan his memories in order to make sure that it wasn't someone else who ordered the attack." Before Luna could react, I walked over to Blueblood and sifted through his memories of the past week, making sure that the day the order was allegedly made... which wasn't in his mind. Straightening back up, I looked over to Luna, who was now almost literally bouncing in place, most likely in anticipation of Blueblood's now nonexistent punishment. "So sister, what is his punishment for causing a pony's near-death?" 'She is not going to like this...' "Nothing Luna, because it wasn't Blueblood that asked his little gang to go attack Lyra." Luna was now doing her best impression of a fish, her jaw flapping up and down, her mind searching for the right words to say, finding nothing. Eventually though, she relented. "Very well, if that is how it is, then there is nothing we can do... though we can't exactly let him go, he needs to be taught that a noblepony of his standing must be fair to all races within and without of Equestria's borders. He must be taught to treat others with the respect they deserve, instead of just thinking of himself all of the time. What do you say, 'Tia?" "That is an excellent idea, and I know just who to knock some sense into him too." Blueblood sagged on the floor when this was said, though I do not blame him; his actions must be punished - if not for the attempted murder, then for his discriminating actions against those that are not ponies, and against other ponies that are not himself. "Blueblood, please look at me," Blueblood looked up and into my eyes, trapping his gaze, "you will be sent to Ponyville, where you will be disciplined by the one you have wronged the most. Whatever punishment is dished out by his hands, is completely justified and sanctioned. There is no getting out of this either, your title of prince and your nobility status are hereby stripped, and you will have a place to stay provided to you in Ponyville, though after Nova deems your discipline is complete, you will take over whatever bills there are that come with owning a home. Equios knows that I've let you stay in the palace too long now." Before Blueblood could speak out about his punishment for being crude, I teleported him off to his soon to be former room, and sent a letter to Nova, detailing the events, and explaining that Blueblood will be in his charge during his discipline, and to expect him in a few hours. Finding nothing else to do otherwise, I trotted off to my own room, flopped onto the bed after shedding my regalia, and took a long deserved nap. The country could survive a few hours without me… Nova, Books 'n Branches John and Lyra were sitting off in another part of the library, discussing Luna knows what, meanwhile Spike, Twilight and I were engaged in a deadly staring contest, one that could possibly set the treehouse on fire with how intense it was. It was a battle of cunning, wits, and pure skills... The tension was so thick that one would need a white-hot blade to cut through the air around us... One wrong move, and the universe could shatter in an instant! "Bullshit." I looked at Twilight in astonishment; "Sparkles, how could you say such a thing!?" Twilight deadpanned, "Easy, I counted the cards based on what's already been called." Spike just slouched in his seat even more than he already has within the last half hour, groaning in frustration, "Twilight, the game isn't really fun with you counting cards, it's based on skills with both reading ponies' faces and being able to deceive the other players basically. You're playing cheap." I couldn't help but agree with Spike on that one. "He's right, ya know... I doubt that many ponies want to play poker with you due to your habits." This caused Twilight to shrink back in her seat and bring forth a blush on her face. "Wait, seriously!? Twilight, you seriously need to stop counting cards, what do you think would happen if you went into a Las Pegasus casino?" Spike stood up on the chair and raised his hand to show that he wanted to interject, "Actually, one of Twilight's old classmates works at a casino, and spread word of her being a huge bookworm, she's been officially banned from all card tables in the entire city, unless she can sign a promissory note to indicate that she will not count the cards... sadly, she does it without even thinking, so that rules out poker tournaments, which stinks because we could use the extra bits, what with her science experiments sometimes causing damage to the library." Spike's comment at the end earned him a glare from Twilight, but she wasn't protesting that, so it must've been true. 'Dang, she's even more nerdier than I thought.' "Hey John, isn't it time that I bring you back home? Cause I don't want you to have to deal with all the crap that comes with randomly disappearing from your home." "Yeah, I guess you're right. See you guys later, it's been fun." Twilight and I started setting up the spell, while Lyra, John, and Spike milled about the library, either reading or doing various things that I never paid much attention to. A few moments later and there was a swirling vortex in front of us, this time it hopefully led to the correct time and place. Throwing caution to the wind, I ran right into it, not caring about its location; what greeted me was the familiar sight of my old bedroom, exactly how it was left. I went back through and dragged John back to where he belonged, and sent him home. Knowing that I couldn't stay long without being noticed, I jumped through back to Equestria, and closed off the link. With John back home, there wasn't much to worry about, aside from making sure Twilight kept her mouth shut about what I showed her; it wouldn't do good for her to spread the knowledge that her adventures with her friends were recorded and viewed by billions. Before I could turn towards the door and call Lyra's attention, there was a message that arrived via Spike; Twilight read the letter, and blushed, seeing that it was for me. I gave a small laugh which only served to deepen her blush caused by embarrassment. "You know Twilight, where I come from, reading someone else's mail is considered a felony," her face took on a look of shock, and she started brimming with tears, "though we're not there, and it had to be opened and read in order to determine who it was for. You didn't do anything wrong, Twilight." With those words said, Twilight calmed herself down, and gave me the letter. 'Nova, this letter is for you and you only; Blueblood has been questioned, as well as having his memories read, and it has been determined that he himself did not commit the crime of ordering the death of Lyra Heartstrings, but someone has taken his form and done so in his place. Though this is true, it is still necessary for Blueblood to be punished for his intolerance towards other races and those that are less wealthy than him. You will be in charge of his discipline, and any and all actions taken are sanctioned, so long as it isn't deliberate torture. I trust that you will lead him on the correct path' Lyra asked me the overly obvious question… or she was about to. "So -" I interrupted her however. "What does the letter say? It seems that even though it was not truely the Blueblood we all know and loath, he still needs to be punished, due to his prejudice ways towards those that are different from him. I get to be his drill sergeant." I felt a smirk appear on my face as I said that last part, mostly because it means that I basically get to do what I want to him, aside from just straight up torturing him. Lyra had another comment to make on the subject matter though, "Just don't go all 'war face' on him, please?" "Pffffffffft no, I'm not gonna do that to him, I'm just gonna go all Dragon Ball Z style training on him, for the most part." Lyra smiled a little bit, while Twilight looked a little confused as to what I meant when I made that reference. I waved her off, "Don't worry about it Twi, it's nothing important, well not overly important anyway." "Alright, as long as you don't do anything dangerous." I was about to answer when Lyra stole the words right from my mouth, "The definition of dangerous is up for interpretation. It's all a matter of perspective, Sparkler." Well, everything aside from the pet name she just called Twilight by... Twilight thought for a second, before she realized what Lyra just called her. Any of the faces she makes are just so adorkable. "Wait, what did you call me, Lyra?" "You heard me, Sparkler." Lyra snickered, causing Twilight's anger to rise - something that I didn't want to push too far. It's too bad that Lyra wasn't sharing the same thought at the moment. "Lyra, do you really think that it's a good idea to call her Sparkler? So what if she didn't have a good grasp of magic when she first started out? Everyone progresses at their own pace, there's no helping it. Honestly, I'm kind of disappointed with you for making that comment. It's not very friendly to call someone by a derogatory name; add bringing up someone's faults from when they were starting out with learning magic, and it just becomes an even worse thing to do. What I would like you to do, is go apologize to her. How you do so is up to you, but it should be done." Lyra immediately regretted what she did, from what I could tell; she walked over to Twilight and gestured to give her a hug to apologize, the receiver of said hug looking at me with a question written all over her face, and I nodded before she could even open her mouth to tell me it wasn't really that necessary. The two of them hugged it out, looking really adorable in the process. Figuring the two of them would be busy for a while, talking things out and reminiscing about the past, I walked to another part of the library, and took a seat on one of the chairs. I called up the interface that I had used to tinker with spells the first time, and began messing with a few, making some new ones. If you need an idea as to what it looks like, think Visual Studio. 'Alright, I need something to create a sort of simulation environment for combat training. Don't wanna do it without either a ward or a sim, as that would bring about risk of property damage, as well as personal harm on both sides. Hmm, maybe I should ask Twily about meshing spells together...' "Hey Twilight, do you think it would be advisable to intertwine a healing spell with a healing ward?" "Probably not. Trying to pull of a simulation spell, a good one anyway, would be a feat in itself; they're really hard to cast properly. What's different with them, is that there's no spell misfire or blowback if you cast it wrong, so you wouldn't know if it was done right until something went wrong. Adding on a healing ward would just be adding more trouble to the mix. I know why you're asking about them, and I would advise against doing so." "Huh. Thanks anyway. Hey Lyra, you wanna get going back to your place? I don't really need anything to prepare for Blueblood's arrival." "Sure, I guess." Lyra and I gave Twilight a hug, and then we departed for her house. The walk through the town was quiet, pleasant. The air was nice and warm, not a cloud in the sky, aside from the one Rainbow uses to nap on, and the town wasn't that busy today. All in all, things were nice. It seemed a little too peaceful for my taste... The Beginning...Waiting in line, boring. Waiting in line at the airport so you can check for your flight, extremely agitating as well as boring as heck. To add insult to injury, my flight is supposed to leave in about 45 minutes, and where am I? Sill at the back of a line about 20 people long, who are also needing to check their luggage in for their flights. To make matters even worse, my flight is from Toronto, Ontario all the way to LA... Not the kind of flight to be missing, especially if one lands a job at a certain club, named MIA. Jason Morrison... Toronto Pearson International Airport 'Why is this line not moving? I've been standing here since 3am, and I doubt that this person in front should even be here, it's been what, almost an hour? Good thing I got here an hour and a half early.' "Crap, why is this taking so long!" Ok, irritably making an outburst in an airport is probably not a good idea... I'm being stared at now… "I guess it's the old hag at the front of the line. At least, that's what I think about all the long lineups at anything important." Alright, I don't know who you are, but you are now my instant best friend, because that was just too funny. As I turn around, I see some other guy about the same age as me, and has a guitar among his luggage. Tall white guy, maybe 5-foot-nine, short copper hair, as well as a well-kept goatee. Heh, put sunglasses on him and you'd swear he's Postal Dude… "Name's Jason Morrison. Yours?" I extend my hand, which is happily met with his, and we shake. In those couple of seconds, I catch him reading me, as I am also reading him. We're both onto each other… "Jack Lenson. Pleasure." I decide to act first and drill him.. "Quick, Branch Theory in a nutshell." "Multiverse concept, the division of universes is governed by choice. Time travel coincides with this theory as well. Space anomoly that was onboard the Watcher's Nest?" Was this guy really asking me something about anime? Scratch that, he's running with the same idea? This is either epic or scary, I can't decide which emotion to feel. "Two universes were shifted and crossed in a single onboard room. Cause of the anomoly was Ensign Kureha; her unfathomable powers enabled her to create a universe where all of her friends lived without the trageties that happened originally in the series, but at the cost of her existence within said universe, and the only one to notice that anything was up was Lyar Von Ertiana. Best pony?" "Before the episode A Friend In Deed, Fluttershy. After seeing said episode, Pinkie, hands err hoofs down. By the way, line's moving." Oh shit. As I grab my luggage, which consisted of one normal sized suitcase, along with a sort of dolly to carry my boards, cables and other sound equipment, I start to feel light headed; though it also felt different. I knew I wasn't deficient in any way, and I had gotten enough sleep the day before, so this was kind of strage. As I grabbed my huge pile of luggage for support, I saw a white flash, and then some weird popping noise. I was effectively blind for maybe a couple minutes, but to me it sort of felt like hours, maybe because I haven't had to experiece this before now. As my eyes adjusted from the blinding flash of light, to the dimly lit room, I noticed that I was in either a house or loft. I decide to take a look at where I am exactly, and take in the details of the room. For one, the furniture seemed a little odd; it was all low, as if it were made for someone or something that was around 3 or 4 feet tall; next was the fact that the blinds were pulled shut, and everything seemed as if they haven't been cleaned for a while. If there's one thing that this place could tell me, is that the inhabitant is quite obviously depressed. Taking a look around the house to see if I can find any clues as to where I am, I spot a strikingly familiar golden ticket. Picking it up, I see that it's in a language that I didn't know even existed, let alone one that I understood; and yet I felt as if I knew what is said on the ticket. For some reason, I ran my thumb over the text on it, and just as I do so, my head feels a sudden surge. Starting to feel a little dizzy, I move back from the coffee table in the middle of the common room, and sit on the couch somewhat awkwardly. The surge in my head seemed to feel like information was being jammed into my mind; taking this in stride, I let in the information, and I am flooded with knowledge of the language written on the ticket. Not learning how to speak it mind you, but just able to read it, as if it was being translated for me into english as it was being read. Picking up the ticket again, I take another look at it, and I am simply shocked at what I see. 'This ticket hereby declares that Princess Celestia invites you, Lyra Heartstrings, to the Grand Galloping Gala.' This information hits me like a ton of bricks. I nearly faint from both shock and excitement. But just as I am about to sit down, there seems to be someone - err somepony coming towards the house. Thinking quickly, I place the ticket back where it was found, on the coffee table, and then I sit down on the couch, trying to make myself look as peaceful as possible. The door opens, and I come face to face with the mint green unicorn herself... Dragons, More Info, And Stupid ParentsNova, Ponyville 'Alright, mental recap; Lyra slams a frying pan into my face when she wanders into the kitchen half asleep, and then proceeds to take me to the hospital so I can get checked out, though she checks me herself after I wake up and finds that I'm ok. We go to a place to get some coffee and think things over, and it turns out the place we went to was SkyBucks. One overpowered latte with caramel, and some awkward silences later, we travel to an open field where I can practice using magic. I manage to surpass Lyra's expectations when levitating the apples, and then I suggest we head home after she teaches me a memory spell. I show her my life from when I was 14 to present day, and she gets irritated about being seen as only a work of fiction and those who write about coming here, only to think it's a dream. I calm her down while performing a song, and end up getting help from a magical spectral image I accidentally created for the duration of the song. We make up, and then I use my DJ equipment and put on a little show for her to cheer her up; this attracts the attention of Vinyl Scratch, and I end up with a partnership with her. Then there's the incident at the school... I think I should've done things a little different - ' My musings are cut short by Apple Bloom. "Hey Nova, are ya listenin'?" Oops. "Sorry, I just got lost in my thoughts again. What were you trying to tell me?" "We're here." Thanks Sweetie Belle. For that now redundant statement. The Apple Family's farm was a sight to behold - apple trees as far as one could see, lucious green fields, and a couple of sturdy looking barns. Not to mention their house, which also seemed to be in the same style of farm houses back home. 'Doesn't look too different than farms from back home, yet it also looks a lot better than most.' The three little fillies look restless, and they're still full of energy. 'I'm going to need to watch these three, there's no telling what they'd get into without supervision. Now, if only I could contact Lyra...' 'You called Nova?' There was suddenly another voice in my head, sounded like Lyra's, but it couldn't be... could it? 'Yeah, guess I did. Listen, I picked up the Crusaders from school, and I was going to just drop them off at Sweet Apple Acres, but I don't want to leave them there without supervision. Someone has to watch over them until Applejack or Big Macintosh get back.' 'No problem, thanks for letting me know.' 'Ok, I gotta go, looks like they're planning something already.' 'Alright, you go have fun, I'll hold down the fort til you get back Nova.' I walk over to the Crusaders, just to find out that they indeed are planning something... 'This is going to be interesting...' "I say we try ziplining again!" Oh Scoots, when will you learn? "No!" Oh, they're both against it. 'Heh, they don't want to get covered in tree sap again.' I just sit back on the grass and watch them huddle in and throw ideas back and forth... and nothing interesting has been suggested; Ziplining, bungee jumping, para-sailing, movie production, ninjas, mostly harmless stuff. 'Damn, would be nice if I had a drink, preferably Mountain Dew...' Be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it. Not a second after finishing my thought about having that awesome drink, lo and behold, one appears right in front of me. A single bottle of said drink now sat in front of me, after literally dropping into existence. I could not contain myself. "YES!" All three fillies turn towards me as I exclaim my excitement. "What's got you so excited?" Scootaloo comes up with this rather unoriginal question. "You girls know how I'm not from around here?" "Yeah..." All three in unison. "Well, I come from a different world; one that's reeeaaaally far away," their eyes light up at this statement, 'Seriously, I'm liking theses little fillies more and more as I spend time with them...' "and what I have in front of me is one of my favorite drinks from my home world." "So how did y'all get one to appear n'front of ya?" I sit there for a minute, contemplating what I should tell them. On one hand, I could lie to them and say it was pocket magic, or I could tell them I just willed it into existence, quite literally. 'Wait a second, if I'm supposedly the son of Discord, and I just brought one of my favorite drinks into existence by just my own will, then... oh fuckberries. Things are just getting too weird for me, even by this world's standards. Anyway, guess I should just come out with it.' "Really, I don't exactly know. I was just sitting here, wishing I had something to drink, and then this," I point at the bottle, "appeared in front of me. My guess would be that I just willed it into existence. My will and wishful thinking must have brought it here." 'There, that should pass for a decent explanation without revealing anything.' "COOL!" Scootaloo jumps up as she exclaims her enthusiasm with the subject, flapping her underdeveloped wings rapidly, like a humming bird. 'Damn, I gotta do something for the little filly, can't have her like that all her life...' "So, kind of like Rarity and Pinkie's pocket magic." "Yeah, you could say that." I reply, and then give an awkward grin; what happened next was beyond what I had expected to happen - I heard the 'squee.' 'Seriously, this makes no sense... ah whatever, just gonna roll with it.' I move away from the commotion for a bit, and ponder on what I could do to keep the little ones out of trouble, and then an idea struck me: I could watch over them at Lyra's place, that way they won't be so overwhelming, as the both of us will be keeping watch. 'Now, I just have to get in touch with Applejack...' Getting my magic ready was pretty easy, so that wasn't a problem; the problem that I was wondering about, was if I would be able to get it to work with a non-unicorn. Nonetheless, I concentrated the magic that I gathered, and tried to establish a mental connection with Applejack. Somehow, it worked. 'Hey, Applejack.' Applejack, Market Square Boring - that's how one could describe the mundane task of just standing here and selling apples and other foods at a stall all day long. Don't get me wrong, I love selling my apples that I worked so hard to grow and care for, but it's just boring standing here without anypony to talk to, save for the customers that come and buy my apples. 'I'm friendly to everypony, though it's just getting a dull doing this everyday. Oh Celestia, what I wouldn't give for a vacation right about now...' My thoughts are cut short, by the feeling of someone invading my mind. It's just about the weirdest feeling ever. Though eventually, it starts to fade away, but then the weirdest part happens - I hear Nova's voice in my head. 'Hey Applejack.' "Hello? Nova, where are you?" I look around the marketplace, trying to find him, but to no avail. 'Heheh, I'm not near you, and I'm not physically talking to you, I'm communicating with you through my mind, magically of course.' 'Oh hardy har har... So what was it that you wanted to talk to me about?' 'Well, with looking after the Crusaders being somewhat of a full time job, I was thinking that I could bring them over to Lyra's place so we could both watch over them.' 'Erm well, Nova, ah don't think that's such a good idea.' 'Oh? and why not?' 'Well, it's just that she's a filly fooler; I don't want her influencing my little sister to be like her, it just ain't natural.' There is then this eerily uncomfortable silence that seems to loom over both myself, and Nova. Sure, I'm interacting with customers and selling apples 'n stuff, but the conversation between myself and Nova has just come to a lull, neither of us saying anything for moments on end. Finally, just when I think I'm about to lose my mind, Nova replies to my earlier comment. 'Applejack, I am thoroughly shocked and disgusted; this is just like the Zecora incident all over again. I thought that you would, excuse me for sounding like Rarity but, have more civilized views on those that dated those from the same gender. True love isn't limited by orientation, race, or age. Another thing, Lyra is actually my marefriend, and on top of this, even if she weren't I would make sure that NOTHING happens to those fillies, I would guard them with my life. You have my word.' 'How am I to that you're telling the truth?' 'Applejack, let me tell you something: when two minds are connected, one cannot lie to the other; even if I did lie to you, you would just hear my foremost thoughts and figure out that I was lying anyway. There is also no need to lie when speaking one's feelings.' 'Well, I guess that makes sense...' 'If anything happens to those fillies, then Big Macintosh can buck me as hard as he can. I am that confident that nothing will happen.' 'Alright then, I'll take your word, but you better Pinkie Pie Swear, just to be sure...' Nova, Ponyville 'Fine; cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.' I then close contact with Applejack and turn towards the crusaders. "Ok, now that I've gotten things worked out with Applejack, I should probably get you three over to Lyra's." No sooner as I finish that statement, I hear a loud screech in the air coming from the east, where a mountain sits just beyond the Whitetail Woods. I slowly turn towards the crusaders with a worried look on my face. "Um, girls, please tell me that I'm losing my mind and that there isn't an angry dragon flying this way." The three girls just tremble in fear and slowly shake their heads. "Well crap. Of all the times for a dragon to show up, it just HAD to be just seconds after I tell your sister that nothing will happen to you three." I pause for a moment, thinking of what to do next. "Girls, how do you feel about teleportation?" Sweetie Belle looks at me curiously before putting in her comment. "Isn't that spell a bit complicated, and are you sure that you can teleport all of us at the same time without messing up?" "Sweetie Belle, this is not the time to be questioning my abilities, what's important is that I get you three to safety before anything happens. Now all of you get close to me, I'm going to start the spell." I concentrate for a moment, digging through my mind for the teleportation spell that I learned, but as I was doing so, I realized that we already arrived in Lyra's common room. I take a look around, and all three of the Cutie Mark Crusaders are accounted for, and Lyra hasn't noticed yet that we're all standing in front of her, due to the fact that she's in the middle of watching an episode of K-On; specifically, the episode where they perform for the first time on stage. I step forward and waive a hand in front of the screen to get her attention. "AHHHH! Nova! You startled me... what's up, you look worried." "Lyra, there's a dragon headed this way, I need you to look after the crusaders while I go deal with the pest. If I don't contact you within two hours, then go get Twilight and tell her, she'll notify the princess and the royal guard. Got all that?" Lyra gets a worried look on her face, but nods anyway. I hold her in my arms for a moment, and then back away a little. Staring into her golden eyes, I see that she's quite upset at the notion of me facing a dragon by myself. "Listen, you can't come with me, I couldn't bear the thought of anything happening to you if I let you tag along; plus, you have the CMC to keep you company." I kiss her on the lips, getting a slightly shocked expression from both Lyra, and the crusaders, "I love you, Lyra, and I promise that I'll come back in one piece." I let go of Lyra, and exit the house, all four of the girls staring at me with worried expressions. "I'll be back in a bit, try not to burn down the house, alright?" This gets a chuckle from all of them, and they finally shut the door. It is then that I realize that I have almost no way to get to the dragon, aside from teleporting. 'Dammit, I can't teleport because I don't know exactly where the thing is, and I don't have wings... wait a second, there was a spell that creates balls of light, and solid ones at that, maybe if I tinker with it enough, I could make it useful...' I stand there, in front of the house in concentration as I think of a way for me to use that spell to my advantage. 'Those balls of light are pure energy in their basic state, so what if that energy could be manipulated? Hmmm, what about changing them into kinetic energy? Though if I do that, then I would have to be able to change their output at will... well, here goes nothing...' I use the newly created spell, hoping that it worked. Sure enough, when I pictured four balls of energy, one at each hand and foot, I started to float just above the ground. 'Now, let's try flying...' I put my hands at my sides, and lean forward, projecting myself forward, and thankfully not face-planting into the ground. "YES! Weeeee!" I could not help myself as I squeed in a high pitched tone while flying around. I then cleared my throat, and headed off into the direction of the dragon. Nova, Whitetail Woods Have you ever flown through the air just above the treeline, at breakneck speeds, to fend off a dragon that is very likely to be pissed off more than a 12 year old girl who was told that Justin Bieber was gay? Didn't think so; in any case, that is what I am currently doing, flying right towards a dragon all Tony Stark-like, with no real plan in mind, except to kick its ass if it turns out to be hostile. "Why oh why did I have to rush off with no plan in mind? Oh yeah, cause I'm a moron." My self berating though has just been cut short, as the dragon has just come into view; it's a silver dragon with neon-green eyes, and his overall look doesn't seem to be menacing, though you should never judge a book by its cover. I fly towards the dragon, and I can hear that he is upset about something, and going on a rant. 'think dammit, think!' I struggle to find a way to get the dragon to calm down without having to resort to battle. I eventually come up with something that I think will either calm him down, or at least get his attention. I take in a breath, concentrate, and, "Siiv, Drem, Sindugahvon" the shout hits the dragon, and he immediately stops flying around like mad and faces me. "Krosis, I did not think that anyone would hear me if I was so far away from the town. Someone has woken me up from a peaceful nap. I had planned on sleeping for another 400 years." well, that rules out the possibility for it being hostile... "Before I ask any questions about that, let me introduce myself, I am Jason Morrison, though I have recently adopted the name 'Nova' as it fits better with the community. May I ask of your name?" "I am surprised at your manners towards us dragons, even moreso because you are dovahkiin. My name is Daarbritkoor, I am pleased to meet you." "So what was it that woke you up from your slumber?" "It was all the action that is going on in Chrysalis' territory." "Pardon me for not knowing, but who is Chrysalis? Some queen in another country?" "That is exactly right, she is queen of the lands southeast of the equestrian proper, her people are changelings." "I'm sorry, what are changelings exactly, I gather that they can change form, but what purpose does that ability serve?" "Quite the observant one, you are; the changelings take the form of the one you love, and gain power by feeding off of your love for that person." "Kind of like a less perverted succubus," (insert name) looks at me with a curious face, "succubi are mythical creatures that feed off the life force of another being through intimate contact, and are generally in the form of a human, what I am." We continue trading information about each others worlds, not keeping track of time, thus prompting Lyra to get worried, though I eventually take note of how much time has passed. "Excuse me for a moment, I have to contact my marefriend." (insert name) nods, and I fire up the spell to communicate with other ponies and beings through a mental connection, and connect to Lyra. 'Hey, sorry I didn't contact you earlier, been trading info with the dragon.' 'What!' 'No worries, he's not hostile, or I would've been busy battling it. He's quite wise and friendly.' 'Sorry to disappoint you, but I already called twilight about the dragon, and she sent out a request for search and rescue, as well as some guards to help deal with the dragon if needed. Sorry nova.' 'It's ok Lyra, I would've done the same thing if I were I your position, you did the right thing.' There seems to be a group of pegasi heading our way, so I decide to cut the conversation short. 'Lyra, it seems the guards have arrived, so I have to cut contact for now. I don't know when I will be home, but as soon as the chance arises, I will come home. I love you, stay out of trouble.' I cut the link, and then turn to fly towards the guards. One of then shouts at me, "stop right there, criminal scum!" I am not surprised. "So what do I owe for the honor of being hauled away by Celestia's personal guards?" "Using your power of The Voice within city limits not once, but twice, and for leaving to engage in battle with a dragon without the princess' permission." I float there for a moment, before coming back to the problem at hand. "Weren't you sent out as a search and rescue party to look for me in case the battle turned ugly, and to bring me to the hospital if needed?" One of the other guards spoke up, "that is true, but some of us thought it also convenient if we brought you in on those charges as well, seeing as we were already sent out to find you." "Just so you know, I did not leave to engage in battle with a dragon, I came here to deal with the situation of a dragon flying around and causing a disturbance; engaging in battle was a last resort in the event it was hostile." "In any case, you are to come with us immediately." I comply with their demands, and fly with them to Canterlot, not knowing what lies ahead... Nova, Canterlot Castle I stand with the guards, just outside of the throne room doors; apparently Celestia has told them she wishes to speak with me alone, though I don't know why. The guards take off, probably going to one of their 'off duty' hangout spots; I push open the door, not knowing exactly what to expect, though nothing could have prepared me for what I was seeing... There sat Celestia, in the middle of the throne room, at a table with piles of cards in front of her, and a hand of seven cards that she was holding, as well as numerous cards off to the side that are facing upwards, an to top it off, a pile of cards on her other side that were face down, about 50 or so. That itself isn't what's surprising, no; what is not only surprising, but quite a shock, was who she was playing with... Discord. I could only think of one thing to say to Celestia's little 'let's arrest Nova' joke. "You seriously couldn't help yourself, could you?" I yell while pointing right at Celestia, an discord does what pretty much everyone would expect him to do: he calmly asks me a very simple, yet irritating question, "Problem, Nova?" he grins just after asking this, and I sigh very heavily before continuing. "The both of you have some explaining to do, because I'm pretty sure that Magic: The Gathering doesn't exist in this world... Wait, you knew the whole time, didn't you Celestia?" "Yes, I did, and I also know exactly who you are." "Well, then why is it that you imprisoned Discord, because I doubt his fun actually harmed anyone." after this is said, discord comes over beside me and explains what happened... "About a milenia ago, Celestia and I were playin Magic, and at one point she stole my favorite card, the Spawnsire of Ulamog card, which allows me to summon every Eldrazi that I do not have in my deck or hand, into the battlefield, and attack the other player in one sweep. I decided that instead of stealing one of her cards, I could just have some fun with her subjects - they didn't mind any of the chaos, because they were so busy having fun; well, aside from those canterlot snobs that don't appreciate a good laugh. She was originally going to just give me back my card, but when I created your soul by taking a piece of mine, and healing it outside of my body, she got pretty mad. She banished you to the far reaches of space, not really aiming at anything and just tossed you," I glare angrily at Celestia, "and she encased me in stone. And now - " he gets cut off by Celestia, "and now, after whining an complaining as if he were a little filly, I opened a gateway in order to let you come back, and set discord free." "Celestia," I growl angrily at her, "I thought you valued life, no matter what kind of soul the person had. Were you even thinking of my well being when you banished me? Did you even stop to look for one second, to make sure you didn't hurl me into the sun! I thought of you as as a mother I didn't have, because of your kindness, but I can see now that it was only because you wanted to cushion any hard feelings I might develop if I heard the truth. Well guess what, it hurts more to know that than if you told me everything from the start. I hope you're happy, because I just lost any and all respect for you!" by the end of my rant, I'm panting from all the emotion that I put into it. The room is deafeningly silent - if one were to drop a pin on the floor, you could hear it throughout the whole room, which is saying something. Finally, after a few moments of tense silence, Celestia speaks up. "nova, hear me out. I actually placed you specifically on that planet, in that universe, so you would grow to be kind-hearted, no matter what family you ended up in; not only that, but to also protect the people of Equestria, and yourself... if you recall, Rarity said something about unicorns having unusual bursts of magic when they are very young, now imagine what could happen with your powers if you had stayed here... I know that I shouldn't have let you go through those hardships, but it all was made up for when that world came up with the tv show you adored so much, as well as some of the anime that you have seen before Friendship is Magic. And to be fair, I put you there, not because of discord creating your soul, but because I actually /am/ your mother. I couldn't live with the idea of my reputation being ruined those 17 years ago - " "Wait, so you're telling me that you, Celestia, are actually my mother... Then again, that does explain my magic's aura color." "So, you're not mad at me for putting you in that world?" Celestia looks as though she's actually going to cry. I move towards her and give her the biggest hug ever, "no, I'm not mad at you, at least not anymore. I'm sorry for losing it earlier, I should've figured that discord was being a giant troll." this encites a raspberry from said being. "Be quiet over there. You don't know how much I want to punch you right now." what I hear from Celestia next makes me chuckle. "Go right ahead, he deserves it." And so I walk towards Discord, and as I'm doin so, my anger gets loose and activates the intimidation aura, thus allowing me to use all my strength. I rear my fist back, and discord says nothing, but places a target right on his midsection. I take this as a go ahead, and punch him, sending him flying... Right towards the moon. Both Celestia take note of this, and quickly make use of an already overused joke, "To the moooooooooonnnnaaaaahhhhhh! Beeeeeeyyaaaaaaatch!" this gets us both laughing like hyenas. A few moments later, when all the laughter has died down, I turn to Celestia an give her another hug. "you're just so huggable, I don't know why... Wait, where's Luna?" "She's in her bedroom, she stayed up a bit late yesterday, so she's catching up on her sleep." Just after celestia finished saying this, said alicorn walks into the throne room, all flustered about something. "I'm sorry sister for not being here earlier to raise the moon, I -" celestia cut her off, in he usual polite manner, "it's alright, I figured you would need your sleep so I raised it for you, though I left the stars for you -" I cut off celestia, finishing her statement and surprising Luna, "because no one can make the night sky as beautiful as it is when you have a hoof in placing the stars, every night sky is breathtaking in its own way." to say that Luna is shocked would be an understatement. Luna points a hoof at me and her mouth is hanging open in shock, unable to complete a single sentence for a few minutes; eventually, she manages to speak. "N-n-n-nova? I thought my sister placed you in another world so you wouldn't be cast out because of your parentage. How did you get back?" "A simple answer: during my entire life apparently, my soul has been searching for a way to come back here, and one day while celestia was speaking with discord through a link, he kept pestering her to allow me to come back here. When Celestia made a hole for me to come home, i immediately jumped through; I ended up also taking my stuff that I had nearby when I was waiting for a flight to another city, where I would have had an awesome job, though I did manage to get signed to Vinyl Scratch soon after arriving here." Luna takes a moment to let all of this information sink in; when it does, she smiles as she walks towards me, and does something that I never thought she would - she hugged me. A couple seconds later I return the embrace, and we have a tender moment. 'Yay, I got a hug from Woona.' For the most part anyway. 'It's going to be interesting to see what happens for the rest of the time that I'm here...'
Mending The Broken SoulJason Morrison, Unknown Location 'Alright, let's recap: I go to the airport, just to find that there is a huge lineup, and then I meet some cool guy behind me, and we strike a short conversation. Then, as I grab my luggage, I end up somehow being transported to another world, though luckily all of my luggage came with me. As if life couldn't get any weirder, it turns out that I am in Equestria, more specifically, Ponyville. Well, at least I get to be somewhere awesome instead of some war torn world in the middle of the dragon ages - no offense Skyrim fans.' My inner monologue is cut short by the one and only Lyra Heartstrings standing in her doorway, in what I could only peg down as comeplete shock. She starts talking, not in whinnies, neighs and barks mind you, but in english. Seriously, my mind just stopped. "Who are you? Why are you here? And for that matter, how did you get in my house?" What, the, fuck? Seriously, how? I raise my hand in a way to show that I need a minute, and I motion towards her chesterfield, to which we both walk over to. As I sit down to collect my thoughts on how we speak the same language, she gives me this look as if to say 'Are you alright?' 'How the heck is this possible? It's just so, so... fuck, this is really confusing. I mean sure, it's awesome that I randomly landed in Equestria, but to find out that it's actually canon for them to speak english, that's fucking awesome! But what about the sudden jolt I felt just as I landed here... felt like a surge of power, like I can now do more than I should... Meh, better not dwell on it, could be dangerous. Ok, she's starting to stare at me now, guess I should talk to her so she doesn't think I'm weird.' I face Lyra, and then I start to speak to her. The expressions on her face that she goes through as I speak is just both priceless and adorable. Must, resist, urge to hug, randomly. "Alright, this is as weird to you as it is to me, I have no idea how I got here, let alone in your house." Her face changed expressions as I talked, and then she asked me the most redundant question that anyone could ever come up with. "You speak Equestrian?" "I don't even know right this second. Hang on, do you know any other languages?" "Yeah, kind of. I know a little bit of a language that is used for a cartoon program that airs from Neighpon.." "Try me." When Lyra spoke in what I assumed was supposed to be Japanese, it sounded nothing like it; instead, it just rang in my ears just the same as plain old English, goody.... "So, how was that?" "Honestly, I don't know how this is possible, but it seems that every language you speak is automatically translated to English, and that you are probably hearing your native language when I speak as well. In other words, that trip through to another universe has given a neat little side effect, universal translation. Neat." "I guess that makes sense...?" "Hey, seeing that I'm new here, would you mind if I stayed here for a couple of days until I find a place to live?" "Sorry, I'm going through a rough time right now, I'd rather just be with myself." Something's up, I just know it, and I want to find out what it is. "I know I shouldn't be prying, but what's bothering you, you seem to be quite upset about something. Whatever it is, it's something that hits very close to home. I know I'm a complete stranger to you, but I would still like to help. I don't know why, I just can't stand the thought of seeing you all sad like that." Lyra looked somewhat defensive, but then sighed and trotted over to the couch to sit down. Taking information from some fan fictions that I have read on the internet, I started stroking her mane. At first she goes to move herself away from me, but then stops, and lets me continue petting her. Seeming to become more comfortable, Lyra then lays down with her forlegs right by my lap, and rests her head on my legs. She then starts explaining her story. "I used to be one of the best lyre players in all of Canterlot, making crowds at recitals cheer and scream for encores, I loved every minute of it. I used to make them all melt with beautiful tunes, sway them with songs that no one has ever heard before; but then one day it just stopped. I don't know why, but they started to grow indifferent to my music, no matter what I tried. Then after moving to Ponyville, I completely lost my motivation to play the thing at all, and ended up spiraling down into depression. I just don't know what to do anymore. If I can't play the lyre, and fill everypony with joy from hearing my songs, then I just don't know what I'll do." Wow, just wow. She's lost her touch with playing the lyre, and she thinks that it's all over for her? I don't know whether to actually be sad for her, or what. After thinking for a few seconds, I start to speak, trying to soothe her. Here's hoping it works. "Lyra, I have a few things to say." hearing this, she looks up at me, but doesn't take her head off of my lap. "Your last name is Heartstrings, is it not?" This earns me a silent nod, but a confused look, as if she didn't know where this was going. "Your cutie mark, the lyre, has more meaning than you think. What was going through your mind just before you got your cutie mark?" It was a second or two before she spoke, but then mustered up the strength to tell me. "I thought that if I could play the lyre, maybe I could make people feel emotions they never thought they had, to make them listen to what may be the most beautiful music in all of Equestria." Alright, so I wasn't too far off "Ok, let's take a closer look at what your cutie mark means, and I think that deep down, you already know the meaning. They lyre is actually inspired by the harp, both of which make beautiful music, but that is not all. If I'm not mistaken, some people back in my world, called the strings to the lyre, heart strings, because some of the designs looked as if they were half of a heart. Your family's last name also has a large amount of significance. Your special talent is not exactly limited to playing the lyre; as I have said before, lyre and harp strings are sometimes referred to as 'heart strings', and as such, the meaning of your cutie mark is this: you have a calling to pull the heart strings of ponies, whether it be through music, writing, or whatever it is that you choose to do. If you are doing something that you find is not capturing the hearts of those around you, then it simply means that you have not found the thing that allows you to convey your emotions directly to the hearts of anyone that is there to witness your awesomeness." After this long-winded speech, Lyra seemed to perk up a little. She gets up, and then jumps off of the couch, then does something that I didn't really expect her to do; she hugs me. I wrap my arms around her back, and rub her mane once again. "Thanks... oh, I forgot to ask you your name. Sorry about that." "My name is Jason, though I don't think it would fit in this world. I feel it would be a little odd, don't you think?" "I guess you're right. I take it you want a new name, right?" "Exactly. Why don't we try to think of one." "Sure." After ten minutes of trying to come up with a name, Lyra admitted defeat, thought I still tried to think of a name. 'Wait a sec, I think I know why I can't think of a name, it's because I'm trying to think of one. Just gotta let it come to me.' And with that, I just sat around for about ten seconds, and then the name came to me. "NOVA!" I yell while jumping up from where I was sitting, which seemed to have startled Lyra. "What?" "My new name is going to be Nova. Funny thing about what we went through though, there's an unwritten rule about stuff like that; trying hard to think of something will result in nothing. Just wait and it will come to you." "I think Nova is a nice name. It kind of fits actually. You seem to be very bright, and warming to those around you. And as for that universal rule, it kind of makes sense." "Ok, Nova it is then. Now, I may have just come here, but I think I must really go and see the princess. Might as well make sure I'm not brought to her under unfavorable circumstances. Which brings me to this question: would you mind teleporting me to the castle?" Lyra looked to be shocked at what I had just said. Guess I shouldn't have said that. "How do you know about the princess, and for that matter, how do you know that unicorns can use magic?" Crap, looks like I stepped on a land mine here. Better diffuse it... "I know about the princess from reading the ticket that was on the table, sitting among other papers, and I know that unicorns can use magic, because there are old tales of unicorns and other magical creatures back where I come from, though these stories are entirely fiction." "Alright, I guess, and to answer your question, yes I can teleport you to the castle. When would you like to go?" "As soon as possible, preferrably now though." "No problem." And with that, Lyra's horn started to glow, and then her magic surrounded the both of us; in a matter of seconds, we teleported to the doors right outside of the throne room. The guards at first looked shocked to see that somepony had teleported so close to the throne room, but then their faces turned into a scoul, as they set their eyes upon me. The only thought going through my mind in those tense minutes, was simply 'Oh shit...'
Good Planning, Bad Execution...Canterlot Castle - Always so quiet, so peaceful. Though the guards were decked out in serious heavy armor, and also equipped with spears, there was almost absolutely no reason for them to be there on duty, save for when it was actually needed, so here they were, just in case. Though most thought that this was just another boring day at the castle, with nothing much to do except for stand on guard for nearly 12 hours straight (yes, they take shifts), there were a couple that knew better. Standing just outside of Celestia and Luna's throne room, both Altemir and Garland felt that something was off... Royal Guard Altemir, Outside Throne Room 'It's a little too quiet today for it to be normal, even if it's a little boring.' I sigh, probably the twentieth time already, even though it's not even three hours into our shift. "Keep a sharp mind, Altemir, something's up; I feel a disturbance." This pony, always so philosophical. "I guess you could say that we both feel there is something on the way, but what could it be?" Not one second after I finish the question, there's a flash, which usually means that a unicorn, or something that can perform magic, has teleported; but nopony's magic is strong enough to get this close to the throne room. The only pony that I know of would be Twilight, but that isn't who's here this time. Both Garland and I are shocked at the mint green pony, but then we see that she isn't alone. Some unknown creature is with her. Probably forced her to take it here. For all we know, it could be here to try and take on the Princesses. It sees us, puts its arms up, and opens its mouth. Both Garland and I know better, and charge at it. No sooner than this, the creature jumps away from the pony, and looks at us head on, in a stance that just screams 'come at me, bro.' "So, it's a fight you want, huh? Well then, I shall fulfill your death wish." The creature stays in its stance, and we get ready to charge at it, spears at the ready. Running towards it, the beast doesn't even flinch; instead, as we get within reach of the beast, it moves slightly to the left, and with one swift motion breaks both our spears in half, and they both fly down the hallway. Of all the times to not be a unicorn, it had to be today... Garland runs towards the beast again, though without a spear. He then gets up on his hind legs with ease, and tries to fight it with hoof-to-hoof combat. This doesn't prove to be effective though. Every hit that Garland tries to land, is successfully countered with a counter-hit and leg, err arm, I guess, block. Not wanting this fight to continue on forever, I jump back into the foray; the creature, very surprisingly, is able to hold the both of us off. I look back for a quick second to the mint green unicorn, who is currently standing at a safe distance, with wide eyes. This proves to be a dumb move on my part, as the creature then uses the momentum from on of Garland's punches to throw him into me. We're both knocked out... Celestia, Throne Room I was just about to return to my throne with a good book to pass the day along, when I hear a sound that I haven't heard in ages - the Royal Guard's spears being unsheathed. This catches my attention, as well as my curiosity. The guards haven't had a need to use their spears in, well, centuries. A fight has broken out with two of my best guards, and it sounds as if there is only one that they are fighting with. The charging and evading continues for a couple minutes, until one of the times that the guards charge at the threat, their spears are broken. The spears fly down the hallway, and then to my surprise, only one of the guards initiate hoof combat. They say that curiosity killed the cat, but for some reason, I feel compelled to open the door a crack, and check out what is going on within my palace. To my surprise, it is a creature that I have only seen since Discord's 'experiments', and he, by the looks of it, is able to hold off two of my best guards in hoof combat. I quietly step out the door, and instantly get spotted by Lyra, one of Twilight's classmates from her classes in Canterlot, though she doesn't say anything. The fight goes on for a while longer; studying how the creature is fighting, it seems that he doesn't really want to hurt the guards, which is suggested by his defensive counters, and use of momentum from other attacks. Speaking of which, both of the guards have been knocked out, by having one thrown into the other; looks like he really didn't want to fight from the beginning. I then walk towards the creature, and he looks up at me, then down to the guards. A single tear drops down his face, and then he speaks, not in his own language, but surprisingly, in Equestrian. "Though I didn't want it to come to violence, the guards left me no choice; I couldn't have ended the fight without knocking them both unconcious, and I doubt there won't be any legal repercussions for assaulting a royal guard, even if it was in defense due to being unprovoked. I guess everything here isn't just sunshine and cupcakes." I stand there and think about what has happened within the last ten minutes, and then I motion for both Lyra and the creature to come in to the throne room. Lyra looks as if she doesn't know what to do, and the creature that she brought with her just looked forward, probably thinking that I'm actually going to pass judgement on him for defending himself against an unprovoked attack. The silence in the room is stifling, none of us knowing where to begin. Finally, after a couple of minutes of pure, agonizing silence, the creature then comes up closer to me in my throne, kneels down, and starts to speak. "Celestia," How did he know my name? Wait, never mind, it doesn't really matter right now. "I would like to apologize for my conduct earlier when dealing with the situation about the guards," he takes a moment to collect his thoughts, thinking he's walking on eggshells… "but they could also learn to be a little bit less prejudice." I retract that earlier statement... "I don't know if you know of my race, or it's past, but I have come here to ask something of you. I wish to become a citizen of this fine country." A little good diplomacy never hurt anypony, I might as well grant him citizenship. "I may grant you citizenship of Equestria, though the mentioning of your race's past does intrigue me." "If you would like to know, then I think it would be better if you read my mind and my memories, as I don't feel that I can talk about them without stammering or rambling on." "How do you know that I can do that kind of magic?" "I didn't, I just simply made an assumption that you can, seeing you are probably one of the most powerful magic users in all of Equestria." I think about what he has just said for a minute or two, before coming upon a conclusion. "Alright, let us venture into your mind then." Nova, Throne Room, 2:23pm, unknown date "Alright, let us venture into your mind then." Is she serious? She's really going to check out my memories and stuff? I don't know whether to think 'Oh cool, she's gonna see into my mind', or to fear for my life. I am so confused right now. Suddenly, Celestia's horn started glowing, and then both her and I are surrounded in a white aura of magic. We stay floating a foot or two off of the ground for a few seconds, and then the aura dissipates. I don't know whether she's done already, or if she's just started. I then hear something very surprising within my mind... 'No, I haven't even started sifting through your memories yet.' Wait, she can hear my thoughts? 'Yes, I can hear you thinking. Now, let us begin.' Wait, before that, I have something to say. Try to keep an open mind the entire time, my life isn't exactly sugar coated goodness. 'I shall keep that in mind. Now, let us begin.' With that, Celestia begins to sift through my memories; everything, from birth, to this moment. There's even some memories brought up that I thought have been forgotten. My third birthday, I receive a set of toy cars. Then there's the one time that my only sister gets into a car accident, with me in the back seat. She doesn't make it. I sit there in front of Celestia, as tears start to roll down my cheeks. The next memory that catches her eye, is the day that my mom and dad had gotten into a bad fight. They thought that I couldn't hear them, but I did. That is also the day that he had left my mother and I. Next up was when I had just graduated high school; There I sit at my computer desk, and begin to search for jobs. I land on a company that's just starting out, and they needed people on their security division. I apply by changing their homepage, and replace it with my resume. They hired me within minutes. This didn't seem to bother Celestia, as I notice that she hasn't made any movements to show that she is surprised by anything. Then, the moment I feared came up, the day that one of my few friends had introduced me to My Little Pony. Celestia seemed very interested in this, and dug through what I had seen of the show, my thoughts on it, the numerous songs that have been inspired by the show that I had listened to, everything. This was the most agonizing part of the whole ordeal. After she was done going through that, she then moved on to my mundane life. The day that my dad showed up in the neighborhood while I was on my way home, my boss firing me, and so on. What also seemed to catch her interest, was when I picked up producing music. She saw my first failed attempts, and the bunch of days where I slowly got better, and finally, when I got noticed by one of the managers for Club MIA. Then came the fateful time that I had been transported to Equestria. Celestia looked somewhat surprised when she saw how I had come here, but then was even more surprised, as she found out how I learned to read and, possibly, write Equestrian. She also made note of the strange surge I felt as I arrived. Feeling she has had enough, Celestia then left my mind. I felt a wave of relief from that, though I still felt uneasy, as she just sat there, on her throne, staring at me with a blank expression. She then began to speak. "I now see why you have told me to keep an open mind, though you do not seem threatening to the general population. I shall grant you citizenship within Ponyville." Seriously, this pony is a goddess... Oh, wait, she quite literally is one... hehe. "Thank you so much Celestia, though there is one concern left: housing. I don't want to be leeching off of somepony." At this comment, Lyra decided it time to jump back into the conversation. "No really Nova, it's fine, you can stay at my place. You did help me out after all. I won't be bothered if you stayed with me." "Lyra, although I would accept your gracious offer, I can not accept it. No offense, but your house is quite small, I don't know if it would work out." This time it was Celestia's turn to butt into the conversational tennis that was taking place. "I am sorry to interrupt, but there are a couple of things that I must talk with Nova about, before he leaves for Ponyville. Lyra, I would like to speak with him alone, if it's alright with you." To this, Lyra nodded, and then teleported back to her home. "Now then, Nova, where to begin..." Crap, nothing good ever comes out of the situation if the one that is in control of the situation trails off like that. "I guess this would be about that feeling I got when I first arrived here, isn't it?" "Yes, it is. You see, what you felt, was your body's realization that you can in fact, use magic. Your magic however, is different than most; your magic is powerful; and it feels familiar, as if you contain a spark. It is an element that enables the use of world-altering magic. Some ponies used to call it Chaos Magic, though it is actually True Magic. The magic that unicorns use on a daily basis is fairly limited in terms of power; granted that there are some powerful magic users, it still pales in comparison to true magic. Keep a disciplined mind when working with it, or things might go out of control very fast." I walk up to Celestia's throne, and give her a quick hug. [come on, who wouldn't?] "Thank you Celestia, for giving me a chance, even though I kinda did beat up your two best guards. Oh, speaking of which, I think it would be best if you let them know that I'm not hostile. I don't want to be attacked if I decide to come visit again." "I will do that. Now then, I will teleport you back to Lyra's, so you can get things unpacked and get acquainted with some of Ponyville's residents. Off you go Nova." "See you later Celestia." And with that, Celestia's horn started glowing, and then I was transported back to Lyra's home. This time however, it didn't look all dark and gloomy. Lyra, home 'That whole ordeal at the castle was just way too much for me to handle. Sure, I thought about the guards not taking a liking to Nova, but I didn't think that they would just attack him on sight. Then there's the fact that the princess was just standing there halfway through the fight, not doing anything. She could have broken up the fight in a matter of seconds, but she didn't. For whatever reason, she just stood there, as if she were studying Nova and his fighting style. Oh well, at least I now have someone staying with me, instead of this place feeling so lonely and empty all the time. Guess I should clean up a bit before Celestia sends Nova back here.' With that, Lyra had begun to clean her entire home. Starting with the kitchen, she swept the wooden floor, washed all of the counters, and made sure all of the dishes were put away. Next was the common room; opening the curtains was blinding at first, but then the light showed the enormous amount of dust that had settled all over the room, prompting her to dust almost everything. Ten minutes later, and the whole room was completely dust free. The last thing on the list to clean up was the master bedroom and guest room; the guest room didn't need much cleaning, just a bit of dusting. The master bedroom however, was a different story - books everywhere, plates, bowls, cups just randomly deposited around the room. Nova was right, this place pretty much screamed 'pony in depression.' Not wanting to dwell on things, Lyra quickly got all of the dishes into the kitchen, and into the sink full of warm soapy water. The bed sheets were changed while the dishes were being soaked in the water, and then it was off to go wash the remaining dishes. The cleaning was done in roughly 20 minutes, and no sooner than she had put the last dish away, Nova teleported into the common room. Lyra walks over to where Nova is, and this time it is him that gives her a hug. "Hey, I'd like to apologize about what happened at the castle. I should have probably just asked to send a letter to Celestia first, before showing up at the castle." "It's fine, everything worked out anyway." "I know it's probably still pretty early, but I'm kind of exhausted. I think I'm going to go off to bed. *yawn* Good night Lyra." "Have a good rest Nova." I chuckle at his sleepy state. True, it would be tiring for someone to come to a completely new world and go through what he just did. *yawn* Great, now I'm tired. Heh, guess it wouldn't hurt to go to bed early today. What's the worst that could happen?
The Day I Partied With Pinkie, Then Messed With SpikeNova, Lyra's Home Dreams - some say that they are a gateway to another world, while others say it's just a bunch of jumbled memories that your mind tries to make sense of while you sleep. What I am currently experiencing however, is too odd to be considered a dream. I'm floating, but not in a black expanse that you can barely see anything in, but a blindingly white expanse that illuminates everything around as far as one can see. As if that isn't weird enough, I start to hear someone speaking. It's as if I've heard the voice before, yet I've never heard it in my entire life. "So, the brat comes back and yet doesn't even know his true abilities. Typical Celestia." "What are you talking about?" "You see Nova, your magic talent is creation and alteration. You are also exceptionally gifted in one of the lost ways of magic." "Oh yeah, and what might that be?" "You will know in due time, my son." Ok, wait what? Since when are you my dad? "How are you my father, if you don't mind me asking?" "I believe that is something for another time. Now get up, you've got some unpacking to do." "Before I go, let me ask something. Will we have a chance to talk again?" "What, you don't hold anything against me for not being in your life until now?" "No, not really. My so-called 'dad' was an asswipe. I really don't care about what happens to him. You on the other hand, make me feel like I should get to know you." "Well anyway, get up. Don't make me wake you up myself. It won't be pleasant." "Alright, I'm getting up." With that, I woke up with the sun shining in my face, the sound of birds chirping happily, and the town was already bustling with activity. I take a look around the room, noting that all my luggage was there as well. The bed is opposite to the door, with the end table on the left side of the bed. There's a closet near the foot of the bed, my luggage just happens to be in the middle of the room . I get up to stretch, and then change my clothes. After that I grab my iPod, and head out to make some breakfast. "Good morning Lyra." Speaking of said pony, she doesn't look too well. "Oh, morning Nova. How did you sleep?" "Pretty good, though I don't think that applies to you, does it? Something on your mind?" "No, not that I know of. Just one of those nights where it's just like 'aaarrrrgghhhh'. You know?" Oh, I hate it when that happens. "Yeah, I know that feeling. You're tired yet you can't get to sleep even if somepony paid you to. Best thing to do would be either read, or listen to music for a while. Anyway, I've been thinking of going for a walk around Ponyville, you want to join me?" "No, I think I'll pass today. Too tired for the time being, you go on ahead. Just don't be too late, alright?" "I'll keep that in mind. See you later. One of the things that I am glad I brought, was my freaking iPod. Celestia knows that I wouldn't be able to live without the damn thing, I love music too much. Placing the earbuds in, I scroll through my music until I find a certain song - Good ol' Days by The Living Tombstone. Walking out the doorway, everything seems just so, for lack of a better word, peaceful. "Now, on to the first matter of business, getting some books on magic." Sorry Rarity fans, that scene is going to have to wait. Before even taking another step away from the house, something crosses my mind, "I have no idea where Twilight's place is. How am I supposed to get there, let alone borrow books on magic?" There comes an unexpected reply in the form of me getting poked. I take out my earbuds and then somepony tells me where to go. "Turn left, walk towards the town square, and then make a right. It's a huge tree, pretty hard to miss." As I turn to thank whoever gave me the directions, my heart stops for a split second. It's none other than THE Rainbow Dash! My heart explodes from the adorableness, even if she is in her teens. At least I think she is. Ah who cares. "Thanks, but I must ask, why help some random weird creature you've never met before?" "Because when said creature steps out of Lyra's door, music blaring, and says they're off to Twilight's for some magic books, there's no possible way that they're going to harm anypony." "True, but then again, maybe I should just go to some other library. Twilight would be all over me, asking me millions of questions." We both laughed at this. We were both cut short by a certain device that I had forgotten about even existed until now. The ring was the all too familiar 'Louise The Lab Rat'. I take out the offending device, cut off the person trying to phone me, and place it in my pocket. Rainbow looks at me curiously, probably wondering what the infernal contraption was. "What was that?" "Something of mine that I don't think will have any use here at all." "Ok sure, but what is it?" "It's a phone. A device from my world that allows two or more people to communicate with each other over long distances. Someone was trying to reach me just now, though I don't really feel the need to talk to them." "Someone I would have been working for had I not been brought here from my world. To be honest I'm not even sure how the thing is still able to function when in another world." "That sounds like something Twilight would just love to get her hooves on! Better not let her near it if you want it to keep working. Anyway, I was going to head to Twilight's place anyway, she's got the next book in the Daring Doo series and I really want to read it." Dun dun duuuun! Possible time revealed! "So, onward to Twilight's?" "Sure." Dash gets ready to fly away, but then remembers that I don't have wings. She sighs and then lands. I then have an idea. "Wait, what if I just ride you there?" She stares at me oddly for a moment, and then her signature grin is plastered across her face. "You sure you can handle it? I am the fastest flyer in Equestria after all." That you are Dashie, but you haven't been in the car with me when I'm driving. "Dash, if there's one thing that I love, it's speed. Just don't drop me and we're good." A few more laughs were had until she directed me to get on. I couldn't help but throw another joke just before she took off. "So just to be clear, you're not letting me drop til we're on solid ground right?" I snickered, mostly to show that it was a joke, and then she nudged me. "Alright mister, no more jokes til we get there, don't wanna drop you from laughing too hard." I salute to her, "Aye aye, captain. Upward and onwards." Well, that's a surprise. Didn't think that some human phrases would carry over... ah well. Getting to fly while riding one of the coolest ponies in Equestria - best day ever. Of all time.* The view was nothing like looking out of a window on a plane - nothing can beat flying Air Dashie. Period. EXCLAMATION POINT!* She went on about how the weather patrol was one of the easiest jobs yet somehow tedious, on and on. Then a thought struck my mind. "Hey, Dash!" "What's up Nova?" "How do you know Lyra anyway?" "While I was at one of the clubs in town I sort of sat beside her while getting a drink. At first I didn't know her, but by the end we were both having a good time, laughing and drinking the night away." "I take it this is just after the time she 'lost her music*'?" "Actually, that was only part of it. If she just lost her music that would be one thing, but to make matters worse, Bon Bon left her as well. She sort of shut down after that. It happened the same night I met her at the club." So THAT'S why she wasn't comfortable with me staying at first. Dash took notice of my quietness and pegged down exactly what I was thinking. "Wait, she didn't tell you?" "Nope. First time I've heard, though I guess I should've known about it when I arrived - her home had all the signs, yet I didn't see them." "That's another thing, how did you two meet anyway?" Should I tell her now, or wait til I get to Twilight's? Hmmm... "Well Dash, you're going to have to wait until we get to Twilight's. I will tell you about how I got here then." "Oh, alright." The rest of the flight was uneventful, to say the least. We arrived at Twilight's library about two minutes after our conversation ended. Just as soon as I step off of Dash, I take a note of my surroundings - eerily quiet. I walk up to the door of the library, and enter the library wit Dash. All seems good, except for one thing - it's dark. I couldn't hold it in. "Yay, party time." Instantly, the lights came on, and a certain pink pony gasped. "Awwwwww, how did you know?" How could someone not know, Pinkie? "It's too obvious. Word must have gotten out somehow that I was going to visit Twilight's to borrow a few books, and I enter said building with all of the lights turned off, and yet it's supposed to be open." "I guess my parties aren't that good anymore..." And with that, her mane deflated, and lost a bit of color. "Pinkie, your parties aren't good," she looks even sadder, "they're better than good - they're AWESOME! Come on Pinkie, now's the time to be celebrating my arrival and official citizenship of Ponyville!" I quickly give her a hug, and her mane springs back to life and explodes in my face. 'They were right, it does smell like cotton candy.' "YOU'RE RIGHT, NOVA! LET'S -" "MAKE THIS THE BEST PARTY EVER! But first, I need to go back and get a certain pony to join the party, or else it just won't feel the same. Be right back, gotta go find Twilight so she can teleport me." "No need, just grab hold of me, and I'll get you there with just a hop skip and a jump!" "Alright, I guess it wouldn't hurt. Mind if I ride you there?" "No problemo, senor!" We go outside, and not a second after I get on Pinkie, she literally hops, skips, and then does a jump, and completely breaks physics by appearing right in front of Lyra's house. "Ok, can you wait here while I go inside and get Lyra?" Pinkie nods, and then I go inside the house, to find a very depressed Lyra splayed out on the chesterfield. 'That does not look comfortable, then again, I'm not a pony.' Lyra, home 'What am I going to do today? Ah who am I kidding, I don't really feel like doing anything in particular. I feel just so, blah. Nothing is really entertaining anymore. Guess I could read a few comics while lazing around.' And that is what she did, for about five minutes until she got really bored again. "What the hay am I going to do? Why do I feel this way? Sure, it was nice when Nova talked to me and got me to realize my true calling, but now I just, AAAAARRRGGHHHHH!" With that, Lyra flopped onto the couch, and laid there until she fell asleep, not waking up until Nova showed up. I'm just laying on the couch, not doing anything really, and then someone just randomly walks in through the door. I don't really care who it is, they can take all they want for all I care; Celestia help them if they touch Nova's stuff though. Oh, they're walking towards to this room... wait a second, sounds like something bi-pedal. Only one being I know that's bi-pedal, and thats - "Nova?" "Eeyup. What's wrong Lyra? No offense, but you look slightly worse than you did yesterday. What happened?" Only slightly? This guy really knows how to sugar-coat things. "I just feel so out of it. Nothing seems to interest me, and I can't sort out my mind. I feel so -" "Blah? Yeah, I've been there. Not pretty. Actually, I came here to pick you up and bring you over to Twilight's place." I'm not even going to question how he finished my sentence, let alone what he went through, none of my business really. "Why would I want to go to Twilight's? Don't tell me she wants to practice some weird spell that requires more than one unicorn." "Uh, actually, that's far from why I would like you to come with me. You see, turns out there's already a welcome party for me, and really, I felt it wouldn't be complete without you there. You are the one that completely trusted me and gave me a place to stay. The party just isn't complete without you." Really? He wants me to come to the party? "Alright, I guess I'll come." Not much for me to do here anyway. "Yay." Nova comes up to me and gives me a hug. 'He's so warm. I just feel so cozy in his arms...' Just then, I felt something sifting through my memories. Specifically, the night that Bon Bon and I had that one fight, and my time at the club with Rainbow Dash came up. I break free of the hug, and give Nova a glare. He just stands there, with a look of realization, with a hint of sadness. "Ah, so that's why you ended up digging yourself into a hole. And before you yell at me, no, I did not activate that memory spell, at least I don't think I did intentionally. You may not want to talk to me now, but I still have something to say." Damn he irritates me yet I feel I can't live without his smiles... ohhhh what am I thinking? "Listen Lyra, I know full well what you're going through, I've been there myself, thought under different circumstances. You lost not only your marefriend, but someone who you could relate to when you needed somepony to talk to while you dealt with rough times; though this may surprise you, so have I." Wait, what? "There were days where I never even bothered getting out of bed, save for using the restroom, others where I just couldn't find something to keep me occupied for more than five minutes. Not only had the times affected my thinking, but it also showed around my home, and I had the signs via bags under my eyes, no matter how much sleep I got. After a while, I figured things out - no matter how bad the relationship is, and no matter how many one goes through, there's always someone, or in this world's case, somepony, out there for you. What matters is not merely the fact that you have somepony in your life, but somepony that will help you through the hard times, not caring about what anypony else says or does." He comes over and gives me another hug, this one I return and squeeze him a little, not wanting to let go. After a few seconds, he tries to say something. "Ly... ra... can't breathe... help..." I let go, my face burning like a thousand suns. "Sorry bout that, Nova." "No problem. Now, about that party..." "When do we leave?" "Uh, how bout now?" "Sure, let's go." Not a second after I start the teleportation spell, Nova interrupts me, "Wait, don't forget about Pinkie." "Pinkie?" "Yeah, she brought me over here." I can't help but feel a little hurt, as well as some other emotion as he mentions her. "Wait, don't get upset, she just brought me here in a hurry. You know how she does pretty much everything that's nearly impossible? That's why I asked her to bring me, cause I knew she could get me here in ten seconds flat." "Oh alright." We go outside, and sure enough, Pinkie's just standing there, eagerly waiting for the both of us. "So, how did it go Nova?" There are some times that I want to question her logic, but I can't, thanks to that unwritten universal rule: Never question what Pinkie Pie does, because if you try to understand how she does everything, your mind will shatter. Just accept everything she does. "If it didn't work, would I be standing here next to Nova?" True, the remark was a bit uncalled for, but still, it was all that came to mind. "Alright, let's go then!" Before I could say anything, she grabs the both of us, and uses her hind legs to leap into the air. With absolutely no regard for physics, she jumped, and we landed right outside Twilight's library. "Ok, let's go in and enjoy the awesome party! Even if it is only around 10 in the morning." He giggled. His smile is infectious, and it seems to be spreading over to me as well, and also another feeling, which I am trying to make sense of. 'Guess I could use a distraction from my own mind right now.' AWESOME FUN WAS HAD Nova, Golden Oaks Library The party was awesome, and now everypony was leaving, save for six ponies and one dragon. Spike was cleaning up some of the mess, Rainbow Dash was talking with Vinyl Scratch as she put away her equipment, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie were helping Spike clean up, Applejack left to go back to her farm and do some more apple bucking, while Rarity and Twilight were talking amongst themselves. Lyra had gone home about ten minutes ago, in a very happy mood. Sure, she asked me if I wanted to go home with her, but I felt the need to talk to a certain pink pony for some reason, and so I declined her offer. She didn't seem upset, so that was good. It's actually pretty quiet; it was then that I realized that my iPod had been playing random songs on shuffle for pretty much the entire day, and I could now hear what was playing - The Elder Scrolls, Skyrim, Dragonborn. It didn't seem that important, so I turned it up a little bit, and placed the earbuds in, and let the music carry me. This is how I learned that dragons actually have pretty damn good hearing. Spike was somewhere in the kitchen, while I was lounging around the main part of the library, enjoying my music, when all of a sudden, he lunges at me, with no reason or explanation, save for an angry look on his face. At first I didn't know what was going on, I just figured he snapped for some unknown reason and decided I was going to be his victim so he could vent - I was wrong. The music then went to the chorus: Dovahkiin, Dovahkiin, nahlot zin los vahriin. Wah dein, vokul, mahfaraahk ast vaal! Ahrk fin norok paal graan, Fod nust hon zindro zaan, Dovahkiin, fah hin, kogaan mu draal. It took a few seconds, but then I realized why Spike was chasing me. Twilight and everypony else just stood in shock at the sight of their little friend chasing me in a poor attempt at mauling me. I took the iPod out of my pocket, and hit 'pause' - he stopped. "Who, wha, what happened?" So, he doesn't remember, or was he just in shock? I feel a creepy grin come across my face, as I walk towards Spike. "So, you're affected by the lyrics in this song?" Spike just looks up at me with a face that can only be described as, 'What?' I take the earbuds out, turn the volume up all the way, and hit the play button. Spike's eyes go wide for a second, and then he tries to take a swipe at me. I hit pause, he stops. I start to smile like an idiot, and then continue playing and pausing the music, watching as he goes from 'berserk' to 'normal' and vice versa for a couple minutes, with that stupid smile still plastered on my face. Twilight manages to walk over to us, and uses her magic to take away my iPod. "Hey!~" "Stop doing that! Can't you see that Spike is upset from it? How is it that lyrics from a song upset him anyway?" "It's not the mere fact that the lyrics are in Dovah, or Dragon speak, but what they say. By the way Twilight, you best sit down, because you're about to learn something." Her eyes went wide, and they started to sparkle. "Let me get my quill and parchment!" With that, she raced off to her room, and was back in a mere ten seconds. "Alright, now that you've gotten your note taking utensils... Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie, you fillies sure you don't want to come in here and learn something possibly awesome?" Fluttershy squeaked out a response first. "Sure, I guess." "Count me in!" That's Rainbow Dash's final answer. Rarity? "Sure, even better if it's something about Spike." Heh, you'll see. Pinkie? "Learning something new is always fun, especially if it's something about my friends!" Alright, got everyone here. "Perfect. Now, Spike, keep an open mind here... and try not to maul me, if possible." I couldn't help but laugh a bit, luckily, he agreed. "Ok... the dragons have their own language, when they are born, they don't necessarily learn it, but instead they already have all knowledge of it instinctively. Through this language, they shout, and can do many things because of this. Do you know how a dragon breathes fire?" Head shakes all around, so no. "They do it with a shout."(I know, I'm breaking canon, but for good reason, I promise!) Odd looks from all ponies present, though Spike is just standing there, wonder deep in his eyes. I can tell he wants to know where I get this information from. Details, details. "Let me explain: when a dragon shouts, it isn't like this," I just scream loudly. Ears were folded back. "Instead, one feels the shout coming from their very soul. When one shouts, they take the meaning of it into themselves, and become the shout." Again, odd looks, but Twilight is somewhat able to follow. "Looks like I might have to demonstrate, though I don't know if I'll be able to. Spike!" "Yeah?" "Mind if I use unrelenting force? Only the first word." He stares at me for a moment, and then replies. "You want to use me in an experiment to find out if you're a Dovahkiin?" "Just one word. Please?" "Ugh, fine." "Now, girls, the shout that I am going to demonstrate with is 'Fus', or 'Unrelenting Force.'" I cleared my mind, and concentrated. I thought of the meaning of Unrelenting Force, letting it take hold. I then draw in a breath, and let out a shout. "FUS!" The second I shouted, Spike was sent right into one of the shelving units. All of the ponies present just sat there and stared in awe. 'I'm dragonborn, AWESOME!' "Sorry Spike, I'll get you out of there." He's currently wedged in between two books, and was apparently stuck. A hard pull, and he's free. We both go back to sit down with the group in the middle of the main room. Rainbow Dash is the first to speak up. "That, was the coolest thing I have ever seen! Do some more!" "Wait a second Dash, let me finish, I'm not done. Spike's little mental snap isn't without reason. The dragons have come to despise the Dovah, or Dragonborn, because there was a time when they would just go out and kill any dragon in sight." Twilight looked a little disturbed, as well as Fluttershy. "Why isn't there any information on dragons anywhere in the Canterlot Library?" "I think I might have an explanation for that. In the old times, there was a group called 'The Blades,' that was first made up of just Dragonborn. They formed in the hopes of protecting the city from any danger, and that included dragon attacks. As time went on, people, or in your case, ponies, turned dragon slaying into something of a normality, killing hundreds of dragons, not caring about the consequences. There was blood spilled on both sides. Celestia put a stop to the dragon slaying, and the dragon attacks, by disbanding the Blades and dragon slayers, and reasoning with some of the sociable dragons. Not wanting anypony else to learn of the dragon shouts used by Dovah and Dovahkiin alike, she destroyed any and all books that contained any reference to dragons and their language and such, so that nopony else would kill for sport and possibly start a war." Everypony was staring at me in disbelief, while Spike kept nodding, his soul telling him the exact same information. "Wait, how do you know all of this!" Ah, Twilight, the ever-questioning pony. "The information about the language and its uses was stuff that I learned from a video game in my world. The other stuff, about the dragon slaying and Celestia banishing any and all knowledge about it, was speculation based upon the fact that none of you knew any of this, especially you Twilight. If there was any book at all referring to it, you would have run around to grab every book to look through them as I went on explaining, just to see if my information was accurate." Said pony blushed. "Anyways, there's two ways for one to be able to use a shout: one is to be born with a dragon soul, or through long, rigorous training, which could very well break your very soul. Yes, it's happened. Not pretty. On a much lighter note, I have a favor to ask of you Twilight." "Sure, what is it?" "Could I borrow a few books on magic? It seems that I am able to use it, so I thought that I should start learning to use it properly. And if it's not too much trouble, could you find a book on transformation spells?" "Sure, no problem." With that said, Twilight got up and started going through the vast amount of shelves, looking for different spell books. Not much in the way of notable conversation was going on, so I decided to just lay back and relax on the floor while waiting for Twilight to come back with those books, then it's homeward bound for me. Funny, it hasn't even been a full day yet, and I'm already calling Lyra's place my home. Another few minutes, and Twilight returns with about five different books, all on magic. "Here you go, some books on basic magic, as well as one on transformation spells. Keep them as long as you need, but be sure to bring them back when you're done with them." "I will Twilight. Now, I guess it's time for me to head home." "Wait, your music player! I'll go get it." Another few seconds, and Twilight returns with my iPod and earbuds. "Thank you Twilight." I glance at the time on the iPod, which seems to have adjusted to the time here in Equestria. Not only that, but it says that the battery was charging. "Holy hayseed, it's that late already!" Apparently it's now 10:30pm... Forget it, I'm not even going to bother contemplating that. "Guess you'd better get home. Don't want to keep your marefriend waiting." Dash joked. I know she was only poking fun at the fact that I'm staying with her, but still, my face burned nonetheless. "Alright, I'm off. See you girls later." "Good bye Nova!" They all said in unison. I exit the library, and make my way back to Lyra's. 'Damn, I'm so tired. Gotta get back to Lyra's before I fall asleep though.' With that, I continued to walk through the town, until I manage to make it back, sleepily walking towards the back bedroom, and crashing onto the bed. I fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.
New Info, Accidents, And LearningNova, Home Floating - Usually when one sleeps, they are actually dreaming, not floating in a white abyss, talking to a disembodied voice. I'm just floating, going nowhere, sitting cross-legged, while some disembodied voice wants to have a conversation with me. "We really must stop meeting like this, Nova." Yea, sure. "Well, it would help if you stopped bringing me here." "Who said that I was the one doing that?" "Ah whatever, at least I have someone cool to talk to when I sleep, instead of having weird dreams." "How do you know you're not dreaming and making this all up?" He has a point, but I'm gonna make it invalid. "Because I can feel that our souls are connected for the time being, allowing us to communicate. The white abyss is because neither of us think of a setting that is comfortable." "You figured all of that out just now?" "No, I pondered it while flying on Dash towards the library yesterday." "You my boy are far from stupid, though you're not the brightest crayon in the box sometimes. Let us not forget the archery accident." "Oh COME ON! How was I supposed to know someone would take the joke literally and actually fire at Will? Then again, we did get to call him 'guard from Whiterun' afterwards." We both laugh at the horribly overused joke for a couple minutes. "So, it seems that you have learned your soul is that of a dragon's." "Yeah, that's what bugs me a little bit. You said that my origin is from Equestria, and yet I have a dragon's... No." "No? No what?" "No. Bucking. Way." "Oh, finally connected the dots my dear boy?" "This is, by far, the coolest thing ever!" It was then that the disembodied voice was such no longer. Instead, Discord finally came into view. "You didn't have to shout you know." "Yeah, I get it. Now come over here, I wanna celebrate something." "What might that be?" Discord floated over to where I sat just after asking me this. I stand up and stay silent for a few seconds, getting me a weird look from him. "This is the best day ever. Of all time. Now give me a hug, you joker." Even though I should've just waited for a reply, I gave him a hug anyway. Yes, I hugged Discord. Problem? "I didn't think that you would -" "Take the news well? Course I would. And besides, I can't really come to hate you, you're not really evil anyways, you just love having fun and all that stuff. Sure your pranks are a bit off the wall, but the main point is that no one actually received any harm during your ruling, and the same when you broke free." Discord looked stunned, such a Kodak Moment... Where's a camera when you need one? "Finally! Someone else who gets what I'm about! If I wasn't your father I'd be your best friend right now." A smirk slowly grows on my face. "Well to me, you're both. If you weren't my dad I'd still wanna hang with you." I extend a fist out towards him. "Brohoof?" "Brohoof." /)*(\ Yeah, best day ever. Sunlight, my worst enemy - at least, when I'm still in bed it is. The bright rays of light casting down upon my sleepy eyelids cause me to stir and turn away from the window, to face the wall. Bad decision. Now the birds are assaulting me with high-pitched melodies that rattle the insides of my head until I get up. I cover my ears with the pillow in protest... and in vein. They just keep singing, not having a care in the world. I breathe a sigh, and admit defeat. "Alright, alright, you win, I'm up." Not a second after I said this, the birds quiet down, allowing me to collect my thoughts. 'My dad is Discord, and I'm able to use magic, as well as dragon shouts. Heh, next thing you know, Celestia's gonna try and send me to the moon.' "Well, guess I'd better start the day, before it's gone without me. In this world time flies faster than Rainbow Dash." I reluctantly get out of bed, and shuffle over to my suitcases. It takes a couple seconds for my mind to kick in, then I realize something. "I haven't unpacked yet. Ah ponyfeathers." I then get to work, putting clothes in the draws and closet, but not before making sure to put aside my favorite dark blue jeans and black Under Armor t-shirt, as well as socks n stuff.* After putting my clothes away, getting dressed, and shoving the suitcase into the closet, I had decided to go make some breakfast. 'Hmm, it's quiet. Too quiet. I guess Lyra's asleep. Ah well, don't think it would hurt to make some breakfast. Now, what's in that fridge?' While this thought was going through my mind, I made my way into the kitchen. Nothing fancy really, just basic cupboards, wood floor, decent counter space, a standard run-of-the-mill electric stove with an oven, and some fridge that looks like it's from the 90's. "Alright, what's in here?" I ask myself quietly while opening the fridge; 'Eggs, butter, milk, lettuce, peppers, onions, apples, oranges, huh not bad. Guess I could make some scrambled eggs. Now, where did those pans go?' Little did I know that during my search for a frying pan in the kitchen, Lyra had woken up, and was sleepily wandering into the same room. "Ahhh!" "Lyra, wai-" WHAM! She used her magic and slammed a frying pan into my face before she realized that it was me in her kitchen. Lyra, Home Sleep, something that I used to rarely get, or enjoy whenever it came; but now things are different. I'm able to actually get a good night's sleep for a change, and oh Celestia does it show. My coat has a vibrant color once again, and my mane is no longer dull and flat. I'm just happily enjoying my dreams, when some noises in the house wake me up. "What the heck could that be?" I groggily get up, and sander off towards the commotion that has taken me away from my peaceful dreams. 'Oh, it's coming from the kitchen.' Heading towards where the noise is coming from, I walk into the kitchen and spot someone going through the cupboards. I yell in surprise and use magic to fling the nearest object towards whoever it is that's in my house. "Ahhh!" "Lyra, wai-" WHAM! Too late, you're knocked out... wait a second. It takes a minute for my mind to fully wake up, but just as soon as it does, I remember that I let Nova stay in my home, because he has nowhere else to turn to. First my face starts to heat up from the embarrassment, then the guilt sets in as I come to the realization that I just smacked Nova in the face with a frying pan. Ohhhh, I hope he isn't injured. Wasting no time, I levitate him, and run off towards the hospital. Nova, Dream Alright, I'm floating in the same white expanse, after a frying pan flies into my face. It's official, I've been knocked out, by Lyra no less. Well, at least my day can't get any worse at the moment. "Heh, looks like someone needs to work on their ninja skills." I turn towards Discord, "Well, I can't really complain, I got someone to talk to while I'm waiting for Lyra to drag my sorry ass to the hospital and wake me up." "What makes you so sure that's going to happen?" "I may have only known her for a short time as of right now, but I know her well enough to know that she wouldn't just leave me on the floor, I'm on my way to the hospital." All of a sudden, I start to get feeling back, which could mean only one thing. "Haha, I'm about to wake up." Discord deadpans, "Yeah, and you're about to experience a headache the size of Texas. I wouldn't wake up if I were you." "Ah who cares, so long as she gets to find out I'm alright." "Don't say I didn't warn you." I wake up seconds later... Nova, Just outside the hospital I begin to twitch my fingers, then a few other limbs, before I'm finally able to completely wake up. When I do, I start to regret my decision already. 'Discord was right. I shouldn't have woken up yet.' "Ugh, I feel like I just fell twenty stories. My head is pounding with the power of a thousand suns." Lyra quickly sets me down, although gently, and starts to explain what happened. "I'm sorry Nova, I was just so tired when I entered the kitchen that I thought you were some weird creature robbing my house, I panicked and picked up a frying pan from the sink and flung it before e-" I stop her rambilng by gently placing my had on her mouth. 'Hm, soft lips... DON'T BE THINKING OF THAT RIGHT NOW, CALM HER DOWN YOU TWIT!' "It's ok Lyra, I understand, although it wouldn't hurt to be just a little more careful." I stroke her mane and give her a hug to calm her down; it works, and then I proceed again. "Look, I know you feel bad about what just happened, but don't, it's not your fault, everypony makes mistakes, even Celestia. Heck, there are times that I've messed up even worse than this. Anyways, I think it's still a good idea to go get myself checked out at the hospital, I just want to make sure that I don't have a concussion or anything." What happens next is a little weird, then again I haven't fully adjusted to living here yet. Lyra concentrates her magic, and touches her horn to my forehead. Her face is so close that I can clearly see some of the tear stains on her coat. 'She was that worried about me?' After a few seconds of her face being inches away from mine, she moves back, and breathes a sigh of relief. "Ok, you don't have any concussions, and I've stopped your splitting headache. On another note, yes I was that worried about you, I didn't want anything to happen to you, and I was also worried you'd be mad at me for what happened. I'm sorry." She looks down, and starts scraping one of her hooves at the dirt. 'D'aaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwww - NO, THIS IS NO TIME TO D'AAAWW AT THAT, CHEER HER UP DUMBASS!' Curse you subconscious. I go down onto my knees, place a hand on her cheek, and gently bring her face up to eye level with mine. "Lyra, I may not look it, but I'm quite tough, something like that wouldn't do much, and I am not mad about what happened, not one bit. I should've either been more quiet, woke you up, or waited til you got up yourself. Mistakes will be made, that's just a part of life. What's important is that we get up and move on from them, taking each one as a learning experience in an effort to not let it happen again." I wrap my arms around her in a hug, "Plus, how can someone be mad at a cute pony such as yourself?" Wait, what did I just say? I go to move away from the hug, but surprisingly, something is stopping me - Lyra is holding me like there's no tomorrow. 'Well, that's unexpected.' She just continues to hold me, sobbing like a child. 'She must really care about me if she's like this.' "Lyra, I'm ok, and you don't have to worry about what happened. Tell you what, let's hang out somewhere, just the two of us. Maybe you could teach me some magic later, and we could go on a picnic this evening." This should help calm her down. I just don't want to see her so sad. It worked. "Well, ok. Sorry for staining your shirt." She finally breaks the hug. Damn, it may look adorable, but I don't want to see any of the ponies sad. "It's fine, I don't mind. So, you want to head back home, or do you want to go somewhere?" "Sure, let's go somewhere, seeing we're already out. Coffee?" 'Wait, ponies actually have coffee here? YEEEAAAAHHHHH! ONE MORE REASON TO LOVE THIS PLACE!' I get up, and then we walk over towards the nearest place that sells coffee, which would be a quaint little cafe, by the name of 'SkyBucks'. Don't question it, it never works. Ever. Lyra, Ponyville 'After what happened with Nova, I didn't think he would want to speak to me again. Sure, we met just a couple days ago, but he's still probably one of my closest friends. No one else has stuck with me as a friend after they knew that I was a filly fooler. On top of that, I just kept getting made fun of whenever I made a mistake, just like Ditzy, or Derpy, depending on who you talk to. Having him with me, and still stick with me as a friend not only after he finds out that I used to be in a relationship with another filly, but after slamming a frying pan into his face when half asleep completely blows my mind.' As we walk to the coffee shop, I notice that every once in a while, I seem to be moving closer to him. I move away, only to have it happen again. 'What is wrong with me? Why am I doing this?' What happens next is a shocker to me. "If you want me to put my arm around you, all you have to do is ask, silly." He smiles down at me, and looks at me as if to ask if I want him to. I nervously shake my head yes. His arm around me is somewhat soft, and warm. Makes me feel safe somehow. A couple minutes later and we're standing in front of SkyBucks. 'Well, guess I can't complain. Even though it is a little expensive, it's the least I could do to repay him, for trying to cheer me up.' We sit down at a table outside of the cafe, and an employee comes over to ask us what we would like to order. (Description not important really, just think of a ponyfied barista from Starbucks) "I guess I'll have an espresso." The waiter then turns to Nova. Surprisingly, he isn't startled by the appearance. 'Ohh, he's good.' "Hmm, how bout a medium caramel latte with cream and a double shot of espresso." The waiter starts to look uncomfortable. "I'm sorry, but we don't have what you speak of, though if you give us a recipe we'd be happy to make it for you." "Alright, I'll get on that right now then." Nova then asks for a piece of paper and something to write with. The waiter comes back with the manager, and eagerly awaits for him to write down how to make whatever it is that he ordered. Five minutes later and Nova hands the paper back to the waiter and manager. Eying the paper, I take notice of Nova's handwriting; It's comparable to the princess's! While waiting for the staff to make the drink that Nova ordered, I start to feel a little nervous. There's hardly anypony out here and yet it's not really that early in the morning anymore. I start thinking back on what has happened over the last couple of days. 'He appears out of nowhere, and in the middle of my house no less. I hear him out, and he sees through me like a looking glass. He comforts me, and makes me feel better about my abilities as a member of society.' I blush a little bit, thinking back. 'Then, on our way to see Princess Celestia, he gets attacked by the guards. During the fight, he stays on the defensive side the entire time, and finds a non-lethal way to stop the fight. Celestia grants him citizenship, and we both end up crashing without doing anything else.' Nova starts to look in my direction. 'I'm confused - it's like I know what I'm feeling, yet I don't at the same time. I feel safe around him, like nothing can hurt me, but it also feels like he could shatter my soul at any given time, and it's frightening.' Nova then opens his mouth to speak. His voice is so comforting, soothing, like a lullaby almost. "Lyra, you ok? Something on your mind?" He gives me some odd look, which means I'm probably blushing again. Confound you, complicated emotions and subconscious, you drive me to question myself and get lost in my thoughts! "I'm sorry Nova, I'm just very confused right now. I can't make sense of my own thoughts and feelings right now." Nova just sits there for a moment, thinking, probably about what I said, as well as his reply. 'Heh, he looks kinda cute when he stares off into space thinking like that.' "Well, when you put it like that, I can't help but agree to give you some time to sort out your mind. Just remember though, I'm here for you, so if you need to talk to somepony about anything that's bugging you, you can come see me. I'm always glad to help a friend out." 'He smiles as he's saying this; I melt away by looking at it, it makes me feel like I'm the most important thing to him... what is going on with my mind?' Thankfully though, our conversation was interrupted by the waiter coming back with both of our drinks. When the waiter gives Nova his drink, he eyes it for a few seconds, before hesitantly taking the straw into his mouth and taking a sip. Just as soon as he tastes the drink, he seems to brighten up, eyes wide and legs becoming restless. 'Maybe he isn't used to coffee...?' "Nova, are you alright?" "Am I alright? Of course I'm alright, why wouldn't I be? Damn, this coffee is way stronger than stuff back home. Not even energy drinks come close to the amount of caffeine in this thing. If there was the same amount of caffeine in drinks back home as the drinks here, people would be having heart attacks left right and center!" The sight of him being this hyper over a few sips of his drink is both funny and weird at the same time. "You seem new to caffeine, at least that's what I think, judging by your reaction to it." "Actually, I have had caffeine before. As I've already stated, caffeine here must be at least five times as strong here than the stuff back home. Remind me to get something with a little less next time. I feel like Pinkie Pie on a sugar rush." "Well, it doesn't help when you asked for a double shot of espresso in your drink, as well as caramel. The caramel has loads of sugar, because it's just melted sugar basically, and espresso is around three times as strong as coffee. I'm surprised you haven't started convulsing, seeing as how your tolerance for caffeine is lower than the norm." "Trust me, I'm just as surprised as you are. On a side note, I think I shall keep this, I could use some in the mornings." He takes a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself a little bit, as he's been a little shaky from the whole ordeal. "Well, now that that's over with, I think we can now carry an intelligible conversation again. How would you like to teach me to use magic?" "Wait a second, didn't you come home with a few books on that last night?" "Yeah, I did, but then I realized something." "Oh, what's that?" "It seems that the books are for those that cannot find their ability to use magic. So really, they aren't needed, unless I try to do some really complicated spell." "You do drive a good point. So, got a place in mind where we can get started?" "I think I saw a nice open field near Sweet Apple Acres. Might be worth a shot to go check it out." "Sounds like a plan then." Nova, Ponyville We are on our way to the cafe, and the atmosphere around us is just crushing, the silence is deadly. After a couple minutes of walking, I notice that Lyra is starting to sway closer to me, but then she notices what she's doing and repeatedly moves away, only for her to subconsciously move closer again. It's just so funny, seeing her do that. A minute or so later, I start to feel a little sorry for her, so I decide to take some of the weight off of the both of us. "If you want me to put my arm around you, all you have to do is ask, silly." I smile and look down at Lyra, who is now starting to blush. Nonetheless, she moves closer, by her own will this time, and I put my arm around her back. I can feel her relax a little bit as I do so. 'She's kind of adorable when she's not worrying about every little thing.' It was another few minutes until we reached our destination, a quaint little cafe, by the name of 'SkyBucks.' 'Seriously, I'm not even going to try and question it. There's one unwritten rule among those that believe inter-dimensional travel is possible: Never, ever, EVER, question universal constants. It never works out. Your mind will shatter into a thousand little pieces trying to figure it out.' I take my arm off of Lyra, to signal a waiter over to where we were sitting. Lyra orders her drink first. "I'll have an espresso." Heh, I guess she still needs to wake up a little. The waiter then turns to me. "Hmm, how bout a medium caramel latte with cream and a double shot of espresso." The waiter starts to look uncomfortable. "I'm sorry, but we don't have what you speak of, though if you give us a recipe we'd be happy to make it for you." "Alright, I'll get on that right now then." I ask for a piece of paper and something to write with. The waiter comes back with the manager, and eagerly awaits for me to write down how to make my favorite drink in the world. Next to Mountain Dew, that is. When I finish writing everything down and give it to the waiter, I notice that Lyra has a shocked expression on her face as she looked at the paper I gave them. 'Heh, she must have seen my writing. True, I used my soul to write it down so they could understand it, but it's not really cheating if one doesn't even know where to begin when using their alphabet.' While waiting for the staff to make the drink that I ordered, I notice that Lyra is starting to look a little nervous. She starts to stare off into space while looking down at her hooves, which are currently resting on the seat she is sitting on. I can't help but ask if she's alright. "Lyra, you ok? Something on your mind?" There is silence for a couple seconds, and when she looks up at me, her face starts to turn red. 'D'aaawww, she's blushing again. So, freaking, adorable.' "I'm sorry Nova, I'm just very confused right now. I can't make sense of my own thoughts and feelings right now." My mind just stops right there as I hear this. 'Wait a second, I know that line. No, there's got to be another explanation other than what is coming to mind right now. Though, judging by her blushing and seeming to gaze in that way at me, it couldn't be more obvious. Thing is, I don't even know if I like her in that way. Ugh, I'm gonna have to take some time away from all of this, to just sit down and think. Good thing I have my iPod still.' "Well, when you put it like that, I can't help but agree to give you some time to sort out your mind. Just remember though, I'm here for you, so if you need to talk to somepony about anything that's bugging you, you can come see me. I'm always glad to help a friend out." 'Wait for it, aaaaaaand, there she goes again, having that "I'm on cloud 9" look, and then quickly going over to "why am I thinking this?" Lyra, you simply do not know how easy you are to read. You're like a book, with huge bold lettering in all canterlocks.' The conversation is interrupted by the waiter coming back with our drinks. 'Oh yay, my latte. Hope it tastes as good as it looks.' Still, I can't help but eye it for a few seconds, before taking a sip. As soon as I do though, I am hit with more energy than Pinkie Pie on a sugar rush. Lyra nervously turns towards me. "Nova, are you alright?" The look on her face as she asks this is just priceless, though that isn't really the priority right about now... "Am I alright? Of course I'm alright, why wouldn't I be? Damn, this coffee is way stronger than stuff back home. Not even energy drinks come close to the amount of caffeine in this thing. If there was the same amount of caffeine in drinks back home as the drinks here, people would be having heart attacks left right and center!" "You seem new to caffeine, at least that's what I think, judging by your reaction to it." "Actually, I have had caffeine before. As I've already stated, caffeine here must be at least five times as strong here than the stuff back home. Remind me to get something with a little less next time. I feel like Pinkie Pie on a sugar rush." "Well, it doesn't help when you asked for a double shot of espresso in your drink, as well as caramel. The caramel has loads of sugar, because it's just melted sugar basically, and espresso is around three times as strong as coffee. I'm surprised you haven't started convulsing, seeing as how your tolerance for caffeine is lower than the norm." 'Yeah, thanks for the lecture, mom.' "Trust me, I'm just as surprised as you are. On a side note, I think I shall keep this, I could use some in the mornings." I take a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm myself a little bit. 'Man, that was like drinking five double size Rock Star drinks in one hour. There's no way in hell that I can finish that in a week, let alone in one sitting.' "Well, now that that's over with, I think we can now carry an intelligible conversation again. How would you like to teach me to use magic?" "Wait a second, didn't you come home with a few books on that last night?" "Yeah, I did, but then I realized something." "Oh, what's that?" "It seems that the books are for those that cannot find their ability to use magic. So really, they aren't needed, unless I try to do some really complicated spell." "You do drive a good point. So, got a place in mind where we can get started?" "I think I saw a nice open field near Sweet Apple Acres. Might be worth a shot to go check it out." "Sounds like a plan then." We then got up to leave, Lyra paid the bill, and I just look at her with a face that says 'Sorry, I would have contributed if I had any money to my name.' She seems to pick up on this, and throws a reply at me. "Don't worry about it. Consider this as a thank you for all that you've helped me through so far." She then promptly nuzzles her head into my side. 'So, freaking, cute.' The streets of Ponyville are now busy with everypony going about their day, as well as all of the vendors in the market square trying to sell their various items. The fact that we walk straight through the square without anypony making a scene out of it, truly surprises me. The walk over to the field near Applejack's place is a peaceful, yet hauntingly silent one, as we're both trapped within our own thoughts, unable to come up with anything to talk about while on the way there. Nova, Random Open Field Lyra and I both look around the grassy plains of the wide open space. Not a single pony in sight. 'This is perfect for learning to use magic.' I turn to Lyra, and decide to break the silence that had decided to park itself over top of us as soon as we left the cafe. "So, where do we begin?" Lyra looks at me for a second, with an odd face that can only be read as 'Are you kidding me?' only to remember that I haven't used magic before, at least not willingly anyway. "Well Nova, as lame is this might sound, it is best you sit down, and concentrate. Close your eyes, and clear your mind." I do as instructed; clearing away any and all thoughts, making my mind a blank expanse for me to delve further into. "Now, you said something about feeling a surge of power when you got here to Princess Celestia; Concentrate on that feeling, try and find it within yourself. You will know when you find it." At first I didn't know if it would work, but I just squashed the pessimistic thought and kept searching within myself. A few moments later, I started to feel something within my chest. This feeling is too familiar to ignore - it is the same thing that I had felt as I arrived here not too long ago, and it is the same thing that flared up when I accidentally triggered a spell to sift through Lyra's memories and dig out exactly what happened at the club that one night with Rainbow Dash, as well as the last fight with Bon Bon. As soon as I had found it, I held onto that feeling, and then opened my eyes. "Good. Now, we are going to start with the -" "Sorry to interrupt, but I have an idea of what you are going to say next." This causes Lyra to look a little confused, but sighed and signaled for me to keep going with my thought. "What is it that's so important you had to interrupt me?" 'Oh noes! Lyra's gone out of character! Quick, everypony, run for the hills! It's the end of the world!' "What you're going to say next, is that magic is controlled by one's will. If you were to concentrate, and picture an apple floating, your magic would make it so." Lyra's jaw dropped, and stayed on the floor for a couple of minutes before she picked it up again. "Actually, you're not too far off. Yes, magic is based off of will, but it isn't as simple as that. You have to feel the energy within you, doing as you wish it to. Think of your magic as extra appendages, if you will. An extension of your being." 'Actually, that makes a lot of sense.' After a second or two, she speaks again. "Now that you've grasped the very basic principles of magic and using it, I think it's time we put your abilities to the test. Wait here, while I go grab a couple of apples off of a tree." With that being said, Lyra speeds off towards Sweet Apple Acres, to do exactly as she said she would - grab a couple of apples. 'Heh, I doubt she's even going to pay for them. Meh, they have enough apples to not notice two or three going missing. Plus, it seems that they grow every day, instead of every year. Damn, I feel sorry for you Applejack.' Not ten minutes later, Lyra came back with not two, but five apples. 'She really expects me to be able to levitate all of these at once on the first day?' "Alright Nova, remember what I said; your magic is an extension of your own being, an appendage that originates from your soul. Clear your mind, and feel your magic pick up one of the apples." I nod as she is saying this. Lyra then puts an apple right in front of me, moves back a little, sits down, and patiently waits for me to do something. I try to do as instructed. At first, nothing happens... then I realize why: I'm trying too hard, as if I'm trying to make it float. 'Damn it Nova, you're doing it wrong. Try again, this time with a different approach.' I inwardly sigh, and try again. I look for the magic within myself; it doesn't take long for me to find it. Then, I try to get a feel for it, exploring the different things that could be possible while using it. After a moment, I return to the matter at hand - the apple that sits right in front of me. This time, I do things differently; I feel my magic, and extend it towards the apple, as if it is an invisible arm, reaching out towards the object. Once I feel that it is within its grasp, I can feel my magic lifting the apple into the air. I open my eyes to see said object floating at around eye level, mere inches away from my face. The look on Lyra's face isn't one of surprise, but of satisfaction. She gets up and walks over to me, with a small smile on her face. "Well, I see that you are a fast learner. You've done well for your first try; it took most foals at magic school almost two days to simply grasp the concept that I have told you, let alone levitating an object. Heck, they start us off with feathers, and even then some ponies couldn't get it on their first try." 'Seems that she's one of those ponies that managed to pick up the teachings rather quickly.' "Alright, now that you have demonstrated your ability to levitate one apple, how about we move on to making it fly around." "In all honesty, i thought you were going to suggest that I try levitating more apples simultaneously, to get a feel for my concentration levels." "Well, I was actually, but I figured that we should move on from basic levitating for now. Plus, if we get through some of the other spells, that would allow you to control your abilities a little better, so you could practice whenever you want later on without needing another magic user present, in case something were to go wrong." 'Well, as insulting as it is, I can't really argue with that logic.' "Eh, can't really argue there. Ok, let's try it then." Thinking back to what Lyra has just taught me, I close my eyes, and think to myself, 'now that I can levitate the apple, let's try to figure out how to move it around in the air. Alright, my magic is an extension of my own being, and as such, I am able to levitate things. Seeing my magic as an extra arm, or multiple arms, let's try moving the apple around in circles.' I will my magic to move the apple around in circles, and I can feel it doing so. Opening my eyes once again, I see that I am in fact, moving the apple around. "Alright, now to try some different maneuvers. 'How bout some loops?' Two seconds later, the apple was doing McTwists so fast that even Rainbow Dash might get jealous. 'Barrel roll?' Star Fox would have to pick up his jaw, 'nuff said. Lyra looked on with amazement, which clearly shows that I pass any and all expectations. "It's pretty damn easy once you get the hang of it." Lyra reaches down to the ground and promptly picks up her unhinged jaw. "I knew you would be good, but I didn't think that you would pick it up so fast. I don't think we even need to see if you can levitate more than one object at a time, it's pretty obvious you could if you wanted to." Damn right, though now I feel like a... what's the term? Gary Stu? Anyway, I feel slightly overpowered... then again, Celestia herself said that my magic 'is pretty powerful' or whatever. "Hey Lyra, how about we head back home? I got something I want to show you." "Sure, what is it?" "Well, you know all of those cases that are in the room I currently inhabit?" "Yeah. Those things were heavy, I could barely lift them even with my magic. What's in them?" "Before I came here, I was on my way to another city for a summer job." "But it's spring, how could you be on your way for a summer job if it's spring?" "Because time flows differently in every universe." "Makes sense, but I still don't understand how. Oh well." "Anyway, I was on my way to another city for a summer job. I was going to be filling in as a temporary DJ at a night club that's really up there on the list of hard places to get into. You have to either know someone that works there, have lots of money to throw around, or someone famous. Average people had no place there, and I was offered a job to do their music for three months." The look on Lyra's face as I told her this: priceless. Jaw, meet ground. Now the two of you play nice. "You're into mixing music and all that? No wonder your cases were so big and heavy." "So, would you like to hear some music from my world?" If one could take a smile and contrast it to electrical energy, Lyra's face would have lit up Osaka in its entirety. For five years straight. 'Nuff said. "Oh Celestia, I would LOVE TO!" Lyra jumps up and down with the excitement of a kid in a candy store that just got handed $1,000. "Alright, calm down, let's head back, and then I can show you some awesomeness." We both chuckle at this. With that said, we both make our way back to her loft near the edge of Ponyville, with her showing almost as much excitement as Pinkie Pie when she has a party to throw for a newcomer to the town.
Magic, Magic EverywhereNova, Ponyville Lyra kept bouncing around me in circles as we walked back to her place, almost as excited as Pinkie when she finds someone that's new to Ponyville. You'd swear that she's taking lessons from the pink incarnation of happiness. "So, what kind of genres of music do you listen to?" "A little bit of everything, though I tend to lean in favor of house and trance music." Her face lit up even more, if that was even possible. It's somewhat amusing how she reacts to the fact that I like the same music as Vinyl. "OH! You like the same kind of music that Vinyl plays? Awesome!" Seriously, I'm finding that almost everything she does is adorable, including her excited little antics that make her almost an expy of Pinkie Pie. It' kind of funny, how we're walking back to her place, and the entire time she's bouncing around me like the pink blur everyone knows and loves, yet nopony stops what they're doing to take a look at what's going on. It's sort of unnerving how they're already used to me so soon after one of Pinkie's parties; it doesn't feel natural. Then again, I am somewhere new, so it shouldn't surprise me that I can't make sense of everything at the moment.' I don't get to be alone with my thoughts for long, because Lyra decided she has to interrupt them every once in a while with questions, either about me, what I do, family, etc etc. "So, what did you do for a living before you got here?" "To be honest Lyra, you wouldn't understand even if I told you," her ears fold back to her head, "but if you used a memory spell, then you will know everything about it and understand it as well." The excitement just leaped back into her, and she began jumping around again, and then she walks in front of me, and sits on her haunches. "First, I'll use a memory spell to teach you the memory spell," wow; 'Yo dawg, I heard you like memory spells, so we got you a memory spell so you can learn memory spells, so you can use memory spells while learning memory spells while using memory spells while learning memory spells while using memory spells... MEM-CEPTION!' "so you can then use it on me to teach me about what your job is." "Sounds like a good idea. Whenever you're ready, Lyra." I close my eyes, and I can feel her bringing her head closer to mine, as well as sense the magic that she is using for the spell. Soon enough, she touches her horn to my forehead, and something happens; something that can barely be described with words. It's like I'm living through her learning the memory spell, but at breakneck speed. I suddenly know exactly how to perform said spell, and show specific memories. A few seconds later, she pulls her head back, and I open my eyes. "Whoa, that, was weird. It's like being put in your hooves, and learning first hand the spell just as how you did." "That's essentially what the memory spell does, it gives the being which it is performed on, the same memories. There's a longer explanation that's in one of the spell books we read in magic school, but the only pony to fully understand everything it says would be the town's resident librarian," she raises her voice a couple of decibels, and I take up this as a signal to say in unison with her, "Twilight Sparkle." A few chuckles came not only from us, but also a couple of unicorns passing by. 'Well, looks like I'll be able to fit in quite nicely; some ponies can even make a joke, which certainly lightens the mood of me being stuck here drastically.' "Now, my dear," this earns me a blush from Lyra, "I have come up with a better solution than just showing you my job." "Oh, really?" Hope seemed present in her eyes, shining brightly in the afternoon light. "Yeah, I'm not only going to show you my job, but my school life as well. Pretty much everything about my life from the age of 14 onwards." This elicits a gigantic smile from Lyra, as she started jumping up and down. Too bad I have to interrupt her fun. "The only thing is, if I were to show you, it would have to be at your home, because there will no doubt be questions; some that I do not think I would want to answer in public." She stopped jumping at the height of one, but then fell back down on all four hooves. 'Heh, so she hasn't been taking lessons from Pinkie after all.' The smile however, was still there. "Alright, I guess we head back then!" Excitement was an understatement when it comes to describing how Lyra was feeling. The rest of the walk back towards home was short, to say the least, because the both of us couldn't wait to get back. Nova, home As we enter the small house, I make a bee line towards the chesterfield, and Lyra does the same, sitting beside me; I notice something different though, she's sitting closer to me than she had before. 'Hm, makes one think she's already made up her mind... nah, I'll give it more time, I shouldn't push things right now.' "So Lyra, you ready?" The smile she gives me is so huge, it reminds me of that face she made during the Winter Wrap Up episode, the infamous face that was made into the meme 'I found pills, AND ATE THEM!' "You bet!" "Ok, let's begin then." I charge up the energy needed for the spell, and recall everything from my past, starting with me entering high school, and just let her see everything. I figure, why lie to her by extension of not telling her? As soon as the memories are done being played in her mind, she starts looking at me in this weird way; I can't really describe it. With this in mind, I speak first. "So, Lyra, about what you saw, about you and Ponyville..." I trail off, not really knowing what to say. The silence in the room brings in tension that is so thick, someone wouldn't even be able to cut it with a knife. After several excruciating seconds that felt like hours, Lyra decided to speak up. I brace myself for the worst. "So, we're a work of fiction in your world? Is that how you're able to easily accept the fact that you're here, because you think you're dreaming?" Anger is now apparent on Lyra's face, as she burns a hole into me with her golden eyes that were once so beautiful, but now deadly weapons that could almost stare right into one's soul. Quickly remembering that paper I wrote for extra credit in physics in 10th grade, I come up with my response, which is entirely true. "Lyra, the reason that I am able to easily adapt and accept things here, is not because I think that I am dreaming, but because of the fact that I had always thought this place existed in one universe or another. I knew that this world existed somewhere, or at some time or another. I love this place, it's just so serene, so calm; nothing like the world that I left behind, but the world isn't what matters at the moment, it's the one pony that I'm sitting next to right this second. I would do anything for you, no matter the cost. I would protect you from anything, and if you were to read my thoughts and emotions, they would be saying the exact same thing. I've grown to like you for who you are, not just some background pony that sits on the benches weird." Hearing this, she calms down a little, but is still a little unnerved by the fact that many people would just as soon assume that they were dreaming if they came to this beautiful world. I take this time to go run into the room with all of my equipment and stuff, to fish out something that I thought would never get used in the city that I was originally heading to: my acoustic guitar. It's just your average run of the mill cheapo acoustic, but hey, whatever works dude. Lyra sees the guitar, and immediately becomes interested. "So, Nova, you going to try and make it up to me with a love song?" I give her a little smirk, and then a reply. "Sure, why not." I snicker for a couple of seconds, yet Lyra does not seem amused. 'I hope this song works.' Before beginning to play, I check to make sure that the thing is still in tune, which to my surprise, it's not only in tune, it's perfect. 'So awesome!' "Alright Lyra, you may already know this song from my memories, but I still think that it is a good one nonetheless. Here goes nothing." After that, I start playing one of the best songs made for acoustic guitar ever; Ichiban no Takaramono. At first, everything seems fine, but 12 seconds into the opening of the song, I start to feel a magical buildup. Taking this in stride, I keep playing anyways, not knowing what is going to happen; three seconds later, I hear the all too familiar voice singing the song. The look on Lyra's face is of pure amazement; I keep playing, and look to my side, and who is standing to my right but Masami Iwasawa, singing the lyrics. Despite the shock that my mind suffers, I manage to play through the song. Halfway through, Lyra begins to tear up; 'D'aaaaaaawwwwwww, so cute.' When nearing the end, it turns out that Masami has let me play lead and chorus, which is a little surprising to me. As soon as the song ends, I put down my guitar on the coffee table, the spectral image dissapears, and Lyra literally jumps up into my arms, burying her face into my neck. "I'm sorry Nova, for doubting you and for getting angry at something so silly." "It's no problem Lyra, I sort of thought it would happen, but I wanted to be able to tell you everything about me from that point on, because if I hadn't I would've felt that I was lying to you for hiding something like that from you. I don't blame you for being angry like that, I would have probably been just as angry if I found out that the world some random being had a fictional view of my world. The point here, is that I don't see you, or any of the other beings in this world as fictional characters, I believed what I saw as real as soon as I understood where I was. There's an unwritten rule between those that believe that inter-dimensional travel is possible, and that is 'do not doubt anything, as every world's perception as real differs between others.' I know, it's a little weird, but it basically means that one should not doubt the situation that they are in, no matter what. As for the song that I played," I am interrupted by Lyra, using magic to close my mouth. "I know, you like me; the way you played the song conveyed your thoughts and emtions to me better than any heartfelt poem could. To be honest, after our trip to SkyBucks, I was starting to think of ways that I could tell you something..." She trails off, and then releases me from the zipper spell. As soon as she does, I can't help but have a smile plastered on my face. "Oh? And what might that be?" I ask her this, though not with the usual sarcastic tone that most people use with said question. Lyra looks around with her eyes for a second and starts studdering, clearly showing she's still nervous even though I've pretty much already told her how I feel. "I - I... um... I like you, Nova; not just as a friend though, but something more. You're there for me in times of need, and you don't abandon what few friends you have. You're kind, caring and sweet, despite what hardships you've been through. Although you're not a pony, the meaning is still the same; would you be my coltfriend?" Honestly Lyra, who wouldn't say yes to that? "Lyra, I would love nothing more than to be your coltfriend, I just have this to say though: I would like to take things slow, instead of just jumping right into the bed and doing the naughty hug. I want to take the time to get to know you and let you know me better as time goes on. I'm the kind of person to stop and smell the roses, and quite frankly, I think you are one of the most stunning flowers to have bloomed in the path that is my life." Then, just like the few times before, I kneel down and wrap her in a hug, her forehooves moving up and around my neck, and she's nuzzling me. "Aw, see what I mean, you're sweet. To be honest, I wouldn't want anypony else to be with, just you." I then back away from the hug, earning me a look that says 'Awww, don't leave me forever.' "So my lovely flower, is there any genre of music that you like specifically?" Lyra stands in front of me as she contemplates this for a few seconds. 'Aww, even her thinking face is cute.' "I listen to pretty much anything really, but I have a soft spot for both classical as well as anything modern, such as house, trance and what not." Just after hearing this, I get an idea. "Lyra, I'll be right back, I'm just gonna go grab some stuff." "Alright." I run into the room that I am staying in, grab all of my tables, four speakers, and my laptop. I use my magic to levitate them so it's a lot easier to bring them into the other room. Lyra's face upon seeing the equipment: Pinkie Pie on a sugar rush with caffeine. "Calm down Lyra, I haven't even gotten anything set up yet." "I know, but I'm just really excited, it's like I'm getting my own private concert." I stand there with my equipment levitating, deep in thought. 'So, how am I going to get this all set up so I can perform? I don't see any tables for me to use while standing, and I don't like to sit while doing so. Well, I could just levitate the stuff wile performing. Alright, let's give it a shot.' Getting the laptop started up was understandably the easiest part, though what struck me as odd was the fact that it said it was constantly on AC power, but it's unplugged. 'Heh, guess it's the ambient magic that's giving everything electronic a charge. Guess I won't have to plug anything into an outlet, which is awesome because I don't have to worry about blowing a fuse anymore. Yay.' I levitate the different pads in a semicircle around where I am going to do my music, putting the laptop in the center. Next, I place the speakers around the common room, with the subwoofer right under the laptop and sitting right in front of me. The last thing to do is wiring everything together - this is made tons easier with the help of magic. In a couple of minutes, I am satisfied with how I have set everything up, and I now get ready to start playing some music. "So Lyra, you said that you tend to lean towards the kind of music that Vinyl plays, right?" "Yeah, that's right." A confused look dons her face. 'damn, all of her expressions are just so cute, it's unnerving.' "So you wouldn't mind having a mini party in here?" She lights up at this statement. "Make it awesome!" "Oh you have no idea what I have planned." I then start up the pads and get into my various programs, getting ready to play some music. Track Begin: Space Junk 0:01 Lyra just instantly begins bobbing her head to the drum beat, clearly enjoying the song; as soon as the little squeaks come on, she stops for a moment, but then resumes bobbing her head, taking it in stride. 0:28 Just when she thinks that the song was starting to get bland, the 'rave call', as I have named it, starts, and Lyra then starts loosening up, starting to move around more; you'd swear she's been to a rave... Yeahyeahyeahyeah yeahyeahyeahyeah yeahyeahyahyeah Space Junk! The bass then kicks in, and the overall feel of the song changes, as some more sounds are thrown in. And as soon as it's started, it fades out. Lyra looks sad for a second, as she thinks that the song has ended, but then her expression brightens considerably when it turns out the song hasn't finished. 2:35 The song starts up again suddenly, and Lyra starts swaying back and forth, just taking in the song as it builds up, but then starts flailing just after the 'Space Junk' line, and goes even crazier when the rave call plays again. The both of us are partying it up and don't realize that a white unicorn has entered the house, and is heading towards the speakers. She then sits almost directly in front of the subwoofer, and starts nodding her head to the music. Soon the song ends, and then I hear the one voice that brings me extreme joy - Vinyl Scratch. End Track "So, you're a DJ?" I take a look around, and glance at Lyra, who appears to be looking at something in the room, with eyes that say she's just met her idol. I follow her stare, and to my utter disbelief, the one and only Vinyl Scratch is sitting right in front of my subwoofer. It takes a few seconds for me to reply. "Yeah, I do a bit of DJ-ing. So, what brings you to this place?" "The music that was playing, though I should say that it was specifically this weird feeling that I got. My horn just started glowing, and then I heard this noise; it sounded like a call of some sort, saying 'come to the awesome.'" "Oh, would it happen to be this?" I ask her this, and then immediately play the 'rave call.' "That's it!" "That's a part of the song that I really love, it just screams 'party.' Here, why don't I hit play and let you listen to the awesome for a bit, just don't hurt yourself when flailing around like a madpony." Lyra blushes at this comment. I fish around my music folder on my laptop, and then just hit play on Space Junk, and walk across the room and sit down on the chesterfield, Lyra does the same while Vinyl just sits right in front of the speakers, and enjoys the music. A few seconds later, Lyra decides to speak. "So, were you just playing the music and pretending to be awesome, or do you use sound samples?" 'Really? Since when am I not awesome?' "Sound samples. I actually spent about half a year stripping songs down to every single tiny little detail, and created an enormous sound bank of almost every awesome song there ever was. Currently, my laptop has a storage capacity of about 100 Terrabytes... with around 2 or so being just the sound samples." Lyra's jaw didn't drop this time, though if her pupils were any smaller, one would think that she looked at the sun all day long. Also, that shocked expression was priceless. "Yes, I know, extremely huge amount of samples, which is probably not really necessary, but I like to do remixes every now and then; plus it makes it easier to fade between tracks when playing." When the song ended, Vinyl came over to the chesterfield that we were sitting, and sandwiched herself between me and Lyra. Said pony did not look amused, but I took it in Excel. 'Sorry Stride, not today.' "Nova, I'm going to be completely straight with you," 'Oh boy, here it goes, the all to familiar "resident [insert awesome job here] doesn't like competition. Just shoot me.' "your music would be well received here." I did a spit take. Wait, when was I drinking water? Oh well. "Wait, what? Ok, know what, I'm just gonna let you get to the point first." "As I was saying, the music from wherever you come from would be well received. I've seen other ponies that try to be DJ's and have failed miserably when trying to either make music or come up with mixes, though some have merit. What I'm getting at, is that you are a cut above the rest. I already figured that you haven't found your own style yet, but as it stands, your skills are almost second to none here. How bout a partnership?" They say it takes a lot of muscles to smile, a lot more to frown, but almost none to just sit there with a stupid look on your face... guess which look I've got on my face... Lyra breaks me out of my stupor, with more hyperactivity than Pinkie, which says a lot. "OHMYGOSHNOVATAKEITAKEITTAKEIT!" I sit there staring blankly for a few more seconds, and then come out of my mini-shock. "Vinyl, looks like you've got yourself a partnership; though before it officially starts, what are the conditions, like employment wise?" Just after I finished my question, Vinyl took off her shades... 'Oh my Celestia, the fandom was right, her eyes were red, but even still, they looked even more stunning in real life than on screen. I could just stare into them for an eternity...' Two things happened right about then, Lyra decided it time to deck me one in the arm, and Vinyl laughed, though I think she started laughing before I got punched. Not that I didn't deserve it. "I work for myself, as in I'm not tied to a contract from any record label. I like my freedom thank you very much." All three of us share a laugh for a moment. "Alright, looks like I gotta get going, 'Tavi's waiting back at my place, we have an album to finish, expect it out by next month! Later you two." With that, Vinyl walks out the door, and leaves the both of us to sit and think about what just happened. Lyra, home 'Ok then, today has been somewhat exhausting; Nova manages to grasp magic in a snap, he gets reeeeeally hyper off of a latte, and he confesses his feelings to me via song, through the way he played it. Not only that, but he plays music on tables with such epic skill that Vinyl's magic reacts to it and he ends up in a partnership with her. This is honestly the most awesome time that I've had since, since, oh who am I kidding... I still miss Bon Bon, but even so, she didn't have to be such a pain in the flank. Who knew that she would end up being corralled into joining EPA...' I must have been sighing or making a depressed face, because Nova' now he's looking at me with that 'What's wrong?' face. "Something on your mind?" He asks me this and then starts running his hand through my mane, gently massaging my head with his fingers, and oh Celestia does it feel good. I melt. "Nothing really, just thinking back on how the problems started is all." Please don't use a cheesy reply that's been overused. "Oh? Would you be comfortable with sharing them?" Just after he says this, Nova gets this look on his face that can only be described as such: love, concern, and worry. 'Ohhh, how can I say no to him?' "Oh alright. At one point, Bon Bon had been confronted by a very crude group of earth ponies, calling themselves the Equestrian Pony Alliance. They were spreading word around the country that the only beings that should inhabit Equestria are ponies - nothing else. I've had a few run-ins with them, they're nothing to me, but Bon Bon thought otherwise; she stuck around to hear what they had to say about the other races that were staying here in Ponyville and Canterlot. I'll never know if they used a persuasion spell on her first, or whether it was just words from 'the wise' that were corrupting her mind, but I do know that I won't be able to get back the time we lost as a result of our fighting ever since they showed up." Nova's emotions get the better of him, and his face shows something that one would never find in this country: pure raging anger. "Nova, Jason, calm down, please. Nothing good comes from trying to do something about a situation while bathing in anger and blood lust." I quickly move close to him and wrap my forelegs around him, nuzzling my cheek against his; a few seconds later he seems to have calmed down. "Sorry, it's just that, what they're doing isn't right." He stops, as if something had just struck him, and then continues. "Wait, if there's a group like that here, why haven't I heard of them until now, and why haven't I become a victim of their shenanigans?" "That's because the main group of them are off 'spreading the word' in other cities right now. Rumor has it they're coming back next week." "Oh fun." His reply is just dripping with sarcasm. "Anyway, something's just crossed my mind." "What would that be?" "I've borrowed all those spell books, and I have yet to read 'em." "Well, there's nothing really going on today, so I guess today would be a good time to read them." "Guess that would be a good idea. I'll be in my room then, see you in a bit." "Later, Nova." Nova then got up off the chesterfield and walked towards his room to study. Nova, home Here I sit, in my room with about 6 books on magic spells and such, spread in a circle around me, I'm quite obviously sitting in the middle of it all. "All right, how am I going to learn all of this? The only spell I know is the mem...ory... spell - wait, I could probably work with that." I sit there for a bit, pondering how I could use the memory spell to my advantage for learning a bunch of spells from a number of books at once, and then I come to a realization. 'Maybe if I tweak it a little...' I then close my eyes, and use my magic to imagine a screen in front of me, with which I can mess with different combinations of things to create different spell effects. To my surprise, it actually works, and I can really see it. 'Alright, now let's see what I can do with this... AHA!' Turns out I can also fiddle with the understanding of how the spell works. Sweet. "Let the awesome begin." The spell itself is basically linking two minds together, and sharing a memory of whatever it is that the caster chooses, or seeing the other pony's, or person's, memories. Now, what I could do with this, is take the mind linkage, and change it so my mind is connected with the books. In the spell books, are diagrams that explain how the spell works magically; thing is, the diagrams themselves contain a magical energy, unbeknownst to most readers nowadays. What I am going to do, is change the spell so that when I link with the books, my mind takes in the meaning of the diagrams via their magical energy, and instantly have the knowledge of those spells enter my mind. "Worth a shot, now to cast it." I close my eyes, and begin to charge up the magic needed in order to use the spell, which isn't a lot, and then begin the process. All of the books sitting around me begin to glow with an orange magical aura, and levitate a couple feet off the floor; the knowledge stored inside of these books enters me all at once, and my mind begins to process all of this new information. The whole process takes about ten minutes, and when it's done, the books drop back onto the floor, resounding with a slight "thud." A sweet voice calls from another room in the house. "Nova, are you ok?" I can't help using this as my answer, "Eeeyup." "Alright, just checking." 'So, now to sort through it all and check what I have...' Once again closing my eyes, I sift through all of the newly gained spells. 'Cloning illusion spell, telepathy, teleportation - oh that'll come in handy, walking on clouds, sparking fires, transfiguration, creating temporary magical familiars, aura projection, and last but not least, the most dangerous spell that I think Twilight never intended on giving me, bodily alterations.' 'Some of these are going to come in handy. Well, now that I know all of the spells from those books, I guess I could use a walk,' I step out of my room, and see that Lyra is sitting on the chesterfield, surfing the internet with my laptop. I turn to her and shoot her a warning. "Be careful when on the internet. No going on sites that I normally wouldn't go on; that means no 4chan, 7chan. Especially not 7chan. Don't ask, you know why. Anyway, I'm going to to go take a walk after returning the books." Before going back to the room, I step over to Lyra, and erase her knowledge of seeing any of the content from said websites, and others, so as to not corrupt her mind. I then walk back to my room, gather the books, and return to the common room, only to teleport from right in front of Lyra, who probably now has a stunned look on her face, to the library. Nova, Ponyville Library I take a minute to check over myself as soon as I get there. 'Ok, I'm in one piece, no scorch marks anywhere, still got everything where it should be, perfect. Now to see if anypony's here.' "Hello? Anypony here?" As I call out, I don't really expect an answer, though I end up getting one anyway. "Oh, I didn't know that somepony came in. I'll be down in a second." That voice, that mannerism, it can only be Twilight Sparkle. I then hear some hoofsteps around the various rooms upstairs for a minute, and then she makes her way to the stairs. 'Hmm, cleaning, or putting away personal books after studying.' "Ah, Nova, I wasn't expecting you to be the one visiting. So, what can I do for you?" She's about to get a shocker. "Actually Twilight, I'm here to return the books I borrowed from you a bit ago." Aaaaaaaaand, queue the shocked look. "How? True, I did give you the beginner books," She spots the book on alterations, and gets another shocked look on her face, "how did that get in there? That book has some pretty advanced spells, not even I can pull all of them off. The only one I learned was how to make temporary wings, I couldn't learn anything else from it, because I couldn't grasp an understanding of the spell." "Well, not only have I learned all the spells from the beginner books, I also learned the alteration spells." "Again, how is that possible? You're completely new to magic, at least I would think so." "I may be new to magic, but I am pretty good with understanding obscure theories and formulas. Figuring out how spells work and tinkering with them to make new ones isn't that far of a leap." "Ok, how did you learn all of those spells so fast? They take a good week for even a gifted unicorn to learn, and that's only each spell." "Lyra used a memory spell to teach me said spell. When I went to go study the books, I got an idea: explore the inner workings of the spell, tinker with it, and use it on the books to learn the spells." "That actually sounds like a pretty ingenious idea, but how would a memory spell be converted to do that, and how would it work?" Oh come on Twi, you're supposed to be the element of Magic, and yet you can't understand how I did what I did? For shame. "Well, here's how I did it: you know that the books have a magic diagram that is then broken down and explained in about 40 pages? Well, I found that those diagrams actually have a magical energy resonating from them. When I messed with the memory spell to allow me to connect with the books, I actually connected with the energy that was coming from the diagrams, and in turn took in the knowledge of the spells and how they worked." "That is nothing short of incredible. If you don't mind, may I ask you to teach me this spell? It could come in handy." Figures. "Twilight, I get that this spell may be useful, but if you were to use it on books that are too advanced, you may end up shattering your mind. For it to properly work, you must have the capacity to understand the concepts of the spell that you are learning. I don't mean to offend you when I say that, but that's just how it is. If you want me to teach you this spell, you have to promise, that you will take caution in what you use it on. Will you do that, for me?" Twilight just sits on her haunches, and begins to mull this over. 'Damn these ponies and their adorable expressions!' It takes her about five minutes to think this over. "Nova, I promise to take precaution when using this spell. I will not use it unless it is a necessity." I pat her head, and unsurprisingly, she nuzzles my hand. "That's what I like to hear. Anyways, I'm off, I don't want to keep you from whatever you were studying upstairs." She blushes a little bit. "How did you know that I was studying upstairs?" "Although it was very faint, I could hear books being slapped closed, followed by running to various locations around the room; wasn't that hard to figure out what you were doing up there." Awkward silence... "Alrighty then, I'm going to head out. Have fun with whatever project you're working on up there. Don't hurt yourself." I say the last part as I head out the door. "See you later, Nova." "Later Twi." Nova, Town Square Having no real destination in mind, I just aimlessly walk around Ponyville; at one point I end up in Town Square. Now, I have no money at the moment, so it's not like I could buy anything, but what's the harm in walking around the square anyway? My musings are cut short though as Applejack comes into view. "Hey Applejack. Thought you work the stand in Town Square, what's up?" "Nuthin, ah just need ta go over to Twi's place; fergot ta ask her ta pick up Applebloom from school." If there's one thing that I have learned from life back home, it's that one must never interrupt the nerd when they're working on something. Rarely is it a good idea. "Well, I have nothing to do today really, I would gladly pick her up from school." Applejack gets a little worried. "Are y'all sure 'bout that? She an' her friends can be a little much ta handle at times." Pffff, like I didn't know that already. "AJ, I'm sure that I can handle Apple Bloom and her friends. Sure, they're a little hyperactive and hard to deal with, but they're still young. I promise that all of us will come back in one piece." "Shake on it?" She then spits on her right hoof, and extends it towards me. "You know it." I then do the same. "Ok then, I'm off to go pick up AB and her friends, so you go back to doin' what you do best." "Thanks, y'all really are a good friend, ya know?" "No problem. Anyways, I gotta get going. See you later." It was at this point that I take a look at my iPod to check the time. It's now 3:29. "Aw, fuckberries." I may be able to teleport without losing my stomach every time, but I still don't like it. The school may be close, but there's no way that I could run the whole distance... 'Wait, there's a physical enhancement spell, maybe I can use it to my advantage.' I concentrate some energy to my legs, crouch down, and then launch myself in the direction towards the school building. How fast was I going when I launched myself? Well, let's just say that I'm lucky that nopony walked out in front of me, or else they would definitely not live to see tomorrow. After a second, the school building comes into view - not wanting to crash, I lean down and push my hands against the ground, as if doing a flip... and that's exactly what happens, I go up in the air, flip around I don't know how many times, and coincidentally land right in front of the CMC, feet first. Everypony outside of the school look towards me with wide eyes, though the silence is short lived, as Scootaloo decides she has to comment on my entrance. "THAT WAS SO COOL! Were you flying!" "Yeah, ah wanna know!" Apple Bloom "Awesome." Sweetie Belle. I chuckle at their excitement, and receive odd looks in return. "No, I wasn't flying actually. I used a spell to enhance my legs, and quite literally launched myself towards the school. I gather I was going almost as fast as Rainbow Dash. Anyways, I'm actually here to pick you girls up from school. Applejack's busy with her stall, and Twilight's workin' on something or other in her room, so I offered to come and pick you three up." Just as soon as I finish this statement, Cheerilee comes out to where we are standing. Turning towards the girls, she asks them in a tone that suggests motherly protection, "Girls, do you know this, um," she looks towards me with an apologetic look, "The word you're looking for would be 'person', miss Cheerilee." She nods, and looks back at the girls. "Right, do you know this person?" The three of them all nod at the same time. "Rainbow Dash talks about him sometimes, he seems cool." Thanks, Scoots. "Rarity's talked about him too, says that he's at least a thousand times better than Blue Blood... and she won't stop trying to design an outfit for him, she's keeping herself so busy that she barely has any time for me anymore." So, I see that Sweetie and Rarity still have that problem. Oh well. "Ah know fer a fact that Applejack likes him." 'WHAM! And there's what I was half expecting - one of the mane six taking a liking to me, though I wasn't expecting Applejack.' "Well, if your sisters like him and trust him, I guess it's ok." I ready myself for the inevitable... in 3, 2 1... "YAY!" All three of them exclaim in unison. 'Damn, that's loud.' They all then proceed to start bouncing around me and bombarding me with questions. Everything just seemed as if it would work out today... at least it did, until Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon come out of the schoolhouse. "Oh look, the weirdo is hanging out with the weirdos." They both laugh, and then in unison, "Blank flank!" There are times in life where one cannot stand to see another get bullied and harassed, this time is no exception, I never really liked it when those two bullied the three fillies in the show to begin with, so imagine when I have to hear it in person. I just about lose it. I look towards the CMC, and talk to them. "Girls, behind me, and close your eyes." I say this in a calm, yet commanding tone. Surprisingly, they all listen and stay a bit away behind me, and close their eyes, covering them with their forehooves. I turn back towards the other two in front of me, and then start charging my magic. I take a hold of my anger and disdain for those that bully other kids when they think they're better than them, and turn it into energy. I then let out an aura that could probably make even Dash huddle in a corner. The aura starts producing mystical wind, and snaps the hair tie that I was currently wearing, and my hair starts blowing in the wind. The aura is a very dark blue and red mix, intertwining. I open my mouth to speak, and as I do so, the girls start cowering, but are frozen in place. "I see that you two take pride in making those that are not like yourselves feel bad about themselves. You make fun of those that don't have their cutie marks, and belittle them as much as possible. I do not know the reason as to why you do this though. I have had just about enough of your antics, and wish for this to stop. One of these days, you will end up bullying the wrong pony, and you will be punished very harshly. I have seen it happen before, one of the ponies you bully just may be the foal of a very influential pony, and get you back for your actions. On that note, I want you two to promise that you will no longer bully Apple Bloom, her friends, or anypony else. If I hear that you have broken that promise, and gone back to bullying and belittling other ponies, I will find you, and you will not like me. Now go." I calmed myself down, and they ran. No crying, screaming, or anything. They just ran. 'I never really wanted to do that, but I guess someone had to.' I look back towards the CMC, and I find that they're all staring at me, wide-eyed and huge smiles. 'Aw great... 3, 2, 1...' And all three of them leap at me. I step aside and catch them with my magic, and then put them all down. The CMC did not look pleased... "Aw, come on, ah wanted ta give ya a hug." "Yeah!" Sweetie's voice cracked... it was even more adorable than on the show! "Oh alright, come here girls." All three of their faces light up as I kneel down, and they all jump up and cling on to me, laughing wildly. I can't help but join in, and hold them close. 'Celestia, I never thought I'd be saying this, but I love kids. Doesn't matter that they're ponies, still kids in my books, and I would do anything for them.' A few minutes later, the laughter dies down a bit, and they all scramble off of me. I stand up, and we make our way over to AJ's farm; the crusaders all run around me and tell me stories of their adventures on the way... 'Yeah, I could get used to living here...'
Surprise, SurpriseNova, Canterlot Castle, Royal Guest Bedroom I nuzzled my marefriend's cheek again, just enjoying the time we have alone together; I treasure moments like these dearly. After a few more minutes of cuddling, Lyra moved to get off of the bed; I stared at her with a feigned sad expression, though she knew it was a play, which was made obvious by her comment. "As much as I would love to stay in your arms all day and snuggle in bed, we have to let Twilight and the others know that you're ok, because I have a feeling that Celestia forgot to send a notice about it last night after I fainted." I laughed. "You're probably right there, Lyra." I went to get out of the bed, but found that I couldn't move my arms very well... I couldn't straighten out either one of them, they both locked on me. 'This could be a problem.' "Lyra, could you come back here for a second, I need a bit of help with something." "What might that be, Nova? Please don't tell me you'd like me to rub one out for you; we've just started as a couple, and even though I want to do those kinds of things with you, I'm just not really ready yet." I stared blankly at her. "I wasn't going to ask for anything of the sort. It's actually the fact that my arms just happened to pick today to not cooperate and lock up on me. All that's needed is for you to pull one, until I say when. I can get the other when one is dealt with." Lyra's face scrunched up at what I was explaining to her, "Let me guess, it's going to make this weird snapping noise when it's done, right?" "Exactly." "Gross." "Would you rather me be asking for 'favors'?" "Don't tease me, it doesn't help that whenever I think of us snuggling the way we did I end up getting hot, and it's not even mating season yet." "So could you please come over here and just pull my arm?" "Alright then, let's get this over with." Lyra came back over to the bed, jumped on, and took my right hand into her mouth; she then pulled on my arm, until a very familiar distinct 'snap' sound rang through our ears. Both pain and pleasure from my joint being snapped back into working order ran through my arm; Lyra shuddered at the sound. "I take it that you're not a fan of that noise?" "Not particularly, no." "Well, you're about to get really grossed out, because I still need to crack my other arm, as well as a few other things." "Ok, why?" "Because that is how my body is; it just happens sometimes, and I can't get going without popping everything." I then proceeded to snap my other elbow by pulling my arm; when I cracked my neck, I could plainly see the disgusted look on Lyra's face. "Doesn't that hurt?" "Only a tiny bit, it's more pleasure than pain, and I kind of have to do it before I get going or else I'll get pains everywhere. My joints stopped cooperating ages ago, so I started popping them like this so I wouldn't have to deal with it." I finished everything off by sitting down and crossing my legs, I then placed my hands on my legs, and twisted in one direction, then the other, popping my back; I sighed in relief. Lyra pointed a hoof at her open mouth an made a gagging noise. After that she hopped off the bed, and walked towards the giant door that lead to the throne room. Turning we head to me, she asked, "You coming Nova, or am I going to have to drag our sorry flank out of bed?" "Alright, I'm getting up, don't get your tail in a twist." I immediately got out of the bed, and then fished around in my personal pocket space for a clean set of clothes; what I pulled out was a pair of black jeans with a lyre embroidered on each thigh, a shirt with a picture of fully Luna wearing Celestia's headpiece and necklace and grinning widely with a caption that says "move over Celestia," and a pair of shoes that had Vinyl's cutie mark on them. Lyra took one look at the shirt, and gave me a sarcastic look. "Yeah, no one's EVER gonna question that shirt. Why not pick something a little less risky?" "Yeah true, hold on I'll get another one." I stuffed the shirt back into my space and fished around for another one. This time it was a black t-shirt with a picture of fluffy Woona with outstretched hooves, and a caption in white text "Free Hugs". Lyra rolled her eyes but smiled as she did so. After I dug out a change of undergarments, I got dressed while Lyra faced the door out of respect, for there was no privacy screen to be found in the room. When I was ready, we both left the room; little did we know that the there were two guards in front of the doorway, doing what they did best, guarding one of Celestia's guest bedrooms. As soon as we opened the door, the guards jumped back and turned towards us, spears at the ready. One of them seemed familiar, which was confirmed when he spoke to us. "Halt! Now tell me, how did you two get back here, an what were you doing in one of the royal guest bedrooms?" I put my hand up in the air an backed up slowly, and then sat down on my legs while I let lyra do the talking. "Nova over here," she said while pointing a hoof at me, "just recently prevented a possible dragon disaster in Ponyville, and Celestia herself gave us permission to use the bedroom after I passed out from an exhausting day." The guards took in this information for a moment and then spoke again. The other one pointed a spear at me, "Just because Celestia let you in here, doesn't mean that you can wander off and go anywhere. You may have beaten the both of us a few days ago, but you won't be so lucky if we see you where you shouldn't be. There's only room for one species in Equestria, and that's ponies. Though your marefriend here may not be so lucky if word gets out to the rest that she's in a relationship with some other creature." By the end of his little tangent, the guards face was inches away from mine; in that same moment, some insane idea clicked into the back of my mind, and I had the balls to go through with it. I out my fist up to his muzzle, and flicked his nose. He went sailing, and just before he hit the ground, I jumped up and outstretched an arm to catch him with my magic, and blocked a surprise attack on Lyra from the other guard with a magic wall. While still holding them with my magic, I brought them both in front of me so I knew they could hear what I had to say. "In all honesty guys, you two should clean up your act. I have never, EVER seen guards as bad as you two when it comes to attitude towards those that are given permission by Celestia herself to be here. Why not take example from the one you guard and show some respect and kindness to those of another species, because frankly, I'm running out of patience when it comes to beings like you. I had to put up with a lot of flak where I came from, and I thought that coming here would be different, though I guess you two ruined that nice image pretty badly." I stared right into their eyes, as if peering into their souls, and continued, "what makes your group so special that you think there should be no other race in Equestria except ponies?" "We all follow Celestia, and we're keeping the land of Equestria free of scum like you. The last time someone came here we ended up with everything out of whack. Ponies are far superior to the other races outside of Equestria, so we're doing Celestia a favor of keeping the population safe by making sure only ponies live here, though it seems we missed one." I was about to say something, when Luna walked into the throne room and saw me holding two of Celestia's guards by magic and the both of them wearing looks of fear on their faces, though they were fake. "NOVA! WHAT ART THOU ATTEMPTING WITH OUR PERSONAL GUARDS! THOU MUST ANSWER OR FACE THINE OWN WRATH!" I gently put down the guards and approached Luna, and kneeled in front of her, Lyra did the same. There was a moment of tense silence, and I could sense that Lyra was having a hard time calming down. It wasn't until Lyra started sniffling that Luna spoke, though in a quiet and calm voice, like that of a mother. "Lyra, it is not you that I must speak with, just Nova. If you wish, I could send you back -" "No, your highness, I wish to stay by his side," I looked up at Lyra, who had stopped kneeling, and was looking right at the princess. "Nova was there for me when I needed someone to talk to, he helped me realize something about myself that I had forgotten, and most importantly," Lyra moved closer to me and nuzzled my cheek with hers, "he stole my heart, and I trust him fully with it. Now, do you think that someone like that would be attempting some heinous crime with your guards, especially when it's so early in the morning and run the risk of being caught by either of you?" Lyra stayed silent in order to let Princess Luna absorb what had just transpired, which shocked the hell out of me to say the least. An agonizing five minutes ticked away as Luna had still not said a word, and it was another two minutes as she started attempting to say something but kept stopping mid-way. Finally, he sighed and lowered her head. "I guess I was wrong about the both of you; I apologize Nova, for jumping to conclusions." Not a single second later, Lyra cleared her throat, though I knew it was feigned; Luna continued shortly thereafter, "And to you Lyra, for not taking into account of Nova's nature, and not asking for the full story." A single tear streamed down Luna's face as she started turning to leave. I got up, ran towards her, and gave Luna the biggest hug ever. This was unexpected apparently. "What is this for? We do not deserve such kindness and affection, for we have disgraced thee in the presence of thou's loved one." I didn't care, I kept her in the embrace, and started rubbing her back. "Luna, everypony deserves kindness and affection, it's all a part of friendship. Not only that, but you're my family. One thing I know about families is that you may not be able to pick them, but you love them unconditionally despite that fact, because they will always be there for you." I felt Luna relax a little, and Lyra came over and hugged both Luna and I. We both let go, allowing the princess of the night to return to whatever she was doing; I could've sworn I heard her mumbling something about pwning some nubs. Letting that slide, Lyra and I left the oversized throne room, and eventually set foot and hoof outside. The city of Canterlot was like any average upper-class city; pompous snobs, pompous snobs EVERYWHERE! Not a second after I was spotted, ponies began talking in hushed whispers, thinking that I couldn't hear them. Oh how wrong they were. Lyra looked nervous, and very saddened about the kind of welcoming we got. I decided to end their debate about my simple mindedness by heading off to a nearby bookstore, to which Lyra followed. The inside of the store looked very simple, yet so welcoming, almost homey, which greatly contrasted the city just outside the door. Upon entering, a grey pegasus mare with a frizzy orange mane and tail came up to the counter. "I'm sorry miss, but please leave your pet diamond dog-" I interrupted her right then and there. "excuse me, but I'm not a diamond dog, I am what is called a human. I came from another universe after an accident and I've been staying with Lyra over here ever since I arrived here in Equestria. She's been teaching me about magic a little bit, and I've been playing music for her in return." The mare closed her eyes and shook her head, "I'm sorry about that, it's just that my parents decided to move the bookstore to Canterlot, and I guess I've just been around these pompous airheads for too long already." there was silence for a few moments, until the mare spoke up again. "oh, I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you my name. I'm Orange Box," Lyra and I snickered, earning us a glare from the other pony. "What's so funny?" "Oh nothing, it's just that it reminded us both about something." nice save Lyra. I shuffled my feet, and then asked Orange a question, "Say, do you have any books on any of the recent technological advancements of this world?" I got an odd look from Orange, "Why would you want something like that?" she started staring at me suspiciously. "there are probably differences in technology levels between our world's. I'm interested to see what's different and what's the same when it comes to technology." Orange seemed to nod in approval, and then ran off to the back of the store; two minutes later she came back with the book balanced on her back and helped by her wings as she trotted towards us. Orange seemed to have tripped on something, as she flailed forwards and sent the book flying. Reacting quickly, I teleported the book into my left hand and caught Orange with a magic field simultaneously, then I gently placed her back on her hooves and dispelled the magic field. Orange simply stared in disbelief, while Lyra smirked, "I teach him one spell, and he goes off and tinkers with it, and uses it to learn a bunch of spells from a pile of books all at once." Orange's expression stayed the same as she asked Lyra a question, "How long has he been here?" I cut in, "Four days, counting today." Orange doesn't seem to believe it, as her expression goes from shock to deep thought, and then she just faints, probably from trying too hard to figure it out. I turn to Lyra, "Would you mind taking care of her while I tend the store?" She throws back a reply, "I don't think that's such a good idea; why not let me tend the store and you look after her?" I sighed, "Fine.~" Orange Box, back bedroom [Orange Box's thoughts] It seemed unusual that a unicorn would come in with such a strange creature; I don't recall seeing any before today, but it feels as though I have. When I heard how long he was here, and how high his skills in magic were, I guess it came as no surprise to them that I would pass out from the stress of figuring out how his skills and magic reserves were that high. What was it about him? I keep having this feeling that I have seen others like him, and why am I thinking back to that box that I was found in? All of this is very intriguing, and I want to figure this out. [end of thought stream] I finally manage to get up, and as I opened my eyes, I saw the same being, I think he was called a human, that came in with Lyra. He was sitting by my bedside, with a tray that had a glass of apple juice, and a muffin that was cut in half and had butter spread on it. I went to sit on my hind legs, but he put his arm up as if to block me. "You need your rest, just lay down, I will give you your muffin and juice." He then floated one half of the muffin over to my muzzle, and I graciously accepted the act of kindness. After I was finished with that half, he gave me the other. "Do you think I could sit up? I can't exactly drink my juice without spilling if I'm laying down on a bed. At least let me sit up." The human stroked my mane a couple of times, and then gave a reply. "Alright, fine you can sit up. Just stay on your bed for a while, we've got the store under control." He then hoof, err handed me the glass of apple juice. "Thank you." "You're quite welcome. Now, I gotta go check up on Lyra." Just after he said this, there was a clattering sound, as if a box of stuff was toppled over, and not a second later, it was followed by a loud curse, "AW CHRIST!" Nova, Indexes and Chapters "AW CHRIST!" I turned my head to the front of the store; there Lyra was, sitting in the middle of a mess. She looked up at me with upset eyes. "I was getting the feather duster, when I guess it got caught on something, and then it all just toppled over on me." She was scraping her left hoof on the floor once again. 'D'awwww - WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT D'AAWWWW-ING AT HER WHEN SHE NEEDS HELP!' Yeah, buck you too conscience. Feeling bad for her, I levitated all of the objects back into the box, save for the duster. "Thanks Nova," Lyra started to look down, feeling sad, "I'm sorry for screwing up so many times. Grrr, why am I so clumsy all of the time?" I knelt down and pulled Lyra into a hug, stroking her mane and back, "Lyra, when I accepted to starting a relationship with you, I knew there was going to be hardships and little bumps. When I said that I loved you, I meant that about every one of your qualities, both good and bad. If everypony were perfect and flawless, life would be very, very different." Lyra sniffled a little, and then asked one of the most overused questions in the universe, "How did I ever snag someone like you?" I had only one reply, "You pulled at my heartstrings. The power of love is strange yet magical." I moved back and kissed Lyra on the cheek; she giggled. Orange Box, bedroom I sat there on my bed, listening in on their conversation. 'Why can't I find anyone like that? Somepony who likes me for who I am unconditionally.' Getting up from the bed, I stretched, getting all the kinks out of my joints and muscles. "I wonder what those two are up to?" Setting out for the storefront, I walked into one of the sections to find the two of them right up in each others' face, making out without a care in the world. I couched to get their attention; they both suddenly turned to look at me, the both of them blushing. "You two do realize that this is a book store, right?" They nodded. "Well then, please excuse me for being so rude as to ask you two to carry on with your relationship somewhere else, preferrably at your home; you might make any potential customers uncomfortable." Lyra, Indexes and Chapters As soon as Orange Box was finished talking with us, Nova got up and patted my back, signalling for me to follow suit. As soon as we exited the store, we were faced with a huge crowd of ponies, which wasn't really the best thing to happen, considering most of society's opinion on him. Nova used his magic to float up above the crowd to see what all the confusion was for, and he just floated there, with a shocked expression on his face. I teleported up to a nearby rooftop to find out what Nova was gaping at, and was shocked as to who was being crowded. It was MicTheMicrophone and JackleApp. Seeing Nova was still floating there while staring off into space with a distant look, I grabbed him with my magic and brought him over to where I was. I tried waving a hoof in front of his face, but he just looked at me, with distant eyes, the very same eyes that any true fan of someone they idolize would have. I shook him, as he was still in my magic's grasp, "Novaaaaaaa, wake uuuuuuuuuuup. Equestria to Nova, come in Nova." No response. 'Damn, might have to use drastic measures...' I smiled evilly at a thought which had crept up in my mind. I brought Nova close and whispered in his ear, "Wake up Nova, or else I might have to get out my 'punishment hammer' and give you a good 20-pound spanking session." He quickly snapped out of the trance that he was in, "Wai-WHAT!? WHO-WHAT-WHERE-WHEN? Lyra, are you serious?" I let Nova down and snickered, "That depends, you have to behave today, or else I'm gonna punish you." I couldn't help but put a little sultry voice with that statement. Nova shuddered. "I think it's a little too soon for that kind of talk, Lyra. How about we just head back to Ponyville? They're probably all waiting for us, wondering where the hay we are." I agree, Twilight can get pretty antsy when she's worried about something. I let Nova go from my magical grasp, and he landed on his feet. Cracking his knuckles in that very annoying manner, he leaned down and hugged me. I can never get enough of his hugs, they are awesome. "Let's go to the train station, I'm feeling too lazy to teleport or fly for the time being. Plus, I get to sit and stare at the most beautiful mare in Equestria for an hour." I blush at his statement, and nuzzle my face into his neck, causing his knees to weaken a little. "That's payback for getting us caught in the library, silly colt." Nova then got up, and jumped down behind the building, prompting me to teleport down beside him, and I teleported us to the train station. Nova, Canterlot Train Station Lyra and I teleported to the train station, though we had silently agreed for me to hide somewhere behind a pillar, as not everypony would be used to seeing a human. Sure, most of Ponyville was alright with it, but that's because Pinkie already threw a party for me in Twilight's house. There were still those in Ponyville that didn't like me, as they were either scared of me, or part of the Equestrian Pony Alliance. Lyra came over to me with both tickets in her magic aura, and gave me mine. I decided to shadow walk onto the train, and Lyra followed me into the same car normally; thankfully I got into the right train - wouldn't want to be on a train bound for Manehatten when I'm supposed to go to Ponyville. Seeing as the car was empty, and the conductor was bound to come over at any moment to see my ticket, I was starting to panic. I didn't want any incidents on the train, and I wasn't sure if news had gotten here about a strange creature taking up residence in Ponyville yet. Lyra saw this, and put a hoof on my shoulder. "It's alright, you'll think of something... wait, you can change forms, can't you?" I looked at her, and felt stupid for not coming up with that answer to the problem in the first place. "Ah crud, why didn't I think of that?" Lyra giggled, "Because I'm awesome?" "Yes, you are pretty awesome. And to answer your question, I guess I can do transformation spells, though it would take quite a bit out of me. Let me try something..." I concentrated my spark magic, and attempted to do a transformation spell. The result looked like this.. When it was taking place, a bright light flashed throughout the car, forcing Lyra to look away and shield her eyes with one of her forelegs. When the light faded seconds later, Lyra gawked at my new form. "Nova, is that seriously you? You look awesome." I chuckled a bit, "Yeah, it's me alright. And thanks, you're not too bad looking yourself." Lyra blushed yet again. Soon after, the train conductor came by to check and see if we had our tickets. I showed him mine and Lyra showed hers, and then he was on his way back to the front. Yes, we were in the very last car. I just sat there as the train started to move, smiling to myself. Eventually I began to hum a tune, though I hadn't noticed until Lyra pointed it out. "What song are you humming?" I turned my head towards her, "Oh nothing, just a song from a show that I used to watch back home." "Oh, well it sounds lovely, and I think you have a pretty nice voice; I would love to hear you sing a song sometime." Lyra then nuzzled me in that same spot on my neck, this time my wings decided it was a good time to spring out, *FOMP*, which only served to make me nervous again. I folded them back into place after calming myself down, and Lyra suppressed a giggle. "Well well, someone's feeling the heat today." I lightly punched where I thought her shoulder would be, "Oh be quiet you." Silence then fell upon us, as we just sat there, watching the scenery pass before us. About ten minutes later, Lyra fell asleep while leaning against me. I couldn't help but mentally d'aawww at how cute she looked. She slept while propped against me for the entire train ride. Finally, after another half hour, we arrived in Ponyville. I nudged Lyra to wake her up, but to no avail. 'How the heck does she wake up from a few clatters in her kitchen and sock me with a frying pan, but when she's supposed to get up, she sleeps like a log?' I moved closer and whispered into her ear, "Lyra, if you don't get up, I'll deliver the same punishment you promised, threefold. I may even use a vibrator instead of just a plain old insert." After I said that, her eyes fluttered open, and she stared at me with lust filled eyes, "Hey, I thought that was my job, you silly colt." I sighed, "Come on, we're here. Oh, before I forget, could you give me some memories on you learning to walk, because honestly I don't want to attract attention to myself at the moment, and it would take to long to learn how to walk like a pony on my own." Lyra's face scrunched up in thought, 'Damn, all of their faces are cute. I might end up dying from a hhhnnnnggggg attack sooner or later.' "I guess I could give you memories of when I learned to walk. It'll take a couple of minutes for the instincts to kick in though." "Alrighty then, fire away." Lyra then placed her horn on my head, giving me her memories of learning to walk and run; the feeling that I got from these memories are slightly different. I could feel the wind flowing through my mane as I ran inside my mind, taking nice jaunts through the public park, and so on. Soon though, the memory replay stopped, and I had accquired the skills necessary to be able to walk among the ponies without being too suspicious, or scary to those that still don't know me. We both exited the train and headed for Twilight's library. Nova, Outside Twilight's Library We walked up to Twilight's library, and noticed on our way there, nopony was around, at all. There was a note taped on the door, 'Nova and Lyra, Vinyl wants to meet you at her place. She has something to ask of you.' I shrugged, "Well then, guess we head over to Vinyl's." And then off we went to Vinyl's house. Along the way, the town seemed as if it were deserted. 'What is going on here?' I turned to Lyra, only to get a shrug from her as well. A thought then occurred to me, "Oh, guess I don't need to be a pony anymore. Lyra, you might want to shield your eyes for a moment." I used the same transformation spell and turned myself back to normal. Lyra jokingly pouted. I pulled out a pair of sunglasses, "Deal with it." I smiled, and we both laughed. As soon as we got to Vinyl's house, we found her waiting for us in front of her door. "Nova, think you could help me with something?" "Sure, what might it be?" Vinyl looked thoughtful for a second, "I learned a couple new spells over the time that you were gone, and I need you to judge the new light spells that I was thinking of using later for one of my shows." Vinyl then started to walk towards where she would be doing her shows. I couldn't help but ask Vinyl something, "So, where is it that you do your shows anyway?" "Oh, it's a big stadium just on the outskirts of town; head towards Canterlot mountain, and when you reach the edge of the town, take a left. There's a path that leads right to the place." The walk was maybe about fifteen to twenty minutes before we got close enough to see Vinyl's stadium. It looked something like this, but it instead had a dj booth where home base would be, the flooring throughout was all magically reinforced hardwood, and no seating going up the walls, thus leaving more room for ponies to move around, leaving just a wall going straight up to the ceiling. The roof is the same, being able to be opened on clear nights. When we got to the building, Vinyl was at the door first, "I need the lights off so you can get a better view of the light spells that I was thinking of trying out for my next show. As soon as we went in, we couldn't see a thing. It was pitch black. I had an idea as to what was going on, but I decided to keep my mouth shut this time. Seconds later, the lights came on, "SURPRISE," everypony yelled at once, just as they flicked on all of the lights. There was a banner hung in the middle of the stadium, 'THANK YOU, NOVA!' Most likely for stopping a possible dragon attack, even though he wasn't hostile to begin with. Ponies ran up to me and swarmed me, questions flying at me a mile a minute. I raised my hand to silently tell them to back off a little, and I began to wade through the crowd to find Twilight. Lyra went off to talk with some of her friends that she found in the crowd. It took me a couple of minutes, but I finally found her, "Twilight!" Said pony jumped when I called her out, "Oh, Nova, I didn't notice you." She gave me a hug, which I gladly returned. "I was worried when you didn't come back from fending off that dragon. When I heard that you succeeded and was taken to Canterlot, I had a feeling that you would be back soon, but I didn't know you were going to stay overnight, that was, until Princess Celestia sent me a letter to explain the rest of the details." We both let go from the hug, and I made my way over to the DJ booth. Taking the mic in my hand, I raised my voice and spoke through it, "I know you are all happy to see me back," a few ponies in the back somewhere didn't agree with that entirely, "but how about we do what we came here for? LET'S PARTY!" With that, I took out my iPod and connected it to the equipment, and began to look for a song through my extensive library of music. Finally landing on a song, I decided to play Blood Sugar by Pendulum. I turned off the main lights before starting the song, and turned on the stage lights, using a spell to move them in a figure eight searchlight pattern, each light being a different color. During the first 40 seconds of the song, the crowd was slightly confused, though the song was about to fix that at 57 seconds. As soon as the beat started, some ponies were already moving to the beat, headbanging and such. Throughout the rest of the song, more and more ponies started enjoying the music, until everpyony in the entire stadium were dancing. Soon after that, the song ended, earning me a collective "awwww" from them. Seeing that they all still wanted to party it up, I loaded up another good song, Propane Nightmares by Pendulum. Just after I loaded the song, Vinyl came up and stood beside me. She took the mic, and addressed everyone in the dome, "Hey everyone, who here thinks that I should sign this guy to my label?" The only response she got was a collective whistle and stomping from the crowd. Vinyl smirked, "Well you're in luck, cause I already signed him on the day after Pinkie threw that party for him when he first arrived here!" The cheering got louder; I couldn't help but have a smile on my face. 'Looks like I got my dream job after all. Being a dj for a well known record label, and being loved and adored by 90% of the population.' After the song ended, Vinyl started up her music while I got down from the booth. Lyra came up towards me with two ponies following her; one was the ever-so recognizable Derpy, while the other was Berry Punch. Berry came up to greet me first, "You did pretty good up there. So, you hold your liquor as good as you dj, or do you just pass out after the first drink?" I just smiled and replied, "Oh, it, is ON!"
Challenging The Town DrunkNova, The Bass Dome When I had stepped down from the DJ booth, Lyra came over towards me with two recognizable mares in tow, Derpy and Berry Punch. Derpy came up and said hi; I couldn't resist giving her a big hug. Come on, who wouldn't? Berry Punch then came up to me and asked me a question. "So, do you hold your liquor as good as you pick songs on that device of yours, or do you just pass out after a couple drinks?" "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that was a challenge." Berry gave a coy smile, "I dunno, maaaaybeee." I thought about it for a second, 'If I actually beat her, I could very well become a legend. Ah, what harm could it do?' Stupid question. I gave we one of Rarity's famous lines, "Oh, it. Is. ON!" We both then rushed over towards the VIP area, which had a bar and a few tables for ponies to sit at; it was located at the back and to the right. When we got there, a dark purple unicorn stallion with piercing orange eyes and a very messy and unkempt mane and tail was working the bar. He took one look at us and smirked, "Another challenger?" I couldn't help myself, "Eeeyup." They both laughed. "Well, since you did kind of save our flanks from a possible dragon attack, and you work for Vinyl, the whole match is on the house, anything that's currently in stock." Berry's face lit up at that statement. "Well, in that case, how about we start off with a bottle of Canterlot Merlot red wine, from 800?" Shadow Streak's eyes went wide, "You are lucky that this is a favor to Nova, or else you would be picking up the 2,000 bit tab for that on the spot." I almost choked, "What did you say, 2,000 bits for a 202 year old bottle of wine?" Shadow cleared his throat, "202 year old Canterlot wine to be exact. That stuff isn't expensive without reason, you know. That was made during the time that Canterlot had a dry period; nopony was permitted to make, sell, or consume any alcohol, by request of the mayor." Berry nudged me, "So, you wanna get this started, or are we going to just sit here and chat all day long?" I brought two glasses that would take half of the bottle of wine from my pocket space, "Whenever you're ready, Punch." I poured the wine into her glass, and then mine. We clinked our glasses together, "To being awesome." Berry giggled, "To being awesome." We both promptly chugged down the wine, which quite honestly tasted pretty damn good, better than even the most expensive wines back home. The both of us finished and set down our glasses at the same time. Shadow just stared at us for the longest time without saying anything, and just looked at us in awe. I turned around and saw that we had already gathered a little crowd of ponies that wanted to see who Berry would be supposedly drinking under the table today. "Is it always like this?" Shadow nodded, "Unfortunately yes, she is quite obviously the famed town drunkard, who could drink anyone under the table. No one has beat her yet." I had only one thing to say, "Challenge accepted." This was enough to gather the attention of most ponies in the dome, prompting even Vinyl to step down and take a look at what was going on. I looked around, and saw that Lyra was pushing her way into the center, most likely to come over and talk to me. I saved her the trouble of having to push through ponies and teleported her right next to me after forming a chair beside me. Instead of sitting on the chair, Lyra seemed to have a better idea: climbing up and laying across my lap. It was a little awkward, but somehow she managed to make it work. Some ponies gasped and whispered to themselves, and it was then that I knew I was gonna have to let the secret out. "If I may have your attention," The entire dome fell silent. 'Heh, if someone were to drop a needle -' Right then and there, somepony had actually dropped a needle, just to see if everypony could hear it. The entire crowd, myself included, looked at the short black stallion pegasus, with his black mane that had a white streak. He laughed nervously, "Come on, don't tell me that none of you thought of doing that!?" Everypony just turned back to me, as I had news for them that seemed interesting enough for them to pay attention. I continued, "As I was going to say, I have news for you all. Some of you may have recently seen me within the company of Lyra Heartstrings here," I stroked her mane, making said pony sigh in comfort, "and I would like to point out that yes, we are in a relationship. I have had the pleasure of seeing that most of you here do not hold any qualms about such a relationship taking place, though the rest of you that are present may not feel that way. To that, I have this to say: suck it up, because we aren't going to break up just because some ponies don't like their race being 'defiled', or however you put it. We are not about to change who we are or how we feel just because a few of you do not like us being together, or having to put up with me living here all together." I pulled out a kleenex box, "Got an issue, here's a tissue." Most of those present laughed at the joke I threw in at the end, and I could see that some of them were not pleased to hear what I had said. I could see a few ponies leaving through the doors of the building. One thing intrigued me though: one of the ponies that was in the group had Celestia's Royal Guard uniform. 'Nothing good can come from this, I know it. Looks like I'd better be careful from now on, as it seems I am on thin ice now.' I brought my attention back to the crowd around us, "So, who's up for seeing me take on Berry Punch here in a drinking contest?" The entire audience roared in cheers, giving me their answer. "Alright then, here goes nothing." I called Shadow for two bottles of the strongest rum he had... it was Bacardi 151. 'Holy fudgenuggets, they got Bacardi here. Well, looks like it won't be a boring contest after all.' Both Berry and I took our respective bottles, poured the drink into our glasses, which were your average scotch glasses, and chugged them one at a time. Berry gave a loud belch as the last glass was finished, and held up her empty bottle, meanwhile I was in the middle of juggling mine with the other glasses. "Oh, you finished? About time. Oh and next time you gotta belch, lemme know, I got an experiment I wanna try." I smirked, taking out a lighter from one of my pockets. Berry giggled at the idea, knowing full well what I wanted to do, though Lyra facehoofed. "Lyra, I think you might want to get off of my lap, I don't want to be responsible for you getting hurt during this." Lyra obliged and moved to the chair that was to the right of me, placing her right between myself and Berry Punch. I set the glasses and the bottle down on the table with magic rather than just finishing the juggling. Berry called over Shadow and asked for my old nemesis, vodka. I shuddered. Many times that I had drunk vodka nothing really happened, save for getting wasted, but nothing eventful really. Then there was that one time one of my buddies from work decided it would be a good idea to mix different brands of vodka together, along with a bit of sugar and a bit of those subtle laxatives that you can put into your own food if you have problems taking the ordinary stuff. Needless to say, I was sick for a week straight, and I had never drank vodka ever since. Even the thought of drinking it made me sick to my stomach. I cringed, and Berry must have seen it, because she then smiled at me and asked in a mocking tone, "Aw, is da widdle baby unable to hanle dwinking some vodka? Shouwd I caw it off?" "Berry, I have two words to say: no way. Plus, it's been a while since I've had any, so I don't think my body will reject it anymore." BP then handed me the bottle, which was labelled 'Stalliongrad Standard'. I laughed. "What's so funny?" "Oh nothing Berry, it's just that it reminded me of something back home in my world." "Alright then, enough reminiscing, let's get this going." I raised a glass full of vodka into the middle of the table, prompting what I thought would be only one other glass, but we were joined by a third; Lyra had poured herself a glass. I looked to her, and she had a blush on her face. 'Dawwwww. No matter how many times I see that, it's always cute as hell.' "So, you decided to join is in our shenanigans Lyra?" All I got as a response was a wide smile; I laughed, "Alright, just don't complain about your aching head tomorrow." "Aye aye. Now, are we going to get this started, or are you two going to keep stalling?" "Ooooohh, them's fightin words Lyra, them's fightin words." We both chuckled. I raised my glass again, "To love, tolerance, and the magic of friendship!" Everyone shouted in unison, "HERE HERE!" I chugged down the first glass, as did Berry and Lyra, we then poured ourselves another glass. This process continued until the bottle was emptied of its contents, and it seemed that we were all starting to get drunk. Lyra was intoxicated enough to have me make her stay in her seat, lest she topple over, whereas Berry and I were just getting started. Berry made a comment about Lyra being a lightweight, and I agreed and thought it was funny. "She may be a lightweight, but at least she has enough class to get wasted from chugging vodka than trying different mixtures and possibly making herself sick the next day. The last thing I need is to take care of a sick pony because of her own decision to punish her innocent liver, and made her stomach upset from drinking the wrong combination of mixed drinks." "That's true." "Hehehe, hey, why are you two so mean, huh? What did I ever do to you?" Berry got a creepy smile on her face, "Whadda you want me to do to make up for being mean, kiss you?" I saw where this was heading, and for some reason I didn't bother to stop Berry and her stupid yet funny and possibly hot idea. "What are you waiting for, kiss me you foo-" her words were cut short by a pair of lips. They weren't mine, but Berry's. The two of them were just pressing lips, but then Lyra, in her drunken state, must have prodded Berry's lips with her tongue, because next thing I knew, the two of them were lip locked in a passionate kiss, and I just sat there, taking in the sight before me. Not wanting to miss the oppertunity, I pulled an HD camcorder out of my pocket, and started recording. I held it up with magic, so as to not shake the camera. 'I'm not going to let this chance slip past, I am gonna record this and keep it safe. There's just something about two girls kissing that is incredibly hot, and I'm sure that some female yaoi fans would agree with me and say the same thing about two guys kissing. There's no way that I'm going to sell this or let it out of my possession, but it's something nice to have when there's nothing else to watch.' The drunken makeout session lasted for a few minitues. 'Seriously, how long are those two going to keep at it?' I stopped recording and turned off the camera. "Lyra, Berry, I know you seem to be enjoying your kiss and all, but this is just getting ridiculous." Berry pulled out from the kiss, and gave me a reply that I didn't really expect to hear. "Oh, you jealous Nova? You wanna taste the Berry? I'm sure your marefriend won't mind; after all, she did kiss me first, and there really isn't a rule saying there's a limit to how many mares a stallion can have in his group, due to Ponyville's male to female ratio. Mating season is going to come up soon, and that means a LOT of sexually active and frustrated mares are going to be about, so it's common to see about three to five mares to one stallion." My face was a dead giveaway to how I felt right then and there: utter shock and fear. The male to female ratio in Ponyville as I recalled, was about one male to six females. This made me fear for my life, as I remembered that one scene from Girls Bravo, an anime series where a young boy was transported to a planet that had a male population of less than ten percent, causing the entire city to chase after him. 'I'm all for harems, but not when it's five females that happen to share the timeframe of sexually active periods.' Berry must have seen my face, as she tried to comfort me a little, which was out of character for her... to me at least. "Hey, don't worry Nova, I'll make sure to go easy on you, but I'm gonna warn you now, Lyra's got a bit of a quirk." I gave a nervous smile, "Oh I know about that already. She used it as a threat to get me out of a trance when we spotted MicTheMicrophone and JackleApp in Canterlot. I think I actually saw the hammer she was referring to when I first arrived." "That old thing? I thought I gave it to Twilight as a joke gift. Guess she must've given it to Lyra, knowing she would probably use it. So, let's get back to drinking our asses off, I want this to be a party I barely remembered but had fun at anyway!" "Cheers to that." We both started pouring ourselves another bottle of vodka. One more bottle of vodka later, Berry was starting to get drunk. I on the other hand had just a bit of resolve left in me. I had a stupid idea, though I figured 'what the hell' and went through with it anyway. "Hey Shadow, another bottle of that wine, and how about a bottle of absinthe as well?" Shadow's eyes widened, "Dude, you're not wasted yet!? Do us all a favor, and return that liver to Celestia, I think she's gonna need it back before you damage it too much." I brohoofed him after walking over to the bar and taking the bottles from him. Walking back over to the table we were sitting at, I noticed that Lyra was sobering up, and Berry was somehow almost completely back to normal. "One, how the heck are you completely sober Berry? And two, how 'bout some wine and absinthe? I don't plan on remembering this night either, and I'm still partially drunk anyway." Berry took the bottles from me and set them on the table, while I fished out a pitcher from my pocket space. After I set the pitcher on the table, Berry opened both bottles and poured out the entire bottle of wine, and then poured in a bit of absinthe, just enough to get us plastered, but not enough to completely destroy our livers. I took out glasses that were big enough to hold a third of the pitcher's contents, and gave us each one. After pouring the mix for Berry and Lyra, I took the rest, so we each had the same amount. Lyra cut in before we picked up our glasses, "It's been a fun party, and I doubt I'll remember this night," Lyra looked around and spotted Twilight, "Hey, Twilight, think you could compile a list of anything that either of us do that's either funny, stupid, or just plain retarted during the rest of the party?" The unicorn mare smiled, knowing full well that this would be a very interesting afternoon and evening, "Sure thing." Pinkie Pie appeared out of nowhere, and came over to our table, "On three! One, two, THREE! CHUG!" After downing the whole glass at once, I slammed it down and saw that Lyra had passed out from all the alcohol and excitement. "FATALITY!" And that's the last thing I remembered shouting.
Repetitive StupidityTwilight Sparkle, Treehouse I sighed as I saw that the two of them hadn't woke up yet. 'When they said that they wanted yesterday to be the best party that they never remembered, they weren't kidding.' I recounted the events that took place at the party, with the help of the list that I made as they happened... 'For starters, Lyra passed out minutes after finishing that huge glass of wine and absinthe, and then Nova shouted "FATALITY!" for whatever reason. She wasn't dead, so I wonder why he did so? Berry then repeated the offer that she gave Nova, to make out with him, and surprisingly he took it, probably even happily so. What she told him about mating season and male stallions having a herd of mares was true, though some stallions like to do things the old fashioned way and just have one mare in their lives. And then Nova noticed that Vinyl still hadn't played any music, so he took it upon himself to play some music from his world. It wasn't really all that bad. Vinyl had given me a list of the songs that he played, as she had a magical connection to her DJ equipment, and I can't say I've heard of even half of the songs that he's played. One track in particular though had almost everypony going wild - The F-Track, as it was called. Nova played the song, and had decided to provide the vocals himself, for whatever reason. During the second half of the song, Princess Luna had dropped in and joined the festivities. At first, everypony was bowing, forgetting that the music was even playing. Nova however, kept the music going, and shouted into the microhpone, "Hey Luna, why not come up here, I got some tracks you might like!" The music device that Nova had plugged into Vinyl's DJ tables started playing a mix of house songs that Vinyl kept insisting to me later that she never mixed, and everypony loved the tunes that were being played. Somehow everypony had glowsticks at that point, probably thanks to Nova and his 'pockets of holding', as he called them; heck, LUNA had TONS of glow braclets, necklaces and whatnot. She was dancing wilder than even Pinkie Pie, which says something right there. Nova had stepped down from the DJ podium and began dancing with the ponies in the crowd, and spouting random stuff that almost no one could make sense of. At one point, he kept yelling "SPAAAAAAACE!", as well as sounding really hopped up one something while talking to some girl that was supposedly there, as he wasn't talking directly to anyone, "Hey, hey lady, hey, let's go to space. Space, space, I like space. Space is cool. Let's go to space. SPAAAAACE!" Then he ran over to Berry Punch, who was in the middle of the crowd of dancing ponies, and challenged her and Derpy to a belching contest. Neither of them won... instead, it was Luna who had defeated all of them, shocking everypony present, myself included. After that was over, Nova headed back to the bar and had gotten a bottle of vodka infused with pears. For whatever reason, he went over to Doctor Whooves and asked if he wanted some, though only telling him that it was vodka, and he hid the part of the label that said it was pear flavored as he poured some for the Doctor. Needless to say, the Doctor then showered Nova by spitting it back out into his face. The Doctor yelled at Nova for giving him something that tasted like pears, and all Nova did was smile and say, "So you're the eleventh then," and promptly ran off, leaving The Doctor confused. The rest of the party wasn't worth taking notes about really, as things had calmed down after that. I turned back to the couch and saw that Nova had gotten up. "Oh crap, I shouldn't have done that. Yesterday was hectic." Nova looked up and saw that I was looking over at them, "Oh, good morning Twilight." I facehoofed. "It's not exactly morning, Nova. Actually, it's really closer to two thirty in the afternoon. I don't know whether you really should or not, but I guess you can be proud that yes, you actually did beat Berry Punch in that drinking contest." Nova pumped a fist into the air, "YES! NEW RECORD SET! EAT YOUR HEART OUT EVERYONE!" His outburst had caused Lyra to stir awake, which earned him a glare from said mare, "Hehe, sorry Lyra. Didn't mean to wake you up." Nova seemed to be in thought for a moment, and then he looked back at Lyra, "Hey, how would you and Twilight like to see where I came from?" Any trace of Lyra's bad mood was gone in an instant, and Nova had also peaked my interest. I was curious as to how life was in the world that he came from. 'He never did tell me anything about where he came from, or anyone else for that matter. Guess I could take this chance to learn both about him and his world at the same time.' "Sure, I'd love to go as well. I'm sure Ponyville won't miss us for just one day, right?" "Exactly. Now Twilight, I'm going to need you for this one. If I were to use my chaos magic for-" "Wait, chaos magic?" Since when does he have chaos magic? "Erm, yes." "Care to explain?" Nova looked nervous, but then sighed as he looked at the floor. He then looked up at the ceiling, "Celestia, I doubt she's going to blab about it, so I'm going to tell her." Alright, it looks like things just got a little complicated. "Tell me what, exactly?" Before Nova could answer, Lyra came over to me, and asked for a moment of privacy with me in the kitchen. "Sorry, filly talk." Nova didn't say anything back. Lyra sat me down on one of the chairs in the kitchen, and then sat on another across from me. "So, about Nova and his chaos magic... he has a spark, Twilight." "Wait, a spark, as in the same kind of magic that lays dormant within the Eelements of Harmony, as well as Discord?" "That's exactly right. Now, the reason behind this is not an easy explanation, so you're going to have to be very open and patient." This worried me. Nothing good ever happens when somepony says that. "I'll try..." "Good. Now, you no doubt know of Nova's vast magical abilities, and I don't doubt that you've sensed his quite ridiculously large magic reserve he has stored within his body." "Yeah, I've taken notice to that." "Well I'd be worried if you hadn't. You are the element of Magic after all." Lyra sighed as she was no doubt trying to find the best way to approach the answer. "I'm just going to throw it out there without pulling any punches. The reason he said to Celestia that he was going to tell you, was because he was sworn to secrecy, by Celestia herself, as she used the royal 'we'." That right there is something to be worried about. "What was it?" "Celestia... is Nova's mother." My jaw dropped. I was speechless. "Wait, if his mother is Celestia, how does he have a spark?" "And here comes the hard part..." Stop, you're scaring me, Lyra. "There's no easy way to say it, so once again, I'm just going to throw it all out there." "Oh get on with it." Out of nowhere, a bunch of other ponies standing outside of my treehouse suddenly shouted, "YES, GET ON WITH IT!" "Alright, alright. Remember Discord?" "Yeah, how can I forget about him?" "Well, he's technically Nova's father." "HOW!?" "Well, a while back, Discord was let out on probation nd was working with some of the unicorns in the nearby university; they wanted to find out if it would be possible to create a living being of flesh and blood entirely from magic. Mind you, this wasn't just ordinary unicorn magic they were working with - they had Discord there to provide his chaos magic as well, in order for them to have any hope of their experiment being a success. Long story short, due to the fact that there was a large amount of chaos magic intertwined with the project, they had to quickly call for Celestia to aide them with her power to balance things out. All in all, it turned out alright, but officially on paper, the project was deprecated, and everyone on the team was told to never speak bout that experiment." What I had just beem told was honestly taxing my brain; I could barely process everything that Lyra had just said to me. It was another few minutes before I was able to even think again. "So, let me get this straight; the unicorns at the university by the palace were looking into creating life, Discord catches wind, and helps out, but that ultimately ends up being a bad move because the project nearly blew up in all their faces, so Celestia had to step in. Instead of containing and stopping what was going on, and punishing them, she helps complete the project, issues a gag order, covers up the evidence, then sends the being that was created to another world so that the other nations never get wind of what really happened?" "Yeah, pretty much." "If other nations found out about him, there's no telling what could happen. I doubt that the Council of Nations knows anything about this, besides the fact that there is now a human living in Equestria, who is dating a pony, and has powerful magic. Is it correct to assume that they think he just randomly dropped in and can't get back home, and that Celestia has offered him asylum?" "That's the official story, right down to the letter." "Well that makes me feel a lot better. I'd hate to see what the other ambassadors would do if they found out the truth about Nova." "Speaking of him, I think we left Nova alone for long enough. Why don't we go back and let him explain what he was trying to say earllier." That comment made me blush as I thought about how I had interrupted Nova and bombarded him with questions. Nova, Twilight's Treehouse I looked over to Lyra and Twilight, who were just coming back from the kitchen; Twilight had a different air about her than before she went into the kitchen with Lyra. No doubt she had been told the entire truth about me, and my heritage. "So girls, who's up for some world jumping?" Twilight came over to me, presumably to ask a question, "So, what were you going to say about 'if you were to use your chaos magic'?" "If I were to use it to transport us, I may end up turning you two into humans, and not have a way to turn you back, safely that is. If I used my normal magic combined with yours, we should be able to pull off travelling to my world and leave a window for us to get back through at any point within 24 hours." Both mares had a hoof to their chin, "Makes sense. So who's helping with the extra magic boost?" What was funny is that they said this in unison. I had to clamp my mouth shut to keep myself from laughing. Twilight then spoke, "Alright, I guess I could help out with the spell. Though one thing bugs me, how are we going to join our magic in the process of casting the spell? You don't have a horn." "Oh Twilight, who said that you need to join horns for magic to be shared in casting a spell?" Right after this, I casted a spell that brought out what some anime fans would call a 'transmutation circle.' The function of this one was to join two minds as one in order to bring about better calculations and make it easier to pool magic between two casters in order to cast a more powerful spell. Twilight looked at the circle in shock, "A magic circle!? Y-y-y-you brought out a transmutation circle? That kind of magic was thought to have been lost forever! Do you know what this means, Nova? You can charge objects with pure magic that will allow other races to perform magic! I mean, there are ways to charge objects with spells so that anyone could cast the spell that it was charged with, but if you used your chaos magic, you could infuse pure magic into, say, an orb, and let whatever pony you give it to use the magic to perform any spell that they are capable of understanding! This is nothing short of amazing!" I pressed my index fingers to my temples, "Twilight, can we please focus on what's at ha... err hoof? If I recall, both you and Lyra want to visit my world and get some information." Twilight blushed and gave an awkward smile... and the almighty squee was heard. "Right, sorry, sorry." Both Twilight and I focused on the spell; I focused on the location and calculations, while giving the required amount of magic for Twilight to focus. The idea was simple enough, and it all started to work out... though fate decided to have a little fun at my expense, as it seemed that Rainbow was now careening right towards the treehouse. Smashing right through the door, Rainbow broke both mine and Twilight's concentration, just as the spell was being finished. Twilight, Lyra and myself had been successfully teleported to what could be called my world, though I couldn't shake this feeling that I had. Nova, some apartment room, unknown time and date I looked around to get a better view of my surroundings - what I saw, was what looked to be an ordinary apartment building, though there were some pieces of technology that I spied which shouldn't have existed during my time. I looked around and saw that both Lyra and Twilight were still in pony form, and were out cold. They were conscious and breathing, just sleeping for now. Before I could get up and take a better look around, there was action at the other side of the door that most likely led out into the hallway. I panicked, and took Twilight and Lyra into another part of the suite which allowed me to hide them for the time being. Just as I turned the corner to go back to where I was, the door opened. The person which stood before me had deep purple hair that went down to her hips, a yellow-orange tanktop that was filled quite nicely by her chest, and a pair of tight blue jeans. Here eyes were green, and it seemed she had a pair of robotic ears. She seemed to be surprised that I was in here, at first. Then, things went a little downhill. "I thought the guy said that the cleanup crew wouldn't be here for another hour. Usually the agency is a little slow in cleanup unless it runs the risk of falling into the enemy's hands." One thought had come to mind: CIA. I looked around again, seeing that indeed, some research was going on. This apartment was your ordinary civilian apartment, so there was almost no way that there was any operation being carried out in here. The next logical reason why an agency cleanup crew would be here: nab information someone was gathering after they were taken out by a burn order. "So, I take it that you were close to the person that got burned, am I right?" Her eyes widened. "Wait, if you're not part of the cleaning crew, then how do you know of the burn order?" "Educated guess and logical deduction." The girl eyed me for a few more minutes, before pointing at me in shock. "You! You're that kid that managed to disappear without a trace in a busy airport hundreds of years ago!" "Excuse me, what?" "You heard me." "Yes, I did, but... wait, hundreds of years ago? What's the date exactly?" "It's currently June 25th, 2857." "Oh crud." The girl walked over to me and gave me a hug. "It seems that you came back a little late if you were going to say goodbye to your family and friends." "Not to darken the mood, but I would like to know what was being researched by the person living here that illicited a burn order." The girl moved away from me and walked over to a stack of papers and a DVD, flipping through the pages as she walked back to me. "One, my name's Rachel Anderson; two, that's what I would like to find out." "Oh, well I'm Jason Morison, though I guess you could call me Nova." The girl stopped in her tracks. "Nova, as in THE Nova who landed in Lyra's house after... wait a second, let me check out these papers, because things just got a little crazier." While Rachel was sorting through the papers, I decided to go and get Lyra and Twilight awake so they wouldn't accidentally sleep themselves into a coma. With the two ponies in tow, I walked right back into the room, where Rachel was shuffling through papers, muttering to herself about how it explains why the girl that lived in here was trying to put a stop to what the CIA was planning on doing. "So, I take it that you have found out what was going on?" Rachel didn't look up as she answered, "Yeah, I figured it out. What was going on, is that after the CIA had developed a way to teleport and travel to other worlds, one of the analysts observed how there was a white flash when the process was taking place, and thought back to the airport footage. They connected the dots, and figured out that you had jumped to another world. Currently, they are looking for where you went, and-" Rachel looked up and saw both Twilight and Lyra, just standing on either side of me. "You were saying, Rachel?" She just stood there and stared at us for what seemed like an eternity, though it was merely two minutes before she said something. "The Adult Swim cartoon was canon!?" "What do you mean?" Rachel took a deep breath, "The network known as Adult Swim had recently made a cartoon called Pulling Heartstrings, in which the main character, Nova, lands in Lyra Heartstrings' home, and then goes to Canterlot Castle to seek citizenship, and he is then thrown a party by Pinkie Pie the day after, when he sets out to go to Twilight's for a magic book." "That's exactly what happened the first two days that I was there. Think we could watch a couple of episodes?" I looked to Lyra and Twilight, who both shrugged, Rachel doing the same. "I don't see the harm in it. They only released four episodes so far." "I take it that they dragged on the development between myself and Lyra to make it just a little bit more realistic, right?" "Eeeyup." I looked at Rachel curiously. "I'm also a fan of Friendship is Magic." Just then, Rachel's phone rang, and all we heard was the chorus to the song 'Love Me Cheerilee,' which summed up the fact that she was telling the truth. No non-brony would have a brony-made song as their ringtone, especially when the lyrics confessed their love for a pony. Rachel picked up her phone, "Y'ello, Rachel here... I told you guys already that I'm NOT paying for the damages this time, it's HIS problem, not mine... fine, I'm coming back right now, though I'm gonna be making a slight detour first. I have some friends that I need to send home. Later John." Just after Rachel ended the call, I poked her to catch her attention, "Rachel, I know of a way that can get us back home, but I'm going to need a lot of paper." "Yeah, we have enough magic, though I don't know if Twilight here has enough to help out with another jump spell." After that explanation, I set off to find a stack of paper and a pencil, and then began writing down what was needed. Luckily, there was no need to include the calculations for the current world that we were in, only how to open the portal directly to Ponyville. Twilight looked down at all of the papers in shock, "Nova, how the heck did you figure all of this out? Do you realize what others could do with this kind of knowledge?" I laughed, "It's a good thing that I'm the only one that knows how to work these calculations into a spell." Rachel poked Twilight, "What the heck does the spell do?" "It rips open a portal from one universe to another using specific coordinates to drop out of the time vortex from." Rachel's jaw just hung in the air for about five minutes. When I had finished writing out everything, there were about twenty pages of just metaphysics and calculations, and the twenty first page was a magic diagram that was already charged with the spell. I handed Rachel the one paper, "Here you go, just close your eyes and envision a portal, the magic will do the rest." Rachel took a look at the paper, closed her eyes, and focused. At first nothing happened, leading Twilight to believe that it hadn't worked, but shortly after, a ripple had begun to form a few feet in front of us. The ripple began to grow into a hole, getting bigger and bigger, eventually becoming about 6 feet in radius. All three of us stepped through the portal after we had confirmed that it was indeed the Ponyville which we had just left. Rainbow Dash was still flying frantically around the library by the sound of things - the spell had ripped the hole into the basement space. I walked back over to Rachel and gave her one last hug, "Goodbye, live well, and don't do anything completely stupid. To close the portal, just rip the piece of paper up, just don't do it until we are all safely on the other side." Walking back over to the portal, I called Lyra and Twilight over to go through the portal with me. "We may see you again, we may not, who knows. Anyway, we're off." With that, I signalled Rachel to rip up the piece of paper, thus closing the portal. 'Great, now all we have to do is go upstairs and let RD know that we're all safe and sound.'
And Then Sex Happened...DISCLAIMER: For those that do not wish to read clop, feel free to skip to the next chapter, there will be a recap minus the clop bits. Rainbow Dash, Twilight's Treehouse I paced around the main part of Twilight's place, trying to keep myself calm. "Alright, alright, don't panic, Twilight tries new spells sometimes, and half of the time they don't work. Everything's going to be fine." I hope to Celestia that nopony heard me. Any further thoughts were cut off by sounds of hoofsteps in the basement, along with voices. At first I couldn't make them out, but they got clearer over time. "Come on, we have to get upstairs, Dash is probably pacing upstairs worrying about us." Nova. "Nova's right, you'll have time to inspect the hole later." Lyra. "Ugh, fine, I guess you're right. Let's go upstairs to make sure she hasn't put a trench in the floor from pacing around in a circle for too long." That's Twilight for you. Twilight and the other two came up the stairs from the basement, Nova walked right over to me and scratched my head. "Hey, we're alright. What happened wasn't really your fault; who's to say for sure that you would have careened into Twilight's house? It was a one in a million chance. No harm no foul." I gave Nova a look of displeasure. "Whoa, no need to get defensive. You stick by all of your friends, but you also want to keep them safe." Dammit, stop reading me like a book. Nova gave me a small smile, "So, you want to join Lyra and I, as well as another friend for dinner somewhere?" I looked past Nova and saw that Lyra was nodding while looking at me, edging me to accept. "Yeah, sure, I'll go." Nova smiled so wide that I was sure to make Pinkie jealous. The three of us headed out of the library, while Nova turned around, "You might want to take a rest Twilight, I can tell that spell took a lot out of you." Nova, Ponyville The three of us were heading out to a local diner for dinner, while making a detour to a friend's place along the way. 'I hope she's able to come... maybe we can even convince Tavi to come too.' Lyra looked up at me and noticed that I was deep in thought again. "Nova, what am I gonna do with you? If you keep thinking like that and walking, I swear, you're going to walk right into poison joke." Rainbow laughed, "I'm gonna have to agree on that one, you do seem to space out when getting too deep in thought... it reminds me of Twilight." "Oh come on, I'm not that bad, am I?" Both mares nodded. I sighed, "Alright, I give up, you two win. I'll stop thinking and walking..." Lyra, Ponyville It seemed to me that Nova was walking towards Vinyl's house to pick up Vinyl and Octavia to take with us to dinner. After that comment on him thinking too much, I got an idea: I'm gonna try to surprise Nova. I carefully and stealthily came up behind Nova, and prepared to scare him. Looking into his memories that he gave me, I found one thing that scares Nova to this day - Pinkamena wearing a manic grin. I used a camouflage spell and donned the form of Pinkamena, and made my best rape face. I poked Nova on his back - he turned around, and gave a loud scream in surprise. Seconds later, he teleported; just before he teleported, he had a look of surprise, as if he hadn't intended it. Rainbow Dash looked at me with a skeptical face. "Are you sure that was a good idea, Lyra?" I changed back when she finished. "Oh, I guess it really wasn't. Would you mind going to Vinyl's house and letting her and Octavia know that we'll be a little late? I have to go find Nova." "Sure thing." I closed my eyes in order to have better concentration. 'Now, how did that spell go? Oh, right, I got this.' Concentrating my energy on the magic radar spell, I tried to locate Nova - it didn't take long, as he hadn't really gone far, just a bit into the Everfree Forest. I teleported right beside Nova to apologize to him for scaring him like that, but then we both looked down at the ground... what we saw, we didn't like. It was poison joke. I sighed, "Well shit. Guess we should head over to Zecora's." "Wait, I want to find out what the effects are; we can go tomorrow afternoon." I gave Nova a worried look, "You sure that's a good idea?" "I doubt it'll be anything too serious, cause it's just poison joke, we'll be fine." I was still worried about it; some of the effects that other ponies have had over the years have been rather... difficult to forget about. Vinyl Scratch, Scratch Records Studio/Vinyl's home There was a knock at the door, and I really didn't want to get up and answer it, as I was busy making another track, but Tavi decided to act like a little foal, and unplug my sound system... again. I groaned, "Fine, I'll get it." "Now Vinyl, please try to be more pleasant, you don't know who's at the door." "Yes mother," I joked; Octy laughed at the joke. When I opened the door, Rainbow Dash was standing there, looking a little impatient. Immediately after seeing me open the door, her mood picked up. "Hey Dashie, what's up?" I smiled, and she gave me a million watt grin right back. "Not much, still training, but I'm not here to brag and boast." For some reason, I thought about the piece of toast I had this morning, "Nova and Lyra are going to be a little bit late getting here." This raised my curiosity, as Lyra hasn't missed any of our meetups for dinner, until now that is. "Oh?" "Yeah, Lyra decided to try and scare Nova; it worked, though a little too well. When Nova saw what Lyra was trying to scare him with, he almost jumped out of his skin and probably teleported by accident. She's currently looking for him." Yeah, that sounds like Lyra alright. Her and RD share quite a few things as far as personality goes, but one thing that Lyra doesn't have is Dashie's oversized ego. I swear, it's as big as Cloudsdale itself. I was about to reply, when I caught sight of a certain aquamarine mare with a bi-pedal creature - yep, Nova and Lyra. As they came closer, I could tell that something was off. Dash caught the look on my face and turned to the direction I was facing. As the now notoriously known couple came closer, it was obvious as to why they seemed different - they had swapped genders! Lyra, or should I say 'Guyra' now, had a look on his face that just screamed 'I never asked for this', while Nova was just grinning like a madpony. The changes that Lyra went through weren't really dramatic; he now had a more squared face, and a muscular physique. To be honest, he looked kind of hot, but I have Octavia, and she can be a bit much to handle at times, if you know what I mean. She can be pretty loud too at times; I feel so sorry for our neighbors whenever she gets in the mood to 'make music.' Nova's changes were a lot less subtle that Lyra's. Her hair was much longer - all the way down her back, her facial features were softer and more round, and her physique was a little slimmer. Two of the most noticeable changes, were her hips that were almost as round as Octavia's sweet plot, and her chest, that was large enough to make Dashie question the comfort of her own pillow. Dashie left, muttering something about sizes, leaving the three of us to stand around outside. Again, Lyra was not amused. "You didn't have to teleport into a patch of poison joke, you know." "You startled me, and my magic reacted, that's it." "So you're saying it's my fault?" I started to feel awkward standing in front of the two of them as they ignored me and kept arguing. Nova took on a calm tone, obviously trying to diffuse the situation before it got out of hoof. "I'm not saying it is. What I'm trying to say, is that it isn't anyone's fault directly; how was either of us supposed to know that my magic was going to react at all, let alone randomly teleport me." Lyra's face softened when Nova finished his explanation. "Oh..." There was an awkward silence in the air for a couple of minutes, as none of us knew exactly what to say. Finally, I decided to break it. "So, seeing that you two have swapped genders, I think you two might need to pick different names... I'm thinking Guyra for you, Lyra," He just nodded, "and... Niva. Yeah, Niva could work." "I think we have other things to be thinking about other than names, Vinyl. It seems that one of us isn't happy with how things have turned out." Nova turned to Lyra, "I could change you back, but if I did that and you then go to Zecora for the remedy, you would be turned back into a guy. I can only change your current form, not your true form." Wait, what did he mean by that? "Alright, maybe we should reschedule, because it looks like you two need to figure some things out. I'm not saying you need to work out issues in your relationship, but it might be best if you get your bodies back to normal." The both of them nodded. "Well, I guess we're off to Zecora's hut then." "See you tomorrow, you two!" I waved to Nova and Lyra as they left my place and headed back to the forest. Guyra, Edge of the Everfree Forest The early evening light had started to fade, making way for the darkness that is to come later; the sky overhead beginning to change as the sun inched closer to the horizon. allowing the moon to rise and take its place in the sky. Niva walked beside me, an arm draped around my back as we headed into the Everfree Forest. My thoughts were reeling, and I didn't know how to make it stop. There were some thoughts and feelings that were completely new to me - I wanted to have Nova, or Niva, as Vinyl called her, just lay down on the grass and cuddle with me all night long... and much, much more. The feeling of having her arm across my back was nice, but I felt as if I wanted... no, that wasn't the right word... no, I felt as if I needed more. 'Damn it, all of these confusing thoughts, it's so difficult to stay focused.' Niva must have caught on to something, as she moved in front of me and sat on her knees in order to become eye level with me. The look on her face was calm, yet nervous; happy, yet sad. She simply sat there, and pulled me into a tight embrace. Niva stroked my back, and kept repeating, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean for something like this to happen." A few minutes after this, she calmed down; I pulled out from the hug, though I kept her within an arm's reach. I kissed her nose, "It's alright, I guess... Nova, what is going on inside my head? I have all of these new thoughts, and feelings that I'm not sure where they came from. Part of me wants to go hide in a corner and hope the situation gets resolved, another wants me to kiss you... and a lot more." As I continued, I leaned my face into her chest and sobbed, "I'm scared, alone, and I want to get away, from my own thoughts no less!" Niva just placed a finger on my lips, and smiled. "This is what happens when you're a guy, though you're not used to it, so everything just seems to be on the foreground." Niva looked around for signs of anyone else nearby, which yielded no results, and then she continued, "Maybe listening to a couple of the thoughts will help ease the tension you're feeling." No sooner than she had said that, Niva moved her face closer to me, and pressed her lips to mine. There was this feeling of electricity running through me, a wave of pleasure that I hadn't felt before now. I could feel my horn blasting off random magic; I brushed my tongue against Niva's lips, and she opened and welcomed it with open arms, err lips. Our tongues were wrestling for dominance of the space past each others lips, the both of us fighting aggressively against the other. I felt some sort of heat build up, and noticed something below my abdomen that I hadn't paid much attention to before now. It turned out that I had 'grown a pair of stones,' as the people from Niva's world would put it. Niva moved away and looked down, probably because I must have 'poked' him. I looked away, and Niva just cupped my muzzle in her left hand. "What's there to be ashamed about?" "I'm... I'm just scared. I don't know how to deal with this, and us two doing this isn't helping the torrent of thoughts in my head." "It's fine, just relax. I take it that your mind is screaming to 'screw me silly,' right?" I nodded. "Well, I can help with that, but first I want to be sure. Do you truly want to?" "Yes, I do." "Ok then, allow me to take the lead." Niva used her fingers and combed along my back and sides, and playfully nipped my left ear; I felt a ripple of pleasure wash over me. She moved down and trailed kisses along my underside, and then she suddenly stopped. "We don't have anything to do this on, and the forest floor would be a little uncomfortable." "I agree with that, why not pull something out of your pockets of holding?" "Good idea, and I have a thought on what to pull out too." Niva took on a sly smile right after she said that. Before I could question what Niva would be pulling out from the void, she pulled out a very familiar couch. I couldn't quite put my hoof on it, until a couple seconds later. She pulled out a fainting couch... but not just any fainting couch, it was Rarity's couch. Niva gently pushed me onto my back and crawled up to my lower abdomen, her face right above my love shaft. "Well well welly well well, it seems that you're going to be giving my jaws quite the workout, hehe." Niva then went to work, trailing her tongue from the base all the way up to the tip along the shaft, sending another wave of pleasure all over. She then kissed the top, "Mmmm, tastes a bit like lime," and then wrapped her lips around the head, and worked her way down; surprisingly, she took about half of it down her throat. All of this is new to me, and having Niva on top of me and giving incredible head just feels amazing. A couple minutes later, Niva brings her head up from my member. "Aw, I was so close." "That's the point, I don't think I could handle a load like yours, at least not orally." "Oh... Ooooh!" Not needing any further instruction, I got off the couch so Niva could position herself on the bottom, and I got back on the couch, with my shift stick at Niva's womanhood. Poking through the outer lips, she winced a little. "Umm, Guyra, I don't think it's gonna," I wasn't really paying attention, and thrust myself all the way in, "FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII T!" Niva let out a scream as I pierced her hymen. I brought my lips to hers, and she kissed me passionately, staging another war of the tongues. I started thrusting slowly, receiving moans of pleasure from Niva. There was this feeling in the air, everything about what was going on felt special, almost as if nothing could ruin this moment. It seems I spoke too soon, as Applebloom walked through the bushes and saw what was going on. "Ah'm a big pony, and I wanna join in!" I just turned and stared at Applebloom, "No, but maybe if you go and wait about five years you can come and talk to us." "But I wan to nooooooooow!" Niva simply raised her hand, snapped her fingers, and just like that, Applebloom was gone. "What happened?" "I erased Applebloom's memory of finding us and teleported the three of them back to Rarity's home." Now that the distractions had been dealt with, I continued hammering my beloved with my battering ram. Her moans of pleasure gradually increased in volume, signalling that she was close to the edge, and I was getting there as well. "Lyra, let's come together," she said, breathing heavily throughout the statement. "Say no more." I increased the pace at which we were going at it, causing the two of us to moan even louder. 'It's a surprise that nopony has come to see what's going on yet...' Soon enough, we were just at the edge of our limits, neither of us being able to hold back much longer. "Lyra, let it go inside, our DNA isn't compatible between our two species, and I can tell that it's my safe period." "No need to tell me twice." I gave it one final, deep thrust, pumping every last drop right into Niva's womb. We both collapsed onto the couch, Niva held me in her arms and nuzzled her face into the side of my neck while she played with my right ear. The two of us passed out in each others embrace, laying on Rarity's couch in the middle of the Everfree forest... Niva, Everfree Forest Waking up snuggled up to your beloved is always nice; waking up after a random sexcapade, even better... but as the memories come clooding in, I regret about that decision. Looking at the sky, I found that it was around 10pm. I decided to wake up my better half. "Hey, sunshine, get up cause we gotta move." I nudged him in the shoulder, no response. 'How the hell am I gonna wake this damn lazy pony's ass up?' As I asked myself this question, my thoughts drifted to one prank on YouTube, wherein a random sleeping student at college gets a rude awakening via airhorn. A devilish smile crept upon my lips; with my free hand, I levitated my pants over to me, reached into one of my pockets, and pulled out an airhorn. I pointed it skyward, and pressed the butte\on for five seconds. Guyra woke with a start, jumping off the couch and onto his hooves in a second. "What the hell was that for?!" I got dressed as he kept the questions coming. "We still have to get to Zecora's; we need that remedy for poison joke." "Oh, right." And so, we set off for Zecora's hut, trekking through the path in the forest; there were sounds of the vast wildlife all around us, which reminded me of the times that I went to summer camp - it was kind of relaxing to say the least, though I don't know about Guyra... Said stallion was whipping his head in every direction possible, and was quite obviously scared out of his mind. I draped an arm on his back in an effort to comfort him. "I'm sorry." "What for? Everything's fine." "No, everything's not fine." He turned to me and continued, "If I hadn't of scared you on the way to Vinyl's, none of this would've happened." "Exactly, and you probably wouldn't have experienced what happened, back... OH SHIT, THE COUCH!" I snapped my fingers and teleported the couch back to Rarity's boutique, though it was unnoticed, as the two sisters were asleep... 'Ohhhh, Rarity's gonna have some fun cleaning that tomorrow...' Both of us laughed at the shared thought...
New Friends, Past Lives, And New DiscoveriesSo, to recap: we were at Twilight's place after traveling to another time in my world instead of where we wanted to go, and ended up leaving Rainbow Dash to sit there and worry about us until we got back. After that was dealt with, the three of us - being myself, Rainbow, and Lyra, headed off to Vinyl and Octavia's house for a lunch get together. Along the way, Lyra decides to try and scare me as punishment for thinking too much and spacing out while walking. When she goes through with scaring me, I accidentally end up teleporting into a patch of poison joke plants; Lyra, being ever so smart, teleports right after me, and lands in them as well. As a result, we end up swapping genders. Lyra, being unable to handle the hormones and other things that come with being a guy, ends up getting really, really turned on while we were on our way to Zecora's hut. Long story short, we defiled Rarity's couch, because we weren't going to be doing that sort of thing on the forest floor. This brings us to the current part of the story. Sweetie Belle, Carousel Boutique Sleep, something that we all like to do when there's nothing special to do during the day... and it's something that the sun has robbed me of today! I stretched and got out of bed, brushed my teeth, and then headed downstairs for some breakfast. Rarity was already in the kitchen making food, so I went into the main room and sat on the couch... or at least attempted to. Looking down on the couch after standing up on it, I saw that there were a few stains on it that were just a little bit damp; I sniffed them out of curiosity, and found that they smelled a bit weird. "Raaaaarityyyyy, the couch smells funnyyyyyyyyy." The work in the kitchen stopped for a moment. "Really Sweetie Belle, there's no way that the couch could smell funny unless you or one of your friends spilled something on it." "But it doesn't smell like anything anypony would eat, and I can tell it's not from any of our crusading adventures." "Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt to check it out." Rarity came into the main room; I jumped off of the couch so she had room to see. Rarity took a whiff, and instantly shot back. "DEAR SWEET CELESTIA, GO TAKE A SHOWER SWEETIE BELLE, THE COUCH IS ABSOLUTELY FILTHY!" I rolled my eyes and went upstairs, and went into the bathroom to start a shower. The warm water against my coat felt relaxing; I grabbed the soap and shampoo, and massaged it into my coat, as well as my mane and tail. It was kind of tiring because I wasn't able to use my magic yet for some reason, but it was worth it. My coat smelled of strawberries and my mane smelled of cotton candy. Rinsing off the soap and shampoo, I stepped out of the shower and dried myself using the towel that was hanging on the rack across from the sink. I walked downstairs and found Rarity hard at work, scrubbing the couch with the bottle of extremely powerful cleaning fluid - something that she rarely uses... she brought it out the day that I tried to make breakfast that one day, but all she needed was a single drop in a full bucket of water to clean the entire kitchen. Here she was, using a bucket half full of cleaning fluid, the other half was hot water. I trotted up behind her, and I was finally able to make out what she was muttering. "Filthy, filthy, filthy, filthy, filthy, filthy, filthy, filthy, filthy, filthy, filthy," which was emphasized by every scrub of the brush she was using. 'There's no way that I can tear her away from cleaning that, and the last time I tried to cook I nearly burned down the kitchen. Well, I guess I could go to Sugarcube Corner for a muffin or something.' I turned back to Rarity, who was still scrubbing away at the couch, "Rarity, I'm going out to Sugarcube Corner for some breakfast." "Be careful Sweetie." "I will." I exited our house and headed out to Sugarcube Corner for a nice muffin and lemonade breakfast. Princess Celestia, Bedroom Chambers Today was it, today was going to be the day that I break Luna out of that prison she locked herself into. Honestly, 3 days of gaming without sleep, and she had a stockpile of food in her room. What had started as a simple idea that would bring her closer to her subjects, turned into something ridiculous, as she now spends most of her free time cooped up in that room, occasionally shouting at nothing but the large LED flatscreen TV whenever she got upset about a part in whatever game it was. 'Luna, you really must grow up...' I sighed and returned to the throne room after clearing my mind, the pegasus guards paying no mind to my absence in the first place. Now that I sat on the throne once more, the court secretary allowed the next pony into the antechamber to voice their concerns about town issues and how one of us could help to alleviate said problem. One by one, more ponies came in to voice their problems and opinions, soaking up most of my time. Sure, I'm the princess and I can do pretty much anything I darn well wanted to most of the time, I still felt it necessary to listen to the voiced opinions of the public so as to help keep things in order - as they say, it's better to listen to what's going on with a problem before offering a solution. 'I may be a princess, and it may be my royal duty to assist in issues that affect the lives of my subjects, but for once I wish I could just take a vacation, just for one day; this is seriously starting to get boring, and I don't know how much longer I can take this. Being princess shouldn't be a privilege, it should be a punishment, on the highest level... and the board meetings surely do not help things.' Sure enough, my wishes were granted, as I could feel that Discord was finally back from the moon. His invisibility trick had caused me to sense him right away, and I could tell that he was heading back for his room. Suddenly things didn't seem so boring, as I was able to keep my attention on those that kept coming into the courts to address some issue that could have been dealt with differently and still benefit the town or city. Princess Luna, Bedroom Chambers "TAKE THAT, AND THAT, AND THA - OH CRAP! CRAPCRAPCRAPCRAPCRAPCRAP - NOOOOOO! WHY MUST YOU DESOLATE ME EVERY TIME, TAURUS DEMON!?" I yelled unceremoniously at the large LCD screen in front of me, clearly playing a new game that had just come out for the Haystation 3 and other consoles, Mark Souls. It had been merely hours after the game's release that I had received my copy in the mail... though I hadn't actually ordered it - I figured that one of the guards must have let it slip that I love video games and it spread to one of the stores, thus resulting in a limited edition preorder only copy of Mark Souls in my personal mailbox yesterday. Giving up on trying to get past that certain part in the game, I resigned to playing a game which was brought by Nova when he had come here. No, I didn't steal it, I had Discord sneak in and make a copy of it instead. The only thing that was left, was to boot up the computer... The game was a copy of Halo: Combat Evolved. Sure, the game was old, but it held something special about it. I popped the disc into the computer system that Discord had bought for me, and started the installer. The game controls were almost the same as some of the other games I have, so it wasn't that hard to learn the new configuration. As soon as the game had finished installing, the first thing I did was what any good gamer would do - start the campaign mission to familiarize myself with the game mechanics and controls, before heading into multiplayer mayhem. The first few moments of the game were nothing special, just exposition on the current events, and setting the plot for the main character in the game. People from Nova's world, according to Dissy, had said that this game had launched an incredibly large franchise, worth well over $100,000,000. To be honest, this game is quite creative for the time that it had been released, and we have yet to see a counterpart here in Equestria. The grunts in this game are just so darn hilarious, the way that they flail around everywhere, running and screaming; I'm not saying that I enjoy torturing beings, but I just find it amusing how these characters were developed in the game. The elites are a pain at times, though I can deal with them... most of the time. The needler pistols, the needler pistols... OH THOSE CELESTIA DAMNED NEEDLER PISTOLS! THEY ARE A NUISANCE AND SHOULD BE OBLITERATED FROM THIS GAME ENTIRELY! One second I'm taking down an elite and I am low on health, but my shields are holding up, then out of nowhere, A FREAKING GRUNT SHOWS UP WITH A NEEDLER, AND DESECRATES ME WITH ITS POINTY PINK PROJECTILES OF DOOM! MICROSOFT STUDIOS, YOU SHALL RUE THE DAY THAT YOU DECIDED THAT NEEDLER PISTOLS WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA TO BE PUT IN THIS GAME! MARK MY WORDS, YOUR DAYS ARE NUMBERED! "Come on, come on, almost there, gotta get to the health pa - NOOOOOOOOOOO!" I screamed in frustration as yet another elite that had a cloak enabled had smacked me in the back of the head. Cheapshots. "Alright, I guess I could take a break from that and start up multiplayer." I exited to the main menu, and then scrolled down to multiplayer, and then selected my color - or I would have, if they had midnight blue. Seeing as they did not have my coat color, I settled for the next best thing, black. I checked over the settings one more time, making sure that everything was set right. Feeling that everything was set the way I liked it, I jumped into the foray on a random server; it was a free for all match, and the score limit was 50. "Time to teach these insolent beings who their leader is." I smiled as the match started; these fools had no idea what was coming to them... Nova, Home Out of all the things not to work, it just HAD to be the antidote for poison joke. Sure, Lyra was back to her normal self, but I'm still stuck as a girl. Don't get me wrong, it's nice, but sometimes I miss my old body... and I'm already getting tired of Lyra staring off into space and having her eyes gravitate towards my chest. I currently sat on the couch in the living room, wondering what we could do today, as the two of us really didn't have anything planned. "So Nova, got any good games back in your world?" "Lyra, you have my memories, so it's safe to say that if you want to know that answer, ask yourself." Lyra pouted and shot a hurt look at me, though I knew she was just foaling around. "Have I ever told you that you're really mean?" The hurt look was still on her face, but I wasn't buying it. "No, you haven't. Also, I have an idea: why don't we hop over to my world and bring over my computers, and we can play something together." That pouting face she had no doubt perfected was washed away in an instant, replaced by a happy grin, almost covering her whole face. "Sweet, what game were you thinking?" "Halo: Combat Evolved." Her smile vanished at the same speed it appeared on her face. "Really?" The sarcasm was so obvious in her voice that it was almost as if it were a sign being smacked into my face. "Hey, you gotta enjoy the classics, Lyra. This game is what started the whole Halo franchise in the first place. Plus, if we do get my computers and play together, we can also play people from my world, as the systems would be dimensionally locked." "Though I doubt you can get back to your world, considering what happened the last time we tried." "One, we were using traditional magic, and two, it didn't help that Rainbow Dash came crashing in just before it was done." "Still, it's not like you can use the one you wrote out in your world, because as you said, it can only be done by those that are a resident of that world in that time frame." "Technically speaking, I could, I just didn't want to be the guinea pig myself, because I wasn't sure how using magic outside of Equestria would work... turns out that I could charge it just fine." Lyra facehoofed. "Nova, you are ridiculous sometimes." "I know, and that's why you love me!" Lyra giggled. "Yeah, ridiculous but still sweet and charming, in your own way." I briefly hugged Lyra, running my fingers through her soft mane; she responded by nuzzling into my neck... I almost melted in her embrace. After a couple minutes, we separated, and I had opted to give Lyra a few pointers before we go. "So, a little foreword about taking a trip to my world: I can pretty much tell you that they won't be able to accept the fact that Equestria actually exists yet. True, there are bronies that wish to be here, but to them it's still a fleeting dream." "Implying...?" "I'm gonna have to change your form into a human before we go." "Oh, cool." I began charging up the energy needed to pull of the transformation spell, and then started changing Lyra's form. Her stature was just a bit larger than mine, only a few inches taller, and her skin tone was just a tad darker, as if she had a tan. Her hair was a bit shorter than mine, and kept its original color scheme, white and aquamarine. She was wearing a pair of skinny jeans that accentuated her lovely behind quite nicely, which ended halfway down her forelegs. Her shirt was a turquoise colored t-shirt, and her shoes were a pair of green converse, though instead of the official logo, it had a lyre in its place. Her, 'airbags', were pretty decent; they were almost the same size as mine, which were around 35c. As the transformation finished, I couldn't stop myself from drooling while admittedly ogling at her hot form. Lyra giggled at me, probably because I had a stupid look on my face. "Like what you see?" There was a hint of naughtiness in her voice, which made it that much harder to keep my hands at my sides. "Oh hell yes. Lyra, I thought you were cute before, but now... I'd have to say that you'd give almost every girl in my world a run for their money." "Down girl." I pouted, "Yes." "So, when do we leave?" Lyra's voice was full of eagerness, her energy just pooling out of her. "Actually, in a couple minutes, it'll take a bit to properly aim the vortex at the right point in time." I charged up the energy required to rip open a hole, and then started calculating for the other end of the vortex to open right into my bedroom, in the present time; about five minutes later, a window opened up, and through it, my bedroom could be seen. The two of us stepped through the hole, and as we crossed over, the hole closed. Lyra looked at me worriedly, but I just gave her a look that told her this happens normally. We both looked around the room - everything was in the same place that it was left the day that I got the call to go for that interview in L.A.; clothes on the floor, games all over my desk and chair, console controllers in random places, and all three of my computer towers on. I did not want to see my electricity bill. "Wait, you have three computers?" "Yeah, I do. One's for just producing music, the other one is for gaming, and the third is the guest computer." "Wow, you're organized, though I can't really say that while looking at the state of your room." "Oh be quiet you." I playfully punched Lyra in the shoulder; she hit right back, laughing. "Owie." I gave her a pouty face. "Oh don't look at me like that, it's not gonna work." "Whatever. Hey, you wanna go take a walk around town? Actually, I'll be right back, I'm gonna go get someone who I think will be very interested to meet us, but first..." I concentrated my spark energy, and changed my form back to how I should be, male, with my slightly muscular build, mullet that was tied into a ponytail, and my normal clothes. Lyra looked pretty ticked. "YOU COULD HAVE DONE THAT THE ENTIRE TIME? WHY DID WE WASTE ALL THAT TIME AT ZECORA'S TRYING TO GET YOU BACK TO NORMAL?" "Because I wanted to see if anything would work, and I kinda forgot I could do that til now." I gave Lyra a peck on the lips, "So, I shall be back in a little bit, try not to wreck anything... and don't touch my production studio, I have that set up just the way I want it; if you want something to do, why not watch a movie or something on one of the other computers. I'll be back in a bit." I walked over to a corner that was always covered by a shadow, and stepped through, keeping in mind the place I wanted to go: the house of my drinking buddy, John Hughes. I stepped through the shadow, and emerged just outside of his house in an alleyway; I walked around to the front, and saw that his car was in the driveway. I knocked on the door, and waited for the door to be answered. Two minutes passed by before the door was opened, and heralded a surprised John. "Jason, what the hell happened, I thought you were gone! You were on TV bro, they showed the footage of you just vanishing in a white light at the airport." Intrigued, I walked in, and saw on the TV that very footage being played on SpikeTV. I turned towards John, ready to tell him just about everything. "John, I am going to tell you something, but this is something that has to be kept secret, even moreso than The Doctor's real name." John nodded, allowing me to continue. "That white flash, was me being brought to Equestria; I stepped on a lay-line that was right on top of a rip in the universe, which hurled me into Equestria." Surprisingly, he was taking this info well so far. "When I arrived, I landed in somepony's home, and I have more news: we're officially together!" John extended his fist towards me. /)*(\ "That's awesome, Jason. Oh, have you met Twilight?" Yeah, John's a brony, and he absolutely ADORES Twilight! "Yeah, and I borrowed a few books from her so I could do magic... wait, I came here to fetch you and go back to my house. Dude, come with me!" Before John could say anything, I dragged him by the wrist, outside, and into the alleyway; he looked at me like I had two heads, though that was before we shadow walked. As soon as we passed through and ended up back at my place, his look changed in an instant. Nova, (former) Home John and I came back to my house through the shadow corner, and his eyes laid upon the sole person standing in the room - Lyra. He turned to look at me as if I had two heads again. "I thought you said that you were with Lyra..." Lyra cleared her throat, "Um, that's me." She waved a hand at John, "Hi." John confusedly raised his hand and waved back at her, "Um, hi..?" "You don't think I'm telling the truth, do you?" "Personally, no." I pinched the bridge of my nose, "Dude, do you really think that I would let Lyra come here as a pony, and risk someone seeing her through the window? You know what, come with me, we're going back to Equestria." Before John could say anything, I opened the vortex that led back to Ponyville, and walked through, with Lyra and John in tow. Nova, Home As soon as all three of us had stepped onto the other side, I quickly made sure that we were all accounted for, and nothing had been horribly mismatched when going through the portal. After the once over, I turned to Lyra, waiting patiently. "Oh fine, you can turn me back now..." She sighed, which made me feel a little guilty for cutting her fun a little short. I charged up the needed magic and transformed Lyra from a human, back into a pony. John stared between me and Lyra, in complete and utter shock. I honestly thought it was hilarious seeing his reaction when I had used magic, and to transform someone from being a human, back to a pony. "Nova... how are you able to do that?" I didn't want to reveal all of the details to him yet... so I opted to only tell him a limited bit of info. "When I was at the airport, I must have stepped on a ley-line that was right on top of a hole in the universe, which resulted in me being transported to a random universe, I just happened to be so lucky as to land here." Pfffft, more like I was dragged here after falling out of my own universe. The Spark inside me must have become active when I stepped on that line, thus ejecting me from the universe at that moment. John pensively scratched just below his sideburns in thought, "Yeah, I get that explains how you got here, but it doesn't explain how you're able to do magic..." "Right; to be honest, I have almost no idea as to how I am able to do magic, but hey, it's magic, why look a gift horse in the mouth?" "I guess you're right on that one." Let me explain something before things go any further: John is actually about 3 years older than I am, and he has a habit of trying to analyze almost every detail; if John is missing details of something that he wants to know, he will drive himself into the ground until he figures it out... He's so much like Twilight that it's uncanny. My jaw almost hit the floor - this was so unlike John to just simply dismiss something he's interested in finding out... then again, we ARE in Equestria, and I don't know everything about him. "Well, that's new." "There's quite a bit you don't know about me yet, Nova, and I know there's a lot that I don't know about you either, so we're even on that one." "Touche." "Um, HELLO! DOES ANYONE KNOW THAT I EXIST!?" The two of us turned towards Lyra, grins on our faces. "If you didn't exist Lyra, who would I have to snuggle in bed with?" Lyra unintentionally turned up the cute by blushing, adding a shade of pink to her bright aquamarine coat. 'D'AAAAWWWWWWWW!' "Hey John, how bout I bring you over to Twilight's and introduce you?" Right then and there, John's face lit up, and he began shaking more than a kid in a candy store with a one million dollar spending budget. Seriously, I was considering renting him out to the construction crew as a spare jackhammer... "Holy crap YES! WHEN DO WE GO?" I giggled silently. "RIGHT NOW!" "Mind if I come too, Nova?" "You kidding me? Of course you can come. You didn't really have to ask, I thought you were coming with us anyway." The three of us exited our home, and set out towards Twilight's house. John, Ponyville I just couldn't believe it - we were all walking towards Twilight's place, and I was barely able to contain my excitement. Lyra and Jason giggled at me while we walked... well, they walked, while I skipped happily down the road. Many ponies were staring at us, though I could care less... then again, it could be the shirt that I'm currently wearing - it's a white t-shirt with Twilight enthusiastically pointing with both of her hooves at the word 'SCIENCE', while standing upright on her hind legs. The closer we got to the library, the more excited I got, I just couldn't suppress the gigantic grin I wore while walking there, and I wouldn't have it any other way - I was meeting my favorite pony, and my beacon of hope. Twilight played an important role in my life, when things got hard at work, I used to have nothing to turn to, what with some of the co-workers giving me a hard time because I was fairly new. When I had discovered Friendship is Magic, I instantly felt a connection with Twilight; I felt that I could relate with her when it came to meticulously detailing everything, never skipping over anything, wanting to find out exactly what makes everything tick. She would be there for her friends in an instant, and never give up when being faced with a near-impossible task when it came to her friends. In a way, I admired Twilight for that, and because of her, I managed to overcome most of the stuff that goes on at work and in the lab, and to smile through life. When we had finally reached Twilight's library, I felt like my heart was going to explode from beating so fast. My back felt chills, my hands were shaking more than a tambourine being played by a gypsy, and my mind was going a thousand miles a minute. Jason stepped up to the door and knocked; nothing happened at first, but then Spike opened the door. Jason and spike brohoofed, and we were all led inside. "Twilight, you got visitors! Nova and Lyra are here, and they brought another human with them!" I turned towards Jason, "Nova, huh? When did that happen?" Lyra spoke just before Jason could open his mouth, "When Jason first came here, we had to think of another name for him that would fit better; after sitting around and trying to figure one out, he randomly blurted out 'Nova,' and we just went with it." Before I could say anything else, there came a voice from upstairs, "I'll be right there, just a minute!" There were sounds of books being closed and frantic running around. Jason facepalmed. "You've got to be kidding me, she's STILL researching that project of hers... seriously, I'm gonna need to have a talk with that crazy mare." Lyra and I responded, ("What project?"("What project?")) Another facepalm, "Really guys? But yeah, Sparkles is working on a project that she's very adamant in completing, and no, I don't know the details." Twilight started descending down the stairs, and she must've heard us, cause she replied, "And you're not going to know the details, cause it's private. Sorry to disappoint you three... Oh, sorry, I forgot to introduce myself, my name is Twilight Sparkle, and it's nice to meet you, um..." "It's John, John Hughes." "John Hooves?" "John Hughes." "John Who?" "John Hughes." "John Moose?" "It's John Hughes." "John Shoes?" "Ugh, it's John Hughes!" Twilight laughed, "It's alright, I was just having a bit of fun," She grinned, and there was the one and only 'squee' sound, "Sorry 'bout that." I sighed, "Nah, it's ok, at least you didn't mess up my first name." "Oh, John, why do you have a shirt with a picture of me on it pointing at the word science?" This is one of the things that I wish I didn't have to explain to the ponies, though I guess there was no avoiding it; though just before I opened my mouth, Jason responded. "Yeah, um, Twilight, this is something that is easier shown than merely explained. I'm going to give you a run through with a memory spell, because honestly, I don't want to embarrass myself having to explain it... that, and it's a LOT less time consuming." Jason closed his eyes, and held a hand over Twilight's head. Just before I thought that it may not actually work, Jason's hand was covered in an orange-yellow magic aura, and then Twilight's eyes went wide... The song I Know Humans Exist by Neighsayer fits perfectly with this scene... Twilight, Library Nova closed his eyes and put a hand over top of my head, channeling the needed amount of magic for the spell, and then he started showing me memories from before the time he arrived here. The memories started with the invention of the television, how it had evolved, and so on; a few seconds later, Nova moved on from that, to a few shows that this 'Lauren Faust' had created, and the following she had gained because of the quality of the shows that she had produced. Next up was her draft for a show called 'My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic'. At first I was shocked at the details of this show, but I just patiently sat through the rest of the memories. What was shown after that, was an essay which was written, berating the show before it even aired; the interesting part was where it ended up - on a website called '4-chan', and it had gained the attention of a few people... I saw how a few people had decided to check out the show, and started liking it, because of the animation, the character depth, and so on. As the show went on, it started gathering a larger crowd, who heralded the show as a beacon of hope in an otherwise oppressive media-driven society. I was astounded at the sheer number of people who have been touched by the show and the community of 'bronies' that follow it, and its creed of 'love and tolerance.' I can honestly say, that I had never thought of anything like that happening. People's lives were saved from their own suicide attempts, it made people become accepting of others' differences as well as their own, they reached out to good causes everywhere, and they have the biggest hearts; when one of them is feeling sad, another takes notice and tries their hardest at cheering them up in any way they can. Some people have been inspired to reach their goals, no matter what they were, all because of the show that revolved around me and my friends, as well as our adventures; some have gone from being complete jerks, to the nicest people in the world, all because of this one show. It is absolutely amazing that a show about me and my friends could so something so astounding. I opened my eyes, which were threatening to burst into tears at the revelation that I just had about Nova and the other bronies; without any warning whatsoever, John knelt down and brought me into a hug, stroking the back of my neck; it felt nice. John then spoke, "I take it he showed you everything, right?" I nodded. "I never knew that my friends and I meant so much to so many people, I didn't think any of us would have that big of an impact on your world. Compared to us, all of you do so much in the name of friendship and harmony that you even put Celestia and Luna, as well as the Elements of Harmony themselves to shame." All of us stayed silent for a few minutes, thinking about the many contributions of bronies everywhere... 'Thank you, everyone, wherever you may be at this time; I thank you for what you all do, from the bottom of my heart.'
Challenging The UniverseNova, Twilight's Library Lyra and I both stood there as John was embracing Twilight and stroking her back. The sight of it was just so heartwarming, that I couldn't help but shed a tear for them; those two were so alike that it's uncanny. I turned to Lyra, who was standing beside me, and quietly made a suggestion to her. "I think we should leave these two alone to talk, I'm sure that they have a lot to discuss." "Yeah, same. Where do you wanna go?" The two of us quietly exited the library as Lyra asked the question. "I honestly have no idea... why don't we just go on a walk around the town?" Lyra smiled warmly, "Only if I get to take my lovely coltfriend." "Oh, well then, where is he?" I jokingly asked; Lyra caught on and laughed. "You, ya silly colt." Lyra socked me in the arm, though it didn't hurt that much. I threw my hands into the air and belted out something I knew would get Lyra all flustered. "YAY, I'M LOVED!" There were some stares, a few snickers, and good laughter all around - mission accomplished. Lyra however, didn't think it was that funny; she was blushing a light shade of pink, making her really adorable... "Nova..." "Aw, you're so adorable with that shade of pink mixing in with your cute face." Lyra started blushing harder, making me snicker. "N-N-N-Nova, stop it, you're embarassing me..." 'Dammit, so... cute...' Deciding that I had given Lyra enough torture for the day, I pulled her into a hug and stroked her mane; she seemed to calm down, and those that were staring at us turned and went on about their business, as if nothing was out of the ordinary. "Hey, Nova, I think I know somewhere you'd like to go." I let go of Lyra and stared into her beautiful golden eyes, getting lost in the sea of love. "Really, where?" Before either of us could say anything more, a small white foal a neon green and black mane and tale ran right between us, and down the path towards Fluttershy's cottage. I turned and stared at the foal, whose figure shrank off in the distance, and then turned back to Lyra, who had the same 'what the heck just happened' look on her face. "Well, that was random, even for this world..." Lyra didn't even reply, she just stared off into the distance. I was about to turn and head off somewhere, but there was an audible 'DONG' off in the distance, the distinct sound of someone running right into a metal pole... I facepalmed, knowing exactly who it was that ran into it. With a quick heel-turn, I ran towards the direction that the little foal went; what I saw next, was a little surprising. The foal was about the size of Applebloom; he had a pure white coat, neon green and black mane and tail, and his eyes were the same neon green color... that's not what surprised me though; the surprising and weird part about him, was the fact that his blood was that same color of green, and it seemed to be dissolving a small hole in the ground. Why was there blood, you may ask... well, he just knocked out two of his top front teeth when he rammed the pole. Looking back, he seemed to be running away from something, instead of running towards someone, just looking for a place to hide. Plus, it doesn't matter what planet or universe you're in, neon green acidic blood is not normal, by any standards. Lyra warily looked towards me while keeping a bit of distance from the foal, and I didn't blame her, he had acidic blood after all. "Hey Lyra, I'm just gonna heal this guy up and then bring him over to Fluttershy." Lyra looked at me questioningly. "Why Fluttershy, why not the hospital?" "Take one look at him, and then ask yourself that question again. This foal has been experimented on, and you know it. It would be dangerous to just bring him to the hospital, because they would want answers as to why he is like that. Plus, any organization that has the capacity to pull off complete biological overhauls successfully isn't one to be messed with, cause more than likely, they have very deep pockets, and informants almost everywhere. The one logical place for an organization of that nature to have contacts would be the local hospital, and judging by the direction he was coming from, it resides just on the outskirts of town." Lyra rolled her eyes as she mulled this all over, then with a sigh, she walked off in another direction. "Where ya off to?" Without looking back, Lyra replied, "To the only place that I can dump on without a care - the bar." "It's not even five yet, and you're going to a bar?" "Yep, I kind of need to get away from all the weird stuff that's going on right now, before I lose my sanity. No offense." "None taken, just be careful Lyra, I don't want to hear about anything happening to you while you're intoxicated." Lyra turned around and smiled, "You seriously believe that I would let anything happen to me? Anypony that tries to touch me has another thing coming." She then turned back to the way she was headed, and cantered off. 'Lyra, you just openly challenged the universe... now I'm extremely worried for you...' Lyra, The Hopping Grain I walked up to the door of the only bar in Ponyville, The Hopping Grain, and opened the door; all of the patrons looked my way, making the accompanying silence really uncomfortable. I warily looked around, until a dark purple unicorn waved me over to the counter; he seemed vaguely familiar, but it wasn't until I sat on one of the bar stools that I remembered exactly who he was - it was Shadow Streak the barkeep at Vinyl's stadium. I sighed, and Shadow trotted over to the tap and slid a drink towards me. Leaning onto the counter, I rested my muzzle on the counter. Many of the patrons simply disregarded me at this point and continued to what they were doing. With more bluntness than a sledgehammer, Shadow trotted back to me and decidedly bugged me to see what was wrong. "So, what's got the famous Lyra Heartstrings so worked up that she has to show up here, and before 5pm?" Not lifting my head off the counter, I gave a flat reply. "My coltfriend is somewhat of a pain; there have been a lot of weird things going on ever since we got together - his father is apparently from Equestria, he can travel through the multiverse as a separated conscience outside of his body while he sleeps, he has a plotload of magic capabililties, including chaos magic, and now he found out that there was an organization that does experimentation on ponies, just from seeing one of the test subjects run past, and slam his face into a pole. There's just too much weird stuff going on." I looked right at the glass that was sitting in front of me, it was a tall glass of gin mixed with apple juice. Foal's stuff, but it was a nice start; I picked up the stein glass and chugged the drink in no time, getting me stares from all who were present. "Damn, you weren't kidding when you said you were stressed out. Lemme get you another drink, tonight's binge is on the house." He smiled at me, no, not that 'I like you and I want to get to know you better' smile, but a friendly smile that said 'I'm here if you need to get away from things for a while'. I appreciated it. "Much appreciated, Shadow." The drinks continued, the next couple of drinks were still gin and apple juice, though after that I moved up to some Bacardi rum and Colta Cola, and then eventually straight rum; about six hours later, I was completely smashed, which is never good. Have you ever seen a unicorn really wasted? Didn't think so. Our magic becomes highly inaccurate and unstable, the slightest miscalculation or slip of concentration could very well spell disaster for bystanders, or even the caster themselves. Fortunately, I was one of the few smart ponies who always remembered to not use their magic while drunk. Shadow looked at me a little worriedly, "Hey, Lyra, you think you're gonna be ok getting home? I could walk you back, you know..." Me, being as drunk and stupid as I was, refused. "Ahm aright Sado, Ah con git back home, it'sh fine." "Lyra," Shadow's gaze burrowed into my eyes, staring past the sea of fiery gold that most stallions get lost in when they peer into them, and looked right into my soul. If I wasn't drunk, I would've shrunk and gave in to what he was silently implying, though that wasn't the case, so I just disregarded what he was doing, and walked out the door, and into Luna's beautiful night sky. I walked around the empty streets of Ponyville, taking in the beauty of the night sky; the moon was full, and the stars looked even more stunning than usual. Walking through the market square, I spotted a lone bit coin on the ground... I stopped by it to pick it up, and just as I did so, I felt a ring being put on my horn, which shrunk, and I could feel my magic being blocked off... the next thing I knew, I was being surrounded and then tossed around within the circle of stallions - a couple of them were stark white with blue manes and tails... they were definitely royal guards, no doubt about it. A couple of the stallions started throwing punches at me, which I tried to block using memories from Nova, to no avail. They kept punching and bucking me all over, then one of them got the bright idea of using dark magic along with their physical attacks, dealing damage to my soul. I could feel each punch and buck chip away a piece of my soul, taking away my will to go on with each blow. I silently wished Nova would hurry and find me... Nova, Home I was sitting on the couch going through e-mails on the laptop while waiting for Lyra to come home; she was supposed to be back after only a couple of hours, but I decided to just wait for her rather than to show up at the bar and embarrass her in front of a bunch of ponies that may or may not know her. I sighed in slight annoyance when I looked at the clock on the laptop, which read 10:12pm. I was about to close the laptop, when a sudden weird feeling washed over me - my gut was telling me that something was wrong, very wrong, though it took a second for it to sink in - Lyra was in trouble. I jumped up from the couch, flipping the table over in the process. 'Table be damned, I GOTTA GO SAVE LYRA!' I ran towards the front door, smashing right through it, and ran down the street. I didn't know exactly where she was, so I ran towards the market square for starters. 'If she's gonna be taken from anywhere at this time of night, it'd be the market square, due to the many hiding places thanks to the alleys.' While running to the market square, I ran right past Rarity's place, and she poked her head out the window. "Where are you running off to so fast at this time of night, darling?" I stopped for a second to answer her. "Long story short, Lyra and I had a fight, and then she stormed off to take a walk by herself... and I got a bad feeling a couple minutes ago, so I'm off to make sure that I was wrong about what I felt." "Wait, you want to be wrong? What did you feel?" "Like a part of me is on the edge of death." Rarity flinched. "Oh..." Her ears splayed back, "well, I'm not going to keep a knight in shining armor away from his princess, now GO FIND HER!" Rarity uncharacteristically yelled out to me, and I took her advice, running with all my strength to the market square. It was another few minutes till I reached my destination; what I saw, was beyond what my mind could normally handle. To put it in perspective, think of the last few episodes of Clannad. Got all that emotional sadness? Good, now multiply that by about five thousand. That's how much this scene stabbed my heart. There were five stallions, two of them off-duty royal guards, probably the ones that tried to start shit with us in the castle the other day... they were all tossing her around and using her as a punching bag; three of them were using dark magic enchantments on their hooves, no doubt damaging Lyra's soul. I silently walked up towards them, making sure to stick to the shadows; I was depressed, but I was also getting angry, and I started seeing pure magic crackling around me. A mystical wind started blowing around me, and then it happened - that very same aura that I used when I told off Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon burst out; there was no stopping me and what I was about to do to these pathetic stallions. Now would be a good idea to listen to Monster by Skillet... Silently and calmly, yet still pouring out rage and anger, I walked up to the stallions. I poked one of the royal guards on the back, and he turned around; the first couple of seconds, he glared at me, then he noticed the pure magic surrounding me with a dark blue and red aura swirling around, and he ran off. The others took notice that he ran and started laughing, thinking that he was worried about being caught by other guards... but they all had a fate much worse than that awaiting them... They eyed me, and then dropped Lyra on the ground unceremoniously. I could tell she was alive, but just barely, and she was fighting a losing battle with death; I didn't have much time, maybe about twenty minutes... One of the stallions tried throwing a punch at me, but I stopped it... with my finger. I knelt down, and whispered in his ear. "If I can block a full power punch from you with a finger, imagine what a punch from me would do to you..." The grey stallion's eyes went wide, and he started backing away in fear, while I started walking slowly towards him. "Mess with my marefriend, I mess with you... attack my marefriend, and I tear you to shreds... I'll leave you lot so mangled, it'll make a manticore attack look like a kitten scratch." I punctuated this statement with a crack of my neck. The group of stallions tried to run away, but I encased them in a magic bubble; they couldn't escape. I took one of them out of the bubble, and held him telekinetically. Bringing him closer to me, he hung upside down, and I stared into his eyes. "Now, what should I do with you? Drop you from Canterlot? Give you to the Gryphon nation after sending them a letter stating that you plan on assassinating their leader?" I thought for a moment, til a really, really cruel idea came into my mind... "Or... I could send you to live with the most horrifying being in the universe for a week - Elmyra." The stallion started to laugh. "You think that sending me to live with a girl is a bad thing?" Awww, poor thing, he had no idea what he was in for... "Yeah, I'm just gonna let Elmyra deal with all of you... have fun!" I teleported three of the four stallions that were there, and walked up to the remaining one. He shook in fear. "What are you going to do to me? STAY BACK!" He backed up to the other side of the bubble, trying to keep distance between us. "Tell you what, you help me find who ordered this attack, and I'll think about letting you go, so long as you promise to resign from the EPA." "You know of the Equestrian Pony Alliance?" "Yes, I know of them, and I know of their plans to get rid of anything that isn't a pony in the name of Celestia and her nation, but I feel that they aren't exactly working for 'Celestia's ideals'." The stallion looked down for a moment in thought, then stared me straight in the face, "What if they are found by Celestia?" "Well, they'll probably be jailed, or exiled, or jailed where they are exiled to... but, if you tell me who ordered this to happen, then I will make sure that you are not seen as part of the group when it comes time to dealing with their presence in Equestria. You will be a free stallion." The stallion sighed, "The leader of the EPA is never truly seen, he always wears a cloak and uses something to distort his voice; he is the one that ordered this attack..." I was about to turn around and teleport, when he called out to me, "Wait, his name is Ribbon Deuce Poll... it's sort of an odd name, but that's the only one we know of." "Um, that isn't his real name, that's an anagram... wait a second, this makes total and complete sense..." My aura vanished as I calmed down. "That anagram, it rearranges and solves to the name of the most xenophobic unicorn in Canterlot - Prince Blueblood!" The stallion's eyes went wide. "Prince Blueblood!? What would happen if Celestia finds out?" "I don't know, but I'm not going to go and find out right now, because I have to save Lyra, before she dies." I ran over to Lyra's side and held her in my arms, her head pressed against my chest. I checked her vitals, she was barely clinging to life... I started to cry, holding her dying body in my arms, tears streaming from my eyes. Queue up Undying Love by Two Steps From Hell... Minutes later, something happened; a tear dropped onto Lyra's horn, and just as it did so, a bright flash of light came from the point of contact, and a magic circle appeared under the two of us. A mystical wind began blowing around us, and I could feel magic energy surrounding us and getting stronger, as it started to lift us up in a swirling white bubble of pure magic. I could feel a piece of my soul break off, and float over to Lyra's chest. When it reached Lyra's chest and fused with her soul, there was a shockwave of energy that blasted outwards from the magic encasing us; the soul fragment that was given to Lyra started to heal hers and grow, healing her body as well.. when she opened her eyes, there was another blast of magic, this time it was enormous, the shockwave flew over all of Ponyville and Canterlot, maybe even over all of Equestria. During this whole process, I could feel my chaos magic being drained completely... The two of us gently floated down, and the swirling magic slowly dissipated; Lyra stood up and looked at me, tears in her eyes. "Did, did you just..." "I think I gave you a piece of my soul, which healed your own soul as well as your body. Don't ask how, because I don't know... but my chaos magic has been completely used up." Lyra closed her eyes and yawned, it was honestly the cutest thing I will ever see in my life. Wait, oh, there goes my heart, it just stopped due to the overload of adorableness. "Why am I so tired?" Lyra yawned again. "Well, having your soul rebuilt by a piece of someone else, and then having your soul completely heal your body will definitely tire you out." "Oh, well I guess we'd better get back home then." "Wait, before that, I have to take care of something..." I ran back towards the bubble which held the stallion in, and saw that he was crying. "Dude, what's up with you?" "That blast of magic, it washed over me and flooded me with love, love that I haven't felt since my parents died and my sister moved away to Manehatten." "You love your sister dearly, don't you?" "Y-y-yes, I do." "Then go to her, and give her the biggest hug you can. She must have cared about you the same way you cared about her, and no doubt she's missing you right about now as well." I released the magic bubble, and he ran off in the direction of the train station. I turned to Lyra, who was standing right behind me, with a smile on her face. "What?" "Nova, that is the kindest thing anyone could do; you forgave someone who just beat down someone who was extremely close to you, and that takes a really big heart. I sometimes wonder how your heart even fits in that body of yours." "I wonder sometimes too, Lyra. Now, let's go home and get some rest." The two of us walked back to our house, not saying a word... neither of us even had a need to, because we knew exactly how we felt for each other, our love for each other doing the talking for us. Celestia, Royal Bedroom I was having a very peaceful dream; I sat in an endless meadow with my sister, the two of us basking in the beautiful moonlight, resting our heads on each others' necks... then the dream suddenly came to an end when I felt something that I hadn't in centuries - ordinary magic being mixed with chaos magic to perform a very powerful and dangerous spell. I literally flew out of bed, not even bothering to put on my royal regalia, and looked out from the balcony. Off in the distance, right in the middle of Ponyville, there was a bright ball of pure magic. I stood there and stared at it, waiting for whatever was going to happen. A few seconds later, there was a small shockwave which didn't reach very far, but it didn't have to, as I could sense what was being done - someone was breaking off a piece of their soul and giving it to another being. Then there was another shockwave, this time it was very large, and it quickly washed over Canterlot, and continued all over Equestria. When the shockwave washed over the castle, I felt a sudden flood of love; I could feel all of the love that was put into this spell by Nova, and it reminded me of how much I cared about Luna, and all of my little subjects. A tear formed in my eye, but it wasn't out of sadness; instead, it was of happiness. I was about to go over to my door and head to Luna's room, but she saved me the trouble by teleporting into my bedroom. She nuzzled my neck, "Celestia, I love you so much." She started crying out of the sheer power of the love that washed over the entire country. "Nova has done something that even I would have trouble doing... he put his own life on the line to stare death right in the face, and steal his marefriend back before it could take her. When that shockwave washed over me, I felt all the love you gave me before I turned into Nightmare Moon, and how we used to be so close. I thought back to the days when we were fillies, and used to run and jump around in the beautiful meadows and roll down the grassy hills, while our parents stood on the tallest hill and watched over us with smiles on their faces." "I remember those times too; and while I wish we could return to those times, let us not forget that we have a kingdom to take care of. Instead of just giving me your love, put all that love in the night sky when you arrange the stars and the moon, I'm sure that everyone will see and feel it, and thank you." "I will, Tia." Luna hugged me, and then returned to her room, while I crawled back into bed. I had even more pleasant dreams as I slept. Twilight, Ponyville Library I was sleeping soundly in my bed, when all of a sudden, I heard an explosion of magic. I got up and looked out from my balcony; what I saw was something that I hadn't expected at all. There was a ball of pure magic, and a shockwave washed over most of Ponyville, but it dissipated just before it reached the library. Just as I was about to turn around, there was a second, bigger shockwave, which sped all across Ponyville, Canterlot, and maybe even all of Equestria. When it washed over the library, I felt all the love from my brother Shining Armor, and my old foalsitter Cadance. I thought back to the times that I had fun with Shining, running around the house, having "fights" with my stuffed toys, teleporting and flinging them around and at each other, and all the times that we hugged. I was also reminded of all the fun times I had with Cadance, playing at the park, having adventures as pirates, making forts, and singing songs. I turned back to go to bed, but I stopped by the chest that sat opposite to my bed, and took out my favorite doll, Smartypants. I jumped back into my bed, and cuddled with Smartypants, thinking about Shining and Cadance, and all the fun we used to have when I was a kid. The dreams that followed were the best ones that I have ever had. Chrysalis, Changeling Hive I sat atop my throne, looking out at the sea of antsy and impatient subjects, who were no doubt here to lodge complaints against me, due to the fact that our food supplies were dwindling, and we had to rely on an old but somewhat reliable food source: love, though even that had been dwindling fast... the ponies just don't seem to have the same amount of love anymore as they used to. I was prepared for do whatever it takes to make sure that all of my subjects are fed and taken care of... I mused over what we could do to address the food issue, when all of a sudden there was a shockwave of energy, one that I had never imagined, even in my dreams - love, lots and lots of love, coming from a single focal point - the middle of The Equestrian Proper. I smiled coyly, and brought this new revelation to the generals; all of my subjects seemed happy at the prospect of having an entire new kingdom to feed on. 'If you two are still there Celestia and Luna, prepare yourselves, because soon, you will fall!'
A Royal Pain No MoreNova, Home I awoke to the sound of birds chirping away happily, their tunes carrying a melody that sounded even more cheerful than before, putting me into a slightly good mood. I got up out of the bed and went through the usual routine of cracking everything and making sure my joints still work, then got dressed. I put on a simple black UnderArmor t-shirt, dark blue denim jeans (slim fit), midnight blue converse shoes, and a black baseball cap. Taking a look at it, I felt that there was something missing... I levitated it in front of me, and used some magic to embroider a golden lyre on the front of the cap. I nodded in approval. 'Much better. Now, to deal with Blueballs, before Lyra wakes up.' I sat down on the bed and crossed my legs, my arms laid on top of my legs and hands splayed out in relaxation; I was going to try and start an out of body experience, so I could make a quick escape if I needed to. I closed my eyes, and brought myself into a state of total relaxation, completely clearing my mind. The next thing I did, was concentrate on visualizing my mind materializing outside of my body, standing in front of me; after a few minutes of this, I felt an odd sensation, like I was being moved, yet I stayed in the same place as well. I opened my eyes, to find that I was staring at myself... well, I was staring at my actual body, which was still sitting on the bed, eyes closed and all. "Perfect, now all I have to do is get to Canterlot, and find Blueball's room... but first, I gotta test to make sure that I can still do things that apply only in dreams..." I looked towards the dresser that sat across from the bed, and put my hand against it. The feeling was odd, cause I knew I still had my hands just laying on my legs, yet I was still touching the dresser. I pushed a little on the dresser, and my hand went right through the wood, and all the clothes that resided inside of it. I pulled my hand back, and looked at them in satisfaction. "Good, now that I know that works, I can pretty much tell that I still have the upper hand on everyone." I closed my eyes, and teleported myself right into one of the main hallways of the castle. Looking around, I could see that there were no guards on patrol, so I figured that they must be either somewhere near the other end of the hall, or going through shift change, the former being more likely. I had to move quickly in order to avoid being caught, using dream powers while inside a world that you know is real takes quite a bit of energy, and I'm going to need all the energy that I can get if I want to pull this off. I ran and hid myself into a corner, and decided that I was just running blind in a place that I was unfamiliar with; with that in mind, I used a sort of 'ping' spell, that would act as a sonar, and serve two purposes: one, it would give me instant knowledge of how the place is laid out, top to bottom, and two, it would alert me to Blueblood's presence, wherever he may be. I fired up the spell, and the layout came straight into my mind, and then I was given Blueblood's location – apparently, his bedroom was across from Celestia's, and that in itself posed a problem. Not only that, but I could have also alerted every guard inside the castle, which isn't exactly the smartest thing to do, even if I am under protection by the head of state. I worked quickly to devise an invisibility spell, using my knowledge of how light works to create images. It took a few seconds, but I had a good spell to use, and above all, it was a fairly low-powered one, so almost any old unicorn could pull it off. I fired up the spell, and not a second too soon, as a whole lot of guards closed in on my location, or so they thought. I phased through the floor, and dropped into the kitchen, which was thankfully empty at the time. Since I had skipped breakfast, I decided to raid the fridge before going on my epic journey into Blueblood's room. I looked through the fridge, and found a few good items that I could use for food. I pulled out the items and placed them on the nearby counter as I listed them off, "Let's see, jalapeno Monterrey Jack cheese, strawberry jam, aaaaaaaaaand peanut butter. Odd, why would you put peanut butter in the fridge? Oh well. Now, where are those bagels? Ah, there they are!" With all of that on the counter, I toasted the sesame seed bagels, and cut up two slices of cheese, then waited for the bagels to finish toasting. Little did I know that there was a certain alicorn entering the kitchen, about to get her breakfast as well; I was startled by the sudden voice. "I see that we have a pest in the kitchen, oh wait, it's just Nova." I jumped at the voice, and slowly turned around, coming face to face with Luna, and all of her bed headed splendor. Heck, her mane wasn't even that flowing ethereal starry sky, it was just a plain old royal blue mane that went down to her knees, and her tail draped on the floor. She wasn't even wearing her regalia. I sighed in relief. "Luna, you nearly scared me to death." Luna chuckled lightly, "Well, maybe I should continue then." She then stuck out her tongue at me in jest. "Oh ha ha, very funny. You want one?" I gestured towards the food stuffs that sat on the island counter in the middle of the kitchen. "Sure, why not?" Just before she turned towards the food, Luna gave me an odd look, then questioned me. "Nova, you're out of your body, aren't you?" "Well, yes, but this session was planned. I came here to deal with... personal stuff." Luna gave me an incredulous look. "Nova, that spell last night, it wasn't done without reason, was it?" "No, it wasn't... the reason I did that, was because Lyra was near death." "I know that, but how that happened is what eludes me." I got a wary look for a second, and Luna picked up on it. "Nova... what happened? Whatever you tell me shall be taken as a royal secret, so worry not my little nephew." Luna nuzzled my cheek with hers, and laid her head on my left shoulder. I was hesitant at first, but after a couple minutes, I spilled the beans. "Luna, you may or may not know of a little group of ponies calling themselves the Equestrian Pony Alliance - " "Yes, I do actually... wait, I'm not going to like where this is going, am I?" "No, you're not. While most of the group is still out in Manehatten trying to get more members, some stayed behind. While Lyra was at the bar... you know what, first let me explain why she was at the bar in the first place. When Lyra and I were exiting Twilight's library, a foal ran past us, and ended up running head first into a nearby pole, knocking out a couple of his front teeth. That wasn't what was odd about him, but bleeding acid, having neon green eyes, and a mane and tail that was the same color. It was obvious that there was an organization that had been doing biological experiments, and had deep pockets. I healed him up, giving him new teeth, cleaned up the mess, and then I went off to bring him to Fluttershy's place. Lyra, having enough weird for one week, elected to go hang out at the local bar to let all the stuff she's been wanting to complain about off her chest, and drink herself happy." Luna lifted her head off my shoulder and gave me a worried glance, but let me continue. "Well, I figured that Lyra would just like to be alone, so after dropping the foal over at Fluttershy's place, I just went home and waited for Lyra to return, fully confident that she could make her way home on her own... I was wrong about that. While on her way home, Lyra got jumped, and a group of stallions attacked her, two of them were off-duty guards," Luna scowled, "Hey, not all of your guards are perfect... some of them are just a little too extreme when it comes to protecting you two." "Wait, what colors were they?" "They both had pure white coats, and the same blue mane and tails, they weren't wearing armor." "Those were Solar Guards, my royal guards are all dark unicorns with golden eyes and bat wings. Care to continue?" "I would love to. Three of the five stallions that were attacking Lyra were using dark magic along with physical attacks. When I saw that happening, I couldn't control myself, an aura of dark blue and red energy burst out and swirled around me - " "Did you just say that an aura just suddenly burst forth?" "Yeah." "And it was dark blue and red?" "Yes it was, but what does that have to do with anything?" Luna looked thoughtful for a second, "So it seems that my fail-safe is still intact then, good. I don't want to take any risks, considering who helped create you." "You don't really trust Discord, do you?" "No, not really." "At least your mistrust is founded. I don't completely trust him either. Now, back to what happened. I walked up behind one of the stallions, and poked him... he saw me and ran off. The others laughed, until they saw me. Another tried throwing a punch at me, but I blocked it with a finger, then went on to tell him to think of what I could do to him if I blocked a full-powered punch from him. They all tried to run away, but I encased them in a bubble, then decided on what I could do to punish them, finally coming to the conclusion that I should just let Elmyra deal with them for a week, and teleported three of the remaining four of them to her universe. The last stallion was given a proposition: tell me who ordered the attack, and he would be set free. He gave me the name of the stallion that heads the EPA. In turn, I promised his freedom." "You do realize that you just set free someone who is a part of a group that just committed attempted murder, which is a serious crime here." "Luna, it's a serious crime anywhere." "Yes, but here in Equestria, it's right up there with trying to overthrow the government by force and treason." "Aren't those the same thing?" "More or less, but you get my point." "Right. Anyway, I walked over to Lyra, and you know of what happened during that. After that, I had a conversation with the stallion, and he seemed like he regretted his decision to be a part of the group. I let him out of the bubble, and he ran off to the train station to meet up with his sister in Manehatten." "So, you said something about getting the name of the head pony of the EPA?" "Riiiiiight..." "Nova, you know you can tell me anything. What is it?" I sighed heavily, knowing that I couldn't exactly get away with faking the name of the stallion in question. "The one that I talked to told me the name of the head of the group... he told me it was Deuce Ribbon Poll -" "Which is quite obviously a fake name, it seems more like an ana...gram... no." I knew exactly why she had just said that, "Yes, Luna. I didn't really want to believe it, but it's true. Here, take my memories of the situation, and then deal with it, because I have no business in royal affairs." "Technically speaking, you are a prince, though I doubt the other nations would take too kindly to Celestia hiding the fact that she has an uber-powerful son with Discord." "That still doesn't change the fact that it just isn't my place. If Celestia questions what you are doing with Blueballs, then just show her the memories I gave you." Right after that, I used the memory spell and shared last night's events with Luna, giving her the proof that it was indeed as I said. "May I make a suggestion Nova?" "Yeah, sure." "You might want to eat your food before it gets cold." Luna pointed a hoof towards the two peanut butter jam and cheese bagels. I grabbed one, and Luna levitated the other towards her. "Nova, I think it would help if you get back to your own body before you eat that." "Yeah, I guess you're right. I'm just gonna put it back on the counter and then teleport it to me after I get back." "Sure, I'll make sure that the kitchen staff don't touch it if they get here before you teleport it to you." With that, I focused and reentered my body, opening my eyes, and did a once over to check that nothing happened to me while I was out of it. I hadn't noticed that Lyra was sitting on the end of the bed, probably waiting for me to wake up. "So, you're finally awake." "Oh, what were you doing there?" "Nothing, just sitting here, waiting for you to get back to your body, seeing you were meditating, and nothing I did to wake you up got even a subconscious response. I was worried about you." "Well, I'm here, and all is good. Oh, one second." I concentrated and teleported the bagel from the castle kitchen counter onto a plate. It was still nice and warm, and Lyra was looking at it longingly. "Oh, I guess it does look good. Here, I'll duplicate it for ya." I surrounded the bagel with my magic and then concentrated on compiling the different materials out of the atoms in the air. It took a few seconds, but once I finished, there was another hot bagel with the same peanut butter, jam and jalapeno Monterrey Jack cheese. Lyra drooled at the delicious looking food, probably because she was extremely hungry. "You know what, I'm going to up-size that for the both of us, seeing we most likely expended a lot of energy last night." I concentrated my magic on the two bagels, and made them grow to twice their size, which made them look just that more delicious. The two of us dug into our food, scarfing down the delicious bagels in just over two minutes. "Hey Lyra, you want a drink?" "Yeah, sure." I went into my case and pulled out two cans of Coca-Cola, and opened one for Lyra; she thanked me and levitated it towards herself and took a sip. "So, onto some more important matters, I have uncovered who it was that made the attack happen last night; it's Prince Blueballs himself." Lyra got an angry look on her face, one that suggested she has heard about some of his behavior towards working-class ponies, and other races that live within the Equestrian Proper. I could have sworn that I smelled smoke for a few seconds, and I could hear that she was grinding her teeth. "I take it that you've heard about his antics then. Listen, I don't mean to be a smartass, but it would be wise to take your own advice, and not do anything in a rage, or you just might regret it. Calm down Lyra, alright? I don't want to see you upset like this." I put down the can of coke that I was holding, and pulled Lyra into a hug, stroking her soft mane and scratching behind her right ear, making her relax a little. A few minutes later, I felt Lyra relax; I whispered into her ear. "Feel better?" "Just a little, but thanks Nova, I really needed that." "No problem. So, what were you thinking of doing today?" "Well, I was going to suggest we head back to Twilight's and check up on her and John, just in case." "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Let's go." The two of us headed out the door after brushing our teeth and having a shower and drying ourselves off. John, Twilight's Library I was brought to the waking world from a pleasant dream that I was having by the sound of foot – no, hoofsteps pattering all around the house on the first floor. I got up and stretched, narrowly missing the ceiling with my hands; I looked around sleepily, as I recounted what happened during my supposed dream. "Let's see, I hear someone knocking on my door, to find out that it was Jason, just a few days after he disappeared at the airport, and then he takes me to his place, and then to Equestria. We walk from his place in Ponyville, and meet up with Twilight Sparkle, and he shows her all about bronies, then I hold her in a hug for a while as she collected her thoughts on bronies and the show. We sat on the chesterfield in the common area and talked all about ourselves with each other, and then went to bed, due to the two of us not finishing our conversation until around 1 in the morning... wait, if the ceiling is that low, and there's hoofsteps going on downtstairs... then, all that wasn't a dream... I'm actually in Equestria. This is too awesome!" After I finished that little tangent about realizing that I wasn't dreaming, I walked down the stairs, and greeted Twilight with a smile. "Good morning Twi." "Oh, you're awake already, John? I thought you would've slept until around 2 in the afternoon." I looked behind Twilight, and found various objects floating in the air and flying around the kitchen. It looked like she was making eggs, and was that bacon? I took a whiff of the air, 'Yep, that's bacon alright.' "Yeah, I heard someone walking around downstairs and so I decided to get up and check it out." Twilight's ears flopped down, "Oh, sorry I woke you, I could enchant my hooves so they won't make any noise in the mornings." "No, that's fine, you don't have to do that. So, is that bacon and eggs I smell cooking?" "Yeah, I'm just making breakfast for me and Spike, I didn't think you'd be awake this early." "OK, you made eggs, and bacon. I thought ponies were vegetarian." I walked to the table and sat down in the kitchen, while Twilight kept things going with the cooking. "Right, we're vegetarians for the most part, but we still need some proteins, so we use eggs. There are a lot of things that we cook which require eggs, so it's not something most ponies worry about. The reason why I'm cooking bacon, is because Spike needs the nutrients from eating meat." "I could've sworn that Spike ate gems most of the time." "Oh, he does, but if he were to eat nothing but gems, it would be like us eating nothing but apple pie all of the time, we'd get sick from malnutrition; we eat a variety of vegetables and other foods for our source of vitamins and other nutrients; the same applies for dragons, but they eat meat." "That makes a lot of sense. You see, we humans are omnivores, meaning we not only eat vegetables and fruits, but we also need to eat meat, or else we'd be lacking in nutrients, and eventually get sick." "Alright then, let me just get some more bacon into the pan, and I'll cook up some eggs for you; how many do you want, and how do you take your eggs?" "I'll have three, sunny-side up and a piece of toast, as well as some bacon please." "Sure thing." Twilight then went to work with her magic, and made some eggs and bacon for me. "Oh, I almost forgot, how do you like your bacon? Spike likes his lightly seared, and I have no idea how other creatures like it." "I'll have mine extra crispy, if that's alright with you." "That's perfectly fine, John. I'll be done in a few seconds, so don't go anywhere." I was about to ask Twilight about how things were recently, when there was a knock at the door. 'Odd, it's still pretty early in the morning, I wonder who could be here.' "Hey Twilight, I'll go get the door for you, alright?" "Sure John." I walked out of the kitchen and to the door, not knowing who it was that was there, until I opened it. Lyra and Jason were standing outside. Jason noticed that the door opened first, and offered me a brohoof. "Hey, what's up John?" Lyra snapped back to reality from Jason's voice and smiled sheepishly. "Not much actually, I just got up a few minutes ago." Jason snickered, "That much seems pretty obvious, with how you look right about now." Twilight called out from the kitchen, "Who's at the door, John?" "No one important, it's just Nova and Lyra." Twilight must have stopped everything she was doing, as there was the sound of dishes being hastily dropped onto the table, and Twilight came running to the door, "That's pretty important John, didn't you hear the explosion last night?" I looked at Twilight a little curiously, "Oh don't tell me that you actually didn't hear the explosion of magic last night!" "Seriously, no, I didn't. I'm a pretty heavy sleeper, Twi." Twilight turned to Jason and Lyra, "Please, come on in you two, I don't doubt that you'd know of what happened last night." Lyra blushed right then, and Jason looked a little nervous. 'What exactly happened last night? And what does an explosion of magic have anything to do with Jason and Lyra?' Nova, Twilight's Library Lyra and I walked into Twilight's library, the both of us being a little nervous about what Twilight wants to ask us concerning last night. Twilight gestured towards the large chesterfield that was against the wall, near the children's section of the library, and then she stood in front of us while levitating a notebook and quill beside her. "So, Nova, what do you know of the explosion of magic that occurred last night? I'm pretty sure that even the Princesses felt that when it happened, and when I felt it, I could feel all the love that radiated from the wave of magic, which was directed towards Lyra. The only one I know who actually loves her that much would be you, even if you two are a fairly new couple, and of different species entirely." I looked at Lyra, who just nodded silently, and then I turned my attention back to Twilight, "If you truly want to know what happened, I can't trust myself to explain it orally, so I will do something different... I'll replay the memory with a simulation spell, so you will all see everything as it happened, from both my memories, and Lyra's." Before Lyra could make any comments about her privacy being invaded, I voiced my idea to her. "Lyra, I'm showing your memories as well so everything makes sense and there's no gaps left anywhere. It's just so there's no need for questions later." "Oh, alright." I gathered up the magic, and readied the spell that I was going to use. The spell was simple enough, but it was gathering both of our memories, and organizing them without getting them mixed up with each other. That took a couple minutes, and when everything was done, I started playing back the memories. "Hey, why are we all the way back to when you just left my house?" "Because, this is the first of a chain of events that were made unavoidable due to a single decision." That shut Twilight right up for pretty much the duration of the simulation. I showed the point in time when Lyra and I were standing outside and making a little scene right outside her home, and John was snickering at my antics, "Hah, you haven't changed at all Jason." Twilight turned to John, "I overheard you calling Nova Jason, would that happen to be his name back where he came from?" "Yeah, that's his real name." "You came here, with all those powers and what not, and never even bothered telling us your real name?" "Hey, I only chose that name because I felt that the name Jason wouldn't exactly fit in with the rest of the population's name structure. It wouldn't make much sense to have a human name within a world that's full of ponies, gryphons, minotaurs, and so on, would it?" "Well, no, I guess not." Just as we finished talking, the next scene came up; it was when the little foal ran past us, and right into a pole, knocking out his two front teeth, and bleeding all over the ground. "Is that his blood?" "Why is it burning a hole in the ground?" I didn't say anything, and let the scene play out. Twilight seemed a little shocked at how I managed to deduce where the foal had come from, and the entire situation around him, in a matter of a few seconds; John seemed a little impressed, but that was it. "That seems a little stereotypical, doesn't it?" "John, we're in a world where cliche's and stereotypes are abundant all over the place." "Ah, right." The memories then switched from my perspective, to Lyra's, and I had elected to fast-forward it just a little bit to where she just got to the door of the bar. "Ah, so this is where you were for all that time. Wait, Shadow works there?" "Yep." "Didn't know that; guess I should go say hi at some point." Twilight facehoofed at the fact that Lyra was at a bar, about to drink her troubles away, and John laughed at the thought of Lyra drinking gin and apple juice. I shot him a look. "Well, it's kind of a kid's drink if you think about it. The gin is drowned out by the apple juice, you don't even really taste the alcohol." "Point taken, I'll remember that the next time I go there." The drinks escalated from gin and apple juice, to rum and Colta-cola, which didn't really surprise me; what surprised me was when she started drinking straight rum. "Just how much did you drink Lyra?" "You'll know in a minute." The drinks continued, and Lyra seemed to be getting progressively drunk as the night went on. A few hours later, she was completely smashed, and neither Twilight or I were amused. When Lyra had finally tried to leave, I silently thanked Shadow for trying to get Lyra to allow him to walk with her, but then wanted to punch him for not trying harder. Lyra started her walk home, but was distracted by a bit coin. "Come on, a bit? A single bit? You've got to be kidding me." "No one is themselves while drunk, you should know that better than anyone else." "True enough I guess." When it showed that Lyra was ambushed by a bunch of stallions, Twilight had yet to notice that they were off-duty solar guards, until I pointed it out. "Hey, you see those two white stallions with no mark, and blue manes? Think back and tell me where you've seen them before." Twilight looked thoughtful for a moment, "I can't recall really, the only place I've seen stallions like that is in... the castle... wait... no, why would they be there, not doing anything when there's an assault going on? And are the others using dark magic?" Lyra winced at the memory, but she braved through the ordeal, so that Twilight would know exactly what went on. "Yes, they are." At this point, it switched back from Lyra's memories, to mine, though I skipped the part where I ran from home, cause I only wanted to give them the valuable information. Twilight seemed a little shocked when the aura burst out, making it seem like she's either seen something like that before or at least has read about it somewhere. John laughed when I poked the one stallion and he ran off right after seeing me, and laughed some more when I blocked the punch from the other stallion. Everyone was dead silent as I spoke within the memory, telling the stallions some ideas as to what to do with them, and ultimately deciding to send them off to Elmyra. John cringed when her name was mentioned, though Twilight looked a little confused. "Who's Elmyra?" "She's a character in another universe who is just horrible with animals, no offense. She's what you would call, over-attentive and clingy. Her hugs are comparable to a gorilla squeezing some other animal that has threatened its family." Twilight shuddered, probably already getting an idea as to what's become of those poor souls. "Jason, remind me not to piss you off." "Dude, it would take a loooooooooooooot before I even got to that level, so don't even worry about that." As the rest of the scene played out, Twilight seemed to pick up where the spell happened. She started tearing up as she saw me crying over Lyra as she died, but then got a look of curious wonder as some magical force happened right after a tear had landed on Lyra's horn. Her wonder turned into amazement as the two of us were picked up in the swirling magic, and she watched as a piece of my soul broke off and traveled to Lyra, and merged with hers, creating a shockwave of power. "Hey, that's the explosion that happened!" "Yes, but it's not finished." When it showed the point where Lyra opened her eyes, the love she reciprocated towards me was flooded into the field of the spell, creating an even larger shockwave, that cascaded over the entire Equestrian Proper, and beyond. John stood there and looked up in awe, not saying a single word during the whole ordeal. When things calmed down, it showed the point where I had talked to the last stallion that was left, and how we had made a deal. Twilight and John were shocked to find out that it was the EPA that had coordinated the attack on Lyra, but that wasn't the only thing they were going to be shocked about. "I thought that the group was just a little bizarre, I never expected them to do something so heinous." "Just wait and watch, that's not all." It came up to the time where the stallion gave me the name of the supposed leader of the EPA, and the one that ordered the whole thing to take place, which confused Twilight, though for only a second. "Deuce Ribbon Poll... That name, it sounds a little familiar... wait a second, isn't that an anagram?" "Yes, it's an anagram," I stopped the memory replay, because I wanted to see if Twilight could figure the name out herself. "It's an anagram, but for what name? I've gotta work on this right now, the one who did this has to be brought to the Princesses immediately!" "Oh, I'm pretty sure they already know who it is, but I wonder if you could figure it out." Twilight ignored my comment and back to the table to get her notebook and quill that she set down when I had started the replay spell; she returned not two seconds later., furiously working out the anagram. "I think I've almost got it." "Wow, that was fast," I said, my voice full of sarcasm that fell on deaf ears. "Wait, that doesn't seem right, it works out to Prince Blueblood... but, he's Celestia's nephew, how could he be the head of the EPA?" "Easy, he's xenophobic, he hates the lower class ponies, and doesn't trust anything that isn't a pony. Before you ask, Princess Luna already knows, and has probably already told Celestia. My guess is that she's dishing out his punishment as we speak..."
Sunbutt Does Something RightCelestia, Throne Room I sighed for what felt like the thousandth time, feeling as though I deserved a thousand-year break from all the stress that this job entails; as stated before, being a princess should be a punishment, not a privilege. Blueblood stood in front of me, scraping his hoof on the luxurious red carpet and looking ashamed of himself. Luna stood beside him, looking smug as ever; there are times that I wish I could just shoot her back to the moon every time she gets that look, as it is highly annoying. "For the one-hundredth time Luna, before any judgment can be cast down to Blueblood, we need to confirm that it was actually him. I will scan his memories in order to make sure that it wasn't someone else who ordered the attack." Before Luna could react, I walked over to Blueblood and sifted through his memories of the past week, making sure that the day the order was allegedly made... which wasn't in his mind. Straightening back up, I looked over to Luna, who was now almost literally bouncing in place, most likely in anticipation of Blueblood's now nonexistent punishment. "So sister, what is his punishment for causing a pony's near-death?" 'She is not going to like this...' "Nothing Luna, because it wasn't Blueblood that asked his little gang to go attack Lyra." Luna was now doing her best impression of a fish, her jaw flapping up and down, her mind searching for the right words to say, finding nothing. Eventually though, she relented. "Very well, if that is how it is, then there is nothing we can do... though we can't exactly let him go, he needs to be taught that a noblepony of his standing must be fair to all races within and without of Equestria's borders. He must be taught to treat others with the respect they deserve, instead of just thinking of himself all of the time. What do you say, 'Tia?" "That is an excellent idea, and I know just who to knock some sense into him too." Blueblood sagged on the floor when this was said, though I do not blame him; his actions must be punished - if not for the attempted murder, then for his discriminating actions against those that are not ponies, and against other ponies that are not himself. "Blueblood, please look at me," Blueblood looked up and into my eyes, trapping his gaze, "you will be sent to Ponyville, where you will be disciplined by the one you have wronged the most. Whatever punishment is dished out by his hands, is completely justified and sanctioned. There is no getting out of this either, your title of prince and your nobility status are hereby stripped, and you will have a place to stay provided to you in Ponyville, though after Nova deems your discipline is complete, you will take over whatever bills there are that come with owning a home. Equios knows that I've let you stay in the palace too long now." Before Blueblood could speak out about his punishment for being crude, I teleported him off to his soon to be former room, and sent a letter to Nova, detailing the events, and explaining that Blueblood will be in his charge during his discipline, and to expect him in a few hours. Finding nothing else to do otherwise, I trotted off to my own room, flopped onto the bed after shedding my regalia, and took a long deserved nap. The country could survive a few hours without me… Nova, Books 'n Branches John and Lyra were sitting off in another part of the library, discussing Luna knows what, meanwhile Spike, Twilight and I were engaged in a deadly staring contest, one that could possibly set the treehouse on fire with how intense it was. It was a battle of cunning, wits, and pure skills... The tension was so thick that one would need a white-hot blade to cut through the air around us... One wrong move, and the universe could shatter in an instant! "Bullshit." I looked at Twilight in astonishment; "Sparkles, how could you say such a thing!?" Twilight deadpanned, "Easy, I counted the cards based on what's already been called." Spike just slouched in his seat even more than he already has within the last half hour, groaning in frustration, "Twilight, the game isn't really fun with you counting cards, it's based on skills with both reading ponies' faces and being able to deceive the other players basically. You're playing cheap." I couldn't help but agree with Spike on that one. "He's right, ya know... I doubt that many ponies want to play poker with you due to your habits." This caused Twilight to shrink back in her seat and bring forth a blush on her face. "Wait, seriously!? Twilight, you seriously need to stop counting cards, what do you think would happen if you went into a Las Pegasus casino?" Spike stood up on the chair and raised his hand to show that he wanted to interject, "Actually, one of Twilight's old classmates works at a casino, and spread word of her being a huge bookworm, she's been officially banned from all card tables in the entire city, unless she can sign a promissory note to indicate that she will not count the cards... sadly, she does it without even thinking, so that rules out poker tournaments, which stinks because we could use the extra bits, what with her science experiments sometimes causing damage to the library." Spike's comment at the end earned him a glare from Twilight, but she wasn't protesting that, so it must've been true. 'Dang, she's even more nerdier than I thought.' "Hey John, isn't it time that I bring you back home? Cause I don't want you to have to deal with all the crap that comes with randomly disappearing from your home." "Yeah, I guess you're right. See you guys later, it's been fun." Twilight and I started setting up the spell, while Lyra, John, and Spike milled about the library, either reading or doing various things that I never paid much attention to. A few moments later and there was a swirling vortex in front of us, this time it hopefully led to the correct time and place. Throwing caution to the wind, I ran right into it, not caring about its location; what greeted me was the familiar sight of my old bedroom, exactly how it was left. I went back through and dragged John back to where he belonged, and sent him home. Knowing that I couldn't stay long without being noticed, I jumped through back to Equestria, and closed off the link. With John back home, there wasn't much to worry about, aside from making sure Twilight kept her mouth shut about what I showed her; it wouldn't do good for her to spread the knowledge that her adventures with her friends were recorded and viewed by billions. Before I could turn towards the door and call Lyra's attention, there was a message that arrived via Spike; Twilight read the letter, and blushed, seeing that it was for me. I gave a small laugh which only served to deepen her blush caused by embarrassment. "You know Twilight, where I come from, reading someone else's mail is considered a felony," her face took on a look of shock, and she started brimming with tears, "though we're not there, and it had to be opened and read in order to determine who it was for. You didn't do anything wrong, Twilight." With those words said, Twilight calmed herself down, and gave me the letter. 'Nova, this letter is for you and you only; Blueblood has been questioned, as well as having his memories read, and it has been determined that he himself did not commit the crime of ordering the death of Lyra Heartstrings, but someone has taken his form and done so in his place. Though this is true, it is still necessary for Blueblood to be punished for his intolerance towards other races and those that are less wealthy than him. You will be in charge of his discipline, and any and all actions taken are sanctioned, so long as it isn't deliberate torture. I trust that you will lead him on the correct path' Lyra asked me the overly obvious question… or she was about to. "So -" I interrupted her however. "What does the letter say? It seems that even though it was not truely the Blueblood we all know and loath, he still needs to be punished, due to his prejudice ways towards those that are different from him. I get to be his drill sergeant." I felt a smirk appear on my face as I said that last part, mostly because it means that I basically get to do what I want to him, aside from just straight up torturing him. Lyra had another comment to make on the subject matter though, "Just don't go all 'war face' on him, please?" "Pffffffffft no, I'm not gonna do that to him, I'm just gonna go all Dragon Ball Z style training on him, for the most part." Lyra smiled a little bit, while Twilight looked a little confused as to what I meant when I made that reference. I waved her off, "Don't worry about it Twi, it's nothing important, well not overly important anyway." "Alright, as long as you don't do anything dangerous." I was about to answer when Lyra stole the words right from my mouth, "The definition of dangerous is up for interpretation. It's all a matter of perspective, Sparkler." Well, everything aside from the pet name she just called Twilight by... Twilight thought for a second, before she realized what Lyra just called her. Any of the faces she makes are just so adorkable. "Wait, what did you call me, Lyra?" "You heard me, Sparkler." Lyra snickered, causing Twilight's anger to rise - something that I didn't want to push too far. It's too bad that Lyra wasn't sharing the same thought at the moment. "Lyra, do you really think that it's a good idea to call her Sparkler? So what if she didn't have a good grasp of magic when she first started out? Everyone progresses at their own pace, there's no helping it. Honestly, I'm kind of disappointed with you for making that comment. It's not very friendly to call someone by a derogatory name; add bringing up someone's faults from when they were starting out with learning magic, and it just becomes an even worse thing to do. What I would like you to do, is go apologize to her. How you do so is up to you, but it should be done." Lyra immediately regretted what she did, from what I could tell; she walked over to Twilight and gestured to give her a hug to apologize, the receiver of said hug looking at me with a question written all over her face, and I nodded before she could even open her mouth to tell me it wasn't really that necessary. The two of them hugged it out, looking really adorable in the process. Figuring the two of them would be busy for a while, talking things out and reminiscing about the past, I walked to another part of the library, and took a seat on one of the chairs. I called up the interface that I had used to tinker with spells the first time, and began messing with a few, making some new ones. If you need an idea as to what it looks like, think Visual Studio. 'Alright, I need something to create a sort of simulation environment for combat training. Don't wanna do it without either a ward or a sim, as that would bring about risk of property damage, as well as personal harm on both sides. Hmm, maybe I should ask Twily about meshing spells together...' "Hey Twilight, do you think it would be advisable to intertwine a healing spell with a healing ward?" "Probably not. Trying to pull of a simulation spell, a good one anyway, would be a feat in itself; they're really hard to cast properly. What's different with them, is that there's no spell misfire or blowback if you cast it wrong, so you wouldn't know if it was done right until something went wrong. Adding on a healing ward would just be adding more trouble to the mix. I know why you're asking about them, and I would advise against doing so." "Huh. Thanks anyway. Hey Lyra, you wanna get going back to your place? I don't really need anything to prepare for Blueblood's arrival." "Sure, I guess." Lyra and I gave Twilight a hug, and then we departed for her house. The walk through the town was quiet, pleasant. The air was nice and warm, not a cloud in the sky, aside from the one Rainbow uses to nap on, and the town wasn't that busy today. All in all, things were nice. It seemed a little too peaceful for my taste...
The Beginning...Waiting in line, boring. Waiting in line at the airport so you can check for your flight, extremely agitating as well as boring as heck. To add insult to injury, my flight is supposed to leave in about 45 minutes, and where am I? Sill at the back of a line about 20 people long, who are also needing to check their luggage in for their flights. To make matters even worse, my flight is from Toronto, Ontario all the way to LA... Not the kind of flight to be missing, especially if one lands a job at a certain club, named MIA. Jason Morrison... Toronto Pearson International Airport 'Why is this line not moving? I've been standing here since 3am, and I doubt that this person in front should even be here, it's been what, almost an hour? Good thing I got here an hour and a half early.' "Crap, why is this taking so long!" Ok, irritably making an outburst in an airport is probably not a good idea... I'm being stared at now… "I guess it's the old hag at the front of the line. At least, that's what I think about all the long lineups at anything important." Alright, I don't know who you are, but you are now my instant best friend, because that was just too funny. As I turn around, I see some other guy about the same age as me, and has a guitar among his luggage. Tall white guy, maybe 5-foot-nine, short copper hair, as well as a well-kept goatee. Heh, put sunglasses on him and you'd swear he's Postal Dude… "Name's Jason Morrison. Yours?" I extend my hand, which is happily met with his, and we shake. In those couple of seconds, I catch him reading me, as I am also reading him. We're both onto each other… "Jack Lenson. Pleasure." I decide to act first and drill him.. "Quick, Branch Theory in a nutshell." "Multiverse concept, the division of universes is governed by choice. Time travel coincides with this theory as well. Space anomoly that was onboard the Watcher's Nest?" Was this guy really asking me something about anime? Scratch that, he's running with the same idea? This is either epic or scary, I can't decide which emotion to feel. "Two universes were shifted and crossed in a single onboard room. Cause of the anomoly was Ensign Kureha; her unfathomable powers enabled her to create a universe where all of her friends lived without the trageties that happened originally in the series, but at the cost of her existence within said universe, and the only one to notice that anything was up was Lyar Von Ertiana. Best pony?" "Before the episode A Friend In Deed, Fluttershy. After seeing said episode, Pinkie, hands err hoofs down. By the way, line's moving." Oh shit. As I grab my luggage, which consisted of one normal sized suitcase, along with a sort of dolly to carry my boards, cables and other sound equipment, I start to feel light headed; though it also felt different. I knew I wasn't deficient in any way, and I had gotten enough sleep the day before, so this was kind of strage. As I grabbed my huge pile of luggage for support, I saw a white flash, and then some weird popping noise. I was effectively blind for maybe a couple minutes, but to me it sort of felt like hours, maybe because I haven't had to experiece this before now. As my eyes adjusted from the blinding flash of light, to the dimly lit room, I noticed that I was in either a house or loft. I decide to take a look at where I am exactly, and take in the details of the room. For one, the furniture seemed a little odd; it was all low, as if it were made for someone or something that was around 3 or 4 feet tall; next was the fact that the blinds were pulled shut, and everything seemed as if they haven't been cleaned for a while. If there's one thing that this place could tell me, is that the inhabitant is quite obviously depressed. Taking a look around the house to see if I can find any clues as to where I am, I spot a strikingly familiar golden ticket. Picking it up, I see that it's in a language that I didn't know even existed, let alone one that I understood; and yet I felt as if I knew what is said on the ticket. For some reason, I ran my thumb over the text on it, and just as I do so, my head feels a sudden surge. Starting to feel a little dizzy, I move back from the coffee table in the middle of the common room, and sit on the couch somewhat awkwardly. The surge in my head seemed to feel like information was being jammed into my mind; taking this in stride, I let in the information, and I am flooded with knowledge of the language written on the ticket. Not learning how to speak it mind you, but just able to read it, as if it was being translated for me into english as it was being read. Picking up the ticket again, I take another look at it, and I am simply shocked at what I see. 'This ticket hereby declares that Princess Celestia invites you, Lyra Heartstrings, to the Grand Galloping Gala.' This information hits me like a ton of bricks. I nearly faint from both shock and excitement. But just as I am about to sit down, there seems to be someone - err somepony coming towards the house. Thinking quickly, I place the ticket back where it was found, on the coffee table, and then I sit down on the couch, trying to make myself look as peaceful as possible. The door opens, and I come face to face with the mint green unicorn herself...
Dragons, More Info, And Stupid ParentsNova, Ponyville 'Alright, mental recap; Lyra slams a frying pan into my face when she wanders into the kitchen half asleep, and then proceeds to take me to the hospital so I can get checked out, though she checks me herself after I wake up and finds that I'm ok. We go to a place to get some coffee and think things over, and it turns out the place we went to was SkyBucks. One overpowered latte with caramel, and some awkward silences later, we travel to an open field where I can practice using magic. I manage to surpass Lyra's expectations when levitating the apples, and then I suggest we head home after she teaches me a memory spell. I show her my life from when I was 14 to present day, and she gets irritated about being seen as only a work of fiction and those who write about coming here, only to think it's a dream. I calm her down while performing a song, and end up getting help from a magical spectral image I accidentally created for the duration of the song. We make up, and then I use my DJ equipment and put on a little show for her to cheer her up; this attracts the attention of Vinyl Scratch, and I end up with a partnership with her. Then there's the incident at the school... I think I should've done things a little different - ' My musings are cut short by Apple Bloom. "Hey Nova, are ya listenin'?" Oops. "Sorry, I just got lost in my thoughts again. What were you trying to tell me?" "We're here." Thanks Sweetie Belle. For that now redundant statement. The Apple Family's farm was a sight to behold - apple trees as far as one could see, lucious green fields, and a couple of sturdy looking barns. Not to mention their house, which also seemed to be in the same style of farm houses back home. 'Doesn't look too different than farms from back home, yet it also looks a lot better than most.' The three little fillies look restless, and they're still full of energy. 'I'm going to need to watch these three, there's no telling what they'd get into without supervision. Now, if only I could contact Lyra...' 'You called Nova?' There was suddenly another voice in my head, sounded like Lyra's, but it couldn't be... could it? 'Yeah, guess I did. Listen, I picked up the Crusaders from school, and I was going to just drop them off at Sweet Apple Acres, but I don't want to leave them there without supervision. Someone has to watch over them until Applejack or Big Macintosh get back.' 'No problem, thanks for letting me know.' 'Ok, I gotta go, looks like they're planning something already.' 'Alright, you go have fun, I'll hold down the fort til you get back Nova.' I walk over to the Crusaders, just to find out that they indeed are planning something... 'This is going to be interesting...' "I say we try ziplining again!" Oh Scoots, when will you learn? "No!" Oh, they're both against it. 'Heh, they don't want to get covered in tree sap again.' I just sit back on the grass and watch them huddle in and throw ideas back and forth... and nothing interesting has been suggested; Ziplining, bungee jumping, para-sailing, movie production, ninjas, mostly harmless stuff. 'Damn, would be nice if I had a drink, preferably Mountain Dew...' Be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it. Not a second after finishing my thought about having that awesome drink, lo and behold, one appears right in front of me. A single bottle of said drink now sat in front of me, after literally dropping into existence. I could not contain myself. "YES!" All three fillies turn towards me as I exclaim my excitement. "What's got you so excited?" Scootaloo comes up with this rather unoriginal question. "You girls know how I'm not from around here?" "Yeah..." All three in unison. "Well, I come from a different world; one that's reeeaaaally far away," their eyes light up at this statement, 'Seriously, I'm liking theses little fillies more and more as I spend time with them...' "and what I have in front of me is one of my favorite drinks from my home world." "So how did y'all get one to appear n'front of ya?" I sit there for a minute, contemplating what I should tell them. On one hand, I could lie to them and say it was pocket magic, or I could tell them I just willed it into existence, quite literally. 'Wait a second, if I'm supposedly the son of Discord, and I just brought one of my favorite drinks into existence by just my own will, then... oh fuckberries. Things are just getting too weird for me, even by this world's standards. Anyway, guess I should just come out with it.' "Really, I don't exactly know. I was just sitting here, wishing I had something to drink, and then this," I point at the bottle, "appeared in front of me. My guess would be that I just willed it into existence. My will and wishful thinking must have brought it here." 'There, that should pass for a decent explanation without revealing anything.' "COOL!" Scootaloo jumps up as she exclaims her enthusiasm with the subject, flapping her underdeveloped wings rapidly, like a humming bird. 'Damn, I gotta do something for the little filly, can't have her like that all her life...' "So, kind of like Rarity and Pinkie's pocket magic." "Yeah, you could say that." I reply, and then give an awkward grin; what happened next was beyond what I had expected to happen - I heard the 'squee.' 'Seriously, this makes no sense... ah whatever, just gonna roll with it.' I move away from the commotion for a bit, and ponder on what I could do to keep the little ones out of trouble, and then an idea struck me: I could watch over them at Lyra's place, that way they won't be so overwhelming, as the both of us will be keeping watch. 'Now, I just have to get in touch with Applejack...' Getting my magic ready was pretty easy, so that wasn't a problem; the problem that I was wondering about, was if I would be able to get it to work with a non-unicorn. Nonetheless, I concentrated the magic that I gathered, and tried to establish a mental connection with Applejack. Somehow, it worked. 'Hey, Applejack.' Applejack, Market Square Boring - that's how one could describe the mundane task of just standing here and selling apples and other foods at a stall all day long. Don't get me wrong, I love selling my apples that I worked so hard to grow and care for, but it's just boring standing here without anypony to talk to, save for the customers that come and buy my apples. 'I'm friendly to everypony, though it's just getting a dull doing this everyday. Oh Celestia, what I wouldn't give for a vacation right about now...' My thoughts are cut short, by the feeling of someone invading my mind. It's just about the weirdest feeling ever. Though eventually, it starts to fade away, but then the weirdest part happens - I hear Nova's voice in my head. 'Hey Applejack.' "Hello? Nova, where are you?" I look around the marketplace, trying to find him, but to no avail. 'Heheh, I'm not near you, and I'm not physically talking to you, I'm communicating with you through my mind, magically of course.' 'Oh hardy har har... So what was it that you wanted to talk to me about?' 'Well, with looking after the Crusaders being somewhat of a full time job, I was thinking that I could bring them over to Lyra's place so we could both watch over them.' 'Erm well, Nova, ah don't think that's such a good idea.' 'Oh? and why not?' 'Well, it's just that she's a filly fooler; I don't want her influencing my little sister to be like her, it just ain't natural.' There is then this eerily uncomfortable silence that seems to loom over both myself, and Nova. Sure, I'm interacting with customers and selling apples 'n stuff, but the conversation between myself and Nova has just come to a lull, neither of us saying anything for moments on end. Finally, just when I think I'm about to lose my mind, Nova replies to my earlier comment. 'Applejack, I am thoroughly shocked and disgusted; this is just like the Zecora incident all over again. I thought that you would, excuse me for sounding like Rarity but, have more civilized views on those that dated those from the same gender. True love isn't limited by orientation, race, or age. Another thing, Lyra is actually my marefriend, and on top of this, even if she weren't I would make sure that NOTHING happens to those fillies, I would guard them with my life. You have my word.' 'How am I to that you're telling the truth?' 'Applejack, let me tell you something: when two minds are connected, one cannot lie to the other; even if I did lie to you, you would just hear my foremost thoughts and figure out that I was lying anyway. There is also no need to lie when speaking one's feelings.' 'Well, I guess that makes sense...' 'If anything happens to those fillies, then Big Macintosh can buck me as hard as he can. I am that confident that nothing will happen.' 'Alright then, I'll take your word, but you better Pinkie Pie Swear, just to be sure...' Nova, Ponyville 'Fine; cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.' I then close contact with Applejack and turn towards the crusaders. "Ok, now that I've gotten things worked out with Applejack, I should probably get you three over to Lyra's." No sooner as I finish that statement, I hear a loud screech in the air coming from the east, where a mountain sits just beyond the Whitetail Woods. I slowly turn towards the crusaders with a worried look on my face. "Um, girls, please tell me that I'm losing my mind and that there isn't an angry dragon flying this way." The three girls just tremble in fear and slowly shake their heads. "Well crap. Of all the times for a dragon to show up, it just HAD to be just seconds after I tell your sister that nothing will happen to you three." I pause for a moment, thinking of what to do next. "Girls, how do you feel about teleportation?" Sweetie Belle looks at me curiously before putting in her comment. "Isn't that spell a bit complicated, and are you sure that you can teleport all of us at the same time without messing up?" "Sweetie Belle, this is not the time to be questioning my abilities, what's important is that I get you three to safety before anything happens. Now all of you get close to me, I'm going to start the spell." I concentrate for a moment, digging through my mind for the teleportation spell that I learned, but as I was doing so, I realized that we already arrived in Lyra's common room. I take a look around, and all three of the Cutie Mark Crusaders are accounted for, and Lyra hasn't noticed yet that we're all standing in front of her, due to the fact that she's in the middle of watching an episode of K-On; specifically, the episode where they perform for the first time on stage. I step forward and waive a hand in front of the screen to get her attention. "AHHHH! Nova! You startled me... what's up, you look worried." "Lyra, there's a dragon headed this way, I need you to look after the crusaders while I go deal with the pest. If I don't contact you within two hours, then go get Twilight and tell her, she'll notify the princess and the royal guard. Got all that?" Lyra gets a worried look on her face, but nods anyway. I hold her in my arms for a moment, and then back away a little. Staring into her golden eyes, I see that she's quite upset at the notion of me facing a dragon by myself. "Listen, you can't come with me, I couldn't bear the thought of anything happening to you if I let you tag along; plus, you have the CMC to keep you company." I kiss her on the lips, getting a slightly shocked expression from both Lyra, and the crusaders, "I love you, Lyra, and I promise that I'll come back in one piece." I let go of Lyra, and exit the house, all four of the girls staring at me with worried expressions. "I'll be back in a bit, try not to burn down the house, alright?" This gets a chuckle from all of them, and they finally shut the door. It is then that I realize that I have almost no way to get to the dragon, aside from teleporting. 'Dammit, I can't teleport because I don't know exactly where the thing is, and I don't have wings... wait a second, there was a spell that creates balls of light, and solid ones at that, maybe if I tinker with it enough, I could make it useful...' I stand there, in front of the house in concentration as I think of a way for me to use that spell to my advantage. 'Those balls of light are pure energy in their basic state, so what if that energy could be manipulated? Hmmm, what about changing them into kinetic energy? Though if I do that, then I would have to be able to change their output at will... well, here goes nothing...' I use the newly created spell, hoping that it worked. Sure enough, when I pictured four balls of energy, one at each hand and foot, I started to float just above the ground. 'Now, let's try flying...' I put my hands at my sides, and lean forward, projecting myself forward, and thankfully not face-planting into the ground. "YES! Weeeee!" I could not help myself as I squeed in a high pitched tone while flying around. I then cleared my throat, and headed off into the direction of the dragon. Nova, Whitetail Woods Have you ever flown through the air just above the treeline, at breakneck speeds, to fend off a dragon that is very likely to be pissed off more than a 12 year old girl who was told that Justin Bieber was gay? Didn't think so; in any case, that is what I am currently doing, flying right towards a dragon all Tony Stark-like, with no real plan in mind, except to kick its ass if it turns out to be hostile. "Why oh why did I have to rush off with no plan in mind? Oh yeah, cause I'm a moron." My self berating though has just been cut short, as the dragon has just come into view; it's a silver dragon with neon-green eyes, and his overall look doesn't seem to be menacing, though you should never judge a book by its cover. I fly towards the dragon, and I can hear that he is upset about something, and going on a rant. 'think dammit, think!' I struggle to find a way to get the dragon to calm down without having to resort to battle. I eventually come up with something that I think will either calm him down, or at least get his attention. I take in a breath, concentrate, and, "Siiv, Drem, Sindugahvon" the shout hits the dragon, and he immediately stops flying around like mad and faces me. "Krosis, I did not think that anyone would hear me if I was so far away from the town. Someone has woken me up from a peaceful nap. I had planned on sleeping for another 400 years." well, that rules out the possibility for it being hostile... "Before I ask any questions about that, let me introduce myself, I am Jason Morrison, though I have recently adopted the name 'Nova' as it fits better with the community. May I ask of your name?" "I am surprised at your manners towards us dragons, even moreso because you are dovahkiin. My name is Daarbritkoor, I am pleased to meet you." "So what was it that woke you up from your slumber?" "It was all the action that is going on in Chrysalis' territory." "Pardon me for not knowing, but who is Chrysalis? Some queen in another country?" "That is exactly right, she is queen of the lands southeast of the equestrian proper, her people are changelings." "I'm sorry, what are changelings exactly, I gather that they can change form, but what purpose does that ability serve?" "Quite the observant one, you are; the changelings take the form of the one you love, and gain power by feeding off of your love for that person." "Kind of like a less perverted succubus," (insert name) looks at me with a curious face, "succubi are mythical creatures that feed off the life force of another being through intimate contact, and are generally in the form of a human, what I am." We continue trading information about each others worlds, not keeping track of time, thus prompting Lyra to get worried, though I eventually take note of how much time has passed. "Excuse me for a moment, I have to contact my marefriend." (insert name) nods, and I fire up the spell to communicate with other ponies and beings through a mental connection, and connect to Lyra. 'Hey, sorry I didn't contact you earlier, been trading info with the dragon.' 'What!' 'No worries, he's not hostile, or I would've been busy battling it. He's quite wise and friendly.' 'Sorry to disappoint you, but I already called twilight about the dragon, and she sent out a request for search and rescue, as well as some guards to help deal with the dragon if needed. Sorry nova.' 'It's ok Lyra, I would've done the same thing if I were I your position, you did the right thing.' There seems to be a group of pegasi heading our way, so I decide to cut the conversation short. 'Lyra, it seems the guards have arrived, so I have to cut contact for now. I don't know when I will be home, but as soon as the chance arises, I will come home. I love you, stay out of trouble.' I cut the link, and then turn to fly towards the guards. One of then shouts at me, "stop right there, criminal scum!" I am not surprised. "So what do I owe for the honor of being hauled away by Celestia's personal guards?" "Using your power of The Voice within city limits not once, but twice, and for leaving to engage in battle with a dragon without the princess' permission." I float there for a moment, before coming back to the problem at hand. "Weren't you sent out as a search and rescue party to look for me in case the battle turned ugly, and to bring me to the hospital if needed?" One of the other guards spoke up, "that is true, but some of us thought it also convenient if we brought you in on those charges as well, seeing as we were already sent out to find you." "Just so you know, I did not leave to engage in battle with a dragon, I came here to deal with the situation of a dragon flying around and causing a disturbance; engaging in battle was a last resort in the event it was hostile." "In any case, you are to come with us immediately." I comply with their demands, and fly with them to Canterlot, not knowing what lies ahead... Nova, Canterlot Castle I stand with the guards, just outside of the throne room doors; apparently Celestia has told them she wishes to speak with me alone, though I don't know why. The guards take off, probably going to one of their 'off duty' hangout spots; I push open the door, not knowing exactly what to expect, though nothing could have prepared me for what I was seeing... There sat Celestia, in the middle of the throne room, at a table with piles of cards in front of her, and a hand of seven cards that she was holding, as well as numerous cards off to the side that are facing upwards, an to top it off, a pile of cards on her other side that were face down, about 50 or so. That itself isn't what's surprising, no; what is not only surprising, but quite a shock, was who she was playing with... Discord. I could only think of one thing to say to Celestia's little 'let's arrest Nova' joke. "You seriously couldn't help yourself, could you?" I yell while pointing right at Celestia, an discord does what pretty much everyone would expect him to do: he calmly asks me a very simple, yet irritating question, "Problem, Nova?" he grins just after asking this, and I sigh very heavily before continuing. "The both of you have some explaining to do, because I'm pretty sure that Magic: The Gathering doesn't exist in this world... Wait, you knew the whole time, didn't you Celestia?" "Yes, I did, and I also know exactly who you are." "Well, then why is it that you imprisoned Discord, because I doubt his fun actually harmed anyone." after this is said, discord comes over beside me and explains what happened... "About a milenia ago, Celestia and I were playin Magic, and at one point she stole my favorite card, the Spawnsire of Ulamog card, which allows me to summon every Eldrazi that I do not have in my deck or hand, into the battlefield, and attack the other player in one sweep. I decided that instead of stealing one of her cards, I could just have some fun with her subjects - they didn't mind any of the chaos, because they were so busy having fun; well, aside from those canterlot snobs that don't appreciate a good laugh. She was originally going to just give me back my card, but when I created your soul by taking a piece of mine, and healing it outside of my body, she got pretty mad. She banished you to the far reaches of space, not really aiming at anything and just tossed you," I glare angrily at Celestia, "and she encased me in stone. And now - " he gets cut off by Celestia, "and now, after whining an complaining as if he were a little filly, I opened a gateway in order to let you come back, and set discord free." "Celestia," I growl angrily at her, "I thought you valued life, no matter what kind of soul the person had. Were you even thinking of my well being when you banished me? Did you even stop to look for one second, to make sure you didn't hurl me into the sun! I thought of you as as a mother I didn't have, because of your kindness, but I can see now that it was only because you wanted to cushion any hard feelings I might develop if I heard the truth. Well guess what, it hurts more to know that than if you told me everything from the start. I hope you're happy, because I just lost any and all respect for you!" by the end of my rant, I'm panting from all the emotion that I put into it. The room is deafeningly silent - if one were to drop a pin on the floor, you could hear it throughout the whole room, which is saying something. Finally, after a few moments of tense silence, Celestia speaks up. "nova, hear me out. I actually placed you specifically on that planet, in that universe, so you would grow to be kind-hearted, no matter what family you ended up in; not only that, but to also protect the people of Equestria, and yourself... if you recall, Rarity said something about unicorns having unusual bursts of magic when they are very young, now imagine what could happen with your powers if you had stayed here... I know that I shouldn't have let you go through those hardships, but it all was made up for when that world came up with the tv show you adored so much, as well as some of the anime that you have seen before Friendship is Magic. And to be fair, I put you there, not because of discord creating your soul, but because I actually /am/ your mother. I couldn't live with the idea of my reputation being ruined those 17 years ago - " "Wait, so you're telling me that you, Celestia, are actually my mother... Then again, that does explain my magic's aura color." "So, you're not mad at me for putting you in that world?" Celestia looks as though she's actually going to cry. I move towards her and give her the biggest hug ever, "no, I'm not mad at you, at least not anymore. I'm sorry for losing it earlier, I should've figured that discord was being a giant troll." this encites a raspberry from said being. "Be quiet over there. You don't know how much I want to punch you right now." what I hear from Celestia next makes me chuckle. "Go right ahead, he deserves it." And so I walk towards Discord, and as I'm doin so, my anger gets loose and activates the intimidation aura, thus allowing me to use all my strength. I rear my fist back, and discord says nothing, but places a target right on his midsection. I take this as a go ahead, and punch him, sending him flying... Right towards the moon. Both Celestia take note of this, and quickly make use of an already overused joke, "To the moooooooooonnnnaaaaahhhhhh! Beeeeeeyyaaaaaaatch!" this gets us both laughing like hyenas. A few moments later, when all the laughter has died down, I turn to Celestia an give her another hug. "you're just so huggable, I don't know why... Wait, where's Luna?" "She's in her bedroom, she stayed up a bit late yesterday, so she's catching up on her sleep." Just after celestia finished saying this, said alicorn walks into the throne room, all flustered about something. "I'm sorry sister for not being here earlier to raise the moon, I -" celestia cut her off, in he usual polite manner, "it's alright, I figured you would need your sleep so I raised it for you, though I left the stars for you -" I cut off celestia, finishing her statement and surprising Luna, "because no one can make the night sky as beautiful as it is when you have a hoof in placing the stars, every night sky is breathtaking in its own way." to say that Luna is shocked would be an understatement. Luna points a hoof at me and her mouth is hanging open in shock, unable to complete a single sentence for a few minutes; eventually, she manages to speak. "N-n-n-nova? I thought my sister placed you in another world so you wouldn't be cast out because of your parentage. How did you get back?" "A simple answer: during my entire life apparently, my soul has been searching for a way to come back here, and one day while celestia was speaking with discord through a link, he kept pestering her to allow me to come back here. When Celestia made a hole for me to come home, i immediately jumped through; I ended up also taking my stuff that I had nearby when I was waiting for a flight to another city, where I would have had an awesome job, though I did manage to get signed to Vinyl Scratch soon after arriving here." Luna takes a moment to let all of this information sink in; when it does, she smiles as she walks towards me, and does something that I never thought she would - she hugged me. A couple seconds later I return the embrace, and we have a tender moment. 'Yay, I got a hug from Woona.' For the most part anyway. 'It's going to be interesting to see what happens for the rest of the time that I'm here...'
