Chapters Six years had passed since Parallel had started school. She had grown up rather fast, being taller than a lot of the other students, despite being younger than most of them. She got herself into the habit of running laps around town, so she could build stamina and muscle mass. Her school performance was spectacular as well, getting the highest grades in her class every year (but when your own father is the teacher, that's to be expected). Nopony would have guessed she came in as a lost, homeless filly at this point. She had graduated from the school with the highest honors, as Equality and Cheerilee watched, shedding liquid pride.
As she was leaving to go home the evening she graduated, Equality wanted to give her some encouraging words.
"You've done very well for yourself. You've become very athletic, incredibly smart--perhaps even besting me, and you know your way around town as if you run it, and your personality seems completely different from the day you came into my life. You're not the same filly I met six years ago, and yet here I see you still standing before me. You've become, quite literally, a Parallel to your former self, same plane of existence, yet not overlapping at any point. I couldn't be more proud of you, Parallel."
"Well, I did it all for you, Dad. I wanted you to be proud of me. I wanted you to know that I'm ambitious and determined. It was my love for you that guided me through these last six years of my life.
"To be honest, I can say the same for you. I'm still in disbelief about everything. That vision you had when we first went to the park together really got you motivated, didn't it?"
"Oh yeah, that too. I do still want to go and see the world. Plus, as much as I value the time we've had together, I still want to learn more about my past." Any doubt in Equality's mind about his daughter's dream was gone at this point. The two finally reached their house while they kept this conversation going.
Equality was still reveling in Parallel's achievements thus far, and he wanted to push her forward even more.
"Well, we're home. How about you wait in the kitchen while I go and grab something for you?" She was feeling hungry after everything, but at this point she could cook her own food, so she made herself an early dinner, and waited for her father. He returned with something special for her. "I want you to have these." They were a gray hat and cargo vest. As she looked at them, her eyes gave off a rainbow glow once again.
"I've seen these before. These are the clothes I was wearing in my vision. Dad, where did these come from?"
"They belonged to an old friend of mine. She used to wear these when she needed a burst of good luck. I think you can make better use of them."
"Y-you mean--" the filly started as she tried to hold back her excitement.
"Yes. You're ready to go off on the big journey, no, the quest to find your place. You've got the survival skills, the wits, the muscle, and the ambition you need to guide you around Equestria ten times over. Starting tomorrow, I'm letting you find your own path, the path parallel to that of everypony else. I'm sure you'll have quite the story to tell, and I wish for you to discover what your purpose is. Who knows, maybe you'll even see those stallions we almost met at the park that one day." The filly's greatest decision of her life was made at that moment. After that night, she would set off on a quest to find herself, even if it means covering Equestria with her tracks.
The filly was in such anticipation of her upcoming voyage that she couldn't even sleep that night. And yet, she had that kind of can-do spirit in the morning that would have followed a perfect night's sleep. She grabbed the vest and hat, quickly put them on, ate a breakfast that she cooked and savored--since she wouldn't have much of a chance to do this again for a long time, and set off on her quest. Before she closed the door of her house, Equality said one last thing to her.
"I want to hear about how your travels have gone every so often, so if you could please do me a favor and write home whenever you get the chance, I'd be very grateful. After all, you're the only family I have, and I want to make sure you're safe every now and again."
"I will, Dad, and don't worry about me, I'll do whatever I can to stay safe on my quest. I owe it to you, after all, since you took me in during my darkest time, and created the brightest beacon I could have prayed for." Again shedding tears of pride, all Equality could do was give his daughter a nudge to start her journey. The two said goodbye, after sharing one last hug, and the filly ran off on the road. She started her new life by going west of Ponyville.
Parallel arrived at a train station at the edge of Ponyville. Her father had given her enough bits for a one-way trip to anywhere she wished to go. The first train was set to depart en route the White Tail Woods. There was no line, but the mare at the ticket booth was eager to see her, as if she could sense the filly's ambition.
"Wow, you seem kinda young to be alone at the train station."
"I know I seem young, since I did finish school two years early, but I need to get on the train to the White Tail Woods. I have my reasons, and it's a long story--"
"Well, let me help you out here. I can feel that you have a good reason for going, so take this ticket, no charge. It's the last one anyway, and the train should depart any minute." Parallel was quite pleased with this turn of events. She received the ticket, dashed onto the train, and took a seat right by an open window.
As the train left the station, she found a pen and some paper lying right below her hooves. She asked if they belonged to anypony, but no "yes" replies. She decided to write her first letter at that moment.
"Dear Dad,
I know I've only just left, but I found some paper and a pen, and thought I should write to you at least to notify you of my safety. I was lucky enough to receive my train ticket without having to pay for it. You know those times when you feel like you catch a lucky break, and have no logical explanation why? Well, since I left the house, I've been having a lot of those. I've still got all the bits you gave me, and I was able to find something to write to you with, so my quest is starting off quite swimmingly. I don't have much else to say, except that I don't want you to miss me too much. I'll be sure to be careful, because I know my safety is your main concern. Love you, and hope to write to you again soon.
--Parallel" She placed her letter in an envelope, also conveniently placed by the paper. Suddenly, a unicorn mare came to her and asked,
"Do you need this mailed immediately?" Parallel knew strangers aren't always to be trusted, but she saw something in this unicorn that made her feel obligated to agree.
"Yes please." The unicorn asked her for the address, which Parallel gave, and used her magic to make the letter vanish. "Did you just mail my letter with your magic?"
"Of course. How else? Anything for the daughter of an old classmate of mine." Parallel had no clue how the mare recognized her as Equality's daughter, but was happy to hear this. "By the way, you look great in that vest and hat. Reminds me of my old lucky clothes. I wonder if Equality still has them?" The filly now knew why she felt comfortable with talking to this strange mare. She must have been the one who gave her father the vest and hat she had on.
"Um, I think these might--" the filly started as she looked back to the mare, but she was already walking away, going back to her cabin. Parallel took this as a sign that she should keep these on, since now she has two ponies to honor by keeping them safe.
Night time had arrived faster than Parallel expected, and she was growing tired. She asked where her cabin was, to which a stallion eagerly replied with directions after seeing a ticket. She walked in to find a nice, soft bed, a well-crafted desk, a shower, and a latrine, in case she needed them. After examining her ticket, she saw that it had the words "very important pony" labeled on the top. She had received a luxury ticket for free, and didn't even realize it until now. She was feeling really sleepy, so she quickly went to bed, and saw a shining star out her window, which she assumed was her father watching from back home. The next morning, she woke up to find a letter on her cabin's desk. She wasn't expecting any mail, but she happily opened up the letter. It was from her father.
"Dear Parallel,
Thanks for letting me know that you're alright. But seriously, a free ticket on a train that was about to depart? You must be really lucky. I guess the clothes I gave you are working for you. I love you, too, Parallel, and I wish you the best on your way to wherever it is you're going.
Your father,
Equality
P.S. I recognize the scent of the letter you sent me. It was mailed by an old friend and classmate of mine. She's always had this tendency to add a soothing aroma to everything she uses her magic on, even when we were foals. If you ever see her again, I can assure you that she's trustworthy."
The train had started to slow down. The conductor had announced the train's arrival as it came to a stop.
"All departing for White Tail Woods may do so now. Again, all departing for White Tail Woods may do so now." Parallel knew this was her stop. She exited the train, and looked around at where she was. All the brown-leaved trees, the peaceful animals all living in harmony, and the clear blue sky. She felt, as Pinkie Pie would put it, nervoucited. She had never been outside of Ponyville before, and now she was in a whole new place, but she couldn't help but feeling she belonged here. She decided to go for a walk around the woods, feeling oddly nostalgic for a pony in a whole new place. It felt familiar to her, yet she had no memories regarding being here. Suddenly, she hears some hooves clopping in the distance. She follows the sound, and finds a log cabin in the middle of the woods. What she saw next marked the true start of her journey.
As she came closer to the cabin, she saw a green-coated, golden-blonde-maned stallion with black eyes. This stallion also seemed familiar to her. This stallion looked like one of the earth ponies she saw at the park that one day. She walked to him quietly, and noticed the ax in his hooves. It came swinging towards her, and she screamed in fear, thinking she was about to be split in half. However, the only thing that was split was the log right next to her. The stallion, not having seen her next to him, said in surprise,
"Oh my goodness, I apologize, little filly. I didn't see you behind me, or even hear you coming. You sure are light on your feet. Are you some kind of athlete?" As the stallion then noticed, Parallel had passed out from almost dying, so he poked at her head until she came to.
"Huh, wha... what just happened?"
"You passed out, little filly. I guess almost having your head chopped off must have given you the shock of your life. I'm sorry. I guess you came up to me when I was chopping some wood." The filly, now sure that she wasn't dead, felt relieved, and got dizzy. "You're not gonna pass out again, are you?"
"Oh, no, I'm fine." the filly said as she focused on the stallion.
"I should introduce myself, my name is Jack Bolt. I was born and raised in this here log cabin. I've been living here since. I help put food on the table by chopping this here wood. I am a lumberjack, after all. I know somepony like me seems like the kind to leave nature alone, but when you're raised in a forest, and your only education comes from your parents, you gotta work with the few skills you have. I got my cutie mark for doing just that." The filly hadn't heard of such a job before, but she could tell Jack Bolt was friendly, so she started to ask him,
"Well, Mr. Bolt--"
"Please, call me Jack. Mr. Bolt is my father."
"Alright then, Jack, my name is Parallel. You see, I just arrived in the White Tail Woods from Ponyville, and I have no place to stay. Would you happen to have an extra bed for me to sleep in inside your cabin?"
"Well, I do have an extra guest room inside. I figured it would be perfect in case a desperate traveler needed a place to sleep. Sure, go ahead. Just don't think you're going to be living here."
"Oh, that won't be a problem. You see, I'm traveling all across Equestria, trying to learn what my purpose in life is, since I have no memory of what happened before I met my father."
"Your... father?" Jack Bolt said, confused.
"It's a long story, and you clearly have a job to do, so I won't waste too much of your time. Anyway, I'm also out to see if I can find some stallions I saw at Ponyville Park one day when I was little."
"Ponyville Park? I remember that place. I was selling some of my finest logs there about six years ago when four other stallions came and asked about it. If I remember correctly, there were two unicorns and two pegasi." Parallel had no doubt in her mind that he was one of the stallions from the park at the time. "I had to leave suddenly because one of them mentioned how the Running of the Leaves was to take place two days after then. I have never missed that event once in my life, not since I was born.
"Oh. Did you make it in time?"
"Barely. As soon as I heard about it, I got a train ticket, got on, and rushed to my cabin and packed up for the event. I ended up making it to the event with seconds to spare, the closest I have ever cut it."
"That's quite a predicament. I'm glad you made it in time."
The two ponies continued to converse, until Parallel decided to walk into the cabin and see what it was like. When she got inside, she was dazzled by what she saw. There were a bunch of ancient relics all over the place. She couldn't recognize any of them, despite the fact that she was a fantastic student in school, with archaeology being her best subject. She wandered around the cabin, exploring every room, finding artifacts in every one of them. As amazed as she was by the collection, she was also confused as to why a simple lumberjack would have so many priceless treasures. Just then, she heard Jack Bolt coming in to check on her. She walked to him and asked,
"Where did you get all of these fascinating relics? I haven't seen anything like them."
"Oh, these things? About that, I guess I forgot to mention, as well as being a great lumberjack, I also have a hobby of traveling Equestria and collecting any treasures I find along my journey. Those pots you see behind you are from this ruined temple in Smokey Mountain that I explored. It's a great way to get out and explore the world when it's not logging season. Be careful, though, some of these relics are very fragile. I've already broken a few of them myself by accident." This would explain the pile of rubble she saw when she went into what she assumed to be Jack Bolt's room.
"Wow, the sun's already starting to set." the filly said as she looked out the window.
"What? Oh, snap! I'm still behind with my logging as it is. I'll be up all night."
"Well, if you need help, I'd be glad to lend you a hoof."
"Oh, I couldn't ask that of you. I mean, being a lumberjack is hard work, and I'm not sure if you're up for it."
"I have taken wood shop in school before, and hey, it's the least I can do to pay you back for allowing me to stay here. Can't you give me a chance?" The stallion recognized that tone of voice. He had acted similarly when he was first trying to be a lumberjack. The strong drive to work, the iron-willed mentality, and the honesty behind her words, they all reminded of him when he was a colt.
"Well... what the hay. Show me what you got by working with that pile of logs over there. If you can show me something good, I'll let you help me."
"Thank you, Jack."
The filly ran to the pile of logs, jumped to the top, and rolled one down. She then looked at the log carefully, then turned around and gave the log a quick buck. It was a perfect, even split. The stallion's jaw dropped like Twilight Sparkle's when she saw Rainbow Dash clearing the clouds for the first time.
"How in Equestria did you do that? I've never seen something so impressive."
"Well, to put it simply, I calculated the mass of the log, and as I was rolling it, I felt for a weak spot in the log, then precisely looked at the ridges to find where the most hollow part of the log was, then just turned around and kicked." The stallion, who was not accustomed to this vocabulary, could only respond with,
"Uh... what?"
"In other words, I just found the weakest point in the log, and just kicked right at it."
"Incredible. How did you learn to to that?"
"I didn't. I just applied what I learned in school about physics, environmental science, and that one martial arts class I took."
"Well, you could have fooled me. That's some of the finest wood-whacking I have ever seen."
"Aw, I'm flattered."
"Say, you think you could do the rest of those logs too? It's all I have left for tonight."
"No problem, Jack." The filly ran to the logs again, jumped on top, and rolled one down again, then repeated her kicking until all the logs were split. Perfectly even each time.
"I've never seen a pony as good as you doing this. Maybe you might want to take this up as a profession."
"Well, I'm flattered by your words, but that's another reason why I'm on this journey. You see, along with trying to remember my past, and meeting the stallions I saw at the park, I also want to find what my reason for existing is. I know my cutie mark is a guiding star, but I don't know what it's guiding me to." Suddenly, her stomach started rumbling.
"Maybe it's guiding you toward where to get something to eat."
"No, that's my stomach. I guess I haven't really eaten anything since this morning."
"Well, come inside. I got plenty of apples in the kitchen. You've been a big help with the logs, so go ahead and help yourself to all the apples you want." The filly was already rushing to the cabin by the time he finished his sentence.
The two ponies came into the cabin, and walked to the kitchen. Parallel had found the apples Jack Bolt was talking about. She dug into them like she hadn't eaten in weeks. She was still a filly, after all, and that kind of growing does amazing things to a pony's metabolism.
"I said I have plenty of apples, not all the apples in Equestria." Jack Bolt said as he saw her pilfering the fruit.
"Oh, ehehe, sorry. I guess I was hungry. But I think I'm full now anyway."
"Wow, not only can you work like a pro, you can certainly eat like one too." The filly blushed, partially from flattery, but also from embarrassment. "Well, looks like the sun's finally gone down. I guess it's time we hit the sack. You know that room where the pile of rubble is? The guest room is right across the hall. You can sleep there." The filly was already feeling sleepy, so she walked into the room, and put herself to bed. Before she dozed off, Parallel said,
"Thanks, Jack, for allowing me to stay the night here. It means a lot to me knowing that somepony like you would be willing to help a total stranger like me."
"Aw, shucks, we're not strangers anymore, we're friends. Just get a good night's sleep. You deserve it." The filly smiled as she dozed off, and started snoring quietly. As he walked out of the guest room, and into his own bedroom, Jack Bolt said quietly, "That filly is something special isn't she?" He then got himself into bed, and fell asleep.
The next morning, Parallel woke up to see some paper, a pen, and an envelope on the side table next to her bed. She thought she would take this opportunity to write another letter to her father. She put on her lucky vest and hat, came into the kitchen, and found Jack Bolt making breakfast for both of them.
"Good morning Jack. Wow, your cooking smells great."
"Oh, morning, Parallel. That's the smell of birch-smoked apple turnovers, with a pear slice for good measure. You want to try some?"
"Yes, please." She received a plate with the food Jack Bolt had cooked. She tried a quick taste, and it did, in fact, taste as good as it smelled. "Mmm, this is really good. How did you learn to make it?"
"Well, you see, my mother taught me how to make it. Aside from being one of the best lumberjacks in the field, she was also a fantastic cook. She could make anything you asked for, and it would always taste incredible. She could even take burnt down tree bark and make a tasty meal out of it." Parallel found this impressive, and wanted to know more about his parents.
"What did your father do?"
"My father? He was a wood sculptor. He could take any log in the field, and craft an amazing, almost lifelike, carving out of it. I swear, if he was still alive today, he'd probably be able to make a lifelike statue of Princess Celestia out of wood. It was with the money he made from his creations, plus my mother's lumberjack skills, that they could afford this log cabin, which I inherited." Suddenly, Parallel spaced out, as if she was trying to remember something.
"Tell me, Jack, how did your parents come to acquire this log cabin?"
"Oh, well, I don't know the full story, but from what I remember, the two were living in a pretty decrepit cabin at the time, and they had made enough money for a new one. They met an old couple, who were trying to sell theirs because they didn't need it anymore." Parallel spaced out again.
"Did they ever tell you what the couple looked like?"
"They told me a few things. The mare had a black coat and blue eyes, and the stallion had a white mane and green eyes. Other than that, I can't quite remember anything." Not only did Parallel space out for a third time, but this time she also froze, and her eyes gave off a rainbow glow, and her cutie mark shined a brown light for a few seconds. Jack Bolt, who was astonished by this, couldn't help but stare at her. The filly responded,
"Thank you, Jack Bolt. I have learned what I needed to from you. I really appreciate everything you've done for me, but now I must leave. I have a quest to continue, after all, and there's still so much for me to learn."
"You're quite welcome. Hey, where did that paper, pen, and envelope come from?"
"I don't know, I just found it on the side table right next to the bed. Did you put it there?
"No, I didn't. If you're clueless as well, then who could have put it there?" Both were confused about this, but Parallel had to leave.
"Can I take these with me?"
"I don't see why not. Somepony clearly put it there for a reason. Maybe they wanted you to take it." Parallel assumed this was the case, and grabbed them and went out the door. Before she left, Jack Bolt said,
"Hey, catch!" She grabbed the object thrown at her. It was an apple. "Take an apple for the road."
"Thanks, Jack. And thank you so much for everything else." The stallion could only smile as she ran off.
Parallel ended up finding herself back at the train station, and pulled out the ticket she still had. Assuming it was only one-way, she tried to throw it into the trash. Luckily, a stallion came by and said to her,
"Whoa there, filly. You don't want to throw that away. That's a VIP ticket. It gives you six free rides in the train's luxury cabin." After what he said, Parallel did notice the 3x2 grid in the center of the ticket, and she saw a black marking through one of them.
"Gee, thanks, sir. I was about to ruin my chances of getting to the next town."
"Don't mention it. Anyway, here comes the train now." As the train came to a stop at the station, Parallel saw a few ponies exit the train, and found herself to be the only one boarding. She walked aboard, and found her way to the luxury cabin. It wasn't the same train as before, but it did have something familiar in it, or to be more accurate, somepony familiar. A unicorn mare had appeared, and Parallel recognized her as the one from the first train.
"Well, if it isn't the little filly from before. You off to the next town?"
"Oh, yeah. Where exactly is this train going, Miss..."
"Midnight." The name certainly fit the mare's appearance. Dark blue coat, indigo mane, snow white eyes, and a full moon for a cutie mark. "Say, I see you have some writing materials. You want to write another letter to your father? I can send it to him again."
"That would be great. I've been meaning to write to him again, anyway." Parallel got into the luxury cabin, and sat at the desk, as she wrote.
"Dear Dad,
Something incredible happened yesterday. I made a friend with who I believe to be one of the stallions from the park that day. His name is Jack Bolt. He's a lumberjack from the White Tail Woods. But here's the amazing part. He also collects treasures from around Equestria, and he keeps them in his house, or his log cabin to be more precise. You'd think that those two professions wouldn't go together, but with him they do. He's also a pretty decent cook, maybe even rivaling you. I also discovered something about myself. Apparently, I'm a natural at splitting logs into perfect cuts. I don't know where this talent came from, but it's strong in me. I also learned a valuable lesson. I could tell that Jack was the type of pony who wouldn't be able to sleep at night if he didn't finish his daily work. When I helped him out, I could sense his personal relief. He's the kind of hard-working, self-disciplinary pony that really shows a sense of integrity, which he taught me to feel in the process. The best part, for me anyway, was that I remembered something about my past. I now know what my biological parents looked like. My mother was a black-coated, blue-eyed earth pony, and my father was a white-maned, green-eyed unicorn. I remembered this when Jack told me about who his parents got their log cabin from. I'm going to keep going on my quest for now, but I'm glad I got to learn a lot so far. I hope you're still doing well, because I know I am. I love you, and I'll be sure to write to you soon.
--Parallel"
The filly then placed the letter in the envelope, and gave it to Midnight, who used her magic to send it to Equality. After this was done, the mare remembered something,
"You know, I never answered your question about where we're going. This train's next stop is Las Pegasus. It's really more of a city than a town, but I'm sure you're gonna love it."
"Thanks, Midnight. Hey, you want to come with me?"
"Oh, sorry, I can't. I have plans back in Ponyville. Besides, you're on a quest to find yourself, right? You should do this alone."
"You're right, my mistake. Anyway, thanks again."
"Any time, kid, any time." Parallel was now more excited than ever, knowing that she would be off to the next big part of her quest, and yet, she couldn't help but feel like this part would be rather calming.
Chapter 2 - Island Breeze
Parallel had still been thinking about everything that has happened to her in the past few days. She has set off on her quest, and already befriended one of the ponies she had been searching for. She had also discovered a hidden talent, and remembered something about her past. She was starting to realize just how much this quest of hers will impact her life. By that night, the train had finally arrived in the city of Las Pegasus. Parallel was nothing short of dazzled by everything she was witnessing. Lights going on all over, all the ponies walking by, all the music playing in the distance. You could say she was overwhelmed. It took her a while to get a grip on herself, and realize that she was alone once again, and needed a place to stay. She had walked around a few blocks before finding a hotel.
Parallel walked into the hotel entrance. She found that nopony else was at the front desk, except for one worker. She walked up to him, and asked,
"Excuse me, sir, what's the rate for one room?"
"Well, normally we charge a rate of 500 bits a night, but you're in luck. Our hotel is currently celebrating its 50th anniversary. For this, all first-time guests get one night free." Parallel had never been to a hotel before, so this was the perfect deal for her. Plus, she only had 50 bits on her, so she couldn't possibly afford not to take this opportunity.
"Oh my! Well, I'm out on a journey by myself, and I've never stayed in a hotel before. In fact, up until earlier this week, I'd never even been outside of Ponyville."
"Oh, so you're from Ponyville. One of my old classmates from school lives there. What was his name, uh, Even Mind? No, Fairness? Augh, what was it?"
"Equality?"
"Yes! That's the colt. He sure was amazing, I'll tell you. I remember when he transformed in front of the class during the first week. I don't know if that was some kind of magic, or what, but it sure was incredible."
"Oh, uh, well, he's my father."
"Father? Wow, so he finally decided to have a foal of his own. This is too perfect. Tell you what, kid, I'll talk to my manager, and see if I can get you a friends & family bonus."
"Really? Thanks." The stallion opened the door behind him, and he talked to another pony inside. They were in there for a couple of minutes, before he came out with good news."
"Congrats, kid. Since you came all this way on your own, and you happen to be the daughter of an old friend of mine, my manager has agreed to give you a VIP room on the top floor, for free, for one night." Parallel couldn't help but feel grateful to him for this, and she tried to hold back a delightful scream, as she didn't want to push her luck too far. She calmed herself down, and replied,
"Thank you, sir. I appreciate it."
"There's an elevator on your right, past that hallway. Again, your room is on the top floor. Yours should be room 905." She thanked him for the directions, and walked toward the elevator. She had no idea how it worked. Luckily, another mare was also going to the top floor. As the two got in, the mare pushed the top floor button. Parallel felt kinda disoriented being in an elevator for the first time, with the rising platform really testing her sense of balance. When the door to the top floor opened, she walked out, saw a sign that read "rooms 901-905 on your left", and found her room at the end of the hall.
What she saw inside her room made her feel, quite frankly, spoiled. A bed large enough to support Princess Celestia and Princess Luna together, a large television, which she had now seen for the first time, and a master bathroom, complete with shower and bathtub big enough for four full-grown stallion, and a large desk with books about the city stocked inside. She walked to the desk, after examining everything else in the room, and once again found a pen, paper, and an envelope, all oddly the same kind as she had seen twice before. She was tempted to write to her father again, but she was interrupted by a bellhop, who knocked on her room's door, and said in a gruff, yet hospitable voice,
"Letter for Miss Parallel."
"Oh, I'll get it." the filly replied. As she opened the door, the bellhop looked confused.
"Huh, wasn't expecting a filly to respond. You here alone?"
"Yes, sir."
"Well, who am I to judge the age of our guests? Here's your letter. Have a great night."
"Thanks, you too sir." The filly closed the door, and went to the desk so she could read the letter.
"Dear Parallel,
I got your letter. Fantastic news about everything you've been through. Already meeting a new friend, and it turned out to be one of those stallions from the park. I can't believe you also discovered a special talent. Even I had no idea you could do something so amazing. Also, the fact that you discovered something about your past really warmed my heart. Now you're a step closer to finding out just who you are. I'm glad you're still safe. If I know you, you're probably already in the next town by now, and I can't wait to hear about what you learn there. I hope to hear back.
Your proud father,
Equality"
Happy to hear from her father again, Parallel started feeling tired. She put herself to bed, and saw the remote control on the side table next to her. She assumed this was how the television was turned on, so she pressed the red button, and the television turned on. The local news was being broadcast, and a reporter said,
"Be sure to come to the annual Equestria Surf Classic. Las Pegasus' champion of three years, Island Breeze, will be competing to maintain his title. They say the competition is stiff this year, so he better bring his A-game." The filly felt something special about the name Island Breeze. She spaced out for a few seconds, then turned the television back off, and fell asleep.
The next morning, Parallel woke up to find a ticket to the Equestria Surf Classic on her side table. She still couldn't understand how any of these items suddenly appear whenever it would be convenient. She remembered how Equality said in one of his letters to her about how Midnight's magic leaves objects with a nice smell, so she gave the ticket a sniff. No scent at all. This meant it couldn't be her work. But if it wasn't Midnight, then who? She didn't dwell on this thought too long, though, as she had just received a free ticket to the event where she may meet another one of the stallions from the park. She put on her vest and hat, and left 20 bits as a tip for the bellhop as she exited the room. She still had the apple from back in the White Tail Woods, so she quickly ate that as her breakfast.
When Parallel exited the hotel, a bus pulled up in front of the entrance. the driver said to the filly,
"You seem kinda young to be here out by yourself."
"Yeah, I get that a lot. Anyway, what's the fare for a trip to the Equestria Surf Classic?"
"30 bits for a one-way trip." Luckily, that's just how much Parallel had left on her, so she paid the driver, and took a seat right behind him.
"I have to say, being on a journey around Equestria, I've already seen a lot of amazing wonders that I could never find back home in Ponyville."
"Oh, you're from Ponyville, huh? I was born there, myself. I remember I moved here with my family after... he did his thing."
"He? His thing? Was it a black colt, white mane, blue-green eyes like mine, and kinda young?" The driver looked at her, and said in surprise,
"Whoa. How did you know?"
"Just a hunch." In reality, Parallel knew he was talking about Equality. He didn't even have to say what his 'thing' was, she was smart enough to figure it out.
"Anyway, what are you on a trip around Equestria for?"
"Long story, and I'm not really sure if you'll understand."
"Well, can you give me a short version?"
"I guess. I'm looking for some stallions I saw when I was young. Already met up with one back in the White Tail Woods."
"Wow. That's interesting. You know, I think you're pretty cool, Parallel."
"Oh, well, than-- wait a minute! How did you know my name?"
"Just a hunch. Anyway, we're here. The Equestria Surf Classic." Before the filly got off the bus, she gave the driver a quick look. He looked somewhat familiar, but she couldn't put her hoof on why.
Parallel's ticket said she was to sit in the stands' front row. This meant she'd get to see everything as close as possible. She found her spot, and sat down. The announcer said,
"Well, with only one contestant left in the running, let's recap everything we just witnessed. Our first contestant, newcomer Rocket Boost from Ponyville, gave off a surprisingly good performance, almost receiving a perfect score from our judges." Parallel remembered that name, Rocket Boost. It was one of her friends from the park. "Our second contestant, Melody from the Crystal Empire, dazzled everypony with her majestic, almost dance-like maneuvers, even with her broken wings, also earning a near-perfect score. Finally, our third contestant, Woodwind, also from Ponyville, gave an amazing underdog performance. After almost losing his balance, he quickly got back up and earned himself a high rating." This pony was also familiar. It was the same Woodwind who was with Rocket Boost at the park. "Now, we bring you to our reigning champion, Las Pegasus' own Island Breeze!"
Parallel recognized this unicorn stallion. The sky blue coat, black and navy blue mane, sand-colored eyes. He was also one of the stallions from the park. Her eyes were affixed on the champion, as he went up to the wave, paddled into the ocean, and started riding the waves as if he could fly. His moves were so incredible, Parallel couldn't help screaming in amazement. He was riding through tubes like Rainbow Dash flew through the skies. He was doing backflips on his board like it was nothing. The announcer continued,
"I don't know how in Equestria this stallion can shred these waves the way he does, but I know I could never match him if I devoted my life to it. He's a living legend." As Island Breeze finished his routine, the crowd roared in applause, as the judges gave him an unsurprising perfect score. As he was given his fourth trophy, he came up and said,
"To celebrate my awesome performance, one of you lucky fans will get a chance to come to my home and spend a day with me. If your ticket number is 5926, then congratulations." Everypony in the stands searched for their ticket. They all pulled theirs out. None of them at the number. Then, Parallel, who was still spacing out from the stallion's amazing performance, finally shook out of her trance, and found her ticket. Sure enough, hers had the lucky number. She screamed again, knowing that not only will she get to meet an amazing performer, but it may also be one of the stallions from the park. "It looks like the black filly in the front row will get to meet me later. I've arranged for you to be taken to my home by a private bus. I'll see you there."
Parallel was still in astonishment. She'd get to meet her new idol, and in a one-on-one setting no less. She was feeling hungry again, so she stopped by an apple cart just outside the venue, and the mare working the cart said,
"You're the filly that's gonna meet Island Breeze. I'm so jealous. Here, take some apples, on me." Parallel gladly accepted, especially she had no money left on her anymore. Just then, a small buss pulled up right next to her, and as the door opened, the driver said,
"You're the filly that's gonna meet Island Breeze, right?"
"Uh, yes, sir. Here's my ticket as proof." She handed him the ticket.
"Well, this looks legit to me. Come on in." The filly got in the bus, and sat down behind the driver. As the bus drove off, the mare working the apple cart couldn't help but smile at Parallel, feeling happy for her.
"So, where is Island Breeze's home? You do know where we're going, right?"
"Of course, he gave me directions himself. You see, Island Breeze is a big-time celebrity in Las Pegasus. They say his knack for what he does may come from him being born in the water, or something like that." Parallel found this quite hard to believe, as if anypony was born in the water, they'd likely drown, since most ponies don't even know how to swim at birth. As the bus drove for about 10 minutes, it stopped in front of what appeared to be a small, kinda run down house.
"You sure this is the right place, sir?"
"Hey, if I wasn't sure, I wouldn't have brought you here. It's my duty as a bus driver to take everypony where they need to go."
"Well, alright. If you're sure this is the place, thanks for the ride."
"No problem, kid."
Parallel walked up to the front door, rang the doorbell, and heard hooves clopping towards it. A stallion said,
"Who's there?"
"Um, Mr. Island Breeze, is it?" The responding voice had a beach-bum kind of voice to it.
"Oh, it's you. You must be the filly that won my contest. Come on in." Parallel walked in, feeling skeptical about this, since she expected someone as amazing as him to live in some sort of mansion. "So, can I get you something to eat?"
"Oh, no thanks, I have some apples."
"Oh, that's fine. Everything's tight." Parallel looked at the stallion before her. Sure enough, it was Island Breeze, the now four-time Equestria Surf Classic champion. "Say, where are you from, little filly?"
"I'm from Ponyville, Mr. Island Breeze. My name is Parallel."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Parallel, but there's no need to call me Mr. Island Breeze. I'm just fine with Island Breeze, or even Island of you want. Hold on, did you say Ponyville?"
"Yes, Island Breeze."
"Ahaha I remember that place. Nice and full of nature, with plenty of radical ponies to talk to. It's kind of a paradise. Too bad there's no waves for me to shred there. You know, I was there several years ago. I met these four other stallions that were, like, totally chill." Parallel had not been accustomed to this kind of vocabulary, similar to how Jack Bolt wasn't accustomed to hers. "There was this green earth pony, a golden-yellow unicorn, and two pegasi. They were all totally different, and yet I can't help but feel like we needed to meet up."
Parallel knew at this point that Island Breeze was one of the stallions from the park, just as she had hoped. Wanting to ask some questions, Parallel started,
"I kinda want to know, what were you doing in Ponyville that day, anyway?"
"To be real, I don't even remember. I guess I just wanted to have a change of scenery for once. Living here in Las Pegasus is sweet and all, but it kinda stresses me out, too. I can't stand being stressed, especially with all my surfing and stuff. It really hurts my performances when I can't just chill out."
"That reminds me, Island, how long have you been surfing?"
"Uh, I think about ten years, maybe. I don't know. It's been so long, I can't even remember."
"What got you into surfing, anyway?"
"That, I can answer for you, Parallel. You see, ever since I was a colt, I've loved the water. My mom would always take me to the ocean so I could play in the water. It was an awesome part of my life. My dad is a marine biologist, so he taught me a lot about ocean life, and how important it is to Equestria. I guess you can say there's water in my blood. Surfing was just an outlet for me to channel my love of the ocean into something fun. I guess it was when I started surfing that I got my cutie mark." His cutie mark was, in fact, a dolphin and a wave.
"So, if you've been surfing for about ten years, and you've only been a champion for four years now, what propelled you into continuing?"
"I guess I just though it was meant to be. Don't really have a particular reason. I try not to think too hard about certain things, because then I overthink things and get stressed out. Aside from surfing, I live by a personal code that you gotta keep yourself calm and collected if you want to enjoy life." As new of a philosophy this was to Parallel, she understood what he meant. She had always had that pent up energy since the day Equality adopted her, and she never thought about just trying to not let it get to her.
"How do you stay so calm, anyway? Is it hard?"
"Well, it can be. Whenever I go out surfing, I always get this nagging feeling that if I mess up, it could end up really lame for me. I just do some deep breathing, close my eyes, and try to send my energy flow through the area around me. It's how I keep myself chill when I need to do my best."
"Well, Island, do you think maybe you could show me what it's like to surf? I've never done it before, but I'm always open to trying new things."
"That's cool with me. In fact, there really isn't much to do here in my house, plus I haven't shredded any victory waves yet, so why not? See that closet right behind you?"
"Oh, yeah."
"There's a few small boards from when I was still a colt. If you want, I can take one of them with us, and we can go down to this private surf spot I know about."
"That sounds great."
Island Breeze opened the door, and showed her three small boards. One of them, a black and blue one, really appealed to her, so she decided on that one. Island then used his magic to levitate the board, as they walked outside. Parallel saw the board he used in the competition laying against the house's wall. As he laid the small board down, he used his magic to bring his next to him.
"You ready to go?"
"I'm ready." The stallion then used his magic to create a force field around the two ponies and their boards, and they then teleported to a distant private beach. As the filly marveled at his magic, she said, "Wow, where are we? And how did you find this place?"
"I can't tell you that. It's, like, totally a secret."
"Oh, I understand."
"You still want to learn how to surf?"
"Of course I do. After all, how often is it that you get to learn from the best?" Flattered by her response, the stallion said,
"Well, I don't know if I'm the best, but I appreciate it. Anyway, take your board, and get into the water." Parallel grabbed the small board, and walked into the water. She was surprised by how cold the water was, so she quickly jumped back. Island Breeze chuckled as he remarked, "What was that? It's like you've never been in the ocean before."
"Actually, I haven't. Remember, I'm from Ponyville."
"Oh yeah, sorry, I forgot. Anyway, just go back and keep your hooves in the water for a bit. You'll get used to it." Parallel went back in the water, with the board still in her hoof. She stood there, tempted to jump back out again, but remembered what the stallion said about keeping calm. Surely enough, she soon felt nothing. "Good, now place the board in the water, and stand on it." She did just that, and, as if she had been doing this for years, she maintained her balance perfectly. "Nice, you're getting good at this already. Can you paddle out?"
"Paddle out?"
"Oh, just use your hooves to swim through the water, while laying on the board." Again, she did just that. and continued to look like she had been doing this for years. Now yelling so she could hear him, Island Breeze said, "That's good, now just stand up and try to catch that wave coming up." She stood up, feeling a bit wobbly, but still composed, and as the wave came to her, she suddenly spaced out for half a second, then quickly pivoted the board, and returned back to Island Breeze.
"Wow, I did it! I rode my first wave!"
"That was gnarly, Parallel! You sure you've never done this before? It took me a month to master that."
"Ehehe, yeah, it's my first time." The filly blushed, as she noticed the sun starting to go down. "Well, I'd imagine we should get back. The sun is setting, and I need to find a place to stay."
"You know, you're already so awesome at this, I think I'll do you a solid and let you stay at my place tonight. I know it's kinda small, but I do have two bedrooms."
"Really? That would be great. Thanks, Island Breeze."
"Hey, after what you just showed me, it would be my honor."
"Wait, before we go, do you think you could give me a demonstration of what you can do?"
"Well, sure. I still haven't shredded my victory lap, so why not?" He used his magic to put the board in the water, and as he got on, paddled out, and saw a large wave coming, he rode toward it, got up the wave, and as the wave brought him back, he did a backflip on his board, and landed right in front of Parallel. "Alright, now we should go back." He brought both boards to him with his magic, and used the same spell to bring himself and Parallel back to his house.
As the two ponies came into his house, Island Breeze noticed Parallel's stomach rumbling.
"You need something to eat?"
"Oh, I still have these apples I can eat." She had left the apples by the door before they left for the beach. "Thanks for asking, though."
"No worries. Anyway, your room should be to the right of my kitchen. There's a soft bed, a desk, and a lamp there. If you need anything else, just let me know."
"Thanks, Island Breeze. You know, this reminds me of when I was with Jack Bolt in the White Tail Woods. He was also nice enough to let me have a room in his home."
"Jack Bolt? Was he a green stallion, blonde mane, kinda muscular, or something like that?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"I remember him from Ponyville. Yeah, he was selling his wood." Parallel couldn't help but space out again. When she came to, she said,
"I really appreciate everything you've done for me. I might seem like some obsessive fanfilly to you, but I'm really glad you're letting me stay here."
"Oh, you're not just some fanfilly to me. We're homies now. You reminded me of what it was like when I caught my first wave, and I can't help but feel like you're special to me."
"Oh, you sure know how to charm the fillies, don't you?"
"Yeah, I get that a lot." The filly was now feeling sleepy, so she walked into her bedroom, put herself to bed, and, before she dozed off, she said,
"It's really amazing what I've done in the past week. Wait until my dad hears about this." Island Breeze, who was watching from his living room, said to himself,
"That filly is really awesome, dude."
The next morning, Parallel awoke, and smelled something good coming from the kitchen. She walked in, and found Island Breeze mashing up some of her apples.
"Good morning, Island. Hey, what are you doing with my apples?"
"Oh, what's up, Parallel? I was just making some breakfast. I saw you had a few apples left over from last night, so I decided to make some daisy-and-applesauce sandwiches. You want one?" She did need something to eat for breakfast, so she accepted.
"Thanks, Island. Hey, I've been meaning to ask you. If somepony like you has such a talent for surfing, why don't you live in a big mansion or something like that?"
"Well, to be honest, I kinda like my small home. It's easy to manage, not much cleaning necessary, and it's got everything I need. I like to keep it simple." The filly started spacing out again, but got out of it when the sandwich was placed before her. She tried a bite of it, and was impressed by how it tasted.
"Mmm, wow, this tastes really good. You're just about as good of a cook as Jack."
"Aw, shoot, I just put this together because it was simple. I'm not much of a cook."
"Well, thanks anyway." the filly said, as she continued to eat.
"It's funny, you remind me of my sister, Sky Breeze."
"Oh, you never told me you have a sister."
"Oh yeah, I forgot. Where is my head lately? Anyway, Sky Breeze is my twin sister. She's a pegasus pony. She lives in Cloudsdale, since she wanted to study to become a Wonderbolt."
"Oh. I wonder why she isn't into the same things as you?"
"I guess everypony has their own reason for living, their own purpose in life. Some live alone, like me, and some get to be united with others." At that moment, Parallel spaced out again, but this time, she froze up like when Jack Bolt described who his family got their cabin from. Her eyes gave off a rainbow glow, and her cutie mark shined a blue light. When she came to, she said,
"Thank you, Island Breeze. What you just said really opened my eyes to something about my past."
"Your past?"
"I guess I never told you, I'm traveling across Equestria, trying to discover who I am, what happened in my past, and, if I can, meet up with the five stallions that I saw in Ponyville Park one day when I was young."
"Sounds righteous, Parallel. Whatever I said to you, I'm glad it started clearing your head. I guess now would be a good time for you to move on to the next town, right?"
"Yes, it is. Thank you for showing me how to surf, and reminding me of something very important to me. Also, thanks for letting me stay here."
"Hey, we're homies now, come back any time. By the way, I found this ticket on the kitchen floor. Is this yours?" It was the ticket for the train she needed. It now had two black marks.
"Yes, I need that."
"You know, I can use my magic to send you to the train station, if you want."
"That would be great." The two shook hooves, and said goodbye, before he used his magic to teleport her to the train station.
Parallel appeared right in front of the train station, and was now set on being able to go to the next town. However, she felt like she had forgotten something. She tried to reach into her vest pocket, and realized that she had left her vest and hat at Island Breeze's house. Suddenly, they appeared in front of her, as if by magic, with a note saying,
"I think you left these at my house. They aren't mine, so I figured you forgot them. --Island Breeze" The filly was relieved. The last thing she'd want to forget is her lucky vest and hat. As she put them on, another object appeared, also as if by magic. Another note came with it.
"Also, these fell out when I sent them to you. Here you are. --Same pony" It was the pen, paper, and envelope from back in the hotel she stayed in. Now Parallel could write to her father about her time in Las Pegasus. The train then pulled up, and Parallel boarded the train. She again went to the luxury cabin, as her ticket allowed her to. She sat at the desk, and started writing,
"Dear Dad,
I've had another incredible experience on my quest. I met up with another stallion from the park that day. His name is Island Breeze, and he was one of the two unicorns. Not only is he a handsome, kind, and charming stallion, but he's also a champion surfer. He uses his surfboard to ride the ocean's waves as if he lived in the ocean. I was surprised that a Las Pegasus celebrity such as him would actually live in a small, run down house, and not some fancy mansion but he did teach me the importance of being patient, by keeping myself calm, being minimal with belongings, and that everypony has their own purpose in life. His is to be a champion surfer, yours is to educate ponies and teach them how to respect one another, and mine, well, mine has yet to be discovered. I did remember another thing from my past, which was that my mother told me that it would be my destiny to bring some ponies together. Not sure what that means, but at least now I have another piece of my memories back. I'm still totally safe, and I'm continuing to have a lot of lucky breaks, even getting to stay my first hotel visit in a VIP room at no charge. I love you, Dad, and I hope you're doing well, too. I'm still going to do on my quest. After all, I've met two of the five stallions already. I'm going to see if I can go for three. I hope to hear from you soon.
--Parallel"
As she placed the letter in the envelope, Midnight appeared again, and offered to send the letter to Equality once again. As usual, the filly accepted. After the letter was sent with Midnight's magic, Parallel asked her,
"You know, my dad told me in one of his letters that whenever you use your magic on something, it gives off a soothing aroma. Is this true?"
"Yes, this is true. I don't even know why it happens, it just does. Everypony I know says that my magic makes thing smell good. I don't know if it's a hereditary trait or what, but it seems to leave everypony happy, so I'm not complaining."
"That's amazing. Anyway, do you know where this train is headed?"
"Actually, no I don't. I was wondering that myself." The conductor then said to the passengers,
"The next train to Canterlot will now depart. Thank you for riding with us."
"Well, there's our answer." the mare said.
"Alright, I guess we're going to Canterlot next. I wonder just how I'll fare in Canterlot? I know it's a very regal, high end place."
"Indeed, it is. You see, I was born in Canterlot. I moved to Ponyville when I was a year old, but I do remember the place faintly."
"Well, I guess I can go there to search for my place in life, and you can go there to be in your place of birth again."
"Sounds like a plan." As the two ponies smiled at each other in agreement, Parallel was getting herself energized for the next destination. However, she hadn't prepared herself for what was about to happen next.
Chapter 3 - An Unexpected Visit
It was a long journey from Las Pegasus to Canterlot. Parallel and Midnight ended up spending two whole days on the train. Luckily, food was provided for them along the way. Parallel had been contemplating just how smoothly her quest had gone for her up to this point. When she was preparing for it, she expected rough mountain trails, some bumps and bruises, or at least one or two aggressive ponies who wanted to get in her way. Instead, all she got was free rides and excellent hospitality, and from total strangers, no less. She was wondering if maybe the vest and hat she was wearing were the cause of all her fortunate turns of events. She remembered that Midnight mentioned how she had given Equality some lucky clothes when they were in class together, and finally got the courage to ask her.
Parallel found Midnight reading the newspaper in the dining car, and asked her,
"Excuse me, Midnight. You remember how, back when we first saw each other on the train, you mentioned how my vest and hat looked a lot like your lucky clothes?"
"Now that you mention it, I did say that. I had a gray vest and hat, very similar to yours. Whenever I felt like I was in for a rough time, or if I needed the courage to do something important, I would put them on, and everything would always turn out well for me."
"That's interesting, because I've been wearing these everywhere I went since I started my quest, and I've had nothing but lucky breaks ever since. I mean, two ponies let me stay in their homes for the night, I get a VIP train ticket at no charge, I get a free ticket to the Equestria Surf Classic, and my first ever stay at a hotel results in me getting a top-floor luxury room. I swear, I expected a hard time, but I've had nothing of the sort since I left Ponyville."
"I wonder, can I see that hat really quickly?" Parallel had no reason to say no, so she gave the hat to Midnight, who flipped it over, and saw some faded writing on the underside. It read,
"Equality, I'm sure you will make great use of this." Midnight recognized this as her hoofwriting.
"Well, I'll be. You're wearing the same clothes I gave to Equality all those years ago. And, like they did for me, they've given you nothing but good luck."
"Wow! Maybe if I never take them off, I'll get the best luck ever." Just as soon as she said that, the train experienced a bump in the track, and it broke down. Both ponies were startled by this, and the conductor announced,
"We apologize for this inconvenience, passengers. Unfortunately, the train is experiencing some technical difficulties. The closest town to where we are is Ponyville, so unless you want to stay on the train, you can come back here at sunrise tomorrow, and we'll depart then. Midnight decided to stay on the train, as she had no reason to depart from the train. Parallel, on the other hand, thought she could take this opportunity to see how her father had fared since her departure. She told the conductor that she would be staying in Ponyville for the night, and he reminded her to return at sunrise the next day. She agreed to this, and left the train, after saying goodbye to Midnight.
Since the train had to stop about a mile away from the station, and she was the only one on the train who decided to head to Ponyville, Parallel had to find another way to get back. She thought about how trying to use the vest and hat for their luck may have jinxed her fortune, so she said to herself,
"Maybe I shouldn't try to force my luck. I mean, it's one thing to take every good opportunity that comes your way, but trying to create one seems like it's pushing it. I'll just try to walk home, and see if Dad is alright." She found a dirt trail close to where she had gotten off the train. She followed the trail, and saw Ponyville from under the hill she had been standing on. She ran down the hill, adhering to the trail, and after about 20 minutes, she found herself in town. As soon as she recognized where she was, she started walking again, when a stallion bumped into her. Having not seen her there, the stallion could only say,
"Oh my, I apologize, little filly. I really must watch where I am going." The stallion spoke in an accent similar to that of Rarity, and Parallel spaced out as soon as she heard him. "Um, hello, are you there? Strange, why would a filly just space out like that?" Parallel finally came to when the stallion had disappeared from sight. She felt like she had seen that stallion before, but couldn't tell where from. Nevertheless, the continued along the trail, and found herself at Sweet Apple Acres.
She was starving by this point, and had no money or food with her, so she tried to look for somepony to help her. Luckily, Apple Bloom, who was now fully grown, had been working in the field, when she caught sight of the lost filly. She walked to her, and said,
"Hey there, stranger. You looking for something?"
"Actually, yes. You see, I was on a train to Canterlot, when it broke down for whatever strange reason, and I had to walk the rest of the way to Ponyville just to find a place to stay before the train comes back tomorrow morning."
"Oh, well, I can tell you're hungry, so here, take this basket of apples. I'm sure my sister won't mind too much. She said we're having a surplus of apples anyway. By the way, what's your name?"
"Oh, right. How rude of me. My name is Parallel."
"It's a pleasure to meet ya, Parallel. My name's Apple Bloom. Say, your name seems kinda familiar. Would you happen to be the daughter of that stallion that works as the new teacher at the schoolhouse?"
"Yes, you must be talking about my father, Equality. What makes you bring that up?"
"Well, you see, I started as a student there just after he graduated. Some of the underclassmares told me about him, and I was confused. I had no idea who he is. I ended up graduating myself, when I heard that Miss Cheerilee would be having a new assistant teacher. From what I heard, the new teacher's name was Geneva or something like that."
"Geneva? That name seems familiar to me as well. Not sure why, though."
"Anyway, fast forward a few years, and I was walking through town taking care of some chores, and I heard some students talking about how their teacher, Mr. Equality or something like that, had been reading his daughter's letters to the class. You seem like you've been on a journey of some kind, so I guessed that maybe you were the daughter he was talking about." Parallel blushed. She now knew that he had, in fact, received her letters. She was now more energized than ever to see her father again.
"Do you happen to know the way from here to the schoolhouse?"
"Course I do. I'm done with my work for today, anyway, so just follow me." Parallel went with Apple Bloom, who had remembered the way to school from when she was a filly.
They eventually reached the school, and they parted ways there. Parallel remembered that her home was not too far from the school. She walked along the road, and found a house with a letter by the front door. She could smell a soothing aroma from the letter. She knew this must be her house. She knocked on the door, and heard her father's voice.
"Who's there? I'm not expecting any visitors." The filly replied with a smile,
"Not even your own daughter?" There was no response for a few seconds, until the door opened. That's when she saw her father, Equality, whose huge open grin only meant that he was elated to see her.
"Hello, Parallel, my daughter." the stallion said, as he reached out for a hug. The filly walked to him to accept his loving embrace.
"Hey, Dad, I sure have missed you."
"I've missed you too. I've been getting your letters, and I have to say, you've been on quite the adventure already. I'd never even heard of the White Tail Woods, or Las Pegasus. What were they like?
"The White Tail Woods were just beautiful. Nice brown-leaved trees everywhere, a variety of woodland creatures, and the clean air were all just divine. As for Las Pegasus, it was just exhilarating. The vast city lights, the ponies everywhere, and all the attractions. The ocean there is also beautiful. It's like a paradise for urban ponies."
"Well, I'm glad you came back. By the way, didn't your last letter say you're going to keep going on your quest?"
"Oh yeah, I guess it did say that."
"Well, how come you came back here?"
"Oh actually, speaking of letters, there was one at the door. I think it's for you." She gave Equality the letter. It read,
"Dear Equality,
It's me, your old friend from school, Midnight. I've been meeting up with your daughter, Parallel, on the train a few times lately. I just thought I should tell you that we were on a train en route to Canterlot, when it broke down. Everypony on board was given the choice to either stay on the train, or leave for Ponyville. I chose to stay, but your daughter, unsurprisingly, chose the latter. She seemed like the type to not confine herself to one place, so I didn't try to stop her. Anyway, I hope you're in high spirits, as well as your daughter, who I assume has already made it back to you by the time you read this. Maybe we can see each other again sometime soon. Best wishes!
Sincerely,
Midnight"
"I guess that answers your question about why I came back."
"It sure does. I'm glad you're safe. A train breaking down en route, and you having to find your own way here, I'm just glad you made it here without a scratch. Say, how did you manage to get here safely, anyway?"
"I met up with one of the ponies on Sweet Apple Acres. Her name is Apple Bloom. She was kind enough to show me the way to the schoolhouse, and I just found my way here from there."
"That was really nice of her. So, now that you're back home, you need something to eat?"
"Actually, I brought a basket of apples with me, so I should be fine."
"How about I cook something up for you, with those apples?"
"Sounds great to me." Sure, apples had been a part of almost every meal of Parallel's lately, but she knew that anything her father could make would taste fantastic. He ended up making apple coleslaw for her. She remembered this dish. It was her favorite dish out of all the things Equality ever made for her. She finished the whole thing, and couldn't be happier.
The sun was starting to set, and Parallel was feeling sleepy. Getting home on foot really took a lot of energy out of her, so she decided to go to bed early. She remembered where her room was, and got herself into bed. Before she fell asleep, she asked her father,
"Dad, can you try to wake me up before sunrise? I have a train to catch early in the morning."
"Well, I wouldn't want your quest to end here, not after everything you've already been through, so no problem."
"Thanks, Dad." the filly said as she fell asleep. Before he walked out of her room, Equality said quietly,
"You really are something special, Parallel."
The next morning, before the sun had risen, Equality came into Parallel's room to wake her up. He said to her,
"Wake up, Parallel, you have a train to catch, right?" She quickly got up, and put her vest and hat on, not wanting to waste any time.
"Is the sun up yet?"
"No, not yet. But you better hurry, it could come up any minute. I made a sandwich for you as breakfast. Feel free to take it with you." He didn't have to tell her twice. She was never the kind of pony to miss out on breakfast. She quickly ran into the kitchen, grabbed the sandwich on the table, and gave her father a kiss goodbye, before running out the front door. He could only smile, knowing that she was on her way to her next big adventure. As Parallel ran toward the train station, she saw Apple Bloom walking through town, gathering supplies. The two locked eyes, and Parallel nodded at her, as if to thank her again for helping her find the way home.
Parallel finally made it to the train station. The train was set to depart in five minutes, and she couldn't be happier that she made it in time. She presented her ticket to the conductor, and boarded the train, then walked to the luxury cabin, where Midnight was waiting for her. As she came in, Midnight said with a smile,
"So, looks like you made it back after all. I was worried you'd miss the train."
"Are you kidding me? I wouldn't miss out on this for anything." The mare chuckled in agreement, as the conductor announced the train's departure. Now Parallel was really on her way to the next part of her quest. She felt like it was going to be a humbling experience, and she couldn't have been more right.
After taking a short break from her quest back at home, Parallel had finally found herself back on track to Canterlot. She still couldn't shake the feeling that the stallion she bumped into on her way home was somepony she needed to see. She had her doubts, since she didn't get a very good look at him, and spacing out the way she did wasn't much help either. The train took until nighttime to finally reach her destination, but she was so excited, she couldn't even think about sleep. Midnight, who was also headed to Canterlot, was just ac occupied with herself, imagining what she'd do in Canterlot. She hadn't visited her birthplace since she moved to Ponyville, after all.
The train finally arrived, and the moon was already up. Midnight had already arranged to stay with an old friend of hers, but Parallel was on her own. She took a walk through the regal town, and the ponies she saw were even more classy than she expected. Everypony was dressed formally, they spoke in enriched vocabulary, and they were all so polite. Parallel knew that here vest and hat were quite rustic compared to everypony else, but she had nothing else to wear, so she just kept them on. As she was walking, she overheard a stallion speaking from a distance. Her sense of hearing had improved since she started traveling, so she was able to pinpoint where the voice was coming from. She walked closer to the voice, until she could make out what the voice was saying. It was coming from the inside of a home, and she recognized the accent.
"I simply do not understand where she came from. I was walking on a trail, trying to find the train station, and I bumped into the filly. She also seemed somewhat entranced. I cannot be sure as to why, but I have this feeling that we will meet again." The stallion, who was apparently talking to himself, walked out his front door, and saw Parallel standing outside. She marveled at the golden-coated, silver-maned, copper-eyed unicorn as he spoke,
"Well, this is interesting. As soon as I mention you, I find you in my presence once again. You're the same filly that I encountered back in Ponyville. Now that we've had the chance to meet again, I suppose I should introduce myself. My name is Heraldic Gilded Ancestry, but you may address me as Heraldry, if you wish." The filly recognized this stallion, now that she had a good look at him. He was one of the unicorns from the park. She replied,
"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Heraldry. My name is Parallel. I've been traveling across Equestria, hoping to discover what my purpose in life is, as well as recover some of my lost memories from my past."
"You're from Ponyville? Interesting that you should mention that. You see, I lived in Ponyville for a few years. I wouldn't want to bore you with my story about how I ended up there--"
"Actually, I am rather interested, sir." Heraldry, who had been wanting to tell his life story to somepony, did not hesitate to start his story.
"I was born here in Canterlot. I was a rare example of an alicorn foal. Most alicorns are not born, rather their title is earned. However, my father was a unicorn, and my mother a pegasus. I was the result of a genetic mutation. Growing up was, in a sense, different for me. Everypony assumed I was some sort of royalty, given my horn and wings, which typically only accompany members of the Equestria royal family. I always explained that I was simply born that way. But I digress, anyway, my family was quite rich. My mother was a tycoon in the corn industry, and my father was the heir to a massive fortune. Unfortunately, they both passed when I was still a student. Their last words to me were that I was destined for greatness; my heritage assured that. This would explain why my cutie mark is a silver crown."
"That's quite fascinating. What I'm curious about is, if you were born an alicorn, what happened to your wings?"
"That's the one part of my story that I'm not particularly proud of. You see, after my parents passed away, I became rather, how do I put this, arrogant. I assumed that my heritage meant that I was guaranteed to succeed in life. I displeased my peers in school, I started many a petty argument, and I even caused some ponies to lose their own drive in life, telling them how much better I am than them. It came to a point where I was personally visited by Princess Celestia, who had not arrived on good terms. She stated that my hubris had caused me to make a mockery of the alicorn race, and she used her magic to take away my wings. I was saddened that I had lost what made me unique, but she stated that if I can learn to be more humble, and treat myself as an equal to my peers and other ponies, she may return my wings."
"Oh my goodness. That's quite a circumstance. By the way, when I was at Ponyville Park one day, when I was little, I saw five stallions in the distance. I saw an earth pony, two unicorns, and two pegasi."
"That's interesting. I visited Ponyville Park one day, shortly before I had moved back to Canterlot, and I met up with four other stallions. One earth pony was selling some of his chopped wood, which I must say was quite marvelously made, and another went on about how he was trying to get away from the stress in his life. As for the other two, I cannot remember what their purpose was."
"The wood salespony, and the stressed one, were they green-coated, and sky-blue-coated, respectively?"
"Now that you mention it, I believe they were."
"Heraldry, you must have been one of the stallions I saw that day."
"Oh, fascinating. If that is the case, then how come you didn't make your presence known at the time?"
"I tried to run toward you, as well as the others, but you had all left before I could get the chance."
"I see, I must have teleported away, as I was practicing my magic. I had just been demoted to unicorn status back then, and I wanted to at least make the best of what skills remained."
"That reminds me, did you ever accomplish what Princess Celestia told you to do?"
"Actually, yes I did. She told me that if I wanted to reacquire my wings, I had to learn to be humble, and treat myself as an equal to other ponies, as I had previously stated. One day, she came to my home saying that I had satisfied her with my progress, and that I may have my wings returned, if I so wished." Parallel was confused, almost not even believing the stallion. She was going to ask about him still being a unicorn, when he continued, "However, in learning to be humble, the realization that a true cannot be born, but earned, finally sank into my heart. I told her that I did not want my wings back, because receiving them again would only mean I'd be a superior again, and it would defeat the purpose of my mission. Plus, I never was much of a professional at flying, so I had no particular use for my wings. She told me that I had made the right decision, and said that if I ever wanted my wings back in the future, that I could always message her."
After hearing his words, Parallel again began to space out. However, she quickly came to when Heraldry asked her, "Say, if you are from another town, do you need a place to stay for the night? I could always allow you to stay here in my home. After all, I only confess my tale to ponies I consider trustworthy, and you look like you have nowhere to go, anyway." Heraldry was right. She didn't have anywhere to sleep that night, and it was getting really late.
"Yes, I would like to stay here tonight. Thank you for offering, Heraldry."
"The pleasure is mine, Parallel. If you don't mind, I can also make you something for dinner."
"That would be well-appreciated, sir." As the two walked into his home, she was impressed by how beautiful the decor was. The pearl flooring, the crystal chandelier, the marble walls, and the minimalist furniture, all appealed to her. The decor could easily rival what she had seen in the hotel she stayed at back in Las Pegasus.
"I take it you are impressed by my home decor?"
"Absolutely, Heraldry. How did you afford such costly arrangements?"
"Well, remember how I said my father was an heir to a massive fortune? Well, when he passed, that inheritance was passed down to me. I decided that if I couldn't have my wings to be proud of, I could at least live in a beautiful home. Ironically, until now, I've never had guests."
"Incredible. You really are an amazing stallion, Heraldry."
"Oh come on, now, I'm trying to stay humble." The stallion replied with a chuckle. "Anyway, what would you like to eat?"
"Well, I've been having apples a lot lately, so I don;t really want that. If you can cook up something without using apples, I guess I'll take anything."
"Oh, well then, I'll see what I can make. In the meantime, you can find a bedroom for yourself up those stairs to your left. Take a right as soon as you reach the top, and you'll find the guest room there." The filly did just that. She walked up the stairs, found the guest room, and saw a very comfortable-looking bed inside, as well as a desk and a dresser. She decided it would only be polite to remove the rustic clothing she was wearing before having a meal with such a high-class pony, so she took off her hat and vest, and left them on the dresser, before she walked back down to the kitchen.
"Say, Heraldry, what do you do for a living? I know you inherited a massive fortune, but I imagine this decor must have really taken a lot from it."
"Funny you should mention that, I work in the Canterlot Observatory. I'm one of the ponies who record the findings on our star chart. It's not exactly a high-paying job, but it does grant me enough income for me to feed myself, and I still have a portion of my inheritance to spend in the event that I need it."
"You work in an observatory? That's interesting. My father told me a story of how he found a star in the sky when he was young, and even his mother, who was an astronomer, couldn't even figure out which star it was. He decided to name it after a filly that he loved, named Geneva. He would come to the same hill where he discovered it every year, until he met her again. Interestingly enough, it would only shine in the sky once a year."
"That's, quite frankly, something unheard of to me. You know, after you get some sleep tonight, maybe I can take you to the observatory myself, and we could see if that star does have a proper name."
"Actually, that would be great. Maybe if it doesn't have one, we can give it the name 'Geneva' officially."
"Fair enough to me. Anyway, here's what I've made for you. It's a casserole of hay, daisies, and some cream cheese." The filly had never tasted anything like this, but as soon as she took a bite, she smiled ecstatically. Whether it was from finally having a non-apple meal for once, or if it was just that good, nopony would ever know, but she devoured it as if she had never eaten before.
"That was so delicious, Heraldry. I thank you for the wonderful meal." The stallion blushed, and responded,
"I'm just flattered that you like my cooking, so I should be thanking you." Parallel, grateful for the meal, offered to help wash the dishes as a token of appreciation, but Heraldry noticed that she was getting sleepy, and he said he could handle it. She knew she had to go to bed, so she walked up the stairs, found her room, and quickly got herself into bed. She fell asleep within minutes, and by the time Heraldry was finished doing the dishes, he heard her snoring quietly. He said to himself,
"If I may say so, that filly certainly has some significance."
The next morning, Parallel woke up, feeling excited to be able to go to the observatory. After putting on her vest and hat, she found a message on the door from Heraldry.
"I forgot to tell you, I leave for work before sunrise. I already made a sandwich with leftover hay and cream cheese from last night, so you can have that for breakfast. Visiting hours at the observatory start at midday, and by the time you read this, I will have already notified the other workers here to expect your arrival. If you need directions to the observatory, I have used my magic to leave a trail that can only be seen by me or you (this ability was passed down from my father). Also, a letter arrived for you. You should be able to find it next to your breakfast.
--Heraldry"
As the message said, there was a letter next to the breakfast Heraldry had prepared, so she sat at the table, at the sandwich, and opened the letter. It was from Midnight.
"Dear Parallel,
I received a letter from your father saying how he heard that I was to be on the train with you. Of course, being as worried about you as he was, he asked me if I could take care of you. I told him that I cannot do that, as it is your path to follow, and if anypony was going to take care of you, it would be your job to find them. I was able to track down where you were staying, and sent this letter to you, wishing you the best on the rest of your journey, as I have decided to stay here for a while. Your father also sends his warmest regards, and we both offer our best wishes to you. It was great seeing you, and maybe we'll meet up again someday. Maybe you'll find somepony else on the train who can send your letters, if you're lucky. Again, best wishes!
Sincerely,
Midnight"
The filly was feeling disappointed that she won't be able to see Midnight again, at least not for a while, but she was still feeling excitement about being able to visit the observatory. However, she knew that midday would not be for a few more hours, so she decided to take a walk around town. Along the way she saw two pegasi flying through the sky. She couldn't make out exactly what they looked like, because they were flying pretty fast, but she felt a faint, yet familiar essence coming from them. It was about an hour after she left when she bumped into another stallion. He recognized her, and said,
"Hey, I remember you. You were the filly riding on the bus back in Las Pegasus."
"Oh, well, I did ride on a bus, on the way to the Equestria Surf Classic, but how do you remember me?"
"Actually, I'm the one who drove the bus. I never game you my name. I'm Rusty Sprocket." The rusty-red mane, and beige coat were enough for her to remember this stallion. He was in fact, the stallion from the bus.
"Of course, how could I forget you. Hey, I remember you already knew my name when I was riding, yet I never told you my name myself. How did you know? You said it was a hunch."
"Well, I was just messing with you. In reality," the stallion took off the hat he was wearing and continued, "I used my unicorn magic to read your mind. It's how I knew exactly where to take you."
"Oh, well that's... uh... creepy. Anyway, if you were driving the bus back then, what are you doing here in Canterlot?"
"That's easy. It was a temporary job for me. I had wanted to see the Equestria Surf Classic, but couldn't afford a ticket. So I took up a job as a bus driver, hoping to see some of the action. I was able to see some performances, but I couldn't see the big finish from Island Breeze."
"Well, that explains what you were doing there, but how come you're here in Canterlot?"
"Oh, yeah, I'm visiting a sick aunt. I've been a natural at making remedies for illnesses with my magic, so I thought she could use my help. In fact, I gotta get to her now. It was nice catching up and everything, but I have to hurry. See ya, Parallel." The stallion dashed off. She never got to ask him about a pony she saw back at the Ponyville train station, who looked quite similar to him, after she thought about it.
Enough time had passed before the observatory visiting hours had begun, and the trail to it had finally become visible to Parallel. She followed it, taking about 20 minutes to get there on hoof. When she arrived, a scientist was standing outside. When she saw Parallel, she said,
"Excuse me, only authorized personnel are allowed inside the observatory until midday."
"But, miss, it's midday now." Realizing how much time had just gone by, the scientist said,
"Oh, you're right. Sorry, my mistake. Wait, are you the filly that's here with Heraldry?"
"That would be me, miss."
"Please come inside. Our astronomy team wishes to see you." Parallel followed the scientist inside, and, after walking upstairs about three stories, she was greeted with the stares of everypony inside, except Heraldry, who said,
"Everypony, this is the filly I told you about, Parallel. She claims that her father found an undocumented star in the sky, and I want to see if it's true." All the scientist ponies in the room started conversing about this matter, until a stallion came up to the filly, and asked her,
"Miss Parallel, would you happen to know where this star would be located?" She felt nervous, never having to face such an important situation as this before, but she calmed herself down, as Island Breeze had taught her to, and replied,
"I don't know the exact coordinates, but if you can give me access to a telescope, I may be able to find it." The scientists again started conversing. One mare stood up, and said,
"Come with me. I can show you where our telescope is."
The two walked out of the room, through a long hallway, and made it to the main observation room. When they arrived, the mare showed Parallel how to work the telescope, and asked her, "Now, tell me, do you remember the direction in which the star was located when it was discovered?"
"Well, from what I remember, I was told that it's about 355 degrees north, and from an altitude of about 30 meters, it was at a 60 degree angle." The mare looked into the telescope, and, even with the technology the telescope had to block out sunlight, couldn't find a strong resonance. However, after looking carefully, she picked up a faint image from about 3 degrees away. She quickly pulled out a chart from her lab coat, and cross-examined what she saw. Indeed, there was an unrecognized figure in the telescope. The mare, now interested, said,
"I believe I was told that you said the star would become very bright during one night out of the year, every year, am I correct?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"I can use our telescope's time-scale feature to monitor how the star patterns have reacted in the past year. If something comes up on that, then you may have just enlightened us to an undocumented star."
"That sounds amazing. Let's do it."
"Very well, allow me." The mare walked to an electronic console, and pressed one of the red buttons. It showed a radar of all the star activity captured within the last year. After about 2 minutes, one part of the radar shined brightly in one spot. The mare pressed another button, bringing it back 5 seconds, then slowing it down. Again, the light shined, where she pressed another button to pause it. The star Equality and his mother had discovered had, in fact, been undocumented. The mare, smiling in discovery, said to Parallel, "Congratulations, Miss Parallel, you have shown us the location of a new star. If you will allow me, I will send the coordinates of this star to three other observatories in Equestria, and if they haven't recorded it, you will get to name it. You will also be paid greatly for your discovery."
The filly, now feeling ecstatic, couldn't help but grin, and nod in acceptance. The mare then wrote down the coordinates of the star, and used her unicorn magic to send them elsewhere. After about 5 minutes, they received a reply from three other observatories, also saying it was new to them. "Well, it's official. Your star has now been recorded into our databases. What would you like to name it, Parallel?"
"Well, I guess I'll go with what my father called it, and name it 'Geneva'."
"Very well. Your star shall be named 'Geneva'. As for your payment, how would you like it transferred to you?"
"About that, I have to give credit where credit is due. If it wasn't for meeting one of your workers, Heraldry, I wouldn't have gotten around to telling him about the star, so I think he deserves some credit. For that, I'd appreciate it if he gets 10% of the pay. As for the rest, just transfer it to my home in Ponyville, as it was my father that originally discovered it." The mare agreed to this, and asked for her address, which Parallel responded with. As the two walked back to the main room, Parallel broke the ice to everypony else.
"Looks like we have a new star." Everypony in the room stood up, and applauded the filly. She took a bow in acceptance, and asked,
"Well, I think my work here is done. Thank you all for allowing me to visit, and it's an honor to be the pony who discovered a star for you. I must take my leave, however, because I have to be on the train to another town soon. Heraldry, thank you for letting me stay in your home for the night. It was great seeing you again after so many years." The stallion, feeling happy for her, replied,
"It was my pleasure having you stay with me. You reminded me that nopony is invincible, but everypony can be significant. I'll never forget you, Parallel, my friend." Parallel spaced out again (no pun intended), when Heraldry continued, "By the way, that star you discovered, I wonder how we didn't see it before. Maybe it's from another world, or something of the sort." The filly froze up, and her eyes gave off a rainbow glow, while her cutie mark shined a silver light. She had remembered another part of her past.
"Thank you, Heraldry, for what you just said. Now I must go. Thank you all for this opportunity, and farewell." The filly found her way back outside, as the scientists all waved goodbye to her from out the window. She found another pen, piece of paper, and envelope at the entrance, so she tucked them into her vest. She then ran toward the train station, which was visible from on top of the observatory hill.
Finding her way back to the city, and unsure if she would be able to mail off her next letter to her father, she took a break at the Canterlot library, where she walked inside, found a table to write at, and began her letter.
"Dear Dad,
At this point, I'm sure you're expecting me to give you another story about something incredible that happened to me. Well, you won't be disappointed this time. In fact, probably quite the opposite. You remember that story you told me about that star in the sky you discovered back when you were a colt? Well, here in Canterlot, I met up with one of the workers at the observatory, who turned out to actually be one of the stallions from back at the park, named Heraldry. He let me stay in his home the night I arrived, and after he told me his life story, I mentioned the star you found to him. He said he hadn't heard anything of the sort before, and he invited me to the observatory to discuss it. I ended up going with a mare into the main observation room, where it turned out that the star you found actually hadn't been documented. That star you found all those years ago is now recorded in their database, thanks to me. I decided to name it 'Geneva', as you had back then, and you should be receiving some money for it. Also, I learned a little something from Heraldry's life story. Humility is what really makes you significant. You can boat about being great, but remember to limit yourself, or you may lose what makes you unique. Finally, I remembered something about my past as well. If my vision was right, I come from another world, similar to this one in composition, but from an alternate dimension or something like that. I've learned a lot from my stay in Canterlot, but I'm off to the next town. I love you, Dad, and I hope to see you again soon.
--Parallel"
After finishing her letter, and sealing it in the envelope, Parallel walked out of the library, and ran toward the train station. She looked up into the sky on her way, and once again saw the same two pegsi flying above. Again, she couldn't describe what they looked like, but they gave off the same faint essence as before, so she knew it was them. She finally made it to the train station, and was shocked to see nopony there when she arrived. She waited for about an hour, entertaining herself by singing, which she had just then discovered she had a talent for. A stallion then appeared, telling her that the train would arrive in about ten minutes.
"Do you know where the next train is headed to?"
"Well, from what I've heard, it's going to make a stop by Neighagra Falls before reaching its destination in Manehattan."
"Hmm, the name Manehattan doesn't seem interesting to me. I guess I can stop in Neighagra Falls."
"Alright then. Do you have a ticket?"
"I sure do, it's right--" the filly couldn't find the ticket in her vest, where she had kept it. "OH NO! WHERE IS IT?!" Suddenly, an envelope with a note on it appeared, as if by magic. The note read,
"I think this is yours. It fell out of your vest when you were writing your letter. --Canterlot librarian" Inside the envelope was her ticket, with three of her rides used up.
"Phew, that's a relief."
"Lucky for you. Hey, I hear the train coming now." After about two minutes, the train had arrived.
Parallel boarded the train, and found her way into the luxury cabin. She saw a familiar stallion waiting for her in there. It was Rusty Sprocket. She said to him,
"Hey, it's you. How's your aunt doing now?"
"Oh, hey, Parallel. She's all better now. That remedy I made for her worked perfectly. I was just on my way home to Manehattan, so I thought I could take this train. I heard you might be staying in this cabin, so I thought I'd meet up with you here."
"Oh, so you live in Manehattan, huh? I see. Well, I'm taking my leave when we reach Neighagra falls. I have a feeling that somepony I need to meet will be there."
"Is that right? Well, I hope you enjoy yourself there. By the way, is that a letter you have sticking out of your vest?" She just then remembered that she still had to send her letter off.
"Oh, yeah. Say, you're a unicorn, right? You think you can send this to a particular address for me?"
"Well, my long-distance magic is a little out-of-practice, but I can try. What's the address?" She told him where her father lives. "Oh it's in Ponyville. Yeah, no problem." He waved his horn, and his magic sent the letter off.
"Thanks, Rusty Sprocket."
"Anytime, kid, anytime." The train started to leave the station. Parallel remembered the question she had been meaning to ask Rusty Sprocket.
"Hey, Rusty, you know how we met back in Las Pegasus?"
"Oh yeah, I remember."
"Well, back when I was first at the Ponyville train station, there was a stallion at the ticket booth who, now that I think about it, looked a lot like you."
"That must be my twin brother. He lives in the outskirts of Ponyville. He's an earth pony. I think that might be why I was able to read your mind and discover your name. He did message me about seeing a black earth filly who looked surprisingly ambitious."
"Oh, yeah, I think that was me. Anyway, it's cool that we met up again like this."
"It sure is." As the two ponies smiled at each other, Rusty Sprocket exited the cabin, to avoid being escorted out for undeserved VIP rides. Parallel then looked out the window, trying to envision what Neighagra Falls would look like. She felt like this next part would be exhilarating, but she didn't know just how conflicting it would be.
Chapter 5 - Split Mentality
Riding on the train to Neighagra falls was quite the trip for Parallel and Rusty Sprocket. The stallion, who had been there before, told Parallel about just how huge the waterfalls there are. Parallel had never seen a waterfall before, so when he mentioned the loud crash of the water, she did begin to feel scared, given that Parallel's sensitive ears could track down anything. However, her time with Island Breeze did grant her a fond appreciation of water, and she came to the realization that everything seemed somewhat scary to her throughout her quest, until she actually made it to each destination, so she was able to put her fear aside.
The train finally came to its stop in Neighagra falls, so it could refuel for the trip to Manehattan, when Parallel stepped off the train. Rusty Sprocket decided to do the same, as he had no means of occupying hi time on the train. When the two stepped off, he realized that he forgot something.
"Wait, Parallel, I forgot to give this to you. I don't know why it ended up in my cabin, when it was addressed to you, but here you go." The stallion gave the item, which was another letter from Equality, to Parallel. She opened it up, and it read,
"Dear Parallel,
I can say, without a doubt, that the time we've been able to spend together has proven valuable for the both of us. I was wondering whether that star I found in the sky so many years ago was recorded, and thanks to you, it now is. Speaking of which, it was really generous of you to send me the money you received for discovering it, especially since there was some house problems back home, and I needed money for some renovations. Also, I have to admit, when I read that you come from another world, as you remembered, my heart sank. This must mean that you really did meet with me for a reason, but I suppose you still haven't found out what that reason is. It pains me to say this, but I fear that your time in this world may soon expire. Anyway, I'm proud that you learned a lesson in humility, as the stallion you mentioned, Heraldry, had to. I love you, with all my heart, Parallel. I hope you can come back home soon, as I'm not sure just how often we'll get to see each other again.
Your father,
Equality"
Parallel started to tear up as she read about how her time with her father may soon run out. Rusty Sprocket, who felt bad for the filly, tried to console her, and she did cheer up knowing that he cared for her. When she got over these emotions, she followed a line of other ponies through a tour of Neighagra falls. The tour guide discussed the history of the monument, some scientific details about it (which Parallel took notes about), and what some ponies have done at the Falls that may have put their lives at risk. Eventually, the tour led to the top of the Falls, where everypony was given the chance to observe them from a distance. Rusty Sprocket, conveniently enough, brought binoculars, and allowed Parallel to use them. When she looked through them, she saw a pegasus flying in the distance, as if they were trying to form a hole through the Falls. She thought they were crazy, but she thought it would be rude to the other tourists to yell at them, so she kept quiet.
It had been about 20 minutes since everypony arrived to watch the falls. Some had taken pictures with their travel partners, while others had already decided to leave on their own accord. The tour guide then reappeared, and announced,
"We will be heading back down now. If anypony wishes to stay and observe the Falls more, you're welcome to do so, but you will have to find your own way back to the train station later. Thank you for your understanding." Parallel wanted to stay and observe the Falls more, as she had taken a liking to the serenity of the natural wonder. Rusty Sprocket, however, decided to head back with the tour guide. The two said goodbye to each other, and Parallel continued to watch the Falls. After about five minutes of watching, she said to herself,
"You know, in all my travels, I haven't seen something so beautiful come from something so natural. I feel like I could watch this forever." Suddenly, a white-coated, scarlet-maned pegasus stallion, who had found his way next to her without being noticed, said in a quick voice,
"I know what you mean. You don't see beauties like this every day. Reminds me of the rainbow falls back in Cloudsdale." Startled by the stallion's sudden appearance, the filly jumped back. However, she didn't stay startled for long. She recognized him. He appeared to be one of the pegasi from the park, as well as one of the two that flew overhead when she was in Canterlot. She spaced out for a few seconds, until he said to her, "Hey, you, what brings you to the falls?"
"Um, excuse me, but can you tell me your name? I feel like I've seen you somewhere before."
"Oh, right, where are my manners?" The stallion twitched his neck, and his vocal tone and facial expression totally changed as he continued. "My name is Split Mentality. I'm from Cloudsdale." The hyperactive, smiling pegasus had now shown a serious, straight-faced personality. "I'm visiting her because I'm trying to see if my flying performance is good enough to form a hole in the waterfall. You see, I'm a fan of the Wonderbolts, but some family connections that I'd rather not talk about prevent me from becoming one, so I'm training myself to become a vigilante." He twitched his head again, reverting to his hyperactive self. "But enough about me, let's talk about you. What's your name, and what are you doing here?"
"My name is Parallel, Split Mentality."
"Oh, you can call me S.M. my name is kind of a mouthful."
"Alright, S.M., anyway, I've been traveling all across Equestria, trying to find out three different things. One, who were the stallions I met in Ponyville Park when I was little? Two, what happened to me before I met my father? Three, What's my purpose here in Equestria?"
"Did you say Ponyville Park? I remember being there a long time ago. I had met up with four other stallions, and it felt like I was destined to meet them, or something." He twitched his head again. "I was there to try to practice my flight diving skills, when I saw four stallions below me. I didn't want to hurt them, so I slowed down, and landed safely. One thing that I'm blessed with is perfect vision. These sky-blue eyes of mine have never failed me before."
"Hey, S.M., when you twitch your head like that, your personality seems to totally change. Why is that?"
"Oh, well, I was born with multiple personality disorder. I've always had two sides to me. There's this one, a serious, level-headed, realistic side of me that you're speaking to now, and there's a hyperactive, optimistic, scatterbrained side that you must have seen when we met. My two sides get along just fine, but if I'm not wearing these two black bracelets you see on my hoof, I lose control over which side of me comes out, and when."
"That's, quite honestly, different from everypony else I've seen. I mean, I've met plenty of ponies with strange quirks, but never something like this. How do the bracelets let you control your personalities?"
"Well, each one represents one side of me. They were given to me by Zecora, a zebra from the Everfree Forest, when I visited Ponyville for the first time, as a colt. I remember exactly what she when she gave them to me."
"Keep these bands on you at all times, and your personality changes will be more sublime. You'll have to find a way to switch out, though, as these do not work on their own."
"The bracelets grew larger as I got older, so they could always fit, and I discovered that when I wore them, my personality would only swap when I twitched my neck. It took me a while to master this without forming a habit of randomly twitching, but when I finally did, my cutie mark appeared." Parallel had noticed his cutie mark appearing to be the two faces of drama, comedy and tragedy. She assumed each represented one side of him.
"So, when you take your bracelets off, your personality randomly switches, but when you have them on, you're stuck with one side unless you twitch your neck?" The stallion twitched, and said,
"That's exactly right." The stallion had seen how the sun was already going to set soon.
"Sure is getting late. I should probably get going. I have a friend expecting me in Hollow Shades. She needs me to help her take care of moving, since her wings are broken."
"Well, you see, I have nowhere to go after this, you think you could give me a ride to Hollow Shades?"
"Now that you mention it, I guess she could use another hoof with moving. Sure, why not? Hop on my back, and I'll fly you there."
"You sure you can carry me?"
"Hey, I've had to carry my friend around Equestria a few times, and she's a full-grown mare. You're not going to me much trouble, as long as you can hold on. Both sides of me are really fast flyers, after all."
"That sounds fine to me. I could use a little thrill after this calming scene anyway."
"Then get on my back and prepare for the ride of your life. Oh, and hold on to your hat." Parallel got on Split Mentality's back, and made sure her hat was on tight, and held on to his neck as he took off. His flying was so fast, it could rival Rainbow Dash's performance. At this speed, Parallel had a hard time holding on to anything, but her strength training she had done before she went on her quest allowed her to barely keep a grip on the stallion, as well as her hat. The two made it over Hollow Shades within a matter of minutes, when Split Mentality looked down and saw his friend. He yelled from in the sky,
"Hey, Melody, I found another helper for you!" The mare, who turned out to be the same elegant surfer from the Equestria Surf Classic, noticed him from above, and yelled back,
"That's great, S.M.! Make sure you land down here!"
"No problem!"
As the stallion touched down, still carrying Parallel on his back, the mare walked up to them and checked to make sure they were alright. Split Mentality, being the excellent flyer he was, had no issues. Parallel, however, was a bit shaken. She was dizzy, and somewhat nauseated from the extreme speed of the flight, but she could still stand, so it wasn't too much to worry about. After she got a grip on herself, the filly introduced herself to the mare.
"You must be S.M.'s friend that he told me about. Hi, I'm Parallel."
"My name is Melody. It's a pleasure to meet you." There was something about this mare that seemed very welcoming, and yet so independent. "Like S.M. told you, I moved here recently, and have been needing some help with getting my things together. The fact that I broke my wings shortly before the Equestria Surf Classic hasn't really helped either."
"Oh, so that was you I saw giving that elegant performance at the competition. I was dazzled by how beautiful you were out there, even with broken wings."
"You know, you really are quite the flatterer."
"That reminds me, Melody, how did you break your wings?"
"I was trying to put my furniture into boxes, when I lost my balance carrying some heavy stuff. I fell on my back, and the box I was carrying spilled, and my wings got crushed. The doctor told me I could only compete in the surf competition because my wings healed enough at a miraculous rate, but I still had to tie them to my back, to avoid irreversible damage."
"That sounds amazing. And about your performance. You made it seem like you were dancing on the waves. How did you do it?"
"Well, aside from surfing, I am a music lover. I like to do interpretive dance to music when I need to calm down. I guess I just tried to incorporate my dancing into my routine, and it worked." Parallel marveled at her explanation. It was so modest, and yet so honest. Split Mentality then commented,
"So, now that you two have had the chance to meet, how about we get your stuff moved in?"
"Oh yeah, I forgot about my moving for a second. Hey, Parallel, you think you can handle those small boxes over there?" Parallel saw some boxes just to the left of the house. She agreed to help bring these in.
About half an hour has passed, and the sun had set. While bringing the boxes in, Split Mentality had been talking to Melody.
"So, how much longer until you'll be able to fly like before again?"
"Well, the doctor said it should be another week before I can fly long distances, but he advised against going into high elevations for another month."
"I see. At least you're recovering." The two adult ponies chuckled. Suddenly, both of them, as well as Parallel, started to feel hungry. Parallel commented,
"We've all done so much today, I think we could all use something to eat." The other two ponies agreed. Melody commented,
"A friend of mine gave me a bag full of muffins as a moving gift. It was really nice of her, since I know how much she loves muffins." Split Mentality twitched.
"Well, that's not really much of a dinner food, but if it's all we've got, I guess that will have to do." Parallel was just hoping that they weren't apple muffins. As long as it didn't involve apples, she didn't care what she had to eat. Melody walked into her kitchen, and found the bag of muffins. There was a variety of different kinds. Blueberry, chocolate chip, banana nut, and a few others.
"Ooh, can I have the chocolate chip one?" The adult ponies were fine with that, and Split Mentality threw it to her.
"I guess I'll take the blueberry muffin." the stallion said.
"That leaves me with the rest. I guess I'll take this plain one at the bottom." Parallel wasted no time devouring her muffin. She had become better at not making a mess when she ate, but there were still crumbs all around her. "Don't worry about that mess, Parallel, I can clean it up."
After the three all ate, Parallel wanted to ask Melody a question.
"Excuse me, Melody, but how did you meet S.M.? I know you're both pegasi, but I'd still like to know how you two know each other." Split Mentality responded,
"Actually, we met in the Crystal Empire."
"Thank you, S.M., but if you don't mind, she asked me."
"Oh, sorry."
"Anyway, like he said, we were both visiting the Crystal Empire. It had been a while since Sombra was defeated, and since it could finally prosper again, I wanted to check the place out. I took the train from Ponyville, where I was living at the time, and eventually arrived. When I got there, I was awestruck by the place. All the shiny buildings, the massive library they have there, and the castle at the heart of the place was just a divine sight. It was when I found a place to stay that night, when I met him. S.M. was still trying to figure out how to control his personalities," the stallion blushed, and she continued, "when I saw him outside. I didn't know whether he was putting on some sort of act, or if he really had been arguing with himself. I walked up to him and asked why he was arguing with himself, and I think he can tell you how he responded." The two looked at the stallion, as he twitched.
"Yeah. I told her that I was learning how to control my two personalities. You see, we were both still foals at the time, probably around your age, when we met. She thought I was crazy, as I could tell by her facial expression. Something seemed different about the way she reacted than other ponies. Most shunned me for being different, but she seemed to like me for my difference." Melody commented,
"I've always had a thing for oddballs, and with S.M., it doesn't get much more odd."
"Anyway, I told her everything, even about the bracelets and what they do. It took her a while to believe me, but it worked out in the end. We became friends pretty quickly." Parallel, happy for the way the two met up, asked the stallion,
"What were you doing in the Crystal Empire, S.M.?"
"Me? I was pretty much doing the same thing as Melody, checking out the newly prosperous kingdom. I was also working on my flying speed, trying to see if I could make a streak appear behind me, and since the buildings everywhere were so shiny, it was easy to see. I did end up forming a crimson streak behind me as I flew. I had gotten tired from my practice, when I showed up in front of where Melody was, and that was when my hyperactive side started yelling about how awesome it was to see me forming a streak in the sky." The stallion twitched. "It's true, I was amazed what what I had done." He twitched again. "I tried telling myself to calm down, but I wouldn't listen. It was then that Melody showed up, and although she was confused, she did seem to like me for being weird. I guess that's how we're friends today." Parallel liked how both sides of the story ended up the same way, so it seemed credible to her. She then asked,
"But wait, if you were flying fast enough to make a crimson streak back then, how come you didn't make one when I rode you here?"
"I wasn't flying at my full speed. Just about 5 miles per hour slower than necessary to do that. I didn't want you to get hurt, after all."
"Oh, I understand. Thanks for caring about me."
The moon was now fully up, and Parallel was getting sleepy. Melody said,
"You seem tired. I have three beds in my room. You can take one of those to sleep in. It's upstairs to your left."
"Thanks, Melody. S.M., you feeling tired?"
"No, not really. Besides, Melody and I still have some things to take care of, so you just get some sleep." The filly happily agreed. She walked up the stairs, found a small bed in the room next to her, and put her vest and hat on the rack next to the bed, then tucked herself in, and quickly fell asleep. Split Mentality and Melody were still trying to get some boxes into the house, when she asked him,
"How did you two meet up, I wonder?"
"I was flying in Neighagra falls, trying to see if I could fly fast enough to make a hole in the waterfall. I came close, but the water still looked uneven."
"Anything to try to improve your flying, huh?"
"I guess so. I mean I already have my crimson streak, I can almost break the sound barrier, and my perfect vision allows me to spot danger just about anywhere."
"I assume you went to stand by her, and observe the waterfall with her, right?"
"She was all alone, and I know it's creepy to just end up next to a stranger without introducing yourself, but I just couldn't help myself." Melody rolled her eyes, as if this was something she expected from him.
"Well, as soon as you help me move the rest of these boxes inside, we should probably get some sleep, too."
"Yeah, I guess so." They spent another 20 minutes getting everything else in, and since they were finished, they decided to bring out some of the furniture together. All the chairs and tables were out by this point, so they decided to call it a night then. Melody had been kind enough to allow Split Mentality to stay the night here, as well. When the two walked into the bedroom, they saw Parallel sleeping, and looking very happy. The stallion smiled, and said,
"I'll tell ya, that filly is something else."
"She sure is. You know, I wonder what she's dreaming about?"
"Probably about where to go next. She told me she's on a journey across Equestria." The mare smiled and said,
"I guess that explains how you met up at Neighagra falls. She just goes where the road takes her, and you just happened to be there." The stallion chuckled.
"Probably. Anyway, we should get into bed. Good night, Melody."
"Good night, S.M." They both said,
"Good night, Parallel."
The following morning, Parallel awoke with a smile on her face. She knew where she wanted to go next. She had decided that her next stop would be the Crystal Empire when Split Mentality and Melody discussed how they met. She walked downstairs, hoping to see the two again. Only one of them was still there. Melody said,
"Good morning, Parallel. How did you sleep?"
"Well, I had an amazing dream about how awesome the Crystal Empire would be. I've never been there, after all, but based on what you and S.M. had told me, it sounds incredible. Speaking of S.M., where is he?"
"Oh, he left early this morning. He heard that there was some trouble in Cloudsdale, so he wanted to be there to help out. I would have gone, as well, but I still can't fly very far. My wings haven't fully recovered from my injury yet."
"I see. Do you know when he'll be back?"
"He said it wouldn't take him long, but knowing that pony, he could be back in a few minutes, or even a few days."
"Aww, well I hope he comes back soon, because I wanted to talk to him about something."
"Oh? What did you want to talk about?"
"Well, you see--" Just then there was a knock on the door. Melody went to answer it, and surely enough, it was Split Mentality.
"Hey. Good morning, Parallel."
"Morning, S.M.. What was going on in Cloudsdale?"
"Oh, just some rookie trying to work the rainbows, and messing up the colors. We're supposed to be creating a rainstorm soon, so we need everything to be perfect."
"I see. Anyway, S.M., can I talk to you about something? Something that might sound crazy?"
"Hold on," he twitched his neck. "What is it?"
"Well, remember how I told you that one of the reasons for my quest is to meet the stallions I saw at Ponyville Park when I was little?"
"Yeah, I remember."
"You see, I think you were one of them. There was five total. One, named Jack Bolt, was an earth pony, and I think he was selling some wood. The second was Island Breeze, a champion surfer who likes to keep a calm mind. The third was Heraldry. He's a unicorn who taught himself what it means to be an equal to others, and was practicing his magic at the time. I suppose you were one of the other two, who were both pegasi."
"Now that you mention it, I do remember that. Their names, the way they looked, what they were all doing. I remember meeting up with one of them again, recently. He was flying through the sky over Canterlot with me, talking about how the Crystal Empire's library had just received a whole new collection of books." The mare spaced out again. "Hey, you OK? You seem to do that a lot."
"Oh, you mean space out? Yeah, I've noticed that too."
"I guess I should say, that stallion you were walking with, he looked an awful lot like you. Wouldn't that mean you saw six stallions that day?" Parallel froze up, and her eyes gave off a rainbow glow, while her cutie mark shined a white light.
"Split Mentality, thank you. What you just said really opened my eyes to a part of my past. I'm afraid I have to go now." She turned to Melody. "Melody, if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have had a place to sleep last night. I thank you for that." She turned back to the stallion. "Split Mentality, you were kind enough to bring me here so I could have shelter. Plus, I got to meet somepony that I'd been wanting to see for years. I thank you for that, as well. I need to catch the next train, but I appreciate what you both have done for me."
"Well, why have it stop there? I still have some flight energy left in me. Why don't I take you to the train station?"
"That would be well-appreciated." As the two walked outside the house, Parallel said goodbye to Melody, who smiled and said goodbye back. Parallel checked to make sure her vest and hat were on, and then climbed onto Split Mentality's back, and he zoomed through the sky, leaving a crimson streak behind him. Within no more than 10 minutes, the two were right at the train station. Parallel thanked Split Mentality for the ride, and he flew off, probably back to Melody to help her finish moving in. Parallel walked to the bench by the station, where she saw a pen, paper, and envelope. At this point, she had been used to finding these out of nowhere, so she tucked them into her vest, and pulled out her ticket. It had two trips remaining, so she decided she wanted to make the best of it.
After ten minutes of waiting, a train appeared. A familiar stallion, Rusty Sprocket, was inside the train. The conductor announced that the train was to head to the Crystal Empire next, so Parallel got on that train, and found her way to the luxury cabin. She sat at the desk, and wrote to her father,
"Dear Dad,
It's almost uncanny just how glorious the past two days have been for me. First, I got to see Neighagra Falls, and it was an excellent sight. The natural wonder felt so serene, I almost lost myself in the beauty. I saw a stallion flying through the falls, trying to make holes through the water, and he could really fly fast. When we met up, I learned that his name is Split Mentality, and, apparently, he was another one of the stallions from the park. Also, I learned that he had a special condition. Apparently, he has multiple personalities. One is energetic, optimistic, and a bit of a scatterbrain, and the other is serious, realistic, and quite intelligent. Yes, he can keep the two in check, don't worry. I wasn't with some random psycho. Anyway, he was kind enough to give me a ride to Hollow Shades, where a friend of his was moving into her new home. Her name is Melody. She's also a pegasus, but her wings were recovering from an injury, so she couldn't really fly. By watching Split Mentality fly through the air, and hearing about his story of how the two met, I realized just what it means to be dedicated. While trying to stay true to his goal of becoming Equestria's best flyer, he also helped out a friend in need, while keeping his responsibilities in Cloudsdale. It's ponies like him that can really get a job done, even if they are a little weird. Finally, I remembered something else from my past. When Split Mentality mentioned how there were really six stallions instead of five, adding you in, I remembered that, before I met you, I was told that six stallions would take care of me, I just had to find them for myself. Anyway, I'm still just fine, and I'm off to the Crystal Empire next. If my gut feeling is correct, I think the last stallion from the park will be found there. I hope to write to you again soon, and I love you.
--Parallel"
Rusty Sprocket came into her cabin, and offered to mail off the letter again. Parallel said yes, and he used his magic to send it off. The conductor then announced,
"Attention passengers, this train is departing to the Crystal Empire. This trip will be longer than most. It's expected to be three days before we arrive. We will be making a few stops along the way to refuel, but we won't be stopping in any towns, so you will be here a while. If you want to stay on, that's fine, but if you have business to attend to, I'd recommend choosing another train. Thank you for your understanding."
"Well, you going to stay? I am." the stallion said.
"I have nowhere else to go, and I have a lot of personal thinking to do, so I might as well stay."
"Alright, then. I guess we'll be riding together for the next 3 days or so." Parallel smiled, knowing that she'd at least have a friend accompanying her on this long train ride. She wanted to add a note to her letter, saying that she'd be on the train for a few days, but she remembered that her letter was already sent. However, she knew that her father was smart, so he could probably figure out that she might not be writing to him for a while.
Just before the train departed, a mare boarded the train, saying how she was looking for somepony. Parallel recognized her voice. It was Midnight. She walked out of her cabin, as did Rusty Sprocket, and said hello to the mare. She responded,
"Well, look at you, you're still in one piece. I take it your quest is still going well?"
"Yes it is, Midnight. In fact, I've already met four of the stallions I had been looking for, and I have a feeling the last one will be waiting for me in the Crystal Empire." The two unicorns could only smile as a response. The conductor then announced that the train was departing. As the train started moving, the three decided that they would all visit the Crystal Empire. The train trip was going to be long, but for Parallel, it would be an enlightening experience.
Parallel, Midnight, and Rusty Sprocket had all finally arrived in the Crystal Empire. Parallel was nothing short of awestruck. Everything she had heard about this place had turned out to be true. Beautiful crystal buildings, the expansive landscape, even the ponies were made of crystal. Her eyes gleamed as she observed her surroundings, unable to speak. Midnight and Rusty Sprocket decided to take their own path, and headed off to a nearby inn, while Parallel had decided she wanted to explore the town.
For Parallel, everything she saw was almost overwhelming. As she walked through the Empire, she saw a massive herd of crystal ponies gathered before a small theater, where she could hear a pony giving a lecture. Due to her small size, and the fact that she was in the back of the crowd, she couldn't see who was speaking, but she could hear their voice. It was a male voice. She spaced out again, feeling like she recognized the voice. Once she came to, she waited for the speaker to take a pause before asking a mare next to her,
"Excuse me, but who is that speaking?" The mare, who seemed surprised that she didn't know about him, responded,
"That's Corona. He's a pegasus from Baltimare who is famous around here for his massive knowledge. Apparently, he's so committed to education, his knowledge of Equestria could rival that of the Princesses. Nopony knows why he is so smart, or how, but he's never been asked a question that he couldn't answer." She spaced out again. She felt like she needed to get a good look at him. "If you want, you can climb on my back, and get a better view of him."
"Oh, yes, please." The mare crouched down, and Parallel climbed onto her back, and as she got back up, Parallel recognized him immediately. He was one of the stallions from the park, without a doubt, as well as the one she saw flying with Split Mentality over Canterlot. Now fully able to comprehend what he's saying, she recognized that he was giving a lecture about his hometown. Parallel had also been a dedicated scholar herself, back when she was younger, so it did her heart good to witness another pony sharing their knowledge with others. She observed the rest of Corona's lecture, and when everypony dispersed, she found her way to the Crystal Empire's library.
True to what she had been told, Parallel found that the library in the Crystal Empire was more massive than any other building she had been in. Walls full of books, expansive floors, and beautiful decor, she didn't know where to start. She decided that she wanted to learn more about the Crystal Empire, so she found the librarian at her desk, and asked where to find the books about the Crystal Empire. She was directed to a bookshelf on the second floor to her right. She proceeded to the direction she was given, and immediately found a collection of books regarding the history of the place. The books were high on the shelf, but a stallion showed up, saying,
"Do you require assistance with selecting these books?" The filly recognized the voice. She turned to look at him, and the silver & white mane, columbia blue coat, and navy eyes left nothing to the imagination. It was none other than Corona. She was tempted to shout in happiness, but remembered that she was in a library, and kept her composure, as she responded,
"Yes, that would be most appreciated." Corona then flew up to the top shelf, and asked,
"These books, correct?"
"Those would be the ones I need." He grabbed five of the books, and slowly descended, trying not to drop them. "Thank you, Corona."
"Oh, how did you know my name?"
"I observed your lecture earlier. You certainly come from a fascinating, historical town."
"Yes, I certainly do. Occasionally, I desire to return, but this place's massive library leaves me to believe that I belong here in the Crystal Empire." The two ponies continued their conversation quietly, as they walked to a nearby table, where Corona had already gathered some books for himself. "You don't have the appearance of a crystal pony. I take it that you're not a native to this place, either?"
"Oh, I apologize, I haven't introduced myself. My name is Parallel. I live in Ponyville, but I've been travelling all around Equestria, trying to find out what my purpose in life is, as well as try to recover my memories of my past, and find out who these stallions I saw back when I was young were. This may seem presumptuous, but I believe you were one of those stallions."
"Stallions? Hmm... tell me, Parallel, were you at Ponyville Park when you saw these supposed stallions?"
"Indeed, I was, Corona. Why do you ask?"
"Approximately six years ago, I was visiting that park, giving one of my lectures. After I finished, I was about to fly back home, when I met up with four others. There was an earth pony named Jack Bolt, as I recall. He was offering to sell me some of his wood, which I was impressed by, but had no use for. A second stallion, a unicorn named Island Breeze, wanted to tell me how much my words had spoken to him, which was flattering, but expected nonetheless. A third, another unicorn named Heraldry, told me how he was fascinated by my words about how the stars and Equestria correlate, and I must say, it was pleasing to hear another pony with such sophisticated vocabulary. A fourth pony, a pegasus named Split Mentality, said how he really learned a lot from what I had said. His serious face had plenty of honesty behind it." The filly knew this was the last stallion. She had finally completed one part of her quest: meeting the five stallions.
"Corona, that assures me that you were one of them."
"Were you there to see my lecture?"
"No, actually, I was with my father. It was my first time visiting the park, and I noticed you five out in an open field. I wanted to meet up with you then, but you all left before I could get to you."
"Oh, I apologize for that. I cannot speak for the others, but I had to leave in order to arrive in Appleoosa for another lecture."
"I see. Well, I'm glad to have met up with you now, and thanks again for helping me with these books."
"It is my pleasure, for I can sense that you're quite the scholar yourself, just as I am." The two smiled at each other, and each of them grabbed one of their books, and started reading.
Both Parallel and Corona had become enthralled by the books they were reading. Parallel was fascinated by the history of the Empire before King Sombra's reign, while Corona was reading about the history of Baltimare, in order to make sure what he had discussed in his lecture was correct. As they both finished their books, Parallel asked,
"You know, Corona, I do not exactly have any place to take shelter while I stay here--"
"If you want to visit my home for the night, please be my guest. I could use some company, especially if they value education, as I do."
"How did you know I would ask about that?"
"Well, it's simple. You're still a filly--even though you're one of the most intelligent ponies I have met, and you have no other adult ponies with you. I just put two and two together, and thought you might need a place to stay."
"Oh. Well, thank you, Corona. Is your home far from here?"
"Actually, I live right next to the library."
"Well, then, let's go." Corona agreed to let her stay with him, and he gathered up all their books, and flew them to their respective bookshelves. The two then met back up at the entrance, and walked to Corona's home together.
The two ponies had arrived at Corona's home, and Parallel was still eager to ask questions. She started,
"So, Corona, what made you decide to become a scholar in the first place, anyway?"
"That's an interesting story. You see, I was born into a poor, underprivileged family. My mother worked on a wheat farm, and my father worked at the local librarian in Baltimare. I was told at a young age that I had a lot of potential, so my parents really pushed me to do well in school. I was forced into the most rigorous classes, some of them almost overwhelming. There were three subjects, however, that I excelled in: natural science, history, and astronomy. When I realized my excellence in these fields, I began to study into them more, eventually graduating as class valedictorian, and I was told that I could wield my knowledge like a weapon. It was then that my cutie mark appeared, this black trident that you see here." This really spoke to Parallel, who had also become fascinated by her favorite subjects, astronomy, geology, and psychology. She then asked,
"Speaking of your parents, are they still around?" Corona then had a gloomy look on his face, as he responded,
"Unfortunately, no. One day, nearly a month after I had graduated from school, there was a severe thunderstorm that struck Baltimare. My parents had both been outside, as my father was visiting my mother on her farm. I wanted to be assured that they were going to be fine, so I flew to the farm, despite the pouring rain and heavy winds. When I finally arrived, I saw my parents, and that was when a lightning bolt came and struck the two of them. They both died immediately. To make matters worse, when I got back home that night, I saw that out home had been flooded from the rain, and most of our belongings had been ruined or destroyed. I've been afraid of rain ever since." The filly couldn't help but feel bad for the stallion. She wouldn't want to lose her father like that either.
"Is that why you decided to move to the Crystal Empire?"
"Yes, Parallel, that is why. I had heard that the weather here is beautiful every day, and their library had been the largest in all of Equestria. I didn't want to have to be constantly reminded of my tragic loss, so I spent the next few years of my life trying to work until I had saved enough money to afford a home of my own. Luckily, it didn't take me long to save up enough for this home here, as it had belonged to a relative of mine, who needed to sell it anyway. Because he really cared about me, and really sympathized with me for my situation, he sold it to me for a rather modest price. I've been living in this house ever since." This was a lot for the filly to take in. Her father had been through a similar situation in his life, and she felt for him as a result.
Parallel had been talking to Corona for a long time now, and she asked,
"When did you decide you wanted to become a lecturer? I imagine it's a bit of a hassle having to fly around Equestria each time you get a chance to speak in front of others."
"That's easy. You see, along with my studies, I was also pushed to be a good flyer. I remember I was never the best sprinter, in fact, I still struggle with short sprints, but I had a natural talent for long-distance flights. I had always been able to pace myself, and never fell short of breath, usually winning any races I had been in. This long-distance flight skill I developed eventually came in handy when I learned that a speaker in Manehattan had fallen ill, and they needed a replacement. Luckily, I had learned everything he was to speak about, so I took the position. They said that the lecture I gave was quite informative, and I was paid handsomely for it. I decided that if I can do this so well, perhaps making a career out of it would be a way for me to support myself."
"So, you used your long-distance flying skills, as well as your incredible knowledge, to form a career? It's interesting, you seem like the exact opposite of one of the stallions we've met, named Split Mentality."
"Yes, I know him. We were flying over Canterlot when we last spoke. He told me how he had been improving his flying speed since he had last seen me, and had even been able to get a crimson streak behind him. I responded with how I had been able to fly from one end of Equestria to another without losing energy, and he was impressed as well. It's interesting how we were such opposites, and yet so similar." Parellel spaced out again, as Corona looked at her. "Excuse me, Parallel? Are you there?" She shook her head.
"Oh, yeah, sorry, I tend to do that a lot. I noticed that whenever I do that, it means either something significant was about to happen, or I had learned something valuable about myself." The stallion wasn't sure what she meant by this, as he didn't know her entire story. Suddenly, a letter came for Corona. It was from the Crystal Empire's weather patrol. It read,
"Dear fellow citizen,
Due to the Crystal Empire's recent shortage of water, the pegasi have issued a call for a massive rainstorm. We advise you to make sure your home is properly protected from this, and that you take care of any personal business outside your home immediately. Thank you for your understanding."
Corona started to panic, as the few times when it did rain in the Crystal Empire, it was nothing more than a quick shower. He remembered that he had to take care of his daily grocery shopping, and quickly flew out the door to take care of it. Parallel, who knew what this meant for him, ran out behind him, making sure the door was closed behind her. As she chased the stallion, she caught up to him at the market. He had already started collecting the food he needed, and in a hurry, paid the ponies, as he put the food in his bag. She finally got to speak to him, and said,
"Calm down, Corona! If you read the rest of the letter, you'll know that it says it won't start for another half hour." It was true, he had not finished reading it. He then calmed himself down, and remembered that he had to get extra food, since Parallel would be staying the night with him. He had enough bits left to cover for enough food for both of them. The two then calmly walked back to his house, and as they got inside, the rain had started.
"Well, we made it, Corona. You had me worried there. When you said you were afraid of rain, I didn't think you'd get so paranoid."
"Hey, shut it, you don't know what it's like to lose everything you've ever had." Parallel could sense that he was legitimately scared, as his enhanced vocabulary had gone simple.
"Calm down, Corona, the storm will pass. As long as we stay inside, I'm sure we'll be fine."
"Yeah, y-you're right. It's just another storm after all. I'm sure the pegasi can handle it."
"Wait, you're a pegasus, too. How come you're not helping them?"
"They know about my issues. They said I don't have to do this if it brings me fear."
"I see. Well, that's nice of them. So, anyway, I'm getting kinda hungry. What should we have for dinner?" Finally calming down, Corona replied,
"Well, we shall see what I can cook for us. I bought some asparagus, some corn, some apples, now if I can find some--" The stallion suddenly started panicking again. "COOKING OIL! I FORGOT IT!"
"Whoa, take it easy. We can go out and gets some really quickly."
"IN THIS STORM, ARE YOU CRAZY?!"
"Alright calm down, calm down. You have an umbrella?"
"Uh, no, I don't. Wait, your hat. Let me borrow it." She knew he was panicking, and didn't want to upset him further, so she game him her hat. Corona suddenly dashed into another room. He came back out with a metal rod and some nylon in his hoof. "If I can tape this rod to the top of your hat, and put a nylon ring around it, I can make a makeshift umbrella, complete with a lightning rod. Now I just need a handle." Parallel realized that she still had some pens in her vest from when she had written her letters to Equality, so she offered them. "Yes, I can tape these together and make a handle. Thanks, Parallel." He grabbed some tape from his kitchen counter, affixed the pens together, added the lightning rod to Parallel's hat, and taped the nylon around the hat's brim. Parallel was impressed by how ingenious Corona was. He then opened his front door, and literally flew outside. Parallel watched as he sprinted out the door, in the pouring rain, trying to not get too wet, and within minutes, he was back inside with the cooking oil he forgot to pick up.
"Wow, you were really not gone long. Didn't even hear any thunder before you got back, and hearing is one of my best senses."
"Did you really think I'd risk my life by staying out long?"
"Hey, hey, calm down. You got what you need, it's done, and you're here now. There's nothing to worry about."
"Yeah. You're right. Actually, now that I think about it, I guess the rain isn't too bad." The stallion finally calmed himself down, and was back to his normal self. "Anyway, I assume you will need something to eat, correct?" The filly was feeling hungry at this point, so she nodded. "Well, I can cook these apples, and steam this corn and asparagus, and make a casserole. Will that satisfy you?" Parallel hadn't tried asparagus before, but she loved corn, and had been used to apples, so she was willing to try it. Again, she nodded.
After waiting about an hour, and watching the rain fall, Parallel heard Corona saying that the casserole is ready. She came into the kitchen, used a wooden spoon to scoop some up for herself, and took her plate to the table she was sitting at. She took a bite into it, and, although she did find the asparagus to be somewhat bitter, she still really enjoyed what Corona had cooked. He had heard her eating the meal he had prepared, and was happy to see her enjoying it. He said to himself,
"I'm amazed. Parallel, despite everything she has been through, still has the ambition, and energy, of a typical filly her age. Where does her energy come from?" Parallel, who had heard him, said,
"What's going on, Corona? You talking to yourself?"
"Oh, no, I was thinking out loud."
"OK, sure. Anyway, it sure was brave of you to go out in the rain like that, even though you've been afraid of that kind of weather for years."
"Yes, I suppose it was."
"I'm also impressed that you were able to make a makeshift umbrella out of odds and ends from your house."
"Oh, please, do not flatter me."
"No, I'm serious. You really are a genius, Corona. Your knowledge of Equestria could rival Princess Celestia's, your resourcefulness is impeccable, and you can even face your own fears and come back without any problems. You're an incredible pony, Corona." The stallion blushed. Never had anypony complimented him so much. Just then, the rain stopped, and the sky started clearing up.
"Well, that's a relief. The clouds are starting to dissipate. I must thank you, Parallel. If you had not been here to keep my paranoia in check, I may not have summoned the courage to feed myself, or even you." The filly smiled, trying not to blush. She replied,
"You know, your home was built to be protected from weather like that, right?"
"Now that you mention it, it was indeed built to be protected from weather."
"Well, then, what do you have to worry about? As long as you're inside, the weather can't hurt you, right?"
"You know, I had never thought of that. I suppose my own fear clouded my common sense. Parallel, I'm ever so so grateful that you came to stay here for the night. I realize now that weather is nothing to be afraid of, especially if everypony around here has endure it, and they all survive without issues. It may be a while before I can bring myself to face my fear again, but I thank you for giving me this opportunity." All Parallel could do is smile, knowing that she has helped out another pony. The clouds were now clear, and the moon was up. Parallel and Corona were both feeling sleepy, so they decided to go to bed. Corona told Parallel that she could take the room across from his for the night, which she happily accepted. As Parallel wearily walked into her bedroom, took her vest off, and got herself into bed, she said to Corona, who had followed her up,
"Good night, Corona. I'm glad everything worked out for both of us." She fell asleep immediately. The stallion, who then walked into his own bedroom, said to himself,
"That filly is quite amazing, if I do say so myself." He then got himself into bed, and quickly fell asleep as well.
The next morning, Parallel woke up, and found her vest neatly folded and placed on the nightstand next to her, with her hat on top, and with all the pieces of Corona's umbrella off. There was a message next to it, written by Corona. It read,
"To Parallel. I removed everything from my umbrella, so it is now your hat once again. I apologize, but I had to leave early to fly to another lecture. This one came up suddenly, and I had no chance to say goodbye to you, since you were still asleep. I want to thank you again for helping me overcome my fear, and I'll be sure to mention it in my next lecture, which happens to be about psychology. Breakfast is ready in the kitchen. You may want to reheat it by the time you're reading this, but it should still be good to eat. Once you're done, and you're ready to leave, please be sure to lock up the house. The key is next to the food I left for you. Again, goodbye, and thank you.
--Corona
P.S. When I think about it, us helping each other out is like two different paths coming together, each with their own decisions to make.
P.P.S. Somepony named Equality wrote a letter, and addressed it to you. I haven't an idea who Equality is, or how he learned my address, but I left it by the front door, in case you need to read it.
Parallel froze up after reading his postscript, and her eyes gave off a rainbow glow, and her cutie mark shined a black light. When she returned to normal, she was happy to know that her father had written back. She opened the letter, and it read,
"Dear Parallel,
You're on your way to the Crystal Empire, huh? I'm actually kinda jealous. I've always wanted to go there, but with my busy schedule, I haven't had the chance. Anyway, it's awesome that you met up with another stallion from the park. The way you described him, he does seem like some sort of oddball, but I'm sure Equestria has plenty of those, and you were bound to meet one eventually. Anyway, I'm proud of you for helping his friend move in. They seem like nice ponies, as I'm sure everypony you've met so far has been. Also, you mentioned how you remembered that six stallions were destined to take care of you. If that is the case, then I guess meeting with these other five stallions must have been part of some prophecy, and if I'm correct, you're just now leaving the last one's home. I imagine that, if you've already met the fifth one, you might not know where to go next. Why not try coming back home again? I feel like it would be in your best interest. Whatever you decide, I hope to hear from you soon, and I love you.
Your father,
Equality."
After reading this letter, Parallel quickly ate the food Corona had prepared, and grabbed the key, and locked up the house. She decided that, as her father suggested, she'd use her final train trip to come back home to Ponyville. After she placed the key next to one of Corona's plants, so it wouldn't be stolen, she asked around to find out how to get back to the train station. One mare was kind enough to direct her the right way, and she ran as fast as she could, hoping that Midnight and Rusty Sprocket would be there with her. She looked up at the sky, and saw a rainbow, pointing in the direction of Ponyville. She was now affixed on returning home.
After making it back to the train station, with her ticket still with her, good for one more ride, Parallel took a seat on the bench at the station, seeing on the schedule that the next train to Ponyville wouldn't arrive for another hour. She occupied her time by taking a quick nap. She had a dream that she was coming home to see her father, and Princess Celestia was speaking to him, saying that the two of them were needed immediately. The filly was scared, either because she did something wrong and was about to be punished, or because her time in this world had run out, and she was to return to her home world. The princess had noticed her panicking, and said,
"Excuse me, little filly. Little filly?" Parallel then awoke from her dream, and felt somepony's hoof poking her face. A stallion said,
"Little filly? The train is about to arrive. You wouldn't want to sleep through it, right?" She jumped off the bench, making sure her hat didn't fall off, and said,
"How much longer?"
"You mean the train? Here it comes now." In fact, the train was pulling up as they were speaking. She thanked him for waking her up, and quickly boarded the train. She made sure she had her ticket, which still had one spot left for her to use. She walked into the luxury cabin, and sat at the desk, just trying to think about everything she had been through at this point. She had already met up with, and befriended, the five stallions from the park, she had recovered a good amount of memories from her past, and she had learned a lot from all the ponies she had met. Each one had taught her a valuable lesson.
Before the train left the station, she had patiently waited to see if Midnight or Rusty Sprocket would board the train, but they never came. In fact, nopony else came onto the train at all. It was just her and the conductor. She felt lonely, having nopony to talk to, but at least it gave her more time to think to herself. She tried to piece together what each of her memories meant. She had remembered that she's from another world, what her real parents look like, she was destined to unite some ponies together, she was to be taken care of by six ponies, and now, as she remembered thanks to Corona, she was told that she will be able to choose whether she wants to stay in this world, or go back to her home world. Never had she felt more conflicted about anything. If she stayed in this world, she could continue to live with her father, Equality, but she'd never be able to return to her home world. If she did choose her home world, she'd be back where she originally belonged, but she'd never see the family she grew up with again, or any of the friends she had made. She was so torn, she started crying. Even the conductor, who was in the front of the train, heard her. He wanted to comfort her, but he knew he had to get the train to Ponyville. He announced the train's departure, and they headed off to Parallel's hometown. It took her a while to get out of her sadness, but she finally cheered up, knowing that she's see her loving father again. She was about to learn just what it means to truly love someone; to be devoted to someone.
Chapter 8 - The Sixth Stallion
Ponyville had finally been in sight for Parallel, as she had been on the train back home after such a long journey. Now that she had met up with the stallions from the park, she was wondering what to do next. She still didn't know what her purpose in Equestria was, nor was she perfectly clear on what her origins in her home world were, but she thought that if anypony could steer her in the right direction, it was Equality. Before her quest started almost two weeks ago, her father was the only adult pony she could trust, besides Cheerilee, who hadn't seen her since they met in the park. She knew that her father would always be there to give her advice if she needed it. Plus, she was feeling kinda homesick. The train finally came to a stop in Ponyville, and all of her train ticket's rides had been used up. She still wasn't sure how she was lucky enough to get this ticket in the first place, but that was in the past now, and she could only think about going back home at this point.
It was mid-morning by the time Parallel had made it back to Ponyville, and judging by the lack of foals roaming the streets, school must have started again. Parallel didn't want to intrude on her father's class unannounced, so she walked back home, and saw that the door hadn't been locked, so she opened it, and walked inside, and sat down, hoping to find a way to occupy herself while Equality was still teaching. She found some paper, and still had a pen from her travels. She decided to write some letters to all the stallions she had met. Her first letter was to Jack Bolt. She wrote,
"Dear Jack Bolt,
I'm back at home, taking a break from the quest I told you about. I met all five stallions that I was looking for, and I was glad you were one of them. How's your work coming along? I hope you've been able to sell some great lumber, because I know how much effort you put into your work. Also, I should thank you. You taught me just what it means to have integrity, only being satisfied when you know you did something right. Maybe you could come to Ponyville again, so I could thank you personally. If you ever get the chance, please let me know.
Your friend,
Parallel."
Her second letter was to Island Breeze. She wrote,
"Dear Island Breeze,
I'm taking a bit of a break from my quest, which I'm sure you remember me telling you about. How are the waves treating you? I haven't exactly had a chance to practice since I left Las Pegasus, but I'll be sure to try it again when I can, since my skills were, as you said, impressive. Also, I was able to meet up with everypony from the park that day, and we're all tight now. Finally, I feel like I learned something from you. You taught me just what it means to be patient. If you rush your like, or get too tense, it could end up in a major wipeout for you. Maybe we can meet up again in Ponyville. Catch you later.
Hanging loose,
Parallel"
Heraldry was the next recipient. The letter said,
"Dear Heraldic Gilded Ancestry,
I'm pleased to report that I am still safe, and am taking a break from my quest. How has your job at the observatory been coming along? Has anypony else found any undiscovered stars? I still cannot get over the fact that the one I knew about hadn't been documented yet. Anyway, I'm glad we had the chance to meet. You really taught me something while I was in your company. It's better to think of what makes you similar to everypony else, than what makes you better than them. That's called humility. Perhaps if you get the chance, we could meet again in my hometown of Ponyville. I hope to hear a reply from you.
Sincerely,
Parallel"
The fourth letter was for Split Mentality. It said,
"Dear S.M.,
I've been on the road for a while now, but I'm taking a break from my quest at my home in Ponyville. You're still able to keep your two sides in check, right? I hope so, because I'd hate to see you looking crazier than you already are. Anyway, I'm glad we had the chance to meet up, because you taught me a very valuable lesson. Dedication is an important factor into achieving your goals, whether they're long-term or short term, as you've shown with becoming Equestria's best flyer, helping Melody move in, and still helping out Cloudsdale with whatever it was they were troubled with. Maybe we can meet up again, here in Ponyville. I hope to hear from you soon, regardless of which side I hear from.
Your friend,
Parallel"
The final letter was addressed to Corona. It read,
"Dear Corona,
I have arrived back in my hometown, and am still safe. I decided to put my quest on hiatus, while I decide where I want to go from here. I must say, when I was visiting you, you taught me a valuable lesson. When your flank is against the wall, and you run out of options, it helps to be resourceful, because putting two and two together when you're in a jam can help you see the light (metaphorically speaking, of course). I hope your lectures are still going well. I was disappointed that I could not say goodbye to you up front, but I know how busy you are. Perhaps we can meet again in Ponyville sometime soon. Please reply soon.
Sincerely,
Parallel"
Now that all of her letters had been written, she made sure that they were all addressed to the right pony, as she placed them each in individual envelopes. As she walked out the door to deliver them, a messenger pony came to her. He said,
"You must be Parallel, Equality's daughter."
"That would be me, sir."
"Well, I'll be, I met up with him back in town a few days ago. He really misses you, you know. Anyway, I see you have some letters there. I can mail them for you, if you need me to."
"That would be perfect. Thank you, sir." She gave him the letters, and he placed them in his bag. Parallel had been feeling nostalgic, so she decided to return to Ponyville Park. She eventually found her way there, and saw that there had been three foals, about the same age as her when she started school, playing together. She remembered how Rocket Boost and Woodwind were her first two friends, and this was where she met them. She looked in the distance, into an open field, and saw five mares, each talking to each other. She remembered how this was where she saw Jack Bolt, Island Breeze, and all the other stallions so many years ago. Suddenly, a couple of familiar voices came to her, both female. One said,
"Well, well, if it isn't the little black filly that reminds me of my former student." Parallel didn't even have to turn around to recognize the voice of Cheerilee. She saw the mare, and grinned, being able to catch up with her. Then, the other mare responded, in a southern accent,
"You seem to have done well for yourself, Parallel. How's your quest going?" It was Apple Bloom.
"Well, I got one thing accomplished, meeting up with the stallions I had hoped to see. I'm not sure where to go next, though, so I'm taking a break here in Ponyville until I decide my next step." Cheerilee replied,
"That sounds good to me. Your father has been missing you, anyway, and it's good to recharge your batteries every now and again. Speaking of which, I'd imagine school would be over with in about half an hour. Why don't all three of us go there to see him?" Apple Bloom, who had been meaning to visit the school again, anyway, commented,
"I'm up for that idea. I haven't met your father yet, so it would be nice for me to get that chance." Parallel replied,
"Sounds good to me. I suppose it's settled, then. Off to the schoolhouse."
As the three ponies walked to the schoolhouse together, they talked about what each had been up to recently. Cheerilee had been enjoying her retirement alone, and even become close friends with Mayor Mare, and being offered the chance to become her successor. Apple Bloom had been taking on more and more responsibilities, since Granny Smith had unfortunately passed away since she last saw Parallel, and Applejack and Big Mac had both injured themselves recently. Parallel told them both what she had done during her travels. By the time they got to the schoolhouse, the dismissal bell had rung, and the three walked in, to see Equality, relieved after what must have been a tough day. The stallion caught sight of his daughter, and, like last time she stopped in Ponyville, he was at a loss for words, and could only open up for a hug from his daughter. After the two gave each other a hug, and cried tears of joy, Equality stood back up, and said,
"Welcome home, Parallel. How was the Crystal Empire?"
"It was beautiful. The buildings everywhere are all so shiny and well-made, the library is beyond words in terms of size, and I was able to meet up with the last stallion from the park, as well. His name is Corona. He's an amazing scholar, who knows just about everything there is to know about Equestria. He's probably still out giving a lecture somewhere, since everypony seems to value his knowledge. He's also a gifted flyer, being able to fly wherever he needs to go without getting tired. An interesting thing is, he seems to have a fear of stormy weather. I helped him overcome this by allowing him to use my hat as an umbrella when he needed to go outside during this massive rainstorm. Also, he taught me what it means to be resourceful, by combining my hat with some supplies from his house, he made the umbrella that I mentioned. Finally, I learned that, when the time comes, I will have to choose whether I stay in this world, or return to my world." Parallel was happy to hear everything she said, except for the last part, which split his emotions. He knew that he'd want his daughter to stay with him, but he also knew she belonged somewhere else. All he could say in response without becoming emotional is,
"Well, I'm proud of you. I know you've made plenty of good choices in your life, and you'll make the right one when the time comes."
After their heartfelt reunion, Apple Bloom wanted to say something to Equality.
"So, you're this filly's father, right? Hi, my name is Apple Bloom. I was also a student of Ms. Cheerilee's once. I think I started right after you graduated, because you do look kinda familiar. Anyway, I remember last time Parallel was in Ponyville, she was looking lost and hungry, so I gave her some food, and told her how to get to the schoolhouse. I guess she found her way home, since she's safe now." The stallion replied,
"Oh, so you're the pony who told her how to get here. I must thank you for what you did, Apple Bloom. If it wasn't for you, I'd have lost the one pony that matters more to me than anypony else." Apple Bloom smiled, knowing that she helped somepony out in a big way. Cheerilee noticed the sun starting to go down, and said,
"I suppose we should all be heading home. It is getting kinda late, and I know Apple Bloom needs to get back to work soon. Plus, I'd imagine you'd want some time alone with your daughter." The two black ponies nodded in agreement. The four of them all said their goodbyes, as Apple Bloom ran back to Sweet Apple Acres, Cheerilee walked back to her home on the other side of town, and Equality and Parallel walked down the road to their home.
Equality and Parallel arrived back at home, and Parallel was feeling hungry. Equality said,
"You hungry? I've been trying out some new recipes, and was wondering if you're up for them." Parallel had eaten several different meals while she was on her quest, and with everything she tried, she was sure that whatever her father could make would taste just as good as, if not better than, everything she had.
"Sure. Just surprise me with something. I could use some excitement while I take a break from my quest."
"Alrighty then, let's see what I can conjure up." It was easy to see the excitement on Equality's face, as he had smiled the whole time he was cooking. Meanwhile, Parallel was going back to her room, making sure everything was in order. She thought that since she was taking a break from her quest, she would not need to keep her vest and hat on anymore, so she left them on her dresser, as she walked back into the kitchen. She asked her father,
"So, Dad, now that school has started again, and you're back to your teaching job, what's your class like now?"
"Well, there's a lot of energetic students this time around. Some of them don't really pay attention as much as they should, but they're all great foals at heart. Sure there's a couple troublemakers, but what can you do about that?" This gave Parallel a feeling of nostalgia again, remembering how when she was a student, most of the other foals were energetic and impish. Sure, Rocket Boost and Woodwind were her two best friends, but she liked everypony in class a lot. Parallel realized that, even though she was still a filly in terms of age (although at the older end of the spectrum), she had taken on a lot of responsibilities that applied to mares during her travels. In terms of maturity, she was all grown up, even if she had a couple more years before she could be called a mare. She was quiet for a while, only responding to her father with a nod of the head, until he said that her dinner was ready. She was already sitting at the kitchen table, so she waited as her father presented a plate that smelled heavenly.
"Mmm, what is this? It smells delicious."
"Well, I had been meaning to try making this. It's a casserole of celery, asparagus, and tomatoes, with a hint of lemon. It sounds strange, I know, but why not try it?" Parallel remembered how bitter the asparagus she lad last time was, but she didn't want to disappoint her father, so she took a bite of his creation, and it tasted amazingly good. She found that the lemon eases the bitter taste of the asparagus, so she quickly scarfed it down, as she had always had a tendency to do. "Wow, you still have the appetite you've had since you were little. I imagine you liked it?"
"Are you kidding? It was amazing. Thanks for the excellent food, yet again, Dad."
"Hey, I'm not going to let my pride and joy go hungry, am I?" Both of them chuckled.
The moon was now fully up, and Equality was getting ready for bed, but Parallel, for whatever reason, wasn't feeling the slightest bit tired. Equality, who was surprised by her beaming energy at this point, said,
"What's up with you? Normally you're the first to go to bed, but now, you're acting like it's still daytime."
"Oh, sorry, Dad. I just got a lot on my mind."
"A lot on your mind? Like what?"
"Well, for one, I noticed that every stallion I met had a particular trait that set them apart from the others. Jack Bolt has his sense of integrity, Island Breeze has his sense of patience, Heraldry has his sense of humility, Split Mentality has his sense of dedication, and Corona has his sense of resourcefulness."
"I see. Well, if you had just randomly met me on your travels, what would you say my sense would be?"
"Hmm... I guess you have a supreme sense of devotion. I know how much I matter to you, and everything you do, you seem to do for me. I guess I might have learned that without even noticing." Suddenly, the filly froze up, and her eyes gave off a rainbow glow, while her cutie mark shined a green light. Parallel then passed out, which left Equality frightened.
Parallel, now in a dream state, once again saw her biological parents, who had been meaning to talk to her. Her mother, Crystal Destiny, came up to her, and said,
"Hello, Parallel. I must tell you how proud I am of you for making it this far. You've now discovered the six stallions that you were destined to bring together." Parallel, feeling confused, said,
"Wait, what do you mean, bring together?" Her father, Sacred Alignment, said,
"Remember how each of the five stallions you have befriended said something to you that made you freeze up? Well, that was you forming a bond with each of them. Also, just a few minutes ago, you froze up in front of Equality. What you may not have noticed is that each time you did, your eyes gave off a rainbow glow, and your cutie mark shined a light of a color to match that of each stallions." Parallel had no idea what he meant, so a screen appeared, and it showed her freezing up, and giving off the glows and lights each time. "You see, each stallion's cutie mark is a different color. Jack Bolt's is brown, Island Breeze's is blue, Heraldry's is silver, Split Mentality's is white, Corona's is black, and Equality's as you'd remember, is green. The rainbow glow signified your bond, and the light from your cutie mark shows why they are special to you. Each one taught you a valuable lesson, and they have, in a way, become a part of you." Parallel, now marveling at just how much the stallions mean to her, could only keep a wide mouth open. Her mother commented,
"The way each stallion took care of you, as was foretold, it's like they're all family to you now. The same goes for the others you befriended on your journey: Midnight, Rusty Sprocket, and Melody, as well as your childhood friends: Rocket Boost and Woodwind. It pains me to say this, but the time for you to choose whether to stay in this world, or come back home to ours, is almost upon you. I suggest that you try to gather up everypony that you know and love, and meet up with Princess Celestia. She knows about your whole story, including before you came to this world. You see, our world is connected to yours by a magic mirror, similar to how the world of humans and Equestria are connected by another magic mirror. The thing is, our world's mirror only has enough magic to survive for three more days. If you do wish to return home to our world, you must do so before then. Otherwise, the rest of your life will be spent in Equestria." Parallel had never understood the caliber of the situation before, but now she knew what she must do. She would have to send out a message to everypony she met on her travels, and tell them to meet up with Princess Celestia. Parallel, now ready to determine her future, said,
"Thank you, Mother, Father. I know what I must do. I'm ready to get back to Equestria." The two nodded in approval, as everything around the filly turned bright.
Parallel found herself in her bed, with Equality watching over her. He said,
"Parallel! You're alright! What happened to you?"
"Dad, I had a reality check. This is going to sound very hard to believe, but I need you to send a letter to Midnight, telling her to meet here within three days, and to bring Rusty Sprocket with her."
"Why Rusty Spro--"
"Don't ask, just trust me on this. I just happened to have sent letters out to the stallions I met on my quest already. Now I just need to find Cheerilee, Apple Bloom, and my childhood friends, Rocket Boost and Woodwind."
"Don't worry, I can handle that. Apple Bloom and Cheerilee will be easy, and Rocket Boost and Woodwind are always walking through town, so I can get them together no problem. As for Midnight, she writes to me occasionally, so I can just write back to her explaining everything. If I'm correct, I assume Rusty Sprocket is still with her."
"Perfect. I just hope that everypony else I met can respond to me, and gather together." The two of them spent the next two days trying to get them all at one point. Meanwhile, everypony Parallel had written to had just been receiving their letters.
Chapter 9 - The Path Splits
Parallel had sent letters out to everypony she had met on her travels, each saying how she hoped to see them again, but she didn't expect to need them together as soon as possible. At this point, the letters were already sent, so she could only hope that each one gets to its recipient, and they all decide to come, before it's too late.
Jack Bolt was outside, working on his lumber as usual, when a messenger came over. He hadn't been expecting anything, since he lives practically in the middle of nowhere, but he was feeling quite honored that somepony had sent him something. The messenger said,
"Letter for Mr. Jack Bolt."
"Thank you, sir. I wonder who it's from?" The messenger then walked away. Jack Bolt opened the letter, and it was the same one Parallel had sent him. After reading it, he said to himself, "So, that filly who helped me out so long ago was kind enough to write to me. Actually, I guess I could take a little break from my work. It is a bit of a slow season right now, so it would be nice to see how she's been holding up. I might as well head over right now. Don't worry, Parallel, I'm coming."
Island Breeze was working on a new surf maneuver he had invented, called the Parallel Corkscrew, named after the filly who visited him so long ago. He had finally perfected his performance, when he headed home to find his mailbox full. Most of it was just typical fan mail, but he recognized one as a letter from Parallel. He opened this letter up immediately, and when he finished, he said to himself, "So the filly that gave me a vision of an awesome new stunt wrote to me. That's awesome. I guess I owe her one, since she did a solid for me, I should so the same for her. Plus, the next big competition isn't for months, and I haven't been to Ponyville for a long time, so I guess I have no reason to stay here. I'm coming, Parallel, so just hang loose."
Heraldry was at home, doing some research into undiscovered stars, when he was surprised to see a letter appear by his front door. Normally, if it was a coworker or something of the sort, it would have arrived first thing in the morning, but this was midday, so he was intrigued. He decided to open the letter. It was from Parallel. He read the letter, and said to himself,
"Fascinating. Parallel wants me to visit her in Ponyville. I do have the next few days off of work, due to equipment repairs, so I suppose I could take her up on her offer. I should thank her personally for allowing me to keep some of the reward from her discovery, anyway, so I might as well make a trip to Ponyville immediately. Don't worry, Parallel, I shall be there as soon as I can."
Split Mentality was taking a rest at his home in Cloudsdale, when he got bored, and decided to go for a quick fly. However, he didn't get far before he saw a messenger pony delivering a letter to his home. He sprinted back, wondering who it was from. He thought it might be from Melody, thanking him for helping her with moving. He picked up the letter, opened it, and read it. When he finished, he said with a serious tone,
"Oh, so it's from Parallel. She sure knows how to flatter a pony. You know, I haven't flown over Ponyville for a while, and could use a change of scenery." He twitched his neck. "You got a deal, Parallel, I'll head there right now!"
Corona was just finishing the lecture he was giving at the time. When the audience dispersed, he decided to fly back home, where he found a letter at his front door. He saw that it had been sent by Parallel. He was still feeling grateful to her for helping him with his fear a few days ago, so he opened it up, and read it. After finishing, he said to himself,
"This couldn't be more perfect. I'm supposed to be giving a lecture in Ponyville tomorrow, anyway. If I go there immediately, I can visit Parallel when I arrive, and be ready for my lecture the next day. How could an opportunity of this scale be denied? I shall make my way there immediately. Fret not, Parallel. I shall be there soon."
While the stallions were receiving their letters, Equality thought about how his last letter from Midnight had mentioned where she and Rusty Sprocket were staying while still in the Crystal Empire. Equality took this opportunity to write a letter to the couple, saying that he needed the two of them in Ponyville immediately. He found a pen and some paper, wrote down his message, and just happened to spot a gray mail mare flying above him. He told her to take it to the address listed on the envelope immediately. She had a bit of trouble reading it, given her misaligned eyes, but she figured it out, nodded at him, and dashed off. She dropped a muffin behind her, but she didn't seem to notice. Meanwhile, Parallel was on her way to Sweet Apple Acres. She saw Apple Bloom bucking the apple trees, and ran to her. Apple Bloom, surprised to see her, said,
"Hey, Parallel. What brings you here?"
"No time to explain. I need you to meet up with me at some point really soon. It's about something very important, and I need all my friends to be there."
"Whoa, you're serious about this? Well, I'll see what I can do."
"By the way, do you know where Ms. Cheerilee lives?"
"Well, 'course I do. She lives on the other side of town, near town hall. She's probably sitting outside, like she usually does on warm days like this."
"Thanks, Apple Bloom. I'll be sure to let you know when I need you." Parallel ran off to the town hall area. When she arrived, just as Apple Bloom said, she was sitting outside her home, just enjoying her retirement. Parallel walked to her, and she greeted the filly,
"Oh, hello Parallel. Did you need me for something?"
"Actually, not yet. But within the next few days, I might need you to show up at my home. You see, I have three days to make my most important decision ever, and I need you there for it."
"Well, that sounds kinda vague, but I can tell you're serious, so I'll try to make it. Just come back when you need me for, well, whatever it is."
"Thank you, Ms. Cheerilee." She then ran off, trying to find Rocket Boost and Woodwind. She had always seen the two ponies together, so she assumed that they'd be found in a likewise situation. Sure enough, both were walking through town, when she caught up to them, and she said,
"Hey there Rocket Boost, Woodwind." The two found her familiar, but couldn't quite recognize her. Then, Woodwind asked her,
"Aren't you the one who we met back in Ponyville Park so many years ago?"
"Yes, that was me, Woodwind." Rocket Boost replied,
"Oh yeah, I remember you. Parallel, right?"
"That's me." Rocket Boost continued,
"Didn't you win that contest to visit Island Breeze's home?"
"Oh yeah. I remember you two were competing in the Equestria Surf Classic. You guys both did great. Anyway, I have no time to explain, but I need you guys to be ready to meet up with me sometime within the next few days." Both were confused, but they sensed the honesty in her facial expression. Woodwind replied,
"Alright, sure. My home is right by Ponyville Park. Just come by and tell me when." Rocket Boost commented,
"My house is right next to his. Same with me, just let me know when."
"Thanks, guys. I'm glad I can count on you." As she ran off, they said to each other,
"Has she always been this crazy?" They both shrugged, as they continued walking.
A few hours later, MIdnight and Rusty Sprocket had been enjoying a dinner outside at a fancy restaurant in the Crystal Empire. Rusty Sprocket had been meaning to ask Midnight a question.
"You know, Midnight, I know we've only known each other for a few days, but I can't help but feel this strong connection between us."
"I've been meaning to say the same thing to you, Rusty. I just feel like that thing I was missing in life was a stallion I felt close to."
"I'm glad you agree, because I have a question for you." He reached into his coat pocket, and pulled out a black box. He got on one leg, and said to her, "Midnight, my love, we've only known each other for a few days, but love has a way of bringing two ponies together. It would make me the happiest stallion in Equestria if we could spend our lives together." He opened the box, and inside was a diamond ring. "Midnight, will you marry me?" All the other patrons at the restaurant observed the two, and Midnight started crying. She said,
"Oh, yes, Rusty Sprocket, I will." Everypony applauded the now-engaged couple, as they blushed, and gave each other a kiss. After the two left to return to their home, the same gray mail mare appeared, and delivered the letter from Equality to them. Midnight opened the letter, and read it. It said,
"Dear Midnight,
I have no time to explain, but I'm going to need you to come to Ponyville as soon as you can. You see, my daughter, Parallel, has a huge decision she needs to make within the next three days, and she needs you and Rusty Sprocket to be there for her. I would say I hope you can come, but for my daughter's sake, there's no other option. I apologize if this seems rather blunt, but I'm completely serious here. Please say yes. Parallel needs you to.
Sincerely,
Equality"
Midnight and Rusty Sprocket couldn't have picked a better time to be engaged. Not only could they announce it to one of Midnight's closest friends, but now they have someone to ask about being best mare. Midnight said to her fiance,
"If we both use our magic, I think we can make it there right away. I have a place there, anyway."
"You don't have to tell me twice." The two waved their horns, and cast a spell, sending both of them to Ponyville.
Split Mentality was flying on his way to Ponyville, when he remembered that he wanted to check on Melody before he stopped to see Parallel. He rerouted himself to Hollow Shades, and when he got there, he saw that Melody's wings had made a miraculously fast recovery. He asked her,
"I thought you had to wait about a month before you were able to fly like this again."
"I thought so, too. But hey, I've never been one to stay grounded long, have I?"
"I suppose you're right. Anyway, I got a letter from Parallel saying that she wants me back in Ponyville. I have no plans, so I was wondering if you'd be interested in coming as well?"
"Well, since I can fly again, sure why not?"
"That settles it, we're off to Ponyville."
It would be another day before Parallel saw any of the ponies that she had to gather together, but the time finally came the following morning, when she saw Split Mentality arrive at her front door. She said to him,
"S.M., I'm so glad you could make it. I hope you brought Melody with you." In a serious tone, he replied,
"Well, she's not as fast of a flyer as me, but she should be on her way. What do you want to do, anyway?"
"About that, I guess I should tell you. You see--" She was cut off by the appearance of two more stallions. Island Breeze and Heraldry had both used their magic to appear in Ponyville, and they had followed Split Mentality to her home. Island Breeze said,
"Hey, Parallel? What's happening? And who's this guy?" Heraldry commented,
"I was wondering the same thing. I happened to meet up with Island Breeze when I used my magic to get here. I see you have another guest as well." Before he could continue, another stallion appeared. "Speaking of which, here comes another." It was Corona. He introduced himself to everypony, and said,
"My, my, you've accumulated quite a large amount of company, Parallel. Are you expecting more?" Suddenly, Melody flew toward the crowd. She noticed Split Mentality, and said to him,
"I'm here. Oh my goodness, there's a lot of ponies here. Maybe we should go somewhere that has room for all of us." Equality, who agreed with this, then announced,
"Alright, everypony, I'm glad you all could come. You see, my daughter has to make an important life decision, and she requires all of you to be with her when she does. I noticed that a lot of you have already arrived, so I believe we should head to Ponyville Park, where we can all discuss this. If there's any objections, please speak now." Nopony said a word. "Very well then, we'll head to the park immediately."
The herd all formed a group, and walked to the park together. Along the way, Parallel saw Rocket Boost and Woodwind walking on the road. She went up to them and said,
"Hey, guys, remember how I said I'd need you for something? Well, this is it." Rocket Boost responded,
"Wait, you were serious?" Woodwind stomped on his hoof, and said,
"Oh, so this is what you need us for. I see you've assembled quite the herd here. Alright then, we'll come along." The two joined the group, and Rocket Boost quietly said to Woodwind,
"What was that for?"
"Hey, I didn't exactly trust her, either, but that was really rude, Rocket."
"Oh, yeah, I guess you're right. Sorry for that."
"And I'm sorry for stomping on you." The two smiled, and walked on with the group.
The group finally arrived at Ponyville Park, when they saw two unicorns kissing on a bench. Parallel recognized them as Midnight and Rusty Sprocket. She said to them,
"Oh, hey there, Midnight and Rusty. I see you two are, well, getting along well..." Midnight, who blushed at being seen like this, responded,
"Actually, we're more than just getting along well. You see, we're engaged now." Equality was thrilled to hear this. One of the few friends he made when he was young had finally found a special somepony. Parallel also grinned in response. "Say, who are all these ponies?"
"Oh yeah, you see, I've been meaning to see you two. In fact, I'm expecting three more ponies to join us all." Rusty Sprocket responded,
"Really? What for?" Before the filly could reply, two more ponies appeared. They were Cheerile and Apple Bloom. They both said,
"Hey, Parallel." Cheerilee commented,
"Wow, so these are all the friends you made on your travels, I see. You really are quite the social breezie." Apple Bloom commented,
"I guess this is what you needed us for?" Parallel responded,
"Yes, it is. In fact, I'm still expecting one more." Suddenly, a voice beckoned to the whole group from above. They all looked up, and saw a chariot, with none other than Princess Celestia riding it, as well as a green stallion. The princess said,
"I think you mean you're expecting two more." Everypony marveled at the sight of the princess. They all bowed in respect, as the stallion stepped off the chariot to join her. He then said,
"Jack Bolt reporting for duty, Parallel. Wow, you really brought everypony you know to this, didn't you?" Princess Celestia answered for her.
"Actually, she needed all of you here for what's about to happen. If you could all listen to me, I can explain everything."
Princess Celestia gave everypony the whole story, and to no surprise at all, everypony except Parallel, Equality, and herself were shocked, to say the least. Parallel, who knew that her life was about to change forever, said,
"It's true, everypony. I come from another world, and I needed you all here so Princess Celestia could bring me to the portal to my home world. This may sound hard to believe, but the fact that I met up with all of you was, in fact, predetermined. You see, where I come from, they could sense that you all needed help with something. Jack Bolt was behind in his work, Island Breeze needed some inspiration with his surfing, Heraldry needed somepony to tell his story to, Split Mentality and Melody needed help getting her moved into a new home, Corona needed somepony to help conquer his fear, Equality--my father--needed somepony to love and care for, given that all his other family is gone, and Midnight and Rusty Sprocket were both looking for somepony to spend their lives with, even if they didn't realize it. As for Apple Bloom, Cheerilee, Rocket Boost and Woodwind, the four of you all just happened to help me out along the way in my time in this world, and I thank you for that." Again, everypony was shocked. By meeting up with Parallel, they had not only bonded with her, but each other. Princess Celestia then said,
"Now that you all know the story, not just from me, but also from Parallel herself, I'm going to need you all to come with me. She has two ponies waiting for her in my castle."
After everypony nodded in agreement, Princess Celestia cast a spell that sent the whole lot of them to the throne room in her castle in Canterlot. This was the point where Parallel could not turn back, as she knew that her time to make her greatest life decision was nigh. She looked behind her, and recognized who she saw. It was her biological parents, Crystal Destiny and Sacred Alignment. After she had found herself in this world, her only encounters with her parents were in dreams, and now, everypony saw them. Parallel walked up to her parents, with Equality right behind her. As all four smiled at each other, Parallel couldn't help breaking into tears, knowing that she would never see one of her two families again.
Equality was the first to speak. He said to Parallel's parents,
"You must be Parallel's mother and father from her home world. Hello, my name is Equality. I'm the one who has been taking care of her since she found herself in this world. I imagine you've come to take her back?" Crystal Destiny responded,
"At first, that was our intention, but now that I've seen just how many of you care for her, and were willing to come with her to help make this decision, all I want is for our daughter to be happy." Sacred Alignment commented,
"We knew that Parallel would find herself some friends and family in this world, but we never would have expected this many. All I can say now is thank you for everything, Equality, and everypony else here as well." The herd spoke amongst themselves, each reflecting on how much Parallel had done for them. Jack Bolt was the first to speak to Parallel's parents.
"I remember when Parallel came next to me one day when I was working on my wood. I didn't see her there, and she passed out from the sight of my ax, but I made sure she was completely safe. We spent the rest of the evening together, and she even ended up helping me with my work. She has one impressive kick, I must say. She's also really concerned for others, as I've noticed." Island Breeze spoke next.
"I remember how I was just giving my winning performance at the Equestria Surf Classic, and I was lucky enough that she was the winner of my contest to see who would get to meet me. We ended up going to my home together, and I even gave her a lesson in surfing. But to be honest, I think I learned something from her too. You see, even though I was winning competitions left and right, I didn't know what I was competing for. After seeing her awesome skills on her first try, I was inspired to do even better. I'm not just in it for the waves anymore. Now, I'm in it for Parallel too." Midnight commented,
"I first met Parallel when we were first on the train to the White Tail Woods. She was writing a letter to Equality, and I was more than willing to send it off for her. You see, she bears such an uncanny resemblance to him that I felt obligated to help her out any way I could. I guess seeing her young self so ready for her journey reminded me of Equality when we were her age." Everypony went silent, now realizing the connection they all had. Parallel had been special to them all in one way or another.
The next pony to speak was Heraldry, who was now more than ever willing to tell his story.
"When I met Parallel, we actually bumped into each other back in the outskirts of Ponyville. She didn't react much, as she had spaced out upon seeing me." Everypony then whispered to each other about her tendency to space out, and he continued. "When we met up again in Canterlot, my hometown, I had been meaning to tell somepony about my life story, including how I was born an alicorn, but stripped of my status, and the fact that when I was given the opportunity to have my wings back, I refused." Princess Celestia, now remembering the situation, then said,
"About that, Heraldry, do you still want me to keep your wings?" He responded,
"Yes, Princess. In fact, I don't think I'll ever want them back. You see, Parallel reminded me just what it means to be humble, a trait that I had to acquire after I was made a unicorn. Plus, the fact that she enlightened us at the observatory to the location of an undocumented star, thanks to her father, was a great help to us. Thank you Parallel, and you too Equality, for everything." Split Mentality spoke next, in a serious tone.
"I should thank you, as well, Parallel. You see, along with my goal to become a vigilante justice, I have my duties in Cloudsdale to tackle, so helping me and Melody with her move was very well-appreciated." Melody commented,
"You know, I agree with S.M.. You see, I know you first saw me when I was in Las Pegasus competing in the Equestria Surf Classic. Back then my wings were still broken. I knew I wanted to stay in it, though. When you came with S.M. to my home in Hollow Shades, and helped me move in, I knew I came into the competition for a reason. Anyway, thanks for everything." Rusty Sprocket spoke next.
"As for me, if it wasn't for meeting up with you on the bus, and later on the train to Neighagra Falls, I wouldn't have been able to meet up with the love of my life, Midnight. Thank you, Parallel, for allowing my to find the special somepony I had been searchign for, even if I didn't know it." The realization that she had helped out all these ponies on her travels, whether it's in their career, their life, or in love, had finally sank in for Parallel. She was now tempted to stay in this world, when Corona wanted to speak.
"Parallel, my friend, you've done so much for these ponies, that I can see, but I must also thank you for what you've done for me. You see, if you had not stayed the night with me, like you did, I would have never convinced myself to overcome my fear. I'm a braver stallion that I ever was, now, and you're the reason for it. Thank you." Parallel, overwhelmed by everypony's gratitude, wanted to reply with her own likewise words.
"You see, you're all feeling grateful for everything I've done for you, but to be honest, I should be thanking you all. Jack Bolt, you taught me what it means to not give up on what you believe is right, even if that means putting in extra work. Island Breeze, you taught me to keep calm, and enjoy life, with no stress or rush. Heraldry, you reminded me that no matter what happens to any of us, none of us are invincible. Split Mentality, you taught me that in order to achieve your goals, you must be able to stay true to them, even if other pressing matters are at hoof. Corona, you taught me just what it means to be resourceful, using everything you have at your disposal to complete your objective. Midnight and Rusty Sprocket, if it wasn't for you two showing up on the trains when you did, I may not have been able to stay in touch with my dad, Equality. I owe you for that one. Also, congratulations on your engagement. Melody, when I saw you doing your best on the waves, even in your condition, I learned to never give up, not when you have something to prove. Rocket Boost and Woodwind, you two were the first friends I ever made in this world, and we stayed together throughout our school years. It's friends like you that I can count on to be there for me. Cheerilee, I know we don't know each other that well, but you were there for my dad when he was suffering, and it's because of you that he had the courage to take care of me, so thank you for that. Apple Bloom, when I was lost on my way home, you were the one that helped me find my way back, and I can't thank you enough for that. Finally, Dad, you have done more for me than words can explain. Not only were you my father in this world for so many years, but you were also my teacher, and my guide through life. You taught me what love really is, and that devotion to the ones you love is one of the strongest guiding forces in existence. Dad, you're the reason I'm still alive today, and I'll be forever grateful to you." Everypony, including Princess Celestia, was tearing up at Parallel's heartfelt words. Even Crystal Destiny and Sacred Alignment, who had expected her to say something of the sort, started crying.
After Princess Celestia got a hold of herself, she said,
"Parallel, you have touched us all with your pure, honest, heartfelt words. I know that you value each and everypony here more than we could ever understand. Originally, I was going to force you to go back to your home world, since it's where you belong, but I have now learned that you've made so much of a life for yourself in this world, that it would feel wrong to keep you from it. After speaking with your parents, I have determined that if you wish to stay in this world, you can, on one condition."
"What's the condition, Princess?"
"All your memories of your home world will be erased from your mind. You will believe yourself to be from this world, and you will not be able to contact your real family again." Parallel was more than happy to stay in this world, but she couldn't bear the thought of losing her origins.
"What? You mean, if I choose to stay here, I'll never be able to see or hear from my real parents, or anypony from my home world again, and I'll forget they ever existed?"
"I'm sorry, Parallel, but for the sake of protecting two worlds from falling into paradox-induced chaos, any possible link between them must be severed. However, if you decide to return to your home world, you can be with your family, and pick up where you left off in life. This means, however, that you won't be able to see anypony from this world again, either. This does, unfortunately, mean that you won't be able to see Equality, your friends, or anypony else here, and your memories of ever meeting them will have to be erased. I know this sounds like torture, but we cannot risk the possibility of a dimensional paradox."
"Wait, what about the others? I know that whichever world I leave behind, I will forget all about, but what about the ponies in it? I wouldn't want them to forget about me, either. They said it themselves, I've helped them in ways that they couldn't be grateful enough for."
"You're right, and I sympathize for all of you, but we still cannot risk causing a dimensional paradox. After all, even though you were chosen to come into this world, the fact that you did defies the laws of nature. Again, I apologize, but there really is no other way." Suddenly, Crystal Destiny wished to speak.
"Maybe there is a way, Princess Celestia." Parallel grinned, hoping her mother knew of a way to solve her dilemma. "As you said, the fact that Parallel has existed in both worlds is an impossibility. You claim that wiping out her memories of the world she leaves behind, as well as that world's inhabitants' memories of her, would solve everything. However, that would defeat the purpose of her coming to this world in the first place. I agree that the risk of a dimensional paradox is too severe to take, but it would be immoral to remove her entirely from either world. I suggest that only her memories of who she met be erased, but now what she did for them, or what they did for her. That way, everypony learns their lessons, and both worlds are saved from harm." The princess smiled at the foreign mare, wondering how she had not thought of such a compromise herself.
"Very well, Crystal Destiny. In light of this new proposition, I shall preserve Parallel's memories of what she had learned, and what she had done for others." She waved her horn, and cast a spell on Parallel. The glow surrounded her, and suddenly, she froze up, and her eyes each gave off a beam of rainbow light, almost like lasers.
Sacred Alignment, happy to know that Parallel's mission was a success, asked his daughter,
"Well, kid, are you ready to go home now?" Parallel was still indecisive. Before she could say anything, Equality walked up to her, gave her a hug, and said,
"Parallel, you deserve to be the one to decide where you belong. You've been following your own path for as long as I can remember, maybe even before. You went from the lost, aimless little filly I met all that time ago, to this self-assured, strong young mare I see before me now. You've really proven yourself to be a dark horse of sorts." When Parallel heard Equality use the words 'dark horse', they constantly repeated in her head, as if to beckon to her, as she spaced out. "If you wish to return to your home world, I won't try to stop you, but if you decided to stay with us, I couldn't be happier. After all, we're both your family." Equality started breaking into tears, as he continued to hug the only daughter he ever had, and the only family he had left. Parallel shook herself out of her trance, and responded,
"Dad, you don't have to cry for me. I know that I'm the only family you have, but quite frankly, everypony here is family to me." Everypony went silent, as she continued. "Mother, Father, you sent me on this mission because you knew that these ponies needed me. I'm glad to have completed my mission. Dad, and everypony else, you all did wonders for me, most of you even taking care of me at some point. In a way, you're all family to me." Everypony looked at each other, because they knew she was serious. All they could do is smile for her. "Anyway, I've made up my mind. I know who I want to go with." She walked to the family she chose, and as she said goodbye to the other family, with tears flowing from her eyes, everypony left the room. The magic mirror connecting this world to Parallel's home world had disappeared, along with her memories of everypony from the world she left behind.
Epilogue A - Staying Home
Parallel had decided to stay in this world. She was sad that she had to say her final goodbye to her biological parents, but true to what Princess Celestia had said, her memories of her parents, and her home world, had been erased. In Parallel's mind, she now believed that she was a native to this world. As the herd left the castle, each returning home on separate chariots, Parallel still thought about everything she had been through. She could no longer remember the fact that she came from another world, nor could she remember anything about her biological parents, and yet, she still had a subconscious feeling that there were two ponies still watching over her.
On their way home, Parallel asked Equality, now the only father she had known,
"Dad, what do I do now? I've met the stallions that I had seen in the park that day so long ago, I've remembered everything about my past, and I realized that my purpose in life is to just be myself, and be a friend to everypony in Equestria. My mission is complete, and yet I feel like my quest isn't."
"Well, Parallel, I can't tell you what to do next. I mean, I can, but only you can decide what is right for yourself. If you want to stay with me and maybe help out at the school, that would be fine, but if you'd rather continue to travel around Equestria, that's just as fine." She knew that it was entirely her decision just what she wanted to do with her life. For now, she decided to just take life as it comes, and if she were to be inspired to do something or so somewhere, she would do it.
"What about everypony else? Are they just going to go back to their lives as usual?"
"I suppose that's all they really can do. Sure, this was a big moment that everypony had to be here for, but they can't stay by your side forever. And yet, with everything you've done for them, I have a feeling a part of you will be with them for the rest of their lives." Parallel could only smile in reaction, knowing that she had influenced more ponies than most others could ever dream about.
It had been several days since Parallel completed her mission, and everypony had returned to their daily lives, as expected. Jack Bolt was back at his cabin in the White Tail Woods, continuing to work on his lumber. Island Breeze was working on his techniques at his secret surf spot. Heraldry continued to work with diligence at the Canterlot observatory. Split Mentality continued to work toward his dream of being Equestria's best flyer and vigilante justice. Corona was still going around Equestria, giving his lectures about his knowledge. Equality still worked at his humble job as teacher in Ponyville. The only difference for all of them was that Parallel continued to inspire them to succeed, even when she wasn't with them. Jack Bolt took more chances to travel the world, collecting artifacts. Island Breeze perfected the new trick he devised, called the parallel corkscrew. Heraldry discovered a new star for himself, and named it 'Parallel'. Split Mentality, who had been flying faster than ever, finally broke the sound barrier, creating a crimson ring behind him. Corona, now fearless, gave a lecture about how he was able to conquer his fear with the help of a certain friend. Equality, now with an assistant, in the form of Parallel, was able to educate some of Equestria's finest students.
Parallel's other friends from her travels also ended up with happier lives. Midnight and Rusty Sprocket's wedding day came, with Parallel being best mare, and Equality being ring bearer. The two of them decided to leave their homes in their respective countries, and move into a nice, casual home in Ponyville. Cheerilee ended up becoming the new mayor of Ponyville, after Mayor Mare stepped down. Apple Bloom was able to help her family turn Sweet Apple Acres into Equestria's leading source of apples, leaving them rich. Rocket Boost and Woodwind decided to part ways from each other, with Rocket Boost becoming an astronomer in Manehattan, and Woodwind becoming a classical musician. Melody went on to become a famous singer and actress, even starring in the lead role in the biographical film "Shot for Shot: the Life of Photo Finish".
A few years after Parallel completed her mission, she finally reached the age of adulthood, becoming a mare. Equality decided to celebrate by gathering everypony she met on her travels back together, and throwing a party for her. The stallions talked about how far their work had come, Midnight and Rusty Sprocket announced that they were expecting their first foal, Apple Bloom talked about how her family said they're going to enfranchise the Sweet Apple Acres name, Rocket Boost discussed how Manehattan's space program launched a satellite into orbit, Woodwind invited everypony to the opening of his first symphony orchestra, Melody offered everypony tickets to an early screening of her next film, and Cheerilee, or Mayor Cheerilee as she was now known, discussed how she's proposing a holiday in Parallel's name. Even Princess Celestia, who had been enjoying a period of peace in Equestria, decided to attend the party. Everypony was happy to know that the little filly that made their lives so much better was now a full-grown mare, more ready than ever to take on the world. Parallel decided that she would start her quest over again, because she realized that her travels had become her life, and her place in the world was really the world itself. She set off on a train, departing for Manehattan, and the rest of her journey is only known to her. However, rumor has it that she met two new friends, who decided to accompany her on her travels. They say they are twin ponies, one a male pegasus, and the other a female unicorn, which supposedly look like they could be related to her.
Parallel decided to return to her home world, with her biological parents. Before she walked through the mirror, she decided to give her hat and vest to Rocket Boost and Woodwind, because Midnight had given Equality the same clothes back when they were young, and Parallel felt it was only right to do the same for her friends from youth. Equality and Midnight had no objections to this, and Rocket Boost and Woodwind couldn't feel more grateful. After giving her father their last hug together, she smiled back at everypony, and walked through the mirror, which disappeared behind her.
Parallel was now back in the world where she belonged, with her real family. She was surprised to see just how similar this world was to the world she had lived in. Everything looked almost exactly alike. Same buildings, same landmarks, she wasn't sure if this was the same place or not. When she tried to think about her times back in the other world, nothing came to mind. All she could remember is that her purpose in the other world had been fulfilled, and that she had helped out many other ponies. Her mother spoke to her, saying,
"Welcome back, Parallel, to Equestria." Parallel was confused, since the other world was also known as Equestria.
"Uh, what do you mean 'welcome back', and where have I heard that name before?" Her father said,
"That's not important. Anyway, we need to get back home. There are some ponies that wish to speak with you." Parallel walked back with her parents, to their home in Ponyville.
On the way there, Parallel wondered just how long she had been gone. Last thing she remembered was going through a magic mirror, and now she was back. In fact, her memories had been changed to make her believe that everything that she had experienced in the alternate Equestria had actually been some sort of dream that had lasted about six hours or so, rather than six years or so. They finally made it back to their home, and there were five fillies, all about her age. One of them, a green earth pony spoke,
"Hi, I'm Lucky Hummer. I heard about what happened to you. It sounds strange, but I was wondering if you wanted to hang out sometime." Before Parallel could respond, a blue unicorn spoke,
"I'm Windy Tropics. You're, like, so amazing, you know that? I heard what you did, and just wanted to say how awesome that is. Want to hang out sometime soon?" A yellow pegasus spoke next,
"I heard what happened to you. Greetings, my name is Insigne Opulent Lineage, but you can call me Insignia. I'm rather curious about you, and would like to join you sometime." A white pegasus spoke next,
"I'm Divided Mindset. You seem rather interesting. I've been looking for somepony to do something with. You up for it?" Parallel was overwhelmed by all these ponies wanting to be her friend, when the light-blue pegasus spoke,
"My name is Harbor Port. It's a privilege to finally meet you, Parallel. I was looking for somepony smart to discuss my knowledge with. If you're interested, please tell me."
All these ponies felt unfamiliar to Parallel, and yet she couldn't escape the feeling that she had seen all of them somewhere before. After thinking about it for a few minutes, she froze up, and her eyes gave off a rainbow glow. She responded to them all,
"I have an idea. Why don't we all hang out together? We can meet up at the park first thing tomorrow." All five fillies nodded in agreement to her, and Parallel went inside with her parents. As she got into her room, which she was able to find surprisingly quick, she looked into a mirror, and saw a stallion behind her, smiling. This stallion was the same colors as her--black coat, white mane, green-blue eyes and everything. She felt like she had seen this stallion before, so she looked behind her, to see who it was, but nopony was there. She felt like she was going crazy, and yet, she knew that she had never been in more of a sound mind.
The next morning, she walked to Ponyville Park, and she looked for the fillies she saw the day before. She finally found them all talking together in an open field, and as she approached them, they ran to her, each excited to see their new friend. Parallel felt happy, feeling that this was what her mind didn't allow her to remember. Princess Celestia observed them from a distance, saying to herself,
"Welcome back home, Parallel." The princess looked into the sky, as if she wanted to speak with somepony very distant. "Don't worry, Equality, your daughter is back here and just fine." Parallel spaced out, as if she had heard her, but went back to talking to her new friends.
After a few years since Parallel returned to her home world, she and her new friends all reached the age of mares. They each decided to take on different professions. Lucky Hummer moved to the White Tail Woods and became a wood sculptor, Windy Tropics moved to Las Pegasus and became a surfer, Insignia moved to Canterlot and worked at the observatory, Divided Mindset started training to become Equestria's best flyer, and Harbor Port started traveling Equestria, giving lectures about her knowledge, while Parallel stayed in Ponyville, and became the new teacher, after the previous one retired from the position. She was surprised one day when she saw two new students come in, both looking almost exactly like her. A pegasus colt and a unicorn filly, both black-coated and white-maned, like her. She said to them,
"What's your names, little ones?" The colt responded first,
"I'm Corollary." The filly then said,
"My name is Civility."
"Do you two have a home, or parents?" Both shook their heads. "Want to come live with me?" They both happily nodded.
Prologue - The Five Stallions
Parallel's Path
Written by ZekeOfTheFreaks
For MinccinoandEmolga3, who gave me the inspiration I needed to make a second fanfic.
“Not I, nor anyone else can travel that road for you. You must travel it by yourself. It is not far. It is within reach. Perhaps you have been on it since you were born, and did not know. Perhaps it is everywhere - on water and land.”– Walt Whitman
A young filly, of a black coat, white mane, and green-blue eyes was walking into a schoolhouse to start her education. This filly was lost. Not physically, but spiritually. She had no parents, no home, and no reason to keep living except for living's sake. She was young to be starting school, but she had the intelligence of a prodigy. She also already had her cutie mark, despite not knowing why. The class teacher had noticed her, and was quite baffled by how similar she looked to him. Same black coat, same white mane, same green-blue eyes. If he didn't know any better, he'd assume she was his daughter, but the teacher's wife passed away before they could have foals of their own, so he knew this was impossible. He saw how lonely the filly was, so he approached her.
"Excuse me, little one, but what's your name?" he asked the filly.
"M-my name? I'm... Parallel." the filly replied, sensing the teacher's appreciation for her.
"Where's your mommy and daddy?" The filly started weeping. "Oh, is there something wrong?"
"Oh, uh, you see, I don't have any parents. I'm an orphan, and I don't have a home." The teacher was shocked. A filly so young, coming here on her own will, without anypony to care for her. He felt nothing but concern for her.
"What happened to them?"
"I don't really know. I can't remember anything that has happened to me. All I can think of is that they either died or disappeared mysteriously." The teacher was amazed that a filly her age could still be alive after having to fend for herself for who knows how long.
"Well, if you want, you could always live with me. I don't have anypony to live with either." Parallel gave a grin, knowing now that she would finally have somepony to call family.
"Thanks, um, Mr..."
"Mr. Equality. But if you want, you can call me Daddy."
"OK, Daddy." The two hugged, and the class watched as they shared their first moment of bonding. Some were happy to see the two sharing such love, while others, being the immature foals they were, reacted in disgust. Parallel noticed Equality staring out the window, and asked,
"Uh, Daddy, who are you looking at? I don't see anypony out there."
"Oh, it's nothing. Just thinking about my family."
The school day had finished, and Equality had walked Parallel to his home. The filly was feeling pure joy, as she had no idea what it felt like to be in an actual home. She was feeling very hungry, which should come as no surprise, because finding food for herself would have been hard, living on the streets. Equality decided to make her a dandelion sandwich. He had never made food for foals before, but he learned how to make food after his wife passed away. He made the food for Parallel, and she quickly devoured it. Who would have guessed a filly as lonely and sad as her could eat like Twilight Sparkle? The two spent the rest of the evening reading books to each other. They were both highly intelligent, so they could read the most complex books with great ease. Night eventually fell, and Parallel became very sleepy. Equality showed her a room where he said she could sleep. She couldn't be happier to finally have a real bed to sleep in. She got into bed, and smiled at Equality. As she yawned, she said,
"Thanks, Daddy, for taking me in. I know I might seem like some stray filly to you, but I appreciate everything you're doing for me." Equality walked to her, and said with a smile,
"Parallel, I know you're more than just some stray filly. I noticed the sense of emptiness you had in your heart the second I laid eyes on you. I could tell you were alone in this world. You needed somepony to grow up with. Plus, in a way, you remind me of myself when I was your age. I also started school at a young age, and got my cutie mark very early. We also look like we could be father and daughter. We have the same coat, mane, and eye colors. Also, I lost my father before I was born, and my mother passed on when I was just growing up. I know we've only known each other for less than a day, but the fact that we got to meet the way we did, it just feels like fate. I'm sure you think of me as some gift from Celestia, but I feel the same way about you. You're special, Parallel. You're that missing part of my life that I had been desperately searching for, even if I didn't realize it until we met. I love you, Parallel." She was crying tears of joy. She knew there was honesty in his words, and she couldn't feel happier to be with him. He gave the filly a kiss goodnight as he walked out of the room, and she quickly dozed off. His eyes gave off a rainbow glow, and he realized that this filly would be even more significant to him that he could possibly imagine. She was more than just a daughter.
The next morning, Parallel had woken up, feeling quite energetic. She went to find Equality, and found him still sleeping in his bed. As she grinned, she yelled,
"WAKE UP DADDY!" The stallion was startled, as he had never been woken up by an energetic foal before.
"Oh, it's you, Parallel," he said as he sighed in relief. "I almost had a heart attack."
"Oh, sorry, Daddy. I was just wondering, shouldn't you be working today?"
"Ehehe, well, not really. You see, it's the weekend, and school is closed on the weekends." The filly had no idea that school wasn't in session every day, or what day of the week it even was, since she didn't live by a schedule. "But, tell you what, I can take you to the park, just around the corner, and you can play with the other fillies and colts there."
"Oh, that sounds like fun. Can we go now?"
"Well, hold your horses there, Parallel. I just woke up, thanks to you, and I haven't exactly had a chance to freshen up. Come to think of it, neither have you." Indeed, neither of them had even cleaned themselves the night before, they were so caught up getting to know each other. "How about we both freshen up and get something to eat first? I'll take you to the park afterwards." The filly nodded in agreement.
After cleaning themselves and having breakfast that morning, Equality and Parallel walked to the park together. Being the homeless pony she used to be, Parallel had wandered around Ponyville before, and knew her way around town. When the two got there, she had already found a couple of other colts to play with. She dashed to see them, introduced herself, and they started talking. Equality, feeling the sense of pride a father would seeing their child make their first friends, decided to sit on the bench close to him. He heard another pony walking toward him, and he couldn't be happier when he heard their voice.
"Wow! So that's your new daughter, huh?" The female voice beckoned to Equality. He knew who this was.
"Cheerilee? Well, hello. What brings you here?"
"Funny story. One of your students saw me walking by as he went home, and he told me what happened between you and that filly of yours."
"Oh," the stallion chucked, "was it one of the immature ones, or--"
"No, it was one of the happy ones. He told me that you decided to take her in, since she had no home, and I must say, I'm sure that must make her very happy, and your family very proud." Equality remembered seeing his family winking at him out the window back in the schoolhouse.
"Yeah, I guess so."
Parallel had been talking to her new friends for a few hours, when she saw five stallions, two pegasi, two unicorns, and an earth pony, standing in the distance, as if they were all friends. She got up, and tried to walk closer to them. As she finally got a clear view of them, her eyes gave off a rainbow glow. She couldn't help but feel that she would see these five again, she just didn't know when. Equality and Cheerilee, who had been watching her approach them, ran to her, trying to keep her safe. Equality then spoke,
"Whoa there, Parallel. You don't want to talk to ponies you don't know, especially adult ponies." Confused at who the mare standing next to him was, she replied,
"Well then, who's she?"
"Oh, this is Cheerilee. She was my teacher when I was your age. I took over her teaching job after she retired." Happy to meet her, Cheerilee crouched, and raised her hoof to say hello. Parallel responded with her hoof, and they smiled at each other.
"Hello, Ms. Cheerilee." The mare was happy to meet her. Parallel wanted to ask her father about the five stallions. "Hey, Daddy, do you know those five stallions over there?" Equality looked at them, but they did not seem familiar.
"No, Parallel. Why do you ask?" The filly was not sure how to respond without sounding too bold, so she responded bluntly,
"I have to meet them." Surprised by this, Equality sheepishly responded,
"But, Parallel, I don't know who they are. Cheerilee doesn't know them either. Why do you want to meet them all of a sudden?"
"It's just... well... I sensed a, how do I say this, a connection of some sort when I saw them up close. I feel like they will be a big part of my life." This sounded absurd to the two adult ponies, but Equality didn't want to turn down his daughter's first request.
"Alright, I'll walk you to them. Stay with me, and I'll talk to them." The filly agreed to this. Cheerilee also decided to tag along. The three started walking to the stallions, but as they got about halfway there, all five started to leave. The two pegasi flew away, the unicorns had used magic to teleport away, and the earth pony ran off. The filly was very disappointed.
"Aww, and we were so close, too." The filly started moping, and almost started to get tears in her eyes.
"I'm sorry, Parallel," Equality replied, "but, you know, now that I've seen them up close myself, I have a feeling that you'll be seeing them again, I just know it." The filly was sure that he knew what he was talking about, so she dried her eyes, and smiled. Suddenly, the two colts she was playing with came to her, and one of them said,
"Hey, Parallel, we're heading home." The filly didn't want to see them go, but knew she had no choice.
"OK, bye guys. Bye Rocket Boost. Bye Woodwind." Suddenly, the two colts looked at Equality, and recognized them. Rocket Boost said,
"Mr. Equality? Wow, nice to see you here. I see she's with you." Feeling awkward, since he failed to recognize two of his own students at first, he responded,
"Oh yeah. Rocket and Woody. You two sit in the front of my class. You're heading out?"
"Yeah, we gotta go home. It's nice to see you. You too, Parallel." Woodwind responded, as the two walked off with their parents.
"Well, what do you know. You're only in school for a day, and you've already made some friends. Great for you, Parallel." Cheerilee commented.
"Oh, thanks."
"Well then, I think we should get going. It's almost lunchtime." Parallel hadn't even realized how hungry she had felt. The same went for the two adult ponies.
"Hey, Ms. Cheerilee, could you join us for lunch? It would be a great chance for me to get to know more about you."
"Well, I don't really have any big plans for the rest of the day, and I am getting hungry. Tell you what, since you two are doing so well, I'll treat all three of us to lunch." The father and daughter were happy to hear this, especially since Equality realized he forgot his wallet. The three walked to the nearest restaurant, and enjoyed the time they spent together, as well as their meal. Cheerilee left to go back home, as did Equality and Parallel. When they got home that evening, Parallel asked her father,
"Daddy, remember how you said that I'm going to see those stallions again?"
"Oh yeah, I did say that/"
"And you know how I don't really have any memory of anything before we met?"
"How could I forget that?"
"Well, I know what I want to do with my life now. You see, when I saw those five stallions, I think I had some sort of vision of the future. I saw myself grown up, although not as big as you, and they were all standing with me, but I couldn't make out what they were saying. I feel like, if I get the chance to travel the world, I will in fact get to see them again."
"That sounds like a great idea, Parallel. But, you're kinda young to be going off on such a journey. However, I can sense your ambition to see them again. Tell you what, if you can stay in school for a few more years, I promise I'll let you go out and see the world. Who knows? Maybe by doing so, you'll learn something about where you came from." The filly knew this meant she'd have to wait until she grew up a bit more, but in her vision, she did seem a bit older, so she agreed to this. For the next six years, she lived with Equality, and the two worked together to allow her to grow up to be the strong, smart mare she needed to be in order to go out on such a journey.
Chapter 6 - The Truth Behind the Quest
As they had been told by the conductor, Parallel, Rusty Sprocket and Midnight had been on a train ride to the Crystal Empire that could take them at least 3 days. It was up to them to decide how they would spend their time on the train, as the only thing that would be provided for them is food and drinks; anything else had to be self-supplied. Parallel occupied herself with figuring out just what all these memories she had recovered meant for her. Rusty Sprocket practiced his magic, as he realized that he has put too much of his magic efforts into medicine. Midnight spent most of her time thinking about all the friends she had made, especially Equality, who was her best friend throughout school.
It was about midday the morning of departure, and the two adult ponies had already started to become well-acquainted with each other. Parallel was in her cabin, in deep contemplation, so they didn't want to disturb her. Rusty Sprocket asked Midnight,
"So, how did you meet up with Parallel?"
"Actually, that's an interesting story. I was in Ponyville, trying to catch a train to Vanhoover, and I was told that the next one would connect from the White Tail Woods to Vanhoover. The train straight there wouldn't arrive for a few more days, and I needed to get there as soon as possible, so I decided to take the connecting train. It was when I boarded that I saw Parallel, and she reminded me of an old friend, who turned out to be her father. She was writing a letter to him, when I offered to mail it to him, since I remembered his address from when we were in school. It turns out that we were both on the same train quite a few times, giving me the chance to mail letters of hers three times. She really cares about her father, as I could tell by what she had written."
"It sounds like you two really got along when you met up. That's really nice to hear."
"Well, how did you meet up with Parallel?"
"That's actually kind of a funny story. I had taken a temporary job as a bus driver in Las Pegasus. She was on her way to the Equestria Surf Classic, when I pulled up in front of her. We talked a bit, but didn't really get into many details. I have to say, she's quite polite for a filly her age. Anyway, we met up again back in Canterlot, where I was on my way to my aunt's house, trying to deliver an illness remedy I had made. I do have a knack for making remedies with my magic, which you'd probably never guess considering my main profession is being a mechanic in Manehattan. I also ended up mailing a couple letters for Parallel, oddly enough." The mare marveled at how similar their encounters with Parallel had been.
"You know, I wonder if we've ever met before?"
"I don't think so. I really don't recognize you from anywhere else."
"I'm just asking because, well, I feel like our meeting was just meant to be."
"Now that you mention it, I'm kinda feeling the same way, too." The two adult ponies continued to talk for a few hours. They soon realized that they really liked each other. Rusty Sprocket eventually asked,
"You know, when we get to the Crystal Empire, you want to do something together? Like a date or something?"
"Well, I'm not taken at the moment, so why not?" The two then smiled at each other.
While Rusty Sprocket and Midnight were talking, Parallel was thinking about just what her past was like. She had already remembered a few important factors, such as what her parents looked like, the foretelling of bringing 6 ponies together, the fact that she comes from another world, and the fact that she was to be taken care of by six different stallions. The rest of her mind was still foggy, but she sensed a connection between all these events. She thought to herself,
"What if my purpose in Equestria has already been set in stone? Am I meant to just keep going on this journey forever? Will I stop after meeting up with the last stallion again? Do I even belong here in this world? I mean, I come from another world, as I was able to remember, but what happened to my parents? Did they really die, or was that just something programmed into my mind just so I could follow this path? Also, why do I get the feeling that I'm not exactly the pony I used to be? This is just so much to think about, and I now have more questions than answers." Parallel had been so occupied with her own thought process, by the time she had come back to reality, it had already been nightfall. She went out to see if Rusty Sprocket and Midnight were still out, but they had each gone back to their own cabins. Parallel was feeling sleepy, and yet, despite having nothing to eat since breakfast that morning, she had no appetite. She decided to just go to bed, and maybe have a more positive outlook in the morning.
That night, Parallel had a dream that changed her outlook on the rest of her quest. She found herself walking alone through a magical hallway. Along the hallway were several doors. Each door she opened showed her meeting up with each of the ponies she had befriended on her travels so far. She came to one door at the end, which wouldn't open. There was a note on it that said,
"Go to the other side. White door. You must go in there first." Parallel had no other ideas for what to do next, so she decided to do so. She found the lone white door on the other side of the hallway. She saw two familiar ponies. In fact, she recognized them immediately. They were none other than her own biological parents. She had never felt happier to see anypony. She walked up to them, and said,
"Mother, Father, is that you?" The mare spoke, followed by the stallion.
"Crystal Destiny would be my name. Hello, my daughter."
"You do remember me, Sacred Alignment, after all this time. It's great to see you, Parallel." The filly was nothing short of ecstatic. She had finally seen her real parents again. She asked for a hug, which she received from both of them. Crystal Destiny then said,
"I'm sure you have some questions about your past, before you met with Equality."
"Oh, do I ever. I've been confused about a lot of things. Like, for example, are you two still alive?"
"Yes, we are. You don't have to worry about us. We're completely fine. We just had to make you think we had passed in order for you to fulfill your purpose in this world."
"Wait, my purpose? You mean, I am here for a reason?" Her father replied,
"Yes, you are. However, we cannot tell you what that purpose is. For you to fulfill it, you have to discover what that purpose is for yourself. As long as you keep on your current path, and follow your instinct, you will find it soon enough."
"Wait, how about my other memories? Like the fact that I was to bring some ponies together, or that I would be taken care of by six of them? And what about everything that has happened to me in this world, including all my fortunate encounters?" Her mother replied,
"It was all pre-determined. If you recall, you also did something special for each of the ponies you have met so far. Equality needed a family member to keep his sanity in check, and you appeared. Jack Bolt needed to finish his work, and you assisted him. Island Breeze needed to be reminded of his younger self, and you did. Heraldry needed somepony to tell his story to, and you were there. Split Mentality needed assistance with his friend Melody, and you appeared. You're also going to be needed in the Crystal Empire, we just cannot say how."
"I see. Still, what do Midnight and Rusty Sprocket have to do with all this? What's their role in this quest?" Her father replied,
"That's the most important part. You see, the stallion you came to know as your father, Equality, was the one in most need of assistance. He grew up experiencing nothing but misfortune. His loved ones had all passed on, and he was alone in this world. His spark was reignited when, as if by fate, the one pony left that cared for him, the mare you know as Ms. Cheerilee, told him what he means to her. He still felt empty inside, though, despite his new positive outlook on life. You were the one pony from our world that seemed most like a daughter of his, so that's how you were chosen. By sending you to meet up with him, with no prior memory of any events before, it was made as if you were a lost filly just living on the streets. He adopted you, as we had hoped he would, and he finally had that one thing he needed to be truly happy. This is where Midnight and Rusty Sprocket come in. Midnight had already befriended Equality in their youth, so when you showed up on the train with her, the fact that she mailed your letters to him kept you two tethered. However, when she had personal business to take care of, another pony had to fill her place. This was when Rusty Sprocket came into play. He had already met you back in Las Pegasus, so he could be the one to keep you tied to your father." Now realizing that her entire quest so far had been foretold, she felt aimless. She said,
"Well, what does that mean for everypony I've met? When my purpose here is fulfilled, will I return to our world?" Her mother replied,
"If you want to find out that answer, go to the door on the other side. It will give you your answer. However, if you choose to do so, this door will be locked, and we will be finished talking." The filly, wanting to speak more, but realizing she must find out the rest for herself, gave her parents one last hug, and a smile as she walked out.
Parallel closed the door behind her, and walked to the other side. She was now able to open the previously locked door, and inside she saw nothing but two pedestals. Each had text written on it. The one on the left said,
"You can choose this path, and you will be allowed to stay in the world you live in today. You can be with your new friends and family. However, you will be unable to return to your native world, and your memories will be altered to make you believe you came from this world." She was tempted to pick this, as she had grown to love her new father, and she was still feeling gratitude for everything the stallions she met had done for her. She then read the pedestal on the right.
"You can choose this path, and return to your home world, as if nothing had ever changed. Your memories will be altered to make you believe you spent your life in your home world. Your friends and family in this world will forget they ever met you, but the circumstances they have faced will be the same." The other path was tempting as well, as she did want to know more about her home world. She knew that, regardless of which path she chose, either her home world or this world will entirely forget her, and vice versa, but she would have a normal life either way. There was a sign in the middle of the two pedestals. It read,
"You had a vision when you were young. The path you take will begin when you reach the point your vision foretold." She knew the vision the sign was referring to. It was her vision of meeting up with the six stallions. Her eyes then gave off another rainbow glow. The vision now showed more. Not only were the six stallions there, but also Princess Celestia, Mignight, Rusty Sprocket, Melody, and her parents, as well as all the other ponies she befriended in Equestria. She could see them speaking, but not hear anything. Suddenly, she heard a voice beckoning to her. She couldn't recognize whose it was, but it said,
"You can choose a path now, or you can reserve your decision for another time. Either way, there will come a time when you must choose. Which will it be?" Parallel had been overwhelmed with this information, so she decided to save it for the future. As the pedestals disappeared, everything around her went bright. The next thing she saw was herself, back in the train, still in her bed. However, she had no memory of anything she had experienced in her dream. Despite this, she still felt like her questions had been answered, even if she couldn't remember what the answers were. She smiled, got out of bed, put on her vest and hat, and walked out to greet Midnight and Rusty Sprocket.
Parallel saw the two talking to each other in the dining car. The two of them, who looked surprised to see her, were having breakfast together. Parallel responded,
"What's up with you two? You're acting like you've seen a ghost or something." Midnight replied,
"The thing is, we kinda thought we were. You see, you've been asleep for the past two days." Parallel laughed at this, thinking she was joking, but Rusty Sprocket commented,
"It's true. You were asleep for a long time. You hadn't come out of your cabin in so long, we thought something terrible happened to you. We went inside to check, and you were still sleeping. We thought you were in some sort of coma, and didn't want to disturb you, so we just left you alone."
"You mean, for the past two nights, I was out cold? I must have had some dream." Suddenly, her stomach growled profusely. "Wow, being asleep for so long really makes you hungry. Is it too late for me to order something?" Midnight replied,
"We thought you might be hungry after all that sleeping, so we ordered you a plate of apple & cinnamon swirls. In fact, here it comes now." A waiter had delivered the food to their table. What was presented looked absolutely delicious to the filly. She was still in public, so she restrained herself from scarfing it down right in front of everypony, but she cherished every bite she had.
"You know, Midnight, Rusty, you two really are great ponies for ordering this for me. By the way, what are you two doing together anyway?" The stallion replied,
"Well, we've been talking, and we decided that we're going to move in together when we get back. I've been meaning to sell my home in Manehattan, anyway, and Midnight has a place in Ponyville, and since we both ended up here because we met up with you at some point, we thought we could be great friends."
"Oh, so you're, like, a couple now?" Midnight replied,
"We'll see. We haven't exactly been on a first date yet." Rusty Sprocket chuckled, and Parallel smiled, feeling happy for them. She responded,
"Well, we are going to the Crystal Empire. Why not find someplace there to go out?" They replied together,
"That's our plan."
It had been about ten minutes since Parallel had woken up, and she could see a beautiful looking castle in the distance. The conductor announced,
"We will be arriving in the Crystal Empire shortly, passengers. Make sure you have all of your belongings with you. We estimate about 15 minutes before we arrive. Thank you for riding with us." The filly was now more excited than ever. After being on a train for 3 days, despite sleeping through most of it, she'd finally arrive in the place she knew the last stallion would be located. Her quest was about to be finished, and she was feeling more anticipation than ever. She could only guess what the Crystal Empire would be like at this point, but she could never imagine just how resourceful she'd turn out to be at her next destination.