//-------------------------------------------------------// Tributes -by Vybe- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// Un-Easy Welcome //-------------------------------------------------------// Un-Easy Welcome "Here goes nothing." I said to myself. A sudden mystical white aura surrounded me before erupting into a flash of light. "I-it worked!" I shouted. I celebrated my success quietly before realising I had no idea where I was. "Hey, you!" an unfamiliar voice called out. "Oh, um, h-hello." "I haven't seen you around here. W-what’s your name?" the mare asked. "Well, uh,” I mumbled, “that’s because I'm not from h-here. I don't even know where here is!" The young mare looked at me with puzzled eyes. "What do you mean you don't know where here is? Look around you!" "W-well yo-you see, I'm new to this magic stuff. I-I'm Vybe." "Nice to meet you Vybe,” she said with large greeting smile, “my name is Midnight, Midnight Melody." Looking around the room the first thing I noticed was the many books adorning the walls, all shapes and sizes, every colour and spine cover you could think of. Then I saw the desks and chairs, and there was a blackboard at the front of the room. It was almost like a classroom except it was somehow different, there was some unique feeling to it. I finally worked up the nerve and asked again, "Where am I?" All she did was giggle, in a sort of cute kind of way. "I'm serious I have no idea where I am!" I said, the frustration building in me. "You really don't, do you?" She was interrupted by a small blue and white dragon running into the room. "Midnight! Midnight!" the baby dragon shouted. Midnight sighed. "Yes Sapphire, what is it?" "Luna! Princess Luna has another assignment for you!" she squawked. "T-t-the P-Princess Luna?" I stuttered out with sudden realisation. "Of course! This is Princess Celestia’s castle. You’re in the magic kindergarten" she said with a smile. Hearing those words come out of her mouth almost froze my heart solid. ‘Princess Celestia’s castle!’ my mind screamed at me. “Oh dear. Oh god. This is bad. This is so very bad. I’m going to be killed. The guards will kill me. I’m dead. I’m a dead pony.” I rambled. "Come with me to see Luna! She will understand what happened and will be able to fix everything up!" Midnight proclaimed. "Y-you expect me t-t-to ask N-Nightmare M-M-Moon for help?" I shivered with fear. "Yes." She quickly grabbed my hoof and we were teleported directly in front of Princess Luna. I don't quite know what happened, but I froze. Didn't talk, didn't move, almost stopped breathing for a while. Midnight bowed but I couldn't, fear was in control of my body. "Rise my student, you are not required to bow on an informal occasion such as this." Luna's voice was like a thunderstorm inside of my chest. "Luna, this is my new friend Vybe, he’s lost." Her voice penetrated my fear. "A-Actually, I'm not lost, I-I just have n-no way of getting out without being destroyed by the guards" i said, still trembling in Luna's presence. Luna looked at me, puzzled. “How did you get in? Cannot you not do the same to get back out?" Again, upon being addressed, I snapped out of my frozen stupor and responded "Well, I teleported. I'm still learning so it takes a lot of effort. I didn't know I was going to teleport here though! I can't really control it yet, but now that I’m here I haven't got enough magic in me to get back out" Luna looked at me with wide eyes. "Don't be silly, you don't even have a horn." she chuckled. "No, but I have these." I lifted my front hoof up to reveal two thin hooflets. Luna’s eyes inexplicably opened wider as she muttered to herself “Are those th- no. No, no they can't be." Midnight dropped to her knees and begun examining the hooflets. "Wow! This is amazing! I’ve never seen anything like it!  I didn't even know something like this existed!" she said as she bounced up and down excitedly. Luna herself dropped to her knees and peered closely at them. “I know exactly what these are. My sister Celestia has one herself, they are Tributes." "T-tributes?" Midnight and I say almost in sync. "You see, some unicorns, like my sister and I, are granted with special powers to help Equestria, and although we are immortal and unable to die from old age, there are certain occasions where we are required to give our lives in order to save Equestria. Before we can do that, we must transfer our powers to an item to keep them from falling into the wrong hands.” She explained. "My sisters necklace is the Tribute of our mother. What you have here is the Tribute of a god, or someone with godlike powers.” "Now how in Equestria did you end up with a tribute?" Midnight asked me. I began to understand what had happened. Why I, out of everypony else, was trusted with this power. ‘Was it fate? Or coincidence?’ I thought to myself as I realised what I got myself into.