Chapters Who Your True Friends Are
Who Your True Friends Are
Written by ZekeOfTheFreaks
Have you ever experienced a connection with someone you met online, one that tells you that you know you'll meet them someday? That has happened to me. Five times to be exact. I've experienced something almost unbelievable, something that would probably only happen in the most bizarre of fanfics.
I was watching a marathon of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic episodes on my computer, while chatting with five of my friends from Facebook on my phone. Their names are Krys, Mathew, Anthony, Dallas, and Bradley. We often refer to each other using our OCs' names: Krystal Vaportrail for Krys, Visual Spectrum for Mathew, Aqua Flare for Anthony, Sabre Silversmith for Dallas, Regal Shadows for Bradley, and Source Code for me. We decided to name our group the Sacred Six, as if we were some sort of counterpart to the Mane 6 from the show. But when we each represent one of the elements of harmony from the show, who can blame us? I have the principle that honesty is the best policy, Anthony loves to make jokes and cause laughter, Dallas is loyal to our group no matter what, Bradley has a magical personality (plus a soft spot for unicorns), Krys is one of the kindest people I have ever talked to, and Mathew's generosity knows no bounds. It came to the point where I even made a 3D picture of our OCs with rainbow powers, and it has received a lot of attention.
But I have digressed enough.
I fell asleep while watching the marathon, and a few hours later, a sudden lightning storm came over me and woke me up. I looked out my window to see what had happened, and saw the lightning. I rushed to my bathroom to check the time, because I left my watch in there after I took a shower earlier, and my watch was still downstairs, and as I looked in the mirror after checking the time, another lightning bolt flashed, only this one came very close to my window. I had always been terrified of lightning, so I passed out from fear the second I saw it.
Who Your True Friends Are
When I came to, I was in another home. In fact, it appeared to be a condo of sorts. That's not the strange part, though. Since I did put my watch on before witnessing the second lightning bolt, I looked at my wrist to check the time, only I didn't see my wrist, rather I saw a hoof. I knew what this meant right away, but my mind wouldn't allow me to process this without seeing more evidence to my theory. I stood up, or at least tried to before going on my hands and feet, or hooves as it were, and walked into the bathroom. That's when I saw myself, or rather, my OC in the mirror. True to the theory I had devised upon waking up, I had become my OC, Source Code.
In any other circumstance, I would have loved being turned into a pony and sent to live in Equestria, but the way these events unfolded, it was nothing short of panic-inducing. I turned to my side, and saw that everything I had imagined about my OC's appearance had been correct. Same mane and tail style and color, the eyes were perfect, the coat color was spot-on, even the cutie mark was impressively similar. I was still wearing my watch, so the next thing I thought was whether I could use it to travel through time and across Equestria. I tapped on my watch, and true to my stories and RP experiences, my watch responded to me with a robotic voice, saying,
"Good morning, Source Code. What can I do for you?" It was mind-blowing what I had just realized. Not only did I look exactly like my OC, but even the name was the same. As soon as I could, I replied with a sheepish voice,
"Nothing right now, TATTHoW."
"That's quite alright. Let me know if you need anything." I tapped it again. It was almost too good to be true. I had literally become my OC. My next thought was that I had to have my glasses, hat and vest somewhere in this home. Just like in the human world, I couldn't see very well without my glasses, but luckily I saw some rectangular frames right at my hoof on the bathroom sink. I tried them on, and they were my exact prescription. As I held in my shock, I walked into the living room, and saw a dark blue vest and black cowboy hat hanging on a coat rack. I tried them on, and when I went back to the bathroom to look in the mirror, needless to say it was like looking into a picture of my OC from the human world. When I went into the kitchen to grab something to eat (I was hungry after all), I noticed a letter on the table, and it was addressed to Source Code from Las Pegasus. I was dumbfounded. I thought for sure that if this did ever happen I'd have at least one thing wrong about my OC, and with location being the only thing left, I thought I'd be in Ponyville, Manehattan, Fillydelphia or at least somewhere besides Las Pegasus. Anyway, I opened the letter, assuming it was intended for me, and inside was an invitation to the Summer Sun Celebration in Ponyville, and it was signed by Princess Celestia. I figured that if I go there, maybe the Mane 6 would be able to answer my questions that I still had, like how did I get here, why am I here, or how do I get back?
I tapped on my watch again, and as I expected, it said,
"What is it, Source Code?"
"I'd like to go to Ponyville. Town Square."
"Very well then, just imagine the town square, tap on the blue button, and you'll be there." I did just that. I closed my eyes, thought about every instance of seeing Town Square in the show, pressed the button that popped up, and when I opened my eyes, there I was.
Who Your True Friends Are
I'm now standing right in front of town square in Ponyville. I look around to see if any ponies from the show are around. Oddly, not one of them is in sight. I'm thinking that maybe they're out in another town, or something, until I walk into town hall, looking for Mayor Mare, and she's nowhere to be seen. In fact, nopony at all was inside the building. I found it peculiar that, today of all days, when the Summer Sun Celebration was coming soon, that at least Ponyville's mayor would be seen inside. I didn't let this bother me too much, as I had no way of knowing whether this was a dream or not. I decided to keep on looking through town, because I knew that someone like me wouldn't be sent to Equestria without a reason for it.
I was walking along the dirt road, and I saw a gray pegasus stallion flying overhead. One thing about him that really caught my eye was that he was wearing a black vest. Nopony I knew ever wore a black vest, except for Aqua Flare, my friend Anthony's OC. I thought that if I had come here, maybe my other friends from the chat session on Facebook did as well. I yelled out,
"Hey, Aqua Flare, it's me, Source Code!" The stallion turned around, and looked at me. He responded,
"Hey! Uh, I don't think I know you." I was unnerved by the fact that Aqua Flare didn't recognize me, as Anthony and I had shown each other our OCs on multiple occasions. I even created Aqua Flare's cutie mark back in the human world, and I could tell this was the right stallion because his cutie mark was the same golden mask that I sent Anthony.
"Don't you remember me, Aqua Flare? I'm Source Code. We always talk online back in the hu--"
"Nope, don't remember you. When somepony like me, who can be found everywhere, doesn't know somepony, it's probably because we never met." I couldn't help but think to myself that maybe he was telling the truth. If Aqua Flare is here in Equestria, but doesn't remember me, then it's possible the other four are in the same situation. "Also, what do you mean by 'online'?"
"Never mind," I reply. "Just tell me, where is Ponyville's mayor, and for that matter, where are Twilight and the rest of her friends?"
"They should be in town. Have you been there?"
"I just came from there. None of them are there."
"That's strange. Anyway, you still haven't told me how you know me." At this point, I was almost certain that either Anthony's Aqua Flare and this Aqua Flare are different ponies (even with identical appearances), or my friends all came here the same way, and they all got amnesia, but I didn't. I figured there was no use telling him about the human world, so I just made something up to not arise suspicion.
"I just heard from somepony in my hometown of Las Pegasus that you tell quite the funny jokes. Is that true?"
"Funny jokes? I figured you were just a fan of mine. Come to Sugarcube Corner in about half an hour. I'm doing stand-up there." I nodded, and he flew off. Since I had some time to kill, I figured I could keep walking around, and maybe find one of my other friends.
Who Your True Friends Are
After meeting up with Aqua Flare, I decided to take a trot around town. I noticed that the town seemed surprisingly empty, considering how many houses there were around here. I did see one pony, or rather heard one pony playing drums in a small house right by the Golden Oak Library Memorial (apparently, my theories about the tree simply regenerating into the castle were proven false), and when I looked inside the house, I saw a familiar unicorn playing a hardcore solo. It felt like I was listening to a song by Judas Priest, or something like that. Anyway, I knocked on the front door, and the unicorn opened the door almost immediately with his magic. When I took a closer look at the unicorn, there wasn't a doubt in my mind who this stallion was. It was Regal Shadows. My theory that all my friends are here was starting to be proven true. The stallion asked me,
"How can I help you?" Being the optimist I am, I believed that maybe it was only Aqua Flare who wouldn't recognize me. I responded,
"You're Regal Shadows, right? My name is Source Code. I believe we've met before." He looked clueless.
"Yeah, I'm Regal Shadows, but I don't remember meeting you before." Regal didn't remember me either, just like Aqua. Then again, I didn't know much about Bradley in the human world either, so I just assumed that Aqua was just a fluke, and this one was meant to be. I was still thinking about that drum solo that he performed, and I just had to ask him,
"How did you learn to drum like that?"
"Oh, it's just a hobby."
"A hobby ? Dude, you can't just call something that impressive a hobby. You must devote your life to that."
"Actually, I devote my life to something else."
"Oh? What is it?"
"Well, you seem like a pony I can trust. If I show you my bedroom, do you promise not to tell anypony else what you see?" He seemed like he had been wanting to confess a secret to somepony for a while now, and the fact that he found me trustworthy made me believe he might be starting to remember me, so I walked with him into his bedroom.
What I saw inside proved that he was, in fact, the same Regal Shadows that Bradley had created back in the human world. There were posters of Trixie everywhere , with a few of Rarity and Allie Way scattered in between. I didn't know what to say without offending Regal, so I just asked,
"You really have a thing for Trixie don't you?"
"Yeah. I was standing in the back when Trixie was showing her skills to everypony in town, but then Twilight had to come in and ruin everything not once, but twice . I know Trixie's great and powerful, so I'll always remain devoted to her." Normally I'd find this kind of obsession creepy, but I'm not one to talk, since I'm in love with Fluttershy.
"How about the other unicorns?"
"Well, I'm proud of my species. I have to make sure my magic is at its strongest. I guess I use my drumming as an outlet for my magic to gain power." That statement would certainly explain how his solo sounded like Painkiller by Judas Priest.
"That's understandable. Personally, I'm proud of my species as well. I don't have posters all over my room back home, though, but whatever helps keep you sane."
"Still, you promise not to tell anypony?" I remembered how there were multiple instances where a Pinkie Promise was used in the show, so I said,
"Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." I did the hoof movements that go along with it as well.
"How do you know about the Pinkie Promise? You're not from around here."
"Just call it a hunch." Regal stared at me, as if he was wondering just who I am. "Anyway, I need to get going. Got some other ponies to meet up with."
"Oh, can you come back later? I have another solo that I'm working on, and was hoping for an audience."
"I'll be sure to." He smiled at me, and I found my way out the door. I got back on the dirt road, and was back on my way, still with time to kill.
Who Your True Friends Are
I was back on the dirt road, and in an empty part of town. Not a home in sight, and still no ponies around to talk to. It's places like this that really get me thinking about whatever possibly comes to mind. Not a person (or pony) in sight, an open field, and I'm alone with my thoughts. I was starting to wonder if maybe this whole experience was a test of some sort, and yet I feared that if it was, and I overthought it, my purpose might have been compromised, and I'd suddenly wake up back home. But who can blame me? I had just seen two of my friends from the human world in Equestria, and they had no clue who I am.
I decided to take my mind off of this by watching the clouds. I noticed that they had been configured into an unusual pattern. The way they were arranged, they appeared to be some sort of obstacle course, or even a gauntlet of sorts. It was then that a pony flew right past me, and it sounded like a jet engine of sorts. How could a pony fly like a jet? I took a look at the figure that flew by. A royal blue streak was all I saw. The jet sound, the blue color, the fact that this figure could fly, I knew this could only be Sabre, my friend Dallas' OC. My theory was confirmed when I saw a sword falling from the sky.
I ran to retrieve the sword, and picked it up with my mouth when I got there (I would have used my hands, but my reasons were obvious). I yelled out to the pony high above,
"Hey! You dropped this!" The blue stallion came shooting down like a bullet, and saw me with the sword when he touched down. I knew it was Sabre because his blue and silver mane, coupled with his mech wings made him distinct from other ponies.
"Thank you, sir," he said. "Could you place that in my sheath?" I did just that. "I should introduce myself. My name is Sabre Silversmith." Judging by the introduction, I assume that he believed we had never met, so I replied,
"I'm Source Code." We shook hooves, and I asked, "What are you doing up there anyway?"
"I'm training to become Equestria's greatest warrior. It's been my dream since I was a little colt." I had read Dallas' bio about Sabre only a few days prior to all these events, and so far he fit the description. "That gauntlet I designed is perfect practice. Nothing but the most difficult of pieces up there." I couldn't see what exactly was up there, but if I know Sabre, there were targets, mannequins, and dangerous weapons all over.
"Anything I can do to help?"
"Maybe later. I'm having a time trial later on, and need somepony to keep time for me. I can rent a balloon for you, and you can time me."
"Sounds perfect. I'll come back later for your trial. I'd like to see what you can do anyway."
"Then it's settled. See you in an hour?" I nodded, and he shot straight back up. He came straight back, and quickly said,
"Oh, and take this sword to the studio down the road. I hear there's a stallion who lives there that can make some improvements to it." He gave me a sheathed sword, with a saddle strap to keep it in. "Thanks." He then shot straight back up. I kept trotting along the dirt path, still with time on my hooves, and now a sword in tote.
Who Your True Friends Are
I took Sabre's advice and kept trotting down the dirt road, looking for a studio on my way. It was at this moment that I realized a pattern in meeting my friends in Equestria. First I saw Aqua Flare, then Regal Shadows, and I just talked to Sabre Silversmith. This was very similar to episode 1 of the show, where Twilight met Pinkie Pie (or at least saw her), then made it to Sweet Apple Acres to meet Applejack, and then met up with Rainbow Dash along the road. Their elements are, respectively, magic, laughter, honesty, and loyalty. In my Sacred Six group, I'm honesty, Anthony is laughter, Bradley is magic, and Dallas is loyalty. Besides my element and Bradley's being switched, this was almost exactly like the episode. I then realized I was overthinking things again, and shook myself out of my thoughts.
I finally came to a small studio at the edge of town. When I looked inside, I saw a blonde-maned unicorn stallion, and heard him humming "Art of the Dress." Judging by his appearance, and his somewhat high-pitched vocal tone, this could only be Visual Spectrum, Mathew's OC. I knocked on the front door, and he opened it with his magic. His rainbow cutie mark assured me it was him, but I played it cool to avoid compromising any test that this might be. I looked around the studio, and marveled at what I saw. All the decor inside was nothing short of artistic. Modernism, abstract, cubism, tessellations, everything artistic in sight and I was too captured to say a word. The unicorn came to me and asked,
"Is there something I can help you with?" His vocal inflection matched that of Rarity almost perfectly. I snapped out of my admiration, and responded,
"Sorry. Let me introduce myself. I'm Source Code. I came here hoping you could fix this sword I have with me. A friend told me you could make improvements to anything."
"Oh. Well, show me it, and I'll see what I can do." I nodded, and unsheathed the sword. Now I hadn't seen what was inside that sheath, and didn't know what it would look like, but what came out shocked me. The sword was nicked, dulled, tarnished, even chipped in some spots. The unicorn lifted the sword with his magic, his horn glowed, and within seconds, the sword was made into an impressive blade. Lighter, shinier, and even more durable. I held it in my mouth, and it felt so great. I knew Sabre would love it. This unicorn's creation magic was so impressive, I had no doubt in my mind that it was him.
"Hey, just curious, would you happen to be Visual Spectrum?"
"Yes. How did you know?" Of course, this meant he didn't remember me either, just like the others.
"I heard a rumor about how creative you are. Is it true you can create anything at will?" He didn't look very confident when he responded, but he said,
"Well, not everything . Only things involving crafting in some way."
"You think you can make a saddlebag for me? This strap for the sword is kinda uncomfortable." Visual's horn glowed, and a saddlebag appeared on my back, and the color went well with my glasses, as a bonus. "I love it!"
"You really do?"
"Of course. Anyway, how much do I owe you?"
"Well, it's your first time here, so no charge." That kind of generosity could only have come from Visual Spectrum. I thanked him for his services, and asked,
"Do you know of any pegasi that live anywhere near here?"
"I saw a pink one flying overhead earlier this morning."
"Perfect! Thanks, Visual." I waved goodbye, and I left the studio, because I knew that the last of my online friends had to be somewhere close.
Who Your True Friends Are
Visual never did tell me how I could possibly find the last of my friends, but with hopes that I would find them, I was back on the road. I trotted around town, and saw the Everfree Forest in the distance. I ran toward its direction, and came across Fluttershy's cottage. Now, I hadn't even been in Equestria for a day, so I wasn't accustomed to being a pony, rather than a brony, so my feelings of love for Fluttershy overtook me, and I rushed to the cottage, and knocked on the door, only to get no response. How could everypony from the show be gone, and only my friends' OCs and I be present? I did notice a note on the door, written in very beautiful scripture,
"I'll be taking care of your home and animal friends while you're away. Don't worry about a thing. - Krystal" I remember Krys mentioning that she tends to act like Fluttershy at times, so I figured she must show up here at some point.
I waited for a few minutes, and soon enough, I saw a pink pegasus mare flying toward me. When they came closer, their blue and yellow mane, along with their medical book cutie mark proved to me that this was the last of my friends. She saw me at the door, and said,
"You must be here to help Fluttershy, too. That's nice of you." Her voice seemed slightly deep for a mare, but she certainly looked feminine, so I didn't judge.
"Actually I was about to leave. Would you happen to be Ms. Krystal Vaportrail?" She seemed flattered to hear that I knew her name.
"Yes, that's me. Who are you, sir?" It was official. None of my friends remembered me. Sure I was sad about that, but I still had to play it cool.
"I'm Source Code. I came here looking for Fluttershy. Any idea where she is?"
"Actually, I haven't a clue." She started to quiver. "P-please don't be m-mad at me."
"Hey, don't worry about it. You can't help it if you don't know." She gave me a labored smile, as if she was trying to not look bad. "It's really nice of you to take care of her cottage while she's gone."
"Well, from what I heard, she and her friends have been gone for a while. In fact, most of town has been dead quiet for a while now." This concerned me, since the Summer Sun Celebration was coming soon. I thought about how my invitation letter from Princess Celestia was the only mention of the canon characters to this point. I tried not to worry about it, and asked Krystal,
"So, how has your research on cryptids been coming along?" She seemed shocked.
"How did you know I study cryptozoology?" I didn't want to alarm her with any knowledge about her, so I responded,
"I just guessed based on your cutie mark." She still looked a bit skeptical, but she wasn't alarmed. Suddenly, my TATTHoW started to speak,
"Source Code, I thought I should inform you that it has been almost a half-hour since you agreed to visit Aqua Flare at Sugarcube Corner." I had completely forgotten about my plans to meet up with him later, but now that the time for it had come, I said to Krystal,
"I'm really sorry, but I have to go. I'm meeting a friend, and I'd hate to be late."
"It's okay, I understand." She looked like she was about to cry, so I said,
"Hey, how about I come back later to help you out? I promise I'll be here."
"You sure?"
"Totally. I wouldn't lie to a pretty face like yours." She blushed, and replied,
"Okay then. See you later." I smiled, and trotted off to where nopony could see me. I then tapped on my TATTHoW, thought about Sugarcube Corner, closed my eyes, and hit the blue button. I opened my eyes, and I was there.
Who Your True Friends Are
I was now standing in front of Sugarcube Corner. Thinking about everything that had just happened, I came to the sudden realization that I never mentioned to the others that I'm from the human world. But, if the fandom is right about Lyra, they'd probably think I'm crazy for saying I believe in humans, let alone am one. I decided at that moment that I'd hold off on telling anypony about my human origins until the time comes for me to reveal it.
I remembered that Aqua Flare was to be performing stand-up comedy at Sugarcube Corner, so I walked inside the bakery, and when I came down to the basement, there he was, waiting for an audience.
"Hey, Aqua Flare!" I said to him. "Well, I made it, just like I said." He seemed disappointed, like he was expecting at least a few more ponies than just me. However, with everypony except the six of us seeming to be missing, it couldn't really be helped. He turned his head at me, and said,
"Look, Source Code, no offense, but if you're the only pony here, then I might as well cancel my act." At that moment, my eyes widened, and I heard a familiar, yet unrecognizable voice say,
"Laughter." As if by instinct, I knew what this meant. I had to convince him to go on with the show.
"Aqua Flare, I agreed to come here because you said you were doing stand-up. I know you were expecting an actual audience, and not just me, but you should at least make sure your plans don't do to waste," I said with a serious look.
"You're right, Source. Take a seat, and I'll show you what I got." There weren't any chairs around, so I just plopped down right in front of him.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" He took a deep breath, and began.
"Thank you Sugarcube Corner for letting me perform here tonight. I see the whole town came to watch me, so that's a start." I giggled a bit at the opening line. "So I hear that everypony in town has gone missing, and this pony right here," he said as he pointed at me, "came into town just this morning. I know it's hard to welcome new ponies, but come on, we already have one Fluttershy in town." I laughed pretty loudly at that one, since I know very well how timid she can be. "I also heard that Rarity is in an on-and-off relationship with a boulder named Tom. I guess you can say things are kinda rocky for them right now." As a fan of bad puns, I cracked up at that joke, and started clapping my hooves. "And as for Twilight, that mare is way too uptight about her reading and studying. She has already been made into an alicorn princess, considered as an equal by her former teacher, Princess Celestia, and shortly after she realized that her books all have value to her, they were destroyed in an attack from Tirek, along with the library. Take a hint, Twilight. Just wing it for once." That joke got me laughing so hard, I almost cried. When I finally settled down, I noticed a light-blue aura coming from Aqua Flare, and a rainbow glow coming from his eyes. He passed out, so I got up and trotted towards him, and when he opened his eyes, I said,
"Aqua Flare, are you alright?"
"S-Source Code? What just happened?" I was baffled by what happened myself, but when I remembered the voice that beckoned to me, and the light-blue aura, I realized that this must mean Aqua Flare is the element of laughter, as our group back home imagined. I thought it was too soon to tell him the truth, so I said,
"You just gave one of the funniest comedy acts I have ever seen." He smiled at me, and said,
"Really? Well, that's great! Nopony usually laughs at my jokes."
"What? That's hard to believe. You're a natural." I grabbed him by the hoof, and helped him back up. I checked the time, and remembered that I promised to observe Regal Shadows with his drum solo. "Well, I need to get going. See you later, and keep up the good work, Aqua Flare!" I trotted out of the basement, tapped my TATTHoW, and it responded,
"Regal Shadows' home, I presume?"
"Exactly!" I pictured it in my mind, closed my eyes, and tapped on the button. I opened my eyes, and there I was.
Who Your True Friends Are
Back at Regal's house, I looked through his window, just to check to see if he was still home, and I saw him sitting in his bedroom, looking like he was about to cry. I wondered why he could possibly be feeling upset, so I knocked on the door, but he didn't respond. I tried opening the door anyway, and it was unlocked.
I let myself in, and walked over to him. He noticed me standing in front of him, and asked me,
"How long have you been here?"
"I just got here. Anyway, what's the matter, Regal?"
"Well, I was practicing for the solo I wanted to play for you, and my drumsticks broke." He pointed toward the split drumsticks, and I saw what happened to them.
"Can't you just go to the music shop and get another pair?"
"No, I can't. The shop doesn't open until the day after the Summer Sun Celebration." I found it strange that a music shop would close for such an occasion, when fanfare is a prominent part of the event.
"Have you tried using your magic to fix them?"
"Yeah, but I didn't have any luck. My magic is better suited for playing musical instruments, rather than fixing them." I was out of ideas for how I could help him, until the same familiar voice beckoned to me,
"Magic." I wondered if this voice was the same one that convinced me to get Aqua Flare to perform his comedy routine. I thought it made sense, since Aqua Flare seemed to awaken as an element after I enjoyed his jokes. I looked back at Regal, and said,
"Regal Shadows, I think your magic is stronger than you believe it to be. Try fixing the drumsticks again." He didn't seem very sure of himself, but it looked like he was out of ideas, so he got up, looked at the sticks, and his horn started glowing. The stick pieces rose, and came together, but they fell back apart.
"See, it's hopeless." I wasn't about to let him give up. We both agreed that he would give me an impressive drum solo, and I wasn't about to let him make a liar out of either of us.
"Try again, but with more feeling. I know you can do it. Plus, you told me you're proud of your species, so show me that a unicorn like yourself can do this simple task." Regal nodded, and tried it again. This time he concentrated more on the broken sticks. I tried to help by imagining myself using magic. Sure I'm an earth pony, but at this point he could use all the support he could get. This time, I heard the sticks fuse together. As his horn stopped glowing, the sticks dropped back down. This time, each stayed in one piece. Both of us were ecstatic.
"Well, now that this problem has been solved, how about I give you that solo I promised?"
"I thought you'd never ask!"
We both headed to the living room, and Regal took a seat by his drum set. I stomped my front hooves to act like a metronome, and as he got started, it was intense right off the bat. As I observed his skills, I couldn't help but imagine Paralyzed by As I Lay Dying in my head. Suddenly, Regal started giving off a magenta aura all around him, and as he used his magic for the big finish, his eyes gave off a rainbow glow. Regal then fell unconscious, just like Aqua Flare did. I immediately leapt towards him, and checked his pulse. He was still alive. He opened his eyes after a few minutes, and asked,
"Ugh, what happened to me?" I responded,
"How about the best drum solo I have ever heard?" It had happened. The second of our elements had awakened. Regal then asked me,
"Say, what's that sword you have on your back for?" I had totally forgotten that I was supposed to bring this sword back to Sabre as soon as I could. I was relieved that I still had it with me, and I replied to Regal,
"About that, I need to get going. A certain somepony is expecting me to get this sword to him. That was an amazing performance, Regal, and I'd be glad to watch you play another solo sometime, but for now I have to go."
"Oh. Well then get going, Source!" I waved goodbye, and left his house. As I got back on the road, I saw that there was a hot air balloon waiting there a few houses away. I ran towards it, hopped in, and untied the rope from its post. I was airborne.
Who Your True Friends Are
Riding in the hot air balloon was nothing short exhilarating for me. Neither I, nor Source Code had ever ridden one before, in real life or otherwise. I could feel the breeze brushing against my head, the nice, cool open air, and it made me feel powerful to rise up and see Ponyville appear to be so small. If this is what pegasi feel whenever they take flight, I really envy them. After about 10 minutes of riding, I came to the clouds, and saw what Sabre had done with them. This gauntlet he designed almost looked like a deathtrap. Buzzsaws, pendulums, even laser beams, among many other obstacles. I swear, I wanted to give it a try, but then I remembered that I can't fly, so I calmed myself down and looked to see if Sabre was around. Suddenly, I saw a blue streak flying through the sky randomly. It almost punctured a hole in the hot air balloon, but missed by a few inches, luckily. I could hear a voice saying,
"Hel... can... op... ying..." That was definitely Sabre's voice. I couldn't quite make out what he was saying, but I assumed that if he was flying around randomly, then something might be wrong with his mech wings. My TATTHoW then said to me,
"Source Code, I should inform you that I do have an EMP wave function. I can allow his mech wings to temporarily disable." I never wrote in that my TATTHoW could do that, so this must mean there's more to it than even I know about. I asked it,
"How do I activate it?"
"See this latch above the time counter?" I saw a latch on the north side of it. "Open it and press the red button. It shoots out a wave that cancels out any electrical or mechanical activity within 10 miles. However, using it requires all of my energy, so I'll have to be recharged before I can be used again." I knew this was risky, and if I went through with it, I'd only have one shot. However, it was to help Sabre out, so I opened the latch, waited for him to appear overhead, and right when he came above me, I pressed the red button. In less than a second, a wave was emitted, and Sabre came falling down. He landed right next to the balloon. I wanted to step out and check to see if he was alright, but then I remembered that only winged ponies can walk on clouds, and I wasn't about to risk my life. I was fortunate that he was able to get right back up. I looked at him, and asked,
"Are you alright, Sabre?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Not sure about my wings, though."
"What happened to them?"
"Well, I was training with my gauntlet, as you can see over there, and one of the pendulums struck my wings, and must have damaged them, because after that I couldn't control my flight." I easily figured out what went wrong.
"Your wings' processors must have been struck. If those get damaged, you can lose control of them. Hop into the balloon, and I'll see if I can fix them." Sabre nodded and came in.
I finally got to put my special talent to use. I looked around his wings, and found a latch on either one. I opened them up, and there was the problem. Both circuits were blown. I would have used my TATTHoW to repair them, but that EMP wave used up all its power. I checked my vest pockets to see if they might have something I could use, and fortunately, I found a spare battery in one of them. I had no clue how that got there, but it did. I took it out, removed my watch, opened its back cover, replaced the battery, and it was back to full power.
"Hello, Source Code." it said, powering on. "What can I do for you?"
"Can you repair blown circuits?"
"I certainly can. Just let me do the work." My mind was blown. Not only was my TATTHoW similar to a TARDIS, but also a Sonic Screwdriver? How did I not write this before? Soon enough, the circuits were perfectly repaired, and Sabre was back in control of his wings.
"Thanks a lot, Source!" Sabre exclaimed. "I owe you one." Suddenly, that same voice beckoned to me again.
"Loyalty." I knew this meant it was time for Sabre to awaken.
"Oh, wait a minute, Sabre. I got the sword ready for you." Sabre looked at me, and saw the sheathed sword. He took the strap off of my vest, and pulled the sword out of its sheath. As it had for me, it felt absolutely perfect to him. Visual Spectrum must have done a great job with it.
"So, you ready to keep the time?"
"I sure am." I set my TATTHoW to its stopwatch feature (one of the things my watch could do back home). As I yelled for him to go, he passed through the gauntlet with the greatest of ease, using the sword to perfectly attack all the mannequins he had set up. The blue blur that he had become started emitting a red aura. As Sabre touched down, his eyes gave off a rainbow glow.
"How did I do?"
"Ten seconds flat!"
"Yeah! Personal record!" Sabre suddenly passed out. I knew this meant Sabre had awakened as our element of loyalty. About 5 minutes later, he came to, and asked,
"What...? Source Code, what just happened?"
"Well, you just defeated the gauntlet in ten seconds flat. You said it was a new personal record." Sabre jumped up, and looked excited.
"Awesome! Well, that'll do for today. Thanks for your help. I guess you should be going now. I wouldn't want you stranded in the clouds all day." I chuckled, and realized that I haven't gotten back to Visual or Krystal yet.
"Yeah, I should be on my way."
"I have an idea. Get on my back. I can fly you down."
"You think you can carry me?"
"Sure. I've carried heavier things." I wasn't sure how much I weighed as a pony, so I didn't know how to respond to that. Regardless, I had to leave, so I got on his back, and he took off. He didn't go as fast as his gauntlet run, probably so I could hold on. When he touched down, I got off of him, and thanked him for the ride, as he shot back up. I was back on the road, and decided to visit Visual, since I could see his studio from here.
Who Your True Friends Are
I was making my way to Visual Spectrum's studio, when something quite unexpected happened. An earthquake struck. It was a pretty big one, too. I started to panic, as I had nowhere to protect myself, and didn't want to stumble when running. I just stood where I was, with my racing heart, and waited for it to be over. When it was over, I heard a loud shriek coming from the studio. If Visual Spectrum is anything like Mathew, his creator, he probably had something terrible happen in his studio. I rushed over there immediately, to see if I could figure out just what happened.
I peered through the window, and was devastated by what I saw. All the art in his studio had fallen, the sculptures smashed to pieces, the paintings in shambles, and everything else all messed up, but the worst part was how broken Visual Spectrum appeared to be. He had already created and fallen onto a fainting couch, as I expected of him, but even unconscious, I could still see tears flowing from his eyes. I had to rush in and see if I could help. I opened the door (which was also unlocked for whatever reason, like with Regal), and trotted right to Visual's side. It was even worse from the inside. I guess my gasps woke him up, because as soon as I looked at him, he came to, and said under his melodramatic tears,
"Why me? This is the worst ...possible ...thing !" Sure, Mathew tends to be melodramatic like this back home as well, but this time I could fully empathize with him. I also know what it's like to have all of your hard work be for nothing. Anyway, I sat down next to Visual on his couch, and told him,
"Look, Viz, I know this must be tough for you, but you have to realize that things like this happen sometimes." He continued his wallowing, and I couldn't understand a word he was trying to say. Then I realized a way to make everything alright again. "I know a way to fix this, Visual."
"Y-you do?"
"Yeah. You're going to have to trust me on this. See my watch here?" He looked at my TATTHoW, despite its appearance of a regular hoof watch, unimpressed.
"What about it?"
"Check this out." I tapped on it, and it transformed into the futuristic assistant I had become accustomed to in this world. "TATTHoW, this is Visual Spectrum."
"Greetings, Mr. Spectrum. I am the Teleportation and Time Travel Hoof Watch, or TATTHoW for short."
"Whoa! It can talk?" That's when I realized that I'm not the only one that could hear its voice, unlike in my fanfics.
"Indeed, I can," it replied.
"Anyway, here's my idea. If you grab my hoof, I can take us back in time to before the earthquake, and you can study every piece of art in here, so you can recreate it in the present. Sound good?" He happily nodded, and grabbed me by my left hoof. I closed my eyes, thought of this very spot a day ago, set the dial back an hour, and pressed the red button. When I opened my eyes, Visual and I were there, a day in the past. Visual was happy to see all his work each still in one piece, and he tried to touch them, but his body phased through it.
"What the hay? How come I can't touch anything?"
"It's a safety measure of the TATTHoW. It makes it so that everypony who travels with me becomes intangible to everything around us, so we don't alter the timeline by adjusting anything. I'm sorry, but you can't take anything with you, you'll have to memorize exactly how everything looks, so you can recreate it in the present." He looked disappointed that he couldn't bring anything with him, but it was for a good reason, so he spent about 5 minutes studying everything in the studio before coming back to me, where he said,
"I got everything, now we can go back." I set the dial back, closed my eyes, and pushed the red button again. I opened them and we were back in the present.
Visual quickly used his magic to restore everything in the studio back to the way it was. Soon enough it looked like that earthquake never happened at all.
"Everything looks perfect!" we both said in unison. I then thought about how the earthquake might have affected the town, and the same voice from before beckoned to me,
"Generosity."
"Visual, I think we should head into town. It might need some help after the earthquake."
"You're probably right. I could help out. Let's have the TATTHoW take us." As we both nodded in agreement, he grabbed my hoof again, and I closed my eyes, pictured town square, and pressed the blue button. We both arrived in town, and it was a mess.
"Sweet Celestia, this place got hit badly!"
"I can use my magic to fix this." Visual then started running through town, his horn glowing brightly. Everywhere he went, some wreckage was perfectly restored. As he was running, I saw a purple aura coming from his body, and when he returned to me, his eyes gave off a rainbow glow. Four of our elements had now awakened. As the others had, Visual then passed out. When he came to, I said,
"Visual, you did it!"
"I did? Wh-what did I do?"
"You fixed all the wreckage in town, Viz."
"Huh? Oh yeah, the earthquake. Well then, I suppose I should be heading back to the studio now. Still have some art pieces that I'm working on." I then realized that I still hadn't returned to Krystal to help her with the cottage, and since that earthquake happened, she'd probably need my help more than ever.
"I need to go, too. Helping another friend out." We both parted ways, and I trotted off to Fluttershy's cottage, where I could imagine Krystal could use another hoof with the animals right about now.
Who Your True Friends Are
I made it back to Fluttershy's cottage, and it was no real surprise to me what I saw. Because of the earthquake, the animals outside were panicking, and Krystal was chasing them, trying to get them to settle down. I figured that she could use some help. I do love animals in real life, just like Krys does, so I thought it couldn't be too hard.
Krystal saw me coming toward her, and said under her breath,
"Source Code! Thank goodness you're here. That earthquake really scared the dickens out of the critters, and I can't seem to get them to calm down. Can you help me?"
"Absolutely. What should I do?"
"Well, the animals inside are all relatively calm, so I can handle them, but these outside ones won't stop panicking. Maybe you can handle them?"
"No problem, Krystal." She hurried inside, and I started following the panicking animals. I thought about how my TATTHoW came through for me with Sabre. I tapped on it, and asked it,
"Hey, TATTHoW, can you emit a frequency that calms down all these creatures?"
"Certainly, Source Code. Open my latch and press the blue button." I did just that. After pressing the button, a pitch that even my sensitive ears could pick up started playing, and the animals all stopped running, some of them even fell asleep.
"That's a relief. I wonder how Krystal is doing?"
I trotted towards the cottage, and when I opened the door, I saw her cuddling the little animals, who were all still shaking.
"Oh, Source. Did you calm the other animals down?"
"I sure did. What's wrong with these little ones?"
"They told me that they're still scared." I remembered Krys telling me that Krystal had the same ability to speak to animals as Fluttershy. I thought about what I could do, and then that voice beckoned to me again,
"Kindness." I then thought about how Krys isn't very comfortable with her voice back home, and how Krystal and I are the only ones who haven't had our trials. I knew what we had to do.
"Krystal, how's your singing voice?"
"Um... it's alright. I mean, how can my singing voice help?"
"Have you ever heard Fluttershy's lullaby?"
"Yes, but I don't know if I could sing it."
"If you want these critters to settle down, I think that's all we can do now. Plus, Celestia knows my singing is awful." Krystal still seemed unsure of herself, so I placed my hoof on hers, and said, "I know you can do it." She calmed down, took a deep breath, and sang,
"Hush now, quiet now, it's time to lay your sleepy head. Hush now, quiet now, it's time to go to bed." I was amazed by her voice. It was almost like a gospel singer. The little critters all stopped shaking as well.
"Keep singing, it's working," I said softly.
"Drifting, drifting, off to sleep. Leave the day behind you. Drifting, drifting, off to sleep. Let the joy of dreamland find you." I started noticing a green aura coming from her. "Hush now, quiet now, lay your sleepy head. Hush now, quiet now, it's time to go to bed." As she finished, her eyes gave off a rainbow glow, and the critters all fell asleep. She and I smiled at each other, and she passed out. Our fifth element had awakened. I realized that, if all of us except for me had awakened as our elements, except for me, then maybe the time for me to tell everypony the truth, like I knew I eventually would, was almost upon me. I was unsure about what would happen if I did tell them, though. They had no memory of me prior to seeing me in Ponyville, and they probably wouldn't believe me if I said I was a human, that is, if they knew what a human is. Plus, how would they take it if I told them what I know about their pasts, or even their creators? Sure, I'm the group's element of honesty in real life, but what guarantee was there that it's the same way here? My mind was so conflicted over what I should do. I snapped out of my conflict when Krystal came to.
"Krystal, are you alright?" I asked softly.
"Yeah, I'm okay, but what just happened?"
"The animals all finally calmed down, thanks to you."
"Me? You mean I did this all myself?"
"Well, I may have helped a little bit, but it was mostly you." She smiled in response, probably out of pride. I then heard the same voice beckoning to me again,
"Come to town square."
"Did you hear that?" Krystal asked. I thought that if Krystal and I both heard the voice, and I'm the only one of us who hadn't awakened yet, then this must be the time to tell everypony the truth, the time I explain everything I know about them.
"We should go. The animals will be fine." We both nodded in agreement, left the cottage, closed the door, and headed to town square.
Who Your True Friends Are
"Thank goodness, you're awake. Source Code, you've done it!" The voice sounded exactly like the one that had beckoned to me so many times earlier.
"I-is that you, Princess Luna?" She nodded, and I quickly sprung up, and bowed to her. "How long have you been here? For that matter, where is everypony? Besides all of us, the town seems deserted."
"All will be explained in due time, my subject. For now, I wish to congratulate you on learning one of the greatest lessons in friendship there is. You came from your home world to Equestria, and even though none of these ponies remembered anything about you, these events that have unfolded today have allowed you assist them in each of their troubles, and befriend them a second time over, as if you had all known each other since birth. You've learned that friendship is boundless, and for that I must commend you." I was being praised by Princess Luna of all ponies. I wasn't sure if my heart could race with brony excitement any more than it was at that moment.
"Thank you for your words, Princess Luna," I said with joy.
"You have nothing to thank me for. Everything you did today was on your own accord. You went out of your way to help out the ponies you care about. If anypony should be receiving thanks, it's you." I wasn't sure whether to feel prideful or flustered by what she said, so all I could do without stammering is just smile at the Princess. I then restated my questions for her.
"So, how long have you been here, and how come everypony seems to be missing?"
"That is simple. I have been following you around, to see if your travels could teach you the boundlessness of friendship. As for everypony else, my sister and I used our magic to send them away to another town. For your test to work, they could not interfere."
"So this was a test?"
"Indeed, it was, and you passed with exceptional results." Now, all of my questions had been answered, except for one.
"So, what's next for me? What else do I have to do here in Equestria?"
"About that," the princess said with displeasure. "I'm afraid that, now that your purpose here has been fulfilled, it is time for you to be sent back to your home world. If you wish to say goodbye to your friends, now would be the time to do so." My heart sank. I had finally become used to living as Source Code, and I had finally met my friends from Facebook in real life (more or less). I didn't want to have to say goodbye to them, but this was Princess Luna speaking, so I knew she had an idea what she was talking about. I walked next to my friends, and did whatever I could to cherish this last moment with them. I gave Aqua Flare a hoof bump, Regal a pat on the horn, Sabre a tap on the wings, Visual a hug, and a kiss on the cheek for Krystal, and I said my goodbyes and thanks to all of them.
"Alright, Princess Luna, I'm ready to go." She used her magic to generate a portal back to my world, and I started walking towards it. As I gave one last look back at my friends, I noticed that they were all starting to tear up. I couldn't break their hearts like this. A true friend wouldn't just abandon one, let alone five, of their own. I turned back around, and gave one last request.
"Wait, Princess Luna, I do have one more thing to ask of you." she nodded, as if to tell me to go on. "Today was one of the best days of my life. Maybe even the best. It had always been my dream to come to Equestria as a pony back in my home world, and now that it has happened, I don't want it to end here. As you can see, my friends here would really miss me, and I wouldn't want to put them through that. I care about them too much. Sure, I belong back in my home world, but now that I have been here, it seems like I've made a second life for myself, and for my friends. If you and your sister can agree to it, I would like to have a chance to come back here sometime, because, to be quite honest, I feel like now I belong in both worlds." I saw Princess Luna start to tear up as well. She dried her eyes, and replied,
"I have heard your request, and I will speak with my sister. If she can agree to it, I'll see what we can do about your request." I smiled, knowing that there was a possibility that I could return to Equestria. I thanked her for hearing me out, and finally made my way through the portal.
Who Your True Friends Are
I saw myself standing in my room back home. The marathon of My Little Pony episodes I had been watching was still going, and my phone was still showing the chat log from me and my Facebook friends. I had made it back to the human world. I was thinking that everything I just experienced must have been some sort of dream. It all still felt so real to me. Meeting all my friends (or at least, their ponies), being my OC, and even having a talk with one of Equestria's princesses, it felt like it was more than just a dream. I took a look around my room, to see if anything had been left behind as a memento of my experiences, but I saw nothing significant. I walked downstairs, disappointed, until I saw a letter laying on my dining room table. It gave off a rainbow glow as I looked at it. I knew that this meant.
It had been addressed to me, as I imagined it would be, and when I opened it up, I saw that the letter inside had been written in the most elegant of scripture. It said,
"Dearest Source Code,
I have heard your request, as you asked of Princess Luna. After much contemplation, we have both decided that you were correct in believing that you cannot simply abandon your new friends after everything you've been through, and you will be able to return to Equestria. If you will take a look at your phone, you will notice a feature has been added to it. You can use it to return to Equestria whenever you wish, and your TATTHoW can be used to return back to your home world. We eagerly await your return.
Sincerely,
Princess Celestia." I noticed that Princess Luna and all of my friends had also left signatures of their own. I pulled my phone out of my pocket, scrolled through my apps, and noticed that a new one, one without a name, had been added on its own page. Its icon appeared to be some sort of rainbow vortex. I tapped on it, and it said,
"Place your hand here to be taken to Equestria." I did just that, and saw myself and my phone phasing from this world, and my vision blacked out.
When I regained sight, there I was, standing in Ponyville's town square, once again as my OC. It seemed to be very early in the morning. My friends were all there, and they all gathered around me, and smiled. I assume they were ecstatic to see me return, as I was to know that I could now travel between both worlds at will. Suddenly, an announcement was played over the intercom around town, saying,
"Everypony, please gather at town square to witness Princess Celestia raise the sun as part of the Summer Sun Celebration." Within minutes, a massive herd of ponies all trotted towards the area, and the town was flooded with civilians. I was feeling nothing but joy, and I said to myself,
"Thank you, Princess Luna, for everything." Her voice beckoned to me in response,
"You deserve it, Source Code." I smiled, and took a look at all the ponies around me. My thrills peaked when I noticed the Mane 6 walking towards us. Both groups of elements were about to meet.
Who Your True Friends Are
Krystal and I were running towards town square, as if we both knew that something significant was about to happen there. We both finally arrived at the town hall, and noticed that Aqua Flare had made his way there as well. Suddenly, Sabre came flying in at bullet speed, like he usually did. Visual also came trotting towards us, looking worried as usual. Finally, Regal arrived at our location. What happened next totally shocked me. The minute my five friends looked at each other, they started standing in a pentagonal formation, their auras all started radiating, and suddenly, a conversation sparked between all five. I had no idea if they had already met before this point, but the way they were talking, it was as if they had known each other all their lives.
"So, how's your art exhibit coming along, Visual?" Krystal asked.
"Oh, it's been rough, but thanks to my friend, Source Code, I have everything together again," Visual replied.
"Source Code? He came to my comedy show at Sugarcube Corner." Aqua Flare commented.
"He helped me with learning to harness my magic, too." Regal stated.
"Hey, there's Source Code right there!" Sabre exclaimed. "He's helped all of us with our problems, so how come he hasn't needed our help yet?" That's when the voice beckoned to me for the last time, but this time more clear than ever."
"Honesty. Now's the time to complete the elements." I knew exactly what this meant I had to do, and whether they liked it or not, it had to happen. They had to know the truth.
"Everypony, I need to make a big confession. One that may sound ridiculous, but I need you to listen to what I have to say. It matters a lot to me."
"What is it?" they all asked.
"If you could all allow me to explain, it would really help me." Visual created a couch for the five of them to sit on, and I took a deep breath, and started explaining everything.
"You see, I know it seems like all of us only met today, but the truth is, I've talked to all of you many times before." They looked at me, then at each other, confused.
"What are you talking about, Source Code?" Regal asked. I sighed, as I continued.
"The truth is, I'm not from Equestria, or even this universe. I'm from a place where a species known as humans exist. In fact, I was a human before I came here." They were all shocked to know that I'm some sort of alien species to them. "But here's the strange part. Each of you reminds me almost exactly of a friend of mine from my world. Aqua Flare, you're really funny, always know just what joke to crack, and have an edgy appearance that tells others not to cross you, just like my friend Anthony. Regal Shadows, you have the pride in being a unicorn, as well as the commitment to improving your talents at home that could only be matched by my friend Bradley. Sabre Silversmith, you have the determination and weapon fascination that guides you to be a strong warrior, the same way my friend Dallas is. Visual Spectrum, despite your melodramatic tendencies, you have the ability to craft just about anything with your artistic abilities, the way my friend Mathew is. Krystal, you're kind-hearted, soft-spoken, and have an immense fascination with animals and cryptozoology, just like my friend Krys." Suddenly, they all started staring blankly at me, as if they were mesmerized. I looked at myself, and saw an orange aura coming from me. I knew what this meant. "My friends back home and I are all in this group that we call the Sacred Six, and each of us have our own "elements", all of which you match perfectly; Aqua Flare with your laughter, Regal with your magic, Sabre with your loyalty, Visual with your generosity, and Krystal with your kindness. I know I'll treasure this day forever, because I got the chance to meet all of you, and help you out with your troubles, just as my friends back home have done for me, even if I never met them in person. I felt a surge of power flowing through me. It felt like it shot out of my eyes. My vision blacked out, and the next thing I saw was the five of them looking over me, seeming to be happy that I'm alright. However, there was one more with them, one that I recognized as a familiar pony. It had to be her.