The Seventh Ponyby EssyChaptersPart 1 - ProloguePart 1 - Chapter IPart 1 - Chapter II (Optional, Exposition)Part 1 - EpiloguePart 2 - Chapter I: ApplejackPart 2 - Chapter II: Pinkie PiePart 2 - Chapter III: Rainbow DashPart 2 - Chapter IV: FluttershyPart 2 - ProloguePart 1 - PrologueThe evening sun descended just below the horizon, and the stars shone faintly in the ever-darkening sky. Everypony in Canterlot made their way back to their homes for the night, what with closing up shop and visiting with their families and all that, but one gray pegasus watched it all from the castle balcony in disdain. “Why can’t they understand there’s more to life than just pompous social gatherings?” she asked herself quietly; it was then the pegasus remembered a single quote from her training as a priestess: “We are what our thoughts have made us.” “You always used that quote advantageously in your training,” said a regal voice from behind. One of Essentia’s ears perked at the sound of royal hoof-steps, and she smiled at the familiarity of the Princess’ voice as it now resounded from beside her. “And it’s especially apparent in your choice of expression.” Essentia rolled her eyes, albeit with a warm smile on her face. “Are you going to recite another antic for me, ‘mom’?” The pegasus laughed a bit. “You’ve been doing that more and more frequently, you know.” “Oh, not this time, although it is fun to embarrass you from time to time.” She nuzzled Essentia lovingly, like a mother would to her foal, before wrapping a wing around her in comfort. “It’s going to be a long while before I get to see you again.” The pegasus realized what the Princess, having raised Essentia for the last 3 years, was going through. It was maternally driven, and Essentia accepted the warm embrace with no resistance on her part. “I’ll be fine, Your Highness.” “Please, just call me Celestia.” The alicorn grinned, removing her wing from Essentia. “And why not relax a while? Take off the pendant and let your coat breathe.” Essentia was taken aback at the Princess’ behavior, but she nodded in understanding: Celestia just wanted to spend time with her before seeing her off on her travels. The priestess inhaled slowly, and then exhaled composedly as she deliberately removed the crystal pendant from around her neck, and she smiled in relief as the prevention spell was lifted from her. She adjusted her violet mane upon erecting her head to look back up at the Princess, and her coat would gradually begin to show many psychedelic and symbolically patterned tattoos, all of which would go from her neck down to her hooves. Each leg had its own large decorative tattoo, and many of them along the rest of her body were traced with silver that glimmered with the coming night. She smiled genuinely once the spell was completely lifted, and she hugged Celestia. “Thank you. It’s been too long.” “I would have to agree…such beautiful craftsponyship.” “But you’ve never liked my tattoos before, mom—I mean, uh…Celestia.” “I have never truly appreciated the purpose of conventional body art or permanent illustrations on one’s coat. But the prospect of you leaving tomorrow has made me reconsider my perspective on the whole ordeal.” “…That’s quite the change of heart over somepony like me…” “You are an amazing priestess, Essentia. You have taught me just as many things as you have learned during your training. You are not ‘just somepony’, at least not to me.” She smiled and leaned into Celestia lovingly, nuzzling the Princess’ wing. “So you’ll miss me being a smartass?” “As much as I never thought I would say it…yes, I will.” She giggled. Essentia laughed with Celestia, and she adjusted her body such that to sit just in front of the Princess, her head level with Celestia’s chest. She hugged one of the Princess’ legs, and she smiled genuinely. “I’ll miss you scolding me and lecturing to me. You have always been like a mother to me.” “And you, a daughter.” Essentia craned her neck, and Celestia lowered hers. Tomorrow would be a new adventure for her, but, for now, she only wished to spend time with her guardian and caretaker. Of course, this moment of reflection was interrupted by the alicorn’s motherly callings. “Now, just remember everything I told you. Do not pick fights with the ponies you encounter, even if you consider them to be drunk and/or stupid.” “Yes, okay—.” “And be sure to write to me within the week of your arrival to Ponyville.” “Alright, yes, I understand—!” “Don’t forget to eat on the train ride there, and do not sacrifice sleep for the sake of playing your sitar at ungodly hours in the morning.” “…are you finished?” “For your sanity: yes.” Princess Celestia hugged Essentia close to her. “You will do many great things and go on yet more great adventures. Your presence here at the castle will be missed, and I’ll be thinking of you every step of the way.” Essentia had just now come to terms with her soon-to-be departure from Canterlot, and she nodded slowly in comprehension. Despite her verbose vocabulary and rather astounding intellect, all she could mutter was, “Me, too…” Part 1 - Chapter IEssentia was waiting impatiently in her seat on the train, and her grin was wide as she squeed to herself quietly. A good length of her mane was over one shoulder, her bangs just touching the top of her circular, orange lensed sunshades. All her belongings were stowed away except for her sitar case which she hugged tightly to herself as if it were a second pony. “We’re going to Ponyville! This is so exciting, I cannot stand it!!” She kissed the sitar case and giggled to herself, realizing how silly she was behaving since she left the castle this morning. It was liberating to at last be travelling on her accord and to have the blessings of a parental figure. The latter had never been provided for her until now; she was finally free. Essentia placed her hooves together and closed her eyes, and the pendant that concealed her tattoos adjusted when she lowered her head slightly. She recited a prayer to herself soundlessly, and she could feel her heart chakra renewing its energy from the rose quartz in her pendant. She smiled to herself once the prayer was finished, and she opened her eyes at the sound of a familiar voice she had not heard in years. “Alright, time to embark, girls!” said a purple unicorn to her five friends behind her, and Essentia turned her head hastily toward the voice. “Ponyville’s waiting for us.” Essentia grinned cheekily at the sound of her old friend stepping onto the train, and the priestess got out of her seat to walk toward the front door of the cart where she heard this voice. The gray pegasus was overjoyed as she trotted in place. Twilight stepped onto the train after a long moment before noticing the mare that was in front of her, and she grinned and squeed happily, pulling Essentia into a hug. “OMIGOSH it’s you!! I haven’t seen you since grade school!” “I know! It’s been forever, darling!” She pulled away from Twilight and nuzzled her giddily. “Gods, this is amazing.” Essentia and Twilight shared a laugh after having not seen each other since they were both fillies, and Applejack giggled before speaking. “Y’all are good friends, I take it?” “Yep! We went to Celestia’s School for the Gifted together for a few years. She stopped going for some reason, but I never thought I’d see her again. It’s so exciting!” “My intuition told me there’d be surprises on my journey, but I didn’t know it would be so soon!” She giggled and started trotting back to her own seat. “Come on, sit with me! Everypony can fit.” She led them toward the back section of the cart where nopony sat in the last two seating areas, and they all made themselves comfortable accordingly. Twilight, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash sat with Essentia while Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie sat in the area just next to them; the pink earth pony screamed internally at first before shouting uncontrollably. “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe I’m meeting a new pony! This is so exciting!!” She somehow reappeared just in front of Essentia, and she pressed her muzzle against the priestess’. “What’s your favorite color? Do you like balloons?! I love love LOVE balloons!! I got balloons on my flank ‘cause I like to party and partying is my special talent and I love meeting new ponies and—!” “Shhh,” Essentia said, placing a hoof on Pinkie’s muzzle. “Just take a deep breath, darling. Breathe cordially, be calm.” Pinkie suddenly produced a grin as she jumped up into the air and screamed happily, confetti and balloons appearing where there was previously none. Essentia sighed in defeat, albeit with a genuine smile as Pinkie floated back to her original seat. She resumed her usual laughter as Rarity spoke up. “My, that is a lovely necklace, Miss…?” “Tempera! Essentia Tempera, but you all can just call me Essy.” “Well, it looks to be crafted by royalty.” “It is crafted by royalty, darling. Celestia gave this to me herself not a few years ago.” Rarity was immediately examining it up close now, and Essentia turned to face her. The alabaster unicorn saw on the back of the ovular rose quartz was, indeed, the gold crest of Celestia’s rule, although it had a spell marked on it in ancient Equestrian writing. “What purpose does the enchantment on this pendant have?” asked the unicorn. “It…conceals my true coat. Actually, you could argue that it reveals my true coat.” Rarity raised an eyebrow at Essentia’s dubious behavior. “What do you mean by that?” “Well, let’s say I’m a fan of body art.” Essentia grinned. “OOOOOOOH!” exclaimed Pinkie. “Can we see, can we see, can we see?! I wanna see!” I actually want to see it, too, thought a blushing Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash noticed this physical change in her friend’s cheeks but decided not to be vocal about it. “Won’t you please show us?” asked Rarity. “…I suppose I could.” Essentia removed the pendant, and all of her tattoos slowly appeared on her coat, and her feathers reformed into their dyed state. Fluttershy blushed more and just stared while everypony else went, “oooooo” and analyzed Essentia’s body art. “My, you sport these rather well, darling,” remarked Rarity. “Yeah, they’re awesome!” exclaimed Rainbow Dash. The pony who was most astounded was Twilight, and all she could ask was, “When did you get all these tattoos…?” “Well, I got them along my travels. I ran away from home, remember?” “Well, yeah, but where the heck did you go?!” “Oh, all over the world, really. I received at least one tattoo for every country I visited, so there’s about 30 or so on me. I’ve honestly lost track of count.” “…my Celestia…why did you get so many?” “Well, I got into some trouble with my mom at the time, and she decided to treat me like garbage, and…goodness, you’re all so close now.” She laughed affably. “Because it’s story time!” shouted Pinkie jubilantly, and Essentia looked at all of them. “I believe what she meant to ask,” started Rarity composedly, “is, ‘Would you please share with us your story?’ If you wouldn’t mind, of course.” Essentia deliberated this for a long moment. They actually want to hear my story? These are all strangers to me, save for Twilight, but…oh, the pink one would explode if I don’t. “Of course I wouldn’t mind.” Part 1 - Chapter II (Optional, Exposition)It was only a short time later that Essentia had Twilight and her friends gathered in front of her in a semicircle, and the priestess had removed the sitar from its case. She plucked at the strings purposefully and with a grin on her face as she played for them softly. The train moved subtly along the smooth tracks as she performed. Essentia inhaled, and then exhaled. “For the sake of pacing this story, I’m going to just say outright that my birth mother is not fond of hippies in the slightest. She is a conservative, traditional mare who only wished for me to attend Celestia’s school and make money for the family. “As it were, I most definitely am not a conservative traditional young mare, and I resent the times I tried reasoning with Chroma about the matter. She always punished me every time I called somepony ‘man’ or ‘dude’ because that wasn’t the ‘traditional Canterlot accent’. I couldn’t stand the damned accent back then, and I only just recently come to terms with adopting it again. “…but that’s not what you want to hear, is it?” ask the priestess. “Just keep going!!” screamed Pinkie Pie elatedly, grinning wide. “Alright! Alright!” Essentia giggled to herself and continued her recounting: “I was a blank-flank for the longest time, even into my adolescent years. I had fascination with mathematics and the performing arts, but neither of these things proved to be my special talent, even after 14 years. Of course, my mother had a fit. “‘Did you get something on your flank yet?’ she asked me one day. “‘For the last fucking time, mom, I didn’t find my special talent yet.’ “‘YOU DON’T SWEAR, YOUNG LADY!’ “Mind you, I’m a bit of a snide pony, so my retort to that was, ‘Maybe you need your ears checked because I just swore, and your argument is therefore a logical fallacy.’ “‘Don’t you be pulling any of that philosophy hogwash on me! Now go to your room and study for the upcoming school year!!’ “‘…no! No, fuck you!’ And I just got up and ran out of the house.” “…just like that?” asked Twilight, her eyes full of worry. “Just like that,” replied Essentia with nonchalance. “I’m not discrediting your emotions, but don’t you feel that what you did was a bit of an overreaction, Essentia, darling?” asked Rarity. “Oh, well, yes! It was definitely an overreaction! However, in my own defense, she gave me that sort of talk every day for a year since I received my certificate of being accepted to Tia’s school. I just got tired of it, so I did what any non-rational teenager does when they’re fed up with their parents, and ran away.” Pinkie lost her smile as she cocked her head to one side. “Then what happened…?” “Well, you can say this is when I first got into trouble, at least, as a criminal.” She resumed her playing as she continued her story: “See, I only left the house so Chroma wouldn’t see me cry. She hates it when I shed quote-unquote, ‘crocodile tears’, which apparently have no real value so long as they disagree with Chroma’s thought process. I just hid myself away in some bar or restaurant, I don’t remember which one, really. In all honesty, I was just scheming a way to get back at her, although I realize now that all she was doing was being a strict parent. I could have been cordial on my own or perhaps be more firm in my stance and handle these situations better, but…again, I wasn’t the most considerate pony at the time. “After about an hour or so, I figured out that Chroma didn’t even bother to search for me. In fact, when I returned to the house to apologize for my behavior, I discovered that she was having an especially good time with a stallion who was not my birth father. She was having an affair all to her own.” “My Celestia…” “I didn’t think ponies like that would exist in Canterlot,” said Fluttershy. Essentia nodded and continued: “Well, I took it upon myself to do something about it. I ran inside the house, took her bags, stuffed as much money and as many valuables as I could into my own backpack, and I just ran. I was so full of adrenalin from galloping that, when I fell on my face and scraped my knees, I didn’t even feel it until I was well outside of the city limits, and even then I pushed myself forward. “‘I’m escaping Tartarus,’ I told myself. ‘I’m escaping the worst hell of my life and nopony can do anything to stop me!’” “Were you labeled as a criminal?” asked Rainbow Dash. “Of course. My birth mother pressed charges and had the police after me for days.” “Whoa…” “How did you ever escape?” inquired a frightened Fluttershy. “By leaving Equestria, of course. I couldn’t stay here with the police after me.” “I think what she meant was: how did y’all get away without anypony else noticing where ya went or nothin’?” “If you’d like to hear the rest of my story, I’ll happily tell you.” Essentia smiled genuinely. “Please please please please please please pleeeeeeeeease??” begged Pinkie. “Well, I don’t know…” Essentia smirked. “Oh, you gotta tell us! It’s a rule! It exists, it’s a rule, I just know it! You can’t leave us hanging at the good part; it’s like closing a book in the middle of a chapter!!” “…will you please continue?” asked Fluttershy tentatively. Essentia smiled at this. “Anything for you, darlings.” She resumed her playing and spoke some more: “I was ahead of the police just enough to hop onto a boat and fork over all the money I had to the captain of the ship. I told him, ‘If you let me stow away on your ship, and you don’t tell the police shit about me, it’s all yours.’ After which he responded, ‘Gladly, Miss.’ “And so I hid myself below deck. I didn’t even know where we were going, so long as it was away from Equestria. After some time, I figured out that we were heading to Trottingham, which was a fair distance away, but nothing too miserable. I was fed on the ship like the crew, and I even found an honest job working in the kitchen as a busgirl. The sailors and I became good friends and they promised to keep their mouths shut if the authorities ever came to them. Such loyal ponies, those sailors are.” Essentia opened her hind legs just slightly and pointed at her belly with her front hoof. “And that’s where I got this mermaid here. It was my first ever tattoo, and I love it still.” Fluttershy smiled warmly. She carries such confidence about herself, the shy pegasus thought quietly. Essentia continued with her story for a bit longer this time: “When I arrived at Trottingham, I had to ditch the boat in case Equestria’s police found out about my involvement with them. But, goodness, was Trottingham beautiful. I had only ever seen the British in pictures and in storybooks, but never in real life. It was so fascinating to finally visit a place I have only admired from afar. However, there was only one problem: I had absolutely no usable money to my name. The only remaining bits I had were Equestrian currency, and it’s different from the currency they use in Trottingham. And this is the point where I got rather…stupid. “I decided to pick up a career in pickpocketing. Not only was I good at it, but I enjoyed it. There was a certain rush, a thrill, an exhilarating experience to getting away with stealing money and getting away from the law. I was famous in the British criminal community, and I was actually proud of that at the time. “However, one day, a constable caught me in the act of stealing, and it was only because one of my so-called ‘friends’ ratted me in the middle of it. I was arrested, booked, and promptly jailed almost on the spot; their penal system is not kind at all. And, after a month or so of reflection, I decided to never steal again, to turn my life around. “Of course, this lasted only up until I got out of jail a few months later. I had gained friends while in prison, and, while I am not proud to say this, criminal acts were still exciting for me. So I got into trouble everywhere I went, and that’s when my traveling career began.” The rest of them just sat there silently for a long moment as Essentia’s piece on the sitar drew to a close, and the priestess smiled at them sheepishly. “Any questions, darlings?” “Tons,” said Applejack. “I don’t even know where to start,” stated Rarity. “Are you okay…?” asked Fluttershy with her ears fallen. “I am now, yes,” said Essentia. The priestess placed her sitar down and held out her front legs to show them all her body art. “I got many of these tattoos while serving time in the different prisons I went to, and you can see the different styling of the work per country I visited.” “Why didn’t you just serve your time in Equestria?” asked a brown stallion across the cart. When Essentia turned her head, she saw that she had the attention of everyone in that part of the vehicle, and she blinked. “The worst that would have happened to you at 14 years old was a juvenile sentence.” Essentia smiled. “Well, of course, this was something I thought about during my priesthood training. I could have easily just said, ‘Yes, officer. Sorry, officer.’ But, as is apparent, ponies like me can make cartoonish and silly decisions if we overthink things.” “How did you get involved with priesthood?” asked a fuchsia coated mare. “It’s not exactly a common path to take, especially for criminals.” “Well…” “And what did you mean by your traveling career starting?” asked Rainbow Dash. “…should I just continue my story?” “Wouldn’t you please?” asked Rarity. Essentia grinned at this and started a new song on her sitar, one that was of Spanish origin, and she continued: “To put it simply, I traveled from city to city, I occasionally hopped the borders or escaped the police, and I just kept stealing. The more I stole, the more times I got thrown in jail, and, the more times I got thrown in jail, the more friends I made. It was a simple formula that made sense to me at the time, and I got to sightsee while doing it. “Now, some of the things I stole did not involve money in and of itself. When I was in Whales, I stole an amulet from a unicorn that allowed me to speak and understand foreign languages. This was nifty when I had traveled to other countries and committed petty crimes from city to city. I would only be in jail for a few months at a time, and I would always get my belongings back. Of course, the only belonging I ever had at any given time was the amulet. And, after a long while, the magic from overexposure to the amulet wore off onto me, so I soon pawned it for actual earned money. I can still learn languages moderately quickly now because of it, although the magic is weaker than it was back then. “And this was my lifestyle: I stole, I went to prison, I served my time, I moved to the next city, sometimes even to the next country. You would have thought I would have learned my lesson by now, but there was a fondness I felt when doing it all. There were ponies who loved me and cheered me on while in the criminal community, and that feeling I had will probably never leave me. I won’t say I’m proud for having been a thief, but I will say that the love and kindness I felt while in these prisons were genuine.” “How did you get to Equestria?!” exclaimed Pinkie excitedly; the pink mare was now in Essentia’s face. “Did you steal a boat, walk on water, what did you do?!!” “And how did you get involved in priesthood?” repeated the mare from before. “Well, I suppose I should skip ahead to dying my wings, then, because that’s when my life took a turn for the better.” She pushed back Pinkie’s face before continuing: “Three years had passed, and I was just finishing getting my wings dyed in Sydneigh; that’s when the Equestrian police finally caught up to me. They waited for me to leave the parlor before arresting me with an international warrant. Ironically enough, this was the only other time I resisted them; they were charging me with crimes I had never committed! They were charging me with drug trafficking, pony trafficking, prostitution…give me a break! I was just a pickpocket, for Luna’s sake! “Well, here’s what happened: they needed an excuse to get me back to Equestria. All they told me was, ‘You are a famous criminal who has been traveling from country to country alongside another criminal who has been charged as a felon.’ So, they labeled me as an accomplice and threw me on the ship back to Equestria.” “Talk about abuse of power,” said Twilight. “They can’t arrest you without actual evidence of you having done any of those things!” “Tell that to the police that arrested me.” “Ugh,” complained the brown stallion from before. “That is a violation of countless laws, including Australian and Equestrian statutes.” Essentia shrugged. “There’s nothing else to say, darling. I was arrested, and that was that.” “Then what happened?” asked Applejack. “Funny you should ask, dear. “See, when I got on the ship, Princess Celestia herself was waiting for me. She had a carriage awaiting us and a smile on her face. I was confused as all hell as to why the Princess had all of this prepared, but what really confused me was our first conversation. “‘You gave my soldiers quite the chase, Miss Tempera.’ “‘What do you want…?’ “‘Well, I just needed a way to get you on this boat. Come with me.’ And she hopped onto the carriage while her two fliers strapped on their reins. “‘And if I refuse?’ “‘Then you’ll get to endure the long trip back to Equestria on this ship with little food or water.’ “And I couldn’t deny that I was starving, so I obliged grudgingly with the Princess and hopped onboard her carriage, where a meal was prepared for me. I was skeptical of the food presented to me; maybe she planned to knock me out with whatever chemical she might have placed inside of it. “‘Did you do something to this?’ “‘Yes, clearly the alicorn goddess figure that is adored by many would slip drugs into your meal. “‘…okay, point taken, but…why?’ “‘I was about to ask you the same. Why did you become a criminal?’ And so the rest of the carriage ride was me recounting pretty much what I have told you all so far, and, after the story, we were arriving at the Equestrian borders. Celestia was still confused about something. “‘So you pass my written test with flying colors, and my math test with a perfect score, but you refused to go to my school and instead fled my police after you stole from your mother?’ “‘It’s not that simple, Princess…’ “‘No, I understand that, but I have to ask why you didn’t seek help before any of this could be allowed to happen?’ “‘There’s no recovery for criminals like me; once a thief, always a thief. Nopony really loves me; only the criminals and low-lives do.’ “‘That is a lie and you know it. I care about you. When I found out that you were the same Essentia Tempera who passed the tests to enter my school for the gifted, I was disheartened at your extensive criminal record.’ “‘Why do you even care?’ “‘I care because you are an Equestrian, Miss Tempera, and I care for all of my denizens. You are not a criminal, not at heart. You are so much more than a pickpocket, even if you don’t realize it yourself.’ “Once we finally landed on the castle balcony, I was at a total loss for words. The Princess cared about me? She actually had genuine feelings toward me as a pony, and she was sad when she found out I was a thief? Something didn’t seem right: she didn’t appear she wanted to charge me with anything.” “‘Wait,’ I said. ‘Why aren’t there guards waiting for me?’” “‘Because you’re not going to prison. I have another plan for you.’” “She told me all about priesthood and how I can find my own personal salvation in studying spiritual magic. I was not convinced at first, but I was honestly getting tired of prisons at that point, believe it or not; after all, I had gotten my wings dyed to start a whole new life altogether. “I stayed at the castle, and, every day I was there, I discovered more and more about myself through meditation and self-healing. It was an amazing experience, priesthood training. I had never known that I was capable of performing acts of magic and helping others in this way. And…after two years of priesthood training…I got my cutie mark.” “You were nineteen when you got your cutie mark?!” asked Rainbow Dash in disbelief. “Indeed so, darling, and now I’m twenty.” Essentia adjusted her seating position to show one of her flanks, and on it was a lotus flower with the Sanskrit for “spirit” written over it. The rest of them gazed at it in wonder as the priestess giggled to herself, and she declared: “And, wouldn’t you know it: my special talent is spiritual magic.” “I thought I heard you right when you said ‘spiritual magic’,” stated Rarity. “But I’m still confused as to how priests or priestesses use it, precisely.” They almost all turned to look at Twilight for the solution, and the violet unicorn had to contemplate this for a moment before responding: “Well, in context of supernatural lore, priests are ponies who are blessed by royalty, and they can thus cast spells to heal another pony’s metaphysical body. Unicorns like Rarity and I use neutral magic, Princess Celestia uses light magic, Princess Luna uses both light and dark magic, Sombra uses dark magic exclusively, and Discord uses chaos magic. Spiritual magic is the second rarest form of magic next to chaos magic, but I didn’t think that priests and priestesses were actually real…” “Well, Tia doesn’t keep us a secret, really,” said Essentia. “It’s just that there are so few of us that it would make sense for ponies to not be completely aware of the Priesthood Council. But, yes, priests are blessed by royalty, and we perform work in the metaphysical sciences, as it were. Healing is one of the primary objectives of priests, but spiritual magic has other utilities, some of which are classified and some are not.” “Could you show us an example of a non-classified act of spiritual magic?” “Absolutely.” Essentia’s hooves then shimmered and appeared to be glossed over with a clear coat of polish, and she levitated her sitar into the air by lifting her front legs upward accordingly. She then opened her sitar case using one hoof while using the other to keep the sitar up in the air, all before putting the instrument away into its proper place and latching the case shut. The priestess grinned cheekily. “Wait, so…you can do everything a unicorn can with your spiritual magic?” asked Rainbow Dash. “Oh, no, not at all, darling,” objected Essentia. “The only physical spell a priest can pull off is telekinesis. That’s the only real similarity to neutral and spiritual magic, really, but all forms of magic can pull off levitation and things of that nature.” “Really? That’s actually quite fascinating,” remarked Fluttershy. “THAT’S SO COOL OMIGOSH I CAN’T BELIEVE I ACTUALLY SAW A PEGASUS USE MAGIC!!” Pinkie jumped up into the air, cheering loudly before Essentia tugged at the pink mare’s tail like it were a string tethering a balloon. The priestess placed a hoof on Pinkie’s mouth. “Less coffee for you,” said Essentia with a giggle. “She don’t drink no coffee,” said Applejack. That’s frightening, thought Essentia to herself before letting Pinkie go. “And even so,” began Twilight, “all species of pony can access magic to some extent. Earth ponies access magic from the earth, pegasi from the sky, and unicorns from the stars. Right, Essy?” “Right.” Essentia smiled warmly. “And, just so you are all aware, all ponies have both neutral magic and spiritual magic within them. Being blessed by Tia just allows a pony to access it more exclusively to the priesthood identity, if that makes any sense.” “It actually doesn’t,” said Rainbow Dash. “Alright, well, think of it this way.” Essentia slid the sitar case underneath her seat using her spiritual magic. “No matter how much meditation you do, you cannot pull off levitation with spiritual magic alone. That’s because your metaphysical energy has not ascended to the next highest form; being blessed by Celestia allows for this ascension. If it weren’t for this blessing, I wouldn’t be able to perform what I just showed you not a few minutes ago.” “Ooooh, I think I get it now,” said Dash. “So at what point do you get blessed as a priestess, then?” asked Rarity. “Surely having this new form of magic in you must be hard to use at first.” “Well, being blessed marks the half-way point of the training. And, yes, it is very difficult to master. At least, it is to somepony who has never performed levitation before. And even then there are still so many more things you can do with spiritual magic as a priest than non-priests, but much of that is classified.” “What happens when the training is over?” “On the last day of training, you are blessed by the Princess for a second and final time, and you are thusly appointed as an official member of the Priesthood Council. I had my picture taken, but I refused the party afterward.” “You refused a party?!” exclaimed Pinkie. “How do you refuse a party?! Why would you refuse a party?” “Because I just figured that the money that could have been used for the celebration could easily have been used as charity, so that’s what I asked Tia to do.” “…oh,” said Pinkie with a smile. “That’s pretty neat of you, actually.” “Very humble on your part, indeed,” proclaimed Rarity. “Well, there were more important things to take care of than have a silly party over it.” Essentia smiled sheepishly. “It turns out all the priests have turned down the same celebration for the same reasons, and I like to think that Tia makes that a final test of a priest’s training.” “…do all priests and priestesses refer to the Princess so casually like that?” “When you live in somepony else’s home for two years, you don’t refer to them as Mister or Missus the entire time,” said Essentia. “Besides, she gets tired of being called ‘Your Majesty’ and ‘Your Highness’ every day.” “Did you ever call her by her royal title during your training?” “Nope!” Essentia giggled. “I was a rebellious teenager at the time.” “But surely you relearned your manners after having been incriminated for so long,” Rarity pointed out. “Well, yes, and I did start calling her ‘Your Majesty’ again after my training, but it always felt…wrong for me to call her by her title, even after I had become more polite.” “And why’s that?” asked Applejack. Just before Essentia could answer, the train conductor spoke up from behind them: “Unless y’all wish to go to Appleloosa, I’d suggest you get off.” “Appleloosa?” they asked in unison, and they looked out the window to see that the train has arrived at the Ponyville station. After a light gasp, they all quickly got up and ran out of the train, and Essentia laughed loudly as they made their escape from the soon-to-be departing vehicle. I’ve found them, she thought to herself. I’ve found the ponies I need to befriend for my journey. Part 1 - EpilogueEssentia and company were walking down the main street of Ponyville after having left the train station; the priestess had gotten to know everypony’s name at this point, among other things. She was examining all of the shops as they passed by them when she noticed something that seemed strange: there were virtually no residential areas to be seen. “Where are your guys’ homes?” the priestess inquired. “Oh, I suppose it’s a bit different from how ponies in Canterlot live,” said Twilight. “Here, we all live in the place of our work, with the exception of Rainbow Dash. It makes for better use of the facilities given to us.” “That’s…actually pretty radical,” said the hippie with a grin. “You would be surprised to hear that ponies from a ‘higher society’ call this form of living peasant-like and unworthy of praise,” stated Rarity. Essentia sighed. “Unfortunately, that actually doesn’t surprise me. Canterlot ponies are especially notorious for placing themselves on pedestals and being condescending on anything that is not fashionable to them.” “I jus’ think it makes sense,” said Applejack. “It absolutely makes sense, darling,” said Essentia. “It’s efficient in every sense of the word, and there’s no need for any unnecessary buildings otherwise.” “That’s the idea!” declared Pinkie cordially. “Speaking of buildings, is there a hotel I might be able to stay at while I’m here?” “Oh, we wouldn’t dream of making you live inside an inn,” said Rarity. “I would not mind having you as company in my own home.” “Please, darling, I couldn’t possibly—.” “Yeah, you could stay at my place in Cloudsdale, too, if you wanted!” said Rainbow Dash. “You’d be awesome to have around as a roommate.” “We could always use a little extra help at the farm,” said Applejack. Essentia was taken aback at the hospitality of all these ponies. She looked at all of them individually and contemplated what they said as they all offered a place for her to stay. The priestess deliberated all of it before nodding. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to stay with one of you, but how do I choose?” “OOOOH!” shouted Pinkie suddenly, and she trotted in place. “I just got the most amazingest most awesomest idea EVER!” “And what would that be, darling?” “Why don’t you just take turns staying in each of our houses each night until you find the one you’d like to stay at? It’d sorta be like a shifting slumber party, and you could meet all of us again and get to know us more and have fun and PARTY!” She exploded with happiness, and Essentia just blinked. “That’s actually not a bad idea. Of course, if you all aren’t opposed to it, I mean.” “I rather like that idea,” said Rarity. “It would help for us to better know you personally, too. Are there any objections to this?” The six of them all shook their heads, and Essentia grinned. “Well then, I suppose we’re having a shifting slumber party.” Part 2 - Chapter I: ApplejackEverypony in the Apple family barn was asleep, including Essentia who had just concluded her conversation with the Princess, and all was peaceful. At least, that was until a bloodcurdling scream made itself known from Applejack’s room upstairs. The priestess’ eyes shot open, and Applebloom made an effort to run to her sister’s place of sleep despite the immense dark just before the time of dawn. “Applejack!” the filly cried out as she ran. Essentia rubbed her eyes and sat upright, immediately recognizing that the scream from upstairs was spawned by a nightmare. She got out of the couch where she was sleeping and tiredly made her way upstairs, though however slowly. When Applebloom opened the door, Applejack was hugging her pillow tightly, and she had tears forming in her eyes. Applebloom sighed and trotted over to her elder sister. “Applejack…did you have another nightmare?” The mare in question just nodded once, and Essentia arrived only to lean against the doorframe, listening to their conversation intently. “AJ, this is the third night in a row…” “Third night in a row?” asked Essentia, who was now slightly more alert than she was previously. “Has Princess Luna not come by to help you with your nightmares, darling?” “Well…she’s come by all three times to help, but ain’t nothin’ ever got solved.” Essentia was astonished to hear this. She was under the impression that Luna was always able to dispel nightmares and cure ponies at least from recurring ones. Something was illogical in what Applejack had said. “What do you mean by that…?” “Every time she comes by, she zaps the monster, and then it’s all fine until the next night when the same thing happens! It don’t make no sense!” “Wow…that sure doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.” Essentia made her hooves glow in that moment, indicating that she was accessing her spiritual magic. “Might I try to find a cure? It should not take me too long, darling.” “Would you please?” asked the earth pony. Essentia smiled warmly. “Of course.” Essentia immediately got to work. She removed the pillow and the blanket from Applejack gently, and Essentia laid the earth pony down on her back. The priestess placed her glowing hooves along Applejack’s solar plexus and sternum respectively as she gauged the exact origin of the nightmare ridden pony’s negative energy. Surely enough, the bad energy was stored within the pineal gland of Applejack’s brain, and Essentia released her hooves from the earth pony with a sigh. “Your third eye is blocked with heavy, slow vibrations that prevent it from working at an optimal level of performance.” “…which means?” “Which means you are long overdue for a stress reliever. You need healing of some sort.” “I thought that’s what Luna did.” “Not quite, darling. She has the ability to astral project and to connect herself to the dreams of ponies interchangeably with her night alicorn magic. Her only job, therefore, is to guard the dreams of ponies and oust nightmares as they happen. She does not have quite the extent of spiritual healing as a fully trained priest would.” “So what happens now?” “What happens now is that I am going to give you Reiki therapy, and you will just relax and enjoy yourself.” “…do I have a choice?” “Do you enjoy having the same nightmare every time you fall asleep?” “No…” “Then let me help you, darling. Or are you too prideful to let me help you?” Applejack had a sudden memory of apple bucking season when she had just about killed herself out of exhaustion from having not accepted the help of her friends. She inhaled slowly, and then exhaled composedly before shaking her head and looking up at Essentia. “No. I ain’t too prideful. Go ahead.” The priestess got right to work. Essentia started chanting to herself inaudibly, and she placed her hooves back where they were on Applejack’s body. She started on Applejack’s root chakra at the base of her spine, and then moved her hooves up the earth pony’s body as she passed the remaining six chakras. Essentia cleaned the energy by making herself like a waterfall filter, except she ascended against the flow of water instead of descending with it. In this way, Essentia could be sure to not miss any strands of energy as she passed them, and she could then be thorough in her work. The process overall was relaxing for Applejack, and the cowgirl sighed happily long after the process had started. “Wow, this feels amazing.” Essentia allowed a smile to appear as she continued chanting, and she then worked to physically massage the body she was healing as she moved her hooves. The priestess continued to regulate the flow of energy through Applejack, and it was another twenty minutes before the process itself could be completed. Afterward, the pegasus removed her hooves from the earth pony before reciting a prayer quietly. She was hoping to bless Applejack in this way and give her only positive vibrations. Applejack waited patiently before Essentia opened her eyes and began to speak again. “Do you feel better?” “I sure as heck do!” Applejack sat upright. “I feel relaxed and energized and clean again!” “Good! Now would you perhaps be willing to talk with me for a moment?” “Sure.” “Could you please recount for me the details of your nightmare?” After a solid half-an-hour of describing the nightmare, Applejack found that she was not mortified by the recollections of it. Normally, having tried to describe the nightmare was too painful for her mentally and emotionally, but there existed no more negative energy that would create another horrible dream like this one. Essentia smiled and held Applejack’s hoof in a motherly fashion. “Are you alright now, though? Could you try and get some sleep, darling?” “Well, I can certainly try. Thanks for everything, Essy!” “Don’t mention it.” The priestess made her way back downstairs while contemplating what had just transpired. What if she’s not the only one in need of help in this town? I better stay here for a while. Essentia yawned and sat back down on the sofa, thinking this over to herself, and she smiled at the prospect of staying here. Perhaps my journey will not be too distantly travelled. And she fell back asleep. Part 2 - Chapter II: Pinkie PieAfter a full day of helping out at Applejack’s farm, Essentia placed on her pendant again to conceal the tattoos on her body and the dye on her wings. She wiped the sweat from her face with a rag, and she grinned to herself as she rested against a harvested apple tree. Damn, that was some good hard work, she thought to herself. Seeing that it was well in the afternoon, she decided to leave the farm and head for the town square to see what other things she could eat that were not apple-related. The priestess grinned to herself as she passed all the country folk in Ponyville, trotting cordially toward no place in particular. This is just like in that one Spanish town where everypony knows everypony. Essentia stopped in front of a colorfully painted shop, and she read the sign carefully to herself: “Sugar Cube Corner”. One could only guess what sort of food such an establishment would sell to the general public. She giggled at the prospect of treats and decided to canter right along inside. Upon touching a hoof to the door, Pinkie immediately shoved Essentia back outside and shut the door behind them. “Nyyyyope! No peaking!” “Wh-…but I’m hungry!” complained the priestess. “Nope! You don’t get to go inside! Not until it’s ready.” “Until what’s ready, darling?” “It’s a surprise!” Of course it’s a surprise… The pink mare scooted Essentia along and started bouncing, and the priestess presumed she wanted to be followed. The pegasus sighed in defeat and trotted alongside Pinkie, although she soon had a radiant smile with the pink mare’s overwhelming positive vibrations. She could not help but love that sensation of interaction with the witch-like pony. “So, whatcha do to have fun?” asked Pinkie jubilantly. “Well, let’s see…I like to read comic books, I like to meditate, play my sitar…” The pink pony gasped loudly and abruptly stopped to hold Essentia’s face before exclaiming, “You mean you don’t do anything fun?!” “Hey! I think reading is plenty fun,” Essentia said with a bit of pout in her voice. “But you don’t do anything silly?” “I mean, sometimes on occasion, I suppose…” “But you need to have more fun!” She booped Essentia’s nose and let her go before bouncing in circles around the priestess. “Oh, I know! We can go out and do silly things together, like pull pranks or put on funny masks or throw pies at each other or tell funny stories!” Essentia smiled at her enthusiasm. Pinkie Pie had an aura of happiness that she seemed to spread to everypony she encountered, and the priestess was grateful to be friends with somepony like that. However, the spiritual pony felt this was a good opportunity to teach Pinkie something. “Do you always act silly to lighten your mood?” she inquired with curiosity. “All the time!” Pinkie grinned. “Have you ever tried acting calm?” “What?! Are you nuts?” “You can say I’m criminally insane; that much remains true to some level.” “What do you mean, ‘Have you ever tried acting calm?’ Acting silly is the best way to have fun!” “Ah, but I know a method that would work even when having fun doesn’t, darling. This, is of course, not to assume that having fun has ever failed…has it?” Pinkie remembered back to her moment of insanity after nopony would come to Gummy’s after-birthday-party, and she also recalled that, no matter how silly or active she wanted to be, partying in and of itself didn’t make her feel happy. She realized just then that Essentia might be imparting wisdom onto her, and Pinkie stopped bouncing just then to smile. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to try.” “It never does.” The two of them congregated in the middle of Ponyville Park, and Essentia sat Pinkie down to begin her lesson. “One thing that you learn very early on in priesthood is reciting mantras.” “Oh, I know mantras!” “You do?” “Yeah! It’s stuff like, ‘Never give up,’ and, ‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away,’ right?” Essentia giggled at that. “Well…somewhat. A mantra is a sentence or paragraph that you repeat over and over to yourself to achieve some sort of feeling. It’s actually quite easy; anypony of any age can do it.” “So, I can just say anything?” “The idea is that you put your heart and your energy behind what you say. There are both positive mantras and negative mantras, so what you say can you pull you up or bring you down, depending on what you wish to accomplish.” “So if I just repeat the word ‘sugar’ over and over again, it’ll work?!” “Not necessarily, darling. Here, trying using this mantra: ‘I am happy within myself, without myself, and all in between.’” “Ooooh, like a tongue-twister?” “Just take your time with it, darling. Close your eyes and relax. Say the words deliberately, and mean what you say.” Pinkie nodded and followed Essentia’s instructions, albeit with a wide smile on her face. Every time she repeated the phrase, she became more and more tranquil. The grin never left her expression, but she could start to feel an inner joy that was not normally present when in previous states of relaxation. She found herself speaking quieter and quieter, albeit comfortably so as she felt warm on the inside. Wow, this…actually feels really nice. After about 15 minutes of reciting the mantra, Pinkie Pie opened her eyes and nuzzled Essentia platonically and slowly. “That was amazing~!” “Yep! One of the best ways to get your spirits up.” The two of them stood up, and Essentia cocked her head to one side. “So, what was it you were preparing in your store, darling?” “OH!! THE PARTY!!” Pinkie Pie immediately started galloping forward, pushing Essentia’s backside and forcing her forward as she ran. The priestess got the hint after about two seconds of her hooves sliding on the ground, and she started galloping with the earth pony. There was a grin on Essentia’s face that never left, and she knew she was in good company with her new friends. Part 2 - Chapter III: Rainbow DashSometime the next day, Essentia found herself next to a spritely little filly, that being a pegasus of the orange persuasion who can’t seem to fly just yet, and she watched as Rainbow Dash ascended very high up into the air. Essentia presumed this to be the start of a new stunt, and she watched with just as much excitement as Scootaloo. “Come on, Rainbow Dash! You can do it!” exclaimed the filly, and Essentia smiled radiantly before following her example. “Go for it, darling!” As soon as Rainbow Dash hit the apex of her ascension, she collapsed her wings and fell straight down, head first. She accelerated quickly toward a patch of clouds, and she waited until she was just below the patch of clouds to unfold her wings. Instantly, Rainbow Dash made a sharp parabola before ascending upward quickly into the sky, the clouds following her as she began to draw in the atmosphere. Her path was agile and rapid, and the trail of clouds began manifesting into an illustration of sorts. Essentia gazed up in wonder. “Al…most!” grunted Rainbow Dash. Just then, however, an unneeded turn wiped out the remaining cloud she had left behind her, and she looked at the cloud drawing in disappointment. Essentia blinked at what she saw. It was a large outline of a cloud. “So you made a cloud with yet more clouds? Well, that certainly is impressive darling.” “Cool!!” shouted Scootaloo, and the rainbow haired pegasus slowly descended back onto the viewing cloud with them. “It’s…still a work in progress,” said Rainbow sheepishly. “I do say that your stunt is admirable, darling.” “Oh, well, what can I say? I’m pretty awesome.” And very humble, at that, the priestess thought. “She’s so awesome!” Scootaloo hugged Rainbow Dash from the side, and the rainbow mare couldn’t help but smile at this. “Thanks, squirt. I’ll get it down eventually.” “So this problem has occurred before?” “Yeah, but I can’t get it right for some reason! I follow the plan exactly, but it always turns out to be…this!” “What do you do to try and fix it?” “Well, I try to make adjustments to my overall plan, like, small, tiny adjustments, but I work for hours and hours and I can’t get this one right for some reason.” “…ever try meditation?” “You mean like that thing with the ‘Ohhhhmmmmmm’?” “Well, yes, but that’s only one style of meditation.” “I’m not really into that sorta thing.” “…but have you ever tried it?” “No, but—” “Has there ever been a time in your life when you wished you had a clearer mind or, at least, a more rational thought process, before doing something?” Rainbow Dash immediately thought back to when she participated in the Running of the Leaves with Applejack. She had behaved so selfishly and hot-headedly because she was too hell-bent on winning the race to think about anything else. Her emotions had gotten the best of her. The pegasus returned back to the conversation at hand after a few moments, and she sighed. “…yeah,” she reluctantly admitted. “Well, meditation is one way to clear your mind. And it’s really easy; anypony can do it.” “Even me?” asked Scootaloo excitedly. “Yes, little one, even you.” Maybe I can get my cutie mark in meditation! The three of them sat in a circle, and Rainbow Dash and her sister followed Essentia’s instructions exactly. “Now the first thing you need to do is close your eyes. We are going to do a basic exercise where you travel through your mind outside of your own thoughts. Just let the thoughts come to you; the neural passages of your brain will not be inactive just because you are meditating.” “But,” started Rainbow Dash, her eyes latched shut, “what do you mean ‘just let the thoughts come to us’?” “Pretend that your thoughts are in front of you. Now take a few steps away from them and just observe your thoughts as they come to you. Do not experience them. Do not immerse yourself in them. Just watch them as they pass by and try to interact with you. Relax your breathing.” After a few minutes of doing this, Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash finally understood how it was supposed to feel. It was not the getting rid of thoughts but rather the separation of the self from these thoughts. They remained in this meditative stance for a solid fifteen minutes before Rainbow Dash finally “woke up”, so to speak, with a smile on her face. “Hey, I think I know how to fix the stunt!” “Right on,” said Essentia, who opened her eyes next. “Maybe you can show us?” “Yeah!” Essentia and Scootaloo took their viewing positions one more time, and they watched as Rainbow Dash took off into the air with even more confidence than before. “Do you think she’ll do it this time?” asked Scootaloo. “Yes, most definitely.” “How can you tell?” “I just have a hunch, darling.” Scootaloo grinned and turned her head quickly to look up at her older sister as she prepares for her stunt. “YOU CAN DO IT, RAINBOW DASH!!” The mare in the sky grinned as she came falling back down, faster than before and with her legs tucked in this time. She waited until she was at the right altitude to unfold her wings, and she began with the illustration again. Within seconds, it was apparent she had more control of her movements, and she flew with such fluidity in her stature. Before Essentia and Scootaloo could applaud for her, Rainbow Dash was finished with the cloud illustration, and she turned back around to look at it. “YES! Finally!!” Essentia and Scootaloo cheered wildly at the cloud drawing. It was a perfect copy of Rainbow Dash’s cutie mark, albeit without the extra colors. Despite the less than modest gesture of Rainbow’s work, Essentia could not help but smile to herself. Very inspiring indeed, Miss Dash. I knew you could do it. Part 2 - Chapter IV: FluttershyEarly that next morning, just as the dawn was making itself known, Essentia found herself alive and awake as she did her morning stretches. It did not surprise her that Rainbow Dash was not awake yet, but that did not stop her from going about her day. The priestess left a small note congratulating the rainbow pony on her accomplishments the previous day, and then she placed on her tattoo/dye-concealing pendant before departing Cloudsdale and heading back to Ponyville. As she descended the atmosphere, Essentia took sight of Fluttershy perusing Ponyville Park and enjoying the quiet of the early morning town. The priestess decided to take a chance and go speak with the yellow pegasus. Just as she flew downward past a tree, a small piece of a branch snagged the pendant at just the perfect angle. In that moment, Essentia decelerated quickly to the point of stopping as both the necklace and the branch snapped, and she fell square on her back with that small portion of the tree on top of her. “GAH, FUCK!” She coughed violently. Fluttershy was frightened by the sudden noise at first, but her instincts as a caregiver quickly overcame this fear. She galloped hastily to Essentia, finding in herself the impulsive adrenalin needed to lift the tree branch off of the priestess. Essentia coughed again and groaned in pain, and Fluttershy immediately called onto her animal friends for help. Before anything else could happen, Essentia blacked out. Essentia’s spirit was projected from its physical vessel, that being Essentia’s body, and it looked around at the environment. The priestess had bandages on the middle third of her wings, and she seemed comfortable in the sheets of a nice bed, from what the spirit saw. It then looked outside the window to see what else it could gather, but it was then that Fluttershy decided to trot back inside the room to check on Essentia. The spirit instantly allowed itself back into Essentia’s body, and that’s when Essentia fluttered her eyes open to look at her caretaker. “Oh, thank Celestia you’re alright! I was afraid you wouldn’t wake up, a-and…how do you feel?” The priestess managed a small smile as Fluttershy moved to sit just beside the bed, and she exhaled slowly. “I feel fine, for the most part; I’ve had worse in prison,” said Essentia rather softly. “Oh, goodness…well, I made tea to help soothe your spirit and body. I hope that’s alright, I still have my mom’s old recipe book on the different attributes of teas, a-and I know you’re a priestess, so I tried to pick the best healer for you.” Essentia was taken aback by this whole ordeal. Not only was this new friend able to patch up Essentia’s wounds, but she also made a potential remedy to her physical and metaphysical bodies, and she clearly made every effort to make the injured priestess comfortable. And, on top of it all…she was attractive; cute, even. This made Essentia blush, and she returned a slightly larger smile than before. “Sure that’s alright, sweetheart,” she finally replied. “May I taste it?” “Yes, right away!” Fluttershy saluted and quickly made her way to the kitchen to retrieve the tea. Did she just call me ‘sweetheart’? thought the Element of Kindness. As soon as Fluttershy returned with the tea, Angel the rabbit jumped onto Essentia’s bed carrying one more pillow in addition to the two already present on the bed. Both the nursing pegasus and her animal companion helped Essentia into an upright position, albeit carefully such that to not cause the priestess any more pain than what she had already experienced the last hour or so. Fluttershy placed the tea on a small table just over Essentia’s hind hooves, and she poured the tea ever-so-gingerly, in such a way that fascinated the tattooed pony. Such grace… Essentia picked up the cup of tea and sipped from it. Coincidentally enough, what Fluttershy had prepared was her favorite flavor of tea: rosemary chamomile tea with just a hint of clover on the top. “Wow…this tastes incredible, darling.” She placed the tea cup back down. “I’m so glad!” Fluttershy moved to help her, but she then found herself holding Essentia’s hoof in her own two hooves, and they both shared a mutual blush. Although however awkwardly, the priestess eventually backed her hoof away from Fluttershy’s grasp. “Th-Thanks for the tea, darling.” “O-Oh, of course!” They just stared at each other for a long minute, and Fluttershy finally managed to speak up again. “Uh…so…do priests have a special way of healing?” “Yes, actually. We call it ‘regeneration’.” “And how long will that take?” “For an injury like this, likely a few days before it’s healed completely.” “Well, you just stay here as long as you like. I don’t mind your company one bit.” Fluttershy kissed Essentia’s forehead in that nursing-motherly sort of way. However, despite the platonic notion of it all, this only made Essentia blush more, and Fluttershy smiled as she cantered out of the room. The priestess wondered where this venture would take her, now that she can’t walk for at least another day. She allowed herself a warm smile as she began the regeneration process. Essentia closed her eyes and chanted to herself quietly. Instantly, the spiritual magic began working itself through Essentia’s spine and wings, and she figured by her own diagnosis that it would be a few hours for the pain to subside. Her physical body very slowly started repairing itself, and she found herself expressing a radiant grin. My word, she is adorable…and hot. I’m so glad I landed in her care above anypony else’s out here in this part of Equestria. She allowed the chant to continue in her mind as she took a sip of the tea again, looking out at the window to see Fluttershy tending to her critter friends. The priestess sighed happily as she slumped in her bed, and she giggled. I think I’m in love. Part 2 - PrologueThat night, Princess Luna was traversing the astral plane, a place where dreams and memories and ideas reside collectively in one spiritual realm, and she began her work of dream guarding. Per her sister’s request, the night alicorn was to visit Essentia’s sect of the astral plane first, to make sure she was alright. The alicorn stepped forth into Essentia’s “dream cloud”, so to speak, although it was more similar to a glass bubble than a cloud. Upon entering Essentia’s subconscious, she stepped forward into what appeared to be a quaint room inside of a cottage. Along the walls were paintings of memories such as Essentia attaining her cutie mark, the time Essentia pied Celestia’s face at a festival, and other such positively vibrating recollections. Luna looked forward to see Essentia herself waiting, smiling at the Princess as she walked in. “Hello, Luna.” “Greetings, child.” The alicorn smiled radiantly at the priestess. “I see you have not forgotten how to lucid dream.” “Come on, have a little more faith in me. Lucid dreaming is pre-training level of spiritual magic; anypony can do it.” “Well, yes, but everypony is not aware of it as such, nor have they interest in learning to do so. ‘Tis a shame, but there is little we can do about it.” “I agree. So, what brings you to my tiny little dream house?” “You were assigned to me as my first visit by my sister. Does everything bid well for thee and thy journey thus far?” “Yes, actually. As soon as I got on the train, I met the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, and I got to speak with Twilight again! It was such a good time, talking to them; they’re a friendly bunch, especially Pinkie Pie.” “Yes, the pink one is rather social, isn’t she?” “And, I swear, she must be a witch to be able to pull off that sort of bounce in her step…” Funny thou should mention that, but ‘tis for another time, the princess thought to herself before speaking up again. “Well, if all is right, I suppose I shall take my leave.” “Wait, Luna…did Tia ever say anything about…you know?” The alicorn sighed and placed a hoof on Essentia’s shoulder. “My sister has not made official arrangements, not yet, anyway. It is a decision that must be deliberated with caution; we have discussed this before.” “Yes, I know…it is driving me insane to call her by her first name.” “I understand perfectly, dear, but thou must be patient. There is more to consider than just your relationship to her as a child; ‘tis a royal matter that will not be withheld from the press nor from the public, should the matter become official.” “…okay.”
Part 1 - PrologueThe evening sun descended just below the horizon, and the stars shone faintly in the ever-darkening sky. Everypony in Canterlot made their way back to their homes for the night, what with closing up shop and visiting with their families and all that, but one gray pegasus watched it all from the castle balcony in disdain. “Why can’t they understand there’s more to life than just pompous social gatherings?” she asked herself quietly; it was then the pegasus remembered a single quote from her training as a priestess: “We are what our thoughts have made us.” “You always used that quote advantageously in your training,” said a regal voice from behind. One of Essentia’s ears perked at the sound of royal hoof-steps, and she smiled at the familiarity of the Princess’ voice as it now resounded from beside her. “And it’s especially apparent in your choice of expression.” Essentia rolled her eyes, albeit with a warm smile on her face. “Are you going to recite another antic for me, ‘mom’?” The pegasus laughed a bit. “You’ve been doing that more and more frequently, you know.” “Oh, not this time, although it is fun to embarrass you from time to time.” She nuzzled Essentia lovingly, like a mother would to her foal, before wrapping a wing around her in comfort. “It’s going to be a long while before I get to see you again.” The pegasus realized what the Princess, having raised Essentia for the last 3 years, was going through. It was maternally driven, and Essentia accepted the warm embrace with no resistance on her part. “I’ll be fine, Your Highness.” “Please, just call me Celestia.” The alicorn grinned, removing her wing from Essentia. “And why not relax a while? Take off the pendant and let your coat breathe.” Essentia was taken aback at the Princess’ behavior, but she nodded in understanding: Celestia just wanted to spend time with her before seeing her off on her travels. The priestess inhaled slowly, and then exhaled composedly as she deliberately removed the crystal pendant from around her neck, and she smiled in relief as the prevention spell was lifted from her. She adjusted her violet mane upon erecting her head to look back up at the Princess, and her coat would gradually begin to show many psychedelic and symbolically patterned tattoos, all of which would go from her neck down to her hooves. Each leg had its own large decorative tattoo, and many of them along the rest of her body were traced with silver that glimmered with the coming night. She smiled genuinely once the spell was completely lifted, and she hugged Celestia. “Thank you. It’s been too long.” “I would have to agree…such beautiful craftsponyship.” “But you’ve never liked my tattoos before, mom—I mean, uh…Celestia.” “I have never truly appreciated the purpose of conventional body art or permanent illustrations on one’s coat. But the prospect of you leaving tomorrow has made me reconsider my perspective on the whole ordeal.” “…That’s quite the change of heart over somepony like me…” “You are an amazing priestess, Essentia. You have taught me just as many things as you have learned during your training. You are not ‘just somepony’, at least not to me.” She smiled and leaned into Celestia lovingly, nuzzling the Princess’ wing. “So you’ll miss me being a smartass?” “As much as I never thought I would say it…yes, I will.” She giggled. Essentia laughed with Celestia, and she adjusted her body such that to sit just in front of the Princess, her head level with Celestia’s chest. She hugged one of the Princess’ legs, and she smiled genuinely. “I’ll miss you scolding me and lecturing to me. You have always been like a mother to me.” “And you, a daughter.” Essentia craned her neck, and Celestia lowered hers. Tomorrow would be a new adventure for her, but, for now, she only wished to spend time with her guardian and caretaker. Of course, this moment of reflection was interrupted by the alicorn’s motherly callings. “Now, just remember everything I told you. Do not pick fights with the ponies you encounter, even if you consider them to be drunk and/or stupid.” “Yes, okay—.” “And be sure to write to me within the week of your arrival to Ponyville.” “Alright, yes, I understand—!” “Don’t forget to eat on the train ride there, and do not sacrifice sleep for the sake of playing your sitar at ungodly hours in the morning.” “…are you finished?” “For your sanity: yes.” Princess Celestia hugged Essentia close to her. “You will do many great things and go on yet more great adventures. Your presence here at the castle will be missed, and I’ll be thinking of you every step of the way.” Essentia had just now come to terms with her soon-to-be departure from Canterlot, and she nodded slowly in comprehension. Despite her verbose vocabulary and rather astounding intellect, all she could mutter was, “Me, too…”
Part 1 - Chapter IEssentia was waiting impatiently in her seat on the train, and her grin was wide as she squeed to herself quietly. A good length of her mane was over one shoulder, her bangs just touching the top of her circular, orange lensed sunshades. All her belongings were stowed away except for her sitar case which she hugged tightly to herself as if it were a second pony. “We’re going to Ponyville! This is so exciting, I cannot stand it!!” She kissed the sitar case and giggled to herself, realizing how silly she was behaving since she left the castle this morning. It was liberating to at last be travelling on her accord and to have the blessings of a parental figure. The latter had never been provided for her until now; she was finally free. Essentia placed her hooves together and closed her eyes, and the pendant that concealed her tattoos adjusted when she lowered her head slightly. She recited a prayer to herself soundlessly, and she could feel her heart chakra renewing its energy from the rose quartz in her pendant. She smiled to herself once the prayer was finished, and she opened her eyes at the sound of a familiar voice she had not heard in years. “Alright, time to embark, girls!” said a purple unicorn to her five friends behind her, and Essentia turned her head hastily toward the voice. “Ponyville’s waiting for us.” Essentia grinned cheekily at the sound of her old friend stepping onto the train, and the priestess got out of her seat to walk toward the front door of the cart where she heard this voice. The gray pegasus was overjoyed as she trotted in place. Twilight stepped onto the train after a long moment before noticing the mare that was in front of her, and she grinned and squeed happily, pulling Essentia into a hug. “OMIGOSH it’s you!! I haven’t seen you since grade school!” “I know! It’s been forever, darling!” She pulled away from Twilight and nuzzled her giddily. “Gods, this is amazing.” Essentia and Twilight shared a laugh after having not seen each other since they were both fillies, and Applejack giggled before speaking. “Y’all are good friends, I take it?” “Yep! We went to Celestia’s School for the Gifted together for a few years. She stopped going for some reason, but I never thought I’d see her again. It’s so exciting!” “My intuition told me there’d be surprises on my journey, but I didn’t know it would be so soon!” She giggled and started trotting back to her own seat. “Come on, sit with me! Everypony can fit.” She led them toward the back section of the cart where nopony sat in the last two seating areas, and they all made themselves comfortable accordingly. Twilight, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash sat with Essentia while Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie sat in the area just next to them; the pink earth pony screamed internally at first before shouting uncontrollably. “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe I’m meeting a new pony! This is so exciting!!” She somehow reappeared just in front of Essentia, and she pressed her muzzle against the priestess’. “What’s your favorite color? Do you like balloons?! I love love LOVE balloons!! I got balloons on my flank ‘cause I like to party and partying is my special talent and I love meeting new ponies and—!” “Shhh,” Essentia said, placing a hoof on Pinkie’s muzzle. “Just take a deep breath, darling. Breathe cordially, be calm.” Pinkie suddenly produced a grin as she jumped up into the air and screamed happily, confetti and balloons appearing where there was previously none. Essentia sighed in defeat, albeit with a genuine smile as Pinkie floated back to her original seat. She resumed her usual laughter as Rarity spoke up. “My, that is a lovely necklace, Miss…?” “Tempera! Essentia Tempera, but you all can just call me Essy.” “Well, it looks to be crafted by royalty.” “It is crafted by royalty, darling. Celestia gave this to me herself not a few years ago.” Rarity was immediately examining it up close now, and Essentia turned to face her. The alabaster unicorn saw on the back of the ovular rose quartz was, indeed, the gold crest of Celestia’s rule, although it had a spell marked on it in ancient Equestrian writing. “What purpose does the enchantment on this pendant have?” asked the unicorn. “It…conceals my true coat. Actually, you could argue that it reveals my true coat.” Rarity raised an eyebrow at Essentia’s dubious behavior. “What do you mean by that?” “Well, let’s say I’m a fan of body art.” Essentia grinned. “OOOOOOOH!” exclaimed Pinkie. “Can we see, can we see, can we see?! I wanna see!” I actually want to see it, too, thought a blushing Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash noticed this physical change in her friend’s cheeks but decided not to be vocal about it. “Won’t you please show us?” asked Rarity. “…I suppose I could.” Essentia removed the pendant, and all of her tattoos slowly appeared on her coat, and her feathers reformed into their dyed state. Fluttershy blushed more and just stared while everypony else went, “oooooo” and analyzed Essentia’s body art. “My, you sport these rather well, darling,” remarked Rarity. “Yeah, they’re awesome!” exclaimed Rainbow Dash. The pony who was most astounded was Twilight, and all she could ask was, “When did you get all these tattoos…?” “Well, I got them along my travels. I ran away from home, remember?” “Well, yeah, but where the heck did you go?!” “Oh, all over the world, really. I received at least one tattoo for every country I visited, so there’s about 30 or so on me. I’ve honestly lost track of count.” “…my Celestia…why did you get so many?” “Well, I got into some trouble with my mom at the time, and she decided to treat me like garbage, and…goodness, you’re all so close now.” She laughed affably. “Because it’s story time!” shouted Pinkie jubilantly, and Essentia looked at all of them. “I believe what she meant to ask,” started Rarity composedly, “is, ‘Would you please share with us your story?’ If you wouldn’t mind, of course.” Essentia deliberated this for a long moment. They actually want to hear my story? These are all strangers to me, save for Twilight, but…oh, the pink one would explode if I don’t. “Of course I wouldn’t mind.”
Part 1 - Chapter II (Optional, Exposition)It was only a short time later that Essentia had Twilight and her friends gathered in front of her in a semicircle, and the priestess had removed the sitar from its case. She plucked at the strings purposefully and with a grin on her face as she played for them softly. The train moved subtly along the smooth tracks as she performed. Essentia inhaled, and then exhaled. “For the sake of pacing this story, I’m going to just say outright that my birth mother is not fond of hippies in the slightest. She is a conservative, traditional mare who only wished for me to attend Celestia’s school and make money for the family. “As it were, I most definitely am not a conservative traditional young mare, and I resent the times I tried reasoning with Chroma about the matter. She always punished me every time I called somepony ‘man’ or ‘dude’ because that wasn’t the ‘traditional Canterlot accent’. I couldn’t stand the damned accent back then, and I only just recently come to terms with adopting it again. “…but that’s not what you want to hear, is it?” ask the priestess. “Just keep going!!” screamed Pinkie Pie elatedly, grinning wide. “Alright! Alright!” Essentia giggled to herself and continued her recounting: “I was a blank-flank for the longest time, even into my adolescent years. I had fascination with mathematics and the performing arts, but neither of these things proved to be my special talent, even after 14 years. Of course, my mother had a fit. “‘Did you get something on your flank yet?’ she asked me one day. “‘For the last fucking time, mom, I didn’t find my special talent yet.’ “‘YOU DON’T SWEAR, YOUNG LADY!’ “Mind you, I’m a bit of a snide pony, so my retort to that was, ‘Maybe you need your ears checked because I just swore, and your argument is therefore a logical fallacy.’ “‘Don’t you be pulling any of that philosophy hogwash on me! Now go to your room and study for the upcoming school year!!’ “‘…no! No, fuck you!’ And I just got up and ran out of the house.” “…just like that?” asked Twilight, her eyes full of worry. “Just like that,” replied Essentia with nonchalance. “I’m not discrediting your emotions, but don’t you feel that what you did was a bit of an overreaction, Essentia, darling?” asked Rarity. “Oh, well, yes! It was definitely an overreaction! However, in my own defense, she gave me that sort of talk every day for a year since I received my certificate of being accepted to Tia’s school. I just got tired of it, so I did what any non-rational teenager does when they’re fed up with their parents, and ran away.” Pinkie lost her smile as she cocked her head to one side. “Then what happened…?” “Well, you can say this is when I first got into trouble, at least, as a criminal.” She resumed her playing as she continued her story: “See, I only left the house so Chroma wouldn’t see me cry. She hates it when I shed quote-unquote, ‘crocodile tears’, which apparently have no real value so long as they disagree with Chroma’s thought process. I just hid myself away in some bar or restaurant, I don’t remember which one, really. In all honesty, I was just scheming a way to get back at her, although I realize now that all she was doing was being a strict parent. I could have been cordial on my own or perhaps be more firm in my stance and handle these situations better, but…again, I wasn’t the most considerate pony at the time. “After about an hour or so, I figured out that Chroma didn’t even bother to search for me. In fact, when I returned to the house to apologize for my behavior, I discovered that she was having an especially good time with a stallion who was not my birth father. She was having an affair all to her own.” “My Celestia…” “I didn’t think ponies like that would exist in Canterlot,” said Fluttershy. Essentia nodded and continued: “Well, I took it upon myself to do something about it. I ran inside the house, took her bags, stuffed as much money and as many valuables as I could into my own backpack, and I just ran. I was so full of adrenalin from galloping that, when I fell on my face and scraped my knees, I didn’t even feel it until I was well outside of the city limits, and even then I pushed myself forward. “‘I’m escaping Tartarus,’ I told myself. ‘I’m escaping the worst hell of my life and nopony can do anything to stop me!’” “Were you labeled as a criminal?” asked Rainbow Dash. “Of course. My birth mother pressed charges and had the police after me for days.” “Whoa…” “How did you ever escape?” inquired a frightened Fluttershy. “By leaving Equestria, of course. I couldn’t stay here with the police after me.” “I think what she meant was: how did y’all get away without anypony else noticing where ya went or nothin’?” “If you’d like to hear the rest of my story, I’ll happily tell you.” Essentia smiled genuinely. “Please please please please please please pleeeeeeeeease??” begged Pinkie. “Well, I don’t know…” Essentia smirked. “Oh, you gotta tell us! It’s a rule! It exists, it’s a rule, I just know it! You can’t leave us hanging at the good part; it’s like closing a book in the middle of a chapter!!” “…will you please continue?” asked Fluttershy tentatively. Essentia smiled at this. “Anything for you, darlings.” She resumed her playing and spoke some more: “I was ahead of the police just enough to hop onto a boat and fork over all the money I had to the captain of the ship. I told him, ‘If you let me stow away on your ship, and you don’t tell the police shit about me, it’s all yours.’ After which he responded, ‘Gladly, Miss.’ “And so I hid myself below deck. I didn’t even know where we were going, so long as it was away from Equestria. After some time, I figured out that we were heading to Trottingham, which was a fair distance away, but nothing too miserable. I was fed on the ship like the crew, and I even found an honest job working in the kitchen as a busgirl. The sailors and I became good friends and they promised to keep their mouths shut if the authorities ever came to them. Such loyal ponies, those sailors are.” Essentia opened her hind legs just slightly and pointed at her belly with her front hoof. “And that’s where I got this mermaid here. It was my first ever tattoo, and I love it still.” Fluttershy smiled warmly. She carries such confidence about herself, the shy pegasus thought quietly. Essentia continued with her story for a bit longer this time: “When I arrived at Trottingham, I had to ditch the boat in case Equestria’s police found out about my involvement with them. But, goodness, was Trottingham beautiful. I had only ever seen the British in pictures and in storybooks, but never in real life. It was so fascinating to finally visit a place I have only admired from afar. However, there was only one problem: I had absolutely no usable money to my name. The only remaining bits I had were Equestrian currency, and it’s different from the currency they use in Trottingham. And this is the point where I got rather…stupid. “I decided to pick up a career in pickpocketing. Not only was I good at it, but I enjoyed it. There was a certain rush, a thrill, an exhilarating experience to getting away with stealing money and getting away from the law. I was famous in the British criminal community, and I was actually proud of that at the time. “However, one day, a constable caught me in the act of stealing, and it was only because one of my so-called ‘friends’ ratted me in the middle of it. I was arrested, booked, and promptly jailed almost on the spot; their penal system is not kind at all. And, after a month or so of reflection, I decided to never steal again, to turn my life around. “Of course, this lasted only up until I got out of jail a few months later. I had gained friends while in prison, and, while I am not proud to say this, criminal acts were still exciting for me. So I got into trouble everywhere I went, and that’s when my traveling career began.” The rest of them just sat there silently for a long moment as Essentia’s piece on the sitar drew to a close, and the priestess smiled at them sheepishly. “Any questions, darlings?” “Tons,” said Applejack. “I don’t even know where to start,” stated Rarity. “Are you okay…?” asked Fluttershy with her ears fallen. “I am now, yes,” said Essentia. The priestess placed her sitar down and held out her front legs to show them all her body art. “I got many of these tattoos while serving time in the different prisons I went to, and you can see the different styling of the work per country I visited.” “Why didn’t you just serve your time in Equestria?” asked a brown stallion across the cart. When Essentia turned her head, she saw that she had the attention of everyone in that part of the vehicle, and she blinked. “The worst that would have happened to you at 14 years old was a juvenile sentence.” Essentia smiled. “Well, of course, this was something I thought about during my priesthood training. I could have easily just said, ‘Yes, officer. Sorry, officer.’ But, as is apparent, ponies like me can make cartoonish and silly decisions if we overthink things.” “How did you get involved with priesthood?” asked a fuchsia coated mare. “It’s not exactly a common path to take, especially for criminals.” “Well…” “And what did you mean by your traveling career starting?” asked Rainbow Dash. “…should I just continue my story?” “Wouldn’t you please?” asked Rarity. Essentia grinned at this and started a new song on her sitar, one that was of Spanish origin, and she continued: “To put it simply, I traveled from city to city, I occasionally hopped the borders or escaped the police, and I just kept stealing. The more I stole, the more times I got thrown in jail, and, the more times I got thrown in jail, the more friends I made. It was a simple formula that made sense to me at the time, and I got to sightsee while doing it. “Now, some of the things I stole did not involve money in and of itself. When I was in Whales, I stole an amulet from a unicorn that allowed me to speak and understand foreign languages. This was nifty when I had traveled to other countries and committed petty crimes from city to city. I would only be in jail for a few months at a time, and I would always get my belongings back. Of course, the only belonging I ever had at any given time was the amulet. And, after a long while, the magic from overexposure to the amulet wore off onto me, so I soon pawned it for actual earned money. I can still learn languages moderately quickly now because of it, although the magic is weaker than it was back then. “And this was my lifestyle: I stole, I went to prison, I served my time, I moved to the next city, sometimes even to the next country. You would have thought I would have learned my lesson by now, but there was a fondness I felt when doing it all. There were ponies who loved me and cheered me on while in the criminal community, and that feeling I had will probably never leave me. I won’t say I’m proud for having been a thief, but I will say that the love and kindness I felt while in these prisons were genuine.” “How did you get to Equestria?!” exclaimed Pinkie excitedly; the pink mare was now in Essentia’s face. “Did you steal a boat, walk on water, what did you do?!!” “And how did you get involved in priesthood?” repeated the mare from before. “Well, I suppose I should skip ahead to dying my wings, then, because that’s when my life took a turn for the better.” She pushed back Pinkie’s face before continuing: “Three years had passed, and I was just finishing getting my wings dyed in Sydneigh; that’s when the Equestrian police finally caught up to me. They waited for me to leave the parlor before arresting me with an international warrant. Ironically enough, this was the only other time I resisted them; they were charging me with crimes I had never committed! They were charging me with drug trafficking, pony trafficking, prostitution…give me a break! I was just a pickpocket, for Luna’s sake! “Well, here’s what happened: they needed an excuse to get me back to Equestria. All they told me was, ‘You are a famous criminal who has been traveling from country to country alongside another criminal who has been charged as a felon.’ So, they labeled me as an accomplice and threw me on the ship back to Equestria.” “Talk about abuse of power,” said Twilight. “They can’t arrest you without actual evidence of you having done any of those things!” “Tell that to the police that arrested me.” “Ugh,” complained the brown stallion from before. “That is a violation of countless laws, including Australian and Equestrian statutes.” Essentia shrugged. “There’s nothing else to say, darling. I was arrested, and that was that.” “Then what happened?” asked Applejack. “Funny you should ask, dear. “See, when I got on the ship, Princess Celestia herself was waiting for me. She had a carriage awaiting us and a smile on her face. I was confused as all hell as to why the Princess had all of this prepared, but what really confused me was our first conversation. “‘You gave my soldiers quite the chase, Miss Tempera.’ “‘What do you want…?’ “‘Well, I just needed a way to get you on this boat. Come with me.’ And she hopped onto the carriage while her two fliers strapped on their reins. “‘And if I refuse?’ “‘Then you’ll get to endure the long trip back to Equestria on this ship with little food or water.’ “And I couldn’t deny that I was starving, so I obliged grudgingly with the Princess and hopped onboard her carriage, where a meal was prepared for me. I was skeptical of the food presented to me; maybe she planned to knock me out with whatever chemical she might have placed inside of it. “‘Did you do something to this?’ “‘Yes, clearly the alicorn goddess figure that is adored by many would slip drugs into your meal. “‘…okay, point taken, but…why?’ “‘I was about to ask you the same. Why did you become a criminal?’ And so the rest of the carriage ride was me recounting pretty much what I have told you all so far, and, after the story, we were arriving at the Equestrian borders. Celestia was still confused about something. “‘So you pass my written test with flying colors, and my math test with a perfect score, but you refused to go to my school and instead fled my police after you stole from your mother?’ “‘It’s not that simple, Princess…’ “‘No, I understand that, but I have to ask why you didn’t seek help before any of this could be allowed to happen?’ “‘There’s no recovery for criminals like me; once a thief, always a thief. Nopony really loves me; only the criminals and low-lives do.’ “‘That is a lie and you know it. I care about you. When I found out that you were the same Essentia Tempera who passed the tests to enter my school for the gifted, I was disheartened at your extensive criminal record.’ “‘Why do you even care?’ “‘I care because you are an Equestrian, Miss Tempera, and I care for all of my denizens. You are not a criminal, not at heart. You are so much more than a pickpocket, even if you don’t realize it yourself.’ “Once we finally landed on the castle balcony, I was at a total loss for words. The Princess cared about me? She actually had genuine feelings toward me as a pony, and she was sad when she found out I was a thief? Something didn’t seem right: she didn’t appear she wanted to charge me with anything.” “‘Wait,’ I said. ‘Why aren’t there guards waiting for me?’” “‘Because you’re not going to prison. I have another plan for you.’” “She told me all about priesthood and how I can find my own personal salvation in studying spiritual magic. I was not convinced at first, but I was honestly getting tired of prisons at that point, believe it or not; after all, I had gotten my wings dyed to start a whole new life altogether. “I stayed at the castle, and, every day I was there, I discovered more and more about myself through meditation and self-healing. It was an amazing experience, priesthood training. I had never known that I was capable of performing acts of magic and helping others in this way. And…after two years of priesthood training…I got my cutie mark.” “You were nineteen when you got your cutie mark?!” asked Rainbow Dash in disbelief. “Indeed so, darling, and now I’m twenty.” Essentia adjusted her seating position to show one of her flanks, and on it was a lotus flower with the Sanskrit for “spirit” written over it. The rest of them gazed at it in wonder as the priestess giggled to herself, and she declared: “And, wouldn’t you know it: my special talent is spiritual magic.” “I thought I heard you right when you said ‘spiritual magic’,” stated Rarity. “But I’m still confused as to how priests or priestesses use it, precisely.” They almost all turned to look at Twilight for the solution, and the violet unicorn had to contemplate this for a moment before responding: “Well, in context of supernatural lore, priests are ponies who are blessed by royalty, and they can thus cast spells to heal another pony’s metaphysical body. Unicorns like Rarity and I use neutral magic, Princess Celestia uses light magic, Princess Luna uses both light and dark magic, Sombra uses dark magic exclusively, and Discord uses chaos magic. Spiritual magic is the second rarest form of magic next to chaos magic, but I didn’t think that priests and priestesses were actually real…” “Well, Tia doesn’t keep us a secret, really,” said Essentia. “It’s just that there are so few of us that it would make sense for ponies to not be completely aware of the Priesthood Council. But, yes, priests are blessed by royalty, and we perform work in the metaphysical sciences, as it were. Healing is one of the primary objectives of priests, but spiritual magic has other utilities, some of which are classified and some are not.” “Could you show us an example of a non-classified act of spiritual magic?” “Absolutely.” Essentia’s hooves then shimmered and appeared to be glossed over with a clear coat of polish, and she levitated her sitar into the air by lifting her front legs upward accordingly. She then opened her sitar case using one hoof while using the other to keep the sitar up in the air, all before putting the instrument away into its proper place and latching the case shut. The priestess grinned cheekily. “Wait, so…you can do everything a unicorn can with your spiritual magic?” asked Rainbow Dash. “Oh, no, not at all, darling,” objected Essentia. “The only physical spell a priest can pull off is telekinesis. That’s the only real similarity to neutral and spiritual magic, really, but all forms of magic can pull off levitation and things of that nature.” “Really? That’s actually quite fascinating,” remarked Fluttershy. “THAT’S SO COOL OMIGOSH I CAN’T BELIEVE I ACTUALLY SAW A PEGASUS USE MAGIC!!” Pinkie jumped up into the air, cheering loudly before Essentia tugged at the pink mare’s tail like it were a string tethering a balloon. The priestess placed a hoof on Pinkie’s mouth. “Less coffee for you,” said Essentia with a giggle. “She don’t drink no coffee,” said Applejack. That’s frightening, thought Essentia to herself before letting Pinkie go. “And even so,” began Twilight, “all species of pony can access magic to some extent. Earth ponies access magic from the earth, pegasi from the sky, and unicorns from the stars. Right, Essy?” “Right.” Essentia smiled warmly. “And, just so you are all aware, all ponies have both neutral magic and spiritual magic within them. Being blessed by Tia just allows a pony to access it more exclusively to the priesthood identity, if that makes any sense.” “It actually doesn’t,” said Rainbow Dash. “Alright, well, think of it this way.” Essentia slid the sitar case underneath her seat using her spiritual magic. “No matter how much meditation you do, you cannot pull off levitation with spiritual magic alone. That’s because your metaphysical energy has not ascended to the next highest form; being blessed by Celestia allows for this ascension. If it weren’t for this blessing, I wouldn’t be able to perform what I just showed you not a few minutes ago.” “Ooooh, I think I get it now,” said Dash. “So at what point do you get blessed as a priestess, then?” asked Rarity. “Surely having this new form of magic in you must be hard to use at first.” “Well, being blessed marks the half-way point of the training. And, yes, it is very difficult to master. At least, it is to somepony who has never performed levitation before. And even then there are still so many more things you can do with spiritual magic as a priest than non-priests, but much of that is classified.” “What happens when the training is over?” “On the last day of training, you are blessed by the Princess for a second and final time, and you are thusly appointed as an official member of the Priesthood Council. I had my picture taken, but I refused the party afterward.” “You refused a party?!” exclaimed Pinkie. “How do you refuse a party?! Why would you refuse a party?” “Because I just figured that the money that could have been used for the celebration could easily have been used as charity, so that’s what I asked Tia to do.” “…oh,” said Pinkie with a smile. “That’s pretty neat of you, actually.” “Very humble on your part, indeed,” proclaimed Rarity. “Well, there were more important things to take care of than have a silly party over it.” Essentia smiled sheepishly. “It turns out all the priests have turned down the same celebration for the same reasons, and I like to think that Tia makes that a final test of a priest’s training.” “…do all priests and priestesses refer to the Princess so casually like that?” “When you live in somepony else’s home for two years, you don’t refer to them as Mister or Missus the entire time,” said Essentia. “Besides, she gets tired of being called ‘Your Majesty’ and ‘Your Highness’ every day.” “Did you ever call her by her royal title during your training?” “Nope!” Essentia giggled. “I was a rebellious teenager at the time.” “But surely you relearned your manners after having been incriminated for so long,” Rarity pointed out. “Well, yes, and I did start calling her ‘Your Majesty’ again after my training, but it always felt…wrong for me to call her by her title, even after I had become more polite.” “And why’s that?” asked Applejack. Just before Essentia could answer, the train conductor spoke up from behind them: “Unless y’all wish to go to Appleloosa, I’d suggest you get off.” “Appleloosa?” they asked in unison, and they looked out the window to see that the train has arrived at the Ponyville station. After a light gasp, they all quickly got up and ran out of the train, and Essentia laughed loudly as they made their escape from the soon-to-be departing vehicle. I’ve found them, she thought to herself. I’ve found the ponies I need to befriend for my journey.
Part 1 - EpilogueEssentia and company were walking down the main street of Ponyville after having left the train station; the priestess had gotten to know everypony’s name at this point, among other things. She was examining all of the shops as they passed by them when she noticed something that seemed strange: there were virtually no residential areas to be seen. “Where are your guys’ homes?” the priestess inquired. “Oh, I suppose it’s a bit different from how ponies in Canterlot live,” said Twilight. “Here, we all live in the place of our work, with the exception of Rainbow Dash. It makes for better use of the facilities given to us.” “That’s…actually pretty radical,” said the hippie with a grin. “You would be surprised to hear that ponies from a ‘higher society’ call this form of living peasant-like and unworthy of praise,” stated Rarity. Essentia sighed. “Unfortunately, that actually doesn’t surprise me. Canterlot ponies are especially notorious for placing themselves on pedestals and being condescending on anything that is not fashionable to them.” “I jus’ think it makes sense,” said Applejack. “It absolutely makes sense, darling,” said Essentia. “It’s efficient in every sense of the word, and there’s no need for any unnecessary buildings otherwise.” “That’s the idea!” declared Pinkie cordially. “Speaking of buildings, is there a hotel I might be able to stay at while I’m here?” “Oh, we wouldn’t dream of making you live inside an inn,” said Rarity. “I would not mind having you as company in my own home.” “Please, darling, I couldn’t possibly—.” “Yeah, you could stay at my place in Cloudsdale, too, if you wanted!” said Rainbow Dash. “You’d be awesome to have around as a roommate.” “We could always use a little extra help at the farm,” said Applejack. Essentia was taken aback at the hospitality of all these ponies. She looked at all of them individually and contemplated what they said as they all offered a place for her to stay. The priestess deliberated all of it before nodding. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to stay with one of you, but how do I choose?” “OOOOH!” shouted Pinkie suddenly, and she trotted in place. “I just got the most amazingest most awesomest idea EVER!” “And what would that be, darling?” “Why don’t you just take turns staying in each of our houses each night until you find the one you’d like to stay at? It’d sorta be like a shifting slumber party, and you could meet all of us again and get to know us more and have fun and PARTY!” She exploded with happiness, and Essentia just blinked. “That’s actually not a bad idea. Of course, if you all aren’t opposed to it, I mean.” “I rather like that idea,” said Rarity. “It would help for us to better know you personally, too. Are there any objections to this?” The six of them all shook their heads, and Essentia grinned. “Well then, I suppose we’re having a shifting slumber party.”
Part 2 - Chapter I: ApplejackEverypony in the Apple family barn was asleep, including Essentia who had just concluded her conversation with the Princess, and all was peaceful. At least, that was until a bloodcurdling scream made itself known from Applejack’s room upstairs. The priestess’ eyes shot open, and Applebloom made an effort to run to her sister’s place of sleep despite the immense dark just before the time of dawn. “Applejack!” the filly cried out as she ran. Essentia rubbed her eyes and sat upright, immediately recognizing that the scream from upstairs was spawned by a nightmare. She got out of the couch where she was sleeping and tiredly made her way upstairs, though however slowly. When Applebloom opened the door, Applejack was hugging her pillow tightly, and she had tears forming in her eyes. Applebloom sighed and trotted over to her elder sister. “Applejack…did you have another nightmare?” The mare in question just nodded once, and Essentia arrived only to lean against the doorframe, listening to their conversation intently. “AJ, this is the third night in a row…” “Third night in a row?” asked Essentia, who was now slightly more alert than she was previously. “Has Princess Luna not come by to help you with your nightmares, darling?” “Well…she’s come by all three times to help, but ain’t nothin’ ever got solved.” Essentia was astonished to hear this. She was under the impression that Luna was always able to dispel nightmares and cure ponies at least from recurring ones. Something was illogical in what Applejack had said. “What do you mean by that…?” “Every time she comes by, she zaps the monster, and then it’s all fine until the next night when the same thing happens! It don’t make no sense!” “Wow…that sure doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.” Essentia made her hooves glow in that moment, indicating that she was accessing her spiritual magic. “Might I try to find a cure? It should not take me too long, darling.” “Would you please?” asked the earth pony. Essentia smiled warmly. “Of course.” Essentia immediately got to work. She removed the pillow and the blanket from Applejack gently, and Essentia laid the earth pony down on her back. The priestess placed her glowing hooves along Applejack’s solar plexus and sternum respectively as she gauged the exact origin of the nightmare ridden pony’s negative energy. Surely enough, the bad energy was stored within the pineal gland of Applejack’s brain, and Essentia released her hooves from the earth pony with a sigh. “Your third eye is blocked with heavy, slow vibrations that prevent it from working at an optimal level of performance.” “…which means?” “Which means you are long overdue for a stress reliever. You need healing of some sort.” “I thought that’s what Luna did.” “Not quite, darling. She has the ability to astral project and to connect herself to the dreams of ponies interchangeably with her night alicorn magic. Her only job, therefore, is to guard the dreams of ponies and oust nightmares as they happen. She does not have quite the extent of spiritual healing as a fully trained priest would.” “So what happens now?” “What happens now is that I am going to give you Reiki therapy, and you will just relax and enjoy yourself.” “…do I have a choice?” “Do you enjoy having the same nightmare every time you fall asleep?” “No…” “Then let me help you, darling. Or are you too prideful to let me help you?” Applejack had a sudden memory of apple bucking season when she had just about killed herself out of exhaustion from having not accepted the help of her friends. She inhaled slowly, and then exhaled composedly before shaking her head and looking up at Essentia. “No. I ain’t too prideful. Go ahead.” The priestess got right to work. Essentia started chanting to herself inaudibly, and she placed her hooves back where they were on Applejack’s body. She started on Applejack’s root chakra at the base of her spine, and then moved her hooves up the earth pony’s body as she passed the remaining six chakras. Essentia cleaned the energy by making herself like a waterfall filter, except she ascended against the flow of water instead of descending with it. In this way, Essentia could be sure to not miss any strands of energy as she passed them, and she could then be thorough in her work. The process overall was relaxing for Applejack, and the cowgirl sighed happily long after the process had started. “Wow, this feels amazing.” Essentia allowed a smile to appear as she continued chanting, and she then worked to physically massage the body she was healing as she moved her hooves. The priestess continued to regulate the flow of energy through Applejack, and it was another twenty minutes before the process itself could be completed. Afterward, the pegasus removed her hooves from the earth pony before reciting a prayer quietly. She was hoping to bless Applejack in this way and give her only positive vibrations. Applejack waited patiently before Essentia opened her eyes and began to speak again. “Do you feel better?” “I sure as heck do!” Applejack sat upright. “I feel relaxed and energized and clean again!” “Good! Now would you perhaps be willing to talk with me for a moment?” “Sure.” “Could you please recount for me the details of your nightmare?” After a solid half-an-hour of describing the nightmare, Applejack found that she was not mortified by the recollections of it. Normally, having tried to describe the nightmare was too painful for her mentally and emotionally, but there existed no more negative energy that would create another horrible dream like this one. Essentia smiled and held Applejack’s hoof in a motherly fashion. “Are you alright now, though? Could you try and get some sleep, darling?” “Well, I can certainly try. Thanks for everything, Essy!” “Don’t mention it.” The priestess made her way back downstairs while contemplating what had just transpired. What if she’s not the only one in need of help in this town? I better stay here for a while. Essentia yawned and sat back down on the sofa, thinking this over to herself, and she smiled at the prospect of staying here. Perhaps my journey will not be too distantly travelled. And she fell back asleep.
Part 2 - Chapter II: Pinkie PieAfter a full day of helping out at Applejack’s farm, Essentia placed on her pendant again to conceal the tattoos on her body and the dye on her wings. She wiped the sweat from her face with a rag, and she grinned to herself as she rested against a harvested apple tree. Damn, that was some good hard work, she thought to herself. Seeing that it was well in the afternoon, she decided to leave the farm and head for the town square to see what other things she could eat that were not apple-related. The priestess grinned to herself as she passed all the country folk in Ponyville, trotting cordially toward no place in particular. This is just like in that one Spanish town where everypony knows everypony. Essentia stopped in front of a colorfully painted shop, and she read the sign carefully to herself: “Sugar Cube Corner”. One could only guess what sort of food such an establishment would sell to the general public. She giggled at the prospect of treats and decided to canter right along inside. Upon touching a hoof to the door, Pinkie immediately shoved Essentia back outside and shut the door behind them. “Nyyyyope! No peaking!” “Wh-…but I’m hungry!” complained the priestess. “Nope! You don’t get to go inside! Not until it’s ready.” “Until what’s ready, darling?” “It’s a surprise!” Of course it’s a surprise… The pink mare scooted Essentia along and started bouncing, and the priestess presumed she wanted to be followed. The pegasus sighed in defeat and trotted alongside Pinkie, although she soon had a radiant smile with the pink mare’s overwhelming positive vibrations. She could not help but love that sensation of interaction with the witch-like pony. “So, whatcha do to have fun?” asked Pinkie jubilantly. “Well, let’s see…I like to read comic books, I like to meditate, play my sitar…” The pink pony gasped loudly and abruptly stopped to hold Essentia’s face before exclaiming, “You mean you don’t do anything fun?!” “Hey! I think reading is plenty fun,” Essentia said with a bit of pout in her voice. “But you don’t do anything silly?” “I mean, sometimes on occasion, I suppose…” “But you need to have more fun!” She booped Essentia’s nose and let her go before bouncing in circles around the priestess. “Oh, I know! We can go out and do silly things together, like pull pranks or put on funny masks or throw pies at each other or tell funny stories!” Essentia smiled at her enthusiasm. Pinkie Pie had an aura of happiness that she seemed to spread to everypony she encountered, and the priestess was grateful to be friends with somepony like that. However, the spiritual pony felt this was a good opportunity to teach Pinkie something. “Do you always act silly to lighten your mood?” she inquired with curiosity. “All the time!” Pinkie grinned. “Have you ever tried acting calm?” “What?! Are you nuts?” “You can say I’m criminally insane; that much remains true to some level.” “What do you mean, ‘Have you ever tried acting calm?’ Acting silly is the best way to have fun!” “Ah, but I know a method that would work even when having fun doesn’t, darling. This, is of course, not to assume that having fun has ever failed…has it?” Pinkie remembered back to her moment of insanity after nopony would come to Gummy’s after-birthday-party, and she also recalled that, no matter how silly or active she wanted to be, partying in and of itself didn’t make her feel happy. She realized just then that Essentia might be imparting wisdom onto her, and Pinkie stopped bouncing just then to smile. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to try.” “It never does.” The two of them congregated in the middle of Ponyville Park, and Essentia sat Pinkie down to begin her lesson. “One thing that you learn very early on in priesthood is reciting mantras.” “Oh, I know mantras!” “You do?” “Yeah! It’s stuff like, ‘Never give up,’ and, ‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away,’ right?” Essentia giggled at that. “Well…somewhat. A mantra is a sentence or paragraph that you repeat over and over to yourself to achieve some sort of feeling. It’s actually quite easy; anypony of any age can do it.” “So, I can just say anything?” “The idea is that you put your heart and your energy behind what you say. There are both positive mantras and negative mantras, so what you say can you pull you up or bring you down, depending on what you wish to accomplish.” “So if I just repeat the word ‘sugar’ over and over again, it’ll work?!” “Not necessarily, darling. Here, trying using this mantra: ‘I am happy within myself, without myself, and all in between.’” “Ooooh, like a tongue-twister?” “Just take your time with it, darling. Close your eyes and relax. Say the words deliberately, and mean what you say.” Pinkie nodded and followed Essentia’s instructions, albeit with a wide smile on her face. Every time she repeated the phrase, she became more and more tranquil. The grin never left her expression, but she could start to feel an inner joy that was not normally present when in previous states of relaxation. She found herself speaking quieter and quieter, albeit comfortably so as she felt warm on the inside. Wow, this…actually feels really nice. After about 15 minutes of reciting the mantra, Pinkie Pie opened her eyes and nuzzled Essentia platonically and slowly. “That was amazing~!” “Yep! One of the best ways to get your spirits up.” The two of them stood up, and Essentia cocked her head to one side. “So, what was it you were preparing in your store, darling?” “OH!! THE PARTY!!” Pinkie Pie immediately started galloping forward, pushing Essentia’s backside and forcing her forward as she ran. The priestess got the hint after about two seconds of her hooves sliding on the ground, and she started galloping with the earth pony. There was a grin on Essentia’s face that never left, and she knew she was in good company with her new friends.
Part 2 - Chapter III: Rainbow DashSometime the next day, Essentia found herself next to a spritely little filly, that being a pegasus of the orange persuasion who can’t seem to fly just yet, and she watched as Rainbow Dash ascended very high up into the air. Essentia presumed this to be the start of a new stunt, and she watched with just as much excitement as Scootaloo. “Come on, Rainbow Dash! You can do it!” exclaimed the filly, and Essentia smiled radiantly before following her example. “Go for it, darling!” As soon as Rainbow Dash hit the apex of her ascension, she collapsed her wings and fell straight down, head first. She accelerated quickly toward a patch of clouds, and she waited until she was just below the patch of clouds to unfold her wings. Instantly, Rainbow Dash made a sharp parabola before ascending upward quickly into the sky, the clouds following her as she began to draw in the atmosphere. Her path was agile and rapid, and the trail of clouds began manifesting into an illustration of sorts. Essentia gazed up in wonder. “Al…most!” grunted Rainbow Dash. Just then, however, an unneeded turn wiped out the remaining cloud she had left behind her, and she looked at the cloud drawing in disappointment. Essentia blinked at what she saw. It was a large outline of a cloud. “So you made a cloud with yet more clouds? Well, that certainly is impressive darling.” “Cool!!” shouted Scootaloo, and the rainbow haired pegasus slowly descended back onto the viewing cloud with them. “It’s…still a work in progress,” said Rainbow sheepishly. “I do say that your stunt is admirable, darling.” “Oh, well, what can I say? I’m pretty awesome.” And very humble, at that, the priestess thought. “She’s so awesome!” Scootaloo hugged Rainbow Dash from the side, and the rainbow mare couldn’t help but smile at this. “Thanks, squirt. I’ll get it down eventually.” “So this problem has occurred before?” “Yeah, but I can’t get it right for some reason! I follow the plan exactly, but it always turns out to be…this!” “What do you do to try and fix it?” “Well, I try to make adjustments to my overall plan, like, small, tiny adjustments, but I work for hours and hours and I can’t get this one right for some reason.” “…ever try meditation?” “You mean like that thing with the ‘Ohhhhmmmmmm’?” “Well, yes, but that’s only one style of meditation.” “I’m not really into that sorta thing.” “…but have you ever tried it?” “No, but—” “Has there ever been a time in your life when you wished you had a clearer mind or, at least, a more rational thought process, before doing something?” Rainbow Dash immediately thought back to when she participated in the Running of the Leaves with Applejack. She had behaved so selfishly and hot-headedly because she was too hell-bent on winning the race to think about anything else. Her emotions had gotten the best of her. The pegasus returned back to the conversation at hand after a few moments, and she sighed. “…yeah,” she reluctantly admitted. “Well, meditation is one way to clear your mind. And it’s really easy; anypony can do it.” “Even me?” asked Scootaloo excitedly. “Yes, little one, even you.” Maybe I can get my cutie mark in meditation! The three of them sat in a circle, and Rainbow Dash and her sister followed Essentia’s instructions exactly. “Now the first thing you need to do is close your eyes. We are going to do a basic exercise where you travel through your mind outside of your own thoughts. Just let the thoughts come to you; the neural passages of your brain will not be inactive just because you are meditating.” “But,” started Rainbow Dash, her eyes latched shut, “what do you mean ‘just let the thoughts come to us’?” “Pretend that your thoughts are in front of you. Now take a few steps away from them and just observe your thoughts as they come to you. Do not experience them. Do not immerse yourself in them. Just watch them as they pass by and try to interact with you. Relax your breathing.” After a few minutes of doing this, Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash finally understood how it was supposed to feel. It was not the getting rid of thoughts but rather the separation of the self from these thoughts. They remained in this meditative stance for a solid fifteen minutes before Rainbow Dash finally “woke up”, so to speak, with a smile on her face. “Hey, I think I know how to fix the stunt!” “Right on,” said Essentia, who opened her eyes next. “Maybe you can show us?” “Yeah!” Essentia and Scootaloo took their viewing positions one more time, and they watched as Rainbow Dash took off into the air with even more confidence than before. “Do you think she’ll do it this time?” asked Scootaloo. “Yes, most definitely.” “How can you tell?” “I just have a hunch, darling.” Scootaloo grinned and turned her head quickly to look up at her older sister as she prepares for her stunt. “YOU CAN DO IT, RAINBOW DASH!!” The mare in the sky grinned as she came falling back down, faster than before and with her legs tucked in this time. She waited until she was at the right altitude to unfold her wings, and she began with the illustration again. Within seconds, it was apparent she had more control of her movements, and she flew with such fluidity in her stature. Before Essentia and Scootaloo could applaud for her, Rainbow Dash was finished with the cloud illustration, and she turned back around to look at it. “YES! Finally!!” Essentia and Scootaloo cheered wildly at the cloud drawing. It was a perfect copy of Rainbow Dash’s cutie mark, albeit without the extra colors. Despite the less than modest gesture of Rainbow’s work, Essentia could not help but smile to herself. Very inspiring indeed, Miss Dash. I knew you could do it.
Part 2 - Chapter IV: FluttershyEarly that next morning, just as the dawn was making itself known, Essentia found herself alive and awake as she did her morning stretches. It did not surprise her that Rainbow Dash was not awake yet, but that did not stop her from going about her day. The priestess left a small note congratulating the rainbow pony on her accomplishments the previous day, and then she placed on her tattoo/dye-concealing pendant before departing Cloudsdale and heading back to Ponyville. As she descended the atmosphere, Essentia took sight of Fluttershy perusing Ponyville Park and enjoying the quiet of the early morning town. The priestess decided to take a chance and go speak with the yellow pegasus. Just as she flew downward past a tree, a small piece of a branch snagged the pendant at just the perfect angle. In that moment, Essentia decelerated quickly to the point of stopping as both the necklace and the branch snapped, and she fell square on her back with that small portion of the tree on top of her. “GAH, FUCK!” She coughed violently. Fluttershy was frightened by the sudden noise at first, but her instincts as a caregiver quickly overcame this fear. She galloped hastily to Essentia, finding in herself the impulsive adrenalin needed to lift the tree branch off of the priestess. Essentia coughed again and groaned in pain, and Fluttershy immediately called onto her animal friends for help. Before anything else could happen, Essentia blacked out. Essentia’s spirit was projected from its physical vessel, that being Essentia’s body, and it looked around at the environment. The priestess had bandages on the middle third of her wings, and she seemed comfortable in the sheets of a nice bed, from what the spirit saw. It then looked outside the window to see what else it could gather, but it was then that Fluttershy decided to trot back inside the room to check on Essentia. The spirit instantly allowed itself back into Essentia’s body, and that’s when Essentia fluttered her eyes open to look at her caretaker. “Oh, thank Celestia you’re alright! I was afraid you wouldn’t wake up, a-and…how do you feel?” The priestess managed a small smile as Fluttershy moved to sit just beside the bed, and she exhaled slowly. “I feel fine, for the most part; I’ve had worse in prison,” said Essentia rather softly. “Oh, goodness…well, I made tea to help soothe your spirit and body. I hope that’s alright, I still have my mom’s old recipe book on the different attributes of teas, a-and I know you’re a priestess, so I tried to pick the best healer for you.” Essentia was taken aback by this whole ordeal. Not only was this new friend able to patch up Essentia’s wounds, but she also made a potential remedy to her physical and metaphysical bodies, and she clearly made every effort to make the injured priestess comfortable. And, on top of it all…she was attractive; cute, even. This made Essentia blush, and she returned a slightly larger smile than before. “Sure that’s alright, sweetheart,” she finally replied. “May I taste it?” “Yes, right away!” Fluttershy saluted and quickly made her way to the kitchen to retrieve the tea. Did she just call me ‘sweetheart’? thought the Element of Kindness. As soon as Fluttershy returned with the tea, Angel the rabbit jumped onto Essentia’s bed carrying one more pillow in addition to the two already present on the bed. Both the nursing pegasus and her animal companion helped Essentia into an upright position, albeit carefully such that to not cause the priestess any more pain than what she had already experienced the last hour or so. Fluttershy placed the tea on a small table just over Essentia’s hind hooves, and she poured the tea ever-so-gingerly, in such a way that fascinated the tattooed pony. Such grace… Essentia picked up the cup of tea and sipped from it. Coincidentally enough, what Fluttershy had prepared was her favorite flavor of tea: rosemary chamomile tea with just a hint of clover on the top. “Wow…this tastes incredible, darling.” She placed the tea cup back down. “I’m so glad!” Fluttershy moved to help her, but she then found herself holding Essentia’s hoof in her own two hooves, and they both shared a mutual blush. Although however awkwardly, the priestess eventually backed her hoof away from Fluttershy’s grasp. “Th-Thanks for the tea, darling.” “O-Oh, of course!” They just stared at each other for a long minute, and Fluttershy finally managed to speak up again. “Uh…so…do priests have a special way of healing?” “Yes, actually. We call it ‘regeneration’.” “And how long will that take?” “For an injury like this, likely a few days before it’s healed completely.” “Well, you just stay here as long as you like. I don’t mind your company one bit.” Fluttershy kissed Essentia’s forehead in that nursing-motherly sort of way. However, despite the platonic notion of it all, this only made Essentia blush more, and Fluttershy smiled as she cantered out of the room. The priestess wondered where this venture would take her, now that she can’t walk for at least another day. She allowed herself a warm smile as she began the regeneration process. Essentia closed her eyes and chanted to herself quietly. Instantly, the spiritual magic began working itself through Essentia’s spine and wings, and she figured by her own diagnosis that it would be a few hours for the pain to subside. Her physical body very slowly started repairing itself, and she found herself expressing a radiant grin. My word, she is adorable…and hot. I’m so glad I landed in her care above anypony else’s out here in this part of Equestria. She allowed the chant to continue in her mind as she took a sip of the tea again, looking out at the window to see Fluttershy tending to her critter friends. The priestess sighed happily as she slumped in her bed, and she giggled. I think I’m in love.
Part 2 - PrologueThat night, Princess Luna was traversing the astral plane, a place where dreams and memories and ideas reside collectively in one spiritual realm, and she began her work of dream guarding. Per her sister’s request, the night alicorn was to visit Essentia’s sect of the astral plane first, to make sure she was alright. The alicorn stepped forth into Essentia’s “dream cloud”, so to speak, although it was more similar to a glass bubble than a cloud. Upon entering Essentia’s subconscious, she stepped forward into what appeared to be a quaint room inside of a cottage. Along the walls were paintings of memories such as Essentia attaining her cutie mark, the time Essentia pied Celestia’s face at a festival, and other such positively vibrating recollections. Luna looked forward to see Essentia herself waiting, smiling at the Princess as she walked in. “Hello, Luna.” “Greetings, child.” The alicorn smiled radiantly at the priestess. “I see you have not forgotten how to lucid dream.” “Come on, have a little more faith in me. Lucid dreaming is pre-training level of spiritual magic; anypony can do it.” “Well, yes, but everypony is not aware of it as such, nor have they interest in learning to do so. ‘Tis a shame, but there is little we can do about it.” “I agree. So, what brings you to my tiny little dream house?” “You were assigned to me as my first visit by my sister. Does everything bid well for thee and thy journey thus far?” “Yes, actually. As soon as I got on the train, I met the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, and I got to speak with Twilight again! It was such a good time, talking to them; they’re a friendly bunch, especially Pinkie Pie.” “Yes, the pink one is rather social, isn’t she?” “And, I swear, she must be a witch to be able to pull off that sort of bounce in her step…” Funny thou should mention that, but ‘tis for another time, the princess thought to herself before speaking up again. “Well, if all is right, I suppose I shall take my leave.” “Wait, Luna…did Tia ever say anything about…you know?” The alicorn sighed and placed a hoof on Essentia’s shoulder. “My sister has not made official arrangements, not yet, anyway. It is a decision that must be deliberated with caution; we have discussed this before.” “Yes, I know…it is driving me insane to call her by her first name.” “I understand perfectly, dear, but thou must be patient. There is more to consider than just your relationship to her as a child; ‘tis a royal matter that will not be withheld from the press nor from the public, should the matter become official.” “…okay.”
