Salvation from the Starsby PhycoKruskChaptersThe Newest FriendsThe God of DreamsThe Love of a HeroThe Newest Friends“I come from a planet called Equus.” The changeling called Flick sat on his haunches as he addressed his host. The building they occupied was a simple, one room dwelling with minimal furnishings that had been created as needed; even the cushion that Flick sat on and the cup holding water for him to drink hadn’t existed until they were conjured into existence from nothing. All it had taken from his host was a quick application of magic. “I don’t know why it’s called that, but it is,” Flick continued. “All kinds of different species live there. There’s changelings like me, but also ponies, griffons, zebras, goats, minotaurs, all kinds. We didn’t used to get along very well, but now we don’t have a choice. About two years ago, these weird storms started to appear in remote areas. No one thought anything of them at first, but after a few days, they started to get bigger, and the land under them started to dry out and the plants started dying. We found out that the storms were draining the energy and magic right out of them, and that was making them bigger. “Things didn’t start to get really bad until the storms started moving, and they started moving towards villages and forced the creatures in them to leave because it wasn’t safe. They went to different places, but in the land that I come from, Equestria, they started going to the capitol city of Canterlot, hoping that the Princesses there could do something. They researched and tried different spells and everything they could think of, but nothing worked. All that happened was that the storms started to get even worse and started spreading everywhere, even the Badlands where the changelings lived, and then even we weren’t safe. “That’s how we came to live with the ponies. Queen Chrysalis hated them, and even now she only tolerates them, but she knew we would die without them, so she brought us to Canterlot to do what we could to help. We aren’t as good at most things as the other species, but we can do a lot, so we could still help a lot, even if the ponies weren’t really happy that we were there.” Flick stopped there, pausing to take a drink of water form his cup before he resumed. “We were all hoping that it would get better, or that the Princesses would figure out what to do, but it just got worse. The storms kept getting bigger and closer. We lost contact with the other cities before long, and even though so many ponies and everything made it to the mountain, not all of them did, and we don’t know if they’re doing ok or not. Eventually, the Princesses and Queen Chrysalis combined their power and raised a huge barrier around the Canterhorn and some of the surrounding lands to keep the storms out, even though it was so difficult on top of everything else. They all tried different things to get rid of the storms, and kept trying even when what they tried didn’t work. They all worked so hard to save the rest of us, but Princess Twilight worked the hardest. She’d spend days through through every book she could find, looking for a solution, even in the forbidden archives where all dark magic is kept. “She found a spell that allowed her to put almost everyone except for the changelings into stasis, so they wouldn’t need food, but it took so much of her power that she can’t help keep the barrier up, and Princess Celestia and Princess Luna have to keep the sun and moon stabilized, so its mainly Princess Cadence and Queen Chrysalis who keep the barrier up and it’s killing both of them. The spell was supposed to give us so much more time, but it barely gave us any more at all! “Then, there’s Discord, who would normally be able to do something, because he can do almost anything! But the storms have been draining his power somehow, even when he hasn’t been anywhere near them, so even he can barely do anything. The last thing he did before he collapsed was make the scout ships we’ve been using to look for help. That was three months ago. I don’t even know if he’s still alive. “And that’s why I’m here, because we’re running out of time, because nothing else we’ve tried has worked.” A brief silenced passed before Flick spoke once more: “Because we can’t do this on our own, and we’re going to die if we don’t find help.” His host, seated in front of him, hummed thoughtfully. “I know that it’s a lot to ask of someone I’ve just met, but we’re desperate,” Flick said, his voice pleading. “Please. Is there anything you can do to help us?” The being across from him, the elder of his race, sat with his eyes closed in quiet contemplation, and Flick once more considered, if not marveled, at how different something as seemingly straight-forward as distance — even if cosmic in scale — could make something. Like a changeling, the elder had no fur, but had neither chitin nor carapace either; only tough-looking green skin that looked tired with age. Like a changeling or even a pony, his eyes were on the front of his head, facing forward, but were so much smaller, sitting above a pointed nose and no muzzle to speak of. Two small antenna reached outward from his forehead. His ears were large and pointed, but were on the sides of his head, rather than the top. But the biggest difference were the legs; rather than four, the elder got by on two, like a minotaur. A minotaur that had no hooves, and walked on the flat of its feet with the heel touching the ground, rather than just the toes. Like a minotaur, its arms ended in hands with fingers, although it had five rather than only four, and each was tipped with a sharp-looking nail. Though he was the elder of his race, and doubtlessly very important, he did not dress like a king or a prince, preferring instead a plain white tunic reaching to his ankles, blue vest and simple, brown shoes. The only accoutrement that might have indicated his position was a simple, wooden staff that rested next to him. The only true indication that he was of any real important was the throne he sat upon, but even that was relatively simple. After several seconds of silence, the elder smiled and opened his eyes. “Actually, they may be something we can do for you, although I cannot make any promises,” he said. Flick could barely contain his joy. “Anything will help!” he replied. The elder nodded. “Carac,” he said, turning to the bodyguard that had been silently watching from the side. “Yes, Elder Moori?” “Spread word to the villages to bring the Dragon Balls quickly,” Moori instructed, taking his staff and rising up to his feet. “New Namek has new friends, and they need our assistance.” “Thank you, Elder Moori!” Flick said as he all but scrambled and tripped to Moori’s side, happy tears spilling from his featureless eyes. “Thank you! I don’t know how we’ll ever repay you, but we will! Thank you!” With little more than a nod, Carac took his leave. Moori smiled down at Flick, placing the palm of his hand atop the changeling’s head. “We’re happy to help. No repayment is necessary,” he said. He removed his hand and gestured to the exit. “It will be some time yet before we are ready. Why don’t we wait outside?” Flick simply nodded, and then followed the elder Namekian outside, hope warming his chest more than it had in more than a year. Author's Note Experimenting with monologues. This story is tagged complete, but I'm not sure I'm finished with it yet. If you're hoping for more, best add it to a bookshelf that will notify you of updates, just in case. The God of DreamsThere were seven of them; brassy, orange spheres almost as large as Flick was and marked with differing numbers of stars that didn’t look stamped or painted on as much as they were simply part of the metal. Even when they were separated, Flick could feel strong magic within them. When the last of them was finally placed with the others and then began to pulse with bright golden light, that magic felt even greater than it should have, as if they were even mightier than the sum of their parts suggested. “What happens now?” he asked, looking away from the Dragon Balls and up to Moori. Besides the two of them, many more Namekians had gathered when the spheres were collected; almost one hundred altogether, by Flick’s reckoning. “Now, we summon the Eternal Dragon, Porunga, so you can ask Him for help,” Moori stated. “Dragon?” Flick asked, before returning his attention to the Dragon Balls. Really, he should have probably expected that. “I hope he’s in a good mood.” He couldn’t shake the feeling that something seemed somehow ‘off’ in the way Moori spoke of Porunga. Imagination running wild, surely. “Stand back, everyone,” Moori stated — even though they were all a short distance from the Balls already — before reaching the hand not grasping his staff outwards, palm forward. “Takkaraputo popurunga pupirittoparo!” For several moments, nothing happened, and Flick was about to question this when he realized how still the air had suddenly become. An instant later, the Dragon Balls pulsed with bright, golden light and Flick winced away from them not because that light was painful to him, but because the magic he’d felt had suddenly become even greater than he thought possible; it felt as if he were in a rainstorm that left him soaked to his bones. The Balls pulsed a second time, and the sky grew dark, although it was not from clouds or even the dark of night, but pitch black as if a great curtain had been drawn over the whole world. The Balls pulsed a third time, and then seemed to explode. Golden magic raced upwards into the sky, like a bolt of lightning in reverse, forcing Flick to shield his eyes. It seemed as though that bright light would never disappear, and then it dimmed, even if it did not vanish. Flick dared a glance, and when he looked upward to the sky, the awe that he felt was replaced with fear. In that moment, he understood what it was he’d heard in Moori’s voice that seemed off: Reverence. Porunga — for the Creature that Flick saw above could have only been Him — filled the sky: He was the largest thing that Flick had ever seen, far larger than any dragon from Equus. He looked as though the upper body of a Namekian had been placed atop the head of a great serpent, His tail coiling only once as it descended to the ground where it met with the Dragon Balls. His chest and His massive arms were thick with corded muscle. Iron-black spikes jutted outward from His wide shoulders, and His head bore four matching horns. His face more closely resembled a mix of a Namekian with a baby dragon , with a short, rounded snout, two antennae reaching from His forehead, and eyes that burned like miniature, red suns, but He was still unmistakably a dragon: An Eternal Dragon, just as Moori had said. Flick had never seen a god before, but as he stood at Moori’s side, looking up and doing everything he could to stop shaking, he knew that Porunga must be one. You have brought together the seven Dragon Balls. Flick fought with everything he could to avoid curling into a cowering ball. When the Eternal Dragon spoke, He was not heard so much as He was felt: His voice was greater in force — if not volume — than any rockslide or earthquake the changeling had ever experienced. Speak now, and I will grant you three wishes within My power. “Great Porunga,” said Moori, speaking loudly and without the fear or trepidation that Flick felt so strongly. “A friend from the stars has wishes he would like to ask of You. Would You permit him to make his requests in his own language, rather than the language of Namek?” For a brief moment, Flick’s chest filled with panic until the Dragon spoke again. That is against protocol, but I see there is no harm in it. This time. Moore nodded once, and then looked to the changeling standing next to him. “Go ahead, Flick. Speak clearly and say what you mean, and if they are within Porunga’s power, He will grant your requests,” he said. Flick swallowed hard, but nodded and took a half-step forward; he did not dare move any closer. “G-great Porunga,” he began, pausing to get his nerves under control before he once again addressed the Dragon that could probably kill him with a stray thought. “My-my home planet Equus is covered by terrible storms that are draining the life and magic from itpleasecan—” He stopped, took a deep breath just as he’d once seen Princess Twilight do, and tried again — “Please, can You stop the storms from happening now and ever again?” The Dragon hummed as He considered the request, and it felt as though the entire world rumbled along with Him. Your wish is unacceptable. “W-what?” Flick stammered, still stunned that he was speaking with something so terrible. To end these calamities for all time is beyond even My power. “Oh….” Moori looked to Flick for a few moments and, seeing the changeling not handling the turn of events well, turned his gaze upward. “And what of the storms occurring right now?” he asked Porunga. “If you cannot end these storms for all time, can you at least put a stop to the ones that are happening right now?” The world rumbled again as the Dragon considered the request. All at once, His red eyes burned even brighter and Flick forgot, however briefly, his fear of Porunga as he felt a new surge of raw magic wash over his horn, his senses overwhelmed; if before he felt as if he was in a fierce rainstorm, now he felt as if he were dropped in a great river. It shall be so. You wish is granted. In another instant, the flow of magic ended, the glow of the Dragon’s eyes faded, and Flick gasped for air for several seconds before he found his voice again. “Thanks, Elder Moori,” he said weakly. “Of course, Flick, but gather your wits quickly,” Moori replied. “You still have two more wishes, don’t forget.” Swallowing his concerns again, Flick nodded and looked at the ground for a few seconds, and then turned his attention up to the Dragon once again. “Great Porunga, the storms that you ended have left the lands of Equus barren and without life or magic. Can you restored the land to the way it was before the storms appeared?” A challenging request, but well within My power. Your wish is granted. Again, Porunga’s eyes glowed with the angriest light that Flick could imagine, and again, he felt the sensation of being submerged in a great river of magic. Moments later, both faded, and Flick again struggled to reorganize his thoughts. “One more, right?” he asked. “I don’t even know what to ask for, now. We have what we really needed.” “Why not use your last wish to return home?” suggested Moori. “I’m sure that your Queen and Princesses would be overjoyed to see you returned safely, especially after saving the entire planet. Flick paused, and thought silently for a long while. Too long. I have a very full schedule. Make your last wish quickly, so that I may depart! The changeling cliched and threw a worried gaze upwards, relaxing only slightly when he saw that his doom did not appear imminent. He took a deep breath to steady his nerves, and spoke. “Great Porunga,” he said. “The changeling Queen, the Equestrian Princesses, and so many others have given so much to combat the storms. Please, if you can, would you restore all the leaders of Equus and also Discord to their full strength so they can continue to protect everyone?” It is done. Flick did not have time to brace himself for the third surge of magic, it came so quickly and faded just as fast. How mighty Porunga must have been to have done so much, so quickly, and with so little effort! I have fulfilled all of your requests. Farewell. The Dragon shone with piecing, golden light, and transformed back into a bolt of lightning. His tail tip shot upwards from the ground to meet the rest of Him in the sky, and the resulting orb — seemingly as bright as the sun — pulsed once and then exploded, seven streaks of light flying in seven directions, vanishing from sight in moments. The sky lightened to day again, Porunga was gone, and so were the Dragon Balls. “Wow,” was all Flick could say of the experience. “Yes, that is how most react the first time they see Porunga,” Moori said. “As well as Shenron, the Eternal Dragon of Earth. I suspect it would be the same for any such Dragon. Today, though, it’s you that I’m most impressed by.” Flick looked to the elder with surprise. “Me?” he asked. “Indeed. It would have been very easy to ask Porunga to send you home. We’d asked Him once to reconstruct an entire planet, and then to revive all the good-hearted people who’d been slain by a terrible monster, millions upon millions of lives, and He was able to do both easily. I’m certain you knew or at least suspected He could send you back without issue, but you still decided to use that wish for others. Surely, you’d like to see the results of your quest.” Flick scuffed his tarsi against the ground. “Of course I wanted to see it,” he said with an edge of uncertainty in his voice that dulled into confidence as he continued to speak. “But just because the storms are gone and the land is restored, what if something else comes along and the Queen or the Princesses or Discord needs to take care of it? What good would it do then to come all the way here if it just gets undone again? The planet can survive without me, but it needs the Princesses and the others. Even if I never make it back home, this is worth it.” With a bright smile, Moori placed a hand on the changeling’s head. “You have a good, pure heart, Flick,” he said. “And while your world may survive without it, it will be all the poorer for not having you there. We’ll do what we can to help you return so you can spread that light to others.” Flick simply smiled just as brightly in response, grateful to have found such wonderful friends in his world’s darkest hour. The Love of a HeroThe Null Storms, as they came to be known, had ended one week prior to the day that all the creatures still in Canterlot were asked to come to the parade square to hear a royal address. The square had rapidly filled to capacity, with more creatures of all types filling out the surrounding streets in hopes of hearing what was to be said. Some impressive last-minute spellwork by Princess Twilight Sparkle allowed this to happen, even if they couldn’t see as well. A platform had been constructed in the square for the occasion. Next to it was some object covered in a white tarpaulin, its identity concealed. The four Equestrian Princesses sat on the platform itself, along with the changeling Queen, Prince-Consort Shining Armor, and even Discord. It was clear all of them were making an effort to look happy, but the Princesses — in regal finery beyond what they normally wore, including dresses — and Shining Armor — in his sharpest blue dress uniform — could manage only a melancholy happiness. Queen Chrysalis — in a dress of her own, a bejeweled choker and with her mane done up in a suitably regal bun — could not manage even that, looking strangely sad when the bleak situation a week earlier had seemed little more than an inconvenience to her. Even Discord — wearing a uniform identical to Shining Armor's with the exception of being a garish yellow — was unusually subdued. Finally, once the audience had been assembled for several minutes, there was some unseen signal, and PrincessTwilight stood and walked to the front of the platform, her horn briefly glowing as she worked one more spell. “Thank you, everyone, for coming today,” she said. “A lot’s happened in the past week, and I know that details have been hard to come by. It’s no secret by now that the terrible storms that threatened to destroy everything have ended, and there’s been no end to the rumors of exactly how this came to be. We are here today to tell you.” What few whispers there still were in the audience died immediately. “Several months ago, it was determined that there may not have been anything on all of Equus that could stop the storms. Discord suggested that the answer could be found out among the stars, and while he hasn’t yet clarified exactly why he thought that, he used what little bit of magic he still had at the time and created a number of ships that could travel beyond the planet. The changelings volunteered to fly them, because with careful rationing, they could survive with only stored love for a long time, the same reason they weren’t subjects of the Hyper Sleep spell, and the best candidates were sent. One of them was named Flick, and I’m sure many of you recognize that name. “Flick wasn’t the strongest or fastest changeling, and his magic wasn’t very powerful, but he was always eager to help in whatever way he could. He tried farming, and while he wasn’t very good at it, I’ve heard plenty of stories that just having him nearby made working all the more enjoyable. He tried weather management, and while he wasn't very good at it, he received plenty of commendations for his infectious joy. He tried researching, and while he was better at that than he was at farming or weather management, I know that what all of us remember most fondly about him was the way he always did everything he could to make the rest of us smile, despite the circumstances. He helped us feel normal, if just for a little while. He was charming, charismatic, and fun. “One week ago, on the day when the storms suddenly stopped and the land everywhere recovered as if nothing had ever happened we received a communique from Flick telling us that he found someone who agreed to help, and asking if it worked and everything was ok. I’d never seen him smile so brightly when we told him that everything was fine.” Twilight paused for a moment to organize her thoughts, even though she’d written her address the day before. “The last of the volunteers returned yesterday. You’ve probably seen some of them around, but one that you won’t see around anywhere is Flick. He found help, but he had to push his ship far. Much, much further than it was ever intended to travel. It had enough energy left to send his transmission, but nothing else. Flick isn’t going to come home. “His last words —” Chrysalis began to sob, and Twilight paused to look and ensure things were under control. They were, as best they could be; almost immediately, Cadence had wrapped the Queen in a hug and allowed her to cry in a shoulder, rather than in the open. After a few seconds, Twilight continued, swallowing a lump in her own throat. “His last words before his circuit lost power were a simple request to us. He asked us to tell you that he loved you. All of you. Every mare and stallion, every colt and filly. Every pony and every changeling, every griffon, every minotaur, every diamond dog. Everyone that he’d ever met, everyone that he hadn’t met, and everyone that he wouldn’t ever meet, even if things weren’t the way they are. “He said that he loved each and every one of us with all of his heart, and that even if he wouldn’t ever see any of us again, it was all worth knowing that we were ok, and he wouldn’t hesitate to do it again if he had to. We —” Twilight paused again, this time to get ahold of her own emotions. When she looked out at the audience again, she could see that many of them were either crying themselves, or were trying very hard not to. Taking in a deep breath, she continued. “We owe Flick a debt that I don’t think we’ll ever be able to repay. He’s so far beyond our reach now that we won’t ever find him. All we can really do is remember all the trials we went through, and that even when everything seemed bleak and hopeless, that a changeling named Flick pressed on and found our salvation not with the love he felt from us, but with the love that he felt for us. Discord, if you would.” Twilight looked over her shoulder to the draconequus to see that he was still unusually subdued. He dabbed at his eyes with a white kerchief, and then snapped his eagle talons. The tarp that covered the object next to the platform exploded in a cloud of purple smoke and rapidly dissipated to reveal a stone statue of a life-sized changeling. He stood tall, his posture strong and confident, one leg raised as if preparing to walk forward and head tilted back to look towards the sky. Engraved into the large base was a single word: COURAGE. Twilight turned back to the audience. “We can remember that we didn’t need a hero that was a Prince or a Princess, or a King or Queen, or a wizard or even very powerful. Just one that was brave,” she said. “And, we can remember that it was not just his courage and love for us that saved us, but also the love we felt for him and for each other, and the courage we all shared that made today possible. We love you too, Flick, and we won’t ever forget you.” In an instant, the air filled with the stomping of hooves, the clapping of hands and the full chorus of applause from a grateful and loving audience. Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship, wiped tears from her eyes and looked up to the sky smiling. “We love you so much,” she said, remembering fondly the changeling named Flick, who had bravely stepped into the unknown and brought his whole world salvation from the stars. Author's Note The last chapter took about two weeks to write. This one took about two hours, with nothing more than a tethered iPad to do it. Another monologue experiment, sort of.
The Newest Friends“I come from a planet called Equus.” The changeling called Flick sat on his haunches as he addressed his host. The building they occupied was a simple, one room dwelling with minimal furnishings that had been created as needed; even the cushion that Flick sat on and the cup holding water for him to drink hadn’t existed until they were conjured into existence from nothing. All it had taken from his host was a quick application of magic. “I don’t know why it’s called that, but it is,” Flick continued. “All kinds of different species live there. There’s changelings like me, but also ponies, griffons, zebras, goats, minotaurs, all kinds. We didn’t used to get along very well, but now we don’t have a choice. About two years ago, these weird storms started to appear in remote areas. No one thought anything of them at first, but after a few days, they started to get bigger, and the land under them started to dry out and the plants started dying. We found out that the storms were draining the energy and magic right out of them, and that was making them bigger. “Things didn’t start to get really bad until the storms started moving, and they started moving towards villages and forced the creatures in them to leave because it wasn’t safe. They went to different places, but in the land that I come from, Equestria, they started going to the capitol city of Canterlot, hoping that the Princesses there could do something. They researched and tried different spells and everything they could think of, but nothing worked. All that happened was that the storms started to get even worse and started spreading everywhere, even the Badlands where the changelings lived, and then even we weren’t safe. “That’s how we came to live with the ponies. Queen Chrysalis hated them, and even now she only tolerates them, but she knew we would die without them, so she brought us to Canterlot to do what we could to help. We aren’t as good at most things as the other species, but we can do a lot, so we could still help a lot, even if the ponies weren’t really happy that we were there.” Flick stopped there, pausing to take a drink of water form his cup before he resumed. “We were all hoping that it would get better, or that the Princesses would figure out what to do, but it just got worse. The storms kept getting bigger and closer. We lost contact with the other cities before long, and even though so many ponies and everything made it to the mountain, not all of them did, and we don’t know if they’re doing ok or not. Eventually, the Princesses and Queen Chrysalis combined their power and raised a huge barrier around the Canterhorn and some of the surrounding lands to keep the storms out, even though it was so difficult on top of everything else. They all tried different things to get rid of the storms, and kept trying even when what they tried didn’t work. They all worked so hard to save the rest of us, but Princess Twilight worked the hardest. She’d spend days through through every book she could find, looking for a solution, even in the forbidden archives where all dark magic is kept. “She found a spell that allowed her to put almost everyone except for the changelings into stasis, so they wouldn’t need food, but it took so much of her power that she can’t help keep the barrier up, and Princess Celestia and Princess Luna have to keep the sun and moon stabilized, so its mainly Princess Cadence and Queen Chrysalis who keep the barrier up and it’s killing both of them. The spell was supposed to give us so much more time, but it barely gave us any more at all! “Then, there’s Discord, who would normally be able to do something, because he can do almost anything! But the storms have been draining his power somehow, even when he hasn’t been anywhere near them, so even he can barely do anything. The last thing he did before he collapsed was make the scout ships we’ve been using to look for help. That was three months ago. I don’t even know if he’s still alive. “And that’s why I’m here, because we’re running out of time, because nothing else we’ve tried has worked.” A brief silenced passed before Flick spoke once more: “Because we can’t do this on our own, and we’re going to die if we don’t find help.” His host, seated in front of him, hummed thoughtfully. “I know that it’s a lot to ask of someone I’ve just met, but we’re desperate,” Flick said, his voice pleading. “Please. Is there anything you can do to help us?” The being across from him, the elder of his race, sat with his eyes closed in quiet contemplation, and Flick once more considered, if not marveled, at how different something as seemingly straight-forward as distance — even if cosmic in scale — could make something. Like a changeling, the elder had no fur, but had neither chitin nor carapace either; only tough-looking green skin that looked tired with age. Like a changeling or even a pony, his eyes were on the front of his head, facing forward, but were so much smaller, sitting above a pointed nose and no muzzle to speak of. Two small antenna reached outward from his forehead. His ears were large and pointed, but were on the sides of his head, rather than the top. But the biggest difference were the legs; rather than four, the elder got by on two, like a minotaur. A minotaur that had no hooves, and walked on the flat of its feet with the heel touching the ground, rather than just the toes. Like a minotaur, its arms ended in hands with fingers, although it had five rather than only four, and each was tipped with a sharp-looking nail. Though he was the elder of his race, and doubtlessly very important, he did not dress like a king or a prince, preferring instead a plain white tunic reaching to his ankles, blue vest and simple, brown shoes. The only accoutrement that might have indicated his position was a simple, wooden staff that rested next to him. The only true indication that he was of any real important was the throne he sat upon, but even that was relatively simple. After several seconds of silence, the elder smiled and opened his eyes. “Actually, they may be something we can do for you, although I cannot make any promises,” he said. Flick could barely contain his joy. “Anything will help!” he replied. The elder nodded. “Carac,” he said, turning to the bodyguard that had been silently watching from the side. “Yes, Elder Moori?” “Spread word to the villages to bring the Dragon Balls quickly,” Moori instructed, taking his staff and rising up to his feet. “New Namek has new friends, and they need our assistance.” “Thank you, Elder Moori!” Flick said as he all but scrambled and tripped to Moori’s side, happy tears spilling from his featureless eyes. “Thank you! I don’t know how we’ll ever repay you, but we will! Thank you!” With little more than a nod, Carac took his leave. Moori smiled down at Flick, placing the palm of his hand atop the changeling’s head. “We’re happy to help. No repayment is necessary,” he said. He removed his hand and gestured to the exit. “It will be some time yet before we are ready. Why don’t we wait outside?” Flick simply nodded, and then followed the elder Namekian outside, hope warming his chest more than it had in more than a year. Author's Note Experimenting with monologues. This story is tagged complete, but I'm not sure I'm finished with it yet. If you're hoping for more, best add it to a bookshelf that will notify you of updates, just in case.
The God of DreamsThere were seven of them; brassy, orange spheres almost as large as Flick was and marked with differing numbers of stars that didn’t look stamped or painted on as much as they were simply part of the metal. Even when they were separated, Flick could feel strong magic within them. When the last of them was finally placed with the others and then began to pulse with bright golden light, that magic felt even greater than it should have, as if they were even mightier than the sum of their parts suggested. “What happens now?” he asked, looking away from the Dragon Balls and up to Moori. Besides the two of them, many more Namekians had gathered when the spheres were collected; almost one hundred altogether, by Flick’s reckoning. “Now, we summon the Eternal Dragon, Porunga, so you can ask Him for help,” Moori stated. “Dragon?” Flick asked, before returning his attention to the Dragon Balls. Really, he should have probably expected that. “I hope he’s in a good mood.” He couldn’t shake the feeling that something seemed somehow ‘off’ in the way Moori spoke of Porunga. Imagination running wild, surely. “Stand back, everyone,” Moori stated — even though they were all a short distance from the Balls already — before reaching the hand not grasping his staff outwards, palm forward. “Takkaraputo popurunga pupirittoparo!” For several moments, nothing happened, and Flick was about to question this when he realized how still the air had suddenly become. An instant later, the Dragon Balls pulsed with bright, golden light and Flick winced away from them not because that light was painful to him, but because the magic he’d felt had suddenly become even greater than he thought possible; it felt as if he were in a rainstorm that left him soaked to his bones. The Balls pulsed a second time, and the sky grew dark, although it was not from clouds or even the dark of night, but pitch black as if a great curtain had been drawn over the whole world. The Balls pulsed a third time, and then seemed to explode. Golden magic raced upwards into the sky, like a bolt of lightning in reverse, forcing Flick to shield his eyes. It seemed as though that bright light would never disappear, and then it dimmed, even if it did not vanish. Flick dared a glance, and when he looked upward to the sky, the awe that he felt was replaced with fear. In that moment, he understood what it was he’d heard in Moori’s voice that seemed off: Reverence. Porunga — for the Creature that Flick saw above could have only been Him — filled the sky: He was the largest thing that Flick had ever seen, far larger than any dragon from Equus. He looked as though the upper body of a Namekian had been placed atop the head of a great serpent, His tail coiling only once as it descended to the ground where it met with the Dragon Balls. His chest and His massive arms were thick with corded muscle. Iron-black spikes jutted outward from His wide shoulders, and His head bore four matching horns. His face more closely resembled a mix of a Namekian with a baby dragon , with a short, rounded snout, two antennae reaching from His forehead, and eyes that burned like miniature, red suns, but He was still unmistakably a dragon: An Eternal Dragon, just as Moori had said. Flick had never seen a god before, but as he stood at Moori’s side, looking up and doing everything he could to stop shaking, he knew that Porunga must be one. You have brought together the seven Dragon Balls. Flick fought with everything he could to avoid curling into a cowering ball. When the Eternal Dragon spoke, He was not heard so much as He was felt: His voice was greater in force — if not volume — than any rockslide or earthquake the changeling had ever experienced. Speak now, and I will grant you three wishes within My power. “Great Porunga,” said Moori, speaking loudly and without the fear or trepidation that Flick felt so strongly. “A friend from the stars has wishes he would like to ask of You. Would You permit him to make his requests in his own language, rather than the language of Namek?” For a brief moment, Flick’s chest filled with panic until the Dragon spoke again. That is against protocol, but I see there is no harm in it. This time. Moore nodded once, and then looked to the changeling standing next to him. “Go ahead, Flick. Speak clearly and say what you mean, and if they are within Porunga’s power, He will grant your requests,” he said. Flick swallowed hard, but nodded and took a half-step forward; he did not dare move any closer. “G-great Porunga,” he began, pausing to get his nerves under control before he once again addressed the Dragon that could probably kill him with a stray thought. “My-my home planet Equus is covered by terrible storms that are draining the life and magic from itpleasecan—” He stopped, took a deep breath just as he’d once seen Princess Twilight do, and tried again — “Please, can You stop the storms from happening now and ever again?” The Dragon hummed as He considered the request, and it felt as though the entire world rumbled along with Him. Your wish is unacceptable. “W-what?” Flick stammered, still stunned that he was speaking with something so terrible. To end these calamities for all time is beyond even My power. “Oh….” Moori looked to Flick for a few moments and, seeing the changeling not handling the turn of events well, turned his gaze upward. “And what of the storms occurring right now?” he asked Porunga. “If you cannot end these storms for all time, can you at least put a stop to the ones that are happening right now?” The world rumbled again as the Dragon considered the request. All at once, His red eyes burned even brighter and Flick forgot, however briefly, his fear of Porunga as he felt a new surge of raw magic wash over his horn, his senses overwhelmed; if before he felt as if he was in a fierce rainstorm, now he felt as if he were dropped in a great river. It shall be so. You wish is granted. In another instant, the flow of magic ended, the glow of the Dragon’s eyes faded, and Flick gasped for air for several seconds before he found his voice again. “Thanks, Elder Moori,” he said weakly. “Of course, Flick, but gather your wits quickly,” Moori replied. “You still have two more wishes, don’t forget.” Swallowing his concerns again, Flick nodded and looked at the ground for a few seconds, and then turned his attention up to the Dragon once again. “Great Porunga, the storms that you ended have left the lands of Equus barren and without life or magic. Can you restored the land to the way it was before the storms appeared?” A challenging request, but well within My power. Your wish is granted. Again, Porunga’s eyes glowed with the angriest light that Flick could imagine, and again, he felt the sensation of being submerged in a great river of magic. Moments later, both faded, and Flick again struggled to reorganize his thoughts. “One more, right?” he asked. “I don’t even know what to ask for, now. We have what we really needed.” “Why not use your last wish to return home?” suggested Moori. “I’m sure that your Queen and Princesses would be overjoyed to see you returned safely, especially after saving the entire planet. Flick paused, and thought silently for a long while. Too long. I have a very full schedule. Make your last wish quickly, so that I may depart! The changeling cliched and threw a worried gaze upwards, relaxing only slightly when he saw that his doom did not appear imminent. He took a deep breath to steady his nerves, and spoke. “Great Porunga,” he said. “The changeling Queen, the Equestrian Princesses, and so many others have given so much to combat the storms. Please, if you can, would you restore all the leaders of Equus and also Discord to their full strength so they can continue to protect everyone?” It is done. Flick did not have time to brace himself for the third surge of magic, it came so quickly and faded just as fast. How mighty Porunga must have been to have done so much, so quickly, and with so little effort! I have fulfilled all of your requests. Farewell. The Dragon shone with piecing, golden light, and transformed back into a bolt of lightning. His tail tip shot upwards from the ground to meet the rest of Him in the sky, and the resulting orb — seemingly as bright as the sun — pulsed once and then exploded, seven streaks of light flying in seven directions, vanishing from sight in moments. The sky lightened to day again, Porunga was gone, and so were the Dragon Balls. “Wow,” was all Flick could say of the experience. “Yes, that is how most react the first time they see Porunga,” Moori said. “As well as Shenron, the Eternal Dragon of Earth. I suspect it would be the same for any such Dragon. Today, though, it’s you that I’m most impressed by.” Flick looked to the elder with surprise. “Me?” he asked. “Indeed. It would have been very easy to ask Porunga to send you home. We’d asked Him once to reconstruct an entire planet, and then to revive all the good-hearted people who’d been slain by a terrible monster, millions upon millions of lives, and He was able to do both easily. I’m certain you knew or at least suspected He could send you back without issue, but you still decided to use that wish for others. Surely, you’d like to see the results of your quest.” Flick scuffed his tarsi against the ground. “Of course I wanted to see it,” he said with an edge of uncertainty in his voice that dulled into confidence as he continued to speak. “But just because the storms are gone and the land is restored, what if something else comes along and the Queen or the Princesses or Discord needs to take care of it? What good would it do then to come all the way here if it just gets undone again? The planet can survive without me, but it needs the Princesses and the others. Even if I never make it back home, this is worth it.” With a bright smile, Moori placed a hand on the changeling’s head. “You have a good, pure heart, Flick,” he said. “And while your world may survive without it, it will be all the poorer for not having you there. We’ll do what we can to help you return so you can spread that light to others.” Flick simply smiled just as brightly in response, grateful to have found such wonderful friends in his world’s darkest hour.
The Love of a HeroThe Null Storms, as they came to be known, had ended one week prior to the day that all the creatures still in Canterlot were asked to come to the parade square to hear a royal address. The square had rapidly filled to capacity, with more creatures of all types filling out the surrounding streets in hopes of hearing what was to be said. Some impressive last-minute spellwork by Princess Twilight Sparkle allowed this to happen, even if they couldn’t see as well. A platform had been constructed in the square for the occasion. Next to it was some object covered in a white tarpaulin, its identity concealed. The four Equestrian Princesses sat on the platform itself, along with the changeling Queen, Prince-Consort Shining Armor, and even Discord. It was clear all of them were making an effort to look happy, but the Princesses — in regal finery beyond what they normally wore, including dresses — and Shining Armor — in his sharpest blue dress uniform — could manage only a melancholy happiness. Queen Chrysalis — in a dress of her own, a bejeweled choker and with her mane done up in a suitably regal bun — could not manage even that, looking strangely sad when the bleak situation a week earlier had seemed little more than an inconvenience to her. Even Discord — wearing a uniform identical to Shining Armor's with the exception of being a garish yellow — was unusually subdued. Finally, once the audience had been assembled for several minutes, there was some unseen signal, and PrincessTwilight stood and walked to the front of the platform, her horn briefly glowing as she worked one more spell. “Thank you, everyone, for coming today,” she said. “A lot’s happened in the past week, and I know that details have been hard to come by. It’s no secret by now that the terrible storms that threatened to destroy everything have ended, and there’s been no end to the rumors of exactly how this came to be. We are here today to tell you.” What few whispers there still were in the audience died immediately. “Several months ago, it was determined that there may not have been anything on all of Equus that could stop the storms. Discord suggested that the answer could be found out among the stars, and while he hasn’t yet clarified exactly why he thought that, he used what little bit of magic he still had at the time and created a number of ships that could travel beyond the planet. The changelings volunteered to fly them, because with careful rationing, they could survive with only stored love for a long time, the same reason they weren’t subjects of the Hyper Sleep spell, and the best candidates were sent. One of them was named Flick, and I’m sure many of you recognize that name. “Flick wasn’t the strongest or fastest changeling, and his magic wasn’t very powerful, but he was always eager to help in whatever way he could. He tried farming, and while he wasn’t very good at it, I’ve heard plenty of stories that just having him nearby made working all the more enjoyable. He tried weather management, and while he wasn't very good at it, he received plenty of commendations for his infectious joy. He tried researching, and while he was better at that than he was at farming or weather management, I know that what all of us remember most fondly about him was the way he always did everything he could to make the rest of us smile, despite the circumstances. He helped us feel normal, if just for a little while. He was charming, charismatic, and fun. “One week ago, on the day when the storms suddenly stopped and the land everywhere recovered as if nothing had ever happened we received a communique from Flick telling us that he found someone who agreed to help, and asking if it worked and everything was ok. I’d never seen him smile so brightly when we told him that everything was fine.” Twilight paused for a moment to organize her thoughts, even though she’d written her address the day before. “The last of the volunteers returned yesterday. You’ve probably seen some of them around, but one that you won’t see around anywhere is Flick. He found help, but he had to push his ship far. Much, much further than it was ever intended to travel. It had enough energy left to send his transmission, but nothing else. Flick isn’t going to come home. “His last words —” Chrysalis began to sob, and Twilight paused to look and ensure things were under control. They were, as best they could be; almost immediately, Cadence had wrapped the Queen in a hug and allowed her to cry in a shoulder, rather than in the open. After a few seconds, Twilight continued, swallowing a lump in her own throat. “His last words before his circuit lost power were a simple request to us. He asked us to tell you that he loved you. All of you. Every mare and stallion, every colt and filly. Every pony and every changeling, every griffon, every minotaur, every diamond dog. Everyone that he’d ever met, everyone that he hadn’t met, and everyone that he wouldn’t ever meet, even if things weren’t the way they are. “He said that he loved each and every one of us with all of his heart, and that even if he wouldn’t ever see any of us again, it was all worth knowing that we were ok, and he wouldn’t hesitate to do it again if he had to. We —” Twilight paused again, this time to get ahold of her own emotions. When she looked out at the audience again, she could see that many of them were either crying themselves, or were trying very hard not to. Taking in a deep breath, she continued. “We owe Flick a debt that I don’t think we’ll ever be able to repay. He’s so far beyond our reach now that we won’t ever find him. All we can really do is remember all the trials we went through, and that even when everything seemed bleak and hopeless, that a changeling named Flick pressed on and found our salvation not with the love he felt from us, but with the love that he felt for us. Discord, if you would.” Twilight looked over her shoulder to the draconequus to see that he was still unusually subdued. He dabbed at his eyes with a white kerchief, and then snapped his eagle talons. The tarp that covered the object next to the platform exploded in a cloud of purple smoke and rapidly dissipated to reveal a stone statue of a life-sized changeling. He stood tall, his posture strong and confident, one leg raised as if preparing to walk forward and head tilted back to look towards the sky. Engraved into the large base was a single word: COURAGE. Twilight turned back to the audience. “We can remember that we didn’t need a hero that was a Prince or a Princess, or a King or Queen, or a wizard or even very powerful. Just one that was brave,” she said. “And, we can remember that it was not just his courage and love for us that saved us, but also the love we felt for him and for each other, and the courage we all shared that made today possible. We love you too, Flick, and we won’t ever forget you.” In an instant, the air filled with the stomping of hooves, the clapping of hands and the full chorus of applause from a grateful and loving audience. Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship, wiped tears from her eyes and looked up to the sky smiling. “We love you so much,” she said, remembering fondly the changeling named Flick, who had bravely stepped into the unknown and brought his whole world salvation from the stars. Author's Note The last chapter took about two weeks to write. This one took about two hours, with nothing more than a tethered iPad to do it. Another monologue experiment, sort of.
