My Little Pony: Forever Stranger

He imagined the shadow of a white figure with pastel hair, towering over him from a gold and marble throne. But he was safe in the conclusion he'd devised as Smoke jumper led him through the castle. Rather than anxious, he was pleased at having figured it out. This was just some evaluation of the academy, a formality. The Princess was going to ask his opinion on the cadets' training this semester, without the instructors there to put words in his mouth. He just drew the lucky ticket. All he had to do was walk in, give some polite non-answers, shake hooves with Her Highness, and leave the envy of every cadet in Canterlot.

He stopped a couple steps behind Smoke Jumper. She cocked her head, then shrugged. "Alright, Gale, in you go. Close the door behind you, greet them like you would in parade, and not a peep until they say otherwise."

Gale only heard half of that, for the two unicorns were standing before a pair of tall blue doors, not the entrance to the throne room as he'd predicted. There were no guards standing post. A bubble in his throat popped as he replayed Smoke Jumper's instructions. "I thought you said it was just the Princess, ma'am."

She shrugged. "Me too, but she never closes the door when it's just her. She's in there with somepony." She put her hoof on his shoulder. "Worrying won't do you any good, so just go in there and relax, ok?" Then she left him in the glare-soaked hallway.

Gale's shoulder still sagged. His knees softened, his uniform itched. Was he in trouble? He straightened his sash and willed his horn to pull open the doors. As the seam between the wood widened, he imagined the Princess talking with the headmaster about his and his classmates' conduct. Did somepony rat on the four of them for the Jam Incident?

There She was. Statuesque, aurora mane, as he'd imagined. But there was something on either side of her. Another mane on her left, navy and purple with twinkling stars. On her right a smaller one, dark violet, with a pink and lavender highlight to the right of her horn. There were feathery wings under each of those manes, and without knowing it, they had just crushed Gale's gut into a raisin.

Oh, I'm not in trouble. I'm dead where I stand!

The Princess of the Day, Night, and Friendship sat on the far end of a round table, where thin shards of light littered the floor around them like white-hot glass. High on the walls, curtains split in half before the spade-shaped windows, tinting the study in a yellowed musk.

The parade drills saved him from collapsing on the spot, but they also made him smash the sides of his hooves together as he stood up straight enough to make the joints in his neck pop.

The bottom of his eyes glimpsed Princess Celestia's smirking glow. She brought a hoof to her trembling mouth. No way she was doing what he thought she was. Not Her.

"Good morning, Your Highnesses!" Gale bawled, voice on the verge of cracking.

The Princess dropped her hoof, and a quiet chuckle boomed in Gale's ears. The hairs on his neck smoldered, then put out once she summoned the will to stop laughing at him.

"Now, there's no need for that. Please, have a seat." Up close, the timbre of her voice was like a cordial hum.

His jaw clenched as he closed the door. He sank into the seat opposite the three alicorns, and the table was like a desert between them.

"I'm sure you're wondering why you're here," the Princess started, "And I admit, the circumstances are strange, but I'll do my best to explain." She held in her magic an unfurled scroll. "Let's see...Bearing Gale: cadet squad leader, outstanding teacher reviews, and high scores in wilderness survival, magic, and history. Reminds me a little of Shining Armor!" She smiled privately at Princess Twilight Sparkle, who returned it with a brief glance at Gale.

They'd clearly known who he was before he stepped into the room. And he wasn't in the gallows. Yet. So why was he cramming himself into his seat like a coward? Then he met eyes with his answer: Her Royal Highness, Luna. Despite being stone-faced, the Princess of the Night managed to stare and frown and scowl at him. Her eyes were digging past his uniform, past the cover of his eyes, searching for something. He had to look away as Princess Celestia spoke.

"Bearing Gale, it's clear to me that you're a faithful student and cadet. Are you looking forward to graduation and joining our guard in full?"

He croaked, "Y-yes, Your Highness, of course."

She smiled again. "We have a mission for you. It will test everything you've learned and trained for and more, but I think you're the right pony for the job." Princess Twilight nodded. Princess Luna stared.

"Two days ago," the Princess continued, "a magical disturbance left a very mysterious message in this room." Between her hooves on the table were photos. Luna's foggy glow slid them across the wood, silently.

Gale looked down. They were indeed pictures of the study where they all sat, but there was nonsense scrawled on the walls, the floor, even the table. The room's walls were now bare. Not a dust mote of the words still existed.

"Have you ever heard of a pony named Ivory Slate?" the Princess asked.

His head shook. "Only by name, Your Highness."

Princess Twilight adjusted her crown before educating him. "Ivory Slate was a scientist from several generations ago. Not the most famous, but brilliant in his own way. He was still a student when he published his first discoveries. They led to huge improvements in weather factories, and our understanding of how machines and magic interact..." She paused for an enthusiasm Gale was too nervous to give, then pushed herself from the table. "But despite all his accomplishments, it looks like he was known for worrying about his reputation..."

He could hardly track the lavender blur that leapt from its seat to a nearby shelf. With librarian deftness, the Princess of Friendship extracted a stack of dusty books and scrolls larger than her, then spun back around. Is this normal?

Princess Twilight beamed, then blushed in light of the scholarly solar system orbiting her. "Oh! Um...these aren't so important. But you really should read them if you can! They tell all about Ivory Slate's work." A scroll stopped its orbit and unfurled. "But this is what's really interesting."

He squinted. The map was unremarkable if not old, but contained only a cyan sea which marched miles across the parchment's expanse, dotted with chains of islands. In the rightmost bottom corner, a teardrop peninsula sat hunched above a white continent. Grey silt dusted the granite would-be island, and its ink scars suggested mountains. Longitude and latitude were scribbled next to it.

"I...don't follow, Your Highness," said Gale.

Princess Twilight gawked, "Don't you see? That's the Stone Heart from Ivory Slate's message. It has to be!"

Princess Celestia continued, "The land on this map was Slate's last discovery. He disappeared many moons ago, and the spell he used made a copy of his map in the archives, where Princess Twilight found it yesterday." She took back the photos as she slid the map across. "Which is where you come in, Gale. Ivory Slate was one of Equestria's most brilliant minds. We shouldn't ignore this message from him, even if it was just some leftover machine or spell that sent it."

"There's so much we could learn from him, or anything he left behind," Princess Twilight added. "And you could find out for us!" Princess Luna appraised the young alicorn with a frown.

The map on the table stretched his eyes. The mountainous peninsula- the 'Stone Heart'- was far south, lower in latitude than the Froud Valley. It would be winter down there, and before he arrived, he'd have to worm his way through island straits that guarded the southwest seaway. A long, cold voyage.

The Princess leaned forward. "I know it's a tall order. All three of us are anxious to find out about this." She waved a hoof over Princess Twilight and Luna. "But none of us are in a position to be away from Equestria for a week. To make matters even more pressing, recent crises have stretched the Royal Guard thin lately. Few have your specific set of skills, Gale, and even though you are just a student, we know you are more than capable. Do you understand?"

He looked up, where Luna's stare was still waiting. She held on him for a moment, then turned to her sister with a raised eyebrow.

This was a test. It had to be. A personal mission for the princesses. He'd be their official agent, for this mission and all the missions to come for sure. If he did well. "Yes, Your Highness. I would be happy to help. Definitely."

The Princess exhaled before she smiled. "Thank you. Princess Twilight has prepared a strict schedule for you. You'll be gone only a few days."

At least five, Gale figured, seven at most. "Forgive me, Princess, but won't I miss my finals for the academy?"

"You'll get to graduate with your friends, Gale. When you get back." She tilted her head, and he nodded to show he understood. More silence as the two older alicorns studied him, then Princess Twilight talked him through the mission.

"There's a train that leaves for Manehattan in an hour, and a boat at the docks waiting to take you to the mountains. Don't be late. All you have to do is pick up Ivory Slate's trail, find out what happened to him and where the message came from, and then...come back as soon as you do." Lips pursed, she looked at Princess Celestia, who nodded twice.

"As soon as I do..." Gale repeated.

Still facing him, the royal sisters traded glances from the corners of their eyes. The eldest sighed just loud enough to be heard; the younger furrowed her brow as she leaned back in her chair.

"Gale..." said the Princess, "it goes without saying that this mission will have dangers. You'll be on your own, in a place nopony but Slate has ever been. But you can make the journey quickly, which is why we're sending you, and only you. But you are not a delegate, nor a royal representative. We expect you to be careful and discreet if you meet anyone on your mission."

"Sail to the Stone Heart. Find out what happened to Slate," Gale repeated again.

Then, Princess Luna's sapphire gaze intruded once more. Her eyelids fell.

"And return to Equestria. Immediately."

Gale nailed himself to his seat when the clock struck ten. Princess Celestia lit the fireplace with a flick of her horn. Then, from under the table, she produced an ash-colored cloak and slid it across.

Amidst the avalanche of fabric that buried his hooves, Gale saw a sheen on the left breast: the sun and crescent moon, intertwined in an obsidian field of stars. The steel points of the badge glowed like a branding iron, thoroughly soaked in the flame's flailing hues.