A Master of Deceit

If a few days ago someone had told Remiel that he would see a patch of dirty, dusty ground and thought it was the perfect place to collapse and rest after hauling his own weight in wood for two miles, he would have dismissed them as being insane. If they said it would happen in a world of talking ponies that walked on two feet and had ample access to magic, he just may have had them shot to spare them their insanity. Alas that was exactly what happened.

Apparently Heavy Axe's idea of some firewood was enough to last them over a week. Remiel's pile alone had to have been somewhere around his own weight and his poor, underdeveloped muscles were not made to carry that much. Heavy Axe on the other hand carried three loads that weighed that much if not more without breaking a sweat. He carried one bundle in each arm and a third he levitated with his magic. When Remiel saw that he was so astounded by the display of practical magic he wasn't paying attention to his footing and tripped over an exposed root. The result of which was him crashing down to the ground, scattering his large pile of wood. It wasn't the first time he fell. No, he had to have fallen at least a half a dozen times before that due to his awkward shuffling in those monstrous boots.

At the very least he had gained a small measure of respect from Heavy Axe, who thought his troubles were quite humorous, and gained a lot more respect for his family members that did such labor on a daily basis. He resolved to thank them profusely for their hard work and give them a much deserved pay raise upon his return. For the time being, though, he was content to simply lie in a patch of dirt, despite the few rocks stabbing him in the back, and rest while Healing Touch worked on preparing their supper.

Another thing that added to his misery was the vicious tongue lashing he received from Healing Touch upon their return to camp. Fortunately he was not the only one to suffer her wrath as she included Heavy Axe as well for allowing him to carry so much. What she did not understand was that it was a basic male instinct to try and outdo one another in a primitive show of strength. Primitive as it may have been it was still important damnit! Even though he was still outclassed by the large unicorn by a great distance Remiel had to salvage what pride he could.

"Dinner's ready!" he heard the mare call out. Had his stomach been even slightly less empty than it was Remiel would have continued to just lay in his spot, but the lure of food was greater than his body's desire for rest. In a flash he was on his feet and moving towards the wonderful mare, the smell of food becoming more mouthwatering with each step. He took his place in line right behind Tinker and patiently waited for his bowl of soup. When he came up for his bowl of delicious smelling soup he saw Healing Touch still giving him a dark glare. Clearly she was still displeased with him. "Since you decided to go off and ignore me when I said no heavy lifting you only get half a bowl tonight." Remiel's heart dropped and he didn't need to fake the disbelief on his face. Before he could protest he saw the dark look in her eyes grow even darker and decided against it.

"I accept your punishment and thank you for the meal," he replied hastily. But I would still do it again. She seemed satisfied as her face brightened so quickly he wondered if the glare was even there in the first place. Indeed he had no doubt, women were just as scary in this world. He accepted his bowl and spoon and went to sit beside Tinker near the fire. The young colt looked from his bowl top Remiel's and held his bowl out towards Remiel.

"Want some of mine?" he asked innocently. Remiel was touched by the boy's kindness, but shook his head.

"Your generosity is appreciated, dear Tinker, but this is the consequence of my actions and I must accept that," Remiel replied with a warm smile. Even though my stomach may disagree.

"Oh, ok," he answered.

"Besides, you're a growing colt! You need all the nutrition you can to grow as big and strong as your father!" The colt's face lit up at that and attacked his soup with gusto. Remiel laughed softly at that and officially decided he liked the colt.

"My, he's hungrier than I thought," Healing Touch giggled.

"He's trying to become as strong as his father," Remiel said as he took a spoonful of the soup as well. His stomach may be screaming for sustenance but he would not forsake his table manners, even if there was no table to speak of.

"Colt's got a ways to go," Heavy Axe laughed.

"Not if you keep making my patients go against my instructions," Healing Touch added with a small chuckle. Remiel looked at the unicorn's bowl and it was filed just as much as his.

"Just a bit of fun was all it was," Heavy Axe replied with a laugh. Remiel chuckled with him but his body disagreed entirely.

"Stallions," Healing Touch sighed as she shook her head.

"So," Remiel said, deciding to steer the conversation towards where he could learn something, "I'm interested in learning a bit more about where exactly it is we are." Healing Touch's eyes went wide as he spoke.

"That's right, I forgot you aren't from around here," she gasped.

"Just now realizing that?" her husband asked with a smirk and she swatted him on the shoulder.

"So, what do you want to know?"

"For starters it would be nice to know the name of this land," Remiel told her. Healing Touch nodded her head.

"This is Equestria, as you can see it's where most ponies live," Healing Touch said and Remiel nodded his head. "We have three princesses that rule here. There's Princess Celestia, she raises and lowers the sun and presides over the Day Court. Princess Luna raises and lowers the moon and she's in charge of the Night Court. There's also Princess Twilight Sparkle, but she was just recently appointed." Remiel gave her a confused look.

"Appointed?" he asked. "Does that mean you choose your princesses?" Heavy Axe laughed but Healing Touch shook her head.

"No, you see she was originally Princess Celestia's personal student, but became one of the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony and defeated many threats to Equestria before she became an alicorn and was named the Princess of Friendship." Remiel keyed in on many things she said, but above all these 'Elements of Harmony' demanded his full attention. Were these 'Elements' anything like the Fragments of God?

"Just a moment," Remiel interrupted. "To begin with, what exactly is an alicorn?" He decided it was best not to jump straight into the Elements lest he appear too eager.

"You've never heard of an alicorn?" Tinker asked, shocked. Remiel shook his head as he spooned out another scoop of Healing Touch's delicious soup.

"An alicorn is a pony with the strength of an earth pony, the magic of a unicorn pony, and the wings and power over the clouds and weather like a pegasus pony," Healing Touch told him. Remiel nodded his head to her. It seemed these 'alicorns' were quite powerful, but Remiel still didn't believe they could command the sun and moon. And what was an earth pony? He realized that they were the ponies without wings or horns so that must be what Healing Touch was.

"And they live forever!" Tinker added happily. Remiel looked at the boy in shock.

"I beg your pardon, but I don't think I heard you correctly," he said to the young colt.

"No," Healing Touch said, "you heard him right."

"But...how?" Remiel asked, still trying to sort it all out in his head. Healing Touch shook her head.

"Nopony knows but the princesses have been around since before Equestria. Except for Princess Twilight Sparkle." Remiel had difficulty wrapping his head around this.

So they have the sun and moon at their beck and call, the defining attributes of each kind of pony, and they are immortal? Are they trying to pass themselves off as goddesses? If they were, Remiel had to admit they were doing it very well. These three ponies seemed to believe it hook, line, and sinker. Remiel put his spoon down and began to massage his temple to try and fend off the headache he knew was on its way.

"You ok, Mr. Rem?" Tinker asked.

"I believe so, for the most part," he answered. He looked over to Healing Touch. "From your description of them, they sound more like goddesses than princesses."

"They're not," Heavy Axe cut in sounding slightly offended.

"Peace, my friend, I meant no offense," Remiel said in an attempt to stave off his anger. Heavy Axe realized his tone and lowered his gaze somewhat.

"Sorry," he replied. "It's just. I spent years as one of their guards. I wasn't a guard when Princess Luna was around, but I spoke with Princess Celestia hundreds of times, even Princess Twilight Sparkle before she was a princess. Underneath the crowns and titles they're just like normal ponies."

"I see," Remiel said to him, though he didn't buy it. Most likely it was an act to endear themselves to their subjects but it was very effective from the looks of it. "I apologize if I upset you with my hasty words." Heavy Axe waved it off.

"No, I shouldn't have acted like that," he replied. "It's just a lot of ponies and others think the same thing you said but don't get to look past it."

"I would think that putting them on such a pedestal would be a natural reaction for most," Remiel said, thinking aloud.

"How so?" Healing Touch asked.

"If they are capable of doing all you told me," he started before Heavy Axe cut him off.

"If?" he sounded offended.

"Look at it from my perspective, my friend. Where I'm from magic, be it that it simply never existed there or it somehow became depleted, does not exist. Now I am here and I am supposed to believe magic controls everything from the weather to the rising and setting of the sun and moon. Forgive me if I am skeptical."

"There's no magic where you're from?" Tinker asked. Remiel shook his head. "How do you control the weather?"

"There is no such thing where I am from," Remiel explained. "At most we can guess when and where storms will occur but nothing more than that."

"How do you raise the sun?" Remiel thought for a moment before answering him. He looked around and found a small stick and a rock. He smiled slightly and lifted the rock.

"Observe," he said as he held out the rock and then proceeded to drop it.

"It fell," Tinker said, soundly slightly disappointed.

"Exactly," Remiel told him. "Now, do you know why it fell?"

"Gravity," he answered. Remiel smiled and nodded his head.

"Correct, you are a very smart young colt." Remiel smiled at him and the young colt beamed with pride. "Now, what causes gravity?" The colt adopted a thinking look as he wracked his brain for the answer.

"Magic?" he asked, sounding hopeful. Remiel shook his head.

"Mass," he told the colt. The colt gave him a confused look. "You see, everything has mass, from the air you breathe to the ground you walk on. Since everything has mass, everything exerts a force pulling more mass towards it. However, the amount of force it pulls with is dependant on how much mass an object has. You and I, we have relatively little mass so we only have a weak pull towards other objects. The Earth, however, has an immense amount of mass so it's pull is substantially larger than our own and that is why we do not float off into space."

"So you're saying that since Equus is so large that it pulls the sun and moon to it?" Tinker asked. Remiel smiled brightly at the colt. He was very smart indeed.

"Not quite," he explained. "You see, the sun is many, many times larger than." Remiel gave the boy a confused look. "Did you say Equus?" The colt nodded his head. "What's Equus?"

"That's what our planet's called," he answered.

"Equus, not Earth?"

"What's 'Earth'," he asked.

"My planet," Remiel answered.

"So you're saying you're not from this planet?" Heavy Axe asked.

"So it would seem," Remiel mumbled to himself. Well this was a pleasant surprise. He wasn't planning on revealing the fact like this, but at least it was broken softly instead of him blurting it out and looking insane. "I had my suspicions, but it still doesn't seem real. How is it possible? It just doesn't make sense."

"Maybe not, but does make some other things clear," Healing Touch said. "I was wondering how there could be no magic where you're from, but if it isn't on Equus than I guess it's possible."

"Indeed, but it still begs the question of how I got here," Remiel replied, downtrodden

"Buck up, Mr. Rem!" Tinker said in an attempt to raise Remiel's spirits. "Dad knows Princess Celestia and she can definitely help!" Remiel smiled at the young colt.

"Thank you, my young friend, but I'm sure the princess has more important things to worry about than a single wayward traveler," Remiel said kindly. Though the colt did have a point, a princess that had ample magic power and has lived for who knows how long may be his best bet at returning home.

"Nonsense," Healing Touch told him. "The princesses hold open courts for most of the day, even at night, where anypony can get an audience." Remiel was surprised to hear that. If they did such a thing than most of their time would be spent listening to pretty problems that didn't warrant royal attention. Perhaps he needed to revise his opinion of them.

"And where is it I can find them?"

"Canterlot," she answered. Another horse pun? Remiel began to get the feeling those would be very common here.

"And where is that?" Remiel inquired. Leaving this group would be worrying but Remiel had to return home.

"It's where we're going!" Tinker asked happily. "You can come with us!" Remiel smiled at the colt and ruffled his mane.

"I believe that is a decision for your mother and father, Tinker," Remiel said with a small laugh.

"Can he come? Please?" Tinker begged his parents. Heavy Axe and Healing Touch smiled and nodded their heads. The young colt leapt to his feet and cheered, almost spilling his soup. The other three laughed at the colt's display and soon the child was begging for Remiel to continue his earlier lecture. Remiel happily obliged him and went on to describe how the sun's gravity kept his planet in orbit around it and how the earth's rotation gave the appearance of night and day.

Both the colt and his parents seemed enraptured by his lesson and listened intently. Remiel was happy to answer the occasional question and found himself thinking about how it reminded him of helping some of his younger family members with their homework. And he felt like he needed that small piece of home right now. Add his lecture continued on he also explained how the earth's orbit and its tilt made the seasons change, because apparently these ponies not only control the weather, but the seasons as well. It began to seem like he was never going to stop learning new things about this world.

Eventually the conversation dotted down with the flames and their small group finished their supper and packed up for the night. Heavy Axe and his family slept in the tent while Remiel was once more confined to the wagon, but he was grateful for it all the same. He went to bed without learning about the Elements he heard Healing Touch mention, but for now that was fine. Tomorrow was a another day and they still had tone beige arriving at this Canterlot. Just as Remiel was about to lie down his body began to convulse and he was crippled by painful coughs as he felt blood begin crawl up his throat. He covered his mouth with his hand but barely managed to keep the sickly liquid from spewing all over the wagon's contents. After the spasms and coughing faded Remiel lay in a weak, sweaty heap.

It seems not even a world of magic can save me, he thought solemnly. Knowing he could not let the ponies see this mess, he climbed out of the wagon and made his way to a nearby stream to wash his mouth and hand. Thankfully it was a full moon so it was easy to see where he was going. Why? Why? This world has magic aplenty. So why is this still happening? Remiel looked down at the new markings adorning his arm. Is it because of the relic? Is all this because of the relic? Just what have I unleashed?

Getting nowhere thinking about the relic his mind wandered off towards went he didn't want the ponies to know of his ailment. If he told them about it, considering what kind of people they were, it likely would have cemented his position in their group. Remiel prided himself on being able to read and judge others, and from what he's seen he doubted they'd abandon someone as sickly as him even if he was the rudest creature alive. So what kept him from exposing himself? Could it be that he didn't want them to worry? No, no that couldn't be it. Of course he liked the family, but they weren't his family. They were a resource, a tool to help him find a way home as well as something to help remind him of home. But they were not his family and therefore not his concern. He debated with himself for a moment before a headache came on and he gave up, but not before coming to the conclusion he was beginning to care for the small family, and he cursed himself for it. That was something he couldn't, wouldn't allow. He couldn't afford to get attached. He wasn't sure he could bare going through another ordeal like Kyle. For the time being he would keep quiet about his affliction, it may come in use later on. He could even spin it as the kind fool who suffered in silence because he didn't want to worry others. Yes, it would be a noble sacrifice. Foolish, but noble.

With his mind made up he bent down over the stream and glared at the being that looked back at him. Thrusting his hands through image of himself Remiel washed the blood from his hands and mouth and forced himself to get back on his feet. When he went to leave though he noticed he missed some of the blood on his wrist. And in the bright moonlight, he swore his blood was black. For a moment he looked on in shock, then shook his head and dismissed it as a trick of the moonlight before heading back towards the wagon. Before climbing in though, he looked up at the sky.

Millions of stars dotted the dark blue canvas of the nighttime sky, creating intricate and beautiful constellations. Truly this sky scene appeared to have been created by an artist, but he was not looking for art. No, he was looking to the sky hoping it would resemble the one from his home. Seeing it's beauty was bittersweet. Though pleasing to the eye, it made him feel even further from home. It was his last hope at a feeling of normalcy. Perhaps he should be thankful for his ailment, it seemed to be the only thing that hasn't changed. Turning his head from the sky he climbed into the wagon and covered himself with the warm blanket, wishing that for just this one night he would have peace. But whatever powers presided over dreams either didn't hear him or didn't care.