Rising Hope: Birth Of The Transcendents

Skies above Aister, Chronomid: 16:00 hours.

Soothing. That was the word to describe the initial feeling of the area. Faint specks of aura interwove with one another, almost causing a makeshift beacon of guiding light. Pale, yet majestic trees were strewn about proudly, providing the land with serenity. Chirps, roars, as well varying flora and fauna stood out to Jamir's eyes and ears. Cobblestone paths, some leading to a few quiet homesteads littered the forest from the small window he was able to see. Yet, the most defined trait of the forest would have to be the dim cerulean skies filled with miniature constellations. All the stories about the Emerald Forest were certainly no jest.

Peering over the guard rail on the human's new way of transport: a sky ship dubbed the S.S. Optiquest sailed through the skies with ease. The massive 12,000 bit Galleon came equipped with the latest cutting edge technology of Equestrian labor. Gray, the primary color coated the ship. The almost mountain sized behemoth bore top of the line cannons: Two in the front, just above the guard railings, as in the back. Six sat on the left and right as the sail's flag waved proudly with the image of a rolled up piece of parchment resting near the hilt of a gilded broadsword. Below that rested a pair of spyglasses in a x shaped pattern, both exuding peace and fear.

Cherrywood floors decorated the deck, showing a sense of pride. Below, rested the lower level outfitted for all the necessities for a crew. Small wind chimes hung from the sides towards the planks. Truthfully, Jamir had trouble understanding how he was able to get a ship of this magnitude.

"Hard to think that all it took to get this was do a small favor for Fancy Pants..." The human pondered the unicorn's response to his completion of the mentioned task.

"Jamir, my boy: Consider this a gesture of good friendship, but I must ask that you need not worry yourself prying about the details..."

However he went about it, he nonetheless was grateful for Fancy's aid.  Resting his arms over the railing, the thought of what to expect whilst in this unknown place began to fill his mind.

"This is nice, isn't it?" Rainbow Dash sighed alongside Jamir, paying thanks to the view before as she laid a hoof on his hand. "But, you of all ponies should know that this is technically enemy territory-" she paused to look into his eyes. "Right?"

How could I forget, hard to do that when it's been repeatedly drilled into my head ever since we departed.

Returning the gesture in kind, Jamir took hold of Rainbow's hoof and gently squeezed it.

"Yes, but we all need to not only look, but act peacefully in the Threstals home, remember what happened at the wedding?" the human brought up the painful, but true memory of what occurred on that day.

Rainbow let out a involuntary whinney at the human's words, but nonetheless agreed with the statement as she traced small circles on the deck with a hoof as her ears drooped. Letting a low chuckle escape her lips only accented the tinge of pink on her cheeks. Huh, who knew a floor could look so interesting?

"W-we, didn't have any idea about that," Rainbow stuttered. "But y-you should understand that-"

The speedsters rant was cut short by Jamir petting her head in tandem with a warm embracing hug. Feeling her erratic breathing calm down, a laugh came out of his mouth.

"I'm only joking Dashie," a brief silence sounded over past the calm blowing winds. "But you see my point, so that makes me happy. In case any of you were wondering," the human spoke loud enough for everyone to hear. "I never held any ill feelings about how you acted: me and Twi didn't really a lot to go on with all that happened."

"No need fer that, sug." Applejack replied. " Should have put more faith what you thought was happening around us. But, I think we can all be held a little at fault focusing on the wedding than to see the bride acting more slippery than a rattlesnake in a vat of grease...no offense, Chrysalis," she blushed.

"None taken, fair Applejack," the changeling understood what she attempted to get at. "I have learned my lesson...and will not allow myself to succumb to the accusations from others from that period in time,"

"Same here, boss." Flashing Deck admitted, her lime green mane swaying in the wind. "Even some of my best exploits never went 100%  the way I expected, but I learned from my mistakes, but from that I can get where you're coming from."

Sighing a breath of relief from hearing that, Jamir relished in the temporary peace all around. A full minute passed by crossing the forest before a even better sight came from the horizon. A long path of marble sidewalks spread out vertically from the Emerald Forest, leading to the outskirts of the city to the raised circular landing marked in bold letters: Welcome!

The size easily matched that of 2 Football stadiums, complete with boarding steps and counterweight elevators. 6 floors encased the basic structure as figures, Equine in stature moved about. With Jamir's aid, Cadence managed to land the ship with relative ease.

"Well," Cadence started as the group made their way onto the platform. "That was the easy part, now comes the rest."

"So where we heading, boss?" Renoir, the human's mystic Zebra shaman gazed at the peaceful scenery.

Oh, for Pete's sake!

That was the feather to break the camels back. Quickly forming a response, Jamir looked ahead to see two figures approach his group, only visually different from the average Equestrian. The first and most noticeable feature he noticed had to be the color: almost transparent in the sense that their very being looked to resemble a ghost. A mistily sky blue was the prominent color blending in with slivers of aura wisps floating around the body. The one nearest to Jamir bore a mane in a mixture of Rainbows' at the top and Chrysalis's at the bottom, a faint crimson complete with patches of yellow with a windswept tail of matching color.

Now that looks weird even up close, but I don't think judging will move us along any faster. Jamir thought. Then he noticed the armour: Gray, but simple and conservative, protecting the more vulnerable parts. Green eyes stared back to his own trailing his gaze to her flank, or most specific her cutie mark of a strange pair markings the human had no trouble understanding.

''Nice,'' he thought.

As for the other one, she seemed to be a dead ringer for the other one, only the fact that the Cutie mark and eye color was different. Looking to both of then, brown and green pupils stared back at him with hesitation.

"...Um, hello?" Jamir spoke with uncertainty.

A high pitched squeal pierced the air before a slight weight forced the human to the floor with a wicked sense of vertigo. Managing to put two and two together, he easily deduced one of the three tackled him...or was it two?

"See sis, I told you he would talk to me first!" the voice from the mare on the left sounded like a overly cocky child, trying to be like a adult so hard from the forced tone of professionalism.

"Sister, that is not fair!" the other voice chided, this one holding a tone like silk and playfulness. "I was certain he would converse with me before you."

Okay, This was getting a little to be a little much to handle, even for Jamir. Exhaling a well deserved sigh, he sought to get said situation on lockdown as he said: 'hella quick.'

"Excusing my blunt nature," Jamir prepped for the possible screw up. "But-"

"What the buck do you think you're doing?! Get off of him like that!" Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Chrysalis yelled at the same time. If one were to view their position, anypony knowing the human would have said something similar. One of the Threstals, a Pegasus lay her head dangerously close to the human's, their lips practically touching while the other, a Earth Pony somehow hooked her hooves around Jamir's legs as her head lay right on the human's crotch, the feeling of her hot breath causing a positive reaction in the lower region. Indeed, it seems that he's found a bold pair of perverts.

"Oh, sorry about that, it's just we're the first ones to get a chance to meet the human! I mean, wouldn't you ask about all his awesome adventures?" the one still resting near his lips asked. "I especially loved when you fought The Opposer. How did you do that thing when you went all: Hiiyaaah! and bring out that sweet lance! Or when you took on Yevon and sliced him and half, oh but that was before your two tone change. And even the fight with Chrysalis and then you went into her memories, which Rina loved: Plot twist, much? I see why you spared her and-"

"Ha!"

Sknt!

"I would stop asking those types of questions, dear filly." Jamir growled, the tip of his katana pressed against her throat as Chrysalis pointed her horn against the other one's heart with rage.

"Oh, um you see-"

"Silence, you maggots!" the changeling barked, her voice causing a slight vibration of the surrounding area. "If another word comes of out your mouth that is not explaining why you know that sensitive information, then I will be forced to carve a permanent remember in both of your skulls,"

"Guys, what happened to acting friendly and not looking like a major threat?" Rainbow tried to stop the duo from acting.

"S-sister, I'm scared." The Earth Pony whimpered from her place underneath the sharp horn. "What did we-"

"Either speak now, or regret it 5 seconds too late," Chrysalis took charge, lighting her horn with magic.

"O-okay, okay. We know this because we, like most of everyone else were showed this by Queen Titiania...which by the way was not good telling her to get laid, she kinda blasted all the windows in a 15 mile radius from shouting about how unfair it was of you to not consider her offer, but...you being here told me a different story!" the Pegasus smiled.

"Really?" Applejack asked, unconvinced.

"My sister speaks the truth," the Earth Pony countered her words. "The Queen rarely raises her voice at things not going her way, so Mr. Human here certainly pushed her buttons the wrong way."

"In any case," Jamir pressed his blade a nudge further. "You still have not told us your names, so spill it before I'm tempted to let Chrysalis have a crack at both of you."

"I'm H-Hina. Kagami Hina, a Pegasus and that's my sister  Kagami Rina, an Earth Pony." Hina looked at Jamir with fear.

"...I knew it!" Jamir yelled in half rage and happiness.

"Boss," Zareran gave him a nudge, to which he looked to his teammate with a cherry look. "Everything hunky dory?"

"No need for concern, guys. I just figured," he looked at the sisters. "that there names were Hina and Rina, that's all."

"Wait, how did you know that?" Hina asked defiantly. "Are you a spy?"

Sigh.

"No," Jamir sheathed his weapon and pointed to their rears. "Those markings are your names in (what he hoped was correct.) Jayponese, right?"

"Splendid, Mr.Human." Rina nodded thoughtfully, blushing. "You, besides our parents, The Queen, and the ponies from where our descendants know how to read our characters...now the question is can you translate it?"

Now that would take some time with translations. Jamir's been in Equestria so long, he's saw no reason to use his knowledge of other languages from Earth, besides preserving another piece of sensitive human culture. Well, maybe if thinks hard enough, he may be able to put together something.

"Based on what I know, the first part of the name, Kagami means mirror. Then, there is Hina, which means...um sun vegetable and your name, Rina means...uh...sorry. That's all I can recall."

"Mmmm," Rina pouted in frustration. "You got two out of three correct, but I was hoping you held the answer to my name."

"At least he tried," Cadence forced a chuckle. "But, if you don't mind me asking, exactly who...are you?"

"Just sisters and citizens to the Queen and if I may add, your biggest fans!" Rina gushed, temporarily paying no mind to the changelings' horn at her heart. "By the way, can we get your autograph?!"

Uh...

A deep chuckle forced everyone to look at Jamir picking Hina up and petting her head with a child's grin.

"Now that you finally explained yourselves, I feel we are in the wrong, so the least I could do is give you what you asked for. Chrysalis, stand down, if you will." the human commanded.

The second those words left his mouth, a sound akin to rusty nails on a chalkboard filled the air before a swift exhale of air followed.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN STAND DOWN, YOU IMPOTENT, UNEDUCATED CHIMPANZEE?! THIS BRAT IS FREELY TALKING ABOUT MY MEMORIES SO LAZILY AS IF SHE WERE THERE!" the air around the group suddenly pressurized and vibrated, causing everyone except Jamir to buckle down to the ground in pain. Instead, the wind blow his long hair every which way, his eyes boring a hole into the changeling who had yet to realize her colossal mistake.

"YOU WISH TO TEST MY RESOLVE, You BELLIGERENT WORM?!" Chrysalis pushed her nose up against Jamir's, the feeling of her cold breath causing a small arc in his eyebrows. On the outside, his face remained calm, lower down his right hand clenched with repressed speed. A full minute passed by after her outburst before it all hit her like a speeding train. With a shaky voice, she spoke.

"M-my liege, please forgive my i-inappropriate behavior, I mean no disrespect by losing my temper," her blazing horn and voice powered down, relinquishing its hold on everyone else.

"I was in the w-wrong," pure fear traced every ounce of her voice, just as, if not the same when the pair fought in that strange city. Bowing so much so to the point where her entire body and nose touched the cool metal, and right under either side of his feet brought more fear to her mind as she waited silently for her punishment.

What she did not expect was Jamir to crouch down and lift her head up and smile another cheerful smile. ...Why? Here she is, apologizing for acting out of turn, awaiting punishment and her master...is calm and collected like no such incident transpired.

"Rise, Chrysalis." Jamir calmly requested.

Nodding her head like a drum, she slowly rised, but failed to meet his gaze. What would befall her? Perhaps his smile is facade is a mask for a darker purpose. Would he beat her, restrain, drown her? Or worse-

"M-Master, what are you doing?" she nearly flinched when a warm hand caressed her left cheek.

"I know you didn't mean to," he drew her into a quick hug. "I should have been more aware of how sensitive a topic that is to talk about, also to hear others who have no idea talk about it...you probably held that in for way longer than you wanted, and that's okay."

"Master..." Chrysalis smiled, leaning further in the hug. "I do not deserve you or your kindness."

"Ahem!" Hina and Rina both uttered. "That was awesome! Well worth it," Hina bounced around in joy, her sister doing the same. "So are you ready to meet the queen?" Rina asked.

"Actually yes, the sooner we do that and sort this problem out, the better." Applejack admitted, pushing her way ahead to the stairs.

"Well, not yet, you're going to, but you have to follow us to the first task."

"Wait, task?" Jamir repeated.

"You heard my sister right," Rina said, walking down the steps. "One of five set by the Queen so you may prove yourselves worthy even to set foot near her estate."